We propose a method for detecting (i.e. estimating and testing) the zones where a variable irregularly sampled in the plane changes abruptly. Under the null hypothesis the variable of interest is the realisation of a stationary Gaussian process with constant expectation. The alternative is that the mean function presents abrupt changes. Local test statistics are first built using distribution p...

The sound structure of language changes over time, but the process of change is not well understood. Sound change appears to occur abruptly as well as gradually, but it is not clear why, and it is not clear how the different rates of change affect the sound structures that emerge. This paper advances two hypotheses to answer these questions: (1) The Rate Hypothesis suggests that change occurs a...

Large millennial-scale fluctuations of the southern margin of the North American Laurentide Ice Sheet occurred during the last deglaciation, when the margin was located between about 43 degrees and 49 degrees N. Fluctuations of the ice margin triggered episodic increases in the flux of freshwater to the North Atlantic by rerouting continental runoff from the Mississippi River drainage to the Hu...

The vapor pressure deficit (VPD) is an important variable used to characterize atmospheric aridity. This paper analyses the spatial and temporal characteristics of decadal abrupt change (DAC) in global land VPD after 1980 using monthly scale data from Climatic Research Unit. results show that 60.5% area underwent a significantly increased (IDAC) VPD, persistent IDAC was obvious middle low latit...