Changes in the poleward energy flux by the atmosphere and ocean as a possible cause for ice ages

It is proposed that the two preferred modes of temperature and circulation of the atmosphere which occurred over the past 100,000 yr correspond to two modes of partitioning of the poleward energy flux between the atmosphere and ocean. At present the ocean carries an appreciable fraction of the transport, for example about three-eighths at 30°N. In the cold mode it is suggested that the ocean carries less, and the atmosphere more, than at present. During the formation of the ice, at 50,000 BP, for example, the overall flux is expected to be slightly lower than at present and during melting, at 16,000 BP, slightly higher. The transition between the modes is seen as a natural imbalance in the atmosphere-ocean energy budget with a gradual warming of the ocean during an Ice Age eventually cluminating in its termination. At the present the imbalance is thought to correspond to a natural cooling of the ocean, which will lead to the next Ice Age.The magnitude of temperature changes in the polar regions differ between the hemispheres in the same way as present seasonal changes, being larger in the northern than in the southern hemisphere.Overall the atmospheric energy cycle was more intense during the Ice Ages than now.Observational tests are proposed by which predictions from the present arguments may be compared with deductions about the environment of the past.Data used for the present state of the atmospheric general circulation are the latest global data available and contain no known major uncertainties. However, data for the oceanic circulation and energy budget are less well known for the present and almost unknown for the past. Hence the proposed imbalances must be treated as part of a speculative hypothesis, but one which eventually may be subject to observational test as no solar variability is invoked.     

On the application of a proposed global system for measuring meteor winds

Summary This paper discusses the need for a global network of meteor wind stations for determining the general circulation of the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Continuous observations of horizontal motions from such a network would permit resolution of planetary scale eddy winds, tides, and gravity waves, and hypotheses that such motions propagate vertically from the lower atmosphere or are generated in situ by solar activity could be examined critically with observational data. The observed mean winds from the lower stratosphere to the meteor wind level are summarized to support the hypothesis that a standing wave pattern in the winds extends into the lower thermosphere. Data on tidal meridional momentum transports from meteor wind stations suggest that tides in the lower thermosphere are important for the maintenance of mean winds. Some of the geomagnetic and photochemical processes in the lower thermosphere that could be investigated with meteor wind data are briefly reviewed.This paper is adapted from our presentation at the 1966 Fall URSI meeting at Palo Alto, California     

Geochemical processes in the Onyx River, Wright Valley, Antarctica: Major ions, nutrients, trace metals

We present data on major ions, nutrients and trace metals in an Antarctic stream. The Onyx River is located in Wright Valley (77-32 S; 161-34 E), one of a group of ancient river and glacier-carved landforms that comprise the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. The river is more than 30 km long and is the largest of the glacial meltwater streams that characterize this relatively ice-free region near the Ross Sea. The complete absence of rainfall in the region and the usually small contributions of glacially derived tributaries to the main channel make this a comparatively simple system for geochemical investigation. Moreover, the lack of human impacts, past or present, provides an increasingly rare window onto a pristine aquatic system.For all major ions and silica, we observe increasing concentrations with distance from Lake Brownworth down to the recording weir near Lake Vanda. Chemical weathering rates are unexpectedly high and may be related to the rapid dissolution of ancient carbonate deposits and to the severe physical weathering associated with the harsh Antarctic winter. Of the nutrients, nitrate and dissolved reactive phosphate appear to have quite different sources. Nitrate is enriched in waters near the Lower Wright Glacier and may ultimately be derived from stratospheric sources; while phosphate is likely to be the product of chemical weathering of valley rocks and soils. We confirm the work of earlier investigations regarding the importance of the Boulder Pavement as a nutrient sink.Dissolved Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Cd are present at nanomolar levels and, in all cases, the concentrations of these metals are lower than in average world river water. We hypothesize that metal uptake and exchange with particulate phases along the course of the river may serve as a buffer for the dissolved load. Concurrent study of these three solute classes points out significant differences in the mechanisms and sites of their removal from the Onyx River.     

Cusp Modeling and Observations at Low Altitude

Cusp properties have been investigated with an open-field line particle precipitation model and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite observations. Particular emphasis is placed on the effects of IMF B_y, since previous studies focus mostly on IMF B_z. The model-data comparisons for various IMF configurations show that the model captures the large-scale features of the particle precipitation very well, not only in the cusp region, but also in other open-field line regions such as the mantle, polar rain, and open-field line low-altitude boundary layer (LLBL). When the IMF is strongly duskward/dawnward and weakly southward, the model predicts the occurrence of double cusp near noon: one cusp at lower latitude and one at higher latitude. The lower latitude cusp ions originate from the low-latitude magnetosheath whereas the higher latitude ions originate from the high-latitude magnetosheath. The lower latitude cusp is located in the region of weak azimuthal E × B drift, resulting in a dispersionless cusp. The higher latitude cusp is located in the region of strong azimuthal and poleward E × B drift. Because of a significant poleward drift, the higher latitude cusp dispersion has some resemblance to that of the typical southward IMF cusp. Occasionally, the two parts of the double cusp have such narrow latitudinal separation that they give the appearance of just one cusp with extended latitudinal width. From the 40 DMSP passes selected during periods of large (positive or negative) IMF B_y and small negative IMF B_z, 30 (75%) of the passes exhibit double cusps or cusps with extended latitudinal width. The double cusp result is consistent with the following statistical results: (1) the cusp’s latitudinal width increases with |IMF B_y| and (2) the cusp’s equatorward boundary moves to lower latitude with increasing |IMF B_y|.     

