Climate Sensitivity Studies of the Greenland Ice Sheet Using Satellite AVHRR, SMMR, SSM/I and in Situ Data

The feasibility of using satellite data for climate research over the Greenland ice sheet is discussed. In particular, we demonstrate the usefulness of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Local Area Coverage (LAC) and Global Area Coverage (GAC) data for narrow-band albedo retrieval. Our study supports the use of lower resolution AVHRR (GAC) data for process studies over most of the Greenland ice sheet. Based on LAC data time series analysis, we can resolve relative albedo changes on the order of 2-5%. In addition, we examine Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) and Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) passive microwave data for snow typing and other signals of climatological significance. Based on relationships between in situ measurements and horizontally polarized 19 and 37 GHz observations, wet snow regions are identified. The wet snow regions increase in aerial percentage from 9% of the total ice surface in June to a maximum of 26% in August 1990. Furthermore, the relationship between brightness temperatures and accumulation rates in the northeastern part of Greenland is described. We found a consistent increase in accumulation rate for the northeastern part of the ice sheet from 1981 to 1986

Steffen K, Abdalati W and Stroeve J (1993) Climate sensitivity studies of the Greenland ice sheet using satellite AVHRR, SMMR SSM/I and in situ data. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics 51(3–4): 239–258. DOI:10.1007/bf01030497

Physical geographer Konrad “Koni” Steffen, lost 8 August 2020 in a crevasse on the Greenland ice sheet, was a pioneer in satellite remote sensing and field observations of the Greenland ice sheet. This Classics Revisited piece honors the memory of Koni Steffen and examines the impact of a work which laid the foundation for numerous studies that made the Greenland ice sheet and the man global icons of climate change

Persistent surface snowmelt over Antarctica (1987–2006) from 19.35 GHz brightness temperatures

[1] Persistent melting (e.g., continuing for more than three days or for one consecutive day and night) is mapped in Antarctica (1987–2006) using night- and day-time Special Sensor Microwave Imager brightness temperatures (Tb) at 19.35 GHz, horizontal polarization. Snowmelt is indicated when Tb and relative daily difference exceed threshold values, respectively Tc and ΔT, computed for each pixel and year, or when both daytime and nighttime Tb exceed Tc. Results from an electromagnetic model suggest that the minimum detectable liquid water content ranges between 0.2 and 0.5%, in volume. We find that melting areas have been moving inland since 1987. A first-time extensive melting (1987–2006) is detected over the Transantarctic Mountains on January 2005, 875 Km inland and 2000 m above sea level. Melting extent and index have been decreasing over Antarctica, since 1987, although either positive and negative trends are observed from a sub-continental scale analysis

Program for Arctic Regional Climate Assessment (PARCA)

The Program for Arctic Regional Climate Assessment (PARCA) is a NASA-sponsored initiative with the prime objective of understanding the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet. In October 1998, PARCA investigators met to review activities of the previous year, assess the program's progress, and plan future investigations directed at accomplishing that objective. Some exciting results were presented and discussed, including evidence of dramatic thinning of the ice sheet near the southeastern coast. Details of the investigations and many of the accomplishments are given in this report, but major highlights are given in the Executive Summary of the report

The Role of Free Translation in Rendering the Collocational Phrases of the Quranic Text into English

