bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
O&GProfile : Automated attribution of GHGSat point source methane emissions detections to O&G infrastructures for site emissions profile analysis (Permian)
Authors: Guisiano Jade Eva , Lauvaux Thomas , Cifarelli Claudio , Moulines Éric , Sublime Jérémie
Published: February 2023

Methane emissions are the second leading cause of global warming. Because of the near-term warming potential of atmospheric methane, reducing its emissions will be essential to achieve the UNFCCC climate objectives. Reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations is among the most cost-effective and efficient actions governments can take to meet global climate goals. In the "net zero emissions by 2050" scenario, methane emissions decline rapidly in the coming years, reaching this reduction potential by 2030. This is primarily a result of the rapid deployment of emission reduction measures and technologies, leading to the elimination of all technically avoidable methane emissions within this decade.
Current regulations are based on methane emissions figures from regional and national inventories. However, it has been shown repeatedly in the literature that these have a strong tendency to underestimate actual emission levels. In order to be able to move towards adapted and personalized regulations, it is necessary to aim at new methods -other than the current too generalized inventories- improving the current assessment of emission trends at the level of the whole O&G supply chain. Emission profiles should be estimated by operator, by type of O&G site, or by site infrastructures to design and to implement specific regulations.
In order to establish the most complete emission profiles possible - taking into account the current lack of continuous coverage - a maximum of measurements at various scales (satellite, UAVS, group) of methane emissions for a site or infrastructure should be collected by operator/site/infrastructure.
We therefore propose in this paper O&GProfile,an automatic method  to associate GHGSat methane plume detections to detections from other satellite and airbone campaign already tagged by oil and gas sites type (Gathering & boosting, processing, production) and their respective operators. O&GProfile is based on the use of unsupervised machine learning methods for classification purposes,with automated correction of the classification results. By association of GHGsat data to tagged CarbonMapper and Gao data (method mame), our method provides an informed GHGSat dataset necessary to study profile of emissions by site and operators. The study of these site emissions profiles over the period 2020-2021 in the Delaware and Midland basins in the Permian also allows us to connect GHGSat detections to the Gao and carbon mapper detections.
Atmospheric lifetime from a hypothetical Mars-sized planet orbiting Barnard’s Star
Authors: Brain Dave ,   MACH Team
Published: February 2023

Atmospheric escape from exoplanets is a topic of great interest for the exoplanet community since atmospheric retention is an important component of surface habitability. While atmospheric escape has been detected from large exoplanets, it remains difficult to measure for smaller (rocky) planets. Indeed, for rocky planets orbiting active stars it is thought that it may be difficult for atmospheres to be retained at all. In the absence of detailed observations, one option is to leverage observations and models for planets in our own solar system.Here we consider atmospheric escape from Mars – if it orbited an M Dwarf star similar to Barnard’s star. Our analysis considers five escape processes: hydrodynamic escape, thermal escape, photochemical escape, ion escape, and sputtering. To estimate the escape rate via each process from our hypothetical “ExoMars”, we employ models for escape that have either been validated using observations or verified against other models. We provide escape rate estimates for important species in the Martian upper atmosphere: O, O2, H, and CO2, and use them to estimate the lifetime of the Martian atmosphere.
Testing Dynamic Topographic Predictions of Mantle Convection Models Using Global Palaeobiological Datasets
Authors: O'Malley Conor , Roberts Gareth , Panton James , Davies Huw , Milanez Fernandes Victoria
Published: February 2023

Over geological timescales, aside from isostatic processes arising from crustal thickness variations, flow within the mantle has long been recognised to generate a significant component of Earth's topography, i.e. "dynamic topography". Therefore, geological and geophysical evidence of Earth's surface deflection can provide spatio-temporal evidence of deep Earth processes, if tectonic/crustal processes are accounted for. Mantle convection models can be used to calculate past and present dynamic topography in a number of ways, with the aim of matching surface observations to improve our understanding of mantle properties and flow characteristics. We analyse the global spatio-temporal patterns of dynamic topography predicted by a suite of models run using the TERRA code, which solves the Stokes and energy equations for mantle flow within a spherical shell. Both compressible/incompressible models are analysed, for a range of mantle viscosity structures. We calculate dynamic topography using two widely-used methods, focussing on the present-day where the pattern of dynamic topography is constrained in greatest detail. First, we examine dynamic topography using instantaneous surface stress calculated from full-resolution 3-D TERRA output. Secondly, model output is transformed into the spherical harmonic domain, and density anomalies at depth are propagated to surface stress variations, and therefore topographic deflections, using analytic sensitivity kernels i.e. the propagator matrix method. Each method makes subtly different assumptions about boundary conditions and mantle structure and properties. We demonstrate that uplift predictions calculated using each method can be compared with observational estimates derived from palaeobiological data, oceanic residual depth measurements, and continental gravity anomalies. We highlight key similarities and differences between dynamic topographic predictions from each method across a suite of mantle convection models, and identify correlation/misfit with observational constraints.
Developing an operational model to support groundwater management decision-making in the UK
Authors: Wendt Doris , Coxon Gemma , Pianosi Francesca
Published: February 2023

