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: We present experimental results obtained under normal gravity on the dynamics of solid particles in periodic oscillatory thermocapillary-driven flows in a non-isothermal liquid bridge made of decane. Inertial particles of different densities and in the size range approximately 0.75 − 75 μ m are able to form stable coherent structures (particle accumulation structures, or PASs). Two image processing techniques were developed and successfully applied to compute time required for an ensemble of particles to form a structure. It is shown that the formation time grows with the decrease of the Stokes number. The observations indicate the probable irrelevance of the memory term for these experiments. Two types of PAS were observed—single (SL-I) and double-loop (SL-II)—which sometimes co-existed. Only large or very dense particles may form an SL-II type structure. A number of novel features of the system were perceived. In some cases, intermittently stable structures emerged (their dynamics is characterized by alternating time intervals during which a structure exists and is destroyed). Whereas in most experiments we observed a conventional symmetric and centered PAS, there were cases when a long-term stable asymmetric structure appeared. Experiments wherein two different types of PAS-forming particles were used simultaneously revealed the destructive role of collisions between the particles on formation of structures.

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: A three-dimensional model is presented to investigate helium plasma generated by microwave under atmospheric pressure in this paper, which includes the physical processes of electromagnetic wave propagation, electron and heavy species transport, gas flow, and heat transfer. The model is based on the fluid approximation calculation and local thermodynamic equilibrium assumption. The simulation results demonstrate that the maxima of the electron density and gas temperature are 4.79 × 10 17  m −3 and 1667 K, respectively, for the operating conditions with microwave power of 500 W, gas flow rate of 20 l/min, and initial gas temperature of 500 K. The electromagnetic field distribution in the plasma source is obtained by solving Helmholtz equation. Electric field strength of 2.97 × 10 4  V/m is obtained. There is a broad variation on microwave power, gas flow rate, and initial gas temperature to obtain deeper information about the changes of the electron density and gas temperature.

Description: The paper analyzes the dielectric breakdown properties of N 2 –O 2 mixtures at different O 2 concentrations and gas pressures, taking into account electron detachments from negative ions. The reduced effective ionization coefficients α(eff)/N in N 2 –O 2 mixtures at different O 2 concentrations and gas pressures were calculated and analyzed, by considering electron detachments. The critical reduced electric fields (E/N) cr and the critical electron temperature T b were then determined. The result indicates a clear enhancement of α(eff)/N by collisional detachments, which causes a reduction in the (E/N) cr . In addition, a synergistic effect in the N 2 –O 2 mixture was also observed in both (E/N) cr and T b . The value of T b was decreased by the increase of pd product, however, T b tended to be constant at relatively high pd products.

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: In semiconductors almost all heat is conducted by phonons (lattice vibrations), which is limited by their quasi-particle lifetimes. Phonon-phonon interactions represent scattering mechanisms that produce thermal resistance. In thermoelectric materials, this resistance due to anharmonicity should be maximised for optimal performance. We use a first-principles lattice-dynamics approach to explore the changes in lattice dynamics across an isostructural series where the average atomic mass is conserved: ZnS to CuGaS 2 to Cu 2 ZnGeS 4 . Our results demonstrate an enhancement of phonon interactions in the multernary materials and confirm that lattice thermal conductivity can be controlled independently of the average mass and local coordination environments.

Description: In this contribution, we present a highly accurate approach for thickness measurements of multi-layered automotive paints using terahertz time domain spectroscopy in reflection geometry. The proposed method combines the benefits of a model-based material parameters extraction method to calibrate the paint coatings, a generalized Rouard's method to simulate the terahertz radiation behavior within arbitrary thin films, and the robustness of a powerful evolutionary optimization algorithm to increase the sensitivity of the minimum thickness measurement limit. Within the framework of this work, a self-calibration model is introduced, which takes into consideration the real industrial challenges such as the effect of wet-on-wet spray in the painting process.

