bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Moroccan Central Atlantic Margin: Paleoenvironment reconstruction of a late syn-rift series (Berrechid sub-basin)
Authors: Ajrhough Soukaina , Garcia-Avila Manuel , Boutarouine Houssine , B. Diez José , El Arabi El Hassane
Published: February 2023

The Berrechid sub-basin contains records of the opening history of the Central Atlantic Margin (CAM) during the late Triassic-Early Jurassic. This syn-rift sub-basin encompasses (i) a Lower Salt-Mudstone Formation (LSM Fm), (ii) tholeiitic basalt flows related to the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), and (iii) an Upper Salt-Mudstone Formation (USM Fm). Significant tectonic, sedimentary, and climatic episodes have determined the depositional environment of the (USM Fm) which remains a matter of debate. We thoroughly investigate the sedimentological and mineralogical features of core materials, mine, and field outcrops covering the Hettangian evaporites, dated recently using palynological assemblage, and red beds of the Lower and Upper Members that constitute the (USM Fm). The following interpretations were based on the identified lithology, mineralogy, sedimentary structures, and textures. Particular consideration was also given to the lithostratigraphic variation along the sub-basin.The Lower Member comprises a repetitive sequence of alternating primary bedded halite and syn-depositional displacive halite, whereas the Upper Member consists of bedded anhydrite/gypsum and siliciclastic mudstone. The bedded halite displays chevron and cumulate crystals, implying precipitation in shallow saline brines. The displacive halite encloses cubic crystals, randomly oriented in mudstone, suggesting the deposition in a wet saline mudflat. The siliciclastic mudstone associated with the bedded anhydrite/gypsum has various sedimentary aspects, characteristic of a subaerial dry mudflat environment. The distinct diagenetic features recognizable throughout the (USM Fm) include grey reduction spots and dissolution pipes filled with blocky clear halite cement. All these lithologies have registered periods of flooding, evapoconcentration, and desiccation, suggesting deposition in an arid continental setting. The absence of distinctive marine lithofacies and the lack of carbonates are additional evidence for our inference.Both Lower and Upper Members are affected by a network of NNE-SSW to NE-SW normal faults. They show a varying thickness along the cores and outcrops, indicating the syn-sedimentary tectonic character of the studied Formation during the Early Jurassic time. The lateral migration of the paleoenvironments mentioned above is hence mainly controlled by the sub-basin’s architecture as half-graben jointly with the ongoing subsidence and sediments supply.These interpretations of the USM Fm’s paleoenvironment highlight the continental context of the series during the Early Jurassic time. These results provide new insights on the paleogeography of the late syn-rift phase of the Moroccan Central Atlantic Margin.
Rapid Oligocene to Miocene cooling in the easternmost Alps driven by thrusting onto the Bohemian promontory and/or deep mantle processes
Authors: Heberer Bianca , Bernhard Salcher , István Dunkl , Reinhard Sachsenhofer , Tari Gabor , Wagreich Michael , von Hagke Christoph , Wessely Godfrid
Published: February 2023

Thermochronology has seen widespread application in the Eastern Alps. Tracking upper crustal cooling has focused mainly on the Tauern Window, the core of the collisional orogen, where exhumation has been most prominent. Further to the east, mostly fission track work is concentrated along fault zones and thermochronometers with lower closure temperatures, such as apatite (U-Th)/He dating, have hardly been applied to higher elements of the nappe pile. Due to the scarcity of the dataset and preferential application of fission track dating uppermost crustal cooling below ca. 80 °C remains undetected.In this contribution, we present new low-T thermochronological ages from the easternmost Eastern Alps from the vicinity of the Vienna basin. We carried out apatite (U-Th)/He dating on clastic units, i.e. Gosau Group, Rhenodanubian Flysch and Lunz Formation sandstone. Additional apatite fission track analysis was performed on a smaller subset of these samples. A compilation of existing as well as new vitrinite reflectance data was used for estimating burial paleotemperatures. These served as criteria for sample selection, as sites with temperatures sufficient to reset at least the apatite (U-Th)/He system (> ca. 80 °C) and potentially the apatite fission track system (> ca. 110 °C) were preferentially targeted.We find reset AHe and subordinately reset AFT ages, that monitor a so far un(der)appreciated phase of prominent cooling between ca. 18 to 25 Ma. For flysch sandstones from the Wienerwald both thermochronometers yield similar ages, implying an exhumation phase, which removed 4-6 km of overburden. Similar results were found for Lunz sandstone samples from the area around Lilienfeld. Apatite (U-Th)/He ages from Gosau sandstones along the western border of the Vienna basin were mostly reset with single grain ages clustering around 20 Ma.Our new results are difficult to reconcile with geodynamic models that imply tectonic quiescence during large-scale subsidence and widespread deposition of Augenstein clastics. Interestingly, the sedimentary archive of the eastern part of the Molasse basin records a change in the sedimentation pattern and onset of rapid basin infill at ca. 19 Ma, too.We discuss our findings in the light of postcollisional thrust wedge evolution and potential impact of margin architecture and the Bohemian Spur. This promontory acted as a buttress for foreland-propagating thrusting, intensifying exhumation above it. Slab detachment beneath the Eastern Alps has recently been proposed based on results from the AlpArray initiative. We discuss, to what extent the newly detected cooling pulse may constitute the surficial expression of this slab break-off.
Getting to impact at scale: A dynamic analysis to guide propagation of educational innovations in climate change
Authors: Kapmeier Florian , Rooney-Varga Juliette N. , Henderson Charles , Ford David N.
Published: February 2023

