Mediterranean cloud system variability inferred from satellite observations

International audienceThe variability of Mediterranean cloud systems is investigated using 8.5 years (from January 1987 to June 1995) of TIROS-N Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) observations acquired aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series of operational polar satellites. Cloud systems and troughs are detected using retrievals of cloud top pressure (CTP) and temperature of the lower stratosphere (TLS). Cloud systems have a typical size of a few hundred kilometres with a larger occurrence between March and October. The largest cloud systems occur preferentially in May and October and downstream of a midlatitude upper level trough. Finally, severe precipitation events over the Alpine region are associated to a warm TLS anomaly upstream the cloud system, showing once more the impact of the upper levels on the weather over the area

L\u27équipement des communes et groupements de communes en bibliothèques : lacunes et inégalités territoriales

Si de nombreuses bibliothèques ont vu le jour au cours des 40 dernières années, des territoires, ruraux mais aussi urbains, en sont encore dépourvus. Des bâtiments, inadaptés, demandent à être restructurés ou rénovés pour répondre aux besoins actuels de la population. Ce rapport de l\u27IGB met en évidence les lacunes et inégalités territoriales et insiste sur le rôle de l’État, à côté de celui des collectivités, pour garantir une égalité d\u27accès au service public de la lecture

Two case studies of severe storms in the Mediterranean using AMSU

International audienceMediterranean storms and their associated upper level features are diagnosed here using Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) observations. AMSU-A channel 8 is used to identify upper-level intrusions of stratospheric air, which are often present upstream of heavy precipitating areas, while a combination of AMSU-B channels 3 and 5 is chosen to discriminate moderate to heavily precipitating areas. This precipitation detection method provides results that are in good agreement with TRMM rainfall product and independent ground-based precipitation data. These tools allow us to follow the concomitant evolution of two severe rainfall events in the Mediterranean region and associated upper-level features

Bibliothèques départementales de prêt : indispensables autrement (Les)

Ce rapport consacré aux bibliothèques départementales de prêt veut combler une lacune : depuis leur création en 1945 et après leur décentralisation en 1986, il n\u27existait pas de bilan et d\u27étude traitant de tous les aspects des B.D.P. alors même qu\u27elles jouent un rôle décisif en matière de lecture publique. L\u27évolution, présente et future, des B.D.P. est envisagée à la lumière de nombreux facteurs : réforme territoriale et développement de l\u27intercommunalité, essor du numérique, etc

O poder dos pais: orientação sobre as estratégias de comunhão dos saberes de pais de crianças com transtorno do espectro autístico

Muitas pessoas se preocupam, nestes últimos anos, com a qualidade de vida dascrianças vivendo com um transtorno do espectro autístico (TSA). Os responsáveisdos serviços públicos se mostram sensibilizados com tais preocupações, colocamem prática algumas medidas visando prevenir os maus-tratos e a negligência etrabalham na atualização de condições favoráveis ao desenvolvimento de cadacriança. É nesse contexto que se impõem a valorização do papel das famílias, o fortalecimentodos saberes dos pais e a descrição de suas capacidades de ação. Assim,essa orientação marca uma grande mudança nas relações entre profissionais e paisde crianças vivendo com incapacitações. Uma experiência conduzida no Québecpermitiu iniciar pais na avaliação do desenvolvimento de seus filhos; tratava-sede prepará-los à participação das reuniões de elaboração do Plano de ServiçosIndividuais (PSI). Um protocolo de pesquisa qualitativa foi colocado em prática e aanálise das entrevistas realizadas nos encontros entre pais e profissionais mostrouque estes assumem muitas responsabilidades. Em frente aos profissionais, os paisexpõem muitas competências e seus saberes declarados focam diversas questõesem tensões, especialmente aquelas relativas ao esclarecimento do diagnóstico e àprecisão dos objetivos de intervenção.Palavras-chave: Autismo. Famílias. Poder dos pais. Saber e saber-fazer. Qualidade de vida

Le gisement acheuléen de La Grande Vallée à Colombiers (Vienne) : stratigraphie, processus de formation, datations préliminaires et industries lithiques.

