Intensive Observation Research Articles

Toward Standard Radiosonde Observations of Waves and the Mean State in the 30–40-km Altitude Range Using 3-kg Balloons

Abstract Observations of temperature and wind velocity in the 30–40-km altitude layer have been sparse since elimination of the standard rocketsonde sounding network in the 1990s. In an effort to extend the vertical range of radiosonde observations into the upper stratosphere, experiments were conducted with a 3-kg balloon at Tsukuba, Japan, on 5 November 2019. Using this relatively inexpensive balloon technology, four radiosondes were launched, with two reaching above 40-km altitude. These profiles were compared with satellite and reanalysis data in the 30–40-km layer, which showed an overall good agreement and an ability of radiosondes to capture shorter vertical-scale variations. The ability to quantify gravity wave parameters from the data is described, with application to wave events detected near 38–40 km. This type of balloon will be deployed extensively in an upcoming intensive observation campaign over the Maritime Continent, which will contribute toward achieving standard radiosonde observations in the 30–40-km altitude range. This system extends the ability to provide information regarding gravity wave and planetary wave activity upward to ∼40 km.

Atmospheric River Reconnaissance 2021: A Review

Abstract Atmospheric River Reconnaissance (AR Recon) is a targeted campaign that complements other sources of observational data, forming part of a diverse observing system. AR Recon 2021 operated for ten weeks from January 13 to March 22, with 29.5 Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs), 45 flights and 1142 successful dropsondes deployed in the northeast Pacific. With the availability of two WC-130J aircraft operated by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (53 WRS), Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and one National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) G-IVSP aircraft, six sequences were accomplished, in which the same synoptic system was sampled over several days. The principal aim was to gather observations to improve forecasts of landfalling atmospheric rivers on the U.S. West Coast. Sampling of other meteorological phenomena forecast to have downstream impacts over the U.S. was also considered. Alongside forecast improvement, observations were also gathered to address important scientific research questions, as part of a Research and Operations Partnership. Targeted dropsonde observations were focused on essential atmospheric structures, primarily atmospheric rivers. Adjoint and ensemble sensitivities, mainly focusing on predictions of U.S. West Coast precipitation, provided complementary information on locations where additional observations may help to reduce the forecast uncertainty. Additionally, Airborne Radio Occultation (ARO) and tail radar were active during some flights, 30 drifting buoys were distributed, and 111 radiosondes were launched from four locations in California. Dropsonde, radiosonde and buoy data were available for assimilation in real-time into operational forecast models. Future work is planned to examine the impact of AR Recon 2021 data on model forecasts.

0793 Postoperative Monitoring in Children less than 2 years of Age undergoing Adenotonsillectomy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract Introduction To analyze variables associated with postoperative monitoring in children <2 years of age undergoing adenotonsillectomy (T&A) for the management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods Retrospective case series of children <2 years of age who underwent T&A for the management of OSA between 1/1/08-6/1/18. Postoperative respiratory complications and hospital course were analyzed to determine higher acuity of monitoring in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) versus observation unit was indicated. Results A total of 69 children were analyzed. Fifty-two (75.4%) patients were male, and their mean age was 18.8 months. Fifty-six (81.2%) children had severe OSA, 6 (8.7%) had moderate OSA, and 7 (10.1%) children had mild OSA. Thirty-seven (53.6%) children were monitored in the ICU; one (2.7%) child was admitted to the ICU directly from the sleep lab, and3 (8.1%) children were intubated. The average Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) for those who were intubated was 64.6 events/hour and low SpO2 average was 66.3%, when compared to an average of 36.2 events/hour and 75.5% respectively for the entire group. Three (8.1%) patients needed >2 liters/minute of O2, and 5 (13.5%) had minor O2 requirements. Only 7/32 (21.9%) patients monitored in the observation unit required supplemental O2. Conclusion A greater severity of AHI and low SpO2 nadir were associated with respiratory issues requiring monitoring of children in ICU after T&A for OSA. No specific PSG cut-off values for ICU versus observation unit were noted. Low incidences of respiratory issues were observed, and most children could have been monitored safely outside of the ICU setting. Support (If Any) None

