Project acronym ASIBIA
Project Arctic sea ice, biogeochemistry and impacts on the atmosphere: Past, present, future
Researcher (PI) Roland Von Glasow
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary The Arctic Ocean is a vast expanse of sea ice. Most of it is snow covered as are large continental regions for about half of the year. However, Global Change is arguably greatest in the Arctic, where temperatures have risen more than anywhere else in the last few decades. New record lows occurred in snow extent in June 2012 and sea ice extent in September 2012. Many observations show that widespread and sustained change is occurring in the Arctic driving this unique environmental system into a new state. This project focuses on the biogeochemical links between sea ice and snow and the composition and chemistry of the troposphere (the lowest ~10km of the atmosphere). This is an important topic because the concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosol particles, which scatter sunlight directly and influence cloud properties, play key roles for our climate. Additionally, changes in the composition of the troposphere also affect the so-called oxidation capacity, the capability of the atmosphere to cleanse itself from pollutants.
This project aims to deliver a step change improvement in our quantitative understanding of chemical exchanges between ocean, sea ice, snow and the atmosphere in polar regions, especially the Arctic and of Arctic tropospheric chemistry. Answering these fundamental questions is essential to predict future change in the Arctic and globally. To this end a unique sea ice chamber will be constructed in the laboratory and used to quantify exchange processes in sea ice. Furthermore a hierarchy of numerical models will be used, operating at different spatial and temporal scales and degree of process description from a very detailed 1D to a global Earth System model. This will allow a breakthrough in our understanding of the importance of the changes for the composition and oxidation capacity of the atmosphere and climate and will allow us to calculate adjusted Greenhouse Warming Potentials that include these processes.
Summary
The Arctic Ocean is a vast expanse of sea ice. Most of it is snow covered as are large continental regions for about half of the year. However, Global Change is arguably greatest in the Arctic, where temperatures have risen more than anywhere else in the last few decades. New record lows occurred in snow extent in June 2012 and sea ice extent in September 2012. Many observations show that widespread and sustained change is occurring in the Arctic driving this unique environmental system into a new state. This project focuses on the biogeochemical links between sea ice and snow and the composition and chemistry of the troposphere (the lowest ~10km of the atmosphere). This is an important topic because the concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosol particles, which scatter sunlight directly and influence cloud properties, play key roles for our climate. Additionally, changes in the composition of the troposphere also affect the so-called oxidation capacity, the capability of the atmosphere to cleanse itself from pollutants.
This project aims to deliver a step change improvement in our quantitative understanding of chemical exchanges between ocean, sea ice, snow and the atmosphere in polar regions, especially the Arctic and of Arctic tropospheric chemistry. Answering these fundamental questions is essential to predict future change in the Arctic and globally. To this end a unique sea ice chamber will be constructed in the laboratory and used to quantify exchange processes in sea ice. Furthermore a hierarchy of numerical models will be used, operating at different spatial and temporal scales and degree of process description from a very detailed 1D to a global Earth System model. This will allow a breakthrough in our understanding of the importance of the changes for the composition and oxidation capacity of the atmosphere and climate and will allow us to calculate adjusted Greenhouse Warming Potentials that include these processes.
Max ERC Funding
1 192 911 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-05-01, End date: 2016-09-30
Project acronym AUGURY
Project Reconstructing Earth’s mantle convection
Researcher (PI) Nicolas Coltice
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE LYON 1 CLAUDE BERNARD
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary Knowledge of the state of the Earth mantle and its temporal evolution is fundamental to a variety of disciplines in Earth Sciences, from the internal dynamics to its many expressions in the geological record (postglacial rebound, sea level change, ore deposit, tectonics or geomagnetic reversals). Mantle convection theory is the centerpiece to unravel the present and past state of the mantle. For the past 40 years considerable efforts have been made to improve the quality of numerical models of mantle convection. However, they are still sparsely used to estimate the convective history of the solid Earth, in comparison to ocean or atmospheric models for weather and climate prediction. The main shortcoming is their inability to successfully produce Earth-like seafloor spreading and continental drift self-consistently. Recent convection models have begun to successfully predict these processes (Coltice et al., Science 336, 335-33, 2012). Such breakthrough opens the opportunity to combine high-level data assimilation methodologies and convection models together with advanced tectonic datasets to retrieve Earth's mantle history. The scope of this project is to produce a new generation of tectonic and convection reconstructions, which are key to improve our understanding and knowledge of the evolution of the solid Earth. The development of sustainable high performance numerical models will set new standards for geodynamic data assimilation. The outcome of the AUGURY project will be a new generation of models crucial to a wide variety of disciplines.
