bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the dynamics of Tropical Cyclones in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic: a Weather Types perspective
Authors: Besana Paolo , Gaetani Marco , Fischer Christoph , Flamant Cyrille , Jonville Tanguy , Fink Andreas , Knippertz Peter
Published: March 2024

Studying Major Tropical Cyclones (MaTCs) is vital due to their significant impact on natural resource management, infrastructure resilience, and disaster preparedness, especially in vulnerable regions.However there exists a gap in our understanding of the MaTC development and occurrence processes, particularly in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic (ETA) and on the Atlantic coast of West Africa where the interaction with African Easterly Waves (AEWs) appears to be a crucial aspect. In fact, although some AEWs evolve into MaTCs, a clear causal relationship between the two phenomena has not been established yet. In particular, the reason why only some AEWs evolve into MaTCs and other MaTCs evolve without an AEW's contribution has not been elucidated yet. The primary focus of this study is the characterization of the MaTCs in terms of “Weather Types” (WTs), which represent distinct atmospheric states showing persistence over days.The aim of this research is to answer the following scientific questions:1)Without explicitly describing the dynamic system or solving it analytically, how can WTs be utilized to characterize the patterns of atmospheric circulation in the ETA?2)Which specific WTs exert a more significant influence on the frequency or occurrence of MaTCs in the region, assuming such a dependency exists?3)How do MaTCs and AEWs interact with respect to the atmospheric circulation expressed through WTs?To answer these questions we employed Self-Organizing Maps and Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering to analyze atmospheric variables extracted from the ECMWF Reanalysis v5 (ERA5) and ECMWF Atmospheric Composition Reanalysis 4 (EAC4) reanalyses. Moreover, detailed information on the location, maximum winds, central pressure, and size of cyclones is extracted from the National Hurricane Centre database (HURDAT), while AEWs are identified and tracked by an algorithm developed at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (AEWDAT). This approach enables the identification of eight distinct WTs characterizing the atmospheric circulation in a region including ETA and the Atlantic coast of West Africa, making it possible to observe how the occurrence of a specific WT is suppressive or favorable for the occurrence of a MaTC. The analysis shows specific atmospheric conditions under which AEWs and MaTCs co-occur: in this sense we have identified WTs that are associated with the occurrence of a MaTC together with an AEW or with a MaTC alone. These results improve our knowledge on the relationship between AEWs and MaTCs as they provide the atmospheric circulation context in which they interact. The insights gained from this study may contribute to the field by offering a refined methodological framework, employing a WT-centric approach, and providing a comprehensive analysis of MaTC dynamics in the context of atmospheric circulation. 
Insights into nitrogen dynamics and nitrate loss from agricultural soils based on long-term lysimeter observations and a 5-year isotope measurement campaign
Authors: Werisch Stefan , Alexandra Tiedke , Diana Burghardt
Published: March 2024

Nitrogen is a fundamental plant nutrient and the most important fertilizer in modern agriculture. At the same time nitrate based nitrogen loss from agroecosystems becomes an increasing environmental problem in ground- and surface waters. The lysimeter station Brandis in Saxony, Germany, provides detailed observations of water and solute fluxes under representative agricultural landuse since 1981. Despite substantial efforts and success in regulation and assessment of fertilizer needs and the reduction of fertilization excess, the seepage water analysis reveals increasing or stagnating levels of nitrate concentration in groundwater recharge in a broad range of soil types. This apparent decoupling between input and output is evident in all soil types under investigation and raises some important questions concerning the nitrate loss in agricultural soils:Which part of the soil N-cycle contributes to the seepage water nitrate export?
What are the main drivers of nitrate loss in agricultural soils?
Can residence times of mineral fertilizer nitrogen be estimated?
Will reduced fertilization excess lead to timely reductions in nitrate loss to the groundwater?
We investigated these questions with long-term solute balances and state-of-the-art isotope methods. Analysis of source δ 15N ratios in soil, atmospheric deposition and fertilizer in combination with a 5-year campaign of δ15N and δ18O analysis of seepage water nitrate allows a source identification with dual-isotope plots and mixing models. The results clearly show that the main source of nitrate loss with the seepage water is the soil organic matter pool in all investigated soils. Analysis of the long-term nitrogen balances and the soil samples show furthermore a substantial accumulation of fertilization excess within the upper meter of agricultural soils and indicate that the residence time of nitrogen in the lysimeters might be substantially longer than water residence times. Isotope analysis in combination with mixing model analysis suggest that the nitrate loss is mainly driven by nitrification of this nitrogen legacy in the post-harvest period. Thus, the results hold an explanation why the current regulation efforts have not yet led to the desired reductions in nitrogen loadings of seepage water fluxes. Furthermore, the apparent decoupling between nitrogen input in agricultural soils and the seepage water output makes a timely reduction of nitrate concentrations, by reductions in fertilization excess alone, in groundwater recharge unlikely.
The accretionary balance of saltmarshes in Great Britain since 19
Authors: Garrett Ed , Dangendorf Sönke , Hibbert Fiona , Smeaton Craig , Austin William E.N. , Barlow Natasha L.M. , Koot Martha B. , Blake William , Gehrels W. Roland
Published: March 2024

