Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Methane emission from rice fields in mainland China: Amount and seasonal and spatial distribution

[1] China is the largest rice producer in the world. Methane (CH4) emission from its rice fields has been widely measured since the late 1980s. This study collected the results of available field research, totaling 204 season-treatment measurements conducted on 23 sites. Analysis of these data shows that input of organic material, such as green manure, animal waste, and crop straw, increases CH4 emission by a factor of 2. Average CH4 flux from intermittently irrigated rice fields is 53% of that from continuously flooded rice fields; and average CH4 emission flux from late rice fields is 1.6 and 2.3 times greater than flux from early and single rice fields, respectively. There are regional differences in emission factors and a trend of decreasing emission from south to north. On the basis of earlier estimates of CH4 emission from Chinese rice fields, and recent reports on the use of crop residue and green manure, it is presumed that half of the rice fields in China receive organic input. From the frequency of various water management events indicated in the surveyed field experiments, as well as from specific statements in individual reports, it is presumed that 2/3 of irrigated rice fields have been intermittently flooded. On the basis of these assumptions, the region-specific emission factors, and 1995 data on rice cultivation area, CH4 emission from growing-season rice fields in Mainland China was estimated to be 7.67 Tg yr−1, ranging from 5.82 to 9.57 Tg yr−1, due to uncertainties in the areas receiving organic inputs, and intermittent irrigation. Generalized seasonal flux patterns were developed for early, late, and single rice. Monthly distributions of emission were estimated from these patterns and rice calendars. The highest emission rate occurred in August. Spatially, emission hot spots included the plains of Dongting Lake in Hunan Province, Boyang Lake in Jiangxi Province, the delta region of Qiantang River in Zhejiang Province, and the Sichuan Basin. Nearly 90% of all Mainland China CH4 emission occurred between 23°N and 33°N.
Designing and Implementing an Information Service Model for Geography Teachers in a Developing Country: The Case for Lesotho

Abstract This paper outlines the approaches that can be used in the deployment of an information service for geography teachers in a developing country in Africa. The paper is based on a study of Lesotho geography teachers’ information behaviour that aimed to guide the design of information service for these teachers. It enumerates the process of designing an information service for these teachers including a user needs assessment. The study used triangulation by using multiple data collection methods on three sets of participants. Data were collected from in-service geography teachers using focus group discussions, from prospective geography teachers with a questionnaire and from stakeholders involved in geography education in Lesotho through interviews. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and content analysis were used to analyse the data. The paper presents the working context of the geography teachers, their information needs and preference for information sources and communication channels. It also proposes a collaborative information service model for the geography teachers. This includes an implementation agency involving the information specialists, subject specialists and stakeholders working together to assist teachers with information. The paper outlines modalities for the implementation of the information service. It ends with possible strategies for evaluating the impact of the information service to check the achievements against the set objectives. It concludes that the information service model can be adapted as a prototype for other teachers across the curriculum as well as in other developing countries in a setting similar to that of Lesotho.
Depth of the Moho discontinuity beneath the Japanese islands estimated by traveltime analysis

[1] The crustal structure beneath the Japanese islands, including depth distributions of the Conrad and Moho discontinuities, was estimated using a tomographic inversion of regional body wave arrival times. Depth distributions of the bottom of the surface layer, the Conrad, and the Moho were modeled with two-dimensional B spline functions, while velocity distributions in layers were expressed by three-dimensional B spline functions. The depth of the discontinuities and the velocity in the layers were estimated simultaneously by the least squares method. The velocity structure was sequentially estimated from shallower parts to deeper parts to avoid correlation between them. This sequential analysis provided improved depth resolution. The deepest region of the Moho discontinuity was located in central Honshu, reaching about 40 km. The Moho discontinuity was generally deep in the central part of the islands, whereas it was relatively shallow in the Kanto, southwestern Chubu, and Chugoku districts in Honshu and in northern Kyushu. Some of the shallow Moho regions would be related to graben formation due to tensile tectonic stress since the Miocene. The results were compared with those of seismic refraction surveys and receiver function analyses, and it was found that the obtained model was consistent with many of these studies.
Simulation studies and the design of the First GARP Global Experiment

Simulation studies have played an increasingly important role in planning for the First GARP Global Experiment (FGGE) during the last two years by providing information on the meteorological impact of various untested or incompletely tested elements of the GARP observing system. The studies are intended to provide information to FGGE planners on the capabilities of alternature systems for meeting a specific FGGE requirement. The simulation studies also provide a valuable input to cost-effectiveness studies by indicating tradeoffs of one possible type of observing platform against another, such as constant-level balloons vs buoys. These tradeoffs can lead to major gains in research yield per dollar of expenditure on the observing system.
Formerly Aragonitic Limestones Associated with Tillites in the Late Proterozoic of Death Valley, California

