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At least 1,207 records · Page 67

Forest Disturbance Across the Conterminous United States from 1985-2012: The Emerging Dominance of Forest Decline

Evidence of shifting dominance among major forest disturbance agent classes regionally to globally has been emerging in the literature. For example, climate-related stress and secondary stressors on forests (e.g., insect and disease, fire) have dramatically increased since the turn of the century globally, while harvest rates in the western US and elsewhere have declined. For shifts to be quantified, accurate historical forest disturbance estimates are required as a baseline for examining current trends. We report annual disturbance rates (with uncertainties) in the aggregate and by major change causal agent class for the conterminous US and five geographic subregions between 1985 and 2012. Results are based on human interpretations of Landsat time series from a probability sample of 7200 plots (30 m) distributed throughout the study area. Forest disturbance information was recorded with a Landsat time series visualization and data collection tool that incorporates ancillary high-resolution data. National rates of disturbance varied between 1.5% and 4.5% of forest area per year, with trends being strongly affected by shifting dominance among specific disturbance agent influences at the regional scale. Throughout the time series, national harvest disturbance rates varied between one and two percent, and were largely a function of harvest in the more heavily forested regions of the US (Mountain West, Northeast, and Southeast). During the first part of the time series, national disturbance rates largely reflected trends in harvest disturbance. Beginning in the mid-90s, forest decline-related disturbances associated with diminishing forest health (e.g., physiological stress leading to tree canopy cover loss, increases in tree mortality above background levels), especially in the Mountain West and Lowland West regions of the US, increased dramatically. Consequently, national disturbance rates greatly increased by 2000, and remained high for much of the decade. Decline-related disturbance rates reached as high as 8% per year in the western regions during the early-2000s. Although low compared to harvest and decline, fire disturbance rates also increased in the early- to mid-2000s. We segmented annual decline-related disturbance rates to distinguish between newly impacted areas and areas undergoing gradual but consistent decline over multiple years. We also translated Landsat reflectance change into tree canopy cover change information for greater relevance to ecosystem modelers and forest managers, who can derive better understanding of forest-climate interactions and better adapt management strategies to changing climate regimes. Similar studies could be carried out for other countries where there are sufficient Landsat data and historic temporal snapshots of high-resolution imagery.

Cohen, Warren B.↗

Propagation as a mechanism of reorientation of the Juan de Fuca ridge

A revised model is presented of the tectonic evolution of the Juan de Fuca ridge by propagating rifting. The new model has three different relative rotation poles, covering the time intervals 17.0-8.5 Ma, 8.5-5.0 Ma, and 5.0 Ma to the present. The rotation pole shifts at 8.5 and 5.0 Ma imply clockwise shifts in the direction of relative motion of 10 deg to 15 deg. At each of these shifts, the pattern of propagation reorganizes, and the new ridges formed by propagation are at an orientation closer to orthogonal to the new direction of motion than the orientation of the preexisting ridges. The model, containing a total of seven propagation sequences, shows excellent agreement with the isochrons inferred from the magnetic anomaly data, except in areas complicated by the separate Explorer and Gorda plates. The agreement between model and data near the Explorer plate breaks down abruptly at an age of about 5 Ma, indicating that the probable cause of the rotation pole shift at that time was the separation of the Explorer plate from the Juan de Fuca plate.

Wilson, D. S.↗

Climate change reshapes the drivers of false spring risk across European trees

(1) Temperate forests are shaped by late spring freezes after budburst—false springs—which may shift with climate change. Research to date has generated conflicting results, potentially because few studies focus on the multiple underlying drivers of false spring risk. (2) Here, we assessed the effects of mean spring temperature, distance from the coast, elevation and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) using PEP725 leafout data for six tree species across 11648 sites in Europe, to determine which were the strongest predictors of false spring risk and how these predictors shifted with climate change. (3) All predictors influenced false spring risk before recent warming, but their effects have shifted in both magnitude and direction with warming. These shifts have potentially magnified the variation in false spring risk among species with an increase in risk for early‐leafout species (i.e., Aesculus hippocastanum , Alnus glutinosa , Betula pendula ) versus a decline or no change in risk among late‐leafout species (i.e., Fagus sylvatica , Fraxinus excelsior , Quercus robur ). (4) Our results show how climate change has reshaped the drivers of false spring risk, complicating forecasts of future false springs, and potentially reshaping plant community dynamics given uneven shifts in risk across species.