Description: Based on electromagnetic scattering theory, a model of superscatterer enhanced distant wireless power transfer (WPT) device has designed and analyzed with the concept of transformation optics. The numerical results obtained through a series expansion method reveal that a properly designed ss-WPT has high efficiency for long transfer distances as well as a wide transfer range. The transfer distance can be further enlarged by fine tuning of the design. These effects can be explained qualitatively through the study of magnetic flux.

Description: In this work, we report enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) of bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from samarium-doped luminescent gadolinium orthovanadate (GdVO 4 :Sm 3+ ) quantum dots (QDs) to polythieno[3,4-b]-thiophene-co-benzodithiophene (PTB7) polymer. The photoluminescence emission spectrum of GdVO 4 :Sm 3+ QDs overlaps with the absorption spectrum of PTB7, leading to FRET from GdVO 4 :Sm 3+ to PTB7, and significant enhancements in the charge-carrier density of excited and polaronic states of PTB7 are observed. This was confirmed by means of femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The FRET from GdVO 4 :Sm 3+ QDs to PTB7 led to a remarkable increase in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PTB7:GdVO 4 :Sm 3+ :PC 71 BM ([6,6]-phenyl-C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester) polymer solar cells. The PCE in optimized ternary blend PTB7:GdVO 4 :Sm 3+ :PC 71 BM (1:0.1:1.5) is increased to 8.8% from 7.2% in PTB7:PC 71 BM. This work demonstrates the potential of rare-earth based luminescent QDs in enhancing the PCE of polymer solar cells.

Description: We fabricate planar graphene field-effect transistors with self-aligned side-gate at 100 nm from the 500 nm wide graphene conductive channel, using a single lithographic step. We demonstrate side-gating below 1 V with conductance modulation of 35% and transconductance up to 0.5 mS/mm at 10 mV drain bias. We measure the planar leakage along the SiO 2 /vacuum gate dielectric over a wide voltage range, reporting rapidly growing current above 15 V. We unveil the microscopic mechanisms driving the leakage, as Frenkel-Poole transport through SiO 2 up to the activation of Fowler-Nordheim tunneling in vacuum, which becomes dominant at higher voltages. We report a field-emission current density as high as 1  μ A/ μ m between graphene flakes. These findings are important for the miniaturization of atomically thin devices.

Description: The nanoscale resistive switching in hafnium oxide stack is investigated by the conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). The initial oxide stack is insulating and electrical stress from the C-AFM tip induces nanometric conductive filaments. Multimode resistive switching can be observed in consecutive operation cycles at one spot. The different modes are interpreted in the framework of a low defect quantum point contact theory. The model implies that the optimization of the conductive filament active region is crucial for the future application of nanoscale resistive switching devices.

Description: We report on the fabrication and characterization of a Schottky diode made using 2D germanane (hydrogenated germanene). When compared to germanium, the 2D structure has higher electron mobility, an optimal band-gap, and exceptional stability making germanane an outstanding candidate for a variety of opto-electronic devices. One-atom-thick sheets of hydrogenated puckered germanium atoms have been synthesized from a CaGe 2 framework via intercalation and characterized by XRD, Raman, and FTIR techniques. The material was then used to fabricate Schottky diodes by suspending the germanane in benzonitrile and drop-casting it onto interdigitated metal electrodes. The devices demonstrate significant rectifying behavior and the outstanding potential of this material.

Description: High-performance pentacene-based organic field-effect transistor nonvolatile memories, using polystyrene as a tunneling dielectric and Au nanoparticles as a nano-floating-gate, show parallelogram-like transfer characteristics with a featured transition point. The transition voltage at the transition point corresponds to a threshold electric field in the tunneling dielectric, over which stored electrons in the nano-floating-gate will start to leak out. The transition voltage can be modulated depending on the bias configuration and device structure. For p-type active layers, optimized transition voltage should be on the negative side of but close to the reading voltage, which can simultaneously achieve a high ON/OFF ratio and good memory retention.

