First application of MC2-AQ to multiscale air quality modelling over Europe

A three-dimensional air quality model (MC2-AQ) developed for studying oxidant chemistry on regional to urban scales over North America was adapted and implemented for European conditions. The modelling system is based on the Canadian Mesoscale Compressible Community (MC2) Model, a non-hydrostatic meteorological model, to which modules permitting on-line calculations of chemical transformations, anthropogenic and biogenic emissions, and deposition were added. The transport of chemical species is done on the same grid and with the same advection, convection, and diffusion schemes as are used for the meteorological fields. The developed model is highly flexible and was adapted to different scales by allowing for self-nesting. In this paper we present model results for a high-ozone episode, June 18–26, 2000, over Europe. The modelling system was able to reproduce general characteristics (growth, extent, and dissipation) of the pollution episode. Accumulation of ozone precursors during weak wind and high-temperature synoptic conditions was essential for episode formation. Subsequent episode development and advancement across Europe was driven by frontal systems. A stationary front associated with a low-pressure system over Ukraine prevented the further eastward transport of the polluted air mass. The episode was terminated after the passage of a cold front advecting relatively clean Atlantic air mass.     

Illuminating protogalaxies? The discovery of extended Lyman-α emission around a QSO at z=4.5

We have discovered extended Lyman-α emission around a z=4.5 QSO in a deep long-slit spectrum with Keck/LRIS at moderate spectral resolution (R≈ 1000). The line emission extends 5 arcsec beyond the continuum of the QSO and is spatially asymmetric. This extended line emission has a spectral extent of 1000km/s, much narrower in velocity spread than the broad Lyman-α from the QSO itself and slightly offset in redshift. No evidence of continuum is seen for the extended emission line region, suggesting that this recombination line is powered by reprocessed QSO Lyman continuum flux rather than by local star formation. This phenomenon is rare in QSOs which are not radio loud, and this is the first time it has been observed at z>4. It seems likely that the QSO is illuminating the surrounding cold gas of the host galaxy, with the ionizing photons producing Lyman-α fluorescence. As suggested by Haiman and Rees (2001), this `fuzz' around a distant quasar may place strong constraints on galaxy formation and the extended distribution of cold, neutral gas. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Factors Influencing Helophyte Distribution in Lakes (Eastern Poland)

Water Resources - The aim of the study was to show which morphometric traits of lakes influence the development of the rush zone of lakes and how buffer zone management influences analyzed features...     

Population dynamics and condition index of natural stock of blood cockle,Tegillarca granosa(Mollusca,Bivalvia,Arcidae) in the Marudu Bay,Malaysia

The population parameters of blood cockles, Tegillarca granosa in the intertidal zone of Marudu Bay, Sabah,Malaysia were investigated based on monthly length-weight frequency data(July 2017 to June 2018). A total of 279 cockle individuals with shell length and weight ranging from 27.7 mm to 82.2 mm and 13.11 g to 192.7 g were subjected to analysis. T. granosa in Marudu Bay showed a consistent moderately high condition index 4.98±0.86 throughout the year. The exponent b of the length-weight relationship was 2.6 demonstrating negative allometric growth. The estimated asymptotic length(L_∞), growth coefficient(K) and growth performance(?) of the T.granosa population in Marudu Bay were estimated at 86.68 mm, 0.98 a~(-1) and 3.87, respectively. The observed maximum shell length was 82.55 mm and the predicted maximum shell length was 84.44 mm with estimated maximum life span(t_(max)) of 3.06 years. The estimated mean lengths at the end of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 months of age were 21.31 mm, 31.16 mm, 39.53 mm, 46.63 mm, 52.67 mm and 57.79 mm. Total, natural, and fishing mortalities were estimated at 2.39 a~(-1), 1.32 a~(-1) and 1.07 a~(-1). The exploitation level(E) was 0.45. Results of the current study also demonstrated that T. granosa in the Marudu Bay has two major recruitment peaks; one in March and another in October. The exploitation level revealed that natural stock of T. granosa in the Marudu Bay was approaching the maximum exploitation level. If such trend continues or demand for T. granosa is increasing,coupled with no effective fisheries management in place, possibility of the T. granosa population in the Marudu Bay to collapse is likely to elevate.     

New Zealand oceans governance: Calming turbulent waters?

In March 2000, New Zealand began the development of a national oceans policy. The oceans policy has weathered a number of challenges, most notably the dispute between Maori and the Crown over title to coastal land and water. This dispute stalled the development process in mid 2003 until work recommenced in November 2005. This paper analyses developments in New Zealand oceans governance, identifying the interaction between state, community and market as important influences that can help explain complexities of policy development, lack of sectoral integration and a change in policy direction.     

