bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamics and stability of soil organic matter: climate vs. time
Authors: Galluzzi Giorgio , Plaza César , Priori Simone , Giannetta Beatrice , Zaccone Claudio
Published: February 2023

This study aims to investigate the mechanisms of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration with depth as a function of time and climate. Two chronosequences located along a climate gradient were investigated. The first chronosequence (ADI) consisted of fluvial terraces, whereas the second (LED) of fluvio-glacial terraces. Four sites (Q2, Q3, Q4 and Q5) located in 3 terraces (T1, T2, and T3), with age ranging from about 125,000 to 2,000 yr, were investigated for ADI, while 3 sites (Q1, Q2, and Q3) in 3 terraces (T1, T2, and T3, respectively), with age range from about 16,000 to 10,000 yr, were selected for LED. All sites were grasslands. Soil samples were collected (1 profile and 2 cores per site) by horizon, and each horizon sub-sampled by depth (each 5 cm). The sub-samples were characterized for pH, EC, total organic C, total N, texture, mineralogy, total and extractable elements, and for soil respiration. Particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) were isolated and characterized by elemental and thermal analyses.In ADI, the oldest site (ADIQ2) stocks 2 times more C in the topsoil (15 cm) than the youngest site (ADIQ5) (60 and 27 MgC/ha, respectively). Furthermore, in ADIQ3, 38% of the total SOC accumulated between 30 and 80 cm (48 MgC/ha). In LED, the youngest site (LEDQ3) shows the highest SOC stock to both 15 and 30 cm (86 and 138 MgC/ha, respectively). In LEDQ1, 46% of the total SOC accumulated between 30 and 90 cm (94 MgC/ha). Among sites having same age but different climate, LEDQ3 (the wettest and coldest site) stocks ~2 times more carbon than ADIQ3 (the driest and warmest site) to the first 30 cm of depth.In LED, the ratio between the organic C in MAOM/POM in the topsoil ranges between 0.6 and 1.8, while in ADI between 1.1 and 3.9. Thermal indices (e.g., WL400-550/200-300, TG-T50) show that the stability of bulk SOM and pools generally increased with depth in ADI sites, whereas remained constant in LED. ADI soils had similar cumulative respiration (RHCUM), whereas LEDQ3 exhibited the highest RHCUM along the first 30 cm. Indeed, LEDQ3 had a 3× higher RHCUM than ADIQ3 in topsoil.Our data show that significant amounts of organic C were accumulated in deeper soils (>30cm). Moreover, soil organic matter (SOM) stability, and especially that of MAOM, in ADI increased with depth. The relative contribution of POM to C storage was more important in LED than in ADI, especially in the topsoil. Overall, our data suggest that climate has a greater influence on the size of SOC stocks than age, which in turn exerts a major influence on the stability of SOM.
Evolution of heat fluxes at the Arctic sea-ice edge
Authors: Steckling Julia , Ritschel Markus , Baehr Prof. Dr. Johanna , Notz Prof. Dr. Dirk
Published: February 2023

We analyze the evolution of heat fluxes and the resulting surface energy balance at the Arctic sea-ice edge in CMIP6 model simulations. We build on the study of Notz and Stroeve (2016), in which they show the existence of a strong linear relationship between Arctic sea-ice area and cumulative anthropogenic CO2 emissions. In explaining this linear relationship, the authors claim that the surface energy balance at the sea-ice edge remains constant, following the conceptual idea of the sea-ice edge retreating northwards to compensate for the increasing longwave radiative input due to global warming by a decrease in shortwave radiation at higher latitudes. We examine the validity of this hypothesis by first identifying the sea-ice edge in the model data, and then scrutinize whether or not the surface energy balance at that location stays constant under future sea-ice retreat. Furthermore, we decompose the energy balance into its constituents to explore dynamical effects and oceanic influence.We find that the annual mean surface energy balance shows stronger spatial than temporal variations. Looking at individual months, we find that the surface energy balance is negative in winter and positive in summer along the ice edge. Towards the end of the 21st century, the surface energy balance enters a new regime, becoming less negative in winter, and more positive in summer. By showing a consistently negative relation between downwelling shortwave radiation and downwelling longwave radiation, we finally confirm the idea of the compensation of increasing longwave input by a decrease in shortwave incoming radiation due to a northward migration of the sea-ice edge.
Modeling the environmental fate of the natural toxin ptaquiloside: production, release and leaching to groundwater
Authors: Diamantopoulos Efstathios , García-Jorgensen Daniel Bernado , Holbak Maja , Abrahamsen Per , Bruun Hansen Hans Chr.
Published: February 2023