In order to successfully address climate change, society needs education that scales rapidly, transmits scientific information about its causes and effects, and motivates sustained commitment to the problem and science-based action to address it. For decades, government agencies in the US and elsewhere have funded the development of innovative, evidence-based pedagogies and curricula to teach STEM fields, including climate change and sustainability. Research shows that many of these innovations deliver strong gains in learners’ knowledge, sense of urgency, and desire to learn more about climate change and sustainability. To build capacity needed to meet the climate and related grand challenges, rapid scaling of educational innovations is needed in higher education. However, current practices of outreach and word-of-mouth propagation mostly fall short. We develop and analyze a simple computational model to understand why and, using the model and conducting sensitivity analyses, test other, more promising strategies. Our dynamic analysis reveals that outreach has limited impact and does little to accelerate word-of-mouth adoption under conditions typical in higher education. Instead, we find that community-based propagation can rapidly accelerate adoption, as is also shown by successful real-world scaling efforts.
AquaPlan: Bridging the gap between research and practice in crop-water modeling
Authors: Foster Timothy , Kelly Thomas , Avery Ryan , Berger Kathryn
Published: February 2023

Crop-water simulation models are powerful tools to support efficient and sustainable agricultural water use and management globally. However, uptake of these tools beyond the research community in policy and industry has traditionally been constrained by the complexity and closed-source nature of model codes, which limit ability for models to be adapted and applied to address complex real-world agricultural water management challenges. In this talk, we present AquaPlan, an interactive web-based tool crop management tool that enables farmers, businesses, and governments to make more informed decisions about water management, irrigation investments, and climate risks. AquaPlan combines a state-of-the-art open-source crop-water model, AquaCrop-OSPy, with global weather and soil datasets to enable users to conduct rapid on-the-fly assessments of field and regional-scale crop yield and water demands anywhere in the world. The tools also integrates future climate projections from CMIP6 models, providing insights to support efforts to enhance long-term resilience of agriculture and food supply chains to climate change. In this talk, we will present a range of use cases of AquaPlan, highlight how these kinds of interactive tools can strengthen uptake of models developed by researchers in water management policy, practice, and business.
Studies of terrestrial exoplanet thermo-chemical-magmatic mantle and lithosphere dynamics and evolution
Authors: Tackley Paul
Published: February 2023

Terrestrial exoplanets, ranging in size up to approximately twice Earth-size (10 Earth masses), may have a range of characteristics that are not found in solar system planets, including but not limited to: larger size, different bulk composition (possibly resulting in being core-less), being tidally-locked to their host star, and being covered by water layers. Larger size has been proposed to result in sluggish deep-mantle convection and also (for stagnant-lid exoplanets) lower magmatism and outgassing, but internal differentiation is still expected to take place. Different bulk composition may lead to different viscosity (among other physical properties), modified melting behaviour and different core size (including the possibility of having no core). Tidally-locked exoplanets likely have hemispherical tectonics and internal structures, but the asymmetry would be reduced if they are continuously reorienting due to true polar wander. We are pursuing a range of studies investigating most of these different aspects using thermo-chemical convection models that include self-consistent lithospheric dynamics, partial melting and crustal production, using the code StagYY. Some of these studies are presented elsewhere at this meeting; this presentation will focus on additional interesting results.
Opening up FAIR in-situ land-use reference data: current gaps, obstacles and future challenges
Authors: Fritz Steffen , Barrasso Catarina , Ehrmann Steffen , Lesiv Myroslava , McCallum Ian , Meyer Carsten , Laso Bayas Juan , See Linda
Published: February 2023