false spring↗

The influence of source acceleration on acoustic signals

The effect of aircraft acceleration on acoustic signals is often ignored in both analytical studies and data reduction of flight test measurements. In this study, the influence of source acceleration on acoustic signals is analyzed using computer simulated signals for an accelerating point source. Both rotating and translating sources are considered. Using a known signal allows an assessment of the influence of source acceleration on the received signal. Aircraft acceleration must also be considered in the measurement and reduction of flyover noise. Tracking of the aircraft over an array of microphones enables ensemble averaging of the acoustic signal, thus increasing the confidence in the measured data. This is only valid when both the altitude and velocity remain constant. For an accelerating aircraft, each microphone is exposed to differing flight velocities, Doppler shifts, and smear angles. Thus, averaging across the array in the normal manner is constrained by aircraft acceleration and microphone spacing. In this study computer simulated spectra, containing acceleration, are averaged across a 12 microphone array mimicking a flight test with accelerated profile in which noise data was obtained. Overlapped processing is performed is performed in the flight test measurements in order to alleviate spectral smearing.

Kelly, Jeffrey J.↗

Deciphering Reaction Mechanisms of Molecular Proton Reduction Catalysts with Cyclic Voltammetry: Kinetic vs Thermodynamic Control

The kinetics and thermodynamics of elementary reaction steps involved in the catalytic reduction of protons to hydrogen define the reaction landscape for catalysis. The mechanisms can differ in the order of the elementary proton transfer, electron transfer, and bond-forming steps and can be further differentiated by the sites at which protons and electrons localize. Access to fully elucidated mechanistic, kinetic, and thermochemical details of molecular catalysts is crucial to facilitate the development of new catalysts that operate with optimal efficiency, selectivity, and durability. The mechanism by which a catalyst operates, as well as the kinetics and thermodynamics associated with the individual steps, can often be accessed through electroanalytical studies. Here, this Account details the application of cyclic voltammetry to interrogate reaction mechanisms and quantify the kinetics and thermodynamics of elementary reaction steps for a series of molecular catalysts that mediate electrochemical proton reduction. I distinguish the limiting scenarios wherein a catalyst operates under kinetic control vs thermodynamic control, with a focus on detecting how cyclic voltammetry features shift with proton source strength and concentration, as well as scan rate. For systems that operate under kinetic control, catalytic currents are observed at, or slightly positive toward, the formal potential for the redox process that triggers catalysis. Under thermodynamic control, catalytic responses shift as a function of the proton source pKa and effective pH of the solution. After drawing this distinction, we introduce the appropriate voltammetry experiments and accompanying analytical expressions for extracting key metrics from the data. To illustrate analytical strategies to quantify elementary reaction steps of catalysts operating under kinetic control, I describe our studies of proton reduction catalysts Co(dmgBF 2 ) 2 (CH 3 CN) 2 (dmgBF 2 = difluoroboryl-dimethylglyoxime) and [Ni(P 2 Ph N 2 Ph ) 2 ] 2+ (P 2 Ph N 2 Ph = 1,5-phenyl-3,7-phenyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane). Here, peak shift analysis, foot-of-the-wave analysis, and plateau current analysis are applied to data sets wherein voltammetric response are recorded as a function of catalyst concentration, proton source concentration, proton source strength, and scan rate to quantify rate constants for elementary proton transfer and bond-forming steps in a catalytic cycle. Further, the case study of [Ni(P 2 Ph N 2 Ph ) 2 ] 2+ illustrates how complementary spectroscopic methods can bolster the mechanistic assignment. Collectively, these two studies showcase how detailed mechanistic studies inform on rate-limiting elementary steps in catalysis and other key processes underpinning catalysis. Second, I present analytical strategies to interrogate catalysts operating under thermodynamic control, centered on the case study of [Ni II (P 2 Ph N 2 Bn ) 2 ] 2+ (P 2 Ph N 2 Bn = 1,5-dibenzyl-3,7-diphenyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane). Here, the application of nonaqueous Pourbaix theory to extract thermodynamic information is introduced, and the construction of a coupled Pourbaix diagram is detailed. This study identifies ligand-based protonation as the key process that places catalysis under thermodynamic control and influences the reaction mechanism. Together, the work detailed in this Account showcases the utility of electroanalytical methods to disentangle complex reaction mechanisms and extract key thermochemical and kinetic parameters for elementary steps of catalysis. Through detailed presentation of the key analytical expressions that underpin these analyses, this Account seeks to facilitate the adoption of cyclic voltammetry by the community to fully extract kinetic, thermochemical, and mechanistic information on electrochemical small-molecule activation.

