A statistical analysis of sunspot groups hosting M and X flares

In this paper we present the results obtained from a statistical analysis carried out by correlating sunspot‐group data collected at the INAF‐Catania Astrophysical Observatory and in the NOAA reports with data on Mand X flares obtained by the GOES‐8 satellite in the soft X‐ray range during the period January 1996–June 2003. These results allow us to provide a quantitative estimate of the parameters typical for an active region with very energetic flares. Moreover, the analysis of the flare productivity as a function of the group evolutionary stage indicates that the flaring probability of sunspots slightly increases with the spot age during the first passage across the solar disk, and that flaring groups are characterized by longer lifetimes than non‐flaring ones. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Reliability of digit length impression as a character of tetrapod ichnotaxobase: considerations from the Carboniferous–Permian ichnogenus Ichniotherium

Although the relative length of digit impressions is often adopted as a binding character in ichnotaxa discrimination and trackmaker identification, it cannot be considered unequivocally operative. The reliability of this character has been evaluated by means of principal component analysis on several well‐preserved footprints (both manus and pes) referred to as Ichniotherium sphaerodactylum from the Early Permian Tambach Formation (Thuringia, Germany). The analysis reveals a substantial variability of digit impression length (especially in the manus), relativizing the validity of digit IV length as a diagnostic character as practised in different ichnological studies. Regarding the use of such a character, results clearly suggest the need to preliminarily conduct explorative analysis on the whole available ichnological material in order to detect which digit is the most consistent from an ichnotaxonomical standpoint, thus avoiding an arbitrary selection. Such a preliminary analysis should provide a better control on ichnotaxonomical splitting/lumping, particularly in the case of allied footprints, and can also be considered a valuable tool, if associated to functionality analysis, in improving and refining trackmaker identification. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental investigations of the bed evolution in wave flumes: Performance of 2D and 3D optical systems

Optical systems can provide very accurate measurements of bottom morphology in wave flumes. However, it is often necessary, e.g. when laser scanners are used, to stop the experiments and disturbing significantly the sandy bed itself, by emptying the flume. In the present work measurement strategies based on computer vision techniques which permit measurements also in the presence of water are applied in wave flumes at small and at large scale. Such techniques, based on the use of structured light, are demonstrated to be able to perform measurements of 2D and 3D bed evolution also in a very active area, such as the swash zone, where the alternating presence and absence of water makes it difficult to recover the bed morphology in a dynamic way.     

Magnetic helicity transport in corona and filament eruptions

Using a 28-hour time series of line-of-sight magnetograms taken by the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI), we determined the magnetic flux variations and the rate of magnetic helicity transport at the footpoints of a filament in active region NOAA 8375. The filament was characterized by a positive helicity change due to shearing motions in both footpoints and showed several partial eruptions during the observing time. In particular, we considered 4 events registered in the Hα daily reports of Solar Geophysical Data. We found a strong temporal correlation between filament eruptions and helicity transport from the photospheric magnetic structures at the filament footpoints into the corona: in at least one footpoint, all of the events were preceded by an evident increase and followed by a small decrease of the emerging magnetic flux and of the magnetic helicity change due to shearing motions. We compared these two mechanisms of helicity transport and found that the predominant role to drive filament instability is played by emergence of new magnetic flux from the convection zone.     

Italian Diluvianism and antidiluvianism within the international arena: the great debate that lasted more than six centuries

As early as the thirteenth century naturalists of the Italian panorama began to look for a possible explanation for fossils found on emerged land. From the beginning, they tended quite naturally to resort to a catastrophic phenomenon, which found a direct ‘confirmation’ in the Holy Scriptures: the Great Flood. As an element found in numerous peoples, from the Babylonians, to ancient Egypt and the Chinese culture, the Flood became for a long time the only process able to explain the presence of marine fossils on the highest mountains, in a period dominated by a static concept of planet Earth. On the Italian scene, the supporters of the Flood were quite numerous, but equally numerous were the authors who brought evidence against the Deluge hypothesis, preferring a long stationing of the sea in places where the fossils are found today. An influential part of the second group is represented by the glorious Tuscan school that, starting from Boccaccio, includes prominent figures as Leonardo da Vinci, Baldassarri, Bastiani, Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti, Caluri, and Matani. In any case, the aspect that characterizes the majority of Italian authors from both the two interpretative factions, is a predilection to the study of deposits and fossils directly in the field, rather than the construction of ‘big systems’ simply based on the authority of sacred texts or other ancient authors.     