It is becoming increasingly obvious that in order to address current global challenges and achieve the SDGs in the land-use sector, monitoring and evaluation using remote sensing technologies are essential. In particular, with the Copernicus program of the European Union, unprecedented free and open Earth observation data are becoming available. However, in order to improve our remotely sensed based machine learning models, training data in the form of in-situ or annotated land-use or land cover data which are based on the visual interpretation of aerial photographs or very high resolution satellite data are of utmost importance. Without sufficient training data, many land-use and land cover maps lack sufficient quality.The presentation will provide an overview of existing and open in-situ data in the field of land-use science. It will highlight what land-use data are currently available including data collected though crowdsourcing and the Geo-Wiki toolbox. In particular, it will provide insights into current gaps in land cover, land-use, livestock, forest as well as crop type information globally. It will draw on existing global data products such as those from the Copernicus global land monitoring service, and more recently generated products such as WorldCover and WorldCereal. Furthermore, tools to close those data gaps will be shown. The presentation will furthermore explore current obstacles and limitations to data sharing and debunk current arguments that are often put forth for not sharing in-situ data. These arguments include limited resources, quality issues, competition, as well as time constraints, etc. Specific attention will be given to the role of doners and funders in more clearly defining open and FAIR requirements for in-situ data. The presentation will close by making the audience aware of the LUCKINet consortium, which is trying to make more reference data openly accessible and to build a consistent global land-use change dataset as well as work done on in-situ data within the EU LAMASUS and OEMC project. 
Accretionary orogen unveiled beneath the Gamburtsev Sublglacial Mountains in East Antarctica
Authors: Wu Guochao , Ferraccioli Fausto , Gao Jinyao , Tian Gang
Published: February 2023

The Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM) in central East Antarctica are  completely buried beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The GSM are known to be underlain by anomalously thick crust (~50–60 km) and ~200 km thick Precambrian lithosphere, but their crustal-scale geology remains less well- studied. Little is known about the 3D heterogeneity in crustal architecture beneath the GSM, and how this may relate to larger-scale tectonic processes responsible for Gondwana amalgamation.Here, we use airborne gravity and aeromagnetic anomalies to explore the crustal architecture of the GSM in unprecedented detail. The gravity and magnetic images show three distinct geophysical domains, and a dense lower crustal root is modelled beneath the northern and central domains. We propose that the root may reflect magmatic underplating, associated with Pan-African age back-arc basin formation and inversion, followed by the collision of Australo-Antarctica and Indo-Antarctica. The high frequency linear magnetic patterns parallel to the Gamburtsev Suture zone, suggest that the upper crustal architecture is dominated by thrust and strike-slip faults, formed within a large-scale transpressional fault system.We calculated a 2D gravity and magnetic model along a passive seismic profile to investigate the crustal architecture of the GSM, with the aid of depth to magnetic source estimates.   By combining the crustal model with  geological constraints, we propose a new evolutionary model suggesting that the crust of the northern and central GSM domains formed part of a cryptic accretionary orogen, of proposed Pan-African (~650-550 Ma?) age. The inferred accretionary stage was followed by continental collision (~540-520 Ma?) along the Gamburtsev suture, which is linked here to Gondwana amalgamation.
Methodological framework towards the synthesis of multiple biological indices of soil quality
Authors: Mocali Stefano , Vitali Francesco , Canfora Loredana , Manfredini Andrea , Bigiotti Gaia , Antonucci Francesca , Figorilli Simone , Violino Simona , Pallottino Federico , Pinzari Flavia , Malusà Eligio , Costa Corrado
Published: February 2023

A multi-factorial parametric characterization of soil health is crucial to monitor the correct provision of soil ecosystem services (ES) and to ensure its preservation over time in the current climate change scenario. In this framework, the implementation of biological indicators is still lagging the established use of physical and chemical indicators for soil quality assessment. Moreover, different biological groups are often analysed separately and not like a unique set of dynamic compartments that necessarily interact with each other, mutually determining soil biodiversity. Different initiatives at EU level have been undertaken to improve soil biodiversity monitoring practices, to finally promote their integration into Member States’ national soil quality monitoring policies. Nevertheless, few initiatives clearly aimed at evaluating the multiple level integration of soil health monitoring indices. at multiple level, and established practices for determining and communicating multi-level soil biological health are still scarce.The aim of this work is to ultimately develop a framework for the synthesis of multiple indices of soil quality, focused on biological indicators, to determine soil health and monitor its provision of ES. This work dwells at the intersection of the EXCALIBUR and EJP-Soil (MINOTAUR) European projects action and consortia. As a proof-of-concept, we selected "nutrient cycling" as ES to be evaluated. We identified the soil chemical and physical indicators that could be used for the monitoring of this ES under real field conditions within different pedoclimatic contexts, and we used those variables to build an "a priori" knowledge set and model of the nutrient cycling features in the considered samples. Next, we selected a set of possible biological indicators at different scales (Ii.e. synthetic indices or specific community components) and for different levels of soil biota (Ii.e. meso-fauna, micro-fauna, bacterial and fungal microbiota). Finally, we investigated the relationship between biological and chemical-physical indicators with the working hypothesis of identifying the most robust relationships. Different unsupervised data analysis methodologies were assessed for their ability in the evaluation ofuncovering the relationship between abiotic and biotic variables, also paying attention to the possibility of clear representation of the data and results for improved communication
Temperature impacts polymer biodegradation rates in soils in predictable ways but with dependencies that differ between soils
Authors: Laszakovits Juliana , Kägi Ralf , Willie Flora , Sander Michael , McNeill Kristopher
Published: February 2023

