ALBERT

Description: Permafrost temperatures are increasing in Alaska due to climate change and in some cases permafrost is thawing and degrading. In areas where degradation has already occurred the effects can be dramatic, resulting in changing ecosystems, carbon release, and damage to infrastructure. However, in many areas we lack baseline data, such as subsurface temperatures, needed to assess future changes and potential risk areas. Besides climate, the physical properties of the vegetation cover and subsurface material have a major influence on the thermal state of permafrost. These properties are often directly related to the type of ecosystem overlaying permafrost. In this paper we demonstrate that classifying the landscape into general ecotypes is an effective way to scale up permafrost thermal data collected from field monitoring sites. Additionally, we find that within some ecotypes the absence of a moss layer is indicative of the absence of near-surface permafrost. As a proof of concept, we used the ground temperature data collected from the field sites to recode an ecotype land cover map into a map of mean annual ground temperature ranges at 1 m depth based on analysis and clustering of observed thermal regimes. The map should be useful for decision making with respect to land use and understanding how the landscape might change under future climate scenarios.

Description: Slope failure like in the Hinlopen/Yermak Megaslide is one of the major geohazards in a changing Arctic environment. We analysed hydroacoustic and 2D high-resolution seismic data from the apparently intact continental slope immediately north of the Hinlopen/Yermak Megaslide for signs of past and future instabilities. Our new bathymetry and seismic data show clear evidence for incipient slope instability. Minor slide deposits and an internally-deformed sedimentary layer near the base of the gas hydrate stability zone imply an incomplete failure event, most probably about 30000 years ago, contemporaneous to or shortly after the Hinlopen/Yermak Megaslide. An active gas reservoir at the base of the gas hydrate stability zone demonstrate that over-pressured fluids might have played a key role in the initiation of slope failure at the studied slope, but more importantly also for the giant HYM slope failure. To date, it is not clear, if the studied slope is fully preconditioned to fail completely in future or if it might be slowly deforming and creeping at present. We detected widespread methane seepage on the adjacent shallow shelf areas not sealed by gas hydrates.

Description: Little is known about the production of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in the anoxic oceanic sediments. In this study, sediment pore waters were sampled from four different sites in the Chukchi-East Siberian Seas area to examine the bulk dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and their optical properties. The production of FDOM, coupled with the increase of nutrients, was observed above the sulfate-methane-transition-zone (SMTZ). The presence of FDOM was concurrent with sulfate reduction and increased alkalinity (R2 〉 0.96, p 〈 0.0001), suggesting a link to organic matter degradation. This inference was supported by the positive correlation (R2 〉 0.95, p 〈 0.0001) between the net production of FDOM and the modeled degradation rates of particulate organic carbon sulfate reduction. The production of FDOM was more pronounced in a shallow shelf site S1 with a total net production ranging from 17.9 to 62.3 RU for different FDOM components above the SMTZ depth of ca. 4.1 mbsf, which presumably underwent more accumulation of particulate organic matter than the other three deeper sites. The sediments were generally found to be the sources of CDOM and FDOM to the overlying water column, unearthing a channel of generally bio-refractory and pre-aged DOM to the oceans.

Description: Permafrost presence is determined by a complex interaction of climatic, topographic, and ecological conditions operating over long time scales. In particular, vegetation and organic layer characteristics may act to protect permafrost in regions with a mean annual air temperature (MAAT) above 0°C. In this study, we document the presence of residual permafrost plateaus in the western Kenai Peninsula lowlands of south-central Alaska, a region with a MAAT of 1.5+/-1 °C (1981–2010). Continuous ground temperature measurements between 16 September 2012 and 15 September 2015, using calibrated thermistor strings, documented the presence of warm permafrost (-0.04 to -0.08 °C). Field measurements (probing) on several plateau features during the fall of 2015 showed that the depth to the permafrost table averaged 1.48m but at some locations was as shallow as 0.53 m. Late winter surveys (augering, coring, and GPR) in 2016 showed that the average seasonally frozen ground thickness was 0.45 m, overlying a talik above the permafrost table. Measured permafrost thickness ranged from 0.33 to 〉6.90 m. Manual interpretation of historic aerial photography acquired in 1950 indicates that residual permafrost plateaus covered 920 ha as mapped across portions of four wetland complexes encompassing 4810 ha. However, between 1950 and ca. 2010, permafrost plateau extent decreased by 60.0 %, with lateral feature degradation accounting for 85.0% of the reduction in area. Permafrost loss on the Kenai Peninsula is likely associated with a warming climate, wildfires that remove the protective forest and organic layer cover, groundwater flow at depth, and lateral heat transfer from wetland surface waters in the summer. Better understanding the resilience and vulnerability of ecosystem-protected permafrost is critical for mapping and predicting future permafrost extent and degradation across all permafrost regions that are currently warming. Further work should focus on reconstructing permafrost history in south-central Alaska as well as additional contemporary observations of these ecosystem-protected permafrost sites south of the regions with relatively stable permafrost.

Description: Permafrost presence is determined by a complex interaction of climatic, topographic, and ecological conditions operating over long time scales. In particular, vegetation and organic layer characteristics may act to protect permafrost in regions with a mean annual air temperature (MAAT) above 0 °C. In this study, we document the presence of residual permafrost plateaus on the western Kenai Peninsula lowlands of southcentral Alaska, a region with a MAAT of 1.5 ± 1 °C (1981 to 2010). Continuous ground temperature measurements between 16 September 2012 and 15 September 2015, using calibrated thermistor strings, documented the presence of warm permafrost (−0.04 to −0.08 °C). Field measurements (probing) on several plateau features during the fall of 2015 showed that the depth to the permafrost table averaged 1.48 m but was as shallow as 0.53 m. Late winter surveys (drilling, coring, and GPR) in 2016 showed that the average seasonally frozen ground thickness was 0.45 m, overlying a talik above the permafrost table. Measured permafrost thickness ranged from 0.33 to 〉 6.90 m. Manual interpretation of historic aerial photography acquired in 1950 indicates that residual permafrost plateaus covered 920 ha as mapped across portions of four wetland complexes encompassing 4810 ha. However, between 1950 and ca. 2010, permafrost plateau extent decreased by 60 %, with lateral feature degradation accounting for 85 % of the reduction in area. Permafrost loss on the Kenai Peninsula is likely associated with a warming climate, wildfires that remove the protective forest and organic layer cover, groundwater flow at depth, and lateral heat transfer from wetland surface waters in the summer. Better understanding the resilience and vulnerability of ecosystem-protected permafrost is critical for mapping and predicting future permafrost extent and degradation across all permafrost regions that are currently warming. Further work should focus on reconstructing permafrost history in southcentral Alaska as well as additional contemporary observations of these ecosystem-protected permafrost sites lying south of the regions with relatively stable permafrost.

Description: Effects of temperature changes on phytoplankton communities seem to be highly context-specific, but few studies have analyzed whether this context specificity depends on differences in the abiotic conditions or in species composition between studies. We present an experiment that allows disentangling the contribution of abiotic and biotic differences in shaping the response to two aspects of temperature change: permanent increase of mean temperature versus pulse disturbance in form of a heat wave. We used natural communities from six different sites of a floodplain system as well as artificially mixed communities from laboratory cultures and grew both, artificial and natural communities, in water from the six different floodplain lakes (sites). All 12 contexts (2 communities × 6 sites) were first exposed to three different temperature levels (12, 18, 24 °C, respectively) and afterward to temperature pulses (4 °C increase for 7 h day(-1)). Temperature-dependent changes in biomass and community composition depended on the initial composition of phytoplankton communities. Abiotic conditions had a major effect on biomass of phytoplankton communities exposed to different temperature conditions, however, the effect of biotic and abiotic conditions together was even more pronounced. Additionally, phytoplankton community responses to pulse temperature effects depended on the warming history. By disentangling abiotic and biotic effects, our study shows that temperature-dependent effects on phytoplankton communities depend on both, biotic and abiotic constraints.

Description: Coastal erosion and flooding transform terrestrial landscapes into marine environments. In the Arctic, these processes inundate terrestrial permafrost with seawater and create submarine permafrost. Permafrost begins to warm under marine conditions, which can destabilize the sea floor and may release greenhouse gases. We report on the transition of terrestrial to submarine permafrost at a site where the timing of inundation can be inferred from the rate of coastline retreat. On Muostakh Island in the central Laptev Sea, East Siberia, changes in annual coastline position have been measured for decades and vary highly spatially. We hypothesize that these rates are inversely related to the inclination of the upper surface of submarine ice-bonded permafrost (IBP) based on the consequent duration of inundation with increasing distance from the shoreline. We compared rapidly eroding and stable coastal sections of Muostakh Island and find permafrost-table inclinations, determined using direct current resistivity, of 1 and 5 %, respectively. Determinations of submarine IBP depth from a drilling transect in the early 1980s were compared to resistivity profiles from 2011. Based on borehole observations, the thickness of unfrozen sediment overlying the IBP increased from 0 to 14m below sea level with increasing distance from the shoreline. The geoelectrical profiles showed thickening of the unfrozen sediment overlying ice-bonded permafrost over the 28 years since drilling took place. We use geoelectrical estimates of IBP depth to estimate permafrost degradation rates since inundation. Degradation rates decreased from over 0.4ma-1 following inundation to around 0.1ma-1 at the latest after 60 to 110 years and remained constant at this level as the duration of inundation increased to 250 years. We suggest that long-term rates are lower than these values, as the depth to the IBP increases and thermal and porewater solute concentration gradients over depth decrease. For the study region, recent increases in coastal erosion rate and changes in benthic temperature and salinity regimes are expected to affect the depth to submarine permafrost, leading to coastal regions with shallower IBP.

