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Comparing Gravity Waves in a Kilometer‐Scale Run of the IFS to AIRS Satellite Observations and ERA5

JGR–Atmospheres - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 11:53
Abstract

Atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) impact the circulation and variability of the atmosphere. Sub-grid scale GWs, which are too small to be resolved, are parameterized in weather and climate models. However, some models are now available at resolutions at which these waves become resolved and it is important to test whether these models do this correctly. In this study, a GW resolving run of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecasting System (IFS), run with a 1.4 km average grid spacing (TCo7999 resolution), is compared to observations from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument, on NASA's Aqua satellite, to test how well the model resolves GWs that AIRS can observe. In this analysis, nighttime data are used from the first 10 days of November 2018 over part of Asia and surrounding regions. The IFS run is resampled with AIRS's observational filter using two different methods for comparison. The ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis is also resampled as AIRS, to allow for comparison of how the high resolution IFS run resolves GWs compared to a lower resolution model that uses GW drag parametrizations. Wave properties are found in AIRS and the resampled models using a multi-dimensional S-Transform method. Orographic GWs can be seen in similar locations at similar times in all three data sets. However, wave amplitudes and momentum fluxes in the resampled IFS run are found to be significantly lower than in the observations. This could be a result of horizontal and vertical wavelengths in the IFS run being underestimated.

An evaluation of microphysics in a numerical model using Doppler velocity measured by ground-based radar for application to the EarthCARE satellite

Atmos. Meas. techniques - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 11:15
An evaluation of microphysics in a numerical model using Doppler velocity measured by ground-based radar for application to the EarthCARE satellite
Woosub Roh, Masaki Satoh, Yuichiro Hagihara, Hiroaki Horie, Yuichi Ohno, and Takuji Kubota
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3455–3466, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3455-2024, 2024
The advantage of the use of Doppler velocity in the categorization of the hydrometeors is that Doppler velocities suffer less impact from the attenuation of rain and wet attenuation on an antenna. The ground Cloud Profiling Radar observation of the radar reflectivity for the precipitation case is limited because of wet attenuation on an antenna. We found the main contribution to Doppler velocities is the terminal velocity of hydrometeors by analysis of simulation results.

Flood hazard mapping and disaster prevention recommendations based on detailed topographical analysis in Khovd City, Western Mongolia

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 10:55
Flood hazard mapping and disaster prevention recommendations based on detailed topographical analysis in Khovd City, Western Mongolia
Narangerel Serdyanjiv, Suzuki Yasuhiro, Hasegawa Tomonori, and Takaichi Yoshiyuki
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https//doi.org/10.5194/nhess-2024-91,2024
Preprint under review for NHESS (discussion: open, 0 comments)
The present study considers the hazard areas of rainfall-derived river floods and flash floods flowing into Khovd City. We consider geomorphological elements such as terrace profiles, floodplains, riverbeds, gullies and depressions to derive detailed topographical and directional hazard maps. This study results provide valuable insights for the Administration of Government and Emergency Department of Khovd to protect citizens from flood hazards.

Direct laser acceleration: A model for the electron injection from the walls of a cylindrical guiding structure

Physical Review E (Plasma physics) - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 10:00

Author(s): P. Valenta, D. Maslarova, R. Babjak, B. Martinez, S. V. Bulanov, and M. Vranić

We use analytical methods and particle-in-cell simulation to investigate the origin of electrons accelerated by the process of direct laser acceleration driven by high-power laser pulses in preformed narrow cylindrical plasma channels. The simulation shows that the majority of accelerated electrons …


[Phys. Rev. E 109, 065204] Published Wed Jun 05, 2024

New study finds Earth warming at record rate, but no evidence of climate change accelerating

Phys.org: Earth science - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 08:11
The rate Earth is warming hit an all-time high in 2023 with 92% of last year's surprising record-shattering heat caused by humans, top scientists calculated.

