Quartz as indicator mineral in the Central Swiss Alps: the quartz recrystallization isograd in the rock series of the northern Aar massif

Earlier observations on the deformation of rock-forming quartz during Alpine metamorphism that were made by Voll (1976) along a traverse following the Reuss valley (Aar massif, Central Swiss Alps) are still relevant but can be explained in more modern term. Voll found that a few kilometres south of the contact between the Aar massif and its sedimentary cover quartz has partly undergone a combination of dynamic recrystallization and nucleation along grain boundaries and fractures at the expense of the deformed parent grains. Further to the south, increasing grain growth of quartz under nearly static conditions is observed, with polygonal grain shapes typical of annealed microfabrics. Comparable stages of recrystallization could be found in several N–S traverses through the Aar massif so that “points of first occurrence” of newly formed quartz could be connected to define a quartz recrystallization isograd. This isograd extents over 90 km through the northern Aar massif, following a course parallel to the sanidine/microcline isograd but at a distance of 10–15 km further to the north. The evolution of the quartz microfabric is discussed with respect to recent estimates of the T-t path of the Aar massif.     

An alternative approach to transverse and profile terrain curvature

Terrain curvature is one of the most important parameters of land surface topography. Well-established methods used in its measurement compute an index of plan or profile curvature for every single cell of a digital elevation model (DEM). The interpretation of these outputs may be delicate, especially when selected locations have to be analyzed. Furthermore, they involve a high level of simplification, contrasting with the complex and multiscalar nature of the surface curvature itself. In this paper, we present a new method to assess vertical transverse and profile curvature combining real-scale visualization and the possibility to measure these two terrain derivatives over a large range of scales. To this purpose, we implemented a GIS tool that extracts longitudinal and transverse elevation profiles from a high-resolution DEM. The performance of our approach was compared with some of the most commonly used methods (ArcMap, Redlands, CA, USA; ArcSIE, Landserf) by analyzing the terrain curvature around charcoal production sites in southern Switzerland. The different methods produced comparable results. While conventional methods quickly summarize terrain curvature in the form of a matrix of values, they involve a loss of information. The advantage of the new method lies in the possibility to measure and visualize the shape and size of the curvature, and to obtain a realistic representation of the average curvature for different subsets of spatial points. Moreover, the new method makes it possible to control the conditions in which the index of curvature is calculated.     

Three-dimensional visualization of mission planning and control forthe NPS autonomous underwater vehicle

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is constructing a small autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with an onboard mission control computer. The mission controller software for this vehicle is a knowledge-based artificial intelligence (AI) system requiring thorough analysis and testing before the AUV is operational. The manner in which rapid prototyping of this software has been demonstrated by developing a controller code on a LISP machine and using an Ethernet link with a graphics workstation to simulate the controller's environment is discussed. The development of a testing simulator using a knowledge engineering environment (KEE) expert system shell that examines AUV controller subsystems and vehicle models before integrating them with the full AUV for its test environment missions is discussed. This AUV simulator utilizes an interactive mission planning control console and is fully autonomous once initial parameters are selected     

Spatiotemporal analysis of precipitation trends in the Yangtze River catchment

Precipitation trends in the Yangtze River catchment (PR China) have been analyzed for the past 50 years by applying the Mann-Kendall trend test and geospatial analyses. Monthly precipitation trends of 36 stations have been calculated. Significant positive trends at many stations can be observed for the summer months, which naturally show precipitation maxima. They were preceded and/or followed by negative trends. This observation points towards a concentration of summer precipitation within a shorter period of time. The analysis of a second data set on a gridded basis with 0.5° resolution reveals trends with distinct spatial patterns. The combination of classic trend tests and spatially interpolated precipitation data sets allows the spatiotemporal visualization of detected trends. Months with positive trends emphasize the aggravation of severe situation in a region, which is particularly prone to flood disasters during summer. Reasons for the observed trends were found in variations in the meridional wind pattern at the 850 hPa level, which account for an increased transport of warm moist air to the Yangtze River catchment during the summer months.     

The influence of physical and biological processes on the ichthyoplankton communities in the Gulf of Sirte (Southern Mediterranean Sea)

This paper reports on the first study on the ichthyoplankton community structure in the Gulf of Sirte and its spatial distribution in relation to environmental conditions and zooplankton abundance. The results make an important contribution to the future management of fisheries in this unexplored, but much exploited, area. Biological samples were collected in July 2008 using a Bongo40 net. In total, 1914 larvae were found and 1652 of these were identified. In particular, bathypelagic taxa were the most abundant, followed by demersal, mesopelagic, pelagic and epipelagic taxa. The ichthyoplankton community had a patchwork distribution influenced by oligotrophic conditions, the bottom depth and oceanographical features. The results suggest that environmental forcings were able to transport the ichthyoplankton to productive areas. Indeed, maximum fish egg densities were found in coastal stations in correspondence with the Atlantic Tunisian Current inflow, whereas larvae were mainly concentrated in the east side of the Gulf, probably as a result of advection by the anticyclonic circulation. Additionally, the distribution patterns of the total larvae density and the different assemblages were well matched with the abundance of the zooplankton, probably determining final larval survival, growth and recruitment.     

