Impact of biomass burning aerosol on the monsoon circulation transition over Amazonia

Ensemble simulations of a regional climate model (RegCM3) forced by aerosol radiative forcing suggest that biomass burning aerosols can work against the seasonal monsoon circulation transition, thus re-enforce the dry season rainfall pattern for Southern Amazonia. Strongly absorbing smoke aerosols warm and stabilize the lower troposphere within the smoke center in southern Amazonia (where aerosol optical depth >0.3). These changes increase the surface pressure in the smoke center, weaken the southward surface pressure gradient between northern and southern Amazonia, and consequently induce an anomalous moisture divergence in the smoke center and an anomalous convergence in northwestern Amazonia (5 degrees S-5 degrees N, 60 degrees W-70 degrees W). The increased atmospheric thermodynamic stability, surface pressure, and divergent flow in Southern Amazonia may inhibit synoptic cyclonic activities propagated from extratropical South America, and re-enforce winter-like synoptic cyclonic activities and rainfall in southeastern Brazil, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. Citation: Zhang, Y., R. Fu, H. Yu, Y. Qian, R. Dickinson, M. A. F. Silva Dias, P. L. da Silva Dias, and K. Fernandes (2009), Impact of biomass burning aerosol on the monsoon circulation transition over Amazonia, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L10814, doi: 10.1029/2009GL037180.

Precipitation diurnal cycle and summer climatology assessment over South America: An evaluation of Regional Climate Model version 3 simulations

Regional Climate Model version 3 (RegCM3) simulations of 17 summers (1988-2004) over part of South America south of 5 degrees S were evaluated to identify model systematic errors. Model results were compared to different rainfall data sets (Climate Research Unit (CRU), Climate Prediction Center (CPC), Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP), and National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis), including the five summers mean (1998-2002) precipitation diurnal cycle observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)-Precipitation Radar (PR). In spite of regional differences, the RegCM3 simulates the main observed aspects of summer climatology associated with the precipitation (northwest-southeast band of South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ)) and air temperature (warmer air in the central part of the continent and colder in eastern Brazil and the Andes Mountains). At a regional scale, the main RegCM3 failures are the underestimation of the precipitation in the northern branch of the SACZ and some unrealistic intense precipitation around the Andes Mountains. However, the RegCM3 seasonal precipitation is closer to the fine-scale analyses (CPC, CRU, and TRMM-PR) than is the NCEP reanalysis, which presents an incorrect north-south orientation of SACZ and an overestimation of its intensity. The precipitation diurnal cycle observed by TRMM-PR shows pronounced contrasts between Tropics and Extratropics and land and ocean, where most of these features are simulated by RegCM3. The major similarities between the simulation and observation, especially the diurnal cycle phase, are found over the continental tropical and subtropical SACZ regions, which present afternoon maximum (1500-1800 UTC) and morning minimum (0900-1200 UTC). More specifically, over the core of SACZ, the phase and amplitude of the simulated precipitation diurnal cycle are very close to the TRMM-PR observations. Although there are amplitude differences, the RegCM3 simulates the observed nighttime rainfall in the eastern Andes Mountains, over the Atlantic Ocean, and also over northern Argentina. The main simulation deficiencies are found in the Atlantic Ocean and near the Andes Mountains. Over the Atlantic Ocean the convective scheme is not triggered; thus the rainfall arises from the grid-scale scheme and therefore differs from the TRMM-PR. Near the Andes, intense (nighttime and daytime) simulated precipitation could be a response of an incorrect circulation and topographic uplift. Finally, it is important to note that unlike most reported bias of global models, RegCM3 does not trigger the moist convection just after sunrise over the southern part of the Amazon.

Impact of biomass burning aerosols on precipitation in the Amazon: A modeling case study

A study of the potential role of aerosols in modifying clouds and precipitation is presented using a numerical atmospheric model. Measurements of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and cloud size distribution properties taken in the southwestern Amazon region during the transition from dry to wet seasons were used as guidelines to define the microphysical parameters for the simulations. Numerical simulations were carried out using the Brazilian Development on Regional Atmospheric Modeling System, and the results presented considerable sensitivity to changes in these parameters. High CCN concentrations, typical of polluted days, were found to result in increases or decreases in total precipitation, depending on the level of pollution used as a reference, showing a complexity that parallels the aerosol-precipitation interaction. Our results show that on the grids evaluated, higher CCN concentrations reduced low-to-moderate rainfall rates and increased high rainfall rates. The principal consequence of the increased pollution was a change from a warm to a cold rain process, which affected the maximum and overall mean accumulated precipitation. Under polluted conditions, cloud cover diminished, allowing greater amounts of solar radiation to reach the surface. Aerosol absorption of radiation in the lower layers of the atmosphere delayed convective evolution but produced higher maximum rainfall rates due to increased instability. In addition, the intensity of the surface sensible heat flux, as well as that of the latent heat flux, was reduced by the lower temperature difference between surface and air, producing greater energy stores at the surface.

