bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microplastics in Urban Watersheds, Southern California, USA
Authors: Gray Andrew , Cowger Win , Singh Samiksha , Murphy-Hagan Clare
Published: February 2023

Globally, fluxes of microplastics to marine environments are thought to be dominated by stormflow from urban environments, which may be moderated by storage in estuaries. Fluvial transport of microplastics is primarily a supply-limited phenomenon, but flow field and particle characteristics can result in a wide range of transport modes, from surface load to bedload, with potential ramifications for estuarine transport and fate. Here we report preliminary findings from microplastic monitoring campaigns conducted in a number of streams draining urban watersheds in Southern California, and estuarine wetland and benthic sediment deposits. These studies will serve as the basis for microplastic flux, accretion, and composition evaluation, and inform the optimization of microplastic monitoring in urban systems.
The historical geological collections of the "Ennio Quirino Visconti" Higher School at the Roman Collegium: a hidden geological jewel in Rome, from the XVII century to nowadays
Authors: Corrado Sveva , Adanti Beatrice , Grossi Francesco , Bosco Vitamaria , Vasconi Paola , Bollati Andrea , Fabbri Marina
Published: February 2023

The geological collections, hosted in the Liceo Classico Statale “E. Q. Visconti” in Rome, from the "wonders" of Jesuit Father Athanasius Kircher to the nineteenth-century collections and  the present-day “Wunder Musaeum”, will be presented in this presentation. These collections represent a rich and "hidden" geological jewel preserved in the heart of Rome, made up of thousands of minerals, rocks, fossils and teaching tools, aquired through a long and fascinating story. A historical-scientific heritage that the "Geomuseum" project, developed between the geologists of the University of Roma Tre and teachers of the higher School, has made possible in order to enhance it and make it accessible to the general public and the students, for outreach and teaching purposes.
Sink patches, nurse shrubs and plant water-use strategies control the establishment of tree seedlings in Mediterranean-dry reclaimed mining hillslopes
Authors: Vicente Eduardo , Moreno de las Heras Mariano , Merino-Martín Luis , Nicolau José Manuel , Espigares Tíscar
Published: February 2023

Ecohydrologically suitable microsites, such as surface depressions and micro-topographical barriers acting as sink patches intercepting and infiltrating runoff, as well as nurse shrubs have largely been proposed as tools to improve the establishment of tree vegetation in Mediterranean reclaimed landscapes and other degraded dryland environments. We analyze the impact of sink patches and nurse (Genista scorpius) shrubs developed in Mediterranean-dry reclaimed mining hillslopes (Utrillas field site, central Spain) on seedling performance up to 8 years after plantation of two tree species with contrasted water-use strategies: Pinus nigra, a drought avoider species, and Quercus ilex, a drought tolerant species. Nurse shrubs enhanced early establishment of seedlings in shaded spots under its canopy. Further, sink patches ameliorated the survival of both species, although only increased plant growth during wet years that promoted source-to-sink transference of surface water resources as surface runoff. The survival and growth of P. nigra seedlings were strongly constrained during dry periods, resulting in a high cumulative mortality after 8 years regardless of microsite. Q. ilex showed a better performance during the experiment, keeping the positive effects of suitable microsites on plant survival after 8 years of plantation. Overall, our results encourage the use of ecohydrologically suitable microsites that concentrate water resources and nurse shrubs that ameliorate local conditions as key spots for introducing late-successional tree species in Mediterranean-dry reclaimed mining sites. Our results also indicate that seedling functional strategy to cope with drought is a critical factor conditioning plantation performance, therefore constituting a fundamental species selection criterion for restoration actions in Mediterranean areas, especially under effects of climate change.
Revising our way to program and support research to tackle the scientific issues of nature-based solutions: the case of France institutions
Authors: Hossaert Martine , Le Roux Xavier
Published: February 2023

In this talk, we will present an innovative French program on Biodiversity and Nature Based Solutions, SOLU-BIOD, driven by the CNRS and INRAe. This is an ambitious (>44 Mio€), long term (9 years) transformative (systemic) program, part of an investment plan of the French Government, which will address the challenges of implementing innovative NbS by tackling three main issues:(i) an organizational challenge: SOLU-BIOD will structure in France the community of research and practice on NbS in an unprecedented way by making possible highly inter- and transdisciplinary research;  (ii) scientific challenges: SOLU-BIOD will enable highly innovative research, in particular on the roles of biodiversity facets (in particular genetic diversity and evolutionary potential) for NbS; the importance of social processes (legislation frameworks, social norms, financing and governance systems) underlying NbS; the approaches and criteria to assess the effectiveness of NbS with the necessity to go beyond a case-by-case approach; and the creation of models and development of scenarios to design and assess NbS for the forthcoming decades. These scientific challenges will be addressed for four priority cases of NbS, namely NbS based on protected area networks, NbS in agricultural/natural mosaics, urban NbS and coastal NbS; (iii) a knowledge transfer, education and training challenge: SOLU-BIOD will profoundly change access to data and scientific knowledge and capacity building on NbS, through rethinking higher education and academic and continuing training and creating unprecedented access to expertise on these types of solutions in French territories. We will present more particularly the national network of living labs on NbS established by SOLU-BIOD and the research conducted therein.
Factors influencing CES use in Vilnius, Lithuania
Authors: Valença Pinto Luis , Inácio Miguel , Kalinauskas Marius , Bogdzevič Katažyna , Gomes Eduardo , Pereira Paulo
Published: February 2023

