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Knowledge on the occurrence and behaviour of baleen whales around sub-Antarctic regions is limited, and usually based on short, seasonal sighting research from shore or research vessels and whaling records, neither of which provide accurate and comprehensive year-round perspectives of these animals’ ecology. We investigated the seasonal acoustic occurrence and diel vocalizing pattern of baleen whales around the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands (PEIs) using passive acoustic monitoring data from mid-2021 to mid-2023, detecting six distinct baleen whale songs from Antarctic blue whales, Madagascan pygmy blue whales, fin whales, Antarctic minke whales, humpback whales, and sei whales. Antarctic blue and fin whales were detected year-round whereas the other species’ songs were detected seasonally, including a new Antarctic minke whale bio-duck song sub-type described here for the first time. Antarctic minke and sei whales were more vocally active at night-time whereas the other species had no clear diel vocalizing patterns. Random forest models identified month and/or sea surface temperature as the most important predictors of all baleen whale acoustic occurrence. These novel results highlight the PEIs as a useful habitat for baleen whales given the number of species that inhabit or transit through this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the 2014 European Union economic sanctions on exports to Russia and the Russian retaliatory measures on imports from several Western countries. Using the universe of highly disaggregated international trade and taxation data for firms in the Netherlands, we systematically analyze the impact of these economic sanctions on Dutch firms' exports and foreign direct investment. Our analyses account for the product‐specific EU restrictions on arms, equipment used for oil exploration and extraction, and dual‐use products suitable for civilian and military use, as well as the Russian import ban on various primary commodities. Our empirical findings highlight the overall negative impact of sanctions on the intensive margin of exports. However, having a foreign affiliate in Russia helps to mitigate the otherwise negative impact of sanctions on the extensive margin of exports. We also show that exporters do not circumvent sanctions by setting up a local affiliate in Russia. In fact, exposure to Russian countersanctions may even force firms to close their Russian affiliates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood risk quantification is a complex process involving a chain of models. The approach contains many uncertainties which accumulate in the calculated flood risk. Risk-based flood safety standards are therefore prone to large uncertainty. This study aims to quantify the uncertainty of risk-based flood safety standards for a Dutch riverine case study. Through a systematic approach using expert elicitation, the key uncertainty sources in the Dutch safety standard derivation are identified. Uncertainty magnitudes are quantified for five main sources of uncertainty, after which these uncertainties are propagated through the model chain in a scenario analysis to derive flood safety standards. The results show that the Dutch risk-based flood safety standards are highly uncertain given the relative uncertainty bandwidth of 70%. The flood safety standards are found to be most sensitive to damage function and evacuation uncertainty. Also, we show that the impact of uncertainty strongly depends on local characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol particle number concentration measurements are a crucial part of aerosol research. Vertical profile measurements and high-altitude/low-pressure performance of the respective instruments become more important for remote sensing validation and a vital tool for the observation of climate variables. This study tests the new, commercially available water condensation particle counter (MAGIC 210-LP) for the deployment at aircraft cruising pressure levels that the European research infrastructure IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System; http://www.iagos.org , last access: 2 May 2023) is aiming for by operating measurement instrumentation onboard passenger aircraft. We conducted laboratory experiments for conditions to simulate passenger aircraft flight altitude at operation pressure. We demonstrate that this type of water condensation particle counter shows excellent agreement with a butanol-based instrument used in parallel. A Faraday cup aerosol electrometer serves as the reference instrument. Experiments are performed with test aerosol ammonium sulfate and fresh combustion soot at pressure levels ranging from 700 to 200 hPa. For soluble particles like ammonium sulfate, the 50 % detection efficiency cut-off diameter (D50) is around 5 nm and does not differ significantly for all performed experiments. For non-soluble fresh soot particles, the D50 cut-off diameter of approximately 10 nm does not vary substantially as a function of pressure, whereas the 90 % detection efficiency cut-off diameter D90 increases from 19 nm at 700 hPa to 37 nm at 200 hPa. The overall counting efficiency for particles larger than 40 nm reaches 100 % for working pressures of 200 hPa and higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The working fluid of a condensation particle counter (CPC) is one of its essential characteristics. Butanol is commonly used as the working fluid in