Summary
Knowledge of the state of the Earth mantle and its temporal evolution is fundamental to a variety of disciplines in Earth Sciences, from the internal dynamics to its many expressions in the geological record (postglacial rebound, sea level change, ore deposit, tectonics or geomagnetic reversals). Mantle convection theory is the centerpiece to unravel the present and past state of the mantle. For the past 40 years considerable efforts have been made to improve the quality of numerical models of mantle convection. However, they are still sparsely used to estimate the convective history of the solid Earth, in comparison to ocean or atmospheric models for weather and climate prediction. The main shortcoming is their inability to successfully produce Earth-like seafloor spreading and continental drift self-consistently. Recent convection models have begun to successfully predict these processes (Coltice et al., Science 336, 335-33, 2012). Such breakthrough opens the opportunity to combine high-level data assimilation methodologies and convection models together with advanced tectonic datasets to retrieve Earth's mantle history. The scope of this project is to produce a new generation of tectonic and convection reconstructions, which are key to improve our understanding and knowledge of the evolution of the solid Earth. The development of sustainable high performance numerical models will set new standards for geodynamic data assimilation. The outcome of the AUGURY project will be a new generation of models crucial to a wide variety of disciplines.
Max ERC Funding
1 994 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2020-02-29
Project acronym BLACARAT
Project "Black Carbon in the Atmosphere: Emissions, Aging and Cloud Interactions"
Researcher (PI) Martin Gysel Beer
Host Institution (HI) PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "Atmospheric aerosol particles have been shown to impact the earth's climate because they scatter and absorb solar radiation (direct effect) and because they can modify the microphysical properties of clouds by acting as cloud condensation nuclei or ice nuclei (indirect effects). Radiative forcing by anthropogenic aerosols remains poorly quantified, thus leading to considerable uncertainty in our understanding of the earth’s climate response to the radiative forcing by greenhouse gases. Black carbon (BC), mostly emitted by anthropogenic combustion processes and biomass burning, is an important component of atmospheric aerosols. Estimates show that BC may be the second strongest contributor (after CO2) to global warming. Adverse health effects due to particulate air pollution have also been associated with traffic-related BC particles. These climate and health effects brought BC emission reductions into the political focus of possible mitigation strategies with immediate and multiple benefits for human well-being.
Laboratory experiments aim at the physical and chemical characterisation of BC emissions from diesel engines and biomass burning under controlled conditions. A mobile laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art aerosol sensors will be used to determine the contribution of different BC sources to atmospheric BC loadings, and to investigate the evolution of the relevant BC properties with atmospheric aging during transport from sources to remote areas. The interactions of BC particles with clouds as a function of BC properties will be investigated with in-situ measurements by operating quantitative single particle instruments behind a novel sampling inlet, which makes selective sampling of interstitial, cloud droplet residual or ice crystal residual particles possible. Above experimental studies aim at improving our understanding of BC’s atmospheric life cycle and will be used in model simulations for quantitatively assessing the atmospheric impacts of BC."
Summary
"Atmospheric aerosol particles have been shown to impact the earth's climate because they scatter and absorb solar radiation (direct effect) and because they can modify the microphysical properties of clouds by acting as cloud condensation nuclei or ice nuclei (indirect effects). Radiative forcing by anthropogenic aerosols remains poorly quantified, thus leading to considerable uncertainty in our understanding of the earth’s climate response to the radiative forcing by greenhouse gases. Black carbon (BC), mostly emitted by anthropogenic combustion processes and biomass burning, is an important component of atmospheric aerosols. Estimates show that BC may be the second strongest contributor (after CO2) to global warming. Adverse health effects due to particulate air pollution have also been associated with traffic-related BC particles. These climate and health effects brought BC emission reductions into the political focus of possible mitigation strategies with immediate and multiple benefits for human well-being.