Plants produce a diverse array of toxic compounds which may be released by precipitation, that explains their wide occurrence in surrounding soil and water. This study presents the first mechanistic model for describing the generation and environmental fate of a natural toxin, viz.  ptaquiloside (PTA), a carcinogenic phytotoxin produced by bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum L. Kuhn). The newly adapted DAISY model was calibrated based on two-year monitoring performed in the period 2018-2019 in a Danish bracken population located in a forest glade. Several functions related to the fate of PTA were calibrated, covering processes from toxin generation in the canopy, wash off by precipitation and degradation in the soil. Model results (2018-2019) show a good description of observed bracken biomass and PTA contents, indicating that toxin production can be explained by biomass and bracken development stage. The wash off is maximum in the middle of summer, coinciding with the moment of maximum biomass, fully developed canopy and highest PTA content. Model results show that only 4.4 % of the PTA produced in bracken is washed off by precipitation, from both canopy and litter. Once in the soil, PTA degrades rapidly, especially during summer due to the high soil temperatures. Leaching takes place in form of pulses directly connected to precipitation events, with maximum simulated concentrations up to 4.39 µg L-1 at 50 cm depth. Macropore transport is responsible for the events with highest PTA concentrations, contributing to 72% of the total mass of PTA leached. Based on the results, we identify areas with high precipitation and soils characterized by fast transport, as the most vulnerable to surface and groundwater pollution by phytotoxins
Deep learning for individual tree detection with noisy labels
Authors: Gominski Dimitri , Brandt Martin , Fensholt Rasmus
Published: February 2023

Automated detection with deep learning opens the way for large-scale mapping of individual trees from aerial or satellite imagery. Convolutional neural networks offer unprecedented performance, under the condition that numerous and accurate labels are available to train and evaluate networks. Those two conditions are difficult to meet in the context of tree mapping, due to the high variability of tree shapes, species and environments, and to the lack of unambiguous ground truth data. Consequently, models learn on noisy data, do not reach optimality, and the errors seen during training are propagated to the predictions.Here, we characterize and address the different types of noise in individual tree labels, notably comission/omission errors and positional errors. We propose a new method for tree detection, with an additional degree of freedom to account for annotation errors. We train and evaluate models on two large-scale datasets of aerial images in Denmark and France with manual annotations. Our approach, along with model ensembling, is able to learn from noisy point annotations and generalizes well to new areas, including dense forests.
Episode of domes formation at Merapi volcano observed by a small aperture seismic array in the period 2018-2022
Authors: Metaxian Jean-Philippe , Sulistiyani Sulistiyani , Santoso Agus Budi , Fahmi Ali , Beauducel François
Published: February 2023

Following the explosive eruption of 2010, Merapi volcano experienced a 4-year rest period, followed by a period of phreatic activity between 2014 and 2018. A first magmatic eruption occurred in 2018-2019, and a second one started in 2020 and is still ongoing. The first eruption formed a dome in the center of the crater (in the same location as the 2010 lava dome), and the maximum volume reached 700.000 m3. The second eruption is very original, characterized by the formation of two domes almost simultaneously. The first dome appeared in January 2021 on the southwest flank; the latter is located inside the crater (west of the 2018-2019 dome). The two domes are about 200m apart, separated by the southwest wall of the crater. Our objective in this work is to follow the magmatic activity through the seismicity generated over five years, including the period of these two magmatic eruptions. For this purpose, we use a seismic array that has been operating continuously since 2013 and throughout this period. This seismic array has a 300m aperture on the northeast Merapi flank (Pasar Bubar site), consisting of 5 mid-band stations (Guralp 6TD). We estimated the slowness vector over a sliding window of 20 seconds by inverting the time delays calculated between each pair of stations using the inter-spectral method in the 1-5 Hz frequency band. This robust approach gives us the back-azimuth and apparent velocity for the dominant wavefield. The analysis carried out during the period from the beginning of 2018 to the end of 2022 shows variations of the slowness vector related to intrusive processes and deformation of the crater's northern part, which will be presented in this work.
MT data inversion and dimensionality analysis in Varton geothermal central Iran
Authors: Hajheidari Mohammad , Abtahi Forooshani Sayyed Mohammad , Fathianpour Nader , Moshtaghian Keytash , Tavakoli Harandi Hojatollah
Published: February 2023

The Varton geothermal is located circa 70 kilometers northeast of Isfahan, central Iran. The study area consists of highly fractured rocks with argillic alteration zones and some hot springs. Here, we conduct a magnetic and magnetotelluric data survey to study the effect of the fractures on the hydrothermal convection system. The magnetic data processing exposed two parallel main faults with NW-SE strike in the northern and southern borders of the area. Here, we used nine magnetotelluric (MT) stations along a profile perpendicular to the main faults. Dimensionality analysis of MT impedance and phase tensors in the stations indicated a media with two-dimensional structures. However, 1D MT data inversion revealed a three-layered earth beneath most stations, though the layers' thickness and resistivities varied along the profile. Also, 2D MT data inversion results showed that the resistivity between the two main faults was significantly smaller than zones beyond the faults. However, a large zone with low resistivity was close to the southern fault. Besides,  a shallow layer overlain a thin conductive layer with a resistivity of one ohmm or less. In depths more than 500 m, the resistivity noticeably increased gradually to 1000 ohmm. According to the mentioned results, we deduce that the southern fault is the main feeding fault for the geothermal system. Furthermore, the layer with the lowest resistivity correlates with clay alteration and could be the clay cap of the reservoir. Therefore, the deeper resistive rock is the geothermal reservoir.
Coupled CFD-DEM Modelling of subsidence and canyon formation in an evaporite karst system
Authors: Al-Halbouni Djamil , Ruepke Lars , Giona Bucci Monica , Dahm Torsten , Micallef Aaron
Published: February 2023