Description: Hepes simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1) is an enveloped DNA virus that can cause lytic and latent infection. miRNAs post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and our previous work has indicated that HSV-1 infection induces miR-101 expression in HeLa cells. The present study demonstrates that HSV-1-induced miR-101 is mainly derived from its precursor hsa-mir-101-2 and the HSV-1 immediate early gene ICP4 (infected-cell polypeptide 4) directly binds to the hsa-mir-101-2 promoter to activate its expression. RNA-binding protein G-rich sequence factor 1 (GRSF1) was identified as a new target of miR-101; GRSF1 binds to HSV-1 p40 mRNA and enhances its expression, facilitating viral proliferation. Together, ICP4 induces miR-101 expression, which downregulates GRSF1 expression and attenuates the replication of HSV-1. This allows host cells to maintain a permissive environment for viral replication by preventing lytic cell death. These findings indicate that HSV-1 early gene expression modulates host miRNAs to regulate molecular defense mechanisms. This study provides novel insight into host-virus interactions in HSV-1 infection and may contribute to the development of antiviral therapeutics.

Description: Distributed optical fibre sensors possess the unique capability of measuring the spatial and temporal map of environmental quantities that can be of great interest for several field applications. Although existing methods for performance enhancement have enabled important progresses in the field, they do not take full advantage of all information present in the measured data, still giving room for substantial improvement over the state-of-the-art. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate an approach for performance enhancement that exploits the high level of similitude and redundancy contained on the multidimensional information measured by distributed fibre sensors. Exploiting conventional image and video processing, an unprecedented boost in signal-to-noise ratio and measurement contrast is experimentally demonstrated. The method can be applied to any white-noise-limited distributed fibre sensor and can remarkably provide a 100-fold improvement in the sensor performance with no hardware modification.

Description: Sources and Transformations of Anthropogenic Nitrogen along an Urban River-Estuarine Continuum Michael J. Pennino, Sujay S. Kaushal, Sudhir Murthy, Joel Blomquist, Jeff Cornwell, and Lora Harris Biogeosciences Discuss., doi:10.5194/bg-2016-264,2016 Manuscript under review for BG (discussion: open, 0 comments) The results of this manuscript report the analysis of the fate and transport of wastewater and anthropogenic nitrogen along the Potomac River Estuary, from Washington D.C. to the Chesapeake Bay. In conjunction with a mass balance approach, nitrate isotopes were used to estimate fluxes and trace the sources and transformations N along the estuary. This study shows that estuaries have a large capacity to transform N inputs, but with large seasonal variability due to hydrological extremes.

Description: Boreal fire records in Northern Hemisphere ice cores: A review Michel Legrand, Joseph McConnell, Hubertus Fischer, Eric W. Wolff, Susanne Preunkert, Nathan Chellman, Daiana Leuenberger, Olivia Maselli, Michael Sigl, Simon Schüpbach, and Mike Flannigan Clim. Past Discuss., doi:10.5194/cp-2016-70,2016 Manuscript under review for CP (discussion: open, 0 comments) Here we review previous attempts made to reconstruct past forest fire using chemical signals recorded in Greenland ice. We showed that the Greenland ice records of ammonium, found to be a good fire proxy, consistently indicate changing fire activity in Canada in response to past climatic conditions that occurred since the last 15 000 years including the little ice age and the last large climatic transition.

Description: The thyroid gland is an important endocrine organ modulating development, growth, and metabolism, mainly by controlling the synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormones (THs). However, little is known about the pig thyroid transcriptome. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate gene expression and play critical roles in many cellular processes. Yorkshire pigs have a higher growth rate but lower fat deposition than that of Jinhua pigs, and thus, these species are ideal models for studying growth and lipid metabolism. This study revealed higher levels of THs in the serum of Yorkshire pigs than in the serum of Jinhua pigs. By using Ribo-zero RNA sequencing—which can capture both polyA and non-polyA transcripts—the thyroid transcriptome of both breeds were analyzed and 22,435 known mRNAs were found to be expressed in the pig thyroid. In addition, 1189 novel mRNAs and 1018 candidate lncRNA transcripts were detected. Multiple TH-synthesis-related genes were identified among the 455 differentially-expressed known mRNAs, 37 novel mRNAs, and 52 lncRNA transcripts. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that differentially-expressed genes were enriched in the microtubule-based process, which contributes to THs secretion. Moreover, integrating analysis predicted 13 potential lncRNA-mRNA gene pairs. These data expanded the repertoire of porcine lncRNAs and mRNAs and contribute to understanding the possible molecular mechanisms involved in animal growth and lipid metabolism.

Description: Path dependence in energy systems and economic development Nature Energy, Published online: 11 July 2016; doi:10.1038/nenergy.2016.98 Cheap energy can encourage economic growth but it can also force economies into specific energy-intensive futures. Roger Fouquet argues that path dependence in energy systems has profound implications for an economy and should be considered carefully before governments make choices about energy provision.

Description: Article Polycyclic and caged molecules are common in nature but present challenging targets for synthesis. Here, the authors report a route to caged diterpene cores and apply to the total synthesis of atropurpuran, with oxidative dearomatization/intramolecular Diels-Alder cascade, aldol and ketyl-olefin cyclizations as key steps. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12183 Authors: Jing Gong, Huan Chen, Xiao-Yu Liu, Zhi-Xiu Wang, Wei Nie, Yong Qin

Description: Article Copper (Cu) is an essential mineral nutrient but high concentrations in rice grain can cause toxicity. Here the authors provide evidence that natural variation in rice grain Cu concentration is caused by altered sequestration of Cu into root vacuoles due to a single amino acid substitution in the OsHMA4 transporter. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12138 Authors: Xin-Yuan Huang, Fenglin Deng, Naoki Yamaji, Shannon R.M. Pinson, Miho Fujii-Kashino, John Danku, Alex Douglas, Mary Lou Guerinot, David E. Salt, Jian Feng Ma

Description: Article Graphitic carbon nitride is a promising hydrogen evolution photocatalyst, although there is limited understanding of its mechanistic operation. Here, the authors employ molecular heptazine-based model catalysts to identify catalytically relevant defects and to rationally design a highly active carbon nitride photocatalyst. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12165 Authors: Vincent Wing-hei Lau, Igor Moudrakovski, Tiago Botari, Simon Weinberger, Maria B. Mesch, Viola Duppel, Jürgen Senker, Volker Blum, Bettina V. Lotsch

Description: Article Aurora B activation at the centromere is critical for faithful chromosome segregation in mammals. Here the authors show that Aurora B-mediated phosphorylation of histone H2AX at serine 121 is essential for Aurora B auto-activation circuitry at centromeres, ensuring proper chromosome segregation. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12059 Authors: Midori Shimada, Takahiro Goshima, Hiromi Matsuo, Yoshikazu Johmura, Mayumi Haruta, Kazuhiro Murata, Hiromitsu Tanaka, Masahito Ikawa, Keiko Nakanishi, Makoto Nakanishi

Description: Article Laser capture microscopy (LCM) coupled with global transcriptome profiling requires relatively large numbers of cells. Here, the authors show that LCM coupled with full-length mRNA-sequencing (LCM-seq) can sequence single cells, and that LCM-seq can provide biological insight on highly similar neuronal populations. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12139 Authors: Susanne Nichterwitz, Geng Chen, Julio Aguila Benitez, Marlene Yilmaz, Helena Storvall, Ming Cao, Rickard Sandberg, Qiaolin Deng, Eva Hedlund

Description: Article PDZ domain-containing proteins are known to function as intracellular scaffolds. Here, Egea-Jimenez et al . report the structure of the tandem PDZ domains of syntenin in complex with a Frizzled 7 peptide and PIP2, show that the ligands bind to syntenin cooperatively and illustrate the role of the complex for Frizzled 7 function. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12101 Authors: Antonio Luis Egea-Jimenez, Rodrigo Gallardo, Abel Garcia-Pino, Ylva Ivarsson, Anna Maria Wawrzyniak, Rudra Kashyap, Remy Loris, Joost Schymkowitz, Frederic Rousseau, Pascale Zimmermann

Description: A consolidated analysis of the physiologic and molecular responses induced under acid stress in the legume-symbiont model-soil bacterium 〈i〉Sinorhizobium meliloti〈/i〉 Scientific Reports, Published online: 11 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep29278

Description: Tectonothermal evolution in the core of an arcuate fold and thrust belt: the south-eastern sector of the Cantabrian Zone (Variscan belt, north-western Spain) María Luz Valín, Susana García-López, Covadonga Brime, Fernando Bastida, and Jesús Aller Solid Earth, 7, 1003-1022, doi:10.5194/se-7-1003-2016, 2016 The tectonothermal evolution of an area located in the core of the Ibero-Armorican Arc (Variscan belt) has been determined by using the conodont colour alteration index (CAI), Kübler index of illite (KI), the Árkai index of chlorite (AI) and the analysis of clay minerals and rock cleavage. The area is part of the Cantabrian Zone (CZ), which represents the foreland fold and thrust belt of the orogen. It has been thrust by several large units of the CZ, what resulted in the generation of a large number of synorogenic Carboniferous sediments. CAI, KI and AI values show an irregular distribution of metamorphic grade, independent of stratigraphic position. Two tectonothermal events have been distinguished in the area. The first one, poorly defined, is mainly located in the northern part. It gave rise to very-low-grade metamorphism in some areas and it was associated with a deformation event that resulted in the emplacement of the last large thrust unit and development of upright folds and associated cleavage ( S 1 ). The second tectonothermal event gave rise to low-grade metamorphism and cleavage ( S 2 ) crosscutting earlier upright folds in the central, western and southern parts of the study area. The event continued with the intrusion of small igneous rock bodies, which gave rise to contact metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration. This event was linked to an extensional episode due to a gravitational instability at the end of the Variscan deformation. This tectonothermal evolution occurred during the Gzhelian–Sakmarian. Subsequently, several hydrothermal episodes took place and local crenulation cleavage developed during the Alpine deformation.

