Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monsoon/El Niño‐Southern Oscillation relationships in a simple coupled ocean‐atmosphere model

A coupled ocean-atmosphere model is used to investigate the equatorial Indian and Pacific Oceans' response to the seasonally varying monsoon winds and the relationship between monsoon variations and the El Nino-Southern Oscillation phenomenon (ENSO). The atmosphere is a simple linear shallow water system driven by a mass source/sink term that is proportional to the sea surface temperature (SST) over the oceans and the heat balance over land. The ocean is modeled using the Anderson and McCreary [1985] reduced-gravity transport model driven by atmospheric wind stress forcing and a parameterized heat flux. The model domain includes both the Indian and Pacific Oceans and land masses to represent Asia and Africa. Results show that variations in the model's monsoon circulation (evolving somehow from other influences) induce changes in the large-scale circulation associated to ENSO. In this way the year-to-year differences in the monsoon impact on the longer-period, coupled ocean-atmosphere dynamics of the near-equatorial Pacific basin. By changing the amplitude of the monsoon forcing the interval between ENSO-like warm events varies, while the variability in the annual cycle over the Indian Ocean is hardly affected.
Adaptation Policy Frameworks for Climate Change: Developing Strategies, Policies and Measures

Foreword Executive summary Part I. User's guidebook: Part II. Technical Papers: Preface 1. Scoping and designing an adaptation project 2. Engaging stakeholders in the adaptation process 3. Assessing vulnerability for climate adaptation 4. Assessing current climate risks 5. Assessing future climate risks 6. Assessing current and changing socio-economic conditions 7. Assessing and enhancing adaptive capacity 8. Formulating an adaptation strategy 9. Continuing the adaptation process Part III. Case Studies: Preface Case studies Annexes: A. Glossary of terms B. List of reviewers.
U-Th-Pb isotopic systematics of lunar norite 78235

A pristine high-Mg noritic cumulate thought to be relict deep-seated lunar crust is studied with an eye to obtaining evidence of initial Pb isotopic composition and U/Pb ratios of early lunar magma sources and possibly of a primary magma ocean. A leaching procedure was conducted on polymineralic separates to assure the removal of secondary Pb components. The Pb from leached separates do not form a linear trend on the Pb-Pb diagram, indicating open-system behavior either from mixtures of Pb or postcrystallization disturbances. Calculated initial Pb compositions and corresponding U-238/Pb-204 (mu) values are presented, with the assumption of reasonably precise radiometric ages from the literature for norite 78236. The results obtained support the contention that high-Mg suite rocks are coeval with the ferroan anorthosites, both being produced during the earliest stages of lunar evolution.
Utilization of Specific Attenuation for Tropical Rainfall Estimation in Complex Terrain

AbstractTo improve the accuracy of quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) in complex terrain, a new rainfall rate estimation algorithm has been developed and applied on two C-band dual-polarization radars in Taiwan. In this algorithm, the specific attenuation A is utilized in the rainfall rate R estimation, and the parameters used in the R(A) method were estimated using the local drop size distribution (DSD) and drop shape relation (DSR) observations. In areas of complex terrain where the lowest antenna tilt is completely blocked, observations from higher tilts are used in radar QPE. Correction of the vertical profile of rain rate estimated by the R(A) algorithm (VPRA) is applied to account for the vertical variability of rain. It has been found that the VPRA correction improved the accuracy of estimated rainfall in severely blocked areas. The R(A)–VPRA scheme was tested for different precipitation cases including typhoon, stratiform, and convective rain. Compared to existing rainfall estimation algo.
The nature and origin of sideritic ironstone bands in the Tertiary Lowmead and Duaringa Basins, Queensland