The following thesis presents an investigation into the problems of rendering the Arabic collocational phrases in the Quran into English. The research reveals that literal translation may sometimes deform the meaning of the collocations found in the source text, while free translation is able to convey a better sense of their implicit meaning. The thesis studies three translations of the Quran – those of Muhammad Pickthall (1930), Abdullah Ali (1934) and Al-Hilali and Khan (1974) – and undertakes an in-depth comparison of their translations of a selection of collocations. It explores the advantages and disadvantages of the methods adopted by the translators with the aid of the Quranic exegeses of Al-Tabari (839-923 CE), Al-Razi (544-604 CE), Al-Qurtubi (1214-1273 CE), and Ibn Kathir (1300-1373), and relevant works by prominent Muslim theologians such as AlDamaghany (1007-1085: 1983) and Ibn Al-Jawzy (510-597: 1987), as well as a number of established Arabic-English dictionaries, such as the Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage (DAEQU) (Abdel-Haleem and Badwi,2008), the Dictionary of the Contemporary Arabic Language (DCAL) (Omar,2008) ,and the Lisān Al-Arab (DLA) ( Ibn Manzur,1955). This research is the first of its kind to examine collocations in the Quran from the perspective of translation theory. It adopts the methodology of Peter Newmark’s (1988) semantic and communicative translation theory and James Dickins’ exegetic translation model (2002). The application of these theoretical approaches is intended to act as a guide for future translators of the Quran, particularly when faced with the problem of providing English translations of collocations that successfully convey the implicit meaning of the Arabic text. In addition, it recommends the use of some translation techniques suggested by Newmark (1995) and Vinay and Darbelnet (1958: 1995), such as paraphrases, footnotes, transpositions, cultural borrowing, additions, compensation and descriptive equivalents, which give the target readers a broader contextual knowledge and provide them with the tools they need to grasp the deeper meanings of these collocations

Recent Changes in High-Latitude Glaciers, Ice Caps, and Ice Sheets

The glaciers and ice sheets of the world contain enough ice to raise sea level by approximately 70 meters if they were to disappear entirely, and most of this ice is located in the climatically sensitive polar regions. Fortunately changes of this magnitude would probably take many thousands of years to occur, but recent discoveries indicate that these ice masses are responding to changes in today s climate more rapidly than previously thought. These responses are likely to be of great societal significance, primarily in terms of their implications for sea level, but also in terms of how their discharge of freshwater, through melting or calving, may impact ocean circulation. For millions of years, oceans have risen and fallen as the Earth has warmed and cooled, and ice on land has shrunk and grown. Today is no different in that respect, as sea levels have been rising at a rate of nearly 2 m per year during the last century (Miller and Douglas 2004), and 3 mm/yr in the last 12 years (Leuliette et al. 2004). What is different today, however, is that tens - perhaps hundreds - of millions of people live in coastal areas that are vulnerable to changes in sea level. Rising seas erode beaches, increase flood potential, and reduce the ability of barrier islands and coastal wetlands to mitigate the effects of major storms and hurricanes. The costs associated with a one-meter rise in sea level are estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars in the United States alone. The worldwide costs in human terms would be far greater as some vulnerable low-lying coastal regions would become inundated, especially in poorer nations that do not have the resources to deal with such changes. Such considerations are particularly important in light of the fact that a one meter sea level rise is not significantly outside the 0.09 to 0.88 range of predictions for this century (IPCC 2001), and rises of this magnitude have occurred in the past in as little as 20 years (Fairbanks 1989). While the expansion of the warming oceans is estimated to be about a third of recent sea level rise, (Miller and Douglas 2004) the greatest potential for significantly increasing sea level lies in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. For different reasons, each exhibits characteristics that suggest they are potentially unstable. In Antarctica, large portions of the ice cover rest on a soft bed that lies below sea level, making it vulnerable to runaway retreat. The Greenland ice sheet experiences considerable melt, which has the potential to rapidly accelerate the flow of ice toward the sea. While smaller ice masses, such as the Alaskan Glaciers and the Canadian ice caps, do not have anywhere near the same potential to impact sea level as the vast ice sheets do, many are melting rapidly, posing a significant near-term threat

Pengawasan Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia (KPI) daerah Jawa Barat terhadap tayangan sinetron religi

