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At least 1,099 records · Page 61
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Node Distortion as a Tunable Mechanism for Negative Thermal Expansion in Metal–Organic Frameworks

Chemically functionalized series of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), with subtle differences in local structure but divergent properties, provide a valuable opportunity to explore how local chemistry can be coupled to long-range structure and functionality. Using in situ synchrotron X-ray total scattering, with powder diffraction and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, we investigate the temperature dependence of the local- and long-range structure of MOFs based on NU-1000, in which Zr 6 O 8 nodes are coordinated by different capping ligands (H 2 O/OH, Cl – ions, formate, acetylacetonate, and hexafluoroacetylacetonate). We show that the local distortion of the Zr 6 nodes depends on the lability of the ligand and contributes to a negative thermal expansion (NTE) of the extended framework. Using multivariate data analyses, involving non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), we demonstrate a new mechanism for NTE: progressive increase in the population of a smaller, distorted node state with increasing temperature leads to global contraction of the framework. The transformation between discrete node states is noncooperative and not ordered within the lattice, i.e., a solid solution of regular and distorted nodes. Density functional theory calculations show that removal of ligands from the node can lead to distortions consistent with the Zr···Zr distances observed in the experiment PDF data. Control of the node distortion imparted by the nonlinker ligand in turn controls the NTE behavior. Furthermore, these results reveal a mechanism to control the dynamic structure of MOFs based on local chemistry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Growth mode evolution of hafnium oxide by atomic layer deposition

HfO{sub 2} thin films were deposited using tetrakis-ethylmethylamido hafnium and H{sub 2}O as precursors on silicon by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The morphology and microstructures at different ALD cycles were characterized by atomic force microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Based on the height–height correlation function and power spectral density function, quantitative analysis of surface morphologies was performed. Three characteristic dimensions (ξ{sub 1}, ξ{sub 2}, and ξ{sub 3}) corresponding to three surface structures, islands, local and global fluctuations, were identified. The evolution of ALD growth mode at range of the three critical scales was investigated, respectively. It suggests the transformation of growth mode from quasi two-dimensional layer-by-layer to three-dimensional island for global fluctuations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Advanced Experimental Technique for Radiation Damage Effects in Nuclear Waste Forms: Neutron Total Scattering Analysis

For the past 30 years, the development of durable materials for radionuclide immobilization has been driven by efforts to dispose of wastes generated by the nuclear fuel cycle [National Research Council, ‘Waste Forms Technology and Performance: Final Report’, the National Academies Press, Washington D.C., 2011]. Many materials have been developed, but there still exist large gaps in the knowledge of fundamental modes of waste form degradation in repository environments. An important aspect of waste form science is the behavior of the materials under intense irradiation from decaying actinides and fission products. This irradiation induces a wide range of defects and disorder, the details of which depend on the specific waste form material. At the present time, it is not fully explained how radiation effects will influence the performance of nuclear waste forms and their long-term retention of fission products and actinides under operational conditions. The complex defect behavior and radiation damage must be understood over a range of length scales, from the initial atomic-scale defect structure to the long-range observable material modification. This is particularly challenging and requires advanced characterization techniques. This contribution describes how pair distribution function (PDF) analysis obtained from neutron total scattering experiments can be applied in the research field of waste form science to uniquely characterize radiation effects in a wide range of materials, including crystalline complex oxides and waste glasses. Neutron scattering strength does not have an explicit Z-dependence; this allows access to many low-Z elements, such as oxygen, that cannot be accurately studied with X-rays. In many cases, this can permit a detailed analysis of both cation (often high-Z) and anion (often low-Z) defect behavior. In contrast to traditional crystallography, which relies on long-range order, PDF analysis probes the local defect structure, including changes in site occupation, coordination, and bond distance. This is particularly important when characterizing aperiodic waste glasses with no long-range order at all. In contrast to X-ray characterization which requires very little sample mass (~0.1 mg), neutron characterization (even at state-of-the-art spallation facilities) requires relatively large sample mass (~50 - 100 mg). In conclusion, obtaining this quantity is challenging for studies of irradiated materials, but by tailoring our experimental approach to use high-energy ions (GeV) with very high penetration depth, we are able to produce the required mass.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Underlying Event Studies for LHC Energies

