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140 KiB

Open AccessAbstract

Characterization of Physicochemical Properties of Feedlot Dust Ice Crystal Residuals (ICRs)

by Yidi Hou, Petrina Hee, Nsikanabasi Silas Umo, Ottmar Möhler and Naruki Hiranuma

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08438 - 15 Nov 2020

Viewed by 1093

Abstract

This study considers how feedlot dust size and composition contribute to atmospheric
ice nucleation and the formation of local cloud and precipitation in the Texas Panhandle. [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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1563 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

A 15-Year Climatology of Desert Dust Episodes in the Broader Mediterranean Basin

by Maria Gavrouzou, Nikos Hatzianastassiou, Antonis Gkikas and Nikos Mihalopoulos

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08138 - 13 Nov 2020

Viewed by 1165

Abstract

In the present study, dust aerosol episodes (DAEs) in the broader Mediterranean Basin (MB) are investigated over a 15-year (2005–2019) period using contemporary MODIS Collection 6.1 and OMI OMAERUV satellite data and a satellite algorithm applying a thresholding technique on selected aerosol optical [...] Read more.

In the present study, dust aerosol episodes (DAEs) in the broader Mediterranean Basin (MB) are investigated over a 15-year (2005–2019) period using contemporary MODIS Collection 6.1 and OMI OMAERUV satellite data and a satellite algorithm applying a thresholding technique on selected aerosol optical properties. The algorithm operates on a daily and 1° × 1° pixel level basis, first identifying the presence of dust, and consequently requiring the presence of unusually high dust loads, i.e., dust episodes. Apart from the presence of pixel-level DAEs, an extended spatial coverage of dust is also required. Thus, a specific day is characterized as a Dust Aerosol Episode Day (DAED), when at least 30 episodic pixels exist over Mediterranean Basin (MB). According to the algorithm results, 166 DAEDs (116 strong and 50 extreme) took place in the MB from 2005 to 2019. Most DAEDs occurred in spring (47%) and summer (38%), while a different seasonality is observed for strong and extreme episodes. The interannual variability of DAEDs reveal a decreasing trend, which is however not statistically significant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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227 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Effect on the Air Quality and Noise Levels of Jaipur City in the Event of COVID-19: A Short Review

by Ashutosh Bhardwaj

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08113 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2364

Abstract

Jaipur has seen rapid development in the last two and a half decades being the capital city of Rajasthan and its proximity to the National capital region of India, directly impacting its environment. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the status [...] Read more.

Jaipur has seen rapid development in the last two and a half decades being the capital city of Rajasthan and its proximity to the National capital region of India, directly impacting its environment. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the status of air pollution based on available literature. A review based on the status of air pollution beginning with works of researchers in the 1996-97 period for Jaipur city, till the recent developments through published literature is presented here in the light of abrupt and extreme situations arising due to COVID-19. High Volume Samplers having a respirable dust sampler with dust collector and filter paper were utilized in these studies and it was conducted by dividing the city into various categories such as industrial area, commercial area, residential area, and sensitive area. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide were measured by doing gas sampling and passing the gas through absorbing solution of sodium tetrachloromercurate and sodium hydroxide—sodium arsenite solution respectively. Carbon monoxide monitors of type CO-200 were being used to detect the presence of CO and indicate the concentration in ppm. Researchers have found that the recorded mean values of PM2.5 and PM10 were much higher than the specified limit by National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Sound level meters were used for the measurement of noise levels. Currently, daily AQI results are provided through online services based on PM2.5, PM10, NO₂, NH₃, SO₂, CO, and ozone. The AQI on 15th May 2020 is 92, 98, and 100 at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 2:00 PM representing a satisfactory category. However, AQI was 102 (moderate) at 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Jaipur is witnessing a major improvement in the air quality index (AQI) and noise levels during the COVID-19 crisis period due to limited anthropogenic activity since mid-March 2020. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

2270 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Moisture Sources for Tropical Cyclones Genesis in the Coast of West Africa through a Lagrangian Approach

by Albenis Pérez-Alarcón, Rogert Sorí, José Carlos Fernández-Alvarez, Raquel Nieto and Luis Gimeno

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08126 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1544

Abstract

Atmospheric moisture transport plays an important role in the genesis of tropical cyclones (TCs). In this study, the moisture sources associated with the genesis of TCs in the tropical Atlantic Ocean near West Africa, from June to November in the period 1980–2018, were [...] Read more.

Atmospheric moisture transport plays an important role in the genesis of tropical cyclones (TCs). In this study, the moisture sources associated with the genesis of TCs in the tropical Atlantic Ocean near West Africa, from June to November in the period 1980–2018, were identified. To detect the location of the TCs geneses, the HURDAT2 database from the National Hurricane Center was used. Additionally, global outputs of the Lagrangian FLEXPART model were used to determine the moisture sources that provided water vapor for the genesis of TCs. This model permitted us to track backward in time the air masses from the genesis region of the TCs and identify regions where air masses uptake moisture before reach the target regions. The results reveal that 18.1% (108 TC) of the total number of TCs that formed in the North Atlantic basin were originated in the region of study. The largest frequency for the TCs geneses was observed in August and September, with each one representing approximately 45% of the total. The transport of moisture associated with the genesis of TCs mainly comes from the east of the North and South Atlantic Ocean, as well as from West Africa and the Sahel region. The patterns of moisture uptake confirmed an interhemispheric moisture transport. Finally, during the El Niño, the moisture uptake is more intense over the Atlantic Ocean close to West Africa around 15 °N of latitude, while during La Niña, the pattern is slightly weaker but covers a wider area over the Atlantic Ocean and the north of Africa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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215 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Optical Properties and Direct Radiative Effects of Aerosol Species at the Global Scale Based on the Synergistic Use of MERRA-2 Optical Properties and the FORTH Radiative Transfer Model

by Marios-Bruno Korras-Carraca, Antonis Gkikas, Arlindo M. Da Silva, Christos Matsoukas, Nikolaos Hatzianastassiou and Ilias Vardavas

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08151 - 13 Nov 2020

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Abstract

The overarching goal of the current study is to quantify the aerosol-induced clear-sky direct radiative effects (DREs) within the Earth-atmosphere system at the global scale and for the 40-year period 1980–2019. To this aim, the MERRA-2 aerosol radiative properties, along with meteorological fields [...] Read more.

