Jason Microwave Radiometer Performance and On-Orbit Calibration

Results are presented from the on-orbit calibration of the Jason Microwave Radiometer (JMR). The JMR brightness temperatures (TBs) are calibrated at the hottest and coldest ends of the instrument's dynamic range, using Amazon rain forest and vicarious cold on-Earth theoretical brightness temperature references. The retrieved path delay values are validated using collocated TOPEX Microwave Radiometer and Radiosonde Observation path delay (PD) values. Offsets of 1-4 K in the JMR TBs and 8-12 mm in the JMR PDs, relative to TMR measurements, were initially observed. There were also initial TB offsets of 2 K between the satellite's yaw state. The calibration was adjusted by tuning coefficients in the antenna temperature calibration algorithm and the antenna pattern correction algorithm. The calibrated path delay values are demonstrated to have no significant bias or scale errors with consistent performance in all nonprecipitating weather conditions. The uncertainty of the individual path delay measurements is estimated to be 0.74 cm ± 0.15, which exceeds the mission goal of 1.2 cm RMS.     

Testing and calibrating parametric wave transformation models on natural beaches

To provide coastal engineers and scientists with a detailed inter-comparison of widely used parametric wave transformation models, several models are tested and calibrated with extensive observations from six field experiments on barred and unbarred beaches. Using previously calibrated (“default”) values of a free parameter γ, all models predict the observations reasonably well (median root-mean-square wave height errors are between 10% and 20%) at all field sites. Model errors can be reduced by roughly 50% by tuning γ for each data record. No tuned or default model provides the best predictions for all data records or at all experiments. Tuned γ differ for the different models and experiments, but in all cases γ increases as the hyperbolic tangent of the deep-water wave height, H_o. Data from two experiments are used to estimate empirical, universal curves for γ based on H_o. Using the new parameterization, all models have similar accuracy, and usually show increased skill relative to using default γ.     

Entanglement of Antarctic fur seals at Bouvetøya, Southern Ocean

Entanglements of Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella were recorded during four summers from 1996 to 2002 at the subantarctic island, Bouvetøya. Rates of entanglement varied between 0.024% and 0.059%. These rates are low for a pinniped population and might be because of the geographic isolation of the haulout site. An apparent decrease in the levels of entanglement over the course of the study was likely due, at least in part, to the removal of entanglements by observers. At least two-thirds of entangling materials were generated by fishery sources. Since there is no known local source of anthropogenic marine pollution, seals become entangled either in waters distant from the island, or when materials drift into local waters. Significantly more subadults were found entangled than expected from the postulated population age class distribution.     

Trends in fog frequencies in the Los Angeles Basin

Data from throughout the Los Angeles area were examined to determine the horizontal distribution of dense fog (visibility < 400 m) in the region and trends over time. The relationship between the occurrence of dense fog to the phase of two atmosphere–ocean cycles: the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) measured by the PDO Index and the Southern Oscillation measured by the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) was investigated. In addition, the influence of the urban heat island and the amount of suspended particulate matter were assessed. For the three stations that had 22 or more years of data, we examined trends and the relation to atmosphere–ocean cycles. Results show a decrease in the occurrence of very low visibilities (< 400 m) at the stations in close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Long Beach International Airport (LGB). Occurrence of the frequency of low visibilities at these two locations was also highly correlated with the phase of the PDO. Only a weak, non-statistically significant relationship was seen with the SOI. At Burbank, a reporting station about 30 km from the ocean, no trends were noted, and there was no evidence of a correlation with either the PDO Index or the SOI. In the Los Angeles Central Business District (CBD) when comparing dense fog occurrence in the early 1960s to a similar period in the early 2000s we saw a decrease in dense fog from a mean of 10 h per year to a mean of 3 h per year. Also contributing to the decrease was decreasing particulate pollution and increased urban warming. A downward trend in particulate concentrations coupled with an upward trend in urban temperatures were associated with a decrease in dense fog occurrence at both LAX and LGB. These trends were evident for the period 1966–1997, but appear to have ended by the late 1990s.     

A model to predict stream water temperature across the conterminous USA

Stream water temperature (t_s) is a critical water quality parameter for aquatic ecosystems. However, t_s records are sparse or nonexistent in many river systems. In this work, we present an empirical model to predict t_s at the site scale across the USA. The model, derived using data from 171 reference sites selected from the Geospatial Attributes of Gages for Evaluating Streamflow database, describes the linear relationship between monthly mean air temperature (t_a) and t_s. Multiple linear regression models are used to predict the slope (m) and intercept (b) of the t_a–t_s linear relation as a function of climatic, hydrologic and land cover characteristics. Model performance to predict t_s resulted in a mean Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient of 0.78 across all sites. Application of the model to predict t_s at additional 89 nonreference sites with a higher human alteration yielded a mean Nash–Sutcliffe value of 0.45. We also analysed seasonal thermal sensitivity (m) and found strong hysteresis in the t_a–t_s relation. Drainage area exerts a strong control on m in all seasons, whereas the cooling effect of groundwater was only evident for the spring and fall seasons. However, groundwater contributions are negatively related to mean t_s in all seasons. Finally, we found that elevation and mean basin slope are negatively related to mean t_s in all seasons, indicating that steep basins tend to stay cooler because of shorter residence times to gain heat from their surroundings. This model can potentially be used to predict climate change impacts on t_s across the USA. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and their hydroxylated/methoxylated analogs: environmental sources, metabolic relationships, and relative toxicities

