bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deriving the Østrem curve to quantify supraglacial debris-related melt-altering effects on the Djankuat Glacier, Caucasus, Russian Federation
Authors: Verhaegen Yoni , Huybrechts Philippe , Rybak Oleg , Popovnin Victor
Published: March 2024

We have derived the glacier-specific Østrem curve to quantify the influence of a supraglacial debris cover on the mass and surface energy balance of the Djankuat Glacier, a northwest-facing and partly debris-covered temperate valley glacier in the Caucasus region (Russian Federation), which has been selected as a ‘reference glacier’ by the WGMS. A 2D energy balance model, in combination with meteorological data from automatic weather stations and ERA5-Land reanalysis data, is used to assess the melt-altering effect of supraglacial debris on the overall glacier runoff during 1 complete balance year. The main results show that both the surface energy balance and mass balance fluxes are modified significantly due to the presence of debris on the glacier surface, as the surface characteristics (albedo, emissivity, and roughness) and near-surface temperature, moisture and wind regimes are greatly altered when compare to bare ice surfaces.  As such, for very thin debris (< 3 cm), a slight relative melt-enhancement occurs due to a decreased surface albedo and/or the patchiness of the debris. If debris, however, further thickens (> 9 cm), the insulating effect becomes dominant and reduces the melt of the underlying ice significantly. Sensitivity experiments show that especially within-debris properties, such as the thermal conductivity and the vertical porosity gradient within the debris pack, highly impact the magnitude of the sub-debris melt rates. Moreover, the relative melt suppression of the debris cover is modelled to increase in a warming climate, regardless of debris thickness changes. The above-mentioned effects are found to be increasingly pronounced with an increasing thickness of the superimposed supraglacial debris cover and can be of great importance with respect to future glacio-hydrologic regimes and glacio-geomorphological processes. Quantifying such melt-modification effects is therefore also important to more accurately understand and assess the behavior of (partly) debris-covered glaciers under a future warming climate.
Representing canopy structure dynamics within the LPJ-GUESS dynamic global vegetation model
Authors: Wårlind David , Elena Stoebke Jette , Olin Stefan , A. Miller Paul , A. M. Pugh Thomas
Published: March 2024

Several efforts are being pursued to improve the representation of ecological demographic processes that govern terrestrial vegetation canopy structure within Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVM) as it influences critical fluxes of carbon, nutrients, and water. How trees are structured within the canopy determines how they absorb incoming solar radiation and is partitioned between different tree cohorts. Here we present two new schemes with more detailed vegetation canopy structure representation in the DGVM LPJ-GUESS. These new schemes provide a closer linkage to observations to better constrain processes of growth and mortality, improve the representation of species coexistence as well as the capability to represent reestablishment in small canopy gaps following small-scale mortality or selective harvest. LPJ-GUESS is currently structuring its canopy with vertically overlapping cohort crowns without horizontal spatial structure as the crowns are distributed uniformly across the entire patch area. This original approach does not provide a realistic representation of competition between trees of different heights and sizes, nor canopy gaps following mortalities. A first solution to amend the model is to adopt an approach similar to the perfect plasticity approximation in which cohorts are sorted according to tree height and perfectly fill the patch area with each cohort crown area. When the patch is filled an understory layer is created with the next tallest tree and so on for each consecutive layer. A second solution is to explicitly position cohorts within the patch according to forest floor light conditions during establishment. The death of a tree will result in a gap formation which will persist over time and allow new cohorts to establish within the gap exposed to full light conditions. All schemes have been evaluated against aboveground woody biomass, aboveground woody mortality, and aboveground woody productivity split into diameter at breast height size classes and how forestry thinning generates re-establishment of a woody understory. Also, their capability to represent species coexistence has been evaluated. We see improvements in the capability to simulate stand biomass-size distributions, species coexistence, and reestablishment in small canopy gaps with a more detailed canopy structure scheme.
Temperature inversion in a gravitationally bound plasma: Case of the solar corona
Authors: Barbieri Luca , Casetti Lapo , Verdini Andrea , Landi Simone , Papini Emanuele , Di Cintio Pierfrancesco
Published: March 2024

The temperature of the solar atmosphere increases from thousands to millions of degrees moving from the lower layer (chromosphere) to the outermost one (corona), while the density drops accordingly. The mechanism behind this phenomenon, known as a temperature inversion, is still unknown. In this work, we model a coronal loop as a collisionless plasma confined in a semicircular tube that is subject to the Sun's gravity and in thermal contact with a fully collisional chromosphere behaving as a thermostat at the loop's feet. By using kinetic N-particle simulations and analytical calculations, we show that rapid, intermittent, and short-lived heating events in the chromosphere drive the coronal plasma towards a non-equilibrium stationary state. The latter is characterized by suprathermal tails in the particles velocity distribution functions, exhibiting temperature and density profiles strikingly similar to those observed in the atmosphere of the Sun. These results suggest that a million-Kelvin solar corona can be produced without the local deposition of heat in the upper layer of the atmosphere that is typically assumed by standard approaches. We find that suprathermal distribution functions in the corona are self-consistently produced instead of postulated a priori, in contrast to classical kinetic models based on a velocity filtration mechanism.
New thermodynamic and kinetic constraints on H2 production during ferroan brucite reaction at low temperature
Authors: Malvoisin Benjamin , Carlin William , Brunet Fabrice , Lanson Bruno , Findling Nathaniel , Lanson Martine , Jeannin Laurent , Fargetton Tiphaine , Lhote Olivier
Published: March 2024