Decision-making in groundwater management could benefit from a robust modelling approach that considers the complexity and uncertainty in water availability, dynamic impact of management and modelling setups available. Modelling groundwater is a complex matter on its own given the heterogeneous aquifers, delayed climate signal in groundwater recharge and dynamic influence of water abstractions. Due to this complexity, decision-making models are often simplified to address only the main impacts on the hydrological cycle. Whilst this simplification is necessary, it is important to examine model process controls and uncertainty in parameters of a simplified model setup. In this study, we have converted a lumped conceptual socio-hydrological model to an operational tool for supporting decision-making by (1) evaluating and (2) calibrating the model. First, we applied global sensitivity to examine the “consistency” and “leverage” of the model. A model is considered consistent when modelled process controls match our system understanding. Leverage is observed when modelled strategies have adequate influence on modelling output regardless of parameter uncertainty. Results show that even with large uncertainty in parameter values, consistency is achieved for all hydrological variables. Input parameters defining management strategies are found to have significant leverage, as varying them induce noticeable changes in simulation outputs regardless of the physical conditions or uncertainty in parameters. When looking at hydrological extremes, this impact was amplified. Second, the model was calibrated for a range of catchments in the UK. The eleven model parameters were constrained using statistical criteria to identify an optimum parameter range. Model outputs were compared to observations (discharge and groundwater level time series using both similarity and signature-based evaluation criteria. Additionally, we sourced open access UK datasets to validate our data-based parameter ranges with local information. In general, calibrated model outputs represent surface water and groundwater features well and in particular, baseflow generation is well-represented. This encourages model applications for examining regional/national policies aiming to protect groundwater-fed streams. Exploratory model runs can also be used to facilitate discussions on new/altered management strategies and may spark further detailed modelling once a suitable strategy is identified. 
How can GNSS-R altimetry from the Spire constellation complement institutional altimetry missions?
Authors: Talpe Matthieu , Jales Philip , Nguyen Vu , Cartwright Jessica , Yuasa Takayuki , Nogues-Correig Oleguer
Published: February 2023

Spire Global operates a constellation of smallsats equipped with an advanced GNSS receiver designed to collect radio occultation observations and reprogrammed to detect surface reflections. Nguyen et al. [2020] demonstrated the feasibility of phase delay altimetry using coherent reflections, following a number of prior studies (e.g., Martín-Neira [1993], Cardellach et al. [2004]). Since then, Level 2 grazing angle altimetry products have been generated on an operational basis. As of January 2023, over 20 satellites continuously measure GNSS-R grazing angle reflection events in areas of high-coherence, i.e., calm waters and glaciated surfaces, yielding nearly 500,000 kms of altimetry tracks every day. The vertical resolution is on the order of decimeters, as demonstrated by comparisons against reference surface models composed of an MSS and ocean tides.  A growing number of studies have utilized these datasets to examine ocean surfaces, sea ice, ice caps, and inland water bodies. An overview of these scientific applications enabled by Spire’s products is provided, along with a description of the advantages and current disadvantages of GNSS-R altimetry as observed after nearly three years of operations.  We will show a comparison between the cryospheric products from ICESat-2 and CryoSat-2 against Spire products with a focus on sea ice. The Spire constellation provides improved temporal and spatial coverage, due GNSS-R's bistatic geometry and the range of receiver orbits. The retrievals show particular sensitivity in the smoother young-ice surfaces. Decimeter-level sea ice signals are routinely detected and validated with SAR imagery. The Spire sea ice product could complement existing cryospheric products, particularly in light of the potential gap in measurements before the launch of CRISTAL. We will also discuss ongoing development to several aspects of the algorithm such as phase unwrapping and systematic, polar-wide sea ice freeboard extraction. References Cardellach, E., Ao, C. O., De la Torre Juárez, M., & Hajj, G. A. (2004). Carrier phase delay altimetry with GPS-reflection/occultation interferometry from low Earth orbiters. Geophysical Research Letters, 31(10), L10402.Martín-Neira, M., (1993), A passive reflectometry and interferometry system (PARIS): Application to ocean altimetry, ESA J., vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 331–355.Nguyen, V. A., et al. (2020), Initial GNSS Phase Altimetry Measurements From the Spire Satellite Constellation, Geophys. Res. Letters, vol. 47, no. 15.
Using non-thermal electron distributions to probe the inner heliosphere
Authors: Verscharen Daniel , Owen Christopher , Nicolaou Georgios , Coburn Jesse , Micera Alfredo , Innocenti Maria Elena
Published: February 2023

