Precise orbit and baseline determination for maneuvering low earth orbiters

GPS Solutions - Orbital maneuvers are usually performed as needed for low earth orbiters to maintain a predefined trajectory or formation-flying configuration. To avoid unexpected discontinuities...     

A Raman spectroscopic study of H/D isotopically substituted hydrous aluminosilicate glasses

We have obtained high quality Raman spectra for two H/D isotopically substituted hydrous aluminosilicate glasses with compositions along the NaAlSi₃O₈-SiO₂ join. Consistent with the results of previous studies, the isotope shift for the band near 900 cm^–1, whose intensity grows with increasing water content, is extremely small: v _h /v _d = 1.004 ± 0.004. The lack of a definite H/D isotope shift for this band does not, however, preclude its association with a vibration of a hydrous species in the glass, because of likely strong coupling between different vibrational modes of hydrated framework species. The 900 cm^–1 band could well be due to a T — OH (T = Si, Al) stretching or bending vibration in the hydrous glass, as required by the presence of a combination band near 4500 cm^–1 in near-infrared spectra.     

Integrated and Participatory Research Approaches towards Sustainable Livelihoods and Ecosystems in Mountainous Regions

Mountainous regions cover about 27 per cent of the world’s land surface and are home to some 22 per cent of the global population (UNEP 2002). A much greater number of people depend on mountain environments for a wide range of services, including clean water, energy, timber, biodiversity, recreation, and protection from environmental hazards, such as landslides and floods. At the same time, mountain areas are extremely vulnerable ecosystems and under continuous threat of environmental degrad…     

FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC science mission update

The FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC mission is a microsatellite mission for weather forecast, climate monitoring, and atmospheric, ionospheric and geodesy research. This mission is a collaborative Taiwan-USA science experiment to deploy a constellation of six microsatellites in low Earth orbits. The mission life is 2 years with a goal of 5 years. The final mission orbit has an altitude of 750–800 km. Each satellite consists of three science payloads: global positioning system (GPS) occultation experiment (GOX) payload, tiny ionospheric photometer (TIP) and tri-band beacon (TBB). The GOX will collect the GPS signals for the study on atmosphere, ionosphere, and geodesy. The TIP and TBB can provide the electron distribution information for ionospheric research. The deployment of the FORMOSAT-3 constellation and the resulting influence on the occultation sounding distributions are reported. Details are also given on GOX, TIP, and TBB payload operations and the contributions of the Taiwan Science Team.     

Electricity consumption patterns within cities: application of a data-driven settlement characterization method

ABSTRACT

Urban areas presently consume around 75% of global primary energy supply, which is expected to significantly increase in the future due to urban growth. Having sustainable, universal energy access is a pressing challenge for most parts of the globe. Understanding urban energy consumption patterns may help to address the challenges to urban sustainability and energy security. However, urban energy analyses are severely limited by the lack of urban energy data. Such datasets are virtually non-existent for the developing countries. As per current projections, most of the new urban growth is bound to occur in these data-starved regions. Hence, there is an urgent need of research methods for monitoring and quantifying urban energy utilization patterns. Here, we apply a data-driven approach to characterize urban settlements based on their formality, which is then used to assess intra-urban urban energy consumption in Johannesburg, South Africa; Sana’a, Yemen; and Ndola, Zambia. Electricity is the fastest growing energy fuel. By analyzing the relationship between the settlement types and the corresponding nighttime light emission, a proxy of electricity consumption, we assess the differential electricity consumption patterns. Our study presents a simple and scalable solution to fill the present data void to understand intra-city electricity consumption patterns.     

Combining European Earth Observation products with Dynamic Global Vegetation Models for estimating Essential Biodiversity Variables

ABSTRACT

Global, fast and accessible monitoring of biodiversity is one of the main pillars of the efforts undertaken in order to revert it loss. The Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO-BON) provided an expert-based definition of the biological properties that should be monitored, the Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs). Initiatives to provide indicators for EBVs rely on global, freely available remote sensing (RS) products in combination with empirical models and field data, and are invaluable for decision making. In this study, we provide alternatives for the expansion and improvement of the EBV indicators, by suggesting current and future data from the European Space Agencýs COPERNICUS and explore the potential of RS-integrated Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) for the estimation of EBVs. Our review found that mainly due to the inclusion of the Sentinel constellation, Copernicus products have similar or superior potential for EBV indicator estimation in relation to their NASA counterparts. DGVMs simulate the ecosystem level EBVs (ecosystem function and structure), and when integrated with remote sensing data have great potential to not only offer improved estimation of current states but to provide projection of ecosystem impacts. We suggest that focus on producing EBV relevant outputs should be a priority within the research community, to support biodiversity preservation efforts.     

Progress in Carrier Phase Time Transfer

The progress of the joint Pilot Project for time transfer, formed by the International GPS Service (IGS) and the Bureal International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), was recently reviewed. Three notable milestones were set. (1) The IGS will implement, at least in a test mode, an internally realized time scale based on an integration of combined frequency standards within the IGS network. This will eventually become the reference time scale for all IGS clock products (instead of the current GPS broadcast time). (2) A new procedure for combined receiver and satellite clock products will be implemented officially in November 2000. Receiver clocks are an entirely new product of the IGS. (3) The BIPM will coordinate an effort to calibrate all Ashtech Z12-T (and possibly other) receivers suitable for time transfer applications, either differentially or absolutely. Progress reports will be presented publicly in the spring 2001. ? 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

In situ U–Pb analysis of shocked zircon from the Charlevoix impact structure,Québec,Canada

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) U–Pb geochronology of shocked zircon grains in a vesicular‐fluidal impact melt rock from the ≥54 km Charlevoix impact structure, Québec, Canada, suggests an Ordovician to Silurian age of 450 ± 20 Ma for the impact. This age is anchored by concordant U–Pb results of ~450 Ma for a U‐rich, cryptocrystalline zircon grain in the melt rock, interpreted as a recrystallized metamict zircon crystal; the U–Th–Pb system of the metamict grain was seemingly chronometrically reset by the Charlevoix impact, but withstood later tectonometamorphic events. The new zircon age for Charlevoix is in agreement with a stratigraphically constrained Late Ordovician maximum age of ~453 Ma and corroborates earlier suggestions that the impact occurred most likely in the Ordovician, and not ~100 Myr later, as indicated by previous K/Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronologic results. The latter may reflect postimpact thermal overprint of impactites during the Salinian (Late Silurian to Early Devonian) and/or Acadian (Late Devonian) orogenies. U–Pb geochronology of zircon crystals in anorthosite exposed in the central uplift of the impact structure yielded a Grenvillian crystallization age of 1062 ± 11 Ma. The preferred Ordovician age for the Charlevoix impact structure, which is partially overthrusted by the Appalachian front, suggests the impact occurred during a phase of Taconian tectonism and an episode of enhanced asteroid bombardment of the Earth. Our results, moreover, demonstrate that (recrystallized) metamict zircon grains may be of particular interest in impact geochronology.