NobleBlocks
University of Hawaii System logo

University of Hawaii System

UniversityHonolulu, United States

Research output, citation impact, and the most-cited recent papers from University of Hawaii System (United States). Aggregated across the NobleBlocks index of 300M+ scholarly works.

Total works
60.6K
Citations
5.7M
h-index
730
i10-index
63.9K
Also known as
Universidad de HawáiUniversity of HawaiiUniversity of Hawaii SystemUniversité d'hawaï

Top-cited papers from University of Hawaii System

Observational Evidence from Supernovae for an Accelerating Universe and a Cosmological Constant
Adam G. Riess, A. V. Filippenko, P. Challis, A. Clocchiatti +4 more
1998· The Astronomical Journal19.4Kdoi:10.1086/300499

We present spectral and photometric observations of 10 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in the redshift range 0.16 z 0.62. The luminosity distances of these objects are determined by methods that employ relations between SN Ia luminosity and light curve shape. Combined with previous data from our High-z Supernova Search Team and recent results by Riess et al., this expanded set of 16 high-redshift M \ 1) methods. We estimate the dynamical age of the universe to be 14.2 ^1.7 Gyr including systematic uncertainties in the current Cepheid distance scale. We estimate the likely e ect of several sources of systematic error, including progenitor and metallicity evolution, extinction, sample selection bias, local perturbations in the expansion rate, gravitational lensing, and sample contamination. Presently, none of these e ects appear to reconcile the data with and ) " \ 0 q 0 0.

A Global Map of Human Impact on Marine Ecosystems
Benjamin S. Halpern, Shaun Walbridge, Kimberly A. Selkoe, Carrie V. Kappel +4 more
2008· Science6.4Kdoi:10.1126/science.1149345

The management and conservation of the world's oceans require synthesis of spatial data on the distribution and intensity of human activities and the overlap of their impacts on marine ecosystems. We developed an ecosystem-specific, multiscale spatial model to synthesize 17 global data sets of anthropogenic drivers of ecological change for 20 marine ecosystems. Our analysis indicates that no area is unaffected by human influence and that a large fraction (41%) is strongly affected by multiple drivers. However, large areas of relatively little human impact remain, particularly near the poles. The analytical process and resulting maps provide flexible tools for regional and global efforts to allocate conservation resources; to implement ecosystem-based management; and to inform marine spatial planning, education, and basic research.

eggNOG 5.0: a hierarchical, functionally and phylogenetically annotated orthology resource based on 5090 organisms and 2502 viruses
Jaime Huerta‐Cepas, Damian Szklarczyk, Davide Heller, Ana Hernández-Plaza +4 more
2018· Nucleic Acids Research5.2Kdoi:10.1093/nar/gky1085

eggNOG is a public database of orthology relationships, gene evolutionary histories and functional annotations. Here, we present version 5.0, featuring a major update of the underlying genome sets, which have been expanded to 4445 representative bacteria and 168 archaea derived from 25 038 genomes, as well as 477 eukaryotic organisms and 2502 viral proteomes that were selected for diversity and filtered by genome quality. In total, 4.4M orthologous groups (OGs) distributed across 379 taxonomic levels were computed together with their associated sequence alignments, phylogenies, HMM models and functional descriptors. Precomputed evolutionary analysis provides fine-grained resolution of duplication/speciation events within each OG. Our benchmarks show that, despite doubling the amount of genomes, the quality of orthology assignments and functional annotations (80% coverage) has persisted without significant changes across this update. Finally, we improved eggNOG online services for fast functional annotation and orthology prediction of custom genomics or metagenomics datasets. All precomputed data are publicly available for downloading or via API queries at http://eggnog.embl.de.

