EUREC⁴A

The science guiding the EUREC⁴A campaign and its measurements is presented. EUREC⁴A comprised roughly 5 weeks of measurements in the downstream winter trades of the North Atlantic – eastward and southeastward of Barbados. Through its ability to characterize processes operating across a wide range of scales, EUREC⁴A marked a turning point in our ability to observationally study factors influencing clouds in the trades, how they will respond to warming, and their link to other components of the earth system, such as upper-ocean processes or the life cycle of particulate matter. This characterization was made possible by thousands (2500) of sondes distributed to measure circulations on meso- (200 km) and larger (500 km) scales, roughly 400 h of flight time by four heavily instrumented research aircraft; four global-class research vessels; an advanced ground-based cloud observatory; scores of autonomous observing platforms operating in the upper ocean (nearly 10 000 profiles), lower atmosphere (continuous profiling), and along the air–sea interface; a network of water stable isotopologue measurements; targeted tasking of satellite remote sensing; and modeling with a new generation of weather and climate models. In addition to providing an outline of the novel measurements and their composition into a unified and coordinated campaign, the six distinct scientific facets that EUREC⁴A explored – from North Brazil Current rings to turbulence-induced clustering of cloud droplets and its influence on warm-rain formation – are presented along with an overview of EUREC⁴A's outreach activities, environmental impact, and guidelines for scientific practice. Track data for all platforms are standardized and accessible at https://doi.org/10.25326/165 (Stevens, 2021), and a film documenting the campaign is provided as a video supplement

EUREC⁴A

The science guiding the EUREC⁴A campaign and its measurements is presented. EUREC⁴A comprised roughly 5 weeks of measurements in the downstream winter trades of the North Atlantic – eastward and southeastward of Barbados. Through its ability to characterize processes operating across a wide range of scales, EUREC⁴A marked a turning point in our ability to observationally study factors influencing clouds in the trades, how they will respond to warming, and their link to other components of the earth system, such as upper-ocean processes or the life cycle of particulate matter. This characterization was made possible by thousands (2500) of sondes distributed to measure circulations on meso- (200 km) and larger (500 km) scales, roughly 400 h of flight time by four heavily instrumented research aircraft; four global-class research vessels; an advanced ground-based cloud observatory; scores of autonomous observing platforms operating in the upper ocean (nearly 10 000 profiles), lower atmosphere (continuous profiling), and along the air–sea interface; a network of water stable isotopologue measurements; targeted tasking of satellite remote sensing; and modeling with a new generation of weather and climate models. In addition to providing an outline of the novel measurements and their composition into a unified and coordinated campaign, the six distinct scientific facets that EUREC⁴A explored – from North Brazil Current rings to turbulence-induced clustering of cloud droplets and its influence on warm-rain formation – are presented along with an overview of EUREC⁴A's outreach activities, environmental impact, and guidelines for scientific practice. Track data for all platforms are standardized and accessible at https://doi.org/10.25326/165 (Stevens, 2021), and a film documenting the campaign is provided as a video supplement

Methods for IPM: advances in the methodological workpackage of PURE

The overall objective of PURE is to provide practical IPM solutions to reduce dependence on pesticides in selected major farming systems in Europe. This paper summarises methodological advances with regards to the design and assessment of IPM solutions. The presented case studies include major crops (cropping systems based on wheat or maize), field vegetables, orchards, vineyard and Controlled Environment Agriculture systems. - Ecological modelling. A software package (Universal Simulator) for collaborative ecological modelling is now available:http://www.ecolmod.org/. - Modelling for ex-ante and ex post assessment of IPM solutions. A multi-criteria model (DEXIPM) for sustainability assessment of innovative crop protection strategies has been developed along with SYNOPS, a web-based model for scaling up ex-post pesticide risk assessments at the individual crop level to the farm and regional levels. In addition, a model for ex-ante evaluation of IPM solutions is currently under development specifically for orchards (PREMISE). - Multiple pest modelling. An interactive generic modelling platform to help design models that simulate yield losses caused by an injury profile in a given production situation (X-PEST) is currently under development. Moreover, theoretical mathematical modelling approaches are conducted to represent the interactions between generalist biological control agents and multiple pests. - Optimisation techniques. Reinforcement learning methods have been adapted and applied to IPM. Multiobjective optimisation algorithms for model-based design of IPM solutions are being developed. The Graph based Markov Decision Process framework is being used for the optimisation of sequential decisions under uncertainty in a spatial context. - Cost-benefit analysis and consumers' willingness to pay. Cost-benefit analyses are conducted for IPM solutions tested in the PURE project. An experimental approach is planned to characterise consumers' willingness to pay for agricultural goods produced under IPM solutions as a function of their level of information on the mode of production. It is important to state that the methodological breakthroughs produced in this work package will not only benefit to the PURE project, but also aim at contributing to the design of practical IPM solutions to reduce dependence on pesticides for a wider range of farming systems. This is made possible by ensuring as much as possible genericity in the developed approaches. (Texte intégral