Reproducible and relocatable regional ocean modelling: fundamentals and practices Geoscientific Model Development DOI 10.5194/gmd-16-1481-2023 10 April 2023 The aim is to increase the capacity of the modelling community to respond to societally important questions that require ocean modelling. The concept of reproducibility for regional ocean modelling is developed: advocating methods for reproducible workflows and standardised methods of assessment. Then, targeting the NEMO framework, we give practical advice and worked examples, highlighting key considerations that will the expedite development cycle and upskill the user community. Read more
Influence of ozone and humidity on PTR-MS and GC-MS VOC measurements with and without a Na2S2O3 ozone scrubber Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-16-1179-2023 7 April 2023 Atmospheric ozone can induce artefacts in volatile organic compound measurements. Laboratory tests were made using GC-MS and PTR-MS aircraft systems under tropospheric and stratospheric conditions of humidity and ozone, with and without sodium thiosulfate filter scrubbers. Ozone in dry air produces some carbonyls and degrades alkenes. The scrubber lifetime depends on ozone concentration, flow rate and humidity. For the troposphere with scrubber, no significant artefacts were found over 14 d. Read more
A climate-conditioned catastrophe risk model for UK flooding Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-23-891-2023 5 April 2023 We present and validate a model that simulates current and future flood risk for the UK at high resolution (~ 20-25 m). We show that UK flood losses were ~ 6 % greater in the climate of 2020 compared to recent historical values. The UK can keep any future increase to ~ 8 % if all countries implement their COP26 pledges and net-zero ambitions in full. However, if only the COP26 pledges are fulfilled, then UK flood losses increase by ~ 23 %, and potentially by ~ 37 % in a worst-case scenario. Read more
Performance of the flood warning system in Germany in July 2021 – insights from affected residents Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-23-973-2023 3 April 2023 In July 2021 intense rainfall caused devastating floods in western Europe with 184 fatalities in the German federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (NW) and Rhineland-Palatinate (RP), calling their warning system into question. An online survey revealed that 35 % of respondents from NW and 29 % from RP did not receive any warning. Many of those who were warned did not expect severe flooding, nor did they know how to react. The study provides entry points for improving Germany’s warning system. Read more
Reconciling the paradox of soil organic carbon erosion by water Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-20-635-2023 31 March 2023 The direction and magnitude of the net erosion-induced land–atmosphere C exchange have been the topic of a big scientific debate for more than a decade now. Many have assumed that erosion leads to a loss of soil carbon to the atmosphere, whereas others have shown that erosion ultimately leads to a carbon sink. Here, we show that the soil carbon erosion source–sink paradox is reconciled when the broad range of temporal and spatial scales at which the underlying processes operate are considered. Read more
A range of outcomes: the combined effects of internal variability and anthropogenic forcing on regional climate trends over Europe Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics DOI 10.5194/npg-30-63-2023 29 March 2023 Past and future climate change at regional scales is a result of both human influences and natural (internal) variability. Here, we provide an overview of recent advances in climate modeling and physical understanding that has led to new insights into their respective roles, illustrated with original results for the European climate. Our findings highlight the confounding role of internal variability in attribution, climate model evaluation, and accuracy of future projections. Read more
Nitrous oxide (N2O) synthesis by the freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-20-687-2023 27 March 2023 We show, for the first time, that pure cultures of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa can synthesize the potent greenhouse gas N2O using nitrite as substrate. Our findings have broad environmental implications because M. aeruginosa is globally found in freshwater ecosystems and is often the dominant species found in algae blooms. Further research is now needed to determine the occurrence and significance of N2O emissions from ecosystems rich with M. aeruginosa. Read more
The dispersal of fluvially discharged and marine, shelf-produced particulate organic matter in the northern Gulf of Mexico Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-20-663-2023 24 March 2023 Terrestrial organic matter (TerrOM) is transported to the ocean by rivers, where its burial can potentially form a long-term carbon sink. This burial is dependent on the type and characteristics of the TerrOM. We used bulk sediment properties, biomarkers, and palynology to identify the dispersal patterns of plant-derived, soil–microbial, and marine OM in the northern Gulf of Mexico and show that plant-derived OM is transported further into the coastal zone than soil and marine-produced TerrOM. Read more
Semantics about soil organic carbon storage: DATA4C+, a comprehensive thesaurus and classification of management practices in agriculture and forestry SOIL DOI 10.5194/soil-9-89-2023 22 March 2023 This paper presents a first comprehensive thesaurus for management practices driving soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. So far, a comprehensive thesaurus of management practices in agriculture and forestry has been lacking. It will help to merge datasets, a promising way to evaluate the impacts of management practices in agriculture and forestry on SOC. Identifying the drivers of SOC stock changes is of utmost importance to contribute to global challenges (climate change, food security). Read more
A multi-disciplinary analysis of the exceptional flood event of July 2021 in central Europe – Part 1: Event description and analysis Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-23-525-2023 20 March 2023 The flood event in July 2021 was one of the most severe disasters in Europe in the last half century. The objective of this two-part study is a multi-disciplinary assessment that examines the complex process interactions in different compartments, from meteorology to hydrological conditions to hydro-morphological processes to impacts on assets and environment. In addition, we address the question of what measures are possible to generate added value to early response management. Read more
