bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimating and Suggesting measures to reduce carbon emissions and water footprint linked to water collection, agriculture, and tourism in the Canary Islands (Spain)
Authors: Santamarta Juan C. , Cruz-Pérez Noelia , Rodríguez-Alcántara Joselín R. , Rodríguez-Martín Jesica , García-Gil Alejandro , Gasco-Cavero Samanta , Marazuela MIguel Á.
Published: March 2024

The Canary Islands constitute an archipelago of Spain, also being a European outermost region composed of eight islands. Overall, these islands face a high risk of experiencing the impacts of climate change, particularly rising sea levels, floods, temperature increases, and a decrease in water resources, factors that significantly affect the daily life of the population in the islands. As the effects of climate change are linked to greenhouse gas emissions, it is crucial to measure the emissions from the main sectors of the Canary Islands to implement effective mitigation and reduction measures, as well as to increase energy production through renewable sources. For this reason, the Government of the Canary Islands has commissioned the project to determine the carbon footprint and water footprint of the main sectors of the region, including the production of drinking water and wastewater management, agriculture, and tourism. The results indicate that seawater desalination for drinking water, being a significant energy consumer with low penetration of renewable energy in the Canary Islands' electricity mix, is the facility contributing the most to greenhouse gas generation in the water cycle in the region. It is followed by wastewater treatment plants and extraction wells from the aquifer. In the case of agriculture, focusing on the consumption of tropical crops such as avocados and bananas, key export crops, it is noteworthy that avocados are major water consumers, slightly exceeding the water consumption of bananas. This poses challenges in the face of an uncertain future due to reduced natural precipitation resulting from climate change. Lastly, the analysis of tourism emissions highlights that hotel activities and rental vehicles are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Although these emissions are indirect for the archipelago, other studies have emphasized the high emissions associated with the arrival of tourists by air to the islands. This study stands as the first to analyze the emissions of the main sectors in the Canary Islands, providing an opportunity for governmental actions to reduce these emissions and mitigate climate change in the islands.Keywords: Climate change; outermost region; vulnerability; sustainable developmentAcknowledgementsThis research was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement 101037424 and Project ARSINOE (Climate Resilient Regions Through Systems Solutions and Innovations).
Investigating upper ocean salinity changes over the past three decades in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean
Authors: Akhoudas Camille , Sallée Jean-Baptiste , Auger Matthis , Reverdin Gilles , Haumann Alexander , Lo Monaco Claire , Metzl Nicolas , Stranne Christian
Published: March 2024

The Southern Ocean is undergoing rapid transformations, marked by significant regional shifts in salinity that carry widespread and irreversible consequences. While the most noticeable changes are observed in the upper ocean, changes in deeper water masses have been identified and are expected to intensify over time. Changes in upper-ocean water mass salinity can be influenced by multiple drivers, and play a crucial role in changing ocean dynamics. However, the underlying causes of these characteristic changes remain poorly understood. In this study, we present a unique three-decade time-series focusing on salinity and oxygen isotopes in the upper 1200 m of the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. Two regions emerge with pronounced surface ocean salinity trends: freshening of subpolar waters and salinification of subtropical waters. These robust changes in surface salinity are associated with an observed freshening of intermediate and winter waters in the subpolar sector of the Indian sector over the past three decades. Our findings reveal salinity changes of comparable magnitude to those reported in other regions of the upper-ocean water masses in the Southern Ocean. The oxygen isotope data allows for discriminating between different freshwater processes, showing that in the subpolar region, surface freshening is largely caused by the increase in net precipitation, while the decrease in sea ice melt is largely offset by the contribution of glacial meltwater at these latitudes. These changes strengthen the growing evidence of an acceleration of the hydrological cycle and a melting cryosphere resulting from human-induced climate change, which affect Southern Ocean water mass characteristics.
What you see is mirage: even dams can die of thirst
Authors: Ghadimi Sahand , Sharifi Garmdareh Alireza , Torabi Haghighi Ali
Published: March 2024

Uncoordinated development plans in rivers upstream coupled with climate change and variability have resulted in hydrological disturbances and their consequent social conflicts and environmental issues in downstream. Dams and hydrosystems are known as one of the main causes of such issues, however, they can be victimized by upstream developments themselves which result in failure in operation, fulfilling historical downstream allocations, and wasting large amounts of financial resources due to multiple investments. Giving some critical examples from Iran, an arid and semi-arid country, such failures can be observed in Karkheh and Sefidrud dams with 56 and 65% inflow reduction respectively. The impacts and consequences of such mismanagements will be demonstrated in this study. For this purpose, a new concept and methodology called “Mirage Water” is defined as the downstream flow deficit caused by upstream water development ignoring historical allocations. Firstly, the year of abrupt change (YAC) in precipitation and flow time series is assessed by the Pettiit test and then the annual flow characteristics before and after that abrupt change will be compared. The contribution level of anthropogenic activity and precipitation deficit in flow reduction is estimated using Simple linear regression and double mass curve methods. Meanwhile, the meteorological and hydrological drought is assessed using SPI and SDI and hybridized. Finally, the river impact in critical stations is presented. The results show that the YAC in Sefidrud’s inflow happened after its construction year due to a 57% contribution of anthropogenic activities. In the other case, Karkheh experienced the YAC in its inflow 2 years before the construction year with 44% anthropogenic impact.
Correction of raingages' snow undercatch at meteorological stations using data from snow surveys: an Armenian case study
Authors: Andréassian Vazken , Misakyan Amalya , Gevorgyan Artur
Published: March 2024

