bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Seasonal and regional distribution of lightning fraction over Indian Sub-continent
Authors: Ghosh Rakesh , Pawar Sunil D , Hazra Anupam , Wilkinson Jonathan
Published: February 2023

The three years of IITM LLN lightning observation data are used to determine the seasonal and spatial (over different geographical locations) distribution of the ratio of intra-cloud lightning (IC) to cloud-to-ground lightning (CG) in thunderstorms over the Indian sub-continent. The ratio is high (8-10) in the north-western parts and low (0.3-3) in the north-eastern parts. There is not a prominent latitudinal variation of IC and CG ratio, but a climatological seasonal variability exists all over the regions. In the Pre-monsoon (March to May), the mean ratio is observed at 3.87 with a standard deviation of 0.74, and during Monsoon (June to September), that is 3.01 with a standard deviation of 0.52. Pre-monsoon thunderstorm exhibits more IC discharge comparatively monsoonal thunderstorms; hence IC:CG ratio is also high in pre-monsoon. We have observed that CG lightning is approximately 20% of total lightning in pre-monsoon whereas 25% of total lightning in monsoon all over the Indian region. High CAPE associated with a stronger vertical updraft enhances the cold cloud depth and expands the mixed phase region, which can broaden and uplift the size of the upper positive charge center inside a thunderstorm while the middle negative charge center remains at the same temperature level. Therefore it enhances the occurrence of IC discharge between the upper positive charge center and middle negative charge center, hence increasing the IC:CG ratio of a thunderstorm. The implication of these observed results has the importance of separating CG lightning flash from total and can be used in the numerical model to give a proper prediction of CG lightning in hazard mitigation. 
Assessing a calibration and data assimilation technique for predicting multi-level global thermospheric neutral density fields
Authors: Forootan Ehsan , Farzaneh Saeed , Kosary Mona , Borries Claudia , Kodikara Timothy , Doornbos Eelco , Schumacher Maike
Published: February 2023

An accurate estimation of the Thermospheric Neutral Density (TND) is important for predicting the orbit of satellites and objects, for example, those with the altitude of less than 1000 km. Models are often used to simulate TNDs but their accuracy is limited due to uncertainties. Satellite missions such as CHAMP, GRACE, GOCE, Swarm, and GRACE-FO or the Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) missions can be used to estimate along-track TNDs. However, spatial and temporal coverage of these space borne TNDs is restricted to the mission design. To make the best use of the modelling tools and measurements, we applied these along-track TND measurements within the sequential Calibration and Data Assimilation (C/DA) framework proposed by (Forootan et al., 2022, doi:10.1038/s41598-022-05952-y). The C/DA is used to re-calibrate the NRLMSISE00 model, which is called “C/DA-NRLMSISE00”, whose outputs fit well to the introduced space-borne TNDs. The C/DA-NRLMSISE00 is applicable for forecasting TNDs and individual neutral mass compositions at any predefined vertical level (between ~100 and ~600 km) with user-defined spatial-temporal sampling. Seven periods (between 2003 - 2020) with considerable geomagnetic activity are selected for our investigations because most of the available models lack accuracy to provide reasonable TND simulations. Independent comparisons are performed with the space-borne TNDs that were not used within the C/DA framework, as well as with the outputs of other thermospheric models such as Jacchia-Bowman 2008 (JB2008) and the High Accuracy Satellite Drag Model (HASDM) database. The numerical results indicate that indeed the new model is suitable for producing multi-level global thermospheric neutral density fields.
Can thin peats sequester carbon?
Authors: Goodger Lou , Gatis Naomi , Benaud Pia , Anderson Karen , Brazier Richard
Published: February 2023

Definitions of peatlands based on peat thickness often exclude areas of shallow peat such as those found across Bodmin Moor, southwest UK.  Although thin, in areas, these peats support Sphagnum rich vegetation communities. We are continuously (every 30 minutes) measuring net ecosystem exchange and methane fluxes, using automated chambers, in four vegetation communities along a wetness gradient.  We hypothesis despite the thin peat, these communities are carbon sequestering, and therefore require protection and/or restoration.These peatlands are heterogeneous on meter spatial scales, chamber measurements enable us to capture that variability and quantify the difference between the vegetation communities present.  The temporal resolution of the data gives us certainty in the carbon budgets not previously possible using survey techniques.
Weather dependency of European wind and photovoltaic power production for present and future installations
Authors: Ho Linh , Fiedler Stephanie
Published: February 2023