Description: Microstructures and deformation mechanisms in Opalinus Clay: insights from scaly clay from the Main Fault in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory (CH) Ben Laurich, Janos L. Urai, and Christophe Nussbaum Solid Earth Discuss., doi:10.5194/se-2016-94,2016 Manuscript under review for SE (discussion: open, 0 comments) Scaly clay is a well-known rock fabric that can develop in tectonic systems and that can alter the physical rock properties of a formation. However, internal microstructure and evolution of this fabric remains poorly understood. We examined the scaly microstructure of progressively faulted Opalinus Clay using optical as well as scanning electron microscopy. We present an evolutionary model for scaly clay that is of interest in the evaluation of Opalinus Clay to host radioactive waste.

Description: Microstructures and deformation mechanisms in Opalinus Clay: insights from scaly clay from the Main Fault in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory (CH) Ben Laurich, Janos L. Urai, and Christophe Nussbaum Solid Earth Discuss., doi:10.5194/se-2016-94,2016 Manuscript under review for SE (discussion: open, 0 comments) Scaly clay is a well-known rock fabric that can develop in tectonic systems and that can alter the physical rock properties of a formation. However, internal microstructure and evolution of this fabric remains poorly understood. We examined the scaly microstructure of progressively faulted Opalinus Clay using optical as well as scanning electron microscopy. We present an evolutionary model for scaly clay that is of interest in the evaluation of Opalinus Clay to host radioactive waste.

Description: Fixation kinetics of chelated and non-chelated zinc in semi-arid alkaline soils: application to zinc management Theophilus K. Udeigwe, Madeleine Eichmann, and Matthew C. Menkiti Solid Earth, 7, 1023-1031, doi:10.5194/se-7-1023-2016, 2016 Micronutrient fixation leads to the reduction of plant-available portions. This study examined the fixation kinetics of chelated and non-chelated zinc (Zn) in semi-arid soils. About 30 % more Zn was fixed in the non-chelated system in the first 14 days. Slope of change of Zn to Cu (i.e., Cu–Zn) was higher than other micronutrients. Zn fixation kinetics were better described by a power-function model. Tools developed from this study will be used to advance micronutrient management.

Description: Improved MODIS Dark Target Aerosol Optical Depth algorithm over land: Angular effect Correction Yerong Wu, Martin de Graaf, and Massimo Menenti Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., doi:10.5194/amt-2016-185,2016 Manuscript under review for AMT (discussion: open, 0 comments) In this paper, we developed a new algorithm to improve the retrieval of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) over land with satellite measurement, by refining the shape of the spectral surface reflectance to improve the estimated background reflectance in the channel used for AOD retrieval. The results show that the angular effects of the retrievals are largely reduced, including fewer occurrences of negative retrievals. This implies that the users can get more accurate data without angular bias.

Description: Investigation of processes controlling summertime gaseous elemental mercury oxidation at midlatitudinal marine, coastal, and inland sites Zhuyun Ye, Huiting Mao, Che-Jen Lin, and Su Youn Kim Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8461-8478, doi:10.5194/acp-16-8461-2016, 2016 In this study, a state-of-the-art chemical mechanism was incorporated into a box model to investigate the atmospheric Hg cycling in different environments. As a result, for each of the three environments, GOM diurnal cycles of over half the selected cases were reasonably represented by the box model. A realistic model can be a powerful tool, providing important information on atmospheric Hg cycling and implications for policy makers.

Description: Effects of polar stratospheric clouds in the Nimbus 7 LIMS Version 6 data set Ellis Remsberg and V. Lynn Harvey Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 2927-2946, doi:10.5194/amt-9-2927-2016, 2016 Emissions from polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) particles affect the retrieved ozone and water vapor from the Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) satellite experiment. Threshold criteria are applied to the retrieved ozone for the detection and screening of those effects. The PSC effects correlate very well with regions of coldest temperatures (

Description: The 1816 ‘year without a summer’ in an atmospheric reanalysis Philip Brohan, Gilbert P. Compo, Stefan Brönnimann, Robert J. Allan, Renate Auchmann, Yuri Brugnara, Prashant D. Sardeshmukh, and Jeffrey S. Whitaker Clim. Past Discuss., doi:10.5194/cp-2016-78,2016 Manuscript under review for CP (discussion: open, 0 comments) We have used modern weather forecasting tools to reconstruct the dreadful European weather of 200 years ago – 1816 was the ‘year without a summer’; harvests failed, and people starved. We can show that 1816’s extreme climate was caused by the eruption of the Tambora volcano the previous year. This means we have some chance of predicting such extreme summers if they occur in future, though this is still a challenge to today’s forecast models.

Description: Palynological evidence for late Miocene stepwise aridification on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau Jia Liu, Ji Jun Li, Chun Hui Song, Hao Yu, Ting Jiang Peng, Zheng Chuang Hui, and Xi Yan Ye Clim. Past, 12, 1473-1484, doi:10.5194/cp-12-1473-2016, 2016 The late Cenozoic basins in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau document both the tectonic uplift process and its associated environmental changes. Here, we investigated a late Miocene sporopollen record from the Tianshui Basin in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The results show that a persistent aridification trend parallels the global cooling of the late Miocene, and the stepwise vegetation succession is consistent with the major uplift events of the Tibetan Plateau.

Description: Decreased expression of Calpain-9 predicts unfavorable prognosis in patients with gastric cancer Scientific Reports, Published online: 12 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep29604

Description: Electrical characterization of DNA supported on nitrocellulose membranes Scientific Reports, Published online: 12 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep29089

Description: Gone or just out of sight? The apparent disappearance of aromatic litter components in soils Thimo Klotzbücher, Karsten Kalbitz, Chiara Cerli, Peter J. Hernes, and Klaus Kaiser SOIL, 2, 325-335, doi:10.5194/soil-2-325-2016, 2016 Uncertainties concerning stabilization of organic compounds in soil limit our basic understanding on soil organic matter (SOM) formation and our ability to model and manage effects of global change on SOM stocks. One controversially debated aspect is the contribution of aromatic litter components, such as lignin and tannins, to stable SOM forms. Here, we summarize and discuss the inconsistencies and propose research options to clear them.

Description: Structure of Suasselkä Postglacial Fault in northern Finland obtained by analysis of local events and ambient seismic noise Nikita Afonin, Elena Kozlovskaya, Ilmo Kukkonen, and DAFNE/FINLAND Working Group Solid Earth Discuss., doi:10.5194/se-2016-90,2016 Manuscript under review for SE (discussion: open, 0 comments) Understanding inner structure of seismogenic faults and their ability to reactivate is particularly important in investigating continental intraplate seismicity regime. In our study we address this problem using analysis of local seismic events and ambient seismic noise recorded by the temporary DAFNE array in northern Fennoscandian Shield. The main purpose of the DAFNE/FINLAND passive seismic array experiment was to characterize the present-day seismicity of the Suasselkä post-glacial fault (SPGF) that was proposed as one potential target for the DAFNE (Drilling Active Faults in Northern Europe) project. The DAFNE/FINLAND array comprised the area of about 20 to 100 km and consisted of 8 short-period and 4 broad-band 3-component autonomous seismic stations installed in the close vicinity of the fault area. The array recorded continuous seismic data during September, 2011–May, 2013. Recordings of the array have being analyzed in order to identify and locate natural earthquakes from the fault area and to discriminate them from the blasts in the Kittilä Gold Mine. As a result, we found several dozens of natural seismic events originating from the fault area, which proves that the fault is still seismically active. In order to study the inner structure of the SPGF we use cross-correlation of ambient seismic noise recorded by the array. Analysis of azimuthal distribution of noise sources demonstrated that during the time interval under consideration the distribution of noise sources is close to the uniform one. The continuous data were processed in several steps including single station data analysis, instrument response removal and time-domain stacking. The data were used to estimate empirical Green’s functions between pairs of stations in the frequency band of 0.1–1 Hz and to calculate correspondent surface wave dispersion curves. The S-wave velocity models were obtained as a result of dispersion curves inversion. The results suggest that the area of the SPGF corresponds to a narrow region of low S-wave velocities surrounded by rocks with high S-wave velocities. We interpret this low velocity region as a non-healed mechanically weak fault damage zone (FDZ) that remained after the last major earthquake that occurred after the last glaciation.

Description: Structure of Suasselkä Postglacial Fault in northern Finland obtained by analysis of local events and ambient seismic noise Nikita Afonin, Elena Kozlovskaya, Ilmo Kukkonen, and DAFNE/FINLAND Working Group Solid Earth Discuss., doi:10.5194/se-2016-90,2016 Manuscript under review for SE (discussion: open, 0 comments) Understanding inner structure of seismogenic faults and their ability to reactivate is particularly important in investigating continental intraplate seismicity regime. In our study we address this problem using analysis of local seismic events and ambient seismic noise recorded by the temporary DAFNE array in northern Fennoscandian Shield. The main purpose of the DAFNE/FINLAND passive seismic array experiment was to characterize the present-day seismicity of the Suasselkä post-glacial fault (SPGF) that was proposed as one potential target for the DAFNE (Drilling Active Faults in Northern Europe) project. The DAFNE/FINLAND array comprised the area of about 20 to 100 km and consisted of 8 short-period and 4 broad-band 3-component autonomous seismic stations installed in the close vicinity of the fault area. The array recorded continuous seismic data during September, 2011–May, 2013. Recordings of the array have being analyzed in order to identify and locate natural earthquakes from the fault area and to discriminate them from the blasts in the Kittilä Gold Mine. As a result, we found several dozens of natural seismic events originating from the fault area, which proves that the fault is still seismically active. In order to study the inner structure of the SPGF we use cross-correlation of ambient seismic noise recorded by the array. Analysis of azimuthal distribution of noise sources demonstrated that during the time interval under consideration the distribution of noise sources is close to the uniform one. The continuous data were processed in several steps including single station data analysis, instrument response removal and time-domain stacking. The data were used to estimate empirical Green’s functions between pairs of stations in the frequency band of 0.1–1 Hz and to calculate correspondent surface wave dispersion curves. The S-wave velocity models were obtained as a result of dispersion curves inversion. The results suggest that the area of the SPGF corresponds to a narrow region of low S-wave velocities surrounded by rocks with high S-wave velocities. We interpret this low velocity region as a non-healed mechanically weak fault damage zone (FDZ) that remained after the last major earthquake that occurred after the last glaciation.