Terrestrial exospheric dayside H-density profile at 3–15 <i>R</i><sub>E</sub> from UVIS/HDAC and TWINS Lyman-<i>α</i> data combined

Abstract. Terrestrial ecliptic dayside observations of the exospheric Lyman-α column intensity between 3–15 Earth radii (RE) by UVIS/HDAC (UVIS – ultraviolet imaging spectrograph; HDAC – hydrogen-deuterium absorption cell) Lyman-α photometer at CASSINI have been analyzed to derive the neutral exospheric H-density profile at the Earth's ecliptic dayside in this radial range. The data were measured during CASSINI's swing-by maneuver at the Earth on 18 August 1999 and are published by Werner et al. (2004). In this study the dayside HDAC Lyman-α observations published by Werner et al. (2004) are compared to calculated Lyman-α intensities based on the 3D H-density model derived from TWINS (Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers) Lyman-α observations between 2008–2010 (Zoennchen et al., 2015). It was found that both Lyman-α profiles show a very similar radial dependence in particular between 3–8 RE. Between 3.0–5.5 RE impact distance Lyman-α observations of both TWINS and UVIS/HDAC exist at the ecliptic dayside. In this overlapping region the cross-calibration of the HDAC profile against the calculated TWINS profile was done, assuming that the exosphere there was similar for both due to comparable space weather conditions. As a result of the cross-calibration the conversion factor between counts per second and rayleigh, fc=3.285 counts s−1 R−1, is determined for these HDAC observations. Using this factor the radial H-density profile for the Earth's ecliptic dayside was derived from the UVIS/HDAC observations, which constrained the neutral H density there at 10 RE to a value of 35 cm−3. Furthermore, a faster radial H-density decrease was found at distances above 8 RE (≈r-3) compared to the lower distances of 3–7 RE (≈r-2.37). This increased loss of neutral H above 8 RE might indicate a higher rate of H ionization in the vicinity of the magnetopause at 9–11 RE (near subsolar point) and beyond, because of increasing charge exchange interactions of exospheric H atoms with solar wind ions outside the magnetosphere.

Surface Deformation of Expansive Soil at Ankang Airport, China, Revealed by InSAR Observations

Ankang Airport is constructed on an expansive soil-fill platform in Shaanxi Province, Central China. Since its completion in 2020, it has suffered surface deformation caused by the consolidation and settlement of the fill layer and instability of the expansive soil slope. Exploring the special deformation law of expansive soil regions by remote sensing and analyzing the deformation characteristics of airports in mountainous areas have always been key issues in related disaster research. Based on the intensity and phase observation data of 37 Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar images, this study obtained the spatio-temporal distribution of the deformation of Ankang Airport from May 2020 to October 2021. First, phase optimization was performed on the original interferograms. Second, the persistent scatterer synthetic aperture radar interferometry (PS-InSAR) method was applied to extract the surface deformation information of Ankang Airport, and the accuracy was evaluated. Finally, the singular spectrum analysis method was introduced to jointly analyze the deformation information obtained by the InSAR technology in combination with geological and climatic data. The results show that the excavation area of Ankang Airport was basically stable, the filling area had obvious surface and uneven deformation, and the expansive soil fill slope exhibits deformation characteristics strongly related to slope, rainfall, and fill depth. The deformation was mainly caused by consolidation and settlement, supplemented by the expansion and shrinkage deformation of the expansive soil.

