Automated cleaning and uncertainty attribution of archival bathymetry based on a priori knowledge

Hydrographic offices hold large valuable historic bathymetric data sets, many of which were collected using older generation survey systems that contain little or no metadata and/or uncertainty estimates. These bathymetric data sets generally contain large outlier (errant) data points to clean, yet standard practice does not include rigorous automated procedures for systematic cleaning of these historical data sets and their subsequent conversion into reusable data formats. In this paper, we propose an automated method for this task. We utilize statistically diverse threshold tests, including a robust least trimmed squared method, to clean the data. We use LOESS weighted regression residuals together with a Student-t distribution to attribute uncertainty for each retained sounding; the resulting uncertainty values compare favorably with native estimates of uncertainty from co-located data sets which we use to estimate a point-wise goodness-of-fit measure. Storing a cleansed validated data set augmented with uncertainty in a re-usable format provides the details of this analysis for subsequent users. Our test results indicate that the method significantly improves the quality of the data set while concurrently providing confidence interval estimates and point-wise goodness-of-fit estimates as referenced to current hydrographic practices.     

Fauna of polyhaline subtidal marsh creeks in Southern New Jersey: Composition,abundance and biomass

Three polyhaline subtidal marsh creeks in southern New Jersey were sampled with weirs and seines to determine seasonal patterns of utilization by fishes and macroinvertebrates. Sixty-four species of fish, 13 invertebrates, and the diamondback terrapin were collected in 69 weir and 57 seine samples from April to November 1988 and April to October 1989. Average abundance, biomass, and faunal composition were strongly seasonal with greatest abundances during spring and summer, and peaks in May and August. Sixteen species were represented by all life-history stages, including the five most important species by combined ranks of percent frequency, mean abundance, and mean biomass. These five species were important during spring, summer, and fall and included the fishes Menidia menidia and Fundulus heteroclitus, the shrimps Palaemonetes vulgaris and Crangon septemspinosa, and the crab Callinectes sapidus. In addition, there were distinct seasonal assemblages of other species which utilized the creeks primarily as young-of-the-year. Importnat species in spring collections included the fishes Clupea harengus, Alosa aestivalis, Alosa pseudoharengus, Pollachius virens, and Urophysics regia, while Leiostomus xanthurus, Pomatomus saltatrix, Paralichthys dentatus, Mugil curema, and Strongylura marina were important in the summer. Fall samples were best characterized by declining abundances of summer species. Thus, subtidal marsh creeks in southern New Jersey appear to be valuable nurseries for a variety of species which spawn over the continental shelf, as well as one of the most important habitats for estuarine residents.     

Alteration of metamict,rare-earth,AB2O6-type NbTaTi oxides

Primary and secondary alteration affect composition, physical properties and the results of annealing studies of metamict, rare-earth, AB₂O₆-type Nb-Ta-Ti oxides.Primary alteration (e.g. hydrothermal) causes a consistent increase in calcium content, generally a decrease in the uranium and thorium content, a decrease in the absolute rare earth concentrations, (with only one exception, the REE distributions remain constant), a slight decrease in B-site cations, and an increase in structural and absorbed water.Secondary alteration (e.g. weathering) is similar but produces a decrease in Ca content, an increased leaching of A-site cations and relative increase in B-site cations.R.I., S.G., and reflectance (546 nm) decrease with both types of alteration, but VHN₅₀ remains approximately constant in altered and unaltered areas of the same specimen. The deviation from stoichiometric proportions of A- and B-site cations with increased alteration results in complex recrystallization phase assemblages during annealing studies (500–1000°C at 1 bar). The effect of alteration on systems of nomenclature and identification procedures is discussed.     