Sideritic ironstones in Tertiary lacustrine oil shale from the Lowmead and Duaringa Basins in Queensland, contain two distinctive types of siderite in the ironstone bands: sphaerosiderite in the mudstone and coal, and finely crystalline siderite in the lamosite. The petrological evidence indicates that the siderite in the ironstone bands formed eogenetically by growing displacively within the soft sediment. Chemically the siderite is very pure though the sphaerosiderite sometimes shows compositional zoning. Stable oxygen and carbon isotope analyses of the siderite show a wide range of values from ‐12.8‰ to ‐2.4 %0 δ18O (PDB) and ‐5.5‰ to +12.9‰ δ13C (PDB) for the Lowmead Basin; and ‐9.6‰ to ‐1.2‰ δ18O (PDB) and ‐18.6‰ to +16.4‰ δ13C (PDB) for the Duaringa Basin. The oxygen isotope data indicate that the siderite formed in freshwater environments but not in isotopic equilibrium with the formation waters. Kinetic factors offer the most plausible explanation for the anomalously light δ18O values of many of t.
Higher erosion rates in the Himalaya: Geochemical constraints on riverine fluxes

The modern erosion rate of continental-scale mountains is difficult to estimate and is usually based on measurement of the suspended load flux of rivers combined with assumptions about river bedload transport and sedimentation in flood plains. These two parameters are very difficult to measure directly in continental-scale basins. In this paper we examine the chemical composition of the suspended load, bedload, and dissolved load of the Ganga and Brahmaputra Rivers and compare them with the average composition of Himalayan source rocks. A mass-balance equation of erosion fluxes shows that a Si-rich component is needed in addition to suspended and dissolved load fluxes to account for the composition of the source rock. It corresponds to bedload sediment and flood-plain deposits, which are enriched in quartz by mineral sorting during transport. The combined budget of Si, Al, and Fe in the river system allows us to estimate this Si-rich flux. By this method, the total Himalayan erosion is estimated to be twice the measured flux of suspended load. The comparison between the Brahmaputra and the Ganga shows that the eastern Himalaya has a higher erosion rate (2.9 mm/yr) than the western Himalaya (2.1 mm/yr). This is likely the result of the higher runoff in the Brahmaputra basin. The intensity of the monsoon acts as a first-order control of the erosion rate in the range.
The Role of Mesoscale Eddies in the Rectification of the Southern Ocean Response to Climate Change

Abstract Simulations from a fine-resolution global coupled model, the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Climate Model, version 2.4 (CM2.4), are presented, and the results are compared with a coarse version of the same coupled model, CM2.1, under idealized climate change scenarios. A particular focus is given to the dynamical response of the Southern Ocean and the role played by the eddies—parameterized or permitted—in setting the residual circulation and meridional density structure. Compared to the case in which eddies are parameterized and consistent with recent observational and idealized modeling studies, the eddy-permitting integrations of CM2.4 show that eddy activity is greatly energized with increasing mechanical and buoyancy forcings, buffering the ocean to atmospheric changes, and the magnitude of the residual oceanic circulation response is thus greatly reduced. Although compensation is far from being perfect, changes in poleward eddy fluxes partially compensate for the enhanced equatorward.
Historic Paradigms of Urban Water/Stormwater/Wastewater Management and Drivers for Change

Since the onset of urbanization millennia ago, cities were connected to water resources, which were their lifeline. Without this connection to water, there would be no cities and, ultimately, no life. When water became scarce, cities were abandoned, and sometimes entire civilizations vanished, as exemplified by the history of the indigenous Hohokam and Anasazi peoples living in the southwestern U.S. in the 15th century, in communities of more than a thousand people—communities that lasted for about a thousand years, but were abandoned, most likely because of extensive drought and the failure of their irrigation systems. Obviously, there were several reasons other than water scarcity causing ancient cities to become ghost towns, then ruins, and finally archeological excavations, centuries or millennia later. Some were related to loss of soil fertility caused by a lack of water for irrigation or poor irrigation practices, which resulted in famine; epidemics of water-borne diseases; exhaustion of the natural resource that was being extracted; or contaminated water, for example, by lead in ancient Rome. Water scarcity is sometimes a result of poor city management and institutions that were inadequate to deal with the multiplicity of conflicting uses and demands for water. Urban waters provided navigation, fish and other seafood, power to mills, laundry, recreation for kings and other nobility, defense during siege by invading armies, and religious significance in some countries and cultures (e.g., India) where certain bodies of water are worshiped. Water also cleans cities; in historic cities, rainfall washed away the deposits on the streets containing garbage, manure from animals, and human fecal matter. Rainfall and ensuing runoff were—and still are, in many urban areas in some countries— the main and often the only means of disposal of accumulated malodorous solids. During antiquity and the Middle Ages, rivers in sparsely settled rural areas were
Comment on “SKS splitting beneath continental rifts zones” by Gao et al.

