Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy survey on replacing a direct electrical heating system with an alternative heating system

With the ever-growing energy demand that world is currently going through and the danger of climate change around the corner, wagering in renewable energy seems to be the right path to create a more smart and green future. Sweden has put great effort on decreasing its dependency on oil, in fact in 2012 more than 50 % of its electricity came from the renewable source and has a plan in making it 100 % in 2040. However, when it comes to heating systems Sweden depends greatly on district heating, and situations which buildings are located outside the district heating system’s reach is not uncommon, hence for those buildings, other options such as solar power or heat pumps are considered. Many buildings located in Skutskar suffer from the problem stated above. The particular building analyzed in this thesis uses electrical radiator and furnace as sources of heat, which implies high energy uses and financial expenses. For this reason technical and financial analysis of using each alternative system for a single family house located in Skutskar had been done. Using solar powered system is deemed to be quite ineffective, as Sweden has poor solar radiation. In order to compensate the poor sun hours during the winter, 51 photovoltaic (PV) panels or 19 solar thermal panels would be required. This high initial investment needs long period of time in order to be profitable, 15 years for solar thermal system and 21 years for solar PV system. On the other hand, the results from the heat pumps are quite satisfactory, the fastest payback period is around 4 years. This is achieved by using air source heat pump (ASHP), the annual saving in this case is three times higher than using solar photovoltaic panels, making the usage of ASHP more attractive than any solar energy system. However, when annual saving is concerned, the ground source heat pump (GSHP) system is capable of generating even higher saving, but the initial investment is significantly higher, extending the payback period to 6 years
In‐situ assessment of the spatial arrangement of step–pool units on eroded rills

Rills are generated on homogeneous hillslopes by the action of different discharges and evolve morphologically over short timescales due to a strong interaction between the flow and bed morphology. Such an interaction generates a reconfiguration of the bed geometry. Previous works suggest that bed geometry is often characterized by alternation between pools and flat reaches (steps). Each step–pool unit may contribute to hydraulic resistance and affects flow behaviour. The objectives of this work are (i) to assess different (innovative) techniques for the in‐situ assessment of rill bed geometry, (ii) to use these techniques to assess the geometry of eroded rills in situ in order to determine the spatial arrangement in the bed macro‐scale roughness and (iii) finally to analyse the role of slope and discharge as driving factors associated with the development of these macroforms.
First report of American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) on Cuba

Abstract: This is the first report of American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) on Cuba, discovered 3 December 2014 at El Verraco (21°55'51.1"N, 84°30'39.3"W) on Cabo San Antonio, Guanahacabibes National Park, in the Pinar del Río province, known as a significant migrant trap for many fall transients. The Guanahacabibes region of Cuba is an under-studied Important Bird Area for fall migrants. Keywords: American Pipit, Anthus rubescens, Cuba, first record, Guanahacabibes National Park Resumen: Primer registro de Anthus rubescens en Cuba—Este es el primer registro de Anthus rubescens en Cuba, descubierto el 3 de diciembre de 2014, en el Verraco (21°55'51.1"N, 84°30'39.3"W) en el Cabo de San Antonio, Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes en la provincia de Pinar del Río. Este parque es conocido como un colector migratorio importante para muchos transeúntes otoñales. La región de Guanahacabibes en Cuba es un Área de Importancia para las Aves poco estudiada para los migrantes otoñales. Palabras clave: Anthus rubescens, Cuba, Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes, primer registro Résumé: Premier rapport du Pipit d’Amérique (Anthus rubescens) en Cuba—Nous fournissons le premier rapport du Pipit d’Amérique (Anthus rubescens) en Cuba, découvert le 3 décembre 2014 à El Verraco (21°55'51.1"N, 84°30'39.3"W) en Cabo San Antonio, Parc National Guanahacabibes dans la province Pinar del Río, connu comme un piège important pour les oiseaux migratoires qui passent dans l’automne. La région de Guanahacabibes en Cuba est un zone d’importance pour les oiseaux (IBA) insuffisamment étudié pour les migrateurs de l’automne. Mots clés: Anthus rubescens, Cuba, Parc National Guanahacabibes, Pipit d’Amérique, premier rapport
Food Security Status of Rural Households in North-Western Ethiopia

