Spring Campaign Research Articles

Snow depth from ICESat laser altimetry — A test study in southern Norway

Direct snow depth measurements are sparse, especially in remote areas. In this study, we assess the potential of ICESat laser altimetry for providing snow depths for its operational period 2003–2009 on the example of the Scandinavian Mountains in southern Norway. Snow cover during ICESat campaigns typically results in positive elevation differences (dh) between ICESat GLAH14 elevations and reference elevations from Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). Three DEMs are used: the Norwegian national DEM for the entire study area, and the SRTM DEM and a high-resolution airborne lidar DEM for a spatial subset on the Hardangervidda mountain plateau. To account for uncertainty in elevation data, ICESat samples are grouped into spatial subsets, elevation bands, and over time (e.g. all winter campaigns together). We find that ICESat has the potential to provide regional-scale snow depths for the years 2003–2009 for its winter (March) and late spring (June) campaigns. ICESat-derived snow depth time series for different elevation bands agree well with measured (RMSE 0.47m) and modelled (RMSE 0.61m) snow depths in the study area. Annual differences in snow amounts and the increase of snow depths with elevation and coastal proximity over the study area are correctly reproduced. Uncertainties in reference elevations exceed ICESat elevation uncertainty and good control over errors and biases in reference DEMs turn out essential. Spatially varying vertical offsets between ICESat and the reference DEMs make it necessary to bias-correct March/June snow depths with autumn dh per spatial unit or elevation band. Best results are achieved when samples are summarised per season over the entire observation period. After correction of local DEM biases, the spatial pattern of ICESat 2003–2009 March dh matches spatially distributed modelled snow depths in southern Norway with decimeter-scale accuracy. In the western part of Hardangervidda, ICESat-based March snow depths agree better with measurements (RMSE ≤0.15m for all DEMs) than modelled snow depths do (RMSE 0.61m). In eastern Hardangervidda, the coarse resolution SRTM DEM (RMSE 0.41m) performs better than the 10m Norwegian DEM (RMSE 0.64m) which is based on a less consistent mosaic of elevation data. Using the high-resolution lidar DEM, even single footprints show good agreement (R2 0.59, RMSE 0.94m) with measured snow depths from the same year. Snow depth estimates could be further improved by using full waveform ICESat data or elevation measurements from ICESat-2 once this satellite is operational. Good quality reference DEMs may still be acquired in the future even in areas where no such data exists today.

The impacts of lithium and silicon coating on the W source in EAST

Application of lithium (Li) or silicon (Si) wall coating in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) has proven to be an effective method to reduce fuel recycling and control impurity level, and also to improve the plasma performance. In 2014, the upper graphite divertor in EAST was upgraded into a full tungsten (W) one with ITER-like actively water-cooled monoblock structure. Note that there is still large surface area of first wall covered by graphite tiles, including the lower divertor, NBI shine through armor, the outboard guard limiters, etc. In 2016 spring campaign, both Li and Si were used to coat the first wall in experimental sequences that lasted more than one month each. The spectroscopic observation reveals that compared to Si coating, Li coating more effectively suppresses in-vessel impurities, thus mitigating the W source in upper divertor. This is further quantified by a reduction of the effective W sputtering yield calculation. Carbon (C) impurity is suggested as the main impurity governing W sputtering, and correlates inverselywith the wall coating evolution during both one-day experiments and the whole campaign. The impurity concentration increases measurably after every vacuum vessel exposure to air during the campaign; substantial time is required for impurities to return to baseline levels. Real-time Li aerosol injection into the upper divertor effectively reduces the W sputtering by cooling the edge plasma and dissipating the power flux to divertor target, consequently providing an active tool for radiation divertor control.