Precipitation variability in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

The State of Sao Paulo is the richest in Brazil, responsible for over 30% of the Brazilian gross rate. It has a population of around 30 million and its economy is based on agriculture and industrial products. Any change in climate can have a profound influence on the socio-economics of the State. In order to determine changes in total and extreme rainfall over Sao Paulo State, climate change indices derived from daily precipitation data were calculated using specially designed software. Maps of trends for a subset of 59 rain gauge stations were analysed for the period 1950-1999 and also for a subset of this period, 1990-1999, representing more recent climate. A non-parametric Mann-Kendall test was applied to the time series. Maps of trends for six annual precipitation indices (annual total precipitation (PRCPTOT), very heavy precipitation days (R20mm), events greater than the 95th percentile (R95p), maximum five days precipitation total (RX5day), the length of the largest wet spell (CWD) and the length of the largest dry spell (CDD)) were analysed for the entire period. These exhibited statistically significant trends associated with a wetter climate. A significant increase in PRCPTOT, associated with very heavy precipitation days, were observed at more than 45% of the rain gauge stations. The Mann-Kendall test identified that the positive trend in PRCPTOT is possibly related to the increase in the R95p and R20mm indices. Therefore, the results suggest that there has been a change in precipitation intensity. In contrast, the indices for the more recent shorter time series are significantly different to the longer term indices. The results indicate that intense precipitation is becoming concentrated in a few days and spread over the period when the CDD and R20mm indices show positive trends, while negative ones are seen in the RX5day index. The trends found could be related to many anthropogenic aspects such as biomass burning aerosols and land use.

Integrated marine gravity field in the Brazilian coast from altimeter-derived sea surface gradient and shipborne gravity

Sea surface gradients derived from the Geosat and ERS-1 satellite altimetry geodetic missions were integrated with marine gravity data from the National Geophysical Data Center and Brazilian national surveys. Using the least squares collocation method, models of free-air gravity anomaly and geoid height were calculated for the coast of Brazil with a resolution of 2` x 2`. The integration of satellite and shipborne data showed better statistical results in regions near the coast than using satellite data only, suggesting an improvement when compared to the state-of-the-art global gravity models. Furthermore, these results were obtained with considerably less input information than was used by those reference models. The least squares collocation presented a very low content of high-frequency noise in the predicted gravity anomalies. This may be considered essential to improve the high resolution representation of the gravity field in regions of ocean-continent transition. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Germination rate and sporeling development of Chondracanthus chamissoi (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales) varies along a latitudinal gradient on the coast of Chile

Chondracanthus chamissoi (C. Agardh) Kutzing is an economically important red seaweed with an extended latitudinal distribution along the south-east Pacific. Here we report on the seasonal in vitro germination of carpospores and tetraspores from four populations distributed from 27 to 41 degrees S on the Chilean coast. Our results show that both types of spores exhibited a different physiological behavior related to the geographic origin of the specimens. Germination occurred throughout the year for both spore types in the four populations. However, for the northern locations (Calderilla, La Herradura and Puerto Aldea) germination was higher in spring, while for the southern location (Lechagua), germination was higher in summer. The growth rate of carposporelings and tetrasporelings varied seasonally in ail locations studied, with higher growth in spring. Among all, carposporelings from Lechagua specimens reached the highest growth rates (9.3 +/- 0.2% d(-1)). However, spores from Herradura and P. Aldea had a good germination and SGR in all seasons and would be good candidates to start spores-based cultivation of this valuable resource in Chile. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Seed dispersal and predation in the endemic Atlantic rainforest palm Astrocaryum aculeatissimum across a gradient of seed disperser abundance

Tropical forests have been subject to intense hunting of medium and large frugivores that are important in dispersing large-seeded species. It has been hypothesized that in areas with extinction or low abundance of medium and large-bodied animals the density of small rodents may increase. Therefore, this increment in the density of small rodents may compensate for the absence or low abundance of medium and large frugivores on seed removal and seed dispersal. Here, we fill up this gap in the literature by determining if seed removal, seed dispersal, and seed predation by small rodents (spiny rats, Trinomys inheringi and squirrels, Sciurus ingrami) are maintained in defaunated areas. We accessed seed removal, seed dispersal, seed predation, and seedling recruitment of an endemic Atlantic rainforest palm, Astrocaryum aculeatissimum, in a gradient of abundance of agoutis. We found that seed removal, scatter hoarding, and seed predation increase with the abundance of agoutis. In contrast, the proportion of dispersed but non-cached seeds decreased with the abundance of agoutis. We did not find any effect of the abundance of agoutis on seed dispersal distance, but we did find a positive trend on the density of seedlings. We concluded that small rodents do not compensate the low abundance of agoutis on seed removal, scatter hoarding, and seed predation of this palm tree. Moreover, areas in which agoutis are already extinct did not present any seed removal or scatter hoarding, not even by small rodents. This study emphasizes both the importance of agoutis in dispersing seeds of A. aculeatissimum and the collapse in seed dispersal of this palm in areas where agoutis are already extinct.

