A 30 million year cycle in Arctic volcanism?

Arctic perimeters volcanism has pulsed to a maximum approximately every 30 million years. This periodicity is similar to that observed on a global scale.     

Interannual and Decadal Variability of Landfalling Tropical Cyclones in the Southeast Coastal States of the United States

The interannual variability of the Atlantic tropical cyclone(TC)frequency is well known.Separately,recent studies have also suggested that a much longer,multidecadal(40-60 year)trend might be emerging from the recent increase in Atlantic TC activity.However,the overall structure of the intrinsic frequencies(or temporal modes)of Atlantic TC activity is not yet known.The focus of this study is to systematically analyze the intrinsic frequencies of Atlantic TC activity using hurricane and tropical storm landfall data collected along the southeast coast(SEC)of the United States.Based on an Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) analysis of the frequency of landfall TCs along the SEC from 188701999,we have found that Atlantic TC activity has four primary,temporal modes.The interannual and multidecadal modes reported in the published literature are two such modes.After identifying all primary modes,the relative importance of each mode and its physical cause can be analyzed.For example,the most energetic mode is the interannual mode(2-7 year period).This mode is known to be associated with the 2-7 year El Nino/La Nino cycle.The average number of annual landfalling TCs along the SEC decreased by 24% during El Nino years,but did not show significant increase during weak and moderate La Nina years.However,intense La Nina years were generally associated with more than average landfalling TCs along the SEC.The effects of El Nino and La Nina also became more significant when only hurricanes were considered.The significance of the effects of El Nino and La Nina on landfalling TCs and hurricanes in different US southeast coastal states showed significant differences.     

Robustness of pattern scaled climate change scenarios for adaptation decision support

Pattern scaling offers the promise of exploring spatial details of the climate system response to anthropogenic climate forcings without their full simulation by state-of-the-art Global Climate Models. The circumstances in which pattern scaling methods are capable of delivering on this promise are explored by quantifying its performance in an idealized setting. Given a large ensemble that is assumed to sample the full range of variability and provide quantitative decision-relevant information, the soundness of applying the pattern scaling methodology to generate decision relevant climate scenarios is explored. Pattern scaling is not expected to reproduce its target exactly, of course, and its generic limitations have been well documented since it was first proposed. In this work, using as a particular example the quantification of the risk of heat waves in Southern Europe, it is shown that the magnitude of the error in the pattern scaled estimates can be significant enough to disqualify the use of this approach in quantitative decision-support. This suggests that future application of pattern scaling in climate science should provide decision makers not just a restatement of the assumptions made, but also evidence that the methodology is adequate for purpose in practice for the case under consideration.     

Experimental investigation of moored-buoys using advanced video techniques

Physical model tests were conducted to validate numerical models of moored-buoy systems. Three buoy types (sphere, spar and discus) were tested for intrinsic properties, three-dimensional impulse response and three-dimensional dynamic response to two-dimensional regular and random wave excitation. Buoy kinematics were measured using advanced video imaging techniques. Other data collected included upper and lower mooring line tension and mooring line inclination. Physical model development, test and measurement procedures and data collected are discussed.     

The effects of thin layer sand renourishment on tidal marsh processes: Masonboro Island, North Carolina

The objective of this study was to determine if the placement of dredged material on sediment-starved back barrier marshes in southeastern North Carolina could offset submergence without negatively affecting function. Clean sediment was placed in thickness from 0 to 10 cm, on deteriorated and non-deteriorated marsh plots. Original stem densities were greater, in non-deteriorated plots (256 stems m⁻²) compared to deteriorated sites (149 stems m⁻²). By the second growing season (after sediment additions), stem densities in the deteriorated plots (308 stems m⁻²) approached levels in the non-deteriorated plots (336 stems m⁻²). Sediment additions to, both nos-deteriorated and deteriorated plots resulted in a higher redox potential with plots receiving the most sediment exhibiting the highest E_h values. In deteriorated plots, placement of dredged material had the greatest effect on plant density, but also affected soil oxidation-reduction potential and sediment deposition (or mobility). Following sediment placement, substrate texture and composition incrementally returned to prefill conditions due to a combination of bioturbation and sedimentation. Where infaunal differences occurred, they were generally less abundant in deteriorated plots, but responses to sediment addition were variable. Sediment addition had little effect on the non-deteriorated plots, suggesting that the disposal of certain types of dredged material in marshes may be useful to mitigate the effects of marsh degradation without adversely affecting non-deteriorating marsh.     

The role of culture and traditional knowledge in climate change adaptation: Insights from East Kimberley,Australia

Indigenous peoples offer alternative knowledge about climate variability and change based on their own locally developed knowledges and practices of resource use. In this article we discuss the role of traditional ecological knowledge in monitoring and adapting to changing environmental conditions. Our case study documents a project to record the seasonal knowledge of the Miriwoong people in northern Australia. The study demonstrates how indigenous groups’ accumulate detailed baseline information about their environment to guide their resource use and management, and develop worldviews and cultural values associated with this knowledge. We highlight how traditional ecological knowledge plays a critical role in mediating indigenous individuals and communities’ understandings of environmental changes in the East Kimberley region of north-west Australia, and how these beliefs may influence future decision-making about how to go about adapting to climate change at a local level.