Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modification of growing‐season surface temperature records in the northern great plains due to land‐use transformation: verification of modelling results and implication for global climate change

Land‐use and land‐cover change can modify near‐surface atmospheric condition. Mesoscale modelling studies have shown that modification in land use affects near‐surface soil moisture storage and energy balance. Such a study in the Great Plains showed that changes in land use from natural grass to irrigated agriculture enhanced soil water storage in the root zone and increased latent energy flux. This increase in latent energy flux would correspond to a decrease in sensible heat flux and, therefore, modify near‐surface temperature records. To verify this deduction, we have investigated the changes in the historical near‐surface temperature records in Nebraska, USA. We have analysed the long‐term mean monthly maximum, minimum, and monthly mean air temperature data from five irrigated and five non‐irrigated sites. The cooperative weather observation (coop) network is the source of the data. We have found that there is a clear trend in decreasing mean maximum and average temperature data for irrigated sites. For example, York, NE, reports that the mean maximum growing season temperature is decreasing at the rate −0.01°C year−1. The results from non‐irrigated sites indicated an increasing trend for the same parameters. The data from Halsey, NE, indicate a +0.01°C year−1 increase in this century. In addition, we have conducted similar analyses of temperature data for the National Climatic Data Center's Historical Climatic Network data set for the same locations. The results are similar to that obtained with the coop data set. Further investigation of dew‐point temperature records for irrigated and non‐irrigated sites also show an increasing and decreasing trend respectively. Therefore, we conclude that the land‐use change in the Great Plains has modified near‐surface temperature records. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society
PRESSNet: Assessment of Building Damage Caused by the Earthquake

—Loss of life and property often occur due to natural disasters and other significant occurrences like earthquakes, which make manual damage assessment a time-consuming and inefficient process. In an attempt to address this challenge, researchers have been investigating the field of automated damage assessment in Remote Sensing. With time, this area of research has transformed from conventional machine learning techniques to more sophisticated deep learning techniques. The study puts forward the PRESSNet model as a solution for assessing building damage. The effectiveness of the proposed PRESSNet model is compared to that of a baseline model, PSPNet, and ResNet 50, across different types of damage. This study contributes by introducing the spatial attention module to the baseline model. The xBD Dataset was used both before and after the Palu earthquake disaster. The results show that PRESSNet performs similarly or slightly better than the baseline model in all damage categories. This illustrates the impressive ability of the proposed PRESSNet architecture to accurately detect and classify building damage. This research sheds light on the development of effective models for assessing disaster damage and lays the foundation for future progress in this crucial area.
Evaluation of the research version TMPA three‐hourly 0.25° × 0.25° rainfall estimates over Oklahoma

This study involves the extensive evaluation of six years (January 1998–December 2003) of the research‐version TMPA three‐hourly 0.25° × 0.25° rainfall product over a pixel containing 23 rain gauges from the Micronet network in Oklahoma, United States. The network average rainfall is characterized by small (2%) error. The authors consider three seasons i.e. cold, warm, and hot, and the evaluation is based on scatterplots, comparison of the tail of the distributions, and different types of statistical measures of agreement, bias, disagreement, and categorical evaluation. Overall, the best agreement is for the hot season. This study reveals that the TMPA should be considered as a 100‐minute accumulation product, with the accumulation starting between 90 and 30 minutes before its nominal time, depending on the season.
Constraining the post-emplacement evolution of the Hebridean Igneous Province (HIP) using low-temperature thermochronology: how long has the HIP been cool?

