bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of spatiotemporal variability in South American wildfire emissions and its impacts on CO concentrations
Authors: Velasquez Garcia Maria Paula , Pope Richard , Turnock Steven , Chipperfield Martyn
Published: March 2024

Wildfires in South America are a significant concern, causing high emissions and deforestation rates. They affect air quality, radiation balance, and sensitive ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest. Wildfires are expected to intensify with future land use and climate changes, making it crucial to enhance decision-making tools. Models of atmospheric composition, combined with wildfire emissions inventories, support decision-making by simulating events and their impacts on air quality. There are currently a range of wildfire/biomass burning emission inventories, which all use different approaches. This can lead to substantial differences in estimated emissions and thus impacts on atmospheric composition estimation.  This study aims to assess four inventories (2004-2022) in South America: Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED), Fire INventory from NCAR (FINN), Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS) and Brazilian Biomass Burning Emission Model (3BEM-FRP), focussing on carbon monoxide (CO) given its relatively large emission and complementary satellite missions retrieving atmospheric CO. Our results analyse the temporal consistency in the emission seasonal cycles from the inventories and quantify the spatial agreement/differences between them. We also exploit the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) retrieved CO to assess the links between emission inventory tendencies with that of the atmospheric temporal evolution. Finally, we use an offline version of the INteractive Fire and Emission algoRithm for Natural envirOnments (INFERNO) model, within the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) framework to investigate simulated skill of emissions of CO against the observational constraints above as INFERNO is the fire model of choice in the UK Earth System Model (UKESM).
A submerged Late Pleistocene hunting structure in the Western Baltic Sea
Authors: Geersen Jacob , Bradtmöller Marcel , Schneider von Deimling Jens , Feldens Peter , Auer Jens , Held Philipp , Lohrberg Arne , Supka Ruth , Hoffmann Jasper , Eriksen Berit Valentin , Rabbel Wolfgang , Karlsen Hans-Jörg , Krastel Sebastian , Heuskin David , Brandt David , Lübke Harald
Published: March 2024

After the retreat of the Weichselian glaciers, Northern Europe was populated by highly mobile hunter-gatherer groups. Traces of these societies are difficult to find, hampering our understanding of their life. Some remote basins of the western Baltic Sea, however, only drowned in the Holocene, and it has recently been postulated, that they preserve architectures from the Stone Age, that did not survive on land. In 2021 we documented the Blinkerwall, a stonewall megastructure located in 21 m water depth in the Bay of Mecklenburg, Germany. Shipborne and autonomous underwater vehicle hydroacoustic data as well as optical images show that the wall is composed of about 1700 stones, predominantly less than 1 m in height, placed side by side over 971 m in a way that argues against a natural origin by glacial transport or ice push ridges. Combining this information with sedimentological samples, radiocarbon dates, and a geophysical reconstruction of the paleo-landscape, we suggest that the wall was likely used as a drive lane for hunting during the late Pleistocene or earliest Holocene. Ranging among the oldest hunting structures on Earth and the largest Stone Age structures in Europe, the Blinkerwall will become important for understanding subsistence strategies, mobility patterns, and inspire discussions concerning the territorial development in the Western Baltic Sea region.
Factors of influence on flood risk perceptions related to Hurricane Dorian: an assessment of heuristics, time dynamics and accuracy of risk perceptions
Authors: de Wolf Laurine , Robinson Peter , Botzen Wouter , Haer Toon , Mol Jantsje , Czajkowski Jeffrey
Published: March 2024

Flood damage caused by hurricanes is expected to rise globally due to climate and socio-economic change. Enhanced flood preparedness among the coastal population is required to reverse this trend. The decisions and actions taken by individuals are thought to be influenced by risk perceptions. This study investigates the determinants that shape flood risk perceptions, as well as the factors that drive flood risk misperceptions of coastal residents. We conducted a survey among 871 residents in flood-prone areas in Florida during a five-day period in which the respondents were threatened to be flooded by Hurricane Dorian. This approach allows for assessing temporal dynamics in flood risk perceptions during an evolving hurricane threat. Among 255 of the same households, a follow-up survey was conducted to examine how flood risk perceptions vary after Hurricane Dorian failed to make landfall in Florida. Our results show that the flood experience and social norms have the most consistent relationship with flood risk perceptions. Furthermore, participants indicated that their level of worry regarding the dangers of flooding decreased after the near-miss of Hurricane Dorian, compared to their feelings of worry during the hurricane event. Based on our findings, we offer recommendations for improving flood risk communication policies
Assessing the stability of glacial-interglacial cycles: a stochastic model analysis of Earth system resilience
Authors: Harteg Jakob S. , Wunderling Nico , Klose Ann Kristin , Donges Jonathan F.
Published: March 2024