Description: Comparison of box counting and correlation dimension methods in well logging data analysis associate with the texture of volcanic rocks D. Mou and Z. W. Wang Nonlin. Processes Geophys. Discuss., doi:10.5194/npg-2014-85,2016 Manuscript under review for NPG (discussion: open, 0 comments) We have developed a fractal analysis method to estimate the dimension of well logging curves in Liaohe oil field, China. The box counting and correlation dimension are methods that can be applied to predict the texture of volcanic rocks with calculation the fractal dimension of well logging curves. The well logging curves are composed of gamma ray (GR), compensated neutron logs (CNL), acoustic (AC), density (DEN), Resistivity lateral log deep ( R LLD ), every curve contains a total of 6000 logging data. The dimension of well logging curves are calculated using box counting and correlation algorithms respectively. It is shown that two types of dimension of CNL, DEN and AC have the same average value. The box counting dimension of volcanic lava is lower than the pyroclastic rock obviously. The majority of correlation dimension of volcanic lava is lower than the pyroclastic rock, but a small amount of correlation dimension of volcanic lava is equal to the pyroclastic rock. It is demonstrated that the box counting dimension is more suitable for predicting the texture of volcanic rocks. Applications to logging data, A well show the relationship between the fractal dimension and the texture of volcanic rock in certain depth.

Description: First year of the new Arctic AWIPEV-COSYNA cabled Underwater Observatory in Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen Philipp Fischer, Max Schwanitz, Reiner Loth, Uwe Posner, Markus Brand, and Friedhelm Schröder Ocean Sci. Discuss., doi:10.5194/os-2016-52,2016 Manuscript under review for OS (discussion: open, 0 comments) We observed oceanographic and community data from October 2013 to November 2014 in the shallow waters of Kongsfjorden on the west coast of Svalbard (Norway) using remote controlled hydrographic and optic sensors. Daily vertical profiles of temperature, salinity and turbidity were sampled together with stereo images of the macrobiotic community, including fish. A distinct seasonal cycle in total species abundances was found with surprisingly high animal counts during the polar winter.

Description: Landfast ice thickness in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from observations and models Stephen E. L. Howell, Frédéric Laliberté, Ron Kwok, Chris Derksen, and Joshua King The Cryosphere, 10, 1463-1475, doi:10.5194/tc-10-1463-2016, 2016 The Canadian Ice Service record of observed landfast ice and snow thickness represents one of the longest in the Arctic that spans over 5 decades. We analyze this record to report on long-term trends and variability of ice and snow thickness within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA). Results indicate a thinning of ice at several sites in the CAA. State-of-the-art climate models still have difficultly capturing observed ice thickness values in the CAA and should be used with caution.

Description: Coastal dynamics and submarine permafrost in shallow water of the central Laptev Sea, East Siberia Pier Paul Overduin, Sebastian Wetterich, Frank Günther, Mikhail N. Grigoriev, Guido Grosse, Lutz Schirrmeister, Hans-Wolfgang Hubberten, and Aleksandr Makarov The Cryosphere, 10, 1449-1462, doi:10.5194/tc-10-1449-2016, 2016 How fast does permafrost warm up and thaw after it is covered by the sea? Ice-rich permafrost in the Laptev Sea, Siberia, is rapidly eroded by warm air and waves. We used a floating electrical technique to measure the depth of permafrost thaw below the sea, and compared it to 60 years of coastline retreat and permafrost depths from drilling 30 years ago. Thaw is rapid right after flooding of the land and slows over time. The depth of permafrost is related to how fast the coast retreats.

Description: Age of the Mt. Ortles ice cores, the Tyrolean Iceman and glaciation of the highest summit of South Tyrol since the Northern Hemisphere Climatic Optimum Paolo Gabrielli, Carlo Barbante, Giuliano Bertagna, Michele Bertó, Daniel Binder, Alberto Carton, Luca Carturan, Federico Cazorzi, Giulio Cozzi, Giancarlo Dalla Fontana, Mary Davis, Fabrizio De Blasi, Roberto Dinale, Gianfranco Dragà, Giuliano Dreossi, Daniela Festi, Massimo Frezzotti, Jacopo Gabrieli, Stephan Galos, Patrick Ginot, Petra Heidenwolf, Theo M. Jenk, Natalie Kehrwald, Donald Kenny, Olivier Magand, Volkmar Mair, Vladimir Mikhalenko, Ping Nan Lin, Klaus Oeggl, Gianni Piffer, Mirko Rinaldi, Ulrich Schotterer, Margit Schwikowski, Roberto Seppi, Andrea Spolaor, Barbara Stenni, Davdi Tonidandel, CChiara Uglietti, Victor Zagorodnov, Thomas Zanoner, and Piero Zennaro The Cryosphere Discuss., doi:10.5194/tc-2016-159,2016 Manuscript under review for TC (discussion: open, 0 comments) New ice cores were extracted from Alto dell'Ortles, the highest glacier of South Tyrol in the Italian Alps, to check whether prehistoric ice, that is coeval to the famous 5200 years old Tyrolean Iceman, is still preserved in this region. Dating of the ice cores confirms the hypothesis and indicates that the drilling site was glaciated since the end of the Northern Hemisphere Climatic Optimum (7000 BP). We also infer that an unprecedented acceleration of the glacier flow has just recently begun.

Description: Combined diurnal variations of discharge and hydrochemistry of the Isunnguata Sermia outlet of the Greenland Ice Sheet give in sight on sub glacial conditions Joseph Graly, Joel Harrington, and Neil Humphrey The Cryosphere Discuss., doi:10.5194/tc-2016-137,2016 Manuscript under review for TC (discussion: open, 0 comments) At a major outlet of the Greenland Ice Sheet in West Greenland, we find that the chemical solutes is the emerging subglacial waters are out of phase with water discharge and can spike in concentration during waning flow. This suggests that the subglacial waters are spreading out across a large area of the glacial bed throughout the day, stimulating chemical weathering beyond the major water distribution channels.

Description: Why did the storm ex-Gaston (2010) fail to redevelop during the PREDICT experiment? Thomas M. Freismuth, Blake Rutherford, Mark A. Boothe, and Michael T. Montgomery Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8511-8519, doi:10.5194/acp-16-8511-2016, 2016 Numerical model analyses are used to investigate the role of dry, environmental air in the failed redevelopment of a tropical cyclone (ex-Gaston, 2010). As early as 12:00 UTC 2 September 2010, a dry layer at and above 600 hPa results in a decrease in the vertical mass flux and vertical, relative vorticity. The intrusion of dry air led to a reduction in vorticity and a compromised pouch at these middle levels. This study supports work looking at the role of dry air in moist convection.

Description: A comparative analysis of UV nadir-backscatter and infrared limb-emission ozone data assimilation Rossana Dragani Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8539-8557, doi:10.5194/acp-16-8539-2016, 2016 We present an assessment of ultraviolet nadir-backscatter and infrared limb-emission ozone data assimilation. Understanding the differences in the impact produced by the assimilation of limb and nadir ozone data is relevant to many applications, including climate reanalysis and air quality. The results show the potential and limitations of each dataset and support the need for a more balanced long-term availability of both types of sensors than currently envisaged.

Description: Continuous measurements of isotopic composition of water vapour on the East Antarctic Plateau Mathieu Casado, Amaelle Landais, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Christophe Genthon, Erik Kerstel, Samir Kassi, Laurent Arnaud, Ghislain Picard, Frederic Prie, Olivier Cattani, Hans-Christian Steen-Larsen, Etienne Vignon, and Peter Cermak Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8521-8538, doi:10.5194/acp-16-8521-2016, 2016 Climatic conditions in Concordia are very cold (−55 °C in average) and very dry, imposing difficult conditions to measure the water vapour isotopic composition. New developments in infrared spectroscopy enable now the measurement of isotopic composition in water vapour traces (down to 20 ppmv). Here we present the results results of a first campaign of measurement of isotopic composition of water vapour in Concordia, the site where the 800 000 years long ice core was drilled.

Description: Surface Renewal as a Significant Mechanism for Dust Emission Jie Zhang, Zhenjiao Teng, Ning Huang, Lei Guo, and Yaping Shao Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., doi:10.5194/acp-2016-421,2016 Manuscript under review for ACP (discussion: open, 0 comments) In spite of the tremendous efforts, many questions remain unanswered regarding dust emission mechanisms. A series of wind-tunnel experiments are carried out on dust emissions from different soil surfaces to better understand relevant mechanisms. Here are some interesting results that demonstrate the importance of surface renewal mechanism which was normally neglected in previous researches and is strongly recommended to be considered in future dust models.