As previously suggested by many authors, shear wave splitting rneasurernents certainly provide the best insights on the tectonic structure (or fabric) of the upper mantle. Shear wave splitting pararneters are correlated with the flow fabric developed in the deforming upper mantle. Petrophysical analysis of peridotites [e.g., Kem et al., 1996; Mainprice and Silver, 1993] shows that the largest anisotropy is recorded for shear waves propagating close to the Y structural direction (i.e., normal to the lineation in the foliation plane) and that the fast split shear wa ve is polarized in a plane parallel to the X structural axis (i.e., the lineation, marked by the olivine a axis concentration). Mapping shear wave splitting parameters over a specific tectonic domain would therefore provide an image of the mantle fabric at depth.
Identifying the Biodiversity Research Needs Related to Forest Fragmentation

Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.uiowa. edu/geog_pubs Part of the Sustainability Commons A report prepared for the National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry (NCSSF) and funded by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) Author Posting. Copyright © NCSE. This article is posted here by permission of the publisher for personal use, not for redistribution. A report prepared for the National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry (NCSSF) and funded by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)
Effects of field drainage on soil parameters related to methane production and emission from rice paddies

Field drainage has been reported to effect a reduction in the amount of methane emitted from rice paddies. In this study we monitored the redox state, soil acetate concentration, and methane emissions in two field sites and an outdoor potted rice experiment. The rate of methane production was determined by in vitro soil incubations. We found field drainage to be an effective method of mitigating methane emissions from rice paddies, with a 64% reduction in seasonal emissions reported after a single midseason drainage at the Richmond, Texas, site. The decreased methane emissions were in response to soil aeration, as indicated by changes in the Eh and ferrous ion concentration of the soil. The mechanism for this response appears to be a reduction in the rate of methane production, as indicated by significantly reduced soil acetate concentrations and decreased methane production rates in anaerobic soil incubations. Evidence of drainage‐induced methanogenic substrate depletion is presented. In addition, the duration and timing of field drainage required for effective mitigation are discussed. We found no evidence that field drainage adversely affected grain yield.
Measurement of the gas phase concentration of H2SO4 and methane sulfonic acid and estimates of H2SO4 production and loss in the atmosphere

Measurements of gas phase sulfuric and methane sulfonic acid (MSA) have been performed using a relatively new atmospheric pressure selected ion chemical ionization mass spectrometric technique at two field sites. Both gas phase acids are photooxidation products, and their concentrations are seen to qualitatively follow solar flux. While sulfuric acid concentrations typically decline in conjunction with declining solar radiation, they sometimes level off in the mid 105–106 molecules cm−3 range after dark, even in relatively clean air. The reason for this quasi-stable nighttime sulfuric acid concentration is not well understood but may be a result of a steady state exchange of sulfuric acid between particles and the gas phase. Measurements of OH, H2SO4, and SO2 concentrations in conjunction with aerosol number and size distribution also made possible the independent calculation of gas phase sulfuric acid production and loss rates. Calculated production and loss rates are seen to agree well in relatively clean air during the daylight hours. At night, however, the sulfuric acid concentrations and its calculated loss rate often have a nonzero value. In more polluted air masses, calculated gas phase sulfuric acid losses significantly exceed calculated production if H2SO4/aerosol reaction probabilities of 1.0 or 0.5 are assumed.
Bioinformaticsapplications Note Medusa: a Simple Tool for Interaction Graph Analysis