Ensuring food-security among rural households has remained a greater challenge to Sub-Saharan Africa, of which Ethiopia takes the ‘lion's share'. The incidence of food insecurity is going beyond areas of scanty rainfall extending to all corners of the country, North-western Ethiopia, where extensive arable virgin land with potential agriculture is found. However, sufficient amount of summer rainfall and green forest coverage of the region have masked prevailing food shortage. Despite this fact, most food-security studies in Ethiopia have been concentrated in other parts, ignoring the North- Western part of the country. Therefore, it is aimed at assessing the food security status of households and identifying major determinants at household level in the region. This work, therefore, is the first of its kind conducted in North-western Ethiopia and hence in the district.This can narrow the existing research gaps and provide sufficient information for further studies in the region. Moreover, policy makers and development agents can use the results of the work to formulate policies and programs in order to address food-security problems in the region at large.
Basement‐Cover Relationships and Their Along‐Strike Changes in the Linking Zone (Iberian Range, Spain): A Combined Structural and Gravimetric Study

Contractional deformation in the transition between the Iberian and Catalan Coastal Ranges (Linking Zone) generated both thin‐skinned structures detached in low‐strength Triassic units and basement‐involved structures. To evaluate their extent and relative contribution to the overall structure, we carried out a study combining structural geology and gravimetry. New gravity data (938 stations) and density determinations (827 samples) were acquired and combined with previous existing databases to obtain Bouguer anomaly and residual Bouguer anomaly maps of the study area. Seven serial and balanced cross sections were built, their depth geometries being constrained through the 2.5‐D gravity modeling and the 3‐D gravity inversion that we accomplished. The residual Bouguer anomaly map shows a good correlation between basement antiforms and gravity highs whereas negative anomalies mostly correspond to (i) Meso‐Cenozoic synclines and (ii) Neogene‐Quaternary basins. Cross sections depict a southern, thick‐skinned domain where extensional, basement faults inherited from Late Jurassic‐Early Cretaceous times were inverted during the Cenozoic. To the north, we interpret the existence of both Triassic‐detached and basement‐involved deformation domains. The two deformation styles are vertically overlapped in the southernmost part of the Catalan Coastal Ranges but relay both across and along strike in the Eastern Iberian Range. These basement and cover relationships and their along‐strike variations are analyzed in terms of the interplay between structural inheritance, its obliquity to the shortening direction, and the continuity and effectiveness of Triassic décollements in the study area.
Daily GRACE Water Storage Estimates for Improving Hydrology Models and Forecasting

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has created a more than 15 year record of time variable gravity and enabled studies of regional terrestrial water storage (TWS) changes. These and other studies have primarily been limited to analyses of long wavelength signals due to the inherent 30-day temporal resolution associated with the majority of GRACE products. This dissertation seeks to improve on this limitation by creating a daily estimate of TWS using mass concentrations (mascons) as an iteration of the Goddard Space Flight Center’s (GSFC) monthly global mascon product. The developed solution couples the 30-day high spatial resolution of that product with lower spatial resolution daily estimates. Key to this study is the development of an optimized regularization strategy for resolving daily fields that maximizes signal recovery and a characterization of bias in the solution due to this regularization. A rigorous analysis shows that the resulting daily estimated mascons have latitudinally-dependent resolution, with approximately 450 km spatial resolution in polar regions and 800-1,200 km spatial resolution at low latitudes. This analysis shows strong signal recovery relative to bias effects for basins larger than 800,000 km2 and marginal recovery for basins 300,000-800,000 km2, while signal recovered in basins smaller than 250,000 km2 are dominated by bias errors. The solution developed in this dissertation is the first daily TWS product with global land coverage estimated from individual daily GRACE Level-1B observations.
Why Would Location-Based Scheduling Be Applicable for Offshore Wind Turbine Construction?