Relative effect of litter quality, forest type and their interaction on leaf decomposition in south-east Brazilian forests

Decomposition was studied in a reciprocal litter transplant experiment to examine the effects of forest type, litter quality and their interaction on leaf decomposition in four tropical forests in south-east Brazil. Litterbags were used to measure decomposition of leaves of one tree species from each forest type: Calophyllum brasiliense from restinga forest; Guapira opposita from Atlantic forest; Esenbeckia leiocarpa from semi-deciduous forest; and Copaifera langsdorffii from cerradao. Decomposition rates in rain forests (Atlantic and restinga) were twice as fast as those in seasonal forests (semi-deciduous and cerradao), suggesting that intensity and distribution of precipitation are important predictors of decomposition rates at regional scales. Decomposition rates varied by species, in the following order: E. leiocarpa > C. langsdorffii > G. opposita > C. brasiliense. However, there was no correlation between decomposition rates and chemical litter quality parameters: C:N, C:P, lignin concentration and lignin:N. The interaction between forest type and litter quality was positive mainly because C. langsdorffii decomposed faster than expected in its native forest. This is a potential indication of a decomposer`s adaptation to specific substrates in a tropical forest. These findings suggest that besides climate, interactions between decomposers and plants might play an essential role in decomposition processes and it must be better understood.

The genetic effects of Late Quaternary climatic changes over a tropical latitudinal gradient: diversification of an Atlantic Forest passerine

The increase in biodiversity from high to low latitudes is a widely recognized biogeographical pattern. According to the latitudinal gradient hypothesis (LGH), this pattern was shaped by differential effects of Late Quaternary climatic changes across a latitudinal gradient. Here, we evaluate the effects of climatic changes across a tropical latitudinal gradient and its implications to diversification of an Atlantic Forest (AF) endemic passerine. We studied the intraspecific diversification and historical demography of Sclerurus scansor, based on mitochondrial (ND2, ND3 and cytb) and nuclear (FIB7) gene sequences. Phylogenetic analyses recovered three well-supported clades associated with distinct latitudinal zones. Coalescent-based methods were applied to estimate divergence times and changes in effective population sizes. Estimates of divergence times indicate that intraspecific diversification took place during Middle-Late Pleistocene. Distinct demographic scenarios were identified, with the southern lineage exhibiting a clear signature of demographic expansion, while the central one remained more stable. The northern lineage, contrasting with LGH predictions, exhibited a clear sign of a recent bottleneck. Our results suggest that different AF regions reacted distinctly, even in opposite ways, under the same climatic period, producing simultaneously favourable scenarios for isolation and contact among populations.

Elastase secretion in Acanthamoeba polyphaga

Acanthamoeba species are frequently isolated from soil and water collections. In the environment, the organisms multiply as phagotrophic trophozoites and encyst under adverse conditions. Several species are known to infect man, causing keratitis and opportunistic diseases. The mechanisms underlying tissue damage and invasion by the amoebae are being elucidated and the involvement of secreted peptidases, particularly serine peptidases, has been demonstrated. Here, elastase activity was examined in Acanthamoeba-conditioned medium (ACM), making use of elastin-Congo red (ECR) and synthetic peptide p-nitroanilide substrates. ACM hydrolysed ECR over a broad pH range and optimally at a pH of 7.5 and above. Indicating the activity of serine and metallopeptidases, Congo red release was potently inhibited by PMSF, antipain, chymostatin and 1,10-phenanthroline, partially reduced by elastatinal and EDTA, and unaffected by 1,7-phenanthroline and E-64. Screening with synthetic substrates mainly showed the activity of serine peptidases. ACM efficiently hydrolysed Suc-Ala(2)-Pro-Leu-pNA and Suc-Ala(2)-Pro-Phe-pNA over a broad pH range (7.0-9.5) and was weakly active against Suc-Ala(3)-pNA, a substrate found to be optimally hydrolysed at a pH around 7.0. Following ammonium sulfate precipitation of ACM proteins and FPLC analysis, the majority of the ECR-splitting activity, characterised as serine peptidases, bound to CM-sepharose and co-eluted with part of the Suc-Ala(2)-Pro-Phe-pNA-hyd to lysing activity in a gradient of 0-0.6 M NaCl. In the corresponding FPLC fractions, serine peptidases resolving in the region of 70-130 kDa were detected in gelatin gels. Overall, the results demonstrate that trophozoites secrete elastases, and additionally suggest the high molecular weight serine peptidases as possible elastase candidates. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A GRADIENT-LIKE NONAUTONOMOUS EVOLUTION PROCESS