The hydrological analysis of high elevation catchments is particularly difficult for two reasons:. first, precipitation measurements are scarce at higher elevations,. second, even when there are precipitation measurements, the collected amounts are strongly biased due to the well-known effect of wind on snowflakes.Several formulations have been proposed to correct this wind-dependent underestimation of solid precipitation amounts. They all depend on at least one parameter, which must be calibrated for the specific location. At a few locations in the world, a double-fenced shielded raingage can be used to provide a reference precipitation amount, and the parameter of the correction can be determined experimentally. But at most locations, we have no real way to parameterize the adjustment relationship.We use here a newly released dataset comprising 30 years of data for 11 stations located at high elevation in Armenia, where the precipitation gage network is strongly impacted by snow undercatch. Using ground snow surveys jointly with a degree-day based snow accumulation and melt model, we show that we can propose an adapted parameterization of the correction formula.
Transport-induced changes of atmospheric composition in the UTLS in the multi-scale Earth system model MECO(1)
Authors: Dahlmann Katrin , Matthes Sigrun , Nickl Anna-Leah , Peter Patrick , Mertens Mariano , Ziereis Helmut , Harlaß Theresa , Zahn Andreas
Published: March 2024

Anthropogenic transport sectors are concerned by their climate effects which results from CO2 and non-CO2 effects, comprising NOx-induced changes of atmospheric ozone and methane. Here climate-chemistry models are required to advance our understanding on induced changes of reactive species and the associated radiative forcing associated to aviation emissions. Evaluation of such comprehensive models is key in order to be able to investigate associated uncertainties can use observational datasets from research infrastructures like IAGOS and DLR aircraft measurement campaign data, as well as ground-based observations.We use the MECO(n) system which is a “MESSy-ﬁed ECHAM and COSMO nested n-times”, relying on the Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy) framework. For this purpose, both models have been equipped with the MESSy infrastructure, implying that the same process formulations (MESSy submodels) are available for both models. Modelled atmospheric distributions from the multi-scale model system MECO(n) are systematically compared to observational data from aircraft measurements in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Nudging of meteorology to reanalysis data, and special diagnostics available within the modular MESSy infrastructure are implemented in the numerical simulations. Online sampling along aircraft trajectories allows to extract model data with a high temporal resolution (MESSy submodel S4D), in order to evaluate model representation and key processes. Beyond systematic evaluation with IAGOS scheduled aircraft measurements, particular focus on those episodes where dedicated measurements from aircraft campaigns are available.We present an analysis of reactive species, NOy and ozone, which also identifies those weather pattern and synoptic situations where transport sectors, comprising aviation contributes strong signals. We evaluate model representation of the NOx-induces effect on radiatively active species ozone and methane via the hydroxyl radical in both model instances, ECHAM5 and COSMO. This is key for advancing the scientific understanding of NOx-induced effects from transport effects required in order to quantify potential compensation and trade-offs and eventually in order to identify robust mitigation options for sustainable anthropogenic transport sectors.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 875036 (ACACIA, Advancing the Science for Aviation and Climate). This work uses measurement data from the European Research Infrastructure CARIBIC/IAGOS. High-Performance Super Computing simulations have been performed by the Deutsches Klima-Rechenzentrum (DKRZ, Hamburg) and the Leibniz-Rechenzentrum (LRZ, München).
Exploring links between Mixed-Layer depth and Sea Ice concentration variability in the Greenland Sea.
Authors: Domingo Sonia , Horrach Joan Mateu , Izquierdo Alfredo , Rodriguez Ángel
Published: March 2024

The Greenland Sea is a key player in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), crucial for forming dense waters through open-water convection and influencing global climate dynamics. Recent changes, such as decreasing sea ice concentration (SIC) and the shoaling of the mixed layer depth (MLD), have spurred detailed research into their impact on the AMOC. Our study, using the latest TOPAZ reanalysis, explores these changes from 1991 to 2021.To strengthen our findings, we meticulously compare a 10-year observational dataset, validating TOPAZ's ability to reproduce processes like dense water formation and MLD evolution in the Greenland Sea. We find notable agreement, with the MLD reaching intermediate depths, and TOPAZ's overflow water density aligning with observations. Results show a decrease in SIC and a shallowing of the MLD, linked to rising surface water temperatures.While our results indicate a similar trend, we're not ready to draw final conclusions. Further analysis is needed to understand how observational data compares to TOPAZ findings. Although reanalysis data provides valuable insights, it's crucial to validate everything with observational data. The comprehensive dataset and almost daily temporal resolution of our observational platforms significantly bolster the reliability of our conclusions.Understanding Greenland Sea variability is vital not only for decoding its role in the AMOC but also for grasping broader implications for the global climate system. By highlighting the intricate relationship between SIC, MLD, temperature, and salinity, our research contributes to the ongoing dialogue on climate change dynamics. 
Consequences of diet shifts for the greenhouse gas balance of agricultural soils in Denmark
Authors: Michailidis Vasilis
Published: March 2024