Manfaat media televisi untuk aktivitas berdakwah dikemas melalui bingkai cerita sosial masyarakat dalam rangkaian sinteron religi. Beberapa sinetron religi terbukti telah melakukan pelanggaran isi siaran yang tidak layak dipertontonkan dan dapat berakibat buruk dalam bersikap dan berperilaku. Kualitas sinetron religi yang minim tanpa memerhatikan dampak negatif yang ditimbulkan. Oleh karena itu, pentingnya memilih dan memilah isi program siaran diperlukan sebuah lembaga sebagai wadah aspirasi masyarakat. Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia Daerah (KPID) Jawa Barat memiliki posisi sebagai lembaga pengawasan yang berperan penting dalam mewujudkan masyarakat Jabar Juara dengan isi siaran yang mendidik dan mencerdaskan. Fungsi KPID Jawa Barat telah dirancang dalam UU Penyiaran dan kewenangan P3SPS yang menjadi acuan dan pedoman bagi lembaga penyiaran. Penelitian ini dimaksudkan agar dapat memahami peranan dan fungsi KPID Jawa Barat dalam mengawasi tayangan sinetron religi. Kemudian, untuk mengetahui proses pengawasan serta mengetahui evaluasi hasil pengawasan yang dilakukan oleh KPID Jawa Barat terhadap tayangan sinetron religi. Penelitian ini mengacu pada teori peran Biddle dan Thomas (1994) yang telah mengklasifikasikan peran menjadi dua bagian yaitu norma (pedoman) dan evaluasi (evaluation). Teori fungsi dikemukakan oleh Talcott Parson (1937), terdapat empat kategori structural fungsional yaitu AGIL (Adaption,Goal Atteinment,Integrasi, dan Latency). Teori pengawasan menurut Robert J. Mockler (1990) menggambarkan bahwa pengawasan berkaitan dengan standar yang direncanakan dalam mengukur dan menilai tayangan. Penelitian ini menggunakan paradigma konstruktivisme pendekatan kualitatif. Metode analitik deskriptif dalam mencari data mengenai peran dan fungsi, proses pengawasan dan evaluasi hasil pengawasan KPID Jabar terhadap tayangan sinetron religi. Teknik pengumpulan data melalui teknik wawancara, observasi, dan dokumentasi. Teknik keabsahan data melalui perpanjangan penelitian, ketekunan dan triangulasi. KPID Jawa Barat berperan sebagai peninjau dan pemantau terhadap stasiun televisi SSJ agar tetap mematuhi peraturan yang ditetapkan oleh KPID Jabar dan berfungsi sebagai complain commission membuka partisipasi masyarakat dalam pemantauan pribadi terhadap program siaran yang menyimpang dan melanggar peraturan. Proses pengawasan SSJ akan ditindaklanjuti oleh KPID Jabar disesuaikan dengan P3SPS terutama dari pengaduan masyarakat. Evaluasi tahunan hasil pengawasan akan diselenggarakan melalui FRB untuk menilai suatu lembaga penyiaran terkait pelanggaran dan sanksi yang diberikan seperti penghentian sementara program siaran dan pencabutan lisensi penyiaran. Peran dan fungsi KPID akan memberikan implikasi bagi tayangan sinetron religi di Indonesia, mengingat masih banyaknya pelaku pelanggaran P3SPS. Pihak lembaga penyiaran dan production house akan lebih perhatian pada masyarakat dengan sajian program siaran mendidik. Masyarakat Jawa Barat berhak memilih tayangan yang berdampak positif, jika terdapat program yang melanggar P3SPS publik dituntut untuk mengkritisinya sehingga berani speak up dengan melaporkan pengaduan pada KPID Jawa Barat

Assessment of climate variability of the Greenland Ice Sheet: Integration of in situ and satellite data

The proposed research involves the application of multispectral satellite data in combination with ground truth measurements to monitor surface properties of the Greenland Ice Sheet which are essential for describing the energy and mass of the ice sheet. Several key components of the energy balance are parameterized using satellite data and in situ measurements. The analysis will be done for a ten year time period in order to get statistics on the seasonal and interannual variations of the surface processes and the climatology. Our goal is to investigate to what accuracy and over what geographic areas large scale snow properties and radiative fluxes can be derived based upon a combination of available remote sensing and meteorological data sets. Operational satellite sensors are calibrated based on ground measurements and atmospheric modeling prior to large scale analysis to ensure the quality of the satellite data. Further, several satellite sensors of different spatial and spectral resolution are intercompared to access the parameter accuracy. Proposed parameterization schemes to derive key component of the energy balance from satellite data are validated. For the understanding of the surface processes a field program was designed to collect information on spectral albedo, specular reflectance, soot content, grain size and the physical properties of different snow types. Further, the radiative and turbulent fluxes at the ice/snow surface are monitored for the parameterization and interpretation of the satellite data. The expected results include several baseline data sets of albedo, surface temperature, radiative fluxes, and different snow types of the entire Greenland Ice Sheet. These climatological data sets will be of potential use for climate sensitivity studies in the context of future climate change

