Search

The CFOSAT (Chinese-French Oceanography Satellite) equipped with the high-performance wave spectrometer SWIM has obtained continuous and extensive wave data. While CFOSAT wave data have undergone numerous validations and calibrations globally, most comparisons have been made with buoy data. There is a lack of contrast with existing mature datasets when applying satellite data to the study of wave field characteristics. By focusing on the China's adjacent seas, comparing the significant wave heights (SWH) between CFOSAT and ERAS data and analyzing their differences. The results show that the CFOSAT data and ERAS data exhibit similar performance and high correlation in wave field observations; The difference in SWH between them shows seasonal variation characteristics, with a greater degree of dispersion in the autumn and winter seasons and a more stable in the spring and summer seasons; With the increase of wave height, the bias between CFOSAT and ERAS data significantly increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish by-products can be converted into high-value-added products like fish protein hydrolysates (FPHs), which have high nutritional value and are rich in bioactive peptides with health benefits. This study aims to characterise FPHs derived from salmon heads (HPSs) and Cape hake trimmings (HPHs) using Alcalase for enzymatic hydrolysis and Subcritical Water Hydrolysis (SWH) as an alternative method. All hydrolysates demonstrated high protein content (70.4–88.7%), with the degree of hydrolysis (DH) ranging from 10.7 to 36.4%. The peptide profile of FPHs indicated the breakdown of proteins into small peptides. HPSs showed higher levels of glycine and proline, while HPHs had higher concentrations of glutamic acid, leucine, threonine, and phenylalanine. Similar elemental profiles were observed in both HPHs and HPSs, and the levels of Cd, Pb, and Hg were well below the legislated limits. Hydrolysates do not have a negative effect on cell metabolism and contribute to cell growth. HPSs and HPHs exhibited high 2,2′–azino-bis(3 ethylbenzthiazoline-6)-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, Cu2+ and Fe2+ chelating activities, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, with HPHs generally displaying higher activities. The α-amylase inhibition of both FPHs was relatively low. These results indicate that HPHs are a promising natural source of nutritional compounds and bioactive peptides, making them potential candidates for use as an ingredient in new food products or nutraceuticals. SWH at 250 °C is a viable alternative to enzymatic methods for producing FPHs from salmon heads with high antioxidant and chelating properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy storage is essential in renewable energy systems, considering that solar energy is a periodic energy source that depends on time, so the intensity of solar radiation changes from time to time. Therefore, solar energy systems require storing energy to save it during the night periods or on cloudy days. The current solar heater designs are not feasible and ineffective unless energy storage is utilized (energy retention). The present research addresses improving the home solar water heater (SWH) performance under the atmosphere of Iraq. This study improves the thermal performance of a solar water heater integrated with a thermal storage tank using materials storing heat to achieve the most extended possible period of receding solar radiation. The SWH system performance was experimentally tested in Tikrit-Iraq. Several experiments were performed from 8:30 am to 16:30 hours in February 2022 with a water mass flow rate (\dot{m_w}) of (0.016 kg/s) for the circulation system and with a thermal load on the hot water tank (\dot{m_{th.L}}) of (0.0066 kg/s) for the two porous medium design cases (with and without solar reflectors). The results manifested that the maximum daily thermal efficiency (ηo) of the SWH system was 36.40% for design case 2 (with porous media and reflectors) at a (0.006 kg/s) thermal load compared to the case 1 (with porous medium and without reflectors) of 32.21%. At the same load, the outcomes elucidated that the overall thermal efficacy of the SWH regime in the convection presence provided the uppermost value utilizing porous media and reflectors. Also, the outcomes of the present investigation were compared with the preceding study, and the comparison outcomes were better than the present design circumstances.

Fish by-products can be converted into high-value-added products like fish protein hydrolysates (FPHs), which have high nutritional value and are rich in bioactive peptides with health benefits. This study aims to characterise FPHs derived from salmon heads (HPSs) and Cape hake trimmings (HPHs) using Alcalase for enzymatic hydrolysis and Subcritical Water Hydrolysis (SWH) as an alternative method. All hydrolysates demonstrated high protein content (70.4–88.7%), with the degree of hydrolysis (DH) ranging from 10.7 to 36.4%. The peptide profile of FPHs indicated the breakdown of proteins into small peptides. HPSs showed higher levels of glycine and proline, while HPHs had higher concentrations of glutamic acid, leucine, threonine, and phenylalanine. Similar elemental profiles were observed in both HPHs and HPSs, and the levels of Cd, Pb, and Hg were well below the legislated limits. Hydrolysates do not have a negative effect on cell metabolism and contribute to cell growth. HPSs and HPHs exhibited high 2,2′–azino-bis(3 ethylbenzthiazoline-6)-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, Cu2+ and Fe2+ chelating activities, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, with HPHs generally displaying higher activities. The α-amylase inhibition of both FPHs was relatively low. These results indicate that HPHs are a promising natural source of nutritional compounds and bioactive peptides, making them potential candidates for use as an ingredient in new food products or nutraceuticals. SWH at 250 °C is a viable alternative to enzymatic methods for producing FPHs from salmon heads with high antioxidant and chelating properties.