Laboratory experiments aim at the physical and chemical characterisation of BC emissions from diesel engines and biomass burning under controlled conditions. A mobile laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art aerosol sensors will be used to determine the contribution of different BC sources to atmospheric BC loadings, and to investigate the evolution of the relevant BC properties with atmospheric aging during transport from sources to remote areas. The interactions of BC particles with clouds as a function of BC properties will be investigated with in-situ measurements by operating quantitative single particle instruments behind a novel sampling inlet, which makes selective sampling of interstitial, cloud droplet residual or ice crystal residual particles possible. Above experimental studies aim at improving our understanding of BC’s atmospheric life cycle and will be used in model simulations for quantitatively assessing the atmospheric impacts of BC."
Max ERC Funding
1 992 015 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2019-02-28
Project acronym CHRONOS
Project A geochemical clock to measure timescales of volcanic eruptions
Researcher (PI) Diego Perugini
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PERUGIA
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "The eruption of volcanoes appears one of the most unpredictable phenomena on Earth. Yet the situation is rapidly changing. Quantification of the eruptive record constrains what is possible in a given volcanic system. Timing is the hardest part to quantify.
The main process triggering an eruption is the refilling of a sub-volcanic magma chamber by a new magma coming from depth. This process results in magma mixing and provokes a time-dependent diffusion of chemical elements. Understanding the time elapsed from mixing to eruption is fundamental to discerning pre-eruptive behaviour of volcanoes to mitigate the huge impact of volcanic eruptions on society and the environment.
The CHRONOS project proposes a new method that will cut the Gordian knot of the presently intractable problem of volcanic eruption timing using a surgical approach integrating textural, geochemical and experimental data on magma mixing. I will use the compositional heterogeneity frozen in time in the rocks the same way a broken clock at a crime scene is used to determine the time of the incident. CHRONOS will aim to:
1) be the first study to reproduce magma mixing, by performing unique experiments constrained by natural data and using natural melts, under controlled rheological and fluid-dynamics conditions;
2) obtain unprecedented high-quality data on the time dependence of chemical exchanges during magma mixing;
3) derive empirical relationships linking the extent of chemical exchanges and the mixing timescales;
4) determine timescales of volcanic eruptions combining natural and experimental data.
CHRONOS will open a new window on the physico-chemical processes occurring in the days preceding volcanic eruptions providing unprecedented information to build the first inventory of eruption timescales for planet Earth. If these timescales can be linked with geophysical signals occurring prior to eruptions, this inventory will have an immense value, enabling precise prediction of volcanic eruptions."
Summary
"The eruption of volcanoes appears one of the most unpredictable phenomena on Earth. Yet the situation is rapidly changing. Quantification of the eruptive record constrains what is possible in a given volcanic system. Timing is the hardest part to quantify.
The main process triggering an eruption is the refilling of a sub-volcanic magma chamber by a new magma coming from depth. This process results in magma mixing and provokes a time-dependent diffusion of chemical elements. Understanding the time elapsed from mixing to eruption is fundamental to discerning pre-eruptive behaviour of volcanoes to mitigate the huge impact of volcanic eruptions on society and the environment.
The CHRONOS project proposes a new method that will cut the Gordian knot of the presently intractable problem of volcanic eruption timing using a surgical approach integrating textural, geochemical and experimental data on magma mixing. I will use the compositional heterogeneity frozen in time in the rocks the same way a broken clock at a crime scene is used to determine the time of the incident. CHRONOS will aim to:
1) be the first study to reproduce magma mixing, by performing unique experiments constrained by natural data and using natural melts, under controlled rheological and fluid-dynamics conditions;
2) obtain unprecedented high-quality data on the time dependence of chemical exchanges during magma mixing;
3) derive empirical relationships linking the extent of chemical exchanges and the mixing timescales;
4) determine timescales of volcanic eruptions combining natural and experimental data.