Description: Variations in O 3 , CO, and CH 4 over the Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon season: Ship-borne measurements and model simulations Imran A. Girach, Narendra Ojha, Prabha R. Nair, Andrea Pozzer, Yogesh K. Tiwari, K. Ravi Kumar, and Jos Lelieveld Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., doi:10.5194/acp-2016-595,2016 Manuscript under review for ACP (discussion: open, 0 comments) This study presents first ship-borne measurements of trace gases over the Bay of Bengal during summer monsoon. The observed variations in trace gases are shown to be due to dynamics/transport and en-route photochemistry. Analysis of meteorological and chemical fields shows that significantly lower ozone during rainfall is associated with the downdrafts. A regional model reproduces the observed variations and revealed the rapid transport of ozone across the Bay of Bengal during an event.

Description: Chemical Characteristics of Marine Fine Aerosols over Sea and at Offshore Islands during Three Cruise Sampling Campaigns in the Taiwan Strait– Sea Salts and Anthropogenic Particles Tsung-Chang Li, Chung-Shin Yuan, Chung-Hsuang Hung, Hsun-Yu Lin, Hu-Ching Huang, and Chon-Lin Lee Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., doi:10.5194/acp-2016-384,2016 Manuscript under review for ACP (discussion: open, 0 comments) This manuscript is significant because it is important to establish data on the background physicochemical characteristics of atmospheric fine particles, as well as their spatial distributions and seasonal variations given various meteorological conditions, and the results of this study will be very much valuable for clarifying the transportation PM 2.5 over sea and at the offshore islands at the Taiwan Strait, which can further fill the the important blank for the global atmospheric research.

Description: Continuous measurements of isotopic composition of water vapour on the East Antarctic Plateau Mathieu Casado, Amaelle Landais, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Christophe Genthon, Erik Kerstel, Samir Kassi, Laurent Arnaud, Ghislain Picard, Frederic Prie, Olivier Cattani, Hans-Christian Steen-Larsen, Etienne Vignon, and Peter Cermak Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8521-8538, doi:10.5194/acp-16-8521-2016, 2016 Climatic conditions in Concordia are very cold (−55 °C in average) and very dry, imposing difficult conditions to measure the water vapour isotopic composition. New developments in infrared spectroscopy enable now the measurement of isotopic composition in water vapour traces (down to 20 ppmv). Here we present the results results of a first campaign of measurement of isotopic composition of water vapour in Concordia, the site where the 800 000 years long ice core was drilled.

Description: On the role of tropopause folds in summertime tropospheric ozone over the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East Dimitris Akritidis, Andrea Pozzer, Prodromos Zanis, Evangelos Tyrlis, Bojan Škerlak, Michael Sprenger, and Jos Lelieveld Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., doi:10.5194/acp-2016-547,2016 Manuscript under review for ACP (discussion: open, 0 comments) We investigate the contribution of tropopause folds in the summertime tropospheric ozone pool over the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. For this purpose we use the EMAC atmospheric chemistry climate model and a fold identification algorithm. A clear increase of ozone is found in the middle troposphere due to fold activity. The interannual variability of near surface ozone over the eastern Mediterranean is related to that of both tropopause folds and ozone in the free troposphere.

Description: A Polarimetric Scattering Database for Non-spherical Ice Particles at MicrowaveWavelengths Yinghui Lu, Zhiyuan Jiang, Kultegin Aydin, Johannes Verlinde, Eugene E. Clothiaux, and Giovanni Botta Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., doi:10.5194/amt-2016-228,2016 Manuscript under review for AMT (discussion: open, 0 comments) The database contains the complete(polarimatric) scattering information for different types of ice particles at different incident and scattered radiation directions at 4 microwave wavelengths. These results are useful for understanding the dependence of ice-particle scattering properties on ice-particle orientation with respect to the incident and scattered radiation. It is also useful in ice property retrievals, radar forward simulation.

Description: Variations in O 3 , CO, and CH 4 over the Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon season: Ship-borne measurements and model simulations Imran A. Girach, Narendra Ojha, Prabha R. Nair, Andrea Pozzer, Yogesh K. Tiwari, K. Ravi Kumar, and Jos Lelieveld Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., doi:10.5194/acp-2016-595,2016 Manuscript under review for ACP (discussion: open, 0 comments) This study presents first ship-borne measurements of trace gases over the Bay of Bengal during summer monsoon. The observed variations in trace gases are shown to be due to dynamics/transport and en-route photochemistry. Analysis of meteorological and chemical fields shows that significantly lower ozone during rainfall is associated with the downdrafts. A regional model reproduces the observed variations and revealed the rapid transport of ozone across the Bay of Bengal during an event.

Description: A comparative analysis of UV nadir-backscatter and infrared limb-emission ozone data assimilation Rossana Dragani Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8539-8557, doi:10.5194/acp-16-8539-2016, 2016 We present an assessment of ultraviolet nadir-backscatter and infrared limb-emission ozone data assimilation. Understanding the differences in the impact produced by the assimilation of limb and nadir ozone data is relevant to many applications, including climate reanalysis and air quality. The results show the potential and limitations of each dataset and support the need for a more balanced long-term availability of both types of sensors than currently envisaged.

Description: Why did the storm ex-Gaston (2010) fail to redevelop during the PREDICT experiment? Thomas M. Freismuth, Blake Rutherford, Mark A. Boothe, and Michael T. Montgomery Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8511-8519, doi:10.5194/acp-16-8511-2016, 2016 Numerical model analyses are used to investigate the role of dry, environmental air in the failed redevelopment of a tropical cyclone (ex-Gaston, 2010). As early as 12:00 UTC 2 September 2010, a dry layer at and above 600 hPa results in a decrease in the vertical mass flux and vertical, relative vorticity. The intrusion of dry air led to a reduction in vorticity and a compromised pouch at these middle levels. This study supports work looking at the role of dry air in moist convection.

Description: Thermal infrared laser heterodyne spectro-radiometry for solar occultation atmospheric CO 2 measurements Alex Hoffmann, Neil A. Macleod, Marko Huebner, and Damien Weidmann Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., doi:10.5194/amt-2016-142,2016 Manuscript under review for AMT (discussion: open, 0 comments) This paper focuses on the demonstration and assessment of thermal infrared laser heterodyne spectro-radiometry for the remote sensing of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). A research instrument has been developed and operated from the ground using direct sunlight to measure CO 2 to a high precision. This technology would enable the development of high-performance miniature ground-based sounders to complement existing measurement networks and contribute to the improvement of global carbon emission assessment.

Description: A Polarimetric Scattering Database for Non-spherical Ice Particles at MicrowaveWavelengths Yinghui Lu, Zhiyuan Jiang, Kultegin Aydin, Johannes Verlinde, Eugene E. Clothiaux, and Giovanni Botta Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., doi:10.5194/amt-2016-228,2016 Manuscript under review for AMT (discussion: open, 0 comments) The database contains the complete(polarimatric) scattering information for different types of ice particles at different incident and scattered radiation directions at 4 microwave wavelengths. These results are useful for understanding the dependence of ice-particle scattering properties on ice-particle orientation with respect to the incident and scattered radiation. It is also useful in ice property retrievals, radar forward simulation.

Description: Chemical Characteristics of Marine Fine Aerosols over Sea and at Offshore Islands during Three Cruise Sampling Campaigns in the Taiwan Strait– Sea Salts and Anthropogenic Particles Tsung-Chang Li, Chung-Shin Yuan, Chung-Hsuang Hung, Hsun-Yu Lin, Hu-Ching Huang, and Chon-Lin Lee Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., doi:10.5194/acp-2016-384,2016 Manuscript under review for ACP (discussion: open, 0 comments) This manuscript is significant because it is important to establish data on the background physicochemical characteristics of atmospheric fine particles, as well as their spatial distributions and seasonal variations given various meteorological conditions, and the results of this study will be very much valuable for clarifying the transportation PM 2.5 over sea and at the offshore islands at the Taiwan Strait, which can further fill the the important blank for the global atmospheric research.

Description: Evaluation of Machine Learning Algorithms for Classification of Primary Biological Aerosol using a new UV-LIF spectrometer Simon Ruske, David O. Topping, Virginia E. Foot, Paul H. Kaye, Warren R. Stanley, Ian Crawford, Andrew P. Morse, and Martin W. Gallagher Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., doi:10.5194/amt-2016-214,2016 Manuscript under review for AMT (discussion: open, 0 comments) Particles such as Bacteria, Pollen and Fungal spores have important implications within the environment and public health sectors. Here we evaluate the performance of various different methods for distinguishing between these different types of particles using a new instrument. We demonstrate that there may be better alternatives to the currently used methods which can be further investigated in future research.

Description: Identification of the cloud base height over the central Himalayan region: Intercomparison of Ceilometer and Doppler Lidar K. K. Shukla, K. Niranjan Kumar, D. V. Phanikumar, R. K. Newsom, V. R. Kotamarthi, T. B. M. J. Ouarda, and M. V. Ratnam Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., doi:10.5194/amt-2016-162,2016 Manuscript under review for AMT (discussion: open, 0 comments) Estimation of Cloud base height was carried out by using various ground based instruments (Doppler Lidar and Ceilometer) and satellite datasets (MODIS) over central Himalayan region for the first time. The present study demonstrates the potential of Doppler Lidar in precise estimation of cloud base height and updraft velocities. More such deployments will be invaluable inputs for regional weather prediction models over complex Himalayan terrains.

Description: On the role of tropopause folds in summertime tropospheric ozone over the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East Dimitris Akritidis, Andrea Pozzer, Prodromos Zanis, Evangelos Tyrlis, Bojan Škerlak, Michael Sprenger, and Jos Lelieveld Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., doi:10.5194/acp-2016-547,2016 Manuscript under review for ACP (discussion: open, 0 comments) We investigate the contribution of tropopause folds in the summertime tropospheric ozone pool over the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. For this purpose we use the EMAC atmospheric chemistry climate model and a fold identification algorithm. A clear increase of ozone is found in the middle troposphere due to fold activity. The interannual variability of near surface ozone over the eastern Mediterranean is related to that of both tropopause folds and ozone in the free troposphere.