Biomarker responses in eelpouts from four coastal areas in Sweden, Denmark and Germany

To increase our understanding of possible chemical impacts on coastal fish populations in the Baltic Sea, Kattegat and Skagerrak, the viviparous eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) was used as sentinel species in two major sampling campaigns (spring and autumn) in 16 different coastal sites. Condition factor (CF), liver somatic index (LSI), gonad somatic index (GSI) were measured and the activity of the hepatic enzymes ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione reductase GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT) and muscular activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were assessed. PAH metabolites in bile were also analyzed. The most notable finding in the data set was the low EROD activity in eelpouts collected at the relatively polluted region in Germany compared to the other regions, which could be due to an inhibition of the CYP1A-system or to adaptation to chronic exposure of pollutants in this area. Additionally, low AChE activity was noted in the German region in the autumn campaign and low AChE activity detected in the Danish region in the spring campaign. These differences suggest possible season-specific differences in the use and release of AChE-inhibiting chemicals in the Danish and German regions. Clustering of biomarkers on site level indicated a relationship between CF and GSI and suggested that sites with a high CF contained eelpout that put a larger effort into their larvae development. Clustering of the oxidative stress markers GR, GST and CAT on the individual level reflected a possible coordinated regulation of these enzymes. Overall, the results support the importance of taking into account general regional differences and seasonal variation in biomarker activity when monitoring and assessing the effects of pollution. Despite the expected seasonal variation for most of the measured endpoint, several markers (GSI, EROD and CF) vary similarly between all selected sites in both spring and autumn. This suggests that the differences between sites for these endpoints are independent of season.

Development and Preliminary Commissioning Results of a Long Pulse 140 GHz ECRH System on EAST Tokamak (Invited)**supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China (Nos. 2011GB102000, 2012GB103000 and 2015GB103000)

A long pulse electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) system has been developed to meet the requirements of steady-state operation for the EAST superconducting tokamak, and the first EC wave was successfully injected into plasma during the 2015 spring campaign. The system is mainly composed of four 140 GHz gyrotron systems, 4 ITER-Like transmission lines, 4 independent channel launchers and corresponding power supplies, a water cooling, control & inter-lock system etc. Each gyrotron is expected to deliver a maximum power of 1 MW and be operated at 100-1000 s pulse lengths. The No.1 and No.2 gyrotron systems have been installed. In the initial commissioning, a series of parameters of 1 MW 1 s, 900 kW 10 s, 800 kW 95 s and 650 kW 753 s have been demonstrated successfully on the No.1 gyrotron system based on calorimetric dummy load measurements. Significant plasma heating and MHD instability suppression effects were observed in EAST experiments. In addition, high confinement (H-mode) discharges triggered by ECRH were obtained.

Investigation of the CCN Activity, BC and UVBC Mass Concentrations of Biomass Burning Aerosols during the 2013 BASELInE Campaign

Biomass-burning (BB) aerosols, acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), can influence cloud microphysical and radiative properties. In this study, we present CCN measured near the BB source regions over northern Southeast Asia (Doi Ang Khang, Thailand) and at downwind receptor areas (Lulin Atmospheric Background Station, Taiwan), focusing exclusively on 13–20 March 2013 as part of 2013 spring campaign of the Seven SouthEast Asian Studies (7-SEAS) intensive observation. One of the campaign’s objectives is to characterize BB aerosols serving as CCN in SouthEast Asia (SEA). CCN concentrations were measured by a CCN counter at 5 supersaturation (SS) levels: 0.15%, 0.30%, 0.45%, 0.60%, and 0.75%. In addition, PM2.5 and black carbon mass concentrations were analyzed by using a tapered element oscillating microbalance and an aethalometer. It was found the number-size distributions and the characteristics of hygroscopicity (e.g., activation ratio and κ) of BB aerosols in SEA have a strong diurnal pattern, and different behaviors of patterns were characterized under two distinct weather systems. The overall average κ value was low (0.05–0.1) but comparable with previous CCN studies in other BB source regions. Furthermore, a large fraction of UV-absorbing organic material (UVBC) and high Delta-C among BB aerosols were also observed, which suggest the existence of substantial particulate organic matter in fresh BB aerosols. These data provide the most extensive characterization of BB aerosols in SEA until now.

