bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reducing uncertainty in seafloor fluid vent localization
Authors: Mitchell Garrett , Gharib Jim
Published: March 2024

Modern water-column-imaging multibeam sonars have been shown to be effective tools for a variety of ocean mapping applications but generate immense amounts of raw data when recording acoustic backscatter over the entire water column. High data acquisition rates can pose logistic, economic, and technical challenges for rapid processing, analysis, and archiving of these data. These limitations in multibeam water column imaging often provide unique challenges in commercial marine seep hunting surveys that routinely acquire large basin-scale high-resolution multibeam datasets that require rapid processing and interpretation required for selection of coring targets for geochemical sampling of seep sediments. Interpreting the seafloor position of gas emissions in multibeam water column data using common commercial software packages is hindered by slow processing due to these large file sizes, a manual “by eye” qualitative assessment of each sonar ping searching for acoustic anomalies, skill and experience of the interpreter, fatigue of the interpreter during field operations, and environmental or acquisition artifacts that can mask the location of gas emission on the seafloor. These restrictions over regional basin-scale surveys create a qualitative data set with varying inherent positional errors that can lead to missed or incorrect observations about seep-related seafloor features and processes. By vertically integrating midwater multibeam amplitude samples over a desired range of depths, a 2D integrated midwater backscatter raster can be generated and draped over bathymetric data, providing a quantitative synoptic overview of the spatial distribution of gas plume emission sites for enhanced seafloor interpretation. We reprocess a multibeam midwater data set from NOAA Cruise EX1402L2 in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico using a vertical amplitude stacking technique. Constructed midwater backscatter surfaces are compared with digitized plume positions interpreted during EX1402L2 for a comparison into assessing uncertainty in mapping approaches. Our results show that the accuracy of manually digitizing gas emission sites varies considerably when compared with the midwater backscatter amplitude maps. This quantitative plume mapping technique offers multiple advantages over traditional geopicking from cost effectiveness, offshore efficiency, mapping repeatability, and ultimately improving the detectability of gas plume emission on the seafloor. This study shows datasets generated from this method can be reliably be used as a geophysical proxy for locating chemosynthetic and related benthic habitats.
Sea Ice Drift Retrieval based on Fengyun-3D Multi-Sensor Data
Authors: Wang Xue , Chen Zhuoqi , Xu Zhizhuo , Wang Ruirui , Lu Ran , Hui Fengming , Cheng Xiao
Published: March 2024

Under the background of global warming, sea ice changes rapidly. Sea ice drift is an important indicator for sea ice flux, atmospheric and ocean circulation, and ship navigation. Currently, the large-scale observed sea ice drift datasets are mainly obtained based on single-sensor remotely sensed data, which suffer low spatial resolution or poor spatial continuity. Considering that passive microwave radiometer and medium-resolution optical sensor complement each other in terms of spatial resolution and continuity, this study proposed a novel sea ice drift retrieval method based on Fengyun-3D (FY-3D) multi-sensor data. The proposed method is summarized as follows. First, low resolution sea ice drift fields were obtained from FY-3D Microwave Radiation Imager (MWRI) data based on the normalized cross-correlation pattern-matching method. Then, fine resolution vectors were extracted from FY-3D Medium-Resolution Spectral Imager (MERSI) data based on A-KAZE feature-tracking method. Finally, the low resolution pattern-matching vectors and fine resolution feature-tracking vectors were merged together based on Co-Kriging algorithm to obtain the final sea ice drift result. The proposed method was evaluated by comparing the buoy displacements obtained from the International Arctic Buoy Program (IABP) with the retrieved merged vectors from FY-3D remotely sensed images collected in the Beaufort Sea, the East Siberian Sea, and the Fram Strait on 2020. The results showed that the proposed method can retrieve accurate, fine resolution and spatial continuous sea ice motion fields.
FROSTBYTE: A reproducible data-driven workflow for probabilistic seasonal streamflow forecasting in snow-fed river basins across North America
Authors: Arnal Louise , Clark Martyn P. , Pietroniro Alain , Vionnet Vincent , Casson David R. , Whitfield Paul H. , Fortin Vincent , Wood Andrew W. , Knoben Wouter J. M. , Newton Brandi W. , Walford Colleen
Published: March 2024

Seasonal streamflow forecasts provide key information for decision-making in sectors such as water supply management, hydropower generation, and irrigation scheduling. Principal component regression (PCR) stands as a well-established and widely used data-driven method for seasonal streamflow forecasting, offering advantages over more complex methods, including intuitive use of local data to represent key hydrological processes and low computational resource requirements.We will present FROSTBYTE, a systematic and reproducible data-driven workflow for probabilistic seasonal streamflow forecasting in snow-fed river basins. FROSTBYTE is available on GitHub as a collection of Jupyter Notebooks, facilitating broader applications in cold regions and contributing to the ongoing advancement of methodologies. This structured workflow consists of five essential steps: 1) Regime classification and basins selection, 2) Streamflow pre-processing, 3) Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) pre-processing, 4) Forecasting using PCR, and 5) Hindcast verification. It was applied to 75 basins characterized by a snowmelt-driven regime and limited regulation across diverse North American geographies and climates. Ensemble hindcasts of winter to summer streamflow volumes were generated from 1979 to 2021, with initialization dates ranging from January 1st to September 1st. The hindcasts were evaluated with a user-oriented approach, tailored to offer insights for snow monitoring experts, forecasters, decision-makers, and workflow developers. Join us to learn more about FROSBYTE, and explore ways in which you can actively contribute to its development.
Tidal responses in the semi-enclosed Bohai Sea to the delta intrusion of a high sediment-laden river
Authors: Sun Jiayue , Zhou Jianjun , Zhang Man
Published: March 2024