Description: Ion implantation of Zn substituting elements in ZnO has been shown to result in a dramatic Li depletion of several microns in hydrothermally grown ZnO. This has been ascribed to a burst of mobile Zn interstials. In this study, we seek to understand the reason behind this interstitial mediated transient enhanced diffusion in Li-containing ZnO samples after Zn implantation. ZnO wafers were implanted with Zn to two doses, 5 × 10 15  cm −2 and 1 × 10 17  cm −2 . Secondary ion mass spectrometry was carried out to profile the Li depletion depth for different annealing temperatures between 600 and 800 °C. The 800 °C annealing had the most significant Li depletion of close to 60  μ m. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was carried out in selected samples to identify the reason behind the Li depletion. In particular, TEM investigations of samples annealed at 750 °C show significant Zn precipitation just below the depth of the projected range of the implanted ions. We propose that the Zn precipitation is indicative of Zn supersaturation. Both the Li depletion and Zn precipitation are competing synchronous processes aimed at reducing the excess Zn interstitials.

Description: In this letter, we investigate the origin of the spatial inhomogeneity of the photoluminescence (PL) intensity maps obtained on thin-film solar cells. Based on a hyperspectral imager setup, we record an absolute map of the quasi-Fermi level splitting Δμ by applying the generalized Planck's law. Then, using scanning confocal microscopy, we perform spatially and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. This allowed us to quantify and map the micrometric fluctuations of the trapping defect density within these solar cells. Finally, we demonstrate the existence of a direct correlation between the spatial fluctuations of the quasi-Fermi level splitting and the trapping defect density. The latter was found to be correlated with the frequently reported spatially inhomogeneous PL maps of thin-film solar cells. Based on the observed correlation, we can quantify the local losses in quasi-Fermi level splitting induced by the spatial distribution of the trapping defects.

Description: Nonlinear ultrasonic Lamb waves are popular to characterize the nonlinearity of materials. However, the widely used nonlinear Lamb mode suffers from two associated complications: inherent dispersive and multimode natures. To overcome these, the symmetric Lamb mode (S0) at low frequency region is explored. At the low frequency region, the S0 mode is little dispersive and easy to generate. However, the secondary mode still exists, and increases linearly for significant distance. Numerical simulations and experiments are used to validate the nonlinear features and therefore demonstrate an easy alternative for nonlinear Lamb wave applications.

Description: Dynamic deposition of silicon nitrides using in-line plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition systems results in non-uniform structure of the dielectric layer. Appropriate analysis of such layers requires the optical characterization to be performed as a function of the layer's depth. This work presents a method to characterize dynamically deposited silicon nitride layers. The method is based on the fitting of experimental spectroscopic ellipsometry data via grading of Tauc–Lorentz optical parameters through the depth of the layer. When compared with the standard Tauc–Lorentz fitting procedure, used in previous studies, the improved method is demonstrating better quality fits to the experimental data and revealing more accurate optical properties of the dielectric layers. The most significant advantage of the method is the ability to extract the depth profile of the optical properties along the direction of the layer normal. This is enabling a better understanding of layers deposited using dynamic plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition systems frequently used in the photovoltaic industry.

Description: The 120-nm-thick cobalt-doped ZnO (Co-doped ZnO, CZO) dilute magnetic films deposited by pulsed laser deposition were employed as the n-electrodes for both lateral-type blue (450 nm) and green (520 nm) InGaN light emitters. In comparison to the conventional blue and green emitters, there were 15.9% and 17.7% enhancements in the output power (@350 mA) after fabricating the CZO n-electrode on the n-GaN layer. Observations on the role of CZO n-electrodes in efficiency improvement of InGaN light emitters were performed. Based on the results of Hall measurements, the carrier mobilities were 176 and 141 cm 2 /V s when the electrons passed through the n-GaN and the patterned-CZO/n-GaN, respectively. By incorporating the CZO n-electrode into the InGaN light emitters, the electrons would be scattered because of the collisions between the magnetic atoms and the electrons as the device is driven, leading to the reduction of the electron mobility. Therefore, the excessively large mobility difference between electron and hole carriers occurred in the conventional InGaN light emitter can be efficiently decreased after preparing the CZO n-electrode on the n-GaN layer, resulting in the increment of carrier recombination rate and the improvement of light output power.

