Nonhydrostatic effects and the determination of icy satellites’ moment of inertia

We compare the moment of inertia (MOI) of a simple hydrostatic, two layer body as determined by the Radau–Darwin Approximation (RDA) to its exact hydrostatic MOI calculated to first order in the parameter q = Ω²R³/GM, where Ω, R, and M are the spin angular velocity, radius, and mass of the body, and G is the gravitational constant. We show that the RDA is in error by less than 1% for many configurations of core sizes and layer densities congruent with those of solid bodies in the Solar System. We then determine the error in the MOI of icy satellites calculated with the RDA due to nonhydrostatic effects by using a simple model in which the core and outer shell have slight degree 2 distortions away from their expected hydrostatic shapes. Since the hydrostatic shape has an associated stress of order ρΩ²R² (where ρ is density) it follows that the importance of nonhydrostatic effects scales with the dimensionless number σ/ρΩ²R², where σ is the nonhydrostatic stress. This highlights the likely importance of this error for slowly rotating bodies (e.g., Titan and Callisto) and small bodies (e.g., Saturn moons other than Titan). We apply this model to Titan, Callisto, and Enceladus and find that the RDA-derived MOI can be 10% greater than the actual MOI for nonhydrostatic stresses as small as ∼0.1 bars at the surface or ∼1 bar at the core–mantle boundary, but the actual nonhydrostatic stresses for a given shape change depends on the specifics of the interior model. When we apply this model to Ganymede we find that the stresses necessary to produce the same MOI errors as on Titan, Callisto, and Enceladus are an order of magnitude greater due to its faster rotation, so Ganymede may be the only instance where RDA is reliable. We argue that if satellites can reorient to the lowest energy state then RDA will always give an overestimate of the true MOI. Observations have shown that small nonhydrostatic gravity anomalies exist on Ganymede and Titan, at least at degree 3 and presumably higher. If these anomalies are indicative of the nonhydrostatic anomalies at degree 2 then these imply only a small correction to the MOI, even for Titan, but it is possible that the physical origin of nonhydrostatic degree 2 effects is different from the higher order terms. We conclude that nonhydrostatic effects could be present to an extent that allows Callisto and Titan to be fully differentiated.     

Developing coastal adaptation to climate change in the New York City infrastructure-shed: process, approach, tools, and strategies

While current rates of sea level rise and associated coastal flooding in the New York City region appear to be manageable by stakeholders responsible for communications, energy, transportation, and water infrastructure, projections for sea level rise and associated flooding in the future, especially those associated with rapid icemelt of the Greenland and West Antarctic Icesheets, may be outside the range of current capacity because extreme events might cause flooding beyond today??s planning and preparedness regimes. This paper describes the comprehensive process, approach, and tools for adaptation developed by the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) in conjunction with the region??s stakeholders who manage its critical infrastructure, much of which lies near the coast. It presents the adaptation framework and the sea-level rise and storm projections related to coastal risks developed through the stakeholder process. Climate change adaptation planning in New York City is characterized by a multi-jurisdictional stakeholder?Cscientist process, state-of-the-art scientific projections and mapping, and development of adaptation strategies based on a risk-management approach.     

Modelling the effect of changing precipitation inputs on deep soil water utilization

