Heavy Winter Research Articles

Enhancement of heavy daily snowfall in central Japan due to global warming as projected by large ensemble of regional climate simulations

This study investigates future changes in the accumulated and daily heavy winter snowfall in central Japan and the surrounding regions. We analyze outputs of the 48-member ensemble regional climate simulations in the historical and future climates. In the historical climate simulations, each ensemble member has a 61-year simulation from September 1950 to August 2011. For the future climate simulations, we also conduct 61-year simulations assuming the climate at the end of the twenty-first century (2080–2099) when the global mean surface air temperature is about 4 °C warmer than the pre-industrial climate (1861–1880) as projected under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario. Our simulations show that the heavy snowfall occurring at a frequency of every 10 years is enhanced in the inland areas of the central part of the Japanese archipelago (central Japan) where the total winter snowfall amount decreases significantly. Heavy snowfall is also intensified in the northern part of the Asian continent where the surface air temperature is much colder than over central Japan. A composite analysis of heavy snowfall events in central Japan indicates that such events occur when the Japan Sea polar air mass convergence zone (JPCZ) appears during the East Asian winter monsoon season. In the future climate projections, the JPCZ is intensified since the warm ocean supplies more moisture due to warming. An upward wind anomaly is also found over the windward side of mountains where the upward flow is prevalent climatologically. The intensification of both the JPCZ and the upward wind over the mountain ranges result in the enhancement of heavy snowfall in inland areas where the surface air temperature is still below 0 °C.

High molecular weight organic compounds (HMW-OCs) in severe winter haze: Direct observation and insights on the formation mechanism

High molecular weight organic compounds (HMW-OCs), formed as secondary organic aerosols (SOA), have been reported in many laboratory studies. However, little evidence of HMW-OCs formation, in particular during winter season in the real atmosphere, has been reported. In January 2013, Beijing faced historically severe haze pollution, in which the hourly PM2.5 concentration reached as high as 974 μg m−3. Four typical haze events (HE1 to HE4) were identified, and HE2 (Jan. 9–16) was the most serious of these. Based on the hourly observed chemical composition of PM2.5 and the daily organic composition analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), we found that abundant ion peaks in m/z 200–850 appeared on heavy haze days, whereas these were negligible on a clear day, indicating the existence of HMW-OCs in the wintertime haze. A negative nonlinear correlation between HMW-OCs and O3 suggested that gas oxidation was not likely to be the dominant mechanism for HMW-OCs formation. During the heavy haze events, the relative humidity and mass ratio of H2O/PM2.5 reached as high as 80% and 0.2, respectively. The high water content and its good positive correlation with HMW-OCs indicated that an aqueous-phase process may be a significant pathway in wintertime. The evidence that acidity was much higher during HE2 (0.37 μg m−3) than on other days, as well as its strong correlation with HMW-OCs, indicated that acid-catalyzed reactions likely resulted in HMW-OCs formation during the heavy winter haze in Beijing.

In Two Maine Towns, Schools Address The Mental Health Of Refugee Children.

School-based programs in Auburn and Lewiston help meet the unique health needs of refugees from war-torn Somalia.

Interdecadal component variation characteristics in heavy winter snow intensity in North-Eastern China and its response to sea surface temperatures

Based on daily precipitation data from 208 weather stations, monthly NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, and sea surface temperature data reconstructed by NOAA between 1961 and 2012, the heavy winter snow intensity in North-Eastern China was defined; its spatiotemporal variation characteristics were analyzed; the physical mechanisms of the relations between key sea surface temperature (SST) regions and heavy winter snow intensity were studied. Results showed that, in terms of temporal variation characteristics: heavy winter snow intensity in North-Eastern China has been rising, with obvious interdecadal variations during the study interval. In terms of spatial variation characteristics: the first empirical orthogonal function (EOF) mode of the interdecadal component in heavy winter snow intensity showed consistent anomaly characteristics throughout the region; the second mode exhibited opposite variation characteristics between the south and north; and the third mode exhibited opposite variation characteristics between the northwest and southeast. In terms of physical mechanisms underlying the effects of SST on heavy winter snow intensity, the key SST region of the first EOF mode was the Oyashio, the interdecadal component of the autumn Oyashio SST was abnormally high, which corresponded to a higher winter 500hPa height field in the northern section of the North Pacific. This condition led to a blocking situation and was associated with a weaker East Asian winter monsoon (EAMW), which resulted in a stronger interdecadal component of heavy winter snow intensity and vice versa. The second mode was closely related to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO): the interdecadal component of the autumn PDO was abnormal, which induced the teleconnection pattern of the winter Pacific-North America (PNA) pattern. The PNA pattern may have been related to the second EOF mode through its association with the Mongolian high.