ABSTRACT The Upper Proterozoic Virgin Spring and Sour Dough limestones occur within the glaciogenic Kingston Peak Formation of the Death Valley region, eastern California. The Virgin Spring limestone is black, thinly laminated, and consists of microscopic spheroids and scattered ooids, contained within coarse neomorphic spar. An original aragonite mineralogy is inferred and this is supported by high contents of strontium (up to 3,650 ppm). Thin sandstone beds occur within the limestone, and their features suggest a storm origin. The Sour Dough Limestone has been metamorphosed and deformed but shows similar sedimentary structures and a high Sr content. Both limestones are interpreted as deeper-water, outer-shelf deposits, and their sedimentation is related to a sea-level rise through deglaciati n. The Virgin Spring limestone has a typical marine 13C signature (average +2.0 PDB), but the 18O is very negative (-15.8 PDB). The latter is attributed more to the burial-diagenetic calcitization of an originally aragonitic sediment than to precipitation from 18O-depleted seawater.
Analogue models of inversion tectonics

Summary Inversion of dip-slip fault systems by horizontal recompression has been modelled using sand, sand-mica and sand-clay analogues. Three extension-inversion systems have been tested: uniform basal detachment, simple listric detachment and ramp/flat detachments. Extension above a uniform basal detachment produces a domino or conjugate array of near planar faults. Upon inversion only faults at angles < 60° to the layering and suitably oriented with respect to the compression direction undergo reactivation. With increased contractional strains all faults are rotated to high angles and reactivation ceases. Shortcut faults may develop in the footwall of steeply dipping faults. Extension above a simple listric detachment fault produces a characteristic rollover anticline and associated crestal collapse graben structure. Upon inversion asymmetric uplift is associated with the major detachment. For models with no competency contrast the rollover anticline is accentuated. The crestal collapse graben faults are reactivated and the graben tightens producing a ‘flower-like’ fault system. Reactivation of synthetic faults ceases when they become rotated into angles too steep for contractional deformation. Extension of ramp/flat detachment systems produces characteristic rollover anticlines and crestal collapse graben systems above each concave-up segment of the listric fault system. It also produces a hanging wall syncline associated with the convex-up segment of the detachment. Inversion results in asymmetric uplift at the emergence of the reactivated detachment and above the convex-up portion of the detachment surface. The crestal collapse graben faults become reactivated and rotated into steep angles resulting in flower-like geometries. The rollover anticline is accentuated resulting in nappe-like structures. The results of these analogue studies of inversion structures indicate that considerable further research is needed to understand the geometries and kinematics of inversion fault systems.
U-Pb geochronology of the eastern Abitibi Subprovince. Part 2: Noranda - Kirkland Lake area

U–Pb zircon ages for 15 volcanic and plutonic units in the Noranda and Kirkland Lake areas help constrain the history of volcanism, plutonism, sedimentation, and deformation in the south-central part of the Abitibi belt. Volcanism occurred over an interval of at least 50 Ma, beginning with the deposition of the volcanic and volcaniclastic units within the Pacaud Structural Complex at 2747 Ma. Following a period of apparent quiescence, magmatism resumed at 2730–2725 Ma with the eruption of volcanic rocks in the Normetal and Lac Abitibi area. From 2715 until about 2698 Ma, volcanism occurred sporadically throughout much of the area, culminating in the eruption of the Blake River Group from 2703 to 2698 Ma. Several large intrusive bodies yield ages that indicate that they are plutonic equivalents of the Blake River Group. Plutons that are considered to have been emplaced during the Kenoran orogeny give ages that are only slightly younger than the youngest volcanic units of the Blake River Group, emphasizing .
Swell and Wind-Sea Distributions over the Mid-Latitude and Tropical North Atlantic for the Period 2002–2008

We present an analysis of wind-sea and swell fields for mid-latitude and tropical Atlantic for the period 2002–2008 using a combination of satellite data (altimeter significant wave height and scatterometer surface winds) and model results (spectrum peak wave period and propagation direction). Results show a dominance of swell over wind-sea regimes throughout the year. A small but clear decrease in swell energy and an associated increase in wind-sea potential growth were observed in the NE trade winds zone. A seasonal summertime increase in wind-sea energy in the Amazon River mouth and adjacent shelf region and in African coast was apparent in the results, probably associated to a strengthening of the alongshore trade winds in these regions. Albeit with a significantly smaller energy contribution of wind-seas as compared to swell energy, we could say that a kind of mixed seas is more evident in the trade winds region, with the remaining area being highly dominated by swell energy. An analysis of wave-age shows the absence of young-seas. Only ~2% of all data points was classified as wind-sea, a classification confirmed by a fit to a theoretical relation between wind speed, peak period, and significant wave height for fully developed wind-seas.
Variability in the characteristics of cut‐off low pressure systems over subtropical southern Africa

