ALBERT

Description: While the concept of oceanic heat transport – or rather heat transport divergence – is known since long, it is sometimes applied inaccurately. Often temperature transports are computed across sections with unbalanced volume flow which then depend entirely on the choice of the temperature scale. The consequences of such arbitrariness are demonstrated with a simple calculation exercise for the passages to the Arctic Ocean. To circumvent the arising difficulties for the Fram Strait as an example we propose a stream tube concept to define a net zero volume flow section which can, with coarse assumptions, be used to determine oceanic heat transport by the Atlantic water flow. Weaknesses of this approach and consequences for observational strategies are discussed.

Description: We present the late summer distribution and transports of freshwater components in the upper western part of the Fram Strait during 1998, 2004 and 2005. Hydrographic data and and water δ18O values are analyzed to distinguish Atlantic Water, ice-melt (IMW) and freshwater removal from ice formation (IFW), and Meteoric Water (precipitation and riverine sources; MW). Concentrations of these water masses are combined with volume transport estimates from an inverse model. The average liquid freshwater transport relative to a reference salinity of 34.92, was 2500 km3/yr or 80 mSv southward, which is at the upper end of values reported in the literature. Our results indicate that not only the region of the continental slope but also parts of the East Greenland Shelf are important for freshwater transports. The average transports of MW and IFW were 160 mSv (5000 km3/yr) and 90 mSv (2800 km3/yr) southward, respectively. The southward transport of MW was higher in 2005 than in 1998, but was compensated by a higher IFW transport. These differences in transports were associated with stronger southward velocities and the absence of northward velocities over the continental slope and the eastern East Greenland Shelf in 2005. A simulation using the North Atlantic-Arctic Ocean Sea Ice Model (NAOSIM) shows that the high transport of MW in the Fram Strait in 2005 is in agreement with the temporary storage of river water on the Siberian shelf in the mid-1990s, which reached the north of Greenland in 2003. Our results indicate that IFW follows the same pathways as MW before reaching the Fram Strait.

Description: While the concept of oceanic heat transport – or rather heat transport divergence – is well known, it is sometimes applied inaccurately. Often so-called "heat transports" are computed across a partial section which means that the volume flow through such a section is not zero. In this case the "heat transports" depend entirely on the choice of the temperature scale. The consequences of such arbitrariness are demonstrated with a simple calculation exercise for the passages to the Arctic Ocean. To circumvent the arising difficulties for the Fram Strait in the Arctic we propose a stream tube concept to define a net zero volume flow section which can, with coarse assumptions, be used to determine oceanic heat transport by the portion of Atlantic water flow that passes through Fram Strait. Weaknesses of this approach and consequences for observational strategies are discussed.

Description: We present the late summer distribution and transports of freshwater components in the upper western part of the Fram Strait during 1998, 2004 and 2005. Hydrographic data and and water δ18O values are analyzed to distinguish Atlantic Water, ice melt (SIM) and freshwater removal from ice formation (IFB), and Meteoric Water (precipitation and riverine sources; MW). Concentrations of these water masses are combined with volume transport estimates from an inverse model. The average liquid freshwater transport relative to a reference salinity of 34.92, was 2500 km3/yr or 80 mSv southward, which is at the upper end of values reported in the literature. Our results indicate that not only the region of the continental slope but also parts of the East Greenland Shelf are important for freshwater transports. We estimate the average transports of of MW and IFB to be between 130 to 160 mSv (4100 to 5000 km3/yr) and 60 to 90 mSv (1900 to 2800 km3/yr) southward, respectively. The southward transport of MW was higher in 2005 than in 1998, but was compensated by a higher IFB transport. These differences in transports were associated with stronger southward velocities and the absence of northward velocities over the continental slope and the eastern East Greenland Shelf in 2005. A simulation using the North Atlantic-Arctic Ocean Sea Ice Model (NAOSIM) shows that the high transport of MW in the Fram Strait in 2005 is in agreement with the temporary storage of river water on the Siberian shelf in the mid-1990s, which reached the north of Greenland in 2003. Our results indicate that the accumulation of increased amounts of river water on the shelves is associated with enhanced ice formation.