Spring 1865: The Closing Campaigns of the Civil War by Perry D. Jamieson

Reviewed by: Spring 1865: The Closing Campaigns of the Civil War by Perry D. Jamieson Mandy Tompkins Spring 1865: The Closing Campaigns of the Civil War. Perry D. Jamieson. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2015. ISBN 978-0-8032-2581-7, 320pp., cloth, $34.95. Part of the Great Campaigns of the Civil War series, Perry D. Jamieson’s Spring 1865: The Closing Campaigns of the Civil War relates the final campaigns of the Civil War in a concise narrative that will enable the work to be a steadfast source for anyone interested in the final months of the war. The details of the ending battles and surrenders in both the eastern and western theaters of the war will allow the average reader to easily follow the history; yet Jamieson includes enough details and valuable information that Civil War scholars will find the book useful as well. Attempting to provide a succinct history of early 1865 while also contrasting the events occurring in the two theaters of war, Jamieson acknowledges that he focuses on “planning and operations at the strategic and operational levels of warfare” rather than “tactics or more human-interest stories” (xi). His study of the operations involved from February to May 1865 displays the decisions leading generals on both sides faced and how those choices affected the overall outcome of the war. Tactics and human-interest stories are not neglected completely though, and interested readers can use Jamieson’s rich bibliography to find works that focus on these aspects. Jamieson sets the stage for the spring campaigns in chapter 1 with a summary of the winter of ‘64–’65. The siege at Petersburg along with Sherman’s march through Georgia had strongly defeated Confederate morale. Grant’s plan to combine Union forces would be the ultimate blow to Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The next two chapters narrate the Union capture of Fort Fisher and Wilmington and the beginning stages of late warfare in the Carolinas. Jamieson does an accurate job showing the “incompetency” of Braxton Bragg as well as the events leading up to Lee’s decision to replace P. G. T. Beauregard with Joseph Johnston as commander of [End Page 334] the Army of Tennessee (29, 44). Many people believe that the Confederacy lost the war because of defeated morale and low numbers, but by discussing the struggles of the Confederate leadership, Jamieson acknowledges a factor sometimes forgotten. Chapter 4 focuses on Confederate issues at Bentonville before Jamieson switches to the eastern theater, the siege at Petersburg, and Lee’s first idea of combining forces with Joseph Johnston (93). The remaining chapters narrate the final battles of the Army of Northern Virginia and Robert E. Lee’s movement away from Petersburg to the west, ending at Appomattox Court House. With a daily decreasing number of troops under Lee’s command, Jamieson shows that Ulysses S. Grant’s pursuit would ultimately lead to a surrender. The final two chapters discuss the other Confederate surrenders, including the largest one, at Durham Station when Johnston surrendered to William Sherman (199). Ending with the smaller surrenders further west, Jamieson does a good job of wrapping up the final events of the American Civil War. Writing about such a large geographic area and several months of the war might prove daunting for some, but Jamieson manages to recount the events in an easy-to-follow account. Historians looking for extensive tactical details and intensive battle descriptions may not find the book extremely helpful, but it could be a great source to help them review the overall details of the campaigns. Other readers not interested in maneuvers and battle plans will still find the work useful as a way to more fully understand “how an unimaginably painful, and extremely crucial, American war came to an end” (xii). One of the main ideas Jamieson conveys throughout his work is how the choices generals, both Union and Confederate, made greatly affected the outcome of the war. The mistakes made at Fort Fisher, Confederate errors at Bentonville and the lack of communication between Beauregard and Jefferson Davis enabled Sherman to capture places such as Columbia and Fayetteville. Another important aspect the author focuses...