Impact of extreme weather on critical infrastructure: the EU-INTACT risk framework

Resilience of critical infrastructure (CI) to extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall, high temperatures and winter storms, is one of the most demanding challenges for governments and society. Recent experiences have highlighted the economic and societal reliance on a dependable and resilient infrastructure, and the far-reaching impacts that outages or malfunctions can have. The cost of developing and maintaining CI is high given it is expected to perform under most conditions and to have realistic functional and economic design lives. Growing scientific evidence indicates that more severe and frequent extreme weather events are likely, with increasing disruption on the functioning of CI. The EU-funded INTACT project addresses these CI challenges and attempts to bring together cutting-edge knowledge and experience from across Europe to inform the development of best practice approaches in crisis response and recovery capabilities. The project considers the options for mitigating the extreme weather impacts, addressing the engineering, materials, construction, planning and design contributions of a more resilient CI system. A key component of the INTACT project is the development of a modelling and risk structure to support decision-making in the case studies. It will comprise a range of tools, data collection protocols, and other assessment methods within an over-arching decision-support structure, and supporting the simulation of infrastructure operation, including indirect impacts, and testing of mitigation measures developed with the CI owners and operators. Overall, the risk framework will: present structures for models and data requirements for decision making; identify models that support decision making; support analysis of measures to protect CI through simulation; and indicate gaps in modelling and data availability. This paper will outline the components of the risk framework, including a risk model and scenario audit facility, and illustrate its use in case studies dealing with electricity supply and winter storms, and multimodal transport from Rotterdam.

I was on the Underground

I was on the Underground Emma Storr I was on the Underground, the Misery Line.She was wrapped in layersdespite the muggy heat of London’s Tube.Hat and heavy winter coat.Lizard skin, tired eyesdulled by lethargy, her movements slow.I hesitated, in an embarrassed English fashion,to suggest to a strangershe really ought to havea blood test. [End Page 31] Emma Storr Academic Unit of Primary Care University of Leeds Leeds, United Kingdom Copyright © 2015 Johns Hopkins University Press

Effect of Clothing on Measurement of Bone Mineral Density

It is unknown whether allowing patients to have BMD (bone mineral density) studies acquired while wearing radiolucent clothing adlib contributes appreciably to the measurement error seen. To examine this question, a spine phantom was scanned 30 times without any clothing, while draped with a gown, and while draped with heavy winter clothing. The effect on mean BMD and on SD (standard deviation) was assessed. The effect of clothing on mean or SD of the area was not significant. The effect of clothing on mean and SD for BMD was small but significant and was around 1.6% for the mean. However, the effect on BMD precision was much more clinically important. Without clothing the spine phantom had an least significant change of 0.0077 gm/cm2, while when introducing variability of clothing the least significant change rose as high as 0.0305 gm/cm2. We conclude that, adding clothing to the spine phantom had a small but statistically significant effect on the mean BMD and on variance of the measurement. It is unlikely that the effect on mean BMD has any clinical significance, but the effect on the reproducibility (precision) of the result is likely clinically significant.

Food stamps for food security: the impact of a targeted social assistance programme in Mongolia

Despite rapid economic growth, the poorest households in Mongolia struggle to meet basic nutritional requirements. In 2008–09, global economic conditions and a heavy winter led to rising prices and lower incomes, exacerbating food insecurity. The government implemented a food stamp programme targeting the poorest 5 per cent of households, aiming to reduce their vulnerability to food insecurity. Drawing on an impact evaluation of the programme on food security, we find substantial positive impacts on food security. We conclude that the model was appropriate to Mongolia, and a viable long-term response to food insecurity.

Moisture Pathways into the U.S. Intermountain West Associated with Heavy Winter Precipitation Events*

Abstract Two methods were used to identify the paths of moisture transport that reach the U.S. Intermountain West (IMW) during heavy precipitation events in winter. In the first, the top 150 precipitation events at stations located within six regions in the IMW were identified, and then back trajectories were initiated at 6-h intervals on those days at the four Climate Forecast System Reanalysis grid points nearest the stations. The second method identified the leading patterns of integrated water vapor transport (IVT) using the three leading empirical orthogonal functions of IVT over land that were first normalized by the local standard deviation. The top 1% of the associated 6-hourly time series was used to construct composites of IVT, atmospheric circulation, and precipitation. The results from both methods indicate that moisture originating from the Pacific that leads to extreme precipitation in the IMW during winter takes distinct pathways and is influenced by gaps in the Cascades (Oregon–Washington), the Sierra Nevada (California), and Peninsular Ranges (from Southern California through Baja California). The moisture transported along these routes appears to be the primary source for heavy precipitation for the mountain ranges in the IMW. The synoptic conditions associated with the dominant IVT patterns include a trough–ridge couplet at 500 hPa, with the trough located northwest of the ridge where the associated circulation funnels moisture from the west-southwest through the mountain gaps and into the IMW.

