Ocean colour is recognised as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS); and spectrally-resolved water-leaving radiances (or remote-sensing reflectances) in ...the visible domain, and chlorophyll-a concentration are identified as required ECV products. Time series of the products at the global scale and at high spatial resolution, derived from ocean-colour data, are key to studying the dynamics of phytoplankton at seasonal and inter-annual scales; their role in marine biogeochemistry; the global carbon cycle; the modulation of how phytoplankton distribute solar-induced heat in the upper layers of the ocean; and the response of the marine ecosystem to climate variability and change. However, generating a long time series of these products from ocean-colour data is not a trivial task: algorithms that are best suited for climate studies have to be selected from a number that are available for atmospheric correction of the satellite signal and for retrieval of chlorophyll-a concentration; since satellites have a finite life span, data from multiple sensors have to be merged to create a single time series, and any uncorrected inter-sensor biases could introduce artefacts in the series, e.g., different sensors monitor radiances at different wavebands such that producing a consistent time series of reflectances is not straightforward. Another requirement is that the products have to be validated against in situ observations. Furthermore, the uncertainties in the products have to be quantified, ideally on a pixel-by-pixel basis, to facilitate applications and interpretations that are consistent with the quality of the data. This paper outlines an approach that was adopted for generating an ocean-colour time series for climate studies, using data from the MERIS (MEdium spectral Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) sensor of the European Space Agency; the SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide-Field-of-view Sensor) and MODIS-Aqua (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer-Aqua) sensors from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (USA); and VIIRS (Visible and Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (USA). The time series now covers the period from late 1997 to end of 2018. To ensure that the products meet, as well as possible, the requirements of the user community, marine-ecosystem modellers, and remote-sensing scientists were consulted at the outset on their immediate and longer-term requirements as well as on their expectations of ocean-colour data for use in climate research. Taking the user requirements into account, a series of objective criteria were established, against which available algorithms for processing ocean-colour data were evaluated and ranked. The algorithms that performed best with respect to the climate user requirements were selected to process data from the satellite sensors. Remote-sensing reflectance data from MODIS-Aqua, MERIS, and VIIRS were band-shifted to match the wavebands of SeaWiFS. Overlapping data were used to correct for mean biases between sensors at every pixel. The remote-sensing reflectance data derived from the sensors were merged, and the selected in-water algorithm was applied to the merged data to generate maps of chlorophyll concentration, inherent optical properties at SeaWiFS wavelengths, and the diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm. The merged products were validated against in situ observations. The uncertainties established on the basis of comparisons with in situ data were combined with an optical classification of the remote-sensing reflectance data using a fuzzy-logic approach, and were used to generate uncertainties (root mean square difference and bias) for each product at each pixel.
•Operational spaced-based system for aerosol and cloud determination.•Definition of the Multi-view, Multi-spectral and Multi-polarization concept.•Characterization of the system, on-ground as well as ...in-orbit.•Ground processing of the Level-1 products.
The 3MI instrument is one of the missions of the EUMETSAT Polar System Second Generation (EPS-SG) program to be launched in 2021. This polarimetric mission has a direct heritage from the POLDER mission, with improved capabilities and is implemented within a fully operational long-term framework. The spectral range was extended from the visible-near-infrared (410–910 nm) to the shortwave-infrared domain (up to 2200 nm). The spatial resolution (4 km at nadir) and the instantaneous swath (2200 × 2200 km²) were also improved compared to previous POLDER instruments. The 3MI concept of the multi-viewing, multi-spectral and multi-polarized Imaging is described, in particular how these 3 pieces of information are acquired together within a single simple instrument concept. Achieving the performance necessary to meet the mission requirements will rely on a comprehensive initial pre-launch characterization and subsequently extensive in-orbit monitoring based on a vicarious calibration strategy. The level 1 products available to the users will be geo-located Stokes vectors on the native viewing geometry (Level 1B) and geo-projected multi-directional and spectral Stokes vectors (Level 1C). Level-2 products will provide geophysical and microphysical parameters for aerosol and clouds.
Excessive salt intake is a common feature of Western dietary patterns, and has been associated with important metabolic changes including cerebral redox state imbalance. Considering that little is ...known about the effect on progeny of excessive salt intake during pregnancy, the present study investigated the effect of a high-salt diet during pregnancy and lactation on mitochondrial parameters and the redox state of the brains of resulting offspring. Adult female Wistar rats were divided into two dietary groups (n 20 rats/group): control standard chow (0·675 % NaCl) or high-salt chow (7·2 % NaCl), received throughout pregnancy and for 7 d after delivery. On postnatal day 7, the pups were euthanised and their cerebellum, hypothalamus, hippocampus, prefrontal and parietal cortices were dissected. Maternal high-salt diet reduced cerebellar mitochondrial mass and membrane potential, promoted an increase in reactive oxygen species allied to superoxide dismutase activation and decreased offspring cerebellar nitric oxide levels. A significant increase in hypothalamic nitric oxide levels and mitochondrial superoxide in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex was observed in the maternal high-salt group. Antioxidant enzymes were differentially modulated by oxidant increases in each brain area studied. Taken together, our results suggest that a maternal high-salt diet during pregnancy and lactation programmes the brain metabolism of offspring, favouring impaired mitochondrial function and promoting an oxidative environment; this highlights the adverse effect of high-salt intake in the health state of the offspring.
