Similar to most West Antarctic ice shelves, those in the Bellingshausen Sea have rapidly thinned by hundreds of cubic kilometers over the last decades yet they remain under-studied compared to other regions. The increased melting rates in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) have been linked to warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) that is able to access the continental shelf due to the absence of the Antarctic Slope Current. The exact pathways of CDW flowing on to the shelf and of meltwater flowing away from the ice shelves are essential to understanding the dynamics in this region and how it will change in the future. Here, we propose that the Bellingshausen Sea plays an important role in connecting circulation between the Amundsen Sea and the WAP and may influence water properties that circulate under floating ice shelves throughout the West Antarctica. Using a combination of hydrographic and isotopic data from a recent cruise to the Bellingshausen Sea (December 2018 to January 2019), multiple methods are applied to identify circulation pathways and to quantify glacial meltwater fractions. The meltwater measurements show that the Belgica and Latady Troughs are important pathways for CDW to reach the ice shelves, though almost twice as much meltwater is transported off the shelf via the Belgica Trough. CDW enters the shelf at the deepest part of the Belgica Trough, moving towards the coast along the trough’s eastern side. The largest meltwater fractions are found along the western flank of the Belgica and Latady Troughs. The meltwater signature can be tracked to the western edge of the Bellingshausen Sea, where it is then entrained into a boundary current system that flows over the continental slope towards the Amundsen Sea.

Atmospheric concentrations of CH4 have tripled since the Industrial Revolution. One culprit of this increase is animal agriculture, contributing 8 to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions primarily in the form of CH4. According to US Environmental Protection Agency greenhouse gas inventory estimates, the majority of the manure emissions are from manure management on dairy farms (53%). Most of these manure emissions are generated from liquid manure in anaerobic lagoons. Thus, accurate estimates of the emissions from these lagoons are essential for developing management strategies to reduce CH4 emissions. Emissions of methane from two manure lagoons, one in Southern California and the other in Central California, were estimated by fitting results from a state-of-the-art dispersion model to CH4 concentrations measured with a mobile monitor. The sampling was conducted by stationing the mobile monitors at several locations (29-42) around the lagoons for time intervals ranging from 10 to 15 minutes. A sonic anemometer provided micrometeorological measurements used by the dispersion model. Emissions were computed by fitting the time-averaged methane concentrations to model estimates. The 95% confidence intervals for the emissions were computed by bootstrapping pseudo observations created by adding residuals between model estimates and corresponding observations to the best fit model estimates. The coefficient of determination, r2, between model and measurements made at the Southern California dairy was over 0.86 and the geometric standard deviation (sg) was 1.1; the steady westerly wind direction was a major factor for this result. At the Central California dairy, the winds were light and variable resulting in an r2 of about 0.9 and a high sg of 1.4. The sensitivity of the emission estimates to wind direction was determined by running the dispersion model for different wind sectors. We found that the emission estimates were within 1.5 times of each other under all wind conditions. The dispersion model was cross-validated by estimating the emissions using only half the total receptors and then predicting the concentration at other receptors using this emission rate. This technique can be used to improve methane emission estimates in manure management and to assess the effectiveness of the different strategies to reduce emissions.

Surface broadband shortwave and longwave irradiance are key components of the surface energy budget and give insight on atmospheric constituents like clouds and aerosols as well as provide useful information for model evaluation. Surface irradiance measurements are particularly difficult to make over the ocean where few measurement platforms exist, and where the motion of ships and buoys makes the accuracy of the measurements challenging. During the US DOE ARM Measurements of Aerosols, Radiation, and Clouds over the Southern Ocean (MARCUS) field campaign, new shipborne broadband radiation systems (SHIPRAD) were deployed for the first time to test correction. The systems include pyrgeometer measurements for measuring longwave irradiance, an unshaded pyranometer to measure shortwave irradiance, a navigation system measuring pitch/roll/heading, and an SPN1 shortwave radiometer that measures direct and diffuse components with no moving parts. A tilt correction methodology was used to correct 1 second temporal resolution shortwave irradiance data for ship motion, designed to correct tilts of 10 degrees or less to within 10 W/m2. Two SHIPRAD systems were deployed on the port and starboard sides of the ship, and the measurements were combined in order to be able to eliminate measurements shaded by ship structures. The new methodology allows for high-temporal resolution irradiance measurements with higher accuracy. Results will be presented on the accuracy of the tilt correction methodology and the irradiance measurement results throughout the campaign.

