Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plankton distribution spectra: inter‐size class variability and the relative slopes for phytoplankton and zooplankton

Transects of a region of the North Atlantic, conducted in spring 1997, provide simultaneous measurements of a number of biophysical variables. These data are used to quantify the degree of spatial heterogeneity in the horizontal distributions of zooplankton, phytoplankton and potential temperature. More specifically, the spectral slope is calculated for the distribution of chlorophyll a, potential temperature and individual size‐classes of zooplankton. A comparison of the estimated slopes provides the first evidence, from continuous measurements, that the gradient of zooplankton spectra may vary according to the size of the organism and, furthermore, that it may be steeper than that for phytoplankton both as an individual size class (500–1000 μm) and as an ensemble (250–2000 μm). The latter result is the exact opposite of conventional wisdom founded on previous observations. Our results highlight significant deficiencies in current models for plankton patchiness.
Interactions between riverbed morphology, water chemistry and microbial diversity : and its impact on pollutant biodegradation

Riverine environments are stressed and damaged by anthropogenic actions, with chemical contamination a key factor, identified as potentially adversely impacting the aquatic network. Standardised Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) tests are used to establish biodegradation rates of chemicals in the environment, however these tests are conducted in unrealistic conditions deficient of environmental realism. Increasing the environmental realism of OECD tests has the capacity improve prediction of chemical persistence and identify potential for damage to the environment. Moreover, the interactions between bedform, microbial biofilm communities and chemical biodegradation at the sediment-water interface are not considered in OECD tests. The current project explored the effects of bed-form characteristics on biofilm development and the consequences of sediment on biodegradation at the sediment-water interface. Novel flume systems were designed, constructed and used to develop methodologies to investigate the impact of bed form on hyporheic exchange. River water and sediment were sampled from a stretch of the River Dene (Wellesbourne, UK) and used as microbial inocula in chemical biodegradation studies using a series of specially designed re-circulating flume systems and ex-situ bottle experiments. Flume experimentation quantified the rate of microbial community development, topographical location and effective depth penetration on sediment beds within artificial watercourses, whilst simultaneously identifying the impact that this biofilm development possessed on hyporheic exchange. The effects of light and inoculum source on para-nitrophenol (PNP) biodegradation were also determined following OECD regulatory test protocols in an attempt to evaluate the realism of chemical biodegradation tests. Experimental data showed that microbial development varied on different sediment bed profiles, and that biofilms significantly reduced the rate of hyporheic exchange on small (0.5 mm), but not large (2.0 mm) sediment particle size bed materials. Additionally, this study found that light inhibited PNP degradation in all tests and that sediment sieving utilised in OECD tests decreased rates of biodegradation of PNP. This project revealed the importance of microbial biofilms in determining hyporheic exchange. However, further experimental work is recommended to investigate hyporheic exchange in heterogeneous sediments, whilst developing more inclusive approaches for chemical risk management by Regulatory bodies.
Late-Hercynian post-collisional dyke magmatism in central Calabria (Serre Massif, southern Italy)

Widespread late- to post-collisional magmatism occurred in the Calabria-Peloritani Orogen (southern Italy) during the final stages of the Hercynian Orogeny. In the Serre Massif (central Calabria), medium- to high-K calcalkaline andesitic to dacitic-rhyodacitic dykes show typical geochemical features of subduction-related magmas (LILE and LREE enrichment, HFSE depletion, peaks at Rb, Pb and Th). The origin of late- to post-Hercynian calcalkaline rocks is usually interpreted in an extensional post-collisional framework, involving thinning of the continental lithosphere and progressive passive upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle. In such a context, pure mantle, crustal and hybrid melt production likely can occur. The andesitic dykes were produced by partial melting of an enriched mantle source metasomatized by crustal fluids/melts during former subduction and then suffered minor, if any, assimilation of lower crustal metapelites. Most dacite-rhyodacites were likely derived by hybridization in various proportions of crustal and mantle melts, whereas pure crustal metasedimentary sources, and more or less efficient restite unmixing processes, were involved in the generation of the most silica-rich rhyodacites.
The Relationship of Forest Fires to Agro-Forestry and Socio-Economic Parameters in Portugal

