Reduction of geomagnetic measurements at sea in the vicinity of the geomagnetic equator

Summary On the dayside of the Earth, a huge current system, the so-called equatorial electrojet, flows along the magnetic dip equator in the ionosphere, mainly in easterly direction. At the surface of the Earth it generates strong variations of the geomagnetic field which severely impair marine geomagnetic measurements. Independent of its changing intensity, the position of the current system is remarkably constant.For marine geomagnetic measurements in the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea the latitude dependence of the variations was determined from the data themselves, using an appropriate functional relation. By a digital filter it was taken into consideration that the slowly changing parts are less latitude-dependent. Thus, with one recording station, it was possible to reduce the variations to only 15% of their original size for distances up to 500 km.Using the comprehensive data set of two research cruises into the Dangerous Grounds area of the South China Sea, it is shown which statements on the structure of the crust are possible with the corrected data.

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Die Reduktion erdmagnetischer Messungen auf See in der Nähe des magnetischen Äquators

Zusammenfassung Entlang des magnetischen Inklinations-Äquators fließt auf der Tagseite der Erde in der Ionosphäre ein riesiges Stromsystem, der sogenannte Äquatoriale Elektroje. Es erzeugt an der Erdoberfläche starke zeitliche Veränderungen des erdmagnetischen Feldes, die seemagnetische Vermessungen erheblich beeinträchtigen. Die Lage des Stromsystems ist auch bei wechselnden Stromstärken bemerkenswert konstant. Für seemagnetische Messungen im Südchinesischen Meer wurde die Breitenabhängigkeit der Variationen unter Benutzung eines geeigneten Funktionsansatzes aus den Daten selbst bestimmt. Durch eine Filterung wurde berücksichtigt, daß langsam veränderliche Anteile weniger stark breitenabhängig sind. Dadurch gelang es, die Variationen unter Benutzung einer einzigen Registrierstation in Entfernungen bis 500 km auf nur 15% zu reduzieren.An Hand des umfangreichen Meßdatensatzes zweier Forschungsfahrten in das Gebiet der Dangerous Grounds im Südchinesischen Meer wird gezeigt, welche geowissenschaftlichen Aussagen über den Aufbau der Erdkruste nach der Verbesserung möglich werden.

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Réduction des mesures de magnétisme à la mer effectuées au voisinage de l'équateur géomagnétique

Résumé Du côté jour de la terre, un flux plasmatique puissant appelé électrojet équatorial s'écoule le long de l'équateur magnétique (champ total et composante horizontale identiques) dans l'ionosphère, principalement en direction de l'Est. Ce flux engendre à la surface du globe de fortes variations du champ géomagnétique, qui ont pour effet de perturber sévèrement les mesures de magnétisme à la mer. La position de ce courant est d'une constance remarquable, et indépendante de ses variations d'intensité.Pour les mesures de magnétisme effectuées dans les mers de Chine Sud et de Sulu, les variations en fonction de la latitude ont été déterminées à partir des données elles-mêmes, au moyen de relations fonctionelles appropriées. L'emploi d'un filtre digital a permis de tenir compte du fait que les éléments variables lentement sont moins dépendants de la latitude. C'est ainsi qu'avec une station d'enregistrement, il a été possible de réduire les variations à 15% seulement de leur valeur originale jusqu'à des distances de 500 km.En s'appuyant sur la collection très complète de données recueillies au cours de deux campagnes de recherche effectuées dans la zone des Hauts-fonds dangereux, au Sud de la mer de Chine, on montre les hypothèses qu'il est possible de formuler quant à la structure de la croûte, à partir des données corrigées.

