A Karst Connection model for Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

Along the Asturian coast of northern Spain an uplifted wave-cut platform extends for  100 km east–west. The steep cliff which bounds the gently seaward-dipping platform to the north increases in height from 30 m in the west to 100 m in the east and reflects the overall eastward increase in platform elevation. The southern edge of the 2–4 km-wide platform runs along the foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains, as constrained by a high-resolution digital elevation model. The marine platform, which was carved into deformed Paleozoic bedrock with abundant quartzite beds, is largely covered by weathered marine and continental sediments. Quartzite samples from flat bedrock outcrops which are currently not covered by sediment or soil yield cosmogenic nuclide concentrations (²¹Ne, ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al) that demonstrate a long and complex exposure history, including periods of burial with partial or complete shielding from cosmic rays. The combination of multiple cosmogenic nuclides yields a minimum age of 1–2 Ma for the platform. Taking into account (i) the horizontal and vertical extent of the platform, (ii) the high resistance to erosion of the quartzitic bedrock, and (iii) published data on the magnitude of past sea level fluctuations, we suggest that the wave-cut platform formed in the Pliocene. Subvertical faults cutting the platform at high angles to the coastline offset the southern edge of the platform by 20 to 40 m and reactivate the pre-existing anisotropy in the Paleozoic bedrock. Uplift and crustal deformation of the coastal region have occurred after platform formation in the Pliocene and may still be active. The slow deformation of the northern edge of the Iberian plate including the Cantabrian Mountains may result from the ongoing slow convergence at an incipient subduction zone extending along the coast of northern Spain.     

Field verification of stable perched groundwater in layered bedrock uplands

Data substantiating perched conditions in layered bedrock uplands are rare and have not been widely reported. Field observations in layered sedimentary bedrock in southwestern Wisconsin, USA, provide evidence of a stable, laterally extensive perched aquifer. Data from a densely instrumented field site show a perched aquifer in shallow dolomite, underlain by a shale-and-dolomite aquitard approximately 25 m thick, which is in turn underlain by sandstone containing a 30-m-thick unsaturated zone above a regional aquifer. Heads in water supply wells indicate that perched conditions extend at least several kilometers into hillsides, which is consistent with published modeling studies. Observations of unsaturated conditions in the sandstone over a 4-year period, historical development of the perched aquifer, and perennial flow from upland springs emanating from the shallow dolomite suggest that perched groundwater is a stable hydrogeologic feature under current climate conditions. Water-table hydrographs exhibit apparent differences in the amount and timing of recharge to the perched and regional flow systems; steep hydraulic gradients and tritium and chloride concentrations suggest there is limited hydraulic connection between the two. Recognition and characterization of perched flow systems have practical importance because their groundwater flow and transport pathways may differ significantly from those in underlying flow systems. Construction of multi-aquifer wells and groundwater withdrawal in perched systems can further alter such pathways.     

Using a Computational Grid for Geographic Information Analysis: A Reconnaissance

High performance computing has undergone a radical transformation during the past decade. Though monolithic supercomputers continue to be built with significantly increased computing power, geographically distributed computing resources are now routinely linked using high‐speed networks to address a broad range of computationally complex problems. These confederated resources are referred to collectively as a computational Grid. Many geographical problems exhibit characteristics that make them candidates for this new model of computing. As an illustration, we describe a spatial statistics problem and demonstrate how it can be addressed using Grid computing strategies. A key element of this application is the development of middleware that handles domain decomposition and coordinates computational functions. We also discuss the development of Grid portals that are designed to help researchers and decision makers access and use geographic information analysis tools.     

A posteriori error estimates, stopping criteria, and adaptivity for two-phase flows

This paper develops a general abstract framework for a posteriori estimates for immiscible incompressible two-phase flows in porous media. We measure the error by the dual norm of the residual and, for mathematical correctness, employ the concept of global and complementary pressures in the analysis. Our estimators allow to estimate separately the different error components, namely, the spatial discretization error, the temporal discretization error, the linearization error, the iterative coupling error, and the algebraic solver error. We propose an adaptive algorithm wherein the different iterative procedures (iterative linearization, iterative coupling, iterative solution of linear systems) are stopped when the corresponding errors do not affect significantly the overall error and wherein the spatial and temporal errors are equilibrated. Consequently, important computational savings can be achieved while guaranteeing a user-given precision. The developed framework covers fully implicit, implicit pressure–explicit saturation, or iterative coupling formulations; conforming spatial discretization schemes such as the vertex-centered finite volume method or the finite element method and nonconforming spatial discretization schemes such as the cell-centered finite volume method, the mixed finite element method, or the discontinuous Galerkin method; linearizations such as the Newton or the fixed-point one; and general linear solvers. Numerical experiments for a model problem are presented to illustrate the theoretical results. Only by stopping timely the linear and nonlinear solvers, speedups by a factor between 10 and 20 in terms of the number of total linear solver iterations are achieved.     

