A close up of daily temperature and moisture in two Mexican high-elevation forests

The scarcity of meteorological stations and the strong need for climatic information in alpine forests require the use of large-scale climatic algorithms but the lack of in situ information produces high uncertainty on their suitability. In this study, we used linear mixed models to study the topographic effect (elevation and aspect) and time variations (from hourly to monthly) on temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) with a 5-year instrumental database. Furthermore, we compared climatic information from a geographical algorithm and our in-situ data. Our data covered two mountains (Tláloc-TLA and Jocotitlán-JOC, State of México), four elevation belts (from 3500 m to 3900 m a.s.l.), and two aspects (Northwest and Southwest). We found differences for average temperature (TLA = 7.56 °C ± 0.03 °C and JOC = 6.98 °C ± 0.02 °C), and relative humidity between mountains (TLA = 69.3% ± 0.12% and JOC = 72.5% ± 0.13%,). The most significant variables explaining T were the elevation (Δ= -0.36 °C by 100 m) and aspect, while the aspect was relevant for RH. May was the warmest month (9.50 °C ± 0.10 °C for average temperature) while September the wettest for both mountains (85.1% ± 0.30% and 87.4% ± 0.25 % RH, respectively). Despite the higher correlations between climatic sources (up to r = 0.83), the geographical algorithm overestimates T and underestimates RH. We propose that when climatic information from geographical algorithms is used in alpine forests, calibrations are needed whenever possible with in situ information.

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Basic Mechanical Parameter Relations of Soft Clay in Pearl River Delta

The Open Civil Engineering Journal ◽

10.2174/1874149501408010320 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 320-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zhangming Li ◽

Na Qi ◽

Zhibin Masumi ◽

Weidi Lin

Keyword(s):

Shear Strength ◽

Pearl River Delta ◽

Large Scale ◽

Soft Clay ◽

River Delta ◽

Pearl River ◽

Cylindrical Cavity Expansion ◽

In Situ Data ◽

The Pearl River

Basic parameters relations among CPT parameters, un-drained strength and other mechanical parameters of soft clay are presented based on an elastic-plastic solution for cylindrical cavity expansion for soil investigation in energy engineering. The relation between CPT parameters and shear strength from vane test is also presented based on the result. Thus, the CPT parameters can be determined directly by elastic parameters and shear strength or vane shear parameters and vice versa. That makes it possible to save the high test costs and provide theoretical formulas to avoid some tests which are limited due to the site and/or other condition. Results are compared between the relations and in situ data at a large-scale project in the Pearl River Delta. The results showed consistency between the relation and in situ data.

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Mass balance of Trambau Glacier, Rolwaling region, Nepal Himalaya: in-situ observations, long-term reconstruction and mass-balance sensitivity

Journal of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/jog.2019.37 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 65 (252) ◽

pp. 605-616 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

SOJIRO SUNAKO ◽

KOJI FUJITA ◽

AKIKO SAKAI ◽

RIJAN B. KAYASTHA

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

High Elevation ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Balance Model ◽

Glacier Mass Balance ◽

Balance Study ◽

Nepal Himalaya ◽

In Situ Data

ABSTRACTWe conducted a mass-balance study of debris-free Trambau Glacier in the Rolwaling region, Nepal Himalaya, which is accessible to 6000 m a.s.l., to better understand mass-balance processes and the effect of precipitation on these processes on high-elevation Himalayan glaciers. Continuous in situ meteorological and mass-balance observations that spanned the three melt seasons from May 2016 are reported. An energy- and mass-balance model is also applied to evaluate its performance and sensitivity to various climatic conditions. Glacier-wide mass balances ranging from −0.34 ± 0.38 m w.e. in 2016 to −0.82 ± 0.53 m w.e. in 2017/18 are obtained by combining the observations with model results for the areas above the highest stake. The estimated long-term glacier mass balance, which is reconstructed using the ERA-Interim data calibrated with in situ data, is −0.65 ± 0.39 m w.e. a−1for the 1980–2018 period. A significant correlation with annual precipitation (r= 0.77,p< 0.001) is observed, whereas there is no discernible correlation with summer mean air temperature. The results indicate the continuous mass loss of Trambau Glacier over the last four decades, which contrasts with the neighbouring Mera Glacier in balance.