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: A glassy dilute glycerol-water solution undergoes a mutual polyamorphic transition relating to the transition between high- and low-density amorphous ices of solvent water. The polyamorphic transition behavior depends on the glycerol concentration, indicating that the glycerol affects the water polyamorphism. Here, we used the glassy dilute glycerol-water solution of the solute molar fraction of 0.07 and examined the effect of the polyamorphic change in solvent water on the molecular vibrations of glycerol via Raman spectroscopy. It is found that the molecular vibration of glycerol in high-density liquid like solvent water is different from that in the low-density liquid like solvent water and that the change in the molecular vibration of glycerol is synchronized with the polyamorphic transition of solvent water. The dynamical change of the solute molecule relates to the polyamorphic state of solvent water. This result suggests that the polyamorphic fluctuation of water structure emanated from the presumed liquid-liquid critical point plays an important role for the function of aqueous solution under an ambient condition such as the conformational stability of solute, the functional expression of solute, and so on.

Description: We propose a new on-the-fly kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method that is based on exhaustive potential energy surface searching carried out with the global reaction route mapping (GRRM) algorithm. Starting from any given equilibrium state, this GRRM-KMC algorithm performs a one-step GRRM search to identify all surrounding transition states. Intrinsic reaction coordinate pathways are then calculated to identify potential subsequent equilibrium states. Harmonic transition state theory is used to calculate rate constants for all potential pathways, before a standard KMC accept/reject selection is performed. The selected pathway is then used to propagate the system forward in time, which is calculated on the basis of 1st order kinetics. The GRRM-KMC algorithm is validated here in two challenging contexts: intramolecular proton transfer in malonaldehyde and surface carbon diffusion on an iron nanoparticle. We demonstrate that in both cases the GRRM-KMC method is capable of reproducing the 1st order kinetics observed during independent quantum chemical molecular dynamics simulations using the density-functional tight-binding potential.

Description: Resonantly enhanced multiphoton ionization via the E F 1 Σ g + , v ′ = 6 double-well state has been used to probe the energy region below the third dissociation limit of H 2 where several high vibrational levels of the 4 1 Σ u + state are expected. Theoretical ab initio potential energy curves for this state predict a deep inner well and shallow outer well where vibrational levels above v = 8 are expected to exhibit the double-well character of the state. Since the 4 1 Σ u + state has f -state character, transitions to it from the ground state are nominally forbidden. However, the d character of the outer well of the E F 1 Σ g + state allows access to this state. We report observations of transitions to the v = 9–12 levels of the 4 1 Σ u + state and compare their energies to predicted energies calculated from an ab initio potential energy curve with adiabatic corrections. Assignments are based on measured energies and linewidths, rotational constants, and expected transition strengths. The amount of agreement between the predicted values and the observations is mixed, with the largest discrepancies arising for the v = 9 level, owing to strong nonadiabatic electronic mixing in this energy region.

Description: The photodissociation dynamics of the methyl perthiyl radical (CH 3 SS) have been investigated using fast-beam coincidence translational spectroscopy. Methyl perthiyl radicals were produced by photodetachment of the CH 3 SS − anion followed by photodissociation at 248 nm (5.0 eV) and 193 nm (6.4 eV). Photofragment mass distributions and translational energy distributions were measured at each dissociation wavelength. Experimental results show S atom loss as the dominant (96%) dissociation channel at 248 nm with a near parallel, anisotropic angular distribution and translational energy peaking near the maximal energy available to ground state CH 3 S and S fragments, indicating that the dissociation occurs along a repulsive excited state. At 193 nm, S atom loss remains the major fragmentation channel, although S 2 loss becomes more competitive and constitutes 32% of the fragmentation. The translational energy distributions for both channels are very broad at this wavelength, suggesting the formation of the S 2 and S atom products in several excited electronic states.

