Hydrothermal Processes in the Solar System:A Review

最近美国航空与空间计划署(NASA)开展的卡西尼-惠更斯外空探测计划发现,在直径为500 km的卫星--土卫二上存在水冰和间隙泉的喷发活动.这一现象和在火星上工作的"机遇号"和"勇气号"漫游车所发现的液态水一起,证明了除地球以外的其他星球上过去和现在都存在水,其中的一些星体还有火山活动的证据,这意味着这些星球上可能存在过热液活动地质过程.讨论了火星、木卫二和土卫二可能存在的热液系统类型.这些热液系统类型是根据地球上的构造背景进行相似性研究后得出的,例如海底、火山和裂谷系统.将东非裂谷和贝加尔湖裂谷系统与火星Tharsis高原上巨大的水手大峡谷进行了对比,这些地区都是由地幔柱作用下构造-热液活动导致的地壳抬升、火山和裂谷作用.在火星上,地下冰或低温层会在火山活动和(或)小行星或彗星撞击作用下溶解而形成热液对流.     

A Marine Biotic Index to Establish the Ecological Quality of Soft-Bottom Benthos Within European Estuarine and Coastal Environments

In this paper, a marine Biotic Index (BI) for soft-bottom benthos of European estuarine and coastal environments is proposed. This is derived from the proportions of individual abundance in five ecological groups, which are related to the degree of sensitivity/tolerance to an environmental stress gradient. The main difference with previously published indices is the use of a simple formula that produces a continuous Biotic Coefficient (BC) – which makes it more suitable for statistical analysis, in opposition with previous discreet biotic indices – not affected by subjectivity. Relationships between this coefficient and a complementary BI with several environmental variables are discussed. Finally, a validation of the proposed index is made with data from systems affected by recent human disturbances, showing that different anthropogenic changes in the environment can be detected through the use of this BI.     

Predicting new snow density in the Italian Alps: A variability analysis based on 10 years of measurements

Despite its strong impact on the time evolution of the snowpack, current estimation of new snow density (ρ_hn) is usually accomplished either by using local empirical techniques or by assuming a constant snow density. Faced with the lack of an estimation model of ρ_hn valid for a wide spatial scale and supported by a suitable number of observations, this study aims to develop simple monthly linear regression models at scale of the entire Italian Alpine chain based on 12,112 snowfall observations at 122 stations, using only air temperature as predictor. Moreover, the remaining variance is investigated in both time and space, also considering some qualitative features of the snowfall events. The daily ρ_hn measurements present a mean value of 115 kg m^?3 (105 and 159 kg m^?3 for dry and wet conditions, respectively). The mean air temperature of the 24 hr preceding the snowfall event has been found to be the best predictor of the ρ_hn, within 31% of uncertainty. The analysis of associated residues allows supporting the idea that the adoption of a more local approach than the one analysed here is not able to substantially increase the predictive capabilities of the model. In fact, the main factor explaining the remaining variance over the air temperature is the wind, but in a complex orography, as mountain regions are, supplying realistic local wind fields is particularly challenging. Therefore, we conclude that using only the daily mean temperature as predictor is a good choice for estimating daily new snow density at scale of Italian Alpine chain, as well as at more regional scale.     

Strömgren 4-Color Photometry of Very Metal-Poor Stars

Strömgren uvby photometry has been observed for an additional 140 very metal-poor stars from the survey of Beers et al. (1992). These Galactic stars of very-low metallicity provide crucial information for the investigation of the formation and evolution of the Galaxy, as well as on the nature of the early Universe. The Strömgren uvby-β system allows the measurement of stellar atmospheric parameters as a prelude to detailed abundance studies which will make use of high-resolution spectroscopy and the new generation of large telescopes. The photometric techniques developed by Schuster et al. (1996) are used not only to classify these very metal-poor stars but also to derive effective temperatures, surface gravities, and improved estimates for their interstellar reddenings. In particular, photometric diagrams such as [c ₁], [m ₁] and c ₀, (b-y)₀ are used to classify these stars, especially those near the main-sequence turnoff, where contamination from slightly-evolved subgiants, lower surface-gravity horizontal-branch stars, and even a few supergiant or AGB candidates is found.     

