Human activity increases as population increases. The environment must be altered in response to the pressures increasing population creates. Altering the environment may pose a risk to the health of natural habitats. The health and quality of habitats promotes biodiversity in ecosystems. Biodiversity is necessary for a functioning ecosystem as species work synergistically to create a livable environment. It is therefore important to know how practices and events threaten these habitats and the species living in them. This work details how research is used to formulate a framework for identifying habitat threats in any given region, determine habitat suitability, assess habitat sensitivity to different threats, and ultimately model how the quality of habitats change under different land use/cover scenarios. A meta-analysis of how different authors define and characterize threat in various contexts was done. The results of this analysis aids in the process of threat mapping, regional analysis, and land development planning. Knowledge gained from this study was used to evaluate regions on a watershed level using a combination of GIS technology and the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model with the goal of performing vulnerability analyses.

Pressure and temperature change simultaneously in the Earth’s crust from surface to depth. Joint pressure and temperature changes influence many different physical properties. There are many studies on samples at elevated pressure, where the influence of open cracks, fractures, voids and pores have been studied. Applying confining pressure has a direct influence on crack closure, and this influence on dynamic properties (density and elastic modulus, bulk, shear and young’s) of rocks above 200 MPa is assumed linear with the linear increase in wave speed. This is because it is generally assumed that most cracks are closed above 200 MPa, which in nature would correspond to a depth of ~7-8 km. However, from the KTB deep drilling well in Germany, it is known that fluid-filled fractures and pores can remain open until 8 to 9 km depth. Applying temperature can affect the dynamic properties of rock by thermal expansion, possibly reopening cracks that were closed at pressures >200 MPa, and thermally expanding grains. This influence is also assumed to be linear at a temperature below partial melting, and in the absence of phase transitions. A similar effect has been observed by a number of research groups during laboratory experiments and calculating seismic velocity results under 600 MPa confining pressure and 600oC temperature. In this work, an effort has been made to mathematically investigate the influence of temperature and pressure on the seismic properties (velocity of pressure and shear waves, density and Poisson’s ratio) of crystalline rocks, measured during laboratory experiments. Elastic wave speeds, moduli and density are increasing as a function of pressure and decreasing as a function of temperature. However, these pressure and temperature-related changes are shown to be nonlinear from room conditions up to 600oC and 600 MPa. In this presentation, we focus on non-linear changes mainly in the high-pressure portion of the velocity as a function of pressure (>200 MPa). When confining pressure is applied, measured P- and S- waves show an increase in velocity and decrease in anisotropy. However, the effect of temperature on measured P- and S- waves show a decrease in velocity and increases in anisotropy. These changes are not very different from linear, but it is not possible to fit velocity as a function of pressure or temperature with linear mathematical functions. The implications of non-linear relationships between pressure, temperature and elastic wave speeds are discussed in this presentation.

To make timely decisions for weather -and climate-related disasters and vulnerabilities, decision makers need current information that can be readily shared and communicated to stakeholders. To date, geospatial data is distributed using monolithic storage architectures and formats best suited for traditional research applications. Thus, everyday decision-makers face significant “barriers to entry” when trying to access, explore, and modify vast historical archives and real time data feeds. To address this need, we are developing a server architecture for rapidly creating and publishing data products. Privileged users can rapidly create or change products by operating on another product or combining multiple disparate data sources together. Users can then consume these new products using OGC-compliant WMS/WCS clients such as ArcGIS, QGIS, or Leaflet. This enables decision makers to effectively communicate with stakeholders using customized maps. Moreover, this capability enables products to be rapidly updated in cases where timely information is important. Our server architecture is containerized, making it easy to deploy on various architectures including serverless cloud resources. It is implemented in Python, leverages the plug-and-play data wrangling capabilities of the PODPAC library, and uses a custom library for serving OGC-compliant data. The result is an easy-to-use architecture for rapidly publishing custom geospatial products that exploit vast earth science data resources. We will demonstrate our server capabilities by showing how privileged users can build a set of products that are computed on-demand starting from a fresh server. Using Jupyter Lab notebooks, we will create products that modify single data sources as well as products that combine multiple disparate sources. We will then show how users can consume these products using OGC-compliant clients. Next, we will detail our cloud-based, serverless deployment of this technology using Amazon Web Services. Finally, we will discuss the advantages of our approach along with any caveats. Enabling everyday decision makers to rapidly create and share geospatial data will revolutionize their productivity and effectiveness for assessing and remediating weather- and climate-related vulnerabilities and disasters.

