Long-term trends at the Boknis Eck time series station (Baltic Sea), 1957–2013: does climate change counteract the decline in eutrophication? Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-11-6323-2014 24 November 2014 A time series of 9 oceanic parameters from the coastal time series station Boknis Eck (BE, South Western Baltic Sea) in the period of 1957-2013 is analysed with respect to seasonal cycles and longterm trends. Most striking was a paradoxical decreasing trend in oxygen with a simultaneous decline in eutrophication. Possible reasons for this paradox, e.g. processes related to warming temperatures such as increased decomposition of organic matter or altered ventilation, are discussed. Read more
Detailed ice loss pattern in the northern Antarctic Peninsula: widespread decline driven by ice front retreats The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-2135-2014 24 November 2014 This study of one of the most rapidly changing glacier regions on Earth – the Antarctic Peninsula – uses two types of satellite data to measure the rates of ice loss in detail for the individual glaciers. The satellite data is laser altimetry from ICESat and stereo image DEM differences. The results show that 24..9 ± 7.8 billion tons of ice are lost from the region north of 66°S on the Peninsula each year. The majority of the data cover 2003-2008. Read more
The global monsoon across timescales: coherent variability of regional monsoons Climate of the Past DOI 10.5194/cp-10-2007-2014 21 November 2014 It remains a debated issue as to what extent and at which timescales the global monsoon can be viewed as a major mode of climate variability. For this purpose, a PAGES (Past Global Changes) working group (WG) was set up to investigate the concept of the global monsoon and its future research directions. The WG’s synthesis is presented here. Read more
Complex networks for streamflow dynamics Hydrology and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/hess-18-4565-2014 20 November 2014 This study introduces the theory of networks, and in particular complex networks, to examine connections in streamflow dynamics. Monthly streamflow data from a network of 639 stations in the United States are studied. The connections are examined primarily using the concept of clustering coefficient, which quantifies the network’s tendency to cluster. The clustering coefficient analysis is performed with several different threshold levels based on correlations in streamflow between the stations. Read more
Missing SO2 oxidant in the coastal atmosphere? – observations from high-resolution measurements of OH and atmospheric sulfur compounds Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-14-12209-2014 20 November 2014 Sulfuric acid plays a major role in the formation of aerosol particles and clouds. Measurements at the west coast of Ireland reveal that oxidation of SO2 by OH explains only 20%, on average, of H2SO4 formation in coastal marine air. Additional sources may be oxidation by Criegee intermediates produced photolytically and/or formation from SO3 instead of SO2 in the oxidation of dimethyl sulfide suggesting an important role of marine emissions in the self-cleaning power of the atmosphere. Read more
Historical impact of water infrastructure on water levels of the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap system Hydrology and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/hess-18-4529-2014 17 November 2014 This paper analyses the historical water levels of the Mekong River and Tonle Sap system by comparing pre- and post-1991 daily observations from six stations along the Mekong mainstream from Chiang Saen (northern Thailand), to Stung Treng (Cambodia), and the Prek Kdam station on the Tonle Sap River. Read more
Changes in extreme regional sea surface height due to an abrupt weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation Ocean Science DOI 10.5194/os-10-881-2014 7 November 2014 As an extreme scenario of dynamical sea level changes, regional sea surface height (SSH) changes that occur in the North Atlantic due to an abrupt weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) are simulated. Two versions of the same ocean-only model are used to study the effect of ocean model resolution on these SSH changes. Read more
Gas emissions at the continental margin west of Svalbard: mapping, sampling, and quantification Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-11-6029-2014 6 November 2014 The authors mapped, sampled, and quantified gas emissions at the continental margin west of Svalbard in late summer 2012. They found that gas emissions occurred widespread between about 80 and 415 m water depth, which indicates that hydrate dissolution might only be one of several triggers for active hydrocarbon seepage in that area. Read more
Determining the focal mechanisms of the events in the Carpathian region of Ukraine Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems DOI 10.5194/gi-3-229-2014 30 October 2014 The paper is devoted to mathematical modelling of propagation of seismic waves in inhomogeneous media. The trial and error method for determining the angles of orientation of fault plane and earthquake mechanism has been proposed. The graphic and trial and error approaches have been applied for determining the source parameters of earthquakes in seismically active region of Eastern Carpathian. Read more
