127 research outputs found
CO2 budgeting at the regional scale using a Lagrangian experimental strategy and meso-scale modeling
An atmospheric Lagrangian experiment for regional CO2 budgeting with aircraft measurements took place during the CarboEurope Regional Experiment Strategy campaign (CERES) in south-west France, in June 2005. The atmospheric CO2 aircraft measurements taken upstream and downstream of an active and homogeneous pine forest revealed a CO2 depletion in the same air mass, using a Lagrangian strategy. This field experiment was analyzed with a meteorological meso-scale model interactively coupled with a surface scheme, with plant assimilation, ecosystem respiration, anthropogenic CO2 emissions and sea fluxes. First, the model was carefully validated against observations made close to the surface and in the atmospheric boundary layer. Then, the carbon budget was evaluated using the numerous CERES observations, by upscaling the surface fluxes observations, and using the modeling results, in order to estimate the relative contribution of each physical process. A good agreement is found between the two methods which use the same vegetation map: the estimation of the regional CO2 surface flux by the Eulerian meso-scale model budget is close to the budget deduced from the upscaling of the observed surface fluxes, and found a budget between â9.4 and â12.1ÎŒmol.mâ2.sâ1, depending on the size of the considered area. Nevertheless, the associated uncertainties are rather large for the upscaling method and reach 50%. A third method, using Lagrangian observations of CO2 estimates a regional CO2 budget a few different and more scattered, (â16.8ÎŒmol.mâ2.sâ1 for the small sub-domain and â8.6ÎŒmol.mâ2.sâ1 for the larger one). For this budgeting method, we estimate a mean of 31% error, mainly arising from the time of integration between the two measurements of the Lagrangian experiment. The paper describes in details the three methods to assess the regional CO2 budget and the associated error
Mesoscale modelling of the CO2 interactions between the surface and the atmosphere applied to the April 2007 CERES field experiment
This paper describes a numerical interpretation of the April 2007, CarboEurope Regional Experiment Strategy (CERES) campaign, devoted to the study of the CO2 cycle at the regional scale. Four consecutive clear sky days with intensive observations of CO2 concentration, fluxes at the surface and in the boundary layer have been simulated with the Meso-NH mesoscale model, coupled to ISBA-A-gs land surface model. The main result of this paper is to show how aircraft observations of CO2 concentration have been used to identify surface model errors and to calibrate the CO2 driving component of the surface model. In fact, the comparisons between modelled and observed CO2 concentrations within the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) allow to calibrate and correct not only the parameterization of respired CO2 fluxes by the ecosystem but also the Leaf Area Index (LAI) of the dominating land cover. After this calibration, the paper describes systematic comparisons of the model outputs with numerous data collected during the CERES campaign, in April 2007. For instance, the originality of this paper is the spatial integration of the comparisons. In fact, the aircraft observations of CO2 concentration and fluxes and energy fluxes are used for the model validation from the local to the regional scale. As a conclusion, the CO2 budgeting approach from the mesoscale model shows that the winter croplands are assimilating more CO2 than the pine forest, at this stage of the year and this case study
Bridging the gap between atmospheric concentrations and local ecosystem measurements
This paper demonstrates that atmospheric inversions of CO<sub>2</sub> are a reliable tool for estimating regional fluxes. We compare results of an inversion over 18 days and a 300 x 300 km 2 domain in southwest France against independent measurements of fluxes from aircraft and towers. The inversion used concentration measurements from 2 towers while the independent data included 27 aircraft transects and 5 flux towers. The inversion reduces the mismatch between prior and independent fluxes, improving both spatial and temporal structures. The present mesoscale atmospheric inversion improves by 30% the CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes over distances of few hundreds of km around the atmospheric measurement locations. Citation: Lauvaux, T., et al. (2009), Bridging the gap between atmospheric concentrations and local ecosystem measurements, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L19809, doi: 10.1029/2009GL039574
Bulk micromegas detectors for large TPC applications