Forest fires are increasing every year in Portugal. Trying to understand more about their causes, we collected available forest fires data, as well as agroforestry and socio-economic parameters considered to be closely related to them, in all the 274 administrative regions (councils). Using multivariate analysis (principal components analysis and classification) we established 8 groups of councils defined by the identity of response of the analysed variables. We were, therefore, able to determine which parameters mainly influenced each group, and that knowledge could be a starting point to fire prevention.
Retrieval of aerosol microphysical properties by means of sun and star photometry at Granada, Spain

Knowledge of aerosol microphysical properties is essential to understand the role of atmospheric aerosols in radiative forcing. Passive remote-sensing techniques allow the retrieval of columnar aerosol size distribution from spectral measurements of aerosol optical depth by applying numerical methods. These methods are widely applied to sun photometers. For night-time retrievals of aerosol optical depth, the GFAT (Atmospheric Physics Group of the University of Granada), operates a star photometer with channels at 380, 436, 500, 670, 880, and 1020 nm in the city of Granada (southeastern Spain, 36.83° N, 3.58° W, 680 m a.s.l.). The GFAT also operates a Cimel CE-318 sun photometer with filters at the same wavelengths. To our knowledge, the variations between daytime and night-time columnar aerosol microphysical properties have not been studied until now. In this work, the applicability of an inversion code based only on direct irradiance measurements is presented to retrieve aerosol size distributions, for both daytime and night-time. From March 2007 to February 2009, statistical analyses and time evolutions of the effective radius and the properties of the fine mode such as mean radius, width, and particle volume concentration are analysed. Daytime effective radius values are large in summer and small in winter, whereas no clear seasonal pattern emerges at night-time. During daytime, the fine mode radius does not show any remarkable pattern, whereas at night-time, this parameter shows a clear seasonal pattern with large values in summer and small values in winter. On the other hand, fine mode widths do not show any pattern, neither daytime nor night-time, although large values of this parameter are found during daytime in all seasons. The fine-particle volume concentration presents no seasonal pattern during the daytime, whereas at night-time it shows larger values in summer than in other seasons.
An index of wind–wave coupling and its global climatology

Using the fully developed wind–wave relation and simultaneous data of surface wind speed and wave height, an index of wind–wave coupling is presented. The validity of this index is demonstrated by comparing it to other wind–wave indices using 45‐year European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Re‐Analysis (ERA‐40). The comparison shows that the angle between wind and wave directions need not be considered in practice when mapping climatology of wind–wave interaction, and the rationality behind it is explained from a statistical point of view. The results also indicate that probability‐based indices are not robust enough to represent wave climate. A global climatology of this index is developed using both ERA‐40 and jointly‐calibrated altimeter data. Its spatial distributions show that the wind–wave coupling is strong in the mid‐latitudes while weak in the low latitudes except for the trade‐wind regions. Mixing of wind‐sea and swell is found to be common in the ocean, especially in the trade‐wind region, where two‐way momentum transfer may exist because the directions of wind‐sea and swell are different. The weakly coupled regions usually have a clear preference for the eastern sides and low latitudes of ocean basins, because the eastward swells there are mainly from the storms in westerlies. However, in the Pacific Ocean, trade‐wind‐generated swells may propagate westward, causing western side to be also weakly coupled.
Relation between METEOSAT Water Vapor Radiance Fields and Large Scale Tropical Circulation Features

Abstract Mean monthly images from the water vapor channel of METEOSAT characteristically contain large-scale spatial structures, especially in tropical regions. The aim of this paper is to establish connections between these structures and large-scale circulation features. For this purpose, statistical relationships between radiances and some meteorological parameters provided by ECMWF analyses are studied. Temporal correlations are computed for two sizes of regions, in order to compare temporal changes associated with both large-scale circulations and smaller scale systems. The correlations obtained are poor, suggesting that the chosen parameters are not well related at short time scales. Temporal averages appear more suitable for these comparisons. As expected, the mean relative humidity yields the best correlation with the mean water vapor radiances. A (weaker) relationship exists also with mean dynamic fields: large water vapor radiances are almost always related to subsidence in the middle tropospher.
Reconstruction of Holocene monsoon history from the Pearl River Estuary, southern China, using diatoms and carbon isotope ratios