Human Impacts Dominate Global Loss of Lake Ecosystem Resilience

GRL - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 07:00
Abstract

Strengthening aquatic resilience to prevent adverse shifts is critical for preserving global freshwater biodiversity and advancing Sustainable Development Goals. Nonetheless, understanding the long-term trends and underlying causes of lake ecosystem resilience at a global scale remains elusive. Here, we employ an innovative framework, integrating satellite-derived water quality indices with early warning signals and machine learning techniques, to investigate the dynamics of resilience in 1,049 lakes worldwide during 2000–2018. Our results indicate that 46.7% of lakes are experiencing a significant decline in resilience, particularly since the early 2010s, closely associated with higher human population density and anthropogenic eutrophication. In contrast, most lakes situated in alpine regions exhibit an increase in resilience, probably benefiting from climate warming and wetting. Together, this study provides a novel way to monitor lake resilience and predict undesired transitions, and reveals a widespread erosion in the ability of lakes to withstand stressors associated with global change.

What Controls Crystal Diversity and Microphysical Variability in Cirrus Clouds?

GRL - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 07:00
Abstract

Variability of ice microphysical properties like crystal size and density in cirrus clouds is important for climate through its impact on radiative forcing, but challenging to represent in models. For the first time, recent laboratory experiments of particle growth (tied to crystal morphology via deposition density) are combined with a state-of-the-art Lagrangian particle-based microphysics model in large-eddy simulations to examine sources of microphysical variability in cirrus. Simulated particle size distributions compare well against balloon-borne observations. Overall, microphysical variability is dominated by variability in the particles' thermodynamic histories. However, diversity in crystal morphology notably increases spatial variability of mean particle size and density, especially at mid-levels in the cloud. Little correlation between instantaneous crystal properties and supersaturation occurs even though the modeled particle morphology is directly tied to supersaturation based on laboratory measurements. Thus, the individual thermodynamic paths of each particle, not the instantaneous conditions, control the evolution of particle properties.

Nonlinear Electron Trapping Through Cyclotron Resonance in the Formation of Chorus Subpackets

GRL - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 07:00
Abstract

Chorus subpackets are the wave packets with modulated amplitudes in chorus waves, commonly observed in the magnetospheres of Earth and other planets. Nonlinear wave-particle interactions have been suggested to play an important role in subpacket formation, yet the corresponding electron dynamics remain not fully understood. In this study, we have investigated the electron trapping through cyclotron resonance with subpackets, using a self-consistent general curvilinear plasma simulation code simulation model in dipole fields. The electron trapping period has been quantified separately through electron dynamic analysis and theoretical derivation. Both methods indicate that the electron trapping period is shorter than the subpacket period/duration. We have further established the relation between electron trapping period and subpacket period through statistical analysis using simulation and observational data. Our study demonstrates that the nonlinear electron trapping through cyclotron resonance is the dominant mechanism responsible for subpacket formation.

Global Ocean Mass Change Estimation Using Low‐Degree Gravity Field From Satellite Laser Ranging

GRL - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 07:00
Abstract

Satellite laser ranging (SLR) is a well-established geodetic technique for measuring the low-degree time-variable gravity field for decades. However, its application in mass change estimation is limited by low spatial resolution, even for global mean ocean mass (GMOM) change which represents one of the largest spatial scales. After successfully correcting for signal leakage, for the first time, we can infer realistic GMOM changes using SLR-derived gravity fields up to only degree and order 5. Our leakage-corrected SLR GMOM estimates are compared with those from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) for the period 2005 to 2015. Our results show that the GMOM rate estimates from SLR are in remarkable agreement with those from GRACE, at 2.23 versus 2.28 mm/year, respectively. This proof-of-concept study opens the possibility of directly quantifying GMOM change using SLR data prior to the GRACE era.

