Urban green spaces can be important habitats for soil, plant, and pollinator diversity and the complementary ecosystem functions they confer. Most studies tend to investigate the relationships between plant diversity with either soil or pollinator diversity, but establishing their relationship across habitat types could be important for optimising ecosystem service provision via alternative management (for instance, urban meadows in place of short amenity grass). Here, we investigate soil–plant–pollinator relationships across urban grass and meadow habitats through a range of measured biodiversity (soil mesofauna and macrofauna, plants, aboveground invertebrates, and pollinators) and edaphic variables. We found significant effects of habitat type on available nutrients (plant and soil C:N ratios) but less clear relationships were observed between habitat type and diversity metrics. Soil–plant–pollinator interactions across habitat types and sites showed an interconnection, whereby flowering plant abundance increased alongside soil macrofauna abundance. Site characteristics that showed strong effects on plant and invertebrate diversity metrics were C:N ratios (plant and soil) and soil pH, suggesting a potential role of nutrient availability on soil–plant–pollinator associations. Our results suggest that a combination of short-mown grass, tall grass, and sown flowers can provide greater benefits for soil and pollination services as each habitat type benefits different taxa due to differing sensitivities to management practices. For example, pollinators benefit from sown flowers but soil fauna are sensitive to annual sowing. Our results also indicate that sown flowers may not optimise overall biodiversity as expected due to disturbance and the depleting role of tall, flowering plants on soil nutrient availability. Future research across a greater range of sites in urban landscapes would resolve the potential role of nutrient availability in modulating soil–plant–pollinator interactions in urban green spaces.

With global temperatures, populations and ecological stressors expected to rise, hydrological droughts are projected to have progressively severe economic and environmental impacts. As a result, hydrological drought forecasting systems have become increasingly important water resource management tools for mitigating these impacts. However, high frequency behaviours in meteorological or atmospheric conditions often limit the lead times of hydrological drought forecasts to seasonal timescales, either through poorer performance of multi-year meteorological forecasts or the lack of multi-year lags in atmosphere-hydrology systems. By contrast, low frequency behaviours in regionally important teleconnection systems (such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, NAO) offer a novel way to forecast hydrological drought at longer lead times. This paper shows that, by using a data-driven modelling approach, long-term behaviours within the NAO can be skilful predictors of hydrological drought conditions at a four-year forecasting horizon. Multi-year semi-periodic patterns in the NAO were used to forecast regional groundwater drought coverage in the UK (proportion of groundwater boreholes in drought), with the greatest forecast performance achieved for longer duration droughts, and for hydrogeological regions with longer response times. Model errors vary from 14 % (proportion of boreholes, (MAE)) in flashy hydrological regions or short droughts (<3 months), to 2 % for longer duration droughts (>8 months). Model fits of r2 up to 0.8 were produced between simulated and recorded regional drought coverage. As such our results show that teleconnection indices can be a skilful predictor of hydrological drought dynamics at multi-year timescales, opening new opportunities for long-lead groundwater drought forecasts to be integrated within existing drought management strategies in Europe and beyond.

Drought forecasting and early warning systems for water resource extremes are increasingly important tools in water resource management in Europe where increased population density and climate change are expected to place greater pressures on water supply. In this context, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is often used to indicate future water resource behaviours (including droughts) over Europe, given its dominant control on winter rainfall totals in the North Atlantic region. Recent hydroclimate research has focused on the role of multiannual periodicities in the NAO in driving low frequency behaviours in some water resources, suggesting that notable improvements to lead-times in forecasting may be possible by incorporating these multiannual relationships. However, the importance of multiannual NAO periodicities for driving water resource behaviour, and the feasibility of this relationship for indicating future droughts, has yet to be assessed in the context of known non-stationarities that are internal to the NAO and its influence on European meteorological processes. Here we quantify the time–frequency relationship between the NAO and a large dataset of water resources records to identify key non-stationarities that have dominated multiannual behaviour of water resource extremes over recent decades. The most dominant of these is a 7.5-year periodicity in water resource extremes since approximately 1970 but which has been diminishing since 2005. Furthermore, we show that the non-stationary relationship between the NAO and European rainfall is clearly expressed at multiannual periodicities in the water resource records assessed. These multiannual behaviours are found to have modulated historical water resource anomalies to an extent that is comparable to the projected effects of a worst-case climate change scenario. Furthermore, there is limited systematic understanding in existing atmospheric research for non-stationarities in these periodic behaviours which poses considerable implications to existing water resource forecasting and projection systems, as well as the use of these periodic behaviours as an indicator of future water resource drought.

