Analysis of multiple enteric viral targets as sewage markers in coral reefs

Water and coral mucus samples were collected from throughout the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Dry Tortugas for three years and were analyzed for human enteric viruses (enteroviruses, noroviruses, hepatitis A virus and adenoviruses) as conservative markers of human sewage using molecular methods. Of the 100 coral and water samples collected, 40 contained genetic material from one or more human enteric viruses. DNA-based adenoviruses were detected widely, in 37.8% of samples and at 91% of stations, including ‘pristine’ reefs in the Dry Tortugas; however, the detection rate was 12% for the RNA-based enteroviruses and noroviruses (hepatitis A virus was never detected). The disparity between the prevalence of RNA- and DNA-based viruses suggests the need for additional work to determine the utility of adenovirus as marker of human sewage.     

Marine debris collects within the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone

Floating marine debris, particularly derelict fishing gear, is a hazard to fish, marine mammals, turtles, sea birds, coral reefs, and even human activities. To ameliorate the economic and environmental impact of marine debris, we need to efficiently locate and retrieve dangerous debris at sea. Guided by satellite-derived information, we made four flights north of Hawaii in March and April 2005. During these aerial surveys, we observed over 1800 individual pieces of debris, including 122 derelict fishing nets. The largest debris concentrations were found just north of the North Pacific Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front (TZCF) within the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone (STCZ). Debris densities were significantly correlated with sea-surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla), and the gradient of Chla. A Debris Estimated Likelihood Index (DELI) was developed to predict where high concentrations of debris would be most likely in the North Pacific during spring and early summer.     

Europium isotopic variations in Allende CAIs and the nature of mass-dependent fractionation in the solar nebula

We measured the ¹⁵³Eu/¹⁵¹Eu ratio by MC-ICP-MS for a terrestrial basalt, two terrestrial soils, and four meteorites (whole rocks and/or chondrules of Bjurböle, Forest City, Murchison, and Allende) and found no isotopic variations. By contrast, two CAI separates from two different pieces of Allende show a ¹⁵³Eu deficit of up to one per mil. Such a shortage in the heavy isotopes, which had also been identified in Allende CAIs for Sr [Patchett, P.J. 1980b. Sr isotopic fractionation in Allende chondrules: a reflection of solar nebular processes. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.50, 181-188], cannot reflect evaporative fractionation. The lack of Sm isotope fractionation in the same samples further makes fractionation by purely kinetic processes an unlikely cause of the anomalous Eu isotopic composition. An alternative interpretation is condensation from a vapor already significantly depleted in Eu, but in such a scenario the fate of the missing material is unclear. We therefore prefer yet another interpretation, based on the low ionization potential of Eu (and Sr), in which electromagnetic separation of the ionized gas preferentially depletes the nebular gas in heavy isotopes.     

Observation of a Complex Solar Wind Reconnection Exhaust from Spacecraft Separated by over 1800 R E

We analyze Wind, ACE, and STEREO (ST-A and ST-B) plasma and magnetic field data in the vicinity of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) crossed by all spacecraft between 22:15 UT on 31 March and 01:25 UT on 1 April 2007 corresponding to its observation at ST-A and ST-B, which were separated by over 1800 R _E (or over 1200 R _E across the Sun?–?Earth line). Although only Wind and ACE provided good ion flow data in accord with a solar wind magnetic reconnection exhaust at the HCS, the magnetic field bifurcation typical of such exhausts was clearly observed at all spacecraft. They also all observed unambiguous strahl mixing within the exhaust, consistent with the sunward flow deflection observed at Wind and ACE and thus with the formation of closed magnetic field lines within the exhaust with both ends attached to the Sun. The strong dawnward flow deflection in the exhaust is consistent with the exhaust and X-line orientations obtained from minimum variance analysis at each spacecraft so that the X-line is almost along the GSE Z-axis and duskward of all the spacecraft. The observation of strahl mixing in extended and intermittent layers outside the exhaust by ST-A and ST-B is consistent with the formation of electron separatrix layers surrounding the exhaust. This event also provides further evidence that balanced parallel and antiparallel suprathermal electron fluxes are not a necessary condition for identification of closed field lines in the solar wind. In the present case the origin of the imbalance simply is the mixing of strahls of substantially different strengths from a different solar source each side of the HCS. The inferred exhaust orientations and distances of each spacecraft relative to the X-line show that the exhaust was likely nonplanar, following the Parker spiral orientation. Finally, the separatrix layers and exhausts properties at each spacecraft suggest that the magnetic reconnection X-line location and/or reconnection rate were variable in both space and time at such large scales.

     

Effects of the Weak Polar Fields of Solar Cycle 23: Investigation Using OMNI for the STEREO Mission Period

The current solar cycle minimum seems to have unusual properties that appear to be related to weak solar polar magnetic fields. We investigate signatures of this unusual polar field in the ecliptic near-Earth interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) for the STEREO period of observations. Using 1 AU OMNI data, we find that for the current solar cycle declining phase to minimum period the peak of the distribution for the values of the ecliptic IMF magnitude is lower compared to a similar phase of the previous solar cycle. We investigate the sources of these weak fields. Our results suggest that they are related to the solar wind stream structure, which is enhanced by the weak polar fields. The direct role of the solar field is therefore complicated by this effect, which redistributes the solar magnetic flux at 1 AU nonuniformly at low to mid heliolatitudes.     

