Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a High-Resolution Gridded Daily Meteorological Dataset over Sub-Saharan Africa: Spatial Analysis of Trends in Climate Extremes

AbstractAssessing changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme meteorological events and their impact on water resources, agriculture, and infrastructure is necessary to adequately prepare and adapt to future change. This is a challenge in data-sparse regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, where a lack of high-density and temporally consistent long-term in situ measurements complicates the analysis. To address this, a temporally homogenous and high-temporal- and high-spatial-resolution meteorological dataset is developed over sub-Saharan Africa (5°S–25°N), covering the time period between 1979 and 2005. It is developed by spatially downscaling the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP–NCAR) reanalysis to a 0.1° spatial resolution, detecting and correcting for temporal inhomogeneities, and by removing random errors and biases by assimilating quality-controlled and gap-filled Global Summary of the Day (GSOD) in situ measurements. The dataset is then u.
Mourning Dove Nesting: Seasonal Patterns and Effects of September Hunting,

Abstract : A nationwide State-Federal cooperative study was initiated in 1978 to examine effects of September hunting on nesting mourning doves (Zenaida macroura). This study was designed to (1) determine the proportion of the annual total of dove nesting activity and production that occurs in September and October, and (2) determine if survival rates of mourning dove eggs and nestlings are lower in zones where early September dove hunting is permitted than in zones where it is prohibited. During 1979 and 1980, 6,950 active nests were monitored to obtain data on nesting patterns. Nest initiation was estimated using two measurements, backdating from hatch dates and counting numbers of nests found for the first time. The nationwide percentage of the annual total of nests that were initiated in September and October was 1.0% based on backdating from hatch dates and 2.7% based on nests found for the first time. Nesting activity was measured by numbers of eggs and nestlings present in weekly counts. Nationally, 4.5% of the annual nesting activity occurred in September and October. The activity of 80% of the observed nests was within the period of 22 April to 4 September. The measure of production used in this study was numbers of young fledged. Nationally, 10.3% of all observed fledging occurred in September and October. Because a decline in nests found in the latter half of the nesting season preceded the 1 September start of hunting, we concluded that the reduction in nesting activity at the end of the season is a natural phenomenon and is not caused by hunting disturbance. In a separate part of this study, we estimated survival rates in adjacent hunted and nonhunted zones from data on 668 nests.
Detecting fractional land-cover change in arid and semiarid urban landscapes with multitemporal Landsat Thematic mapper imagery

Pixel-based approaches are commonly used for urban land-cover classification and change detection, but the results are often inaccurate in arid and semiarid urban landscapes due to the mixed-pixel problem and similar spectral signatures between impervious surface areas (ISAs) and bare soils. This research proposes a subpixel-based approach to examine land-cover change in Urumqi and Phoenix urban landscapes using multitemporal Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery. Linear spectral mixture analysis (SMA) was used to unmix TM multispectral imagery into four fractions – high-albedo object, low-albedo object, green vegetation (GV), and soil. ISA was determined from the sum of high-albedo and low-albedo fraction images after removal of non-ISA in both fraction images. The ISA, vegetation abundance, and soil images at different dates were used to examine their change over time. The results indicate that this subpixel-based approach can successfully detect small changes of urban land covers in medium spatial resolution images which pixel-based approaches cannot.
Environmental determinants of tropical forest and savanna distribution: A quantitative model evaluation and its implication

The distributions of tropical ecosystems are rapidly being altered by climate change and anthropogenic activities. One possible trend—the loss of tropical forests and replacement by savannas—could result in significant shifts in ecosystem services and biodiversity loss. However, the influence and the relative importance of environmental factors in regulating the distribution of tropical forest and savanna biomes are still poorly understood, which makes it difficult to predict future tropical forest and savanna distributions in the context of climate change. Here we use boosted regression trees to quantitatively evaluate the importance of environmental predictors—mainly climatic, edaphic, and fire factors—for the tropical forest‐savanna distribution at a mesoscale across the tropics (between 15°N and 35°S). Our results demonstrate that climate alone can explain most of the distribution of tropical forest and savanna at the scale considered; dry season average precipitation is the single most important determinant across tropical Asia‐Australia, Africa, and South America. Given the strong tendency of increased seasonality and decreased dry season precipitation predicted by global climate models, we estimate that about 28% of what is now tropical forest would likely be lost to savanna by the late 21st century under the future scenario considered. This study highlights the importance of climate seasonality and interannual variability in predicting the distribution of tropical forest and savanna, supporting the climate as the primary driver in the savanna biogeography.
Watershed modelling of hydrology and water quality in the Sacramento River watershed, California

