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Flying over the open sea is energetically costly for terrestrial birds. Despite this, over-water journeys of many birds, sometimes hundreds of kilometres long, are uncovered by bio-logging technology. To understand how these birds afford their flights over the open sea, we investigated the role of atmospheric conditions, specifically wind and uplift, in subsidizing over-water flight at a global scale. We first established that ΔT, the temperature difference between sea surface and air, is a meaningful proxy for uplift over water. Using this proxy, we showed that the spatio-temporal patterns of sea-crossing in terrestrial migratory birds are associated with favourable uplift conditions. We then analysed route selection over the open sea for five facultative soaring species, representative of all major migratory flyways. The birds maximized wind support when selecting their sea-crossing routes and selected greater uplift when suitable wind support was available. They also preferred routes with low long-term uncertainty in wind conditions. Our findings suggest that, in addition to wind, uplift may play a key role in the energy seascape for bird migration that in turn determines strategies and associated costs for birds crossing ecological barriers such as the open sea.

Flying over the open sea is energetically costly for terrestrial birds. Despite this, over-water journeys of many birds, sometimes hundreds of kilometres long, are uncovered by bio-logging technology. To understand how these birds afford their flights over the open sea, we investigated the role of atmospheric conditions, specifically wind and uplift, in subsidizing over-water flight at a global scale. We first established that ΔT, the temperature difference between sea surface and air, is a meaningful proxy for uplift over water. Using this proxy, we showed that the spatio-temporal patterns of sea-crossing in terrestrial migratory birds are associated with favourable uplift conditions. We then analysed route selection over the open sea for five facultative soaring species, representative of all major migratory flyways. The birds maximized wind support when selecting their sea-crossing routes and selected greater uplift when suitable wind support was available. They also preferred routes with low long-term uncertainty in wind conditions. Our findings suggest that, in addition to wind, uplift may play a key role in the energy seascape for bird migration that in turn determines strategies and associated costs for birds crossing ecological barriers such as the open sea.

AbstractSodium alginate/graphene oxide (Al/GO) nanocomposite films were prepared by solvent casting. The structure, morphology, and electrical properties of Al/GO films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. The utilization of such an Al/GO film for a device that uses friction as the charging process to convert mechanical energy into electric power is reported. The triboelectric generator (TEG) was fabricated by stacking a drop‐cast Al/GO film bewteen indium–tin oxide (ITO)‐coated poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and a PET sheet. Furthermore, the utilization of such a TEG as a pressure sensor is also illustrated.

AbstractSodium alginate/graphene oxide (Al/GO) nanocomposite films were prepared by solvent casting. The structure, morphology, and electrical properties of Al/GO films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. The utilization of such an Al/GO film for a device that uses friction as the charging process to convert mechanical energy into electric power is reported. The triboelectric generator (TEG) was fabricated by stacking a drop‐cast Al/GO film bewteen indium–tin oxide (ITO)‐coated poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and a PET sheet. Furthermore, the utilization of such a TEG as a pressure sensor is also illustrated.

AbstractProfessional and scientific networks built around the production of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) led to the collection of phenology data for a wide range of cultivars grown in experimental sites characterized by highly contrasted climatic conditions. We present a dataset of flowering and maturity dates, recorded each year for one tree when available, or the average of several trees for each cultivar, over a period of 37 years (1978–2015). Such a dataset is extremely valuable for characterizing the phenological response to climate change, and the plasticity of the different cultivars’ behaviour under different environmental conditions. In addition, this dataset will support the development of predictive models for sweet cherry phenology exploitable at the continental scale, and will help anticipate breeding strategies in order to maintain and improve sweet cherry production in Europe.