Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Better placement of soil moisture point measurements guided by 2D resistivity tomography for improved irrigation scheduling

Soil moisture beneath irrigated crops has traditionally been determined using point measurement methods such as neutron probes or capacitance systems. These approaches cannot measure soil moisture at depths beyond the root-zone of plants and have limited lateral coverage. It is shown that surface two-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) can be used to map the spatial heterogeneity in soil moisture throughout a field under irrigated cotton. The case study demonstrates that ERT provides a better understanding of the pathways of water migration, and provides spatial information on how water storage changes throughout the growing season. We conclude that ERT should be integrated into farm water management surveys to delineate zones of excessive water loss due to deep drainage and to improve the positioning of point measurement methods for measuring soil moisture, thereby improving irrigation scheduling.
Remote sensing of drought : innovative monitoring approaches

Drought Monitoring Michael J. Hayes, Mark D. Svoboda, Brian D. Wardlow, Martha C. Anderson, and Felix Kogan Vegetation Historical Perspectives on AVHRR NDVI and Vegetation Drought Monitoring Assaf Anyamba and Compton J. Tucker Vegetation Drought Response Index Brian D. Wardlow, Tsegaye Tadesse, Jesslyn F. Brown, Karin Callahan, Sharmistha Swain, and Eric Hunt The Vegetation Outlook (VegOut) Tsegaye Tadesse, Brian D. Wardlow, Mark D. Svoboda, and Michael J. Hayes Drought Monitoring Using Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation Estimates Derived from MERIS Simone Rossi and Stefan Niemeyer Evapotranspiration Remote Sensing of Evapotranspiration for Operational Drought Monitoring Using Principles of Water and Energy Balance Gabriel B. Senay, Stefanie Bohms, and James P. Verdin A Thermal-Based Evaporative Stress Index for Monitoring Surface Moisture Depletion Martha C. Anderson, Christopher R. Hain, Brian D. Wardlow, Agustin Pimstein, John R. Mecikalski, and William P. Kustas Agricultural Drought Monitoring in Kenya Using Evapotranspiration Derived from Remote Sensing and Reanalysis Data Michael T. Marshall, Christopher Funk, and Joel Michaelsen Soil Moisture/Ground Water Microwave Remote Sensing of Soil Moisture Son V. Nghiem, Brian D. Wardlow, David Allured, Mark D. Svoboda, Doug LeComte, Matthew Rosencrans, Steven K. Chan, and Gregory Neumann North American Land Data Assimilation System Justin Sheffield, Youlong Xia, Lifeng Luo, Eric F. Wood, Michael Ek, and Kenneth E. Mitchell Satellite Gravimetry Applied to Drought Monitoring Matthew Rodell Precipitation Estimating Precipitation from WSR-88D Observations and Rain Gauge Data Gregory J. Story Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks Amir AghaKouchak, Kuolin Hsu, Soroosh Sorooshian, Bisher Imam, and Xiaogang Gao Mapping Recent Decadal Climate Variations in Precipitation and Temperature across Eastern Africa and the Sahel Christopher Funk, Joel Michaelsen, and Michael T. Marshall Snow Cover Monitoring from Remote-Sensing Satellites Cezar Kongoli, Peter Romanov, and Ralph Ferraro Summary Future Opportunities and Challenges in Remote Sensing of Drought Brian D. Wardlow, Martha C. Anderson, Justin Sheffield, Bradley D. Doorn, James P. Verdin, Xiwu Zhan, and Matthew Rodell Index
MINOR CENTRES IN THE PONTINE PLAIN: THE CASES OF FORUM APPII AND AD MEDIAS

