Key role of overlooked twilight zone towards climate buffering

The twilight zone of the oceans layering between the bottom of the sunlit ocean and 1000 m depth, is one of the largest continuous ecosystems on the Earth, yet remains least explored. While the sunlit ocean is well-studied for its major role in sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere, the role of twilight zone in CO2 sequestration remains a mystery. The twilight zone of the Arabian Sea, north-western part of the Indian Ocean inarguably possesses an active nitrogen&#8208;cycle owing to abundant chemoautotrophic (anammox, nitrite oxidising, nitrifying) microorganisms and heterotrophic (denitrifying) microorganisms. However, these microorganisms with ramifications for the nitrogen cycle, incentivize the carbon cycle. Since chemoautotrophy is a light-independent autotrophic process, a significant amount of dissolved CO2 may be assimilated rather than released in the Arabian Sea twilight zone by these organisms. With this supposition, we commenced the expedition in the off-shore and the central Arabian Sea during winter monsoon (Dec-Jan 2019) to measure carbon fixation rates in its sunlit and twilight zone using 13C tracer incubation technique. The sunlit zone and twilight zone carbon fixation rates ranged from 6.8 to 40 mmol C m-2 d-1 and 0.4 to1.6 mmol C m-2 d-1, respectively. The twilight zone carbon fixation did not vary spatially much, unlike sunlit zone which showed a sharp decreasing trend of carbon fixation from northern to the southern Arabian Sea. Notably, the twilight zone contribution to water column carbon fixation ranged from 2 to 10% during the study period. This study corroborates that the twilight zone forms an integral component of the carbon cycle; implying, the overlooked twilight zone can significantly contribute CO2 drawdown. Therefore, the role of twilight zone towards climate buffering is bigger than previously assumed, demanding a review of its role in the current paradigm of the Earth&#8217;s climate.

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Reviews and syntheses: Flying the satellite into your model: on the role of observation operators in constraining models of the Earth system and the carbon cycle

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-14-2343-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (9) ◽

pp. 2343-2357 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Thomas Kaminski ◽

Pierre-Philippe Mathieu

Keyword(s):

Data Assimilation ◽

Carbon Cycle ◽

Automatic Differentiation ◽

Satellite Observations ◽

Spectral Radiance ◽

Special Focus ◽

Earth System ◽

The Earth ◽

Retrieval Scheme

Abstract. The vehicles that fly the satellite into a model of the Earth system are observation operators. They provide the link between the quantities simulated by the model and the quantities observed from space, either directly (spectral radiance) or indirectly estimated through a retrieval scheme (biogeophysical variables). By doing so, observation operators enable modellers to properly compare, evaluate, and constrain their models with the model analogue of the satellite observations. This paper provides the formalism and a few examples of how observation operators can be used in combination with data assimilation techniques to better ingest satellite products in a manner consistent with the dynamics of the Earth system expressed by models. It describes commonalities and potential synergies between assimilation and classical retrievals. This paper explains how the combination of observation operators and their derivatives (linearizations) form powerful research tools. It introduces a technique called automatic differentiation that greatly simplifies both the development and the maintenance of code for the evaluation of derivatives. Throughout this paper, a special focus lies on applications to the carbon cycle.

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THE GEOPOLITICAL GAME FOR DOMINATION IN THE INDO-PACIFIC IN THE THIRD DECADE OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Rocznik Bezpieczeństwa Morskiego ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0015.6496 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol XV - Wydanie specjalne ◽

pp. 199-221

Author(s):

Piotr Mickiewicz

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Arabian Sea ◽

Central Area ◽

The United States ◽

Security Threat ◽

Regional Powers ◽

The Third ◽

The Indian Ocean ◽

And Control

The adopted aim of the publication is to present the role of the Indo-Pacific reservoir in the politics of global and regional players. It was assumed that this reservoir is the central area of this rivalry, encompassing the economic, political and military spheres in the form of building the ability to present power (the ability to operate in the sea). Proved that the area known as the Indo-Pacific, due to its transport importance, plays a fundamental role in the global rivalry of powers. It is the site of Chinese - American rivalry, but Russia and the regional powers also participate in it. The axis of the dispute is competition for regional economic influence and control of the basin, especially its shipping routes. Also proved to China’s maritime activity is gradually shifting to the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, which is considered a security threat by regional powers, especially India, Australia, Indonesia and Japan. They are striving, also due to the scope of economic cooperation with China, to lead to independent maritime activity in the region, which is complemented by cooperation with the United States

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Participation of ABCA1 transporter in development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

I P Pavlov Russian Medical Biological Herald ◽

10.23888/pavlovj2020283360-370 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 360-370

Author(s):

Stanislav N. Kotlyarov ◽

Anna A. Kotlyarova

Keyword(s):