The overarching goal of the current study is to quantify the aerosol-induced clear-sky direct radiative effects (DREs) within the Earth-atmosphere system at the global scale and for the 40-year period 1980–2019. To this aim, the MERRA-2 aerosol radiative properties, along with meteorological fields and surface albedo, are used as inputs to the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH) radiative transfer model (RTM). Our preliminary results, representative for the year 2015, reveal strong surface radiative cooling (down to −45 Wm⁻²) over areas where high aerosol loadings and absorbing particles (i.e., dust and biomass burning) dominate. This reduction of the incoming solar radiation in the aforementioned regions is largely attributed to its absorption by the overlying suspended particles resulting in atmospheric warming reaching up to 40 Wm⁻². At the top of the atmosphere (TOA), negative DREs (planetary cooling) are computed worldwide (down to −20 Wm⁻²) with few exceptions over bright surfaces (warming up to 5 Wm⁻²). Finally, the strong variations between the obtained DREs of different aerosol species (dust, sea salt, sulfate, and organic/black carbon) as well as between hemispheres and surface types (i.e., land vs. ocean) are also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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138 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Long-Term Changes in Solar Shortwave Irradiance Due to Different Atmospheric Factors According to Measurements and Reconstruction Model in Northern Eurasia

by Elena Volpert and Natalia Chubarova

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08440 - 16 Nov 2020

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Abstract

The temporal variability of solar shortwave radiation (SSR) has been assessed over northern Eurasia (40°–80° N; 10° W–180° E) by using an SSR reconstruction model since the middle of the 20th century. The reconstruction model estimates the year-to-year SSR variability as a sum [...] Read more.

The temporal variability of solar shortwave radiation (SSR) has been assessed over northern Eurasia (40°–80° N; 10° W–180° E) by using an SSR reconstruction model since the middle of the 20th century. The reconstruction model estimates the year-to-year SSR variability as a sum of variations in SSR due to changes in aerosol, effective cloud amount and cloud optical thickness, which are the most effective factors affecting SSR. The retrievals of year-to-year SSR variations according to different factors were tested against long-term measurements in the Moscow State University Meteorological Observatory from 1968–2016. The reconstructed changes show a good agreement with measurements with determination factor R² = 0.8. The analysis of SSR trends since 1979 has detected a significant growth of 2.5% per decade, which may be explained by its increase due to the change in cloud amount (+2.4% per decade) and aerosol optical thickness (+0.4% per decade). The trend due to cloud optical thickness was statistically insignificant. Using the SSR reconstruction model, we obtained the long-term SSR variability due to different factors for the territory of northern Eurasia. The increasing SSR trends have been detected on most sites since 1979. The long-term SSR variability over northern Eurasia is effectively explained by changes in cloud amount and, in addition, by changes in aerosol loading over the polluted regions. The retrievals of the SSR variations showed a good agreement with the changes in global radiance measurements from the World Radiation Data Center (WRDC) archive. The work was supported by RFBR grant number 18-05-00700. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

1549 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Future Thermal Assessment for the Phenological Development of Potato [Solanum tuberosum (L.)] in Cuba

by Alexis Augusto Hernández-Mansilla, Francisco Estrada-Porrúa, Oscar Calderón-Bustamante and Graciela Lucía Binimelis de Raga

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08147 - 13 Nov 2020

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Abstract

Current changes in climate conditions due to global warming affect the phenological behavior of economically important cultivable plant species, with consequences for the food security of many countries, particularly in small vulnerable islands. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the [...] Read more.

Current changes in climate conditions due to global warming affect the phenological behavior of economically important cultivable plant species, with consequences for the food security of many countries, particularly in small vulnerable islands. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the thermal viability of Solanum tuberosum (L.) through the behavior of the Thermal Index of Biological Development (ITDB) of two cultivation areas in Cuba under different climate change scenarios. For the analysis, we elaborated bioclimatic scenarios by calculating the ITDB through a grounded and parameterized stochastic function based on the thermal values established for the phenological development of the species. We used the mean temperature values from the period 1980 to 2010 (historical reference period) of the Meteorological Stations: 78320 “Güira de Melena” and 78346 “Venezuela”, located at the western and central of Cuba respectively. We also used modeled data from RCP 2.6 scenarios; 4.5 and 8.5 from the PRECIS-CARIBE Regional Climate Model, which used global outputs from the ECHAM5 MCG for the period 2010 to 2100. As result, the scenarios showed that the annual average ITDB ranges from 0.7 to 0.8, which indicates that until 2010 there were temporary spaces with favorable thermal conditions for the species, but not for the period from 2010 to 2100 in RCP 4.5 and 8.5. In these scenarios, there was a progressive decrease in the indicator that warned of a marked loss of Viability of S. tuberosum, reduction of the time-space to cultivate this species (particularly the month of April is the most inappropriate for the ripening of the tuber). These results showed that Cuba requires the establishment of an adaptation program with adjustments in the sowing and production calendar, the use of short-cycle varieties of less than 120 days, the management of genotypes adaptable to high temperatures, and the application of “Agriculture Climate Smart”, to reduce risks in food safety. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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2382 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Spatial Characteristics of PM₁ Aerosol Chemical Composition over the Greater Athens Area

by Iasonas Stavroulas, Georgios Grivas and Nikolaos Mihalopoulos

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08139 - 13 Nov 2020

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Abstract

Airborne sub-micrometer particles (PM₁) have been documented to exert adverse impacts on human health, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease and premature mortality. The Greater Athens Area (GAA), characterized by topographic and meteorological conditions which frequently obstruct the effective dispersion of ambient [...] Read more.

Airborne sub-micrometer particles (PM₁) have been documented to exert adverse impacts on human health, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease and premature mortality. The Greater Athens Area (GAA), characterized by topographic and meteorological conditions which frequently obstruct the effective dispersion of ambient pollutants, hosts approximately 40% of Greece’s population. It can be considered an “ambient laboratory” for studying PM₁ pollution events, given the intensity and diversity of submicron aerosol sources and processing. Fine aerosol chemical composition is continuously monitored at the National Observatory of Athens Air Monitoring Station in Thissio, an urban background site in Central Athens. Furthermore, two intensive monthly campaigns were held at a central site in Piraeus, where Greece’s busiest passenger port is located, during both winter (December 2018–January 2019) and summer (June–July 2019) periods. Organic aerosol (OA), sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and chloride were measured using an aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM), while black carbon (BC and source-specific components) was measured using a multi-wavelength aethalometer (AE-33). The variability of concentrations at different temporal scales was examined, revealing differences for primary aerosol components, depending on site type and location, and related to local sources and transport processes. Biomass burning for domestic heating was found to be a key factor during wintertime, leading to uniform OA and BC levels at both sites, while the local sources in Piraeus (traffic, port activity) lead to substantially increased levels during the summer. Secondary sources were found to affect both sites in a relatively homogeneous manner. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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722 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Characterization of Air-Quality Degradation Episodes of PM₁₀ in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo and Their Relationship with Meteorological Conditions

by Maria C. Q. D. Oliveira, Luciana V. Rizzo and Anita Drumond

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08143 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1159

Abstract

Air pollution is one of the main environmental problems in large urban centers, affecting people’s health and impacting quality of life. The Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) presents frequent exceedances of air-quality standards in inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀), a consequence [...] Read more.

