BL Andromedae and GW Tauri: close binary stars in a key evolutionary stage

A photoelectric light curve of BL And is presented along with the first CCD light curve of GW Tau. Both objects are short-period eclipsing binaries and were observed in 2003 or 2004. Photometric elements were computed using the latest version of the Wilson–Van Hamme code. The results reveal that BL And is a semidetached system with the primary component filling its Roche lobe and the secondary one almost filling but still detached, while GW Tau is a marginal-contact binary system with a small degree of contact ( f = 10.9 per cent) and a large temperature difference of about 3100 K. All available eclipse times, including new ones, were analysed for each system. It was found that the orbital period of BL And is decreasing at the rate of  d P /d t =−2.36 × 10⁻⁸ (±0.09) d yr⁻¹  while that of GW Tau may be decreasing or oscillating. We think period decrease is more probable. The derived configuration and secular period decrease for BL And combined with the asymmetry of the light curve indicate that this system may evolve from the present semidetached phase into a contact stage, with mass transfer from the primary component to the secondary one through the L ₁ point, or that it might just undergo the broken stage predicted by the theory of thermal relaxation oscillations. In contrast, GW Tau is a marginal-contact binary in poor thermal contact and may be at the beginning of the contact phase.     

Photometric survey of binary near-Earth asteroids

Photometric data on 17 binary near-Earth asteroids (15 of them are certain detections, two are probables) were analysed and characteristic properties of the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) binary population were inferred. We have found that binary systems with a secondary-to-primary mean diameter ratio Ds/Dp?0.18 concentrate among NEAs smaller than 2 km in diameter; the abundance of such binaries decreases significantly among larger NEAs. Secondaries show an upper size limit of Ds=0.5-1 km. Systems with Ds/Dp?0.5 are abundant but larger satellites are significantly less common. Primaries have spheroidal shapes and they rotate rapidly, with periods concentrating between 2.2 to 2.8 h and with a tail of the distribution up to ∼4 h. The fast rotators are close to the critical spin for rubble piles with bulk densities about 2 g/cm³. Orbital periods show an apparent cut-off at Porb∼11 h; closer systems with shorter orbital periods have not been discovered, which is consistent with the Roche limit for strengthless bodies. Secondaries are more elongated on average than primaries. Most, but not all, of their rotations appear to be synchronized with the orbital motion; nonsynchronous secondary rotations may occur especially among wider systems with Porb>20 h. The specific total angular momentum of most of the binary systems is similar to within ±20% and close to the angular momentum of a sphere with the same total mass and density, rotating at the disruption limit; this suggests that the binaries were created by mechanism(s) related to rotation near the critical limit and that they neither gained nor lost significant amounts of angular momentum during or since formation. A comparison with six small asynchronous binaries detected in the main belt of asteroids suggests that the population extends beyond the region of terrestrial planets, but with characteristics shifted to larger sizes and longer periods. The estimated mean proportion of binaries with Ds/Dp?0.18 among NEAs larger than 0.3 km is 15±4%. Among fastest rotating NEAs larger than 0.3 km with periods between 2.2 and 2.8 h, the mean proportion of such binaries is (66⁺¹⁰₋₁₂)%.     

Radionuclides and mercury in the salt lakes of the Crimea

90 Sr concentrations,resulting from the Chernobyl NPP accident,were determined in the salt lakes of the Crimea(Lakes Kiyatskoe,Kirleutskoe,Kizil-Yar,Bakalskoe and Donuzlav),together with the redistribution between the components of the ecosystems.The content of mercury in the waters of the studied reservoirs was also established.Vertical distributions of natural radionuclide activities( 238 U,232 Th,226 Ra,210 Pb,40 K) and anthropogenic 137 Cs concentrations(as radiotracers) were determined in the bottom sediments of the Koyashskoe salt lake(located in the south-eastern Crimea) to evaluate the longterm dynamics and biogeochemical processes.Radiochemical and chemical analysis was undertaken and radiotracer and statistical methods were applied to the analytical data.The highest concentrations of 90 Sr in the water of Lake Kiyatskoe(350.5 and 98.0 Bq/m 3) and Lake Kirleutskoe(121.3 Bq/m 3) were due to the discharge of the Dnieper water from the North-Crimean Canal.The high content of mercury in Lake Kiyatskoe(363.2 ng/L) and in seawater near Lake Kizil-Yar(364 ng/L) exceeded the maximum permissible concentration(3.5 times the maximum).Natural radionuclides provide the main contribution to the total radioactivity(artificial and natural combined) in the bottom sediments of Lake Koyashskoe.The significant concentration of 210 Pb in the upper layer of bottom sediments of the lake indicates an active inflow of its parent radionuclide—gaseous 222 Rn from the lower layers of the bottom sediment.The average sedimentation rates in Lake Koyashskoe,determined using 210 Pb and 137 Cs data,were 0.117 and 0.109 cm per year,respectively.     