The alteration of ferroan brucite, a common by-product of serpentinization, has been proposed as a H2 source at low temperature. Here, synthetic ferroan brucite with Fe/(Fe+Mg) = 0.2 was reacted with pure water at temperatures ranging from 348 to 573 K in 29 experiments either conducted in gold capsules or Ti-based reactors. H2 production monitoring with time and characterization of the reaction products revealed the occurrence of the following reaction: 3 Fe(OH)2brucite = Fe3O4 + H2 + 2 H2O. This reaction proceeds completely in ~ 2 months at 378 K and is thermally activated. The small grain size of the synthetic brucite (40-100 nm) is similar to observations in natural samples, and is probably responsible for the high reaction rate measured. H2 production reached a plateau and Fe-bearing brucite also precipitated as a reaction product, suggesting the achievement of equilibrium. The thermodynamic properties of Fe(OH)2 were refined based on the experimental dataset and differ by less than 5 % from previous estimates. However, ferroan brucite is predicted to be stable at an hydrogen activity one order of magnitude lower than previously calculated. As a result, significant H2 production during ferroan brucite alteration at low temperature requires efficient fluid renewal. Such a mechanism strongly differs from olivine serpentinization which can occur even at high activity in H2 and thus with limited water renewal.
Future wind energy production over the North Sea for extreme, 10-year wind roses based on CMIP6-informed subsampling of an ERA5-driven RCM simulation
Authors: Borgers Ruben , Pinto Joaquim , Meyers Johan , van Lipzig Nicole
Published: March 2024

The growing importance of the offshore wind energy sector emphasizes the need for projections of the long-term energy yield for existing and planned wind farm installations. In the North Sea, where wind farms are already pivotal to the electricity mix of the surrounding countries, the production capacity is set to increase tenfold by 2050. Studies suggest that, by 2050, the wind climate over the North Sea basin may differ significantly from the historical climate (Carvalho et al., 2021; Hahmann et al., 2022). Here, we combine an analysis of CMIP6 projections with an ERA5-driven, mesoscale wind farm simulation to further explore the impact of near-future wind climate changes over the North Sea on the energy production. First, an ensemble of 17 GCMs is reduced to 12 GCMs based on an analysis of the ability to represent the historical wind rose at 100 m MSL (1985-2014). Next, we identify future decades for each season where the wind rose exceeds the range of the historical decadal variability. Based on these extreme wind roses, we then apply a sub-sampling to a 30-year, ERA5-driven COSMO-CLM simulation covering the North Sea and incorporating a projected, 250 GW wind farm layout. Based on the sub-sampled datasets, we then quantify the impact of these extreme 10-year wind roses on the energy production of different wind farm clusters and compare this against an historical baseline.
Impact of marine biogenic VOC emissions on the marine boundary layer of the Eastern Mediterranean
Authors: Bossioli Elissavet , Kourakos Dimitrios , Raitsos Dionysios  E , Kournopoulou Antonia , Karagiorgos John , Methymaki Georgia , Portalakis Panagiotis , Karatasou Stavroula , Sofianos Sarantis
Published: March 2024

The production by biological and photochemical mechanisms of short-lived Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in the surface ocean is regulated by environmental parameters and nutrient abundance, and hence climate change. These gases then enter the atmosphere through the air–sea interface and contribute to photochemical pollution, affect the cloud properties, the radiative forcing and precipitation. Despite the improved understanding of the temporal and spatial distribution of marine trace gases of biogenic origin and their potential effects, further investigation is needed in different geographical regions and especially in polluted marine environments and populated coastal regions (Tinel et al., 2023). In this study we estimate the spatiotemporal distribution of seawater VOC concentrations in the climate sensitive geographical region of Eastern Mediterranean. State-of-the art empirical models linking remotely-sensed data of phytoplankton biomass (EU Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service, CMEMS) and environmental parameters such as sea-surface temperature, and photosynthetically available radiation are used (Gali et al., 2018). Ocean-model data such as mixed layer depth, and euphotic zone are also exploited. The impact of the sea-to-air VOC emission fluxes on photochemistry, marine aerosols and cloud properties are assessed and quantified through advanced atmospheric simulations with the WRF-Chem atmospheric model coupled to chemistry and aerosols during typical conditions but also extreme events.  ReferencesGali M., Levasseur, M., Devred, E., Simo, R. and Babin, M., Sea-surface dimethylsulfide (DMS) concentration from satellite data at global and regional scales, Biogeosciences, 15, 2018, pp. 3497-3519, https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/15/3497/2018 , doi:10.5194/bg-15-3497-2018.Tinel L., J. Abbatt, E. Saltzman, A. Engel, R. Fernandez, et al.. Impacts of ocean biogeochemistry on atmospheric chemistry. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 2023, 11 (1), ff10.1525/elementa.2023.00032ff. ffhal-04221390f 
The Leipzig Canopy Crane experiment: DNA metabarcoding of air samples to monitor seasonal variations in airborne fungal and plant communities composition
Authors: Fedele Ettore , Gemeinholzer Birgit , Richter Ronny , Wirth Christian , Sánchez-Parra Beatriz
Published: March 2024