Earth system stability commonly denotes the continuation of the Holocene's relatively stable climatic and ecological conditions essential for human civilisation, whereas Earth resilience describes the Earth system’s ability to recover from significant disturbances, such as the transgression of any of the nine planetary boundaries. Given the nature of the Earth system as a non-autonomous, stochastic, non-linear system, it is not clear what exactly constitutes stable states, semi-stable states or mere transients. An alternative approach is to regard the glacial-interglacial cycle as a stable attractor and thus ask, how stable or resilient is this cycle to perturbations? The answer could provide insights relevant for contextualising the embedded transitions of critical tipping points happening on much shorter time scales.In this study, we explore the stability and resilience of the glacial-interglacial cycle using a conceptual climate model developed by Talento and Ganopolski (2021), based on atmospheric CO2 concentration, global mean temperature, and global ice volume. The model is driven by astronomical forcing and replicates the ice age cycles of the last 800,000 years with a correlation of 0.86. Following the classical idea of Hasselmann, we have extended this model with additive noise to represent unresolved processes. An analysis of an ensemble of trajectories reveals periods of significant divergence and convergence, indicating that the model’s sensitivity to noise varies in response to astronomical forcing. We have further applied a transfer operator approach in an attempt to identify stable and decaying states of the model and to study their evolution with changes in astronomical forcing. Findings shed light on the complexity and sensitivity of the Earth system's dynamics.References:Talento, S., & Ganopolski, A. (2021). Reduced-complexity model for the impact of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on future glacial cycles. Earth System Dynamics, 12(4), 1275-1293.
Lake Zapovednoe's Molten Fragments of Tunguska Airburst in 1908
Authors: Smrčinová Lucie , Kletetschka Gunther , Štorc Richard , Švecová Eva , Goliáš Viktor , Vondrák Daniel
Published: March 2024

The Tunguska airburst occurred on June 30, 1908 and it was most likely caused by the impact of the Tunguska cosmic body (TCB). It is not clear what the origin of the TCB was as no impact craters or possible body remains have been found to date. We studied the possible molten fragments of the TCB found in lacustine sediments of Zapovednoe Lake, a water body which is located ~60 km west from the airburst epicentre. Lake sediment cores which were retrieved from the lake contained an event layer dated to 1908–1910 CE. This layer included microscopical molten fragments and anomalous composition. Three short cores (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3) were extracted in the central part of Zapovednoe Lake using a Kajak gravity corer. We used an X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for lake sediment characterization. Magnetic spherules (MSPs) and other magnetic grains were extracted from ZP1 by standard magnetic separation technique and all MSPs were identified with SEM and characterized using elemental microanalysis. We performed XRF analyses of 2 or 5 mm thick slices of the sediment cores and evaluated the concentrations and ratios of individual elements. Sediment samples of ZP2 were used for core dating, using gamma spectrometry for the specific activity of 210Pb, 137Cs, and 226Ra isotopes similar to the record from nearby Suzdalevo Lake. Radioisotope activities revealed the age consistent with the year 1908 CE. The gamma spectrometry results were in good agreement with the XRF measurements, where the event layer had increased concentrations of lithogenic elements, such as Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Cu and Mn. The SEM analysis revealed that molten fragments were indeed found among the potential MSPs extracted from the event layer and adjacent layers. These spherical melts were rich in iron and most of them were found at depth corresponding to the event layer. Only a small portion of MSPs was found in the adjacent layers. Our results revealed the presence of the TCB airburst event layer. The anomalous event layer resulted from increased erosion in the Zapovednoe Lake catchment. However, massive tree falls and subsequent wildfires from the airburst likely contributed to the anomalous elemental composition of the lake sediment as well. We found for the first time in lake sediments preserved MSPs which come from the melts produced by the TCB airburst and may contain an extraterrestrial material.
Impact of Nesting Techniques Over Short-Term WRF Forecast Accuracy
Authors: Çatal A. Cem , Arık Aysu , Yılmaz M. Tuğrul , Yücel İsmail
Published: March 2024

Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) plays a crucial role in studying atmospheric dynamics and investigating the mesoscale weather prediction phenomena. However, WRF model offers lots of different configurations for physics, dynamics, and domain options that need to be investigated. From these configurations, domain options offer nesting techniques which may affect the fundamental structure and the performance of the simulations. Nesting options may impact the representation of fine-scale processes by increasing the resolution for the desired domain, compared to single-domain simulations. Existing studies on comparison of different nesting configurations in mesoscale domains are limited. This study presents a comparative analysis of three different nesting configurations in the WRF model over Türkiye. Accuracy of WRF-based short-term (24 to 48 hourly) temperature, wind, and precipitation forecasts over a 30-day period in November 2021 is investigated utilizing ground-station based observations. Three different model configurations are investigated: single domain, one-way feedback nested, and two-way feedback nested runs for the same time period and region. Root mean square error (RMSE), error standard deviation, and correlation coefficient were calculated for all three configurations. This study contributes to the optimization of nesting configurations in WRF mesoscale weather predictions, aiding decision-making processes reliant on accurate short-term forecasts in Türkiye.
Spatio-temporal AI downscaling of ERA5-land precipitation estimates
Authors: Glawion Luca , Polz Julius , Kunstmann Harald , Fersch Benjamin , Chwala Christian
Published: March 2024

