Spatial variations in air temperature and humidity over Hornsund fjord (Spitsbergen) from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015

This article presents the variations in air temperature and humidity in the region of the Hornsund fjord for the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015. Based on measurements at 11 sites, it was established that significant topoclimatic differences were dependent on height above sea level, substrate type, distance from the sea, exposition, atmospheric circulation and the ice conditions. The thermal and humidity conditions of individual sites are presented in relation to the weather conditions at the Polish Polar Station in Hornsund (HOR). In the study period, the warmest annual mean air temperature occurred at Hyttevika (HYT), and the coldest on the summit of Fugleberget (FUG), respectively, +1.1°C and −3.7°C relative to HOR. Meanwhile, relative humidity differs from HOR values most strongly on Fugleberget, where it is greater by an average of 14%. Atmospheric circulation and ice cover were shown to have a significant impact on thermal and humidity conditions. The greatest spatial variations in air temperature (3.0°C) in Hornsund region (between HOR and FUG) occurred in winter during anticyclonic advection from the northern sector. The greatest difference in relative air humidity (20%) relative to HOR occurred in FUG in autumn during cyclonic advection from the eastern sector. The east–west thermal and humidity gradients along the fjord are more pronounced when sea ice is present. Differences in air temperature and relative humidity between the sites located in the inner (TRE) and outer parts of the fjord (HG4 and HYT) rose by about 2.0–2.5°C and 7–9%, respectively

Wojciech Organiściak (1961−2018)

"13 maja 2018 r. odszedł od nas nasz Kolega, dr hab. Wojciech Organiściak, adiunkt w Katedrze Historii Prawa na Wydziale Prawa i Administracji Uniwersytetu Śląskiego, sędzia Wojewódzkiego Sądu Administracyjnego w Gliwicach, badacz dziejów ustroju i prawa szlacheckiej Rzeczypospolitej. Wojciech Tomasz Organiściak urodził się 18 października 1961 r. w Bochni w rodzinie inteligenckiej. Ojciec, Ferdynand Organiściak, był inżynierem, matka, Genowefa, z domu Mroczek urzędniczką. Do 13. roku życia Wojtek mieszkał z rodzicami i młodszym bratem Maciejem w Tychach, potem wraz nimi przeprowadził się do Katowic. Tu ukończył szkołę podstawową i rozpoczął naukę w liceum ogólnokształcącym (wówczas nosiło ono imię niesławnej pamięci Marcelego Nowotki, obecnie jest to IV Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Generała Stanisława Maczka)." [...] (fragm.

Od redaktorów

"Dnia 13 maja 2018 r. zmarł dr hab. Wojciech Organiściak, adiunkt w Katedrze Historii Prawa na Wydziale Prawa i Administracji Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach, sędzia Wojewódzkiego Sądu Administracyjnego w Gliwicach, badacz dziejów ustroju i prawa szlacheckiej Rzeczypospolitej, autor licznych prac naukowych." [...] (fragm.

The impact of acute air pollution fluctuations on bronchiectasis pulmonary exacerbation:A case-crossover analysis

In bronchiectasis, exacerbations are believed to be triggered by infectious agents, but often no pathogen can be identified. We hypothesised that acute air pollution exposure may be associated with bronchiectasis exacerbations.We combined a case-crossover design with distributed lag models in an observational record linkage study. Patients were recruited from a specialist bronchiectasis clinic at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, UK.We recruited 432 patients with clinically confirmed bronchiectasis, as diagnosed by high-resolution computed tomography. After excluding days with missing air pollution data, the final model for particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 µm (PM; 10; ) was based on 6741 exacerbations from 430 patients and for nitrogen dioxide (NO; 2; ) it included 6248 exacerbations from 426 patients. For each 10 µg·m; -; ³ increase in PM; 10; and NO; 2; , the risk of having an exacerbation that same day increased significantly by 4.5% (95% CI 0.9-8.3) and 3.2% (95% CI 0.7-5.8) respectively. The overall (lag zero to four) increase in risk of exacerbation for a 10 μg·m; -3; increase in air pollutant concentration was 11.2% (95% CI 6.0-16.8) for PM; 10; and 4.7% (95% CI 0.1-9.5) for NO; 2; Subanalysis showed higher relative risks during spring (PM; 10; 1.198 (95% CI 1.102-1.303), NO; 2; 1.146 (95% CI 1.035-1.268)) and summer (PM; 10; 2.142 (95% CI 1.785-2.570), NO; 2; 1.352 (95% CI 1.140-1.602)) when outdoor air pollution exposure would be expected to be highest.In conclusion, acute air pollution fluctuations are associated with increased exacerbation risk in bronchiectasis

Geophysical imaging of permafrost in the SW Svalbard – the result of two high arctic expeditions to Spitsbergen

"The Arctic regions are the place of the fastest observed climate change. One of the indicators of such evolution are changes occurring in the glaciers and the subsurface in the permafrost. The active layer of the permafrost as the shallowest one is well measured by multiple geophysical techniques and in-situ measurements." (fragm.

Recognition of the varying permafrost conditions in the SW Svalbard by multiple geophysical methods [abstract]

"In recent years, rapid climatic changes and their impact are widely visible and recognizable around the world. The Atlantic sector of the Arctic is the place of the strongest observed changes. As a result, such changes are already destabilizing the arctic systems including the glaciers and the permafrost that strongly affects the Arctic’s physical and biological systems."[...] (fragm.

Is oxygenation related to the decomposition of organic matter in cryoconite holes?