Preliminary results of the first three years of programmed excavation on " La Grande Vallée " at Colombiers in Vienne are presented in this paper. The study of the stratigraphic sequence investigated on three meters deep highlighted the presence of five archaeological levels attributable to Lower Palaeolithic. Archaeological and pedostratigraphic results as well as thermoluminescence on burnt flint converge on an age for lithic industries between 400 and 500 ky. Although deprived of faunal elements, the high wealth of the site is indisputable and gives a new perspective on the knowledge of the settlements in the center-westerner zone of France during this period. Lithic assemblages show a large typological variety with morpho-functional concepts of relatively stabilized tools, as well as specialized and repeated " chaînes opératoires ". Links between the industries of Poitou and those of northern and southern regions indicate the high capacity of accomodation of Acheulean groups to important variations in the presentation and the nature of lithic raw materials.Dans cet article, sont présentés les résultats préliminaires des trois premières années de fouille programmée sur le gisement de La Grande Vallée à Colombiers dans la Vienne. L'étude de la séquence stratigraphique explorée sur une puissance de trois mètres a mis en évidence la présence de cinq niveaux archéologiques attribuables au Paléolithique inférieur. Les résultats archéologiques et pédostratigraphiques ainsi que les datations préliminaires par thermoluminescence sur silex brûlés convergent vers un âge des industries lithiques entre 400 et 500 ka. Bien que dénué d'éléments fauniques, la très grande richesse du gisement est incontestable et apporte un nouvel éclairage sur la connaissance des peuplements dans la zone centre-occidentale de la France durant cette phase. Les assemblages lithiques montrent une large variété typologique avec des concepts morpho-fonctionnels d'outils relativement stabilisés, ainsi que des chaînes opératoires spécialisées et réitérées. Les rapports entre l'industrie du Poitou et celles des régions septentrionales et méridionales indiquent la grande capacité d'accommodation des groupes acheuléens à d'importantes variations dans la présentation et la nature des matières premières lithiques

Heavy rainfall in Mediterranean cyclones. Part I: contribution of deep convection and warm conveyor belt

In this study, we provide an insight to the role of deep convection (DC) and the warm conveyor belt (WCB) as leading processes to Mediterranean cyclones’ heavy rainfall. To this end, we use reanalysis da-ta, lighting and satellite observations to quantify the relative contribution of DC and the WCB to cyclone rainfall, as well as to analyse the spatial and temporal variability of these processes with respect to the cy-clone centre and life cycle. Results for the period 2005-2015 show that the relationship between cyclone rainfall and intensity has high variability and demonstrate that even intense cyclones may produce low rainfall amounts. However, when considering rainfall averages for cyclone intensity bins, a linear relationship was found. We focus on the 500 most intense tracked cyclones (responsible for about 40-50% of the total 11-year Mediterrane-an rainfall) and distinguish between the ones producing high and low rainfall amounts. DC and the WCB are found to be the main cause of rainfall for the former (producing up to 70% of cyclone rainfall), while, for the latter, DC and the WCB play a secondary role (producing up to 50% of rainfall). Further analysis showed that rainfall due to DC tends to occur close to the cyclones’ centre and to their eastern sides, while the WCBs tend to produce rainfall towards the northeast. In fact, about 30% of rainfall produced by DC overlaps with rainfall produced by WCBs but this represents only about 8% of rainfall produced by WCBs. This suggests that a considerable percentage of DC is associated with embedded convection in WCBs. Finally, DC was found to be able to produce higher rain rates than WCBs, exceeding 50 mm in 3-hourly accumulated rainfall compared to a maximum of the order of 40 mm for WCBs. Our results demonstrate in a climatological framework the relationship between cyclone intensity and pro-cesses that lead to heavy rainfall, one of the most prominent environmental risks in the Mediterranean. Therefore, we set perspectives for a deeper analysis of the favourable atmospheric conditions that yield high impact weather

Le gisement acheuléen de La Grande Vallée à Colombiers (Vienne, France) : stratigraphie, processus de formation, datations préliminaires et industries lithiques

