bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Emerging Role of Citizen Science and Geospatial Big Data in Supporting the SDGs
Authors: Fritz Steffen
Published: March 2020

In September 2015, the United Nations ratified the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are comprised of a further 169 targets and 232 indicators for monitoring progress on poverty, well-being and major environmental and socio-economic problems, both nationally and globally. Much of the data used for SDG monitoring comes from censuses, surveys and other administrative data provided by national statistical offices, government agencies and international organizations. However, traditional data collection can be costly and infrequent, and the information can become outdated very quickly. Moreover, reporting is generally at the national level, so spatial variations of indicators within a country are not often available, yet this information is critical for effective spatial planning. Without knowing where issues are occurring in space, we cannot implement targeted solutions. Hence, there is currently a lack of data needed for effective monitoring and implementation of the SDGs.

Non-traditional data sources such as those arising from citizen science and geospatial big data, e.g., satellite imagery, mobile phone data, social media, etc. are part of the current ‘data revolution’, all of which have potential use in SDG monitoring and implementation. This lecture will provide an overview of these new and emerging non-traditional data sources in monitoring the SDGs, providing a range of examples from citizen science, Earth Observation (including the work of the Group on Earth Observations) and mobile phone data, among others. Where relevant, we will touch upon disaster risk reduction. Finally, actions will be presented that are currently happening to promote the data revolution for sustainable development and what is still needed to make tangible progress on SDG implementation using these new data sources as well as how the engagement of citizens in data collection can trigger transformative and behavioral change.
Impactful Tibetan Plateau Vortices: structure, lifecycle and environmental conditions
Authors: Curio Julia , Schiemann Reinhard , Hodges Kevin , Turner Andrew , Klingaman Nicholas
Published: March 2020

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) and surrounding high mountains constitute an important forcing of the atmospheric circulation due to their height and extent, and thereby impact weather and climate in East Asia. Mesoscale Tibetan Plateau Vortices (TPVs) form over the TP and are one of the major systems generating TP precipitation. The majority of TPVs remain on the TP throughout their lifetime, while a fraction moves east off the TP. These “moving-off” TPVs can trigger extreme precipitation and severe flooding over large parts of eastern and southern China, for example in Sichuan province and the Yangtze River valley. Due to their potentially severe impacts downstream of the TP, it is first important to understand the conditions under which TPVs can move east off the TP.

In this study, we examine the vertical and horizontal structure of TPVs moving off the TP in contrast to those that do not using reanalysis in order to understand which local and/or large-scale atmospheric conditions lead TPVs to move off the TP. We use composites of atmospheric fields at different stages of the TPV lifecycle (e.g. genesis, maximum intensity, and maximum precipitation) and at different locations over and downstream of the TP, to account for the heterogeneous topography. Preliminary results suggest that the large-scale background flow, characterised by the strength and position of the subtropical westerly jet, is one of the factors determining whether a TPV moves off the TP or not.

Another important question is how and where moving-off TPVs trigger precipitation. Do TPVs transport moisture from the TP to the downstream regions? Do they move off while already precipitating? Do they trigger precipitation dynamically east of the TP? Results from a case study suggest that the TPV triggers precipitation as it moves over the edge of the TP, which then stays locked to the orography while the system is moving further east. The TPV appears to change the local atmospheric circulation in the Sichuan basin while moving off, thereby directing a flow of moist air towards the eastern slope of the TP.

Understanding how the combination of the right large-scale atmospheric conditions and a TPV-induced change in the local circulation downstream of the TP can create an impactful TPV may enable improved forecasts of TPVs and their impacts in the densely populated regions downstream of the TP.
Observation of HClO3 and HClO4 in the Arctic atmosphere
Authors: Tham Yee Jun , Sarnela Nina , Cuevas Carlos A. , Siddharth Iyer , Beck Lisa , Saiz-Lopez Alfonso , Sipilä Mikko
Published: March 2020

Atmospheric halogens chemistry like the catalytic reaction of bromine and chlorine radicals with ozone (O3) has been known to cause the springtime surface-ozone destruction in the polar region. Although the initial atmospheric reactions of chlorine with ozone are well understood, the ﬁnal oxidation steps leading to the formation of chlorate (ClO3-) and perchlorate (ClO4-) remain unclear due to the lack of direct evidence of their presence and fate in the atmosphere. In this study, we present the first high-resolution ambient data set of gas-phase HClO3 (chloric acid) and HClO4 (perchlorate acid) obtained from the field measurement at the Villum Research Station, Station Nord, in high arctic North Greenland (81°36’ N, 16°40’ W) during the spring of 2015. A state-of-the-art chemical ionization atmospheric pressure interface time-of-flight mass spectrometer (CI-APi-TOF) was used in negative ion mode with nitrate ion as the reagent ion to detect the gas-phase HClO3 and HClO4. We measured significant level of HClO3 and HClO4 only during the springtime ozone depletion events in the Greenland, with concentration up to 9x105 molecule cm-3. Air mass trajectory analysis shows that the air during the ozone depletion event was confined to near-surface, indicating that the O3 and surface of sea-ice/snowpack may play important roles in the formation of HClO3 and HClO4. We used high-level quantum-chemical methods to calculate the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra and cross-section of HClO3 and HClO4 in the gas-phase to assess their fates in the atmosphere. Overall, our results reveal the presence of HClO3 and HClO4 during ozone depletion events, which could affect the chlorine chemistry in the Arctic atmosphere.
Quantification of past arctic herbivore populations from ancient sedimentary DNA by hybridization capture enrichment, metabarcoding, and droplet digital PCR
Authors: Seeber Peter , Herzschuh Ulrike , Shapiro Beth , Poinar Hendrik , Froese Duane , Epp Laura
Published: March 2020

