Search results for "Atmosphere"
showing 10 items of 673 documents
Global atmospheric response to specific linear combinations of the main SST modes. Part I: numerical experiments and preliminary results
1996
Abstract. This article investigates through numerical experiments the controversial question of the impact of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomena on climate according to large-scale and regional-scale interhemispheric thermal contrast. Eight experiments (two considering only inversed Atlantic thermal anomalies and six combining ENSO warm phase with large-scale interhemispheric contrast and Atlantic anomaly patterns) were performed with the Météo-France atmospheric general circulation model. The definition of boundary conditions from observed composites and principal components is presented and preliminary results concerning the month of August, especially over West Africa and the …
The relationship between the Sahelian and previous 2nd Guinean rainy seasons: a monsoon regulation by soil wetness?
2002
The correlation of 0.61 found between observed July–September Sahelian rainfall in year 0 and September–November Guinean rainfall in year - 1, led us to explore the statistical relationships between precipitation, soil moisture and near surface Moist Static Energy (MSE) gradients in West Africa. These analyses were performed over successive 30-year periods and specifically, the most recent period between 1968–1998. It is shown from observations, National Centers for Environmental Predictions and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalyses and from the Global Soil Wetness Project (GSWP) database, that wet Sahelian rainy seasons are preceded by abnormally wet soils over th…
Distribution and ecology of the Globigerinoides ruber — Globigerinoides elongatus morphotypes in the Azores region during the late Pleistocene-Holoce…
2018
Abstract Globigerinoides ruber is the dominant taxon in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, nowadays limited to the north by the Azores Current. It is highly sensitive to recent and late Pleistocene Azores Front Current System variability. In this study, we analyse the distribution of five individual morphotypes of the G. ruber – G. elongatus plexus (G. ruber s.s., G. ruber cyclostoma type, G. elongatus, G. elongatus cf.1, G. elongatus pyramidical type) and G. ruber kummerform gr. in a core (ATA13-OF-KT1) collected southwest of the Azores islands and located in a strategical position near the present-day boundary of the Subtropical Gyre/Azores Front Current System (STG/AFCS). Micropaleonto…
Assessing the potential long-term increase of oceanic fossil fuel CO2 uptake due to CO2-calcification feedback
2007
International audience; Plankton manipulation experiments exhibit a wide range of sensitivities of biogenic calcification to simulated anthropogenic acidification of the ocean, with the "lab rat" of planktic calcifiers, Emiliania huxleyi apparently not representative of calcification generally. We assess the implications of this observational uncertainty by creating an ensemble of realizations of an Earth system model that encapsulates a comparable range of uncertainty in calcification response to ocean acidification. We predict that a substantial reduction in marine carbonate production is possible in the future, with enhanced ocean CO2 sequestration across the model ensemble driving a 4?1…
Significant long-term increase of fossil fuel CO2 uptake from reduced marine calcification
2006
International audience; Analysis of available plankton manipulation experiments demonstrates a previously unrecognized wide range of sensitivities of biogenic calcification to simulated anthropogenic acidification of the ocean, with the "lab rat" of planktic calcifiers, Emiliania huxleyi not representative of calcification generally. We assess the implications of the experimental uncertainty in plankton calcification response by creating an ensemble of realizations of an Earth system model that encapsulates a comparable range of uncertainty in calcification response. We predict a substantial future reduction in marine carbonate production, with ocean CO2 sequestration across the model ensem…
Air-sea interaction in the Central Mediterranean: are surge-generating winds changing ?
2009
International audience; Hourly sea surges from the records of 9 French and 19 Italian tide-gauge stations have been computed and the wind directions corresponding to significant surge heights have been determined. The frequency of such surge-related wind directions tends to increase almost everywhere, while extreme wind speeds (that are most effective to produce high surges) tend generally to decrease; this may be a consequence of the northward displacement of storm trajectories on the European area. There is, however, an exception in the Gulf of Lions (the most westward area considered), where surge height may reach higher elevations, with a recent dangerous increase of southerlies
Identifying clouds over the Pierre Auger Observatory using infrared satellite data
2013
We describe a new method of identifying night-time clouds over the Pierre Auger Observatory using infrared data from the Imager instruments on the GOES-12 and GOES-13 satellites. We compare cloud. identifications resulting from our method to those obtained by the Central Laser Facility of the Auger Observatory. Using our new method we can now develop cloud probability maps for the 3000 km(2) of the Pierre Auger Observatory twice per hour with a spatial resolution of similar to 2.4 km by similar to 5.5 km. Our method could also be applied to monitor cloud cover for other ground-based observatories and for space-based observatories. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Atmospheric effects on extensive air showers observed with the Surface Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2009
Atmospheric parameters, such as pressure (P), temperature (T) and density (ρ ∝ P/T), affect the development of extensive air showers initiated by energetic cosmic rays. We have studied the impact of atmospheric variations on extensive air showers by means of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The rate of events shows a ∼ 10% seasonal modulation and ∼ 2% diurnal one. We find that the observed behaviour is explained by a model including the effects associated with the variations of P and ρ. The former affects the longitudinal development of air showers while the latter influences the Molière radius and hence the lateral distribution of the shower particles. The model is val…
Airborne observations of far-infrared upwelling radiance in the Arctic
2016
Abstract. The first airborne measurements of the Far-InfraRed Radiometer (FIRR) were performed in April 2015 during the panarctic NETCARE campaign. Vertical profiles of spectral upwelling radiance in the range 8–50 μm were measured in clear and cloudy conditions from the surface up to 6 km. The clear-sky profiles highlight the strong dependence of radiative fluxes to the temperature inversion typical of the Arctic. Measurements acquired for total column water vapor from 1.5 to 10.5 mm also underline the sensitivity of the far-infrared greenhouse effect to specific humidity. The cloudy cases show that optically thin ice clouds increase the cooling rate of the atmosphere by a factor up to thr…
First results of the Piton de la Fournaise STRAP 2015 experiment: multidisciplinary tracking of a volcanic gas and aerosol plume
2016
Abstract. The STRAP (Synergie Transdisciplinaire pour Répondre aux Aléas liés aux Panaches volcaniques) campaign was conducted in 2015 to investigate the volcanic plumes of Piton de La Fournaise (La Réunion, France). For the first time, measurements at the local (near the vent) and at the regional scales around the island were conducted. The STRAP 2015 campaign has become possible thanks to a strong cross-disciplinary collaboration between volcanologists and meteorologists. The main observations during four eruptive periods (85 days) are summarized. They include the estimates of SO2, CO2 and H2O emissions, the altitude of the plume at the vent and over different areas of La Réunion Island, …