bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heteroaggregation of PS microplastic with ferrihydrite leads to rapid removal of microplastic particles from the water column
Authors: Schmidtmann Johanna , Peiffer Stefan
Published: March 2022

The pollution of the environment by plastics has become one of the most emerging environmental issues over the past years. Especially micro- and nanosized colloidal particles are of environmental concern since they can be easily taken up by organisms and accumulate in the food chain. Hitherto, only little attention has been paid to the transformation and elimination processes of colloidal microplastic (MP) in the environment. In aquatic environments, colloidal MP will interact with natural constituents, such as metal (oxyhydr)oxides or organic matter. The reaction of those particles is strongly controlled by the surface properties of both, MP particles and the environmental particles. In this study, we investigated the interactions of polystyrene (PS) particles (diameter 1 µm) and ferrihydrite, a common ferric (oxyhydr)oxide. PS particles were allowed to react with ferrihydrite for one week at different pH values (3-11) and constant ionic strength (10 mM). The surface properties of PS were examined before and after reaction with ferrihydrite using dynamic light scattering techniques. Furthermore, we determined the sedimentation rate of PS in presence and absence of ferrihydrite. The results demonstrate that the presence of ferrihydrite increases the sedimentation of PS at all pH values. At neutral pH, we observe not only the strongest sedimentation but also maximum heteroaggregation between PS and ferrihydrite. Overall, our research suggests that ferric (oxyhydr)oxides are highly important reactants to control the environmental behaviour of MP particles. Heteroaggregation with ferric (oxyhydr)oxides and subsequent sedimentation can remove microplastic particles from the water column.
Mapping Street Level CH4 Emissions in the Urban Area of Heidelberg (Southwest Germany)
Authors: Wietzel Julia , Schmidt Martina
Published: March 2022

Estimating the contribution of cities and urban areas to the regional and global methane budget is challenging due to their complex infrastructure. The use of mobile measurement devices provides a well-suited way to detect methane sources via real-time ambient air measurements. Surveys with mobile CH4 measurements were conducted from May 2020 to January 2021 in the city area of Heidelberg. This made it possible to cover a third of Heidelbergs entire road network via real-time ambient air measurements. Leak indications for methane were observed and recorded with an excess of 100 to 4600 ppb CH4 above the background concentration. A minor portion of leaks was attributed to the sewer system while most of them originate from natural gas leaks in the urban gas distribution system with 2.1 covered km per leak indication.

To assign an emission rate to all of the leak indications a method, developed by Weller et al. (2019)2 based on release experiments and mobile measurements, was used and adapted to Heidelberg. We tested this method with additional CH4 release experiments and modified it to the smaller street widths in Heidelberg resulting in shorter distances from the source to the measurement device. The total annual CH4 emission rate calculated for Heidelberg, up-scaled to the entire road network, is 42 tCH4 yr-1. This results in an emission rate of 0.26 kgCH4 yr-1 per capita.

2Weller, Z. D., Yang, D. K., & von Fischer, J. C. (2019). An open source algorithm to detect natural gas leaks from mobile methane survey data. Plos One, 14(2), e0212287. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212287
Assimilation of Sentinel-1 backscatter into a land surface model for soil moisture and leaf area index updating: Impact on streamflow simulations
Authors: Bechtold Michel , Modanesi Sara , Lievens Hans , Brangers Isis , Getirana Augusto , Gruber Alexander , Massari Christian , De Lannoy Gabrielle
Published: March 2022

Streamflow forecasts suffer from errors in the initial conditions of the catchment-scale soil moisture distribution. In this research, we evaluate the potential of improving streamflow simulations through the assimilation of Sentinel-1 backscatter data into a land surface model. Our modeling setup consists of the Noah-MP land surface model coupled to the HYMAP river routing model and the 'Water Cloud Model' (WCM), which acts as backscatter observation operator, integrated into the NASA Land Information System. The system was set up at 1 km resolution for two contrasting catchments in Belgium: i) the Demer catchment dominated by agriculture and low topographic gradients, and ii) the Ourthe catchment dominated by mixed forests and high topographic gradients. Surface soil moisture and leaf area index (LAI) dynamically simulated by Noah-MP in an open-loop run were used to calibrate the parameters of the WCM using a Bayesian objective function and Sentinel-1 backscatter data processed to 1 km spatial resolution for the period 2015-2021. We present results of a suite of data assimilation experiments obtained from an ensemble Kalman filter that updates both soil moisture and LAI. We tested the use of (i) WCM parameters that were calibrated using backscatter data from all Sentinel-1 orbits simultaneously or using data from each Sentinel-1 orbit separately, (ii) backscatter observations with or without seasonal bias correction, (iii) backscatter observations in VV and VH polarization separately or combined. The different data assimilation experiments are evaluated with leaf area index from optical remote sensing, microwave-based soil moisture retrievals and streamflow measurements.