Tropical peatlands are one of the most effective long-term natural carbon stores on Earth. The drainage, conversion, and degradation of natural tropical peatlands for agricultural development shifts the magnitude and direction of their carbon balance, from net carbon sinks to sources. Yet, there are limited studies that globally synthesize information to constrain our general understanding of the characteristics and linkages between peat soil physicochemical properties and greenhouse gas (GHG) effluxes in tropical peatlands, as well as how their dynamics may be altered by land-use and land-cover change (LULCC). Here, we systematically reviewed more than 100 published field-based papers on soil physicochemical properties such as peat thickness, ages, bulk density, carbon and nitrogen contents, carbon to nitrogen ratio, water table, and CO2 and CH4 effluxes across three main tropical peatland regions, i.e., Latin America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. We report that Southeast Asian peatlands have the thickest layer with 537±230 cm compared to Latin America (150±104 cm) and Central Africa (250±160 cm). We also observed a strong natural variation of soil physicochemical properties within the region, which may imply variability of produced GHGs. Most managed peatlands have a higher bulk density compared to undisturbed ones (0.12±0.05 and 0.20±0.18 g cm-3) despite a slightly similar carbon content (44±9 and 47±10 %), which may suggest substantial peat subsidence and losses. Similarly, LULCC generates more than double increase in CO2 effluxes despite lowering CH4 effluxes compared to undisturbed peatlands. The global database constructed through this literature review will be valuable for future modelling improvement of peatland carbon estimates in the tropics, a significant carbon-rich system but often overlooked in the terrestrial climate model. Further, our synthesis and dataset will help provide science-based guidelines to set and monitor emissions reduction targets as part of the forestry and land-use sector.

Several studies show anthropogenic aerosols (AAs) can perturb large-scale atmospheric circulation, as well as precipitation associated with the tropical rain belt and monsoons of the Northern Hemisphere, including the South and East Asian monsoons, as well as the West African monsoon. In the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, however, the impact of AAs on regional climate and precipitation remains uncertain. This work investigates the influence of AAs on wintertime precipitation along the west coast of North America using the newest climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6). Over much of the 20th century, particularly from 1930-1975 when U.S. and European AA emissions rapidly increased, models show a robust wintertime precipitation dipole pattern along the Pacific Coast, with wetting southward of 40°N and drying to the north. This dipole pattern is consistent with a deepening of the Aleutian Low and a southeastward shift of the east Pacific jet stream, which in turn is associated with a southeastward displacement of the region of maximum baroclinicity. These changes in baroclinicity are related to strong aerosol-induced tropospheric cooling that maximizes at 40°N over the east Pacific. This strong cooling is consistent with aerosol-induced decreases in top-of-the-atmosphere radiation and changes in clouds, including decreases in cloud top effective radius and increases in cloud cover. Consistently, in response to 21st-century AA reductions an opposite hydro-dynamic dipole pattern occurs, including drying southward of 40°N and wetting to the north. Although uncertainties remain, including possible overestimation of aerosol forcing, our results suggest aerosols can perturb precipitation along the west coast of North America. However, the dipole pattern under AA forcing is partially offset by GHGs, resulting in a muted dipole response in all-forcing simulations.

Alaska’s boreal forest is facing unprecedented challenges under rapid climate warming (increasingly severe fires, droughts, pest/disease outbreaks) that may destabilize its function as a global carbon sink. Forests near Fairbanks may be especially vulnerable, impacting air quality and ecosystem services. We combined GT (ground truthing) with Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG) images collected by the NASA Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) program (2017-2019) to assess landcover change at five recently burned sites (2001-2019) of different fire severities and moisture regimes within 30 miles of Fairbanks. GT included tree seedling counts, understory % cover and >50% leaf canopy color assessment. 36 circular plots (1/30 ha radius) including 6 moderate to severely burned plots were selected across sites. 31 additional sites including 12 burned sites were geotagged in photos. AVIRIS images were processed from 29 spectral bands selected to identify changes in chlorophyll and water content. Images were segmented into natural boundaries (polygons) using ENVI 5.5 software. A spectral library of 8 AVIRIS bands with high between-class/low within-class variation was used in two random forest models to predict vegetation classes (model 1: 12 classes, model 2: 14 classes) in each AVIRIS scene, using 20% of the data as training data. Model 2 classified 20% more polygons overall, but only 42% of GT/geotagged polygons were correctly classified by both models. More forest sites were correctly classified (63%) than open vegetation (32%) or post-fire sites (46%). 50% of aspen forest and post-fire polygons were misclassified as shrubland. GT revealed that post-fire plots supported 134,000 (± 48,000) tree seedlings and saplings ha-1 (0.2 - 4 m height, 64% deciduous) versus 2500 (± 2100) shrubs ha-1 (1-6 m height). > 50% canopy browning was observed in conifer forest (8 plots) with no signs of insect infestation. Canopy herbivory > 50% (leaf miner, leaf beetle) and moose herbivory of tree bark was seen across aspen sites. Our study suggests: 1) low canopy vegetation presents challenges for improved landcover classification, and 2) aspen forest should be differentiated in vegetation maps which would aid in tracking herbivory.

