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At least 1,801 records · Page 100

Evaluation of Modeled Precipitation in Oceanic Extratropical Cyclones Using IMERG

Using a high-spatial- and high-temporal-resolution precipitation dataset, Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), extratropical cyclone precipitation is evaluated in two reanalyses and two climate models. Based on cyclone-centered composites, all four models overestimate precipitation in the western subsiding and dry side of the cyclones, and underestimate the precipitation in the eastern ascending and moist side. By decomposing the composites into frequency of occurrence and intensity (mean precipitation rate when precipitating), the analysis reveals a tendency for all four models to overestimate frequency and underestimate intensity, with the former issue dominating in the western half and the latter in the eastern half of the cyclones. Differences in frequency are strongly dependent on cyclone environmental moisture, while the differences in intensity are strongly impacted by the strength of ascent within the cyclone. There are some uncertainties associated with the observations: IMERG might underreport frozen precipitation and possibly exaggerate rates in vigorously ascending regions. Nevertheless, the analysis suggests that all models produce extratropical cyclone precipitation too often and too lightly. These biases have consequences when evaluating the changes in precipitation characteristics with changes in cyclone properties: the models disagree on the magnitude of the change in precipitation intensity with a change in environmental moisture and in precipitation frequency with a change in cyclone strength. This complicates accurate predictions of precipitation changes in a changing climate.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

SST-TG-P1F4R3200: Decaying Stably-Stratified Turbulence (SST), Initialized Using Taylor-Green Vortices (TG) at Prandtl Number Pr=1, Froude Number Fr=4, Reynolds Number Re=3200

This dataset comprises direct numerical simulations (DNS) of decaying stably-stratified turbulence influenced by a linear background density gradient, initialized using an array of Taylor-Green vortices, as described in [Riley & de Bruyn Kops (2003)](https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1578077). The initial Prandtl, Froude, and Reynolds numbers are (Pr, Fr, Re) = (1, 4, 3200). A total of 15,000 snapshots are recorded at uniform time intervals, each with a spatial resolution of 512x512x256 grid points. Four flow variables are associated with each snapshot: the three velocity components (u,v,w) and the perturbed density field (rho) away from the background gradient. All fields are stored in binary format (32-bit little-endian), each with a size of 255 MB, yielding a total dataset size of 15.3 TB. Further details are referenced in the attached README file, and a current list of publications and associated analysis tools are provided at https://stratified-turbulence.github.io/web/.

42 ENGINEERING↗

SST-TG-P50F4R3200: Decaying Stably-Stratified Turbulence (SST), Initialized Using Taylor-Green Vortices (TG) at Prandtl Number Pr=50, Froude Number Fr=4, Reynolds Number Re=3200

This dataset comprises direct numerical simulations (DNS) of decaying stably-stratified turbulence influenced by a linear background density gradient, initialized using an array of Taylor-Green vortices, extending the Pr=1 simulations performed in [Riley and de Bruyn Kops (2003)](https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1578077). The initial Prandtl, Froude, and Reynolds numbers are (Pr, Fr, Re) = (50, 4, 3200). A total of 1,680 snapshots are recorded at uniform time intervals, each with a spatial resolution of 3584x3584x1792 grid points. Four flow variables are associated with each snapshot: the three velocity components (u,v,w) and the perturbed density field (rho) away from the background gradient. All fields are stored in binary format (32-bit little-endian), each with a size of 85.8 GB, yielding a total dataset size of 577 TB. Further details are referenced in the attached README file, and a current list of publications and associated analysis tools are provided at https://stratified-turbulence.github.io/web/.

