31 research outputs found

    Pacific variability reconciles observed and modelled global mean temperature increase since 1950

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    Global mean temperature change simulated by climate models deviates from the observed temperature increase during decadal-scale periods in the past. In particular, warming during the ‘global warming hiatus’ in the early twenty-first century appears overestimated in CMIP5 and CMIP6 multi-model means. We examine the role of equatorial Pacific variability in these divergences since 1950 by comparing 18 studies that quantify the Pacific contribution to the ‘hiatus’ and earlier periods and by investigating the reasons for differing results. During the ‘global warming hiatus’ from 1992 to 2012, the estimated contributions differ by a factor of five, with multiple linear regression approaches generally indicating a smaller contribution of Pacific variability to global temperature than climate model experiments where the simulated tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) or wind stress anomalies are nudged towards observations. These so-called pacemaker experiments suggest that the ‘hiatus’ is fully explained and possibly over-explained by Pacific variability. Most of the spread across the studies can be attributed to two factors: neglecting the forced signal in tropical Pacific SST, which is often the case in multiple regression studies but not in pacemaker experiments, underestimates the Pacific contribution to global temperature change by a factor of two during the ‘hiatus’; the sensitivity with which the global temperature responds to Pacific variability varies by a factor of two between models on a decadal time scale, questioning the robustness of single model pacemaker experiments. Once we have accounted for these factors, the CMIP5 mean warming adjusted for Pacific variability reproduces the observed annual global mean temperature closely, with a correlation coefficient of 0.985 from 1950 to 2018. The CMIP6 ensemble performs less favourably but improves if the models with the highest transient climate response are omitted from the ensemble mean

    Novel Association of ABO Histo-Blood Group Antigen with Soluble ICAM-1: Results of a Genome-Wide Association Study of 6,578 Women

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    While circulating levels of soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (sICAM-1) have been associated with diverse conditions including myocardial infarction, stroke, malaria, and diabetes, comprehensive analysis of the common genetic determinants of sICAM-1 is not available. In a genome-wide association study conducted among 6,578 participants in the Women's Genome Health Study, we find that three SNPs at the ICAM1 (19p13.2) locus (rs1799969, rs5498 and rs281437) are non-redundantly associated with plasma sICAM-1 concentrations at a genome-wide significance level (P<5×10−8), thus extending prior results from linkage and candidate gene studies. We also find that a single SNP (rs507666, P = 5.1×10−29) at the ABO (9q34.2) locus is highly correlated with sICAM-1 concentrations. The novel association at the ABO locus provides evidence for a previously unknown regulatory role of histo-blood group antigens in inflammatory adhesion processes

    Recommended temperature metrics for carbon budget estimates, model evaluation and climate policy

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    Recent estimates of the amount of carbon dioxide that can still be emitted while achieving the Paris Agreement temperature goals are larger than previously thought. One potential reason for these larger estimates may be the different temperature metrics used to estimate the observed global mean warming for the historical period, as they affect the size of the remaining carbon budget. Here we explain the reasons behind these remaining carbon budget increases, and discuss how methodological choices of the global mean temperature metric and the reference period influence estimates of the remaining carbon budget. We argue that the choice of the temperature metric should depend on the domain of application. For scientific estimates of total or remaining carbon budgets, globally averaged surface air temperature estimates should be used consistently for the past and the future. However, when used to inform the achievement of the Paris Agreement goal, a temperature metric consistent with the science that was underlying and directly informed the Paris Agreement should be applied. The resulting remaining carbon budgets should be calculated using the appropriate metric or adjusted to reflect these differences among temperature metrics. Transparency and understanding of the implications of such choices are crucial to providing useful information that can bridge the science–policy gap

    Comparative Study between Silvopastoral and Agroforest Systems on Soil Quality in a Disturbed Native Forest of South-Central Chile

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    Agroforestry systems (AFSs) have gained recognition as a land use strategy to address food security and climate change. They involve intentionally cultivating trees alongside crops and/or animals. AFSs cover approximately 5% of the global forest area and promote sustainable soil conservation, including soil organic carbon (C) sequestration (C-SEQ). In some areas of Chile, AFSs are used to preserve the ecological value of native forests. This study evaluates the effects of two AFSs, namely, an agroforest for fodder production (A(GRO)F(RST)) and Silvopastoral (SPS), within a degraded native forest (Nothofagus obliqua sp.). The evaluation focuses on their impact on CSEQ capacity and soil quality (SQ), using soil quality indexes (SQIs) derived from 30 soil quality indicators (SINDs) related to physical, chemical, and microbiological properties at two depths (0-5 and 5-20 cm). The results for the total depth analyzed (0-20 cm) indicate an average C-SEQ of 6.88 and 4.83 Mg C yr(-1) and a global SQI of 37.8% and 31.0% for A(GRO)F(RST) and SPS, respectively. Among the thirteen SINDs that demonstrated significant differences (p < 0.05), five were associated with the considered depths (P+, Ca2+, S, ECEC, and Al-SAT), three differed between A(GRO)F(RST )and SPS (BD, NH4+, NO3-), while SOC, K+, and Mg2+ varied across all conditions (e.g., combinations of systems and depths), and beta-(GLU) and N-MIN differed in a single condition. However, almost all 30 S-INDs analyzed showed higher values at the 0-5 cm depth, indicating the positive effects of soil organic matter (SOM)/SOC additions. Significant interactions (Pearson's correlation) revealed that SOC correlated with most S-INDs (e.g., N, NH4+, P+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, S, ECEC, N-MIN). These findings suggest that both A(GRO)F(RST) and SPS systems have similar capabilities in restoring the ecological value of native Nothofagus forests while providing conditions for productive and complementary use. This sustainable option offers opportunities for cattle production alongside ecological restoration efforts and provides a possible strategy to generate public policies related to the ecosystem services of agroforestry systems
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