Solar-, monsoon- and Kuroshio-influenced thermocline depth and sea surface salinity in the southern Okinawa Trough during the past 17,300 years

Factors influencing millennial-scale variability in the thermocline depth (vertical mixing) and sea surface salinity (SSS) of the southern Okinawa Trough (OT) during the past 17,300 years were investigated based on foraminifer oxygen isotope records of the surface dweller Globigerinoides ruber sensu stricto and the thermocline dweller Pulleniatina obliquiloculata in the AMS ¹⁴C dated OKT-3 core. The thermocline depth is influenced by surface thermal buoyancy (heat) flux, in turn controlled by the annual mean insolation at 30°N and the strength of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). Strong insolation and weak EAWM tend to increase buoyancy gain (decrease buoyancy loss), corresponding to shallow thermocline depths, and vice versa. Regional SSS is influenced by the global ice volume, the Kuroshio Current (KC), and vertical mixing. A deep thermocline coincides with a high SSS because strong vertical mixing brings more, saltier subsurface KC water to the surface, and vice versa. Local SSS (excluding the global ice volume effect) became lower in the northern OT than in the southern OT after ~9.2 ka, implying that Changjiang diluted water had stronger influence in the northern sector. SSS show no major changes during the Bølling/Allerød and Younger Dryas events, probably because the KC disturbed the North Atlantic signals. This argues against earlier interpretations of sea surface temperature records of this core. Wavelet and spectral analyses of the Δδ¹⁸O_P-G (δ¹⁸O of P. obliquiloculata minus G. ruber s.s.) and δ¹⁸O_local records display 1,540-, 1,480-, 1,050-, 860-, 640-, and 630-year periods. These are consistent with published evidence of a pervasive periodicity of 1,500 years in global climate as well as EAWM and KC signatures, and a fundamental solar periodicity of 1,000 years and intermediary derived periodicity of 700 years.     

Photometric lightcurves of 21 asteroids

Forty-three lightcurves of 21 asteroids obtained in Arizona between 1968 and 1978 are presented with a brief discussion of each. Included are four asteroids not previously observed: 34 Circe, 138 Tolosa, 162 Laurentia, and 1058 Grubba. Rotation periods are at least 12 hr for Circe, either 6.42 or 12.98 hrs for Laurentia, and more than 18 hr for Grubba. Magnitudes and colors for 12 of the asteroids are given. It appears that 10 Hygiea has lightcurves which sometimes have two maxima per rotation cycle and sometimes three. A strong relation between amplitude and solar phase angle is seen for 39 Laetitia. The first direct evidence of an opposition effect for 89 Julia is given. 511 Davida is discussed in an effort to understand the pole orientation using photometric astrometry.     

Performance of small-scale irrigation schemes in Lake Tana Basin of Ethiopia: technical and socio-political attributes

This study was conducted to investigate technical and socio-political attributes that lead to the underperformance of two selected irrigation schemes (Shina and Bebeks) in the Lake Tana floodplains, Ethiopia. Irrigation application efficiency (AE) at nine experimental fields showed a wide range, from 20 to 80%, but was mostly between 40 and 60%. Irrigation water-use efficiency (IWUE) varied from 1.9 to 7.2 kg m^?3 for onion and 0.9 to 1.2 kg m^?3 for maize. The lined and earthen canal conveyance losses in Bebeks were 0.037 and 0.047 l s^?1 m^?1, whereas in Shina they were 0.033 and 0.044 l s^?1 m^?1, respectively. The overall consumed ratio (OCR) of water was 0.58 for Bebeks and varied from 0.73 to 1.2 in Shina. Both schemes are performing below the standard based on technical performance indicators. Irrigation water user associations (WUAs) were not implemented, but irrigation committees (ICs), composed of local political leaders, are managing both schemes. Canal and reservoir sedimentation from erosion of upstream catchment areas during the rainy season was the major problem.     