catalysts↗

Impact of Sleep Shifting Strategies on the International Space Station

Astronaut crews have historically averaged around six hours of sleep per night, especially during missions that required a high tempo work environment, confined spacecraft without crew quarters, and frequent sleep schedule changes. In recent years, crew aboard the ISS have had much more stable schedules, with a consistent bedtime at 2130 and wake time at 0600 Greenwich Mean Time. Despite these improvements to sleep conditions on the ISS, sleep schedules are disrupted by visiting vehicles that arrive or leave the ISS or when uncontrollable operational events require the crewmembers to shift their sleep. We characterized the approaches to sleep shifting, including shifting sleep earlier and later and split sleep to determine the impact on sleep duration and quality. METHODS Data were gathered though the Spaceflight Standard Measures protocol. These consisted of objective measures of sleep duration (calculated via a wrist-worn accelerometer) collected by 19 crewmembers (7 females; mean age 46 ± 7 years) throughout their tenure aboard the ISS. We first categorized episodes of “split sleep” whereby a person attempts sleep on two separate occasions in a 24-hour period that are similar in length. For example, they might have a 4-hour sleep opportunity followed by a night awake, followed by another 4-hour sleep opportunity the next morning. RESULTS Out of the 19 crewmembers, a total of 8 engaged in 11 episodes of split sleep while inflight. These periods all surrounded visiting vehicle events that interfered with their nominal sleep window, including docking, relocation, and undocking events. The first sleep opportunity typically took place during the afternoon before the disrupting event (all sleep periods were contained between 1151 and 2009), while the second episode took place the following morning (between 0343 and 1325) On average, the time in bed of the first sleep opportunity was shorter than the second (M1=2.89±0.82 vs. M2=4.30±1.41). DISCUSSION Next in our analysis, we will compare the crewmembers’ split sleep outcomes to those from other strategies (e.g., phase delays). We aim to determine which strategies yield the best sleep outcomes and to determine whether the sleep shifting strategy has consequences to subsequent sleep. Understanding these impacts will aid in decision making for future ISS operations and will also help us better understand the impacts of various strategies to adjust sleep and help guide scheduling in future missions where consistent schedules may not be possible.

sleep↗

The Effect of Acoustic Disturbances on the Operation of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Fuel Flowmeter

The Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) uses a turbine fuel flowmeter (FFM) in its Low Pressure Fuel Duct (LPFD) to measure liquid hydrogen flowrates during engine operation. The flowmeter is required to provide accurate and robust measurements of flow rates ranging from 10000 to 18000 GPM in an environment contaminated by duct vibration and duct internal acoustic disturbances. Errors exceeding 0.5% can have a significant impact on engine operation and mission completion. The accuracy of each sensor is monitored during hot-fire engine tests on the ground. Flow meters which do not meet requirements are not flown. Among other parameters, the device is screened for a specific behavior in which a small shift in the flow rate reading is registered during a period in which the actual fuel flow as measured by a facility meter does not change. Such behavior has been observed over the years for specific builds of the FFM and must be avoided or limited in magnitude in flight. Various analyses of the recorded data have been made prior to this report in an effort to understand the cause of the phenomenon; however, no conclusive cause for the shift in the instrument behavior has been found. The present report proposes an explanation of the phenomenon based on interactions between acoustic pressure disturbances in the duct and the wakes produced by the FFM flow straightener. Physical insight into the effects of acoustic plane wave disturbances was obtained using a simple analytical model. Based on that model, a series of three-dimensional unsteady viscous flow computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using the MSFC PHANTOM turbomachinery code. The code was customized to allow the FFM rotor speed to change at every time step according to the instantaneous fluid forces on the rotor, that, in turn, are affected by acoustic plane pressure waves propagating through the device. The results of the simulations show the variation in the rotation rate of the flowmeter due to the interaction of the flow straightener wakes and the upstream propagating acoustic waves. A detailed analysis of the acoustic disturbance effects is presented along with an assessment of the impact on measurement accuracy.