Although both the urban and rural landscapes of Roman Italy have received due attention in current debates on the Roman economy, this is less true for the highly variable group of intermediate sites, here conveniently labelled as ‘minor centres’, and their role within economic networks. This contribution focuses attention on two such sites, Forum Appii and Ad Medias, situated in the Pontine plain (Lazio, central Italy) along the Via Appia. After addressing issues of definition and the current state of research, we shall approach the potential functions of such sites through geographic models. Next, we discuss the results of a programme of geophysical surveys and field walking on both case-study sites. The results obtained suggest that, although far from being a uniform settlement class, minor centres could perform crucial functions within local and regional economies. Based on the present data, Forum Appii developed into a centre of craft production and, with its river port, also became a trade hub of regional importance. Ad Medias functioned primarily as a small centre provisioning and servicing travellers and the local rural population. To conclude the article, we consider the implications of the results obtained in terms of future research strategies. Mentre sia i paesaggi urbani sia quelli rurali dell'Italia romana hanno ricevuto una doverosa attenzione nel corrente dibattito sull'economia romana, lo stesso non si può dire per il gruppo di siti di tipo intermedio e il ruolo da loro giocato all'interno dei network economici. Essi sono enormemente variabili e in questo lavoro opportunamente etichettati come ‘centri minori’. Il presente contributo focalizza l'attenzione su due siti di questo tipo: Forum Appii e Ad Medias nella Pianura Pontina (Lazio, Italia centrale), lungo la via Appia. Vengono trattate in prima istanza questioni relative alla definizione e allo stato attuale della ricerca, per poi affrontare tramite modelli geografici le potenziali funzioni di questo tipo di siti. Il contributo discute poi i risultati di un programma di indagini geofisiche e di ricognizioni topografiche nei due casi studio presi in considerazione. I risultati ottenuti suggeriscono come, sebbene lontani dal costituire una classe di insediamento omogenea, i centri minori potessero svolgere funzioni cruciali all'interno degli assetti economici locali e regionali. Stando ai dati oggi a disposizione, Forum Appii si sviluppò in un centro di manifattura artigianale e, con il suo porto fluviale, divenne anche un centro commerciale di importanza regionale. Ad Medias svolse in primo luogo il ruolo di un piccolo centro di approvvigionamento e di servizio per i viaggiatori e per la locale popolazione rurale. Per concludere, l'articolo prende in considerazione le implicazioni dei risultati ottenuti in relazione alle future strategie di ricerca.
Discrete duality finite volume schemes for Leray−Lions−type elliptic problems on general 2D meshes

Discrete duality finite volume schemes on general meshes, introduced by Hermeline and Domelevo and Omnès for the Laplace equation, are proposed for nonlinear diffusion problems in 2D with nonhomogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition. This approach allows the discretization of non linear fluxes in such a way that the discrete operator inherits the key properties of the continuous one. Furthermore, it is well adapted to very general meshes including the case of nonconformal locally refined meshes. We show that the approximate solution exists and is unique, which is not obvious since the scheme is nonlinear. We prove that, for general W−1,p′(Ω) source term and W1‐(1/p),p(∂Ω) boundary data, the approximate solution and its discrete gradient converge strongly towards the exact solution and its gradient, respectively, in appropriate Lebesgue spaces. Finally, error estimates are given in the case where the solution is assumed to be in W2,p(Ω). Numerical examples are given, including those on locally refined meshes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2007
A Program for Analyzing Transient and Steady‐State Soil Gas Pump Tests

Soil vapor extraction (SVE) is a widely used method for removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the unsaturated zone. With this technique, a vacuum is applied to wells screened above the water table. This induces soil gas flow towards the wells, resulting in the evaporation of nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs), and the removal of VOC vapors from the unsaturated zone. The field determination of unsaturated zone properties controlling the gas flow is an important part of the SVE system design process. Soil gas pump tests are commonly performed to identify important unsaturated zone parameters such as the effective gas permeability tensor and the influence of tight or leaky confining units. An interactive FORTRAN computer program called GASSOLVE has been developed for analyzing these tests under both transient and steady-state conditions. The code uses one of two general analytical solutions for radially symmetric gas flow to a well: the solution for transient compressible gas flow to a partially penetrating well in which the ground surface is open to the atmosphere; and the solution of transient compressible gas flow to a partially penetrating well bounded above by a leaky confining layer. Pump tests involving steady-state conditions, fully penetrating wells, or tight confiningmore » layers are considered as special cases of these solutions. The field gas pressure data from multiple observation wells are inverted using a multidimensional nonlinear optimization routine to provide a best fit of the data with the selected analytical solution. « less
The geology of the Vesturhorn Intrusion, SE Iceland