42 ENGINEERING↗

SST-TG-P7F4R3200: Decaying Stably-Stratified Turbulence (SST), Initialized Using Taylor-Green Vortices (TG) at Prandtl Number Pr=7, Froude Number Fr=4, Reynolds Number Re=3200

This dataset comprises direct numerical simulations (DNS) of decaying stably-stratified turbulence influenced by a linear background density gradient, initialized using an array of Taylor-Green vortices, extending the Pr=1 simulations performed in [Riley and de Bruyn Kops (2003)](https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1578077). The initial Prandtl, Froude, and Reynolds numbers are (Pr, Fr, Re) = (7, 4, 3200). A total of 15,250 snapshots are recorded at uniform time intervals, each with a spatial resolution of 1280x1280x640 grid points. Four flow variables are associated with each snapshot: the three velocity components (u,v,w) and the perturbed density field (rho) away from the background gradient. All fields are stored in binary format (32-bit little-endian), each with a size of 4 GB, yielding a total dataset size of 244 TB. Further details are referenced in the attached README file, and a current list of publications and associated analysis tools are provided at https://stratified-turbulence.github.io/web/.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Dataset Repository for Investigating Suicide Risk Using Social and Environmental Determinants of Health

Suicide is frequently modeled as a function of genetics and environment, where the latter refers to factors other than direct biological consequences, such as air quality, financial level, social connectivity, transportation and food access, and homelessness status. According to the World Health Organization, clean air, a stable climate, adequate water, sanitation and hygiene, safe chemical use, radiation protection, healthy and safe workplaces, sound agricultural practices, health-supportive cities and built environments, and a preserved natural environment are all prerequisites for good health. Understanding the relationships between these determinants and mental health outcomes requires standardized data that can be included in healthcare programs and health outcome models. There is a wealth of publicly available data on social and environmental factors provided by various US organizations that can benefit the design of health care systems and public health interventions, as well as improve our comprehension of factors that impact health. Such information would not only help improve the understanding of individual and community risk but also identify new risk factors that have not previously been therapeutically targeted, especially in terms of their impact on mental health. However, curating and standardizing such datasets is challenging because they are often recorded at numerous geographical and temporal resolutions and with varying spatial and temporal granularities. To address this challenge, we launched an endeavor in conjunction with the Veterans Health Administration to collect publicly available socioeconomic and environmental determinants of health statistics in the US. In this manuscript, we describe a social and environmental determinants of health (SEDH) datasets repository, data curation documentation, and a pipeline framework for data generation; This effort started in 2020, when we began constructing a scalable pipeline to automate the download, extraction, preparation, analysis, and production of datasets. These datasets have been made available to the VHA and may be shared upon agreement with collaborating organizations.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Climate-Driven Legacies in Simulated Microbial Communities Alter Litter Decomposition Rates

The mechanisms underlying diversity-functioning relationships have been a consistent area of inquiry in biogeochemistry since the 1950s. Though these mechanisms remain unresolved in soil microbiomes, many approaches at varying scales have pointed to the same notion—composition matters. Confronting the methodological challenge arising from the complexity of microbiomes, this study used the model DEMENTpy, a trait-based modeling framework, to explore trait-based drivers of microbiome-dependent litter decomposition. We parameterized DEMENTpy for five sites along a climate gradient in Southern California, United States, and conducted reciprocal transplant simulations analogous to a prior empirical study. The simulations demonstrated climate-dependent legacy effects of microbial communities on plant litter decomposition across the gradient. This result is consistent with the previous empirical study across the same gradient. An analysis of community-level traits further suggests that a 3-way tradeoff among resource acquisition, stress tolerance, and yield strategies influences community assembly. Simulated litter decomposition was predictable with two community traits (indicative of two of the three strategies) plus local environment, regardless of the system state (transient vs. equilibrium). Although more empirical confirmation is still needed, community traits plus local environmental factors (e.g., environment and litter chemistry) may robustly predict litter decomposition across spatial-temporal scales. In conclusion, this study offers a potential trait-based explanation for climate-dependent community effects on litter decomposition with implications for improved understanding of whole-ecosystem functioning across scales.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Mapping Vegetation at Species Level with High-Resolution Multispectral and Lidar Data Over a Large Spatial Area: A Case Study with Kudzu