alcohol-based CPCs due to its proven performance for various applications and for a wide range of working conditions over the past almost 5 decades. At the same time, butanol has several disadvantages, including its strong and unpleasant odour, negative effects when inhaled over prolonged periods and flammability, making it troublesome to use in places with strict safety regulations. In this work, we propose addressing these negative issues by replacing butanol with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a substance that has not been used as a CPC working fluid to date. DMSO is an odourless, non-flammable and non-toxic substance that is easily accessible and inexpensive. During thorough experiments, this new substitute working fluid has proven to be stable with respect to its performance for CPCs and storage. We show that DMSO behaves in an equivalent manner to butanol when used to operate a CPC in terms of the instrument's counting efficiency, D50 cut-off diameter (the diameter at which 50 % of the particles are counted with respect to a reference) and concentration linearity. In addition, we have demonstrated this for operating pressures ranging from ambient pressure down to 200 hPa without the need for any safety precautions. Our new working fluid was tested on three CPC units representing two different models, almost always in side-by-side measurements. So far, we have achieved the best results with operating temperatures of 40 ∘ C for the CPC's saturator and 5 ∘ C for its condenser. To address a less desirable property of DMSO, it could be mixed with a slight amount of water to decrease its freezing point significantly. When mixed accordingly, the substance remains a liquid, even in work environments with temperatures ≤ - 10 ∘ C, without any impact on the CPC's counting efficiency performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol particle number concentration measurements are a crucial part of aerosol research. Vertical profile measurements and high-altitude/low pressure performance of the respective instruments become more and more important for remote sensing validation and as a key tool for the observation of climate variables. This study tests the new, commercially available, water condensation particle counter (MAGIC 210-LP) for the deployment at aircraft cruising pressure levels, that the European research infrastructure IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System) is aiming for by operating measurement instrumentation on board of passenger aircraft. We conducted a series of laboratory experiments for conditions, which simulate passenger aircraft flight altitude operations. We demonstrate that this model water condensation particle counter shows excellent agreement with a butanol-based instrument used in parallel, and a Faraday cup aerosol electrometer serving as the reference instrument. Experiments were performed with test aerosols ammonium sulphate, fresh combustion soot as well as ambient aerosol, at pressure levels ranging from 700 hPa down to 200 hPa. For soluble particles like ammonium sulphate, the 50 % detection efficiency cut-off diameter (D50) was 5 nm and did not differ significantly for all performed experiments. For non-soluble fresh soot particles, the D50 cut-off diameter did not differ significantly for particle sizes around 10 nm, whereas the D90 cut-off diameter increased from 17 nm at 700 hPa to 34 nm at 200 hPa. The overall counting efficiency for particles larger 30 nm reaches 100 % for working pressures 200 hPa and higher. Though we observed a drop of the counting efficiency from 100 % to 90 % for particles smaller than 15 nm, as soon as we reached a pressure of 250 hPa. For pressure conditions down to 200 hPa, the counting efficiency for particles smaller than 15 nm dropped further and reached 80 %. This feature, however, has only minor impact on the overall excellent performance of the instrument at all tested pressure conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct an empirically supported definition of incidental and perennial exporting and investigate to what extent incidental exporting is a steady-state of firms, to what extent incidental exporters are distinguishable from non-exporters and perennial exporters and which factors explain the switching of export status. Our findings point at a Melitz (Econometrica 71(6): 1695–1725, 2003) type productivity sorting pattern, where perennial exporters are more productive than incidental exporters which are in turn more productive than non-exporters. However, incidental exporting seems to be a temporary state for the large majority of firms on their way to either becoming a perennial exporter or exiting foreign markets altogether. For only a relatively small group of firms, the intermittent exporters, incidental exporting—typically shipping one product to one country every few years—seems to be business as usual. Labor productivity shows to be a key factor in the process of moving from incidental exporting to perennial exporting. Particularly expanding the export portfolio along the extensive margin adds to the robustness of the firm's export status, even though growth along the intensive margin also cements a firm's position on foreign markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol intensive optical properties, including Ångström exponents for aerosol light extinction (EAEs), scattering (SAEs) and absorption (AAEs) as well as and the single-scattering albedo (SSA), are indicators for aerosol size, chemical composition, radiative