Preliminary results indicate substantial differences between the different data assimilation experiments. For the Ourthe catchment, streamflow skill improvement was highest when simultaneously assimilating VV and VH observations without bias correction but using orbit-specific WCM parameters. For soil moisture and LAI, however, the highest skill was obtained by assimilating only VV observations. For the Demer catchment, assimilating observations without seasonal bias correction led to a skill degradation for streamflow while the impact of data assimilation was neutral when applying rescaled observations. Over this agriculturally dominated area, evaluation with soil moisture and LAI generally indicated the highest degradation. Difficulties in the Demer catchment might be related to crop rotation practices typical for the region that causes an interannual variability in backscatter dynamics not well accounted for by a static set of WCM parameters.
Intraseasonal Variability of the Philippines Diurnal Cycle
Authors: Maloney Eric , Natoli Michael
Published: March 2022

The diurnal cycle in tropical islands is critical for water supplies and agriculture, and potentially has important feedbacks onto longer timescale tropical disturbances. However, the conditions that regulate the diurnal cycle of rainfall on such islands remain poorly understood.  Here, we use observations and a cloud resolving model to understand intraseasonal variability of the diurnal cycle in and near Luzon during boreal summer. 

The boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) and quasi biweekly oscillation (QBWO) modulate the Luzon diurnal cycle in a similar manner during their lifecycles. In particular, the diurnal cycle of rainfall and offshore propagation of rainfall into the South China Sea are maximized during phases of the BSISO and QBWO characterized by increasing tropospheric moisture, sufficient insolation, and weak offshore easterly flow. These conditions occur in advance of the large-scale convective envelope of the BSISO and QBWO. Such a phase relationship suggests that enhanced diurnal rainfall may aid northward propagation of intraseasonal disturbances in the South China Sea.

The Cloud Model 1 (CM1) integrated at 1 km horizontal grid spacing is used to isolate the relative importance of background wind, humidity, and insolation for the diurnal cycle in and near an idealized tropical island resembling Luzon. By prescribing daily mean BSISO background wind variations through nudging, it is shown that the wind direction and speed are major regulators of offshore propagation of diurnal disturbances on the west side of the island. In particular, offshore propagation is maximized during periods of offshore easterly flow at low levels. Other experiments that test sensitivity to the vertical profile of wind are discussed. We also show that BSISO humidity and surface shortwave radiation variations are major contributors to diurnal cycle variability.  These results not only have implications for the diurnal cycle in the Philippines, but also other tropical islands such as Sumatra with prominent diurnal cycles modulated by intraseasonal variability.

 
A State-of-the-Art Approach to Modeling Future Multi-Hazard Risk, supporting People-Centred Decision Making
Authors: Cremen Gemma ,   Tomorrow's Cities Early Career Risk Working Group
Published: March 2022

Numerous approaches to multi-hazard risk modelling and quantification have already been proposed in the literature and/or are well established in practice. However, most of these procedures are designed to focus on risk in the context of current static exposure and vulnerability and are therefore limited in their ability to support decisions related to the future, as yet partially unbuilt, urban landscape. This work outlines an end-to-end risk modelling framework that explicitly addresses this specific challenge, forming the computational engine of the innovative Tomorrow’s Cities decision support environment. The framework is designed to consider the multi-hazard risks of tomorrow’s urban environment, using a simulation-based approach to rigorously capture the uncertainties inherent in future projections of exposure as well as physical and social vulnerability. The framework also advances the state-of-practice in future disaster risk modelling by additionally: (1) providing a harmonised methodology for integrating physical and social impacts of disasters that facilitates flexible characterisation of risk metrics beyond physical damage/asset losses; and (2) incorporating a participatory, people-centred approach to risk-informed decision making. It can be used to support decision making on policies related to future urban planning and design, accounting for various stakeholder perspectives on risk. The framework is showcased using the physical and social environment of Tomorrowville, an expanding synthetic city that has been specifically designed to capture distinct dynamic features of developing cities as part of the Tomorrow’s Cities project. 
A geographic perspective on fog and low stratus formation and dissipation over central Europe
Authors: Pauli Eva , Cermak Jan , Andersen Hendrik
Published: March 2022

