bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Les objectifs et les indicateurs de la LOLF, quatre ans après...
Authors: Brunetiere Jean-René
Published: January 2011

Un premier article du même auteur dans le n o  117 de la RFAP consacré à la LOLF, en juin 2006, analysait un échantillon aléatoire de 32 indicateurs du Programme annuel de performance de la Loi de ﬁnances initiale 2006. Peu d’entre eux pouvaient être considérés comme satisfaisant au regard des principes énoncés lors de la mise en œuvre de la LOLF, la moitié d’entre eux pouvant même être regardés comme perturbateurs, voire dangereux pour l’action publique. En 2010, la vie de ces indicateurs (et la mort de quinze d’entre eux) au long de quatre exercices budgétaires, puis la comparaison avec deux exercices similaires (les Programmes de qualité et d’efficience des Projets de loi de ﬁnancement de la sécurité sociale et les indicateurs de la Stratégie nationale du développement durable) permettent de tirer de nouvelles conclusions, plus éclairantes sur les conditions de réussite de ces exercices inspirés par la « nouvelle gestion publique ».
La donnée n'est pas un donné
Authors: Salais Robert
Published: January 2011

La rhétorique de la performance a occulté les enjeux politiques, éthiques et normatifs des réformes de la gestion publique (LOLF, RGPP) relativement au rôle de l’État et à son action. Une dérive essentielle réside dans le fait que, du haut en bas, les acteurs sont incités, non plus à améliorer les résultats des politiques menées vis-à-vis de leurs objectifs fondamentaux, mais à accroître directement, par tous les moyens, leur score sur les indicateurs selon lesquels ils sont évalués. L’article rappelle que l’objectivité du chiffre repose sur des conventions de mesure et reste subordonnée à l’usage politique qui en est fait. Il met en lumière les problèmes soulevés : conciliation entre performance et justice sociale ; comparabilité ; normativité cachée (et donc non débattue) au sein des indicateurs ; risque de fabrication politique des chiffres. Un registre politique nouveau apparaît, celui de la représentation cognitive des situations, trop peu investi par la recherche.
Contribution au débat sur la mesure de la performance de la gouvernance
Authors: Van Doren Wouter , Lonti Zsuzsanna
Published: January 2011

Contrairement à d’autres secteurs de l’espace public comme la santé et l’éducation, il n’existe pas, pour l’administration publique, de tradition d’indicateurs comparatifs de performance. Ces outils manquent aussi bien aux scientiﬁques qu’aux dirigeants. Dans la présente étude, nous tenterons tout d’abord de démêler certains concepts. Nous proposerons ensuite quelques indicateurs permettant d’évaluer les performances pour la gestion des ressources humaines, les pratiques et procédures budgétaires et l’application des principes de transparence. Le but de cet article synthétique est de relancer le débat sur les indicateurs permettant de mesurer la performance de gouvernance. Nous estimons de cette manière contribuer à doter de bases plus solides les futures études comparatives des administrations publiques.
Donner sens aux méthodes de modernisation de l'administration
Authors: Trosa Sylvie
Published: January 2011

La politique de modernisation de l’administration a été marquée par la mise en place d’outils ou de méthodes telles que la démarche de qualité, le contrôle de gestion, l’évaluation... qui sont souvent présentées comme la solution à l’ensemble des problèmes de management de l’administration publique. Or une méthode devient stérile quand elle est une ﬁnalité en elle-même et qu’elle prétend à être applicable de manière universelle, car l’administration n’est pas une machine fermée sur elle-même mais ouverte et en lien avec le politique, la société, l’économie. Il est donc nécessaire de donner sens aux méthodes de modernisation de l’administration : non seulement de les mettre explicitement au service d’une ﬁnalité politique et sociale plus large que la seule recherche d’efficience, mais aussi de permettre aux cadres et personnels de s’en approprier réellement la signiﬁcation. De la sorte, la méthode peut alors devenir une « démarche » au sens d’une culture de progrès partagé, clef de sa réussite.
La gouvernance des systèmes multi-organisationnels
Authors: Dupuis Alain , Farinas Luc
Published: January 2011

–The governance of multi-organisational systems – The example of the health and social services system in Quebec – This article looks at the overall coordination of multi-organisational health and social services systems, and examines the specific case of Quebec. Written from the standpoint of organisational science and inspired mainly by Anglo-Saxon research, it analyses the hierarchical and formal “integration” of systems, which is a central principle in many structural reforms. This idea does not appear to have a great deal of support, and this article makes a critical analysis of it. It goes on to highlight some operational mechanisms based on mutual adjustment which serve to ensure the overall coordination of multi-organisational health and social services systems.
Le représentant territorial de l'Etat et le fait régional dans les Etats européens
Authors: Marcou Gérard
Published: January 2011