Abstract: The thermal history of the Hebridean Igneous Province has been determined through the application of low-temperature thermochronology to the four central complexes in the province. The zircon (U–Th)/He age (59.4 ± 3.3 Ma, 1σ, n = 18) and the ages from each complex (60.7 ± 2.3 Ma for Skye; 58.0 ± 0.4 Ma for Mull; 55.9 ± 3.2 Ma for Ardnamurchan; 55.6 ± 2.7 Ma for Rum) are indistinguishable from the crystallization ages. Apatite fission-track ages (61.2–57.2 Ma, mean of 59.3 ± 3.4 Ma) from the major plutonic units also overlap crystallization ages, implying that on a regional scale the Hebridean Igneous Province cooled rapidly to near-surface temperatures immediately after emplacement. However, apatite fission-track ages and track lengths and apatite (U–Th)/He ages from some small-volume intrusions in the Skye and Rum central complexes identify localized mid-Eocene (45–47 Ma) cooling. Forward and inverse modelling suggests a discrete heating–cooling event at c. 47 Ma, which may have been caused by structurally controlled localized advection of heat above shallow emplacement. This is the first suggestion of Eocene magmatism in the Hebridean Igneous Province.
Influence of soil‐moisture and land use change on precipitation in the Volta Basin of West Africa

Abstract An ongoing intensification of agriculture in West Africa has lead to changes in surface and subsurface characteristics that may directly affect evaporation rates and, in turn, regional rainfall patterns. To investigate the effects of those changes, the Penn State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) mesoscale meteorological model (MM5) was applied for the identification of feedback mechanisms between land surface (soil and vegetation) and atmosphere. MM5 was applied in three different resolutions (81 × 81, 27 × 27, and 9 × 9 km2) with 2‐way interactive grids. The objective of this work was to learn to what extent regional (intra‐domain) evaporation determines rainfall within the domains. The effect of decreased and increased initial soil moisture on total rainfall and on precipitation recycling indicators was investigated. Scale dependent, positive (increased precipitation at increased initial soil moisture) as well as negative (decreased precipitation at increased initial soil moisture) feedback mechanisms were found. Detailed atmospheric water budget analysis showed that negative feedback mechanisms on the small domain appeared to have been caused by an increased inflow of atmospherc moisture. Sensitivity of precipitation with respect to soil moisture was very variable over space. Both negative and positive sensitivities were observed. To investigate the effect of land use change, the total rainfall distribution was computed under the assumption of the observed land use substitution from cropland woodland mosaic into shrub land and finally into grassland. Sensitivity of precipitation with respect to land use change was very heterogeneous. Total precipitation change was of the same order of magnitude as in case of the initial soil moisture perturbations.
Historical inputs of polychlorinated biphenyls and other organochlorines to a dated lacustrine sediment core in rural England

Lacustrine sediment cores were obtained from Esthwaithe Water, a seasonally anoxic rural English late. Samples were sectioned, radioisotopically dated, and analyzed for 22 individual polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) and is metabolites. The most abundant congeners in the sediments were 28, 44, 66, 110, 138, 149, 153, and 180. PCB fluxes to the sediment increased slowly from the late 1920s/early 1930s until the late 1940s, escalating sharply thereafter
Optimal Fingerprints for the Detection of Time-dependent Climate Change

Abstract An optimal linear filter (fingerprint) is derived for the detection of a given time-dependent, multivariate climate change signal in the presence of natural climate variability noise. Application of the fingerprint to the observed (or model simulated) climate data yields a climate change detection variable (detector) with maximal signal-to-noise ratio. The optimal fingerprint is given by the product of the assumed signal pattern and the inverse of the climate variability covariance matrix. The data can consist of any, not necessarily dynamically complete, climate dataset for which estimates of the natural variability covariance matrix exist. The single-pattern analysis readily generalizes to the multipattern case of a climate change signal lying in a prescribed (in practice relatively low dimensional) signal pattern space: the single-pattern result is simply applied separately to each individual base pattern spanning the signal pattern space. Multipattern detection methods can be applied either t.
A global oceanic sediment model for long‐term climate studies