&lt;p&gt;Atmospheric variability in the North Atlantic region is known to modulate hydrometeorological variables across Europe. In this context, oscillatory systems, such as the NAO, may be used to indicate future water resource behaviours, such as hydrological droughts. Existing hydroclimate studies have identified a sensitivity of certain water resources to multiannual periodicities in systems such as the NAO and have highlighted that these long-term behaviours may be valuable to existing drought forecasting systems; for instance, by indicating multi-year periods of increased drought risk. However, the importance of multiannual NAO periodicities for driving water resource behaviour, and the feasibility of this relationship for indicating future droughts, has yet to be assessed in the context of known non-stationarities that are internal to the NAO and its influence on European meteorological processes. Here, we explore the role of NAO periodicities in defining water resource and drought behaviours over the past 90 years using a large dataset of 136 groundwater level records and 767 streamflow gauges in the UK. We identify significant relationships between the NAO and a calculated index of wide-spread water resource drought and find several abrupt shifts in drought frequency driven by non-stationarities in multiannual NAO behaviour. This includes a 7.5-year periodicity that has predominated water resource behaviour (and extremes) since the 1970s but has been weakening over recent years, suggesting a new shift in drought frequency may soon impact water resources. Furthermore, we show that the degree to which these periodicities have influenced recorded water resource anomalies is comparable to the projected effects of a worst-case climate change scenario. We discuss the potential origins for these modes of non-stationarity and their implications for existing water resource forecasting and projection systems, as well as the utility of these periodic behaviours as an indicator of future water resource drought in Europe.&lt;/p&gt;

Rus t , Willia m, Bloo mfield, John P., Cu t h b e r t , M a rk O. ORCID: h t t p s://o rcid.o r g/00 0 0-0 0 0 1-6 7 2 1-0 2 2X, Cor s t a nje, Ron a n d H olm a n, Ian P. 2 0 2 1. N o n-s t a tion a ry con t rol of t h e NAO on E u ro p e a n r ainfall a n d it s implica tions for w a t e r r e sou rc e m a n a g e m e n t. Hyd rological P roc es s e s 3 5 (3) , e 1 4 0 9 9. 1 0.1 0 0 2/hyp.140 9 9 file

An understanding of multi-annual behaviour in streamflow allows for better estimation of the risks associated with hydrological extremes. This can enable improved preparedness for streamflow-dependant services, such as freshwater ecology, drinking water supply and agriculture. Recently, efforts have focused on detecting relationships between long-term hydrological behaviour and oscillatory climate systems (such as the North Atlantic Oscillation – NAO). For instance, the approximate 7 year periodicity of the NAO has been detected in groundwater-level records in the North Atlantic region, providing potential improvements to the preparedness for future water resource extremes due to their repetitive, periodic nature. However, the extent to which these 7-year, NAO-like signals are propagated to streamflow, and the catchment processes that modulate this propagation, are currently unknown. Here, we show statistically significant evidence that these 7-year periodicities are present in streamflow (and associated catchment rainfall), by applying multi-resolution analysis to a large data set of streamflow and associated catchment rainfall across the UK. Our results provide new evidence for spatial patterns of NAO periodicities in UK rainfall, with areas of greatest NAO signal found in southwest England, south Wales, Northern Ireland and central Scotland, and show that NAO-like periodicities account for a greater proportion of streamflow variability in these areas. Furthermore, we find that catchments with greater subsurface pathway contribution, as characterised by the baseflow index (BFI), generally show increased NAO-like signal strength and that subsurface response times (as characterised by groundwater response time – GRT), of between 4 and 8 years, show a greater signal presence. Our results provide a foundation of understanding for the screening and use of streamflow teleconnections for improving the practice and policy of long-term streamflow resource management.

