Experimental estimation of velocities and anisotropy of a series of Swedish crystalline rocks and ores

To provide a guide for future deep (<1.5 km) seismic mineral exploration and to better understand the nature of reflections imaged by surface reflection seismic data in two mining camps and a carbonatite complex of Sweden, more than 50 rock and ore samples were collected and measured for their seismic velocities. The samples are geographically from the northern and central parts of Sweden, ranging from metallic ore deposits, meta‐volcanic and meta‐intrusive rocks to deformed and metamorphosed rocks. First, ultrasonic measurements of P‐ and S‐wave velocities at both atmospheric and elevated pressures, using 0.5 MHz P‐ and S‐wave transducers were conducted. The ultrasonic measurements suggest that most of the measured velocities show positive correlation with the density of the samples with an exception of a massive sulphide ore sample that shows significant low P‐ and S‐wave velocities. The low P‐ and S‐wave velocities are attributed to the mineral texture of the sample and partly lower pyrite content in comparison with a similar type sample obtained from Norway, which shows significantly higher P‐ and S‐wave velocities. Later, an iron ore sample from the central part of Sweden was measured using a low‐frequency (0.1–50 Hz) apparatus to provide comparison with the ultrasonic velocity measurements. The low‐frequency measurements indicate that the iron ore sample has minimal dispersion and attenuation. The iron ore sample shows the highest acoustic impedance among our samples suggesting that these deposits are favourable targets for seismic methods. This is further demonstrated by a real seismic section acquired over an iron ore mine in the central part of Sweden. Finally, a laser‐interferometer device was used to analyse elastic anisotropy of five rock samples taken from a major deformation zone in order to provide insights into the nature of reflections observed from the deformation zone. Up to 10% velocity‐anisotropy is estimated and demonstrated to be present for the samples taken from the deformation zone using the laser‐interferometery measurements. However, the origin of the reflections from the major deformation zone is attributed to a combination of anisotropy and amphibolite lenses within the deformation zone.     

It starts at home? Climate policies targeting household consumption and behavioral decisions are key to low-carbon futures

Through their consumption behavior, households are responsible for 72% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, they are key actors in reaching the 1.5 °C goal under the Paris Agreement. However, the possible contribution and position of households in climate policies is neither well understood, nor do households receive sufficiently high priority in current climate policy strategies. This paper investigates how behavioral change can achieve a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in European high-income countries. It uses theoretical thinking and some core results from the HOPE research project, which investigated household preferences for reducing emissions in four European cities in France, Germany, Norway and Sweden. The paper makes five major points: First, car and plane mobility, meat and dairy consumption, as well as heating are the most dominant components of household footprints. Second, household living situations (demographics, size of home) greatly influence the household potential to reduce their footprint, even more than country or city location. Third, household decisions can be sequential and temporally dynamic, shifting through different phases such as childhood, adulthood, and illness. Fourth, short term voluntary efforts will not be sufficient by themselves to reach the drastic reductions needed to achieve the 1.5 °C goal; instead, households need a regulatory framework supporting their behavioral changes. Fifth, there is a mismatch between the roles and responsibilities conveyed by current climate policies and household perceptions of responsibility. We then conclude with further recommendations for research and policy.     

The positions of H+, Li+ and Na+ impurities in beryl

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) measurements show that Li⁺ impurities are located at two different positions in beryl, one in the crystal lattice and the other in the crystal channel. The position of the Li⁺ impurity in the lattice is generally assumed to be at the site of a missing Be²⁺ ion. It is shown that this is not the case, but that the Li⁺ ion is located in a tetrahedron formed by the oxygens of one side of the Be tetrahedron and the nearest oxygen in the channel ring. This Li site has the coordinates (0.423, 0.344, 0.167) and can only be occupied when the neighbouring Be site is empty. There are four such sites around every Be tetrahedron at the distance of 1.46 Å from the Be site. The distance from the Li site to the oxygens of the Li tetrahedron is 1.84 Å. This compares favourably with the much smaller distance of 1.65 Å in the Be tetrahedron. Protons in beryl are trapped at or near these Li sites. Na⁺ is known to be located at the 2b position at the center of the silicate rings, where it is stabilized by one water molecule located at each of the two surrounding 2a sites. This is also the position of Li⁺ in the beryl channel. It is found that the presence of Na⁺ in the ring of six oxygens reduces the radius of this ring. The Na⁺ impurity has also been supposed to be located at position 2a alone and at 2b stabilized by only one water molecule. It is now proposed that Na⁺ and H₂O are located together in the Al–Be plane when only one water molecule is associated with Na⁺. The water oxygen is located at or near 2a and Na is closer to the Be site in tetrahedral beryl and closer to the Al site in octahedral beryl. It is proposed that the water protons are also located in the Al–Be plane, which would mean that there exists a third type of water in beryl. The origin of protons and OH^? ions in beryl is discussed and it is suggested that the plugs in the beryl channels are CO ₃ ^2? ions. Diffusion of OH^? ions and natural radiation may have led to the creation of NO₃ and the blue colour of Maxixe beryl.     

