Ultraviolet actinic flux in clear and cloudy atmospheres: Model calculations and aircraft-based measurements

Ultraviolet (UV) actinic fluxes measured with two Scanning Actinic Flux Spectroradiometers (SAFS) aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft are compared with the Tropospheric Ultraviolet-Visible (TUV) model. The observations from 17 days in July-August 2004 (INTEX-NA field campaign) span a wide range of latitudes (28°N-53° N), longitudes (45° Wĝ€"140° W), altitudes (0.1ĝ€"11.9 km), ozone columns (285-353 DU), and solar zenith angles (2°85°). Both cloudy and cloud-free conditions were encountered. For cloud-free conditions, the ratio of observed to clear-sky-model actinic flux (integrated from 298 to 422 nm) was 1.01±0.04, i.e. in good agreement with observations. The agreement improved to 1.00±0.03 for the down-welling component under clear sky conditions. In the presence of clouds and depending on their position relative to the aircraft, the up-welling component was frequently enhanced (by as much as a factor of 8 relative to cloud-free values) while the down-welling component showed both reductions and enhancements of up to a few tens of percent. Including all conditions, the ratio of the observed actinic flux to the cloud-free model value was 1.1±0.3 for the total, or separately 1.0±0.2 for the down-welling and 1.5±0.8 for the up-welling components. The correlations between up-welling and down-welling deviations are well reproduced with sensitivity studies using the TUV model, and are understood qualitatively with a simple conceptual model. This analysis of actinic flux observations illustrates opportunities for future evaluations of photolysis rates in three-dimensional chemistry-transport models.Fil: Palancar, Gustavo Gerardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Shetter, R. E.. National Center For Atmospheric Research. Amospheric Chemistry División; Estados UnidosFil: Hall, Samuel R.. National Center For Atmospheric Research. Amospheric Chemistry División; Estados UnidosFil: Toselli, Beatriz Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Madronich, S.. National Center For Atmospheric Research. Amospheric Chemistry División; Estados Unido

Chemistry, radiation, aerosols and clouds in the atmosphere

Fil: Achad, Mariana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Físico Química; Argentina.Fil: Olcese, Luis Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Físico Química ; Argentina.Fil: Palancar, Gustavo Gerardo Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Físico Química; Argentina.Fill: Toselli, Beatriz Margarita Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Físico Química; Argentina.Fil: López, María Laura. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas . Departamento de Físico Química; Argentina.Abstract Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280-315 nm) is monitored in Córdoba, Argentina (31º 24´ S, 64º 11´ W, 400 m above sea level) using a Yankee Environmental Systems (YES) pyranometer, model UVB-1. Measurements of solar broad band UV-B irradiances are conducted since November 1998. These are, to our knowledge, the first measurements obtained in Córdoba with a high quality pyranometer. For clear sky days, the measurements are in good agreement with results of a radiative transfer model. However, this study shows substantial reductions of UV-B radiation on cloudy days and days with high levels of particle matter. These two effects are comprehensively addressed in this chapter. The effects of cumulus, cirrus, and stratocumulus clouds on surface radiation are specifically analyzed. In addition, the effect of aerosols on air quality is addressed measuring the monthly concentration of PM10 (2009-2010) and PM2.5 (2009-2011) and the average chemical composition (2009-2010) by means of the Synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence technique (SR-XRF). Electronic microcopies (TEM, SEM) are used to analyze individual particles and provide complementary information on shape, size and chemical composition.Fil: Achad, Mariana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Físico Química; Argentina.Fil: Olcese, Luis Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Físico Química ; Argentina.Fil: Palancar, Gustavo Gerardo Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Físico Química; Argentina.Fill: Toselli, Beatriz Margarita Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Físico Química; Argentina.Fil: López, María Laura. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas . Departamento de Físico Química; Argentina.Otras Ciencias Química

El compostaje de residuos orgánicos para la fijación de carbono en el suelo productivo degradado

El aumento en el consumo de energía de las sociedades modernas resulta ser el principal factor de impacto sobre la producción de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI). La problemática de emisión se ve acentuada por la utilización de combustibles fósiles y el deficiente manejo de recursos naturales. Sobre estos últimos se destacan las acciones sobre la degradación de la materia orgánica (MO) de los suelos y el manejo de los residuos orgánicos, que podrían contribuir favorablemente a la mitigación del proceso de calentamiento global.Trabajo publicado en Acta Bioquímica Clínica Latinoamericana; no. 52, supl. 2, parte I, diciembre de 2018.Universidad Nacional de La Plat