Evidence for Oscillation of Atmospheric Neutrinos
Y. Fukuda, T. Hayakawa, E. Ichihara, K. Inoue +4 more
1998· Physical Review Letters5.1Kdoi:10.1103/physrevlett.81.1562

We present an analysis of atmospheric neutrino data from a 33.0 kton yr (535-day) exposure of the Super-Kamiokande detector. The data exhibit a zenith angle dependent deficit of muon neutrinos which is inconsistent with expectations based on calculations of the atmospheric neutrino flux. Experimental biases and uncertainties in the prediction of neutrino fluxes and cross sections are unable to explain our observation. The data are consistent, however, with two-flavor ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}$ oscillations with ${sin}^{2}2\ensuremath{\theta}>0.82$ and $5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}<\ensuremath{\Delta}{m}^{2}<6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1{0}^{\ensuremath{-}3}\mathrm{eV}{}^{2}$ at 90% confidence level.

Detection of the Baryon Acoustic Peak in the Large‐Scale Correlation Function of SDSS Luminous Red Galaxies
Daniel J. Eisenstein, Idit Zehavi, David W. Hogg, Roman Scoccimarro +4 more
2005· The Astrophysical Journal4.5Kdoi:10.1086/466512

We present the large-scale correlation function measured from a spectroscopic sample of 46,748 luminous red galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The survey region covers 0.72 h^{-3} Gpc^3 over 3816 square degrees and 0.16<z<0.47, making it the best sample yet for the study of large-scale structure. We find a well-detected peak in the correlation function at 100h^{-1} Mpc separation that is an excellent match to the predicted shape and location of the imprint of the recombination-epoch acoustic oscillations on the low-redshift clustering of matter. This detection demonstrates the linear growth of structure by gravitational instability between z=1000 and the present and confirms a firm prediction of the standard cosmological theory. The acoustic peak provides a standard ruler by which we can measure the ratio of the distances to z=0.35 and z=1089 to 4% fractional accuracy and the absolute distance to z=0.35 to 5% accuracy. From the overall shape of the correlation function, we measure the matter density Omega_mh^2 to 8% and find agreement with the value from cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. Independent of the constraints provided by the CMB acoustic scale, we find Omega_m = 0.273 +- 0.025 + 0.123 (1+w_0) + 0.137 Omega_K. Including the CMB acoustic scale, we find that the spatial curvature is Omega_K=-0.010+-0.009 if the dark energy is a cosmological constant. More generally, our results provide a measurement of cosmological distance, and hence an argument for dark energy, based on a geometric method with the same simple physics as the microwave background anisotropies. The standard cosmological model convincingly passes these new and robust tests of its fundamental properties.

Type Ia Supernova Discoveries at<i>z</i>&gt; 1 from the<i>Hubble Space Telescope</i>: Evidence for Past Deceleration and Constraints on Dark Energy Evolution
Adam G. Riess, L. Strolger, J. Tonry, Stefano Casertano +4 more
2004· The Astrophysical Journal4.2Kdoi:10.1086/383612

We have discovered 16 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and have used them to provide the first conclusive evidence for cosmic deceleration that preceded the current epoch of cosmic acceleration. These objects, discovered during the course of the GOODS ACS Treasury program, include 6 of the 7 highest-redshift SNe Ia known, all at z>1.25, and populate the Hubble diagram in unexplored territory. The luminosity distances to these and 170 previous SNe Ia are provided. A purely kinematic interpretation of the SN Ia sample provides evidence at the > 99% confidence level for a transition from deceleration to acceleration or similarly, strong evidence for a cosmic jerk. Using a simple model of the expansion history, the transition between the two epochs is constrained to be at z=0.46 +/- 0.13. The data are consistent with the cosmic concordance model of Omega_M ~ 0.3, Omega_Lambda~0.7 (chi^2_dof=1.06), and are inconsistent with a simple model of evolution or dust as an alternative to dark energy. For a flat Universe with a cosmological constant. When combined with external flat-Universe constraints we find w=-1.02 + 0.13 - 0.19 (and $<-0.76 at the 95% confidence level) for an assumed static equation of state of dark energy, P = w\rho c^2. Joint constraints on both the recent equation of state of dark energy, $w_0$, and its time evolution, dw/dz, are a factor of ~8 more precise than its first estimate and twice as precise as those without the SNe Ia discovered with HST. Our constraints are consistent with the static nature of and value of w expected for a cosmological constant (i.e., w_0 = -1.0, dw/dz = 0), and are inconsistent with very rapid evolution of dark energy. We address consequences of evolving dark energy for the fate of the Universe.

