Changes in surface heat fluxes on Sensitive areas for global climate change - the north and south slopes of Mount Everest

INSTITUTE OF ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

 

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OBSERVATION SITE LOCATED AT THE NORTH BASE CAMP OF MOUNT EVEREST

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CREDIT: LI MAOSHAN

Under the background of global warming, the Mount Everest region has experienced evident climate changes. Glaciers and snow have been rapidly retreating in this region. These changes increase the rate of warming and water scarcity in downstream areas. The sensitivity and vulnerability of this region to climate variability make it an ideal long-term platform for monitoring the ongoing climate changes and the unique land–atmosphere interactions over high mountains.

 

The distinct climate conditions present on the north and south slopes of Mount Everest, along with the complex underlying surface, result in notable variations in the two slopes’ surface energy flux patterns. Exploration of the differences and similarities in these surface energy flux variations on the north and south slopes of Mount Everest is of great significance for comprehending the process of land–atmosphere interaction on the Tibetan Plateau.

 

The research team of Professor Maoshan Li, has long been engaged in studying atmospheric boundary layer and land surface processes, cloud microphysical processes, and other related research directions. Within this context, the differences and similarities in the variations of atmospheric boundary layer processes between the north and south slopes of Mount Everest, and the underlying mechanisms involved, were studied recently by Professor Li’s team, the results of which have been published in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters. Specifically, numerical modeling of the boundary layer was used for mechanistic analysis, and the results revealed some insightful understanding and interesting conclusions.

 

“To reflect the nature of the energy exchange between land and atmosphere over the area’s surface, a combination of satellite remote sensing or numerical modeling is required to extend the site observations in the region,” explains Professor Li.

 

The topographical Enhanced Surface Energy Balance System (TESEBS) model was employed to study the surface heat flux during monsoon and non-monsoon periods on the north and south slopes of Mount Everest using remote sensing and observational data.

 

In order to investigate the effect of albedo on surface heat flux, the simulation results of  two satellite albedo products (MYD09GA and MCD43A3) were compared, and it was found that the MCD43A3 satellite data improved the surface albedo and made the simulation results more accurate.

 

Sensible heat fluxes increase with altitude on both the north and south slopes at high altitudes, while they increase with vegetation cover and canopy height at low altitudes. The latent heat flux of the south slope decreases with altitude, while the maximum latent heat flux of the north slope is at the southern margin. The maximum value of latent heat flux in the low-altitude region mainly appears on the south side of the central Himalayas, and the maximum value in the high-altitude region appears at the southwestern margin of Mount Everest. The seasonal changes in soil heat flux and net radiation are more obvious on the south than north slope.

 

“Changes in atmospheric circulation and hydrothermal conditions brought about by the monsoon’s onset will directly affect the distribution of surface heat fluxes on the north and south slopes”, concludes Professor Li.

 

With improvement in satellite sensor resolution and establishment of an observational network on Mount Everest, the plan is to further enhance comparative research on energy flux observations on the north and south slopes of the Himalayas, as doing so is of great significance for better understanding the similarities and their consequential impacts on weather and climate.

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JOURNAL

Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters

DOI

10.1016/j.aosl.2024.100513 

 

Secrets of sargassum: Scientists advance knowledge of seaweed causing chaos in the Caribbean and West Africa

Researchers have been working to track and study floating sargassum, a prolific seaweed swamping Caribbean and West African shorelines, and causing environmental and economic harm

UNIVERSITY OF YORK

 

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SARGASSUM IN JAMAICA, AUGUST 2021

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CREDIT: DALE WEBBER.

Researchers have been working to track and study floating sargassum, a prolific seaweed swamping Caribbean and West African shorelines, and causing environmental and economic harm.

 

The stranded seaweed blocks fishing boats; threatens tourism; disrupts turtle nesting sites, reefs and mangroves, and releases toxic gas, which impacts human health and damages electrical equipment.

 

First reported by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century, floating mats of sargassum have long been present in the North Atlantic. However, since 2011, a floating population has established between West Africa and South America, and increased in size to form “the great Atlantic sargassum belt” – a 9,000km-long macroalgal bloom, visible from space and estimated to weigh 35 million tons. 

 

The massive blooms of sargassum are thought to be down to nutrient pollution and warming seas, and vast quantities of the seaweed end up in landfill each year.