2008年春季中国南方冰雪冻害林木折损分析

An abrupt ice and snow storm disaster which occurred in the spring of 2008 se-verely destroyed forests over a surprisingly large portion of southern China.A transect crossing Jinggang Mountain-Jitai Basin-Yushan Mountain-Wuyi Mountain was selected as the study area.The authors integrated field data collected in two field surveys to analyze the impacts of the disturbance on forests.The following results were obtained.(1) The extent of damage to plantations along the transect decreased in the order of slash pine > masson pine > mixed plantation > Chinese fir.Slash pine is an introduced species from southern America which is characterized by fast growth,low wood quality and rich oleoresin,and showed a damage rate of 61.3% of samples,of which 70.4% cannot recover naturally.Masson pine is the native pioneer species of forests with harder wood,and 52.5% were damaged due to turpentine,of which 60.9% cannot recovery naturally.Chinese fir is a local tree species and samples showed a rate of 46% and a relative rate of 32.5%,lower than the mixed plantation.(2) From west to east along the transect,we can see that evergreen broad-leaved forest of the western transect on Jinggang Mountain showed the lightest damage extent,and a Cryp-tomeria plantation at an altitude of 700 m was severely destroyed while Chinese fir showed light damage below 700 m and relatively severe damage above 900 m.Masson pine and slash pine in the central transect in Jitai Basin were damaged severely due to turpentine ac-tivities,and closed natural secondary deciduous broad-leaved forest was damaged severely due to high ice and snow accumulation on intertwined shrubs.Masson pine aerial-seeding plantations below 400 m along the eastern transect in Xingguo and Ningdu counties were nearly undamaged for small tree sizes,and Chinese fir at 500-900 m altitude showed a lighter damage extent.However,masson pine which was distributed above 400 m and planted in the 1960s,was severely damaged due to turpentine.     

Structure and density of cometary nuclei

Abstract— Understanding the nature of the cometary nucleus remains one of the major problems in solar system science. Whipple's (1950) icy conglomerate model has been very successful at explaining a range of cometary phenomena, including the source of cometary activity and the nongravitational orbital motion of the nuclei. However, the internal structure of the nuclei is still largely unknown. We review herein the evidence for cometary nuclei as fluffy aggregates or primordial rubble piles, as first proposed by Donn et al. (1985) and Weissman (1986). These models assume that cometary nuclei are weakly bonded aggregations of smaller, icy‐conglomerate planetesimals, possibly held together only by self‐gravity. Evidence for this model comes from studies of the accretion and subsequent evolution of material in the solar nebula, from observations of disrupted comets, and in particular comet Shoemaker‐Levy 9, from measurements of the ensemble rotational properties of observed cometary nuclei, and from recent spacecraft missions to comets. Although the evidence for rubble pile nuclei is growing, the eventual answer to this question will likely not come until we can place a spacecraft in orbit around a cometary nucleus and study it in detail over many months to years. ESA's Rosetta mission, now en route to comet 67P/Churyumov‐Gerasimenko, will provide that opportunity.     

Chromospheric evolution and the flare activity of super-active region NOAA 6555

Super-active region NOAA 6555 was highly flare productive during the period March 21st–27th, 1991 of its disk passage. We have st udied its chromospheric activity using high spatial resolution Hα filtergrams taken at Udaipur along with MSFC vector magnetograms. A possible relationship of flare productivity and the variation in shear has been explored. Flares were generally seen in those subareas of the active region which possessed closed magnetic field configuration, whereas only minor flares and/or surges occurred in subareas showing open magnetic field configuration. Physical mechanisms responsible for the observed surges are also discussed.     

Acoustic Mode Frequencies of the Sun During the Minimum Phase Between Solar Cycles 23 and 24

We investigate the spatial and temporal variations of the high-degree mode frequencies calculated over localized regions of the Sun during the extended minimum phase between solar cycles 23 and 24. The frequency shifts measured relative to the spatial average over the solar disk indicate that the correlation between the frequency shift and magnetic field strength during the low-activity phase is weak. The disk-averaged frequency shifts computed relative to a minimal activity period also reveal a moderate correlation with different activity indices, with a maximum linear correlation of about 72?%. From the investigation of the frequency shifts at different latitudinal bands, we do not find a consensus period for the onset of solar cycle 24. The frequency shifts corresponding to most of the latitudes in the northern hemisphere and 30° south of the equator indicate the minimum epoch to be February 2008, which is earlier than inferred from solar activity indices.     

Modified multispectral space for color representation

IntroductionIn color reproduction and communication, met-amer exists inherently when the conventionalcondition matching used. Therefore , the colordifference introduced makes the accuracy of colorrepresentation be lowered.In order to eli minatemetamer CIE developed the scheme so-calledspectra matching in Publication 15 .2 and speci-fied that using band-pass filters with 5 nminter-val to sample and then reconstruct the originalcolor signal ,thus the color difference will disap-pear[1].Spectra…     

Fluid forces on a small cylinder in the presence of a large cylinder in relative oscillatory flow

The present brief paper is intended to show that the fluid forces on a small cylinder can be considerably magnified when it is in the flow field of a larger cylinder. Two cylinders of unequal diameter are oscillated in a tank of fluid, and the lift and in-line forces on the smaller cylinder are measured when the pair of cylinders is placed at various orientations and spacings.