THE DEFINITION OF A HOWARDITE

Delaney et al. (1983) propose to redefine howardites as basaltic achondrites containing more than 10% of magnesian orthopyroxenite (diogenite) component. Since the 10% requirement is arbitrary and of no genetic significance this redefinition should be rejected and the earlier definition of Score et al. (1982) “Howardites are polymict pyroxene-plagioclase achondrites containing magnesian orthopyroxene” — in any amount — should be retained.     

Comparison of Kalman and least squares filters for locatingautonomous very low frequency acoustic sensors

The Marine Physical Laboratory has designed, fabricated, and taken to sea self-contained, freely drifting acoustic sensors which can measure signal propagation and ambient ocean noise in the 1-20-Hz band for up to 25-hour periods. The deployment of several freely drifting floats forms an array of sensors whose outputs can be combined after the experiment with a beamformer. A Kalman filter and a least-squares estimator have been developed to estimate float positions from travel-time measurements. Computer simulation is used to compare filter performance-under several deployment scenarios. Results show that the Kalman filter performs better than the least-squares filter when the floats are subjected to small-magnitude accelerations between measurements. Neither filter was sensitive to relatively major changes in deployment geometry as long as the sound-speed profile is known exactly     

Mechanisms for the rigid rotation of coronal holes

We show that the rotation of coronal holes can be understood in terms of a current-free model of the coronal magnetic field, in which holes are the footpoint locations of open field lines. The coronal field is determined as a function of time by matching its radial component to the photospheric flux distribution, whose evolution is simulated including differential rotation, supergranular diffusion, and meridional flow. We find that ongoing field-line reconnection allows the holes to rotate quasi-rigidly with their outer-coronal extensions, until their boundaries become constrained by the neutral line of the photospheric field as it winds up to form stripes of alternating magnetic polarity. This wind-up may be significantly retarded by a strong axisymmetric field component which forces the neutral line to low latitudes; it is also gradually halted by the cross-latitudinal transport of flux via supergranular diffusion and a poleward bulk flow. We conclude that a strong axisymmetric field component is responsible for the prolonged rigid rotation of large meridional holes during the declining phase of the sunspot cycle, but that diffusion and flow determine the less rigid rotation observed near sunspot maximum, when the holes corotate with their confining polarity stripes.     

Some consequences of applying lognormal theory to pseudolognormal distributions

A logarithmic transformation may be used to improve the efficiency of estimates of the mean when observations follow the lognormal distribution. But if this transformation is applied to observations that follow another distribution, bias may be introduced. We consider some consequences of erroneously applying lognormal estimation theory and demonstrate that biased estimates may be obtained for certain classes of distributions. Illustrations of bias obtained in gold sampling are given.     

Comments on the paper ‘hydrodynamic and turbulent motions in the galactic disk’

Two comments are prompted by the recent paper of Quiroga (1983). First, it is pointed out that Quiroga's identification of two distinct types of motion (hydrodynamic and turbulent) within the galactic disk supports the suggestion that turbulent motions in the Galaxy are generated by the shearig action of differential galactic rotation. Secondly, as a result of these turbulent motions dominating the systematic hydrodynamics of galactic rotation at scale sizes below 100–300 pc, it appears that some process(es) associated with interstellar turbulence rather than with galactic rotation should play a dominant role in the establishment of the angular momentum of interstellar material.     

SUBURBANIZATION IN THE CLEVELAND SMSA, 1950–1970

Suburban growth is a complex process attributable partly to decentralization and partly to deconcentration. Data on source of migrants and population density are used to operationalize these concepts in an empirical study of the Cleveland, Ohio SMSA for the period 1950 to 1970. Statistical analysis of census tract data for the suburban ring reveals a piling up of densities at the inner edge and suggests a complex pattern with respect to sources of the migrants contributing to suburban growth.     

A network-based telemetry architecture developed for the Martha'sVineyard Coastal Observatory

Underwater observatories with real-time data and virtually unlimited power transmission capabilities compared to traditional oceanographic moorings are beginning to provide scientists with continuous access to the coastal and open ocean. However, for any coastal observatory to serve as a cost-effective system for the collection of long-term scientific and environmental data, it must have a simple, upgradeable power and telemetry system and an instrument interface that is compatible with existing standards. It must be designed for extended environmental exposure and ease of service to avoid high maintenance costs. Most importantly, the observatory must be accessible to all potential users, including students, scientists, engineers, and policy makers. This strategy was applied to the design of the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory on the south shore of the island of Martha's Vineyard. The new facility, and in particular its system architecture, as developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution with support from the National Science Foundation, are described     

The moon’s permanent magnetic field: a cratered-shell model

As part of our study of the larger-scale remanent magnetic field of the Moon, we have examined the effects of cratering in an otherwise spherically symmetrical shell magnetized by a concentric dipolar magnetic fieldH _o to an intensity of magnetizationc H _o, wherec is a constant. In our initial model, we assume that the material excavated from the craters is distributed with random orientation and thus does not contribute to the remanent dipole momentM _g . We further assume that the mare fill does not contribute significantly toM _g . We choose the magnetizing dipole momentM _o and the constantc such that the magnitude of the productcH _o ≃ 3 × 10⁻⁴Г at the outer surface of the shell in the equatorial plane of the dipole. This value of the intensity of remanent magnetization was chosen to be within the range 10⁻⁷−10⁻³Г’; the intensities of thermo-remanent magnetization exhibited by Apollo samples. Finally, we use the locations and diameters of the 10 largest craters on the Moon and the depth-to-diameter ratios of Pike’s formulation to model approximately the excavation of the magnetized shell. The remanent dipole momentM _g was calculated for each of three orthogonal orientations of the magnetizing dipoleM _o. The three magnitudes ofM _g fall in the range 4 × 10¹⁸−1 × 10¹⁹Г cm³ which is close to the upper limit of 10¹⁹Г cm³ estimated forM _g from the field measurements obtained with the Apollo subsatellites. Further, the distribution of the craters is such as to produce a significant transverse component ofM _g with acute angles between the spin axis andM _g in the range 51°–77°.