A statistical study of Galactic SNRs using the PMN survey

The Parkes–MIT–NRAO (PMN) radio survey has been used to generate a quasi all-sky study of Galactic Supernova Remnants (SNRs) at a common frequency of 4.85 GHz (λ=6 cm). We present flux densities estimated for the sample of 110 Southern Galactic SNRs (up to δ=−65°) observed with the Parkes 64-m radio telescope and an additional sample of 54 from the Northern PMN (up to δ=+64°) survey undertaken with the Green Bank 43-m (20 SNRs) and 91-m (34 SNRs) radio telescopes. Out of this total sample of 164 selected SNRs (representing 71% of the currently 231 known SNRs in the Green catalogue) we consider 138 to provide reliable estimates of flux density and surface brightness distribution. This sub-sample represents those SNRs which fall within carefully chosen selection criteria which minimises the effects of the known problems in establishing reliable fluxes from the PMN survey data. Our selection criteria are based on a judicious restriction of source angular size and telescope beam together with careful evaluation of fluxes on a case by case basis. Direct comparison of our new fluxes with independent literature values gives excellent overall agreement. This gives confidence in the newly derived PMN fluxes when the selection criteria are respected. We find a sharp drop off in the flux densities for Galactic SNRs beyond 4 Jy and then a fairly flat distribution from 5 to 9 Jy, a slight decline and a further flat distribution from 9 to 20 Jy though the numbers of SNR in each Jy bin are low. We also re-visit the contentious Σ–D (radio surface brightness–SNRs diameter) relation to determine a new power law index for a sub-sample of shell type SNRs which yields β=−2.2±0.6. This new evaluation of the Σ–D relation, applied to the restricted sample, provides new distance estimates and their Galactic scale height distribution. We find a peak in the SNR distribution between 7–11 kpc with most restricted to ±100 pc Galactic scale height.     

A method to estimate hydraulic conductivity while drilling

A field test and analysis method has been developed to estimate the vertical distribution of hydraulic conductivity in shallow unconsolidated aquifers. The field method uses fluid injection ports and pressure transducers in a hollow auger that measure the hydraulic head outside the auger at several distances from the injection point. A constant injection rate is maintained for a duration time sufficient for the system to become steady state. Exploiting the analogy between electrical resistivity in geophysics and hydraulic flow two methods are used to estimate conductivity with depth: a half-space model based on spherical flow from a point injection at each measurement site, and a one-dimensional inversion of an entire dataset.

The injection methodology, conducted in three separate drilling operations, was investigated for repeatability, reproducibility, linearity, and for different injection sources. Repeatability tests, conducted at 10 levels, demonstrated standard deviations of generally less than 10%. Reproducibility tests conducted in three, closely spaced drilling operations generally showed a standard deviation of less than 20%, which is probably due to lateral variations in hydraulic conductivity. Linearity tests, made to determine dependency on flow rates, showed no indication of a flow rate bias. In order to obtain estimates of the hydraulic conductivity by an independent means, a series of measurements were made by injecting water through screens installed at two separate depths in a monitoring pipe near the measurement site. These estimates differed from the corresponding estimates obtained by injection in the hollow auger by a factor of less than 3.5, which can be attributed to variations in geology and the inaccurate estimates of the distance between the measurement and the injection sites at depth.     

The flux ejection dynamo effect

Abstract

The mean-field effects of cyclonic convection become increasingly complex when the cyclonic rotation exceeds ½-π. Net helicity is not required, with negative turbulent diffusion, for instance, appearing in mirror symmetric turbulence. This paper points out a new dynamo effect arising in convective cells with strong asymmetry in the rotation of updrafts as against downdrafts. The creation of new magnetic flux arises from the ejection of reserve flux through the open boundary of the dynamo region. It is unlike the familiar α-effect in that individual components of the field may be amplified independently. Several formal examples are provided to illustrate the effect. Occurrence in nature depends upon the existence of fluid rotations of the order of π in the convective updrafts. The flux ejection dynamo may possibly contribute to the generation of field in the convective core of Earth and in the convective zone of the sun and other stars.     

