bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Minimus digitizer platform: a user-friendly ecosystem for efficient network management and seismic station configuration
Authors: Lindsey James , Watkiss Neil , Reis Will , Whealing Dan
Published: February 2023

The Guralp Minimus broadband digitizer has led the way with introducing a number of innovative features to broadband digitizers including easy network configuration, compact form-factor, extensive State of Health (SOH) monitoring and low latency digitization. Since its introduction, there have been major technological advances in processing chips resulting in the power consumption of seismic digitizers decreasing drastically in the last few years. The next iteration of Minimus, Minimus2, takes advantage of modern chip power consumption to reduce overall nominal power consumption by over 50% whilst maintaining high functionality. This significant decrease in power consumption will facilitate far more simplified field deployments for offline deployments.The Minimus platform also provides a high level of functionality for online stations, including the industry unique option of sending State of Health (SOH) data via the SEEDlink protocol. This makes SOH monitoring far simpler for larger networks as SOH data be managed using similar methods as waveform data. This also allows for time-series analysis of SOH data to be able to proactively maintain stations and advance diagnose any issues before they result in any loss of data. The Minimus platform seamlessly interfaces the Discovery software to seamlessly integrate new stations into existing networks. The management of large numbers of real-time seismic stations is further enhanced with Guralp Data Centre (“GDC”) a cloud-based software package to build on the Discovery tool set.The Minimus platform was built from the ground up to provide one of the lowest latency digitizers available with digitization latencies down to 40ms, making it well suited to Earthquake Early Warning applications. This is achieved with the use of causal decimation filters, high sample rates and Guralp’s proprietary GDI protocol. The Minimus platform is built as a modular digitizer platform that is available within a number of different packages to suit a range of applications, including as a standalone digitizer or built within Broadband seismometer and Force Balance Accelerometer systems. 
Data compilations for enriched reuse of sea ice data sets
Authors: Simson Anna , Yildiz Anil , Kowalski Julia
Published: February 2023

A vast amount of in situ cryospheric data has been collected during publicly funded field campaigns to the polar regions over the past decades. Each individual data set yields important insights into local thermo-physical processes, but they need to be assembled into informative data compilations to unlock their full potential to produce regional or global outcomes for climate change related research. The efficient and sustainable interdisciplinary reuse of such data compilations is of large interest to the scientific community. Yet, the creation of such compilations is often challenging as they have to be composed of often heterogeneous data sets from various data repositories. We will focus on the reuse of data sets in this contribution, while generating extendible data compilations with enhanced reusability.Data reuse is typically conducted by researchers other than the original data producers, and it is therefore often limited by the metadata and provenance information available. Reuse scenarios include the validation of physics-based process models, the training of data-driven models, or data-integrated predictive simulations. All these use cases heavily rely on a diverse data foundation in form of a data compilation, which depends on high quality information. In addition to metadata, provenance, and licensing conditions, the data set itself must be checked for reusability. Individual data sets containing the same metrics often differ in structure, content, and metadata, which challenges data compilation.In order to generate data compilations for a specific reuse scenario, we propose to break down the workflow into four steps:1) Search and selection: Searching, assessing, optimizing search, and selecting data sets.2) Validation: Understanding and representing data sets in terms of the data collectors including structure, terms used, metadata, and relations between different metrics or data sets.3) Specification: Defining the format, structure, and content of the data compilation based on the scope of the data sets.4) Implementation: Integrating the selected data sets into the compilation.We present a workflow herein to create a data compilation from heterogeneous sea ice core data sets following the previously introduced structure. We report on obstacles encountered in the validation of data sets mainly due to missing or ambiguous metadata. This leaves the (re)user space for subjective interpretation and thus increases uncertainty of the compilation. Examples are challenges in relating different data repositories associated with the same location or the same campaign, the accuracy of measurement methods, and the processing stage of the data. All of which often require a bilateral iteration with the data acquisition team. Our study shows that enriching data reusability with data compilations requires quality-ensured metadata on the individual data set level.
Deep learning techniques applied to an attribution study for heatwaves in the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Zaninelli Pablo G. , Barriopedro-Cepero David , Drouard Marie , Garrido-Pérez José Manuel , Pérez-Aracil Jorge , Fister Dušan , García-Herrera Ricardo , Salcedo-Sanz Sancho , Alvarez-Castro M. Carmen
Published: February 2023

