ALBERT

Description: This document was first circulated for comments to IOC Member States through IOC Circular Letter No 2657 on 2 February 2017. The objectives of this document are to elaborate the idea of, and argue the case for, an international decade on ocean science for sustainable development. The endorsement to pursue further elaboration of the idea followed its initial presentation and discussion at the IOC Executive Council in June 2016. The context is provided by the 2030 Agenda and related UN frameworks, namely the Sendai Framework for Risk Reduction 2015, the SAMOA Pathway for SIDS 2014, the UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties, COP-21 in Paris 2015 and COP-22 in Marrakech 2016, together with previous intergovernmental agreements. The bases include: (i) the conclusions of the First Global World Ocean Assessment, in particular that we are running out of time to effectively protect the world ocean from multiple interactive stressors; and (ii) the finding of the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN Secretary General that, of eight Grand Challenges the world community is facing, the most important one is improving ocean science and effective management for the development of sustainable ocean knowledge-based economics. On these foundations, the document addresses a wide and diverse set of marine-related interests, including ocean science, sustained observations, marine environment problems and ocean (blue) economy. A historical analysis of developments over the 50-year period since the International Decade of Ocean Exploration 1971–1980 suggests that governments need to engage and act in partnership with the many different ocean communities in order to achieve focus, cohesiveness, cooperation and coordination of efforts. An International Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, potentially under the UN auspices, emerges as the promising path towards “THE OCEAN WE NEED FOR THE FUTURE WE WANT.”

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: At its 49th session, the IOC Executive Council requested the IOC Officers and Executive Secretary to pursue the development of the concept of an International decade on ocean science for sustainable development (2021– 2030) – Towards the ocean we need for the future we want – potentially under the auspices of the United Nations. This document provides an overview of the activities undertaken since 2016 to raise the awareness of IOC, UNESCO and UN Member States, to engage UN bodies and other stakeholders in supporting the Decade proposal and highlights a way forward for further advancing the Decade establishment under the UN, for consideration by the IOC Assembly.

Description: OpenASFA input

Description: Published

Description: Not Known

Description: Following the design of the emblem of United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030), guidelines for its use have been prepared in accordance with UNESCO and United Nations practices.

Description: OpenASFA input

Description: Published

Description: Non Refereed

Description: Climate change is altering our planet and the effects are felt from the highest mountains to the deepest parts of the ocean. While the world seeks to hold warming to 1.5°C, it is vital that we take steps now to protect some of the Earth’s natural jewels and to preserve them for future generations. The UNESCO World Heritage List includes the world’s most iconic marine protected areas, recognised by the international community for their outstanding biodiversity, beauty, geology and natural habitats. Beginning with Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in 1981, the List has since expanded to include a global network of 50 ocean places of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), from the tropics to the poles, each of which helps to secure the future of our marine ecosystems. Inclusion on the List is only the start of the work needed to protect these sites from warming seas and shifting weather. Indeed, some 70% of the marine World Heritage sites are currently under threat from climate change, according to the 2020 IUCN World Heritage Outlook. Under a business-as-usual emissions scenario, World Heritage Listed coral reef systems are expected to cease to exist by 2100. Action is necessary not just to protect these sites, but because between them they host over 20% of the world’s blue carbon ecosystems - representing critical carbon sinks - and serve as refuges for vulnerable and threatened species. Managers, scientists, and funders are enthusiastic and willing to help us achieve healthy oceans and marine World Heritage sites. But how? The 2021 UNESCO science assessment survey of marine World Heritage sites indicates that nearly 75% of sites lack knowledge on how to protect their OUV against the impacts from climate change. And about two thirds lack the tools to understand how climate change will impact their biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.We must find evidence-based solutions to address these questions and to help sites plan for the uncertain future. In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed that 2021-2030 would serve as the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (or ‘Ocean Decade’). The Ocean Decade provides a global framework to harness science to sustainably manage the oceans. Marine World Heritage sites are identified as priority areas in the Implementation Plan of the Ocean Decade. The Decade offers a way to convene diverse actors to co-design and co-deliver knowledge that will address scientific questions about the vulnerable sites, to plan the right response and to put them on a path to a sustainable future. Climate change is a complex challenge, and we must use the best and most up-to-date research and data to guide our actions. Collecting ocean science data and identifying trends are critical to local management teams. Without this baseline knowledge, including where iconic species live or trends in environmental and socio-economic variables, effective management decisions cannot be made in ways that will ensure sites’ protection 10 or 20 years from now. Yet despite their iconic status, many marine World Heritage sites lack essential capacity, technology and resources to generate and process data, including the baseline observations crucial to gather the evidence to plan future steps. For many sites, budgets have not risen while challenges grow exponentially. In response, UNESCO is launching a call for increased and strategic investment in the ocean science needed to safeguard marine World Heritage sites. The ocean is a vast place and there is much to do. Within the framework of the Ocean Decade, this roadmap aims to help provide focus, to ensure research is carried out and used in an efficient, effective and sustainable way. It identifies knowledge that site managers and scientists need to conserve marine World Heritage sites and foster resilient marine ecosystems, highlights the value of science-based decision making, and tackles some key obstacles including resources and capacity. This roadmap outlines key information to assess climate vulnerability, including on the use of targeted science to underpin conservation and management efforts. It also highlights current gaps in science capacity and infrastructure, including data collection and interpretation. Finally, it explores the technology and capacity required for action and the sustainable finance and resources needed to support the necessary research. Marine World Heritage sites face a critical moment in time and we must act now. By developing this roadmap within the framework of the Ocean Decade, we have the chance to generate ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’ and preserve marine World Heritage sites and their services for future generations. This roadmap seeks to offer that help, by showing managers, supporters, and funders how science and research can be more cost-effectively directed to some of the most pressing problems. Together we can steer a path to a resilient and sustainable future, for the next decade and beyond.

Description: OPENASFA INPUT Suggested citation: UNESCO. 2021. Ocean Science Roadmap for UNESCO Marine World Heritage in the context of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). Paris, France

Description: Published

Description: Not Known

Description: This information document presents the STAB’s Strategic framework on engaging in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030, elaborated following a working meeting held between the STAB and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in November 2020.

Description: OPENASFA INPUT

Description: Published

Description: Non Refereed

Description: Brochure for conferences, meetings, etc under the subject: 'United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development'

Description: Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology

Description: OPENASFA INPUT Brochure

Description: Published

Description: Not Known

Description: El cambio climático está alterando nuestro planeta y sus efectos se dejan sentir desde en las montañas más altas hasta en las zonas más profundas del océano. Mientras el mundo intenta mantener el calentamiento en 1,5°C, es fundamental adoptar medidas ya para proteger algunas de las joyas naturales de la Tierra y preservarlas para las generaciones futuras. La Lista del Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO comprende las zonas marinas protegidas más emblemáticas del mundo, reconocidas por la comunidad internacional por el carácter excepcional de su diversidad biológica, su belleza, su geología y sus hábitats naturales. La Lista, que empezó en 1981 con la Gran Barrera de Coral de Australia, se ha ido ampliando desde entonces, y ahora cuenta con una red mundial de 50 sitios oceánicos de valor universal excepcional, desde los trópicos hasta los polos, cada uno de los cuales ayuda a asegurar el futuro de nuestros ecosistemas marinos. La inclusión en la Lista no es más que el inicio de la labor necesaria para proteger estos sitios contra el calentamiento de los mares y unas condiciones meteorológicas cambiantes. De hecho, alrededor del 70% de los sitios marinos del Patrimonio Mundial se encuentra actualmente amenazado por el cambio climático, según la Perspectiva del Patrimonio Mundial de la UICN de 2020. Si no se producen cambios en las emisiones, las previsiones indican que los sistemas de arrecife de coral de la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial dejarán de existir para 2100. Es necesario actuar no solo para proteger estos sitios, sino porque todos juntos albergan más del 20% de los ecosistemas de carbono azul del mundo (lo que representa importantes sumideros de carbono) y sirven de refugio a especies vulnerables y amenazadas. Administradores, científicos y donantes se han mostrado ilusionados y dispuestos a ayudarnos a lograr un océano y unos sitios marinos del Patrimonio Mundial saludables. La pregunta es: ¿cómo? En el estudio de evaluación científica de la UNESCO de 2021 de los sitios marinos del Patrimonio Mundial se señala que casi el 75% de los sitios no sabe cómo proteger su valor universal excepcional frente a los efectos del cambio climático. Y alrededor de dos terceras partes carece de herramientas para comprender cómo afectará el cambio climático a su diversidad biológica y al funcionamiento del ecosistema. Hay que encontrar soluciones con base empírica para hacer frente a estos problemas y ayudar a los sitios a planificar un futuro incierto. En 2017 la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas proclamó el periodo 2021 2030 Decenio de las Naciones Unidas de las Ciencias Oceánicas para el Desarrollo Sostenible (o Decenio del Océano). El Decenio del Océano proporciona un marco mundial para utilizar las ciencias en la gestión sostenible del océano. Los sitios marinos del Patrimonio Mundial han sido declarados esferas prioritarias en el Plan de ejecución del Decenio del Océano. El Decenio contribuye a reunir a distintos interlocutores en la generación y la aplicación conjuntas de conocimientos que responderán a cuestiones científicas sobre los sitios vulnerables con el objetivo de planificar la respuesta correcta y situarlos en la senda hacia un futuro sostenible. El cambio climático constituye un desafío complejo, y debemos utilizar la investigación y los datos más actualizados y de mejor calidad para orientar nuestras medidas. La recopilación de datos de las ciencias oceánicas y la identificación de tendencias son acciones fundamentales para los equipos de administradores. Sin estos conocimientos básicos, como por ejemplo dónde viven las especies emblemáticas las tendencias de las variables medioambientales y socioeconómicas, no se pueden adoptar decisiones de administración eficaces para garantizar la protección de los sitios de aquí a 10 o 20 años. No obstante, a pesar de su condición emblemática, muchos sitios marinos del Patrimonio Mundial carecen de la capacidad, la tecnología y los recursos esenciales para generar y procesar datos, incluidas las observaciones básicas fundamentales para reunir pruebas de cara a planificar futuras medidas. En muchos sitios, los presupuestos no han aumentado, mientras que los problemas crecen exponencialmente. La UNESCO ha respondido a estos desafíos con un llamamiento a una mayor inversión estratégica en ciencias oceánicas, muy necesaria para salvaguardar los sitios marinos del Patrimonio Mundial. El océano es un lugar inmenso y hay mucho que hacer. En el marco del Decenio del Océano, esta hoja de ruta pretende brindar orientaciones y contribuir a garantizar que la investigación se lleva a cabo y se utiliza de manera eficiente, eficaz y sostenible. En ella se identifican los conocimientos que necesitan los administradores de los sitios y los científicos para conservar los sitios marinos del Patrimonio Mundial y promover ecosistemas marinos resilientes. También se pone de relieve el valor de la adopción de decisiones con base empírica, y se abordan algunos obstáculos importantes, como los relacionados con los recursos y la capacidad. En esta hoja de ruta se presenta información importante para evaluar la vulnerabilidad ante el clima, por ejemplo, sobre el uso de datos científicos específicos para respaldar los esfuerzos de conservación y administración. También se ponen de manifiesto algunas lagunas existentes actualmente en la capacidad científica y la infraestructura, como en materia de recopilación de datos e interpretación. Por último, se explora la tecnología y la capacidad necesaria para la acción y para la financiación y los recursos sostenibles requeridos para costear la investigación necesaria. Los sitios marinos del Patrimonio Mundial se enfrentan a un momento crítico, por lo que debemos actuar ya. Al elaborar esta hoja de ruta en el marco del Decenio del Océano, tenemos la oportunidad de generar la ciencia que necesitamos para el océano que queremos, y preservar los sitios marinos del Patrimonio Mundial y sus servicios para las generaciones futuras. Esta hoja de ruta pretende brindar esa ayuda mostrando a los administradores, los seguidores y los donantes cómo la ciencia y la investigación pueden dirigirse de manera más rentable hacia algunos de los problemas más urgentes. Juntos podemos dirigir nuestro camino hacia un futuro resiliente y sostenible, para el próximo decenio y los años posteriores.

