Study of Coherent Structures and Estimation of the Pressure Transport Terms for the Nocturnal Stable Boundary Layer

During the CASES-99 field experiment, three quartz-based microbarographs were installed on the 58-m main tower at the Central Site. These devices measuredabsolute pressure with temperature compensated output at a resolution better than 0.2 Pa and a sampling frequency of 2 s^-1 during the whole campaign. This sampling rate is not adequate to compute turbulent pressure fluxes with the classic averaging method, but the wavelet transform allows flux estimations at a wide range of scales. The resolution of the devices is suitable to study pressure perturbations such as internal gravity waves. The night period of the Intensive Operational Period number 6 (IOP6), where wave-like structures were present, is chosen to illustrate the method. A complete wavelet analysis of pressure recordsand data from sonic anemometers located at the same heights in the tower is performed. Wavelet methods make it possible to identify the relevant scales in the flowand to study the vertical structure of pressure perturbations, including coherent structures and small-scale motions.A study of a simplified turbulence kinetic energy budget equation is made and the contribution of the pressure terms is discussed.     

The ARIEL Instrument Control Unit design

In this paper we present the electromagnetic modeling and beam pattern measurements of a 16-elements ultra wideband sparse random test array for the low frequency instrument of the Square Kilometer Array telescope. We discuss the importance of a small array test platform for the development of technologies and techniques towards the final telescope, highlighting the most relevant aspects of its design. We also describe the electromagnetic simulations and modeling work as well as the embedded-element and array pattern measurements using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle system. The latter are helpful both for the validation of the models and the design as well as for the future instrumental calibration of the telescope thanks to the stable, accurate and strong radio frequency signal transmitted by the UAV. At this stage of the design, these measurements have shown a general agreement between experimental results and numerical data and have revealed the localized effect of un-calibrated cable lengths in the inner side-lobes of the array pattern.     

Paleomagnetic and paleoclimatic investigation at Laguna Melincue (Pampean Plains,Argentina): preliminary results

Laguna Melincué is a shallow lake located in Santa Fe Province, Argentina (33°41′27.8″S, 61°31′36.5″W). The catchment area is around 1495 km² and it is located in the Pampean Plains. It was reduced to 678 km² by the construction of the San Urbano channel in 1941 and reconditioned in 1977, which was built to avoid floods. The floods are related to some El Niño episodes, with high precipitation events. The lake has been previously studied from different approaches, mainly to understand hydrological and climatic variations, but more multidisciplinary studies are needed to understand its complex hydrological situation. Here we present the first paleomagnetic and rock magnetic studies made on a short sediment core collected from the lake in order to contribute to identifying paleoclimatic proxies and to present the first paleomagnetic results for the site. Rock magnetic analyses suggest that the well-preserved magnetic mineralogy is dominated by pseudo single-domain (titano)magnetite and/or maghemite. The results also indicate that a stable characteristic remanent magnetisation can be isolated and thus the directions of the geomagnetic field may be obtained, providing evidence for the use of this lake for paleomagnetic and paleoenvironmental studies. Changes in magnetic grain size and concentration of magnetic minerals suggest environmental variations and changes in the lake level, which are consistent with historical reports. The paleomagnetic results agree well with Cals3k.3 model for inclination and declination of the geomagnetic field except for the dry period probably due to the fact that the core was extracted near the shore.     

Interaction of wind and cold-season hydrologic processes on erosion from complex topography following wildfire in sagebrush steppe

Wildfire is a natural component of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe rangelands that induces temporal shifts in plant community physiognomy, ground surface conditions, and erosion rates. Fire alteration of the vegetation structure and ground cover in these ecosystems commonly amplifies soil losses by wind- and water-driven erosion. Much of the fire-related erosion research for sagebrush steppe has focused on either erosion by wind over gentle terrain or water-driven erosion under high-intensity rainfall on complex topography. However, many sagebrush rangelands are geographically positioned in snow-dominated uplands with complex terrain in which runoff and sediment delivery occur primarily in winter months associated with cold-season hydrology. Current understanding is limited regarding fire effects on the interaction of wind- and cold-season hydrologic-driven erosion processes for these ecosystems. In this study, we evaluated fire impacts on vegetation, ground cover, soils, and erosion across spatial scales at a snow-dominated mountainous sagebrush site over a 2-year period post-fire. Vegetation, ground cover, and soil conditions were assessed at various plot scales (8 m² to 3.42 ha) through standard field measures. Erosion was quantified through a network of silt fences (n = 24) spanning hillslope and side channel or swale areas, ranging from 0.003 to 3.42 ha in size. Sediment delivery at the watershed scale (129 ha) was assessed by suspended sediment samples of streamflow through a drop-box v-notch weir. Wildfire consumed nearly all above-ground live vegetation at the site and resulted in more than 60% bare ground (bare soil, ash, and rock) in the immediate post-fire period. Widespread wind-driven sediment loading of swales was observed over the first month post-fire and extensive snow drifts were formed in these swales each winter season during the study. In the first year, sediment yields from north- and south-facing aspects averaged 0.99–8.62 t ha⁻¹ at the short-hillslope scale (~0.004 ha), 0.02–1.65 t ha⁻¹ at the long-hillslope scale (0.02–0.46 ha), and 0.24–0.71 t ha⁻¹ at the swale scale (0.65–3.42 ha), and watershed scale sediment yield was 2.47 t ha⁻¹. By the second year post fire, foliar cover exceeded 120% across the site, but bare ground remained more than 60%. Sediment yield in the second year was greatly reduced across short- to long-hillslope scales (0.02–0.04 t ha⁻¹), but was similar to first-year measures for swale plots (0.24–0.61 t ha⁻¹) and at the watershed scale (3.05 t ha⁻¹). Nearly all the sediment collected across all spatial scales was delivered during runoff events associated with cold-season hydrologic processes, including rain-on-snow, rain-on-frozen soils, and snowmelt runoff. Approximately 85–99% of annual sediment collected across all silt fence plots each year was from swales. The high levels of sediment delivered across hillslope to watershed scales in this study are attributed to observed preferential loading of fine sediments into swale channels by aeolian processes in the immediate post-fire period and subsequent flushing of these sediments by runoff from cold-season hydrologic processes. Our results suggest that the interaction of aeolian and cold-season hydrologic-driven erosion processes is an important component for consideration in post-fire erosion assessment and prediction and can have profound implications for soil loss from these ecosystems. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimum selection of design parameters for transportation of offshore structures