Forests in the Southeastern United States are predicted to experience future changes in seasonal patterns of precipitation inputs as well as more variable precipitation events. These climate change‐induced alterations could increase drought and lower soil water availability. Drought could alter rooting patterns and increase the importance of deep roots that access subsurface water resources. To address plant response to drought in both deep rooting and soil water utilization as well as soil drainage, we utilize a throughfall reduction experiment in a loblolly pine plantation of the Southeastern United States to calibrate and validate a hydrological model. The model was accurately calibrated against field measured soil moisture data under ambient rainfall and validated using 30% throughfall reduction data. Using this model, we then tested these scenarios: (a) evenly reduced precipitation; (b) less precipitation in summer, more in winter; (c) same total amount of precipitation with less frequent but heavier storms; and (d) shallower rooting depth under the above 3 scenarios. When less precipitation was received, drainage decreased proportionally much faster than evapotranspiration implying plants will acquire water first to the detriment of drainage. When precipitation was reduced by more than 30%, plants relied on stored soil water to satisfy evapotranspiration suggesting 30% may be a threshold that if sustained over the long term would deplete plant available soil water. Under the third scenario, evapotranspiration and drainage decreased, whereas surface run‐off increased. Changes in root biomass measured before and 4 years after the throughfall reduction experiment were not detected among treatments. Model simulations, however, indicated gains in evapotranspiration with deeper roots under evenly reduced precipitation and seasonal precipitation redistribution scenarios but not when precipitation frequency was adjusted. Deep soil and deep rooting can provide an important buffer capacity when precipitation alone cannot satisfy the evapotranspirational demand of forests. How this buffering capacity will persist in the face of changing precipitation inputs, however, will depend less on seasonal redistribution than on the magnitude of reductions and changes in rainfall frequency.     

Changes in the content and composition of pedogenic iron oxyhydroxides in a chronosequence of soils in southern California

Studies of the pedogenic iron oxyhydroxides in suites of latest Holocene to middle Pleistocene soils formed on fluvial deposits of the transverse ranges, southern California, indicate that the content and composition of iron oxyhydroxide change in a systematic manner. Analysis of total secondary free iron oxides (dithionite extractable, Fe₂O₃d) and ferrihydrite (oxalate extractable, Fe₂O₃o) shows that (1) a single-logarithmic model (Y = a + b log X) or double logarithmic model (log Y = a + b log X), where Y is the total mass of pedogenic Fe oxides (g/cm²-soil column) and X is soil age, describes the rate of increase in Fe₂O₃d with time; (2) the Fe₂O₃d content correlates linearly with soil reddening and clay content; (3) the $\text{Fe}{}_2\text{O}{}_3\text{o}\text{Fe}{}_2\text{O}{}_3\text{d}$ ratio, which indicates the degree of Fe oxide crystallinity, is moderately high to very high (0.22–0.58) in middle Holocene to latest Pleistocene soils and progressively decreases to less than 0.10 in older soils; (4) the value of the $\text{Fe}{}_2\text{O}{}_3\text{o}\text{Fe}{}_2\text{O}{}_3\text{d}$ ratio also appears to be infuenced by climate; and (5) temporal changes in Fe oxide content and mineralogy are accompanied by related, systematic changes in clay mineralogy and organic matter content. These relationships are attributed to a soil environment that must initially favor ferrihydrite precipitation and/or organic matter-Fe complexation. Subsequent transformation to hematite causes increasingly intense reddening and a concomitant decrease in the $\text{Fe}{}_2\text{O}{}_3\text{o}\text{Fe}{}_2\text{O}{}_3\text{d}$ ratio. The results demonstrate that iron oxide analysis is useful for numerical age studies of noncalcic soils and shows potential as an indicator of paleoclimates.     

Geochemical Characteristics,Origin, and Evolution of Ore‐Forming Fluids of the Khut Copper Skarn Deposit,West of Yazd in Central Iran

