Monika Agnieszka Kusiak – GRIEG
Currently, there is little evidence concerning the extent or composition of the Earth’s crust from the time of formation ca. 4.56 billion years ago (Ga) to the end of the meteoritic Late Heavy Bombardment that affected all rocky planets at ca. 3.8 Ga on Earth from 4.5 to 4.0 Ga (the Hadean), where no rock record remains, rare crystals of zircon provide minute time capsules of what our planet’s crust was like. Between 4.0 and 3.6 Ga, a partial rock record is preserved in just a few terranes on Earth, and geochemical and isotopic relationships between these rocks and their zircon endowment allow us to extrapolate back to the composition and extent of the earliest crust. However, the full picture of zircon-host rock relationships in the early Earth is incomplete. This is because most of these terranes remain under-investigated, especially those in the polar and subpolar regions of Canada and Antarctica, where there is the greatest potential for discoveries of new areas of Eoarchean crust. Through a combination of expedition work together with geochemical and geochronological investigations, the PAAN project will deliver breakthrough science by unlocking significant new information about Earth’s early history, especially with respect to the formation and evolution of continental crust. To achieve this goal zircon in samples from polar and sub-polar regions (namely Antarctica, Greenland and Labrador) will be used in combination with geochemistry and field work. Integration of these avenues of investigation will be used to compare the geological histories of these regions in order to find ‘missing links’ between them. The overarching goal will be to test the hypothesis that by 3.6 Ga these disparate relics of Eoarchean crust were part of the same ‘first supercontinent’.
Dariusz Baranowski – OPUS
Weather predictability on a global scale is largely determined by periodic phenomena occurring in the tropics. This region is particularly important because latent heat of condensation released during formation of deep, convective clouds is a source of energy for a global atmospheric circulation. In other words: convective processes in the tropics – vertical movement of air and formations of clouds – as well as their variability, affect weather patterns on a global scale, including in mid latitudes (e.g. in Europe).
The Maritime Continent – a region composed of seas and lands, located between Australia and the South-East Asia, is the area with the highest global precipitation, on average exceeding 10 mm daily accumulation. This is why the Maritime Continent is considered as one of the most important area for the variability in atmospheric circulation and weather predictability on a global scale. Such a high average rainfall also means that extreme rain events, with floods and landslides as their consequences,
occur much more frequently and regularly, than in other areas.
The Maritime Continent is composed of developing nations, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. People living in this area are relatively poor, less protected by insurance against adverse effects of extreme weather phenomena and as a society – less able to predict hazardous weather conditions and adapt to them. Forecasts indicate that along with the climate change and the widespread human impact on the environment, extreme phenomena and their adverse effects will intensify in that region. Rainfall in the Maritime Continent is characterized by a very strong diurnal cycle – it usually rains at the same time of the day: in the afternoon over land, while after midnight and in the early morning offshore. This is an effect of differences in diurnal warming of land and water areas during daytime and circulation that develops as a result of that imbalance. Furthermore, the amount of rain is modulated by
variability of the diurnal cycle – higher daily rainfall means that the amplitude of the diurnal cycle was higher. This carries additional danger, because the short-term, rapid rain events can be by the order of
magnitude higher than indicated by an average value.
The main goal of this project is to broaden our knowledge and understanding of the physical processes that govern multi-scale interactions between the diurnal cycle over the Maritime Continent and
convective cloud systems organized in tropical waves (type of weather systems in the equatorial band). These interactions are important for extreme rainfall and associated floods. However, key physical
mechanisms of those interactions remain unknown. In this project, we will calculate trajectories of tropical weather systems to analyze the variability of local atmospheric features associated with their propagation, including the diurnal cycle. During field campaign, which will in collaboration with a UK TerraMaris project, we will collect in-situ atmospheric data that will be used to study variability of the diurnal cycle, in the context of tropical weather systems’ evolution. The project involves novel theoretical and observational research at the frontiers of atmospheric physics and air-sea interactions. Project’s scope, hypothesis and objectives are within interests of international community exemplified by the international Years of the Maritime Continent program. Identification of physical mechanisms triggering extreme rainfall will benefit the inhabitants of the Maritime Continent region. However, given global teleconnections, the project will improve the predictability of weather patterns in other areas of the globe, e.g. in Europe. This project will be executed in an international collaboration between scientists from the USA, Europe and Indonesia.
