Oscillations in the neutron star crust

We investigate the spectrum of torsional modes in the neutron star crust and discuss what conclusions may be drawn about the global properties of the star from observations of such modes.      

Electron oscillations in the induced martian magnetosphere

The Analyzer of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA-3) experiment flown on the Mars Express (MEX) spacecraft includes the Electron Spectrometer (ELS) as part of its complement. The ELS instrument measures the differential electron flux spectrum in a 128-level logarithmic energy sweep within a time period of 4 s. The orbital path of MEX traverses the martian sheath, cusps, and tail where ELS recorded periodic electron intensity oscillations. These oscillations comprised periodic variations of up to an order of magnitude (peak to valley) in energy flux, with the largest amplitudes in the tens to hundreds of eV range. The observed oscillations displayed periods ranging from minutes down to the instrument sweep resolution of 4 s. In the cases analyzed here, the frequency of the integrated electron energy flux typically peaked between 0.01 and 0.02 Hz. This frequency range is nearly the same as the typical O⁺ gyrofrequency in the magnetosheath, calculated using magnetometer data from Mars Global Surveyor. Due to the motion of the spacecraft, it is unclear if the wave structures observed were permanent standing waves or rather constituted waves propagating past the spacecraft.     

Snow density variations: consequences for ground‐penetrating radar

Reliable hydrological forecasts of snowmelt runoff are of major importance for many areas. Ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) measurements are used to assess snowpack water equivalent for planning of hydropower production in northern Sweden. The travel time of the radar pulse through the snow cover is recorded and converted to snow water equivalent (SWE) using a constant snowpack mean density from the drainage basin studied. In this paper we improve the method to estimate SWE by introducing a depth‐dependent snowpack density. We used 6 years measurements of peak snow depth and snowpack mean density at 11 locations in the Swedish mountains. The original method systematically overestimates the SWE at shallow depths (+25% for 0·5 m) and underestimates the SWE at large depths (?35% for 2·0 m). A large improvement was obtained by introducing a depth–density relation based on average conditions for several years, whereas refining this by using separate relations for individual years yielded a smaller improvement. The SWE estimates were substantially improved for thick snow covers, reducing the average error from 162 ± 23 mm to 53 ± 10 mm for depth range 1·2–2·0 m. Consequently, the introduction of a depth‐dependent snow density yields substantial improvements of the accuracy in SWE values calculated from GPR data. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

It starts at home? Climate policies targeting household consumption and behavioral decisions are key to low-carbon futures

Through their consumption behavior, households are responsible for 72% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, they are key actors in reaching the 1.5 °C goal under the Paris Agreement. However, the possible contribution and position of households in climate policies is neither well understood, nor do households receive sufficiently high priority in current climate policy strategies. This paper investigates how behavioral change can achieve a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in European high-income countries. It uses theoretical thinking and some core results from the HOPE research project, which investigated household preferences for reducing emissions in four European cities in France, Germany, Norway and Sweden. The paper makes five major points: First, car and plane mobility, meat and dairy consumption, as well as heating are the most dominant components of household footprints. Second, household living situations (demographics, size of home) greatly influence the household potential to reduce their footprint, even more than country or city location. Third, household decisions can be sequential and temporally dynamic, shifting through different phases such as childhood, adulthood, and illness. Fourth, short term voluntary efforts will not be sufficient by themselves to reach the drastic reductions needed to achieve the 1.5 °C goal; instead, households need a regulatory framework supporting their behavioral changes. Fifth, there is a mismatch between the roles and responsibilities conveyed by current climate policies and household perceptions of responsibility. We then conclude with further recommendations for research and policy.     

Land–sea carbon and nutrient fluxes and coastal ocean CO2 exchange and acidification: Past,present, and future

Epochs of changing atmospheric CO₂ and seawater CO₂–carbonic acid system chemistry and acidification have occurred during the Phanerozoic at various time scales. On the longer geologic time scale, as sea level rose and fell and continental free board decreased and increased, respectively, the riverine fluxes of Ca, Mg, DIC, and total alkalinity to the coastal ocean varied and helped regulate the C chemistry of seawater, but nevertheless there were major epochs of ocean acidification (OA). On the shorter glacial–interglacial time scale from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to late preindustrial time, riverine fluxes of DIC, total alkalinity, and N and P nutrients increased and along with rising sea level, atmospheric PCO₂ and temperature led, among other changes, to a slightly deceasing pH of coastal and open ocean waters, and to increasing net ecosystem calcification and decreasing net heterotrophy in coastal ocean waters. From late preindustrial time to the present and projected into the 21st century, human activities, such as fossil fuel and land-use emissions of CO₂ to the atmosphere, increasing application of N and P nutrient subsidies and combustion N to the landscape, and sewage discharges of C, N, P have led, and will continue to lead, to significant modifications of coastal ocean waters. The changes include a rapid decline in pH and carbonate saturation state (modern problem of ocean acidification), a shift toward dissolution of carbonate substrates exceeding production, potentially leading to the “demise” of the coral reefs, reversal of the direction of the sea-to-air flux of CO₂ and enhanced biological production and burial of organic C, a small sink of anthropogenic CO₂, accompanied by a continuous trend toward increasing autotrophy in coastal waters.     

Segregation and Urban Unrest in Sweden

In 2009, Sweden experienced a wave of urban unrest concentrated in areas with large foreign-born populations. This episode was seen by many as reflecting a trend towards increased ethnically based residential segregation, in line with scholarly literatures that correlate inequality and rising segregation with increases in unrest or rebellion. In this paper, we analyze the empirical connection between ethnic residential segregation and episodes of urban unrest in Sweden. Unrest is measured by the number of car burnings reported to police between 2002 and 2009. We find a positive and statistically significant link between residential segregation and car burnings at the scale of municipalities and metropolitan districts. Unrest/rebellion is also correlated with high proportion of young adults and social welfare assistance.