behaviour and particle sources. Derivation of these parameters requires the measurement of aerosol optical properties at multiple wavelengths, which usually involves the use of several instruments. Our study aims to quantify the uncertainties in the determination of these intensive properties using an optical closure approach. In our laboratory closure study, we measured the full set of optical properties for a range of light-absorbing particles with different properties externally mixed with ammonium sulfate to generate aerosols with controlled SSA values. The investigated absorbing particle types were fresh combustion soot emitted by an inverted flame soot generator (SOOT; fractal agglomerates), Aquadag (AQ; compact aggregates), Cabot black (BC; compact agglomerates) and an acrylic paint (magic black, shape unknown). The instruments used in this study were two cavity attenuated phase shift particle monitors for single-scattering albedo (CAPS PM SSA 's; λ=450 , 630 nm) for measuring light-extinction and light-scattering coefficients, one integrating nephelometer (λ=450 , 550, 700 nm) for light-scattering coefficients, and one tricolour absorption photometer (TAP; λ=467 , 528, 652 nm) for filter-based light-absorption coefficients. One key finding is that the coefficients of light absorption, scattering and extinction derived from combing the measurements of two independent instruments agree with measurements from single instruments; the slopes of regression lines are equal within reported uncertainties (i.e. closure is observed). Despite closure for measured absorption coefficients, we caution that the estimated uncertainties for absorption coefficients, propagated for the differential method (DM; absorption = extinction minus scattering), can exceed 100 % for atmospherically relevant SSA values (>0.9). This increasing estimated uncertainty with increasing SSA yields AAE values that may be too uncertain for measurements in the range of atmospheric aerosol loadings. We recommend using the DM for measuring AAE values when the SSA < 0.9. EAE- and SAE-derived values achieved closure during this study within stated uncertainties for extinction coefficients greater than 15 Mm -1. SSA values for 450 and 630 nm wavelengths internally agreed with each other within 10 % uncertainty for all instrument combinations and sampled aerosol types, which fulfils the defined goals for measurement uncertainty of 10 % proposed by Laj et al. (2020) for GCOS (Global Climate Observing System) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol intensive optical properties like the Ångström exponents for aerosol light extinction, scattering and absorption, or the single-scattering albedo are indicators for aerosol size distributions, chemical composition and radiative behaviour and contain also source information. The observation of these parameters requires the measurement of aerosol optical properties at multiple wavelengths which usually implies the use of several instruments. Our study aims to quantify the uncertainties of the determination of multiple-wavelengths intensive properties by an optical closure approach, using different test aerosols. In our laboratory closure study, we measured the full set of aerosol optical properties for a range of light-absorbing aerosols with different properties, mixed externally with ammonium sulphate to generate aerosols of controlled single-scattering albedo. The investigated aerosol types were: fresh combustion soot emitted by an inverted flame soot generator (SOOT, fractal aggregates), Aquadag (AQ, spherical shape), Cabot industrial soot (BC, compact clusters), and an acrylic paint (Magic Black, MB). One focus was on the validity of the Differential Method (DM: absorption = extinction minus scattering) for the determination of Ångström exponents for different particle loads and mixtures of light-absorbing aerosol with ammonium sulphate, in comparison to data obtained from single instruments. The instruments used in this study were two CAPS PMssa (Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift Single Scattering Albedo, ? = 450, 630 nm) for light extinction and scattering coefficients, one Integrating Nephelometer (? = 450, 550, 700 nm) for light scattering coefficient and one Tricolour Absorption Photometer (TAP, ? = 467, 528, 652 nm) for filter-based light absorption coefficient measurement. Our key finding is that the coefficients of light absorption sap, scattering ssp and extinction sep from the Differential Method agree with data from single reference instruments, and the slopes of regression lines equal unity within the precision error. We found, however, that the precision error for the DM exceeds 100% for sap values lower than 10-20 Mm-1 for atmospheric relevant single scattering albedo. This increasing uncertainty with decreasing sap yields an absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) that is too uncertain for measurements in the range of atmospheric aerosol loadings. We recommend using DM only for measuring AAE values for sap > 50 Mm-1. Ångström exponents for scattering and extinction are reliable for extinction coefficients from 20 up to 1000 Mm-1 and stay within 10% deviation from reference instruments, regardless of the chosen method. Single-scattering albedo (SSA) values for 450 nm and 630 nm wavelengths agree with values from the reference method ssp (NEPH)/sep (CAPS PMSSA) with less than 10% uncertainty for all instrument combinations and sampled aerosol types which fulfil the defined goals