Spinner dolphins Stenella longirostris off south-west Mauritius: abundance and residency

Spinner dolphins Stenella longirostris longirostris off the south-west coast of Mauritius are subject to ongoing anthropogenic disturbance in the form of daily dolphin tourism, which has intensified since 1998. Abundance of this species was estimated using photo-identification data and mark-recapture analysis. Between April 2008 and June 2010, identification photographs were collected from dolphins occurring along a 30 km length of the coast of south-west Mauritius. A total of 250 groups were encountered over 229 survey days. Mark-recapture analyses were performed on a photographic dataset of more than 8 000 good- and excellent-quality images and 83 animals were identified as distinctively marked individuals. The majority (85.5%) were seen more than once and resightings indicated a resident population. The compiled version of SOCPROG 2.4 was used to investigate the lagged identification rate. The fitted model supported a mostly resident population with additional animals moving in and out of the study area. The estimated abundance of the total population in the study area ranged between 138 and 399 individuals. Our results can be used for monitoring the population for fluctuations and for encouraging both the enforcement of laws regarding dolphin watching and the development of further means of management needed to ensure the long-term presence of this population.     

Mass-loss rates of “hot-Jupiter” exoplanets with various types of gaseous envelopes

According to the compuations results obtained by Bisikalo et al. (2013) for the gas-dynamical effect of stellar winds on exoplanet atmospheres, three types of gaseous envelopes can form around hot Jupiters: closed, quasi-closed, and open. The type of envelope that forms depends on the position of the frontal collision point (where the dynamical pressure of the wind is equal to the pressure of the surrounding atmosphere) relative to the Roche-lobe boundaries. Closed envelopes are formed around planets whose atmospheres lie completely within their Roche lobes. If the frontal collision point is located outside the Roche lobe, the atmospheric material begins to flow out through the Lagrangian points L₁ and L₂, which can result in the formation of quasi-closed (if the dynamical pressure of the stellar wind stops the outflow through L₁) or open gaseous envelopes. The example of the typical hot Jupiter HD 209458b is considered for four sets of atmospheric parameters, to determine the mass-loss rates for the different types of envelopes arising with these parameters. The mass-loss rates based on the modeling results were estimated to be ? ≤ 10⁹ g/s for a closed atmosphere, ? ? 3 × 10⁹ g/s for a quasi-closed atmosphere, and ? ? 3 × 10¹⁰ g/s for an open atmosphere. The matter in the closed and quasi-closed atmospheres flows out mainly through L₂, and the matter in open envelopes primarily through L₁.     

The Kharamai kimberlite field, Siberia: modification of the lithospheric mantle by the Siberian Trap event

The kimberlites of the Kharamai field intruded through the Siberian Traps shortly after their eruption in Permo-Triassic time. The composition and thermal state of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the Kharamai field in lower Triassic time have been reconstructed using major- and trace-element analyses of 345 Cr-pyrope garnet xenocrysts from six of the kimberlites, supplemented by a small suite of mantle-derived peridotite xenoliths. The data define a geotherm lying near a 38 mW/m² conductive model to a depth of ca 170 km, where the base of the depleted lithosphere is defined by a marked increase in melt-related metasomatism and by an inflected geotherm. Compared to the SCLM sampled by Devonian (pre-Trap) kimberlites in the same and adjacent terranes, the Kharamai SCLM in Triassic time was warmer and was cooling from a previous thermal high. It was also thinner than the SCLM beneath the Daldyn and Alakit kimberlite fields, and had been strongly metasomatised. The metasomatism lowered the mean Fo content of olivine (from ≥Fo₉₃ to Fo₉₂), greatly reduced the proportion of subcalcic harzburgites, and increased the proportion of fertile lherzolites, especially in the depth range of 80–130 km. The overall pattern of metasomatism is similar to that observed in the SCLM sampled by the Group I kimberlites of the SW Kaapvaal Craton, and inferred to be related to the Karoo thermal event. These observations suggest that events such as the eruption of the Karoo basalts and Siberian Traps change the composition of the SCLM, but do not necessarily destroy it, at distances of several hundred kilometres from the main eruption centres.     

The Influence of a Stellar Flare on the Dynamical State of the Atmosphere of the Exoplanet HD 209458b

A one-dimensional aeronomic model of the upper atmosphere of a giant planet is used to study the reaction of the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter HD 209458b to additional heating by a stellar flare. It is shown that the absorption of additional energy from the stellar flare in the extreme ultraviolet leads to local heating of the atmosphere, accompanied by the formation of two shocks propagating in the atmosphere. Possible observational manifestations of these shocks and the feasibility of their detection are discussed.     

Burial and degradation of Rena oil within coastal sediments of the Bay of Plenty

ABSTRACT

During the Rena oil spill, no data existed for New Zealand conditions on the likely depth of burial and the expected degradation of oil deposited on sandy beaches. Sediment cores were taken from 12 locations along the Bay of Plenty coastline c. 1 year after the Rena oil spill. No visible oil was detected in cores and trenches dug within the beaches. Chemical extraction was performed on 20?cm slices from the upper 40?cm of 26 cores, and the elutriates were analysed for the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results were compared with known PAH fingerprints of Rena oil and its degradation products. Only seven samples contained some marker PAHs, and none had a complete Rena profile, indicating stormwater contamination. Despite extensive deposition of Rena oil on beaches, no evidence of ongoing contamination could be located, indicating that the clean-up and degradation were effective at removing the oil.     

The Influence of Superflares of Host Stars on the Dynamics of the Envelopes of Hot Jupiters

Results of a study of the influence of solar-type host stars superflares on the gas dynamics of the extended envelopes of giant exoplanets are presented. During flare events, the radiation intensity of the host star in the extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray can increase by several orders of magnitude for a short time, leading to strong local heating of the exoplanet atmosphere on the side facing the star, with the formation of shocks in the atmosphere. Computations of the gas-dynamical response of the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter HD 209458b to characteristic superflares of solar-like stars were carried out earlier in [1] using a one-dimensional aeronomical model correctly taking into account heating and chemical processes in the atmosphere. To investigate the outflow of atmospheric gas, the results obtained with this onedimensional model were used as simple boundary conditions for computations of the three-dimensional flow structure after a flare. The results of these three-dimensional gas-dynamical computations show that the mass ejection of the flare increases the size of the envelope over several hours, which could be detected with existing observing facilities. It is shown that the mass-loss rates for the most powerful superflare considered could be enhanced by an order of magnitude over several tens of hours after the flare.

     

The influence of coronal mass ejections on the gas dynamics of the atmosphere of a “hot Jupiter” exoplanet

The results of three-dimensional numerical simulations of the gas dynamics of the atmosphere of a “hot Jupiter” exoplanet during the passage of a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the central star are presented. These computations assumed the parameters for the stellar wind and the CME to be typical of the solar values. The characteristic variations of the flow pattern are considered for quasi-closed and closed (but appreciably distorted by the gravitational influence of the star) gaseous envelopes of the exoplanet. It is shown that a typical CME is sufficient to tear off the outer part of an asymmetric envelope that is located beyond the Roche lobe and carry it away from the exoplanet. This leads to a substantial increase in the mass-loss rate from the exoplanet envelope during the passage of CMEs. The mass-loss rate grows by about a factor of 11 for a closed envelope, and by about a factor of 14 for a quasi-closed envelope. Possible evolutionary consequences of the loss of part of the atmosphere during the passage of CMEs are discussed.