Extreme event attribution quantifies the influence of climate change on a particular extreme event (EE). Understanding the extent to which climate change is responsible for particular EE is of paramount importance because of the vulnerability of society and ecosystems to these events, especially when it comes to heatwaves that have become more frequent and intense in many parts of the world in recent decades. This led the scientific community to focus its efforts on attribution analysis and the implementation of new techniques for its study. Attribution studies of temperature EE using machine learning (ML) methods are scarce in the specialized literature. Most attribution studies perform statistical comparison between the probability of occurrence of an event today with its probability in the pre-industrial past, making it possible to determine how much more likely that event is due to climate change and how much severe it could be. However, some limitations of these classical methodologies are the difficulty in understanding the links between the physical processes responsible for the occurrence of extreme events and anthropogenic forcing and the impossibility of detecting new trends associated with this forcing. The CLImate INTelligent (CLINT) project aims, among its objectives, to design ML algorithms to improve classical attribution methodologies in some of the aforementioned limitations for three european hot-spots located in Spain, Italy and Netherlands. In this framework, this work presents a preliminary attribution analysis for summer heatwaves focused in Iberian Peninsula and based on deep learning tools such as anomaly detection with autoencoders. The autoencoder is an unsupervised method that comprises two neural networks, one to encode information and the other to decode it. The autoencoder is fed with pre-industrial realizations integrated in the framework of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project in its sixth version (CMIP6) in such a way that it allows detecting variabilities and trends that are present in the historical run and not in the pre-industrial one. In addition, the influence of climate change for a particular temperature EE could be associated with the AE anomaly for this EE.
How well do CMIP6 models simulate salinity barrier layers in the North Indian Ocean?
Authors: Pang Shanshan , Wang Xidong , Vialard Jérôme
Published: February 2023

Previous studies have hypothesized that climatologically thick salinity-stratified Barrier Layers (BL) in the North Indian Ocean (NIO) could influence the upper ocean heat budget, sea surface temperature (SST) and monsoon. Here, we investigate the performance of state-of-the-art climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) in simulating the barrier layer thickness (BLT) in the NIO. CMIP6 models generally reproduce the main features of the BLT seasonal cycle and spatial distribution, but with a shallow November-February (NDJF) BLT bias in regions with thick observed BLT (eastern equatorial Indian Ocean [EEIO], Bay of Bengal [BoB] and southeastern Arabian Sea [SEAS]). CMIP6 models display an easterly equatorial zonal surface wind bias linked to dry rainfall and cold SST biases in the southern BoB, through the Bjerknes feedback loop. The easterly equatorial bias is also responsible for the shallow isothermal layer depth (ILD) and BLT bias in the EEIO. The underestimated rainfall over the BoB leads to higher sea surface salinity (SSS) and too deep mixed layer depth (MLD), resulting in the BoB BLT bias. The intensity of the easterly equatorial bias also contributes to the inter-model spread in BoB BLT bias, through the propagation of EEIO ILD signals into the coastal waveguide. Finally, the SEAS BLT bias is due to a too deep MLD, which is predominantly controlled by the high SSS related to attenuated monsoonal currents around India and a reduced inflow of BoB low-salinity water. The BL effect on the mixed layer entrainment cooling does not seem to operate in CMIP6 simulations. Rather, deep salinity-related MLD biases in the BoB result in a diminished cooling rate in response to winter negative surface heat fluxes, and hence alleviate cold BoB SST biases. This suggests that salinity effects alleviate the biases that develop through the positive Bejrknes feedback loop between BoB SST, BoB rainfall and equatorial wind stresses in CMIP6.
The short-term prediction of Polar Motion using the combination of SSA and the Multivariate Multi-step 1D- Convolutional Neural Networks with Multioutput strategy.
Authors: Guessoum Sonia , Belda Santiago , Ferrándiz José Manuel , Modiri Sadegh , Heinkelmann Robert , Schuh Harald , Dhar Sujata
Published: February 2023

Polar Motion is the movement of the Earth's rotational axis relative to its crust, reflecting the influence of the material exchange and mess redistribution of each layer of the Earth on the Earth's rotation axis.The real-time estimation of Polar Motion (PM) is needed for the navigation of Earth satellites and interplanetary spacecraft. However, it is impossible to have real-time information due to the complexity of the measurement model and data processing.Various prediction methods have been developed. However, the accuracy of PM prediction is still not satisfactory even for a few days in the future. Therefore, a new technique or a combination of the existing methods needs to be investigated for improving the accuracy of the prediction PM.In this study, we combine the 1D  Convolutional Neural Network with the Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA). The computational strategy follows multiple steps, first, we model the predominant trend of the PM time series using SSA. Then, the difference between the PM time series and its SSA estimation is modeled using the 1D Convolution Neural Network. However, we developed a Multivariate Multi step 1D-CNN Model with a Multi-output strategy to predict at the same time both components (Xp, Yp)  of the PM.  . We introduce to the  Model: the Ocean Angular Momentum, Atmospheric Angular Momentum, and Hydrological Angular Momentum (OAM+AAM+HAM) to improve the results. Multiple sets of PM predictions which range between 1 and 10 days have been performed based on an IERS 14 C04 time series to assess the capability of our hybrid Model. Our results illustrate that the proposed method can efficiently predict both (Xp, Yp) of PM.
Microphysical controls on condensate distributions and the tropical energy budget in global storm-resolving models
Authors: Naumann Ann Kristin
Published: February 2023