Agricultural pollutant runoff is a major source of water contamination in California's Sacramento River watershed where 8500 km2 of agricultural land influences water quality. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrology, sediment, nitrate and pesticide transport components were assessed for the Sacramento River watershed. To represent flood conveyance in the area, the model was improved by implementing a flood routing algorithm. Sensitivity/uncertainty analyses and multi‐objective calibration were incorporated into the model application for predicting streamflow, sediment, nitrate and pesticides (chlorpyrifos and diazinon) at multiple watershed sites from 1992 to 2008. Most of the observed data were within the 95% uncertainty interval, indicating that the SWAT simulations were capturing the uncertainties that existed, such as model simplification, observed data errors and lack of agricultural management data. The monthly Nash–Sutcliffe coefficients at the watershed outlet ranged from 0.48 to 0.82, indicating that the model was able to successfully predict streamflow and agricultural pollutant transport after calibration. Predicted sediment loads were highly correlated to streamflow, whereas nitrate, chlorpyrifos and diazinon were moderately correlated to streamflow. This indicates that timing of agricultural management operations plays a role in agricultural pollutant runoff. Best management practices, such as pesticide use limits during wet seasons, could improve water quality in the Sacramento River watershed. The calibrated model establishes a modelling framework for further studies of hydrology, water quality and ecosystem protection in the study area. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Carbon isotopic composition of the C37:2 alkenone in core top sediments of the South Atlantic Ocean: Effects of CO2and nutrient concentrations

We have analyzed the stable carbon isotopic composition of the diunsaturated C37 alkenone in 29 surface sediments from the equatorial and South Atlantic Ocean. Our study area covers different oceanographic settings, including sediments from the major upwelling regions off South Africa, the equatorial upwelling, and the oligotrophic western South Atlantic. In order to examine the environmental influences on the sedimentary record the alkenone‐based carbon isotopic fractionation (εp) values were correlated with the overlying surface water concentrations of aqueous CO2 ([CO2(aq)]), phosphate, and nitrate. We found εp positively correlated with 1/[CO2(aq)] and negatively correlated with [PO43−] and [NO3−]. However, the relationship between εp and 1/[CO2(aq)] is opposite of what is expected from a [CO2(aq)] controlled, diffusive uptake model. Instead, our findings support the theory of Bidigare et al. [1997] that the isotopic fractionation in haptophytes is related to nutrient‐limited growth rates. The relatively high variability of the εp−[PO4] relationship in regions with low surface water nutrient concentrations indicates that here other environmental factors also affect the isotopic signal. These factors might be variations in other growth‐limiting resources such as light intensity or micronutrient concentrations.
Experimental insights of using waste marble fines to modify the geotechnical properties of a lateritic soil

Marble spoil waste is an environmental nuisance. The effects of adding waste marble fines (WMF) on the plasticity, strength and permeability of a lateritic clay have been investigated for its potential use as a soil modifier or stabilizer of road pavement layer materials or earth-building materials. The chemical compositions of the WMF and soil were determined using X-ray fluorescence and atomic absorption spectrometry, respectively. The specific gravity, Atterberg limits, compaction, strength and permeability characteristics of the soil were determined for varying proportions of the soil-WMF blends. The properties of the natural soil–classified as clay of low plasticity (CL) and A-7-6(7), according to unified soil classification and AASHTO classification systems, respectively–were improved after the addition of 10% WMF such that it behaves like a silt of low plasticity. Therefore, WMF is recommended as a low-cost soil modifier or stabilizer for lateritic soil and well-suited for road construction applications
Climate Change and Human Health. Risks and Responses

In 1996 a group of health researchers organized by WHO, the World Meteo-rological Organization (WMO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published the ﬁrst comprehensive assessment of climate change and human health (1). Climate change and human health: risks and responses updates this work — and opens new pathways through which to exam-ine the consequences the future climate may hold for the ecological systems that underpin our health. As the rates of warming, CO
MODIS NDVI satellite data for assessing drought in Somalia during the period 2000-2011

