Regional offsets from Northern Hemisphere radiocarbon (14C) calibration curves are widely recognized for monsoon Asia and often hinder accurate 14C dating. In this paper, we explore the possible linkage between summer monsoon intensity and 14C offsets using tree-ring δ18O and 14C data from Thailand. We developed a 297-yr floating tree-ring δ18O chronology comprising seven teak log-coffin samples from the Ban Rai rock shelter site, northwestern Thailand. The outermost ring of our chronology was estimated to date from 358–383 CE, within a 95.4% (2σ) probability range, based on a total of 10 14C measurements that were wiggle-matched against a mixed calibration curve evenly weighted from the IntCal20 and SHCal20 curves. Backward trajectory analysis showed that an intensified (weakened) summer monsoon detected in a modern tree-ring δ18O chronology was most likely to be induced by increased (decreased) air mass transport from the tropical Indian Ocean, which is an area of intense upwelling where the 14C concentration is lower than the atmospheric 14C level. However, partly because of the limited sample size and dating uncertainty, the direct linkage between the tree-ring δ18O series and 14C records obtained from our teak log-coffin samples could not be statistically verified.

We quantify the surface elevation changes along Yala Glacier in Langtang Valley, Nepal Himalaya, since 1981 using geodetic methods to understand the recent evolution and current state of small debris-free glaciers across the region. We analyse differential global positioning system measurements and aerial stereo imagery that were acquired along Yala Glacier in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2015 to generate digital elevation models for each calculation period. Continuous surface lowering has mainly been observed across the down-glacier area during the calculation periods, although a large degree of variability exists, with this lowering trend propagating up-glacier in recent years. The area-weighted glacier mass balances range from −0.98 ± 0.27 to −0.26 ± 0.30 m w.e. a−1 for the five calculation periods (1981–2007, 2007–2009, 2009–2012, 2012–2015 and 2007–2015). These calculated mass-balance data reveal that Yala Glacier has undergone accelerated mass loss since the late 2000s, which is consistent with the results of previous in situ measurement and remote-sensing studies.

This paper gives a new proof of confluence for Carraro and Guerrieri’s call-by-value lambda calculus λ v σ with permutation rules. We adapt the compositional Z theorem to λ v σ .

Despite their importance for regional water resource planning and as indicators of climate change, records of in situ glacier mass balance remain short and spatially sparse in the Himalaya. Here, we present an updated series of in situ mass-balance measurements from Rikha Samba Glacier, Nepal, between 2011 and 2021. The updated in situ mass balance is −0.39 ± 0.32 m w.e. for this period. We use an energy-mass balance model to extend the annual mass-balance series back to 1974. The model is forced using daily meteorological variables from ERA5-Land reanalysis data that is linearly bias-corrected using observations from an automatic weather station situated near the glacier terminus. The modeled mass balance is consistent with the in situ mass-balance series measured 2011–2021 and with previous glaciological and geodetic estimates. The model results indicate a mass balance of −0.56 ± 0.27 m w.e. a−1 over the reconstruction period of 1974–2021, which is comparable to the mass losses experienced by other Himalayan glaciers during this time. An assessment of the sensitivity of the glacier mass balance to meteorological forcing suggests that a change in temperature of ±1 K has a stronger effect on the calculated mass balance compared to a ±20% change in either precipitation, or relative humidity, or solar radiation.

We drilled an 81.2-m-long ice core in the accumulation area (5860 m a.s.l.) of Trambau Glacier in the Rolwaling region during October–November 2019. The drilling operation was conducted with a lightweight electro-mechanical drill system after two reconnaissance fieldworks in 2017 and 2018, during which two shallow firn cores were drilled with a hand auger. The drill system and ice core samples were transported by helicopters at a high elevation of 6000 m a.s.l. A further challenging issue was the ice core transportation between Nepal and Japan, as no regular commercial flight was available for the frozen samples. The addition of dry ice imported from India immediately prior to leaving Nepal allowed the ice core samples to be successfully transported to a cold room in Japan, and remain in a frozen state. Stratigraphic observations during the drilling operation suggest the drill site has been affected by melting and refreezing.