L’article aborde d’un point de vue de droit et d’administration comparés la question de la place et du rôle de l’administration régionale de l’État et de son responsable (le représentant territorial de l’État) au sein des évolutions que connaissent aussi bien les Etats centralisés que les Etats à autonomie régionale ou même les Etats fédéraux. Dans les États centralisés, il met en lumière la tendance que les États ont à privilégier leurs administrations au niveau régional au détriment de celles longtemps prépondérantes au niveau départemental (pour utiliser la terminologie française). Dans les États fédérés ou à autonomie régionale, il montre que les administrations de l’État au niveau régional, sans forcément disparaître, sont fortement redimensionnées et qu’elles n’existent pas auprès des niveaux infra régionaux ; c’est la collectivité régionale ou l’État régional qui organise ses propres représentations aux niveaux infra-régionaux. L’article analyse également comment les administrations de l’État au niveau régional et leurs responsables dialoguent avec les régions en tant que collectivités publiques ou États à autonomie régionale (et avec les collectivités infra-régionales) et participent au rapport qu’elles entretiennent avec l’Union européenne.
Le nombre des fonctionnaires : le débat autour du fonctionnarisme (1877-1914)
Authors: Rouban Luc
Published: January 2011

La question du nombre des fonctionnaires est un des grands thèmes de la vie politique française. Ce débat s’est organisé lors de l’instauration d’un régime républicain entre 1877 et 1914 et renaît désormais chaque fois que l’économie est en crise. L’analyse historique montre cependant que ce débat ne s’est pas appuyé sur des études ﬁnancières ou économiques mais bien plutôt sur des prises de position intellectuelles et politiques. L’argument selon lequel il y a trop de fonctionnaires en France est apparu sans que l’on dispose des données nécessaires pour arriver à cette conclusion. La dénonciation du trop grand nombre de fonctionnaires a permis de développer une critique de la République mais aussi une analyse de la société française et notamment de la place des classes moyennes. Les fonctionnaires dérangent la classe politique, de droite comme de gauche, car leur nombre signiﬁe l’instauration d’un État difficile à contrôler.
Comment réduire les lourdeurs bureaucratiques : l'application du modèle des coûts standards en Allemagne
Authors: Brinkmann Henrik , Ernst Tobias , Frick Frank , Koop Alexander , Riedel Henrik
Published: January 2011

Réduire la bureaucratie est un sujet majeur dans l’agenda politique en Allemagne depuis la ﬁn des années soixante. Après des décennies de mesures non systématiques et donc peu couronnées de succès, la Grande coalition rassemblant démocrates-chrétiens et sociaux-démocrates suit maintenant une success story néerlandaise pour réduire les charges administratives dans le secteur privé, en utilisant le « modèle des coûts standards » ou Standard Cost Model ( SCM ). Ce modèle permet de mesurer les charges administratives en euros et de les réduire systématiquement : « ce qui est mesuré est fait ». Mais quelle est la ratio de cette démarche ? Comment l’approche modèle des coûts standards peut-elle contribuer à une augmentation de la compétitivité des entreprises allemandes ? Quelles sont les phases d’une évaluation modèle des coûts standards et comment utiliser la méthode ex-post et ex-ante  ? Est-il aussi possible de contrôler les charges administratives qui pèsent sur les citoyens et les agents publics ? L’article décrit la mise en œuvre du modèle des coûts standards en Allemagne et montre comment cette méthode peut s’adapter à une stratégie globale d’amélioration de la réglementation.
Le régime juridique du conflit d'intérêts éléments comparés
Authors: Mattarella Bernardo Giorgio
Published: January 2011

Étudiant la manière dont divers pays, et notamment l’Italie, tentent de résoudre les problèmes de conflit d’intérêts que peuvent être amenées à connaître les personnes exerçant des fonctions publiques, l’auteur propose une synthèse ainsi qu’une typologie des diverses conceptions et différents régimes juridiques pouvant exister en la matière. Il analyse ainsi successivement la question de la déﬁnition du conflit d’intérêts, celle du champ d’application des personnes concernées, celle des solutions choisies pour le prévenir ou le surmonter, et celle du contrôle et des sanctions mises en place.
Catálogo sinonímico de los táxones ibero-baleares de la familia Meloidae (Coleoptera)
Authors: García-París M. , Ruiz J. L. , Alonso-Zarazaga M. A.
Published: January 2011

En este trabajo presentamos un listado sinonímico actualizado de la fauna de Meloidae (Coleoptera) de la Península Ibérica e Islas Baleares. En el listado actual se recogen las sinonimias correspondientes a 65 táxones de nivel especie. Se han revisado las publicaciones donde se incluyen las descripciones originales de la mayoría de los táxones y nombres de las especies ibero baleares de Meloidae. Esta revisión ha llevado a diversas correcciones y actualizaciones tanto en la grafía de algunos nombres, como en las las referencias originales, incluyendo cambios de fechas o de paginación con respecto a catálogos anteriores. El trabajo se ilustra con fotografías de 13 ejemplares tipo. Existen una serie de problemas nomenclaturales y taxonómicos aún por resolver, que podrían producir cambios en el listado actual. Entre estos problemas destacan el caso de la nomenclatura de M. maculosopunctata que requiere revisión, la adscripción específica correcta de la cita ibérica de M. tricincta, la revisión del estatus taxonómico de Meloe ibericus, que se mantiene a nivel específico en espera de la revisión del grupo de especies afines a M. brevicollis, la revisión del estatus de Sitaris melanura y el problema taxonómico del subgénero Meloe en las Islas Baleares.
Gompelia, a replacement name for Olotelus Mulsant & Rey, 1866 (Coleoptera, Aderidae)
Authors: Alonso-Zarazaga M. A.
Published: January 2011