Structure-configurational entropy and its effect on the thermodynamic stability of uranyl phases: With special application for geological disposal of nuclear waste

Uranyl phases are found as the alteration products of uraninite under oxidizing condi- tions[1—3]. They are also expected to be the dominant alteration products of spent UO2 fuel in an oxidizing environment, such as at nuclear waste repositories[4—8]. …     

Ionization constants of aqueous amino acids at temperatures up to 250°C using hydrothermal pH indicators and UV-visible spectroscopy: Glycine, α-alanine, and proline

Ionization constants for several simple amino acids have been measured for the first time under hydrothermal conditions, using visible spectroscopy with a high-temperature, high-pressure flow cell and thermally stable colorimetric pH indicators. This method minimizes amino acid decomposition at high temperatures because the data can be collected rapidly with short equilibration times. The first ionization constant for proline and α-alanine, K_a,COOH, and the first and second ionization constants for glycine, K_a,COOH and K_a,NH4+, have been determined at temperatures as high as 250°C. Values for the standard partial molar heat capacity of ionization, Δ_rC_p^o,_COOH and Δ_rC_p^o,_NH4+, have been determined from the temperature dependence of ln (K_a,COOH) and ln (K_a,NH4+). The methodology has been validated by measuring the ionization constant of acetic acid up to 250°C, with results that agree with literature values obtained by potentiometric measurements to within the combined experimental uncertainty.We dedicate this paper to the memory of Dr. Donald Irish (1932-2002) of the University of Waterloo—friend and former supervisor of two of the authors (R.J.B. and P.R.T.).     

Alpha-decay damage in minerals of the pyrochlore group

X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy have been used to study the effects of alpha-decay damage in pyrochlore group minerals, characterized by the general formula A _1?m B ₂O₆(O,OH,F)_1?n ·pH₂O. As defined by the XRD intensity ratio I/I ₀ , both the saturation dose (for which I/I ₀ =0.1?0.0) and the dose which signifies the initial loss of crystallinity (for which I/I ₀ =1.0?0.8) increase as a function of geologic age. The increase is attributed to annealing of isolated alpha-recoil tracks back to the original crystalline structure. The tracks have calculated mean lives, τ_a, on the order of 10⁸ years. In contrast, minerals which remain crystalline (e.g., uraninite, UO₂) despite doses of up to 10¹⁸ alpha-events/mg have mean alpha-recoil track lives ≈10⁴ years (Eyal and Fleischer 1985). After correcting the calculated dose for annealing of alpha-recoil damage, I/I ₀ is observed to decrease exponentially to zero over the dose range 0.02–1.0 × 10¹⁶ alpha-events/mg. The relationship between I/I ₀ and “corrected” dose was used to calculate an average alpha-recoil track diameter of 4.6 nm, in which < 2600 atoms are displaced. XRD line broadening due to strain dominates the first half of the crystalline-to-metamict transition, reaching a maximum of 0.003, then decreasing to < 0.001. Line broadening due to decreasing crystallite size dominates the latter half of the transition. Estimated crystallite dimensions decrease from 450 nm to < 15 nm prior to reaching the fully metamict state. With increasing dose HRTEM images of microlites from the Harding pegmatite sequentially exhibit: 1) mottled diffraction contrast, 2) isolated 1–5 nm aperiodic areas, 3) coexisting aperiodic and crystalline areas, 4) relict “islands” of crystalline material in an aperiodic matrix, and 5) complete loss of lattice fringe periodicity. With no consideration given to alpha-recoil track fading, the transition covers a dose range of 0.04–1.7 × 10¹⁷ alpha-events/mg. Using a value of τ_a=10⁸ years, this dose range is corrected down to 0.02–1.2 × 10¹⁶ alpha-events/mg. The metamict state is characterized by a range of M-M and M-O distances which give rise to bands of diffuse scattering centered at 0.30 nm and 0.18 nm, respectively, in x-ray and electron diffraction patterns. Random image contrast shown by HRTEM is consistent with a random network type structure, an interpretation supported by EXAFS/XANES studies (Greegor et al. 1985a, b, 1987). The structure of metamict pyrochlore consists of an aperiodic framework of corner-sharing B-O polyhedra. Compared to the crystalline precursor, the metamict state displays a reduced M-O coordination number and mean bond length, increased distortion of the B-site, and a slight increase in the average M-M distance.     

