bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
3-D Magnetotelluric Assessment of the Geo-resources Potential of the Irish Crust
Authors: Kiyan Duygu , Hogg Colin , Campanya Joan , Bean Christopher J. , Fullea Javier , Blake Sean P. , Malone-Leigh John , Gallagher Peter T. , Rath Volker , Jones Alan G. , Scanlon Ray
Published: February 2023

Quantifying and de-risking the exploration for geo-resources require knowledge of the subsurface. This is true for example for both mineral and geothermal exploration. Often that knowledge is built up by local geophysical studies on areas of interest but the broad deeper context and controls for the system are often missing due to a lack of appropriate deep (e.g., >2 km) geophysical imagery. The primary goal of this project is to develop a deep (range 5-100 km) 3-D electrical conductivity model of Ireland’s crust and uppermost mantle using magnetotelluric (MT) method. Deep probing MT imaging yields information on the structure, composition and temperature of Earth’s crust and upper mantle, and can detect processes associated with mineralisation and areas of high temperature and or permeability related to promising geothermal targets. It will also help better illuminate the deep geology of Ireland, particularly in the context of the mechanisms of the Caledonian and Variscan Orogenies that formed Ireland, the emplacement of its sizable granites, and the intraplate basaltic volcanism that followed the opening of the North Atlantic and created the famous Giant’s Causeway and other features. MT experiments have been conducted in Ireland since 1980s. These include the Irish Magnetotelluric Profile in the late 1980s, and the Irish Magnetotelluric Lithospheric Experiment ISLE-MT in the mid-2000s. In the framework of Space Weather ElectroMagnetic Database for Ireland, long-period MT (LMT) data were acquired at over twenty stations in 2018. Since June 2019, new LMT data have been acquired at twelve stations. The recent project HIbernian Regional GeoElectrical Structure Hi-RES aims to complete an all-island dataset of LMT soundings by acquiring an additional 22 sites across Ireland, expanding on previous MT campaigns. This contribution will present analysis and 3-D modelling results of these datasets. 
SoilSystems, a research program on systems ecology of soils – energy discharge modulated by microbiome and boundary conditions
Authors: Thiele-Bruhn Sören , Kästner Matthias , Miltner Anja , Maskow Thomas , Lorenz Marcel
Published: February 2023

Large fluxes of solar energy conserved in organic matter pass through soil as conduit from primary production to mineralisation. Soil organisms are channelling the flux, are fuelled by the energy, and contribute by their bio- and necromass. Previous research targeted either biogeochemical turnover processes or the microbiome but rarely linked both. Microbial biomass and its necromass were identified as major constituents of soil organic matter (SOM) and highly counterintuitive results were found on the relation of the microbiome to the systems boundary conditions provided by water, oxygen, nutrients, and minerals etc. A major deficit is that soils are currently not considered as energy driven open systems. Energy is the `fuel´ of all animate systems including soils in which microbial biomass consume the organic matter and energy input. With the necromass plus other SOM it constitutes carbon and energy containing intermediates.The general aim of SoilSystems is to link energy and matter turnover and fluxes in soils to functional and structural biodiversity. SoilSystems proposes a systems ecology concept for linking balances of changes of Gibbs energy and heat production to organic matter turnover and the microbiome. This concept will be applied in model experiments with various bulk soils and isotope labelled substrates with defined energy supply and molecular structures in order to evaluate losses, efficiencies, and the modes of energy and matter retention.This presentation gives an overview on the recently started research priority program SoilSystems, funded by the German Research Foundation. The planned research will be outlined that is aimed to elucidate microbial processes driving organic matter along energy use channels, thereby converting easily degradable detritus molecules to microbial biomass and finally long-term stabilised necromass. Thermodynamic principles are generally valid for the Earth system and thus also for soils; however, only few studies exist regarding energy use and maintenance (energy budgets) of microbiomes related to carbon use and ecosystems in soil.SoilSystems aims to answer the key-question: What drives the interrelated energy and matter fluxes in soil systems exemplified by carbon turnover and storage? The microbiome, energy input, mineral and boundary conditions, and how do they interact?
Approaches to community–scale drought and flood early warning
Authors: Sheffield Justin , Kimball John , Du Jinyang , Verbist Koen
Published: February 2023

The African Flood and Drought Monitor (AFDM) is a satellite-model based system for monitoring and forecasting flood and drought conditions for the African continent. It has been running operationally since 2008 in various forms, providing useful information on flood and drought risks to a variety of end-users, as well as information for a wide range of water-related applications, including food and energy security, health risks, and migration. This paper provides an overview of the latest version of the system, which incorporates updated versions of hydrological models and meteorological data at high resolution, as well as the state-of-the-art short-term and seasonal forecast models. We also describe the tailoring of the AFDM to national systems across southern Africa and the process of co-design of these systems with national agencies and end-users. The system has been evaluated on several time scales, historically and for short-term (flood) and seasonal (drought) forecasts. Predictability is discussed with respect to end-users needs, especially at the community scale, and how more recent approaches to predict at the community scale are being incorporated into these monitoring systems, using high-performance computing, machine learning and data assimilation.
Accretion capacity in Mediterranean coastal ecosystems. Study case: Ebro Delta
Authors: Rodríguez Arias Lucía , Pagès Fauria Jordi , Marco-Méndez Candela , Alcoverro Pedrola Teresa
Published: February 2023