The B73 Maize Genome: Complexity, Diversity, and Dynamics
Patrick S. Schnable, Doreen Ware, Robert S. Fulton, Joshua C. Stein +4 more
2009· Science4.2Kdoi:10.1126/science.1178534

A-Maize-ing Maize is one of our oldest and most important crops, having been domesticated approximately 9000 years ago in central Mexico. Schnable et al. (p. 1112 ; see the cover) present the results of sequencing the B73 inbred maize line. The findings elucidate how maize became diploid after an ancestral doubling of its chromosomes and reveals transposable element movement and activity and recombination. Vielle-Calzada et al. (p. 1078 ) have sequenced the Palomero Toluqueño ( Palomero ) landrace, a highland popcorn from Mexico, which, when compared to the B73 line, reveals multiple loci impacted by domestication. Swanson-Wagner et al. (p. 1118 ) exploit possession of the genome to analyze expression differences occurring between lines. The identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms and copy number variations among lines was used by Gore et al. (p. 1115 ) to generate a Haplotype map of maize. While chromosomal diversity in maize is high, it is likely that recombination is the major force affecting the levels of heterozygosity in maize. The availability of the maize genome will help to guide future agricultural and biofuel applications (see the Perspective by Feuillet and Eversole ).

Free software helps map and display data
Paul Wessel, Walter H. F. Smith
1991· Eos4.1Kdoi:10.1029/90eo00319

When creating camera‐ready figures, most scientists are familiar with the sequence of raw data → processing → final illustration and with the spending of large sums of money to finalize papers for submission to scientific journals, prepare proposals, and create overheads and slides for various presentations. This process can be tedious and is often done manually, since available commercial or in‐house software usually can do only part of the job. To expedite this process, we introduce the Generic Mapping Tools (GMT), which is a free, public domain software package that can be used to manipulate columns of tabular data, time series, and gridded data sets and to display these data in a variety of forms ranging from simple x‐y plots to maps and color, perspective, and shaded‐relief illustrations. GMT uses the PostScript page description language, which can create arbitrarily complex images in gray tones or 24‐bit true color by superimposing multiple plot files. Line drawings, bitmapped images, and text can be easily combined in one illustration. PostScript plot files are device‐independent, meaning the same file can be printed at 300 dots per inch (dpi) on an ordinary laserwriter or at 2470 dpi on a phototypesetter when ultimate quality is needed. GMT software is written as a set of UNIX tools and is totally self contained and fully documented. The system is offered free of charge to federal agencies and nonprofit educational organizations worldwide and is distributed over the computer network Internet.

Generic Mapping Tools: Improved Version Released
Paul Wessel, Walter H. F. Smith, Remko Scharroo, Joaquim Luís +1 more
2013· Eos4.0Kdoi:10.1002/2013eo450001

Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) is an open‐source software package for the analysis and display of geoscience data, helping scientists to analyze, interpolate, filter, manipulate, project, and plot time series and gridded data sets. The GMT toolbox includes about 80 core and 40 supplemental program modules sharing a common set of command options, file structures, and documentation. Its power to process data and produce publication‐quality graphic presentations has made it vital to a large scientific community that now includes more than 25,000 individual users. GMT's website ( http://gmt.soest.hawaii.edu/ ) exceeds 20,000 visits per month, and server logs show roughly 2000 monthly downloads.

The Demography of Massive Dark Objects in Galaxy Centers
John Magorrian, Scott Tremaine, D. O. Richstone, R. Bender +4 more
1998· The Astronomical Journal4.0Kdoi:10.1086/300353

