On-line fluorometry of multiple reactive and conservative tracers in streams

Performing tracer tests using artificial tracer compounds is a common practice to characterize natural streams regarding their (reactive) transport properties. Recently, the fluorescent compound resazurin was introduced as a reactive stream tracer to quantify hyporheic exchange and metabolic activity of streams. This tracer, together with its reaction product resorufin and a conservative tracer (in our case fluorescein), provides additional information about transport properties of the stream and its hyporheic zone and can therefore overcome restrictions that are commonly affiliated with the use of conservative tracers alone. However, all previously published studies using this tracer system were based on manual sampling of the water. This usually limits the number of measurements and thus the achievable temporal resolution, and potentially endangers data quality due to inadequate handling of samples. In this paper, a modified version of the GGUN-FL30 on-line fluorometer is presented in which the optics have been modified to allow measuring the concentrations of all three tracers simultaneously at intervals of 10 s. Experiments under controlled and natural conditions showed that the performance of the on-line fluorometer regarding tracer separation efficiency and practical detection limits is comparable to a high-performance laboratory spectrofluorometer. Furthermore, suggestions are given on how to correct tracer signal fluctuations caused by temporal changes in temperature and pH that might occur during a field tracer test.     

Wüstite in the fusion crust of Almahata Sitta sulfide‐metal assemblage MS‐166: Evidence for oxygen in metallic melts

Meteorite fusion crusts form during the passage of a meteoroid through the Earth's atmosphere and are highly oxidized intergrowths as documented by the presence of e.g., oxides. The porous and irregular fusion crust surrounding the Almahata Sitta sulfide‐metal assemblage MS‐166 was found highly enriched in wüstite (Fe_1‐xO). Frictional heating of the outer portions of the assemblage caused partial melting of predominantly the Fe‐sulfide and minor amounts of the outer Ni‐rich portions of the originally zoned metal in MS‐166. Along with melting significant amounts of oxygen were incorporated into the molten fusion crust and mainly FeS was oxidized and desulfurized to form wüstite. Considerable amounts of FeS were lost due to ablation, whereas the cores of the large metal grains appear largely unmelted leaving behind metal grains and surrounding wüstite‐rich material (matte). Metal grains along with the surrounding matte typically form an often highly porous framework of globules interconnected with the matte. Although textures and chemical composition suggest that melting of Fe,Ni metal occurred only partially (Ni‐rich rims), there is a trace elemental imprint of siderophile element partitioning influenced by oxygen in the metallic melt as indicated by the behavior of W and Ga, the two elements significantly affected by oxygen in a metallic melt. It is remarkable that MS‐166 survived the atmospheric passage as troilite inclusions in iron meteorites are preferentially destroyed.     

Design and Production of an Atlas for Diplomacy in Zimbabwe and The Southern African Development Community

Abstract

An atlas of Zimbabwe and the Southern African Development Community was designed and produced for use by American diplomats in Zimbabwe. Two copies of the bound atlas are used by the Embassy of the United States of America (U.S. Embassy) and the Mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Harare, Zimbabwe, to orient visitors and discuss matters of diplomacy and development in Zimbabwe and the Southern African Development Community. The atlas contains maps derived from satellite images showing features of the physical geography of Southern Africa and Zimbabwe and plastic overlays showing rivers and lakes and manmade features, such as major roads, railroads, and cities. The atlas is an important tool that American diplomats can use to orient participants in discussions of the environment and to develop agreements for management of the environment in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa.     

The mass transport velocity induced by free oscillations at a single frequency

Abstract

Second order effects due to the presence of a first order free oscillation at a single frequency in a variable depth rotating ocean are examined. It is found that the second order Lagrangian mean velocity (mass transport velocity) satisfies the linearized equations for unforced steady geostrophic motion. This implies that if the ocean basin is laterally bounded and contains no closed geostrophic contours, the second order Lagrangian mean velocity vanishes everywhere.     

