A Colliding-Winds Interpretation of the U Orbital Variation of the Symbiotic Binary AG Pegasi

The photometric U orbital variations of the symbiotic binary AG Peg, caused by occultation of a bright gaseous region by the M giant in this system, are used to determine the geometry of this region whose existence is explained in the framework of the colliding winds model. The emission of the bright region varies and a particular value of its mean density of 2–3 10¹⁰ cm^-3 has been derived. The causes for the irregular variations of the light in the orbital minimum and maximum are discussed. It is also obtained, when the mass-loss rate of the hot companion of the system decreases to about 5 10^-10 Ms _⊙ yr^-1, this bright region will disappear. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

One zone modeling of irregular variability of stellar convective envelope

One zone modeling of the irregular variability of red super-giants is intended with regard to the nonlinear coupling of finite amplitude pulsation with convection. The nonlocal mixing length is employed for the evaluation of the convective flux, the turbulent pressure and the turbulent power of temperature fluctuations. The radial pulsation and the Boussinesq convection are assumed for simplicity. The one zone is defined as the layer having the entropy maximum and the minimum at the bottom and at the top, respectively. The quasi-adiabatic approximation is consistent with this definition in fixing the zone to the same mass range. The spatial derivatives are evaluated under the assumption of homologous changes with the equilibrium homologous parameters. Then, a set of 6 simultaneous first order nonlinear ordinary differential equations are obtained as the one zone representation of the irregular variability of the convective envelope.     

A comparison of theoreticalCIV emission line strengths with active region observations obtained with the Solar EUV Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS)

Theoretical line ratios involving 2s ² S - 3p ² P, 2p ² P - 3s ² S, and 2p ² S - 3d ² D transitions inCiv between 312 and 420 Å are presented. A comparison of these with solar active region observational data obtained during a rocket flight by the Solar EUV Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS) reveals good agreement between theory and experiment, with discrepancies that average only 22%. This provides experimental support for the accuracy of the atomic data adopted in the line ratio calculations, and also resolves discrepancies found previously when the theoretical results were compared with solar data from the S082A instrument on boardSkylab. The potential usefulness of theCIV line ratios as electron temperature diagnostics for the solar transition region is briefly discussed.     

Recurrent Red-tides in the Southampton Water Estuary Caused by the Phototrophic CiliateMesodinium rubrum

In the Southampton Water estuary (southern England, U.K.), red-tides caused by the planktonic, phototrophic ciliateMesodinium rubrum(=Myrionecta rubra) occur during most summers and sometimes in autumn. These events were investigated in detail between 1985 and 1987 and were characterized by levels of chlorophylla(chl a) of over 100 μg l⁻¹, cell numbers ofM. rubrumof over 1×10³ ml⁻¹, oxygen saturations of around 150%, and depleted numbers of macrozooplankton. Initiation of red-water did not appear to be triggered by irradiance or nutrients, but coincided with an increase in temperature and water column stability. This enhanced stability was promoted by increased surface to bottom gradients of both temperature and salinity, and by reduced mixing during neap tides. Development of red-water was accompanied by removal of most of the dissolved NH⁺₄from the water column, whereas some NO⁻₃persisted, presumably maintained by freshwater input. NO⁻₃and NH⁺₄gradually returned to pre-bloom concentrations as the red-water declined in late summer. Maximal biomass ofM. rubrumappeared to be limited by irradiance, and self-shading probably imposed an upper limit of around 300 mg chl a m⁻²within the water column. At the observed levels of chl a, irradiance values within the population maximum between 1 and 3 m depth were only just of the order (≈15 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) required to balance estimated respiratory demands. Oxygen concentration became undersaturated during the late bloom phase, with minimal values of 20–30% saturation recorded in deeper waters; however, despite this and reduced numbers of macrozooplankton, direct deleterious effects on other organisms were not observed.