Wind power is one of the options for sustainable power generation in the world. Moreover, offshore wind farms are considered more efficient compared to onshore wind farms. Due to the absence of obstacles, the wind profile offshore is stronger and more consistent, and wind power is greater offshore. In the Southern coast of Brazil, near the town of Rio Grande (32o S, 52o W), there are several successful onshore wind farms, which indicate that offshore wind farms in this region could be even more prosperous. Site selection for the installation of offshore wind farms has to fulfil several criteria. We have applied some of them to indicate potential locations for the construction of wind farms off the coast of Rio Grande. We considered the coastal bathymetry, the type of foundation suitable for the coastal platform deep, the intensity of the wind, and the network of transmission lines. The navigation routes were also considered, because there is a large port nearby. We determined that the area that presents better accordance to those criteria has about 165 square kilometres, which is about one fourth of the area of Great Britain’s largest offshore wind farm. It is up to 100 kilometres far from the shore, with a deep between 20 and 50 meters, with persistent strong winds similar to those of the North Sea, where many European offshore wind farms are located. Therefore, there is great potentiality for the installation of offshore wind farms near Rio Grande.

A significant increase in using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) as a main sensor of choice in borehole seismic applications prompts more fundamental research in understanding what DAS measures, the limitations and performance of the technology, and how it compares to the conventional sensors. Here we use borehole seismic data collected with conventional three-component geophone and distributed acoustic sensing to quantify and compare seismic measurements at the GeoLab facility at Curtin University campus (Perth, Western Australia). This facility allows repetition of the experiment using different sensors in controlled, stable conditions; deployment fibre cables as borehole and surface arrays; and utilisation of different types of seismic sources. In this presentation we compare the two datasets acquired with the conventional Sercel SlimWave VSP tool and Silixa iDAS v2. Data collected with geophones correspond to particle velocity measurements and can be calibrated to this velocity from native system units (mV) to m/s. By differentiating the measurements over the 10-meter interval, we get “converted geophone” data, which now has a property of the strain rate with unit [1/s]. In addition to this, DAS data which natively measure phase variation over time, can be calibrated to the absolute strain rate with units [1/s]. Although calibrated to the same property, these two datasets are impacted by different factors that could affect their amplitudes’ absolute values. For example, the geophone amplitudes are affected by the type of geophone and its performance, probe’s housing, the quality of the probe’s coupling to the formation or the casing, etc. The DAS amplitudes are affected by cable design, the cable’s coupling to the formation, optical parameters, interrogator design, etc. We use both the peak-time amplitudes and the entire wavefield to compare the absolute values of the strain rate of both types of sensors. For the given study area and survey design (local geology, type of geophone and fibre-optic cable), it appears that amplitudes of the strain rate have similar absolute values.

