銀河星雲的偏振和連續光譜的顏色

銀河星雲的偏振曾經被人透過阿黑曼(Ohman)或李約(Lyot)的偏振計去做攝影觀測。在分析器(analyseur)的位置相差π/4所拍的兩張照片,就足以决定星雲各區偏振光的百分數和偏振面的方向。我們對於蟹狀星雲作了29個區域的偏振觀測,每個區域的直徑是8″。在那些“無定形”物質的纖維結構不太混淆的區域里,偏振面的方向和巴德(Baade)所發見的纖維的方向是相合的(圖4)。據4000—5000埃和5200—5800埃兩光譜區所得的相同的結果,表現偏振度很强(>40％),這是和席克洛夫斯基(ShMovsky)与奧特(Oort)的理論相合的。瀰漫星雲,因其光輝微弱並有夜天光陪襯,觀測是困難的;雖然這樣,我們在10個星雲的117區里,做了偏振的觀測。偏振化最强的區域,按所研究過的星雲,偏振度可由20％變至40％。如果NGC 7023的徑向偏振真是這團星雲物質的主要特徵,那么觀测到的偏振面的方向和可見的發光細絲相重合,更像是確定的事實了。有些星雲的偏振,不能說是徑向的;但仍能證实偏振面的方向跟隨比較顯著的星雲亮絲。由色餘的测定,基本上表明:瀰漫星雲比較照耀它的星,更藍一點,這和星的距離的函数有系統的變化。觀测的結果和与可見光波長相近的固體質點對於光所生的漫射的情况,是相合的。     

Transboundary impacts on regional ground water modeling in Texas

Recent legislation required regional grassroots water resources planning across the entire state of Texas. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), the state's primary water resource planning agency, divided the state into 16 planning regions. Each planning group developed plans to manage both ground water and surface water sources and to meet future demands of various combinations of domestic, agricultural, municipal, and industrial water consumers. This presentation describes the challenges in developing a ground water model for the Llano Estacado Regional Water Planning Group (LERWPG), whose region includes 21 counties in the Southern High Plains of Texas. While surface water is supplied to several cities in this region, the vast majority of the regional water use comes from the High Plains aquifer system, often locally referred to as the Ogallala Aquifer. Over 95% of the ground water demand is for irrigated agriculture. The LERWPG had to predict the impact of future TWDB-projected water demands, as provided by the TWDB, on the aquifer for the period 2000 to 2050. If detrimental impacts were noted, alternative management strategies must be proposed. While much effort was spent on evaluating the current status of the ground water reserves, an appropriate numerical model of the aquifer system was necessary to demonstrate future impacts of the predicted withdrawals as well as the effects of the alternative strategies. The modeling effort was completed in the summer of 2000. This presentation concentrates on the political, scientific, and nontechnical issues in this planning process that complicated the modeling effort. Uncertainties in data, most significantly in distribution and intensity of recharge and withdrawals, significantly impacted the calibration and predictive modeling efforts. Four predictive scenarios, including baseline projections, recurrence of the drought of record, precipitation enhancement, and reduced irrigation demand, were simulated to identify counties at risk of low final ground water storage volume or low levels of satisfied demand by 2050.     

戈壁风沙流结构特性及其意义

通过砾质戈壁风沙流野外实测数据的分析以及风洞模拟实验研究发现：戈壁风沙流结构具有与沙漠风沙流完全不同的风沙流特征,戈壁风沙地表的粗糙度随风速的增大而增加,其表面风沙流输沙量高度分布表现出独特的"象鼻"效应,在一定高度处呈现最大值,并随风速的增加而增高。该"象鼻"效应导致戈壁风沙流结构特征值λ远大于 1,不论风速多大,风沙流都处于未饱和状态的非堆积搬运状态。这种特殊性质比较清楚地解释了敦煌莫高窟千年来不被沙山埋没的谜底。并且在风沙防治工程实践中,采用砾石压沙措施,构造类似与砾质戈壁的下垫面,人工促使风沙流结构呈现"象鼻"形状,可使防沙工程达到理想的输导作用。     

THE EFFECTS OF TOPOGRAPHY ON THE SUMMER ATMOS-PHERIC ENERGETICS OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE IN A LOW-RESOLUTION GLOBAL SPECTRAL MODEL

An analysis is made of the effects of topography on the summer atmospheric energetics of the Northern Hemisphere in a low-resolution global spectral model. The numerical model is a global, spectral, primitive equation model with five equally spaced sigma levels in the vertical and triangular truncation at wavenumber 10 in the horizontal. The model includes comparatively full physical processes.Each term of the energy budget equations is calculated in four specific latitudinal belts (81.11°S-11.53°S; 11.53°S-11.53°N; 11.53°N-46.24°N; 46.24°N-81.11°N) from a five-year simulation with mountains and a one-year simulation without mountains, respectively. Differences between them are compared and statistically tested. The results show that synoptical scale waves transport available potential energy and kinetic energy to long waves and increase conversion from available potential energy of the zonal flow to eddy’s and from the eddy kinetic energy to the zonal kinetic energy in region 3 (11.53°N-46.24°N) due to mountains; topography intensifies the atmospheric baroclinity in region 3, consequently the baroclinic conversion of atmosphere energy is increased. The seasonal characteristics associated with the summer atmospheric energy source in region 3 are caused by seasonal variation of the solar radiation and the land-ocean contrasts and independent of topographic effects. The mechanism of topographic effects on the increase of long wave kinetic energy is also discussed.     

Dreissena polymorpha (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae) in the Neva Estuary (eastern Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea): is it a biofilter or source for pollution?

The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha, a ponto-caspian byssate bivalve, forms permanent dense populations along the shoreline in the northern part of the inner Neva Estuary. Its total biomass along a 17 km transect reached 4980 tons (mean 1060 g m(-2)) in 2000 and 6510 tons (mean 1385 g m(-2)) in 2001. Being persistent and abundant, the zebra mussel populations played an important role in benthic-pelagic coupling in inner Neva River Estuary. The D. polymorpha population released up to 514 kg day(-1) of dissolved inorganic phosphorus and was, therefore, a major source of bioavailable nutrients in the area. Mussel beds were also efficient biofilters and precipitate 15,020 kg day(-1) of particulate organic matter during the warm season. About 50% of precipitated matter had a relatively long retention time, being utilized within zebra mussel populations, while the rest was deposited as faeces and pseudofaeces and served as a source for organic pollution to the eastern Gulf of Finland.     

Coastal pollution hazards in southern California observed by SAR imagery: stormwater plumes, wastewater plumes, and natural hydrocarbon seeps

Stormwater runoff plumes, municipal wastewater plumes, and natural hydrocarbon seeps are important pollution hazards for the heavily populated Southern California Bight (SCB). Due to their small size, dynamic and episodic nature, these hazards are difficult to sample adequately using traditional in situ oceanographic methods. Complex coastal circulation and persistent cloud cover can further complicate detection and monitoring of these hazards. We use imagery from space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR), complemented by field measurements, to examine these hazards in the SCB. The hazards are detectable in SAR imagery because they deposit surfactants on the sea surface, smoothing capillary and small gravity waves to produce areas of reduced backscatter compared with the surrounding ocean. We suggest that high-resolution SAR, which obtains useful data regardless of darkness or cloud cover, could be an important observational tool for assessment and monitoring of coastal marine pollution hazards in the SCB and other urbanized coastal regions.