Air pollution is one of the main environmental problems in large urban centers, affecting people’s health and impacting quality of life. The Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) presents frequent exceedances of air-quality standards in inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀), a consequence of pollutant emissions modulated by meteorological conditions. This study aims to identify and characterize PM₁₀persistent exceedance events (PEE) inthe MASP between 2005 and 2017, relating them to meteorological conditions. The criteria used to select the events were: (i) events that occurred in at least 50% of the air-quality monitoring stations chosen for this study and, (ii) among the events that met the first criterion, those with a duration equal to or greater than five days, which correspond to the 80% percentile of the event duration distribution. A total 71 persistent episodes of exceedance were selected. The results show that the exceedance of PM₁₀ lasted up to 14 consecutive days and was predominant in the austral winter, accompanied by an increase in maximum temperature (T), a decrease in wind speed (WS) and relative humidity (RH), and a wind direction predominantly from the northwest during the peak concentration of the pollutant. On average, a concentration increase of 60% was observed at the peak of the PEE. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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1594 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Analysis of the Particulate Matter Pollution in the Urban Areas of Croatia, EU

by Martina Habulan, Bojan Đurin, Anita Ptiček Siročić and Nikola Sakač

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08145 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1396

Abstract

Particulate matter (PM) comprises a mixture of chemical compounds and water particles found in the air. The size of suspended particles is directly related to the negative impact on human health and the environment. In this paper, we present an analysis of the [...] Read more.

Particulate matter (PM) comprises a mixture of chemical compounds and water particles found in the air. The size of suspended particles is directly related to the negative impact on human health and the environment. In this paper, we present an analysis of the PM pollution in urban areas of Croatia. Data on PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were measured with nine instruments at seven stationary measuring units located in three continental cities, namely Zagreb (the capital), Slavonski Brod, and Osijek, and two cities on the Adriatic coast, namely Rijeka and Dubrovnik. We analyzed an hourly course of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and average seasonal PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations from 2017 to 2019. At most measuring stations, maximum concentrations were recorded during autumn and winter, which can be explained by the intensive use of fossil fuels and traffic. Increases in PM concentrations during the summer months at measuring stations in Rijeka and Dubrovnik may be associated with the intensive arrival of tourists by air during the tourist season, and lower PM concentrations during the winter periods may be caused by a milder climate consequently resulting in lower consumption of fossil fuels and use of electric energy for heating. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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8267 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Analysis of Polarimetric Mini-SAR and Mini-RF Datasets for Surface Characterization and Crater Delineation on Moon

by Himanshu Kumari and Ashutosh Bhardwaj

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08118 - 13 Nov 2020

Viewed by 1891

Abstract

The hybrid polarimetric architecture of Mini-SAR and Mini-RF onboard Indian Chandrayaan-1 and LRO missions were the first to acquire shadowed polar images of the Lunar surface. This study aimed to characterize the surface properties of Lunar polar and non-polar regions containing Haworth, Nobile, [...] Read more.

The hybrid polarimetric architecture of Mini-SAR and Mini-RF onboard Indian Chandrayaan-1 and LRO missions were the first to acquire shadowed polar images of the Lunar surface. This study aimed to characterize the surface properties of Lunar polar and non-polar regions containing Haworth, Nobile, Gioja, an unnamed crater, Arago, and Moltke craters and delineate the crater boundaries using a newly emerged approach. The Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) data of Chandrayaan-1 was found useful for the detection and extraction of precise boundaries of the craters using the ArcGIS Crater tool. The Stokes child parameters estimated from radar backscatter like the degree of polarization (m), the relative phase (δ), Poincare ellipticity (χ) along with the Circular Polarization Ratio (CPR), and decomposition techniques, were used to study the surface attributes of craters. The Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues used to measure entropy and mean alpha showed distinct types of scattering, thus its comparison with m-δ, m-χ gave a profound conclusion to the lunar surface. The dominance of surface scattering confirmed the roughness of rugged material. The results showed the CPR associated with the presence of water ice as well as a dihedral reflection inside the polar craters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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264 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Application of a Machine Learning Methodology for Data Implementation

by Chris G. Tzanis, Anastasios Alimissis and Ioannis Koutsogiannis

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08156 - 14 Nov 2020

Viewed by 1046

Abstract

An important aspect in environmental sciences is the study of air quality, using statistical methods (environmental statistics) which utilize large datasets of climatic parameters. The air quality monitoring networks that operate in urban areas provide data on the most important pollutants, which via [...] Read more.

An important aspect in environmental sciences is the study of air quality, using statistical methods (environmental statistics) which utilize large datasets of climatic parameters. The air quality monitoring networks that operate in urban areas provide data on the most important pollutants, which via environmental statistics can be used for the development of continuous surfaces of pollutants’ concentrations. Generating ambient air quality maps can help guide policy makers and researchers to formulate measures to minimize the adverse effects. The information needed for a mapping application can be obtained by employing spatial interpolation methods to the available data, for generating estimations of air quality distributions. This study used point monitoring data from the network of stations that operates in Athens. A machine learning scheme was applied as a method to spatially estimate pollutants’ concentrations and the results could be effectively used to implement missing values and provide representative data for statistical analyses purposes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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499 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Estimation of Direct Fire Emissions from Forests Burning in Siberia

by Evgenii I. Ponomarev

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08114 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1096

Abstract

Using a database on wildfires recorded by remote sensing for 1996–2020, we assessed the seasonal variation of direct carbon emissions from the burning in Siberian forests. We have implemented an approach that takes into account the combustion parameters and the changing intensity of [...] Read more.

Using a database on wildfires recorded by remote sensing for 1996–2020, we assessed the seasonal variation of direct carbon emissions from the burning in Siberian forests. We have implemented an approach that takes into account the combustion parameters and the changing intensity of the fire (in terms of Fire Radiative Power (FRP)), which affects the accuracy of the emission estimate. For the last two decades, the range of direct carbon emissions from wildfires was 20–250 Тg С per year. Sporadic maxima were fixed in 2003 (>150 Тg С/year), in 2012 (>220 Тg С/year), and in 2019 (>190 Тg С/year). Preliminary estimation of emissions for 2020 (on 30th of September) was ~180 Tg С/year. Fires in the larch forests of the flat-mountainous taiga region (Central Siberia) made the greatest contribution (>50%) to the budget of direct fire emission, affecting the quality of the atmosphere in vast territories during the summer period. According to the temperature rising and forest burning trend in Siberia, the fire emissions of carbon may double (220 Тg С/year) or even increase by an order of magnitude (>2000 Тg С/year) at the end of the 21st century, which was evaluated depending on IPCC scenario. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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5897 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Testing the Drop-Size Distribution Based Separation of Stratiform and Convective Rain Using Radar and Disdrometer Data from a Midlatitude Coastal Region

by Merhala Thurai, Viswanathan Bringi, David Wolff, David Marks and Charanjit Pabla

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08125 - 13 Nov 2020

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Abstract

Stratiform and convective rain are associated with different microphysical processes and generally produce drop-size distributions (DSDs) with different characteristics. A previous study, using data from a tropical coastal location found that the two rain types could be separated in the N_W–D [...] Read more.