Coastal ecosystems exist at the interface between land and sea and are characterized by their high dynamism, related to the interaction between marine agents (winds, waves, currents, sea level changes) and continental forms and processes. These environments are well known for their great diversity of habitats and communities, a high capacity for sequestering carbon and a range of ecosystem services, but they are also highly sensitive to a variety of natural and anthropogenic factors. The ability to repeatedly observe and quantify the accretion capacity of the environments located in the shoreline is key to present-day coastal management and future coastal planning. This study focused on the Ebro Delta, where we evaluated how the ability to retain sediment in coastal ecosystems, both emerged and submerged (dunes, salt marshes and seagrass meadows), is influenced by the presence or absence of vegetation and other ecological variables such as the patch area, biodiversity orspecies dominance. We carried out transects with a differential GPS to measure ground elevation inside and outside vegetation patches in contrasting habitats to understand the mechanism of sediment retention. In addition, we complemented this data with UAVs orthomosaic data to gather data on a bigger spatial scale. Our results show that the presence of vegetation facilitates sediment retention in all ecosystems. Greater species diversity and larger patch areas increased sediment retention capacity. In dune ecosystems, Ammophila arenaria was significantly better at retaining sediment than any of the other species surveyed, while in salt marshes and seagrass meadows we did not find significant differences between species. We believe that while understanding the abiotic environment and physical drivers of sediment retention in coastal habitats is key, we also need to focus on the ecology of coastal vegetated ecosystems if we are to use them as nature-based solutions. Our study sheds light to how vegetation presence, patch size, patch plant diversity and plant traits influence sediment retention capacity across habitat types and scales, which is useful to face event-scale shoreline changes (e.i. individual storms) and others related to the climate change.  
Summary of Actions for a More Diverse Space Physics Research Community
Authors: Liemohn Michael , Jones Jr McArthur , Halford Alexa , Coxon John , Ngwira Chigomezyo , Blanco-Cano Xochitl
Published: February 2023

We summarize key perspectives, initiatives, strategies and actions from the papers submitted to the Research Topic special collection, “Driving Towards a More Diverse Space Physics Research Community,” recently closed in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. In order to achieve and, more importantly, sustain a diverse environment where all members of the research community can thrive, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or any other discerning factor, we must nurture an inclusive, welcoming and respectful research culture. There are innumerous aspects to the research environment that result in high attrition rates of minority researchers. This is a worldwide problem that is the responsibility of every member of the space physics research community to address. Deep rooted, systemic biases, both implicit and explicit, are present throughout the field of space physics and can result in dramatically different experiences for minority researchers as compared to their majority counterparts. Longstanding systemic biases have led to differences in how groups are treated within a society, such as inequitable service expectations, and therefore tackling the issue of structural equity is necessary to sustain diversity and inclusion within an organization or community. The submissions to this Research Topic range from personal reflections to grassroots efforts to descriptions of formal committee work. It is clear that our community is striving towards a more equitable and inclusive mindset, and yet the community is not diverse nor fully inclusive or equitable. This presentation distills the major elements of insight from these papers as a call to action for the space physics research community.
Sea ice information for the Greenlandic community
Authors: Ribergaard Mads H. , Rasmussen Till A.S. , Ponsoni Leandro , Kreiner Matilde B. , Buus-Hinkler Jørgen , Hansen Tore W. , Nielsen-Englyst Pia
Published: February 2023

Sea ice information for the near coastal areas of the Greenlandic waters is of high importance forthe local communities and the maritime industry. The “truth” within sea ice information hastraditionally been associated with Manual Ice Charts; however, the demand for accurate forecastsis increasing.At first, this study will introduce a variety of satellite-based Copernicus marine service productswaters with a special focus on a novel automated ice chart that runs on a daily basis at the DanishMeteorological Institute (DMI). The new product is based on a Convolutional Neural Network(CNN), which combines passive microwave and SAR imagery in order to optimize retrieval. Bydoing so, it produces the best possible sea ice concentration with a resolution comparable to themanual ice charts.Secondly, this study presents an improved operational forecast system for the Arctic sea icefocusing on the Greenlandic waters. The physical basis of the system is close to the Arctic Marineforecasting system within the Copernicus Marine System. This presentation will present theforecast system and introduce the first attempts to assimilate a combination of level two data fromthe automated ice charts gap-filled with level 2 passive microwave data.We validate the sea ice edge forecast systems and the individual remotely sensed observationalproducts by computing the Integrated Ice Edge Error metric. This comparison is focused primarilyon the initial state and secondly on a comparison with the initial state.
SAR polarimetry to monitor offshore oil rigs
Authors: Migliaccio Maurizio , Inserra Giovanna , Buono Andrea , Nunziata Ferdinando
Published: February 2023

