Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate change and future power systems: the importance of energy storage in reduced-hydropower systems in the American Southwest

Power systems are responding to climate change both through efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and through adaptive responses to the effects of climate change, such as changes in hydroelectric generation. These changes, experienced together, may cause new patterns in plant operations or pollutant emissions. Various scenarios representing future climate change mitigation and adaptation in the power sector were explored using the PLEXOS production-cost model, with a focus on plant utilization and behaviour, total system-operating costs and total CO2 emissions. Further, the effect of introducing widespread utility-scale energy storage into these scenarios was quantified in terms of these same parameters. Large increases in variable renewable penetration combined with extreme reduction of hydroelectric generation in the American Southwest (based on climate modelling in the Colorado River basin and actual drought experience in California) caused significant increases in thermal plant start-up/shutdown cycling. The introduction of storage significantly reduced this cycling, without a material increase in CO2 emissions. Storage introduced on even a modest scale can provide considerable flexibility under a range of future power-system circumstances that might be experienced due to climate change.
An agricultural soil between tillage and pasture

Le but de cette publication est de souligner l'évolution au niveau morfomicromorphologique d'un sol influencé par le changement répète de l'utilisation du terrain (pâturage – arable pâturage). Le site étudié est situé dans la Dépression d'Oltenia, dans la région de Botorogi où le climat est continental tempéré, la température annuelle moyenne est de 10,2°C, tandis que la précipitation annuelle moyenne est de 914,7 mm. Le drainage naturel global est imparfait. La nappe phréatique a une profondeur de 2,5 à 3 m. Le sol est Eutricambosol gleic aluvic (drainé) (selon SRTS2012 et Fluvic Endogleic Cambisol Eutric selon WRB-SR-2014) formé dans des dépôts alluviaux avec texture limon argileux. Le profil du sol est situé sur un terrain qui a changé son utilisation plusieurs fois: du pâturage (de nombreuses années) en arable (quatre ans) et de terre arable on changé à nouveau dans le pâturage (actuellement). Les données corroborées (morphologiques, analytiques, micromorphologiques) conduisent à la conclusion que la compaction de l'horizon Ao2(t) est causé par le passage fréquent de la charrue à la même profondeur, étant similaire à la „semelle de labour‟. Après le changement répété de l'utilisation du terrain, la principale caractéristique d'un sol agricole (l'horizon labouré compactée Apt) restent résiduel dans le sol de pâturage, représenté par l'horizon Ao2(t). Après quelques années de pâturage et dans les conditions d'une activité biologique relativement élevée, l'état structural du sol n'a pas été reconstruit, nécessitant plusieurs années pour le restaurer. Le suffixe „(t)‟ qui dérive de „couche de compaction causé par le labour‟ a été proposé pour marquer la présence d'une „semelle de labour‟ résiduel, dans le sol actuellement sous pâturage
Global GRACE Data Assimilation for Groundwater and Drought Monitoring: Advances and Challenges

The scarcity of groundwater storage change data at the global scale hinders our ability to monitor groundwater resources effectively. In this study, we assimilate a state‐of‐the‐art terrestrial water storage product derived from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite observations into NASA's Catchment land surface model (CLSM) at the global scale, with the goal of generating groundwater storage time series that are useful for drought monitoring and other applications. Evaluation using in situ data from nearly 4,000 wells shows that GRACE data assimilation improves the simulation of groundwater, with estimation errors reduced by 36% and 10% and correlation improved by 16% and 22% at the regional and point scales, respectively. The biggest improvements are observed in regions with large interannual variability in precipitation, where simulated groundwater responds too strongly to changes in atmospheric forcing. The positive impacts of GRACE data assimilation are further demonstrated using observed low‐flow data. CLSM and GRACE data assimilation performance is also examined across different permeability categories. The evaluation reveals that GRACE data assimilation fails to compensate for the lack of a groundwater withdrawal scheme in CLSM when it comes to simulating realistic groundwater variations in regions with intensive groundwater abstraction. CLSM‐simulated groundwater correlates strongly with 12‐month precipitation anomalies in low‐latitude and midlatitude areas. A groundwater drought indicator based on GRACE data assimilation generally agrees with other regional‐scale drought indicators, with discrepancies mainly in their estimated drought severity.
Analyses of the Spatial Pattern of Drought Risk in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia

