Simulating river flow to the Baltic Sea from climate simulations over the past millennium

The aim of this study was to reconstruct river flow to the Baltic Sea using data from different periods during the past thousand years. A hydrological model coupled to simulations from climate models was used to estimate river flow. A "millennium" simulation of past climate from the ECHO-G coupled atmosphere-ocean global climate model provided climatological inputs. Results from this global model were downscaled with the RCA3 regional climate model over northern Europe. Temperature and precipitation from the downscaled simulation results were then used in the HBV hydrological model to simulate river flows to the Baltic Sea for the periods 1000-1199 and 1551-1929. These were compared with observations for the period 1921-2002. A general conclusion from this work is that although climate has varied during the past millennium, variability in annual river flow to the Baltic Sea does not appear more pronounced in recent years than during the previous millennium, or vice versa

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Regional analys av klimat, vattentillgång och höga flöden

Rapporten beskriver långtidsvariationen i nederbörd, temperatur, vattentillgång och höga flöden i Sverige, med särskilt tonvikt på frågeställningar av betydelse för vattenkraftindustrin.Utgångspunkten för studien är regionala serier för nederbörd, temperatur och avrinning för tillrinningsområdena till de fyra havsbassängerna i Östersjön och Västerhavet: Bottenviken, Bottenhavet, Egentliga Östersjön och Västerhavet

Framtidens översvämningsrisker

På uppdrag av Länsförsäkringsbolagens Forskningsfond har en studie av framtidens översvämningsrisker i Sverige genomförts. Arbetet har koncentrerats till Dalälven, och de stora sjöarna Vänern, Mälaren och Hjälmaren, men en del landsomfattande analyser har också genomförts. Metodiken baserades på två globala klimatmodeller, två antaganden om framtida utsläpp av växthusgaser och en regional klimatmodell för dynamisk nedskalning till svenska förhållanden. De regionala klimatscenarierna har vidarebearbetats med hjälp av den hydrologiska HBV-modellen och de beräknade vattenflödena och vattenstånden behandlades statistiskt med frekvensanalys. Resultaten visar att den framtida riskexponeringen ändras olika i olika delar av landet. Situationen tycks förvärras speciellt i Vänerområdet och längs Göta älv. Det blir också högre risker för översvämningar i de västliga delarna av fjällkedjan. Riskerna för skyfall, som kan skapa allvarliga lokala översvämningar, ökar sannolikt, även om det är svårt att urskilja ett gemensamt mönster i klimatscenarierna. Studien har också behandlat osäkerheterna i bedömningen av översvämningsriskerna. Det är tydligt att osäkerheten i de globala klimatscenarierna svara för en stor del av osäkerheterna i slutresultaten, men det finns också osäkerheter orsakade av valet av strategi för att överföra klimatförändringssignalen från klimatmodeller till den hydrologiska modellen.A study of the impacts of global warming on future risks for floods and inundations in Sweden has been carriedout on contract from Länsförsäkringsbolagens Forskningsfond. The work focussed on River Dalälven and the biglakes Vänern, Mälaren and Hjälmaren but some nationwide analyses were carried out as well.The methodology was based on two global climate models, two assumptions about the future emissions ofgreenhouse gases and a regional climate model for dynamical downscaling to Swedish conditions. The regionalclimate scenarios are further processed by the HBV hydrological model and the resulting river runoff or waterlevels are treated statistically by frequency analysis.The results show that future risk exposure is changing in a different way depending on location in the country.The situation seems to be aggravated in particular in the Vänern area in southwest Sweden and along its outlet,River Göta älv. There will also be increased risks in the western parts of the Scandinavian mountains.The risks for heavy rainfalls, which may cause severe local flooding are likely to increase even though it isdifficult to discern a consistent regional pattern between the models, in this respect.The study has also addressed the uncertainty in the assessments of flood risks. It is obvious that uncertainties inthe global climate scenarios are responsible for a lot of the uncertainty in the end results, but there are alsouncertainties inflicted by the strategy used when transferring the climate change signal from climate models tothe hydrological model

Utvärdering av SMHIs hydrologiska prognos- och varningstjänst under höga flöden under vårfloden 2008

