ALBERT

Beschreibung: We compare differences and similarities in the annual stratospheric HNO3 cycle derived from ground‐based measurements at the South Pole during 1993 and 1995, after correcting an error in earlier published profile retrievals for 1993 which led to under estimation of mixing ratios. The data series presented here provide profiling over the range ∼16–48 km, and cover the fall‐winter‐spring cycle in the behavior of HNO3 in the extreme Antarctic with a large degree of temporal overlap. With the exception of one gap of 20 days, the combined data sets cover a full annual cycle. The record shows an increase in HNO3 above 30 km occurring about 20 days before sunset, which appears to be the result of higher altitude heterogeneous conversion of NOx as photolysis diminishes. Both years show a strong increase in HNO3 beginning about polar sunset, in a layer peaking at about 25 km, as additional NOx is heterogeneously converted to nitric acid. When temperatures drop to the polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) formation range near the end of May, gas phase HNO3 is rapidly reduced in the lower stratosphere, although at least 2–3 weeks of temperatures ≤192 K appear to be required to complete most of the gas‐phase removal at the upper end of the depletion range (22–25 km). Despite a significant difference in residual sulfate loading from the explosion of Mount Pinatubo, there appears to be little gross difference in the timing and effects of PSC formation in removing gas phase HNO3 in these 2 years, though removal may be more rapid in 1995. Incorporation of gas phase HNO3 into PSCs appears to be nearly complete up to ∼25 km by midwinter. We also see a repeat of the formation of gas phase HNO3 in the middle stratosphere in early midwinter of 1995 with about the same timing as in 1993, suggesting that this phenomenon is driven by a repetition of dynamical transport and appropriate temperatures and pressures in the polar night, and not (as has been suggested) by ion‐based heterogeneous chemistry that requires triggering by large relativistic electron fluxes. High‐altitude HNO3 production peaks during a period of ∼20 days, but appears to persist for up to ∼40 days in the 40–45 km range, ceasing well before sunrise. This HNO3 descends rapidly throughout the production period, at a rate in good agreement with theoretically determined midwinter subsidence rates. As noted in earlier studies, later warming of this region above PSC evaporation temperatures does not cause reappearance of large amounts of HNO3, indicating that most PSCs gravitationally sink out of the stratosphere before early spring. We present evidence that smaller PSCs do evaporate to ∼1 to 3.5 ppbv of HNO3 in the lower stratosphere, however, working downward from ∼25 km as temperatures rise during the late winter. There is a delay of ∼15 days after sunrise before photolysis causes significant depletion in the altitude range below ∼30 km, where subsidence has carried virtually all higher‐altitude HNO3 by polar sunrise. Some continued subsidence and photolysis combine to keep mixing ratios less than ∼5 ppbv below 30 km until the final breakdown of the vortex in November brings larger amounts of HNO3 with air from lower latitudes.

Beschreibung: Published

Beschreibung: 17739-17750

Beschreibung: 5A. Ricerche polari e paleoclima

Beschreibung: JCR Journal

Beschreibung: Seismic hazard modeling is a multidisciplinary science that aims to forecast earthquake occurrence and its resultant ground shaking. Such models consist of a probabilistic framework that quantifies uncertainty across a complex system; typically, this includes at least two model components developed from Earth science: seismic source and ground motion models. Although there is no scientific prescription for the forecast length, the most common probabilistic seismic hazard analyses consider forecasting windows of 30 to 50 years, which are typically an engineering demand for building code purposes. These types of analyses are the topic of this review paper. Although the core methods and assumptions of seismic hazard modeling have largely remained unchanged for more than 50 years, we review the most recent initiatives, which face the difficult task of meeting both the increasingly sophisticated demands of society and keeping pace with advances in scientific understanding. A need for more accurate and spatially precise hazard forecasting must be balanced with increased quantification of uncertainty and new challenges such as moving from time‐independent hazard to forecasts that are time dependent and specific to the time period of interest. Meeting these challenges requires the development of science‐driven models, which integrate all information available, the adoption of proper mathematical frameworks to quantify the different types of uncertainties in the hazard model, and the development of a proper testing phase of the model to quantify its consistency and skill. We review the state of the art of the National Seismic Hazard Modeling and how the most innovative approaches try to address future challenges.

