Relationship between electric currents,photospheric motions,chromospheric activity,and magnetic field topology

Through coordinated observations made during the Max'91 campaign in June 1989 in Potsdam (magnetograms), Debrecen (white light and H), and Meudon (MSDP), we follow the evolution of the sunspot group in active region NOAA 5555 for 6 days. The topology of the coronal magnetic field is investigated by using a method based on the concept of separatrices - applied previously (Mandriniet al., 1991) to a magnetic region slightly distorted by field-aligned currents. The present active region differs by having significant magnetic shear. We find that the H flare kernels and the main photospheric electric current cells are located close to the intersection of the separatrices with the chromosphere, in a linear force-free field configuration adapted to the observed shear. Sunspot motions, strong currents, isolated polarities, or intersecting separatrices are not in themselves sufficient to produce a flare. A combination of them all is required. This supports the idea that flares are due to magnetic reconnection, when flux tubes with field-aligned currents move towards the separatrix locations.     

Tidal flow asymmetry in the diurnal regime: bed-load transport and morphologic changes around the Red River Delta

The relation between tidal flow asymmetry and net transport of sediment in the semidiurnal regime has been extensively described. This study reveals that in the diurnal regime, the direction of long-term net bed-load transport and resulting morphologic changes is partly determined by the phase-angle relationship of O₁, K₁, and M₂. Simple analytical formulations of time-averaged bed-load transport were derived which separate the relative contributions of tidal asymmetry from that of residual flow with tidal stirring. In this particular case, the Red River Delta in Vietnam, transports related to tidal asymmetry are larger than those induced by the monsoon currents, and are an order of magnitude larger than those associated with topographic residual flow around the delta. Tide-induced morphologic changes dominate at water depths between 10 and 25 m, of which the patterns of erosion and deposition overlap with observed bathymetric changes. Additional observed changes that occur in more shallow water cannot be explained by tidal asymmetry and are probably related to wave action and to deposition from the buoyant river plume.Responsible Editor: Jens Kappenberg     

DEPTH-AVERAGED 2-D CALCULATION OF TIDAL FLOW,SALINITY AND COHESIVE SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN ESTUARIES

A depth-averaged 2-D numerical model for unsteady flow, salinity and cohesive sediment transport in estuaries is established using the finite volume method on the non-staggered, curvilinear grid. The convection terms are discretized by upwind schemes, the diffusion terms are by the central difference scheme, and the time derivative terms are by the three-time-level implicit scheme. The coupling of flow velocity and water level in the 2-D shallow water equations is achieved by the SIMPLEC algorithm with the Rhie and Chow's momentum interpolation method. The sediment model calculates the settling, deposition, erosion and transport of cohesive sediment, taking into account the influence of sediment size, sediment concentration, salinity and turbulence intensity on the flocculation of cohesive sediment. The flow model is first tested against the measurement data in the Tokyo Bay and San Francisco Bay, showing good agreements. And then, the entire model of flow, salinity and sediment transport is verified in the Gironde Estuary. The water elevation, flow velocity, salinity and sediment concentration are well predicted.     

Forestry Projects under the Clean Development Mechanism?

Afforestation is considered an important option for mitigation of greenhousegas emissions. Recently, plantation projects have been suggested for inclusionunder the Clean Development Mechanism. While considered a cheap option,significant uncertainties make it difficult to determine the (net) carbonbenefits and profitability of forestry projects. The current uncertaintiesabout the regulatory framework of the CDM and the environmental and economicperformance of plantation forestry could create uncertainties with respect tothe additionality of such projects and thus their acceptance under themechanism.Six plantation forestry projects that were proposed in Brazil have been usedas cases to study sources of uncertainty for carbon benefits and economics forsuch projects. These cases vary widely in terms of productivity and productsdelivered. A quantitative model for calculating greenhouse gas balances andfinancial benefits and costs, taking a broad range of variables into account,was developed. Data from the developers of the proposed projects was used asmain source material. Subsequently, scenario's were evaluated, containingdifferent and realistic options for baseline vegetation, carbon creditingsystems and CDM modalities, fluctuations in product prices, discount rates andcarbon prices.The real cost of combined carbon sequestration and substitution for the caseprojects was below $3 per ton of carbon avoided, when based exclusivelyon data supplied by project developers. However, potential variations incarbon impact and costs based on scenario options were very large. Differentbaseline vegetation or adopting a different discount rate cause carbon creditsto vary by as much as an order of magnitude. Different carbon crediting systemsor fluctuations in (commodity) product prices cause variations up to200% in carbon credits and NPV. This makes the additionality of suchprojects difficult to determine. Five of the six case projects seem uneligiblefor development under the CDM. A critical attitude towards the use ofplantation projects under the CDM seems justified.     