The Arctic is currently experiencing dramatic ecosystem changes with immediate effects on biodiversity. Sedimentary ancient DNA is a unique and valuable source of information on ecosystem changes over a long temporal scale. Understanding these past changes may help predict the relative impacts of climate change, herbivory, and anthropogenic effects on present ecosystems. In the BiodivERsA project “Future ArcTic Ecosystems” (FATE), we aim to assess changes in past herbivore abundance over large spatial (circumarctic) and temporal (Last Glacial Maximum until today) scales using three (semi-)quantitative methods on sedimentary ancient DNA of plants, herbivores, and herbivore proxies (i.e. coprophilous fungi and parasites) – metabarcoding, hybridization capture enrichment, and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR).

Metabarcoding was applied to DNA of plants and also of coprophilous fungi as proxies of herbivore abundance. This approach is an established and important tool for assessing biodiversity from recent environmental DNA; however, quantification of specific taxa may be complicated due to inherent methodological biases (e.g. amplification efficiency due to primer bias), and our current understanding of the factors affecting potential quantification by metabarcoding is still limited. Moreover, ancient DNA is highly fragmented, which may prevent PCR amplification altogether. As an alternative, target enrichment by hybridization capture is a method that does not depend on target PCR amplification and is typically not affected by DNA fragmentation. Furthermore, hybridization capture can be used to target numerous genetic markers of a vast range of highly diverse taxa. We are using hybridization capture to enrich DNA of a range of herbivore species and numerous proxy organisms. Metabarcoding and hybridization capture can be applied to a vast taxonomic range and may be used quantitatively based on relative sequencing read abundance; however, the respective read abundance may be confounded by random and systematic errors and other biases. We are therefore using an additional quantification method – ddPCR – on several selected taxa, which is taxon-specific but facilitates highly accurate quantification of template DNA molecules in a given sample. The combined taxonomic and quantitative results of these three approaches are used to generate highly resolved datasets on past vegetation and herbivores, which allows us to reconstruct past vegetation changes over large spatial (circumarctic) and temporal (Last Glacial Maximum until today) scales.

Detailed inferences on herbivore abundance and reconstructing past ecological conditions may be important for ecosystem management and conservation in the face of accelerating changes in Arctic ecosystems due to global climate change.
Analysing palaeo cirque glacier equilibrium line altitudes as indicators of palaeoclimate across Scandinavia
Authors: Oien Rachel , Spagnolo Matteo , Rea Brice , Barr Iestyn , Bingham Robert G. , Jansen John
Published: March 2020

The equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) of past cirque glaciers are used to obtain quantitative palaeoclimatic information from Alpine environments. The dimensions of these glaciers, and therefore their ELAs, are partly reconstructed from ice-free glacial cirques. However, in order to derive palaeoclimatic data for a particular time period, studies typically gloss-over the fact that cirques are time-transgressive landforms, shaped over multiple glacial cycles. In this study, we test the time-transgressive nature of cirque formation and assess the validity of using cirques as indicators of climate during individual glacial periods. To achieve this, we reconstruct glaciers and obtain palaeo ELAs from ∼4000 cirques across Norway and Sweden. The cirques are mapped in GIS, and the GlaRe tool is used to reconstruct glacier outlines before palaeo ELAs are estimated. The population of cirques is analysed to investigate whether sub-divisions can be made on the basis of floor altitude, aspect, and links to known palaeoclimatic patterns. In all, this study allows us to test the usefulness of cirques as indicators of palaeoclimate during specific time periods.  
Disentangling the mechanisms of wave-convection coupling in the tropics
Authors: Hoose Corinna , Jung Hyunju , Knippertz Peter , Janjic Tijana , Ruckstuhl Yvonne , Redl Robert
Published: March 2020

Tropical weather prediction remains one of the main challenges in atmospheric science due to a combination of insufficient observations, data assimilation algorithms optimized for midlatitudes and large model errors. Due to a strong dependency of many people in the tropics on rainfall variability, combined with a high vulnerability, improved precipitation forecasts have the potential to create substantial benefits in areas such as agriculture, water management, energy production and disease prevention.