Description: Increased nitrate and decreased δ 15 N–NO 3 − in the Greenland Arctic after 1940 attributed to North American oil burning Nathan J. Chellman, Meredith G. Hastings, and Joseph R. McConnell The Cryosphere Discuss., doi:10.5194/tc-2016-163,2016 Manuscript under review for TC (discussion: open, 0 comments) This manuscript analyzes the changing sources of nitrate deposition to Greenland since 1760 CE using a dataset consisting of sub-seasonally resolved nitrogen isotopes of nitrate and source tracers. Correlations amongst ion concentration, source tracers, and the δ 15 N–NO 3 − provide evidence of the impact of biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion emissions of nitrogen oxides and suggest that oil combustion is the likely driver of increased nitrate concentration in Greenland ice since 1940 CE.

Description: Inversion of geothermal heat flux in a thermomechanically coupled nonlinear Stokes ice sheet model Hongyu Zhu, Noemi Petra, Georg Stadler, Tobin Isaac, Thomas J. R. Hughes, and Omar Ghattas The Cryosphere, 10, 1477-1494, doi:10.5194/tc-10-1477-2016, 2016 We study how well the basal geothermal heat flux can be inferred from surface velocity observations using a thermomechanically coupled nonlinear Stokes ice sheet model. The prospects and limitations of this inversion is studied in two and three dimensional model problems. We also argue that a one-way coupled approach for the adjoint equations motivated by staggered solvers for forward multiphysics problems can lead to an incorrect gradient and premature termination of the optimization iteration.

Description: Increased nitrate and decreased δ 15 N–NO 3 − in the Greenland Arctic after 1940 attributed to North American oil burning Nathan J. Chellman, Meredith G. Hastings, and Joseph R. McConnell The Cryosphere Discuss., doi:10.5194/tc-2016-163,2016 Manuscript under review for TC (discussion: open, 0 comments) This manuscript analyzes the changing sources of nitrate deposition to Greenland since 1760 CE using a dataset consisting of sub-seasonally resolved nitrogen isotopes of nitrate and source tracers. Correlations amongst ion concentration, source tracers, and the δ 15 N–NO 3 − provide evidence of the impact of biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion emissions of nitrogen oxides and suggest that oil combustion is the likely driver of increased nitrate concentration in Greenland ice since 1940 CE.

Description: Improving the inter-hemispheric gradient of total column atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 in simulations with the ECMWF semi-Lagrangian atmospheric global model Anna Agusti-Panareda, Michail Diamantakis, Victor Bayona, Friedrich Klappenbach, and Andre Butz Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., doi:10.5194/gmd-2016-143,2016 Manuscript under review for GMD (discussion: open, 0 comments) This paper demonstrates how important mass fixers can be in the simulation of long-lived greenhouse gases using transport models based on the highly efficient semi-lagrangian advection scheme. Mass fixers can have a large impact on the representation of the inter-hemispheric gradient of CO 2 and CH 4 , a crucial feature of their distribution. This work is relevant for models simulating atmospheric composition that use semi-lagrangian advection schemes both for climate and air quality applications.

Description: Development of near-zero water consumption cement materials via the geopolymerization of tektites and its implication for lunar construction Scientific Reports, Published online: 13 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep29659

Description: Disentangling adaptive evolutionary radiations and the role of diet in promoting diversification on islands Scientific Reports, Published online: 13 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep29803

Description: Article JAK inhibitors are currently undergoing evaluation in clinical trials for advanced breast cancer. Here, the authors show that JAK pathway inhibition increases metastasis in mouse models of breast cancer by impairing NK anti-tumour activity and that these side effects can be overcome by addition of IL-15. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12258 Authors: Alessia Bottos, Dagmar Gotthardt, Jason W. Gill, Albana Gattelli, Anna Frei, Alexandar Tzankov, Veronika Sexl, Aleksandra Wodnar-Filipowicz, Nancy E. Hynes

Description: Article Breast cancer is separated into multiple subtypes based on the expression of HER2 and hormone receptors. Here, the authors report the whole genome sequence of 64 HER2 positive tumours and show that these can be further separated into four groups with different gene expression profiles and genomic features. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12222 Authors: Anthony Ferrari, Anne Vincent-Salomon, Xavier Pivot, Anne-Sophie Sertier, Emilie Thomas, Laurie Tonon, Sandrine Boyault, Eskeatnaf Mulugeta, Isabelle Treilleux, Gaëtan MacGrogan, Laurent Arnould, Janice Kielbassa, Vincent Le Texier, Hélène Blanché, Jean-François Deleuze, Jocelyne Jacquemier, Marie-Christine Mathieu, Frédérique Penault-Llorca, Frédéric Bibeau, Odette Mariani, Cécile Mannina, Jean-Yves Pierga, Olivier Trédan, Thomas Bachelot, Hervé Bonnefoi, Gilles Romieu, Pierre Fumoleau, Suzette Delaloge, Maria Rios, Jean-Marc Ferrero, Carole Tarpin, Catherine Bouteille, Fabien Calvo, Ivo Glynne Gut, Marta Gut, Sancha Martin, Serena Nik-Zainal, Michael R. Stratton, Iris Pauporté, Pierre Saintigny, Daniel Birnbaum, Alain Viari, Gilles Thomas

Description: sUAS and their application in observing geomorphological processes Jozef Gallik and Lenka Bolešová Solid Earth, 7, 1033-1042, doi:10.5194/se-7-1033-2016, 2016 Technology is moving ahead very fast, and so researchers have new possibilities for their research. We tried to demonstrate benefits of using remote-sensing technology (Phantom 1 drone) such as its accuracy in the terrain, easy access to hardly accessible areas, and the possibility to collect data even during unfavourable weather conditions. The high mountainous environment provided us great conditions for testing the drone as a device for very easy and accurate mapping of natural phenomena.

Description: B Lymphocytes in Multiple Sclerosis: Bregs and BTLA/CD272 Expressing-CD19+ Lymphocytes Modulate Disease Severity Scientific Reports, Published online: 14 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep29699

Description: Interferon regulatory factor 3 is a key regulation factor for inducing the expression of SAMHD1 in antiviral innate immunity Scientific Reports, Published online: 14 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep29665

Description: Response of seasonal soil freeze depth to climate change across China Xiaoqing Peng, Oliver W. Frauenfeld, Tingjun Zhang, Kang Wang, Bin Cao, Xinyue Zhong, Hang Su, and Cuicui Mu The Cryosphere Discuss., doi:10.5194/tc-2016-129,2016 Manuscript under review for TC (discussion: open, 0 comments) Previous researches paid more attention on the permafrost, e.g. active layer thickness, soil temperature, permafrost area extent, and associated with permafrost degradation leading other changes. However, seasonally frozen ground, vast area extent, did not focus by so much attention. Here, we combined more than 800 observation station data and gridded data to investigate soil freeze depth across China. The results indicate that soil freeze depth increase with climate warming.

Description: Slight glacier reduction over the northwestern Tibetan Plateau despite significant recent warming Yetang Wang, Shugui Hou, Wenling An, Hongxi Pang, and Yaping Liu The Cryosphere Discuss., doi:10.5194/tc-2016-165,2016 Manuscript under review for TC (discussion: open, 0 comments) This study further confirms "Pamir–Karakoram–Western-Kunlun-Mountain (northwestern Tibetan Plateau) Glacier Anomaly". Slight glacier reduction over the northwestern Tibetan Plateau may result from more accumulation from increased precipitation in winter which to great extent protects it from mass reductions under climate warming during 1961–2000. Warming slowdown since 2000 happening at this region may further mitigate glacier mass reduction.

Description: Response of seasonal soil freeze depth to climate change across China Xiaoqing Peng, Oliver W. Frauenfeld, Tingjun Zhang, Kang Wang, Bin Cao, Xinyue Zhong, Hang Su, and Cuicui Mu The Cryosphere Discuss., doi:10.5194/tc-2016-129,2016 Manuscript under review for TC (discussion: open, 0 comments) Previous researches paid more attention on the permafrost, e.g. active layer thickness, soil temperature, permafrost area extent, and associated with permafrost degradation leading other changes. However, seasonally frozen ground, vast area extent, did not focus by so much attention. Here, we combined more than 800 observation station data and gridded data to investigate soil freeze depth across China. The results indicate that soil freeze depth increase with climate warming.

Description: Effect of tropical cyclones on the stratosphere–troposphere exchange observed using satellite observations over the north Indian Ocean M. Venkat Ratnam, S. Ravindra Babu, S. S. Das, G. Basha, B. V. Krishnamurthy, and B. Venkateswararao Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8581-8591, doi:10.5194/acp-16-8581-2016, 2016 The impact of cyclones that occurred over the north Indian Ocean during 2007–2013 on the STE process is quantified using satellite observations. It is shown that cyclones have a significant impact on the tropopause structure, ozone and water vapour budget, and consequentially STE in the UTLS region. The cross-tropopause mass flux from the stratosphere to the troposphere for cyclonic storms is found to be 0.05 ± 0.29 × 10 −3  kg m −2 , and for very severe cyclonic storms it is 0.5 ± 1.07 × 10 −3  kg m −2 .

