Upper Limit of Iodine Oxide in the Lower Stratosphere

It has been suggested that iodine oxides, IOx, could play a significant role in the ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere. To investigate this suggestion, spectra from nine SAOZ uv-visible spectrometer balloon flights were examined for the IO absorption signature between 405 and 450 nm. IO was not detected, either at mid- or high latitude, in the morning or the evening, in summer or winter. An upper limit of 0.2 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) at 20 km and 0.1 pptv at 15 km at the 95% confidence level (2), was derived from the best measurements at 90° SZA at sunset and sunrise. Since a photochemical model shows that 70% of inorganic iodine should be in the form IO at that time, it is concluded that unless iodine chemistry is different from that assumed at the moment, the role of iodine in stratospheric ozone depletion is small.     

Homogeneous cosmological solutions of the Einstein equation

Homogeneous solutions in the framework of general relativity form the basis to understand the properties of gravitation on global scale. Presently favoured models describe the evolution of the universe by an expansion of space, governed by a scale function, which depends on a global time parameter. Dropping the restriction that a global time parameter exists, and instead assuming that the time scale depends on spatial distance, leads to static solutions, which exhibit no singularities, need no unobserved dark energy and which can explain the cosmological red shift without expansion. In contrast to the expanding world model energy is globally conserved. Observations of high energy emission and absorption from the intergalactic medium, which can scarcely be understood in the ‘concordance model’, find a natural explanation.     

Rheological characteristics of debris-flow material in South-Gargano watersheds

In recent years, debris flows have represented a severe natural hazard in South-Gargano watersheds (Puglia Region, Southern Italy). Hill slopes erosion, caused by the inadequate protection of the degraded forests, produces large amounts of soil and debris that are conveyed downstream during heavy rainstorms. The involved material is characterized by limestone fragments and blocks in a sandy-silt matrix. In this paper, the rheological properties of such debris-flow materials have been investigated. Eight specimens of particulated sediments of particle diameter of d ≤ 4 mm have been analysed using a rheometric tool for large particle suspensions, the ball measuring system (BMS). The influence of sediment concentration on the bulk rheological behaviour has been evaluated at concentrations by volume obtained in fully water-saturated conditions (volumetric sediment concentration C _V ~ 0.8) and with fixed water content (C _V = 0.42). The rheological data were fitted to the Bingham, Herschel–Bulkley, and O’Brien and Julien models to define viscosity and yield stress dependency on sediment concentration, to provide viscosity information for hazard mitigation as well as for comparison to other debris-flow events.     

Proximity to ice fields and lake depth as modulators of paleoclimate records: a regional study from southwest Yukon,Canada

Pronounced climate warming during the past century has been well documented in high-latitude regions. Nonetheless, considerable heterogeneity exists in northern climate trends. We examined the roles of cryospheric landscape and lake depth in modulating the rate and magnitude of local climate responses through a paleolimnological study of lakes from southwest Yukon, Canada. By sampling lakes at varying distances from the Wrangell-St. Elias ice fields, we hypothesized that, for lakes of similar maximum depth, sites closest to the ice fields would be relatively complacent in terms of their chironomid and diatom assemblage changes over the past ~200 years. This hypothesis is based on the moderating effect of the glaciers on local climate, which would be most pronounced in the lakes nearest to the ice fields. However, given the known ecological differences between deep and shallow lakes, we further predicted that, for a given distance from the ice fields, a sediment record from a shallower lake would show the greatest change in stratigraphic subfossil assemblages. Because of the complicated shape of the ice fields, we applied the longitude for each site (which decreases from west to east) to approximate the proximity of our study lakes to the ice fields. Consistent with our predictions, we observed a space-transgressive pattern in the chironomid assemblage turnover that was associated with their proximity to the ice fields (r = ?0.75, P = 0.034, n = 8) across lakes of similar depth (mean maximum depth ± 1, SE = 18.1 ± 2.6 m). Considering a broader network of lakes that represented a greater range in maximum depth (4.9–29 m), we found that differences in subfossil chironomid assemblages between the modern and ca. AD 1800 sediment layers were strongly related to lake depth (r = ?0.77, P < 0.001, n = 15), but failed to detect a significant relationship with latitude or longitude (i.e. our proxy for proximity to the ice fields). Similarly, our comparative high-resolution analyses of two lakes with distinct lake morphometries, but similar proximities to the ice fields, demonstrated the predicted contrasting pattern: we observed pronounced post-1880 changes in the biotic assemblages in the shallow lake and a muted and delayed response (i.e. ~1970s) in the deeper lake. Our findings confirm that cryospheric landscape features can strongly modulate regional climate. Furthermore, our work shows that investigators need to be conscious of how climate change affects the structure and functioning of lakes of different typologies, which influences the way in which paleoclimate signals are recorded and interpreted.     