New Methods for Modeling Laterolog Resistivity Corrections

The paper presents methods for laterolog response modeling. In Coulomb’s charges method, Laplace’s equation is solved for the electric field distribution in rock medium with internal boundaries between different resistivity layers. There, the boundary problem is reduced to Fred-holm integral equation of the second kind. The second method uses a finite element array to model apparent resistivity from laterolog. The task is treated as DC problem and the Laplace equation is solved numerically. The presented methods were applied to borehole data covering a typical stratigraphie section of the Fore-Sudetic Monocline in southwestern Poland. Apparent resistivity was calculated using the Coulomb’s charges method and alternatively modeled using a finite element method which gave similar results. Then, a series of linear corrections for borehole, shoulder bed, and filtration effects for apparent resistivity obtained by the Coulomb’s charges method demonstrated the feasibility of calculating true resistivity of virgin and invaded zones. The proposed methods provide a flexible solution in modeling which can be adapted to other logs.     

Characteristics and dynamics of multiple intertidal bars,north Lincolnshire,England

Multiple intertidal bars and troughs, often referred to as ‘ridges and runnels’, are significant features on many macrotidal sandy beaches. Along the coastline of England and Wales, they are particularly prevalent in the vicinity of estuaries, where the nearshore gradient is gentle and a large surplus of sediment is generally present. This paper examines the dynamics of such bar systems along the north Lincolnshire coast. A digital elevation model of the intertidal morphology obtained using LIDAR demonstrates that three to five intertidal bars are consistently present with a spacing of approximately 100 m. The largest and most pronounced bars (height = 0·5–0·8 m) are found around mean sea level, whereas the least developed bars (height = 0·2–0·5 m) occur in the lower intertidal zone. Annual aerial photographs of the intertidal bar morphology were inspected to try to track individual bars from year to year to derive bar migration rates; however, there is little resemblance between concurrent photographs, and ‘resetting’ of the intertidal profile occurs on an annual basis. Three‐dimensional beach surveys were conducted monthly at three locations along the north Lincolnshire coast over a one‐year period. The intertidal bar morphology responds strongly to the seasonal variation in the forcing conditions, and bars are least numerous and flattest during the more energetic winter months. Morphological changes over the monthly time scale are strongly affected by longshore sediment transport processes and the intertidal bar morphology can migrate along the beach at rates of up to 30 m per month. The behaviour of intertidal bars is complex and varies over a range of spatial and temporal scales in response to a combination of forcing factors (e.g. incident wave energy, different types of wave processes, longshore and cross‐shore sediment transport), relaxation time and morphodynamic feedback. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Downscaling Landsat-8 land surface temperature maps in diverse urban landscapes using multivariate adaptive regression splines and very high resolution auxiliary data

ABSTRACT

We propose a method for spatial downscaling of Landsat 8-derived LST maps from 100(30?m) resolution down to 2–4?m with the use of the Multiple Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) models coupled with very high resolution auxiliary data derived from hyperspectral aerial imagery and large-scale topographic maps. We applied the method to four Landsat 8 scenes, two collected in summer and two in winter, for three British towns collectively representing a variety of urban form. We used several spectral indices as well as fractional coverage of water and paved surfaces as LST predictors, and applied a novel method for the correction of temporal mismatch between spectral indices derived from aerial and satellite imagery captured at different dates, allowing for the application of the downscaling method for multiple dates without the need for repeating the aerial survey. Our results suggest that the method performed well for the summer dates, achieving RMSE of 1.40–1.83?K prior to and 0.76–1.21?K after correction for residuals. We conclude that the MARS models, by addressing the non-linear relationship of LST at coarse and fine spatial resolutions, can be successfully applied to produce high resolution LST maps suitable for studies of urban thermal environment at local scales.     

An approach to the assessment of local trace metal pollution in the Mediterranean marine atmosphere

Assessing the extent of local trace metal pollution in marine atmospheric particulates presents a number of difficulties, and one potential approach to the problem has been evaluated by reference to a series of aerosols from the lower troposphere over the Eastern Mediterranean. This region, which is less remote from the continents than open-ocean areas, has two significantly different atmospheric particulate catchments: being bordered in the north by nations having industrialized, semi-industrialized and rural economies, and in the south by the North African desert belt. The elemental chemistry of the particulates is illustrated in terms of the distributions of Fe and Pb, which are presented in the form of enrichment factor diagrams, and is shown to be essentially controlled by the dilution of a ‘European’ background material, common to ‘remote’ regions of the latitudinal belt, with crust-derived, desert components. Major local perturbations in the dilution relationship can occur when either crust-derived or pollutant components strongly dominate the total particulate population. The extent of these local perturbations can be tentatively assessed using appropriate enrichment factor diagrams, which offer a framework within which to interpret the elemental chemistry of marine atmospheric particulates providing sufficient data is available for their construction. By using such an EF diagram it is suggested that the Eastern Mediterranean atmospheric particulates have not suffered local pollution on a gross scale with respect to Pb.