Description: Oficina Francesa para la Diversidad Biológica (Office français de la biodiversité)

Description: Gobierno del Principado de Mónaco

Description: Gobierno de Flandes

Description: OPENASFA INPUT

Description: Published

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Description: The United Nations has declared that the Ocean Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (the Ocean Decade) will take place from 2021 to 2030. The vision of the Ocean Decade is ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’, and it provides a common framework for diverse stakeholders to generate and use ocean knowledge towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To that end, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC-UNESCO) was mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to develop an Implementation Plan, in collaboration with partners, to serve as a roadmap to mobilize the resources and technological innovation needed to build capacity, develop scientific knowledge, create and share infrastructure and foster partnerships for a healthy ocean. In so doing, the Ocean Decade will transition us from the ‘ocean we have’ to the ‘ocean we want’. The latter will support a sustainable, equitable and healthy future for all. The Implementation Plan, which is the culmination of a highly participatory three-year process, has now been finalized and is a non-prescriptive, strategic framework for the roll-out of the Ocean Decade that details its objectives, challenges, actions and mechanisms for implementation. The enhancement of Ocean Literacy (OL) is critical to the success of the Ocean Decade. Ocean Literacy refers to the understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean. Many people are unaware that the ocean is intrinsically linked to major global issues such as climate change and food security, human health and the global economy. The ocean also represents a range of social values for various cultures, as people from all over the world are able to recognize and relate to the ocean in different ways. To achieve sustainable development and well-being across the globe, everyone needs to understand our dependence on the ocean, and how we can contribute to its sustainability. In this context, Ocean Literacy has a twofold goal: to learn more about the world’s ocean, and to contribute to the co-design and co-delivery of solutions to the problems and threats it faces. In this way, Ocean Literacy becomes more than a tool for capacity development and knowledge generation. It also represents an ambitious approach to promoting the common understanding of global citizens as stakeholders, as well as furthering societies’ relationships to the ocean. Understanding the value of the ocean can enhance protection, conservation and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources, as well as contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Throughout the Ocean Decade planning process, the importance of Ocean Literacy was reinforced during Global and Regional Planning Workshops (IOC-UNESCO, 2020). As a result, Ocean Literacy features prominently in the Implementation Plan and is reflected as one of the seven Ocean Decade Outcomes, ‘An engaging and inspiring ocean’. It is also explicitly referenced in the following two of the Ocean Decade Challenges that represent the most pressing priorities for the Decade: - Challenge 9: Ensure comprehensive capacity development and equitable access to data, information, knowledge and technology across all aspects of ocean science and for all stakeholders, and - Challenge 10: Ensure that the multiple values and services of the ocean for human well-being, culture and sustainable development are widely understood, and identify and overcome barriers to behaviour change required for a step change in humanity’s relationship with the ocean. Ocean Literacy is also relevant to the remaining eight Ocean Decade Challenges, as it is a tool that encompasses cross-sectoral, inter-and transdisciplinary approaches that can empower governments, businesses, the media, educators, civil society and the general public to understand the key role the ocean plays within their lives. Ocean Literacy can therefore create an environment conducive to achieving the ambitions of the Ocean Decade, including helping to ignite behaviour change, enhance collaborations, mobilize resources, promote sound policy-making, spark creativity and innovation and increase investment in ocean science. Ocean Literacy is radically evolving from its application in formal educational contexts into an approach for society as a whole that catalyses actions to protect, conserve and sustainably use the ocean. As such, Ocean Literacy initiatives can be implemented in formal or non-formal educational settings and can be part of school learning, citizen science, corporate training, public-awareness campaigns, the science–policy interface and so forth. Throughout the Ocean Decade, Ocean Literacy initiatives will be developed and implemented by actors including governments, United Nations entities, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), international and regional organizations, research institutes, businesses, foundations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), schools, educators, community groups and individuals. To date, a significant number of Ocean Literacy initiatives have been developed and implemented in every corner of the world. They range from educational programmes focusing on ocean issues (Blue Schools in Portugal or Ocean School in Canada), to Ocean Literacy centres promoting hands-on activities (see the Marine Educational Centre in Malmö) and company-funded education programmes for students (see AXA XL Ocean Education programme ), as well as public-awareness campaigns (see the European Union’s Sea Change project ) and immersive learning programmes at aquariums. The Ocean Decade provides a powerful and unique opportunity to catalyse and scale up these and other Ocean Literacy programmes at the global level. As outlined in the Implementation Plan, the vision for Ocean Literacy throughout the Ocean Decade is ‘to enable and scale up action in all sectors’. This Ocean Literacy Framework for Action was created to complement the Implementation Plan and provide a succinct, non-prescriptive framework to promote the development of global, regional, national and local Ocean Literacy Actions by diverse actors around the world as part of the Ocean Decade. This Framework was developed through a series of stakeholder consultations, including an open international questionnaire with over 300 respondents, a participatory multi-stakeholder workshop held in Venice in December 2019, a bibliographical review and peer review by international experts. This document is divided into three sections. The first one describes Ocean Literacy and its potential contribution to the Ocean Decade. The second one presents a framework for the Decade Actions on Ocean Literacy. The third section outlines the participation opportunities for potential partners and stakeholders, as well as the linkages between existing Ocean Literacy tools and participation mechanisms for Ocean Decade stakeholders.

Description: Government of Sweden

Description: OPENASFA INPUT

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©:The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. All rights reserved.

Description: Relative location of microearthquakes that occurred at Mt Pollino (Italy) from 2011 to 2013 have been analyzed with the aim of a detailed imaging of the geometry of active faults. We identified 27 clusters composed of a number of earthquakes from 9 to 33, with local magnitude in the range 0.6–2.7. The relative location shows that the distribution of hypocentres in each cluster is characterized by extension from few tens of meters to at most 350 m. For each cluster the hypocentre distribution was fitted by a plane to infer the fault orientation, and results were compared with the fault plane solutions corresponding to the focal mechanism of earthquakes of the same cluster. The comparison shows a good agreement in most of the cases. The relative location analysis, generally applied to earthquakes with similar waveform, has been improved to permit also the relative location of earthquakes characterized by not similar signals. To achieve this purpose a modified procedure that overcome the condition of very similar waveforms has been applied to estimate the time delay between first pulses of the master events. The relative location of master events of all clusters shows a precise imaging of the relative position of all analysed sources and allows also to follow with high accuracy the evolution in time of the seismic swarm within the selected periods. The hypocentre position of master events and the nearly parallel fitting planes of any clusters suggest that most of the analyzed earthquakes were produced by different patches of the same fault. The final results depict a main fault plane characterized by NW–SE strike, dip of about 35–45° and depth between 4.5 and 6.5 km b.s.l. Focal mechanisms, used also to evaluate the local stress field, are mostly of normal type with few strike slip solutions for the shallowest events. This result is in good agreement with the local tectonic stress regime that is characterized by predominant NE–SW transtension, as inferred from structural, seismological and geophysical data.

Description: Published

Description: 637–648

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: 〈jats:title〉Abstract〈/jats:title〉〈jats:p〉In spite of a proliferation of academic and policy-oriented interest in deep sea mining (DSM), this paper argues that two underlying questions remain underexplored. The first relates to 〈jats:italic〉what〈/jats:italic〉 exactly the seabed 〈jats:italic〉is〈/jats:italic〉; the second to 〈jats:italic〉who〈/jats:italic〉 the stakeholders 〈jats:italic〉are〈/jats:italic〉. It is argued that a greater interrogation of how the seabed is defined and understood, and a deeper consideration of how stakeholders are identified and the politics of their inclusion, is crucial to the enactment of policy and planning techniques. Through the analysis of current regulations to govern DSM in both national and international jurisdictions, this paper critically examines these seemingly banal but vital questions in different contexts. It is contended that most regulations are ‘fuzzy’ when it comes to addressing these questions, with the result that different understandings of the seabed and the implications of mining are ignored and that who stakeholders are and how they are defined causes many relevant voices to be unheard. It is argued, therefore, that it is imperative to address these often-overlooked questions directly in order to inform future seabed policy and governance.〈/jats:p〉

Description: In this paper, the advantages achievable from the use of two prototype systems that are being developed to increase safety and security in ports are shown. Both systems start by monitoring environmental parameters in harbors, and then process data acquired. The first system has been conceived to be helpful to port communities (port authorities, pilots) to optimize harbor waterside management (ship’s navigation and cargo, dock performances, boat moorings, refloating of stranded ships, water quality control). By monitoring and processing sea level and atmospheric pressure in port areas, it can help port communities, e.g., to choose the best time when a ship with a certain draft can enter or leave a harbor, or to plan the best route inside the basin for that vessel (port safety). The second system, instead, has been designed for port protection purposes: by monitoring and processing the Earth’s magnetic field below the sea surface in harbors (where the natural field is disturbed by a high artificial component), it is able to detect the possible presence of intruders (e.g., divers) swimming underwater in prohibited areas (port security). Here, the results of monitoring and processing activities of the two systems performed in Livorno and La Spezia harbors are shown (Italy). The processing procedures and the graphical interfaces of the systems are based on applications under development by the research team the author belongs to, by using C# and C++ languages; Matlab environment has been employed for simulations.

Description: Published

Description: 647–658

Description: 1A. Geomagnetismo e Paleomagnetismo

Description: 3A. Geofisica marina e osservazioni multiparametriche a fondo mare

Description: 4A. Oceanografia e clima

Description: 7SR AMBIENTE – Servizi e ricerca per la società

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The original version of the Description of Additional Supplementary Files associated with this Article contained errors in the legends of Supplementary Data 5–8 and omitted legends for the Source Data. The HTML has been updated to include a corrected version of the Description of Additional Supplementary Files; the original incorrect version of this file can be found as Supplementary Information associated with this Correction.

Description: Krill and salps are important for carbon flux in the Southern Ocean, but the extent of their contribution and the consequences of shifts in dominance from krill to salps remain unclear. We present a direct comparison of the contribution of krill and salp faecal pellets (FP) to vertical carbon flux at the Antarctic Peninsula using a combination of sediment traps, FP production, carbon content, microbial degradation, and krill and salp abundances. Salps produce 4-fold more FP carbon than krill, but the FP from both species contribute equally to the carbon flux at 300 m, accounting for 75% of total carbon. Krill FP are exported to 72% to 300 m, while 80% of salp FP are retained in the mixed layer due to fragmentation. Thus, declining krill abundances could lead to decreased carbon flux, indicating that the Antarctic Peninsula could become a less efficient carbon sink for anthropogenic CO2 in future.

Description: Two airborne field campaigns focusing on observations of Arctic mixed-phase clouds and boundary layer processes and their role with respect to Arctic amplification have been carried out in spring 2019 and late summer 2020 over the Fram Strait northwest of Svalbard. The latter campaign was closely connected to the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition. Comprehensive datasets of the cloudy Arctic atmosphere have been collected by operating remote sensing instruments, in-situ probes, instruments for the measurement of turbulent fluxes of energy and momentum, and dropsondes on board the AWI research aircraft Polar 5. In total, 24 flights with 111 flight hours have been performed over open ocean, the marginal sea ice zone, and sea ice. The datasets follow documented methods and quality assurance and are suited for studies on Arctic mixedphase clouds and their transformation processes, for studies with a focus on Arctic boundary layer processes, and for satellite validation applications. All datasets are freely available via the world data center PANGAEA.

Description: Coastal water quality in urban cities is increasingly impacted by human activities such as agricultural runoff, sewage discharges, and poor sanitation. However, environmental factors controlling bacteria abundance remain poorly understood. The study employed multiple indicators to assess ten beach water qualities in Ghana during minor wet seasons. Environmental parameters (e.g. temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids) were measured in situ using the Horiba multiple parameter probe. Surface water samples were collected to measure total suspended solids, nutrients, and chlorophyll-a via standard methods and bacteria determination through membrane filtration. Environmental parameters measured showed no significant variation for the sample period. However, bacteria loads differ significantly (p = 0.024) among the beaches and influenced significantly by nitrate (55.3%, p = 0.02) and total dissolved solids (17.1%, p = 0.017). The baseline study detected an increased amount of total coliforms and faecal indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp.) in beach waters along the coast of Ghana, suggesting faecal contamination, which can pose health risks. The mean ± standard deviations of bacteria loads in beach water are total coliforms (4.06 × 103 ± 4.16 × 103 CFU/100 mL), E. coli (7.06 × 102 ± 1.72 × 103 CFU/100 mL), and Enterococcus spp. (6.15 × 102 ± 1.75 × 103 CFU/100 mL). Evidence of pollution calls for public awareness to prevent ecological and health-related risks and policy reforms to control coastal water pollution. Future research should focus on identifying the sources of contamination in the tropical Atlantic region.

Description: Since the Mesozoic, central and eastern European tectonics have been dominated by the closure of the Tethyan Ocean as the African and European plates collided. In the Miocene, the edge of the East European Craton and Moesian Platform were reworked in collision during the Carpathian orogeny and lithospheric extension formed the Pannonian Basin. To investigate the mantle deformation signatures associated with this complex collisional-extensional system, we carry out SKS splitting analysis at 123 broad-band seismic stations in the region. We compare our measurements with estimates of lithospheric thickness and recent seismic tomography models to test for correlation with mantle heterogeneities. Reviewing splitting delay times in light of xenolith measurements of anisotropy yields estimates of anisotropic layer thickness. Fast polarization directions are mostly NW–SE oriented across the seismically slow West Carpathians and Pannonian Basin and are independent of geological boundaries, absolute plate motion direction or an expected palaeo-slab roll-back path. Instead, they are systematically orthogonal to maximum stress directions, implying that the indenting Adria Plate, the leading deformational force in Central Europe, reset the upper-mantle mineral fabric in the past 5 Ma beneath the Pannonian Basin, overprinting the anisotropic signature of earlier tectonic events. Towards the east, fast polarization directions are perpendicular to steep gradients of lithospheric thickness and align along the edges of fast seismic anomalies beneath the Precambrian-aged Moesian Platform in the South Carpathians and the East European Craton, supporting the idea that craton roots exert a strong influence on the surrounding mantle flow. Within the Moesian Platform, SKS measurements become more variable with Fresnel zone arguments indicating a shallow fossil lithospheric source of anisotropy likely caused by older tectonic deformation frozen in the Precambrian. In the Southeast Carpathian corner, in the Vrancea Seismic Zone, a lithospheric fragment that sinks into the mantle is sandwiched between two slow anomalies, but smaller SKS delay times reveal weaker anisotropy occurs mainly to the NW side, consistent with asymmetric upwelling adjacent to a slab, slower mantle velocities and recent volcanism.