Biodegradable polymers can play an important role in helping to overcome the plastic pollution problem by replacing conventional, persistent polymers in specific applications. These include applications in which plastics are used directly in the environment and cannot be completely recollected (e.g., mulch films and seed coatings) and for bags used to collect biowaste for industrial composting. Temperature is an important system factor that determines the rate at which biodegradable polymers biodegrade in both natural and engineered environments. Yet, there is a limited quantitative understanding of how temperature impacts polymer biodegradation rates in the open environment, specifically in soils. Temperature not only affects the activity of soil microorganisms but also their extracellular enzymes that hydrolyze backbone bonds in biodegradable polymers. Here, we assessed the impact of temperature on the biodegradation of poly-3-hydroxybutyratehydroxyhexanoate (PHBH) in agricultural soils. We incubated PHBH in three different standards soils and at four temperatures (5, 15, 25 and 35 ºC). We determined the amount of residual PHBH in soil over time by extracting PHBH from the soil using a chloroform-methanol mixture and then quantifying the extracted polymer using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR). We find that the rate of PHBH biodegradation increased with increasing temperatures in all three soils, but that the rates and temperature dependence of the rates variedbetween soils. The fastest biodegradation occurred in LUFA 6S (clay) followed by LUFA 2.4 (loam), and the slowest biodegradation was in LUFA 2.2 (sandy loam). The soil-dependence likely reflects differences in the abundance and activity of microbial degraders in these soils. At lower incubation temperatures, there was a noticeable lag-phase prior to the onset of biodegradation, which was most pronounced in soil LUFA 2.2 . When the lag-phase is included in the kinetic modeling, the temperature-dependence of the PHBH biodegradation rate can be described reasonably well by the Arrhenius rate law but differs between soils. We further investigated the microbial colonization dynamics of PHBH film surfaces during the lag-phase using optical and scanning electron microscopy. After incubation of solvent-cast PHBH films in the soil at the aforementioned temperatures, microscopic analyses revealed that fungal hyphae were involved in both colonization and initial breakdown of the PHBH films, and that fungal activity increased with increasing temperature. Taken together, these results suggest that a careful determination of the temperature dependence of polymer biodegradation in different soils is needed to predict, from standard tests run at elevated and constant temperature, how quickly biodegradable polymers will biodegrade in the open environment where temperatures are lower and variable.
Investigating the "mixoplankton" paradigm using hydrogen isotope ratios
Authors: Cormier Marc-Andre , Berard Jean-Baptiste , Flynn Kevin , Bougaran Gael , Rickaby Rosalind
Published: February 2023

Since micro-organisms were first visualised by Robert Hooke and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, bacteria and protists were quickly categorised as either primary producers or consumers and thus forming the base of the marine food web. New conceptual understanding sees this traditional dichotomy between autotrophs and heterotrophs in the marine food web replaced by one that recognises that mixotrophy is widespread. Many "phytoplankton" eat, while 50% of "microzooplankton" perform photosynthesis. This mixotrophic behaviour affects the cycling of nutrients, enhances primary production, biomass transfer to higher trophic levels, and the marine sequestration of atmospheric CO2. Moreover, the mixotrophic behaviour of many toxic protists could also be partly responsible for their ecological success and the occurrence of Harmful Agal Blooms (HABs).While science requires a tool to measure the contributions of phototrophy and heterotrophy in plankton to help in biogeochemical modelling, my colleagues and I have already shown that hydrogen (H) isotopic signature (i.e. d2H) of lipids is uniquely sensitive to the expression of heterotrophy relative to photosynthesis in terrestrial plants and bacteria. This presentation will discuss groundwork experiments performed with Chlorella sorokiniana, Prymnesium parvum and Emiliania huxleyi that had for objective to explore whether d2H values of diverse compounds produced by protists are similarly sensitive to their central metabolic pathway. Hydrogen isotope analyses performed on organic compounds from these experiments, using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) coupled to a gas chromatograph (GC), suggest that H isotopic signature of lipids is indeed sensitive to the level of heterotrophic growth in diverse protists.If this relation can be confirmed and calibrated, compound specific hydrogen isotope analyses could provide a powerful means to study the role of mixotrophy on the global carbon cycle, the cycling of nutrients and the occurrences of HABs.
Bayesian belief network modelling for landslide hazard assessment using probabilistic estimates from experts
Authors: Choudhury Shreyasi , Malamud Bruce D. , Donovan Amy
Published: February 2023

