(Near-)real-time orbit determination for GNSS radio occultation processing

The processing of GPS radio occultation measurements for use in numerical weather predictions requires a precise orbit determination (POD) of the host satellite in near-real-time. Making use of data from the GRAS instrument on Metop-A, the performance of different GPS ephemeris products and processing concepts for near-real-time and real-time POD is compared. While previous analyses have focused on the achievable along-track velocity accuracy, this study contributes a systematic comparison of the resulting estimated bending angles. This enables a more rigorous trade-off of different orbit determination methodologies in relation to the end-user needs for atmospheric science products. It is demonstrated that near-real-time GPS orbit and clock products have reached a sufficient quality to determine the Metop-A along-track velocity with an accuracy of better than 0.05 mm/s that was formerly only accessible in post-processing. The resulting bending angles are shown to exhibit standard deviation and bias differences of less than 0.3 % compared with post-processed products up to altitudes of at least 40 km, which is notably better than 1 % accuracy typically assumed for numerical weather predictions in this height regime. Complementary to the analysis of ground-based processing schemes, the potential of autonomous on-board orbit determination is investigated for the first time. Using actual GRAS flight data, it is shown that a 0.5 m 3D rms position accuracy and a 0.2 mm/s along-track velocity accuracy can in fact be obtained in real-time with the currently available GPS broadcast ephemeris quality. Bending angles derived from the simulated real-time processing exhibit a minor performance degradation above tangent point heights of 40 km but negligible differences with respect to ground-based products below this altitude. Onboard orbit determination and, if desired, bending angle computation, can thus enable a further simplification of the ground segment in future radio occultation missions and contribute to reduced product latencies for radio occultation data assimilation in numerical weather predictions.     

A Meta‐Analysis on the Return on Investment of Geospatial Data and Systems: A Multi‐Country Perspective

The availability, quality and accessibility of Geographic Information (GI) have significant socio‐economic and environmental benefits, but the collection and maintenance of GI require substantial investments. Cost‐benefit assessments (CBAs) attempt to justify the costs of geospatial data investments, applying different methodologies and focusing on diverse areas. Therefore, the Returns on Investment (ROI) vary considerably across studies, regions and sectors. The objective of this study is to explain some of the variation in the average ROI of GI by conducting a meta‐analysis of 82 cost‐benefit assessments between 1994 and 2013. In a first step, CBAs are systematically reviewed and relevant information is extracted. Particular emphasis is given to investment conditions and study characteristics. In a second step, multivariate regression methods are used to assess the size, significance and direction of individual effects. The results suggest that regional factors have the largest impact on the profitability of GI. Returns in Australia and New Zealand, for example, are four times larger than in Europe. In addition, small‐scale regional investments have a 2.5 times lower return than large‐scale international investments. Overall, the expected benefits of GI investments are approximately 3.2 times larger than the costs.     

First GOCE gravity field models derived by three different approaches

Three gravity field models, parameterized in terms of spherical harmonic coefficients, have been computed from 71 days of GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) orbit and gradiometer data by applying independent gravity field processing methods. These gravity models are one major output of the European Space Agency (ESA) project GOCE High-level Processing Facility (HPF). The processing philosophies and architectures of these three complementary methods are presented and discussed, emphasizing the specific features of the three approaches. The resulting GOCE gravity field models, representing the first models containing the novel measurement type of gravity gradiometry ever computed, are analysed and assessed in detail. Together with the coefficient estimates, full variance-covariance matrices provide error information about the coefficient solutions. A comparison with state-of-the-art GRACE and combined gravity field models reveals the additional contribution of GOCE based on only 71 days of data. Compared with combined gravity field models, large deviations appear in regions where the terrestrial gravity data are known to be of low accuracy. The GOCE performance, assessed against the GRACE-only model ITG-Grace2010s, becomes superior at degree 150, and beyond. GOCE provides significant additional information of the global Earth gravity field, with an accuracy of the 2-month GOCE gravity field models of 10?cm in terms of geoid heights, and 3?mGal in terms of gravity anomalies, globally at a resolution of 100?km (degree/order 200).     

Bahamian carbonate platform development in response to sea-level changes and the closure of the Isthmus of Panama

In this paper we show that the development of the sediment architecture at the leeward toe-of-slope of Great Bahama Bank (Ocean Drilling Project Leg 166, Bahama Transect) during the last 6 Ma is not only a response to sea-level fluctuations, but also to major paleo-oceanographic and climatic changes. A major sequence boundary close to the Miocene/Pliocene boundary (dated at 5.6-5.4 Ma) is interpreted to reflect a major sea-level drop that was followed by a sea-level rise, which led to the re-flooding of the Mediterranean Sea at the end of the Messinian and increasing sea-surface temperatures at Great Bahama Bank. Distinct erosional horizons occurred during the Pliocene (dated at 4.6 and 3.3-3.6 Ma) related to sea-level change and the intensification of the Gulf Stream when the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama reached a critical threshold. The Gulf Stream brings warm, saline and nutrient-poor waters to the Bahamas. Starting at the Early-Late Pliocene boundary at 3.6 Ma this paleo-oceanographic reorganization in combination with enhanced sea-level fluctuations associated with the Late Pliocene main intensification in Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (since 3.2 Ma) led to (1) a gradual change from a ramp-type to a flat-topped type morphology, and (2) a change from a skeletal to a non-skeletal-dominated sedimentary system (mainly peloidal). Increased sea-level fluctuations during the second half of the Pleistocene led to an intensified high stand-shedding depositional pattern within the surrounding basins.     

