Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glaciers and equilibrium line altitudes of the eastern Nyainqêntanglha Range, SE Tibet

A set of maps that illustrate the key results of a study on glaciers and late Holocene glacier change in the eastern Nyainqêntanglha Range, southeastern Tibet, is presented. The cartographic challenge was to present this information in a way that focuses on the most important findings but retains as much detail as possible. The layout is based on two main maps showing two different sets of information for the same area; one map of glacier types and distribution and one map of calculated equilibrium line altitudes (ELA). Additionally, two inset maps provide a regional topographic overview and information on ELA change since the Little Ice Age maximum glacier advance. Through this approach, the viewer is able to combine the different sets of information individually for different parts of the study area. Insights into the complex couplings of climate, relief, and glaciers can thus be obtained. The maps reveal heterogeneous spatial patterns of glacier and ELA distributions. These reflect the interplay of the high-mountain topography and the primary moisture sources, the Indian Summer Monsoon and the East Asian Summer Monsoon. Specifically, luv-lee effects and the channeling of monsoonal air masses through the valley system can be observed at catchment to regional scales. The patterns of ELA change since the Little Ice Age indicate that glacier sensitivity to climate change is decreasing toward regions with increasingly continental climate in the eastern Nyainqêntanglha Range.
A Chill Sequence to the Bushveld Complex: Insight into the First Stage of Emplacement and Implications for the Parental Magmas

A rare occurrence of a chill sequence in drill core from the eastern Bushveld Complex has been discovered at the base of a thick succession of ultramafic rocks that forms part of the Lower Zone. The lowest 10 m of the section preserves a variety of rock types including a true chill against quartzite floor rock, crystalline quench-textured and spinifex-textured rocks as well as high-temperature olivine and orthopyroxene cumulates. It represents the first stage of magma emplacement into the Bushveld chamber and gives an insight into the nature of the parental magmas to the Bushveld, the processes that took place at that early stage, and how rocks with a high original interstitial liquid content give way to more normal cumulates higher in the section. The chill sequence also provides insight into the variety of rock types that are encountered in marginal sills that are regarded as representing early stage magmas intruded as the chamber developed but that are incompletely understood because of inadequate field exposures. Olivine compositions (up to Mg# 0·912) in a pyroxene dunite in this section are the highest recorded for the Bushveld Complex and cores of associated orthopyroxene have Mg# 0·93. Zoned orthopyroxenes in the quench- and spinifex-textured units range from Mg# 0·91 to 0·72 and preserve core compositions close to the original liquidus. Small single chromite crystals have Cr/(Cr + Al) of 0·85 and Cr/Fe(Total) of three; these are also the most primitive compositions found to date in the Bushveld Complex. The chill and quench zones represent the earliest magmas to be emplaced in the Bushveld Complex; however, these are relatively evolved and similar to the B1 liquid, long assumed to be the most primitive magma that gave rise to the Lower Zone. Major and trace element geochemistry and mineral compositions show that the true parental magmas to the Lower Zone were of komatiite composition, with the most primitive containing 19% MgO. The liquid compositions have a strong crustal signature but are also enriched in K, Rb, Pb and especially Cs and Cl. The olivines in this section are highly Ni enriched, consistent with a component of mantle pyroxenite derived from recycled ocean crust in the source of the parental magmas. It is suggested that this source, combined with PGE-fertile subcontinental lithospheric mantle, was melted within a rising mantle plume and the resultant melts then interacted with the basement rocks of the Kapvaal Craton.
On the Upwelling off the Southern Tip and along the West Coast of India

