Hydrological trends and the evolution of catchment research in the Alptal valley,central Switzerland

When the observation of small headwater catchments in the pre-Alpine Alptal valley (central Switzerland) started in the late 1960s, the researchers were mainly interested in questions related to floods and forest management. Investigations of geomorphological processes in the steep torrent channels followed in the 1980s, along with detailed observations of biogeochemical and ecohydrological processes in individual forest stands. More recently, research in the Alptal has addressed the impacts of climate change on water supply and runoff generation. In this article, we describe, for the first time, the evolution of catchment research at Alptal, and present new analyses of long-term trends and short-term hydrologic behaviour. Hydrometeorological time series from the past 50 years show substantial interannual variability, but only minimal long-term trends, except for the ~2°C increase in mean annual air temperature over the 50-year period, and a corresponding shift towards earlier snowmelt. Similar to previous studies in larger Alpine catchments, the decadal variations in mean annual runoff in Alptal's small research catchments reflect the long-term variability in annual precipitation. In the Alptal valley, the most evident hydrological trends were observed in late spring and are related to the substantial change in the duration of the snow cover. Streamflow and water quality are highly variable within and between hydrological events, suggesting rapid shifts in flow pathways and mixing, as well as changing connectivity of runoff-generating areas. This overview illustrates how catchment research in the Alptal has evolved in response to changing societal concerns and emerging scientific questions.     

Antenna design and implementation for the future space Ultra-Long wavelength radio telescope

In radio astronomy, the Ultra-Long Wavelengths (ULW) regime of longer than 10 m (frequencies below 30 MHz), remains the last virtually unexplored window of the celestial electromagnetic spectrum. The strength of the science case for extending radio astronomy into the ULW window is growing. However, the opaqueness of the Earth’s ionosphere makes ULW observations by ground-based facilities practically impossible. Furthermore, the ULW spectrum is full of anthropogenic radio frequency interference (RFI). The only radical solution for both problems is in placing an ULW astronomy facility in space. We present a concept of a key element of a space-borne ULW array facility, an antenna that addresses radio astronomical specifications. A tripole–type antenna and amplifier are analysed as a solution for ULW implementation. A receiver system with a low power dissipation is discussed as well. The active antenna is optimized to operate at the noise level defined by the celestial emission in the frequency band 1 ? 30 MHz. Field experiments with a prototype tripole antenna enabled estimates of the system noise temperature. They indicated that the proposed concept meets the requirements of a space-borne ULW array facility.     

Experimental partitioning of trace elements into schreibersite with applications to IIG iron meteorites

Some of the defining characteristics of the IIG iron meteorite group are their high bulk P contents and massive, coarse schreibersite, which have been calculated to make up roughly 11–14 wt% of each specimen. In this study, we produced two data sets to investigate the formation of schreibersites in IIG irons: measurements of trace elements in the IIG iron meteorite Twannberg and experimental determinations of trace element partitioning into schreibersite. The schreibersite‐bearing experiments were conducted with schreibersite in equilibrium with a P‐rich melt and with bulk Ni contents ranging from 0 to 40 wt%. The partitioning behavior for the 20 elements measured in this study did not vary with Ni content. Comparison of the Twannberg measurements with the experimental results required a correction factor to account for the fact that the experiments were conducted in a simplified system that did not contain a solid metal phase. Previously determined solid metal/P‐rich melt partition coefficients were applied to infer schreibersite/solid metal partitioning behavior from the experiments, and once this correction was applied, the two data sets showed broad similarities between the schreibersite/solid metal distribution of elements. However, there were also differences noted, in particular between the Ni and P contents of the solid metal relative to the schreibersite inferred from the experiments compared to that measured in the Twannberg sample. These differences support previous interpretations that subsolidus schreibersite evolution has strongly influenced the Ni and P content now present in the solid metal phase of IIG irons. Quantitative attempts to match the IIG solid metal composition to that of late‐stage IIAB irons through subsolidus schreibersite growth were not successful, but qualitatively, this study corroborates the striking similarities between the IIAB and IIG groups, which are highly suggestive of a possible genetic link between the groups as has been previously proposed.     

Directional interpolation infinite element for dynamic problems in saturated porous media

In this study, a directional interpolation infinite element suited to a saturated porous medium is presented to account for dynamic problems with semi-infi     

Discovery of Four New Clusters in the Cygnus Cloud

We report the discovery of four new open clusters(named QC 1,QC 2,QC 3 and QC 4)in the direction of Cygnus Cloud and select their members based on five astrometric parameters(l,b,ω,μα*,μδ)of Gaia DR2.We also derive their astrophysical parameters for each new cluster.Structure parameters are generated by fitting the radial density distribution with a King’s profile.Using solar metallicity,we performed isochrone-fitting on their purified color-magnitude diagrams(CMDs)to derive the age of the clusters.The known cluster NGC 7062 in an adjacent area is chosen to verify our identification process.The estimated distance,reddening and age of NGC 7062 are in good agreement with the literature.     