Abstract. An understanding of multi-annual behaviour in streamflow allows for better estimation of the risks associated with hydrological extremes. This is can enable improved preparedness for streamflow-dependant services such as freshwater ecology, drinking water supply and agriculture. Recently, efforts have focused on detecting relationships between long-term hydrological behaviour and oscillatory climate systems (such as the NAO). For instance, the approximate 7-year periodicity of the NAO has been detected in groundwater level records in the North Atlantic region, providing a degree of forecasting for future water resource extremes due to their repeating, periodic nature. However, the extent to which these 7-year NAO-like signals are propagated to streamflow, and the catchment processes that modulate this propagation, are currently unknown. Here, we show statistically significant evidence that these 7-year periodicities are present in streamflow (and associated catchment rainfall), by applying multi-resolution analysis to a large dataset of streamflow and associated catchment rainfall across the UK. Our results provide new evidence for spatial patterns of NAO periodicities in UK rainfall with areas of greatest NAO signal found in south west England, South Wales, Northern Ireland and central Scotland, and that NAO-like periodicities account for a greater proportion of streamflow variability in these areas. Furthermore, we show that subsurface pathway contribution, as characterised by the Baseflow Index (BFI), and the response times of subsurface pathways, as characterised by Groundwater response Time (GRT), are influential factors for streamflow sensitivity to these NAO-like cycles. Our results provide critical process understanding for the screening and use of streamflow teleconnections for the improving the practice and policy of long-term streamflow resource management.

Predicting the next major drought is of paramount interest to water managers globally. Estimating the onset of groundwater drought is of particular importance, as groundwater resources are often assumed to be more resilient when surface water resources begin to fail. A potential source of long-term forecasting is offered by possible periodic controls on groundwater level via teleconnections with oscillatory ocean–atmosphere systems. However, relationships between large-scale climate systems and regional to local-scale rainfall, evapotranspiration (ET) and groundwater are often complex and non-linear so that the influence of long-term climate cycles on groundwater drought remains poorly understood. Furthermore, it is currently unknown whether the absolute contribution of multi-annual climate variability to total groundwater storage is significant. This study assesses the extent to which multi-annual variability in groundwater can be used to indicate the timing of groundwater droughts in the UK. Continuous wavelet transforms show how repeating teleconnection-driven 7-year and 16–32-year cycles in the majority of groundwater sites from all the UK's major aquifers can systematically control the recurrence of groundwater drought; and we provide evidence that these periodic modes are driven by teleconnections. Wavelet reconstructions demonstrate that multi-annual periodicities of the North Atlantic Oscillation, known to drive North Atlantic meteorology, comprise up to 40 % of the total groundwater storage variability. Furthermore, the majority of UK recorded droughts in recent history coincide with a minimum phase in the 7-year NAO-driven cycles in groundwater level, providing insight into drought occurrences on a multi-annual timescale. Long-range groundwater drought forecasts via climate teleconnections present transformational opportunities to drought prediction and its management across the North Atlantic region.

The ability to predict future variability of groundwater resources in time and space is of critical importance to drought management. Periodic control on groundwater levels from oscillatory climatic systems (such as the North Atlantic Oscillation) offers a potentially valuable source of longer term forecasting capability. While some studies have found evidence of the influence of such climatic oscillations within groundwater records, there is little information on how periodic signals propagate between a climatic system and a groundwater resource. This paper develops a conceptual model of this relationship for groundwater resources in Europe, based on a review of current research. The studies reviewed here reveal key spatial and temporal signal modulations between climatic oscillations, precipitation, groundwater recharge and groundwater discharge. Generally positive correlations are found between the NAO (as a dominant influence) and precipitation in northern Europe indicating a strong control on water available for groundwater recharge. These periodic signals in precipitation are transformed by the unsaturated and saturated zones, such that signals are damped and lagged. This modulation has been identified to varying degrees, and is dependent on the shape, storage and transmissivity of an aquifer system. This goes part way towards explaining the differences in periodic signal strength found across many groundwater systems in current research. So that an understanding of these relationships can be used by water managers in building resilience to drought, several research gaps have been identified. Among these are improved quantification of spatial groundwater sensitivity to periodic control, and better identification of the hydrogeological controls on signal lagging and damping. Principally, research needs to move towards developing improved predictive capability for the use of periodic climate oscillations as indicators of longer term groundwater variability.