Mapping vegetation species is critical to facilitate related quantitative assessment, and mapping invasive plants is important to enhance monitoring and management activities. Integrating high-resolution multispectral remote-sensing (RS) images and lidar (light detection and ranging) point clouds can provide robust features for vegetation mapping. However, using multiple sources of high-resolution RS data for vegetation mapping on a large spatial scale can be both computationally and sampling intensive. Here, we designed a two-step classification workflow to potentially decrease computational cost and sampling effort and to increase classification accuracy by integrating multispectral and lidar data in order to derive spectral, textural, and structural features for mapping target vegetation species. We used this workflow to classify kudzu, an aggressive invasive vine, in the entire Knox County (1362 km2) of Tennessee (U.S.). Object-based image analysis was conducted in the workflow. The first-step classification used 320 kudzu samples and extensive, coarsely labeled samples (based on national land cover) to generate an overprediction map of kudzu using random forest (RF). For the second step, 350 samples were randomly extracted from the overpredicted kudzu and labeled manually for the final prediction using RF and support vector machine (SVM). Computationally intensive features were only used for the second-step classification. SVM had constantly better accuracy than RF, and the producer’s accuracy, user’s accuracy, and Kappa for the SVM model on kudzu were 0.94, 0.96, and 0.90, respectively. SVM predicted 1010 kudzu patches covering 1.29 km2 in Knox County. We found the sample size of kudzu used for algorithm training impacted the accuracy and number of kudzu predicted. The proposed workflow could also improve sampling efficiency and specificity. Our workflow had much higher accuracy than the traditional method conducted in this research, and could be easily implemented to map kudzu in other regions as well as map other vegetation species.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

The DECam MAGIC Survey: A Wide-field Photometric Metallicity Study of the Sculptor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

The metallicity distribution function (MDF) and internal chemical variations of a galaxy are fundamental to understand its formation and assembly history. In this work, we analyze photometric metallicities for 3883 stars over 7 half-light radii (rh) in the Sculptor (Scl) dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy, using new narrowband imaging data from the Mapping the Ancient Galaxy in CaHK (MAGIC) survey conducted with the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) at the 4 m Blanco Telescope. This work demonstrates the scientific potential of MAGIC using the Scl dSph galaxy, one of the most well-studied satellites of the Milky Way. Our sample ranges from [Fe/H] ≈ –4.0 to [Fe/H] ≈ –0.6, includes six new extremely metal-poor candidates ([Fe/H] ≤ –3.0), and is almost 3 times larger than the largest spectroscopic metallicity data set in the Scl dSph. Our spatially unbiased sample of metallicities provides a more accurate representation of the MDF, revealing a more metal-rich peak than observed in the most recent spectroscopic sample. It also reveals a break in the metallicity gradient, with a strong change in the slope: from −3.26 ± 0.18 dex deg −1 for stars inside ∼1 rh to −0.55 ± 0.26 dex deg −1 for the outer part of the Scl dSph. Our study demonstrates that combining photometric metallicity analysis with the wide field of view of DECam offers an efficient and unbiased approach for studying the stellar populations of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Experimental observations of multiple modes of filamentary structures in the magnetized dusty plasma experiment (MDPX) device

Due to the small charge-to-mass ratio of dust particles, it is often necessary to use large magnetic fields of B ≥ 1 T, in order to observe the influence of magnetic forces in laboratory dusty plasmas. However, when experiments are performed at high magnetic fields in capacitively coupled, radio frequency discharges used for these dusty plasma experiments, the plasma is often observed to form filamentary structures between the electrodes that are aligned to the external magnetic field which disrupt the uniformity of the plasma and adversely impact some of our dusty plasma experiments. Recent experiments performed in the Magnetized Dusty Plasma Experiment device seek to identify and characterize these filamentary structures. This paper discusses the morphology of several distinct filamentary modes that are formed in low temperature argon plasmas. Three different spatial modes of filaments that appear to be strongly dependent on the magnetic field and neutral pressure are identified. There is strong evidence that each spatial mode has a threshold condition that is dependent on the ion Hall parameter. The criteria for the formation of the filaments are shown to be consistent with predictions of recent numerical simulations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Dynamics of hydrogen–ammonia–natural gas lean-premixed high-pressure flames