Surface stream-channels and subsurface conduits form the connecting interface between on- and offshore groundwater in the coastal transition zone. Rapid canyon formation occurs due to erosion and dissolution of material rapid retrogressive growth, slope failure, and subsidence, thus posing important geohazards in coastal areas.We here focus on the formation of canyon systems with theatre shaped heads as found along the Dead Sea. Underlying their recent development is a dynamic evaporite karst system fed by channelized groundwater flow with subrosion processes and subsequent discharge into the lake. We use a 3D hydromechanical modelling approach to derive information on the hydromechanics and feedback between changing fluid pathways, deformation and the formation of stream-channel morphologies under varying conditions. We use a hydrogeological setup consisting of (A) a layered alluvial fan system alternating between mechanically weak, salt/rich clay-silt material and mechanically stronger, compound alluvial sandy-gravel sediments, (B) a pronounced lateral border between the former Dead Sea lakebed and the alluvial fans, (C) a Darcy-flow type fresh-water inflow through tubes at different depths and (D) a natural hydraulic gradient of 30 m/km. We hereby couple simple computational fluid dynamics with distinct elements to simulate subrosion processes as observed for the Dead Sea shore.We found that the shape of the canyon, and particularly the morphology of canyon heads, is (1) intrinsically linked to the geologic material conditions, i.e. the stratigraphy of the subsurface, (2) the nature (3D tube network) of the karst system and (3) the hydraulic gradient conditions. This study hence gives further insight into the role of the hydromechanical conditions that drive the formation of canyons and subsidence in unconsolidated material and shows the applicability of this approach to derive morphometrics in similar coastal environments.
European modeling of atmospheric copper, iron and manganese as key players for aerosol toxicity
Authors: Dubois Nicolas , Foret Gilles , Beekmann Matthias , Siour Guillaume , Vida Matthieu , Andre Jean-Marc , Moukhtar Sophie , Uzu Gaelle , Jaffrezo Jean-Luc , Conil Sébastien , Le Berre Lise , Marchand Nicolas , Chazeau Benjamin , Gille Grégory , Alastuey Andres , Querol Xavier , Reche Cristina , Socquet Stéphane , Bret Clément , Duval Mario
Published: February 2023

Exposure to air pollution, especially aerosols, can lead to adverse health effects. Particle toxicity has been generally linked to its mass concentration. However, toxicity is determined by the chemical composition of the aerosol, which varies greatly depending on pollution sources. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be formed in the lung when particles are inhaled and can trigger inflammatory processes. Transition metals strongly contribute to ROS, among which copper, iron and manganese. However, these metals are generally not included in current emission inventories and chemistry-transport models. Thus, to ultimately model aerosol toxicity, it would be necessary to add these three metals into a chemistry-transport model, and use it to provide inputs to a lung chemistry model (Lelieveld et al, 2021).Country-wise copper emissions are available from the EMEP database (https://www.ceip.at/) for the majority of European Union countries. Methods for evaluating emissions differ from country to country, and it is necessary to homogenize them to standardize emissions, at least for the main emitting countries around France which is the main target of the study. For iron and manganese, European scale inventories do not exist yet. Data from the French Citepa and ADEME, from EMEP reports, SPECIEUROPE and a bibliography of 16 references were used to build these two bottom-up inventories. Many sources have been studied: abrasion of tires, brakes and road for the road transport sector, wear of catenaries, brakes and rails for the rail sector, combustion of coal, biomass and of petroleum, the burning of motor oils, and the incineration of waste.Also, long term measurements from several dozens of rural, urban and traffic sites were collected to build a large database. These data come from EBAS website (https://ebas-data.nilu.no/), UKAIR website (https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/), CARA program (Favez et al., 2021), the Spanish IDAEA and the French Atmo Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Marseille-Longchamp. Fe/Cu and Mn/Cu ratios were calculated for both the bottom-up emission inventories and measurements data. As these ratios turned out to be significantly lower in emission inventories, observed ratios were used to adjust Fe and Mn emissions from Cu ones.Using these two inventories, emission ratios with coarse particles for each country and sector were created and applied to the spatialized particles emission data. We then implemented the obtained spatialized Cu, Fe and Mg emission inventories into the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model, to simulate ambient copper, iron and manganese mass concentrations in Europe for the year 2014.
Processes affecting the behaviour of persistent, mobile, and toxic substances in a riverbank filtration system
Authors: Pujades Estanislao , Sáez Carmen , Nikolenko Olha , Scheiber Laura , Bautista Arianna , Farré Marinella , Jurado Anna
Published: February 2023