The urban population has been on the rise, and as per the European Union Joint Research Commission, by the year 2015, 75% of the total population will be in the cities. Urban imports, exports and infrastructure have a vital role in the local economy, consequently in both national and global economies as well. Water is a key element of all the constituents of an urban agglomeration, and it is a known fact that the constituents utilize water not only from the immediate neighborhood but from elsewhere. Thus, most likely, water footprint of an urban agglomeration extends beyond regional, national and international borders. Methods to estimate water footprint and using the information in the policy context are underway. Data availability and its access at different resolutions impose its own challenges. In this presentation, we present a consumer-centric based approach to understand the nexus of water-energy-food of urban agglomeration and benchmarking nexus elements. The consumer-centric approach helps to assess elements of nexus at the smallest unit level of urban cities, i.e. at the consumer level. The estimated information assists in policy-making as well as in bringing the social awareness for the e¨cient use of resources and sustained development of urban agglomeration. This assessment is adjuvant to urban governments to know their dependence on external water resources and it plays a crucial role in smart cities development.

This summer, The GLOBE Program brought 56 students from 13 different countries to Howell Nature Center near Detroit, Michigan for a camp-like experience. The majority of the students in attendance had been chosen to attend and received funding for receiving top scores from local US and international virtual science symposia and presented their research at a poster session prior to attending the nature center experience. Between campfire s’mores and nature walks, the students were asked to collect data and create research projects. Having little more instruction than “use the equipment provided and stay within sight,” the students self-selected mixed age (10-19), gender, and nationality groups; formulated their own research questions to examine the local environment (a small lake, the surrounding trees, and contaminated tap water); and created high quality presentations using the data they collected over two days. The diversity of the questions that the students researched reflected the diversity of the groups themselves and explored topics surrounding water health, land use, and human health. The success of this experience lends itself to make a great case study for allowing students the creative freedom and control to create their research projects, especially in non-classroom settings such as summer camps and outdoor education centers. By combining data collection with recreational activities, in this case kayaks and canoes, removing the structure of a traditional classroom setting, and giving the students complete control over their projects, the students had fun and engaged in their research in a more memorable way.

As far the ophiolites sequence study has concerned, the characteristics of chromian spinel (Cr-spinel) from mantle rocks (peridotite) and associated chromitite has been a ubiquitous petrogenetic indicator with regard to three tectonic settings (mid-oceanic ridges, subduction zone and arc) in terms of Cr# (= Cr/Cr+Al atomic ratio), Mg# and Ti content. In this study, we attempt to understand the tectonic environment and genetic relationship of mantle peridotites associated chromitites using chromian spinel characteristics from the southern Manipur Ophiolite Complex (MOC) which occupied an integral part of the Indo-Myanmar Orogenic Belt (IMOB), India. The study area mainly consists of peridotites (clinopyroxene-bearing harzburgite and lherzolite) with small pods of podiform chromitite, mafic intrusive - extrusive rocks and oceanic pelagic sediments. The Cr-spinel in peridotites are characterised by high Al2O3 (45.59-50.85), Mg# (89.25-90.48) and low Cr# (19.66 - 23.56) collectively suggest a typical abyssal peridotite derived from fertile mantle at mid-oceanic ridges (MOR) tectonic setting. Whereas, chromitites are low Al2O3 (14.35 to 19.68) and melt compositions (12.01 – 13.69 wt.%) with high Cr# (65.5 to 71.83) suggests that they were crystallized from boninitic magma series in the fore-arc subducting environment. Our petrological and geochemical evidences reveal that two stages of magmatism evolved during the formation of MOC. In the initial stage, magma was generated at the mid - oceanic spreading centre (MOR) by a small degree of partial melting (8–10 %) resulting high Al-rich and low Cr-rich chromian spinel bearing peridotites essentially of lherzolitic composition. At the second stage, high Cr-rich and low Al-rich magma evolved by high degree of partial melting intruded the earlier formed lherzolitic mantle exhibit harzburgite with high Cr# chromitite that formed at the fore-arc related setting above supra-subduction zone. It has been concluded from the present study that the magmatism in the mid-oceanic ridges environment followed by subduction tectonic process were responsible for the evolution of the Nagaland-Manipur Ophiolites that were emplaced along the Eastern plate margin of Indian subcontinent.