This study employs a multiproxy approach in the reconstruction of Holocene monsoon history from sedimentary sequences obtained from the Pearl River Estuary, southern China. A set of modern surface sediment samples were collected within and outside the estuary, and a sediment core was obtained from the mouth of the estuary. A range of modern environmental variables were recorded including water salinity (summer, winter and annual average) and water depth. The diatom results show a good relationship with water salinity, with marine diatoms dominating the more distal samples from outside the main estuary and freshwater diatoms dominating the proximal samples influenced by higher freshwater flux. This pattern is matched by the bulk organic carbon isotopes. The isotope values vary between -21.1 +0.3%0 for samples from the fully marine environment, between -23.2±0.8%. and -23.7±0.8%. for samples from the mid to outer estuary brackish water environment and less than -24.7 + 1.3%. for samples from the inner estuary close to the freshwater sources. Similarly, the C/N ratios vary from below 7+0.6 in the marine end-members to over 14.8 + 3.0 in the freshwater end-members. Both the diatom and carbon data from the sediment core reveal a significant increase in freshwater flux from 8500 cal. yr BP resulting from the enhanced summer monsoon regime in early Holocene. The strength of freshwater flux reached its highest between 7500 and 6000 cal. yr BP. In the last 6000 years, freshwater flux decreased towards present, reflecting a gradual weakening of the summer monsoon.
Diabetes might not be a risk factor for worse prognosis among hospitalized patients due to COVID-19 in a Mediterranean area.

AIM type-2 diabetes (T2DM) seems to worsen the prognosis of patients admitted for COVID-19, although most studies included Asiatic patients. We aimed to assess whether this condition applies for Mediterranean patients. METHODS a total of 90 patients admitted for COVID-19 with T2DM were retrospectively compared with 50 patients without T2DM. RESULTS subjects with T2DM were older than their counterparts (73.3 ± 12.4 vs 53 ± 15.7 years; p < 0.0001). Either absolute lymphocyte count (1.1 ± 0.6 vs 1.3 ± 0.7 x 109/L; p = 0.005) or hemoglobin (11.9 ± 1.6 vs 13.1 ± 2.1 g/dL; p < 0.0001) were lower among subjects with T2DM. CRP and procalcitonin were higher among subjects with T2DM (91.9 ± 71.2 vs 70.1 ± 63.3 mg/L; p = 0.002 and 0.8 ± 0.3 vs 0.4 ± 0.1 ng/mL; p < 0.0001, respectively). Albumin was lower among patients with T2DM (3.4 ± 0.5 vs 3.8 ± 0.5 g/L: p < 0.001). Length of stay was longer among subjects with T2DM (11.7 ± 7.7 vs 9.7 ± 8.6 days; p = 0.01). However, both groups were comparable regarding both the proportion of subjects who were admitted to the ICU (16.5 % vs 8 %; p = 0.1) and mortality (11 % vs 4 %; p = 0.2). CONCLUSIONS in a Mediterranean sample, despite of age, comorbidities, nutritional status, and inflammatory markers, subjects with T2DM with a proper glycemic control admitted for COVID-19 had similar prognostic outcomes than patients without this metabolic condition.
Seismic heterogeneous structure in the lowermost mantle beneath the southwestern Pacific