Generative deep learning models have been proven to have great potential for precipitation nowcasting and downscaling applications. spateGAN [1] is a conditional generative neural network that we initially developed for spatio-temporal superresolution of radar-rainfall in Germany. Here, we apply the model for downscaling of ERA5-land precipitation estimates and discuss the specific challenges that arise in such an application. While ERA5 data are vital in climate science, their limited grid size and temporal resolution (1 hour and 0.1°, ERA5 global: 0.25°) hinder accurate representation of e.g. convective rainfall events. To address these limitations, we trained a physical constraint spateGAN to enhance the resolution of time sequences of ERA5 land precipitation patches towards the resolution of RADKLIM-YW, a high-resolution (5 minutes and 1 km) rain-gauge-adjusted radar product tailored for Germany which we used as a training target. Additionally, for comprehensive validation, we assessed the Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor (MRMS) radar product for the United States. The downscaled rainfields produced by spateGAN exhibit coherent spatio-temporal patterns and an improved representation of extreme values. Employing an ensemble approach, by generating multiple high-resolution solutions by shifting model input patches both pixel- and timewise, further enhances the quality of the downscaling product, quantified by Continuous Ranked Probability Score (CRPS), ensemble Fractions Skill Score (FSS), and rank histograms. Furthermore, our analysis of downscaled MRMS data highlights spateGAN's applicability for global downscaling applications and beyond its original training region. In summary, our findings show the feasibility of generating a global  high-resolution precipitation product based on ERA5. Such a product holds significant promise for various environmental applications, including in-depth analyses of rainfall variability on a fine-scaled global grid, impact assessments of extreme rainfall events, expanded possibilities for climate and hydrological model calibration and evaluation and as training data for AI weather forecasting models. [1] Glawion, L., Polz, J., Kunstmann, H., Fersch, B., Chwala, C. (2023): spateGAN: Spatio-Temporal Downscaling of Rainfall Fields Using a cGAN Approach. Earth and Space Science. 10(10). e2023EA002906. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EA002906. 
Monitoring pedestrian heat stress in Greater Paris
Authors: Kamara James , Filaine Frédéric , Grados Arnaud , Filaoui Nassim , Chaix Basile , Bigorgne Julien , Hendel Martin , Royon Laurent
Published: March 2024

Urban heat islands, combined with extreme heat waves, can provoke a public health risk. During the 2003 heat wave in Paris, strong correlations were observed between nighttime outdoor air temperatures and mortality [1]. However, previous studies only focus on outdoor nighttime air temperatures when citizens are sleeping, without linking these observations with the heat stress they may have been exposed to during the day or in their apartment. This standpoint is one of the principal aims of  “Heat waves, urban Health islands, Health: a mobile sensing approach” (H3Sensing ANR research project) by adopting citizen science methods in order to measure heat stress exposure over several days as well as physiological parameters. Mobile measurements of microclimatic parameters [2] allow us to characterize and map heat stress exposures [3] in Greater Paris. Stationary measurements in apartments and surveys will complete the data set which will be combined with measured physiological data.Initial prototyping and testing of the microclimatic measurement kits and sensor characterization are presented and perspectives discussed. Besides, the constraints related to the prototype, such as using low-cost sensors or battery autonomy, will be discussed too. References:[1] Karine Laaidi, Abdelkrim Zeghnoun, Bénédicte Dousset, Philippe Bretin, Stéphanie Vandentorren, Emmanuel Giraudet and Pascal Beaudeau.(2011). The Impact of Heat Islands on Mortality in Paris during the August 2003 Heat Wave, Environmental Health Perspectives.[2] Riccardo Bartoli, Frédéric Filaine, Sophie Parison and Martin Hendel. (2022). Development of a portable device for measuring thermal stress of a pedestrian (in French). CIFQ 2022, Paris(France).[3]  Ilaria Pigliautile, Anna Laura Pisello.A new wearable monitoring system for investigating pedestrians' environmental conditions: Development of the experimental tool and start-up findings, CIRIAF ‐ Interuniversity Research Center, (Elsevier B.V.), University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy, (2018).
Petrogenetic evolution of post-collisional paleoproterozoic mafic dykes from the contact of Bastar Craton and Eastern Ghat Mobile Belt, India: Insights from petrology, geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-Os isotopes. 
Authors: Singh Mahendra Kumar , Pandey Rohit , Belyatsky Boris , Rao Nittala Venkata Chalapathi , Naskar Sourav , Singh Km Minu
Published: March 2024