China's first dynamic environment satellite constellation includes the HY-2B, HY-2C, and HY-2D satellites. In this study, the along track SLA, SWH, and SSWS of this satellite constellation were evaluated. SLA parameters are evaluated using self-crossing and dual-crossing methods. The SSWS and SWH data were evaluated by comparing with NDBC buoy and other available satellites' data. The evaluation revealed that the standard deviation of the SLA from the HY-2B/C/D satellites' single mission crossovers was 3.29 cm, 3.51 cm, and 3.72 cm, respectively. In addition, at the dual-crossovers of the Jason-3 satellite and the HY-2B satellite, the HY-2B satellite, and the HY-2C/D satellites, the standard deviation was determined to be 3.40 cm, 3.48 cm, and 4.25 cm, respectively. The accuracy of the SWH products of the HY-2B/C/D satellite radar altimeters was observed to be 0.23 m, 0.25 m, and 0.26 m, respectively. The accuracy of the SSWS data of the HY-2B/C/D satellite radar altimeters was observed to be 1.48 m/s, 1.59 m/s, and 1.35 m/s, respectively. In addition, this study also analyzed and compared the observation efficiency of the dynamic environment satellite constellation with the following six satellites: Sentinel-3(A, B), Jason-3, Sentinel-6A, Saral, and Cryosat-2. Observation efficiency refers to selection of any point on the globe to find a minimum radius of at least one observation point within a circle in a 14-day period. The analysis results demonstrated that observation efficiency of China's first dynamic environment satellite constellation was comparable to that of the six satellites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, building energy consumption has increased every day due to population growth and an increased human desire for a healthy and pleasant lifestyle, and this is responsible for a crisis of energy shortages worldwide. Therefore, use of solar water heating (SWH) systems in buildings for hot water demand is the prime need of the hour to maintain sustainability. The novelty of this work was in developing a phase change material (stearic acid)-filled U-tube based evacuated tube solar collector (collector A). In addition, another collector B, left without energy storage material, was considered a reference unit for comparing the energy and exergy outputs. The study's main aim was to examine the energy, exergy, enviro- and exergoeconomic analysis of newly developed water heating systems. The findings of study revealed that the maximum daily energy outputs of collector A were found to be 85.86% (simultaneous mode) and 84.27% (midday charging mode) at a high mass flow rate (0.5 LPM), and exergy outputs were 19.41% and 21.35%, respectively, at a low flow rate. The thermal output of collector A was higher than that of collector B. The per liter cost of hot water produced from collector A with PCMs was found to be INR 0.1261 and INR 0.1276, respectively, under both modes, which is less compared with the electric geyser (0.325 INR). The levelized energy cost, net present worth, and the payback time of the developed collector A obtained were 4.61 INR/kWh, INR 49710, and 4.49 years (simultaneous), and 4.67 INR/kWh, INR 48130, and 4.64 years (mid-day charging), respectively. Furthermore, the amount of CO2 mitigation from the energy and exergy perspective for collector A was found to be 24.30 and 23.76 tCO2/lifetime and 5.31, 5.58 tCO2/lifetime, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, an experimental assessment of a designed solar water heater (SWH) was carried out under the Iraqi weather conditions. In the SWH practical model, a porous medium (pebbles) is used as an absorber surface in the solar collector, and a raw paraffinic wax is utilized as a Phase Change Material (PCM) in the thermal storage tank. Three experimental cases have been conducted for analyzing the SWH thermal performance: (1) Without using Porous Medium (PM) and PCM, (2) with PM and without PCM, and (3) with using PM and PCM. The experimental tests were performed at Tikrit, Iraq (longitude 43.35°E and latitude 34.27°N). The test findings revealed that the ultimate stored water temperature of SWH with PM existence rose by 12.1°C (case 2) when compared to that without PM (case 1). Furthermore, the PCM improved the water thermal storage by 8.51°C for case 3 after the test period of (17:00 to 22:30 h) as compared to the case 2 without the PCM. The results for the total thermal efficiency (ηo) of the system with storage unit manifested an improvement of around 2.83% and 6.35% in case 3 compared to cases 2 and 1, respectively. In comparison to previous studies, the present study found that the higher thermal performance of the SWH than those determined by preceding studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the methods retrieving tide and SWH using reflected BeiDou GEO satellite signals are proposed, and a data-driven method is proposed to calibrate sea state bias of the retrieved tide. In addition, an estimator combining multi-satellite observation based on linear unbiased minimum variance (LUMV) is developed to improve the retrieved precision. The B1I signal experiments in Qingdao and Shenzhen show after calibrating sea state influence using the proposed method, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) could fall to 0.40 m from 0.45 m, and compared to the single-satellite observation, the multi-satellite observation based on the LUMV estimator could significantly reduce the RMSE of the retrieved tide to 0.16 m. Shenzhen experiment is also used to evaluate the performance of retrieving SWH and the determination coefficient of 0.60 is obtained. This paper also conducts Monte Carlo simulation and experiment to evaluate the altimetry and measuring SWH precision using reflected B3I signal. The simulated results when SNR is over 5 dB, incoherent averaging number is 10000, and the receiver bandwidth is over 45 MHz, the estimated precision of the delay can reach up ∼ 0.15 m, and the precision of the normalized area ranges from 0.2 to 0.3 m. The B3I experiment show that compared to B1I signal, when the reflected signal from individual satellite is used, the better precision with the RMSE of 0.25 can be obtained, and when combining the measurements from the three satellites using LUMV estimator, the RMSE reduces to 0.16 m. Further, the precision of 0.12 m can be obtained by calibrating the sea state influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a hybrid method for forecasting significant wave height (SWH). The wavelet decomposition algorithm is applied to decompose the original signal into different components, and suitable models are selected to predict wave heights