The haze and methane distributions on Neptune from HST-STIS spectroscopy

We analyzed a data cube of Neptune acquired with the Hubble STIS spectrograph on August 3, 2003. The data covered the full afternoon hemisphere at 0.1 arcsec spatial resolution between 300 and 1000 nm wavelength at 1 nm resolution. Navigation was accurate to 0.004 arcsec and 0.05 nm. We constrained the vertical aerosol structure with radiative transfer calculations. Ultraviolet data confirmed the presence of a stratospheric haze of optical depth 0.04 at 370 nm wavelength. Bright, discrete clouds, most abundant near latitudes −40° and 30°, had their top near the tropopause. They covered 1.7% of the observed disk if they were optically thick. The methane abundance above the cloud tops was 0.0026 and 0.0017 km-am for southern and northern clouds, respectively, identical to earlier observations by Sromovsky et al. (Sromovsky, L.A., Fry, P.M., Dowling, T.E., Baines, K.H., Limaye, S.S., [2001b]. Icarus 149, 459-488). Aside from these clouds, the upper troposphere was essentially clear. Below the 1.4-bar layer, a vertically uniform haze extended at least down to 10 bars with optical depth of 0.10-0.16/bar, depending on the latitude. Haze particles were bright at wavelengths above 600 nm, but darkened toward the ultraviolet, at the equator more so than at mid and high latitudes. A dark band near −60° latitude was caused by a 0.01 decrease of the single scattering albedo in the visible, which was close to unity. A comparison of methane and hydrogen absorptions contradicted the current view that methane is uniformly mixed in latitude and altitude below the ∼1.5-bar layer. The 0.04 ± 0.01 methane mixing ratio is only uniform at low latitudes. At high southern latitudes, it is depressed roughly between the 1.2 and 3.3-bar layers compared to low-latitude values. The maximum depression factor is ∼2.7 at 1.8 bars. We present models with 2° latitude sampling across the full sunlit globe that fit the observed reflectivities to 2.8% rms.     

A Light Portable Steam-driven Ice Drill Suitable for Drilling Holes in Ice and Firn

The purpose of this contribution is to explain the characteristics of a newly developed ice drill which is particularly geared to the needs of glaciologists. It is primarily designed for drilling holes for ablation stakes and for measuring water levels or temperatures in firn areas. Its distinguishing features are its light weight, making it easy to carry even over long distances, and the variety of tasks to which it can be adjusted. Furthermore, it is easy to operate even by one person.
Water is heated in a boiler by two gas flames to produce steam, which flows through an insulated hose to a nozzle. When the valve is opened the issuing steam condenses, and the heat released in the process melts the ice. The heater is constructed in such a way that it can easily be adapted to any form of gas supply locally available. It can be used for drilling in ice as well as in firn. The maximum drilling depth is 13 m in ice and 30 m in firn; hole diameters range from 25 to 45 mm. Mean drilling time is 16 min for 6 m, 35 min for 12 m in ice. The total weight is somewhat less than 16 kg, including all parts needed for drilling holes of 10 m in depth as well as the gas supply for one day. In recent years, devices of this type have been used successfully by scientists in various glaciated regions.     

Field Sampling of Residual Aviation Gasoline in Sandy Soil

Two complementary field sampling methods for the determination of residual aviation gasoline content in the contaminated capillary fringe of a fine, uniform, sandy soil were investigated. The first method featured field extrusion of core barrels into pint-size Mason jars, while the second consisted of laboratory partitioning of intact stainless steel core sleeves. The barrel extrusion procedure involved jar headspace sampling in a nitrogen-filled glove box, which delineated the 0.7m thick residually contaminated interval for subsequent core sleeve withdrawal from adjacent boreholes. Soil samples removed from the Mason jars (in the field) and sleeve segments (in the laboratory) were subjected to methylene chloride extraction and gas chromatographic analysis to compare their aviation gasoline content. The barrel extrusion sampling method yielded a vertical profile with 0.10m resolution over an essentially continuous 5.0m interval from the ground surface to the water table. The sleeve segment alternative yielded a more resolved 0.03m vertical profile over a shorter 0.8m interval through the capillary fringe. The two methods delivered precise estimates of the vertically integrated mass of aviation gasoline at a given horizontal location, and a consistent view of the vertical profile as well. In the latter regard, a 0.2m thick lens of maximum contamination was found in the center of the capillary fringe, where moisture filled all voids smaller than the mean pore size. The maximum peak was resolved by the core sleeve data, but was partially obscured by the barrel extrusion observations, so that replicate barrels or a half-pint Mason jar size should be considered for data supporting vertical transport analyses in the absence of sleeve partitions.     

