The development of the Space Environment Viability of Organics (SEVO) experiment aboard the Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses (O/OREOS) satellite

The Space Environment Viability of Organics (SEVO) experiment is one of two scientific payloads aboard the triple-cube satellite Organism/ORganic Exposure to Orbital Stresses (O/OREOS). O/OREOS is the first technology demonstration mission of the NASA Astrobiology Small Payloads Program. The 1-kg, 1000-cm³ SEVO cube is investigating the chemical evolution of organic materials in interstellar space and planetary environments by exposing organic molecules under controlled conditions directly to the low-Earth orbit (LEO) particle and electromagnetic radiation environment. O/OREOS was launched on November 19, 2010 into a 650-km, 72°-inclination orbit and has a nominal operational lifetime of six months. Four classes of organic compounds, namely an amino acid, a quinone, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), and a metallo-porphyrin are being studied. Initial reaction conditions were established by hermetically sealing the thin-film organic samples in self-contained micro-environments. Chemical changes in the samples caused by direct exposure to LEO radiation and by interactions with the irradiated microenvironments are monitored in situ by ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared (UV/VIS/NIR) absorption spectroscopy using a novel compact fixed-grating CCD spectrometer with the Sun as its light source. The goals of the O/OREOS mission include: (1) demonstrating key small satellite technologies that can enable future low-cost astrobiology experiments, (2) deploying a miniature UV/VIS/NIR spectrometer suitable for in-situ astrobiology and other scientific investigations, (3) testing the capability to establish a variety of experimental reaction conditions to enable the study of astrobiological processes on small satellites, and (4) measuring the chemical evolution of organic molecules in LEO under conditions that can be extrapolated to interstellar and planetary environments. In this paper, the science and technology development of the SEVO instrument payload and its measurements are described.     

A Case Study of the Performance of Different Detrending Methods in Turbulent-Flux Estimation

Observations using a three-dimensional scanning coherent Doppler lidar in an urban area revealed the characteristics of streaky structures above a rough, inhomogeneous surface for a high-Reynolds-number flow. The study focused on two points: (1) the frequency of occurrence and conditions required for the presence of streaky structures, and (2) the universal scaling of the spacing of streaky structures (\(\lambda )\). The horizontal snapshots of the radial velocity were visually classified into six groups: Streak, Mixed, Fishnet, No streak, Front, and Others. The Streak category accounted for more than 50% of all possible flows and occurred when the horizontal wind speed was large and the atmospheric stratification was near-neutral. The spacing (\(\lambda )\) was estimated from the power spectral density of the streamwise velocity fluctuations along the spanwise direction. The spacing \(\lambda \) decreased with an increase in the local velocity gradient. Furthermore, it was revealed that the local velocity gradient normalized by the friction velocity and the boundary-layer height (\(z_i )\) comprehensively predicts \(\lambda /z_i \) under various experimental and environmental conditions, in terms of the scale of motion (i.e., indoor and outdoor scales), thermal stratification (i.e., from weakly unstable to stable stratification), and surface roughness (i.e., from flat to very rough surfaces).     

Institutional responses to climate change: opportunities and barriers for adaptation in the Pantanal and the Upper Paraguay River Basin

Climatic change is expected to have serious impacts on the Pantanal, a large tropical wetland located in the Upper Paraguay River Basin, in the centre of South America, where a range of institutional responses are being developed to mitigate and adapt to climate change. In order to examine the institutional achievements and challenges for managing the region, a specific typology is initially introduced, which comprises a schematic gradient of institutional responses. An empirical analysis was conducted in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, the three countries that share the Pantanal, which identified the hybrid basis of the policy framework under construction, in the sense that it actually combines elements of various institutional responses included in the proposed typology. Important factors that seem to undermine the efficacy of institutional responses in addressing climate change in the region are the strong influence of the agribusiness sector and the still relatively low importance of the Pantanal for national environmental policy-making. This essay makes a claim that the principles of climate justice should guiding policies and interventions as it they constitute the most appropriate strategy to address the inequality and unfairness related to climate change.     

A critical analysis of one standard and five methods to monitor surface wetness and time-of-wetness

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Surface wetness is a synergistic factor to determine atmospheric corrosion, monument weathering, mould growth, sick buildings, etc. However, its detection and...     

Implications of a concentration-dependent growth rate on the boundary layer crystal-melt model

The influence of a melt boundary layer on crystal growth is analyzed. The treatment extends the results of Burton, Prim and Slichter (1953) and incorporates composition-dependent growth rates. It is shown that in these general cases the growth rate cannot be arbitrarily fixed but must satisfy a self-consistent equation. Self-consistency problems arise because the growth rate determines the composition profile in the melt and, in turn, the composition profile determines the growth rate. The self-consistent growth rate is shown to vary markedly with the ratio δ/D, where δ is the thickness of the boundary layer and D is the appropriate diffusion coefficient in the melt. This self-consistency can be very important in the analysis of both field and laboratory growth rates as well as in trace element partition kinetic models.     

Nonlinear finite and discrete element simulations of multi-storey masonry walls

Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering - This paper reports the results of different finite and discrete element simulations on a well-known benchmark of an unreinforced plane masonry structure....     

Recent evolution of surge-related events and assessment of coastal flooding risk on the eastern coasts of the English Channel

This paper is based on statistical analysis of hourly tide measurements for some 285 equivalent full years from the stations of Weymouth, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Newhaven, Dover and Sheerness in the UK, and of Cherbourg, Le Havre, Dieppe, Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk in France. For each tidal value, surge heights have been determined and correlated with hourly or three-hourly wind and air pressure data from nearby meteorological stations. Major surges in the area are generally produced by storms associated with wind from north-west or south-west that tend to push oceanic water into the Channel. Recent medium-term climate evolution does not seem to increase the flooding risk at French stations, where surge-related winds tend to decrease in frequency and speed (Cherbourg, Dieppe and Boulogne) or show little change (Le Havre). However, the long-term risk of flooding will increase through the loss in land elevation due to a continuation of the local relative sea-level rise, especially if this effect will be enhanced by an acceleration in the global sea-level rise predicted by climatic models. The northern side of the Channel (Weymouth, Bournemouth and Portsmouth) is mainly exposed to southerly winds that show variable trends. It is also apparently affected by strong subsidence trends during the last two decades. If lasting, such trends can only increase long-term flooding risk. The flooding risk has not increased near the eastern end of the Channel. The duration of significant cyclonic events tends to decrease near Cherbourg but tends to increase near Weymouth, with no conclusive trends in other stations (Portsmouth, Calais and Dunkirk), where extreme surges may occur also in relatively high-air-pressure situations. In conclusion, medium-term coastal flooding risk seems to increase especially at Weymouth, Bournemouth and Portsmouth, and also, but less so, at Le Havre and Sheerness. In addition, few extreme surges occurred during the last decades at the time of spring high tide, which would seem to be a fortunate coincidence or, in some cases, an effect of tide–surge interaction. The risk of occurrence of less favourable random events in the near future is therefore of concern, and flood potential would greatly increase if the global sea-level rise expected in the near future is also considered.