bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Staged Learning in Physics-Informed Neural Networks to Model Contaminant Transport under Parametric Uncertainty
Authors: Panahi Milad , Porta Giovanni , Riva Monica , Guadagnini Alberto
Published: March 2024

Addressing the complexities of groundwater modeling, especially under the veil of uncertain physical parameters and limited observational data, poses significant challenges. This study introduces an approach using Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) framework to unravel these uncertainties. Termed PINN under uncertainty, PINN-UU, adeptly integrates uncertain parameters within spatio-temporal domains, focusing on hydrological systems. This approach, exclusively built on underlying physical equations, leverages a staged training methodology, effectively navigating high-dimensional solution spaces. We demonstrate our approach through application of reactive transport modeling in porous media, a problem setting relevant to contaminant transport in soil and groundwater. PINN-UU shows promising capabilities in enhancing model reliability and efficiency, and in conducting sensitivity analysis. Our approach is designed to be accessible and engaging, offering insightful contributions to environmental engineering, and hydrological modeling. It represents a step toward deciphering complex geohydrological systems, with broad implications for resource management and environmental science.
Effect of elevated temperature on the morphology and phytochemical profile of Withania somnifera’s varieties
Authors: Singh Ankita , Mina Usha
Published: March 2024

Four different varieties of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal) viz.  Vallabh 01 (V01), Vallabh 02 (V02), Pratap (P), and Chetak (C) were investigated to determine the impact of elevated temperature (ET) levels on the morphology, biomass, and concentration of phytochemicals. The plants were exposed to ET (AT ± 3˚C) from November to March 2022. Results showed an increase in the shoot length (53.1% in V01 and 22.4% in V02, P, and C), and a 70% decrease in the root length of all the varieties under ET. Enhancement in the shoot biomass production (14.05, 11.3, 1.15, and 10.29% in V01, V02, P, and C) while the decline in the root biomass production (17.07, 34.6, 1.54, and 2.33% in V01, V02, P and C) were found under ET. Under ET, V01 showed a 3.6 % decrease in the phytochemical content while the other three varieties (V02, P, C) had an increase in the phytochemical content (45.2%, 10.02%, and 32.14% respectively). The ET significantly enhanced terpenoids, steroids, and alkaloids in all varieties of W. somnifera. These findings showed that V01 is most tolerant while P is sensitive to temperature stress (V01> V02> C> P). The study revealed the tolerance ability of Withania somnifera to temperature stress in the context of climate change.Keywords: Withania somnifera, temperature stress, climate change, phytochemical profile, growth
Modeling Mercury's magnetosheath by the potential-mapping method 
Authors: Holzkamp Henry , Schmid Daniel , Heyner Daniel , Pump Kristin , Narita Yasuhito
Published: March 2024

Modeling the plasma and magnetic field state in Mercury's magnetosheath is one of the most urgent tasks in Mercury science in view of the upcoming BepiColombo mission. By considering the steady-state and constructing the Laplace equation for the scalar magnetic potential in the magnetosheath (eliminating the interplanetary magnetic field in the magnetosphere and vice versa), the plasma and magnetic field state is obtained as a function of the solar wind condition and the spatial coordinates of the magnetosphere. We make extensive use of the exact solution of the Laplace equation for the parabolically shaped magnetosheath, and map the solution onto the realistic shape of magnetosheath by assuming the magnetosheath thickness is scalable between the parabolic shape and the realistic shape along the magnetopause-normal direction. The quality of the constructed model can successfully be tested against the global hybrid simulation of Mercury's magnetosheath, promising that the model serves as a useful tool for BepiColombo's detailed magnetosheath studies at Mercury.
What controls the development of heterogenous dissolution patterns in carbonate rocks?
Authors: Vafaie Atefeh , Soler Josep M. , Cama Jordi , Kivi Iman R. , Krevor Samuel , Vilarrasa Victor
Published: March 2024

Porosity and permeability changes are anticipated when carbonate rocks are percolated with and dissolved by acidic fluids. The ability to predict the location, extent, and impact of these changes could benefit acid-relevant operations in carbonate rocks, specifically CO2 storage by improving our estimates of CO2 flow and storage performance in the subsurface. In this work, we combine percolation experiments and numerical simulations to capture the chemical effects of CO2-saturated water (weak acid) and HCl solution (strong acid) on cm-scale limestone cores. Numerical simulations are parameterized and validated against experimental data, including effluent solution chemistry, porosity distribution, and observed dissolution features in CT images of the reacted specimens. CT imaging data of intact cores are employed to construct porosity and permeability distribution maps over the core domain serving as input for reactive transport models of the experiments. The results indicate that the pore space heterogeneity controls the mineral dissolution from the onset of the acidic fluid injections, while the acid type becomes progressively important as the dissolution front further penetrates the rock. The compact dissolution pattern formed in the HCl-treated cores due to the complete dissociation of the strong acid could be numerically simulated using a generalized power-law porosity-permeability relationship with a power value of 3, applied at the numerical grid scale. However, the formation of the lengthwise wormhole in CO2-treated cores due to partial dissociation of the weak acid and its buffering capacity could be only simulated using a large power value of 15 at the grid scale in the porosity-permeability relationship. This exponent increases to 27.6 for the bulk flow behavior of the limestone core containing the wormhole, illustrating large-scale dependence of acid-induced permeability evolutions in carbonate rocks. These findings highlight the need for developing robust upscaling approaches to account for the hydraulic behavior of reactive, intrinsically heterogeneous carbonate rocks in large-scale simulations.
Helium pickup ion 3D velocity distributions at interplanetary shocks
Authors: Ogasawara Keiichi , Kucharek Harald , Klecker Berndt , Dayeh Maher , Ebert Robert
Published: March 2024

