Bi-dimensional observation of waves near the mesopause at auroral latitudes

During a campaign of optical observations at high latitude, a bi-dimensional study of the wave structure of the OH layer has been performed in December 1981 from Sodankyla (Finland). This site is one of the three stations of the EISCAT ionosphere sounding system. It has been found that a wave field covering an area of 1 million km² may extend to latitudes as high as 70°N. The OH wave structure shows many similarities with noctilucent clouds. The fairly large horizontal wavelength, of the order of 40 km cannot easily be explained by a wave motion at an interface. The observed wave structure seems to be a result of the propagation of an internal gravity wave in the 80–100 km region. This wave structure was often recorded during the same time as an active aurora was present. As a result, it appears that the perturbation might be correlated with particle precipitations at auroral latitudes.     

The north-south distribution of major solar flare events,sunspot magnetic classes and sunspot areas (1955–1974)

The north-south incidence has been studied of 31 white-light flares observed since 1859 and of 1669 events meeting the criteria for major flares of Dodson and Hedeman (1971) for the period 1955–1974. The asymmetry in favor of the northern hemisphere increases strikingly with the importance of the events. Similarly, magnetically complex sunspot groups (Mt. Wilson classes, and) display a more pronounced asymmetry in favor of the north than non-complex groups for 1962–1970. Contrary to the flare asymmetry, the spottedness asymmetry is independent of the size of sunspots.     

Interstellar clouds and the formation of stars

Part I gives a survey of the drastic revision of cosmic plasma physics which is precipitated by the exploration of the magnetosphere throughin situ measurements. The pseudo-plasma formalism, which until now has almost completely dominated theoretical astrophysics, must be replaced by an experimentally based approach involving the introduction of a number of neglected plasma phenomena, such as electric double layers, critical velocity, and pinch effect. The general belief that star light is the main ionizer is shown to be doubtful; hydromagnetic conversion of gravitational and kinetic energy may often be much more important.In Part II the revised plasma physics is applied to dark clouds and star formation. Magnetic fields do not necessarily counteract the contraction of a cloud; they may just as well pinch the cloud. Magnetic compression may be the main mechanism for forming interstellar clouds and keeping them together.Part III treats the formation of stars in a dusty cosmic plasma cloud. Star formation is due to an instability, but it is very unlikely that it has anything to do with the Jeans instability. A reasonable mechanism is that the sedimentation of dust (including solid bodies of different size) is triggering off a gravitationally assisted accretion. A stellesimal accretion analogous to the planetesimal accretion leads to the formation of a star surrounded by a very low density hollow in the cloud. Matter falling in from the cloud towards the star is the raw material for the formation of planets and satellites.The study of the evolution of a dark cloud leads to a scenario of planet formation which is reconcilable with the results obtained from studies based on solar system data. This means that the new approach to cosmical plasma physics discussed in Part I logically leads to a consistent picture of the evolution of dark clouds and the formation of solar systems.     

Recent evolution of Lake Arreo,northern Spain: influences of land use change and climate

We present a high-resolution, multiproxy reconstruction of the depositional history of Lake Arreo, northern Spain, for the last 60 years. We conducted sedimentological, geochemical and diatom analyses in short cores and made a detailed comparison with regional instrumental climate data (1952–2007), limnological monitoring of the lake (1992–2008) and recent land use changes that affect the lake catchment. Chronology is based on “floating” discontinuous varve counts and ¹³⁷Cs and ¹⁴C dates. Four periods were identified in the Lake Arreo recent history: (1) prior to 1963, varved facies intercalated with fine turbidite deposits, and diatom assemblages dominated by Cyclotella taxa indicate predominantly meromictic conditions, (2) from 1964 to 1978, permanent anoxia persisted in bottom waters, as shown by similar facies and diatom assemblages as before, though detrital layers were coarser, (3) from 1979 to 1994, sediment delivery to the lake increased and laminated, clastic facies were deposited, and (4) from 1995 to 2008, dominance of massive facies and an increase in Fragilaria tenera and Achnanthes minutissima reflect relatively lower lake levels, less frequent bottom anoxia with more frequent water column mixing, similar to modern conditions. The period 1952–1979 was a time of meromixis and varved facies deposition, and was characterized by higher rainfall and less intense agricultural pressure in the watershed. There were two short humid periods (1992–1993 and 1996–1998) when monitoring data show more anoxic weeks per year and relatively higher lake levels. Increased cultivation of small landholdings in 1963, and particularly after 1979, caused a large increase in sediment delivery to the lake. The inferred lake evolution is in agreement with monitoring data that suggest a transition from dominantly meromictic conditions prior to 1993–1994 to a predominantly monomictic pattern of circulation since then, particularly after 2000. The synergistic effects of intensive water extraction for irrigation and lower rainfall since 1979, and particularly since 1994, brought the long period of meromictic conditions in Lake Arreo to an end. Water balance and sediment delivery to the lake are dominant factors that control the limnological and mixing conditions in Lake Arreo and they must be considered in management and restoration plans.     