     

Application of fluid mechanic principles to the study of geodynamic processes at trench-arc-back arc systems

Geological processes at trench-arc-back arc systems are some of the most complex tectonic processes in need of study. A large amount of data based on geological and geophysical observations has been accumulated. To synthesize these data, mathematical models have proven to be very useful. Because geological processes are directly related to the dynamical behavior of the solid earth, many of them can be investigated in terms of fluid flow models. Some applications of fluid flow principles in studying tectonic processes at convergent plate boundaries are discussed in this paper. When mantle processes are modeled as convective systems, they are found to have direct implications for the determination of slab dip angles. Additionally, they can also account for the high heat flows in the back arc basins, provide a mechanism for back arc opening, and resolve the question whether subducted oceanic crust can reach melting at shallow depth for island arc magma generation. Besides mantle processes, flow models can also be used to study surface processes. A simple one-parameter plane flow theory is used to model the evolution of trench geometries. This model is able to fit simulataneously the trench curvature and the differential paleomagnetic rotation between volcanic islands for the Mariana. Despite the simplicity of many of these models, their ability to synthesize geological and geophysical data at convergent plate boundaries is quite remarkable.     

Hypoxia and salinity in Virginia estuaries

Hypoxia, periods of reduced dissolved oxygen concentrations, has been observed not only in the Chesapeake Bay but also in the deeper waters of the Virginia estuaries that are tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay. When water temperature exceeded 20°C, minimum oxygen concentrations were observed to be <50% of saturation concentrations in 75%, 50% and 2% of the surveys in the estuaries of the Rappahannock, York and James rivers, respectively. The observation that hypoxia rarely occurred in the James River is surprising, given the fact that it receives the greatest amount of wastewater. Analysis of the oxygen budgets in these estuaries indicates that the variations in the frequency, duration, and severity of hypoxia are related to the net movement of bottom waters. This relationship has significant implications for the management of water quality and marine fisheries.     

The climatic response of the Arctic Ocean to Soviet river diversions

A numerical model is constructed to evaluate the effect of river diversions on the circulation of the Arctic Ocean, including the climatically important response in the extent of sea ice. The ocean model solves the primitive equations of motion in finite-difference form for the irregular geometry of the Arctic Ocean and Greenland/Norwegian Sea, using 110 km horizontal grid spacing and up to 13 unevenly spaced levels in the vertical. Annual mean atmospheric conditions and river discharges are specified from observations. The presence of sea ice is diagnosed on the basis of model ocean temperature; and the effects of sea ice on the surface fluxes of momentum, heat, and salt are included in a simplified way. Lateral exchanges at the southernmost boundary are held near observed values but respond to circulation changes in the Greenland/Norwegian Sea. Three equilibrium solutions are obtained by eighty-year integrations from simple initial conditions: the first with inflow from all rivers, the second with one-third of the inflow diverted from four major rivers (the Ob, Yenesei, Dvina, and Pechora), and the third with total diversion from those rivers. The middle case corresponds to maximal diversions which are either planned or envisioned by the Soviet Union over the next fifty years, whereas the final extreme case is run in the event that model sensitivity is low relative to that of nature.The control integration gives a good simulation of known water masses and currents. In the Central Arctic, for example, the model correctly predicts a strong shallow halocline, a relatively warm intermediate layer of Atlantic origin, and a temperature jump across the deep Lomonosov Ridge. The overall pattern of surface salinity and the margin of the pack ice are also properly simulated.When runoff into the marginal Kara and Barents Seas is diverted, either in part or in full, almost no effect on the halocline results in the Central Arctic. In particular, deep convection does not develop in the Eurasian Basin, the possibility of which was suggested by Aagaard and Coachman (1975). The vertical stability within the two marginal seas is considerably decreased by the total diversion of four rivers, but not to the point of convective overturning. The surface currents in this area change to confine the water with increased salinity to the shelf region. At deeper levels, an increased salinity tongue spreads into the deep basins of the ice-free Greenland/Norwegian Sea, where existing deep convection is slightly enhanced. As a result, there is some additional heat loss from the Atlantic layer before it enters the Central Arctic. The ice extent remains nearly the same as before within the Kara and Barents Seas. In fact, since modified bottom currents over the continental shelf bring in less heat from the Greenland Sea, an increased thickness of sea ice may result there, in spite of reduced vertical stability. These model responses are generally in agreement with those suggested by Micklin (1981) and by Soviet investigations of the effect of river diversions. These annualmean results should be regarded as tentative, pending confirmation by studies which include the seasonal cycles of runoff and atmospheric forcing.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Remote sensing documentation of historic rangeland remediation treatments in southern New Mexico

