“Frozen-Ground Cartoons”: Permafrost comics as an innovative tool for polar outreach, education, and engagement

Permafrost occupies 20 million square kilometres of Earth’s high-latitude and high-altitude landscapes. These regions are sensitive to climate change and human activities; hence, permafrost research is of considerable scientific and societal importance. However, the results of this research are generally not known by the general public. Communicating scientific concepts is an increasingly important task in the research world. Different ways to engage learners and incorporate narratives in teaching materials exist, yet they are generally underused. Here we report on an international scientific outreach project called “Frozen-Ground Cartoons”, which aims at making permafrost science accessible and fun for students, teachers, and parents through the creation of comic strips.We present the context in which the project was initiated, as well as recent education and outreach activities. The future phases of the project primarily involve a series of augmented reality materials, such as maps, photos, videos, and 3D drawings. With this project we aim to foster understanding of permafrost research among broader audiences, inspire future permafrost researchers, and raise public and science community awareness of polar science, education, outreach, and engagement

Agroforestry associating coffee and Inga densiflora results in complementarity for water uptake and decreases deep drainage in Costa Rica

The shade impact by Inga densiflora on water use and drainage in a coffee agroforestry system (AFS) wascompared to coffee monoculture (MC) in Costa Rica. Rainfall interception, transpiration, runoff and soil water content were monitored during 3 years. Runoff was lower in AFS than MC (5.4 and 8.4% of total rainfall, respectively) and a higher water infiltration was observed under AFS. Still, the higher combined rainfall interception + transpiration of coffee and shade trees in AFS resulted in a lower drainage than in MC. No coffee water stress was recorded either in AFS or MC as relative extractable soil water remained above 20% during the dry seasons. Time course of soil water content showed enhanced access to soil water between 100 and 200cm depth in AFS. This suggests complementarity for soil water between coffee and shade trees. The model HYDRUS 1D predicted that drainage at 200cm depth accounted for a large fraction of annual rainfall (68% for MC and 62% for AFS). Climatic scenario simulations showed (1) a potential competition for water between coffee and shade trees when the dry season was extended by 4-6 weeks compared to actual, and (2) a severe reduction in annual drainage, but without competition for water when rainfall was reduced down to 40% of the actual

Modeling 3D Spatially Distributed Water Fluxes in an Andisol under Banana Plants

National audienceSubsurface environments are often highly heterogeneous and infiltration water is often distributed unevenly due to aboveground interception and redistribution of rainfall by the plant canopy. These phenomena significantly affect groundwater recharge and nutrient leaching. Field experiments involving subsurface lysimeters and tensiometers were performed to quantify the spatial distribution of fluxes in an Andisol under a banana plant. Wick lysimeters were installed at a depth of 70 cm at several locations with respect to the banana stem to measure the spatial distribution of subsurface water fluxes. Collected experimental data were simulated using the 3D HYDRUS software package. Spatially distributed drainage fluxes were well reproduced with the numerical model. Due to the impact of stemflow, drainage volumes under the banana stem were up to six times higher than in the row downstream from the stem, as well as between rows, as these areas were sheltered from direct rainfall by the banana leaves and received only throughfall

Long-term pollution by chlordecone of tropical volcanic soils in the French West Indies : a simple leaching model accounts for current residue

Chlordecone was applied between 1972 and 1993 in banana fields of the French West Indies. This resulted in long-term pollution of soils and contamination of waters, aquatic biota, and crops. To assess pollution level and duration according to soil type, WISORCH, a leaching model based on first-order desorption kinetics, was developed and run. Its input parameters are soil organic carbon content (SOC) and SOC/water partitioning coefficient (Koc). It accounts for current chlordecone soil contents and drainage water concentrations. The model was valid for andosol, which indicates that neither physicochemical nor microbial degradation occurred. Dilution by previous deep tillages makes soil scrapping unrealistic.Lixiviation appeared the main way to reduce pollution. Besides the SOC and rainfall increases, Koc increased from nitisol to ferralsol and then andosol while lixiviation efficiency decreased. Consequently, pollution is bound to last for several decades for nitisol, centuries for ferralsol, and half a millennium for andosol

Fate and behaviour of Cu and Zn from pig slurry spreading in a tropical water–soil–plant system

International audienc

Determination of nitrogen dilution curves of corn, canola, and spring wheat in Canada using classical and Bayesian approaches

International audienc