Multifractal characterization of meteorological to agricultural drought propagation over India.

Agricultural drought affects the regional food security and thus understanding how meteorological drought propagates to agricultural drought is crucial. This study examines the temporal scaling trends of meteorological and agricultural drought data over 34 Indian meteorological sub-divisions from 1981 to 2020. A maximum Pearson's correlation coefficient (MPCC) derived between multiscale Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) and monthly Standardised Soil Moisture Index (SSMI) time series was used to assess the seasonal as well as annual drought propagation time (DPT). The multifractal characteristics of the SPI time series at a time scale chosen from propagation analysis as well as the SSMI-1 time series were further examined using Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MF-DFA). Results reveal longer average annual DPT in arid and semi-arid regions like Saurashtra and Kutch (~ 6 months), Madhya Maharashtra (~ 5 months), and Western Rajasthan (~ 6 months), whereas, humid regions like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, and Kerala exhibit shorter DPT (~ 2 months). The Hurst Index values greater/less than 0.5 indicates the existence of long/short-term persistence (LTP/STP) in the SPI and SSMI time series. The results of our study highlights the inherent connection among drought propagation time, multifractality, and regional climate variations, and offers insights to enhance drought prediction systems in India.

High-resolution impact-based early warning system for riverine flooding.

Despite considerable advances in flood forecasting during recent decades, state-of-the-art, operational flood early warning systems (FEWS) need to be equipped with near-real-time inundation and impact forecasts and their associated uncertainties. High-resolution, impact-based flood forecasts provide insightful information for better-informed decisions and tailored emergency actions. Valuable information can now be provided to local authorities for risk-based decision-making by utilising high-resolution lead-time maps and potential impacts to buildings and infrastructures. Here, we demonstrate a comprehensive floodplain inundation hindcast of the 2021 European Summer Flood illustrating these possibilities for better disaster preparedness, offering a 17-hour lead time for informed and advisable actions.

Rhythmic Jaw Movements in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Is It Clonus or Tremor?

Background: Jaw clonus refers to involuntary, rhythmic jaw contractions induced by a hyperactive trigeminal nerve stretch reflex; however, the movements, when triggered without a stretch, can be confused with a tremor. Phenomenology Shown: This video demonstrates a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis presenting with rapid rhythmic jaw movements seen at rest, alongside a power spectrum analysis revealing a narrow high-frequency peak of 10 Hz. Educational Value: Rhythmic jaw movements are seen in many disorders such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, tardive syndromes, and cranial myorhythmias; however, a high-frequency movement, regardless of clonus or tremor, can indicate amyotrophic lateral sclerosis when accompanied by typical upper and lower motor neuron signs. Highlights: The presented video abstract shows a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with rhythmic jaw movements seen at rest. A power spectrum analysis of the rhythmic movements revealed a 10 Hz peak, a frequency higher than those seen in patients with Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, myorhythmia, and tardive syndromes.

Roussy-Lévy Syndrome: Pes Cavus, Tendon Areflexia, Amyotrophy, Gait Ataxia, and Upper Limb Tremor in a Patient with CMT Neuropathy.

Background: Roussy-Lévy syndrome (RLS) is characterized by postural hand tremor seen in patients with familial autosomal dominant Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy. Phenomenology Shown: This video demonstrates irregular, jerky bilateral kinetic, postural, rest tremor affecting the right > left hand, along with pes cavus and gait ataxia in a patient with CMT disease. Educational Value: Pes cavus, tendon areflexia, sensory ataxia, and upper limb tremor should prompt consideration of CMT neuropathy. Highlights: This video abstract depicts a bilateral hand tremor characteristic of Roussy-Lévy syndrome seen in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease neuropathy. The significance of the abstract lies in the phenomenology and the physiology of the tremor seen in patients with genetically confirmed duplication of PMP22 gene.

Urban water and electricity demand data for understanding climate change impacts on the water-energy nexus.

As the climate crisis intensifies, it is becoming increasingly important to conduct research aimed at fully understanding the climate change impacts on various infrastructure systems. In particular, the water-electricity demand nexus is a growing area of focus. However, research on the water-electricity demand nexus requires the use of demand data, which can be difficult to obtain, especially across large spatial extents. Here, we present a dataset containing over a decade (2007-2018) of monthly water and electricity consumption data for 46 major US cities (2018 population >250,000). Additionally, we include pre-processed climate data from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) to supplement studies on the relationship between the water-electricity demand nexus and the local climate. This data can be used for a number of studies that require water and/or electricity demand data across long time frames and large spatial extents. The data can also be used to evaluate the possible impacts of climate change on the water-electricity demand nexus by leveraging the relationship between the observed values.

Shifts in flood generation processes exacerbate regional flood anomalies in Europe.

Anomalies in the frequency of river floods, i.e., flood-rich or -poor periods, cause biases in flood risk estimates and thus make climate adaptation measures less efficient. While observations have recently confirmed the presence of flood anomalies in Europe, their exact causes are not clear. Here we analyse streamflow and climate observations during 1960-2010 to show that shifts in flood generation processes contribute more to the occurrence of regional flood anomalies than changes in extreme rainfall. A shift from rain on dry soil to rain on wet soil events by 5% increased the frequency of flood-rich periods in the Atlantic region, and an opposite shift in the Mediterranean region increased the frequency of flood-poor periods, but will likely make singular extreme floods occur more often. Flood anomalies driven by changing flood generation processes in Europe may further intensify in a warming climate and should be considered in flood estimation and management.