3D velocity distribution functions (VDFs) of He+ pickup ions (PUIs) were used to trace local physical processes around interplanetary shocks. He+ PUIs are measured by PLasma And SupraThermal Ion Compostion (PLASTIC) instrument onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) in an unprecedented cadence and angular/velocity resolutions with mass and charge state unambiguously determined. We focused on the VDFs in terms of the interplanetary magnetic field orientation in the solar wind frame and indipendently evaluated the acceleration, heating, and pitch-angle scattering for both perpendicular and parallel shocks with notable differences. For the perpendicular shock: (a) Reflected and energized particles were found in the upstream, and the PUI properties were isolated between upstream and downstream, (b) Strong heating is observed in the sheath region, (c) Suprathermal particles are found in the sheath region and attributed to the compression within the solar wind, and (d) Universal pitch-angle scattering were found through out the ICME. For the parallel shock: (a) Locaized heating and acceleration were found around the shock location, (b) Harder suprathermal particle distributions were found near the shock, suggesting diffusive shock processes, (c) Weak or no sheath heating was observed, and (d) Pitch angle scattering were correlated with magnetic field power spectral density at the Helium cyclotron.
The Most Sensitive Initial Error of Sea Surface Height Anomaly Forecasts andIts Implication for Target Observations of Mesoscale Eddies
Authors: Jiang lin , Duan Wansuo , Liu Hailong
Published: March 2024

The sensitivity of the sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) forecasting on the accuracy of mesoscale eddies over the Kuroshio Extension region, which wasdetermined by the conditional non-linear optimal perturbation (CNOP) method using a two-layer quasigeostrophic model, is evaluated by adopting multiply realistic marine datasets through an advanced particle filter assimilation method. It is shown that, if additional observations are preferentially assimilated to the sensitive area of mesoscale eddies identified by the CNOP, where the eddies present a clear high- to low-velocity gradient along the eddy rotation, the forecasting skill of the SSHA can be more significantly improved. It is also demonstrated that the forecasts of the SSHA in the region where the large-scale mean flow possesses much stronger barotropic and/or baroclinic instability tend to exhibit stronger sensitivity to the accuracy of the initial field in the sensitive area of mesoscale eddies. Therefore, more attention should be preferentially paid to the assimilation of the additional observations of the mesoscale eddies for the SSHA forecast in the region with a strong velocity shear of ocean circulation. The present study verifies the sensitivity on mesoscale eddies of SSHA forecasts derived by the two-layer quasigeostrophic model using multiply sets of realistic oceanic data, especially including observation and reanalysis data, which further additionally demonstrates the importance of targeted observations of mesoscale eddies to the SSHA forecast in the regions of strong velocity shear of ocean circulation and provides a more credible scientific basis for the field campaign of the targeted observations for mesoscale eddies associated with the SSHA forecasting.
Impact of solar activity on extreme weather and climate events
Authors: Xiao Ziniu , Zhao Liang
Published: March 2024

Extreme weather and climate events are the result of interaction of multiple scale anomalous signals. Solar activity presents a remarkable 11-year cycle, which is an important decadal background affecting the occurrence of extreme weather and climate events. A lot of study works show that the periodic variation of solar activity has a modulating effect on the ocean-atmosphere system. The decadal variation of major atmospheric and oceanic modes, such as ENSO, has a phase-locked relationship with the periodic variation of solar activity. A significant solar footprint can be found in the tropical Pacific and the North Atlantic. The analysis shows that the solar activity also modulates the regional temperature, precipitation and typhoon activity as well.
Nonlinear response of summertime synoptic-scale disturbance intensity over the tropical western North Pacific to ENSO amplitude
Authors: Gu Qinlu , Wu Renguang , Yeh Sang-Wook
Published: March 2024

Synoptic-scale disturbances prevail over the tropical western North Pacific during boreal summer. Those disturbances are generated over the equatorial western-central Pacific and propagate northwestward to the tropical western North Pacific. They may cause extremely heavy rainfall events and serve as initial disturbances for tropical cyclone genesis. The intensity of the synoptic-scale disturbance over the tropical western North Pacific is closely related to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) that modulates the seasonal atmospheric fields over the source regions, along the propagation paths, and over the impact regions of the synoptic-scale disturbances. ENSO displays a diverse range of amplitude, spatial pattern and temporal evolution. In view of the increasing frequency of extreme ENSO events under global warming and their substantial consequences, it is essential to investigate the relationship between the intensity of the synoptic-scale disturbances over the tropical western North Pacific and ENSO of varying amplitudes. In this talk, we will present evidences for the nonlinear response of the synoptic-scale disturbance intensity over the tropical western North Pacific during boreal summer to the amplitude of ENSO. A distinct difference is revealed between the nonlinear response of the synoptic-scale disturbance intensity over the tropical western North Pacific to the amplitude of El Niño and La Niña events. Physical explanation will be provided for the above feature based on observational analysis and numerical model experiments.
Effects of multiple future environmental changes on flooding in coastal area: A case study of Qianshan River Basin, South China
Authors: Yao Zhijun , Huang Guoru
Published: March 2024

