Wind-driven changes in Southern Ocean residual circulation, ocean carbon reservoirs and atmospheric CO2

The effect of idealized wind-driven circulation changes in the Southern Ocean on atmospheric CO₂ and the ocean carbon inventory is investigated using a suite of coarse-resolution, global coupled ocean circulation and biogeochemistry experiments with parameterized eddy activity and only modest changes in surface buoyancy forcing, each experiment integrated for 5,000 years. A positive correlation is obtained between the meridional overturning or residual circulation in the Southern Ocean and atmospheric CO₂: stronger or northward-shifted westerly winds in the Southern Hemisphere result in increased residual circulation, greater upwelling of carbon-rich deep waters and oceanic outgassing, which increases atmospheric pCO₂ by ～20 μatm; weaker or southward-shifted winds lead to the opposing result. The ocean carbon inventory in our model varies through contrasting changes in the saturated, disequilibrium and biogenic (soft-tissue and carbonate) reservoirs, each varying by O(10–100) PgC, all of which contribute to the net anomaly in atmospheric CO₂. Increased residual overturning deepens the global pycnocline, warming the upper ocean and decreasing the saturated carbon reservoir. Increased upwelling of carbon- and nutrient-rich deep waters and inefficient biological activity results in subduction of unutilized nutrients into the ocean interior, decreasing the biogenic carbon reservoir of intermediate and mode waters ventilating the Northern Hemisphere, and making the disequilibrium carbon reservoir more positive in the mode waters due to the reduced residence time at the surface. Wind-induced changes in the model carbon inventory are dominated by the response of the global pycnocline, although there is an additional abyssal response when the peak westerly winds change their latitude, altering their proximity to Drake Passage and changing the depth extent of the southward return flow of the overturning: a northward shift of the westerly winds isolates dense isopycnals, allowing biogenic carbon to accumulate in the deep ocean of the Southern Hemisphere, while a southward shift shoals dense isopycnals that outcrop in the Southern Ocean and reduces the biogenic carbon store in the deep ocean.     

Large-Scale Temperature Changes across the Southern Andes: 20th-Century Variations in the Context of the Past 400 Years

Long-term trends of temperature variations across the southern Andes (37–55° S) are examined using a combination of instrumental and tree-ring records. A critical appraisal of surface air temperature from station records is presented for southern South America during the 20th century. For the interval 1930–1990, three major patterns in temperature trends are identified. Stations along the Pacific coast between 37 and 43° S are characterized by negative trends in mean annual temperature with a marked cooling period from 1950 to the mid-1970s. A clear warming trend is observed in the southern stations (south of 46°S), which intensifies at higher latitudes. No temperature trends are detected for the stations on the Atlantic coast north of 45° S. In contrast to higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere where annual changes in temperature are dominated by winter trends, both positive and negative trends in southern South America are due to mostly changes in summer (December to February) temperatures. Changes in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) around 1976 are felt in summer temperatures at most stations in the Pacific domain, starting a period with increased temperature across the southern Andes and at higher latitudes.Tree-ring records from upper-treeline were used to reconstruct past temperature fluctuations for the two dominant patterns over the southern Andes. These reconstructions extend back to 1640 and are based on composite tree-ring chronologies that were processed to retain as much low-frequency variance as possible. The resulting reconstructions for the northern and southern sectors of the southern Andes explain 55% and 45% ofthe temperature variance over the interval 1930–1989, respectively. Cross-spectral analysis of actual and reconstructed temperatures over the common interval 1930–1989, indicates that most of the explained varianceis at periods >10 years in length. At periods >15 years, the squaredcoherency between actual and reconstructed temperatures ranges between 0.6 and 0.95 for both reconstructions. Consequently, these reconstructions are especially useful for studying multi-decennial temperature variations in the South American sector of the Southern Hemisphere over the past 360 years. As a result, it is possible to show that the temperatures during the 20thcentury have been anomalously warm across the southern Andes. The mean annual temperatures for the northern and southern sectors during the interval 1900–1990 are 0.53 °C and 0.86 °C above the1640–1899 means, respectively. These findings placed the current warming in a longer historical perspective, and add new support for the existence of unprecedented 20th century warming over much of the globe. The rate of temperature increase from 1850 to 1920 was the highest over the past 360 years, a common feature observed in several proxy records from higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere.Local temperature regimes are affected by changes in planetary circulation, with in turn are linked to global sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. Therefore, we explored how temperature variations in the southern Andes since 1856 are related to large-scale SSTs on the South Pacific and South Atlantic Oceans. Spatial correlation patterns between the reconstructions and SSTs show that temperature variations in the northern sector of the southern Andes are strongly connected with SST anomalies in the tropical and subtropical Pacific. This spatial correlation pattern resembles the spatial signature of the PDO mode of SST variability over the South Pacific and is connected with the Pacific-South American (PSA) atmospheric pattern in the Southern Hemisphere. In contrast, temperature variations in the southern sector of the southern Andes are significantly correlated with SST anomalies over most of the South Atlantic, and in less degree, over the subtropical Pacific. This spatial correlation field regressed against SST resembles the `Global Warming' mode of SST variability, which in turn, is linked to the leading mode of circulation in the Southern Hemisphere. Certainly, part of the temperature signal present in the reconstructions can be expressed as a linear combination of four orthogonal modes of SST variability. Rotated empirical orthogonal function analysis, performed on SST across the South Pacific and South Atlantic Oceans, indicate that four discrete modes of SST variability explain a third, approximately, of total variance in temperature fluctuations across the southern Andes.     

