Search results for "feature"
showing 10 items of 4091 documents
A prediction model for field drying of hay using a heat balance method
1993
Abstract A hay drying model with a multi-layer representation has been developed. This model, based on a heat balance method, was designed to compute hay drying dynamics in the field. It was implemented for hay spread over a field or in windrows. The necessary inputs are: (1) meteorological data (temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar and atmospheric radiation); (2) biological characteristics of the plant; (3) hay physical parameters (depth, leaf area index). The output provides time-dependent cumulative water losses and changes in water content and temperature in the different layers. The model was tested against data measured under experimental conditions with different kinds of grass (…
Global Climatologies of Eulerian and Lagrangian Flow Features based on ERA-Interim
2017
Abstract This paper introduces a newly compiled set of feature-based climatologies identified from ERA-Interim (1979–2014). Two categories of flow features are considered: (i) Eulerian climatologies of jet streams, tropopause folds, surface fronts, cyclones and anticyclones, blocks, and potential vorticity streamers and cutoffs and (ii) Lagrangian climatologies, based on a large ensemble of air parcel trajectories, of stratosphere–troposphere exchange, warm conveyor belts, and tropical moisture exports. Monthly means of these feature climatologies are openly available at the ETH Zürich web page (http://eraiclim.ethz.ch) and are annually updated. Datasets at higher resolution can be obtained…
Comparative assessment of RAMS and WRF short-term forecasts over Eastern Iberian Peninsula using various in-situ observations, remote sensing product…
2018
The Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale models are being used for weather and air quality studies as well as forecasting tools in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) systems. In the current study, we perform a comparative assessment of these models under distinct typical atmospheric conditions, classified according to the dominant wind flow and cloudiness, over Eastern Iberian Peninsula. This study is focused on the model representation of key physical processes in terms of meteorology and surface variables during a 7-days period in summer 2011. The hourly outputs produced by these two models are compared not only with observed…
Leachate analyses of volcanic ashes from Stromboli volcano: A proxy for the volcanic gas plume composition?
2011
[1] Many volcanoes show a change in chemical composition of the gas phase prior to periods of eruptive activity. Fine-grained tephra erupted from active vents and transported through volcanic plumes can adsorb, and therefore rapidly scavenge, volatile elements such as sulfur, halogens, and metal species in the form of soluble salts adhering to ash surfaces. Analysis of such water-soluble surface materials is a suitable supplement for remote monitoring of volcanic gases at inaccessible volcanoes. In this work, ash samples of the 2004 to 2009 eruptive activity of Stromboli volcano were sampled, leached, and analyzed for major and trace elements. Data analysis and interpretation was focused on…
Geochemical and mineralogical indicators for aqueous processes in the Columbia Hills of Gusev crater, Mars
2006
[1] Water played a major role in the formation and alteration of rocks and soils in the Columbia Hills. The extent of alteration ranges from moderate to extensive. Five distinct rock compositional classes were identified; the order for degree of alteration is Watchtower ≅ Clovis > Wishstone ≅ Peace > Backstay. The rover's wheels uncovered one unusual soil (Paso Robles) that is the most S-rich material encountered. Clovis class rocks have compositions similar to Gusev plains soil but with higher Mg, Cl, and Br and lower Ca and Zn; Watchtower and Wishstone classes have high Al, Ti, and P and low Cr and Ni; Peace has high Mg and S and low Al, Na, and K; Backstay basalts have high Na and K comp…
In situ and experimental evidence for acidic weathering of rocks and soils on Mars
2006
Experimental data for alteration of synthetic Martian basalts at pH=0-1 indicate that chemical fractionations at low pH are vastly different from those observed during terrestrial weathering. Rock analyses from Gusev crater are well described by the relationships apparent from low pH experimental alteration data. A model for rock surface alteration is developed which indicates that a leached alteration zone is present on rock surfaces at Gusev. This zone is not chemically fractionated to a large degree from the underlying rock interior, indicating that the rock surface alteration process has occurred at low fluid-to-rock ratio. The geochemistry of natural rock surfaces analyzed by APXS is c…
Characterization and petrologic interpretation of olivine-rich basalts at Gusev Crater, Mars
2006
Rocks on the floor of Gusev crater are basalts of uniform composition and mineralogy. Olivine, the only mineral to have been identified or inferred from data by all instruments on the Spirit rover, is especially abundant in these rocks. These picritic basalts are similar in many respects to certain Martian meteorites (olivine-phyric shergottites). The olivine megacrysts in both have intermediate compositions, with modal abundances ranging up to 20-30%. Associated minerals in both include low-calcium and high-calcium pyroxenes, plagioclase of intermediate composition, iron-titanium-chromium oxides, and phosphate. These rocks also share minor element trends, reflected in their nickel-magnesiu…
Lithologic composition of the Earth's continental surfaces derived from a new digital map emphasizing riverine material transfer
2005
[1] A new digital map of the lithology of the continental surfaces is proposed in vector mode (n ≈ 8300, reaggregated at 0.5° × 0.5° resolution) for 15 rock types (plus water and ice) targeted to surficial Earth system analysis (chemical weathering, land erosion, carbon cycling, sediment formation, riverine fluxes, aquifer typology, coastal erosion). These types include acid (0.98% at global scale) and basic (5.75%) volcanics, acid (7.23%) and basic (0.20%) plutonics, Precambrian basement (11.52%) and metamorphic rocks (4.07%), consolidated siliciclastic rocks (16.28%), mixed sedimentary (7.75%), carbonates (10.40%), semi- to un-consolidated sedimentary rocks (10.05%), alluvial deposits (15…
Integrated remote sensing approach to global agricultural drought monitoring
2018
Abstract This study explores the use of the Soil Moisture Agricultural Drought Index (SMADI) as a global estimator of agricultural drought. Previous research presented SMADI as a novel index based on the joint use of remotely sensed datasets of land surface temperature (LST) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) together with the surface soil moisture (SSM) from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. This study presents the results of applying SMADI at the global scale with a spatial resolution of 0.05° every 15 days. The period of the study spanned from 2010 to 2015. Three spatial scales (local, region…
Worldwide distribution of continental rock lithology: Implications for the atmospheric/soil CO2uptake by continental weathering and alkalinity river …
2003
[1] The silicate rock weathering followed by the formation of carbonate rocks in the ocean, transfers CO2 from the atmosphere to the lithosphere. This CO2 uptake plays a major role in the regulation of atmospheric CO2 concentrations at the geologic timescale and is mainly controlled by the chemical properties of rocks. This leads us to develop the first world lithological map with a grid resolution of 1° × 1°. This paper analyzes the spatial distribution of the six main rock types by latitude, continents, and ocean drainage basins and for 49 large river basins. Coupling our digital map with the GEM-CO2 model, we have also calculated the amount of atmospheric/soil CO2 consumed by rock weathe…