A skeleton design theory for spatial data infrastructure

In this paper, we look into the theory of designing geoservice systems, i.e., SDI networks and their constituent SDI nodes. As the field of SDI is strongly about bridging between geoservice systems, interoperability and harmonisation, it is not surprising that standardisation efforts are of crucial importance in it. These efforts have historically addressed abstract and concrete content models for data and metadata exchange, as well as abstract and concrete behavioural models for computational processes. The list of standards that are in use in the SDI field continues to expand, and reaches out to neighbouring fields such as sensor nets. We argue that given these trends, the resulting levels of standardisation in actual systems, and the complexity of geoservice systems in general, it appears only natural to look into the possibility to define a standardised design theory for SDI and its nodes, which addresses the function base and the communication base. Specifically, we provide an overview of those components that need to be designed, and what are their relationships. We do so in an abstract way, focussing on the concern of information content in this paper, and only hinting at an appropriate theory of realisation based on our skeleton theory.     

Selective transport of heavy minerals by shoaling waves

A model to account for the occurrence of heavy mineral concentrations as discrete lamina on beaches is presented. The model is based on the shoreward variation in the distribution of bottom fluid velocities due to shoaling, progressive, gravity, water waves. This variation causes certain portions of the sediment population to be transported shoreward at a faster rate than other portions. On moderate energy shorelines composed of sand-sized sediment the selectively transported portion may include the relatively hard-to-move heavy mineral fraction. Wave tank experiments with artificially prepared sediment populations provide empirical support for the proposed model. Under certain wave conditions it was found that the heavy mineral fraction of the sediment population moved shoreward at a faster rate than did the light mineral fraction.     

THE DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGICAL-BIOLOGICAL FEATURES OF CREPIDULA ONYX IN HONG KONG

C. onyx, originally distributed in California, was found in great quantities in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong in 1982 and was identified according to the study of its morphology and the radula teeth. Lots of the individuals of the species lived in overlapping colony, with the female at the lower, and the male in the upper while the sex-transforming individual at the middle. They attached on the shells of Perna viridis in a high density of 715 ind./m2. Studies have been carried out on its population structure, individual size, age and sex composition and on reproductive biology, such as sex transformation, change of the length of penis and fecundity.     

Spectral surface albedo over Morocco and its impact on radiative forcing of Saharan dust

In May–June 2006, airborne and ground-based solar (0.3–2.2 μm) and thermal infrared (4–42 μm) radiation measurements have been performed in Morocco within the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment (SAMUM). Upwelling and downwelling solar irradiances have been measured using the Spectral Modular Airborne Radiation Measurement System (SMART)-Albedometer. With these data, the areal spectral surface albedo for typical surface types in southeastern Morocco was derived from airborne measurements for the first time. The results are compared to the surface albedo retrieved from collocated satellite measurements, and partly considerable deviations are observed. Using measured surface and atmospheric properties, the spectral and broad-band dust radiative forcing at top-of-atmosphere (TOA) and at the surface has been estimated. The impact of the surface albedo on the solar radiative forcing of Saharan dust is quantified. In the SAMUM case of 19 May 2006, TOA solar radiative forcing varies by 12 W m⁻² per 0.1 surface-albedo change. For the thermal infrared component, values of up to +22 W m⁻² were derived. The net (solar plus thermal infrared) TOA radiative forcing varies between −19 and +24 W m⁻² for a broad-band solar surface albedo of 0.0 and 0.32, respectively. Over the bright surface of southeastern Morocco, the Saharan dust always has a net warming effect.     

Sea‐level and climatic controls on Late Pleistocene coastal aeolianites in the Cap Bon peninsula,northeastern Tunisia

Elmejdoub, N., Mauz, B. & Jedoui, Y. 2010: Sea‐level and climatic controls on Late Pleistocene coastal aeolianites in the Cap Bon peninsula, northeastern Tunisia. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00162.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. The chronology of coastal dunes (aeolianites) along the western littoral of the Cap Bon peninsula (northeastern Tunisia) was investigated using an optical dating technique to examine their tentative correlation with the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) record. These dunes, formed under a northwesterly wind regime and supplied by sand from the shore, are an indicator of sea‐level and climate changes. We obtained optically stimulated luminescence ages for these aeolianites ranging from 112±10 to 53±2 ka and clustering around the last interglacial period (～125–75 ka), implying that the former stratigraphic allocation of these dunes is inaccurate. The optical chronology suggests dune formation during MIS 5 in association with a sea level lower than today but higher than the glacial sea‐level lowstand.     