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Freezing thresholds and cirrus cloud formation mechanisms inferred from in situ measurements of relative humidity

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-3-1791-2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

pp. 1791-1806 ◽

Cited By ~ 108

Author(s):

W. Haag ◽

B. Kärcher ◽

J. Ström ◽

A. Minikin ◽

U. Lohmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Large Scale ◽

Climate Model ◽

Global Climate Model ◽

In Situ Measurements ◽

Cirrus Clouds ◽

Formation Mechanisms ◽

Cirrus Cloud ◽

Homogeneous Freezing

Abstract. Factors controlling the microphysical link between distributions of relative humidity above ice saturation in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere and cirrus clouds are examined with the help of microphysical trajectory simulations. Our findings are related to results from aircraft measurements and global model studies. We suggest that the relative humidities at which ice crystals form in the atmosphere can be inferred from in situ measurements of water vapor and temperature close to, but outside of, cirrus clouds. The comparison with concomitant measurements performed inside cirrus clouds provides a clue to freezing mechanisms active in cirrus. The analysis of field data taken at northern and southern midlatitudes in fall 2000 reveals distinct differences in cirrus cloud freezing thresholds. Homogeneous freezing is found to be the most likely mechanism by which cirrus form at southern hemisphere midlatitudes. The results provide evidence for the existence of heterogeneous freezing in cirrus in parts of the polluted northern hemisphere, but do not suggest that cirrus clouds in this region form exclusively on heterogeneous ice nuclei, thereby emphasizing the crucial importance of homogeneous freezing. The key features of distributions of upper tropospheric relative humidity simulated by a global climate model are shown to be in general agreement with both, microphysical simulations and field observations, delineating a feasible method to include and validate ice supersaturation in other large-scale atmospheric models, in particular chemistry-transport and weather forecast models.

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Freeboard, snow depth and sea-ice roughness in East Antarctica from in situ and multiple satellite data

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/172756411795931570 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 52 (57) ◽

pp. 242-248 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Thorsten Markus ◽

Robert Massom ◽

Anthony Worby ◽

Victoria Lytle ◽

Nathan Kurtz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Satellite Data ◽

Snow Depth ◽

Large Scale ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Laser Altimeter ◽

In Situ Data ◽

Ice Roughness

AbstractIn October 2003 a campaign on board the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis had the objective to validate standard Aqua Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) sea-ice products. Additionally, the satellite laser altimeter on the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) was in operation. To capture the large-scale information on the sea-ice conditions necessary for satellite validation, the measurement strategy was to obtain large-scale sea-ice statistics using extensive sea-ice measurements in a Lagrangian approach. A drifting buoy array, spanning initially 50 km × 100 km, was surveyed during the campaign. In situ measurements consisted of 12 transects, 50–500 m, with detailed snow and ice measurements as well as random snow depth sampling of floes within the buoy array using helicopters. In order to increase the amount of coincident in situ and satellite data an approach has been developed to extrapolate measurements in time and in space. Assuming no change in snow depth and freeboard occurred during the period of the campaign on the floes surveyed, we use buoy ice-drift information as well as daily estimates of thin-ice fraction and rough-ice vs smooth-ice fractions from AMSR-E and QuikSCAT, respectively, to estimate kilometer-scale snow depth and freeboard for other days. the results show that ICESat freeboard estimates have a mean difference of 1.8 cm when compared with the in situ data and a correlation coefficient of 0.6. Furthermore, incorporating ICESat roughness information into the AMSR-E snow depth algorithm significantly improves snow depth retrievals. Snow depth retrievals using a combination of AMSR-E and ICESat data agree with in situ data with a mean difference of 2.3 cm and a correlation coefficient of 0.84 with a negligible bias.

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Use of absorption optical indices to assess seasonal variability of dissolved organic matter in amazon floodplain lakes

10.5194/bg-2019-324 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Paula da Silva ◽

Lino A. Sander de Carvalho ◽

Evlyn Novo ◽

Daniel S. F. Jorge ◽

Claudio C. F. Barbosa

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Dissolved Organic Matter ◽

Seasonal Variability ◽

Large Scale ◽

River Bank ◽

In Situ Data ◽

Amazon Floodplain ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract. Given the importance of DOM in the carbon cycling of aquatic ecosystems, information on its seasonal variability is crucial. This study assesses the use of available absorption optical indices based on in situ data to both characterize the seasonal variability of the DOM dynamics in a highly complex environment and their viability of being used for satellite remote sensing on large scale studies. The study area comprises four lakes located at the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve (MSDR). Samples for the determination of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) were acquired in situ. The Rrs was applied to simulate MSI visible bands and used in the proposed models. Differences between lakes were tested regarding CDOM indices. Significant difference in the average of aCDOM (440), aCDOM spectra and S275–295 were found between lakes located inside the flood forest and those near the river bank. The proposed model showed that aCDOM can be used as proxy of S275–295 during rising water with good validation results, demonstrating the potential of Sentinel/MSI imagery data in large scale studies on the dynamics of DOM.