Riverbank filtration (RBF) consists in forcing surface water to infiltrate and flow through an aquifer by means of a pumping well located near a surface water body. RBF aims to take advantage of the filtration capacity of aquifers to improve the water quality by removing a wide range of pollutants, including contaminants of emerging concern, by combining of physical, chemical and biological processes. However, the efficacy of RBF for eliminating substances that are considered persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT), or very persistent and very mobile (vPvM), is expected to be low due to the high mobility of these substances. PMT and vPvM compounds, which are accumulated in the water cycle, are harmful to humans and the environment. For this reason, the processes affecting PMT and vPvM substances during RBF processes deserve to be deeply investigated.This study aims at investigating the processes affecting PMT and vPvM substances in a site that behaves similarly to a RBF system. The study site is located in Sant Adriá del Besòs (Barcelona, Spain), where a constant pumping to drain an underground parking lot forces the water from the Besòs river to infiltrate and travel up to 230 m through the aquifer. Groundwater samples were collected from the river, and a set of piezometers aligned along the groundwater flow line between the Besòs river, and the underground parking lot allowed monitoring of the water at different stages after its infiltration. The samples were analysed by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) and PMT and vPvM were determined by a suspected screening approach.This investigation provides new insights into the processes affecting PMT and vPvM substances and will have tremendous implications for determining groundwater quality in managed aquifer recharge contexts.
The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) impact on Southern Atlantic planktic foraminifera (Site 702)
Authors: Sigismondi Silvia , Luciani Valeria , Alegret Laia
Published: February 2023

Understanding the resilience of the ecosystems within the context of the ongoing global climate change is apressing challenge for humankind. The combination of the huge archive available in the geological recordwith studies on modern biota is essential to formulate realistic predictions, and the Paleogene is one of themost climatically dynamic periods in Earth´s history, offering this crucial opportunity. Here we focus on theMiddle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO), a global warming event during which marine bulk and benthiccarbonate δ 18 O values steadily declined by roughly 1‰ in over ~400 kyr, usually interpreted as a 3–6 °Cincrease in global temperature followed by a rapid return to pre‐event conditions. This event recordtemperatures and pCO2 that Earth will reach whether anthropogenic emissions will not stop (RCP8.5). Anumber of characteristics, including greater‐than‐expected deep‐sea carbonate dissolution, a lack of globallycoherent negative δ 13 C excursion in marine carbonates, a duration longer than the characteristic timescale ofcarbon cycle recovery, and the absence of a clear trigger mechanism, make the MECO one of the mostenigmatic events in the Cenozoic, dubbed a middle Eocene “carbon cycle conundrum”.The paleoenvironmental and biotic consequences of the MECO are still poorly constrained, however, andhere we focus on the response of planktic foraminifera, which are extremely sensitive to the physical andchemical state of the oceans. Quantitative studies of planktic foraminiferal assemblages from South AtlanticODP Site 702 allowed us to characterize the MECO at this key southern high-latitude setting. The magnetoand stable isotope stratigraphy are well constrained at this site, together with the calcareous nannofossils andbenthic foraminiferal response (Rivero-Cuesta et al., 2019, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology).Our results indicate a pronounced southern migration of the warm index Acarinina coupled by a markeddecline in the abundance of the cold index Subbotina. Additionally, the low-latitude species Orbulinoidesbeckmanni occurs only at the MECO peak. The post-MECO assemblages show a recovery of the pre-eventabundances, with the exception of the genus Chiloguembelina, which shows a striking increase in abundanceand suggests an intensification of the Oxygen Minimum Zone. A further result of our study is the greatersensitivity of planktic foraminifera to the MECO with respect to calcareous nannofossils, as changes inplanktic foraminiferal assemblages started ~2 kyr before the calcareous nannofossil turnover.
A novel online method for the detection, analysis, and classification of airborne microplastics
Authors: Beres Nicholas , Burkart Julia , Graf Elias , Zeder Yanick , Niederberger Erny , Dailey Lea Ann , Weinzierl Bernadett
Published: February 2023

