Publications

Temporary reduction in daily global CO2 emissions during the COVID-19 forced confinement

Publication ID: pub.1127706940

Publication date: 19/05/2020

Keywords: Activity Data; Changed Consumption Patterns; COVID-19 Pandemic; Economic Incentives; Energy Demand; Forced Confinements; Global; Global CO2 Emissions; Government Action; Government Policies; Transport

Government policies during the COVID-19 pandemic have drastically altered patterns of energy demand around the world. Many international borders were closed and populations were confined to their homes, which reduced transport and changed consumption patterns. Here we compile government policies and activity data to estimate the decrease in CO2 emissions during forced confinements. Daily global […]

Time delay handling in dominant pole placement with PID controllers to obtain stability regions using random sampling

Publication ID: pub.1127379427

Publication date: 18/05/2020

Keywords: Dominant Pole Placement; PID Controller; Pole-zero Matching; SOPTD Plant; Tustin Discretization

This paper proposes a new formulation of proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller design using the dominant pole placement method for handling second-order-plus-time-delay (SOPTD) systems. It transforms the transcendental exponential delay term of the plant into finite number of discrete-time poles by a suitable choice of the sampling time. The PID controller has been discretised using Tustin’s method […]

Bedrock geochemistry influences vegetation growth by regulating the regolith water holding capacity

Publication ID: pub.1127542847

Publication date: 13/05/2020

Keywords: Bedrock Geochemistry; Climate Change; Earth System Model; Karst Regions; Regolith Water Loss Rate (RWLR); Silicon and Calcium Concentrations; Southwest China; Vegetation Growth; Vegetation Productivity

Although low vegetation productivity has been observed in karst regions, whether and how bedrock geochemistry contributes to the low karstic vegetation productivity remain unclear. In this study, we address this knowledge gap by exploring the importance of bedrock geochemistry on vegetation productivity based on a critical zone investigation across a typical karst region in Southwest […]

Freezing and water availability structure the evolutionary diversity of trees across the Americas

Publication ID: pub.1127420652

Publication date: 06/05/2020

Keywords: Americas; Biogeography; Constraint; Evolutionary Diversification; Extratropical; Freezing Temperatures; Neotropics; Phylogenetic Niche Conservatism; Trees; Tropical; Water Availability

The historical course of evolutionary diversification shapes the current distribution of biodiversity, but the main forces constraining diversification are still a subject of debate. We unveil the evolutionary structure of tree species assemblages across the Americas to assess whether an inability to move or an inability to evolve is the predominant constraint in plant diversification […]

Are we underestimating microplastic abundance in the marine environment? A comparison of microplastic capture with nets of different mesh-size

Publication ID: pub.1127339681

Publication date: 03/05/2020

Keywords: Atlantic Ocean; Environmental Monitoring; Gulf of Maine; Microplastics; Plastics; UK; US; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Western English Channel

Microplastic debris is ubiquitous and yet sampling, classifying and enumerating this prolific pollutant in marine waters has proven challenging. Typically, waterborne microplastic sampling is undertaken using nets with a 333 μm mesh, which cannot account for smaller debris. In this study, we provide an estimate of the extent to which microplastic concentrations are underestimated with traditional […]

Implications of three-dimensional chemical transport in hot Jupiter atmospheres: Results from a consistently coupled chemistry-radiation-hydrodynamics model

Publication ID: pub.1125292085

Publication date: 20/04/2020

Keywords: Atmospheres; Composition; Exoplanet; Gaseous Planets; Jupiter; Planets; Satellites

We present results from a set of simulations using a fully coupled three-dimensional (3D) chemistry-radiation-hydrodynamics model and investigate the effect of transport of chemical species by the large-scale atmospheric flow in hot Jupiter atmospheres. We coupled a flexible chemical kinetics scheme to the Met Office Unified Model, which enables the study of the interaction of […]