The ability of saltmarshes to accrete sediments and keep pace with sea-level rise is key to their multifaceted role as nature-based solutions to current environmental challenges, including their capacity to accumulate and store ‘blue’ carbon. While saltmarshes can gain elevation through in-situ organic production and trapping of organic and minerogenic sediments, thresholds exist above which rates of sea-level rise outstrip saltmarshes’ vertical accretion capability. Current and future anthropogenically enhanced rates of sea-level rise may therefore pose a significant threat to saltmarsh resilience. A negative accretionary balance (i.e. sea-level rates exceeding sediment accumulation) may result in transgression and potentially erosion, impacting on a range of ecosystem services and threatening stored carbon. Consequently, understanding the relationship between sea-level rise and saltmarsh accretion is critical for projecting future changes to saltmarsh ecosystems. Here, we use age-depth models based on Bayesian analysis of 210Pb, 137Cs and 241Am activities to quantify sediment accumulation rates for 34 cores from 21 saltmarshes distributed around the coastline of England, Scotland, and Wales. These sites were selected to encompass the range of different marsh types found in Great Britain, including large open-coast systems, back barrier, estuarine-fringing, and loch-head marshes. Site average sedimentation rates vary between 0.12 and 1.28 cm yr-1, with a mean of 0.41 ± 0.16 cm yr-1. We compare sedimentation rates at 1 cm depth increments with corresponding site- and time-specific rates of sea-level rise, modelled using estimates of barystatic, sterodynamic and inverse barometric contributions that we benchmark against long tide-gauge records. This comparison enables us to determine the accretionary balance and its development since the start of the 20th century at each core location. We discuss these results in the context of spatially explicit projections of accelerated future sea-level rise around the coast of Great Britain.
The Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS): Measuring the Plasma Influence on Magnetic Induction on the Europa Clipper mission  
Authors: Luspay-Kuti Adrienn ,   The PIMS Science and Engineering team
Published: March 2024

Characterizing Europa’s subsurface ocean is critical to assessing Europa’s habitability. Measurements of the magnetic field induced in the conducting Europan ocean in response to Jupiter’s magnetosphere is a proven technique that has successfully demonstrated the existence of subsurface oceans at Io (magma), Europa, and Callisto. In the case of Europa, the dynamic, magnetized plasma flow in the Jovian magnetosphere causes strong magnetic perturbations comparable to those of the induced field strength. Thus, accurate characterization of the ocean by magnetic sounding requires an accurate characterization of the plasma properties. The Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS) will launch on the Europa Clipper mission in October 2024 onboard a Falcon Heavy rocket and will measure the plasma properties in Jupiter’s magnetosphere and in Europa’s tenuous atmosphere. PIMS measurements will advance our understanding of the Jovian environment near Europa’s orbit and the interaction of Europa’s atmosphere and surface with Jupiter’s plasma and magnetic field. These scientific advances will, in turn, improve modeling efforts that will ultimately enable a highly accurate separation of the magnetic field due to induction in Europa’s interior from the highly variable magnetic perturbations due to the plasma interactions exterior to Europa. Thus, PIMS will enable the full potential of the induction technique in probing Europa’s interior to be realized, and will help constrain the average thickness of the ice shell and average thickness and salinity of the ocean, as well as characterize the composition and sources of the plasma and volatiles. In this presentation we will overview the PIMS instrument and its final calibration before it was integrated onto the spacecraft.
Deep in Time : An Anthropologic Exploration of the Values of Antarctica’s Ice Core. 
Authors: Pillon Emilie
Published: March 2024