The assessment of preferences of cultural ecosystem services (CES) in urban areas is crucial for decision-making regarding the management of urban green spaces (UGS), which are expected to suffer intense and increasing pressure worldwide, due to urban population growth and climate warming. In this study, we assessed the perceived relevance of five groups of CES (social activities, inspirational activities, cultural activities, spiritual activities, and physical activities), in Vilnius city, Lithuania (n=1.114), through participatory mapping and preference-based questions (5-point Likert scale). Our results identify Physical and Social activities as the most important CES for the respondents, while Spiritual activities were the less prevalent. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the respondent's recreation experience preferences mostly influenced all CES activity groups except for the Social activities group. Regarding Cultural activities, preferences for understanding things & learn about history are the most relevant. For Inspirational activities, developing knowledge & to learn were the most important aspects. Enjoying nature's quietness & frequency were the most relevant aspects of Physical activities. For Spiritual activities, the most relevant variables are related to the development of spiritual activities and the reflection on personal religious values. Finally, Social activities were mainly influenced by socio-demographic variables, namely Education level, Gender and Age group. Regarding the spatial distribution of activities, different CES activity groups showed different spatial distributions. Inspirational activities showed the highest dispersion, and Spiritual activities the highest concentration. The results are of particular relevance to municipal managers, allowing for a better understanding of users’ interactions with the territory, and its multifunctionality, and also for the identification of potential areas of conflict between conservation and recreation.
Ocean Networks Canada: Long-term ocean observing on a Northeast Pacific cabled ocean observatory
Authors: Dewey Richard , Scherwath Martin , Milahy Steve , Heesemann Martin , De Leo Fabio , Muzi Lanfranco , Bauer Kohen , Juniper Kim
Published: February 2023

Long time series observations in the ocean are rare. In the Northeast Pacific, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) of the University of Victoria operates a number of permanent cabled ocean observatories. The first was installed in 2006, and they have successfully produced many interdisciplinary high-resolution time series over the years, the longest being over 16 years in duration. The cabled observatories operated by ONC include the VENUS coastal observatory and the NEPTUNE off-shore deep-sea observatory. Each observatory has several sites where an observatory node provides continuous power and high bandwidth communications to a wide range of ocean and geophysical sensors. Various long high-resolution time series will be presented and the assessment of climate, decadal, inter-seasonal, annual, and even daily cycles, variations, and signals will be discussed. Such long time series, including environmental baselines, are key for evaluating physicochemical and biological change in the oceans in response to natural variations and climate change. In this way, recent efforts to leverage our time series data in robust monitoring, measurement, reporting, and verification (M2RV) frameworks in the context of different marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approaches, will also be presented.
Predicting bacterial transport through saturated porous media using an automated machine learning model
Authors: Chen Fengxian , Zhou Bin , Yang Liqiong , Chen Xijuan , Zhuang Jie
Published: February 2023

Escherichia coli, as an indicator of fecal contamination, can move from manure-amended soil to groundwater under rainfall or irrigation events. Predicting its vertical transport in the subsurface is essential for the development of engineering solutions to reduce the risk of microbiological contamination. In this study, we collected 302 datasets from 39 published papers addressing E. coli transport through saturated porous media and trained an automated machine learning model (H2O AutoML) to predict bacterial transport. Bacterial concentration, porous medium type, particle size, ionic strength, pore water velocity, and column length were used as input variables while the first-order attachment coefficient and spatial removal rate were set as target variables. The six input variables have low correlations with the target variables, namely, they cannot predict target variables independently. However, with the automated machine learning model, input variables can effectively predict the target variables. Among 20 candidate models, Gradient Boosting Machine showed the best performance. Among the six input variables, pore water velocity, ionic strength, particle size, and column length were more important than bacterial concentration and porous medium type. This method of using historical literature data to train automated machine learning models provides a new avenue for predicting the transport of other contaminants in the environment.
Study of ambient halocarbons in Hong Kong: temporal variability and implication on source origins
Authors: Gu Dasa , Cao Xiangyunong , Leung Ka Fung
Published: February 2023