毛乌素沙区1961-2016年降水特征

基于毛乌素沙区10个气象站1961-2016年观测资料，应用Mann-Kendall方法和t检验法对各气象站年降水量进行了突变检验，借助小波分析讨论了各气象站年降水量的周期特征，根据降水量等值线划分结果对整个研究区分区分析了年、季、月和日尺度上的降水变化特征，并在两个时段上分析了季节性降水的差异。结果表明：毛乌素沙区年降水量空间特征差异明显，东部亚区呈上升趋势，中西部亚区呈下降趋势，但变化趋势不显著且无突变发生；降水年内分配不均，干湿季分明，降水集中在5-9月，夏秋季降水占全年降水比重大，季、月和日尺度降水量存在梯度递减变化；年降水量的年际变化过程存在多重时间尺度的自相似结构；近26年的冬春季降水增加显著，但降水波动幅度小于前30年。     

徐闻南山镇红树林沉积物及红树植物中重金属的累积特征与迁移规律

为探究重金属在红树林沉积物及红树植物中的分布累积及迁移规律，选取了徐闻南山镇红树林为研究对象，通过测定红树林沉积物及红树植物不同部位（根、茎、叶）的重金属质量分数，运用富集因子、生物富集系数、转移系数及相关性分析等方法进行分析。结果表明：1）红树林沉积物重金属质量分数表现为铬（Cr）＞锌（Zn）＞镍（Ni）＞铜（Cu）＞铅（Pb）＞砷（As）＞汞（Hg）＞镉（Cd），为中等变异程度；除了镍（Ni）元素外，其余7种重金属未超过国家一级标准，除了铅（Pb）元素外，其余7种重金属均超过广东省土壤环境背景值，说明研究区沉积物中重金属具有一定的积累效应。2）沉积物中砷（As）、铜（Cu）、锌（Zn）、汞（Hg）、镍（Ni）、铬（Cr）富集因子值均＞1.5，说明受到轻微人为活动影响；各站位镍（Ni）富集因子值均＞5，结合研究区背景，反映了镍（Ni）受到自然和人为输入的共同影响。3）白骨壤体内重金属主要集中在根部，而红海榄体内重金属在根茎叶中分布相对均匀。白骨壤根茎叶部位的大多数重金属质量分数远高于红海榄，说明白骨壤对重金属的吸附能力比红海榄强。汞（Hg）集中分布在植物的叶片部位，且与其他重金属之间相关性不明显；推测汞（Hg）主要通过叶片吸收进入植物体内，与交通运输污染有关。4）不同红树植物对不同重金属富集能力各异，白骨壤对重金属的富集能力表现为：镉（Cd）＞砷（As）＞铜（Cu）＞锌（Zn）＞汞（Hg）＞铅（Pb）＞镍（Ni）＞铬（Cr），红海榄表现为：镉（Cd）＞铜（Cu）＞汞（Hg）＞锌（Zn）＞铅（Pb）＞砷（As）＞镍（Ni）＞铬（Cr）。白骨壤和红海榄对汞（Hg）的运移能力都较强；红海榄对镉（Cd）的富集能力和转运能力都较强，而白骨壤对镉（Cd）富集能力较强，转运能力却较弱，这说明红树植物对重金属元素的富集能力与转运能力不存在正比关系。     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Wind</Emphasis>/EPACT Proton Event Catalog (1996 – 2016)

We present the finalized catalog of solar energetic proton events detected by the Wind/EPACT instrument over the period 1996?–?2016. Onset times, peak times, peak proton intensity and onset-to-peak proton fluence are evaluated for the two available energy channels, at about 25 and 50 MeV. We describe the procedure utilized to identify the proton events and to relate them to their solar origin (in terms of flares and coronal mass ejections). The statistical relationships between the energetic protons and their origin (linear and partial correlation analysis) are reported and discussed in view of earlier findings. Finally, the different trends found in the first 8 years of Solar Cycles 23 and 24 are discussed.     

Three-dimensional finite element simulation of fracture propagation in rock specimens with pre-existing fissure(s) under compression and their strength analysis

A FORTRAN program, consistent with the commercially available finite element (FE) code ABAQUS, is developed based on a three-dimensional (3D) linear elastic brittle damage constitutive model with two damage criteria. To consider the heterogeneity of rock, the developed FORTRAN program is used to set the stiffness and strength properties of each element of the FE model following a Weibull distribution function. The reliability of the program is assessed against available experimental results for granite cylindrical specimens with a throughgoing, flat and inclined fissure. The calibration procedure of the material parameters is explained in detail, and it is shown that the compressive to tensile strength ratio can have a substantial influence on the failure response of the specimens. Numerical simulations are conducted for models with different levels of heterogeneity. The results show a smaller load bearing capacity for models with less homogeneity, representing gradual coalescence of fully damaged elements forming throughout the models during loading. The maximum load bearing capacity is studied for various combinations of inclination angles of two centrally aligned, throughgoing and flat fissures of equal length embedded in cylindrical models under uniaxial and multiaxial loading conditions. The key role of the compressive to tensile strength ratio is highlighted by repeating certain simulations with a lower compressive to tensile strength ratio. It is proven that the peak loads of the rock models with sufficiently small compressive to tensile strength ratios containing two throughgoing fissures of equal length are similar, provided that the minimum inclination angles of the models are the same. The results are presented and discussed with respect to the existing experimental findings in the literature, suggesting that the numerical model applied in this study can provide useful insight into the failure behaviour of rock-like materials.