Seasonal variations in chlorophyll and nutrients in a Canadian arctic estuary

The Eskimo Lakes and Liverpool Bay constitute a series of estuarine waters to the Beaufort Sea in arctic Canada. Salinity ranges in summer from 20‰ at the mouth to less than 1‰ at the head of the system. Arctic features include an ice cover lasting for about 8 months annually and water temperatures which fluctuate from ?1°C in winter to as high as 12°C in late summer. Subsurface light is severely attenuated. Reactive phosphate varies from a spring high of 0.3 μg-at P per 1 to undetectable levels during summer. Nitrate is more abundant, and silicate is consistently plentiful. Chlorophyll a reaches a maximum only occasionally higher than 3 mg per m³ in June and July, rising from undetectable levels in winter. Photosynthetic rates are low by all standards, and have not been measured at greater than 6.4 mg C per m² per hour in summer. Low levels of subsurface light and reactive phosphate and nitrate characterize this exceptionally oligotrophic arctic estuary.     

A few remarks on the kinetics of static grain growth in rocks

Static grain growth is a relatively simple transformation in which grain size increases under driving forces caused by grain and interphase boundary curvature. Given the relative simplicity of the protocol for grain growth experiments, measurements of grain boundary mobility show surprising variations. Boundary mobilities during grain growth are affected by solute and impurity chemistry, chemical fugacity of trace and major elements, pore size and number, pore fluid chemistry, the presence of melts, and the presence of solid second phases, as well as temperature and pressure. All of these factors may exert influence on grain growth of rocks in natural situations and many are also present during the laboratory experiments. Provided that the necessary kinetics parameters are known, bounds may be placed on the interface mobility when pores, partial melts, or solutes are present. To predict the rate of grain growth in natural situations will require improved laboratory data and careful consideration of the thermodynamic conditions likely to be encountered in nature.     

Rotation and dilation deformation mechanisms for auxetic behaviour in the α-cristobalite tetrahedral framework structure

 Analytical expressions are derived for the Poisson's ratios associated with a three-dimensional network of regular, corner-sharing tetrahedra in which: (1) the tetrahedra are assumed to be rigid and free to rotate relative to each other; (2) the tetrahedra are assumed to maintain shape and orientation but are free to change size (dilate); (3) tetrahedral rotation and dilation are assumed to act concurrently. The structure has a primitive unit cell containing four tetrahedra and is analogous to the molecular structure of α-cristobalite. Strain-dependent variations in Poisson's ratio are also predicted by the models. For deformation due to tetrahedral rotation the network is found to exhibit negative Poisson's ratios in each of the three principal directions, with the magnitude of the Poisson's ratio being dependent on the angle of rotation of the tetrahedra. The behaviour of the Poisson's ratio is isotropic in the transverse plane, but anisotropic elsewhere. In the dilation model negative Poisson's ratios equal to −1 are observed for uniaxial loading in any of the principal directions, with the value being constant irrespective of tetrahedral size. The model for concurrent tetrahedral rotation and dilation allows positive as well as negative Poisson's ratios, with the values determined by the framework geometry and relative strengths of the two mechanisms. The concurrent model also offers a design route to materials and structures having ultrahigh Young's moduli. Received: 15 February 2000 / Accepted: 1 October 2000     

Production of atmospheric condensation nuclei by sunrays

Summary 1) It is confirmed that in filtered, nucleus-free air, in a polyethylene balloon, if irradiated by sunglight, an immediate large number of condensation nuclei appear. — 2) The nucleus count rises to about 35. 000/cm³ and if the irradiation is continued does not increase, but decreases. This decreased is accelerated in the dark. — 3) Less intensive sunlight as when the sun was covered by clouds, gives slower and smaller increases. — 4) The same was observed if, instead of air, inducstrial oxygen or nitrogen was used. — 5) Traces of H₂S increase the sun effect enormously. — 6) Traces of NH₃ also increase it, but less than H₂S. — 7) SO₂ filtered through cottonwool gave also in the dark nuclei, which then decreased in number. — 8) It is supposed that H₂S is oxydized by the photochemical action of the sun's visible spectrum to SO₂ SO₃ SO₄ which is a nucleus. With NH₃ the formation of (NH₃)₂ SO₄ is probable. But no direct proof is given that these are the actual impurities which explain the sun's action on air. It is calculated that dilutions of 10^–15 of an impurity of the type of H₂S can quantitatively explain the sun effect. — 9) The work ofAitken is extensively quoted, who noticed, 50 years ago, the «fog produced by sun».