Stratiform and convective rain are associated with different microphysical processes and generally produce drop-size distributions (DSDs) with different characteristics. A previous study, using data from a tropical coastal location found that the two rain types could be separated in the N_W–D_m space, where D_m is the mass-weighted mean diameter and N_W is the normalized intercept parameter. The separation method has also been tested using data and observations from a midlatitude continental location with semiarid climate, and a subtropical continental location. In this paper, we investigate the same separation technique using data and observations from a midlatitude coastal region. Three-minute DSDs from disdrometer measurements were used for the N_W versus D_m based classification and were compared with simultaneous observations from an S-band polarimetric radar 38 km away from the disdrometer site. Specifically, range-height indicator (RHI) scans over the disdrometer were used for confirmation. The results showed that there was no need to modify the separation criteria from previous studies. Scattering calculations using the three-minute DSDs were used to derive retrieval equations for N_w and D_m for the S-band radar and applied to the RHI scans to identify convective and stratiform rain regions. Two events are shown as illustrative examples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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3735 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Investigation of Precipitation Variability and Extremes Using Information Theory

by Ravi Kumar Guntu and Ankit Agarwal

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08115 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1357

Abstract

Quantifying the spatiotemporal variability of rainfall is the principal component for the assessment of the impact of climate change on the hydrological cycle. A better understanding of the quantification of variability and its trend is vital for water resources planning and management. Therefore, [...] Read more.

Quantifying the spatiotemporal variability of rainfall is the principal component for the assessment of the impact of climate change on the hydrological cycle. A better understanding of the quantification of variability and its trend is vital for water resources planning and management. Therefore, a multitude of studies has been dedicated to quantifying the rainfall variability over the years. Despite their importance for modelling rainfall variability, the studies mainly focused on the amount of rainfall and its spatial patterns. The studies investigating the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall across Central India, in general, and at multiscale, in particular, are limited. In this study, we used a Standardized Variability Index (SVI), based on information theory to investigate the spatiotemporal variability of rainfall. SVI is independent of the temporal scale, length of the data and can compare the rainfall variability at multiple timescales. Distinct spatial patterns were observed for information entropies at the monthly and seasonal scale. Grid points with statistically significant trends were observed and vary from monthly to seasonal scale. There is an increase in the variability of rainfall amount from South to North, indicating that spread of the rainfall is high in the South when compared to North of Central India. Trend analysis revealed there is changing behavior in the rainfall amount as well as rainy days, showing an increase in variability of rainfall over Central India, hence the high probability of occurrence of extreme events in the near future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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748 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Estimation of Crop Production and CO₂ Fluxes Using Remote Sensing: Application to a Winter Wheat/Sunflower Rotation

by Gaétan Pique, Taeken Wijmert, Rémy Fieuzal and Eric Ceschia

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08141 - 13 Nov 2020

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Abstract

To meet the incoming growth of the world’s food needs, and the demands of climate change, the agricultural sector will be forced to adapt its practices. To do so, the contribution of agricultural fields to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the impact—on [...] Read more.

To meet the incoming growth of the world’s food needs, and the demands of climate change, the agricultural sector will be forced to adapt its practices. To do so, the contribution of agricultural fields to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the impact—on soil, climate and productions—of certain agricultural practices have to be known. In this study, the SAFY-CO₂ crop model is driven by remote sensing products in order to estimate CO₂ fluxes on the main crop rotation observed in the study area, i.e., winter wheat followed by sunflower. Different modeling scenarios are tested, particularly for intercropping periods, the approach being validated locally, thanks to eddy covariance flux measurements, and then applied regionally. Results showed that the model was able to reproduce crop production with high accuracy (rRMSE of 21% and 24% for winter wheat and sunflower yield, respectively) as well as daily net CO₂ flux (RMSE of 1.29 and 0.97 gC.m⁻².d⁻¹ for winter wheat and sunflower respectively). Moreover, the tested modeling scenarios highlight the importance of taking the regrowth events into account for assessing accurate carbon budgets. In a perspective of large-scale application, the model was upscaled over more than 100 plots, allowing discussion of the effect of regrowth on carbon uptake. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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1152 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Study of Black Carbon (BC) Mass Concentration Variation at a Coastal Region (Surat)

by Ranjitkumar Solanki and Kamlesh N. Pathak

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08146 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1346

Abstract

Black Carbon (BC) aerosols mass concentration was studied at Surat, Gujarat (India), a coastal region near the Tapi River at the Gulf of Khambhat. Using satellite data for solar extinction due to Black Carbon (BC) mass concentration, data were collected from the Giovanni [...] Read more.

Black Carbon (BC) aerosols mass concentration was studied at Surat, Gujarat (India), a coastal region near the Tapi River at the Gulf of Khambhat. Using satellite data for solar extinction due to Black Carbon (BC) mass concentration, data were collected from the Giovanni platform developed by NASA. Results of the data for the 5-year period (January to December 2001–2005) are discussed here. Annual and Seasonal variations of Black Carbon (BC) in relation to changes in the regional meteorological conditions are discussed here. The data collected during January to December 2001–2005 indicated the annual average BC concentration. The mean annual variations of BC aerosols mass concentration saw its maximum in the month of December while minimum was seen in the month of July. The seasonal mean BC mass concentration observed to be at its lowest in monsoon season while its highest was in winter at the study region. Variation of the BC trend observed was higher in the month December and lower in the month of July which is mostly related to the changes in the local boundary layer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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1750 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Development of a Line Source Dispersion Model for Gaseous Pollutants by Incorporating Wind Shear near the Ground under Stable Atmospheric Conditions

by Saisantosh Vamshi Harsha Madiraju and Ashok Kumar

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08154 - 14 Nov 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1971

Abstract

Transportation sources are a major contributor to air pollution in urban areas. The role of air quality modeling is vital in the formulation of air pollution control and management strategies. Many models have appeared in the literature to estimate near-field ground level concentrations [...] Read more.