In the history of Antarctica’s science, Ice Core Science (ICS) holds a special place. Since the 80s, it is one of the main research fields as it allows scientists to connect with our earth’s past and future climate with the unavoidable change our society will face. Beyond EPICA and the DEEPICE training programme are leading projects as they build a legacy for ICS in Antarctica. The purpose of this paper is to examine how ICS and its infrastructure participate in the maintenance of Antarctica as a place of science, as a territory-laboratory. I will be presenting the preliminary results of a multi-situated ethnography on scientific communities working in and on Antarctica. For this presentation, I will be focusing on a field work started in 2023 with DEEP-ICE’s PhD students. A first round of interviews led me to a participating observation in a glaciology laboratory, following a PhD candidate during their analysis. Early 2024, a series of follow-up interview is planned to complete my dataset and complete the history of DEEPICE. Once retrieved, the value of an ice core sample is directly connected to its possibility of collecting data from a specific time frame, and by that, making new scientific questions emerge. The value of Antarctica’s sample is shown by the constant care it has received. Gestures and technic are specifically tested and repeated in preparation of Antarctica’s sample, even if they later disappears from published papers. Communication surrounding Beyond EPICA and DEEPICE highlights the challenges faced by scientists to retrieved ice core, promoting ICS, the excellence of Antarctica’s research while securing funds. The ambition to form fifteen PhD candidates shows the necessity of transmission and heritage, and the excellence expected to perform the future analysis. The samples are valuable not only as an object of science, or because they contain unique data set. They allow our society to exist in different timescales and to overcome human temporalities.  With ICS, Antarctica enters in a new era : the heroic age of time exploration. ICS, with its heroic narrative and its possibility to understand past climate has protected Antarctica and its intrinsic value, a place of science and an object to be studied. The DEEPICE training program is an example of the politics of maintenance surrounding Antarctica. The increase of tourism, Ice Memory (where Antarctica is becoming a sanctuary, a living archive) and the development of drilling technic and a new era of research (blue ice) are displaying new questions about the future of ICS and its role in maintaining Antarctica as a place of science. Once the oldest ice will be reached, what new scientific quest will take part of Antarctica’s maintenance ?  
Human impacts on the environment in the preindustrial forest landscapes in Central Europe - an overview
Authors: Słowiński Michał , Szewczyk Krzysztof , Jonczak Jerzy , Halaś Agnieszka , Mroczkowska Agnieszka , Łuców Dominika , Słowińska Sandra , Tyszkowski Sebastian , Kowalska Anna , Kołaczkowska Ewa , Swoboda Paweł , Chojnacka Aleksandra , Gumińska-Nowak Barbara , Kramkowski Mateusz , Kardasz Cezary , Barbarino Vincenzo , Noryśkiewicz Agnieszka M. , Kruczkowska Bogusława , Brykała Dariusz , Związek Tomasz
Published: March 2024

Over the past few millennia, human activity has been one of the most unpredictable factors influencing environmental transformations. Human activities related to agriculture and land use are the primary forces driving the creation of new landscapes. Conversely, the influence of other factors on landscape transformation remains incompletely understood. In particular, forests have been exploited not only for timber but also for various wood-related products, including charcoal, potash, and tar. We consider that charcoal production, besides food production, which increased linearly with population growth, was a kind of turning point in human pressure on the forest environment. Particularly in the Middle Ages, when the demand for products such as glass, iron, and potash grew very rapidly, the production of these products required a higher temperature than that obtained by burning wood. However, the extent and impact of these activities on a spatial scale has not been fully recognized. Charcoal held significant economic and energy value in the pre-industrial era, evidenced by mapping over 600,000 remnants of charcoal hearths in Central Europe. Over time, the demand for energy escalated, leading to the widespread use of coal in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the functioning of charcoal hearths and their role in shaping landscapes. To achieve this, we have combined research methods from biogeography, remote sensing, dendroecology, paleoecology, soil science, botany, onomastics, and art history. This interdisciplinary approach aims to capture not only the natural outcomes but also the social and economic consequences of charcoal production. Our paleoecological findings reveal an intermediate disturbance linked to the operation of charcoal hearths, influencing both short-term and long-term changes in ecosystems with a cascading effect. The production of charcoal has far-reaching consequences, exerting a substantial impact on vegetation composition, soil properties, microclimate, the water cycle, and ultimately leading to erosion, thereby affecting adjoining ecosystems. This research addresses the growing interest in the legacy of charcoal hearths in historical human activities and their pivotal role in shaping landscape transformations during the pre-industrial era.The study is the result of research project No. 2018/31/B/ST10/02498 funded by the Polish National Science Centre.
Full waveform anisotropic tomography of the transition zone beneath the south west Pacific
Authors: Soergel Dorian , Kumar Utpal , Valencia Nicolas , Romanowicz Barbara
Published: March 2024

The presence of ponding slabs at the base of the mantle transition zone (600-700 km) has been well known for a long time and can be explained by the changes in material properties related to phase changes around this depth. However, recent tomographic studies have shown the presence of slabs stagnating at larger depths of around 1000 km. While geodynamic simulations and experiments provide different insights, seismic tomography is crucial to constrain these geodynamic models. More specifically, seismic anisotropy is of particular interest to understand the dynamics of the mantle because of its sensitivity to the flow of mantle material.The south-west pacific zone is an area with a very complex tectonic setting, with several subduction zones in a relatively small area, illuminated by a very high level of seismicity. It is thus of particular interest to understand the dynamics of the extended transition zone. As such, it has been the object of numerous tomographic studies, including high-resolution full-waveform tomography. In most cases, these studies only invert for radial anisotropy, as azimuthal anisotropy is generally more difficult to measure. However, azimuthal anisotropy is equally important as radial anisotropy and a proper interpretation in terms of mantle flow requires both. We present updated results of a full-waveform inversion of the region including azimuthal anisotropy recovered from body and surface waveforms and XKS-splitting data.
Model Atlas of the Earth (M@TE): advancing the interoperability of digital twins
Authors: Polanco Sara , Sandiford Dan , Qin Xiaodong , Rodríguez Corcho Andres , Ilano Lauren , Alfonso Christopher , Giordani Julian , Mather Ben , Rees Nigel , Farrington Rebecca
Published: March 2024

