Structure and Evolution of Supergranulation from Local Helioseismology

Supergranulation is visible at the solar surface as a cellular pattern of horizontal outflows. Although it does not show a distinct intensity pattern, it manifests itself indirectly in, for example, the chromospheric network. Previous studies have reported significant differences in the inferred basic parameters of the supergranulation phenomenon. Here we study the structure and temporal evolution of a large sample of supergranules, measured by using local helioseismology and SOHO/MDI data from the year 2000 at solar activity minimum. Local helioseismology with f modes provides maps of the horizontal divergence of the flow velocity at a depth of about 1 Mm. From these divergence maps supergranular cells were identified by using Fourier segmentation procedures in two dimensions and in three dimensions (two spatial dimensions plus time). The maps that we analyzed contain more than 10⁵ supergranular cells and more than 10³ lifetime histories, which makes possible a detailed analysis with high statistical significance. We find that the supergranular cells have a mean diameter of 27.1 Mm. The mean lifetime is estimated to be 1.6 days from the measured distribution of lifetimes (three-dimensional segmentation), with a clear tendency for larger cells to live longer than smaller ones. The pair and mark correlation functions do not show pronounced features on scales larger than the typical cell size, which suggests purely random cell positions. The temporal histories of supergranular cells indicate a smooth evolution from their emergence and growth in the first half of their lives to their decay in the second half of their lives (unlike exploding granules, which reach their maximum size just before they fragment).     

Models of solar irradiance variations: Current status

Regular monitoring of solar irradiance has been carried out since 1978 to show that solar total and spectral irradiance varies at different time scales. Whereas variations on time scales of minutes to hours are due to solar oscillations and granulation, variations on longer time scales are driven by the evolution of the solar surface magnetic field. Here the most recent advances in modelling of solar irradiance variations on time scales longer than a day are briefly reviewed.     

Inversion of Gravity Data for Imaging of a Sediment-basement Interface: A Case Study in the Northwestern Part of Bangladesh

Gravity data collected by the Geological Survey of Bangladesh are processed and interpreted for imaging of a sediment-basement interface over the northwestern part of Bangladesh. The observed gravity data are processed for discriminating gravitational fields contributed subtly from the shallow basement topographic feature with the twelve nodal piecewise cubic polynomial–based finite–element approach. In spectral analysis, the presence of a widely spread shallow basement feature has been detected and interpretation of gravity data using a two-dimensional gravity inversion technique indicates that its depth ranges from 0.041 km to 0.570 km relative to ground surface. In the northern part of the study area, the inferred basement configuration shows a general depression of the basement in the Takurgaon-Panchagar and Lalmonirhat districts and reaches a maximum depth of about 0.570 km. In the Nilphamari district and its southwestern part, the basement occurs at the most shallow depth due to its upliftment. However, the estimated sediment-basement interface depths are compared with the borehole and other geophysical interpretative information and are found to be consistent.     

Modelling the vulnerability of groundwater to contamination in an unconfined alluvial aquifer in Pakistan

The area of Thal Doab is located in the Indus Basin and is underlain by a thick alluvial aquifer called the Thal Doab aquifer (TDA). The TDA is undergone intense hydrological stress owing to rapid population growth and excessive groundwater use for livestock and irrigated agricultural land uses. The potential impact of these land uses on groundwater quality was assessed using a DRASTIC model in a Geographic Information System environment. Seven DRASTIC thematic maps were developed at fixed scale and then combined into a groundwater vulnerability map. The resultant vulnerability index values were grouped into four zones as low, moderate, high and very high. The study has established that 76% of the land area that is underlain by the TDA has a high to very high vulnerability to groundwater contamination mainly because of a thin soil profile, a shallow water table and the presence of soils and sediments with high hydraulic conductivity values. In addition, only 2 and 22% of the total area lie in low and moderate vulnerability zones, respectively. The outcomes of this study can be used to improve the sustainability of the groundwater resource through proper land-use management.     

Aquifer modelling of the Ganga–Mahawa sub‐basin,a part of the Central Ganga Plain,Uttar Pradesh,India

The Ganga–Mahawa sub‐basin, which has an area of 1280 km² forms the western part of the Central Ganga Plain in the Moradabad and Badaun districts of western Uttar Pradesh, India. The Bundelkhand granite forms the basement complex, overlain unconformably by the upper Vindhyan sequence, which is further overlain by the Neogene (Middle and Upper) Siwaliks and finally by Quaternary alluvium. Four geomorphological units, the Varanasi older alluvial plain, Aligarh older alluvial plain, terrace zones and the Ganga recent floodplain, abandoned channels, channel scars and meander scars represent various landforms. The hydrogeological cross‐sections indicate the occurrence of a single aquifer down to 120 m. Some influent seepage from the River Ganga could be seen around Gangeswari, but the rest of the River Ganga is effluent. Groundwater‐flow modelling was carried out to assess the degree of Ganga river and aquifer interaction. The River Ganga marks the western boundary; boundaries to the northeast and southeast are set as fixed heads to simulate lateral inflow into and outflow from the sub‐basin respectively. The eastern boundary is simulated as a no‐flow condition. The Mahawa and Badmar rivers are considered to be effluent. The area modelled is covered by a grid of 34 rows×46 columns with three layers, viz., an unconfined aquifer, an aquitard which is underlain by a semi‐confined to confined aquifer. The permeability distribution was inferred from morphometric analysis and pumping tests. Natural recharge due to monsoon rainfall forms the main input. The River Ganga stage data at Ahar, Naora and Ramghat has been used for assigning surface water levels and river bed elevations in the model. Abstraction from all existing deep and shallow tube wells has been assigned as output at various cells. A steady state flow simulation was carried out and calibrated against the June 1986 water level; subsequent transient conditions were calibrated up to May 1995. The computed groundwater balance was comparable to that estimated from field investigations. The aquifer modelling study has attempted to integrate all available information and provided a tool that could be used for predictive simulation. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intra-City Variation in Urban Morphology and Turbulence Structure in Helsinki, Finland