Halocarbons have been recognized for their role as major ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) since the 1970s, and some also function as greenhouse gases (GHGs). International agreements, such as the Montreal Protocol, Kyoto Protocol, and Paris Agreement, were established for worldwide cooperation to gradually reduce the production and use of halocarbons. Initial success was achieved in phasing out global chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) production, but recent studies found an unexpected decrease in the rate of decline in the atmospheric concentration of trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) after 2012.Historically, halocarbons have been emitted from various anthropogenic sources (e.g., the dry cleaning industry, electronic industry, and refrigeration) in Hong Kong. Emission sources in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, such as chemical manufacturing, also have remarkable impacts on the ambient halocarbons in Hong Kong. The ambient mixing ratios of major CFCs were declining in Hong Kong and the PRD region before 2010. However, no continuous measurements of ambient halocarbons were conducted in Hong Kong after 2010. Given that CFC emissions from the PRD region account for up to 25% of their total emissions in China, any unexpected CFC emissions in recent years will have significant impacts on the atmospheric abundance of halocarbons worldwide.We have been continuously monitoring ambient halocarbons in Hong Kong since Fall 2020. The temporal variability of major halocarbons and their source origins have been extensively investigated using multiple approaches. Our results indicate lower enhancements beyond the background values for major regulated CFCs and CCl4 than later controlled HCFCs and HFCs, suggesting the greater progress of Montreal Protocol implementation for the former species. The notable high enhancement values of non-regulated halocarbons from the north direction indicate their widespread usage in China. This work provides insight into the progress made in implementing the Montreal Protocol in Hong Kong and the surrounding region and the importance of continuous emission control.
Multi-period and multi-variable calibration of SWAT+ using gridded input datasets and a novel R package
Authors: Marinao Rodrigo , Zambrano-Bigiarini Mauricio
Published: February 2023

For more than two decades, multi-objective optimisation (MOO) has imposed a new paradigm in the calibration of hydrological models, and over the years different algorithms and calibration approaches have been developed that aim to obtain consistent parameters for some specific hydrological model. However, the development of flexible multi-objective calibration tools has been scarce, making it difficult to spread these approaches to a wide range of researchers. 
The objective of this work is to show the application of a new multi-objective and multi-platform R package (hydroMOPSO) for the calibration of SWAT+, a widely used semi-distributed hydrological model. In particular, in this work hydroMOPSO is used beyond the traditional adoption of multiple objective functions. Instead, a multi-period (dry and wet years), and multi-variable (point streamflows and gridded soil moisture and evapotranspiration) are used as objectives, to illustrate the flexibility of hydroMOPSO to be linked with different model input and outputs, both with different file formats and temporal frequencies. Similar approaches could be applied with other hydrological models available in R (e.g., TUWmodel, airGR, topmodel) or any other model that can be run from the system console (e.g., Raven, MODFLOW, WEAP).
Paleo-Tethyan ocean evolution in the East Kunlun Orogen, northern Tibetan plateau
Authors: Li Ruibao , Pei Xianzhi , Li Zuochen , Pei Lei , Chen Guochao , Liu Zhanqing , Chen Youxin , Liu Chengjun , Wang Meng
Published: February 2023

The East Kunlun Orogen on the northern margin of the Tethyan orogenic system records a history of Gondwana dispersal and Laurasian accretion. Based on a synthesis of sedimentary, structural, lithological, geochemical, and geochronological data from the East Kunlun Orogen and adjacent regions, we discusses the spreading and northward consumption of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean during Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic times. The main evolutionary stages are: (1) During Carboniferous to Middle Permian, the Paleo-Tethys Ocean (Buqingshan Ocean) was in an ocean spreading stage, as suggested by the occurrence of Carboniferous MORB-, and OIB-type oceanic units and Carboniferous to Middle Permian Passive continental margin deposits; (2) The Buqingshan Ocean subducted northward beneath the East Kunlun Terrane, leading to the development of a large continental magmatic arc (Burhan Budai arc) and forearc basin between ~270-240 Ma; (3) During the late Middle Triassic to early Late Triassic (ca. 240-230 Ma), the Qiangtang terrane collided with the East Kunlun-Qaidam terranes, leading to the final closure of the Buqingshan Ocean and occurrences of minor collision-type magmatism and potentially inception of the Bayan Har foreland basin; (4) Finally, the East Kunlun Orogen evolved into a postcollisional stage and produced major magmatic flare-ups and polymetallic mineral deposits between Late Triassic to Early Jurassic (ca. 230-200 Ma), which is possibly related to asthenospheric mantle upwelling induced by delamination of thickened continental lithosphere and partial melting of the lower crust. Accordingly, we propose that the Wilson cycle-like processes controlled the Late Paleozoic-Early Triassic tectonic evolution of East Kunlun, which provides significant implications for the evolution of Paleo-Tethys Ocean.
Rheological heterogeneities control the non-progressive uplift of the young Iranian plateau
Authors: Gao Yifan , Chen Ling , Yang Jianfeng , Wang Kun
Published: February 2023