Recent studies found that the coupling of equatorial waves to convection is key to improving weather forecasts in the tropics on the synoptic to subseasonal timescale but many models struggle to realistically represent this coupling. Here we use aquaplanet simulations with the ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic (ICON) model with a 13 km horizontal grid spacing to study the underlying mechanisms of convectively coupled equatorial waves in an idealized framework. We filter the divergence at 200 hPa using a standard wave filtering tool tapering to zero that allows us to identify dynamical characteristics of convectively coupled waves in our simulations. To diagnose thermodynamical aspects of wave-convection couplings, we compare the obtained waves to the total precipitable water and analyze the spatial variance of the budget analysis for column-integrated moist static energy. The same filtering tool and diagnostics are carried out on a realistic ICON simulation with a 2.5 km horizontal grid spacing from the DYnamics of the Atmospheric general circulation Modeled On Non-hydrostatic Domains (DYAMOND) project.

In the future we plan to run and analyze idealized tropical channel simulations with 2.5 km horizontal resolution, i.e. using the same grid spacing as in the DYAMOND simulation. The comparison between the idealized and the realistic simulations identifies mechanisms of wave-convection coupling. In addition, we will apply this set of diagnostics to forecast experiments using different approaches of data assimilation.

 
Integrated Environmental Monitoring of AMD Affected Waters using Hyperspectral Imaging and In-situ Analytics
Authors: Flores Hernan , Lorenz Sandra , Jackisch Robert , Tusa Laura , Contreras Cecilia , Gloaguen Richard
Published: March 2020

One of the potential major consequences of mining activities is the degradation of the surrounding ecosystems by Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). A high-resolution hyperspectral drone-borne survey provides a useful, fast, and non-invasive tool to monitor the acid mine drainage mineralogy in mining sites. In this study, we propose to integrate drone-borne visible-to-near infrared (VNIR) hyperspectral data and physicochemical field data from water and sediments together with laboratory analysis for precise mineralogical and surface water mapping. The Tintillo River is an extraordinary case of the collection of acidic leachates in southwest Spain. This river is highly contaminated, with large quantities of dissolved metals (Fe, Al, Cu, Zn, etc.) and acidity, which later discharged into the Odiel River. At the confluence of the Tintillo and Odiel rivers, different geochemical and mineralogical processes typical of the interaction of very acidic water (pH 2.5 – 3.0) with circum-neutral water (pH 7.0 – 8.0) occur. The high contrast among waters makes this area propitious for the use of hyperspectral data to characterize both rivers and better evaluate mine water bodies with remote sensing imagery. We present an approach that makes use of a supervised random forest regression for the extended mapping of water properties, using the data from collected field samples, as training set for the algorithm. Experimental results show water surface maps that quantify the concentration of dissolved metals and physical-chemical properties along the covered region and mineral classification maps distribution (jarosite, goethite, schwertmannite, etc.). These results highlight the capabilities of drone-borne hyperspectral data for monitoring mining sites by extrapolating the hydrochemical properties from certain and specific areas, covered during field campaigns, to larger regions where accessibility is limited. By following this method, it is possible to rapidly discriminate and map the degree of AMD contamination in water for its future treatment or remediation.
Direct Measurement of Excitation and Growth of Large Amplitude Cyclotron Waves by Reflected Ion Beams in Front of Shock
Authors: He Jiansen , Hou Chuanpeng , Zhu Xingyu , Luo Qiaowen , Verscharen Daniel , Zhao Jinsong
Published: March 2020

Wave-particle interaction plays a critical role in producing the newborn waves/turbulence in the foreshock region in front of supercritical shock, which is prevalent in the heliosphere. It has been a long-lasting goal to catch and witness the excitation and growth of waves/turbulence by identifying the ongoing process of wave-particle interaction. This goal cannot be fulfilled until the arrival of the MMS’s era, during which we can simultaneously measure the electromagnetic fields and particle phase space densities with the unprecedented data quality. By surveying the data of burst mode, we are lucky to find some good examples illustrating the clear signals of wave activities in front of the shock. The active waves are diagnosed to be right-handed cyclotron waves, being highly circularly polarized and rotating right-handed about the background magnetic field vector. The waves are large amplitude with dB being greatly dominant over B0, or in other words, almost the whole magnetic field vector is involved in the circular rotation. Furthermore, we investigate the growth evolution of the large-amplitude cyclotron waves by calculating the spectrum of dJ.dE and its ratio to the electromagnetic energy spectrum. As far as we know, it is the first time to provide the spectrum of growth rate from in-situ measurements. Interestingly, we find that the contribution to the growth rate spectrum mainly comes from dJe,perp·dEperp rather than dJe,para·dEpara or dJi·dE. Although the eigen mode to couple the oscillating electromagnetic field is the electron bulk oscillation, the ultimate free energy to make the eigen mode unstable comes from the ion beams, which are reflected from the shock. The dynamics of 3D phase space densities for both ion and electron species are also studied in detail together with the fluctuating electromagnetic field, demonstrating the ongoing energy conversion during the wave-particle process.

