Nitrification amplifies the decreasing trends of atmospheric oxygen and implies a larger land carbon uptake

[1] Atmospheric O-2 trend measurements are used to partition global oceanic and land biotic carbon sinks on a multiannual basis. The underlying principle is that a terrestrial uptake or release of CO₂ is accompanied by an opposite flux of O-2. The molar ratio of the CO₂ and O-2 terrestrial fluxes should be 1, if no other elements are considered. However, reactive nitrogen produced by human activities (e.g., fertilizers, N deposition) is also being incorporated into plant tissues. The various reaction pathways of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle cause fluxes of atmospheric O-2. Thus the cycles of nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen must be linked together. We report here on previously unconsidered anthropogenic nitrogen-related mechanisms which impact atmospheric O-2 trends and thus the derived global carbon sinks. In particular, we speculate that anthropogenic-driven changes are driving the global nitrogen cycle to a more oxidized state, primarily through nitrification, nitrate fertilizer industrial production, and combustion of fossil fuels and anthropogenic biomass burning. The sum of these nitrogen-related processes acts to additionally decrease atmospheric O-2 and slightly increase atmospheric CO₂. We have calculated that the effective land biotic O-2: CO₂ molar ratio ranges between 0.76 and 1.04 rather than 1.10 ( moles of O-2 produced per mole of CO₂ consumed) over the period 1993 - 2003, depending on which of four contrasting nitrogen oxidation and reduction pathway scenarios is used. Using the scenario in which we have most confidence, this implies a 0.23 PgC yr(-1) correction to the global land biotic and oceanic carbon sinks of most recently reported estimates over 1993 - 2003, with the land biotic sink becoming larger and the oceanic sink smaller. We have attributed large uncertainties of 100% to all nitrogen-related O-2 and CO₂ fluxes and this corresponds up to +/- 0.09 PgC yr(-1) increase in global carbon sink uncertainties. Thus accounting for anthropogenic nitrogen-related terrestrial fluxes of O-2 results in a 45% larger land biotic sink of 0.74 +/- 0.78 PgC yr(-1) and a slightly smaller oceanic sink of 2.01 +/- 0.66 PgC yr(-1) for the decade 1993 - 2003. [References: 38

Wigner Oscillators, Twisted Hopf Algebras and Second Quantization

By correctly identifying the role of central extension in the centrally extended Heisenberg algebra h, we show that it is indeed possible to construct a Hopf algebraic structure on the corresponding enveloping algebra U(h) and eventually deform it through Drinfeld twist. This Hopf algebraic structure and its deformed version U^F(h) are shown to be induced from a more fundamental Hopf algebra obtained from the Schroedinger field/oscillator algebra and its deformed version, provided that the fields/oscillators are regarded as odd-elements of the super-algebra osp(1|2n). We also discuss the possible implications in the context of quantum statistics.Comment: 23 page

DTUJET--93 Sampling inelastic proton--proton and antiproton--proton collisions according to the two--component Dual Parton Model

A new version of a Monte Carlo Program for hadronic multi-particle production is presented. It is based on the two-component Dual Parton Model which includes the dual topological unitarization of soft and hard cross sections. The model treats both soft (low $p_{\perp}$) and hard (minijet, large $p_{\perp}$) processes in a unified and consistent way. The unified description is important at TeV-energies of hadron colliders, where the hard perturbative cross sections of QCD become large and comparable to the total cross sections.Comment: 20 pages , PHYSZZX, SI-93-

Singularity-Free Electrodynamics for Point Charges and Dipoles: Classical Model for Electron Self-Energy and Spin

It is shown how point charges and point dipoles with finite self-energies can be accomodated into classical electrodynamics. The key idea is the introduction of constitutive relations for the electromagnetic vacuum, which actually mirrors the physical reality of vacuum polarization. Our results reduce to conventional electrodynamics for scales large compared to the classical electron radius $r_0\approx 2.8\times10^{-13}$ cm. A classical simulation for a structureless electron is proposed, with the appropriate values of mass, spin and magnetic moment.Comment: 3 page

Obesity in Switzerland: do estimates depend on how body mass index has been assessed?

In Switzerland monitoring of obesity in the general population is based on body mass index (BMI) derived from self-reported weight and height. This approach may lead to misclassification of obese subjects and misinterpretation of obesity prevalence and trends. In order to explore this potential bias, we compared studies with measured and self-reported data. We analysed five studies based on measured BMI and five studies based on self-reported BMI, all of which were carried out in Switzerland between 1977 and 2004 and encompassed men and women aged 35-74 years. Obesity was defined as BMI>or=30 kg/m2. The prevalence of obesity was markedly higher (1.6 times) in studies with measured BMI in both sexes: 14.2% vs 8.8% in men and 12.5% vs 7.9% in women. These differences tended to increase with age in both sexes. However, a similar upward trend in the prevalence of obesity was observed with both methods (absolute increase per year in men and women respectively: 0.24% and 0.25% using measured BMI vs 0.17% and 0.20% using self-reported BMI). In Switzerland obesity prevalence in adults has clearly increased in the past three decades. Although the use of self-reported height and weight leads to a valid estimation of this increase, it results in a considerable underestimation of obesity prevalence rates in Switzerland. The type of assessment of height and weight should be taken into consideration when comparing prevalences of obesity between studies or regions or when using these prevalences to assess associated health risks or costs

Sensitivity of global warming to carbon emissions: effects of heat and carbon uptake in a suite of Earth system models

Climate projections reveal global-mean surface warming increasing nearly linearly with cumulative carbon emissions. The sensitivity of surface warming to carbon emissions is interpreted in terms of a product of three terms: the dependence of surface warming on radiative forcing, the fractional radiative forcing from CO2, and the dependence of radiative forcing from CO2 on carbon emissions. Mechanistically each term varies, respectively, with climate sensitivity and ocean heat uptake, radiative forcing contributions, and ocean and terrestrial carbon uptake. The sensitivity of surface warming to fossil-fuel carbon emissions is examined using an ensemble of Earth system models, forced either by an annual increase in atmospheric CO2 or by RCPs until year 2100. The sensitivity of surface warming to carbon emissions is controlled by a temporal decrease in the dependence of radiative forcing from CO2 on carbon emissions, which is partly offset by a temporal increase in the dependence of surface warming on radiative forcing. The decrease in the dependence of radiative forcing from CO2 is due to a decline in the ratio of the global ocean carbon undersaturation to carbon emissions, while the increase in the dependence of surface warming is due to a decline in the ratio of ocean heat uptake to radiative forcing. At the present time, there are large intermodel differences in the sensitivity in surface warming to carbon emissions, which are mainly due to uncertainties in the climate sensitivity and ocean heat uptake. These uncertainties undermine the ability to predict how much carbon may be emitted before reaching a warming target