for measurement uncertainty of 10% proposed by Laj et al., 2020 for GCOS (Global Climate Observing System) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the contribution of the Dutch public export credit insurance facility (ECIF) to Dutch GDP and employment. Unlike previous studies concerning export credit insurance, which generally adopt the gravity model of trade, we adopt an input–output approach. The results show that the contribution of economic activity insured by the public ECIF to GDP averages 0.24% annually. This concerns value added generated both by exporters and by their domestic suppliers in the value chain. The contribution to employment shows an average of 0.27%, accumulating to 95,000 jobs (FTE) over 5 years. The estimated contribution of the public ECIF to the Dutch economy should be considered an upper boundary of its true contribution. Therefore, we examine the extent to which the above economic gains would be realised if the facility was unavailable using highly disaggregated trade data. The basic idea is that if certain products are only exported to certain destinations with the aid of the public ECIF, then this indicates a high degree of additionality. The inconclusiveness of our results underlines the difficulties in assessing the degree of additionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first in situ continuous full‐water‐column observations of the eastern boundary currents (EBCs) at 34.5°S in the South Atlantic are obtained using 23 months of data from a line of Current and Pressure recording Inverted Echo Sounders (CPIES) spanning the Cape Basin. The CPIES are used to evaluate the mean structure of the EBC, the associated water masses, and the volume transport variability. The estimated northward time‐mean Benguela Current absolute geostrophic transport is 24 Sv, with a temporal standard deviation of 17 Sv. Beneath this current the time‐mean transport is southward, indicating the presence of a deep‐EBC (DEBC), with a time‐mean transport of 12 Sv, and a standard deviation of 17 Sv. Offshore of these currents, the shallow and deep flows are more variable with weak time means, likely influenced by Agulhas Rings transiting through the region. Hydrographic data collected along the CPIES line demonstrate that the DEBC is carrying recently ventilated North Atlantic Deep Water, as it flows along the continental slope. This is consistent with a previously hypothesized interior pathway bringing recently ventilated North Atlantic Deep Water from the Deep Western Boundary Current across the Atlantic to the Cape Basin. The observations further indicate that much of the DEBC must recirculate within the basin. Spectral analyses of the shallow and deep EBC transport time series demonstrate that the strongest variability occurs on timescales ranging from 30 to 90 days, associated with the propagation of Agulhas Rings. Plain Language Summary: Heat and freshwater transported by the overturning circulation in the Atlantic have been shown to have significant influences on global climate. Boundary current variations in the Southeast Atlantic have furthermore been shown to play a major role in the overturning circulation. This study presents, for the first time, full‐depth, daily observations of the eastern boundary currents at 34.5°S based on moored instruments. The 23 months of observations (velocity and water mass properties) reveal the presence of two distinct eastern boundary currents, with equatorward flow in the upper layer and poleward flow in the deep layer. The variability of both currents is characterized, in unprecedented detail, and is shown to be dominated by large anticyclonic eddies transiting across the moorings. The observations further indicate that much of the deep current must recirculate within the Cape Basin, with a smaller portion of the flow participating in the global overturning circulation. Key Points: Velocity and water mass observations demonstrate the presence of two distinct eastern boundary currentsVolume transport fluctuations of the two boundary currents are strongest at period of 30‐90 daysMuch of the deep eastern boundary current must be recirculating in the basin rather than participating in the overturning circulation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Prince Edward Islands (PEIs) lie within the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), in a transition zone bordered by the sub‐Antarctic Front (SAF) to the north and the Antarctic Polar Front (APF) in the south. A climate‐driven southward shift of the ACC and its frontal systems, the SAF and APF, in the vicinity of the PEIs is associated with a long‐term decline in the frequency of island‐associated phytoplankton blooms. These oceanographic perturbations coincide with significant declines in top predator populations attributed to shifts in the distribution and availability of prey, illustrating the interconnectedness between the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the PEIs. This study investigated the influence of oceanographic variability on the marine ecosystem of the PEIs. A shift in phytoplankton and bacterial communities was observed that coincides with the position of the southern branch of the SAF, which was located to the north of the PEIs during 2014 and to the south during 2012, 2013, and 2015. These shifts in the diversity and structure of marine microbial communities correlate with significant perturbations in the position of the SAF relative to the islands leading us to conlclude that bacterial