Tree transpiration is important in the recycling of precipitation in the Amazon and might be negatively affected by El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)–induced droughts. To investigate the relative importance of soil moisture deficits versus increasing atmospheric demand (VPD) and determine if these drivers exert different controls over tree transpiration during the wet season versus the dry season (DS), we conducted sap flow measurements in a primary lowland tropical forest in eastern Amazon during the most extreme ENSO-induced drought (2015/2016) recorded in the Amazon. We also assessed whether trees occupying different canopy strata contribute equally to the overall stand transpiration ( T stand ). Canopy trees were the primary source of T stand . However, subcanopy trees are still important as they transpired an amount similar to other biomes around the globe. Tree water use was higher during the DS, indicating that during extreme drought trees did not reduce transpiration in response to low soil moisture. Photosynthetically active radiation and VPD exerted an overriding effect on water use patterns relative to soil moisture during extreme drought, indicating that light and atmospheric constraints play a critical role in controlling ecosystem fluxes of water. Our study highlights the importance of canopy and subcanopy trees to the regional water balance and highlights the resilience to droughts that these trees show during an extreme ENSO event. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The impact of the 2015/2016 El Niño on the terrestrial tropical carbon cycle: patterns, mechanisms and implications’.

Global environmental problems such as climate change are not bounded by national borders or scientific disciplines, and therefore require international, interdisciplinary teamwork to develop understandings of their causes and solutions. Interdisciplinary scientific work is difficult enough, but these challenges are often magnified when teams also work across national boundaries. The literature on the challenges of interdisciplinary research is extensive. However, research on international, interdisciplinary teams is nearly non-existent. Our objective is to fill this gap by reporting on results from a study of a large interdisciplinary, international National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education (NSF-PIRE) research project across the Americas. We administered a structured questionnaire to team members about challenges they faced while working together across disciplines and outside of their home countries in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Analysis of the responses indicated five major types of barriers to conducting interdisciplinary, international research: integration, language, fieldwork logistics, personnel and relationships, and time commitment. We discuss the causes and recommended solutions to the most common barriers. Our findings can help other interdisciplinary, international research teams anticipate challenges, and develop effective solutions to minimize the negative impacts of these barriers to their research.

One of the considerable initiatives towards creating a smart society could be the guarantee of a smart, resilient and reliable power grid. As an attempt to improve the electricity supply service, it would be meaningful for the distributed system operators (DSOs) to be able to monitor the current status of the grid. The prediction of future possible critical situations would then be feasible using the available information, whereas, based on historical data, further grid expansion and reinforcement may be planned. A proper presentation and visualization of the near-real time metering data may constitute the baseline for bringing improvements to the power grid. This paper presents an approach to build an efficient visualization system so that the extracted smart meters information can be used in a meaningful manner. An overview of the use cases related to the visualization features is first presented, as a motivation for the choice of the relevant state of the art research. In relation to the knowledge provided by the metering data, a definition of the big data concept will be further introduced, according to the requirements established by the project definition. Geographic Information System (GIS) tools are useful to help visualize the collected big data in near-real time. For this reason, a survey of existing GIS software will be made so that the choice of the most suitable tool can be justified. Also, the integration of GIS technologies into the Common Information Model (CIM) aims to improve the visualization efficiency. As a consequence, investigating methods for adapting CIM standards to the GIS platform are also important.

Large-scale bioenergy production will affect the hydrologic cycle in multiple ways, including changes in canopy interception, evapotranspiration, infiltration, and the quantity and quality of surface runoff and groundwater recharge. As such, the water footprints of bioenergy sources vary significantly by type of feedstock, soil characteristics, cultivation practices, and hydro-climatic regime. Furthermore, water management implications of bioenergy production depend on existing land use, relative water availability, and competing water uses at a watershed scale. This paper reviews previous research on the water resource impacts of bioenergy production-from plot-scale hydrologic and nutrient cycling impacts to watershed and regional scale hydro-economic systems relationships. Primary gaps in knowledge that hinder policy development for integrated management of water-bioenergy systems are highlighted. Four case studies in the Americas are analyzed to illustrate relevant spatial and temporal scales for impact assessment, along with unique aspects of biofuel production compared to other agroforestry systems, such as energy-related conflicts and tradeoffs. Based on the case studies, the potential benefits of integrated resource management are assessed, as is the need for further case-specific research.

Trees in northern latitude ecosystems are projected to experience increasing drought stress as a result of rising air temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns in northern latitude ecosystems. However, most drought‐related studies on high‐latitude boreal forests (>50°N) have been conducted in North America, with few studies quantifying the response in European and Eurasian boreal forests. Here, we tested how daily whole‐tree transpiration (Q, Liters day−1) and Q normalized for mean daytime vapor pressure deficit (QDZ, Liters day−1 kPa−1) were affected by the historic 2018 drought in Europe. More specifically, we examined how tree species, size, and topographic position affected drought response in high‐latitude mature boreal forest trees. We monitored 30 Pinus sylvestris (pine) and 30 Picea abies (spruce) trees distributed across a topographic gradient in northern Sweden. In general, pine showed a greater QDZ control compared to spruce during periods of severe drought (standardized precipitation–evapotranspiration index: SPEI < −1.5), suggesting that the latter are more sensitive to drought. Overall, QDZ reductions (using non‐drought QDZ as reference) were less pronounced in larger trees during severe drought, but there was a species‐specific pattern: QDZ reductions were greater in pine trees at high elevations and greater in spruce trees at lower elevations. Despite lower QDZ during severe drought, drought spells were interspersed with small precipitation events and overcast conditions, and QDZ returned to pre‐drought conditions relatively quickly. This study highlights unique species‐specific responses to drought, which are additionally driven by a codependent interaction among tree size, relative topographic position, and unique regional climate conditions.

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Este artículo es una reflexión personal sobre un tema candente como es la educación en valores en relación con la actividad física y los menores de edad. En él se pretende desmitificar la obsesión por cargar al deporte, Educación Física, etc. de responsabilidades excesivas sobre dicho asunto, a la vez que se critica la falta de evidencias en investigación pedagógica, didáctica, sociológica... científica en general sobre el tema. Se pretende animar al docente a continuar con su labor formadora recomendándole casi exclusivamente, mantener cierta actitud reflexiva y de formación o información permanente, para continuar mejorando su quehacer profesional sin crispaciones.

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