Mechanics of interrill erosion with wind‐driven rain

The vector physics of wind‐driven rain (WDR) differs from that of wind‐free rain, and the interrill soil detachment equations in the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model were not originally developed to deal with this phenomenon. This article provides an evaluation of the performance of the interrill component of the WEPP model for WDR events. The interrill delivery rates were measured in the wind tunnel facility of the International Center for Eremology (ICE), Ghent University, Belgium with an experimental setup to study different raindrop impact velocity vectors. Synchronized wind and rain simulations with wind velocities of 6, 10 and 14 m s^–1 were applied to a test surface placed on windward and leeward slopes of 7, 15 and 20%. Since both rainfall intensity and raindrop impact velocity varied greatly depending on differences in the horizontal wind velocity under WDRs, the resultant kinetic energy flux (KE_r, in J m^–2 s^–1) was initially used in place of the WEPP model intensity term in order to incorporate the effect of wind on impact velocity and frequency of raindrops. However, our results showed only minor improvement in the model predictions. For all research data, the model Coefficients of Determination (r²) were 0·63 and 0·71, when using the WEPP and the KE_r approaches, respectively. Alternately, integrating the angle of rain incidence into the model by vectorally partitioning normal kinetic energy flux (KE_rn, in J m^–2 s^–1) from the KE_r greatly improved the model's ability to estimate the interrill sediment delivery rates (r² = 0·91). This finding suggested that along with the fall trajectory of wind‐driven raindrops with a given frequency, raindrop velocity and direction at the point of impact onto the soil surface provided sufficient physical information to improve WEPP sediment delivery rate predictions under WDR. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Io: Volcanic thermal sources and global heat flow

We have examined thermal emission from 240 active or recently-active volcanic features on Io and quantified the magnitude and distribution of their volcanic heat flow during the Galileo epoch. We use spacecraft data and a geological map of Io to derive an estimate of the maximum possible contribution from small dark areas not detected as thermally active but which nevertheless appear to be sites of recent volcanic activity. We utilize a trend analysis to extrapolate from the smallest detectable volcanic heat sources to these smallest mapped dark areas. Including the additional heat from estimates for “outburst” eruptions and for a multitude of very small (“myriad”) hot spots, we account for ～62 × 10¹² W (～59 ± 7% of Io’s total thermal emission). Loki Patera contributes, on average, 9.6 × 10¹² W (～9.1 ± 1%). All dark paterae contribute 45.3 × 10¹² W (～43 ± 5%). Although dark flow fields cover a much larger area than dark paterae, they contribute only 5.6 × 10¹² W (～5.3 ± 0.6%). Bright paterae contribute ～2.6 × 10¹² W (～2.5 ± 0.3%). Outburst eruption phases and very small hot spots contribute no more than ～4% of Io’s total thermal emission: this is probably a maximum value. About 50% of Io’s volcanic heat flow emanates from only 1.2% of Io’s surface. Of Io’s heat flow, 41 ± 7.0% remains unaccounted for in terms of identified sources. Globally, volcanic heat flow is not uniformly distributed. Power output per unit surface area is slightly biased towards mid-latitudes, although there is a stronger bias toward the northern hemisphere when Loki Patera is included. There is a slight favoring of the northern hemisphere for outbursts where locations were well constrained. Globally, we find peaks in thermal emission at ～315°W and ～105°W (using 30° bins). There is a minimum in thermal emission at around 200°W (almost at the anti-jovian longitude) which is a significant regional difference. These peaks and troughs suggest a shift to the east from predicted global heat flow patterns resulting from tidal heating in an asthenosphere. Global volcanic heat flow is dominated by thermal emission from paterae, especially from Loki Patera (312°W, 12°N). Thermal emission from dark flows maximises between 165°W and 225°W. Finally, it is possible that a multitude of very small hot spots, smaller than the present angular resolution detection limits, and/or cooler, secondary volcanic processes involving sulphurous compounds, may be responsible for at least part of the heat flow that is not associated with known sources. Such activity should be sought out during the next mission to Io.     