Underlying event was originally defined by the CDF collaboration decades ago. Here we improve the original definition to extend our analysis for events with multiple-jets. We introduce a definition for surrounding rings/belts and based on this definition the jet- and surrounding-belt-excluded areas will provide a good underlying event definition. We inverstigate our definition via the multiplicity in the defined geometry. In parallel, mean transverse momenta of these areas also studied in proton-proton collisions at {radical}(s) = 7 TeV LHC energy.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Vibrational spectroscopic and structural investigations on fullerene: A DFT approach

The molecular structure of fullerene (C{sub 60}) molecule was optimized by the DFT/B3LYP method with 6-31G and 6-31G(d,p) basis sets using Gaussian 09 program. The vibrational frequencies were calculated for the optimized molecular structure of the molecule. The calculated vibrational frequencies confirm that the molecular structure of the molecule was located at the minimum energy potential energy surface. The calculated vibrational frequencies were assigned on the basis of functional group analysis and also confirmed using the GaussView 05 software. The frontier molecular orbitals analysis was carried out. The FMOs related molecular properties were predicted. The higher ionization potential, higher electron affinity, higher softness, lower band gap energy and lower hardness values were obtained, which confirm that the fullerene molecule has a higher molecular reactivity. The Mulliken atomic charge distribution of the molecule was also calculated. Hence, these results play an important role due to its potential applications as drug delivery devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2012

Remote sensing evaluation of CLM4 GPP for the period 2000 to 2009

The ability of a process-based ecosystem model like Version 4 of the Community Land Model (CLM4) to provide accurate estimates of CO2 flux is a top priority for researchers, modelers and policy makers. Remote sensing can provide long-term and large scale products suitable for ecosystem model evaluation. Global estimations of gross primary production (GPP) at the 1 km spatial resolution from years 2000 to 2009 from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor offer a unique opportunity for evaluating the temporal and spatial patterns of global GPP and its relationship with climate for CLM4. We compare monthly GPP simulated by CLM4 at half-degree resolution with satellite estimates of GPP from the MODIS GPP (MOD17) dataset for the 10-yr period, January 2000 December 2009. The assessment is presented in terms of long-term mean carbon assimilation, seasonal mean distributions, amplitude and phase of the annual cycle, and intra-annual and inter-annual GPP variability and their responses to climate variables. For the long-term annual and seasonal means, major GPP patterns are clearly demonstrated by both products. Compared to the MODIS product, CLM4 overestimates the magnitude of GPP for tropical evergreen forests. CLM4 has longer carbon uptake period than MODIS for most plant functional types (PFTs) with an earlier onset of GPP in spring and later decline of GPP in autumn. Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis of the monthly GPP changes indicates that on the intra-annual scale, both CLM4 and MODIS display similar spatial representations and temporal patterns for most terrestrial ecosystems except in northeast Russia and the very dry region in central Australia. For 2000-2009, CLM4 simulates increases in annual averaged GPP over both hemispheres, however estimates from MODIS suggest a reduction in the Southern Hemisphere (-0.2173 PgC/year) balancing the significant increase over the Northern Hemisphere (0.2157 PgC/year).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multi‐season analysis reveals hundreds of drought‐responsive genes in sorghum