and phytoplankton communities in the PEI region are strongly influenced by shifts in the position of the SAF relative to the PEIs. This study highlights the critical need to link on‐going physical time series measurements with biological observations to provide a better understanding of the direct role that the upstream dynamics has on the near‐shore island environment and its productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present here sea surface salinity (SSS) and temperature (SST) data collected on board the S.A. Agulhas-I and S.A. Agulhas-II research vessels, in the framework of the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP). Onboard Sea-Bird thermosalinographs were regularly calibrated and continuously monitored in-between cruises, and no appreciable sensor drift emerged. Water samples were taken on a daily basis and later analyzed with a Portasal salinometer; some CTD measurements collected along the cruises were used to validate the data. No systematic differences appeared after a rigorous quality control on continuous data. Results show that salinity measurement error was a few hundredths of a unit on the practical salinity scale. Quality control included several steps, among which an automatic detection of unreliable values through selected threshold criteria and an attribution of quality flags based on multiple criteria, i.e., analysis of information included in the cruise reports, detection of insufficient flow and/or presence of air bubbles and ice crystals in the seawater pipe, visual inspection of individual campaigns, and ex post check of sea ice maps for confirming ice field locations. This data processing led us to discard about 36% of acquired observations, while reliable data showed an excellent agreement with several independent SSS products. Nevertheless, a sea ice flag has been included for identifying valid data which could have been affected by scattered sea ice contamination. In our opinion, this dataset, available through an unrestricted repository at https://doi.org/10.7289/V56M3545, contributes to improving the knowledge of surface water features in one of the most important regions for global climate. The dataset will be highly valuable for studies focusing on climate variability in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, especially across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and its fronts. Furthermore, we expect that the collected SSS data will represent a valuable tool for the calibration and validation of recent satellite observations provided by SMOS and Aquarius missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eastern side of the South Atlantic Meridional overturning circulation Basin-wide Array (SAMBA) along 34.5° S is used to assess the nonlinear, mesoscale dynamics of the Cape Basin. This array presently consists of current meter moorings and bottom mounted Current and Pressure recording Inverted Echo Sounders (CPIES) deployed across the continental slope. These data, available from September 2014 to December 2015, combined with satellite altimetry allow us to investigate the characteristics and the impact of mesoscale dynamics on local water mass distribution and cross-validate the different data sets. We demonstrate that the moorings are affected by the complex dynamics of the Cape Basin involving Agulhas rings, cyclonic eddies and anticyclonic eddies from the Agulhas Bank and the South Benguela upwelling front and filaments. Our analyses show that exchange of water masses happens through the advection of water by mesoscale eddies but also via wide water mass intrusions engendered by the existence of intense dipoles. These complex dynamics induce strong intra-seasonal upperocean velocity variations and water mass exchanges between the shelf and the open ocean but also across the subantarctic and subtropical waters. This work presents the first independent observations comparison between full-depth moorings and CPIES data sets within the eastern South Atlantic region that gives some evidence of eastern boundary buoyancy anomalies associated with migrating eddies. It also highlights the need to continuously sample the full water depth as inter-basin exchanges occur intermittently and affect the whole water column. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Do firms engaging in international trade have higher or lower profit margins? It is well established that more productive firms engage in trading activities and as a result have higher profit levels. We use two theoretical models (the Melitz model and the Egger–Kreickemeier model) to clarify the relationship between productivity, trade activity, and profit margins and derive three hypotheses: (I) profit margins rise as productivity rises for domestic firms; (II) profit margins rise as productivity rises for trading firms; and (III) profit margins are not higher for trading firms than for domestic firms. We test these hypotheses using detailed micro‐data for Finland (2005–10) and the Netherlands (2002–10). We find strong support for Hypothesis I (in favour of the Melitz model), Hypothesis II (in favour of both models) and Hypothesis III (in favour of the Egger–Kreickemeier model). A propensity score matching analysis provides further support for Hypothesis III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six years of simultaneous moored observations near the western and eastern boundaries of the South Atlantic are combined with satellite winds to produce a daily time series of the basin-wide