This thesis studied the drought monitoring and assessing in Somalia environment during the period 2000-2011 with more details about the drought in 2010- 2011. Time series analysis of remote sensing data as well as rainfall data were used to achieve the aim of the study. Most of Somalia is located in dry zone with only some grass and pasture valid only pastoralism which is practices by half of the population. The country is frequently exposed to drought, occurring moderately every 3-4 years and severely every 7-9 years. Drought is characterized as a slow process, can happen everywhere and anytime and prolongs from months to years. The advance in remote sensing data both spatially and temporally makes it possible to use this data for drought monitoring regionally and globally. MODIS NDVI satellite data was used mainly to achieve the purpose of the study. The analysis was done at pixel-scale in seven locations as well as at regional-scale. To monitor and assess drought, three components were studied: onset, duration, and severity or intensity. The first important result is that among all drought years during the study period, the drought in 2010-2011 was the worst as it continued for longer time than previous droughts during the study period (around 12 months). In most parts in southern Somalia, there was extreme drought where the percent of negative change reached up to 30-50% below the normal. The impact of this drought was catastrophe because of existence of three factors which are the conflict in the country, nature of livelihood (pastoralism), and the population density. Drought often starts in Deyr season and continues to the Gu season in the next year e. g. 2003-2004, 2005-2006 and 2010-2011 and it is often followed by above normal rainfall. Also, droughts with long duration are lower frequent than that with short duration. The monthly correlation between rainfall and NDVI was significant in most parts of the country and surrounding areas, though not very strong (r ~ 0.40). This relationship got higher with time lag one month for NDVI. The correlation in the second rainy months was found to be higher than the first rainy months with almost no correlation. Annual correlations were very low and even negative. Finally, remote sensing data proved to be a significant tool in monitoring and detecting drought components. In the thesis’s case where rainfall data and other meteorological data were absence or unreliable, remote sensing data was the only practical choice.
Do EGMs and Problem Gambling go together like a Horse and Carriage

It is widely believed that increased gambling exposure, particularly to electronic gaming machines (EGMs) and other 'continuous' forms, leads to a rise in gambling-related harms including problem gambling. Relevant literature, including studies conducted by the author, is critically reviewed to assess the validity of this belief. While jurisdictions with high exposure often have elevated problem gambling prevalence relative to those with low exposure, in others this relationship is attenuating or reversing. In New Zealand and Australia, despite substantial increases in EGM availability and expenditure, current national prevalence estimates are between a third to a half what they were 15 years ago. In Australia there are indications that the relationship between availability and prevalence breaks down somewhere between six to 10 EGMs per 1,000 adults. EGM reductions and the introduction of caps generally appear to have little impact. While regular EGM participation is strongly linked to problem gambling, problems associated with this gambling form appear to be typically of short duration. It is concluded that exposure to the agent gambling is multidimensional and that the effects of exposure are complex. Understanding the drivers of problem gambling requires recognition of this complexity including consideration of the role of individual and environmental risk and protective factors.
Mio-Pliocene rodent assemblages from Alcoi Forn (Alcoy Basin, Eastern Spain). Biostratigraphical and palaeoclimatical inferences

Abstract In this work, we describe four new micromammal sites in the northern side of the Gormaget ravine, in the Alcoy Basin (Spain): AF-1’06, AF-1’07, AF-1A and AF-2. Based on the study of the faunal remains from these localities, we infer a latest Turolian-earliest Ruscinian age for AF-1’06 and AF-1A, and an earliest Ruscinian age for AF-1’07 and AF-2. The species assemblage of the locality AF-1’06, the only one which have yielded a sufficient number of remains to perform a palaecological analysis, shows warm and dry conditions near the Mio-Pliocene boundary in the Alcoy Basin. These data show a reduction of dry and warm indicators from older to younger localities in the Alcoy Basin, suggesting a change to colder and more humid conditions during the Early Pliocene.
Summer cooling potential of urban vegetation—a modeling study for Melbourne, Australia

The summer cooling potential of urban vegetation is investigated using an urban climate model for the current and future climates in the Melbourne central business district (CBD) area with various urban forms and vegetation schemes. Simulation results suggest that the average seasonal summer temperatures can be reduced in the range of around 0.5 and 2°C if the Melbourne CBD were replaced by vegetated suburbs and planted parklands, respectively, benefiting a reduction in the number of hot days. It was also found that despite the projected warming in the future and variations in the climate projections among different climate models, the average seasonal cooling potential due to various urban vegetation schemes may not change significantly in comparison with those predicted for the current climate, indicating little dependency on climate change. This finding suggests that the average seasonal cooling potential as a result of urban vegetation in future climates may be empirically quantified in similar amounts to those under the current climate. When urban climate models are used, the cooling potential of urban vegetation in future climates may be quantified by modeling several selected years with one or a few climate models.
Gas saturation and evolution of volatile and light lithophile elements in the Bandelier magma chamber between two caldera‐forming eruptions