Transportation sources are a major contributor to air pollution in urban areas. The role of air quality modeling is vital in the formulation of air pollution control and management strategies. Many models have appeared in the literature to estimate near-field ground level concentrations from mobile sources moving on a highway. However, current models do not account explicitly for the effect of wind shear (magnitude) near the ground while computing the ground level concentrations near highways from mobile sources. This study presents an analytical model based on the solution of the convective-diffusion equation by incorporating the wind shear near the ground for gaseous pollutants. The model input includes emission rate, wind speed, wind direction, turbulence, and terrain features. The dispersion coefficients are based on the near field parameterization. The sensitivity of the model to compute ground level concentrations for different inputs is presented for three different downwind distances. In general, the model shows Type III sensitivity (i.e., the errors in the input will show a corresponding change in the computed ground level concentrations) for most of the input variables. However, the model equations should be re-examined for three input variables (wind velocity at the reference height and two variables related to the vertical spread of the plume) to make sure that that the model is valid for computing ground level concentrations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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5641 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Spectrochemical Analytical Characterisation of Particulate Matter Emissions Generated from In-Use Diesel Engine Vehicles

by Richard Viskup, Yana Vereshchaga, Anna Theresia Stadler, Theresa Roland, Christoph Wolf, Agnes Weth and Werner Baumgartner

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08468 - 17 Nov 2020

Viewed by 1230

Abstract

Pollutant emissions from vehicles form major sources of metallic nanoparticles entering the environment and surrounding atmosphere. In this research, we spectrochemically analyse the chemical composition of particle matter emissions from in-use diesel engine passenger vehicles. We extracted diesel particulate matter from the end [...] Read more.

Pollutant emissions from vehicles form major sources of metallic nanoparticles entering the environment and surrounding atmosphere. In this research, we spectrochemically analyse the chemical composition of particle matter emissions from in-use diesel engine passenger vehicles. We extracted diesel particulate matter from the end part of the tail pipes of more than 70 different vehicles. In the laboratory, we used the high-resolution laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) spectrochemical analytical technique to sensitively analyse chemical elements in different DPM samples. We found that PM is composed of major, minor and trace chemical elements. The major compound in PM is not strictly carbon but also other adsorbed metallic nanoparticles such as iron, chromium, magnesium, zinc and calcium. Besides the major elements in DPM, there are also minor elements: silicon, nickel, titan, potassium, strontium, molybdenum and others. Additionally, in DPM are adsorbed atomic trace elements like barium, boron, cobalt, copper, phosphorus, manganese and platinum. All these chemical elements form the significant atomic composition of real PM from in-use diesel engine vehicles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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1201 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Assessing Neural Network Approaches for Solar Radiation Estimates Using Limited Climatic Data in the Mediterranean Sea

by Juan Antonio Bellido-Jiménez, Javier Estévez and Amanda Penélope García-Marín

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08116 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1324

Abstract

One of the most crucial variables in agricultural meteorology is solar radiation (Rs), although it is measured in a very limited number of weather stations due to its high cost in both installation and maintenance. Moreover, the quality of the data is usually [...] Read more.

One of the most crucial variables in agricultural meteorology is solar radiation (Rs), although it is measured in a very limited number of weather stations due to its high cost in both installation and maintenance. Moreover, the quality of the data is usually low because of sensor failure and/or lack of calibration, which made scientists search for new approaches such as neural network models. Thus, the improvement of traditional solar radiation estimation models with minimum data availability is still needed for different purposes. In this work, several neural network models were developed and assessed (Multilayer Perceptron—MLP, Support Vector Machines—SVM, Extreme Learning Machine, Convolutional Neural Networks—CNN, and Long Short-Term Memory—LSTM) with different temperature-based input variables configurations in Southern Spain (weather station located in the Mediterranean Sea coast). The performances were analyzed using different statistical indices (Root Mean Square Error—RMSE, Mean Bias Error—MBE, and Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient—NSE). Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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7 pages, 1779 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Spatiotemporal Distribution of Soil Moisture Content over Ukraine and Its Relationship to Atmospheric Conditions

by Inna Semenova

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08117 - 13 Apr 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2357

Abstract

Spatiotemporal distribution of the soil moisture content of 0–10 cm underground has been assessed across the aroclimatic zones of Ukraine for the period 2000–2019. Calculated Soil Moisture Anomaly Index (SMAI) was used to characterize the degree of saturation of the soil, comparing to [...] Read more.

Spatiotemporal distribution of the soil moisture content of 0–10 cm underground has been assessed across the aroclimatic zones of Ukraine for the period 2000–2019. Calculated Soil Moisture Anomaly Index (SMAI) was used to characterize the degree of saturation of the soil, comparing to normal conditions. The North Atlantic Oscillation index (NAO) and the European Continental Blocking Index (ECBI) were used for the estimation of the influence of atmospheric circulation on soil moisture content in different seasons. The clear annual soil moisture content course is observed in all agroclimatic zones of Ukraine, when the maximum is observed in February, and the minimum is in August. The lowest soil moisture values are fixed in the Western Steppe and the maximum in the Carpathian region and Polesie. The analysis of time series of the SMAI showed the tendency to transition from mostly positive values to negative values in the past decade in summer and autumn. In winter and spring, no significant trends were found in the SMAI values. Analysis of the statistical relationship between the SMAI and the NAO indices, and the SMAI and the ECBI indices showed the features of the state of zonal flow and determined certain anomalies of soil moisture content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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719 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

The Causal Relationship of Agricultural Standards, Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Recovery

by Lavinia Popescu and Adela Sorinela Safta

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08153 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1546

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the favorable risk factors in agriculture in terms of encumbering this area of inevitable climate change. The development of a sustainable agriculture is combined in the paper by pointing out the needs on which agricultural productions maintain [...] Read more.

This paper presents an overview of the favorable risk factors in agriculture in terms of encumbering this area of inevitable climate change. The development of a sustainable agriculture is combined in the paper by pointing out the needs on which agricultural productions maintain their productivity using the technique of adapting to the motivational scale of Maslow, analyzing the evolution of needs determined based on the Martonne Index in the analysis of the cause of soil erosion in the water and wind equation. We highlighted the need to apply agricultural techniques depending on climatic zones due to the non-uniformity of geographical areas, the character of buffer zones in the protection of zonal biodiversity of natural resources. Methods of agricultural practice in the use of pesticides cause concern according to FAOSTAT data, some techniques of careful use of fertilizers are a factor in reducing plant protection products through other soil protection techniques. The implications for the adoption of the most innovative production techniques, the security in the handling of fertilizers can reduce the risk of pollution the importance of soil water in agricultural production practices being revealed in the paper. Avoiding environmental damage by caring for agricultural plantations contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in step with the need for refurbishment. A factor of research analysis was the more efficient assessment of the challenges of climate change solutions to reduce the carbon footprint on agricultural production indicates the need to depend agricultural production methods the effect of fertilizer imports on exports still indicates the need for fertilizers and not the cause of abandonment of the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. New type agriculture in the conditions of cross-compliance imposed by the New Agricultural Policy implies precision alternatives involves the introduction of high-performance technologies and equipment to streamline the agricultural process and ensure production control. This method helps farmers to better understand and manage their crops, to take advantage of potential soils, but also to protect their crops from pollutants and pests. Agricultural management becomes efficient, (J. Bouma, et al., 1999) because field measurements and analysis of environmental factors weather phenomes, soil type and texture, seasonality, stage of plant development, provide farmers with the necessary resources to understand and effectively manage their crop. In the research stages we collected data and information that, in our opinion, are important for reorienting agricultural practices by standardizing agro-environmental measures in rural areas complete the ability to adapt agricultural practices as part of the economy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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121 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Meteorological Characteristics Associated with Air Pollution in Bucharest Greater Area, Romania