We construct dynamical models for a sample of 36 nearby galaxies with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) photometry and ground-based kinematics. The models assume that each galaxy is axisymmetric, with a two-integral distribution function, arbitrary inclination angle, a position-independent stellar mass-to-light ratio Y, and a central massive dark object (MDO) of arbitrary mass M•. They provide acceptable fits to 32 of the galaxies for some value of M• and Y; the four galaxies that cannot be fitted have kinematically decoupled cores. The mass-to-light ratios inferred for the 32 well-fitted galaxies are consistent with the fundamental-plane correlation Y ∝ L0.2, where L is galaxy luminosity. In all but six galaxies the models require at the 95% confidence level an MDO of mass M• ∼ 0.006Mbulge ≡ 0.006YL. Five of the six galaxies consistent with M• = 0 are also consistent with this correlation. The other (NGC 7332) has a much stronger upper limit on M•. We predict the second-moment profiles that should be observed at HST resolution for the 32 galaxies that our models describe well. We consider various parameterizations for the probability distribution describing the correlation of the masses of these MDOs with other galaxy properties. One of the best models can be summarized thus: a fraction f ≃ 0.97 of early-type galaxies have MDOs, whose masses are well described by a Gaussian distribution in log (M•/Mbulge) of mean -2.28 and standard deviation ∼0.51. There is also marginal evidence that M• is distributed differently for "core" and "power law" galaxies, with core galaxies having a somewhat steeper dependence on Mbulge.

Noiseless coding of correlated information sources
D. Slepian, J.K. Wolf
1973· IEEE Transactions on Information Theory4.0Kdoi:10.1109/tit.1973.1055037

Correlated information sequences <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">\cdots ,X_{-1},X_0,X_1, \cdots</tex> and <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">\cdots,Y_{-1},Y_0,Y_1, \cdots</tex> are generated by repeated independent drawings of a pair of discrete random variables <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">X, Y</tex> from a given bivariate distribution <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">P_{XY} (x,y)</tex> . We determine the minimum number of bits per character <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">R_X</tex> and <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">R_Y</tex> needed to encode these sequences so that they can be faithfully reproduced under a variety of assumptions regarding the encoders and decoders. The results, some of which are not at all obvious, are presented as an admissible rate region <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">\mathcal{R}</tex> in the <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">R_X - R_Y</tex> plane. They generalize a similar and well-known result for a single information sequence, namely <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">R_X \geq H (X)</tex> for faithful reproduction.

Cosmological parameters from SDSS and WMAP
Max Tegmark, Michael A. Strauss, Michael R. Blanton, Kevork N. Abazajian +4 more
2004· Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D, Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology4.0Kdoi:10.1103/physrevd.69.103501

We measure cosmological parameters using the three-dimensional power spectrum $P(k)$ from over 200 000 galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in combination with Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and other data. Our results are consistent with a ``vanilla'' flat adiabatic cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant without tilt ${(n}_{s}=1),$ running tilt, tensor modes, or massive neutrinos. Adding SDSS information more than halves the WMAP-only error bars on some parameters, tightening $1\ensuremath{\sigma}$ constraints on the Hubble parameter from $h\ensuremath{\approx}{0.74}_{\ensuremath{-}0.07}^{+0.18}$ to $h\ensuremath{\approx}{0.70}_{\ensuremath{-}0.03}^{+0.04},$ on the matter density from ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{m}\ensuremath{\approx}0.25\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10$ to ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{m}\ensuremath{\approx}0.30\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04$ $(1\ensuremath{\sigma})$ and on neutrino masses from $&lt;11$ to $&lt;0.6\mathrm{eV}$ (95%). SDSS helps even more when dropping prior assumptions about curvature, neutrinos, tensor modes and the equation of state. Our results are in substantial agreement with the joint analysis of WMAP and the Two Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey, which is an impressive consistency check with independent redshift survey data and analysis techniques. In this paper, we place particular emphasis on clarifying the physical origin of the constraints, i.e., what we do and do not know when using different data sets and prior assumptions. For instance, dropping the assumption that space is perfectly flat, the WMAP-only constraint on the measured age of the Universe tightens from ${t}_{0}\ensuremath{\approx}{16.3}_{\ensuremath{-}1.8}^{+2.3}\mathrm{Gyr}$ to ${t}_{0}\ensuremath{\approx}{14.1}_{\ensuremath{-}0.9}^{+1.0}\mathrm{Gyr}$ by adding SDSS and SN Ia data. Including tensors, running tilt, neutrino mass and equation of state in the list of free parameters, many constraints are still quite weak, but future cosmological measurements from SDSS and other sources should allow these to be substantially tightened.