In this contribution geographic patterns of fog and low stratus (FLS) formation and dissipation over central Europe are presented using a novel satellite-based data set. 
Formation and dissipation of FLS are the results of complex interactions of meteorological and land-surface processes. Furthermore, the timing of FLS formation and dissipation has implications for traffic and the production of solar energy. Yet, little is known about the spatial and temporal patterns of both in central Europe. To improve this situation, this study analyzes these patterns, as well as the meteorological drivers and their modifications by the land surface. The basis of the analysis is a novel FLS formation and dissipation data set, derived based on satellite FLS products and logistic regression.
Very distinct and contrasting spatial and seasonal patterns of FLS formation and dissipation are found across the study area. In large-scale river valleys, FLS forms most frequently in the morning and dissipates in the afternoon. In mountainous areas and on the coast, FLS forms during the night and dissipates in the morning. FLS persists longer in winter compared to other seasons. The quantitative analysis of meteorological drivers shows that the large-scale meteorological conditions, in particular mean surface pressure and wind speed, substantially influence the timing of FLS formation and dissipation. Local variations in topography modulate these conditions, leading to local differences in the observed patterns.
Feasibility study of quartz ESR dating for sediments in northern Switzerland
Authors: Tsukamoto Sumiko , Deplazes Gaudenz , Buechi Marius
Published: March 2022

Fluvial and glaciofluvial sediments in the Northern Alpine Foreland record detailed history of the Quaternary glaciations and climatic changes. These sediments and associated landscapes have been typically classified using the Penck and Brückner’s concept for four terrace levels; the so-called Niederterrasse, Hochterrasse, Tiefere Deckenschotter and Höhere Deckenschotter. Sediments of Niederterrasse and Hochterrasse were dated using quartz and feldspar luminescence dating, however, older sediments (Tiefere and Höhere Deckenschotter) are beyond the upper limit of the method and are difficult to date. In this study we tested the feasibility of quartz electron spin resonance (ESR) dating using the Ti centre for sediments from northern Switzerland.

Eight samples were used in this work; these are two modern river sands from a bank (GRUE1) and a sand bar (GRUE0) of the River Thur at Grüt, fluvial-lacustrine (BER6) and fluvial-fluviglacial (BER3) sediments from Beringen, which have OSL dates of ~25 and ~150 ka, Tiefere Deckenschotter from Hungerbol (HUNE2), and Höhere Deckenschotter from Irchel Hasli (HASE1, HASE2) and from Irchel Steig (STEE2). Quartz ESR dating was conducted using the single aliquot regenerative dose protocol using three aliquots each for the Ti-Li and Ti-H centres. Dose recovery tests were also performed using two young samples (GRUE1 and BER6) by adding ~1000 Gy on top of the natural aliquots. Dose recovery ratios were satisfactory for both samples and for both Ti-Li and Ti-H centres. The apparent ages of samples from Tiefere and Höhere Deckenschotter are in stratigraphic order, ranging from 530 to 890 ka for the Ti-Li centre. However, the residual dose obtained from modern and young samples were significant, with a mean of ~750 Gy for the Ti-Li centre and ~200 Gy for the Ti-H centre. These residual doses are corresponding to ~70 % and ~40 % of the natural equivalent dose of the Deckenschotter samples, which makes the evaluation of actual burial dose very difficult. Ages corrected for the residual dose obtained from modern and young samples result in unreasonably young ages between ~150 and ~320 ka.
Landscape Evolution of a mesoscale catchment in the Northern Franconian Jura, Germany: Impacts of Geology when using Landscape Evolution Models.
Authors: Ringleb Bastian , Fuchs Markus
Published: March 2022

When modeling landscape evolution a uniform set of defining parameters is used to describe a heterogeneous landscape. This poses a particular challenge when reconstructing the fluvial history of the Weismain river basin (~125 km2). Located in the Northern Franconian Jura, Germany, the evolution of the landscape is closely related to its underlying bedrock. The Weismain river and its tributaries are deeply incised into a limestone plateau forming small, well-defined valleys that are opening up to wider floodplains in the lower parts of the catchment, where sandstone is dominant. The karstic nature of the catchment complicates a model calibration for the whole basin and therefore the reconstruction of its evolution.

In this study, we focus on two sub-catchments of the Weismain River where either lime- or sandstone are prominent. We are using the landscape evolution model CAESAR-Lisflood to model the sediment outputs of those tributaries and compare them to high-resolution, OSL-dated fluvial archives derived from extensive fieldwork. The numerical modeling approach should give insight into geomorphic processes, connectivity inside the system, and the possible impact from sub-surface irregularities in the area.

 

 
Improving lossy compression for climate datasets with SZ3
Authors: cappello Franck , Di Sheng , Underwood Robert
Published: March 2022

