bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermal runaway and the challenges of rapid localization
Authors: Spang Arne , Thielmann Marcel , Kiss Daniel , Pranger Casper
Published: March 2024

Thermal runaway is a ductile weakening mechanism that describes the feedback loop of shear heating, temperature-dependent viscosity and localization. It has been linked to deep-focus earthquakes which are unlikely to be caused by brittle failure due to the large lithostatic pressure.We present one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) numerical, thermomechanical models that investigate the occurrence, nucleation and temporal evolution of thermal runaway in a simple shear setting. The models are characterized by a visco-elastic rheology where viscous creep is accommodated with a composite rheology of diffusion and dislocation creep as well as low-temperature plasticity. We implement the model in the Julia programming language and utilize the pseudo-transient iterative method to solve this nonlinear system of equations. Graphical processing unit (GPU) computing (by making use of the package ParallelStencil.jl) allows us to achieve high resolution models in 2D.Like brittle plasticity, thermal runaway presents the challenge of modeling a very thin shear band in a continuum mechanics approach with finite resolution. To address this issue, we tested two different regularization techniques to provide stable solutions and introduce a grid-independent shear zone width. A viscosity regularization and a second-order gradient regularization achieve similar results. Loading and heating time scales of thousands of years in combination with relaxation time scales on the order of seconds also require an adaptive time stepping scheme that can span 12 orders of magnitude. We achieve this by adjusting time steps to the maximum gradients in temperature and stress, and by dynamically rescaling variables during computation to minimize rounding errors. Combining the aforementioned techniques allows us to cover loading and heating on geological time scales as well as near-instantaneous stress drop and local temperature surge in one model framework.2D experiments show that thermal runaway allows highly localized ductile ruptures to nucleate at small heterogeneities and propagate like brittle fractures. The ruptures accelerate during propagation and reach the highest velocities when two tips link up. Rupture trajectories are usually parallel to the direction of background deformation but bend in the vicinity of other ruptures to allow for a link up.
Assessment of Incoming Sediment with Flash Flood: A Case Study of the 2020 Flood in the Northeastern Part of Bangladesh using SAR Interferometry
Authors: Rahaman Kh. M. Anik , Himel Faizur Rahman , Zannat Miftahul , Shampa Shampa , Murshed Sonia Binte
Published: March 2024

Bangladesh, a riverine South Asian country with many Haor areas, is extremely vulnerable to flash flooding, which occurs primarily between the months of April and May (pre-monsoon). A Haor is a type of wetland ecosystem found in Bangladesh's northeastern region that is essentially a tectonically active shallow depression with a bowl or saucer shape where water flows from upstream basins. Floods and the resulting sediment have both positive and negative impacts on the affected Haor region, with broader implications for agricultural, water, fisheries, and other resource planning and management. However, till now there is no measurement or literature on the amount of sediment deposition caused by these flash flooding events. Threfore, the primary goal of this study was to determine the amount of incoming sediments associated with flash floods in Haor regions using remote sensing and to validate it in the field. The amount of incoming sediment associated with the flash flood that occurred in June 2020 was estimated for a selected region in the affected northeastern part of Bangladesh for this purpose. Using Sentinel-1 satellite images, interferometric techniques were used to create Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) of the pre and post-flood period of 2020. A total of eight Sentinel 1 A and Sentinel 1 B images covering the study area were collected from 22 July to 26 July 2019 to assess pre flood land conditions and from 21 July to 27 July 2020 to assess post flood land conditions. Our study revealed that the overall sediment deposition was found to be about 2.8 cm on average for the selected entire region. Furthermore, it has been observed that relatively less flashy areas gained sediment increase of about 7.3 cm on average within this one year interval, and relatively upstream areas with steep gradient gained 4.5 cm increase. Any anthropogenic interventions in this area should take into account the natural sediment distribution pattern and avoid impeding sediment spreading pathways, as sediment acts as a natural countermeasure to tectonic-subsidence of this area.
Characterization of the 2021 unrest phase of Vulcano Island (Eolie islands, Italy) through numerical modelling: an integrated approach based on Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Magnetotelluric data.
Authors: De Paola Claudio , Di Giuseppe Maria Giulia , Isaia Roberto , Pagliara Fabio , Troiano Antonio
Published: March 2024