Description: Published

Description: 2105–2118

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The ocean is the largest ecosystem on the planet Earth. It is also the key feature of how our planet looks from the Space. Humans have to find harmony in living with the ocean. To continue benefitting from the ocean life-supporting function, an equilibrium must be sought between the continuously increasing use of ocean space and resources and restoring and maintaining the ocean’s health, which is currently in rapid decline. This understanding is captured in the formulation of the Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the 2030 Agenda: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The role of the ocean for climate, disaster risk reduction, future of island States is reflected in the Paris Agreement of UNFCCC, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA Pathway) and a number of regional, sub-regional and national action frameworks or development strategies. In the complex world we live in, with continuing and accelerating climate change, the success of all these frameworks depends on capacity of science to deliver needed solutions and on the ability and will of stakeholders to effectively use these solutions. The pivotal role of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO is therefore to bring together the scientific communities, the governmental decision-making system, and a broader set of stakeholders within our Member States, including the private sector and the civil society as a whole, to develop efficient, science-based integrated ocean and coastal management and corresponding solutions., taking in consideration relevant indigenous, local and traditional knowledge. Never in the history of our civilization has such cooperation been so urgently required. There is a need to mainstream ocean science for managing the ocean, The emergence of an international legally-binding instrument on conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) means that legally-binding obligations of nations are becoming increasingly ocean science-dependent. Successful execution of the IOC programme during the period of Medium-Term Strategy 2014–2021 and the IOC-led planning and coordination of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) brought IOC to the leading position in the work on systematic provision of ocean-related solutions to the global challenges of our time. However, the ability of IOC to deliver on its expanding mandate and respond both to the ambitions placed on the Decade and its Member States’ aspirations and needs will require, in turn, stronger support from governments, more authoritative decision-making capacity of IOC governing bodies, and adequate and reliable co-design of and investment in the whole value chain of modern ocean science.

Description: OPENASFA INPUT

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: Since UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) launched in 2017 their Joint Roadmap to accelerate marine/maritime spatial planning (MSP) processes worldwide, the number of countries that have initiated, advanced or approved their own MSP processes has increased significantly. Through the active and effective participation of policy mak-ers, representatives of maritime sectors, academia, citizens and other stakeholders in activities organised in all corners of the ocean, the MSPglobal Initiative has contributed to improving cross-border and transboundary cooperation where marine spatial plans already existed or were being prepared, and to promoting planning processes in regions where they have not yet been launched. As we enter this new decade, the goal set by the Joint Roadmap remains today to triple the marine area benefiting from MSP, approved and led by governments and their citizens and effectively implemented in more than 30% of marine areas under national jurisdiction by 2030. This is in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and supported by national and regional initiatives in the framework of the United Nations Decades of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and on Ecosystem Restoration.

Description: Depuis que la Commission océanographique intergouvernementale de l’UNESCO (COI-UNESCO) et la Direction générale des affaires maritimes et de la pêche (DG MARE) de la Commission européenne ont lancé en 2017 leur Feuille de route conjointe pour accélérer les processus de planification de l’espace maritime/marin (PEM) dans le monde,1 le nombre de pays qui ont lancé, fait progresser ou approuvé leurs propres processus de PEM a considérablement augmenté. Grâce à la participation active et efficace de décideurs poli-tiques, de représentants des secteurs maritimes, d’universitaires, de citoyens et d’autres parties prenantes aux activités organisées aux quatre coins de l’océan, l’initiative MSPglobal a contribué à améliorer la coopération transfrontalière là où des plans de PEM existaient déjà ou étaient en cours de préparation, et à promouvoir les processus de planification dans les régions où ils n’ont pas encore été lancés. À l’aube de cette nouvelle décennie, l’objectif fixé par la Feuille de route conjointe reste d’actualité : tripler la superficie marine bénéficiant de la PEM, approuvée et dirigée par les gouvernements et leurs citoyens puis effectivement mise en œuvre dans plus de 30% des zones marines sous juridiction nationale d’ici 2030. Cette démarche est conforme aux Objectifs de développement durable du Programme 2030 et soutenue par des initiatives nationales et régionales dans le cadre de la Décennie des Nations unies pour les sciences océaniques au service du développement durable, de même que la Décennie pour la restauration des écosystèmes.

Description: Desde que la Comisión Oceanográfica Intergubernamental de la UNESCO (COI-UNESCO) y la Dirección General de Asuntos Marítimos y Pesca (DG MARE) de la Comisión Europea lanzaron en 2017 su Hoja de ruta conjunta para acelerar los procesos de planificación espacial marina/marítima (PEM) en todo el mundo,1 el número de países que han iniciado, avanzado o aprobado sus propios procesos de PEM ha aumentado significativamente. Gracias a la participación activa y eficaz de los responsables políticos, los representantes de los sectores marítimos, el mundo académico, los ciudadanos y otras partes interesadas en las actividades organizadas en todos los rincones del océano, la iniciativa MSPglobal ha contribuido a mejorar la cooperación internacional y transfronteriza en los casos en que ya existían o se estaban preparando planes espaciales marinos, y a promover los procesos de planificación en las regiones en las que aún no se han puesto en marcha. Al entrar en esta nueva década, el objetivo fijado por la Hoja de ruta conjunta sigue siendo hoy triplicar la superficie marina que se beneficia de la planificación espacial marina, aprobada y dirigida por los gobiernos y sus ciudadanos y aplicada efectivamente en más del 30 % de las zonas marinas bajo jurisdicción nacional para 2030. Esto está en consonancia con los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de la Agenda 2030 y con el apoyo de iniciativas nacionales y regionales en el marco de los Decenios de las Naciones Unidas de las Ciencias Oceánicas para el Desarrollo Sostenible y de la Restauración de los Ecosistemas.

Description: Government of Sweden

Description: OPENASFA INPUT This publication should be cited as follows: UNESCO-IOC/European Commission. 2021. MSPglobal International Guide on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning. Paris, UNESCO. (IOC Manuals and Guides no 89). Cette publication doit être citée comme suit : UNESCO-COI/Commission européenne. 2021. Guide international de MSPglobal sur la planification de l’espace marin/maritime. Paris, UNESCO. (Manuels et guides de la COI no 89). Esta publicación debe ser citada como sigue: UNESCO-COI/Comisión Europea. 2021. Guía internacional de MSPglobal sobre planificación espacial marina/marítima. París, UNESCO. (Manuales y guías de la COI no 89).

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: Genome analyses predict that the cofactor cobalamin (vitamin B12, called B12 herein) is produced by only one-third of all prokaryotes but almost all encode at least one B12-dependent enzyme, in most cases methionine synthase. This implies that the majority of prokaryotes relies on exogenous B12 supply and interacts with producers. B12 consists of a corrin ring centred around a cobalt ion and the lower ligand 5’6-dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB). It has never been tested whether availability of this pivotal cofactor, DMB or its intermediate α-ribazole affect growth and composition of prokaryotic microbial communities. Here we show that in the subtropical, equatorial and polar frontal Pacific Ocean supply of B12 and α-ribazole enhances heterotrophic prokaryotic production and alters the composition of prokaryotic and heterotrophic protist communities. In the polar frontal Pacific, the SAR11 clade and Oceanospirillales increased their relative abundances upon B12 supply. In the subtropical Pacific, Oceanospirillales increased their relative abundance upon B12 supply as well but also downregulated the transcription of the btuB gene, encoding the outer membrane permease for B12. Surprisingly, Prochlorococcus, known to produce pseudo-B12 and not B12, exhibited significant upregulation of genes encoding key proteins of photosystem I + II, carbon fixation and nitrate reduction upon B12 supply in the subtropical Pacific. These findings show that availability of B12 and α-ribazole affect growth and composition of prokaryotic and protist communities in oceanic systems thus revealing far-reaching consequences of methionine biosynthesis and other B12-dependent enzymatic reactions on a community level.

Description: 〈jats:title〉Abstract〈/jats:title〉〈jats:p〉Biotin (vitamin B〈jats:sub〉7〈/jats:sub〉) is involved in a wide range of essential biochemical reactions and a crucial micronutrient that is vital for many pro- and eukaryotic organisms. The few biotin measurements in the world’s oceans show that availability is subject to strong fluctuations. Numerous marine microorganisms exhibit biotin auxotrophy and therefore rely on supply by other organisms. Desthiobiotin is the primary precursor of biotin and has recently been detected at concentrations similar to biotin in seawater. The last enzymatic reaction in the biotin biosynthetic pathway converts desthiobiotin to biotin via the biotin synthase (BioB). The role of desthiobiotin as a precursor of biotin synthesis in microbial systems, however, is largely unknown. Here we demonstrate experimentally that bacteria can overcome biotin auxotrophy if they retain the 〈jats:italic〉bioB〈/jats:italic〉 gene and desthiobiotin is available. A genomic search of 1068 bacteria predicts that the biotin biosynthetic potential varies greatly among different phylogenetic groups and that 20% encode solely 〈jats:italic〉bioB〈/jats:italic〉 and thus can potentially overcome biotin auxotrophy. Many 〈jats:italic〉Actino〈/jats:italic〉- and 〈jats:italic〉Alphaproteobacteria〈/jats:italic〉 cannot synthesize biotin de novo, but some possess solely 〈jats:italic〉bioB〈/jats:italic〉, whereas the vast majority of 〈jats:italic〉Gammaproteobacteria〈/jats:italic〉 and 〈jats:italic〉Flavobacteriia〈/jats:italic〉 exhibit the last four crucial biotin synthesis genes. We detected high intra- and extracellular concentrations of the precursor relative to biotin in the prototrophic bacterium, 〈jats:italic〉Vibrio campbellii〈/jats:italic〉, with extracellular desthiobiotin reaching up to 1.09 ± 0.15*10〈jats:sup〉6〈/jats:sup〉 molecules per cell during exponential growth. Our results provide evidence for the ecological role of desthiobiotin as an escape route to overcome biotin auxotrophy for bacteria in the ocean and presumably in other ecosystems.〈/jats:p〉

Description: Despite accumulating data on microbial biogeographic patterns in terrestrial and aquatic environments, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of how these patterns establish, in particular in ocean basins. Here we show the relative significance of the ecological mechanisms selection, dispersal and drift for shaping the composition of microbial communities in the Pacific Ocean over a transect of 12,400 km between subantarctic and subarctic regions. In the epipelagic, homogeneous selection contributes 50–60% and drift least to the three mechanism for the assembly of prokaryotic communities whereas in the upper mesopelagic, drift is relatively most important for the particle-associated subcommunities. Temperature is important for the relative significance of homogeneous selection and dispersal limitation for community assembly. The relative significance of both mechanisms was inverted with increasing temperature difference along the transect. For eukaryotes 〉8 µm, homogeneous selection is also the most important mechanisms at two epipelagic depths whereas at all other depths drift is predominant. As species interactions are essential for structuring microbial communities we further analyzed co-occurrence-based community metrics to assess biogeographic patterns over the transect. These interaction-adjusted indices explained much better variations in microbial community composition as a function of abiotic and biotic variables than compositional or phylogenetic distance measures like Bray–Curtis or UniFrac. Our analyses are important to better understand assembly processes of microbial communities in the upper layers of the largest ocean and how they adapt to effectively perform in global biogeochemical processes. Similar principles presumably act upon microbial community assembly in other ocean basins.

Description: Genome analyses predict that the cofactor cobalamin (vitamin B12, called B12 herein) is produced by only one-third of all prokaryotes but almost all encode at least one B12-dependent enzyme, in most cases methionine synthase. This implies that the majority of prokaryotes relies on exogenous B12 supply and interacts with producers. B12 consists of a corrin ring centred around a cobalt ion and the lower ligand 5’6-dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB). It has never been tested whether availability of this pivotal cofactor, DMB or its intermediate α-ribazole affect growth and composition of prokaryotic microbial communities. Here we show that in the subtropical, equatorial and polar frontal Pacific Ocean supply of B12 and α-ribazole enhances heterotrophic prokaryotic production and alters the composition of prokaryotic and heterotrophic protist communities. In the polar frontal Pacific, the SAR11 clade and Oceanospirillales increased their relative abundances upon B12 supply. In the subtropical Pacific, Oceanospirillales increased their relative abundance upon B12 supply as well but also downregulated the transcription of the btuB gene, encoding the outer membrane permease for B12. Surprisingly, Prochlorococcus, known to produce pseudo-B12 and not B12, exhibited significant upregulation of genes encoding key proteins of photosystem I + II, carbon fixation and nitrate reduction upon B12 supply in the subtropical Pacific. These findings show that availability of B12 and α-ribazole affect growth and composition of prokaryotic and protist communities in oceanic systems thus revealing far-reaching consequences of methionine biosynthesis and other B12-dependent enzymatic reactions on a community level.

Description: Microbial communities are major drivers of global elemental cycles in the oceans due to their high abundance and enormous taxonomic and functional diversity. Recent studies assessed microbial taxonomic and functional biogeography in global oceans but microbial functional biogeography remains poorly studied. Here we show that in the near-surface Atlantic and Southern Ocean between 62°S and 47°N microbial communities exhibit distinct taxonomic and functional adaptations to regional environmental conditions. Richness and diversity showed maxima around 40° latitude and intermediate temperatures, especially in functional genes (KEGG-orthologues, KOs) and gene profiles. A cluster analysis yielded three clusters of KOs but five clusters of genes differing in the abundance of genes involved in nutrient and energy acquisition. Gene profiles showed much higher distance-decay rates than KO and taxonomic profiles. Biotic factors were identified as highly influential in explaining the observed patterns in the functional profiles, whereas temperature and biogeographic province mainly explained the observed taxonomic patterns. Our results thus indicate fine-tuned genetic adaptions of microbial communities to regional biotic and environmental conditions in the Atlantic and Southern Ocean.