We reported post-collisional paleoproterozoic mafic dykes (NNW and EW trends) from the diamondiferous Mesoproterozoic (1.1 Ga.) Nuapada Lamproite Field (NLF) at the tectonic contact of Bastar Craton and the Eastern Ghat Mobile Belt, India. The study of these mafic dykes provides significant information about the crust-mantle interaction or the recycling of oceanic crust in the mantle. We presented here the detailed petrological evolution and significance of these mafic dykes. The studied mafic dykes are unmetamorphosed, ophitic to subophitic in nature, and the presence of hydrous phases (amphibole and mica-5 to 10 modal%) is a characteristic feature of these mafic dykes. Geochemically, dykes are basaltic to basaltic-andesitic in nature and show calc-alkaline affinity. The chondrite normalised REE diagrams depict slightly enriched LREE in comparison to HREE, with (La/Yb)N ranging between 1.5 and 6.2 indicating moderate degrees of partial melting of the mantle source. The flat and elevated pattern of HREE indicates lack of prominent garnet control in the source, especially in NNW trending dykes. Furthermore, the Sm vs Sm/Yb diagram shows that the E-W dykes have been derived from ~10% partial melting of spinel-garnet lherzolite whereas NNW trending mafic dykes were also derived from the similar source but with varying degrees of melting with ~15% partial melting. In primitive mantle normalised multielement distribution diagram, all dykes shows enrichment of LILEs and the negative anomalies of HFSEs like Nb, Ta, Ti. The dykes have high Ba/Yb ratio and moderately enriched εNdt, εHft (2 to -5.01 and - 3.2 to -11.2), along with the positive γOs(t) [192 to 727; high Re/Os ratio (3.3 to 34.1) are consistent with their enriched nature which is brought up by the subduction metasomatised source. The 206Pb/204Pb vs 207Pb/204Pb and 206Pb/204Pb vs 208Pb/204Pb plots reveal the NLF mafic dykes plot very close to upper continental crust and follows a global orogenic trend, supporting recycling of the crust which is trap by the dykes. The studied NLF mafic dykes are inferred to have been derived from a , long-lived enriched source and also tapped EM-1 type reservoir which was subsequently modified and hydrated through slab dehydration process. The NLF mafic dykes have very close geochemical and isotopic similarity with 1.88 Ga. Narayanpur-Kondagaon mafic dykes from the Bastar Craton (Panda et al., 2023) and treated as same magmatic event. The origin and the emplacement of these dykes are related to the assembly of the Columbia supercontinent.Reference:  Aurovinda Panda et al. (2023).Precambrian Research, 393, 107090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2023.107090   
Vegetation canopy water estimation from optical satellite observations
Authors: Ma Hongliang , Weiss Marie , Malik Daria , Berthelot Beatrice , Yebra Marta , Mialon Arnaud , Zeng Jiangyuan , Nolan Rachael , Tagesson Torbern , Baret Frederic
Published: March 2024

Vegetation canopy water (VCW) plays one connecting role in the coupling of terrestrial carbon-water cycles, and together with soil moisture, identifying the main changes of the terrestrial ecosystem. With regard to the remote sensing technologies, microwave-based VOD (vegetation optical depth) has been widely used as the VCW proxy. The feature of coarse resolution especially for microwave passive as well as mixing of vegetation water and biomass together would limit its more precise application. In spite of some efforts for the hyperspectral thermal and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) limited in regional areas, as well as optical indices and initial efforts for AVHRR and SNAP from optical remote sensing, there are still no global operational and mature VCW product in the science community.To bridge the research gap, this study proposed the unified VCW retrieval algorithm for optical satellites, by improving the methodology developed with some first attempts (e.g., machine learning trained on PROSAIL radiative transfer model simulations). The improvements were implemented by comprehensively parametrizing the VCW related variables (i.e., leaf traits and soil background) in PROSAIL model, based on the largest open integrated global plants (TRY) and soil spectral (OSSL) databases, respectively. In PROSAIL, VCW is expressed as the product of green/leaf area per horizontal ground area (LAI, cm2/cm2) and leaf water content per green area (Cw, g/cm2). In the proposed algorithm, we bridge the quantitative relationship between VCW (LAI *Cw) and simulated TOC reflectance using the machine learning model.The algorithm was assessed for Landsat8 and Sentinel-2, using the ground measurements distributed over diverse climate and biome types worldwide. The results indicate that the developed VCW exhibits satisfactory performance, with R of 0.731 and unbiased RMSE (ubRMSE) of 0.055 g/cm2. Moreover, the proposed VCW achieves reasonable spatial patterns and seasonal changes over diverse vegetation types. The developed VCW product in this study is expected to provide new insights for monitoring global or regional vegetation water variations from optical satellites. With the strength of high spatial resolution compared to the microwave ones in the remote sensing community, the developed VCW would further facilitate the better hydro-ecological applications, especially for the terrestrial carbon-water couplings through vegetation, drought monitoring etc.
Phytoplankton predictability in the Tropical Atlantic - triggered by nutrient pulses from the South
Authors: Fransner Filippa , Bachèlery Marie-Lou , Koseki Shunya , Rivas David , Keenlyside Noel , Barrier Nicolas , Lengaigne Matthieu , Maury Olivier
Published: March 2024