The Niger (I) carbonaceous chondrite and implications for the origin of aggregates and isolated olivine grains in C2 chondrites

The origin of olivine grains in C2 carbonaceous chondrites is a controversial topic: directly condensed material or detrital remnants of preexisting chondrules? This study shows that the Niger C2 meteorite is similar to Murchison but reveals several interesting features in relation to the origin of the olivine. Microprobe analysis of olivine (Si, Fe, Mg, Ca, Mn, Cr), glass and nickel-iron inclusions within the grains, and Fe-S-O phase as well as the relationships between the olivine grains in the aggregates, between the grains and the interstitial phyllosilicate matrix, between the inclusions and their host olivine grains, and the morphology of some aggregates all show that two populations of olivine coexist, probably crystallized from chondrule melts rather than by direct condensation from a solar nebula gas. The characteristics of the nickel-iron inclusions within the olivine suggest a magmatic chondrule-making stage from previously condensed materials.     

Advancing isotope-enabled hydrological modelling for ungauged calibration of data-scarce humid tropical catchments

Realistic projections of the future climate and how this translates to water availability is crucial for sustainable water resource management. However, data availability constrains the capacity to simulate streamflow and corresponding hydrological processes. Developing more robust hydrological models and methods that can circumvent the need for large amounts of hydro-climatic data is crucial to support water-related decisions, particularly in developing countries. In this study, we use natural isotope tracers in addition to hydro-climate data within a newly developed version of the spatially-distributed J2000iso as an isotope-enabled rainfall-runoff model simulating both water and stable isotope (δ²H) fluxes. We pilot the model for the humid tropical San Carlos catchment (2500 km²) in northeastern Costa Rica, which has limited time series, but spatially distributed data. The added benefit of simulating stable isotopes was assessed by comparing different amounts of observation data using three model calibration strategies (i) three streamflow gauges, (ii) three gauges with stream isotopes and (iii) isotopes only. The J2000iso achieved a streamflow Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE) of 0.55–0.70 across all the models and gauges, but differences in hydrological process simulations emerged when including stable water isotopes in the rainfall-runoff calibration. Hydrological process simulation varied between the standard J2000 rainfall-runoff model with a high simulated surface runoff proportion of 37% as opposed to the isotope version with 84%–89% simulated baseflow or interflow. The model solutions that used only isotope data for calibration exhibited differences in simulated interflow, baseflow and model performance but captured bulk water balances with a reasonable match between the simulated and observed hydrographs. We conclude that J2000iso has shown the potential to support water balance modelling for ungauged catchments using stable isotope, satellite and global reanalysis data sets.     

spartina in Mariager Fjord,Denmark: The effect on sediment parameters

The analysis of 3 subsamples from each of 12 sediment cores from a micro-tidal flat shows that spreading of Spartina effects sediment parameters. The effect diminishes with distance to vegetation.     

Simulation of damage–permeability coupling for mortar under dynamic loads

The results reported in this paper deal with the simulation of damage in cohesive geomaterials such as rocks or concrete subjected to dynamic loads. The practical objective is to stimulate the production of tight gas reservoirs with a technique that is an alternative to hydraulic fracturing. The principle is that when subjected to dynamic loads, cohesive materials such as concrete, rocks or ceramics exhibit distributed micro‐cracking as opposed to localised cracking observed under static loads. Hence, a low permeability rock containing gas trapped into occluded pores can be fragmented with the help of dynamic loads, and gas can be extracted in a much more efficient way compared with hydraulic fracturing, where only large macro cracks are formed with very few connections between occluded pores. At the stage of laboratory development of this technique, compressive underwater shock waves have been used to increase the intrinsic permeability of concrete specimens. In a previous study, pressure waves generated by pulsed arc electrohydraulic discharges in water were used in order to induce micro‐cracking and an increase of average permeability of concrete hollow cylinders subjected to confinement stresses (equivalent to geostatic stresses). We discuss here a 3‐D anisotropic constitutive model aimed at describing the dynamic response of these specimens. It is based on rate‐dependent continuum damage constitutive relations. Crack closure effects and damage‐induced anisotropy are included in the model. The directional growth of damage is related to the directional growth of material intrinsic permeability. Numerical simulations of damage induced by shock waves show good agreement with the experiments for various confinement levels of the specimens. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Point process models for fine-resolution rainfall

Abstract

In a recent development in the literature, a new temporal rainfall model, based on the Bartlett-Lewis clustering mechanism and intended for sub-hourly application, was introduced. That model replaced the rectangular rain cells of the original model with finite Poisson processes of instantaneous pulses, allowing greater variability in rainfall intensity over short intervals. In the present paper, the basic instantaneous pulse model is first extended to allow for randomly varying storm types. A systematic comparison of a number of key model variants, fitted to 5-min rainfall data from Germany, then generates further new insights into the models, leading to the development of an additional model extension, which introduces dependence between rainfall intensity and duration in a simple way. The new model retains the original rectangular cells, previously assumed inappropriate for fine-scale data, obviating the need for the computationally more intensive instantaneous pulse model.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis