Use of very high resolution climate model data for hydrological modelling in southern Britain

Previous work driving hydrological models directly with data from regional climate models (RCMs) used data on an approximately 25x25km grid, which generally required some form of further downscaling before use by hydrological models. Recently, higher resolution data have become available from a NERC Changing Water Cycle project, CONVEX. As part of that project the Met Office Hadley Centre has run a very high resolution (1.5km) RCM, nested in a 12km RCM driven by ERA-Interim boundary conditions (1989-2008). They have also run baseline and future climate scenarios, nesting the RCMs in a global climate model. The 12km RCM runs cover Europe, while the 1.5km RCM runs only cover southern Britain

Hydrological Outlook UK; seasonal river flow forecasts using rainfall forecasts

Hydrological predictions in the UK are strongly influenced by both rainfall and antecedent soil conditions. The Flood Forecasting Centre (FFC) and Scottish Flood Forecasting Service (SFFS) operationally issue flood alerts and warnings, however these typically apply only days to weeks ahead. There was a desire to produce a more long-term (seasonal) forecast of the water situation for flooding and drought periods similar to that produced in countries such as the USA and Australia. The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) along with a number of partners have developed a long-range hydrological forecast for the UK. The Hydrological Outlook UK (www.hydoutuk.net) is the first operational forecast system for the UK that delivers monthly outlooks of the water situation for both river flow and groundwater levels. It brings together information on current and forecast weather conditions, soil moisture, river flows and groundwater levels, and uses a number of modelling approaches to explore possible future hydrological conditions. It is based on merging three complementary methods: (i) a statistical method based on river flow analogues and persistence, (ii) a Streamflow Ensemble Prediction System applied to selected catchments and boreholes; and (iii) a national hydrological forecast driven by an ensemble of 1 and 3 month-ahead rainfall forecasts from the UK Met Office’s GloSea5 model. Here we focus on the national scale hydrological forecasts, showing an example of the seasonal river flow forecasts and how they contribute to the Hydrological Outlooks UK monthly summary. The output from the different modelling methods and the summary are publicly available and used each month by government agencies, practitioners and academics alongside other sources of information such as flood warnings, meteorological forecasts and water situation reports

FDRI digital workshop: enabling reproducibility in hydrological research

In this report, we summarise the key findings and outcomes from the digital workshop on ‘Enabling reproducibility in hydrological research’ held in January 2024 as part of the UK Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI)

Phosphopantetheinyl transferase (Ppt)-mediated biosynthesis of lysine, but not siderophores or DHN melanin, is required for virulence of Zymoseptoria tritici on wheat

Zymoseptoria tritici is the causal agent of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) disease of wheat. Z. tritici is an apoplastic fungal pathogen, which does not penetrate plant cells at any stage of infection, and has a long initial period of symptomless leaf colonisation. During this phase it is unclear to what extent the fungus can access host plant nutrients or communicate with plant cells. Several important primary and secondary metabolite pathways in fungi are regulated by the post-translational activator phosphopantetheinyl transferase (Ppt) which provides an essential co-factor for lysine biosynthesis and the activities of non-ribosomal peptide synthases (NRPS) and polyketide synthases (PKS). To investigate the relative importance of lysine biosynthesis, NRPS-based siderophore production and PKS-based DHN melanin biosynthesis, we generated deletion mutants of ZtPpt. The ?ZtPpt strains were auxotrophic for lysine and iron, non-melanised and non-pathogenic on wheat. Deletion of the three target genes likely affected by ZtPpt loss of function (Aar- lysine; Nrps1-siderophore and Pks1- melanin), highlighted that lysine auxotrophy was the main contributing factor for loss of virulence, with no reduction caused by loss of siderophore production or melanisation. This reveals Ppt, and the lysine biosynthesis pathway, as potential targets for fungicides effective against Z. tritici

The Grizzly, December 1, 2005

Memorial for Professor McLennan • Fate of The Egg • Jazz Legend Performs at Ursinus • Myrin Renovations • Murderball is Coming to Ursinus • Hot Discounts Warm up the Ski Season • Am I Pregnant? • What\u27s Hot and What\u27s Not This Gift-Giving Season • Wanted: Greek Presidents • Opinions: The Bigger Headache with PA Liquor Laws; How to Avoid Disastrous Holiday Parties; Addicted to Games, Are We? • Bears Ground Flying Dutchmen • Bears Fall Short of NCAA Titlehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1701/thumbnail.jp

Chikungunya virus: an update on the biology and pathogenesis of this emerging pathogen

Re-emergence of chikungunya virus, a mosquito-transmitted pathogen, is of serious public health concern. In the past 15 years, after decades of infrequent, sporadic outbreaks, the virus has caused major epidemic outbreaks in Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean, and more recently the Caribbean and the Americas. Chikungunya virus is mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical regions, but the potential exists for further spread because of genetic adaptation of the virus to Aedes albopictus, a species that thrives in temperate regions. Chikungunya virus represents a substantial health burden to affected populations, with symptoms that include severe joint and muscle pain, rashes, and fever, as well as prolonged periods of disability in some patients. The inflammatory response coincides with raised levels of immune mediators and infiltration of immune cells into infected joints and surrounding tissues. Animal models have provided insights into disease pathology and immune responses. Although host innate and adaptive responses have a role in viral clearance and protection, they can also contribute to virus-induced immune pathology. Understanding the mechanisms of host immune responses is essential for the development of treatments and vaccines. Inhibitory compounds targeting key inflammatory pathways, as well as attenuated virus vaccines, have shown some success in animal models, including an attenuated vaccine strain based on an isolate from La Reunion incorporating an internal ribosome entry sequence that prevents the virus from infecting mosquitoes and a vaccine based on virus-like particles expressing envelope proteins. However, immune correlates of protection, as well as the safety of prophylactic and therapeutic candidates, are important to consider for their application in chikungunya infections. In this Review, we provide an update on chikungunya virus with regard to its epidemiology, molecular virology, virus-host interactions, immunological responses, animal models, and potential antiviral therapies and vaccines

The Grizzly, December 8, 2005

Bomberger Gets a Face Lift • Ursinus Remembers Rosa Parks • Holiday Spotlight: Materialism vs. Family • Music to Celebrate By • It\u27s Spoken Word, Haven\u27t You Heard? • First Ever Ursinus College Bear Olympics Meets with Success • Holiday Fashion: What not to Wear • Misconceptions About Feminine Hygiene • Ursinus Professor Directs Performance at Prince Music Theater • Opinions: A Politically Correct Holiday Season; Flakes of Fury; Blog Addiction • Bears Beat at Buzzer • Guntli Leads Bears Past Bulletshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1702/thumbnail.jp