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Study reviews current state of global navigation satellite system reflectometry

Phys.org: Earth science - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 19:52
Global navigation satellite system reflectometry (GNSS-R) is emerging as a pivotal technology in remote sensing due to its ability to provide high-precision, real-time data under all weather conditions.

Comparison of the H2O, HDO and δD stratospheric climatologies between the MIPAS-ESA V8, MIPAS-IMK V5 and ACE-FTS V4.1/4.2 satellite datasets

Atmos. Meas. techniques - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 19:08
Comparison of the H2O, HDO and δD stratospheric climatologies between the MIPAS-ESA V8, MIPAS-IMK V5 and ACE-FTS V4.1/4.2 satellite datasets
Karen De Los Ríos, Paulina Ordoñez, Gabriele P. Stiller, Piera Raspollini, Marco Gai, Kaley A. Walker, Cristina Peña-Ortiz, and Luis Acosta
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3401–3418, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3401-2024, 2024
This study examines newer versions of H2O and HDO retrievals from Envisat/MIPAS and SCISAT/ACE-FTS. Results reveal a better agreement in stratospheric H2O profiles than in HDO profiles. The H2O tape recorder signal is consistent across databases, but δD tape recorder composites show differences that impact the interpretation of water vapour transport. These findings enhance the need for intercomparisons to refine our insights.

An Investigation on Potential Dispersal of Airborne Pollen Over China and Their Impact on Climate as Ice Nuclei Using RegCM‐Pollen

JGR–Atmospheres - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 19:04
Abstract

Pollen can serve as an effective ice-nuclei (IN), altering cloud microphysical and radiative properties, thus precipitation and cloud life cycles. Here, a nationwide pollen emission inventory with a horizontal resolution of 5 km was established based on a parameterization scheme of mass balance of pollen grain fluxes surrounding the plant crowns, and using satellite observational data sets (including leaf area index and fractional vegetation cover) as well as pollen emission rates. The potential emission is then implemented in RegCM-pollen model which treated pollen as aerosol tracers. Besides, pollen-IN parameterization schemes were incorporated in RegCM-pollen to simulate the interactions between pollen and ice clouds. Investigations show that the mean annual pollen emission in China is 2.65 × 107 grains m−2 yr−1, mainly distributed in the south and northeast of China. The IN magnitude is mainly determined by a combination of temperature and pollen concentration. Notably, an increasing number concentration of pollen grains produces opposite effects in Southern China (SC) and Northern China (NC). The weakened upward motion and vertical transport of water vapor in NC made ice clouds hardly form, resulting in cloud forcing (CF) of +0.86 W/m2. In contrast, it generates a CF of −0.84 W/m2 in SC mainly owing to expanded cloud cover. The changes in shortwave radiative forcing is more significant compared to longwave radiative forcing in the two regions. At the surface, the net radiative forcing in NC is +0.74 W/m2, while it is a −0.51 W/m2 in SC. Among them, downward shortwave radiative forcing is approximately twice that of upward longwave radiative forcing in SC and 1.4 times in NC. Surface temperature shows rising over NC, ranging from 0.05 to 0.25 K. In SC, it is primarily decreasing by −0.12 to −0.03 K. The pollen-IN effect also causes a decline of precipitation in NC (−0.17 mm/day) and a rise in SC (0.09 mm/day). Our results suggest that the pollen effect on ice clouds is complex, yet significant in understanding its impact on radiation and climate of the atmosphere.

Characterisation of particle single-scattering albedo with a modified airborne dual-wavelength CAPS monitor

Atmos. Meas. techniques - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 18:25
Characterisation of particle single-scattering albedo with a modified airborne dual-wavelength CAPS monitor
Chenjie Yu, Edouard Pangui, Kevin Tu, Mathieu Cazaunau, Maxime Feingesicht, Landsheere Xavier, Thierry Bourrianne, Vincent Michoud, Christopher Cantrell, Timothy B. Onasch, Andrew Freedman, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3419–3437, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3419-2024, 2024
To meet the requirements for measuring aerosol optical properties on airborne platforms and conducting dual-wavelength measurements, we introduced A2S2, an airborne dual-wavelength cavity-attenuated phase-shift single monitor. This study reports the results in the laboratory and an aircraft campaign over Paris and its surrounding regions. The results demonstrate A2S2's reliability in measuring aerosol optical properties at both wavelengths and its suitability for future aircraft campaigns.

