Comparative measurements of total ozone amount and aerosol optical depth during a campaign at El Arenosillo, Huelva, Spain

A one week field campaign took place in September 2002 at El Arenosillo, Spain. The objective was to compare total ozone column (<I>TOC</I>) and aerosol optical depth (<I>AOD</I>) from near ultraviolet to near infrared, measured by several Spanish and French instruments. Three spectroradiometers, Brewer, SPUV02, and LICOR, and a CIMEL photometer, have been used simultaneously and the results are presented for four clear days. <I>TOC</I> values are given by the Brewer instrument, and by SPUV02, using two different methods. The ground instruments compare satisfactorily (within 5 DU) and the values are consistent with TOMS data (within 10 DU). <P style="line-height: 20px;"> <I>AOD</I> from the various instruments are compared at seven different wavelengths between 320 nm and 1020 nm: the agreement is very good at 350, 380, and 870 nm; at the four other wavelengths the difference is smaller than 0.03, which can be explained by a relative difference of 4% only between the calibrations of the various instruments. Larger <I>AOD</I> diurnal variations were observed at short wavelengths than in the visible and near infrared; this is most likely due to changes in aerosol size along the day, during the campaign

Evaluation of Sun photometer capabilities for the retrievals of aerosol optical depth at high latitudes: the POLAR-AOD intercomparison campaigns

Accuracy requirements for aerosol optical depth (AOD) in polar regions are much more stringent than those usually encountered in established sun photometer networks, while comparability of data from different archive centres is a further important issue. Therefore, two intercomparison campaigns were held during spring 2006 at Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard) and autumn 2008 at Izaña (Tenerife) within the framework of the IPY POLAR-AOD project, with the participation of various research institutions routinely employing different instrument models at Arctic and Antarctic stations. As reported here, a common algorithm was used for data analysis with the aim of minimizing a large part of the discrepancies affecting the previous studies. During the Ny-Ålesund campaign, spectral values of AOD derived from measurements taken with different instruments were found to agree, presenting at both 500 nm and 870 nm wavelengths average values of root mean square difference (RMSD) and standard deviation of the difference (SDD) equal to 0.003. Correspondingly, the mean bias difference (MBD) varied mainly between ␣0.003 and þ0.003 at 500 nm, and between ␣0.004 and þ0.003 at 870 nm. During the Izaña campaign, which was also intended as an intercalibration opportunity, RMSD and SDD values were estimated to be equal to 0.002 for both channels on average, with MBD ranging between ␣0.004 and þ0.004 at 500 nm and between ␣0.002 and þ0.003 at 870 nm. RMSD and SDD values for Ångström exponent a were estimated equal to 0.06 during the Ny-Ålesund campaign and 0.39 at Izaña. The results confirmed that sun photometry is a valid technique for aerosol monitoring in the pristine atmospheric turbidity conditions usually observed at high latitudes

REMVEG: Remote assessment of vegetation status by hyperspectral imagery

Broad-band, high-spatial resolution satellite Remote Sensing (i.e., Landsat-TM, Spot-HIV) has proved to be an essential tool for landcover change mapping, but insufficient to (i) resolve subtle categories like the ones often needed for ecological research, and (ii) measure biophysical magnitudes. Narrow-band hyper-spectral airborne Remote Sensing provides data that can be used for these purposes, but also generates specific processing needs. Classical multivariate clustering techniques and simple vegetation indexes, traditionally applied to broad-band satellite imagery, are insufficient to retrieve information from narrow-band hyper spectral imagery. The processing of this imagery needs (i) to be driven from dedicated field data, in particular from field spectroscopy and (ii) to abandon the pixel as the processing unit and to substitute it by patches, as produced by segmentation algorithms (Lobo 1997). Within the frame of our general goals in the project, we have focused on the evaluation of DAIS imagery to (i) characterize different vegetation covers in terms of their hyperspectral signatures and to (ii) use the DAIS signatures to assess vegetation condition in a parallel way as this has been previously done with hand-held field spectroradiometry. We describe in this intermediate report our first steps and results processing DAIS hyperspectral imagery acquired over a humid Mediterranean forest in Les Gavarres (NE Spain, 41 ° 54' N, 2° 58' E).DAIS y Fundació Catalana per a la Recerca i la InnovacióN

