Field survey of Typhoon Hato (2017) and a comparison with storm surge modeling in Macau Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-18-3167-2018 29 November 2018 Typhoon Hato was one of the most damaging natural disaster events in the western Pacific region in 2017. It caused the the worst flooding in Macau since its instrumental records began in 1925. We present a high-resolution survey map recording inundation depths and distances at 278 sites in Macau. We provide a series of inundation maps under different tidal and sea levels. The maps that highlight adaptive strategies are essential in order to keep up with the pace of rising sea level. Read more
Carbon burial in deep-sea sediment and implications for oceanic inventories of carbon and alkalinity over the last glacial cycle Climate of the Past DOI 10.5194/cp-14-1819-2018 28 November 2018 A data-based reconstruction of carbon-bearing deep-sea sediment shows significant changes in the global burial rate over the last glacial cycle. We calculate the impact of these deep-sea changes, as well as hypothetical changes in continental shelf burial and volcanic outgassing. Our results imply that these geological fluxes had a significant impact on ocean chemistry and the global carbon isotopic ratio, and that the natural carbon cycle was not in steady state during the Holocene. Read more
Connecting the Greenland ice-core and U/Th timescales via cosmogenic radionuclides: testing the synchroneity of Dansgaard–Oeschger events Climate of the Past DOI 10.5194/cp-14-1755-2018 20 November 2018 The last glacial period was characterized by a number of rapid climate changes seen, for example, as abrupt warmings in Greenland and changes in monsoon rainfall intensity. However, due to chronological uncertainties it is challenging to know how tightly coupled these changes were. Here we exploit cosmogenic signals caused by changes in the Sun and Earth magnetic fields to link different climate archives and improve our understanding of the dynamics of abrupt climate change. Read more
Mesospheric bores at southern midlatitudes observed by ISS-IMAP/VISI: a first report of an undulating wave front Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-18-16399-2018 19 November 2018 Spatial structures of wave disturbances in the upper atmosphere were investigated with space-borne imaging from the International Space Station. The wave disturbance occurred around an altitude of 100 km, and is called a mesospheric bore. The large-scale structure of mesospheric bores has not been fully captured by previous ground-based imagers, but the space-borne imaging captured a bore with a wide field of view, and showed that bores can have a large undulating wave front as long as 2000 km. ISS-IMAP/VISI: a first report of an undulating wave front">Read more
Distribution and cycling of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon in peatland-draining rivers and coastal waters of Sarawak, Borneo Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-15-6847-2018 16 November 2018 The carbon cycle is a key control for the Earth’s climate. Every year rivers deliver a lot of organic carbon to coastal seas, but we do not know what happens to this carbon, particularly in the tropics. We show that rivers in Borneo deliver carbon from peat swamps to the sea with at most minimal biological or chemical alteration in estuaries, but sunlight can rapidly oxidise this carbon to CO2. This means that south-east Asian seas are likely hotspots of terrestrial carbon decomposition. Read more
Global phosphorus recovery from wastewater for agricultural reuse Hydrology and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/hess-22-5781-2018 12 November 2018 Phosphorus (P) is important to global food security. Thus it is concerning that natural P reserves are predicted to deplete within the century. Here we explore the potential of P recovery from wastewater (WW) at global scale. We identify high production and demand sites to determine optimal market prices and trade flows. We show that 20% of the agricultural demand can be met, yet only 4 % can be met economically. Nonetheless, this recovery stimulates circular economic development in WW treatment. Read more
ESD Ideas: The stochastic climate model shows that underestimated Holocene trends and variability represent two sides of the same coin Earth System Dynamics DOI 10.5194/esd-9-1279-2018 12 November 2018 Long-term sea surface temperature trends and variability are underestimated in models compared to paleoclimate data. The idea is presented that the trends and variability are related, which is elaborated in a conceptual model framework. The temperature spectrum can be used to estimate the timescale-dependent climate sensitivity. ESD Ideas: The stochastic climate model shows that underestimated Holocene trends and variability represent two sides of the same coin">Read more
A 900-year New England temperature reconstruction from in situ seasonally produced branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) Climate of the Past DOI 10.5194/cp-14-1653-2018 7 November 2018 We measured biomarker production over a year in a small inland lake in the northeastern USA. Understanding biomarkers in the modern environment helps us improve reconstructions of past climate from lake sediment records. We use these results to interpret a 900-year decadally resolved temperature record from this lake. Our record highlights multi-decadal oscillations in temperature superimposed on a long-term cooling trend, providing novel insight into climate dynamics of the region. Read more
Spatial assessments of soil organic carbon for stakeholder decision-making – a case study from Kenya SOIL DOI 10.5194/soil-4-259-2018 7 November 2018 Land degradation impacts the health and livelihoods of about 1.5 billion people worldwide. The state of the environment and food security are strongly interlinked in tropical landscapes. This paper demonstrates the integration of soil organic carbon (SOC) and land health maps with socioeconomic datasets into an online, open-access platform called the Resilience Diagnostic and Decision Support Tool for Turkana County in Kenya. Read more
Cascading transitions in the climate system Earth System Dynamics DOI 10.5194/esd-9-1243-2018 6 November 2018 We introduce a framework of cascading tipping, i.e. a sequence of abrupt transitions occurring because a transition in one system affects the background conditions of another system. Using bifurcation theory, various types of these events are considered and early warning indicators are suggested. An illustration of such an event is found in a conceptual model, coupling the North Atlantic Ocean with the equatorial Pacific. This demonstrates the possibility of events such as this in nature. Read more