meridional overturning circulation (MOC) volume transport at 34.5°S. The results demonstrate that barotropic and baroclinic signals at both boundaries cause significant transport variations, and as such must be concurrently observed. The data, spanning ~20months during 2009-2010 and ~4 years during 2013-2017, reveal a highly energetic MOC record with a temporal standard deviation of 8.3 Sv, and strong variations at time scales ranging from a few days to years (peak-to-peak range = 54.6 Sv). Seasonal transport variations are found to have both semiannual (baroclinic) and annual (Ekman and barotropic) timescales. Interannual MOC variations result from both barotropic and baroclinic changes, with density profile changes at the eastern boundary having the largest impact on the year-to-year variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze how the Syrian refugee inflows into Turkey affected firm entry and performance. To estimate the causal effects, we use instrumental variables, difference-in-differences, and synthetic control methodologies. The results suggest that hosting refugees is favorable for firms. Total firm entry does not seem to be significantly affected. However, there is a substantial increase in the number of new foreign-owned firms. In line with the increase in new foreign-owned firms, there is some indication of growth in gross profits and net sales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Politicians generally favor hosting mega sports events despite the discouraging evidence of financial benefits or direct economic gain. This paradox is surveyed from two different perspectives. First, we weighed the merits of the most prominent methods of economic analysis of mega sports events. Then, we discuss the ways in which politicians still manage to infer positive gains from hosting this type of event from the literature. Next, we look at a range of frequently intangible effects that could be used in the public debate before submitting a bid but that, paradoxically, rarely are. The most promising of these is making the people proud and happy. However, economists have so far been incapable of adequately valuing the effect of hosting a mega sport event based on happiness. Second, we analyzed the political process parallel to preparing a bid to understand why politicians are persistently keen to host, despite the bleak economic prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present here sea surface salinity (SSS) and temperature (SST) data collected onboard the SA Agulhas-I and SA Agulhas-II research vessels, in the framework of the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP). Onboard SeaBird ThermoSalinoGraphs were regularly calibrated and continuously monitored in-between cruises, and no appreciable sensor drift emerged. Water samples were taken on a daily basis and later analysed with a Portasal salinometer; some CTD measurements collected along the cruises were used to validate the data. No systematic differences appeared after a rigorous quality control on continuous data. Results show that salinity measurement error was a few hundredths of a unit on the practical salinity scale. Quality control included several steps, among which an automatic detection of unreliable values through selected thresholds criteria and an attribution of quality flags based on multiple criteria, i.e. analysis of information included in the cruise reports, detection of insufficient flow and/or presence of air bubbles in the seawater pipe, visual inspection of individual campaigns, ex-post check of seaice maps for confirming icefields locations. This data processing led to discard about 36% of acquired observations, while reliable data showed an excellent agreement with several independent SSS products. Nevertheless, a seaice flag has been included for indentifying valid data which could have been affected by scattered seaice contamination. In our opinion this dataset, available through an unrestricted repository at https://doi.org/10.7289/V56M3545, contributes to improve the knowledge of surface water features in one of the most important regions for global climate. That will be highly valuable for studies focusing on climate variability in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, especially across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and its fronts. Furthermore, we expect that the collected SSS will represent a valuable tool for the calibration and validation of recent satellite observations provided by SMOS and Aquarius missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eastern side of the SAMBA array (South Atlantic Meridional overturning circulation Basin-wide Array) along the latitude 34.5°S is used to assess the nonlinear, mesoscale dynamics of the Cape Basin. This array presently consists of current meter moorings and CPIES (bottom mounted Inverted Echo Sounders with pressure sensor and current meter) deployed across the continental slope. These data, available from September 2014 to December 2015, combined with satellite altimetry allow us to investigate the characteristics and the impact of these mesoscale structures on local water masses distribution and cross-validate the different data sets. We demonstrate that the upper slope moorings are affected by cyclonic eddies generated at the South Benguela upwelling front, while the deeper slope moorings are affected by the more complex dynamics of the Cape Basin involving Agulhas Rings and cyclonic eddies. This complex dynamics induces strong intra-seasonal