for each component. To validate the performance of the proposed hybrid model in forecasting SWH with varying characteristics, wave data measured from three stations are utilized for both model training and accuracy validation. For each station, a total of 2000 h of continuously observed wave data is selected. The initial 80% of the data is used as training samples, while the remaining 20% is utilized as test samples. Additionally, a data normalization procedure is conducted. In addition to the hybrid model, a set of benchmark models is employed to evaluate the performance of the hybrid model using a series of statistical scoring metrics. The hybrid model, along with benchmark models, is utilized to perform 1-h and multiple-hour lead SWH predictions. The results validate that the proposed hybrid model provides accurate and efficient short-term SWH predictions. The correlation coefficients between the one- and three-step predictions and their corresponding observations are greater than 0.99, while they are greater than 0.96 for the five and eight-step predictions. • A hybrid model is developed for forecasting short-term SWH. • The performance of the hybrid model is compared with that of six other benchmark models. • Wave data from three stations are used to train models and validate their accuracy. • The hybrid model is superior to other models in predicting SWH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sambucus williamsii Hance var. miquelii (SWH) is a precious wild Chinese herb whose fruit, rhizome, leaves and root bark can be used as medicine. Sambucus Linn has pharmacological effects such as anti-osteoporosis, promoting fracture healing, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory. In this study, the main chemical components of the alcoholic extracts from SWH were rapidly identified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole orbit trap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC- HRMS MS), and a total of 42 compounds were characterized from the alcoholic extracts of SWH. The results of network pharmacological validation showed that kaempferol, quercetin, luteolin, isorhamnetin and morroniside were the main active components, and KEGG enrichment demonstrated that SWH mainly affected the signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt, TNF and FoxO by modulating the related targets such as AKT1, PIK3R1, EGFR, RELA SRC and PTGS2. The molecular docking results showed binding solid activity between the main active components of SWH and the targets. The network pharmacology was validated by establishing an animal model of osteoporosis (OP) in rats by gavage administration of vitamin A acid. The results of the pharmacological experiments showed that SWH could improve the degree of bone loss in the femur of osteoporotic rats, increase the number of trabeculae and decrease trabeculae porosity, up-regulate the Ca and P content in the serum of OP rats, down-regulate the scope of ALP and BGP in the serum, and promote the calcification of the bone matrix, and then exert the anti-OP efficacy. In this study, network pharmacology and pharmacological experiments verified the pharmacological mechanism of SWH in anti-OP rats. This provides a theoretical basis for the research and development of anti-OP drugs and a reference for the application of other traditional Chinese medicines in treating OP diseases. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of continuous improvements of ocean wave models in the last decades, large errors still remain in particular under strongly forced conditions, often encountered in the Southern Ocean, where strong westerly winds generate some of the fiercest waves on Earth in almost unlimited fetch conditions. The newly launched China‐France Oceanography SATellite (CFOSAT) provides directional spectra of ocean waves for both wind seas and swells. Compared to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), it can resolve shorter wavelengths in all directions, which dominate in non‐fully developed wind waves. Here, the assimilation of these CFOSAT wavenumber components is proved to bring more accurate predictions of wave growth compared to the assimilation of significant wave height alone. A notable reduction of model bias is found in the Southern Ocean, especially in the Pacific Ocean sector. Results further exhibit a downward shift of the wave age, consistent with theoretical wave growth curves. Plain Language Summary: This work focuses on the importance of using directional wave observations to improve model wave prediction in the Southern Ocean. The results indicate a significant impact on the transition from a wind‐dependent sea to a well‐developed sea. A direct consequence of this work will concern a better understanding of the wave climate in the Southern Ocean and therefore, an improvement of coupled ocean/waves/atmosphere systems. Key Points: The assimilation of directional wavenumber components in the wave model MFWAM induces a significant reduction of Significant Wave Height (SWH) bias in the Southern OceanData assimilation reveals the improvement of the energy transfer of wind waves during the wave growth phase under unlimited fetch conditions in the Pacific sector of the Southern OceanThe wave age and dominant wavenumber can significantly be corrected by assimilating directional observations of Surface Wave Investigation Measurements, compared with assimilation of SWH‐nadir only [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite radar altimetry provides a unique perspective on ocean dynamic environment observation by measuring global sea surface height (SSH), significant wave height (SWH) and wind speed. As an important sea surface parameter, SWH is of significance in marine disaster prevention and mitigation, climate change studies, ocean energy survey, etc., and can be estimated by using an altimetry waveform retracking algorithm through satellite ground system. Given that ground processing could not respond to the disastrous ocean waves rapidly, it is inevitable to develop an onboard fast retrieval model to meet emergency demands. In this study, we proposed a linear model based on making use of leading edges of waveforms. The results show that root mean squared errors (RMSE) are from 0.165 m to 0.187 m between linear model and maximum likelihood retracker. Additionally, the time efficiency of the linear model is approximate 6000 times as fast as the on-ground maximum likelihood estimation procedure. Due to high accuracy, robustness and efficiency, the linear model provides a promising and practical solution for onboard quasi real-time wave height estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significant