Evaluation du troisième Programme de Gestion Durable de l'Azote en agriculture. Recommandations en matière de règlementations et de recherches scientifiques

in Vandenberghe, Christophe; Colinet, Gilles; Destain, Jean-Pierre (Eds.) et al 2ème Atelier Nitrate - Eau. Evaluation du Programme de Gestion Durable de l'Azote (2013)

In accordance with the Nitrates Directive, the third “Durable Nitrogen Management Plan” (PGDA) will be soon reviewed in Wallonia (Belgium). The second “Nitrate – Water” workshop took place between 28th ... [more ▼]

In accordance with the Nitrates Directive, the third “Durable Nitrogen Management Plan” (PGDA) will be soon reviewed in Wallonia (Belgium). The second “Nitrate – Water” workshop took place between 28th May and 1st June 2012. The workshop was attended by both Belgian scientists (Université catholique de Louvain - UCL, Walloon Agricultural Research Center CRA-W, Université de Liège - ULg, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech) and French scientists (National Institute for Agricultural Research - INRA). In the light of the results of experiments presented by scientists at this workshop, modifications to the PGDA are now recommended. These concern organic and mineral nitrogen fertilization for crops and meadows; catch crops; soil nitrate-nitrogen residue limitation in autumn, at the start of the nitrate leaching period; the management of meadow ploughing and a modification of the dairy cow standard for nitrogen production. [less ▲]

Generation of analysis and consistent error fields using the Data Interpolating Variational Analysis (Diva)

Poster (2012, November 15)

An EOF-based technique to compute merged high resolution sea surface temperature fields

Conference (2012, May 10)

High quality sea surface temperature (SST) data sets are needed for various applications, including numerical weather prediction, ocean forecasting and climate research. The coverage, resolution and ... [more ▼]

High quality sea surface temperature (SST) data sets are needed for various applications, including numerical weather prediction, ocean forecasting and climate research. The coverage, resolution and precision of individual SST satellite observations is not sufficient for these applications, therefore the merging of these complementary data sets is needed to reduce the final data set error. This is usually performed by optimal interpolation (OI).We present an extension of the capabilities of DINEOF (Data INterpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions) to merge data from different platforms. The analysis is based on the formalism of OI, but the crucial difference is that the error covariance is not parametrized a priori using an analytical expression, but expressed using a spatial EOF basis calculated by DINEOF. This EOF basis represents more realistically the complex variability of SST data sets than the parametric covariance used in most OI applications. An example will be presented using data from a polar-orbiting satellite (AVHRR on MetOp) and a geostationary satellite (SEVIRI on MSG). The high spatial resolution of the polar-orbiting satellite and the high temporal resolution of the geostationary satellite are retained to create a very high spatial and temporal resolution field of the western Mediterranean SST. The results are validated with independent data. [less ▲]

Interannual variability of Black Sea’s hydrodynamics and connection to atmospheric patterns

Conference (2012, May 09)

The long term variability (1962–2000) of the Black Sea physical processes (e.g. temperature, main circulation, cold intermediate layer, sea level) and its relation to atmospheric conditions and large ... [more ▼]

The long term variability (1962–2000) of the Black Sea physical processes (e.g. temperature, main circulation, cold intermediate layer, sea level) and its relation to atmospheric conditions and large scale climate patterns are investigated using an eddy-resolving tridimensional model in combination with statistical tools (e.g. Empirical Orthogonal Functions, Self Organizing Maps). First, the ability of the model to represent the interannual dynamics of the system is assessed by comparing the modeled and satellite sea surface temperature (SST) and sea level anomaly (SLA) decomposed into their dominant Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs). The correlation between the spatial and temporal EOFs modes derived from model and satellite data is usually satisfactory and this gives some confidence in using the model as a tool to investigate not only the SST and SLA dynamics but also the dynamics of connected variables. Then, the long term variability (1962–2000) of the Black Sea hydrodynamics is assessed by decomposing into their dominant EOFs modeled SST, SLA and selected key hydrodynamical variables associated to the main circulation and vertical structure of the water column. Significant correlations between the EOFs associated to these variables are investigated in order to link the variability of surface fields and the internal dynamics of the system. In particular, the intensity of the general cyclonic circulation (the Rim Current) is shown to impact strongly (1) the mean sea level, (2) the SST response to air temperature (AT), (3) the formation of the cold intermediate layer, (4) the meridional repartition of the SST anomaly and (5) the exchanges of heat between the north-western shelf and the open basin. In order to appraise the variability of atmospheric conditions over the Black Sea during 1962–2000 and their role in driving the hydrodynamics, a self-organizing maps technique is used to identify spatial recurrent patterns of atmospheric fields (i.e., AT, wind stress and curl). The impact on these patterns of large scale climatic variability over the north Atlantic and Eurasia (estimated by respectively the north Atlantic oscillation (NAO) and the east Atlantic/west Russia oscillation (EA/WR) indexes) is assessed. Distinct time scales of influence of the large scale teleconnection patterns on the AT are identified: EA/WR drives the short scale (1–5 years) variations of SST, while the long term (4-5 years) trends of the NAO drive the long term SST trends. The drastic changes that have occurred in the Black Sea deep sea ecosystem at the end of the 80s are connected to an intensification of the general circulation that has promoted an export of riverine materials from the eutrophicated north-western shelf to the deep sea. Finally, in the last two decades, we find an increased duration of persistent atmospheric anomalies regime that has the potential to drive the system away from its average state as occurred in the late 80s. If persistent in the future, such long lasting atmospheric anomalies may have a significant impact on the ecosystem functioning. [less ▲]