The Vigil Magnetometer for Operational Space Weather Services From the Sun‐Earth L5 Point

Space Weather - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 07:00
Abstract

Severe space weather has the potential to cause significant socio-economic impact and it is widely accepted that mitigating this risk requires more comprehensive observations of the Sun and heliosphere, enabling more accurate forecasting of significant events with longer lead-times. In this context, it is now recognized that observations from the L5 Sun-Earth Lagrange point (both remote and in situ) would offer considerable improvements in our ability to monitor and forecast space weather. Remote sensing from L5 allows for the observation of solar features earlier than at L1, providing early monitoring of active region development, as well as tracking of interplanetary coronal mass ejections through the inner heliosphere. In situ measurements at L5 characterize the solar wind's geoeffectiveness (particularly stream interaction regions), and can also be ingested into heliospheric models, improving their performance. The Vigil space weather mission is part of the ESA Space Safety Program and will provide a real-time data stream for space weather services from L5 following its anticipated launch in the early 2030s. The interplanetary magnetic field is a key observational parameter, and here we describe the development of the Vigil magnetometer instrument for operational space weather monitoring at the L5 point. We summarize the baseline instrument capabilities, demonstrating how heritage from science missions has been leveraged to develop a low-risk, high-heritage instrument concept.

Kinetic Signatures, Dawn‐Dusk Asymmetries, and Flux Transfer Events Associated With Mercury's Dayside Magnetopause Reconnection From 3D MHD‐AEPIC Simulations

JGR:Space physics - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 05:25
Abstract

Mercury possesses a miniature yet dynamic magnetosphere driven primarily by magnetic reconnection occurring regularly at the magnetopause and in the magnetotail. Using the newly developed Magnetohydrodynamics with Adaptively Embedded Particle-in-Cell (MHD-AEPIC) model coupled with planetary interior, we have performed a series of global simulations with a range of upstream conditions to study in detail the kinetic signatures, asymmetries, and flux transfer events (FTEs) associated with Mercury's dayside magnetopause reconnection. By treating both ions and electrons kinetically, the embedded PIC model reveals crescent-shaped phase-space distributions near reconnection sites, counter-streaming ion populations in the cusp region, and temperature anisotropies within FTEs. A novel metric and algorithm are developed to automatically identify reconnection X-lines in our 3D simulations. The spatial distribution of reconnection sites as modeled by the PIC code exhibits notable dawn-dusk asymmetries, likely due to such kinetic effects as X-line spreading and Hall effects. Across all simulations, simulated FTEs occur quasi-periodically every 4–9 s. The properties of simulated FTEs show clear dependencies on the upstream solar wind Alfvénic Mach number (MA) and the interplanetary magnetic field orientation, consistent with MESSENGER observations and previous Hall-MHD simulations. FTEs formed in our MHD-AEPIC model tend to carry a large amount of open flux, contributing ∼3%–36% of the total open flux generated at the dayside. Taken together, our MHD-AEPIC simulations provide new insights into the kinetic processes associated with Mercury's magnetopause reconnection that should prove useful for interpreting spacecraft observations, such as those from MESSENGER and BepiColombo.

Determination of the time-variable geopotential by means of orbiting clocks

Journal of Geodesy - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 00:00
Abstract

Monitoring the time-variable geopotential identifies the mass redistribution across the Earth and reveals, e.g., climate change and availability of water resources. The features of interest are characterized by spatial and temporal scales accessible only through space missions. Among the most important gravity missions are GRACE (2002–2017), its successor GRACE-FO (since 2018), and GOCE (2009–2013), which all sense the Earth’s gravity field via the geopotential derivatives. We investigate the geopotential estimation through frequency comparisons between orbiting clocks by means of the Doppler-canceling technique, describing the clocks’ behavior in the Earth’s gravitational field via Einstein’s general relativity. The novelty of this approach lies in measuring gravity by sensing the geopotential itself. The proof of principle for the measurement is achieved through an innovative mission scenario: for the first time, the observations are collected by a probing clock in LEO. We show gravity solutions obtained by simulating an estimation problem via our proposed architecture. The results suggest that we can conceivably retrieve the geopotential coefficients with accuracy comparable to the GRACE measurement concept by employing clocks with stabilities of order \({10}^{-18}\) . Presently, terrestrial clocks can routinely attain fractional frequency stabilities of \({10}^{-18}\) , whereas spaceborne clocks are still at the \({10}^{-15}\) level. While our findings are promising, further analysis is needed to obtain more realistic indications on the feasibility of an actual mission, whose realization will be possible when clock technology reaches the required performance. The goal is for the technique investigated in this study to become a future staple for gravity field estimation.

