Changes in intensity and frequency of daily heavy precipitation and hot temperature extremes are analyzed in Swiss observations for the years 1901–2014/2015. A spatial pooling of temperature and ...precipitation stations is applied to analyze the emergence of trends. Over 90% of the series show increases in heavy precipitation intensity, expressed as annual maximum daily precipitation (mean change: +10.4% 100 years−1; 31% significant, p < 0.05) and in heavy precipitation frequency, expressed as the number of events greater than the 99th percentile of daily precipitation (mean change: +26.5% 100 years−1; 35% significant, p < 0.05). The intensity of heavy precipitation increases on average by 7.7% K−1 smoothed Swiss annual mean temperature, a value close to the Clausius‐Clapeyron scaling. The hottest day and week of the year have warmed by 1.6 K to 2.3 K depending on the region, while the Swiss annual mean temperature increased by 1.9 K. The frequency of very hot days exceeding the 99th percentile of daily maximum temperature has more than tripled. Despite considerable local internal variability, increasing trends in heavy precipitation and hot temperature extremes are now found at most Swiss stations. The identified trends are unlikely to be random and are consistent with climate model projections, with theoretical understanding of a human‐induced change in the energy budget and water cycle and with detection and attribution studies of extremes on larger scales.
Key Points
Increases in 1901‐2014 daily heavy precipitation intensity and frequency for >90% of Swiss stations
Hottest day/week warmed by 1.6–2.3 K, the frequency of very hot days more than tripled since 1901
Observed trends consistent with model projections and physical understanding
Cardiac toxicity is one of the most concerning side effects of anti-cancer therapy. The gain in life expectancy obtained with anti-cancer therapy can be compromised by increased morbidity and ...mortality associated with its cardiac complications. While radiosensitivity of the heart was initially recognized only in the early 1970s, the heart is regarded in the current era as one of the most critical dose-limiting organs in radiotherapy. Several clinical studies have identified adverse clinical consequences of radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) on the outcome of long-term cancer survivors. A comprehensive review of potential cardiac complications related to radiotherapy is warranted. An evidence-based review of several imaging approaches used to detect, evaluate, and monitor RIHD is discussed. Recommendations for the early identification and monitoring of cardiovascular complications of radiotherapy by cardiac imaging are also proposed.
The
Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager
(HMI) instrument is a major component of NASA's
Solar Dynamics Observatory
(SDO) spacecraft. Since commencement of full regular science operations on 1 May 2010, ...HMI has operated with remarkable continuity,
e.g.
during the more than five years of the SDO prime mission that ended 30 September 2015, HMI collected 98.4% of all possible 45-second velocity maps; minimizing gaps in these full-disk Dopplergrams is crucial for helioseismology. HMI velocity, intensity, and magnetic-field measurements are used in numerous investigations, so understanding the quality of the data is important. This article describes the calibration measurements used to track the performance of the HMI instrument, and it details trends in important instrument parameters during the prime mission. Regular calibration sequences provide information used to improve and update the calibration of HMI data. The set-point temperature of the instrument front window and optical bench is adjusted regularly to maintain instrument focus, and changes in the temperature-control scheme have been made to improve stability in the observable quantities. The exposure time has been changed to compensate for a 20% decrease in instrument throughput. Measurements of the performance of the shutter and tuning mechanisms show that they are aging as expected and continue to perform according to specification. Parameters of the tunable optical-filter elements are regularly adjusted to account for drifts in the central wavelength. Frequent measurements of changing CCD-camera characteristics, such as gain and flat field, are used to calibrate the observations. Infrequent expected events such as eclipses, transits, and spacecraft off-points interrupt regular instrument operations and provide the opportunity to perform additional calibration. Onboard instrument anomalies are rare and seem to occur quite uniformly in time. The instrument continues to perform very well.
There is growing concern about lack of scientific rigor and transparent reporting across many preclinical fields of biological research. Poor experimental design and lack of transparent reporting can ...result in conscious or unconscious experimental bias, producing results that are not replicable. The Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION) public-private partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sponsored a consensus meeting of the Preclinical Pain Research Consortium for Investigating Safety and Efficacy (PPRECISE) Working Group. International participants from universities, funding agencies, government agencies, industry, and a patient advocacy organization attended. Reduction of publication bias, increasing the ability of others to faithfully repeat experimental methods, and increased transparency of data reporting were specifically discussed. Parameters deemed essential to increase confidence in the published literature were clear, specific reporting of an a priori hypothesis and definition of primary outcome measure. Power calculations and whether measurement of minimal meaningful effect size to determine these should be a core component of the preclinical research effort provoked considerable discussion, with many but not all agreeing. Greater transparency of reporting should be driven by scientists, journal editors, reviewers, and grant funders. The conduct of high-quality science that is fully reported should not preclude novelty and innovation in preclinical pain research, and indeed, any efforts that curtail such innovation would be misguided. We believe that to achieve the goal of finding effective new treatments for patients with pain, the pain field needs to deal with these challenging issues.
