Hemispheric asymmetries in recent changes of the stratospheric circulation

Despite the expected opposite effects of ozone recovery, the stratospheric Brewer-Dobson circulation (BDC) has been found to weaken in the Northern hemisphere (NH) relative to the Southern hemisphere (SH) in recent decades, inducing substantial effects on chemical composition. We investigate hemispheric asymmetries in BDC changes since about 2000 in simulations with the transport model CLaMS driven with different reanalyses (ERA5, ERA-Interim, JRA-55, MERRA-2) and contrast those to a suite of free-running climate model simulations. We find that age of air increases robustly in the NH stratosphere relative to the SH in all reanalyses considered. Related nitrous oxide changes agree well between reanalysis-driven simulations and satellite measurements, providing observational evidence for the hemispheric asymmetry in BDC changes. Residual circulation metrics further show that the composition changes are caused by structural BDC changes related to an upward shift and strengthening of the deep BDC branch, resulting in longer transit times, and a downward shift and weakening shallow branch in the NH relative to the SH. All reanalyses agree on this mechanism. Although climate model simulations show that ozone recovery will lead to overall reduced circulation and age of air trends, the hemispherically asymmetric signal in circulation trends is small compared to internal variability. Therefore, the observed circulation trends over the recent past are not in contradiction to expectations from climate models. Furthermore, the hemispheric asymmetry in BDC trends imprints on the composition of the lower stratosphere and the signal might propagate into the troposphere, potentially affecting composition down to the surface.

Ion Channel Modeling beyond State of the Art: A Comparison with a System Theory-Based Model of the Shaker-Related Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel Kv1.1

The mathematical modeling of ion channel kinetics is an important tool for studying the electrophysiological mechanisms of the nerves, heart, or cancer, from a single cell to an organ. Common approaches use either a Hodgkin–Huxley (HH) or a hidden Markov model (HMM) description, depending on the level of detail of the functionality and structural changes of the underlying channel gating, and taking into account the computational effort for model simulations. Here, we introduce for the first time a novel system theory-based approach for ion channel modeling based on the concept of transfer function characterization, without a priori knowledge of the biological system, using patch clamp measurements. Using the shaker-related voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.1 (KCNA1) as an example, we compare the established approaches, HH and HMM, with the system theory-based concept in terms of model accuracy, computational effort, the degree of electrophysiological interpretability, and methodological limitations. This highly data-driven modeling concept offers a new opportunity for the phenomenological kinetic modeling of ion channels, exhibiting exceptional accuracy and computational efficiency compared to the conventional methods. The method has a high potential to further improve the quality and computational performance of complex cell and organ model simulations, and could provide a valuable new tool in the field of next-generation in silico electrophysiology.

A Shared Aperture Microstrip Antenna Array with Multiple Polarisations and Near-Field Beam Steering

In this paper we present a shared-aperture polarisation reconfigurable microstrip array designed to resonate at 11.5 GHz with a gain bandwidth of 2 GHz (~17%). The polarisation reconfigurability (both linear and circular) is achieved using two orthogonal and independently-fed sub-arrays that are intertwined together on the same aperture. Each subarray is fed through one port and a feed network that distributes the power among the array elements incorporating Taylor taper distribution to minimize the sidelobe level. The array has low cross-polarisation level (<-20 dB) and good port isolation (<-24 dB). The shared aperture and absence of active switching devices provide better control of polarisation selection with almost no insertion loss. A near-field metasurface based steering system is also presented and applied to the array for one- and two-dimensional beam steering. The results are verified through model simulations and measurement of the fabricated prototypes.

A Shared Aperture Microstrip Antenna Array with Multiple Polarisations and Near-Field Beam Steering

In this paper we present a shared-aperture polarisation reconfigurable microstrip array designed to resonate at 11.5 GHz with a gain bandwidth of 2 GHz (~17%). The polarisation reconfigurability (both linear and circular) is achieved using two orthogonal and independently-fed sub-arrays that are intertwined together on the same aperture. Each subarray is fed through one port and a feed network that distributes the power among the array elements incorporating Taylor taper distribution to minimize the sidelobe level. The array has low cross-polarisation level (<-20 dB) and good port isolation (<-24 dB). The shared aperture and absence of active switching devices provide better control of polarisation selection with almost no insertion loss. A near-field metasurface based steering system is also presented and applied to the array for one- and two-dimensional beam steering. The results are verified through model simulations and measurement of the fabricated prototypes.

Arctic sea level variability from high-resolution model simulations and implications for the Arctic observing system

Two high-resolution model simulations are used to investigate the spatiotemporal variability of the Arctic Ocean sea level. The model simulations reveal barotropic sea level variability at periods of < 30 d, which is strongly captured by bottom pressure observations. The seasonal sea level variability is driven by volume exchanges with the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and the redistribution of the water by the wind. Halosteric effects due to river runoff and evaporation minus precipitation ice melting/formation also contribute in the marginal seas and seasonal sea ice extent regions. In the central Arctic Ocean, especially the Canadian Basin, the decadal halosteric effect dominates sea level variability. The study confirms that satellite altimetric observations and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) could infer the total freshwater content changes in the Canadian Basin at periods longer than 1 year, but they are unable to depict the seasonal and subseasonal freshwater content changes. The increasing number of profiles seems to capture freshwater content changes since 2007, encouraging further data synthesis work with a more complicated interpolation method. Further, in situ hydrographic observations should be enhanced to reveal the freshwater budget and close the gaps between satellite altimetry and GRACE, especially in the marginal seas.