Spin-down of pulsars by the current: Comparison of theory with observations

Observational data are analysed on the basis of pulsar magnetosphere theory and the Ruderman-Sutherland plasma generation mechanism. The results of theory and experiment are shown to be in good agreement. The existence of a special group of long-lived, weakly-radiating fast (the periodP0.1–0.4 s) and superfast (P0.01) pulsars is predicted.     

The 11-year solar cycle, the Sun's rotation, and the middle stratosphere in winter. Part II: Response of planetary waves

The effect of the 11-year solar cycle on the response of planetary wavenumbers 1 and 2 at 10 and 30 hPa in winter to solar activity oscillations on the time scale of the Sun's rotation (27.2 day) is discussed in terms of statistical spectral analysis. The three oscillations studied are the 27.2 d (period of the Sun's rotation), 25.3 d (periodicity caused by modulation of the 27.2 d stratospheric response by annual atmospheric variation), and 54.4 d (doubled period of the solar rotation). A significant effect of the 11-year solar cycle is found for the 54.4 d periodicity in planetary wavenumber 1, and for the 27.2 and 25.3 d periodicities in planetary wavenumber 2. The effect of the 11-year solar cycle is expressed in the evident differences between the amplitudes of responses of planetary waves at maximum and minimum of the solar cycle: the amplitudes are much larger at high than at low solar activity. The 11-year modulation of planetary wave activity is most pronounced at mid-latitudes, mainly at 40–60°N, where the observed variability of planetary waves is large. The results obtained are in good agreement with results of the recent modeling study by Shindell et al. (Science 284 (1999) 305).     

Oxygen isotope biogeochemistry of pore water sulfate in the deep biosphere: Dominance of isotope exchange reactions with ambient water during microbial sulfate reduction (ODP Site 1130)

Microbially mediated sulfate reduction affects the isotopic composition of dissolved and solid sulfur species in marine sediments. Experiments and field data show that the composition is also modified in the presence of sulfate-reducing microorganisms. This has been attributed either to a kinetic isotope effect during the reduction of sulfate to sulfite, cell-internal exchange reactions between enzymatically-activated sulfate (APS), and/or sulfite with cytoplasmic water. The isotopic fingerprint of these processes may be further modified by the cell-external reoxidation of sulfide to elemental sulfur, and the subsequent disproportionation to sulfide and sulfate or by the oxidation of sulfite to sulfate. Here we report values from interstitial water samples of ODP Leg 182 (Site 1130) and provide the mathematical framework to describe the oxygen isotope fractionation of sulfate during microbial sulfate reduction. We show that a purely kinetic model is unable to explain our data, and that the data are well explained by a model using oxygen isotope exchange reactions. We propose that the oxygen isotope exchange occurs between APS and cytoplasmic water, and/or between sulfite and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) during APS formation. Model calculations show that cell external reoxidation of reduced sulfur species would require up to 3000 mol/m³ of an oxidant at ODP Site 1130, which is incompatible with the sediment geochemical data. In addition, we show that the volumetric fluxes required to explain the observed data are on average 14 times higher than the volumetric sulfate reduction rates (SRR) obtained from inverse modeling of the porewater data. The ratio between the gross sulfate flux into the microbes and the net sulfate flux through the microbes is depth invariant, and independent of sulfide concentrations. This suggests that both fluxes are controlled by cell density and that cell-specific sulfate reduction rates remain constant with depth.     

Midges of the genus Pseudodiamesa Goetghebuer (Diptera, Chironomidae): current knowledge and palaeoecological perspective

Larvae of the genus Pseudodiamesa Goetghebuer, which includes 12 described valid species and is divided by Makarchenko and Makarchenko (1999) into two species groups, Pseudodiamesa branickii group and Pseudodiamesa nivosa group, are widespread in lakes and running waters of cold, high-latitude and high-altitude areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Larval remains of the genus are often found in subfossil assemblages from these cold regions, but intra-genus morphotypes usually are not distinguished by palaeoecologists. Current knowledge of the ecology of the species indicates that the Pseudodiamesa nivosa group is more cold-adapted than the Pseudodiamesa branickii group and, therefore, these two intra-genus morphotypes cannot be amalgamated into a larger taxonomic unit without losing substantial information. Here we present the morphological characters of head capsules of Pseudodiamesa larvae attributed to the different species-group morphotypes, which are clearly visible in subfossil specimens. The information summarized in this paper will help provide more reliable chironomid-based palaeoclimatic inferences from lake sediment records covering colder phases through the late Quaternary in the Northern Hemisphere.     