Landscape Patch Pattern Effect on Relationships between Soil Properties and Earthworm Assemblages: A Comparison of two Farmlands of Different Spatial Structure

ABSTRACT Our survey was carried out in two study sites of approximately 3.3 ha each located in the Suwalki Lake District in NE Poland in the year 2008. Earthworms and soil samples were collected during two campaigns (spring and autumn) from 25 × 25 cm and 30 cm deep sampling points. The complex arable landscape (CAL) supported higher earthworm diversity, density and biomass than the similarly managed but homogeneous arable landscape (HAL). The spring and autumn earthworm sampling campaigns revealed very different patterns, and we conclude that autumn sampling is the most adequate for biomonitoring. On the other hand, the spring collections were significantly correlated to soil physical parameters, thus spring sampling is more suitable for studying such correlations. Significant correlations occurred almost exclusively for CAL and the soil parameters significantly relating with earthworm community were: soil moisture, nitrogen and organic carbon contents. The possible reason for it is the presence of numer...

Assessment of sediment toxicity in the Lagoon of Venice (Italy) using a multi-species set of bioassays

Within the framework of a Weight of Evidence (WoE) approach, a set of four toxicity bioassays involving the amphipod Corophium volutator (10 d lethality test on whole sediment), the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (fertilization and embryo toxicity tests on elutriate) and the pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (embryo toxicity test on elutriate) was applied to sediments from 10 sampling sites of the Venice Lagoon (Italy). Sediments were collected during three campaigns carried out in May 2004 (spring campaign), October 2004 (autumn campaign) and February 2005 (winter campaign). Toxicity tests were performed on all sediment samples. Sediment grain-size and chemistry were measured during spring and autumn campaigns. This research investigated (i) the ability of toxicity tests in discriminating among sites with different contamination level, (ii) the occurrence of a gradient of effect among sampling sites, (iii) the possible correlation among toxicity tests, sediment chemistry, grain size and organic carbon, and (iv) the possible occurrence of toxicity seasonal variability. Sediment contamination levels were from low to moderate. No acute toxicity toward amphipods was observed, while sea urchin fertilization was affected only in few sites in just a single campaign. Short-term effects on larval development of sea urchin and oyster evidenced a clear spatial trend among sites, with increasing effects along the axis connecting the sea-inlets with the industrial area. The set of bioassays allowed the identification of a spatial gradient of effect, with decreasing toxicity from the industrial area toward the sea-inlets. Multivariate data analysis showed that the malformations of oyster embryos were significantly correlated to the industrial contamination (metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, hexachlorobenzene and polychlorinated biphenyls), while sea urchin development to sediment concentrations of As, Cr and organic carbon. Both embryo toxicity tests were significantly affected by high ammonia concentrations found in the elutriates extracted from some mudflat and industrial sediments. No significant temporal variation of the toxicity was observed within the experimental period. Amendments to the set of bioassays, with inclusion of chronic tests, can certainly provide more reliability and consistency to the characterization of the (possible) toxic effects.

First observation of the marine tardigrades Batillipes mirus and Batillipes noerrevangi (Arthrotardigrada, Batillipedidae) from a strongly brackish part of the Polish Baltic Sea coast

The tardigrade fauna of Poland is one of the better known in Europe. However, almost all studies have been carried out on the limno-terrestrial species, while marine Tardigrada have been neglected. To the best of our knowledge only one report on marine Tardigrada for Polish waters has been published up to now. In the present study the first records of two marine arthrotardigrade species, Batillipes mirus and Batillipes noerrevangi, from Puck Bay (Baltic Sea) are reported. The lowest salinity value in the study area was 3–4 PSU, and B. noerrevangi should be considered the most brackish water-tolerant arthrotardigrade. Samples were collected from the vegetated seabed (seagrass and macrophytes) and the bare sandy bottom in different seasons. A single specimen of B. mirus was found only during the autumn campaign. Specimens (adults and larval stages) of B. noerrevangi were found in all samples during spring, summer and autumn campaigns. Additionally, morphometric data with detailed microphotographs of B. noerrevangi (PCM, DIC) and B. mirus (PCM) as well as a discussion of the new records are presented. The validity of the occurrence of B. dicrocercus in Poland, which was determined based on a single larva from the Międzyzdroje area by Hummon, is also discussed. The larva from Międzyzdroje should be regarded as an undetermined species; thus, the marine tardigrade fauna from Poland consists of only the two newly recorded species.

