MAST Carbon (United Kingdom)

A Berry geometrical phase is identified in a strongly metastable system containing dynamically responsive nanoscale clathrate hydrate structures within a crystal-fluid material. High energy degeneracy in the associated chemistry produces local stability and false vacuum conditions that lead to non-extensive and non-additive contributions in the fundamental thermodynamic relation. Application of Ginzburg-Landau theory and the scaling laws reveals a coherence length (3.05 m) and a penetration depth (2.2 m) that characterize a macro-scale dual superconductor. The coherence length describes a magnetic condensate whilst its inverse gives the Higgs mass (0.33 kg) and non-extensive volume changes (± 0.5 l). The penetration depth determines the extent of QCD vacuum suppression whilst its inverse gives an effective vector boson mass (≤ 0.46 kg), resulting in non-additive hyperbolic curvature. Simultaneous emergence of the Ginzburg-Landau superconducting phase transition is consistent with gauge-invariant coupling of the scalar field (≤ 3.6 ks-1) to the Yang-Mills action in QCD. The discovery of an energy gap in the gradient energy term of the system Lagrangian is associated with a critical correlation length (3.05 m) as revealed in the transition from a gapped to a gapless superconducting state. Together with the emergence and reabsorption of the Higgs-like scalar field, a mechanism for describing a renormalized QCD mass gap arises. The phenomena reported are only relevant to a coordinated U(2) Lie symmetry group having scale-invariance across micro- and macro-scale dual superconductivity. Under normal, non-critical conditions the symmetry is broken and separated into condensed matter and QCD elements that are effectively isolated. Energy and momentum cannot thereby be transferred across the QCD mass gap and TeV confinement energies dominate - conservation of energy and momentum are constrained to the individual symmetry groups. It is proposed that where these symmetries are decomposed and synchronized then the QCD mass gap with associated TeV threshold dissipates.

Quantifying burned area and associated fire emissions is paramount to understand how changing fire patterns affect radiative forcing and air quality. It is now well established that many fires are too small to be detected by coarse resolution satellite burned area products on which the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) relied. In the fifth version of GFED (GFED5) we therefore combine burned area derived from mapped coarse-resolution burned area from the MODIS sensor -which excels in detecting larger fires- with small-fire burned area. The latter is derived from MODIS active fire detections scaled to burned area using ratios constrained by higher-resolution burned area datasets from Landsat and Sentinel-2 for selected regions. Burned area in cropland regions was based on the Global Cropland Area Burned (GloCAB) dataset. Total global burned area is 61% higher than in GFED4s. We converted burned area to emissions using a simplified version of the CASA model used in previous GFED versions, but which now runs at a 500 m spatial resolution. This allows for better constrained modeled fuel loads based on field measurements. Although GFED5 emissions are aggregated to a 0.25 degree grid due to the statistical nature of deriving our burned area, we can now account for heterogeneity in fire processes within these large pixels. Emissions (3 Pg carbon per year) are roughly 50% higher than in GFED4 and we show how diverging trends in grassland versus forest ecosystems impact trends in total emissions. Finally, we show how converting fire carbon losses to trace gas and aerosol emissions is now better constrained due to the addition of several new emission factor measurement campaigns. In the savanna biome we now account for spatial and temporal variability in emission factors.

A Berry geometrical phase is identified in a strongly metastable system containing dynamically responsive clathrate hydrate structures within a crystal-fluid material. High energy degeneracy in the associated chemistry produces local stability and false vacuum conditions that lead to non-extensive and non-additive contributions in the fundamental thermodynamic relation. Application of Ginzburg-Landau theory and the scaling laws reveals a coherence length (3.05 m) and a penetration depth (2.2 m) that characterize a macro-scale dual superconductor. The coherence length describes a magnetic condensate whilst its inverse gives the Higgs mass (0.33 kg) and non-extensive volume changes (± 0.5 l). The penetration depth determines the extent of QCD vacuum suppression whilst its inverse gives an effective vector boson mass (≤ 0.46 kg), resulting in non-additive hyperbolic curvature. Simultaneous emergence of the Ginzburg-Landau superconducting phase transition is consistent with gauge-invariant coupling of the scalar field (≤ 3.6 ks-1) to the Yang-Mills action in QCD. The discovery of an energy gap in the gradient energy term of the system Lagrangian is associated with a critical correlation length (3.05 m) revealed in the transition from a gapped to a gapless superconducting state. Together with the emergence and absorption of the Higgs-like scalar field, a mechanism for describing a renormalized QCD mass gap arises.