Geomorphic and dendroecological impacts of slushflows in central Gaspé Peninsula (Québec, Canada)

Slushflows are rare phenomena in southeastern Canada. Here we report for the first time the occurrence of slushflows in a subalpine environment in eastern Canada (Mt. Albert, Gaspé Peninsula, Québec). Because nothing is known of their frequency- magnitude in the area, we reconstructed the chronology of slushflow events over the past century using dendrogeomorphic techniques based on impact scars, reaction wood and traumatic resin ducts. Slushflows contributed to the formation of a tongue-shaped accumulation of 17900 m² at the outlet of a firstorder drainage basin. The slushflow boulder tongue was composed of heterogeneous-sized, angular and unoriented clasts, which are markedly different from the sediments of an adjacent alluvial fan. Although movements were initiated above the subalpine forest limit, slushflows induced forest fragmentation along the treed slope. Three slushflow events were identified over the past century, in 1925, 1964 and 1988, respectively, which indicate exceptional initiation conditions and considerable geomorphic activity of individual events.     

Rapid magmatic processes accompany arc–continent collision: the Western Bismarck arc, Papua New Guinea

New U–Th–Ra, major and trace element, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope data are presented for young lavas from the New Britain and Western Bismarck arcs in Papua New Guinea. New Britain is an oceanic arc, whereas the latter is the site of an arc–continent collision. Building on a recent study of the Manus Basin, contrasts between the two arcs are used to evaluate the processes and timescales of magma generation accompanying arc–continent collision and possible slab detachment. All three suites share many attributes characteristic of arc lavas that can be ascribed to the addition of a regionally uniform subduction component derived from the subducting altered oceanic crust and sediment followed by dynamic melting of the modified mantle. However, the Western Bismarck arc lavas diverge from the Pb isotope mixing array formed by the New Britain and the Manus Basin lavas toward elevated ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb. We interpret this to reflect a second and subsequent addition of sediment melt at crustal depth during collision. ²³⁸U and ²²⁶Ra excesses are preserved in all of the lavas and are greatest in the Western Bismarck arc. High-Mg andesites with high Sr/Y ratios in the westernmost arc are attributed to recent shallow mantle flux melting at the slab edge. Data for two historical rhyolites are also presented. Although these rhyolites formed in quite different tectonic settings and display different geochemical and isotopic compositions, both formed from mafic parents within millennia.     

Can 234U–230Th dating be used to date large semi‐arid tufas? Challenges from a study in the Naukluft Mountains,Namibia

The large, extensive tufa deposits of the semi‐arid Naukluft Mountains, Namibia are potentially important palaeoenvironmental indicators in an area with few proxy records. Tufas are reliable indicators of increased moisture availability, and have been shown to be amenable to ²³⁴U–²³⁰Th dating, although two challenges are detrital contamination and open‐system behaviour. Densely cemented tufa facies are good candidates for dating, minimising these problems. We report attempts to date five densely‐cemented units, which are only found rarely within the Naukluft deposits. We applied a detailed methodology using multiple subsample analysis, measurement of insoluble residues, application of ‘isochron’ mixing lines, and attempted open‐systems modelling, alongside observations of micromorphology and cathodoluminescence in order to assess the validity of any obtained dates. Surprisingly, densely cemented tufas were found not always to be suitable for dating. Two units contained detrital contamination, which could not be corrected for using a single leachate correction or ‘isochron’ methods. Two units contained ‘excess ²³⁰Th’. This could result under a closed‐system if initial (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) was sufficiently high. Alternatively this may be the result of open‐system behaviour, and loss of uranium, or incorporation of initial unsupported ²³⁰Th, which render samples unsuitable for ²³⁴U–²³⁰Th dating. Micromorphological appearance and cathodoluminescence behaviour are used to explore these possibilities. This study exemplifies the need for careful sample selection, and highlights the importance of analysing multiple subsamples from any tufa sample. The detailed methodology applied proves to be a powerful tool for identifying the range of problems that can be encountered when selecting suitable candidate samples for successful dating. It also shows that semi‐arid tufa sequences may contain very little material suitable for dating. A reliable age of c 80 ka was obtained for a banded unit within a large fluvial barrage, with less reliable dates suggesting tufa deposition during times since >350 ka through to the late Holocene. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transmission of CO2 in the atmosphere of Venus for the spectral region near 7 microns

The transmission in the 7-μm “window” opf Venus was calculated for a 7-layer model atmosphere. The synthetic spectra show that radiation from the layer 20–30 km above the surface would reach the top of the atmosphere between 6.2 and 7.0 μm if there were no absorption besides the isotopic CO₂ bands; for the 7.0- to 8.2-μm region, the radiating level would be located 40–50 km above the surface of Venus. The brightness temperature for the entire region is 430°K; for the above two regions it is 494 and 341°K, respectively.     