Regional nitrogen dynamics in the TERENO Bode River catchment, Germany, as constrained by stable isotope patterns

Interactions between hydrological characteristics and microbial activities affect the isotopic composition of dissolved nitrate in surface water. Nitrogen and oxygen isotopic signatures of riverine nitrate in 133 sampling locations distributed over the Bode River catchment in the Harz Mountains, Germany, were used to identify nitrate sources and transformation processes. An annual monitoring programme consisting of seasonal sampling campaigns in spring, summer and autumn was conducted. δ15N and δ18O of nitrate and corresponding concentrations were measured as well as δ2H and δ18O of water to determine the deuterium excess. In addition, precipitation on 25 sampling stations was sampled and considered as a potential input factor. The Bode River catchment is strongly influenced by agricultural land use which is about 70 % of the overall size of the catchment. Different nitrogen sources such as ammonia (NH4) fertilizer, soil nitrogen, organic fertilizer or nitrate in precipitation show partly clear nitrate isotopic differences. Processes such as microbial denitrification result in fractionation and lead to an increase in δ15N of nitrate. We observed an evident regional and partly temporal variation of nitrate isotope signatures which are clearly different between main landscape types. Spring water sections within the high mountains contain nitrate in low concentrations with low δ15NNO3 values of −3 ‰ and high δ18ONO3 values up to 13 ‰. High mountain stream water sub-catchments dominated by nearly undisturbed forest and grassland contribute nitrate with δ15NNO3 and δ18ONO3 values of −1 and −3.5 ‰, respectively. In the further flow path, which is affected by an increasing agricultural land use and urban sewage, we recognized an increase in δ15NNO3 and δ18ONO3 up to 22 and 18 ‰, respectively, with high variations during the year. A correlation seems to exist between the percentage of agricultural land use area and the corresponding δ15NNO3 values for sub-catchments. A shift towards heavier isotope values in stream water samples taken in July 2012 is significant (p-value = 6 · 10−6) compared to samples from March and October 2012. We also see a season-depending impact of microbial denitrification. Denitrification, especially evident in the lowlands, predominantly takes place in the riverbeds. In addition, mixing processes of different nitrate sources and temperature-depending biological processes such as nitrification have to be taken into consideration. Constant-tempered groundwater does not play a noticeable role in the processes of the stream water system. As constrained from oxygen isotope signatures, precipitation associated with low nitrate concentrations does not have an obvious impact on stream water nitrate in the high mountain region.

A halocarbon survey from a seagrass dominated subtropical lagoon, Ria Formosa (Portugal): flux pattern and isotopic composition

Abstract. In this study we report fluxes of chloromethane (CH3Cl), bromomethane (CH3Br), iodomethane (CH3I), and bromoform (CHBr3) from two sampling campaigns (summer and spring) in the seagrass dominated subtropical lagoon Ria Formosa, Portugal. Dynamic flux chamber measurements were performed when seagrass patches were either air-exposed or submerged. Overall, we observed highly variable fluxes from the seagrass meadows and attributed them to diurnal cycles, tidal effects, and the variety of possible sources and sinks in the seagrass meadows. The highest emissions with up to 130 nmol m−2 h−1 for CH3Br were observed during tidal changes, from air exposure to submergence and conversely. Furthermore, during the spring campaign, the emissions of halocarbons were significantly elevated during tidal inundation as compared to air exposure. Accompanying water sampling performed during both campaigns revealed elevated concentrations of CH3Cl and CH3Br, indicating productive sources within the lagoon. Stable carbon isotopes of halocarbons from the air and water phase along with source signatures were used to allocate the distinctive sources and sinks in the lagoon. Results suggest that CH3Cl was rather originating from seagrass meadows and water column than from salt marshes. Aqueous and atmospheric CH3Br was substantially enriched in 13C in comparison to source signatures for seagrass meadows and salt marshes. This suggests a significant contribution from the water phase on the atmospheric CH3Br in the lagoon. A rough global upscaling yields annual productions from seagrass meadows of 2.3–4.5 Gg yr−1, 0.5–1.0 Gg yr−1, 0.6–1.2 Gg yr−1, and 1.9–3.7 Gg yr−1 for CH3Cl, CH3Br, CH3I, and CHBr3 respectively. This suggests a minor contribution from seagrass meadows to the global production of CH3Cl and CH3Br with about 0.1 and 0.7%, respectively. In comparison to the known marine sources for CH3I and CHBr3, seagrass meadows are rather small sources.