Persistent drought affects global crop production and is becoming more severe in many parts of the world in recent decades. Deciphering how plants respond to drought will facilitate the development of flexible mitigation strategies. Sorghum bicolor L. Moench (sorghum), a major cereal crop and an emerging bioenergy crop, exhibits remarkable resilience to drought. To better understand the molecular traits that underlie sorghum's remarkable drought tolerance, we undertook a large-scale sorghum gene expression profiling effort, totaling nearly 1500 transcriptome profiles, across a 3-year field study with replicated plots in California's Central Valley. This study included time-resolved gene expression data from roots and leaves of two sorghum genotypes, BTx642 and RTx430, with different pre-flowering and post-flowering drought-tolerance adaptations under control and drought conditions. Quantification of genotype-specific drought tolerance effects was enabled by de novo sequencing, assembly, and annotation of both BTx642 and RTx430 genomes. These reference-quality genomes were used to construct a pangene set for characterizing conserved and genotype-specific expression. By integrating time-resolved transcriptomic responses to drought in the field across three consecutive years, we identified a set of 726 drought-responsive genes that responded similarly in all 3 years of our field study. Functional enrichment analysis identified abiotic stress, secondary cell wall-related processes and metabolism as particularly affected under both types of drought stress. We also found that some glyoxylate cycle pathway genes, including malate synthase and isocitrate lyase, are differentially regulated particularly during post-flowering drought stress, implicating this pathway as potentially important for drought responsiveness. This expansive dataset represents a unique resource for sorghum and drought research communities and provides a methodological framework for the integration of multi-faceted time-resolved transcriptomic datasets.

Cole, Benjamin [USDOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Flooding and ecological restoration promote wetland microbial communities and soil functions on former cranberry farmland

Microbial communities are early responders to wetland degradation, and instrumental players in the reversal of this degradation. However, our understanding of soil microbial community structure and function throughout wetland development remains incomplete. We conducted a survey across cranberry farms, young retired farms, old retired farms, flooded former farms, ecologically restored former farms, and natural reference wetlands with no history of cranberry farming. We investigated the relationship between the microbial community and soil characteristics that restoration intends to maximize, such as soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity and denitrification potential. Among the five treatments considered, flooded and restored sites had the highest prokaryote and microeukaryote community similarity to natural wetlands. In contrast, young retired sites had similar communities to farms, and old retired sites failed to develop wetland microbial communities or functions. Canonical analysis of principal coordinates revealed that soil variables, in particular potassium base saturation, sodium, and denitrification potential, explained 45% of the variation in prokaryote communities and 44% of the variation in microeukaryote communities, segregating soil samples into two clouds in ordination space: farm, old retired and young retired sites on one side and restored, flooded, and natural sites on the other. Heat trees revealed possible prokaryotic ( Gemmatimonadetes ) and microeukaryotic ( Rhizaria ) indicators of wetland development, along with a drop in the dominance of Nucletmycea in restored sites, a class that includes suspected mycorrhizal symbionts of the cranberry crop. Flooded sites showed the strongest evidence of wetland development, with triple the soil organic matter accumulation, double the cation exchange capacity, and seventy times the denitrification potential compared to farms. However, given that flooding does not promote any of the watershed or habitat benefits as ecological restoration, we suggest that flooding can be used to stimulate beneficial microbial communities and soil functions during the restoration waiting period, or when restoration is not an option.

Rubin, Rachel L. (ORCID:0000000284326811)↗
DOE OSTI2010

Coupling constant metamorphosis, the Staeckel transform and superintegrability

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Marcos Moshinsky. In this paper, we discuss the important role that coupling constant metamorphosis (CCM) and the Staeckel transform have played in the analysis of superintegrable systems. We explain the relation between the two and in particular show that they coincide when transforming between second-order superintegrable systems. Unlike in the case of second-order superintegrability, the quantum analog of CCM has only been proven for a subclass of systems with integrals of a specific form. We give the proof and as an application show the mapping of a family of superintegrable deformations of the simple harmonic oscillator to an associated family of superintegrable deformations of the Kepler-Coulomb potential.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Effects of temperature on the atomic structure of synthetic calcium–silicate–deuterate gels: A neutron pair distribution function investigation