The Temperature and Emission Measure Distribution in the Quiet and Active Solar Corona: A Bayesian Approach

The reconstruction of the differential emission measure (DEM) from observations of spectral line intensities provides information on the temperature distribution of the emission measure in the region observed. The inversion process is known to be highly unstable, and it has been necessary to provide additional constraints, such as requiring that the DEM should be smooth. However, this is a nonphysical constraint. The goal of this analysis is to make an empirical determination of the ability of a set of emission-line intensities to constrain the reconstruction. Here, a simple model is used, by means of a Markov Chain Monte Carlo process, to arrive at solutions that reproduce the observed intensities in a region of the quiet Sun and a solar active region. These solutions are compared by means of the reduced chi-squared. The conclusion from this analysis is that the observations are only capable of constraining a model consisting of four temperature–emission measure pairs plus a determination of the standard deviation of the model from the observed line intensities. A more complex model with five temperature–emission measure pairs does not improve the fit and leads to parameters that are irrelevant. A more general conclusion is that the information content of a set of observed emission lines is limited with respect to the determination of the emission measure distribution.

Power distribution of oscillations in the atmosphere of a plage region

Context. Joint observations of the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) with other solar observatories can provide a wealth of opportunities for understanding the coupling between different layers of the solar atmosphere. Aims. We present a statistical analysis of the power distribution of oscillations in a plage region in active region NOAA AR12651, which was observed jointly with ALMA, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Methods. We employ coordinated ALMA Band 6 (1.25 mm) brightness temperature maps, IRIS slit-jaw images in the 2796 Å passband, and observations in six passbands (1600 Å, 304 Å, 131 Å, 171 Å, 193 Å, and 211 Å) from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board SDO. We perform Lomb-Scargle transforms to study the distribution of oscillation power by means of dominant period maps and power maps. We study the spatial association of oscillations through the atmosphere, with a focus on the correlation of the power distribution of ALMA oscillations with others. Results. We do not observe any significant association of ALMA oscillations with IRIS and AIA oscillations. While the global behavior of the dominant ALMA oscillations shows a similarity with that of the transition region and coronal passbands of AIA, the ALMA dominant period maps and power maps do not show any correlation with those from the other passbands. The spatial distribution of dominant periods and power in different period intervals of ALMA oscillations is uncorrelated with those of any other passbands. Conclusions. We speculate that the non-association of ALMA oscillations with those of IRIS and AIA is due to significant variations in the height of formation of the millimeter continuum observed by ALMA. Additionally, the fact that ALMA directly maps the brightness temperature, in contrast to the intensity observations by IRIS and AIA, can result in the very different intrinsic nature of the ALMA oscillations compared to the IRIS and AIA oscillations.

Analysis of Photovoltaic Panel Temperature and Photovoltaic Electric Power at Chuncheon Meteorological Station using Intensive Observation Period Data

Analysis of Photovoltaic Panel Temperature and Photovoltaic Electric Power at Chuncheon Meteorological Station using Intensive Observation Period Data

A proposal to extend the spectrographic global survey method

We present a modified spectrographic global survey method to split the cosmic ray variations into components of the interplanetary, geomagnetospheric, and atmospheric origin from ground-based observations of the cosmic ray intensity. We show a possibility to use all the available suite of ground-based instrumentation recording cosmic rays (global network of the neutron monitors located at different locations and altitudes, ground- and underground-based muon telescopes, etc.) for such studies without involving the data from aerologic atmospheric sounding. As a demonstration of the method functionality, we provide the calculation results for the variations in the isotropic flux, pitch angle anisotropy of primary cosmic rays in the interplanetary space, changes in the planetary system of geomagnetic cutoff rigidities for every observational hour, as well as the atmosphere temperature above the point of observation of cosmic ray charged components for selected time intervals.