European countries are increasing their share of power production from wind and solar energy to mitigate climate change. Also the relative contributions from PV and wind power production in Europe change over time. At present, the installed capacity of photovoltaic (PV) power for all of Europe is smaller than that of wind power with a ratio of 3:4. Future scenarios for the installations of PV and wind power capacities for 2050 suggest that this ratio will substantially change. Namely, the PV power capacity might exceed the wind power capacity with a ratio of 3:2 to 2:1. We test the hypothesis that the weather dependency of anomalies in the PV plus wind power production will change in the future compared to today. Specifically, we examine which synoptic weather patterns are associated with anomalies in the PV plus wind power production for the present and future installed capacities in Europe. To that end, we developed a renewable energy model for the installed capacity of 2019 and 2050. This model allows us to simulate hourly PV and wind power production at 6 km horizontal resolution for all of Europe. We analyze the weather dependency of power-production anomalies by pairing our model output with results of the classification of weather patterns from the German Weather Service. Our results highlight similar weather patterns associated with positive anomalies in the hourly PV plus wind power production for the 2019 and 2050 installation, namely weather patterns with prevailing westerly winds. However, weather patterns associated with negative anomalies strongly change between the two installations. We also assess the dependency of the results on the duration of the production anomalies. Particularly for long production anomalies, the associated weather patterns are different for the 2019 and 2050 installation. One exception is the weather pattern Anticyclonic Southeasterly that is associated with the lowest 10-day power production in Europe for both 2019 and 2050. Regionally, weather patterns have different impacts on different regions in Europe, when comparing the associated patterns between the 2019 and 2050 installation. For instance, anomalously low power production differ for the Iberian peninsula and Southeastern Europe when the two installed capacities are compared. Taken together, our study gives a systematic overview on changes in the weather dependency of anomalies in the mix of PV and wind power between 2019 and 2050.
Mammal abundance varies with geochemical specialisation in the underlying rock formations.
Authors: Grant Rachel , Shitov Alexander , Karanin Andrey V.
Published: February 2023

There has been little research on how the composition of underlying rock formation affects animal species’ distribution and abundance. The subject is worthy of consideration as, for example,  it has been shown that ultrabasic and serpentine rocks in particular can give rise to plant biodiversity hotspots with a high level of endemism. Corresponding studies of fauna are lacking. We aim to test the hypothesis that rock type affects mammal abundance and biodiversity.Here we present a comparative analysis of the abundance of mammals and its relationship with geological composition in the area of Gorny Altai, a mountainous region in Russia.We used GIS approaches to map the influence of rock types on mammal abundance, while holding other factors such as soil type, relief, etc. constant. The study reveals significant correlations between underlying geology and variation in mammal distribution even when other factors such as soil type, climate and vegetation are held constant.Intrusive rocks were found to have the greatest impact on variation in mammal distribution whereas sedimentary and metamorphic rocks have almost no effect. A characteristic feature of magmatic formations is their clear geochemical specialization, i.e. certain geochemical anomalies (Fe, Cu, Au, Hg, Ag, etc.) are confined to intrusions. We suggest that geophysical fields (magnetic and electric fields) and geochemical anomalies associated with intrusive rocks may have an impact on the distribution and species composition of mammals, as well as geodynamic processes such as fault activity. This finding has implications for further research into the phenomenon of animals’ anticipatory responses to earthquakes. 
Modeling the Variability of Terrestrial Carbon Fluxes using Transformers
Authors: Mazumder Swarnalee , Prasad Ayush
Published: February 2023

The terrestrial carbon cycle is one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate projections. The terrestrial carbon sink which removes a quarter of anthropogenic CO2 emissions; is highly variable in time and space depending on climate. Previous studies have found that data-driven models such as random forest, artificial neural networks and long short-term memory networks can be used to accurately model Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) and Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) accurately, which are two important metrics to quantify the direction and magnitude of CO2 transfer between the land surface and the atmosphere. Recently, a new class of machine learning models called transformers have gained widespread attention in natural language processing tasks due to their ability to learn from large volumes of sequential data. In this work, we use Transformers to model NEE and GPP from 1996-2022 at 39 Flux stations in the ICOS Europe network using ERA5 reanalysis data. We can compare our results with traditional machine learning approaches to evaluate the generalisability and predictive performance of transformers for carbon flux modelling.
Empirical structure models of Uranus and Neptune
Authors: Neuenschwander Benno , Helled Ravit
Published: February 2023

Uranus and Neptune are still poorly understood. Their gravitational fields, rotation periods, atmosphere dynamics, and internal structures are not well determined. In this paper, we present empirical structure models of Uranus and Neptune where the density profiles are represented by polytropes. By using these models that are set to fit the planetary gravity field, we predict the higher order gravitational coefficients J6 and J8 for various assumed rotation periods, wind depths, and uncertainty of the low-order harmonics. We show that faster rotation and/or deep winds favour centrally concentrated density distributions. We demonstrate that an accurate determination of J6 or J8 with a relative uncertainty no larger than 10% could constrain wind depths of Uranus and Neptune. We also confirm that the Voyager II rotation periods are inconsistent with the measured shapes of Uranus and Neptune. We next demonstrate that more accurate determination of the gravity field can significantly reduce the possible range of internal structures. Finally, we suggest that an accurate measurement of the moment of inertia of Uranus and Neptune with a relative uncertainty of ∼ 1% and ∼ 0.1%, could constrain their rotation periods and depths of the winds, respectively.
GPM-DPR observed microphysical characteristics of the Arabian Sea tropical cyclone
Authors: Kumar Amit , Srivastava Atul Kumar , Srivastava Manoj Kumar
Published: February 2023