The field of numerical modeling of Earth’s systems is rapidly growing and it is instrumental for addressing the current environmental crisis. Such models often require specialized computational resources (HPC), can take days-to-weeks to run, and produce large volumes of heterogeneous output data. The lack of curation of these numerical models and community standards hinders our ability to access, interpret and build on published numerical models. Here, we present a first-of-its-kind open science framework that aims to establish a community practice to increase the usefulness of numerical modeling outputs and leverage computational resources. M@TE provides a digital platform that encapsulates the entire model development process: from setup, to model output, and analysis. This supports discovery, data preservation, reproducibility, and reuse, with flexibility for users with different levels of expertise. M@TE has a human-browsable, machine-searchable, user-friendly front end (https://mate.science/ ), and a back-end GitHub organization (https://github.com/ModelAtlasofTheEarth) and model output repository targeted to expert users. Contributions to M@TE are handled by GitHub automation workflows that guide contributors through the process of documenting their models, ensuring that they meet community standards, validating metadata and creating DOIs.  M@TE provides a platform for a much wider appreciation of Earth processes and numerical modeling, particularly to industry stakeholders, professional geoscientists and educators. Furthermore, M@te is creating a single platform that will advance the interoperability of digital twins required to address the current environmental crisis.
Lake and reservoir methane (CH4) emissions – an underground past, a rising present, and scenarios for the future  
Authors: Bastviken David , Johnson Matthew S.
Published: March 2024

During the last two decades, our perception of lake and reservoir methane (CH4) emissions have changed from being peripheral to increasingly important in global CH4 budget and source attribution discussions. This is reflected by a 10-fold increase in the number of related scientific publications per year from 2001 to 2020. Earlier research provided a strong foundation that has been developed further. As a result of expanding reserach in the field, some of the early bottlenecks are getting resolved, while others remain, and new challenges have emerged.It is now clear that lakes and reservoirs jointly contribute in the order of 5 -15 % och the global CH4 emissions to the atmosphere, and thereby cannot be ignored if we want to understand the atmospheric CH4 development. This has added challenges regarding data needs and methodologies to make more accurate large-scale CH4 flux estimates. Key questions also include how lake and reservoir emissions are influenced by environmental change including climate. Critical challenges are nested across a range of scales, from microscale process regulation that shape spatiotemporal variability at the whole-system scale, in turn generating measurement challenges and data constraints influencing global assessments. This presentation aims to provide a brief overview, highlighting some learnings and challenges. In addition, predictions of future global lake and reservoir CH4 emissions will be presented, exploring a data-driven approach to integrate existing knowledge on spatiotemporal flux variability with consideration of multiple emission pathways and their seasonal regulation and long-term response to climate change, as well as to projected changes in inland water area and nutrient load. The relative impacts of different potential flux change drivers was also investigated. Overall, the predicted future emission scenarios illustrate the sensitivity of one of the largest sources of atmospheric CH4 to the ongoing global change.
Evaluating irrigation demand forecasts from S2S/agro-hydrological modelling with field experiments in Northern Germany in the context of farmer decision support
Authors: Fallah-Mehdipour Elahe , Dietrich Jörg
Published: March 2024

Optimizing water use efficiency and crop yield are important objectives of irrigated agriculture. For planning near future irrigation, farmers can rely on weather forecasts, which cover a time horizon of up to two weeks. This information is then used to make decisions about agricultural activities, including irrigation. However, a gap exists between weather forecasting and climate prediction, which poses challenges for decision-making in the medium-term crop season. The sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) range, spanning from two weeks to one season, bridges this gap. In this study we investigate if S2S forecasts combined with an agro-hydrological model can extend the time horizon of farmers’ decision decision-making compared to a traditional week-to-week schedule.A case study was conducted for the Northern German Hamerstorf experimental field, which is operated by the Chamber of Agriculture of Lower Saxony to provide weekly consulting and decision support services for regional farmers in the fields of fertilisation and irrigation. Irrigation is triggered at 35% and 50% of available water capacity and the annual crop yield for these irrigation scenarios is evaluated. In this research a SWAP (soil-water-atmosphere-plant) model was calibrated and validated using observed field data from the experiments. The calibrated model was then coupled with the reforecast S2S ensemble dataset. To evaluate the performance of the S2S/agro-hydrological model, we used the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) S2S ensemble and simulated the future irrigation water demand for the next two, four and six weeks. Simulated crop yield, irrigation water demand and the results of auto-scheduling irrigation over the recent five irrigation seasons (2018-2022) were evaluated and compared with a reanalysis using observed climate and with the experimental field practise.First results confirm that uncertainty increases with the lead time of the forecast, but a major aspect for irrigation planning is the start and end of dry periods. There, uncertainty is less compared to the uncertainty of future rain, which recommends further exploration of the value of S2S forecasts in agricultural decision support.
Data-driven models for groundwater nitrate contamination prediction: A nation-wide approach for Mexico
Authors: Mahlknecht Jurgen , Torres-Martínez Juan Antonio , Mora Abrahan , Kumar Manish , Kaown Dugin , Loge Frank J
Published: March 2024

