Statistical-climatological investigations concerning the heat content of air (enthalpy)

Summary The aim of this paper is to investigate the heat content of air (enthalpy) in a statistical-climatological manner. The knowledge of the heat content of air is useful especially for technical meteorology and air conditioning techniques.Enthalpy depends linearely on air temperature and water vapor pressure. Assuming that these factors are independent of each other and that the temperature follows a Gaussian distribution and the vapor pressure a Gamma distribution, it is possible to derive a theoretical distribution function. A critical examination of this independence for two observation stations (Hohe Warte, Vienna; 48° N, 16° E and Sonnblick; 47° N, 12° E) showed that there exists a linear relationship between temperature and vapor pressure at the selected 5%-level.Furthermore it was established that a Gaussian distribution or the sum of up to a maximum of three Gaussian distributions may be fitted to the empirical distribution of temperature. Contrary to the general assumption, it was not always possible to fit a Gamma distribution to the empirical distribution of vapor pressure.Taking into consideration the above-mentioned dependence, the enthalpy was interpreted as a linear transformation of temperature. Consequently, a Gaussian distribution or a sum of up to a maximum of three Gaussian distributions has been fitted to the empirical distribution of enthalpy. By this method, bimodal distributions may also be fitted. The Fisher-Test showed that this type of fitting may be considered significant at the 5%-level for all observation times except one at the investigated observation stations.

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Zusammenfassung Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, den Wärmeinhalt der Luft (Enthalpie) statistisch-klimatologisch zu untersuchen. Die Kenntnis des Wärmeinhalts der Luft ist besonders für die technische Meteorologie und die Klimatechnik von Bedeutung.Die Enthalpie setzt sich linear aus Temperatur und Dampfdruck zusammen. Nimmt man an, daß diese beiden Größen voneinander unabhängig sind und die Temperatur normalverteilt und der Dampfdruck gammaverteilt ist, so läßt sich eine theoretische Verteilungsfunktion ableiten. Die Überprüfung der Unabhängigkeit an zwei Beobachtungsstationen (Wien-Hohe Warte; 48° N, 16° E und Sonnblick; 47° N, 12° E) ergab einen linearen Zusammenhang zwischen den Ausgangsgrößen Temperatur und Dampfdruck auf dem gewählten 5%-Niveau. Außerdem wurde festgestellt, daß an die empirische Verteilung der Temperatur eine Normalverteilung oder die Summe von höchstens drei Normalverteilungen angepaßt werden kann. An die empirische Verteilung des Dampdruckes konnte nicht immer, wie üblicherweise angenommen wird, eine Gamma-Verteilung angepaßt werden.Unter Berücksichtigung der genannten Abhängigkeit wurde die Enthalpie als lineare Transformation der Temperatur aufgefaßt. Damit wurde an die empirische Verteilung der Enthalpie eine Normalverteilung oder die Summe von höchstens drei Normalverteilungen angepaßt. Mit dieser Methode lassen sich auch auftretende bimodale Verteilungen nachbilden. Der Test von Fisher ergab, daß diese Art der Anpassung für alle Termine an den untersuchten Beobachtungsstationen mit einer Ausnahme auf dem 5%-Niveau als insgesamt signifikant angesehen werden kann.

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Simultaneous acoustic sounder measurements at two locations

The application of air quality models requires a knowledge of the meteorological structure of the lower atmosphere. This information can be obtained by the use of acoustic sounders, or airborne sondes. Such studies were carried out at the Athabasca Oil Sands area, Alberta, Canada, during summer and winter seasons. Two acoustic sounders were operated simultaneously at two topographically different locations 4 km apart. The sounding data were supplemented by meteorological observations from minisondes and a tethersonde at one location. The majority of the sounder data from both locations showed turbulent, thin layers often associated with the presence of inversion layers, particularly in the winter season. The data exhibited a number of features common to this type of topography. Both sounder echoes were characterized by a wavy structure indicating a vertical oscillation in the height of the echoes. Although agreeing in general, the data had a few differences especially close to the ground. To determine whether the return of the sounder signal was related to the actual atmospheric structure, the sounder records were compared with local temperature measurements. The result shows good agreement between the different systems.     

Strata-bound copper-iron sulfide mineralization in a Proterozoic front arc setting at Boksputs,Northwest Cape,South Africa — a possible Besshi-type deposit

A low-grade, copper-iron sulfide deposit is present at Boksputs in the Northwest Cape, South Africa. It occurs in the Proterozoic amphibolite belt, the Areachap Group, along the eastern margin of the Namaqua mobile belt.The mineralization, which is dominated by pyrite, chalcocopyrite, sphalerite, and magnetite, occurs as disseminated ore and thin layers of massive-type ore in the lower massive amphibiolite and associated amphibole gneisses of the Kraalkop antiform and synform.Chemically, the host-rock amphibolite resembles low-K arc tholeiite and calc-alkaline volcanics, whereas the upper amphibolite is calc-alkaline.The sulfide mineralization and the host-rock composition is explained in terms of modern plate tectonic principles. It is concluded that the Boksputs mineralization is a syngenetic, strata-bound, copper-iron deposit which to some extend resembles Besshi-type deposits. It is associated with low-K arc tholeiite which is tectonically related to a front arc environment or a rifted arc system along the eastern margin of the Namaqua mobile belt.