With global storm-resolving models (SRMs) a new type of global high-resolution models is now becoming available that explicitly resolves the main drivers of the atmospheric flow of matter and energy on the kilometer scale. In these models, arguably two poorly constrained physical processes remain unresolved  - microphysics and turbulence - but are at least fundamentally linked to their controlling factors, i.e., the circulation. In this study, we use a global SRM with two different microphysical schemes and do several sensitivity runs, where we vary one parameter of the applied microphysics scheme in its range of uncertainty. We find that the two microphysics schemes have distinct signatures (e.g., in how condensate is partitioned in ice and snow) but their mean cloud cover and total condensate is rather robust. Perturbing single parameters of each scheme also affects the condensate distributions and causes several 10s W/m2 variations in radiative fluxes. Changes in radiative properties of cloudy points dominate changes in the radiative balance at the top of the atmosphere. Overall, microphysical sensitivities in global SRMs are substantial and resemble inter-model differences of a multi-model ensemble.
Estimating uptake and internal transport dynamics of irrigation water in apple trees using deuterium-enriched water
Authors: Giuliani Nicola , Aguzzoni Agnese , Comiti Francesco , Penna Daniele , Tagliavini Massimo
Published: February 2023

Climate change will likely increase crop water demand and reduce the availability of water for irrigation. A deeper knowledge on water uptake dynamics and its translocation inside plants would help optimize irrigation management. Stable isotopes are widely used in ecohydrological studies to track the origin of plant water and to determine the contribution of different water sources to the plants’ requirements. Despite the extensive literature dealing with water relations in fruit orchards, very little is known about the time interval between the irrigation water supply and the presence of irrigation water inside the tree. The present study addressed the following questions: 1. What is the time interval between irrigation and the arrival of irrigation water at different tree heights? 2. To which extent can irrigation water uptake and transport be accelerated by increasing the portion of soil volume receiving drip irrigation water?To address our goals, we set up a field experiment in summer 2021 in an apple orchard and an ancillary pot experiment in the lab. In the field experiment, we tested the effect of different drip irrigation layouts on the extent and rapidity of water uptake by mature apple trees. Trees were irrigated using deuterium-enriched water (δ2H = 12050 ‰) using 1, 2 or 4 drippers per tree (each dripper delivered 3 L in one hour). Shoot and fruit samples were collected in the bottom (1.5 m) and top (3 m) part of the canopy at regular intervals following the irrigation event. Soil was sampled at different depths and distances from the dripper after the irrigation. In the pot experiment, the soil was saturated with labelled water (δ2H = 1779 ‰) and xylem samples were collected at different time intervals and heights along the apple tree trunk. Water was extracted by cryogenic vacuum distillation and analyzed by IRMS. A two end-member mixing model allowed to quantify the fraction of labelled irrigation water in soil and trees. Irrigation flow velocity within the tree was estimated by the first sampling time at which the shoot δ2H value at a given height was significantly different from the values before the irrigation. Irrigation water could be detected in potted trees at 0.5 m after 1 h and at 1 m after 2 h; in field-grown trees, labelled water first appeared in the shoots in the bottom and top part of the canopy after 2 h and 4-6 h, respectively. By increasing the number of drippers per tree, the fraction of irrigation water in the shoots increased accordingly (ranging from 1% to 3% of total water after 32 h). However, uptake and transport velocity were unaffected by the number of drippers, ranging from 0.6 to 0.8 m h-1. No irrigation water was detected in the fruits.
The interactions between the summer urban heat islands and heatwaves in Beijing: from past to future
Authors: Cui Fengqi , Hamdi Rafiq , Termonia Piet , De Maeyer Philippe
Published: February 2023

The coexistence of urban heat islands (UHIs) and heatwaves (HWs) enhances the stress on human society. However, how UHIs responds to the HWs and the interaction mechanisms between the UHIs and HWs in historical period and under different global warming levels (GWL) 1.5 ºC and 2 ºC scenarios are still elusive. In this study, the regional climate model ALARO-SURFEX (incorporated with LCZs) will be firstly used to estimate the historical interactions between the UHI and HW and the contribution of urbanization to the HWs in Beijing. The intensifying impact of three HWs (daytime HW, nighttime HWs, compound HW) on the UHI will be analyzed, and its energy mechanism will also be revealed. Secondly, the ensembled EAS-CORDEX data calibrated by adding hourly urban signatures will be used to force the offline SURFEX model to project the future urban climate in Beijing. The HW duration, frequency, and intensity will be estimated, and the UHI intensity and pattern will be investigated before, during, and after three kinds of HWs under different warming levels (GWL1.5 and GWL2). Understanding the interaction mechanisms of HWs and UHIs, as well as projecting for HWs and UHIs under the Paris Agreement, would be beneficial for stakeholders and city planners in developing future local adaptation policies.
Image-based methods for real-time water level estimation
Authors: Eltner Anette , Zamboni Pedro , Hedel Ralf , Grundmann Jens , Blanch Xabier
Published: February 2023