Hydrodynamics and scale up in Rushton turbine flotation cells: Part 2. Flotation scale-up for laboratory and pilot cells

A series of flotation experiments was carried out in three Rushton turbine cells of volumes 2.25, 10 and 50 dm³ using hydrophobic quartz particles to determine a set of scale-up criteria that would produce the same size-by-size flotation rate constants. Flotation was performed at a constant Sauter mean bubble diameter over a range of superficial gas velocities and impeller rotational speeds.     

Hydrodynamics and scale up in Rushton turbine flotation cells: Part 1 — Cell hydrodynamics

The effect of operating parameters on the hydrodynamics of three geometrically similar Rushton turbine flotation cells with volumes of 2.25, 10 and 50 dm³ was determined. The operating parameters investigated were superficial gas velocity (J_g), impeller rotational speed (N), and frother (methyl isobutyl carbinol, MIBC) concentration.     

Additional evidence of Mercurian volcanism

Evidence concerned with (1) the character and distribution of terrain surrounding fresh basins, (2) albedo, color and temporal differences between a basin rim and smooth plains on its floor, and (3) the stratigraphic relations and local distribution of smooth plains in the hilly and lineated terrain are cited as additional evidence for an internal origin of much of the Mercurian smooth plains. Altough the question of Mercurian volcanism should be kept open, this evidence together with that presented in an earlier paper suggests that volcanism occurred on Mercury early in its history.     

Application of Four Measurement Techniques to Understand Natural Source Zone Depletion Processes at an LNAPL Site

There are several key data gaps in our understanding of Natural Source Zone Depletion (NSZD) processes at sites impacted by light nonaqueous phase liquid (LNAPL), and quantifying NSZD rates can be challenging due to the inherent differences in measurement methods. In this study, four different NSZD measurement methods (oxygen influx measured by the Gradient Method, long-term carbon dioxide efflux measured with Carbon Traps, instantaneous carbon dioxide efflux measured with Dynamic Closed Chambers (DCC LI-COR), and the long-term heat flux from biodegradation measured by Thermal NSZD monitoring), as well as LNAPL composition and dissolved gas sampling, were applied at a site in Southern California. These techniques were used to evaluate key questions such as: (1) how do different NSZD rate measurement methods compare, and what causes variability in NSZD results?; (2) to what extent NSZD processes are occurring in LNAPL within the saturated zone?; and (3) how is NSZD related to LNAPL composition change over time? Carbon Traps and Thermal NSZD monitoring measurement methods provided the most consistent NSZD data at this geologically heterogeneous site, with two location average NSZD rates of 540 and 480 gal/acre/year, respectively. Overall, comparisons of NSZD rates between methods were challenging due to different measurement timeframes, significant temporal and spatial heterogeneity, and operational challenges with two of the NSZD methods. Finally, samples of subsurface LNAPL were collected for analysis in 2007 and 2016; results indicated that diesel-range constituents were already very degraded and anaerobic degradation of gasoline-range constituents was ongoing. A LNAPL depletion model (Douglas et al. 1996) applied to the measured LNAPL composition change appeared to greatly overestimate the amount of LNAPL depletion compared to the measured NSZD rate, but did provide an independent semiqualitative line of evidence that LNAPL was being depleted by active NSZD processes at the site.     

Overview of Natural Source Zone Depletion: Processes,Controlling Factors,and Composition Change

Natural source zone depletion (NSZD) has emerged as a practical alternative for restoration of light non‐aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) sites that are in the later stages of their remediation lifecycle. Due to significant research, the NSZD conceptual model has evolved dramatically in recent years, and methanogenesis is now accepted as a dominant attenuation process (e.g., Lundegard and Johnson 2006 ; Ng et al. 2015 ). Most of the methane is generated within the pore space adjacent to LNAPL (Ng et al. 2015 ) from where it migrates through the unsaturated zone (e.g., Amos and Mayer 2006 ), where it is oxidized. While great progress has been made, there are still some important gaps in our understanding of NSZD. NSZD measurements provide little insight on which constituents are actually degrading; it is unclear which rate‐limiting factors that can be manipulated to increase NSZD rates; and how longevity of the bulk LNAPL and its key constituents can be predicted. Various threads of literature were pursued to shed light on some of the questions listed above. Several processes that may influence NSZD or its measurement were identified: temperature, inhibition from acetate buildup, protozoa predation, presence of electron acceptors, inhibition from volatile hydrocarbons, alkalinity/pH, and the availability of nutrients can all affect methanogenesis rates, while factors such as moisture content and soil type can influence its measurement. The methanogenic process appears to have a sequenced utilization of the constituents or chemical classes present in the LNAPL due to varying thermodynamic feasibility, biodegradability, and effects of inhibition, but the bulk NSZD rate appears to remain quasi‐zero order. A simplified version of the reactive transport model presented by Ng et al. 2015 has the potential to be a useful tool for predicting the longevity of key LNAPL constituents or chemical fractions, and of bulk LNAPL, but more work is needed to obtain key input parameters such as chemical classes and their biodegradation rates and any potential inhibitions.