The variability and predictability of the Tropical Atlantic primary productivity remains little explored on interannual-to-decadal time scales. Here, we  present the results of two studies, in which find a decadal scale variability in phytoplankton abundance that can be predicted three years ahead. The predictions are made with NorCPM, which is a fully coupled climate prediction model with ocean biogeochemistry that assimilates temperature and salinity to reconstruct past variability. From these reconstructions, predictions are initialized that are run freely ten years ahead. We find that the predictability is a result of nutrient pulses that are advected with the southern branch of the South Equatorial Current from the most southern part of the Atlantic, and that then get caught in the Equatorial undercurrent before they reach the surface in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean. A more detailed analysis is being done in order to pinpoint the underlying mechanisms in a forced ocean model, where we find a link to the Pan-Atlantic decadal oscillation.
Hydrocarbon Microseepage Detection Using Image Analysis Approach for North East Region India
Authors: Kumar Nitesh , Ahmad Adnan , Pal Arnab Kumar , Nair Archana M
Published: March 2024

The vertical movement of hydrocarbons such as oil and gas that traverse through fractures and faults zones in rocks and weak planes between geological layers from the Earth’s subsurface to the surface form seepage at the surface, known as microseepage. Hydrocarbon microseepage is a key indicator to detect potential oil and gas reservoirs regions. Hydrocarbon microseepage leads to alterations in geobotanic characteristics and mineral composition resulting change in the concentration of ferrous iron, clay, and carbonate minerals. These mineral alterations are indicative of potential hydrocarbon microseepage locations, suggesting the presence of underlying oil and gas reservoirs. The altered regions exhibit distinctive reflectance spectral characteristics that can be identified through remote sensing imagery. This study is focused on detecting the hydrocarbon microseepage using image analysis in North Eastern regions of India. Sentinel-2 imagery was used to identify surface features associated with microseepage. A fuzzy set-based approach was employed to integrate the outcomes of band indices to determine geobotanic anomalies and mineral alteration.  Each selected band indices were treated as fuzzy sets, with defined membership functions. The membership degree of each pixel, reflecting the likelihood of specific altered minerals, was then calculated. The study demonstrates that areas with healthy vegetation exhibit higher pixel values, while regions experiencing stress due to microseepage display lower pixel values. By comparing the hydrocarbon exploration map (Source - VEDAS GIS ISRO) with the vegetation stress map, it was found that the several places in study area with high stress values, falls under the hydrocarbon prospect area. This analysis allows for the identification and mapping of potential petroleum prospect regions and zones where vegetation is under stress. By observing the variations in pixel values, we can effectively delineate areas with healthy vegetation and those affected by the impact of hydrocarbon microseepage, providing valuable insights into the characterisation of petroleum prospects and stressed vegetation zones within the study area. The analysis can be further improved by incorporating high resolution images followed by ground truthing.
Microbial resistance and resilience to drought across a European climate gradient
Authors: Winterfeldt Sara , Cruz-Paredes Carla , Rousk Johannes , Leizeaga Ainara
Published: March 2024

Drought and rainfall events are becoming more frequent and intense. At the same time, soil moisture is one of the main factors controlling soil microbial processes. Microorganisms release carbon into the atmosphere via respiration, but also accumulate carbon in the soil via microbial growth. When challenged with drought, microbial communities are thought to have two different responses: (1) they can maintain growth rates during drought (i.e., resistance) and (2) growth rates can recover faster when the drought ends (i.e., resilience). Microbial communities are also shaped by many other aspects of the soil environment, however how those interact with drought remains unclear.
Here we investigated how differences in climate and soil properties determine microbial drought resistance and resilience. To do so, we used a climate gradient of 40 soils across Europe ranging from the Arctic to Southern Mediterranean. Sites were also selected to represent a wide range of soil properties that were likely drivers of microbial responses, includingsoil organic matter, pH, and soil texture. Microbial community composition was estimated at the start of the experiment. Microbial growth was measured during dry-down to determine resistance and up to 72h after rewetting to determine drought resilience.
We found that bacterial alpha diversity was the strongest driver of both bacterial resistance and resilience. This was most probably due to changes in pH, where higher pH coincided with higher alpha diversity, which increased bacterial resistance and resilience. This suggests that high diversity helps maintain bacterial functions during drought. Climate was the second most important driver, where bacterial communities from arid climates showed higher resistance and resilience than those from humid climates. Moreover, the bacterial community composition was linked to resilience and could be associated with shifts in the relative abundance of specific taxa. We also found that fungal communities were both more resistant and resilient compared to bacteria, but fungal resistance and resilience were unaffected by the climate and measured soil properties. These findings show that bacteria are more sensitive to drought and rainfall events than fungi. In addition, we found no evidence of a trade-off between resistance and resilience for bacteria or fungi, meaning that a community with high resistance does not have low resilience or vice versa.
Taken together, higher diversity and drier climates favoured both more resistant and resilient bacterial communities which could be linked to differences in community composition. Our study provides a space-for-time substitution that can be used to predict microbial responses to a changing climate. Our results imply, that if soils become drier or are managed to promote bacterial diversity, that increased bacterial growth during drought perturbations will promote soil carbon storage.
Determining Gaseous Emissions from a Novel Pig Housing System with Outdoor Space: Comparison of Different Measurement Approaches
Authors: Sefeedpari Paria , Xie Fei , Aarnink André J.A.
Published: March 2024