人文地理学研究与学术论文写作漫谈

改革开放以来,中国的人文地理学研究取得了长足的发展,学术研究逐渐规范化,研究范围大为拓宽,研究手段不断更新,对政府决策及社会经济发展的影响不断加强。尽管已取得令人欣慰的进展,我们仍需在理论与方法上与国际接轨,紧跟学科发展理论前沿,充分应用规范的方法论指导。为提高国内人文地理学的研究水平,简要探讨了人文地理学研究的理论和方法,阐述了学术论文的范式及写作方法。最后,提出中国人文地理学需要强化三个转型：理论化、科学化、国际化。     

Historic range of variability in geomorphic processes as a context for restoration: Rocky Mountain National Park,Colorado, USA

Evaluation of historic range of variability (HRV) is an effective tool for determining baseline conditions and providing context to researchers and land managers seeking to understand and enhance ecological function. Incorporating HRV into restoration planning acknowledges the dynamic quality of landscapes by allowing variability and disturbance at reasonable levels and permitting riverine landscapes to adapt to the physical processes of their watersheds. HRV analysis therefore represents a practical (though under‐utilized) method for quantifying process‐based restoration goals. We investigated HRV of aggradational processes in the subalpine Lulu City wetland in Rocky Mountain National Park to understand the impacts of two centuries of altered land use and to guide restoration planning following a human‐caused debris flow in 2003 that deposited up to 1 m of sand and gravel in the wetland. Historic aerial photograph interpretation, ground penetrating radar surveys, and trenching, coring, and radiocarbon dating of valley‐bottom sediments were used to map sediment deposits, quantify aggradation rates, and identify processes (in‐channel and overbank fluvial deposition, direct hillslope input, beaver pond filling, peat accumulation) creating alluvial fill within the wetland. Results indicate (i) the Lulu City wetland has been aggrading for several millennia, (ii) the aggradation rate of the past one to two centuries is approximately six times higher than long‐term pre‐settlement averages, (iii) during geomorphically active periods, short‐term aggradation rates during the pre‐settlement period were probably much higher than the long‐term average rate, and (iv) the processes of aggradation during the last two centuries are the same as historic processes of aggradation. Understanding the HRV of aggradation rates and processes can constrain management and restoration scenarios by quantifying the range of disturbance from which a landscape can recover without active restoration. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

精密单点定位整周模糊度快速固定

提出利用GPS参考网估计电离层延迟、卫星相位偏差的算法,用于实现区域内精密单点定位(Precise Point Positioning, PPP)的整周模糊度快速固定.利用站间距约为100~200 km的参考网进行实验,结果表明:电离层延迟的内插和外推精度均优于1 dm,卫星相位偏差估值的日内变化不超过0.2周;此外,单天内不同时刻始,固定PPP整周模糊度所需时长最多不超过10 min,且当模糊度成功固定后,三维位置解较之相应浮点解的精度改善优于80%.新算法可望解决PPP普遍存在的收敛时间过长问题,增强了PPP技术的实用性.     

长三角一体化下的金融流动格局变动及驱动机理——基于上市企业金融交易数据的分析

金融资本是区域进行生产活动并进一步带动经济增长的原动力。结合新经济地理学与金融地理学的理论,将金融资源流动纳入市场化、全球化、分权化和一体化的研究框架之下,用网络分析的方法,构建区域金融流动的格局及机理的分析框架。基于长三角16 市金融发展状况和上市公司2002 年、2005 年、2008 年和2011 年的交易数据,构建了金融资源流动和联系的网络,并进一步测量了网络密度和中心度。结果显示,长三角金融发展与金融资源分布形成了差异显著但有缩小趋势的发展格局,除上海金融中心作用凸显之外,南京、杭州和宁波也成为金融流动网络中的重要空间节点;金融流动网络密度不断增强,跨省金融流动增多。分别选取表征市场化、全球化、分权化和一体化的指标,使用QAP网络分析方法揭示了长三角金融流动的动力机制。相关和回归分析结果表明,进出口总额、FDI、文化差异、外资金融法人数量和行政边界均对金融流动有显著的影响,相反金融业比重和地方财政收入自治率则并无显著作用。本文探讨了从地理学空间差异和空间相互作用的角度来解释金融差异与金融流动的方法,对于深入研究金融一体化问题有借鉴作用。