Mount Early and Sheridan Bluff (87 degrees south) are the above-ice expression of Earth’s southernmost volcanic field and are isolated by more than 1000 km from any other exposed Cenozoic volcano in Antarctica. These monogenetic, Early Miocene volcanoes are constructed mostly of olivine-phyric basaltic pillow lavas and breccias (Mount Early) and pāhoehoe lavas (Sheridan Bluff) whose differentiation is controlled by the fractional crystallization of olivine with lesser quantities of clinopyroxene, plagioclase and magnetite. Fractional crystallization or contamination by crust cannot account for the coexistence of olivine tholeiite and alkaline compositions but their relationship can be explained by change from higher (5-6%) to lower (1.5-2%) degrees of mantle partial melting, respectively, of a source that is heterogeneous on a small-scale. Both alkaline and subalkaline magma types have geochemical and isotopic signatures that differentiate them from volcanism of the West Antarctic rift system. Data trends in Sr-Nd-Pb isotope space along with major and trace element characteristics indicate mixing of at least two-distinct mantle sources; 1) a relatively depleted component similar to sources for mid-ocean ridge basalt from the extinct Antarctic-Phoenix spreading center, and 2) an enriched component similar to sources for mafic magmas of the Jurassic Karoo‒Ferrar large igneous provinces. The availability of these two mantle source types was facilitated by the detachment, sinking and heating of metasomatized continental lithosphere (enriched source) that released volatiles into the surrounding asthenosphere (depleted source) to promote flux melting. Volcanism triggered by lithospheric detachment is therefore uniquely applied to Mount Early and Sheridan Bluff to explain their isolation and enigmatic tectonic setting but can also account for source heterogeneity and the ephemeral change in degree of mantle partial melting recorded in their mafic compositions.

Solid state convection is expected to influence the evolution and the geological activity of Ganymede [1]. The spatial distribution of tidal dissipation could influence the temperature structure of the outer ice shell and, likely, the internal processes and the geological activity. We investigate the influence of the tidal dissipation on a convective ice shell of Ganymede. We use the finite-element code ASPECT [2] to solve the Boussinesq fluid equations of the conservation of continuity, momentum and energy to simulate solid-state convection within the ice shell of Ganymede. The numerical simulations are performed in a 2-dimensional cylindrical geometry. We adopt a temperature-dependent Newtonian viscosity for the water ice, assuming diffusion creep. The spatial distribution of the tidal dissipation rate is computed adopting a Maxwellian material model [3, 4]. Preliminary results show how the convective patterns, and the thermal plumes are influenced by the spatial distribution of the tidal dissipation. We also discuss how radar sounder investigations with RIME instrument [5] on board of the ESA’s JUICE mission in combination with radio science measurements of the gravity field by 3GM experiment [6] could characterize the thermal structure of Ganymede’s ice shell.

The South China Sea (SCS) is one of the largest marginal sea in southeast Asia. The northern continental margin of the SCS has been considered an intermediate between the magma-poor and magma-rich end members. Baiyun sag is located in the deep water area where the northern continental crust had been hyper-thinned to < 12km. The syn-rifting deposition in the Baiyun sag shows distinct features to a classic rift basin at the shallow water area. Based on the high-resolution 3D seismic data interpretation and drilling logging analysis, we interpret a structural sequence corresponding to the hyper-thinning process before the final breakup of the continent. This sequence is bounded by a classic breakup unconformity and a regional transgression surface in the syn-rift strata of the Baiyun Sag; within the sequence, a set of foreset reflectors suggesting a prograding shelf-margin delta. Analog to the Iberia margin of North Atlantic, we use the definitions of Lithospheric Breakup Surface (LBS) and Breakup sequence (BS) and determine the distributions of the LBS and BS in the Baiyun sag. Based on the logging results, we apply subsidence back stripping to recover the palaeogeomorphology background with the development of BS. Finally, based on isostasy, we restore the basin structure using the balanced section technique and analyze the controlling factor of coarse-grained deposition distribution. Our results refine the deposition process related to the hyper-extension and the final breakup of the continental margin.

Thermal stratification can lead to the damping of turbulence, which reduces the mixing of solutes in a fluid body, and in turn, affects river health. A series of Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) solutions sweeping through a range of four different channel radius of curvature is obtained to investigate the effect of curvature on stratification in meandering thermally stratified turbulent open channel flow. This range of radius of curvature will cover a range of the curvature parameter 0.2 < γ <1.5, which is typical of rivers in the sharp to mild curvature range. Here γ = C_f^-{1} (H/R_{min} is a dominant control parameter with respect to velocity redistribution in curved open-channel flow, where C_f is the Chezy friction coefficient, R_{min} the minimum radius of curvature, which occurs at the meander apex, H the meander height. An internal heat source models radiative heating from above following an exponential Beer’s law profile, which varies with height due to progressive absorption. Based on the DNS results, the present paper addresses two issues. Firstly, the influence of changing curvature on the complex tri-cellular pattern of the secondary flow is investigated, including the distribution of turbulent stresses. Secondly, the effect of changing curvature on the degree of stratification is analysed. Stratification can be characterised by the friction Richardson number Ri_τ = (βgHΔΦ)/u^2_τ, and the bulk Richardson number Ri_b = (βgHΔΦ)/u^2_{bulk}. Here ΔΦ is the difference between the mean temperature at the top and bottom of the channel, u_τ the mean friction velocity on the solid surfaces bounding the channel, u_{bulk} the domain averaged streamwise velocity, β the volumetric coefficient of expansion and g gravity. Stratification can also be viewed in terms of the transfer of energy from mean flow kinetic energy to potential energy via buoyancy fluxes. We study the effect of curvature on stratification by investigating its effect on the friction and bulk Richardson numbers, the global available, background, total potential energy, and the domain averaged kinetic energy. It is found that with the increase of curvature, Ri_τ and Ri_{bulk} decrease, while available potential energy increases due to increased overturning of the flow, indicating that increasing curvature leads to a decrease in the level of stratification.