To address the growing demand for environmental and animal-friendly housing with outdoor space, there is a need for reliable techniques to quantify gaseous emissions. However, there is limited research on measurement methods to determine gaseous emissions from these housing systems. Therefore, this study focuses on developing measurement techniques to assess gaseous emissions from a novel concept of a welfare-friendly pig housing system with an outdoor run in the Netherlands. This concept employs measures like an optimal pen design and a daily excreta removal system where urine and faeces are directly separated. Within this concept new-born piglets stay in the same pen until slaughter weight is reached, promoting better excretion behaviour. The outdoor yard is designed with both slatted and solid flooring, aiding pigs in distinguishing between excretion and lying areas. This design feature is intended to contribute to the reduction of emissions and enhance animal welfare.In the current study, to measure emissions and assess the potential for emission reduction, diverse techniques are outlined. Measurements are conducted at both barn and pen levels, employing the micro-meteorological technique coupled with inverse dispersion modeling, and N (and P/K) balance methods at the barn level. The micro-meteorological method measures gas concentrations upwind and downwind as well as the wind parameters, utilizing a modelling approach, i.e. the backward Lagrangian stochastic model, emission rates are computed. The N (and P/K) balance method estimates nitrogen emissions by measuring inputs, animal discharge, and nitrogen content in feces and urine during a balance period. At the pen level, local measurements are conducted to identify sources of ammonia emissions and quantify the emissions from the surface source by using an enclosure method, the fast box measurement system. The urine composition of all pig categories is assessed for NH4-N and urea-N content, as well as pH, through the collection of fresh urine. Urease activity on the solid floor inside and outside the pig house is determined using standard methods. Ammonia emissions from the urine-contaminated solid floor and solid floor with straw are measured at various temperatures and air velocities in the measurement box. Additionally, the urine-soiled area of the inside and outside solid floor, along with the frequency of urine discharges in different locations of the pen is determined using (heat) cameras. This information is then utilized to calculate ammonia emissions through an existing model.The study comprises two phases: development and optimization, followed by implementation. Overall, this research aims to formulate a protocol for emission measurements and determination of the emission factors, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of emissions from pig housing systems with an outdoor run, and promoting more sustainable and eco-friendly housing systems.
Advancing Marine Ecosystem Conservation with the Global Fish Tracking System on the Destination Earth Service Platform
Authors: Odaka Tina , Fouilloux Anne , Wiesmann Daniel , Autret Emmanuelle , Woillez Mathieu , Ragan-Kelley Benjamin
Published: March 2024

The Global Fish Tracking System (GFTS) project is dedicated to enhancing our understanding of wild fish essential habitats, particularly focusing on sea bass, a species of significant economic importance and addresses a recognized information gap highlighted by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The lack of accurate data on these habitats poses challenges in formulating effective conservation policies. The project builds up on a large-scale tagging experiment on adult sea bass along the French coastlines, generating biologging data, and develops innovative software tools on the Destination Earth Service Platform (DESP), based on the Pangeo ecosystem and the pangeo-fish model, to geolocate fish and estimate their movement patterns based on various data sources.The project will make use of Climate Change Adaptation data from the Climate Digital Twin (Routine and On-Demand for some higher resolution tracking), Sea Temperature observation (Model, Satellite, in-situ) from Copernicus Marine services (Sea temperature and associated value), Bathymetry (Gebco) and biologging in-situ data obtained from tagged-fish. Leveraging the Pangeo Infrastructure on the Destination Earth Service Platform (DESP), tools like pangeo-fish adhere to FAIR and TRUST principles to address challenges in estimating sea bass behaviour and movement by integrating modelling techniques and developing a Decision Support Tool (DST) for "what-if" scenario planning. The technical framework, including Xarray and Dask, facilitates scalable computations, while collaborative development on GitHub ensures an iterative, open-science approach. The model and approach developed are applicable across different scales, species, and regions, offering an adaptable platform for sustainable marine ecosystem conservation.The impact of the project is twofold. In the short term, it introduces the GFTS and a Decision Support Tool into the DESP, leveraging advanced modelling and cloud computing to offer insights into the functioning of fish populations, aiding policy advisers in crafting effective conservation measures. The intuitive interface of the DST ensures accessible and informed decision-making. In the long term, the project establishes a foundation for sustainable marine ecosystem conservation by integrating advanced modelling, ensuring reproducibility and widespread accessibility, fostering future research, policymaking, and conservation endeavours. The project actively involves end-users, bridging the gap between complex modelling and practical decision-making, contributing to more effective fisheries management and marine conservation efforts.In this presentation, the project will be presented as well as the current achievements and challenges. 
Remotely-sensed spatiotemporal dynamics of the coupled Trichonida – Lysimachia lake system in Western Greece at the seasonal, annual, and decadal time scale
Authors: Panousis Konstantinos , Andreadis Konstantinos M. , Langousis Andreas , Fourniotis Nikolaos Th. , Pappas Christoforos
Published: March 2024