Summary The Vesturhorn Intrusion, exposed over 19 km2 of the south-eastern coast of Iceland, comprises two mafic complexes and a central core of epigranites. The latter can be subdivided into a central area with a flat-lying sheet structure, surrounded and separated from the mafic complexes by a more massive belt called the Transitional Epigranites with variable colour index and containing many rounded-to-angular inclusions and net-veined complexes. The consideration of several lines of evidence suggests that the components were emplaced as magmas in the sequence, first the epigranites with a sheet structure and second the basic complexes. The Transitional Epigranites appear to have originated by the remobilization and local hybridization of the early, sheet-structured epigranites. The relatively large volume of remobilized material and an absence of partially melted zones are considered to result from the early epigranites being still partially molten at the time of emplacement of the mafic complexes, together with a ponding of remobilized material beneath the chamber roof. A final intrusive episode occurred with the emplacement of a body of fayalite—hedenbergite epigranite largely into the Transitional Epigranites, probably after the consolidation of the latter.
Statistics in Ancient History

This chapter uses new data to extend the argument that there was an integrated wheat market in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. I explore the meaning of randomness when data are scarce, and I investigate how we recreate the nature of ancient societies by asking new questions that stimulate the discovery of more information. The case for a prosperous Roman society extending the length of the Mediterranean Sea is strong. This chapter draws on and extends work reported in my book: The Roman Market Economy (2013).
CIMMYT 1997/98 WORLD MAIZE FACTS AND TRENDS; MAIZE PRODUCTION IN DROUGHT-STRESSED ENVIRONMENTS: TECHNICAL OPTIONS AND RESEARCH RESOURCE ALLOCATION

This publication, through its focus on maize production in drought stressed areas of developing countries, explores economic, research, and policy issues related to maize agriculture in marginal areas of the developing world generally. Key questions in the debate over agriculture in marginal vs. favorable production areas are reviewed with a focus on maize. Questions include whether maize production is expanding into marginal areas, if production from such areas is necessary to meet future demand, and what is the relationship between marginal production environments and poverty. Different research resource allocations (leading to technological change) are modeled to compare gains and losses to producers and consumers in marginal, favorable, and urban areas of a country. A thorough overview of technical constraints and responses for maize production in drought-stressed environments is also presented. The authors conclude that agricultural research for marginal and, particularly, for drought-stressed areas will continue to be justified on the basis of meeting future demand requirements. Evidence that the marginality of agricultural land is related to poverty is decidedly mixed because of a range of factors outside the realm of agroclimatic conditions. To better determine efficient research allocations, considerably more study in this neglected area will be required. Such research should incorporate data from case studies, and more accurate definition of marginal areas provided by data from geographic information systems, crop modeling, and refined economic measures. The publication concludes with a brief overview of the world maize situation in 1997/98, followed by selected statistics on production, consumption, and trade for all regions of the world.
Coupling of perturbations in the solar wind density to global Pi3 pulsations: A case study

[1] A typical Pi3 pulsation is examined by magnetic field measurements from multiple satellites and ground stations. Low-latitude ground observations with a wide longitudinal span indicate that the amplitude of the Pi3 pulsation peaks on the dayside and is gradually decreasing toward the nightside. This effect and the fact that the wave phase on the dayside leads that on the nightside, imply that the source of the Pi3 lies on the dayside. Variations in solar wind dynamic pressure observed by the GEOTAIL satellite (just outside of the magnetosphere) are highly correlated with these ground magnetic field variations. We argue in this case that the global Pi3 pulsation is directly driven by impulsive variations in the solar wind dynamic pressure. The Pi3 pulsation observed along the latitudinal magnetometer chain at 0930LT shows significant equatorial enhancement and additional observations along a latitudinal chain at 1630LT show that the phase of the Pi3 pulsation at high latitudes lags behind that at low latitudes. The low-altitude polar orbiting satellite Oersted also observed this pulsation in the dayside inner magnetosphere. The B∥ (northward) component at Oersted is strictly out of phase with the X component observed at the dip equator below the spacecraft path, which indicates that the Pi3 pulsation at the dip equator is caused by oscillation of an ionospheric current. We propose that the Pi3 pulsations at different latitudes are generated by different mechanisms.
Origin and Paleotectonic Setting of the Pennsylvanian Quadrant Sandstone, Southwestern Montana