Abstract The processes of upwelling off the southern tip (the Kanyakumari coast) and the west coast of India are highly localised features with different forcing mechanisms, and they cannot be treated as a uniform wind-driven upwelling system. Off the Kanyakumari coast, upwelling is due to the south-west monsoon winds that are tangential to the coast. Along the west coast, the area between 8° N and 9° N represents the shadow zone to the influence of the remote forcing on the upwelling; the latter is forced by the longshore wind stress. Moderate to relatively intense upwelling occurs along the Kollam to Mangalore coast (9° N to 13° N) due to the combined action of the longshore wind stress, the coastally trapped Kelvin waves, and the offshore propagating Rossby waves. North of this area (13° N to 15° N), upwelling is weak due to weak wind stress and is closely confined to the coastal belt. This results from the suppressive effect of the southwards-flowing Arabian Sea high saline water on the process of upwelling along this coastal stretch.
Adaptation to climate change: European agriculture

In dit onderzoek is gekeken naar de aanpassing van boeren en regio’s in de Europese Unie aan klimaatverandering en klimaatvariabiliteit in de afgelopen decennia, in de context van andere omstandigheden en veranderingen. De resultaten uit dit onderzoek tonen aan dat adaptatie een grote invloed heeft op de werkelijke effecten van klimaatverandering en klimaatvariabiliteit op gewasopbrengsten en het inkomen van boeren. Boeren passen zich aan aan de overheersende omstandigheden. Hierdoor zijn juist in regio’s waar de potentiele effecten groot zijn, zoals in mediterrane regio’s, de werkelijke effecten vaak kleiner. Dit komt onder andere door een grotere diversiteit aan boerenbedrijven op regionaal niveau. Doordat verschillende boeren verschillend reageren is de kwetsbaarheid op regionaal niveau kleiner
Modelling light use efficiency using vegetation index and land surface temperature from MODIS in Harvard Forest

Light use efficiency (LUE) is of great importance for carbon cycle and climate change research. This study presents a new LUE model incorporation of vegetation indices (VIs) and land surface temperature (LST) derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in Harvard Forest. Three indices, including the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the two-band enhanced vegetation index (EVI2) and the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), were selected as indicators of forest canopy greenness. A single VI provided moderate estimates of LUE with coefficients of determination (R 2) 0.6219, 0.7094 and 0.7502 for NDVI, EVI2 and SAVI, respectively. Our results demonstrated that canopy LUE was related both to the canopy photosynthesis efficiency and air temperature (R 2 = 0.5634). Therefore, the MODIS LST product was incorporated as a surrogate for monitoring of environmental stresses as the observed relationship between LST and both air temperature (R 2 = 0.8828) and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) (R 2 = 0.6887). The new model in terms of (VI) × (Scaled (LST)) provided improved estimates of LUE estimation with R 2 of 0.7349, 0.7561 and 0.7879 for NDVI, EVI2 and SAVI, respectively. The results will be useful for the development of future LUE models based entirely on remote-sensing observations.
Decadal Changes along an Indian Ocean Section at 32°S and Their Interpretation

In the Indian Ocean subtropical gyre, historical temperature, salinity, and oxygen data with a median date of 1962 are compared with a hydrographic section taken at a mean latitude of 328S in October‐November 1987. Significant basinwide changes in all three hydrographic fields are observed below the mixed layer. On isobaric surfaces the main changes are (i) a warming of the upper 900 dbar of the water column with a maximum change in the sectional mean of 0.58C, (ii) a freshening between 500 and 1500 dbar with a maximum freshening of 0.05 psu, and (iii) a pronounced decrease in oxygen concentration between 300 and 1000 dbar. Examination of water mass properties shows that very significant water mass changes have occurred. On isopycnals subantarctic mode water (SAMW) and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) have freshened and cooled. Both of these water masses are on average deeper in 1987. Using the analysis of Bindoff and McDougall (1994), the changes of temperature at constant depth and at constant density are used to show that the water mass changes can most simply be explained by a surface warming in the source region of SAMW and by increased precipitation in the source region of AAIW. The decrease in oxygen concentration can be explained simply by a slight slowing of the subtropical gyre allowing more time for biological consumption to decrease the oxygen concentration by water parcel translation from the formation area to the observation point. Estimates show that over the last 25 years there is an apparent decrease of the gyre spin rate of about 20% at the depth levels of SAMW; the estimated spin rate change decreases almost linearly with greater depth to zero at the oxygen minimum in Indian Deep Water (IDW). Below IDW the observed changes in oxygen concentration (and also the changes of temperature and salinity) are associated with the upward movement of isopycnals with no significant water mass change. The differences in temperature and salinity in the SAMW and AAIW are consistent with the relatively young age of these water masses inferred from CFC data.
Regional Rayleigh wave attenuation in North America