A Two-Dimensional Numerical Study of the Impact of a City on Atmospheric Circulation and Pollutant Dispersion in a Coastal Environment

The urban impact on the sea breeze is studied by means of a mesoscale model with a detailed urban parameterisation. Four simulations are carried out on an idealised two-dimensional flat domain. In the base case, half of the domain is characterised by seaand the other half by rural land. In the urban case, an urban area 10 km wide is added near the shoreline. Simulations are performed for a moist rural soil (weak sea breeze) and for a dry rural soil (strong sea breeze). Results are analysed in order to evaluate the impact of the city on the wind, temperature and turbulent kinetic energy fields. The dispersion of a passive tracer emitted near the coastline is, also, used in the comparison. Results show that the city accelerates the sea-breeze formation in the morning (combinations of urban circulation and sea breeze), but it slows thesea-breeze front penetration. Moreover, the presence of the city enhances the recirculation processes and strongly modifies the pollutant dispersion. These effects are enhanced for a moist rural soil.     

CFD simulation of airflow over a regular array of cubes. Part I: Three-dimensional simulation of the flow and validation with wind-tunnel measurements

Air flow inside an array of cubes is simulated. Cubes (edge length 0.15 m) are arranged in a regular array, separated by 0.15 m in the streamwise and spanwise directions. Numerical simulations are performed based on Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations (RANS), solved in a computational fluid dynamics model (CFD), with standard k–ε turbulent closure (two prognostic equations are solved for the turbulent kinetic energy k and its dissipation ε, respectively). Simulations are validated against wind-tunnel data using a technique based on hit-rate calculations, and calculated statistical parameters. The results show that the horizontal velocity is very well modelled, and despite some discrepancies, the model that fulfils the hit-rate test criteria gives useful results that are used to investigate three-dimensional (3-D) flow structures. The 3-D analysis of the flow shows interesting patterns: the centre of the canyon vortex is at 3/4 of the canyon height, and stronger downward than upward motions are present within the canyon. Such behaviour is explained by the presence of a compensation flow through the side of the canyon, which enters the canyon from the upper part and exits from the lower part. This complex 3-D structure affects the tracer dispersion, and is responsible for pollutant transport and diffusion.     

Particle-size distribution of inorganic water soluble ions in the venezuelan savannah atmosphere during burning and nonburning periods

The results presented are the first complete analysis of inorganic soluble ions in a tropical savannah region. Atmospheric particles were collected in six rural Venezuelan savannah sites. Concentrations and size distribution of NO₃ ^–, SO₄ ^2-, CI^–, PO₄ ^3-, NH₄ ⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ were determined in samples collected with Hi Vol samplers equipped with five-stage cascade impactors. Concentrations were higher in the dry season, with a maximum during the burning periods. Using Na⁺ as a reference, the results show a deficit of Cl^– and, with the exception of Mg²⁺, an enrichment of all other ions with respect to marine aerosols. Significant variations were observed in particle-size distribution between different periods. Various pairs of ions present similar size distributions: SO₄ ^2- and NH₄ ⁺; Cl^– and Na⁺; PO₄ ^3- and K⁺; Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and NO₃ ^–; indicating that the ions were produced by the same source and/or were involved in similar atmospheric processes. Possible primary sources, the gas-to-particle atmospheric process, environmental implication of long-range transport of nutrients during dry seasons, etc., are discussed.     

Streamwise Versus Spanwise Spacing of Obstacle Arrays: Parametrization of the Effects on Drag and Turbulence

A Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes model is used to investigate the evolution of the sectional drag coefficient and turbulent length scales with the layouts of aligned arrays of cubes. Results show that the sectional drag coefficient is determined by the non-dimensional streamwise distance (sheltering parameter), and the non-dimensional spanwise distance (channelling parameter) between obstacles. This is different than previous approaches that consider only plan area density $(\lambda _\mathrm{p})$ . On the other hand, turbulent length scales behave similarly to the staggered case (e. g. they are function of $\lambda _\mathrm{p}$ only). Analytical formulae are proposed for the length scales and for the sectional drag coefficient as a function of sheltering and channelling parameters, and implemented in a column model. This approach demonstrates good skill in the prediction of vertical profiles of the spatially-averaged horizontal wind speed.     