Enhanced Land Subsidence Interpolation through a Hybrid Deep Convolutional Neural Network and InSAR Time Series

Geoscientific Model Development - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 16:25
Enhanced Land Subsidence Interpolation through a Hybrid Deep Convolutional Neural Network and InSAR Time Series
Zahra Azarm, Hamid Mehrabi, and Saeed Nadi
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https//doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-15,2024
Preprint under review for GMD (discussion: open, 0 comments)
The article introduces a new method using deep CNN and PSInSAR to estimate land subsidence, addressing the limitations of traditional methods. It focuses on Isfahan province, demonstrating substantial improvement over traditional techniques. The deep CNN method showed a 70 % enhancement in subsidence prediction, with the study area experiencing over 38 cm of subsidence between 2014 and 2020.

AI-NAOS: An AI-Based Nonspherical Aerosol Optical Scheme for Chemical Weather Model GRAPES_Meso5.1/CUACE

Geoscientific Model Development - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 16:25
AI-NAOS: An AI-Based Nonspherical Aerosol Optical Scheme for Chemical Weather Model GRAPES_Meso5.1/CUACE
Xuan Wang, Lei Bi, Hong Wang, Yaqiang Wang, Wei Han, Xueshun Shen, and Xiaoye Zhang
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https//doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-51,2024
Preprint under review for GMD (discussion: open, 0 comments)
An AI-based Nonspherical Aerosol Optical Scheme (AI-NAOS) was developed to improve the estimation of aerosol direct radiation effect (DRE). The AI-NAOS scheme considers BC as fractal aggregates and SD as super-spheroids, encapsulated with hygroscopic aerosols. The AI-NAOS scheme was coupled online with a chemical weather model. Real-case simulations emphasize the necessity of accurately representing nonpsherical and inhomogeneous aerosols in chemical weather models.

Multiple Convection Cells Induced by In‐Front and Off‐Front Interactions Between the Obliquely Northward IMF and the Geomagnetic Field

JGR:Space physics - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 16:14
Abstract

From the global simulation, we reproduce the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere (S-M-I) interaction under the northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) with negative B y. Reconnection structures, the plasma sheet, and lobes are formed in magnetospheric convection, while lobe/round-merging/reciprocal/nightside cells appear in the ionosphere. Associated with the S-M interaction, northern open field is generated at the evening open-closed (O/C) boundary, due to successive cusp and interchange reconnections (in round-merging cell) or by Dungey-type reconnection (in nightside cell). Corresponding interchange and Dungey-type reconnections occur at the southern null. Dungey-type reconnection at the same time generates southern open field on the outer-most magnetopause. Open field injected into the northern polar cap/void/lobe constructs the open field part of the round-merging and nightside cells. After open-field convection in the lobe, reclosures occur by again successive cusp and interchange reconnections on the dayside separator, or separator reconnection on the nightside separator. Former closed field line proceeds toward the evening O/C boundary through the dayside closed-field convection in the round-merging cell, while latter closed field line through the nightside closed-field convection in the nightside cell. Shear that causes the large-scale sun-aligned arc is generated by the process of injecting open magnetic field into the void and the conjugate of process of connecting return flux from the plasma sheet to the nightside cell in counter hemisphere.

Climate change projected to warm shallow groundwater by up to 3.5°C by 2099

Phys.org: Earth science - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 15:45
Shallow groundwater is projected to warm on average between 2.1°C and 3.5°C by the end of the century, according to a world-first global groundwater temperature model.

