Nitrogen concentration within Saxifraga oppositifolia in different successional stages on a glacier foreland in the high Arctic

We measured and compared the δ¹³C values and nitrogen concentrations within the photosynthetic parts (Np) of phototrophs growing in different successional stages and different soil conditions at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway. At all study sites, the Np value of vascular plants ranged from 1.0 to 2.2%. The Np value for most moss species was less than 1.0%; values for lichens were about 0.5%. No significant correlation was detected between Np and δ¹³C; however, different plant species occupied distinct fields on a δ¹³C–Np plot, with minimal overlap between species. The Np value of Saxifraga oppositifolia, which grew at all of the study sites, ranged from 1.1 to 1.5%. Differences in growth form had no effect on Np. The Np and δ¹³C values obtained for S. oppositifolia were confined to within a narrow range regardless of site conditions.     

The δ18O in the Guliya shallow ice core during the prevailing summer monsoons and sea-air interactions

The correlations of the δ18Omax in the shallow ice core from the Guliya ice cap on the Tibetan Plateau with the global sea surface temperatures (SST) and height at the 500 hPa over the Northern Hemisphere were analyzed. The correlated regions on oceans that have a significant influence on the δ18Omax in the Guliya ice core are all located in ocean currents, or convergent regions of currents. They are the eastern Equatorial Pacific, the Northern Pacific Current, the Hot Pool in the eastern Indian Ocean, the Mozambique Current, the Northern Atlantic Current, the Canary Current and the Atlantic Equatorial Current. The δ18Omax in the Guliya ice core has negative correlations with the SST located in the lower latitudes, and positive correlations with the SST in the middle latitudes. The correlated areas at the 500 hPa that have a great impact on the δ18Omax are located in the subtropical highs over the mid-low-latitude oceans and the long-wave trough area over Balkhash Lake, where there are marked negative correlations between the heights in those areas and the δ18Omax. The influencing mechanism is displayed by the diversity of the vapor origins transported to the Guliya region. The strengths of the European ridge and the ridge over Baikal Lake have notable positive correlations with the δ18Omax. The two systems indirectly influence the vapor transportation towards the Guliya region by the adjustment of long-wave trough and ridge.     

The δ~(18)O in the Guliya shallow ice core during the prevailing summer monsoons and sea-air interactions

1 Introduction The Tibetan Plateau is gigantic in extent and has the highest elevation and the most complex topography in the world. Its existence is of important significance for the formation of atmospheric circulation, weather and climate in China, much of Asia and even of the globe. Therefore, great attention is given to it. The analyses show that the influencing range of the Tibetan Plateau is the widest during the summer[1]. The powerful updrafts from the plateau warm low flow towar…     

The assessment of weathering stages in granites using an EC/pH meter

The sidewall effects of a wind tunnel on aeolian sand transport were investigated experimentally. A wind tunnel was used to conduct the experiments with a given channel height of 120 cm and varying widths (B) of 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 cm. Both vertical profiles of wind velocity and sand mass flux were measured at different locations across the test section. The results show that the wind velocity with saltation first increases and then decreases to a minimum, from the sidewall to the central line of the wind tunnel. The discrepancy among wind velocities at different locations of the transverse section decreases with decreasing tunnel width. The wind friction velocity across the wind tunnel floor, with the exception of the region closest to the sidewalls, does not deviate strongly in wide wind tunnels from that along the central line, whereas it does vary in narrow tunnels. The sand mass fluxes, with the exception of some near-bed regions, are larger along the central line of the wind tunnel than they are at the quarter width location from the sidewall. Unlikely previously reported results, the dimensionless sand transport rate, Qg / (ρu³) (where Q is the total sand transport rate, g is the gravitational acceleration constant, ρ is the air density, and u is the wind friction velocity), first decreases and then increases with the dimensionless friction velocity, u / u_t (where u_t is the threshold friction velocity). The above differences may be attributed to the sidewall effects of the wind tunnel. A dimensionless parameter, F_B = u / (gB)^1/2, is defined to reflect the sidewall effects on aeolian sand transport. The flows with F_B of 0.33 or less may be free from the sidewall effects of the wind tunnel and can ensure accurate saltation tunnel simulation.     