Rapid and accurate assessments of ecological responses to environmental changes are key to the development of effective measures aimed at the mitigation of detrimental effects on the integrity of ecosystems and the provision of services that support the livelihoods of billions of people worldwide. Traditionally, however, the study of ecological communities has relied on laborious and complex taxonomic work, that undermines the feasibility and practicality of urgent monitoring programmes.In the last two decades, the emerging field of environmental DNA analysis has opened to the possibility to study complex systems at a fraction of the original time and financial costs, hence producing vast amounts of vital information. Here, we utilised DNA metabarcoding analysis of bioaerosol samples collected during 2019 at the Leipzig Canopy Crane to study seasonal variations in airborne fungal and plant species composition, in relation to changes in humidity, wind, and temperature. Preliminary results show significant differences in both plant and fungal communities. Specifically, climatic differences between the coldest and warmest months significantly affect the taxa Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, whereas the period between March and April reportedly displayed an increase in the abundance of anemophilous plants and members of the genus Salix. Lastly, with this study we intend to showcase the importance of long-term monitoring programmes of environmental DNA for investigating the implications of climate change.
Export of Greenland Sea Water across the Mohn Ridge as Measured by a Mooring during 2016–2018
Authors: Zhao Jinping , Shen Xusiyang , Hattermann Tore
Published: March 2024

Cold and dense water from the Greenland Sea, which has been found in the Lofoten Basin in the Norwegian Sea, is an important contributor to the Greenland–Scotland Ridge overflow, which feeds the deep and bottom waters in the North Atlantic. These two basins are divided by the Mohn Ridge, but there is no clear current connecting them. The aim of this study is to investigate how the Greenland Sea water enters the Lofoten Basin. We deployed a mooring on the western flank of the Mohn Ridge to measure the potential transport across the ridge during two periods: 2016/17 and 2017/18. The observation results indicate that the water above 1500 m in the Greenland Sea can be intermittently transported to the Lofoten Basin. In addition, we observed periods of flow reversal, which indicate bidirectional exchange between the two basins across the ridge. Our data from three consecutive seasons indicate that such inflows in August–September are a typical feature of the exchange across the Mohn Ridge. Net exports during these two periods into the Lofoten Basin were eltimated to be 5.86 Sv and 3.00 Sv, exhibiting noticeable interannual variations. We propose two possible mechanisms that could be driving the export. One is due to passing cyclones, which lower the sea level height along the Mohn Ridge and drive outflow. The second is due to the sudden weakening of the wind in summer, which results in outflow from the Greenland Sea through temporary geostrophic deviation.
Enhancing Lepidolite Recovery from Beauvoir (Li, Be, F) Rare Metals Granite through Advanced LIBS Mapping Techniques
Authors: Korbel Chloé , Demeusy Bastien , Kahou Zia , Fabre Cécile , Motto-Ros Vincent , Filippova Inna , Filippov Lev
Published: March 2024

The ongoing global energy transformation heavily relies on a steady supply of metals and minerals. Amonh all, lithium occupies a crucial role in facilitating this transition, particularly in energy storage through Li-ion batteries. Consequently, lepidolite, a lithium-bearing phyllosilicate, has emerged as a promising source of lithium for European countries. Notably, lepidolite is enriched in the Beauvoir granite of Allier, France, which also contains other critical elements, including fluorine, tin, niobium, tantalum, and beryllium. This valuable mineral is concentrated from other silicates using froth flotation with amine under acidic conditions.In this study, we explore the liberation of lepidolite, focusing on its significant shape factor, and the impact of size fraction on lithium recovery. Four different size fractions (<180, <250, <355, and <500 µm) undergo a standardized beneficiation route, encompassing crushing, grinding, desliming, flotation, and centrifugal separation. By employing mineralogical studies and automated mineralogy methods, the limitations of the flowsheet are identified. Particularly, the integration of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) mapping enables precise elemental distribution analysis of Li, F, and Be, which conventional methods like SEM or µXRF cannot provide. This powerful tool allows to effectively differentiate lepidolite from muscovite or other gangue minerals through the computation of lithium and fluorine distributions. Utilizing the LIBS mapping technique, we assess the successful liberation of lepidolite, while also uncovering scientific and technical constraints. Furthermore, by applying LIBS mapping to non-floated products, we can precise the contribution of amblygonite, a lithium-bearing phosphate present in the Beauvoir granite, during the flotation stage.The findings from this study shed light on the strengths and limitations of the developed flowsheet, leading to a comprehensive understanding and potential enhancement of the process recovery of lepidolite and by-products from the Beauvoir granite in different streams. Ultimately, this research contributes to the sustainable supply of lithium, vital for advancing Europe's clean energy ambitions.
A water mass transformation method applied to diagnosing ocean carbon uptake
Authors: Mackay Neill , Zika Jan , Sohail Taimoor , Ehmen Tobias , Watson Andrew
Published: March 2024