Description: Biodiversity is expected to change in response to future global warming. However, it is difficult to predict how species will track the ongoing climate change. Here we use the fossil record of planktonic foraminifera to assess how biodiversity responded to climate change with a magnitude comparable to future anthropogenic warming. We compiled time series of planktonic foraminifera assemblages, covering the time from the last ice age across the deglaciation to the current warm period. Planktonic foraminifera assemblages shifted immediately when temperature began to rise at the end of the last ice age and continued to change until approximately 5,000 years ago, even though global temperature remained relatively stable during the last 11,000 years. The biotic response was largest in the mid latitudes and dominated by range expansion, which resulted in the emergence of new assemblages without analogues in the glacial ocean. Our results indicate that the plankton response to global warming was spatially heterogeneous and did not track temperature change uniformly over the past 24,000 years. Climate change led to the establishment of new assemblages and possibly new ecological interactions, which suggests that current anthropogenic warming may lead to new, different plankton community composition.

Description: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©:The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. All rights reserved.

Description: On 24 August 2016 at 01:36 UTC a ML6.0 earthquake struck several villages in central Italy, among which Accumoli, Amatrice and Arquata del Tronto. The earthquake was recorded by about 350 seismic stations, causing 299 fatalities and damage with macroseismic intensities up to 11. The maximum acceleration was observed at Amatrice station (AMT) reaching 916 cm s–2 on E–W component, with epicentral distance of 15 km and Joyner and Boore distance to the fault surface (RJB) of less than a kilometre. Motivated by the high levels of observed ground motion and damage, we generate broad-band seismograms for engineering purposes by adopting a hybrid method. To infer the low frequency seismograms, we considered the kinematic slip model by Tinti et al . The high frequency seismograms were produced using a stochastic finite-fault model approach based on dynamic corner-frequency. Broadband synthetic time-series were therefore obtained by merging the low and high frequency seismograms. Simulated hybrid ground motions were compared both with the observed ground motions and the ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs), to explore their performance and to retrieve the region-specific parameters endorsed for the simulations. In the near-fault area we observed that hybrid simulations have a higher capability to detect near source effects and to reproduce the source complexity than the use of GMPEs. Indeed, the general good consistency found between synthetic and observed ground motion (both in the time and frequency domain), suggests that the use of regional-specific source scaling and attenuation parameters together with the source complexity in hybrid simulations improves ground motion estimations. To include the site effect in stochastic simulations at selected stations, we tested the use of amplification curves derived from HVRSs (horizontal-to-vertical response spectra) and from HVSRs (horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios) rather than the use of generic curves according to NTC18 Italian seismic design code. We generally found a further reduction of residuals between observed and simulated both in terms of time histories and spectra.

Description: Published

Description: 1753–1779

Description: 6T. Studi di pericolosità sismica e da maremoto

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©:The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. All rights reserved

Description: This study describes a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) based technique for the prediction of intensity measurements (IMs) of ground shaking. The input data to the CNN model consists of multistation 3C broadband and accelerometric waveforms recorded during the 2016 Central Italy earthquake sequence for M $\ge$ 3.0. We find that the CNN is capable of predicting accurately the IMs at stations far from the epicenter and that have not yet recorded the maximum ground shaking when using a 10 s window starting at the earthquake origin time. The CNN IM predictions do not require previous knowledge of the earthquake source (location and magnitude). Comparison between the CNN model predictions and the predictions obtained with Bindi et al. (2011) GMPE (which require location and magnitude) has shown that the CNN model features similar error variance but smaller bias. Although the technique is not strictly designed for earthquake early warning, we found that it can provide useful estimates of ground motions within 15-20 sec after earthquake origin time depending on various setup elements (e.g., times for data transmission, computation, latencies). The technique has been tested on raw data without any initial data pre-selection in order to closely replicate real-time data streaming. When noise examples were included with the earthquake data, the CNN was found to be stable predicting accurately the ground shaking intensity corresponding to the noise amplitude.

Description: Published

Description: 1379–1389

Description: 8T. Sismologia in tempo reale

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©:The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. All rights reserved.

Description: In volcanoes, topography, shallow heterogeneity and even shallow morphology can substan- tially modify seismic coda signals. Coda waves are an essential tool to monitor eruption dynamics and model volcanic structures jointly and independently from velocity anomalies: it is thus fundamental to test their spatial sensitivity to seismic path effects. Here, we apply the Multiple Lapse Time Window Analysis (MLTWA) to measure the relative importance of scattering attenuation vs absorption at Mount St Helens volcano before its 2004 erup- tion. The results show the characteristic dominance of scattering attenuation in volcanoes at lower frequencies (3–6 Hz), while absorption is the primary attenuation mechanism at 12 and 18 Hz. Scattering attenuation is similar but seismic absorption is one order of magnitude lower than at open-conduit volcanoes, like Etna and Kilauea, a typical behaviour of a (rela- tively) cool magmatic plumbing system. Still, the seismic albedo (measuring the ratio between seismic energy emitted and received from the area) is anomalously high (0.95) at 3 Hz. A radiative-transfer forward model of far- and near-field envelopes confirms this is due to strong near-receiver scattering enhancing anomalous phases in the intermediate and late coda across the 1980 debris avalanche and central crater. Only above this frequency and in the far-field diffusion onsets at late lapse times. The scattering and absorption parameters derived from MLTWA are used as inputs to construct 2-D frequency-dependent bulk sensitivity kernels for the S-wave coda in the multiple-scattering (using the Energy Transport Equations—ETE) and diffusive (AD, independent of MLTWA results) regimes. At 12 Hz, high coda-attenuation anomalies characterize the eastern side of the volcano using both kernels, in spatial correla- tion with low-velocity anomalies from literature. At 3 Hz, the anomalous albedo, the forward modelling, and the results of the tomographic imaging confirm that shallow heterogeneity beneath the extended 1980 debris-avalanche and crater enhance anomalous intermediate and late coda phases, mapping shallow geological contrasts. We remark the effect this may have on coda-dependent source inversion and tomography, currently used across the world to image and monitor volcanoes. At Mount St Helens, higher frequencies and deep borehole data are necessary to reconstruct deep volcanic structures with coda waves.

Description: Scottish Alliance for Geosciences Environment and Society and the Kleinman Grant for Volcano Research

Description: Published

Description: 169-188

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: 2V. Struttura e sistema di alimentazione dei vulcani

Description: 3IT. Calcolo scientifico

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©:The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. All rights reserved.

Description: To evaluate the site response using both empirical approaches (e.g. standard spectral ratio, ground motion models (GMMs), generalized inversion techniques, etc.) and numerical 1-D/2-D analyses, the definition of the reference motion, that is the ground motion recorded at stations unaffected by site-effects due to topographic, stratigraphic or basin effects, is needed. The main objective of this work is to define a robust strategy to identify the seismic stations that can be considered as reference rock sites, using six proxies for the site response: three proxies are related to the analysis of geophysical and seismological data (the repeatable site term from the residual analysis, the resonance frequencies from horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios on noise or earthquake signals, the average shear wave velocity in the first 30 m); the remaining ones concern geomorphological and installation features (outcropping rocks or stiff soils, flat topography and absence of interaction with structures). We introduce a weighting scheme to take into account the availability and the quality of the site information, as well as the fulfillment of the criterion associated to each proxy. We also introduce a hierarchical index, to take into account the relevance of the proposed proxies in the description of the site effects, and an acceptance threshold for reference rock sites identification. The procedure is applied on a very large data set, composed by accelerometric and velocimetric waveforms, recorded in Central Italy in the period 2008–2018. This data set is composed by more than 30 000 waveforms relative to 450 earthquakes in the magnitude range 3.2–6.5 and recorded by more than 450 stations. A total of 36 out of 133 candidate stations are identified as reference sites: the majority of them are installed on rock with flat topography, but this condition is not sufficient to guarantee the absence of amplifications, especially at high frequencies. Seismological analyses are necessary to exclude stations affected by resonances. We test the impact of using these sites by calibrating a GMMs. The results show that for reference rock sites the median predictions are reduced down to about 45 per cent at short periods in comparison to the generic rock motions.

Description: Published

Description: 2053–2067

Description: 5T. Sismologia, geofisica e geologia per l'ingegneria sismica

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©:The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. All rights reserved.

Description: We compile a data set of Rayleigh-wave phase velocities between pairs of stations, based on teleseismic events located on the same great circle as the two stations. We validate our observations against dispersion estimates based on ambient-noise cross correlations at the same station pairs. Discrepancies between the results of the two methods can in principle be explained by deviations in the wave propagation path between earthquake and receivers, due to lateral heterogeneity in the Earth’s structure, but the latter effect has, so far, not been precisely quantified nor corrected for. We implement an algorithm to measure the arrival angle of earthquake-generated surface waves and correct the dispersion measurements accordingly. Application to a data set from the Central-Western Mediterranean shows that the arrival-angle correction almost entirely accounts for the discrepancy in question, decreasing significantly the velocity bias for a wide range of periods.

Description: Published

Description: 1838–1844

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©: The Authors 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.

Description: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©:The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. All rights reserved.

Description: Three dimensional attenuation images of Mt Etna volcano obtained by the analysis of Q-coda from local volcano-tectonic earthquakes are presented in this work. Seismic sources are confined inside the Etna structure with a maximum focal depth of 35 km below the sea level. The space distribution of the attenuation values was calculated by using 3-D weighting functions derived by the sensitivity kernels of Pacheco & Snieders and approximated by a polynomial interpolation, represented in the maps by using a backprojection method. Data were analyzed in four bands with central frequency placed at 1.5, 3, 6 and 12 Hz, respectively. We observed a frequency dependence of Q-coda with values that range from 55 at 1.5 Hz to 218 at 12 Hz. Q-coda space distribution in the Etna area shows almost uniformity in the average attenuation in the first 35 km below the surface. The images were derived with a resolution of 5 km. We observe as one of our main conclusions that Q-coda attenuation space anomalies are correlated with the areas of highest structural heterogeneities and are distributed along the well-known tectonic structures which characterize the crust in Mt Etna region. Previous and numerous velocity and attenuation images describing the structure of Mt Etna support our main conclusion: high Q-coda volumes almost coincide with the zones marked by high velocity and relative low total attenuation for direct waves.

Description: Published

Description: 544–558

Description: 2V. Struttura e sistema di alimentazione dei vulcani

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©:The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. All rights reserved.

Description: On 24 January 2020 an Mw 6.8 earthquake occurred at 20:55 local time (17:55 UTC) in eastern Turkey, close to the town of Sivrice in the Elazığ province, causing widespread considerable seismic damage in buildings. In this study, we analyse the main features of the rupture process and the seismic ground shaking during the Elazığ earthquake. We first use Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) interferograms (Sentinel-1 satellites) to constrain the fault geometry and the coseismic slip distribution of the causative fault segment. Then, we utilize this information to analyse the ground motion characteristics of the main shock in terms of peak ground acceleration (PGA), peak ground velocity (PGV) and spectral accelerations. The absence of seismic registrations in near-field for this earthquake imposes major constraints on the computation of seismic ground motion estimations in the study area. To do this, we have used a stochastic finite-fault simulation method to generate high-frequency ground motions synthetics for the Mw 6.8 Elazığ 2020 earthquake. Finally, we evaluate the potential state of stress of the unruptured portions of the causative fault segment as well as of adjacent segments, using the Coulomb stress failure function variations. Modelling of geodetic data shows that the 2020 Elazığ earthquake ruptured two major slip patches (for a total length of about 40 km) located along the Pütürge segment of the well-known left-lateral strike-slip East Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ), with up to 2.3 m of slip and an estimated geodetic moment of 1.70 × 1019 Nm (equivalent to a Mw 6.8). The position of the hypocentre supports the evidence of marked WSW rupture directivity during the main shock. In terms of ground motion characteristics, we observe that the high-frequency stochastic ground motion simulations have a good capability to reproduce the source complexity and capture the ground motion attenuation decay as a function of distance, up to the 200 km. We also demonstrate that the design spectra corresponding to 475 yr return period, provided by the new Turkish building code is not exceeded by the simulated seismograms in the epicentral area where there are no strong motion stations and no recordings available. Finally, based on the Coulomb stress distribution computation, we find that the Elazığ main shock increased the stress level of the westernmost part of the Pütürge fault and of the adjacent Palu segment and as a result of an off-fault lobe.

Description: Published

Description: 1054–1068

Description: 5T. Sismologia, geofisica e geologia per l'ingegneria sismica

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We studied the ontogeny of osmoregulation of the Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus at an invaded area in the North Sea. H. sanguineus is native to Japan and China but has successfully invaded the Atlantic coast of North America and Europe. In the invaded areas, H. sanguineus is becoming a keystone species as driver of community structure and the adults compete with the shore crab Carcinus maenas. Strong osmoregulatory abilities may confer the potential to use and invade coastal areas already earlier in the life cycle. We reared larvae and first juveniles at 24°C in seawater from hatching to intermoult of each developmental stage (zoea I-V, megalopa, crab I). We exposed each stage to a range of salinities (0–39 ppt) for 24 h, and then we quantified haemolymph osmolality, using nano-osmometry. In addition, we quantified osmolality in field-collected adults after acclimation to the test salinities for 6 days. Larvae of H. sanguineus were able to hyper-osmoregulate at low salinities (15 and 20 ppt) over the complete larval development, although the capacity was reduced at the zoeal stage V; at higher salinities (25–39 ppt), all larval stages were osmoconformers. The capacity to slightly hypo-regulate at high salinity appeared in the first juvenile. Adults were able to hyper-osmoregulate at low salinities and hypo-regulate at concentrated seawater (39 ppt). H. sanguineus showed a strong capacity to osmoregulate as compared to its native competitor C. maenas, which only hyper-regulates at the first and last larval stages and does not hypo-regulate at the juvenile-adult stages. The capacity of H. sanguineus to osmoregulate over most of the life cycle should underpin the potential to invade empty niches in the coastal zone (characterized by low salinity and high temperatures). Osmoregulation abilities over the whole life cycle also constitute a strong competitive advantage over C. maenas.

