The changing rotational excitation of C3 in comet 9P/Tempel 1 during Deep Impact

The 4050 Å band of C₃ was observed with Keck/HIRES echelle spectrometer during the Deep Impact encounter. We perform a 2-dimensional analysis of the exposures in order to study the spatial, spectral, and temporal changes in the emission spectrum of C₃. The rotational population distribution changes after impact, beginning with an excitation temperature of ～45 K at impact and increasing for 2 hr up to a maximum of 61±5 K. From 2 to 4 hours after impact, the excitation temperature decreases to the pre-impact value. We measured the quiescent production rate of C₃ before the encounter to be 1.0×10²³ s^?1, while 2 hours after impact we recorded a peak production rate of 1.7×10²³ s^?1. Whereas the excitation temperature returned to the pre-impact value during the observations, the production rate remained elevated, decreasing slowly, until the end of the 4 hr observations. These results are interpreted in terms of changing gas densities in the coma and short-term changes in the primary chemical production mechanism for C₃.     

Numerical modelling: a useful tool to simulate collapsing volcanoes

Since the nineteenth century scientists have tried to reproduce natural events in order to study and understand them through the technique of modelling. However, technology has evolved rapidly in the past two decades and now sophisticated numerical models are widely used to reproduce past events or simulate new scenarios. These models are particularly useful to reproduce the large scale and complexity of geological events. To illustrate the use and potential of numerical modelling in geological sciences, we describe a simulation of a large debris avalanche caused by the collapse of the north flank of the Taranaki volcano in New Zealand and the value of this information in the context of disaster planning.     

基于多层神经网络与Sentinel-2数据的大豆种植区识别方法

大豆作为全球最重要的油料作物,是中国进口的大宗农产品,对其种植区的精准识别是决策制定、种植结构调整基础,对国家粮食安全有重要意义。本文利用Sentinel-2作为数据源,利用多层神经网络方法与对大豆进行提取,并与随机森林、决策树、支持向量机等机器学习进行对比,发现F1-Socre指标显示多层神经网络的分类精度最高,为93.53%,其次为随机森林、支持向量机、决策树。将神经网络分类结果与SLIC面向对象分割聚合之后,结果既忽略了同一地块的微小差别,又区分出了不同地块的作物差异,很好的体现了大豆的分布。Sentinel-2数据是进行大尺度大豆种植监测的绝佳数据源,大豆与玉米等其他作物在第二个红边波段的反射率有较为明显的差异。多层神经网络方法在图像分类任务中表现出色,结合图像分割算法精度可达到95.51%,可以满足大豆种植面积监测的需求。     

Criteria for recognizing shelf-slope clinoforms in outcrop; Jurassic Lajas and Los Molles formations,S. Neuquén Basin,Argentina

Seismic-reflection data show that most deepwater (>200 m water depth) basins are filled by sand and mud dispersed across clinoformal geometries characterized by gently dipping topsets, steeper foresets and gently dipping bottomsets. However, the entire geometry of these ubiquitous clinoforms is not always recognized in outcrops. Sometimes the infill is erroneously interpreted as “layer cake” or “ramp” stratigraphy because the topset-foreset-bottomset clinoforms are not well exposed. Regional 2-D seismic lines show clinoforms in the Lower to Middle Jurassic Challaco, Lajas, and Los Molles formations in S. Neuquén Basin in Argentina. Time equivalent shelf, slope and basin-floor segments of clinoforms are exposed, and can be walked out in hundreds of metres thick and kilometres-wide outcrops. The studied margin-scale clinoforms are not representing a continental-margin but a deepwater shelf margin that built out in a back-arc basin. Lajas-Los Molles clinoforms have been outcrop-mapped by tracing mudstones interpreted as flooding surfaces on the shelf and abandonment surfaces (low sedimentation rate) in the deepwater basin. The downslope and lateral facies variability in the outcrops is also consistent with a clinoform interpretation. The Lajas topset (shelf) is dominated by fluvial and tidal deposits. The shelf-edge rollover zone is occasionally occupied by a 40–50-m-thick coarse-grained shelf-edge delta, sometimes incising into the underlying slope mudstones, producing oblique clinoforms expressing toplap erosion on seismic. A muddy transgressive phase capping the shelf-edge deltas contains tidal sandbodies. Shelf-edge deltas transition downslope into turbidite- and debris flow-filled channels that penetrate down the mud-prone Los Molles slope. At the base-of-slope, some 300m below the shelf edge, there are basin-floor fan deposits (>200 m thick) composed of sandy submarine-fan lobes separated by muddy abandonment intervals. The large-scale outcrop correlation between topset–foreset–bottomset allows facies and depositional interpretation and sets outcrop criteria recognition for each clinoform segment.     