Impact of sea spray on upper ocean temperature during typhoon passage: simulation with a 1-D turbulent model

At the interface between the lower atmosphere and sea surface, sea spray might significantly influence air-sea heat fluxes and subsequently, modulate upper ocean temperature during a typhoon passage. The effects of sea spray were introduced into the parameterization of sea surface roughness in a 1-D turbulent model, to investigate the effects of sea spray on upper ocean temperature in the Kuroshio Extension area, for the cases of two real typhoons from 2006, Yagi and Soulik. Model output was compared with data from the Kuroshio Extension Observatory (KEO), and Reynolds and AMSRE satellite remote sensing sea surface temperatures. The results indicate drag coefficients that include the spray effect are closer to observations than those without, and that sea spray can enhance the heat fluxes (especially latent heat flux) considerably during a typhoon passage. Consequently, the model results with heat fluxes enhanced by sea spray simulate better the cooling process of the SST and upper-layer temperature profiles. Additionally, results from the simulation of the passage of typhoon Soulik (that passed KEO quickly), which included the sea spray effect, were better than for the simulated passage of typhoon Yagi (that crossed KEO slowly). These promising 1-D results could provide insight into the application of sea spray in general circulation models for typhoon studies.     

时空过程网络可视化模拟与分析服务——以溃坝洪水为例

洪水溃坝等复杂灾害现象的时空过程模拟分析,是当前国际地理信息科学热点研究方向之一。随着网络的普及化,公众对GIS时空分析模型的网络实时集成和可视化分析提出了迫切的需求。本文以溃坝洪水为例开展了时空过程网络可视化模拟与分析服务研究,利用Web GL、HTML5、Ajax、Web Service、GPU并行计算等技术手段,通过探讨溃坝洪水时空模型计算优化、网络三维可视化模拟与动态交互分析等关键技术,研发了原型系统并进行应用实验。实验结果表明,本文研究成果有助于实现时空过程信息的网络发布,在线影响分析及动态可视化服务,可为分布式网络环境下溃坝洪水等时空过程信息管理和应急决策提供科学依据和技术支持。     

全球三大洋海山钴结壳资源量估算

钴结壳具有Co、Ni、Cu和Mn及其他金属的潜在矿产资源和储存在结壳层中古环境信息的双重意义。与深海多金属结核和热液硫化物矿床相比,具有较高Co、Ni和Pt含量的海山钴结壳有可能成为商业勘探的潜在目标。为合理地估算出全球三大洋海山钴结壳资源量,基于我国西太平洋海山钴结壳拖网采样调查资料和对太平洋海山钴结壳资源分布规律和钴结壳矿区圈定参数指标的深入研究,按海山不同高度、不同洋壳年龄赋予不同结壳厚度,进而计算出全球三大洋海山钴结壳分布面积为3 039 452.14km2和干结壳资源量为(1 081.166 1~2 162.332 2)×108 t。太平洋海山钴结壳分布面积为2 123 087.12km2和干结壳资源量为(513.244~1 026.488)×108 t,大西洋海山钴结壳分布面积为512 509.74km2和干结壳资源量为(116.503 2~233.006 4)×108 t,印度洋海山钴结壳分布面积为403 855.28km2和干结壳资源量为(81.484 9~162.969 8)×108 t。三大洋海山钴结壳的Mn、Co、Ni和Cu金属量分别为(138.848 0~277.696 0)×108 t,(3.967 6~7.935 2)×108 t、(2.793 6~5.587 2)×108 t和(0.825 1~1.650 2)×108 t。根据钴结壳的Co含量、Co通量和厚度相关分析,所赋予的钴结壳厚度占理论推测厚度的6.10%~12.20%,这与Ku等得出"钴结壳生长时间约占其整个生命史4%"的认识非常相近。三大洋海山钴结壳实测厚度与赋值厚度对比分析表明,太平洋海山钴结壳赋值厚度平均值为1.87cm,实测厚度平均值为1.77cm,相对误差为5.35%,大西洋和印度洋相对误差分别为18.18%和23.23%。研究数据表明按海山高度和洋壳年龄所赋的钴结壳厚度基本合理,估算出的钴结壳资源量基本可靠。本文首次估算出三大洋海山钴结壳资源量,为整个海盆和三大洋海山钴结壳资源量估算提供了新方法。     