Description: Variation of CCN activity during new particle formation events in the North China Plain Nan Ma, Chunsheng Zhao, Jiangchuan Tao, Zhijun Wu, Simonas Kecorius, Zhibin Wang, Johannes Größ, Hongjian Liu, Yuxuan Bian, Ye Kuang, Monique Teich, Gerald Spindler, Konrad Müller, Dominik van Pinxteren, Hartmut Herrmann, Min Hu, and Alfred Wiedensohler Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8593-8607, doi:10.5194/acp-16-8593-2016, 2016 New particle formation (NPF) is one of main sources of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in the atmosphere. Based on in situ measurements, we found that CCN activity of newly formed particles largely differs in different NPF events. It is therefore difficult to find a simple parameterization of CCN activity for NPF events. Using a fixed size-resolved activation ratio curve or critical diameter is very likely to result in large biases up to 50 % in the calculated N CCN during NPF events.

Description: Real time retrieval of volcanic cloud particles and SO 2 by satellite using an improved simplified approach Sergio Pugnaghi, Lorenzo Guerrieri, Stefano Corradini, and Luca Merucci Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 3053-3062, doi:10.5194/amt-9-3053-2016, 2016 Volcanic plume removal (VPR) is a procedure developed to retrieve the ash optical depth, effective radius and mass, and sulfur dioxide mass contained in a volcanic cloud from the thermal radiance at 8.7, 11, and 12 µm. It is based on an estimation of a virtual image representing what the sensor would have seen in a multispectral thermal image if the volcanic cloud were not present. Ash and sulfur dioxide were retrieved by the first version of the VPR using a very simple atmospheric model that ignored the layer above the volcanic cloud. This new version takes into account the layer of atmosphere above the cloud as well as thermal radiance scattering along the line of sight of the sensor. In addition to improved results, the new version also offers an easier and faster preliminary preparation and includes other types of volcanic particles (andesite, obsidian, pumice, ice crystals, and water droplets). As in the previous version, a set of parameters regarding the volcanic area, particle types, and sensor is required to run the procedure. However, in the new version, only the mean plume temperature is required as input data. In this work, a set of parameters to compute the volcanic cloud transmittance in the three quoted bands, for all the aforementioned particles, for both Mt. Etna (Italy) and Eyjafjallajökull (Iceland) volcanoes, and for the Terra and Aqua MODIS instruments is presented. Three types of tests are carried out to verify the results of the improved VPR. The first uses all the radiative transfer simulations performed to estimate the above mentioned parameters. The second one makes use of two synthetic images, one for Mt. Etna and one for Eyjafjallajökull volcanoes. The third one compares VPR and Look-Up Table (LUT) retrievals analyzing the true image of Eyjafjallajökull volcano acquired by MODIS aboard the Aqua satellite on 11 May 2010 at 14:05 GMT.

Description: Temperature-dependence of aerosol optical depth over the southeastern US Tero Mielonen, Anca Hienola, Thomas Kühn, Joonas Merikanto, Antti Lipponen, Tommi Bergman, Hannele Korhonen, Pekka Kolmonen, Larisa Sogacheva, Darren Ghent, Antti Arola, Gerrit de Leeuw, and Harri Kokkola Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., doi:10.5194/acp-2016-625,2016 Manuscript under review for ACP (discussion: open, 0 comments) We studied the temperature dependence of AOD and its radiative effects over the southeastern US. We used spaceborne observations of AOD, LST and tropospheric NO 2 with simulations of ECHAM-HAMMOZ. The level of AOD in this region is governed by anthropogenic emissions but the temperature dependency is most likely caused by BVOC emissions. According to the observations and simulations, the regional clear-sky DRE for biogenic aerosols is −0.43 ± 0.88 W/m 2 /K and −0.86 ± 0.06 W/m 2 /K, respectively.

Description: Stratospheric Air Sub-sampler (SAS) and its application to analysis of Δ 17 O(CO 2 ) from small air samples collected with an AirCore Dorota Janina Mrozek, Carina van der Veen, Magdalena E. G. Hofmann, Huilin Chen, Rigel Kivi, Pauli Heikkinen, and Thomas Röckmann Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., doi:10.5194/amt-2016-124,2016 Manuscript under review for AMT (discussion: open, 0 comments) Stratospheric Air Sub-sampler (SAS) is a device to collect and to store the stratospheric profile of air collected with an AirCore (Karion et al, 2010) in numerous sub-samples. The sub-samples (each of 25 mL at ambient temperature and pressure) can be later introduced to the continuous flow systems to measure for example the isotopic composition of CO 2 . The performance of the coupled system is demonstrated for a set of air samples from an AirCore flight in November 2014 near Sodankylä, Finland.

Description: Real time retrieval of volcanic cloud particles and SO 2 by satellite using an improved simplified approach Sergio Pugnaghi, Lorenzo Guerrieri, Stefano Corradini, and Luca Merucci Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 3053-3062, doi:10.5194/amt-9-3053-2016, 2016 Volcanic plume removal (VPR) is a procedure developed to retrieve the ash optical depth, effective radius and mass, and sulfur dioxide mass contained in a volcanic cloud from the thermal radiance at 8.7, 11, and 12 µm. It is based on an estimation of a virtual image representing what the sensor would have seen in a multispectral thermal image if the volcanic cloud were not present. Ash and sulfur dioxide were retrieved by the first version of the VPR using a very simple atmospheric model that ignored the layer above the volcanic cloud. This new version takes into account the layer of atmosphere above the cloud as well as thermal radiance scattering along the line of sight of the sensor. In addition to improved results, the new version also offers an easier and faster preliminary preparation and includes other types of volcanic particles (andesite, obsidian, pumice, ice crystals, and water droplets). As in the previous version, a set of parameters regarding the volcanic area, particle types, and sensor is required to run the procedure. However, in the new version, only the mean plume temperature is required as input data. In this work, a set of parameters to compute the volcanic cloud transmittance in the three quoted bands, for all the aforementioned particles, for both Mt. Etna (Italy) and Eyjafjallajökull (Iceland) volcanoes, and for the Terra and Aqua MODIS instruments is presented. Three types of tests are carried out to verify the results of the improved VPR. The first uses all the radiative transfer simulations performed to estimate the above mentioned parameters. The second one makes use of two synthetic images, one for Mt. Etna and one for Eyjafjallajökull volcanoes. The third one compares VPR and Look-Up Table (LUT) retrievals analyzing the true image of Eyjafjallajökull volcano acquired by MODIS aboard the Aqua satellite on 11 May 2010 at 14:05 GMT.

Description: Evaluation of IWV from the numerical weather prediction WRF model with PPP GNSS processing for Bulgaria Tzvetan Simeonov, Dmitry Sidorov, Felix Norman Teferle, Georgi Milev, and Guergana Guerova Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., doi:10.5194/amt-2016-152,2016 Manuscript under review for AMT (discussion: open, 0 comments) Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) meteorology is an established operational service providing hourly updated GNSS tropospheric products to the National Meteorologic Services (NMS) in Europe. In the last decade through the ground-based GNSS network densification and new processing strategies like Precise Point Positioning (PPP) it has become possible to obtain sub-hourly tropospheric products for monitoring severe weather events. In this work one year (January–December 2013) of sub-hourly GNSS tropospheric products (Zenith Total Delay) are computed using the PPP strategy for seven stations in Bulgaria. In order to take advantage of the sub-hourly GNSS data to derive Integrated Water Vapour (IWV) surface pressure and temperature with similar temporal resolution is required. As the surface observations are on 3 hourly basis the first step is to compare the surface pressure and temperature from numerical weather prediction model Weather Forecasting and Research (WRF) with observations at three synoptic stations in Bulgaria. The mean difference between the two data-sets for 1) surface pressure is less than 0.5 hPa and the correlation is over 0.989, 2) temperature the largest mean difference is 1.1 °C and the correlation coefficient is over 0.957 and 3) IWV mean difference is in range 0.1–1.1 mm. The evaluation of WRF on annual bases shows IWV underestimation between 0.5 and 1.5 mm at five stations and overestimation at Varna and Rozhen. Varna and Rozhen have also much smaller correlation 0.9 and 0.76. The study of the monthly IWV variation shows that at those locations the GNSS IWV has unexpected drop in April and March respectively. The reason for this drop is likely problems with station raw data. At the remaining 5 stations a very good agreement between GNSS and WRF is observed with high correlation during the cold part of 2013 i.e. March, October and December (0.95) and low correlation during the warm part of 2013 i.e. April to August (below 0.9). The diurnal cycle of the WRF model shows a dry bias in the range of 0.5-1.5 mm. Between 00 and 01 UTC the GNSS IWV tends to be underestimate IWV which is likely due to the processing window used. The precipitation efficiency from GNSS and WRF show very good agreement on monthly bases with a maximum in May-June and minimum in August–September. The annual precipitation efficiency in 2013 at Lovech and Burgas is about 6 %.

Description: Contrasting radiation and soil heat fluxes in Arctic shrub and wet sedge tundra Inge Juszak, Werner Eugster, Monique M. P. D. Heijmans, and Gabriela Schaepman-Strub Biogeosciences, 13, 4049-4064, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.860561, 2016 Changes in Arctic vegetation composition and structure feed back to climate and permafrost. Using field observations at a Siberian tundra site, we find that dwarf shrubs absorb more solar radiation than wet sedges and thus amplify surface warming, especially during snow melt. On the other hand, permafrost thaw was enhanced below sedges as a consequence of high soil moisture. Standing dead sedge leaves affected the radiation budget strongly and deserve more scientific attention.