Description: A novel backward wave oscillator (BWO) based on a hole-grating slow wave structure is proposed as a dual sheet beam millimeter wave radiation source. In this paper, we focus on the output characteristics of a 0.14 THz hole-grating BWO. The output characteristics of the hole-grating BWO, the conventional single-beam grating BWO, and the dual-beam grating BWO are contrasted in detail. 3-D particle-in-cell results indicate that the hole-grating slow wave structure can help to increase the maximum output power as well as lower the operating current density. Meanwhile, the hole-grating BWO shows good insensitivity to the differences between two sheet electron beams. These characteristics make the hole-grating BWO feasible to be a stable millimeter wave radiation source with higher output power.

Description: Particle drift driven by electrostatic wave fluctuations is numerically computed to describe the transport in a gradient velocity layer at the tokamak plasma edge. We consider an equilibrium plasma in large aspect ratio approximation with E × B flow and specified toroidal plasma velocity, electric field, and magnetic field profiles. A symplectic map, previously derived for infinite coherent time modes, is used to describe the transport dependence on the electric, magnetic, and plasma velocity shears. We also show that resonant perturbations and their correspondent islands in the Poincaré maps are much affected by the toroidal velocity profiles. Moreover, shearless transport barriers, identified by extremum values of the perturbed rotation number profiles of the invariant curves, allow chaotic trajectories trapped into the plasma. We investigate the influence of the toroidal plasma velocity profile on these shearless transport barriers.

Description: The propagation of surface plasmons on a quantum plasma half-space in the absence of any external confinement is investigated. By means of the Quantum Hydrodynamic Model in the electrostatic limit, it is found that the equilibrium density profile is a smooth continuous function which, in the linear regime, supports multiple non-normal surface modes. Defining a spectrum function and using a cutting condition, the dispersion relations of these modes and their relevance for realistic dynamics are computed. It is found that the multiple surface plasmons present a significant red-shift with respect to the case of fully bounded quantum plasmas.

Description: Splitting of the fundamental mode in an oversized Bragg resonator with a step of the corrugation phase, which operates over the feedback loop involving the waveguide waves of different transverse structures, was found to be the result of mutual influence of the neighboring zones of the Bragg scattering. Theoretical description of this effect was developed within the framework of the advanced (four-wave) coupled-wave approach. It is shown that mode splitting reduces the selective properties, restricts the output power, and decreases the stability of the narrow-band operating regime in the free-electron maser (FEM) oscillators based on such resonators. The results of the theoretical analysis were confirmed by 3D simulations and “cold” microwave tests. Experimental data on Bragg resonators with different parameters in a 30-GHz FEM are presented. The possibility of reducing the mode splitting by profiling the corrugation parameters is shown. The use of the mode splitting effect for the output power enhancement by passive compression of the double-frequency pulse generated in the FEM with such a resonator is discussed.

Description: In the present experimental work, the behavior of laminar liquid jet in its own vapor as well as supercritical fluid environment is conducted. Also the study of liquid jet injection into nitrogen (N 2 ) environment is carried out at supercritical conditions. It is expected that the injected liquid jet would undergo thermodynamic transition to the chamber condition and this would alter the behavior of the injected jet. Moreover at such conditions there is a strong dependence between thermodynamic and fluid dynamic processes. Thus the thermodynamic transition has its effect on the initial instability as well as the breakup nature of the injected liquid jet. In the present study, the interfacial disturbance wavelength, breakup characteristics, and mixing behavior are analysed for the fluoroketone liquid jet that is injected into N 2 environment as well as into its own vapor at subcritical to supercritical conditions. It is observed that at subcritical chamber conditions, the injected liquid jet exhibits classical liquid jet characteristics with Rayleigh breakup at lower Weber number and Taylor breakup at higher Weber number for both N 2 and its own environment. At supercritical chamber conditions with its own environment, the injected liquid jet undergoes sudden thermodynamic transition to chamber conditions and single phase mixing characteristics is observed. However, the supercritical chamber conditions with N 2 as ambient fluid does not have significant effect on the thermodynamic transition of the injected liquid jet.