The earliest colonisation of oceanic islands by Homo sapiens occurred ~50 000–30 000 years ago in the Western Pacific, yet how this was achieved remains a matter of debate. With a focus on East Asia, the research presented here tests the hypothesis that bamboo rafts were used for these early maritime migrations. The authors review the evidence for Palaeolithic seafaring in East Asia as the context for an experimental archaeology project to build two bamboo watercraft. Sea trials demonstrate the unsuitability of bamboo, at least in East Asia, indicating that more sophisticated and durable vessels would have been required to traverse the Kuroshio Current.

We conducted a mass-balance study of debris-free Trambau Glacier in the Rolwaling region, Nepal Himalaya, which is accessible to 6000 m a.s.l., to better understand mass-balance processes and the effect of precipitation on these processes on high-elevation Himalayan glaciers. Continuous in situ meteorological and mass-balance observations that spanned the three melt seasons from May 2016 are reported. An energy- and mass-balance model is also applied to evaluate its performance and sensitivity to various climatic conditions. Glacier-wide mass balances ranging from −0.34 ± 0.38 m w.e. in 2016 to −0.82 ± 0.53 m w.e. in 2017/18 are obtained by combining the observations with model results for the areas above the highest stake. The estimated long-term glacier mass balance, which is reconstructed using the ERA-Interim data calibrated with in situ data, is −0.65 ± 0.39 m w.e. a−1 for the 1980–2018 period. A significant correlation with annual precipitation (r = 0.77, p < 0.001) is observed, whereas there is no discernible correlation with summer mean air temperature. The results indicate the continuous mass loss of Trambau Glacier over the last four decades, which contrasts with the neighbouring Mera Glacier in balance.

We present a comprehensive review of the status and changes in glacier length (since the 1850s), area and mass (since the 1960s) along the Himalayan-Karakoram (HK) region and their climate-change context. A quantitative reliability classification of the field-based mass-balance series is developed. Glaciological mass balances agree better with remotely sensed balances when we make an objective, systematic exclusion of likely flawed mass-balance series. The Himalayan mean glaciological mass budget was similar to the global average until 2000, and likely less negative after 2000. Mass wastage in the Himalaya resulted in increasing debris cover, the growth of glacial lakes and possibly decreasing ice velocities. Geodetic measurements indicate nearly balanced mass budgets for Karakoram glaciers since the 1970s, consistent with the unchanged extent of supraglacial debris-cover. Himalayan glaciers seem to be sensitive to precipitation partly through the albedo feedback on the short-wave radiation balance. Melt contributions from HK glaciers should increase until 2050 and then decrease, though a wide range of present-day area and volume estimates propagates large uncertainties in the future runoff. This review reflects an increasing understanding of HK glaciers and highlights the remaining challenges.

This paper investigates the effects of the design variables of an aerial deployment mechanism on the robustness of the aerial deployment through a multibody dynamics simulation. The aircraft is modelled as three joined rigid bodies: a right wing, a left wing and a centre body. A spring-loaded hinge is adopted as an actuator for deployment. The design variables are the hinge torque and the deployment timing. The robustness is evaluated using a sigma level method. The margins for the safe deployment conditions are set for the evaluation functions. The dispersive input variables are the initial drop velocity, the surrounding gust velocity, the initial pitch angle and the initial height. The design point with a deployment torque scale value F of 0.7 and a right-wing deployment delay time TSR of 1.0 s can safely deploy in the low-torque deployment condition. This design point is able to accomplish both a safe deployment and a lightweight deployment mechanism.

Periodic array of metallic nanocylinder combined with the highly luminous dielectric layer is a good platform to control the intensity, spectral shape and directionality of photoluminescence (PL). In spite of its importance, the effect of cylinder height on the PL properties has not been verified experimentally. Here we investigate the effect of cylinder height on the PL properties both experimentally and numerically. The system consisted of a highly luminous layer made of Eu(III) complex and a series of periodic array of aluminum nanocylinders with different heights. The strongest directional PL was achieved when the height is similar to the diameter, i.e., the aspect ratio close to unity. Our finding is useful for designing the compact and efficient luminescence source with directional output.