A model for large glacial–interglacial climate-induced changes in dust and sea salt concentrations in deep ice cores (central Antarctica): palaeoclimatic implications and prospects for refining ice core chronologies

A semi-empirical model has been developed to reproduce glacial–interglacial changes of continental dust and marine sodium concentrations (factor of ∼50 and ∼5, respectively) observed in inland Antarctic ice cores. The model uses conceptual pathways of aerosols within the high troposphere; assumes the dry deposition of impurities on the Antarctic surface; uses estimates of aerosol transit times taken independent of climate; assumes a temperature-dependent removal process during aerosol pathways from the mid-latitudes. The model is fitted to the data over the last four climate cycles from Vostok and EPICA Dome C Antarctic sites. As temperature is cooling, the aerosol response suggests different modes of climate couplings between latitudes, which can be continuous or below temperature thresholds for sodium and dust, respectively. The model estimates a southern South America dust source activity two to three times higher for glacial periods than for the Holocene and a glacial temperature over the Southern Ocean 3–5 °C cooler. Both estimates appear consistent with independent observations. After removal of temperature effects, dust and sodium residuals for both sites show orbital frequencies in opposite phase at the precession timescale. Such long-term insolation-related modulation of terrestrial and marine aerosol input, could provide a chemical pacemaker useful for refining ice core chronologies.     

An efficient retrospective optimal interpolation algorithm compared with the fixed-lag Kalman smoother by assuming a perfect model

We developed an efficient retrospective optimal interpolation (ROI) algorithm by which we can avoid the overlap of model integration periods, which appears in the procedure of evolving a previous analysis error covariance. If the fixed-lag Kalman smoother (FLKS) is used to determine the analysis state at the beginning of the fixed analysis window as is done for ROI, the FLKS can be considered a suboptimal version of the efficient ROI when the involved model is non-linear and has no errors. We confirm that the efficient ROI analyses are more accurate than the FLKS analyses with the increase of the analysis window size. Nevertheless, the computation costs for implementing efficient ROI are almost the same as those for FLKS. Additionally, the reduced-rank version of the efficient ROI is developed based on the accuracy-saturation property.
From the experiments using Lorenz 3-variable model, it is confirmed that the non-linearity of numerical model, which becomes stronger with the increase of the analysis window size, makes the analysis of efficient ROI more accurate than that of FLKS. Our Lorenz 40-variable experiments show that the average analysis error of the efficient ROI is smaller than that of the FLKS for an analysis window size of up to 4 d. However, the efficient ROI and the FLKS requires almost the same costs for computation. From the results of Lorenz 40-variable model experiments, it is suggested that, by using the reduced-rank formulation of the efficient ROI, we can obtain the suboptimal analysis more cost-effectively rather than FLKS.     

The H2/CO ratio of emissions from combustion sources: comparison of top-down with bottom-up measurements in southwest Germany

The hydrogen-to-carbon monoxide (H₂/CO) emission ratio of anthropogenic combustion sources was determined from more than two years of quasi-continuous atmospheric observations in Heidelberg (49°24' N, 8°42' E), located in the polluted Rhein-Neckar region. Evaluating concurrent mixing ratio changes of H₂ and CO during morning rush hours yielded mean molar H₂/CO ratios of 0.40 ± 0.06, while respective results inferred from synoptic pollution events gave a mean value of 0.31 ± 0.05 mole H₂/mole CO. After correction for the influence of the H₂ soil sink on the measured ratios, mean values of 0.46 ± 0.07 resp. 0.48 ± 0.07 mole H₂/mole CO were obtained, which are in excellent agreement with direct source studies of traffic emissions in the Heidelberg/Mannheim region (0.448 ± 0.003 mole H₂/mole CO). Including results from other European studies, our best estimate of the mean H₂/CO emission ratio from anthropogenic combustion sources (mainly traffic) ranges from 0.45 to 0.48 mole H₂/mole CO, which is about 20% smaller than the value of 0.59 mole H₂/mole CO which is frequently used as the basis to calculate global H₂ emissions from anthropogenic combustion sources.