Due to the particularity of geographical location, coastal areas are not only affected by climate change and urbanization, but also affected by the lower boundary jacking caused by sea level rise, so it is easier to form a flood process with "high peak, large quantity and short duration". This study comprehensively considered future climate change, land use change, and sea level change, combined with hydrological model, simulated the flood process of the Qianshan River Basin in the future, and explored the effects of multiple future environmental changes on flooding in the coastal area. The results show that the flood characteristics of Qianshan River Basin will increase due to multiple future environmental changes, and the increase rate will increase with the increase of future scenario level. Among them, the increase of peak discharge is the largest in Dachong; The increase of peak water depth is the largest in Hongwanchong under normal conditions and Guangchangchong under extreme conditions; The location of the inundation has not changed obviously, and it is mainly concentrated in the southern part of the basin; The high risk areas showed a significant increase trend, and concentrated in Tanzhou Town and outlet of Qianshanshuidao. The increase pattern of these flood characteristics basically follows: In the future SSP126, SSP245, SPP370, and SSP585 scenarios, the flood characteristics produced by a design rainfall of grade n correspond to those produced by a design rainfall of grade (n+1), (n+2), (n+3), and (n+4) in the current period, respectively.
Effects of Different Drip Irrigation Belt Layout Modes on Soil Allelochemicals and Microorganisms in Apple - Soybean Intercropping System 
Authors: Wang Xin , Wang Ruoshui , Chen Li , Dai Houshuai , Xiong Chang , Zhang Meng , Wang Lisha
Published: March 2024

This study aimed to investigate the impact of different layouts of drip irrigation belts on the distribution of soil phenolic acids, enzyme activities, and microorganisms in a fruit-crop intercropping system. Specifically, we focused on the apple-soybean intercropping system in the loess region of western Shanxi. Three types of drip irrigation belt spacing (L1, L2, and L3) were employed in the study: L1 involved the arrangement of a drip irrigation belt for each row of soybean, L2 had a drip irrigation belt at intervals of one row of soybean, and L3 had a drip irrigation belt for the third row of soybean from the fruit tree.We analyzed the spatial distribution changes of soil phenolic substances, enzyme activity, and microbial quantity under different water distributions. Principal component analysis was then applied to establish the relationship between soil factors and drip irrigation treatments.The results indicated that, apart from benzoic acid and phloroglucinol, the spacing of the drip irrigation belt significantly influenced the distribution of phenolic acids in the soil. Likewise, except for catalase, the spacing of the drip irrigation belt had a significant impact on the distribution of enzyme activity and microbial quantity. The effects of different drip irrigation belt layout modes on the distribution of soil phenolic acids, bacteria, and fungi were consistent with those observed in the intercropping control treatment, where the distribution increased as the distance from the tree increased. Enzymatic activity decreased initially and then increased with increasing distance from the tree under drip irrigation.Principal component analysis revealed that different drip irrigation belt spacings altered the content of soil allelochemicals, microbial quantity, and enzymatic activity. Additionally, the total amount of phenolic acids in intercropping soil was found to be lower than that in monocropping. Treatment L1 exhibited the highest soil enzyme activity and total microbial biomass, while treatment L2 had the lowest accumulation of phenolic acids in the soil. Notably, treatment L2 demonstrated relatively high soil enzyme activity, despite the lowest accumulation of phenolic acids. Based on our findings, we recommend adopting the arrangement of a drip irrigation belt at intervals of one row of soybean in fruit-crop intercropping systems. This layout not only improves the soil micro-ecological environment but also alleviates the inhibition of allelochemicals.
Characteristics of Offshore Currents at Taiwan Ocean Energy Test Site
Authors: Ho Chung-Ru , Yang Yi-Chung , Cheng Kai-Ho
Published: March 2024