Wheat is one of the most widely grown crops and it plays an important role in food production. Currently there is considerable interest in identifying traits that contribute to high yields. Trait selection has mainly focused on the above-ground part of the plant neglecting below-ground processes. Climate change and the greater uncertainty in weather conditions challenge our current food system and create the need to select more varieties with grater resilience against the effects of climate variation. The root system of the plant plays a key part in this resilience, but it is difficult to study at the field-scale which is essential for the effective selection of breeding lines. Geophysical tools such as electromagnetic induction (EMI) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) offer the possibility to study the below-ground phenotype of the plant in a non-destructive and high-throughput manner. In this study, changes in soil moisture induced by root water uptake are monitored using time-lapse ERT/EMI surveys. These methods were applied at two scales: (a) at a high-spatial resolution where hundreds of wheat varieties were monitored monthly using EMI in a wheat breeding field trial and (b) at high-temporal resolution where hourly ERT measurements were collected along with above-ground phenotyping traits on a few plots with a field facility (Field Scanalyzer). Coupling these geophysically-based below-ground data with above-ground canopy measurements can increase our understanding of the crop response to its environment. Good correlation was found between leaf area index (LAI) and soil drying inferred from EMI measurements for the high-spatial experiment (a). The ERT monitoring experiment (b) accurately showed the dynamics of two different nitrogen treatments, their interactions with weather conditions and their correlation with above-ground crop growth. Coupling geophysically-based below-ground measurements with above-ground data allows the increased understanding of the whole plant phenotype. This might help to identify useful traits to select for increased crop yield and resilience.

The Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) is an elegant method to simulate fluid dynamics based on modelling distributions of particles moving and colliding on a lattice. We present examples of two phase flow using the Rothman and Keller (RK) colour gradient Lattice Boltzmann model to study phenomena associated with two phase immiscible fluid flow relevant to water being injected into an oil saturated sandstone. The model involves streaming and colliding two distribution functions (red and blue) representing the number densities of two fluids, where the collision step involves two terms which represents how particle distributions change in each time step due to collision while encouraging colour segregation. We conducted 2D numerical experiments to study the effect of wetting angle on the morphology of flow of a lower viscosity fluid being injected at the left of a simplified model rock matrix that was filled with a higher viscosity fluid. The cases studied involved the injected fluid being non-wetting (wetting angle = 180 degrees), neutral wetting (wetting angle = 90 degrees) and wetting (wetting angle = 0 degrees). These three cases show viscous fingering behaviour with different morphologies for the different wetting angles. For the case of the non-wetting fluid injection, a series of narrow fingers are observed. For the case of neutral wetting, broader and rounded fingers are observed. And for the case of injecting a wetting fluid, a broad but distorted front is observed approaching stable displacement. The results show the importance of the wetting angle on the morphology of viscous fingering. This study demonstrates that the multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Method can simulate phenomenology relevant to studies of enhanced oil recovery such as water injection, and hence, may lead to improved estimates of oil recovery factors.

Defining a baseline for the frequency of off-normal occurrences at underground natural gas storage facilities is critical to maintaining safe operation and to the development of appropriate risk management plans and regulatory approaches. Currently used frequency-estimation methods are broadened to include critical factors of cause, severity, and uncertainty that contribute to risk. A Bayesian probabilistic analysis characterizes the aleatoric historical occurrence frequencies given imperfect sampling. Occurrence frequencies for the three main storage facility types in the United States (depleted oil-and-gas field storage, aquifer storage, solution-mined salt cavern storage) are generally on the order of 3 to 9 x 10–2 occurrences, of all causes (surface, well integrity, subsurface integrity) and severities (nuisance, serious, catastrophic), per facility-year. Loss of well integrity is associated with many, but not all, occurrences either within the subsurface or from there up to the surface. The probability of one serious or catastrophic leakage occurrence to the ground surface within the next 10 years, assuming constant number of facilities, is approximately 0.1–0.3% for any facility type. Storage operators and industry regulators can use occurrence frequencies, their associated probabilities and uncertainties, and forecasts for severity magnitudes to better prioritize resources, establish a baseline against which progress toward achieving a reduction target is measured, and develop more effective mitigation/monitoring/reduction programs in a risk management plan.

