Alkaline Degradation of Dissolved Organic Matter

The degradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) was studied in alkaline solution. The products were characterised using UV/vis spectroscopy, size‐exclusion chromatography (SEC), and by the analysis of low‐molecular‐weight organic acids (LMWOA). The degradation experiments were performed with water from a brown water lake or its isolated fulvic acid fraction and sodium hydroxide at different reaction times and temperatures. Depending on the wavelength and the reaction time, the UV/vis absorbance between 230 nm and 600 nm increased or decreased. The behaviour of model compounds during reactions in alkaline media was compared to the UV/vis spectroscopic behaviour of DOM. The release of LMWOA was described by kinetic data and compared to the data of model reactions. Evidence was given for the carboxylic esters playing a significant role in the release of LMWOA only during the beginning of the alkaline degradation. The results gained by SEC with on‐line UV and DOC detection showed that the average size of DOM was decreasing, and that a major part of the degradation products consisted of low‐molecular‐weight mono‐ and dicarboxylic acids.     

Catalogue of Shakhbazian compact groups of galaxies. VII.

The seventh part of the catalogue of Shakhbazian groups contains the positions and references of all the galaxies of the following 48 groups (north of δ > +2°30′): Shkh 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 142, 149, 150, 153, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166. For the estimation of the coordinates the Digitized Sky Survey was used.     

High-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle aeromagnetic surveys for mineral exploration targets

Recent advancements in geophysical exploration have been realized through reliably integrating unmanned aerial vehicle platforms with lightweight, high-resolution magnetometer payloads. Unmanned aerial vehicle aeromagnetic surveys can provide a contemporary data product between the two end-members of coverage and resolution attained using manned airborne and terrestrial magnetic surveys. This new data product is achievable because unmanned aerial vehicle platforms can safely traverse with magnetometer payloads at flight elevations closer to ground targets than manned airborne surveys, while also delivering an increased coverage rate compared to walking conventional terrestrial surveys. This is a promising new development for geophysical and mineral exploration applications, especially in variable terrains. A three-dimensional unmanned aerial vehicle aeromagnetic survey was conducted within the Shebandowan Greenstone Belt, northwest of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, in July 2017. A series of two-dimensional grids (∼500 m × 700 m) were flown at approximate elevations of 35, 45 and 70 m above ground level using a Dà-Jiāng Innovations multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (S900) and a GEM Systems, Inc., Potassium Vapour Magnetometer (GSMP-35U). In total, over 48 line-km of unmanned aerial vehicle aeromagnetic data were flown with a line spacing of 25 m. The collected aeromagnetic data were compared to a regional heliborne aeromagnetic survey flown at an elevation of approximately 85 m above the terrain, with a line spacing of 100 m, as well as a follow-up terrestrial magnetic survey. The first vertical derivative of the gathered unmanned aerial vehicle total magnetic field data was calculated both directly between each of the different flight elevations, and indirectly by calculating the values predicted using upward continuation. This case study demonstrates that low flight elevation unmanned aerial vehicle aeromagnetic surveys can reliably collect industry standard total magnetic field measurements at an increased resolution when compared to manned airborne magnetic surveys. The enhanced interpretation potential provided by this approach also aided in delineating structural controls and hydrothermal fluid migration pathways (a pair of adjacent shear zones) related to gold mineralization on site. These structural features were not clearly resolved in the regional manned airborne magnetic data alone, further demonstrating the utility of applying high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle aeromagnetic surveys to mineral exploration applications. The conclusions and interpretations drawn from the unmanned aerial vehicle aeromagnetic data, coupled with historical data, were applied to make a new gold mineralization discovery on the site, assayed at 15.7 g/t.     

Association of Humic Substances: Verification of Lambert‐Beer Law

The precision UV/Vis‐absorption spectra of a naturally occurring aquatic humic substance were measured in the range of concentration 0.003 to 1.4 g/L DOC (dissolved organic carbon). Lambert‐Beer law is well obeyed at low concentrations whereas deviations have been observed for DOC concentrations above 0.1 g/L: they are interpreted in terms of self‐solvation and formation of micelles.     

Effect of Preozonation on the Formation of Chlorinated Disinfection By‐products for River Ruhr

The purpose of the study is to gain a better understanding about the formation of THM (trihalomethanes), HAA (haloacetic acids), and AOX (adsorbable organic halogen) in river water (river Ruhr, Essen) through a chlorination kinetics approach. The effect of chlorination time and preozonation on the formation of THM, HAA, and AOX substances was studied. Preozonation can reduce the chlorine demand and the precursors for AOX and THM. THM generation was reduced further, when the ozone dosage consumed increased from 3.5 to 12.5 mg in the 1.4 L reaction vessel. AOX and TCAA (trichloroacetic acid) concentrations also decreased dramatically when 3.5 mg of ozone had reacted with the river water, but a higher dose of ozone did not further reduce AOX and TCAA formations. Besides, the characteristics of organic matter in raw water, ozonated water, and preozonated/chlorinated water was investigated. The results suggest the formation of low‐molecular‐weight acids with low UV absorbance when high‐molecular refractive matter is oxidized.     