There is an offshore ocean energy test site in the northeastern waters of Taiwan. To understand the local ocean currents, a bottom-mount acoustic Doppler current profile (ADCP) was set up at a water depth of about 30 meters near the coast to measure the nearshore ocean current profiles. This ADCP also contains temperature and pressure sensors. The first measurement period was made from June 6, 2023 to July 18, 2023. After the data was downloaded, the ADCP was deployed back to the same location and is still being measured. Measurements were ensembled using 50 pings every 10 minutes, outputting one layer per meter of depth. The measurement data were analyzed by the harmonic method. The result shows that although the sea level in this area is dominated by the M2 tide, the tidal current is led by the M4 tide, followed by the M2 tide. M4 tides are caused by non-linear effects in shallow waters. The tidal ellipse shows that the semi-major axis and the inclination are 10.04 cm s-1 and 89.98°, respectively for the M4 tide and 5.35 cm s-1 and 86.18° for the M2 tide on the surface layer. Therefore, the main direction of the tidal current is north-south. However, sea surface current statistics show that most of the flow direction is north-northwest, which is different from the main direction of the tidal current. After checking the wind data from nearby weather stations, the wind direction during the measurement period was mainly easterly, with an average wind speed of about 3 m s-1. The effect of wind on surface current velocity at this latitude is approximately 1% of the wind speed, resulting in a westward surface velocity of approximately 3 cm s-1. Combining M4 and M2 tidal currents with wind-driven current, the results are in good agreement with the observations.
A Multiscale Characterization of Pore Network Heterogeneity and Its Influence on Reservoir Properties in the Permian Shihezi H8 Formation, Ordos Basin, China
Authors: Adnan Muhammad Toseef , Zhang Guishan , Chang Bin
Published: March 2024

The Ordos Basin, contains significant unconventional gas resources that are present in ultra-tight sandstones. However, the optimal extraction of these reservoirs largely depends on a thorough understanding of the subsurface factors that influence permeability and fluid flow at different scales. The Permian Shihezi H8 Formation in the Ordos Basin contains significant tight gas sandstone reservoirs that require thorough characterization of the complex pore network for optimal exploitation. This study integrates petrographic, mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP), scanning electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and porosity-permeability analysis of core samples from the Tianciwan area to understand pore structure development and its influence on fluid flow properties. Results from thin sections of 6 wells revealed that Permian Shihezi H8 formation is quartz-rich (43.1%) lithic arenites with grains averaging 180-300 μm, indicating fluvio-deltaic deposition. Extensive feldspar dissolution (1.6-23.5%) generated microporosity. MICP on 60 cores showed 97.79% of pore throats were ≤1 μm, with a maximum size of 13.29 μm. NMR T2 cut-offs differentiated reservoirs into Type I (1.49-1.55 ms), Type II (4.995 ms), and Type III (0.091 μm). Porosities ranged from 3.4-8.6%, with Type I exhibiting the lowest (3.4-7.0%) and Type III the highest (8.6%), implying variable water saturation. Permeability measurements on 60 cores averaged 0.342 mD (0.030-1.941 mD), positively correlating with porosity. Type I and II reservoirs showed moderate permeability (0.144-0.270 μm), while Type III had poor connectivity (0.091 μm) and low permeability (<0.1 mD). Mercury injection capillary pressure and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques distinguished pore structure heterogeneity among wells. NMR T2 cut-offs and porosities differentiated microporous versus mesoporous-dominated pore networks, correlated to depositional and diagenetic facies. Microporous reservoirs exhibited lower porosities and water saturations compared to mesoporous analogs, implicating decreased extra phase water occupancy. Heterogeneous pore networks resulted in stratified fluid distributions that influenced permeability and producibility. Microporous Type I reservoirs exhibited lower water saturation compared to mesoporous Type III.  Understanding the relationship between pore network characteristics and fluid distributions is crucial for exploiting tight sandstone reservoirs. Reservoir characterization helps develop tailored strategies for hydrocarbon containment and flow based on heterogeneous pore-scale controls.
A grid-based data-driven ensemble probabilistic data fusion: a water balance closure approach applied to the irrigated Hindon River Basin, India 
Authors: Mourad Roya , Schoups Gerrit , Bastiaanssen Wim
Published: March 2024

Remote sensing observations hold useful prior information about the terrestrial water cycle. However, combining remote sensing products for each hydrological variable does not close the water balance due to the associated uncertainties. Therefore, there is a need to quantify bias and random errors in the data. This study presents an extended version of the data-driven probabilistic data fusion for closing the water balance at a basin scale. In this version, we implement a monthly 250-m grid-based Bayesian hierarchical model leveraging multiple open-source data of precipitation, evaporation, and storage in an ensemble approach that fully exploits and maximizes the prior information content of the data. The model relates each variable in the water balance to its “true” value using bias and random error parameters with physical nonnegativity constraints. The water balance variables and error parameters are treated as unknown random variables with specified prior distributions. Given an independent set of ground-truth data on water imports and river discharge along with all monthly gridded water balance data, the model is solved using a combination of Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling and iterative smoothing to compute posterior distributions of all unknowns. The approach is applied to the Hindon Basin, a tributary of the Ganges River, that suffers from groundwater overexploitation and depends on surface water imports. Results provide spatially distributed (i) hydrologically consistent water balance estimates and (ii) statistically consistent error estimates of the water balance data. 
Synergistic impacts of westerlies and monsoon on interdecadal variations of late spring precipitation over the southeastern extension of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Liu Yanju
Published: March 2024