Experimental investigation of pore-filling substitution effect on frequency-dependent elastic moduli of Berea sandstone

Geophysical Journal International - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 00:00
SummaryBased on both forced oscillation and ultrasonic pulse transmission methods, we investigated solid pore infill influences on rock elastic moduli in a broad frequency range $[ {1 - 3000,\ {{10}}^6} ]$ Hz for different differential pressures. For a Berea sandstone sample, filled sequentially by solid (${22}^{\rm{o}}{\rm{C}}$), quasi-solid (${26}^{\rm{o}}{\rm{C}}$) and liquid (${34}^{\rm{o}}{\rm{C}}$) octadecane, a frequency-dependence was found for the Poisson's ratio, Young's modulus and bulk modulus, nevertheless, these elastic parameters were strongly suppressed by increasing pressures. Experimental measurements showed that shear wave velocity and modulus of solid-octadecane-filled samples are significantly larger than those of the dry and liquid-octadecane-filled ones, implying the potential stiffening effects related to solid infill in compliant pores. A three porosity structure model, which describes the solid stiffening effects related to equant, compliant and the intermediate pores with aspect ratios larger than those of compliant pores but much less than those of stiff pores, was used to compare against the experimentally measured elastic properties for octadecane pore infill, together with several other fluid/solid substitution theories. The agreement between experimental measurements and theoretical predictions is reasonably good for the sandstone tested, providing that the three porosity model can be applied for pressure- and frequency-dependent elastic moduli estimations for a viscoelastic pore-infill-saturated sandstone. Evaluating the combined squirt flow mechanism responsible for the observed moduli dispersion and attenuation is of great importance to reduce potential errors in seismic AVO inversion and 4D seismic monitoring of gas-hydrate or bitumen-saturated reservoir, especially for reservoir rocks with complex microstructures and heterogeneous pore types.

Stress-induced changes in magnetite: Insights from a numerical analysis of the verwey transition

Geophysical Journal International - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 00:00
SummaryMagnetic susceptibility behaviour around the Verwey transition of magnetite (≈ 125 K) is known to be sensitive to stress, composition and oxidation. From the isotropic point (≈ 130 K) to room temperature, decreasing magnetic susceptibility indicates an increase in magnetocrystalline anisotropy. In this study, we present a model which numerically analyses low-temperature magnetic susceptibility curves (80 to 280 K) of an experimentally shocked (up to 30 GPa) and later heated (973 K) magnetite ore. To quantify variations of the transition shape caused by both shock and heating, the model statistically describes local variations in the Verwey transition temperature within bulk magnetite. For the description, Voigt profiles are used, which indicate variations between a Gaussian and a Lorentzian character. These changes are generally interpreted as variations in the degree of correlation between observed events, i.e. between local transition temperatures in the model. Shock pressures exceeding the Hugoniot elastic limit of magnetite ($ \ge $ 5 GPa) cause an increase in transition width and Verwey transition temperature, which is partially recovered by heat treatment. Above the Verwey transition temperature, susceptibility variations related to the magnetocrystalline anisotropy are described with an exponential approach. The room temperature magnetic susceptibility relative to the maximum near the isotropic point is reduced after shock, which is related to grain size reduction. Since significant oxidation and cation substitution can be excluded for the studied samples, variations are only attributed to changes in elastic strain associated with shock-induced deformation and annealing due to heat treatment. The shocked magnetite shows a high correlation between local transition temperatures which is reduced by heat treatment. The model allows a quantitative description of low-temperature magnetic susceptibility curves of experimentally shocked and subsequently heat-treated polycrystalline magnetite around the Verwey transition temperature. The curves are accurately reproduced within the experimental uncertainties. Further applications for analysing magnetite-bearing rocks seem possible if model parameters, such as for oxidation are included into the model.