The island of Vulcano is one of the most exposed volcanic edifices of the Aeolian islands. Vulcano has been responsible for many eruptions, including at least three phreatic eruptions. The most recent eruption on the island occurred between 1888 and 1890 AD, and since then, Vulcano’s hydrothermal system has been the site of different volcanic unrest. In 2021, geochemical and geophysical parameters showed changes, suggesting a potential increase in magmatic fluid within the shallow geothermal system. GPS data revealed an expansion of the crater zone, consequently increasing the Vulcano alert level.The main volcano-tectonic structures and geothermal fluid pathways have been resolved down to a depth of 2.5 km through a magnetotelluric (MT) survey conducted in 2022 (Di Giuseppe et al., 2023). A more detailed definition and mapping of the significant volcano-tectonic structures were subsequently acquired through a high-resolution Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Induced Polarization (IP) investigation campaign conducted in 2023. These surveys provided original information regarding the main structure of the caldera and the related subsurface fluid circulation. The overall characterization of the link between the shallow geothermal system and the volcano activity furnished by the electromagnetic and electrical investigations represented the basis for developing thermo-fluid dynamic modeling of Vulcano island using the TOUGH2 numerical code. Adopting a conceptual model of the island mainly derived from the results of the MT and ERT investigations and considering literature and monitoring data collected immediately before and after the 2021 Vulcano unrest phase, a thermodynamic stationary state has been reconstructed, which likely represents a reliable description of the actual condition of the volcano. Subsequently, perturbation analysis of such a thermodynamical state has been performed to characterize the recent unrest phase involving Vulcano during the past two years and to reconstruct its primary mechanisms.
Unveiling the deep-time Earth dust emissions: Modelling and Diagnosing control factors
Authors: Xie Yixuan , Lunt Daniel , Valdes Paul , Monteiro Fanny
Published: March 2024

Desert dust is a vital component of the Earth's climate system. The climate system regulates dust emission processes, such as sediment availability and wind entrainment, in various ways. Dust modulates the Earth's radiation balance, and wind-carried dust deposition provides essential nutrient iron to land and marine ecosystems.  While dust science is well-developed for the modern and the Quaternary (the last 2.6 Ma), little investigation has been done for the Earth's deep time.Here, we present for the first time a continuous reconstruction of dust emissions throughout the Phanerozoic era (since 540 Ma ago), simulated by a newly developed dust emission model DUSTY, which is forced by the paleoclimate fields from the General Circulation Model HadCM3L. Our results show how dust emissions fluctuated over time with a stage-level resolution (approximately 5 Ma). We then diagnosed the controls of these fluctuations, highlighting that the non-vegetated area is the main contributor, which is controlled through precipitation levels. The ultimate dominating forcing is the paleogeography changes, whereas CO2 plays a marginal role. We compare our results with sediment evidence and find good agreement. Finally, we present ongoing work investigating further how dust deposition might have impacted ocean production and biogeochemistry through deep-geologic time.
Reactive transport modelling as a toolbox to compare remediation strategies of aquifers impacted by uranium in situ recovery
Authors: Seigneur Nicolas , Grozeva Niya , Purevsan Bayarmaa , Descostes Michaël
Published: March 2024

Worldwide uranium production is based on the In Situ Recovery mining technique. This exploitation mode directly falls within the scope of the applications of reactive transport modelling to optimize uranium production and limit its associated environmental impact. We hereby propose a modelling approach which is able to represent the natural evolution of the aquifer impacted by the exploitation of an ISR test. Model is calibrated on 12 year-long data obtained from 12 monitoring wells surrounding the ISR pilot cell. Through this process based approach, we simulate the impact of several remediation strategies which could be considered in these contexts. In particular, we model the impact of pump and treat combined with reverse osmosis as well as the circulation of non-impacted fluids through the reservoir with different operating strategies. We show that our approach allows to compare the effectiveness of these strategies. We show that, for this small-scale ISR pilot, monitored natural attenuation constitutes an interesting approach due to its faster pH recovery time with respect to Pump & Treat and circulation of unimpacted fluids. Combined with an economical evaluation of their deployment, this approach can help the mining operator select and design the optimal remediation strategies, from an environmental and economical standpoint.
Evolution of the convective boundary layer in connection with land-atmosphere interactions at the Land Atmosphere Feedback Observatory in Stuttgart-Hohenheim
Authors: Bauer Hans-Stefan , Warrach-Sagi Kirsten , Lange Diego , Abbas Syed Saglain , Wulfmeyer Volker
Published: March 2024

The land surface strongly influences the evolution of turbulence in and the energy exchange with the planetary boundary layer (PBL). High-resolution model simulations provide detailed insights into the evolving processes.We apply the WRF-NOAHMP model system in a nested configuration from the mesoscale (1.25 km) down to the LES scale (10 m). Driven by the ECMWF operational analysis, this setup allows high-resolution simulations with realistic lower boundary and meteorological forcing. A consistent set of physical parameterizations is applied through the whole chain of domains.Applying this setup, the evolution of the planetary boundary layer and land-atmosphere (L-A) feedback were investigated in detail for a selected day around the Land-Atmosphere-Feedback Observatory (LAFO) in Hohenheim.Apart from the evolution of the boundary layer at different horizontal resolutions, another focus is set on the derivation of turbulence variables and its comparison with data from lidar systems operated at the LAFO observatory on that day.The comparisons revealed that the high-resolution simulations in turbulence-permitting and LES scale realistically represent the temporal and spatial evolution of the convective boundary layer including the transitions between the nighttime and daytime boundary layers. Time-height cross sections of turbulence variables and fluxes are compared with lidar data and first results are presented on the meeting.
Size segregation process along the soil-saltation-dust continuum: observations in southern Tunisia 
Authors: Marécar Rizewana , Marticorena Béatrice , Bergametti Gilles , Rajot Jean Louis , Bouet Christel , Chevaillier Servanne , Féron Anais , Khalfallah Bouthaina , Alfaro Stéphane , Labiadh Mohamed Taieb , Henry des Tureaux Thierry , Sekrafi Saad , Lifti Mohsen
Published: March 2024