Wojciech Czuba – OPUS
The aim of the project is the determination of seismic structure and anisotropy of the lithosphere (Earth’s crust and part of the upper mantle) and lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) in the Carpathian-Pannonian area. One of the main goals of the seismic research is to determine the distribution of the velocities of the seismic P- and S-waves, as they are important parameters not only characterizing elastic
properties of rocks, but also providing indications about their chemical and mineral composition as well as their structure (micro cracks, porosity etc.). Another geophysical property of rocks, important for studies of the lithospheric structure and evolution, is the anisotropy of the seismic
wave velocity. The seismic anisotropy phenomenon is defined as a dependence of the velocity on the direction of their propagation. Most of the minerals constituting the Earth’s crust and upper mantle manifest more or less distinct seismic anisotropy, due to anisotropy of the crystalline lattice (intrinsic anisotropy). If the rock consists of coherently aligned mineral crystals (CPO – crystal preferred orientation), it exhibits anisotropy measureable by seismic means. Another causes of seismic anisotropy of rock massifs involve the presence of coherently aligned cracks or thin layering of rocks, but for lower crustal and upper mantle rocks the mechanism of intrinsic anisotropy due to CPO dominates. Therefore, seismic observations documenting a directional dependence of the velocity of longitudinal waves (P) and shear waves (S) and the S-wave splitting
phenomenon provide the information about the orientation of the crystallographic axis of minerals and about rocks composition. Variability of the parameters of seismic anisotropy can be due to differences in composition, to variation of the direction tectonic movements or of the stress field in the studied area. It allows for discrimination between lithospheric blocks with different petrological composition and different tectonic evolution based on in situ measurements of seismic anisotropy.
The determination of the seismic anisotropy of the crust and upper mantle requires a use of methodology based on seismological observations of the seismic wave propagation in the Earth (recordings of the seismic waves from earthquakes). The data will be records of seismic waves from
local, regional and teleseismic earthquakes. This data will be used to build anisotropic models of the structure of the lithosphere. Registrations will be continuously operated using 30 modern highsensitivity and high resolution seismic broadband stations by the end of 2021. The modelling results
will be used to determine the composition of rocks building anisotropic layers of the structure and tectonic evolution of the area.
Magdalena Mrokowska – SONATA
Natural aquatic systems are abundant with particles of various origin, such as minerals, dead microorganisms, microplastics, and their aggregates in the form of porous marine snow. The majority of particles settle due to gravity in the depths of the ocean and lakes taking part in physical, chemical and biological processes. Settling particles play a number of significant roles: they transport carbon from the surface to the seafloor, they are hotspots for microorganisms, which take part in the remineralisation of organic matter, while microplastics pose a hazard to organisms becoming part of food-webs. The sedimentation rate has a significant impact on large-scale processes, such as biogeochemical transport including transport of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the ocean depths, ocean productivity, and climate, which affect the entire planet. Consequently, understanding particle settling dynamics is significant not only for learning more about Earth processes, but also in a social context. Complex physical conditions occuring in the ocean and lakes affect the dynamics of single particle settling and interactions between partices, and consequently, the sedimentation rates in natural aquatic systems. These complex conditions include density stratification and rheological properties of natural waters. Density stratification is triggered by vertical variability of salinity and/or temperature. Research has demonstrated that sharp density gradients (pycnoclines) significantly reduce settling velocity, induce reorientation of non-spherical particles, and enhance aggregation of particles. Microorganisms accumulate in the pycnocline region, where substantial concentrations of extracellular polymeric substances (exopolymers) secreted by these microorganisms are observed. Exopolymers modify the rheological properties of natural waters. Rheology considers the deformation and flow of materials under external forces and studies materials exhibiting attributes of liquids and solids characterized by viscosity and elasticity, respectively. Water is a Newtonian liquid, that is, its viscosity is constant under certain temperature and pressure. Water with exopolymers becomes a non-Newtonian liquid, that is, has combined characteristics of liquid and solid and its viscosity changes with the rate of deformation. It is well-known from the research on non-Newtonian liquids that particle settling dynamics in such substances are far from the settling behaviour observed in water. However, there is no specific research on aqueous solutions of salts with dissolved exopolymers occurring in nature. This project aims to advance our knowledge necessary to gain insight into the settling dynamics of particles in complex physical conditions occurring in natural aquatic systems. The goal of the project is to assess how exopolymers modify the rheological properties of ionic aqueous solutions, and how the exopolymer content and salinity affect the settling dynamics of