Understanding how the combined effects of hydroclimatic variability and anthropogenic interventions shape lake reservoirs is crucial for sustainable water resources management as well as for numerous ecosystem services. In the present study, we focus on the interplay between two lakes in Western Greece that are part of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas, namely the Trichonida – Lysimachia lake system. Lake Trichonida is the largest natural lake in Greece and is connected to the substantially smaller lake Lysimachia through an open channel. The two lakes, together with the connecting channel, constitute a couple system. The channel regulates the flow from Trichonida to Lysimachia lake based on irrigation needs (summer time) and peak flows in the main river corridor (winter-time discharge of Acheloos river). The spatial variability in the extent of the two lakes was quantified at the seasonal, annual, and decadal time scales with remote sensing spectral indices, compiling a wealth of Earth observations. Moreover, water level data from satellite altimetry and ground measurements were combined to characterize water level fluctuations in each lake and their cross-correlation. Gridded data of key meteorological variables (air temperature, precipitation, etc.) as well as drought indices were used to characterize the hydroclimatic variability in the watersheds associated with the two examined lakes. The combined used of ground measurements together with multivariate Earth observations offers new insights into the spatiotemporal dynamics of the coupled Trichonida – Lysimachia lake system that could support and guide sustainable water resource management in the area under environmental change.
Uplift and erosion of an intraforeland topographic high: implication for the evolution of the Gondwanian Transantarctic foreland
Authors: Olivetti Valerio , Cattò Silvia , Balsamo Fabrizio , Zurli Luca , Perotti Matteo , Cornamusini Gianluca , Fioraso Marco , Rossetti Federico , Zattin Massimiliano
Published: March 2024

The Transantarctic Basin is a continental basin system developed for ca 200 Myr, from the Devonian to the Early Jurassic, along the Panthalassa margin of Gondwana and above the peneplained Ross Orogeny rocks. The Beacon Supergroup strata form the clastic sedimentary infill of the Transantarctic Basin.Geodynamic interpretation of the Transantarctic Basin is not univocal and likely geodynamic conditions accounting for basin subsidence have been changed in space and time. Involvement of the basin into the Gondwanian orogenic deformation is a key question for defining the geodynamic setting and the tectonic environment during the Beacon Supergroup deposition. Nonetheless, involvement of  Beacon Supergroup  in orogenic shortening is  poorly assessed for the limited exposed rocks and because formation of the Cenozoic  Transantarctic rift shoulder modified the Paleozoic geometry of the Beacon strata.Here we explored the exhumation pattern and thermal evolution of the basement rocks and the immediately overlain Beacon sandstones through low-temperature apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He zircon thermochronology along the Prince Albert Mts, where Beacon deposits are particularly thin to suppose a relevant erosional event during the Paleozoic. Thermochronological data and thermal modelling pointed out that basement rocks and Beacon sandstones of the Prince Albert Mts have preserved evidence of a Late Paleozoic erosional event that allows to infer an actively eroding topographic high that lasted from Early to Late Paleozoic times, as a consequence of the far-field stress transmitted from the active Gondwanian convergent margin.
Integrating stakeholders’ opinion in land management to build climate resilience in the context of fire risk
Authors: Bacciu Valentina , Costa Saura José , Pellizzaro Grazia , Arca Bachisio , Duce Pierpaolo , Spano Donatella , Sirca Costantino
Published: March 2024

The Mediterranean region, already a climate change hotspot, is experiencing milder winters, hotter and drier summers, and increased extreme weather events, leading to longer fire seasons and increasing fire impacts. The socio-economic consequences of wildfires are significant, including the loss of human lives, infrastructure, and economic activity. Additionally, wildfires contribute significantly to climate change, accounting for up to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually. Climate change is expected to worsen these conditions in the near future.Given these circumstances, it is necessary to accelerate the transition towards the implementation of integrated and holistic fire management approaches aligned with future hazards. In the framework of The HUT project (The Human-Tech Nexus - Building a Safe Haven to cope with Climate Extremes), financed by the Horizon Europe program, the "Ogliastra-DEM8" case study (located in Sardinia, Italy) is aimed at responding to this necessity.In particular, the main objective of The HUT is to mitigate the effects of climate-related events, by integrating and leveraging best practices and successful multi-disciplinary experiences and focusing on the prevention and preparedness phases of the disaster risk management cycle. In this context, the specific aim of the "Ogliastra-DEM8" case study is to provide the scientific/knowledge base needed to help policymakers and decision-makers defining adaptation and mitigation strategies that are effective in reducing fire impacts and associated costs in the short to medium-term under a changing climate. Towards this end, innovative tools (e.g., fire simulators, catastrophe insurance products, nature-based solutions) and stakeholder engagement, including participatory methods, will be developed.This work presents the first phase of the work aimed at evaluating enablers and barriers to multi-hazard/systemic risk reduction by (i) reviewing the literature from other projects based in Sardinia, (ii) mapping and engaging stakeholders during an initial round of workshops, and (iii) debating fire-smart land management and adaptation options. Preliminary results indicate key barriers such as stakeholder conflicts, administrative silos, lack of political will, and funding complexities. All these elements contributed to varying degrees to the lack of a comprehensive approach towards integrated and sustainable management of the entire territory. On the other hand, enablers include stakeholder engagement, evidence of performance and co-benefits, and community awareness.Further work will integrate stakeholder opinions into fire exposure and risk mapping under climate change conditions, with the goal of selecting and co-designing with them which fire-smart land management and adaptation options can be applied and where to protect the most important and vulnerable communities and ecosystems.
Exploring the relative scale of uncertainty in high-resolution soil moisture remote sensing products towards model integration 
Authors: Stradiotti Pietro , Dorigo Wouter , Samaniego Luis
Published: March 2024