Uranium and Thorium Isotope Distribution in an Offshore Bottom Sediment Core of the Selenga Delta, Lake Baikal, Siberia

Distribution of uranium and thorium isotopes in a short sediment core obtained offshore of the Selenga Delta in Lake Baikal, Siberia, was investigated to establish their sedimentary behaviors and to look for a linkage to paleoenvironmental changes. The sediments were composed of dominantly fine detrital materials (70–85%) and a relatively high sedimentation rate (ca. 0.03 cm y⁻¹). The depth profile of ²³⁸U content in bulk sediment samples showed a large variation of 70–123 Bq kg⁻¹, while ²³²Th profile showed a relatively narrow range from 36 to 56 Bq kg⁻¹. The observed ²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity ratios revealed a marked disequilibrium ranging from 1.53 to 1.84 with a mean value of 1.71 ± 0.07, demonstrating the presence of 50–80% authigenic ²³⁸U in the bulk sediments. The distribution of this authigenic ²³⁸U did not display any clear correlation with variations in sediment composition (organic, carbonate, Bio-SiO₂ and mineral contents) including grain size median. The profile of terrigenous ²³⁸U showed a relatively similar pattern to that of ²³²Th. Results of sequential leaching indicate that ²³⁸U in Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides fractions were responsible for the distribution of authigenic ²³⁸U rather than in Bio-SiO₂ fraction. The distribution of authigenic ²³⁸U in the bottom sediments may be explained by the fluctuation of U adsorption capacity on particles including organic matter and Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides before they entered the lake. This study highlights the potential use of authigenic and terrigenous U (Th) signatures in sediments to trace the behavior of U (Th) and to reconstruct environmental (e.g., hydrological) changes in the lake catchment area.     

Orbit of periodic comet 153P/Ikeya–Zhang

The orbit of Comet C/2002C1 (Ikeya–Zhang) has a similarity to that of Comet C/1661C1 (Hevelius), and the numerical integration of the motion of C/2002C1 backward shows a possible linkage of those two comets. Thus, 153P/Ikeya–Zhang was designated a periodic comet. Historical records of comets in 877 and 1273 are also identified with Comet 153P/Ikeya–Zhang. The integrated orbital elements during 77 and 2362, and historical records of the comet are also presented and discussed.     

The mass of the star formed in a cloud core

The forming star grows by mass inflow from the parent cloud core, mainly through the accretion disk. However, the core matter which has not yet contracted much is seriously disturbed by the activities of the forming star. We consider mass outflow and emission of ultraviolet radiation as such activities and determine the stellar mass as a function of the physical quantities of the parent cloud core.     

The chemical composition and the cadmium,chromium and vanadium contents of shall-water deposits in Tokyo Bay

The major elements and the minor elements cadmium, chromium and vanadium in 12 samples of shallow-water deposits collected in Tokyo Bay were studied. Average silica content of the deposits is 53.93%, which is approximate to the average of 54.15% of red clay. Iron (av. 5.67% Fe₂O₃), titanium (av. 0.71% TiO₂), especially manganese (av. 0.87% MnO), are more abundant in the deposits than in the deposits along the entire sea-coasts of Honshu and of Nanao Bay, Japan. The deposits show higher contents of cadmium (av. 0.61 ppm), the chromium (av. 86 ppm) and vanadium (av. 79ppm). About 3 to 17 times cadmium and manganese contents compared with those in the deposits along the sea-coasts of Honshu and of Nanao Bay, Japan was found. Such accumulation, of cadmium and manganese in the deposits is probably caused by artificial contamination rather than of natural origin. No relation was found between the contents of cadmium, chromium and vanadium and those of major elements.     

Online test using displacement–force mixed control

This paper proposes an online test technique that employs mixed control of displacement and force. Two types of mixed control, ‘displacement–force combined control’ and ‘displacement–force switching control’ are proposed. In displacement–force combined control, one jack is operated by displacement‐control, and another is operated by force‐control. Validity of the combined control technique is demonstrated by a series of online tests applied to a base‐isolated structure subjected to horizontal and vertical ground motions simultaneously. The substructuring technique is employed in the tests, and the base‐isolation layer is tested, with the rest of the structure modeled in the computer. Displacement‐control and force‐control were adopted for simulating the horizontal and vertical response, respectively. Both displacement‐ and force‐control were implemented successfully despite interference between the two jacks. Earthquake responses of the base‐isolated structure involving the effects of varying axial forces on the horizontal hysteretic behavior of the base‐isolation layer were simulated. In the displacement–force switching control, the jack was operated by displacement‐control when the test specimen was flexible but switched to force‐control once the specimen became stiff. Validity of the switching control technique was also checked by a series of online tests applied to the base‐isolated structure subjected to vertical ground motions. Switching between displacement‐control and force‐control was achieved when the axial force applied to the base‐isolation layer changed from tension to compression or from compression to tension. Both the displacement‐ and force‐control were successful even with many rounds of switching. The test revealed that large accelerations occurred on the floor immediately above the base‐isolation layer at the instants when the axial force of the base‐isolation layer changed from tension to compression. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.