The winter storms of 2013/2014 in the UK: hydrological responses and impacts

This paper outlines the hydrological aspects of the 2013/2014 winter flooding in the UK, as well as the impacts. The episode is considered in a long-term historical context and wider issues raised by the flood events are discussed briefly.

Winter is coming

Winter is coming

Present status and future outlook of plant factories in Japan

Plant factories for the steady production of high-quality vegetables year round, and which can be divided into solar and artificial-light types, have recently been expanding in Japan as trigged by a report by a collaboration study group in 2009 and the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Common solar-type plant factories with mulch-span roofs are often difficult to construct in the northern areas of Japan, especially along the Japan Sea coast, because of limited sunshine duration and heavy winter snowfall, while artificial light-type factories are more promising in this region although high running costs due to electricity bills for irradiating plants and cooling the room often hinder the promotion of such facilities. The use of LEDs has recently increased in artificial light-type plant factories, but fluorescent lights are still predominant for economic reasons. Generally only small plants can be grown commercially in artificial light-type factories and the light intensity reaching the lower leaves decreases continuously as the stem of the plant elongates, deteriorating light use efficiency. Flexible organic electroluminescent devices able to cover the whole plant when irradiation is required and that can easily be applied/removed like a plastic film are expected to be introduced in both types of plant factories.

Large and small numbers: options for quantifying the costs of extremes on transport now and in 40 years

The past 15 years has been characterized by a high density of record-breaking weather extremes in Europe. These include the extratropical cyclones Lothar, Kyrill and Xynthia across western and mid Europe; the major floods in the UK, Germany and eastern Europe; the heat waves in 2003 and 2007 and, after a long period of mild winters, the heavy winter seasons in 2009/2010 and 2010/2011. Inspired by the rising trends in weather-related damages worldwide and the studies on the topic carried out in overseas, the EC funded the sister projects such as Weather Extremes-Assessing the Impacts on Transport and Hazards for European Regions (WEATHER), EWENT and ECCONET to determine the magnitude of current and future risks to the European transport sector and to assess suitable adaptation strategies. This paper presents the assessment framework of the WEATHER project and the results of weather-inflicted damage costs now and in 2040–2050. Total annual damages are found to be around €2.5 billion, which largely attribute to road traffic. However, broken down to passenger and ton kilometers the highest risk is borne by rail traffic due to its expensive infrastructures and its comparably complex operating structure. This indication even amplifies when looking four decades ahead: while average road transport costs will only raise by 7 % due to milder winters, rail traffic costs may increase by up to 80 % due to more floods and less predictable winter periods. A comparison with the results of the EWENT study uncovers a high range of uncertainty concerning methodological approaches and data treatment. Thus, the final figures might even be much higher.

Rapid soil fungal community response to intensive management in a bamboo forest developed from rice paddies

Although heavy winter mulch and high rate fertilizer application are commonly practiced in intensively managed bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantations, little is known about the effects of these practices on soil microbial activities. Therefore a field study was conducted to investigate the long term intensive management on the development and composition of soil fungal communities. Fungal biomass (fungal phospholipid fatty acid marker), fungal DNA (18S rDNA real-time qPCR) and fungal community composition (culture-independent methods: DGGE, cloning and sequencing) were determined across a bamboo plantation that included seven stand age-classes (1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 20 years old). Although soil microbial PLFA biomass and fungal DNA abundance were unaffected during the first two years of intensive management, all increased significantly after three years of intensive management. The total microbial PLFA and bacterial PLFA increase linearly (P < 0.001) with increasing stand age, while soil fungal PLFA and 18S gene abundance increase was best described using a quadratic equation (P < 0.01). The fungal/bacterial ratio generally remained constant, but did increase for the 8 and 12 year stand soils. Sequencing of commonly-occurring bands revealed that the majority of the soil fungi were species of either Sordariomycetes or Chytridiomycetes. Cluster analysis by Ward's method revealed rapid short-term change in fungal communities that returned to its original composition within one to two years when the soils were not disturbed. This indicated a robust original fungal community that was resilient to transient perturbations resulting from intensive land management when allowed breaks from nutrient loading and soil disturbance. Redundancy analysis indicated that soil chemical characteristics, such as pH, Ntot and Corg, could account for 12.7%, 12.1% and 10.3% of the variance in soil fungal community composition, respectively. Stand age contributed to 12.6% of the variance of soil fungal community.

