Cometary science at the launch of Rosetta

The launch of ESA's Rosetta mission, to orbit and land on a comet, has been postponed and the target of the mission may have to change. Uncertainty over the mission provoked extra interest at the RAS discussion meeting in December 2002, as Geraint Jones and Simeon Barber report.     

Perceptions of Local People on the Use of Nyabarongo River Wetland and Its Conservation in Rwanda

This research presents a case study on perceptions of local people on the use of Nyabrongo river wetland and its conservation in Rwanda. It critically examines the potential implications of a shift in wetland use and management practices for local people and presents empirical data from a household survey, group discussions, and observations from transect walks. Results showed that the change in the use and management regime of Nyabarongo river wetland poses substantial loss for local people in terms of provision of resources, income, and access to the wetland, so that the majority of the participants are not happy with the current use of the wetland. Research concluded that there should be participation of all stakeholders, including local people, during policy development in order to shift from command-and-control toward local stakeholder integration in decision making.     

Downstream effects of stream flow diversion on channel characteristics and riparian vegetation in the Colorado Rocky Mountains,USA

Flow diversions are widespread and numerous throughout the semi‐arid mountains of the western United States. Diversions vary greatly in their structure and ability to divert water, but can alter the magnitude and duration of base and peak flows, depending upon their size and management. Channel geometry and riparian plant communities have adapted to unique hydrologic and geomorphic conditions existing in the areas subject to fluvial processes. We use geomorphic and vegetation data from low‐gradient (≤3%) streams in the Rocky Mountains of north‐central Colorado to assess potential effects of diversion. Data were collected at 37 reaches, including 16 paired upstream and downstream reaches and five unpaired reaches. Channel geometry data were derived from surveys of bankfull channel dimensions and substrate. Vegetation was sampled using a line‐point intercept method along transects oriented perpendicular to the channel, with a total of 100 sampling points per reach. Elevation above and distance from the channel were measured at each vegetation sampling point to analyze differences in lateral and vertical zonation of plant communities between upstream and downstream reaches. Geomorphic data were analyzed using mixed effects models. Bankfull width, depth, and cross‐sectional area decreased downstream from diversions. Vegetation data were analyzed using biological diversity metrics, richness, evenness and diversity, as well as multivariate community analysis. Evenness increased downstream from diversions, through reduced frequency of wetland indicator species and increased frequency of upland indicator species. Probability of occurrence for upland species downstream of a diversion increases at a greater rate beginning around 0·5 m above active channel. The results suggest that channel morphology and riparian plant communities along low‐gradient reaches in montane environments in the Colorado Rocky Mountains are impacted by diversion‐induced flow alteration, with the net effect of simplifying and narrowing the channel and homogenizing and terrestrializing riparian plant communities. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

GhostNet marine debris survey in the Gulf of Alaska--satellite guidance and aircraft observations

Marine debris, particularly debris that is composed of lost or abandoned fishing gear, is recognized as a serious threat to marine life, vessels, and coral reefs. The goal of the GhostNet project is the detection of derelict nets at sea through the use of weather and ocean models, drifting buoys and satellite imagery to locate convergent areas where nets are likely to collect, followed by airborne surveys with trained observers and remote sensing instruments to spot individual derelict nets. These components of GhostNet were first tested together in the field during a 14-day marine debris survey of the Gulf of Alaska in July and August 2003. Model, buoy, and satellite data were used in flight planning. A manned aircraft survey with visible and IR cameras and a LIDAR instrument located debris in the targeted locations, including 102 individual pieces of debris of anthropogenic or terrestrial origin.     

Zinc-rich and copper-bearing amphiboles from sulfide-free ore occurrences of the Pelagonian Massif,Republic of North Macedonia

Mineralogy and Petrology - This paper describes specific features of isomorphism of unusual amphiboles containing up to 23 wt% ZnO and up to 1.3 wt% CuO from sulfide-free...     

Past major tsunamis and the level of tsunami risk on the Aitape coast of Papua New Guinea

Natural Hazards - This paper reports the results of an investigation into past major tsunamis on the Aitape coast of Papua New Guinea. The investigation was mounted to gather information to help...     