Joint inversion of induced polarization and hydraulic tomography data for hydraulic conductivity imaging

Geophysical Journal International - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 00:00
SummaryFor accurate modeling of groundwater flow and transport processes within an aquifer, precise knowledge about hydraulic conductivity K and its small-scale heterogeneities is fundamental. Methods based on pumping tests, such as hydraulic tomography (HT), allow for retrieving reliable K-estimates, but are limited in their ability to image structural features with high resolution, since the data from time-consuming hydraulic tests are commonly sparse. In contrast, geophysical methods like induced polarization (IP) can potentially yield structural images of much higher resolution, but depend on empirical petrophysical laws that may introduce significant uncertainties to the K-estimation. Therefore, this paper presents a joint inversion procedure for both HT and IP data, which allows for combining the complementary abilities of both methods. Within this approach, a travel time inversion is applied to the HT data, while the IP inversion is based on a full-decay time-domain forward response, as well as a re-parameterization of the Cole-Cole model to invert for K directly. The joint inversion is tested on a synthetic model mimicking horizontally layered sediments, and the results are compared with the individual HT and IP inversions. It is shown that jointly inverting both data sets consistently improves the results by combining the complementary sensitivities of the two methods, and that the inversion is more robust against changes in the experimental setups. Furthermore, we illustrate how a joint inversion approach can correct biases within the petrophysical laws by including reliable K-information from hydraulic tests and still preserving the high-resolution structural information from IP. The different inversion results are compared based on the structural similarity index (SSIM), which underlines the robustness of the joint inversion compared to using the data individually. Hence, the combined application of HT and IP within field surveys and a subsequent joint inversion of both data sets may improve our understanding of hydraulically relevant subsurface structures, and thus the reliability of groundwater modeling results.

Subsurface tidal gravity variation and gravimetric factor

Geophysical Journal International - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 00:00
SummaryTaking advantage of the simultaneous recording during 471 days between 2019 and 2021 by two superconducting gravimeters installed at the surface and 520 m under the surface at the Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) in Rustrel, France, we investigate whether a difference between the tidal gravity signals at the two locations can be detected. First, we model the periodical variations of the Earth’s gravity owing to the tidal influence from the Sun and Moon, at the Earth’s surface and at shallow depths. We provide analytical formulas for the Love numbers, gravimetric factor and gravity variation of simple spherical planetary models. We also numerically compute those parameters and function for a realistic spherical Earth model. We find that the fractional difference between the semi-diurnal tidal gravity variations at the surface and 520 m below is as small as 8.5 10−5. We next evaluate the effect on the amplitude of the recorded gravity signal due to the calibration factors of the two superconducting gravimeters at LSBB. Finally, we compute the spectra of the difference between the gravity variations measured on and under the surface in the semi-diurnal band of the M2 tidal wave. We find that the uncertainties associated to the calibration factors are larger than the theoretical or observational difference between the tidal gravity variations on the surface and at a 520-m depth.

All-frequency IGS phase clock/bias product combination to improve PPP ambiguity resolution

Journal of Geodesy - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 00:00
Abstract

Satellite product combination has been a major effort for the International GNSS Service Analysis Center Coordinator to improve the robustness of orbits, clocks and biases over original AC-specific contributions. While the orbit and clock combinations have been well documented, combining phase biases is more of a challenge since they have to be aligned with the clocks precisely to preserve the exactitude of integer ambiguities in precise point positioning (PPP). In the case of dual-frequency signals, frequency-specific phase biases are first translated into an ionosphere-free form to agree with the IGS satellite clocks, and they can then be integrated as integer clocks to facilitate a joint combination. However, regarding multi-frequency phase biases, forming their ionosphere-free counterparts would be cumbersome as they are linearly dependent. We therefore propose a concept of “frequency-specific integer clock” where all third-frequency phase biases are integrated individually with satellite clocks to enable an efficient frequency-wise combination. The resultant combined product will ensure all-frequency PPP ambiguity resolution over any frequency choices and observable combinations. Our combination test based on the GPS/Galileo satellite products from four IGS-ACs in 2020 showed that the mean phase clock/bias consistencies among ACs for all third-frequency signals (i.e., GPS L5, Galileo E6 and E5b) were as high as 10 ps, and the ambiguity fixing rates were all around 95%. Both quantities reached the same levels as those for the baseline frequencies (i.e., GPS L1/L2 and Galileo E1/E5a). The combined products outperformed AC-specific products since outlier contributions were excluded in the combination.

