Abstract: Biological invasions are one of the main threats to biodiversity within protected areas (PAs) worldwide. Meanwhile, the resilience of PAs to invasions remains largely unknown. Consequently, providing a better understanding of how they are impacted by invasions is critical for informing policy responses and optimally allocating resources to prevention and control strategies. Here we use the InvaCost database to address this gap from three perspectives: (i) characterizing the total reported costs of invasive alien species (IAS) in PAs; (ii) comparing mean observed costs of IAS in PAs and non-PAs; and (iii) evaluating factors affecting mean observed costs of IAS in PAs. Our results first show that, overall, the reported economic costs of IAS in PAs amounted to US$ 22.24 billion between 1975 and 2020, of which US$ 930.61 million were observed costs (already incurred) and US$ 21.31 billion were potential costs (extrapolated or predicted). Expectedly, most of the observed costs were reported for management (73%) but damages were still much higher than expected for PAs (24%); in addition, the vast majority of management costs were reported for reactive, post-invasion actions (84% of management costs, focused on eradication and control). Second, differences between costs in PAs and non-PAs varied among continents and environments. We found significantly higher IAS costs in terrestrial PA environments compared to non-PAs, while regionally, Europe incurred higher costs in PAs and Africa and Temperate Asia incurred higher costs in non-PAs. Third, characterization of drivers of IAS costs within PAs showed an effect of environments (higher costs in terrestrial environments), continents (higher in Africa and South America), taxa (higher in invertebrates and vertebrates than plants) and Human Development Index (higher in more developed countries). Globally, our findings indicate that, counterintuitively, PAs are subject to very high costs from biological invasions. This highlights the need for more resources to be invested in the management of IAS to achieve the role of PAs in ensuring the long term conservation of nature. Accordingly, more spatially-balanced and integrative studies involving both scientists and stakeholders are required.

Abstract: The Flores Thrust is a southward-dipping, low-to-moderate angle submarine active fault in the eastern Sunda-Banda back-arc (Indonesia). Significant shallow-depth destructive earthquakes have been reported along this fault zone. From 2002 to 2009, one of its fault segments, called the Sumbawa segment, experienced five earthquakes with moment magnitude (MW) values of 6.2–6.6. In this study, we performed finite-fault rupture inversions for these earthquakes, constrained with teleseismic body and surface waveforms, to investigate the characteristics of earthquake ruptures along this fault zone. We obtained the source-time-functions and finite-fault rupture models for these five earthquakes. Results indicated that ruptures often propagated along-strike or down-dip. The ruptures were initiated from the middle crust (depth of approximately 12–17 km) and exhibited a comparable initiation behavior to their entire rupture. The rupture speeds and stress drops were approximately 2.0–2.5 km/s and 1.0–2.0 MPa, respectively. Five cascading asperities ruptured neighboring fault patches and did not overlap each other. The characteristics of earthquake source parameters and rupture processes obtained in this study are robust and helpful for future regional seismic hazard assessment and earthquake early warning studies. These cascading asperities might be related to the fault immaturity of the western Flores Thrust. Alternatively, these earthquakes may act as asperities located at the down-dip patches of the Sumbawa segment, and its shallower section still has a potential of ruptures with MW > 7.0.

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Abstract. Many ice shelves in Antarctica experience surface melt each summer, with potentially severe consequences for sea level rise. However, large interannual and regional variability in surface melt increases uncertainty in predictions of how ice shelves will react to climate change. Previous studies of surface melt have usually focused on either a process-level understanding of surface melt through energy balance investigations, or used regional melt metrics to quantify interannual variability in satellite observations of surface melt. Here, we use an approach that helps bridge the gap between work at these two scales. Using daily passive microwave observations from the AMSR-E and AMSR-2 sensors, and the machine learning approach of a self-organising map, we identify nine representative spatial distributions (“patterns”) of surface melt on the Shackleton Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, over the previous two decades (2002/03–2020/21). Our results point to a significant role for surface air temperatures in controlling the interannual variability of summer melt, and also reveal the influence of local controls on driving melt. In particular, prolonged melt in the south-east of the shelf and along the grounding line shows the importance of katabatic winds and surface albedo. Our approach highlights the necessity of understanding both local and large-scale controls on surface melt, and demonstrates that self-organising maps can be used to investigate the variability of surface melt on Antarctic ice shelves.

