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At least 1,207 records · Page 67

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DOE OSTI2023

Salinity–induced limits to mangrove canopy height

Aim: Mangrove canopy height is a key metric to assess tidal forests' resilience in the face of climate change. In terrestrial forests, tree height is primarily determined by water availability, plant hydraulic design, and disturbance regime. However, the role of water stress remains elusive in tidal environments, where saturated soils are prevalent, and salinity can substantially affect the soil water potential. Location: Global. Time Period: The canopy height dataset provides a global snapshot of the maximum mangrove height geographical distribution for the year 2000. Climate and environmental variables extend over the period 1970–2018. Major Taxa Studied: Mangroves. Methods: We use global observations of maximum canopy height, species richness, air temperature, and seawater salinity—a proxy of soil water salt concentration—to explore the causal link between salinity and mangrove stature. Results: Our findings suggest that salt stress limits mangrove height. High salinity favours more salt-tolerant species, narrowing the spectrum of viable traits. Highly salt-tolerant mangroves have evolved to cope with high salt concentrations in the soil, but this adaptation comes at a cost. They typically have lower rates of photosynthesis and growth, resulting in reduced productivity and smaller stature compared to more salt-sensitive mangrove species. This suggests a causal link between salinity, biodiversity, and tree height, where high salinity selects for more salt-tolerant species that tend to be less productive and shorter. Conclusions: We hypothesize that the salinity-induced limit to mangrove canopy height is the direct result of a reduction of primary productivity, an increment in the risk of xylem cavitation, and an indirect consequence of the decrease in biodiversity. As sea-level rise enhances coastal salinisation, failure to account for these effects can lead to incorrect estimates of future carbon stocks in Tropical coastal ecosystems and endanger preservation efforts.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Climate lags and genetics determine phenology in quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides )

Spatiotemporal patterns of phenology may be affected by mosaics of environmental and genetic variation. Environmental drivers may have temporally lagged impacts, but patterns and mechanisms remain poorly known. Here, we combine multiple genomic, remotely sensed, and physically modeled datasets to determine the spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of canopy phenology in quaking aspen, a widespread clonal dioecious tree species with diploid and triploid cytotypes. We show that over 391 km 2 of southwestern Colorado: greenup date, greendown date, and growing season length vary by weeks and differ across sexes, cytotypes, and genotypes; phenology has high phenotypic plasticity and heritabilities of 31–61% (interquartile range); and snowmelt date, soil moisture, and air temperature predict phenology, at temporal lags of up to 3 yr. Our study shows that lagged environmental effects are needed to explain phenological variation and that the effect of cytotype on phenology is obscured by its correlation with topography. Phenological patterns are consistent with responses to multiyear accumulation of carbon deficit or hydraulic damage.

carbon allocation↗

DOE OSTI2026

Snow-eater heat waves of the western United States

Abrupt snowmelt, triggered by rain-on-snow events or "snow-eater heat waves," can cause flooding, initiate or accelerate snow drought, and affect water availability. However, the characteristics (e.g., area, duration, and frequency), impacts, and trends of snow-eater heat waves have received little attention. To address this gap, we developed a method to identify snow-eater heat waves and estimate their melt potential using 20th Century Reanalysis version 3 air temperature data, the TempestExtremes algorithm, and an operational snowmelt model (SNOW-17) across 1850-2015. Melt season snow-eater heat waves typically last 3 to 5 days, with three to five events, doubling snowmelt rates. Seven of 11 spring superfloods are shown to coincide with snow-eater heat waves. Since the 1850s, snow-eater heat waves have increased in area and frequency, decreased in duration, and shifted earlier in the melt season. Incorporating snow-eater heat-wave impacts into SNOW-17 enhances extreme melt estimates, improving water management support tools.