Climatology of Northeast China cold vortices during the warm season: A comparison of ERA5 and MERRA‐2 reanalyses

AbstractThe Northeast China cold vortex (NCCV) is an important type of synoptic scale system, which often induces local torrential rainfall events, strong winds, and lightning during warm seasons (May–September). By using an automatic identification method that involves a three‐step algorithm, NCCVs during warm seasons of 1980–2018 were identified based on ERA5 and MERRA‐2, the latest generation of reanalysis. Employing this recognition result and intensive surface observations, climatology of the NCCV was analysed. With respect to average climatic characteristics, the results indicate that the NCCV is most frequently located from the east of the Yablonov Mountains to the west of the Xiao Hinggan Mountains. The average rain belt and cold tongues resulting from NCCVs both mainly fall within Northeast China, Japan, Southeast Russia, and the Korean Peninsula, causing precipitation and temperature anomalies there, especially in Northeast China. Regarding interannual variation, the number of NCCV‐occurrence hours varies at a cycle of about 3 years, and has increased in the last 10 years compared to 1999–2008. The intensity of the NCCV also fluctuates in a cycle of approximately 3 years and shows a weakening trend, particularly from July to September. As for life characteristics, NCCVs usually form at the border area between China, Mongolia, and Russia, then develop and move eastwards, and finally disappear in areas of Heilongjiang in China, southeastern Russia, and the Okhotsk Sea. The NCCV moves in complex paths; among all 55 types of routes that occurred in warm seasons of 1980–2018, the most favoured paths are east, southeast, northeast, southeast‐to‐northeast, and circular. The above results based on the up‐to‐date reanalysis datasets with high resolutions are updates and supplements to previous studies, further improving our understanding of the NCCV in aspects of its cooling effects, weakening trends, and crucially, paths of movement and their occurrence frequency.

Prognostic Value of the Intensive Care Respiratory Distress Observation Scale on ICU Admission.

The association between dyspnea and mortality has not been demonstrated in the ICU setting. We tested the hypothesis that dyspnea (self-reported respiratory discomfort) or its observational correlates (5-item intensive care Respiratory Distress Observation Scale [IC-RDOS]) assessed on ICU admission would be associated with ICU mortality. Ancillary analysis of single-center data prospectively collected from 220 communicative ICU subjects allocated to a derivation cohort of 120 subjects and a separate validation cohort of 100 subjects. Dyspnea was assessed dichotomously (yes/no), with a dyspnea visual analog scale (measured in mm), and IC-RDOS was calculated. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with ICU and hospital mortality. Dyspnea was reported by 69 (58%; median 45 [interquartile range [IQR] 32-60] mm) and 47 (47%; 38 [IQR 26-48] mm) subjects in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. IC-RDOS was 2.3 (1.2-3.1) and 2.4 (1.3-2.8), respectively. IC-RDOS values were higher in subjects with dyspnea than in subjects without dyspnea in both the derivation cohort (2.6 [2.2-4.6] vs 1.4 [0.9-2.4], P < .001) and the validation cohort (2.6 [2.3-4.4] vs 2.2 [1.0-2.8], P < .001). On multivariate analysis of the derivation cohort, admission for hemorrhagic shock (odds ratio 13.98), IC-RDOS (odds ratio 1.77), and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (odds ratio 1.10) was associated with ICU mortality. Areas under the receiving operating characteristic curve of IC-RDOS to predict ICU mortality were 0.785 and 0.794 in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. IC-RDOS, an observational correlate of dyspnea, but not dyspnea itself, was associated with higher mortality in ICU subjects.

INTENSITAS SERANGAN Spodoptera frugiperda PADA BEBERAPA FASE PERTUMBUHAN TANAMAN JAGUNG

This study was conducted to determine the attack intensity of S. frugiperda at several stages of corn plant growth. The research was carried out at the Experimental Garden of the Faculty of Agriculture, Jambi University. The research was doneat a 5002 m area of corn plantation which consists of 28 plots with a size of 3 x 2 m for each plot. The variables observed were the intensity of attack of S. frugiperda larvae on the leaves and the percentage of cobs attacked. Observation of attack intensity of S. frugiperda was carried out at all growth phases (phases V3 - V5 to R6 phase), namely by directly observing the symptoms of attack caused by the 3 youngest leaves that were fully opened on each sample plant. Observations of attacked cobs were carried out on all plants in each sample plot starting from the VT - R1 phase to the R6 phase. The results showed that the intensity of the attack of S. frugiperda larvae that attacked the leaves at several stages of corn plant growth fluctuated. The highest attack intensity occurred in the R6 phase, which was 22.92%. Meanwhile, the attack on the cob was first found in the R2 - R5 phase, which was 10% and then experienced a significant increase to 68.57% in the R6 phase.Keywords: attack intensity, maize, S. frugiperda

