Observations and Simulations of Meteorological Conditions over Arctic Thick Sea Ice in Late Winter during the Transarktika 2019 Expedition

The parameterization of ocean/sea-ice/atmosphere interaction processes is a challenge for regional climate models (RCMs) of the Arctic, particularly for wintertime conditions, when small fractions of thin ice or open water cause strong modifications of the boundary layer. Thus, the treatment of sea ice and sub-grid flux parameterizations in RCMs is of crucial importance. However, verification data sets over sea ice for wintertime conditions are rare. In the present paper, data of the ship-based experiment Transarktika 2019 during the end of the Arctic winter for thick one-year ice conditions are presented. The data are used for the verification of the regional climate model COSMO-CLM (CCLM). In addition, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are used for the comparison of ice surface temperature (IST) simulations of the CCLM sea ice model. CCLM is used in a forecast mode (nested in ERA5) for the Norwegian and Barents Seas with 5 km resolution and is run with different configurations of the sea ice model and sub-grid flux parameterizations. The use of a new set of parameterizations yields improved results for the comparisons with in-situ data. Comparisons with MODIS IST allow for a verification over large areas and show also a good performance of CCLM. The comparison with twice-daily radiosonde ascents during Transarktika 2019, hourly microwave water vapor measurements of first 5 km in the atmosphere and hourly temperature profiler data show a very good representation of the temperature, humidity and wind structure of the whole troposphere for CCLM

A needle in a haystack: Strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) in otoliths identify origin of Largemouth Bass from a large Southwest reservoir

publishedVersio

The SpinBus Architecture: Scaling Spin Qubits with Electron Shuttling

Quantum processor architectures must enable scaling to large qubit numbers while providing two-dimensional qubit connectivity and exquisite operation fidelities. For microwave-controlled semiconductor spin qubits, dense arrays have made considerable progress, but are still limited in size by wiring fan-out and exhibit significant crosstalk between qubits. To overcome these limitations, we introduce the SpinBus architecture, which uses electron shuttling to connect qubits and features low operating frequencies and enhanced qubit coherence. Device simulations for all relevant operations in the Si/SiGe platform validate the feasibility with established semiconductor patterning technology and operation fidelities exceeding 99.9 %. Control using room temperature instruments can plausibly support at least 144 qubits, but much larger numbers are conceivable with cryogenic control circuits. Building on the theoretical feasibility of high-fidelity spin-coherent electron shuttling as key enabling factor, the SpinBus architecture may be the basis for a spin-based quantum processor that meets the scalability requirements for practical quantum computing.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure

Mapping of bioavailable strontium isotope ratios in France for archaeological provenance studies

© 2017 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 24 month embargo from date of publication (Dec 2017) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyStrontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) of archaeological samples (teeth and bones) can be used to track mobility and migration across geologically distinct landscapes. However, traditional interpolation algorithms and classification approaches used to generate Sr isoscapes are often limited in predicting multiscale 87Sr/86Sr patterning. Here we investigate the suitability of plant samples and soil leachates from the IRHUM database (www.irhumdatabase.com) to create a bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr map using a novel geostatistical framework. First, we generated an 87Sr/86Sr map by classifying 87Sr/86Sr values into five geologically-representative isotope groups using cluster analysis. The isotope groups were then used as a covariate in kriging to integrate prior geological knowledge of Sr cycling with the information contained in the bioavailable dataset and enhance 87Sr/86Sr predictions. Our approach couples the strengths of classification and geostatistical methods to generate more accurate 87Sr/86Sr predictions (Root Mean Squared Error = 0.0029) with an estimate of spatial uncertainty based on lithology and sample density. This bioavailable Sr isoscape is applicable for provenance studies in France, and the method is transferable to other areas with high sampling density. While our method is a step forward in generating accurate 87Sr/86Sr isoscapes, the remaining uncertainty also demonstrates that fine-modelling of 87Sr/86Sr variability is challenging and requires more than geological maps for accurately predicting 87Sr/86Sr variations across the landscape. Future efforts should focus on increasing sampling density and developing predictive models to further quantify and predict the processes that lead to 87Sr/86Sr variability

Revealing the Functional Neuroanatomy of Intrinsic Alertness Using fMRI: Methodological Peculiarities