Abstract A thick sequence of Pennsylvanian Quadrant Sandstone in southwestern Montana was deposited within an intracratonic basin (the Snowcrest trough) at the western edge of the Late Paleozoic Wyoming shelf. The lower unit of the Quadrant Sandstone represents a shallowing upwards depositional sequence of massive and bioturbated sandy dolostone, algal laminated sandy dolostone, and thin bedded, cross-stratified sandstone. These deposits, originally formed in sandy carbonate tidal flats, resemble modern siliclastic subtidal to sabkha environments in coastal areas along the Persian Gulf. The upper unit of the Quadrant Sandstone formed by eolian deposition landward of these coastal carbonate environments. In this sandstone unit, compound and simple dune bedforms, as well as interdune depositional features are recognized from five descriptive facies: 1) medium-to cross-scale cross-stratified sandstone, 2) large-scale, cross-stratified sandstone, 3) horizontally-laminated sandstone, 4) rippled and irregularly-laminated sandstone, and 5) massive sandstone. The accumulation and subsequent preservation of Quadrant sands resulted from the migration and net sand deposition of climbing dune bedforms. Paleowind directions from the upper sandstone unit reveal a regionally consistent north to south wind flow comparable to that of equivalent Late Paleozoic sandstones in Wyoming and Colorado. A Quadrant-Tensleep sand sea model is postulated for a large area of eolian deposition on the Wyoming shelf.
Uranium Series Accessory Crystal Dating of Magmatic Processes

Complex and protracted crystallization histories over geologic timescales are recorded in accessory minerals (e.g., zircon, allanite). Although magmatic crystallization was traditionally assumed to occur essentially instantaneously for the purposes of interpreting mineral geochronometers with low absolute time resolution for ancient samples, it emerged relatively recently that magmatic crystallization can occur over extended durations. This discovery arose from applying high-spatial-resolution accessory mineral dating techniques for uranium series isotopes to young volcanic and cognate plutonic rocks. The emerging pattern from these studies is that individual crystals and crystal populations record crystallization episodes lasting from <1,000 to many hundreds of thousands of years. Accessory mineral dating of volcanic rocks and cognate plutonic xenoliths opens new research avenues for crystal age fingerprinting that correlates pyroclastic deposits, lavas, and plutonic rocks by using characteristic age dis.
Weathering the Financial Crisis: Good Policy or Good Luck?

The macroeconomic performance of individual countries varied markedly during the 2007-09 global financial crisis. While China's growth never dipped below 6% and Australia's worst quarter was no growth, the economies of Japan, Mexico and the United Kingdom suffered annualised GDP contractions of 5-10% per quarter for five to seven quarters in a row. We exploit this cross-country variation to examine whether a country's macroeconomic performance over this period was the result of pre-crisis policy decisions or just good luck. The answer is a bit of both. Better-performing economies featured a better-capitalised banking sector, lower loan-to-deposit ratios, a current account surplus, high foreign exchange reserves and low levels and growth rates of private sector credit-to-GDP. In other words, sound policy decisions and institutions reduced their vulnerability to the financial crisis. But these economies also featured a low level of financial openness and less exposure to US creditors, suggesting that good luck played a part.
Investigation into 3D earth structure and sources using full seismic waveforms

Seismograms are the result of the complex interactions between a seismic source, a propagation medium and the seismograph's response. Through the use of 3-dimensional modeling and full seismic waveform data, we quantify and minimize errors associated with the source and propagation medium within our data sets. We compile a new and unique earthquake catalog for the Middle East that is openly available to the public. We quantify the benefits of using a 3-dimensional model relative to a 1-dimensional model to minimizing error in earthquake moment tensors and identify where in the waveform 3-dimensional models outperform 1-dimensional models. Two new and unique 3-dimensional seismic wave speed models are computed for the Ontong Java plateau and eastern North American margin.Both models are significant improvements to the resolution of wave speed structures in the crust and upper mantle and provide new information for the evaluation of tectonic features.
Flow fields, bed shear stresses, and suspended bed sediment dynamics in bifurcations of a large river