Effect of pine wood biochar on ammonium nitrate leaching and availability in aSouthAfrican sandy soil

SummaryBiochar has shown potential in reducing inorganic nitrogen (N) leaching losses from inorganic and organic fertilizer sources in coarse‐textured soils. Little information, however, is available on the effect of biochar on the availability of the retained inorganicNin biochar‐amended sandy soil. The objective of our study was to determine the potential of pine wood biochar to reduce the leaching of ammonium nitrate fertilizer (100 kg N ha−1) from sandy soil (W.Cape,SouthAfrica) and to quantify the exchangeable inorganicN(2 mKCl) remaining after intensive leaching. Laboratory columns containing sandy soil and biochar (0, 0.5, 2.5 and 10.0% w/w) were leached weekly over a period of six weeks simulating heavy winter rainfall. Biochar (0.5, 2.5 and 10.0% w/w) significantly reduced the cumulative amount of ammonium (12, 50 and 86%, respectively) and nitrate (26, 42 and 96%, respectively) leached relative to the control soil. Despite the observed strong reduction in inorganicNleaching, the leached biochar‐amended soils contained only small amounts of exchangeable ammonium (0–7.3 mg kg−1) and nitrate (5.8–8.0 mg kg−1). The results show that pine wood biochar can strongly reduce not only the amount of ammonium and nitrate leached from sandy soils, but also the amount of recoverable exchangeable ammonium and nitrate after leaching. Furthermore, the 2.5 and 10.0% biochar application rates led to over‐liming. This raises some concerns as to the practical use of biochar in improvingNfertilizer‐use efficiency of plants.

A Trajectory Approach to Analyzing the Ingredients Associated with Heavy Winter Storms in Central North Carolina

Abstract Winter storms, namely snowstorms and ice storms, are a major hazard and forecasting challenge across central North Carolina. This study employed a trajectory approach to analyze the ingredients (i.e., temperature, moisture, and lift) associated with heavy snowstorms and ice storms that occurred within the Raleigh, North Carolina, National Weather Service forecast region from 2000 to 2010. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) tool was used to calculate 72-h backward (i.e., upstream) air parcel trajectories from three critical vertical pressure levels at the time and location of heaviest precipitation for each storm. Analysis of composite trajectories revealed the source regions and meteorological properties of air parcels associated with heavy winter storms. Adiabatic and diabatic contributions to air parcel temperature and moisture content were also estimated along each trajectory to assess the physical processes connected with heavy winter precipitation in the region. Results indicate that diabatic warming and cooling contribute significantly to the vertical temperature profile during heavy winter storms and therefore dictate the resulting precipitation type. The main source of diabatic warming is fluxes of sensible and latent heat within the marine atmospheric boundary layer over the Gulf Stream. These fluxes contribute to a warming and moistening of air parcels associated with heavy ice storms. In contrast, heavy snowstorms are characterized by diabatic cooling in the lower troposphere above the marine atmospheric boundary layer. The most significant moisture source for heavy snowfall is the Caribbean Sea, while heavy ice storms entrain moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Stream region near the Carolina coast.