Human environmental impact mitigation is strongly associated to the sustainability philosophy, i.e., a new economy that emphasizes the value of common goods along with a change in temporal perspectives of human activities on the Planet [1], [2]. A sustainable economy is not only good for the environment but even for the economy itself although the path of innovation is clearly crippled by contrasting interests. For example, the transition from an oil society to a green society is quite hard to be fully accomplished. According to the Oil Market report provided by the International Energy Agency (IEA) for 2022 [3], oil demand growth has been increased to 2.3 mb/d (+140 kb/d) for 2022 as a whole and in 2023 it is expected to grow further.
Within such a framework, even Italy has increased oil production in latest years to 63 TWh. Worldwide, 30% of oil production relies on offshore oil rigs making at risk the ocean environment. Hence, oil-related marine pollution induced by offshore oil field activities is a serious threat for ocean ecosystem and the whole marine environment.
In such a contradictory world, it is of paramount importance to contribute with new non-cooperative technologies to monitor the impact of such high-risk oil production infrastructures in order to both prevent oil spills and to support remediation and mitigation operations in case of accidents. In this study, two alternative approaches based on fine-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) polarimetric satellite images are presented and analyzed to observe offshore oil rigs. The latter allow a non-cooperative large-scale continuous monitoring of both the critical infrastructures and the related oil discharges. The presented approaches are physically-based, i.e., they rely on the extraction of the different scattering properties characterizing the oil rig and the surrounding sea surface, and result in effective near real-time processing.
 
 
References
[1] Nicholas Stern, Why Are We Waiting? -The Logic, Urgency, and Promise of Tackling Climate Change, MIT press, 2015.
[2] Maurizio Migliaccio, Andrea Buono and Matteo Alparone, “Microwave satellite remote sensing for a sustainable sea”, European Journal of Remote Sensing, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 507–519, 2022.
[3] IEA (2022), Oil Market Report - December 2022, IEA, Paris, available at: https://www.iea.org/reports/oil-market
The contribution of stream bank erosion to downstream dilution of mining-contaminated stream bed sediment in the Geul river in the Netherlands
Authors: van der Perk Marcel , Hemstra Reinder , Visschers Simone , Winteraeken Harrie , de Redelijkheid Marco , Lemmens Didier
Published: February 2023

The Geul river, a nearly 60 km long transboundary stream in the northeast of Belgium and southeast of the Netherlands, suffers from excessive fine sediment inputs. This causes the gravel bed to become clogged, which, in turn, hampers the reintroduction of salmonids in the river. To examine the occurrence and origin of fine sediments on the gravel bed of the Geul river, the fine sediment layer was mapped and sampled along the entire reach of the river from near the source to the mouth in late Spring 2021. The bed sediment samples were analysed for trace metal concentrations. The results from the trace metal analysis show that the diffuse ‘uncontaminated’ sediment inputs from the catchment resulting from soil erosion cannot fully explain the declining pattern of the zinc and lead concentrations in the bed sediments of the Dutch reach of the Geul river, downstream from the historic mining sites in the Belgian part of the catchment. This implies that additional sources of fine sediment that is less contaminated than the bed sediment exist. Assuming a model of a constant area-specific sediment yield from the catchment and a constant bank erosion rate per unit river length, the contribution of bank erosion in the Geul river was estimated to increase from 35% at the Belgian-Dutch border to about 67% at the river mouth. This model explains about 56% of the variance of measured zinc and lead concentrations in the bed sediments. The residual concentrations (modelled – measured) correlate negatively with the rubidium concentration in the bed sediment, which is a proxy for the clay mineral content of the sediment. The rubidium concentration explains about three quarters of the variance unexplained by the above sediment delivery model. The model assumptions and results are discussed against independent observations of suspended sediment transport and bank erosion in the Geul river.
How do earthquakes stop? Insights from a minimal model of frictional rupture
Authors: Barras Fabian , Thøgersen Kjetil , Aharonov Einat , Renard François
Published: February 2023

The question "what arrests an earthquake rupture?" sits at the heart of any potential prediction of earthquake magnitude. Here, we present a one-dimensional, thin-elastic-strip, minimal model, to illuminate the basic physical parameters that control the arrest of large ruptures. The generic formulation of the model allows for wrapping various earthquake arrest scenarios into the variations of two dimensionless variables, valid for both in-plane and antiplane shear loading. Our continuum model is equivalent to the standard Burridge-Knopoff model, with an added characteristic length scale, that corresponds to either the thickness of the damage zone for strike-slip faults or to the thickness of the downward moving plate for subduction settings. We simulate the propagation and arrest of frictional ruptures and present closed-form expressions to predict rupture arrest under different conditions. Our generic model illuminates the different energy budget that mediates crack- and pulse-like rupture propagation and arrest. Despite its simplicity, this minimal model is able to reproduce several salient features of natural earthquakes that are still debated (e.g. various arrest scenarios, stable pulse-like rupture, back-propagating front, asymmetric slip profiles).
Asymptotic analysis of surface waves interacting with a wind and a current
Authors: Bonfils Anthony , Mitra Dhrubaditya , Moon Woosok , Wettlaufer John
Published: February 2023