On viscoplastic regularisation of strain-softening rocks and soils

Constitutive models for rocks and soils typically incorporate some form of strain softening. Moreover, many plasticity models for frictional materials use a nonassociated flow rule. Strain softening and nonassociated flow rules can cause loss of well-posedness of the initial-value problem, which can lead to a severe mesh dependence in simulations and poor convergence of the iterative solution procedure. The inclusion of viscosity, which is a common property of materials, seems a natural way to restore well-posedness, but the mathematical properties of a rate-dependent model, and therefore the effectiveness with respect to the removal of mesh dependence, can depend strongly on how the viscous element is incorporated. Herein, we show that rate-dependent models, which are commonly applied to problems in the Earth's lithosphere, such as plate tectonics, are very different from the approach typically adopted for more shallow geotechnical engineering problems. We analyse the properties of these models under dynamic loadings, using dispersion analyses and one-dimensional finite difference analyses, and complement them with two-dimensional simulations of a typical strain localisation problem under quasi-static loading conditions. Finally, we point out that a combined model, which features two viscous elements, may be the best way forward for modelling time-dependent failure processes in the deeper layers of the Earth, since it not only enables modelling of the creep characteristics typical of long-term behaviour but also regularises the initial/boundary-value problem.     

Usability evaluation for geographic information systems: a systematic literature review

The growing dissemination of geographic information systems (GIS) in recent years has increased the availability and use of geospatial tools. Despite this trend in GIS, usability is often not considered, and studies on usability are relatively rare. However, it has been shown that the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction of these tools when used for geospatial tasks may be impacted by their design and terminology. In this article, we present a comprehensive review of the relevant literature. We analyze and compare publications of GIS usability evaluations, the methods that were used, and the findings reported. We thus produce a more detailed picture of GIS usability evaluations. Our contributions are (1) an overview of methods applied in case studies for evaluating the usability of GIS; (2) the identification of gaps and resulting weaknesses of previous studies; and (3) challenges and opportunities for future GIS usability studies. Our findings reveal a lack of usability guidelines for GIS, a lack of methods for analyzing complex workflows, and a lack of usage studies over longer periods of time. These contributions can help GIS developers and designers to improve the usability of their systems.     

Comparisons between marine productivity and terrestrial input records in the Gulf of California over the last 28 ka

We study the marine and terrestrial contributions in the Gulf of California (GC) to understand the relationship between continental climate and oceanographic variability over the last 28 ka. In Core AII125-8-JPC-20, we examine aeolian and riverine inputs as nutrients for biological productivity. We use biogenic silica (%opal), total organic carbon (%TOC) and calcium carbonate (%CaCO₃) as proxies for primary productivity, and lithic fraction distributions as proxies for terrigenous transport. At the core site, biogenic and lithic components are in phase at millennial-scale in response to regional climate conditions. During the Late Pleistocene, the GC shelf area was above sea level and the western margin showed transient episodes of increased fluvial inputs. Episodic increases in %opal and reduced %TOC suggest upwelling events but ineffective C-export to the sediment. During stadial events (Heinrich 2, Heinrich 1, Younger Dryas), regional declines in %opal, but increases in %CaCO₃ and TOC, suggest efficient C-export by carbonate organisms. During most of the Holocene, dust inputs are higher. Episodic increases in %TOC suggest higher C-accumulation, although this is not controlled by siliceous or calcareous organisms. In the GC, besides upwelling and current advection, nutrient inputs driven by terrestrial climate have an impact on the biological C-pump. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tracer hydrology of the data-scarce and heterogeneous Central American Isthmus