The focus in this research was the conversion of a traditional activity-based construction schedule to a location-based schedule. The case investigated was an offshore wind turbine project in the British sector of the North Sea. This exploratory case study used a deductive approach studying the literature. The initial step was a review of the location-based scheduling literature. The applicability of the theory could be tested through understanding the patterns from existing location-based scheduling literature. These patterns were the adapted from the construction context to the offshore wind construction context. With the knowledge of how and why from a theoretical perspective, the authors analyzed the existing construction schedule which was based on the critical path methodology. The results from this analysis provided knowledge about how location-based scheduling is applicable from an industrial perspective. This research contributes knowledge by testing the theory of location-based scheduling in the context of offshore wind turbine construction industry.
Coastal Processes and Influence on Damage to Urban Structures during Hurricane Irma (St-Martin & St-Barthélemy, French West Indies)

This study aims to better understand coastal processes associated with extreme cyclonic events through the study of the coastal changes, flooding and damage that resulted from the passage of a category 5 hurricane (Irma) on 6 September 2017 over the islands of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy in the Lesser Antilles. Hurricane Irma was contextualized from tropical cyclone track data and local weather observations collected by Météo-France, as well as high-resolution numerical modelling. Field work involved the study of accretion coasts through qualitative observations, topo-morphological and sedimentary surveys, as well as image acquisition with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys during two trips that were made 2 and 8 months after the catastrophe. Wave propagation and flood numerical models are presented and compared to field data. Our field analysis also reports on the devastating impacts of storm surges and waves, which reached 4 and 10 meters height, respectively, especially along east-facing shores. The approaches reveal a variety of morpho-sedimentary responses over both natural and highly urbanized coasts. The analysis shows the effects of coastal structures and streets on flow channeling, on the amplification of some erosion types, and on water level increase. Positive spatial correlation is found between damage intensity and marine flood depth. The signatures of ocean-induced damage are clear and tend to validate the relevance of the intensity scale used in this study.
Distribution, seasonality, and fluxes of dissolved organic matter in the Pearl River (Zhujiang) estuary, China

Abstract. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration in the Pearl River estuary (PRE) of China was measured in May, August, and October 2015 and January 2016. Chromophoric and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (CDOM and FDOM) in the latter three seasons were characterized by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. CDOM and FDOM exhibited negligible seasonal variations, while DOC displayed a significant seasonality, with the average concentration being highest in May (156 µmol L−1), lowest in November (87 µmol L−1), and comparable between January (118 µmol L−1) and August (112 µmol L−1). Although DOC, CDOM, and FDOM in surface water were generally higher than in bottom water, the difference between the two layers was statistically insignificant. DOC showed little cross-estuary variations in all seasons, while CDOM and FDOM in January were higher on the west side of the estuary than on the east side. All three variables showed rapid drawdowns in the head region of the estuary (salinity <5); their dynamics in the main estuary were primarily controlled by conservative mixing, leading to linearly declining or relatively constant (for DOC in May and November only) contents with increasing salinity. The decrease in FDOM with salinity was 5 %–35 % faster than that of CDOM, which in turn was 2–3 times quicker than that of DOC. Salinity and CDOM absorption coefficients could serve as indicators of DOC in August and January. Freshwater endmembers in all seasons mainly contained fresh, protein-rich DOM of microbial origin, a large part of it likely being pollution-derived. Protein-like materials were preferentially consumed in the head region but the dominance of the protein signature was maintained throughout the estuary. Exports of DOC and CDOM (in terms of the absorption coefficient at 330 nm) into the South China Sea were estimated as 195×109 g and 266×109 m2 for the PRE and 362×109 g and 493×109 m2 for the entire Pearl River Delta. The PRE presents the lowest concentrations and export fluxes of DOC and CDOM among the world's major estuaries. DOM delivered from the PRE is, however, protein-rich and thus may enhance heterotrophs in the adjacent coastal waters. Overall, the PRE manifests lower abundance and smaller spatiotemporal variability of DOM than expected for a sizable estuary with a marked seasonality of river runoff due supposedly to the poorly forested watershed of the Pearl River, the rapid degradation of the pollution-derived DOM in the upper reach, and the short residence time of freshwater.
Predictability of Stratospheric Sudden Warmings in the Beijing Climate Center Forecast System with Statistical Error Corrections