The continued increase in global plastic production and poor waste management ensures that plastic pollution is a serious environmental concern for years to come. Because of their size, shape, and relatively low density, primary or secondary plastic particles in the environment between 1-1000 µm in size (known as microplastics, or MPs) may be entrained (and/or re-entrained) into the atmosphere through processes similar to other coarse-mode particles, such as mineral dust. MPs can thus be advected over great distances, reaching even the most pristine and remote areas of the Earth, and may have significant negative consequences for humans and the environment. The detection and analysis of MPs once airborne, however, remains a challenge because most observational methods are offline and resource-intensive, and, therefore, are not capable of providing continuous quantitative information.In this study, we present results using an online, in situ airflow cytometer (SwisensPoleno Jupiter; Swisens AG; Horw, Switzerland) – coupled with machine learning – to detect, analyze, and classify airborne, single-particle MPs in near real time. The performance of the instrument to differentiate single-particle MPs of five common polymer types was investigated under laboratory conditions using combined information about their size and shape (determined using holographic imaging) and intrinsic fluorescence, known as autofluorescence, measured using three excitation wavelengths and five emission detection windows. The classification capability using these methods was determined alongside other coarse-mode aerosol with similar morphology or autofluorescence characteristics, such as a mineral dust and several pollen taxa.The tested MPs exhibit a measurable autofluorescence signal that not only allows them to be distinguished from the other particles in this study demonstrating autofluorescence properties, such as pollen, but can also be differentiated from each other, with high (>90%) classification accuracy based on their multispectral autofluorescence signatures and morphology. The results using the presented novel methods are expected to provide a foundation towards significantly improving the understanding of properties and types of MPs present in the atmosphere.
SARin lead dectection algorithm for Cryosat-2 using unsupervised classification
Authors: Veng Tadea , Müller Felix
Published: February 2023

The sea surface slope can be determined from satellite altimetry and used to determine geostrophic surface currents. If these currents change over time, heat transport in the oceans will change as well, with potential impacts on continental temperatures. In Europe these temperatures are partlyinfluenced by geostrophic currents in the Arctic Ocean and it is therefore of great interest to know whether these currents have changed in the past 10-20 years. One of the primary altimetry missions used for observing the Arctic region is CryoSat-2. Its advantages include a high inclination angle and the use of altimetric interferometry. The CryoSat-2 SARin acquisition mode has the highest spatial resolution and mostly covers coastal areas. Altimetric sea surface measurements are sparse in the Arctic, due to the presence of sea ice, reduced data quality near the coast, and limited satellite coverage near the pole. The detection of leads (openings in the sea ice) allows for measurements of the sea surface, even in the presenceof sea ice. Reliably detecting locations of leads is therefore the first step in determining the sea surface slope in the Arctic Ocean. This study aims to increase the number of accurately detected leads, by designing and implementing an unsupervised machine learning algorithm for CryoSat-2 SARin data. Sea ice and leads have different scattering properties, resulting in different altimetry waveform shapes. By defining a set of quantitative features to describe the waveform shape, the waveforms can be clustered based on similarities within this feature space. The features are chosen to providea clear distinction between sea ice and leads. A great advantage of the unsupervised classification is that no pre-labelled data are required. When new data are made available, waveforms can be assigned to an existing cluster by the K-nearest-neighbour method. Therefore, the creation of theclusters has to be done only once. In order to validate the algorithm, the classification results are compared with the outputs of lead detection algorithms based on other data sources. Due to the limited number of SARin observations, results from both optical imagery and SAR imagery are used for statistical robustness.
Demonstrating the enhanced research capacity of the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence for detecting ground displacements in Cyprus using advanced SAR satellite image processing techniques
Authors: Fotiou Kyriaki , Theocharidis Christos , Prodromou Maria , Alatza Stavroula , Apostolakis Alex , Argyriou Athanasios V. , Polydorou Thomaida , Loupasakis Constantinos , Kontoes Charalampos , Hadjimitsis Diofantos , Tzouvaras Marios
Published: February 2023

In the last few years, the consequences of the active landslides that occurred in Cyprus have determined the necessity to provide a systematic displacement monitoring system of different areas using satellite-based techniques. Earth Observation and more specifically satellite remote sensing techniques using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery is the way forward exploiting the freely available Copernicus datasets that offer frequent revisit times and large spatial coverage. Moreover, Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) is among the most effective methods to monitor ground displacements, such as landslides, and assess their impact in residential areas. The purpose of this study is to showcase the use of advanced satellite image processing techniques, exploiting SAR satellite images to effectively identify ground displacements in different regions in Cyprus. The enhanced scientific and expertise skills of the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence (ECoE) personnel on the application of PSI were acquired through a capacity building activity carried out by the National Observatory of Athens within the framework of EXCELSIOR project. The multi-temporal InSAR analysis in Cyprus revealed several deforming sites, which were also confirmed by the national authority responsible, i.e., the Geological Survey Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment. ThCe villages of Pedoulas in Nicosia District and Pyrgos-Parekklisia in Limassol District are indicative deforming areas in Cyprus and were selected as test sites for further investigation. The ongoing implementation of additional InSAR techniques, fusion of remote sensing data and site visits for further validation, build a complete ground deformation monitoring system, aiming to migrate to a national scale project and serve as a valuable tool for natural hazards monitoring and risk reduction in Cyprus. 

