scholarly journals Seasonal dynamics of snow ablation on selected glaciers in central Spitsbergen derived from Sentinel-2 satellite images

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Jan Kavan ◽  
Vincent Haagmans
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Wind Direction ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Prevailing Wind ◽  
Seasonal Snow ◽  
Glacier Melt ◽  
Prevailing Wind Direction ◽  
Surface Snow ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Sentinel 2

Abstract The dynamics of seasonal snow ablation on six glaciers in central Spitsbergen (Dicksonland) were assessed by examining a set of Sentinel-2 satellite images covering the summer ablation season for the period 2016–19. All glaciers lost 80% or more of their surface snow cover during the studied ablation seasons. This bolsters the recently observed trend of local glacier thinning, even at higher altitudes. Snow ablation dynamics are highly dependent on the glaciers altitudes, their position relative to the prevailing wind direction and the exposure to insolation. The accumulation areas of the studied glaciers were delimited based on the overlap of the minimum extent of snow-covered areas in the four consecutive studied summer seasons. The high temporal and spatial resolutions of available images enabled a detailed description of the seasonal snow ablation dynamics. Moreover, an estimate of the average number of days with below threshold glacier snow cover was made. This study contributes to our understanding of recent processes and might further support the modelling of glacier melt and subsequent runoff.

scholarly journals Evaluating multi-year, multi-site data on the energy balance closure of eddy-covariance flux measurements at cropland sites in southwestern Germany

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 521-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravshan Eshonkulov ◽  
Arne Poyda ◽  
Joachim Ingwersen ◽  
Hans-Dieter Wizemann ◽  
Tobias K. D. Weber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Wind Direction ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Prevailing Wind ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Prevailing Wind Direction ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract. The energy balance of eddy-covariance (EC) measurements is typically not closed, resulting in one of the main challenges in evaluating and interpreting EC flux data. Energy balance closure (EBC) is crucial for validating and improving regional and global climate models. To investigate the nature of the gap in EBC for agroecosystems, we analyzed EC measurements from two climatically contrasting regions (Kraichgau – KR – and Swabian Jura – SJ) in southwestern Germany. Data were taken at six fully equipped EC sites from 2010 to 2017. The gap in EBC was quantified by ordinary linear regression, relating the energy balance ratio (EBR), calculated as the quotient of turbulent fluxes and available energy, to the residual energy term. In order to examine potential reasons for differences in EBC, we compared the EBC under varying environmental conditions and investigated a wide range of possible controls. Overall, the variation in EBC was found to be higher during winter than summer. Moreover, we determined that the site had a statistically significant effect on EBC but no significant effect on either crop or region (KR vs SJ). The time-variable footprints of all EC stations were estimated based on data measured in 2015, complimented by micro-topographic analyses along the prevailing wind direction. The smallest mean annual energy balance gap was 17 % in KR and 13 % in SJ. Highest EBRs were mostly found for winds from the prevailing wind direction. The spread of EBRs distinctly narrowed under unstable atmospheric conditions, strong buoyancy, and high friction velocities. Smaller footprint areas led to better EBC due to increasing homogeneity. Flow distortions caused by the back head of the anemometer negatively affected EBC during corresponding wind conditions.

scholarly journals The Occurrences and Formation of Ladderback Ripples on Barchans Dunes of Najaf Dunes Field, Iraq, in Aeolian Environments

2021 ◽  
pp. 1598-1604
Author(s):  
Ahmed Jawad Al-Naji ◽  
Hasan Kattoof Jasim ◽  
Mazin Y. Tamar-Agha ◽  
Thamer Abaas Al-Shammery
Keyword(s):  
Wind Direction ◽  
Prevailing Wind ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Prevailing Wind Direction ◽  
Barchan Dunes ◽  
Light Mineral ◽  
Sand Sediments