Dans cet article, sont présentés les résultats préliminaires des trois premières années de fouille programmée sur le gisement de La Grande Vallée à Colombiers dans la Vienne. L’étude de la séquence stratigraphique explorée sur une puissance de trois mètres a mis en évidence la présence de cinq niveaux archéologiques attribuables au Paléolithique inférieur. Les résultats archéologiques et pédostratigraphiques ainsi que les datations préliminaires par thermoluminescence sur silex brûlés convergent vers un âge des industries lithiques entre 400 et 500 ka. Bien que dénué d’éléments fauniques, la très grande richesse du gisement est incontestable et apporte un nouvel éclairage sur la connaissance des peuplements dans la zone centre-occidentale de la France durant cette phase. Les assemblages lithiques montrent une large variété typologique avec des concepts morpho-fonctionnels d’outils relativement stabilisés, ainsi que des chaînes opératoires spécialisées et réitérées. Les rapports entre l’industrie du Poitou et celles des régions septentrionales et méridionales indiquent la grande capacité d’accommodation des groupes acheuléens à d’importantes variations dans la présentation et la nature des matières premières lithiques.Preliminary results of the first three years of programmed excavation on « La Grande Vallée » at Colombiers in Vienne are presented in this paper. The study of the stratigraphic sequence investigated on three meters deep highlighted the presence of five archaeological levels attributable to Lower Palaeolithic. Archaeological and pedostratigraphic results as well as thermoluminescence on burnt flint converge on an age for lithic industries between 400 and 500 ky. Although deprived of faunal elements, the high wealth of the site is indisputable and gives a new perspective on the knowledge of the settlements in the center-westerner zone of France during this period. Lithic assemblages show a large typological variety with morpho-functional concepts of relatively stabilized tools, as well as specialized and repeated « chaînes opératoires ». Links between the industries of Poitou and those of northern and southern regions indicate the high capacity of accomodation of Acheulean groups to important variations in the presentation and the nature of lithic raw materials

Le gisement acheuléen de La Grande Vallée à Colombiers (Vienne, France) : stratigraphie, processus de formation, datations préliminaires et industries lithiques

Dans cet article, sont présentés les résultats préliminaires des trois premières années de fouille programmée sur le gisement de La Grande Vallée à Colombiers dans la Vienne. L’étude de la séquence stratigraphique explorée sur une puissance de trois mètres a mis en évidence la présence de cinq niveaux archéologiques attribuables au Paléolithique inférieur. Les résultats archéologiques et pédostratigraphiques ainsi que les datations préliminaires par thermoluminescence sur silex brûlés convergent vers un âge des industries lithiques entre 400 et 500 ka. Bien que dénué d’éléments fauniques, la très grande richesse du gisement est incontestable et apporte un nouvel éclairage sur la connaissance des peuplements dans la zone centre-occidentale de la France durant cette phase. Les assemblages lithiques montrent une large variété typologique avec des concepts morpho-fonctionnels d’outils relativement stabilisés, ainsi que des chaînes opératoires spécialisées et réitérées. Les rapports entre l’industrie du Poitou et celles des régions septentrionales et méridionales indiquent la grande capacité d’accommodation des groupes acheuléens à d’importantes variations dans la présentation et la nature des matières premières lithiques.Preliminary results of the first three years of programmed excavation on « La Grande Vallée » at Colombiers in Vienne are presented in this paper. The study of the stratigraphic sequence investigated on three meters deep highlighted the presence of five archaeological levels attributable to Lower Palaeolithic. Archaeological and pedostratigraphic results as well as thermoluminescence on burnt flint converge on an age for lithic industries between 400 and 500 ky. Although deprived of faunal elements, the high wealth of the site is indisputable and gives a new perspective on the knowledge of the settlements in the center-westerner zone of France during this period. Lithic assemblages show a large typological variety with morpho-functional concepts of relatively stabilized tools, as well as specialized and repeated « chaînes opératoires ». Links between the industries of Poitou and those of northern and southern regions indicate the high capacity of accomodation of Acheulean groups to important variations in the presentation and the nature of lithic raw materials

The Acheulean site of “La Grande Vallée” at Colombiers (Vienne, France): stratigraphy, formation processes, preliminary dating and lithic industries

Preliminary results of the first three years of programmed excavation on « La Grande Vallée » at Colombiers in Vienne are presented in this paper. The study of the stratigraphic sequence investigated on three meters deep highlighted the presence of five archaeological levels attributable to Lower Palaeolithic. Archaeological and pedostratigraphic results as well as thermoluminescence on burnt flint converge on an age for lithic industries between 400 and 500 ky. Although deprived of faunal elements, the high wealth of the site is indisputable and gives a new perspective on the knowledge of the settlements in the center-westerner zone of France during this period. Lithic assemblages show a large typological variety with morpho-functional concepts of relatively stabilized tools, as well as specialized and repeated « chaînes opératoires ». Links between the industries of Poitou and those of northern and southern regions indicate the high capacity of accomodation of Acheulean groups to important variations in the presentation and the nature of lithic raw materials