 

Acknowledgements 

The authors acknowledge the 'EXCELSIOR': ERATOSTHENES: Excellence Research Centre for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment H2020 Widespread Teaming project (www.excelsior2020.eu). The 'EXCELSIOR' project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 857510, from the Government of the Republic of Cyprus through the Directorate General for the European Programmes, Coordination and Development and the Cyprus University of Technology. 
New Berkeley Earth High Resolution Temperature Data Set
Authors: Rohde Robert A. , Hausfather Zeke
Published: February 2023

Berkeley Earth is premiering a new high resolution analysis of historical instrumental temperatures.This builds on our existing work on climate reconstruction by adding a simple machine learning layer to our analysis.  This new approach extracts weather patterns from model, satellite, and reanalysis data, and then layers these weather patterns on top of instrumental observations and our existing interpolation methods to produce new high resolution historical temperature fields.  This has quadrupled our output resolution from the previous 1° x 1° lat-long to a new global 0.25° x 0.25° lat-long resolution.  However, this is not simply a downscaling effort.  Firstly, the use of weather patterns derived from physical models and observations increases the spatial realism of the reconstructed fields.  Secondly, observations from regions with high density measurement networks have been directly incorporated into the high resolution field, allowing dense observations to be more fully utilized.  This new data product uses significantly more observational weather station data and produces higher resolution historical temperature fields than any comparable product, allowing for unprecedented insights into historical local and regional climate change.  In particular, the effect of geographic features such as mountains, coastlines, and ecosystem variations are resolved with a level of detail that was not previously possible.  At the same time, previously established techniques for bias corrections, noise reduction, and error analysis continued to be utilized.  The resulting global field initially spans 1850 to present and will be updated on an ongoing basis.  This project does not significantly change the global understanding of climate change, but helps to provide local detail that was often unresolved previously.  The initial data product focuses on monthly temperatures, though a proposal exists to also create a high resolution daily temperature data set using similar methods.This talk will describe the construction of the new data set and its characteristics.  The techniques used in this project are accessible enough that they are likely to be useful for other types of instrumental analyses wishing to improve resolution or leverage basic information about weather patterns derived from models or other sources.
Stromboli surface changes from Pleiades high-resolution space data
Authors: Spinetti Claudia , Bisson Marina , Palaseanu-Lovejoy Monica
Published: February 2023

Stromboli is one of the most visited volcanoes in the world due to its persistent activity consisting in mild strombolian explosions with a frequency up to 25-30 events per hour. This activity is punctuated by more energetic explosions named major explosions, paroxysms and lava flow. These types of eruption can change drastically the morphology of the affected areas and cause volcanic phenomena highly impacting for the island, including heavy fallout of blocks and bombs on the flanks of the volcano, pyroclastic flows and tsunami waves. Paroxysms are highly dangerous phenomena for the tourists that climb the volcano and can cause serious problems also to the local people living on the two villages on the coast of the island. In order to map the areas affected by morphological changes, the thickness of deposits and the associate volume estimation of erupted products, we propose a study based on two techniques of remote sensing. First, we reconstruct the Stromboli topography, before and after an event, elaborating stereo pairs of Pleiades satellite and using as base an airborne LiDAR data at spatial resolution of 50 cm. Then we map the morphological changes giving an estimation of the relative areas and volumes. These results, discussed and compared with available field data, can help to better understand the impact of the event and provide indications useful in a territory planning aimed to mitigate the effects of such calamitous events.
Chemistry of snow cover under industrial pressure in the forest ecosystem surrounding the HCM zinc smelter
Authors: Likus-Cieślik Justyna , Woś Bartłomiej , Szostak Marta , Pietrzykowski Marcin , Pająk Marek
Published: February 2023

