Unexpected vertical structure of the Saharan Air Layer and giant dust particles during AER-D

The Saharan Air Layer (SAL) in the summertime eastern Atlantic is typically well mixed and 3-4 km deep, overlying the marine boundary layer (MBL). In this paper, we show experimental evidence that at times a very different structure can be observed. During the AERosol properties - Dust (AER-D) airborne campaign in August 2015, the typical structure described above was observed most of the time, and was associated with a moderate dust content yielding an aerosol optical depth (AOD) of 0.3-0.4 at 355 nm. In an intense event, however, an unprecedented vertical structure was observed close to the eastern boundary of the basin, displaying an uneven vertical distribution and a very large AOD (1.5-2), with most of the dust in a much lower level than usual (0.3-2 km). Estimated dust concentrations and column loadings for all flights during the campaign spanned 300-5500 and 0.8-7.5 g m−2, respectively. The shortwave direct radiative impact of the intense dust event has been evaluated to be as large as −260±30 and −120±15 W m−2 at the surface and top of atmosphere (TOA), respectively. We also report the correlation of this event with anomalous lightning activity in the Canary Islands. In all cases, our measurements detected a broad distribution of aerosol sizes, ranging from ∼0.1 to ∼80 µm (diameter), thus highlighting the presence of giant particles. Giant dust particles were also found in the MBL. We note that most aerosol models may miss the giant particles due to the fact that they use size bins up to 10-25 µm. The unusual vertical structure and the giant particles may have implications for dust transport over the Atlantic during intense events and may affect the estimate of dust deposited to the ocean. We believe that future campaigns could focus more on events with high aerosol load and that instrumentation capable of detecting giant particles will be key to dust observations in this part of the world

Conservative Conservationists: Water Rights, Wilderness, and Idahoan Political Identity

Idahoans\u27 unique and contradictory history of conservation politics reveals deep tensions between expectations of individual water rights, a shared regard for natural beauty, and a deep-seated fear of government intervention. From its earliest settlers to its Sagebrush Rebels to its modern day miners and lumber crews, Idaho has teemed with those eager to profit from the state’s natural resources. The post-war interest in recreation and the environmental movement of the 1970s, however, promoted concern and support for preservation in Idaho. Coupled with the Idahoan obsession with water rights, Idaho environmentalism prompted the conservative Republican state to elect environmentally-minded Democrats Cecil Andrus and Frank Church to multiple terms of service. Idaho environmentalism, which has supported wilderness and wild rivers and has stopped proposed high dams and open-pit mining, hinges on water rights. When preservation of nature aligns with preservation of water rights, Idahoans stand firmly together. When nature conservation imperils water rights, they denounce the former. When conservation comes at the price of logging, mining, or real estate interests Idahoans are led by whomever speaks more eloquently to either their sense of moral obligation, or to their fears

Research and development technique for estimating airflow and diffusion parameters related to the Atmospheric Water Resources Program: final report

Period September 1969 to September 1971.CER71-72MMO-JEC-LOG20.Includes bibliographical references

Research and development technique for estimating airflow and diffusion parameters in connection with the Atmospheric Water Resources Program: annual report

September 1970.CER70-71MMO-JEC-LOG23.Period September 2, 1969 to June 30, 1970.Includes bibliographical references.Atmospheric Water Resources Research, Bureau of Reclamation, Contract No. 14-06-D-6842

Research and development technique for estimating airflow and diffusion parameters in connection with the Atmospheric Water Resources Program: interim report

CER70-71MMO78.Period September 2, 1970 to February 28, 1971.Includes bibliographical references (pages 38-39).Atmospheric Water Resources Research, Bureau of Reclamation, Contract No. 14-06-0-6842.This report presents a summary of the research and tentative findings on the use of scaled topographic models and laboratory techniques to study the transport and dispersion of cloud seeding material over mountainous terrain. Three mountainous areas along the continental divide have been selected by the Bureau of Reclamation for such studies. Each area has cloud seeding programs in progress

Research and development technique for estimating airflow and diffusion parameters in connection with the Atmospheric Water Resources Program : final report

CER69-70JEC-LOG-MMO-11.August 1969.Includes bibliographical references (pages 47-48).Period March 15, 1968 to June 30, 1969 Atmospheric Water Resources Research Bureau of Reclamation Contract No. 14-06-D-6455.A stably stratified atmospheric boundary layer was simulated in a wind tunnel and utilized to determine radioactive krypton dispersion patterns over a 1:9600 scale model of the Eagle River Valley and topography surrounding Climax, Colorado. Geometric, dynamic, and thermal similarity are considered, primarily, for barostromatic airflow. Similarity criteria for transport and dispersion are considered also. This is the first time that a barostromatic airflow produced by cooling with dry ice has been documented by temperature and velocity profile measurements. Field Gata indicate that airflow and temperature characteristics over the model are approximately similar to a prototype storm. Dispersion measurements were taken by using sources representative of field ground sources. Model and field measurements confirm that seeding nuclei are reaching the target area from the present existing ground sources. Limited field measurements of ice nuclei concentrations at Chalk Mountain show a variation of 5 to 300 part./liter or XU/Q ~ 1 x 10 -9m-2 to 68 x 10-9m-2. Concentration values deduced from radioactive gas measurements over the model show values within the same range but closer to the optimum values indicated by present cloud physics models, i.e., XU/Q ~ 15 to 18 x 10-9m-2. The barostromatic airflow model indicated that topography plays an important role in determining the downwind direction of the particulate plume.Under contract no. 14-06-D-6455

Delivery of nucleating materials to cloud systems from individual ground generators

