Understanding the Earth from a thermodynamic systems perspective

Axel Kleidon,
Max Planck Institute

"The Earth is a vastly complex system that converts the energy contained in sunlight into various forms, from the kinetic energy of motion to chemical energy of life and the electric energy that powers human societies. These conversions follow the laws of thermodynamics, which set the directions and fundamental limits, yet these also result in interactions and feedbacks that emphasise the need for an Earth system perspective. In this talk, I provide the background for this thermodynamic description of the Earth system and use examples to show how thermodynamic limits in combination with a formulation of the dominant interactions can be used to describe the emergent behaviour. I show how this approach can be used to provide simple, yet physically-based estimates of climate and climate change, as well as how it sets limits on different forms of renewable energy. I close with an outlook on potential future applications, highlighting the generality of the approach as energy, its conversions into other forms, and interactions are at the very core of literally every Earth system process."

Please join CIRES Director Waleed Abdalati for another CIRES Town Hall on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, for both CU Boulder and NOAA-based employees.

Join by Zoom:

https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/94779313027

ESOC virtual coffee hour occurs weekly from 9-10am on Wednesdays. We will be meeting remotely on Zoom. Please email Claire Waugh (waughc@colorado.edu) for information.

ESOC researchers, post-docs and graduate students gather for conversation and to discuss research. Occasional guest speakers are invited to give short presentations on topics of interest.

Save the Date! Thursday 2/4/21, 10:30 am – 12:00, via Zoom

For all CIRES Principal Investigators, Early Career Scientists or anyone planning to submit proposals. The CIRES Proposal Team has organized a training session with CU’s RIO’s Proposal Writing Services. CIRES Associate Director of Science, Christine Wiedinmyer will give general tips for successful proposal writing, and will introduce RIO’s James Mazzouccolo, a proposal writer at RIO.  James will share specific advice about how to write a great One Page Summary and proposal outline and will provide details about RIO’s resources for you, including writing and graphics resources.

https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/99114964586

Contact Jennie Bell with questions.

ESOC virtual coffee hour occurs weekly from 9-10am on Wednesdays. We will be meeting remotely on Zoom. Please email Claire Waugh (waughc@colorado.edu) for information.

ESOC researchers, post-docs and graduate students gather for conversation and to discuss research. Occasional guest speakers are invited to give short presentations on topics of interest.

Towards improved understanding of nitrogen dioxide emissions from forest fires

Debora Griffin,
Environment Canada,

"Smoke from wildfires are a significant source of air pollution, which can adversely impact ecosystems and the air quality in downwind populated areas. With increasing severity of wildfires over the years, these are a significant threat to air quality in densely populated areas. Emissions from wildfires are most commonly estimated by a bottom-up approach, using proxies such fuel type, burn area, and emission factors. Emissions are also commonly derived with a top-down approach, using satellite observed Fire Radiative Power. Furthermore, wildfire emissions can also be estimated directly from satellite-borne measurements.

I will present recent advancements and improvements of direct emission estimates of forest fire NOx emissions by using TROPOMI (Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument) high-resolution satellite datasets, including NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs) and information on plume height and aerosol scattering. The effect of smoke aerosols on the sensitivity of TROPOMI to NO2 (via air mass factors) is estimated with recalculated VCDs, and validated with aircraft observations. Different top-down emission estimation methods are tested on synthetic data to determine the accuracy, and the sensitivity to parameters, such as wind fields, satellite sampling, instrument noise, NO2:NOx conversion ratio, species atmosphere lifetime and plume spread. Lastly, the top-down, bottom-up and direct emission estimates of fire emissions are quantitatively compared."

Performance Management presented by Kelly Leandro, CU HR, Principal Employee Relations Consultant

Kelly will focus on supervision fundamentals such as building rapport, coaching techniques, effective ways to offer feedback, and difficult conversations. In this extraordinary year, she will discuss special considerations to help supervisors discuss the challenges of 2020, the ways in which to discuss the effects 2020 had on job duties and goals, and the ways in which to incorporate flexibility and compassion into evaluation feedback. Supervisors will also get acquainted with the documentation used to address performance issues and progressive discipline, as well as learn about the role of Campus HR in the process of addressing such concerns.

Join by Zoom: 

https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/95756675268

**Note: This is the second presentation in a four-part virtual training series, brought to you by CIRES and CU HR. Join us Wednesdays at 10:00 am, starting Feb. 10 and ending Mar. 3 (upcoming dates and topics below). Each 1-hour session will be recorded and posted to the insideCIRES Admin News blog. Appropriate for new and continuing supervisors. Federal partners are welcome to attend. 