No disponible
Nuevos táxones animales descritos en la península Ibérica y Macaronesia desde 1994 (3ª parte)
Authors: Fernández J.
Published: January 2011

No disponible
Maximal Sublattices of Finite Distributive Lattices. III: A Conjecture from the 1984 Banff Conference on Graphs and Order
Authors: Farley Jonathan David
Published: January 2011

Let L be a finite distributive lattice. Let Sub0(L) be the lattice

﹛S | S is a sublattice of L﹜ [ ﹛∅﹜

and let ℓ*[Sub0(L)] be the length of the shortest maximal chain in Sub0(L). It is proved that if K and L are non-trivial finite distributive lattices, then

ℓ*[Sub0(K × L)] = ℓ*[Sub0(K)] + ℓ[Sub0(L)].

A conjecture from the 1984 Banff Conference on Graphs and Order is thus proved.
Some Remarks Concerning the Topological Characterization of Limit Sets for Surface Flows
Authors: Marzougui Habib
Published: January 2011

We give some extension to theorems of Jiménez López and Soler López concerning the topological characterization for limit sets of continuous flows on closed orientable surfaces.
Examining the Validity of the Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool: Using Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory
Authors: Pan Ay-Woan , Fan Chia-Wei , Chung LyInn , Chen Tsyr-Jang , Kielhofner Gary , Wu Ming-Yi , Chen Yun-Ling
Published: January 2011

Introduction:

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool, using both item response theory and classical test theory.

Method:

One hundred and one people with mental health problems, aged 18–65 years, were recruited. The Chinese version of the Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool, the National Taiwan University Hospital Symptom Checklist, the Volitional Questionnaire, the Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills, and the Mini Mental State Examination were administered. Rasch analysis and correlational analysis were used to examine the construct, convergent, divergent validity and known group validity.

Results:

Rasch analysis confirmed that there were six subscales within the Chinese version of Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool. The Volitional Questionnaire strongly correlated with the volition subscale (r = 0.583). The Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills strongly correlated with the communication and interaction subscale (r = 0.815). The Mini Mental State Examination was moderately correlated with the process subscale (ρ = 0.334) and the symptomatology was not associated with any of the subscales as expected. There were significant differences on selected subscale scores across four known groups of participants.

Conclusion:

The Chinese version of the Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool was valid when applied to people with mental health problems.
Advice for Decision Makers Based on an Electronic Health Record Evaluation at a Program for All-inclusive Care for Elders Site
Authors: Weiner J.P. , Bowles K.H. , Abbott P. , Lehmann H.P. , Sockolow P.S.
Published: January 2011

Objective: Provide evidence-based advise to “Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly” (PACE) decision makers considering implementing an electronic health record (EHR) system, drawing on the results of a mixed methods study to examine: (1) the diffusion of an EHR among clinicians documenting direct patient care in a PACE day care site, (2) the impact of the use of the EHR on the satisfaction levels of clinicians, and (3) the impact of the use of the EHR on patient functional outcomes.

Methods: Embedded mixed methods design with a post-test design quantitative experiment and concurrent qualitative component. Quantitative methods included: (1) the EHR audit log used to determine the frequency and timing during the week of clinicians’ usage of the system; (2) a 22-item clinician satisfaction survey; and (3) a 16-item patient functional outcome questionnaire related to locomotion, mobility, personal hygiene, dressing, feeding as well the use of adaptive devices. Qualitative methods included observations and open-ended, semi-structured follow-up interviews. Qualitative data was merged with the quantitative data by comparing the findings along themes. The setting was a PACE utilizing an EHR in Philadelphia: PACE manages the care of nursing-home eligible members to enable them to avoid nursing home admission and reside in their homes. Participants were 39 clinicians on the multi-disciplinary teams caring for the elders and 338 PACE members.

Results: Clinicians did not use the system as intended, which may help to explain why the benefits related to clinical processes and patient outcomes as expected for an EHR were not reflected in the results. Clinicians were satisfied with the EHR, although there was a non-significant decline between 11 and 17 months post implementation of the EHR. There was no significant difference in patient functional outcome the two time periods. However, the sample size of 48 was too small to allow any conclusive statements to be made. Interpretation of findings underscores the importance of the interaction of workflow and EHR functionality and usability to impact clinician satisfaction, efficiency, and clinician use of the EHR.

