Association of social vulnerability factors with power outage burden in Washington state: 2018-2021.

Major power outages have risen over the last two decades, largely due to more extreme weather conditions. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the distribution of power outages and its relationship to social vulnerability and co-occurring hazards. We examined the associations between localized outages and social vulnerability factors (demographic characteristics), controlling for environmental factors (weather), in Washington State between 2018-2021.

Whole-House Emission Rates and Loss Coefficients of Formaldehyde and Other Volatile Organic Compounds as a Function of the Air Change Rate.

Whole-house emission rates and indoor loss coefficients of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were determined from continuous measurements inside a net-zero energy home at two different air change rates (ACHs). By turning the mechanical ventilation on and off, it was demonstrated that formaldehyde concentrations reach a steady state much more quickly than other VOCs, consistent with a significant indoor loss rate attributed to surface uptake. The first order loss coefficient for formaldehyde was 0.

Winter storms accelerate the demise of sea ice in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic Ocean.

A large retreat of sea-ice in the 'stormy' Atlantic Sector of the Arctic Ocean has become evident through a series of record minima for the winter maximum sea-ice extent since 2015. Results from the Norwegian young sea ICE (N-ICE2015) expedition, a five-month-long (Jan-Jun) drifting ice station in first and second year pack-ice north of Svalbard, showcase how sea-ice in this region is frequently affected by passing winter storms. Here we synthesise the interdisciplinary N-ICE2015 dataset, including independent observations of the atmosphere, snow, sea-ice, ocean, and ecosystem.

Humidity trends imply increased sensitivity to clouds in a warming Arctic.

Infrared radiative processes are implicated in Arctic warming and sea-ice decline. The infrared cloud radiative effect (CRE) at the surface is modulated by cloud properties; however, CRE also depends on humidity because clouds emit at wavelengths that are semi-transparent to greenhouse gases, most notably water vapour. Here we show how temperature and humidity control CRE through competing influences between the mid- and far-infrared.

A responsivity-based criterion for accurate calibration of FTIR emission spectra: identification of in-band low-responsivity wavenumbers.

Spectra measured by remote-sensing Fourier transform infrared spectrometers are often calibrated using two calibration sources. At wavenumbers where the absorption coefficient is large, air within the optical path of the instrument can absorb most calibration-source signal, resulting in extreme errors. In this paper, a criterion in terms of the instrument responsivity is used to identify such wavenumbers within the instrument bandwidth of two remote-sensing Fourier transform infrared spectrometers.

Responsivity-based criterion for accurate calibration of FTIR emission spectra: theoretical development and bandwidth estimation.

An analytical expression for the variance of the radiance measured by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) emission spectrometers exists only in the limit of low noise. Outside this limit, the variance needs to be calculated numerically. In addition, a criterion for low noise is needed to identify properly calibrated radiances and optimize the instrument bandwidth.

Improvements in the data quality of the Interferometric Monitor for Greenhouse Gases.

The Interferometric Monitor for Greenhouse Gases (IMG) operated aboard the polar-orbiting Advanced Earth Observing Satellite from October 1996 through June 1997. The IMG measured upwelling infrared radiance at fine spectral resolution. This paper identifies previously undocumented issues with IMG interferograms and describes procedures for correcting the majority of the affected data.

Improved measurements of the foreign-broadened continuum of water vapor in the 6.3 microm band at -30 degrees C.

Atmospheric emission in the nu(2) band of water vapor by the foreign-broadened continuum (1300-2000 cm(-1)) is important for retrievals of upper tropospheric water vapor. Previous work reported continuum coefficients retrieved from two downwelling emission measurements made with the Polar Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (PAERI) at temperatures characteristic of the upper troposphere (below -25 degrees C) at Dome C, Antarctica. These results are improved upon here using 19 different measurements.

Measurements of the foreign-broadened continuum of water vapor in the 6.3 microm band at -30 degrees C.

The foreign-broadened continuum of water vapor in the nu2 band (5-7.7 microm, 1300-2000 cm(-1)) is important for satellite-based retrievals of water vapor in the upper troposphere, where temperatures are below -25 degrees C. Continuum coefficients have previously been measured mostly at or above +23 degrees C.