Improving the understanding of flood risk in the Alsatian region by knowledge capitalization: the ORRION participative observatory Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-19-1653-2019 7 August 2019 The article presents the Alsatian regional flood risk observatory ORRION, a participative online platform on which information is shared between individuals, stakeholders, engineers, and scientists. This maximizes knowledge capitalization and contributes to building a common knowledge base for flood risk. From this information, long chronicles of floods are derived for the Rhine, and most of its main Alsatian tributaries and their main characteristics are identified and analysed. ORRION participative observatory">Read more
Past climate and continentality inferred from ice wedges at Batagay megaslump in the Northern Hemisphere’s most continental region, Yana Highlands, interior Yakutia Climate of the Past DOI 10.5194/cp-15-1443-2019 2 August 2019 To reconstruct past winter climate, we studied ice wedges at two sites in the Yana Highlands, interior Yakutia (Russia), the most continental region of the Northern Hemisphere. Our ice wedges of the upper ice complex unit of the Batagay megaslump and a river terrace show much more depleted stable-isotope compositions than other study sites in coastal and central Yakutia, reflecting lower winter temperatures and a higher continentality of the study region during Marine Isotope Stages 3 and 1. Read more
A salinity module for SWAT to simulate salt ion fate and transport at the watershed scale Hydrology and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/hess-23-3155-2019 31 July 2019 Salinity is one of the most common water quality threats in river basins and irrigated regions worldwide. Available watershed models, however, do not simulate the fate and transport of salt species. This paper presents a modified version of the popular SWAT watershed model that simulates the transport of major salt ions in a watershed system. Salt is transported via surface runoff, soil percolation, groundwater flow, and streamflow. The model can be used in salt-affected watersheds worldwide. SWAT to simulate salt ion fate and transport at the watershed scale">Read more
Global soil–climate–biome diagram: linking surface soil properties to climate and biota Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-16-2857-2019 25 July 2019 Surface soils interact strongly with both climate and biota and provide fundamental ecosystem services. However, the quantitative linkages between soil, climate, and biota remain unclear at a global scale. By compiling a large global soil database, we mapped eight major soil properties based on machine learning algorithms and developed a global soil–climate–biome diagram. Our results suggest shifts in soil properties under global climate and land cover change. Read more
Assessing the characteristics and drivers of compound flooding events around the UK coast Hydrology and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/hess-23-3117-2019 23 July 2019 Flooding can arise from multiple sources, including waves, extreme sea levels, rivers, and severe rainfall. When two or more sources combine, the consequences can be greatly multiplied. We find the potential for the joint occurrence of extreme sea levels and river discharge to be greater on the western coast of the UK compared to the eastern coast. This is due to the weather conditions generating each flood source around the UK. These results will help increase our flood forecasting ability. Read more
Early instrumental meteorological measurements in Switzerland Climate of the Past DOI 10.5194/cp-15-1345-2019 22 July 2019 The 18th and early 19th centuries saw pronounced climatic variations with impacts on the environment and society. Although instrumental meteorological data for that period exist, only a small fraction has been the subject of research. This study provides an overview of early instrumental meteorological records in Switzerland resulting from an archive survey and demonstrates the great potential of such data. It is accompanied by the online publication of the imaged data series and metadata. Read more
Converging photospheric vortex flows close to the polarity inversion line of a fully emerged active region Annales Geophysicae DOI 10.5194/angeo-37-603-2019 22 July 2019 We describe a technique used to locate and classify critical points in 2-D flow fields at the solar photosphere obtained from the evolution of the line-of-sight magnetic field in a region close to the magnetic polarity inversion line of a fully emerged active region. We apply this technique to locate a particular kind of critical point associated to vortex flows, which are considered important, since they can twist and interweave the foot points of flux tubes and generate magnetic reconnection. Read more
Towards monitoring localized CO2 emissions from space: co-located regional CO2 and NO2 enhancements observed by the OCO-2 and S5P satellites Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-19-9371-2019 22 July 2019 The quantification of anthropogenic emissions with current CO2 satellite sensors is difficult, but NO2 is co-emitted, making it a suitable tracer of recently emitted CO2. We analyze enhancements of CO2 and NO2 observed by OCO-2 and S5P and estimate the CO2plume cross-sectional fluxes that we compare with emission databases. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of simultaneous satellite observations of CO2 and NO2 as envisaged for the European Copernicus anthropogenic CO2 monitoring mission OCO-2 and S5P satellites">Read more
Brief communication: Updated GAMDAM glacier inventory over high-mountain Asia The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-2043-2019 19 July 2019 The Glacier Area Mapping for Discharge from the Asian Mountains (GAMDAM) glacier inventory was updated to revise the underestimated glacier area in the first version. The total number and area of glaciers are 134 770 and 100 693 ± 11 790 km2 from 453 Landsat images, which were carefully selected for the period from 1990 to 2010, to avoid mountain shadow, cloud cover, and seasonal snow cover. GAMDAM glacier inventory over high-mountain Asia">Read more
Quantification of water vapour transport from the Asian monsoon to the stratosphere Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-19-8947-2019 12 July 2019 We investigate the transport pathways of water vapour from the upper troposphere in the Asian monsoon region to the stratosphere. In the employed chemistry-transport model we use a tagging method, such that the impact of different source regions on the stratospheric water vapour budget can be quantified. A key finding is that the Asian monsoon (compared to other source regions) is very efficient in transporting air masses and water vapour to the tropical and extratropical stratosphere. Read more