A new method of nowcasting extreme cosmic ray events

ABSTRACT The daily observations of the cosmic ray intensity carried out by the Athens Neutron Monitoring Station in Greece during the period 1 January 2010 to 14 January 2022 are analysed for the study of the observed extreme events. The high values of this parameter were found to obey the Gutenberg-Richter scaling, which has already been identified in several meteorological parameters. Based on this finding a new nowcasting method has been developed herewith for extreme cosmic rays’ events that may cause interference to telecommunications and problems with transportation and water supply, as well as several disasters. For the development of this nowcasting model, the innovative domain of ‘natural time’ has been employed. Moreover, using the data provided by the Cosmic Rays Database, a power–law relation was found that connects the cosmic ray flux and the particle total energy corresponding to a future cosmic ray event with high intensity. This model will make a major contribution to the further development of ways to prevent, prepare for and deal with potential damages following extreme cosmic rays’ events.

Seasonal characteristics of atmospheric peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) in a coastal city of Southeast China: Explanatory factors and photochemical effects

Abstract. Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) acting as a typical indicator of photochemical pollution can redistribute NOx and modulate O3 production. Coupled with the observation-based model (OBM) and a generalized additive model (GAM), the intensive observation campaigns were conducted to reveal the pollution characteristics of PAN and its impact on O3, the contributions of influencing factors to PAN formation were also quantified in this paper. The F values of GAM results reflecting the importance of the influencing factors showed that ultraviolet radiation (UV; F value = 60.64), Ox (Ox = NO2 + O3, 57.65), and air temperature (T, 17.55) were the main contributors in the PAN pollution in spring, while the significant effects of Ox (58.45), total VOCs (TVOCs, 21.63), and T (20.46) were found in autumn. The PAN formation rate in autumn was 1.58 times higher than that in spring, relating to the intense photochemical reaction and meteorological conditions. Model simulations revealed that acetaldehyde oxidation (46 %±4 %) contributed to the dominant formation pathway of PA (hence PAN), followed by methylglyoxal oxidation (28 %±3 %) and radical cycling (19 %±3 %). The PAN formation was highly VOC sensitive, as surplus NOx (compared with VOCs abundance) prevented NOx from being the limiting factor photochemical formation of secondary pollution. At our site, PAN promoted and inhibited O3 formation under high and low ROx levels, respectively. The PAN promoting O3 formation mainly occurred during the periods of 11:00–16:00 (local time) when the favourable meteorological conditions (high UV and T) stimulated the photochemical reactions to offer ROx radicals, which accounted for 17 % of the whole monitoring periods in spring and 31 % in autumn. The analysis of PAN formation mechanism and its positive or negative effect on ozone provided scientific insights into photochemical pollution mechanisms under various pollution scenarios in coastal areas.

Deuterated polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibit photoirradiation-induced lipid peroxidation in lipid bilayers