Ambient concentrations of trace elements with 2 h time resolution were measured in PM10-2.5, PM2.5-1.0 and PM1.0-0.3 size ranges at kerbside, urban background and rural sites in London during winter ...2012. Samples were collected using rotating drum impactors (RDIs) and subsequently analysed with synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (SR-XRF). Quantification of kerb and urban increments (defined as kerb-to-urban and urban-to-rural concentration ratios, respectively), and assessment of diurnal and weekly variability provided insight into sources governing urban air quality and the effects of urban micro-environments on human exposure. Traffic-related elements yielded the highest kerb increments, with values in the range of 10.4 to 16.6 for SW winds (3.3-6.9 for NE) observed for elements influenced by brake wear (e.g. Cu, Sb, Ba) and 5.7 to 8.2 for SW (2.6-3.0 for NE) for other traffic-related processes (e.g. Cr, Fe, Zn). Kerb increments for these elements were highest in the PM10-2.5 mass fraction, roughly twice that of the PM1.0-0.3 fraction. These elements also showed the highest urban increments (~ 3.0), although no difference was observed between brake wear and other traffic-related elements. All elements influenced by traffic exhibited higher concentrations during morning and evening rush hours, and on weekdays compared to weekends, with the strongest trends observed at the kerbside site, and additionally enhanced by winds coming directly from the road, consistent with street canyon effects. Elements related to mineral dust (e.g. Al, Si, Ca, Sr) showed significant influences from traffic-induced resuspension, as evidenced by moderate kerb (3.4-5.4 for SW, 1.7-2.3 for NE) and urban (~ 2) increments and increased concentrations during peak traffic flow. Elements related to regional transport showed no significant enhancement at kerb or urban sites, with the exception of PM10-2.5 sea salt (factor of up to 2), which may be influenced by traffic-induced resuspension of sea and/or road salt. Heavy-duty vehicles appeared to have a larger effect than passenger vehicles on the concentrations of all elements influenced by resuspension (including sea salt) and wearing processes. Trace element concentrations in London were influenced by both local and regional sources, with coarse and intermediate fractions dominated by traffic-induced resuspension and wearing processes and fine particles influenced by regional transport.
We quantify the effect of the snow-albedo feedback on Swiss spring temperature trends using daily temperature and snow depth measurements from six station pairs for the period 1961–2011. We show that ...the daily mean 2-m temperature of a spring day without snow cover is on average 0.4 °C warmer than one with snow cover at the same location. This estimate is comparable with estimates from climate modelling studies. Caused by the decreases in snow pack, the snow-albedo feedback amplifies observed temperature trends in spring. The influence is small and confined to areas around the upward-moving snow line in spring and early summer. For the 1961–2011 period, the related temperature trend increases are in the order of 3–7 % of the total observed trend
.
Abstract
The Alpine region recently experienced several dry summers with important and adverse impacts on economy, society and ecology. Here, we analyse drought indicators, evapotranspiration and ...meteorological data from point observations, reanalyses and regional climate model data to assess trends and drivers of summer drought in Switzerland in the period 1981–2020. The drought indicators from station observations and ERA5-Land and ERA5 reanalyses show a tendency towards drier summer half-years (climatic water balance: −39 mm decade
−1
, 0–1 m integrated soil water content: −5 to −7 mm decade
−1
) with a drying in most months from March to October. Both, increasing evapotranspiration (potential evapotranspiration: +21 mm decade
−1
or +7% K
−1
warming; actual evapotranspiration: +8 to +15 mm decade
−1
) and a non-significant precipitation decrease of 17 mm decade
−1
are identified as important and roughly equivalent drivers. The reanalyses show considerable differences for soil water and actual evapotranspiration, especially in drought summers. The ERA5 soil is clearly drier than the one in ERA5-Land. ERA5 evapotranspiration is smallest and partly soil moisture-limited in drought years while evapotranspiration in ERA5-Land is highest, still mainly energy-limited and scales well with temperature (+4% K
−1
warming). ERA5-Land seems to better match with
in situ
measurements of soil water and evapotranspiration than ERA5, but considerable differences with
in situ
measurements remain. Variability and trends of the drought drivers temperature and precipitation are also investigated in the EURO-CORDEX regional climate model ensemble. Most simulations considerably underestimate the recent warming and the ensemble shows a large possible range of precipitation changes with a mean change near zero. The summer precipitation-temperature scaling and the correlation between summer temperature and precipitation on the interannual time scale are mostly overestimated. Our results highlight that the analysis of Central European summer drought evolution and its drivers remains challenging especially with regional climate model data, but considerable uncertainties also exist in reanalyses.
The European Alps stretch over a range of climate zones which affect the spatial distribution of snow. Previous analyses of station observations of
snow were confined to regional analyses. Here, we ...present an Alpine-wide analysis of snow depth from six Alpine countries – Austria, France, Germany,
Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland – including altogether more than 2000 stations of which more than 800 were used for the trend assessment. Using a
principal component analysis and k-means clustering, we identified five main modes of variability and five regions which match the climatic
forcing zones: north and high Alpine, north-east, north-west, south-east, and south and high Alpine. Linear trends of monthly mean snow depth between
1971 and 2019 showed decreases in snow depth for most stations from November to May. The average trend among all stations for seasonal (November to
May) mean snow depth was −8.4 % per decade, for seasonal maximum snow depth −5.6 % per decade, and for seasonal snow
cover duration −5.6 % per decade. Stronger and more significant trends were observed for periods and elevations where the transition
from snow to snow-free occurs, which is consistent with an enhanced albedo feedback. Additionally, regional trends differed substantially at the same
elevation, which challenges the notion of generalizing results from one region to another or to the whole Alps. This study presents an analysis of
station snow depth series with the most comprehensive spatial coverage in the European Alps to date.
Cardiac toxicity is one of the most concerning side effects of anti-cancer therapy. The gain in life expectancy obtained with anti-cancer therapy can be compromised by increased morbidity and ...mortality associated with its cardiac complications. While radiosensitivity of the heart was initially recognized only in the early 1970s, the heart is regarded in the current era as one of the most critical dose-limiting organs in radiotherapy. Several clinical studies have identified adverse clinical consequences of radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) on the outcome of long-term cancer survivors. A comprehensive review of potential cardiac complications related to radiotherapy is warranted. An evidence-based review of several imaging approaches used to detect, evaluate, and monitor RIHD is discussed. Recommendations for the early identification and monitoring of cardiovascular complications of radiotherapy by cardiac imaging are also proposed.
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