Channel bifurcations associated with bars and islands are important nodes in braided rivers and may control flow partitioning and thus affect downstream confluences, as well as the formation and dynamics of bars. However, the morphodynamic processes associated with bar formation are poorly understood, and previous studies have largely concerned laboratory experiments, small natural streams, or numerical analyses with large Froude numbers, high slopes, and low Shields stresses. In these cases, the morphologic changes at bifurcations are relatively rapid, with predominant bed load transport and the suspended load playing a minor role. In this paper, the evolution of the flow structure and suspended bed sediment transport along four expansion‐diffluence units in the Rio Paraná, Argentina, are described. The Rio Paraná is a large multichannel river with a bed composed of medium and fine sands and possesses low Froude numbers and high suspended bed material transport. Primary and secondary flow velocity components were measured with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) along the expansion‐diffluence units, and the backscatter signal of the ADCP was calibrated to allow simultaneous measurements of suspended bed sediment concentrations. The interactions between these variables show that the cores of primary flow velocity and suspended bed sediment concentration do not necessarily follow the thalweg at the bifurcation and that inertial effects on the suspended bed sediment may influence the morphodynamics of bar formation. It is suggested that changes in flow stage, as well as the presence of vegetation, may further increase the deposition of suspended bed sediment at the bar head. This study suggests that the ratio of suspended bed material to bed load is an important factor controlling the morphodynamics of bifurcations in large sand bed braided rivers.
Source directionality of ambient seismic noise inferred from three‐component beamforming

The increased use of ambient seismic noise for seismic imaging requires better understanding of the ambient seismic noise wavefield and its source locations and mechanisms. Although the source regions and mechanisms of Rayleigh waves have been studied extensively, characterization of Love wave source processes are sparse or absent. We present here the first systematic comparison of ambient seismic noise source directions within the primary (~10–20 s period) and secondary (~5–10 s period) microseism bands for both Rayleigh and Love waves in the Southern Hemisphere using vertical‐ and horizontal‐component ambient seismic noise recordings from a dense temporary network of 68 broadband seismometers in New Zealand. Our analysis indicates that Rayleigh and Love waves within the primary microseism band appear to be mostly generated in different areas, whereas in the secondary microseism band they arrive from similar backazimuths. Furthermore, the source areas of surface waves within the secondary microseism band correlate well with modeled deep‐water and near‐coastal source regions.
Policy Opportunities to Increase Cover Crop Adoption on North Carolina Farms

4 Executive Summary . 5 Introduction . 7 Background . 10 Barriers to Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAP). 10 Farm-level . 12 Economic Considerations . 13 Knowledge and Social Institutions . 14 Policy . 15 Cover Crops—What does the Science tell us? 17 Erosion Control . 17 Added Nutrients . 18 Improved Soil Quality and Moisture Content . 19 Reduced Need for Herbicide and Pesticide Application . 19 Drawbacks of Cover Cropping . 20 Barriers and Opportunities for Cover Crop Adoption . 20 Adoption Rates . 25 Agronomic Factors . 25 Economic Factors . 26 Information Transfer . 26 Public Policy Incentives . 27 Current Policy Landscape . 28 Recommendations from the Literature . 30 Methods . 32 Why Social Surveys? 32 Web Survey . 32 Implementation . 33 Respondent Selection. 34 Analysis . 35 Key Informant Surveys . 38 Implementation . 38 Analysis . 39 Results and Analysis: Key Informant Interviews . 40 Overview . 40 Main Challenges . 42 Agronomic Challenge: Timing Rotations . 42 Input Constraints . 44 Knowledge Transfer . 45 Results and Analysis: Web Survey . 48 Demographic Overview . 48 Age Breakdown . 50 Income Breakdown . 50 Demographic Correlations in Respondents . 52 Discussion of Non-Adopter Statistics . 53 Summary of Key Questions . 54