 

The research team, from the Universities of York and Southampton, alongside colleagues from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and Barbados, set out to learn more about sargassum’s biomass composition in order to unlock its potential to be used to produce sustainable products.  

 

While the seaweed is an abundant biomass, its possible uses are limited due to its high arsenic content.

 

First author of the study Dr Carla Machado, a research associate in the Department of Biology, said: “The small quantities of sargassum that used to wash ashore in the Caribbean provided a habitat for turtles, crabs and fish and contributed to beach formation as it decomposed, but the vast sargassum blooms of the past decade are a global problem that will continue to grow and have a major impact in the affected countries. 

 

This research project has brought together international researchers specialising in biomass composition and satellite imaging to track, sample and study sargassum, providing crucial new knowledge of this little-understood macroalgae.” 

 

For a biomass to be utilised, it needs to be consistent in its composition; this ensures it can be processed efficiently and behave predictably during production. 

 

The results of the study showed that, overall, the biochemical composition of sargassum is consistent throughout the year. The researchers tested different processing methods for the seaweed, including shade-drying or freezing, and found the protein content of the seaweed stayed the same. However, the method of processing did affect levels of other components such as alginate, which can be processed for many applications, including biomaterials. 

 

The researchers collected samples of sargassum in Jamaica throughout 2021, which coincided with the April 2021 eruption of La Soufrière on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent.

 

Using drift patterns, the authors calculated that the sargassum samples they collected in August 2021 would have spent approximately 50 days exposed to ash from the eruption. 

 

They found that seaweed that had likely been in contact with volcanic ash contained less arsenic, but had accumulated other elements including nickel and zinc. 

 

Lead author of the study, Dr Thierry Tonon from the Department of Biology at the University of York said: “Understanding sargassum’s response to environmental conditions is crucial for unlocking its biology and potential value.

 

“With the great sargassum belt also receiving additional nutrients from Sahara dust that blows across the Atlantic, huge quantities of the seaweed washing up on coastlines looks set to become the new normal.”

 

There is much more work to be done to increase understanding about sargassum and how it is going to behave in years to come, the researchers say. This will provide a body of evidence that could inform an international response to the problems it poses to people and the environment and transform it into something useful.

 

Professor Robert Marsh from the University of Southampton said: “The sargassum beaching around Jamaica in late summer 2021 carried distinct traces of the volcanic ash that settled upon it around 4 months earlier, just to the east of St Vincent; this novel ‘volcanic tag’ confirmed that sargassum arrives each summer at Jamaican beaches after a months-long journey drifting with currents from the central tropical Atlantic.”

 

Professor Hazel A. Oxenford from the University of the West Indies said:  “Volcanic ash collected in my garden from the St Vincent eruption was used to determine its chemical signature. Being able to detect those components in sargassum after it travelled more than 1,700 km across the Caribbean to Jamaica was exciting. It confirmed our predicted transport pathway for sargassum, showed that the seaweed lives for at least 4 months and demonstrates the marine connectivity across the region.”

 

Professor Mona Webber from the University of the West Indies added: “It is very important for Caribbean Islands being affected by the sargassum inundation to be able to benefit from its valorization. Understanding how the sargassum we collect in Jamaica has changed en route to our shores and factors that could affect especially the arsenic content, will propel us towards safe use of the algal biomass.”

 

Changes in holopelagic Sargassum spp. biomass composition across an unusual year is published in the Journal PNAS. The study was carried out in collaboration between the Universities of York, Southampton and the West Indies.

 

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JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

ARTICLE TITLE

Changes in holopelagic Sargassum spp. biomass composition across an unusual year

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-May-2024

 

Understanding the mechanisms for local amplification of 2024 tsunamis in Iida Bay

Researchers uncover the unique mechanisms that resulted in severe tsunamis in Iida Bay caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

 

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TSUNAMI HEIGHT MAP CREATED BASED ON OBSERVATIONAL DATA (TOP PANEL) AND SIMULATED MAXIMUM WATER LEVELS AND TSUNAMI CONCENTRATED NEAR THE TIP OF NOTO PENINSULA, FURTHER AMPLIFIED IN IIDA BAY (BOTTOM PANELS).