To understand the relationships between eclogite-facies mineral assemblages, deformation microstructures, and the seismic properties of subducting oceanic crust, eclogites from the Yuka terrane, North Qaidam ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic belt, NW China were studied. Observations of mineral textures, deformation microstructures, and petrofabrics in the eclogites indicate that garnet, omphacite, and phengite were deformed by intra-crystalline deformation (i.e., dislocation creep) during prograde metamorphism. In contrast, amphibole, which was formed by the topotactic replacement of omphacite at fluid-present conditions, is considered to have been deformed by diffusional flow (dissolution–precipitation creep) during amphibolite-facies retrogression associated with exhumation. Based on the petrofabrics in the samples, the seismic properties of the eclogites were calculated depending on eclogite-facies mineral assemblages such as garnet + omphacite (GO), garnet + omphacite + phengite (GOP), garnet + omphacite + phengite + lawsonite (GOPL), garnet + omphacite + phengite + amphibole (GOPA), and garnet + omphacite + amphibole (GOA). We found that the seismic signatures of each of the eclogite-facies mineral assemblages were different. In particular, phengite-bearing eclogites (the GOP/GOPA assemblages), depending on phengite content, produced the strongest seismic anisotropy (AVp and AVs), with a strong polarization anisotropy, that was at least three times higher than bimineralic (phengite-absent) eclogite (GO assemblage). Our results show that phengite, as a stable phase at high pressure and temperature conditions, can play an important role in the creation of trench-parallel seismic anisotropy in the eclogite-facies mineral assemblages found in subduction zones.

The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact is a collaboration across Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties to stimulate sustainability and climate resilience across the counties. Efforts within the Regional Climate Action Plan, a product of the compact, include prevention, mitigation, and monitoring of climate change impacts to natural and cultural resources. In Palm Beach County, one such effort has been the monitoring of coastal archaeological sites vulnerable to sea level rise. The monitoring efforts include identification of coastal archaeological sites, precise mapping of site locations, excavation of the sites to determine the presence of artifacts and/or human remains, and geoarchaeological methods to assess how the site may be impacted by sea level rise. Preliminary results from sites within the region indicate that buried archaeological sites will experience sea level rise impacts earlier than expected as increased groundwater levels, in part caused by rising sea level, will expose the sites to damp and saturated conditions before the sites are over-topped by increased sea level. Increased moisture within the sediment that the sites are entrained in can lead to damage to the artifacts, especially in midden sites, which are mainly composed of faunal remains. Based on these findings, new methods determining risk level of coastal archaeological sites in South Florida are needed.

The main objective of submerged breakwaters is energy dissipation of transmitted wave in leeward. In the present study, the capability of FLOW-3D and MIKE21-BW software for modeling of these structures have been investigated. In this regard, experimental results have been considered as a criterion to analyse the results of this two software. Comparison of numerical and experimental results revealed that FLOW-3D provides better results than MIKE21. Therefore, FLOW-3D has been used to investigate the effects of submerged breakwater geometry on wave transmission. In doing so, the effect of main design parameters such as shoreward slope, leeward slope, and the ratio of the width to the height of the submerged breakwaters have been studied on transmission coefficient. The results of this study show that the effect of shoreward and seaward slopes on transmission coefficient is negligible; while they considerably contribute to the wave reflection. Finally, the correlation factor has been calculated to investigate the correlation of dimensionless parameters with wave transmission coefficient. Accordingly, the most correlated parameters to wave transmission coefficient are the depth above breakwater crest to incident wave height ratio (F/H) and relative depth of breakwater (F/d), and the least correlated parameter is the breakwater slopes. The results of this study can be used in better understanding of the influential parameters in design as well as developing computation frameworks to study the submerged structures in nearshore regions.