A new view on gold speciation in sulfur-bearing hydrothermal fluids from in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy and quantum-chemical modeling

Despite the common belief that Au^I complexes with hydrogen sulfide ligands (H₂S/HS⁻) are the major carriers of gold in natural hydrothermal fluids, their identity, structure and stability are still subjects of debate. Here we present the first in situ measurement, using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy, of the stability and structure of aqueous Au^I–S complexes at temperatures and pressures (T–P) typical of natural sulfur-rich ore-forming fluids. The solubility of native gold and the local atomic structure around the dissolved metal in S–NaOH–Na₂SO₄–H₂SO₄ aqueous solutions were characterized at temperatures 200–450 °C and pressures 300–600 bar using an X-ray cell that allows simultaneous measurement of the absolute concentration of the absorbing atom (Au) and its local atomic environment in the fluid phase. Structural and solubility data obtained from XAFS spectra, combined with quantum-chemical calculations of species geometries, show that gold bis(hydrogensulfide) Au(HS)₂⁻ is the dominant Au species in neutral-to-basic solutions (5.5  pH  8.5; H₂O–S–NaOH) over a wide range of sulfur concentrations (0.2 < ΣS < 3.6 mol/kg), in agreement with previous solubility studies. Our results provide the first direct determination of this species structure, in which two sulfur atoms are in a linear geometry around Au^I at an average distance of 2.29 ± 0.01 Å. At acidic conditions (1.5  pH  5.0; H₂O–S–Na₂SO₄–H₂SO₄), the Au atomic environment determined by XAFS is similar to that in neutral solutions. These findings, together with measured high Au solubilities, are inconsistent with the predominance of the gold hydrogensulfide Au(HS)⁰ complex suggested by recent solubility studies. Our spectroscopic data and quantum-chemical calculations imply the formation of species composed of linear S–Au–S moieties, like the neutral [H₂S–Au–SH] complex. This species may account for the elevated Au solubilities in acidic fluids and vapors with H₂S concentrations higher than 0.1–0.2 mol/kg. However, because of the complex sulfur speciation in acidic solutions that involves sulfite, thiosulfate and polysulfide species, the formation of Au^I complexes with these ligands (e.g., AuHS(SO₂)⁰, Au(HS₂O₃)₂⁻, Au(HS_n)₂⁻) cannot be ruled out. The existence of such species may significantly enhance Au transport by high T–P acidic ore-forming fluids and vapors, responsible for the formation of a major part of the gold resources on Earth.     

A semi-empirical velocity-porosity-clay model for petrophysical interpretation of P- and S-velocities

We design a velocity–porosity model for sand-shale environments with the emphasis on its application to petrophysical interpretation of compressional and shear velocities. In order to achieve this objective, we extend the velocity–porosity model proposed by Krief et al., to account for the effect of clay content in sandstones, using the published laboratory experiments on rocks and well log data in a wide range of porosities and clay contents. The model of Krief et al. works well for clean compacted rocks. It assumes that compressional and shear velocities in a porous fluid-saturated rock obey Gassmann formulae with the Biot compliance coefficient. In order to use this model for clay-rich rocks, we assume that the bulk and shear moduli of the grain material, and the dependence of the compliance on porosity, are functions of the clay content. Statistical analysis of published laboratory data shows that the moduli of the matrix grain material are best defined by low Hashin–Shtrikman bounds. The parameters of the model include the bulk and shear moduli of the sand and clay mineral components as well as coefficients which define the dependence of the bulk and shear compliance on porosity and clay content. The constants of the model are determined by a multivariate non-linear regression fit for P- and S-velocities as functions of porosity and clay content using the data acquired in the area of interest. In order to demonstrate the potential application of the proposed model to petrophysical interpretation, we design an inversion procedure, which allows us to estimate porosity, saturation and/or clay content from compressional and shear velocities. Testing of the model on laboratory data and a set of well logs from Carnarvon Basin, Australia, shows good agreement between predictions and measurements. This simple velocity-porosity-clay semi-empirical model could be used for more reliable petrophysical interpretation of compressional and shear velocities obtained from well logs or surface seismic data.     