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CREDIT: TOKYO TECH

In 2024, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Japan on New Year’s Day, causing strong shaking, landslides, fire, liquefaction, land uplift, and devastating tsunamis. Ishikawa Prefecture, the hardest hit area, saw at least 241 fatalities, and about 75,187 houses damaged. Although the Noto Peninsula has experienced frequent earthquakes and tsunamis in the past, the 2024 tsunamis were different.

In the Ishikawa, Toyama, and Niigata prefectures, 1.3–5.8-meter-high tsunamis were confirmed. The tsunamis that hit Iida Bay, located near the epicenter of the earthquake, were significantly higher and stronger than those that hit other coasts. Tsunamis over three meters high were concentrated primarily in Iida Bay, with the area surrounding Ukai Fishing Port being most widely flooded by the tsunami. Aerial photos and field surveys revealed that this area was flooded up to approximately 500 meters inland from the coast. Moreover, some sections of the breakwater at Iida Port collapsed, suggesting that this tsunami event was concentrated and amplified through unique mechanisms.

To unveil these mechanisms, a team of researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, led by Professor Hiroshi Takagi from the School of Environment and Society investigated the source of the amplification of 2024 Noto Peninsula tsunamis. “To protect against unusual tsunamis like those that occurred in the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, advanced countermeasures are required. Understanding the special mechanisms that lead to the concentration of these tsunamis is therefore of utmost importance,” says Takagi, when asked about the motivation behind their study. Their study was published in the journal Ocean Engineering on 19 May 2024.

The team conducted a detailed investigation into the behaviour and characteristics of the tsunamis in Iida Bay using a field survey, numerical analysis, and video recordings from a monitoring camera. Their analysis revealed two main reasons for the amplification of the tsunamis. First, the tsunami energies converged off the coast of Iida Bay due to a lens effect. In Iida Spur, an area with waters shallower than 300 meters spreading like a tongue off the coast of Iida Bay, slow-moving tsunamis hit while retaining their energy without significant dissipation. In addition, wave refraction occurred due to the steep slope at the boundary between Iida Spur and Toyama Trough, concentrating the energy and creating the lens effect. These effects contributed to the particularly high tsunamis in Iida Bay.

Second, after reaching the bay, the first tsunami caused diffraction at the two capes and multiple reflections, triggering multiple short-period secondary tsunamis that overlapped at Iida Port and Ukai Fishing Port, causing significant damage. Video recordings overlooking Iida Port revealed that the first wave arrived around 20 minutes after the earthquake, followed by a second wave 10 minutes later. Wavelet analysis showed that the primary tsunami wave had a period of 5–10 minutes, while the secondary waves had periods of less than two minutes. Furthermore, the video recordings showed that a bore-like tsunami propagating along the coast intersected a tsunami directly reaching Iida Port, which hit the breakwater, resulting in a 10-meter-high splash.

“Our study highlights that the damage due to tsunamis in Iida Bay was greatly influenced by local conditions, including ocean floor topology, coastline shape, the location of coastal facilities, and the fundamental seismic factors of the earthquake. These findings suggest that multiple tsunamis can overlap energetically within a bay, requiring more precise tsunami prediction technologies and specific countermeasures to mitigate such localized damage against similar future events,” remarks Takagi.

 

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About Tokyo Institute of Technology

Tokyo Tech stands at the forefront of research and higher education as the leading university for science and technology in Japan. Tokyo Tech researchers excel in fields ranging from materials science to biology, computer science, and physics. Founded in 1881, Tokyo Tech hosts over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students per year, who develop into scientific leaders and some of the most sought-after engineers in industry. Embodying the Japanese philosophy of “monotsukuri,” meaning “technical ingenuity and innovation,” the Tokyo Tech community strives to contribute to society through high-impact research.

https://www.titech.ac.jp/english/

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JOURNAL

Ocean Engineering

DOI

10.1016/j.oceaneng.2024.118180 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Locally amplified tsunami in Iida Bay due to the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake

 

Enhancing energy efficiency in China's public buildings: a multifaceted approach

ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY

 

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ENERGY GRADING AND LABELING TOOLS. A ENERGY STAR AND BUILDING EQ FROM THE US ((AGENCY AND HISTORY OF EPA'S CLIMATE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS. 2022; ASHRAE. BUILDING E.Q. 2022)). B DEC FROM THE UK (DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE. DISPLAY ENERGY CERTIFICATES 2022). C BELS IN JANPAN (CENTER AND OF JAPAN. BELS EVALUATION. 2022). D EEEG IN CHINA (MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN-RURAL DEVELOPMENT. NOTICE ON THE TRIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY EVALUATION AND GRADING SYSTEM FOR CIVIL BUILDINGS 2008)

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CREDIT: CITY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

A collaborative study has identified key policy tools and challenges in improving energy efficiency (EEI) for public buildings in China. The research, published in the City and Built Environment journal, offers a comprehensive analysis of the current state of EEI policy tools and proposes innovative solutions to overcome existing obstacles.