Modern food diets are often characterized as imbalanced and linked to adverse human health  outcomes. Furthermore, current food systems account for approximately one third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, consumers' dietary preferences  directly affect the sustainability of our environment. Various studies have assessed the impact of dietary preferences on the environment. While these studies offer valuable insights into the  complex relationship between food production and the environment, the methodologies used so far to predict the consequences for GHG emissions have important limitations, especially with respect to the consequences of diet shifts for the soil GHG balance. In this study, we employed a two-sided approach to investigate the impact of dietary changes following the EAT-Lancet diet guidelines on GHG emissions from agricultural soils. Firstly, we utilized the outputs of the economic general equilibrium model MAGNET to quantify the demand-driven changes in food  consumption at the national level for the European Union (EU) under a diet shift scenario. We then employed the DayCent biogeochemical process-based model to assess the implications for the GHG balance of agricultural soils at a regional scale, with Denmark serving as our case study. Our findings indicate that, compared to business-as-usual diets, a diet shift scenario would cause agricultural soils to experience significant carbon loss (up to 15 Mg of CO2e ha-1), a potential  increase in N2O emissions by up to 2.5%, while methane emissions from enteric fermentation show a considerable reduction of 32%. These findings underscore the challenges faced by policies aiming to create healthier food environments, which need to be aligned with efforts to reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions and protect agricultural soils.
Integrated Hydrometeorology, Climate and Environmental Systems and Services for Sustainable Cities: Approaches for different regions and countries. 
Authors: Baklanov Alexander
Published: March 2024

The third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (HABITAT-III) in October 2016 adopted the New Urban Agenda (United Nations, 2017), which brings into focus urban resilience, climate and environment sustainability, and disaster risk management.Following the event at the United Nations Economic and Social Council, efforts are required from WMO to consolidate its input to the revision of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and support urban related activities in a comprehensive manner. Urban development is now a cornerstone of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. It has its own sustainable development goal (SDG 11): Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.To support implementation of urban activities the WMO inter-programme Urban Expert Team under the Commission for Atmospheric Sciences and Commission for Basic Systems (2018) supported by a dedicated team of urban focal points in the Secretariat developed the Guidance on Integrated Urban Hydro-Meteorological, Climate and Environmental Services (IUS). The needs for integrated urban services (IUS) include information for short-term preparedness (e.g. hazard response and early warning systems), longer-term planning (e.g. adaptation and mitigation to climate change) and support for day-to-day operations (e.g. water resources). The aim is to build urban systems and services that meet the special needs of cities through a combination of dense observation networks, high-resolution forecasts, multi-hazard early warning systems, disaster management plans and climate services. This approach gives cities the tools they need to reduce emissions, build thriving and resilient communities and implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals.The ways and approaches, as well as priorities for relization of such systems depend on specific climatic, geographical, economical and environmental conditions specific cities. In this presentation we will classify and concider different approaches, methodologies and tools for selected cities in different climate zones (e.g. northern, tropical), economical conditions (developed and developing worlds) and combinations of risk factors (e.g., multi-hazards, heat stress, floods, air quality). Specific focus will also be done on the mitigation and adaptation strategies and their combinations. 
Improving aviation aerosol scavenging representation in LMDZ-OR-INCA model
Authors: Février Nicolas , Hauglustaine Didier , Bellouin Nicolas
Published: March 2024

The radiative forcing of aviation aerosol-cloud interactions remains very uncertain. Its quantification relies on climate models. One of the main drivers of aerosol concentrations and long-range vertical and horizontal transport in climate models is wet scavenging, which can be parameterised in different ways with several tunable parameters. In this work, we use the LMDZ-OR-INCA climate to investigate the impact of different scavenging parameterisations on aerosol transport, using regional and seasonal vertical profiles obtained from ATom and HIPPO airborne measurements to discriminate between parameterisations. Results show that the residence time and the mass budgets of BC from all sources are both significantly influenced by the scavenging parameterisation. Moreover, the ability of a BC scavenging parameterisation to simulate vertical aerosol concentration profiles depends on geographical location, altitude and season. Near-surface aerosol concentrations, mainly due to Landing and Take-off Operations (LTO), are also affected by the choice of a wet scavenging parameterisation. Results suggest it may be possible to design a new scavenging routine for LMDZ-OR-INCA model to better represent the long-range transport of aviation aerosols and reduce uncertainties in aviation aerosol-cloud interaction radiative forcing.
Assessing freshwater plumes, offshore freshened groundwater and the risk of salt intrusions in urbanised karstic groundwater systems using combined resistivity methods 
Authors: Hoffmann Jasper , Erkul Ercan , Yolcubal Irfan , Haroon Amir , Yogeshwar Pritam , Fischer Simon , Sen Elif , Rabbel Wolfgang , Sener Ahmet , Schneider von Deimling Jens , Tezkan Bülent , Peksen Ertan , Micallef Aaron , Gasimov Elnur , Kaplanvural Ismail , Gross Felix , Sander Lasse , Baris Serif
Published: March 2024