Geophysical flows with anisotropic turbulence and dispersive waves: flows with a β-effect

Geostrophic turbulence is a key paradigm in the current understanding of the large-scale planetary circulations. It implies that a flow is turbulent, rotating, stably stratified, and in near-geostrophic balance. When a small-scale forcing is present, geostrophic turbulence features an inverse energy cascade. When the meridional variation of the Coriolis parameter (or a β-effect) is included, the horizontal flow symmetry breaks down giving rise to the emergence of jet flows. The presence of a large-scale drag ensures that the flow attains a steady state. Dependent on the governing parameters, four steady-state flow regimes are possible, two of which are considered in this study. In one of these regimes, a flow is dominated by the drag while in the other one, the recently discovered regime of zonostrophic turbulence, a flow becomes strongly anisotropic and features slowly evolving systems of alternating zonal jets. Zonostrophic turbulence is distinguished by anisotropic inverse energy cascade and emergence of a new class of nonlinear waves known as zonons. In addition, meridional scalar diffusion is strongly modified in this regime. This paper provides an overview of various regimes of turbulence with a β-effect, elaborates main characteristics of friction-dominated and zonostrophic turbulence, elucidates the physical nature of the zonons, discusses the meridional diffusion processes in different regimes, and relates these results to oceanic observations.     

Hydroclimatic change disparity of Peruvian Pacific drainage catchments

Peruvian Pacific drainage catchments only benefit from 2% of the total national available freshwater while they concentrate almost 50% of the population of the country. This situation is likely to lead a severe water scarcity and also constitutes an obstacle to economic development. Catchment runoff fluctuations in response to climate variability and/or human activities can be reflected in extreme events, representing a serious concern (like floods, erosion, droughts) in the study area. To document this crucial issue for Peru, we present here an insightful analysis of the water quantity resource variability of this region, exploring the links between this variability and climate and/or anthropogenic pressure. We first present a detailed analysis of the hydroclimatologic variability at annual timescale and at basin scale over the 1970–2008 period. In addition to corroborating the influence of extreme El Niño events over precipitation and runoff in northern catchments, a mean warming of 0.2 °C per decade over all catchments was found. Also, higher values of temperature and potential and actual evapotranspiration were found over northern latitudes. We chose to apply the Budyko-Zhang framework that characterizes the water cycle as a function of climate only, allowing the identification of catchments with significant climatic and anthropogenic influence on water balance. The Budyko-Zhang methodology revealed that 11 out of 26 initial catchments are characterized by low water balance disparity related to minor climatic and anthropogenic influence. These 11 catchments were suitable for identifying catchments with contrasting change in their hydroclimatic behavior using the Budyko trajectories. Our analysis further reveals that six hydrological catchment responses can be characterized by high sensitivity to climate variability and land use changes.     

An Investigation of the Reliability of HF Acid Mixtures in the Bomb Digestion of Silicate Rocks for the Determination of Trace Elements by ICP‐MS

The influence of the mixtures HF‐HNO₃ and HF‐NH₄F‐HNO₃ in bomb digestion for trace element determination from different rock types was studied using ICP‐MS. It is shown that the HF concentration, not the ratio of reagents in the decomposing mixture, controls the digestion process of a rock. Data for Zr in the granite G‐2 as a function of HF concentration gave the same results as reaction mixtures of various compositions. A complete digestion in 50‐mg sample bombs was achieved by 1.0 ml of HF alone, or with a mixture of other acids at a HF concentration of at least 35% m/m at 196 °C over 18 h. The results of the analysis of basalts BCR‐1, BIR‐1, mica schist SDC‐1, shale SBC‐1, granites G‐2, SG‐1A, garnet‐biotite plagiogneiss GBPg‐1, rhyolite RGM‐1, granodiorite GSP‐1, trachyandesite MTA‐1 and rhyolite MRh‐1 are given and compared against available data. The reproducibility of the element determinations by ICP‐MS and XRF as an independent non‐destructive analysis for a quality check in the range of concentrations typical for routine rock samples is given.