On the expected performance of a solar oscillation network

We have estimated the performance of several hypothetical ground-based networks intended to provide continuous observations of solar oscillations for one year. These networks were composed of from 2 to 6 stations distributed both in longitude and between the northern and southern hemispheres. Weather patterns at each site were simulated using a 4 parameter climate model and the results analyzed to yield the duty cycle of the representative networks.The results indicate that a 2 station network might achieve a 60% annual mean duty cycle, 3 stations might provide 75%, 4 stations might yield 82%, and 6 stations might give a 93% annual mean duty cycle. Comparison of an existing 6 station network with our model of the same network suggests that the modelling procedure is realistic provided that the estimates of the climate parameters are accurate.To illustrate the influence of such networks on observations of solar oscillations, we have created a synthetic time-line of solar velocities from published data and analyzed the power spectrum of the signal as observed by various networks.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.NCAR is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Extinction and Sky Brightness at Two Solar Observatories

The Advanced Technology Solar Telescope site survey Sky Brightness Monitor simultaneously images the solar disk and the sky to about 8 solar radii in four wavelengths at 450, 530, 890 and 940 nm. One day of data from Mees Solar Observatory on Haleakala and from the National Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak (Sunspot, New Mexico) are analyzed. Both sites show strong Rayleigh extinction, but while Haleakala shows a larger aerosol component, Sunspot shows a large variation in the aerosol component. Overall the Haleakala extinction varies as ^–2 whereas the Sunspot extinction changes from about ^–3.5 to about ^–2, suggesting an increasing aerosol component during the day. Water vapor absorption measurements from both sites are similar, though Sunspot shows larger time variations than Haleakala. The instrument-corrected sky brightness from both sites show comparable values, and again the Sunspot data show more variations. The sky brightness values show a radial dependence of sky brightness of r ^–0.1 at Haleakala, but a dependence of r ^–1.0 at Sunspot. The wavelength variation of the sky brightness at Haleakala is relatively constant at ^–1.5 but varies at Sunspot from ^–1.5 to ^–0.1 again suggesting an increasing aerosol contribution during the day at Sunspot. Finally, dust measurements near the ground are compared with the extinction wavelength exponent for data taken at Haleakala on 24 Feb. 2003. The measurements suggest more large dust particles are present near the ground than averaged over the whole air column.     

A note on the bonding,optical spectrum and composition of tetrahedrite

Tetrahedrites of composition (Cu, Ag)₁₀(Cu₂, Fe, Zn)₂(Sb, As)₄S₁₃ or Cu₁₂Sb_14/3S₁₃ have 208 valence electrons per unit cell and are expected to be semiconductors. The bands are full in these cases, whereas compositions towards the classical formula Cu₁₂Sb₄S₁₃ (204 valence electrons per unit cell) have only partially filled bands and are therefore expected to be metallic. These predictions are supported by new optical absorption spectra of tetrahedrites with 205 and 208 valence electrons per unit cell. The gap between valence and conduction bands of the semiconductor is about 1.7 (±0.2) eV. A further prediction based on a nearly-free electron model is that 208 valence electrons per unit cell represent a compositional limit for tetrahedrites, and that the stability increases as compositions approach this limit. Existing data indicate an exponential increase in the number of occurrences as the limit is approached.     

Gender and local soil knowledge: Linking farmers' perceptions with soil fertility in two villages in the Philippines

Scientists often turn to farmers to understand soil management. This process reveals differences and overlaps between local and scientific soil knowledge but rarely considers women and gender issues. This paper examines men's and women's local knowledge of soils in upland, smallholder farms in two villages in Mindanao, the Philippines, using focus group discussions, semi‐structured household interviews, field visits, GIS and soil testing. Farmers' field areas were calculated and delineated based on their perceptions of the different types of soils on their land. Men and women chose the same plots for what they considered their best soil but differed on what they felt were their worst. The fertility of the soils that women considered to be the best and worst was not significantly different from that of the men's respective choices. There was a difference in fertility, however, between the best and worst soils regardless of gender. Although soil fertility analyses showed that the women's chosen soils were similar to men's, analyses of qualitative data showed that their knowledge of soils was different and was based in part on a gendered division of labour. A multidisciplinary approach helped bridge the gap between sociocultural and physical research.     

Airborne detection of ecosystem responses to an extreme event: Phytoplankton displacement and abundance after hurricane induced flooding in the Pamlico-Albemarle Sound system,North Carolina

Airborne laser-induced fluorescence measurements were used to detect and monitor ecosystem wide changes in the distribution and concentration of chlorophyll biomass and colored dissolved organic matter in the Pamlico-Albemarle Sound system, North Carolina, U.S., following massive flooding caused by a series of three hurricanes in the late summer of 1999. These high-resolution data provided a significantly more detailed representation of the overall changes occurring in the system than could have been achieved by synoptic sampling from any other platform. The response time for the distribution of chlorophyll biomass to resume pre-flood conditions was used as a measure of ecosystem stability. Chlorophyll biomass patterns were reestablished within four mo of the flooding, whereas higher chlorophylla biomass concentrations persisted for approximately 6 mo. The primary trophic level in the Pamlico-Albemarle Sound system returned to equilibrium in less than a year of a major perturbation.