NASA's Astrophysics Data Archives

The NASA Office of Space Science has established a series of archivalcenters where science data acquired through its space science missionsis deposited. The availability of high quality data to the generalpublic through these open archives enables the maximization of sciencereturn of the flight missions. The Astrophysics Data Centers CoordinatingCouncil, an informal collaboration of archival centers, coordinates datafrom five archival centers distiguished primarily by the wavelength rangeof the data deposited there. Data are available in FITS format. Anoverview of NASA's data centers and services is presented in this paper.A standard front-end modifyer called Astrowbrowse is described. Othercatalog browsers and tools include WISARD and AMASE supported by theNational Space Scince Data Center, as well as ISAIA, a follow on toAstrobrowse.     

Simulation of extensive air showers at ultra-high energy using the CORSIKA Monte Carlo code

Extensive simulations have been carried out with CORSIKA version 5.62 to investigate the general properties of giant cosmic air shower in the energy range 1–100 EeV. The comparison between protons, heavy nuclei and γ initiated showers exhibits unexpected and interesting features. The apparent muon electron ratio at great distances (1.5 km from axis) tends to be comparable at ultra-high energy in both photon-induced cascades and hadronic cascades (compensation between the enhancement versus energy of photo-production cross-section and of the decrease of both pair production cross-section and the bremsstrahlung cross-section, with Landau–Pomeranchuk–Migdal effect); for proton and nuclei primaries, a correlation with lateral electron profile suggests a new energy estimator, in complement to electrons size or density at 600 m, suitable for the determination of the total primary energy spectrum. Another tendency is the local contrast in the abundance of positive and negative muons (with a possible ellipticity in the lateral muon distribution) induced by the geomagnetic field, especially visible for some azimuthal and zenith angles. These distortions are more intense for heavy primaries; they can be exploited on the most favorable horizontal axis or areas, for the discrimination between nuclei and protons.     

Organochlorine Pesticide Residues in Soils and Sediments of the Herbert and Burdekin River Regions, North Queensland – Implications for Contamination of the Great Barrier Reef

Organochlorine pesticides were widely used in the Australian sugarcane industry from the early 1950s until the late 1980s. Erosion of sugarcane soils and subsequent transport of sediment bound contaminants in river run-off to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon is a growing concern as the cane industry continues to expand. Organochlorine pesticide residues can be used as tracers to examine the worst-case scenario of the spatial extent to which currently used, though less persistent, organic agricultural pesticides might extend. The coastal alluvial flood-plains of the Herbert and Burdekin Rivers in North Queensland have sugarcane growing as the major coastal land-use. Sediment cores and surface sediment samples were collected from near-shore coastal regions of the Herbert and Burdekin Rivers. In addition, soil samples from cane-fields in the two catchments were collected. Analyses of the marine surface sediment samples and three sediment cores revealed the absence of detectable concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (<5 pg/g). However, easily detectable concentrations were found in the sugarcane soil samples (0.01–45 ng/g).     

Sedimentary Basins and the Blockage of Lg Wave Propagation in the Continents

v--vThe phenomenon of "Lg blockage," where Lg is strongly attenuated by crustal heterogeneities, poses a serious problem to CTBT monitoring because Lg is an important seismic phase for discrimination. This paper examines blockage in three continental regions where the Lg blockages may be caused by large, enclosed sedimentary basins along the propagation path. The Barents Sea Basin blocks Lg propagation across the Barents Sea from the Russian nuclear test sites at Novaya Zemlya to Scandinavian stations. Also, "early Lg" waves are observed in Sn codas on NORSAR, NORESS, and ARCESS recordings of Novaya Zemlya explosions where direct Lg is blocked. Early Lg waves may have resulted from Sn-to-Lg mode conversion at the contact between the Barents Basin and the Kola Peninsula. The Northern and Southern Caspian Sea Basins also block Lg waves from PNEs and earthquakes, perhaps due to thick, low-velocity, low-Q sediments replacing the granitic layer rocks in the crust. Lg blockage has also been observed in the Western Mediterranean/Levantine Basin due to low-Q sediments and crustal thinning. A "basin capture" model is proposed to explain Lg blockage in sedimentary basins. In this model, shear waves that reverberate in the crust and constitute the Lg wave train are captured, delayed, and attenuated by thick, low-velocity sediments that replace the "granitic" layer rocks of the upper crust along part of the propagation path. Sn waves, which propagate below the basin, would not be blocked and in fact, the blocked Lg waves may be diverted downward into Sn waves by the low velocity sediments in the basin.     

Further assessment of flood‐ and drought‐dominated regimes in south‐eastern Australia

Kirkup et al. (1998) [Australian Geographer 29, pp. 241–55] criticise our theory of alternating flood regimes and question its application to river management. A brief but critical appraisal of their work shows many errors and misrepresentations. When these are corrected, their challenge is found deficient.     

Carbon isotopic fractionation between CO2 vapour,silicate and carbonate melts: an experimental study to 30 kbar

The carbon isotopic fractionation between CO₂ vapour and sodamelilite (NaCaAlSi₂O₇) melt over a range of pressures and temperatures has been investigated using solid-media piston-cylinder high pressure apparatus. Ag₂C₂O₄ was the source of CO₂ and experimental oxygen fugacity was buffered at hematite-magnetite by the double capsule technique. The abundance and isotopic composition of carbon dissolved in sodamelilite (SM) glass were determined by stepped heating and the ¹³C of coexisting vapour was determined directly by capsule piercing. CO₂ solubility in SM displays a complex behavior with temperature. At pressures up to 10 kbars CO₂ dissolves in SM to form carbonate ion complexes and the solubility data suggest slight negative temperature dependence. Above 20 kbars CO₂ reacts with SM to form immiscible Na-rich silicate and Ca-rich carbonate melts and CO₂ solubility in Na-enriched silicate melt rises with increasing temperature above the liquidus. Measured values for carbon isotopic fractionation between CO₂ vapour and carbonate ions dissoived in sodamelilite melt at 1200°–1400° C and 5–30 kbars average 2.4±0.2, favouring¹³C enrichment in CO₂ vapour. The results are maxima and are independent of pressure and temperature. Similar values of 2 are obtained for the carbon isotopic fractionation between CO₂ vapour and carbonate melts at 1300°–1400° C and 20–30 kbars.     

Age and structure of the southern Rockall Trough new evidence

The Rockall Trough separates the Rockall Plateau microcontinent from the shelf and slope west of the British Isles. The structure and age of the trough has been the source of considerable discussion. Although widely considered to be of oceanic origin, postulated ages for the spreading range from Permian to Cretaceous. New seismic profiles linked to the IPOD sites in the Bay of Biscay and to oceanic anomalies of known age are used to present a new assessment of the age and structure of the southern Rockall Trough. It is concluded that about 120 km of ocean crust is present in the trough and that spreading took place in the Albian-Maastrichtian interval.