scholarly journals Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments

Herpetozoa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 139-147
Author(s):  
Markus Pail ◽  
Lukas Landler ◽  
Günter Gollmann
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Bufo Bufo ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Potential Influence ◽  
The North ◽  
Migration Direction ◽  
Breeding Migration ◽  
Breeding Pond ◽  
Freely Moving

Research on navigation in animals is hampered by conflicting results and failed replications. In order to assess the generality of previous results, male Bufo bufo were collected during their breeding migration and translocated to two testing sites, 2.4 and 2.9 km away, respectively, from their breeding pond in the north of Vienna (Austria). There each toad was tested twice for orientation responses in a circular arena, on the night of collection and four days later. On the first test day, the toads showed significant axial orientation along their individual former migration direction. On the second test day, no significant homeward orientation was detected. Both results accord with findings of previous experiments with toads from another population. We analysed the potential influence of environmental factors (temperature, cloud cover and lunar cycle) on toad orientations using a MANOVA approach. Although cloud cover and lunar cycle had small effects on the second test day, they could not explain the absence of homeward orientation. The absence of homing responses in these tests may be either caused by the absence of navigational capabilities of toads beyond their home ranges, or by inadequacies of the applied method. To resolve this question, tracking of freely moving toads should have greater potential than the use of arena experiments.

scholarly journals Characterisation and surface radiative impact of Arctic low clouds from the IAOOS field experiment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Maillard ◽  
François Ravetta ◽  
Jean-Christophe Raut ◽  
Vincent Mariage ◽  
Jacques Pelon
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
The North ◽  
Low Clouds ◽  
Radiative Impact ◽  
Low Cloud ◽  
Ocean Observing ◽  
Layer Cloud

Abstract. The Ice, Atmosphere, Arctic Ocean Observing System (IAOOS) field experiment took place from 2014 to 2019. Over this period, more than 20 instrumented buoys were deployed at the North Pole. Once locked into the ice, the buoys drifted for periods of a month to more than a year. Some of these buoys were equipped with 808 nm wavelength lidars which acquired a total of 1805 profiles over the course of the campaign. This IAOOS lidar dataset is exploited to establish a novel statistic of cloud cover and of the geometrical and optical characteristics of the lowest cloud layer. Cloud frequency is globally at 75 %, and above 85 % from May to October. Single layers are thickest in October/November and thinnest in the summer. Meanwhile, their optical depth is maximum in October. On the whole, the cloud cover is very low, with the great majority of first layer bases beneath 120 m. In the shoulder seasons, surface temperatures are markedly warmer when the IAOOS profile contains at least one low cloud than when it does not. This temperature difference is statistically insignificant in the summer months. Indeed, summer clouds have a shortwave cooling effect which can reach −60 W m−2 and balance out their longwave warming effect.

scholarly journals Characterisation and surface radiative impact of Arctic low clouds from the IAOOS field experiment

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 4079-4101
Author(s):  
Julia Maillard ◽  
François Ravetta ◽  
Jean-Christophe Raut ◽  
Vincent Mariage ◽  
Jacques Pelon
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
The North ◽  
Low Clouds ◽  
Radiative Impact ◽  
Low Cloud ◽  
Ocean Observing ◽  
Cloud Base Height

Abstract. The Ice, Atmosphere, Arctic Ocean Observing System (IAOOS) field experiment took place from 2014 to 2019. Over this period, more than 20 instrumented buoys were deployed at the North Pole. Once locked into the ice, the buoys drifted for periods of a month to more than a year. Some of these buoys were equipped with 808 nm wavelength lidars which acquired a total of 1777 profiles over the course of the campaign. This IAOOS lidar dataset is exploited to establish a novel statistic of cloud cover and of the geometrical and optical characteristics of the lowest cloud layer. The average cloud frequency from April to December over the course of the campaign was 75 %. Cloud occurrence frequencies were above 85 % from May to October. Single layers are thickest in October/November and thinnest in the summer. Meanwhile, their optical depth is maximum in October. On the whole, the cloud base height is very low, with the great majority of first layer bases beneath 120 m. In April and October, surface temperatures are markedly warmer when the IAOOS profile contains at least one low cloud than when it does not. This temperature difference is statistically insignificant in the summer months. Indeed, summer clouds have a shortwave cooling effect which can reach −60 W m−2 and balance out their longwave warming effect.

