Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
A Review of Measurement for Quantification of Carbon Dioxide Removal by Enhanced Weathering in Soil
Published: 2023-11-28
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
All pathways which limit global temperature rise to <2oC above pre-industrial temperatures now require carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in addition to rapid greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Novel and durable CDR strategies need to rapidly scale over the next few decades in order to reach Paris Agreement Targets. Terrestrial enhanced weathering (EW) involves the acceleration of natural weathering [...]
ICESat-2 and ocean particulates: Building a roadmap for calculating Kd from space-based lidar photon profiles
Published: 2023-11-28
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Sciences
ICESat-2’s Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) has emerged as useful tool for calculating attenuation signals in natural surface waters, thus improving our understanding of particulates from open-ocean plankton to nearshore suspended terrigenous sediments. While several studies have employed methods based on Beer’s Law to derive attenuation coefficients (including through a [...]
Plagioclase-saturated melt hygrothermobarometry and plagioclase-melt equilibria using machine learning
Published: 2023-11-23
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
Compositions of plagioclase-melt pairs are commonly used to constrain temperatures (T), dissolved water contents (H2O) and pressures (P) of pre-eruptive magma storage and transport. However, previous plagioclase-based thermometers, hygrometers, and barometers can have significant errors, leading to imprecise reconstructions of conditions during plagioclase growth. Here, we explore whether we can [...]
Towards parameterizing eddy-mediated transport of Warm Deep Water across the Weddell Sea continental slope
Published: 2023-11-23
Subjects: Oceanography, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The transport of Warm Deep Water (WDW) onto the Weddell Sea continental shelf is associated with a heat flux and strongly contributes to the melting of Antarctic ice shelves. The small radius of deformation at high latitudes makes it difficult to accurately represent the eddy-driven component of onshore WDW transport in coarse-resolution ocean models so that a parameterization becomes necessary. [...]
Diurnal Warm Layers in the ocean: Energetics, non-dimensional scaling, and parameterization
Published: 2023-11-22
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Diurnal Warm Layers (DWLs) form near the surface of the ocean on days with strong solar radiation, weak to moderate winds, and small surface-wave effects. Here, we use idealized second-moment turbulence modelling, validated with Large Eddy Simulations (LES), to study the properties, dynamics and energetics of DWLs across the entire physically relevant parameter space. Both types of models include [...]
Luminescence Profiling and Flood Sediments from an Arctic Lake Over the Last Millenia
Published: 2023-11-22
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
A small Arctic floodplain-lake (Tendammen, Colesdalen valley) in Svalbard revealed a laminated sediment sequence with numerous 14C AMS age-depth reversals in its 800 year history. In order to test the hypothesis that the anomalous dates result from catchment erosion and the deposition of reworked sediment and macrofossils, we applied luminescence profiling and flood-sensitive biological proxies. [...]
Calculating Standardised Indices Using SEI
Published: 2023-11-21
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Standardised indices are measurements of variables on a standardised scale. The standardised scale facilitates comparisons between different variables, and its probabilistic interpretation means the indices are effective for risk management and decision making. Standardised indices have become popular in weather and climate settings, for example within operational drought monitoring systems, [...]
Evidence that seismic anisotropy captures upstream palaeo ice fabric: Implications on present day deformation at Whillans Ice Stream, Antarctica
Published: 2023-11-16
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Glaciology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Understanding deformation and slip at ice streams, which are responsible for 90% of Antarctic ice loss, is vital for accurately modelling large-scale ice flow. Ice preferred crystal orientation fabric (COF) has a first-order effect on ice stream deformation. For the first time, we use shear-wave splitting (SWS) measurements of basal icequakes at Whillans Ice Stream (WIS), Antarctica, to determine [...]
Downsystem Grain-Size Trends and Mass Balance of an Ancient Wave-Influenced Sediment Routing System: Middle Jurassic Brent Delta, Northern North Sea, Offshore UK and Norway
Published: 2023-11-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
We reconstruct upsystem-to-downsystem grain-size variations in the sediment routing systems of the data-rich Middle Jurassic Brent Group of the northern North Sea, using published stratigraphic, thickness, palaeogeographic, provenance and age constraints combined with representative core and wireline-log data. Facies associations provide a textural proxy for gravel, sand and mud grain-size [...]
Helium, carbon and nitrogen isotope evidence for slab influence on volcanic gas emissions at Rabaul caldera, Papua New Guinea
Published: 2023-11-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
The chemical and isotopic composition of the gases emitted by subduction zone volcanoes can provide insights into the origin of magmatic volatiles. In volcanic arcs, magmatic volatiles and therefore emitted gases can be supplied from the mantle, the subducting slab, or the rocks of the arc crust. Determining the relative contributions of these distinct sources is important for understanding the [...]
Bad science and good intentions prevent effective climate action
Published: 2023-11-10
Subjects: Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Although the 2015 Paris Agreement climate targets seem certain to be missed, only a few experts are questioning the adequacy of the current approach to limiting climate change and suggesting that additional approaches are needed to avoid unacceptable catastrophes. This article posits that selective science communication and unrealistically optimistic assumptions are obscuring the reality that [...]
In-situ quantification of carbonate species concentrations, pH and pCO2 in calcite fluid inclusions using confocal Raman spectroscopy
Published: 2023-11-10
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Carbonate minerals are globally distributed on the modern and ancient Earth and are abundant in terrestrial and marine depositional environments. Fluid inclusions hosted by calcite retain primary signatures of the source fluid geochemistry at the time of mineral formation (i.e., pCO2) and can be used to reconstruct paleoenvironments. Confocal laser Raman spectroscopy provides a quick, [...]
A late response of the sea-ice cover to Neoglacial cooling in the western Barents Sea
Published: 2023-11-09
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
In high northern latitudes, the Middle to Late Holocene was a time of orbitally-induced atmospheric cooling. This led to increased sea-ice production in the Arctic Ocean and its export southward, a decrease in sea surface temperatures (SST), and glacier advances at least since 5-4 ka BP. However, the response of the ocean-climate system to decreasing insolation was not uniform. Our research shows [...]
Pre- and Post-Last Glacial Maximum Groundwater Recharge in a Glaciated Region
Published: 2023-11-08
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Continental glaciations during the Pleistocene Epoch created complex systems of aquifers and aquitards across many northern regions of the Earth. Past measurements of δD and δ18O measurements show that tills have retained subglacial meltwater but the behaviour of intertill and buried valley aquifers in these regions is less clear. Here, we characterize groundwater ages in these aquifers in [...]
Impact of altimeter-buoy data pairing methods on the validation of Sentinel-3A coastal significant wave heights
Published: 2023-11-07
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Sea state information is critical for a broad range of human activities (e.g. shipping, marine energy, marine engineering) most of them being concentrated along the coastal zone. Satellite altimeter records of significant wave heights (SWH) represent the largest source of sea state observations available to date. However, the quality of altimeter observations is reduced in the coastal zone due to [...]