On wave motions in a tropical spectral experiment

An attempt is made to use the barotropic vorticity equation in spectral form in order to study barotropic instability when the basic current has east-west quasi-stationary asymmetries on the scale of long waves. This is done by expressing the spectral equations in three different ways. In the first experiment a 9-component system is integrated and the long waves are allowed to propagate freely. In the second experiment the long waves are constrained to propagate slowly and in the third experiment, they are removed altogether.The motivation behind the present investigation is due to observations made in the motion fields of the tropics. These are characterized by quasi-stationary long waves and very energetically active and propagating short waves.The presence of quasi-stationary long waves seems to enhance the energy exchanges between the short waves and the mean zonal current and also allow for larger energy values for the short waves. Long term integration (90 days) shows a 6-day mode in thev time spectra at latitude 10°N and a 15-day mode in theu time spectra at individual grid points in the equatorial latitudes. Any possible connection between this peak and the observed peak of 15 days in the completely different physics of Kelvin waves is left as a conjecture.     

Distribution of222Rn over the north Pacific: Implications for continental influences

The atmospheric distribution of²²²Rn over the north Pacific is simulated with a three-dimensional chemical tracer model using meteorological input from the NASA-GISS general circulation model (4°×5° resolution). Radon-222 (half-life 3.8 days) is a tracer of continental air. Model results are in good agreement with measurements from ships and aircraft. Strong Asian influence is found throughout the tropospheric column over the north Pacific in spring, reflecting a combination of frequent convection over the continent, strong westerly winds at altitude, and subsidence over the ocean. In summer, the upper troposphere over the north Pacific is heavily affected by deep convection over China; however, Asian influences at the surface are then at their yearly minimum. In winter, strong Asian influence is found near the surface but not at high altitudes. Transport of American air over the Pacific is important only at low latitudes. American sources account for 11% of total²²²Rn in the model at Midway, 30% at Mauna Loa and 59% at Oahu. Results for Hawaii indicate two seasonal peaks of American influence, one in summer and one in winter. The tropical western Pacific is particularly remote from continental influences year round.     

Combined thermodynamic and rare earth element modelling of garnet growth during subduction: Examples from ultrahigh-pressure eclogite of the Western Gneiss Region, Norway

Major and trace element zonation patterns were determined in ultrahigh-pressure eclogite garnets from the Western Gneiss Region (Norway). All investigated garnets show multiple growth zones and preserve complex growth zonation patterns with respect to both major and rare earth elements (REE). Due to chemical differences of the host rocks two types of major element compositional zonation patterns occur: (1) abrupt, step-like compositional changes corresponding with the growth zones and (2) compositionally homogeneous interiors, independent of growth zones, followed by abrupt chemical changes towards the rims. Despite differences in major element zonation, the REE patterns are almost identical in all garnets and can be divided into four distinct zones with characteristic patterns.In order to interpret the major and trace element distribution and zoning patterns in terms of the subduction history of the rocks, we combined thermodynamic forward models for appropriate bulk rock compositions to yield molar proportions and major element compositions of stable phases along the inferred pressure-temperature path with a mass balance distribution of REEs among the calculated stable phases during high pressure metamorphism. Our thermodynamic forward models reproduce the complex major element zonation patterns and growth zones in the natural garnets, with garnet growth predicted during four different reaction stages: (1) chlorite breakdown, (2) epidote breakdown, (3) amphibole breakdown and (4) reduction in molar clinopyroxene at ultrahigh-pressure conditions.Mass-balance of the rare earth element distribution among the modelled stable phases yielded characteristic zonation patterns in garnet that closely resemble those in the natural samples. Garnet growth and trace element incorporation occurred in near thermodynamic equilibrium with matrix phases during subduction. The rare earth element patterns in garnet exhibit distinct enrichment zones that fingerprint the minerals involved in the garnet-forming reactions as well as local peaks that can be explained by fractionation effects and changes in the mineral assemblage.     

The simulation of European heat waves from an ensemble of regional climate models within the EURO-CORDEX project

The ability of a large ensemble of regional climate models to accurately simulate heat waves at the regional scale of Europe was evaluated. Within the EURO-CORDEX project, several state-of-the art models, including non-hydrostatic meso-scale models, were run for an extended time period (20 years) at high resolution (12 km), over a large domain allowing for the first time the simultaneous representation of atmospheric phenomena over a large range of spatial scales. Eight models were run in this configuration, and thirteen models were run at a classical resolution of 50 km. The models were driven with the same boundary conditions, the ERA-Interim re-analysis, and except for one simulation, no observations were assimilated in the inner domain. Results, which are compared with daily temperature and precipitation observations (ECA&D and E-OBS data sets) show that, even forced by the same re-analysis, the ensemble exhibits a large spread. A preliminary analysis of the sources of spread, using in particular simulations of the same model with different parameterizations, shows that the simulation of hot temperature is primarily sensitive to the convection and the microphysics schemes, which affect incoming energy and the Bowen ratio. Further, most models exhibit an overestimation of summertime temperature extremes in Mediterranean regions and an underestimation over Scandinavia. Even after bias removal, the simulated heat wave events were found to be too persistent, but a higher resolution reduced this deficiency. The amplitude of events as well as the variability beyond the 90th percentile threshold were found to be too strong in almost all simulations and increasing resolution did not generally improve this deficiency. Resolution increase was also shown to induce large-scale 90th percentile warming or cooling for some models, with beneficial or detrimental effects on the overall biases. Even though full causality cannot be established on the basis of this evaluation work, the drivers of such regional differences were shown to be linked to changes in precipitation due to resolution changes, affecting the energy partitioning. Finally, the inter-annual sequence of hot summers over central/southern Europe was found to be fairly well simulated in most experiments despite an overestimation of the number of hot days and of the variability. The accurate simulation of inter-annual variability for a few models is independent of the model bias. This indicates that internal variability of high summer temperatures should not play a major role in controlling inter-annual variability. Despite some improvements, especially along coastlines, the analyses conducted here did not allow us to generally conclude that a higher resolution is clearly beneficial for a correct representation of heat waves by regional climate models. Even though local-scale feedbacks should be better represented at high resolution, combinations of parameterizations have to be improved or adapted accordingly.     