---

Zusammenfassung 1) Es wird bestätigt, dass Sonnen-Bestrahlung von filtrierter kernfreier Luft, welche in einem Polyethylen-Ballon aufbewahrt ist, zum Entstehen einer hohen Zahl von Kondensations Kernen führt. — 2) Die Kernzahl steigt auf etwa 35 000/cm³. Wird die Bestrahlung fortgesetzt, dann steigt sie nicht weiter sondern nimmt ab. Die Abnahme wird im Dunkeln beschleunigt. — 3) Durch Wolken abgeschwächtes Sonnenlicht gibt eine langsamere, weniger grosse Kernbildung. — 4) Dieselben Beobachtungen wurden mit industriellem Sauerstroff und Stickstoff auch gemacht. — 5) Spuren von H₂S verstärken den Sonneneffekt enorm. — 6) Spuren von NH₃ verstärken ihn auch, jedoch weniger. — 7) SO₂ Gas, gefiltert durch Baumwollfilter giebt auch im Dunkeln schon Kerne, deren Zahl dann wieder abnimmt. — 8) Es wird angenommen, das H₂S durch photochemische Wirkung des sichtbaren Sonnenlichtes oxidiert wird zu SO₂ SO₃ SO₄ welch letzteres bereits als H₂HO₄ ein Kondensationskern ist. Mit NH₃)₂ SO₄ Kondensationskerne gebildet werden. Es sind jedoch keine direkten Beweise dafür vorhanden, dass diese Gase die Verunreinigungen der atmosphärischen Luft sind, welche den Sonnenffekt geben. Es wird aber berechnet, dass schon Verdünnungen von 10^–15 eine Verunreinigung H₂S den Sonnen-Effekt erklären. — 9)Aitken's Werk, der bereits vor 50 Jahren von « durch Sonne verursachten Nebel « sprach, wird gewürdigt.

---

---

From the Clima-physiological Laboratory of St. Moritz-Bad.     

Neutron capture on Gd and Sm in the Luna 16, G-2 soil

The Gd and Sm isotopic compositions have been measured in the Luna 16, G-2 soil. This sample has the largest low energy neutron fluence ψ = 5.9 × 10¹⁶n/cm² (E < 0.18eV) yet observed in a lunar sample. The ratio of the number of neutrons captured per atom by¹⁴⁹Sm to¹⁵⁷Gd is 0.76 which is distinct from the value of 0.86 observed at the Apollo 11, 12 and 14 sites. This indicates a softer neutron energy spectrum at the Sea of Plenty.     

Apollo 16 neutron stratigraphy

The Apollo 16 soils have the largest low energy neutron fluences (up to 10¹⁷ n/cm², E < 0.18eV) yet observed in lunar samples. Variations in the isotopic ratios ¹⁵⁸Gd/¹⁵⁷Gd and ¹⁵⁰Sm/¹⁴⁹Sm (up to 1.9% and 2.0% respectively) indicate that the low energy neutron fluence in the Apollo 16 drill stem increases with depth throughout the section sampled. Such a variation implies that accretion has been the dominant regolith “gardening” process at this location. The data may be fit by a model of continuous accretion of pre-irradiated material at a rate of ～70 g/(cm² · 10⁸yr) or by models involving as few as two slabs of material in which the first slab could have been deposited as long as 10⁹ yr ago.The ratio of the number of neutrons captured per atom by Sm to the number captured per atom by Gd is lower than in previously measured lunar samples, which implies a lower energy neutron spectrum at this site. The variation of this ratio with chemical composition is qualitatively similar to that predicted by Lingenfelter, Canfield and Hampel.Variations are observed in the ratio ¹⁵²Gd/¹⁶⁰Gd which are fluence correlated and probably result from neutron capture by¹⁵¹Eu.     

A CME mass distribution derived from SOLWIND coronagraph observations

Using estimates of the masses of nearly 1000 CMEs observed by SOLWIND from Howardet al. (1985), we re-plot the numbers of CMEs as a function of CME mass on a log-linear plot. The plot is significant in that it shows a linear trend over more than a decade of CME masses. The plot indicates a simple form for the distribution of the CME masses and allows an easy determination of the total mass ejected into the solar wind in the form of CMEs. We find that approximately 16% of the solar wind at solar maximum can be comprised of CME mass. There is no indication that the numbers of low-mass CMEs increase in number above the trend set by the more massive ones. Specifically, there is no increase in the numbers of small CMEs such that the whole of the solar wind can be comprised of them.