The Iranian plateau is at the early stage of plateau development and intracontinental deformation in response to the Arabia-Eurasia collision. Its compressive deformation is concentrated in the northern plateau but skips the central counterpart, challenging the common views envisaging the progressive uplift from the collisional front to the hinterland. Based on three-dimensional, crustal-scale numerical models, we present how the rheological heterogeneities common in continents control the deformation of the young Iranian plateau. The weak northern plateau ensures itself a preferential zone in accommodating continental collision. The N-S strike-slip faults within the non-rigid central plateau, formed along the boundaries between the tectonic units with rheological contrast, suppress the shortening of the central plateau while further accentuating the compressive deformation of the northern plateau. Our results suggest a non-progressive intracontinental deformation pattern where rheological boundaries and mechanically weak zones, not necessarily those close to collisional fronts, preferentially accommodate continental convergence.
On assesssing water supply availability, land idling and economic impacts of agricultural droughts: Cases studies from recent California climate extremes
Authors: Medellin-Azuara Josue , Escriva-Bou Alvar , Rodriguez-Flores Jose , Cole Spencer , Abatzoglou John , Viers Joshua , Sumner Daniel
Published: February 2023

Climate extremes bring both challenges and opportunities for increasing resilience in agriculture and communities. Drought impact assessments are useful to identify systemwide vulnerabilities and downstream effects from water shortages to agriculture, and aid governments, irrigation user organizations and farmers in both short-term response and planning. The recent climate extremes in California, USA over the past 2012-2022 decade provide a useful case study as one of the largest irrigated agricultural systems which are applicable to other semi-arid areas in the world. We present a framework to gather water supply availability for irrigation in California’s large and complex water supply system, estimate idle land, potential cropping patterns response and economic costs to irrigated agriculture, downstream food processing sectors and regional economies. Recent groundwater regulation forcing sustainable pumping rates at a local level bring additional challenges to cope with water scarcity. We employ regional water balances which consider diverse water supply portfolios for agriculture, remote sensing, and economic models which estimate profit-maximizing crop response and economic costs of water shortages to agriculture and related sectors. We also discuss data challenges in quantifying ultimate impacts of low precipitation, surface water reserves and groundwater restrictions, in a highly engineered and diversified water supply system.  Estimated impacts on agriculture and regionwide income and employment from the 2012-2016 and the more recent 2019-2022 drought in California are discussed along with insights for short-term response, and longer-term water management, planning and policy.
Interpreting and evaluating digital soil mapping prediction uncertainties
Authors: Lilburne Linda , Heuvelink Gerard , Helfenstein Anatol
Published: February 2023

There is an implicit quality associated with all soil maps which depends on a range of factors including the mapping algorithm, the extent and quality of the calibration data, and the quality and relevance of the co-variates. Spatially explicit prediction uncertainty information is increasingly provided when digital soil mapping methods are used. This may take the form of a 90% prediction interval such as that supplied by ISRIC in their global SoilGrids product. In this study we used independent data sets of particle size measurements from New Zealand and the Netherlands to investigate the accuracy of the prediction interval information in the SoilGrids clay, sand and silt layers. While prediction intervals were wide for both countries, we had expected that these would be narrower for the Netherlands as SoilGrids has more calibration points in the Netherlands than in New Zealand. Spatially, there was much more variation in the prediction interval width in the Netherlands than in New Zealand, with some areas being less uncertain and some highly uncertain. New Zealand had uncertain predictions for the entire country, although the prediction intervals were not as wide as in the most uncertain areas in the Netherlands.Independent validation showed that the clay prediction intervals were too wide: for New Zealand between 95 and 98% of the validation data were within the 90% prediction interval, for the Netherlands this was between 95 and 97%. For sand we found the opposite, with only between 60 and 70% of the data falling in the 90% prediction interval for New Zealand and between 77 and 88% for the Netherlands. Comparison of prediction errors with prediction interval widths showed that the prediction errors tended to be larger at locations with wide prediction intervals, although this relationship was clearer for the Netherlands than for New Zealand. Estimates that fell outside the sand prediction interval were associated with narrow as well as wide prediction interval widths. Our analyses highlight the importance of users considering soil uncertainty information before using the soil data. It is also important that producers of soil information document the accuracy limitations to help guide potential users and that they evaluate the validity of the uncertainty information prior to release.
Drought atlas of India, 1901-2022
Authors: Mishra Vimal
Published: February 2023

India has been considerably affected by droughts during 1901-2022. Droughts mainly occur during the summer monsoon season due to a lack of rainfall. Meteorological droughts triggered during the monsoon season propagate to hydrological and agricultural droughts. Despite the considerable impacts of droughts on agriculture and water resources, datasets to examine droughts and their consequences have been limited. Considering the need for climate change adaptation, it is essential to understand the observed droughts and their impacts. In addition, mapping of drought risk is needed to focus on the regions that need immediate attention. We use long-term observations of precipitation and temperature to reconstruct meteorological drought. We used a hydrological model to simulate runoff and soil moisture to examine hydrological and agricultural droughts. We developed a drought atlas that can provide comprehensive information on drought occurrence, impacts, and risks in India, which can be used for policy and decision-making.
Diagnosis of Extreme Precipitation Events in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Authors: Rodríguez González Marta Paola , Cerezo Mota Ruth
Published: February 2023