The influence of fuel composition on self-excited combustion instabilities in a high-pressure combustor operated with ammonia, hydrogen, and natural gas fuels is characterized with high-frequency pressure measurements and imaging of the flame structure. A micromix multi-stage injector with 19 elements is used to introduce the fuel blend premixed with heated air into an optically accessible combustor operated at ~1.1 MPa. As hydrogen is substituted for natural gas, longitudinal thermoacoustic instabilities are observed in the combustor with pressure fluctuation amplitudes as large as 8% of the mean chamber value. In the absence of natural gas, limit-cycle instability magnitude is largely insensitive to ammonia addition. However, fuel compositions with > 20% natural gas result in positive correlation between instability amplitude and ammonia concentration. Spatial distribution of heat release in the combustor evaluated from OH* chemiluminescence imaging reveals axial growth in the regions of heat release fluctuation as hydrogen decreases, thus correlating flame length to instability amplitude. Distinct transitions from the first harmonic of the fundamental longitudinal acoustic mode (~1100 Hz) to the fundamental mode (~550 Hz) are observed with root mean square pressure fluctuations exceeding 7% of the mean chamber value. Here, these cases correspond to hydrogen mole fractions ≤ 50%. Analysis of the phase relationship between pressure fluctuations upstream and downstream of the flame zone indicates acoustic coupling of the injector as a key contributor to instability growth.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Examining phase separation and crystallization in glasses with X-ray nano-computed tomography

X-ray nano-computed tomography (nano-CT) is a powerful technique to characterize and visualize 3 dimensional (3D) phenomena in complex glasses at the nanoscale. This technique can offer a unique opportunity to explore the intricate morphology of multicomponent glass and glass-ceramic samples, due to its low X-ray energy and high spatial resolution (down to 50 nm). In the current demonstration paper, nano-CT provided insight into crystallization and phase separation, as well as a variety of other phenomena, including corrosion, fracture, and porosity. At scales ranging from 100 to 20 μm, the microstructures of phase separation in borosilicate, complex silicate, and chalcogenide glass compositions were examined. In addition, crystallites present in simulant nuclear waste glasses, volcanic glasses, and other related samples were explored. Nano-CT analysis can add to the understanding of (1) the formation processes, (2) distributions, interactions, and compositions of phases, and (3) the mechanisms, structures, and growth of crystallization and phase separation. Nano-CT offers wide potential in the field of glass science, especially when (1) common characterization methods are insufficient, (2) simple sample preparation is required, (3) 3D rendering is needed, or (4) compelling images of small, complex features are desired.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The exit-wave power-cepstrum transform for scanning nanobeam electron diffraction: robust strain mapping at subnanometer resolution and subpicometer precision

Scanning nanobeam electron diffraction (NBED) with fast pixelated detectors is a valuable technique for rapid, spatially resolved mapping of lattice structure over a wide range of length scales. However, intensity variations caused by dynamical diffraction and sample mistilts can hinder the measurement of diffracted disk centers as necessary for quantification. Robust data processing techniques are needed to provide accurate and precise measurements for complex samples and non-ideal conditions. Here we present an approach to address these challenges using a transform, called the exit wave power cepstrum (EWPC), inspired by cepstral analysis in audio signal processing. The EWPC transforms NBED patterns into real-space patterns with sharp peaks corresponding to inter-atomic spacings. We describe a simple analytical model for interpretation of these patterns that cleanly decouples lattice information from the intensity variations in NBED patterns caused by tilt and thickness. With tracking the inter-atomic spacing peaks in EWPC patterns, strain mapping is demonstrated for two practical applications: mapping of ferroelectric domains in epitaxially strained PbTiO 3 films and mapping of strain profiles in arbitrarily oriented core-shell Pt-Co nanoparticle fuel-cell catalysts. The EWPC transform enables lattice structure measurement at sub-pm precision and sub-nm resolution that is robust to small sample mistilts and random orientations.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Multiscale Reactive Model for 1,3,5-Triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene Inferred by Reactive MD Simulations and Unsupervised Learning

