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The realism of convective organization in operational convection-permitting model simulations is objectively assessed, with a particular focus on the mesoscale aspects, such as convective mode. A tracking and classification algorithm is applied to observed radar reflectivity and simulated radar reflectivity from the operational ACCESS-C convection-permitting forecast domain over northern Australia between October 2020 and May 2022, and the characteristics of real and simulated convective organization are compared. Mesoscale convective systems from the operational forecast model are approximately twice as likely to be oriented parallel to the ambient wind and ambient wind shear than those observed by radar, indicating a bias toward the “training line” systems typically associated with more extreme rainfall. During highly humid active monsoon conditions, simulated convective systems have larger ground-relative speeds than systems observed in radar. Although there is less than 5% difference between the ratios of simulated and observed trailing, leading and parallel stratiform system observations, significant differences exist in other wind shear–based classifications. For instance, in absolute terms, simulated systems are 10%–35% less likely to be upshear tilted, and 15%–30% less likely to be downshear propagating than observed systems, suggesting errors in simulated cold pool characteristics. Significance Statement: Remarkable progress has been made simulating thunderstorms in operational weather forecasting computer models. While some details of individual storm clouds may be unrealistic, how these storm clouds self-organize, i.e., cluster and regenerate, can be explicitly simulated, with this organization often appearing realistic. However, assessing the realism of this organization in an objective, systematic way has proven challenging. Here we assess organized convection in Australia’s current high-resolution weather prediction model. In some respects, simulated s

Diurnal processes play a primary role in tropical weather. A leading hypothesis is that atmospheric gravity waves diurnally forced near coastlines propagate both offshore and inland, encouraging convection as they do so. In this study we extend the linear analytic theory of diurnally forced gravity waves, allowing for discontinuities in stability and for linear changes in stability over a finite-depth “transition layer.” As an illustrative example, we first consider the response to a commonly studied heating function emulating diurnally oscillating coastal temperature gradients, with a low-level stability change between the boundary layer and troposphere. Gravity wave rays resembling the upper branches of “Saint Andrew’s cross” are forced along the coastline at the surface, with the stability changes inducing reflection, refraction, and ducting of the individual waves comprising the rays, with analogous behavior evident in the rays themselves. Refraction occurs smoothly in the transition-layer solution, with substantially less reflection than in the discontinuous solution. Second, we consider a new heating function which emulates an upper-level convective heating diurnal cycle, and consider stability changes associated with the tropical tropopause. Reflection, refraction, and ducting again occur, with the lower branches of Saint Andrew’s cross now evident. We compare these solutions to observations taken during the Years of the Maritime Continent field campaign, noting better qualitative agreement with the transition-layer solution than the discontinuous solution, suggesting the tropopause is an even weaker gravity wave reflector than previously thought. Significance Statement: This study extends our theoretical understanding of how forced atmospheric gravity waves change with atmospheric structure. Gravity wave behavior depends on atmospheric stability: how much the atmosphere resists vertical displacements of air. Where stability changes, waves reflect and refract

In the classical model of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), a system generates new convective cells on the down-shear side of its cold pool, with the cells fed at low levels from the front, and the stratiform cloud trailing behind the system in the up-shear direction, where “front” and “behind” typically refer to the system’s ground-relative velocity. In this study we present an algorithm for identifying and tracking MCSs in radar reflectivity data, and objectively diagnosing organisational characteristics related to the classical model, namely the offset of stratiform cloud from convective cloud relative to system velocity, the low-level inflow direction, and the shear-relative tilt and propagation directions. When applied to the 15 year radar record covering the Darwin region of northern Australia, the algorithm indicates 65–80% of MCS observations are consistent with the classical model, at least when the four classifications can be made unambiguously. However, these observed characteristics occur almost entirely in the drier phases of the Australian monsoon. During the humid, active monsoon phase, observed characteristics consistent with the classical model are rare, and most systems exhibit non-classical up-shear propagation.

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are elongated narrow bands of enhanced water vapor that can cause intense rainfall and flooding. ARs only appeared in the literature the last 30 years, and there has been much debate about how to define ARs and how to identify them. As a result, a wide range of AR identification algorithms have been produced with variations in the conditions required for an object to be classified as an AR and differences in the input data. One of the key conditions in most AR identification algorithms is a minimum threshold of water vapor flux, along with geometric criteria. The aim of this study is to explore uncertainties in global AR identification based on a single integrated water vapor transport (IVT)-based identification method. We conduct a sensitivity analysis under one algorithmic framework to explore the effects of different IVT thresholds, input data resolutions, and regridding methods during the Years of Tropical Convection operational analysis (May 2008 to April 2010). We found that the resolution and regridding method affects the number of ARs identified but the seasonal cycle is maintained. AR identification is highly sensitive to the choice of IVT threshold; importantly, the commonly used 250 kg m−1 s−1 IVT threshold is not appropriate for global studies with detection methods that also include a restrictive geometric condition as this combination can lead to the strongest systems failing to be identified. The uncertainties within a single AR detection method and input data parameters may be as large as uncertainties across AR detection methodologies.