CER69-70LOG-JEC-MMO24.February 1968.Includes bibliographical references (pages 40-42).Presented to the Bureau of Reclamation Third Skywater Conference on the Production and Delivery of Cloud Nucleating Materials February 14-16, 1968.Delivery of nucleating materials to cloud systems from individual ground generators can play an important role in the beneficial modification of orographic cloud systems. Substantial evidence from the Colorado State University mountain study at Climax is presented to show that ground-released seeding materials do under some weather situations in fact enter the mountain cloud systems and produce changes in the precipitation. Evidence is also presented to show that under other weather situations seeding materials are not carried to the proper clouds at a place and time to be of value. A discussion of atmospheric transport mechanisms is presented to serve as a basis for understanding the motions of seeding materials once released from a ground source. The approaches, or directions, for further research are discussed. This includes consideration of the coagulation problem in the vicinity of the generator site. The use of wind tunnel modeling, which can provide basic information and specific results for specific areas, is emphasized

Development of integration indexes to determine the extent of family planning and child immunization services integration in health facilities in urban areas of Nigeria

Background: Integrating family planning into child immunization services may address unmet need for contraception by offering family planning information and services to postpartum women during routine child immunization visits. However, policies and programs promoting integration are often based on insubstantial or conflicting evidence about its effects on service delivery and health outcomes. While integration models vary, many studies measure integration as binary (a facility is integrated or not) rather than a multidimensional and varying continuum. It is thus challenging to ascertain the determinants and effects of integrated service delivery. This study creates Facility and Provider Integration Indexes, which measure capacity to support integrated family planning and child immunization services and applies them to analyze the extent of integration across 400 health facilities. Methods: This study utilizes cross-sectional health facility (N = 400; 58% hospitals, 42% primary healthcare centers) and healthcare provider (N = 1479) survey data that were collected in six urban areas of Nigeria for the impact evaluation of the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative. Principal Component Analysis was used to develop Provider and Facility Integration Indexes that estimate the extent of integration in these health facilities. The Provider Integration Index measures provider skills and practices that support integrated service delivery while the Facility Integration Index measures facility norms that support integrated service delivery. Index scores range from zero (low) to ten (high). Results: Mean Provider Integration Index score is 5.42 (SD 3.10), and mean Facility Integration Index score is 6.22 (SD 2.72). Twenty-three percent of facilities were classified as having low Provider Integration scores, 32% as medium, and 45% as high. Fourteen percent of facilities were classified as having low Facility Integration scores, 38% as medium, and 48% as high. Conclusion: Many facilities in our sample have achieved high levels of integration, while many others have not. Results suggest that using more nuanced measures of integration may (a) more accurately reflect true variation in integration within and across health facilities, (b) enable more precise measurement of the determinants or effects of integration, and (c) provide more tailored, actionable information about how best to improve integration. Overall, results reinforce the importance of utilizing more nuanced measures of facility-level integration

Facility-level characteristics associated with family planning and child immunization services integration in urban areas of Nigeria: a longitudinal analysis

Background: Unmet need for postpartum contraception is high. Integration of family planning with routine child immunization services may help to satisfy unmet need. However, evidence about the determinants and effects of integration has been inconsistent, and more evidence is required to ascertain whether and how to invest in integration. In this study, facility-level family planning and immunization integration index scores are used to: (1) determine whether integration changes over time and (2) identify whether facility-level characteristics, including exposure to the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), are associated with integration across facilities in six urban areas of Nigeria. Methods: This study utilizes health facility data collected at baseline (n = 400) and endline (n = 385) for the NURHI impact evaluation. Difference-in-differences models estimate the associations between facility-level characteristics, including exposure to NURHI, and Provider and Facility Integration Index scores. The two outcome measures, Provider and Facility Integration Index scores, reflect attributes that support integrated service delivery. These indexes, which range from 0 (low) to 10 (high), were constructed using principal component analysis. Scores were calculated for each facility. Independent variables are (1) time period, (2) whether the facility received the NURHI intervention, and (3) additional facility-level characteristics. Results: Within intervention facilities, mean Provider Integration Index scores were 6.46 at baseline and 6.79 at endline; mean Facility Integration Index scores were 7.16 (baseline) and 7.36 (endline). Within non-intervention facilities, mean Provider Integration Index scores were 5.01 at baseline and 6.25 at endline; mean Facility Integration Index scores were 5.83 (baseline) and 6.12 (endline). Provider Integration Index scores increased significantly (p = 0.00) among non-intervention facilities. Facility Integration Index scores did not increase significantly in either group. Results identify facility-level characteristics associated with higher levels of integration, including smaller family planning client load, family planning training among providers, and public facility ownership. Exposure to NURHI was not associated with integration index scores. Conclusion: Programs aiming to increase integration of family planning and immunization services should monitor and provide targeted support for the implementation of a well-defined integration strategy that considers the influence of facility characteristics and concurrent initiatives

Levels of evidence in plastic surgery – Trends and comparison with five other surgical specialties

Background: Categorising research by level of evidence (LOE) is an important evidence-based medicine initiative. Our objective was to assess the change in LOEs in plastic surgery from 2003 to 2013 and compared this with five other surgical specialties. Methods: A search for all research articles published in the top three general plastic surgery journals (ranked by impact factor) was conducted for 2003 and 2013. Articles were then labelled as LOE 1–5 and compared to other specialties. Results: Mean LOE for plastic surgery improved by 4.1 % from 3.86 (95 % confidence interval 3.81–3.91) to 3.70 (95 % confidence interval 3.64–3.74) from 2003 to 2013 respectively. All six surgical specialties improved their mean LOE (range 3.7 to 10.9 %). By mean LOE, plastic surgery continues to rank five out of six. Conclusions: Plastic surgery is tending towards higher levels of evidence at a slow pace. The specialty must continue to drive towards higher levels of evidence. Level of Evidence: Not ratable