Drought risk index uses the meteorological drought hazard index and the socioeconomic drought vulnerability aspects to assess the level of drought risk in an area. This study examined the extent and spatial pattern of drought risk in, Tigray region, one of the recurrently drought-affected areas in Ethiopia. Monthly Gridded Climatic Research Unit (CRU) Time-series (TS) data version 4.01 data on twelve selected stations, was used to calculate the Standard Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Additionally, socioeconomic data collected from various sources were also used to assess drought vulnerability. Drought risk levels of each district were, then calculated based on the drought hazard and drought vulnerability indices. The results indicated that about 44.1% of districts were categorized under high to very high drought risk levels. However, the test of variation, using one-way ANOVA, has shown no significant variation in drought risk between districts at p < 0.05. The results of spatial autocorrelation test also indicated the presence of clustered pattern of drought risk. The study has also revealed high and very high drought risk levels largely clustered in the western, eastern and southern zones of the study area. Overall, the study has demonstrated the importance of integrating socioeconomic and climate data for comprehensive drought risk characterization, which can be used as an input for drought management planning. Keywords : Drought, Vulnerability, Risk, Spatial-pattern
Plant-Stand Count and Weed Identification Mapping Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Images

Modern agriculture encounters several challenges these days. There is a vital need for spatial data about plant and weed distributions. Obtaining accurate knowledge of the plants and weeds distribution in the field with manual methods are time-consuming. In this research, image processing programs were developed from the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) digital images to obtain the plant-stand count and weed identification and mapping in the field. Algorithms using pixel-march with search-hands criterion for the plant-stand count and shape-based features for weed identification were developed. Results were found to be accurate in the cropped UAV stitched images (>99 %) in manual image-based validation. User-friendly message windows, labeled images, textual results, and distribution maps were produced as outputs. The outcomes of this study will enable farmers to determine the plant and weed distributions in the field and will be helpful in deploying precision agriculture measures.
Beach litter occurrence in sandy littoral: Case study – the Romanian Black Sea Coast

The paper presents the results of seasonal marine litter surveys carried out during the period 2014 – 2017 within 9 sectors of sandy beaches situated in Mangalia (7 sectors), Tuzla (1 sector) and Eforie Sud (1 sector) at the Romanian littoral of the Black Sea. These border seaward five marine protected areas: The submerged sulphurous springs from Mangalia (ROSCI0094), Aurora Cape (ROSCI0281), The Marine area from Tuzla Cape (ROSCI0273), The Submerged Beach from Eforie Nord - Eforie Sud (ROSCI0197) and ROSPA00076 Marea Neagra. The MarineLitterWatchAPP for Iphone/Ipad and Android developed within the PERSEUS FP7 project was used during both surveys from 2014 and 2015, conducted in the framework of the Marine Litter Watch Campaigns initiated by the project as well as during those carried out in 2016 and 2017 within the national program PN 16 45 05 01. Out of the twenty five litter types monitored, plastic/polystyrene and cigarettes buts and filter made up the highest contribution with more than 50% in all years. The results of surveys performed on the same beach from Mangalia (Mangalia 3 and Mangalia 4 sectors) evinced higher litter amount in 2016 and 2017 than in the previous years (2014 and 2015). Touristic activities and urban development proved to be the major sources of waste, since plastic and cigarettes were the most present items found in all locations.
Evaluation of global terrestrial evapotranspiration using state-of-the-art approaches in remote sensing, machine learning and land surface modeling

Abstract. Evapotranspiration (ET) is critical in linking global water, carbon and energy cycles. However, direct measurement of global terrestrial ET is not feasible. Here, we first reviewed the basic theory and state-of-the-art approaches for estimating global terrestrial ET, including remote-sensing-based physical models, machine-learning algorithms and land surface models (LSMs). We then utilized 4 remote-sensing-based physical models, 2 machine-learning algorithms and 14 LSMs to analyze the spatial and temporal variations in global terrestrial ET. The results showed that the ensemble means of annual global terrestrial ET estimated by these three categories of approaches agreed well, with values ranging from 589.6 mm yr−1 (6.56×104 km3 yr−1) to 617.1 mm yr−1 (6.87×104 km3 yr−1). For the period from 1982 to 2011, both the ensembles of remote-sensing-based physical models and machine-learning algorithms suggested increasing trends in global terrestrial ET (0.62 mm yr−2 with a significance level of p<0.05 and 0.38 mm yr−2 with a significance level of p<0.05, respectively). In contrast, the ensemble mean of the LSMs showed no statistically significant change (0.23 mm yr−2, p>0.05), although many of the individual LSMs reproduced an increasing trend. Nevertheless, all 20 models used in this study showed that anthropogenic Earth greening had a positive role in increasing terrestrial ET. The concurrent small interannual variability, i.e., relative stability, found in all estimates of global terrestrial ET, suggests that a potential planetary boundary exists in regulating global terrestrial ET, with the value of this boundary being around 600 mm yr−1. Uncertainties among approaches were identified in specific regions, particularly in the Amazon Basin and arid/semiarid regions. Improvements in parameterizing water stress and canopy dynamics, the utilization of new available satellite retrievals and deep-learning methods, and model–data fusion will advance our predictive understanding of global terrestrial ET.
Inferring floor area ratio thresholds for the delineation of city centers based on cognitive perception