The diurnal cycle of surface winds throughout the Maritime Continent plays a significant role in the formation of precipitation over the islands of the region and over the surrounding seas. This study investigates the connection between the diurnal cycles of surface wind and offshore precipitation using data from four satellite scatterometer instruments and two satellite precipitation radar instruments. For the first time, data from three scatterometer instruments are combined to yield a more temporally complete picture of the surface wind diurnal cycles over the Maritime Continent’s surrounding seas. The results indicate that land–sea breezes typically propagate over 400 km offshore, produce mean wind perturbations of between 1 and 5 m s−1, and propagate as gravity waves at 25–30 m s−1. Diurnal precipitation cycles are affected through gravity wave propagation processes associated with the land–sea breezes, and through the convergence of land breezes from nearby islands. These observational results are then compared with previous mesoscale modeling results. It is shown that land–sea breezes occur too early, and are too intense in these modeling results, and this may partly explain why these modeling results also exhibit an early, overly intense diurnal precipitation cycle. This study also investigates variations in the diurnal cycle of surface winds at seasonal and intraseasonal time scales. Previous work has suggested that seasonal and intraseasonal variations in surface heating affect the land–sea breeze circulation and diurnal precipitation cycles; we argue that variations in background winds also play a defining role in modulating coastally influenced local winds.

In tropical coastal environments, simulating the diurnal cycle of wind and precipitation in numerical weather and climate models presents unique challenges due to the interaction of intraseasonal and mesoscale dynamics. This can lead not only to incorrect short‐term weather forecasts but also to unphysical energy and momentum transport by convective processes. In particular, the sea/land‐breeze circulation and its role in initiating convection has been identified as a possible source of errors in the timing and offshore extent of coastal precipitation in the Tropics. In this study, the offshore land/sea breeze around Darwin, Australia, is examined using scatterometer wind observations and two regional atmospheric models. Although the comparison is limited by satellite swath times which cluster around two times of day, useful results are obtained by sub‐sampling the simulated data to match the coverage of the scatterometer data. We find that offshore surface sea‐breeze characteristics (intensity and horizontal spatial extent) from the models and satellite estimates are generally in good agreement, with intensity differences less than 2 m s−1, and offshore extents not varying by more than approximately 150 km. The variation in offshore extent and amplitude of the land/sea‐breeze wind perturbations with monsoon regime is well simulated. Furthermore, despite the simplifying assumptions of linear sea‐breeze theory, the model and scatterometer results are in broad agreement with theoretical values, particularly in the presence of the weak background winds during the monsoon break period.

Latin is one of two acceptable languages for describing new plants, and taxonomists must be able to translate earlier texts in Latin. Providing a simple explanation of Latin grammar along with an in-depth vocabulary, this is an indispensable guide for systematic botanists worldwide. All relevant parts of speech are discussed, with accompanying examples as well as worked exercises for translating diagnoses and descriptions to and from Latin. Guidelines for forming specific epithets are also included. The authors cross-reference their grammar to Stearn's Botanical Latin and to articles in the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi and Plants. The comprehensive vocabulary is enhanced with terms from recent glossaries for non-flowering plants – lichens, mosses, algae, fungi and ferns - making this an ideal resource for anyone looking to hone their understanding of Latin grammar and to translate botanical texts from the past 300 years.

1914–1964, and is also contributing to several international projects for the centenary of the First World War. Andrea McKenzie is an Associate Professor with York University's Writing Department and Graduate Program in History. She has ...

1914–1964, and is also contributing to several international projects for the centenary of the First World War. Andrea McKenzie is an Associate Professor with York University's Writing Department and Graduate Program in History. She has ...