The precipitation characteristics of tropical cyclones (TCs) formed between 2014-2021 over the Arabian Sea during the onset phase of monsoon and after the monsoon (post-monsoon) seasons have been investigated through the space-borne dual-frequency precipitation radar of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM-DPR) satellite level 2, V07 observation. In a cloud that is producing precipitation, the two-dimensional frequency distribution of the liquid water content (LWC; g/m2) and non-liquid water content (IWC; g/m2) exhibits a clear seasonal and cloud-type dependence. For the precipitating cloud of stratiform origin of TCs in the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, a significant part of rain droplets is present in the LWC limit of 0-800 g/m2 and the IWC limit of 0-350 g/m2. In contrast to the stratiform precipitation associated with the TCs, the LWC quantity is additionally more, and IWC is less for the convective origin precipitating cloud. In the monsoon and post-monsoon season, the mean values of the mass-weighted mean diameter, Dm (mm), are 1.29 (1.47) mm and 1.27 (1.31) mm, respectively, for the stratiform (convective) cyclonic cloud. It is noticed that when the value of Dm increases, the normalised intercept parameters (Nw) decrease, regardless of the season and cloud type related to the TCs. While stratiform precipitation contains a considerably high concentration of smaller-sized rain droplets during both seasons, the number concentration of bigger rain droplets is significantly high during convective precipitation. From the contoured frequency with altitude diagram (CFAD) plots for Dm and Ze for the cyclonic cloud in both seasons, we observe a large concentration of ice and supercooled liquid particles available above the melting layer and a significant concentration of rain droplets in liquid state present below the melting layer. We derived the contribution of the different microphysical processes (break-up, size-sorting, collision-coalescence, and evaporation processes) in the rain droplets formation below the melting layer. It is found that the process of collision-coalescence is predominating microphysical process for convective precipitation. The break-up process is a primary microphysical process in the precipitating cloud of stratiform origin. 
A conceptual system for identifying and distinguishing different non-rainfall water fractions in agroecosystems
Authors: Groh Jannis , Pütz Thomas , Beysens Daniel , Vereecken Harry , Amelung Wulf
Published: February 2023

Most of the water input to the ecosystem comes from rainfall. However, depending on the local climatic conditions a considerable amount of water can also be produced by different fractions of non-rainfall water inputs (NRWIs), namely dew, hoarfrost, rime, fog, and the adsorption of water vapour in the soil. Such NRWIs are often neglected because they are typically small compared to rainfall on the daily scale. Nevertheless, these NRWIs provide our ecosystems with additional water, which is important for the survival of the fauna and flora in the ecosystem, especially during dry periods. In the past different devices were used to determine some of these fractions, based on artificial surfaces (e.g., dew or fog collector). We will present a conceptual measurement set-up that allows us to determine each non-rainfall water (NRW) component for natural surfaces of agricultural ecosystems. The method is based on precise weighable lysimeter measurement to determine the incoming water fluxes of NRW. The partitioning between the NRW components will be done based on parallel observations on the surface and air temperature, humidity, rain gauge, and dust collector. Based on this conceptual system, we will compare the temporal development and occurrence of different NRW components for eight different agroecosystems under similar climatic conditions.
Prolonged Flooding followed by drying increase greenhouse gas emissions differently from soils under grassland and arable land uses
Authors: Guo Yafei , Saiz Ernesto , Radu Aleksandar , Ullah Sami
Published: February 2023

Abstract    Under the predicted climate change scenarios, heavy precipitation could result in prolonged flooding (PF) and flooding-drying (FD) of soils in agriculture. The influence of PF and FD on soil greenhouse gas fluxes and nitrogen (N) dynamics of arable and grassland soils, which are the dominant land use types in UK soil, is still unclear. Two months of soil incubation experiments were conducted to find out the impact of PF and FD on soil nitrogen dynamics and greenhouse gas fluxes from arable and grassland soil. The result showed the developed ion selective electrodes (ISE) sensor was working to measure NH4+ in the first 5 days of real-life application under both grassland and arable soil. There were less N2O-N emissions in grassland and arable soil when soil moisture was higher than 100% water-holding capacity (WHC). Arable soil had more N2O-N emissions when soil moisture was higher than 100% WHC compared to grassland soil due to a low pH. Grassland soil had more N2O-N emissions when soil moisture was lower than 100% WHC compare to arable soil due to a high carbon and nitrogen source. When soil moisture was greater than 100% WHC, the available NO3--N in the soil controlled N2O-N emissions of grassland more effectively. The N2O-N emissions of grassland soil were more controlled by soil stable NH4+-N and NO3--N when soil moisture was lower than 100% WHC. The emissions of N2O-N and CO2-C were increased with the time of FD. FD significantly increased N2O-N, CO2-C, and CH4-C emissions in grassland soil compared to arable soil by 0.93, 2.15, and 37.29 times, respectively. Converting arable land use to grassland could increase the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under climate change (heavy rain). Further research needs to be done to find out how to reduce the GHG emissions under climate change after transfer arable to grassland.
Reviewing the 1997 Umbria-Marche seismic sequence: a fresh look from the integration of new seismological and subsurface data
Authors: Anselmi Mario , Buttinelli Mauro , Maesano Francesco Emanuele
Published: February 2023

