Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How radial orbit errors are mapped in altimetric surfaces

In the radar altimeter measurement of the satellite height above the instantaneous sea surface, radial orbit errors are “mapped” on the earth with the spacecraft motion. In many geophysical and oceanographical applications of satellite altimetry, a precise knowledge of the mapped error features is necessary to estimate sea (or ice sheet) surface topographies and to assess their absolute accuracies. So we derive a general formulation to infer from any a priori time spectrum of orbit errors the characteristic wavelengths of the mapped error biasing the recovery of a sea surface topography. Because of commensurability between the satellite motion and earth rotation, radial orbit errors at the nodal or orbital periods and their harmonics are mapped into smooth long-wavelength surfaces and fully aliased in the steady surface topography. As this phenomenon presents a close relationship with the resonance of the orbit perturbations, we suggest naming it the mapped orbit error resonance. Our formulation also provides an explicit account of both time and space sampling effects on the correlation of the mean sea surface, oceanic tides, and orbit errors. For instance, the typical wavelength of a resonant mapped error is scattered by the land gaps in all the near wavelengths of an oceanic surface. The derived mapping function also seems to indicate that the statistics of the crossover differences are unable to estimate the absolute precision of altimetric surfaces because a nonnegligible portion of radial orbit errors falls into the steady component of the sea surface.
Lidar-inversion technique for monitoring and mapping localized aerosol plumes and thin clouds

A new lidar-inversion technique is presented for the determination of the extinction-coefficient profile within a spatially restricted zone of atmospheric aerosol inhomogeneity such as a plume, thin cloud, etc. The return lidar signal is measured through the aerosol plume under investigation and also in a direction close to but outside the plume. By using the ratio of these signals, the constituent produced by the aerosol plume is separated from the aerosol background constituent. An iterative lidar- inversion technique is applied to the ratio of these signals rather than to the original signal. This technique is shown to be relatively insensitive to the assumed value of parameters used for the extinction-profile retrieval, and yields an acceptable measurement results even when the accuracy of the assumed parameters is poor.
A sectorial toothed cynodont (Therapsida) from the Triassic Santa Cruz do Sul fauna, Santa Maria Formation, Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT A sectorial toothed cynodont from the Triassic Santa Cruz do Sul fauna, Santa Maria Formation, Parana Basin, southern Brazil, is described. The taxon is represented by a tiny portion of a right lower jaw which preserves partially the last postcanine. A comparative analysis of the postcanine morphology of the Santa Cruz do Sul specimen with South American Triassic cynodonts is made. The crown morphology of the Santa Cruz do Sul cynodont is closer to that of the juvenile single specimen of cf. Probainognathus from the Carnian Ischigualasto Formation and of juveniles of Probainognathus jenseni Romer, 1970 from the Ladinian Chañares Formation in Argentina. There are, however, some important differences between the tooth of the new specimen and those of P. jenseni juveniles, and therefore we provisionally assign the new Santa Cruz do Sul material to cf. Probainognathus. The fauna of Santa Cruz do Sul, dominated by traversodontid cynodonts, is now composed of a proterochampsid archosauriform, three traversodontids and two sectorial toothed cynodonts and we refer to it as Santacruzodon Assemblage Zone. We also propose the name of Riograndia Assemblage Zone for the faunas from the Upper Triassic Caturrita Formation, on the basis of the abundance yet restricted record of this taxon in these faunas. A brief summary of the Brazilian Middle and Upper Triassic biostratigraphy is presented within the framework of two different time scales.
Relative Performance of the MLE3 and MLE4 Retracking Algorithms on Jason-2 Altimeter Waveforms