Impacts of Kelvin wave forcing in the Peru Humboldt Current system: Scenarios of spatial reorganizations from physics to fishers

Because climate change challenges the sustainability of important fish populations and the fisheries they support, we need to understand how large scale climatic forcing affects the functioning of marine ecosystems. In the Humboldt Current system (HCS), a main driver of climatic variability is coastally-trapped Kelvin waves (KWs), themselves originating as oceanic equatorial KWs. Here we (i) describe the spatial reorganizations of living organisms in the Humboldt coastal system as affected by oceanic KWs forcing, (ii) quantify the strength of the interactions between the physical and biological component dynamics of the system, (iii) formulate hypotheses on the processes which drive the redistributions of the organisms, and (iv) build scenarios of space occupation in the HCS under varying KW forcing. To address these questions we explore, through bivariate lagged correlations and multivariate statistics, the relationships between time series of oceanic KW amplitude (TAO mooring data and model-resolved baroclinic modes) and coastal Peruvian oceanographic data (SST, coastal upwelled waters extent), anchoveta spatial distribution (mean distance to the coast, spatial concentration of the biomass, mean depth of the schools), and fishing fleet statistics (trip duration, searching duration, number of fishing sets and catch per trip, features of the foraging trajectory as observed by satellite vessel monitoring system). Data sets span all or part of January 1983 to September 2006. The results show that the effects of oceanic KW forcing are significant in all the components of the coastal ecosystem, from oceanography to the behaviour of the top predators – fishers. This result provides evidence for a bottom-up transfer of the behaviours and spatial stucturing through the ecosystem. We propose that contrasting scenarios develop during the passage of upwelling versus downwelling KWs. From a predictive point of view, we show that KW amplitudes observed in the mid-Pacific can be used to forecast which system state will dominate the HCS over the next 2–6 months. Such predictions should be integrated in the Peruvian adaptive fishery management.     

Petrographie des minerais de fer de la Fosse du Labrador

Résumé Les textures des minerais de fer précambriens de type «jaspilite» sont semblables à celles des calcaires. Les éléments texturels suivants sont décrits: 1. orthochems: a) fémicrite, b) matrice siliceuse, c) ciment siliceux; 2. allochems: a) pellets, b) intraclastes, c) oolithes et pisolithes, d) échardes. Les types pétrographiques sont définis par la combinaison des éléments de texture, comme pour la classification des calcaires. Les types de faciès sont caractérisés par une séquence de bancs correspondant à un ou plusieurs types pétrographiques et par certaines structures sédimentaires. Ils forment la base de l'interprétation des conditions de dépôt et de la paléogéographie du bassin.Les transformations épigénétiques sont les suivantes: 1. dessication, fissuration, cimentation et compaction. 2. Cristallisation du gel de silice: a) quartz à cristallisation primaire, calcédonite et quartzine, b) quartz micropolygonal, c) quartz recristallisé. 3. Cristallisation de la poussière d'hématite, migration du fer et cristallisation de la spéculante et de la magnétite. 4. Cristallisation et recristallisation de la sidérite, de la minnesotaïte, de la stilpnomélane, de la riebeckite et du talc. La migration du fer et la cristallisation de la spécularite, de la magnétite et de la sidérite prennent place avant la compaction complète du sédiment et avant ou pendant la cristallisation primaire du quartz. Le quartz recristallisé, la minnesotaïte et peut-être le talc et la stilpnomélane, sont des minéraux tardidiagénétiques. La riebeckite se forme pendant le métamorphisme. Les phénomènes de recristallisation se poursuivent pendant le métamorphisme régional.

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Textures of Precambrian cherty ironstones are similar to those of limestones. The following textural elements have been recognized: 1. Orthochems: a) femicrite, b) matrix chert, c) cement chert. 2. Allochems: a) pellets, b) intraclasts, c) oolites and pisolites, d) shards. Textural lithotypes are defined by the combination of the textural elements they contain, analogous to the classification of limestones. Textural faciès consist of beds of one or several lithotypes in characteristic sequence. They commonly contain distinguishing sedimentary structures. Textural facies are the basis of the interpretation of the depositional environment and basin configuration.The following types of epigenetic transformations have been recognized: 1. Dessication, shrinkage, cementation and compaction. 2. Crystallization of silicagel in the following sequence: a) primocrystalline quartz and chalcedony (normal and lengthslow), b) micro-polygonal quartz, c) recrystallized quartz. 3. Crystallization of hematite dust, migration of iron and crystallization of specular hematite and of magnetite. 4. Crystallization and recristallization of siderite, minnesotaite, stilpnomelane, riebeckite and talc. Migration of iron and the recristallization of speculante, magnetite and siderite take place essentially before the complete compaction of the rock and before and during the primo-cristallization of quartz. Recrystallized quartz, minnesotaite, and may be stilpnomelane and talc are essentially late diagenetic minerals. Riebeckite formed during metamorphism. A certain recrystallization occured during regional metamorphism.