      Based on multiple long-term observational and reanalysis datasets, this study investigated the characteristics and physical mechanisms of the interdecadal variations in late spring (i.e., May) precipitation (LSP) over the southeastern extension of the Tibetan Plateau (SETP) since 1900. It was revealed that by and large, LSP over the SETP experienced interdecadal decrease during the period preceding 1927, 1962–1988, and 2004 onwards, but saw an increase during the periods of 1928–1961 and 1989–2003. The atmospheric circulations responsible for interdecadal variations in LSP over the SETP were also analysed. These analyses identified significant synergistic impacts of decreased mid-latitude upstream westerlies and increased low-latitude monsoonal southerlies over the Central North Bay of Bengal (CNBOB) on interdecadal variations in precipitation, suggesting striking interactions between extratropical eastward cold air and tropical northward warm/humid air. Further observational and modelling evidence suggested that Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) was likely to be a salient oceanic driver for the interdecadal synergy between upstream westerlies and CNBOB monsoonal southerlies. The elevated sea surface temperature anomalies associated with the warm phase of the AMO could spark favourable local atmospheric anomalies, forcing an upper-tropospheric, planetary-scale teleconnection emanating from the east of the North Atlantic sector, which may serve as an effective bridge linking the remote AMO signal and the synergy between westerlies and monsoonal southerlies around the SETP on interdecadal timescales. Our findings provided new insights into the understanding of the synergistic roles of westerlies and monsoons in the modulation of interdecadal LSP over the SETP, prior to the peak Asian summer monsoon season.KEYWORDS
AMO, interdecadal precipitation variations, late spring, southeastern extension of Tibetan Plateau, westerly–monsoon interplay
The Tibetan Plateau Lakes: Early-stage research progress of observational evidence as catalysts for weather patterns
Authors: Ma Weiqiang , Ma Yaoming , Ma Weiyao
Published: March 2024

The Tibetan Plateau, known as the “Roof of the World,” hosts numerous lakes that play a pivotal role in triggering and modulating regional and even global weather patterns. This study focuses on the observational evidence of these lakes on the Tibetan Plateau acting as catalysts for weather phenomena. Lake observations are selected based on typical lakes with a hundred-kilometer scale under the synergistic effect of westerlies and monsoons. Such as Bamu Co, Laang Co and Longmu Co.Extensive field measurements and remote sensing data have been analyzed to unravel the complex interactions between the lakes on the Tibetan Plateau and the surrounding atmosphere. The findings reveal that these lakes, through processes such as lake-effect precipitation, thermal regulation, and evaporation, significantly influence the formation and evolution of weather systems in the region.The lake-effect precipitation, for instance, has been observed to generate localized heavy rainfall and snowfall events downwind of the lakes. The thermal regulation effect of the lakes mitigates extreme temperature variations, while the evaporation from the lakes contributes to the water vapor supply in the atmosphere, thereby affecting cloud formation and precipitation.Furthermore, the study highlights the potential impact of changing lake dynamics, such as fluctuations in lake levels and temperatures, on the regional climate. These observations underscore the importance of incorporating the influences of Tibetan Plateau lakes into weather forecasting and climate modeling.In conclusion, this research provides substantial observational evidence that the lakes on the Tibetan Plateau act as crucial triggers for weather patterns, offering valuable insights for understanding and predicting the complex and dynamic meteorological processes in the region and beyond.
Obliquely interacting breathers in a three-layer fluid
Authors: Nakayama Keisuke , Lamb Kevin
Published: March 2024

In a three-layer system with equal upper and lower thin layers with the same density jump across each interface, fully nonlinear governing equations have revealed that breathers exist under the Boussinesq approximation. Also, it has been demonstrated that breathers may occur in the Baltic Sea. Additionally, in previous studies, it has been shown that the larger the upper- and lower-layer thicknesses, the more the breathers behave like solitons and that phase shifts occur after two breathers interact, with a forward/backward shift of the faster/slower breather, while the properties of the breathers are preserved. Still, the oblique interaction of breathers has yet to be explored. Thus, we aimed to investigate oblique breather interactions in a three-layer system by using fully nonlinear numerical simulations to clarify the characteristics of breathers. The ratio of the thin layer thicknesses to the total depth was 0.25 in this study. Breathers have two significant parameters, p and q, corresponding to the wavelength of a breather and the envelope amplitude. So, we had several configurations to clarify the influence of incident angles and amplitudes on the breather interactions by changing the parameters p and q. Stably progressing breathers, where p and q are 0.025 and 0.006, were examined by changing the incident angles from 10 to 40 degrees to estimate a critical angle. Also, the oblique breather interactions with a larger envelope amplitude were simulated to analyse the amplitude dependence of the critical angle. A Mach stem was found to occur in oblique breather interactions. Also, the critical angle was revealed to decrease as the envelope amplitude decreases. The behaviour of obliquely-interacting breathers provides further evidence that breathers in a three-layer fluid have soliton-like characteristics.
A holistic analysis of Chinese sponge city cases by region: Using PLS-SEM models to understand key factors impacting LID performance
Authors: Guo Zhou , Zhang Xiang , Winston Ryan , Smith Joseph , Yang Yifan , Tao Shiyong , Liu Haoyuan
Published: March 2024

