Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhaoxin Ban, Dennis P. Lettenmaier
Summary: This study investigates the asymmetry of annual streamflow responses to warm versus cool season warming in the Western U.S. region, revealing that the sensitivity of annual streamflow to warming varies across different seasons and basins, and is influenced by land surface and hydroclimate characteristics.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Olivera Stojanovic, Bastian Siegmann, Thomas Jarmer, Gordon Pipa, Johannes Leugering
Summary: Researchers use Bayesian hierarchical models to predict complex phenomena from heterogeneous datasets. They find that this approach helps mitigate the problems caused by heterogeneity and improves the robustness and interpretability of predictive models. One application is the estimation of leaf area index, an important indicator in agronomical modeling.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Mitchell Bushuk, Yongfei Zhang, Michael Winton, Bill Hurlin, Thomas Delworth, Feiyu Lu, Liwei Jia, Liping Zhang, William Cooke, Matthew Harrison, Nathaniel C. Johnson, Sarah Kapnick, Colleen McHugh, Hiroyuki Murakami, Anthony Rosati, Kai-Chih Tseng, Andrew T. Wittenberg, Xiaosong Yang, Fanrong Zeng
Summary: Research has shown that dynamical forecast systems can accurately predict panArctic sea ice extent on a seasonal scale. This study evaluates two dynamical forecast systems and proposes statistical prediction models to investigate sea ice predictability mechanisms.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Xingwen Lin, Shengbiao Wu, Dalei Hao, Jianguang Wen, Qing Xiao, Qinhuo Liu
Summary: The study assessed the performance of three types of surface reflectance on driving satellite-based albedo, with results showing that sloping reflectance is the best option for retrieval in mountainous areas.
IEEE GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Horticulture
Perrine Juillion, Gerardo Lopez, Damien Fumey, Vincent Lesniak, Michel Genard, Gilles Vercambre
Summary: A study in France found that fluctuating shading from dynamic agrivoltaic systems has an impact on water relations, leaf characteristics, and yield of apple orchards, but did not maintain sufficient yields. This research is important for the development of sustainable shading strategies in apple orchards.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jerome Barre, Ilse Aben, Anna Agusti-Panareda, Gianpaolo Balsamo, Nicolas Bousserez, Peter Dueben, Richard Engelen, Antje Inness, Alba Lorente, Joe McNorton, Vincent-Henri Peuch, Gabor Radnoti, Roberto Ribas
Summary: This study introduces a novel monitoring methodology that combines satellite retrievals and forecasts to detect methane concentration anomalies worldwide and effectively links satellite measurements and emission inventory data in a quantitative manner.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Meghan Blumstein, Miranda Oseguera, Theresa Caso-McHugh, David L. Des Marais
Summary: Leaf-out in temperate forests is a critical transition point each spring, and this study reveals the important role of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) in leaf out timing. The results suggest that NSCs may act as a molecular clock, signaling the passage of time and triggering leaf development. Understanding this link between NSCs and budburst is crucial for improving predictions of phenological timing.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jing-Jing Zhou, Ya-Hao Zhang, Ze-Min Han, Xiao-Yang Liu, Yong-Feng Jian, Chun-Gen Hu, Yuan-Yong Dian
Summary: The study demonstrated that hyperspectral reflectance can accurately detect water stress in fruit trees and assess leaf photosynthetic traits early on, with machine-learning algorithms like random forest showing high predictive power for photosynthetic parameters. This technology has great potential for monitoring water stress and increasing yields in large-scale orchards.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Omid Mohammadi Igder, Hosein Alizadeh, Barat Mojaradi, Mehrad Bayat
Summary: Vegetation dynamics play a crucial role in the terrestrial water cycle, but their effects on hydrological models of irrigated watersheds have been rarely studied. In this study, a combinatorial approach using Sentinel-2 data was proposed and applied to an irrigated watershed in Iran. The results showed that the approach improved the predictive accuracy of the model and had a significant influence on the estimation of irrigation volume and timing.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hirofumi Hashimoto, Weile Wang, Jennifer L. Dungan, Shuang Li, Andrew R. Michaelis, Hideaki Takenaka, Atsushi Higuchi, Ranga B. Myneni, Ramakrishna R. Nemani
Summary: The study demonstrates that using a new generation of geostationary satellite sensors for studying seasonal patterns of the Amazon forest is more effective than traditional polar orbiting satellites, providing more cloud-free observations and significant findings on the seasonality changes in the Amazon forest.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Yanghui Kang, Feng Gao, Martha Anderson, William Kustas, Hector Nieto, Kyle Knipper, Yun Yang, William White, Joseph Alfieri, Alfonso Torres-Rua, Maria Mar Alsina, Arnon Karnieli
Summary: This study assessed six satellite-based Leaf Area Index (LAI) estimation methods and found that radiative transfer modeling-based methods performed well for low to medium LAI but underestimated high LAI. Cubist regression models achieved high accuracy but did not generalize well between sites. Additionally, the red edge bands and vegetation index from Sentinel-2 satellite provided complementary information for LAI estimation. The thermal-based two-source energy balance model was more sensitive to positive LAI biases.