wave height (SWH) of oceans is the main parameter in describing the sea state, which has been widely used in the establishment of ocean process models and the field of navigation and transportation. However, traditional methods such as satellite radar altimeters and buoys cannot achieve SWH estimations with high spatial and temporal resolution. Recently, the spaceborne Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry (GNSS-R) has provided an opportunity to estimate SWH with a rapid global coverage and high temporal resolution observations, particularly with the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission. In this paper, SWH was estimated using the polynomial function relationship between SWH from ERA5 and Delay-Doppler Map Average (DDMA) as well as Leading Edge Slope (LES) from CYGNSS data. Then, the SWH estimated from CYGNSS data was validated by ERA-Interim data, AVISO data, and buoy data. The results showed that the average correlation coefficient of CYGNSS SWH was 0.945, and the average RMSE was 0.257 m when compared to the ERA-Interim SWH data. The RMSE was 0.423 m and the correlation coefficient was 0.849 when compared with the AVISO SWH. The correlation coefficient with the buoy data was 0.907, and the RMSE was 0.247 m. This method can provide suitable SWH estimation data for ocean dynamics research and ocean environment prediction.

Seeking innovative methods is critical for efficient solar energy utilization. In this study, a promising alternative to the conventional systems is introduced by integrating heat pipes to widely used flat plate collectors as a means of heat extraction devices. It is expected that such configuration can avoid some of the drawbacks that inherently exist in the traditional flat plate collectors. Transient performance analysis was performed for a complete forced circulation solar water heating system operating with a heat pipe flat plate collector (HPFPC). In addition, thermal behaviour of the whole system and its daily energetic and exergetic performances were discussed considering hourly weather data from the coldest month of the year with the mean daily temperature of 9.56 °C in Fez, Morocco. Moreover, a simulation environment was introduced and dynamic simulations were performed to assess the overall performance under worst-case scenario. Performance factors including solar fraction, collector thermal and exergetic efficiencies were evaluated on hourly and daily basis. The simulation results were compared to the experimental results found in the literature and they showed a good agreement. These results proved that the solar water heating system was capable of maintaining reasonable thermal efficiencies of up to 33% and exergetic efficiencies of up to 4% with a daily solar fraction above 58% during the coldest month of the year in the studied location. • Forced circulation solar water heating system using new collector design. • Heat pipes are integrated into conventional flat plate collector. • Energy and exergy performance analysis is performed based on a transient formulation. • Effect of various design and oprating parameters is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ET and T from several models are evaluated by eddy covariance and sap flow data. • Comparison of remote sensing ET models with process based hydrological model. • Remote sensing models tend to underestimate ET in dry season but overestimate in the rainy season. Evapotranspiration (ET) and its components, transpiration (T) and soil evaporation (Es) are crucial to understand hydrological cycle and effective water loss in water resource management. Remote sensing models and process based hydrological models are two kinds of effective methods for evaluating ET and its partitions. Although the ability of remote sensing models to simulate ET has been widely verified, there is limited verification of ET components, especially T, which is the major component of ET. This research used ET obtained from eddy covariance system and T obtained from sap flow observation in an apricot orchard of north China to evaluate the accuracy of ET and its components from three remote sensing models (PT-JPL, PML, and SWH) and a process-based hydrological model (SHAW). The results showed that after calibrations, all the four models satisfactorily simulated total ET particularly at annual level. Among them, the PML model had the best fit efficiency, with the most satisfied R 2 and NSE values. The PT-JPL estimated average ET was the most accurate, with the slope nearest to 1.0. While for the simulation of T, SHAW model had a better performance owing to the fact that SHAW model simulate plant transpiration using changes in soil water content. The average T/ET of the models for the growing season was close to the observed value of 0.70, except that the T/ET of SWH is high due to the lack of Ei calculation. Furthermore, nearly all the three remote sensing models underestimated ET in the dry spring and overestimated ET in the rainy summer. In comparison with the process-based SHAW model, it is suggested that remote sensing ET relies more heavily on the seasonal change of meteorological factors such as precipitation but less capable in reflecting the gradually delaying process of soil moisture in the dry season. Therefore, it is indicated that for future improvement of remote sensing ET models, adjustment of soil water availability in a much longer term is suggested at least for semi-humid and semi-arid ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consistency between national wave buoy networks is extremely important for wave climate studies and verification of global operational wave forecasting systems; however, it is insufficiently investigated. The validation of altimeter significant wave heights (SWHs) with the wave buoy networks of China, Europe and the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) show significant divergence in assessments. This reveals a negative bias and larger root mean square error and scatter index from the Chinese buoy network than from the European and NDBC buoy networks. A remote cross-calibration method is presented using the collocations between altimeters and buoys to match the buoy observations from different networks. The Chinese buoys are found to yield a negative bias of −0.127 m compared to European/NDBC buoy networks. The cross-calibration equation is achieved by regression of the SWHs between the Chinese and European/NDBC buoy networks. The use of this remote cross-calibration significantly reduces the inconsistency between the Chinese and European/NDBC buoys in the validation of SWH from altimeter HY2B.