UNAVCO and IRIS, major repositories for global geodetic and seismic data, are in the process of joining their operations to form a unified facility for supporting the broad spectrum of geophysical observations and science required to help understand and predict the behavior of Earth Systems. This process would be complicated in a static data management environment, but both repositories are also migrating archives and services to the cloud as part of the merger. To simplify and unify archive data management, the organizations are collaborating to create common data and metadata models for observations from a wide variety of instruments and disciplines. For data, the initial focus has been on the xArray data model, already used in the geodetic and magnetotelluric communities, which can be implemented with several disc- and cloud-native approaches (HDF5, netCDF4, and Zarr). For metadata, the SensorML Standard developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium is being explored because 1) SensorML accommodates the large parameter space associated with instrument metadata required to use and trust complex observations and 2) the ability to extend the standard when required. The merger of two large repositories combined with migration to the cloud requires careful identification and on-going testing of a wide variety of assumptions about data management systems. This presentation will focus on lessons learned so far.

The proposed Interstellar Probe mission (ISP) will have unprecedented capabilities to detect and characterize interstellar dust flowing into the heliosphere from the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). Knowledge of that dust has the potential to substantially advance our understanding of interstellar dust in general and the local ISM in particular. However, the flux of dust that can be observed varies due to the evolving heliosphere and the interaction of the charged grains with the heliospheric magnetic field. We will present the results of calculations of the dust density relative to that in the pristine ISM as a function of time and position for a possible trajectory of ISP. We will show how different polarities of the solar wind magnetic field affect the observed flux and how these depend on distance from the Sun.

Generating renewable bioenergy crops requires varietals that are suited to grow under varying environmental conditions necessitating the development and testing of a wide range of poplar (Populus) genotypes. Meanwhile, there is an increasing demand for refining the selection process of high-performing poplars. However, a cost-effective method is still needed to predict the productivity of various poplar genotypes. Photosynthetic capacity and leaf nitrogen are important growth-related physicochemical traits, but measuring them in the field and laboratory is expensive and time-consuming. Alternatively, remote sensing of hyperspectral leaf spectra may serve as a proxy to rapidly estimate these traits, which are associated with absorption, reflection, and transmission of solar radiation. To quantify photosynthetic traits, CO2 response curves were used to estimate Rubisco-limited carboxylation rate (Vcmax), maximum electron transport rate (Jmax), and triose phosphate utilization (TPU). From the same leaves measured for photosynthesis, leaf reflectance was measured with a handheld spectroradiometer. We measured a total of 105 leaf samples, including 6 taxa with 61 different poplar genotypes. For data analyses, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator and Principal Component Analysis were used to determine the wavelengths that were the most useful for capturing the variability in the physicochemical data. Results showed that leaf reflectance at 758 nm and 936 nm were crucial wavelengths for predicting Vcmax (RMSPE = 31%) and Jmax (RMSPE = 32%), while 687 nm and 757 nm were important predictors for TPU (RMSPE = 31%), and 709 nm and 927 nm were important predictors for leaf nitrogen (RMSPE = 22%). The wavelengths near 687 nm and 760 nm are the oxygen absorption bands, and also overlap with the chlorophyll fluorescence emission of plants. Therefore, it is possible to apply hyperspectral reflectance models for rapid clonal screening and high-throughput field phenotyping of photosynthetic capacity parameters and leaf nitrogen of various poplar genotypes.