In this paper we consider a dissipative damped wave equation with nonautonomous damping of the form u(tt) + beta(t)u(t) - Delta u + f(u) (1) in a bounded smooth domain Omega subset of R(n) with Dirichlet boundary conditions, where f is a dissipative smooth nonlinearity and the damping beta : R -> (0, infinity) is a suitable function. We prove, if (1) has finitely many equilibria, that all global bounded solutions of (1) are backwards and forwards asymptotic to equilibria. Thus, we give a class of examples of nonautonomous evolution processes for which the structure of the pullback attractors is well understood. That complements the results of [Carvalho & Langa, 2009] on characterization of attractors, where it was shown that a small nonautonomous perturbation of an autonomous gradient-like evolution process is also gradient-like. Note that the evolution process associated to (1) is not a small nonautonomous perturbation of any autonomous gradient-like evolution processes. Moreover, we are also able to prove that the pullback attractor for (1) is also a forwards attractor and that the rate of attraction is exponential.

An extension of the concept of gradient semigroups which is stable under perturbation

In this article we introduce the concept of a gradient-like nonlinear semigroup as an intermediate concept between a gradient nonlinear semigroup (those possessing a Lyapunov function, see [J.K. Hale, Asymptotic Behavior of Dissipative Systems, Math. Surveys Monogr., vol. 25, Amer. Math. Soc., 1989]) and a nonlinear semigroup possessing a gradient-like attractor. We prove that a perturbation of a gradient-like nonlinear semigroup remains a gradient-like nonlinear semigroup. Moreover, for non-autonomous dynamical systems we introduce the concept of a gradient-like evolution process and prove that a non-autonomous perturbation of a gradient-like nonlinear semigroup is a gradient-like evolution process. For gradient-like nonlinear semigroups and evolution processes, we prove continuity, characterization and (pullback and forwards) exponential attraction of their attractors under perturbation extending the results of [A.N. Carvalho, J.A. Langa, J.C. Robinson, A. Suarez, Characterization of non-autonomous attractors of a perturbed gradient system, J. Differential Equations 236 (2007) 570-603] on characterization and of [A.V. Babin, M.I. Vishik, Attractors in Evolutionary Equations, Stud. Math. Appl.. vol. 25, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1992] on exponential attraction. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stability of gradient semigroups under perturbations

In this paper we prove that gradient-like semigroups (in the sense of Carvalho and Langa (2009 J. Diff. Eqns 246 2646-68)) are gradient semigroups (possess a Lyapunov function). This is primarily done to provide conditions under which gradient semigroups, in a general metric space, are stable under perturbation exploiting the known fact (see Carvalho and Langa (2009 J. Diff. Eqns 246 2646-68)) that gradient-like semigroups are stable under perturbation. The results presented here were motivated by the work carried out in Conley (1978 Isolated Invariant Sets and the Morse Index (CBMS Regional Conference Series in Mathematics vol 38) (RI: American Mathematical Society Providence)) for groups in compact metric spaces (see also Rybakowski (1987 The Homotopy Index and Partial Differential Equations (Universitext) (Berlin: Springer)) for the Morse decomposition of an invariant set for a semigroup on a compact metric space).

Reduced gradient method combined with augmented Lagrangian and barrier for the optimal power flow problem

A new approach for solving the optimal power flow (OPF) problem is established by combining the reduced gradient method and the augmented Lagrangian method with barriers and exploring specific characteristics of the relations between the variables of the OPF problem. Computer simulations on IEEE 14-bus and IEEE 30-bus test systems illustrate the method. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Partial spectral projected gradient method with active-set strategy for linearly constrained optimization

A method for linearly constrained optimization which modifies and generalizes recent box-constraint optimization algorithms is introduced. The new algorithm is based on a relaxed form of Spectral Projected Gradient iterations. Intercalated with these projected steps, internal iterations restricted to faces of the polytope are performed, which enhance the efficiency of the algorithm. Convergence proofs are given and numerical experiments are included and commented. Software supporting this paper is available through the Tango Project web page: http://www.ime.usp.br/similar to egbirgin/tango/.