A long-necked pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea,Azhdarchidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Valencia,Spain

Fragmentary remains, including cervical vertebrae and limb bones, of a large pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Tous, province of Valencia (Spain), are described. The material was recovered from lacustrine beds in the upper part of the Calizas y Margas de Sierra Perenchiza Formation, which is probably Maastrichtian in age. Six fragments of vertebrae allow a reconstruction of the anatomy of the mid-series cervicals of the animal. The general morphology of the cervical vertebrae is closely similar to that of the long-necked Azhdarchidae. Compared to other azhdarchids, the Valencia pterosaur shows minor differences from the genera Azhdarcho and Quetzalcoatlus, and is here provisionally referred to as Azhdarchidae indet. A wingspan of about 5.5 m is calculated by comparison with other known azhdarchids. This is the second azhdarchid pterosaur described from the Iberian peninsula. It confirms the wide distribution of this group of large pterosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous.     

Integral field spectroscopy of the gravitational lens HE1104‐1805

We present integral field spectroscopy of the double imaged quasar HE1104‐1805 taken with the optical fiber system INTEGRAL‐WYFFOS at theWHT telescope. From the spectra of the two components we have measured the continuum and line emission ratios, finding an offset between them that can be related to microlensing. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Ccd Photometry of Neglected Eclipsing Binaries – Kz Dra, Lr Cam and Im Vul

We present ephemerides and solutions of one Algol-type (KZ Dra) and two overcontact systems (LR Cam and IM Vul) based on V(RI)_C CCD observations obtained in the project Prosper (network of amateur observers).     

Magnetoacoustic surface gravity waves

The effect of gravity on the surface magnetoacoustic waves may be important when considering applications to solar and laboratory plasmas. The linear magnetoacoustic waves, which may appear in a configuration with an interface between two plasmas or a plasma and an ordinary gas, are studied. Compressibility and gravity are taken into account. The different types of couplings between internal and surface modes are analyzed. Magnetoacoustic surface waves are studied in detail in a configuration consisting of an interface between an isothermal plasma and an ordinary gas. The possible regions where these modes may exist are discussed. A general way of grouping and classifying the complicated spectra of modes is presented. New groups of modes appear as a consequence of gravity and stratification, in addition to those already present in the absence of gravity. The results may be of help in studying more complicated cases.Researcher of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas.     

Questions in photoelectric photometry

The paper reviews generally well-known, though still frequently overlooked, procedural points in photoelectric photometry. Some examples, which point up the value of high photometric precision, are included.     

Elemental composition of sediment cores from a mangrove environment using neutron activation analysis

The geochemistry of Sepetiba Bay was studied in four sediment cores using a multi-element approach. Two cores were sampled in the more contaminated eastern part of the bay and two cores were sampled in the western region. The aim was to determine whether less common elements like the rare earths or the actinides are associated with contaminant metals like zinc in the Bay. Samples were analysed by instrumental neutron activation analysis that permits the quantification of total concentrations of metals (Ba, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, Hf, Rb, Sc, Zn), rare earth elements (Ce, Eu, La, Lu, Sm and Yb), actinides (Th, U), non-metals and semi-metals (As, Br). Organic carbon and total sulphur were also analysed. The results show very strong zinc contamination in the top layers (more than 1000 μg g⁻¹) and background concentrations in the bottom (15 μg g⁻¹). Elements like chromium which would be expected to be released by the heavy industries of Sepetiba Bay, did not show a contamination profile, and concentrations remained close to those of natural environments. No evidence of any association between the zinc and other potential contaminant elements could be identified in this work.     

20th-CENTURY CHANGES OF TEMPERATURE IN THE MOUNTAIN REGIONS OF CENTRAL EUROPE

Daily maximum and minimum temperatures from 29 low-lying and mountain stations of 7 countries in Central Europe were analyzed. The analysis of the annual variation of diurnal temperature range helps to distinguish unique climatic characteristics of high and low altitude stations. A comparison of the time series of extreme daily temperatures as well as mean temperature shows a good agreement between the low-lying stations and the mountain stations. Many of the pronounced warm and cold periods are present in all time series and are therefore representative for the whole region. A linear trend analysis of the station data for the period 1901–1990 (19 stations) and 1951–1990 (all 29 stations) shows spatial patterns of similar changes in maximum and minimum daily temperatures and diurnal temperature range. Mountain stations show only small changes of the diurnal temperature range over the 1901–1990 period, whereas the low-lying stations in the western part of the Alps show a significant decrease of diurnal temperature range, caused by strong increase of the minimum temperature. For the shorter period 1951–1990, the diurnal temperature range decreases at the western low-lying stations, mainly in spring, whereas it remains roughly constant at the mountain stations. The decrease of diurnal temperature range is stronger in the western part than in the eastern part of the Alps.     

Climate teleconnections at monthly time scales in the Ligurian Sea inferred from satellite data

The existence and spatial distribution of possible teleconnections between the South Pacific and North Atlantic oceans and the Ligurian Sea (North-western Mediterranean) are investigated in the present paper. Teleconnections are searched by cross-correlating monthly spatio-temporal time series of 1.1 km resolution sea surface temperature (SST), and a 22.2 km resolution sea level anomaly (SLA), measured from satellite from March 1993 to August 1999, with two indices characterising the South Pacific and the North Atlantic variability: the Southern Oscillation (SO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) indices, respectively. Concerning the variability induced by the North Atlantic Ocean, it is shown that it mostly influences the SLA field in the Ligurian Sea. Specifically, relevant anti-correlations between SLA and North Atlantic variability have been found in all the Ligurian sub-basin. As expected by geographical proximity, the effects of North Atlantic on the SLA field in the Ligurian Sea are instantaneous at monthly time scales. Instead, correlations between SST and NAO Index are found at time lag τ = 1 month in the southern part of the basin highlighting the memory of the ocean related to their heat capacity. Significant anti-correlations between SO Index and the SST field in the Ligurian Sea, were obtained at time lag τ = 4 months in the coastal areas of the sub-basin. Results also indicate that the impact of teleconnections in the area studied is not geographically uniform.     

Weak wave/tide interaction in suspended sediment-stratified flow: a case study

The formulation of weak wind-wave/low-frequency current interaction is extended to the case of suspended sediment-stratified flow. The influence of suspended sediment stratification on flow dynamics is described in terms of a sediment stratification parameter defined as von Karman's constant times a depth-independent function of the relative friction velocity and the relative settling velocity of suspended particles that is specified by a solution for the problem on the vertical structure of the suspended sediment-stratified near-bottom logarithmic layer. This ‘extended’ formulation is inserted in a two-dimensional non-linear, finite-difference, high-resolution hydrodynamic model and the modified model is applied to clarify the roles of wind-wave/tide interaction and suspended sediment stratification—individually and in combination—in the formation of the M₄ and M₆ overtides in Cádiz Bay. It is shown that the predictions for the M₄ and M₆ overtides have much in common and much in contrast with the M₂ tide. For the M₂ tide the influence of suspended sediment stratification shows up most vividly in the spatial variability of the tidal characteristics, but is not evident in changes in the M₄ and M₆ overtides. On the other hand, the influence of wave-induced changes on the M₂ tidal amplitude and phase is only of minor importance, but for the M₄ and M₆ overtides these changes are quite significant. When taken together, the effects of the two factors under investigation are very nearly balanced. This, however, does not mean that the conventional assumption of ignoring these factors is valid in shallow-water dynamics. Simply, that their resulting effect vanishes.