Deep array electromagnetic sounding on the Baltic Shield: External excitation model and implications for upper mantle conductivity studies

The BEAR array of simultaneous electromagnetic (EM) observations probes the deep crustal and upper mantle conductivity structure of the Baltic Shield searching for the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary beneath. The adequate interpretation of the results of this unique high latitude natural field EM sounding requires proper understanding of the actual external excitation conditions because conventionally used plane wave model assumptions may be substantially violated in the vicinity of inhomogeneous polar sources. The paper presents an overview of the morphology and statistics of source distortions in the BEAR EM field transfer functions (TF) and the ways of their suppression. The stability of the final TF estimates obtained with the exclusion of intensive non-stationary auroral effects is further justified. The external excitation model effective for the whole BEAR observation period is inferred from the array distribution of the inter-station geomagnetic transfer functions. The model is supported by the results of polar ionosphere–magnetosphere current system studies, based on the simultaneous ground and satellite geomagnetic observations, and sets bounds for the “plane wave” approach in the BEAR data interpretation to avoid unfounded inferences on the upper mantle electrical properties. The signatures of the lithosphere–asthenospere boundary under Fennoscandia derived from the BEAR data are summarized and its resolution within the traditional plane wave interpretational paradigm is analysed assuming the presented external source pattern and estimated TF uncertainties caused by the source inhomogeneity.     

Urbanization and class-produced natures: Vegetable gardens in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region

This paper examines urban vegetable gardens in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona (MRB) in the context of a political ecological approach. We argue that these gardens provide an interesting example of how the urbanization process creates particular “socionatures” linked in this case to retired members of the working class who occupy (often as squatters) and transform the interstices left by the expanding city in order to produce food at a small scale. We document how these vegetable gardens are the product of a peculiar form of the recent urban history of the area, and also how they are increasingly under pressure due to the rapid process of sprawl now characterizing the expansion of the built environment in the Barcelona region. Vegetable gardens also highlight the contradictions of public policies in managing urban development, since the general attitude towards their elimination from the urban landscape stands in opposition to many of the sustainability initiatives such as the “greening of cities” promoted by city councils in this area.The empirical analysis was carried out in the municipality of Terrassa, one of the largest cities in the MRB, and also one with a higher number of vegetable gardens. We interviewed 132 plot users and obtained data about the legal status of gardens, their size and appearance, and crops grown, as well as the reasons for pursuing this activity. Our results show that, in general, this is an activity undertaken by people over 60 years old, often retired members of the working class that migrated to Catalonia from other Spanish regions in the 1960s and 1970s, and that use these spaces for a variety of reasons (personal goals, support to their families, and also as a bond to their rural past). Finally, we develop some conclusions regarding vegetable gardens in which we maintain that different social classes may create different natures but that class and power relations appear to legitimize some of these natures over others, for example, private and public gardens having a much larger social and institutional appeal and support than the vegetable gardens of the retired workers.     

A Validation of MODIS Snowcover Products in Romania: Challenges and Future Directions

The MODIS snowcover product is one of many geophysical products derived from MODIS data. A cross‐validation of the MODIS snowcover daily products with data obtained from the meteorological network stations was conducted for the entire territory of Romania. The validation time interval covered the period between 29 October, 2004 and 1 May, 2005. The overall accuracy for the whole set of cloud‐free useful data proved to be 95%. The validation time interval included the three common snow situations: (1) late autumn months where 37.1% of the initial set of the data was used, and the overall accuracy was 98.6%; (2) the “winter” months where the clouds reduced the set of useful data – 31.75%– and the overall accuracy was 93.7%; and (3) the months of February and March which returned the highest accuracy (> 95%). Additionally, a cross‐validation using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) high‐resolution imagery was carried out. Furthermore, the MODIS, meteorological data and ASTER data were integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment to perform flexible and comprehensive cross‐checking followed by a thematic analysis based on additional sets of data such as digital elevation models (DEMs) and land‐cover datasets.     