Obtaining real-time water level estimations is crucial for effective monitoring and response during emergencies caused by heavy rainfall and rapid flooding. Typically, this type of monitoring can be a difficult task, requiring river reach preparations and specialized equipment. Moreover, in extreme flood events, standard observation methods may become ineffective. This is why the possibility of developing low-cost, automatic monitoring systems represents a significant advancement in our ability to monitor river courses and allow emergency teams to respond appropriately.Image-based methods for water level estimation facilitate the development of a low-cost river monitoring strategy in a quick and remote approach. These techniques are faster and more convenient regarding the setup than traditional water stage monitoring methods, allowing us to efficiently monitor the river from different locations with a cost-effective approach. By increasing the density of the observation network, we can improve flood warning and management.The approach presented involves placing cameras in secure locations to capture images of the river, for which we have previously modelled the terrain in 3D using Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms supported by GNSS data. With the images obtained every 15 minutes, we perform a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) segmentation based on artificial intelligence algorithms that allow us to automatically extract the contours of the water surface area. In this study, two different neural network approaches are presented to segment water in the images.Using a photogrammetric strategy, we reproject the water line extracted by the AI on the 3D model of the scene. This reprojection is also supported by the use of a keypoint detection neural network that allows us to accurately identify the ground control points (GCPs) observed in the images captured by the surveillance camera. This approach allows us to automatically assign to each image the real coordinates of the GCPs and subsequently estimate the camera pose.This AI segmentation and automatic reprojection into the 3D model has allowed us to generate a robust centimetre-accurate workflow, capable of estimating the water level in near-real time for daylight conditions. In addition, the automatic detection of the GCP has permitted to obtain automatic water level measurements over a longer period of time (one year). This approach represents the basis for obtaining other river monitoring parameters, such as velocity or discharge, which allow a better understanding of river floods and represent key steps for the development of early warning systems for flood events.
Geobites: 3 Years of Science Communication Training in Practice
Authors: Vrouwenvelder Kristina , Shobe Charles , Moerchen Margaret , Giampoala Matthew
Published: February 2023

Science communication skills are more essential than ever to today’s scientists, helping break down barriers such as the widespread use of technical jargon and limited access to journals in order to promote interdisciplinary collaboration with non-geoscientists and public understanding of geoscience research. However, traditional geoscience curricula place limited emphasis on the development of communication skills, particularly for audiences beyond scientific peers. Meanwhile, traditional science news focuses on topics of obvious interest to the public, such as geohazards or climate change. As a result, scientists are often given little scope to practice communicating with a general audience, and the majority of geoscience research lacks a mechanism for generating public interest.“Bites” sites are blogs dedicated to communicating new developments in science to a broad audience. Each bite is an engaging, short (400-700 word) summary that explains an exciting new scientific paper and discusses its importance in the field. Bites are typically written by graduate students and other early career scientists about recently published articles that have not been picked up by more traditional science news outlets. These sites serve three key purposes: 1) to keep the interested public – especially university students who may consider careers in geoscience – up to date with recent developments in the field, 2) to generate attention for new work that traditional media outlets may miss, and 3) to give early career scientists practice with public-facing writing and editing, which are critical skills both within and beyond academia.Here we discuss lessons learned in 3 years of running the site Geobites, targeted at communicating new geoscience (broadly-defined) research to the public. We discuss the community of peer science communicators formed by Geobites, diagram the structure of an effective article, present site analytics, and solicit feedback from the geoscience communication community.
Changes in microbial community and soil organic matter mediated by macroaggregate pore structure across soil-landscapes in a hilly watershed
Authors: Zheng Zhao , Genxing Pan
Published: February 2023