The ocean is a strong sink for anthropogenic CO2, absorbing around a quarter of emissions since the industrial era. Quantifying the ocean carbon sink is necessary for constraining the global carbon budget; however, discrepancies remain between estimates of the ocean carbon sink over the last 30 years from observation-based data products and those from numerical models. Moreover, larger regional uncertainties highlight the need for a better understanding of the drivers of ocean carbon sink variability, to help improve models and to better constrain future climate projections. A comprehensive understanding of the sink must include knowledge of (1) the air-sea flux of CO2, (2) the accumulation of carbon in the ocean interior, and (3) how it is redistributed within the ocean by changes in the physical circulation. This characterisation is typically achieved using numerical models, which are constrained by resolution and the need to parameterise processes including physical mixing at the sub-grid scale.We present a novel method for characterising the ocean carbon sink from a combination of oceanographic datasets, and for reconciling our knowledge of the ocean’s uptake of CO2 with that of interior carbon storage rates. Our Optimal Transformation Method (OTM) uses a water mass framework to diagnose the transport and mixing of tracers such as heat, salt, and carbon consistent with observed interior changes and estimates of boundary forcings. The water mass framework has the advantage that the transport and mixing of conservative tracers are diagnosed exactly, with no need for parameterisation. We validate OTM using outputs from a data-assimilating biogeochemical ocean model and demonstrate its ability to recover the model’s ‘true’ air-sea CO2 fluxes when initialised with biased priors. OTM reduces root-mean-squared errors between diagnosed air-sea CO2 fluxes and the model truth from prior to solution by up to 71%, while simultaneously estimating inter-basin transports of heat, freshwater, and carbon consistent with the model. Following successful validation, we apply OTM to a combination of observational data products to diagnose estimates of the ocean’s uptake and redistribution of carbon since 1990, utilising reanalyses of air-sea heat and freshwater fluxes, interior temperature and salinity, air-sea CO2 fluxes, and machine-learning reconstructions of interior ocean carbon.
Quantifying parameter uncertainty in projections of glacier mass change in Iceland under GlacierMIP3 experiments 
Authors: James Megan
Published: March 2024

 Recent advancements in the numerical modelling of glaciers has enabled projections of glacier mass change at regional and global scales. However, this progress has been facilitated by the use of simple mass balance models that rely heavily on parameterisations, often with poorly constrained parameters. These models are typically calibrated by varying parameters in order to minimise the difference between modelled and observed mass balance. Though intuitive, this procedure risks an over-tuning of model parameters, ultimately resulting in an underestimation of uncertainty in projections of glacier change. In this study, we present a novel application of the calibration technique known as ‘history matching’. Rather than tuning parameters to obtain a single ‘best’ solution, this method is used to obtain an ensemble of plausible parameter sets; ultimately enabling an assessment of parameter uncertainty in projections. Here, we apply this approach to quantify parameter uncertainty in the GO model contribution to GlacierMIP3. We run the model for each experiment in GlacierMIP3 using a 250-member perturbed-parameter ensemble, generated using a Latin hypercube design. We then constrain this ensemble through history matching by filtering ensemble members that are inconsistent with geodetic mass balance observations outside defined limits of plausibility. The ensemble is used to assess the sensitivity of projections to total parameter uncertainty as well as individual model parameters. We find a high degree of equifinality in the ensemble, in which ensemble members that performed equally well in calibration produce contrasting responses to the same climate forcing. 
Effects of biogeochemical interactions between cementitious materials and sewage on the durability of wastewater treatment plant facilities
Authors: Kashaija Nedson , Gável Viktória , Gergely Krett , Szabó Csaba , Tóth Erika , Szabó-Krausz Zsuzsanna
Published: March 2024