Variability in the characteristics of cut‐off low pressure systems over subtropical southern Africa is examined for the 1973–2002 period. These characteristics include their seasonality, frequency, duration, location and size. It is found that on average 11 cut‐off lows occur over southern Africa south of 20°S per year and are most common in the March‐May season. Potential relationships between the number of cut‐off lows over southern Africa with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific South America pattern, the wave number 3 pattern and the semi‐annual oscillation (SAO) are discussed. La Niña years appear to be associated with above average annual frequencies of cut‐off lows but the reverse is generally not true for El Niño years. There was a shift in the preferred season for cut‐off lows from March–May to June–August in the 1980s, which coincided with a weakening of the SAO and a shift in zonal wave number 3. This period also showed a change in the preferred location of these systems from southwestern subtropical southern Africa to the northeast of the region. The results suggest that there may be a relationship between cut‐off lows over subtropical southern Africa, the wave number 3 pattern in the Southern Hemisphere and the SAO. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society.
Impacts of Ocean Surface on the Northward Propagation of the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation in the NCEP Climate Forecast System

Abstract Impacts of the ocean surface on the representation of the northward-propagating boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (NPBSISO) over the Indian monsoon region are analyzed using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) coupled atmosphere–ocean Climate Forecast System (CFS) and its atmospheric component, the NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS). Analyses are based on forecasts of five strong NPBSISO events during June–September 2005–07. The inclusion of an interactive ocean in the model is found to be necessary to maintain the observed NPBSISO. The atmosphere-only GFS is capable of maintaining the convection that propagates from the equator to 12°N with reasonable amplitude within the first 15 days, after which the anomalies become very weak, suggesting that the atmospheric internal dynamics alone are not sufficient to sustain the anomalies to propagate to higher latitudes. Forecasts of the NPBSISO in the CFS are more realistic, with the amplitude of precipitation and 850-mb zonal w.
A GIS-based inventory of terrestrial caves in West Central Florida: Implications on sensitivity, disturbance, ownership and management priority

Active cave management, which represents any continuous action to conserve, restore, or protect a cave environment, is virtually non-existent in west-central Florida. This study focuses on developing an inventory to rank terrestrial caves in west-central Florida by management priority. A GIS-based cave inventory system, including a cave sensitivity index and cave disturbance index, were used as a tool to gain an understanding of the management priority of west-central Florida caves. The inventory was applied to 36 terrestrial caves in west-central Florida, which demonstrated a wide range of sensitivity and disturbance. The results show that by relying solely on sensitivity and disturbance scores, management priority may not be accurately determined. Further examination revealed that ownership and management status also affect management priority. Consequently, cave sensitivity, disturbance, ownership, or management status does not solely indicate management priority. Rather, the management priority of caves in west-central Florida depends on a number of complicated, interwoven factors, and the goal of management must be examined holistically. Each cave must be individually examined for its sensitivity, disturbance, resources, management, and social and physical context in order to gain an understanding of management priority. Nonetheless, the cave inventory system developed for this project was used to gain a general understanding of which caves hold management priority, based on the cave manager's objectives. In order to ensure the conservation and protection of west-central Florida terrestrial caves, support from county or state government, combined with cave inventory data, is crucial in developing sound management policy.
Wide-band spectrally resolved measurement of the Earth's up-welling radiation with the REFIR-PAD spectroradiometer

The REFIR-PAD (Radiation Explorer in the Far InfraRed-Prototype for Applications and Development) Fourier transform spectroradiometer has successfully performed, at the end of June, 2005, a stratospheric balloon flight from Teresina, Brazil. The instrument has provided 8 hours worth of nadir-looking spectra acquired with a resolution of 0.5 cm-1 in the 100 to 1400 cm-1 spectral range, thus covering both the far-infrared range, containing the radiative signature of the upper tropospheric water vapour, and the better-known mid-infrared range, which provides validation with existing instruments. From the analysis of the calibrated spectra we obtain valuable information on the contribution to the Earth's outgoing long-wave radiation of water, both in the vapour and cloud form, in a region of the atmosphere, the upper-troposphere/lower-stratosphere, in which this contribution has a critical role.
Higher Education in an Era of Mass Incarceration: Possibility Under Constraint