Isolation, Screening and Antibiotic Sensitivity of Pseudomonas species from Kelana Jaya Lake Soil in Selangor Malaysia

الكائنات الحية الدقيقة المسببة للأمراض من المستشفى والمجتمعات والبيئة تشكل تهديدات كبيرة لصحة الإنسان أصبح تطوير مقاومة المضادات الحيوية مصدر قلق كبير أيضًا. تهدف هذه الدراسة ، بالتالي ، إلى عزل وفحص وتقييم مدى حساسية المضادات الحيوية لأنواع السودوموناس المعزولة ضد أربعة مضادات حيوية (الجنتاميسين والتتر سيكلين والأمبيسيليلين والبنسلين) على لوحة وسائط مولر-هينتون أغار. عدة. تم استخدام نشر القرص وكذلك اختبار الأكسدة  من نتيجة الأكسدة الإيجابية ، تم التعرف على البكتيريا المعزولة مثلBurkholderia cepacia (97.6% ID),  ، Pseudomonas aeruginosa (99.5 – 99.9% ID),  ، و Pseudomonas fluorescent (75.9% ID).  وقد تبين أن السودوموناس كان عرضة لثلاثة مضادات حيوية فقط (الجنتاميسين ، التتراسيكلين ، والبنسلين) والتي تظهر منطقة تثبيط واضحة بينما كانت الزائفة? مقاومة للأمبيسيلين فقط مع عدم وجود منطقة تثبيط. البكتيريا المعزولة هي مصادر محتملة لتطوير المضادات الحيوية الفعالة ضد البكتيريا المقاومة.   الكلمات المفتاحية: المضادات الحيوية؛ المقاومة البكتيرية. الحساسية ، الزائفةPathogenic microorganisms from hospitals, communities, and the environment remain great threats to human health. The increasing concern about antibiotic resistance has also necessitated the search for robust alternatives. Therefore, this study aims to isolate, screen and evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from a soil sample taken from northern, western and eastern parts of Kelana Jaya Lake against four antibiotics (gentamycin, tetracycline, ampicillin, and penicillin) on a Mueller-Hinton Agar media plate. Pseudomonas identification was done by using API 20 kit. Disc diffusion was employed as well as the oxidase test. From the positive oxidase result, the isolated bacteria were identified as Burkholderia cepacia (97.6% ID), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (99.5-99.9% ID), and Pseudomonas fluorescent (75.9% ID). Only Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were further evaluated for antibiotic susceptibility tests. The result showed that P. aeruginosa was susceptible to only three antibiotics (gentamycin, tetracycline, and penicillin) showing a clear zone of inhibition while it was resistant to only ampicillin with no zone of inhibition. Soil isolates are potential sources for the development of effective antibiotics against resistant bacteria.  Keywords: Antibiotics; Bacterial resistance; Sensitivity, Pseudomona

The 1979-2005 Greenland ice sheet melt extent from passive microwave data using an improved version of the melt retrieval XPGR algorithm

Analysis of passive microwave satellite observations over the Greenland ice sheet reveals a significant increase in surface melt over the period 1979-2005. Since 1979, the total melt area was found to have increased +1.22 x 10ˆ7 kmˆ2. An improved version of the cross-polarized gradient ratio (XPGR) technique is used to identify the melt from the brightness temperatures. The improvements in the melt retrieval XPGR algorithm as well as the surface melt acceleration are discussed with results from a coupled atmosphere-snow regional climate model. From 1979 to 2005, the ablation period increases everywhere over the melt zone except in the regions where the model simulates an increased summer snowfall. Indeed, more snowfall in summer decreases the liquid water content of the snowpack, raises the albedo and therefore reduces the melt. Finally, this melt acceleration over the Greenland ice sheet is highly correlated with both Greenland and global warming suggesting a continuing surface melt increase in the future.Peer reviewe