47242 research outputs found
Sort by
CO2 storage beneath the German North Sea? Results from three years of research, KEY FINDINGS
No full textSolar 11-Year Cycle-Modulated North–South Contrasting Patterns of Summer Precipitation in China
No full textSolar forcing exerts a notable influence on driving variability in monsoon patterns. However, the connection between decadal shifts in monsoon precipitation patterns and solar cycles remains ambiguous. This study delves into assessing the impact of the 11-yr solar cycle on precipitation patterns during the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) spanning from 1958 to 2020. Results indicate that the summer precipitation pattern on a decadal time scale, characterized by reverse variations in northern and southern China, can be attributed to the solar precipitation regime. The solar precipitation regime, intricately tied to the East Asia/Pacific (EAP) teleconnection, is impacted by zonal winds and convection in the western Pacific. In early summer, the EAP teleconnection is partially influenced by the solar signal in the stratosphere. During high solar years, the stratospheric ozone's heating response to solar radiation induces a warm anomaly in the tropical and subtropical lower stratosphere. This anomaly initiates anomalous convection in the troposphere, reinforcing the tropospheric EAP teleconnection and causing a northward shift in the rain belt. Additionally, the warm anomaly intensifies midlatitude westerly winds in the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere, facilitating the downward propagation of signals and bolstering the EAP teleconnection. Consequently, the EAP teleconnection amplifies solar signals in the EASM region, fostering droughts in southern China and flooding in northern China during high solar years. These findings propose a mechanism through which the sun shapes the spatial pattern of precipitation and enhance our understanding of decadal variability of monsoon precipitation
Extending the human pressures-species response system in the MSP Challenge ecosystem simulation platform
No full textThe MSP Challenge Simulation Platform assists planners and stakeholders in understanding and managing the complexity of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP). It allows users to view various data layers covering an entire sea region, assess the status of the socio-ecological system, and create future scenarios for marine space usage over several decades. The platform integrates the ecosystem modelling approach Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) to support the implementation of evidence-based and ecosystem-based MSP principles from the EU Directive 2014/89/EU. Each regional edition of the MSP Challenge includes a tailored ecosystem model of the basin. The ecosystem model simulates the effects of pressures from human activities by applying functional responses to each trophic group. This article explains how the modelling of pressures and functional responses was extended from the original system, using the western Baltic Sea as an example. It focuses on pressures characteristic of offshore wind farms, an infrastructure increasingly important for achieving European carbon neutrality and reducing reliance on fossil fuels amid energy crises. First, the general noise pressure that included all kinds of noise and vibrations was split into impulsive noise, continuous noise and bottom vibrations, with air disturbance added as a separate component. Second, a new semi-quantitative metric inspired by the Leopold matrix used in Environmental Impact Assessment was applied to link each pressure to the trophic group’s response, making the process more objective. These improvements standardize the functional response inputs and provide detailed insights into the impacts of different human activities on specific trophic groups. The novelties presented here improve the MSP Challenge Platform’s ability to deliver realistic predictions on ecosystem functioning in response to the construction, operation and decommissioning of offshore wind farms, and may foster more robust decision-making for sustainable maritime spatial planning
Global Carbon Budget 2024
No full textAccurate assessment of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere in a changing climate is critical to better understand the global carbon cycle, support the development of climate policies, and project future climate change. Here we describe and synthesize datasets and methodologies to quantify the five major components of the global carbon budget and their uncertainties. Fossil CO2 emissions (E-FOS) are based on energy statistics and cement production data, while emissions from land-use change (E-LUC) are based on land-use and land-use change data and bookkeeping models. Atmospheric CO2 concentration is measured directly, and its growth rate (G(ATM)) is computed from the annual changes in concentration. The global net uptake of CO2 by the ocean (S-OCEAN, called the ocean sink) is estimated with global ocean biogeochemistry models and observation-based fCO(2) products (fCO(2) is the fugacity of CO2). The global net uptake of CO2 by the land (S-LAND, called the land sink) is estimated with dynamic global vegetation models. Additional lines of evidence on land and ocean sinks are provided by atmospheric inversions, atmospheric oxygen measurements, and Earth system models. The sum of all sources and sinks results in the carbon budget imbalance (B-IM), a measure of imperfect data and incomplete understanding of the contemporary carbon cycle. All uncertainties are reported as +/- 1 sigma.
