The Infrared Difference Dust Index: Past, Present and Future

The Infrared Difference Dust Index (IDDI) [Legrand et al, 2001] is a Meteosat-derived thermal-infrared (TIR) index dedicated to remote sensing of desert aerosol over land (based on the former Meteosat First Generation (MFG) series). The IDDI product proves to be effective in studies of dust source location and seasonal activity [Brooks and Legrand, 2000; Léon and Legrand, 2003; Deepshikha et al, 2003a; b], in the physics of dust emission with respect to the surface properties [Chomette et al, 1999; Marticorena et al, 1997; 1999; 2004], for description of dust transport [Petit et al, 2005], of dust mineral composition [Caquineau et al, 2002] and for dust (meteorological) forecasting [Hu et al, 2008]. An improved algorithm and a new cloud masking technique applied to full resolution MFG IR images has given rise to an upgraded dust index. These improvements are described in the next section and resulting IDDI images are displayed and compared with images of the UV Aerosol Index (AI) from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard EOS-AURA. They are part of a database (to be completed), over the period 1981-2006 covered by MFG. Obviously, the 1-channel IDDI cannot match with the multi-channel data provided by the new spatial instruments (such as MSG/SEVIRI), but it has the advantage of covering a quarter century (1981-2006) and thus it is relevant for climate studies over this period (including the severe Sahelian drought of the 80s) as well as for investigating on the nature of the link between dust occurrence and epidemics of meningococcal meningitis in West Africa, throughout the 25 past years [Martiny et al, 2007]. In the last section of this abstract, the physical bases of dust remote sensing in the TIR during daylight are briefly presented. They allow to understand the fundamental differences with the more usual detection using channels in the solar spectrum (VIS and NIR) and they bear on the favorable or adverse conditions to produce a dust index of quality. Lastly, it is possible from such results to outline an approach for the determination of the TIR dust optical depth (or a dust index closely related to it), using the TIR channels IR8.7, IR10.8 and IR 12.0 of MSG/SEVIRI, as well as its median infrared (MIR) channel IR3.9

Amplification biases: possible differences among deviating gene expressions.

International audienceBACKGROUND: Gene expression profiling has become a tool of choice to study pathological or developmental questions but in most cases the material is scarce and requires sample amplification. Two main procedures have been used: in vitro transcription (IVT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the former known as linear and the latter as exponential. Previous reports identified enzymatic pitfalls in PCR and IVT protocols; however the possible differences between the sequences affected by these amplification defaults were only rarely explored. RESULTS: Screening a bovine cDNA array dedicated to embryonic stages with embryonic (n = 3) and somatic tissues (n = 2), we proceeded to moderate amplifications starting from 1 mug of total RNA (global PCR or IVT one round). Whatever the tissue, 16% of the probes were involved in deviating gene expressions due to amplification defaults. These distortions were likely due to the molecular features of the affected sequences (position within a gene, GC content, hairpin number) but also to the relative abundance of these transcripts within the tissues. These deviating genes mainly encoded housekeeping genes from physiological or cellular processes (70%) and constituted 2 subsets which did not overlap (molecular features, signal intensities, gene ID). However, the differential expressions identified between embryonic stages were both reliable (minor intersect with biased expressions) and relevant (biologically validated). In addition, the relative expression levels of those genes were biologically similar between amplified and unamplified samples. CONCLUSION: Conversely to the most recent reports which challenged the use of intense amplification procedures on minute amounts of RNA, we chose moderate PCR and IVT amplifications for our gene profiling study. Conclusively, it appeared that systematic biases arose even with moderate amplification procedures, independently of (i) the sample used: brain, ovary or embryos, (ii) the enzymatic properties initially inferred (exponential or linear) and (iii) the preliminary optimization of the protocols. Moreover the use of an in-house developed array, small-sized but well suited to the tissues we worked with, was of real interest for the search of differential expressions

Deciphering the Molecular Basis of Wine Yeast Fermentation Traits Using a Combined Genetic and Genomic Approach