Description: Holocene hydrological changes in the Rhône River (NW Mediterranean) as recorded in the marine mud belt Maria-Angela Bassetti, Serge Berné, Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, Bernard Dennielou, Yoann Alonso, Roselyne Buscail, Bassem Jalali, Bertil Hebert, and Christophe Menniti Clim. Past, 12, 1539-1553, doi:10.5194/cp-12-1539-2016, 2016 This work represents the first attempt to decipher the linkages between rapid climate changes and continental Holocene paleohydrology in the NW Mediterranean shallow marine setting. Between 11 and 4 ka cal BP, terrigenous input increased and reached a maximum at 7 ka cal BP, probably as a result of a humid phase. From ca. 4 ka cal BP to the present, enhanced variability in the land-derived material is possibly due to large-scale atmospheric circulation and rainfall patterns in western Europe.

Description: Effects of Multiple Doppler Radar data assimilation on the numerical simulation of a Flash Flood Event during the HyMeX campaign Ida Maiello, Sabrina Gentile, Rossella Ferretti, Luca Baldini, Nicoletta Roberto, Errico Picciotti, Pier Paolo Alberoni, and Frank S. Marzano Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., doi:10.5194/hess-2016-320,2016 Manuscript under review for HESS (discussion: open, 0 comments) An analysis to evaluate the impact of assimilating multiple radar data with a three dimensional variational (3D-Var) system on a heavy precipitation event is presented. The main goal is to establish a general methodology to quantitatively assess the performance of flash-flood numerical weather prediction at mesoscale. In this respect, during the first Special Observation Period (SOP1) of HyMeX (Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment) campaign several Intensive Observing Periods (IOPs) were launched and nine occurred in Italy. Among them IOP4 is chosen for this study because of its low predictability. This event hit central Italy on 14 September 2012 producing heavy precipitation and causing several damages. Data taken from three C-band radars running operationally during the event are assimilated to improve high resolution initial conditions. In order to evaluate the impact of the assimilation procedure at different horizontal resolution and to assess the impact of assimilating multiple radars data, several experiments using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model are performed. Finally, the statistical indexes as accuracy, equitable threat score, false alarm ratio and frequency bias are used to objectively compare the experiments, using rain gauges data as benchmark.

Description: Model-based study of the role of rainfall and land use–land cover in the changes in the occurrence and intensity of Niger red floods in Niamey between 1953 and 2012 Claire Casse, Marielle Gosset, Théo Vischel, Guillaume Quantin, and Bachir Alkali Tanimoun Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 2841-2859, doi:10.5194/hess-20-2841-2016, 2016 Since 1950, the Niger River basin has overcome drastic changes. In Niamey city, the highest river levels and the longest flooded period ever recorded occurred in 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2013, with heavy casualties and property damage. The reasons for these changes, and the relative role of climate versus Land Use Land Cover changes are still debated and are investigated in this paper using observations and modelling. We conclude on the successive role of cover and then rainfall variability.

Description: Upscaling instantaneous to daily evapotranspiration using modelled daily shortwave radiation for remote sensing applications: an Artificial Neural Network approach Loise Wandera, Kaninska Mallick, Gerard Kiely, Olivier Roupsard, Matthias Peichl, and Vicenzo Magliulo Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., doi:10.5194/hess-2016-344,2016 Manuscript under review for HESS (discussion: open, 0 comments) Upscaling instantaneous to daily evapotranspiration (ET i to ET d ) is one of the central challenge in regional vegetation water use mapping using polar orbiting satellites. Here we developed a robust ET i upscaling for global studies using the ratio between daily and instantaneous global radiation (R Sd /R Si ). Using data from 126 FLUXNET tower sites this study demonstrated R Sd /R si ratio to be the most robust factor explaining ET d /ET i variability across variable sky conditions and multiple biomes.

Description: Tetraspanin CD82 Regulates the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of PKCα in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Scientific Reports, Published online: 15 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep29859

Description: Adiponectin enhances bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell resistance to flow shear stress through AMP-activated protein kinase signaling Scientific Reports, Published online: 15 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep28752

Description: Patterns of metastasis in colon and rectal cancer Scientific Reports, Published online: 15 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep29765

Description: Gas-phase hydrolysis of triplet SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉: A possible direct route to atmospheric acid formation Scientific Reports, Published online: 15 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep30000

Description: Deadly intentions: naïve introduced foxes show rapid attraction to odour cues of an unfamiliar native prey Scientific Reports, Published online: 15 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep30078

Description: 4-D imaging of sub-second dynamics in pore-scale processes using real-time synchrotron X-ray tomography Katherine J. Dobson, Sophia B. Coban, Samuel A. McDonald, Joanna N. Walsh, Robert C. Atwood, and Philip J. Withers Solid Earth, 7, 1059-1073, doi:10.5194/se-7-1059-2016, 2016 State-of-the-art synchrotron x-ray imaging was used to observe micron scale transport processes in real time. The 20 Hz 3-D image acquisition rates give experimental data free from motion artefacts, and suitable for detailed quantitative analysis of the dynamic fluid distribution, flow pathways and processes. The method marks a major breakthrough in our ability to capture both sub-second and lower frequency non-equilibrium process in many geological or engineering systems.

Description: Alpine tectonic wedging and crustal delamination in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain) Jorge Gallastegui, Javier A. Pulgar, and Josep Gallart Solid Earth, 7, 1043-1057, doi:10.5194/se-7-1043-2016, 2016 We present the interpretation of deep seismic reflection profile ESCIN-2 across the boundary between the Cantabrian Mountains and the Cenozoic Duero Basin (NW Spain). 2-D seismic modelling allowed us to construct a N-S geological cross section which is compatible with the rest of the geophysical data. This profile shows the importance of the N-S Alpine deformation. A wedge of Cantabrian margin crust indented southwards into the delaminated Iberian crust, forcing its northward subduction.

Description: Article Cell-cell adhesion of endothelial tissue, mediated by the adhesion molecule VE-cadherin, is tightly regulated. Here the authors show that the F-BAR domain protein pacsin2 is recruited to the trailing end of mechanically unbalanced Focal Adherens Junctions, where it inhibits internalization of VE-cadherin and protects cell-cell adhesion. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12210 Authors: Yvonne L. Dorland, Tsveta S. Malinova, Anne-Marieke D. van Stalborch, Adam G. Grieve, Daphne van Geemen, Nicolette S. Jansen, Bart-Jan de Kreuk, Kalim Nawaz, Jeroen Kole, Dirk Geerts, René J. P. Musters, Johan de Rooij, Peter L. Hordijk, Stephan Huveneers

Description: Article Liquids near a solid surface form an interfacial layer where the molecular structure is different from the bulk. Here the authors report atomic resolution three-dimensional images of electrolyte solutions that demonstrate the existence of three types of interfacial structures as a function of concentration. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12164 Authors: Daniel Martin-Jimenez, Enrique Chacon, Pedro Tarazona, Ricardo Garcia

Description: Article Eukaryotic RNA polymerase I (Pol I) is responsible for the transcription of rRNA genes. Here the authors determine the cryo-EM structure of the Pol I-Rrn3 complex, providing insight into how Rrn3 stabilizes the monomeric initiation competent Pol I to drive pre-initiation complex formation. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12126 Authors: Michael Pilsl, Corinne Crucifix, Gabor Papai, Ferdinand Krupp, Robert Steinbauer, Joachim Griesenbeck, Philipp Milkereit, Herbert Tschochner, Patrick Schultz

Description: Article The accumulation of lipid droplets is often observed in hepatitis C virus infection, but the mechanism of their formation is not known. Here the authors show that septin 9 expression is increased in infected livers, and a septin 9/phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate signalling pathway regulates the growth of lipid droplets. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12203 Authors: Abdellah Akil, Juan Peng, Mohyeddine Omrane, Claire Gondeau, Christophe Desterke, Mickaël Marin, Hélène Tronchère, Cyntia Taveneau, Sokhavuth Sar, Philippe Briolotti, Soumaya Benjelloun, Abdelaziz Benjouad, Patrick Maurel, Valérie Thiers, Stéphane Bressanelli, Didier Samuel, Christian Bréchot, Ama Gassama-Diagne

Description: Article RNA polymerase I is the central enzyme that synthesizes ribosomal RNA in eukaryotic cells, and its regulation underlies cell growth. Here the authors present a high-resolution cryo-EM structure of the Pol I-Rrn3 complex that explains how Rrn3 specifically recognizes Pol I to form an initiation competent complex. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12129 Authors: Christoph Engel, Jürgen Plitzko, Patrick Cramer

Description: Article The causes behind fluctuations in Neptune's brightness as observed from Earth have proved enigmatic. Here, Aplin and Harrison use photometric observations to show that solar ultraviolet radiation and galactic cosmic rays combined are responsible for the fluctuations originating in Neptune’s atmosphere. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms11976 Authors: K. L. Aplin, R. G. Harrison

Description: Article Next generation sequencing has been pivotal in identifying somatic mutations in cancer samples. In this study, the authors analyse whole exome sequencing data using a variety of bioinformatic methods to identify mutations in known cancer genes and find that many cancer genes are not detected by these methods. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12096 Authors: Matan Hofree, Hannah Carter, Jason F. Kreisberg, Sourav Bandyopadhyay, Paul S. Mischel, Stephen Friend, Trey Ideker

Description: Article Sperm-egg fusion requires the interaction between IZUMO1 on the sperm and JUNO on the egg. Here, the authors report the crystal structure of mouse JUNO, and use it to explain its lack of binding to folate, along with in vivo functional analyses. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms12198 Authors: Kazuki Kato, Yuhkoh Satouh, Hiroshi Nishimasu, Arisa Kurabayashi, Junko Morita, Yoshitaka Fujihara, Asami Oji, Ryuichiro Ishitani, Masahito Ikawa, Osamu Nureki

Description: Recombinant herpes simplex virus type 1 strains with targeted mutations relevant for aciclovir susceptibility Scientific Reports, Published online: 18 July 2016; doi:10.1038/srep29903