• February 24: Hiring & Onboarding
• March 3: Onboarding within the NOAA Cooperative Agreement

Join the Colorado Local Science Engagement Network (CO-LSEN) on Friday, February 19, from 1-3 PM MST for a two-part webinar titled, What is the future of hydraulic fracturing in the U.S. and Colorado?. Hear from scientific experts and decision-makers on the economic, environmental, human health, and community considerations of hydraulic fracturing in the future. Separate panels will be held to examine the topic at both the state and national levels.

For Zoom registration details, click here.

An Investigation of the Gas-Phase Products of NO3 Radical Oxidation of Δ-3-Carene

Olivia Jenks,
ANYL 3rd year, de Gouw Group

"Organic aerosol can have an impact on the climate, visibility, and human health. Oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds forms secondary organic aerosol (SOA) by lowering the volatility of the molecule and partitioning to the particle phase. The NO3-initiated oxidation of Δ-3-carene is being studied because it connects the interaction of biogenic and anthropogenic emissions to form aerosol, and expands on previous work with ɑ- and β-pinene. In this work, I explore the first generation gas-phase products of the NO3-initiated oxidation of Δ-3-carene in a 8 m3 Teflon FEP chamber using a Vocus proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (Vocus PTR-ToF) and a high-resolution time-of-flight chemical-ionization mass spectrometer (HR ToF-CIMS) using iodide adducts. The mass spectra of reaction products show the presence of many of the expected products, including hydroxynitrates, dicarbonyls, hydroxycarbonyl nitrates, hydroxy dicarbonyls, and dicarbonyl hydroxynitrates, but also show significant fragmentation of the parent ions through loss of water and/or nitric acid. Parent and fragment ions are grouped together taking advantage of gas-wall interactions in Teflon tubing, which provide some simple “poor-person’s chromatography,” while transmitting all the species. Understanding the mechanism of the oxidation of Δ-3-carene by NO3 radicals allows for a better understanding of the fate of organic nitrate in the atmosphere, which will improve interpretation of field data and global chemical models."

Hiring & Onboarding presented by Blair Perri & Casey Kipple CU HR, Jimena Ugaz, CIRES HR.

Presenters will cover review the posting, interviewing and onboarding processes for CIRES employees, elements of the job description, the requirements of the Equal Pay Act related to compensation, and the functionality of Applicant Tracking System (Avature). Presenters will also address the value of Textio in writing a more inclusive job ad, talk about Skillsurvey as an alternative to letters of recommendation, and discuss the revised CU orientation (the Quick Start program) in light of our remote status. This session will be valuable for both current and future hiring supervisors and search committee members. 

Join by Zoom: 

https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/92089503917

**Note: This is the third presentation in a four-part virtual training series, brought to you by CIRES and CU HR. Join us Wednesdays at 10:00 am, starting Feb. 10 and ending Mar. 3 (upcoming dates and topics below). Each 1-hour session will be recorded and posted to the insideCIRES Admin News blog. Appropriate for new and continuing supervisors. Federal partners are welcome to attend. 

• March 3: Onboarding within the NOAA Cooperative Agreement

Leveraging Automation for Sea Ice Mapping with Dr. Macarena Ortiz

Warming conditions in the Arctic are leading to a more ice-free regime, thus allowing for increased activity in the region. This in turn puts more pressure on organizations like the United States National Ice Center (NIC), who provide the U.S. Government with daily and weekly sea ice charts for maritime safety of navigation and maritime-domain awareness. In order to aid with the ever increasing frequent updates, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), in partnership with the NIC, has been actively collaborating and developing Research and Development (R&D) programs which exploit machine learning and computer vision to enhance and facilitate the ice analyst workflow.  In this talk, we present the technological advancements the NGA and the NIC are developing and adopting in order to meet the current and future demands of a changing Arctic.

Brief bio:  Macarena Ortiz (Mac) is a research and development scientist and program manager at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA).  At NGA, Mac leads R&D programs involving remote sensing and automation, with a focus on the cryosphere. Prior to her work at NGA, she completed a Post-doc at NASA Langley Research Center, working with the climate and radiation branch on a project to merge machine learning techniques with climate reanalysis models. Mac got her PhD in applied physics from the University of Miami, where her doctoral work focused on using machine-learning methods to remotely sense the Arctic marginal ice zone. She grew up in New York City, has two Persian cats, and has lived in the Arctic.

TO JOIN BY ZOOM:

From a computer: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/5409618610

Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16465588656,,5409618610# 

Or Telephone: US: +1 646 558 8656 , Meeting ID: 540 961 8610

International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/MNl8z