松江鲈(Trachidermus fasciatus)泛素结合酶E2-D2基因的分子克隆及组织表达分析

泛素结合酶(UbcE2)是蛋白泛素化过程中所必需的酶,在泛素转移和底物的特异性识别方面发挥着重要的作用。本实验利用RACE技术克隆获得了全长为993bp的松江鲈泛素结合酶E2-D2基因cDNA序列(命名为TfUbcE2-D2),其开放阅读框为444bp,编码147个氨基酸。通过SMART预测得知,TfUbcE2-D2含有一个UBCc结构域。同源比对结果表明该基因与其他物种的同源性为92.31%。实时荧光定量PCR显示,TfUbcE2-D2广泛表达于松江鲈各组织,在肾脏中的相对表达量最高,其次为鳃。鳗弧菌(Vibrio anguillarum)刺激后,TfUbcE2-D2在血液、脾脏、肝脏和鳃中表达均上调,其中,脾脏和鳃中的表达量上调约40倍。由以上实验结果推测,TfUbcE2-D2可能参与松江鲈的先天免疫防御。     

Distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nemopilema nomurai</Emphasis> in the southwestern Sea of Japan related to meandering of the Tsushima Warm Current

We investigated the horizontal distribution of Nemopilema nomurai medusae using a midwater trawl in the southwestern Sea of Japan from September to October of each year from 2006 to 2012. Numerous medusae of this species found in 2006, 2007, and 2009 were mainly distributed far (>40 km) from the mainland of Japan in the western part of the survey area, but were distributed in the stations closest (<25 km) to the mainland in the eastern part, particularly in 2006 and 2009. These distribution patterns were associated with the path of the second branch of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) that flows offshore to the west of Oki Islands and usually approaches the mainland of Japan to the east of Oki Islands. Differences in jellyfish distribution across the survey periods were related to the distribution of the second branch being associated with types, position and intensity of eddies in the eastern part of the survey area. Hence, the formations of eddies and consequent variation in the path of the TWC would be responsible for transporting medusae from offshore to near the mainland to the east of Oki Islands. Individuals with large bells accumulated in the northwestern part of the survey area, where a cyclonic eddy was present downstream of the third branch of the TWC. This variation in bell size distribution may be ascribed to differences in the physical and/or biological factors among the three branches of the TWC.     

Impacts of the two types of El Niño on Pacific tropical cyclone activity

It is well known that Tropical cyclone(TC) activities over the Pacific are affected by El Nino events. In most studies El Nino phenomena have been separated into east Pacific warming(EPW) and central Pacific warming(CPW) based on the location of maximum SST anomaly. Since these two kinds of El Nino have different impacts on Pacific tropical cyclone activities, this study investigates different features of TC activities and the genesis potential index(GPI) during EPW years and CPW years. Four contrib- uting factors, i.e., the low-level absolute vorticity, the relative humidity, the potential intensity and the vertical wind shear, are exam- ined to determine which factors are most important in causing the anomalous TC activities. Our results show that during EPW years in July–August(JA0), TC activities are more frequent with stronger intensity over the Western North Pacific(WNP) and Eastern North Pacific(ENP). The maximum anomaly center of TC activities then drifts eastward significantly in September–October(SO0). However, centers of anomalous TC activity barely change from JA0 to SO0 during CPW years. In January–February–March(JFM1) of the decaying years of warming events, TC frequency and intensity both have positive anomaly over the South Pacific. The anoma- lies in EPW years have larger amplitude and wider spatial distribution than those in CPW years. These anomalous activities of TC are associated with GPI anomaly and the key factors affecting GPI anomaly for each ocean basin are quite different.