HY2B is now the latest altimetry mission that provides global nadir significant wave height (SWH) and sea surface wind speed. The validation and calibration of HY2B are carried out against National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoy observations from April 2019 to April 2020. In general, the HY2B altimeter measurements agree well with buoy observation, with scatter index of 9.4% for SWH, and 15.1% for wind speed. However, we observed a significant bias of 0.14 m for SWH and −0.42 m/s for wind speed. A deep learning technique is novelly applied for the calibration of HY2B SWH and wind speed. Deep neural network (DNN) is built and trained to correct SWH and wind speed by using input from parameters provided by the altimeter such as sigma0, sigma0 standard deviation (STD). The results based on DNN show a significant reduction of the bias, root mean square error (RMSE), and scatter index (SI) for both SWH and wind speed. Several DNN schemes based on different combination of input parameters have been examined in order to obtain the best model for the calibration. The analysis reveals that sigma0 STD is a key parameter for the calibration of HY2B SWH and wind speed.

Numerical simulation results of wind wave in the Caspian Sea by using wind forcing data are presented. The numerical modeling which is applied in this study is based on numerical spectral wave model which is based on Navier-Stokes equations. It solves these equations through each of mesh elements. Moreover, in this model high-resolution unstructured grid for the Caspian Sea has been used in order to reach finer accuracy. The wind forcing data are given from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The measurement data, which are gained from Ports and Marine Organisation (PMO) of Iran, are used in order to estimate the accuracy of the model. The results have shown better accuracy in comparison with PMO simulation. Mean of the coefficient of determination (R-squared) for significant wave height in this simulation is 0.8059, though, in PMO simulation this coefficient is reported 0.7056. Better accuracy requires more measurement data and also finer resolution of bathymetry data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South West Hub project, through three generations of modelling based on new 2D and 3D seismic data and core/log information from four new wells is demonstrating that carbon dioxide storage is possible in an environment where there is no regional shale layer acting as a traditional seal. This paper summarises the work that has been undertaken in a collaborative manner into “unconventional geology” exploring migration assisted trapping in an on-shore saline aquifer by Government, private sector contractors and researchers in the south west of Western Australia. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), which involves capturing carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere and injecting it to be stored in deep geological formations, is a potential stepping stone to maintaining energy security while reducing the carbon footprint of Australia's energy sources. CCS is the only technology available to make deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions while still using the fossil fuels that power much of today's energy infrastructure. At a State level, the Western Australian Greenhouse Strategy incorporates CCS and is helping to address the need for a long-term commitment to climate change and cleaner energy. The Western Australia Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) started investigating the Lesueur site, near large CO 2 emission sources (the industrial centres of Kwinana and Collie in the South West of Western Australia) in 2007 and developed the South West Hub (SW Hub) project concept in 2010 with the support of local industrial partners. The project was designated an “Australian Flagship” project in 2011 and has received substantial funding and support from the Federal Government, through the Department of Industry Innovation and Science) the Western Australia State Government and industry. The SW Hub Project is progressing data acquisition and analysis aimed at establishing confidence in storage associated with migration assisted trapping (MAT) in unconfined saline aquifers. The storage complex has no regional shale layer and consists of the Lower Lesueur (Wonnerup Member) as the injection reservoir, the Upper Lesueur (Yalgorup Member) with its numerous paleosol baffles as the lower confining layer and the basal shale part of the Eneabba Formation as the upper confining layer. The injection reservoir is a heterogeneous sandstone that is over 1500 m thick with varying permeability layers that should support residual and solubility trapping. From the very onset, the SW Hub Project has followed a rigorous stage gated decision making program. The project has been divided into phases and each phase involves targeted data acquisition plans to address technical gaps or uncertainties. These uncertainties have been documented in an Uncertainty Management Plan (UMP) and drive all technical work. “Decision Gates” ensure that, only on increased confidence of success would the project move to the next phase. The project processes are consistent with the DNV CO2QUALSTORE steps and the workflows defined in the EU Directive 2009/31/EC guidance document. Under the first phase of the new data acquisition program (2011-12), new geological data was gathered through 100 km of targeted 2D seismic lines and one deep exploration well drilled to 2,945 metres. Multiple modelling scenarios with differing assumptions on the geological properties supported the storage concept and identified no “show stoppers”. Notwithstanding, uncertainty planning required additional data to address the gaps identified. Under the next phase of the development program (2013-15), 3D seismic was acquired over 115 km 2 and additional wells planned. The area of interest is dominated by farming activity and not all landowners provided consent to acquire the seismic data. As such, while high fold data has been acquired over the deeper Wonnerup Member reservoir sections, the shallower Yalgorup Member was not as well illuminated. The drilling strategy was adapted to maximise geological coverage particularly across the shallower reservoirs. Three wells were drilled using a combination of mineral and water well drilling rigs with a deeper well to be considered following model updates. Significant technical work has also been done to support this development through a range of research projects launched under the auspices of the Australian National Low Emissions Coal research and development program (ANLEC R&D). These projects are focused on reservoir characterisation and either consider more fundamental physics based questions or delve significantly deeper into specific geology and geophysics domains using laboratory and modelling efforts. Clear decision