Description: The high-order mode oscillation is studied in designing a four-cavity intense relativistic klystron amplifier. The reason for the oscillation caused by high-order modes and a method to suppress these kinds of spurious modes are found through theoretical analyses and the study on the influence of major parameters of a high frequency structure (such as the oscillation frequency of cavities, the cavity Q value, the length of drift tube section, and the characteristic impedance). Based on much simulation, a four-cavity intense relativistic klystron amplifier with a superior performance has been designed, built, and tested. An output power of 2.22 GW corresponding to 27.4% efficiency and 61 dB gain has been obtained. Moreover, the high-order mode oscillation is suppressed effectively, and an output power of 1.95 GW corresponding to 26% efficiency and 62 dB gain has been obtained in our laboratory.

Description: The properties of bound-bound transitions in hydrogen-like ions in dense quantum plasmas, characterized by a cosine-Debye-Hückel interaction between charged particles, are studied in detail. The transition frequencies, oscillator strengths, and radiative transition probabilities of Lyman and Balmer series are calculated for a wide range of screening strengths of the interaction up to the n  = 5 shell. For Δ n ≠ 0 transitions, all these quantities exhibit a significant decrease with increasing screening strength, while for the Δ n = 0 transitions and for the radiative lifetimes, the opposite is true. The present results are compared with those available from the literature. They are also compared with the results for the pure Debye-Hückel potential with the same screening strength.

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: An aerodynamic levitator with carbon dioxide laser beam heating was integrated with a hermetically sealed controlled atmosphere chamber and sample handling mechanism. The system enabled containment of radioactive samples and control of the process atmosphere chemistry. The chamber was typically operated at a pressure of approximately 0.9 bars to ensure containment of the materials being processed. Samples 2.5-3 mm in diameter were levitated in flowing gas to achieve containerless conditions. Levitated samples were heated to temperatures of up to 3500 °C with a partially focused carbon dioxide laser beam. Sample temperature was measured using an optical pyrometer. The sample environment was integrated with a high energy (100 keV) x-ray synchrotron beamline to enable in situ structure measurements to be made on levitated samples as they were heated, melted, and supercooled. The system was controlled from outside the x-ray beamline hutch by using a LabVIEW program. Measurements have been made on hot solid and molten uranium dioxide and binary uranium dioxide-zirconium dioxide compositions.

Description: We have developed an optical Absolute Distance Meter (ADM) based on the measurement of the phase accumulated by a Radio Frequency wave during its propagation in the air by a laser beam. In this article, the ADM principle will be described and the main results will be presented. In particular, we will emphasize how the choice of an appropriate photodetector can significantly improve the telemeter performances by minimizing the amplitude to phase conversion. Our prototype, tested in the field, has proven its efficiency with a resolution better than 15 μm for a measurement time of 10 ms and distances up to 1.2 km.

Description: The InfraRed Video Bolometer (IRVB) is a powerful tool to measure radiated power in magnetically confined plasmas due to its ability to obtain 2D images of plasma emission using a technique that is compatible with the fusion nuclear environment. A prototype IRVB has been developed and installed on NSTX-U to view the lower divertor. The IRVB is a pinhole camera which images radiation from the plasma onto a 2.5 μ m thick, 9 × 7 cm 2 Pt foil and monitors the resulting spatio-temporal temperature evolution using an IR camera. The power flux incident on the foil is calculated by solving the 2D+time heat diffusion equation, using the foil’s calibrated thermal properties. An optimized, high frame rate IRVB, is quantitatively compared to results from a resistive bolometer on the bench using a modulated 405 nm laser beam with variable power density and square wave modulation from 0.2 Hz to 250 Hz. The design of the NSTX-U system and benchtop characterization are presented where signal-to-noise ratios are assessed using three different IR cameras: FLIR A655sc, FLIR A6751sc, and SBF-161. The sensitivity of the IRVB equipped with the SBF-161 camera is found to be high enough to measure radiation features in the NSTX-U lower divertor as estimated using SOLPS modeling. The optimized IRVB has a frame rate up to 50 Hz, high enough to distinguish radiation during edge-localized-modes (ELMs) from that between ELMs.