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are critical environmental solutions for sanitation management in many cities and municipalities. The construction of these facilities uses cementitious materials (e.g., concretes) due to their low cost, high strength and excellent watertightness properties. However, the long-term performance of these materials in WWTPs is affected by deterioration influenced by the formation of new (secondary) cement minerals. These secondary minerals are formed as a result of biogeochemical interactions between cementitious materials and wastewater microbial communities. The literature shows a lack of consensus on the mechanisms involved in the biogeochemical mechanism of sewage and cementitious materials in WWTP facilities. As a result, many civil and water engineers are unaware of its adverse effects on the sustainability of WWTP facilities, and as a consequence, the operation of many WWTP facilities costs billions of dollars in repair and maintenance due to concrete failure. This study studies the possible processes of biogeochemical interactions between sewage and cementitious materials in WWTPs and their subsequent mineral alteration and formation.An in-situ experiment exposed 48 cement specimens of ordinary Portland cement and calcium sulfoaluminate cement to the sewage pumping station and sand-trap structures. The research involves: (1) geochemical analysis (SEM and XRD) to study the change of cement materials, (2) engineering analysis to study their mechanical change and (3) microbiological investigations to explore the microbial communities involved in the biogeochemical interaction.The preliminary results of the study: (a) change of color from light grey to a mixture of yellow and brown for cement pastes exposed in the sewage pumping station, whereas the samples from the sand-trap maintained their original grey color. (b) the appearance of secondary minerals such as gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O), ettringite (Ca6Al2(OH)12(SO4)3·26H2O), and thaumasite (Ca3Si(OH)6 (CO3) (SO4)12.H2O) which are characterized as expansive process causing several cracks in the concrete structures. (c) the main mechanism for the formation of these sulfur-related minerals (i.e., gypsum, ettringite, and thaumasite) involves sulfide adsorption and its subsequent oxidation to form biogenic H2SO4 which eventually attack the cement alkaline mineral phases such as portlandite (Ca(OH)2 and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H). Another biogeochemical mechanism for sewage-cement interaction observed in this work was the carbonation process, which resulted in the formation of calcite mineral in hydrated cement.
CORDEX Flagship Pilot Study URB-RCC – Case Studies on Urban Environment Implementation
Authors: Halenka Tomas , Belda Michal , Crespo Natália , Langendijk Gaby , Hoffmann Peter
Published: March 2024

Cities play a fundamental role on climate at local to regional scales through modification of heat and moisture fluxes, as well as affecting local atmospheric chemistry and composition, alongside air-pollution dispersion. Vice versa, regional climate change impacts urban areas and is expected to increasingly affect cities and their citizens in the upcoming decades. Indeed, the share of the population living in urban areas is growing, and is projected to reach about 70 % of the world population up to 2050. Urban impact is especially critical in connection to extreme events, for instance heat waves with extremely high temperature exacerbated by the urban heat island effect, in particular during night-time, with significant consequences for human health. Additionally, from the perspective of recent regional climate model development with increasing resolution down to the city scale, proper parameterization of urban processes plays an important role to understand local/regional climate change.  The inclusion of the individual urban processes affecting energy balance and transport (i.e. heat, humidity, momentum fluxes, emissions) via special urban land-surface interaction parameterization of distinct local processes becomes vital to simulate the urban effects properly. This will enable improved assessment of climate change impacts in the cities and inform adaptation and/or mitigation options by urban decision-makers, as well as adequately prepare for climate related risks (e.g. heat waves, smog conditions etc.). Cities are becoming one of the most vulnerable environments under climate change. Similarly as WCRP, CORDEX community identified cities to be a prime scientific challenge. Therefore, we introduced this topic to the CORDEX platform, within the framework of so-called flagship pilot studies. Main aims of this activity will be presented together with a call for participation in ensemble experiment for selected city following adopted coordinated simulations protocol.Preliminary results from the analysis of first experiments covering specific case studies, i.e. strong heat wave as an important factor in the urban effects, and strong convective episode to study the convection permitting RCMs performance in urban environment, will be presented. The ensemble of participated teams for selected city – Paris - will be analysed and the first results based on this ensemble will be shown.
Glacial cirque morphometry of Rila and Pirin Mountains (Bulgaria)
Authors: Telbisz Tamás , Krasznai Márton , Gachev Emil , Gikov Alexander , Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger Zsófia
Published: March 2024

Cirque valleys are typical landforms of formerly glaciated high mountains, which also play an important role in paleoclimate reconstruction. In Bulgaria, the Rila (highest peak, Musala 2925 m) and Pirin (highest peak, Vihren 2915 m) mountains were the only terrains, where significant glacial cover developed during the Pleistocene glaciations, although some minor glacial landforms also exist elsewhere in Bulgaria. During the glacial periods, valleys of the Rila and Pirin Mts were re-shaped by glacial erosion and currently are characterized by glacial cirques and U-shaped valleys reaching lengths of 22 km (in Rila) and 13.5 km (in Pirin).In these two mountain ranges, a comprehensive, quantitative geomorphometric analysis of glacial cirques valleys has not yet been carried out, thus we try to fill this gap with the present work. Primarily, digital terrain models and GIS tools were used to delineate the cirques. Based on the delineations, the main morphometric parameters of the cirques (elevation, relative depth, width, length, area, aspect, slope conditions, etc.) were calculated and a careful statistical analysis of these parameters was performed. Both the topographic orientation and the lithological structure of the two neighbouring mountains are different, that gives us an opportunity for a comparison of topo-climatic and lithological factors of cirque development. For instance, based on elevation, size and orientation of the cirques, the possible correlations with the paleoclimate factors, like exposure or moisture transport directions can be examined. Finally, our results were compared with available cirque valley morphometric data of other high mountains rising on the Balkan Peninsula.
Destination Earth Core Service Platform Use Cases: A Collaborative approach for DestinE validation and evolution
Authors: Patruno Jolanda , Romeo Antonio , Vitolo Claudia , Wiesmann Daniel , Arthurs David , Fratini Simone , Papadopoulou Theodora , Habib Tarek
Published: March 2024