The Yellow River Delta (YRD) in the Bohai Sea (BS) is one of the most rapidly expanding deltas worldwide, owing to a giant sediment load of 1.2 Bt/a in pre-damming years that emptied into a weak tidal semi-enclosed shallow sea, with 70% of the sediment deposited within the estuarine area. Since 1855, the delta has experienced a land accretion of 20 km2/a, and the channel extends seaward at a rate of 2~3 km/a. These morphological changes have raised the base level of the river, approaching 1 m for every 10 km of the channel elongation. It constitutes one of the two key factors for the peached lower Yellow River. Nevertheless, it is not clear about the impact on the tidal regime under the delta expansion in the BS. Consequently, the long-term sedimentation evolution of the YRD under various tidal dynamics is still not well understood. In this study, tidal responses to the delta evolution were investigated using a hydrodynamic model based on Delft 3D, covering the entire BS and parts of the adjacent Yellow Sea. The historical conditions were simulated with topographic survey data (circa 1855, 1962, 1981, 2003, and 2015), and the future scenarios over the next 200 years were predicted with sediment load data. The results indicate that the main tidal amplitude (M2 tide) has changed by -1.1~3.8 mm/a, which is larger than the mean sea-level rising rate of 2 mm/a, and the flow velocity has changed by -0.42~0.55 m/s. As the YRD protruded seaward, the flow velocity along the delta increased while the increasing rate decelerated over time, historically maintaining maximum flow velocities below 0.86~0.9 m/s. In future scenarios, it gradually increased to a peak of 1.2 m/s, followed by a 10% decrease. The estuarine sediment transport capacity, which is proportional to the cube of the flow velocity, would remain limited or even diminished by around 30%, exacerbating the sedimentation in the delta estuary. With accelerated sea-level rise and limited lifespan of sand control projects, it could be more challenging to sustain the safe development of the river and delta.
Accounting for interannual variability in dust accelerated snowmelt in process-based hydrologic prediction, Rocky Mountains, USA
Authors: Skiles S. McKenzie , Naple Patrick , Lang Otto , Meyer Joachim
Published: March 2024

Seasonal mountain snowmelt is an important contributor to surface water resources and groundwater recharge in the midlatitudes, making forecasting of snowmelt timing and duration critical for accurate hydrologic prediction. Net solar radiation, controlled primarily by snow albedo, is the main driver of snowmelt in most snow covered environments. Lowering of snow albedo from episodic dust deposition has been shown to be an important control on snowmelt patterns in the Rocky Mountains of the Western United States. Here, we compare and contrast trends in dust impacted albedo over the previous two decades with a focus on two regions: 1) the Colorado Rockies, headwaters of the Colorado River, which recieves dust from the southern Colorado Plateau and 2) the Wasatch Mountains (UT), headwaters of the Great Salt Lake, which recieves dust from the Great Basin. Results show that while snow darkening occurs every year, the magnitude of impact is spatially and temporally variable, and there are no emerging relationships that indicate when 'high-impact' dust years will occur. To account for spatial and interannual variability in dust impacted net solar radiation in hydrologic prediction we developed a spatially distributed process-based snowmelt model that incorporates near-real time snow albedo from remote sensing and incoming solar radiation from numerical weather prediction. The model improves simulated timing of snowmelt initiation and duration in all years, even those with lower dust impacts, demonstrating the importance of accurate snow albedo in snowmelt modeling. 
Vulnerability Index of Critical Infrastructure in Greater Kuala Lumpur Fault Zone, Malaysia
Authors: Abu Bakar Rabieahtul , Noorazri Nurin Faiqah , Mohamad Zakaria , Sari Anggun Mayang , Ramli Zamri
Published: March 2024