Rhoades, Alan M↗

DOE OSTI2020

Hydrometeor Shape Variability in Snowfall as Retrieved from Polarimetric Radar Measurements

A polarimetric radar–based method for retrieving atmospheric ice particle shapes is applied to snowfall measurements by a scanning Ka-band radar deployed at Oliktok Point, Alaska (70.495°N, 149.883°W). The mean aspect ratio, which is defined by the hydrometeor minor-to-major dimension ratio for a spheroidal particle model, is retrieved as a particle shape parameter. The radar variables used for aspect ratio profile retrievals include reflectivity, differential reflectivity, and the copolar correlation coefficient. The retrievals indicate that hydrometeors with mean aspect ratios below 0.2–0.3 are usually present in regions with air temperatures warmer than approximately from –17° to –15°C, corresponding to a regime that has been shown to be favorable for growth of pristine ice crystals of planar habits. Radar reflectivities corresponding to the lowest mean aspect ratios are generally between –10 and 10 dBZ. For colder temperatures, mean aspect ratios are typically in a range between 0.3 and 0.8. There is a tendency for hydrometeor aspect ratios to increase as particles transition from altitudes in the temperature range from –17° to –15°C toward the ground. Furthermore, this increase is believed to result from aggregation and riming processes that cause particles to become more spherical and is associated with areas demonstrating differential reflectivity decreases with increasing reflectivity. Aspect ratio retrievals at the lowest altitudes are consistent with in situ measurements obtained using a surface-based multiangle snowflake camera. Pronounced gradients in particle aspect ratio profiles are observed at altitudes at which there is a change in the dominant hydrometeor species, as inferred by spectral measurements from a vertically pointing Doppler radar.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Evidence of Mixed Scaling for Mean Profile Similarity in the Stable Atmospheric Surface Layer

A new mixed scaling parameter Z = z/(Lh)1/2 is proposed for similarity in the stable atmospheric surface layer, where z is the height, L is the Obukhov length, and h is the boundary layer depth. In comparison with the parameter ζ = z/L from Monin–Obukhov similarity theory (MOST), the new parameter Z leads to improved mean profile similarity for wind speed and air temperature in large-eddy simulations. It also yields the same linear similarity relation for CASES-99 field measurements, including in the strongly stable (but still turbulent) regime where large deviations from MOST are observed. Results further suggest that similarity for turbulent energy dissipation rate depends on both Z and ζ. The proposed mixed scaling of Z and relevance of h can be explained by physical arguments related to the limit of z-less stratification that is reached asymptotically above the surface layer. The presented evidence and fitted similarity relations are promising, but the results and arguments are limited to a small sample of idealized stationary stable boundary layers. Here, corroboration is needed from independent datasets and analyses, including for complex and transient conditions not tested here.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2019

Nonlinear Climate Responses to Increasing CO2 and Anthropogenic Aerosols Simulated by CESM1

Abstract Atmospheric CO2 and anthropogenic aerosols (AA) have increased simultaneously. Because of their opposite radiative effects, these increases may offset each other, which may lead to some nonlinear effects. Here the seasonal and regional characteristics of this nonlinear effect from the CO2 and AA forcings are investigated using the fully coupled Community Earth System Model. Results show that nonlinear effects are small in the global mean of the top-of-the-atmosphere radiative fluxes, surface air temperature, and precipitation. However, significant nonlinear effects exist over the Arctic and other extratropical regions during certain seasons. When both forcings are included, Arctic sea ice in September–November decreases less than the linear combination of the responses to the individual forcings due to a higher sea ice sensitivity to the CO2-induced warming than the sensitivity to the AA-induced cooling. This leads to less Arctic warming in the combined-forcing experiment due to reduced energy release from the Arctic Ocean to the atmosphere. Some nonlinear effects on precipitation in June–August are found over East Asia, with the northward-shifted East Asian summer rain belt to oppose the CO2 effect. In December–February, the aerosol loading over Europe in the combined-forcing experiment is higher than that due to the AA forcing, resulting from CO2-induced circulation changes. The changed aerosol loading results in regional thermal responses due to aerosol direct and indirect effects, weakening the combined changes of temperature and circulation. This study highlights the need to consider nonlinear effects from historical CO2 and AA forcings in seasonal and regional climate attribution analyses.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Causal Interactions between Southern Ocean Polynyas and High-Latitude Atmosphere–Ocean Variability