When high-energy-density materials are subjected to thermal or mechanical insults at extreme conditions (shock loading), a coupled response between the thermo-mechanical and chemical behaviors is systematically induced. Herein we develop a reaction model for the fast chemistry of 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) at the mesoscopic scale, where the chemical behavior is determined by underlying microscopic reactive simulations. The slow carbon cluster formation is not discussed in the present work. All-atom reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed with the ReaxFF potential, and a reduced-order chemical kinetics model for TATB is fitted to isothermal and adiabatic simulations of single crystal chemical decomposition. Unsupervised machine learning techniques based on non-negative matrix factorization are applied to MD trajectories to model the decomposition kinetics of TATB in terms of a four-component model. The associated heats of reaction are fit to the temperature evolution from adiabatic decomposition trajectories. Using a chemical species analysis, we show that non-negative matrix factorization captures the main chemical decomposition steps of TATB and provides an accurate estimation of their evolution with temperature. The final analytical formulation, coupled to a diffusion term, is incorporated into a continuum formalism, and simulation results are compared one-to-one against MD simulations of 1D reaction propagation along different crystallographic directions and with different initial temperatures. A good agreement is found for both the temporal and spatial evolution of the temperature field.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Representations of Precipitation Diurnal Cycle in the Amazon as Simulated by Observationally Constrained Cloud‐System Resolving and Global Climate Models

Abstract The ability of an observationally‐constrained cloud‐system resolving model (Weather Research and Forecasting; WRF, 4‐km grid spacing) and a global climate model (Energy Exascale Earth System Model; E3SM, 1‐degree grid spacing) to represent the precipitation diurnal cycle over the Amazon basin during the 2014 wet season is assessed. The WRF model coupled with a 3‐D variational data assimilation scheme reproduces the spatial variability of the precipitation diurnal cycle over the basin and the lifecycle of westward propagating MCSs initiated by the coastal sea‐breeze front. In contrast, a single morning peak in rainfall is produced by E3SM for simulations despite the nudging of large‐scale winds toward global reanalysis, indicating precipitation in E3SM is largely controlled by local convection associated with diurnal heating. The role of propagating MCS on the environment are discussed by using a multivariate perturbation analysis. We also find that the advection of moisture perturbations from ocean to inland regions have a higher correlation with the occurrence of MCSs in the Amazon than the intensity of colder air intrusion associated with sea breezes along the coast. Moreover, the presence of large cold pools over the central Amazon basin are responsible for the maintenance of propagating deep convection.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Observational Constraints on the Spatial Effect of Greenness and Canopy Cover on Urban Heat in a Major Midlatitude City

Abstract Urban heat stress is a critical issue, particularly in cities where dense infrastructure and limited green space exacerbate temperature extremes. This study investigates the impact of greenery (EVI2), canopy cover (CC), impervious cover (IC), and water bodies on heat index in Chicago using high‐resolution data from the Heat Watch campaign. We find that EVI2, CC and proximity to water body significantly reduce heat while IC increases heat, particularly in the afternoon when solar radiation is intense. Additionally, the effective radius that land cover impacts heat is smaller in the afternoon. The combined effect analysis indicates that enhancing total greenness, not just canopy cover, is the most effective strategy to reduce heat. This study underscores the importance of strategic vegetation management, highlighting the critical role of integrated approaches in reducing urban heat.