The Greater Kuala Lumpur (Greater KL) region, a pivotal hub of Malaysia's economic growth, confronts a burgeoning challenge amid rapid urbanization. Unprecedentedly, it is vulnerable to seismic reactivation possibilities from the dormant Kuala Lumpur Fault Zone (KLFZ). With a comprehensive integration of geospatial technologies, to dissect the geological intricacies of the KLFZ and assess the vulnerability of critical infrastructure within Greater KL. The research aims to bridge the realms of geology and infrastructure engineering, providing actionable insights for policy decisions and urban planning to enhance the region's resilience to seismic events. The problem statement underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive investigation into the interplay between the geological characteristics of the KLFZ and the vulnerabilities in infrastructure. Despite the economic significance of Greater KL, a notable research gap hinders effective mitigation and preparedness strategies. The aim is to unravel the distinctive features of the KLFZ, assess infrastructure vulnerability, and inform policies for safeguarding against potential seismic threats. The methodology unfolds systematically, employing geospatial analysis, remote sensing, and geological data. The research adopts a meticulous data acquisition approach, integrating Sentinel-2 imagery and a seismotectonic map of Malaysia to delineate the fault zone. The extraction of critical infrastructure is conducted with precision, considering the guidelines from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The subsequent steps involve buffer zone creation, overlay analysis, and data classification to develop a vulnerability index. The expected outcome revolves around a comprehensive understanding of the KLFZ and its implications on infrastructure vulnerability. The methodology employs detailed mapping and geospatial analysis, providing insights into fault characteristics, seismic hazards, and critical infrastructure susceptibility. The research aims to contribute a robust foundation for disaster preparedness, urban planning, and engineering strategies, fostering the safety and stability of Greater KL against seismic risks. This research contributes to the broader discourse on urban resilience and disaster management, emphasizing the significance of geomatics in addressing the complex challenges posed by active fault zones or the possibilities of reactivated fault zones. The findings hold practical implications for policymakers, urban planners, and geospatial professionals, offering a nuanced perspective on the intricate relationship between geological factors and infrastructure vulnerabilities in dynamic urban landscapes. In conclusion, this research endeavours to unravel an inform evidence-based decision-making, contributing to the sustainable development and safety of the Greater KL region.
Verification of FengYun-3E MWTS and MWHS Calibration Accuracy Using GPS Radio Occultation Data
Authors: Hou Xueyan , Han Yang
Published: March 2024

The fifth FengYun satellite (FY-3E) was successfully launched into orbit on 5 July, 2021. It carries the third-generation microwave temperature sounder (MWTS-III) and the second-generation microwave humidity sounder (MWHS-II), providing the global atmospheric temperature and humidity measurements. It is important to assess the in-orbit performance of MWTS-III and MWHS-II and understand their calibration accuracy before applications in numerical weather prediction. Since atmospheric profiles from Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation (RO) are stable and accurate, they are very valuable for assessing the microwave sounder performance in orbit as demonstrated by many previous studies. This study aims at quantifying the calibration biases of FY-3E MWTS-III and MWHS-II sounding channels of interest using the collocated GPS RO data during January 1st to September 30th, 2023. The MWTS-III channels inherit most of the second-generation MWTS features and have frequencies near the oxygen absorption band (50-60 GHz), and channels at the frequencies of 23.8 and 31.4 GHz were added. Considering that the GPS RO data are more stable and accurate in the mid-troposphere to lower stratosphere and the atmospheric radiative transfer model is accurate in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, the mid- to upper-level sounding channels of the MWTS-III, i.e. channels 7-14 are of interest in this study. The cross-tracking scanning instrument MWHS-II provides 15 channels, at frequencies near 89, 118.75, 150 and 183.31 GHz. Of interest to this study are MWHS-II channels 2-6 and 11-15. Using the collocated COSMIC RO data in clear-sky conditions as inputs to the Advanced Radiative Transfer Modeling System (ARMS), brightness temperatures and viewing angles are simulated for FY-3E MWTS-III and MWHS-II. The collocation criterion between the radio-occultation data and the MWTS-III/MWHS-II measurements is defined such that the spatial and temporal difference is less than 50 km and 3 h, respectively. To simulate more accurate bright temperatures, the RO data should be obtained under clear sky conditions over oceans. To determine the clear sky for MWTS-III, the cloud liquid water path algorithm developed by Grody et al. (2001) was used for MWTS-III. While for MWHS-II, the cloud detection algorithm developed by Hou et al. (2019) was used. The initial analysis shows that for the upper sounding channels, the mean biases of the MWTS-III observations relative to the GPS RO simulations are negative for channels 7-8 and 10-13, with absolute values
Strain history of the Pioneer fault, Idaho, USA – progressive deformation and associated crystallographic alteration.
Authors: Petrie Elizabeth , Burton Bradford , Bradbury Kelly , Baldassarre Genna
Published: March 2024

