A coupled microphysical/radiative transfer model of albedo and emissivity of planetary surfaces covered by volatile ices

A new model of albedo and emissivity of planetary surfaces covered by volatile ices in the form of porous slab-like deposits is described. In the model, a radiative transfer model is coupled with a microphysical model in order to link changes in albedo and emissivity to changes in porosity caused by ice metamorphism. Preliminary results for Triton, Pluto, and Io are presented (the martian CO₂ caps will be the subject of a separate publication). The coupled model will aid in the interpretation of ground-based and spacecraft observations and should lead to advances in surface and atmospheric modeling.     

Longevity of fluorine-bearing tremolite on Venus

There is a general belief that hydrous minerals cannot exist on Venus under current surface conditions. This view was challenged when Johnson and Fegley (2000, Icarus 146, 301-306) showed that tremolite (Ca₂Mg₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂), a hydrous mineral, is stable against thermal decomposition at current Venus surface temperatures, e.g., 50% decomposition in 4 Ga at 740 K. To further explore hydrous mineral thermal stability on Venus, we experimentally determined the thermal decomposition kinetics of fluorine-bearing tremolite. Fluor-tremolite is thermodynamically more stable than OH-tremolite and should decompose more slowly. However how much slower was unknown. We measured the decomposition rate of fluorine-bearing tremolite and show that its decomposition is several times to greater than ten times slower than that of OH-tremolite. We also show that F-bearing tremolite is depleted in fluorine after decomposition and that fluorine is lost as a volatile species such as HF gas. If tremolite ever formed on Venus, it would probably also contain fluorine. The exceptional stability of F-bearing tremolite strengthens our conclusions that if hydrous minerals ever formed on Venus, they could still be there today.     

Analytical solutions of one‐dimensional infiltration before and after ponding

This paper is a continuation of previous research, which obtained a convenient solution for arbitrary surface fluxes before ponding. By means of Fourier Transformation this has been extended to derive analytical solutions of a linearized Richards' equation for arbitrary input fluxes after surface saturation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reliability assessment of serviceability performance of braced retaining walls using a neural network approach

In urban environments, one major concern with deep excavations in soft clay is the potentially large ground deformations in and around the excavation. Excessive movements can damage adjacent buildings and utilities. There are many uncertainties associated with the calculation of the ultimate or serviceability performance of a braced excavation system. These include the variabilities of the loadings, geotechnical soil properties, and engineering and geometrical properties of the wall. A risk‐based approach to serviceability performance failure is necessary to incorporate systematically the uncertainties associated with the various design parameters. This paper demonstrates the use of an integrated neural network–reliability method to assess the risk of serviceability failure through the calculation of the reliability index. By first performing a series of parametric studies using the finite element method and then approximating the non‐linear limit state surface (the boundary separating the safe and ‘failure’ domains) through a neural network model, the reliability index can be determined with the aid of a spreadsheet. Two illustrative examples are presented to show how the serviceability performance for braced excavation problems can be assessed using the reliability index. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fresnel modeling of hematite crystal surfaces and application to martian hematite spherules

The gray crystalline hematite at Meridiani Planum first discovered by the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (MGS-TES) instrument occurs as spherules that have been interpreted as concretions. Analysis of the TES and mini-TES spectra shows that no 390 cm⁻¹ feature is present in the characteristic martian hematite spectrum. Here, we incorporate the mid-IR optical constants of hematite into a simple Fresnel reflectance model to understand the effect of emission angle and crystal morphology on the presence or absence of the 390 cm⁻¹ feature in an IR hematite spectrum. Based on the results we offer two models for the internal structure of the martian hematite spherules.     

Influence of Structural Non-Stationarity of Surface Roughness on Morphological Characterization and Mechanical Deformation of Rock Joints

Summary Structural non-stationarity of surface roughness affects accurate morphological characterization as well as mechanical behaviour of rock joints at the laboratory scale using samples with a size below the stationarity threshold. In this paper, the effect of structural non-stationarity of surface roughness is investigated by studying the scale dependence of surface roughness and mechanical behaviour of rock joints. The results show that the structural non-stationarity mainly affects the accurate characterization of the surface roughness of the fracture samples. It also controls the amount and location of the contact areas during shear tests, which in turn affects the mechanical properties and asperity degradation of the samples. It is concluded that for accurate determination of the morphological and mechanical properties of rock joints at laboratory and field scales, samples with size equal to or larger than the stationarity threshold are required. Author’s address: Nader Fardin, Rock Mechanics Group, Department of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box: 11365/4563, Tehran, Iran     

东亚温带气旋及其长期预报（二）：预报应用分析

本文以赤道东太平洋海温作为主导因子，分析其与东亚温带气旋的关系。得出：高海温多气旋，低海温少气旋的对应关系较为明显。并进一步对不符合这种主要关系的年份从环流型。下垫面海温等作了分类鉴别分析。     

胶州湾海水微表层粘度及其在海-气通量计算中的作用

物质海 -气通量计算新建议中将物质海 -气通量计算公式 F=K(CL- b Cg)中的 CL 用CL ( SML ) 代替。本文着重于对公式中质量迁移系数 K的讨论。在测定了海水微表层、次表层水粘度并同时测定了其它一些化学参量基础上 ,得出如下结论 :海水粘度与盐度、碱度有一定相关性 ;微表层与次表层海水的粘度变化小于 3%。因此 ,海水微表层效应影响 K值 ,与海水微表层效应影响物质浓度相比 ,可以不考虑。     

非线性洋面温度反演

本文从辐射方程出发，简述洋面温度与亮度温度之间的非线性关系，进行非线性洋面温度反演的方案设计，用正演算法 计算出非线性洋面温度反演公式的回归系数，对样进行检验。     

崇明东滩沉积环境探讨

为探讨崇明东滩的沉积环境，了解崇明东滩的植被、水动力等对沉积的影响，对崇明进行了为期一年的实地观测和采样实验分析研究，研究结果表明：①沉积物中含有细砂、粉砂、黏土，其中粉砂是主要组分。塑造滩地的动力以潮汐作用为主，波浪作用居于次要地位；②沉积物的平均粒径自北线断面向南线断面、自高潮向低潮滩有逐渐变粗、分选变差的趋势，且平均粒径具有明显的季节变化；③潮滩季节性冲淤变化主要是与不同季节水文条件的差异性、潮滩植被季节变化及风暴天气等有关。