The electrons in the solar wind exhibit non-thermal velocity distribution functions. Observed non-thermal features of the electron distribution in the inner heliosphere include the field-aligned strahl, the suprathermal halo, the sunward deficit, and temperature anisotropy. These features are the result of a complex interplay between global expansion effects and local interactions between the particles and the electromagnetic fields. Global effects create, for example, the strahl via the mirror force in the decreasing magnetic field and the sunward deficit via reflections in the interplanetary electric field. Local wave-particle interactions such as instabilities change the shape of these features and thus the overall properties and moments of the electron distribution. We discuss the science opportunities that the high-resolution data of Solar Orbiter's SWA/EAS sensor open up for unprecedented studies of the causes and effects of non-thermal electron distributions in the context of the expansion of the solar wind in the inner heliosphere. We focus, in particular, on the interplay between expansion effects and instabilities related to the electron strahl and the sunward deficit.
Resolution enhancement using deep learning methods: an integrated workflow applied to real-world Back-Scattered Electron (BSE) data
Authors: van Melick Hans , Plümper Oliver
Published: February 2023

Recent technological advances allow geoscientists to generate high-resolution (HR) imagery using a variety of different beam-forming mechanisms (e.g. visible light, X-Rays, or charged particles such as electrons and ions). One of the main limitations in producing HR data is the required acquisition time at high magnifications. For example, back-scattered electron (BSE) mapping of a standard petrographic thin section at a resolution of 50nm/pixel takes approximately 60 days and is associated with a storage requirement in the order of 700 GB. Deep-learning methods have proven effective for resolution enhancement in regular photographic images, and in this work we present an integrated image registration and upscaling workflow to enhance image resolution, using real-world BSE datasets.The proposed workflow requires the acquisition of one, or multiple, HR regions within a region that is imaged at low-resolution (LR). Next, close to pixel-accurate image registration is performed by using the successive implementation of two concepts: i) first the precise location of the HR region within the LR region is determined by using a Fast Fourier Transform algorithm (Lewis, 2005), and ii) final image registration is achieved by iteratively calculating a deformation matrix that, using Newton’s method of optimization, is aiming to minimize an error function describing the differences between both images (Tudisco et al., 2017).Subsequently, matching HR and LR image pairs are fed into a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) that learns to produce HR images from the LR counterparts. A GAN consists of two neural networks, a generator and a discriminator. The generator produces synthetic HR data based on LR input, and the discriminator attempts to classify the data as either real HR or synthetic HR. The two networks are trained together in an adversarial process, with the goal of the generator producing synthetic data that the discriminator cannot distinguish from real data.We demonstrate our method on a variety of large real-world datasets and show that it effectively increases the resolution of full-size BSE maps up to a factor of four, while being able to resolve important features. The upscaling of BSE data, with a factor of four, is associated with a 90% reduction in beamtime and a factor 16 reduction in storage requirements. Image registration, preprocessing, and model training on a high-performance workstation takes 12-24 hours. Having a trained model, inference can be done using a regular laptop.[1] Lewis, J. P. "Fast normalized cross-correlation, Industrial Light and Magic." unpublished (2005).[2] Tudisco, Erika, et al. "An extension of digital volume correlation for multimodality image registration." Measurement Science and Technology 28.9 (2017): 0954
The dipole–multipole transition in planetary dynamos
Authors: Majumder Debarshi , Sreenivasan Binod , Maurya Gaurav
Published: February 2023

We investigate the dipole–multipole field transition in rapidly rotating dynamos in the low-inertia regime relevant to planetary cores. Here, the Rossby number is small on the planetary core depth as well as on the length scale of core convection. Attention is focused on the dynamics of slow Magnetic-Archimedean-Coriolis (MAC), or magnetostrophic, waves generated in the energy-containing scales of the dynamo. The suppression of the slow MAC waves in a strongly driven dynamo is dynamically similar to the excitation of these waves in a moderately driven dynamo evolving from a small seed magnetic field. While the former regime causes polarity reversals, the latter regime produces the axial dipole field from a multipolar state. For either polarity transition, a Rayleigh number based on the mean wavenumber of the energy-containing scales bears the same linear relationship with the peak Elsasser number measured at the transition. This self-similarity can provide an estimate of the Rayleigh number that admits polarity reversals.
Supporting the completion process of boreholes using combined fiber-optic monitoring technologies
Authors: Hart Johannes , Lipus Martin Peter , Wollin Christopher , Krawzcyk Charlotte
Published: February 2023