[1] The P and S wave velocity structure of the D″ layer beneath the southwestern Pacific was investigated by using short-period data from 12 deep events in the Tonga-Fiji region recorded by the J-Array and the Hi-net (two large-aperture seismic arrays) in Japan. Reflected wave beam forming (RWB) and a migration method were used to extract weak signals originating from heterogeneities in the lowermost mantle. In order to acquire high resolution a double-array method was applied to the data. The results of the RWB method indicate that seismic energy is reflected at discontinuities near the depths of 2520 and 2650 km, which have a negative P wave velocity contrast of 1% at the most. In addition, there is a positive seismic discontinuity at a depth of 2800 km. In the case of the S wave, reflected energy is produced almost at the same depth (2550 km depth). An apparent depth shift (50 km) of the discontinuity at the depth of 2850 km may indicate that the S wave velocity reduction in the lowermost mantle is ∼2–3 times stronger than that of P. A two-dimensional cross section, constructed with the RWB method, suggests that the observed discontinuities can be characterized as intermittent lateral heterogeneities whose lateral extent is a few hundred kilometers. The migration shows weak evidence of scattering objects which belong to the seismic discontinuities detected by the RWB method. These anomalous structures may represent a part of hot plume generated beneath the southwestern Pacific in the lowermost mantle.
Time and space correlation between sprites and their parent lightning flashes for a thunderstorm observed during the HyMeX campaign

During the night of 22–23 October 2012, together with the Hydrology cycle in the Mediterranean eXperiment (HyMeX) Special Observation Period 1 campaign, optical observations of sprite events were performed above a leading stratiform Mesoscale Convective System in southeastern France. The total lightning activity of the storm was monitored in three dimensions with the HyMeX Lightning Mapping Array. Broadband Extremely Low Frequency/Very Low Frequency records and radar observations allowed characterizing the flashes and the regions of the cloud where they propagated. Twelve sprite events occurred over the stratiform region, during the last third of the lightning activity period, and well after the coldest satellite‐based cloud top temperature (−62°C) and the maximum total lightning flash rate (11 min−1). The sprite‐producing positive cloud‐to‐ground (SP + CG) strokes exhibit peak current from 14 to 247 kA, Charge Moment Changes (CMC) from 625 to 3086 C km, and Impulsive CMC (iCMC) between 242 and 1525 C km. The +CG flashes that do not trigger sprites are initiated outside the main convective core, have much lower CMC values, and in average, shorter durations, lower peak currents, and shorter distances of propagation. The CMC appears to be the best sprite predictor. The delay between the parent stroke and the sprite allows classifying the events as short delayed (<20 ms) and long delayed (>20 ms). All long‐delayed sprites, i.e., most of the time carrot sprites, are produced by SP + CG strokes with low iCMC values. All SP + CG flashes initiate close to the convective core and generate leaders in opposite directions. Negative leaders finally propagate toward lower altitudes, within the stratiform region that coincides with the projected location of the sprite elements.
The Fifth International Radiocarbon Intercomparison (VIRI): An Assessment of Laboratory Performance in Stage 3

Proficiency testing is a widely used, international procedure common within the analytical chemistry community. A proficiency trial (which VIRI is) often follows a standard protocol, including analysis that is typically based on z-scores, with one key quantity, σ p . From a laboratory intercomparison (sometimes called a proficiency trial), we hope to gain an assessment of accuracy (in this case, from dendro-dated samples), laboratory precision (from any duplicate samples), and generally, an overall measure of performance, including measurement variability and hence realistic estimates of uncertainty. In addition, given our stated aim of creating an archive of reference materials, we also gain a determination of consensus values for new reference materials. VIRI samples have been chosen to deliver these objectives and the sample ages included in the different stages, by design, spanned modern to background. With regard to pretreatment, some samples required intensive pretreatment (e.g. bone), while others required none (e.g. cellulose and humic acid). Sample size was not optimized, and indeed some samples were provided solely for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurement. In this sense, VIRI presented a more challenging exercise than previous intercomparisons, since by its design in stages, one can explore improvements (or deteriorations) over time in laboratory performance. At each stage, more than 50 laboratories have participated, with an increasing demographic shift towards more AMS and fewer radiometric laboratories.
Hydrologic Setting of Two Interdunal Valleys in the Central Sand Hills of Nebraska

