Estimates of continental-scale soil wetness and comparison with the soil moisture data of Mintz and Serafini

 Soil wetness, in both its global distribution and the seasonal change, has been mainly estimated by the water balance approach using the bucket model which regards the soil wetness as soil moisture. The soil moisture data of Mintz and Serafini is one of the representatives examples, however, this method has problems since it does not incorporate the effects of flooding, snow accumulation on the ground, and so on. In this study, we use the Amazon and Volga river basin to carry out a case study to evaluate these problems. In the Amazon river basin, the annual range of the entire terrestrial water storage, about 400 mm, can be mainly explained by the rising and falling of the water level, and flooding around river channels, although soil moisture data of Mintz and Serafini is almost constant throughout the year. In the Volga river basin, snow accumulates on the ground producing 80 mm of water equivalent during winter, however the soil moisture data of Mintz and Serafini is almost saturated in winter. Received: 30 October 1996 / Accepted: 4 June 1997     

Emergent radiation from the atmosphere bounded by the two halves of the Lambert surface with different albedos

For the evaluation of the effect of the nonuniform surface albedo to the emergent radiation from the atmosphere, the emergent radiation from the atmosphere bounded by the two-halves of the Lambert surface with different albedos is computed. The principal plane is assumed to be perpendicular to the boundary of surfaces. The atmosphere is assumed to be homogeneous, which is composed of aerosol, molecules, and absorbent gases. Their optical thicknesses are 0.25, 0.23, and 0.02, respectively. The model aerosol is of the oceanic and water soluble types.In the computational procedure, the emergent radiation is approximated by the contributions due to the multiple scattering in the atmosphere, directly attenuated radiation, and radiation due to single scattering in the atmosphere which is reflected by the Lambert surface (up to 4 interactive radiative modes between atmosphere and surface). For quantitative analysis, results are compared with those of the atmosphere-uniform surface model, where the multiple scattering is considered. The numerical simulation exhibits the extraordinary effect near the surface boundary of different albedos. The effect decreases exponentially with the distance from the boundary. It is a function of the observational position, difference of surface albedos, optical thickness and aerosol type.The upward radiance would simply be evaluated using the present scattering approximation method if the atmosphere is in clear condition. Whereas in hazy condition, the effect of multiple scattering in the atmosphere should be considered more precisely, since the upward radiance exhibit a strong dependence on observational nadir angles due to multiple scattering in the atmosphere. Furthermore, it depends on the optical characteristics of aerosols.     

Rare-earths in Icelandic neovolcanic rocks

Seven volcanic rocks from neovolcanic zone of Iceland were analysed for rare-earths (RE). The bulk partition coefficients are estimated from combination of the studied samples. In contrast with the mid-ocean ridge basalts which show the solid-type RE patterns, four of five arbitrarily chosen Icelandic basalts appear to have liquid-type RE patterns. The occurrence of relatively pristine lava with relative unfractionated RE abundances to chondrite is also considered to be associated with the peculiar tectonics of Iceland.     

A laboratory study of directional spectra with maximum likelihood method─I Developing wind wave

INTRODUCTIONDirectionalspectraofwind-generatedwavesareveryimportanttotheresearchrelatedto1.InstituteofPhysicalOceanography,OceanUniversityofQingdao,Qingdao266003,China2.ResearchinstituteforAppliedMechanics,KyUshuUniversity,Kasuga816,Japanwindwaves.Theyfindapplicationinfieldsasdiverseasbasicair-seainteraction,practicalwaveforecasting,satellitesurveillanceandengineeringdesignofmarinestructuresandvehicles.Sincethepioneeringworkofthestereowaveobservationproject(Coteetal.11960),alotofeff…     

Direct correlation of radiolarian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kilinora spiralis</Emphasis> Zone with the Late Jurassic ammonite faunal succession in the Kurisaka Formation,Kurosegawa Terrane,SW Japan

The last appearance datum of the radiolarian Kilinora spiralis is recorded above the first appearance datum of the ammonite Ataxioceras (A.) kurisakense in the Todoro Section of the Kurisaka Formation, Southern Kurosegawa Terrane, Shikoku, SW Japan. The constraint by ammonite age prolongs the range of the Kilinora spiralis Zone, a remarkable Jurassic radiolarian zone in Japan-NW Pacific region, into the lower Kimmeridgian. The direct correlation of the Kilinora spiralis zone with the Late Jurassic ammonite faunal succession in the Kurisaka Formation will provide a clue to the still pending chronological difference between European and North American radiolarian zones.     