Sponge city is an engineering solution proposed by the Chinese government which aims to deal with urban water issues (e.g., flooding, poor water quality) brought on by climate change and urbanization. Various strategies for sponge city construction are required since environmental constraints differ regionally across the country. To identify regional variations, reveal the inner links between externalities and design elements in sponge city construction, and offer practical suggestions, efforts in two directions are made based on the data of 65 sponge city cases around China, 1) discussing design parameters of four Low Impact Development (LID) facilities, including bioretention cell, permeable pavement, grass swale, and sunken green space, under four regionalization maps of hydrologic, climatic, landform and soil texture factors, and 2) building a holistic Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) model illustrating the relationship between local characteristics, LID system design, and LID system performance in sponge city construction. The results show that: 1) rainfall and landform factor have great impact on LID facilities design, as the depths tend to be higher in water rich areas and coastal areas. 2) LID types and areas are positively influenced (+0.764) by the total area and permeable portion of a project, and the LID system performance (water quantity and quality control) is negatively impacted (-0.417) by the rainfall amount and clay fraction. 3) In the holistic model, there are no significant links between the LID system design and natural characteristics or LID system performance. It is recommended that different design standards and assessment indexing systems be tailored to local environment when constructing sponge city projects.
Velocity inlet variation impact on flooding in underground spaces
Authors: Elhamamy Walaa , Ni Guangheng
Published: March 2024

Underground space floods are a complex type of calamity mainly caused by increasing rainfall and temperature, along with urbanization and population growth necessitating the creation of underground spaces such as subway stations, underground parking lots, underground garages, etc. The causes above have contributed to the frequent and severe appearance of floods in underground spaces in recent decades. The situation is complicated, so further study and research are still needed.This work applied numerical simulation using Fluent software to investigate, analyze, and compare the impact of altering the magnitude and type of inlet velocities on the underground space's flooding characteristics. Two types of velocities, fixed and transient velocities, were involved in the investigation.
A novel method for the determination of Personal Care Products (PCPs) in aerosol samples: occurrence in urban, mountain and coastal environments.
Authors: Vecchiato Marco , Costa Diego , Barbaro Elena , Mazzi Giovanna , Gambaro Andrea
Published: March 2024

Personal care products (PCPs) are compounds entering into the environment through direct discharges or ineffective removal in wastewater treatment plants. Recreational activities in lakes and beaches are additional direct sources of PCPs, especially during widespread use of sunscreens in the summer. However, even if PCPs are largely emitted into the water compartment, the atmosphere is particularly prone to the contamination of these compounds, both from direct inputs during on purpose use (e.g., perfumes and fragrances), or through re-volatilization from various environmental media acting as secondary sources. Moreover, the atmosphere represents a key environmental matrix to understand the environmental fate of these compounds: recent research showed that fragrances and UV-Filters are significantly distributed in the snow both from the Arctic and Antarctica, likely deriving from the cold-condensation of long-range transported aerosols. Nevertheless, the direct analysis of the occurrence of these PCPs in polar and remote air samples is missing, and even in urban and anthropized areas the knowledge on their distribution in atmospheric samples is still limited, in comparison to the studies reported for the water compartment.In this work we developed and validated an innovative analytical method using a low-temperature (°40 C) Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) procedure for the analyses of fragrances and UV-Filters in aerosol samples, including the particulate (quartz filter) and gaseous (Polyurethane foam – PUF) phases, avoiding the large solvent volumes needed for classical extraction. The method was applied to exploratory air samples collected during summer 2023 in low and high impacted areas of the Veneto region, including urban, mountain and coastal environments. Highest levels were detected in the venetian coastline, reflecting the high local use of sunscreen lotions containing UV-filters, but PCPs were occurring with a different pattern also in background areas of the Dolomites (Alps). Urban samples resulted at intermediate concentrations. Confirming our previous hypotheses and findings, PCPs, in particular Salicylates, are mainly distributed in the gas phase, with the exception of octacrylene, which is generally associated with the particulate. The analytical improvements developed with this method will be fundamental for the future understanding of the behaviour of PCPs in the atmosphere, including studies in remote and polar areas to confirm the long-range transport hypothesis.Acknowledgements: IRIDE funding received by the Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics (DAIS) of the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
Mapping the global distribution of C4 vegetation using observations and optimality theory
Authors: Luo Xiangzhong , Zhou Haoran , Satriawan Tin , Tian Jiaqi , Zhao Ruiying , Keenan Trevor , Griffith Dan , Sitch Stephen , Smith Nick , Still Christopher
Published: March 2024

Plants with the C4 photosynthesis pathway typically respond to climate change differently than more common C3-type plants, due to their distinct anatomical and biochemical characteristics. The different responses are expected to drive changes in global C4 and C3 distributions. However, current C4 distribution models may not predict this response as they do not capture multiple interacting factors and in many cases lack observational constraints. Here, we used a global database of plant photosynthetic pathways, satellite observations, and photosynthetic optimality theory to produce a new observation-constrained global estimate of C4 distribution. We found that global C4 coverage decreased from 17.7% to 17.1% of the land surface during 2001 to 2019, as a net effect of C4 natural grass decreases due to elevated CO2 favoring C3-type photosynthesis, and C4 crop increases, mainly from corn (maize) expansion. Using an emergent constraint approach, we estimated that C4 contributed 19.5% of global photosynthetic carbon assimilation, a value within the range of previous estimates (18-23%) but higher than the ensemble mean of dynamic global vegetation models (14 ± 13%). By improving the understanding of recent global C4 cover and productivity dynamics, our study sheds insight on the critical and underappreciated role of C4 plants in the contemporary global carbon cycle.
The generation mechanism of deep natural gas, Tabei uplift, Tarim Basin, Northwest China: insights from instantaneous and accumulative effects
Authors: Liu Xin , Tian Jinqiang , Liu Zhuo , Cong Fuyun
Published: March 2024