Course Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are an effective method of teaching students not only content, but also critical thinking, scientific practice, and other skills beneficial to their education and success. They lower the barrier to participation in undergraduate research, thereby increasing access to entry. Thus, CUREs are especially valuable to under-performing students as they are an effective means of bridging the achievement gap. Due to the value and effectiveness of CUREs in student development, Lynn University has implemented a means by which students are exposed to CUREs and skills necessary to complete a CURE throughout the Environmental Studies major curriculum. This presentation will give a description of the curriculum and how CUREs and CURE-required skills are taught throughout the curriculum culminating in a fully independent capstone research project.

Windblown sand produces distinctive bedforms at scales ranging from normal sand ripples to large reversing sand dunes. We explore how aeolian bedforms evolve at both extremes of this range. An investigation of the transition from sand ripples (<1 cm height) to granule-coated megaripples (25 cm height) is underway at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (GSDNPP) in central Colorado. Sand-to-megaripple transitions at GSDNPP were documented in May and Sept of 2019 using stereophotogrammetry that produced digital terrain models that resolved granule (1-2 mm) particles as well as some sand grains; these data show the spatial distribution of particles across sand ripples whose crests merge directly into crests of megaripples. To date we have not observed that sand ripples are a necessary prerequisite for the initiation and growth of megaripples; the spatial density of granule particles appears to influence the evolution of megaripples. Reversing sand dunes are being monitored using differential navigation satellite system data at GSDNPP (up to 10 m height) and at Bruneau Dunes State Park (BDSP) in central Idaho (individual dunes >100 m height). Surveys of the crests of reversing dunes at GSDNPP reveal a northeastward migration of individual dunes along the southern margin of the main dune mass, consistent with dominant local winds, yet the symmetric reversing dune profile is maintained during the translation. Surveys of the crests of large reversing dunes at BDSP reveal variable adjustments of the crests that may be affected by wind flow altered by the bulk of the dunes themselves, sheltering the southern end of the dunes from one of the seasonal bimodal winds. Results to date indicate that the deformable shape of aeolian bedforms affect wind flow at all spatial scales, influencing the evolution of the features over diverse time scales.

Engaging high school students in authentic scientific investigations is essential for increasing scientific literacy. Teachers often resort to using textbooks and in-class laboratory experiences that emphasize facts but leave students feeling disengaged. Additional challenges are often added to trying to teach STEM content effectively to students for whom English is not their first language. A collaborative partnership between the author, a former educator who now is an Education and Outreach Specialist with NASA, and a high school teacher who works with underserved students for whom English is not their native language, was formed in order to offer authentic STEM experiences in a public-school setting. They explored the many resources within The GLOBE Program and the GLOBE Observer app, and decided to use these to build the structure around an elective STEM course for 11th grade students. Students learned how NASA satellite data is being used to better understand Earth’s systems and to gather data to help us monitor our changing climate. They used the GLOBE Observer “tools” (Mosquito Habitat Mapper, Trees, Land Cover) as well as several GLOBE atmosphere protocols (precipitation, air temperature, relative humidity, soil moisture) to monitor ongoing environmental conditions. Students formed investigative teams and worked with NASA scientists and data as they designed and conducted research to explore the impact of environmental conditions on active mosquito seasonality and types of mosquitoes, tree growth, and land cover in their schoolyard. They also communicated regularly with other students who were collecting similar data in different countries around the world to compare and contrast the impact of these environmental variables. The goal is for students to submit their research results to GLOBE’s “International Virtual Science Symposium” and also share their projects at their county-level science fair.