Asymptotic analysis of surface waves interacting with a wind and a currentFollowing Miles (1957), surface waves are regarded as perturbations of the wind, modeled as an inviscid parallel shear flow; a water current can be included in the model. The linear stability analysis of the shear flow leads to an eigenvalue problem. The real part of the eigenvalue is the phase speed of the waves while the imaginary part times the wavenumber is the growth rate of the wave amplitude. The streamfunction of the perturbed flow, or eigenfunction, obeys the Rayleigh equation with coupled boundary conditions at the air-water interface. First, I will show how Miles simplified this problem using the small air-water density ratio. Next, for waves whose wavelength is much larger than the characteristic length scale of the shear, I will solve the Rayleigh equation asymptotically and infer the complex eigenvalue. Finally I will show that, in the strong wind limit, the fastest growing waves are those for which the aerodynamic pressure is in phase with the wave slope. References:J. W. Miles, J. Fluid Mech., 3:185–204, 1957.A. F. Bonfils, D. Mitra, W. Moon, and J. S. Wettlaufer, J. Fluid Mech., 944:A8, 2022.A. F. Bonfils, D. Mitra, W. Moon, and J. S. Wettlaufer, arXiv:2211.02942.
The seawater calcium concentration may be a driver of long-term changes in CO2
Authors: Evans David , Rosenthal Yair , Erez Jonathan , Hauzer Hagar , Cotton Laura , Zhou Xiaoli , Nambiar Romi , Stassen Peter , Pearson Paul , Renema Willem , Saraswati Pratul Kumar , Todd Jonathan , Müller Wolfgang , Affek Hagit
Published: February 2023

The drawdown of CO2 via the temperature-dependent weathering of silicate minerals is thought to be one of the key processes acting to maintain Earth’s climate within narrow bounds over geologic time. However, the climatic responsiveness of weathering on multi-million-year timescales is, to our knowledge, yet to be demonstrated. If other factors dominate climate regulation on geologic timsecales, previously unexplored factors may be important in driving long-term carbon cycle changes. Here, we present the first continuous Cenozoic record of the concentration of calcium in seawater ([Ca2+sw]). Our record is based on the Na/Ca of exceptionally well-preserved foraminiferal calcite, a methodology which leverages the extremely long seawater Na+ residence time (>40 Myr) to interpret such changes predominantly in terms of [Ca2+sw] fluctuation. We show that a 12 mM decrease in [Ca2+sw] occurred over the last ~50 Ma, with a close correspondence to the timing of atmospheric CO2 changes, potentially implying a common driver. Using a carbon cycle box model, we demonstrate that, if the relationship between silicate weathering is shallower than commonly assumed, then this change in [Ca2+sw] can mechanistically explain the majority of the Cenozoic CO2 decrease, via the effect that Ca2+ has on CaCO3 burial rates. Given the recently identified major change in the global sea floor spreading rate, this finding shifts the key driver of long-term climate from the terrestrial to marine realm. Conversely, if there is a steep relationship between silicate weathering and climate, the climatic responsiveness of weathering is such that the system would rebalance before [Ca2+sw] can drive a major CO2 change. Our results therefore highlight the need to determine whether silicate weathering is responsive to climate change on geologic timescales before the long-term drivers of CO2 can be determined.
Novel Back-Propagation Multilayer Perceptron Approach for 2-D Magnetotelluric Modeling
Authors: Sarakorn Weerachai , Mukwachi Phongphan , Boonpan Samak
Published: February 2023

In this study, the novel artificial neural network(ANN) called back-propagation multilayer perceptron (BP-MLP) algorithm with fully connected architecture is proposed to simulate and predict the apparent resistivity and impedance phase of 2-D Magnetotelluric forward modeling. The experiments of this algorithm are made on various benchmark models. The experimental results showed that the proposed neural network is efficient and provides accurate predictions with an average relative error of apparent resistivity and impedance phase less than 1% and 0.5%, respectively. The algorithm's feasibility suggests that the ANN approach provides excellent accuracy results and can be practically used for solving 2-D magnetotelluric modeling.
Feasibility and application of managed aquifer recharge for a safe and sustainable water supply in Syria
Authors: Reimann Thomas , Genzel Marcus , Aldarir Abdulnasr , Fichtner Thomas , Kavousi Alireza , Hartmann Andreas , Grischek Thomas , Gräber Peter-Wolfgang
Published: February 2023