by Tiberiu Hriscan, Silviu Chirita, Mihaela Burcea, Andreea Calcan, Marius Corbu and Gabriela Iorga

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08128 - 13 Nov 2020

Viewed by 977

Abstract

This study examines how the mass concentrations of gaseous species (NO, NO₂, NOx, O₃, SO₂, CO, C₆H₆) and particulate matter PM₁₀, PM_2.5 (particulate matter less than 10 µm and less [...] Read more.

This study examines how the mass concentrations of gaseous species (NO, NO₂, NOx, O₃, SO₂, CO, C₆H₆) and particulate matter PM₁₀, PM_2.5 (particulate matter less than 10 µm and less than 2.5 μm) might be linked with precipitation characteristics using an observational data set for five years (2015–2019) in the Bucharest metropolitan area. Particulate matter data and meteorological parameters at each site (atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, temperature, solar radiation, wind speed and direction) were extracted from the publicly available Romanian National Air Quality Database. Meteorology was complemented with radar products (images, reflectivity, echotops) from the C-band meteorological radar of the National Meteorological Administration in Bucharest. Change in aerosol mass concentration during the evolution of the precipitation events was investigated. The aerosol scavenging coefficients were estimated and compared with those in the scientific literature. Correlations between meteorological parameters and ambient pollutant levels were analyzed. The connection between meteorological phenomena occurrence and air mass origin was investigated by computing air mass backward trajectories for a 72-h period using the HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model. Results demonstrate the good capability of the convective precipitating systems to clear the atmosphere of fine aerosol and gaseous pollutant species. The obtained results are important for the modeling of air quality and for investigations of aerosol wet deposition processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

4506 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Numerical Simulation of Nocturnal Ozone Increase in Metropolitan Area of São Paulo

by Viviana Vanesa Urbina Guerrero, Marcos Vinicius Bueno de Morais, Edmilson Dias de Freitas and Leila Droprinchinski Martins

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08140 - 13 Nov 2020

Viewed by 1252

Abstract

In large cities, pollution can not only cause deaths and illness due to exposure of people to it, but it can also reduce visibility on days of high atmospheric stability and high emission of pollutants, which can even result in vehicular accidents. Ozone [...] Read more.

In large cities, pollution can not only cause deaths and illness due to exposure of people to it, but it can also reduce visibility on days of high atmospheric stability and high emission of pollutants, which can even result in vehicular accidents. Ozone is an atmospheric oxidizing gas that forms in minimal amounts naturally. People’s health can be affected by the ozone present in the air they breathe, even in low concentrations, which can worsen preexisting diseases and increase hospital admissions for respiratory diseases, especially in babies, after episodes of high pollutant levels. An increase in secondary peaks during the night of this atmospheric pollutant occurs in several parts of the world, but its formation depends on the local condition. In this sense, this work aims to study the regional atmospheric characteristics for the nocturnal ozone formation in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP). For this, the Simple Photochemical Module (SPM) coupled with the BRAMS (Brazilian Developments of Regional Atmospheric Modeling System) will be used to simulate this condition for the urban region. The results showed that the secondary nocturnal maximum of ozone concentrations in MASP is related to vertical transport of this pollutant from higher levels of the atmosphere to the surface. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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130 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Online Ice-Nucleating Particle Measurements in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) Using the Portable Ice Nucleation Experiment (PINE) Chamber

by Hemanth S. K. Vepuri, Larissa Lacher, Jens Nadolny, Ottmar Möhler and Naruki Hiranuma

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08469 - 17 Nov 2020

Viewed by 1096

Abstract

We present our field results of ice-nucleating particle (INP) measurements from the commercialized version of the Portable Ice Nucleation Experiment (PINE) chamber from two different campaigns. Our first field campaign, TxTEST, was conducted at West Texas A&M University (July–August 2019), and the other [...] Read more.

We present our field results of ice-nucleating particle (INP) measurements from the commercialized version of the Portable Ice Nucleation Experiment (PINE) chamber from two different campaigns. Our first field campaign, TxTEST, was conducted at West Texas A&M University (July–August 2019), and the other campaign, ExINP-SGP, was held at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site (October–November 2019). In both campaigns, the PINE made semi-autonomous INP measurements at a high-time-resolution of 8 min for individual expansions with continuous temperature scans from −5 to −35 °C in 90 min. The PINE instrument was set to have a minimum detection capability of ~0.3 INPs per liter of air. To complement our online PINE measurements, polycarbonate filter impactor and liquid impinger samples were also collected next to the PINE. Offline droplet-freezing assays were later conducted from the filter and impinger samples for the immersion freezing mode. Our preliminary results suggested that the immersion freezing mode was the dominant ice-nucleation mechanism at the SGP site compared to the deposition mode. We did not find any statistical correlation between cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and INP concentration during our ExINP-SGP period, suggesting that CCN activation is not a significant prerequisite for ice nucleation at the SGP site. In addition, we analyzed the relationship between various aerosol particle size ranges and INP abundance. At SGP, we found an increase in INPs with the super-micron particles, especially for diameters >2 μm across the entire heterogeneous freezing temperature range examined by PINE. Lastly, we computed a variety of INP parameters, such as, ice nucleation active surface site density, water activity-based freezing, and cumulative INP per liter of air, representing the ambient INPs in the SGP. Our field campaign results demonstrated the PINE’s ability to make remote INP measurements, promising future long-term operations including at isolated locations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

29794 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

A Preliminary Study of Winter Atmospheric River’s Precipitation Characteristics Using Satellite Data over Galicia (NW Spain)

by Elham Ghasemifar, Jorge Eiras-Barca, Iago Algarra, Alexandre M. Ramos, Manuchehr Farajzadeh, Raquel Nieto and Luis Gimeno

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08119 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1235

Abstract

This brief research report is aimed to make a first approach to the study of the type of precipitation associated with a set of atmospheric river (AR) events over the Atlantic region of Galicia. Fifteen ARs that made landfall in the Spanish region [...] Read more.