Heterogeneous soil-landscapes with varying land uses and land covers are common in the hilly areas of the lower Yangtze valley of China. Variations of soil quality, mainly driven by soil organic matter and soil aggregation, across these soil-landscapes impacts the development of agro-industries in rural areas. How the development of macroaggregates (MAC) and their pore structure in relation to soil organic matter and microbial community varies with soil-landscapes (disturbed and undisturbed) remained unclear. Both bulk samples and undisturbed cores were collected from topsoil (0-15 cm) respectively on forestland (FL) under vegetation conservation on the hill slope, orchard (OR) and upland cropland (UL) on the slope and paddy fields (PF) in the basin in a small watershed from suburb Nanjing of China. Soil organic carbon (SOC) pools and microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) as well as basic physico-chemical properties were measured while size fractionation of water-stable aggregates were performed. Further, the pore structure of the macroaggregate samples were analyzed with X-ray micro-computed tomography (X-ray μCT). Compared to FL, topsoil SOC was lower by 54%-70%, soil aggregate stability by 41-67% and total PLFAs by 14%-42% under the disturbed agricultural soil-landscapes. The mass fraction of macroaggregates was lower in OR, UL and PF, by over 44%. The total porosity of the macroaggregates, estimated by the μCT images, was lower by 17% and 33% under UL and OR though unchanged under PF. A similar trend was found for the connected porosity and total throat area. To note, both SOC and microbial PLFAs of the macroaggregate samples were significantly positively correlated to total porosity, connected porosity and total throat area, across the landscapes. Overall, soil quality was seen profoundly reduced in the disturbed soil-landscapes under agricultural activities although PF was shown most close to FL in the context of organic carbon stabilization and microbial biomass conservation. Thus, improving rice paddy management through soil organic matter conservation and macroaggregation could contribute to sustaining local soil quality for better agricultural development in the hilly rural area.
Investigating scale variations in outcrop derived permeability tensors and the effect on geothermal fluid in upscaling naturally fractured reservoirs
Authors: Smith Ruaridh , Prabhakaran Rahul , Koehn Daniel
Published: February 2023

Fluid flow within low permeable reservoirs such as carbonates is primarily controlled by faults, fractures and other structural networks which can be defined through properties such as intensity, connectivity and aperture. These properties can vary not only among individual fractures but also between scales which can influence uncertainties within permeability calculations and fluid flow simulations. Therefore, understanding the interactions and variations within these networks is fundamental to deriving properties such as permeability and characterising fluid flow through naturally fractured reservoirs.Determining fracture network properties of reservoirs can be undertaken using several methods across different scales from both surface and subsurface sources. However, where subsurface data is limited (e.g., within the geothermal reservoirs of Northern Bavaria), outcrop analogues become vital for obtaining the important information required for characterising fracture networks. Outcrops such as quarry sections can be imaged and scanned using both 2D and 3D photogrammetry techniques, from which fault and fracture networks can be detected and analysed. Previous work has presented a method to upscale fracture networks to 2D permeability tensors from outcrop sections through independently assigning properties to individual fractures within the networks. However, upscaling the networks to larger scales can lead to uncertainties due to variations within the modelled fracture networks. It its therefore important to understand the how the permeability tensor varies between scales and dimensions to reduce upscaling uncertainties.Using examples from multiple outcrops within the Franconian Basin, Germany, we present an improved workflow to derive the tensors between dimensions and an investigation of the relationships among fracture networks at different scales. This will show the effect on permeability within geothermal reservoirs in the region and how to reduce the uncertainty in upscaling outcrops to subsurface reservoir scale.
The Decadal Variation of Eastward-Moving Tropical Cyclones in the South China Sea During 1980–202
Authors: luo Xi , Yang Lei , Chen Sheng , Liang Dong , Chan Johnny C. L. , Wang Dongxiao
Published: February 2023

The track of tropical cyclones (TCs) formed in the South China Sea (SCS) can be divided into eastward and westward directions. Significant decadal variation during 1980–2020 only exists in the number of eastward-moving TCs, especially during July–September, with 47% TCs moving eastward during 1994–2004 (Period II), 22% during 1980–1993 (Period I) and only 15% during 2005–2020 (Period III). This decadal change is related to the zonal shift of Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH). An eastward-retreated WPSH during 1994–2004 leads to upward motion and westerly flow anomaly over the northern SCS, and therefore favors TC genesis and eastward motion. The eastward-retreated WPSH is associated with a warm sea surface temperature anomaly over the tropical western-central Pacific which induces a cyclonic flow and weakens the WPSH. With the weaker modulation of WPSH, stronger intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) in the SCS during Period II favors eastward-moving TCs due to the westerly flow associated with the ISO.
The Global Energy Balance as represented in CMIP6 climate models
Authors: Wild Martin , Folini Doris , Li Donghao
Published: February 2023