Nitrate (NO3−-N) stands as one of the prevalent chemical contaminants in groundwater, posing potential repercussions on both the environment and public health. However, the monitoring of this parameter on a national scale is notably limited, especially in developing regions. To address this gap, we applied distinct machine learning (ML) algorithms (Extreme Gradient Boosting, Boosted Regression Trees, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machines) capable of quantifying/predicting NO3−-N concentrations in groundwater. These algorithms were validated through comprehensive application across Mexico. The models initially considered 68 covariates and identified significant predictors of NO3−-N concentration spanning from climate, geomorphology, soil, hydrogeology, and human factors. We achieved an outstanding performance with about 10 times less availability of information compared to previous large-scale assessments, and thus efficiently countered the challenge of limited data availability/monitoring stations. Our success can be attributed mainly to the implementation of the 'Support Points-based Split Approach' during pre-processing, which effectively transformed the limited national groundwater quality database into spatial points suitable for appropriate train/test datasets. Areas exhibiting NO3−-N concentrations exceeding the drinking water standard (>10 mg/L) were identified, notably in the north-central and northeast regions of the country, linked to agricultural and industrial activities. Individuals living in these regions face potential exposure to elevated NO3−-N levels in groundwater. These NO3−-N hotspots align with reported health implications such as gastric and colorectal cancer. This study not only showcases the potential of ML in data-scarce regions but also provides actionable insights for policy and management strategies.
Potential degradation rates of contrasting plastic additives in agricultural soils
Authors: Reay Michaela , Graf Martine , Murphy Maddy , Monkley Charlie , Florent Perrine , Nguyen Hien , Tran Minh Tien , Fernandes Andreia , Adhikari Tapan , Vilijoen Samantha , Mosa Ahmed , Chadwick David , Jones Davey , Evershed Richard , Lloyd Charlotte
Published: March 2024

Plastic additives associated with plastic products are essential to their function. However, a number of compounds, which are included at relatively high abundances, and frequency in plastic products, have known associated hazards. These include phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors, as well as antioxidants and UV stabilisers, which may bioaccumulate. As additives are not chemically bound, they are susceptible to leaching to the wider environment, including into soils. However, the potential abiotic controls on degradation of additives in soil, such as soil type, pH and nutrient availability, following leaching remains unknown. This study investigates the degradation of three contrasting, high production plastic additives in soil to elucidate potential controls on the bioavailability of the plastic additives.Three additives of contrasting function were selected: bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a plasticiser, which is an endocrine disruptor; tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphite (Irgafos® 168, an antioxidant under assessment as bio accumulative under EU REACH, and octabenzone, a UV stabiliser. An agricultural soil from North Wales with no previous history of plastic use was sieved (2 mm) and maintained at constant moisture (30% WHC). Additives were dried onto sand then homogenised in soil to yield a concentration of 500 ng g−1 soil. The degradation of additives was monitored over a 21 d time course with light exclusion. In the UK soil, Irgafos® 168 was not detected after t=0 d, due to rapid conversion to its oxidation product, tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate (Irgafos® 168ox), which also occurs abiotically during plastic production. However, no further microbial degradation of this antioxidant was observed over the 21 d period. DEHP and octabenzone both exhibited rapid degradation within 4 d, yet remained at 223 ng g−1 and 51 ng g−1, respectively, for the remainder of the 21 d experiment. The degradation of DEHP and octabenzone is proposed to be microbial, with 49% and 78% removed over 21 d, and the relative bioavailability of the additives was octabenzone>DEHP>>Irgafos® 168(ox). This will be expanded to include soils from across climatic zones (India, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil, Egypt), to elucidate controls on additive degradation linked to soil properties, including pH, soil type and nutrient availability, which are hypothesised to influence the bioavailability and preference for additive degradation.
Distributed databases to improve data sovereignty in citizen science
Authors: Malard-Adam Julien , குமார் (Kumar) ஷீஜா (Sheeja) , Medema Wietske , ஆனந்தராஜா (Anandaraja) நல்லுசாமி (Nallusamy) , Harms Joel , Dipple Johanna
Published: March 2024