The Black sea is a deep semi-enclosed dilution basin connected with the Mediterranean Sea by shallow and narrow Turkish Straits with hydraulically controlled two-layer water exchange. The simulation of sea level, temperature and salinity change in the Black Sea in 2000-2100 was carried out using a chain of models, which includes models of the Black and Azov Seas, as well as the Kerch Strait, the Turkish Straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles) and the Marmara Sea models. The air temperature, wind, evaporation and precipitation for period 2000-2100 over the Black Sea and its catchment area was calculated from regional model CNRM-ALADIN (MED-11) modeling data for RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The neural networks were used to obtain components of freshwater budget from regional model simulations, whereas boundary conditions (sea level, temperature and salinity) in the North Aegean Sea were used from CMIP5 model CNRM CM5.1. The calculated trend of the sea level for period 2000-2100 (3.6 mm/y and 4.6 mm/y for RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively) is close to the corresponding trends in the Mediterranean Sea. The steric correction almost compensates sea-level fall due to the decrease of freshwater influx at 85 km3/y and 99 km3/y in 2100 for RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. Increasing the air temperature over the sea and reducing the inflow of fresh water are the major factors in changes in the surface layer of the Black Sea. In the period 2000-2100, water temperature of the surface layer of the Black Sea will increase by 2.7 oC, the salinity by 1.7 for the scenario RCP4.5, while the corresponding values will increase by 4.1 oC and by 1.75 for the scenario RCP8.5. These changes in the physical characteristics of the Black and Azov Seas can have a significant impact on the ecosystem of these basins, shores and coastal infrastructure.

Lakes have a controversial climate footprint. In fact, they are a sink of CO2 but at the same time they can be an important source of CH4. Indeed, a global synthesis of methane emission data (Bastviken et al., 2011) suggests that freshwater ecosystems - in particular lakes - may be much larger sources of methane than previously thought, questioning current methane budgets and the general role of freshwater ecosystems in the greenhouse gas balance. The main objective of this study is to improve data availability and quality regarding methane emissions from lakes in the Alpine region - a region that presently is heavily under-represented in global data sets - in order to allow a robust assessment of their role in the global greenhouse gas balance. This is of fundamental importance for the assessment of CH4 emissions from regions particularly sensitive to an increasing climatic variability. Aiming at spatial and temporal representativeness of flux measurements, we made use of an innovative mobile eddy covariance system. We installed the instruments on a small boat, and we performed measurements while cruising. Meteorological and bio-physical data got recorded simultaneously to investigate drivers of gas fluxes by means of empirical modelling. Additionally, we made use of classical chamber measurements for validating our approach. In this fashion, we investigated a number of natural and man-made lakes across a transect of two degrees of latitude across the Alps. In fact, the alpine region provides a unique opportunity to assess the role of environmental drivers on GHG emissions over a limited latitudinal range in an altitude-for-time substitution manner. We repeatedly visited target lakes across the ice-free season during the years 2018 and 2019. We demonstrated that our method is valid for capturing methane emissions from different pathways (diffusion but also ebullition and transport through vegetation). We found that most of the lakes are supersaturated and the highest emissions were measured in shallow and eutrophic lakes at low altitude. In conclusion, with this study we were able to develop new insights on the role of freshwater ecosystems in the global methane budget. References: Bastviken D, Tranvik LJ, Downing JA, Crill PM, Enrich‐Prast A (2011). Freshwater methane emissions offset the continental carbon sink. Science 331, 50.

Accurate knowledge of the dependence of anthropogenic atmospheric CO2, the excess over preindustrial, on future emissions is essential to developing approaches to limit climate change. At present, the lifetime of excess CO2, as represented in current carbon cycle models, is uncertain by more than an order of magnitude, 70 to more than 700 years (Schwartz, JGR, 2018). Consequently observation-based top-down analysis provides an important alternative approach. The turnover time of excess CO2 (ratio of stock in the atmosphere and the mixed-layer ocean, which are in near equilibrium, to the net leaving flux into the terrestrial biosphere and deep ocean) is determined as 54 ± 10 years. A simple model for excess CO2, consisting of four compartments with three observationally determined global-mean parameters (deposition velocity of CO2 to the surface ocean, piston velocity describing the rate of exchange of water between the mixed-layer and deep ocean, and the transfer coefficient of CO2 kat from the atmosphere a to the terrestrial biosphere t), and one uncertain adjustable parameter kta, accurately reproduces CO2 mixing ratio over the Anthropocene. This model yields the adjustment time (inverse of fractional removal rate in the absence of emissions) as 65 ± 10 years over the first 100 years, depending on kta, over which time excess CO2 would decrease by 65 to 81%, depending on kta, Figure 1. The reduction of global emissions required to stabilize atmospheric CO2 over this time scale is 50 to 60%.