The central-northern Apennines represent a high seismic hazard area characterized in the last decades by multiple seismic sequences (1997 Umbria-Marche, 2009 L’Aquila, 2016-2017 Amatrice-Visso-Norcia) related to the post-orogenic extension.After the recent Amatrice-Visso-Norcia seismic sequence, the large availability of subsurface geological data and the dense seismological and geodetic networks allowed for better imaging of the shallow crust structural setting and the relationship with the occurred seismic sequences. Recent advances in those areas focused on comprehending the role of inherited structures (namely the large thrust faults related to the building up of the Apennines orogen) in compartmentalizing both horizontally and vertically the seismic sequences. Also, they suggested that major compressive structures may play an active role in seismogenesis through their kinematic inversion into the current extensional regime.Such behavior was already debated after the 1997 Umbria-Marche seismic sequence, characterized by six main shocks with 5 < Mw < 6. All the large shocks originated on adjacent and parallel NW trending normal faults whose extent varies between 5 and 10 km at a hypocentral depth of 5 –6 km.Our work presents a review of the data available for the 1997 Umbria-Marche seismic sequence. Using a combined dataset of seismic reflection profiles and deep boreholes, as well as detailed data from geological surveys, we present a new 3D geological and velocity model of the area. We also re-analyzed the passive seismic data recorded by both the temporary and permanent seismic networks. As a result, we computed a new 1-D relocation catalog based on the 3-D geological and geophysical imaging of the shallow portion of the crust in the target area.The comparison of the geological model and the relocated seismicity shows a substantially vertical and horizontal compartmentation of the shallow crust due to the action of the thrusts. The seismicity distribution is strictly conditioned by the organization of crustal volumes separated by major thrusts and is concentrated within the same structural and stratigraphic levels, both on normal faults and pre-existing thrusts, possibly reactivated during the sequences.The integrated analysis of seismological and geological subsurface data shed light on the open questions related to the interference between Quaternary normal faults and Tertiary thrusts and on the geometry of the causative faults of the 1997 seismic sequence. In addition, they help to define a more robust seismotectonic behavior and to assess the seismic hazard of those areas.
Seismic noise characteristics of PNU OBS network in 2021-2022
Authors: Sohn Yu Jin , Kim Kwang-Hee , Kang Su Young , Kim Doyoung , Lee Young-Cheol
Published: February 2023

Pusan National University deployed sixteen ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) in the eastern offshore of the southern Korean peninsula. The primary purpose of the OBS network is monitoring earthquakes in the eastern offshore to investigate potential fault systems in the offshore region which was formidable using limited apertures by land-based observations. A seismic network's performance highly depends on each site's background noise level. We analyze the nature of the ambient noise and site response for ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) deployed in the 2021-2022 period. The power spectral densities (PSDs) of the OBSs exhibited dis-similar features from those of land-based stations; most temporary broadband seismic stations on land showed relatively lower background noise levels. In the meanwhile, OBSs showed higher background noise levels. We report the nature of ambient noise at various channels, water depths, spatial locations, temporal variations, extreme weather conditions, and their potential causes. In general, horizontal components are noisier than vertical components. For longer periods, horizontal components are larger by ~45 dB. The probability density functions (PDFs) of OBSs show that the noise level is within the range of McNamara’s model (2004) for higher frequencies (3.5~50 Hz) although they are still high. When examining long periods (> 20 s), the noise level is higher than what would be given by McNamara’s model. Although we do not observe diurnal or weekly variations in OBS, as expected, we observe varying degrees of seasonal variations in OBSs. Apparently, water depth is the most important factor in deciding noise levels and their seasonal variations. At shallow-depth OBSs, we observe a strong correlation between noise levels and wave heights estimated by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The ambient noise is down to -130 dB for the band from 5 to 15 Hz, which provides the best signal-to-noise ratio for local microearthquakes. We also present the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) of the ambient noise recorded by OBSs. They present significant amplifications at lower frequencies, which indicates large amplification by combined effects due to lower density and lower wave velocity at shallow sediments, and greater depths to major impedance contrast. We confirm that modeling HVSR of noise data recorded by a three-component OBS offers a fast and inexpensive method for site investigation in deep water with the potential of in situ seafloor sediment characterization.
Extreme rain event during November 1617: from the eastern Iberian Peninsula to Balearic Islands. Speleothem records and historical documents.
Authors: Cisneros Mercè , Barriendos Mariano , Sigro Javier , Barriendos Josep , Aguilar Enric
Published: February 2023