Due to the nanocrystallinity of the calcium–silicate–hydrate (C–S–H) gel in ordinary Portland cement-based paste combined with the presence of nanoscale heterogeneities such as varying calcium-to-silicon ratios and incorporation of aluminum in the structure, standard characterization techniques fail to fully capture the complex atomic structure and nanoscale morphology of this important binder phase. Here, neutron pair distribution function (PDF) analysis is applied to a range of deuterated C–S–H gels with varying Ca/Si ratios (denoted C–S–D). In situ temperature measurements reveal that the local atomic bonding environments in C–S–D gel undergo large structural rearrangements due to exposure to elevated temperature (above ~ 200 °C), including the collapse of the C–S–D gel interlayer spacing to 9.6 Å and the emergence of a disordered dicalcium silicate phase (similar to larnite). At lower elevated temperatures, the atom–atom correlations are dominated by scattering from deuterium atoms and therefore can be used to quantify the dehydration kinetics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

Automated Fetal Heart Rate Analysis in Labor: Decelerations and Overshoots

Electronic fetal heart rate (FHR) recording is a standard way of monitoring fetal health in labor. Decelerations and accelerations usually indicate fetal distress and normality respectively. But one type of acceleration may differ, namely an overshoot that may atypically reflect fetal stress. Here we describe a new method for detecting decelerations, accelerations and overshoots as part of a novel system for computerized FHR analysis (OxSyS). There was poor agreement between clinicians when identifying these FHR features visually, which precluded setting a gold standard of interpretation. We therefore introduced 'modified' Sensitivity (SE deg.) and 'modified' Positive Predictive Value (PPV deg.) as appropriate performance measures with which the algorithm was optimized. The relation between overshoots and fetal compromise in labor was studied in 15 cases and 15 controls. Overshoots showed promise as an indicator of fetal compromise. Unlike ordinary accelerations, overshoots cannot be considered to be reassuring features of fetal health.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Planar Anisotropy, Tension–Compression Asymmetry, and Deep Drawing Behavior of Commercially Pure Titanium at Room Temperature

The planar anisotropy (PA) and tension–compression asymmetry (TCA) of the CP-Ti were investigated via uniaxial tension and compression tests at room temperature. The formability and the earing behavior of the CP-Ti sheet were studied via deep drawing experiment. The deep drawing simulations using the uniaxial tensile and the compressive curves as the hardening rules were compared with each other and with the experimental results. The CP-Ti sheet showed PA and TCA in yielding and strain hardening. The PA was characterized by the plastic strain ratio r{sub 0}, r{sub 45}, and r{sub 90} of 1.47, 2.06, and 2.05. The TCA showed PA, which showed tension–compression yield strength ratios of 1.12, 1.08, and 1.04 in 0°, 45°, and 90° in the rolling direction, and tensile and compressive hardening exponent ratios of 0.86, 0.8, and 0.62. The orientation distribution functions (ODFs) analysis demonstrated that the tensile and the compressive deformation textures were different and showed PA. The simulative results, including the simulated forming force and the earing profiles using the uniaxial tensile and compressive curves as the hardening rules, were not in agreement with each other. The results were not in good agreement with the experimental results, implying that the TCA had an important effect on the formability of the sheet. The TCA tended to reduce the thickness of the deep drawing parts, increase the earing ratio, and affect the drawing force.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

Platinum Monolayer Electrocatalysts for O2 Reduction: Pt Monolayer on Carbon-Supported PdIr Nanoparticles