In this essay, we explore the purposes of higher education in prison during an era of mass incarceration and contend that the potential of postsecondary educational opportunity in carceral spaces is undermined by a single-minded focus on reducing recidivism. Among the over 2.2 million individuals behind bars in the United States, only 6 percent have access to formal postsecondary educational opportunities, and as a result, most incarcerated students are not on an educational pathway likely to result in academic degree attainment. We must move beyond a recidivist paradigm not because certificate-based and vocational training is not valuable, but because it is simply not enough of what college-in-prison programming can be or do. Drawing upon the experiences of higher education students who are incarcerated, our analysis reveals how even well-intended practices in prison spaces pose obstacles to seeing incarcerated individuals as potential postsecondary students and degree completers.
Sector structure of the interplanetary magnetic field in the nineteenth century

The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is the magnetic field of the Sun stretched out by the solar wind. The polarity of the IMF is either positive or negative according to the polarity of the original solar magnetic field. The equivalent ionospheric Disturbance Polar current powered by the azimuthal Y component current system is located at polar latitudes and provides specific geomagnetic variations. It is known that the configuration of this system depends on the polarity of the IMF. Thus, in the absence of direct data in the presatellite era, the IMF sector structure could only be inferred from ground‐based geomagnetic observations (Svalgaard,1968; Mansurov,1969). In this paper the IMF polarities have been reconstructed for the nineteenth century for the first time. It is possible due to the advent of the digitized geomagnetic records in the Helsinki and St. Petersburg observatories. These data have been available since 1844 and 1878, respectively. We assume that the reconstructions are reliable enough to study the solar magnetic field of the past. The polarities inferred for the nineteenth and twentieth centuries display similar sector structures. Seasonal variations of the ratio of positive and negative sectors give clear evidence of solar magnetic field reversals starting from the second half of the nineteenth century.
Does zoning help or hinder transit-oriented (re)development?

Despite its reputation as a car-oriented city, the Los Angeles metropolitan area has made substantial investments in developing rail transit since 1990. Most new stations were added to an already dense built environment, with auto-oriented zoning and established land use patterns. In this paper we ask whether redevelopment is occurring around Los Angeles rail stations, and whether zoning and related policies are facilitating or constraining transit-oriented development. We conduct case studies of five stations, documenting zoning near stations, as well as the amount and type of new development after stations opened. Results illustrate that incompatible zoning and related land use policies may constrain growth near stations, but TOD-friendly zoning alone is not sufficient to spur development.
Tropical Air-Sea Interactions Accelerate the Recovery of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation after a Major Shutdown

Abstract Using a coupled ocean–sea ice–atmosphere model of intermediate complexity, the authors study the influence of air–sea interactions on the stability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Mimicking glacial Heinrich events, a complete shutdown of the AMOC is triggered by the delivery of anomalous freshwater forcing to the northern North Atlantic. Analysis of fully and partially coupled freshwater perturbation experiments under glacial conditions shows that associated changes of the heat transport in the North Atlantic lead to a cooling north of the thermal equator and an associated strengthening of the northeasterly trade winds. Because of advection of cold air and an intensification of the trade winds, the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is shifted southward. Changes of the accumulated precipitation lead to the generation of a positive salinity anomaly in the northern tropical Atlantic and a negative anomaly in the southern tropical Atlantic. During the shutdown phase of .
Transient electric signals prior to rock failure under uniaxial compression

Transient variations of the electric field are detected, prior to the failure of a rock sample which is subjected to uniaxial compression at a variable rate. These precursory electric signals are attributed to the stress induced polarization of the sample and seem to have a form similar to the so called Seismic Electric Signals (SES), which are detected in Greece by the VAN network, prior to earthquakes. The emitted electric signals seem to follow in form the variations of the first time derivative of the externally applied stress. A tentative model for the origin of these signals is also discussed.
Mantle phase transitions and postglacial rebound

The short-term response of a univariant or divariant isochemical phase boundary to a pressure change is studied. The pressure change can be caused by vertical displacement of material in response to surface loading. The aim is to determine if the density discontinuity is nonadiabatic, i.e., will affect fluid flow, or adiabatic. For the basic state both a quasi-static mantle with a smooth thermal structure in the transition region and the case of a steady convection current through the boundary are considered. In the latter case the peculiar temperature distribution near the boundary affects significantly the response to additional loading. A univariant transition behaves fully nonadiabatic at low convective velocities below the “Verhoogen limit” but increasingly adiabatic above. A divariant transition behaves partly adiabatic already in a static mantle, and the adiabatic character is strongly enhanced with increasing velocity of convection. With realistic combinations of the relevant parameters for a divariant mantle phase change the response will be hardly more than 10% nonadiabatic, and probably less than 1%. This result affects especially the interpretation of the gravity anomaly above formerly glaciated areas in terms of mantle viscosity and layering of mantle convection.