In situ analysis of residues resulting from laboratory impacts into aluminum 1100 foil: Implications for Stardust crater analyses

Abstract— The encounter between the Stardust spacecraft and particles from comet 81P/Wild 2 gave impacts at a relative velocity of 6.1 km s^?1 and near perpendicular incidence to the collector surface. Such conditions are well within the performance limits of light gas gun laboratory simulations. For this study, two series of shots were conducted at the University of Kent, firing magnesium silicates (Mg end‐member forsterite, enstatite, diopside and lizardite), followed by a suite of increasingly Ferich olivines (through to Fe end‐member fayalite) into Stardust flight‐spare foils. Preserved residues were analysed using scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X‐ray analyses (SEM/EDX). X‐ray count integrals show that mineral compositions remain distinct from one another after impact, although they do show increased scatter. However, there is a small but systematic increase in Mg relative to Si for all residues when compared to projectile compositions. While some changes in Mg: Si may be due to complex analytical geometries in craters, there appears to be some preferential loss of Si. In practice, EDX analyses in craters on Stardust Al 1100 foil inevitably include contributions from Fe‐ and Si‐rich alloy inclusions, leading to further scattering of element ratios. Such inclusions have complicated Mg: Fe data interpretation. Compositional heterogeneity in the synthetic olivine projectiles also introduces data spread. Nevertheless, even with the preceding caveats, we find that the main groups of mafic silicates can be easily and reliably distinguished in EDX analyses performed in rapid surveys of foil craters, enabling access to a valuable additional collection of cometary materials.     

基于TM／ETM影像的区域土地利用／覆盖变化研究

以吐鲁番市的葡萄乡和亚尔乡为研究区域,采用1990年的TM影像数据和1999年的ETM 影像数据以及2005年的土地利用数据为主要信息,应用遥感(RS)技术和地理信息系统(GIS)技术,对吐鲁番市的葡萄乡和亚尔乡近15a的土地利用/覆盖类型变化情况、各地类面积变化率、土地利用/覆盖总体变化情况和农业用地变化情况进行了分析研究.得出15a中,葡萄乡和亚尔乡的土地利用/覆盖呈现"四增四减"的变化规律,并分析了引起变化的原因,为今后土地利用的规划和管理提供了科学依据.     

博州地区196 1—2006年太阳能资源的分析评估

根据太阳总辐射估算模型Q=Q0（a＋bS1）按月确定了博州地区邻近站伊宁的a、b系数,将其对应于博州地区4个站点1961～2006年逐月太阳辐射的计算,据此分析了全地区太阳总辐射的时空分布状况,并对太阳能资源按行业标准进行了评估。结果表明,46a来博州地区的太阳总辐射呈明显下降趋势,整体上冬季减少的贡献率最大;太阳总辐射与总、低云量、相对湿度、雨雪日数具有较好的相关性;造成博州地区太阳总辐射呈下降趋势的重要气候原因是：平均总、低云量,相对湿度,雨雪日数增加的综合作用;博州地区的太阳能资源较丰富,其开发利用的．综合条件较好。     

气候平均场中的西太平洋副热带高压双脊线特征及其与季风槽准10天振荡的关系

副热带高压双脊线过程几乎历年均存在,其“季节锁相”与地域性使得在气候平均场上西太平洋副热带地区也存在明显的双脊线过程。作者利用43年NCEP/NCAR再分析资料对5～10月气候平均场中的西太平洋副热带高压双脊线过程进行了分析。气候平均场上5～10月西太平洋副热带高压共出现6次双脊线过程,集中发生在7月下旬至9月下旬,表明每年这个时段最易发生双脊线事件。每次双脊线过程均表现为副高南侧新生一脊线,发展几天后就减弱消失,北侧脊线（原脊线）继续维持。初步的诊断分析表明,6次双脊线过程中南侧脊线的生成与季风槽8～10天周期的“间歇性增强东伸”密切相关,这一准10天振荡在7月下旬至9月下旬的突然增强造就了双脊线的“季节锁相”。进一步分析发现,季风槽8～10天的“间歇性增强东伸”与两支分别来自西太平洋的西传准10天振荡和来自赤道的北传准10天振荡有关,这两支振荡同位相,其有利于位相同时传入南海季风区（10°N～15°N,110°E～120°E）,共同作用,引起季风槽的“间歇性增强东伸”。     

年际时间尺度上全球植被与大气相互作用的诊断分析

利用NOAA AVHRR得到的19年（1982～2000）全球月平均的叶面积指数（LAI）与ERA40近地面气温和CMAP降水进行时滞相关分析,并研究了LAI的年际变化对后期温度、降水的反馈作用。结果表明,大部分地区LAI与同期气温的相关性更好,30°N以北（以南）基本上为正（负）相关。LAI滞后一个月时,北半球中低纬度和20°S以南大部地区LAI与降水的正相关更强;而在北半球中纬度大陆东部和南半球热带地区,LAI与前一个月温度的关系更密切。LAI与温度的相关性在春、秋季最明显,LAI与降水的关系在雨季最密切。LAI对气温比较显著的正反馈主要分布在北半球中高纬度地区;20°S以南大部地区为比较显著的负反馈。LAI对降水比较显著的正反馈分散在北美大陆西北部、东欧平原南部、欧亚大陆东北部和热带沿海地区。中高纬度（尤其是北半球）大部分地区LAI 对气温、降水反馈部分的解释方差达到总方差的20%以上。