Terrainbento 1.0: a Python package for multi-model analysis in long-term drainage basin evolution Geoscientific Model Development DOI 10.5194/gmd-12-1267-2019 3 April 2019 Terrainbento 1.0 is a Python package for modeling the evolution of the surface of the Earth over geologic time (e.g., thousands to millions of years). Despite many decades of effort by the geomorphology community, there is no one established governing equation for the evolution of topography. Terrainbento 1.0 thus provides 28 alternative models that support hypothesis testing and multi-model analysis in landscape evolution. Read more
Permafrost nitrous oxide emissions observed on a landscape scale using the airborne eddy-covariance method Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-19-4257-2019 3 April 2019 As frozen soil, called permafrost, increasingly thaws over the years, scientists have put much effort into understanding how this may increase carbon emissions, which would exacerbate climate change. Our work supports the emerging view that these efforts should also include nitrous oxide (N2O), a more potent greenhouse gas. Using a low-flying aircraft to study thousands of acres of Alaskan permafrost, we observed average N2O emissions higher than typically assumed for regions such as this. Read more
Devito (v3.1.0): an embedded domain-specific language for finite differences and geophysical exploration Geoscientific Model Development DOI 10.5194/gmd-12-1165-2019 27 March 2019 This paper presents Devito, a Python-based software. The aim of this software is to provide a high-level simple interface to users for the description and discretization of the mathematical definition of the physics. This research initially started as an attempt to improve research time, portability, and performance in exploration geophysics. We present the latest version of the software that is already making an impact in academics and industry. Read more
Carbon cycling in the North American coastal ocean: a synthesis Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-16-1281-2019 27 March 2019 We review and synthesize available information on coastal ocean carbon fluxes around North America (NA). There is overwhelming evidence, compiled and discussed here, that the NA coastal margins act as a sink. Our synthesis shows the great diversity in processes driving carbon fluxes in different coastal regions, highlights remaining gaps in observations and models, and discusses current and anticipated future trends with respect to carbon fluxes and acidification. Read more
The 4.2 ka BP Event in the Mediterranean region: an overview Climate of the Past DOI 10.5194/cp-15-555-2019 27 March 2019 The Mediterranean region has returned some of the clearest evidence of a climatically dry period occurring approximately 4200 years ago. We reviewed selected proxies to infer regional climate patterns between 4.3 and 3.8 ka. Temperature data suggest a cooling anomaly, even if this is not uniform, whereas winter was drier, along with dry summers. However, some exceptions to this prevail, where wetter condition seems to have persisted, suggesting regional heterogeneity. Read more
On the role of soil water retention characteristic on aerobic microbial respiration Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-16-1187-2019 21 March 2019 Soil water is a medium from which microbes acquire resources and within which they are able to move. Occupancy and availability of water and oxygen gas in soils are mutually exclusive. In addition, as soil dries the remaining water is held with an increasing degree of adhesive energy, which restricts microbes’ ability to extract resources from water. We introduce a mathematical model that describes these interacting effects and organic matter decomposition. Read more
Geostatistical interpolation by quantile kriging Hydrology and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/hess-23-1633-2019 20 March 2019 Many variables, e.g., in hydrology, geology, and social sciences, are only observed at a few distinct measurement locations, and their actual distribution in the entire space remains unknown. We introduce the new geostatistical interpolation method ofquantile kriging, providing an improved estimator and associated uncertainty. It can also host variables, which would not fulfill the implicit presumptions of the traditional geostatistical interpolation methods. Read more
Exposure-based risk assessment and emergency management associated with the fallout of large clasts at Mount Etna Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-19-589-2019 20 March 2019 The fallout of large clasts (> 5 cm) from the margins of eruptive plumes can damage local infrastructure and severely injure people close to the volcano. Even though this potential hazard has been observed at many volcanoes, it has often been overlooked. We present the first hazard and risk assessment of large-clast fallout from eruptive plumes and use Mt Etna (Italy) as a case study. The use of dedicated shelters in the case of an explosive event that occurs with no warning is also evaluated. Read more
Evaluation of CloudSat snowfall rate profiles by a comparison with in situ micro-rain radar observations in East Antarctica The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-943-2019 19 March 2019 Evaluation of the vertical precipitation rate profiles of CloudSat radar by comparison with two surface-based micro-rain radars (MRR) located at two antarctic stations gives a near-perfect correlation between both datasets, even though climatic and geographic conditions are different for the stations. A better understanding and reassessment of CloudSat uncertainties ranging from −13 % up to +22 % confirms the robustness of the CloudSat retrievals of snowfall over Antarctica. Read more
Pleistocene glacial history of the New Zealand subantarctic islands Climate of the Past DOI 10.5194/cp-15-423-2019 14 March 2019 The New Zealand subantarctic islands, in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, provide valuable records of past environmental change. We find that the Auckland Islands hosted a small ice cap around 384 000 years ago, but that there was little glaciation during the Last Glacial Maximum, around 21 000 years ago, in contrast to mainland New Zealand. This shows that the climate here is susceptible to changes in regional factors such as sea-ice expanse and the position of ocean fronts. Read more