criteria to support additional investment in a drilling and testing program have been defined and will be addressed by modelling. The paper will explain the project challenges and the decision making rationale, highlighting the importance of good processes, long term planning, and extensive stakeholder management supported by a robust technical program. Results to date support MAT and validation of the SW Hub storage concept will substantially increase the number of geologic sites that can be considered for safe storage around the world. There is significant international interest in the project field and research activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Research Papers of the Wroclaw University of Economics / Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wroclawiu is the property of Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wroclawiu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the university-level application of an Argument- Based Inquiry Approach, as compared to the traditional laboratory teaching method, on the ability of students to learn about optics and to demonstrate critical thinking. In this quasi-experimental study, pretest-posttest scores and CCDTI were used as data collection tools. The study sample consisted of a total of 44 students receiving lessons in science education and laboratory applications in two separate classes within the Faculty of Education at a small university in the north of Turkey in the school year 2013-2014. While the students in the control group carried out experiments using the traditional laboratory method, the students in the experimental group carried out activities in groups of three to four based on research using the ABI approach. Students in both groups performed seven activities. In the study, we used pretest and posttest results. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of the test was determined to be 0.71. In addition, the CCDTI scale, adapted into Turkish, was used at the beginning and end of the study in an attempt to determine the change in students' capacity for critical thinking. The findings show that university-level use of the ABI approach provides a statistically significant contribution to students' success in learning optics. Moreover, it was established that the argument-based approach produces significant differences in students' capacity for and tendencies towards critical thinking compared to the traditional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Research Papers of the Wroclaw University of Economics / Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wroclawiu is the property of Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wroclawiu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Significant Wave Height (SWH) measurement data from the AltiKa Radar Altimeter (RA) for the first 13 cycles of satellite coverage are compared with the SWH from Wave Rider Buoys (WRB) located at nine stations along the Indian coast to assess the performance of the altimeter over the coastal region. AltiKa SWH observations within a 30-minute interval and 50 km distance from WRBs are found to be over estimated by 6%, the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is 0.36 m, the Scatter Index (SI) is 26%, and the correlation coefficient (r) is 0.91. Relaxing the distance criteria by 50 km leads to increase in RMSE and deterioration of r to 0.89. There is a marked difference in the statistics on the comparison pairs pooled separately for the buoys near west and east coasts, with the latter showing RMSE error 26% more than the former. The method of Cressman weights adopted to correct for the errors arising out of the temporal and spatial differences in altimeter and buoy data comparison pairs resulted in reduction of RMSE by 5% and 25%, respectively, for the 30-minute and 50 km criteria and 4% and 56% for the 30-minute and 100 km criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The South West Hub Project (SWH) is undergoing pre-feasibility assessment through a stage-gated program of data acquisition, managed currently by the Western Australia Department of Mines and Petroleum (WA DMP). Undergoing assessment for potential to store commercial quantities of CO 2 is an area of approximately 150 km 2 north of the town of Harvey in south west Western Australia. The emissions hub of Collie (∼ 70 km to the SE) is the home to some likely users of the pore space if the site proves up. In contrast to many potential storage projects, the area under investigation had undergone only limited geological evaluation prior to this project's initiation in 2007. Therefore a program of data acquisition has had to be developed and undertaken to populate an essentially greenfield site, to provide sufficient information to make informed decisions prior to proceeding through each stage gate. Activities to date have included: • A 2D seismic survey (2011) along local roads, which enabled the placement of a stratigraphic well. • The drilling of the Harvey-1 stratigraphic well (2012) to a depth of 2920.5 m TVDSS. • Research projects have then been commissioned to utilise these new materials and provide additional site characterisation. • A small scale 2D seismic survey (December, 2013) to aid in definition of acquisition parameters for a subsequent • 3D seismic survey conducted, taking in 115 km 2 of the approximate 150 km 2 area (February – March, 2014). Results from these activities so far have not presented the project with any “show-stoppers”. The key intervals of interest, the Yalgorup and Wonnerup members of the Triassic Lesueur Formation show suitable rock properties for purposes of carbon storage. Fault identification and their modeled transmissivity do not indicate extensive compartmentalization in the storage region. Whilst the key to this project is residual trapping (Wonnerup as the primary containment interval and Yalgorup as the secondary containment interval) there is improved evidence to suggest the presence of potential baffles and seals in the area to retain the CO 2 . As at mid-2014, the plan forward will include: • 3D seismic processing, interpretation and the building of a new geological model (underway mid - 2014). • Drilling of three shallow wells to better characterise the upper layers (2014 - 2015). • Flow testing of one of those three wells to better assess the potential baffles (2015). • Drilling of a deeper well(s) to characterise the reservoir properties off the Harvey Ridge Structure (late 2015). • Related research activities using the new materials generated from the upcoming well drilling and testing program. The recently acquired 3D seismic survey is already providing valuable information to constrain the main formations distribution and aiding in the location of the likely areas for further data acquisition. Complementary research projects are ongoing to facilitate the valuation of the site with the aim of reducing risk and