The genetic basis of the phenotypic diversity of yeast is still poorly understood. Wine yeast strains have specific abilities to grow and ferment under stressful conditions compared with other strains, but the genetic basis underlying these traits is unknown. Understanding how sequence variation influences such phenotypes is a major challenge to address adaptation mechanisms of wine yeast. We aimed to identify the genetic basis of fermentation traits and gain insight into their relationships with variations in gene expression among yeast strains. We combined fermentation trait QTL mapping and expression profiling of fermenting cells in a segregating population from a cross between a wine yeast derivative and a laboratory strain. We report the identification of QTL for various fermentation traits (fermentation rates, nitrogen utilization, metabolites production) as well as expression QTL (eQTL). We found that many transcripts mapped to several eQTL hotspots and that two of them overlapped with QTL for fermentation traits. A QTL controlling the maximal fermentation rate and nitrogen utilization overlapping with an eQTL hotspot was dissected. We functionally demonstrated that an allele of the ABZ1 gene, localized in the hotspot and involved in p-aminobenzoate biosynthesis, controls the fermentation rate through modulation of nitrogen utilization. Our data suggest that the laboratory strain harbors a defective ABZ1 allele, which triggers strong metabolic and physiological alterations responsible for the generation of the eQTL hotspot. They also suggest that a number of gene expression differences result from some alleles that trigger major physiological disturbances

Assessments for the impact of mineral dust on the meningitis incidence in West Africa.

9 pagesInternational audienceRecently, mineral dust has been suspected to be one of the important environmental risk factor for meningitis epidemics in West Africa. The current study is one of the first which relies on long-term robust aerosol measurements in the Sahel region to investigate the possible impact of mineral dust on meningitis cases (incidence). Sunphotometer measurements, which allow to derive aerosol and humidity parameters, i.e., aerosol optical thickness, Angström coefficient, and precipitable water, are combined with quantitative epidemiological data in Niger and Mali over the 2004-2009 AMMA (African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis) program period. We analyse how the extremely high aerosol loads in this region may influence both the calendar (onset, peaks, end) and the intensity of meningitis. We highlight three distinct periods: (i) from November to December, beginning of the dry season, humidity is weak, there is no dust and no meningitis cases; (ii) from January to April, humidity is still weak, but high dust loads occur in the atmosphere and this is the meningitis season; (iii) from May to October, humidity is high and there is no meningitis anymore, in presence of dust or not, which flow anyway in higher altitudes. More specifically, the onset of the meningitis season is tightly related to mineral dust flowing close to the surface at the very beginning of the year. During the dry, and the most dusty season period, from February to April, each meningitis peak is preceded by a dust peak, with a 0-2 week lead-time. The importance (duration, intensity) of these meningitis peaks seems to be related to that of dust, suggesting that a cumulative effect in dust events may be important for the meningitis incidence. This is not the case for humidity, confirming the special contribution of dust at this period of the year. The end of the meningitis season, in May, coincides with a change in humidity conditions related to the West African Monsoon. These results, which are interpreted in the context of recent independent epidemiological studies on meningitis highlight, (i) the particular role of dust during the dry season (low humidity conditions) on the onset and the intra-seasonal variability of the meningitis season; (ii) the specific role of high humidity at the end of the meningitis season in two Sahelian countries particularly affected by the disease

Impact of human-induced desertification on the intensification of Sahel dust emission and export over the last decades

International audienceHuman-induced soil degradation in Sahel is a major concern for regional climate change. A significant increase in long-range atmospheric dust transport due to human activities would indeed modify the radiative budget and the water cycle over both Africa and the tropical Atlantic. Here we use two independent long-term datasets, i.e., surface concentration measurements at Barbados between 1965 and 2000 and maps of TOMS dust optical thickness between 1979 and 2000, to evidence an increase of a factor of two of background dust loads over the Atlantic since the mid 60's, independently of any climatic phenomenon. Satellite imagery suggests that this trend can be attributed to an intensification of dust emissions in a Sahel region centered on southern Mali. The desertification caused by the doubling of the population in Sahel over the last 40 years likely explains the observed intensification of the Atlantic dust export

Predictability of mineral dust concentrations: The African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis first short observation period forecasted with CHIMERE‐DUST

International audienceThe predictability of northern Africa dust events is assessed using daily numerical forecast simulations for the next 3 days. The dust concentration fields, modeled with the CHIMERE-DUST model, were first evaluated by comparison with both Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) surface data and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) satellite measurements. The accuracy and spread between measurements and simulations are discussed for the first short observation period of the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) experiment in western Africa, between January and March 2006. The predictability of dust events was then estimated by comparing model results for different leads in a forecast mode. The model performance was evaluated with respect to its capability to forecast the surface wind speed, which is the key process for dust emission, and the transport of mineral dust near source regions and toward remote areas. It is shown that forecast emissions can vary up to 80% (close to the sources) but that the variability on forecasted dust concentrations and optical thicknesses do not exceed 40% and 20%