Modeling of the aerosol infiltration characteristics in a cultural heritage building: The Baroque Library Hall in Prague

Three intensive campaigns in spring, summer and winter 2009 where conducted in the Baroque Library Hall in Prague, Czech Republic. The number concentration of particulate matter (PM) was measured online and simultaneously, both indoors and outdoors with an SMPS (0.014–0.7 μm) and an APS instrument (0.7–20 μm). A dynamic mass balance model was introduced taking account particle penetration from outdoors and indoor losses (deposition, ventilation). The model was used to determine deposition rate k and penetration efficiency P in 13 discrete size intervals. Model performance was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R2) by selecting different pairs of k and P. No unique solution found, thus, averaged values of k and P from the best correlated pairs were used to estimate infiltration factor. Good agreement between infiltration factor and I/O ratio confirmed that modeled k and P were well-estimated. The deposition rate was found to depend strongly on particle size with higher rates for ultrafine and coarse particles. Penetration efficiency, on the other hand, was not clearly related with particle size. The infiltration factor varied substantially with particle size with less effective removal for accumulation fraction (0.1–0.7 μm). Higher infiltration factor for ultrafine particles, compared to coarse particles, indicates that enrichment of the library at this size is caused by penetration from outdoors. On the other hand, human presence during visiting hours found to contribute significantly to coarse particles by increasing the indoor number concentration by a factor of 3, 3.2 and 2 during spring, summer and winter respectively.

Investigation of Zeff and impurity behaviour in lithium coating experiments with full metallic first wall in HT-7 tokamak

The control of the impurity level in magnetically confined plasmas is a critical issue for future fusion devices. All the graphite tiles have been replaced by molybdenum tiles as limiter materials in the 2011 spring campaign in order to further reduce the recycling and hydrogen content of the plasma. A lithium coating technique has been applied as an important wall conditioning method to the HT-7 tokamak. The effective ion charge Zeff and impurity behavior with full metallic first walls of high-Z materials and lower hydrogen recycling have been investigated in a series of lithium coating experiments in this paper. Plasma performance and impurity behavior without wall coatings are studied in the early stage of the campaign. Comparison of Zeff with different plasma-facing components has been made. A typical lithium coating experiment has been analyzed in order to understand the effect of lithium coating. The evolution of main impurity line radiation, Zeff and the H/(H + D) ratio is analyzed in detail as lithium coating is repeated, indicating that lithium coating is a very effective tool to control impurity level and reduce hydrogen recycling. Furthermore, a boronization is conducted at the end of this campaign in order to make comparison with lithium coating. Experimental results show that lithium coating has much more advantages in edge recycling control, though it does not reduce impurity level as effectively as boronization.

Arctic Air Pollution: New Insights from POLARCAT-IPY

Given the rapid nature of climate change occurring in the Arctic and the difficulty climate models have in quantitatively reproducing observed changes such as sea ice loss, it is important to improve understanding of the processes leading to climate change in this region, including the role of short-lived climate pollutants such as aerosols and ozone. It has long been known that pollution produced from emissions at midlatitudes can be transported to the Arctic, resulting in a winter/spring aerosol maximum known as Arctic haze. However, many uncertainties remain about the composition and origin of Arctic pollution throughout the troposphere; for example, many climate–chemistry models fail to reproduce the strong seasonality of aerosol abundance observed at Arctic surface sites, the origin and deposition mechanisms of black carbon (soot) particles that darken the snow and ice surface in the Arctic is poorly understood, and chemical processes controlling the abundance of tropospheric ozone are not well quantified. The International Polar Year (IPY) Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements and Models, Climate, Chemistry, Aerosols and Transport (POLARCAT) core project had the goal to improve understanding about the origins of pollutants transported to the Arctic; to detail the chemical composition, optical properties, and climate forcing potential of Arctic aerosols; to evaluate the processes governing tropospheric ozone; and to quantify the role of boreal forest fires. This article provides a review of the many results now available based on analysis of data collected during the POLARCAT aircraft-, ship-, and ground-based field campaigns in spring and summer 2008. Major findings are highlighted and areas requiring further investigation are discussed.