The particle size segregation processes occurring between the soil, the saltation layer and the dust layer close to the surface are not well described while they are key steps for a precise assessment of dust emission. Improving our understanding and quantifying the role of the processes acting in these three compartments should significantly enhance the consistency of dust emission models.Data obtained during the WIND-O-V (WIND erOsion in presence of sparse Vegetation) field campaign that took place in spring 2017 in southern Tunisia have been analyzed. Eight saltation events of durations from 1 to 4 hours were sampled and corresponded to a range of wind friction velocities between 0.28 and 0.46 m s-1. The dispersed and non-dispersed size distributions of the soil and of the saltation fluxes were characterized and the micrometeorological conditions were also analyzed. Simultaneous measurements of size resolved saltation fluxes and size-resolved vertical dust fluxes were carried out. The combined analysis of size distributions of the parent-soil and of the horizontal and vertical fluxes reveals an enrichment of fine particles that increases with height. A consistent behavior is observed when comparing the particle size distribution of the saltation and of the vertical dust fluxes. Moreover, we observe changes in the size distributions from one event to another that are similar for the saltation and the dust fluxes. This strongly suggests that the processes controlling the saltation significantly affect the dust size distribution. The roles of the vertical transfer and of the micrometeorological conditions on the size distributions are also discussed.
Danube floods, low flows and flood resilience at Bratislava in 1435-1595:Analysis of daily/weekly resolution flood-related evidence in a European context
Authors: Kiss Andrea
Published: March 2024

Written mainly in German and partly in Latin, the chamberlain accounts of historical Pozsony/Pressburg (present-day Bratislava), almost continuously available between 1434 and 1595 and 1595, contain daily/weekly resolution data on Danube floods, low flows, ice cover and various weather phenomena. Analysed and presented for the first time, the 176 volumes of the accounts provide systematic, annual accounts of incomes and expenses, with only occasional gaps: flood- and weather-related reports are mainly included in the bridge masters’, the ferrymen’s, the ice-cutters’, the town messengers’, and the road and wall maintenance accounts. Furthermore, water-level related information occasionally was also identified in other sections of the accounts, regarding smaller bridges, river transportation, fishing, meadows and hayfields, woods, and other utilities of the nearby island area. With applying additional information available in the broader Bratislava area and the Carpathian Basin in other contemporary sources such as charters, letters, diaries and other narratives, it is possible to provide unusually high resolution, (quasi-)systematic three-scaled index-based quantitative reconstructions of the frequency, intensity, types (incl. ice-jam floods) and seasonality of Danube floods, and occasionally also of low water-levels.The greatest floods usually occurred during flood-rich periods; unique great (ice-jam) floods outside of the flood-rich decades happened, for example, in 1454 and 1458. Flood-rich periods were identified during the 1430s-1440s, around the 1480s-1510s and in the mid- and late 16th century – while the first anomaly was also a period of a more frequent water-level variability including memorable low flows, the latter three periods coincide with major European flood-rich periods identified in the last 500 years (see Blöschl et al. 2020). As floods in Bratislava mainly reflect on the hydroclimatic conditions of the Upper-Danube and partly those of the Middle-Danube area, the dataset also provides exceptionally valuable, systematic information to the analysis of 15th-16th century (covering the famous, long Spörer solar minimum) climate variability in Central Europe. Furthermore, major groups of contemporary flood response, prevention and mitigation methods, especially detectable during flood-rich and low-flow periods, are also presented and analysed in the paper in comparison with the available other Middle-Danube (documentary and archaeological data based) evidence, in a broader Danube and Central European context.
Global Ionospheric Storm Prediction Based on Deep Learning Methods
Authors: Ren Xiaochen , Zhao Biqiang , Ren Zhipeng
Published: March 2024