The overall aim of the MEWAC-FEMAR project (Middle East Regional Water Research Cooperation Program – Feasibility of Managed Aquifer Recharge), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is to support and enhance a safe and sustainable water supply in the Middle East by Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). One target region is Syria, which is facing water insecurity regarding water availability, water supply, and agricultural water needs. In addition, the region is severely affected by war which results in extreme destruction of infrastructure and other resources.
The project's objective is to provide a model-based framework for integrated water resources management (IWRM) to identify suitable sites for MAR and to predict their impact on the regional water balance and the local situation. The proposed framework incorporates different methods and model techniques with applications ranging from global to local scales. The model workflow is completely based on open-source tools to ensure sustainable use of the project efforts.
Modeling on the global scale is mainly done by data-driven methods like GIS Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (GIS-MCDA) to answer questions like where are suitable and feasible areas for MAR. Regional scale models aim to describe the hydrological cycle by distributed numerical methods (e.g., MODFLOW-OWHM) to predict and manage MAR under consideration of the regional groundwater situation. Local-scale numerical models can provide detailed and site-specific insights into the flow and transport processes of the unsaturated zone and the underlying aquifer. Specific activities in Syria include e.g., evaluation of wastewater reuse for irrigation. Finally, the current process understanding with regard to MAR methods is critically evaluated and expanded.
Total Electron Content evolution during the 27 February 2014 storm over the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa
Authors: Campuzano Saioa A. , Migoya-Orué Yenca , Radicella Sandro M. , Delgado-Gómez Fernando , Herraiz Miguel , Rodríguez-Caderot Gracia
Published: February 2023

In this work Total Electron Content (TEC) during the moderate geomagnetic storm of 27 February 2014 over the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa is analysed. The data used are coming from GNSS derived TEC and ROTI from several receiver stations from Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Maps of TEC are developed to study its evolution before, during and some days after the main phase of the storm. This study shows that before the storm, i.e. during quiet geomagnetic conditions, a northern crest of the Equatorial Ionosphere Anomaly (EIA) is located in Western North Africa with low gradients and values of TEC. During the main period of the storm, this northern crest of the EIA is also located in the Western North Africa with larger gradients that affect the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. These gradients are present both in latitude and longitude. They are observed exclusively over this region but not seen in the rest of Southern Europe. In addition, increased values of ROTI from GNSS stations located in Southern Spain are also found during the storm, but not observed northwards and eastwards of that region. Since the Iberian Peninsula is located in a mid-latitude area not expected to be influenced by the EIA, these findings seem to indicate that the Southern part of the Peninsula could be influenced by the EIA during disturbed geomagnetic conditions.
A comparison of the last two glacial inceptions via fully coupled transient ice and climate modelling.
Authors: Geng Marilena , Tarasov Lev
Published: February 2023

Paleo records indicate significant variation in sea level and temperature proxies between different glacial cycles. What is unclear is the extent to which these differences are due to noise in the physical system versus a robust response to external forcings. When one considers what is happening with each individual ice sheet, variations between glacial cycles are largely unknown, given the few relevant records available to constrain ice sheet extent before the Eemian. To explore both the controls on past ice sheet and climate evolution and explore bounds on what the evolution might actually have looked like, we are running ensemble simulations of the last two glacial cycles with the fully coupled ice/climate model LCice. LCice is a coupled version of the Loveclim EMIC and GSM glacial systems model with hybrid shallow shelf and shallow ice flow and global visco-elastic glacio-isostatic adjustment. The current configuration includes all 4 ice sheet complexes and is subject to only orbital and greenhouse gas forcing.To answer the above questions, we present ensemble results for the last two glacial inceptions, focusing on what key ice sheet and climate characteristics are robust across the ensemble and what are not. The role of key forcings and feedbacks are also isolated through a set of sensitivity experiments.  
Integrated structural-seismological constraints for a 3D multi-depth fault model of the Stradella and Emilia Arcs (northern Italy)
Authors: Lavecchia Giusy , de Nardis Rita , Talone Donato , Bressan Sofia , Pedicini Martina , Bonali Fabio Luca , Corti Noemi , Russo Elena , Torrese Patrizio , Tibaldi Alessandro
Published: February 2023

Investigating active tectonics and the structural style of potentially-seismogenic structures at the outer front of active orogenic belts is particularly challenging when the frontal structures are buried and slowly deforming. This is the case of the blind fold-and-thrust belts surrounding the Padanian foreland of Northern Italy and developing across one of the most populated and industrialized Italian territories. In this paper, we focus on the seismogenic role of the Stradella thrust and its possible involvement in the activity of the buried Emilia arc, through a 3D geometric, kinematic, and seismotectonic reconstruction of the overall system. The integrated multi-scale analysis of structural and seismological data, inclusive of new focal mechanisms, highlights two seismological thrust volumes dipping at low-angle southwest-ward, at upper (<12 km) and lower crustal depths (~20-30 km). However, the shallow seismicity only partially illuminates the down-dip prosecution of the Stradella structure. In contrast, the deeper earthquake volume, at the hanging wall of the along-strike southeastward prosecution of the Stradella fault, well highlights the lower crust portion of the Emilia Arc basal thrust.We interpret the above multi-scale data as evidence of ongoing tectonic activity of the outer fronts of the Emilia arc under a regional NNE-directed compressional stress field, with some minor evidence of involvement of the Stradella thrust along the pede-Apennine front. In our 3D reconstruction, both thrust systems are expressions of a thick-skinned deformation that controls earthquake release at different structural depths.
Earthquake emergency and cognitive disabilities: an experience.
Authors: Zanut Stefano
Published: February 2023

