GMOS spectroscopy of the S0 galaxy NGC 3115

We present Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph longslit spectroscopy of the isolated S0 galaxy NGC 3115. We have determined kinematical data and Lick/IDS absorption line-strength indices for the major axis out to around 9 kpc and for the minor axis out to around 5 kpc (around 2R _e ). Using stellar population models which include the effects of variable [α/Fe] ratios, we derive metallicities, abundance ratios and ages for the stellar population of NGC 3115. We find that [α/Fe] remains fairly constant with increasing radius at around  [α/Fe]= 0.17  for the major axis but increases rapidly for the minor axis to around  [α/Fe]= 0.3  . We also find that to first order, this behaviour can be explained by a simple spheroid + disc model, where the spheroid has  [α/Fe]= 0.3  and the disc shows close to solar abundance ratios. The disc also appears considerably younger than the spheroid, having an age of around 6 Gyr compared to 12 Gyr for the spheroid. We compare these results to those previously presented for the globular cluster system of NGC 3115.     

Application of Dynamic Subgrid-scale Models for Large-eddy Simulation of the Daytime Convective Boundary Layer over Heterogeneous Surfaces

The sensitivity of large-eddy simulation (LES) to the representation of subgrid-scale (SGS) processes is explored for the case of the convective boundary layer (CBL) developing over surfaces with varying degrees of spatial heterogeneity. Three representations of SGS processes are explored: the traditional constant Smagorinsky–Lilly model and two other dynamic models with Lagrangian averaging approaches to calculate the Smagorinsky coefficient (C _S ) and SGS Prandtl number (Pr). With initial data based roughly on the observed meteorology, simulations of daytime CBL growth are performed over surfaces with characteristics (i.e. fluxes and roughness) ranging from homogeneous, to striped heterogeneity, to a realistic representation of heterogeneity as derived from a recent field study. In both idealized tests and the realistic case, SGS sensitivities are mostly manifest near the surface and entrainment zone. However, unlike simulations over complex domains or under neutral or stable conditions, these differences for the CBL simulation, where large eddies dominate, are not significant enough to distinguish the performance of the different SGS models, irrespective of surface heterogeneity.     

Quasi-stationary striations in basin-scale oceanic circulation: vorticity balance from observations and eddy-resolving model

Recently, prominent jet-like features of the ocean circulation, called striations, with a meridional scale of O(300–500 ;km) and extending for thousands of kilometers in length, have been detected in satellite and in situ observations and in high-resolution numerical models. In this paper, we study quasi-stationary striations, which are best seen in the multi-year time-averaged velocity fields. Using 1993–2002 mean dynamic ocean topography, satellite altimeter observations, and output of the Ocean General Circulation Model for the Earth Simulator, the dynamics of the quasi-stationary striations in the eastern parts of the subtropical North and South Pacific are examined by assessing individual terms in the time-averaged equations of relative and potential vorticity. While non-linear effects are found to be essential in the dynamics of the striations, rejecting some linear hypotheses forwarded in the earlier studies, the relevance of the Rhines mechanism is not confirmed. Eddy flux does not act as a relative vorticity source for the striations. Using the potential vorticity (PV) diagnostics, we show that the time-mean PV is not conserved along the time-mean streamlines, and on the scale of the striations these changes in PV are largely induced by the eddy flux of layer thickness. The fact that eddy fluxes contribute to the striations’ time-mean PV budget suggests that the striations are not a kinematical artifact of time-averaging of westward-propagating eddies.     

What type was SN 1987A?

A comparison is made of the light and colour curves of the SN 1987A in the first 280 days with the mean properties of type II supernovae. The conclusion is that even though it has H lines, and was not a typical type II supernova, but a peculiar object from a photometric point of view. The implications for inclusion of SN 1987A in the context of the usual Minkowski-Zwicky classification are explicitly discussed.     

Element partitioning during precipitation of aragonite from seawater: A framework for understanding paleoproxies