IRRIGATION SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Milena Godoy-Veiga, Bruno Barcante Ladvocat Cintra, Nicolas Misailidis Strikis, Francisco Willian Cruz, Carlos Henrique Grohmann, Matheus Simoes Santos, Lior Regev, Elisabetta Boaretto, Gregorio Ceccantini, Giuliano Maselli Locosselli
Summary: The study found that trees in tropical forests may differ in their sensitivity to climate change, with some microenvironmental conditions acting as climate-change refugia. Individual tree responses to climate variation and the seasonal vegetation can impact tree growth sensitivity.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stijn Naus, Lucas G. Domingues, Maarten Krol, Ingrid T. Luijkx, Luciana Gatti, John B. Miller, Emanuel Gloor, Sourish Basu, Caio Correia, Gerbrand Koren, Helen M. Worden, Johannes Flemming, Gabrielle Petron, Wouter Peters
Summary: Using satellite data and aircraft monitoring, this study confirms a 54% decrease in deforestation-related CO emissions in the Amazon Basin over the past 16 years. The study also found significant interannual variability, with fire emissions in dry years being more than four times higher than in wet years. Additionally, the study highlights that future carbon release from fires depends on both drought intensity and forest protection.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Jae-Deok Lee, Doo-Sun R. Park, Kosuke Ito, Chun-Chieh Wu
Summary: The study investigated the effects of assimilating relative humidity data on the simulation of Typhoon Lan, showing that it improved the initial conditions and accuracy of the forecasts. Ocean-coupled experiments demonstrated a stable boundary layer in the rear-right quadrant of the TC, suppressing convective activity.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zheng Qi Wang, Roger Randriamampianina
Summary: The assimilation of microwave and infrared radiance satellite observations into numerical weather prediction models plays an important role in improving the accuracy of weather analysis and forecasts. Studies show that assimilation of radiances has a greater impact on short-range forecasts of 12 and 24 hours, leading to a reduction in errors in the mid and high troposphere by 1-2%.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Liming Zhou
Summary: This study investigated the diurnal and vertical variations of desert amplification (DA) over the Arabian Peninsula, finding that the surface warming rate is inversely related to the magnitude of planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) and DA exhibits a distinct diurnal asymmetry with stronger warming for shallower PBLH. Results indicate that PBLH biases may explain some of the diurnal and vertical warming/cooling biases in reanalysis data, suggesting the importance of PBLH in modulating the structure of DA through heat redistribution via turbulent mixing.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Liming Zhou, Yuhong Tian, Nan Wei, Shu-Peng Ho, Jing Li
Summary: Turbulent mixing in the planetary boundary layer plays a critical role in the vertical exchange of heat, moisture, momentum, trace gases, and aerosols. This study examines the spatial patterns of long-term PBLH trends over land and finds consensus on increasing PBLH over the Sahara Desert and Arabian Peninsula and declining PBLH in India. The changes in PBLH are significantly correlated with changes in surface heating and moisture at the global scale.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yan Jiang, Liming Zhou, Paul E. Roundy, Wenjian Hua, Ajay Raghavendra
Summary: Using observational rainfall datasets, a positive correlation was found between precipitation over CEA and IOD during September-December for the period 1981-2019. Rainfall increases significantly during positive IOD events, primarily due to an increase in rainfall frequency reaching its peak in October. IOD impacts rainfall by modifying Walker circulation over the tropical Indian Ocean and moisture in the middle troposphere over CEA, with MJO activity covarying with IOD to modulate the African Easterly Jet critical for convection development over CEA.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Wenjian Hua, Minhua Qin, Aiguo Dai, Liming Zhou, Haishan Chen, Wanxin Zhang
Summary: The recent summer surface air temperature changes over densely populated Eurasia show a non-uniform pattern, with amplified warming over Europe and East Asia but weak warming over Central Asia, forming a wave train-like structure. External forcing may play a significant role in the SAT multidecadal variations over Europe-west Asia and EA, while internal variations in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans primarily influence the recent SAT over CA. Forced SAT multidecadal variations over Eurasia are mainly attributed to changes in greenhouse gases and aerosols according to large ensemble model simulations.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Kathrin Alber, Liming Zhou, Ajay Raghavendra
Summary: Analysis shows that the Congo Basin has experienced a decrease in cloud cover and an increase in deep convection activity, leading to a decrease in precipitation efficiency and an increase in cloud base height. These changes are likely attributed to warming and drying trends at the surface, potentially resulting in a positive feedback mechanism that further decreases precipitation and exacerbates the drought in the region.
ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Duarte F. Costa, Helber B. Gomes, Maria Cristina L. Silva, Liming Zhou
Summary: Observational records show that heat waves in Amazonia have become more frequent, longer, and more intense. Climate change and deforestation are two significant drivers of these trends. Heat waves in the Amazon rainforest are understudied due to limited surface observations. This study is the first to analyze heat extremes in the Amazon and the first in South America to explore extreme heat wave events and associated conditions. The results reveal that extreme drying and intensified wind patterns contribute to the compound effect on extreme heat waves, leading to extremely hot temperatures.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Liya Chao, Qingxiang Li, Wenjie Dong, Yuanjian Yang, Ziyou Guo, Boyin Huang, Liming Zhou, Zhihong Jiang, Panmao Zhai, Phil Jones
Summary: Previous studies have shown that the Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao region is facing double stress from global warming and urbanization. However, recent research indicates that the impact of urbanization on surface air temperature has decreased due to regional greening, while the warming effect on land surface temperature remains significant. Anthropogenic heat has limited influence on surface air temperature but more tangible effects on land surface temperature, highlighting the importance of increasing urban green spaces and reducing anthropogenic heat fluxes.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Wenjian Hua, Xuan Dong, Qingyuan Liu, Liming Zhou, Haishan Chen, Shanlei Sun
Summary: This study assessed the sensitivity to different land surface schemes based on two extreme heat events in eastern China, finding that Noah scheme closely reproduced temperatures and energy fluxes compared to observations. Warm biases were mainly attributed to underestimation of evapotranspirative cooling, emphasizing the importance of how each land surface scheme partitions evapotranspiration and sensible heat in determining the relationship between temperature and turbulent fluxes. Though the simulated heat events had similar biases in temperatures and energy fluxes, land surface responses differed.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ajay Raghavendra, Geng Xia, Liming Zhou, Yan Jiang
Summary: The Congo rainforest is an important but understudied region surrounded by complex orographic features, which magnify uncertainties in precipitation processes and future climate projections. This study used a high-resolution numerical model to simulate and analyze the impact of orography on rainfall in the Congo.
ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sharon E. Nicholson, Douglas A. Klotter, Liming Zhou, Wenjian Hua
Summary: This article examines the rainfall conditions in the Congo Basin between 1979 and 2014, and compares it with the subsequent years of 2016-2020. It is shown that while there was a drying trend in the earlier period, the later years experienced a wetter period. The meteorological factors responsible for the wetter conditions in the later years were different from those in the earlier wet period, with an increase in convective available potential energy and total column water vapor being the major factors.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Li Zhuo, Liming Zhou
Summary: This study analyzes the atmospheric water vapor budget over the Sahara Desert from 1981-2020 and finds that the water vapor content over the desert has significantly increased during this period. Most of the added moisture enters the Sahara Desert through the intensifying northerly inflow across the northern boundary of the desert during the boreal summer. Both dynamic and thermodynamic factors contribute to the increase in inward moisture flux, with the dynamic component dominated by interannual variability related to circulation pattern changes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Stephen L. Solimine, Liming Zhou, Ajay Raghavendra, Yichen Cai
Summary: The lack of in situ observations in equatorial Africa presents challenges for forecasting extreme weather events and monitoring hydrology in the Congo Basin. This study aims to quantify the frequency of intense convective events in the Congo and their relationship with lightning and precipitation using radar and lightning observations.
ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gang Zhao, Yao Li, Liming Zhou, Huilin Gao
Summary: In recent decades, the evaporative water loss from global lake has significantly increased due to various factors. Using satellite observations and modeling tools, the study quantified the evaporation volume from 1.42 million global lakes from 1985 to 2018 and found that the long-term average lake evaporation is 1500 km(3) year(-1) with a growth rate of 3.12 km(3) year(-1). The increasing evaporation rate, decreasing lake ice coverage, and expanding lake surface area are the main contributors to this trend.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shulei Zhang, Liming Zhou, Lu Zhang, Yuting Yang, Zhongwang Wei, Sha Zhou, Dawen Yang, Xiaofan Yang, Xiuchen Wu, Yongqiang Zhang, Xiaoyan Li, Yongjiu Dai
Summary: There is controversy over whether and to what extent extreme precipitation caused by global warming affects river floods. This study finds that different flood types have different responses to extreme precipitation increases, with rainfall-induced floods increasing and snow-related floods decreasing. This overall leads to an unapparent change in total global floods. Distinguishing flood-generating mechanisms is important in assessing flood changes and associated risks.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Kathrin Alber, Ajay Raghavendra, Liming Zhou, Yan Jiang, Heather S. Sussman, Stephen L. Solimine
Summary: Thunderstorm activity in the Congo Basin has been increasing due to an increase in hydrostatic instability, leading to taller and more intense thunderstorms. This trend is primarily driven by factors such as an increase in cold troughs at 500 hPa, a strengthening temperature gradient between 700 and 950 hPa, and a decrease in the equivalent potential temperature gradient. These factors may exacerbate the drying trend that has affected the Congo rainforest over the past 40 years.