Groundwater acts as a critical link between onshore and offshore environments, connecting freshwater systems to saline oceans.  With 40% of the world's population residing along coastlines, understanding coastal groundwater reserves is paramount. One open question involves the vital role of submarine groundwater springs in global hydrology, and how the distribution and groundwater flux can be better constrained across the coastline to better predict both groundwater discharge into the ocean and saltwater inflow into coastal aquifers. Especially urban areas pose unique challenges where water demand is high and groundwater exploration problematic since geophysical remote sensing techniques often interfere with surface and subsurface constructions (e.g. cables, pipelines etc.), making innovative approaches for groundwater exploration crucial for sustainable groundwater management.In this study, we aim to address the complex dynamics of coastal karstic groundwater systems in urban regions, where meteoric waters discharge into the ocean through coastal and submarine freshwater springs, while concurrently facing the risk of saltwater intrusions. Our investigations in the bay of Antalya (Turkey) aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the land-ocean transition zone in the karstic groundwater systems and provide new tools for future groundwater monitoring in coastal regions.We employ advanced hydroacoustic and resistivity methods, combining onshore and offshore electrical resistivity tomography with electromagnetic measurements to bridge the gap between onshore and offshore domains. This integration of geophysical datasets enables us to (1) delineate karstic groundwater flow pathways from land to ocean, (2) identify coastal and submarine freshwater springs, and (3) assess the risk of saltwater intrusions along the coastline.The study showcases the potential of offshore geoelectric measurements as a tool for groundwater investigations in urbanized coastal regions. The proposed approach will facilitate exploration efforts for groundwater in urbanised karstic areas, but much more importantly will facilitate monitoring strategies to avoid intrusions of saltwater into freshwater aquifers. Our findings contribute valuable insights for water management strategies in Antalya, with implications for safeguarding todays and future freshwater resources.  
Modulation of El Niño by the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation
Authors: Rodrigo Mario , García-Serrano Javier , Bladé Ileana
Published: March 2024

The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) of equatorial zonal winds is the leading mode of lower-stratospheric variability. Numerous studies have explored its connection with the troposphere, including its sensitivity to tropical convection and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In particular, the upward ENSO impact on the QBO is known: observational evidence suggests that during El Niño the QBO propagates faster (shorter period). However, the potential downward QBO influence on ENSO has not been thoroughly assessed and needs better understanding. Here, we focus on the strongest ENSO events, dubbed super El Niños, characterized by extreme sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the eastern Pacific. Super El Niños are exceptional due to self-limiting ENSO dynamics in the tropical Pacific and seasonal SST cooling during summer and autumn, which prevents strong eastern Pacific SST warming and convective anomalies from developing. Their existence requires one or more factors external to the tropical Pacific to aid the Bjerknes feedback in building an El Niño event. In both observations and models (EC-EARTH), super El Niño events seem to require the westerly QBO phase to coincide with a growing El Niño, i.e. in boreal summer and fall. We thus propose a novel element that contributes to the generation of extreme El Niño events that involve the QBO and its modulation of the Walker circulation. While an El Niño event typically leads to a weaker Walker circulation, the weakening becomes more pronounced if the QBO is in its westerly phase. Consequently, the low-level trade wind anomalies over the equatorial Pacific are intensified, which reinforces the Bjerknes feedback and enhances the warm anomalies over the cold tongue region. Our results suggest that the QBO state could be considered to improve El Niño predictions, especially for extreme events.
Attribution analysis of streamflow changes based on large-scale hydrological modeling with uncertainties
Authors: Zhang Yu
Published: March 2024