Comparative measurements of total ozone amount and aerosol optical depth during a campaign at El Arenosillo, Huelva, Spain

A one week field campaign took place in September 2002 at El Arenosillo, Spain. The objective was to compare total ozone column (TOC) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) from near ultraviolet to near infrared, measured by several Spanish and French instruments. Three spectroradiometers, Brewer, SPUV02, and LICOR, and a CIMEL photometer, have been used simultaneously and the results are presented for four clear days. TOC values are given by the Brewer instrument, and by SPUV02, using two different methods. The ground instruments compare satisfactorily (within 5 DU) and the values are consistent with TOMS data (within 10 DU). AOD from the various instruments are compared at seven different wavelengths between 320 nm and 1020 nm: the agreement is very good at 350, 380, and 870 nm; at the four other wavelengths the difference is smaller than 0.03, which can be explained by a relative difference of 4% only between the calibrations of the various instruments. Larger AOD diurnal variations were observed at short wavelengths than in the visible and near infrared; this is most likely due to changes in aerosol size along the day, during the campaign

The transCampus Metabolic Training Programme Explores the Link of SARS-CoV-2 Virus to Metabolic Disease

Currently, we are experiencing a true pandemic of a communicable disease by the virus SARS-CoV-2 holding the whole world firmly in its grasp. Amazingly and unfortunately, this virus uses a metabolic and endocrine pathway via ACE2 to enter our cells causing damage and disease. Our international research training programme funded by the German Research Foundation has a clear mission to train the best students wherever they may come from to learn to tackle the enormous challenges of diabetes and its complications for our society. A modern training programme in diabetes and metabolism does not only involve a thorough understanding of classical physiology, biology and clinical diabetology but has to bring together an interdisciplinary team. With the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, this prestigious and unique metabolic training programme is facing new challenges but also new opportunities. The consortium of the training programme has recognized early on the need for a guidance and for practical recommendations to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic for the community of patients with metabolic disease, obesity and diabetes. This involves the optimal management from surgical obesity programmes to medications and insulin replacement. We also established a global registry analyzing the dimension and role of metabolic disease including new onset diabetes potentially triggered by the virus. We have involved experts of infectious disease and virology to our faculty with this metabolic training programme to offer the full breadth and scope of expertise needed to meet these scientific challenges. We have all learned that this pandemic does not respect or heed any national borders and that we have to work together as a global community. We believe that this transCampus metabolic training programme provides a prime example how an international team of established experts in the field of metabolism can work together with students from all over the world to address a new pandemic

The transCampus Metabolic Training Programme Explores the Link of SARS-CoV-2 Virus to Metabolic Disease

Currently, we are experiencing a true pandemic of a communicable disease by the virus SARS-CoV-2 holding the whole world firmly in its grasp. Amazingly and unfortunately, this virus uses a metabolic and endocrine pathway via ACE2 to enter our cells causing damage and disease. Our international research training programme funded by the German Research Foundation has a clear mission to train the best students wherever they may come from to learn to tackle the enormous challenges of diabetes and its complications for our society. A modern training programme in diabetes and metabolism does not only involve a thorough understanding of classical physiology, biology and clinical diabetology but has to bring together an interdisciplinary team. With the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, this prestigious and unique metabolic training programme is facing new challenges but also new opportunities. The consortium of the training programme has recognized early on the need for a guidance and for practical recommendations to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic for the community of patients with metabolic disease, obesity and diabetes. This involves the optimal management from surgical obesity programmes to medications and insulin replacement. We also established a global registry analyzing the dimension and role of metabolic disease including new onset diabetes potentially triggered by the virus. We have involved experts of infectious disease and virology to our faculty with this metabolic training programme to offer the full breadth and scope of expertise needed to meet these scientific challenges. We have all learned that this pandemic does not respect or heed any national borders and that we have to work together as a global community. We believe that this transCampus metabolic training programme provides a prime example how an international team of established experts in the field of metabolism can work together with students from all over the world to address a new pandemic