In south-central Idaho, a segment of the Pioneer fault, exposed at Little Fall Creek, has accommodated large magnitude Mesozoic shortening overprinted by Paleogene extension. The resulting 30 m thick fault damage zone records a history of fault reactivation and associated deformation in quartz veins, graphite concentration on slip surfaces, polyphase contractional and extensional microstructures, and micro- to outcrop-scale corrugated, mineralized and polished slip surfaces. The gently west dipping (207°/14°) fault zone separates Ordovician argillite in the hanging wall from Mississippian argillite and quartzite in the footwall and accommodated east-northeast directed shortening. However, polished slip surfaces within the fault zone document top-to-the-west translation with a mean slip vector 15°/272°, consistent with extensional unroofing of the Pioneer Mountains core complex.Argillite in the fault damage zone varies from proto- to ultra-cataclasite and provides evidence for overprinting of contractional fabrics by extensional fabrics. The fault damage zone is characterized by multiple anastomosing slip-surfaces which indicate a history of slip surface interactions, fault growth, and reactivation. Early deformation features include graphitic foliations and stylolites, SC foliations, and ptygmatic folds consistent with shortening. Quartz veins, mica fish, and slip surfaces coated with graphite, amorphous carbonaceous material, and amorphous quartz phases, overprint the early deformation features and are associated with west-directed extension. Hydrothermal quartz veins that show at least five phases of deformation indicate multiple strain episodes and high strain rates. Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope textural analysis of the graphite in the fault damage zone show a loss of crystallinity toward the primary slip surface. We infer the late-stage meso- to micro-scale features record seismic slip and fluid-rock interactions in a gently dipping fault zone.
The impact of regional-scale variability in upper mantle viscosity on GIA in West Antarctica
Authors: Lucas Erica , Gomez Natalya , Latychev Konstantin , Yousefi Maryam
Published: March 2024

West Antarctica is underlain by a laterally heterogenous upper mantle, with localized regions of mantle viscosity reaching several orders of magnitude below the global average. Accounting for 3-D variability in upper mantle structure in glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) simulations has been shown to significantly impact the predicted spatial rates and patterns of crustal deformation, geoid and sea-level changes. Uncertainty in constraining the viscoelastic structure of the solid Earth remains a major limitation in GIA modeling. To date, investigations of the impact of 3-D Earth structure on GIA have adopted solid Earth viscoelastic models based on global- and continental-scale seismic imaging with variability at spatial scales >150 km. However, regional body-wave tomography shows mantle structure variability at smaller spatial scales (~50-100 km) in central West Antarctica (Lucas et al., 2020). Here, we investigate the effects of incorporating this smaller-scale lateral variability in upper mantle viscosity into 3-D GIA simulations. Lateral variability in upper mantle structure at the glacial basin scale is found to have a significant impact on GIA model predictions, especially in coastal regions undergoing rapid ice mass loss. For example, incorporating a transition from lower viscosity at the mouth of Thwaites Glacier to higher viscosity further upstream impacts the predicted rate and pattern of solid Earth deformation and sea-level change in response to ongoing and projected ice mass loss, with possible implications for the evolution of the overlying ice and the interpretation of geophysical observables.
Evaluating the effect of atmospheric and surface mass loading on the stochastic properties of GPS time series in the Great Lakes region
Authors: Krcmaric Jordan , Kreemer Corné
Published: March 2024

With more continuous Global Navigation Satellite System (cGNSS) network stations becoming available around the world and with improved data processing techniques, it is possible to observe and model subtle motions in the Earth’s crust that were previously undetectable. Critical to studying these subtle motions is understanding the contributions of various signals mixed into the cGNSS time-series, for example non-tidal atmospheric and ocean loading (NTAOL) and hydrologic loading. We investigate the effect that atmospheric and surface mass loading has on the stochastic properties of GPS time series around the Great Lakes (GL) region of the U.S. and Canada. This region is ideal for studying these effects because it is covered by a dense network of GPS stations and it is known to be affected by significant hydrological loading due to water level changes in the GL. We use readily available NTAOL and hydrologic loading models to remove these signals from the cGNSS time-series and track the variance changes in the residual time-series in order to quantify the effect of each loading component. In order to assess whether the loading models fully capture the full magnitude of displacement we also perform common mode filtering in order to extract the remaining spatially correlated signal. We estimate the stochastic parameters (white noise amplitude, power law amplitude and spectral index) and compare between the raw, loading corrected, and filtered loading corrected time series in order to evaluate the contribution of the different loading signals to the time series noise properties. The outcomes of this study will help validate existing loading models and where improvement may be needed. Results will also support GNSS data providers in assessing the quality of available GNSS stations for use in scientific and surveying applications.
CMIP6-based national-scale hydrologic projections under dam operation in China
Authors: Dong Ningpeng
Published: March 2024

Accurate projections of streamflow and water resources are crucial to sustainable water resources management. This cannot be achieved without consideration of dam operation especially for China where there exists a large number of reservoirs to regulate the streamflow. This study employs a national-scale land surface-hydrologic model (CLHMS) coupled with a well-calibrated reservoir operation module for 384 major Chinese reservoirs and human water withdrawal to simulate the human-impacted hydrologic regime across China. The CMIP6 climate projection data is bias corrected with historic observations to force the CLHMS to investigate the future hydrologic alterations of China. The results will be presented and discussed, and we believe our study can provide some implications for hydrologic projection research under climate change impact.
Open collaboration for open science: a global perspective on disciplinary challenges in the Earth, space, and environmental sciences
Authors: Stall Shelley , Vrouwenvelder Kristina
Published: March 2024