The kinetics of oxygen reduction was investigated in acid solutions on Pt monolayers deposited on modified carbon-supported PdIr nanoparticles using the rotating disk-electrode technique. Iridium is introduced into the Pd substrate in order to fine-tune the Pt-Pd interactions and to improve Pd stability under operating conditions of the fuel cell. The kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction shows enhancement with the Pt monolayer on the PdIr nanoparticle surfaces in comparison with the reaction on Pt/C and Pt monolayer on Pd/C nanoparticles. The electrochemical measurements suggest that reduced oxidation of Pt monolayer on PdIr/C compared to Pt/C and Pt monolayer on Pd/C is the cause of enhanced activity. Besides a ligand effect induced to the Pt surface by the presence of PdIr in the second sublayer of the nanoparticle, as suggested by our density functional theory analysis, Ir also leads to a Pd skin contraction, so the Pt monolayer on PdIr/C is compressed more than on Pd/C. Both effects lead to further weakening of the Pt-OH interaction, thus increasing the ORR activity. The Pt-specific activity for Pt{sub ML}PdIr/C is three times and 25% higher than that of Pt/C and Pt{sub ML}Pd/C respectively; the Pt-mass activity of Pt{sub ML}PdIr/C is more than 20 times and 25% higher than that of Pt/C and Pt{sub ML}Pd/C, respectively.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Accommodating High Transformation Strains in Battery Electrodes via the Formation of Nanoscale Intermediate Phases: Operando Investigation of Olivine NaFePO 4 [Accommodation of High Transformation Strain in Battery Electrodes via Formation of Nanoscale Intermediate Phases: Operando Structure Investigation of Olivine Sodium Iron Phosphate]

Virtually all intercalation compounds used as battery electrodes exhibit significant changes in unit cell volume during use. Na x FePO 4 (0 < x < 1, NFP) olivine, of interest as a cathode for sodium-ion batteries, is a model for topotactic, high strain systems as it exhibits one of the largest discontinuous volume changes (~17% by volume) during its first-order transition between two otherwise isostructural phases. Using synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction (PXD) and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, we discover a new strain-accommodation mechanism wherein a third, <10 nm scale nanocrystalline phase forms to buffer the large lattice mismatch between primary phases. The new phase has a and b lattice parameters matching one crystalline endmember phase and c lattice parameter matching the other, and is not detectable by powder diffraction alone. Finally, we suggest that this strain-accommodation mechanism may apply to systems with large transformation strains but in which true “amorphization” does not occur.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Nanocrystals in Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids: Experimental Observation of Ionic Correlations Extending beyond the Debye Length

The nature of the interface between the solute and the solvent in a colloidal solution has attracted attention for a long time. For example, the surface of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) is specially created to impart colloidal stability in a variety of polar and nonpolar solvents. This work focuses on a special type of colloids where the solvent is a molten inorganic salt or organic ionic liquid. The stability of such colloids is difficult to rationalize because solvents with high density of mobile charges efficiently screen the electrostatic double-layer repulsion, and purely ionic molten salts represent an extreme case where the Debye length is only similar to 1 angstrom. We introduce a detailed investigation of NC dispersions in molten salts and ionic liquids using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our SAXS analysis confirms that a wide variety of NCs (Pt, CdSe/CdS, InP, InAs, ZrO 2 ) can be uniformly dispersed in molten salts like AlCl 3 /NaCl/KCl (AlCl 3 /AlCl 4 - ) and NaSCN/KSCN and in ionic liquids like 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium halides (BMIM + X - , where X = Cl, Br, I). By using a combination of PDF analysis and molecular modeling, we demonstrate that the NC surface induces a solvent restructuring with electrostatic correlations extending an order of magnitude beyond the Debye screening length. These strong oscillatory ion-ion correlations, which are not accounted by the traditional mechanisms of steric and electrostatic stabilization of colloids, offer additional insight into solvent-solute interactions and enable apparently "impossible" colloidal stabilization in highly ionized media.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Measuring fusion excitation functions with RIBs: A thorough analysis of the stacked target technique and the related problems

The use of the stacked target technique to measure fusion cross-sections of reactions induced by low intensity radioactive beams offers considerable advantages since several reaction energies may be simultaneously measured. The main disadvantage of the method is the degradation of the beam quality as it passes through the stack due to statistical nature of energy loss processes and any non-uniformity of the stacked targets. This degradation can lead to ambiguities of associating effective beam energies to reaction product yields for the targets within the stack. A detailed investigation of these ambiguities has been performed and some of the obtained results are presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Exosomes secreted from mesenchymal stem cells mediate the regeneration of endothelial cells treated with rapamycin by delivering pro-angiogenic microRNAs