The morphology of today’s cities is the result of historic urban developments and on-going urban transformation resulting in complex urban spatial structures. While functionally as well as spatially, cities are structured into sub-units such as the city center, business districts, residential areas, or industrial and commercial zones, their precise localization in the geographic space is sometimes difficult. City centers in particular are difficult to grasp because they stand for many different urban functions. Generally, they are characterized as areas of high densities, such as employment, population, or commerce, but also as areas of high structural densities. In past studies, various approaches, data, and cut-off values have been presented to separate city centers from the surrounding transition zones in geographical information systems based on density values. To overcome the difficulty in defining the right density threshold, the current study presents an approach which integrates the subjective perception of citizens on the urban spatial structure and relates it to the floor area ratio to delineate city centers to infer a characteristic density threshold. In a large empirical study of 67 monocentric cities in Germany, we observe a decreasing floor area ratio gradient toward the urban fringes. The result of the study reveals a relative threshold for city centers at around 30% of the density of the “central place. ”
Rock Avalanches: Constitutive and Numerical Modelling

Rock avalanches present high velocities of propagation, and large volume of materials that generate extremely mobility capable of travelling long distance and spreading over large areas causing high destructive power. The accurate prediction of runout, depth and velocity of rock avalanches is of paramount importance since, in general, preventing it is not possible. The purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of the rheology on the avalanche properties using a depth integrated, SPH model. The paper compares the performance of different rheological models to reproduce the track, runout and depth of the final deposit for two real events such as Thurwieser and Frank rock avalanches. The paper provides information on the proposed model accuracy and limitations.
A Secure Charging Scheme for Electric Vehicles With Smart Communities in Energy Blockchain

The smart community (SC), as an important part of the Internet of Energy (IoE), can facilitate integration of distributed renewable energy sources and electric vehicles (EVs) in the smart grid. However, due to the potential security and privacy issues caused by untrusted and opaque energy markets, it becomes a great challenge to optimally schedule the charging behaviors of EVs with distinct energy consumption preferences in SC. In this paper, we propose a contract-based energy blockchain for secure EV charging in SC. First, a permissioned energy blockchain system is introduced to implement secure charging services for EVs with the execution of smart contracts. Second, a reputation-based delegated Byzantine fault tolerance consensus algorithm is proposed to efficiently achieve the consensus in the permissioned blockchain. Third, based on the contract theory, the optimal contracts are analyzed and designed to satisfy EVs’ individual needs for energy sources while maximizing the operator’s utility. Furthermore, a novel energy allocation mechanism is proposed to allocate the limited renewable energy for EVs. Finally, extensive numerical results are carried out to evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed scheme through comparison with other conventional schemes.
Glaciohydraulic seismic tremors on an Alpine glacier

Abstract. Hydraulic processes impact viscous and brittle ice deformation. Water-driven fracturing as well as turbulent water flow within and beneath glaciers radiate seismic waves which provide insights into otherwise hard-to-access englacial and subglacial environments. In this study, we analyze glaciohydraulic tremors recorded by four seismic arrays installed in different parts of Glacier de la Plaine Morte, Switzerland. Data were recorded during the 2016 melt season including the sudden subglacial drainage of an ice-marginal lake. Together with our seismic data, discharge, lake level, and ice flow measurements provide constraints on glacier hydraulics. We find that the tremors are generated by subglacial water flow, in moulins, and by icequake bursts. The dominating process can vary on sub-kilometer and sub-daily scales. Consistent with field observations, continuous source tracking via matched-field processing suggests a gradual up-glacier progression of an efficient drainage system as the melt season progresses. The ice-marginal lake likely connects to this drainage system via hydrofracturing, which is indicated by sustained icequake signals emitted from the proximity of the lake basin and starting roughly 24 h prior to the lake drainage. To estimate the hydraulics associated with the drainage, we use tremor–discharge scaling relationships. Our analysis suggests a pressurization of the subglacial environment at the drainage onset, followed by an increase in the hydraulic radii of the conduits and a subsequent decrease in the subglacial water pressure as the capacity of the drainage system increases. The pressurization is in phase with the drop in the lake level, and its retrieved maximum coincides with ice uplift measured via GPS. Our results highlight the use of cryo-seismology for monitoring glacier hydraulics.
Efficient Routing of Snow Removal Vehicles