Detta är en utvärdering av SMHI:s hydrologiska prognos- och varningstjänsts arbete vid vårfloden 2008. I dokumentet beskrivs även den hydrologiska situationen för tiden från 24 april till 14 maj.Det höga flödet uppkom på grund av snösmältning. I stora delar av Norrland låg innan vårfloden mycket mer snö än normalt. När värmen kom i slutet av april så skapades en vårflod som genererade höga flöden och vissa översvämningsproblem. I de stora reglerade älvarna uppkom få problem, även fast det blev en rejäl vårflod, se figur 1.Med hjälp av observationer i realtid, meteorologiska prognoser, hydrologiska, prognoser, visualiseringsverktyg och ett nära samarbete med kraftbolagen är SMHI:s hydrologiska prognos- och varningstjänst kontinuerligt uppdaterad på det hydrologiska läget i hela Sverige. När sannolikheten bedöms vara större än 50 % för att en varningsnivå överskrids skall en varning utfärdas. Under mycket höga flöden skall SMHI också stötta länsstyrelse och räddningstjänst med meteorologisk och hydrologisk expertis samt med specialanpassade prognoser.SMHI gör dagligen automatiska prognoser för över 80 st utvaldaavrinningsområden i Sverige. Generellt var prognoserna av medelgod kvalité. Under flödet arbetade SMHI ca 650 arbetstimmar utöver det som är normalt för perioden för varningstjänst.SMHI har under perioden 24 april-14 maj skickat ut 18 flödesvarningar och 4 hydrologiska informationer. Träffsäkerheten i årets hydrologiska varningar utvärderas i november varje år och ingår därför inte i denna rapport.Efter flödessituationen skickades en enkät ut till de kommuner, länsstyrelser och kraftbolag som berördes av varningarna. En sammanställning av enkätsvaren och samtliga kommentarer redovisas i denna rapport. Det övergripande omdömet om SMHI:s tjänster var positivt

Översiktlig kartpresentation av klimatförändringars påverkan på Sveriges vattentillgång. : Summary of climate change maps of the Swedish water resources - Background material for the Swedish Commission on Climate and Vulnerability. Underlag till Klimat- och sårbarhetsutredningen.

Den här rapporten sammanfattar det hydrologiska kartmaterial över förändring i medelavrinning, höga flöden och vattenkraftspotential som har levererats till den statliga Klimat- och sårbarhetsutredningen.Beräkningarna som ligger till grund för kartmaterialet har utförts med modellsystemet HBV Sverige. Dagens klimat har baserats på observerad temperatur och nederbörd för perioden 1961-1990. Beräkningar av hydrologiska förhållanden i framtidens klimat har baserats på resultat från regional klimatmodellering vid Rossby Centre på SMHI. Sammantaget har hydrologiska beräkningar genomförts för fem olika framtidsscenarier, fyra beräkningar för perioden 2071-2100 och en beräkning för hela perioden 1961-2100. I detta arbete har två olika metoder för att omsätta klimatmodellresultaten till hydrologiska effekter använts, delta-metoden och scaling-metoden.Medelavrinningen kommer enligt scenarierna att öka för större delen av Sverige, med undantag för de sydöstra delarna av landet. Vad det gäller höga flöden är bilden mer komplex, men i sydvästra Sverige och fjällen blir, enligt scenarierna, höga flöden betydligt vanligare. Vattenkraftspotentialen förväntas enligt scenarierna att öka avsevärt för Sverige som helhet. Alla resultat från HBV Sverige ska i första hand användas för en översiktlig tolkning och identifiering av var fördjupade studier kan vara av särskilt behov. Beräkningarna baserade på den s.k. scaling-metoden är mer preliminära än de övriga beräkningarna eftersom metoden fortfarande är under utveckling.AbstractThis report summarizes the water resource maps of changes in mean annual runoff, large floods and hydropower potential that have been delivered to the Swedish Commission on Climate and Vulnerability.The hydrological model simulations that have been used to produce the maps were done using the HBV Sweden modelling system. Simulations for present climate used observed input of precipitation and temperature from 1961-1990. Calculations of future hydrological conditions were based on results from regional climate modelling at the Rossby Centre, SMHI. Five different regional scenarios of future climate have been used, four representing the future period 2071-2100 and one for the whole period 1961-2100. Two different approaches to interface the hydrological model and the climate models have been used, the delta method and the scaling method.The mean annual runoff will, according to the scenarios, increase for most parts of Sweden except for the south-east parts of the country. The picture becomes more complex when it comes to changes in large floods, but they are expected to increase substantially in the south-west parts and in the Swedish mountains according to the scenarios. The total Swedish hydropower potential is expected to increase substantially according to the scenarios.All results from HBV Sweden should only be used for a general interpretation of where more in depth analyses might be of interest. The simulations based on the so-called scaling method are more preliminarythan the other simulations, since the method is still under development.This report summarizes the water resource maps of changes in mean annual runoff, large floods andhydropower potential that have been delivered to the Swedish Commission on Climate and Vulnerability.The hydrological model simulations that have been used to produce the maps were done using the HBVSweden modelling system. Simulations for present climate used observed input of precipitation andtemperature from 1961-1990. Calculations of future hydrological conditions were based on results fromregional climate modelling at the Rossby Centre, SMHI. Five different regional scenarios of future climatehave been used, four representing the future period 2071-2100 and one for the whole period 1961-2100. Twodifferent approaches to interface the hydrological model and the climate models have been used, the deltamethod and the scaling method.The mean annual runoff will, according to the scenarios, increase for most parts of Sweden except for thesouth-east parts of the country. The picture becomes more complex when it comes to changes in large floods,but they are expected to increase substantially in the south-west parts and in the Swedish mountainsaccording to the scenarios. The total Swedish hydropower potential is expected to increase substantiallyaccording to the scenarios.All results from HBV Sweden should only be used for a general interpretation of where more in depthanalyses might be of interest. The simulations based on the so-called scaling method are more preliminarythan the other simulations, since the method is still under development