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽

Pulmonary Disease ◽

Significant Contribution ◽

Modern Medicine ◽

Lipid Homeostasis ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽

Reverse Transport ◽

Current Paradigm

Despite all achievements of the modern medicine, the problem of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) does not lose its relevance. The current paradigm suggests a key role of macrophages in inflammation in COPD. Macrophages are known to be heterogeneous in their functions. This heterogeneity is determined by their immunometabolic profile and also by peculiarities of lipid homeostasis of cells. Aim. To analyze the role of the ABCA1 transporter, a member of the ABC A subfamily, in the pathogenesis of COPD. The expression of ABCA1 in lung tissues is on the second place after the liver, which shows the important role of the carrier and of lipid homeostasis in the function of lungs. Analysis of the literature shows that participation of the transporter in inflammation consists in regulation of the content of cholesterol in the lipid rafts of the membranes, in phagocytosis and apoptosis. Conclusion. Through regulation of the process of reverse transport of cholesterol in macrophages of lungs, ABCA1 can change their inflammatory response, which makes a significant contribution to the pathogenesis of COPD.

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THE ROLE OF EDUCATION ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS CASE STUDY OF 2012 INDIAN OCEAN EARTHQUAKES ON THAILAND’S

Tạp chí Nghiên cứu dân tộc ◽

10.25073/0866-773x/72 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Raya Muttarak ◽

Wiraporn Pothisiri

Keyword(s):

Indian Ocean ◽

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Disaster Preparedness ◽

Formal Education ◽

Disaster Experience ◽

Individual Household ◽

The Indian Ocean ◽

The Individual

In this paper we investigate how well residents of the Andaman coast in Phang Nga province, Thailand, are prepared for earthquakes and tsunami. It is hypothesized that formal education can promote disaster preparedness because education enhances individual cognitive and learning skills, as well as access to information. A survey was conducted of 557 households in the areas that received tsunami warnings following the Indian Ocean earthquakes on 11 April 2012. Interviews were carried out during the period of numerous aftershocks, which put residents in the region on high alert. The respondents were asked what emergency preparedness measures they had taken following the 11 April earthquakes. Using the partial proportional odds model, the paper investigates determinants of personal disaster preparedness measured as the number of preparedness actions taken. Controlling for village effects, we find that formal education, measured at the individual, household, and community levels, has a positive relationship with taking preparedness measures. For the survey group without past disaster experience, the education level of household members is positively related to disaster preparedness. The findings also show that disaster related training is most effective for individuals with high educational attainment. Furthermore, living in a community with a higher proportion of women who have at least a secondary education increases the likelihood of disaster preparedness. In conclusion, we found that formal education can increase disaster preparedness and reduce vulnerability to natural hazards.

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Beyond the Social Determinants of Health

Diversity of Research in Health Journal ◽

10.28984/drhj.v3i0.302 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Laura Hall ◽

Urpi Pine ◽

Tanya Shute

Keyword(s):

Labour Force ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Active Role ◽

Indigenous Women ◽

Economic Activities ◽

The Earth ◽

The Social ◽

Weather Changes ◽

People First

Abstract This paper will reflect on key findings from a Summer 2017 initiative entitled The Role of Culture and Land-Based Healing in Addressing and Ending Violence against Indigenous Women and Two-Spirited People. The Indigenist and decolonizing methodological approach of this work ensured that all research was grounded in experiential and reciprocal ways of learning. Two major findings guide the next phase of this research, complicating the premise that traditional economic activities are healing for Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people. First, the complexities of the mainstream labour force were raised numerous times. Traditional economies are pressured in ongoing ways through exploitative labour practices. Secondly, participants emphasized the importance of attending to the responsibility of nurturing, enriching, and sustaining the wellbeing of soil, water, and original seeds in the process of creating renewal gardens as a healing endeavour. In other words, we have an active role to play in healing the environment and not merely using the environment to heal ourselves. Gardening as research and embodied knowledge was stressed by extreme weather changes including hail in June, 2018, which meant that participants spent as much time talking about the healing of the earth and her systems as the healing of Indigenous women in a context of ongoing colonialism.

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“Eternal Bodies”: images of archangels in the upper parts of Nubian buildings

10.31338/uw.2083-537x.pam29.2.30 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 713-736

Author(s):

Magdalena Łaptaś

Keyword(s):

Near East ◽

Structural Elements ◽

Christian Art ◽

The Earth ◽

Cosmic Space

Images of archangels and angels, which were painted on the walls, in the upper parts of the buildings and, on their structural elements, were very popular in Christian Nubian painting as attested by the discoveries from Church SWN.BV on the citadel in Old Dongola. These images, which derive from pre-Christian art, depict the eternal nature of the archangels and angels. Presenting this group of representations, the author traces the origins of these images to highlight the role of these spiritual beings as intermediaries between God and humankind. As such, they move freely between the Heavens and the Earth, so the air and cosmic space are their natural surroundings. Moreover, archangels govern the forces of nature, the planets, and the seven skies. Therefore, their sanctuaries were located on hill summits, in the upper chapels, on structural elements of ecclesiastical buildings, etc. The Nubian tradition is therefore part of a broader Mediterranean tradition, the roots of which should be sought in the Near East.

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