The Sand Hills of Nebraska, one of the largest grass‐stabilized dune regions in the world, has nearly 5000 km2 of wetland environments and is one of the most productive waterfowl regions of the United States. Yet, the hydrology of the region is not well defined. This paper presents the results of a two‐and‐a‐half‐year study to characterize the hydrology of two distinctly different interdunal valleys within the Sand Hills. The valleys, located at the Gudmundsen Sand Hills Laboratory in the central Sand Hills, reflect the two major types of interdunal environments: dry, short grass valleys (the east valley) and subirrigated wet meadows (the west valley). In the west valley, ground water flows from west to east and there are significant, upward vertical gradients (0.005 to 0.045). In contrast, ground water in the east valley predominantly flows from west‐southwest to east‐northeast. Where vertical gradients exist, they are downward (0.0025 to 0.07). Therefore, the east valley is a “recharge” or flow‐through valley. Seasonal ground water table fluctuations indicate that net recharge is greatest between growing seasons. The relatively high topographic relief of the water table on the flanks of the west valley, resulting from higher topographic relief of the adjacent dunes, drives ground water discharge into the valley wetland, developing a local flow system. In contrast, the topography of the water table in the east valley, which is flanked by dunes with lower relief, is insufficient to generate a distinct local ground water flow system.
Production, storage, and output of particulate organic carbon: Waipaoa River basin, New Zealand

We compute the particulate organic carbon (POC) yield of the Waipaoa River, New Zealand, using sediment rating curves in conjunction with measurements of the carbon content of the suspended sediment. To ascertain the source of the carbon and the extent to which the POC flux is tied to different erosion processes, we determined the stable isotopic carbon composition (δ13C) and carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of weathered bedrock, soil, and regolith. Most POC is derived from suspended sediment generated by gully erosion (incision into weathered bedrock), supplemented by landsliding during extreme events. The specific yield of POC from the headwaters (drainage area 1580 km2) is 55 g m−2 yr−1, which is very high by global standards and by comparison with other turbid steep‐land rivers. The annual loss to floodplain storage is ∼4% (3.6 Kt) of the mean annual POC yield (86.7 Kt). Thus the Waipaoa River is a very effective conduit for transporting POC to the ocean.
Cretaceous Paleogeography of the Southern Western Interior Region

Abstract A complex paleogeographic history for the southern Western Interior region can be reconstructed from the widely distributed Cretaceous deposits that remain after dissection by Tertiary uplift and erosion. These deposits largely reflect migrating fluvial, deltaic, beach, and shelf-depth marine sedimentation that was intermittently interrupted by minor to major breaks in deposition. Gross depositional patterns reflect the interplay between tectonism, primarily associated with thrusting in the Sevier orogenic belt to the west, and eustatic sea level rise and fall, producing marine incursions and disconformities in the Western Interior basin. The Early Cretaceous was primarily a time of erosion or non-deposition in non-marine environments. Age control on the few preserved deposits of that epoch is poor up to the upper Albian, which records the first incursions of the sea from both the north and the south. The bulk of Cretaceous sedimentary rocks in the southern interior basin were deposited during the Cenomanian through middle Campanian interval, when peak eustatic sea level, high rates of thrusting in the Sevier orogenic belt, and rapid subsidence of the associated foreland basin provided extensive sediment accommodation along the western margin. Four major transgressive-regressive marine cycles are evident in the southern interior region, reflecting third-order eustatic cycles of Haq and others (1987). Maximum transgression of the earliest cycle, preserved near the Cenomanian-Turonian Stage boundary, resulted in the most widespread marine sedimentation, covering the entire Colorado Plateau and extending eastward across Iowa and Missouri. During subsequent high-stands in the Coniacian to Santonian, early Campanian, and middle to late Campanian intervals, marine sedimentation was primarily confined to the northeastern half of the Colorado Plateau and areas to the east; location of the eastern margin of the seaway is poorly constrained because of subsequent erosion. Widespread erosive surfaces and conglomerates were developed during the regressive periods that occurred between these broad transgressive events. During the latest Campanian, rates of thrusting and subsidence declined, and Laramide style movement on deep-seated fault blocks commenced. This tectonic regime produced widespread erosion and non-deposition on the western side of the southern interior basin, where intermontane basins were developed and filled with alluvial fan, alluvial-plain, and lacustrine deposits. Marine deposition continued to the east, as shorelines progressively prograded from the southwest until the late Maastrichtian, when the sea receded from the area entirely.