Detaljerad översvämningskartering av nedre Torneälven

Inom projektet ”Detaljerad översvämningskartering i nedre delen av Torneälven” har kartor framtagits som visar översvämningsskikt för 100 års och 250 års återkomsttider samt beräknat högsta flöde. Projektet är delfinansierat av Interreg IV A Nord. Flöden med återkomsttid 100 år och 250 år är framtagna utifrån statistisk bearbetning av observationsserier. Det beräknade högsta flödet har framtagits genom hydrologisk modellering med HBV-modellen och i enlighet med Flödeskommitténs riktlinjer för dimensionering av dammar i riskklass-I. För att beräkna vattennivåer längs älven vid de olika flödena har en hydraulisk modell byggts. Till modellen används höjddata, som framtagits genom laserscanning, och djupdata för älven, som framtagits via lodning från båt. Insamlingen av dessa data gjordes i samarbete mellan finska och svenska myndigheter inom Interreg-projektet. Översvämningszonerna har projicerats på bakgrundskartor med tillstånd från svenska Lantmäteriet och finska Lantmäteriverket (MML). Nio delkartor för området Haparanda-Tornio till Lappeakoski i skala 1:75 000 finns komprimerade i bilaga 1 till denna rapport. Kartorna finns även tillgängliga på www.smhi.se i originalstorlek. Där finns även en översiktskarta i skala 1:600 000. SMHI har utfört lodning av halva den aktuella älvsträckan samt ansvarat för och utfört den hydrauliska modelleringen, flödesberäkningarna och framtagandet av översvämningsskikten och kartorna.Flood maps for return periods 100-years and 250-years together with a calculated highest flow have been produced for the lower part of the River Torne. The work was made within the Interreg IV A Nord Project “Detailed flood mapping of the lower part of River Torne”. Flows with return periods 100-years and 250-years were calculated statistically based on observations. The calculated highest flow was modeled with the hydrological HBV-model according to the Swedish design flood guidelines (Flood Design Category I). A hydraulic model was built to calculate water levels along the river at the different flow levels. The model was based on height data from laser scanning and river bottom data from sounding. The data sampling was made in cooperation between Swedish and Finnish authorities within the project. The flood zones were projected on background map data from the national land services in Finland and Sweden. The area was divided in nine parts and mapped with scaling 1: 75 000. The maps are available at www.smhi.se in original size and collected in appendix (bilaga 1) in a compressed form. SMHI sounded half of the investigated river length. SMHI was responsible for and performed the hydraulic modeling, flow calculations and production of flood zones and maps

Systematic evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 antigens enables a highly specific and sensitive multiplex serological COVID-19 assay