Medusa is a Java application for visualizing and manipulating graphs of interaction, such as data from the STRING database. It features an intuitive user interface developed with the help of biologists. Medusa is optimized for accessing protein interaction data from STRING, but can be used for any type of graph from any scientific field. Availability: Medusa, along with sample datasets and instructions, can be downloaded from There are many graph analysis applications available, including each with their strengths but also drawbacks. Here, we present Medusa, a tool which addresses many of these issues. A quick rundown of its features and other programs that lack them (shown in parentheses) are as follows: Medusa displays up to 10 multiple edges concurrently between nodes using Bezier curves (all above applications) and allows users to add and delete nodes and edges by simply clicking the mouse (Pajek, Cytoscape, others). Background images can be inserted to enhance figure quality (Osprey, Cyto-scape). Edges can be hidden or shown depending on the type of interaction (Osprey, Cytoscape, Pajek). Node properties can be described, such as color, annotation, position and shape (Osprey, Cytoscape). Medusa requires no additional packages (ProViz, CNPlot) and runs on any machine with Java 1.4. 2 installed (ProViz, Pajek). It runs as standalone (SHARKView) and as an applet for use in web interfaces (most other applications). Graphs can be exported to image or postscript files. Overall, Medusa (screenshot shown as Fig 1) is designed to be a simple and an intuitive tool for custom-ization of interaction graphs of any kind. With the ever-increasing mass of biological data, as exemplified by large-scale cross-species comparisons of proteins and genes, an easy visualization of the often highly complex linkage between, e.g. proteins becomes more and more important. For instance, the interactions between core proteins and alternative functional modules of complexes (work in progress) can be represented as a graph of nodes (proteins) and edges (interactions between core and modules). Other graphs of protein interaction may be more abstract; for instance, the STRING ('search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes/proteins') database predicts protein–protein associations and includes a variety of indirect (non-physical) evidence types (von Mering et al., 2005). The results from the STRING database can be studied using its web interface, or alternatively handled directly by the Medusa application, which is run on the client side. The handling of large networks is made easier by layout algorithms and the …
The Influence of Thematic and Spatial Resolution on Maps of a Coral Reef Ecosystem

Four maps of a reef ecosystem were created using two levels of both spatial and thematic resolution commonly used in science and management applications. Differences among maps were quantified using ecologically meaningful landscape indices. The objective was to inform research and management activities that are based on maps of reef ecosystems. Results indicate that inferences regarding the structure and organization of reef ecosystems are sensitive to changes in resolution of the maps characterizing them. Hard bottom, sand, and patchy features were the most sensitive to change in map resolution whereas continuous seagrass beds and linear reef features were not.
Centre for Intelligent Systems and Their Applications Fuzzy Rough Attribute Reduction with Application to Web Categorization Fuzzy Rough Attribute Reduction with Application to Web Categorization Fuzzy Sets and Systems ( ) – Fuzzy–rough Attribute Reduction with Application to Web Categorization