Open Science is a paradigm shift for science; open practices can remove barriers to sharing science and increase its reproducibility and transparency. As society faces global, interdisciplinary challenges like climate change, open scientific research – including open data, software, workflows, samples – is more important than ever. AI and ML methods are increasingly used in the Earth, space, and environmental sciences to investigate these large challenges, and analysis-ready data for use in these methods is predicated on open, FAIR principles for data sharing. However, maximizing FAIR-ness and ensuring research is ‘as open as possible’ across the many Earth, space, and environmental science disciplines encompasses a range of challenges, including lacking infrastructure, incentives, resources, and guidance for all participants in the research ecosystem. We believe that societies, including AGU, EGU, JpGU, communities like ESIP, and beyond, have a significant role to play in catalyzing collaboration to overcome this range of challenges. Here, we share progress on collaborative efforts involving AGU, partners, and the broader community to solve these challenges, including developing discipline-specific guidance for researchers on data and software sharing, training for researchers in leading open science practices, and guidance and partnerships for publishers interested in implementing FAIR and CARE in the publishing workflow. We look forward to partnering on global collaborations to advocate for our researchers and the open future of science.
Progress in the construction of DDE OnePetrology Igneous Rock Database
Authors: Ding Yi
Published: March 2024

The DDE OnePetrology Igneous Rock Database is part of the DDE Large Science Program, focusing on the collection of global igneous rock age, geochemistry, trace elements, isotopes, and other data. It also provides a data-driven research platform, with the website at H ttps://petrology.deep-time.org/ . The core concept of igneous rock database is the integration of data, graphics, and paper, covering the entire process of magma rock research work. In the process of constructing the igneous rock database, the technology of integrating knowledge and data was adopted to effectively associate the knowledge graph with data. The core is to build an API collection of knowledge and data integration services based on the multimodal database arangodb, covering the entire process of data analysis, mapping, and knowledge reasoning. At present, more than 400,000 sets of sample data have been collected, and two software platforms (website and desktop software) are provided (mobile app planning). The igneous rock database software system is entirely built using open-source software, fully adhering to standards and specifications such as OGC, IGSN, FAIR, etc., and synchronously releasing digital maps such as global igneous rock maps as base maps, which are displayed together with other geological/geographic maps, providing igneous rock researchers with a full process support including data, maps, literature, and tool software.
Advancing User-Friendly Tsunami Hazard Mapping:  MATLAB-based Applications for FUNWAVE modelling
Authors: Felix Raquel , Watanabe Masashi , Verolino Andrea , Tan Elaine , Puah Jun Yu , Switzer Adam
Published: March 2024

Following the 2022 Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha'apai tsunami, there is a renewed interest in assessing tsunami hazards related to tsunamis triggered by landslides, volcanic eruptions, and atmospheric disturbances. This increased interest suggests an expanding cohort of researchers delving into the assessment of tsunami hazards through numerical modelling. However, mastering a numerical model involving tasks such as input file preparation, simulation execution, and output data generation poses a challenge for inexperienced users. The learning process often demands a substantial time investment, potentially causing workflow delays that may prevent researchers from promptly initiating result analysis. To address this challenge, we introduce standalone applications designed to optimize the efficiency of both tsunami model preparation and post-processing stages. We present two MATLAB-based user-friendly applications designed to efficiently generate input files and output tsunami hazard maps. The applications were designed to align with the required input and expected output files of the Fully Nonlinear Boussinesq Wave (FUNWAVE) model. FUNWAVE is a well-established open-source model that has been extensively validated through analytical solutions and experimental investigations. It also offers options to set up initial conditions, such as landslides and meteotsunamis. To facilitate its useability, the applications incorporate tool tips and context menus that provide a comprehensive guide for users. Within the input-generator application, visual warnings pre-empt potential errors in tsunami simulations. Meanwhile, the output map generator application not only facilitates the creation of maps, but also offers users the convenience of converting these maps into raster files,  animations, KML, or shapefiles. This versatility ensures compatibility with various programming and Geographic Information System (GIS) platforms. We tested the functionality of the applications using the benchmark examples from the FUNWAVE model. Through the development of these applications, we aim to advance tsunami modelling research by enhancing technological accessibility, hence reducing the complexity, especially for individuals new to tsunami modelling. 
Ocean Futures: A New Paradigm and Teaching in the Age of Ocean Change
Authors: Neuer Susanne , Pfirman Stephanie , Martin Roberta , Kamelamela Katie , Maas Amy , Bates Nick
Published: March 2024

The new School of Ocean Futures (oceans.asu.edu) at Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ, USA) has embarked on a novel way of teaching ocean science with a forward-looking philosophy that centers on the current and future states of the ocean. While situated in Arizona State University’s main campus, it leverages the location of its two offshore campuses, the Center of Global Discovery and Conservation Science in Hilo, Hawaii, and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) in Bermuda. The Ocean Futures programs combine aspects of traditional ocean science teaching with ocean stewardship, partnerships, and Indigenous knowledge, and focus on the communities that live with the ocean and are affected by its rapid change. In this presentation we will introduce the curriculum of the new degree, as well as the challenges encountered, and best practices learned. Novel courses include “Introduction to Ocean Futures”, a capture course that aims at increasing the interdisciplinary knowledge of oceans, while actively seeking to increase diversity and retention in the field via inclusive pedagogical practices, the historical context of oceanography and an emphasis on developing a mindset of empowerment for change. It is followed by “Ocean Communities”, a course that immerses students through an ethnobotanical lens in global mountain to ocean cultural connections, while elaborating on how various human communities engage, exchange, and build relationships with regional resources. The students will receive hands-on aquatic knowledge through field courses at BIOS, the Sea of Cortez, Hawaii, and Antarctica. The curriculum culminates with an ocean workshop and capstone course that will allow the students to work directly with partners to address real-world challenges facing coastal communities and marine systems.  
The Climate Change in the Northeastern Iran Recorded by Loess-paleosol since the Last Two Glacial Cycles
Authors: Xie Haichao
Published: March 2024

