Photon scattering in the solar ultraviolet lines of He i and He ii

Observations made with the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory ( SOHO ) are used to investigate the behaviour of the intensities of the emission lines of He  i , He  ii and O  iii at the quiet Sun-centre and at  θ= 60°  towards the equatorial limb. The aim is to examine the possible effects of photon scattering on the spatial variation of the optically thick helium lines. At the quiet Sun-centre, we find that, in agreement with previous work, the ratios of the intensities of the He  i 584-Å and He  ii 304-Å lines to those of the O  iii 600-Å line decrease systematically as the intensity of the O  iii line increases. However, we find that the dependence of these ratios on the O  iii intensity is not unique, but differs between the individual regions studied. Similar results are found at  θ= 60°  . We have also used line intensities and intensity ratios to investigate limb-to-disc effects and variations across a sample of supergranulation cell boundaries and adjacent cell interiors at both locations. The results do not exclude photon scattering as the cause of the larger observed ratios in cell interiors. The differences between the apparent widths of boundaries in O  iii at Sun-centre and 60° show that the emitting material is extended in height, which will aid the process of scattering into cell interiors. Photon scattering could also account for the lack of oscillations in the He  i intensities in a cell interior studied by Pietarila & Judge. Three-dimensional radiative transfer calculations in chosen geometries are now needed to account for the observations in detail.     

Odyssey: a solar system mission

The Solar System Odyssey mission uses modern-day high-precision experimental techniques to test the laws of fundamental physics which determine dynamics in the solar system. It could lead to major discoveries by using demonstrated technologies and could be flown within the Cosmic Vision time frame. The mission proposes to perform a set of precision gravitation experiments from the vicinity of Earth to the outer Solar System. Its scientific objectives can be summarized as follows: (1) test of the gravity force law in the Solar System up to and beyond the orbit of Saturn; (2) precise investigation of navigation anomalies at the fly-bys; (3) measurement of Eddington’s parameter at occultations; (4) mapping of gravity field in the outer solar system and study of the Kuiper belt. To this aim, the Odyssey mission is built up on a main spacecraft, designed to fly up to 13 AU, with the following components: (a) a high-precision accelerometer, with bias-rejection system, measuring the deviation of the trajectory from the geodesics, that is also giving gravitational forces; (b) Ka-band transponders, as for Cassini, for a precise range and Doppler measurement up to 13 AU, with additional VLBI equipment; (c) optional laser equipment, which would allow one to improve the range and Doppler measurement, resulting in particular in an improved measurement (with respect to Cassini) of the Eddington’s parameter. In this baseline concept, the main spacecraft is designed to operate beyond the Saturn orbit, up to 13 AU. It experiences multiple planetary fly-bys at Earth, Mars or Venus, and Jupiter. The cruise and fly-by phases allow the mission to achieve its baseline scientific objectives [(1) to (3) in the above list]. In addition to this baseline concept, the Odyssey mission proposes the release of the Enigma radio-beacon at Saturn, allowing one to extend the deep space gravity test up to at least 50 AU, while achieving the scientific objective of a mapping of gravity field in the outer Solar System [(4) in the above list].      

The anomalous intensities of helium lines in the quiet solar transition region

Previous studies using observations made at low spatial and spectral resolution showed that the resonance lines of He  i and He  ii are anomalously strong in the quiet Sun when compared with other transition region lines formed at similar temperatures. Here, the higher spatial and spectral resolution provided by the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer ( cds ) instrument on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory ( SOHO ) is used to re-examine the behaviour of the He  i and He  ii lines and other transition region lines, in quiet regions near Sun centre. Supergranulation cell boundaries and cell interiors are examined separately. Near-simultaneous observations with the sumer instrument provide information on the lower transition region and the electron pressure. While the lines of He  i and He  ii have a common behaviour, as do the other transition region lines, the behaviour of the helium lines relative to the other transition region lines is significantly different. The emission measure distributions that account for all transition region lines, except those of helium, fail to produce sufficient emission in the He  i and He  ii resonance lines by around an order of magnitude, in both supergranulation cell boundary and cell interior regions. The electron pressure appears to be higher in the cell interiors than in the average cell boundaries, although the uncertainties are large. While the VAL-D model gives a closer match to the He  i 584.3-Å line, it does not successfully reproduce other transition region lines.     