individual porous and nonporous particles and interactions between particles in a density-stratified aquatic environment. The project will involve hydrodynamic laboratory experiments and rheological measurements. The impact of salts occurring in natural aquatic systems on rheological properties of ionic aqueous solutions of exopolymers will be evaluated. Next, the impact of salinity and exopolymer concentration on the rheological properties of artificial seawater with exopolymers will be examined. A series of small-scale laboratory experiments will be conducted to address the fundamental processes of variously shaped particles settling in complex ambient conditions occurring in the ocean and lakes. Spherical and non-spherical nonporous particles and porous spheres will settle in specially designed tanks filled with ionic aqueous solutions, including artificial seawater, with addition of exopolymers. Particles settling in homogeneous liquid and passing through the transition of density and rheological properties will be examined. Settling of particles will be filmed and the recorded images will be analysed to measure the settling velocity of particles, variations in non-spherical particle orientation, interactions between particles and the flow pattern around particles. All solutions used in experiments will be measured for their rheological properties and the hydrodynamics of settling particles will be interpreted along with the rheological properties of the solution. The results of the project will extend our fundamental knowledge on the impact of exopolymers present in ionic aqueous solutions on the settling dynamics of particles. Mathematical relations for drag and rheological models, as well as experimental data provided in the project could be next used to develop numerical models simulating particle settling in stratified conditions with modified rheology including particulate organic matter fluxes in the ocean. The knowledge gained as the effect of the project can play an essential role in the future in light of recent research reports indicating that stratification of the ocean, as well as algal blooms will increase as a result of climate change. The results of the project may not only contribute to Earth and Environmental Sciences, but also to other disciplines dealing with processes in non-Newtonian fluids.
Michel Nones – PRELUDIUM BIS
Generally, the water stored by hydraulic infrastructures constructed on natural rivers is used for water supply, hydropower, irrigation, recreation and navigation. Such volume can be affected by sedimentation, which is caused by sediments detached by the watershed hillslopes and carried into the reservoir by flowing water. This sedimentation causes major problems for reservoir and dam management, correlated to environmental and economic consequences. In fact, the decrease in the storage capacity of the reservoir hampers the purpose for which it was constructed, given that the usable storage volume will reduce, interfering with the normal dam operation. Depending on the amount of material deposited, the shortening of the hydropower reservoir lifetime will bring several consequences on the local economy, mostly related to drinking water supply, irrigation and hydropower generation in low-income countries. The land cover/land use (LCLU) changes are fundamental variables that can have a great impact in influencing many environmental aspects. LULC changes coupled with erroneous management may result in a high rate of soil erosion and increased sediment transport by changing the magnitude and pattern of runoff, peak flow, sediment yield and groundwater levels, adversely affecting the useful life of reservoirs. Bare land expansion, increased surface runoff production and soil erosion are major environmental damages attributed to LULC in the Fincha River basin, Ethiopia. These degradation processes have adverse impacts on local agricultural productivity, water resource availability and food security. In addition, heavy rains cause severe erosion and sediment transport, which ultimately leads to the degradation of soil and contributes to negative impacts on downstream flooding, pollution and siltation of water bodies and reservoirs. In the country, several factors are involved in accelerating soil erosion such as urbanization, deforestation, overgrazing, improper tillage practices, leaving the land fallow resulting in low organic matter, land-tenure system, small and fragmented land holdings, and overall poverty. Therefore, a proper estimate of the future capacity of the reservoir created by the Fincha Dam is a difficult task for water managers dealing with the design, maintenance and operation of a reservoir, given the multiple forcing involved. However, reservoir sedimentation can be managed by controlling the rates of sediment loss across a watershed, which could be eventually estimated by using proper modelling tools. The proposed study will assess the catchment sediment yield and siltation impacts on the Fincha reservoir under LULC changes by combining spatially integrated hydrological parameters, digital elevation models, land use and soil map with the ArcGIS interface Soil and Water Assessment Tool (ArcSWAT). The study will primarily emphasize on how land cover changes affect the sediment yield and its consequences on the reservoir capacity. Secondly, by means of multiple simulations, the research will provide water managers and policymakers with multiple scenarios forced by different LULC, and associated management strategies and mitigation measures for reducing the siltation in the Fincha Dam reservoir. The combination of field information and remote sensing data will be used for simulating future LCLU changes scenarios, also by applying an integrated Markov Chain and Cellular Automata (CA-Markov) dynamic model.