The projection into 2030 of the climate data volume increase brings an important challenge to the climate science community. This is particularly true for the CMIP7 that is projected to need about an Exabyte of storage capacity. Error-bounded lossy compression is explored as a potential solution to the above problem by different climate research teams. Several lossy compression schemes have been proposed leveraging different forms of decorrelation (transforms, prediction, HoSVD, DNN), quantization (linear, non-linear, vector), and encoding (dictionary-based, variable length, etc.) algorithms. Our experience with different applications shows that the compression methods often need to be customized and optimized to fit the specificities of the datasets to compress and the user requirements on the compression quality, ratio, and throughput. However, none of the existing lossy compression software for scientific data has been designed to be customizable. To address this issue, we developed SZ3, an innovative customizable, modular compression framework. SZ3 is a full C++ refactoring of SZ2 enabling the specialization, addition, or removal of each stage of the lossy compression pipeline to fit the specific characteristics of the datasets to compress and the use-case requirements. This extreme flexibility allows adapting SZ3 to many different use-cases, from ultra-high compression for visualization to ultra-high-speed compression between the CPU (or GPU) and the memory. Thanks to its unique set of features: customization, high compression ratio, high compression throughput, and excellent accuracy preservation, SZ3 won a 2021 R&D100 award. In this presentation, we present SZ3 and a new data prediction-based decorrelation method that significantly improves the compression ratios for climate datasets over the state-of-the-art lossy compressors, while preserving the same data accuracy. Experiments based on CESM datasets show that SZ3 can lead to up to 300% higher compression ratios than SZ2 with the same compression error bound and similar compression throughput.
SeisPPSD: an interactive web front-end and scalable HPC back-end for probabilistic power-spectral-density calculations
Authors: van der Heiden Vincent , Frietsch Michael , Rietbrock Andreas
Published: March 2022

Offering a web-interface alongside a back-end for the calculation of probabilistic power-spectral-densities (PPSD) is the main goal of this project. No simple out-of-the-box open-source solution is available so far. Moreover, researchers should get access to the information needed in a straightforward way.

The project was initiated to process data routinely acquired at the KIT GPI seismological data center in order to enhance the quality control of the acquired data and station metadata. Furthermore, the PPSD gallery should develop into a starting point for further scientific research.

Here we present SeisPPSD, a comprehensive solution for the calculation and inspection of PPSDs building on existing ObsPy codes. Next to an intuitive gallery and archive which offers a fine granularity in time, the user can create PPSDs interactively, e.g. comparing the day and night noise levels. As well, plots with noise levels for distinct frequencies over time can be visualized.

The web front-end is mainly written in HTML but using Python and Javascript for the interactive parts. The back-end is implemented in Python and is distributing the PPSD calculation in a scalable fashion to the HPC environment.

Apart from an easy to use web-interface, the researcher has access to an archive with the data derived product. This creates the opportunity for the researchers to customize plots with the already (pre-)calculated PPSD files. Furthermore, those files are relatively small and therefore uncomplicated to share with researchers outside. The PPSD-files can be used with the standard ObsPy module opening the possibility for further collaboration.
N2O temporal variability from the middle troposphere to the middle stratosphere based on airborne and balloon-borne observations during the period 1987-2018
Authors: Dudok de Wit Thierry , Krysztofiak Gisèle ,   N2O MTMS in situ Team
Published: March 2022

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is the third most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and is now considered as the most important depleting source gas of stratospheric ozone (O3). Its sources are both natural and anthropogenic, mainly as an unintended by-product of human food production activities. Scientifically, a major issue is the identification and quantification of trends in the N2O concentration from the middle troposphere to the middle stratosphere (MTMS) by in-situ and remote sensing observations due to the paucity of measurements. To address the temporal variability of N2O, we assembled the first comprehensive dataset for in-situ and remote sensing N2O concentrations from 1987 to 2018, based on aircraft and balloon measurements in the MTMS. Using statistical methods, we quality-controlled all the measurements to exclude outliers and particular dynamic cases (tropospheric intrusion, stratospheric descent). This allowed us to determine N2O trends in the MTMS, based on selected observations during the period 1987-2018. This consistent dataset was also used to study the N2O seasonal cycle in order to investigate the relationship with its emission sources through zonal means and atmospheric dynamic. The results show a long-term (30 years) increase in global N2O concentration in the MTMS with an average of 0.89 ± 0.09 ppb/yr in the troposphere and 0.95 ± 0.13 ppb/yr in the stratosphere, consistent with 0.80 ppb/yr derived from ground measurements and ACE-FTS satellite measurements.
Soil structure quality and biodiversity across a range of different practices and tillage intensities
Authors: Sauzet Ophélie , Johannes Alice , Le Bayon Renée-Claire , Scherrer Luc , Boivin Pascal
Published: March 2022

Soil structure degradation is considered a major threat to soil fertility in many regions, including the Swiss Jura. In order to investigate the extent of this degradation and the means to improve soil structure quality (SSQ) with different farming practices, a large scale project “Terres Vivantes” was launched in 2019 by the canton of Jura and Bern and is followed by a group of scientists.

90 farms, covering 3’000 ha of arable land with clay contents ranging from 16% to 60% are involved in the project. Two fields per farm were selected for closer investigation and monitoring. SSQ indicators included VESS and CoreVESS (visual evaluation on sample) scores, bulk density, water and air capacity at -100 hPa and soil organic carbon (SOC):clay ratio. Five VESS observations per field were made by the farmers via the VESS app for Smartphones/iPhones. Physical properties were analyzed on five undisturbed samples (150 cm3) per field at 5-10 cm depth. Texture, SOC, pH and CEC were determined on a composite sample. Earthworm abundance, biomass and diversity were measured after onion solution extraction and earthworm surface casts were collected and weighed. The farming practices of the past 5-10 years were documented and soil tillage intensity indicators were assessed (number of tillage and stubble operations, tillage depth, and STIR (soil tillage intensity rating)).