A chemically reactive 10‐layer sediment module was coupled to a geochemical ocean general circulation model (the Hamburg Oceanic Carbon Cycle Model). The sediment model includes four solid sediment components (CaCO3, opal, organic carbon, and clay), and five pore water substances (dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, PO43−, O2, Si(OH)4) plus corresponding species containing 13C and 14C instead of 12C. The processes, namely, particle deposition, pore water reactions, pore water diffusion and interaction with the open water column, vertical sediment advection, sediment accumulation, and bioturbation, are simulated through basic parametrizations. For the water column part the Si and C cycles are coupled by a formulation of the “rain ratio” Si:C(CaCO3):C(POC), where POC is particulate organic carbon, in biogenic particle export production, with CaCO3 frustrule production growing in parallel to a weakening of opal production during progressing deficiency of dissolved silicate in the surface layer. For two preindustrial velocity fields the model reproduces major features of observed water column and sediment tracer distributions parallel to a correct preindustrial CO2 level close to 280 ppm. The model reacts sensitively to the formulation of the POC flux parametrization, the rain ratio, as well as the solubility of opal but is fairly insensitive to changes in the bioturbation rate as well as the amount of clay deposition. A simulation of the sediment distribution by use of a velocity field, which represents the ocean at conditions during the last glacial maximum, yields realistic glacial‐interglacial changes for the Atlantic Ocean, while discrepancies remain for the Indo‐Pacific region. A significant decrease of the atmospheric pCO2 could be achieved through an additional change of water column inventories by a change in weathering input of Si and alkalinity.
Transformation of Nano-Size Titanium Dioxide Particles in the Gastrointestinal Tract and Its Role in the Transfer of Nanoparticles through the Intestinal Barrier

In this work, the size transformation of the TiO2 nanofraction from pharmaceutical grade E171 powder was studied during its transit through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). It was shown that pharmaceutical-grade TiO2 powder contained about 0.68% (w/w) of particles smaller than 240 nm in diameter. In the observed GIT transit process the TiO2 nanoparticles were agglomerated up to 150–200 nm in simulated salivary fluid, with gradual agglomerate enlargement up to 300–600 nm and more than 1 micron in simulated gastric fluid. In the intestinal fluid the reverse process occurred, involving a decrease of agglomerates accompanied by the formation of a small fraction with ~50 nm average size. This fraction can be further involved in the histohematic transport process. The acidity degree (pH) and mineral composition of solutions, as well as the transit speed along the gastrointestinal tract, influence the nature of the particle transformation significantly. The rapid passing between the gastrointestinal tract sections creates conditions for a decrease in part of the TiO2 particles, up to 100 nm, and may be associated with the violation of the structural and functional integrity of the intestinal mucus layer.
RECREATION SPECIALIZATION AND GENDER: A COMPARISON OF MASSACHUSETTS FRESHWATER ANGLERS

Recreation specialization describes the continuum of general to specific behavior of natural resource users and allows for the classification of these users into meaningful subgroups. While this theory has been used to study anglers, the majority of participants in recreational fishing are male. Therefore, more could be learned about how women at various specialization levels experience the activity. This analysis considers both specialization level and gender as predictors of five propositions. In general, male anglers were more specialized than female anglers. As expected, men fished more days per year and more years than women. Men also considered the experience of the catch to be more important. Contrary to expectations, women placed less importance on catching fish than men. Women also rated family recreation and experiencing new and different things as more important. Additionally, women were more supportive of one management item? restricted fishing areas.
Nitrogen oxides in the troposphere: Global and regional budgets