In recent years, deep learning algorithms have been widely used for ionospheric prediction, but there are still shortcomings in predicting ionospheric storms, such as insufficient accuracy, poor prediction performance, and high false alarm rates. In order to solve this problem, this article takes the F10.7, Kp, ap, time factor, and historical TEC data as feature input models, and establishes a Mixed CNN-BiLSTM network to predict global TEC.
The model is trained using the longest available (23 years) Global Ionospheric Map (GIM)-Total Electron Content (TEC) and evaluated from multiple perspectives to assess the accuracy of ionospheric storm predictions. The results indicate that using historical Total Electron Content (TEC) in the heliocentric coordinate system as input driving data achieves higher prediction accuracy compared to using historical TEC in the geocentric coordinate system. Additionally, by comparing different input parameters, it is found that incorporating the Kp, ap, and Dst as inputs to the model effectively improves its accuracy. Among the different models compared, the Mixed CNN-BiLSTM model achieves the highest prediction accuracy. Furthermore, the inclusion of the CNN module enhances the overall prediction accuracy, while incorporating the DNN module with geomagnetic indices improves the accuracy of long-term predictions. Moreover, a comprehensive evaluation of the prediction results is conducted. In short-term predictions, the model accurately forecasts the occurrence, magnitude, and evolution process of ionospheric storms, as well as the variations in quiet-time TEC. When extending the prediction duration, although there are cases of false alarms, the model still captures the entire process of ionospheric storms in most events. It is also observed that the model performs better in daytime compared to nighttime, and the accuracy is higher in low-latitude regions compared to high-latitude regions. Additionally, the model exhibits higher accuracy in predicting positive storms compared to negative storms.
Crustal Structure of the Lofoten Shelf, NE North Atlantic,along the Silver-Road refraction profile
Authors: Kahraman Metin , Thybo Hans , Artemieva Irina , Shulgin Alexey , Hedin Peter , Mjelde Rolf
Published: March 2024

The Lofoten continental shelf is located at the edge of the Baltic Shield in the northeastern North Atlantic Ocean. It was formed during continental break up in early Eocene associated with intense magmatism, leading to large intrusions and basaltic volcanic rocks now hidden below Cenozoic sediments. The Lofoten shelf is relatively narrow.We present results of ray tracing model of seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection data along the offshore Silver Road profile across the Lofoten Shelf at the northeastern Baltic Shield. The ~300km long WNW/ESE trending offshore section between 63oN and 71oN profile is perpendicular to the coastline and extends a ~300km onshore section. Wide-angle seismic data obtained from air gun shots from the vessel Hakon Mosby along the whole offshore profile were recorded by 16 ocean bottom seismometers on the shelf, slope and oceanic environment as well as by 270 onshore seismic stations.The new offshore crustal velocity - depth model covers the anomalous and heterogeneous transition from shelf to oceanic lithosphere around the North Atlantic Ocean. The results will test existence of crustal root and magmatic intrusions along the offshore profile.
Antarctic Geothermal Heat Flow, Crustal Conductivity and Heat Production Inferred From Seismological Constraints on Crustal Composition and Lithospheric Thermal Structure
Authors: Hazzard James , Richards Fred
Published: March 2024

Geothermal heat flow (GHF) is a crucial parameter governing ice flow rates at the base of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Tectonic history biases the crustal distribution of heat-producing elements, and the pattern of mantle convection influences regional thermal structure, leading to significant intracontinental variations in Antarctic GHF of order 100 mW/m2.  However, extensive ice cover across Antarctica severely limits the ability to directly measure GHF or crustal composition. Geophysical proxies are therefore required to access information pertaining to the lateral structure of GHF and its potential impact on ice sheet dynamics, important for assessing present and future thresholds in Antarctica.
Previous studies have used geomagnetic data to infer the depth above which ferromagnetic structure is locked in, corresponding to the ~850 K isotherm. Others have relied on the sensitivity of seismic velocity to thermal structure to model local variations in surface temperature gradient. Both approaches require assumptions on crustal properties, which are typically chosen ad-hoc, and may affect GHF estimates in a significant and non-systematic manner. Other studies have used the observed covariation between lithospheric seismic velocity and GHF in regions with high measurement densities (e.g., continental USA) to map Antarctic seismic structure into GHF. This introduces a dependency of inferred Antarctic GHF on the range of tectonic environments sampled by the continental region used to derive the empirical relationship.
Here, we adopt a distinct approach, in which Monte Carlo sampling is used to include crustal conductivity and heat production as free parameters in a numerical modelling procedure that fits theoretical geotherms to new probabilistic seismic inferences of upper mantle temperature structure beneath Antarctica. By integrating empirical constraints on crustal conductivity derived from P-wave velocity data, we are able to build distributions of covarying crustal conductivity, heat production, and GHF. This allows us to generate a model of Antarctic GHF which is complementary to that of other studies, and includes an estimate of lateral uncertainty structure based on the sensitivity of thermal gradients to crustal composition and anelastic deformation at seismic frequencies.
Impact of supraglacial lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance into the regional climate model MAR
Authors: Timmermans Guillaume , Fettweis Xavier
Published: March 2024

