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We investigated the bloom onset in the Nordic Seas using 6 bio-optical floats. We found that the float data are consistent with two possible scenarios for the onset of blooms in the Nordic Seas. The Nordic Seas blooms could have started either when the light became sufficiently abundant that the division rates exceeded the loss rates, or when the photoperiod, the number of daily light hours experienced by phytoplankton, exceeded a critical value.

Estimate of changes in agricultural terrestrial nitrogen pathways and ammonia emissions from 1850 to present in the Community Earth System Model

Future increases are predicted in the amount of nitrogen produced as manure or used as synthetic fertilizer in agriculture. However, the impact of climate on the subsequent fate of this nitrogen has not been evaluated. Here we describe, analyze and evaluate the FAN (flows of agricultural nitrogen) process model that simulates the the climate-dependent flows of nitrogen from agriculture. The FAN model is suitable for use within a global terrestrial climate model.

Modeling 25 years of spatio-temporal surface water and inundation dynamics on large river basin scale using time series of Earth observation data

We statistically modeled surface water extent (SWE) and inundation dynamics from a unique Landsat-based time series (1986–2011) for Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin as a function of river flow and spatially explicit time series of rainfall, evapotranspiration and soil moisture. We present a data-driven and transferable approach that allowed us to model SWE through periods of flooding and drying for 363 floodplain units and to identify local combinations of variables that drive SWE dynamics.

Return glider radiosonde for in situ upper-air research measurements

New radiosonde instruments for humidity-, radiation- and gas-profile measurements were introduced in recent years for atmospheric research and climate monitoring. Such instruments are intended to be reused on multiple flights. Here we introduce the return glider radiosonde (RGR), which enables flying and retrieving valuable in situ upper-air instruments. The RGR is lifted with weather balloons to a preset altitude, and a built-in autopilot flies the glider autonomously back to the launch site.

Causes and systematics of inundations of the Krasnodar territory on the Russian Black Sea coast

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
DOI 10.5194/nhess-16-1289-2016
8 June 2016

Inundations on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar territory of the Russian Federation were analysed for 1945 to 2013. Risks, hazards and damage from inundations here are some of the highest in the country. The large quantity and the extremeness of rainfall, and the intense flood regimes of the rivers are the main contributors. Additionally, anthropogenic impact such as badly planned economic activities in channels, floodplains and on river watersheds strongly enhance the effects.

High spatial resolution imaging of methane and other trace gases with the airborne Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES)

Using data from a new airborne Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES) instrument, we present a technique for the detection and wide-area mapping of emission plumes of methane and other atmospheric trace gas species over challenging and diverse environmental conditions with high spatial resolution, that permits direct attribution to sources in complex environments.

Will a perfect model agree with perfect observations? The impact of spatial sampling

We show that evaluating global aerosol model data with observations of very different spatial scales (200 vs. 10 km) can lead to large discrepancies, solely due to different spatial sampling. Strategies for reducing these sampling errors are developed and tested using a set of high-resolution model simulations.

Retrieving atmospheric turbulence information from regular commercial aircraft using Mode-S and ADS-B

This paper is presenting a feasibility study focused on methods of estimating the turbulence intensity based on a class of navigational messages routinely broadcast by the commercial aircraft (known as ADS-B and Mode-S). Using this kind of information could have potentially significant impact on aviation safety. Three methods have been investigated.

Investigating the impact of land-use land-cover change on Indian summer monsoon daily rainfall and temperature during 1951–2005 using a regional climate model

Regional climate model (RegCM4) simulations demonstrate that part of the observed decrease in moderate rainfall events during the summer monsoon season over central India from 1951 to 2005 is attributed to anthropogenically induced land-use land-cover change (LULCC). LULCC also partly explains the observed warming trend in the daily mean and maximum temperatures over India. This study demonstrates the importance of LULCC in the context of regional climate change over India.

Alluvial plain dynamics in the southern Amazonian foreland basin

This paper analyses the behaviour of 12 tributaries of the Río Mamoré and their influence on alluvial plain dynamics. These rivers are extremely active: between 1984 and 2014, 7 of these 12 rivers underwent a total of 41 crevasses and 29 avulsions. Most of the sedimentary load of these rivers is deposited on the alluvial plains before they reach the Mamoré. Crevasses and avulsions are not controlled by ENSO cycles, but rather are the result of intrabasinal processes.

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