Comparison Of Three Uncertainty-Analysis Methods To Assess Impacts On Groundwater Of Constituents Leached From Land-Disposed Waste

Assessment of the environmental fate and behavior of constituents that have the potential to leach from waste-disposal pits that are associated with petroleum exploration and production activities is a problem of interest to industry and regulatory agencies. A stochastic modeling approach for the migration of constituents in soil and groundwater was developed to assess the impact on groundwater at receptors that are downgradient from a waste pit. The model evaluates uncertainties in constituent concentrations in groundwater due to uncertainties in waste-composition and hydrogeologic properties of waste sites, and it determines the probability distributions of constituent concentration at receptor points by using Monte Carlo (MC), First-Order (FO), and Point-Estimate (PE) methods. Application of the FO and PE methods to assess probability distributions requires an assumption of the form of the probability density function for concentration at a receptor point. A log-normal distribution is employed here. A comparison of the three uncertainty-analysis methods is performed to evaluate the efficiency and accuracy of the FO and PE methods relative to the MC method. Results suggest that for non-reactive and conservative constituents the level of accuracy provided by FO method is similar to that of the MC method. The computational effort for the FO method is about 1 percent of that for the MC method. For nonconservative constituents, the FO method compared less favorably with the MC results. Thus, the use of the MC method is warranted, for nonconservative constituents or for cases where a higher degree of precision in the probability distribution is needed. RÉSUMÉ: L'industrie et les organismes de contrôle s'intéressent particulièrement au problème de la prédiction du devenir et du comportement environnemental de composés susceptibles de lixivier des pollutants à partir de puits de stockage de déchets associés à des zones d'exploration et de production pétrolières. Une modélisation stochastique de la migration de composées dans le sol et les eaux souterraines est proposée en vue de prédire l'impact sur les eaux souterraines en des points de prélèvement situés en aval-gradient d'un puits de stockage. Le modèle fournit une estimation des incertitudes sur les teneurs des composés dans les eaux souterraines en fonction de la composition des déchets et des propriétés hydrogéologiques des sites de stockage; il détermine les distributions de probabilité de la concentration des composés à des points de prélèvement au moyen des méthodes de Monte-Carlo (MC), du Premier Ordre (PO) et de l'Estimation Ponctuelle (EP). Le recours aux méthodes PO et EP pour prédire les distributions de probabilité impose une hypothèse sur la forme de la fonction de densité de probabilité pour la concentration en un point de prélèvement. Une distrubution log-normale est utilisée ici. Une comparaison des trois méthodes d'analyse de l'incertude a été réalisée afin d'estimer l'efficacité et la précision des méthodes PO et EP par rapport à la méthode MC. Les résultats indiquent que, pour des composés conservatifs, le degré de précision atteint par la méthode PO est comparable à celle de la méthode MC. La puissance de calcul requise par la méthode PO est 1% environ de celle nécessaire pour la méthode MC. Pour des composés non conservatifs, la comparaison avec la méthode MC est moins favorable à la méthode PO. Par conséquent, la méthode MC est préférable pour les composés non conservatifs ou dans les cas où un meilleur degré de précision de la distribution de probabilité est nécessaire. RESUMEN: La evaluación del comportamiento de constituyentes lixiviables desde vertidos de residuos asociados a actividades de exploración y producción petrolífera, así como su posible impacto ambiental, es un problema de interés para la industria y las agencias reguladoras. Se ha desarrollado una modelación estocástica para estudiar la migración de los constituyentes en el suelo y el agua subterránea, con el objetivo de evaluar su impacto en receptores situados aguas abajo de un vertido. El modelo evalúa las incertidumbres en las concentraciones de los constituyentes debidas a las incertidumbre en la composición de los residuos y de las propiedades hidrogeológicas de la zona de vertido y determina las distribuciones de probabilidad de dichas concentraciones en puntos de recepción mediante los métodos de Monte Carlo (MC), Primer-Orden (FO) y Estimación Puntual (PE). La aplicación de los métodos FO y PE para evaluar las distribuciones de probabilidad reqiere suponer conocida la forma de la función de densidad de probabilidad para la concentración en el punto receptor. En este caso, se emplea una distribución log-normal. Se lleva a cabo una comparación entre los tres métodos de análisis de errores para evaluar la eficiencia y exactitud de los métodos FO y PE respecto al MC. Los resultados sugieren que para constituyentes conservativos no-reactivos, el nivel de exactitud suministrado por el método FO es comparable con el del MC. El esfuerzo computacional para el método FO, en cambio, es alrededor del 1% del método MC. Para constituyentes no conservativos, es método FO no compara tan favorablemente frente a los resultados del MC. Por tanto, el uso del método MC está obligado para constituyentes no conservativos y para casos en los que se requiere un alto nivel de precisión en la distribución de probabilidad.