Abstract: La région arctique se réchauffe plus rapidement que toute autre région de la planète en raison de l’effet des gaz à effet de serre, notamment le CO2, et des forçeurs climatiques à courte durée de vie d’origine anthropique, comme le carbone suie (BC). Au cours des 20 à 30 dernières années, les émissions anthropiques lointain au-dessus des régions de latitude moyenne ont diminué. Les émissions anthropiques dans l’Arctique y contribuent également et pourraient augmenter à l’avenir et influencer davantage la pollution atmosphérique et le climat de l’Arctique. Les émissions naturelles, telles que les aérosols d’origine marine, pourraient également augmenter en raison du changement climatique en cours. Cependant, les processus et les sources qui influencent les aérosols et les gaz traces dans l’Arctique sont mal quantifiés, surtout en hiver. Dans cette thèse, des simulations quasi-hémisphériques et régionales sont réalisées à l’aide du modèle Weather Research Forecast, couplé à la chimie (WRF-Chem). Le modèle est utilisé pour étudier la composition atmosphérique sur la région Arctique et lors de deux campagnes de terrain, l’une au nord de l’Alaska à Barrow, Utqiagvik en janvier et février 2014 et la seconde à Fairbanks, au centre de l’Alaska en novembre et décembre 2019 lors de la campagne française pré-ALPACA (Alaskan Layered Pollution And Chemical Analysis). Tout d’abord, les aérosols inorganiques et les aérosols de sel marin (SSA) modélisés sont évalués sur des sites arctiques pendant l’hiver. Ensuite, le modèle est amélioré en ce qui concerne les traitements des SSA, après évaluation par rapport aux données de la campagne de Barrow, et leur contribution à la charge totale d’aérosols dans la région arctique est quantifiée. Une série d’analyses de sensibilité est effectuée sur le nord de l’Alaska, révélant des incertitudes du modèle dans les processus influençant les SSA dans l’Arctique, tels que la présence de glace de mer et de chenaux ouverts. Ensuite, une analyse de sensibilité est effectuée pour étudier les processus et les sources qui influencent le BC hivernale dans l’ensemble de l’Arctique et au nord de l’Alaska, en se concentrant sur les traitements de dépôt et les émissions régionales. Des variations de la sensibilité du modèle aux dépôts humides et secs sont constatées dans tout l’Arctique et pourraient expliquer les biais du modèle. Dans le nord de l’Alaska, les émissions régionales provenant de l’extraction pétrolière contribuent de manière importante au BC observée. Les résultats du modèle sont également sensibles aux schémas de paramétrisation de la couche limite. Troisièmement, la version améliorée du modèle est utilisée pour étudier la contribution des sources régionales et locales à la pollution atmosphérique dans la région de Fairbanks pendant l’hiver 2019. En utilisant des émissions actualisées, le modèle donne de meilleurs résultats pour l’hiver 2019 que pour l’hiver 2014, lorsqu’on le compare aux observations effectuées sur des sites de fond en Alaska. Les sous-estimations des aérosols modélisés de BC et de sulfate s’expliquent en partie par le manque d’émissions anthropiques locales et régionales. Dans le cas du sulfate , des mécanismes supplémentaires de formation d’aérosols secondaires dans des conditions sombres/froides doivent également être pris en compte.

Abstract: Kongsfjorden (Svalbard archipelago) is subjected to strong environmental gradients creating high physical and geochemical stress on benthic faunas. The present study aims at understanding the environmental drivers governing benthic foraminifera in the innermost part of the fjord. Surface sediments from 9 stations were sampled during August 2018 along a transect starting at ca. 2 km from the tidewater glacier Kronebreen and ending 12 km seaward. Three biozones were identified in response to disturbances linked to the proximity of the Kronebreen front (i.e., high water turbidity, freshwater, and sediment inputs, reduced organic fluxes). Close to the terminus (proximal biozone), few stress-tolerant and glacier proximal species were present (i.e., Capsammina bowmanni and Cassidulina reniforme). At about 6–8 km from the front (medial biozone), reduced turbidity, and increased organic fluxes, resulted in a higher diversity, and a high abundance of the phytodetritus-indicator Nonionellina labradorica. Relatively high diversity persisted until 12 km from the front due to higher organic inputs and reduced stressful conditions. The distal biozone was dominated by the Atlantic Water (AW) indicator Adercotryma glomeratum, in coherence with the presence of warm and salty AW detected far inside the fjord. Physical stress related to the glacier dynamics appears to favour the establishment of opportunistic species close to the terminus, whereas reduced disturbance away from the glacier induces the establishment of diverse assemblages. Our results show that benthic foraminifera may be effective bioindicators to monitor the long-term retreat of tidewater glaciers induced by climate change in Kongsfjorden.