The cycle of nitrogen oxides in the troposphere is discussed from both global and regional perspectives. Global sources for NOx are estimated to be of magnitude 50(±25)×1012gm N yr−1. Nitrogen oxides are derived from combustion of fossil fuels (∼40%) and biomass burning (∼25%) with the balance from lightning and microbial activity in soils. Estimates for the rate of removal of NOx based on recent atmospheric and precipitation chemistry data are consistent with global source strengths derived here. Industrial and agricultural activities provide approximately two thirds of the global source for NOx. In North America, sources from combustion of fossil fuels exceed natural sources by a factor of 3–13. Wet deposition removes about one third of the combustion source of NOx over North America, while dry deposition removes a similar amount. The balance is exported from the continent. Deposition of nitrate in precipitation over eastern Canada and the western Atlantic is clearly influenced by sources of NOx in the eastern United States. Major uncertainties in the cycle of NOx are attributed to lack of field measurements and inadequate understanding of heterogeneous processes involving NOx.
Combining SPOT 5 imagery with plotwise and standwise forest data to estimate volume and biomass in mountainous coniferous site

In this study, regression-based prediction of volume and aboveground biomass (AGB) of coniferous forests in a mountain test site was conducted. Two datasets — one with applied topographic correction and one without applied topographic correction — consisting of four spectral bands and six vegetation indices were generated from SPOT 5 multispectral image. The relationships between these data and ground data from field plots and national forest inventory polygons were examined. Strongest correlations of volume and AGB were observed with the near infrared band, regardless of the topographic correction. The maximal correlation coefficients when using plotwise data were −0.83 and −0.84 for the volume and AGB, respectively. The maximal correlation with standwise data was −0.63 for both parameters. The SCS+C topographic correction did not significantly affect the correlations between spectral data and forest parameters, but visually removed much of the topographically induced shading. Simple linear regression models resulted in relative RMSE of 32–33% using the plotwise data, and 43–45% using the standwise data. The importance of the source and the methodology used to obtain ground data for the successful modelling was pointed out.
Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer Parameters through Infiltration Experiments—BEST

tudying soil hydrological processes requires the determination of soil hydraulic parameters whose assessment using traditional methods is expensive and time-consuming. A specific method, Beerkan estimation of soil transfer parameters referred to as BEST was developed to facilitate the determination of both the water retention curve, {theta}(h), and the hydraulic conductivity curve, K({theta}), defined by their shape and scale parameters. BEST estimates shape parameters from particle-size distribution analysis and scale parameters from infiltration experiments at null pressure head. Saturated water content is measured directly at the end of infiltration. Hydraulic conductivity and water pressure scale parameters are calculated from the steady-state infiltration rate and prior estimation of sorptivity (S) This is provided by fitting transient infiltration data on the classical two-term equations with values from zero to a maximum corresponding to null hydraulic conductivity and using a data subset for which the two-term infiltration equations are verified as valid. BEST was compared with other fitting methods to estimate sorptivity and hydraulic conductivity from infiltration modeling data on the basis of the same infiltration equations for three contrasting soils: agricultural soil, sandy soil, and a coarser fluvioglacial deposit. The other methods failed sometimes to model accurately experimental data and to provide values in agreement with physical principles of water infiltration (negative values for hydraulic conductivity, too high steady-state infiltration rate). None of these anomalies was encountered when modeling cumulative infiltration with BEST. BEST appears to be a promising, easy, robust, and inexpensive way of characterizing the hydraulic behavior of soil.
Attempt to determine U-Th ages of calcite veins in the Nojima fault zone, Japan

Fluids within fault zones can change the physical and chemical properties of fault materials and have a substantial influence on faulting. Therefore it is important to understand the nature and timing of fluid migration through fault zones. In order to evaluate the timing of fluid infiltration into a deep fault zone on Awaji Island in southern Japan, we attempted to measure U‐Th radioactive disequilibrium of carbonate minerals from the Nojima fault, which triggered the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Bulk carbonate samples of vein material have U concentrations of 1.2 to 2 ppm and Th concentrations of 1.6 to 6.5 ppm. The high Th abundances derived from detritus requires correction for initial 230 Th in order to acquire an accurate U‐Th age. Bulk carbonate samples plot near the equiline in a ( 230 Th/ 232 Th)‐( 234 U/ 232 Th) diagram, suggesting that they precipitated around or before 450 ka. Monte Carlo simulation with finite-age constraint in the IsoPlot program yields a 230 Th/ 234 U age of 486 (+380, ‐190) ka. The presence of radioactive disequilibrium in ( 234 U/ 238 U) indicates that the calcite precipitation age was younger than 1 Ma. The results of leaching experiments indicate that a leaching procedure after firing causes considerable laboratory fractionation of U and Th and does not provide usable age information.
Three‐dimensional velocity structure, seismicity, and fault structure in the Parkfield Region, central California

