Local meteoric water lines describe extratropical precipitation

Stable water isotopes δ¹⁸O and δ²H are used to investigate precipitation trends and storm dynamics to advance knowledge of precipitation patterns in a warming world. Herein, δ¹⁸O and δ²H were used to determine the relationship between extratropical cyclonic precipitation and local meteoric water lines (LMWLs) in the eastern Ohio Valley and the eastern United States. Precipitation volume weighted and unweighted central Ohio LMWLs, created with samples collected during 2012–2018, showed that temperature had the greatest effect on precipitation isotopic composition. HYSPLIT back trajectory modelling showed that precipitation was primarily derived from a mid-continental moisture source. Remnants of major hurricanes were collected as extratropical precipitation during the 2012–2018 sampling period in central Ohio. Extratropical precipitation samples were not significantly different from the samples that created the central Ohio LMWL. Six additional LMWLs were derived from United States Geological Survey (USGS) Atmospheric Integrated Research Monitoring Network (AIRMoN) samples collected in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Tennessee, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Oxford, Ohio. Meteoric water lines describing published samples from Superstorm Sandy, plotted with these AIRMoN LMWLs, showed isotopic composition of Superstorm Sandy precipitation was commonly more depleted than the average isotopic composition at the mid-latitude locations. Meteoric water lines describing the Superstorm Sandy precipitation were not significantly different in slope from LMWLs generated within 300 km of the USGS AIRMoN site. This finding, which was observed across the eastern Ohio Valley and eastern United States, demonstrated a consistent precipitation δ²H–δ¹⁸O relationship for extratropical cyclonic and non-cyclonic events. This work also facilitates the analysis of storm development based on the relationship between extratropical event signature and the LMWL. Analysis of extratropical precipitation in relation to LMWLs along storm tracks allows for stronger development of precipitation models and understanding of which climatic and atmospheric factors determine the isotopic composition of precipitation.     

Developing a high-resolution climatology for the Central California coastal region

This work presents a procedure for developing a high-resolution, regional climatology estimate, named RClimo, off the coast of central California. This high-resolution climatology may provide an alternative way to initialize numerical nowcast/forecast exercises in coastal regions. The methodology includes two primary steps: (1) averaging available data on a high-resolution grid and (2) objective interpolating the resulting average profiles onto a regular grid. The first step involves the computation of averages over density layers in the vertical and allowing for data gaps in the horizontal if data are unavailable at a high resolution. The OA in the second step uses anisotropic correlation length scales derived from the data themselves and an averaging radius to preserve the scales and variability of the synoptic fields.     

Japan's 2011 Tsunami: Characteristics of Wave Propagation from Observations and Numerical Modelling

We use a numerical tsunami model to describe wave energy decay and transformation in the Pacific Ocean during the 2011 Tohoku tsunami. The numerical model was initialised with the results from a seismological finite fault model and validated using deep-ocean bottom pressure records from DARTs, from the NEPTUNE-Canada cabled observatory, as well as data from four satellite altimetry passes. We used statistical analysis of the available observations collected during the Japan 2011 tsunami and of the corresponding numerical model to demonstrate that the temporal evolution of tsunami wave energy in the Pacific Ocean leads to the wave energy equipartition law. Similar equipartition laws are well known for wave multi-scattering processes in seismology, electromagnetism and acoustics. We also show that the long-term near-equilibrium state is governed by this law: after the passage of the tsunami front, the tsunami wave energy density tends to be inversely proportional to the water depth. This fact leads to a definition of tsunami wave intensity that is simply energy density times the depth. This wave intensity fills the Pacific Ocean basin uniformly, except for the areas of energy sinks in the Southern Ocean and Bering Sea.     

Relationships between water availability and Eucalyptus camaldulensis growth in a riparian forest

The effects of short-term flooding on soil water content and subsequent tree response were examined in a riparian Eucalyptus camaldulensis forest which was dissected by a series of shallow ephemeral channels, locally known as runners. Twelve isolated plots, each approximately 0.8 ha, were established in three blocks of four treatments. One of the blocks was underlain by a moist, sandy aquifer 2–4 m below the surface. The four treatments were (1) flooding each spring; (2) flooding each summer; (3) flooding each spring plus each summer; (4) control (zero flooding). Depth of water percolation after a summer flooding varied from 1.3 to over 6 m below the surface. Horizontal movement away from the edge of the floodwater ranged from almost zero on some plots to at least 38 m. The extensive horizontal movement was confined within narrow aquifers which occurred under some plots. Trees in plots underlain by a shallow aquifer always had higher xylem pressure potential (XPP, MPa) than other trees, and flooding these plots increased XPP by a non-significant quantity (−0.14 MPa to −0.12 MPa). However, on the other plots, flooding resulted in a statistically significant increase in XPP from −0.45 to −0.10 MPa. The effect of flooding on XPP was evident for between 22.5 and 37.5 m from the floodwater. This was ascribed to root interception and some horizontal movement of water. Increased flood frequency from zero to one to two per year resulted in mean leaf areas of 11.0 cm², 12.2 cm² and 13.2 cm², respectively. Trees in the runner, at 8 or at 38 m from the channels, had mean leaf areas of 12.9 cm², 13.6 cm² and 9.9 cm², respectively. The presence of shallow aquifers increased mean leaf area from 11.5 to 13.3 cm². Increased flood frequency significantly increased relative growth rate of trees up to 22.5 m from the edge of the floodwater. We conclude that short-term flooding of channels that occupied 15–20% of the forest floor temporarily improved tree moisture status and this increased tree growth rate in up to 70% of the forest.     