The industry is the main source of pollutant emissions and is responsible for 63% of Pb emissions and 58% of Cd emissions. One of the oldest and most polluted places related to the mining and processing of non-ferrous metals in Europe is the Silesia-Cracow region (southern Poland). Currently, this region is also the only one where zinc and lead smelting plant are active (HCM) in this part of Europe. Processing of zinc-lead ores and recycled waste materials generates trace elements emission to the environment. Imperial Smelting Process (ISP) used at the HCM zinc smelter generates eg. trace elements, forms of sulfur oxide, and alkali dust. Despite the introduction of protection programs and the implementation of installations preventing the release of pollutants into the environment developed in the last decade by the plant, still, the area surrounding the smelter is characterized by elevated contamination of trace elements.The work aimed to capture the impact of an industrial plant (HCM zinc and lead smelter) on forest ecosystems, based on physicochemical analyzes of short-term snow cover. The research area was located in the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L) stands adjacent to the zinc and lead smelter. The sampling points were selected in directions: N, S, W, and E from the middle point (emitter of HCM) with a 1-kilometer distance interval. There were selected 22 points with distances in values 0-8 km from the middle point. The samples were collected in February 2021. The snow samples were analyzed for pH, EC, SO42-, Cd, Pb, and Zn concentration. Cd ranged from 0.001 to 2.47 mg L-1, Zn from 12.10 to 0.05 mg L-1, Pb from 2.47 to 0.001 mg L-1, and SO42- ranged from 1.08 to 19.38 mg L-1 in the snow. The Cd was concentrated next to the emitter (up to 1 km), similarly to Zn and SO42-, but still high values of Zn and SO42- reached further – up to about 2-3 km from the emitter. The highest Pb pollution was also found near the emitter, but the pollution spread along with the direction of the winds. Pb pollution did not decrease with distance - higher values were found at spots, e.g., about 2 (0.19 mg L-1) and 4 km (0.13 mg L-1) away from the emitter on the east. The pH varies from 5.4 to 7.0, and the highest pH occurred just near the emitterand decreased with the direction of the wind.High values of researched pollution in the snow and their distribution indicated the impact of the emitter on the nearest environment, however, these amounts are not harmful to plants, except for point 0 (closest to the emitter). Unorganized emissions (i.e. emissions resulting from technological processes) caused much greater pollution visible at the point closest to the emitter. Organized emission pollution, released through stationary point-sources, i.e.chimneys, discharge air vents, etc., was significantly lower.
Investigating the Effects of Prescribing Different Sea Surface Temperature Reconstructions on the Mineral Dust Cycle During the Last Glacial Maximum
Authors: Krätschmer Stephan , Cauquoin Alexandre , Lohmann Gerrit , Werner Martin
Published: February 2023

In this study, we perform simulations with the ECHAM6.3-HAM2.3 aerosol-climate model with two prescribed different reconstructions of sea surface temperatures (SST) for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) as boundary conditions. While one of the datasets suggests a global cooling of 4.1°C (GLOMAP; Paul et al., 2021), the other suggests a much stronger cooling of 6.1°C (Tierney et al., 2020) during the LGM compared to pre-industrial climate conditions. The comparison of our simulation results to LGM land surface temperatures reconstructed based on noble gas concentrations in groundwater (Seltzer et al., 2021) does not indicate clearly which SST dataset results in a better agreement between our simulation results and observational data. For further assessment, we also compare for both SST datasets the simulated mineral dust deposition in the Southern Hemisphere to observational data (Kohfeld et al., 2013). While GLOMAP SSTs result in a strong overrepresentation of Australian mineral dust deposited over Antarctica, the SSTs provided by Tierney et al. (2020) indicate Patagonia to be the dominant dust source during the LGM in terms of deposition over Antarctica with minor contributions from Australia and South Africa. Such dominant Patagonian dust source is in agreement with geochemical data from East Antarctic ice cores (Basile et al., 1997; Delmonte et al., 2008). The differences in individual source contributions can be traced back on the one hand to changes in the meteorological conditions in the source regions, including vegetation, wind speed and precipitation. On the other hand, both SST datasets result in different characteristic high- and low-pressure patterns in the Southern Hemisphere, which allow for a more efficient transport of Australian dust for the warmer GLOMAP SSTs and Patagonian dust for the colder Tierney et al. SSTs to Antarctica.
Application of open photoacoustic cell in an eddy covariance system for water vapor flux measurement
Authors: Torma Péter , Weidinger Tamás , Juhász Viktor , Molnár Bence , Horváth László , Huszár Helga , Bozóki Zoltán
Published: February 2023

Water vapor flux plays a crucial role in surface-atmosphere exchange processes as evapotranspiration regulates the energy balance of the surface. Moreover, it transfers water vapor into the atmosphere and, as a result, shapes the hydrological cycle. The eddy-covariance (EC) technique is the most commonly applied method to directly measure water vapor flux over a wide variety of surfaces. An EC arrangement consists of a 3D sonic anemometer and a gas analyzer. To derive surface fluxes, wind components and the gas concentration (e.g. water vapor) have to be recorded with high-frequency (at least at 10 Hz). In the case of open-path (sampling-free) EC systems, infrared (IR) gas analyzers are used dominantly, which are still quite large so that e.g. they cannot be easily mounted on drones. In contrast, small and light sonic anemometers are available for flux measurements.In this study, we present the application of a sampling-free photoacoustic (PA) sensor for water vapor flux measurement employing the EC technique. The fast response PA sensor records the water vapor concentration through an open cylindrical chamber having an overall size of less than 1 dm3. On the one hand, a previous first test showed that the vertical covariance functions obtained by the PA cell follow closely to those resulting from an accepted IR sensor. On the other hand, the PA system showed some underestimation at higher frequencies based on the analysis of co-spectra.  To comprehensively test and evaluate the PA cell for flux measurements, a seven-week-long field measurement was performed over a plain grassland when a calibrated EC150 IR sensor (Campbell Sci.) was used as a reference gas analyzer. We analyze the accuracy of the PA system: (i) depending on the orientation of the cell or i.e. the wind direction, and (ii) for a broad range of meteorological conditions, such as different wind speeds and atmospheric stability. Furthermore, to overcome the high-frequency attenuation, we establish and apply empirical spectral transfer functions following the literature and standard EC postprocessing procedures. The characteristic response time of the PA sensor is also assessed.
Smart Groundwater Monitoring System for Managed Aquifer Recharge Based on Enabled Real-Time Internet of Things
Authors: Jadoon Khan Zaib , Ali Muhammad Zeeshan , Yousafzai Hammad Ullah Khan , Rehman Khalil Ur , Shah Jawad Ali , Shiekh Nadeem Ahmed
Published: February 2023