Given the impacts of human-induced global warming on the water cycle, it is relevant to pay attention to those impacts on water security as it is one of the UN's SDGs (sustainable development goals).Many studies on future climate projections agree on a positive trend of extreme precipitation in various regions of the world. However, the process and causes of those events are not always clear and can change depending on local scales.On the one hand, there is a dynamic mechanism due to atmospheric circulation, and on the other, there are local and thermodynamic effects from surface variables. In addition, the characteristics of the vegetation cover can influence the distribution and conservation of water in the system.The Yucatan Peninsula - located in the southeastern part of Mexico- has a particular climate due to its morphological and hydrological characteristics (scarce orography and absence of rivers). Therefore, in this region, the recharge of the aquifer depends entirely on rainfall.In this study, we first characterised the trend of precipitation in the last 30 years. Then we analysed the region's contribution to total annual precipitation by different hydrometeorological phenomena (e.g. tropical cyclones and cold fronts). Finally, simulations with RegCM4 were analysed to understand local mechanisms that favour the occurrence of extreme rainfall related to changes in vegetation and land use due to urbanization.In general, the results show that the accumulated total annual precipitation has a negative trend, while the contribution of extreme events to total precipitation has increased. Moreover, under urban land use, precipitation would increase, especially in the spring months, and it would decrease during the summer.Keywords: precipitation, extreme events, land use change, Yucatan, RegCM, urbanization.
Global Ion Density Distributions Observed by Advanced Ionospheric Probe Onboard FORMOSAT-5 Satellite
Authors: Chao Chi-Kuang
Published: February 2023

A FORMOSAT-5 satellite was launched on 25 August 2017 CST into a 98.28° inclination sun-synchronous circular orbit at 720 km altitude along the 1030/2230 local time sectors.  The orbital coverage provides a great opportunity to survey terrestrial ionosphere from equatorial to polar region every two days.  Advanced Ionospheric Probe (AIP) is a piggyback science payload developed by National Central University for the FORMOSAT-5 satellite to measure ionospheric plasma concentrations, velocities, and temperatures.  It is also capable of measuring ionospheric plasma density irregularities at a sample rate up to 8,192 Hz over a wide range of spatial scales.  In this poster, global ion density distributions measured by FORMOSAT-5/AIP in the pre-midnight sector can be averaged monthly and seasonally from in-situ measurement since November 2017.  Equatorial wave-4 patterns, plasma depletion bays, and mid-latitude plasma density enhancement are clearly observed from the distributions and varied with season and solar cycle.  It is adversely indicated that FORMOSAT-5/AIP can provide high quality data to identify long-term ionospheric ion density variations.
(Un)stable Jupiter models with CD21 H/He-EOS
Authors: Nettelmann Nadine
Published: February 2023

The atmospheric metallicity Zatm of Jupiter inferred from interior models responds sensitively to assumed uncertainties in the H/He equation of state at around 10-50 GPa pressure levels and the 1-bar outer boundary temperature [1,2]. If an adiabatic temperature profile and 166 K 1-bar temperature is assumed, a perturbation toward lower densities in the 10-50 GPa region seems required for most H/He-EOSs, in order match the JUNO's gravitational harmonic J4 value with >1x solar atmospheric  metallicity. In contrast, Galileo and JUNO measurements revealed higher atmospheric enrichments in the noble gases and ammonia of 2-3x solar. Yet for water, current uncertainties still permit lower than 1x solar in Jupiter's equatorial atmosphere [3]. Here, we adopt the recently proposed H/He-EOS CD21 [4] to compute a series of Jupiter interior models. We show that CD21-EOS based adiabats are less dense at ~20 GPa while denser at ~2 GPa as compared to the CMS19 H/He-EOS. The CD21 EOS allows us to lift the atmospheric metallicity by a ΔZatm ~1x solar when fitting J4, while its denser behavior at 2 GPa moves the models away from the formerly good fit to J6 that was possible with CMS19 EOS [1].As our adiabatic models yield too low atmospheric metallicities, we insert an outer stable region, as recently suggested to explain Jupiter's magnetic field [5]. We find that a super-adiabatic stable region should occur at ~1 GPa or farther out in order to noticably influence the density in the ~50 GPa region. However, our models suggest that an outer stable region alone is insufficient to enhance the metallicity to 1x solar. Therefore, we vary in addition the 1-bar surface temperature toward warmer interiors as indicated by recent re-analysis of Voyager remote sensing data.Overall, this work aims at predicting Jupiter's deep water abundance for comparison against formation models [6] and JUNO observations. [1] Nettelmann, Movshovitz, Ni et al, PSJ 2:241 (2021) [2] Miguel Y, Bazot M, Guillot T et al, AA 662:A18 (2022) [3] Li Ch, Ingersoll A, Bolton S et al, NatAst 4:609 (2020) [4] Chabrier G, Debras F, ApJ 917:4 [5] Moore KM, Barik A, Stanley S, et al, JGR Planets 127:e2022JE007479 (2022)[6] Helled R, Stevenson DJ, Lunine J, et al, Icarus 378:114937 (2022) 
Traffic-related Air Pollution (TRAP) and Its Exposure to Cardiorespiratory Outcomes to Active Commuters in a University Outdoor Environment
Authors: Ezani Eliani , Ab Razak Nur Izah , Uding Rangga Josfirin , Saidi Hasni Idayu , Dhandaphani Sairam
Published: February 2023