The Measurement of Independent and Interdependent Self-Construals
Theodore M. Singelis
1994· Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin3.6Kdoi:10.1177/0146167294205014

Following concepts introduced by Markus and Kitayama, this study describes the theoretical and empirical development of a scale to measure the strength of an individual's interdependent and independent self-construals. These two images of self are conceptualized as reflecting the emphasis on connectedness and relations often found in non-Western cultures (interdependent) and the separateness and uniqueness of the individual (independent) stressed in the West. It is argued that these two images of self can and do coexist in individuals and that they can be measured. A 24-item Self-Construal Scale measuring two dimensions of self-image is presented. The two distinct dimensions of the scale were supported in confirmatory factor analyses of two multiethnic samples of college students. The scale was found to have satisfactory reliability and validity. Its implications and potential applications are discussed.

Chemoradiotherapy after Surgery Compared with Surgery Alone for Adenocarcinoma of the Stomach or Gastroesophageal Junction
John S. Macdonald, Stephen R. Smalley, Jacqueline Benedetti, Scott A. Hundahl +4 more
2001· New England Journal of Medicine3.5Kdoi:10.1056/nejmoa010187

BACKGROUND: Surgical resection of adenocarcinoma of the stomach is curative in less than 40 percent of cases. We investigated the effect of surgery plus postoperative (adjuvant) chemoradiotherapy on the survival of patients with resectable adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction. METHODS: A total of 556 patients with resected adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction were randomly assigned to surgery plus postoperative chemoradiotherapy or surgery alone. The adjuvant treatment consisted of 425 mg of fluorouracil per square meter of body-surface area per day, plus 20 mg of leucovorin per square meter per day, for five days, followed by 4500 cGy of radiation at 180 cGy per day, given five days per week for five weeks, with modified doses of fluorouracil and leucovorin on the first four and the last three days of radiotherapy. One month after the completion of radiotherapy, two five-day cycles of fluorouracil (425 mg per square meter per day) plus leucovorin (20 mg per square meter per day) were given one month apart. RESULTS: The median overall survival in the surgery-only group was 27 months, as compared with 36 months in the chemoradiotherapy group; the hazard ratio for death was 1.35 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.09 to 1.66; P=0.005). The hazard ratio for relapse was 1.52 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.23 to 1.86; P<0.001). Three patients (1 percent) died from toxic effects of the chemoradiotherapy; grade 3 toxic effects occurred in 41 percent of the patients in the chemoradiotherapy group, and grade 4 toxic effects occurred in 32 percent. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative chemoradiotherapy should be considered for all patients at high risk for recurrence of adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction who have undergone curative resection.

How Many Species Are There on Earth and in the Ocean?
Camilo Mora, Derek P. Tittensor, Sina M. Adl, Alastair G. B. Simpson +1 more
2011· PLoS Biology3.0Kdoi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001127

The diversity of life is one of the most striking aspects of our planet; hence knowing how many species inhabit Earth is among the most fundamental questions in science. Yet the answer to this question remains enigmatic, as efforts to sample the world's biodiversity to date have been limited and thus have precluded direct quantification of global species richness, and because indirect estimates rely on assumptions that have proven highly controversial. Here we show that the higher taxonomic classification of species (i.e., the assignment of species to phylum, class, order, family, and genus) follows a consistent and predictable pattern from which the total number of species in a taxonomic group can be estimated. This approach was validated against well-known taxa, and when applied to all domains of life, it predicts ,8.7 million (61.3 million SE) eukaryotic species globally, of which ,2.2 million (60.18 million SE) are marine. In spite of 250 years of taxonomic classification and over 1.2 million species already catalogued in a central database, our results suggest that some 86% of existing species on Earth and 91% of species in the ocean still await description. Renewed interest in further exploration and taxonomy is required if this significant gap in our knowledge of life on Earth is to be closed.

Pacific–East Asian Teleconnection: How Does ENSO Affect East Asian Climate?
Bin Wang, Renguang Wu, Xiouhua Fu
2000· Journal of Climate2.9Kdoi:10.1175/1520-0442(2000)013<1517:peathd>2.0.co;2

Observational evidence is presented to show a teleconnection between the central Pacific and East Asia during the extreme phases of ENSO cycles. This Pacific-East Asian teleconnection is confined to the lower troposphere.

LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES
D. B. Sanders, I. F. Mirabel
1996· Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics2.8Kdoi:10.1146/annurev.astro.34.1.749

▪ Abstract At luminosities above 10 11 [Formula: see text], infrared galaxies become the dominant population of extragalactic objects in the local Universe (z ≲ 0.3), being more numerous than optically selected starburst and Seyfert galaxies and quasi-stellar objects at comparable bolometric luminosity. The trigger for the intense infrared emission appears to be the strong interaction/merger of molecular gas-rich spirals, and the bulk of the infrared luminosity for all but the most luminous objects is due to dust heating from an intense starburst within giant molecular clouds. At the highest luminosities (L ir &gt; 10 12 [Formula: see text]), nearly all objects appear to be advanced mergers powered by a mixture of circumnuclear starburst and active galactic nucleus energy sources, both of which are fueled by an enormous concentration of molecular gas that has been funneled into the merger nucleus. These ultraluminous infrared galaxies may represent an important stage in the formation of quasi-stellar objects and powerful radio galaxies. They may also represent a primary stage in the formation of elliptical galaxy cores, the formation of globular clusters, and the metal enrichment of the intergalactic medium.

Animals in a bacterial world, a new imperative for the life sciences
Margaret McFall‐Ngai, Michael G.‏ Hadfield, Thomas C. G. Bosch, Hannah V. Carey +4 more
2013· Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences2.8Kdoi:10.1073/pnas.1218525110

In the last two decades, the widespread application of genetic and genomic approaches has revealed a bacterial world astonishing in its ubiquity and diversity. This review examines how a growing knowledge of the vast range of animal-bacterial interactions, whether in shared ecosystems or intimate symbioses, is fundamentally altering our understanding of animal biology. Specifically, we highlight recent technological and intellectual advances that have changed our thinking about five questions: how have bacteria facilitated the origin and evolution of animals; how do animals and bacteria affect each other's genomes; how does normal animal development depend on bacterial partners; how is homeostasis maintained between animals and their symbionts; and how can ecological approaches deepen our understanding of the multiple levels of animal-bacterial interaction. As answers to these fundamental questions emerge, all biologists will be challenged to broaden their appreciation of these interactions and to include investigations of the relationships between and among bacteria and their animal partners as we seek a better understanding of the natural world.

The Complete Light-curve Sample of Spectroscopically Confirmed SNe Ia from Pan-STARRS1 and Cosmological Constraints from the Combined Pantheon Sample
D. Scolnic, D. O. Jones, A. Rest, Y. C. Pan +4 more
2018· The Astrophysical Journal2.7Kdoi:10.3847/1538-4357/aab9bb

Abstract We present optical light curves, redshifts, and classifications for spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) Medium Deep Survey. We detail improvements to the PS1 SN photometry, astrometry, and calibration that reduce the systematic uncertainties in the PS1 SN Ia distances. We combine the subset of PS1 SNe Ia (0.03 &lt; z &lt; 0.68) with useful distance estimates of SNe Ia from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), SNLS, and various low- z and Hubble Space Telescope samples to form the largest combined sample of SNe Ia, consisting of a total of SNe Ia in the range of 0.01 &lt; z &lt; 2.3, which we call the “Pantheon Sample.” When combining Planck 2015 cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements with the Pantheon SN sample, we find and for the w CDM model. When the SN and CMB constraints are combined with constraints from BAO and local H 0 measurements, the analysis yields the most precise measurement of dark energy to date: and for the CDM model. Tension with a cosmological constant previously seen in an analysis of PS1 and low- z SNe has diminished after an increase of 2× in the statistics of the PS1 sample, improved calibration and photometry, and stricter light-curve quality cuts. We find that the systematic uncertainties in our measurements of dark energy are almost as large as the statistical uncertainties, primarily due to limitations of modeling the low-redshift sample. This must be addressed for future progress in using SNe Ia to measure dark energy.