Attribution analysis is widely used to assess the impacts of environmental change on water resources. However, the chain of uncertainty involved is often not given sufficient attention, which can lead to inaccurate assessments and poor responses. This study aims to build a framework for attribution analysis of streamflow changes considering uncertainties. Under this framework, a large-scale Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is established and calibrated using streamflow data collected from key stations, with model parameter posterior distributions obtained from the Differential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) algorithm. A multi-route attribution analysis to attribute streamflow change to the influence of driving factors is performed. The developed methodology is applied to a case study of the Upper Yangtze River Basin (UYRB) in China. Results reveal that: (1) Streamflow decreases significantly in the UYRB with varying characteristics at small scale. (2) Precipitation plays the most dominate role in driving streamflow changes with the largest uncertainty, while other driving factors behave differently in various river basins. (3) Changes in precipitation, maximum temperature, wind speed and land use/ cover change (LUCC) tend to decrease streamflow, while changes in minimum temperature and relative humidity tend to increase streamflow in the UYRB. These findings can help enhance the understanding of the influence of climate change and human activities on streamflow, and provide further insights into the adaptive water resources management.
Enhancing Vegetation Cover in Fujairah through Sustainable Honey Tree Plantations and Water Harvesting Technique: A Multi-Criteria Suitability Mapping
Authors: Belaid Youssouf , Worqlul Abeyou , Haddad Mira , Al Moalla Aseela , Lamghari Ridouane Fouad
Published: March 2024

The emirate of Fujairah, spanning approximately 1,450 km², is characterised by a landscape dominated by rugged mountains, encompassing 77% of its total surface area. Despite its average precipitation of less than 150 mm, Fujairah hosts a thriving ecosystem supported by national tree plantations, including Acacia nilotica, Acacia tortilis, Prosopis cineraria, and Zizyphus spina-christi. These plantations are crucial in providing ecosystem services, notably contributing to honey bee production.This study attempts to support the increase of vegetation cover in Fujairah through sustainable land management practices of using water harvesting and planting native trees by employing cutting-edge technology. Through the integration of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS)-driven Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE), the research identifies optimal areas for planting native honey trees. Emphasising sustainability, the methodology incorporates water harvesting techniques that eliminate reliance on traditional irrigation methods for plantation.Local and international datasets encompassing biophysical parameters such as land use, digital elevation models, slope, topographic wetness index, soil texture, and climate data are combined. Additionally, the study considers optimal ecological conditions for native trees, including temperature and soil pH. The resulting suitability maps, treated as future land cover maps, are employed alongside soil sample data to estimate carbon storage and sequestration potential.Furthermore, the research investigates indigenous water harvesting knowledge in Fujairah through a comprehensive survey. This survey explores community awareness, historical context, current applications, technical specifics of water harvesting and native tree plantation practices, environmental considerations, and potential obstacles and solutions.The findings aim to inform a holistic approach to sustainably enhancing Fujairah's vegetation cover, providing valuable insights for environmental conservation and community engagement. Keywords: Suitability mapping, water harvesting techniques, Sustainable land management, and Ecosystem Services
Optimizing Country-Scale Crop Type Classification: A Comprehensive Study on Preprocessing Techniques and Deep Learning Classifiers within the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem
Authors: Bojanowski Jędrzej , Musiał Jan , Małaśnicki Jan , Chojnacki Jacek , Bylica Wojciech
Published: March 2024

Identification of crops over large areas is necessary for monitoring agricultural production, establishing food security policies, or controlling compliance with the Common Agricultural Policy. Data acquired by Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite constellations with a combination of high temporal and spatial resolutions has already demonstrated, separately or fused, its ability to classify crops. However, here we propose a methodology for crop type classification based on Sentinel-2 data focusing on a few specific aspects that have been often not addressed simultaneously in the previous works:Comparison of processing steps when single field representation is generated, i.e. multiple-pixel representation (Pixel-Set Encoder, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1911.07757) vs zonal statistics
Application of various machine and deep learning classifiers, from Random Forest as a background, through Long Short-Term Memory and Gated Recurrent Unit, to novel Transformers
Providing reliable full probability distribution of all crops for each classified crop field that allow for flexible user-specific minimalization of omission or commission errors
Applicability in operational mode on a large beyond-country-scale i.e. for tens of millions of crop fields
Efficient use of EO-data open cloud infrastructures such us the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem or CREODIAS
The methodology has been already implemented and validated for Austria and Poland using Land Parcel Information System as a reference, but the list of countries will continue to grow. For Poland, 41 crops were successfully classified in 2022, for which the precision ranged from 0. 64 (pepper) to 0.97 (maize, beetroot, winter rape), and the overall classification accuracy (kappa) was 0.88. However, using a threshold of 0.85 on the probabilities allowed kappa of 0.95 and a range of accuracy (precision) for crops from 0.88 to 1.00, with 26 crops classified with an accuracy above 0.95. For Austria, for the years 2018-2021, a kappa coefficient of 0.85 to 0.9 was obtained without applying thresholds on probabilities. For Poland, classification was also carried out during the growing season reaching kappa of: 0.78 (in May), 0.84 (in June), 0.87 (in July) and 0.88 at the end of the season.With this approach, we also demonstrate how to use the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem to efficiently extract information from big volumes of satellite data - here from Sentinel-2 and tens of millions of agricultural parcels.
Glacier Mass Balance Observation in Barkrak Glacier, Western Tian Shan: Implications for Water Availability in Central Asia
Authors: Umirzakov Gulomjon , Mamirov Halimjon , Akbarov Fakhriddin , Suvankulov Sarkorbek , Zulpikharov Gabit , Eshmuratov Davron , Khismatullin Timur , Petrov Maxim , Saks Tomas , Barandun Martina , Hoelzle Martin
Published: March 2024