Air pollutants are a major by-product of urbanisation and motorisation of society. In lower and upper middle-income Asian countries, in cities with rapid population growth such as Malaysia, traffic emissions are responsible for almost 90% of urban air pollution, so cycling or walking outdoor can be a major route of exposure for active commuters. Our study aims to examine the association between traffic-related air pollution and cardiorespiratory health symptoms among pedestrian and cyclists in a university campus located in Selangor, Malaysia.  PM2.5 concentrations were monitored using SidePak Personal Aerosol Monitor AM510 on weekday morning cycling and walking commutes into designated high and low-traffic areas nearby campus roadsides. Volunteers cycled (n=21) and walked (n=30) for about 60-minutes in high and low-traffic cycling and walking routes respectively. The cardiorespiratory health status of blood pressure and lung function were measured before, immediately after, after 15 minutes and after 1 hour of volunteers’ commutes. The average commute exposure to PM2.5 was determined, and the inhaled dosage was estimated. Results showed that pedestrian are exposed to higher PM2.5 levels than cyclists traveling in the same high-traffic areas. However, the inhalation dose per kilometre travelled, DL (µg/km) for cyclist was observed higher compared to the pedestrian due to the ventilation rate of physical activity. We also observed that there were increase in the systolic blood pressure and lung function (force-vital capacity-FVC) of pedestrians after the exposure to high PM2.5 concentrations at high traffic walking routes (61.6 ± 14.6 µg/m³). PM2.5 concentrations while walking in the university campus were approximately three times higher compared to cities in Europe (26 μg m−3). Our observation techniques can be applied in resource-constrained countries with heavy traffic emissions that may have an impact on the health of active commuters. To characterise the exposure patterns of other traffic-related air pollutant surrogates (such as soot/black carbon and nitrogen dioxide) and their influence on acute and chronic health outcomes in different Asian traffic microenvironments, further research based on the results of our study is needed.
Impact of biomass ash content on biochar carbon speciation and stability
Authors: Hagemann Nikolas , Conte Pellegrino , Leifeld Jens , Giger Robin , Bucheli Thomas D. , Schmidt Hans-Peter , Grafmüller Jannis
Published: February 2023

Amending biomass with wood ash (2-10%) is a novel strategy in biochar production to increase the amount of biomass carbon retained in the solid phase (biomass to biochar) during pyrolysis by up to 35%. Thereby, the carbon sink potential of industrial biochar production could be substantially increased, when such ash-amendments would be used on large scale. Also, this research enables insight on the impact of ash-derived minerals on the resulting carbonaceous compounds during pyrolysis. In addition to pyrolysis conditions and initial biomass carbon speciation, the content of alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEM) in the biomass ash phase may be another important factor determining the speciation of the resulting pyrogenic carbon. Here, we will present data on the thermal stability analyzed with differential scanning calorimetry and the carbon speciation of ash-amended biochars investigated with 13C and 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy.
Differential scanning calorimetry revealed a lower thermal stability of these ash-amended biochars compared to biochars without an ash amendment, which may indicate the formation of carbon species of lower persistence during pyrolysis induced by the added minerals. While the persistent carbon pool of biochar is made of numbers of fused aromatic carbon rings, the semi-persistent carbon pool is including aliphatic, small aromatic and heteroaromatic carbon frameworks. Therefore, analyzing the differences in carbon speciation of ash-amended biochars compared to non-amended biochar gives a closer insight on the impact of AAEM and other ash components on pyrogenic carbon speciation and how resulting biochars may persist in soil.
Featured Services of BDS-3 with Applications in Geoscience
Authors: Yang Yuanxi , Ren Xia , Xu Tianhe , Sun Bijiao
Published: February 2023

BeiDou Global Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) was formally commissioned to provide satellite navigation services worldwide in 2020. It not only has the normal positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) functions, but also provides several kinds of featured services. The paper  focuses on the featured services of BDS-3 and their applications in various geoscience fields. First, the featured services of BDS-3 and their performances are introduced. Then different application examples are described and analyzed based on the Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellite-based featured services and Middle Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite-based featured services. Finally, some possible improvements to BDS in the future are discussed.
Obliquity-forced aquifer-eustasy during the late-Cretaceous greenhouse world
Authors: Zhang Zhifeng , Huang Yongjian , Wang Chengshan
Published: February 2023