The field efficiency of oral rabies vaccination in the Lithuanian red fox population from 2006 to 2013

The objective of the present study was to assess the efficacy of an oral rabies vaccination (ORV) program in the period from 2006 to 2013 based on epidemiological data (Incidence of confirmed rabies in red foxes), biological marker evaluation (presence of tetracycline [TTC] indicating bait uptake), and the assessment of seroconversion (based on ELISA for rabies antibodies) in red foxes in Lithuania. Results were compared between juvenile and adult red foxes, and between the spring (March to May) and autumn (October to December) campaigns. On average, 20 baits/km<sup>2 </sup>were distributed over the entire territory of Lithuania. During the entire period of 2006–2013 1179 red foxes (10% of 11 829) were rabies-positive. While in 2006, 23.8% of tested foxes were rabies-positive, the incidence decreased to 2.4% in 2009, and 0.7% in 2011. Based on jaw bone investigation 78.1% of the foxes had ingested TTC from baits, 52.2% had seroconverted. The percentage of ELISA-positive red fox sera samples remained stable at 44.7–53.2% during both most recent ORV periods. The majority were adults (83%), 81.1 ± 8.54% of which were TCC-positive, and 73.8 ± 6.33% were TTC-positive juveniles. 52.5 ± 5.81% of adult red foxes had seroconversed, while 48.2 ± 4.51% of the young animals had a positive ELISA test in the years 2006 to 2013. This is in contrast to 2006 where only 29.5% of the young foxes were ELISA-positive. There were no significant differences between TTC- and ELISA-positive populations in different geographical regions of Lithuania.  

Deuterium Retention in SiC-Coated Graphite Tiles of EAST

Fuel retention and recycling in plasma facing materials is a crucial issue for fusion devices, especially for the long pulse discharge devices. In this work, the deuterium retention and the surface erosion of SiC-coated graphite tiles exposed to EAST plasmas have been studied by post-mortem analyses, i.e., thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the sample cut from the high field side (HF) tile has been intensely eroded due to deuterium bombardment on plasma facing surfaces in the initial phase of discharges and trapped highest amount of deuterium. Lower deuterium retention has been found in the inner divertor sample, which is presumably due to the particular exposure history in the 2010 spring campaign.

Study of the relative humidity dependence of aerosol light-scattering in southern Spain

This investigation focuses on the characterisation of the aerosol particle hygroscopicity. Aerosol particle optical properties were measured at Granada, Spain, during winter and spring seasons in 2013. Measured optical properties included particle light-absorption coefficient (σap) and particle light-scattering coefficient (σsp) at dry conditions and at relative humidity (RH) of 85±10%. The scattering enhancement factor, f(RH=85%), had a mean value of 1.5±0.2 and 1.6±0.3 for winter and spring campaigns, respectively. Cases of high scattering enhancement were more frequent during the spring campaign with 27% of the f(RH=85%) values above 1.8, while during the winter campaign only 8% of the data were above 1.8. A Saharan dust event (SDE), which occurred during the spring campaign, was characterised by a predominance of large particles with low hygroscopicity. For the day when the SDE was more intense, a mean daily value of f(RH=85%)=1.3±0.2 was calculated. f(RH=85%) diurnal cycle showed two minima during the morning and afternoon traffic rush hours due to the increase in non-hygroscopic particles such as black carbon and road dust. This was confirmed by small values of the single-scattering albedo and the scattering Ångstrom exponent. A significant correlation between f(RH=85%) and the fraction of particulate organic matter and sulphate was obtained. Finally, the impact of ambient RH in the aerosol radiative forcing was found to be very small due to the low ambient RH. For high RH values, the hygroscopic effect should be taken into account since the aerosol forcing efficiency changed from −13 W/m2 at dry conditions to −17 W/m2 at RH=85%.