scholarly journals A Study of the Surface Air Temperature Variations in Nigeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Najib Yusuf ◽  
Daniel Okoh ◽  
Ibrahim Musa ◽  
Samson Adedoja ◽  
Rabia Said
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
The South ◽  
Climate Type ◽  
Temperature Variations ◽  
North Central ◽  
North East ◽  
The North

Background: Simultaneous measurements of air temperature were carried out using automatic weather stations at 14 tropical locations in Nigeria. Diurnal variations were derived from the 5-minute update cycle initial data for the years ranging between 2007 and 2013. The temperature trends in Nigeria revealed a continuous variability that is seasonally dependent within any particular year considered. Method: The analysis was carried out using available data from the network and the results are presented with a focus to characterize the temperature variations at different locations in the country using the mean, maximum and minimum temperatures from the north which is arid in nature to the south, which is a tropical monsoon climate type and a coastal region. Result: In overall, temperature variations in Nigeria were observed to have higher values in the far north, attributed to the influence of Sahara Desert, which has less cloud cover and therefore is more transparent to solar irradiance and lowers values in the south, where there are more cloud cover and abundant vegetation. Conclusion: Measured maximum and minimum temperatures in Nigeria are respectively 43.1°C at Yola (north-east part of Nigeria) and 10.2°C for Jos (north-central part of Nigeria). The least temperature variations were recorded for stations in the southern part of the country, while the largest variations were recorded in the north-central region of the country.

scholarly journals Total and partial cloud amount detection during summermonths 2005 at Westerland (Sylt, Germany)

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 13479-13505 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. H. Schade ◽  
A. Macke ◽  
H. Sandmann ◽  
C. Stick
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Cloud Amount ◽  
Cirrus Clouds ◽  
Total Cloud Amount ◽  
The North ◽  
Seaside Resort ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Sky Imager ◽  
Downward Radiation ◽  
High Clouds

Abstract. The detection of cloudiness is investigated by means of partial and total cloud amount estimations from pyrgeometer radiation measurements and all-sky imager observations. The measurements have been performed in Westerland, a seaside resort on the North Sea island of Sylt, Germany, during summer 2005. An improvement to previous studies on this subject results from the fact that for the first time partial cloud amount (PCA), defined as total cloud amounts without high clouds, calculations from longwave downward radiation (LDR) according to the APCADA-Algorithm (Dürr and Philipona, 2004) are validated against both human observations from the German Weather Service DWD at the nearby airport of Sylt and digital all-sky imaging. Differences between the resulting total cloud amounts (TCA's), defined as total cloud amount for all-cloud situations, derived from the camera images and from human observations are within ±1 octa in 72% and within ±2 octa in 85% of the cases. Compared to human observations PCA measurements according to APCADA underestimate the observed cloud cover in 47% of all cases and the differences are within ±1 octa in 60% and ±2 octa in 74% of all cases. Since high cirrus clouds can not be derived from LDR, separate comparisons for all cases without high clouds have been performed showing an agreement within ±1(2) octa in 73(90)% for PCA and also for camera derived TCA. For this coastal mid-latitude site under investigation we find similar though slightly smaller agreements to human observations as reported in Dürr and Philipona (2004). Though limited to day-time the cloud cover retrievals from the sky imager are not much affected by cirrus clouds and provide a more reliable cloud climatology for all-cloud conditions than APCADA.

scholarly journals Reduced Wet-Season Length Detected by Satellite Retrievals of Cloudiness over Brazilian Amazonia: A New Methodology

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (24) ◽  
pp. 9941-9964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa T. Sena ◽  
M. A. F. Silva Dias ◽  
L. M. V. Carvalho ◽  
P. L. Silva Dias
Keyword(s):  
Rainy Season ◽  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Warm Pool ◽  
Cloud Fraction ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Season Length ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
The North