Resolving the Interpretation of Magnetic Coercivity Components From Backfield Isothermal Remanence Curves Using Unmixing of Non‐Linear Preisach Maps: Application to Loess‐Paleosol Sequences

JGR–Solid Earth - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 15:14
Abstract

Unmixing of remanent magnetization curves, either isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) or backfield IRM, is widely used in rock magnetic and environmental magnetic studies to discriminate between magnetic coercivity components of different origins. However, the wide range of physical properties of natural magnetic particles gives rise to an ambiguous interpretation of these components. To reduce this ambiguity and provide a straightforward interpretation of coercivity components in terms of domain state, interactions, and constituent magnetic phases, we combined backfield IRM unmixing with unmixing of nonlinear Preisach maps for two typical mid-latitude northern hemisphere loess-paleosol sequences. Both backfield IRM and nonlinear Preisach maps unmixing are based on the same non-parametric algorithm, and provide similar endmembers (EMs) in the two sections studied. The first EM (EM1) has a low median coercivity (∼21 mT) and is a non-interacting single domain (SD) magnetite/maghemite of pedogenic origin. The second EM (EM2) has a moderate median coercivity (∼60 mT) and is a mixture of pseudo-single domain/multidomain, SD magnetite/maghemite and non-interacting SD hematite, all of eolian origin. The same EM1 found in both sections suggests that this component's grain size and coercivity are independent of pedogenesis intensity. The same EM2 indicates that a similar magnetic population is being transported and deposited, irrespective of the dust source area and loess granulometry. The approach outlined here provides strong evidence that non-parametric backfield IRM unmixing isolates physically realistic EMs. Unmixing nonlinear Preisach maps elucidates these EMs in terms of domain states and their constituent magnetic phases.

Researchers develop instrument to measure lava viscosity in the field

Phys.org: Earth science - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 15:00
Millions of people live near active volcanoes that are constantly monitored for signs of an impending eruption. When one occurs, scientists and governments rely on data to estimate the extent of the possible damage, informing evacuation plans and disaster response efforts. The nature of eruptions, unfortunately, means collecting data about them can sometimes be as challenging as organizing a response.

Summer droughts in Northern Hemisphere increasingly likely as seasonal streamflows change, finds study

Phys.org: Earth science - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 14:17
Declining snowfall is changing the seasonal patterns of streamflow throughout the Northern Hemisphere boosting chances of water shortages in the summer, scientists have found.

Adjoint Synthesis for Trans‐Oceanic Tsunami Waveforms and Simultaneous Inversion of Fault Geometry and Slip Distribution

JGR–Solid Earth - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 12:33
Abstract

Tsunamis propagate over long distances and can cause widespread damage even after crossing ocean basins. Prediction of tsunamis in distant areas based on observations near their sources is critical to mitigating damage. In recent years, the accuracy of numerical models of trans-oceanic tsunami propagation has improved significantly due to the incorporation of effects such as the solid earth response to tsunami loading and wave dispersion. However, these models are computationally expensive and have not been fully utilized for real-time prediction. Here, we derive the adjoint operator for the linear set of equations describing deep-ocean tsunami propagation and show how a pre-computed database of adjoint states can achieve rapid synthesis of tsunami waveforms at target sites from nonpoint arbitrary tsunami sources. The adjoint synthesis method allows for an exhaustive parameter search for tsunami source estimation. A method for simultaneous inversion of fault geometry and slip distribution using adjoint synthesis with Sequential Monte Carlo method was proposed and applied to the 2012 Haida Gwaii earthquake tsunami. The influence of model accuracy and the amount of observed data on the estimation of tsunami sources and waveforms was examined. It was found that with a highly accurate propagation model, using only a limited amount of observed data produced source and waveform estimates very similar to the final models obtained with much larger data sets. The final inferred fault model involved megathrust slip distributed between the Haida Gwaii trench and the Queen Charlotte fault. The proposed method can also quantify the uncertainty of the waveform forecasts.