Conclusion: This research provides insights into EHR use in the care of the older people in community-based health care settings. This study assessed the adoption of an EHR outside the acute hospital setting and in the community setting to provide evidence-based recommendations to PACE decision makers considering implementing an EHR.
The Acceptance of Earnings Losses after Voluntary Mobility
Authors: Schneck Stefan
Published: January 2011

Because rational individuals know that they cannot always get what they want, they are assumed to make appropriate adjustments. However, little is known about trade-off reasoning in labor market mobility decision making. The objective of this paper is to analyze the effect of job-specific amenities on the decision to voluntarily accept wage cuts. Application of German household data reveals that voluntarily mobile workers are more likely to accept lower wages when strain can be improved. In other words, the considered mobile workers trade off amenities and monetary rewards when changing employers.
Health Care Spending Growth: Can We Avoid Fiscal Armageddon?
Authors: Chernew Michael
Published: January 2011

Both private and public payers have experienced a persistent rise in health care spending that has exceeded income growth. The issue now transcends the health care system because health care spending growth threatens the fiscal health of the nation. This paper examines the causes and consequences of health care spending growth. It notes that the determinants of spending growth may differ from the determinants of high spending at a point in time. Specifically, the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the primary driver of inflation-adjusted, per capita spending growth over the past decades (and thus premium growth) has been the diffusion of new medical technology.

The paper argues that while new technology has provided significant clinical benefit, we can no longer afford the persistent gap between health spending and income growth. In simple terms, if the economy is growing 2%, we cannot afford persistent health care spending growth of 4%. Growth in public spending is particularly important. If not abated, high public spending will require either substantially higher taxes or debt, both of which could lead to fiscal Armageddon. Growth in private spending also threatens economic well-being by forcing more resources toward health care and away from other sectors. For example, since the cost of employer-based coverage is always borne by employees (directly or indirectly), salary increases and health care cost increases cannot continue on together.