Description: Background: Extreme terrestrial, analogue environments are widely used models to study the limits of life and to infer habitability of extraterrestrial settings. In contrast to Earth’s ecosystems, potential extraterrestrial biotopes are usually characterized by a lack of oxygen. Methods: In the MASE project (Mars Analogues for Space Exploration), we selected representative anoxic analogue environments (permafrost, salt-mine, acidic lake and river, sulfur springs) for the comprehensive analysis of their microbial communities. We assessed the microbiome profile of intact cells by propidium monoazide-based amplicon and shotgun metagenome sequencing, supplemented with an extensive cultivation effort. Results: The information retrieved from microbiome analyses on the intact microbial community thriving in the MASE sites, together with the isolation of 31 model microorganisms and successful binning of 15 high-quality genomes allowed us to observe principle pathways, which pinpoint specific microbial functions in the MASE sites compared to moderate environments. The microorganisms were characterized by an impressive machinery to withstand physical and chemical pressures. All levels of our analyses revealed the strong and omnipresent dependency of the microbial communities on complex organic matter. Moreover, we identified an extremotolerant cosmopolitan group of 34 poly-extremophiles thriving in all sites. Conclusions: Our results reveal the presence of a core microbiome and microbial taxonomic similarities between saline and acidic anoxic environments. Our work further emphasizes the importance of the environmental, terrestrial parameters for the functionality of a microbial community, but also reveals a high proportion of living microorganisms in extreme environments with a high adaptation potential within habitability borders.

Description: Numerical simulations indicate that extreme climate events (e.g., droughts, floods, heat waves) will increase in a warming world, putting enormous pressure on society and political decision-makers. To provide a long-term perspective on the variability of these extreme events, here we use a ~700 years tree-ring oxygen isotope chronology from Eastern Europe, in combination with paleo-reanalysis data, to show that the summer drying over Eastern Europe observed over the last ~150 years is to the best of our knowledge unprecedented over the last 700 years. This drying is driven by a change in the pressure patterns over Europe, characterized by a shift from zonal to a wavier flow around 1850CE, leading to extreme summer droughts and aridification. To our knowledge, this is the first and longest reconstruction of drought variability, based on stable oxygen isotopes in the tree-ring cellulose, for Eastern Europe, helping to fill a gap in the spatial coverage of paleoclimate reconstructions.

Description: The original version of this Article contained an error in Fig. 4, in which the y-axis should read “INPs (L−1 of air)” instead of “INPs x 10−3 (L−1 of air)”. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

Description: One of the major challenges facing global hydrodynamic tidal models is the modelling of the interaction between sea ice and tides in high-latitude waters. Recent studies have shown strong seasonal correlation between sea ice and tides. Hence, it is important to accurately model the effect of sea ice in a tidal model. Presence of sea ice leads to a frictional dissipation of tides. Most models either completely ignore sea ice or partly include it by assuming a fixed sea ice cover (landfast ice). However, sea ice can also be drifting and the nature of dissipation between drifting sea ice and tides is partly unknown. We assess the dissipation of tides due to free drift sea ice. In the absence of wind, this is negligible in the deeper and open ocean. For the shallow water regions, however, this dissipation is unknown. Here, we evaluate this dissipation for the Spitzbergen Shelf region using a beacon dataset showing strong free drift subdaily sea ice oscillations and a physics based point ice model. Two analyses were done which compared the model and observed motion. The analyses showed that for winds speeds below 8m/s and with low subdaily signals, the subdaily free drift sea ice motion is strongly connected to the tides and that the frictional dissipation is low. In the context of global tide and storm surge models, the dissipation from free drift sea ice on tides should be evaluated based on the region (deep ocean or shallow water) and existing wind conditions. In the presence of strong winds the dissipation between free drift sea ice and air can be significant on a subdaily scale even if there are no subdaily signals in the wind itself.

Description: Global biodiversity loss and mass extinction of species are two of the most critical environmental issues the world is currently facing, resulting in the disruption of various ecosystems central to environmental functions and human health. Microbiome-targeted interventions, such as probiotics and microbiome transplants, are emerging as potential options to reverse deterioration of biodiversity and increase the resilience of wildlife and ecosystems. However, the implementation of these interventions is urgently needed. We summarize the current concepts, bottlenecks and ethical aspects encompassing the careful and responsible management of ecosystem resources using the microbiome (termed microbiome stewardship) to rehabilitate organisms and ecosystem functions. We propose a real-world application framework to guide environmental and wildlife probiotic applications. This framework details steps that must be taken in the upscaling process while weighing risks against the high toll of inaction. In doing so, we draw parallels with other aspects of contemporary science moving swiftly in the face of urgent global challenges.

Description: One-quarter of photosynthesis-derived carbon on Earth rapidly cycles through a set of short-lived seawater metabolites that are generated from the activities of marine phytoplankton, bacteria, grazers and viruses. Here we discuss the sources of microbial metabolites in the surface ocean, their roles in ecology and biogeochemistry, and approaches that can be used to analyse them from chemistry, biology, modelling and data science. Although microbial-derived metabolites account for only a minor fraction of the total reservoir of marine dissolved organic carbon, their flux and fate underpins the central role of the ocean in sustaining life on Earth.

Description: Exceptional drought events, known as megadroughts, have occurred on every continent outside Antarctica over the past ~2,000 years, causing major ecological and societal disturbances. In this Review, we discuss shared causes and features of Common Era (Year 1–present) and future megadroughts. Decadal variations in sea surface temperatures are the primary driver of megadroughts, with secondary contributions from radiative forcing and land–atmosphere interactions. Anthropogenic climate change has intensified ongoing megadroughts in south-western North America and across Chile and Argentina. Future megadroughts will be substantially warmer than past events, with this warming driving projected increases in megadrought risk and severity across many regions, including western North America, Central America, Europe and the Mediterranean, extratropical South America, and Australia. However, several knowledge gaps currently undermine confidence in understanding past and future megadroughts. These gaps include a paucity of high-resolution palaeoclimate information over Africa, tropical South America and other regions; incomplete representations of internal variability and land surface processes in climate models; and the undetermined capacity of water-resource management systems to mitigate megadrought impacts. Addressing these deficiencies will be crucial for increasing confidence in projections of future megadrought risk and for resiliency planning.

Description: In contrast to the well-recognized permafrost carbon (C) feedback to climate change, the fate of permafrost nitrogen (N) after thaw is poorly understood. According to mounting evidence, part of the N liberated from permafrost may be released to the atmosphere as the strong greenhouse gas (GHG) nitrous oxide (N2O). Here, we report post-thaw N2O release from late Pleistocene permafrost deposits called Yedoma, which store a substantial part of permafrost C and N and are highly vulnerable to thaw. While freshly thawed, unvegetated Yedoma in disturbed areas emit little N2O, emissions increase within few years after stabilization, drying and revegetation with grasses to high rates (548 (133–6286) μg N m−2 day−1; median with (range)), exceeding by 1–2 orders of magnitude the typical rates from permafrost-affected soils. Using targeted metagenomics of key N cycling genes, we link the increase in in situ N2O emissions with structural changes of the microbial community responsible for N cycling. Our results highlight the importance of extra N availability from thawing Yedoma permafrost, causing a positive climate feedback from the Arctic in the form of N2O emissions.

Description: Beavers were not previously recognized as an Arctic species, and their engineering in the tundra is considered negligible. Recent findings suggest that beavers have moved into Arctic tundra regions and are controlling surface water dynamics, which strongly influence permafrost and landscape stability. Here we use 70 years of satellite images and aerial photography to show the scale and magnitude of northwestward beaver expansion in Alaska, indicated by the construction of over 10,000 beaver ponds in the Arctic tundra. The number of beaver ponds doubled in most areas between ~ 2003 and ~ 2017. Earlier stages of beaver engineering are evident in ~ 1980 imagery, and there is no evidence of beaver engineering in ~ 1952 imagery, consistent with observations from Indigenous communities describing the influx of beavers over the period. Rapidly expanding beaver engineering has created a tundra disturbance regime that appears to be thawing permafrost and exacerbating the effects of climate change.

Description: In the context of global warming, the melting of arctic permafrost raises the threat of a re-emergence of microorganisms some of which were shown to remain viable in ancient frozen soils for up to half a million years. In order to evaluate this risk, it is of interest to acquire a better knowledge of the composition of the microbial communities found in this understudied environment. Here we present a metagenomics analysis of 12 soil samples from Russian Arctic and subarctic pristine areas: Chukotka, Yakutia, and Kamchatka, including 9 permafrost samples collected at various depths. These large datasets (9.2 1011 total bp) were assembled (525,313 contigs 〉 5kb), their encoded protein contents predicted, then used to perform taxonomical assignments of bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic organisms, as well as DNA viruses. The various samples exhibited variable DNA contents and highly diverse taxonomic profiles showing no obvious relationship with their locations, depths or deposit ages. Bacteria represented the largely dominant DNA fraction (95%) in all samples, followed by archaea (3.2%), surprisingly little eukaryotes (0.5%), and viruses (0.4%). Although no common taxonomic pattern was identified, the samples shared unexpected high frequencies of β-lactamase genes, almost 0.9 copy/bacterial genome. In addition of known environmental threats, the particularly intense warming of the Arctic might thus enhance the spread of bacterial antibiotic resistances, today's major challenge in public health. β-lactamases were also observed at high frequency in other types of soils, suggesting their general role in the regulation of bacterial populations.

Description: Arctic warming is causing ancient perennially frozen ground (permafrost) to thaw, resulting in ground collapse, and reshaping of landscapes. This threatens Arctic peoples' infrastructure, cultural sites, and land-based natural resources. Terrestrial permafrost thaw and ongoing intensification of hydrological cycles also enhance the amount and alter the type of organic carbon (OC) delivered from land to Arctic nearshore environments. These changes may affect coastal processes, food web dynamics and marine resources on which many traditional ways of life rely. Here, we examine how future projected increases in runoff and permafrost thaw from two permafrost-dominated Siberian watersheds—the Kolyma and Lena, may alter carbon turnover rates and OC distributions through river networks. We demonstrate that the unique composition of terrestrial permafrost-derived OC can cause significant increases to aquatic carbon degradation rates (20 to 60% faster rates with 1% permafrost OC). We compile results on aquatic OC degradation and examine how strengthening Arctic hydrological cycles may increase the connectivity between terrestrial landscapes and receiving nearshore ecosystems, with potential ramifications for coastal carbon budgets and ecosystem structure. To address the future challenges Arctic coastal communities will face, we argue that it will become essential to consider how nearshore ecosystems will respond to changing coastal inputs and identify how these may affect the resiliency and availability of essential food resources.

Description: The Northeast Greenland shelf (NEGS) is a recipient of Polar Water (PW) from the Arctic Ocean, Greenland Ice Sheet melt, and Atlantic Water (AW). Here, we compile hydrographical measurements to quantify long-term changes in fjords and coastal waters. We find a profound change in the vertical distribution of water masses, with AW shoaling 〉60 m and PW thinning 〉50 m since early 2000’s. The properties of these waters have also changed. AW is now 1 °C warmer and the salinity of surface waters and PW are 1.8 and 0.68 lower, respectively. The AW changes have substantially weakened stratification south of ~74°N, indicating increased accessibility of heat and potentially nutrients associated with AW. The Atlantification earlier reported for the eastern Fram Strait and Barents Sea region has also propagated to the NEGS. The increased presence of AW, is an important driver for regional change leading to a likely shift in ecosystem structure and function.

Description: 〈jats:title〉Abstract〈/jats:title〉〈jats:p〉The Digital Earth project aimed for the integration of data science and Earth science. Here, we reflect on the main lessons learned that include the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, thinking out of the box, the concept of ‘thinking in workflows’ and models for the sustainable implementation of scientific software, data infrastructure and policies.〈/jats:p〉

Description: 〈jats:title〉Abstract〈/jats:title〉〈jats:p〉Data-driven science has turned into a fourth fundamental paradigm of performing research. Earth System Science, following a holistic approach in unraveling the complex network of processes and interactions shaping system Earth, particularly profits from embracing data-driven approaches next to observation and modeling. At the end, increasing digitalization of Earth sciences will lead to cultural transformation towards a Digital Earth Culture.〈/jats:p〉

Description: 〈jats:title〉Abstract〈/jats:title〉〈jats:p〉Digital Earth is a project funded by the German Helmholtz Association with all centers of the research field Earth and Environment involved. The main goal of the Digital Earth project is to develop and bundle data science methods in extendable and maintainable scientific workflows that enable natural scientists in collaboration with data scientists to achieve a deeper understanding of the Earth system. This has been achieved by developing solutions for data analysis and exploration with visual and computational approaches with data obtained in a SMART monitoring approach and modeling studies, accompanied by a continuous evaluation of the collaboration processes. In this chapter, the history, setup, and focus of the Digital Earth project are described.〈/jats:p〉

Description: Animal behavior in space and time is structured by the perceived day/night cycle. However, this is modified by the animals’ own movement within its habitat, creating a realized diel light niche (RDLN). To understand the RDLN, we investigated the light as experienced by zooplankton undergoing synchronized diel vertical migration (DVM) in an Arctic fjord around the spring equinox. We reveal a highly dampened light cycle with diel changes being about two orders of magnitude smaller compared to the surface or a static depth. The RDLN is further characterized by unique wavelength-specific irradiance cycles. We discuss the relevance of RDLNs for animal adaptations and interactions, as well as implications for circadian clock entrainment in the wild and laboratory.