Analytical approach for predicting fresh water discharge in an estuary based on tidal water level observations Hydrology and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/hess-18-4153-2014 17 October 2014 In this study, the authors investigate the influence of river discharge on tidal wave propagation in the Yangtze estuary with specific attention to residual water level slope. Read more
An autonomous adaptive low-power instrument platform (AAL-PIP) for remote high-latitude geospace data collection Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems DOI 10.5194/gi-3-211-2014 10 October 2014 This paper presents the development considerations and design for ground-based instrumentation that is being deployed on the East Antarctic Plateau along a 40° magnetic meridian chain to investigate interhemispheric magnetically conjugate geomagnetic coupling and other space-weather-related phenomena. AAL-PIP) for remote high-latitude geospace data collection">Read more
Mapping the physico-chemical properties of mineral dust in western Africa: mineralogical composition Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-14-10663-2014 10 October 2014 In the last few years, several ground-based and airborne field campaigns have allowed the exploration of the properties and impacts of mineral dust in western Africa. This paper explores the synthesis of these observations to provide a large-scale quantitative view of the mineralogical composition and its variability according to source region and time after transport. Read more
Constraining CO2 emissions from open biomass burning by satellite observations of co-emitted species: a method and its application to wildfires in Siberia Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-14-10383-2014 1 October 2014 A method to constrain carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from open biomass burning by using satellite observations of co-emitted species and a chemistry-transport model (CTM) is proposed and applied to the case of wildfires in Siberia. Read more
The origin of noise and magnetic hysteresis in crystalline permalloy ring-core fluxgate sensors Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems DOI 10.5194/gi-3-201-2014 29 September 2014 In certain polycrystalline permalloy fluxgate sensors, a single phenomenon may cause both fluxgate noise and magnetic hysteresis; explain Barkhausen jumps, remanence and coercivity; and avoid domain denucleation. This phenomenon, domain wall reconnection, is presented as part of a theoretical model. Read more
The effect of changing sea ice on the physical vulnerability of Arctic coasts The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-1777-2014 26 September 2014 Sea ice provides a first-order control on the physical vulnerability of Arctic coasts to erosion, inundation, and damage to settlements and infrastructures by ocean water. This paper focuses on how the changing sea-ice cover has influenced coastal erosion over the satellite record. Read more
A framework for benchmarking of homogenisation algorithm performance on the global scale Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems DOI 10.5194/gi-3-187-2014 25 September 2014 The International Surface Temperature Initiative (ISTI) is striving towards substantively improving our ability to robustly understand historical land surface air temperature change at all scales. A key recently completed first step has been collating all available records into a comprehensive open access, traceable and version-controlled databank. Read more
The XWS open access catalogue of extreme European windstorms from 1979 to 2012 Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-14-2487-2014 22 September 2014 This papers introduces the XWS (eXtreme WindStorms) catalogue, which consists of storm tracks and model-generated maximum 3 s wind-gust footprints for 50 of the most extreme winter windstorms to hit Europe in the period 1979–2012. XWS open access catalogue of extreme European windstorms from 1979 to 2012">Read more
The length of the world’s glaciers – a new approach for the global calculation of center lines The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-1741-2014 19 September 2014 Here the authors present a first global assessment of glacier length using an automated method that relies on glacier surface slope, distance to the glacier margins and a set of trade-off functions. Read more
Smoothing error pitfalls Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-7-3023-2014 18 September 2014 The difference due to the content of a priori information between a constrained retrieval and the true atmospheric state is usually represented by a diagnostic quantity called smoothing error. In this paper it is shown that the concept of the smoothing error as a component of the retrieval error budget is questionable because it is not compliant with Gaussian error propagation. Read more
Sensitivity of the dynamics of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, to climate forcing for the next 50 years The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-1699-2014 17 September 2014 The authors employ a 3D, higher-order model to simulate the evolution of Pine Island Glacier over the next 50 yr in response to changes in its surface mass balance, the position of its calving front and ocean-induced ice shelf melting. Read more