For all altimeter missions, precise estimates of geophysical parameters are obtained thanks to an algorithm called “retracking” that fits an analytical model to the measured waveforms. The Brown model provides a good representation of the return echo over deep ocean surfaces and is commonly used. Many different chains can be considered (and have already been tested) for this processing. An unweighted Least Square Estimate derived from a Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) (Dumont 1985; Rodriguez 1988) is implemented in most altimeter ground processing approaches (TOPEX, Jason-1, Jason-2, and Envisat). The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performance of two retracking algorithms based on the same least square principle: The MLE3 algorithm estimates three parameters (range, significant wave height, and power) whereas the MLE4 estimates four parameters (the three previous ones and the slope of the waveform trailing edge). MLE3 was used on Jason-1 before star tracker problems occurred. The MLE4 algorithm has been used for Jason-1 Version B products and onward and for Jason-2 products from the start of the mission. Both algorithms are compared in the paper. Advantages and drawbacks of both algorithms are pointed out showing notable benefits provided by MLE4 especially for waveforms that do not conform to the Brown model.
Texture Classification Using Gray Level Cooccurrence Based on Edge Maxima

Abstract : Features based on the joint frequencies of occurrence of pairs of gray levels at given separations are often used for texture analysis. Recently, Davis et al. have suggested using joint occurrences of local maxima of a local property (e.g., edge maxima) to define texture features. This paper proposes a hybrid approach using joint gray level occurrences at and near edge maxima. This paper introduces a new class of texture features, based on the joint occurrences of gray levels at points defined relative to edge maxima. These features are compared with previous types of cooccurrence-based features, and experimental results are presented indicating that the new features should be useful for texture classification. Originator-supplied keywords include: Image processing, and Pattern recognition.
To analysis of source mechanism of the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

[1] Tsunami in the Indian Ocean generated by a strong earthquake in Sumatra-Andaman region on 26 December 2004 led as known to catastrophic results at the coast of many countries of this region. In spite of intensive study of this event by a number of groups, the character of seafloor displacements in the source during this earthquake remains to be controversial. In this work, it is performed an analysis of physical aspects of similar earthquakes on the basis of keyboard model of tsunamigenic earthquakes. The numerical simulation of generation, propagation and run-up of surface water waves on the basis of simplified keyboard model of tsunamigenic earthquakes with vertical displacements of keyboard blocks in approximative geometry (without taking into account the real bathymetry) is also performed. It is obtained that tsunami waves generated by various combinations of keyboard block displacements are essentially different in character which fact leads to quite different picture of maximum run-up distribution along the near-field coast. It is performed the estimative computation for 26 December 2004 SumatraAndaman earthquake with taking into account of oblique character of the subduction zone characteristic for this earthquake. The computations performed explain the complex character of run-up distribution at nearest to the source coasts and are in a good agreement with run-up values at the Thailand coast. It is noted that such a model can account for more adequately the tsunami wavefield character in another regions of the Indian and the Pacific Ocean basins as well.
Stratospheric sulfate aerosol in and near the northern hemisphere polar vortex: The morphology of the sulfate layer, multimodal size distributions, and the effect of denitrification

Measurements were made of stratospheric sulfate aerosols using a passive cavity aerosol spectrometer and a condensation nucleus counter on a NASA ER-2 aircraft in the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Experiment of 1989. The problems of representative and accurate sampling and particle evaporation were explicitly addressed in the design of the inlets and reduction of the data. The measurements suggest that the sulfate aerosol is bimodal in the polar vortex above the mass mixing ratio maximum in the sulfate layer. It appears that a nuclei mode of small, newly formed particles exists in this region. A stronger case is made for a nuclei mode in the upper few kilometers of the troposphere and in the lower few kilometers of the stratosphere. This mode is probably a global phenomenon occurring in all seasons. Comparison of denitrified and nondenitrified air suggests that denitrification removes some of the larger sulfate particles.
Mass and heat budgets in the East Australian current: A direct approach