The mechanism of short-term and high-magnitude sea-level oscillation has long been debated between glacio- and aquifer-eustasy (Miller et al., 2005; Haq, 2014), largely due to the sparse robust evidence for the aquifer-eustasy, and the little knowledge about hydrological dynamics behind it. Non-marine/ continental greenhouse archives (e.g. lake level) and their temporal correlation to marine successions (e.g. sea level) could give clue to aquifer-eustasy (Wagreich et al., 2014). The Songliao Basin (SLB), in Northeast China, is one of the largest Mesozoic terrestrial inland basins and has deposited the near whole Cretaceous successions (Wang et al., 2013). The greenhouse Late Santonian-Early Campanian Lower Nenjiang Formation (K2n1+2), recovered from three boreholes in SLB provides a unique opportunity for validating and decoding the aquifer-eustasy. Initially the cyclostratigraphy of logging gamma ray (GR) and Thorium (Th) series from three boreholes was implemented, which in junction with the radioactive ages renewed the chronology framework of SLB. Using the astronomically tuned GR and Th series, the lake level of SLB, which is recovered from sedimentary noise modeling (Li et al., 2019) and presents the water table of groundwater reservoir, shows a clear out-of-phase relationship with the coeval sea level, validating the aquifer-eustasy hypothesis. The lake level shows prominent ~1.2Myr cycles and a well-coupled relationship with sea level and obliquity modulation, indicating that the orbital obliquity drove the lake level and modulated the water exchange between ocean and continent during the Cretaceous greenhouse period. The strong precipitation indicated by the negative excursion of Ostracods δ18O (Chamberlain et al., 2013) well correlates to the high lake level, high obliquity, and low sea level, suggesting that during obliquity modulation maxima, more moisture was precipitated into the high-latitude continents, consequently recharging the aquifer and raising the lake level while drawing down the sea level and vice versa. The close correspondence between reported marine incursion layers (Hu et al., 2015) and lowstand of sea level casts a doubt on marine incursion hypothesis in the SLB, more work is needed to reconcile this paradox. Overall, this study gives robust geological evidence for aquifer-eustasy and firstly decodes its role on Cretaceous short-term eustasy.
A just map: community and fluvial science working together for flood hazard vulnerability mapping in Massachusetts
Authors: Hatch Christine , Salap-Ayca Seda , Guzman Christian , Vogel Eve
Published: February 2023

In the Northeastern U.S., the most costly damages from intense storm events were impacts to road-stream crossings.  In steep post-glacial terrain, erosion by floodwater and entrained sediment is the largest destructive force during intense storms, and the most likely driver of major morphological changes to riverbanks and channels.  Steam power analysis is a tool that can successfully quantify floodwater energy that caused damages, however, prediction of which reaches or watersheds may experience future impacts remains uncertain. Downstream, in urban areas, floodwaters increasingly occupy larger geographic extents that spill well beyond traditionally mapped flood and hazard zones. Limiting these maps are critical biases: Often more information is available for coastal and urban areas (missing steeper terrain geomorphic hazard zones), base functional assumptions (that flood risk is dominantly inundation risk from a specific depth of water, ignoring the force of moving water, sediment or erosion), their concentration around the highest-value infrastructure (lower-value and lower-density development or undeveloped areas have little or no map coverage) and how these maps are utilized for regulatory purposes (e.g. mortgage and insurance requirements). Compounding the physical destruction of flooding is the unequal distribution of these impacts on socially vulnerable populations that are least able to recover from them.  We strive to improve the co-generated mapping of social vulnerability and flood risk by (1) utilizing measures of social vulnerability with greater social and geographical insight and nuance, including self-organizing maps (SOM) that cluster overlapping metrics, (2) applying modified flood hazard maps that accurately represent fluvial geomorphic hazards, urban flooding hazards, and climate change considerations, and (3) overlapping these to understand what factors influence current maps and policy practice; what populations and places may be overlooked or under-resourced relative to vulnerability; and use this collective insight to help inform and develop improved map products and policy approaches.  Integration of this information directly with practitioners’ resources allows communities to prioritize and make land-use decisions and flood-response and preparedness decisions that are informed by the specific vulnerabilities of their populations as well as the fluvial geomorphic workings of the larger watershed, and that have powerful local implications.  Outreach and educational programs focused on social vulnerability and fluvial systems for river practitioners and politicians at all levels align communities’ attitudes about flooding and rivers can ultimately result in ecologically sound, socially just, and more flood resilient policies and practices.
A flexible yet sustainable Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Integration of Distributed Research Data
Authors: Konopatzky Peter , Heß Robin , Koppe Roland , Walter Andreas
Published: February 2023