Numerical calculation of cosmic ray ionization rate profiles in the middle atmosphere and lower ionosphere with relation to characteristic energy intervals

Numerical calculations of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) ionization rate profiles are presented for the middle atmosphere and lower ionosphere altitudes (35–90 km) for the full GCR composition (protons, alpha particles, and groups of heavier nuclei: light L, medium M, heavy H, very heavy VH). This investigation is based on a model developed by Velinov et al. (1974) and Velinov and Mateev (2008), which is further improved in the present paper. Analytical expressions for energy interval contributions are provided. An approximation of the ionization function on three energy intervals is used and for the first time the charge decrease interval for electron capturing (Dorman 2004) is investigated quantitatively. Development in this field of research is important for better understanding the impact of space weather on the atmosphere. GCRs influence the ionization and electric parameters in the atmosphere and also the chemical processes (ozone creation and depletion in the stratosphere) in it. The model results show good agreement with experimental data (Brasseur and Solomon 1986, Rosenberg and Lanzerotti 1979, Van Allen 1952).     

Developments of geochemical methods for ore prospecting in Bulgaria

Three periods in the development of geochemical methods for ore prospecting in Bulgaria may be distinguished — initial (1954–1960), middle (1961–1969) and contemporary (since 1970) — which are characterized by successively increasing numbers of samples and improving methods of geochemical data evaluation. Geochemical methods have been recognized as effective, rapid and relatively cheap methods for prospecting for ore deposits (Cu, Pb, Zn, Au, W, Mo, etc.), some nonmetalliferrous raw materials (fluorite, barite, phosphorites) and hydrocarbons. They are used in all stages of exploration at scales from 1:200,000 to 1:200. They have contributed to the elucidation of the ore perspectives in many regions, and a number of new ore bodies and deposits have been discovered.Basic geochemical methods applied to ore prospecting in the country utilize soil and rock to detect secondary and primary aureoles. Stream-sediment surveys, hydrochemical and atmochemical methods are of more restricted use. Samples are analyzed by emission spectrometry, atomic absorption and other methods. A united system of computerized processing of geochemical data has been developed, including automatic drawing of geochemical maps.Interpretation of the data consists in selection of prospective geochemical anomalies and prognostication of the composition, morphology, depth and industrial significance of hidden ore bodies. The main problem in the mathematical processing of data is the presentation of polydimensional results from analyses in the form of generalized quantities — multiplicative or additive geochemical indicator ratios for the type of mineralization, coefficients of zoning, intensity, etc. The geochemical indices for evaluation of the newly found anomalies are derived through studies of the primary geochemical aureoles of typical standard ore deposits.Residual secondary soil aureoles in most cases are well correlated in composition and structure with the ore bodies and primary aureoles which have generated them. Their successful use is related to the landscape-geochemical conditions in the ore regions. Micro- and macro-chemical zoning of ground waters and different concentration of soluble components in different elevation belts are used for evaluation of hydrochemical anomalies.     

The Challenges of Modeling Climate Variability and Change in West Africa

This paper overviews observations and examines modeling issues associated with the mean state, climate variability and climate change in West Africa. The Tropical Rain Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite allows for the first time estimates of Unconditional, Convective and Stratiform rain rates in West Africa. The 1998 estimated TRMM rates are compared to long-term observed rain rates and a merged rain data set (CMAP) during 1998. Further, the TRMM estimates are compared to the simulated rain rates from the Community Climate Model Version 3.6. The TRMM Precipitation Radar rain estimates are generally lower than either the long-term observations or the CMAP rates during 1998. Moreover, the TRMM rain estimates show a significant fraction of the total rain (convective + stratiform) is characterized as stratiform rain (30–40%). The CCM3 simulates primarily convective rain and negligible amounts of non-convective rain for West Africa. Furthermore, the TRMM high-resolution rain patterns strongly imply that rain in West Africa occurs on mesoscales in association with mesoscale convective systems (squall lines, mesoscale convective complexes and non-squall tropical clusters). We demonstrate this by briefly examining two mesoscale convective systems during May 1998 with METEOSAT data. Regional climate models may offer the best solution to understanding climate change in West Africa because of their ability to capture mesoscale systems and better their representation of orographic features. Adequate boundary conditions from Global Climate Models are still necessary for regional climate model simulations to successfully reproduce mean climate conditions and provide understanding with respect to future climate change. Observations in West Africa should be maintained or increased for monitoring climate variability and possibility of climate change in West Africa, proper initialization of numerical weather prediction models and the validation of climate models.