The Arid Central Asia (ACA) is climatically controlled by the westerlies, which is an important part of the ancient "Silk Road" linking eastern and western culture exchange and trade. This area has perennial drought, low rainfall, strong evaporation, fragile ecosystems, making the humidity changes are extremely important to the regional ecological diversity and civilization evolution. Studies have shown that in the "summer rain type" of ACA, the moisture change in the eastern ACA and the monsoonal region have an anti-phase relationship in the Holocene, and have out of phase relationship in the Last Interglacial. However, the Holocene humidity changes in the "winter rain type" western ACA are still controversial, and reliable moisture change records during the Last Interglacial are scarce, which restricts the understanding of the overall moisture change characteristics of the whole ACA. In this study, we applied pIR50IR290 dating protocol to 38-63 μm K-feldspar fractions of loess samples from the Toshan section (TS19), Northern Iran. The Bacon age-depth model based on the pIRIR290 age estimates indicated that Toshan loess section could yield a reliable climate record since the last two glacial cycles (MIS 6). The climatic proxies such as grain size, chromaticity, magnetic susceptibility, TOC and organic carbon isotopic ratios (δ13C) have also been measured with high resolution. The main findings are as follows: (1) The TS19 loess-paleosol profile in northeastern Iran has been deposited intactly and with high resolution since the last two glacial cycles, and 3 obvious interglacial-stage peaks can be found in the MIS5, which are not clear in the loess profile of the Chinese Loess Plateau; (2) The TOC andδ13C based moisture records show that the most humid period occurred in MIS5c, instead of MIS5e. (3) Obvious 20,000-year precession cycle and 10,000-year half precession cycle of climate change during the Last Interglacial can be found in northeastern Iran. In the future, more K-feldspar pIRIR dating data will be obtained to increase absolute dating points, and the biomarkers such as GDGTs will be used to carry out high-resolution quantitative temperature reconstruction, to fully understand the characteristics of climate change in the "winter rain type" western ACA and its driving mechanism.
Observations of diurnal and seasonal variation of heat fluxes and an evaluation of bulk Richardson parameterizations in the East River Watershed, Colorado
Authors: Paleri Sreenath , Meyers Tilden , Lee Temple , Heuer Mark
Published: March 2024

Multi-scale heterogeneities arising from terrain-induced and land surface variabilities  present in complex ecosystems require accurate measurements and models of surface-atmospheric exchanges. The spatial and temporal variability of energy and water budgets over complex terrain can influence hydrological and biogeochemical interactions that can strongly influence local and regional biosphere-atmosphere transport. Scaling and accurate model representations of these interactions across complex terrains based on single-point or local measurements present a non-trivial scientific challenge.
Observations were made of surface energy balance components at NOAA surface flux and mobile SURFRAD radiation stations separated by 5 kilometers along the East River, Colorado, watershed. We present the gap-filled diurnal and seasonal evolution of surface energy balance components as the study domain transitions from low to high snow cover. The spatial variability of the measured fluxes along the valley axis is discussed with the possible influences of local advection and thermally driven circulations.
The measured fluxes are compared with a new bulk Richardson number parameterization for sensible heat fluxes over heterogeneous land surfaces, introduced in Lee et al. 2021, and are here extended for complex topography. Our findings provide credence for implementing such a parameterization for surface fluxes and turbulence statistics into land-surface models for representing surface-atmospheric exchanges, although caution should be used during the early-evening transition when there are significant and persistent countergradient fluxes.
Balancing groundwater access and sustainability through energy pricing in India
Authors: Ray Sudatta
Published: March 2024

Pumping energy is a key component of the groundwater governance challenge. Yet it is largely missing in the discourse on agricultural use of groundwater. A sub-category of literature studying groundwater-energy nexus tends to focus on groundwater depletion hotspots where entrenched interests and long-standing history restrict the range of feasible energy models. We simulate expected impacts of expanding groundwater irrigation under five different energy provision models in a region with among the lowest irrigation coverage, and therefore, free of path dependent policies. We find aquifer properties play a crucial role in mediating the groundwater-energy nexus. On average, the maximum volume of water that can be pumped from a well of a specific depth in an alluvial aquifer is approximately 150 times the volume that can be pumped from a well in a hard-rock aquifer. Therefore, managing uncertainty in groundwater consumption is a far greater challenge in alluvial than hard-rock aquifers. Uncertainty in groundwater consumption can be limited in hard-rock aquifers if the number of wells and depths of wells can be controlled - capital subsidies for well construction could be a potential policy. Our results imply that while solar pumps are a risky alternative in alluvial aquifers for maintaining current and future groundwater levels, they are relatively safe and among the most economical for expanding irrigation in hard-rock regions. Using a novel dataset comprising of biophysical and socioeconomic data, we find hard-rock regions to have limited irrigation coverage, high availability of annually replenishable groundwater, and high concentrations of marginalized farmers. Therefore, groundwater irrigation expansion in hard-rock areas could have dual benefits of ensuring future food security and targeting poverty reduction.
Locating the dry layer interface during soil water evaporation by using numerical inversion-based heat pulse method
Authors: Liu Lin , Xie Xiaoting , Lu Yili , Ren Tusheng
Published: March 2024