This brief research report is aimed to make a first approach to the study of the type of precipitation associated with a set of atmospheric river (AR) events over the Atlantic region of Galicia. Fifteen ARs that made landfall in the Spanish region of Galicia have been analyzed using the 2B-GEOPROF and 2C-PRECIP-COLUMN from the CloudSat cloud profiling radar (CPR). An estimation of the relative ratio between warm and cold precipitation associated with each event is provided. Broadly speaking, cold precipitation accounts for 80% of the total. This value is slightly higher than the already stated for Pacific AR events. However, similar mean rain rates (0.35 mm/h for the warm precipitation and 1.16 mm/h for the cold counterpart) to those reported by the literature have been obtained. In the absence of a more comprehensive and conclusive statistic, it seems that cold precipitation is predominant along the central axis of a well-developed AR. In this central core of the AR, the bulk of the moisture remains in the lower levels, and the freezing level (FL) is low. According to these results, the interaction between the warm conveyor and the cold conveyor belt may eventually raise the FL to upper levels, leading the warm fraction to play a more important—even though still secondary—role. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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2237 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Evaluation of Agriculture-Related Climate Indices in Hindcast COSMO-CLM Simulations over Central Europe

by Huan Zhang and Merja H. Tölle

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08464 - 17 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1150

Abstract

High horizontal resolution regional climate model simulations serve as forcing data for crop and dynamic vegetation models, for generating possible scenarios of the future effects of climate change on crop yields and pollinators. Here, we performed convection-permitting hindcast simulations with the regional climate [...] Read more.

High horizontal resolution regional climate model simulations serve as forcing data for crop and dynamic vegetation models, for generating possible scenarios of the future effects of climate change on crop yields and pollinators. Here, we performed convection-permitting hindcast simulations with the regional climate model COSMO5.0-CLM15 (CCLM) from 1979 to 2015, and the first year was considered as a spin-up period. The model was driven with hourly ERA5 data, which were the latest climate reanalysis product by ECMWF, and directly downscaled to a 3 km horizontal resolution over Central Europe. The land-use classes were described by ECOCLIMAP, and the soil type and depth were described by HWSD. The evaluation was carried out in terms of temperature, precipitation, and climate indices, comparing CCLM output with the gridded observational dataset HYRAS from the German Weather Service. While CCLM inherits a warm and dry summer bias found in its parent model, it reproduces the main features of the recent past climate of Central Europe, including the seasonal mean climate patterns and probability density distributions. Furthermore, the model reproduced climate indices for temperature like growing season length, growing season start date, number of summer days. The results highlighted the possibility of directly downscaling ERA5 data with regional climate models, avoiding the multiple nesting approach and high computational costs. This study adds confidence to convection-permitting climate projections of future changes in agricultural climate indices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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2408 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Wind Energy Assessment during High-Impact Winter Storms in the Iberian Peninsula

by Ana Gonçalves, Margarida L. R. Liberato and Raquel Nieto

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08132 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1241

Abstract

Electricity production through renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, is dependent on the variability of weather conditions. Thus, this work aimed to assess the wind resource available and the wind energy potential (WEP) during recent December months (the three years 2017, 2018, [...] Read more.

Electricity production through renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, is dependent on the variability of weather conditions. Thus, this work aimed to assess the wind resource available and the wind energy potential (WEP) during recent December months (the three years 2017, 2018, 2019). These winters were characterized by the occurrence of high-impact storms. To understand the effect of the strong winds associated with the passage of the storms during these months, we used 10 m wind components (10-m U and V wind components). The fields were extracted at 00, 06, 12, and 18 UTC (6-hourly data) for the 2017, 2018, and 2019 December months over a geographical sector that covers the Iberian Peninsula (IP) region (35° N–45° N; 10° W–4° E) and compared to climatological values for the 1981–2010 period. The obtained results showed an increase of wind intensity of up to 1.2 m·s⁻¹ in IP during December 2017 and 2019 and a decrease of 1.2 m·s⁻¹ in December 2018 when compared with the respective climatology for the 1981–2010 period. This increase corresponded to an increase in the corresponding WEP. Therefore, our results agreed with the values of the wind energy produced during the analyzed months for the two countries, Portugal and Spain. Finally, it is notable that the highest values of wind energy production occurred on the days of the storms’ passage through the IP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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1788 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Impact of Rossby Waves Breaking on the Heavy Rainfall in the Selenga River Basin in July

by Olga Antokhina, Pavel Antokhin and Gochakov Alexander

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08120 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1348

Abstract

The Selenga is one of the crucial transboundary rivers of the semi-arid Northern Eurasia belt. The Selenga basin is located in Mongolia and Russia, and it is 83.4% of the Lake Baikal basin. Atmospheric precipitation is the primary source of the river supply; [...] Read more.

The Selenga is one of the crucial transboundary rivers of the semi-arid Northern Eurasia belt. The Selenga basin is located in Mongolia and Russia, and it is 83.4% of the Lake Baikal basin. Atmospheric precipitation is the primary source of the river supply; most of its amount falls like rain from June to August (about 70% of the annual). In the present paper, the relationship between the heaviest rains (HR) around the Selenga River basin in July (above 90th percentile) and Rossby wave breaking (both cyclonic and anticyclonic type, AWB and CWB) was examined. The total number of HR events from 1982 to 2019 was 83. For each event, the synoptic analysis and automatic detection of breaking based on potential vorticity from 2 to 9 PVU on the 350 K were utilized. In most cases (85%) of HR, events were accompanied to the RWB. It was revealed that waves propagating along the subtropical jet were the most important. Precipitation was observed both for the period of amplitude growth and period of waves breaking (CWB or AWB). CWBs on the subtropical jet stream that occurred east to Lake Baikal were observed in most HR events. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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3930 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Affectation and Rainfall Contribution of Tropical Cyclones in Puerto Rico from 1980 to 2016

by José C. Fernández-Alvarez, Rogert Sorí, Albenis Pérez-Alarcón, Raquel Nieto and Luis Gimeno

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08130 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1357

Abstract

This study investigated the number of tropical cyclones (TCs) that affected Puerto Rico during the June-November hurricane season in the period 1980–2016, and their contribution to the total precipitation. Special attention was dedicated to assessing the role of atmospheric-oceanic teleconnections in the formation [...] Read more.