For the year 2023, E-FOS increased by 1.3% relative to 2022, with fossil emissions at 10.1 +/- 0.5 GtC yr(-1) (10.3 +/- 0.5 GtC yr(-1) when the cement carbonation sink is not included), and E-LUC was 1.0 +/- 0.7 GtC yr 1, for a total anthropogenic CO2 emission (including the cement carbonation sink) of 11.1 +/- 0.9 GtC yr(-1) (40.6 +/- 3.2 GtCO(2) yr(-1)). Also, for 2023, G(ATM) was 5.9 +/- 0.2 GtC yr(-1) (2.79 +/- 0.1 ppm yr(-1); ppm denotes parts per million), S-OCEAN was 2.9 +/- 0.4 GtC yr(-1), and S-LAND was 2.3 +/- 1.0 GtC yr(-1), with a near-zero B-IM (0.02 GtC yr(-1)). The global atmospheric CO2 concentration averaged over 2023 reached 419.31 +/- 0.1 ppm. Preliminary data for 2024 suggest an increase in E-FOS relative to 2023 of C0.8% (0.2% to 1.7 %) globally and an atmospheric CO2 concentration increase by 2.87 ppm, reaching 422.45 ppm, 52% above the pre-industrial level (around 278 ppm in 1750). Overall, the mean of and trend in the components of the global carbon budget are consistently estimated over the period 1959-2023, with a near-zero overall budget imbalance, although discrepancies of up to around 1 GtC yr(-1) persist for the representation of annual to semi-decadal variability in CO2 fluxes. Comparison of estimates from multiple approaches and observations shows the following: (1) a persistent large uncertainty in the estimate of land-use change emissions, (2) low agreement between the different methods on the magnitude of the land CO2 flux in the northern extra-tropics, and (3) a discrepancy between the different methods on the mean ocean sink
CO₂-Speicherung unter der deutschen Nordsee? Ergebnisse aus drei Jahren Forschung
No full textGEOSTOR hat während der ersten Projektphase (August 2021 – Juli 2024) untersucht, ob und unter welchen Bedingungen eine geologische Speicherung von CO₂ unter der deutschen Nordsee realisierbar ist. In dem jetzt veröffentlichten Bericht wurden die Forschungsergebnisse verständlich und transparent für Fachwelt, Politik und interessierte Öffentlichkeit aufgearbeitet.
Der von 36 Autor*innen aus acht Partnerinstitutionen verfasste Bericht bündelt zentrale Erkenntnisse aus drei Jahren Forschung – zu Speicherkapazitäten, Umweltrisiken, Überwachungstechnologien, Kosten, rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen und Nutzungskonflikten. Damit liefert er fundierte wissenschaftliche Grundlagen für die gesellschaftliche und politische Debatte zur CO2-Speicherung in Deutschland.
CO₂-Speicherung unter der Nordsee – was ist möglich?
Die Arbeiten haben gezeigt, dass die geologische CO2-Speicherung in der deutschen Ausschließlichen Wirtschaftszone (AWZ) prinzipiell möglich wäre und dass tief unter der deutschen Nordsee ein signifikanter Anteil jener CO2-Menge, die in Zukunft in Deutschland abgeschieden werden soll, gespeichert werden könnte. Aufgrund der begrenzten Kapazitäten und möglicher Umweltrisiken, sollte dort aber nur jene CO2-Restmenge deponiert werden, deren Entstehung sich trotz konsequenter Klimapolitik nicht vermeiden lässt.
Die wesentlichen Herausforderungen liegen darin, Leckagen aus dem Speichergestein zu vermeiden, den seismischen Lärm bei Arbeiten wie der Speichererkundung und -überwachung zu minimieren sowie Lösungen für Nutzungskonflikte zu finden und diese in der Meeresraumplanung zu berücksichtigen. Zudem muss der nationale Rechtsrahmen aktualisiert werden, um die CO2-Speicherung in der deutschen AWZ zu ermöglichen
Rendering Large Volume Datasets in Unreal Engine 5: A Survey
No full textIn this technical report, we discuss several approaches to in-core rendering of large volumetric datasets in Unreal Engine 5 (UE5). We explore the following methods: the TBRayMarcher Plugin, the Niagara Fluids Plugin , and various approaches using Sparse Volume Textures (SVT), with a particular focus on Heterogeneous Volumes (HV). We found the HV approach to be the most promising. The biggest challenge we encountered with other approaches was the need to chunk datasets so that each fits into volume textures smaller than one gigavoxel. While this enables display of the entire dataset at reasonable frame rates, it introduces noticeable artifacts at chunk borders due to incorrect lighting, as each chunk lacks information about its neighbors. After addressing some (signed) int32 overflows in the Engine's SVT-related source code by converting them to to (unsigned) uint32 or int64, the SVT-based HV system allows us to render sparse datasets up to 32k x 32k x 16k voxels, provided the compressed tile data (including MIP data and padding for correct interpolation) does not exceed 4 gigavoxels. In the future, we intend to extend the existing SVT streaming functionality to support out-of-core rendering, in order to eventually overcome VRAM limitations, graphics API constraints, and the performance issues associated with 64-bit arithmetic in GPU shaders
CDRmare Insights: CO2 storage deep below the German North Sea: The seven most important outcomes of GEOSTOR research
No full textFor the past three years, experts from the CDRmare research consortium GEOSTOR have been investigating where and how captured carbon dioxide (CO₂) could be safely and permanently stored in the deep seabed under the German North Sea, and which corresponding prerequisites would have to be met. In the following, we summarise seven of their most relevant findings
Enhanced carbon sequestration in marginal seas through bacterial transformation
No full textHighlights
• Labile POC primarily originates from autochthonous primary production.