This study applies a belief-based probabilistic approach to find the relative influence of environmental conditions and human actions on the probability of occurrence of landslides in the Darjeeling Himalayas, India. Subjective (belief-based) probabilistic methods are an approach to model complex relationships in regions with low or no data. Here, we use two subjective probabilistic methods: expert elicitation and Bayesian belief network. Expert elicitation (EE) is a technique to quantify the knowledge of experts based on their theoretical or practical experience on a topic of interest. A Bayesian belief network (BBN) takes into consideration and represents the experts’ knowledge (and other data, if available) to give a probabilistic, rational outcome under the influence of uncertainty. BBNs are represented as a graph consisting of a set of random variables (called ‘nodes’) that are interconnected via edges (called ‘arcs’). BBN follow the Bayes’ theorem.We first use expert judgement and secondary literature to determine 20 prominent variables that influence landsliding, divided into 2 triggering variables (earthquake, rainfall), 11 geomorphic variables (e.g., soil type, flood depth, elevation), and 6 anthropogenic variables (e.g., infrastructure development, machinery vibration). We then conduct EE with ten landslide experts, to find the prior and conditional probabilities of each of these 20 landslide-related variables. Prior probability is the probability of occurrence of the variables (A) that influence or trigger landslides (P(A)) and conditional probability is the probability of occurrence of landslide(s) given P(A)). Using BBN modelling, we then provide a comparison of answers across all ten experts per variable and across all variables per expert. Finally, we examine single and multiple combinations of variables and their relative influence on landsliding in the study area. We finally list suggestions, challenges faced, and limitations on designing and carrying out belief-based probabilistic procedures.
An advanced methodology for field visits towards efficient flood management on building block level
Authors: Sigourou Stavroula , Tsouni Alexia , Pagana Vasiliki , Sargentis G-Fivos , Dimitriadis Panayiotis , Ioannidis Romanos , Chardavellas Efthymios , Dimitrakopoulou Dimitra , Mamasis Nikos , Koutsoyiannis Demetris , Kontoes Charalampos (Haris)
Published: February 2023

Flood risk assessment for vulnerable areas serves the needs of the stakeholders for flood management. Therefore, it’s essential for the applied methodology to be detailed and use advanced techniques depending on the characteristics of each study area. In the Programming Agreement with the Prefecture of Attica, the Operational Unit “BEYOND Centre of EO Research & Satellite Remote Sensing” of the Institute of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications & Remote Sensing (IAASARS) of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), in cooperation with the Research Group ITIA of the Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering of the School of Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) study five flood-stricken river basins in the region of Attica, which affect 23 Municipalities. It’s the first time that such a holistic approach for flood risk assessment is implemented on building block level in Greece. Hence, taking into consideration the regional scale and the high spatial resolution in hydrologic and hydraulic models and flood hazards maps, detailed field visits are conducted following a specific methodology. Specifically, cross section measurements of pipes, culvers, bridges are gathered from the field and used for the terrain modification of Digital Elevation Model. Additionally, many high-risk points are identified in residential areas, road network and other critical infrastructures, which are classified based on their risk level and accompanied by a detailed technical report. The importance of field visits lies on the need of updated and high resolution input data, the understanding and the functionality of a constantly changing river basin including the anthropogenic and environmental stressors. As a result, enhanced models are created using both earth observation and field data and the reduction of the uncertainty is achieved comparing with past studies.
The impact of Gulf Stream meanders on atmospheric fronts in a regional high-resolution atmospheric model.  
Authors: Chakravorty Soumi , Czaja Arnaud , Parfitt Rhys , William Dewar
Published: February 2023

The location and the degree of instability (meandering) of the Gulf Stream have been suggested to influence, through air-sea interactions, the North Atlantic Jet Stream and weather patterns over Northern Europe. Although the Gulf Stream’s impact on the marine boundary layer (MABL) is well established, the associated mechanism(s) and timescale(s) are, however, debated. Taking advantage of a 24-member ensemble of ocean-only (12km) integrations in the North Atlantic, we devised an eddy-resolving (~10km) regional atmospheric model (WRF) step up where the same weather system feels different realizations of Gulf Stream turbulence. We compare the experiments forced with the given ensemble members (abundance of mesoscale eddies) with a unique ensemble mean SST (lack of mesoscale eddies) forced investigation to shed further light on the impact of  Gulf Stream SST meandering on midlatitude winter storm track. We find that Gulf Stream meanders recharge/discharge the marine boundary layer with heat and moisture, thus preconditioning the atmosphere so that the passing atmospheric front modulates the produced rainfall. This effect is seen systematically in each member of the ensemble and surprisingly leaves its imprint on the precipitation averaged over a short time period (less than a month). The imprint of the meanders on the dynamical fields (pressure, velocities) is found to reach above the MABL but is less robust in the upper troposphere.  
An annual mass balance estimate for each of the world’s glaciers based on observations.
Authors: Dussaillant Ines , Hugonnet Romain , Huss Matthias , Berthier Etienne , Zemp Michael
Published: February 2023