We present a technique which uses the large set of expendable bathythermograph data that are available in the waters off Eastern Australia to correct sampling errors in the mass transport function calculated from the much more limited number of deep hydrology stations. This technique utilizes the close correlation between temperature at a single depth and subsurface steric height, found in these waters, to perform the correction. After corrections are applied, it is found that a mass transport function for the top 2000 dbar can be used to estimate the net geostrophic outflows from the Tasman and Coral seas; it balances Ekman inflows to within −0.4±2.0 Sv (1 Sv = 1.0×106 m3 s−1). The mass transport closure allows a much improved determination of the distribution of individual transport components into the region to be obtained, including a robust estimate of the net southward transport through the whole width of the Tasman Sea (including the East Australian Current (EAC)) of 9.4 Sv, through a section at 28°S between the coast and 171°E. A more direct determination of this Tasman Sea transport, which uses annual mean alongshore currents on the shelf to infer mass transport on the slope, provides an independent confirmation. Mass budgets between density surfaces are also examined; for the deeper layers we find a closure of the mass budget within 10% of the net inflow (a maximum misclosure of 0.9 Sv), suggesting little diapycnal mixing. The geostrophic inflow upwells as it flows south in the EAC at a rate of about 3 Sv at a 250 m depth. The net transport balance along the path also allows the first determination of the heat transport associated with the mean mass transport into the Tasman and Coral seas to be obtained (we have not considered any contributions from eddy heat transport). There is a small net inflow of heat transport to the region of 0.13×1015 W, with more heat entering the Tasman Sea than the Coral Sea. The net upward heat flux of 24 W m−2 (heat loss to the atmosphere) is consistent with values given in climatologies obtained from direct surface flux calculations. The results from a Sverdrup-Munk model agree broadly with the the observed pattern of the mass transport function, particularly the location of the boundary currents, although the model transports are generally higher.
Inclusion of the Weathering of Volcanic Rocks in the GEOCARBSULF Model

The carbon cycle model GEOCARBSULF is extended by dividing the weathering of silicates into volcanic and non-volcanic rocks. The proportion of volcanic weathering is calculated as a function of time from the oceanic record of 87Sr/86Sr. The volcanic proportion is then used to modify the equations for calculating atmospheric CO2 by the addition of a new non-dimensional volcanic weathering factor. The effect of uplift and physical erosion on weathering is also modified by using only the distribution over time of the abundance of sandstones and shales, and not Sr isotopic data that had been used previously. Results indicate moderate change from GEOCARBSULF in the distribution of atmospheric CO2 over Phanerozoic time. This includes an increased minimum in CO2 during the Late Ordovician, in agreement with the presence of a continental glaciation at that time, and a shift of maximum Mesozoic values from the Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous.
Optimal design of surface networks for observation of soil moisture

By analyzing in situ soil moisture data, we show that soil moisture variability consists of two components, one of which is related to large-scale atmospheric forcing, and the other related to small-scale land surface variability and hydrologic processes. We use empirically estimated spatial autocorrelation functions for Illinois to estimate errors of spatial averaging of soil moisture observations, using the method of statistically optimal averaging of meteorological fields. The estimated dependence of the root-mean-square errors of averaging on the soil moisture station network density can be used to analyze existing observational networks and for designing new ones. For the application of providing information on a regular grid for numerical models of weather and climate, we show that the new, relatively high density networks of soil moisture observations in Oklahoma, may not provide estimates with very much more accuracy than the relatively low density currently operational network in Illinois. This prediction must be tested when we receive sufficiently long time series of observations from Oklahoma.
New technologies, new demands and new literacies: the changing literacy practices of fishing communities in Bangladesh and Ghana

This paper examines the changing uses of literacy in fishing communities in Bangladesh and Ghana. Poverty and illiteracy are common features in representations of fishing communities. Some have argued that formal schooling does not prepare children for a future in fishing, and that formal educational qualifications are rarely required to enter the labour market. These views have sustained a discourse on educational deficit and marginality. However, as documented in this paper’s cases from Bangladesh and Ghana, there is evidence that vernacular and official literacy practices, and ict, are becoming central to the lives and livelihoods of fishing communities. It is argued that the use of mobile phone technology, and practices of marketing, governance and environmental protection have created new opportunities and demands for literacy use and for technical knowledge. The observation of ‘new literacies’ in fishing livelihoods challenges the conventional view of a simple ‘trade-off’ between fishing livelihoods and schooling.
Methane production and emission in a Texas rice field