The 550-au Mission: a critical discussion

We have studied the science rationale, goals and requirements for a mission aimed at using the gravitational lensing from the Sun as a way of achieving high angular resolution and high signal amplification. We find that such a mission concept is compromised by several practical problems. Most severe are the effects due to the plasma in the solar atmosphere which cause refraction and scattering of the propagating rays. These effects either limit the frequencies that can be observed to those above ∼1 THz, or they move the optical point outwards beyond the vacuum value of ≥550 au. (Thus for observing frequency of 300 GHz the optical point is moved outwards to ∼ 680 au.) Density fluctuations in the inner solar atmosphere will further cause random pathlength differences for different rays. The corrections for the radiation from the Sun itself will also be a major challenge at any wavelength used, but could be mitigated with coronographic techniques. Given reasonable constraints on the spacecraft (particularly in terms of size and propulsion), source selection as well as severe navigational constraints further add to the difficulties for a potential mission. Nevertheless, unbiased surveys of small-scale structure on the sky at short wavelengths might be the most promising application of such a mission.     

What can we learn about changing ethnic diversity from the distributions of mixed-race individuals?

It is hypothesized that self-defined mixed-race persons live in residentially mixed areas in the largest metropolitan areas in California. The hypothesis is tested by examining the distribution of mixed-race persons among ethnically and racially diverse and nondiverse neighborhoods in the San Francisco and Los Angeles Metropolitan Areas. The research confirmed that mixed-race individuals are more likely to live in areas with ethnic diversity and that the tendency is greater for the mixed-race population in the San Francisco–Oakland Metropolitan Areas than in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. Mixed-race individuals live in neighborhoods which are diverse with mixes of all four major ethnic and racial groups, and in “well-off” (but not the most affluent) neighborhoods. The study also shows that the mixed-race population is youthful. The association of mixed-race individuals and racially integrated neighborhoods will have important implications for the evolving nature of spatial integration in California specifically, and the United States more generally.     

Biological and Geochemical Record of Anthropogenic Impacts in Recent Sediments from Lake Pupuke, Auckland City, New Zealand

Frozen sediment cores from Lake Pupuke in Auckland City, New Zealand, contain a high resolution decadal to annual scale record of changing lake paleoenvironments and geochemistry that reflects changing landuse and hydrology in the catchment over the past c. 190 years. A reliable chronology is available from AMS ¹⁴C and ²¹⁰Pb dating of the sediments, with the timing of the older part of the record supported by the first appearance of pollen of introduced Pinus and Plantago lanceolata associated with European settlement of Auckland in the early 1840s. Diatom stratigraphy, sediment elemental and carbon isotope geochemistry reflect changes in sediment sources and lake conditions commensurate with European development of the Lake Pupuke catchment, in particular enhanced algal productivity controlled by the influx of nutrients after c. 1920 AD. Attempts to prevent nuisance algal blooms in 1933, 1934 and 1939 using CuSO₄ addition produced Cu spikes in the sediment that allowed confirmation of the accuracy of the ²¹⁰Pb chronology. Hence, the elemental and isotopic composition of the Lake Pupuke sediments reflect the timing of significant anthropogenic activities, rather than climatic variations, that have occurred within the watershed over the past c. 190 years. The comparison of records of land use change in the catchment with the multi-proxy record of changes in the sediments usually allowed unambiguous identification of the signatures of change and their causes.     

Distribution surfaces in solvent extraction systems

In the solvent extraction of metals, the distribution of the metal is usually dependent on the concentrations of several different species in the two phases. Despite this fact, distribution isotherms are usually presented as plots of C_o as a function of C_aq and these are used for a McCabe-Thiele type evaluation of a number of stages and flow rates, etc., each individual isotherm being valid only for one set of initial conditions; this treatment limits the possibilities of optimizing the system. In the present paper an extension of three-dimensional plots is suggested with special reference to the Cu/LIX64N extraction system. The distribution surface is defined and the general properties of the plots are outlined.A procedure is outlined whereby the surface can be represented on a two dimensional plot and a theoretical model for the surface can be superimposed.The paper also shows how distribution ratios (D values) are related to the surface.     

Photometric properties of outer planetary satellites

We present optical broadband photometry for the satellites J6, J7, J8, S7, S9, U3, U4, N1, and polarimetry for J6, obtained between 1970 and 1979. The outer Jovian satellites resemble C-type asteroids; J6 has a rotational lightcurve with period ～9.5 hr. The satellites beyond Jupiter also show C-like colors with the exception of S7 Hyperion. S9 Phoebe has a rotational lightcurve with period near either 11.25 or 21.1 hr. For U4 and N1 there is evidence for a lightcurve synchronous with the orbital revolution. The seven brighter Saturnian satellites show a regular relation between the ultraviolet dropoff and distance to the planet, probably related with differences in the rock component on their surfaces.     

ENA detection in the dayside of Mars: ASPERA-3 NPD statistical study

The Analyzer of Space Plasma and EneRgetic Atoms (ASPERA-3) on board Mars Express is designed to study the interaction between the solar wind and the atmosphere of Mars and to characterize the plasma and neutral gas environment in near-Mars space. Neutral Particle Detectors (NPD-1 and 2), which form part of the ASPERA-3 instrument suite, are Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) detectors which use the time-of-flight (ToF) technique to resolve the energy of detected particles. In the present study, we perform a statistical analysis of NPD ToF data collected between 14 March 2004 and 17 June 2004 when Mars Express was located at the dayside of Mars looking toward the planet. After pre-processing and removal of UV contamination, the ToF spectra were fitted with simple analytical functions so as to derive a set of parameters. The behavior of these parameters, as a function of spacecraft position and attitude, is compared with a model, which describes ENA generation by charge exchange between shocked solar wind protons and extended Martian exosphere. The observations and the model agree well, indicating that the recorded signals are charge-exchanged shocked solar wind.