Lyman continuum observations of solar flares

A study is made of Lyman continuum observations of solar flares, using data obtained by the Harvard College Observatory EUV spectroheliometer on the Apollo Telescope Mount. We find that there are two main types of flare regions: an overall mean flare coincident with the H flare region, and transient Lyman continuum kernels which can be identified with the H and X-ray kernels observed by other authors. It is found that the ground level hydrogen population in flares is closer to LTE than in the quiet Sun and active regions, and that the level of Lyman continuum formation is lowered in the atmosphere from a mass column density m 5/sx 10^–6 g cm^–2 in the quiet Sun to m 3/sx 10^–4 g cm^–2 in the mean flare, and to m 10^–3g cm^–2 in kernels. From these results we derive the amount of chromospheric material evaporated into the high temperature region, which is found to be - 10¹⁵g, in agreement with observations of X-ray emission measures. A comparison is made between kernel observations and the theoretical predictions made by model heating calculations, available in the literature; significant discrepancies are found between observation and current particle-heating models.     

Soft X-ray emission and chromospheric flares

A study is made of several ATM flares, to investigate the effect of soft X-ray heating at chromospheric levels. It is shown that the amount of energy released in Ly and Lyman continuum emissions, and their spatial and temporal behavior, in compact flares correspond to what is expected from model calculations. An additional source of heating, which could be heat conduction, has to be postulated to explain ribbons of enhanced L and C ii 1336 Å emission in large flares. As expected, the effect of X-ray heating is more important in small compact flares than in large ones.     

High-temperature deformation in the Neoproterozoic transpressional Ribeira belt, southeast Brazil

The Neoproterozoic Ribeira belt is subdivided in two domains with contrasting tectonic characteristics. The northern domain is dominated by shallowly dipping foliations and orogen-normal thrust tectonics. The southern domain is characterized by a 1000-km-long network of anastomosing transcurrent shear zones parallel to the belt. This contrast is interpreted as reflecting continent–continent convergence that is almost orthogonal to the margins in the northern domain and significantly oblique in the southern domain. The central, transitional, domain of the Ribeira belt displays the northern termination of the transcurrent shear zone network: the Além Paraíba–Pádua shear zone system (APPSS). The 250-km-long Além Paraíba–Pádua system involves granulites facies mylonites deformed through transpression.A detailed study of the microstructure and lattice preferred orientation (LPO) of the rock-forming minerals in these granulite mylonites allow a better understanding of deformation mechanisms active at high temperature in the crust. Plagioclase crystals are plastically deformed; they display curved twins and cleavages, mechanical twins, and evidence of dynamic recrystallization. LPO of plagioclase is consistent with activation of the (010) [100] and (010) [001] slip systems. LPO of orthopyroxene and amphibole indicates that these minerals have been deformed through dislocation creep with the activation of the (100) [001] slip system. Quartz in granulite mylonite displays evidence of extensive growth through grain boundary migration. The LPO of quartz is therefore the result of a static transformation of an initial, syn-kinematic LPO, and cannot be straightforwardly interpreted in terms of deformation mechanisms active during mylonitization.     

Strategies to Make Methods Based on Flow Injection Analysis Greener

The implementation of flow injection analysis (FIA) systems and correlated techniques in the laboratory routine provides an increase of analytical throughput and the reduction of risks of analyte losses and contamination. Naturally, it contributes to the reduction of reagent consumption and minimization of waste generation. This paper presents and discusses an overview of the main strategies adopted to make methods based on FIA systems more environmentally friendly, and offers a review of these methods that covers the period from January 2002 to December 2019. Strategies based on reagent management (adoption of procedures without reagents, replacement of toxic reagents, recycling and reuse of reagents and, use of immobilized reagents), the online waste treatment, and the improvements of FIA systems (flow system configurations that avoid reagent wastage, use of green detectors, automation, and miniaturization) are approached in this perspective.     

Modélisation glacio-hydrologique et gestion des ressources en eau dans les Andes équatoriennes : l’exemple de Quito

La forte croissance socio-économique de Quito a conduit à d’importants projets de transferts interbassins, intensifiant la mobilisation des ressources d’altitude situées dans des zones écologiques sensibles et connaissant une fonte accélérée des glaciers. Afin d’étudier divers scénarios d’évolutions, nous proposons une modélisation du continuum climat/glacier/hydrologie/gestion des ressources en eau. Utilisant l’outil Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP), nous avons développé : (1) une modélisation hydro-climatologique semi-distribuée avec des données mensuelles homogénéisées par vectorisation régionale ; (2) une modélisation de la production en eau des glaciers et de leur évolution interannuelle ; (3) une modélisation en unités hydrologiques distinguant différentes couvertures de sols ; et (4) une modélisation de la gestion distinguant droits, allocation et usages de l’eau. Nous présentons les résultats du calage hydrologique mensuel (1963–2006), en étudiant particulièrement l’équifinalité de diverses paramétrisations. Nous montrons la souplesse, la robustesse et les limites de la modélisation proposée, contribuant à cerner différentes incertitudes dans l’évaluation de scénarios prospectifs.     