As China cements its status as the world's largest energy consumer, it has set ambitious targets for achieving carbon neutrality, pledging to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and attain carbon neutrality by 2060. The building sector, accounting for over 21% of the nation’s total energy use, plays a crucial role in these efforts. Public buildings, with energy intensities three times higher than residential structures, are particularly critical in the energy efficiency landscape. Despite the Chinese government's deployment of various policy tools aimed at reducing energy use in public buildings, their energy intensities continue to escalate, highlighting the urgent need for more effective strategies to steer the building sector towards sustainability.

In light of these challenges, a recent study (DOI: 10.1007/s44213-023-00023-y) by Tsinghua University, published in the City and Built Environment journal on 09 March 2024, offers an extensive review of existing policies. This research uncovers substantial obstacles in policy implementation, including the complex task of collecting and managing energy data, the absence of robust methods for evaluating building energy performance, and a lack of feedback mechanisms to engage building owners effectively.

The study's comprehensive analysis, which included a review of literature, field investigations, and interviews with industry experts, revealed significant challenges. These include difficulties in collecting and disclosing energy consumption data, a lack of scientific methods for evaluating energy-use levels, and an absence of effective feedback mechanisms for building owners. The research also identified the unique Chinese approach of energy-consumption quota management, which has not been as widely adopted as the other tools. To address these issues, the study proposes a multi-faceted strategy. It suggests creating a scalable data collection system, similar to those in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, to be rolled out nationwide. The researchers also recommend developing a grading system for building energy consumption based on actual operational data, which would inform a more targeted approach to energy management and policy application. Furthermore, the study calls for the establishment of a carbon trading model specifically for buildings, independent of the existing market, to incentivize energy efficiency through economic means.

Lead researcher Hao Zhou emphasizes, "The building sector is pivotal in China’s carbon emission reduction strategy. Our findings offer a detailed analysis of public building energy efficiency policies, providing valuable insights not just for China but for global policy frameworks."

This research points to a need for a more cohesive, data-driven approach in the building sector, highlighting the potential of advanced energy grading systems and the exploration of differential pricing mechanisms and financial incentives to enhance compliance and policy effectiveness.

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References

DOI

10.1007/s44213-023-00023-y

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.1007/s44213-023-00023-y

Funding information

This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 72374121), Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (grant No. 51825802), along with special fund of Beijing Science and Technology Institute of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

About City and Built Environment

City and Built Environment focuses on newer fields related to various forms of urbanization and development, which resolves those related challenges from a world view perspective. The inner relationship between buildings and cities, as well as the complicated interactions among people, building and city, is emphasized.

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JOURNAL

City and Built Environment

DOI

10.1007/s44213-023-00023-y 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Investigation of policy tools for energy efficiency improvement in public buildings in China—current situation, obstacles, and solutions

 

Who will like beetle skewers? What Europeans think about alternative protein food

SWPS UNIVERSITY

Why do people in Paris like seaweed and tofu salad? Will Italians be tempted to try a beetle skewer? How many young Polish consumers are "food innovators", eager to eat chickpea pâté? In an international project, researchers from SWPS University analysed European consumers' attitudes towards alternative protein food products.

In the face of the fight against climate change, more and more people are modifying their diets, giving up or limiting conventional sources of protein (e.g., beef, pork, poultry, and animal dairy) in favour of those with a lower environmental impact. These are the so-called alternative protein food (APF) products, which may be based on legumes, algae, mushrooms, crustaceans and insects.

Although Europe is the leading market in production and sales of APF and original research on this topic is growing, there has been no synthesis of between-country differences in APF choices across Europe, says Hanna Zaleśkiewicz from the CARE-BEH Center for Applied Research on Health Behavior and Health, SWPS University.