Previous studies have reported that the predictive limit of stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) events in the Beijing Climate Center forecast system (BCC_CSM) is shorter than 2 weeks. This study continues to analyze the general characteristics of this model in forecasting SSWs and carries out a trial of error corrections. The ratio of the ensemble members that forecast the zonal wind reversal with a 5‐day delay allowed (hit ratio) is higher for SSW events with a small decrease in the zonal mean zonal winds (moderate SSWs) than for events with a large decrease in the zonal mean zonal winds (radical SSWs) in hindcasts initialized around 1 (D‐7) and 2 (D‐14) weeks in advance. The underestimated cumulative eddy heat flux associated with weak wave activities accounts for the weaker‐than‐observed deceleration of westerlies. The preexisting extratropical wave patterns are satisfactorily forecast in D‐14 for most (9/12) cases, and the wave phase bias is reasonably small for those cases. After the climatology bias is deducted from the hindcasts, an increase in the hit ratio can be identified for moderate SSW events as the evolutions of zonal winds are improved. Following the error correction by remapping the zonal wind probability distribution function in the forecast system to the reanalysis, the SSW hit ratios increase in the D‐7 (43% to 57%) and/or D‐14 (11% to 21%) initializations. Based on the composite result, this error correction method robustly improves the hit ratio not only for both radical SSWs and moderate SSWs but also for both polar vortex split SSWs and polar vortex displacement SSWs. The best error correction method might propel the prediction limit of SSW events to around 2 weeks.
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ATMOSPHERIC OXIDATION OF ISOPRENE USING MODELS AND MEASUREMENTS: IMPACTS ON SURFACE OZONE

Title of Dissertation: QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ATMOSPHERIC OXIDATION OF ISOPRENE USING MODELS AND MEASUREMENTS: IMPACTS ON SURFACE OZONE Margaret Rosemary Marvin, Doctor of Philosophy, 2019 Dissertation directed by: Adjunct Professor Glenn Wolfe, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Professor Ross Salawitch, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center The oxidation of isoprene – one of the most abundant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in our atmosphere – significantly impacts the formation of surface ozone, which is detrimental to public health. Computer models simulate the complex relationships between ozone and VOCs like isoprene and are used to guide policy decisions directed at improving ozone. However, uncertainties in the emissions and chemistry of isoprene limit the accuracy of modeled ozone. This body of work comprises a quantitative analysis of atmospheric isoprene oxidation that strives to identify and improve such uncertainties through the combination of models with measurements. Measurements used in this work mainly comprise in situ observations from the Southeast Nexus (SENEX) aircraft campaign, which sampled atmospheric composition across the isoprene-rich summertime Southeast US. I have prepared two models – the Framework for 0-D Atmospheric Modeling (F0AM) and the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) – to drive simulations of atmospheric isoprene oxidation, which are evaluated against observations from SENEX. Using F0AM, a photochemical box model, I demonstrate that several commonly-used mechanisms significantly underestimate measured mixing ratios of formaldehyde, a high-yield product of isoprene oxidation, by 0.5–1 ppb across a wide range of NOx conditions. The consistent underestimation of formaldehyde suggests a deficit of VOC oxidation among all considered mechanisms. Although the cause for this deficit remains elusive, I provide recommendations for improving the simulated production of formaldehyde upon isoprene oxidation in the Carbon Bond version 6 revision 2 (CB6r2) mechanism, commonly used for air quality modeling. Using CAMx, a three-dimensional chemical transport model, I produce a standard air quality modeling scenario that simulates atmospheric composition across the continental US for the summer of 2013. Evaluation of this scenario reveals that the emissions of isoprene from the Biogenic Emissions Inventory System (BEIS) are underestimated in the Southeast US by at least 40%. Finally, implementation of improvements in the emissions and chemistry of isoprene within the CAMx modeling framework increases the net photochemical production of surface ozone by up to 0.5 ppb hr and shifts surface ozone production regimes more NOx-limited, relative to the standard platform for regional air quality modeling. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ATMOSPHERIC OXIDATION OF ISOPRENE USING MODELS AND MEASUREMENTS: IMPACTS ON SURFACE OZONE
Comparison of neural network models with aerodynamic and empirical models toward real-time estimation of the number of air exchanges per hour of a naturally ventilated greenhouse