The location of dry layer interface (LDI), which varies during soi drying process, is a key parameter for characterizing soil water evaporation process. Recently the heat pulse (HP) technique has been applied to estimate the LDI indirectly. However, errors may occur with the HP method when analytical solutions are used because of soil heterogeneity across the measurement plane, especially when a heterogeneous interface lies between the two probes. In this study, we propose a numerical inversion-based heat pulse method for estimating the LDI under five configurations. The inputs are thermal properties of dry and wet soils, and the temperature rise-by-time curves at two locations from the heat source. The heat source was positioned at different distances from the LDI. The inversion method was evaluated with temperature rise-by-time curves from 17 scenarios obtained from numerical simulation and 14 scenarios obtained from laboratory measurements. Results demonstrated that the new approach produced reasonable LDI estimates within the range of 0.1 to 5 cm to the soil surface, with relative errors (REs) less than 0.30, except for the situation that the LDI was close to the heat source. The proposed method has significant implications in groundwater management and modeling hydrological processes in unsaturated soils.
Earthquake swarms of complex seismotectonic features in West Texas, USA.
Authors: Alexandros Savvaidis , Guo-Chin Huang , Anthony Lomax
Published: March 2024

As part of the intraplate tectonic regime within the continental US, the seismicity rate in Texas is expected to be low. However, the seismicity rate in West Texas has steadily increased since 2009, and significantly accelerated since 2020 with the Texas Seismological Network (TexNet) reporting (http://catalog.texnet.beg.utexas.edu) 49 M≥4 earthquakes (all after 2020) and 3 M≥5 earthquakes (all after 2022).Two of the largest of these events, M5.4 (2022-11-16, 21:32:44 UTC) and M5.2 (2023-11-08, 10:27:49 UTC) are part of the Coalson Draw sequence, and very close to each other (separated by
What do we learn about regional and global methane budgets using stable methane isotope measurements in a global inverse model?
Authors: Bruhwiler Lori , Oh Youmi
Published: March 2024

Observations indicate accelerating growth of atmospheric CH4, creating a challenge for meeting the Global Methane Pledge that aims to achieve 30% cuts in global emissions by 2030. A recent UNEP report proposes that feasible CH4 emission cuts could result in a 45% reduction in anthropogenic emissions, avoiding 0.3 ºC of warming by mid-century while having a positive impact on human health through air quality improvements. However, given that the most feasible methane emissions reductions are in the oil and gas sector, it will be difficult to achieve the goals of the Global Methane Pledge with current signatories without also considering emissions from agriculture and waste. It is therefore important to be able to quantify and monitor anthropogenic and natural microbial emissions.Measurements of the 13C stable isotope of CH4 could be useful for partitioning emissions between fossil fuel and microbial sources, and global analyses imply that recent increases in atmospheric growth are dominated by microbial sources. Atmospheric observations of methane and 13CH4 were used to constrain the NOAA CarbonTracker-CH4 inversion modeling system. Results show that the largest share of recent growth in CH4 is due to increasing microbial and fossil fuel emissions in the developing economies of Asia. A smaller contribution to the recent growth in atmospheric CH4 is also from increasing microbial emissions in tropical South America and Africa, possibly a combination of emissions from natural wetlands and agriculture. At global scale there is little change in fossil fuel emissions, however this result is highly dependent in how stable isotope measurements are used in the inversion. In this presentation we highlight uncertainties associated with using isotope measurements and how they affect our understanding of the atmospheric methane budget.
ESA’s WorldPeatland project – Developing Earth Observation-based peatland mapping and monitoring tools for peatland restoration and conservation
Authors: López Saldaña Gerardo , Bechtold Michel , Page Susan , Worrall Fred , Salvi Stefano , Tansey Kevin , De Lannoy Gabrielle , Burdun Iuliia , Jory Ian , Al Sarrouh Yara
Published: March 2024

Peatland restoration and conservation, including sustainable peatland management, require robust, consistent, efficient, and accessible methodologies to map peatlands, and identify and better understand the changes and impacts of natural and anthropogenic changes, including restoration measures. Peatland mapping and monitoring tools should enable users to (i) locate peat soils; (ii) identify peatlands at risk of degradation and in need of protection and/or restoration; (iii) monitor the success of management interventions; and (iv) support national and international reporting requirements. Given the spatial scale of peatlands lend themselves to use of Earth Observation techniques. In response to these needs, ESA’s WorldPeatland project will work closely with stakeholders in the peatland community to define, validate, and promote Earth Observation-based products and tools that facilitate the mapping and monitoring of peatlands in different states and biomes.  