Researchers from SWPS University together with experts from Germany, Denmark, Greece, Norway and Italy analysed research from 11 databases of peer-reviewed journals. In total, their analysis included 25 studies conducted in 18 European countries. The results were published in Food Quality and Preference. The researchers focused particularly on data from Denmark, Finland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, the UK and Germany.

Healthy and ethical in theory, but what about practice?

Research shows that many consumers rate hybrid products, i.e. those combining conventional and alternative protein, higher than meat products in terms of the attributes of being healthy, ethical, environmentally friendly, and nutritious. This trend is observed especially among Danish consumers, but also among consumers from other countries, e.g. the UK and Spain.

Positive attitudes and beliefs, however, do not always translate to intention to buy such products. 60% studies addressing APF-related purchase intentions indicate that Danish consumers have relatively low intention to buy APF products. In one study, only 46% of them were willing to buy hybrid meat (a product combining plants and meat), compared to 63% of consumers in Spain and 53% in the UK.1

Few Polish "food innovators"

Studies show that consumers from Poland and the Czech Republic have less knowledge regarding innovative food products and higher reluctance to adopt novel foods compared to Danish and German consumers.

These patterns should be considered in the context of persistently high intake of meat (compared to pulses) per capita in the years between 2018 and 2020 in countries such as Poland 2, explains Hanna Zaleśkiewicz.

A comparison of German and Polish consumers (aged 55 years or older) indicated that Polish respondents had significantly lower levels of knowledge regarding innovative food products (including those containing APF), were more hesitant in their decisions, and less frequently decided to purchase such products3.

A study4 of young consumers indicated that among people from Germany, “food innovators" (i.e., those who buy soon after various innovative foods are out) and “early followers" (those who buy after some consideration) constitute 73 % of the population.

This contrasts with findings observed for young people from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. In those countries, "food innovators" and "early followers" constitute only 24-36 % of young consumers. While strong reluctance to buy innovative APF was not found among young consumers from Germany, it was present among 13-17% of consumers from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

Insect on a plate?

 Analysis shows that consumers are reluctant to buy insect-based APF. Only 18-22 % of consumers in the UK and Spain report their willingness to buy such products. Consumers in Sweden and Finland declare more positive beliefs about insect-based food than consumers in Germany and Czech Republic. Consumers in Italy are much less likely to choose such products than consumers in Northern or Western Europe (e.g., Denmark, Belgium).

 Food culture and eating patterns in Northern Europe might have changed in recent decades, whereas Italian food culture is considered one of the strongest in Europe, with over 200 food products, where meat plays an important role, the researcher from SWPS University points out.

Seaweed conquers cosmopolitan cities

Specific differences in consumer acceptance of and interest in APF are observed in certain cities.

The rural-urban differences within the country may be explained not by the size of the city but rather by its multicultural and cosmopolitan character, the researcher comments.

For example, cities like Paris and Helsinki, which are more ethnically diverse, tend to exhibit higher levels of consumer acceptance of APF compared to consumers from cities with less ethnically diverse consumers5 6. Consumers from such major cities are also more likely to have restaurants offering alternative cuisine or introducing novel food trends, including alternative protein.

A good example is Paris, where the average consumption of seaweed-based APF is higher than in 5 other French cities. This may be explained with a relatively large population of Asian-origin inhabitants who accept seaweed-based food.

Building consumer motivation

The authors of the analysis emphasise that their findings may help develop strategies aiming to increase APF choices. Taking into account different approaches and levels of knowledge about APF in individual countries will allow to use different promotion strategies.

Considering weak or moderate level of consumption and declared intention to buy APF, it is necessary, for example, to develop and implement promotional campaigns that will increase consumer motivation. The motivational factors could include perceived health benefits, environmental benefits, animal welfare-related motives, comments Hanna Zaleśkiewicz.

The study was conducted as part of the international project “LIKE-A-PRO From niche to mainstream - alternative proteins for everybody and everywhere”, led on behalf of the SWPS University by Professor Aleksandra Łuszczyńska. The project is financed by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme.

 

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1. Grasso, S., Asioli, D., & Smith, R. (2022). Consumer co-creation of hybrid meat products: A cross-country European survey. Food Quality and Preference, 100, Article 104586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104586

2. FAO (2023). FAOSTAT. Retrieved August 27, 2023, from https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data

3. Zabrocki, R. (2017). A comparative analysis of the determinants of behaviours of Polish and German consumers aged 55+ in the innovative food market. Handel Wewnętrzny, 1(366), 413–423.