The Greenland Ice Sheet is currently one of the primary contributors to the rise of sea levels . The Total Mass Balance (TMB) of the Greenland Ice Sheet can be decomposed into Surface Mass Balance (SMB) and ice discharge (D). At present, both terms contribute approximately equally to mass loss. However, it has been anticipated that surface losses will become more significant in the future (because coastal glaciers will retreat if the ice sheet continues to melt). Our understanding of SMB is currently notably based on polar regional climate models (RCMs) like MAR ("Modèle Atmosphérique Régional"), that simulates most of the different surface processes involved in SMB. However, one potential important process is currently missing in all model based estimates: the role of supraglacial lakes. The excess of meltwater is directly removed from the pixels by assuming that this mass fully runoffes towards the ocean in models until now. These lakes notably impact on the surface albedo of bare ice and could retain a part of produced surface meltwater that can refreeze at the beginning of winter or evaporate during summer (impacting them clouds and precipitation afterwards).To evaluate the importance of supraglacial lakes as a potential SMB component needed to take into account, we have run MARv3.14 at very high resolution over the South-West of Greenland during the 2018-2019 hydrological year by allowing the produced surface meltwater in the ablation zone to remain liquid or solid above the surface in the bare ice areas where supraglacial lakes have been detected by MODIS.
Integrating Airborne LiDAR Data into Urban Flow Models: A Focus on Buildings and Trees
Authors: Lüdemann Dana , Troldborg Niels , Pehrsson Jan , Dellwik Ebba
Published: March 2024

Airborne LiDARs can provide updated and highly accurate information of the 3D urban layer. This presentation focuses on transforming such information into boundary conditions for urban flow models.When addressing buildings, we use a method called City3D [1], which outputs a watertight geometrical model at a specified level of detail (LoD).This resulting model is then utilized in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver EllipSys [2]. We demonstrate how a novel implementation of the immersed boundary method (IBM) [3] simulates the wind flow and dispersion around the building. Additionally, we explore how different LoDinfluence the simulation results.The LiDAR data can also be used to model the drag force of trees. We demonstrate this process based on recent observations of a real tree. Finally, we discuss the relative importance of trees and buildings in an urban modelling context, highlighting the significance of including more details in the 3D urban layer.References[1] Jin Huang, Jantien Stoter, Ravi Peters, and Liangliang Nan. City3d: Large-scale building reconstruction from airborne lidar point clouds. Remote Sensing, 14(9), 2022.[2] Jess A. Michelsen. Basis3D - a Platform for Development of Multiblock PDE Solvers: - release, volume AFM 92-05. Technical University of Denmark, 1992.[3] Niels Troldborg, Niels N. Sørensen, and Frederik Zahle. Immersed boundary method for the incompressible reynolds averaged navier–stokes equations. Computers Fluids, 237:105340, 2022.
Exploring moisture-constrained aeolian sediment transport through a discrete particle modelling framework
Authors: Wang Xiuqi , Campmans Geert , Weinhart Thomas , Thornton Anthony , Luding Stefan , Wijnberg Kathelijne
Published: March 2024

Moisture is a crucial environmental factor that shapes the dynamics of aeolian sediment transport along coastal beaches. Despite the existence of empirical formulations, little is known about the mechanism through which moisture influences this dynamic process. To address this knowledge gap, we present a numerical modelling framework implemented in the open-source software package MercuryDPM [1].This framework combines a discrete particle model, a one-dimensional airflow model and a liquid migration model. The two-way coupling between the discrete particle model and the airflow model can accurately represent the momentum exchange between these phases, yeilding reasonable sediment transport rates [2]. The inter-particle moisture distribution is modelled by a liquid migration law, which governs the presence of liquid films covering the particle surfaces and liquid bridges spanning the particle contacts [3]. The liquid bridge model introduces a static capillary force as well as a dynamic lubrication force, which is necessary to model the dynamic effects of moisture. This comprehensive model effectively captures particle behaviour under moist conditions and demonstrates the dependence of bed erodibility on particle impact and wind entrainment for varying moisture levels.Our approach provides valuable insights on the moisture effect in aeolian sediment transport. It advances our understanding of this complex phenomenon, and gives insights on the development of geomorphological patterns at coastal sandy areas. With its flexilibity and versatility, it can be extended to study many more specific processes related to sediment transport.[1] Weinhart, T., Orefice, L., Post, M., et al (2020). Fast, flexible particle simulations—an introduction to MercuryDPM. Computer physics communications, 249, 107129.[2] Campmans, G., & Wijnberg, K. (2022). Modelling the vertical grain size sorting process in aeolian sediment transport using the discrete element method. AeolianResearch, 57, 100817.[3] Mani, R., Kadau, D., Or, D., & Herrmann, H. J. (2012). Fluid depletion in shear bands. Physical review letters, 109 (24), 248001.
Exploring outdoor thermal comfort perception of tourists and locals inside a historic fort of a desert city using mixed method approach 
Authors: Banerjee Shreya , Banerji Haimanti , Chattopadhyay Subrata
Published: March 2024