Heat capacity of hydrous trachybasalt from Mt Etna: comparison with CaAl<Subscript>2</Subscript>Si<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>8</Subscript> (An)–CaMgSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript> (Di) as basaltic proxy compositions

The specific heat capacity (C _p) of six variably hydrated (~3.5 wt% H₂O) iron-bearing Etna trachybasaltic glasses and liquids has been measured using differential scanning calorimetry from room temperature across the glass transition region. These data are compared to heat capacity measurements on thirteen melt compositions in the iron-free anorthite (An)–diopside (Di) system over a similar range of H₂O contents. These data extend considerably the published C _p measurements for hydrous melts and glasses. The results for the Etna trachybasalts show nonlinear variations in, both, the heat capacity of the glass at the onset of the glass transition (i.e., C _p ^g ) and the fully relaxed liquid (i.e., C _p ^l ) with increasing H₂O content. Similarly, the “configurational heat capacity” (i.e., C _p ^c  = C _p ^l  ? C _p ^g ) varies nonlinearly with H₂O content. The An–Di hydrous compositions investigated show similar trends, with C _p values varying as a function of melt composition and H₂O content. The results show that values in hydrous C _p ^g , C _p ^l and C _p ^c in the depolymerized glasses and liquids are substantially different from those observed for more polymerized hydrous albitic, leucogranitic, trachytic and phonolitic multicomponent compositions previously investigated. Polymerized melts have lower C _p ^l and C _p ^c and higher C _p ^g with respect to more depolymerized compositions. The covariation between C _p values and the degree of polymerization in glasses and melts is well described in terms of SM_hydrous and NBO/T _hydrous. Values of C _p ^c increase sharply with increasing depolymerization up to SM_hydrous ~ 30–35 mol% (NBO/T _hydrous ~ 0.5) and then stabilize to an almost constant value. The partial molar heat capacity of H₂O for both glasses (\( C_{{{\text{p}}\;{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{\text{g}} \)) and liquids (\( C_{{{\text{p}}\;{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{\text{l}} \)) appears to be independent of composition and, assuming ideal mixing, we obtain a value for \( C_{{{\text{p}}\;{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{\text{l}} \) of 79 J mol^?1 K^?1. However, we note that a range of values for \( C_{{{\text{p}}\;{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{\text{l}} \) (i.e., ~78–87 J mol^?1 K^?1) proposed by previous workers will reproduce the extended data to within experimental uncertainty. Our analysis suggests that more data are required in order to ascribe a compositional dependence (i.e., nonideal mixing) to \( C_{{{\text{p}}\;{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{\text{l}} \).     

Functional evaluation of a simplified scaling method for assessing the spatial variability of soil hydraulic properties at the hillslope scale

Abstract

Mapping soil hydraulic parameters with traditional scaling methods that use laboratory-determined hydraulic characteristics (the LAB method) is not always feasible as it involves expensive, time-consuming and sophisticated measurements on soil samples collected in several locations of the study area. An alternative scaling method (the AP method) has been recently proposed to indirectly retrieve the soil hydraulic properties following the Arya-Paris physico-empirical pedotransfer function, which makes use of particle-size distribution and bulk density values. In this synthetic study we verify the performance of the AP method from a functional perspective, by evaluating the differences in the simulated soil water budget through a Monte Carlo approach. Notwithstanding that the AP method can provide soil hydraulic property patterns with faster experimental procedures and minor costs, we observe significant bias in the predicted spatially-averaged soil water budget due to a poor parametric calibration of the AP method and an imprecise identification of the spatial correlation structure of the AP-estimated scaling factors.

Citation Nasta, P., Romano, N., and Chirico, G.B., 2013. Functional evaluation of a simplified scaling method for assessing the spatial variability of soil hydraulic properties at the hillslope scale. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (5), 1059–1071.