Multiscale Analysis of the Instantaneous Eccentricity Oscillations of the Planets of the Solar System from 13 000 BC to 17 000 AD

Astronomy Letters - The high-resolution Jet Propulsion Laboratory DE431 and DE432 planetary ephemeris are used to evaluate the instantaneous eccentricity functions of the orbits of the planets of...     

Overtopping performance of different armour units for rubble mound breakwaters

This paper describes a major programme of small-scale physical model tests to establish better the influence of armour type and configuration on overtopping. Specifically, 179 tests determined the relative difference in overtopping behaviour for 13 types/configurations of armour. Roughness factors γ_f were determined for rock (two layers), cubes (single layer and two layers), Tetrapod, Antifer, Haro, Accropode, Core-Loc™ and Xbloc™. These roughness influence factors have been included in the CLASH database and are for use in the neural network prediction of overtopping. Individual wave-by-wave overtopping volumes were analysed and found to compare well with current prediction methods. Measured reflection coefficients for the different units are also presented and compared with recent formulae.     

Measurement of long waves at the harbor of Marina di Carrara,Italy

This paper presents the analysis of measurements of long waves at the harbor of Marina di Carrara, Italy. Nine pressure gauges (eight in the inner harbor and one outside the harbor) were used to record continuously the water surface elevation, for about 3 years; incoming short waves were measured using a directional buoy at about 500 m offshore the breakwaters. The analysis is carried out splitting the energy of the long waves into two bands, i.e., very long waves (VLW; f < 0.003 Hz) and long waves (LW; 0.003 < f < 0.030 Hz); it is found that LW energy is strongly correlated with the energy of the incoming short waves while no correlation (or very poor) is found for VLW. During energetic sea states, surface elevation spectra of VLW and LW, normalized against the wave energy of each frequency band, appear to be autosimilar; this suggests that the spectra of the incoming long waves have a mostly constant shape. Simple numerical computations of harbor resonance, carried out using a mild-slope equation linearized model, indicate that the amplification of the height of the incoming LW generated by short waves (calculated using empirical formulae from previous researches by Melito et al. 2007) inside the harbor can be reasonably predicted using such simple approach, assuming that the LW spectra are rectangular. The shape of the amplification diagram calculated by the numerical model shows reasonable (but not perfect) agreement with the shape of the normalized measured spectra inside the harbor.     

Re–Os and <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar ages of the Jiguanshan porphyry Mo deposit,Xilamulun metallogenic belt,NE China,and constraints on mineralization events

The large Jiguanshan porphyry Mo deposit, with more than 100 Mt of ore and grades ranging from 0.08% to 0.11%, is located in the newly identified Xilamulun metallogenic belt along the northern margin of the North China Craton. The Mo mineralization is predominantly disseminated in the host granite porphyry, but locally occurs as stockworks in lithic tuff and rhyolitic rocks. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates of samples from groundmass material in the host granite porphyry, post-ore diabase, and quartz porphyry dikes show plateau ages of 155.1 ± 1.9, 149.4 ± 0.9, and 147.6 ± 0.9 Ma, with inverse isochron ages of 156.0 ± 1.8, 149.3 ± 1.3, and 148.3 ± 1.2 Ma, respectively. Seven samples of disseminated molybdenite yielded a weighted average ¹⁸⁷Re-¹⁸⁷Os age of 155.3 ± 0.9 Ma, whereas six veinlet-type molybdenite samples yielded a weighted average ¹⁸⁷Re-¹⁸⁷Os age of 153.0 ± 0.9 Ma, providing direct timing constraints for the Mo mineralization at 153–155 Ma. The regional geological setting together with the emplacement of post-ore diabase and quartz porphyry dikes in the Jiguanshan deposit, are indicative of an extensional regime in Late Jurassic, which was probably linked to lithospheric extension in northeast China.