The intervention concerns an experience conducted in the north-east of Italy, in a highly seismic territory, with the involvement of people with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities whom live independently in the city. With the involvement of Fire Brigade and Civil Protection, four residential groups were involved and accompanied in a training course on seismic risk, starting from how it can manifest an earthquake in their homes and the consequent behaviors to be adopted, up to paths to reach the external assembly point indicated in the Civil Protection Plan. The attention was also paid to the relationship between rescuers and people with intellectual disabilities, but also the ability of these people to be able to relate to rescuers during an emergency.
VERITAS gravity investigations: measuring Venus’ rotational state, moment of inertia, Love numbers, and atmospheric tides
Authors: Iess Luciano , de Marchi Fabrizio , Cascioli Gael , Mazarico Erwan , Renaud Joseph , Durante Daniele , Goossens Sander , Smrekar Suzanne
Published: February 2023

The key scientific objective of the NASA/JPL Discovery-class mission VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio science, INSAR, Topography And Spectroscopy) is understanding the links between the interior, surface, and atmospheric evolution.After a 6-months cruise and a 11-months aerobraking phases, VERITAS is planned to operate during four Venus cycles (4x243 Earth days) in a near circular polar orbit (180x255km in altitude at 85.4 deg. inclination) providing gravity science data thanks to the 2-way X/Ka band Doppler link and VISAR (Venus Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) instrument.The radio science data and VISAR landmark features (tie points) will allow a precise determination of the rotational state of Venus: we show that the precession rate can be measured with an accuracy of 13’’/cy. From this result, the moment of inertia factor (MOIF) C/MR2, can be estimated with a 0.3% accuracy (10x improvement). Moreover, the expected accuracy of the tidal Love number measurement is 0.2%: this will allow to resolve the ambiguity of the core state (solid/liquid) and to distinguish between different interior models (core radius, mantle viscosity) [1].The atmosphere of Venus is subject to a time-dependent mass redistribution due to pressure and temperature variations induced by solar heating. This phenomenon is called “thermal tide" and it moves eastward along the Venus’ surface with a 117d period (i.e. about a Venus solar day).Thermal tides can be detected as a time-variable perturbation to the Venus gravity field due to 1) the moving atmospheric masses (direct effect) and to 2) the planet’s response to the variations of the surface loading (indirect effect, parametrized through the load Love numbers).We show that VERITAS radio science and VISAR data can also be used to measure the load Love numbers up to degree 4 with good accuracy (4% for degree 2). In particular, the degree 2 coefficient can provide independent, and complementary, information on the mantle viscosity and composition.Moreover, a simultaneous measurement of the degree 2 tidal (k2, h2) and loading (k2') Love numbers can be used to provide finer bounds on the mantle viscosity and possibly to constrain the mantle rheology.[1] G. Cascioli, S. Hensley, F. De Marchi, D. Breuer, D. Durante, P. Racioppa, L. Iess, E. Mazarico and S. E. Smrekar (2021) Planet. Sci. J. 2 22
87Sr/86Sr as an efficient tool to investigate environmental processes in winemaking: a Campania (Italy) case study.
Authors: Tranfa Piergiorgio , Mercurio Mariano , D'Antonio Massimo , Di Renzo Valeria , Guarino Carmine , Sciarrillo Rosaria , Zuzolo Daniela , Izzo Francesco , Langella Alessio , Cappelletti Piergiulio
Published: February 2023