To avoid economic disaster, payers will be forced to have a greater resolve in the future. Specifically, because neither public nor private payers will be able to finance growing health care spending, the coming decade will likely experience significant vchanges in health care financing. Consumers may be asked to pay more out of pocket when they seek care and both public and private payers will put increasing pressure on payment rates. Furthermore, payment rates to providers are likely to rise more slowly than in the past, likely by less than inflation, and a new form of payment that bundles reimbursement across providers and services will be implemented. All stakeholders, particularly health care providers, will need to adapt to the pressure. Ideally, this will lead to more efficient care delivery that will require a partnership among major stakeholders to develop systems of managing population health in ways that promote affordable, high-quality outcomes.
Observations of Saharan dust microphysical and optical properties from the Eastern Atlantic during NAMMA airborne field campaign
Authors: Chen G. , Ziemba L. D. , Chu D. A. , Thornhill K. L. , Schuster G. L. , Winstead E. L. , Diskin G. S. , Ferrare R. A. , Burton S. P. , Ismail S. , Kooi S. A. , Omar A. H. , Slusher D. L. , Kleb M. M. , Reid J. S. , Twohy C. H. , Zhang H. , Anderson B. E.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. As part of the international project entitled "African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA)", NAMMA (NASA AMMA) aimed to gain a better understanding of the relationship between the African Easterly Waves (AEWs), the Sahara Air Layer (SAL), and tropical cyclogenesis. The NAMMA airborne field campaign was based out of the Cape Verde Islands during the peak of the hurricane season, i.e., August and September 2006. Multiple Sahara dust layers were sampled during 62 encounters in the eastern portion of the hurricane main development region, covering both the eastern North Atlantic Ocean and the western Saharan desert (i.e., 5–22° N and 10–35° W). The centers of these layers were located at altitudes between 1.5 and 3.3 km and the layer thickness ranged from 0.5 to 3 km. Detailed dust microphysical and optical properties were characterized using a suite of in-situ instruments aboard the NASA DC-8 that included a particle counter, an Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer, an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer, a nephelometer, and a Particle Soot Absorption Photometer. The NAAMA sampling inlet has a size cut (i.e., 50% transmission efficiency size) of approximately 4 μm in diameter for dust particles, which limits the representativeness of the NAMMA observational findings. The NAMMA dust observations showed relatively low particle number densities, ranging from 268 to 461 cm−3, but highly elevated volume density with an average at 45 μm3 cm−3. NAMMA dust particle size distributions can be well represented by tri-modal lognormal regressions. The estimated volume median diameter (VMD) is averaged at 2.1 μm with a small range of variation regardless of the vertical and geographical sampling locations. The Ångström Exponent assessments exhibited strong wavelength dependence for absorption but a weak one for scattering. The single scattering albedo was estimated at 0.97 ± 0.02. The imaginary part of the refractive index for Sahara dust was estimated at 0.0022, with a range from 0.0015 to 0.0044. Closure analysis showed that observed scattering coefficients are highly correlated with those calculated from spherical Mie-Theory and observed dust particle size distributions. These values are generally consistent with literature values reported from studies with similar particle sampling size range.
Relating tropical ocean clouds to moist processes using water vapor isotope measurements
Authors: Lee J. , Worden J. , Noone D. , Bowman K. , Eldering A. , LeGrande A. , Li J.-L. F. , Schmidt G. , Sodemann H.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. We examine the co-variations of tropospheric water vapor, its isotopic composition and cloud types and relate these distributions to tropospheric mixing and distillation models using satellite observations from the Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) over the summertime tropical ocean. Interpretation of these process distributions must take into account the sensitivity of the TES isotope and water vapor measurements to variations in cloud, water, and temperature amount. Consequently, comparisons are made between cloud-types based on the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISSCP) classification; these are clear sky, non-precipitating (e.g., cumulus), boundary layer (e.g., stratocumulus), and precipitating clouds (e.g. regions of deep convection). In general, we find that the free tropospheric vapor over tropical oceans does not strictly follow a Rayleigh model in which air parcels become dry and isotopically depleted through condensation. Instead, mixing processes related to convection as well as subsidence, and re-evaporation of rainfall associated with organized deep convection all play significant roles in controlling the water vapor distribution. The relative role of these moisture processes are examined for different tropical oceanic regions.
Generation of hydrogen peroxide from San Joaquin Valley particles in a cell-free solution
Authors: Shen H. , Barakat A. I. , Anastasio C.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. Epidemiological studies have shown a correlation between exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) and adverse health effects. One proposed mechanism of PM-mediated health effects is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) – e.g., superoxide (•O2−), hydrogen peroxide (HOOH), and hydroxyl radical (•OH) – followed by oxidative stress. There are very few quantitative, specific measures of individual ROS generated from PM, but this information would help to more quantitatively address the link between ROS and the health effects of PM. To address this gap, we quantified the generation of HOOH by PM collected at an urban (Fresno) and rural (Westside) site in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California during summer and winter from 2006 to 2009. HOOH was quantified by HPLC after extracting the PM in a cell-free, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution with or without 50 μM ascorbate (Asc). Our results show that the urban PM generally generates much more HOOH than the rural PM but that there is no apparent seasonal difference in HOOH generation. In nearly all of the samples the addition of a physiologically relevant concentration of Asc greatly enhances HOOH formation, but a few of the coarse PM samples were able to generate a considerable amount of HOOH in the absence of added Asc, indicating the presence of unknown reductants. Normalized by air volume, the fine PM (PM2.5) generally makes more HOOH than the corresponding coarse PM (PMcf, i.e., 2.5 to 10 μm), primarily because the mass concentration of PM2.5 is much higher than that of PMcf. However, normalized by PM mass, the coarse PM typically generates more HOOH than the fine PM. The amount of HOOH produced by SJV PM is reduced on average by (78 ± 15)% when the transition metal chelator desferoxamine (DSF) is added to the extraction solution, indicating that transition metals play a dominant role in HOOH generation. By measuring calibration curves of HOOH generation from copper, and quantifying copper concentrations in our particle extracts, we find that PBS-soluble copper is primarily responsible for HOOH production by the Fresno PM. Extrapolating our results to expected concentrations of PM-derived HOOH in human lung lining fluid suggests that typical daily PM exposures in the San Joaquin Valley are unlikely to cause HOOH-mediated acute health effects, but that very high PM events might lead to cytotoxic levels of pulmonary HOOH.
Hygroscopic properties of aerosol particles at high relative humidity and their diurnal variations in the North China Plain
Authors: Liu P. F. , Zhao C. S. , Göbel T. , Hallbauer E. , Nowak A. , Ran L. , Xu W. Y. , Deng Z. Z. , Ma N. , Mildenberger K. , Henning S. , Stratmann F. , Wiedensohler A.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. The hygroscopic properties of submicron aerosol particles were determined at a suburban site (Wuqing) in the North China Plain among a cluster of cities during the period 17 July to 12 August 2009. A High Humidity Tandem Differential Mobility Analyser (HH-TDMA) instrument was applied to measure the hygroscopic growth factor (GF) at 90%, 95% and 98.5% relative humidity (RH) for particles with dry diameter between 50–250 nm. The probability distribution of GF (GF-PDF) averaged over the period shows a distinct bimodal pattern, namely, a dominant more-hygroscopic (MH) group and a smaller nearly-hydrophobic (NH) group. The MH group particles were highly hygroscopic, and their GF was relatively constant during the period with average values of 1.54±0.02, 1.81±0.04 and 2.45±0.07 at 90%, 95% and 98.5% RH (D0=100 nm), respectively. The NH group particles grew very slightly when exposed to high RH, with GF values of 1.08±0.02, 1.13±0.06 and 1.24±0.13, respectively at 90%, 95% and 98.5% RH (D0=100 nm). The hygroscopic growth behaviours at different RHs were well represented by the hygroscopicity parameter κ with a single-parameter Köhler model. Thus, the calculation of GF as a function of RH and dry diameter could be facilitated by an empirical parameterization of κ as function of dry diameter. A strong diurnal pattern in number fraction of different hygroscopic groups was observed, indicating a diurnal variation of aerosol mixing state and/or chemical composition. The average number fraction of NH particles during the day was about 8%, while during the nighttime fractions up to 20% were reached. Correspondingly, the state of mixing in terms of water uptake varied significantly during a day. The high fraction of NH particles measured during the night denotes a high degree of external mixing of ambient aerosols, while during the day the degree of external mixing decreased. Simulations using a particle-resolved aerosol box model (PartMC-MOSAIC) suggest that the diurnal variations of aerosol hygroscopicity and mixing state were mainly caused by the evolution of the atmospheric mixing layer. The shallow nocturnal boundary layer during the night facilitated the accumulation of freshly emitted carbonaceous particles (mainly hydrophobic) near the surface while in the morning turbulence entrained the more aged and more hygroscopic particles from aloft and diluted the NH particles near the surface resulting in a decrease in the fraction of NH particles.
Time variations of the ionosphere at the northern tropical crest of ionization at Phu Thuy, Vietnam
Authors: Pham Thi Thu H. , Amory-Mazaudier C. , Le Huy M.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. This study is the first which gives the climatology of the ionosphere at the northern tropical crest of ionization in the Asian sector. We use the data from Phu Thuy station, in Vietnam, through three solar cycles (20, 21 and 22), showing the complete morphology of ionosphere parameters by analyzing long term variation, solar cycle variation and geomagnetic activity effects, seasonal evolution and diurnal development. Ionospheric critical frequencies, foF2, foF1 and foE, evolve according to the 11-year sunspot cycle. Seasonal variations show that foF2 exhibits a semiannual pattern with maxima at equinox, and winter and equinoctial anomalies depending on the phases of the sunspot solar cycle. ΔfoF2 exhibits a semiannual variation during the minimum phase of the sunspot solar cycle 20 and the increasing and decreasing phases of solar cycle 20, 21 and 22. ΔfoF1 exhibits an annual variation during the maximum phase of solar cycles 20, 21 and 22. Δh'F2 shows a regular seasonal variation for the different solar cycles while Δh'F1 exhibits a large magnitude dispersion from one sunspot cycle to another. The long term variations consist in an increase of 1.0 MHz for foF2 and of 0.36 MHz for foF1. foE increases 0.53 MHz from solar cycle 20 to solar cycle 21 and then decreases −0.23 MHz during the decreasing phase of cycle 21. The diurnal variation of the critical frequency foF2 shows minima at 05:00 LT and maxima around 14:00 LT. foF1 and foE have a maximum around noon. The diurnal variation of h'F2 exhibits a maximum around noon. The main features of h'F1 are a minimum near noon and the maximum near midnight. Other minima and maxima occur in the morning, at about 04:00 or 05:00 LT and in the afternoon, at about 18:00 or 19:00 LT but they are markedly smaller. Only during the maximum phase of all sunspot solar cycles the maximum near 19:00 LT is more pronounced.
Remote sensing of ecosystem light use efficiency with MODIS-based PRI
Authors: Goerner A. , Reichstein M. , Tomelleri E. , Hanan N. , Rambal S. , Papale D. , Dragoni D. , Schmullius C.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. Several studies sustained the possibility that a photochemical reflectance index (PRI) directly obtained from satellite data can be used as a proxy for ecosystem light use efficiency (LUE) in diagnostic models of gross primary productivity. This modelling approach would avoid the complications that are involved in using meteorological data as constraints for a fixed maximum LUE. However, no unifying model predicting LUE across climate zones and time based on MODIS PRI has been published to date. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness with which MODIS-based PRI can be used to estimate ecosystem light use efficiency at study sites of different plant functional types and vegetation densities. Our objective is to examine if known limitations such as dependence on viewing and illumination geometry can be overcome and a single PRI-based model of LUE (i.e. based on the same reference band) can be applied under a wide range of conditions. Furthermore, we were interested in the effect of using different faPAR (fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation) products on the in-situ LUE used as ground truth and thus on the whole evaluation exercise. We found that estimating LUE at site-level based on PRI reduces uncertainty compared to the approaches relying on a maximum LUE reduced by minimum temperature and vapour pressure deficit. Despite the advantages of using PRI to estimate LUE at site-level, we could not establish an universally applicable light use efficiency model based on MODIS PRI. Models that were optimised for a pool of data from several sites did not perform well.