Advances in computational morphodynamics using the International River Interface Cooperative (iRIC) software

Results from computational morphodynamics modeling of coupled flow–bed–sediment systems are described for 10 applications as a review of recent advances in the field. Each of these applications is drawn from solvers included in the public-domain International River Interface Cooperative (iRIC) software package. For mesoscale river features such as bars, predictions of alternate and higher mode river bars are shown for flows with equilibrium sediment supply and for a single case of oversupplied sediment. For microscale bed features such as bedforms, computational results are shown for the development and evolution of two-dimensional bedforms using a simple closure-based two-dimensional model, for two- and three-dimensional ripples and dunes using a three-dimensional large-eddy simulation flow model coupled to a physics-based particle transport model, and for the development of bed streaks using a three-dimensional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver with a simple sediment-transport treatment. Finally, macroscale or channel evolution treatments are used to examine the temporal development of meandering channels, a failure model for cantilevered banks, the effect of bank vegetation on channel width, the development of channel networks in tidal systems, and the evolution of bedrock channels. In all examples, computational morphodynamics results from iRIC solvers compare well to observations of natural bed morphology. For each of the three scales investigated here, brief suggestions for future work and potential research directions are offered. © 2019 The Authors Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Probable effects of CO2-induced climatic warming on the thermal environment of ponded shallow water

A physical model was developed for describing the thermal environment of ponded shallow water as a model for rice fields in relation to climatic conditions. The model was used to assess probable effects of CO₂-induced warming on the thermal conditions of ponded shallow water. It was assumed that an altered equilibrium climate was produced by atmospheric CO₂ which was twice that of present levels. The 1951–80 climatic means of Japan were used as baseline data. Water temperature and energy balance characteristics predicted from the model were compared between both climates. The most notable results were that water temperature under CO₂ doubling rose 2 to 4 °C. These increases in temperature would induce a remarkable northward shift of the 15 °C isotherm which characterizes the isochrone of safe transplanting dates for rice seedlings. CO₂-warming would have a considerable influence on the energy balance characteristics, intensifying the evaporation rate from the water surface. Changes in thermal conditions of rice fields due to CO₂-induced climatic warming are, therefore, expected to bring about significant effects on aquatic environments and the life forms they support.     

Iodine (and Other Halogens) in Twenty Six Geological Reference Materials by ICP-MS and Ion Chromatography

Analytical results for iodine in twenty six geological reference materials (RM) are presented. Bromine, fluorine and chlorine were also determined in some samples. Pyrohydrolysis in a heated quartz tube under a wet oxygen flow was used for the separation of the halogens from the matrix and the evolved gas was absorbed in a trap solution. The halogens were measured by ICP-MS and ion chromatography (IC). All four halogens can be collected in the trap solution from one combustion procedure. The analysed samples range in type from igneous rocks to terrestrial and marine sediments. Precision, detection limits, and accuracy are also presented.     

Measurement of Solar Neutrons on 05 March 2012, Using a Fiber-Type Neutron Monitor Onboard the Attached Payload to the ISS

The solar neutron detector Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment – Attached Payload (SEDA-FIB) onboard the International Space Station (ISS) detected several events from the solar direction associated with three large solar flares observed on 05 (X1.1), 07 (X5.4), and 09 (M6.3) March 2012. In this study, we focus on the interesting event of 05 March, present the temporal profiles of the neutrons, and discuss the physics that may be related to a possible acceleration scenario for ions above the solar surface. We compare our data with images of the flares obtained by the ultraviolet telescope Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).