A plausible simulation of the global energy balance is a first-order requirement for a credible climate model. Therefore we investigate the representation of the global energy balance in the latest generation of global climate models (CMIP6). In the multi-model global mean, the magnitudes of the energy balance components of the CMIP6 models are often in better agreement with our reference estimates (Wild et al. 2015, 2019 Clim Dyn) as well as those from CERES/EBAF and NASA/NEWS than in earlier model generations (Wild 2020). However, the inter-model spread in the representation of many of the components remains substantial, often on the order of 10-20 Wm-2 globally, except for the shortwave clear-sky budgets, which are now more consistently simulated by the CMIP6 models. The substantial inter-model spread in the simulated global mean latent heat fluxes in the CMIP6 models, exceeding 20% (18 Wm-2), further implies also large discrepancies in their representation of the global water balance. From a historic perspective of model development over the past decades, the largest adjustments in the magnitudes of the simulated present-day global mean energy balance components occurred in the shortwave atmospheric clear-sky absorption and the surface downward longwave radiation. Both components were gradually adjusted upwards over several model generations, on the order of 10 Wm-2, to reach 73 and 344 Wm-2, respectively in the CMIP6 multi-model means. Thereby, CMIP6 has become the first model generation that largely remediates long-standing model deficiencies related to an overestimation in surface downward shortwave and compensational underestimation in downward longwave radiation in its global multi-model mean. There are also indications for an overall improvement in the representation of the energy budgets in the CMIP6 models compared to CMIP5 on regional scales (regions considered here as defined by the NASA/NEWS project). Still substantial spreads between the energy balance components of individual CMIP6 models appear also on regional scales (Li et al. 2022). Related references:Wild, M., 2020: The global energy balance as represented in CMIP6 climate models. Clim Dyn., 55, 553–577Li, D., Folini D., Wild, M., 2022: Assessment of regional energy budgets in CMIP6 models, submitted  
Spatio-temporal Variability of the Lagrangian Transport in a System of Intertidal Basins
Authors: Duran-Matute Matias , Fajardo-Urbina Jeancarlo M. , Gräwe Ulf , Clercx Herman J.H. , Gerkema Theo
Published: February 2023

The spatio-temporal variability of transport in coastal ecosystems is of primary importance for many biological processes. This is critical in highly heterogeneous regions, like systems of intertidal basins, where transport can exhibit a strong anisotropic response to different forcing mechanisms like winds. To understand the local and temporal variability of transport and exchange of water and freshwater content within a system and with its surroundings, Lagrangian transport time scales (LTTS), such as the residence and exposure times, are commonly employed. They are also used as a proxy to understand ecological processes (e.g., eutrophication) and as a first order estimation of the capacity of a system to expel pollutants. Additional information about the preferential pathways in multiple-inlet systems can be obtained by determining the capture areas of the inlets. Tracers deployed in a capture area have the largest probability of exiting the system through the associated inlet. In the present research, we study the spatial and temporal variations of the LTTS and the capture areas of inlets in a multiple-inlet coastal system and their relation to the dominant forcing mechanisms. The results are based on a realistic simulation of the Dutch Wadden Sea (DWS), a wind-dominated estuarine multiple-inlet system, in the period 1980-2015. We found that most of the spatio-temporal variability of the LTTS is explained by winds from the most dominant and energetic sectors (the southwesterly quadrant), which are aligned with the topographical orientation of the system. The LTTS are strongly anti-correlated with these wind directions in most of the domain, except near the inlets. Periods with easterly winds trigger a dipole-like response on the spatial structure of the LTTS with a decrease of their values in the western DWS and an increase in the eastern DWS. This is explained by easterly winds favoring the export from the western DWS towards the North Sea trough the closest inlets. On the eastern side, particles travel towards the western DWS (and hence longer distances before leaving the system), which increases the LTTS. North-northwesterly winds trigger a more complex spatial structure in the system, but in comparison to the other wind directions they only explain little variability. We found a strong influence of the wind seasonality, which is characterized by stronger wind conditions during autumn-winter than spring-summer, on the size of the capture areas of inlets. The monthly variability of these capture areas can be predicted by the wind energy, especially during the stormy season (autumn-winter). During this season, winds from the southwesterly quadrant push particles towards the eastern part of the DWS, thereby reducing the capture areas of the western inlets and triggering an expansion of the areas on the eastern ones. Other wind directions seem to play a negligible role in this variability.
Evaluation of the Barcelona urban soil capacity for retention of emerging contaminants
Authors: Luquot Linda , Garcia Rios Maria , Duporte Geoffroy , Gomez Elena
Published: February 2023