The Khut copper skarn deposit is located at about 50 km northwest of Taft City in Yazd province in the middle part of the Urumieh‐Dokhtar magmatic arc. Intrusion of granitoid of Oligocene–Miocene age into carbonate rocks of the Triassic Nayband Formation led to the formation of marble and a calcic skarn. The marble contains high grade Cu mineralization that occurs mainly as open space filling and replacement. Cu‐rich sulfide samples from the mineralized marble are also anomalous in Au, Zn, and Pb. In contrast, the calcic skarn is only weakly anomalous in Cu and W. The calcic skarn is divided into garnet skarn and garnet–pyroxene skarn zones. Paragenetic relationships and microthermometric data from fluid inclusions in garnet and calcite indicate that the compositional evolution of skarn minerals occurred in three main stages as follows. (i) The early prograde stage, which is characterized by Mg‐rich hedenbergite (Hd_53.7Di_42.3–Hd_86.1Di_9.5) with Al‐bearing andradite (69.8–99.5 mol% andradite). The temperature in the early prograde skarn varies from 400 to 500°C at 500 bar. (ii) The late prograde stage is manifested by almost pure andradite (96.2–98.4 mol% andradite). Based on the fluid inclusion data from garnet, fluid temperature and salinity in this stage is estimated to vary from 267 to 361°C and from 10.1 to 21.1 wt% NaCl equivalent, respectively. Pyrrhotite precipitation started during this stage. (iii) The retrograde stage occurs in an exoskarn, which consists of an assemblage of ferro‐actinolite, quartz, calcite, epidote, chlorite, sphalerite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite that partially replaces earlier mineral assemblages under hydrostatic conditions during fracturing of the early skarn. Fluids in calcite yielded lower temperatures (T < 260°C) and fluid salinity declined to ～8 wt% NaCl equivalent. The last stage mineralization in the deposit is supergene weathering/alteration represented by the formation of iron hydroxide, Cu‐carbonate, clay minerals, and calcite. Sulfur isotope data of chalcopyrite (δ³⁴S of +1.4 to +5.2‰) show an igneous sulfur source. Mineralogy and mineral compositions of the prograde assemblage of the Khut skarn are consistent with deposition under intermediately oxidized and slightly lower fS₂ conditions at shallow crustal levels compared with those of other typical Fe‐bearing Cu–Au skarn systems.     

Sources and distribution of organic matter in a river-dominated estuary (Winyah Bay, SC, USA)

The sources and distribution of organic matter (OM) in surface waters and sediments from Winyah Bay (South Carolina, USA) were investigated using a variety of analytical techniques, including elemental, stable isotope and organic biomarker analyses. Several locations along the estuary salinity gradient were sampled during four different periods of contrasting river discharge and tidal range. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of surface waters ranged from 7 mg l⁻¹ in the lower bay stations closest to the ocean to 20 mg l⁻¹ in the river and upper bay samples. There was a general linear relationship between DOC concentrations and salinity in three of the four sampling periods. In contrast, particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations were significantly lower (0.1–3 mg l⁻¹) and showed no relationship with salinity. The high molecular weight dissolved OM (HMW DOM) isolated from selected water samples collected along the bay displayed atomic carbon:nitrogen ratios ([C/N]a) and stable carbon isotopic compositions of organic carbon (δ¹³C_OC) that ranged from 10 to 30 and from −28 to −25‰, respectively. Combined, such compositions indicate that in most HMW DOM samples, the majority of the OM originates from terrigenous sources, with smaller contributions from riverine and estuarine phytoplankton. In contrast, the [C/N]a ratios of particulate OM (POM) samples varied significantly among the collection periods, ranging from low values of 5 to high values of >20. Overall, the trends in [C/N]a ratios indicated that algal sources of POM were most important during the early and late summer, whereas terrigenous sources dominated in the winter and early spring.In Winyah Bay bottom sediments, the concentrations of the mineral-associated OM were positively correlated with sediment surface area. The [C/N]a ratios and δ¹³C_OC compositions of the bulk sedimentary OM ranged from 5 to 45 and from −28 to −23‰, respectively. These compositions were consistent with predominant contributions of terrigenous sources and lesser (but significant) inputs of freshwater, estuarine and marine phytoplankton. The highest terrigenous contents were found in sediments from the river and upper bay sites, with smaller contributions to the lower parts of the estuary. The yields of lignin-derived CuO oxidation products from Winyah Bay sediments indicated that the terrigenous OM in these samples was composed of variable mixtures of relatively fresh vascular plant detritus and moderately altered soil OM. Based on the lignin phenol compositions, most of this material appeared to be derived from angiosperm and gymnosperm vascular plant sources similar to those found in the upland coastal forests in this region. A few samples displayed lignin compositions that suggested a more significant contribution from marsh C₃ grasses. However, there was no evidence of inputs of Spartina alterniflora (a C₄ grass) remains from the salt marshes that surround the lower sections of Winyah Bay.     