Influence of meteoric smoke particles on the incoherent scatter measured with EISCAT VHF

Influence of meteoric smoke particles on the incoherent scatter measured with EISCAT VHF
Tinna L. Gunnarsdottir, Ingrid Mann, Wuhu Feng, Devin R. Huyghebaert, Ingemar Haeggstroem, Yasunobu Ogawa, Norihito Saito, Satonori Nozawa, and Takuya D. Kawahara
Ann. Geophys., 42, 213–228, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-213-2024, 2024
Several tons of meteoric particles burn up in our atmosphere each day. This deposits a great deal of material that binds with other atmospheric particles and forms so-called meteoric smoke particles. These particles are assumed to influence radar measurements. Here, we have compared radar measurements with simulations of a radar spectrum with and without dust particles and found that dust influences the radar spectrum in the altitude range of 75–85 km.
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Does high-latitude ionospheric electrodynamics exhibit hemispheric mirror symmetry?

Does high-latitude ionospheric electrodynamics exhibit hemispheric mirror symmetry?
Spencer Mark Hatch, Heikki Vanhamäki, Karl Magnus Laundal, Jone Peter Reistad, Johnathan K. Burchill, Levan Lomidze, David J. Knudsen, Michael Madelaire, and Habtamu Tesfaw
Ann. Geophys., 42, 229–253, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-229-2024, 2024
In studies of the Earth's ionosphere, a hot topic is how to estimate ionospheric conductivity. This is hard to do for a variety of reasons that mostly amount to a lack of measurements. In this study we use satellite measurements to estimate electromagnetic work and ionospheric conductances in both hemispheres. We identify where our model estimates are inconsistent with laws of physics, which partially solves a previous problem with unrealistic predictions of ionospheric conductances.
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Sensitivity of magnetohydrodynamic simulations of Joule-heated conductors to the vaporization curve in equations of state

Physical Review E (Plasma physics) - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 10:00

Author(s): Seth E. Kreher, Christopher L. Rousculp, Bruno S. Bauer, Trevor M. Hutchinson, Aidan W. Klemmer, Charles E. Starrett, and Edmund P. Yu

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of electrically exploded aluminum and copper rods demonstrate a technique to validate equations of state (EOS) for rapidly Joule-heated conductors. The balance of internal and magnetic forces at the conductor-insulator interface drives the metal there along the …


[Phys. Rev. E 109, 065202] Published Tue Jun 04, 2024

The Spread of the Hunga Tonga H2O Plume in the Middle Atmosphere Over the First Two Years Since Eruption

JGR–Atmospheres - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 09:08
Abstract

The eruption of Hunga in January 2022 injected a large amount of water into the stratosphere. Satellite measurements from Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) show that this water vapor (H2O) has now spread throughout the stratosphere and into the lower mesosphere, resulting in an increase of >1 ppmv throughout most of this region. Measurements from three ground-based Water Vapor Millimeter Wave Spectrometer (WVMS) instruments and MLS are in good agreement, and show that in 2023 there was more H2O in the lower mesosphere than at any time since the WVMS measurements began in the 1990's. At Table Mountain, California all WVMS H2O measurements at 54 km since June 2023, and all of the measurements from Mauna Loa, Hawaii, since the resumption of measurements in September 2023, show larger mixing ratios than any previous measurements. At 70 km several recent WVMS retrievals since September 2023 show the largest anomalies ever measured. The MLS measurements show that maximum H2O anomalies over the 2004–2023 record have occurred throughout almost all of the stratosphere and lower mesosphere since the eruption. As of November 2023, almost all of the ∼140 Tg of water originally injected into the stratosphere by the Hunga eruption remains in the middle atmosphere at pressures below 83 hPa (altitudes above ∼17 km). The eruption occurred during a period when stratospheric H2O was already slightly elevated above the 2004–2021 MLS average, and the November 2023 anomaly of ∼160 Tg represents ∼15% of the total mass of H2O in this region.