The feasibility of estimating the number of air exchanges per hour ( N ) of a naturally ventilated greenhouse in real time using neural network ( NN ) models was evaluated. An aerodynamic ( AD ) model and an empirical model were also used to compare different types of model. The value of N for an eight-span Venlo-type greenhouse with roof vents containing no plants was measured using the tracer gas method with CO 2 for 17 d. An AD model derived from Bernoulli’s principle, an empirical model, and several NN models in which explanatory variables differed were trained and validated with 4,508 data points subjected to 10-fold cross-validation. We first compared the AD model, the empirical model, and two NN models that used the same explanatory variables in the empirical model, with and without wind direction. The mean accuracy ( in terms of root mean square error ( RMSE ) and coefficient of determination ( r 2 ) in the relationship between measured and estimated N values ) was the highest for the two NN models, followed by the empirical model and AD model. We next compared four NN models. The differences among them included that, as explanatory variable ( s ) , only the difference between inside ( T i ) and outside ( T o ) air temperatures or both T i and T o was used and whether solar irradiance ( I ) was used or not. There was a slight improvement in accuracy when using I , irrespective of how air temperature was handled. The NN models thus tended to exhibit a higher degree of accuracy in estimating N of a naturally ventilated greenhouse than the AD and empirical models considered in this study. For the NN model that performed the best in our comparison, a mean RMSE of 1.08 h − 1 and a mean r 2 of 0.79 were observed.
GPS signal derived precipitable water vapor and its applications in rainfall prediction

The atmospheric water vapor is generally expressed in terms of Precipitable water vapor (PWV). It is an important indicator of water vapor climatology and variability in the lower troposphere and related climate processes. Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite signals are used to derive PWV values with high spatio-temporal resolution which is available under all-weather conditions. The PWV values are derived using the delay information from GPS signals. The signal delays in the troposphere are divided into two categories; Zenith Hydrostatic Delay (ZHD) and Zenith Wet Delay (ZWD). The ZWD delay is caused by the water vapor of the atmosphere and PWV values are derived using these ZWD values. The accuracy of the GPS-PWV values depends on how accurately the ZWD values are derived. A comprehensive analysis is done to understand the effects of different mapping functions and different ZHD models on the retrieved PWV values. The results show that there is a very small effect of the mapping functions on the PWV values. Use of different ZHD models have greater effect on the PWV values. When converting the ZWD values to PWV, it involves the use of a dimensionless constant called PI. This PI value is found to rely on a water-vapor weighted mean temperature (Tm) value which varies according to different locations and seasons. It is therefore, both site and time specific. Analysis of the PI value and its effect on the retrieved PWV from the data obtained from different regions show that although the PI value is time and site specific, the change in the median value of PI for different years is minimal and is dependent only on factors like the latitude coordinates of the particular site and the day-of-the year. Therefore, using the data obtained from 174 different sites, a latitude-coordinate and day-of-year based PI value model is pro-