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) plays a key role in many age-related neurodegenerative conditions and other disorders. Light irradiation can initiate LPO through various mechanisms and is of importance in retinal and dermatological pathologies. The introduction of deuterated polyunsaturated fatty acids (D-PUFA) into membrane lipids is a promising approach for protection against LPO. Here, we report the protective effects of D-PUFA against the photodynamically induced LPO, using illumination in the presence of the photosensitizer trisulfonated aluminum phthalocyanine (AlPcS3) in liposomes and giant unilamellar vesicles (GUV), as assessed in four experimental models: 1) sulforhodamine B leakage from liposomes, detected with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS); 2) formation of diene conjugates in liposomal membranes, measured by absorbance at 234nm; 3) membrane leakage in GUV assessed by optical phase-contrast intensity observations; 4) UPLC-MS/MS method to detect oxidized linoleic acid (Lin)-derived metabolites. Specifically, in liposomes or GUV containing H-PUFA (dilinoleyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine), light irradiation led to an extensive oxidative damage to bilayers. By contrast, no damage was observed in lipid bilayers containing 20% or more D-PUFA (D2-Lin or D10-docosahexanenoic acid). Remarkably, addition of tocopherol increased the dye leakage from liposomes in H-PUFA bilayers compared to photoirradiation alone, signifying tocopherol's pro-oxidant properties. However, in the presence of D-PUFA the opposite effect was observed, whereby adding tocopherol increased the resistance to LPO. These findings suggest a method to augment the protective effects of D-PUFA, which are currently undergoing clinical trials in several neurological and retinal diseases that involve LPO.

The Role of Religious Leaders in Conducting Islamic Religious Education in The Community

This study aims to understand the critical role of religious leaders in Islamic education so that people understand that something they learn will be helpful in their lives in this world and the hereafter so that they will not feel a loss in learning and applying Islam in their lives. This research uses a case study research method with a qualitative approach. Researchers conducted intensive interviews, involvement observations, and collection of documentation as data mining directly in the field and analyzed by describing events in the field. This study found that the role of religious leaders as leaders in carrying out Islamic religious education is carried out through example, practice and action, ibrah and advice, dialogue, and non-formal coaching and management. This research has implications for the importance of example, practice, deeds, ibrah and advice, dialogue in managing non-formal educational institutions.

Eksistensi Kelembagaan Ulama Perempuan di Nusa Tenggara Barat

This study aims to map the forms, strategies and impacts of social roles that have been carried out by PW Muslimat NU NTB and PW Aisyiyyah NTB. The data collection methods in this study were intensive observation, in-depth interviews and documentation. The process of data analysis in this study will be carried out in an on-going process in the field, so that it is easy to dig up missing data or confirm data that is still unclear. The results of the study show that the social roles that have been carried out by PW Muslimat NU NTB and PW Aisyiyyah NTB in gender inequality and injustice in NTB at this time can at least be reduced due to the hard work of Aisyiah and Muslimat NU with other groups, for example with almost equal education participation rates. between men and women at the SD/MI, SMP/MTS and SMA/SMK levels, even to the tertiary level. The consistency and continuity of the Aisyiah and Muslimat NU movements in boosting the dignity of women in NTB is something more than these two organizations compared to women's organizations that fall into the category of NGOs and NGOs which tend to be programmatic, casuistic and highly dependent on donors. Even the institutional pattern of NGO women's groups continues to change according to the "internal needs" of the NGO group and the NGO itself or "external demands" from donor groups.

Is it north or west foehn? A Lagrangian analysis of Penetration and Interruption of Alpine Foehn intensive observation period 1 (PIANO IOP 1)