Beschreibung: Published

Beschreibung: e2019RG000653

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

Beschreibung: JCR Journal

Beschreibung: An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright (2016) American Geophysical Union.

Beschreibung: The accuracy of earthquake locations and their correspondence with subsurface geology depends strongly on the accuracy of the available seismic velocity model. Most modern methods to construct a velocity model for earthquake location are based on the inversion of passive source seismological data. Another approach is the integration of high-resolution geological and geophysical data to construct deterministic velocity models in which earthquake locations can be directly correlated to the geological structures. Such models have to be kinematically consistent with independent seismological data in order to provide precise hypocenter solutions. We present the Altotiberina (AT) seismic model, a three-dimensional velocity model for the Upper Tiber Valley region (Northern Apennines, Italy), constructed by combining 300 km of seismic reflection profiles, 6 deep boreholes (down to 5 km depth), detailed data from geological surveys and direct measurements of P- and S-wave velocities performed in situ and in laboratory. We assess the robustness of the AT seismic model by locating 11,713 earthquakes with a non-linear, global-search inversion method and comparing the probabilistic hypocenter solutions to those calculated in three previously published velocity models, constructed by inverting passive seismological data only. Our results demonstrate that the AT seismic model is able to provide higher-quality hypocenter locations than the previous velocity models. Earthquake locations are consistent with the subsurface geological structures and show a high degree of spatial correlation with specific lithostratigraphic units, suggesting a lithological control on the seismic activity evolution.

Beschreibung: Published

Beschreibung: 8113-8135

Beschreibung: 4T. Sismicità dell'Italia

Beschreibung: JCR Journal

Beschreibung: [1] We present the first intercomparison between the two most comprehensive records of gas‐phase HNO3 profiles in the Antarctic stratosphere, covering the greater part of 1993 and 1995. We compare measurements by the Stony Brook Ground‐Based Millimeter‐wave Spectrometer (GBMS) at the South Pole with Version 5 HNO3 data from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) aboard the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite. Trajectory tracing was used to select MLS measurements in the 70°–80°S latitude band that sampled air observed by the GBMS during passage over the Pole. When temperatures were near the HNO3 condensation range, additional screening was performed to select MLS measurements that sampled air parcels within 1.5 K of the temperature they experienced over the Pole. Quantitative comparisons are given at 7 different potential temperature levels spanning the range ∼19–30 km. Agreement between the data sets is quite good between 465 and 655 K (∼20–25 km) during a large fraction of the year. Agreement is best during winter and spring, when seasonally averaged differences are generally within 1 ppbv below ∼25 km. At higher altitudes, and during summer and fall, the agreement becomes worse, and GBMS measurements can exceed MLS values by more than 3 ppbv. We provide evidence that differences occurring in the lower stratosphere during fall are due to lack of colocation between the two data sets during a period of strong poleward gradients in HNO3. Remaining discrepancies between GBMS and MLS V5 HNO3 measurements are thought to be due to instrumental or retrieval biases.

Beschreibung: Published

Beschreibung: id 4809

Beschreibung: 5A. Ricerche polari e paleoclima

Beschreibung: JCR Journal

Beschreibung: Mineral dust plays an important role in the atmospheric radiation budget as well as in the ocean carbon cycle through fertilization and by ballasting of settling organic matter. However, observational records of open‐ocean dust deposition are sparse. Here, we present the spatial and temporal evolution of Saharan dust deposition over 2 years from marine sediment traps across the North Atlantic, directly below the core of the Saharan dust plume, with highest dust fluxes observed in summer. We combined the observed deposition fluxes with model simulations and satellite observations and argue that dust deposition in the Atlantic is predominantly controlled by summer rains. The dominant depositional pathway changes from wet deposition in summer to dry deposition in winter. Wet deposition has previously been suggested to increase the release of dust‐derived nutrients and their bioavailability, which may be a key contributor to surface‐ocean productivity in remote and oligotrophic parts of the oceans.