Description: The moon’s monthly cycle synchronizes reproduction in countless marine organisms. The mass-spawning bristle worm Platynereis dumerilii uses an endogenous monthly oscillator set by full moon to phase reproduction to specific days. But how do organisms recognize specific moon phases? We uncover that the light receptor L-Cryptochrome (L-Cry) discriminates between different moonlight durations, as well as between sun- and moonlight. A biochemical characterization of purified L-Cry protein, exposed to naturalistic sun- or moonlight, reveals the formation of distinct sun- and moonlight states characterized by different photoreduction- and recovery kinetics of L-Cry’s cofactor Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide. In Platynereis, L-Cry’s sun- versus moonlight states correlate with distinct subcellular localizations, indicating different signaling. In contrast, r-Opsin1, the most abundant ocular opsin, is not required for monthly oscillator entrainment. Our work reveals a photo-ecological concept for natural light interpretation involving a “valence interpreter” that provides entraining photoreceptor(s) with light source and moon phase information.

Description: The right timing of animal physiology and behaviour ensures the stability of populations and ecosystems. To predict anthropogenic impacts on these timings, more insight is needed into the interplay between environment and molecular timing mechanisms. This is particularly true in marine environments. Using high-resolution, long-term daylight measurements from a habitat of the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii, we found that temporal changes in ultraviolet A (UVA)/deep violet intensities, more than longer wavelengths, can provide annual time information, which differs from annual changes in the photoperiod. We developed experimental set-ups that resemble natural daylight illumination conditions, and automated, quantifiable behavioural tracking. Experimental reduction of UVA/deep violet light (approximately 370–430 nm) under a long photoperiod (16 h light and 8 h dark) significantly decreased locomotor activities, comparable to the decrease caused by a short photoperiod (8 h light and 16 h dark). In contrast, altering UVA/deep violet light intensities did not cause differences in locomotor levels under a short photoperiod. This modulation of locomotion by UVA/deep violet light under a long photoperiod requires c-opsin1, a UVA/deep violet sensor employing Gi signalling. C-opsin1 also regulates the levels of rate-limiting enzymes for monogenic amine synthesis and of several neurohormones, including pigment-dispersing factor, vasotocin (vasopressin/oxytocin) and neuropeptide Y. Our analyses indicate a complex inteplay between UVA/deep violet light intensities and photoperiod as indicators of annual time.

Description: How fast the Northern Hemisphere (NH) forest biome tracks strongly warming climates is largely unknown. Regional studies reveal lags between decades and millennia. Here we report a conundrum: Deglacial forest expansion in the NH extra-tropics occurs approximately 4000 years earlier in a transient MPI-ESM1.2 simulation than shown by pollen-based biome reconstructions. Shortcomings in the model and the reconstructions could both contribute to this mismatch, leaving the underlying causes unresolved. The simulated vegetation responds within decades to simulated climate changes, which agree with pollen-independent reconstructions. Thus, we can exclude climate biases as main driver for differences. Instead, the mismatch points at a multi-millennial disequilibrium of the NH forest biome to the climate signal. Therefore, the evaluation of time-slice simulations in strongly changing climates with pollen records should be critically reassessed. Our results imply that NH forests may be responding much slower to ongoing climate changes than Earth System Models predict.

Description: The Last Interglacial (~129,000–116,000 years ago) is the most recent geologic period with a warmer-than-present climate. Proxy-based temperature reconstructions from this interval can help contextualize natural climate variability in our currently warming world, especially if they can define changes on decadal timescales. Here, we established a ~4.800-year-long record of sea surface temperature (SST) variability from the eastern Mediterranean Sea at 1–4-year resolution by applying mass spectrometry imaging of long-chain alkenones to a finely laminated organic-matter-rich sapropel deposited during the Last Interglacial. We observe the highest amplitude of decadal variability in the early stage of sapropel deposition, plausibly due to reduced vertical mixing of the highly stratified water column. With the subsequent reorganization of oceanographic conditions in the later stage of sapropel deposition, when SST forcing resembled the modern situation, we observe that the maximum amplitude of reconstructed decadal variability did not exceed the range of the recent period of warming climate. The more gradual, centennial SST trends reveal that the maximal centennial scale SST increase in our Last Interglacial record is below the projected temperature warming in the twenty-first century.

Description: The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation by fostering deep-water upwelling and formation of new water masses. On geological timescales, ACC variations are poorly constrained beyond the last glacial. Here, we reconstruct changes in ACC strength in the central Drake Passage in vicinity of the modern Polar Front over a complete glacial-interglacial cycle (i.e., the past 140,000 years), based on sediment grain-size and geochemical characteristics. We found significant glacial-interglacial changes of ACC flow speed, with weakened current strength during glacials and a stronger circulation in interglacials. Superimposed on these orbital-scale changes are high-amplitude millennialscale fluctuations, with ACC strength maxima correlating with diatom-based Antarctic winter sea-ice minima, particularly during full glacial conditions. We infer that the ACC is closely linked to Southern Hemisphere millennial-scale climate oscillations, amplified through Antarctic sea ice extent changes. These strong ACC variations modulated Pacific-Atlantic water exchange via the “cold water route” and potentially affected the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and marine carbon storage.

Description: Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development – the Ocean Decade – is a framework to identify, generate and use critical ocean knowledge that is needed to manage the ocean sustainably, and achieve global aspirations for climate, biodiversity, and human well-being. Through its vision of ‘The science we need for the ocean we want’, the Ocean Decade provides an inclusive, equitable and global framework for diverse actors to co-design and co-deliver transformative ocean science to meet ten Ocean Decade Challenges. Through a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach, the Ocean Decade will contribute essential knowledge to global, regional, and national policy frameworks, including the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.1 The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) leads the coordination of the Ocean Decade, in collaboration with numerous partners from the United Nations system, governments, philanthropy, industry, civil society and the scientific community. 2021 was the first year of implementation of the Ocean Decade – a watershed moment in ocean science globally – and the achievements since the launch have been significant. Although challenges remain, particularly in relation to investment in ocean science, a robust foundation is now in place for the next nine years of transformative ocean science.

Description: OpenASFA input

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: GenOcean instils a feeling of unity - it's not them and us - we are all in this together. Connecting with the audience, gaining their trust, and allowing them to seamlessly collaborate is essential. But to connect, we have to be on the same wavelength. This campaign identity guide serves as the starting point to create a unified, inspiring and determined campaign that aims to inspire everyday actions to restore and protect the ocean. The following pages contain inspiration, guidelines, and handy tips to communicate our values, realize our vision, and reinforce the GenOcean campaign. Thank you for helping achieve the GenOcean mission to restore and protect the ocean. Welcome to GenOcean.

Description: Government of Japan

Description: From the People of Japan

Description: University of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan

Description: OPENASFA INPUT For bibliographic purposes, this publication should be cited as follows: IOC-UNESCO. GenOcean Campaign Identity. Paris. 2022. 72 pp. (The Ocean Decade Series, 33).

Description: Published

Description: Not Known

Description: Rationale for this report The Ocean Decade and the Ocean Panel have been developed in full recognition of their mutual importance and influence. The ultimate goal of this report is to analyse tangible ways in which the linkages between the Ocean Decade, with its vision of the ‘science we need for the ocean we want’, and the framework identified by the Ocean Panel, with its aims of safeguarding the long-term health and resilience of the ocean, can be optimized. Ocean science encompasses natural and social science disciplines; the technology and infrastructure that supports ocean science; the application of ocean science for societal benefit, including knowledge transfer and applications in regions that are lacking science capacity; and the science-policy and science-innovation interfaces. It considers the land-sea, ocean-atmosphere and ocean-cryosphere interactions. Ocean science recognizes, respects and embraces local and indigenous knowledge. Source: Ocean Decade Implementation Plan. See note 4. This report has been prepared by the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) in its role of coordinating agency of the implementation of the Ocean Decade. It represents the first attempt to explicitly analyse and document the synergies that exist and which could be developed in the future. It is a first step in a process to develop a lean, reliable guiding framework for ocean action, where existing initiatives mutually reinforce each other, thus augmenting their cumulative impact. The need to urgently build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic is recognized by governments and partners worldwide. More than ever before, the current crisis has highlighted the importance of science and knowledge for decision-making and policy. Analysing the synergies between the Ocean Decade and the Ocean Panel – one built around action-oriented knowledge creation and the other explicitly oriented towards policy – naturally responds to this emerging demand for science that is relevant to society. This report builds on the declaration of the 14 world leaders on the Ocean Panel who commit to leveraging the Ocean Decade and the body of knowledge commissioned by the Ocean Panel to build collective understanding and knowledge of ocean sustainability, ecosystem services and functions, and to ensuring that science underpins decision-making for building a sustainable ocean economy.6 It is intended for a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including governments, policymakers, scientists, industry, funding agencies, NGOs and civil society, to raise awareness about the intersections between the action framework of the Ocean Decade and the recommendations of the Ocean Panel. A sustainable ocean economy brings diverse stakeholders together to achieve common goals – the three Ps of effective protection, sustainable production and equitable prosperity. In the sustainable ocean economy paradigm, groups work together by adopting integrated and balanced management of the ocean in which each of the three Ps contributes to the other. The result is a triple win for nature, people and economy and a world where prosperity is greater and more equitably distributed than it is today. Source: Adapted from Stuchtey et al., 2020. See note 10. It speaks both to governments and partners who have committed to the Ocean Panel’s vision of protection, production and prosperity – as well as aiming to incite and catalyse action and commitments from new governments and partners. It deliberately focuses on palpable recommendations that will allow all concerned actors – including members of the Ocean Panel, Ocean Decade partners and members of the future Ocean Panel Action Coalitions – to streamline efforts and carry out effective, collective actions that will lead to sound ocean management, a sustainable ocean economy, and ultimately to achieve the ocean we want – and need – by 2030. For bibliographic purposes, this publication should be cited as follows: IOC-UNESCO. 2021. Ocean Knowledge for a Sustainable Ocean Economy: Synergies between the Ocean Decade and the Outcomes of the Ocean Panel. Paris, UNESCO. (The Ocean Decade Series, 17).

Description: Portuguese Republic

Description: OPENASFA INPUT

Description: Published

Description: Not Known

Description: In 2016, the first World Ocean Assessment of the United Nations stated that humankind was running out of time to start managing the ocean sustainably. This alarming conclusion poses a question to our civilization: is there a way to reverse the decline in ocean health while continuing to rely on the ocean for our ever-increasing needs, particularly under a changing climate? The proclamation by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2017 of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, 2021–2030 (hereafter, the ‘Ocean Decade’) is based on the informed conviction of UN Member States that indeed, this opportunity still exists, and that, furthermore, ocean science needs to play a central role in this process. Ocean science is broad: it encompasses natural and social science disciplines, local and indigenous knowledge; it includes the science-policy and science-innovation interfaces, as well as technology and infrastructure. At the beginning of the third millennium, ocean science is largely competent for diagnosing problems. However, its ability to offer solutions of direct relevance to sustainable development requires a massive upgrade. This need is particularly urgent against the current backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating climate change. The pandemic has, once again, highlighted the importance of science and knowledge for decision-making and policy. As the world adjusts to a new normal, the ocean will need to play a central role in post-pandemic recovery efforts. However, for this to occur, there needs to be a nothing short of a revolution in ocean science. The Ocean Decade will create a paradigm shift in the generation of qualitative and quantitative ocean knowledge – including from currently data-poor regions, such as the deep ocean, coastal areas where much of the human interaction with the ocean is concentrated, and the polar regions – to inform the development of solutions that contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Ocean Decade aims to catalyse the human behaviour change required for the successful implementation of these solutions. Guided by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Ocean Decade will generate the data, information and knowledge needed for more robust science-informed policies and stronger science-policy interfaces at global, regional, national and even local levels, leading to improved integrated ocean management and development of a sustainable ocean economy. The Ocean Decade will support numerous UN entities to fulfil their ocean-related mandates. In our information-centred, internet-linked society, the Ocean Decade will support ocean data, information and knowledge systems to evolve into a much higher level of readiness, accessibility, and interoperability. The scale of such efforts will need to be exponentially greater than anything seen to date. An equally transformational part of the Ocean Decade is about humanity and our relationship with the ocean. Understanding of the value of the ocean can be nurtured through ocean literacy efforts among diverse stakeholder groups. Holders of indigenous and local knowledge will work as essential partners of the Ocean Decade and will contribute to highlighting the multitude of cultural values of the ocean. Equity, inclusiveness, respect, fairness and scientific integrity are core principles of the Ocean Decade. The Ocean Decade will systematically identify and dismantle barriers to achieving gender, geographic and generational balance so that no one is left behind. Everyone should be able to benefit from ocean science, including Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries. Designing and delivering ocean science that focuses on user needs and adopts relevant mechanisms for uptake will be a key metamorphosis to be achieved between 2021 and 2030. Its scale will be unprecedented. Multiple stakeholders are expected to engage and start collaborating outside their traditional communities. Knowledge generators and users will engage in an iterative process of co-design and co-delivery of ocean science. This will create new groupings of actors from natural, social science and humanity disciplines, business and industry, governments, UN entities, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), NGOs and civil society, educators, early career ocean professionals, ocean sports and recreation organizations, arts and cultural communities, and indigenous and local knowledge holders. Partnerships and active communication will be at the heart of the Ocean Decade. This Decade is not the first to take on the challenge of ocean science. In 1971–1980, earlier generations embarked on the International Decade of Ocean Exploration. As part of that Decade, groundbreaking collaborative research projects occurred. Many of which, such as the World Ocean Circulation Experiment, permanently changed the face of ocean exploration. However, one crucial difference remains between the two Decades: in the 1970s, the aim was to generate the ‘science we want’. In today’s world, we no longer have that luxury, and the current Decade is resolutely focused on the ‘science we need’. The Implementation Plan for such a major undertaking as the Ocean Decade cannot be, and is not, prescriptive. Rather, it provides a framework for transformational action that will build on existing achievements and deliver action across geographies, sectors, disciplines and generations. I hope you, as a reader and an Ocean Decade stakeholder, will share the overall strategic vision and approach of the Ocean Decade as described in the Implementation Plan. With your engagement and your support, the impact of the Ocean Decade will be much bigger than the sum of its parts and together we will be able to create the science we need for the ocean we want.