Highlights: • MSC-derived exosomes play an important role in promoting endothelial regeneration treated with rapamycin in vitro. • A distinct class of exosomal miRNAs is identified to be tightly related to endothelial regeneration. • The therapeutic effects of MSC-exosomes may be ascribed to the delivery of pro-angiogenic miRNAs to endothelial cells. • MSC-exosomes may serve as a cell-free therapy for clinical treatment of delayed endothelial healing after DES implantation. Delayed endothelial healing after drug eluting stent (DES) implantation is a critical clinical problem in treatment of coronary artery diseases. Exosomes exhibit proangiogenic potential in a variety of ischemic diseases. However, the association of exosomes with endothelial regeneration after DES implantation has been rarely reported. In this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes on endothelial cells treated with rapamycin and explore the potential mechanisms of MSC-derived exosomes in promoting endothelial regeneration. Exosomes were isolated from MSCs by ultracentrifugation and identified by transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and Western blot assay. The in vitro effects of MSC-derived exosomes on the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells treated with rapamycin were evaluated by integrated experiment, cell counting kit-8, scratch, tube formation, and transwell assays. And the apoptosis of rapamycin-induced endothelial cells loaded with MSC-derived exosomes was detected using TUNEL and Annexin-V FITC and PI double-staining assays. The microRNA (miRNA) cargo of MSC-derived exosomes was identified by high-throughput RNA sequencing. Pro-angiogenic miRNAs and key pathways were further characterized. Our results indicated that MSC-derived exosomes could be ingested into umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and significantly enhanced cell proliferation rate, migratory and tube-forming capabilities in vitro. MSC-derived exosomes also inhibited the apoptosis of HUVECs induced by rapamycin. A distinct class of exosomal miRNAs was further identified, including six miRNAs tightly related to neovasculogenesis. Silencing the expression of exosomal miRNA-21–5p and let-7c-5p attenuated the pro-proliferative and pro-migratory capacity of MSC-derived exosomes. Moreover, functional enrichment analysis indicated that metabolic pathways might contribute to reendothelialization. This study highlights a proregenerative effect of MSC-derived exosomes in vitro, which may be partly explained by the delivery of pro-angiogenic miRNAs to endothelial cells.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Evaluation of atmospheric precipitable water from reanalysis products using homogenized radiosonde observations over China

Many multidecadal atmospheric reanalysis products are available now, but their consistencies and reliability are far from perfect. In this work, atmospheric precipitable water (PW) from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR), NCEP/Department of Energy (DOE), Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), Japanese 55 year Reanalysis (JRA-55), JRA-25, ERA-Interim, ERA-40, Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR), and 20th Century Reanalysis version 2 is evaluated against homogenized radiosonde observations over China during 1979–2012 (1979–2001 for ERA-40). Results suggest that the PW biases in the reanalyses are within ~20% for most of northern and eastern China, but the reanalyses underestimate the observed PW by 20%–40% over western China and by ~60% over the southwestern Tibetan Plateau. The newer-generation reanalyses (e.g., JRA25, JRA55, CFSR, and ERA-Interim) have smaller root-mean-sq uare error than the older-generation ones (NCEP/NCAR, NCEP/DOE, and ERA-40). Most of the reanalyses reproduce well the observed PW climatology and interannual variations over China. However, few reanalyses capture the observed long-term PW changes, primarily because they show spurious wet biases before about 2002. This deficiency results mainly from the discontinuities contained in reanalysis relative humidity fields in the middle-lower troposphere due to the wet bias in older radiosonde records that are assimilated into the reanalyses. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis revealed two leading modes that represent the long-term PW changes and El Niño–Southern Oscillation-related interannual variations with robust spatial patterns. The reanalysis products, especially the MERRA and JRA-25, roughly capture these EOF modes, which acco unt for over 50% of the total variance. The results show that even during the post-1979 satellite era, discontinuities in radiosonde data can still induce large spurious long-term changes in reanalysis PW and other related fields. Thus, more efforts are needed to remove spurious changes in input data for future long-term reanalyses.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