In the last few years Sr isotope geochemistry has contributed substantially to environmental and food traceability research. This is achievable because soils, plants and waters all have a peculiar Sr isotopic signature (87Sr/86Sr) inherited from the local geological substratum and affected by geological processes as well as the age and initial rubidium concentration of the rocks. Strontium ions released from the bedrock by weathering processes deriving by the interaction of circulating fluids with rocks, enter the environment and accumulates in water and soils. This reservoir of bioavailable Sr may represent a reliable tracer useful to determine the geographical origin of wines as it is known that strontium is taken first by plant roots, then by grapes, and lastly by wine, with no isotope fractionation when compared to the original 87Sr/86Sr ratio in the soil and rocks. As a result, the study of the Sr isotope ratio in the final product (wine) links directly to its geological origin thus representing a specific geofingerprint for any selected wine. Based on these premises this work aims at confirming the strong link between the product (wine) and its territory, with the final purpose to make it recognizable and distinguishable from similar products and protecting it from possible fraud and adulteration. In this work the 87Sr/86Sr systematics has been used to analyze a total of 39 samples (37 soil samples and 2 wine samples) from Campania (Italy). For a better understanding, both total Sr fraction and bioavailable Sr fraction were analyzed in soil samples (rhizospheric soils, bulk soils and samples collected from different horizons) in order to better investigate the environmental processes involved during the wine production cycle.
Physical vulnerability database for critical infrastructure multi-hazard risk assessments
Authors: Nirandjan Sadhana , Koks Elco , Pant Raghav , van Ginkel Kees , Aerts Jeroen , Ward Philip
Published: February 2023

Globally, critical infrastructure (CI) is exposed to natural hazards that may lead to the devastation of these infrastructures and burden society with the indirect consequences that stem from this. These consequences manifest on varying spatial scales and time horizons, such as local to (inter)national budgets that must be wagered for the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure, and local communities to large-scale regions that are isolated from day-to-day services for a certain period of time. Ultimately, the level of vulnerability of CI to natural hazards is a key determinant for understanding, assessing and reducing natural hazard-induced risks to these infrastructures. However, essential vulnerability information for CI is distributed across peer-reviewed articles, (technical) reports, manuals and other literature, which eventually hampers effective risk management.

As such, this study aims to develop an open-access database for the physical vulnerability of CI for a selection of hazards by compiling state-of-the-art peer-reviewed and grey literature. The database comprises vulnerability data for flooding, earthquakes, wind storms and landslides in the form of fragility and vulnerability curves; type of curves that are commonly used for risk assessments evaluating expected or potential damages to assets. More specifically, the first type of curve describes the probability of reaching or exceeding a (number of) damage state(s) for a given hazard intensity measure, and the latter describes the relation between given levels of a hazard intensity measure and the potential physical damage. We also systematically assess the literature on hazard, exposure and vulnerability characteristics.

The database that is the product of this study can be used as input for risk assessment studies that identify the natural hazard risk in terms of physical damages for a range of CI types. Indeed, the centralized database contains a collection of over 500 curves that are readily available for implementation. Furthermore, we identify gaps in the current state of literature in order to understand the aspects of vulnerability on which future research should focus. The literature review highlights that there are substantial differences in availability of curves across hazards and CI systems. For example, most development has focused on floods and earthquakes, whereas work is still to be done on windstorms and landslides in particular.
Pre-operational Space Weather Services at the DLR Institute for Solar-Terrestrial Physics
Authors: Kriegel Martin , David Paul , Tagargouste Youssef , Vasylyev Dmytro , Wenzel David , Berdermann Jens
Published: February 2023

In times of highly precise and increasingly autonomous GNSS applications, the influence of space weather on their system performance is increasingly becoming the focus of current research and development. The complex monitoring and research of space weather in its variety of phenomena and with its effects, for example in satellite technology, aerospace, telecommunications and navigation, is an increasingly important mission.The DLR Institute for Solar-Terrestrial Physics in Neustrelitz is investigating the influence of space weather on both critical systems and services such as GNSS or RF communications, as well as ground- and space-based infrastructures such as power grids or satellites. Of outstanding importance is the efficient implementation of the interfacing between the increasing scientific expertise and the most diverse user requirements from the national and international public and private sectors, academia and industry.As an essential core component of this interface, the working group "Pre-operational Services" develops and operates the "Ionosphere Monitoring and Prediction Center (IMPC)" in cooperation with the "German Remote Sensing Data Center" of the DLR. With its special combination of scientific know-how on GNSS based remote sensing and modelling of the ionopshere, instrumentation (e.g. high rate GNSS receiver network, Global Ionospheric Flare Detection System (GIFDS), Callisto) and the use of state-of-the-art data processing technologies, the IMPC contributes significantly to monitoring the impact of space weather on today's technologies in near-real time and to avoiding or reducing it through the application of a wide range of products and services.This contributionwill present IMPC's pre-operational services and their incorporation into relevant national and international networks (e.g. NOAA-SWPC RTSW, ESA S2P, PECASUS). Furthermore, the unique instrumentation, applied technology approaches and already developed and planned products and services will be presented.
Application of ground penetrating radar and machine learning tools in the identification of cracks in buried water pipes and creation of 3-D models of the water leakage
Authors: Nahas Sona , Ayala-Cabrera David
Published: February 2023