The nuclear events Rulison and Rio Blanco in western Colorado generated short-period Rayleigh waves which traversed numerous paths across North America. Average Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficient values were determined for periods between 5 and 40 s. Large standard deviations for the observed values at periods less than 7 or 8 s and abnormally low values at periods of 12–14 s can be explained by regional variations in the values of the shear wave quality factor. The average Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficient values decrease from about 0.8×10−3 km−1 at a period of 5 s to very small or negative values at periods of 12–14 s. Roughly constant values of about 0.5×10−4 km−1 occur at longer periods. At periods of 5 s and less, equalized amplitudes recorded at eastern North American stations are at least 5 times greater than amplitudes recorded at western stations. The disparity in observed amplitudes decreases rapidly with increasing period, and only small differences occur at periods greater than 16 s. A Backus-Gilbert inversion method was developed to determine the contribution of various portions of the crust to the regional variation in attenuation. For purposes of computation the North American continent was assumed to consist of two superprovinces, eastern North America and the North American Cordillera. Qβ−1 values in the upper crust of the cordillera are about twice those in the upper crust of eastern North America. On the other hand, differences in Qβ−1 for the lower crust were much smaller and could be negligible. At periods less than 5 s, amplitudes are strongly attenuated by the presence of a layer of low-velocity surface sediments. The smallness of the areas over which western North American earthquakes are felt, compared with the size of such areas in eastern North America for a given maximum intensity, may be entirely explained by this difference in velocity structure. Regional variations in shear wave quality factor do not seem to be directly related to regional temperature variations. Lateral variation of the volume of water in pore spaces within the crust is suggested as an alternative way to explain the attenuation data.
The Role of Litter in Rainfall Interception and Maintenance of Superficial Soil Water Content in an Arid Rangeland in Khabr National Park in South-Eastern Iran

Although litter has long been recognized as being important in arid rangeland water balance, little information exists regarding water balance in the litter layer. Using a rainfall simulator and litter manipulations in the field, the impact of litter on rainfall interception and the maintenance of superficial soil water content were investigated in an arid rangeland in Khabr National Park in south-eastern Iran. Litter mass was sampled in ninety 1 m2 quadrats randomly placed throughout the site. After determining the intensity of typical storms in the region to be 20 mm/h, amount of rainfall interception loss by litter was estimated using wetting and drying curves of litter. Water content of superficial soil (top 5 cm of top soil) was measured in bare soil and in soil covered by litter. On average, 0.64% or 5 mm of simulated rainfall was intercepted by litter. We show that litter decreases evaporation of superficial soil water content and retains water in the soil for longer periods after rainfall. Our results indicate the need of litter-based field management programs in arid and semi-arid rangelands of Iran.
Radon: public health professionals can make a difference

Radon is a colourless, odourless, radioactive gas emitted naturally from uranium in Canadian rocks and soils. Outdoor concentrations of radon are almost always low, but levels can build up indoors, especially in the lower levels of a building, because radon gas is heavier than air. Once inhaled, the radioactive decay products of radon can adhere to cells lining the lungs and can lead to lung cancer. Health Canada cites radon gas exposure as the second leading cause of lung cancer in Canada, accounting for about 3000 deaths each year, and it is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers (Chen 2012). Fortunately, exposure to radon is preventable; levels in current structures can be reduced through mitigation, and new buildings can be constructed to prevent radon from entering in the first place.
Two‐Dimensional Hybrid Particle‐in‐Cell Simulations of Magnetosonic Waves in the Dipole Magnetic Field: On a Constant L‐Shell