 
Testing the Slake mobile app at the local scale to explore the spatial variability of soil structural stability
Authors: Salvador-Blanes Sebastien , Girault Clément , Rochereau Thomas , Gaillot Arthur , Darboux Frédéric , Lemercier Blandine , Michot Didier , Saby Nicolas
Published: March 2020

The Slake mobile app measures the aggregate stability by rapid immersion in water. It is a particularly interesting tool to allow a cost-efficient determination of soil structural stability. The Slake app has proven its efficiency at large scale (New South Wales state, Australia). Its application at a more local level (e.g. small watersheds) could be of particular interest to farmers and local stakeholders to identify areas of sensitivity to soil slaking, in order to implement mitigation strategies in the most appropriate areas to prevent from soil erosion. The aim of this study was to test the Slake app at the plot and the watershed scales to test its applicability and robustness. The studied watershed is the 25 km² Louroux catchment, located in central France. This catchment is typical of intensively cultivated lowland catchments. Despite a very low slope (<0.4%), erosion processes have been shown as significant, either through soil surface erosion or tile drainage exports. Slaking values have been measured in the laboratory on undisturbed soil surface aggregates collected at 52 locations within the catchment, using a balanced sampling. The same methodology has been applied within a 5 ha plot on 52 sampling points. The aggregate stability was measured with the app simultaneously on three aggregates. This measurement was repeated 3 times for each sampling location. Therefore, 9 slaking indices can be extracted for each soil sampling location, allowing for a computation of the index variability at each sampling location. Besides, 13 samples for the plot and the catchment have been selected to measure soil structural stability by a normalized method (Mean Weight Diameter of soil aggregates after wet sieving, ISO 10930). Preliminary results show a variable heterogeneity of the slaking index measured at a single location. The origin of this heterogeneity (measurement errors, sample variability…) is discussed. The correlation with the normalized method is explored and the spatial structure of the slaking index over the two studied scales is presented.
Tropospheric NO2 and HCHO derived from dual-scan MAX-DOAS measurements in Uccle (Belgium) and application to S5P/TROPOMI validation
Authors: Dimitropoulou Ermioni , Hendrick Francois , Friedrich Martine M. , Pinardi Gaia , Tack Frederik , Merlaud Alexis , Fayt Caroline , Hermans Christian , Fierens Frans , Van Roozendael Michel
Published: March 2020

Ground-based Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements of aerosols, tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde (HCHO) have been carried out in Uccle, Brussels, during two years (March 2018 – March 2020). The MAX-DOAS instrument has been operating in both UV and visible (Vis) wavelength ranges in a dual-scan configuration consisting of two sub-modes: (1) an elevation scan in a fixed viewing azimuthal direction (the so-called main azimuthal direction) pointing and (2) an azimuthal scan in a fixed low elevation angle (2o). By applying a vertical profile inversion algorithm in the main azimuthal direction and an adapted version of the parameterization technique proposed by Sinreich et al. (2013) in the other azimuthal directions, near-surface  concentrations (VMRs) and vertical column densities (VCDs) are retrieved in ten different azimuthal directions.

The present work focuses on the seasonal horizontal variation of NO2 and HCHO around the measurement site. The observations show a clear seasonal cycle of these trace gases. An important application of the dual-scan MAX-DOAS measurements is the validation of satellite missions with high spatial resolution, such as TROPOMI/S5P. Measuring the tropospheric  VCDs in different azimuthal directions is shown to improve the spatial colocation with satellite measurements leading to a better agreement between both datasets. By using  vertical profile information derived from the MAX-DOAS measurements, we show that a persistent systematic underestimation of the TROPOMI  data can be explained by uncertainties in the a-priori NO2 profile shape in the satellite retrieval. A similar validation study for TROPOMI HCHO is currently under progress and preliminary results will be presented.

References:

Sinreich, R., Merten, A., Molina, L., and Volkamer, R.: Parameterizing radiative transfer to convert MAX-DOAS dSCDs into near-surface box-averaged mixing ratios, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 1521–1532, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-1521-2013, 2013.
Lessons learnt from the former bed of Thwaites Glacier: a new multibeam-bathymetric dataset
Authors: Hogan Kelly , Larter Robert , Graham Alastair , Arthern Robert , Kirkham James , Totten Rebecca , Jordan Tom , Clark Rachel , Fitzgerald Victoria , Anderson John , Hillenbrand Claus-Dieter , Nitsche Frank , Simkins Lauren , Smith James , Gohl Karsten , Arndt Jan Erik , Hong Jongkuk , Wellner Julia
Published: March 2020

The coastal bathymetry of Thwaites Glacier (TG) is poorly known yet nearshore sea-floor highs have the potential to act as pinning points for floating ice shelves, or to block warm water incursions to the grounding line. In contrast, deeper areas control warm water routing. Here, we present more than 2000 km2 of new multibeam echo-sounder data (MBES) acquired offshore TG during the first cruise of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) project on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP19-02) in February-March 2019. Beyond TG, the bathymetry is dominated by a >1200 m deep, structurally-controlled trough and discontinuous ridge, on which the Eastern Ice Shelf is pinned. The geometry and composition of the ridge varies spatially with some sea-floor highs having distinctive flat-topped morphologies produced as their tops were planed-off by erosion at the base of the seaward-moving Thwaites Ice Shelf. In addition, submarine landform evidence indicates at least some unconsolidated sediment cover on the highs, as well as in the troughs that separate them. Knowing that this offshore area of ridges and troughs is a former bed for TG, we also used a novel spectral approach and existing ice-flow theory to investigate bed roughness and basal drag over the newly-revealed offshore topography. We show that the sea-floor bathymetry is a good analogue for extant bed areas of TG and that ice-sheet retreat over the sea-floor troughs and ridges would have been affected by high basal drag similar to that acting in the grounding zone today.