Mapping the vulnerability of European summer tourism under 2 °C global warming

Summer tourism is one of the most important contributors to the European GDP especially for the southern countries and is highly dependent on the climatic conditions. Changes in average climatic conditions, along with the potential subsequent changes in the physical environment, will pose stress on the favorability of the climate of European destinations for tourism and recreational activities. Here, we study the vulnerability of summer-oriented tourism due to a global temperature increase by 2 °C relative to the preindustrial era. We use a well-defined framework of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity indicators for a set of plausible climate (RCPs) and socioeconomic (SSPs) combinations. Our result shows that a 2 °C global warming will pose substantial changes to the vulnerability of the European tourism sector. Despite the general increase in exposure, the vulnerability of summer tourism is highly depended on the socioeconomic developments (SSPs). Although exposure is higher for most of the popular southern European destinations like Spain, France, South Italy, southernmost Greece, and Cyprus, they are expected to be less vulnerable than others, under specific SSPs, due to their higher capacity to adapt to a different climate. The capacity to adapt is lower for higher emission scenarios. Substantial changes are also apparent at the subnational level. Countries like France are foreseen to experience very diverse impacts and vulnerabilities within their own territories that will have consequences in terms of domestic tourism. The dynamics of these changes are expected to alter the state of the current European tourism regime.     

The occurrence of bisulfite-aldehyde addition products in fog- and cloudwater

Elevated concentrations of S(IV) and formaldehyde were observed in fog- and cloudwater at sites in California. The highest concentrations (up to 3 mM S(IV) and 0.7 mM CH₂O) were measured at Bakersfield, during a prolonged period of repeated fog. In Bakersfield [S(IV)] generally exceeded [CH₂O], while in the Los Angeles area the reverse was observed. The lowest concentrations of both species were observed at marine and high altitude sites away from local emissions. Equilibrium computations indicate that high concentrations of S(IV) cannot be achieved without the formation of S(IV)-RCHO adducts.     

Flow at high Reynolds numbers through anisotropic porous media

An approximate expression is developed for the relationship between the hydraulic gradient (J), the specific discharge (q) and fluid and porous matrix properties in the case of saturated, steady and uniform (macroscopic) flow of a Newtonian liquid at high Reynolds numbers through a homogeneous anisotropic porous medium:

$\text{g}\text{J}\text{=(v}\text{w}{}^{\mathrm{(2)}}\text{+}\text{B}{}^{\mathrm{(4)}}\text{:}\text{qq}\text{/q+}\text{C}{}^{\mathrm{(3)}}\text{·}\text{q}\text{)·}\text{q}$

In this expression, the tensors w⁽²⁾, B⁽⁴⁾ and C⁽³⁾ denote properties of the solid matrix only. The tensors W⁽²⁾, and C⁽³⁾ are symmetrical; the tensor B⁽⁴⁾ is symmetrical only in the first and last pairs of indices. It seems that no mathematical expression with a finite number of parameters exists, which can serve as a universal exact expression for the sought relationship between J and q.     

Overcoming Challenges Associated with the Analysis of Nacre by Atom Probe Tomography

In this study atom probe tomography was used to study nacre, an important biocomposite material that is challenging to prepare and analyse by atom probe and, when successful, yields data that is challenging to interpret. It was found that these challenges mainly arise from the insulating and heterogeneous nano‐scale properties of nacre. We outline our current best practice for preparing and running atom probe tips, such as using a low acceleration voltage (< 3 kV) and current (≤ 50 pA) to avoid damage to the microstructure, and using transmission electron microscopy to confirm that the region of interest is located close to the apex of the atom probe tip. Optimisation of the preparation parameters led to several successful atom probe experiments, with one of the data sets containing part of an organic membrane and others showing organic inclusions within the reconstruction.     

Constraining input and output fluxes of the southern-central Chile subduction zone: water,chlorine and sulfur

In this paper, we constrain the input and output fluxes of H₂O, Cl and S into the southern-central Chilean subduction zone (31°S–46°S). We determine the input flux by calculating the amounts of water, chlorine and sulfur that are carried into the subduction zone in subducted sediments, igneous crust and hydrated lithospheric mantle. The applied models take into account that latitudinal variations in the subducting Nazca plate impact the crustal porosity and the degree of upper mantle serpentinization and thus water storage in the crust and mantle. In another step, we constrain the output fluxes of the subduction zone both to the subcontinental lithospheric mantle and to the atmosphere–geosphere–ocean by the combined use of gas flux determinations at the volcanic arc, volume calculations of volcanic rocks and the combination of mineralogical and geothermal models of the subduction zone. The calculations indicate that about 68 Tg/m/Ma of water enters the subduction zone, as averaged over its total length of 1,480 km. The volcanic output on the other hand accounts for 2 Tg/m/Ma or 3 % of that input. We presume that a large fraction of the volatiles that are captured within the subducting sediments (which accounts for roughly one-third of the input) are cycled back into the ocean through the forearc. This assumption is however questioned by the present lack of evidence for major venting systems of the submarine forearc. The largest part of the water that is carried into the subduction zone in the crust and hydrated mantle (accounting for two-thirds of the input) appears to be transported beyond the volcanic arc.