Southern ocean warming, sea level and hydrological change during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum
Authors: Sluijs A. , Bijl P. K. , Schouten S. , Röhl U. , Reichart G.-J. , Brinkhuis H.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. A brief (~150 kyr) period of widespread global average surface warming marks the transition between the Paleocene and Eocene epochs, ~56 million years ago. This so-called "Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum" (PETM) is associated with the massive injection of 13C-depleted carbon, reflected in a negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE). Biotic responses include a global abundance peak (acme) of the subtropical dinoflagellate Apectodinium. Here we identify the PETM in a marine sedimentary sequence deposited on the East Tasman Plateau at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1172 and show, based on the organic paleothermometer TEX86, that southwest Pacific sea surface temperatures increased from ~26 °C to ~33°C during the PETM. Such temperatures before, during and after the PETM are >10 °C warmer than predicted by paleoclimate model simulations for this latitude. In part, this discrepancy may be explained by potential seasonal biases in the TEX86 proxy in polar oceans. Additionally, the data suggest that not only Arctic, but also Antarctic temperatures may be underestimated in simulations of ancient greenhouse climates by current generation fully coupled climate models. An early influx of abundant Apectodinium confirms that environmental change preceded the CIE on a global scale. Organic dinoflagellate cyst assemblages suggest a local decrease in the amount of river run off reaching the core site during the PETM, possibly in concert with eustatic rise. Moreover, the assemblages suggest changes in seasonality of the regional hydrological system and storm activity. Finally, significant variation in dinoflagellate cyst assemblages during the PETM indicates that southwest Pacific climates varied significantly over time scales of 103 – 104 years during this event, a finding comparable to similar studies of PETM successions from the New Jersey Shelf.
Simulated climate variability in the region of Rapa Nui during the last millennium
Authors: Junk C. , Claussen M.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. Easter Island, an isolated island in the Southeast Pacific, was settled by the Polynesians probably between 600 and 1200 AD and discovered by the Europeans in 1722 AD. While the Polynesians presumably found a profuse palm woodland on Easter Island, the Europeans faced a landscape dominated by grassland. Scientists have examined potential anthropogenic, biological and climatic induced vegetation changes on Easter Island. Here, we analyze observational climate data for the last decades and climate model results for the period 800–1750 AD to explore potential causes for a climatic-induced vegetation change. A direct influence of the ENSO phenomenon on the climatic parameters of Easter Island could not be found in the model simulations. Furthermore, strong climatic trends from a warm Medieval Period to a Little Ice Age or rapid climatic fluctuations due to large volcanic eruptions were not verifiable for the Easter Island region, although they are detectable in the simulations for many regions world wide. Hence we tentatively conclude that large-scale climate changes in the oceanic region around Easter Island might be too small to explain strong vegetation changes on the island over the last millennium.
The last deglaciation: timing the bipolar seesaw
Authors: Pedro J. B. , van Ommen T. D. , Rasmussen S. O. , Morgan V. I. , Chappellaz J. , Moy A. D. , Masson-Delmotte V. , Delmotte M.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. Precise information on the relative timing of north-south climate variations is a key to resolving questions concerning the mechanisms that force and couple climate changes between the hemispheres. We present a new composite record made from five well-resolved Antarctic ice core records that robustly represents the timing of regional Antarctic climate change during the last deglaciation. Using fast variations in global methane gas concentrations as time markers, the Antarctic composite is directly compared to Greenland ice core records, allowing a detailed mapping of the inter-hemispheric sequence of climate changes. Consistent with prior studies the synchronized records show that warming (and cooling) trends in Antarctica closely match cold (and warm) periods in Greenland on millennial timescales. For the first time, we also identify a sub-millennial component to the inter-hemispheric coupling: within the Antarctic Cold Reversal the strongest Antarctic cooling occurs during the pronounced northern warmth of the Bølling; warming then resumes in Antarctica during the Intra-Allerød Cold Period i.e. prior to the Younger Dryas stadial. There is little-to-no time lag between climate transitions in Greenland and opposing changes in Antarctica. Our results lend support to fast acting inter-hemispheric coupling mechanisms including recently proposed bipolar atmospheric teleconnections and/or rapid bipolar ocean teleconnections.
Quantifying the thermodynamic entropy budget of the land surface: is this useful?
Authors: Brunsell N. A. , Schymanski S. J. , Kleidon A.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. As a system is moved away from a state of thermodynamic equilibrium, spatial and temporal heterogeneity is induced. A possible methodology to assess these impacts is to examine the thermodynamic entropy budget and assess the role of entropy production and transfer between the surface and the atmosphere. Here, we adopted this thermodynamic framework to examine the implications of changing vegetation fractional cover on land surface energy exchange processes using the NOAH land surface model and eddy covariance observations. Simulations that varied the relative fraction of vegetation were used to calculate the resultant entropy budget as a function of fraction of vegetation. Results showed that increasing vegetation fraction increases entropy production by the land surface while decreasing the overall entropy budget (the rate of change in entropy at the surface). This is accomplished largely via simultaneous increase in the entropy production associated with the absorption of solar radiation and a decline in the Bowen ratio (ratio of sensible to latent heat flux), which leads to increasing the entropy export associated with the latent heat flux during the daylight hours and dominated by entropy transfer associated with sensible heat and soil heat fluxes during the nighttime hours. Eddy covariance observations also show that the entropy production has a consistent sensitivity to land cover, while the overall entropy budget appears most related to the net radiation at the surface. This implies that quantifying the thermodynamic entropy budget and entropy production is a useful metric for assessing biosphere-atmosphere-hydrosphere system interactions.
Quantifying uncertainty in the impacts of climate change on river discharge in sub-catchments of the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins, China