Efficient, safe and sustainable utilization of geothermal reservoirs depends on reliable well completion and monitoring technologies. Conventional borehole measurement methods can only be used after the completion process and usually show snapshots of the borehole conditions at discrete points in time. Therefore, the successful borehole completion is a risky process and mainly relies on the experience of the driller. By using distributed fiber-optic sensing technologies, it is possible to monitor all along the cable with dense spatial sampling and continuous in real-time.In this presentation, we give insights into our newest case study in Berlin. A 450 m deep exploration well for an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage was completed. We installed a fiber optic sensor cable along the whole production tubing, that contained several single-mode and multi-mode fibers in loose tube and tight buffered configuration. This cable allows to simultaneously measure distributed temperature (DTS), distributed acoustics (DAS) and distributed strain (DSS/DTSS) for the entire completion process.Particularly with a combined analysis and interpretation of the different fiber-optic technologies, conventionally untraceable processes can be visualized. We are able to show changes of subsurface flow paths due to blockages. Processes to be prevented, like caving or bridging can be detected and the proper rise of gravel or cement can be surveyed. Provided to the driller in real time, subsurface uncertainties can be significantly reduced.Monitoring geothermal wells with a fiber-optic sensing infrastructure is not only a powerful tool to reduce risks during well completion, which can lead to compromised well integrity. The installed equipment and technology can also be used to assess the well integrity over the whole cycle of the well, to ensure a longest possible lifespan.
Modeling the partitioning of evapotranspiration using invasion percolation theory
Authors: Lehmann Peter , Carminati Andrea
Published: February 2023

The partitioning between soil evaporation and transpiration from plants is an important process of water and carbon cycles and surface energy balance. Its quantification is prone to errors because of the complexity of flow geometry, which is affected by the variation of root length density over depth and time and the dynamics of soil hydraulic properties in the rhizosphere. Root water uptake and concurrent evaporation depend on the forces (capillarity, gravity, and viscous losses) controlling water flow and propagation of the drying front. We simulate the water flow from the soil to the atmosphere using invasion percolation models, draining elements as a function of the retaining forces depending on the lengths of the potential flow paths. The partitioning between evaporation and transpiration is simulated for different pore size distributions, root length densities, and vegetation covers controlling the transpiring area. Starting with a three dimensional percolation model (to reproduce the connectivity of the liquid phase) at the column scale consisting of elements in the submillimeter range, we deduce one-dimensional partitioning rules for wet and dry soils. As an outlook, we discuss how these rules can be (i) implemented in large scale models and (ii) tested by measuring vapor fluxes above and below canopy.
Influence of Soil Moisture on the Evolution of Landfalling Tropical Cyclones during pre and post-monsoon seasons
Authors: Lanka Karthikeyan , Navale Ashish
Published: February 2023

Numerous cyclones develop in the Bay of Bengal during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The heavy rain associated with these cyclones causes devastating damage to life and property during landfall. The modern numerical weather prediction models and high temporal satellite observation data have significantly increased the accuracy of cyclone prediction in recent years. However, accurately predicting rainfall intensity and its dissipation after landfall is still challenging. Previous studies have indicated that land-based evapotranspiration plays an essential role in determining the intensity and decay of cyclones post-landfall. In this study, we quantify the contribution of land-based evapotranspiration to the rainfall associated with cyclones and the impact of land conditions on the speed and track of cyclones originating in the Bay of Bengal. For this purpose, we employed the Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) model upgraded with Eulerian water tagging capabilities to track evapotranspiration from land. The tagging model will tag the evapotranspiration originating on land and track it throughout the atmosphere till it precipitates or moves out of the domain. We simulated six cyclones of varying intensities, with three during the pre and three during the post-monsoon seasons. We conducted sensitivity experiments with dry and wet initial soil moisture conditions to determine the impact of perturbed soil moisture on TC. To account for the model's internal variability, we simulated an ensemble with four members for the control simulation. The ensemble is created by changing each member's model initialization time by six hours. This ensemble helped identify the magnitude of the model's internal variability, which was less than the variability due to soil moisture changes. The study revealed that soil moisture conditions prior to TC formation have an impact on its evolution. By analyzing the latent heat, temperature, and wind pattern, we found that the initial soil moisture during the pre and post-monsoon seasons alters the synoptic features over the Indian subcontinent, resulting in variations in the TC evolution. The relatively low-intensity TC tracks are more sensitive to the initial soil moisture conditions. The rainfall originating from land-based evapotranspiration is more significant as the cyclone approaches land. Therefore, land-based evapotranspiration plays a crucial role in the end phase of the cyclone (from just before landfall till its decay). For post-monsoon cyclones, the rainfall from land-based evapotranspiration is as high as 20% to 30% after landfall, whereas, for pre-monsoon cyclones, the land contribution is around 5% to 10%. In addition to soil moisture, factors such as proximity to land, track length over land, and TC intensity also have a role in determining the quantity of precipitation originating from the land for a TC.
Impact of Cloud Changes on the Radiation Budget Under Global Warming
Authors: Song Hyebin , Choi Yong-Sang , Kang Hyoji
Published: February 2023