The continuous monitoring of critical infrastructures is essential for the sustainable development of cities. These infrastructures are interconnected systems that the failure of their assets can provoke representative impacts not only on the infrastructure affected by the failure but also on the surrounding infrastructures. These infrastructures consist of a number of buried components that make their continuous inspection difficult. One of the main challenges that these systems need to deal with is the identification of deteriorated buried assets e.g. water distribution networks (WDNs) pipes with water leaks. This identification of the health condition of the buried assets is of particular importance at early stages of failure, as this can prevent both economic and social impact and preserves as well the conservation of natural resources (e.g. treated water losses). To move towards overcoming this challenge, this paper combines the ground penetrating radar (GPR) as a reliable non-invasive ground technique for assets inspection [1] with machine learning tools to create a 3D model of the evolution of water leakage (i.e. water leak propagation, in time, through soil from pipes) in cracked components of WDNs. The study will draw on a pre-collected database from previous GPR studies as well as new data collected through a monitored laboratory experiment. A 1.5 GHz commercial antenna will be used in the laboratory GPR experiment, which will be conducted on cracked pipes, from a real WDN, composed of metallic (e.g. cast iron) and non-metallic (e.g. polyethylene). Each pipe will be set through GPR tests at three different stages, one where there is no water in the system and two scenarios involving water in the system, i.e., the pre-leak scenario and the post-leak scenario. At the onset, the boundary of the water leak extent will be hypothesised by employing the contrast method on both the pre-collected data and the newly acquired GPR images. As a validation measure, the study's findings revealing the actual boundaries will be contrasted with this precursory boundary. Afterward the initial boundary demarcation, the images will be pre-processed using the multi-agent technique agent race [2, 3], classified, and labelled into various groups depending on whether they are relevant to the paper's scope or not, and the results will be used to construct a 3D model of the water leakage and its dissipation through the soil medium. This work is promising because it makes it easier to monitor the health of buried water infrastructure assets by creating a 3D model, reduces the need for expert professionals to interpret GPR images, and does away with the need for a reference image when using GPR data to find anomalies in the ground.

 
Precipitating Fraction, Not Intensity, Explains Extreme Coarse-Grained Precipitation Clausius-Clapeyron Scaling With Sea Surface Temperature Over Tropical Oceans
Authors: Muller Caroline , Roca Remy , De Meyer Victorien
Published: February 2023

The sensitivity of coarse-grained daily extreme precipitation to sea surface temperature is analyzed using satellite precipitation estimates over the 300–302.5 K range. A theoretical scaling is proposed, linking changes in coarse-grained precipitation to changes in fine-scale hourly precipitation area fraction and changes in conditional fine-scale precipitation rates. The analysis reveals that the extreme coarse-grained precipitation scaling with temperature (∼7%/K) is dominated by the fine-scale precipitating fraction scaling (∼6.5%/K) when using a 3 mm/h fine-scale threshold to delineate the precipitating fraction. These results are shown to be robust to the selection of the precipitation product and to the percentile used to characterize the extreme. This new coarse-grained scaling is further related to the well-known scaling for fine-scale precipitation extremes, and suggests a compensation between thermodynamic and dynamic contributions or that both contributions are small with respect to that of fractional coverage. These results suggest that processes responsible for the changes in fractional coverage are to be accounted for to assess the sensitivity of coarse-grained extreme daily precipitation to surface temperature.
Can Correcting for Mantle Dynamics Reconcile Divergent Plio-Pleistocene Sea-Level Estimates?
Authors: Richards Fred , Coulson Sophie , Hoggard Mark , Austermann Jacqueline , Dyer Blake , Mitrovica Jerry
Published: February 2023

Estimates of global mean sea level (GMSL) during past warm periods provide a key constraint on ice-sheet sensitivity to future climate change and inform projections of long-term sea-level rise. Measurements from the most recent periods of enhanced warmth are especially valuable since these intervals represent the closest climatic analogues to near-future conditions. Considerable focus has therefore been placed on reconstructing sea-level during the Mid-Pliocene Warm Period (MPWP; 3.3–3.0 Ma) and the Last Interglacial (~129–116 ka), periods characterised by mean temperatures 2­–3 °C and ~1 °C above preindustrial levels, respectively. Many GMSL estimates have been obtained from palaeoshoreline deposits since these geomorphic proxies provide a more direct and potentially more precise constraint on past sea-level than stable isotope records. However, estimates from different sites differ by several metres due to spatially variable vertical crustal motions caused by geodynamic processes, including glacial isostatic adjustment and dynamic topography.To tackle this issue, we integrate a suite of Australian sea-level markers and geodynamic simulations into a probabilistic inverse framework to quantify and remove the effect of vertical crustal motions at a continental scale. We find that dynamic topography accounts for most of the observed MPWP sea-level marker deflection and is also significant for the LIG. After correcting for this process and glacial isostatic adjustment, we obtain a revised MPWP GMSL estimate of +16.0/10.4–21.5 m (50th/16th–84th percentiles). We also find that post-LIG dynamic topography may account for several metres of relative displacement across the Great Barrier Reef, potentially reconciling discrepant GMSL estimates from this region. Recalibration of sea-level projections with these revised estimates suggests a more stable Antarctic Ice Sheet under future warming scenarios and appears to rule out recent high-end forecasts.