Imposex levels and concentrations of organotin compounds (TBT and its metabolites) in Nassarius nitidus from the Lagoon of Venice

Specimens of Nassarius nitidus were collected in seven stations of the Venice Lagoon to assess the levels of tributyltin (TBT) and its metabolites monobutyltin and dibutyltin in the tissues and monitor their effect on organisms, in particular the phenomenon of imposex (superimposition of male sexual characteristics on females). The following values of population indices were found: vas deferens sequence: 1.2 ± 0.7–4.0 ± 0.5; relative penis length: 6–47%. The least impacted station was situated in the northern part of the Lagoon, where females without imposex were found and Butyltin (BuTs) concentrations in the organisms (average sum of BuTs = 43 ± 14 ng Sn g⁻¹ w.) were significantly lower than in the other stations (range of average sum of BuTs: 101 ± 22–217 ± 27 ng Sn g⁻¹ d.w.). Population indices were found to be related to the TBT content in the tissues. In particular VDSI had a significant logarithmic correlation: r = 0.95, n = 8, p < 0.05.     

The Enigmatic Behaviour of the Old Nova RR Pic

We report preliminary results of an observing run at the 1--m telescope at CTIO during which we followed RR Pic over several nights in February 2005. The resulting light curves show no sign of an eclipse. Apart from the 3.48 h period, which is usually interpreted as the orbital one, we find an additional period at P=3.78 h, which we interpret as the superhump period of the system.We furthermore present high–resolution Doppler maps in Hα, Hβ and He II, which we derived from observations at the NTT, La Silla in February 2004. They show strong variations in the emission distribution from one day to the next. While Hα and Hβ emission clearly show the accretion disc with some additional isolated sources, the He II emission is confined to an elongated region at low velocities.     

Crystallization of Cr-poor and Cr-rich megacryst suites from the host kimberlite magma: implications for mantle structure and the generation of kimberlite magmas

Cr-poor and Cr-rich megacryst suites, both comprising of varying proportions of megacrysts of orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, garnet, olivine, ilmenite and a number of subordinate phases, coexist in many kimberlites, with wide geographic distribution. In rare instances, the two suites occur together on the scale of individual megacryst hand specimens. Deformation textures are common to both suites, suggesting an origin related to the formation of the sheared peridotites that also occur in kimberlites. Textures and compositions of the latter are interpreted to reflect deformation and metasomatism within the thermal aureole surrounding the kimberlite magma in the mantle. The megacrysts crystallized in this thermal aureole in pegmatitic veins representing small volumes of liquids derived from the host kimberlite magma, which were injected into a surrounding fracture network prior to kimberlite eruption. Close similarities between compositions of Cr-rich megacryst phases and those in granular lherzolites are consistent with early crystallization from a primitive kimberlite liquid. The low-Cr megacryst suite subsequently crystallized from residual Cr-depleted liquids. However, the Cr-poor suite also reflects the imprint of contamination by liquids formed by melting of inhomogeneously distributed mantle phases with low melting temperatures, such as calcite and phlogopite, present within the thermal aureole surrounding the kimberlite magma reservoir. Such carbonate-rich melts migrated into, and mixed with some, but not all, of the kimberlite liquids injected into the mantle fracture network. Contamination by the carbonate-rich melts changed the Ca–Mg and Mg–Fe crystal–liquid distribution coefficient, resulting in the crystallization of relatively Fe-rich and Ca-poor phases. The implied higher crystal-melt Mg–Fe distribution coefficient for carbonate-rich magmas accounts for the generation of small volumes of Mg-rich liquids that are highly enriched in incompatible elements (i.e. primary kimberlite magmas). The inferred metasomatic origin for the sheared peridotites implies that this suite provides little or no information regarding vertical changes in the thermal, chemical and mechanical characteristics of the mantle.     