To better understand the recent wide-scale changes in glacier coverage, we created and compared two glacier inventories covering eastern Nepal, based on aerial photographs (1992) and high-resolution Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) imagery (2006–10). The ALOS-derived inventory contained 1034 debris-free and 256 debris-covered glaciers with total and average areas of 440.2 ± 33.3 and 0.42 km2 and 1074.4 ± 206.4 and 4.19 km2, respectively. We found that the debris-free glaciers have lost 11.2% (0.7 ± 0.1% a−1) of their area since 1992, whereas the number of glaciers increased by 5% because of fragmentation. The area change was significantly correlated by simple linear regression with minimum elevation (r = 0.30), maximum elevation (r = −0.18), altitudinal range (r = −0.50), glacier area (r = −0.62) and mean slope (r = 0.16), confirming that larger glaciers tended to lose a larger area (but a smaller percentage) than smaller glaciers. The intra-regional analysis of the glacier changes clearly showed higher shrinkage rates in the western massifs compared with the eastern massifs. In addition, 61 small glaciers covering an area of 2.4 km2 have completely disappeared since 1992.

A multiple parameter dating technique was used to establish a depth/age scale for a 171.3 m (145.87 m w.e.) surface to bedrock ice core (Bl2003) recovered from the cold recrystallization accumulation zone of the Western Belukha Plateau (4115 m a.s.l.) in the Siberian Altai Mountains. The ice-core record presented visible layering of annual accumulation and of δ18O/δD stable isotopes, and a clear tritium reference horizon. A steady-state glacier flow model for layer thinning was calibrated and applied to establish a depth/age scale. Four radiocarbon (14C) measurements of particulate organic carbon contained in ice-core samples revealed dates for the bottom part of Bl2003 from 9075 ± 1221 cal a BC at 145.2 ± 0.1 m w.e. (0.665 m w.e. from the bedrock) to 790 ± 93 AD at 121.1 m w.e. depth. Sulfate peaks coincident with volcanic eruptions, the Tunguska meteorite event, and the 1842 dust storm were used to verify dating. Analysis of the Bl2003 ice core reveals that the modern Altai glaciers were formed during the Younger Dryas (YD) (~10 950 to ~7500 cal a BC), and that they survived the Holocene Climate Optimum (HCO) (~6500 to ~3600 cal a BC) and the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) (~640 to ~1100 AD). A decrease in air temperature at the beginning and an abrupt increase at the end of the YD were identified. Intensification of winds and dust loading related to Asian desert expansion also characterized the YD. During the YD major ion concentrations increased significantly, up to 50 times for Na+ (background), up to 45 times for Ca2+ and Mg2+, and up to 20 times for SO42− relative to the recent warm period from 1993 to 2003. A warm period lasted for about three centuries following the YD signaling onset of the HCO. A significant and prolonged decrease in air temperature from ~2000 to ~600 cal a BC was associated with a severe centennial drought (SCD). A sharp increase in air temperatures after the SCD was coincident with the MWP. After the MWP a cooling was followed gradually with further onset of the Little Ice Age. During the modern warm period (1973–2003) an increase in air temperature is noted, which nearly reaches the average of HCO and MWP air temperature values.

This study presents the first decadal mass-balance record of a small debris-free glacier in the Bhutan Himalaya, where few in situ measurements have been reported to date. Since 2003 we have measured the mass balance of Gangju La glacier, which covers an area of 0.3km2 and extends from 4900 to 5200ma.s.l., using both differential GPS surveys (geodetic method) and stake measurements (direct method). The observed mass balance ranged from –1.12 to –2.04mw.e. a–1 between 2003 and 2014. The glacier exhibited much greater mass loss than neighbouring glaciers in the eastern Himalaya and southeastern Tibet, which are expected to be sensitive to climate change due to the monsooninfluenced humid climate. Observed mass-balance profiles suggest that the equilibrium-line altitude has been higher than Gangju La glacier since 2003, implying that the entire glacier has experienced net ablation for at least the past decade.