Our results show that the soils are carbon depleted as the SOC:clay ratio is in average below 0.10 threshold (0.08). VESS scores were in average Sq3, denoting a medium SSQ with a lack of aeration and of readily available water. Among a variety of farming practice descriptions, the temporary pasture duration and the number of tillage and stubble operations were significantly correlated to the following SSQ indicators: SOC:clay, bulk density and water content. Earthworm biomass was better correlated to the number of tillage and stubble operations than to the temporary pasture duration. These two farming practice descriptions also correspond to two of the three well-known pillars of conservation agriculture, namely maximum vegetal intensity and minimal mechanical soil disturbance.

In conclusion, the soils in the Jura region have medium SSQ and are carbon depleted. The effect of current farming practices can be observed on a series of biological and physical indicators and reveal conservation agriculture pillars as “best practices”. Future investigations from the project should reveal whether farmers will be able to adapt some farming practices and improve SSQ despite time and resource constraints.

 
A flood map catalogue for integration into aEuropean flood awareness system (ECFAS)
Authors: Le Gal Marine , Fernández-Montblanc Tomás , Montes Perez Juan , Souto Ceccon Paola Emilia , Duo Enrico , Gastal Véra , Delbour Sébastien , Ciavola Paolo
Published: March 2022

The European Coastal Flood Awareness System - ECFAS (EU H2020 GA 101004211) - project aims to deliver a proof of concept for a coastal flood awareness system as an improvement of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. One of the project’s keystones is the generation of a flood map catalogue for European flood-prone coastlines. To obtain this product, the work started with the identification of 28 historical test cases representing the wide variety of oceanographic and morphological conditions observed along European coastlines. The inundations generated by these events were numerically reproduced to calibrate and validate the LISFLOOD-FP model that will be used to generate the catalogue. For this step, observed flood maps derived from Very High Resolution satellite images and in situ observations were used as references. In parallel, validated hindcasts of oceanographic conditions in shallow water were produced using the ANYEU-SSL model. An Extreme Value Analysis was performed on the hindcast along the European coastlines to provide: (i) local storm conditions for a set of return periods (1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 years), (ii) local total water level thresholds for triggering the awareness system. Finally, 100 km long coastal sectors were identified along the European coastline for which a 100 m resolution LISFLOOD-FP numerical model will be generated. The catalogue will collect the maps generated with the storm conditions identified from the hindcast for each flood-prone coastal sector. These flood maps will represent a set of reference flooding scenarios in case of forecasted over-threshold coastal oceanographic events triggering the awareness system. 
Assessing root water uptake transit time by simulating isotope transport in Hydrus-1D
Authors: Todini Diego ,   PRIN WATZON
Published: March 2022

Stable isotopes (2H and 18O) are common natural tracers for the investigation of water transport in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Isotopic data can be coupled with soil water content data to inversely estimate soil hydraulic and transport parameters. The calibration of a hydrological model by inverse modelling is a prerequisite to determine the temporal origin of xylem water taken by roots.

In this study, we used isotopic data to calibrate Hydrus-1D via inverse modelling to simulate one-dimensional water flow and isotope transport in a controlled soil-plant-atmosphere system. We propose the following protocol i) to estimate root water uptake transit time of irrigation water, and ii) to assess the sensitivity of the transit time distribution to the variation in the water available for root uptake.

The dataset was obtained from an isotope-tracing experiment carried out between May and July 2018 on an olive tree placed in a pot inside a glasshouse. Meteorological variables and sap flow were monitored at 5-minute intervals, whereas shallow soil moisture (0-6 cm depth) was measured manually with an impedance probe at the daily timescale. The olive tree was irrigated with water of known isotopic composition. The pot surface was covered by a plastic sheet to avoid evaporation. Soil at different depths, twigs, wood cores and root samples were collected weekly for isotopic analyses. Water from soil and the xylem tissues was extracted by cryogenic vacuum distillation. Based on the results of a previous study carried out on the same dataset, we considered that no isotopic fractionation occurred during the water uptake and the transport within the olive tree.

We used soil water content and δ18O data at different soil depths to optimize flow (soil hydraulic and root water uptake parameters) and transport (longitudinal dispersivity) parameters. Numerical simulations of isotope transport were validated with sap flow data (compared to actual transpiration) and δ18O in xylem water. Given that the timing of irrigation water for plant transpiration is fundamental for assessing the vulnerability of olive trees to drought, we will be proposing various scenarios based on different irrigation events to mimic drought periods. Based on these scenarios, we will be evaluating the sensitivity of the root water uptake transit time to the different water availability in the soil profile. Afterwards, the same protocol will be exploited to determine the root water uptake transit time for different tree species under various environmental conditions.