We have studied the distribution of light and volatile elements (Li, Be, B, H2O, F, Cl) in matrix glasses and melt inclusions in quartz and sanidine phenocrysts from tephras of the Cerro Toledo Rhyolite, which were erupted from the Bandelier magma chamber between two caldera-forming eruptions at 1.608 Ma and 1.225 Ma. Since the small-volume tephras of the Cerro Toledo Rhyolite record chemical evolution of the upper parts of the magma chamber during this 383-kyr period, we can track volatile evolution in the magma during its differentiation, specifically, the development of a separate fluid phase from the magma, the partitioning of volatile and light elements between this fluid and the magma, and the timing of the second caldera eruption at 1.225 Ma. The melt inclusion data reveal that Li, Be, and B were progressively enriched with time at the top of the magma chamber, showing a similar three fold enrichment. By contrast, F, Cl, and F2O show more variable behavior. F was enriched 3.6 times in the magma and Cl increased 2.5 times, while water concentrations remained constant. Evidence for a separate fluid phase includes (1) comparatively small magmatic enrichment factors for Cl and H2O, elements which are known to partition into fluid, (2) decline of the Cl/Be and Cl/B ratios in melt inclusions with time, indicating preferential loss of Cl, and (3) maximum Cl contents of 2900–3000 ppm in melt inclusions, which are concentrations at or close to the saturation limit for Cl in a two-phase gas-saturated magma. The lack of temporal H2O enrichment in the magma suggests that it became gas saturated at an early stage. The Cl fluid-magma partition coefficient was initially low, due to the presence of a low-salinity single-phase vapor. The fluid is calculated to have increased its salinity from 0.76 wt % equivalent NaCl to 3.1 wt % NaCl by crystallization and Cl enrichment in the magma. Consequently, the fluid was transformed to two immiscible phases. As a result, the Cl partition coefficient increased, and the Cl content in the magma was buffered at 2900–3000 ppm. Overpressures in the magma chamber have been modeled as a function of crystallization, total pressure and depth, H2O solubility in rhyolite, resurgence, crystallization contraction, and initial fluid mass. For the large amounts of crystallization (40–70%) required by the geochemical relations, unrealistically large overpressures (>75 MPa) are indicated, unless (1) the magma existed as a foam or (2) the chamber was able to degas passively, and thus buffer the buildup of pressure. To maintain realistic overpressures in the magma chamber (<50 MPa), an equilibrium was required between gas buildup by crystallization and volatile loss by passive degassing. The change from a one-phase vapor to a two-phase immiscible fluid before the Upper Bandelier Tuff eruption may have promoted partial or complete sealing of the magmatic-hydrothermal system, permitting significant overpressures to develop. The result could have been a cataclysmic caldera-forming eruption.
Geochemistry of deposits from spring-fed fens in West Pomerania (Poland) and its significance for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction

The cupolas of the spring-fed fens at Bobolice and Ogartowo (West Pomerania, Northern Poland) are composed of alternating peat and calcareous tufa layers. The geology of those two fens, together with the geochemistry of their deposits and radiocarbon dating results, made it possible: (1) to determine the source of water and mineral matter, and (2) to reconstruct the main stages in their development. The distinguished five main stages of development of the fens (four at Ogartowo) reflected varying depositional environments resulting, among other things, from the proportion of groundwater supply and its physico-chemical properties. On the basis of principal components analysis, the sources supplying elements of the peat-tufa rhythmite were found to be chemical denudation and sedentation of peat deposits, while mechanical denudation and atmospheric supply were considerably less important. The geochemistry of deposits was also influenced by local conditions of the geochemical environment, such as its pH, redox potential, CO2 content in water, and the occurrence of organic matter.
Failed predation in Late Ordovician gastropods (Mollusca) from Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada

Shell repairs resulting from presumed failed predation are documented in gastropods from the Late Ordovician (Cincinnatian; Richmondian) mid-to-upper Kagawong Submember of the Georgian Bay Formation on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. The bryozoan–mollusc biota and associated sediments generally suggest nearshore, shallow (<10 m), low energy (lagoonal), and perhaps mesotrophic to eutrophic conditions. Two sample sets from this unit have been studied for shell repair. One of the more commonly applied estimates of shell repair frequencies involves division of the number of individuals with at least one scar by the total number of individuals in the sample (the Individuals with scars method). Using this calculation, 207 specimens of Lophospira trilineata Ulrich and Scofield yielded a shell repair frequency of 4.8%; in 28 specimens of Trochonemella sp. the shell repair frequency was 35.7%. Repairs in Trochonemella occur primarily in the larger size class, suggesting that a size refuge was achieved by this .
Hydrologically sensitive areas: Variable source area hydrology implications for water quality risk assessment

ABSTRACT: A conceptual approach to assessing water quality risk in the context of variable source area hydrology was developed and applied to the New York City (NYC) water supply watersheds. The term hydrologically sensitive area (HSA) was used to refer to areas in a watershed especially prone to generating runoff that are, therefore, potentially susceptible to transporting contaminants to perennial surface water bodies. As an example, a cost benefit method for quantifying HSAs was developed and applied such that water quality protection was balanced with agricultural needs for NYC watersheds. In accordance with the variable source area concept, the spatial extent of HSAs vary throughout the year. On an annual average, approximately 10% of the watershed is designated HSA and about 20% of the total annual runoff originates on these HSAs. This study is meant to illustrate an approach to dealing with water quality risk assessment.