Description: The HOVERT (Horizontal and VERtical Transport of Ozone and particulate matter) campaign held in the Berlin Brandenburg area in Eastern Germany from September 2001 to September 2002 allowed to collect a unique data set of the aerosol chemical speciation (daily averages) at traffic, urban and rural sites. These observations are used for a thorough evaluation of the aerosol part in the REM-CALGRID model (RCG) developed at the Free University of Berlin (FUB). For inorganic ions (sulphate, nitrate and ammonium), simulated annual averages agree to observations within ±30% at more than half of the sites and always within a factor of two. Correlation coefficients are larger than in previous studies for SO42- and NH4+ (〉0.7). For nitrate, less elevated correlations, 0.4–0.7 in the cold season, 0.2–0.4 in the warm season, are encountered. To our knowledge, this is one of the first comparisons of air quality model simulated elemental carbon (EC and OC) with daily observations for a whole year. It suggests an overestimation of EC and OC emissions in the Berlin area (through a scaling techniques between EC, OC and NOx and when assuming correct NOx emissions), and an underestimation of EC and OC at rural sites. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation, recently introduced into the model (SORGAM module, Schell et al., 2001), is simulated as a very variable process, SOA levels varying from close to zero for most days to more than 5 µg/m3. Correlation between simulated SOA to observed OC is about 0.6, indicating that simulated variability partly corresponds to reality.

Description: In this study we investigated the role of intensive and extensive dairy farm practices on CO2 exchange and the carbon balance of peatlands by means of eddy covariance (EC) measurements. Year long EC measurements were made in two adjacent farm sites on peat soil in the western part of the Netherlands. One site (Stein) is a new meadow bird reserve and is managed predominantly by mowing in June and August. The second site (Oukoop) is an intensive dairy farm. Maximum photosynthetic uptake of the grass sward (range 2 to 34 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) showed a close and similar linear relationship with Leaf Area Index (LAI; range 1 to 5) except in maturing hay meadows, where maximum photosynthetic uptake did not increase further. Apparent quantum yield varied between 0.02 and 0.08 (mean 0.045) μmol CO2 μmol−1 photons at both sites and was significantly correlated with LAI during the growth season. Ecosystem Respiration at 10°C (R10) calculated from the year round data set was 3.35 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 at Stein and 3.69 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 at Oukoop. Both sites were a source of carbon in winter and a sink during summer with net ecosystem exchange varying between 50 to 100 mmol CO2 m−2 d−1 in winter to below −400 mmol CO2 m−2 d−1 in summer. Periodically, both sites became a source after mowing. Net annual ecosystem exchange (NEE) for Stein was −5.7 g C m−2 a−1 and for Oukoop 133.9 g C m−2 a−1. When biomass removal, manure applications and estimates of methane emissions ware taken into account, both eutrophic peat meadows are a strong source for C around 420 g C m−2 a−1.

Description: In this study we investigated the role of intensive and extensive dairy farm practices on CO2 exchange and the carbon balance of peatlands by means of eddy covariance (EC) measurements. Year long EC measurements were made in two adjacent farm sites on peat soil in the western part of the Netherlands. One site (Stein) is a new meadow bird reserve and is managed predominantly by mowing in June and August. The second site (Oukoop) is an intensive dairy farm. Minimum ecosystem flux of the grass sward (range −2 to −34 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) showed a close and similar linear relationship with Leaf Area Index (LAI; range 1 to 5) except in maturing hay meadows, where minimum ecosystem flux did not decrease further. Apparent quantum yield varied between −0.02 and −0.08 (mean −0.045) μmol CO2 μmol−1 photons at both sites and was significantly correlated with LAI during the growth season. Ecosystem Respiration at 10°C (R10) calculated from the year round data set was 3.47 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 at Stein and 3.64 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 at Oukoop. Both sites were a source of carbon in winter and a sink during summer, with net ecosystem exchange varying between 50 to 100 mmol CO2m−2 d−1 in winter to below −400 mmol CO2 m−2 d−1 in summer. Periodically both sites became a source after mowing. Net annual ecosystem exchange (NEE) for Stein was −8.4 g C m−2 a−1 and for Oukoop 122.4 g C m−2 a−1, the difference between the sites was mainly due a difference in GEP (101 g C m−2 a−1). However when biomass removal, manure applications and estimates of methane emissions are taken into account, both eutrophic peat meadows are a strong source for C ((462 g C m−2 a−1 and 465 g C m−2 a−1 at Stein and Oukoop, respectively).