Clouds play a significant role in our climate system by influencing radiative balances. Global clouds, by changing the amount and optical property, alter the amount of the net radiation by trapping outgoing longwave radiation or reflecting the incoming solar radiation. Therefore, under global warming, the future cloud change and its impact on the radiation budget is a question at issue. This study examined the trend in cloud radiative effect in current models and satellite observations. We targeted Total Cloud Fraction (TCF) and net radiation using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project-6 (CMIP6) for 1950-2100 over the globe. We utilized historical data (1950-2014) and the shared socio-economic pathway (SSP) (2015-2100) data. This 1950-2100 period spans a period from the rapid growth point in global surface temperature relative to 1850-1900 according to the IPCC AR6 to the future climate provided by the SSP scenarios. The modeled trends of TCF and net radiation are calculated based on linear regression analysis. As a result, net radiation increases by 0.16 W/m2/decade with −0.14 %/decade changing TCF over the globe. In more detail, TCF changes an average of −0.15±0.8 %/decade and −0.20±1.6 %/decade in low and middle latitudes, whereas TCF increases by 0.08±2.5 %/decade in high latitudes for both hemispheres. On the other hand, the net radiation increases an average of 0.1±0.9 W/m2/decade, 0.22±1.06 W/m2/decade, and 0.22±1.38 W/m2/decade in low, middle, and high latitudes for both hemispheres. Therefore, the decrease in TCF may have allowed more solar radiation into the earth, contributing to surface warming in mid and low latitudes. The clear cloud radiative effects will be investigated by the difference between cloudy and clear-sky radiation trends. In high latitudes where surface albedo is high, the increase in TCF does not necessarily mean a decrease in net radiation although increased clouds reflect more incident solar radiation. This is because the reduction of sea ice albedo has a larger effect on the net radiation than the cloud increase. These model results were validated by the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) satellite data for 2001-2021. The correlation coefficients of TCF between CMIP6 and CERES are an average of −0.05, 0.32, and 0.2 in low, middle, and high latitudes for both hemispheres. Net radiation shows the correlation coefficients as an average of −0.18, 0.41, and 0.26 in low, middle, and high latitudes for both hemispheres. We will show cloud trends for each level (low, middle, and high) using CloudSat and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) data during 2007-2015 in order to investigate the contribution of vertical clouds to each zonal mean net radiation trend. This study would contribute to the enhancement of cloud parameterization in climate models.
Significant extension of the mesospheric Na layer bottom observed by a full-diurnal-cycle lidar
Authors: Xia Yuan , Jiao Jing , Nozawa Satonori , Cheng Xuewu , Wang Jihong , Shi Chunhua , Du Lifang , Li Yajuan , Zheng Haoran , Li Faquan , Yang Guotao
Published: February 2023

Based on the full-diurnal-cycle sodium (Na) lidar observations at Beijing (40.41°N, 116.01°E), we report pronounced downward extensions of the Na layer bottomside to below 75 km near mid-December, 2014. Considerable Na atoms were observed even as low as ~72 km, where Na atoms is short-lived. More interestingly, an unprecedented Na density of ~2500 atoms/cm3 around 75 km was observed on December 17, 2014. Such high Na atoms concentration was two orders of magnitude larger than that normally observed at the similar altitude region. Liberation of Na atoms from its reservoir (e.g., NaHCO3) near the Na layer bottom via neutral chemical reactions, which are accelerated by the largely increased temperature and concentrations of atomic H and O, is suggested to be the critical production mechanism of the enhanced Na layer below 75 km. The diurnal lidar measurements of the Na layer, zonal wind results from a nearby meteor radar, global satellite observations as well as reanalysis data presented here reveal the close correlation between the variation of Na layer bottom and planetary scale atmospheric processes. The longitudinal distributions of geopotential amplitudes of PW show that there exists unusual development of the amplitude of PW2, and the stratosphere near the lidar location is dominated by PW2 trough in mid-December. The out-of-phase temperature anomalies in the upper stratosphere and upper mesosphere are likely due to the modulation of GW filtering by stratosphere wind. The strong eastward wind in the upper stratosphere provides a favorable condition for the vertical propagation of westward GWs. Westward forcing could induce a poleward flow and drive downward circulation in the mesosphere, leading to adiabatic heating. Furthermore, the bottom enhancement on December 17, 2014 was also accompanied by clear wavy signatures in the main layer. The unprecedented Na density of ~2500 cm-3 near 75 km observed on December 17, 2014 is also greatly contributed by the adiabatic vertical motion of air parcel forced by the superposition of tide and GW.These results provide a clear observational evidence for the Na layer bottom response to the planetary-scale atmospheric perturbations in addition to tide and GW through affecting the chemical balance. These results also have implications for the response of the metal layer to vertical coupling between the lower atmosphere and the mesosphere.
Migrating straits, basins and archipelagos: open questions about the Neogene paleographic evolution of the Westernmost Mediterranean
Authors: Booth-Rea Guillermo , Ranero Cesar , Azañón Jose Miguel , Garrido Carlos J. , García-García Fernando
Published: February 2023