Numerous socio-economic activities depend on the seasonal rainfall and groundwater recharge cycle across the Central American Isthmus. Population growth and unregulated land use changes resulted in extensive surface water pollution and a large dependency on groundwater resources. This work combines stable isotope variations in rainfall, surface water, and groundwater of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras to develop a regionalized rainfall isoscape, isotopic lapse rates, spatial–temporal isotopic variations, and air mass back trajectories determining potential mean recharge elevations, moisture circulation patterns, and surface water–groundwater interactions. Intra-seasonal rainfall modes resulted in two isotopically depleted incursions (W-shaped isotopic pattern) during the wet season and two enriched pulses during the mid-summer drought and the months of the strongest trade winds. Notable isotopic sub-cloud fractionation and near-surface secondary evaporation were identified as common denominators within the Central American Dry Corridor. Groundwater and surface water isotope ratios depicted the strong orographic separation into the Caribbean and Pacific domains, mainly induced by the governing moisture transport from the Caribbean Sea, complex rainfall producing systems across the N-S mountain range, and the subsequent mixing with local evapotranspiration, and, to a lesser degree, the eastern Pacific Ocean fluxes. Groundwater recharge was characterized by (a) depleted recharge in highland areas (72.3%), (b) rapid recharge via preferential flow paths (13.1%), and enriched recharge due to near-surface secondary fractionation (14.6%). Median recharge elevation ranged from 1,104 to 1,979 m a.s.l. These results are intended to enhance forest conservation practices, inform water protection regulations, and facilitate water security and sustainability planning in the Central American Isthmus.     

Accuracy of grid precipitation data for Brazil: application in river discharge modelling of the Tocantins catchment

Here, we compared grid precipitation data — Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) and WATCH Forcing Data methodology applied to ERA‐Interim (WFDEI) data — with Brazilian Weather Bureau (INMET) and Brazilian Water Agency (ANA) rain gauge data (n = 2027) for the period 1980–2010 in order to evaluate which grid data set better represents precipitation, and is thus more suitable for hydrological modelling of Brazilian water resources. We found that WFDEI outperformed CFSR according to three statistical indicators. We then applied and interpolated a simple bias correction to further improve WFDEI data before we used these data to model river discharge of the Tocantins catchment with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Calibration (validation in parentheses; weighted averages of all gauges) had satisfactory statistical metrics: p‐factor = 0.52 (0.47); r‐factor = 0.84 (0.99); R² = 0.78 (0.71); bR² = 0.68 (0.47); NS = 0.70 (0.66); Pbias = ?4.5 (4.0). Finally, the calibrated SWAT model was used to assess the spatial distribution of the catchment's water resources. Annual green water flow (evapotranspiration) increased from the south‐east (640–840 mm yr^?1) to north‐west (1140–1440 mm) of the Tocantins catchment, while green water storage (soil water content) increased from south (330–1070 mm) to north (2180–3290 mm). Blue water (water yield) had a less clear pattern, with lower values in the south and the central borders of the catchment (20–560 mm) and higher values along the central axis and the north (920–1460 mm). Our analysis suggested that WFDEI was an accurate representation of Brazilian precipitation. For large catchments, we therefore recommend the use of WFDEI instead of sparse and often missing rain gauge data in modelling Brazilian water resources. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stationary underwater cameras assess more efficiently clear-water mangrove fish assemblages: A comparison of non-extractive techniques

Research in aquatic ecology requires adequate sampling designs if the underlying processes that govern population and community dynamics are to be understood. Adequate sampling design is particularly important for organisms inhabiting environments such as mangroves. Thus, collecting quantitative ecological data remains a major challenge. Here, we analysed the structural and temporal dynamics of a tidal cycle and mangrove fish assemblages at 15 sites along the Brazilian central coast. Specifically, we used two non-extractive sampling techniques, which included stationary underwater visual census (s-UVC) and stationary underwater wide-camera census (s-UWC). Our results showed that by reducing potential observer effects, the s-UWC protocol maximized fish counts, yielding more accurate and precise estimates. In contrast, although the s-UVC technique was a useful approach, this technique did not yield precise density and richness estimates. Furthermore, the negative effect associated with the presence of an observer (i.e., diver) was a significant constraint to the observer-based technique. Furthermore, the methods were more similar for the high tide samples and more divergent for the flood tide and ebb tide samples. These pronounced divergences among tidal periods allowed the application of a temporal mixed-sampling protocol (i.e., unbalanced temporal samples) based on s-UWC without the loss of statistical power. Methodological gains also were felt with a reduction in the costs associated with the presence of a trained observer in water and overcoming of constraints positively related to depth limitations. Overall, the s-UWC protocol adequately captures species using different stages of the tide to enter the mangroves.