CHRONOS will open a new window on the physico-chemical processes occurring in the days preceding volcanic eruptions providing unprecedented information to build the first inventory of eruption timescales for planet Earth. If these timescales can be linked with geophysical signals occurring prior to eruptions, this inventory will have an immense value, enabling precise prediction of volcanic eruptions."
Max ERC Funding
1 993 813 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-05-01, End date: 2019-04-30
Project acronym DROUGHT-HEAT
Project Land-Climate Interactions: Constraints for Droughts and Heatwaves in a Changing Climate
Researcher (PI) Sonia Isabelle Seneviratne
Host Institution (HI) EIDGENOESSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZUERICH
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "Land-climate interactions mediated through soil moisture and vegetation play a critical role in the climate system, in particular for the occurrence of extreme events such as droughts and heatwaves. They are, however, poorly constrained in current Earth System Models (ESMs), leading to large uncertainties in climate projections. These uncertainties affect the quality and accuracy of projections of temperature, water availability, and carbon concentrations, as well as that of projected impacts on agriculture, ecosystems, and health.
In the past years, in-situ and remote sensing-based datasets of soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and energy and carbon fluxes have become increasingly available, providing untapped potential for reducing associated uncertainties in current climate models. The DROUGHT-HEAT project aims at innovatively exploiting these new information sources in order to 1) derive observations-based diagnostics to quantify and isolate the role of land-climate interactions in past extreme events (""Diagnostic Atlas""), 2) evaluate and improve current ESMs and constrain climate-change projections using the derived diagnostics, and 3) apply the newly gained knowledge to frontier developments in the attribution of climate extremes to land processes and their mitigation through ""land geoengineering"".
The DROUGHT-HEAT project integrates the newest land observational datasets with the latest stream of ESMs. Novel methodologies will be applied to extract functional relationships from the data, and identify key gaps in the ESMs' representation of underlying processes. These will build on physically-based relationships, machine learning tools, and model calibration. In addition, they will encompass the mapping and merging of derived diagnostics in space and time to reduce ""blank spaces"" in the datasets. The project is unprecedented in its breadth and scope and will allow a major breakthrough in our understanding of the processes leading to heatwaves and droughts."
Summary
"Land-climate interactions mediated through soil moisture and vegetation play a critical role in the climate system, in particular for the occurrence of extreme events such as droughts and heatwaves. They are, however, poorly constrained in current Earth System Models (ESMs), leading to large uncertainties in climate projections. These uncertainties affect the quality and accuracy of projections of temperature, water availability, and carbon concentrations, as well as that of projected impacts on agriculture, ecosystems, and health.
In the past years, in-situ and remote sensing-based datasets of soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and energy and carbon fluxes have become increasingly available, providing untapped potential for reducing associated uncertainties in current climate models. The DROUGHT-HEAT project aims at innovatively exploiting these new information sources in order to 1) derive observations-based diagnostics to quantify and isolate the role of land-climate interactions in past extreme events (""Diagnostic Atlas""), 2) evaluate and improve current ESMs and constrain climate-change projections using the derived diagnostics, and 3) apply the newly gained knowledge to frontier developments in the attribution of climate extremes to land processes and their mitigation through ""land geoengineering"".
The DROUGHT-HEAT project integrates the newest land observational datasets with the latest stream of ESMs. Novel methodologies will be applied to extract functional relationships from the data, and identify key gaps in the ESMs' representation of underlying processes. These will build on physically-based relationships, machine learning tools, and model calibration. In addition, they will encompass the mapping and merging of derived diagnostics in space and time to reduce ""blank spaces"" in the datasets. The project is unprecedented in its breadth and scope and will allow a major breakthrough in our understanding of the processes leading to heatwaves and droughts."
