bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of an African Easterly Wave Observed during NAMMA
Authors: Cifelli Robert , Lang Timothy , Rutledge Steven A. , Guy Nick , Zipser Edward J. , Zawislak Jon , Holzworth Robert 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
The evolution of an African easterly wave is described using ground-based radar and ancillary datasets from three locations in West Africa: Niamey, Niger (continental), Dakar, Senegal (coastal), and Praia, Republic of Cape Verde (oceanic). The data were collected during the combined African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA) and NASA AMMA (NAMMA) campaigns in August–September 2006.
Two precipitation events originated within the wave circulation and propagated with the wave across West Africa. Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) associated with these events were identified at all three sites ahead of, within, and behind the 700-mb wave trough. An additional propagating event was indentified that originated east of the wave and moved through the wave circulation. The MCS activity associated with this event did not show any appreciable change resulting from its interaction with the wave. The MCS characteristics at each site were different, likely due to a combination of life cycle effects and changes in relative phasing between the propagating systems and the position of low-level convergence and thermodynamic instability associated with the wave. At the ocean and coastal sites, the most intense convection occurred ahead of the wave trough where both high CAPE and low-level convergence were concentrated. At the continental site, convection was relatively weak owing to the fact that the wave dynamics and thermodynamics were not in sync when the systems passed through Niamey. The only apparent effect of the wave on MCS activity at the continental site was to extend the period of precipitation activity during one of the events that passed through coincident with the 700-mb wave trough. Convective organization at the land sites was primarily in the form of squall lines and linear MCSs oriented perpendicular to the low-level shear. The organization at the oceanic site was more complicated, transitioning from linear MCSs to widespread stratiform cloud with embedded convection. The precipitation activity was also much longer lived at the oceanic site due to the wave becoming nearly stationary near the Cape Verdes, providing an environment supportive of deep convection for an extended period.
The Great 2006 Heat Wave over California and Nevada: Signal of an Increasing Trend
Authors: Gershunov Alexander , Cayan Daniel R. , Iacobellis Sam F. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Most of the great California–Nevada heat waves can be classified into primarily daytime or nighttime events depending on whether atmospheric conditions are dry or humid. A rash of nighttime-accentuated events in the last decade was punctuated by an unusually intense case in July 2006, which was the largest heat wave on record (1948–2006). Generally, there is a positive trend in heat wave activity over the entire region that is expressed most strongly and clearly in nighttime rather than daytime temperature extremes. This trend in nighttime heat wave activity has intensified markedly since the 1980s and especially since 2000. The two most recent nighttime heat waves were also strongly expressed in extreme daytime temperatures. Circulations associated with great regional heat waves advect hot air into the region. This air can be dry or moist, depending on whether a moisture source is available, causing heat waves to be expressed preferentially during day or night. A remote moisture source centered within a marine region west of Baja California has been increasing in prominence because of gradual sea surface warming and a related increase in atmospheric humidity. Adding to the very strong synoptic dynamics during the 2006 heat wave were a prolonged stream of moisture from this southwestern source and, despite the heightened humidity, an environment in which afternoon convection was suppressed, keeping cloudiness low and daytime temperatures high. The relative contributions of these factors and possible relations to global warming are discussed.
Effect of Ocean Gateway Changes under Greenhouse Warmth
Authors: Sijp Willem P. , England Matthew H. , Toggweiler J. R. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe role of tectonic Southern Ocean gateway changes in driving Antarctic climate change at the Eocene–Oligocene boundary remains a topic of debate. One approach taken in previous idealized modeling studies of gateway effects has been to alter modern boundary conditions, whereby the Drake Passage becomes closed. Here, the authors follow this approach but vary atmospheric pCO2 over a range of values when comparing gateway configurations. They find a significantly greater sensitivity of Antarctic temperatures to Southern Ocean gateway changes when atmospheric pCO2 is high than when concentrations are low and the ambient climate is cool. In particular, the closure of the Drake Passage (DP) gap is a necessary condition for the existence of ice-free Antarctic conditions at high CO2 concentrations in this coupled climate model. The absence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is particularly conducive to warm Antarctic conditions at higher CO2 concentrations, which is markedly different from previous simulations conducted under present-day CO2 conditions. The reason for this is the reduction of sea ice associated with higher CO2. Antarctic sea surface temperature and surface air temperature warming due to a closed DP gap reach values around ∼5° and ∼7°C, respectively, for high concentrations of CO2 (above 1250 ppm). In other words, the authors find a significantly greater sensitivity of Antarctic temperatures to atmospheric CO2 concentration when the DP is closed compared to when it is open. The presence of a DP gap inhibits a return to warmer and more Eocene-like Antarctic and deep ocean conditions, even under enhanced atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.