S?o Francisco-Congo Craton break-up delimited by U-Pb-Hf isotopes and trace-elements of zircon from metasediments of the Ara?uaí Belt

Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology combined with Hf isotopic and trace element data from metasedimentary rocks of the Aracuai Belt in southeastern Brazil provide evidence for break-up of the Congo-Sao Francisco Craton. The U-Pb age spectra of detrital zircons from metasediments of the Rio Doce Group(RDG) range from 900-650 Ma and define a maximum depositional age of ca. 650 Ma. Zircon trace element and whole rock data constrain an oceanic island arc as source for the deposition setting of the protoliths to the metasediments. Zircon ε_(Hf)(t) values from these rocks are positive between +1 and +15, supporting previous evidence of a Neoproterozoic extensional phase and oceanic crust formation in a precursor basin to the Aracuai Belt. Recrystallization of detrital zircon at ca. 630 Ma is compatible with a regional metamorphic event associated with terrane accretion to the Paleoproterozoic basement after transition from an extensional to a convergent regime. The juvenile nature, age spectra and trace element composition recorded in detrital zircons of metasediments from the Aracuai Belt correspond with zircons from metasedimentary rocks and oceanic crust remnants of other orogenic belts to its south. This suggests that rifting and oceanic crust formation of the entire orogenic system, the so-called Mantiqueira Province, was contemporaneous, most likely related to the opening of a large ocean. It further indicates that the cratonic blocks involved in the orogenic evolution of the Mantiqueira Province were spatially connected as early as 900 Ma.     

A watershed on the Rhine: Changing approaches to international environmental cooperation

Since the 1950s, the governments of the riparian countries of the Rhine have attempted to protect the ecosystems of the river basin through international cooperation. Before 1987, their relations were unproductive and antagonistic. International programs for the protection of Rhine were far less effective than domestic policies. From 1987 onwards, international cooperation on the protection of the Rhine has been exemplary, and has led the way in domestic and international water protection policies. Many existing frameworks of international relations are not able to offer an adequate account of this wholesale change. In this article, an attempt is undertaken with the help of grid-group theory. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

PCBs in Central Vietnam coastal lagoons: levels and trends in dynamic environments

PCBs were analysed in surficial sediments and selected sediment cores collected between 2002 and 2008 in Central Vietnam coastal lagoons. The aim was to determine contamination levels and trends, and to evaluate the effects of anthropogenic pressures and natural events. Samples were mostly fine-grained with low total PCB concentrations (0.367-44.7 μg kg⁻¹). Atmospheric transport and post depositional processes modify to some degree the fingerprint of PCB inputs to the environment favouring the predominance of 3, 4 and 5 chlorinated congeners. The similarity of congener distributions in contemporary surficial samples also suggests the presence of a unique source over the entire study area, probably connected to mobilisation and long range transports from land-based stocks. The removal of consistent sediment layers is hypothesised based on repeated samplings of the same area. Natural meteorological events (such as typhoons) are suspected to be responsible for these sediment losses.     

POLARIX: a pathfinder mission of X-ray polarimetry

Since the birth of X-ray astronomy, spectral, spatial and timing observation improved dramatically, procuring a wealth of information on the majority of the classes of the celestial sources. Polarimetry, instead, remained basically unprobed. X-ray polarimetry promises to provide additional information procuring two new observable quantities, the degree and the angle of polarization. Polarization from celestial X-ray sources may derive from emission mechanisms themselves such as cyclotron, synchrotron and non-thermal bremsstrahlung, from scattering in aspheric accreting plasmas, such as disks, blobs and columns and from the presence of extreme magnetic field by means of vacuum polarization and birefringence. Matter in strong gravity fields and Quantum Gravity effects can be studied by X-ray polarimetry, too. POLARIX is a mission dedicated to X-ray polarimetry. It exploits the polarimetric response of a Gas Pixel Detector, combined with position sensitivity, that, at the focus of a telescope, results in a huge increase of sensitivity. The heart of the detector is an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chip with 105,600 pixels each one containing a full complete electronic chain to image the track produced by the photoelectron. Three Gas Pixel Detectors are coupled with three X-ray optics which are the heritage of JET-X mission. A filter wheel hosting calibration sources unpolarized and polarized is dedicated to each detector for periodic on-ground and in-flight calibration. POLARIX will measure time resolved X-ray polarization with an angular resolution of about 20 arcsec in a field of view of 15 × 15 arcmin and with an energy resolution of 20% at 6 keV. The Minimum Detectable Polarization is 12% for a source having a flux of 1 mCrab and 10⁵ s of observing time. The satellite will be placed in an equatorial orbit of 505 km of altitude by a Vega launcher. The telemetry down-link station will be Malindi. The pointing of POLARIX satellite will be gyroless and it will perform a double pointing during the earth occultation of one source, so maximizing the scientific return. POLARIX data are for 75% open to the community while 25% + SVP (Science Verification Phase, 1 month of operation) is dedicated to a core program activity open to the contribution of associated scientists. The planned duration of the mission is one year plus three months of commissioning and SVP, suitable to perform most of the basic science within the reach of this instrument. A nice to have idea is to use the same existing mandrels to build two additional telescopes of iridium with carbon coating plus two more detectors. The effective area in this case would be almost doubled.