Comparison between Optimal Interpolation (OI) and Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis (Diva) for the generation of analysis and error gridded fields

Poster (2012, April 24)

Sensitivity of the Oxygen Dynamics in the Black Sea North Western Shelf to physical and biogeochemical processes : 3D model approach

Conference (2012, March 13)

The presentation evidences the role of benthic oxygen consumption in the seasonal hypoxia afecting the Norht western shelf of the Black Sea. Spatial variability of related processes is evidenced and ... [more ▼]

The presentation evidences the role of benthic oxygen consumption in the seasonal hypoxia afecting the Norht western shelf of the Black Sea. Spatial variability of related processes is evidenced and finally interanual variability of hypoxia severity is quantified and related to nitrogen riverine inputs. [less ▲]

Reconstruction of the long-term satellite-derived sea surface temperature in the South China Sea

Poster (2012, February 24)

The AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) sea surface temperature is very useful for researches in oceanography because of its high resolution. An AVHRR limitation is the high missing data ... [more ▼]

The AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) sea surface temperature is very useful for researches in oceanography because of its high resolution. An AVHRR limitation is the high missing data percentage due to cloud coverage. In the South China Sea, the average missing data is usually more than 80%, especially more than 95% in the region near the Borneo Island. In this study, we use DINEOF tool to reconstruct a daily night-time AVHRR data set with horizontal resolution of 4km spanning from 1989 to 2009. Besides, a comparison between the results and in situ data is shown. The EOF analysis shows that the first three modes explain about 95% of seasonal variability. [less ▲]

Generation of the Cape Ghir upwelling filament: A numerical study

in Ocean Modelling (2012), 41

Filaments are narrow, shallow structures of cool water originating from the coast. They are typical features of the four main eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUS). In spite of their significant ... [more ▼]

Filaments are narrow, shallow structures of cool water originating from the coast. They are typical features of the four main eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUS). In spite of their significant biological and chemical roles, through the offshore exportation of nutrient-rich waters, the physical processes that generate them are still not completely understood. This paper is a process-oriented study of filament generation mechanisms. Our goal is twofold: firstly, to obtain a numerical solution able to well represent the characteristics of the filament off Cape Ghir (30°38'N, northwestern Africa) in the Canary EBUS and secondly, to explain its formation by a simple mechanism based on the balance of potential vorticity. The first goal is achieved by the use of the ROMS model (Regional Ocean Modeling System) in embedded domains around Cape Ghir, with a horizontal resolution going up to 1.5 km for the finest domain. The latter gets its initial and boundary conditions from a parent solution and is forced by climatological, high-resolution atmospheric fields. The modeled filaments display spatial, temporal and physical characteristics in agreement with the available in situ and satellite observations. This model solution is used as a reference to compare the results with a set of process-oriented experiments. These experiments allow us to reach the second objective. Their respective solution serves to highlight the contribution of various processes in the filament generation. Since the study is focused on general processes present under climatological forcing conditions, inter-annual forcing is not necessary. The underlying idea for the filament generation is the balance of potential vorticity in the Canary EBUS: the upwelling jet is characterized by negative relative vorticity and flows southward along a narrow band of uniform potential vorticity. In the vicinity of the cape, an injection of relative vorticity induced by the wind breaks the existing vorticity balance. The upwelling jet is prevented from continuing its way southward and has to turn offshore to follow lines of equal potential vorticity. The model results highlight the essential role of wind, associated with the particular topography (coastline and bottom) around the cape. The mechanism presented here is general and thus can be applied to other EBUS. [less ▲]

Outlier detection in satellite data using spatial coherence

in Remote Sensing of Environment (2012), 119

Satellite data sets often contain outliers (i.e., anomalous values with respect to the surrounding pixels), mostly due to undetected clouds and rain or to atmospheric and land contamination. A methodology ... [more ▼]

Satellite data sets often contain outliers (i.e., anomalous values with respect to the surrounding pixels), mostly due to undetected clouds and rain or to atmospheric and land contamination. A methodology to detect outliers in satellite data sets is presented. The approach uses a truncated Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) basis. The information rejected by this EOF basis is used to identify suspect data. A proximity test and a local median test are also performed, and a weighted sum of these three tests is used to accurately detect outliers in a data set. Most satellite data undergo automated quality-check analyses. The approach presented exploits the spatial coherence of the geophysical fields, therefore detecting outliers that would otherwise pass such checks. The methodology is applied to infrared sea surface temperature (SST), microwave SST and chlorophyll-a concentration data over different domains, to show the applicability of the technique to a range of variables and temporal and spatial scales. A series of sensitivity tests and validation with independent data are also conducted. [less ▲]

Introduction to Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Physical and Numerical Aspects, 2nd Edition Volume 101

Book published by Academic Press (2011)

The long-awaited second edition of this classic text now combines both physical and numerical aspects of geophysical fluid dynamics -- the principles governing air and water flows on large terrestrial ... [more ▼]

The long-awaited second edition of this classic text now combines both physical and numerical aspects of geophysical fluid dynamics -- the principles governing air and water flows on large terrestrial scales --into a single affordable volume. [less ▲]