Marcu, Bogdan↗

Magellan mapping update - A matter of gravity

In order to obtain gravity data for Venus, the Magellan spacecraft will furnish an unmodulated downlink carrier signal which is coherent with a highly stable uplink from the NASA-JPL Deep Space Network. After the removal of gross Doppler shifts induced by planetary motions and Magellan's primary orbital motion, residual Doppler shifts will indicate miniscule gravity variations in the mass distributions at, and below, the Venusian surface. These gravity measurements are valuable for understanding the nature and origin of features identifiable with imaging data.

Doody, Dave↗

High Pressure X-ray Diffraction and Equation of State of Hydrazine

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction has been used to investigate the structure and equation of state (EOS) of hydrazine (N 2 H 4 ) up to 54.3 GPa at 298 K. The diffraction patterns could be fit to a monoclinic unit-cell structure and put strong constraints on previously reported phase transitions documented by vibrational spectroscopy over this pressure range. Pressure–volume ( P–V ) data were fit using a Vinet EOS, yielding parameters: V 0 = 45.2 Å 3 /molecule (fixed), K 0 = 11.8(7) GPa, and K 0 ′ = 6.5(2). Previously measured high-pressure vibrational frequency shifts were used to estimate the vibrational free energy and model P–V–T isotherms from 0 to 1200 K. The results of the P–V–T isotherms are compared to existing shock Hugoniot data on hydrazine and 298 K isotherms for assemblages of possible decomposition products. This comparison suggests dissociation at high density under shock loading. Good correspondence was found between the static lattice EOS as calculated by the model and the previously reported EOS as calculated by density functional theory. Finally, these results resolve existing uncertainties about the EOS and crystal symmetry of hydrazine at high pressure and provide valuable baseline information on this important energetic material.

diffraction↗

Dark Energy Survey year 6 results: Magnification modeling and its impact on galaxy clustering and galaxy-galaxy lensing cosmology

Gravitational lensing magnification alters the observed spatial distribution of galaxies and must be accounted for to prevent biases in cosmological probes of the large-scale structure. We investigate its effects on the Dark Energy Survey Year 6 galaxy clustering and galaxy-galaxy lensing analyses using the fiducial lens (position tracer) sample M ag L im++. Magnification bias is parameterized by a coefficient that describes the response of the number of selected objects per unlensed area element to a change in the lensing convergence. We quantify this coefficient using the BALROG synthetic source injection catalog to account for the complexity of the selection function, and compare these results with simplified estimates. The resulting values of the magnification coefficients for each redshift bin are [3.16 ± 0.08, 2.76 ± 0.21, 4.09 ± 0.15, 4.42 ± 0.16, 4.90 ± 0.29, 4.83 ± 0.25]. Relative to Year 3, this analysis provides more precise and accurate magnification bias estimates through a larger BALROG area and reweighting to better match the data properties. Here, the cosmological results are robust when tested against various magnification parameter prior choices and also when adding cross-clustering between lens redshift bins. Neglecting magnification, however, introduces significant systematic shifts: relative to the fiducial analysis with Gaussian priors centered on the BALROG -derived estimates, we observe shifts of 1.37σ in S 8 and -0.84σ in Ω m (with cosmic shear included: -0.61σ in S 8 and -0.71σ in Ω m ), in agreement with findings from simulated data, demonstrating that magnification must be modeled to avoid biases. Freeing the magnification bias in lens bin 2 leads to unphysical negative values, further justifying its exclusion from the fiducial Year 6 analysis.

