Altimetry for the future: Building on 25 years of progress

In 2018 we celebrated 25 years of development of radar altimetry, and the progress achieved by this methodology in the fields of global and coastal oceanography, hydrology, geodesy and cryospheric sciences. Many symbolic major events have celebrated these developments, e.g., in Venice, Italy, the 15th (2006) and 20th (2012) years of progress and more recently, in 2018, in Ponta Delgada, Portugal, 25 Years of Progress in Radar Altimetry. On this latter occasion it was decided to collect contributions of scientists, engineers and managers involved in the worldwide altimetry community to depict the state of altimetry and propose recommendations for the altimetry of the future. This paper summarizes contributions and recommendations that were collected and provides guidance for future mission design, research activities, and sustainable operational radar altimetry data exploitation. Recommendations provided are fundamental for optimizing further scientific and operational advances of oceanographic observations by altimetry, including requirements for spatial and temporal resolution of altimetric measurements, their accuracy and continuity. There are also new challenges and new openings mentioned in the paper that are particularly crucial for observations at higher latitudes, for coastal oceanography, for cryospheric studies and for hydrology. The paper starts with a general introduction followed by a section on Earth System Science including Ocean Dynamics, Sea Level, the Coastal Ocean, Hydrology, the Cryosphere and Polar Oceans and the ‘‘Green” Ocean, extending the frontier from biogeochemistry to marine ecology. Applications are described in a subsequent section, which covers Operational Oceanography, Weather, Hurricane Wave and Wind Forecasting, Climate projection. Instruments’ development and satellite missions’ evolutions are described in a fourth section. A fifth section covers the key observations that altimeters provide and their potential complements, from other Earth observation measurements to in situ data. Section 6 identifies the data and methods and provides some accuracy and resolution requirements for the wet tropospheric correction, the orbit and other geodetic requirements, the Mean Sea Surface, Geoid and Mean Dynamic Topography, Calibration and Validation, data accuracy, data access and handling (including the DUACS system). Section 7 brings a transversal view on scales, integration, artificial intelligence, and capacity building (education and training). Section 8 reviews the programmatic issues followed by a conclusion

Altimetry for the future: building on 25 years of progress

In 2018 we celebrated 25 years of development of radar altimetry, and the progress achieved by this methodology in the fields of global and coastal oceanography, hydrology, geodesy and cryospheric sciences. Many symbolic major events have celebrated these developments, e.g., in Venice, Italy, the 15th (2006) and 20th (2012) years of progress and more recently, in 2018, in Ponta Delgada, Portugal, 25 Years of Progress in Radar Altimetry. On this latter occasion it was decided to collect contributions of scientists, engineers and managers involved in the worldwide altimetry community to depict the state of altimetry and propose recommendations for the altimetry of the future. This paper summarizes contributions and recommendations that were collected and provides guidance for future mission design, research activities, and sustainable operational radar altimetry data exploitation. Recommendations provided are fundamental for optimizing further scientific and operational advances of oceanographic observations by altimetry, including requirements for spatial and temporal resolution of altimetric measurements, their accuracy and continuity. There are also new challenges and new openings mentioned in the paper that are particularly crucial for observations at higher latitudes, for coastal oceanography, for cryospheric studies and for hydrology. The paper starts with a general introduction followed by a section on Earth System Science including Ocean Dynamics, Sea Level, the Coastal Ocean, Hydrology, the Cryosphere and Polar Oceans and the “Green” Ocean, extending the frontier from biogeochemistry to marine ecology. Applications are described in a subsequent section, which covers Operational Oceanography, Weather, Hurricane Wave and Wind Forecasting, Climate projection. Instruments’ development and satellite missions’ evolutions are described in a fourth section. A fifth section covers the key observations that altimeters provide and their potential complements, from other Earth observation measurements to in situ data. Section 6 identifies the data and methods and provides some accuracy and resolution requirements for the wet tropospheric correction, the orbit and other geodetic requirements, the Mean Sea Surface, Geoid and Mean Dynamic Topography, Calibration and Validation, data accuracy, data access and handling (including the DUACS system). Section 7 brings a transversal view on scales, integration, artificial intelligence, and capacity building (education and training). Section 8 reviews the programmatic issues followed by a conclusion

Influence of cutting and tool parameters on thrust force in drilling of different formaldehyde emission rate particleboards