DestinE is the EC’s ambitious initiative to develop a digital twin of the Earth’s system to enable users to monitor and simulate natural and human activities to support environmental policies and decision-making processes at European and global scales, including the green transition of the European Union, aligning with the goals set out in the EC’s Green Deal and Digital Strategy.RHEA is leading the Destination Earth Use Cases project consortium to select a set of use cases to be developed and integrated within DESP, which will act as a gateway to the other DestinE components, namely the Destination Earth Data Lake, led by EUMETSAT, and the Digital Twins and Engine, which are the responsibility of ECMWF. This use cases will be developed using an Agile framework and a co-design approach with their reference community to enable a validation of the DestinE infrastructure and its evolution.Five projects started in November 2023:Global Fish Track System (GFTS), whose objective is to develop a fully functional Decision Support Tool for establishing essential fish habitat conservation areas under different scenarios.
DestinE Sea Ice Decision Enhancement (DESIDE), which aims to meet the needs of policy and decision makers who require information on the past, current, and forecasted sea ice and other relevant conditions for operational purposes in the Baltic Sea, European Arctic Ocean, and the rest of the polar regions.
CITINEXUS, which is modelling environmental, social, and economic impacts of interventions in road networks, mobility, and urban fabric, using High Frequency Location Based data and evaluating baseline conditions for human mobility, including key performance indicators like air quality, population distribution, public health, and service accessibility.
DestinE Renewable Energy (DRE), which aims to support evidence-based policy-making in the transition towards green energy by integrating new decision-making tools for renewable energy source (RES) producers.
UrbanSquare project, which is developing a tool to assess the urban climate risks, namely: Urban heat, flooding forecast, storm surges, sea level rise, air pollution, deterioration of infrastructure and increased demand on resources.
The presentation will include and overview of each selected project as well as a list of opportunities to contribute to DestinE in the future.
Debris classification based on detailed spectral observations using micro-satellite
Authors: Takahashi Yukihiro , Mohamed Shaqeer , Kako Shin-ichiro
Published: March 2024

Remote sensing observations from satellites have the great advantage of surveying large areas in a short time. On the other hand, the pixel size of satellite-borne camera on the ground is larger than that of drones or ground-based measurements, making it difficult to classify types of litter based on their detailed shape. Detailed spectral measurements using hyperspectral cameras are expected to be effective in classifying plastics and wood floating on the ocean, or litter accumulated on the beach, from vegetation, sand and stones, but the typical ground resolution of existing satellite-borne hyperspectral cameras is about 30 m. It is not easy to discriminate between types of litter and other objects. We have established imaging technology with a bandwidth (FWHM) of 10-20 nm, 1 nm steps at the centre wavelength and ground resolution of 5-120 m in the 0.4-1.0 micron wavelength range by developing and operating a 50 kg class micro-satellite equipped with a liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF). In order to capture plastic features, it is necessary to observe even longer wavelength ranges. Currently, by developing a new spectral camera and satellite attitude control technologies, we plan to achieve a bandwidth of less than 10 nm and a ground resolution of about 10 m at 0.4-1.6 um. It is also important to build up a spectral library of spectra for different types of litter and plastics based on ground-based measurements. In this presentation, we report on the development of our micro-satellites and on-board cameras, as well as the methodology and status of the construction of the spectral library.
Enstatite chondrite meteorites date the giant planet instability
Authors: Avdellidou Chrysa , Delbo Marco , Nesvorny David , Walsh Kevin , Morbidelli Alessandro
Published: March 2024