Chemical abundances and ionizing clusters of H ii regions in the LINER galaxy NGC 4258

We present long-slit observations in the optical and near-infrared of eight H  ii regions in the spiral galaxy NGC 4258. Six of the observed regions are located in the south-east inner spiral arms, and the other two are isolated in the northern outer arms. A detailed analysis of the physical conditions of the gas has been performed. For two of the regions, an electron temperature has been derived from the [S  iii ] λ 6312 line. For the rest, an empirical calibration based on the red and near-infrared sulphur lines has been used. The oxygen abundances derived by both methods are found to be significantly lower (by a factor of 2) than previously derived by using empirical calibrations based on the optical oxygen lines.
In the brightest region, 74C, the observation of a prominent feature caused by Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars provides an excellent constraint over some properties of the ionizing clusters. In the light of the current evolutionary synthesis models, no consistent solution is found to explain at the same time both the WR feature characteristics and the emission-line spectrum of this region. In principle, the presence of WR stars could lead to large temperature fluctuations and also to a hardening of the ionizing radiation. None of these effects is found in region 74C, for which the electron temperatures found from the [S  iii ] λ 6312 line and the Paschen discontinuity at 8200 Å are equal within the errors, and the effective temperature of the ionizing radiation is estimated at around 35 300 K.
Both more observations of confirmed high-metallicity regions and a finer metallicity grid for the evolutionary synthesis models are needed in order to understand the ionizing populations of H  ii regions.     

Stellar indices and kinematics in Seyfert 1 nuclei

We present spectra of six type 1 and two type 2 Seyfert galaxies, a starburst galaxy and a compact narrow-line radio galaxy, taken in two spectral ranges centred around the near-infrared Ca  ii triplet (∼8600 Å), and the Mgb stellar feature at 5180 Å. We measured the equivalent widths (EWs) of these features and the Fe₅₂ and Fe₅₃ spectral indices.
We found that the strength of the infrared Ca  ii triplet (CaT) in type 1 Seyfert galaxies with prominent central point sources is larger than what would be expected from the observed strength of the blue indices. This could be explained by the presence of red supergiants in the nuclei of Seyfert 1 galaxies. On the other hand, the blue indices of these galaxies could also be diluted by the strong Fe  ii multiplets that can be seen in their spectra.
We have also measured the stellar‐ and gas-velocity dispersions of the galaxies in the sample. The stellar velocity dispersions were measured using both the Mgb and CaT stellar features. The velocity dispersion of the gas in the narrow-line region (NLR) was measured using the strong emission lines [O  iii ] λλ 5007, 4959 and [S  iii ] λ 9069. We compare the gas- and star-velocity dispersions and find that the magnitudes of both are correlated in Seyfert galaxies.
Most of the Seyfert 1 galaxies that we observe have stellar‐velocity dispersions somewhat greater than that of the gas in the NLR.     

In the footsteps of Alexander the Great: searching for the origins of ancient zooplankton on the wild steppe of Central Asia

Rising above the modern town of Nurata, in Navoiy Province, eastern Uzbekistan is the ancient fortress of Alexander the Great, built as part of Alexander's campaigns to subjugate the Persian‐speaking Sogdian peoples that lived in this province of the Persian Empire in the 4th Century bc . Alexander passed this way in 327 bc , marching his ancient army through this beautiful but desolate landscape, and conquering all before him. His fortress was built in a strategic place at the boundary between fertile agricultural lands and a dry and uncompromising vastness of steppe that lies to the east. From Nurata, about one hour drive by car along a road that cuts eastwards across the desert, is the sleepy town of Jo'sh. In the mountains beyond Jo'sh sits the hamlet of Kanda, a few mud‐brick houses nestling at the head of a small valley where a spring emerges miraculously from a bone‐dry landscape. Hereabouts are telltale signs of ancient marine deposits yielding graptolites from rocks of the Silurian system. And in these rocks are the fossils of tiny arthropods that mark a fundamental shift in the marine arthropod zooplankton 425 million years ago. It is these fossils that we have chased halfway across the world to the steppe of Central Asia.