Max ERC Funding
1 952 285 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-09-01, End date: 2019-08-31
Project acronym EARTHSEQUENCING
Project A new approach to sequence Earth history at high resolution over the past 66 million years
Researcher (PI) Heiko Pälike
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAET BREMEN
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "One major challenge to be addressed by this proposal is to overcome fundamental obstacles to generate a first high-resolution and continuous fully integrated record of geological events, ages and durations
(a ‘sequence of Earth history’) for the past 66 million years, anchored to the present, to extract properties of Earth’s and solar system orbital motion, and then to apply this time scale to solve first order questions about Earth’s climate system and Earth System sensitivity. The project will bridge the long-standing ‘Eocene tuning gap’, primarily using spectacular new data recovered during Integrated Ocean Drilling Expedition 342 and integrated with a new consistent and integrated approach with existing data that currently only provide time sequences floating in time, not anchored to the present. The proposal will extract astronomical parameters (tidal dissipation, dynamical ellipticity) and verify astronomical models to provide long term amplitude modulation patterns of Earth’s orbital variations (obliquity and short eccentricity) beyond 40 million years before present. It will also search for the fingerprint of chaotic transitions in the solar system that will allow astronomical models to be tested. The improved geologic time scale will then be applied, exploited, and combined with modern Earth System Models of Intermediate Complexity to quantify Earth System sensitivity to orbital forcing during a world of elevated carbon-dioxide concentrations during the ‘greenhouse’ Paleogene. Using novel new pattern matching and recognition algorithms as well as time series analysis methods, the full record of Earth history will be fully integrated and analysed with a consistent and documented workflow. This development will have the ground-breaking potential to take ‘Earth sequencing’ to the next level."
Summary
"One major challenge to be addressed by this proposal is to overcome fundamental obstacles to generate a first high-resolution and continuous fully integrated record of geological events, ages and durations
(a ‘sequence of Earth history’) for the past 66 million years, anchored to the present, to extract properties of Earth’s and solar system orbital motion, and then to apply this time scale to solve first order questions about Earth’s climate system and Earth System sensitivity. The project will bridge the long-standing ‘Eocene tuning gap’, primarily using spectacular new data recovered during Integrated Ocean Drilling Expedition 342 and integrated with a new consistent and integrated approach with existing data that currently only provide time sequences floating in time, not anchored to the present. The proposal will extract astronomical parameters (tidal dissipation, dynamical ellipticity) and verify astronomical models to provide long term amplitude modulation patterns of Earth’s orbital variations (obliquity and short eccentricity) beyond 40 million years before present. It will also search for the fingerprint of chaotic transitions in the solar system that will allow astronomical models to be tested. The improved geologic time scale will then be applied, exploited, and combined with modern Earth System Models of Intermediate Complexity to quantify Earth System sensitivity to orbital forcing during a world of elevated carbon-dioxide concentrations during the ‘greenhouse’ Paleogene. Using novel new pattern matching and recognition algorithms as well as time series analysis methods, the full record of Earth history will be fully integrated and analysed with a consistent and documented workflow. This development will have the ground-breaking potential to take ‘Earth sequencing’ to the next level."
Max ERC Funding
1 998 343 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31
Project acronym EXTREME
Project EXtreme Tectonics and Rapid Erosion in Mountain Environments
Researcher (PI) Todd Alan Ehlers
Host Institution (HI) EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "Tectonic plate corners are hotspots for high rates of continental deformation and erosion, and associated with human-relevant hazards including poorly understood earthquakes, destructive landslides, and extreme climate. A better understanding of continental deformation can mitigate these hazards. However, the coupling between climate and tectonic interactions at plate corners is a key unknown and the focus of this study. My recent work, published in international journals including Science and Nature, quantifies mountain building and climate change and provides a baseline for an innovative study of plate corner dynamics.
This proposal challenges the geoscience ‘tectonic aneurysm’ paradigm that rapid deformation and erosion at plate corners is initiated from the “top down” by localized precipitation, and erosion. Rather, I hypothesize that these processes are: 1) initiated from the “bottom up” by the 3D geometry of the subducting plate; and 2) require a threshold rate of both “bottom up” deformation and surface erosion to initiate a feedback between climate and tectonics.