The Tabei uplift is located in the northern part of the Tarim Basin, while the Lunan area is in the eastern part of Tabei uplift. The dryness coefficients of natural gas range from 0.62 to 0.99 (average: 0.92), the methane contents range from 30.42% to 96.4% (average: 85.10%), and the methane carbon isotopes range from -47.30‰ to -33.80‰ (average: -36.96‰) in the Lunnan area. Compared with the actual regional thermal evolution of the source rock, the natural gas exhibits excessively heavy dryness coefficients and methane carbon isotope characteristics. To investigate the genesis of heavy methane carbon isotopes and dry gas in different areas of the Tabei Uplift. Natural gas chemical composition and carbon isotope were used to analyze the genesis of natural gas, basin modeling was conducted to reconstruct the natural gas generation process, and the geologic causes of this phenomenon are discussed. The results show that the natural gas is primary cracking gas and sourced from marine type II kerogen. The dryness coefficient, methane carbon isotopes, and source rock maturity gradually increases from the west to the east. Instantaneous effects led to the dry gas and relative heavy methane carbon isotopes generated at a low maturity level. The current natural gas in the Ordovician reservoirs was all generated during the Himalayan orogeny. Long period pause of the gas generation between the two hydrocarbon generation phases is the main cause for the instantaneous effects.
Sustainable Irrigation is Promising for Alleviating Global Water Stress
Authors: Ai Zhipin , Hanasaki Naota , Li Fadong , Zhao Xin
Published: March 2024

Irrigation causes serious water stress in a wide range of areas around the world. It remains unknown whether and to what extent global water stress can be alleviated by the sustainable use of water resources for irrigation. Here, we delineated a new distribution of global irrigated croplands via strict conservation of available water resources for crop irrigation using an internally consistent model framework. Then, we compared the differences in global water stress under the conditions of current and re-delineated irrigated croplands, respectively. We demonstrated that irrigation on the re-delineated irrigated croplands can largely alleviate global water stress, particularly for areas currently facing high or very high water stress. The results also indicated that irrigated cropland re-delineation would have a limited negative impact on the production of 4 major crops of maize, wheat, rice, and soybean. Our findings highlight importance of sustainable irrigation water management for food production and its potential benefits for alleviating water stress.
Response of large-scale Ocean Circulation to Global Internal Wave Parameterization IDEMIX under Last Glacial Maximum Conditions
Authors: Pilatin Heves , Paul André , Pollmann Friederike , Schulz Michael
Published: March 2024

As the most recent glacial period of Earth's history, the Last Glacial Maximum (~21,000 years before the present day, LGM) is an important and one of the most studied paleo times when the ice-sheet coverage was at the maximum extent, and the global average temperature was 6°C cooler than present day (PI). The large volume of ice caused an approximately 130 m drop in sea level and exposure of the continental shelves, shifting the tidal dissipation energy that sinks in the present-day shelf seas to the open ocean during the LGM. Regarding this hypothesis, the LGM ocean is expected to be more turbulent and well-ventilated in the abyssal and possibly have a much stronger overturning circulation in the North Atlantic compared to the present day. However, the paleo records of δ13C indicate a deoxygenated deep ocean for LGM. In this study, we test the LGM hypothesis on the global circulation and marine biogeochemical processes by implementing a new energetically consistent ocean mixing parameterization: Internal Wave Dissipation, Energy, and Mixing (IDEMIX) in the fully coupled isotope-enabled Community Earth System Model (iCESM1.2). For the scope of this study, we solely focus on baroclinic tidal-induced mixing by parameterizing dissipation from the internal wave breaking in IDEMIX. Our preliminary results illustrate the LGM ocean as more vigorous than the PI ocean only when the IDEMIX is used in the model since the diffusivities are enhanced by almost two orders of magnitude, especially over the rough bathymetry with IDEMIX coupling. Otherwise, no significant difference is observed between the vertical diffusivities of LGM and PI oceans without IDEMIX, despite the divergence in their tidal energy dissipation fields. The increase in the diffusivities with IDEMIX application can be seen not just at the ocean bottom but also along the entire water column near the internal wave generation sites where the tidal energy dissipation is strongest (e.g., the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Hawaiian Ridge, or high latitudes in Atlantic). Consistent with the hypothesis, the turbulence near the exposed shelves is boosted in the deep ocean and dispersed across different depth levels from here when the model uses IDEMIX for the LGM simulation. Additionally, the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) cell gets weaker and shallower by ∼ 2 Sv, and the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) cell enlarges based on the IDEMIX influence on the LGM ocean.
Beyond roots: Foliar dust as a vital nutrient source for plants under elevated CO2
Authors: Palchan Daniel , Lokshin Anton , Golan Elnatan , Erel Ran , Fox Stephen
Published: March 2024