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High-latitude precipitation: Snowfall regimes at two distinct sites in Scandinavia

Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology ◽

10.1175/jamc-d-20-0248.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Julia A. Shates ◽

Claire Pettersen ◽

Tristan S. L’Ecuyer ◽

Steve J. Cooper ◽

Mark S. Kulie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Large Scale ◽

Ground Level ◽

Low Pressure ◽

Small Particles ◽

Radar Echo ◽

High Concentrations ◽

Remote Sensing Methods ◽

Rain Radar

AbstractThe prevailing snowfall regimes at two Scandinavian sites, Haukeliseter, Norway and Kiruna, Sweden, are documented using ground-based in-situ and remote sensing methods. Micro Rain Radar (MRR) profiles indicate three distinct snowfall regimes occur at both sites: shallow, deep, and intermittent snowfall. The shallow snowfall regime produces the lowest mean snowfall rates and radar echo tops are confined below 1.5 km above ground level (AGL). Shallow snowfall occurs under areas of large scale subsidence with a moist boundary layer and dry air aloft. The atmospheric ridge coinciding with shallow snowfall is highly anomalous over Haukeliseter, but is more common in Kiruna where shallow snowfall was frequently observed. The shallow snowfall particle size distributions (PSDs) are broad with lower particle concentrations than other regimes, especially small particles. Deep snowfall events exhibit MRR profiles that extend above 2 km AGL, and tend to be associated with weak low pressure and high relative humidity throughout the troposphere. The PSDs in deep events are narrower with high concentrations of small particles. Increasing MRR reflectivity towards the surface suggests aggregation as a possible growth process during deep snowfall events. The heaviest mean snowfall rates are associated with intermittent events that are characterized by deep MRR profiles, but have variations in intensity and height. The intermittent regime is associated with anomalous, deep low pressure along the coast of Norway, and enhanced relative humidity at lower levels. The PSDs reveal high concentrations of small and large particles. The analysis reveals that there are unique characteristics of shallow, deep, and intermittent snowfall regimes that are common between the sites.

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The MLT distribution and detailed structure of ring current: MMS observations

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-3730 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xin Tan ◽

Malcolm Dunlop ◽

Xiangcheng Dong ◽

Yanyan Yang ◽

Christopher Russell

Keyword(s):

Current Density ◽

Large Scale ◽

Ring Current ◽

Current System ◽

Radial Profile ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Current Density Distribution ◽

Magnetic Storms ◽

In Situ Data

<p>The ring current is an important part of the large-scale magnetosphere-ionosphere current system; mainly concentrated in the equatorial plane, between 2-7 R<sub>E</sub>, and strongly ordered between &#177; 30 &#176; latitude. The morphology of ring current directly affects the geomagnetic field at low to middle latitudes. Rapid changes in ring current densities can occur during magnetic storms/sub-storms. Traditionally, the Dst index is used to characterize the intensity of magnetic storms and to reflect the variation of ring current intensity, but this index does not reflect the MLT distribution of ring current. In fact, the ring current has significant variations with MLT, depending on geomagnetic activity, due to the influence of multiple factors; such as, the partial ring current, region 1/region 2 field-aligned currents, the magnetopause current and sub-storm cycle (magnetotail current). The form of the ring current has been inferred from the three-dimensional distribution of ion differential fluxes from neutral atom imaging; however, this technique can not directly obtain the current density distribution (as can be obtained using multi-spacecraft in situ data). Previous in situ estimates of current density have used: Cluster, THEMIS and other spacecraft groups to study the distribution of the ring current for limited ranges of either radial profile, or MLT and MLAT variations. Here, we report on an extension to these studies using FGM data from MMS obtained during the period September 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016, when the MMS orbit and configuration provided good coverage. We employ the curlometer method to calculate the current density, statistically, to analysis the MLT distribution according to different geomagnetic conditions. Our results show the clear asymmetry of the ring current and its different characteristics under different geomagnetic conditions.</p>

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Satellite Remote Sensing Signatures of the Major Baltic Inflows

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs11080954 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 954

Author(s):

Malgorzata Stramska ◽

Paulina Aniskiewicz

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Baltic Sea ◽

Large Scale ◽

Spatial Information ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Salty Water ◽

In Situ Data ◽

The North ◽

The Baltic

Variability of sea level in the North and Baltic Seas, enforced by weather patterns, affects the intensity of water exchange between these seas. Transfer of salty water from the North Sea is very important for the hydrography of the Baltic Sea. The volume of inflowing salty water can occasionally increase remarkably. Such incidents, called the Major Baltic Inflows (MBIs), are unpredictable, of relatively short duration, and difficult to observe using in situ data. We have shown that remote sensing altimetry can be used as a complementary source of information about the MBI events. The advantage of using such data is that large-scale spatial information about SLA is available with daily resolution. We have described changes in SLA during several MBI events observed in 1993–2017. The net volume of water transported into the Baltic Sea varied between the events due to differences in atmospheric forcing. Based on SLA data, the largest inflow of water happened during the 2014 MBI. This is in agreement with previously published results, based on in situ data.