Combining Satellite Microwave Radiometer and Radar Observations to Estimate Atmospheric Heating Profiles
Authors: Grecu Mircea , Olson William S. , Shie Chung-Lin , L’Ecuyer Tristan S. , Tao Wei-Kuo 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
In this study, satellite passive microwave sensor observations from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) are utilized to make estimates of latent + eddy sensible heating rates (Q1 − QR) where Q1 is the apparent heat source and QR is the radiative heating rate in regions of precipitation. The TMI heating algorithm (herein called TRAIN) is calibrated or “trained” using relatively accurate estimates of heating based on spaceborne Precipitation Radar (PR) observations collocated with the TMI observations over a one-month period. The heating estimation technique is based on a previously described Bayesian methodology, but with improvements in supporting cloud-resolving model simulations, an adjustment of precipitation echo tops to compensate for model biases, and a separate scaling of convective and stratiform heating components that leads to an approximate balance between estimated vertically integrated condensation and surface precipitation.
Estimates of Q1 − QR from TMI compare favorably with the PR training estimates and show only modest sensitivity to the cloud-resolving model simulations of heating used to construct the training data. Moreover, the net condensation in the corresponding annual mean satellite latent heating profile is within a few percent of the annual mean surface precipitation rate over the tropical and subtropical oceans where the algorithm is applied. Comparisons of Q1 produced by combining TMI Q1 − QR with independently derived estimates of QR show reasonable agreement with rawinsonde-based analyses of Q1 from two field campaigns, although the satellite estimates exhibit heating profile structures with sharper and more intense heating peaks than the rawinsonde estimates.
Large-Scale Dynamics of the Meiyu-Baiu Rainband: Environmental Forcing by the Westerly Jet*
Authors: Sampe Takeaki , Xie Shang-Ping 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Meiyu-baiu is the major rainy season from central China to Japan brought by a zonally elongated rainband from June to mid-July. Large-scale characteristics and environmental forcing of this important phenomenon are investigated based on a reanalysis dataset. The meiyu-baiu rainband is accompanied by a trough of sea level pressure, horizontal shears, and sharp moisture gradients near the surface, a westerly jet tilted northward with height, and large northeastward moisture transport from the south.
The analysis here reveals the westerly jet as an important culprit for meiyu-baiu. Along the rainband, mean ascending motion corresponds well with a band of warm horizontal temperature advection in the midtroposphere throughout summer. This adiabatic induction of upward motion originates from the advection of warm air by the westerlies from the eastern flank of the Tibetan Plateau. The ascending motion both induces convection and is enhanced by the resultant condensational heating. The westerly jet anchors the meiyu-baiu rainband also by steering transient eddies, creating periods conducive to convection through convective instability and adiabatic updrafts. Indeed, in meiyu-baiu, the probability distribution of convective instability shows large spreads and is strongly skewed, with a sharp cutoff on the unstable side resulting from the effective removal of instability by convection. Thus, active weather disturbances in the westerly waveguide explain a paradox that convection is active in the meiyu-baiu rainband while mean convective instability is significantly higher to the south over the subtropical North Pacific warm pool. In addition to the westerly jet, low-level southerly winds over eastern China between the heat low over Asia and the subtropical high pressure belt over the Pacific are another important environmental forcing for meiyu-baiu by supplying moisture. A conceptual model for meiyu-baiu is presented, and its implications for seasonal and interannual variations are discussed.
Evaluating the Simulated Seasonality of Soil Moisture with Earth Observation Data
Authors: Ellis Richard J. , Taylor Christopher M. , Weedon Graham P. , Gedney Nicola , Clark Douglas B. , Los Sietse 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
A critical function of a land surface scheme, used in climate and weather prediction models, is to partition the energy from insolation into sensible and latent heat fluxes. Many use a soil moisture function to control the surface moisture fluxes through the transpiration. The validity and global distribution of the parameters used to calculate this soil moisture stress function are difficult to assess.
This work presents a method to map soil moisture stress globally from an earth observation vegetation index and precipitation data, and it compares the resulting distributions with output from the Joint U.K. Land Environment Simulator (JULES) land surface scheme. A number of model runs with different soil and vegetation parameters are compared. These examine the sensitivity of the seasonality of soil moisture stress, within the model, to the parameterization of soil hydraulic properties and the seasonality of leaf area index in the vegetation.
It is found that the seasonality of soil moisture within the model is more sensitive to the soil hydraulic properties than the leaf area index. The partitioning of throughfall into evaporation and runoff, in the model, is the dominant factor in determining the timing of soil moisture stress.
An Eddifying Parsons Model
Authors: Fox-Kemper Baylor , Ferrari Raffaele 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
The time-mean effects of eddies are studied in a model based on the Parsons–Veronis–Huang–Flierl models of the wind-driven gyre. Much of the analysis used for the steady solutions carries over if the model is cast in terms of the thickness-weighted mean velocity, because then mass transport is nondivergent in the absence of diabatic forcing. The model exemplifies the use of residual mean theory to simplify analysis.