I propose, for the first time, a holistic modeling and data collection approach that quantifies the temporal and spatial evolution of all aspects of plate corner evolution, including: 3D thermomechanical modeling of plate corner deformation and uplift for different plate geometries; Atmospheric modeling to quantify the climate response to evolving topography, a topic spearheaded by my research group; And surface process modeling to close the loop and couple the atmospheric and mechanical models. Model predictions will be vetted against observed deformation and erosion histories from existing and new cosmogenic isotope and thermochronometer data from end-member locations including the Himalaya, Alaskan, Olympic, and Andean plate corners. EXTREME will produce a globally integrated atmospheric and solid Earth understanding of continental deformation, a task only possible at the scale of an ERC grant."
Summary
"Tectonic plate corners are hotspots for high rates of continental deformation and erosion, and associated with human-relevant hazards including poorly understood earthquakes, destructive landslides, and extreme climate. A better understanding of continental deformation can mitigate these hazards. However, the coupling between climate and tectonic interactions at plate corners is a key unknown and the focus of this study. My recent work, published in international journals including Science and Nature, quantifies mountain building and climate change and provides a baseline for an innovative study of plate corner dynamics.
This proposal challenges the geoscience ‘tectonic aneurysm’ paradigm that rapid deformation and erosion at plate corners is initiated from the “top down” by localized precipitation, and erosion. Rather, I hypothesize that these processes are: 1) initiated from the “bottom up” by the 3D geometry of the subducting plate; and 2) require a threshold rate of both “bottom up” deformation and surface erosion to initiate a feedback between climate and tectonics.
I propose, for the first time, a holistic modeling and data collection approach that quantifies the temporal and spatial evolution of all aspects of plate corner evolution, including: 3D thermomechanical modeling of plate corner deformation and uplift for different plate geometries; Atmospheric modeling to quantify the climate response to evolving topography, a topic spearheaded by my research group; And surface process modeling to close the loop and couple the atmospheric and mechanical models. Model predictions will be vetted against observed deformation and erosion histories from existing and new cosmogenic isotope and thermochronometer data from end-member locations including the Himalaya, Alaskan, Olympic, and Andean plate corners. EXTREME will produce a globally integrated atmospheric and solid Earth understanding of continental deformation, a task only possible at the scale of an ERC grant."
Max ERC Funding
1 999 956 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31
Project acronym INTENSE
Project INTENSE: INTElligent use of climate models for adaptatioN to non-Stationary climate Extremes
Researcher (PI) Hayley Jane Fowler
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "The research proposed here will use a novel and fully-integrated data-modelling approach to provide a step-change in our understanding of the nature and drivers of global precipitation extremes and change on societally relevant timescales. Extreme precipitation is increasing globally and theoretical considerations suggest this will continue with global warming, but opportunistic datasets indicate that sub-daily precipitation extremes will intensify more than is anticipated. Determining the precise response of precipitation extremes is hampered by coarse climate models which cannot adequately resolve cloud-scale processes and a lack of sub-daily observations. INTENSE will comprehensively analyse the response of precipitation extremes to global warming by constructing the first global sub-daily precipitation dataset, enabling substantial advances in observing current and past changes. Together with other new observational datasets and high-resolution climate modelling, this will quantify the nature and drivers of global precipitation extremes and their response to natural variability and forcing across multiple timescales. Specifically the project will examine the influence of local thermodynamics and large-scale circulation modes on observed precipitation extremes using new statistical methods which recognise the non-stationary nature of precipitation, and use these to identify climate model deficiencies in the representation of precipitation extremes. The recurrence of extreme hydrological events is notoriously hard to predict, yet successful climate adaptation will need reliable information which better quantifies projected changes. INTENSE will provide a new synergy between data, models and theory to tackle the problem using a process-based framework; isolating the precursors for extreme precipitation and intelligently using detailed modelling as a tool to understand how these extremes will respond to a warming world and the implications for adaptation strategy."