The identification of meteorite parent bodies provides the context for understanding planetesimal formation and evolution as well as the key solar system dynamical events they have witnessed. We identified that the family of asteroid fragments whose largest member is asteroid (161) Athor is the unique source of the rare EL enstatite chondrite meteorites (Avdellidou et al. 2022), the closest meteorites to Earth in terms of their isotopic ratios. The Athor family was created by the collisional fragmentation of a parent body 3 Gyr ago in the inner main belt (Delbo et al. 2019), however the diameter of the Athor family progenitor was much smaller than the putative size of the EL original planetesimal (Triellof et a. 2022). Therefore, we deduced that the EL planetesimal that accreted in the terrestrial planet region underwent a first catastrophic collision in that region, and one of its fragments suffered a more recent catastrophic collision in the main belt, generating the current source of the EL meteorites. We investigated the possible ways that could have brought the Athor family progenitor in its current position in the inner main belt. To do so, we used an interdisciplinary methodology where we combined laboratory meteorite thermochronometric data, thermal modelling, and dynamical simulations. We showed that planetesimal fragments from the terrestrial zone must have been implanted into the main asteroid belt at least 60 Myr after the beginning of the solar system. We concluded that the giant planet instability is the only dynamical process that can enable such implantation so late in the solar system timeline. Acknowledgements. We acknowledge support from the ANR ORIGINS (ANR- 18-CE31-0014). This work is based on data provided by the Minor Planet Physical Properties Catalogue (MP3C) of the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur (mp3c.oca.eu).References:Avdellidou, Delbo, A. Morbidelli, Walsh, Munaibari, Bourdelle de Micas, Devogèle, Fornasier, Gounelle, & van Belle. Athor asteroid family as the source of the EL enstatite meteorites, 2022, A&A, 665, id.L9, 13 pp.Delbo, Avdellidou, & Morbidelli, Ancient and primordial collisional families as the main sources of X-type asteroids of the inner main belt, 2019, A&A, 624, A69 Trieloff, Hopp & Gail. Evolution of the parent body of enstatite (EL) chondrites, 2022, Icarus, 373, 114762
Building the Tibetan orogenic plateau : the dominant role of faults
Authors: Replumaz Anne , Thieulot Cédric , Doin Marie-Pierre , Pitard Paul
Published: March 2024

Despite decades of controversy, our understanding of the formation of the Tibetan Plateau remains limited. The role of competing mechanisms, such as distributed crustal thickening versus lateral propagation of thrust faulting at crustal or lithospheric scales, is still poorly understood. Conceptual models explaining observations at the continental scale are based on hypotheses that are hard to reconcile, on the one hand buoyancy forces dominating with low influence of upper crustal faulting, on the other hand faults dominating by favour discrete propagation of rigid upper crustal thickening since the onset of collision at ~50 Ma. However, in view of the 3D nature and temporal complexity of the involved deformation processes, it remains difficult to test the mechanical and rheological consistency, and the ability to explain observations, of end-member conceptual models at the scale of the Tibetan Plateau.In order to generate new insights in deformation modes in Tibet, models to study the mechanical behaviour in the lower crust of the upper crustal thrust faults observed along the Tibet eastern edge, have been made, based upon recent thermo-kinematic modelling of thermochronology data (Pitard et al., 2021). We made schematic 2-D viscous models of thrusts embedded in the crust, to study eastern Tibet thrust activity in the building of the topography through time (Pitard et al., 2023). We show that both the high viscosity upper crust in which the fault is embedded and more surprisingly the low viscosity lower crust with no fault, are driven toward the surface by the fault. This generates along the fault a parallel zonation of the vertical velocity field, with high velocities close to the fault, decreasing away from it, fitting well the rejuvenation of cooling ages observed toward the thrust of SE Tibet. On the contrary, by using a model driven by an overpressure in the lower crust, we show that the obstacle halts the viscous lower crustal flow and generates a smooth exhumation gradient at the edge of the plateau, not observed in Eastern Tibet. Furthermore, in the Yalong margin region, the channel flow scenario has been related to a regional uplift of low-relief surfaces where exhumation is mainly driven by deeply entrenched river incision. By testing such scenario on the complete thermochronologic data set available for the Muli thrust, we show that incision alone is not reproducing the thermochronologic ages.ReferencesPitard, P., A. Replumaz, M.-L. Chevalier, P.-H. Leloup, M. Bai, M.-P. Doin, C. Thieulot, X. Ou, M. Balvay, and H. Li (2023), Exhumation History Along the Muli Thrust—Implication for Crustal Thickening Mechanism in Eastern Tibet, GRL, 48, doi: 10.1029/2021GL093677Pitard, P., Replumaz, A., Thieulot, C., & Doin, M.-P. (2023). Modeling deep rooted thrust mechanism of crustal thickening in Eastern Tibet. Geophysical Research Letters, 50, doi: 10.1029/2023GL104134
 Bivariate mountain definition: a case study for the turkish mountain system 
Authors: Dal Neslihan , Görüm Tolga
Published: March 2024