While roots have long been considered the sole pathway for plant nutrient uptake, a surprising discovery reveals a hidden source: foliar dust. This study demonstrates that plants can directly acquire crucial minerals like P, Fe, and Ni from deposited dust particles, bypassing the root system altogether. In our experiments, we had applied two types of dust on plant foliage and examined biomass, P content, and ionome. Remarkably, utilizing radiogenic Nd isotopes, we show that this foliar pathway surpasses root uptake in just weeks, contributing over 60% of a plant's nutrient profile under elevated CO2 conditions.These findings shed light on a previously unrecognized adaptation that could be critical for plant survival in a CO2-rich world. As eCO2 levels are predicted to decrease soil nutrient availability, the dust-as-nutrient phenomenon offers a potential lifeline for plants and ecosystems. Moreover, understanding this alternative pathway could pave the way for novel agricultural strategies to combat "hidden hunger" malnutrition triggered by CO2-induced nutrient deficiencies.
Assessing Non-Carcinogenic and Carcinogenic Health Risk for Chlorinated Solvent Contaminated Groundwater Using MUSt Software Palckage: Case Study  
Authors: Liang Ching-Ping , Chen Jui-Sheng , Laio Zhong-Yi
Published: March 2024

Chlorinated solvents can degrade to generate transformation products sequentially. The presence of such transformation products must be considered for the health risk assessment. Recently, we have developed a software package MUSt (MUltiSpecies transport Analytical Models) in which FORTRAN executable files based on our newly developed multispecies transport analytical solutions are equipped with an interactive graphical user interface (GUI). The multispecies transport analytical solutions embedded in MUSt have been further combined with health risk module for more reasonable health risk assessment. This study assesses the health risk for chlorinated solvent contaminated groundwater in northern Taiwan. The geographical distribution of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risk is depicted for appropriate action for reducing groundwater concentration level of chlorinated solvent contaminants and protecting human health.
Impact of a severe dust intrusion on surface water temperature in subtropical Lake Kinneret
Authors: Kishcha Pavel , Lechinsky Yury , Starobinets Boris
Published: March 2024

Climate model predictions have shown that Lake Kinneret could disappear by the end of the 21st century due to decreasing precipitation and increasing evaporation. Kinneret surface water temperature (SWT) is one of the main factors determining evaporation. During the last several decades, observations and model data showed increasing desert dust pollution over the Eastern Mediterranean. Generally, dust impact on lake SWT has not yet been discussed in previous publications.    We investigated the impact of an extreme dust intrusion on the diurnal behaviour of SWT in Lake Kinneret, which appeared from September 7 – 9, 2015, when dust aerosol optical depth (AOD) ranged from 0.2 to 1.5. This was carried out using METEOSAT and in-situ observations of SWT. In the presence of dust, METEOSAT showed that SWT decreased along with increasing dust pollution, both in the daytime and nighttime. This contradicted in-situ measurements of SWT at a depth of 20 cm which showed an increase up to 1.2 °C in the daytime and up to 1 °C in the nighttime: this was in comparison to daytime and nighttime SWT on clear-sky Sept. 6. This in-situ SWT was in line with in-situ radiometer measurements of upwelling longwave radiation (ULWR) which is determined by actual SWT. This led us to the conclusion that, in the presence of dust, in-situ SWT measurements were capable of reproducing Kinneret SWT.    In the daytime, an observed increase in air temperature (Tair) on dusty days Sept. 7 and 9 contributed to an increase in daytime Kinneret SWT. However, a decrease in daytime Tair on Sept. 8 (in the presence of maximal dust pollution) contributed to a decrease in daytime Kinneret SWT.    As for the nighttime on dusty days Sept. 7–9, in-situ measurements showed that an increase in Tair up to 4.3 °C was accompanied by an increase in SWT up to 1 °C, compared to nighttime Tair and SWT on clear-sky Sept. 6. This was in line with ULWR measurements, which showed that nighttime ULWR on each dusty day under study was higher than nighttime ULWR on clear-sky Sept. 6. This is evidence that dust pollution reflects part of ULWR back to the surface of the lake, leading to a noticeable increase in nighttime SWT.    During the dust intrusion, a noticeable increase in absolute atmospheric humidity (ρv) over the lake was observed: ρv reached 30%, 20%, and 15% in the presence of maximum, intermediate, and low dust pollution on Sept. 8, 9, and 7 respectively: this was in comparison to ρv on clear-sky Sept. 6. The maximal increase in ρv on Sept. 8 was observed in the absence of moisture advection: this indicates that dust intrusion can cause additional evaporation from Lake Kinneret. This finding implies the following significant point: increasing desert dust pollution over the Eastern Mediterranean can intensify the drying up of Lake Kinneret. Reference: Kishcha et al., Remote Sensing 2023, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15225297 