A large volume TPC will be used in the near future in a variety of experiments including T2K. The bulk Micromegas detector for this TPC is built using a novel production technique particularly suited for compact and robust low mass detectors. The capability to pave a large surface with a simple mounting solution and small dead space between modules is of particular interest for these applications. We have built several large bulk Micromegas detectors (27 x 26 cm2) and we have tested them in the former HARP field cage setup with a magnetic field. Cosmic ray data have been acquired in a variety of experimental conditions. Good detector performances and space point resolution have been achieved
Three flavor neutrino oscillation analysis of atmospheric neutrinos in Super-Kamiokande
We report on the results of a three-flavor oscillation analysis using
Super-Kamiokande~I atmospheric neutrino data, with the assumption of one mass
scale dominance (0). No significant flux change due to
matter effect, which occurs when neutrinos propagate inside the Earth for
0, has been seen either in a multi-GeV -rich sample
or in a -rich sample. Both normal and inverted mass hierarchy
hypotheses are tested and both are consistent with observation. Using
Super-Kamiokande data only, 2-dimensional 90 % confidence allowed regions are
obtained: mixing angles are constrained to and for the normal mass hierarchy. Weaker constraints,
and , are obtained
for the inverted mass hierarchy case.Comment: 7 figures, 3 table
Solar neutrino measurements in Super-Kamiokande-I
The details of Super--Kamiokande--I's solar neutrino analysis are given.
Solar neutrino measurement in Super--Kamiokande is a high statistics collection
of B solar neutrinos via neutrino-electron scattering. The analysis method
and results of the 1496 day data sample are presented. The final oscillation
results for the data are also presented.Comment: 32pages, 57figures, submitted to Physical Review
Evidence for an oscillatory signature in atmospheric neutrino oscillation
Muon neutrino disappearance probability as a function of neutrino flight
length L over neutrino energy E was studied. A dip in the L/E distribution was
observed in the data, as predicted from the sinusoidal flavor transition
probability of neutrino oscillation. The observed L/E distribution constrained
nu_mu nu_tau neutrino oscillation parameters; 1.9x10^-3 < Delta m^2 <
3.0x10^-3 eV^2 and \sin^2(2theta) > 0.90 at 90% confidence level.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR
Search for coherent charged pion production in neutrino-carbon interactions
We report the result from a search for charged-current coherent pion
production induced by muon neutrinos with a mean energy of 1.3 GeV. The data
are collected with a fully active scintillator detector in the K2K
long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment. No evidence for coherent pion
production is observed and an upper limit of is set on
the cross section ratio of coherent pion production to the total
charged-current interaction at 90% confidence level. This is the first
experimental limit for coherent charged pion production in the energy region of
a few GeV.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Search for Dark Matter WIMPs using Upward Through-going Muons in Super-Kamiokande
We present the results of indirect searches for Weakly Interacting Massive
Particles (WIMPs) with 1679.6 live days of data from the Super-Kamiokande
detector using neutrino-induced upward through-going muons. The search is
performed by looking for an excess of high energy muon neutrinos from WIMP
annihilations in the Sun, the core of the Earth, and the Galactic Center, as
compared to the number expected from the atmospheric neutrino background. No
statistically significant excess was seen. We calculate flux limits in various
angular cones around each of the above celestial objects. We obtain
conservative model-independent upper limits on WIMP-nucleon cross-section as a
function of WIMP mass and compare these results with the corresponding results
from direct dark matter detection experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Solar neutrino measurements in Super-Kamiokande-II
The results of the second phase of the Super-Kamiokande solar neutrino
measurement are presented and compared to the first phase. The solar neutrino
flux spectrum and time-variation as well as oscillation results are
statistically consistent with the first phase and do not show spectral
distortion. The time-dependent flux measurement of the combined first and
second phases coincides with the full period of solar cycle 23 and shows no
correlation with solar activity. The measured boron 8 total flux is 2.38
+/-0.05(stat.) +0.16-0.15(sys.) X 10^6 cm^-2 sec^-1 and the day-night
difference is found to be -6.3 +/-4.2(stat.) +/-3.7(sys.) %. There is no
evidence of systematic tendencies between the first and second phases
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