Under the current climate change situation, the Mediterranean region has been identified as one of the primary hot-spots, expecting not only to become warmer, but also drier during the twenty-first century. Changing conditions also include an increase in the frequency of intense torrential rainfall events, whose occurrence has already caused increasing flash flood events with catastrophic impacts and human casualties. The understanding of the past extreme events is challenging and useful to deal with the current situation.During November 1617 an extreme rain event has been documented by previous studies in a large latitudinal region from southern France to eastern river basins of the Iberian Peninsula (Thorndycraft et al., 2006). Here we present new evidences of the large-scale impact of this extreme event based on a multi-proxy approach. On the one hand, the occurrence of this event is interpreted by means of a flood cave horizon detected in a speleothem from Mallorca (Balearic Islands). On the other hand, historical documents depict this event also in some localities of Pyrenees, enhancing its longitudinal occurrence.Through the integration with previous climate, paleohydrological and qualitative hydrometeorological reconstructions, we try to understand the complex atmospheric mechanisms that caused this event during the Little Ice Age.
B-AMA: a new Python protocol for hydrological predictions using data-driven models
Authors: Amaranto Alessandro , Mazzoleni Maurizio
Published: February 2023

The objective of this interactive poster session is to show the main features of B-AMA (Basic dAta-driven Models for All), an easy, flexible, fully coded Python-written protocol for the application of data-driven models (DDM) in hydrology. The protocol is specifically tailored for early career scientists with little background in coding, to foster them through the development of DDMs for hydrological forecasting while ensuring that none of the fundamental methodological steps is overlooked.While a Jupyter notebook is already available online to guide the users through the protocol employment, during the session the interested audience can learn the main features of the software (data splitting, feature selection, hyperparameter optimization, and performance metrics) by running several practical hydrological workflows. The session will couple the visual representation B-AMA’s methodology with some laptop-based experiments, including rainfall-runoff, hydropower, and groundwater forecasts. We also allow loading customized csv data to deliver a first-hand experience of the protocol forecasting ability on the user’s specific case study, thanks also to the embedded visualization tools, which facilitate the efficient investigation and communication of results. 
Development of an erosion and transfer particulate phase pesticides model at the watershed scale
Authors: Lima Tulio , Carluer Nadia , Rabotin Michael , Moussa Roger , Lauvernet Claire
Published: February 2023

Pesticides are chemicals used in various agricultural practices to control pests, weeds and plant diseases. They are responsible for many negative impacts on the environment and human health. In addition, they are linked to the intensive use of agricultural machinery and equipment, and to mass production, often associated with monoculture. These non-ecological practices contribute to the contamination of freshwater by pesticides, as well as to the continuous soils degradation and the erosive processes increase. In this context, Rouzies et al. (2019) developed the dynamic and continuous model PESHMELBA with the aim of simulating pesticide transfers at the watershed scale, and comparing scenarios by explicitly taking into account the landscape spatial organisation. This model has a modular structure, which allows to improve the representation of some processes or landscape elements (such as plots, vegetative filter strips, ditches, rivers, etc.), or to add new ones. The current version of the model only estimates the pesticides transfer in solution (water), which may underestimate the impact of these solutes, as the part of them absorbed in the soil particles is not yet taken into account in the simulations.Thus, an erosion module was developed in order to integrate the transfer of pesticides in the particulate phase into the PESHMELBA model, and to quantify the soil loss and the particles transfer at the watershed scale. This model differs from other existing erosion models by performing continuous dynamic simulations, i.e. it takes into account the variation of sediment concentrations in space and time, and the continuity between precipitation events. The developed model simulates soil detachment by rainfall (interrill erosion) and by runoff (rill erosion), transfer of particles by laminar and concentrated surface runoff, and deposition of particles when transport capacity is exceeded, in particular inside landscape elements as vegetated strips or hedges, or where slope decreases. This deposition consolidates along time between two surface runoff events.This module integration inside PESHMELBA allows the comparison of different scenarios of agricultural practices and land use, by taking into account different configurations of the landscape elements. This first version of the erosion model is still in the testing phase, where the first simulations show consistent results and illustrate the interest of a continuous dynamic simulation, essential to represent pesticide transfer. Despite the current constraints and limitations of this model, it shows great potential to represent erosive processes in a more realistic way, by further refining and improving this first version in subsequent contexts.
The Influence of the Tibetan Plateau Monsoon on Summer Precipitation in Central Asia
Authors: Zhang Shaobo
Published: February 2023