This study examines the three-dimensional velocity structure in a 60- by 80-km region containing the Parkfield segment of the San Andreas fault. We use local earthquake and shot P arrival times in an iterative simultaneous inversion for velocity and hypocentral parameters. Using the three-dimensional model, we relocated 5251 events that occurred from 1969 to 1991, as well as the 1966 aftershocks, and computed 664 fault plane solutions. The San Andreas fault (SAF), characterized by a sharp across-fault velocity gradient, is the primary feature in the velocity solution. There is a 5–20% lateral change in velocity over a 4-km width, the contrast being sharper where there is better resolution. The model also shows significant variations in the velocity and in the complexity of the velocity patterns along the SAF. The largest across fault velocity difference is below Middle Mountain, where a large volume of low-velocity material impinges on the SAF from the northeast. This material is inferred to be overpressured and may be key to understanding the unusual behavior in the Parkfield preparation zone. A 20-km-long high-velocity slice is imaged northeast of the SAF near Gold Hill. Its along-fault length corresponds to the length of the maximum slip in 1966. The relocated seismicity shows that the San Andreas fault is a planar vertical fault zone at seismogenic depths. Ninety percent of the fault plane solutions that are on, or near, the SAF were right-lateral strike-slip on subvertical fault planes that parallel the SAF. Thus the surface fault complexities do not appear to extend to depth and therefore do not explain the rupture character at Parkfield. At Parkfield, variations in material properties play a key role in fault segmentation and deformation style. Our observations suggest that there may be a general relation between increasing velocity and increasing ability of the rocks to store strain energy and release it as brittle failure.
Classification and mean behavior of magnetic storms

The Dst index is used to identify more than 1000 storms which occurred in the time interval 1957 to 1993. Using the minimum Dst value as an indicator, we classify the storms as weak (482), moderate (346), strong (206), severe (45), and great (6). For each of these classes the mean time variation is determined. In contrast to the well-known study of Sugiura and Chapman [1960], the Dst minimum is used as a common reference epoch. This leads to much better agreement between the average and the typical storm behavior. We also find that the maximum ap and AE activity precedes the Dst minimum by 1 to 2 hours. Finally, we demonstrate that both sudden commencement and gradual commencement storms are associated with a distinct decrease in the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field.
A comparison and uncertainty assessment of system analysis techniques for short-term quantitative precipitation nowcasting based on radar images

[1] An evaluation of system analysis techniques for obtaining short-term quantitative precipitation forecasting, based on radar images, is presented. The analysis considers eight rainfall events monitored through radar scans collected at San Pietro Capofiume (northern Italy). These images have temporal and spatial resolutions equal to 15 min and 1 × 1 km2, respectively, and are composed by 256 × 256 pixels. The nowcasting is performed by considering four different approaches, ranging from purely heuristic techniques to system analysis methods for modeling storm advection and dynamic storm evolution in a Lagrangian reference frame, traveling along with the storm. Stochastic models of the autoregressive type, as well as neural networks, are applied for modeling the Lagrangian storm dynamics. The sensitivity of the forecasting performances with respect to prediction lead time and spatial resolution of the radar images is investigated. Finally, the study presents a meta-Gaussian approach for the quantitative evaluation of the uncertainty of the forecast. This method aims to obtain an estimate of the probability distribution of the nowcasting error, conditioned on the predicted future rainfall depth.