uncertainty as the project proceeds to the next stage gate. It is hoped that by using a stage-gate approach, the pre-feasibility data acquisition will be focused and provide a lower cost and more rapid approach to assessing sites in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a potential stepping stone to maintaining energy security while reducing the carbon footprint of Australia's energy sources. CCS, which involves capturing carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere and injecting it to be stored in deep geological formations, is the only technology available to make deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions while still using fossil fuels and much of today's energy infrastructure. At a State level, the Western Australian Greenhouse Strategy incorporates CCS and is helping to address the need for a long-term commitment to climate change and cleaner energy. The Government of Western Australia Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) commenced investigating a site near large CO 2 emission sources (the industrial centres of Kwinana and Collie in South-West Western Australia) in 2007 and developed the South West Hub (SW Hub) project concept in 2009 with the support of local industrial partners in the form of a Joint Venture (JV). The project was designated an “Australian Flagship” project in 2011 and has received substantial funding and support from the Australian Federal Government, the Western Australia (WA) State Government and industry. The project has concurrently considered the various aspects required for an industrial scale development. The DMP has launched the technical investigations required to build confidence in the site and in parallel moved to amend the WA State Petroleum and Geothermal Legislation to include onshore geological storage of greenhouse gases. This is expected to pass in 2014-15, following which acreage release can occur. The ongoing and planned technical and exploration well drilling work is thus classified under the pre-competitive data acquisition phase and will allow the regulators to have comprehensive data packages to support tenement releases for CCS in the future. Community engagement has been given great importance, a formal strategy developed, workshops held and a “Carbon-Kids” program launched in local schools. New geological data has been gathered through targeted 2D seismic lines and a deep exploration well. Technical uncertainties have been catalogued and the next phase of pre-competitive data acquisition is now under planning with 3D seismic (recently acquired) and several wells targeted at reducing these uncertainties. This will increase confidence in the storage concept and the fundamental performance factors of capacity, injectivity and especially containment as the area does not appear to have a large regional seal. Geological studies have indicated that the Lesueur Sandstone can potentially store between 200-260 Mt of CO 2 over 40 years with residual trapping being the principal containment mechanism. Very significant technical work has supported this development through a range of research projects launched under the auspices of the Australian National Low Emissions Coal Research and Development program (ANLEC R&D). The DMP is managing the SW Hub project in a stage-gated way with each investment phase progressing only when sufficient technical confidence justifies doing so. Industry, through a joint venture (JV), is aligning the capture programs of the industrial partners with feasibility studies and possible pipeline routes so that a comprehensive project work program can be tabled to acquire property rights under the new legislation. The SW Hub Project has faced (and continues to face) numerous technical, organisational, community and financial challenges. In overcoming these, a rich base of experience has been created. There are currently no CO 2 storage projects (research, pilot or industrial) worldwide that focus on residual trapping mechanisms for primary containment and the SW Hub Project will potentially allow many more sites to be considered for storage as it develops and shares its research. The paper will elaborate on the importance of good processes, lo [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to identify the effects of using a traditional laboratory report format and a Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) students' template on pre-service teachers' achievement and science process skills in General Physics Laboratory-I course. In this study, a pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group model was used with two experimental groups and one control group for a total of 90 pre-service teachers participating. Within the groups, the SWH form was used in one experimental group, the SWH template with a peer assessment form was used in the other experimental group, and a traditional laboratory report format was used in the control group. Achievement and scientific process skills were examined in the experimental and control groups during the pretest-posttest. According to the findings, between the groups' achievement and scientific process skill scores average that the SWH were applied to and the group that SWH were not applied to, a significant difference were found in favor of experimental groups. Although there were no significant differences between the group using peer assessment and the group without peer assessment, the group using peer assessment reported higher evaluation scores in the SWH student template. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climatology of significant wave height (SWH) and sea surface wind speed are matters of concern in the fields of both meteorology and oceanography because they are very important parameters for planning offshore structures and ship routings. The TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter, which collected data for about 13 years from September 1992 to October 2005, has measured SWHs and surface wind speeds over most of the world's oceans. In this paper, a study of the global spatiotemporal distributions and variations of SWH and sea surface wind speed was conducted using the TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter data set. The range and characteristics of the variations were analyzed quantitatively for the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. Areas of rough waves and strong sea surface winds were localized precisely, and the correlation between SWH and sea surface wind speed analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Introduce the concept, working principle, and classification of loop heat pipe. [•] Analyze the heat transfer limit and thermo-fluid process of the loop heat pipe. [•] Present the application of the loop heat pipe in solar water heating system. [•] Review and analyze significant research works regarding loop heat pipe technology. [•] Propose further works to be done in promoting