The eSTAR network – agent architectures for astronomy

The eSTAR Project uses intelligent agent technologies to carry out resource discovery, submit observation requests and analyze the reduced data returned from a meta‐network of robotic telescopes. Linking ground based telescopes with astronomical satellites, and using the emerging field of intelligent agent architectures to provide crucial autonomous decision making in software, the project has succeeded in combining data archives and research class telescopes, along with distributed computing nodes, to build an ad‐hoc peer‐to‐peer heterogeneous network of resources. We present the current operations paradigm of the eSTAR network and describe the direction in which the project intends to develop over the next few years. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Seasonal Variability of Northern Hemisphere Snow Extent Using Visible Satellite Data

In this paper we use a satellite‐derived data set to explore spatial and temporal variations of snow extent across Northern Hemisphere continents during the last three decades. These weekly visible‐wavelength satellite maps of Northern Hemisphere snow extent produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration constitute the longest consistently‐derived satellite record of any environmental variable. We document the considerable intra‐annual variability of snow extent, and show that during each month, fluctuations over relatively small areas are responsible for the majority of the year‐to‐year variability. Regions that cover less than 6% of Northern Hemisphere lands north of 20°N explain 62% Ã Â Ã Â 92% of the interannual variance across the continents. On average, snow was more extensive across both Eurasia and North America from the 1970s to middle 1980s than during the late 1980s to late 1990s. During late winter, spring and summer, snow extent has decreased since the middle 1980s, while during fall to middle winter, snow extent has remained relatively constant. Accurate information on continental snow extent is critical for weather and hydrologic forecasting; for understanding hemispheric‐scale atmospheric circulation, thermal variations, and regional snow extent; and for using snow as a credible indicator of climate variability and change.     

The labour-market impact of migration to rural areas

An economic audit of the labour-market impact of in-migration to rural Scotland provides evidence that migrants make rather than take jobs. A survey of 689 households in six study areas selected from across rural Scotland provides the basis for examining the scale and nature of job growth associated with in-migration. Job multipliers are calculated by migrant type and by economic sector.     

Molecular biomarker evidence of origins and transport of organic matter in sediments of the Pearl River estuary and adjacent South China Sea

Surface sediments from the subtropical Pearl River estuary and adjacent South China Sea were investigated by molecular organic geochemical methods to determine the composition, distribution and origin of extractable lipids (n-alkanes, n-alkanols and sterols). The absolute and organic C normalized concentrations of total alkane, n-alkanol, and sterol ranged from 0.16 to 2.67 μg g⁻¹ and 0.9 to 12.3 μg g⁻¹ OC, 24.4 to 427.3 ng g⁻¹ and 63.2 to 1966.7 ng g⁻¹ OC, and 9.0 to 493.5 ng g⁻¹ and 58.4 to 1042.4 ng g⁻¹ OC, respectively. The spatial distributions of these biomarkers indicated that terrestrial-derived molecular biomarkers such as long-chain n-alkanes, n-alkanols and plant-derived sterols were higher at the river mouth and along the coastline, suggesting that a higher proportion of terrestrial particulate organic matter was deposited there. Relatively lower amounts of marine-derived biomarkers such as short-chain n-alkanes, algal sterols at the river mouth reflected the lower primary productivity due to high turbidity. The spatial patterns of these biomarkers were partially related to the estuarine processes and conditions, evidencing an increased terrestrial signal from the Pearl River mouth to the inner estuary, and enhanced marine conditions further offshore.     

Carbon isotope fractionation in wood during carbonization

A significant uncertainty exists as to whether δ¹³C values in charcoal meaningfully represent the stable isotopic content of the original material, with studies suggesting variable responses to both natural and laboratory heating. An extensive study was undertaken using fully homogenised samples of wood taken from Eucalyptus spp., Quercus robur and Pinus radiata. The results demonstrate that the duration of heating had no tangible effect on the final composition of the charred material, with the δ¹³C and carbon content of wood fixed after 30 min of heating. Furthermore, all three wood types become progressively depleted in ¹³C with increasing temperature. The results demonstrate that even at temperatures commonly reached in natural fires (<450 °C) isotopic fractionation of up to 1.3‰ can take place indicating that the absolute values obtained from charcoal extracted for paleoenvironmental reconstruction must be interpreted with caution.     

英国钙华苔藓植物区系特征及其主要钙华沉积类型

根据1998— 2000年作者采自英国39个钙华沉积区1245份的野外苔藓植物标本研究, 英国钙华苔藓植物区系具有下列特征:(1)区系种类由19科34属50种(含变种亚种)组成, 其中含英国钙华苔藓新记录26种;(2)区系生活型含高丛集型(10 %)、矮丛集型(32%)、交织型(44 %)、扇型(2 %)和平埔型(12 %)5 种类型;(3)区系地理成分含北温带分布(46 %)、温带欧洲分布(6 %)、欧洲-非洲分布(2 %)、欧洲-北美分布(10 %)、旧世界温带分布(4%)和世界广泛分布(34%)等6种成。根据钙华生长的环境特征, 英国苔藓植物钙华可划分为泉华、瀑华、溪流钙华和洞穴弱光带钙华4 种基本类型及12 种小类型。      

Spatial and temporal variation of organic carbon in the northern South China Sea revealed by sedimentary records

Three sediment cores were taken from the Pearl River estuary and adjacent northern South China Sea (SCS). These sediment cores span the time interval 1900–2000 AD. The stratigraphy of the concentration, the ratio of total organic carbon (TOC) to total nitrogen (TN) and stable isotope (δ¹³C_org) of organic carbon (OC) from three high-resolution sediment cores were analyzed. The stratigraphic profiles of OC concentration, TOC/TN ratios and δ¹³C_org for the near past 100 yrs indicate that terrestrial organic matter decreases from 68.3% to 27.4% of the TOC in the Pearl River estuary, while Dapeng Bay (offshore east of Hong Kong) apparently had throughout little terrestrial organic matter input. The highest deposited OC occurs at the Humen River mouth and the OC concentrations are higher in the outer estuary than in the inner shelf of the northern SCS. The deposited OC at the River mouth increased with time, which could be caused by the high precipitation of land-derived organic matter and the high input of terrestrial organic matter, which is likely related to the rapid urbanization and industrial development in the Pearl River Delta since the 1970s. The OC concentrations did not exhibit an obvious increase with time in most areas of the Pear River estuary and adjacent inner shelf of the SCS, but the algal-derived OC concentration inferred from the δ¹³C_org values increased with time especially from 1980 to 2000 in the outer Pearl River estuary and Dapeng Bay. This increase is presumably caused by enhanced primary marine productivity supported by higher anthropogenic nutrient inputs.     

Modulation of short waves by long waves

The amplitude, wavelength, and frequency of short waves in the presence of waves of a longer scale vary in a manner that is related in phase to the long-wave profile. The purpose of this study is to observe and quantify the change in the variance of short-wave slope that occurs as a result of the change in short-wave position along a coincident long wave, during the active generation of the short-wave field by wind. To this end, measurements of wave-slope time series are made in a laboratory environment where the long-scale waves are generated mechanically and the short scale are generated primarily by air flow. The frequency variation of the short waves, as measured along the long-wave profile, is described by considering the waves to be linearly advected by the longer waves. The peak-to-peak variation along the long-wave profile of the short-wave slope variance for a given frequency band is commonly found to be 10% of its mean value. The magnitude of the excursions become smaller as short-wave frequency increases, and larger as wind speed increases. The maximum value of the short-wave slope variance generally leads the long-wave profile curve by 45 ° to 180 °.