A result of the analysis is a boundary layer width in the case of a rapid upper-layer flow and weak lower-layer flow. This boundary layer width is comparable to an eddy mixing length when the typical eddy velocity is taken to be the long Rossby wave phase speed.
Further analysis of the model illustrates important aspects of eddy behavior, model sensitivity to eddy fluxes, and model sensitivity to frictional parameters.
Estimating Wind Velocities in Mountain Lee Waves Using Sailplane Flight Data*
Authors: Millane R. P. , Stirling G. D. , Brown R. G. , Zhang N. , Lo V. L. , Enevoldson E. , Murray J. E. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Mountain lee waves are a form of atmospheric gravity wave that is generated by flow over mountain topography. Mountain lee waves are of considerable interest, because they can produce drag that affects the general circulation, windstorms, and clear-air turbulence that can be an aviation hazard, and they can affect ozone abundance through mixing and inducing polar stratospheric clouds. There are difficulties, however, in measuring the three-dimensional wind velocities in high-altitude mountain waves. Mountain waves are routinely used by sailplane pilots to gain altitude. Methods are described for estimating three-dimensional wind velocities in mountain waves using data collected during sailplane flights. The data used are the logged sailplane position and airspeed (sailplane speed relative to the local air mass). An algorithm is described to postprocess this data to estimate the three-dimensional wind velocity along the flight path, based on an assumption of a slowly varying horizontal wind velocity. The method can be applied to data from dedicated flights or potentially to existing flight records used as sensors of opportunity. The methods described are applied to data from a sailplane flight in lee waves of the Sierra Nevada in California.
Vertical Variability of Near-Surface Salinity in the Tropics: Consequences for L-Band Radiometer Calibration and Validation
Authors: Henocq Claire , Boutin Jacqueline , Reverdin Gilles , Petitcolin François , Arnault Sabine , Lattes Philippe 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Two satellite missions are planned to be launched in the next two years; the European Space Agency (ESA) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aquarius missions aim at detecting sea surface salinity (SSS) using L-band radiometry (1.4 GHz). At that frequency, the skin depth is on the order of 1 cm. However, the calibration and validation of L-band-retrieved SSS will be done with in situ measurements, mainly taken at 5-m depth. To anticipate and understand vertical salinity differences in the first 10 m of the ocean surface layer, in situ vertical profiles are analyzed. The influence of rain events is studied. Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) moorings, the most comprehensive dataset, provide measurements of salinity taken simultaneously at 1, 5, and 10 m and measurements of rain rate. Then, observations of vertical salinity differences, sorted according to their vertical levels, are expanded through the tropical band (30°S–30°N) using thermosalinographs (TSG), floats, expendable conductivity–temperature–depth (XCTD), and CTD data. Vertical salinity differences higher than 0.1 pss are observed in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, mainly between 0° and 15°N, which coincides with the average position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Some differences exceed 0.5 pss locally and persist for more than 10 days. A statistical approach is developed for the detection of large vertical salinity differences, knowing the history of rain events and the simultaneous wind intensity, as estimated from satellite measurements.
Robust Estimations of Current Velocities with Four-Beam Broadband ADCPs
Authors: Gilcoto M. , Jones Emlyn , Fariña-Busto Luis 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
An extended explanation of the hypothesis and equations traditionally used to transform between four-beam ADCP radial beam velocities and current velocity components is presented. This explanation includes a dissertation about the meaning of the RD Instrument error velocity and a description of the standard beam-to-current components transformation as a least squares solution. Afterward, the variance–covariance matrix associated with the least squares solution is found. Then, a robust solution for transforming radial beam velocities into current components is derived under the formality of a weighted least squares approach. The associated variance–covariance matrix is also formulated and theoretically proves that the modulus of its elements will be generally lower than the corresponding modulus of the variance–covariance matrix associated with the standard least squares solution. Finally, a comparison between the results obtained using the standard least squares solution and the results of the weighted least squares method, using a high-resolution ADCP dataset, is presented. The results show that, in this case, the weighted least squares solution provides variance estimations that are 4% lower over the entire record period (8 days) and 7% lower during a shorter, more energetic period (12 h).