Due to the explosive growth of electronically stored information, automatic methods must be developed to aid users in maintaining and using this abundance of information e+ectively. In particular, the sheer volume of redundancy present must be dealt with, leaving only the information-rich data to be processed. This paper presents a novel approach, based on an integrated use of fuzzy and rough set theories, to greatly reduce this data redundancy. Formal concepts of fuzzy rough attribute reduction are introduced and illustrated with a simple example. The work is applied to the problem of web categorization, considerably reducing dimensionality with minimal loss of information. Experimental results show that fuzzy rough reduction is more powerful than the conventional rough set-based approach. Classi2ers that use a lower dimensional set of attributes which are retained by fuzzy rough reduction outperform those that employ more attributes returned by the existing crisp rough reduction method. The authors and the University of Edinburgh retain the right to reproduce and publish this paper for non-commercial purposes. Permission is granted for this report to be reproduced by others for non-commercial purposes as long as this copyright notice is reprinted in full in any reproduction. Applications to make other use of the material should be addressed in the first instance to Copyright Permissions, Abstract Due to the explosive growth of electronically stored information, automatic methods must be developed to aid users in maintaining and using this abundance of information eeectively. In particular, the sheer volume of redundancy present must be dealt with, leaving only the information-rich data to be processed. This paper presents a novel approach, based on an integrated use of fuzzy and rough set theories, to greatly reduce this data redundancy. Formal concepts of fuzzy–rough attribute reduction are introduced and illustrated with a simple example. The work is applied to the problem of web categorization, considerably reducing dimensionality with minimal loss of information. Experimental results show that fuzzy–rough reduction is more powerful than the conventional rough set-based approach. Classiÿers that use a lower dimensional set of attributes which are retained by fuzzy–rough reduction outperform those that employ more attributes returned by the existing crisp rough reduction method.
Early Paleozoic orogenic belt of the Andes in southwestern South America: Result of Laurentia-Gondwana collision?

The late Precambrian to early Paleozoic age rock units of the Pampean ranges, the Puna, and the North Patagonian massif of southwestern South America constitute the Famatinian orogenic belt. They are interpreted as an Ordovician collisional belt between the Occidentalia terrane and the Gondwana craton. They include mafic and ultramafic belts of Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic age. An intense tectonothermal event resulted from the collision; syntectonic granitoids represent crustal melting. In that collision syntectonic to late-tectonic foreland basins developed. The recently proposed juxtaposition of Laurentia and East Antarctica-Australia in the Neoproterozoic raises the possibility that Laurentia and western South America were close together in the early Paleozoic, and therefore that the Famatinian belt resulted from Laurentia-Gondwana collision. Occidentalia, which is bordered by a Cambrian carbonate platform similar to that of eastern North America, may be a sliver detached from Laurentia during Late Ordovician time.
Small mammal - heavy metal interactions in contaminated floodplains. Bioturbation and accumulation in periodically flooded ebvironments

A better understanding of interactions between biota and contaminants in floodplains is needed as it is uncertain whether ecological rehabilitation of floodplains is possible at the current contaminant levels. This study investigates where and when contacts between small mammals (voles, mice, shrews and moles) and heavy metal contaminants take place. The impact of bioturbation on the fate of heavy metals, and the risk of accumulation is also studied. Monitoring shows that habitat suitability and connectivity can predict the presence of small mammals. Large parts of floodplains are unsuitable, whereas small parts harbour large numbers of several species. The dominant process permanently regulating densities and distributions in floodplains is flooding. Populations are reduced by floods and survivors concentrated in non-flooding areas. Densities are always highest near non-flooding parts as recolonisation is slow. Bioturbation by small mammals and risks on accumulation and toxic effects are concentrated in space and time. Microcosm experiments show that bioturbation results in percolation of metals to deeper soil layers under wet conditions. This occurs in floodplains as numbers of flood tolerant earthworms and burrowing activities of small mammals are plenty. Surfacing of contaminated substrate by animals is even more significant towards the fate of heavy metals. Bioturbation is nowadays even more important for the presence of metals in top layers than deposition during floods. Ecotoxicological risk assessment and floodplain management traditionally focuses on flooding areas where total metal concentrations are highest. Taking availability, concentrations in foods, and animal distributions into account, risks of accumulation of metals in floodplain food webs are more related to non-flooding areas. Some individual mammals might suffer toxicological effects. Due to short 'natural' life expectancies in floodplains, no effects at population level are expected. Findings should be incorporated in spatial planning and management strategies to favour small mammals and reduce ecotoxicological risks.