The fate of emerging contaminants from runoff/storm waters in urban areas has aroused widespread concern as it poses a threat to the water managing. Contaminated water can reach, for instance, the river that passes through the area, contributing to the degradation of the aquatic ecosystem, or the aquifer that supplies drinking water to the community. In this framework, one of the objectives of the URBANWAT project is to evaluate the capacity of the Barcelona urban soil to retain the contaminants of emerging concern from runoff waters in order to propose an improvement of tools and criteria for groundwater management in urban areas.To this aim, a set of batch and packed soil column experiments were performed. The soil selected for the study is located in the Barcelona urban area at 20 m depth and composed of 48 % quartz, 28 % albite and 24 % microcline. It is constituted by 91 % sand, 7 % silt and clay and 2 % gravel, being the sand particle size dimension the one selected to perform the column experiments. The resident water in contact with the soil was analysed by ICP-MS and has a conductivity of 723 µS/cm and pH of 7.9. A list of representative emerging contaminants has been selected from diverse pharmaceutical families and UV filters based on the concentration values found in the runoff waters of the Barcelona urban area.The batch experiments were carried out first to verify if the soil already contained the target contaminants and second to know the soil sorption capacity. The target contaminants have different properties (pka, charge) that cause them to be sorbed with variable efficiency by the soil tested (80-100 % sorption for Paroxetine and Venlafaxine, 60-80 % for Cocaine and Caffeine, 40-60 % for Tradadol and Climbazole and low sorption (< 40 %) for a list of more than 15 emerging contaminants). Sorption capacities obtained in the batch experiments were also identified in the percolation tests, obtaining significantly different breakthrough curves for the studied target contaminants. By means of the percolation column experiments, the effect of the flow rate on the soil retention capacity was evaluated and the two main processes involved in the pollutants retention mechanism (sorption and biodegradation) were quantified to verify the specific contribution of each process to the global procedure. 
Remotely sensed data in bed load transport models of mountain rivers
Authors: Himmelsbach Theresa , Gems Bernhard , Baumgartner Katharina , Aufleger Markus
Published: February 2023

While hydraulic models belong to the standard toolkit of engineers, numerical models for bed load transport in mountain rivers, here defined by steep slopes and coarse bed material, still lack reliability. On one hand, this is attributed to the complex processes in mountain rivers due to highly turbulent flows, changing flow conditions and higher form and spill drag due to immobile boulders compared to gravel-bed rivers. And on the other hand, the models highly depend on underlying input terrain data such as river section data, which in an alpine environment is generally difficult to access. The ongoing advances in remote sensing techniques, in particular in the field of topo-bathymetric laser scanning offer high-resolution bathymetry data. Compared to terrestrial laser scanning, topo-bathymetric laser scanning also captures the structure below the water surface. A water-penetrating laser system, using the green region of the electromagnetic spectrum (wavelength of 532 nm), provides valuable information across the whole river section. Depending on the conditions, such as turbidity and white water, the data achieves up to 20 - 50 survey points per square meter. Generally, the laser scanners are carried by aircrafts (manned or unmanned) to deliver large-scale high-resolution bathymetric survey data. The current research investigates the advances of high-resolution and spatially continuous bathymetry laser scanner data on sediment transport models for mountain rivers. Besides the general application as terrain data for bedload transport models, the research interest is also on the derivation of form drag through different parameters such as grain size D84 and standard deviation σz from the point cloud. For this research, available data from a mountain river in South Tyrol (Italy), covering a length of about 1.5 km over the whole river width with about 40 points/m², is applied. The river section has a slope of about 2 %, an anthropogenic-influenced cascade section in the upper part with single exposed boulders and a plan-bed character in the lower section. The mean particle size of the surface layer is about d90 = 0.10 m. With this data, the current research aims to derive extensive grain size and flow resistance information from topo-bathymetric laser scanner data and compare it with the traditional reference measurements from field data. Both data sets, from the remote-sensing and the field measurements, are tested on different approaches for bed-load transport capacity, form drag and critical flow, with particular respect to flow resistance. It is expected, that the higher information on a reach scale greatly improves the estimation of the flow resistance of mountain rivers and thus, improves the estimation of sediment transport rates in alpine environments. The contribution shows the first results of this research.
One century of pasture dynamics in a hilly area of Eastern Europe, as revealed by the land-use change approach
Authors: Văculișteanu Georgiana , Doru Silviu Costel , Necula Nicușor , Niculiță Mihai , Mărgărint Mihai Ciprian
Published: February 2023

Land use is paramount to sustainable development, and in the past, important changes happened under the influence of various factors. Revealing these changes in a meaningful manner, not just as total statistics but also as fluxes and at a spatial level, allows us to detect and associate them with the factors involved. We show a study case in Iași County, Romania, using a raster approach to change detection for a land-use-type database that extends to the 1920s. The database was created from topographic, remote sensing, and field data collected between 1920 and 2006, with five intervals between 1960, 1980, 1990, and 2000, starting from CORINE Land Cover data. These periods mark the socio-political and natural changes in the study area. The change detection results are well matched with the identified drivers and their spatial distribution. The fluctuations between land-use types provide a good way to create drivers’ associations. Our analysis can be easily applied to any other concerned areas and could be used as base references for any legislative intention to determine land-use-type changes because it can be learned from past conversions with regard to failures or examples of good practice.
New high-resolution step heating experiments using a coupled Diode laser and thermocouple for thermochronology applications
Authors: Amalberti Julien , van der Beek Peter , Colleps Cody , Bernard Maxime , Wapenhans Isabel
Published: February 2023