Comparisons of the new MBES data with existing regional compilations show that high-frequency (finer than 5 km) bathymetric variability beyond Antarctic ice shelves can only be resolved by observations such as MBES and that without these data calculations of the oceanic heat flux may be significantly underestimated. This work supports the findings of recent numerical ice-sheet and ocean modelling studies that recognise the need for accurate and high-resolution bathymetry to determine warm water routing to the grounding zone and, ultimately, for predicting glacier retreat behaviour.
Dealing with asbestos presence in tunnel excavation: the Castagnola case study and the importance of the geological model
Authors: Baietto Oliviero , Amodeo Francesco , Vitaliti Martina , Parisi Giovanni , Scuderi Alberto , Marini Paola
Published: March 2020

The presence of Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) is one of the greatest danger during excavations and tunneling.  The most important instrument for the NOA content prediction is the geological model.

As part of the consultancy provided in the works of the "Terzo valico dei Giovi" which includes the excavation of numerous tunnels in areas potentially affected by rocks containing asbestos, the case study of the tunnel called "Castagnola" is illustrated. The opera is the new high velocity railway connection between Genova and Milano and the case study is located in the Piedmont southern area near Fraconalto (AL).

The “Castagnola” tunnel area is characterized by greenish - reddish rocks metabasalt covered by recent grey shales in the upper part of the area; it refers to the ophiolitic Figogna Unit, elongated in a north-south direction, which belongs to Sestri-Voltaggio Zone.

Starting from geological sections and thanks to surface investigation and core drilling, an effective geological model was built.

This study highlights how, during the progress of the works, situations other than the forecast geological model are encountered. It also highlights the importance of the environmental monitoring of the airborne fibers dispersion inside the tunnel, which has proved extremely effective even in the presence of low asbestos content in the excavated rock.

Moreover, this study describes the trends in asbestos content in the material excavated during the route of the tunnel in comparison with the concentration of airborne fibers. Furthermore, the management of the asbestos problem, from the abatement of dust to the excavation and storage methods and the installation of efficient technologies such as an aspirating ventilation system already successfully tested in a previous excavation phase, are presented.
Approaches to describe different hydrological extremes related to their impact and derived measures
Authors: Scheibel Marc
Published: March 2020

The climatological changes that have been forming for years have led to several different effects within the Wupper catchment area: the increasing of strong to extremely pronounced convective events lead on one hand (exacerbated by the strong topography within the “Bergische Land” region) to major damage events (e.g. in 2018 with several million of known damage costs), but also mean lower inflows to the drinking and usage water reservoirs due to the high level of interception and evaporation potential of the natural catchment areas (high proportion of forests, drinking water protection zones). The prolonged dry periods exacerbate the problem, because of the reduced groundwater recharge. While the annual precipitation is in the normal range, the changes in the distribution (in intensity, duration and seasons) cause big changes. In addition to the water volume capacity, this also affects the water quality of the streams and reservoirs. Resulting low levels in the reservoirs (often in combination with high temperature) e.g. to blue-green algae growth and require further efforts to achieve the needed water quality.

Purely stationary approaches are not sufficient for describing the processes properly and to transfer the results in a way that decision makers can understand the characteristics. Only a relative change of single precipitation periods in of percentage, cannot give any reference to the resulting effects and impacts. In addition, the different kind of data sets for hydrological and limnological impact modeling makes it difficult to compare the results. Historical point measurements (such as from climate stations or levels), areal (grid-based) historical recording e.g. precipitation by rain radar or soil parameters by satellite, weather forecasts in the range of hours to months and climate forecasts (e.g. decadal) or scenarios are each self-sufficient data sets, but must be linked in order to be able to derive appropriate measures.