Citizen science is important for community-led science. However, the knowledge and costs required to configure and manage servers for data management in such community-led projects are major barriers to the adoption of citizen science-based approaches at a larger scale. At the same time, the centralisation of communities’ data onto project servers (whether rented in « the could » or on-premise) also poses questions regarding data sovereignty true community ownership of citizen science projects. (Who owns the data? Who has the power to give or revoke access to it? How will data be accessible once the principal investigators and funding are gone?)Distributed databases, where data is stored directly on users’ devices and shared in a peer-to-peer network, can address some of these issues by bypassing the need to rely on a centralised server for user authentication and data storage and transmission. While this approach offer solutions to some long-standing challenges of centralised approaches to data collection, distributed databases also bring their own limitations. This presentation will discuss three major questions and paradigm shifts related to the adoption of distributed databases for citizen science, namely authorisation, discovery and accessibility. Approaches for addressing these in the context of community-led participatory projects will be discussed, and examples of using Constellation distributed database software for case studies in citizen science and data sharing will be provided.
Using stable isotopes and spectral properties to quantify the contributions of particulate organic matter and dissolved organic matter to organic matter decomposition triggered by typhoons
Authors: Lu Xuan
Published: March 2024

Typhoons can significantly change marine biogeochemical processes. The organic matter (OM) decomposition (carbon source) plays an important role in biogeochemical process in coastal waters after typhoons. However, more field investigations are needed to quantify the contributions of particulate organic matter (POM) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) to OM decomposition triggered by typhoons. To address this issue, the stable isotopes of particulate OM (POM) and the spectral properties of dissolved OM (DOM) were investigated before and after Typhoon "Barija" in Zhanjiang Bay, northwestern South China Sea. High-salinity seawater intruded from the lower bay to the upper bay due to the external forces of clockwise wind stress, thereby forming an ocean front in the middle bay during the typhoon. The POM decomposition induced by the typhoon in the upper bay (inventory 72%) was substantially higher than in the lower bay (inventory 5%) due to the barrier effect of ocean front in the middle bay. However, the decomposition removed only 1–4% DOM in the upper bay, and a net addition of DOM occurred in the lower bay due to phytoplankton growth and POM decomposition. More importantly, although the quantity of DOM is much larger than that of POM in the water, the inventory of POM in the upper bay removed by typhoon-induced decomposition (20.19 g m-2) is much higher than that of DOM (16.08 g m-2). Overall, our study suggests that POM decomposition is more critical than DOM decomposition after typhoons, mainly controlled by the strong ocean front and vertical mixing.
Testing the skill of an analytical expression for the probability of occurrence of tornadoes
Authors: Lionello Piero , Muhammadi Aqsa
Published: March 2024

Tornadoes represent major meteorological hazards, in terms of damages to buildings, vehicles and structures and casualties. Because of their small space scale (order of 1km or less), duration (order of 1000s), strongly nonlinear and chaotic dynamics, tornadoes cannot be reproduced in operational weather prediction and climate models. It is important to develop approaches overcoming this limitation and capable of delivering reliable early warnings by civil protection services and estimating whether frequency and strength of tornadoes will change because of anthropogenic climate change. Recently, a probabilistic approach has been developed that resulted in analytical expressions of the probability of tornadoes occurrence based on meteorological parameters that can be extracted from weather prediction and climate models, such as WMAX (updraft maximum parcel vertical velocity, linked to the Convective Available Potential Energy CAPE), WS700 (the wind shear in the lower troposphere), LCL (the lifting condensation level), SRH900 (low-level storm relative helicity). An example is the formula log10(P)=-6.6+WMAX/(3.1+5.2 · WMAX/WS700), which is meant to describe dependence of probability P of occurrence of a tornadoes  on the surrounding environmental conditions and to distinguish among conditions with low and high probability. In this study this and similar formulas are applied to hindcasting the probability of tornadoes using ERA5 data. The purpose is to assess the skill of the method for operational prediction and explore its validity for climate change studies.The methodology supporting this formula is extensively described in Ingrosso, R., Lionello, P., Miglietta, M. M., and Salvadori, G.: Brief communication: Towards a universal formula for the probability of tornadoes, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2443–2448, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-2443-2023, 2023.
Background Topography Affects the Degree of Three-Dimensionality of Tidal Sand Waves
Authors: Nnafie Abdel , Krabbendam Janneke , Borsje Bas , de Swart Huib
Published: March 2024

Offshore tidal sand waves on the sandy bed of shallow continental shelf seas are more three-dimensional (3D) in some places than others, where 3D refers to a pattern that shows variations in three spatial directions. These sand waves often display meandering, splitting, or merging crestlines. The degree of three-dimensionality seems to vary especially when large-scale bedforms, such as tidal sand banks, are present underneath the sand waves. Understanding this behavior is important for offshore activities, such as offshore wind farm construction or the maintenance of navigation channels. In this study, the degree of three-dimensionality of sand waves at five sites in the North Sea is quantified with a new measure. Results show that tidal sand waves on top of tidal sand banks are more two-dimensional (2D) than those on bank slopes or in open areas. Numerical simulations performed with a new long-term sand wave model support these differences in sand wave patterns. The primary cause of these differences is attributed to the deflection of tidal flow over a sand bank, which causes sand wave crests to be more aligned with the bank at its top than at its slopes. It is subsequently made plausible that the different patterns result from the competition between two known mechanisms. These mechanisms are nonlinear interactions between sand waves themselves (SW-SW interactions) and nonlinear interactions between sand banks and sand waves (SB-SW interactions). On bank tops, SB-SW interactions favor a 2D pattern, while SW-SW interactions, which produce a 3D pattern elsewhere, are less effective.
Assessment of groundwater storage variation at aquifer scale with ready-to-use GRACE Satellite Data: Spanish study cases
Authors: Guardiola-Albert Carolina , Naranjo-Fernández Nuria , Rivera-Rivera Jhonatan S. , Gómez Fontalva José M. , Aguilera Héctor , Ruíz-Bermudo Fernando , Rodríguez-Rodríguez Miguel
Published: March 2024