Societal Impact StatementHighland forests of Mozambique have been strongly modified by human activities for millennia. Some highlands have sheer rock cliffs and are highly inaccessible to people and appear relatively undisturbed. Evidence from the forest and soils of inaccessible Mount Lico show that the fire regime has changed over the recent millennia. As climate and fire regimes continue to change, management of highland ecosystems will be crucial to sustain the high biodiversity and mountain‐water resources that provide key ecosystem services to people living close to these forests.Summary The sheer rock cliffs of the Mount Lico inselberg, northern Mozambique, is relatively inaccessible to people. A 0.57 km2 forest covers the top of the isolated mountain, and the tree demographics and soil offer an opportunity to investigate the long‐term fire ecology of the forests of the western, leeside of the mountain and potential for changing regional hydroclimate of the Late Holocene. On the western side of the mountaintop, a 20 × 20 m plot was surveyed for tree taxa, heights and bole diameters. A 220 cm deep pit was dug into the forest soil and analysed to describe the soil texture and carbon content. Charcoal was quantified on sieved subsamples and classified into charcoal morphologies that were then grouped by how readily entrainable on an index score. Three radiocarbon dates were collected from pieces charcoal. The forest is a combination of montane and woodland tree taxa that differed from the older, more mesic eastern side and reflected differential disturbance patterns. The reddish loam soils dated to the Middle Holocene. Charcoal was present in all soil subsamples and varied little until increasing consistently during the past millennium. The charcoal morphologies suggested a combination of locally derived charcoal and charcoal derived from the surrounding lowlands with the latter increasing in the past centuries. Few Holocene paleoenvironmental records have been developed from tropical soils in Africa and are useful in locations that do not host lakes and wetlands. Both tree demographics and soil charcoal suggest that changing forest disturbance regimes began during the past millennium. An understanding of history informs future conservation and appropriate management of these special places.

Plastic pollution is widespread throughout aquatic environments globally, with many organisms known to interact with and ingest plastic. In marine environments, microbial biofilms that form on plastic surfaces can produce the odorous compound dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which is a known foraging cue. This has been shown to increase the ingestion of plastic by some invertebrates and therefore act as a biological factor which influences the risks of plastic to marine ecosystems. In freshwater however, the production of DMS has been largely overlooked, despite the known sensitivity of some freshwater species to this compound. To address this gap, the present study analyzed the production of DMS by biofilms which formed on low-density polyethylene and polylactic acid films after 3 and 6 weeks of submersion in either a rural or an urban United Kingdom river. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the production of DMS by these biofilms was consistently identified. The amount of DMS produced varied significantly across river locations and materials, with surfaces in the urban river generally producing a stronger signal and plastics producing up to seven times more DMS than glass control surfaces. Analysis of biofilm weight and photosynthetic pigment content indicated differences in biofilm composition across conditions and suggested that DMS production was largely driven by nonphotosynthetic taxa. For the first time this work has documented the production of DMS by plastic litter after submersion in freshwater rivers. Further work is now needed to determine if, as seen in marine systems, this production of DMS can encourage the interaction of freshwater organisms with plastic litter and therefore operate as a biological risk factor in the impacts of plastic on freshwater environments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:1485-1496. © 2024 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Abstract Various fire emission estimates for southern Africa during 2019, derived with multiple burned area data sets with resolutions ranging from 500 to 20 m, are evaluated using satellite carbon monoxide (CO) observations. Southern African emissions derived from burned area generated by 20 m Sentinel‐2 satellite imagery are up to 120% higher than other estimates because small fires are better detected with a higher‐resolution satellite instrument. A comprehensive comparison between simulated and observed atmospheric CO indicates that the Sentinel‐2 burned area data significantly improves emission estimates, with up to 15% reduction in CO concentration biases in comparison to emissions based on coarser resolution burned area data. We also found that the temporal lag between emissions and atmospheric CO concentrations during the peak fire month was related to atmospheric transport. These findings emphasize the importance of utilizing higher‐resolution satellite instruments in accurately estimating emissions and understanding the impact of small fires on global climate.

Berry curvature is deemed responsible for generating mechanical work in a strongly metastable system containing dynamically responsive clathrate hydrate structures within a crystal-fluid material. High energy degeneracy in the associated chemistry produces local stability and false vacuum conditions that lead to non-extensive and non-additive contributions in the fundamental thermodynamic relation, despite the crystal-fluid material maintaining almost constant density. The reciprocating action of a piston expander also confirms a net energy gain. Hyperbolic curvature produces non-extensive volume changes and is attributed to gluon emission and reabsorption in a U(2) electroweak symmetry group synchronized across the condensed matter system, the embedding vacuum manifold and associated quantum interactions. The property of asymptotic freedom is apparent across these three domains providing evidence for scale-invariance that dominates both the macro- and micro-scales of an associated Ginzburg-Landau superconducting phase transition. External pressure perturbations of the low-energy system initiate ‘rolling’ critical responses that conserve energy and momentum across the synchronized U(2) group and also reveal an emergent gauge field. Corresponding emergence of the Ginzburg-Landau superconducting phase transition is consistent with gauge-invariant coupling of this scalar field to the Yang-Mills action of QCD. The discovery of an energy gap in the gradient energy term of the system Lagrangian is associated with a critical correlation length and consistent with a complex energy band gap in the Berry phase. Coupled with the emergence and absorption of the Higgs-like scalar field, a mechanism for describing the QCD mass gap arises.

This paper describes how energy storage at the onshore-offshore grid boundary can be used to support power systems stability. The paper identifies two candidate energy storage and power converter technology options and assesses these options based on their technical capabilities, their technological maturity and their potential regulatory barriers. The paper identifies that the technologies are rapidly maturing however further demonstration is required to establish viability of control and hardware to provide the full range of grid requirements, including system restoration, across all relevant grid conditions. Existing regulatory barriers including system ownership considerations are not considered prohibitive to further roll-out. Overall, there is a clear pathway for grid forming energy storage to provide power systems stability services in this application.

Abstract In order for the concrete industry to become more efficient and sustainable, there is an urgent need to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from cement manufacture. The innovative sche...