Trace element partitioning in the Fe-S-C system and its implications for planetary differentiation and the thermal history of ureilites

Element partitioning in metal-light element systems is important to our understanding of planetary differentiation processes. In this study, solid-metal/liquid-sulfide, liquid-metal/liquid-sulfide and solid-metal/troilite partition coefficients (D) were determined for 18 elements (Ag, As, Au, Co, Cr, Cu, Ge, Ir, Ni, Os, Pd, Pt, Mo, Mn, Re, Ru, Se and W) in the graphite-saturated Fe-S-C system at 1 atm. Compared at the same liquid S concentration, the solid/liquid partition coefficients are similar to those in the Fe-S system, but there are systematic differences that appear to be related to interactions with carbon dissolved in the solid metal. Elements previously shown to be “anthracophile” generally have larger solid/liquid partition coefficients in the Fe-S-C system, whereas those that are not have similar or smaller partition coefficients in the Fe-S-C system. The partitioning of trace elements between C-rich and S-rich liquids is, in most cases, broadly similar to the partitioning between solid metal and S-rich liquid. The highly siderophile elements Os, Re, Ir and W are partitioned strongly into the C-rich liquid, with D ? 100. The partition coefficients for Pt, Ge and W decrease significantly at the transition to liquid immiscibility, while the partition coefficient for Mo increases sharply. The bulk siderophile element patterns of ureilite meteorities appear to be better explained by separation of S-rich liquid from residual C-rich metallic liquid at temperatures above the silicate solidus, rather than by separation of S-rich liquid from residual solid metal at lower temperatures.     

Roundhouse (RND) Mountain Top Research Site: Measurements and Uncertainties for Winter Alpine Weather Conditions

The objective of this work is to better understand and summarize the mountain meteorological observations collected during the Science of Nowcasting Winter Weather for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympics (SNOW-V10) project that was supported by the Fog Remote Sensing and Modeling (FRAM) project. The Roundhouse (RND) meteorological station was located 1,856 m above sea level that is subject to the winter extreme weather conditions. Below this site, there were three additional observation sites at 1,640, 1,320, and 774 m. These four stations provided some or all the following measurements at 1 min resolution: precipitation rate (PR) and amount, cloud/fog microphysics, 3D wind speed (horizontal wind speed, U _h; vertical air velocity, w _a), visibility (Vis), infrared (IR) and shortwave (SW) radiative fluxes, temperature (T) and relative humidity with respect to water (RH_w), and aerosol observations. In this work, comparisons are made to assess the uncertainties and variability for the measurements of Vis, RH_w, T, PR, and wind for various winter weather conditions. The ground-based cloud imaging probe (GCIP) measurements of snow particles using a profiling microwave radiometer (PMWR) data have also been shown to assess the icing conditions. Overall, the conclusions suggest that uncertainties in the measurements of Vis, PR, T, and RH can be as large as 50, >60, 50, and >20 %, respectively, and these numbers may increase depending on U _h, T, Vis, and PR magnitude. Variability of observations along the Whistler Mountain slope (~500 m) suggested that to verify the models, model space resolution should be better than 100 m and time scales better than 1 min. It is also concluded that differences between observed and model based parameters are strongly related to a model’s capability of accurate prediction of liquid water content (LWC), PR, and RH_w over complex topography.     

The effect of surface roughness on the transmission of microwave radiation through a planetary surface

To account for surface roughness, the transmission of microwave radiation through a planetary surface to an observer is treated by a Monte Carlo technique. Sizable effects are found near the limb of the planet, and they should be included in analyses of high-resolution observations and high-precision integrated disk observations.     

Polar wander on Mars: Evidence in the geoid

The geoid of Mars is dominated by its equilibrium figure and by the effect of the Tharsis rise. To investigate the rotational stability of Mars prior to the rise of Tharsis, we produced a residual non-hydrostatic geoid without Tharsis. First the hydrostatic component of the present-day flattening was removed. This procedure was performed using a 6% non-hydrostatic component of flattening, a value set by the spin axis precession rate of Mars. Then zonal spherical harmonics up to degree 6 centered on Tharsis were removed. Finally, the resultant residual geoid was evaluated for rotational stability by comparing polar and equatorial moments at 4050 trial pole positions. If the spin axis of ancient Mars was secularly stable, our analysis indicates that substantial polar wander has occurred with the rise of Tharsis. Stable spin axis positions on the non-hydrostatic residual figure of Mars are 15° to 90° from the present-day poles. This result is consistent with previously proposed paleopoles based on magnetic anomalies, geomorphology, and grazing impacts.