不同施肥对雷竹林径流及渗漏水中氮形态流失的影响

Heavy winter mulching to increase soil temperature and winter fertilization are widely used techniques for intensive management of Phyllostachys praecox forests to increase bamboo shoot production and economic return for landowners in subtropical China. The application of excessive mineral fertilizer has resulted in serious water pollution. The object of this study was to ascertain effects of reducing inorganic fertilizer rate or applying organic fertilizer on reducing the loss loads of different forms of nitrogen under Phyllostachy praecox stands by conducting a field experiment in main production area of Lin'an city,Zhejiang province. Four treatments were respective 1) control with zero fertilizer( CK),2)conventional fertilizer( CF) at the rate of N + P2O5+ K2O = 850 + 337. 5 + 337. 5 kg / hm2provided with 2250 kg / hm2of compound fertilizer and 1110 kg / hm2of urea,3) decreasing inorganic fertilizer( DI) at the rate of N+P2O5+K2O = 510 +337. 5 + 337. 5 kg / hm2provided with 2250 kg / hm2of compound fertilizer and 376 kg / hm2of urea,and 4) decreasing organic and inorganic fertilizer( DOI) at the rate of N+P2O5+K2O = 510+259. 8+165. 4 kg / hm2provided with 554 kg / hm2of urea and 46400 kg / hm2of pig manure. Fertilizer were separately applied in May 18th,September 7thand November 9th with respective 40%,30% and 30% of total amount of fertilizer,and then plowed into soil at the depth of 5 cm. Water samples from runoff and leaching water were collected by special devices,totally 16 runoff water samples and 10 seepage water samples were collected around the year 2012. It was shown that the concentrations of different forms of nitrogen actually affected by rainfall,especially for particulate nitrogen( PN) in the runoff water. The concentrations of nitrate nitrogen( NO-3-N),water-soluble organic nitrogen( WSON) and PN in the runoff water were at the range of 3. 82—6. 82mg / L,0. 89—1. 85 mg / L,and 0. 89—1. 83 mg / L,respectively,which accounting for 60. 9% —68. 2%,16. 0% —18. 1%,and 15. 1% —21. 6% of total N loss,respectively. The concentrations of NO-3-N,ammonium nitrogen( NH+4-N),and WSON in the seepage water were 26. 2—92. 5 mg / L,0. 50—6. 42 mg / L and 6. 57—12. 6 mg / L,respectively,which accounting for 75. 8% —82. 9%,1. 50% —6. 36% and 11. 2% —20. 6% of total N loss,respectively. Nitrate N was among the largest loss both in runoff water and seepage water. The loss loads of total N in the runoff water respectively decreased by46. 9% and 23. 1% for DI and DOI treatments compared with CF,and the corresponding data for seepage water were19. 1% and 52. 1%. In conclusion,decreasing inorganic fertilizer or decreasing organic and inorganic fertilizer play a remarkable role on reducing the loss loads of different forms of N under Phyllostachy praecox stands suggesting that reducing inorganic fertilizer rate and applying organic fertilizer was the useful practice to decrease the N loss.

Mitigating flood exposure: Reducing disaster risk and trauma signature.

Introduction. In 2011, following heavy winter snowfall, two cities bordering two rivers in North Dakota, USA faced major flood threats. Flooding was foreseeable and predictable although the extent of risk was uncertain. One community, Fargo, situated in a shallow river basin, successfully mitigated and prevented flooding. For the other community, Minot, located in a deep river valley, prevention was not possible and downtown businesses and one-quarter of the homes were inundated, in the city’s worst flood on record. We aimed at contrasting the respective hazards, vulnerabilities, stressors, psychological risk factors, psychosocial consequences, and disaster risk reduction strategies under conditions where flood prevention was, and was not, possible.Methods. We applied the “trauma signature analysis” (TSIG) approach to compare the hazard profiles, identify salient disaster stressors, document the key components of disaster risk reduction response, and examine indicators of community resilience.Results. Two demographically-comparable communities, Fargo and Minot, faced challenging river flood threats and exhibited effective coordination across community sectors. We examined the implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies in situations where coordinated citizen action was able to prevent disaster impact (hazard avoidance) compared to the more common scenario when unpreventable disaster strikes, causing destruction, harm, and distress. Across a range of indicators, it is clear that successful mitigation diminishes both physical and psychological impact, thereby reducing the trauma signature of the event.Conclusion. In contrast to experience of historic flooding in Minot, the city of Fargo succeeded in reducing the trauma signature by way of reducing risk through mitigation.

Chemistry of decomposing mulching materials and the effect on soil carbon dynamics under a Phyllostachys praecox bamboo stand

Purpose Heavy winter mulch treatments are commonly practiced in Phyllostachys praecox bamboo forests to increase bamboo shoot production in early spring in subtropical China. The aim of this study was to quantify the chemical behaviour of the mulching materials and the immediate response of soil carbon (C) to the heavy winter mulch treatments.

Two ATPases

In this article, I reflect on research on two ATPases. The first is F(1)F(0)-ATPase, also known as ATP synthase. It is the terminal enzyme in oxidative phosphorylation and famous as a nanomotor. Early work on mitochondrial enzyme involved purification in large amount, followed by deduction of subunit composition and stoichiometry and determination of molecular sizes of holoenzyme and individual subunits. Later work on Escherichia coli enzyme utilized mutagenesis and optical probes to reveal the molecular mechanism of ATP hydrolysis and detailed facets of catalysis. The second ATPase is P-glycoprotein, which confers multidrug resistance, notably to anticancer drugs, in mammalian cells. Purification of the protein in large quantity allowed detailed characterization of catalysis, formulation of an alternating sites mechanism, and recently, advances in structural characterization.