Digital photogrammetry as a tool in analogue modelling: applications to volcano instability

Three techniques of digital photogrammetry have been applied successfully to laboratory analogue models to study surface displacements caused by various volcano deformation types. Firstly, side-perspective videos are used to differentiate profile displacements between cryptodome intrusion models and models deforming by ductile inner-core viscous flow. Both models show similar morphologic features including a bulged flank and an asymmetric upper graben. However, differences in displacement trajectories of the bulge crest reflect upward intrusion push contrasting with essentially downward displacement vectors of weak core models. The other two techniques use vertical views correlated automatically either as time-sequence monoscopic views or as coeval stereoscopic pairs. This exploits to a maximum the method’s potential by imaging surface displacements over the whole model. Successive monoscopic photograms, because they suffer only moderate numerical processing for topographic effect removal, can detect very small displacements occurring early in deformation processes. As illustrated by analysis of intrusion models, the monoscopic method allows prediction of fault locations and main displacement locations. It can also anticipate the principal strain directions, and separate different deformation stages. On the other hand, the stereo-photogrammetry technique, although more complicated, provides topography and volume changes, as well as pictures of surface displacements in three dimensions. Results are presented for the spreading of volcano models on a ductile substratum and viscous cored cones. We have found digital photogrammetry to be a useful tool for analogue modelling, because it provides quantitative data on surface displacements, including movement invisible to the eye, as well as topographic changes. It is a good method for investigating and comparing different deformation mechanisms. It is especially useful for interpretation of displacement patterns obtained from monitoring of natural active volcanoes. In fact, results of the methods used in the laboratory can be directly compared with field data from geodetic or photogrammetric surveys, as at Mount St. Helens in 1980.     

Core mantle boundary topography from short period PcP, PKP, and PKKP data

We use a total of 839,369 PcP, PKPab, PKPbc, PKPdf, PKKPab, and PKKPbc residual travel times from [Bull. Seism. Soc. Am. 88 (1998) 722] grouped in 29,837 summary rays to constrain lateral variation in the depth to the core-mantle boundary (CMB). We assumed a homogeneous outer core, and the data were corrected for mantle structure and inner-core anisotropy. Inversions of separate data sets yield amplitude variations of up to 5 km for PcP, PKPab, PKPbc, and PKKP and 13 km for PKPdf. This is larger than the CMB undulations inferred in geodetic studies and, moreover, the PcP results are not readily consistent with the inferences from PKP and PKKP. Although the source-receiver ambiguity for the core-refracted phases can explain some of it, this discrepancy suggest that the travel-time residuals cannot be explained by topography alone. The wavespeed perturbations in the tomographic model used for the mantle corrections might be too small to fully account for the trade off between volumetric heterogeneity and CMB topography. In a second experiment we therefore re-applied corrections for mantle structure outside a basal 290 km-thick layer and inverted all data jointly for both CMB topography and volumetric heterogeneity within this layer. The resultant CMB model can explain PcP, PKP, and PKKP residuals and has approximately 0.2 km excess core ellipticity, which is in good agreement with inferences from free core nutation observations. Joint inversion yields a peak-to-peak amplitude of CMB topography of about 3 km, and the inversion yields velocity variations of ±5% in the basal layer. The latter suggests a strong trade-off between topography and volumetric heterogeneity, but uncertainty analyses suggest that the variation in core radius can be resolved. The spherical averages of all inverted topographic models suggest that the data are best fit if the actual CMB radius is 1.5 km less than in the Earth reference model used (i.e. the average outer core radius would be 3478 km).     

The Lower Wonderfontein Spruit: an exposé

During the nineteenth century the Wonderfontein Valley and Spruit were described as a 'natural jewel' by adventurers. The valley underlain by dolomitic aquifers contained copious volumes of water and partly overlies gold-mining excavations, which were under a threat of flooding. For safety and economic reasons, large-scale dewatering of some of the dolomitic aquifers was decided upon as a matter of policy. This led to the lowering of the water table, which accelerated the formation of sinkholes and dolines in geologically sensitive areas. The streambed along approximately the first 30 km of the Lower Wonderfontein Spruit is particularly vulnerable. The mining sector attempted to rehabilitate the affected parts of the streambed by filling the sinkholes with various materials. Unfortunately, many of the treated sinkholes were reactivated by storm flow.     

A study on the structure of the convective atmosphere over the Bay of Bengal during BOBMEX-99

Convective activity is one of the major processes in the atmosphere influencing the local and large-scale weather in the tropics. The latent heat released by the cumulus cloud is known to drive monsoon circulation, which on the other hand supplies the moisture that maintains the cumulus clouds. An investigation is carried out on the convective structure of the atmosphere during active and suppressed periods of convection using data sets obtained from the Bay of Bengal and Monsoon Experiment (BOBMEX). The cumulus convection though being a small-scale phenomenon, still influences its embedding environment by interaction through various scales. This study shows the variation in the kinematic and convective parameters during the transition from suppressed to active periods of convection. Convergence in the lower levels and strong upward vertical velocity, significant during active convection are associated with the formation of monsoon depressions. The apparent heat source due to latent heat release and the vertical transport of the eddy heat by cumulus convection, and the apparent moisture sink due to net condensation and vertical divergence of the eddy transport of moisture, are estimated through residuals of the thermodynamic equation and examined in relation to monsoon activity during BOBMEX.