• A significant fraction of labile POC transforms into bacterial biomass.
• Rapid bacterial transformation appears linked to elevated nutrient levels.
• Bacterial transformation enhances carbon sequestration in marginal seas.
Labile organic carbon is a highly dynamic component of the marine carbon pool, traditionally thought to be respired within hours to days into carbon dioxide (CO2) by bacteria, although there is a paucity of direct observational evidence. Here, we report that a significant portion of labile particulate organic carbon (POC) in marginal seas is converted into bacterial material. By exploiting D/L-amino acids, we trace the origins of labile POC and its transformation into bacterial POC in the marginal seas off Eastern China. Our results indicate that labile POC primarily originates from autochthonous primary production, with bacterial POC fractions closely paralleling those of labile POC. It appears that rapid bacterial POC transformation is driven by enhanced bacterial growth efficiency from abundant nutrients in marginal seas. We estimate that around 0.08 ± 0.03 Pg of bacterial organic carbon is buried annually in global marginal seas, accounting for ∼40 % of total organic carbon burial, thus contributing to long-term carbon sequestration. These findings highlight the critical role of bacterial transformation in carbon sequestration within marginal seas and provide a potential mechanism for the observed increase in CO2 uptake in coastal regions
A survey on the status quo, gaps and needs among research data professionals in the Helmholtz Association
No full textWith the HMC Data Professionals Survey 2024, the Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration (HMC) assessed the current state, challenges and requirements of Helmholtz staff in the area of research data management (RDM) and FAIR data practices. The survey focused on data professionals involved in RDM-related tasks in the Helmholtz Association. A total of 156 valid responses were collected from 16 out of 18 Helmholtz centres and all six Helmholtz research fields. This diversity ensures that the survey captures a representative range of perspectives. The results show that RDM work is spread across different stakeholders, professions and organisational levels. While most respondents are familiar with their centre’s data policy, the majority have no formal training in RDM - although the data reflects widespread interest in RDM-related training. The results provide a snapshot into the implementation of the FAIR principles in the Helmholtz data ecosystem, and the collaborative use and development of various RDM tools. In particular, the survey highlights the prevalent challenges in RDM work, with many respondents reporting limited resources, gaps in technical knowledge, lack of infrastructure and lack of technical solutions. The survey results, complemented by qualitative feedback from focus groups, will guide HMC’s strategic initiatives to improve the FAIR data ecosystem within the Helmholtz Association
Pteropods as early‐warning indicators of ocean acidification
No full textAragonite undersaturation (Ωar < 1) events are projected to rapidly increase in frequency and duration in the Antarctic Weddell Sea by 2050. Thecosome pteropods (pelagic snails) are bioindicators of ocean acidification (OA) because their aragonite shell dissolves easily at low saturation states. Here, we describe the shell dissolution state of the pteropod Limacina helicina antarctica in relation to the water column in the southern Weddell Sea during austral summer 2018 as benchmark for future monitoring of ongoing OA. depth profiles at the sampling sites were consistently close to or in the range of threshold levels ( 1.1–1.3) for pteropod shell dissolution. Pteropods contributed up to 69% of total mesozooplankton biomass, and their distribution correlated positively with and chlorophyll a concentration. When analyzed with scanning electron microscopy, 78% of the investigated shells exhibited dissolution, and 50–69% showed the more severe Type II dissolution exceeding current projections of pteropod shell dissolution for the Southern Ocean. But importantly, in our study, only two specimens had the most severe Type III dissolution. Dissolution often co-occurred with and occurred in scratch marks of unclear origin supporting notions that an intact periostracum protects the shell from dissolution. Where dissolution occurred in the absence of scratches or absence of evidence of periostracum breaches, microscale/nanoscale breaches may have been an important pathway for dissolution commencement supporting recent findings of a reduction of the organic shell content caused by low /low pH. The dissolution benchmark we provide here allows future application of pteropods as early-warning indicators of presumably progressing OA in the Weddell Sea