A probabilistic framework is presented to select the design significant wave height and design transverse rotation for typical barges used in the Gulf of Mexico for marine transportation of structural elements and/or systems. The selection of design transverse rotation is based on optimization procedure that trade-off between the performance of the barge subjected to a meteorological-oceanographic (metocean) hazard along the route and losses by structural damage. For this purpose probabilistic models to estimate the metocean hazard for marine transportation are shown. Afterwards, the design rotation is linked to the design of significant wave height and to the return period associated with such wave conditions. The formulation is applied to an offshore transportation route in the Gulf of Mexico.     

Evaluation of Peak Current Polarity Retrieved by the ZEUS Long-Range Lightning Monitoring System

This letter presents the first assessment of a newly developed polarity retrieval scheme augmenting a very low frequency (VLF) long-range lightning detection network (named ZEUS). The polarity scheme uses extremely low frequency (ELF) in conjunction with the VLF waveform. The measured ELF signal is compared with the simulated ELF signal to extract the polarity sign. This comparison also produces correlation coefficients that are used to assign four confidence index categories on the polarity sign. This letter presents polarity results for a period of ZEUS network operation from November 26 to December 15, 2004. Assessment of the polarity measurements is conducted through comparisons against the Brazilian lightning network Rede Integrada Nacional de Detecccedilatildeo de Descargas Atmosfeacutericas (RINDAT) that uses a well-established lightning location technology. Contingency test analysis shows that algorithm performance is consistent with the assigned confidence level, e.g., at medium confidence level, the algorithm has a 5% bias, whereas at high level, perfect agreement is shown with RINDAT. Peak current strength was found not to influence the accuracy of the polarity retrieval     

Further details on the applicability of Thellier paleointensity method: The effect of magnitude of laboratory field

Twenty years after Tanaka and Kono's pioneering contribution (Tanaka and Kono, 1984), we give some new details on the effect of applied field strength during Thellier paleointensity experiments. Special attention is paid to the relation of magnitude of laboratory field and Coe's quality factors (Coe et al., 1978). Full thermoremanent magnetizations were imparted on natural samples containing low-Ti titanomagnetites of pseudo-single domain structure in a 40-μT magnetic field from 600?°C to room temperature. The samples were subjected to the routine Thellier procedure using a wide range of applied laboratory fields. Results indicate that values of laboratory fields may be accurately reproduced within 2% of standard error. The quality factors, however, decrease when the magnitude of ‘ancient’ field does not match to applied laboratory fields. To cite this article: J. Morales et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Ammonia observations of the nearby molecular cloud MBM 12

We present NH₃(1,1) and (2,2) observations of MBM 12, the closest known molecular cloud (65-pc distance), aimed at finding evidence for on-going star formation processes. No local temperature (with a T _rot upper limit of 12 K) or linewidth enhancement is found, which suggests that the area of the cloud that we have mapped (15-arcmin size) is not currently forming stars. Therefore this nearby 'starless' molecular gas region is an ideal laboratory to study the physical conditions preceding new star formation.
A radio continuum source has been found in Very Large Array archive data, close to but outside the NH₃ emission. This source is likely to be a background object.     

Spectral studies of several galaxies in the vicinity of the cluster A0569

The results of spectroscopic studies of several faint galaxies projected onto the cluster A0569 are presented. The observations were carried out at Cananea (Mexico) on the 2.12-m telescope of the Guillermo Haro Observatory equipped with a Boller and Chivens spectrograph. The redshifts of these galaxies have been determined based on their absorption and emission lines.