Insights about the formation of a complex impact structure formed in basalt from numerical modeling: The Vista Alegre structure,southern Brazil

We present the outcomes of simulations of the formation of the Vista Alegre impact structure, Paraná Basin, Brazil. The target comprised a thick sequence of volcanic rocks of predominantly basaltic composition of the Serra Geral Formation that had been deposited on top of sedimentary rocks (sandstones) of the Pirambóia/Botucatu formations. The cratering process was modeled using the iSALE shock physics code. Our best‐fit model suggests that (1) the crater was originally ~10 km in size; (2) it was formed in ~115 s by a stony projectile of 1000 m in diameter, for an assumed impact velocity of 12 km s^?1; (3) target rocks underwent a peak pressure of ~20 GPa, in agreement with previous petrographic investigations of shock deformation. Furthermore, the model points out that the sedimentary strata below the layer of volcanic rocks were raised by ~650 meters at the central part of the crater, which resulted in the current partial exposure of the sandstones at the surface. The outcomes of our modeling suggest that parameters like cohesion and strength of the target rocks, after shock compression, determined the final morphology of the crater, especially the absence of a topographically prominent central peak. Finally, the results of the numerical modeling are roughly in agreement with gravity data over the structure, in particular with respect to the presence of the uplifted sedimentary strata, which are responsible for a low gravity signature at the center of the structure.     

Regional scenarios of sea level rise and impacts on Basque (Bay of Biscay) coastal habitats,throughout the 21st century

Global climate models have predicted a rise on mean sea level of between 0.18 m and 0.59 m by the end of the 21st Century, with high regional variability. The objectives of this study are to estimate sea level changes in the Bay of Biscay during this century, and to assess the impacts of any change on Basque coastal habitats and infrastructures. Hence, ocean temperature projections for three climate scenarios, provided by several atmosphere–ocean coupled general climate models, have been extracted for the Bay of Biscay; these are used to estimate thermosteric sea level variations. The results show that, from 2001 to 2099, sea level within the Bay of Biscay will increase by between 28.5 and 48.7 cm, as a result of regional thermal expansion and global ice-melting, under scenarios A1B and A2 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. A high-resolution digital terrain model, extracted from LiDAR, data was used to evaluate the potential impact of the estimated sea level rise to 9 coastal and estuarine habitats: sandy beaches and muds, vegetated dunes, shingle beaches, sea cliffs and supralittoral rock, wetlands and saltmarshes, terrestrial habitats, artificial land, piers, and water surfaces. The projected sea level rise of 48.7 cm was added to the high tide level of the coast studied, to generate a flood risk map of the coastal and estuarine areas. The results indicate that 110.8 ha of the supralittoral area will be affected by the end of the 21st Century; these are concentrated within the estuaries, with terrestrial and artificial habitats being the most affected. Sandy beaches are expected to undergo mean shoreline retreats of between 25% and 40%, of their width. The risk assessment of the areas and habitats that will be affected, as a consequence of the sea level rise, is potentially useful for local management to adopt adaptation measures to global climate change.     

The role of basement tectonic reactivation on the structural evolution of Campos Basin,offshore Brazil: Evidence from 3D seismic analysis and section restoration

The structural analysis of regional 3D seismic data shows evidence of long-term tectonic inheritance in Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. Main Lower Cretaceous rift structures controlled themselves by strike-slip deformation belts related to Proterozoic orogenic events, have been episodically reactivated during the divergent margin phase of Campos Basin, from the Albian to the Miocene. Balanced cross-sections of major salt structures indicate that such tectonic reactivations have been controlling thin-skinned salt tectonics, triggering pulses of gravitational gliding above the Aptian salt detachment. Additionally, major basin features like the Neogene progradation front and the salt tectonic domains are constrained by the main Proterozoic orogenic trends of the Ribeira Belt (NE–SW) and the Vitória-Colatina Belt (NNW–SSE). As the basement involved structures observed in Campos Basin can be attributed to general geodynamic processes, it is suggested that basement tectonic reactivation can be as relevant as isostatic adjustment and detached thin-skinned tectonics on the structural evolution of divergent margin settings.