Abstract Weddell Sea open-ocean polynyas have been observed to occasionally release heat from the deep ocean to the atmosphere, indicating that their sporadic appearances may be an important feature of high-latitude atmosphere–ocean variability. Yet, observations of the phenomenon are sparse and many standard-resolution models represent these features poorly, if at all. We use a fully coupled, synoptic-scale preindustrial control simulation of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SMv0-HR) to effectively simulate open-ocean polynyas and investigate their role in the climate system. Our approach employs statistical tests of Granger causality to diagnose local and remote drivers of, and responses to, polynya heat loss on interannual to decadal time scales. First, we find that polynya heat loss Granger causes a persistent increase in surface air temperature over the Weddell Sea, strengthening the local cyclonic wind circulation. Along with responding to polynyas, atmospheric conditions also facilitate their development. When the Southern Ocean experiences a rapid poleward shift in the circumpolar westerlies following a prolonged negative phase of the southern annular mode (SAM), Weddell Sea salinity increases, promoting density destratification and convection in the water column. Finally, we find that the reduction of surface heat fluxes during periods of full ice cover is not fully compensated by ocean heat transport into the high latitudes. This imbalance leads to a buildup of ocean heat content that supplies polynya heat loss. These results disentangle the complex, coupled climate processes that both enable the polynya’s existence and respond to it, providing insights to improve the representation of these highly episodic sea ice features in climate models.

Kaufman, Zachary S.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Impacts of Ice-Shelf Melting on Water-Mass Transformation in the Southern Ocean from E3SM Simulations

Abstract The Southern Ocean overturning circulation is driven by winds, heat fluxes, and freshwater sources. Among these sources of freshwater, Antarctic sea ice formation and melting play the dominant role. Even though ice-shelf melt is relatively small in magnitude, it is located close to regions of convection, where it may influence dense water formation. Here, we explore the impacts of ice-shelf melting on Southern Ocean water-mass transformation (WMT) using simulations from the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) both with and without the explicit representation of melt fluxes from beneath Antarctic ice shelves. We find that ice-shelf melting enhances transformation of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water, converting it to lower density values. While the overall differences in Southern Ocean WMT between the two simulations are moderate, freshwater fluxes produced by ice-shelf melting have a further, indirect impact on the Southern Ocean overturning circulation through their interaction with sea ice formation and melting, which also cause considerable upwelling. We further find that surface freshening and cooling by ice-shelf melting cause increased Antarctic sea ice production and stronger density stratification near the Antarctic coast. In addition, ice-shelf melting causes decreasing air temperature, which may be directly related to sea ice expansion. The increased stratification reduces vertical heat transport from the deeper ocean. Although the addition of ice-shelf melting processes leads to no significant changes in Southern Ocean WMT, the simulations and analysis conducted here point to a relationship between increased Antarctic ice-shelf melting and the increased role of sea ice in Southern Ocean overturning.

Jeong, Hyein↗

DOE OSTI2021

The influence of fire aerosols on surface climate and gross primary production in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM)

Fire-emitted aerosols play an important role in influencing Earth’s climate, directly by scattering and absorbing radiation and indirectly by influencing cloud microphysics. The quantification of fire-aerosol interactions, however, remains challenging and subject to uncertainties in emissions, plume parameterizations, and aerosol properties. Here we optimized fire-associated aerosol emissions in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) using the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) and AERONET aerosol optical depth (AOD) observations during 1997-2016. Furthermore, we distributed fire emissions vertically using smoke plume heights from Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) satellite observations. From the optimization, we estimate that global fires emit 45.5 Tg y -1 of primary particulate organic matter and 3.9 Tg y -1 of black carbon. We then performed two climate simulations with and without the optimized fire emissions. We find that fire aerosols significantly increase global AOD by 14 ± 7% and contribute to a reduction in net shortwave radiation at the surface (-2.3 ± 0.5 W m -2 ). Together, fire-induced direct and indirect aerosol effects cause annual mean global land surface air temperature to decrease by 0.17 ± 0.15°C, relative humidity to increase by 0.4 ± 0.3%, and diffuse light fraction to increase by 0.5 ± 0.3%. In response, GPP declines by 2.8 Pg C y -1 , as a result of large positive drivers (decreases in temperature and increases in humidity and diffuse light) nearly cancelling out large negative drivers (decreases shortwave radiation and soil moisture). Our analysis highlights the importance of fire aerosols in modifying surface climate and photosynthesis across the tropics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2026

The Role of Internal Variability in Springtime Arctic Amplification from 1980 to 2022