4. Barska, A. (2014). Attitudes of young consumers towards innovations on the food market. Management, 18(1), 419–431. https://doi.org/10.2478/manment-2014- 0031

5. Lucas, S., Gouin, S., & Lesueur, M. (2019). Seaweed consumption and label preferences in France. Marine Resource Economics, 34(2), 143–162. https://doi.org/10.1086/ 704078

6. Nevalainen, E., Niva, M., & Vainio, A. (2023). A transition towards plant-based diets on its way? Consumers’ substitutions of meat in their diets in Finland. Food Quality and Preference, 104, Article 104754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104754

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JOURNAL

Food Quality and Preference

DOI

10.1016/j.foodqual.2024.105174 

ARTICLE TITLE

Geographical context of European consumers’ choices of alternative protein food: A systematic review

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Mar-2024

 

Earth scientists describe a new kind of volcanic eruption

The Kīlauea volcano erupted like a stomp-rocket in 2018, new research shows

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

No two volcanic eruptions are exactly alike, but scientists think a series of explosive eruptions at Kīlauea volcano fit into a whole new category.

By analyzing the dynamics of 12 back-to-back explosions that happened in 2018, researchers describe a new type of volcanic eruption mechanism. The explosions were driven by sudden pressure increases as the ground collapsed, which blasted plumes of rock fragments and hot gas into the air, much like a classic stomp-rocket toy.

Researchers from the University of Oregon, United States Geological Survey and China’s Sichuan University report their findings in a paper published May 27 in Nature Geoscience.

The particular string of explosions at the summit of Kīlauea was part of a sequence of events that included lava flows erupting from lower on the flank of the volcano. Those lava flows destroyed thousands of homes and displaced residents on the Island of Hawai’i for months.

Understanding exactly what happened in past volcanic eruptions, colloquially called “hindcasting,” allows volcanologists to make better forecasts about future eruptions and give more accurate warnings to people in an eruption’s path.

For the most part, explosive volcanic eruptions are either primarily driven by rising magma, vaporized groundwater, or some combination of the two, according to Josh Crozier, who did this research as a doctoral student at the UO. But these eruptions didn’t quite fit the mold.

“These eruptions are quite interesting in that they don’t really seem to involve either of those,” Crozier said. “The eruptive material contained very little that looked like fresh magma that was blasted out, but there’s no evidence for significant groundwater being involved, either.”

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, part of the U.S. Geological Survey, keeps close tabs on Kīlauea. The volcano is covered with scientific instruments, from ground sensors that measure the shaking of the earth to tools that analyze the gases released from the volcano.

“A cool thing about these eruptions is that there were a bunch of them in sequence that were remarkably similar; that’s relatively unusual,” said Leif Karlstrom, a volcanologist at the UO. “Typically, volcanic eruptions don’t happen with as much regularity.”

So the team had more data than usual to work with, and they could dig deeper into the specific dynamics of the eruptions.

Putting all that data into a variety of atmospheric and subsurface models, the scientists pieced together a new story about what happened on Kīlauea during the string of events in 2018.

Before each explosion at the summit, magma was slowly draining from an underground reservoir. (This magma was feeding lava flows 40 kilometers away, on the eastern flank of the volcano.) As the reservoir depleted, the ground above it — the crater within the caldera at the volcano’s summit — suddenly collapsed.

That quickly increased the pressure in the reservoir. And because there was a pocket of accumulated magmatic gas sitting at the top of this reservoir, the pressure increase squeezed the magmatic gas and bits of rubble through a conduit and blasted them out of a vent in Kīlauea’s crater.

The researchers compare the eruption dynamic to a stomp-rocket toy, where stepping on an air bag connected to a hose launches a projectile into the air.

“The ‘stomp’ is this whole kilometer-thick chunk of rock dropping down, pressurizing the pocket, and then forcing material directly up,” Crozier said. And the ‘rocket’ is, of course, the gas and rocks erupting from the volcano.

Caldera collapse is fairly common, Crozier notes. So while this is the first time scientists have specifically spelled out this specific stomp-rocket mechanism, it’s probably not the only time it’s occurred.

The study was able to link geophysical observations to the properties of the volcanic plume in the atmosphere.