Türkiye, 61% of which consists of mountains, has an extremely rugged topography. Anatolia, which is located in the collision zone of plates with different characteristics, exhibits a morphological character with different stages of mountain formation due to the Paleotectonic and Neotectonic movements it has been exposed to during geological times. In Anatolia, where the main physiographic character is mountains, the proportion and boundaries of mountains and mountainous areas have not been quantitatively defined and there has not been a geomorphometric approach to this until now. In this study, the mountain definition obtained from the pixel-based and multi-scale basic data matrix was subjected to various analyzes with the modeling created in geographic information systems. In addition, how the mountain definition and classification change at varying scales and thresholds is revealed.The characterization has two main purposes: To determine the framework of the methodology in the definition of macro landforms and to determine the most optimum model that quantitatively defines mountain and mountainous area. According to the model, mountains cover 61% of Türkiye. In this context, in addition to developing a model to geomorphometrically define mountain and mountainous area characterization, the thesis approaches mountains, which are a macro morphological landform, from an ontological perspective and approaches the questions we asked at the beginning in terms of geographical epistomology. In this respect, the thesis is a contribution to traditional geomorphology.  A bivariate map of 16 classes to visualize the relationships between morphological variables and a combination of mean elevation and topographic relief classifies mountains. The classification shows a transition from low rugged and low mountains, to moderate rugged and moderate height mountains, to high rugged and high mountains, to very high rugged and very high mountains. Within the framework of the classification, according to four different ruggedness ratios in Türkiye, low rugged mountains occupy 37%, moderate rugged mountains 33%, high rugged mountains 20% and very high rugged mountains 9%.
Riverbed morphology and flow resistance: integrating UAV-based 3D mapping and flow modeling
Authors: Vlatkovic Karla , Deal Eric
Published: March 2024

A comprehensive understanding of flow resistance is essential for understanding the hydrodynamical functioning of a river channel and predicting its evolution within the landscape. It governs the distribution of shear stress along the channel's boundaries, which in turn impacts the extent and distribution of erosion on the riverbed and banks. Flow resistance in steep mountain streams is primarily form drag and they exhibit high relative roughness. They tend to exhibit complex bed morphologies due to presence of large immobile boulders, aggregates of sediment particles, and specific bed or channel configurations. This roughness leads to the development of intricate three-dimensional flow patterns that may modify lift and drag forces acting on bed sediment. These alterations in forces can, in turn, impact water velocities and sediment fluxes within the stream. Despite extensive research, there is a lack of widely accepted theory addressing flow resistance in rough channels. Empirical evidence has established that conventional statistical description of bed morphology prove insufficient in fully describing riverbed roughness. This is why it is important to establish whether the morphology of riverbeds could exhibit a degree of inherent organization rather than appearing random. If this were to be true, riverbed morphology would exhibit a degree of consistency across different rivers and environments, enabling the formulation of generally applicable expressions for surface roughness that can be implemented in flow-resistance equations. Recent advances in uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) based structure from motion (SfM) allow for centimeter accurate measurement of the 3D morphology of river channels over hundreds of meters of river length. Obtaining accurate representation of the river channel's 3D topography serves as the starting point for examination of channel geometry and river bed roughness. Taking advantage of this, we have developed a workflow to characterize the geometry of natural river reaches, including shape metrics, estimates of hydraulic geometry, and grain size and location distributions based on automated image segmentation. We present our findings from a number of river channels in Taiwan. However, the most relevant way to characterize the geometry of a riverbed is through the interaction with the flow. The application of 3D flow modeling has proven to be of great importance in understanding flow patterns and sediment transport. We present plans to conduct 3D flow modelling over the measured river reaches in an effort to understand the most relevant aspect of the riverbed geometry to flow resistance. 
Irrigation parameterization in the Operational Numerical Weather Prediction model ICON-nwp
Authors: Roque Jane , Valmassoi Arianna , Keller Jan
Published: March 2024

Irrigation is one agricultural practice that contributes to maintain an optimal soil water content for crop development. Currently, farmers find this practice as an essential method for adapting to climate change. The Earth science community identified some irrigation effects beyond soil moisture and plant growth impact, as multiple studies found an influence on atmospheric variables such as 2 m temperature, relative humidity and even precipitation. Moreover, the effect of irrigation on the Earth’s system has been studied on various temporal and geographical scales and with different climate and land surface models. However, there are few studies that simulated the effect of irrigation on higher resolutions on a regional scale. Therefore, the aim of this study is to include the representation of irrigation processes in the operational ICON-nwp in Limited Area Mode on the EURO-CORDEX domain. The implementation of the current irrigation parameterization in ICON-nwp coupled with TERRA is an adaptation of the CHANNEL scheme developed by Valmassoi et al. (2020). We found suitable to include this scheme in the land surface and atmosphere interface of the icon-nwp-2.6.6-nwp0 version. The present study consists of four sensitivity experiments with different irrigation water amounts, namely 2.6 mmd-1, 6.7 mmd-1 and two fixed soil water contents, field capacity and saturation. All experiments have the same irrigation frequency (1 day), length (24 hours), and simulation period (May to August). The model settings for the experiments are 3 km resolution, 75 vertical levels and ICON boundary and initial conditions. The results from the difference between experiments and the control run demonstrate that ICON captures the irrigation effect on land surface atmospheric variables. As expected, soil moisture content increased on different magnitudes in all experiments. Moreover, 2 m temperature values dropped on average -0.74 K in irrigated areas. Likewise, energy fluxes were sensible to the different irrigation amounts.