Lee, Jangho↗

Informing Robust Functional Relationship Benchmarks: An Evaluation of the Temperature Sensitivity of Ecosystem Respiration Across the Arctic-Boreal Region

During land model development, simulated carbon dynamics are often benchmarked against observational data sets to evaluate model performance. Functional relationship benchmarks are the relationship between a driving variable (e.g., temperature) and a response variable (e.g., ecosystem respiration) and are a promising tool for assessing model performance by evaluating modeled sensitivities to changing environmental conditions. However, observed functional relationships can be influenced by choices made during data collection and throughout the benchmarking process, impacting the inferred skill of land models. To avoid misrepresenting a model's true performance, it is necessary to systematically evaluate best practices when constructing functional relationship benchmarks. We developed a set of guidelines for constructing functional relationship benchmarks, considering the choice of data set, number of daily observations, temporal extent, and temporal resolution across Alaska and Canada over a 20-year period from 2001 to 2020. The temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration from observations, evaluated through an apparent Q 10 , is highly variable both spatially and as a result of the data processing approach applied in the benchmark formation. When benchmarking 13 models from the Warming Permafrost Model Intercomparison Project (WrPMIP), the range in inferred model skill is substantially impacted by the choices applied in constructing functional relationship benchmarks. The inferred performance of a given model is most sensitive to the number of daily observations and temporal extent, followed by choice of benchmark data set and temporal averaging. Results from this analysis can guide the development of consistent and robust functional relationships for future model evaluation studies.

Poe, Jeralyn [Northern Arizona University, Flagsta↗

Validation of Thermohydraulic Simulations using RELAP for Critical Dual Purpose Canisters

Simulations using the RELAP5-3D systems analysis code and STAR-CCM+, a high-fidelity CFD code, were performed on a model of a real-scale MPC-32 dual purpose canister undergoing a criticality event. These simulations were performed to provide code-to-code verification of the natural convection capabilities in RELAP5. The STAR-CCM+ simulations revealed various natural convection flow patterns that aided in the cooling of fission heat produced in the fuel rods in the canister. Negligible spatial temperature variations were observed across the canister in the STAR-CCM+ results, supporting the use of RELAP5 in predicting the sub-cooled regime. The surface-averaged rod temperature predicted by RELAP5 compared well with STAR-CCM+, verifying the predictive capability of RELAP5 for sub-cooled conditions.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Dynamics and lipid membrane coupling of the RAS-RAF complex revealed via multiscale simulations

To gain molecular and mechanistic insights into initiation of the RAS-RAF signaling cascade, we developed and used a combination of multiscale simulation and experimental approaches. The influence and impact of the membrane on RAS and RAF proteins is a factor we are just beginning to understand and appreciate in more detail. Molecular simulation is an ideal methodology to further study this complicated relationship between the membrane and associated proteins. Our previous work using Multiscale Machine-learned Modeling Infrastructure investigated different lipid compositions solely around the KRAS4b protein and the interplay between protein behavior and these membrane environments. Multiscale Machine-learned Modeling Infrastructure uses machine learning to couple adjacent simulation scales and has been efficiently scaled across some of the world’s largest high-performance computers. Recently, we have expanded this multiresolution framework to include the all-atom simulation scale and to incorporate the RAF RBDCRD domains. Here, we present the overall analysis results from this new simulation campaign comprising a mixture of RAS and RAF RBDCRD proteins. Approximately 35,000 coarse-grained and 10,000 all-atom molecular dynamics simulations were completed, sampled from a variety of protein/lipid composition configurations that were generated from a micron-scale continuum simulation containing hundreds of copies of the proteins. Our studies suggest that orientations of the RAS-RBDCRD complex on the membrane occupy distinct configurational states, and the spatial patterns of lipid arrangements around these different protein states are unique to each state. The extent and size of lipid “fingerprints” imposed on the membrane by the RAS-RBDCRD protein complex are significantly larger than observed for just the RAS protein on its own. These protein complexes strongly associate, but we do not observe statistically significant preferred protein-protein orientations. These observations indicate that spatial colocalization of RAS-RBDCRD proteins in the same vicinity may be assisted by specific membrane environments, acting to increase the probability of signaling complex formation.

Carpenter, Timothy S. [Lawrence Livermore National↗

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