The Jornada Experimental Range and the New Mexico State University Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center are fruitful areas to study the long-term effects of rangeland remediation treatments which started in the 1930s. A number of diverse manipulations were completed under the direction of federal agency and university scientists, and abundant remote sensing imagery is available to assist in relocating the treatments and evaluating their success. This is particularly important because few of the treatments were maintained following the loss of scientific personnel coinciding with the start of World War II, and most records of Civilian Conservation Corps scientific work were lost with the disbanding of the agency in 1942. Aerial photography, which was systematically used to image the United States beginning in the 1930s, can be used to identify types of treatments, measure areal coverage, estimate longevity, and help plan locations for new experiments. No long-lasting vegetation response could be determined for contour terraces, brush water spreaders, strips grubbed free of shrubs (despite the fact that these strips have remained visible for 65 years), and mechanical rootplowing and seeding. Distinct positive, long-term vegetation responses could be seen in aerial photos for water retention dikes, certain fenced exclosures, and some boundaries where different land management practices meet. It appears from both aerial photos and existing conventional records that experimental manipulation of rangelands has often been ineffective on the landscape scale because treatments are not performed over large enough contiguous areas and hydrological and ecological processes overwhelm the treatments. In addition, treatments are not maintained over time, treatment evaluation periods are sometimes too short, multi-purpose treatments are not used to maximize effects, and treatments are often not located in appropriate sites.     

Catastrophic rockslide-debris avalanche at St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines

On 17 February 2006, a rockslide-debris avalanche cascaded down the steep slope of Mt. Can-abag, burying the entire village of Guinsaugon in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines. Casualties include 139 dead with 980 still missing and presumed dead, making it perhaps the most catastrophic landslide in Philippine history. The landslide started at the ridge top along a fault plane associated with the active Philippine Fault Zone. It started as a block slide that transformed into an avalanche. The entire event lasted for only a few minutes. Estimated maximum landslide velocity is 120–130 m/s. The landslide left behind a deep, wedge-shaped scarp. The central part of the deposit exhibits a hummocky topography typical of avalanches, in contrast to the flatter surface of the debris-flow-type marginal deposit. High amounts of soil in the matrix were derived from the scouring of ancient landslide deposits and rice fields in the valley. The landslide has a total area of 3.2 km² and a runout distance of 4.1 km. Estimated volume of debris is approximately 20 Mm³. At least four streams were dammed by the landslide debris. Intense precipitation and earthquakes preceding the landslide are the potential triggers. Preliminary back analyses assuming a planar and wedge slip surface yielded very low factors of safety even under dry conditions. A more rigorous analysis of the failure mechanism of the landslide is needed.     

The infrared [WC] stars

A number of late [WC] stars have unique infrared properties, not foundamong the non-[WC] planetary nebulae, and together define a class of IR-[WC]stars. They have unusual IRAS colours, resembling stars in theearliest post-AGB evolution and possibly related to PAH formation.Most or all show a double chemistry, with both a neutral (molecular)oxygen-rich and an inner carbon-rich region. Their dense nebulae indicaterecent evolution from the AGB, suggesting a fatal-thermal-pulse (FTP)scenario. Although both the colours and the stellar characteristicspredict fast evolution, it is shown that this phase must last for10⁴ yr. The morphologies of the nebulae are discussed. Forone object in Sgr, the progenitor mass (1.3 M_⊙) is known.The stellar temperatures of the IR-[WC] stars appear much higher inlow metallicity systems (LMC, Sgr). This may be indicative of anextended `pseudo' photosphere. It is proposed that re-accretion ofejected gas may slow down the post-AGB evolution and so extend the lifetime of the IR-[WC] stars.