“This link is very rare,” said Joe Dufek, a volcanologist at the UO. “It points to new ways for us to observe eruptions and to combine sensor measurements with computer simulations to better assess hazards from eruptions.”

The fact that this was a series of smaller eruptions may have made it easier to see the underlying mechanism, Dufek said. Other complex processes weren’t overshadowing the stomp-rocket component.

But that’s not to say that Kīlauea is simple. A typical textbook drawing of a volcano shows magma moving upwards through chambers at different depths. But it’s rarely that straightforward, and a volcano like Kīlauea, decked out in scientific instruments, provides an opportunity to dig into the details.  

“This is an example, and there’s an increasing number of these, where the pathways of magma ascent are quite geometrically complex,” Karlstrom said. “It gives us a much more nuanced picture of what volcanic plumbing systems look like.”

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JOURNAL

Nature Geoscience

DOI

10.1038/s41561-024-01442-0 

ARTICLE TITLE

Explosive 2018 eruptions at K ̄ılauea driven by a collapse-induced stomp-rocket mechanism

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-May-2024

 

Green wheels: new study maps the road to eco-friendly driving

MAXIMUM ACADEMIC PRESS

 

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ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK

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CREDIT: AUTOMOTIVE INNOVATION

The push for carbon neutrality in the transportation sector is driving significant research and development (R&D) across the globe. A new study provides a comprehensive analysis of the distinct national strategies and R&D organizational paradigms aimed at achieving carbon neutrality in road transport. The study critically assesses policies and incentives that are propelling industrial and technological routes for decarbonizing transportation, under the guidance of government-led R&D strategies within new energy vehicle (NEV) markets.

As climate change intensifies, the transportation sector is under significant pressure to minimize its carbon footprint. Pivotal in this transformation are new energy vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles. Yet, the journey towards broad adoption of these technologies is riddled with technological, economic, and policy hurdles.

In the latest journal of Automotive Innovation, researchers from the University of Science and Technology Beijing present a pivotal study that outlines development strategies and organizational models poised to guide the global road transport sector toward carbon neutrality. The study (DOI: 10.1007/s42154-023-00246-z), published on April 15, 2024, introduces a framework designed to deepen understanding and enhance the impact of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in curbing global carbon emissions.

The research rigorously assesses national strategies utilized by China, the European Union, the United States, and Japan, highlighting the diversity and intricacies of the transition to NEVs. While all regions are committed to reducing transportation emissions, their approaches differ markedly. China prioritizes large-scale market incentives and infrastructural development; the EU melds NEV expansion into wider environmental policies; the U.S. focuses on fostering technological innovation and engaging the private sector; and Japan robustly invests in hydrogen fuel technology. The study emphasizes the need for bespoke policy frameworks that take into account regional economic conditions, technological capabilities, and societal factors. It advocates for a balanced strategy that enhances both supply, through innovations and manufacturing incentives, and demand, through consumer subsidies and public awareness initiatives, to effectively stimulate the NEV market and establish sustainable transportation systems globally.

Dr. Xu Hao, the study's lead author, comments, "This research not only charts viable paths to carbon neutrality but also underscores the vital role of government policies and international collaboration in boosting NEV adoption. It's crucial for stakeholders worldwide to synchronize their efforts and innovate together."

This research offers a blueprint for policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to grasp the dynamics of the NEV market and its influence on carbon emissions. By implementing the strategies outlined, nations can expedite their shift to a sustainable transportation system, significantly aiding global climate objectives.

This article is free access from May 20th - June 21st.

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References

DOI

10.1007/s42154-023-00246-z

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42154-023-00246-z

Funding information

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Young Scholars (Grant No. 72304031), the Ministry of Science and Technology of PRC under Project No. ZLY202118, the State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy under Project No. KFY2220, and Tsinghua-Toyota Joint Research Fund. The authors are solely responsible for the views expressed in this study.

About Automotive Innovation

Automotive Innovation is dedicated to the publication of innovative findings in the automotive field as well as other related disciplines, covering the principles, methodologies, theoretical studies, experimental studies, product engineering and engineering application. The main topics cover emerging vehicle technologies, including but not limited to: electrification, autonomous driving, eco-driving. The Journal presents the latest trend and advances of automotive technology.

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JOURNAL

Automotive Innovation

DOI

10.1007/s42154-023-00246-z 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Toward Carbon Neutral Road Transport: Development Strategies and New R&D Organizational Paradigms