The need for discoverability and accessibility of research data and metadata is huge, driven both by the FAIR principles and user requirements regarding research data portals, repositories and search engines. Interactive, visual and especially map-based exploration of research data is becoming increasingly popular. Bringing together technical reality and custom user vision in the design and provision of services for interactive map viewers without sacrificing sustainability can be challenging.
Thanks to our O2A Spatial framework, the classic Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) components — storage, database, geo web server, catalogue — can be (re)deployed and configured quickly and with low effort. This includes the creation and curation of data products which can be compiled from differently-sourced data. The list of currently supported data sources contains the PANGAEA repository, the Observations to Archives and Analysis (O2A) pipeline, Sensor Observation Services (SOS) and data provided by scientists directly. Simple metadata harmonisation is possible. Public available Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and data exchange specifications document the ways in which scientists and institutes can have their desired products hosted.
The modular, scalable, flexible and highly automated SDI has been developed and operated at Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) for more than a decade, continuously improving and providing map services for GIS clients and portals including the Marine Data and Earth Data Portals (see ESSI4.1).
Long-term maintainability is ensured through the use of common open-source technologies, established geodata standards, containerisation and the high degree of automation. The modularity of O2A Spatial and SDI components ensures flexibility and future expandability. Being embedded into O2A, SDI development and operation is financially and staff-wise secured in the long run.
Fog formation, causes and types over the Abu Dhabi International Airport, United Arab Emirates
Authors: Almaskari Alreem , Alrashdi Yasmeen , Alshehhi Salama , Tilev Seyda
Published: February 2023

Fog is a meteorological event which has a significant impact on many human activities such as transportation, civil aviation, and military operations. UAE experiences many dense fog episodes over the course of a year which effect the visibility conditions strongly, especially during the winter months. In this research, we studied the fog events over Abu Dhabi International Airport, which is located at the northeastern coast of UAE, using METAR (2012 to 2022) and ERA5 data. The number of fog days per year, the seasonal cycle, the diurnal cycle, and the duration of fog events were analyzed. Fog events are most frequent between September to March with a peak during December and January.  Statistics of the fog events and the related atmospheric variables such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction during the fog episodes will be presented. Additional case studies that were conducted to understand and explain the reasons and types of the fog events over the region will also be displayed.
Convective dissolution of carbon dioxide in 2D water-saturated porous media: an experimental study in two-dimensional micromodels
Authors: De Niloy , Singh Naval , Fulcrand Remy , Méheust Yves , Meunier Patrice , Nadal François
Published: February 2023

Convective dissolution is a perennial trapping mechanism of carbon dioxide in geological formations saturated with an aqueous phase. This process, which couples dissolution of supercritical CO2, convection of the liquid containing the dissolvedCO2, and mixing of the latter within the liquid, has so far not been studied in two-dimensional porous media. In order to do so, two-dimensional (2D) porous micromodels (patterned Hele-Shaw cells) have been fabricated from UV-curable NOA63 glue. NOA63 is used instead of PDMS, which is permeable to CO2 and does not allow for a controlled no flux boundary condition at the walls. The novel fabrication protocol proposed here, based on the bonding of a patterned photo-lithographed NOA63 layer on a flat NOA63 base, shows good reproducibility regardless of the pattern’s typical size, and allows for easy filling of the cell despite the small value of the gap. A pressure chamber allows pressurizing the CO2 and outside of the flow cell up to 10 bars. Experiments were performed in 11 different porous media geometries. As expected, a gravitational fingering instability is observed upon injection of gaseous carbon dioxide in the cell, resulting in the downwards migration of dissolved CO2 plumes through the 2D porous structure. The initial wavelength of the fingers is larger in the presence of a hexagonal lattice of pillars. This effect can be correctly predicted from the theory for the gravitational instability in a Hele-Shaw cell devoid of pillars, provided that the permeability of the hexagonal porous medium is considered in the theory instead of that of the Hele-Shaw cell. Fluctuations around the theoretical prediction observed in the data are mostly attributed to a hitherto unknown weak locking of the wavelength on the distance between closest pillars.
Studying the water supply system of the Roman villa of Pisões (Beja, Portugal) using ground-penetrating radar and geospatial methods
Authors: Trapero Pedro , Oliveira Rui , Caldeira Bento , Borges Jose Fernando , Carneiro André
Published: February 2023

The Roman villa of Pisões (Beja, Portugal), was part of the Lusitanian colony of Pax Iulia. This place stands out for the predominance of the water element in several structures of the villa, highlighting the balneum and the large natatio, one of the largest known in Roman Hispania. The records of the initial excavations that took place since 1967 do not allow the establishment of clear functionalities of the villa. The University of Évora, owner of the site, conceived an action plan for the requalification and enhancement of the archaeological site. One of the tasks aims to investigate using Applied Geophysics. This work analyses the landscape directly related to the villa, given that it is in the flooded area of a river, with a Roman containment dam. It is uncertain whether the water supply comes from this structure or other nearby springs. The use of ground-penetrating radar, combined with unnamed aerial vehicles, all integrated in a geographic information system, allows us to know the location of underground water connections and create a topographic model with high resolution. Considering all the information, we propose a model for the water transport inside the villa and estimate the location of the water supply.Acknowledgment: The work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) project UIDB/04683/2020 - ICT (Institute of Earth Sciences).