The South Atlantic sub-tropical dipole mode since the last deglaciation and changes in rainfall

Climate Dynamics - The South Atlantic subtropical dipole (SASD) has an impact on South American rainfall particular during its negative phase when continental precipitation in the northern part of...     

Values,climate change,and implications for adaptation: Evidence from two communities in Labrador,Canada

Local material and symbolic values have to date remained underrepresented in climate change research and policy and this gap is particularly salient in places that have been identified as at significant risk from climate change. In such places, the dominant approach to understanding the effects of climate change has been centred on vulnerability; it has highlighted the social determinants of vulnerability and the differential and uneven distribution of effects. This approach cannot, however, illuminate the diverse and nuanced meanings people attach to specific aspects of their way of life, how the changing climate might affect these, and what this implies for adaptation. To address this gap, this empirical study uses the concept of values, defined as trans-situational conceptions of the desirable that give meaning to behaviour and events, and influence perception and interpretation of situations and events. We develop a set of values from 53 qualitative interviews in two remote communities in subarctic easternmost Canada. It draws on these values to frame how effects of climate change, specifically intangible and subjective effects, are felt, and how responses to them are imagined by those affected. The article argues that values are crucial in shaping perception of climate impacts and adaptation to them. Distinct values, such as tradition, freedom, harmony, safety, and unity shape different interpretations and meaning of impacts, and lead to distinct views on how to adapt to these. Conflicting and competing values can act as barriers to adaptation. The findings imply that adaptation research and policy need to address values explicitly if efforts for planned adaptation are to be perceived as legitimate and effective by those affected by the changing climate.     

Scattering diagrams in seismic imaging: More insights into the construction of virtual events and internal multiples

The key processes in marine seismic imaging include (i) removing from seismic data all seismic events (free-surface multiples and ghosts) which contain at least one reflection at the sea surface in their wave-propagation path, and leaving those with no reflection at the free surface (internal multiples and primaries), (ii) removing events with at least two reflections in the subsurface (internal multiples), and leaving events with only one reflection in the subsurface (primaries), and then (iii) locating the scattering points and reflectors inside the subsurface which are the sources of primaries and internal multiple events. All these processes are here explained, derived, and optimized via scattering diagrams (diagrammatica) in a way similar to the way the quantum field theory is often explained via Feynman diagrams. Our discussion of the removal of events with free-surface reflections from the data will be brief, as the diagrammatica of these events are now well understood.The main focus of this paper is the diagrammatica of internal multiples and primaries. Although these events do not contain any reflection at the sea surface, it is important to reconstruct them with scattering points near the sea surface, where seismic data are recorded. So our diagrammatica of primaries and internal multiples include events which are not directly recorded in seismic data but which can be constructed from seismic data. These events have allowed us to construct scattering diagrams of primaries and internal multiples with scattering points near the sea surface. Furthermore, these new diagrammatica of internal multiples and primaries can be used to remove internal multiples from the data.     

Synergistic effect of extreme climatic events and urbanization on population density of the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787)

The combined effects of urbanization and extreme climatic events were examined on the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata, a well‐recognized ecological indicator in sandy beaches. The effect of storm waves was assessed before and after these climate events in beaches with different levels of urbanization in the coast of Brazil, Tropical Atlantic Ocean. The number of burrows was used as a metric for the population size of O. quadrata and the number of humans along the beaches as a proxy for the urbanization level. Significant differences were recorded in this species’ population density according to the human pressure. Our core modelling approach showed that the number of O. quadrata burrows was lower after storm waves in urbanized zones, compared to non‐urbanized ones. The interaction between storm waves and urbanization impacted the number of O. quadrata burrows negatively, and suggest that species’ populations are more vulnerable to the combined effects of extreme climatic events and urbanization. Extreme events are predicted to increase in frequency in the next few decades, and may modify or impair ecosystem functioning in sandy beaches by reducing populations of the O. quadrata, an important beach scavenger, which markedly contribute to the flux of energy in coastal trophic webs.     

Long-term Regional Dynamic Sea Level Changes from CMIP6 Projections

Anthropogenic climate forcing will cause the global mean sea level to rise over the 21st century.However,regional sea level is expected to vary across ocean basins,superimposed by the influence of natural internal climate variability.Here,we address the detection of dynamic sea level(DSL)changes by combining the perspectives of a single and a multimodel ensemble approach(the 50-member CanESM5 and a 27-model ensemble,respectively,all retrieved from the CMIP6 archive),under three CMIP6 projected scenarios:SSP1-2.6,SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5.The ensemble analysis takes into account four key metrics:signal(S),noise(N),S/N ratio,and time of emergence(ToE).The results from both sets of ensembles agree in the fact that regions with higher S/N(associated with smaller uncertainties)also reflect earlier ToEs.The DSL signal is projected to emerge in the Southern Ocean,Southeast Pacific,Northwest Atlantic,and the Arctic.Results common for both sets of ensemble simulations show that while S progressively increases with increased projected emissions,N,in turn,does not vary substantially among the SSPs,suggesting that uncertainty arising from internal climate variability has little dependence on changes in the magnitude of external forcing.Projected changes are greater and quite similar for the scenarios SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5 and considerably smaller for the SSP1-2.6,highlighting the importance of public policies towards lower emission scenarios and of keeping emissions below a certain threshold.     

The role of dew as a moisture source for sand microbiotic crusts in the Negev Desert, Israel

Dew and fog were measured periodically during the years 1992–1995 at the Hallamish dune field, western Negev Desert (average annual rain precipitation ca. 95 mm). A major portion of the dunes are covered by cyanobacterial and moss-dominated microbiotic crusts. Chlorophyll- a measurements and microscopic examination were carried out in order to detect the possible changes in crust biomass and phenological changes of the mosses following the occurrence of dew and fog. Dew and/or fog were present in over 50% of the late summer and fall mornings with an average yield of 0·1 mm on cloth attached to glass plates. This corresponds to ca. 0·03 mm for the upper 0·5 cm of the crust, and is less than the 0·1 mm threshold which implies liquid water and which was also found necessary for net photosynthesis of the cyanobacterial crust. This threshold was met only during heavy dew or fog events, during which 10–40% of the crust surface area was moistened. It was estimated that dew and fog could account for upto 3·2–9·4% of the total annual time of crust wetness and consequently activity due to liquid water. Nevertheless, microscopic examination of the dominant moss species at Nizzana, Bryum dunense, disclosed phenological changes, mainly resulting in growth of vegetative reproduction organs (bulbils), and sexual organs, gametangia (antheridia and archegonia). B.dunense may thus be adapted to the utilization of dew and fog precipitation for the production of nearly mature sexual organs. The moss may thus be capable of already utilizing the first winter rains for fertilization and sporophyte formation.