Genetic relationships among table-grape varieties

8 páginas, 3 tablas.Genetic relationships among important table-grape varieties were studied through nuclear and chloroplast microsatellite analysis. A total of 376 accessions were genotyped with 25 nuclear microsatellite loci using three multiplex PCRs. The average alleles per locus was 9.96, while the probability of identity was 1.66 x 10-21. A comparison among genotypes, morphology when needed, and literature data has defined synonyms, homonyms, sports, and mistakes among the plant material. In this study, groups of varieties such as Afus Ali, Ahmeur bou Ahmeur, Chasselas, and Muscat of Alexandria were clarified. A parentage analysis of table-grape cultivars was also carried out using a nonredundant genotype table, which included 273 accessions, accompanied by a thorough search in the literature and chloroplast haplotypes to define the direction of the crosses found. In most cases, the information available about the crosses originating these cultivars was correct, particularly in seedless cultivars. Nevertheless, some cultivars such as Cardinal could not originate from the crosses described or suggested in the literature and alternative parents have been proposed. In other cases, where previous information could not be found or was incomplete, some light has been shed on the genetic origin of some cultivars; for instance, the ancestors of Alphonse Lavallée, Admirable de Courtiller, and Calmeria have been suggested. A mathematical analysis, in the form of likelihood ratios, was done to determine the reliability of the suggested crosses.This work was financially supported by the projects RF99- 009 (INIA, Agriculture Ministry of Spain) and GrapeGen (a joint venture between Genome Canada and Genoma España). A.M. Vargas was funded by a predoctoral fellowship from IMIDRA.Peer reviewe

Descubre el ADN de las frutas que comemos (Melocotón-CSIC)

2 Pags. Actividad divulgativa de las autoras dentro del programa de la EEAD-CSIC durante la 1ª Quincena de febrero 2020. Impartida el viernes 15 de febrero en el Colegio Sagrado Corazón (Hnos. Corazonistas) de Zaragoza y acompañada de actividades en el laboratorio.El ADN de las frutas o verduras que comemos lo utilizamos por ejemplo para identificar inequívocamente la especie o la variedad de que se trata o incluso identificar los padres del individuo. En la industria alimentaria el ADN se utiliza para detectar posibles fraudes en el caso de que se trate de zumos o de mezclas de carnes o pescado.Peer reviewe

Effect of different types of clouds on surface UV-B and total solar irradiance at southern mid-latitudes: CMF determinations at Córdoba, Argentina

The effect of clouds on total and UV-B irradiance in Córdoba, Argentina, was studied employing the TUV 4.1 model and measurements obtained with YES UVB-1 and YES TSP-700 radiometers, and a spectral radiometer Ocean Optics USB-4000. The experimental measurements were selected from a 10 years dataset (1999-2008). Clouds were classified by direct observation as cirrus, cumulus, and stratocumulus. The broadband Cloud Modification Factors (CMFs) have been calculated in the range of the total and the UV-B radiation for these types of clouds. The relations between them were analyzed for a significant number of days. The broadband CMF values range from around 0.1 up to 1.25, depending on the wavelength interval and on the cloud type. The CMFUVB versus CMFT plots for different clouds have shown good adjustments and significant differences, which allows the distinction between them. Stratocumulus clouds show large attenuations and a linear relation with larger slopes as the solar zenith angle (SZA) increases. For this type of clouds an average slope of (1.0 ± 0.2) was found. The relation between the CMF for cumulus clouds is linear with an average slope of (0.61 ± 0.01). No dependence with the SZA was observed. Cirrus clouds plots show an exponential behavior with fit parameters equal to (0.48 ± 0.08) and (0.68 ± 0.15). However, when small SZA intervals are analyzed a linear relation is found. When the relations between the CMF were similar (cumulus and cirrus), the spectral variation in the UV range (320-420 nm) of a modified CMF (CMFm) was used to distinguish them. Hence, the spectral differences among the three types of clouds have been also analyzed for several days and SZA. Here, it was found that the effect of cirrus is essentially wavelength independent while cumulus and stratocumulus clouds show exponential decay relations but with different ordinates. In the analyzed relations the microphysical properties of the clouds seem to determine its behavior while the optical thickness leads to the different degrees of attenuation. The results obtained in this work are in agreement with those found for other authors.Fil: Lopez, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; ArgentinaFil: Palancar, Gustavo Gerardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Toselli, Beatriz Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentin

Aerosol optical properties in central Argentina

This work presents the analysis of the long-term observations of aerosol optical properties in the central region of Argentina. Monitoring of aerosol parameters was carried out at the Cordoba-CETT AERONET site (31° 31' S, 64° 27' W, 730. m.a.s.l.) from November 1999 until December 2010. Long-term measurements of aerosol optical depth, Ångström exponent, fine mode fraction and single scattering albedo were analyzed and compiled to describe the climatology of the optical properties of the aerosols of the region. The knowledge of the optical properties of aerosols and their spatial distribution is required to evaluate aerosol effects on the climate system. This information provides an opportunity for understanding how aerosols might influence the regional radiation budget. Results show that aerosol optical depth at 340. nm is characterized by low values from February to April (monthly average of 0.15±0.05), very low values from May to June (monthly average of 0.08±0.03) and a sustained increase from July to September (monthly average of 0.20±0.09) reaching a value of 0.26. From this dataset, no long-term trends are observable. Results of the inter-annual variations of the Ångström exponent between 440 and 870. nm reflect an important difference in the year 2004 compared to the other 11 years of the study. A possible explanation of this fact is elaborated with the help of back trajectory analysis. Finally, three episodes are described and analyzed, as they produced important increases of the daily aerosol optical depth value. We explained these episodes with a combination of air mass trajectory analysis, meteorology and the MODIS fire counts product. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.Fil: Olcese, Luis Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Palancar, Gustavo Gerardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Toselli, Beatriz Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentin

A method to estimate missing AERONET AOD values based on artificial neural networks

In this work, we present a method to predict missing aerosol optical depth (AOD) values at an AERONET station. The aim of the method is to fill gaps and/or to extrapolate temporal series in the station datasets, i.e. to obtain AOD values under cloudy sky conditions and in other situations where there is a temporary or permanent lack of data. To accomplish that, we used historical AOD values at two stations, air mass trajectories passing through both of them (calculated by using the HYSPLIT model) and ANN calculations to process all the information. The variables included in the neural network training were the station numbers, parameters representing the annual average trend of meteorological conditions, the number of hours and the distance traveled by the air mass between the stations, and the arrival height of the air mass. The method was firstly applied to predict AOD at 440 nm in 9 stations located in the East Coast of the US, during the years 1999–2012. The coefficient of determination r2 between measured and calculated AOD values was 0.855, which show the good performance of the method. Besides, this result represents a remarkable improvement compared to three simple approaches. To further validate the method, we applied it to another region (Iberian Peninsula) with different characteristics (lower density of AERONET stations, different meteorology, and lower wind field spatial resolution). Although the results are still good (r2 = 0.67), the performance of the method was affected by these characteristics. Considering the obtained results, this method can be used as a powerful tool to predict AOD values in several conditions. The methodology can also be easily adapted to predict AOD values at other wavelengths or other aerosol optical properties.Fil: Olcese, Luis Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Palancar, Gustavo Gerardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Toselli, Beatriz Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentin

Retrieving the relative contribution of aerosol types from single particle analysis and radiation measurements and calculations: A comparison of two independent approaches

The main purpose of this work is to determine the relative contribution of different types of aerosols at an urban site by using two independent approaches: individual particle analysis, and radiative transfer calculations and irradiance measurements. To accomplish that purpose, we used our UV-B irradiance (280–315 nm) data set, the AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) database, the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy, LEO 1450VP) analyses of the collected particles and the Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model. On one hand, the collected particles were analyzed by SEM-EDX (Energy Dispersive X-Ray, Genesis 2000) in order to determine their chemical composition. Then, by using a developed algorithm they were classified as rural or urban, resulting in a (24±3)% of rural and (76±8)% of urban. On the other hand, aerosols were incorporated into the SBDART model through two of its default profiles (urban or rural) and by using the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) provided by AERONET. The aerosol effect on experimental surface UV-B irradiance was reproduced by a linear combination of the irradiances calculated by using these profiles. From this analysis we found that, in average, a mix of aerosols of (30±3)% rural and (70±7)% urban explains the observed reduction in the experimental irradiance. Considering the agreement between the results obtained by using these two independent methodologies, the use of the irradiance as a surrogate variable to retrieve aerosol types is discussed. The methodology presented here is applicable to any site provided irradiance measurements and AOD are available.Fil: Achad, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Lopez, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; ArgentinaFil: Palancar, Gustavo Gerardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Toselli, Beatriz Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentin

Accurate total solar irradiance estimates under irradiance measurements scarcity scenarios

Accurate estimates of total global solar irradiance reaching the Earth’s surface are relevant since routine measurements are not always available. This work aimed to determine which of the models used to estimate daily total global solar irradiance (TGSI) is the best model when irradiance measurements are scarce in a given site. A model based on an artificial neural network (ANN) and empirical models based on temperature and sunshine measurements were analyzed and evaluated in Córdoba, Argentina. The performance of the models was benchmarked using different statistical estimators such as the mean bias error (MBE), the mean absolute bias error (MABE), the correlation coefficient (r), the Nash-Sutcliffe equation (NSE), and the statistics t test (t value). The results showed that when enough measurements were available, both the ANN and the empirical models accurately predicted TGSI (with MBE and MABE ≤ |0.11| and ≤ |1.98| kWh m−2 day−1, respectively; NSE ≥ 0.83; r ≥ 0.95; and |t values| < t critical value). However, when few TGSI measurements were available (2, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days per month) only the ANN-based method was accurate (|t value| < t critical value), yielding precise results although only 2 measurements per month were available for 1 year. This model has an important advantage over the empirical models and is very relevant to Argentina due to the scarcity of TGSI measurements.Fil: Lopez, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; ArgentinaFil: Olcese, Luis Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Fisicoquímica; ArgentinaFil: Palancar, Gustavo Gerardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Fisicoquímica; ArgentinaFil: Toselli, Beatriz Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Fisicoquímica; Argentin