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic poses an immense need for accurate, sensitive and high-throughput clinical tests, and serological assays are needed for both overarching epidemiological studies and evaluating vaccines. Here, we present the development and validation of a high-throughput multiplex bead-based serological assay. Methods: More than 100 representations of SARS-CoV-2 proteins were included for initial evaluation, including antigens produced in bacterial and mammalian hosts as well as synthetic peptides. The five best-performing antigens, three representing the spike glycoprotein and two representing the nucleocapsid protein, were further evaluated for detection of IgG antibodies in samples from 331 COVID-19 patients and convalescents, and in 2090 negative controls sampled before 2020. Results: Three antigens were finally selected, represented by a soluble trimeric form and the S1-domain of the spike glycoprotein as well as by the C-terminal domain of the nucleocapsid. The sensitivity for these three antigens individually was found to be 99.7%, 99.1% and 99.7%, and the specificity was found to be 98.1%, 98.7% and 95.7%. The best assay performance was although achieved when utilising two antigens in combination, enabling a sensitivity of up to 99.7% combined with a specificity of 100%. Requiring any two of the three antigens resulted in a sensitivity of 99.7% and a specificity of 99.4%. Conclusion: These observations demonstrate that a serological test based on a combination of several SARS-CoV-2 antigens enables a highly specific and sensitive multiplex serological COVID-19 assay