This paper concerns the study of ripples that occur on the windward of Barchan dunes from the dunes field of Najaf governorate, Iraq. These dunes consist mainly of sand sediments with variable sizes, including medium, fine, and very fine sands. Quartz represents the major light mineral in the Najaf Dunes sand. The prevailing wind direction in the study area is NW-SE. The major ripple crest series of every pattern are oriented perpendicular to the NW-SE wind direction, whereas imbricated ripple groups within the troughs of the preexisting ripples are created by the WSW-ENE wind trend. These ripples tend to be formed by shortened ripples that occupy the troughs of the prolonged series. All crests of the ladderback ripples are oriented at right angles to asymmetry ripples. The ladderback ripples were noticed from fine to very fine- grained sediments, which consist mainly of quartz. The wavelength of the ladderback ripples ranges from 2 – 4 cm, while they are 0.1 – 0.2 cm in height. The occurrence of ladderback ripples within an aeolian environment indicates a variety of wind directions, which influenced the arrangements of the crest ripples.

scholarly journals A note on a Comparison of Starting Points for the Generation of D-optimal Second-order Designs

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1001-1008
Author(s):  
Ngozi Chizoma Umelo-Ibemere
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mathematical Analysis ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Land Surfaces ◽  
Optical Satellite Images ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Sentinel 2

Agricultural monitoring has become an absolute necessity in the Sahel countries, especially with climate change which constitutes a real threat for this sector. The aim of this work is to develop a methodology for identifying crops and mapping agricultural areas using Sentinel-2 data from the Copernicus program. The purpose of this work consisted in discriminating the crops of millet, maize and peanuts. This is to analyse the scientific and technical obstacles related to this problem. For this, we have made a mathematical analysis of optical satellite images. High temporal and spatial resolution images (10m to 60m) of Sentinel 2 sensors were used in this work. This unique set of data coupled with field data, has permitted to carry out a diagnosis of land cover and cultivated land surfaces, and evaluating the contribution of this type of data for crop forecast

scholarly journals Effects of a nurse shrub on seed deposition and seedling recruitment of the annual <i>Agriophyllum squarrosum</i>

Web Ecology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.-R. Li ◽  
G. Li ◽  
L.-F. Kang ◽  
Z.-G. Huang ◽  
Q. Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Direction ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
Prevailing Wind ◽  
Agriophyllum Squarrosum ◽  
Sampling Position ◽  
Prevailing Wind Direction ◽  
Sandy Habitat ◽  
Seed Deposition ◽  
Eastern Inner Mongolia

Abstract. The shrub Artemisia halodendron and the annual herb Agriophyllum squarrosum, which typically co-occur in a mobile sandy habitat in eastern inner Mongolia, China, were used to determine whether the presence of A. halodendron influences seed deposition and seedling recruitment of A. squarrosum under and around the shrub canopy in relation to wind direction, sampling position (windward vs. leeward sides) and distance from the shrub. The numbers of seeds deposited, seedlings emerged, and individuals recruited of A. squarrosum around adult shrubs were sampled along four transects aligned to the four main wind directions at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4.5 and 6 m from the shrub base on both windward and leeward sides of each transect. Spatial pattern of seed deposition was strongly altered by the presence of shrubs, but effects varied with wind direction, sampling position and distance from shrubs. Significantly more seeds tended to deposit on the leeward than on the windward sides in all four transects, with the exception of transects along the least prevailing wind direction. The presence of shrubs as nursing plants caused a marked variation in seed deposition across sampling locations, but this effect was detected only in the most, secondary and third most prevailing wind directions, but not in the least prevailing wind direction. In general, the shrub’s influence was within a 2 m radius from the shrub, despite some differences among transects. Although seed bank density had no direct effect on A. squarrosum recruitment patterns, it contributed to the observed variation in recruitment indirectly through density-dependent emergence of seedlings. Our findings provide further evidence of shrubs as a source of spatial heterogeneity in seed availability and thereby a common factor determining population dynamics of understorey herbaceous species.

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