This paper describes a partnership developed between the Baltimore County Public Schools and Johns Hopkins University. The purpose of the partnership was to train teachers to become school-based leaders in technology through a 36-credit graduate program in Technology for Educators. The paper is divided into the following sections: (1) the partner institutions; (2) the development of a collaborative cohort; (3) competencies; (4) key elements of the partnership, including selection of candidates, role of principals and school improvement teams, and applied projects; (4) implementation strategies that worked; and (5) challenges to anticipate. A table lists core competencies for school-based technology leadership in three areas: technology planning, instructional leadership, and change and program evaluation. (AEF) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** Preparing Teachers for School-Based Technology Leadership U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. By: Jacqueline A. Nunn Sarah McPherson William D. Rust IV 2 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

A mobile atmospheric science laboratory has been used to intercept and track storms on the Great Plains region of the U.S., with the intention of combining the data obtained with those from Doppler and conventional radars, NASA U-2 aircraft overflights, balloon soundings, and fixed-base storm electricity measurements. The mobile lab has proven to be valuable in the gathering of ground truth verifications for the two commercially operated lightning ground-strike locating systems. Data acquisition has recently been expanded by means of mobile ballooning before and during storms.

Storm electricity data, radar data, and visual observations were used both to present a case study for a supercell thunderstorm that occurred in the Texas Panhandle on 19 June 1980 and to search for insight into how lightning to ground might be related to storm dynamics in the updraft/downdraft couplet in supercell storms. It was observed that two-thirds of the lightning ground-strike points in the developing and maturing stages of a supercell thunderstorm occurred within the region surrounding the wall cloud (a cloud feature often characteristic of a supercell updraft) and on the southern flank of the precipitation. Electrical activity in the 19 June 1980 storm was atypical in that it was a right-mover. Lightning to ground reached a peak rate of 18/min and intracloud flashes were as frequent as 176/min in the final stages of the storm's life.

During FY-85, Researchers conducted a field program and analyzed data. The field program incorporated coordinated measurements made with a NASA U2. Results include the following: (1) ground truth measurements of lightning for comparison with those obtained by the U2; (2) analysis of dual-Doppler radar and dual-VHF lightning mapping data from a supercell storm; (3) analysis of synoptic conditions during three simultaneous storm systems on 13 May 1983 when unusually large numbers of positive cloud-to-ground (+CG) flashes occurred; (4) analysis of extremely low frequency (ELF) wave forms; and (5) an assessment of a cloud -ground strike location system using a combination of mobile laboratory and fixed-base TV video data.

Severe storms and lightning were measured with a NASA U2 and ground based facilities, both fixed base and mobile. Aspects of this program are reported. The following results are presented: (1) ground truth measurements of lightning for comparison with those obtained by the U2. These measurements include flash type identification, electric field changes, optical waveforms, and ground strike location; (2) simultaneous extremely low frequency (ELF) waveforms for cloud to ground (CG) flashes; (3) the CG strike location system (LLP) using a combination of mobile laboratory and television video data are assessed; (4) continued development of analog-to-digital conversion techniques for processing lightning data from the U2, mobile laboratory, and NSSL sensors; (5) completion of an all azimuth TV system for CG ground truth; (6) a preliminary analysis of both IC and CG lightning in a mesocyclone; and (7) the finding of a bimodal peak in altitude lightning activity in some storms in the Great Plains and on the east coast. In the forms on the Great Plains, there was a distinct class of flash what forms the upper mode of the distribution. These flashes are smaller horizontal extent, but occur more frequently than flashes in the lower mode of the distribution.