Introduction STATE OF THE CLIMATE IN 2022

Abstract —J. BLUNDEN, T. BOYER, AND E. BARTOW-GILLIES Earth’s global climate system is vast, complex, and intricately interrelated. Many areas are influenced by global-scale phenomena, including the “triple dip” La Niña conditions that prevailed in the eastern Pacific Ocean nearly continuously from mid-2020 through all of 2022; by regional phenomena such as the positive winter and summer North Atlantic Oscillation that impacted weather in parts the Northern Hemisphere and the negative Indian Ocean dipole that impacted weather in parts of the Southern Hemisphere; and by more localized systems such as high-pressure heat domes that caused extreme heat in different areas of the world. Underlying all these natural short-term variabilities are long-term climate trends due to continuous increases since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the atmospheric concentrations of Earth’s major greenhouse gases. In 2022, the annual global average carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere rose to 417.1±0.1 ppm, which is 50% greater than the pre-industrial level. Global mean tropospheric methane abundance was 165% higher than its pre-industrial level, and nitrous oxide was 24% higher. All three gases set new record-high atmospheric concentration levels in 2022. Sea-surface temperature patterns in the tropical Pacific characteristic of La Niña and attendant atmospheric patterns tend to mitigate atmospheric heat gain at the global scale, but the annual global surface temperature across land and oceans was still among the six highest in records dating as far back as the mid-1800s. It was the warmest La Niña year on record. Many areas observed record or near-record heat. Europe as a whole observed its second-warmest year on record, with sixteen individual countries observing record warmth at the national scale. Records were shattered across the continent during the summer months as heatwaves plagued the region. On 18 July, 104 stations in France broke their all-time records. One day later, England recorded a temperature of 40°C for the first time ever. China experienced its second-warmest year and warmest summer on record. In the Southern Hemisphere, the average temperature across New Zealand reached a record high for the second year in a row. While Australia’s annual temperature was slightly below the 1991–2020 average, Onslow Airport in Western Australia reached 50.7°C on 13 January, equaling Australia's highest temperature on record. While fewer in number and locations than record-high temperatures, record cold was also observed during the year. Southern Africa had its coldest August on record, with minimum temperatures as much as 5°C below normal over Angola, western Zambia, and northern Namibia. Cold outbreaks in the first half of December led to many record-low daily minimum temperature records in eastern Australia. The effects of rising temperatures and extreme heat were apparent across the Northern Hemisphere, where snow-cover extent by June 2022 was the third smallest in the 56-year record, and the seasonal duration of lake ice cover was the fourth shortest since 1980. More frequent and intense heatwaves contributed to the second-greatest average mass balance loss for Alpine glaciers around the world since the start of the record in 1970. Glaciers in the Swiss Alps lost a record 6% of their volume. In South America, the combination of drought and heat left many central Andean glaciers snow free by mid-summer in early 2022; glacial ice has a much lower albedo than snow, leading to accelerated heating of the glacier. Across the global cryosphere, permafrost temperatures continued to reach record highs at many high-latitude and mountain locations. In the high northern latitudes, the annual surface-air temperature across the Arctic was the fifth highest in the 123-year record. The seasonal Arctic minimum sea-ice extent, typically reached in September, was the 11th-smallest in the 43-year record; however, the amount of multiyear ice—ice that survives at least one summer melt season—remaining in the Arctic continued to decline. Since 2012, the Arctic has been nearly devoid of ice more than four years old. In Antarctica, an unusually large amount of snow and ice fell over the continent in 2022 due to several landfalling atmospheric rivers, which contributed to the highest annual surface mass balance, 15% to 16% above the 1991–2020 normal, since the start of two reanalyses records dating to 1980. It was the second-warmest year on record for all five of the long-term staffed weather stations on the Antarctic Peninsula. In East Antarctica, a heatwave event led to a new all-time record-high temperature of −9.4°C—44°C above the March average—on 18 March at Dome C. This was followed by the collapse of the critically unstable Conger Ice Shelf. More than 100 daily low sea-ice extent and sea-ice area records were set in 2022, including two new all-time annual record lows in net sea-ice extent and area in February. Across the world’s oceans, global mean sea level was record high for the 11th consecutive year, reaching 101.2 mm above the 1993 average when satellite altimetry measurements began, an increase of 3.3±0.7 over 2021. Globally-averaged ocean heat content was also record high in 2022, while the global sea-surface temperature was the sixth highest on record, equal with 2018. Approximately 58% of the ocean surface experienced at least one marine heatwave in 2022. In the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand’s longest continuous marine heatwave was recorded. A total of 85 named tropical storms were observed during the Northern and Southern Hemisphere storm seasons, close to the 1991–2020 average of 87. There were three Category 5 tropical cyclones across the globe—two in the western North Pacific and one in the North Atlantic. This was the fewest Category 5 storms globally since 2017. Globally, the accumulated cyclone energy was the lowest since reliable records began in 1981. Regardless, some storms caused massive damage. In the North Atlantic, Hurricane Fiona became the most intense and most destructive tropical or post-tropical cyclone in Atlantic Canada’s history, while major Hurricane Ian killed more than 100 people and became the third costliest disaster in the United States, causing damage estimated at $113 billion U.S. dollars. In the South Indian Ocean, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai dropped 2044 mm of rain at Commerson Crater in Réunion. The storm also impacted Madagascar, where 121 fatalities were reported. As is typical, some areas around the world were notably dry in 2022 and some were notably wet. In August, record high areas of land across the globe (6.2%) were experiencing extreme drought. Overall, 29% of land experienced moderate or worse categories of drought during the year. The largest drought footprint in the contiguous United States since 2012 (63%) was observed in late October. The record-breaking megadrought of central Chile continued in its 13th consecutive year, and 80-year record-low river levels in northern Argentina and Paraguay disrupted fluvial transport. In China, the Yangtze River reached record-low values. Much of equatorial eastern Africa had five consecutive below-normal rainy seasons by the end of 2022, with some areas receiving record-low precipitation totals for the year. This ongoing 2.5-year drought is the most extensive and persistent drought event in decades, and led to crop failure, millions of livestock deaths, water scarcity, and inflated prices for staple food items. In South Asia, Pakistan received around three times its normal volume of monsoon precipitation in August, with some regions receiving up to eight times their expected monthly totals. Resulting floods affected over 30 million people, caused over 1700 fatalities, led to major crop and property losses, and was recorded as one of the world’s costliest natural disasters of all time. Near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Petrópolis received 530 mm in 24 hours on 15 February, about 2.5 times the monthly February average, leading to the worst disaster in the city since 1931 with over 230 fatalities. On 14–15 January, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai submarine volcano in the South Pacific erupted multiple times. The injection of water into the atmosphere was unprecedented in both magnitude—far exceeding any previous values in the 17-year satellite record—and altitude as it penetrated into the mesosphere. The amount of water injected into the stratosphere is estimated to be 146±5 Terragrams, or ∼10% of the total amount in the stratosphere. It may take several years for the water plume to dissipate, and it is currently unknown whether this eruption will have any long-term climate effect.</jats:p