Groundwater has provided a reliable source of high-quality water for human use. After India, USA and China, Pakistan is the fourth largest groundwater user in the world and around 60x109 m3 of groundwater is extracted annually. The situation in Pakistan has further exacerbated when government subsidized electricity for agricultural purposes – paving the way for installation of myriad tube wells across the country which resulted in excessive withdrawal of groundwater. The major challenges in sustainable groundwater management system are twofold. First, increasing withdrawals to meet growing human needs have led to significant groundwater depletion, which is usually not monitored due to high cost of monitoring system. Second, data limitations and the application of regional groundwater models for future prediction.In this research, Internet of Things (IoT) enabled smart groundwater monitoring system has been developed and tested to monitor in-situ real-time dynamics of groundwater depletion. Each groundwater monitoring sensor is connected to an embedded module that consists of a microcontroller and a wireless transceiver based on Long Range Radio (LoRa) technology. The readings from each LoRa enabled module is aggregated at one (or more) gateways which is then connected to a central server typically through an IP connection. Sensors of the smart groundwater monitoring system were calibrated in the lab by fluctuation water levels in a 3-meter water column. A network of the low-cost groundwater sensors was installed in managed aquifer recharge wells to provide real-time assessment of groundwater level measurement remotely. The smart and resource efficient groundwater monitoring system help to reduce number of physical visits to the field and also enhance stakeholders participation to get social benefits (promote equity among groundwater users), economic benefit (optimize pumping, which reduces energy cost) and technical benefit (better estimates of groundwater abstraction) for sustainable groundwater management.
Suitability of Particulate matter low-cost sensor data for land-use-based modeling
Authors: Venkatraman Jagatha Janani , Sauter Tobias , Schneider Christoph
Published: February 2023

Urban climate research is primarily based on point or location-based measurements of climate and air quality data. Advances in microsensor technologies and low cost due to production facilities, sensors for measuring air quality have spread to a large scale in the last decade. In contrast to reference devices, sensors are simple in design, lightweight, and easier to deploy in larger scales.United Nations environment programme regards Air pollution to be a major global health concern that causes one in nine deaths worldwide. Although a number of sources and factors have been identified as a cause of air pollution it is difficult to pinpoint a particular source and manage it due to the variability of the pollutants in space, time, and the socio-economic factors involved.This study aims to answer two questions: the possibility to use mobile measurement systems to identify the major sources that contribute to higher aerosol concentration in time and space and if low-cost particulate matter sensors are suitable for land-use-based modeling using conventional regression analysis and machine learning methods such as random forest and neural networks.The data used was collected using the OPC-N2 sensor from Alphasense Ltd., as a part of the measurement campaign of the project Urban Climate under Change, Phase 1 and 2 [2016-2023].
How communicative materials design affects the risk-informed process of stakeholders' engagement: A case study in Taiwan
Authors: Chang Chia-Wei , Huang-Lachmann Jo-Ting , Chu Fang-Yi , Li Hsin-Chi , Chen Yung-Ming
Published: February 2023

Disaster reduction and climate change adaptation often aim to provide tailored solutions for area and population-specific problems. Research projects and practitioners must explore meaningful ways to ensure voices of the broader communities are represented in the decision-making process. Therefore, stakeholder engagement is widely recognized as a critical enabling element to promote local planning and actions. However, stakeholders' various professions, cultures, and educational backgrounds posed complications for an effective risk-informed discussion.

This study reviews the stakeholder communication mechanism in Taiwan's Climate Change Projection Information and Adaptation Knowledge Platform project (TCCIP), which is one of the pilot projects for adaptation research in Taiwan. To improve local climate change data, hazard maps, and impact chains for sectors of Taiwan, this project selected demonstration sites to test the usability of scientific research results and tools in real-life settings. Stakeholders were engaged in interviews and meetings and presented with multiple forms of disaster facts and climate change projections. Further analyses are made on the responsiveness of first-line stakeholders in the local communities toward different types of scientific evidence (graphical or narrative-based). User-end feedback weres collected from these processes to later serve as a basis for improvement on the presentation of local scientific data for stakeholders' dialogue. Additional benefits of such communicative help in communicating uncertainties and limitations of projection research.