Ozone is an important pollutant that has significant and frequently deleterious effects on plant health resulting in a reduction in cropy ields. This is due largely to oxidative damage caused either directly by ozone or by the reactive oxygen species generated by ozone. Plants possess a range of antioxidant defences to protect them against oxidative stress such as that caused by ozone and the expression of a wide-range of genes, including genes encoding important antioxidants, is altered by exposure to ozone. However, little is known about the signal transduction pathways linking the perception of ozone stress to gene expression. We have used a genomics approach to identify novel genes that respond to acute ozone stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. Initial transcript profiling studies using microarray analysis identified twenty genes which were highly up-regulated and one gene that was down-regulated by ozone treatment. Real Time RT-PCR and additional microarray analysis have subsequently confirmed this result. We have analyzed the expression of five of these genes in detail. Our studies show that the induction of all of these genes in response to oxidative stress was dependent on an increase in cytosolic free calcium and was specific to ozone. Importantly, they were not induced by other calcium-mobilizing oxidative stresses including hydrogen peroxide and cold. These data raise important questions about the mechanism by which these genes are induced by ozone and how stimulus specificity is encoded in the ozone calcium signature.

Ozone is an important pollutant that has significant and frequently deleterious effects on plant health resulting in a reduction in cropy ields. This is due largely to oxidative damage caused either directly by ozone or by the reactive oxygen species generated by ozone. Plants possess a range of antioxidant defences to protect them against oxidative stress such as that caused by ozone and the expression of a wide-range of genes, including genes encoding important antioxidants, is altered by exposure to ozone. However, little is known about the signal transduction pathways linking the perception of ozone stress to gene expression. We have used a genomics approach to identify novel genes that respond to acute ozone stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. Initial transcript profiling studies using microarray analysis identified twenty genes which were highly up-regulated and one gene that was down-regulated by ozone treatment. Real Time RT-PCR and additional microarray analysis have subsequently confirmed this result. We have analyzed the expression of five of these genes in detail. Our studies show that the induction of all of these genes in response to oxidative stress was dependent on an increase in cytosolic free calcium and was specific to ozone. Importantly, they were not induced by other calcium-mobilizing oxidative stresses including hydrogen peroxide and cold. These data raise important questions about the mechanism by which these genes are induced by ozone and how stimulus specificity is encoded in the ozone calcium signature.

The gas ozone protects against the harmful effects of ultra-violet radiation in the stratosphere. However, in the troposphere ozone is toxic to plants and causes significant reductions in crop yields. Ozone is a reactive oxygen species (ROS) and can cause oxidative damage directly by entering stomata and interacting with cell wall and membrane components. Ozone can also form other ROS such as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals that can cross the plasma membrane and cause further damage, leading to reduced transpiration, accelerated senescence and decreased photosynthesis. In addition, the plant itself can produce ROS, which are thought to be a component of the signalling pathway. Plants react to oxidative stress by increasing their antioxidant defences in an attempt to neutralise harmful ROS. The individual roles of several antioxidants have been extensively studied, however their regulation and interaction in planta have yet to be fully elucidated. The specificity of antioxidants and other stress-related molecules to each unique stress is also poorly understood. In this work a DNA microarray has been utilised to detect novel genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, that are regulated by ozone. Twenty genes, which are significantly up-regulated and one gene that is down-regulated by ozone treatment have been identified. Five of which have been chosen for further analysis. The expression of these genes in response to a range of ozone concentrations over time has been investigated using Real Time RT-PCR. These genes have been shown to be induced specifically in response to acute ozone stress and initial studies suggest that their expression is calciumdependent.

The gas ozone protects against the harmful effects of ultra-violet radiation in the stratosphere. However, in the troposphere ozone is toxic to plants and causes significant reductions in crop yields. Ozone is a reactive oxygen species (ROS) and can cause oxidative damage directly by entering stomata and interacting with cell wall and membrane components. Ozone can also form other ROS such as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals that can cross the plasma membrane and cause further damage, leading to reduced transpiration, accelerated senescence and decreased photosynthesis. In addition, the plant itself can produce ROS, which are thought to be a component of the signalling pathway. Plants react to oxidative stress by increasing their antioxidant defences in an attempt to neutralise harmful ROS. The individual roles of several antioxidants have been extensively studied, however their regulation and interaction in planta have yet to be fully elucidated. The specificity of antioxidants and other stress-related molecules to each unique stress is also poorly understood. In this work a DNA microarray has been utilised to detect novel genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, that are regulated by ozone. Twenty genes, which are significantly up-regulated and one gene that is down-regulated by ozone treatment have been identified. Five of which have been chosen for further analysis. The expression of these genes in response to a range of ozone concentrations over time has been investigated using Real Time RT-PCR. These genes have been shown to be induced specifically in response to acute ozone stress and initial studies suggest that their expression is calciumdependent.