As a unique climate phenomenon induced by the Tibetan Plateau (TP) heat flux, the TP monsoon is closely connected with the global climate, especially pertaining to the TP. However, the current research focuses more on the influence of the TP monsoon on the TP and eastern China, but not including Central Asia. This paper analyzed the relationship between the TP monsoon index and Central Asia summer precipitation by JRA55 reanalysis data and Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) monthly precipitation. The results showed a significant positive relationship between the TP monsoon index and summer precipitation in Central Asia. When the TP monsoon was strong, there was cold advection in the upper troposphere over Central Asia, and the resulting thermal wind caused a cyclonic circulation anomaly in the mid-upper troposphere over Central Asia. This in turn led to a cyclonic circulation anomaly to water vapor transport in the lower troposphere. The abnormal upward movement also caused more precipitation in this area, which explains the positive correlation between the TP monsoon and the precipitation in Central Asia. Based on this physical mechanism, the temperature of the mid-upper troposphere over Central Asia was closely related to the TP monsoon, and it was a key factor that affected summer precipitation changes in Central Asia.
Disentangling the effects of microbial functional diversity and carbon availability on soil organic carbon decomposition
Authors: Khurana Swamini , Abramoff Rose , Bruni Elisa , Guenet Bertrand , Tupek Boris , Manzoni Stefano
Published: February 2023

The factors governing stability of soil organic carbon vary from chemical characteristics to physical occlusion from either biotic (such as plant roots, soil fauna and microorganisms) or abiotic agents (such as water). By mediating the decomposition potential, microbial community diversity and structure may play an important role in the fate of soil organic carbon. In this theoretical study, we aim to understand the role of the microbial community diversity and composition in soil organic carbon storage and decomposition. 

We constructed a model describing a microbial process network incorporating diverse organic matter compounds and microbial groups. The microbial groups varied from each other with respect to their affinity to depolymerise, take-up, metabolise and assimilate organic compounds. We allowed for adaptation of microbial communities to available carbon, and competition among microbial groups.  We tested this process network with functionally diverse microbial communities which were subjected to varying carbon availability. This framework allowed us to explore organic carbon decomposition rates and their temporal evolution under different conditions of microbial diversity and carbon availability, as well as the tendency of a soil microbial system to store carbon. 

We found that the microbial community functional diversity is a good predictor of organic carbon decomposition rates. This result suggests that an  organic carbon decomposition rate modifier could be defined based on functional diversity and then included in soil carbon models. Furthermore, we observed that organic carbon decomposition by functionally similar communities in carbon poor conditions slowed down after approximately half of the initial carbon was consumed. In the same conditions, functionally diverse communities with a higher number of biotic agents allowed a more complete decomposition. However, with increasing initial carbon availability, the functional diversity of the microbial community ceased to play a role in soil carbon storage. These results link microbial community diversity and carbon availability to decomposition potential and thus organic carbon stability in soils.
Measuring snow and avalanche properties using acoustic and seismic distributed fiber optic sensing
Authors: Prokop Alexander , Agostinetti Nicola P. , Graseman Bernhard
Published: February 2023

Since 2012 we monitor avalanche activity using distributed acoustic and seismic fiber optic sensing at our avalanche test area at Lech am Arlberg, Austria. The method is based on an optical time domain reflectometer system that detects seismic vibrations and acoustic signals on a fiber optic cable that can have a length of up to 30 km in 80 cm resolution. While in the first years we focused on successfully developing an operational avalanche detection system that is able to tell in real time reliably when an avalanche was triggered and what the size of the avalanche is, we now present our investigations of the seismic signals to measure snow properties such as snow depth and avalanche properties such as flow behavior. Our test in winter 2022 recorded by blasting triggered avalanches and during data post processing we extracted seismic guided waves. We discuss methods for extracting information from guided waves for measuring snow depth, which was verified against spatial snow depth measurements from terrestrial laser scanning. Analyzing the seismic signals of avalanches with run-out distances ranging from a few metres to approximately 250 m allows us to differentiate between wet and snow avalanches, which is discussed in the context of avalanche dynamics.
Magnetotelluric survey in the Kuusamo Schist Belt, Northeastern Finland
Authors: Autio Uula , Kamm Jochen , Niiranen Tero , Lahti Ilkka
Published: February 2023

New broadband magnetotelluric (MT) data were acquired within the BATCircle2.0 project (WP1) in the Kuusamo Schist Belt (KuSB), northeastern Finland. The MT measurements aim to outline the regional geological structures of the belt together with potential field and petrophysical data. The new knowledge on the large-scale structures of the KuSB helps to understand its evolution and holds clues to mineralization processes of the area. A 20 km wide and 70 km long window crossing the KuSB in the NW–SE direction was selected as the survey area from which new MT and gravity data were collected. Here, we present the first results from the MT part of the study.The survey area is located in the KuSB that is a southern extension of the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt (CLGB). The CLGB is one of the largest Proterozoic greenstone belts in the world. It consists of a Palaeoproterozoic (2.5–1.97 Ga) volcanic and sedimentary cover that was deposited on the Archaean (> 2.5 Ga) basement. Rifting, magmatism, deposition of sedimentary sequences occurred 2.44–2.0 Ga. Deformation and metamorphism were related to Svecofennian orogenic events 1.92–1.79 Ga. The KuSB area is particularly prospective for Co-Cu-Au-U-REE deposits and several such mineralizations are known in the area.The collected MT dataset consists of ca. 150 sites with site spacing of 1–5 km. A profile with denser site spacing (1 km) was supported by sparse (5 km) off-profile sites. From time series processing high quality transfer functions were obtained in the period range 0.003–256 s. Phase tensor analysis shows that the regional electrical dimensionality is mainly 3D. First 3D inversions of the MT data set using the ModEM code (Kelbert et al., 2014) indicate the existence of a crustal conductor at several kilometers depth in the northern part of the study area. References:Kelbert, A., Meqbel, N., Egbert, G., Tandon., K., 2014. ModEM: A modular system for inversion of electromagnetic geophysical data. Computers & Geosciences, Volume 66, May 2014, Pages 40-53 
Photosynthetic thermal acclimation capacity of tropical montane rainforest trees in Rwanda and in the Colombian Andes
Authors: Dusenge Mirindi E , Wittemann Maria , Mujawamariya Myriam , Tarvainen Lasse , Ntawuhiganayo Bahati Elisée , Zibera Etienne , Ntirugulirwa Bonaventure , Way Danielle , Nsabimana Donat , Uddling Johan , Wallin Göran , Restrepo Correa Zorayda , Gonzalez-Carro Sebastian , Meir Patrick , Sanchez Adriana
Published: February 2023