Therefor methods to correlate past critical situations with indices / predictors, which are statistically sufficiently robust are suitable. This will enable us to make statements for the development in future periods and to represent changes in an impact-related manner. The presentation shows examples of how such approaches can be implemented for the phenomena described above (heavy rain / drought).
A field study of mass balance and hydrology of the West Khangri Nup glacier (Khumbu, Everest).
Authors: Bombelli Giovanni Martino , Bocchiola Daniele , Camin Federica , Ossi Paolo Maria
Published: March 2020

Depiction of glaciers’ dynamics in the high altitudes of Himalaya, and hydrological fluxes therein is often limited, and yet necessary to assess their contribution to overall water budget in the downstream areas. Information about glaciers in these remote regions is often based on satellite data, which routinely document the retreat or advance of ice-covered areas, while volume changes are less easy to quantify, and require local assessment of weather, and hydrology. 
Here, we report investigation of snow accumulation, ice melt, and mass balance of the West Khangri Nup (WKN) glacier (mean altitude 5494 m a.s.l., 0.23 km2), a part of the Khumbu glacier in the Everest region. The glaciers of the area have experienced negative mass balances in the last three decades, and accordingly investigation of their recent, and prospective dynamics seems necessary. 
Weather, glaciological, snow pits, hydrologic, and isotopic data gathered during some field campaigns (2010-2014) on the glacier, and at the EVK2CNR pyramid site are used here to set up the Poli-Hydro glacio-hydrological model, to depict ice and snow melt and hydrological flows, and investigate seasonal snow dynamics on this high region of the glacier.   
Coupling ice ablation data, and Poli-Hydro simulation for ca. 5 years (January 2010-June 2014), we estimated that WKN depleted ca. -10.46 m of ice water equivalent IWE (i.e. annually ca. -2.32 m IWEy-1). Using then snowpack density, and isotopic (δ18O) profiles on the WKN, we demonstrate that local snowpack during field surveys was recent (Fall-Winter 2013-2014), and that significant snow accumulation did not occur recently. Analysis of recent snow cover from LANDSAT images also confirms snow dynamics as depicted. 
We present original data and results, and complement present studies covering glaciers’ mass balance, and investigation of accumulation zones in the Everest region, and the Himalayas, also potentially helpful in the assessment of future dynamics under ongoing climate change.     
Scaling Analysis of the China France Oceanography Satellite Along Track Wave and Wind Data
Authors: Gao Yang , Schmitt Francois G , Hu Jianyu , Huang Yongxiang
Published: March 2020

Turbulence or turbulence-like phenomena are ubiquitous in nature, often showing a power-law behavior of the Fourier power spectrum in either spatial or temporal domains. This power-law behavior is due to interactions among different scales of motion, and to the absence of characteristic scale among several scale ranges. It can be further interpreted in the framework of turbulent cascade with movements on continuous range of scales. The power-law feature and the associate cascade picture are vitally important to our understanding of the ocean and atmosphere dynamics. In this work, we consider the China France Oceanography SATellite (CFOSAT) data in the general framework of ocean and atmosphere multi-scale dynamics. We apply both Fourier power spectrum analysis and second-order structure-function analysis, used in the fields of turbulence, to extract multiscale information from the wind speed (WS) and significant wave-height (Hs) data provided by CFOSAT project. The data analyzed here are along track data spatially collected from 29th July to 31th December 2019. The measured Fourier power spectrums for both WS and Hs illustrate a dual power-law behavior respectively from 5 to 25 km, and 30 to 500 km with measured scaling exponents β close to 2 and 5/3. The measured second-order structure-functions confirm the existence of the dual power-law behavior. The corresponding measured scaling exponents  ζ(2) close to 1 and 2/3 for the spatial scales mentioned above. Our preliminary results confirm the relevance of using multiscale statistical tools and turbulent theory to characterize the large-scale movements of both ocean and atmosphere.
Water vapour and precipitation isotope measurements from different platforms during the IGP campaign, Iceland, in 2018 connect evaporation sources to precipitation sinks
Authors: Sodemann Harald , Touzeau Alexandra , Barrell Chris , Burkhart John F. , Elvidge Andrew , Jónsson Þorsteinn , Lachlan-Cope Thomas A. , Lacour Jean-Lionel , Lanzky Mika , Midtgarden Golid Heidi , Ólafsdóttir Rósa , Papritz Lukas , Renfrew Ian A. , Steen-Larsen Hans Christian , Sveinsbjörnsdóttir Árny , Weng Yongbiao
Published: March 2020

The water cycle in atmospheric and coupled models is a major contributor to model uncertainty, in particular at high-latitudes, where contrasts between ice-covered regions and the open ocean fuel intense heat fluxes. However, observed atmospheric vapour concentrations do not allow us to disentangle the contributions of different processes, such as evaporation, mixing, and cloud microphysics, to the overall moisture budget. As a natural tracer, stable water isotopes provide access to the moisture sources and phase change history of atmospheric water vapour and precipitation.

Here we present a unique dataset of stable isotope measurements in water vapour and precipitation from the IGP (Iceland Greenland Seas Project) field campaign that took place during February and March 2018. The dataset includes simultaneous measurements from three platforms (a land-station at Husavik, Iceland, the R/V Alliance, and a Twin Otter aircraft) during winter conditions in the Arctic region. Precipitation was collected on an event basis on the research ship, and along two north-south transects in Northern Iceland, and analysed at two stable isotope laboratories. Airborne vapour isotope data was obtained from 10 flights covering a large geographic range (64 °N to 72 °N). Careful data treatment was applied to all stable isotope measurements to ensure sufficient data quality in a challenging measurement environment with predominantly cold and dry conditions, and characterised by strong isotope and humidity gradients. Data quality was confirmed by inter-comparison of the vapour isotope measurements both between ship and aircraft, and between the aircraft and Husavik station.