Summary
"The research proposed here will use a novel and fully-integrated data-modelling approach to provide a step-change in our understanding of the nature and drivers of global precipitation extremes and change on societally relevant timescales. Extreme precipitation is increasing globally and theoretical considerations suggest this will continue with global warming, but opportunistic datasets indicate that sub-daily precipitation extremes will intensify more than is anticipated. Determining the precise response of precipitation extremes is hampered by coarse climate models which cannot adequately resolve cloud-scale processes and a lack of sub-daily observations. INTENSE will comprehensively analyse the response of precipitation extremes to global warming by constructing the first global sub-daily precipitation dataset, enabling substantial advances in observing current and past changes. Together with other new observational datasets and high-resolution climate modelling, this will quantify the nature and drivers of global precipitation extremes and their response to natural variability and forcing across multiple timescales. Specifically the project will examine the influence of local thermodynamics and large-scale circulation modes on observed precipitation extremes using new statistical methods which recognise the non-stationary nature of precipitation, and use these to identify climate model deficiencies in the representation of precipitation extremes. The recurrence of extreme hydrological events is notoriously hard to predict, yet successful climate adaptation will need reliable information which better quantifies projected changes. INTENSE will provide a new synergy between data, models and theory to tackle the problem using a process-based framework; isolating the precursors for extreme precipitation and intelligently using detailed modelling as a tool to understand how these extremes will respond to a warming world and the implications for adaptation strategy."
Max ERC Funding
1 986 801 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-01-31
Project acronym ISOCORE
Project New isotope tracers for core formation in terrestrial planets
Researcher (PI) Thorsten Kleine
Host Institution (HI) WESTFAELISCHE WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAET MUENSTER
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary This proposal aims to develop new isotopic tools designed to constrain the core formation process in the Earth. We will use isotopic fractionations imparted by metal-silicate equilibration during core formation to obtain new and firm constraints on (i) the physical and chemical processes during formation of the Earth's core; and (ii) on the origin of volatile elements and the volatile accretion history of the Earth. The underlying concept of our approach is to compare observed mantle-core isotopic fractionations (determined on natural samples) to the experimentally-determined isotope fractionation between liquid metal (core analogue) and liquid silicate (mantle analogue). Since the magnitude of isotope fractionation is strongly temperature-dependent, this comparison will enable us to evaluate core formation temperatures. I propose to use the stable isotope systematics of W, Mo and Cr to assess as to whether core formation temperatures for the Earth, Moon, Mars and asteroids are different, as would be expected if metal segregation in the Earth involved metal-silicate equilibration in a deep magma ocean. If instead all bodies have similar core formation temperatures, then formation of the Earth's core most probably involved some disequilibrium induced by direct core mergers during accretion from differentiated bodies. The second major theme of the proposed research uses Ge and Sb stable isotopes to trace the origins of Earth's volatiles. The combined investigation of Ge and Sb isotope fractionations in natural samples and metal-silicate equilibration experiments will enable us to determine as to whether Ge and Sb, and with them other volatile elements, show an isotope signature resulting from core formation. Identifying such a signature would provide the unequivocal evidence that volatile elements were delivered to the Earth during core formation and not subsequently, after the core had formed.
Summary
This proposal aims to develop new isotopic tools designed to constrain the core formation process in the Earth. We will use isotopic fractionations imparted by metal-silicate equilibration during core formation to obtain new and firm constraints on (i) the physical and chemical processes during formation of the Earth's core; and (ii) on the origin of volatile elements and the volatile accretion history of the Earth. The underlying concept of our approach is to compare observed mantle-core isotopic fractionations (determined on natural samples) to the experimentally-determined isotope fractionation between liquid metal (core analogue) and liquid silicate (mantle analogue). Since the magnitude of isotope fractionation is strongly temperature-dependent, this comparison will enable us to evaluate core formation temperatures. I propose to use the stable isotope systematics of W, Mo and Cr to assess as to whether core formation temperatures for the Earth, Moon, Mars and asteroids are different, as would be expected if metal segregation in the Earth involved metal-silicate equilibration in a deep magma ocean. If instead all bodies have similar core formation temperatures, then formation of the Earth's core most probably involved some disequilibrium induced by direct core mergers during accretion from differentiated bodies. The second major theme of the proposed research uses Ge and Sb stable isotopes to trace the origins of Earth's volatiles. The combined investigation of Ge and Sb isotope fractionations in natural samples and metal-silicate equilibration experiments will enable us to determine as to whether Ge and Sb, and with them other volatile elements, show an isotope signature resulting from core formation. Identifying such a signature would provide the unequivocal evidence that volatile elements were delivered to the Earth during core formation and not subsequently, after the core had formed.
