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pH up-regulation as a potential mechanism for the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa to sustain growth in aragonite undersaturated conditions

We investigated the ability of cold-water corals to deal with changes in ocean pH. We uniquely combined morphological assessment with boron isotope analysis to determine if changes in growth are related to changes in control of calcification pH. We found that the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa can maintain the skeletal morphology, growth patterns as well as internal calcification pH. This has important implications for their future occurrence and explains their cosmopolitan distribution.

A dynamical systems approach to the surface search for debris associated with the disappearance of flight MH370

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on 8 March 2014 is one of the great mysteries of our time. The most relevant aspect is that not a piece of debris was found during the intensive surface search carried out for roughly 2 months following the crash. By combining different ocean data with dynamical systems tools, we propose a revised search strategy by showing why debris could not have been expected in some targeted search areas and determining regions where debris could be.

Laboratory evidence of organic peroxide and peroxyhemiacetal formation in the aqueous phase and implications for aqueous OH

This paper demonstrates organic peroxide and peroxyhemiacetal formation during aqueous photooxidation of methylglyoxal using ultra-high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS). Then, we provide simulation results of organic peroxide/peroxyhemiacetal formation in clouds and wet aerosols and discuss organic peroxides as a source of condensed-phase OH radicals and as a contributor to aqueous secondary organic aerosol (SOA).

Ice water content vertical profiles of high-level clouds: classification and impact on radiative fluxes

We discuss the shape of ice water content (IWC) vertical profiles in high ice clouds and its effect on radiative properties of these clouds, both in short- and in long-wave bands (SW and LW). We suggest a set of primitive shapes (rectangular, isosceles trapezoid, lower and upper triangle) and propose a statistical parameterization using ice water path (IWP) as a single parameter. We estimate and explain simulated differences in LW/SW atmospheric radiances for suggested IWC shapes.

Reducing uncertainties in projections of Antarctic ice mass loss

Projections of Antarctic dynamics and contribution to sea-level rise are evaluated in the light of intercomparison exercises dedicated to evaluate models’ ability of representing coastal changes. Uncertainties in projections can be substantially decreased if a selection of models is made and models that are unqualified for the representation of coastal dynamics are excluded.

Modelling Mediterranean agro-ecosystems by including agricultural trees in the LPJmL model

This study presents the inclusion of 10 Mediterranean agricultural plants in an agro-ecosystem model (LPJmL): nut trees, date palms, citrus trees, orchards, olive trees, grapes, cotton, potatoes, vegetables and fodder grasses. The model was successfully tested in three model outputs: agricultural yields, irrigation requirements and soil carbon density. With this development presented, LPJmL is now able to simulate in good detail and mechanistically the functioning of Mediterranean agriculture.

Expanding the validity of the ensemble Kalman filter without the intrinsic need for inflation

The popular data assimilation technique known as the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) suffers from sampling errors due to the limited size of the ensemble. This deficiency is usually cured by inflating the sampled error covariances and by using localization. This paper further develops and discusses the finite-size EnKF, or EnKF-N, a variant of the EnKF that does not require inflation. It expands the use of the EnKF-N to a wider range of dynamical regimes.

Local- and regional-scale measurements of CH₄, δ¹³CH₄, and C₂H₆ in the Uintah Basin using a mobile stable isotope analyzer

We describe an innovative instrument based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy that analyzes the stable isotopes of methane in the ambient atmosphere. This instrument was used to study atmospheric emissions from oil and gas extraction activities in the Uintah Basin in Utah. These measurements suggest that 85 ± 7% of the total emissions in the basin are from natural gas production. The easy field deployment of this instrument can enable similar regional attribution studies across the world.

Regional analysis of groundwater droughts using hydrograph classification

To improve the design of drought monitoring networks and water resource management during episodes of drought, there is a need for a better understanding of spatial variations in the response of aquifers to major meteorological droughts. This paper is the first to describe a suite of methods to quantify such variations. Using an analysis of groundwater level data for a case study from the UK, the influence of catchment characteristics on the varied response of groundwater to droughts is explored.

The importance of Asia as a source of black carbon to the European Arctic during springtime 2013

We show that during the springtime of 2013, the anthropogenic pollution particularly from sources in Asia, contributed significantly to black carbon across the European Arctic free troposphere. In contrast to previous studies, the contribution from open wildfires was minimal. Given that Asian pollution is likely to continue to rise over the coming years, it is likely that the radiative forcing in the Arctic will also continue to increase.

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