Summer soil moisture loss at Utah SNOTEL sites and streamflow recession at nearby gauges: variability in runoff generation and the potential for flow forecasting

This analysis compares decreases in soil moisture (SM) at Utah snow telemetry (SNOTEL) sites during the summer months with discharge at nearby stream gauging locations using data from water years 2008–2012. The following characteristics were evaluated: (1) the influence of the SM loss at mid‐depths (20 cm) on hydrograph recession, (2) the influence of moisture loss from deeper portions of the soil (50 cm) on late‐season baseflow and (3) the timing of this transition. Thirty‐four pairings were used between SNOTEL sites and nearby stream gauges in select locations throughout Utah, for 3–5 years each depending on data quality, to generate 143 total comparisons of soil moisture loss and stream discharge. Regressions were fairly strong (r² > 0.8) where the SNOTEL site was in a location with slow meltout rates, ample infiltration and minimal summer precipitation. In a few cases, the correlation was remarkably strong (r² > 0.95), even for SNOTEL sites located far from respective stream gauges (e.g. >30‐km, >1000‐m elevation difference for the best pairing). At such sites, transition timing in 2013 (between predominantly 20‐ vs 50‐cm SM loss) was well predicted from 2012 data given the similarity in water years, with discharges at the transition point less than 30% different than observed values in 2013. An index of the robustness of each pairing was generated to determine where this type of analysis might be most successful; however, results suggest that identification of high‐quality pairings may need to be site by site. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Land Cover Changes on Ambergris Caye,Belize: A Case Study of Unregulated Tourism Development

Measuring land-use, land-cover change in biodiverse, tropical countries is critical for conservation management and sustainable planning because it provides quantifiable data regarding broad environmental changes. This project uses Landsat satellite imagery to document vegetation cover change on Ambergris Caye, Belize, from 2000 to 2017. The close proximity of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System has made Ambergris Caye the most popular tourist destination and economic hub in Belize. As a result, the region has undergone intense commercial and residential development coupled with rapid population growth over the past two decades. Understanding general trends in landscape dynamics is critical for the natural resource–based tourism industry of Belize to continue to thrive. Unsupervised classification methods and a per pixel postclassification comparison were used with Landsat imagery to estimate loss in vegetation cover and increases in urban and barren land. The results indicate a 10.85 percent decrease in vegetation and a 39 percent increase in urban and barren land during the seventeen-year study period with an annual forest loss rate of 0.67 percent per year using a compound interest rate formula. The results of this analysis represent a baseline study of vegetation change on Ambergris Caye to inform management and conservation efforts.     

Parameterizing turbulent exchange over sea ice: the ice station weddell results

A 4-month deployment on Ice Station Weddell (ISW) in the western Weddell Sea yielded over 2000 h of nearly continuous surface-level meteorological data, including eddy-covariance measurements of the turbulent surface fluxes of momentum, and sensible and latent heat. Those data lead to a new parameterization for the roughness length for wind speed, z₀, for snow-covered sea ice that combines three regimes: an aerodynamically smooth regime, a high-wind saltation regime, and an intermediate regime between these two extremes where the macroscale or `permanent' roughness of the snow and ice determines z₀. Roughness lengths for temperature, z_T, computed from this data set corroborate the theoretical model that Andreas published in 1987. Roughness lengths for humidity,z_Q, do not support this model as conclusively but are all, on average, within an order of magnitude of its predictions. Only rarely arez_Tand z_Q equal to z₀. These parameterizations have implications for models that treat the atmosphere-ice-ocean system.     

Radio-continuum study of the nearby Sculptor group Galaxies. Part 2: NGC 55 at λ=20, 13, 6 and 3 cm

A series of new radio-continuum (λ=20, 13, 6 and 3 cm) mosaic images focused on the NGC 55 galactic system were produced using archived observational data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array. These new images are both very sensitive (down to rms=33 μJy) and feature high angular resolution (down to <4″). Using these newly created images, 66 previously unidentified discrete sources are identified. Of these sources, 46 were classified as background sources, 11 as H?ii regions and 6 as supernova remnant candidates. This relatively low number of SNR candidates detected coupled with the low number of large H?ii regions is consistent with the estimated low star formation rate of the galaxy at 0.06 M _⊙?year^?1. Our spectral index map shows that the core of galaxy appears to have a shallow spectral index between α=?0.2 and ?0.4. This indicates that the core of the galaxy is a region of high thermal radiation output.     

Simultaneous interplanetary scintillation and optical measurements of the acceleration of the slow solar wind

Simultaneous observations of the slow solar wind off the southeast limb of the Sun were made in May 1999 using optical measurements from the C2 and C3 LASCO coronagraphs on board the SOHO spacecraft and radio-scattering measurements from the MERLIN and EISCAT facilities. The observations show the slow solar wind accelerating outwards from 4.5 solar radii (R), reaching a final velocity of 200–300 km s^-1 by 25–30 R. The acceleration profile indicated by these results is more gentle than the average profile seen in earlier LASCO observations of larger scale features, but is within the variation seen in these studies.