•Multi-angle, multi-spectral and polarised radiances from the Metop SG satellite.•An easy to use and well characterized polarized radiance product by EUMETSAT.•Radiometric error characterization by ...measuring sub-pixel spatial frequencies.
The Multi-viewing, Multi-channel and Multi-polarisation Imager (3MI) on board the Metop-SG satellites will observe polarised multi-spectral radiances of a single target within a very short time period from the visible to the shortwave infrared region with daily global coverage. In order to provide the users of 3MI data with an easy to use and well characterised radiance product EUMETSAT will make a geoprojected and regridded 3MI level-1C product available to users within 70 min of sensing. The paper describes the methodologies of geoprojection and regridding used for the processing of such a product. In addition, the colocation of ancillary information, in particular from the METimage 20-channel imager providing subpixel information of the radiance field and of clouds is described in detail. The latter information is provided as colocated geometric average values in the product and is also used to provide a realistic scene-dependent error introduced by the radiance regridding. Initial estimates, using a synthetic test dataset of top-of-atmosphere radiances of 3MI and METimage at native instrument resolution, provide an upper limit for the additional radiance error contribution depending on the scene homogeneity. Colocated METimage cloud-top height information is also used for parallax correction of the coregistered radiance data either to the cloud height or to the surface elevation, depending on the origin of the dominant radiance signal within the line-of-sight.
El Niño—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is regarded as the main driver of phytoplankton inter-annual variability. Remotely sensed surface chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), has made it possible to examine ...phytoplankton variability at a resolution and scale that allows for the investigation of climate signals such as ENSO. We provide empirical evidence of an immediate and lagged influence of ENSO on SeaWiFS and MODIS-Aqua derived global Chl-a concentrations. We use 13 years of Chl-a remotely sensed observations along with sea surface temperature (SST) observations across the Tropical and South Pacific to isolate and examine the spatial development of Chl-a anomalies during ENSO: its canonical or eastern Pacific (EP) mode, and El Niño Modoki or central Pacific (CP) mode, using the extended empirical orthogonal function (EEOF) technique. We describe how an EP ENSO phase transition affects Chl-a, and identify an interannual CP mode of variability induced spatial pattern. We argue that when ENSO is analysed as a propagating signal by the EEOF, CP ENSO is found to be more influential on Chl-a interannual to decadal variability than the canonical EP ENSO. Our results cannot confirm the independence of the two ENSO modes but clearly demonstrate that both ENSO flavors manifest a distinct biological response.
First authorized in the state of São Paulo (State Decree Nº 62.243 November 2016), striped catfish farming has been progressively allowed and encouraged in other states (Garcia et al. 2018). Fish are ...not constrained by geopolitical boundaries (Latini et al. 2021). ...despite the limitations imposed by geographical barriers, the potential expansion of the striped catfish to other Brazilian states or even to other South American countries should not be underestimated. If fish farm escapes and releases by aquarists become more frequent, the chances of establishment of P. hypophthalmus will be greater. ...the propagule pressure of P. hypophthalmus may increase, as this consists of both the number of individuals introduced by events and the frequency of events (Lockwood et al. 2009). Because the striped catfish displays traits associated with high invasiveness (see Garcia et al. 2018), it is considered a potential threat to Neotropical ecosystems and native catfishes (Castellanos-Mejía et al. 2021).
T cell responses play an important role in protection against beta-coronavirus infections, including SARS-CoV-2, where they associate with decreased COVID-19 disease severity and duration. To enhance ...T cell immunity across epitopes infrequently altered in SARS-CoV-2 variants, we designed BNT162b4, an mRNA vaccine component that is intended to be combined with BNT162b2, the spike-protein-encoding vaccine. BNT162b4 encodes variant-conserved, immunogenic segments of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid, membrane, and ORF1ab proteins, targeting diverse HLA alleles. BNT162b4 elicits polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses to diverse epitopes in animal models, alone or when co-administered with BNT162b2 while preserving spike-specific immunity. Importantly, we demonstrate that BNT162b4 protects hamsters from severe disease and reduces viral titers following challenge with viral variants. These data suggest that a combination of BNT162b2 and BNT162b4 could reduce COVID-19 disease severity and duration caused by circulating or future variants. BNT162b4 is currently being clinically evaluated in combination with the BA.4/BA.5 Omicron-updated bivalent BNT162b2 (NCT05541861).
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•BNT162b4 encodes conserved, immunogenic segments of the SARS-CoV-2 N, M, and ORF1ab antigens•Mass spectrometry detects BNT162b4 encoded peptides bound to diverse HLA-I alleles•BNT162b4 elicits non-spike T cell responses in mice while maintaining spike immunity•BNT162b4 protects animals from severe disease and enhances viral clearance by BNT162b2
Adding non-spike targeting components to mRNA vaccination elicits promising T cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 variant strains in rodent models of COVID-19.
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