This research addresses the problem of finding a minimum cost set of routes for vehicles in a road network subject to some constraints. Extensions, such as multiple service requirements, and mixed networks have been considered. Variations of this problem exist in many practical applications such as snow removal, refuse collection, mail delivery, etc. An exact algorithm was developed using integer programming to solve small size problems. Since the problem is NPhard, a heuristic algorithm needs to be developed. An algorithm was developed based on the Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure (GRASP) heuristic, in which each replication consists of applying a construction heuristic to find feasible and good quality solutions, followed by a local search heuristic. A simulated annealing heuristic was developed to improve the solutions obtained from the construction heuristic. The best overall solution was selected from the results of several replications. The heuristic was tested on four sets of problem instances (total of 115 instances) obtained from the literature. The simulated annealing heuristic was able to achieve average improvements of up to 26.36% over the construction results on these problem instances. The results obtained with the developed heuristic were compared to the results obtained with recent heuristics developed by other authors. The developed heuristic improved the best-known solution found by other authors on 18 of the 115 instances and matched the results on 89 of those instances. It worked specially better with larger problems. The average deviations to known lower bounds for all four datasets were found to range between 0.21 and 2.61%.
A Study on Coastal People Education in Tanah Laut Regency

Abstract: This study aims to identify the people in Takisung disctric in social and cultural manner; identify the people education condition in Takisung disctrict; and formulate the appropriate and effective strategies to improve the people quality of Takisung district as coastal areas or categorized as wetland area. This is called descriptive qualitative research. The sampling technique is a random cluster sampling. The research result showed that the people in coastal areas in fishermen and their children have begun to have the awareness of education that would continue to pursue the higher education, however, there are still some people of the youth who do not want to continue their education to help parents go for fishing. The local orinted education to empower the fishing communities must be strengthened and the development of educational awareness to the people of productive age for school should be done. Keywords: coastal people, education, local oriented
A Laboratory Scale Drawdown Testing for the Determination of a Model Sand Pack Aquifer Hydraulic Parameters

Naturally occurring hydrocarbon fluids and ground water are two major geological resources essential for both energy and domestic driven civilizations at all levels of human activities. These two resources are hosted by subsurface geologic media commonly called reservoirs or aquifers. The development and supply of these resources in a systematic and guaranteed manner requires knowledge of their subsurface environments of flow. In both ground water and petroleum engineering communities, the same diffusion type equation describes subsurface fluid flow and most importantly, the analytical solutions of these equations have been greatly exploited for both formation and resource evaluation purposes. This study uses a newly installed ground water flow unit at the Chemical Engineering Laboratory of Dalhousie University (Halifax- Nova Scotia Canada) to obtain the first ever laboratory-scaledrawdown testing data for the determination of the hydraulic conductivity of a model sand pack aquifer.Conventional plots of experimental data in this study have been found to be perfectly similar to those obtained using actual field data from field-scale drawdown testing. Accordingly, absolute permeabilities, hydraulic conductivities, skin factors and other theoretically deduced parameters based on rigorous mathematical analysis of drawdown test data have been found to be physically realistic.
Experimental Investigation on Shape Dependence for Flow past Shallow Cavities

Relative motion between a bluff body having a cavity and the fluid surrounding it causes the fluid flow gets modified due to the presence of the cavity. The properties of flows past cavities are analysed, and various control techniques are devised and employed over the years. The present study aimed at experimentally analysing the flows and their features past three different shapes of cavities i.e., rectangular, hemispherical as well as triangular cavities under similar boundary conditions. The study consists of experimental investigation carried on cavities for similar length-to-depth ratios and the visualization of flow characteristics using a two-dimensional water channel apparatus. In this technique, the free surface of the water stream in the test-section is used in visualizing and analysing the flow characteristics including the formation of vortices, through dye injection, around cavities. The comparative study performed at varying Reynolds number for different cavities indicated the suitability of hemispherical cavities towards creating maximum amount of boundary layer suction.
Building a Diagnostic Model for Climate Controlled Greenhouse using Bayesian Network

Greenhouse crop production is directly influenced by climate conditions . The aim of this study is to achieve adequate inside climate conditions ( mainly air temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, CO 2 concentration, and humidity ) of controlled greenhouses located in Pathum Thani province of Thailand . The adequacy of Bayesian diagnosis to model the environmental conditions of a greenhouse as essential parameters including disturbances such as external temperature, external radiation, wind speed, wind direction, external humidity, external CO 2 , and soil temperature . The system is built and tested using data gathered from a real greenhouse located in Pathum Thani province under closed - loop control . The Bayesian network has demonstrated to provide a good approximation of a control signal and the results show the performance and applicability of Bayesian networks within the proposed climate controlled greenhouse solution .