Beschreibung: The effect of freshwater sources on wintertime sea-ice CO2 processes was studied from the glacier front to the outer Tempelfjorden, Svalbard, in sea ice, glacier ice, brine and snow. March–April 2012 was mild, and the fjord was mainly covered with drift ice, in contrast to the observed thicker fast ice in the colder April 2013. This resulted in different physical and chemical properties of the sea ice and under-ice water. Data from stable oxygen isotopic ratios and salinity showed that the sea ice at the glacier front in April 2012 contained on average 54% of frozen-in glacial meltwater. This was five times higher than in April 2013, where the ice was frozen seawater. In April 2012, the largest excess of sea-ice total alkalinity (AT), carbonate ion ([CO32−]) and bicarbonate ion concentrations ([HCO3−]) relative to salinity was mainly related to dissolved dolomite and calcite incorporated during freezing of mineral-enriched glacial water. In April 2013, the excess of these variables was mainly due to ikaite dissolution as a result of sea-ice processes. Dolomite dissolution increased sea-ice AT twice as much as ikaite and calcite dissolution, implying different buffering capacity and potential for ocean CO2 uptake in a changing climate.

Beschreibung: Radiocarbon (14C) ages cannot provide absolutely dated chronologies for archaeological or paleoenvironmental studies directly but must be converted to calendar age equivalents using a calibration curve compensating for fluctuations in atmospheric 14C concentration. Although calibration curves are constructed from independently dated archives, they invariably require revision as new data become available and our understanding of the Earth system improves. In this volume the international 14C calibration curves for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, as well as for the ocean surface layer, have been updated to include a wealth of new data and extended to 55,000 cal BP. Based on tree rings, IntCal20 now extends as a fully atmospheric record to ca. 13,900 cal BP. For the older part of the timescale, IntCal20 comprises statistically integrated evidence from floating tree-ring chronologies, lacustrine and marine sediments, speleothems, and corals. We utilized improved evaluation of the timescales and location variable 14C offsets from the atmosphere (reservoir age, dead carbon fraction) for each dataset. New statistical methods have refined the structure of the calibration curves while maintaining a robust treatment of uncertainties in the 14C ages, the calendar ages and other corrections. The inclusion of modeled marine reservoir ages derived from a three-dimensional ocean circulation model has allowed us to apply more appropriate reservoir corrections to the marine 14C data rather than the previous use of constant regional offsets from the atmosphere. Here we provide an overview of the new and revised datasets and the associated methods used for the construction of the IntCal20 curve and explore potential regional offsets for tree-ring data. We discuss the main differences with respect to the previous calibration curve, IntCal13, and some of the implications for archaeology and geosciences ranging from the recent past to the time of the extinction of the Neanderthals.

Beschreibung: Streams and rivers are important components of the carbon cycle as they transport and transform dissolved organic matter (DOM). Using high‐resolution Fourier‐transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, we studied the spatial distribution of DOM at the molecular level at more than 100 sites across a stream network during summer and winter baseflow. We developed a model approximating the time DOM spent in the fluvial network, a key constraint on the biogeochemical processing of DOM. Discharge‐weighted travel time explained the compositional changes of DOM, which differed markedly in summer and winter. We attribute these seasonal differences to variation in source material, putatively reflecting the dynamics of freshly produced DOM in summer and DOM with an imprint of leaf litter in winter. Hydrological mixing was an important driver of the spatial dynamics of DOM. From the convergence rate of DOM compound intensities to the network‐wide average, we inferred the spatial distribution of sources within the catchment. Finally, we estimated network‐wide apparent mass transfer coefficients (vf app) of individual DOM compounds, which describe the vertical velocity at which DOM compounds are removed by biotic and abiotic processes. We identified the oxidative state of carbon as an important factor explaining vf app, which we consequently attribute to biological uptake of thermodynamically favorable DOM compounds. This work contributes to our understanding of the spatial processes, temporal constraints, and chemical properties of DOM that regulate the transformation and diagenesis of DOM at the fluvial network scale.