Brominated compounds are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment. The polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants are anthropogenic compounds of concern. Studies suggest that PBDEs can be biotransformed to hydroxylated brominated diphenyl ethers (OH-BDE). However, the rate of OH-BDE formation observed has been extremely small. OH-BDEs have also been identified as natural compounds produced by some marine invertebrates. Another class of compounds, the methoxylated BDEs (MeO-BDEs), has also been identified as natural compounds in the marine environment. Both the OH-BDEs and MeO-BDEs bioaccumulate in higher marine organisms. Recent studies have demonstrated that MeO-BDEs can be biotransformed to OH-BDEs and this generates greater amounts of OH-BDEs than could be generated from PBDEs. Consequently, MeO-BDEs likely represent the primary source of metabolically derived OH-BDEs. Given that for some endpoints OH-BDEs often exhibit greater toxicity compared to PBDEs, it is prudent to consider OH-BDEs as chemicals of concern, despite their seemingly "natural" origins.     

Context-Dependent Eelgrass–Macroalgae Interactions Along an Estuarine Gradient in the Pacific Northwest,USA

Land-based eutrophication is often associated with blooms of green macroalgae, resulting in negative impacts on seagrasses. The generality of this interaction has not been studied in upwelling-influenced estuaries where oceanic nutrients dominate seasonally. We conducted an observational and experimental study with Zostera marina L. and ulvoid macroalgae across an estuarine gradient in Coos Bay, Oregon. We found a gradient in mean summer macroalgal biomass from 56.1 g dw 0.25 m⁻² at the marine site to 0.3 g dw 0.25 m⁻² at the riverine site. Despite large macroalgal blooms at the marine site, eelgrass biomass exhibited no seasonal or interannual declines. Through experimental manipulations, we found that pulsed additions of macroalgae biomass (+4,000 mL) did not affect eelgrass in marine areas, but it had negative effects in riverine areas. In upwelling-influenced estuaries, the negative effects of macroalgal blooms are context dependent, affecting the management of seagrass habitats subject to nutrient inputs from both land and sea.     

Temporal and vertical distribution of crab larvae in a tidal pass

We investigated the vertical and temporal distributions of portunid zoea andCallinectes megalopae in a tidal pass of the Texas coast. Zoea were equally abundant on ebb and flood tide but were more abundant during the day than at night. Megalopae were more abundant during flood tide and at night than during ebb tide or during the day. We examined the evidence for selective tidal stream transport in both life-history stages. Depth of the centers of mass of the larval distributions and the dispersions around those centers were unrelated to temperature, salinity, current velocity, and time of day. Scaling arguments suggest that the absence of pattern in the vertical distributions was not due to turbulent mixing. There was little evidence that either larval stage used these environmental characteristics as cues for changes in behaviour. However, the presence of megalopae in the water column primarily during flood tide does support the tidal transport hypothesis. Megalopae may have difficulty sensing and reacting to environmental cues in wellmixed estuaries with semidiurnal tides.     

Variations in geometric measures of topographic surfaces underlain by fractured granitic plutons

Silicate melts impose systematic fracture patterns on their hosts and their own subsolidus portions as they crystallize and cool to ambient conditions. Weathering of these plutonic bodies accentuates the fractures and produces fragmented topographic surfaces whose geometric measures exceed those of a Euclidean surface. Because geometric measures of these surfaces are potentially indicative of the percolation properties of the fracture network, contours and vertical sections were digitized from 1250000 and 1240000 scale maps, and their statistical fractal dimensions,D, were computed. Regions underlain by granitic plutons with similar fragmentation patterns were found to haveD values ranging from 1.15 to 1.28 within a single pluton. This range of values is caused by noise and several geologic factors. The values contain noise introduced by the map-making and digitizing procedures that amounts toD1.05. However all values lie well above this threshold, and they correlate closely with local differences in weathering. SmallerD values derive from contours where accumulation of screen or glacial erosion has smoothed the surface, whereas largerD values derive from contours along aretes and in unglaciated terrains. In each of these regions, largerD values occur locally where fractures are most frequent and/or continuous. LargeD values were also derived from regions underlain by host rocks that lie in the near-field region of the stress field caused by the pluton. The fractral values derived are apparently related to the magma-hydrothermal event, they can potentially be used to derive properties of the percolation networks that were active during the hydrothermal events.