Low‐temperature concentration of tellurium and gold in continental red bed successions

There is very little understanding of tellurium (Te) distribution and behaviour in sedimentary rocks. A suite of 15 samples of reduction spheroids (centimetre‐scale pale spheroids in otherwise red rock), including samples from eight localities in Triassic red beds across the British Isles, were mapped for Te using Laser Ablation–Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry. Almost all showed enrichment in Te in the cores of the spheroids relative to background red bed concentrations, by up to four orders of magnitude. Some were also enriched over background in gold and/or mercury. In one case, discrete telluride minerals were recorded. The data show that Te is mobile and can be concentrated in low‐temperature sedimentary environments, controlled by redox variations. The consistency in enrichment across widely separate localities implies that the enrichment is a normal aspect of red bed diagenesis and so likely to be controlled by a ubiquitous process, such as microbial activity.     

Surface complexation of U(VI) on goethite (α-FeOOH)

Sorption of U(VI) to goethite is a fundamental control on the mobility of uranium in soil and groundwater. Here, we investigated the sorption of U on goethite using EXAFS spectroscopy, batch sorption experiments and DFT calculations of the energetics and structures of possible surface complexes. Based on EXAFS spectra, it has previously been proposed that U(VI), as the uranyl cation , sorbs to Fe oxide hydroxide phases by forming a bidentate edge-sharing (E2) surface complex, >Fe(OH)₂UO₂(H₂O)_n. Here, we argue that this complex alone cannot account for the sorption capacity of goethite (α-FeOOH). Moreover, we show that all of the EXAFS signal attributed to the E2 complex can be accounted for by multiple scattering. We propose that the dominant surface complex in CO₂-free systems is a bidentate corner-sharing (C2) complex, (>FeOH)₂UO₂(H₂O)₃ which can form on the dominant {101} surface. However, in the presence of CO₂, we find an enhancement of UO₂ sorption at low pH and attribute this to a (>FeO)CO₂UO₂ ternary complex. With increasing pH, U(VI) desorbs by the formation of aqueous carbonate and hydroxyl complexes. However, this desorption is preceded by the formation of a second ternary surface complex (>FeOH)₂UO₂CO₃. The three proposed surface complexes, (>FeOH)₂UO₂(H₂O)₃, >FeOCO₂UO₂, and (>FeOH)₂UO₂CO₃ are consistent with EXAFS spectra. Using these complexes, we developed a surface complexation model for U on goethite with a 1-pK model for surface protonation, an extended Stern model for surface electrostatics and inclusion of all known UO₂-OH-CO₃ aqueous complexes in the current thermodynamic database. The model gives an excellent fit to our sorption experiments done in both ambient and reduced CO₂ environments at surface loadings of 0.02-2.0 wt% U.     

Using unmanned underwater vehicles as research platforms in coastal ocean studies

The advantages of using unmanned underwater vehicles in coastal ocean studies are emphasized. Two types of representative vehicles, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) from University of South Florida, are discussed. Two individual modular sensor packages designed and tested for these platforms and field measurement results are also presented. The bottom classification and albedo package, BCAP, provides fast and accurate estimates of bottom albedos, along with other parameters such as in-water remote sensing reflectance. The real-time ocean bottom optical topographer, ROBOT, reveals high-resolution 3-dimentional bottom topography for target identification. Field data and results from recent Coastal Benthic Optical Properties field campaign, 1999 and 2000, are presented. Advantages and limitations of these vehicles and applications of modular sensor packages are compared and discussed.     

The chemistry of interstellar CH: The contribution of Bates and Spitzer (1951)

We review the present understanding of interstellar CH⁺. We show that the essential chemistry was correctly identified by Bates and Spitzer in 1951. More recent work has been concerned with defining appropriate venues within which this chemistry can function efficiently. This process had led to a much fuller understanding of the nature of the interstellar medium.