Climate change risks are disrupting the functioning of urban ecosystems. Developing countries are more susceptible to it due to poor infrastructure and lack of efficient resource management. The situation is especially complex in areas with extreme weather conditions. Keeping this in consideration, we seek to explore the conditions of human biometeorology in Jaisalmer, India (hot-arid climate) using mixed method approach by exploring Outdoor Thermal Comfort (OTC). Jaisalmer, situated on the Thar desert, is a highly populated town, prominent tourist destination and a UNESCO world heritage site. We conducted a detailed thermal comfort perception survey inside the nine centuries old, fortified settlement during a Winter month with maximum tourist footfall with samples catering to both tourists and locals to capture the differences in thermal comfort perception, sensation, and acceptable ranges. The results show relative significance of different variables impacting the comfort perception for tourists and locals. Our results show behavioral acclimatization and duration of exposure play an important role in impacting the perception. We further discuss urban design recommendations to improve the thermal comfort for both tourists and locals considering the heritage aspect of the precinct. Our research highlights the importance of alliesthesia in one such context. The inferences obtained from this study would be useful for designing guidelines for proposing tourist circuits and routes for heritage precincts to ensure thermally comfortable spaces throughout the tour. 
Linking future tropical precipitation changes to zonally-asymmetric large-scale meridional circulation
Authors: Kaspi Yohai , Raiter Dana , Galanti Eli , Chemke Rei
Published: March 2024

Tropical precipitation is projected to substantially change by the end of this century, including increased net precipitation over the Pacific Ocean and drying over the Indian Ocean. The underlying mechanisms responsible for these changes are still debated. Previous studies argued for the importance of the zonal circulation in the longitudinally-dependent tropical precipitation response, as the meridional circulation is often analyzed as the zonal mean. Here we show that the projected changes in the meridional circulation are highly longitudinally dependent, and explain the zonally dependent changes in net precipitation. Our analysis exposes a zonal shift in the meridional circulation's ascending branch, associated with a strengthened net precipitation over the central Pacific and weakened precipitation in the Indo-Pacific. Zonal circulation has minor influence on these projected tropical precipitation changes. These results point to the importance of monitoring the longitudinal changes in the meridional circulation for improving our preparedness for climate change impacts.
Projecting future sea-level change along the coast of the Netherlands with a regional ocean model
Authors: Scheen Jeemijn , Le Bars Dewi , Keizer Iris J. , Hermans Tim H.J. , Tubbergen Sophie J.C. , Wouters Bert , Lhermitte Stef , Slangen Aimée B.A.
Published: March 2024

Global mean sea level is rising due to anthropogenic climate change, via the thermal expansion of seawater and the mass loss of land ice. Regional sea-level change is also affected by changes in ocean currents due to the changing climate or internal climate variability. We use the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) to simulate future sterodynamic sea-level change – the combined contribution of thermal expansion and ocean dynamics – on the Northwestern European Shelf. Regional ocean models such as ROMS are suitable to simulate the exchange of deep ocean currents in the Atlantic with the Northwestern European shelf, and can improve the horizontal resolution from the order of 100 by 100 km (typical for global climate models) to the order of 10 by 10 km. The ROMS model is driven by CMIP6 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6) global climate model output at the domain boundaries, and uses dynamical downscaling to produce projections of sterodynamic sea-level change at a 12 by 12 km horizontal resolution with 30 terrain-following depth layers.We present projections until 2100 based on 2 CMIP6 models and 5 emission scenarios, for Western Europe at this high resolution. Our results show the advantage of dynamical downscaling on projecting annual average sea level and how this differs between the chosen CMIP6 models and the different emission scenarios. In addition, we assess the linkage between regional sea level and freshwater input of European rivers, comparing simulations without river input, with realistic river input (based on observations) and with enhanced river input. This tests whether a potential future increase in river discharge is relevant to consider in projections of regional sea-level change.
Intercomparison of greenhouse gas measurements using whole air and synthetic standards at UK tall tower sites 
Authors: Safi Emmal , Rennick Chris , Forster Grant , O'Doherty Simon , Pitt Joe , Mussell-Webber Eric , Hill-Pearce Ruth , Hillier Aimee , Worton Dave , Brewer Paul , Charoenpornpukdee Kanokrat , Arnold Tim
Published: March 2024

Greenhouse gas (GHG) measurements are crucial for understanding climate change. Therefore, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) identified them as critical for global monitoring. There is a need for an infrastructure that can provide traceable atmospheric measurements to underpin the fulfilment of internationally agreed emissions reduction targets.    

High accuracy gas Reference Materials (RMs) are required to underpin GHG composition measurements for long term temporal and spatial trend analysis. These are prepared by compressing whole-air into high pressure cylinders for direct use following measurement by a central calibration laboratory (CCL) to provide traceability to international scales. A span of GHG amount fractions targeted for assessing instrument linearity can be made by addition of pure gases or removal from whole-air. Synthetic RMs, traceable to the SI, prepared gravimetrically from individual components to a target amount fraction, offer a potential alternative way to compare instrument performance without the difficulties of preparing certified whole air standards. However, use of synthetic RMs present their own challenges, namely in adequately matching the matrix to atmospheric composition in order to prevent measurement biases from pressure broadening when using techniques such as Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (CRDS).  