Observations show that glaciers around the world are in retreat and losing mass. Internationally coordinated for over a century, glacier monitoring activities provide an unprecedented dataset of glacier observations from ground, air and space. Glacier studies generally select specific parts of these datasets to obtain optimal assessments of the mass-balance data relating to the impact that glaciers exercise on global sea-level fluctuations or on regional runoff. In this study we provide an overview and analysis of the main observational datasets compiled by the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS). The dataset on glacier front variations (∼42 000 since 1600) delivers clear evidence that centennial glacier retreat is a global phenomenon. Intermittent readvance periods at regional and decadal scale are normally restricted to a subsample of glaciers and have not come close to achieving the maximum positions of the Little Ice Age (or Holocene). Glaciological and geodetic observations (∼5200 since 1850) show that the rates of early 21st-century mass loss are without precedent on a global scale, at least for the time period observed and probably also for recorded history, as indicated also in reconstructions from written and illustrated documents. This strong imbalance implies that glaciers in many regions will very likely suffer further ice loss, even if climate remains stable.

Lattice volume expansion or amorphization renders EuTiO3 ferromagnetic, although the stable phase of crystalline EuTiO3 is an antiferromagnet. The lattice volume expansion is induced into the crystalline EuTiO3 thin film by utilizing the lattice mismatch between the thin film and a substrate. The magnetization at low temperatures monotonically increases with an increase in lattice volume for the crystalline EuTiO3 thin film, coincident with the results of calculations based on the hybrid Hartree–Fock density functional approach. The ferromagnetic interaction between Eu2+ ions is enhanced by the amorphization as well; the amorphous EuTiO3 thin film becomes a ferromagnet, and the Curie temperature is higher for amorphous Eu2TiO4 than for its crystalline counterpart. The phenomenon, that is, the volume expansion- and amophization-induced ferromagnetism, is explained in terms of the competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions among Eu2+ ions.

Climate variables that control the annual cycle of the surface energy and mass balance on Zhadang glacier in the central Tibetan Plateau were examined over a 2 year period using a physically based energy-balance model forced by routine meteorological data. The modelled results agree with measured values of albedo, incoming longwave radiation, surface temperature and surface level of the glacier. For the whole observation period, the radiation component dominated (82%) the total surface energy heat fluxes. This was followed by turbulent sensible (10%) and latent heat (6%) fluxes. Subsurface heat flux represented a very minor proportion (2%) of the total heat flux. The sensitivity of specific mass balance was examined by perturbations of temperature (±1 K), relative humidity (±20%) and precipitation (±20%). The results indicate that the specific mass balance is more sensitive to changes in precipitation than to other variables. The main seasonal variations in the energy balance were in the two radiation components (net shortwave radiation and net longwave radiation) and these controlled whether surface melting occurred. A dramatic difference in summer mass balance between 2010 and 2011 indicates that the glacier surface mass balance was closely related to precipitation seasonality and form (proportion of snowfall and rainfall).

To investigate recent glacier changes in the Himalayan region, we carried out GPS and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) measurements at Yala Glacier, a benchmark glacier in Nepal. Glacier surface elevation and ice thickness were surveyed along a 1.5 km profile from the glacier top to the terminus. Ice flow velocity was measured at five locations by surveying stakes for either 1 year or 4 day periods. Obtained surface elevation and ice velocity were compared with those measured in 1982 and 1996. The mean ice thickness along the radar profile was 36 m in 2009 and the ice has been thinning at rates of-0.69 ±0.25 and -0.75 ± 0.24 m a-1 during the periods 1982-96 and 1996-2009, respectively. The thinning rate increases down-glacier, reaching a magnitude up to -1.8 m a-1 near the terminus from 1996 to 2009. The ice velocity has reduced by >70% from 1982 to 2009 in the lower half of the glacier. By assuming a constant driving stress over the glacier, the total ice volume in 2009 was estimated as 0.061 km3. Our results indicate that Yala Glacier has lost ∼40% of its ice volume over the last 27 years and that the rate of the mass loss has accelerated over the last decade.