Keywords: stable isotopes, HYDRUS-1D, root water uptake, transit time, soil water.
Methane fluxes from Northern coastal wetlands on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Authors: Fuchs Matthias , Treat Claire , Schwarzer Johanna , Jones Miriam , Tyler Natalie , Frolking Steve , Walter Anthony Katey
Published: March 2022

Coastal wetlands are important components in the global carbon cycle; however, little is known regarding the carbon sink and source capacity of coastal wetlands in the northern high latitudes, nor their importance in the global methane budget. In this study, we investigate methane and carbon dioxide fluxes from coastal wetlands located along the mouth of the Kenai River of Southcentral Alaska. We measured methane fluxes with a portable greenhouse gas analyzer and a custom-made gas flux chamber along four transects with varying moisture, salinity, and tidal conditions during August 2021. To better understand the drivers of these fluxes, we also collected soil samples, recorded the vegetation composition, and measured salinity at each site. Preliminary results indicate that methane fluxes are lower in areas frequently inundated by tides as compared to areas with minimal to no tidal influence. In addition, we use these data to investigate the effects of salinity and moisture on coastal wetland methane and carbon dioxide fluxes. The overarching goal of this study is to understand whether Northern coastal wetlands are likely to become carbon sinks or sources with ongoing climate change and how future sea level rise will affect the methane and carbon dioxide emissions from these ecosystems at the land-ocean interface.
Assessing the impact of land cover type on Sentinel-1 soil moisture retrievals
Authors: Massart Samuel , Vreugdenhil Mariette , Bauer-Marschallinger Bernhard , Navacchi Claudio , Reuẞ Felix David , Quast Raphael , Wagner Wolfgang
Published: March 2022

Active microwave remote sensing satellites allow to retrieve surface soil moisture (SSM) consistently and independently from sun illumination or cloud cover. The current generation of Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR) on-board of the Sentinel-1A and 1B satellites, launched in 2014 and 2016 respectively, provide backscatter observations in their interferometric wide swath mode at 20 x 22 m resolution. These data are being used by the Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) for generating SSM data at kilometre-scale resolution using a change detection approach. The data are operationally and freely available from https://land.copernicus.eu/global/. The goal of this study was to assess the quality of the CGLS SSM retrieval algorithm over different land cover types and crop species. For this purpose, we compared the satellite retrievals against in-situ SSM from the International Soil Moisture Network (ISMN). The stations analyzed are located in France and Austria (SMOSMANIA and HOAL) and cover a wide range of land cover types, from cropland and grassland to forested areas. For each station, backscatter at 20m resolution was averaged over fields containing the ISMN station using Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) data. The resampled field backscatter, which covers one specific land cover or crop type, was then used as input for the change detection model and compared to the in-situ SSM from ISMN. The study shows that the temporal correspondence of the resulting SSM with in-situ data is strongly varying between crop species and land cover type. The results suggest that crops with seasonal variations in vegetation structure (e.g. winter wheat stem elongation and heading), have a negative impact on the performance of the model. In comparison, the retrieved SSM is better correlated to in-situ data over land cover such as grasslands or maize fields with more homogeneous vegetation development. This study explores the potential and challenges posed by the high resolution of Sentinel-1 backscatter data for SSM retrieval. It demonstrates the effect changes in vegetation structure can have on S1 backscatter, which is important information to all retrieval algorithms for S1 SSM retrieval.  It also provides a first path forward to improve SSM using the TUWien change detection from Sentinel-1. 
The relationship between the global mean deep-sea and surface temperature during the Early Eocene 
Authors: Goudsmit Barbara , Lansu Angelique , von der Heydt Anna S. , Zhang Yurui , Ziegler Martin
Published: March 2022

Under continued high anthropogenic CO2 emissions, the atmospheric CO2 concentration around 2100 will be like that of the Early Eocene Climate Optimum (EECO, 56–48 Ma) hothouse period. Hence, reconstructions of the EECO climate give insight into the workings of the climate system under the possible future CO2 conditions. Our current understanding of global mean surface temperature (GMST) during the Cenozoic era relies on paleo-proxy estimates of deep-sea temperature (DST) combined with assumed relationships between global mean DST (GMDST), global mean sea-surface temperature (GMSST), and GMST. The validity of these assumptions is essential in our understanding of past and future climate states under hothouse conditions.
We analyse the relationship between these global temperature indicators for the end-of-simulation global mean temperature values in 25 different millennia-long model simulations of the EECO climate under varying CO2 levels, performed as part of the Deep-Time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP). The model simulations show limited spatial variability in DST, indicating that local DST estimates can be regarded representative of GMDST. Linear regression analysis indicates that GMDST and GMST respond stronger to changes in atmospheric CO2 than GMSST by factors 1.18 and 1.17, respectively. Consequently, the responses of GMDST and GMST to atmospheric CO2 changes are similar in magnitude. This model-based analysis indicates that changes in GMDST can be used to estimate changes in GMST during the EECO, validating the assumed relationships. To test the robustness of these results, other Cenozoic climate states besides EECO should be analysed similarly.
Orbital and non-orbital drivers of late Quaternary African Humid Periods
Authors: Duque-Villegas Mateo , Claussen Martin , Brovkin Victor , Kleinen Thomas
Published: March 2022