We exemplify the value of the observations from the analysis of several flights dedicated to the study of the atmosphere-ocean interactions, from low-levels legs and vertical sections across the boundary layer during Cold Air Outbreak (CAO) conditions. The precipitation in Northern Iceland collected at the precipitation sampling network shows clear co-variation with the upstream water vapour measurements at Husavik station, indicative of the wider spatial representativeness of the isotope signals. The land-based snow and vapour measurements are furthermore consistent with the isotope composition in upstream ocean regions sampled by the research vessel, and as linked from aircraft measurements.
High-rate GNSS positioning for tracing anthropogenic seismic activity
Authors: Kudłacik Iwona , Kapłon Jan , Lizurek Grzegorz , Crespi Mattia , Kurpiński Grzegorz
Published: March 2020

High-rate GNSS observations are usually related to earthquake analysis and structural monitoring. The sampling frequency is in the range of 1-100 Hz and observations are processed in the kinematic mode. Most of the research on short-term dynamic deformations is limited to natural earthquakes with magnitudes exceeding 5 and amplitudes of at least several centimetres up to even meters. The high frequency GNSS stations positions monitoring is particularly important on mining areas due to the mining damages. On the underground mining areas the seismic tremors are regular and there are several hundreds of events annually of magnitude over 2 with maximum magnitudes of 4. As mining tremors are shallow and very frequent, they cause mining damages on infrastructure.

Here, we presented the application of GNSS-seismology to the analysis of anthropogenic seismic activity, where the event magnitude and amplitude of displacements significantly lower. We examined the capacity to detect mining tremors with high-rate GPS observations and demonstrated, for the first time to our knowledge that even subcentimeter ground vibrations caused by anthropogenic activity can be measured this way with a very good agreement with seismological data. One of the most-felt mining shocks in Poland in recent years occurred on January 29, 2019 (12:53:44 UTC) M3.7 event in the area of Legnica-Głogów Copper District and was successfully registered by high-rate GNSS stations co-located with seismic stations. In this mining tremor the peak ground displacements reached 2-16  mm and show the Pearson’s correlation value in range of 0.61 to 0.94 for band-pass filtered horizontal displacements.
Ice loss in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego glaciers during the first two decades of the 21st century
Authors: Farías David , Malz Philipp , Seehaus Thorsten , Sommer Christian , Sochor Lukas , Braun Matthias
Published: March 2020

Patagonian and Tierra del Fuego Glaciers are among the highest contributors to sea level rise in the Southern Hemisphere. Although this is an area gaining more attention through recent studies, continuous remotely sensed monitoring is only nascent, but crucial for a better understanding of the glacier changes in this region. Here, we present an update of the glacier elevation and mass changes of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego glaciers, applying differential synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry using data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and the German TerraSAR-X-Add-on for Digital Elevation Measurements mission (TanDEM-X). Our study covers the period between 2000 and 2019. Here, we particularly estimated the glacier mass loss regionalized for the Northern and Southern Patagonia Icefield (NPI and SPI) and Tierra del Fuego, which includes the Icefields of Cordillera Darwin and Gran Campo Nevado.

Our preliminary results indicate mass loss rates of 4.75 ± 0.35 Gt a-1 for NPI for the period of 2000-2019. Results for both other regions will be also presented. Alongside an accuracy assessment based on GNSS field campaign data and satellite laser altimetry.  
A 3-D crustal model of the eastern Arabian plate margin below the Oman Ophiolite
Authors: Weidle Christian , Wiesenberg Lars , El-Sharkawy Amr , Meier Thomas , Krüger Frank , Agard Philippe , Scharf Andreas
Published: March 2020

The Oman ophiolite is one of the best preserved and studied ophiolites, where oceanic lithosphere was obducted on top of a continent. It covers an area of about 700 x 140 km² but its 3D geometry, as well as the properties of the underlying continental lithosphere are largely unknown. We operated a temporary broadband seismic network with 40 instruments for continuous, passive seismic registration for 27 months, complemented by 18 permanent stations in the study region. Ambient noise cross-correlation functions are calculated for vertical and transverse components for all station pairs. We derive azimuthally anisotropic phase velocity maps for Rayleigh- and Love waves in the period range 2 – 40s which show velocity anomalies that are very consistent with geological features at the shortest periods (<10s). At longer periods (>15s) the velocity pattern subdivides the study region into a faster eastern and slower northwestern part below the Oman Mountains. 

We then invert local dispersion curves to shear wave velocity profiles using a novel implementation of a radially anisotropic, probabilistic inversion. Combination of the obtained 1D models to a 3D model provides the first three-dimensional view of shear wave velocity variations along the Eastern Arabian Plate margin. The model highlights at shallow levels strong lateral velocity contrasts between unconsolidated young sediments south of the Oman Mountains (slow) and areas covered by ophiolite and where autochtonous shelf sediments are exposed (fast).