Authors: Xu H. , Taylor R. G. , Xu Y.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. Quantitative evaluations of the impacts of climate change on water resources are primarily constrained by uncertainty in climate projections from GCMs. In this study we assess uncertainty in the impacts of climate change on river discharge in two catchments of the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins that feature contrasting climate regimes (humid and semi-arid). Specifically we quantify uncertainty associated with GCM structure from a subset of CMIP3 AR4 GCMs (HadCM3, HadGEM1, CCSM3.0, IPSL, ECHAM5, CSIRO, CGCM3.1), SRES emissions scenarios (A1B, A2, B1, B2) and prescribed increases in global mean air temperature (1 °C to 6 °C). Climate projections, applied to semi-distributed hydrological models (SWAT 2005) in both catchments, indicate trends toward warmer and wetter conditions. For prescribed warming scenarios of 1 °C to 6 °C, linear increases in mean annual river discharge, relative to baseline (1961–1990), for the River Xiangxi and River Huangfuchuan are +9% and 11% per +1 °C respectively. Intra-annual changes include increases in flood (Q05) discharges for both rivers as well as a shift in the timing of flood discharges from summer to autumn and a rise (24 to 93%) in dry season (Q95) discharge for the River Xiangxi. Differences in projections of mean annual river discharge between SRES emission scenarios using HadCM3 are comparatively minor for the River Xiangxi (13 to 17% rise from baseline) but substantial (73 to 121%) for the River Huangfuchuan. With one minor exception of a slight (−2%) decrease in river discharge projected using HadGEM1 for the River Xiangxi, mean annual river discharge is projected to increase in both catchments under both the SRES A1B emission scenario and 2° rise in global mean air temperature using all AR4 GCMs on the CMIP3 subset. For the River Xiangxi, there is substantial uncertainty associated with GCM structure in the magnitude of the rise in flood (Q05) discharges (−1 to 41% under SRES A1B and −3 to 41% under 2° global warming) and dry season (Q95) discharges (2 to 55% under SRES A1B and 2 to 39% under 2° global warming). For the River Huangfuchuan, all GCMs project a rise in the Q05 flow but there is substantial uncertainty in the magnitude of this rise (7 to 70% under SRES A1B and 2 to 57% under 2° global warming). Differences in the projected hydrological changes are associated with GCM structure in both catchments exceed uncertainty in emission scenarios. Critically, estimated uncertainty in projections of mean annual flows is less than that calculated for extreme (Q05, Q95) flows. The common approach of reporting of climate change impacts on river in terms of mean annual flows masks the magnitude of uncertainty in flows that are of most importance to water management.
Soil surface moisture estimation over a semi-arid region using ENVISAT ASAR radar data for soil evaporation evaluation
Authors: Zribi M. , Chahbi A. , Shabou M. , Lili-Chabaane Z. , Duchemin B. , Baghdadi N. , Amri R. , Chehbouni A.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. The present paper proposes a method for the evaluation of soil evaporation, using soil moisture estimations based on radar satellite measurements. We present firstly an approach for the estimation and monitoring of soil moisture in a semi-arid region in North Africa, using ENVISAT ASAR images, over two types of vegetation covers. The first mapping process is dedicated solely to the monitoring of moisture variability related to rainfall events, over areas in the "non-irrigated olive tree" class of land use. The developed approach is based on a simple linear relationship between soil moisture and the backscattered radar signal normalised at a reference incidence angle. The second process is proposed over wheat fields, using an analysis of moisture variability due to both rainfall and irrigation. A semi-empirical model, based on the water-cloud model for vegetation correction, is used to retrieve soil moisture from the radar signal. Moisture mapping is carried out over wheat fields, showing high variability between irrigated and non-irrigated wheat covers. This analysis is based on a large database, including both ENVISAT ASAR and simultaneously acquired ground-truth measurements (moisture, vegetation, roughness), during the 2008–2009 vegetation cycle. Finally, a semi-empirical approach is proposed in order to relate surface moisture to the difference between soil evaporation and the climate demand, as defined by the potential evaporation. Mapping of the soil evaporation is proposed.
Modeling moisture fluxes using artificial neural networks: can information extraction overcome data loss?
Authors: Neal A. L. , Gupta H. V. , Kurc S. A. , Brooks P. D.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. Eddy covariance sites can experience data losses as high as 30 to 45% on an annual basis. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been identified as powerful tools for gap filling, but their performance depends on the representativeness of data used to train the model. In this paper, we develop a normalization method, which has similar performance compared to conventional training approaches, but exhibits differences in the timing of fluxes, indicating different and previously unused information in the data record. Specifically, the differences between half-hourly model fluxes, especially during summer months, indicate that the structure of the information content in the data changes seasonally, diurnally and with the rate of data loss. Extracting more information from data may not improve model performance and indicates the need for improved data and models to address flux behavior at critical times. We advise several approaches to address these concerns, including use of separate models for day and nighttime processes and the use of alternate data streams at dawn, when eddy covariance may be particularly ineffective due to the timing of the onset of turbulent mixing.
Spectral representation of the annual cycle in the climate change signal
Authors: Bosshard T. , Kotlarski S. , Ewen T. , Schär C.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. The annual cycle of temperature and precipitation changes as projected by climate models is of fundamental interest in climate impact studies. Its estimation, however, is impaired by natural variability. Using a simple form of the delta change method, we show that on regional scales relevant for hydrological impact models, the projected changes in the annual cycle are prone to sampling artefacts. For precipitation at station locations, these artefacts may have amplitudes that are comparable to the climate change signal itself. Therefore, the annual cycle of the climate change signal should be filtered when generating climate change scenarios. We test a spectral smoothing method to remove the artificial fluctuations. Comparison against moving monthly averages shows that sampling artefacts in the climate change signal can successfully be removed by spectral smoothing. The method is tested at Swiss climate stations and applied to regional climate model output of the ENSEMBLES project. The spectral method performs well, except in cases with a strong annual cycle and large relative precipitation changes.