Clinical observations and neuroimaging data revealed a right-hemisphere fronto-parietal-thalamic-brainstem network for intrinsic alertness, and additional left fronto-parietal activity during phasic alertness. The primary objective of this fMRI study was to map the functional neuroanatomy of intrinsic alertness as precisely as possible in healthy participants, using a novel assessment paradigm already employed in clinical settings. Both the paradigm and the experimental design were optimized to specifically assess intrinsic alertness, while at the same time controlling for sensory-motor processing. The present results suggest that the processing of intrinsic alertness is accompanied by increased activity within the brainstem, thalamus, anterior cingulate gyrus, right insula, and right parietal cortex. Additionally, we found increased activation in the left hemisphere around the middle frontal gyrus (BA 9), the insula, the supplementary motor area, and the cerebellum. Our results further suggest that rather minute aspects of the experimental design may induce aspects of phasic alertness, which in turn might lead to additional brain activation in left-frontal areas not normally involved in intrinsic alertness. Accordingly, left BA 9 activation may be related to co-activation of the phasic alertness network due to the switch between rest and task conditions functioning as an external warning cue triggering the phasic alertness network. Furthermore, activation of the intrinsic alertness network during fixation blocks due to enhanced expectancy shortly before the switch to the task block might, when subtracted from the task block, lead to diminished activation in the typical right hemisphere intrinsic alertness network. Thus, we cautiously suggest that – as a methodological artifact – left frontal activations might show up due to phasic alertness involvement and intrinsic alertness activations might be weakened due to contrasting with fixation blocks, when assessing the functional neuroanatomy of intrinsic alertness with a block design in fMRI studies

Optimizing sulfate pyrolysis triple oxygen isotope analysis for samples from desert environments

Rationale The triple oxygen isotope composition of sulfate may reveal the formation pathway and depositional sources and may indicate slow biologic cycling in the environment. Pyrolysis mass spectrometry is better suited for large sample workloads during environmental profiling but sufficient precision and a thorough verification of accuracy are required for comparison with higher precision laser fluorination data. Methods Quantitative sulfate extraction from soil samples at neutral pH, purification, conversation into Ag-sulfate, and pyrolysis mass spectrometry were modified for high sample throughput. Samples were analyzed after pyrolysis in quartz cups and gold capsules in a modified EuroVector model 3000 elemental analyzer. Sample O-2 was measured in continuous He-flow after purification by cryo-trapping and chromatography on a Thermo Finnigan MAT253 isotope ratio mass spectrometer. A protocol for routine quality control and data normalization ensures long-term accuracy of the pyrolysis method. Results The 1 sigma SD external reproducibility is 0.12 parts per thousand for Delta O-17(SO4) values on 30 mu mol samples. Careful normalization for a daily analytical session accounts for changing pyrolysis conditions over the course of multiple sessions. The precision and accuracy obtained with quartz cups are comparable with those obtained with gold capsules. Pyrolysis and fluorination data for in-house standards from four laboratories and from an Atacama Desert gypsum-soil profile are identical and demonstrate the accuracy of our simplified method. Conclusions Pyrolysis of sulfate in quartz cups and a modified simple elemental analyzer setup allows for accurate, precise, fast, cost-efficient, and non-hazardous mass spectrometric analysis. Exchangeability of data from pyrolysis and laser fluorination methods was demonstrated by repeat analysis of standards and natural samples despite high contents of interfering, easily soluble nitrates and chlorides

High-resolution mapping of circum-Antarctic landfast sea ice distribution, 2000–2018

Landfast sea ice (fast ice) is an important component of the Antarctic nearshore marine environment, where it strongly modulates ice sheet–ocean–atmosphere interactions and biological and biogeochemical processes, forms a key habitat, and affects logistical operations. Given the wide-ranging importance of Antarctic fast ice and its sensitivity to climate change, improved knowledge of its change and variability in its distribution is a high priority. Antarctic fast-ice mapping to date has been limited to regional studies and a time series covering East Antarctica from 2000 to 2008. Here, we present the first continuous, high-spatio-temporal resolution (1 km, 15 d) time series of circum-Antarctic fast-ice extent; this covers the period March 2000 to March 2018, with future updates planned. This dataset was derived by compositing cloud-free satellite visible and thermal infrared imagery using an existing methodology, modified to enhance automation and reduce subjectivity in defining the fast-ice edge. This new dataset (Fraser et al., 2020) has wide applicability and is available at https://doi.org/10.26179/5d267d1ceb60c. The new algorithm presented here will enable continuous large-scale fast-ice mapping and monitoring into the future