Informal water contracts could provide quicker, cheaper ways to reduce impact of droughts

Phys.org: Earth science - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 08:02
Droughts continue to overburden the systems and infrastructure that bring water to citizens and businesses. This is especially true in places like the western United States, where water resources are scarce, and the rules that determine who gets water mean that farmers and other landowners who use water for irrigation often have first priority.

Improving Diurnal Precipitation Forecasts Through Coherent Coupling of Cumulus and Planetary Boundary Layer Parameterizations

JGR–Atmospheres - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 07:14
Abstract

This study explores the impact of coupling cumulus and planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterizations on diurnal precipitation forecasting during the plum rainy season in Jiangsu Province, China, using a double grid-nesting approach. Results show that coherent coupling of cumulus (only in the 15 km grid outer domain [O]) and PBL parameterizations leads to improved forecasting of diurnal variations in the morning, afternoon, and the evening. Increasing the frequency of the Kain-Fritsch (KF) cumulus scheme in [O] enhances subgrid precipitation while reducing grid-scale precipitation, resulting in a more accurate representation of daytime convective activities and a reduction in over-forecasting of evening valley and early-morning precipitation. Additionally, coupling a suitable PBL scheme mitigates the overpredicted afternoon peak by facilitating turbulent mixing to penetrate higher altitudes with a thicker layer, thereby reducing instability energy accumulation. A higher KF frequency in [O] retains less low tropospheric moisture, reducing moisture convergence into the 1 km grid inner domain [I] and decreasing overpredicted daytime precipitation in [I]. Various PBL schemes produce distinct vertical distributions of turbulent moisture and heat transport, impacting convection and precipitation in [I] resolved by cloud microphysics processes. The coherent coupling of these parameterizations maintains a balanced supply of convective energy and water vapor, significantly improving diurnal precipitation forecasts in [I]. Isolating these parameterizations between nested grids may undermine this improvement.

Improving Explainability of Deep Learning for Polarimetric Radar Rainfall Estimation

GRL - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 07:00
Abstract

Machine learning-based approaches demonstrate a significant potential in radar quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) applications. In contrast to conventional methods that depend on local raindrop size distributions, deep learning (DL) can establish an effective mapping from three-dimensional radar observations to ground rain rates. However, the lack of transparency in DL models poses challenges toward understanding the underlying physical mechanisms that drive their outcomes. This study aims to develop a DL-based QPE system and provide a physical explanation of radar precipitation estimation process. This research is designed by employing a deep neural network consisting of two modules. The first module is a quantitative precipitation estimation network that has the capability to learn precipitation patterns and spatial distribution from multidimensional polarimetric radar observations. The second module introduces a quantitative precipitation estimation shapley additive explanations method to quantify the influence of each radar observable on the model estimate across various precipitation intensities.

Experimental Evidence of Primary Permeability at Very Low Gas Content in Crystal‐Rich Silicic Magma

GRL - Tue, 06/04/2024 - 07:00
Abstract

Eruptive dynamics is influenced by gas escape from the ascending magma. Gas pathways form in the magma via bubble coalescence, leading to gas channeling. Magmatic crystals play a key role in gas channel formation. This work constrains experimentally decompression-induced coalescence in high-crystallinity silicic magmas without external deformation, focusing on low gas content and bimodal crystal size (microlites and phenocrysts). All percolating samples have permeabilities of 10−14 m2 at bulk porosities of 7–10 vol% and bulk crystallinities up to 75 vol%. Our results demonstrate the possibility of coalescence-related outgassing at high pressure (120–350 MPa) and without external strain, which corresponds to magma stagnating deep in a volcanic conduit. Channeling at such low gas content implies that bimodal crystallinity favors effusive over explosive volcanic behavior. It may also be the missing physical mechanism explaining gas transfer across magmatic systems despite high melt viscosity and low or absent magma extrusion.

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