Previsibility of mineral dust concentrations: The CHIMERE-DUST forecast during the first AMMA experiment dry season

International audienceAbstract. The predictability of Northern Africa dust events is assessed using daily numerical forecast simulations for the next three days. The dust concentration fields, modeled with the CHIMERE-DUST model, were first evaluated by comparison with both AERONET surface data and OMI and SEVIRI satellite measurements. The accuracy and spread between measurements and simulations are discussed for the first short observation period of the AMMA experiment in Western Africa, between January and March 2006. The predictability of dust events was then estimated by comparing model results for different leads in a forecast mode. The model performance was evaluated with respect to its capability to forecast the surface wind speed, which is the key process for dust emission, and the transport of mineral dust near source regions and towards remote areas. It is shown that emissions forecast can vary up to 80% (close to the sources) but that the variability on forecasted dust concentrations and optical thicknesses do not exceed 40% and 20%

Caractérisation du contenu atmosphérique en ozone et en aérosols au moyen de mesures spectrales dans l'UV (validation de l'instrument spatial OMI / AURA)

Depuis la découverte d'une diminution de la quantité d'ozone stratosphérique au milieu des années 1980, une surveillance de la couche d'ozone et de l'éclairement UV s'est mise en place à l'aide d'instruments au sol et spatiaux. Les mesures de rayonnement UV permettent d'une part de surveiller l'intensité de ce rayonnement arrivant au sol, et d'autre part de caractériser certains composés atmosphériques comme la quantité d'ozone et les aérosols. L'essentiel de ce travail concerne l'analyse et l'utilisation des mesures d'éclairement UV spectral effectuées sur deux sites de mesures au sol, à Villeneuve d'Ascq (VdA) et à Briançon. Nous avons poursuivi la restitution de la colonne totale d'ozone, ce qui nous a permis de disposer d'une série temporelle de plusieurs années. Nous avons également déterminé deux paramètres aérosols, l'épaisseur optique (AOT) et l'albédo de diffusion simple; les comparaisons avec les mesures photométriques du réseau AERONET/PHOTONS se sont révélées très satisfaisantes. Les données obtenues à partir de septembre 2004 nous ont permis de participer dans le cadre d'un projet de l'ESA, à la validation de l'instrument spatial OMI, destiné à effectuer une surveillance globale de l'ozone et de l'UV. Ce travail a permis d'établir que les produits ozone d'OMI sont bien restitués, alors que les éclairements UV spectral et érythémateux sont à utiliser avec précaution. A VdA, les comparaisons entre les AOT-OMI et les AOT restituées au sol sont peu satisfaisantes. De meilleurs accords ont été obtenus sur les sites photométriques impliqués dans la campagne AMMA en Afrique de l'Ouest, cette région étant sous l'influence de contenus élevés en aérosols absorbants.Since the discovery of the stratospheric ozone reduction in the middle of the 1980's, a monitoring of the ozone layer and UV irradiance was organized, using ground-based and satellite instruments. Measurements of UV radiation allow both to monitor the intensity of this radiation reaching the surface and to retrieve atmospheric compounds as content of ozone and aerosol characteristics. The main part of this work concerns the analysis and the use of UV spectral measurements performed at Villeneuve d'Ascq (VdA) and at Briançon. We continued the restitution of the total column of ozone that provides a multi-year record of this quantity. We determined two aerosol parameters, the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and the single scattering albedo; comparisons with photometric measurements from the AERONET/PHOTONS network appeared very good. The data obtained from September 2004 enabled us to be involved within the framework of an ESA project in the validation of the OMI/AURA instrument, which is dedicated to a global monitoring of ozone and UV. We have established that the OMI ozone products are very well retrieved, whereas spectral and erythemal dose UV have to be used with caution. At VdA, the comparisons between OMI-AOT and those derived fram graund-based measurements are not satisfying. Better results were obtained at six sites located in WesternAfrica region during the AMMA campaign, this region being influenced by high loads of absorbing aerasols.LILLE1-Bib. Electronique (590099901) / SudocSudocFranceF