The satellite initiative Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has been thoroughly investigated in recent years to monitor groundwater storage (GWS). Since 2002, GRACE has provided distinctive perspectives on fluctuations in Earth's gravity field. Changes in gravity over time serve as valuable indicators for deducing alterations in total terrestrial water storage (TWS), encompassing soil moisture, surface water, snow and ice, canopy interception, wet biomass, and groundwater.The importance of GRACE data in determining GWS holds crucial implications, particularly in regions with limited hydrogeological information. Numerous analyses published so far have consistently demonstrated a robust correlation between GWS derived from GRACE and measurements obtained directly from wells in extensive aquifers.The Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) combines satellite and in situ data with sophisticated land surface modeling and data assimilation techniques. In the NASA GLDAS System Version 2 (GLDAS-2), GRACE data, initially on a 1° global grid, is downscaled to a higher resolution of 0.25°. This extension of data covers a daily scale from 1948, effectively interpolating temporal gaps present in the GRACE dataset. Following the isolation of contributions to temporal mass changes, GLDAS furnishes daily time series for GWS, making the GWS data readily available for utilization.The present study adds to the existing body of knowledge by showcasing that GRACE is skilled at capturing regionally averaged seasonal variations in observed GWS at two Spanish detritic aquifers: Almonte- Marismas and Alto Guadalentín. Even in these cases, where the study area is relatively small compared to the broader GRACE track, there are good correlations between in situ and satellite information. On the other hand, this work aims to assess the efficacy of readily accessible GWS data obtained from the GLDAS web services. This will be accomplished through the validation of GWS ready-to-use product from GLDAS involving (i) an examination of its correlation with piezometric information in both confined and unconfined aquifers, and (ii) an evaluation of net groundwater recharge rates computed by using GWS data.
Identifying the origins of the global carbon budget imbalance using oxygen
Authors: Mayot Nicolas , Le Quéré Corinne , Manning Andrew
Published: March 2024

Despite major advances in the estimation of all fluxes in the global cycles of carbon and oxygen, mathematical imbalances continue to arise when these fluxes are combined. Between 1997 and 2022, the global budget imbalances (BIM) for CO2 and O2 budgets – a quantification of the missing sources and/or sinks of CO2 and O2 – are -18 Tmol/yr and 41 Tmol/yr, respectively. The CO2 BIM has tended to become increasingly negative over the last decade, while the O2 BIM has tended to become increasingly positive. To identify the origins of the BIMs, we carried out a systematic analysis of the combination and permutation of all available individual flux estimates provided by a sub-set of contributors to the Global Carbon Budget 2023 update. We first examine the possibility that inaccuracies in the ocean air-sea fluxes contributes to the CO2 and O2 BIM. We show that the interannual variability of the air-sea O2 flux required for a reduction of the O2 BIM tends to be close to that simulated by several ocean models. An in-depth analysis of the Southern Ocean has confirmed their ability to simulate reasonable interannual variability in the air-sea fluxes of O2 and CO2. We conclude that in order to simultaneously reduce the negative trend in CO2 BIM and the positive trend in O2 BIM in the recent decade, a reduction in the increasing trend in the terrestrial CO2 sink over the last decade is most likely required.
An iterative method combining GRACE/GRACE- FO, ICESat/ICESat-2, GPS, and SMB from climate model outputs to improve Antarctic mass balance and GIA
Authors: Liang Chiachun angela , Velicogna Isabella , Aa Geruo , Sutterley Tyler
Published: March 2024

Consensus from mass balance studies published in the past decade revealed an increase in mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet. However, independent methods (e.g., gravity, altimetry, and mass budget) for determining the rate of mass loss disagree about the magnitude and uncertainty of estimates for East Antarctica. This discrepancy is largely due to the size of East Antarctica, the low signal-to-noise ratios of existing sensors, and the confluence of uncertainties for each method. As a result, ice sheet models may not be well-constrained to make future projections of ice mass change and sea level change. Here, we combine GRACE/GRACE-FO, ICESat/ICESat-2, and GPS observations and extend Velicogna et al. (2002) iterative algorithm to improve the estimate of the Antarctic mass balance. We add outputs from surface mass balance (SMB) and firn models to satellite altimetry, time-variable gravity, and GPS measurements. We evaluate the sensitivity of the approach to realistic ice mass spatial and time distributions using an effective density map derived from ICESat-2 data, and reconstructions of SMB and firn depth from climate model outputs. Our result provides information on how the GPS network could be completed to resolve major uncertainties, obtain a better glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), and a better estimate of ice mass balance.
Quantifying the sand capture efficiency of native and non-native dune plants with an in-situ experiment and numerical modeling during wind gust conditions.
Authors: Laporte-Fauret Quentin , Wengrove Meagan , Ruggiero Peter , Hacker Sally D , Cohn Nicholas T , Heminway Selwyn , van IJzendoorn Christa , Ringer Carly
Published: March 2024