Two‐dimensional hybrid particle‐in‐cell (PIC) simulations are carried out on a constant L‐shell (or drift shell) surface of the dipole magnetic field to investigate the generation process of near‐equatorial fast magnetosonic waves (a.k.a equatorial noise; MSWs hereafter) in the inner magnetosphere. The simulation domain on a constant L‐shell surface adopted here allows wave propagation and growth in the azimuthal direction (as well as along the field line) and is motivated by the observations that MSWs propagate preferentially in the azimuthal direction in the source region. Furthermore, the equatorial ring‐like proton distribution used to drive MSWs in the present study is (realistically) weakly anisotropic. Consequently, the ring‐like velocity distribution projected along the field line by Liouville's theorem extends to rather high latitude, and linear instability analysis using the local plasma conditions predicts substantial MSW growth up to ±27° latitude. In the simulations, however, the MSW intensity maximizes near the equator and decreases quasi‐exponentially with latitude. Further analysis reveals that the stronger equatorward refraction at higher latitude due to the larger gradient of the dipole magnetic field strength prevents off‐equatorial MSWs from growing continuously, whereas MSWs of equatorial origin experience little refraction and can fully grow. Furthermore, the simulated MSWs exhibit a rather complex wave field structure varying with latitude, and the scattering of energetic ring‐like protons in response to MSW excitation occurs faster than the bounce period of those protons so that they do not necessarily follow Liouville's theorem during MSW excitation.
Precise formation-state estimation in low earth orbit using carrier differential GPS

Formation flying in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) offers great benefits for many space science applications. These formation flying missions will require precise relative navigation. The required precision can potentially be achieved using carrier differential GPS (CDGPS). However, previous to this work, no GPS-based sensor had demonstrated the capability of providing the necessary precision levels in LEO. This dissertation presents the design and demonstration of a decentralized, real-time CDGPS relative navigation system designed for the Orion formation flying microsatellite project. The navigation system achieves accuracy better than 2 cm for relative position in LEO formations with separations of 1 km between vehicles. This result is achieved by modifying the GPS receiver and designing an improved relative navigation filter. On the receiver, changes are made that allow it to operate reliably in LEO, and take synchronized, low-noise measurements. For the filter, implementation trade studies were performed to design an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). These studies show that a nonlinear measurement update method is required, while a linear state propagation method can be used. For additional robustness, an adaptive algorithm is developed within the EKF, which is shown to correctly identify the covariance of the process and sensor noise. It also feeds the residuals back to the state covariance, which prevents filter divergence and maintains the covariance as a more accurate indicator of the performance of the nonlinear filter. Hardware-in-the-loop demonstrations are performed using Goddard Space Flight Center’s Formation Flying Test Bed (FFTB). The FFTB is the most realistic orbital test environment currently available. Four-vehicle formations were simulated, providing the first-ever simultaneous relative navigation results. These results show
The Image as a Possible Source of Competitive Advantage of the Destination – The Case of Slovenia

The paper points out the image of a destination as a possible source of competitive advantage of the destination. A review of the literature is included showing the rising importance of the image of a destination. Slovenia’s image as a tourist destination perceived by foreign tourist experts is analysed. Interesting mountains and lakes, beautiful natural attractions and interesting and friendly people were identified as the most typical attributes of Slovenia’s image from the foreign tourist experts’ point of view. The significant differences in Slovenia’s image between those experts familiar with Slovenia compared to those experts who are only just aware of Slovenia are presented. The research shows that familiarity with Slovenia increases a tourist expert’s image of Slovenia, especially the perceptual/cognitive component. According to the results of discriminant analysis, the discriminant attributes of Slovenia’s image for each group are emphasised. Slovenia’s appealing food and modern health resorts were the discriminant attributes for the group of tourist experts that is familiar with Slovenia, while traditional events were the distinguish attribute for the group of experts that is only just aware of Slovenia. Suggestions as organising familiarisation tours that include tour operators, travel agents and travel writers seemed to be a proper way of boosting Slovenia’s image compared to other competitive tourist destinations.
Thermodynamic phase profiles of optically thin midlatitude clouds and their relation to temperature