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: Normally we think of the glassy state as a single phase and therefore crystallization from chemically identical amorphous precursors should be identical. Here we show that the local structure of an amorphous precursor is distinct depending on the initial deposition conditions, resulting in significant differences in the final state material. Using grazing incidence total x-ray scattering, we have determined the local structure in amorphous thin films of vanadium oxide grown under different conditions using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Here we show that the subsequent crystallization of films deposited using different initial PLD conditions result in the formation of different polymorphs of VO 2 . This suggests the possibility of controlling the formation of metastable polymorphs by tuning the initial amorphous structure to different formation pathways.

Description: By combining substrate-free structures with anodic bonding technology, we present a simple and efficient micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) thermal shear stress sensor. Significantly, the resulting depth of the vacuum cavity of the sensor is determined by the thickness of the silicon substrate at which Si is removed by the anisotropic wet etching process. Compared with the sensor based on a sacrificial layer technique, the proposed MEMS thermal shear-stress sensor exhibits dramatically improved sensitivity due to the much larger vacuum cavity depth. The fabricated MEMS thermal shear-stress sensor with a vacuum cavity depth as large as 525  μ m and a vacuum of 5 × 10 −2  Pa exhibits a sensitivity of 184.5 mV/Pa and a response time of 180  μ s. We also experimentally demonstrate that the sensor power is indeed proportional to the 1/3-power of the applied shear stress. The substrate-free structures offer the ability to precisely measure the shear stress fluctuations in low speed turbulent boundary layer wind tunnels.

Description: Hot-carrier degradation and room-temperature annealing effects are investigated in unpassivated ammonia-rich AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors. Devices exhibit a fast recovery when annealed after hot carrier stress with all pins grounded. The recovered peak transconductance can exceed the original value, an effect that is not observed in control passivated samples. Density functional theory calculations suggest that dehydrogenation of pre-existing O N -H defects in AlGaN plays a significant role in the observed hot carrier degradation, and the resulting bare O N can naturally account for the “super-recovery” in the peak transconductance.

Description: Low-pressure chemical vapor deposition growth of graphene on Iridium (Ir) layers epitaxially deposited on α-Al 2 O 3 (0001) substrates was investigated. The X-ray diffraction, Raman and reflection high energy electron diffraction characterizations revealed that graphene films were epitaxially grown on Ir(111) layers, and the in-plane epitaxial relationship between graphene, Ir(111), and α-Al 2 O 3 (0001) was graphene ⟨ 1 1 ¯ 00 ⟩//Ir⟨ 11 2 ¯ ⟩//α-Al 2 O 3 ⟨ 11 2 ¯ 0 ⟩. The graphene on Ir(111) was electrochemically transferred onto SiO 2 /Si substrates. We also demonstrated the reuse of the Ir(111)/α-Al 2 O 3 (0001) substrates in multiple growth and transfer cycles.

Description: Simple kinematic considerations indicate that, under certain conditions in radio-frequency (rf) plasmas, the amplitude of the low-energy peak in ion energy distributions (IEDs) measured at an electrode depends sensitively on ion velocities upstream, at the presheath/sheath boundary. By measuring this amplitude, the velocities at which ions exit the presheath can be determined and long-standing controversies regarding presheath transport can be resolved. Here, IEDs measured in rf-biased, inductively coupled plasmas in CF 4 gas determined the presheath exit velocities of all significant positive ions: CF 3 + , CF 2 + , CF + , and F + . At higher bias voltages, we detected essentially the same velocity for all four ions. For all ions, measured velocities were significantly lower than the Bohm velocity and the electropositive ion sound speed. Neither is an accurate boundary condition for rf sheaths in electronegative gases: under certain low-frequency, high-voltage criteria defined here, either yields large errors in predicted IEDs. These results indicate that many widely used sheath models will need to be revised.