Coal strip mining has left degraded soils throughout the southeastern United States. These soils tend to have low pH, high bulk density, impacted hydraulic processes, and an accumulation of heavy metals that limit revegetation and reforestation efforts. Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) has the adaptability to grow on post-mined sites due to being able to tolerate soils with a low pH. It also has the largest native range of pines in the southeastern United States, making it an ideal species for such restoration efforts. Furthermore, soil restoration using a combination of biochar and mycorrhizal amendments can provide many benefits for degraded soils ranging from increasing carbon sequestration, reducing erosion, promoting plant growth, and immobilizing heavy metals. However, limited empirical field trials have been conducted on the success of these soil amendments on both soil health and tree productivity. To provide restoration recommendations to land managers and landowners, we established a field trial in Winston County, Alabama at a reclaimed mining site. In Spring 2021 we planted Shortleaf pine in a complete randomized block design with 30.5x30.5 m spacing with two treatments: biochar and microbial inoculation in four replicates. We measured soil bulk density, pH, heavy metal content, electrical conductivity, carbon content, and nitrogen content both before and after planting every three months. We will also monitor shortleaf pine survival and growth. Our preliminary results for pH, bulk density, and electrical conductivity are within the expected range for shortleaf pine to do well on this post-mined site. Prior to soil treatments and planting, soil pH was 5.55 ± 0.54 pH, dry bulk density was 1.46 ± 0.14 g/cm3, wet bulk density was 1.74 ± 0.12 g/cm3, and electrical conductivity was 273.19 ± 141.33 µS. Soil nitrogen content was 0.15 ± 0.04% and soil carbon content was 2.31 ± 0.76%. The average C:N ratio was 15.8:1. Survival of planted seedlings after three months was 98%. Changes in soil physical and chemical conditions relative to restoration treatments are pending. This study will help support our understanding of biochar’s interaction with mycorrhizal fungi inoculation, role in restoration, and use in southeastern United States soils.

Nuclear magnetic resonance technology can be used to simulate the T2 spectrum distribution characteristics of different fracture parameters of fractured shale. Based on scanning electron microscope data of lacustrine shale strata, a petrophysical model of fractured shale is established, and the shapes of pores and fractures are simplified into spheres and ellipsoids, respectively. According to the aspect ratio of the ellipsoid and the log Gaussian function to control the crack shape. The simulation results show that the NMR response of fractured shale is unique, which is related to fracture shape, fracture width and fracture density. The fracture width has a greater influence on the T2 spectrum distribution of fractured shale. With the increase of the crack width, the T2 spectrum distribution shows a “double peak”-“single peak”-“double peak” trend. As the crack density increases, the T2 spectrum distribution changes from “single peak” to “double peak”. The shale model with needle-shaped fractures contributes the most to the connectivity of the pore-fracture model, and the shale model with pie-shaped fractures contributes the least to the connectivity of the pore-fracture model.

Tropical convective organization and associated clusters of precipitation affect the global circulation and Earth’s energy budget, but many aspects such as the power-law distribution of precipitation clusters and the relation to convective self-aggregation remain poorly understood. Here, we present a physics-informed 2D conceptual model for tropical convective organization. The model is based on the budget equation of column moist static energy (CMSE) with terms that are parameterized based on diagnosing them in a high-resolution simulation with explicit convection. The conceptual model combines a reaction-diffusion equation, where the reaction term has memory, with a temporal red noise. We find that vertical advection has a strengthening effect on CMSE perturbations, whereas horizontal advection has a mitigating effect on CMSE perturbations. The CMSE tendencies from vertical and horizontal advection terms are larger in magnitude than those from radiation and surface fluxes. The strengthening effect of vertical advection corresponds to a negative gross moist stability (GMS) at short spatiotemporal scales, but the GMS becomes positive when the convection changes from shallow to deep, killing off the growth in CMSE. The conceptual model is faithful in simulating self-aggregation in that it shows a domain-size dependence of aggregation found in many prior works, and its CMSE power spectrum matches that of the high-resolution simulation except for a shallowing of the slope at high wavenumbers. Through analyzing the conceptual model equation, we show that 1) the domain-size dependence of self-aggregation is due to a competition between the strengthening effect of vertical advection and the smoothing effect of horizontal advection, and 2) the combination of temporal red noise and diffusive horizontal advection sets the shape of the CMSE power spectrum. Furthermore, the conceptual model also reproduces power-law distributions of precipitation clusters when precipitation clusters are viewed as thresholded islands on the CMSE topography. Thus, the simple conceptual model captures and helps to explain important aspects of convective self-aggregation and tropical convective organization.