The cryospheric changes in mountainous region hold significant consequences for water resources in Central Asian countries, directly impacting human life. Monitoring glaciers in mountain regions is crucial to not only understand ongoing climate change but also to predict its impact on future water availability and variability. This study focuses on the annual mass balances of Barkrak glaciers in the Pskem River basin from 2017 to 2023.The contour line method was employed to extrapolate in situ observation to estimate annual glacier-wide mass balances. The results reveal a consistent negative trend throughout the observation period. For Barkrak Sredney (central branch), values ranged from -0.23 to -0.81 m w.e. a-1, while for the right branch of Barkrak Sredney, the range was - 0.44- - 0.66 m w.e. a-1. These findings suggest a gradual retreat of the glaciers, with accelerated melting observed particularly in the last 2-3 years. The negative mass balances underscore the vulnerability of Barkrak glaciers to ongoing climate changes. The obtained results, derived from direct measurements, will serve as crucial validation data for mass balances estimated through geodetic surveys and glacier modeling approaches. This validation process is essential for upscaling pilot measurement outputs to the basin scale, providing a comprehensive understanding of the glacier dynamics in the context of changing climate conditions.Keywords: Glacier mass balance, Central Asia, Water availability, Cryospheric changes, Glacier retreat, Pskem River basin
Magnetic response of marine sediments to climate variations over the last 40 ka in the western equatorial Pacific.
Authors: Dauchy-Tric Louise , Carlut Julie , Bassinot Franck , Meynadier Laure , Valet Jean-Pierre
Published: March 2024

Magnetic properties from marine sediment cores, combined with other proxies, make it possible to study climatic variations. The type, concentration and grain size of magnetic minerals can be used as proxies of precipitation and deep oceanic circulation changes.  In this study, we focus on core MD01-2385 retrieved on the northwest margin of Papua-New Guinea, in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean. This area is located in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP), which is a major source of heat and moisture to the atmosphere and plays an important role on global climate. The western Indo-Pacific climate is complex, being affected by the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Australian-Indonesian monsoon. Core MD01-2385 was dated using 14C. The studied interval covers the last 40 ka with an average sedimentation rate of 30 cm/ka. We took samples every 2 cm (time resolution ~ 70 years). Magnetic granulometry proxies (ARM/SIRM and Karm/K) show a gradual decrease in grain size from the last glacial-interglacial transition (~17 ka) before a stabilization with fine grains from 8 ka. The records show variations associated with Heinrich events and the Younger Dryas. In the ~40 to 13 ka interval, the ARM/SIRM ratio is correlated with the d18O curve from EPICA-EDML ice cores (Antartica), whereas over the last 13 ka the ARM/SIRM ratio appears correlated to d18O curve of the NGRIP ice cores (Greenland).This observation suggests a stronger climatic influence of the Southern Hemisphere than the Northern Hemisphere in this region from 40 to 13 ka, followed since 13 ka by a period in which remote climatic influences originate from northern high latitudes.Our magnetic results were combined with geochemical analyses carried out by Yu et al. (2023) on the same core (Rb/Sr ratio, chemical index of alteration (CIA), and the smectite/(illite + chlorite) ratio). These data indicate that heinrichs events (HS) are associated, in this region, with lower precipitation (Yu et al., 2023) and also correspond to lower magnetic concentrations, suggesting a dominant physical weathering in northwest Papua-New Guinea.An interval with coarse magnetic grains and glass shards was dated at ~ 25 ka, suggesting the recording of a volcanic eruption during HS2. It could be the Oruanui supereruption from Taupo volcano, in New Zealand, dated at ~25.5 ka.
Deep Scanning of the Bhutan Eastern Himalaya Seismic Dataset for Local Earthquakes
Authors: Khurshid Zamir , Mohammadigheymasi Hamzeh , Gao Dawei , Liu Jianxin , Mousavi S. Mostafa
Published: March 2024

