759 research outputs found
The effect of sensor resolution on the number of cloud-free observations from space
International audienceAir quality and surface emission inversions are likely to be focal points for future satellite missions on atmospheric composition. Most important for these applications is sensitivity to the atmospheric composition in the lowest few kilometers of the troposphere. Reduced sensitivity by clouds needs to be minimized. In this study we have quantified the increase in number of useful footprints, i.e. footprints which are sufficient cloud-free, as a function of sensor resolution (footprint area). High resolution (1 km×1 km) MODIS TERRA cloud mask observations are aggregated to lower resolutions. Statistics for different thresholds on cloudiness are applied. For each month in 2004 two days of MODIS data are analyzed. Globally the fraction of cloud-free observations drops from 16% at 100 km2 resolution to only 3% at 10 000 km2 if not a single MODIS observation within a footprint is allowed to be cloudy. If up to 5% or 20% of a footprint is allowed to be cloudy, the fraction of cloud-free observations is 9% or 17%, respectively, at 10 000 km2 resolution. The probability of finding cloud-free observations for different sensor resolutions is also quantified as a function of geolocation and season, showing examples over Europe and northern South America
Potential of the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) onboard the Sentinel-5 Precursor for the monitoring of terrestrial chlorophyll fluorescence
Global monitoring of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is improving our knowledge about the photosynthetic functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. The feasibility of SIF retrievals from spaceborne atmospheric spectrometers has been demonstrated by a number of studies in the last years. In this work, we investigate the potential of the upcoming TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) onboard the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite mission for SIF retrieval. TROPOMI will sample the 675–775 nm spectral window with a spectral resolution of 0.5 nm and a pixel size of 7 km × 7 km. We use an extensive set of simulated TROPOMI data in order to assess the uncertainty of single SIF retrievals and subsequent spatio-temporal composites. Our results illustrate the enormous improvement in SIF monitoring achievable with TROPOMI with respect to comparable spectrometers currently in-flight, such as the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) instrument. We find that TROPOMI can reduce global uncertainties in SIF mapping by more than a factor of 2 with respect to GOME-2, which comes together with an approximately 5-fold improvement in spatial sampling. Finally, we discuss the potential of TROPOMI to map other important vegetation parameters at a global scale with moderate spatial resolution and short revisit time. Those include leaf photosynthetic pigments and proxies for canopy structure, which will complement SIF retrievals for a self-contained description of vegetation condition and functioning
Revealing the nature of magnetic shadows with numerical 3D-MHD simulations
We investigate the interaction of magneto-acoustic waves with magnetic
network elements with the aim of finding possible signatures of the magnetic
shadow phenomenon in the vicinity of network elements. We carried out
three-dimensional numerical simulations of magneto-acoustic wave propagation in
a model solar atmosphere that is threaded by a complexly structured magnetic
field, resembling that of a typical magnetic network element and of
internetwork regions. High-frequency waves of 10 mHz are excited at the bottom
of the simulation domain. On their way through the upper convection zone and
through the photosphere and the chromosphere they become perturbed, refracted,
and converted into different mode types. We applied a standard Fourier analysis
to produce oscillatory power-maps of the line-of-sight velocity. In the power
maps of the upper photosphere and the lower chromosphere, we clearly see the
magnetic shadow: a seam of suppressed power surrounding the magnetic network
elements. We demonstrate that this shadow is linked to the mode conversion
process and that power maps at these height levels show the signature of three
different magneto-acoustic wave modes.Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters, in print 4 pages, 4 figure
Anthranoid self-medication causing rapid development of melanosis coli
It is widely known that long-term use of anthranoid-containing laxatives
is the cause of melanosis coli. We describe a case of melanosis coli,
which occurred in a 39-year-old liver transplant patient who took an
over-the-counter product containing aloe, rheum and frangula. The typical
brownish pigmentation of the colonic mucosa developed in a period of ten
months. The anthranoid medication was stopped and follow-up colonoscopy
one year later showed normal looking mucosa once more. However, in
contrast to previous examinations, a sessile polypoid lesion was found in
the transverse colon. Histology showed tubulovillous adenoma with
extensive low-grade dysplasia. Since there have been preliminary reports
suggesting a possible role of anthranoid-containing laxatives in the
development of colorectal adenomas and cancer, their use should be
discouraged
Inter-network regions of the Sun at millimetre wavelengths
The continuum intensity at wavelengths around 1 mm provides an excellent way
to probe the solar chromosphere. Future high-resolution millimetre arrays, such
as the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), will thus produce valuable input
for the ongoing controversy on the thermal structure and the dynamics of this
layer. Synthetic brightness temperature maps are calculated on basis of
three-dimensional radiation (magneto-)hydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. While the
millimetre continuum at 0.3mm originates mainly from the upper photosphere, the
longer wavelengths considered here map the low and middle chromosphere. The
effective formation height increases generally with wavelength and also from
disk-centre towards the solar limb. The average intensity contribution
functions are usually rather broad and in some cases they are even
double-peaked as there are contributions from hot shock waves and cool
post-shock regions in the model chromosphere. Taking into account the
deviations from ionisation equilibrium for hydrogen gives a less strong
variation of the electron density and with it of the optical depth. The result
is a narrower formation height range. The average brightness temperature
increases with wavelength and towards the limb. The relative contrast depends
on wavelength in the same way as the average intensity but decreases towards
the limb. The dependence of the brightness temperature distribution on
wavelength and disk-position can be explained with the differences in formation
height and the variation of temperature fluctuations with height in the model
atmospheres.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&A (15.05.07
Genome-based population structure analysis of the strawberry plant pathogen Xanthomonas fragariae reveals two distinct groups that evolved independently before its species description
Xanthomonas fragariae is a quarantine organism in Europe, causing angular leaf spots on strawberry plants. It is spreading worldwide in strawberry-producing regions due to import of plant material through trade and human activities. In order to resolve the population structure at the strain level, we have employed high-resolution molecular typing tools on a comprehensive strain collection representing global and temporal distribution of the pathogen. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat regions (CRISPRs) and variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) were identified within the reference genome of X. fragariae LMG 25863 as a potential source of variation. Strains from our collection were whole-genome sequenced and used in order to identify variable spacers and repeats for discriminative purpose. CRISPR spacer analysis and multiple-locus VNTR analysis (MLVA) displayed a congruent population structure, in which two major groups and a total of four subgroups were revealed. The two main groups were genetically separated before the first X. fragariae isolate was described and are potentially responsible for the worldwide expansion of the bacterial disease. Three primer sets were designed for discriminating CRISPR-associated markers in order to streamline group determination of novel isolates. Overall, this study describes typing methods to discriminate strains and monitor the pathogen population structure, more especially in the view of a new outbreak of the pathogen
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