Cryoconite is a sediment occurring on glacier surfaces worldwide which reduces ice albedo and concentrates glacier surface meltwater into small reservoirs called cryoconite holes. It consists of mineral and biogenic matter, including active microorganisms. This study presents an experimental insight into the influence of sediment oxygenation on the cryoconite ability to produce and decomposition of organic matter. Samples were collected from five glaciers in the Arctic and the European mainland. Cryoconite from three glaciers was incubated in stagnant and mechanically mixed conditions to imitate inter-hole water–sediment mixing by meltwater occurring on glaciers in Northern Hemisphere, and its effect on oxygen profiles and organic matter content. Moreover, we investigated short-term changes of oxygen conditions in cryoconite from four glaciers in illuminated and dark conditions. An anaerobic zone was present or approaching zero oxygen in all illuminated cryoconite samples, varying in depth depending on the origin of cryoconite: from 1500 µm from Steindalsbreen (Scandinavian Peninsula) and Forni Glacier (The Alps) to 3100 µm from Russell Glacier and Longyearbreen (Arctic) after incubation. Organic matter content varied between glaciers from 6.11% on Longyearbreen to 16.36% on Russell Glacier. The mixed sediment from the Forni Glacier had less organic matter than stagnant, the sediment from Longyearbreen followed this trend, but the difference was not statistically significant, while the sediment from Ebenferner did not differ between groups. Our results have implications for the understanding of biogeochemical processes on glacier surfaces, the adaptation of organisms to changing physical conditions due to abrupt sediment mixing, but also on the estimation of productivity of supraglacial systems

Cochlin Induced TREK-1 Co-Expression and Annexin A2 Secretion: Role in Trabecular Meshwork Cell Elongation and Motility

Fluid flow through large interstitial spaces is sensed at the cellular level, and mechanistic responses to flow changes enables expansion or contraction of the cells modulating the surrounding area and brings about changes in fluid flow. In the anterior eye chamber, aqueous humor, a clear fluid, flows through trabecular meshwork (TM), a filter like region. Cochlin, a secreted protein in the extracellular matrix, was identified in the TM of glaucomatous patients but not controls by mass spectrometry. Cochlin undergoes shear induced multimerization and plays a role in mechanosensing of fluid shear. Cytoskeletal changes in response to mechanosensing in the ECM by cochlin will necessitate transduction of mechanosensing. TREK-1, a stretch activated outward rectifying potassium channel protein known to act as mechanotransducer was found to be expressed in TM. Cochlin expression results in co-expression of TREK-1 and filopodia formation. Prolonged cochlin expression results in expression and subsequent secretion of annexin A2, a protein known to play a role in cytoskeletal remodeling. Cochlin interacts with TREK-1 and annexin A2. Cochlin-TREK-1 interaction has functional consequences and results in changes in cell shape and motility. Annexin A2 expression and secretion follows cochlin-TREK-1 syn-expression and correlates with cell elongation. Thus cytoskeleton changes in response to fluid shear sensed by cochlin are further mediated by TREK-1 and annexin A2

Newly identified climatically and environmentally significant high-latitude dust sources

Dust particles from high latitudes have a potentially large local, regional, and global significance to climate and the environment as short-lived climate forcers, air pollutants, and nutrient sources. Identifying the locations of local dust sources and their emission, transport, and deposition processes is important for understanding the multiple impacts of high-latitude dust (HLD) on the Earth\u27s systems. Here, we identify, describe, and quantify the source intensity (SI) values, which show the potential of soil surfaces for dust emission scaled to values 0 to 1 concerning globally best productive sources, using the Global Sand and Dust Storms Source Base Map (G-SDS-SBM). This includes 64 HLD sources in our collection for the northern (Alaska, Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Sweden, and Russia) and southern (Antarctica and Patagonia) high latitudes. Activity from most of these HLD sources shows seasonal character. It is estimated that high-latitude land areas with higher (SI ≥0.5), very high (SI ≥0.7), and the highest potential (SI ≥0.9) for dust emission cover >1 670 000 km$^{2}$, >560 000 km$^{2}$, and >240 000 km$^{2}$, respectively. In the Arctic HLD region (≥60$^{∘}$ N), land area with SI ≥0.5 is 5.5 % (1 035 059 km$^{2}$), area with SI ≥0.7 is 2.3 % (440 804 km$^{2}$), and area with SI ≥0.9 is 1.1 % (208 701 km$^{2}$). Minimum SI values in the northern HLD region are about 3 orders of magnitude smaller, indicating that the dust sources of this region greatly depend on weather conditions. Our spatial dust source distribution analysis modeling results showed evidence supporting a northern HLD belt, defined as the area north of 50$^{∘}$ N, with a “transitional HLD-source area” extending at latitudes 50–58∘ N in Eurasia and 50–55$^{∘}$ N in Canada and a “cold HLD-source area” including areas north of 60$^{∘}$ N in Eurasia and north of 58$^{∘}$ N in Canada, with currently “no dust source” area between the HLD and low-latitude dust (LLD) dust belt, except for British Columbia. Using the global atmospheric transport model SILAM, we estimated that 1.0 % of the global dust emission originated from the high-latitude regions. About 57 % of the dust deposition in snow- and ice-covered Arctic regions was from HLD sources. In the southern HLD region, soil surface conditions are favorable for dust emission during the whole year. Climate change can cause a decrease in the duration of snow cover, retreat of glaciers, and an increase in drought, heatwave intensity, and frequency, leading to the increasing frequency of topsoil conditions favorable for dust emission, which increases the probability of dust storms. Our study provides a step forward to improve the representation of HLD in models and to monitor, quantify, and assess the environmental and climate significance of HLD

Newly identified climatically and environmentally significant high-latitude dust sources

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