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Global soil–climate–biome diagram: linking surface soil properties to climate and biota

Surface soils interact strongly with both climate and biota and provide fundamental ecosystem services. However, the quantitative linkages between soil, climate, and biota remain unclear at a global scale. By compiling a large global soil database, we mapped eight major soil properties based on machine learning algorithms and developed a global soil–climate–biome diagram. Our results suggest shifts in soil properties under global climate and land cover change.

Assessing the characteristics and drivers of compound flooding events around the UK coast

Flooding can arise from multiple sources, including waves, extreme sea levels, rivers, and severe rainfall. When two or more sources combine, the consequences can be greatly multiplied. We find the potential for the joint occurrence of extreme sea levels and river discharge to be greater on the western coast of the UK compared to the eastern coast. This is due to the weather conditions generating each flood source around the UK. These results will help increase our flood forecasting ability.

Early instrumental meteorological measurements in Switzerland

The 18th and early 19th centuries saw pronounced climatic variations with impacts on the environment and society. Although instrumental meteorological data for that period exist, only a small fraction has been the subject of research. This study provides an overview of early instrumental meteorological records in Switzerland resulting from an archive survey and demonstrates the great potential of such data. It is accompanied by the online publication of the imaged data series and metadata.

Converging photospheric vortex flows close to the polarity inversion line of a fully emerged active region

We describe a technique used to locate and classify critical points in 2-D flow fields at the solar photosphere obtained from the evolution of the line-of-sight magnetic field in a region close to the magnetic polarity inversion line of a fully emerged active region. We apply this technique to locate a particular kind of critical point associated to vortex flows, which are considered important, since they can twist and interweave the foot points of flux tubes and generate magnetic reconnection.

Towards monitoring localized CO2 emissions from space: co-located regional CO2 and NO2 enhancements observed by the OCO-2 and S5P satellites

The quantification of anthropogenic emissions with current CO₂ satellite sensors is difficult, but NO₂ is co-emitted, making it a suitable tracer of recently emitted CO₂. We analyze enhancements of CO₂ and NO₂ observed by OCO-2 and S5P and estimate the CO₂plume cross-sectional fluxes that we compare with emission databases. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of simultaneous satellite observations of CO₂ and NO₂ as envisaged for the European Copernicus anthropogenic CO₂ monitoring mission

Brief communication: Updated GAMDAM glacier inventory over high-mountain Asia

The Glacier Area Mapping for Discharge from the Asian Mountains (GAMDAM) glacier inventory was updated to revise the underestimated glacier area in the first version. The total number and area of glaciers are 134 770 and 100 693 ± 11 790 km² from 453 Landsat images, which were carefully selected for the period from 1990 to 2010, to avoid mountain shadow, cloud cover, and seasonal snow cover.

Quantification of water vapour transport from the Asian monsoon to the stratosphere

We investigate the transport pathways of water vapour from the upper troposphere in the Asian monsoon region to the stratosphere. In the employed chemistry-transport model we use a tagging method, such that the impact of different source regions on the stratospheric water vapour budget can be quantified. A key finding is that the Asian monsoon (compared to other source regions) is very efficient in transporting air masses and water vapour to the tropical and extratropical stratosphere.

Evaluating post-glacial bedrock erosion and surface exposure duration by coupling in situ optically stimulated luminescence and 10Be dating

Assessing the impact of glaciation at the Earth’s surface requires simultaneous quantification of the impact of climate variability on past glacier fluctuations and on bedrock erosion. Here we present a new approach for evaluating post-glacial bedrock surface erosion in mountainous environments by combining two different surface exposure dating methods. This approach can be used to estimate how bedrock erosion rates vary spatially and temporally since glacier retreat in an alpine environment.

Dissolved organic matter at the fluvial–marine transition in the Laptev Sea using in situ data and ocean colour remote sensing

In this article, we present the variability and characteristics of dissolved organic matter at the fluvial–marine transition in the Laptev Sea from a unique dataset collected during 11 Arctic expeditions. We develop a new relationship between dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and coloured dissolved organic matter absorption, which is used to estimate surface water DOC concentration from space. We believe that our findings help current efforts to monitor ongoing changes in the Arctic carbon cycle.

Atmospheric measurements of the terrestrial O2:CO2 exchange ratio of a midlatitude forest

Predictions of global warming require predictions of how much CO₂ will be taken up by the oceans, how much by land plants, and how much will stay in the atmosphere. Measurements of atmospheric oxygen (O₂) help with these predictions if we also know the ratio of O₂ release to CO₂ uptake in land plants. We have measured this ratio in a midlatitude forest and find a lower value than the one in wide use. If truly applicable, our results call for a modest adjustment in the global carbon budget.

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