International audienceParticleboard (PB) is used in furniture industry both for building flat-pack furniture and store fixtures. They are made from wood dried particles that are bonded using adhesives and pressed into sheets. Resins based on Urea Formaldehyde (UF) are mainly used to bonded wood particles because they provide low cost's strong, durable bonds even if they emitted formaldehyde (HCHO) that is involved of indoor air-pollution. Specific gravity varies along particleboard thickness from low specific gravity core of coarse particles in the middle of the panel to higher specific gravity layers of finer particles at the surface of the panel. An external layer consisting of resin-treated decor paper is often added for PB used for casework and millwork. The decor paper is displaying reproductions of wood, tiles or imaginative designs. Laminates have only tenth of a millimeter but acts as a formaldehyde diffusion barrier. The thrust force is often measured as a parameter of the machining quality but also to avoid a premature wear of the tool and of the machine itself. Studies can be found in the literature concerning drilling of wood based panels with a more homogeneous specific gravity along thickness as Oriented Strand Board (OSB) or Medium Density Fiber (MDF) panels. Very few studies concern the drilling perpendicular to the thickness of the particle boards (PB). Our study is focused on influence of formaldehyde's rate of the particle board on thrust force when drilling with tools dedicated to particleboards. The thrust force is obviously linked to specific gravity of the panel. The cutting and tool parameters have also a great influence on this force, mainly feed rate and tool diameter. In our study, a large set of cutting conditions are tested for tools dedicated to panel drilling with different diameters, spurs and materials of the body. Feed speed has the most relative important effect after drill diameter influence, while formaldehyde emission rate and spindle speed has no influence

Inventory of armourstone

Natural armourstone is widely used for hydraulic works, both in the coastal domain and in border of rivers and torrents, especially to protect against flood and the effects of waves and currents. To meet the expectations associated with this resource, an inventory of armourstone quarries was realized on a national scale in France. This inventory informs not only about the localization of quarries but also about the quality and the availability of materials. To fully optimize this inventory in a dynamic format, the association of all actors of the sector was preferred to archival research. This partnership approach led to project deliverables that can constitute durably a shared reference. The database can indeed be updated regularly thanks to the contacts established with the professionals of quarries. The access to this database is offered to a wide public: maritime and fluvial ports, local authorities in charge of planning and managing structures that protect against flood and other hydraulic hazards. This new database was organized considering its importance on the operational plan. This led to a hierarchical organization at two levels for each quarry face: first level, a synthesis sheet brings the essential information to realize choices upstream to the operational phases. Second level, a detailed specification sheet presents the technical characteristics observed in the past on the considered face. The atlas has two information broadcasting formats: a pdf file with browsing functions and a geographical information system that allows remote request of the database. These two media have their own updating rhythms, annual for the first and continue for the second

Inventory of armourstone

Natural armourstone is widely used for hydraulic works, both in the coastal domain and in border of rivers and torrents, especially to protect against flood and the effects of waves and currents. To meet the expectations associated with this resource, an inventory of armourstone quarries was realized on a national scale in France. This inventory informs not only about the localization of quarries but also about the quality and the availability of materials. To fully optimize this inventory in a dynamic format, the association of all actors of the sector was preferred to archival research. This partnership approach led to project deliverables that can constitute durably a shared reference. The database can indeed be updated regularly thanks to the contacts established with the professionals of quarries. The access to this database is offered to a wide public: maritime and fluvial ports, local authorities in charge of planning and managing structures that protect against flood and other hydraulic hazards. This new database was organized considering its importance on the operational plan. This led to a hierarchical organization at two levels for each quarry face: first level, a synthesis sheet brings the essential information to realize choices upstream to the operational phases. Second level, a detailed specification sheet presents the technical characteristics observed in the past on the considered face. The atlas has two information broadcasting formats: a pdf file with browsing functions and a geographical information system that allows remote request of the database. These two media have their own updating rhythms, annual for the first and continue for the second

Brief CommunicationCirculating tumor DNA is present in the most aggressive meningiomas

International audienceRecent discoveries of multiple driver mutations open promising perspectives for targeted therapies in meningioma. Nevertheless, iterative recurrences of most aggressive meningiomas as extended skull base meningiomas are not systematically operated and histologically documented. This suggests the interest and the relevance of liquid biopsy in meningiomas. In a proof-of-concept study, we detected the NF2 mutation in 2 of 6 cell-free plasma DNAs and 1 of 1 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from high-grade recurrent cases, suggesting that identification of the driver mutation in blood and CSF is today feasible. Liquid biopsy could be an interesting tool to adapt the targeted therapy in meningiomas in the near future