Combined effect of pulse density and grid cell size on predicting and mapping aboveground carbon in fast-growing Eucalyptus forest plantation using airborne LiDAR data

Background

LiDAR remote sensing is a rapidly evolving technology for quantifying a variety of forest attributes, including aboveground carbon (AGC). Pulse density influences the acquisition cost of LiDAR, and grid cell size influences AGC prediction using plot-based methods; however, little work has evaluated the effects of LiDAR pulse density and cell size for predicting and mapping AGC in fast-growing Eucalyptus forest plantations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of LiDAR pulse density and grid cell size on AGC prediction accuracy at plot and stand-levels using airborne LiDAR and field data. We used the Random Forest (RF) machine learning algorithm to model AGC using LiDAR-derived metrics from LiDAR collections of 5 and 10 pulses m^?2 (RF5 and RF10) and grid cell sizes of 5, 10, 15 and 20 m.

Results

The results show that LiDAR pulse density of 5 pulses m^?2 provides metrics with similar prediction accuracy for AGC as when using a dataset with 10 pulses m^?2 in these fast-growing plantations. Relative root mean square errors (RMSEs) for the RF5 and RF10 were 6.14 and 6.01%, respectively. Equivalence tests showed that the predicted AGC from the training and validation models were equivalent to the observed AGC measurements. The grid cell sizes for mapping ranging from 5 to 20 also did not significantly affect the prediction accuracy of AGC at stand level in this system.

Conclusion

LiDAR measurements can be used to predict and map AGC across variable-age Eucalyptus plantations with adequate levels of precision and accuracy using 5 pulses m^?2 and a grid cell size of 5 m. The promising results for AGC modeling in this study will allow for greater confidence in comparing AGC estimates with varying LiDAR sampling densities for Eucalyptus plantations and assist in decision making towards more cost effective and efficient forest inventory.

     

Occurrence of phlogopite in the Finero Mafic layered complex

Phlogopite-bearing lithologies are the main constituent of the Phlogopite-Peridotite unit of the Finero sequence and the result of pervasive migration of metasomatizing melts/fluids. Conversely, the presence of phlogopite within the associated Finero Mafic Complex, a mafic-ultramafic pluton intruded into the metamorphic basement of the Adria plate, is mentioned in literature as rare. Recent detailed fieldwork has evidenced the presence of two distinct phlogopite-rich ultramafic lithologies within the Amphibole-Peridotite unit of the Finero Mafic Complex, where phlogopite is always associated with amphibole. Field and petrographic features of these occurrences, as well as major- and trace-element mineral chemistry, are here presented to i) place constraints on the nature of the parent melt from which they have been generated and ii) to address their relationship with the other lithologies of the Finero Complex. We find that these rocks were formed by late melt migrations along shear zones under high-T conditions. The geochemical affinity of these lithologies is different to the tholeiitic-transitional affinity reported in literature for the Finero Mafic Complex. The enrichment in LREE, Th, U and Sr of the associated amphibole possibly suggests that these phlogopite-bearing lithologies are genetically related to the metasomatic events that have affected the Finero mantle massif.     

Diffusive fractionation of U-series radionuclides during mantle melting and shallow-level melt-cumulate interaction

U-series radioactive disequilibria in basaltic lavas have been used to infer many important aspects of melt generation and extraction processes in Earth’s mantle and crust, including the porosity of the melting zone, the solid mantle upwelling rate, and the melt transport rate. Most of these inferences have been based on simplified theoretical treatments of the fractionation process, which assume equilibrium partitioning of U-series nuclides among minerals and melt. We have developed a numerical model in which solid-state diffusion controls the exchange of U-series nuclides among multiple minerals and melt. First the initial steady-state distribution of nuclides among the phases, which represents a balance between diffusive fluxes and radioactive production and decay, is calculated. Next, partial melting begins, or a foreign melt is introduced into the system, and nuclides are again redistributed among the phases via diffusion. U-series nuclides can be separated during this stage due to differences in their diffusivity; radium in particular, and possibly protactinium as well, can be strongly fractionated from slower-diffusing thorium and uranium. We show that two distinct processes are not required for the generation of ²²⁶Ra and ²³⁰Th excesses in mid-ocean ridge basalts, as has been argued previously; instead the observed negative correlations of the (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th) activity ratio with (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) and with the extent of trace element enrichment may result from diffusive fractionation of Ra from Th during partial melting of the mantle. Alternatively, the (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th) disequilibrium in mid-ocean ridge basalts may result from diffusive fractionation during shallow-level interaction of mantle melts with gabbroic cumulates, and we show that the results of the interaction have a weak dependence on the age of the cumulate if both plagioclase and clinopyroxene are present.