Variations in the Earth's orbit are recognised as the main trigger for the hydrological changes that led to the periodic 'greening' of the Sahara region over the late Quaternary. However, the frequency and amplitude of the greening events as seen in the geological records cannot be predicted from orbital theory alone. To understand the changes in the proxy data it is also important to consider feedback mechanisms that arise from the complexity of the interactions between the vegetation, land, atmosphere and ocean components in the region. Yet discrepancies between state-of-the-art computer simulations of greening during African Humid Periods (AHPs) and proxy data still remain. We hypothesize that the effects of additional internal forcing from other climate drivers like atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and extension of ice sheets may have had a greater impact than previously thought. Using two climate models of varying complexity and spatial resolution, CLIMBER-2 and MPI-ESM, we simulate several of the greening events in the Sahara within the last glacial cycle and study the effects of the orbital, GHGs and ice sheets forcings for every greening response. The results from CLIMBER-2 suggest that the critical insolation at the Tropics required for AHPs onset depends on atmospheric levels of GHGs, while the results from MPI-ESM show that the spatial pattern that develops during AHPs varies with all three forcing factors. These findings highlight the role that GHGs may play for the future of Saharan climate, when low--eccentricity orbits concur with high levels of atmospheric GHGs.
Establishing a Spatial Soil Database Management System to Support Carbon Farming Geolocation: Introducing the LIFE GEOCARBON Preparatory Project
Authors: Triantakonstantis Dimitris , Bithas Kostas , Detsikas Spyridon E. , Petropoulos George P. , Calzolari Costanza , Vaccari Francesco , Pascual José , Ros Margarita , Guerrero Carlos
Published: March 2022

Carbon farming has been proposed as one of the primary pilots of the upcoming CAP by the European Commission and European Parliament. Subsidies will be tied to carbon farming, necessitating the development of practical methods to assess farmers' carbon balance. The so-called Activity Data are one of the most common gaps preventing a thorough assessment of carbon balance at both the micro and macro levels. In addition, the accuracy and completeness of existing estimates of the carbon sink capacity of agricultural soils remains until today under-addressed. These obstacles are now reflected in National GHG Inventory Reports, which use default emission factors for most Mediterranean Nations, resulting in Tier 1 reporting status. Thus, for climate change mitigation, a more precise evaluation of the changes in the carbon balance of soil in relation to agricultural management techniques could be extremely helpful. 
In this presentation we introduce the recently initiated EU-funded GEOCARBON project, (http://www.lifegeocarbon.eu) providing a detailed overview of the project’s research aims and objectives as well as the first results from its implementation. The project aims to address the lack of farming-level knowledge systems by enhancing existing earth-based data with a structured, harmonized geospatial framework system that is ready to be used as input to the Carbon Farming Calculation Tool. 
The project outputs will combine all existing knowledge databases to facilitate the development of an interactive Carbon Farming Calculation tool. The project's principal deliverable will be a demonstration high-resolution geospatial information system that will collect relevant data (e.g., climate, landscape elements, management practices, etc.). This will be used to determine the potential for climate change mitigation at farm level, as well as to design and implement targeted Carbon Farming strategies. The GEOCARBON project will geo-locate (at agricultural parcel level) a representative sample of farms and offer quantitative and qualitative statistics on earth-based data relevant to the agricultural sector.
The geospatial framework system that will be developed in GEOCARBON will be a critical step towards carbon precise calculation at farm level, employing IT-based decision support tools as part of a climate change mitigation plan. GEOCARBON deliverables are expected to enhance farmers' knowledge towards strengthening the so-called Activity data for the LULUCF sector. Farmers will be able to use a cost-effective mobile application on the field to record their management techniques (cultivation methods).