This study presents the results from precipitation experiments carried out to investigate the partitioning of the alkaline earth cations Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, and Ba²⁺ between abiogenic aragonite and seawater as a function of temperature. Experiments were carried out at 5 to 75 °C, using the protocol of Kinsman and Holland [Kinsman, D.J.J., Holland, H.D., 1969. The coprecipitation of cations with CaCO₃ IV. The coprecipitation of Sr²⁺ with aragonite between 16 and 96 °C. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta33, 1-17.] The concentrations of Mg Sr and Ba were determined in the fluid from each experiment by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and in individual aragonite grains by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The experimentally produced aragonite grains are enriched in trace components (“impurities”) relative to the concentrations expected from crystal-fluid equilibrium, indicating that kinetic processes are controlling element distribution. Our data are not consistent with fractionations produced kinetically in a boundary layer adjacent to the growing crystal because Sr²⁺, a compatible element, is enriched rather than depleted in the aragonite. Element compatibilities, and the systematic change in partitioning with temperature, can be explained by the process of surface entrapment proposed by Watson and Liang [Watson, E.B., Liang, Y., 1995. A simple model for sector zoning in slowly grown crystals: implications for growth rate and lattice diffusion, with emphasis on accessory minerals in crustal rocks. Am. Mineral.80, 1179-1187] and Watson [Watson, E.B., 1996. Surface enrichment and trace-element uptake during crystal growth. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta60, 5013-5020; Watson, E.B., 2004. A conceptual model for near-surface kinetic controls on the trace-element and stable isotope composition of abiogenic calcite crystals. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta68, 1473-1488]. This process is thought to operate in regimes where the competition between crystal growth rate and diffusivity in the near-surface region limits the extent to which the solid can achieve partitioning equilibrium with the fluid. A comparison of the skeletal composition of Diploria labyrinthiformis (brain coral) collected on Bermuda with results from precipitation calculations carried out using our experimentally determined partition coefficients indicate that the fluid from which coral skeleton precipitates has a Sr/Ca ratio comparable to that of seawater, but is depleted in Mg and Ba, and that there are seasonal fluctuations in the mass fraction of aragonite precipitated from the calcifying fluid (“precipitation efficiency”). The combined effects of surface entrapment during aragonite growth and seasonal fluctuations in “precipitation efficiency” likely forms the basis for the temperature information recorded in the aragonite skeletons of Scleractinian corals.     

Tidal effects in geomagnetic variations

Doklady Earth Sciences - This paper reports the results of processing and analysis of geomagnetic variations, estimates of their spectra, and the first identified waves of lunar–solar tides...     

3D Static Modeling and Petrographic Aspects of the Albian/Cenomanian Reservoir,Komombo Basin,Upper Egypt

Natural Resources Research - The Albian/Cenomanian reservoir is one of the two main reservoirs composing the petroleum system in the Komombo Basin. However, these reservoirs have not previously...     

Water status in winter wheat grown under salt stress

1 IntroductionSalinization is one of the major problems in arid and semi-arid regions in relation to land use and in particular to agricultural production[1]. Excessive salinity leads to toxicity in crops and reduction of the availability of water to crops, by reducing the osmotic potential of the soil solution[2]. Movement of soil water induces solute transport, and solutes are transferred towards the ground surface by the upward soil-water movement caused by evaporation, resulting in an accu…     

zobov: a parameter-free void-finding algorithm

zobov (ZOnes Bordering On Voidness) is an algorithm that finds density depressions in a set of points, without any free parameters, or assumptions about shape. It uses the Voronoi tessellation to estimate densities, which it uses to find both voids and subvoids. It also measures probabilities that each void or subvoid arises from Poisson fluctuations. This paper describes the zobov algorithm, and the results from its application to the dark matter particles in a region of the Millennium simulation. Additionally, the paper points out an interesting high-density peak in the probability distribution of dark matter particle densities.     

Transition probability/Markov chain analyses of DNAPL source zones and plumes

At sites where a dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) was spilled or released into the subsurface, estimates of the mass of DNAPL contained in the subsurface from core or monitoring well data, either in the nonaqueous or aqueous phase, can be highly uncertain because of the erratic distribution of the DNAPL due to geologic heterogeneity. In this paper, a multiphase compositional model is applied to simulate, in detail, the DNAPL saturations and aqueous-phase plume migration in a highly characterized, heterogeneous glaciofluvial aquifer, the permeability and porosity data of which were collected by researchers at the University of Tübingen, Germany. The DNAPL saturation distribution and the aqueous-phase contaminant mole fractions are then reconstructed by sampling the data from the forward simulation results using two alternate approaches, each with different degrees of sampling conditioning. To reconstruct the DNAPL source zone architecture, the aqueous-phase plume configuration, and the contaminant mass in each phase, one method employs the novel transition probability/Markov chain approach (TP/MC), while the other involves a traditional variogram analysis of the sampled data followed by ordinary kriging. The TP/MC method is typically used for facies and/or hydraulic conductivity reconstruction, but here we explore the applicability of the TP/MC method for the reconstruction of DNAPL source zones and aqueous-phase plumes. The reconstructed geometry of the DNAPL source zone, the dissolved contaminant plume, and the estimated mass in each phase are compared using the two different geostatistical modeling approaches and for various degrees of data sampling from the results of the forward simulation. It is demonstrated that the TP/MC modeling technique is robust and accurate and is a preferable alternative compared to ordinary kriging for the reconstruction of DNAPL saturation patterns and dissolved-phase contaminant plumes.