The geodetic method has become a popular tool to measure glacier elevation changes over large glacierized regions with high accuracy for multiannual/decadal time periods. In contrast, the glaciological method provides annually to seasonally resolved information on glacier mass balance, but only for a small sample of the world’s glaciers (less than 1%). Various methods have been proposed to bridge the gap regarding the spatio-temporal coverage of glacier change observations and provide annually resolved glacier mass balances using the geodetic sample as calibration. Thanks to a new globally near-complete (96% of the world’s glaciers) dataset of geodetic mass balance between 2000 and 2020, a global-scale assessment of annual mass changes at glacier-specific level has now become feasible. Inspired by previous methodological frameworks, we developed a new approach to combine the glacier outlines from the globally complete Randolph Glacier Inventory with the mass balance and elevation change observations from the Fluctuation of Glaciers database of the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS). Our results provide a global assessment of annual glacier mass change and related uncertainties for every individual glacier since 1976. The glacier-specific time series can then be integrated into an annually-resolved gridded global glacier change product at any user-requested spatial resolution, useful for comparison with, for example, gravity-based products, calibration or validation of glacier mass balance models operating at a global scale and to improve assessments of glacier contribution to regional hydrology and global sea-level rise. These developments additionally open a new door of opportunity to keep on pushing the frontiers of glacier change observations towards future assessments of global glacier mass changes at increased temporal resolutions.
Maaz Maps: a science-based startup to accelerate and support the global methane pledge
Authors: Maazallahi Hossein
Published: February 2023

Acting on the significant contribution of methane to climate change, the global methane emission reduction pledge was launched at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and has been signed by more than 100 countries. The majority of anthropogenic methane emissions have been spewed from the energy, waste and agriculture sectors which can be measured with source-specific choice of instruments, measurement platforms and evaluation methods to feed mitigation plans. Maaz Maps (www.maazmaps.com), with more than a decade of experience in methane emission studies, aims to support the global methane pledge with international collaborations by bridging between academia and industry to fill gaps and accelerate the global methane emission reduction efforts. Currently this startup is contracted by GERG (The European Gas Research Group) to scientifically evaluate methane emission reports from several technology providers: results of a measurement campaign performed at a compressor station will be shown. In this campaign, the technology providers applied bottom-up and top-down quantification methods using in-situ or remote sensing techniques. The instruments were either directly operated by walking individuals or installed on various platforms: helicopter, cars, tripods, drones, truck or poles. Various quantification methods including mass balance, tracer method and inverse modelling, correlation factors were applied to quantify sources. In this presentation, we are going to introduce the startup and reconciliation overview of the bottom-up and top-down quantification methods from the campaign. 
Occurrence, distribution and behaviour of contaminants of emerging concern and regulated organic pollutants. Case study: the endorheic catchment of Fuente de Piedra Lagoon (Southern Spain)
Authors: Vadillo Iñaki , Llamas Marta Inés , Jiménez-Martínez Joaquín , Jiménez-Gavilán Pablo , Corada-Fernández Carmen , Lara-Martín Pablo
Published: February 2023

Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) and regulated organic pollutants pose a serious threat to water quality and their spatial distribution is challenging to assess as it can be driven by several factors (e.g., location of pollution sources, speciation, hydrophobicity, degradability, hydro(geo)logical features).In the current work, we focus on the distribution of a wide range of regulated and non-regulated organic contaminants in groundwater of the Fuente de Piedra lagoon catchment, in Southern Spain. The collected groundwater samples were analyzed for (i) 185 organic contaminants, (ii) water ions and (iii) stable isotopes (δ2H, δ18O and δ13C). Target organic contaminants included pharmaceuticals, personal care products, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, flame retardants and plasticizers.The Fuente de Piedra lagoon is a hypersaline wetland located in an endorheic basin (150 km2) in which three main aquifer types, with an hydraulic connection, can be distinguished: (i) unconfined carbonate aquifers with low mineralized water corresponding to two mountain ranges; (ii) an unconfined porous aquifer formed by Quaternary and Miocene deposits, more exposed to pollution from anthropogenic activities; and (iii) a karstic-type confined aquifer developed in a massive accumulation of evaporites and gypsum (Upper Triassic). In total, 32 organic contaminants were detected, at least once. An attempt to evaluate the importance of the different factors affecting the spatial distribution of the organic contaminants have been conducted. Attention has been paid to the main physical-chemical properties of the pollutants (hydrophobicity and speciation), distribution of pollution sources and anthropogenic pressures in the area (including water management practices) and hydrogeological characteristics of the different aquifers. A geochemical model has been built to characterize water mixing processes in order to better understand transport and fate of these organic contaminants. The results obtained suggest that some contaminants may accumulate and be more present in sampling points more affected by longer residence water fluxes.
A low-cost innovative wire distance meter for landslide early warning
Authors: Cifaldi Daniele , Mazza Davide , Revellino Paola , Guadagno Francesco Maria
Published: February 2023

Nowadays the monitoring of slope evolution is still a relevant challenge in the field of engineering geology especially for expensive costs of the ordinary monitoring instruments. However, providing suitable alert levels is essential to ensure the safety of the infrastructures affected by landslides and to mitigate and manage the risk associated.