Low-temperature anisotropic diffusion of helium in zircon: Implications for zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronometry

In the last decade the zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe) thermochronometer has been applied to a variety of geologic problems. Although bulk diffusion coefficients for He in zircon are available from laboratory step-heating experiments, little is known about the diffusion mechanism(s) and their dependence on the crystallographic structure of zircon. Here, we investigate the diffusion of He in perfectly crystalline zircon using atomistic simulation methods that provide insights into the structural pathways of He migration in zircon. Empirical force fields and quantum-mechanical calculations reveal that the energy barriers for He diffusion are strongly dependent on structure. The most favorable pathway for He diffusion is the [0 0 1] direction through the open channels parallel to the c-axis (, activation energy for tracer diffusion of a He atom along [0 0 1]). In contrast, energy barriers are higher in other directions where narrower channels for He diffusion are identified, such as [1 0 0], [1 0 1], and [1 1 0] (ΔE^∗ of 44.8, 101.7, and 421.3 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively). Molecular dynamics simulations are in agreement with these results and provide additional insight in the diffusion mechanisms along different crystallographic directions, as well as the temperature dependence. Below the closure temperature of He in zircon [T_c ∼ 180 °C, Reiners P. W., Spell T. L., Nicolescu S., and Zanetti K. A. (2004) Zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronometry: He diffusion and comparisons with Ar-40/Ar-39 dating. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta68, 1857-1887], diffusion is anisotropic as He moves preferentially along the [0 0 1] direction, and calculated tracer diffusivities along the two most favorable directions differ by approximately five orders of magnitude (D_[001]/D_[100] ∼ 10⁵, at T = 25 °C). Above this temperature, He atoms start to hop between adjacent [0 0 1] channels, along [1 0 0] and [0 1 0] directions (perpendicular to the c-axis). The diffusion along [1 0 0] and [0 1 0] is thermally activated, such that at higher temperatures, He diffusion in zircon becomes nearly isotropic (D_[001]/D_[100] ∼ 10, at T = 580 °C). These results suggest that the anisotropic nature of He diffusion at temperatures near the closure temperature should be considered in future diffusivity experiments. Furthermore, care should be taken when making geologic interpretations (e.g., exhumation rates, timing of cooling, etc.) from this thermochronometer until the effects of anisotropic diffusion on bulk ages and closure temperature estimates are better quantified.     

The origin of TNO 2004 XR190 as a primordial scattered object

Numerical integrations of the equations of motion of the giant planets and scattering particles show that there is a possible orbital itinerary that a particle may follow from a scattering mode up to a stable position near the orbit of 2004 XR₁₉₀. This orbital evolution requires that the particle gets trapped in a mean motion resonance with Neptune coupled with the Kozai resonance. Imposing migration on Neptune while a particle is experiencing both resonances can entail an escape from resonance at a low particle’s eccentricity. This eccentricity and the associated inclination are always similar to those of 2004 XR₁₉₀. I conclude that 2004 XR₁₉₀ was most likely a scattered object that went through those resonance processes and was eventually deposited at its current position. By the same argument, it is expected that there must exist several other objects with similar semimajor axis, eccentricity and inclination as those of 2004 XR₁₉₀.     

Some Characteristics of the Ionospheric Behavior During the Solar Cycle 23 – 24 Minimum

The Solar Cycle 23?–?24 minimum has been considered unusually deep and complex. In this article we study the ionospheric behavior during this minimum, and we have found that, although observable, the ionosphere response is minor and marginally exceeds the range of normal geophysical variability of the system. Two main ionospheric parameters have been studied: vertical TEC (vTEC, total electron content) and NmF2 (peak concentration of the F region). While vTEC showed a consistent modest decrease of the mean value, NmF2 behavior was less clear, with instances where the mean value for the minimum 23?–?24 was even higher that for the minimum 22?–?23. More extensive work is required to gain a better understanding of the ionospheric behavior under conditions similar to those presented in the last minimum.