Arctic amplification (AA) refers to the enhanced warming of the Arctic relative to the global average due to rising greenhouse gases, measured as the ratio of Arctic-mean to global-mean surface air temperature (SAT) trends. From 1980 to 2022, annual-mean AA reached 4.2 (Arctic defined as north of 70°N). Climate models simulate AA but fail to reproduce its magnitude. Sweeney et al. attributed much of this model–observation discrepancy to internal variability. AA shows seasonality and so does the discrepancy. Spring (March–May) shows the largest gap: Observed AA is 4.2, while the multimodel mean is 2.7. This raises several questions: 1) What role does internal variability play in observed spring AA? 2) How does simulated spring AA compare to observations when internal variability is removed? 3) If internal variability is significant, what mechanisms drive it? To address these, we adapted the machine learning algorithm from Sweeney et al., training on simulated multidecadal spring SAT and sea level pressure (SLP) trend maps. Our results show that internal variability enhanced spring Arctic warming by 37% and reduced global warming by 10%. Removing internal variability reconciles the spring AA discrepancy. The estimated internal contribution to Arctic spring warming is supported by an independent dynamical adjustment approach. We identify an atmospheric circulation pattern in observations associated with this internal warming. Observed internal Siberian SAT and SLP trends follow the simulated SAT–SLP relationship but lie at the distribution’s extreme, suggesting models generally underestimate internal variability unless the observed configuration reflects a rare real-world realization.

Arctic↗

DOE OSTI2024

Toward improved thermal exposure classes for structural firefighters

In the early 1970s, there was an initial effort to quantify the conditions under which firefighters are expected to perform. Harvey Utech led this endeavor by defining three levels of thermal exposure—routine, ordinary, and emergency—which were characterized by combining a range of air temperatures and radiative heat fluxes. In the last half-century, there has been a concerted scientific effort to further understand the conditions to which firefighters are exposed during structural firefighting. Research has been conducted on the resiliency of turnout gear and facepiece lenses, the thermal conditions observed during a structure fire, and the impact of firefighter tactics such as ventilation and suppression. The authors synthesize the results from these research areas to update the original thermal classifications to six categories of exposure—routine, Ordinary I, Ordinary II, Emergency I, Emergency II, and Emergency III—which are more representative of the operating environment and protective equipment thresholds that firefighters should be aware of during firefighting operations and tactical decision-making.

Weinschenk, Craig↗

DOE OSTI2019

The use of partial fuel stratification to enable stable ultra-lean deflagration-based Spark-Ignition engine operation with controlled end-gas autoignition of gasoline and E85

Lean operation of Spark-Ignition engines can provide higher thermal efficiency compared to standard stoichiometric operation. However, for a homogeneous lean mixture, the associated reduction of flame speeds becomes an important issue from the perspective of robust ignition and fast flame spread throughout the charge. This study is focused on the use of a lean partial fuel stratification strategy that can stabilize the deflagration, while sufficiently fast combustion is ensured via the use of end-gas autoignition. The engine has a spray-guided Direct-Injection Spark-Ignition combustion system and was fueled with either a high-octane certification gasoline or E85. Partial fuel stratification was achieved using several fuel injections during the intake stroke in combination with a small pilot-injection concurrent with the Spark-Ignition. The results reveal that partial fuel stratification enables very stable combustion, offering higher thermal efficiency for parts of the load range in comparison to well-mixed lean and stoichiometric combustion. The heat release and flame imaging demonstrate that the combustion often has three distinct stages. The combustion of the pilot-injected fuel, ignited by the normal spark, acts as a “super igniter,” ensuring a very repeatable initiation of combustion, and flame incandescence reveals locally rich conditions. The second stage is mainly composed of blue flame propagation in a well-mixed lean mixture. The third stage is the compression autoignition of a well-mixed and typically very lean end-gas. The end-gas autoignition is critical for achieving high combustion efficiency, high thermal efficiency, and stable combustion. Partial fuel stratification enables very effective combustion-phasing control, which is critical for controlling the occurrence and intensity of end-gas autoignition. Comparing the gasoline and E85 fuels, it is noted that achieving end-gas autoignition for the higher octane E85 requires a more aggressive compression of the end-gas via the use of a more advanced combustion phasing or higher intake-air temperature.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Designing an Optimal Sensor Network via Minimizing Information Loss