The UK-DECC network is comprised of tall tower monitoring sites measuring amount fractions of major GHGs using whole-air calibrated CRDS instruments. Whole-air RMs have been previously used to understand site-to-site differences and study possible instrumental reasons for differences. However, the use of synthetic-air RMs to quantify variations between monitoring sites in reported amount fractions has not been reported previously for this network.  

In this work a set of synthetic-air and whole-air RMs containing CH4, CO2 and N2O were prepared and measured in an intercomparison at UK-DECC network sites. The results show promise for the use of synthetic RMs in efficiently explaining measurement offsets across a network. Synthetic RMs, prepared appropriately, offer a potentially cost effective and more convenient route to help quality control atmospheric monitoring programmes. 
Tectonic and climatic controls on the vertebrate evolution in the Middle East: insights from a new late Miocene terrestrial vertebrate fauna from the NW Zagros foreland Basin in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Authors: Vasilyan Davit , Koshnaw Renas , Ameen Fadhil
Published: March 2024

The Late Miocene – Pliocene is a time of significant environmental changes in western Eurasia. The intensified mountain building process between the Eurasian, African and Arabian plates restructured the regional landscapes, basins, and biotic record. It has resulted in dramatic palaeoenvironmental events, like the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) in the Mediterranean, the shrinking of the Eastern Paratethys and the formation of present-day basins and highlands. During such prominent tectonic vents, the shift in climate contributed to formation of climatic barriers and/or corridors for the faunistic interchanges. Nevertheless, the role of tectonics the evolution of the past biotic record has been poorly studied. The Middle East as a region is considered a key paleobiogeographic tying point between Europe, Asia, and Africa and, thus, has played a vital role in the intercontinental dispersal of vertebrate communities. The present study focuses on the newly discovered late Miocene vertebrate site Tazhga in the NW Zagros belt, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The fossiliferous horizon is enclosed in bioturbated floodplain deposits that belong to the upper Miocene fluvial deposits of the Zagros foreland Basin. This new vertebrate fauna will enable constraining the age of the deposits and shed light on the effect of tectonics on biogeography. We will compare the newly discovered fauna with local and more extensive regional scale fossil records in the Middle East to provide palaeobiogeographical information on the evolution of vertebrate communities of the region. Such data will enable us to clarify the role of the Arabia-Eurasia convergence during the late Miocene – Pliocene on both regional evolution of the biotic record and the intercontinental dispersals.
GPR prospecting on masonry walls in a high seismic hazard region: the resilient Castellina Museum of Norcia (Central Italy).
Authors: Ercoli Maurizio , Cavalagli Nicola , Barchi Massimiliano Rinaldo , Pauselli Cristina , Porreca Massimiliano , Santanicchia Mirko , Lupi Regina
Published: March 2024

In regions characterized by high seismic hazard, historical masonry buildings are periodically shaked and damaged by strong earthquakes. Their conservation represents one of the major challenges for scientific research and society, especially when  resilient heritages have high artistic and cultural values. After destructive instrumental and historical earthquakes, such historic constructions were subjected to restorations and changes of their original configuration.The evaluation of  masonry mechanical  for the analysis of static and dynamic behaviour of historic structures is conventionally done using invasive methods. However, also the application of  Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques (e.g. geomatic and geophysical ones) is progressively growing, to reduce the amount of invasive interventions. GPR is one of the non-invasive techniques providing high-resolution images, also used for masonry wall diagnostics.We carried out a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey at the Castellina Museum in Norcia, an historical bounding located in the city centre, damaged by the long-lasting seismic sequence occurred in 2016-2017 (mainshock Mw=6.5). We aimed to obtain non-destructive information on the internal structure of a masonry wall located at the ground floor, being the facade of a formerly existing (later incorporated) edifice, named Palazzo del Podestà. Based on the results of preliminary Sonic tests (ST) surveys, investigating the homogeneity degree of the masonry, possible voids, cracks and degraded areas, we collected several Common Offset GPR profiles, using 1 GHz and 1.5 GHz antennas. The results clearly show the backside of the walls, as well as their heterogenous internal structure. GPR mapping also show a very variable signature across different wall sectors, showing a significant amplitude decay of the main reflections due to an increase of the electrical conductivity, possibly linked to moisture changes or degraded sectors. Further geophysical investigations and chemical analysis will be achieved to shed light on these hypotheses and to assess the state of conservation of the masonry, for a proper design of subsequent remediation interventions.This project is founded by the Università degli Studi di Perugia (Finanziamento di Progetti di Ricerca di Ateneo Anno 2021, P.I. Prof.ssa Carla Falluomini, WP 2-4). The authors thanks the Municipality of Norcia for their kind support and collaboration).
Study of boundary height layer evolution patterns in different climate zones based on LIDAR observations
Authors: Yu Siqi , Liu Dong , Liu Zhu
Published: March 2024