Tropical montane forests are among the most productive ecosystems within the tropical region and store a significant amount of carbon in live biomass. With ongoing global climate warming, tropical climates are also getting warmer. The productivity and climate feedbacks of future tropical montane forests depend on the ability of trees to acclimate their photosynthetic metabolism to these new, warmer conditions. However, knowledge of acclimation ability of photosynthesis and its underlying biochemical processes to warming in trees grown under natural field conditions is currently limited due to data scarcity. To reduce this knowledge gap, we used two separate field experiments located in Colombia (with 15 species) and Rwanda (16 species), and for each experiment, tree species were grown at three different sites along an elevation gradient differing in ambient air temperature. At all three sites, we measured the responses of net CO2 assimilation at different CO2 concentration (50 to 2000 ppm) and at different leaf temperatures (15 to 40 °C) in ≈ 3 years old trees. We used these data to derive key photosynthetic biochemical parameters (maximum Rubisco carboxylation capacity - Vcmax and maximum electron transport rate - Jmax) and their temperature sensitivity, as well as the thermal optimum of net photosynthesis (ToptA). We show that tropical montane tree species from the two continents are generally able to acclimate their ToptA by increasing in trees grown in warmer conditions, but the magnitude of change in ToptA differs among species from different successional groups (early- versus late succession) and climate of origin (lowland versus montane). Shifts in ToptA are largely driven by concomitant changes in thermal sensitivity parameters of underlying biochemical processes of photosynthesis (Vcmax and Jmax) with warming. We also show that, at a standard temperature of 25 °C, Vcmax is largely constant, while Jmax decreases with warming. Our findings indicate tropical montane tree species from Latin America and Africa can thermally acclimate their photosynthetic physiology, but that this thermal acclimation ability is related to species successional group and their climate of origin.
The impact of tectonic structures on the 3D scattering imaging of the Central Italy Seismic Sequence
Authors: Gabrielli Simona , Akinci Aybige , De Siena Luca , Del Pezzo Edoardo , Buttinelli Mauro , Maesano Francesco , Maffucci Roberta
Published: February 2023

The Amatrice (Mw 6.0) - Visso (Mw 5.9) - Norcia (Mw 6.5) seismic sequence (hereafter AVN) struck the Central Apennines (Italy) in 6-7 months during 2016-2017, and it has been widely associated with fluid migration in the normal faults network. The analysis of attenuation parameters (e.g., scattering and absorption) gives information about material properties and the presence of fluids and fracturing. In this study, we investigate in a 3D mapping the scattering contribution to the total attenuation of the AVN seismic sequence (August 2016-January 2017), together with a pre-sequence dataset (March 2013-August 2016). We applied peak delay as a proxy of seismic scattering, to obtain further information on the fracturing processes in time and space. Previous 2D mapping of peak-delay time and coda attenuation tomography in the same study area indicated a substantial control on the scattering of seismic waves by structural (e.g., Monti Sibillini thrust) and lithological (e.g., Umbria- Marche and Lazio-Abruzzi geological domains) features.Our 3D results show clear differences between the pre-sequence and the sequence, where we can identify an increase of scattering with time after the mainshocks. The substantial alterations in scattering are observed between 4 - 6 km depth, in the hanging wall of the Monti Sibillini thrust, which acts as a rheological barrier between high and low scattering zones. Peak delay variations detected a significant anomaly in the Triassic deposits layer, at the roots of the Acquasanta thrust, east of Monti Sibillini. Here, low scattering during the pre-sequence epoch is replaced by high scattering during the mainshocks. The low scattering along the Acquasanta thrust suggests an increment of pore pressure, associated with the presence of fluids in this geological formation. The subsequent release of those fluids may have caused the mainshocks of the seismic sequence, and a subsequent increase in fracturing, as observed by the high scattering anomaly. These results bring a new light on the importance to consider the thrusts systems in the tectonic framework of the Central Italy.
Mapping and Analysis of Anthrax Cases in Humans and Animals
Authors: Chichinadze Tamar , Gulashvili Zaza , Bolashvili Nana , Malania Lile , Suknidze Nikoloz
Published: February 2023

