Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Earth Sciences
Never train an LSTM on a single basin
Published: 2023-12-05
Subjects: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Computer Sciences, Earth Sciences, Hydrology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Machine learning (ML) has an increasing role in the hydrological sciences, and in particular, certain types of time series modeling strategies are popular for rainfall-runoff modeling. A large majority of studies that use this type of model do not follow best practices, and there is one mistake in particular that is very common: training deep learning models on small, homogeneous data sets (i.e., [...]
Evaluation of the Time Series Transformer Model and ESA-CCI PFT Dataset v2.0.8 for Upscaling Global Gross Primary Productivity
Published: 2023-12-05
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Accurate terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP) estimates are crucial for developing effective climate change policies. However, quantifying GPP is challenging due to sparse ground observations and the complexity of plant functional types (PFTs). In this study, we address these challenges by evaluating various aspects of a data-driven model, including the architecture of time series deep [...]
The Rhyolite Factory: Insights from rhyolite-MELTS geobarometry of plutonic rocks and associated volcanics
Published: 2023-12-03
Subjects: Earth Sciences
Magmatic systems feed eruptions to the surface; lead to the formation of ore deposits; provide energy for geothermal systems; and are key to Earth’s differentiation. While it is commonly accepted that silicic magmatic systems span much of the crust, little direct evidence is available for their vertical continuity (or lack thereof), or for the distribution of melt within them. We focus on [...]
On the origin of alkali feldspar megacrysts in granitoids. Part 2: evidence for nucleation and growth under magmatic conditions from crystal size distributions of the Cathedral Peak Granodiorite, California, USA
Published: 2023-12-03
Subjects: Earth Sciences
The mechanisms whereby alkali feldspar megacrysts form have been debated for several decades; yet, we do not understand well the processes that lead to their formation. We take advantage of glacially polished outcrop surfaces from the Cathedral Peak Granodiorite in the Tuolumne Intrusive Complex, CA to quantitatively characterize alkali feldspar textures, to provide better insight into their [...]
Combining geological and historical archives to reconstruct flood variability in northwestern Italy during the last thousand years
Published: 2023-12-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences
Understanding Earth’s changing climate is a crucial challenge. However, the available time series of direct measurements are often insufficient to fully capture climatic process that unfolds over centuries and millennia. Combining History and Geology can fill this gap. Focusing on rainfall and flood events, this research proposes a multidisciplinary approach to integrate the sedimentary and [...]
A Compilation of Benchmark Pluvial Flood Datasets
Published: 2023-11-29
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology
urban pluvial flooding is a dangerous natural hazard that has become more common in recent years, making it a global threat to metropolitan areas. Surface water floods and flash floods are two common types of pluvial flooding that the second one is extremely hazardous and damaging due to both the power of the water and the debris that is frequently swept up in the flow. Buildings and their [...]
High-resolution luminescence-dated sediment record for the last two glacial-interglacial cycles from Rodderberg, Germany
Published: 2023-11-28
Subjects: Climate, Earth Sciences
The Rodderberg Volcanic Complex (RVC) is well-known for the long and probably continuous climate record archived in its crater basin, which lasts for several glacial-interglacial cycles. However, a detailed chronological framework is still lacking. Here, we perform high-resolution luminescence dating on a 72.8 m-long sediment core with the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signal from [...]
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 [...]
Convergence in simulating global soil organic carbon by structurally different models after data assimilation
Published: 2023-11-20
Subjects: Biogeochemistry, Earth Sciences
The current generation of biogeochemical models produce large uncertainty in carbon-climate feedback projections. Structural differences in these models have been identified as a major source of inter-model uncertainties when simulating soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics worldwide. However, parameterization could also play a role, particularly when common observational data are used to constrain [...]
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 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 a [...]
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 [...]
Looking upstream: analyzing the protection of the drainage area of Amazon rivers
Published: 2023-11-13
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment, Environmental Sciences, Hydrology, Sustainability, Water Resource Management
In the Amazon, aquatic ecosystems provide essential ecosystem services, including transportation, food, and livelihoods for millions of species. Land use changes and management impact these ecosystem services, and these impacts are not limited to the specific areas where they occur but propagate downstream along the drainage network. However, assessment of the accumulated human footprint upstream [...]
ACCE DTP EDI Report 2023
Published: 2023-11-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Education, Environmental Sciences, Higher Education
Underrepresentation of minoritised and historically disadvantaged groups is prevalent in PhD recruitment, particularly in environmental sciences. The environmental science focussed ‘Adapting to the Challenges of a Changing Environment’ Doctoral Training Partnership (ACCE DTP) was awarded funding from the Natural Environment Research Council for an EDI-centred project. This project aimed to [...]