Optimal experimental design is a classic topic in statistics, with many well-studied problems, applications, and solutions. The design problem we study is the placement of sensors to monitor spatiotemporal processes, explicitly accounting for the temporal dimension in our modeling and optimization. We observe that recent advancements in computational sciences often yield large datasets based on physics-based simulations, which are rarely leveraged in experimental design. We introduce a novel model-based sensor placement criterion, along with a highly-efficient optimization algorithm, which integrates physics-based simulations and Bayesian experimental design principles to identify sensor networks that “minimize information loss” from simulated data. Our technique relies on sparse variational inference and (separable) Gauss-Markov priors, and thus may adapt many techniques from Bayesian experimental design. We validate our method through a case study monitoring air temperature in Phoenix, Arizona, using state-of-the-art physics-based simulations. Our results show our framework to be superior to random or quasi-random sampling, particularly with a limited number of sensors. We conclude by discussing practical considerations and implications of our framework, including more complex modeling tools and real-world deployments.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

How do drought and heat affect the response of soybean seed yield to elevated O3? An analysis of 15 seasons of free-air O3 concentration enrichment (O3-FACE) studies

Over the past 15 years, soybean seed yield response to season-long elevated O3 concentrations [O3] and to year-to-year weather conditions was studied using free-air O3 concentration enrichment (O3-FACE) in the field at the SoyFACE facility in Central Illinois. Elevated [O3] significantly reduced seed yield across cultivars and years. However, our results quantitatively demonstrate that weather conditions, including soil water availability and air temperature, did not alter yield sensitivity to elevated [O3] in soybean.

drought, elevated O3, heat, O3-FACE, soybean, yiel↗

DOE OSTI2024

Gridded Sub-daily Climate Forcings for North America Based on Daymet and GSWP3 (Daymet-GSWP3)

To support high spatial and temporal resolution land surface modeling, this dataset provides 3-hourly time step historic weather forcing at 1-km spatial resolution for the entire North America. The latest Daymet V4 data provides gridded historic daily weather observations at 1-km spatial resolution from 1980 to 2014. Using sub-daily temporal information from the Global Soil Wetness Project Phase 3 (GSWP3), Daymet was further temporally downscaled to 3-hourly time steps and provided in the format required for land surface model simulations. The process of temporal downscaling preserves the relative magnitude in each sub-daily time step from GSWP3 while maintaining the total and average values from Daymet for each day. This results in a blended 1980-2014 Daymet-GSWP3 dataset. Available variables include surface air temperature, precipitation, specific humidity, shortwave and longwave radiation, wind speed, and pressure. These data can be used as a high-resolution meteorological forcing dataset to support high-resolution land surface modeling where accurate meteorological forcing datasets built from historic observations and/or reanalysis datasets are desirable.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Gridded Sub-daily Climate Forcings for North America Based on Daymet and GSWP3 (Daymet-GSWP3)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Evaporation Dataset from a Temperate Closed-basin Lake in Minnesota 2014-2016

This data set contains observed and modeled evaporation data, eddy covariance data, and supporting information measured at White Bear Lake in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area near St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. The data package includes csv files containing half-hourly latent heat flux, sensible heat flux, and meteorological data from 2014 to 2016. It also includes csv files containing half-hourly observed evaporation measurements, along with supporting data for validation and retrospective modeling of evaporation. This data was collected to examine current, past, and future lake evaporation to better understand how climate will impact the water balance of lakes within this region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

Model estimates of dissolved organic carbon, runoff, snowmelt, and snow water equivalent from 1981-2010 across the western Arctic

This dataset contains estimates of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) yield (mg C m-2), runoff (mm day-1), snow water equivalent (SWE, mm day-1), and snowmelt (mm day-1) from a simulation of the Permafrost Water Balance Model (PWBM v4). The simulation effectively quantifies snowpack accumulation and melt, runoff, and DOC leaching, and broadly capture the seasonal cycle in DOC concentration and mass loadings. Daily air temperature, precipitation, and wind speed data from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) were used for meteorological forcings. The model outputs are organized by grid and day of the month in gzipped ASCII text files contained within each archived ZIP file. No special software is required to work with these data. The basin and domain information files are also ASCII text. The gridded estimates are most useful for analyses of the spatial and temporal variations in terrestrial hydrology and leachate DOC concentrations and loadings across parts of the western Arctic. A manuscript describing the data and associated analysis has been accepted for publication in Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences (Rawlins et al., 2021).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