[1] The relationship between cloud thermodynamic phase and temperature in some aircraft measurements conducted in midlatitude frontal clouds suggests that significant liquid does not exist at temperatures colder than 258 K. This data set is often used to verify parameterizations of cloud phase in general circulation models. However, other aircraft campaigns and different instruments suggest a different relationship. Here we examine the temperature-phase relationship for midlatitude optically thin winter clouds. Cloud phase and temperature profiles derived from 5 years of ground-based lidar depolarization and radiosonde measurements are analyzed for two midlatitude locations: the U. S. Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Southern Great Plains site and the Site Instrumental de Recherche par Teledetection Atmospherique in France. Because lidars are attenuated in optically thick clouds, the data set only includes clouds with optical thickness of <3. Cloud phase is obtained by using the classical method based on a depolarization ratio threshold of 11% for differentiating liquid from ice. The frequency of occurrence of clouds either completely liquid or completely glaciated in the temperature range from 233 to 273 K is similar to previous observations in the midlatitudes but somewhat greater than in the Arctic. The relationship between ice phase occurrence and temperature only slightly changes between cloud base and top. At both sites, liquid is more prevalent at colder temperatures than has been found previously in some thicker frontal clouds, suggesting different processes for glaciation in nonfrontal optically thin clouds.
A relict Ordovician brachiopod fauna from the Parakidograptus acuminatus Biozone (lower Silurian) of the English Lake District

At Yewdale Beck in northern England, a brachiopod fauna dominated by species of Hindella, Kinnella, Mirorthis, Paromalomena and Plectothyrella, occurs interbedded with a graptolite fauna which includes Akidograptus ascensus, Atavograptus ceryx, Persculptograptus parvulus and Normalograptus spp. (including probable examples of N. normalis, N. angustus and N. medius) within the lower part of the Skelgill Formation. This suggests that taxa of the terminal Ordovician Hirnantia fauna occur within the lower P. acuminatus Biozone, representing the youngest documented occurrence of the Hirnantia brachiopod fauna. Biostratigraphy, brachiopods, graptolites, Ordovician-Silurian boundary.
Modeling sulfate reduction in methane hydrate‐bearing continental margin sediments: Does a sulfate‐methane transition require anaerobic oxidation of methane?

The sulfate‐methane transition (SMT), a biogeochemical zone where sulfate and methane are metabolized, is commonly observed at shallow depths (1–30 mbsf) in methane‐bearing marine sediments. Two processes consume sulfate at and above the SMT, anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and organoclastic sulfate reduction (OSR). Differentiating the relative contribution of each process is critical to estimate methane flux into the SMT, which, in turn, is necessary to predict deeper occurrences of gas hydrates in continental margin sediments. To evaluate the relative importance of these two sulfate reduction pathways, we developed a diagenetic model to compute the pore water concentrations of sulfate, methane, and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). By separately tracking DIC containing 12C and 13C, the model also computes δ13C‐DIC values. The model reproduces common observations from methane‐rich sediments: a well‐defined SMT with no methane above and no sulfate below and a δ13C‐DIC minimum at the SMT. The model also highlights the role of upward diffusing 13C‐enriched DIC in contributing to the carbon isotope mass balance of DIC. A combination of OSR and AOM, each consuming similar amounts of sulfate, matches observations from Site U1325 (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 311, northern Cascadia margin). Without AOM, methane diffuses above the SMT, which contradicts existing field data. The modeling results are generalized with a dimensional analysis to the range of SMT depths and sedimentation rates typical of continental margins. The modeling shows that AOM must be active to establish an SMT wherein methane is quantitatively consumed and the δ13C‐DIC minimum occurs. The presence of an SMT generally requires active AOM.