upper-ocean velocity variations and water masses exchanges across the shelf and the open ocean, but also across the subantarctic and subtropical waters. Under four case studies, the full-water column hydrographic properties of each mesoscale feature has been evaluated. Our analyses show that exchange of water masses happens through the advection of water by mesoscale eddies but also via wide water mass intrusions engendered by the existence of intense dipoles. The high spatial and temporal scales resolved by the moorings allows us to define the substantial role of these mesoscale features over the full-water column. Future investigations with longer time series at these existing sites will lead to a better understanding of the eastern boundary current variability, and ultimately improve our understanding of the strength and variability of the Meridional Overturning Circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evaluation of the operation and performance of a Cavity Attenuated Phase-Shift Particle Extinction Monitor (CAPS PMex) was performed for use on board commercial aircraft as part of the research infrastructure IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System,www.iagos.org). After extensive laboratory testing, a new flow system, using mass flow controllers, was installed to maintain constant purge and sample flows under low and varying pressure conditions. The instrument was then tested for pressures as low as 200 hPa and evaluated against particle-free compressed air and CO2. Extinction coefficients for the studied gases were in close agreement with literature values with differences between 2.2% and 8%, proving that the CAPS technology works at low pressures. The instrument's limit of detection, with respect to 3 times the variability of the background signal for the full pressure range, was 0.2 Mm−1for 60s integration time. During its first research aircraft operations, the IAGOS instrument prototype, composed of one CAPS PMex and one OPC, showed excellent results regarding the stability of the instruments and the potential for characterizing different aerosol types and for estimating the contribution of sub- and super-μm sized particles to aerosol light extinction. Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usingmicro-data for Dutch firms, we argue that both the geographic component (what country is the import from) and the intensity component (what type of good is imported) is crucial for measuring and understanding productivity premia associated with importing. For example, our results indicate that the productivity premium associated with importing technology-intensive products from Taiwan differs from importing unskilled-labor-intensive products from Switzerland. We show that increasing distance and decreasing levels of development of the origin economy are negatively associated with the productivity premia of importing. Similarly, these premia are larger for technology- intensive goods and smaller for unskilled-labor-intensive goods. This implies that the geographic-intensity markets are unique and cannot be lumped together. In addition, a more dispersed import portfolio (the extensive dimension) is always positively associated with firm-level productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the characterisation of the Aerosol Package for the European Research Infrastructure IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System). Condensation particle counter (CPC) are used to measure the aerosol number concentration of the total and the non-volatile particles. The size distribution is measured by means of an optical particle counter (OPC) in the diameter range of 0.25-3 mm. In particular the OPC is characterised for (1) leakage, (2) flow and calibration stability over the expected IAGOS pressure range of 170 hPa to 1013 hPa, (3) OPC accuracy test by comparing extinction measurements with calculated values from Mie theory using the OPC size distribution and (4) the inter-instrumental precision. The CPC is characterised in the same pressure range for (1) the lower cut-off diameter, (2) the instrument accuracy by comparing with a reference instrument (Faraday Cup Electrometer, FCE) and (3) the instrument precision. We conclude that the IAGOS Aerosol Package is a fully automated, robust, low-maintenance instrument providing high precision measurements with good accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2000, a fully automatic NOy instrument was installed on one of the five Airbus A340 aircraft used in the MOZAIC project (Measurement of Ozone and Water Vapour by Airbus in-service Aircraft) for measurements of O3 and H2O since 1994. This long-range aircraft was operated by Lufthansa, mainly out of Frankfurt and Munich. After an initial testing period, regular data collection started in May 2001. Until May 2005, 1533 flights have been recorded, corresponding to 8500 flight hours of NOy measurements. Concurrent data of NOy and O3 are available from 1433 flights and concurrent data for CO, O3 and NOy exist from 1125 flights since 2002. The paper describes the data availability in terms of geographical, vertical and seasonal distribution and discusses the quality and limitations of the data, including interference by HCN. The vast majority of vertical profiles were measured over Frankfurt, followed by Munich and North American airports. While most of the data were collected in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere over the North Atlantic, significant data sets exist also