Optical closure of parameterized bio-optical relationships

An optical closure study on bio-optical relationships was carried out using radiative transfer model matrix operator method developed by Freie Universitt Berlin.As a case study,the optical closure of bio-optical relationships empirically parameterized with in situ data for the East China Sea was examined.Remote-sensing refl ectance(R rs)was computed from the inherent optical properties predicted by these biooptical relationships and compared with published in situ data.It was found that the simulated R rs was overestimated for turbid water.To achieve optical closure,bio-optical relationships for absorption and scattering coeffi cients for suspended particulate matter were adjusted.Furthermore,the results show that the Fournier and Forand phase functions obtained from the adjusted relationships perform better than the Petzold phase function.Therefore,before bio-optical relationships are used for a local sea area,the optical closure should be examined.     

Detecting space–time patterns of disease risk under dynamic background population

Journal of Geographical Systems - We are able to collect vast quantities of spatiotemporal data due to recent technological advances. Exploratory space–time data analysis approaches can...     

Testing the 14C ages and conservative behavior of dissolved 14C in a carbonate aquifer in Yucca Flat,Nevada (USA), using 36Cl from groundwater and packrat middens

Corrected groundwater ¹⁴C ages from the carbonate aquifer in Yucca Flat at the former Nevada Test Site (now the Nevada National Security Site), USA, were evaluated by comparing temporal variations of groundwater ³⁶Cl/Cl estimated with these ¹⁴C ages with published records of meteoric ³⁶Cl/Cl variations preserved in packrat middens (piles of plant fragments, fecal matter and urine). Good agreement between these records indicates that the groundwater ¹⁴C ages are reasonable and that ¹⁴C is moving with chloride without sorbing to the carbonate rock matrix or fracture coatings, despite opposing evidence from laboratory experiments. The groundwater ¹⁴C ages are consistent with other hydrologic evidence that indicates significant basin infiltration ceased 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, and that recharge to the carbonate aquifer is from paleowater draining through overlying tuff confining units along major faults. This interpretation is supported by the relative age differences as well as hydraulic head differences between the alluvial and volcanic aquifers and the carbonate aquifer. The carbonate aquifer ¹⁴C ages suggest that groundwater velocities throughout much of Yucca Flat are about 2 m/yr, consistent with the long-held conceptual model that blocking ridges of low-permeability rock hydrologically isolate the carbonate aquifer in Yucca Flat from the outlying regional carbonate flow system.     

Technical, financial and location criteria for the design of land application system treatment

Conventional water treatments when downsized to cover the demands of small and scattered populations are costly and ineffective. In fact, many small towns cannot afford the high average treatment costs nor provide the skill and complex management requirements. Even when these facilities are available, waste water might not be properly treated. Land application system treatments (LAST) have been shown to be preferable on the basis of their technical effectiveness and financial viability. The recently approved Spanish regulations (RDL 1620/2007, pp 50369–50661) represent an opportunity for the implementation of well-designed LASTs. This paper presents an assessment methodology for the design of LASTs by combining technical, financial and location criteria. The method is applied to the design of LASTs to cover the water disposal demand of twelve municipalities located within the protected natural landscape, and surrounding areas of ‘El Rebollar’, Salamanca, Spain.     

Using groundwater noble gas measurements to confirm paleorecharge hypotheses at Pahute Mesa,Nevada National Security Site,Nevada, USA

Hydrogeology Journal - Pahute Mesa (Nevada, USA) was the site of 85 underground nuclear tests between 1965 and 1992 whose residual radiochemical inventory poses a contaminant threat to local...