Paleogeographic reconstructions of the Western Mediterranean are often based on the present location of sedimentary outcrops. However, most geodynamic and biogeographic models for the region have highlighted the importance of up-to-hundreds of km of horizontal displacements of the terrains forming the western Mediterranean orogenic arcs since the early Miocene until the Pliocene. Here we update the known paleogeographic evolution for the westernmost Mediterranean, considering published biogeographic and recent new geological constraints, including paleontological, stratigraphic, tectonic kinematic data, seismic reflection lines, low-temperature thermochronological dating, detrital zircon age populations, among others. During the Burdigalian to Langhian the rocks of the Betic hinterland, corresponding to the Alboran domain, where exhumed in a forearc setting as far East as Mallorca, now located 450 to 700 km of their present outcrops. Those exhuming rocks floored sedimentary basins among an island archipelago. The land connection between Mallorca and Alboran domains continued until the Serravallian as attested by the shared fossils of vertebrate insular fauna and biogeographic data of different taxa including trap-door spiders, beetles and fresh-water planarians. The westward migration of the Alboran forearc archipelago and its overlying basins (currently forming the Betic intramontane and western Alboran basins) was concomitant to the Langhian to Tortonian opening of the Algero-Balearic back-arc basin and the retreat of the Betic-Rif subducted slab. At a smaller scale, the Granada supra-detachment intramontane basin moved > 100 km between the Tortonian and Present, implying that previously interpreted, emerged domains, like the Sierra Nevada island where either inexistent or in a different location during the Tortonian. Sediment interpreted to represent marine gateways around and through the Alboran archipelago in the westernmost Mediterranean, may have being partially deposited as far East as Mallorca, and probably migrated westwards from the Langhian to the late Pliocene in the Gibraltar straits. Of particular interest, is the Late Messinian to Late Pliocene westward migration of the Gibraltar straits documented by sedimentary onlap over erosive channels in the Western Alboran basin and marine terraces along its Betic and Rif shores. The above proposals are evolving questions concerning the Neogene paleogeographic evolution of the Western Mediterranean that may be tested by future work and drilling.
Syria Planum volcanic province, an example of diffuse volcanism on Mars: insights from vents distribution analysis and spatial clustering
Authors: Pozzobon Riccardo , Mazzarini Francesco , Isola Ilaria
Published: February 2023

Long-lasting widespread volcanism contributed to heavily shaping the surface of Mars. In fact, the Tharsis volcanic province is one of the largest volcanic provinces with the largest shield volcanoes of the Solar System, Mount Olympus and the NE-SE trending Tharsis Montes, namely Ascareaus, Pavonis and Arsia Mons.However, volcanism on Mars is characterized also by the presence of wide volcanic fields, either in form of small shields or monogenic cones. The region of Syria Planum (SP), located eastern to the Tharsis province and encompassed between Noctis Labyrinthus on the North and Claritas Fossae on the southwest, is an example of diffuse volcanism. SP presents hundreds of small edifices which insist on top of a large bulge roughly 300x200 km in size.New chronological results pointed out a complex magmatic history and volcano-tectonic evolution of the whole Tharsis and SP area spanning from the early-Noachian to the more recent times such as the 130 Ma of the Arsia Mons’ single caldera and the 140 Ma for the Pavonis Mons’ composite calderas. Although through the years SP has been considered the by-product of the enormous volcano-tectonic activity forming the Tharsis, it has been shown that this magmatic complex could be related to large multiple episodes of mantle upwelling forming minor edifices that do not necessarily overlap with the major volcanic centres. Moreover, the NW-SE elongated SP volcanic field grew just south of the Noctis Labyrinthus canyon systems that form a dissected highland and is located at the western tip of the Valles Marineris.In this work, we investigate the geometry of the plumbing system of the SP volcanic field as well as the structures (vent elongation and vent alignment) that fed the magma to forward a possible tectonic and volcanic evolution of the area. The spatial distribution of vents and the overall shape of the volcanic field have been studied in terms of vent clustering and spatial distribution. Moreover, analyzing the lineament pattern on SP and surrounding areas possible links with the formation and evolution of the Noctis Labyrinthus graben, the Valles Marineris and the Tharsis province are forwarded.
Interannual variability in ozone damage to tropical forests
Authors: Brown Flossie , Sitch Stephen , Folberth Gerd , Cheesman Alexander W.
Published: February 2023

