Ideas and perspectives: Strengthening the biogeosciences in environmental research networks Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-15-4815-2018 15 August 2018 As knowledge in biology and geology explodes, science becomes increasingly specialised. Given the overlap of the environmental sciences, however, the explosion in knowledge inevitably creates opportunities for interconnecting the biogeosciences. Here, 30 scientists emphasise the opportunities for biogeoscience collaborations across the world’s remarkable long-term environmental research networks that can advance science and engage larger scientific and public audiences. Read more
Channelized, distributed, and disconnected: subglacial drainage under a valley glacier in the Yukon The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-12-2609-2018 14 August 2018 We analyse a large glacier borehole pressure dataset and provide a holistic view of the observations, suggesting a consistent picture of the evolution of the subglacial drainage system. Some aspects are consistent with the established understanding and others ones are not. We propose that most of the inconsistencies arise from the capacity of some areas of the bed to become hydraulically isolated. We present an adaptation of an existing drainage model that incorporates this phenomena. Read more
Formation and evolution of tar balls from northwestern US wildfires Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-18-11289-2018 13 August 2018 This paper presents the first direct atmospheric observations of the formation and evolution of tar balls (TBs) in forest fires collected during the Department of Energy’s Biomass Burning Observation Project (BBOP). We quantify, for the first time, the TB mass fraction in the BB plumes and show that this mass fraction increases from less than 1 % to 50 % within the first couple of hours of plume aging. Using Mie theory we find that TBs are consistent with being weak light absorbers. Read more
Testing the consistency between changes in simulated climate and Alpine glacier length over the past millennium Climate of the Past DOI 10.5194/cp-14-1119-2018 9 August 2018 Glaciers provide iconic illustrations of past climate change, but records of glacier length fluctuations have not been used systematically to test the ability of models to reproduce past changes. One reason is that glacier length depends on several complex factors and so cannot be simply linked to the climate simulated by models. This is done here, and it is shown that the observed glacier length fluctuations are generally well within the range of the simulations. Read more
The mirror mode: a “superconducting” space plasma analogue Annales Geophysicae DOI 10.5194/angeo-36-1015-2018 26 July 2018 The physics of the magnetic mirror mode in its final state of saturation, the thermodynamic equilibrium, is re-examined to demonstrate that the mirror mode is the classical analogue of a superconducting effect in an anisotropic-pressure space plasma. Three different spatial correlation scales are identified which control the behaviour of its evolution into large-amplitude chains of mirror bubbles. Read more
Using network theory and machine learning to predict El Niño Earth System Dynamics DOI 10.5194/esd-9-969-2018 23 July 2018 The prediction of the El Niño phenomenon, an increased sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific, fascinates people for a long time. El Niño is associated with natural disasters, such as droughts and floods. Current methods can make a reliable prediction of this phenomenon up to 6 months ahead. However, this article presents a method which combines network theory and machine learning which predicts El Niño up to 1 year ahead. Read more
HTAP2 multi-model estimates of premature human mortality due to intercontinental transport of air pollution and emission sectors Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-18-10497-2018 23 July 2018 Emissions from one continent affect air quality and health elsewhere. Here we quantify the effects of intercontinental PM2.5 and ozone transport on human health using a new multi-model ensemble, evaluating the health effects of emissions from six world regions and three emission source sectors. Emissions from one region have significant health impacts outside of that source region; similarly, foreign emissions contribute significantly to air-pollution-related deaths in several world regions. Read more
Dynamic response of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet to potential collapse of Larsen C and George VI ice shelves The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-12-2307-2018 19 July 2018 Despite the speculation on the state and fate of Larsen C Ice Shelf, a key unknown factor remains: what would be the effects of ice-shelf collapse on upstream drainage basins and thus global sea levels? In our paper three state-of-the-art numerical ice-sheet models were used to simulate the volume evolution of the inland ice sheet to ice-shelf collapse at Larsen C and George VI ice shelves. Our results suggest sea-level rise of up to ~ 4 mm for Larsen C ice shelf and ~ 22 for George VI ice shelf. Read more
Mineralogy and physicochemical features of Saharan dust wet deposited in the Iberian Peninsula during an extreme red rain event Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-18-10089-2018 16 July 2018 Saharan dust wet deposited in Granada (Spain) on 21–23 February 2017 during the most extreme red rain event of the last decades led to the deposition of ~ 140 000 T of dust just in the city of Granada, dwarfing any other standard Saharan dust events taking place in the area. The multianalytical study of Saharan dust disclosed potential source areas and the mineralogy and composition of the size fractions of desert dust as well as its potential biogeochemical, radiative, and health effects. Read more
In-depth characterization of diazotroph activity across the western tropical South Pacific hotspot of N2 fixation (OUTPACE cruise) Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-15-4215-2018 12 July 2018 Here we report N2 fixation rates from a ∼ 4000 km transect in the western and central tropical South Pacific, a particularly undersampled region in the world ocean. Read more