In this context, we developed a low-cost (~ 150 €) Arduino© based wire distance meter (A-WD) capable of measuring the distance between two fixed points with a resolution of less than 1 mm. Our innovative prototype exploits a rotary encoder able to measure infinite displacements and works in both extension and compression conditions, differently from the traditional ones equipped with potentiometric sensors.

The device is equipped with a data logger and an online data transmission system.  Although the data  are collected continously, the sending temporal frequency is 5 minutes. The communication module provides alerting by means of SMS when the displacement exceeds the user defined threshold value.

The A-WD is being tested on a local earth-flow in South Italy with aim to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the system through multi-temporal GNSS surveys comparison. Although the prototype is at an experimental stage, our preliminary results suggest that this system could be used as a cost effective early warning system.
Rise in Rainfall of South Asian Monsoon Low-Pressure Systems
Authors: Sasidharan Nair Vishnu , R. Boos William , D. Risser Mark , A. O’Brien Travis , A. Ullrich Paul , D. Collins William
Published: February 2023

Cyclonic low‐pressure systems (LPS) are the dominant synoptic‐scale rain-bearing system of the South Asian summer monsoon. Traditionally categorized by intensity as monsoon lows, monsoon depressions, and more intense cyclonic storms, LPS produce intense rainfall and floods in some of the world’s most densely populated regions. Yet the contribution of the relatively weak lows vs. the stronger depressions to extreme rainfall and its trends remains unknown; this knowledge gap is particularly troubling because historical trends in LPS have been difficult to assess due to changes in the observing network. Future projections have also remained highly uncertain due to the inability of many coarse-resolution climate models to accurately simulate LPS.Here we use satellite and gauge-based precipitation estimates with atmospheric reanalyses to show that precipitation in monsoon depressions has become more intense in recent decades. This intensification has occurred as humidity over parts of India increased more rapidly than nearly anywhere else on Earth. Precipitation in depressions has risen at a relative rate larger than that of specific humidity, suggesting that upward motion in depressions has become more intense; vertical motion trends in a state-of-the-art reanalysis, which incorporates nearly all long-term climate forcings, are consistent with this hypothesis. We also examine changes in South Asian LPS precipitation simulated by an ensemble of high-resolution global models, which we find skillfully represent these storms. Future trends in total LPS precipitation, including in monsoon depressions, lie near an approximate Clausius–Clapeyron rate (7%/K) in the multi-model mean. This change in LPS rain rates contributes to a projected future increase in seasonal mean and extreme precipitation over South Asian land. Adaptation to future changes in human exposure to hydrological extremes thus requires careful monitoring, accurate multi-decadal projections, and skilful short-term forecasts of the interaction of the humidity field with the dynamics of monsoon LPS.
Long-range source apportionment of black carbon and carbon monoxide over Cyprus using FLEXPART and global emission inventories
Authors: nabavi seyed omid , Christoudias Theodoros
Published: February 2023

Recent studies show that effective pollution control strategies have led to a significant reduction in air pollution in Cyprus. However, the same studies attributed a large number of pollution episodes to the long-range transport of pollutants from regional sources. Black carbon (BC) and carbon monoxide (CO), with a lifetime of several weeks to several months in the troposphere, are considered reliable aerosol and gaseous pollutants to quantify the contribution of regional sources. This study aims to investigate the contribution of anthropogenic sources to atmospheric pollutants over the Eastern Mediterranean. Using FLEXPART, a Lagrangian dispersion model, the origin and residence time of air masses over Cyprus from Europe and the MENA region have been simulated with a temporal resolution of 3 hours for each day of 2019. Then, by coupling FLEXPART simulations to global emission inventories, including MACCity and CAMS-GLOB, the contribution of sources to CO and BC simulations in Cyprus was determined separately for each sector and country in the study area. Results show that CO concentrations are mainly modulated by sources in Turkey. Secondary sources are found in MENA (Iran, Iraq, and Syria) in the cold period of the year and in Eastern (Ukraine and Russia) and Western Europe (Germany and Italy) in the warm seasons. While CAMS-GLOB simulations identify the main sources in agricultural (in the cold period) and residential (in the warm period) sectors, traffic sources have also been identified with the largest contributions in MACCity simulations. Regarding BC simulations, most sources are found in Turkey in the agricultural (in CAMS-GLOB simulations) and industrial (in MACCity simulations) sectors. Local sources were found influential only in the MACCity BC simulations. This can be attributed to uncertainties in the emission inventories and in the simulations of atmospheric residence times. Our results can inform policy- and decision-makers in implementing efficient abatement strategies, improving air quality, and reducing human exposure.
Simulation of spatial and temporal dynamics of soil organic carbon reserve in Romania
Authors: Patriche Cristian Valeriu , Vasiliniuc Ionuț , Roșca Bogdan , Pîrnău Radu Gabriel
Published: February 2023