To refine estimates of source strengths from agricultural wetlands and to study the process of methane production and emission, this study was carried out in rice fields at the Texas A&M University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Beaumont, Texas, during the summer of 1989. It focussed on two fields on different soil types (Lake Charles clay and Beaumont clay) and spanned a period from shortly after permanent field flooding (June 6, 1989) until field draining prior to harvest (August 28, 1989). Integrated methane emission over 75 days ranged from 4.5 to 15.9 g m−2 . Aboveground biomass, net primary production, and root biomass were determined. Methane emission was strongly related to aboveground biomass in one of two fields studied. Laboratory incubations of soil cores show that methane production by soil bacteria is highest near the soil surface in the rice row and decreases with depth and distance from the plant. Much of the seasonal increase in total methane production is due to increasing activity at intermediate depths and distances from the plants. The temporal and spatial distribution of methane production was found to be related to root biomass. Seasonally integrated emission was 42% of methane production in both fields. Soil pore water methane and plant stem gas composition are related to the distribution in the soil of methane production and root biomass. Methane production ceased with field draining prior to harvest, even following prolonged anaerobic incubation. Methanogenesis rapidly resumed with added acetate substrate.
Late Holocene glacier fluctuations in Bevringsdalen, Jostedalsbreen region, western Norway (ca 3200-1400 BP)

Lithostratigraphy and radiocarbon dates from a 1.3 m-deep gully section in Bevringsdalen, SW of Jostedalsbreen in western Norway, with alternating minerogenic (glacial) and peat (non-glacial) layers, demonstrate that glaciers upvalley from the site were present during the following intervals: 2595 ± 85 BP (840-700 cal. BC) to 2360 ± 80 BP (525-385 cal. BC); between 2250 ± 65 BP (395-225 cal. BC) and 2150 ± 80 BP (360-105 cal. BC); between 1740 ± 75 BP (cal. AD 205-385), and 1730 ± 75 BP (cal. AD 210-395); and subsequent to 1430 ± 45 BP (cal. AD 595-645). Detailed altitudinal fluctuations of the glaciation threshold/equilibrium line relative to the present have been reconstructed for the time interval between 1430 ± 45 BP (cal. AD 595-645) and 3180 ± 90 BP (1540-1395 cal. BC).
Comparative effectiveness of two nitrogen sources for corn fertilization

Corn has not only a high growth potential and a great capacity of biological response to suitable crop management but also may contribute to a better match of crops with environmental of- fer in Argentina. Nitrogen (N) fertilization must make provision for eventual N losses, and fertilization strategies must be designed so as to minimize their global incidence. The different quick-release N sources show similar efficiencies when they are incorporated, but in surface applications, sources that contain little or no amidic N have a better performance than urea (U). The objective of this paper was to make an evaluation of corn response to N applied in V6 without incorporation, using two different solid N sources. A field experi - ment was carried out during 2004, in a farm located 30 km away from General Pico (La Pampa, Argentina), to evaluate corn response to N rates (0 - 120 kg/ha) sidedressed in V6 without incorporation, using U or a commercial mixture of ammonium nitrate and dolomite (ND). Rainfall and temperatures were ideal during the crop cycle. The excellent growing conditions reflected in high corn yields. The results showed that N fertilization affected virtually all yield compo - nents. Yield was on average 2417 kg of grain/ha greater in the ND than in the U treatments. For a N rate below 85 kg/ha, agronomic efficiency was of 65 and 87 kg of corn per kg of applied N for U and ND, respectively. Apparent fertilizer N recovery was 1.14 and 1.34 kg absorbed N per kg applied N for U and ND, respectively. For the kind of soil, cultivar and growing conditions of the experiment, a substitution value of 1.6 can be used to estimate ND-N rates from models developed for U-N.
Reply to Discussion –“An Empirical Model of Fatalities and Injuries Due to Floods in Japan” by Hamed Assaf 1,2,3