Velocimetry of edge turbulence during the dithering L–H transition with dynamic programming based time-delay estimation technique in the EAST superconducting tokamak

A dual gas puff imaging (GPI) system has been successfully assembled on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) and applied for the study of the dithering L–H transition in the 2012 spring campaign. A new method i.e., the dynamic programming based time-delay estimation technique, has been applied to the 64 × 64 pixels GPI video images to yield time-dependent two-dimensional velocity fields at the plasma edge on EAST. Local poloidal flow velocities up to ∼−3 km s−1 (in the electron diamagnetic direction) and radial flow velocities up to ∼−2 km s−1 (inward) are found inside the separatrix during a dithering burst. The radial and poloidal cross-correlation length, flow velocity and auto-correlation time inside the separatrix increase preceding the dithering burst and decrease following the dithering burst. These observations provide strong evidence for the shear flows playing an important role during the dithering L–H transition.

Particle number size distribution in the eastern Mediterranean: Formation and growth rates of ultrafine airborne atmospheric particles

Particle number concentration was measured between June 2009 and June 2010 at Akrotiri research station in a rural/suburban region of western Crete (Greece). Overall, the available data covered 157 days during the aforementioned period of measurements. The objectives were to study the number size distribution characteristics of ambient aerosols and furthermore to identify new particle formation events and to evaluate particle formation rates and growth rates of the newborn particles. Aerosol particles with mobility diameters between 10 and 1100 nm were measured using a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) system. Measurements were performed at ambient relative humidities. The median total particle number concentration was 525 #/cm3 whereas the number concentration ranged between 130 #/cm3 and 9597 #/cm3. The average percentage of particles with diameters between 10 nm and 100 nm (N10–100) to total particles was 53% during summer and spring, but reached 80% during winter. Maximum average contribution of nano-particles (10 nm < Dp < 50 nm) to total particles was recorded also in winter and was attributed partly to the effect of local heating. Furthermore, back trajectories (HYSPLIT model) showed that different air mass origins are linked to different levels of particle number concentrations, with higher values associated with air masses passing from polluted areas before reaching the Akrotiri station. Modal analysis of the measured size distribution data revealed a strong nucleation mode during winter (15–25 nm), which can be correlated with emissions from local sources (domestic heating). The nucleation mode was observed also during the spring campaigns and was partly linked to new particle formation events. On the contrary, an accumulation mode (80–120 nm) prevailed in the measurements during summer campaigns, when the station area was influenced by polluted air masses arriving mainly from Eastern Europe. In total, 13 new particle formation events were recorded during the 157 days of measurements. Nucleation events were associated with low values of N100 particle number concentration and reduced coagulation sinks. Mean growth and formation rates were calculated and showed values equal to 6 nm hr−1 and 13 cm−3 s−1, respectively.

Construction and testing of a large scale prototype of a silicon tungsten electromagnetic calorimeter for a future lepton collider

The CALICE collaboration is preparing large scale prototypes of highly granular calorimeters for detectors to be operated at a future linear electron positron collider. After several beam campaigns at DESY, CERN and FNAL, the CALICE collaboration has demonstrated the principle of highly granular electromagnetic calorimeters with a first prototype called physics prototype. The next prototype, called technological prototype, addresses the engineering challenges which come along with the realisation of highly granular calorimeters. This prototype will comprise 30 layers where each layer is composed of four 9×9cm2 silicon wafers. The front end electronics is integrated into the detector layers. The size of each pixel is 5×5mm2. This prototype enters its construction phase.We present results of the first layers of the technological prototype obtained during beam test campaigns in spring and summer 2012. According to these results the signal over noise ratio of the detector exceeds the R&D goal of 10:1.