State of the climate in 2013

In 2013, the vast majority of the monitored climate variables reported here maintained trends established in recent decades. ENSO was in a neutral state during the entire year, remaining mostly on the cool side of neutral with modest impacts on regional weather patterns around the world. This follows several years dominated by the effects of either La Niña or El Niño events. According to several independent analyses, 2013 was again among the 10 warmest years on record at the global scale, both at the Earths surface and through the troposphere. Some regions in the Southern Hemisphere had record or near-record high temperatures for the year. Australia observed its hottest year on record, while Argentina and New Zealand reported their second and third hottest years, respectively. In Antarctica, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station reported its highest annual temperature since records began in 1957. At the opposite pole, the Arctic observed its seventh warmest year since records began in the early 20th century. At 20-m depth, record high temperatures were measured at some permafrost stations on the North Slope of Alaska and in the Brooks Range. In the Northern Hemisphere extratropics, anomalous meridional atmospheric circulation occurred throughout much of the year, leading to marked regional extremes of both temperature and precipitation. Cold temperature anomalies during winter across Eurasia were followed by warm spring temperature anomalies, which were linked to a new record low Eurasian snow cover extent in May. Minimum sea ice extent in the Arctic was the sixth lowest since satellite observations began in 1979. Including 2013, all seven lowest extents on record have occurred in the past seven years. Antarctica, on the other hand, had above-average sea ice extent throughout 2013, with 116 days of new daily high extent records, including a new daily maximum sea ice area of 19.57 million km2 reached on 1 October. ENSO-neutral conditions in the eastern central Pacific Ocean and a negative Pacific decadal oscillation pattern in the North Pacific had the largest impacts on the global sea surface temperature in 2013. The North Pacific reached a historic high temperature in 2013 and on balance the globally-averaged sea surface temperature was among the 10 highest on record. Overall, the salt content in nearsurface ocean waters increased while in intermediate waters it decreased. Global mean sea level continued to rise during 2013, on pace with a trend of 3.2 mm yr-1 over the past two decades. A portion of this trend (0.5 mm yr-1) has been attributed to natural variability associated with the Pacific decadal oscillation as well as to ongoing contributions from the melting of glaciers and ice sheets and ocean warming. Global tropical cyclone frequency during 2013 was slightly above average with a total of 94 storms, although the North Atlantic Basin had its quietest hurricane season since 1994. In the Western North Pacific Basin, Super Typhoon Haiyan, the deadliest tropical cyclone of 2013, had 1-minute sustained winds estimated to be 170 kt (87.5 m s-1) on 7 November, the highest wind speed ever assigned to a tropical cyclone. High storm surge was also associated with Haiyan as it made landfall over the central Philippines, an area where sea level is currently at historic highs, increasing by 200 mm since 1970. In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide all continued to increase in 2013. As in previous years, each of these major greenhouse gases once again reached historic high concentrations. In the Arctic, carbon dioxide and methane increased at the same rate as the global increase. These increases are likely due to export from lower latitudes rather than a consequence of increases in Arctic sources, such as thawing permafrost. At Mauna Loa, Hawaii, for the first time since measurements began in 1958, the daily average mixing ratio of carbon dioxide exceeded 400 ppm on 9 May. The state of these variables, along with dozens of others, and the 2013 climate conditions of regions around the world are discussed in further detail in this 24th edition of the State of the Climate series. © 2014, American Meteorological Society. All rights reserved

10.7 Gbit/s transmission over 220 m polymer optical fiber using maximum likelihood sequence estimation

10.7 Gbit/s NRZ-signals are transmitted for the first time over 220 m of multimode 120 mum core-diameter perfluorinated graded-index polymer optical fiber using an MLSE equalizer

Produção de batata-doce em função de doses de P2O5 em dois sistemas de cultivo Yield of sweet potato affected by P2O5 levels in two planting systems

Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito da adubação fosfatada e de sistemas de plantio na produção total e comercial de raízes de batata-doce, cv. Rainha Branca, conduziu-se um experimento, de fevereiro a julho de 2003, na UFPB, em Areia (PB). O delineamento experimental foi de blocos casualizados com os tratamentos distribuídos em esquema fatorial 5 x 2, com os fatores doses de fósforo (0; 100; 200; 300 e 400 kg de P2O5 ha-1) e sistemas de plantio (uma e duas ramas por cova), em quatro repetições. As produções total e comercial de raízes de batata-doce, em resposta as doses de fósforo no sistema de plantio com uma rama por cova, foram de 21,6 e 18,7 t ha-1, obtidas com 237 e 210 kg de P2O5 ha-1, respectivamente. No sistema de plantio com duas ramas por cova, essas produções foram de 23,5 e 18,9 t ha-1, alcançadas com 259 e 231 kg de P2O5 ha-1, respectivamente, enquanto as doses econômicas para a produção de raízes comerciais, foram 173 e 194 kg de P2O5 ha-1, para os sistemas de plantio com uma e duas ramas, respectivamente. No sistema de plantio com uma rama e dose econômica correspondeu a 82% daquela para a máxima eficiência técnica (MET) e para o sistema de duas ramas a 84% da MET, constituindo um indicativo da viabilidade econômica do emprego de fósforo no cultivo da batata-doce. As doses de fósforo estimadas que resultaram nas máximas produções de raízes comerciais e retornos econômicos, quanto ao sistema de plantio com uma e duas ramas por cova corresponderam, respectivamente, com 21 e 19 mg de P disponível dm-3, extraído pelo extrator de Melich 1. Em solos semelhantes ao deste estudo, a adubação fosfatada na batata-doce poderá ser dispensada, quando os teores de fósforo disponível forem superiores a 19 e 20 mg dm-3 de solo, respectivamente, para os sistemas de plantio com uma e duas ramas por cova.<br>The influence of phosphate fertilization and planting systems were evaluated on the yield and quality of sweet potato roots, Rainha Branca cv. The experiment was carried out from February to July/2003 in a Quartz Psamment soil in Paraiba State, Brazil. The experimental design was of randomized blocks with four replications. Treatments were distributed in a 5 x 2 factorial design, with five levels of P2O5 (0; 100; 200; 300 and 400 kg ha-1 ) and two planting systems (one and two stems/hole). Total and commercial sweet potato roots production, in response to P2O5 levels with one stem/hole, were 21.6 and 18.7 t ha-1 obtained with 237 and 210 kg ha-1 of P2O5, respectively. Using two stems/hole, 23.5 and 18.9 t ha-1 were obtained when 259 and 231 kg of P2O5, were employed, respectively. Levels of 173 and 194 kg of P2O5 applied for one and two stems/hole, respectively, were economically viable for the commercial roots production. The economical level in the planting system using one stem/hole, was 82% of the technical maximum efficiency (TME) and for two stems/hole was 84% TME being an indicative of economical viability of phosphorus application in sweet potato. P2O5 levels that resulted in maximum production and economical returns for commercial roots for planting systems with one and two stems/hole were 21 and 19 mg dm-3 of phosphorus available, using Melich-1 extractor. In similar soil types for commercial roots production, the phosphate fertilization will be dispensed, when available phosphorus levels were higher than 19 and 20 mg dm-3 of soil in planting systems with one and two stems/hole

Delay in diagnosis of influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus infection in critically ill patients and impact on clinical outcome

Background: Patients infected with influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus requiring admission to the ICU remain an important source of mortality during the influenza season. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of a delay in diagnosis of community-acquired influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus infection on clinical outcome in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU. Methods: A prospective multicenter observational cohort study was based on data from the GETGAG/SEMICYUC registry (2009–2015) collected by 148 Spanish ICUs. All patients admitted to the ICU in which diagnosis of influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus infection had been established within the first week of hospitalization were included. Patients were classified into two groups according to the time at which the diagnosis was made: early (within the first 2 days of hospital admission) and late (between the 3rd and 7th day of hospital admission). Factors associated with a delay in diagnosis were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Results: In 2059 ICU patients diagnosed with influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus infection within the first 7 days of hospitalization, the diagnosis was established early in 1314 (63.8 %) patients and late in the remaining 745 (36.2 %). Independent variables related to a late diagnosis were: age (odds ratio (OR) = 1.02, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.03, P < 0.001); first seasonal period (2009–2012) (OR = 2.08, 95 % CI 1.64–2.63, P < 0.001); days of hospital stay before ICU admission (OR = 1.26, 95 % CI 1.17–1.35, P < 0.001); mechanical ventilation (OR = 1.58, 95 % CI 1.17–2.13, P = 0.002); and continuous venovenous hemofiltration (OR = 1.54, 95 % CI 1.08–2.18, P = 0.016). The intra-ICU mortality was significantly higher among patients with late diagnosis as compared with early diagnosis (26.9 % vs 17.1 %, P < 0.001). Diagnostic delay was one independent risk factor for mortality (OR = 1.36, 95 % CI 1.03–1.81, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Late diagnosis of community-acquired influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus infection is associated with a delay in ICU admission, greater possibilities of respiratory and renal failure, and higher mortality rate. Delay in diagnosis of flu is an independent variable related to death

State of the Climate in 2012

International audienceEditors note: For easy download the posted pdf of the State of the Climate for 2012 is a very low-resolution file. A high-resolution copy of the report is available by clicking here. Please be patient as it may take a few minutes for the high-resolution file to download