Max ERC Funding
1 940 040 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-10-31
Project acronym MicroDegrade
Project Identifying and Overcoming Bottlenecks of Micropollutant Degradation at Low Concentrations
Researcher (PI) Martin Elsner
Host Institution (HI) HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM MUENCHEN DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER GESUNDHEIT UND UMWELT GMBH
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "MicroDegrade aims to reveal bottlenecks of degradation, and to identify superior bioremediation strategies for a most notorious environmental pollution of our time: chemical micropollutants at low (sub-ug/L) concentrations. Finding out why micropollutants occur in ground and surface water despite the presence of bacterial degraders has become an elusive goal for microbiologists, environmental scientists and geochemists. Competing paradigms claim that either (i) mass transfer limitations (bioavailability, cell uptake) or (ii) physiological limitations (enzyme down-regulation) prevent complete biodegradation at contaminant threshold concentrations. To design strategies for remediation, insight is warranted which bottlenecks of degradation prevail. ""Do molecules - once inside an organism - get out into solution again? Or is mass transfer so limiting that organisms are desperate for supply?"" Pillaring on our recent advances with compound-specific isotope analysis at sub-ug/L concentrations, MicroDegrade will be able to provide a revolutionary angle on this dilemma. Isotope fractionation will give the first direct answers to these questions for degradation of two prominent pollutants at low bacterial growth and low concentrations - 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM), a highly recalcitrant, ubiquitous pesticide metabolite with Aminbacter MSH1; and toluene, an abundant groundwater pollutant with Geobacter metallireducens. The approach pillars on three consecutive aims: (1) investigate if, and at what concentrations mass transfer becomes limiting in chemostat cultures; (2) understand analogous limitations in concentrations gradients of an aquifer model; (3) derive superior bioremediation strategies. The objectives of MicroDegrade have the potential to change our view on drivers behind thresholds values and bottlenecks of degradation, to offer a new angle on competitive strategies of microorganisms at low concentrations, and to identify superior future bioremediation strategies."
Summary
"MicroDegrade aims to reveal bottlenecks of degradation, and to identify superior bioremediation strategies for a most notorious environmental pollution of our time: chemical micropollutants at low (sub-ug/L) concentrations. Finding out why micropollutants occur in ground and surface water despite the presence of bacterial degraders has become an elusive goal for microbiologists, environmental scientists and geochemists. Competing paradigms claim that either (i) mass transfer limitations (bioavailability, cell uptake) or (ii) physiological limitations (enzyme down-regulation) prevent complete biodegradation at contaminant threshold concentrations. To design strategies for remediation, insight is warranted which bottlenecks of degradation prevail. ""Do molecules - once inside an organism - get out into solution again? Or is mass transfer so limiting that organisms are desperate for supply?"" Pillaring on our recent advances with compound-specific isotope analysis at sub-ug/L concentrations, MicroDegrade will be able to provide a revolutionary angle on this dilemma. Isotope fractionation will give the first direct answers to these questions for degradation of two prominent pollutants at low bacterial growth and low concentrations - 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM), a highly recalcitrant, ubiquitous pesticide metabolite with Aminbacter MSH1; and toluene, an abundant groundwater pollutant with Geobacter metallireducens. The approach pillars on three consecutive aims: (1) investigate if, and at what concentrations mass transfer becomes limiting in chemostat cultures; (2) understand analogous limitations in concentrations gradients of an aquifer model; (3) derive superior bioremediation strategies. The objectives of MicroDegrade have the potential to change our view on drivers behind thresholds values and bottlenecks of degradation, to offer a new angle on competitive strategies of microorganisms at low concentrations, and to identify superior future bioremediation strategies."
Max ERC Funding
1 962 630 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-05-01, End date: 2019-04-30