from flights to Far and Middle East, whereas data from the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere are relatively sparse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of the Water Framework Directive requires EU member states to establish and harmonize ecological status class boundaries for biological quality elements. In this paper, we describe an approach for defining ecological class boundaries that delineates shifts in lake ecosystem functioning and, therefore, provides ecologically meaningful targets for water policy in Europe., We collected an extensive data set of 810 lake-years from nine Central European countries, and we used phytoplankton chlorophyll a, a metric widely used to measure the impact of eutrophication in lakes. Our approach establishes chlorophyll a target values in relation to three significant ecological effects of eutrophication: the decline of aquatic macrophytes, the dominance of potentially harmful cyanobacteria and the major functional switch from a clear water to a turbid state., Ranges of threshold chlorophyll a concentrations are given for the two most common lake types in lowland Central Europe: for moderately deep lakes (mean depth 3-15 m), the greatest ecological shifts occur in the range 10-12 μg L−1 chlorophyll a, and for shallow lakes (<3 m mean depth), in the range 21-23 μg L−1 chlorophyll a., Synthesis and applications. Our study provides class boundaries for determining the ecological status of lakes, which have robust ecological consequences for lake functioning and which, therefore, provide strong and objective targets for sustainable water management in Europe. The results have been endorsed by all participant member states and adopted in the European Commission legislation, marking the first attempt in international water policy to move from physico-chemical quality standards to harmonized ecologically based quality targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries compete fiercely for the right to host mega-events like the World Cup. Proponents of hosting mega-events claim that yields economic gains. Many available studies focus on partial effects of hosting or concern ex post analyses. The authors utilize the existing literature to perform a detailed cost–benefit analysis (CBA) of the Netherlands bidding jointly with Belgium for the 2018 World Cup. The authors show that national pride and pleasure come at a price and financial gains are unlikely. Based on this CBA, the authors predict that the costs of the 2018 World Cup in Russia will also exceed the financial benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Volkerak-Zoom Lake is an enclosed part of the estuarine delta in the southwest of the Netherlands and exists as such since 1987. The current freshwater lake experienced a deterioration in water and ecological quality. Especially cyanobacteria are a serious problem. To solve this problem it is proposed to reintroduce salt water and tidal dynamics in the Volkerak-Zoom Lake. However, this will affect the water quality of the Mark-Vliet River system that drains into the lake. Each of the two branches of the Mark-Vliet River system is separated from the Volkerak-Zoom Lake by a lock and drainage sluice. Salt intrusion via the locks may hamper the intake of freshwater by the surrounding polders. Salt intrusion can be reduced by increasing the discharge in the river system. In this study we used the hydrodynamic SOBEK model to run different strategies with the aim to minimize the additional discharge needed to reduce chloride concentrations. Dynamic control of the sluices downstream and a water inlet upstream based on real-time chloride concentrations is able to generate the desired discharges required to maintain the chloride concentrations at the polder intake locations below the threshold level and to reduce the amount of water required by more than 50% compared to a situation with a constant discharge. Other effective measures consist of relocating the most downstream polder intakes more upstream, reducing the downstream cross section of the Vliet to increase flow velocities and measures that reduce the inflow of salt water via the locks. This study shows that dynamic control is a promising technique in regulated streams to alleviate water quality problems by controlled flushing of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of “reference conditions” describes the benchmark against which current conditions are compared when assessing the status of water bodies. In this paper we focus on the establishment of reference conditions for European lakes according to a phytoplankton biomass indicator—the concentration of chlorophyll- a. A mostly spatial approach (selection of existing lakes with no or minor human impact) was used to set the reference conditions for chlorophyll- a values, supplemented by historical data, paleolimnological investigations and modelling. The work resulted in definition of reference conditions and the boundary between “high” and “good” status for 15 main lake types and five ecoregions of Europe: Alpine, Atlantic, Central/Baltic, Mediterranean, and Northern. Additionally, empirical models were developed for estimating site-specific reference chlorophyll- a concentrations from a set of potential predictor variables. The results were recently formulated into the EU legislation, marking the first attempt in international water policy to move from chemical quality standards to ecological quality targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]