Seasonality and duration in extreme value distributions of significant wave height

This paper presents a statistical model to characterize the long-term extreme value distribution of significant wave height, conditioning to the duration of the storm and accounting for seasonality. A time-dependent version of the peak over threshold (POT) approach is used to build the model, which is then applied to specific reanalysis time series and NOAA buoy records. The model considers the annual and semiannual cycles which are parameterized in terms of harmonic functions. The inclusion of seasonal variabilities substantially reduces the residuals of the fitted model. The information obtained in this study can be useful to design maritime works, because (a) the model improves the understanding of the variability of extreme wave climate along a year and (b) the model accounts for the duration of the storm, which is a key parameter in several formulations for rubble mound breakwater design.     

Uncertainties associated with Ra and Ra measurements in water via a Delayed Coincidence Counter (RaDeCC)

The short-lived radium isotopes, ²²³Ra (T_1/2 = 11.4 days) and ²²⁴Ra (T_1/2 = 3.66 days), have been successfully used as tracers of several environmental processes, e.g., submarine groundwater discharge, coastal mixing processes, and water residence times. In this paper, the uncertainties associated with ²²³Ra and ²²⁴Ra measurements using a Radium Delayed Coincidence Counter are determined on a detailed error propagation basis with a confidence interval of 1σ. From the data analyses of several groups of coastal water samples, the calculated relative uncertainties averaged 12% for the ²²³Ra and 7% for the ²²⁴Ra. These uncertainties can decrease for radium-enriched groundwater samples although asymptotic limits have been found at 7% relative uncertainty for ²²³Ra and 4% for ²²⁴Ra. In this paper, the influence of sampling and measurement parameters on the final radium uncertainties is evaluated in order to provide guidance to optimize these factors and obtain more reliable results.     

Network analysis to inform invasive species spread among lakes

Often facilitated by human-mediated pathways,aquatic invasive species are a threat to the health and biodiversity of global ecosystems.We present a novel approach incorporating survey data of watercraft movement in a social network analysis to reconstruct potential pathways of aquatic invasive species spread between lakes.As an example,we use the green alga Nitellopsis obtusa,also known as starry stonewort,an aquatic invasive species affecting the Great Lakes region in the United States and Canada.The movement of algal fragments via human-mediated pathways(i.e.,watercraft)has been hypothesized as the primary driver of starry stonewort invasion.We used survey data collected at boat ramps during the 2013 and 2014 openwater seasons to describe the flow of watercraft from Lake Koronis,where N.obtusa was first detected in Minnesota,to other lakes in the state.Our results suggest that the risk of N.obtusa expansion is not highly constrained by geographic proximity and management efforts should consider highly connected lakes.Estimating human movement via network analysis may help to explain past and future routes of aquatic invasive species infestation between lakes and can improve evidence-based prevention and control efforts.     

Network analysis to inform invasive species spread among lakes

Often facilitated by human-mediated pathways,aquatic invasive species are a threat to the health and biodiversity of global ecosystems.We present a novel approach incorporating survey data of watercraft movement in a social network analysis to reconstruct potential pathways of aquatic invasive species spread between lakes.As an example,we use the green alga Nitellopsis obtusa,also known as starry stonewort,an aquatic invasive species affecting the Great Lakes region in the United States and Canada.The movement of algal fragments via human-mediated pathways(i.e.,watercraft)has been hypothesized as the primary driver of starry stonewort invasion.We used survey data collected at boat ramps during the 2013 and 2014 openwater seasons to describe the flow of watercraft from Lake Koronis,where N.obtusa was first detected in Minnesota,to other lakes in the state.Our results suggest that the risk of N.obtusa expansion is not highly constrained by geographic proximity and management efforts should consider highly connected lakes.Estimating human movement via network analysis may help to explain past and future routes of aquatic invasive species infestation between lakes and can improve evidence-based prevention and control efforts.     

Studies of Sedimentary Matter Fluxes along a Long-Term Transoceanic Transect in the North Atlantic and Arctic Interaction Area

Oceanology - New data are presented on sedimentary matter fluxes and its main components along a meridional transect (59°30′ N) in the North Atlantic under the effect of multidirectional...     

Estimation of the Contribution of Different Mechanisms to the Phase Evolution of Quasi-Biennial Oscillation Using the Results of Climate Simulation

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - For the evolution equation, a technique is proposed to estimate the contribution of different terms to a phase change during oscillations of different...     

Atmospheric Loading Displacements

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - A method for calculating of the Earth’s surface displacements due to atmospheric loading effect is presented. The load displacements are...     

Phase Shift between Changes in Global Temperature and Atmospheric CO2 Content under External Emissions of Greenhouse Gases into the Atmosphere

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The phase shift between changes in the global surface temperature Tg and atmospheric CO2 content $${{q}_{{{\text{C}}{{{\text{O}}}_{2}}}}}$$ has been...     

Tsunami Hazard Assessment on the Egyptian Coast of the Mediterranean

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Tsunami forecast possibilities for areas with a small base of historical tsunamis have been discussed using the Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment...     

Anomalous Decimeter Radio Noise from the Region of the Atmospheric Front: I. Characteristics of the Detected Radio Noise and Meteorological Parameters of the Frontal Cloudiness

An extraordinary experimental fact is presented and analyzed, namely, a rather intense broadband radio noise detected during the passage of an atmospheric front through the field of view of UHF antennas. Local atmospheric properties and possible sources of the extraordinary noise, including the thermal noise from cloudiness and extra-atmospheric sources, are considered. A conclusion is made about the presence of an additional nonthermal source of radio noise in the frontal cloudiness. According to the proposed hypothesis, these are multiple electric microdicharges on hydrometeors in the convective cloud.