Observing Directional Properties of Ocean Swell with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)
Authors: Herbers T. H. C. , Lentz S. J. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) are widely used for routine measurements of ocean currents and waves in coastal environments. These instruments have the basic capability to measure surface wave frequency–directional spectra, but the quality of the estimates is not well understood because of the relatively high noise levels in the velocity measurements. In this study, wave data are evaluated from two 600-kHz ADCP instruments deployed at 20- and 45-m depths on the Southern California continental shelf. A simple parametric estimation technique is presented that provides robust estimates of the gross directional wave properties, even when the data quality is marginal, as was often the case in this benign wave environment. Good agreement of mean direction and (to a lesser degree) directional spreading estimates with measurements from a nearby surface-following buoy confirms that reliable wave information can generally be extracted from ADCP measurements on the continental shelf, supporting the instrument’s suitability for routine wave-monitoring applications.
Frontal and Radar Refractivity Analyses of the Dryline on 11 June 2002 during IHOP
Authors: Wakimoto Roger M. , Murphey Hanne V. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
An analysis of a dryline that did not initiate convection during the observational period is presented. The dryline was the weakest kinematic boundary observed during the International H2O Project (IHOP), but was associated with a large moisture gradient. Detailed dual-Doppler wind syntheses from an airborne Doppler radar were combined with radar refractivity measurements providing a rare opportunity to examine both the kinematic and moisture characteristics of this boundary. The radar thin line denotes the approximate kinematic position of the dryline and was quasi-linear on this day. In contrast, the moisture pattern across the dryline was more complex than was suggested by the characteristics of the thin line. Prominent in the horizontal plots was the presence of narrow (few kilometers wide) channels of moisture extending 15–20 km into the dry air mass. Past studies have suggested that echo thin lines observed in the clear air can be used as a proxy for delineating the moisture contrast across the dryline. In contrast, the “moisture extrusions” were present even though the thin line was quasi-linear and were located in weak-echo regions along the thin line. It is hypothesized that transverse rolls developed at an angle to the boundary layer winds and intersected the dryline. The kinematic airflow associated with these rolls could have protected the moist tongues from the eroding effect of the dry flow west of the dryline. The moisture extrusions appear to diminish with time as they mix with the surrounding dry air.
Verification of Mesoscale NWP Forecasts of Abrupt Cold Frontal Wind Changes
Authors: Ma Yimin , Huang Xinmei , Mills Graham A. , Parkyn Kevin 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
During a wildfire, a sharp wind change can lead to an abrupt increase in fire activity and change the rate of spread, endangering firefighters working on what had been the flank of the fire. In southeastern Australia, routine forecast of cold-frontal wind change arrival times is a critical component of the fire weather forecasting service, and mesoscale NWP model predictions are integral to this forecast process. An event-based verification method has been developed in order to verify these mesoscale NWP model forecasts of wind changes. The approach is based on fuzzy-rule techniques and objectively determines the timing of significant (fire weather) wind changes from time series of observations at a single surface station.
In this paper these rules are applied to observational and NWP model forecast time series at observation locations over five fire seasons to determine objective “observed wind change times” and “forecast wind change times” for significant frontal wind changes in southeastern Australia. These forecast wind change times are compared with those observed, and also with those determined subjectively by forecasters at the Victorian Regional Forecast Centre. This provides an objective verification of NWP wind change forecasts and a measure of contemporary NWP model skill against which future model improvements may be measured. Case studies of two wind change events at selected stations are also presented to demonstrate some of the strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics of this verification technique.
Hypovitaminosis D in Chinese type 2 diabetes: Lack of impact on clinical metabolic status and biomarkers of cellular inflammation
Authors: Luo C. , Wong J. , Brown M. , Hooper M. , Molyneaux L. , Yue D.K. 
Published: July 2009

Objective: Low vitamin D (25 OH vitamin D) is implicated in the development of diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. We examined whether hypovitaminosis D has a clinically significant impact on glycaemia, metabolic status and inflammatory markers in Chinese patients with established type 2 diabetes. Methods: Characteristics of 109 patients aged over 50 years were stratified by 25 OH vitamin D status. Patients identified as 25 OH vitamin D deficient (≤ 50 nmol/L) received cholecalciferol 2,000 IU daily for three months. Measurement of HbA1c, metabolic syndrome parameters, 25 OH vitamin D, calcium, phosphate, PTH, hsCRP and ferritin were taken at baseline and then 25 OH vitamin D, PTH, calcium, phosphate monthly for three months in those on replacement therapy. Results: Vitamin D deficiency was common, affecting 36% of patients. There was no impact of hypovitaminosis D on metabolic syndrome status, HbA1c or insulin use (p ≥ 0.4 for all) and no association between 25OHVitD and ferritin or hsCRP (p ≥ 0.3 for all). Neither BMI nor the metabolic syndrome affected the incremental rise in 25OHVitD levels during supplementation. Conclusion: There is no relationship between hypovitaminosis D and metabolic control or inflammatory markers in established type 2 diabetes.This suggests that at least in Chinese populations, the effect of low vitamin D is not clinically significant once diabetes is established. Future 25OHVitD intervention trials should therefore focus on prevention in pre-diabetes.