Description: Optical Time-of-Flight measurement gives the possibility to enhance 2-D sensors by adding a third dimension using the PMD principle. Various applications in the automotive (e.g. pedestrian safety), industrial, robotics and multimedia fields require robust three-dimensional data (Schwarte et al., 2000). These applications, however, all have different requirements in terms of resolution, speed, distance and target characteristics. PMDTechnologies has developed 3-D sensors based on standard CMOS processes that can provide an optimized solution for a wide field of applications combined with high integration and cost-effective production. These sensors are realized in various layout formats from single pixel solutions for basic applications to low, middle and high resolution matrices for applications requiring more detailed data. Pixel pitches ranging from 10 micrometer up to a 300 micrometer or larger can be realized and give the opportunity to optimize the sensor chip depending on the application. One aspect of all optical sensors based on a time-of-flight principle is the necessity of handling background illumination. This can be achieved by various techniques, such as optical filters and active circuits on chip. The sensors' usage of the in-pixel so-called SBI-circuitry (suppression of background illumination) makes it even possible to overcome the effects of bright ambient light. This paper focuses on this technical requirement. In Sect. 2 we will roughly describe the basic operation principle of PMD sensors. The technical challenges related to the system characteristics of an active optical ranging technique are described in Sect. 3, technical solutions and measurement results are then presented in Sect. 4. We finish this work with an overview of actual PMD sensors and their key parameters (Sect. 5) and some concluding remarks in Sect. 6.

Description: The contribution deals with an investigation of the recently proposed definitions for the electromagnetic and transient shielding effectiveness (SE) in the case of an electric-dipole near-field source. To this end, new factors are introduced which depend on the distance between the dipole source and the measurement point inside the shield and which are valid for perpendicularly (with respect to the distance vector) polarized dipoles. Numerical results support and confirm the theoretical derivations.

Description: The Martial Este Glacier in southern Tierra del Fuego was studied in order to estimate the surface mass balance from 1960 until 2099. For this reason a degree-day model was calibrated. Air temperature and precipitation data obtained from 3 weather stations as well as glaciological measurements were applied. The model was driven using a vertical air temperature gradient of 0.69 K/100 m, a degree-day factor for snow of 4.7 mm w.e. K−1 day−1, a degree-day factor for ice of 9.4 mm w.e. K−1 day−1 and a precipitation gradient of 22%/100 m. For the purpose of surface mass balance reconstruction for the time period 1960 until 2006 a winter vertical air temperature gradient of 0.57 K/100 m and a summer vertical air temperature gradient of 0.71 K/100 m were added as well as a digital terrain model. The key finding is an almost continuous negative mass balance of −772 mm w.e. a−1 throughout this period. While the calculation of the mass balance for the period 1960–2006 is based on instrumental records, the mass balance for the years 2007 until 2099 was estimated based on the IPCC SRES A2-scenario. To accomplish this estimation, the dataset of the global climate model HadCM3 was statistically downscaled to fit local conditions at Martial Este Glacier. Subsequently, the downscaled air temperature and precipitation were applied to a volume-area scaling glacier change model. Findings reveal an enduring deglaciation resulting in a surface area reduction of nearly 93% until 2099. This implicates that the Martial Este Glacier might be melted off at the beginning of the 22nd century.