The gas ozone (O3) functions as a protector against ultra-violet radiation in the stratosphere. However, in the troposphere it is toxic to plants and causes significant reductions in crop yields. Ozone is a reactive oxygen species (ROS) and can cause oxidative damage directly by entering stomata and interacting with cell wall and membrane components. Ozone can also form other ROS such as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals that can cross the plasma membrane and cause further damage, leading to reduced transpiration, accelerated senescence and decreased photosynthesis. A plant-derived oxidative burst also occurs after plants have been exposed to ozone. This closely resembles the hypersensitive response (HR) displayed when plants are challenged by a pathogen. Plants react to oxidative stress by increasing their antioxidant defences in an attempt to neutralise harmful ROS. The individual roles of several antioxidants have been extensively studied, however their regulation and interaction in planta have yet to be fully elucidated. The specificity of antioxidants and other stress-related molecules to each unique stress is also poorly understood. In this work a functional genomics approach has been used to identify novel genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, that are regulated by ozone. A DNA microarray has been utilised to determine gene regulation at the transcriptional level and NMR spectroscopy has been employed to investigate ozone-induced changes to the metabolite profile of Arabidopsis. Twenty genes, which are significantly up-regulated and one gene that is down-regulated by ozone treatment have been identified. The expression of these genes in response to a range of ozone concentrations and time points has been further investigated.

The gas ozone (O3) functions as a protector against ultra-violet radiation in the stratosphere. However, in the troposphere it is toxic to plants and causes significant reductions in crop yields. Ozone is a reactive oxygen species (ROS) and can cause oxidative damage directly by entering stomata and interacting with cell wall and membrane components. Ozone can also form other ROS such as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals that can cross the plasma membrane and cause further damage, leading to reduced transpiration, accelerated senescence and decreased photosynthesis. A plant-derived oxidative burst also occurs after plants have been exposed to ozone. This closely resembles the hypersensitive response (HR) displayed when plants are challenged by a pathogen. Plants react to oxidative stress by increasing their antioxidant defences in an attempt to neutralise harmful ROS. The individual roles of several antioxidants have been extensively studied, however their regulation and interaction in planta have yet to be fully elucidated. The specificity of antioxidants and other stress-related molecules to each unique stress is also poorly understood. In this work a functional genomics approach has been used to identify novel genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, that are regulated by ozone. A DNA microarray has been utilised to determine gene regulation at the transcriptional level and NMR spectroscopy has been employed to investigate ozone-induced changes to the metabolite profile of Arabidopsis. Twenty genes, which are significantly up-regulated and one gene that is down-regulated by ozone treatment have been identified. The expression of these genes in response to a range of ozone concentrations and time points has been further investigated.

Several nonlinear, individual tree crown height increment equations were tested for their ability to predict annual crown height increment in loblolly pine plantations. The selected model contained tree height (HT), tree crown ratio (CR) raised to the one-half power, age (A), and a competition index (CI) for the distance-dependent model and the ratio of quadratic mean diameter to tree dbh (DR) for the distance-independent model. The distance-dependent and the distance-independent models were the same form, except for the expression for competition. Hypothesis tests revealed that thinning, both its intensity and the elapsed time since its occurrence, had a significant effect on crown height increment. A thinning variable, THIN1, which accounted for thinning intensity and the interval since thinning, was developed and incorporated into the final individual tree increment models. Predictions of crown height increment were improved using models with the THIN1 variable as compared to those with no thinning allowance. In another approach, existing crown height equation was modified to account for the effect of thinning on crown recession. Another thinning variable, THIN2, similar to THIN1, was added to the crown height model. This model yielded better results than its counterpart with no thinning variable; however, the improvement was not as great as for the increment models. The individual tree increment models were also used to form a stand level crown height increment model. The independent variables were collapsed to stand-level statistics; the final model contained average height of dominants and codominants (HD), average crown ratio (R), age (A), and the THIN1 variable. Unlike the individual tree models, raising the average crown ratio to .5 did not improve the fit; however, including THIN1 did improve the results. From this study it was concluded that better data, a standard definition of height to the live crown, and other crown variables, such as crown diameter

The report documents a simulation model (DELCAP) designed to estimate airport throughputs and aircraft delays, taking into account their dependence on the traffic level and mix of user types, the airport configuration, and the separation rules in force. The model is implemented in two parts: a user may elect instead of providing his own, and an event-oriented simulation model. The report includes a discussion of the elements in the airport system which are modeled, a description of the simulation model's logic, and a set of sample outputs. Listings of the model programs, and a user's guide to their operation, appear as appendices. (Author)