Description: OPENASFA INPUT he document should be cited as follows: UNESCO-IOC (2021). The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) Implementation Plan. UNESCO, Paris (IOC Ocean Decade Series, 20.).

Description: Published

Description: Not Known

Description: On 5 December 2017, the United Nations (UN) declared that a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (‘Ocean Decade’) would be held from 2021 to 2030. The Ocean Decade provides a common framework to ensure that ocean science can underpin the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and complementary global and regional policy frameworks including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Ocean Decade provides a ‘once-in- a-lifetime’ opportunity to create a new foundation across the science-policy interface to strengthen the management of the ocean and coasts for the benefit of humanity and to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The Ocean Decade Implementation Plan outlines ten Decade Challenges, representing the most immediate and pressing needs of the Decade, which will guide stakeholders as they come together to co-design and co-deliver a wide range of Decade Actions that will be implemented the ocean-climate nexus is embodied in Challenge No. 5 and is reflected in a number of the other Challenges over the next ten years. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) has been mandated to coordinate implementation of the Ocean Decade. The Ocean Decade will provide the data, knowledge and capacity to address science and knowledge gaps needed to make informed policy decisions. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly clearly recognizes the societal benefits of a healthy ocean and the need to work across UN entities to achieve this goal. Working in coordination with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Ocean Decade will contribute to addressing these societal challenges for example by providing the sound science needed to reflect ocean considerations in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. In the Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue1, the UNFCCC reaffirmed that science must be strengthened and central to this process. The complementary structure of the Ocean Decade Action Framework to the goals of COP26 will allow for meaningful contributions in achieving successful outcomes.

Description: MEXT

Description: From the People of Japan

Description: OPENASFA INPUT UNESCO-IOC.2021. The Ocean Decade at COP26 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Paris, UNESCO. (The Ocean Decade Series, 31) - (IOC/2021/ODS/31)

Description: Published

Description: Not Known

Description: The Implementation Plan of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (the Ocean Decade) calls for ‘transformative science’ and a ‘revolution in how that science is produced, used and disseminated’. The solutions-oriented nature of the Ocean Decade creates the conditions for this revolution because it provides a convening framework to foster the partnerships and develop the scientific knowledge needed to catalyse transformative ocean science solutions for sustainable development, connecting people and our ocean. While there is widespread enthusiasm to engage in this collaborative venture, there is a need to build capacity and common understanding in how to create co-designed solutions that could bring about the desired transformation in ocean management. This discussion note ‘Co-designing the Science We Need for the Ocean We Want: Guidance and Recommendations for Collaborative Approaches to Designing & Implementing Decade Actions’ aims to address this in a holistic manner. It was inspired by discussions held during a series of global and regional webinars in late 2020 that brought together 2,100 individuals from around the world to bring to life the notion of collaborative, co-designed science and identify the key obstacles, challenges and opportunities. The note offers a solid starting point for stakeholders on the: what, why and how they can join efforts to co-design salient, credible and legitimate ocean knowledge solutions which deliver on the Ocean Decade’s vision of ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’.

Description: Government of Sweden

Description: International Science Council

Description: OPENASFA INPUT For bibliographic purposes, this publication should be cited as follows: IOC-UNESCO. 2021. Co-designing the Science We Need for the Ocean We Want: Guidance and Recommendations for Collaborative Approaches to Designing & Implementing Decade Actions. Paris, UNESCO. (The Ocean Decade Series, 29).

Description: Published

Description: Not Known

Description: The DCU provided an overview of the Ocean Decade history, rationale and implementation progress as well as key perspectives and challenges for the future.. The DCU reported continued strong enthusiasm to be part of the Decade – “exciting” “innovative” “transformative”, although it noted a growing desire for collective efforts to set strategic ambitions and not remain entirely ‘bottom-up’ which is a significant (but natural) change in opinion. The DCU also recognized the growing desire to understand how the Ocean Decade will contribute to sustainable ocean management and sustainable ocean economic development. The DCU noted increased engagement, and growing private sector and national engagement but reinforced to the Board that it is important to emphasize the Decade as a regional and global collaborative space so as to avoid a purely national focus resulting in 150 national Ocean Decades. Challenges and opportunities for the Ocean Decade’s immediate future were presented. The challenges identified were growing requests and first signs of impatience vis-a-vis the role of Ocean Decade in resource mobilisation; weak leadership roles of partners from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS); limited engagement with key funding partners including multilateral development banks (MDBs) and international financing instruments; pressure growing to systematically measure and report on progress of Ocean Decade; and a systematic approach to capacity development and exchange is emerging but needs more attention and targeted support. One question some Board members raised was ‘what legacy does the Ocean Decade want to leave?’ positing that it may be useful to identify if the underlying goal is to increase investment, produce science, place a mark on the SDGs and contribute to the post-2030 process; or all of these. The recommendation being that this will solidify the tangible benefit of being affiliated with the Ocean Decade and give direction to the energy that has been generated. Other members emphasised the importance of engaging women and youth in the Ocean Decade and heightening the impact of regional action in which many stakeholders are already engaged. The Board showed support for and willingness to engage further with private sector enterprises, international financing institutions and instruments, and philanthropy to unlock investment in ocean science. An acknowledgment was made that SIDS and LDC mobilisation will require a strengthening of the “business case” of the Ocean Decade and the availability of dedicated resources.

Description: OPENASFA INPUT

Description: Published

Description: Not Known

Description: Climate change is expected to cause major shifts in boreal forests which are in vast areas of Siberia dominated by two species of the deciduous needle tree larch (Larix). The species differ markedly in their ecosystem functions, thus shifts in their respective ranges are of global relevance. However, drivers of species distribution are not well understood, in part because paleoecological data at species level are lacking. This study tracks Larix species distribution in time and space using target enrichment on sedimentary ancient DNA extracts from eight lakes across Siberia. We discovered that Larix sibirica, presently dominating in western Siberia, likely migrated to its northern distribution area only in the Holocene at around 10,000 years before present (ka BP), and had a much wider eastern distribution around 33 ka BP. Samples dated to the Last Glacial Maximum (around 21 ka BP), consistently show genotypes of L. gmelinii. Our results suggest climate as a strong determinant of species distribution in Larix and provide temporal and spatial data for species projection in a changing climate.

Description: The aim of this paper is to investigate, through fnancial-statement analyzes, the economic fnancial performance of Italian hotels, after the international economic crisis, also con sidering the possible macro-regional diferences. The study focuses the fnancial state ments of 5473 hotels from 2009 to 2018. National data are also disaggregated in the three macro-areas that characterize Italy for diferent social and economic aspects. Anova test and Tukey–Kramer test are used. Results show that the crisis afected proftability. Ital ian hotels have a low capitalization, unable to cope with the large structural investments that require signifcant debts. The proftability indicators record similar trends in the three macro-areas, while the fnancial independence index and the coverage index show signif cant diferent values in the three observed areas. Therefore, in the digital era, Italian hotel industry has all the potential to restructure itself. Here fve ratios are considered to observe medium sized hotels. Future research with other variables will be useful, even on smaller hotels, and the analysis of their trends by cohorts of companies is necessary, as well as the integration of quantitative data with qualitative evidence. This paper encourages the cul ture of temporal sector comparison, re-evaluating the potential of accounting information systems, in order to promote data-based growth and development strategies. Furthermore, it contains indications for government ofcials, as well as for countries in the process of developing the hospitality sector following the example of the Italian experience.

Description: Published

Description: 383–407

Description: OSA5: Energia e georisorse

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: Pathogenic variants that disrupt human mitochondrial protein synthesis are associated with a clinically heterogenous group of diseases. Despite an impairment in oxidative phosphorylation being a common phenotype, the underlying molecular pathogenesis is more complex than simply a bioenergetic deficiency. Currently, we have limited mechanistic understanding on the scope by which a primary defect in mitochondrial protein synthesis contributes to organelle dysfunction. Since the proteins encoded in the mitochondrial genome are hydrophobic and need co-translational insertion into a lipid bilayer, responsive quality control mechanisms are required to resolve aberrations that arise with the synthesis of truncated and misfolded proteins. Here, we show that defects in the OXA1L-mediated insertion of MT-ATP6 nascent chains into the mitochondrial inner membrane are rapidly resolved by the AFG3L2 protease complex. Using pathogenic MT-ATP6 variants, we then reveal discrete steps in this quality control mechanism and the differential functional consequences to mitochondrial gene expression. The inherent ability of a given cell type to recognize and resolve impairments in mitochondrial protein synthesis may in part contribute at the molecular level to the wide clinical spectrum of these disorders.

Description: In our recent papers a non-standard quasi-molecular mechanism was suggested and applied to treat the cosmological recombination. It was assumed that, in the pre-recombination stage of evolution of the Universe, an electron combined with two neighbouring protons and created a hydrogen molecular ion, $H_2^+$ in a highly excited state, which then descended into the lower-lying state or dissociated. In this work, we implement a quantitative analysis of this quasi-molecular mechanism of recombination; namely, we elaborate the scheme of calculation for a free–bound radiative transition. We show that the quasi-molecular mechanism played a significant role in the pre-recombination and recombination stages of evolution of the early Universe, and hence must be included into the consideration of the description of a thermal history of the Universe. Together with the earlier developed treatment of bound-bound radiative transitions in $H_2^+$, the elaborated scheme of calculation can be used for the design of a rapid and complete cosmological recombination code.

Description: Summary This article proposes the use of geostatistical techniques to estimate dispersion curves between other known ones. To do it, we introduce two novel methodologies: the stacking method and the group-velocity mapping method. We obtain our set of group-velocity fundamental mode dispersion curves from seismic noise correlation. Consequently, we first assign their attribution point at the mid-distance between the stations used for the dispersion curves calculation. The stacking method uses the range of the omnidirectional semivariogram of a regionalized variable that quantifies the similarity between dispersion curves to stack them according to their spatial correlation. We test this technique with dispersion curves obtained in Mexico City and get a range of ∼400 m for the omnidirectional semivariogram. We also calculate directional semivariograms and observe a maximum range (∼500 m) in the NW-SE direction, agreeing with the city's spatial distribution of natural periods. On the other hand, the group-velocity mapping method uses the ordinary kriging estimator in the group velocities for all the ranges of periods to generate maps and then dispersion curves. Estimated dispersion curves retrieved from both, the stacking and the group-velocity mapping method, were compared with those obtained with the fast marching tomographic method. We also establish analogies between getting group-velocity maps with the tomographic method and with the group-velocity mapping method. Finally, we observe that the range of the omnidirectional semivariogram used in the stacking method may be related to the tomographic method resolution.

Description: Motivation DNA Methylation plays a key role in a variety of biological processes. Recently, Nanopore long-read sequencing has enabled direct detection of these modifications. As a consequence, a range of computational methods have been developed to exploit Nanopore data for methylation detection. However, current approaches rely on a human-defined threshold to detect the methylation status of a genomic position and are not optimized to detect sites methylated at low frequency. Furthermore, most methods employ either the Nanopore signals or the basecalling errors as the model input and do not take advantage of their combination. Results Here we present DeepMP, a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based model that takes information from Nanopore signals and basecalling errors to detect whether a given motif in a read is methylated or not. Besides, DeepMP introduces a threshold-free position modification calling model sensitive to sites methylated at low frequency across cells. We comprehensively benchmarked DeepMP against state-of-the-art methods on E. coli, human and pUC19 datasets. DeepMP outperforms current approaches at read-based and position-based methylation detection across sites methylated at different frequencies in the three datasets. Availability DeepMP is implemented and freely available under MIT license at https://github.com/pepebonet/DeepMP Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Description: α-Synuclein (α-Syn) can form different fibril strains with distinct polymorphs and neuropathologies, which is associated with the clinicopathological variability in synucleinopathies. How different α-syn fibril strains are produced and selected under disease conditions remains poorly understood. In this study, we show that the hereditary mutation G51D induces α-syn to form a distinct fibril strain in vitro. The cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the G51D fibril strain was determined at 2.96 Å resolution. The G51D fibril displays a relatively small and extended serpentine fold distinct from other α-syn fibril structures. Moreover, we show by cryo-EM that wild-type (WT) α-syn can assembly into the G51D fibril strain via cross-seeding with G51D fibrils. Our study reveals a distinct structure of G51D fibril strain triggered by G51D mutation but feasibly adopted by both WT and G51D α-syn, which suggests the cross-seeding and strain selection of WT and mutant α-syn in familial Parkinson’s disease (fPD).