This presentation consists of two parts. In the first part, we summarize the outcome of a survey on the user requirements for Earth Observation-based peatland mapping and monitoring and the associated EO-based tools. The survey consisted of an online questionnaire and two user requirement workshops. In the second part, the project structure is presented with details about the planned development of innovative monitoring products and tools along with some initial results from case studies. 
The roles of clay minerals and/or organic ligands in the mobility of uranium: an insight for geological disposal of radioactive waste
Authors: Xia Qingyin , Niu Yuqing , Liu Longcheng , Zhang Zhean , Xie Tingting
Published: March 2024

Clay and clay rocks are being considered as possible barriers for nuclear waste disposal worldwide, due to their high adsorption capacity and limited hydraulic conductivity. Moreover, clay minerals have been regarded as one of the major Fe-containing phases in the Earth’s crust due to their ubiquitous occurrences in soil and sediments.  Hence, a solid understanding of uranium interactions with Fe(III)-bearing clay minerals is needed for the optimal design and long-term stewardship of uranium waste disposal. Besides clay minerals, metal-chelating ligands were found at appreciable concentrations in certain uranium-contaminated sites due to their prevalent use as decontaminant (e.g., complexing) agents in radioactive waste streams, which ultimately impacted the redox kinetics of U in proximity.Herein, we report a combined effect of Fe(III)-rich nontronite (NAu-2) and environmentally prevalent organic ligands on re-oxidation of biogenic UO2 at circumneutral pH. After 30 d incubation, structural Fe(III) in NAu-2 oxidized 45.50% UO2 with an initial rate of 2.68*10-3 mol*m-2*d-1. The addition of citrate and EDTA greatly promoted the oxidative dissolution of UO2 by structural Fe(III) in NAu-2, primarily through the formation of aqueous ligand-U(IV) complexes. In contrast, a model siderophore, DFOB, partially inhibited UO2 oxidation due to the formation of a stable DFOB-Fe3+ complex. The resulting U(VI) species intercalated into the NAu-2 interlayer, driving UO2 dissolution by keeping dissolved U(VI) concentrations low. Our results highlight the importance of organic ligands on the oxidative dissolution of U(IV) minerals by Fe(III)-bearing clay minerals and have important implications for the design of nuclear waste storage and remediation strategies, especially in clay- and organic-rich environments.
Water and carbon dioxide fluxes in contrasting land covers typical from Brazilian Cerrado: Modeling and methodological challenges using eddy covariance data
Authors: Ayach Anache Jamil Alexandre , Holl David , Kobayashi Alex , Zhao Yuqing , Pessoa de Souza Paulo Berardo , Wendland Edson
Published: March 2024

The tropics play a pivotal role in the terrestrial energy and water cycles, as well as regulating the carbon cycle. The increasing pressures over the remaining natural vegetation areas in Brazilian tropical forests, allied to climate change, are likely expected to alter these cycles. Despite the existence of studies that have already observed changes on water and energy fluxes, questions regarding heat and mass exchange mechanisms and the biophysical processes in tropical ecosystems and crops for food and energy production remain. Studies involving carbon exchanges and water fluxes in the Cerrado ecoregion are mostly related to agricultural land uses (e.g., pasture, eucalyptus, and sugarcane). Thus, empirical answers from undisturbed areas of this ecoregion are important to understand the whole of pristine vegetation in carbon and water flux related processes in tropical ecosystems, which generally lacks on-site observations. Here, the complex land use pattern (contrasting land use in the footprint area) of an experimental site challenges the data processing and the representativeness of a dataset obtained using eddy covariance technique. However, these challenges may also create scientific opportunities to obtain responses from contrasting land uses at the same measurement tower if a consistent data processing along fluxes calculations is performed. The purpose of this study is to compare contrasting land uses responses concerning the water and carbon dioxide fluxed observed from an eddy covariance experiment deployed in a complex site, which measures an undisturbed tropical woodland and a mixed agricultural site (pasture, sparse trees, and sugarcane). This complex landscape created methodological challenges concerning the flux footprint representativeness for data filtering to allow modelling water and carbon dioxide fluxes. Thus, this study also evaluated a workflow to calculate fluxes considering a dynamic metadata that varied canopy height, displacement height, and roughness length binned by the wind direction. The evapotranspiration in wooded Cerrado is higher than the agricultural land along the entire year, mainly due to the increased transpiration along the whole year including the dry season. In addition, this remarkable plant activity difference between the observed land covers can also be seen in the carbon dioxide flux, as its absorption tend to be higher in the wooded Cerrado than what was observed in the agricultural site. Thus, through the sampling context of this site-specific studies, it is possible to assume that the plants water-use strategies are driven by vegetation height, and the ecosystem carbon flux is controlled by vegetation structure and water availability.