Description: Although contact resistance of carbon nanotube (CNT) is one of the most important factors for practical application of electronic devices, a study regarding temperature dependence on contact resistance of CNTs with metal electrodes has not been found. Here, we report an investigation of contact resistance at multiwalled nanotube (MWNT)/Ag interface as a function of temperature, using MWNT/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite. Electrical resistance of MWNT/PDMS composite revealed negative temperature coefficient (NTC). Excluding the contact resistance with Ag electrode, the NTC effect became less pronounced, showing lower intrinsic resistivity with the activation energy of 0.019 eV. Activation energy of the contact resistance of MWNT/Ag interface was determined to be 0.04 eV, two times larger than that of MWNT-MWNT network. The increase in the thermal fluctuation assisted electron tunneling is attributed to conductivity enhancement at both MWNT/MWNT and MWNT/Ag interfaces with increasing temperature.

Description: We report a crucial step towards single-object cavity electrodynamics in the mid-infrared spectral range using resonators that borrow functionalities from antennas. Room-temperature strong light-matter coupling is demonstrated in the mid-infrared between an intersubband transition and an extremely reduced number of sub-wavelength resonators. By exploiting 3D plasmonic nano-antennas featuring an out-of-plane geometry, we observed strong light-matter coupling in a very low number of resonators: only 16, more than 100 times better than what reported to date in this spectral range. The modal volume addressed by each nano-antenna is sub-wavelength-sized and it encompasses only ≈4400 electrons.

Description: In this paper, a new memristor-based multi-scroll hyper-chaotic system is designed. The proposed memristor-based system possesses multiple complex dynamic behaviors compared with other chaotic systems. Various coexisting attractors and hidden coexisting attractors are observed in this system, which means extreme multistability arises. Besides, by adjusting parameters of the system, this chaotic system can perform single-scroll attractors, double-scroll attractors, and four-scroll attractors. Basic dynamic characteristics of the system are investigated, including equilibrium points and stability, bifurcation diagrams, Lyapunov exponents, and so on. In addition, the presented system is also realized by an analog circuit to confirm the correction of the numerical simulations.

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: We have investigated the thickness-dependent transport properties of La 1/3 Sr 2/3 FeO 3 thin films grown on SrTiO 3 (001) and (111) substrates. At a thickness of ∼40 nm, both films show a clear transition in resistivity associated with the characteristic charge disproportionation at approximately 190 K. The transition temperature of the charge disproportionation is nearly unchanged with decreasing film thickness down to a certain thickness of ∼13 nm for both orientations, while the change in resistivity gradually decreases. Below this thickness, the transition becomes unclear, strongly suggesting the suppression of the charge disproportionation at the critical thickness of ∼13 nm. Furthermore, there is no significant difference in the thickness dependence of La 1/3 Sr 2/3 FeO 3 thin films between the (001) and (111) orientations. The negligible crystallographic-orientation dependence may reflect the isotropic nature for the domain of charge disproportionation states in La 1/3 Sr 2/3 FeO 3 .

Description: Titanium oxide (TiO x ) has attracted a lot of attention as an active material for resistive random access memory (RRAM), due to its versatility and variety of possible crystal phases. Although existing RRAM materials have demonstrated impressive characteristics, like ultra-fast switching and high cycling endurance, this technology still encounters challenges like low yields, large variability of switching characteristics, and ultimately device failure. Electroforming has been often considered responsible for introducing irreversible damage to devices, with high switching voltages contributing to device degradation. In this paper, we have employed Al doping for tuning the resistive switching characteristics of titanium oxide RRAM. The resistive switching threshold voltages of undoped and Al-doped TiO x thin films were first assessed by conductive atomic force microscopy. The thin films were then transferred in RRAM devices and tested with voltage pulse sweeping, demonstrating that the Al-doped devices could on average form at lower potentials compared to the undoped ones and could support both analog and binary switching at potentials as low as 0.9 V. This work demonstrates a potential pathway for implementing low-power RRAM systems.