Step-heating experiments constitute a key technique to study the release of volatile elements from geological materials as a function of temperature. In the case of noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe), step-heating is particularly useful to determine diffusion kinetics, structural defects, or spatial homogeneity within the material. These parameters are critical in the application of diffusion-based thermochronology such as the apatite (U-Th)/He system, where mapping out the spatial distribution of natural 4He provides crucial information on the thermal history of apatite crystals. Characterizing the diffusion and distribution of 4He via step-heating additionally has the potential to detect anomalously behaved grains and to directly constrain grain-to-grain variability in diffusivities within samples with significant radiation damage-induced age dispersion.Within the ERC-funded COOLER project, we aim to further the development of high-resolution, ultra-low temperature 4He/3He thermochronology. To this end, we developed a new technique for precise step-heating experiments coupled with a diode laser including an inline single-wavelength pyrometer. The new protocol uses an all-alumina ceramic crucible fitted with a K-thermocouple ~0.1 mm below the center of the crucible pit. The head of the thermocouple is located directly below the sample within the ceramic matrix, allowing precise temperature measurements of the sample. The crucible is mounted on an alumina rod connected to a noble-gas preparation line. Gas released from the sample is purified and analyzed by a Thermo Scientific Helix SFT™ multi-collector mass spectrometer. The sample is wrapped in Pt foil and indirectly illuminated with a diode laser. Laser and PID temperature controls are carried out by a custom LabVIEW program. Temperature calibration is performed by comparing measured and theoretical melting points of well-known materials loaded in the alumina crucible pit.Our initial results show very short response times for the thermocouple (a few seconds) and excellent agreement with the melting point of Indium (Tmelt = 157°C). Although the current design is limited to hold only a single sample, it enables precise calibration of the emissivity value for a specific capsule assembly, which is a key parameter for pyrometer control of the temperature. Consequently, by calibrating the Pt capsule emissivity prior to the step-heating experiment, they can then be mounted in a multiple laser sample holder (up to 36 samples per chamber). The single-wavelength pyrometer of our system enables temperature measurements for large sample batches. Temperature is also cross-calibrated between the pyrometer and the thermocouple to ensure its correct reading.  This new approach, coupled with analytical automation, will lead to significant improvement in the accessibility and efficiency of routine 4He/3He analyses for geologic applications.
Paleocene to Miocene larger foraminiferal biodiversity as a response to climate changes in the Neotethys
Authors: Papazzoni Cesare Andrea , Benedetti Andrea
Published: February 2023

Modern global warming is proven to affect shallow water calcifiers among which are symbiont-bearing larger foraminifera (LF). To better understand the possible effects on modern faunas, we can explore the response of LF to past global events, referring to the last greenhouse megacycle terminated near the end of the Paleogene. Here we present a biodiversity analysis based on a comprehensive and critical review of the scientific literature on LF and other accompanying shallow-water foraminifera of the Neotethys. It has been obtained by compiling a list of over 1,300 species belonging to 215 genera in the interval from the Danian to the Langhian, currently subdivided into 26 biozones (Shallow Benthic Zones SBZ).The results show that LF, after their abrupt extinction at the end of Cretaceous, underwent a rapid radiation, with high origination rates at both genus and species level in the Danian, followed by a rather constant biodiversity throughout the rest of the Paleocene. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) recorded one of the most important LF turnover ever recorded, followed by a rapid radiation of K-strategists species, mainly grouped in the genera Alveolina,Nummulites, Discocyclina, Orbitoclypeus and Assilina.Immediately after the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO), roughly corresponds to the SBZ10 and 11, we see a second minor turnover, with a rapid differentiation in SBZ12. Within the general cooling trend recorded during the Lutetian and Bartonian, the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) seems having no effects on the final decline of most Eocene LF whose generalized extinction coincides with the Eocene/Oligocene transition (EOT) with a cooling event.The Oligocene is characterized by the radiation of lepidocyclinids and miogypsinids in the Neotethys, but at the end of SBZ23, right after the Late Oligocene Warming Event (LOWE), a new extinction of LF set their diversity to very low levels. Therefore, our data cannot resolve their response to the last global warming event of the studied interval: the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO).Study funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), funds PRIN 2017: project “Biota resilience to global change: biomineralization of planktic and benthic calcifiers in the past, present and future” (prot. 2017RX9XXY).