Coastal dunes are natural landforms formed by complex positive feedbacks between wind driven sediment transport processes, the presence of vegetation, and existing dune morphology. To improve our knowledge of the sand capture efficiency of native and non-native vegetation species found on the Pacific Northwest coast, we designed a 3-day in-situ experiment using four mono-species vegetated plots (20 m by 10 m in size) during strong wind gust conditions on the coast of Oregon, USA. The dune grass species monitored during this experiment were the non-native Ammophila arenaria, Ammophila breviligulata, the new hybrid between A. arenaria x A. breviligulata, and the native Leymus mollis. Wind speed and direction sensors were set upwind and in the center of each plot during the experiment. Multi-directional sand traps were set up at the same position as the wind sensors during a 24-hour period to capture sediment transport coming into and moving through the plots during the stronger wind periods. Lidar surveys were performed before and after the wind event to compute morphological change and to estimate the vegetation cover for each plot. The vegetation cover of the non-native plots ranged between 37% and 47% while the native vegetation cover was 9%. During the wind gust, the plots were exposed to upwind speeds ranging from 3.6 to 4.5 m/s. Between the upwind positions and the plot center, wind speeds decreased by 16% to 28% for the non-native species, while wind speeds increased by 16% within the native species plot. The volume of sand in the A. arenaria plot increased by 6.4% (i.e., +10.8 m3) and the volume of sand withing the plot with A. breviligulata increased by 5.4% (i.e., +4.4 m3). Limited change was observed in the hybrid plot (+1.1% of its volume i.e., +1.3 m3), and the L. mollis (native vegetation) plot lost sand (-4.5% of its volume i.e., -0.1 m3). While the multi-directional sand traps facing the dominant wind direction were saturated during a last hours of overnight windy period, the traps indicate that wind from the south was the dominant transport direction with slightly less transport from the SE and the SW. Lidar and wind data were used in an aeolian sediment transport and dune building process-based model to simulate morphological changes during the wind gust event. The calibrated model will be used to explore the parameter space for drivers of aeolian transport through the vegetated plots. Although further field experiments are needed, this experimental design shows promising results for understanding the effect of different dune grass species on aeolian sand flux and associated morphological changes and encourages further work towards models that capture the magnitudes and relative differences among plots, depending on environmental and ecological boundary conditions.
Revisiting the ‘transfer function’ of stratospheric sulfur loading from volcanic sulfate deposited on polar ice sheets
Authors: Burke Andrea , Fuglestvedt Herman , Thomas Liz , Marshall Lauren , Krüger Kirstin
Published: March 2024

Records of the volcanic forcing of climate prior to the satellite era depend on scaling the flux of sulfate deposited on polar ice sheets­ using a ‘transfer function’, a number calibrated based on radioactivity in Greenland from thermonuclear testing as well as Antarctic sulfate flux records from the 1991 Pinatubo eruption (e.g. Gao et al., 2007). For high latitude eruptions, this transfer function is based solely on model simulations of sulfate flux to Greenland from the Icelandic Laki eruption in 1783 and the Alaskan Katmai/Novarupta eruption in 1912 (Gao et al., 2007).  Since the initial determination of this transfer function, the number of ice cores containing sulfate from the Pinatubo eruption has increased eight-fold, and sulfur isotope measurements at high resolution over sulfate peaks in the ice has allowed for discrimination between stratospheric sulfate and sulfate transported at lower levels in the atmosphere from different sources (e.g. Burke et al., 2023). Here we revisit the estimation of the transfer function in light of these new data-based constraints from eruptions in the 20th century, and we reassess the uncertainty associated with the application of a single transfer function across volcanic eruptions in the past. Gao, C., Oman, L., Robock, A. and Stenchikov, G.L., 2007. Atmospheric volcanic loading derived from bipolar ice cores: Accounting for the spatial distribution of volcanic deposition. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 112(D9).Burke, A., Innes, H.M., Crick, L., Anchukaitis, K.J., Byrne, M.P., Hutchison, W., McConnell, J.R., Moore, K.A., Rae, J.W., Sigl, M. and Wilson, R., 2023. High sensitivity of summer temperatures to stratospheric sulfur loading from volcanoes in the Northern Hemisphere. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(47), p.e2221810120.