KEYWORDS: carbon farming, GEOCARBON, geoinformation, webgis
New approach to soil health management and air quality: One Earth One Life 
Authors: Fedorenko Elena , Glinushkin Alexey , Kalinitchenko Valery , Swidsinski Alexander , Meshalkin Valery , Gudkov Sergey , Minkina Tatiana , Chernenko Vladimir , Rajput Vishnu , Mandzhieva Saglara , Sushkova Svetlana , Kashcheev Alexander , Aysuvakova Tamara P.
Published: March 2022

The air pollution with fine particulate matter (PM) of dimension 2.5 µm or less (PM2.5) causes lung and other diseases. The problem of prevention of water and terrestrial systems pollution with PM dry deposits is multifaceted. The ionized O2 is capable to intensify the atmosphere turbulence, PM2.5 сoalescence, and increasing the PM dry deposition velocity. Unfortunately, outdated environmental technologies are incapable to secure this. The quality of air is linked to the pedosphere and plant kingdom. Addressing the problem of environmental quality, including the PM2.5 content reduction in the atmosphere, the Biogeosystem Technique (BGT*) transcendental (nonstandard and not a direct imitation of Nature) methodology has been developed. The BGT* focus is an enrichment of the Earth's biogeochemical cycle. The heuristic approach to land use and air cleaning is a new niche for development to improve the soil system and ensure a high rate of air cleaning. BGT* ingredients are the intra-soil processing, which provides the soil multilevel architecture; intra-soil pulse continuously discrete watering for optimal soil water regime and freshwater saving up to 10-20 times; intra-soil dispersed environmentally safe recycling of the PM sediments and other pollutants; controlled microbial community and biofilm-mediated interactions in the soil. BGT* enriches the biogeochemical cycle, provides a better function of the humic substances, biological preparation and microbial biofilms as a soil-biological starter, priority plant and trees nutrition. BGT* methodology is capable to increase plant resistance to phytopathogens. BGT* provides the formation of higher underground and aboveground biological products, thus increasing reversible C biological sequestration from the atmosphere in the form of additional aboveground biomass and soil organic matter. BGT* provides a higher rate photosynthetic production of light O2 ions, a coalescence of PM2.5, PM0.1 to the PM10 and larger particles, sedimentation of the PM, and a soil transformation of PM sediments into the nutrients. BGT* allows sustainability of the biosphere, enables a high quality of the atmosphere, stabilizes the climate system of the Earth, and is capable to promote a green circular economy.

The research was supported by the Strategic Academic Leadership Program of the Southern Federal University ("Priority 2030").
Flood sedimentological records off the south Portuguese coasts
Authors: Costa Pedro ,   RV Meteor M-152 scientific team
Published: March 2022

In the present climate change scenario, the perception regarding the frequency and magnitude of flood events is changing. Nevertheless, to establish return periods and flooding patterns it is important to expand the time-window of observation beyond the historical period. To achieve this purpose, it is crucial to use the sedimentological record of alluvial plains and river banks. However, anthropogenic activities have disrupted the sedimentary dynamics thus interfering with the geomorphological settings and their stratigraphy’s. An alternative setting is the shallow nearshore, below storm wave base, where potentially stratigraphy is better preserved.

After a campaign on board RV Meteor, a group of sediment cores were collected offshore the south Portuguese coast. These cores cover the Holocene Epoch and consist essentially on alternations of silty bioclastic layers with some sandy units rich in quartz and bioclasts. The vertical variation of several sedimentological proxies allowed the differentiation of disruptive events, mostly related with extreme marine inundations or possibly linked with abrupt fluvial discharges.

Here we present some preliminary results based on grain-size and compositional analysis (XRD) and attempt to establish a chronology of those events. The preliminary data interpretation seems to suggest an increase in the flood record over the last 1000 years. However, this observation needs further support from other locations in the area and also requires a better understanding of post-depositional processes that affect the record of thin muddy layers on the nearshore stratigraphy.

 

This work was supported by projects OnOff - PTDC/CTAGEO/28941/2017 – financed by FCT. and FCT/UIDB/50019/2020 - IDL, also funded by FCT.
Time series analysis of synthetic time series generated with a saturated/unsaturated zone model
Authors: Bakker Mark , Vonk Martin , Collenteur Raoul , Schaars Frans
Published: March 2022

Time series analysis with response functions is a versatile approach to analyze measured head series in observation wells. In such an analysis, the response function of the groundwater does not change with time. This approach works well when the groundwater recharge is a linear function of the measured rainfall and evaporation, as was shown through the analysis of synthetic time series generated with a saturated groundwater model where the groundwater recharge is applied directly to the saturated zone. In this research, the method was evaluated for situations where the groundwater recharge cannot be approximated well as a linear function of the measured rainfall and evaporation. Synthetic time series were generated with a two-dimensional saturated/unsaturated zone model (Hydrus2D) and analyzed with response functions. Performance of the time series model was improved through inclusion of a new root zone model consisting of a single reservoir. Reservoir inflow is measured rainfall. Reservoir outflow is evaporation and groundwater recharge, where the evaporation is a function of the amount of water stored in the root zone and the recharge is a function of both the amount of water stored in the root zone and the groundwater table. The new root zone model is a promising tool for the analysis of head series in areas with thick unsaturated zones and/or high potential evaporative fluxes.