This study investigated the number of tropical cyclones (TCs) that affected Puerto Rico during the June-November hurricane season in the period 1980–2016, and their contribution to the total precipitation. Special attention was dedicated to assessing the role of atmospheric-oceanic teleconnections in the formation of TCs that affect this island. The HURDAT2 tropical cyclone climatology database and the multi-source weighted set precipitation (MSWEPv2) data with a spatial resolution of 0.1° × 0.1° were used. A total of 92 TCs within a 500-km radius of Puerto Rico were identified for the study period. Contrary to what was expected, a similar percentage of affectation was found between those TCs formed under El Niño and La Niña conditions. Regarding the North Atlantic Oscillation, a 23.91 % of the 92 TCs that affected Puerto Rico formed under the negative phase, while the 13.04% during the positive phase, which is explained in agreement with previous findings with the weakening and shift to the south and west of the Azores High during the negative phase of North Atlantic Oscillation. The role of the Sea Surface Temperature on the genesis of TCs that affected Puerto Rico was also assessed through the Atlantic Meridional Mode and the Atlantic Warm Pool area. It is confirmed that the affectation of TCs in Puerto Rico is highly related to the eastward extension of the Atlantic Warm Pool and the Sea Surface Temperature gradient in the tropical North Atlantic region. Indeed, a northward shift in latitude and longitude in genesis position was found from July to November. Finally, a monthly analysis revealed that in August and September the maximum mean rain contribution from TC was ~17% for the grid but with values in the 20–30% interval. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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3939 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Evaluation of Microphysics Schemes in the WRF-ARW Model for Numerical Wind Forecast in José Martí International Airport

by Patricia Coll-Hidalgo, Albenis Pérez-Alarcón and Pedro Manuel González-Jardines

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08121 - 13 Nov 2020

Viewed by 1634

Abstract

A sensitivity study was developed with Lin, Morrison 2-moment, weather research and forecasting (WRF) single-moment 5-class (WSM5), and WRF single-moment 6-class (WSM6) microphysics schemes available in the weather research and forecasting-advanced research WRF (WRF-ARW) for the numerical forecast of the wind field at [...] Read more.

A sensitivity study was developed with Lin, Morrison 2-moment, weather research and forecasting (WRF) single-moment 5-class (WSM5), and WRF single-moment 6-class (WSM6) microphysics schemes available in the weather research and forecasting-advanced research WRF (WRF-ARW) for the numerical forecast of the wind field at José Martí International Airport, in Cuba. The selection of these schemes was based on their use in numerical weather forecast systems operating in Cuba. As case studies, five storms associated with synoptic patterns that cause dangerous conditions at this aerodrome were selected. The simulations were initialized at 0000 UTC with the forecast outputs of the global forecast system (GFS) model. The schemes were evaluated according to the wind field’s representation in the region where the airport is located, the headlands, and the center of the runway. The errors observed are strongly dependent on the occurrence of convection, especially on the intensity and the factors that cause it. During the dry season (November–April), the lowest errors are observed, while the worst performance is appreciable for the rainy period (May–October). Lin and WSM6 schemes reproduce the best behavior of the wind field on the aerodrome. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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1483 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Evaluation of a Satellite-Based Rain Estimation Algorithm Using a Network of Meteorological Stations. Preliminary Results in a Region with Complex Terrain

by Stavros Kolios, Nikos Hatzianastassiou and Christos J. Lolis

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08133 - 13 Nov 2020

Viewed by 1176

Abstract

The present study was a first attempt to quantitatively evaluate an existing satellite-based rain estimation algorithm using measurements from a network of ground-based meteorological stations. The study domain was the Epirus region (the rainiest region in Greece) where the Laboratory of Meteorology and [...] Read more.

The present study was a first attempt to quantitatively evaluate an existing satellite-based rain estimation algorithm using measurements from a network of ground-based meteorological stations. The study domain was the Epirus region (the rainiest region in Greece) where the Laboratory of Meteorology and Climatology of Ioannina University operates eight meteorological stations distributed across the study domain. The utilized version of the rain estimation algorithm used the Meteosat-11 brightness temperature in the 10.8 μm channel (BT_10.8_μm) to estimate the rain intensity on a 4 km pixel basis, after discriminating the rain/non-rain pixels with a simple thresholding method. The rain recordings of the meteorological stations’ network were spatiotemporally correlated with the Meteosat-11 data. These correlations led to a dataset with 1323 pairs of rain recordings and their relative rain estimations from the satellite-based algorithm. A statistical analysis of these pairs of values was conducted revealing a mean error (ME) of 0.22 mm/hour (14% error with respect to the mean value of the recordings). The computed probability of false detection (POFD), probability of detection (POD), and the bias score were equal to 0.22, 0.69, and 0.88, respectively. The evaluation statistics are promising for operationally using this algorithm for rain estimation on a real-time basis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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1930 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Trends of Hydro-Meteorological Indices in Tendaho Catchment Part of Awash River Basin, Ethiopia

by Fekremariam N. Wakeyo, Assefa M. Melesse and Brook Abate

Environ. Sci. Proc. 2021, 4(1), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecas2020-08127 - 13 Nov 2020

Viewed by 1231

Abstract

The variability in the intensity and frequency of extreme hydro-meteorological events due to climate change have an enormous impact on managing water resources in developing countries. Frequently it has been recognized as sudden droughts and severe floods. This study analyzed the spatial and [...] Read more.

The variability in the intensity and frequency of extreme hydro-meteorological events due to climate change have an enormous impact on managing water resources in developing countries. Frequently it has been recognized as sudden droughts and severe floods. This study analyzed the spatial and temporal trends of five meteorology indices: annual maximum precipitation (AMP), annual precipitation (AP), mean areal precipitation (MAP), annual maximum temperature (AMaT) and annual minimum temperature (AMiT), and three streamflow indices: mean annual flow(MAF), annual maximum flow (AMaxF) and total mean annual flow (TMAF) over the Tendaho Catchment. Mann–Kendall (MK), Spearman Rho (SR), Sen’s slope (SS) test in R-program modifiedmk package, and Sen’s innovative trend test were used to detect trends of 16 meteorological and one streamflow stations from 1979–2017. The result showed that there is statistically significant temporal trends only in AMP, AP, AMaT, and AMiT at 6, 19, 56, and 50% of the stations respectively. The remaining indices have no statistically significant trend in all the stations. It also dictates that the catchment is characterized by a slightly increasing AP and AMP; a slightly decreasing MAP and significant increasing AMaT and AMiT trends. Except for AMaT, there is no particular spatial pattern of AP, MAP, and AMiT on the majority of the stations. Whereas, all streamflow indices showed a slightly decreasing temporal trend at 95% confidence. From this, we can conclude that the decreasing flow trend could be due to the decrement of MAP, an increment of temperature, and construction of reservoirs in the catchment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences)

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Environ. Sci. Proc., 2021, ECAS 2020

The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences

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