This study investigates the variability of the seasonal cycle of convection in the Brazilian Amazon basin during the last decades, and examines physical mechanisms that potentially trigger these modifications. A new methodology to evaluate the onset and length of the rainy season using long-term cloud fraction observations from geostationary satellites is proposed and the connection between cloud cycle variability, surface properties, and thermodynamic and dynamic conditions is explored. The results show that cloud cover has significantly decreased over the last decades. The decline in cloudiness is steeper at 1200 UTC (0800 LT), when a trend of up to −6% decade−1 is observed over the central and eastern Amazon. High-cloud-cover reduction is the major contributor to the observed decline in total cloud fraction. Delayed onsets and a reduction of up to 4 days yr−1 in the northern and central Amazon wet-season length are observed. Correlation analyses indicate that the El Niño phenomenon affects the interannual variability of cloudiness in the Amazon, leading to delayed onset and early demise of the rainy season. The tropical South Atlantic, the Pacific warm pool, and the North Atlantic tripole also play a small, but significant, role in the Amazon’s cloudiness variability. The decrease in cloudiness over the Amazon basin reduces the amount of solar radiation reflected back to space while increasing irradiance at the surface. This local warming alters surface heat fluxes and the atmospheric thermodynamic profile, further affecting cloud development. The strong tendencies reported here indicate a significant shift in the Amazonian hydroclimate during the last few decades.

scholarly journals Effect of the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation on Changes in Climatic Conditions and River Flow in Poland

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dariusz Wrzesiński ◽  
Andrzej A. Marsz ◽  
Anna Styszyńska ◽  
Leszek Sobkowiak
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Cloud Cover ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
Sunshine Duration ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation

The purpose of this study is to find connections between the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation (NA THC), climate elements, such as cloud cover, precipitation, air temperature, sunshine duration, and relative humidity, and flow of rivers in Poland. The intensity of NA THC was characterized by the DG3L index, which was established to assess changes in the amount of heat transported by NA THC along with the transport of water to the Arctic. The paper explains and discusses the mechanism of impact of the NA THC changeability on the elements of the catchment water balance variability. The positive and negative phases of the DG3L index are strongly correlated with the heat anomalies in the upper layer of the North Atlantic waters. The obtained results show that changes of NA THC have significant impact on weather conditions and selected climate elements in Poland. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between the DG3L index and average annual air temperatures, particularly in April, July, and August, while negative between the DG3L index and the total cloud cover. Consequently, in the years with the positive values of the DG3L index, there are favorable conditions for the strong increase in evaporation and evapotranspiration from the ground surface. This has impact on flow of rivers in Poland, which shows considerable regional differences.

scholarly journals Statistical Analysis of Forecasting Models across the North Slope of Alaska during the Mixed-Phase Arctic Clouds Experiment

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1644-1663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor T. Yannuzzi ◽  
Eugene E. Clothiaux ◽  
Jerry Y. Harrington ◽  
Johannes Verlinde
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Atmospheric Modeling ◽  
Mixed Phase ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Model Errors ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Arctic Clouds ◽  
Forecasting Models ◽  
The North ◽  
North Slope Of Alaska

Abstract The National Centers for Environmental Prediction’s (NCEP) Eta Model, the models of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) models, and the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) model are all examined during the Mixed-Phase Arctic Clouds Experiment (MPACE) that took place from 27 September through 22 October 2004. During two intensive observation periods, soundings were launched every 6 h from four sites across the North Slope of Alaska (NSA): Barrow, Atqasuk, Oliktok Point, and Toolik Lake. Measurements of temperature, moisture, and winds, along with surface measurements of radiation and cloud cover, were compared to model outputs from the Eta, ECMWF, GMAO, and RAMS models using the bootstrap statistical technique to ascertain if differences in model performance were statistically significant. Ultimately, three synoptic regimes controlled NSA weather during the MPACE period for varying amounts of time. Each posed a unique challenge to the forecasting models during the study period. Temperature forecasts for all models were good at the MPACE sites with mean bias errors generally under 2 K, and the models had the fewest significant errors predicting temperature. Forecasting moisture and wind proved to be more difficult for the models, especially aloft in the 500–300-hPa layer. The largest errors occurred in the GMAO model, with significant moist biases of 40% and wind errors of 10 m s−1 or more. The RAMS, Eta, and ECMWF models had smaller moist biases in this layer. Both the Eta and RAMS models overestimated the surface incident shortwave radiation, underestimated longwave radiation, and underestimated cloud cover fraction. Overall, the bootstrapping results coincided with findings from conventional statistical comparisons as model outputs with the largest errors were most likely to be captured and declared statistically significant in the bootstrapping process. The significant model errors during MPACE were predominantly traced to the inability of the models to simulate disturbances in synoptic regime I, warm or cold biases over higher inland terrain, a warm bias along the NSA coastal waters in the Beaufort Sea, and difficulty in forecasting the intensity of the explosive cyclone in synoptic regime III.

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