We are pleased to have this opportunity to reply to the discussion of this paper and to provide additional related information. We thank Dr. Assaf for his interest in the paper, his note on the errata in Equations (8) and (9), and his supplementary information on the references in the paper. In this discussion, we would like to take note of the following four points raised by Dr. Assaf: (1) the number of inundated buildings as an integrated index, (2) the reasons for the low evacuation rate, (3) model evaluation and performance, and (4) the model for responding to societal needs.
Nonexponential Discounting: A Direct Test And Perhaps A New Puzzle

Abstract Standard models of intertemporal utility maximization assume that agents discount future utility flows at a constant rate—exponential discounting. Euler equations estimated over different time horizons should have equal discount rates but they do not. Rising term yield premia imply discount rates that rise with longer horizons since uncertainty is much too small to account for the difference in interest rates. Such deviations from exponential discounting are large enough to make a significant difference in consumption choices over long horizons. Our results can be viewed as providing estimates of horizon-specific discounts, or as a further puzzle concerning intertemporal substitution and uncertainty.
GOMOS one-step retrieval algorithm

Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS) is a satellite instrument onboard the ENVISAT platform that was in operation during 2002{2012. During these years, GOMOS observed about 880 000 vertical profiles of ozone, NO2, NO3 and aerosols. The GOMOS measurement principle is relatively simple based on the stellar-occultation technique. In this paper, we present an alternative retrieval algorithm for processing the GOMOS measurements. The presented algorithm is based on the so-called one-step approach, where both the spectral and the vertical inversions are executed simultaneously. This approach has several attractive features. In particular, the one-step approach allows a better use of the smoothness prior information and, unlike in the operative algorithm, the prior given to one specie affects the other species too. This feature is critical when going near the detection limit, especially in the upper troposphere lower stratosphere (UTLS) region. The main challenge in the GOMOS one-step algorithm is to find the correct smoothness priors for the different species at different altitudes. In this paper, we give a technical description of the one-step retrieval algorithm and discuss the differences between this and the operative algorithm. In the case study part of this paper, we compare the one-step and the operative ozone retrievals in Arctic region during the exceptional ozone-depletion conditions in spring 2011. We show that the quality of the ozone profiles can be improved by introducing the one-step algorithm. The improvement is drastic in the lower stratosphere at 15{20km altitude.
A study of spatial and temporal dynamics of total ozone over Southwest China with multi-source remote-sensing data

This article describes a study of the spatial and temporal dynamics of total ozone over Southwest China using satellite-retrieved total ozone products from 1996 to 2008 and a ground-based Dobson spectrophotometer. The findings indicated that the value of total ozone (265.7 Dobson unit (DU)) over Southwest China is lower than the value (273.7 DU) over the adjacent region at the same latitude by about 8 DU, and is about 13.8 DU lower than the global average at the same latitude (279.5 DU), and that there is a distinctly low-value area due to the higher elevation. The relationship of total ozone and the elevation presents a negative correlation, the terrain being the main factor to affect this condition. In the long term, the variation of total ozone exhibits a slightly increasing trend from 1996 over this region. Total ozone presents an obvious seasonal change, with the largest value appearing in springtime and the smallest appearing in wintertime. The difference between the regional seasonal mean value of total ozone in springtime and wintertime is about 28 DU, although the difference between the maximum and minimum monthly total ozone throughout a year is up to 50 DU. There is a positive correlation between the variation of total ozone and relative humidity. Relative humidity may be an important factor impacting on the pattern of seasonal change of total ozone.