Due to remoteness and high altitude, only a few ground-based glacier change studies are available in high-mountain areas in the Himalaya. However, digital elevation models based on remotely sensed data (RS-DEMs) provide feasible opportunities to evaluate how fast Himalayan glaciers are changing. Here we compute elevation changes in glacier surface (total area 183.3 km2) in the Khumbu region, Nepal Himalaya, for the period 1992-2008 using multitemporal RS-DEMs and a map-derived DEM calibrated with differential GPS survey data in 2007. Elevation change is calculated by generating a weighted least-squares linear regression model. Our method enables us to provide the distribution of uncertainty of the elevation change. Debris-covered areas show large lowering rates. The spatial distribution of elevation change shows that the different wastage features of the debris-covered glaciers depend on their scale, slope and the existence of glacial lakes. The elevation changes of glaciers in the eastern Khumbu region are in line with previous studies. The regional average mass balance of -0.40 ± 0.25 m w.e.a-1 for the period 1992-2008 is consistent with a global value of about -0.55 m w.e. a-1 for the period 1996-2005.

Bulk EuTiO3 is known as a compound in which spin and soft phonon mode is strongly coupled. Recent theoretical study suggests that application of stress or formation of strain leads to a drastic change in magnetic and dielectric properties of EuTiO3 and that so-called multiferroic properties emerge under such a situation. In the present study, effect of strain induced by a substrate, on which EuTiO3 thin film is deposited, on the magnetic properties of the film has been experimentally examined. By using a pulsed laser deposition method, EuTiO3 thin film has been deposited on different kinds of substrate, i.e., LaAlO3, SrTiO3, and DyScO3; the lattice parameter of these compounds is smaller than, just the same as, and larger than that of EuTiO3, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms that the strain induced in the plane of as-deposited EuTiO3 thin films on different substrates is coincident with the lattice parameter of the substrate compounds. Also, all the as-deposited EuTiO3 thin films manifest elongation of lattice in a direction perpendicular to the film surface. Temperature dependence of magnetization indicates that all the thin films exhibit ferromagnetic behavior at low temperatures. The magnetization at 2 K under a magnetic field of 100 Oe is the highest for EuTiO3 on DyScO3 and the lowest for EuTiO3 on LaAlO3. The experimental result is coincident with the first-principles calculations which predict that ferromagnetic spin configuration becomes more stable as the lattice volume of EuTiO3is increased.

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) is relatively new. Its optical sensors are capable of making high-resolution digital surface models (DSMs). For the first time, the task of constructing a regional-scale inventory of glacial lakes based on ALOS data has been undertaken. This study presents the data-processing methods and the results of validation and analysis on the ALOS-based glacial lake inventory of Bhutan in the Himalaya. The analysis based on GPS measurements taken at Metatshota lake in the Mangde Chu sub-basin, one of the glacial lakes assessed as presenting a potential flood danger, shows a validation estimate of 9.5 m for the location of the ALOS-based polygon, with a root mean square of 11.7 m. A comparison with digitized data from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) shows that positioning and evaluation of terrain changes can be significantly improved using ALOS data. Preliminary analysis of the glacial lakes in four sub-basins, Mo Chu, Pho Chu, Mangde Chu and Dangme Chu, reveals that the frequency distribution of lake sizes biases towards smaller lakes. Glacial lakes 0.01–0.05km2 in area account for ~55% of the total number and occupy 13% of the total area. Together our results demonstrate the usefulness of high-resolution ALOS data with accurate DSMs for studying glacial lakes. High priority must be given to continuously improving and updating the glacial lake inventory with high-resolution satellite data.