Cosmological parameters↗

Quantifying Acetaldehyde in Astronomical Ices and Laboratory Analogues: IR Spectra, Intensities, 13C Shifts, and Radiation Chemistry

Acetaldehyde is of interest to astrochemists for its relevance to both interstellar and cometary chemistry, but little infrared (IR) spectral data have been published for the solid phases of this compound. Here we present IR spectra of three forms of solid acetaldehyde, with spectra for one form being published for the first time. Direct measurements of band strengths and absorption coefficients also are reported for the first time for amorphous aldehyde, the form of greatest interest for astrochemical work. An acetaldehyde band strength at 1350 cm1 that has been used as a reference for about 20 yr is seen to be in error by about 80 per cent when compared to the direct measurements presented here. Spectra and peak positions also are presented for H13C(O)13CH3, and then used for the first identification of ketene as a radiation product of solid acetaldehyde.

Hudson, Reggie L.↗

150 Shades of Green: Using the Full Spectrum of Remote Sensing Reflectance to Elucidate Color Shifts in the Ocean

This article proposes a simple and intuitive classification system by which to define full spectral remote sensing reflectance (Rrs(λ)) data with a quantitative output that enables a more manageable handling of spectral information for aquatic science applications. The weighted harmonic mean of the Rrs(λ) wavelengths outputs an Apparent Visible Wavelength (in units of nanometers), representing a one-dimensional geophysical metric of color that is inherently correlated to spectral shape. This dimensionality reduction of spectral information combined with the output along a continuum of wavelength values offers a robust and user-friendly means to describe and analyze spectral Rrs(λ) in terms of spatial and temporal trends and variability. The uncertainty in the algorithm's estimation of spectral shape is demonstrated on a global scale, in addition to the utility of the algorithm to discern spectral-spatial-temporal trends in the ocean, on a per-pixel basis for the entire 22 year continuous ocean color (SeaWiFS and MODIS-Aqua) time-series. This technique can be applied to datasets of varying multi- and hyper-spectral resolutions, providing continuity between heritage and future satellite sensors, and further enabling an effective means of elucidating similarities or differences in complex spectral signatures within the constraints of two dimensions. This straightforward means of conceptualizing multi-dimensional variability can help maximize the potential of the spectral information embedded in remote sensing data.

ocean color↗

Brillouin Sensing with PCA, and PCA-Based Neural Networks for Efficient Temperature Monitoring

This work explores peak estimation techniques in Brillouin Optical Time Domain Analysis (BOTDA), emphasizing both accuracy and efficiency. Euclidean distance measurement method is applied to principal components derived from Brillouin Gain Spectrum data. It offers a major speed advantage being 180 170 times faster than traditional curve fitting methods such as Lorentzian curve fitting, while maintaining similar accuracy. Additionally, a PCA- based neural network model shows significant reduction of peak estimation time compared to Lorentzian fitting. Results show Brillouin frequency shift errors lie under 0.75 MHz in both Euclidean distance-based and neural network-based methods, both of which utilize PCA components. For large data sets and long length fibers, PCA- assisted neural network for peak estimation would be an efficient solution.

Distributed optical fiber sensing↗

Sensitivity of back‐projection algorithm (BPA) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image formation to initial position, velocity, and attitude navigation errors

Abstract The Back‐Projection Algorithm (BPA) is a time‐domain‐matched filtering technique to form synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. To produce high‐quality BPA images, precise navigation data for the radar platform must be known. Errors in position, velocity, or attitude result in improperly formed images that are corrupted by shifting and blurring. The contribution of this paper is the development of analytical expressions that characterise the relationship between navigation errors and image formation errors from an inertial navigation point of view, where trajectory estimation errors in position, velocity, and attitude propagate through time and cause compounding errors in the vehicle state vector. These analytical expressions are verified via simulated image formation and real‐data image formation.