Seismic networks monitor seismic activities across the globe, recording distinctive events within specific geographical and temporal frames. Whether old or new, each seismic record preserves valuable information, with its extraction relying mainly on the sophistication of the method. This study presents the implementation of an advanced earthquake detection workflow on a relatively old dataset, the Bhutan Pilot Experiment. This temporary five-station seismic network in Eastern Himalaya comprised a set of Broadband sensors deployed for 14 months from January 2002 to March 2003. However, outdated methodologies have limited the analysis of the recorded data, resulting in the reporting of only 175 local microearthquakes in this area. In this study, we reprocess the data using the recently introduced deep-scan Integrated Pair-Input deep learning and Migration Location workflow [1] to detect and locate local earthquakes. The IPIML employs the well-known Earthquake Transformer (EqT) model as its core function for initial phase picking, followed by a pair-input Siamese EQTransformer (S-EqT) to further mitigate the false negative rate using a pair-wise model. The S-EqT step demonstrated an approximately 40% increase in average detected phases compared to the standard EqT model. The detected phases are associated using the Rapid Earthquake Association and Location (REAL) method through grid searching, providing a preliminary list of detected events. This list encompasses 2458 detected events, several times larger than the previously reported catalog for this dataset. These events primarily cluster in central and eastern Bhutan, particularly along the Golpara lineament, a recognized strike-slip fault. The subsequent phase of this study involves precisely locating these events through the implementation of the Migration Location (MIL) method.References[1] H. Mohammadigheymasi et al., "IPIML: A Deep-Scan Earthquake Detection and Location Workflow Integrating Pair-Input Deep Learning Model and Migration Location Method," in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 61, pp. 1-9, 2023, Art no. 5914109, doi: 10.1109/TGRS.2023.3293914.
Ecological transition, what does it really mean?
Authors: Christille Claretta , Courthod Marie Claire , Occhipinti Susanna
Published: March 2024

Ecological transition is a process that aims to initiate a new economic, cultural and social system that will make human societies more sustainable. Important tool for the implementation of this transition is the United Nations 2030 Agenda, which sets out in detail the urgent ecological measures required to combat climate change and protect the environment; these include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, complete decarbonization, the adoption of advanced technological solutions and the use of renewable sources. Schools are called upon to raise students' awareness of these issues.As part of teacher training, an experimental course was undertaken with experimental activities to reflect on some of the causes and consequences of environmental warming in order to gain a greater awareness of how seemingly disjointed phenomena are actually interdependent within the Earth's complex ecosystem. The course provided an opportunity to experiment with different teaching approaches including IBSE (inquiry-based science education).
Constraining stream water source dynamics in a high-latitude catchment using tracer-aided modeling
Authors: Popp Andrea , Gustafsson David , Laudon Hjalmar , Pers Charlotta , Fischer Benjamin , Stadnyk Tricia
Published: March 2024

Standard hydrologic model calibration and evaluation primarily rely on streamflow observations, which can hinder an accurate representation of physical processes generating streamflow. Recent studies demonstrate that using tracers such as stable water isotope data in addition to flow observations in model calibration considerably reduces parameter uncertainty and constrains stream water source dynamics (e.g., He et al., 2019; Popp et al., 2021; Stadnyk and Holmes, 2023). In this study, we demonstrate the capabilities of an isotope-aided HYPE model (Lindström et al., 2010) in the Krycklan Catchment Study in Sweden. To this end, we integrated the isoWATFLOOD model's isotope routine (https://github.com/h2obabyts/isoWATFLOOD) into the HYPE model and incorporated extensive time series of stable water isotope data collected from different water sources including precipitation, snow, and groundwater and stream water. Our goal is to deepen the process understanding of snow-dominated catchments undergoing rapid changes due to global warming.ReferencesHe, Z., Unger-Shayesteh, K., Vorogushyn, S., Weise, S. M., Kalashnikova, O., Gafurov, A., Duethmann, D., Barandun, M., and Merz, B. (2019. Constraining hydrological model parameters using water isotopic compositions in a glacierized basin, Central Asia, Journal of Hydrology, 571, 332–348, https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.01.048.Lindström, G., Pers, C., Rosberg, J., Strömqvist, J. and Arheimer, B. (2010). Development and testing of the HYPE (Hydrological Predictions for the Environment) water quality model for different spatial scales. Hydrology Research 41.3–4, 295-319.Popp, A. L., Pardo‐Álvarez, Á., Schilling, O. S., Scheidegger, A., Musy, S., Peel, M., ... & Kipfer, R. (2021). A framework for untangling transient groundwater mixing and travel times. Water Resources Research, 57(4), e2020WR028362.Stadnyk, T. A., & Holmes, T. L. (2023). Large scale hydrologic and tracer aided modelling: A review. Journal of Hydrology, 129177.
Interdisciplinary insights into an exceptional giant tsunamigenic rockslide on September 16th 2023 in Northeast Greenland
Authors: Svennevig Kristian , Hicks Stephen , Lecocq Thomas , Mangeney Anne , Hibert Clément , Korsgaard Niels , Lucas Antoine , Keiding Marie , Marboeuf Alexis , Schippkus Sven , Rysgaard Søren , Boone Wieter , Gibbons Steven , Cook Kristen , Glimsdal Sylfest , Løvholt Finn , Spagnolo Matteo , Assink Jelle , Harcourt William , Malet Jean-Philippe ,   VLPGreenland
Published: March 2024