The planetary boundary layer (PBL) is crucial for environmental pollution and climate change. LIDAR, with its high spatiotemporal resolution, has a strong advantage in automatically and continuously acquiring the planetary boundary layer height (PBLH). In this study, LIDAR was used in simultaneous observations of three stations in different climatic zones, Jinhua, Hefei and Lanzhou, to establish a multi-site boundary layer height inversion method, which was used to invert, statistically and analytically analyze the planetary boundary layer height. The results show that the planetary boundary layer heights over Jinhua, Hefei, and Lanzhou are characterized by different seasonal and diurnal variations. The planetary boundary layer heights over Jinhua and Hefei are lower than those over Lanzhou in spring, summer and fall. The time when the boundary layer height over Lanzhou starts to increase and decrease coincides well with the time of sunrise and sunset, while the boundary layer height over Hefei does not increase significantly until several hours after sunrise. The monthly mean diurnal mixed layer heights over Jinhua, Hefei and Lanzhou are highest in September, August and June, respectively, and the corresponding monthly mean maximum mixed layer heights are in September, August and July, respectively. The study demonstrates that the spatial and temporal distribution pattern of PBLH reflects the local climate characteristics, which can provide important data for air pollution control, weather forecasting and climate prediction.
Rainfall Intensity Estimation Based on Raindrops Sound: Leveraging the Convolutional Neural Network for Analyzing Spectrogram
Authors: Hwang Seunghyun , Lee Jinwook , Byun Jongyun , Park Kihong , Jun Changhyun
Published: March 2024

In this study, we propose a novel approach for precipitation measurement based on rainfall acoustics, utilizing an effective rainfall acoustic collection device with low-cost IoT sensors housed in waterproof enclosure. Here, rainfall acoustics refer to the sound generated when raindrops fall and collide with surfaces such as the ground or canopy. Even at the same rainfall intensity, depending on the medium with which raindrops collide, acoustics with different frequency characteristics may occur. In this research, an acoustic collection device, combining a Raspberry Pi and a condenser microphone, was inserted into a waterproof enclosure and deployed in a rainfall environment to collect rainfall acoustics. This approach not only controls the medium of rainfall acoustics but also effectively blocks ambient noise and water, ensuring consistent characteristics of rainfall acoustics regardless of the installation environment. The collected rainfall acoustics were segmented into 10-second intervals, and spectrograms in the frequency domain were extracted by applying Short-Time Fourier Transform for each segment. Finally, using the extracted spectrogram as input data, a rainfall intensity estimation model based on a convolutional neural network was developed and other precision rainfall observation instruments (e.g., PARSIVEL, Pluvio², etc.) were considered collectively for the validation of the developed rainfall intensity estimation model. Acoustic-based rainfall observation enables the establishment of a dense observation network using low-cost devices. Leveraging the high temporal resolution of acoustic data, extremely short observation periods for rainfall can be achieved. This methodology presents an opportunity for cost-effective and high-spatiotemporal-resolution rainfall observation, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods.Keywords: Acoustic Sensing, Rainfall Acoustics, Precipitation, Convolutional Neural NetworkAcknowledgementThis work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) grant funded by the Korea government(MSIT) (No. RS-2023-00250239) and in part by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program under Grant RS-2023-00243008.This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) grant funded by the Korea government(MSIT) (No.NRF-2022R1A4A3032838).
Data Spaces as an exploratory solution for big data biodiversity challenges in support of the European Green Deal: the case of terrestrial habitat connectivity
Authors: Serral Ivette , Bastin Lucy , Kriukov Vitalii , Masó Joan
Published: March 2024

Integrity of natural ecosystems, including terrestrial ones, and their connectivity is one of the main concerns of current European and Global Green Policies, e.g., the European Green Deal. Thus, public administration managers need reliable and long-term information for a better monitoring of the ecosystems evolution and inform decision making. Data Spaces are intended to become the EC comprehensive solution to integrate data from different sources with the aim to generate and provide a more ready to use knowledge on climate change, circular economy, pollution, biodiversity, and deforestation.The AD4GD project does research on the co-creation of the European Green Deal Data Space as an open space for FAIR data and standards-based services tested in 3 pilot cases providing testbeds in terms of data, standards, sharing and interoperability. One of these pilots, is focused on Ecological Terrestrial Connectivity in Catalonia (NE of Spain).The challenges are: (1) monitoring ecological connectivity in terrestrial ecosystems through the integration of state-of-the-art multi-sensor remote sensing imagery, ecological models, in-situ biodiversity observations and sensors; and (2) forecasting ecological connectivity to help to define effective actions to reduce terrestrial biodiversity loss.To this goal, solutions are being proposed and tested, to integrate data from different sources using modern standards such as, raster-based land cover maps and connectivity maps structured as data cubes (Open Data Cube and Rasdaman), GBIF species occurrences exposed via OGC STAplus, as well as data from low-cost automatic sensors (camera traps with species identification software). All this data is related together by the use of semantic tagging with references pointing to vocabularies of GEO Essential Variables stored in OGC RAINBOW Definition Server.AD4GD is a Horizon Europe project co-funded by the European Union, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.