Analysis of the IGS contribution to ITRF2020

Journal of Geodesy - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 00:00
Abstract

As its contribution to the latest release of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame, ITRF2020, the International GNSS Service (IGS) provided a 27-year-long series of daily “repro3” terrestrial frame solutions obtained by combining reprocessed solutions from ten Analysis Centers. This contribution represents an improvement over the previous contribution to ITRF2014, not only by the inclusion of more stations with longer and more complete position time series, but also by a general reduction in random and systematic errors. The IGS contribution to ITRF2020 also provided, for the first time, an independent estimate of the terrestrial scale based on the calibration of the Galileo satellite antennas. Despite the various observed improvements, the repro3 station position time series remain affected by a variety of random and systematic errors. This includes spurious periodic variations in several frequency bands, originating mostly from orbit and tide modeling errors, on top of a combination of white and flicker noise, whose origins remain to be precisely understood. These various components should carefully be accounted for when modeling GNSS station position time series and interpreting them in terms of Earth’s surface deformation. The Galileo-based scale of the repro3 solutions is found to be significantly offset (by \(+\) 4.3 mm at epoch 2015.0) and drifting (by \(+\) 0.11 mm/year) from the SLR/VLBI-based scale of ITRF2020. The reasons for this offset and drift remain to be uncovered.

Recipes for Forming a Carbon–Rich Giant Planet

Space Science Reviews - Wed, 06/05/2024 - 00:00
Abstract

The exploration of carbon-to-oxygen ratios has yielded intriguing insights into the composition of close-in giant exoplanets, giving rise to a distinct classification: carbon-rich planets, characterized by a carbon–to–oxygen ratio ≥ 1 in their atmospheres, as opposed to giant planets exhibiting carbon–to–oxygen ratios close to the protosolar value. In contrast, despite numerous space missions dispatched to the outer solar system and the proximity of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, our understanding of the carbon-to-oxygen ratio in these giants remains notably deficient. Determining this ratio is crucial as it serves as a marker linking a planet’s volatile composition directly to its formation region within the disk. This article provides an overview of the current understanding of the carbon-to-oxygen ratio in the four gas giants of our solar system and explores why there is yet no definitive dismissal of the possibility that Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune could be considered carbon-rich planets. Additionally, we delve into the three primary formation scenarios proposed in existing literature to account for a bulk carbon-to-oxygen ratio ≥ 1 in a giant planet. A significant challenge lies in accurately inferring the bulk carbon-to-oxygen ratio of our solar system’s gas giants. Retrieval methods involve integrating in situ measurements from entry probes equipped with mass spectrometers and remote sensing observations conducted at microwave wavelengths by orbiters. However, these methods fall short of fully discerning the deep carbon-to-oxygen abundance in the gas giants due to their limited probing depth, typically within the 10–100 bar range. To complement these direct measurements, indirect determinations rely on understanding the vertical distribution of atmospheric carbon monoxide in conjunction with thermochemical models. These models aid in evaluating the deep oxygen abundance in the gas giants, providing valuable insights into their overall composition.

Rate of global warming caused by humans is at an all-time high, say scientists

Phys.org: Earth science - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 23:10
The second annual Indicators of Global Climate Change report, which is led by the University of Leeds, reveals that human-induced warming has risen to 1.19 °C over the past decade (2014-2023)—an increase from the 1.14 °C seen in 2013-2022 (set out in last year's report).

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