Large-scale climate variability and its effects on mean temperature and flowering time of Prunus and Betula in Denmark

Summary Large-scale climate variability largely affects average climatic conditions and therefore is likely to influence the phenology of plants. In NW-Europe, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) particularly influences winter climate and, through climate interactions on plants, flowering time of all tree species. In Denmark, like in many other NW-European countries, flowering of most tree species has become earlier since the end of the 1980’s. To quantify a possible relation between NAO and flowering time of tree species, two sources of phenological information from the Copenhagen area (Denmark) were analysed, i.e. pollen counts of the genus Betula and observed first bloom dates of Prunus avium. The Winter NAO explained 29 and 37% of the variation of monthly mean temperature for February and March, respectively. The influence of temperature on flowering time was up to 56% to 60% for the February–April mean. A direct correlation of Winter NAO-index and flowering time also revealed a clear relation but the time of influence was earlier (December to February). This was shown to be the likely result of a combination of direct and time-lagged effects of the NAO on air and sea surface temperature. The NAO signal is apparently stored in the North Sea and then influences temperature east up to the Baltic States. It is shown that Denmark is right in the centre of direct and time-lagged effects of the NAO. This offers the possibility of using the NAO-index for predicting flowering time of Prunus avium. The beginning of pollen flow appears to be influenced too much by short-term perturbations of the climate system decreasing the value of the NAO-index for prediction. However, it indicates a close relationship between natural climate variability, measured by the NAO index, and flowering time of tree species for Denmark.     

Application of in situ-produced cosmogenic Be and Al to the study of lateritic soil development in tropical forest: theory and examples from Cameroon and Gabon

Depth profiles of in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides, including ¹⁰Be (T_1/2=1.5×10⁶ years) and ²⁶Al (T_1/20.73×10⁶ years), in the upper few meters of the Earth's crust may be used to study surficial processes, quantifying denudation and burial rates and elucidating mechanisms involved in landform evolution and soil formations. In this paper, we discuss the fundamentals of the method and apply it to two lateritic sequences located in African tropical forests.     

Weighing the cusp at the Galactic Centre

As stars close to the galactic centre have short orbital periods it has been possible to trace large fractions of their orbits in the recent years. Previously the data of the orbit of the star S2 have been fitted with Keplerian orbits corresponding to a massive black hole (MBH) with a mass of M_BH = 3–4 × 10⁶M_⊙ implying an insignificant cusp mass. However, it has also been shown that the central black hole resides in a ∼1″ diameter stellar cluster of a priori unknown mass. In a spherical potential which is neither Keplerian nor harmonic, orbits will precess resulting in inclined rosetta shaped trajectories on the sky. In this case, the assumption of non‐Keplerian orbits is a more physical approach. It is also the only approach through which cusp mass information can be obtained via stellar dynamics of the cusp members. This paper presents the first exemplary modelling efforts in this direction. Using positional and radial data of star S2, we find that there could exist an unobserved extended mass component of several 10⁵M_⊙ forming a so‐called ‘cusp’ centered on the black hole position. Considering only the fraction of the cusp mass Mequation/tex2gif-inf-4.gif within the apo‐center of the S2 orbit we find as an upper limit that Mequation/tex2gif-inf-6.gif/(M_BH + Mequation/tex2gif-inf-9.gif) ≤ 0.05. A large extended cusp mass, if present, is unlikely to be composed of sub‐solar mass constituents, but could be explained rather well by a cluster of high M/L stellar remnants, which we find to form a stable configuration. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

NIR/Optical Interferometry

E01 VLTI‐PRIMA Fringe Tracking Testbed E02 The Fringe and Flexure Tracking System for the LBT interferometric camera LINC‐NIRVANA E03 GRAVITY: The AO assisted, two object beam combiner instrument for the VLTI E04 (Re)Solving the dynamic atmospheres of carbon‐rich giants E05 Do's and Don'ts of MIDI Data‐reduction E06 Bispectrum speckle imaging of the ultracompact HII region K3‐50A E07 Differential astrometry and astrometric planet searches with the VLTI E08 First AU‐scale observations of V1647 Ori: The outbursting young star in the McNeil's Nebula E09 Mid‐infrared imaging at the VLTI: An APreS‐MIDI image reconstruction study E10 VLTI/MIDI observation of the silicate carbon star Hen 38 (IRAS08002‐3803): Silicate dust reservoir spatially resolved for the first time E11 Mid‐infrared spectro‐interferometric observation of the Mira variable RR Sco with the VLTI/MIDI instrument E12 Scientific Prospects for VLTI in the Galactic Centre: Getting to the Schwarzschild Radius E13 VLTI near‐infrared observations of the stellar multiple system δ Velorum E14 The first VLTI observations of the Galactic Center E15 Bispectrum speckle interferometry of the massive protostellar outflow source IRAS 23151+5912 E16 Interferometric Observations of Infrared Companions with MIDI E17 Evolution and radial distribution of dust in the inner 1‐10A.U. of circumstellar disks around low‐mass young stellar objects. E18 Near‐infrared Interferometry with the AMBER Instrument of the VLTI E19 APreS‐MIDI ‐ Interferometic Imaging in the Mid‐Infrared E20 Mining the sky: Selection of extragalactic targets for interferometric observations