On September 16th, 2023 at 12:35 UTC, a 25.5 M m3 rockslide occurred on the slope of Dickson Fjord in Northeast Greenland. The rockslide impacted a gully glacier, leading to a rock and ice avalanche that entered the fjord causing an up to 200 m high tsunami with observable runup up to 100 km away. The event produced an unprecedented very long period (VLP) seismic event observable on seismic stations worldwide for up to nine days. Here we focus on reconstructing the dynamics of the landslide, while detailed analysis of the VLP seismic signal is presented by Widmer-Schnidrig et al. in Session GM2.1.Detailed analysis of the landslide reveals that a large body of metamorphic rock, with dimensions up to 150 m thick, 480 m wide, and 600 m long, dropped westwards along a foliation-parallel failure plane. The impact shattered a 200 m-wide outlet glacier, entraining 2.3 M m3 of glacier ice. The event was dynamically preconditioned by the progressive thinning of the glacier that supported the toe of the unstable slope. Subsequent investigations of satellite images and seismic records indicate that up to five minor landslides occurred in the years prior to the largest event in Sept. 2023, and one subsequent landslide has also been recorded.Seismic signals generated by the landslide-tsunami were observed at nearby seismic stations, providing insights into its dynamics. The seismic signatures, including emergent high-frequency arrivals and low-frequency signals, match with characteristics of landslides involving glacial ice. Infrasound signals were also detected up to 3310 km away.To reconstruct the landslide run-out, seismic waveforms from the closest stations were analyzed, resulting in a maximum force of 192×109 N, corresponding to a mass estimate of 78-103×109 kg, equating to a volume of ca. 29-38 M m3, consistent with results from photogrammetric reconstruction. The inverted run-out path indicates the initial rockslide impact with the gully wall, followed by entry into the water. The whole slide lasted c. 90 seconds. An independent numerical model to simulate the landslide force-history is in overall agreement with the seismic inversion results. Simulations of the landslide induced tsunami compare well with observations of the tsunami run-up, and also show evidence of longer lasting seiche action.The landslide is the first glacial debuttressing landslide known from Greenland, and the first tsunamigenic landslide of this magnitude recorded in Northeast Greenland. 
Forest biodiversity mapping based on PRISMA hyperspectral images
Authors: Nico Giovanni , Masci Olimpia
Published: March 2024

The current availability of hyperspectral images (HS) acquired by the PRecursore Iperspettrale della Missione Applicativa (PRISMA) mission of the Italian Space Agency and the recently launched Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) mission of the German Space Agency, as well as the planned missions, e.g., the Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission for the Environment (CHIME) of the European Space Agency open unique perspectives for the multi-temporal mapping of forest biodiversity. In this work we use the high spectral resolution of spectral signatures provided by PRISMA images to derive unsupervised maps of vegetation diversity. Study areas are located in the National Parks of Gargano, Alta Murgia, Cilento-Vallo di Diano-Alburni, Appennino Lucano Val D’Agri Lagonegrese and Pollino, all in Southern Italy. Two indexes are used to pre-filter forested areas in HS images: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI). The high spectral resolution of HS images allows to compute the different combinations of NIR and Red bands, for the computation of NDVI, and of NIR and SWIR bands for the computation of NDWI. This gives a more statistical weight to the thresholding of index maps to identify the areas covered by vegetation. The spectral signature profiles at the pixels, selected based on the index maps, are further processed using the Principal Component Analysis to reduce data dimensionality, and clustered using the K-means algorithm. As a result, a map of the vegetation diversity is obtained, with the location of pixels belonging to the different clusters identified by the K-means algorithms. The set of spectral signatures measured at pixels belonging to the same cluster are used to statistically characterize the reflectivity of vegetation. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSProject carried out using ORIGINAL PRISMA Products - © Italian Space Agency (ASI); the Products have been delivered under an ASI License to Use.
Recent Land Subsidence in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta derived from Advanced Sentinel-1 SAR Interferometry
Authors: Dörr Nils , Schenk Andreas , Hinz Stefan
Published: March 2024

The Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) is facing several environmental challenges, including coastal erosion and land subsidence. Subsidence rates of up to several centimeters per year have been reported, which are an order larger than the regional sea level rise of about 3.3 mm/yr. The associated risks are an increased vulnerability to flooding, salinization of water resources and permanent inundation. Precise monitoring of land subsidence with high spatial and temporal resolution is essential to support the study of the associated causes and hazards as well as appropriate countermeasures.Here, we present results of land subsidence monitoring between 2017 and 2022 in the VMD based on Sentinel-1 Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI). We used Sentinel-1 scenes from ascending and descending orbits and applied an advanced PSI approach. The advancements of the algorithm include the integration of Temporary Persistent Scatterers to derive the best possible Persistent Scatterer network for long time series. Furthermore, we developed a method to optimally integrate reference pixels in order to suppress spatially correlated noise in the subsidence time series. Due to a lack of well distributed geodetic references, we made use of an infrastructural reference network consisting of large bridges with deep foundation depths, which are nearly unaffected by subsidence.We present the derived subsidence rates and exemplary subsidence time series across the study area. Additionally, we highlight specific spatial and temporal features in the subsidence, which can be associated with land use characteristics and environmental influences.