Anthrax is a rare but serious disease caused by gram-positive, stem-shaped bacteria Bacillus anthracis, which are toxin-producing, encapsulated, facultative anaerobic organisms. Anthrax is found naturally in the soil and mainly harms livestock and wildlife. It can cause serious illness in both humans and animals. Anthrax, an often fatal disease of animals, is spread to humans through contact with infected animals or their products. People get infected with anthrax when spores get into the body.The study aims to monitor the anthill localization map of anthrax on geographical maps and identify geographical variables that are significantly associated with environmental risk factors for anthrax recurrence in Georgia (Caucasus), as specific diseases affect the geographical environment, soil, climate. etc.We carefully analyzed a set of 1664 cases of anthrax in humans and 621 cases of anthrax in animals, up to 1430 locations in anthrax foci (animal burial sites, slaughterhouses, BP roads, construction, etc.) observed in Georgia. Literature and the National Center for Disease Control for over 70 years. We analyzed more than 30 geographical variables such as climate, topography, soil (soil type, chemical composition, acidity), landscape, etc., and created several digital thematic maps, and foci of ant distribution and detection. The identified variable will help you to monitor anthrax development foci.
Multivariate regression tree approach to evaluate relationship between hydroclimatic characteristics and agricultural and hydrological droughts
Authors: paez ana , Corzo Gerald , Solomatine Dimitri
Published: February 2023

Projections indicate that agricultural and hydrological droughts' frequency, severity, and duration are expected to increase globally in the twenty-one century. A better understanding of droughts drivers is key to creating preparedness and resilience to projected events. Typically, droughts are caused by lower precipitation and/or higher evaporation than normal in a region. The region's characteristics and anthropogenic influences may enhance or alleviate the drought events. Evaluating the multiple factors influencing droughts is complex and requires innovative approaches. To address this complexity, this study applies a multivariate approach to evaluate the relationship between ten hydroclimatic characteristics and the severity of agricultural and hydrological droughts. A process-based model (Soil Water Assessment Tool) is used for hydrological modeling. The model outputs (soil moisture and streamflow) are used to calculate the indicators for the drought's analysis: Soil Moisture Deficit Index for agricultural droughts and the Standardized Streamflow Index for hydrological droughts. Then, the Multivariate decision tree approach is applied to evaluate the relevance and relationship between the hydroclimatic characteristics and the agricultural and hydrological drought severity at each subbasin. The approach is applied in the Cesar River basin (Colombia, South America), an area of ecological interest declared RAMSAR site.Study outcomes indicate that evapotranspiration, precipitation, and percolation are the primary drivers of agricultural droughts. Other hydroclimatic parameters such as the curve number, water yield, solid yield, and slope play a relevant role in the subbasin's exposure to agricultural droughts. Subbasins with precipitation lower than 1318 mm, evapotranspiration higher than 1191 mm, percolation higher than 648 mm, and soil yield higher than 101 mm experienced more severe agricultural drought conditions during the period of analysis Regarding hydrological droughts; findings show that evapotranspiration and water yield are principal drivers. Results indicate that precipitation, percolation, and surface runoff also influence the severity of hydrological droughts. Most severe drought conditions during the evaluation period are observed in subbasins with evapotranspiration higher than 826 mm, water yield higher than 9 mm, and precipitation higher than 1398 mm. The outcomes of our analysis indicate that seven out of ten hydroclimatic characteristics evaluated influence the severity of agricultural and hydrological droughts. In addition, the results demonstrate that capturing the non-linear relationships between drivers of droughts and severity allows examining the hydroclimatic characteristics that influence droughts in a region.
Data-driven discovery of dimensionless numbers for extreme flow
Authors: Tang Hui
Published: February 2023

Extreme climate events (e.g., extreme rainfall and glacier melting) in alpine areas can result in significant runoff or mass movements (e.g., flash floods and debris flows) that pose substantial threats to human life and infrastructure downstream. However, due to sparse measurements, understanding the sediment transport mechanisms that control these processes still needs to be completed. Scaling laws and dimensionless numbers provide valuable insights into complex physical systems and processes. Several dimensionless numbers (e.g., Einstein number and Savage number) have been proposed to investigate the relative importance of different sediment transport-related stresses for different systems or processes. In this study, we propose a new data-driven approach that embeds the principle of dimensional analysis in an unsupervised machine learning scheme to discover the best combination of dimensionless numbers that can describe sediment transport mechanisms in torrent processes. We reduce high-dimensional parameter spaces (12 dimensions) to descriptions involving only a few (about 3-4) physically interpretable dimensionless numbers. Using a unique field dataset, we demonstrate this idea to investigate the transition in different transport mechanisms. The result is generally applicable criteria that can improve existing classification models and aid in developing appropriate hazard assessments in mountainous regions based on scarce hydrologic measurements. 