Island shadow effects and the wave climate of the Western Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia) inferred from altimetry and numerical model data

To implement a numerical model of atoll lagoon circulation, we characterized first the significant wave height (Hs) regime of the Western Tuamotu Archipelago and the local attenuation due to the protection offered by large atolls in the south Tuamotu. Altimetry satellite data and a WAVEWATCH III two-way nested wave model at 5km resolution from 2000 to 2010 were used. Correlation between altimetry and model was high (0.88) over the period. According to the wave model, the archipelago inner seas experienced attenuated Hs year-long with a yearly average Hs around 1.3m vs a minimum of 1.6m elsewhere. The island shadow effect is especially significant in the austral winter. In contrast with southern atolls, Western Tuamotu experienced only few days per year of Hs larger than 2.5m generated by very high Hs southern swell, transient western local storms, strong easterly winds, and during the passage of distant hurricanes.     

Geology and impact features of Vargeão Dome,southern Brazil

Abstract– Vargeão Dome (southern Brazil) is a circular feature formed in lava flows of the Lower Cretaceous Serra Geral Formation and in sandstones of the Paraná Basin. Even though its impact origin was already proposed in the 1980s, little information about its geological and impact features is available in the literature. The structure has a rim‐rim diameter of approximately 12 km and comprises several ring‐like concentric features with multiple concentric lineaments. The presence of a central uplift is suggested by the occurrence of deformed sandstone strata of the Botucatu and Pirambóia formations. We present the morphological/structural characteristics of Vargeão Dome, characterize the different rock types that occur in its interior, mainly brecciated volcanic rocks (BVR) of the Serra Geral Formation, and discuss the deformation and shock features in the volcanic rocks and in sandstones. These features comprise shatter cones in sandstone and basalt, as well as planar microstructures in quartz. A geochemical comparison of the target rock equivalents from outside the structure with the shocked rocks from its interior shows that both the BVRs and the brecciated sandstone have a composition largely similar to that of the corresponding unshocked lithologies. No traces of meteoritic material have been found so far. The results confirm the impact origin of Vargeão Dome, making it one of the largest among the rare impact craters in basaltic targets known on Earth.     

Improved Approximated Solutions to the Nonlinear Debye Potential

The shielding effect of plasma on the electrostatic potential due to a central nucleus is studied. The potential is determined by the Poisson equation with Boltzmann factor for the charge density of ions. The aim of this work is to find approximated analytical solutions, without the usual linearization hypothesis, by means of the technique of quasifractional approximants in two points. In a previous work (Martín and Pérez, 1994) a quasifractional fractional approximation was obtained, but the coefficients were found by means of the numerical solution of the differential equation. Now we find a complete analytical expression. The approximant found is highly precise in the range of validity of the physical model used.     

The Beach Crowding Index: A Tool for Assessing Social Carrying Capacity of Vulnerable Beaches

The aim of this article is to introduce the Beach Crowding Index (BCI), a procedure to assess the social carrying capacity of vulnerable beaches. The study uses the people at one time (PAOT) approach and data gathered weekly throughout the bathing season regarding the number of beachgoers in 100 m² cells of the beach to assess how many beachgoers it can comfortably hold. The procedure is based on fieldwork, interviews with beachgoers, and geographic information system (GIS) analysis and has been tested on four beaches in protected areas on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. On a scale from 0 to 4, minimum scores throughout the bathing season are 0.7 and maximum 3.7, although results showed wide variation between the beaches, the section of the beach, and the time of day. This study suggests that determining the location of beachgoers and collecting a long-term series of data is fundamental to assessing social carrying capacity and that the BCI procedure can be used for a large number of applications.     

Spatio-temporal variability of currents over a mobile dune field in the Dover Strait

A one month field campaign featuring two spring–neap tide cycles and three strong storms has been performed in a mobile dune area located in the central part of the Dover Strait. These dunes are known to move in a complex manner as their migration direction varies in space and time (Le Bot et al., 2000, Le Bot, 2001, Le Bot and Trentesaux, 2004). In order to gain some insights into the dune motion processes we present an analysis of the spatio-temporal variability of currents in the area emphasizing the relative influence of tides and storms. A total of eight different hydro-meteorological regimes have been distinguished during the experiment duration. The analysis of the currents measurements at five locations in the area shows that the eight hydro-meteorological regimes induce very different current responses at the bottom. The residual tidal currents exhibit a significant spatial variability both in direction and in intensity. A numerical model of tidal currents over the Dover Strait confirms the strong spatio-temporal variability of the residual tidal currents featuring three singular points. Amongst them, a saddle point is located just south of the I-dune at the convergence of opposite direction residual tidal currents. The wind-induced currents are almost uniform in space, their intensity and direction however strongly depends on the wind regime and thus on time. The mean total current feature a spatial pattern which can be tidal of wind-induced currents dominated, or either in balance, depending on the regime considered. At the PERMOD campaign time scale, the total current is dominated by the residual tidal current. These results proved to give valuable insights to explain the complex dynamics of dune motion observed in this area by Le Bot et al., 2000, Le Bot, 2001, Le Bot and Trentesaux, 2004 at short and long time scales.