the solar water heating system employing loop heat pipe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Helicity is defined as H = V · ω, where V and ω velocity and vorticity vectors, respectively. Many works have pointed out that the larger the helicity is, the longer the life cycle of the weather system is. However, the direct relationship of the helicity to the evolution of the weather system is not quite clear. In this paper, the concept of helicity is generalized as shearing wind helicity (SWH). Dynamically, it is found that the average SWH is directly related to the increase of the average cyclonic rotation of the weather system. Physically, it is also pointed out that the SWH, as a matter of fact, is the sum of the torsion terms and the divergence term in the vorticity equation. Thermal wind helicity (TWH), as a derivative of SWH, is also discussed here because it links the temperature field and the vertical wind field. These two quantities may be effective for diagnosing a weather system. This paper applies these two quantities in cylindrical coordinates to study the development of Hurricane Andrew to validate their practical use. Through analyzing the hurricane, it is found that TWH can well describe the characteristics of the hurricane such as the strong convection and release of latent heat, SWH is not only a good quantity for diagnosing the weather system, but also an effective one for diagnosing the development of the hurricane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significant wave height (SWH) of oceans is the main parameter in describing the sea state, which has been widely used in the establishment of ocean process models and the field of navigation and transportation. However, traditional methods such as satellite radar altimeters and buoys cannot achieve SWH estimations with high spatial and temporal resolution. Recently, the spaceborne Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry (GNSS-R) has provided an opportunity to estimate SWH with a rapid global coverage and high temporal resolution observations, particularly with the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission. In this paper, SWH was estimated using the polynomial function relationship between SWH from ERA5 and Delay-Doppler Map Average (DDMA) as well as Leading Edge Slope (LES) from CYGNSS data. Then, the SWH estimated from CYGNSS data was validated by ERA-Interim data, AVISO data, and buoy data. The results showed that the average correlation coefficient of CYGNSS SWH was 0.945, and the average RMSE was 0.257 m when compared to the ERA-Interim SWH data. The RMSE was 0.423 m and the correlation coefficient was 0.849 when compared with the AVISO SWH. The correlation coefficient with the buoy data was 0.907, and the RMSE was 0.247 m. This method can provide suitable SWH estimation data for ocean dynamics research and ocean environment prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consistency between national wave buoy networks is extremely important for wave climate studies and verification of global operational wave forecasting systems; however, it is insufficiently investigated. The validation of altimeter significant wave heights (SWHs) with the wave buoy networks of China, Europe and the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) show significant divergence in assessments. This reveals a negative bias and larger root mean square error and scatter index from the Chinese buoy network than from the European and NDBC buoy networks. A remote cross-calibration method is presented using the collocations between altimeters and buoys to match the buoy observations from different networks. The Chinese buoys are found to yield a negative bias of −0.127 m compared to European/NDBC buoy networks. The cross-calibration equation is achieved by regression of the SWHs between the Chinese and European/NDBC buoy networks. The use of this remote cross-calibration significantly reduces the inconsistency between the Chinese and European/NDBC buoys in the validation of SWH from altimeter HY2B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HY2B is now the latest altimetry mission that provides global nadir significant wave height (SWH) and sea surface wind speed. The validation and calibration of HY2B are carried out against National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoy observations from April 2019 to April 2020. In general, the HY2B altimeter measurements agree well with buoy observation, with scatter index of 9.4% for SWH, and 15.1% for wind speed. However, we observed a significant bias of 0.14 m for SWH and −0.42 m/s for wind speed. A deep learning technique is novelly applied for the calibration of HY2B SWH and wind speed. Deep neural network (DNN) is built and trained to correct SWH and wind speed by using input from parameters provided by the altimeter such as sigma0, sigma0 standard deviation (STD). The results based on DNN show a significant reduction of the bias, root mean square error (RMSE), and scatter index (SI) for both SWH and wind speed. Several DNN schemes based on different combination of input parameters have been examined in order to obtain the best model for the calibration. The analysis reveals that sigma0 STD is a key parameter for the calibration of HY2B SWH and wind speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of late researchers are putting stress on the active utilisation of solar energy to promote the use of renewable energy. Solar water heating is considered as an environmental friendly technique to harness the solar energy for heating application. In this research, the effects of using Phase Change Materials (PCM) doped CuO nanocomposite as storage medium on the performance of a solar water heater have been experimentally investigated. By varying the wt% of nano CuO, the gap between the absorber plate and the glazing, the effect on the outlet temperature is examined. The maximum temperature of outlet water has been recorded as 60.1 °C using nano CuO-PCM composite over base PCM under similar conditions. As the mass fraction/wt% of nano CuO increases in PCM, the thermal conductivity, heat flow and thermal efficiency increases. It has been found that better results have been achieved while using 1.00 wt% CuO-PCM nanocomposite. The thermal conductivity of pure wax is found to be about 0.21 W/mK while 1.00 wt% PCM CuO- nanocomposite has thermal conductivity of 0.36 W/mK. It is noticed that there is an appreciable increment in the efficiency of solar water heater under the variation of three observed parameters i.e. time, temperature and solar intensity. • Nano CuO particles synthesis via economically viable and eco-friendly process. • Band gap energy of PCM increases due to the presence of nanoparticles. • Heat transfer enhancement by nanoparticles. • Thermal efficiency increment as solar intensity and temperature difference increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]