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Incidence of rough and irregular atmospheric ice particles from Small Ice Detector 3 measurements

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-13-24975-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 24975-25012 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Z. Ulanowski ◽

P. H. Kaye ◽

E. Hirst ◽

R. S. Greenaway ◽

R. J. Cotton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Light Scattering ◽

Large Scale ◽

Extreme Values ◽

Mixed Phase ◽

Radiative Properties ◽

Small Scale ◽

In Situ Data ◽

Ice Particles ◽

Test Particles

Abstract. The knowledge of properties of ice crystals such as size, shape, concavity and roughness is critical in the context of radiative properties of ice and mixed phase clouds. Limitations of current cloud probes to measure these properties can be circumvented by acquiring two-dimensional light scattering patterns instead of particle images. Such patterns were obtained in situ for the first time using the Small Ice Detector 3 (SID-3) probe during several flights in a variety of mid-latitude mixed phase and cirrus clouds. The patterns are analyzed using several measures of pattern texture, selected to reveal the magnitude of particle roughness or complexity. The retrieved roughness is compared to values obtained from a range of well-characterized test particles in the laboratory. It is found that typical in situ roughness corresponds to that found in the rougher subset of the test particles, and sometimes even extends beyond the most extreme values found in the laboratory. In this study we do not differentiate between small-scale, fine surface roughness and large-scale crystal complexity. Instead, we argue that both can have similar manifestations in terms of light scattering properties and also similar causes. Overall, the in situ data is consistent with ice particles with highly irregular or rough surfaces being dominant. Similar magnitudes of roughness were found in growth and sublimation zones of cirrus. The roughness was found to be negatively correlated with the halo ratio, but not with other thermodynamic or microphysical properties found in situ. Slightly higher roughness was observed in cirrus forming in clean oceanic airmasses than in a continental, polluted one. Overall, the roughness and complexity is expected to lead to increased shortwave cloud reflectivity, in comparison with cirrus composed of more regular, smooth ice crystal shapes. These findings put into question suggestions that climate could be modified through aerosol seeding to reduce cirrus cover and optical depth, as the seeding may result in decreased shortwave reflectivity.

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Possible impacts of climate change on fog in the Arctic and subpolar North Atlantic

Advances in Statistical Climatology Meteorology and Oceanography ◽

10.5194/ascmo-6-31-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 31-43

Author(s):

Richard E. Danielson ◽

Minghong Zhang ◽

William A. Perrie

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Large Scale ◽

Ensemble Member ◽

Single Step ◽

Dew Point ◽

The Arctic ◽

Point Temperature ◽

Dew Point Temperature

Abstract. A conventional parameterization of midlatitude warm fog occurrence, based on in situ observations, is employed to estimate marine surface visibility in the Arctic and North Atlantic from three datasets: an ensemble member of the Hadley Earth System (HadGEM2) model and a nested regional WRF simulation that follow historical and future emissions scenarios for 1979–2100, and the ERA-Interim reanalysis for 1979–2004. Over large scales (of an entire year and region), all three gridded datasets agree well in terms of variables like surface air temperature, whose systematic differences seem small by comparison with its predicted change over the course of this century. On the other hand, systematic differences are more apparent in large-scale estimates of relative humidity and visibility. Large differences are attributed to a sensitivity to representation bias that is inherent in the formulation of each individual model and analysis. Two simple linear calibrations are examined, both of which assume that an in situ based parameterization is broadly consistent with the use of marine (ICOADS) observations of air and dew point temperature as an error-free reference. A single-step calibration is considered that takes the mean and variance of ICOADS frequency distributions as a reference. A two-step calibration is also performed in which ICOADS collocations are taken as a reference for the ERA reanalysis, which in turn is taken as a large-scale reference for the 1979–2004 HadGEM2 and WRF simulations. Both linear calibrations are applied (locally in time and space to air and dew point temperature) to the future climate scenarios of HadGEM2 and WRF. Although ICOADS observations are not error-free and parameterized visibility estimates are unlikely to capture much more than half the variance found in observations, attempts are made to present consistent regional changes in the frequency of high relative humidity, as a proxy for warm fog occurrence. The large-scale decrease in visibility over the 21st century is in the range of 8 %–12 % in the Arctic and 0 %–5 % in the North Atlantic.

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