Abstract. A case study of a foehn event in the Inn Valley near Innsbruck, Austria, that occurred on 29 October 2017 in the framework of the first intensive observation period (IOP) of the Penetration and Interruption of Alpine Foehn (PIANO) field campaign is investigated. Accompanied with northwesterly crest-level flow, foehn broke through at the valley floor as strong westerly winds in the morning and was terminated in the afternoon by a cold front arriving from the north. The difference between local and large-scale wind direction raises the question of whether the event should be classified as north or west foehn – a question that has not been convincingly answered in the past for similar events based on Eulerian approaches. Hence, the goal of this study is to assess the air mass origin and the mechanisms of foehn penetration to the valley floor based on a Lagrangian perspective. For this purpose a mesoscale simulation with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and a backward trajectory analysis with LAGRANTO are conducted. The trajectory analysis shows that the major part of the air arriving in Innsbruck originates 6 h earlier over eastern France, crosses the two mountain ranges of the Vosges and the Black Forest, and finally impinges on the Alps near Lake Constance and the Rhine Valley. Orographic precipitation over the mountains leads to a net diabatic heating of about 2.5 K and to a moisture loss of about 1 g kg−1 along the trajectories. A secondary air stream originates further south over the Swiss Plateau and contributes about 10 % to 40 % of the trajectories to the foehn air in Innsbruck. Corresponding trajectories are initially nearly parallel to the northern Alpine rim and get lifted above crest level in the same region as the main trajectory branch. Air parcels within this branch experience a net diabatic heating of about 2 K and, in contrast to the ones of the main branch, an overall moisture uptake due to evaporation of precipitation formed above these air parcels. Penetration into the Inn Valley mainly occurs in the lee of three local mountain ranges – the Lechtal Alps, the Wetterstein Mountains, and the Mieming Chain – and is associated with a gravity wave and a persistent atmospheric rotor. A secondary penetration takes place in the western end of the Inn Valley via the Arlberg Pass and Silvretta Pass. Changes in the upstream flow conditions cause a shift in the contributions of the associated penetration branches. From a Lagrangian perspective this shift can be interpreted on the valley scale as a gradual transition from west to northwest foehn despite the persistent local west wind in Innsbruck. However, a clear classification in one or the other categories remains subjective even with the Lagrangian approach and, given the complexity of the trajectory pattern, is nearly impossible with the traditional Eulerian view.

Intensity Measurements of a Landfalling Tropical Cyclone Using Conventional Coastal Weather Radar

Tropical cyclone (TC) intensity observations considerably improve forecast models. They are particularly used to continuously measure TC intensity for landfalling cyclones to improve their forecast. For example, TC Irving, which operated in the Gulf of Tonkin, South China Sea, on 23–24 July 1989, was observed by a conventional weather radar installed at the Phu Lien Observatory in North Vietnam. The maximum wind speed was calculated by the hyperbolic-logarithmic approximation (HLS-approximation) of spiral cloud-rain bands (SCRBs) of recorded TC radar images. The data spanned about 15 h. Ground-based estimates of the cyclone intensity were obtained from pressure measurements at two coastal weather stations. A comparison of these estimates with the HLS wind resulting from the HLS approximation of SCRBs showed satisfactory synchronization. In particular, radar and meteorological data indicated cyclone intensification near landfall and rapid cyclone intensification after landfall. Both intensifications were accompanied by polygonal eye shapes. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using the HLS-approximation technique for retrieving TC intensity variation from conventional weather radar data.

Examining partial-column density retrieval of lower-tropospheric CO2 from GOSAT target observations over global megacities

We retrieved and examined the partial-column densities of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the lower (LT, typically 0–4 km) and upper (UT, typically 4–12 km) troposphere (XCO2LT and XCO2UT) collected over six global megacities: Beijing, New Delhi, New York City, Riyadh, Shanghai, and Tokyo. The radiance spectra were collected using the Thermal And Near-infrared Sensor for carbon Observation Fourier-Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) onboard the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT). Our retrieval method uniquely utilizes reflected sunlight with two orthogonal components of polarization and thermal emissions. We defined megacity concentration enhancement due to surface CO2 emissions as XCO2LT minus XCO2UT, allowing us to overcome some of the challenges in the enhancement analysis using existing column density data. We examined the relationship between the XCO2LT enhancements from the time series of intensive target observations over megacities and the inverse of simulated wind speed, which could be potentially used to estimate surface emissions. Next, we attempted to estimate the average emission intensity for each city from the linear regression slope. We also compared our obtained emission estimates with the Open-Data Inventory for Anthropogenic CO2 (ODIAC) inventory for evaluation. Our results demonstrate the potential utility of the new partial-column density retrievals for estimating megacity CO2 emissions. More frequent and comprehensive coverage characterizing the spatial distribution of emissions is necessary to reduce random error and bias associated with the obtained estimate.