Soil moisture (SM) is a fundamental hydrological variable for understanding processes in the land-atmosphere, biological, or geophysical domains and an output of many hydrological or land surface models. It is peculiar in that its variability reflects distinct hydrological processes moving from the field scale, where local topography plays a role, to the regional scale, where meteorological forcing is the main control. Correctly representing this variety of processes is a complex modeling task often alleviated by integrating information from well-established Earth Observation (EO) systems, which produce SM data with near global coverage at coarse (10-25 km) resolution. Still, the increasing need for fine scale (1 km, 1 day) simulations of the water cycle is to be met by EO data of similarly high resolution. High resolution satellite-based SM data is now available from several sources. 1km datasets are multiplying following simultaneous efforts to retrieve SM from backscatter measurements of the Sentinel-1 mission with various inversion models. At the same time, physical or statistical relationships are leveraged to down-scale coarse resolution products by ingesting data from distinct observational sources, coming from the mentioned Sentinel-1 or the optical domain. However, while products of the first type are confronted with the limited sensitivity of C-band microwave to SM and reduced spatial and temporal availability, down-scaled products might retain much of the original signal and fail the fine-scale process representation. The question of which of these resources can preferably be integrated to reliably improve high-resolution modelling is therefore an open one. In this study we perform a round robin (i.e., inter-comparative) assessment of the most prominent high-resolution SM products in the EO landscape. While adapting validation and error characterization techniques and tools (e.g., the Quality Assurance for SM service) that are routinely used at the coarse scale, we address the partial lack of 1km scale reference measurements through the application of an emerging high resolution validation framework. Such a framework demonstrates that metrics for high resolution benchmarking can be reliably retrieved with only sparse, point-scale measurements. The first results suggest that the true spatial SM heterogeneity might explain a minimum noise tradeoff between coarse- and high-resolution EO products. This work is a fundamental step to assess the current state-of-art in EO and its maturity for integration in high-resolution water cycle modelling.
The impact of groundwater dynamics on landsliding and hillslope morphology: insights from typhoon Morakot and landscape evolution modelling
Authors: Steer Philippe , Pelascini Lucas , Longuevergne Laurent , Lo Min-Hui
Published: March 2024

Landslides represent a pervasive natural hazard, exerting a significant influence on hillslope morphology in steep regions. Intense rainfall events are well-established as primary triggers for landslides, particularly those characterized by high rainfall intensity, intermediate to long durations, and substantial cumulative precipitation during and before the event. While the evolving roles of soil saturation and mechanical properties are well-identified in shallow landslide occurrences, the influence of groundwater dynamics on the triggering of deep-seated or bedrock landslides remains less understood. Despite this knowledge gap, deep-seated landslides play a dominant role in the volume budget of landslide catalogs and serve as the primary geomorphological process shaping hillslope evolution in steep regions. In this study, we explore the impact of groundwater dynamics on landslide triggering. Our investigation focuses initially on landslides triggered during Typhoon Morakot, examining their relationship with water table fluctuations derived from the HydroModPy 3D hydrogeological model, forced by water recharge data obtained from the Community Land Model CLM 4.0. Analyzing several contrasting catchments, we demonstrate a strong correlation between the locations and depth of deep-seated landslides and the instability predicted by a simple landslide model that integrates pore pressure and water table depth. Notably, these predictions are valid within specific ranges of hydrogeological (i.e., aquifer thickness, porosity, and conductivity) and mechanical (i.e., cohesion and friction angle) parameters, providing valuable insights into the hydrogeological and mechanical properties of the studied catchments. In an exploratory study, we then shift our focus to the longer-term geomorphological impact of rainfall-triggered landslides on hillslope evolution and morphology. Using a coupled 2D model of water table evolution and landsliding, we investigate topographic changes at the hillslope scale, under different scenarios. Our investigation considers the influence of seasonal recharge, intense rainfall events, and hillslope hydrological convergence or divergence perpendicular to the hillslope orientation on resulting hillslope morphology and dynamics. Overall, our results particularly highlight the role of groundwater dynamics on hillslope finite shape.