Description: Pseudomonas aeruginosa DN1 can efficiently utilize fluoranthene as its sole carbon source, and the initial reaction in the biodegradation process is catalyzed by a ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase (RHD). To clarify the binding interaction of RHD with fluoranthene in the strain DN1, the genes encoding alpha subunit (RS30940) and beta subunit (RS05115) of RHD were functionally characterized through multi-technique combination such as gene knockout and homology modeling as well as molecular docking analysis. The results showed that the mutants lacking the characteristic alpha subunit and/or beta subunit failed to degrade fluoranthene effectively. Based on the translated protein sequence and Ramachandran plot, 96.5% of the primary amino-acid sequences of the alpha subunit in the modeled structure of the RHD were in the permitted region, 2.3% in the allowed region, but 1.2% in the disallowed area. The catalytic mechanism mediated by key residues was proposed by the simulations of molecular docking, wherein the active site of alpha subunit constituted a triangle structure of the mononuclear iron atom and the two oxygen atoms coupled with the predicted catalytic ternary of His217-His222-Asp372 for the dihydroxylation reaction with fluoranthene. Those amino acid residues adjacent to fluoranthene were nonpolar groups, and the C7-C8 positions on the fluoranthene ring were estimated to be the best oxidation sites. The distance of C7-O and C8-O was 3.77 Å and 3.04 Å respectively, and both of them were parallel. The results of synchronous fluorescence and site-directed mutagenesis confirmed the roles of the predicted residues during catalysis. This binding interaction could enhance our understanding of the catalytic mechanism of RHDs and provide a solid foundation for further enzymatic modification.

Description: Motivation With the advancement of sequencing technologies, genomic data sets are constantly being expanded by high volumes of different data types. One recently introduced data type in genomic science is genomic signals, which are usually short-read coverage measurements over the genome. To understand and evaluate the results of such studies, one needs to understand and analyze the characteristics of the input data. Results SigTools is an R-based genomic signals visualization package developed with two objectives: 1) to facilitate genomic signals exploration in order to uncover insights for later model training, refinement, and development by including distribution and autocorrelation plots. 2) to enable genomic signals interpretation by including correlation, and aggregation plots. In addition, our corresponding web application, SigTools-Shiny, extends the accessibility scope of these modules to people who are more comfortable working with graphical user interfaces instead of command-line tools. Availability SigTools source code, installation guide, and manual is freely available on http://github.com/shohre73.

Description: Quantifying the flux of cosmic rays reaching exoplanets around M dwarfs is essential to understand their possible effects on exoplanet habitability. Here, we investigate the propagation of Galactic cosmic rays as they travel through the stellar winds (astrospheres) of five nearby M dwarfs, namely: GJ 15A, GJ 273, GJ 338B, GJ 411 and GJ 887. Our selected stars each have 1 or 2 detected exoplanets and they all have wind mass-loss rates constrained by Lyman-α observations. Our simulations use a combined 1D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Alfvén-wave-driven stellar wind model and 1D cosmic ray transport model. We find that GJ 411 and GJ 887 have Galactic cosmic rays fluxes comparable with Earth’s at their habitable zones. On the other hand, GJ 15A, GJ 273 and GJ 338B receive a lower Galactic cosmic ray flux in their habitable zones. All exoplanets in our sample, with exception of GJ 15A c and GJ 411 c, have a significantly lower flux of Galactic cosmic rays than values observed at the Earth because they orbit closer-in. The fluxes found here can be further used for chemical modelling of planetary atmospheres. Finally, we calculate the radiation dose at the surface of the habitable-zone planet GJ 273 b, assuming it has an Earth-like atmosphere. This planet receives up to 209 times less 15 MeV energy cosmic ray fluxes than values observed at Earth. However, for high-energy cosmic rays (∼ GeV), the difference in flux is only 2.3 times smaller, which contributes to GJ 273 b receiving a significant surface radiation dose of 0.13 mSv/yr (40 per cent of the annual dose on Earth’s surface).

Description: We developed a method, ArchaicSeeker 2.0, to identify introgressed hominin sequences and model multiple-wave admixture. The new method enabled us to discern two waves of introgression from both Denisovan-like and Neanderthal-like hominins in present-day Eurasian populations and an ancient Siberian individual. We estimated that an early Denisovan-like introgression occurred in Eurasia around 118.8–94.0 thousand years ago (kya). In contrast, we detected only one single episode of Denisovan-like admixture in indigenous peoples eastern to the Wallace-Line. Modeling ancient admixtures suggested an early dispersal of modern humans throughout Asia before the Toba volcanic super-eruption 74 kya, predating the initial peopling of Asia as proposed by the traditional Out-of-Africa model. Survived archaic sequences are involved in various phenotypes including immune and body mass (e.g., ZNF169), cardiovascular and lung function (e.g., HHAT), UV response and carbohydrate metabolism (e.g., HYAL1/HYAL2/HYAL3), while “archaic deserts” are enriched with genes associated with skin development and keratinization.

Description: The COVID-19 outbreak has caused over three million deaths worldwide. Understanding the pathology of the disease and the factors that drive severe and fatal clinical outcomes is of special relevance. Studying the role of the respiratory microbiota in COVID-19 is especially important as the respiratory microbiota is known to interact with the host immune system, contributing to clinical outcomes in chronic and acute respiratory diseases. Here, we characterized the microbiota in the respiratory tract of patients with mild, severe, or fatal COVID-19, and compared it to healthy controls and patients with non-COVID-19-pneumonia. We comparatively studied the microbial composition, diversity, and microbiota structure between the study groups and correlated the results with clinical data. We found differences in the microbial composition for COVID-19 patients, healthy controls, and non-COVID-19 pneumonia controls. In particular, we detected a high number of potentially opportunistic pathogens associated with severe and fatal levels of the disease. Also, we found higher levels of dysbiosis in the respiratory microbiota of patients with COVID-19 compared to the healthy controls. In addition, we detected differences in diversity structure between the microbiota of patients with mild, severe, and fatal COVID-19, as well as the presence of specific bacteria that correlated with clinical variables associated with increased risk of mortality. In summary, our results demonstrate that increased dysbiosis of the respiratory tract microbiota in patients with COVID-19 along with a continuous loss of microbial complexity structure found in mild to fatal COVID-19 cases may potentially alter clinical outcomes in patients. Taken together, our findings identify the respiratory microbiota as a factor potentially associated with the severity of COVID-19.

Description: CK2 is a protein kinase involved in several human diseases (ranging from neurological and cardiovascular diseases to autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and infections, including COVID-19), but its best-known implications are in cancer, where it is considered a pharmacological target. Several CK2 inhibitors are available and clinical trials are underway in different cancer types. Recently, the suitability of CK2 as a broad anticancer target has been questioned by the finding that a newly developed compound, named SGC-CK2-1, which is more selective than any other known CK2 inhibitor, is poorly effective in reducing cell growth in different cancer lines, prompting the conclusion that the anticancer efficacy of CX-4945, the commonly used clinical-grade CK2 inhibitor, is to be attributed to its off-target effects. Here we perform a detailed scrutiny of published studies on CK2 targeting and a more in-depth analysis of the available data on SGC-CK2-1 vs. CX-4945 efficacy, providing a different perspective about the actual reliance of cancer cells on CK2. Collectively taken, our arguments would indicate that the pretended dispensability of CK2 in cancer is far from having been proved and warn against premature conclusions, which could discourage ongoing investigations on a potentially valuable drug target.

Description: This paper presents EuropeAgriDB v1.0, a dataset of crop production and nitrogen (N) flows in European cropland 1961–2019. The dataset covers 26 present-day countries, detailing the cropland N harvests in 17 crop categories as well as cropland N inputs in synthetic fertilizers, manure, symbiotic fixation, and atmospheric deposition. The study builds on established methods but goes beyond previous research by combining data from FAOSTAT, Eurostat, and a range of national data sources. The result is a detailed, complete, and consistent dataset, intended as a basis for further analyses of past and present agricultural production patterns, as well as construction of scenarios for the future.

Description: Low-gravity environment can have a profound impact on the behaviors of biological systems, the dynamics of fluids, and the growth of materials. Systematic research on the effects of gravity is crucial for advancing our knowledge and for the success of space missions. Due to the high cost and the limitations in the payload size and mass in typical spaceflight missions, ground-based low-gravity simulators have become indispensable for preparing spaceflight experiments and for serving as stand-alone research platforms. Among various simulator systems, the magnetic levitation-based simulator (MLS) has received long-lasting interest due to its easily adjustable gravity and practically unlimited operation time. However, a recognized issue with MLSs is their highly non-uniform force field. For a solenoid MLS, the functional volume V1%, where the net force results in an acceleration

Description: Lignocellulosic biomass is an important source of renewable energy and a potential replacement for fossil fuels. In this work, the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method was used to analyze the elemental composition of raw and pretreated lignocellulosic biomass of cassava peels, corn cobs, rice husks, sugarcane bagasse, yam peels, and mixtures of cassava peels and yam peels, corn cobs and rice husks and all five biomass samples combined. The influence of particle size on elemental properties was investigated by screening the selected biomass into two size fractions, of an average of 300 and 435 µm, respectively. The total concentration of Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Sn, Ni, Br, Mo, Ba, Hg, and Pb were determined for each of the biomass samples before and after the different pretreatments adopted in this study. From the results of the analysis, there was a significant reduction in the concentration of calcium in all the analyzed biomass after the alkaline pretreatment with rice husks biomass having the lowest concentration of 66 ppm after the alkaline pretreatment. The sulfur content of the acid pretreated biomass increased considerably which is likely due to the sulfuric acid used for the acid pretreatment. The fact that a mixture of biomass feedstock affects the properties of the biomass after pretreatment was validated in the mixed biomass of cassava peels and yam peels biomass as an example. The concentration of Mg in the mixed biomass was 1441 ppm but was 200 ppm and 353 ppm in individual cassava peels and yam peels respectively. The results of this study demonstrated that pretreated mixtures of biomass have varied elemental compositions, which could be an important factor affecting downstream processes, especially if a hybrid feedstock is used in a large-scale application.

Description: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), the second most common primary liver cancer, is a fatal malignancy with a poor prognosis and only very limited therapeutic options. Although molecular targeted therapy is emerged as a promising treatment strategy, resistance to molecular-targeted therapy occurs inevitably, which represents a major clinical challenge. In this study, we confirmed that mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling is the most significantly affected pathways in ICC. As a novel phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/mTOR dual inhibitor, BEZ235, exerts antitumour activity by effectively and specifically blocking the dysfunctional activation of the PI3K/serine/threonine kinase (AKT)/mTOR pathway. We generate the orthotopic ICC mouse model through hydrodynamic transfection of AKT and yes-associated protein (YAP) plasmids into the mouse liver. Our study confirmed that BEZ235 can suppress the proliferation, invasion and colony conformation abilities of ICC cells in vitro but cannot effectively inhibit ICC progression in vivo. Inhibition of PI3K/mTOR allowed upregulation of c-Myc and YAP through suppressed the phosphorylation of LATS1. It would be a novel mechanism that mediated resistance to PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor. However, Bromo- and extraterminal domain (BET) inhibition by JQ1 downregulates c-Myc and YAP transcription, which could enhance the efficacy of PI3K/mTOR inhibitors. The efficacy results of combination therapy exhibited effective treatment on ICC in vitro and in vivo. Our data further confirmed that the combination of PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor and BET inhibition induces M1 polarization and suppresses M2 polarization in macrophages by regulating the expression of HIF-1α. Our study provides a novel and efficient therapeutic strategy in treating primary ICC.

Description: Widespread adoption of MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean, expressing Cry1Ac Bt protein and glyphosate tolerance, has been observed in Brazil. A proactive program was implemented to phenotypically and genotypically monitor Cry1Ac resistance in Chrysodeixis includens (Walker). Recent cases of unexpected injury in MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean were investigated and a large-scale sampling of larvae on commercial soybean fields was performed to assess the efficacy of this technology and the distribution of lepidopteran pests in Brazil. No significant shift in C. includens susceptibility to Cry1Ac was observed eight years after commercial introduction of this technology in Brazil. F2 screen results confirmed that the frequency of Cry1Ac resistance alleles remains low and stable in C. includens. Unexpected injury caused by Rachiplusia nu (Guenée) and Crocidosema aporema (Walsingham) in MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean was detected during the 2020/21 season, and studies confirmed a genetically based alteration in their susceptibility to Cry1Ac. MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean remains effective against Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner), C. includens, Chloridea virescents (Fabricius) and Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) in Brazil. However, there is evidence of field-evolved resistance to MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean by the secondary soybean pests R. nu and C. aporema.

Description: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological malignancy with an undefined heritable risk. Here we perform a meta-analysis of three genome-wide association studies, with replication in a fourth study, incorporating a total of 4018 AML cases and 10488 controls. We identify a genome-wide significant risk locus for AML at 11q13.2 (rs4930561; P = 2.15 × 10−8; KMT5B). We also identify a genome-wide significant risk locus for the cytogenetically normal AML sub-group (N = 1287) at 6p21.32 (rs3916765; P = 1.51 × 10−10; HLA). Our results inform on AML etiology and identify putative functional genes operating in histone methylation (KMT5B) and immune function (HLA).

Description: The placebo effect across psychiatric disorders is still not well understood. In the present study, we conducted meta-analyses including meta-regression, and machine learning analyses to investigate whether the power of placebo effect depends on the types of psychiatric disorders. We included 108 clinical trials (32,035 participants) investigating pharmacological intervention effects on major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SCZ). We developed measures based on clinical rating scales and Clinical Global Impression scores to compare placebo effects across these disorders. We performed meta-analysis including meta-regression using sample-size weighted bootstrapping techniques, and machine learning analysis to identify the disorder type included in a trial based on the placebo response. Consistently through multiple measures and analyses, we found differential placebo effects across the three disorders, and found lower placebo effect in SCZ compared to mood disorders. The differential placebo effects could also distinguish the condition involved in each trial between SCZ and mood disorders with machine learning. Our study indicates differential placebo effect across MDD, BD, and SCZ, which is important for future neurobiological studies of placebo effects across psychiatric disorders and may lead to potential therapeutic applications of placebo on disorders more responsive to placebo compared to other conditions.