Lindstrom, Colton↗

Electroluminescence from Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Quantum Defects

Individual single-walled carbon nanotubes with covalent sidewall defects have emerged as a class of photon sources whose photoluminescence spectra can be tailored by the carbon nanotube chirality and the attached functional group/molecule. Here we present electroluminescence spectroscopy data from single-tube devices based on (7, 5) carbon nanotubes, functionalized with dichlorobenzene molecules, and wired to graphene electrodes. We observe electrically generated, defect-induced emissions that are controllable by electrostatic gating and strongly red-shifted compared to emissions from pristine nanotubes. The defect-induced emissions are assigned to excitonic and trionic recombination processes by correlating electroluminescence excitation maps with electrical transport and photoluminescence data. At cryogenic conditions, additional gate-dependent emission lines appear, which are assigned to phonon-assisted hot-exciton electroluminescence from quasi-levels. Similar results were obtained with functionalized (6, 5) nanotubes. We also compare functionalized (7, 5) electroluminescence data with photoluminescence of pristine and functionalized (7, 5) nanotubes redox-doped using gold(III) chloride solution. This work shows that electroluminescence excitation is selective toward neutral defect-state configurations with the lowest transition energy, which in combination with gate-control over neutral versus charged defect-state emission leads to high spectral purity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Impact of indirect CP violation on Br( K S → μ + μ – ) ℓ=0

The decay K S → μ + μ – ) ℓ=0 , with the final muon pair in an angular-momentum zero state, is a sensitive probe of short-distance physics. It has recently been shown how to extract this branching ratio from neutral kaon decay data. We point out that the impact of indirect CP violation on the standard-model prediction of this mode, while nominally of order $\vert$ε K $\vert$ ~ 10 -3 , is enhanced by a large amplitude ratio and leads to a shift of the branching ratio Br( K S → μ + μ – ) ℓ=0 by a few percent, depending on the size of a relative phase that can be extracted from data. We also update the standard-model prediction of the short-distance contribution.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Advanced Hydropower and PSH Capacity Expansion Modeling (Final Report on HydroWIRES D1 Improvements to Capacity Expansion Modeling)

Hydropower and pumped-storage hydropower (PSH) have played a key role in providing flexible, low-carbon electricity to the U.S. electricity system for over a century. As variable generation (VG) deployment increases the demand for flexible, dispatchable generation, it is important to use all available methods for understanding how hydropower and PSH interfaces with VG in a future low-carbon grid. Capacity expansion models (CEMs) of electricity systems are often used to study future electricity scenarios, but these tools often have difficulty representing site- and technology-details of hydropower and PSH due to limited spatial, temporal, or process resolution. This report demonstrates a set of model advancements to improve hydropower and PSH representations in CEMs and other models that consider hydropower and PSH's role in electricity systems. Model advancements include new data integration to define closed-loop PSH resource availability and cost, along with site-level parameterizations of existing PSH capacity and energy storage specifications. Shifting energy across seasons for both hydropower and PSH is explored to demonstrate the potential value of long-duration storage. New representations of hydropower upgrades offer opportunities to increase dispatchability, add pumps, or independently add capacity or energy depending on what is most valuable. New model structures and data are demonstrated individually and in combination to observe their impact on model results and provide initial insights into what is most important for analysts, electricity system planners, and hydropower decision-makers to consider when assessing future roles of hydropower. Improving flexibility of existing hydropower assets has the potential to reduce CO 2 emissions through complementing VG technologies and/or improve electricity system economics by reducing the need to deploy higher-cost systems. Large-scale energy storage is also shown to provide opportunities for balancing seasonal differences in VG, particularly solar photovoltaics (PV). Initial analysis with a new closed-loop PSH resource and cost dataset also demonstrate the potential for new PSH deployment to offer new grid flexibility opportunities. Future analysis and modeling of hydropower's role in the U.S. and other electricity systems could include methodological improvements based on those discussed here along with sensitivity analysis to better represent current and future potential hydropower and PSH flexibility. Improvements to geospatial and site-level data can further improve the understanding of how hydropower and PSH can be upgraded and operated in response to future electricity system needs. This work lays the groundwork to use advanced planning models to explore the range of roles hydropower and PSH can play in the grid of the future.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