The Global Methane Budget 2000-2017
Marielle Saunois, Ann R. Stavert, Benjamin Poulter, Philippe Bousquet +4 more
2019· NOAA Institutional Repository2.6Kdoi:10.5194/essd-12-1561-2020

Understanding and quantifying the global methane (CH4) budget is important for assessing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. Atmospheric emissions and concentrations of CH4 continue to increase, making CH4 the second most important human-influenced greenhouse gas in terms of climate forcing, after carbon dioxide (CO2). The relative importance of CH4 compared to CO2 depends on its shorter atmospheric\nlifetime, stronger warming potential, and variations in atmospheric growth rate over the past decade, the causes of which are still debated. Two major challenges in reducing uncertainties in the atmospheric growth rate arise from the variety of geographically overlapping CH4 sources and from the destruction of CH4 by short-lived hydroxyl radicals (OH). To address these challenges, we have established a consortium of multidisciplinary scientists under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project to synthesize and stimulate new research aimed at improving and regularly updating the global methane budget. Following Saunois et al. (2016), we present here the second version of the living review paper dedicated to the decadal methane budget, integrating results of top-down studies (atmospheric observations within an atmospheric inverse-modelling framework) and bottom-up estimates (including process-based models for estimating land surface emissions and atmospheric chemistry, inventories of anthropogenic emissions, and data-driven extrapolations).\nFor the 2008–2017 decade, global methane emissions are estimated by atmospheric inversions (a top-down approach) to be 576 TgCH4 yr-1 (range 550–594, corresponding to the minimum and maximum estimates of the model ensemble). Of this total, 359 TgCH4 yr-1 or 60% is attributed to anthropogenic sources, that is emissions caused by direct human activity (i.e. anthropogenic emissions; range 336–376 TgCH4 yr-1 or 50 %–65 %). The mean annual total emission for the new decade (2008–2017) is 29 TgCH4 yr-1 larger than our estimate for the previous decade (2000–2009), and 24 TgCH4 yr-1 larger than the one reported in the previous budget for 2003–2012 (Saunois et al., 2016). Since 2012, global CH4 emissions have been tracking the warmest scenarios assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Bottom-up methods suggest almost 30% larger global emissions (737 TgCH4 yr-1, range 594–881) than top-down inversion methods. Indeed, bottom-up estimates for natural sources such as natural wetlands, other inland water systems, and geological sources are higher than top-down estimates. The atmospheric constraints on the top-down budget suggest that at least some of these bottom-up emissions are overestimated. The latitudinal distribution of atmospheric observation-based emissions indicates a predominance of tropical emissions (∼65% of the global budget, &lt;30◦N) compared to mid-latitudes (∼30 %, 30–60◦ N) and high northern latitudes (∼4 %, 60–90◦N). The most important source of uncertainty in the methane budget is attributable to natural emissions, especially those from wetlands and other inland waters.\nSome of our global source estimates are smaller than those in previously published budgets (Saunois et al., 2016; Kirschke et al., 2013). In particular wetland emissions are about 35 TgCH4 yr-1 lower due to improved partition wetlands and other inland waters. Emissions from geological sources and wild animals are also found to be smaller by 7 TgCH4 yr-1 by 8 TgCH4 yr-1, respectively. However, the overall discrepancy between bottom-up and top-down estimates has been reduced by only 5% compared to Saunois et al. (2016), due to a higher estimate of emissions from inland waters, highlighting the need for more detailed research on emissions factors. Priorities for improving the methane budget include (i) a global, high-resolution map of water-saturated soils and inundated areas emitting methane based on a robust classification of different types of emitting habitats; (ii) further development of process-based models for inland-water emissions; (iii) intensification of methane observations at local scales (e.g., FLUXNET-CH4 measurements) and urban-scale monitoring to constrain bottom-up land surface models, and at regional scales (surface networks and satellites) to constrain atmospheric inversions; (iv) improvements of transport models and the representation of photochemical sinks in top-down inversions; and (v) development of a 3D variational inversion system using isotopic and/or co-emitted species such as ethane to improve source partitioning.\nThe data presented here can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.18160/GCP-CH4-2019 (Saunois et al.,\n2020) and from the Global Carbon Project