Fire emissions include the ozone precursor NOx, which is often the limiting precursor in remote locations such as the tropical forests. In fact, interannual variability in tropical fire activity, which depends on meteorology and human activity, is highly correlated with variability in surface ozone concentration over the tropics. Additionally, drought years in Asia and South America show consistently higher fire activity and surface ozone concentrations compared to years without droughts. Since surface ozone is known to decrease plant productivity, higher ozone concentrations during drought events may reduce strength of the land carbon sink. On the other hand, drought events may protect plants from ozone damage by causing a decrease in stomatal conductance. Thus, the net impact will be the balance of these opposing effects, and will likely vary by region. As climate change may increase the frequency of drought events in the tropics, an understanding of present-day relationships between drought events, fire activity and surface ozone concentrations will help inform of current and future risks of plant-ozone damage in the tropics.Using climate model predictions of surface ozone concentration from 1996 – 2015, we show that annual mean ozone concentrations over the Amazon are up to 10 ppb higher during drought years compared to years without drought due to variability in fire activity. We then use a land surface model to show that net primary productivity loss due to plant-ozone damage in the Amazon is largest during drought years at the basin scale. The majority of the productivity loss occurs around the arc of deforestation in the Southern Hemisphere, whereas a reduction in stomatal conductance protects the Northern Hemisphere Amazon from ozone damage during drought years. Given that the interannual variability in carbon lost from plant-ozone damage is predicted to be of similar magnitude to that from direct fire emission (~ 200 Tg C), we highlight a need to consider plant sensitivity to ozone, especially for agriculture and secondary forests in the arc of deforestation. 
Assessing the impact of climate change on Hydrological regime of Afghan catchments
Authors: Shokory Jamal , Horton Pascal , Schaefli Bettina , Lane Stuart
Published: February 2023

Rapid climate change is impacting water resources in Afghanistan, a country in the western Himalaya that is poorly developed in terms of scientific research and environmental monitoring. It is a semi-arid to arid country of Central Asia where livelihoods and economies have developed to be strongly dependent upon mountain water resources, and where snow- and glacier-melt delivers 80% of Afghanistan’s water supply. Rising average global temperatures and glacier shrinkage pose a significant threat to water supply. Once glaciers shrink to a certain size, “peak water” will be reached. Water supply will decline. If winter snowfall declines, or becomes more variable, glaciers are less likely to compensate for the associated water shortage that results, a process that will be compounded by continuing population growth and groundwater over-abstraction.
In order to understand the implications of glacier recession now and in the future with relative contributions of ice, snow and other components to water supply for Afghan water resources, three representative catchments were selected based on their locations and data availability. The TaqchaKhana catchment (264.4 km2 area with 3.1% glacier cover) in the north; the Sust catchment (4609 km2 area with 16% glacier cover) in the east; and the Bamyan catchment (325.3 km2 area with 0.7% glacier cover) in the center of Afghanistan. Climate and streamflow data for 2012 to 2019 obtained from Ministry of Energy and Water of Afghanistan.
In this study the glacier and snowmelt – soil contribution (GSM-SOCONT) hydrological model was modified to allow a simple representation of the effects of debris cover development on ice melt which is commonly overlooked in hydrological models of mountain water resources. The model was individually calibrated for each catchment based on Shuffled Complex Evolution Algorithm (SCE-UA), with the best parameters taken after 20,000 iterations. Eight regional climate models (RCMs) under two scenarios (2.6 and 8.5) were used in the model to simulate future streamflow in the catchments. The RCMs were bias corrected using non-parametric statistical transformation. Future glacier evolution was introduced to the model using a very simple propagation of current measured glacier recession rates into the future. After calibration on data for the periods 2012-2019 and an associated uncertainty analysis, the models were deemed sufficient to understand the relative importance of different sources to water supply and to predict future water supply. The current contributions from glacier melt were observed to be 70% for the Sust catchment, 49% for the TaqchaKhana catchment, and 11% for the Bamyan catchment. Future climate conditions initially increased the ice melt contribution for the Sust and the TaqchaKhana but reduced it for the Bamyan, confirming our hypothesis that direct effects of changing temperature and precipitation in Afghanistan are likely masked by a glacial subsidy.
A Temperature Profile Atlas based on Representative Profiles
Authors: Jamaer Sebastiaan , van Lipzig Nicole , Allaerts Dries , Meyers Johan
Published: February 2023

Vertical temperature profiles influence the wind power generation of large offshore wind farms through stability-dependent effects such as blockage and gravity waves. However, wind energy resource assessments often only consider idealized temperature profiles, which are not guaranteed to represent the atmospheric state and its variation. To assist the selection of atmospheric states, we created a temperature profile atlas and representative temperature profiles for Europe. To achieve this, we developed a new, generally applicable, analytical temperature model for the atmospheric boundary layer and lower troposphere with which the European temperature profiles over the period 2016-2020 are analyzed using a double clustering approach. This methodology results in eight representative profiles and spatial clusters with similarly behaving temperature profiles, which are quantified in cluster fingerprints. These representative profiles and cluster fingerprints can be used in the selection of background profiles for wind energy simulations such as LES models and can furthermore be used to make informed comparisons of results from different wind farm sites.
Total terrestrial water storage modeling at sub-monthly and monthly timescales over Iran using line-of-sight gravity differences data and a spherical cap harmonic basis function
Authors: Feizi Mohsen , Raoofian-naeeni mehdi , Flury Jakob
Published: February 2023

Every year, 4 billion cubic meters of irreversible underground water from Iran is pumped to the earth's surface, exposing Iran's freshwater supplies to indiscriminate and poorly managed withdrawals. The future basins water supply in central and northern Iran is projected to face significant challenges due to the rising demand for groundwater on the one hand, and the high rate of irrigation and overexploitation of water resources in some places, on the other. So investigating, monitoring and prediction of total terrestrial water storage modelling always plays crucial role to obtain more information about climate changes of the Iran.

The GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) and GRACE Follow-On (FO) satellite gravity missions enable global monitoring of the mass transport within the Earth’s system, leading to our understanding of the global water cycle in the climate changes of the Earth. The GRACE satellites provide signals of total terrestrial water storage (TWS) variations at different timescales. While the parametrization using GRACE gravity data has been extensively used to assess spatial-temporal changes in TWS, little effort has been made to exhibit mass variation based on regional harmonic basis function.

This study focuses on the parametrization (especially in the higher frequency domain) for TWS variations at sub monthly and monthly time scales over Iran using LGD (Line of sight Gravity Differences) data obtained by GRACE-FO missions based on a regional harmonic basis function. We will apply regional harmonic basis functions. i.e. spherical cap harmonic (SCH) functions to provide nearly full extracting of gravitational signal over a spherical cap region that are generally underestimated by GRACE Level2 product. In particular, we analyzed whether the estimated storage component represented the TWS variations at monthly and sub-monthly temporal scales, and whether the estimated component is consistent across small to large spatial scales.

 
Developing a natural catastrophe model for European winter windstorms, an insurer’s perspective
Authors: Diouf Anyssa , Perotin Tristan , Rakotoarimanga Hugo , Déroche Madeleine-Sophie
Published: February 2023

European windstorms are powerful extratropical cyclones mostly taking place during the winter months, and are one of Europe’s costliest natural disasters. The close study and assessment of this risk has therefore been essential for the insurance industry concerned. Typically, insurers resort to physical natural catastrophe models developed by third-party companies to analyze the risk, as they capture its components of hazard (events frequency and severity), exposure (insured assets values), and vulnerability (assets' damageability to given hazard intensities). AXA proposes a modeling methodology to produce a hazard catalog of synthetic windstorm events, and a vulnerability module, built around publicly available, purchased, or internal data. The hazard catalog is created using a meteorological feature tracking algorithm to extract trajectories and footprints of European windstorms in CMIP6 and ECMWF-ERA5 data. The catalog is then enriched to become a 10,000-year stochastic catalog by physically resampling original events with a perturbation technique, and statistically downscaling them to a 4-km resolution. The vulnerability, that yields damage ratios from local windspeed intensities, predicts the expected probability of claim occurrence and a distribution of conditional damage ratios based on wind gust value and exposure risk drivers. The model shows good backtesting performances at continental scale on market and AXA exposure. It is fully integrated within AXA's modelling ecosytem and is operationnally used to assess one of the major risks faced by the Group. 
Spatio-temporal patterns of chemical gradients around roots investigated with µXRF and X-ray CT
Authors: Lippold Eva , Schlüter Steffen , Kilian Rüdiger , Braatz Eric , Mikutta Robert , Vetterlein Doris
Published: February 2023

Chemical gradients around roots are formed by water uptake and selective uptake of elements and thereby triggered radial transport processes. Gradients on different root segments are expected to vary in magnitude, e.g. root age determines duration of root-soil-contact and thus the dimension of depletion or accumulation zones. Current knowledge with respect to chemical rhizosphere gradients is primarily based on linearized (compartmentalized) or pseudo-linearized (rhizobox) systems, which do not represent the radial geometry of transport to and from roots. Within the DFG-funded Priority Program 2089 we developed a new targeted sampling on undisturbed samples containing different root segments to overcome these shortcomings.In order to evaluate the temporal change of root system architecture, we apply X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) and advanced tools of image analysis and registration, as the direct observation of roots in a 3D system is hindered by the non-transparency of soil.This allows a targeted sampling of specific root ages/types by extracting intact subsamples (ø 1.6 cm) from larger pots (ø 7 cm), in which the plants were grown. To investigate the influence of soil texture and root age on the formation of chemical gradients, this new subsampling protocol was first tested in a pot experiment with two Zea mays L. genotypes  (the wild-type (WT) and the corresponding mutant defective in root hair elongation (rth3)) grown for three weeks in two different textures (sand vs. loam). Resin embedded subsamples containing either segments of the primary root or young roots were imaged with micro X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) to evaluate element distributions as a function of distance to the root surfaces. First results show a higher precipitation of calcium and sulfur in the vicinity of the primary root than in the vicinity of young roots indicating an age effect. Magnitude and extend of the gradient differs between sand and loam. 