Three-dimensional morphology of equatorial plasma bubbles deduced from measurements onboard CHAMP Annales Geophysicae DOI 10.5194/angeo-33-129-2015 28 January 2015 Total electron content (TEC) between Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellites and the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites can be used to constrain three-dimensional morphology of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs). TEC gradient observed along the LEO track is strongest when the corresponding GNSS satellite is located equatorward and westward of the LEO satellite. This anisotropy supports the idea that EPBs have three-dimensional shell structures. Read more
A reduced-complexity model for river delta formation – Part 1: Modeling deltas with channel dynamics Earth Surface Dynamics DOI 10.5194/esurf-3-67-2015 28 January 2015 In this work we present DeltaRCM, a reduced-complexity model for river delta formation. It is a rule-based cellular morphodynamic model, in contrast to reductionist models based on detailed computational fluid dynamics. DeltaRCM is able to resolve channel dynamics, and to produce stratigraphy. We also explain the meaning of complexity reduction, especially what are the essential processes to be included in modeling deltas. Read more
The fate of seeds in the soil: a review of the influence of overland flow on seed removal and its consequences for the vegetation of arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems SOIL DOI 10.5194/soil-1-131-2015 26 January 2015 Since seeds are the principle means by which plants move across the landscape, the final fate of seeds plays a fundamental role in the origin, maintenance, functioning and dynamics of plant communities. In arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems, where seeds are scattered into a heterogeneous environment and intense rainfalls occur, the transport of seeds by runoff to new sites represents an opportunity for seeds to reach more favourable sites for seed germination and seedling survival. Read more
ERA-Interim/Land: a global land surface reanalysis data set Hydrology and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/hess-19-389-2015 21 January 2015 ERA-Interim/Land is a global land-surface reanalysis covering the period 1979–2010. It describes the evolution of soil moisture, soil temperature and snowpack. ERA-Interim/Land includes a number of parameterization improvements in the land surface scheme with respect to the original ERA-Interim and a precipitation bias correction based on GPCP. A selection of verification results show the added value in representing the terrestrial water cycle and its main land surface storages and fluxes. Read more
The interdisciplinary nature of SOIL SOIL DOI 10.5194/soil-1-117-2015 16 January 2015 This paper provides a brief accounting of some of the many ways that the study of soils can be interdisciplinary, therefore giving examples of the types of papers we hope to see submitted to SOIL. Read more
Experimental test of the ρ(1-α) evolution for rotational discontinuities: cluster magnetopause observations Annales Geophysicae DOI 10.5194/angeo-33-79-2015 15 January 2015 Rotational discontinuities (RDs) in plasma allow a magnetic connection between different plasma regimes. One of their defining relations describes a balance between changes in plasma mass density and pressure anisotropy. The paper uses the high time resolution data from the Cluster satellites to directly test that relation at the terrestrial magnetopause, when standard analysis predicts that this boundary behaves like an RD. The experimental evidence shows that the said relation is not fulfilled. Read more
Development of a large-sample watershed-scale hydrometeorological data set for the contiguous USA: data set characteristics and assessment of regional variability in hydrologic model performance Hydrology and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/hess-19-209-2015 14 January 2015 The focus of this paper is to (1) present a community dataset of daily forcing and hydrologic response data for 671 unimpaired basins across the contiguous United States that spans a very wide range of hydroclimatic conditions; and (2) provide a calibrated model performance benchmark using a common conceptual snow and hydrologic modeling system. This benchmark provides a reference level of model performance across a very large basin sample and highlights regional variations in performance. Read more
Seasonal in situ observations of glyoxal and methylglyoxal over the temperate oceans of the Southern Hemisphere Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-15-223-2015 12 January 2015 Glyoxal and methylglyoxal are short-lived organic trace gases and important precursors of secondary organic aerosol. Measurements over oceans are sparse. We present the first in situ glyoxal and methylglyoxal observations over remote temperate oceans, alongside observations of precursor gases. Precursor gases cannot explain observed mixing ratios, highlighting an unknown source. We show a large discrepancy between calculated vertical column densities of glyoxal and those retrieved by satellite. Read more
Internally and externally induced deformations of the magnetospheric equatorial current as inferred from spacecraft data Annales Geophysicae DOI 10.5194/angeo-33-1-2015 6 January 2015 A new quantitative model of the global shape of the neutral sheet in the Earth’s magnetosphere is developed, parameterized by the dipole tilt, solar wind pressure, and IMF By and Bz. The model is based on data from the Polar, Cluster, Geotail, and Themis satellites taken in 1995-2013. The paper quantifies and further explains our earlier finding of the bowl-shaped deformation of the neutral sheet due to the Earth’s dipole tilt (Tsyganenko and Andreeva, GRL, v.41(4), 2014). Read more
Soil properties and pre-Columbian settlement patterns in the Monumental Mounds Region of the Llanos de Moxos, Bolivian Amazon SOIL DOI 10.5194/soil-1-65-2015 6 January 2015 In the present paper we explore to what degree soil properties might have influenced pre-Columbian settlement patterns in the Monumental Mounds Region (MMR) of the Llanos de Moxos (LM), Bolivian Amazon. This study provides new data on the soil properties of the south-eastern Bolivian Amazon and reinforces the hypothesis that environmental constraints and opportunities exerted an important role on pre-Columbian occupation patterns and the population density reached in the Bolivian Amazon. Read more