At middle to lower crustal levels, we image linearly northeast trending velocity contrasts that we attribute to assembly of the Arabian plate in late Proterozoic. These features are overprinted by obduction-related convergence in late Cretaceous with thickening of the middle to lower crust below the Oman mountains. Moho depth is around 40-45km northwest of Semail Gap but shallows significantly east of it to 20km at the eastern coast. This is largely in consistency with independent estimates from Receiver Functions calculated with the same data.
Compressibility of air effects on eddy accumulation flux measurements
Authors: Emad Anas , Siebicke Lukas
Published: March 2020

Eddy accumulation is a direct flux measurement technique for trace gas exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere. Eddy accumulation complements the now common eddy covariance method in its ability to measure even small fluxes accurately with slow response gas analyzers and being power efficient. However, the physically most direct way of eddy accumulation, also known as true eddy accumulation (TEA), requires the sampling of air at a rate proportional to the vertical wind velocity at a fast rate of typically 10 Hz or more. Lack of suitable methods for high-speed air sampling has been a primary limitation for the practical application of eddy accumulation in the past. The compressibility of air causes a variation of pressure inside the sampling system, which affects the ability to control the sample flow rate accurately, potentially compromising the derived flux measurements. It is therefore essential to quantify the effect of compressibility on fluxes and understand the parameters which allow for mitigating the effect at the design stage.
In this study, we present successful true eddy accumulation measurements over the old-growth forest at the Fluxnet site Hainich (DE-Hai) and quantify the compressibility effects on fluxes. Performing simulations on high-frequency data of CO2 and vertical wind velocity for a range of system configurations, we are able to quantify the impact of compressibility on fluxes and explain why our measurements were successful. We find that different system configurations lead to flux changes over a representative range of 1 to 25 percent of the flux. Key controlling parameters are the size and arrangement of internal buffer volumes and the appropriate control of the inlet flow rate sampling device as a function of internal and external pressure states. This knowledge allows to mitigate compressibility effects and design accurate true eddy accumulation flux measurements for a range of atmospheric constituents.
Prediction skill of Arctic sea ice in decadal climate simulations of the EC-Earth3 model
Authors: Karami Pasha , Kruschke Tim , Tian Tian , Koenigk Torben , Yang Shuting
Published: March 2020

Arctic sea ice variability and long-term trend play a major role in affecting the climate of polar and lower latitudes via complex coupling with the polar atmospheric circulation and the North Atlantic Ocean circulation. Moreover, sea ice conditions in the Arctic have direct impacts on socio-economy (e.g. the key shipping regions) and on the ecosystem. Understanding and improving predictions of Arctic sea ice on seasonal to decadal time scales is therefore crucial. We investigate the skill of decadal climate prediction simulations of the EC-Earth3 model (T255L91, ORCA1L75) with a focus on Arctic sea ice. In line with the protocol for the CMIP6 Decadal Climate Prediction Project (DCPP), we launched 59 hindcasts/forecasts from 1960 to 2018. Each hindcast/forecast has 15 ensemble members which were initialized on 1 November and integrated for 10 years (+ 2 months). Anomaly initialization approach for the ocean and sea-ice (based on data from the ORA-S5-reanalysis) and full-field initialization for the atmosphere/land surface (based on ERA-Interim/ERA-Land) were applied. We first present a comparison of our hindcasts to observations for global key parameters and provide quantitative estimates of hindcast skill by using common deterministic metrics such as correlation and the Mean Squared Error Skill Score. We focus particularly on the skill regarding sea ice concentration and area in the Arctic’s sub-basins and its relation to the temperature and circulation of lower troposphere as well as the mean state of the ocean outside the Arctic. We also explore relevant processes and how the ocean state and natural climate variability can affect our prediction skills to improve the prediction system.
Low-carbon Electricity Market Transition in the UK: A Multi-level Perspective Analysis
Authors: Lu Yi-Ting , Lin Tze-Luen
Published: March 2020

As climate change issues arise and become a global concern, to reduce carbon emissions has become an urgent issue to respond to. Therefore, the application of renewable energy plays more and more important roles in the energy domain nowadays, which may also bring significant impacts to the low-carbon electricity market transition. With the advantages of developing renewable energy, the Taiwan government anticipates achieving the goal of reaching 20% renewable energy in electricity structure by 2025. Moreover, Taiwan has carried out the most vigorous amendment on the Electricity Act in history to open the electricity market so that more stakeholders can participate in it to propel energy transition. Since the UK is the lead in this field, it is worth investigating. This paper takes the UK as a case study to analyze its evolution in recent decades after the deregulation of its electricity market from the retail side perspective. It expects to explore how the transition drove actors to empower their roles, or even create new roles and responsibilities, and engage in the low-carbon electricity market transition pathway. This paper expects the UK case as a great reference for Taiwan, which echoes the current scenario in Taiwan with the potential to deliver further insights.