Most atmospheric boundary-layer theories are developed over vegetative surfaces and their applicability at urban sites is questionable. Here, we study the intra-city variation of turbulence characteristics and the applicability of boundary-layer theory using building-morphology data across Helsinki, and eddy-covariance data from three sites: two in central Helsinki (400 m apart) and one 4 km away from the city centre. The multi-site measurements enable the analysis of the horizontal scales at which quantities that characterize turbulent transport vary: (i) Roughness characteristics vary at a 10-m scale, and morphometric estimation of surface-roughness characteristics is shown to perform better than the often used rule-of-thumb estimates (average departures from the logarithmic wind profile are 14 and 44 %, respectively). (ii) The drag coefficient varies at a 100-m scale, and we provide an updated parametrization of the drag coefficient as a function of z/z _H (the ratio of the measurement height to the mean building height). (iii) The transport efficiency of heat, water vapour and CO₂ is shown to be weaker the more heterogeneous the site is, in terms of sources and sinks, and strong scalar dissimilarity is observed at all sites. (iv) Atmospheric stability varies markedly even within 4 km across the city: the median difference in nocturnal sensible heat fluxes between the three sites was over 50W m^?2. Furthermore, (v) normalized power spectra and cospectra do not vary between sites, and they follow roughly the canonical theory as developed over vegetated terrain.     

Tidal and annual variability of the population structure of Eurytemora affinis in the middle part of the Seine Estuary during 2005

Annual variability in abundance and population structure of the copepod Eurytemora affinis was studied in the maximum turbidity zone of the Seine Estuary in 2005. An Eulerian sampling strategy was applied monthly from March to July and from September to December. Chlorophyll a and suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration, copepod abundance and stage distribution, and phytoplankton abundance were measured in sub-surface and near-bottom water during the ebb phase. Total E. affinis abundance was at a maximum in March and April (>200 × 10³ ind. m⁻³), and decreased from May to September (<25 × 10³ ind. m⁻³). This decrease corresponds to annual increases in temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a concentration and phytoplankton abundance, which was dominated by large diatoms, and decreases in SPM and river discharge. The phenology observed in 2005 was almost two months earlier compared to previous studies in the 1990s, when E. affinis reached maximum abundance in May and June. The low proportion of nauplii (<50%) in the population and high abundance of ovigerous females suggests that low recruitment is probably related to anomalously low temperatures in late winter (<5 °C). Whatever the horizontal position of the population in the estuary, adult and late copepodid stages are distributed in higher salinity than naupliar stages. Overall E. affinis population abundance was driven by parameters that characterize water masses at the tidal scale and by river discharge and chlorophyll a at the annual scale. By integrating the tidal effect, the high-frequency sampling protocol used appears to be optimal for investigating annual variability of planktonic communities in megatidal estuaries.     

Recharge processes during snowmelt: An isotopic and hydrometric investigation

Results from hydrometric and isotopic investigations of unsaturated flow during snowmelt are presented for a hillslope underlain by well-sorted sands. Passage of melt and rainwater through the vadose zone was detected from temporal changes in soil water ²H concentrations obtained from sequential soil cores. Bypassing flow was indicated during the initial snowmelt phase, but was confined to the near-surface zone. Recharge below this zone was via translatory flow, as meltwater inputs displaced premelt soil water. Estimates of premelt water fluxes indicate that up to 19 per cent of the premelt soil water may have been immobile. Average water particle velocities during snowmelt ranged from 6.2 × 10^?7 to 1.1 × 10^?6 ms^?1, suggesting that direct groundwater recharge by meltwater during snowmelt was confined to areas where the premelt water table was within 1 m of the ground surface. Soil water ²H signatures showed a rapid response to isotopically-heavy rain-on-snow inputs late in the melt. In addition, spatial variations in soil moisture content at a given depth induced a pronounced lateral component to the predominantly vertical transport of water. Both factors may complicate isotopic profiles in the vadose zone, and should be considered when employing environmental isotopes to infer recharge processes during snowmelt.     

Temperature and precipitation trend analysis of the Iraq Region under SRES scenarios during the twenty-first century

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Iraq is classified as the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to decreased water and food availability, extreme temperatures, and associated health...     

Extending F‐Perceptory to model fuzzy objects with composite geometries for GIS

When analyzing spatial issues, geographers are often confronted with many problems with regard to the imprecision of the available information. It is necessary to develop representation and design methods which are suited to imprecise spatiotemporal data. This led to the recent proposal of the F‐Perceptory approach. F‐Perceptory models fuzzy primitive geometries that are appropriate in representing homogeneous regions. However, the real world often contains cases that are much more complex, describing geographic features with composite structures such as a geometry aggregation or combination. From a conceptual point of view, these cases have not yet been managed with F‐Perceptory. This article proposes modeling fuzzy geographic objects with composite geometries, by extending the pictographic language of F‐Perceptory and its mapping to the Unified Modeling Language (UML) necessary to manage them in object/relational databases. Until now, the most commonly used object modeling tools have not considered imprecise data. The extended F‐Perceptory is implemented under a UML‐based modeling tool in order to support users in fuzzy conceptual data modeling. In addition, in order to properly define the related database design, an automatic derivation process is implemented to generate the fuzzy database model.