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Zusammenfassung Texturen der präkambrischen, kieseligen Eisensteine (Jaspilite) sind ähnlich denen von Kalken. Folgende Texturelemente wurden erkannt: 1. Orthocheme: a) Femikrit, b) Quarzmatrix (matrix chert), c) Quarzzement (cement chert). 2. Allocheme: a) Pellets, b) Intraklasten, c) Oolithe und Pisolithe, d) Scherden. Texturelle Lithotypen werden definiert durch die Kombination ihrer Texturelemente, wie in Kalken. Texturelle Fazies bestehen aus einem oder mehreren Lithotypen in regelmäßiger Folge. Sie besitzen oft kennzeichnende Strukturen. Texturfazien sind die Grundlage der Rekonstruktion der Bildungsbedingungen, Umwelt und Paläogeographie der Eisensteine.Folgende Arten epigenetischer Veränderungen wurden unterschieden: 1. Trocknung, Schrumpfung, Zementation und Kompaktion. 2. Kristallisation von Silikagel in der Reihenfolge: a) Primärquarz, Chalzedon und Quarzin, b) Kristallisation von Hämatitstaub, Wanderung von Eisen und Kristallisation von Spekulant und Magnetit. 4. Kristallisation und Rekristallisation von Siderit, Minnesotait, Stilpnomelan, Riebeckit und Talk. Wanderung von Eisen sowie Kristallisation von Spekulant, Magnetit und Siderit erfolgen im wesentlichen während der Kompaktion der Gesteine und vor (z. T. während) der Primärkristallisation von Quarz. Rekristallisierter Quarz, Minnesotait und vielleicht Stilpnomelan und Talk bilden sich weitgehend im spätdiagenetischen Stadium. Regionalmetamorphe Reaktionen führen zur Entstehung von Riebeckit und gelegentlich zu weiterer Kornvergröberung aller Minerale.

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Publié avec l'autorisation du Ministre, Ministère des Richesses Naturelles du Québec.     

The Radio-Silent Start of an Intense Solar Gamma-Ray Flare

Radio-silent -ray flares are solar flares that lack any significant emission in the (non-thermal) radio wave band during their impulsive hard X-ray and -ray emission phases. Flares with extremely suppressed long-wavelength spectra have previously been reported by White et al. (1992) and have been discussed in different context by Hudson and Ryan (1995). A striking example of a radio-silent flare was observed by SMM during the onset of the 6 March 1989 energetic -ray flare. We argue that the absence of radio emission at wavelengths longer than microwave wavelengths is an indication of the compactness of the flare rather than that the flare did not exhibit non-thermal properties. Probably the flare site was restricted to altitudes above the photosphere in a newly emerging loop configuration lower than the equivalent altitude corresponding to an emission frequency of 1.4 GHz. This implies the presence of a dense and highly magnetized closed field configuration confining the electron component which causes the impulsive -ray continuum. Reconnection in such a configuration did not lead to open magnetic fields and streamer formation. Acceleration of particles in the and hard X-ray bursts was restricted to closed field lines. Thermal expansion of the loop system may subsequently lead to the generation of radially propagating blast waves in the solar corona which are accompanied by type II solar radio bursts and decimetre emissions. The emission during the onset of the flare was dominated by a continuum originating from electron bremsstrahlung at X-ray and -ray energies with only little evidence for the presence of energetic ions. It is, therefore, concluded that energetic electrons have been primary and not secondary products of the particle acceleration process.     

Solar flares: High-energy radiation and particles

Due to the Sun's proximity flares can be investigated in the gamma-ray regime and flare generated particles can be measured in space and related to particular events. In this review paper we focus on the problem of particle acceleration by using as observational ingredients: the fluxes and spectra of particles inferred from gamma-ray measurements and observed in interplanetary space, the temporal characteristics of flares at high-energy X- and gamma-rays and the distribution of gamma-ray flares over the solar disc.