The present study performs a simulation of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in Romania by coupling an evolution model of organic carbon with an erosional model. The simulation starts from the current SOC reserve, computed for the first 20 cm of soil, based on organic carbon content and bulk density, the latter being estimated through a pedotransfer function. The evolution model of SOC takes into account the annual accumulation of organic residues, the active and stable organic carbon contents, the humification and mineralization rates. The annual accumulation of organic residues is estimated from crop type for the arable land and from Corine Land Cover land use / cover types for the rest of the territory. The humification rate of organic residues is expressed through the izohumic coefficient, which depends on the land use/cover type. The mineralization rate of the active organic carbon content depends on climate factors (temperature) and granulometry (clay content). The application of the SOC evolution model produces an estimation of SOC accumulation under automorphic conditions. On the other hand, erosional processes determine soil loss and implicitly soil carbon loss. To account for this impact, we used an erosion model based on the universal soil loss equation, which was adapted and validated for the Romanian territory. Assuming the annual erosion rates are constant, our 50 years simulation show that important areas of the country, situated in the plateau and hilly regions, are experiencing a regressive dynamic of SOC. Under climate change scenarios, the temperature increase may enhance the mineralization of active SOC, leading to a more intense depletion of soil fertility.
Experimental analisys of depending on temperature and solar radiation evapotranspiration empirical models at Republic of Ecuador.
Authors: del Vigo Ángel , Colimba-Limaico Javier Ezequiel , Rodríguez-Sinobas Leonor
Published: February 2023

Evapotranspiration is a phenomenon highly involved for water infiltration and redistribution among the soil. It is also an important factor that determines the amount of water available for crops. In this article, evaporation data collected by an evaporimeter tank in a greenhouse at Imbabura province (north of Ecuador) are presented. Based on these experimental results, the validity of five evapotranspiration reference models that depends exclusively on temperature and solar radiation has been tested for this area. It was seen that, there is a good correlation (Pearson-coefficient around 80%) between the observed data and the prediction of these five models, being the Irmak model (2003) what suits better with the observed data for this region. At the end of the article, a new empirical model that was inferred by these experimental data is presented, with the goal to improve the evaporation prediction in this area of South-America.
Landslides monitoring with UAS photogrammetry and Digital ImageCorrelation
Authors: Mugnai Francesco , Masiero Andrea , Angelini Riccardo , Cortesi Irene
Published: February 2023

Title: Landslides monitoring with UAS photogrammetry and Digital Image Correlation

Hazard warning systems and risk reduction are often supported by monitoring systems.
Satellite solutions are vastly used with good results for low spatial resolution landslide
monitoring applications. However, for high spatial resolution investigations, other systems
and methods, such as photogrammetric surveys based on Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)
imagery, can be used with optimal results both in terms of spatial resolution and flexibility.
This work investigates the use of multi-temporal UAS surveys for landslide monitoring.
Digital Image Correlation (DIC) has been applied to orthomosaics generated from different
UAS photogrammetry surveys in order to compute a deformation map of the area. The
results, obtained by using a commercial software and an in-house DIC approach, compared
with a reference GNSS survey, show a deformation estimation accuracy of approximately
0.1 m, which is a reasonable accuracy for landslides moving at moderate velocity.
Ensemble learning on the benchmark dataset for landslide susceptibility zonation in Central Italy
Authors: Aguilera Héctor , Rivera Rivera Jhonatan Steven , Guardiola-Albert Carolina , Béjar-Pizarro Marta
Published: February 2023

In response to the call for collaboration, we aim to develop landslide susceptibility maps for the benchmark study area using Ensemble Machine Learning. Ensemble Learning has proven succesful for landslide susceptibility mapping in highly susceptible Asian regions of South Korea (Kaavi et al., 2018) and China (Hu et al., 2020).The benchmark dataset provided, encompassing 7360 slope units in the central region of Italy, has 26 morphometric and thematic attributes, and two binary targets indicating the presence (1) or absence (0) of landslides. The first binary variable is balanced with respect to the number of zeros and ones (target 1) and the second in terms of the area covered by slope units labeled either with zero or one (target 2). For each of the two conditions in the dataset, we will compare the performance of individual classifiers such as logistic regression, naive bayes, decision trees, k-nearest neighbors, support vector machine, neural networks, as well as bagging (e.g., random forest) and boosting (e.g., extreme gradient boosting, CatBoost) algorithms using cross-validation. Then the best most diverse models will be selected based on typical performance metrics such as AUC and Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC), fine-tuned, and combined using stacking and blending Ensemble Learning techniques.The best model will be re-trained with different configurations of training and test sets to derive a distribution of errors to add a measure of uncertainty in each slope unit of landslide susceptibility maps. Further, we will develop a landslide susceptibility index based on the results (e.g., probability distributions of the outcomes) to represent quantile-based susceptibility maps.This work has been developed thanks to the pre-doctoral grant for the Training of Research Personnel (PRE2021-100044) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by "FSE invests in your future" within the framework of the SARAI project "Towards a smart exploitation of land displacement data for the prevention and mitigation of geological-geotechnical risks" PID2020-116540RB-C22 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.