The structure of high-temperature flare plasma

In Paper I (Emslie, 1985) we derived scaling laws which relate peak loop temperature to injected non-thermal electron flux in electron-heated models of the flare corona. In this paper, we compare these predicted relationships with recent coordinated observations in hard X-rays and soft X-rays. Satisfactory agreement is found for large events, while for smaller events the plasma electron temperature determined by soft X-ray spectral fitting is too high. We discuss a possible resolution of this apparent discrepancy through careful examination of the method used to determine the temperature of the soft X-ray emitting plasma. It is concluded that temperatures determined by spectral fitting over a series of lines are not necessarily representative of the true temperature of the plasma, since the fitting technique is plagued by the same difficulties as a more straightforward technique involving a single spectral line or portion of continuum (Craig and Brown, 1976). The differences between actual and derived temperatures are sufficiently large to remove the above discrepancy between observations and modeling of electron-heated coronae.Presidential Young Investigator.     

Energetic electrons as an energy transport mechanism in solar flares

We review the observations and theory relating to the role of energetic electrons in the solar flare, with particular emphasis on discriminating between thermal and nonthermal origins of these electrons. We discuss diagnostics in hard X-rays, especially those relating to the recent observations of the SMM and HINOTORI satellites. We also briefly address the response of the atmosphere to energy input in the form of high energy electrons, in particular through the diagnostics of both the Fe K feature and optically thin transition region lines such as 0V. Finally, we discuss the relative roles of electron and proton heating in -ray flare events.     

Magnetic fields and the structure of the solar corona

Several different mathematical methods are described which use the observed line-of-sight component of the photospheric magnetic field to determine the magnetic field of the solar corona in the current-free (or potential-field) approximation. Discussed are (1) a monopole method, (2) a Legendre polynomial expansion assuming knowledge of the radial photospheric magnetic field, (3) a Legendre polynomial expansion obtained from the line-of-sight photospheric field by a least-meansquare technique, (4) solar wind simulation by zero-potential surfaces in the corona, (5) corrections for the missing flux due to magnetograph saturation. We conclude (1) that the field obtained from the monopole method is not consistent with the given magnetic data because of non-local effects produced by monopoles on a curved surface, (2) that the field given by a Legendre polynomial (which is fitted to the measured line-of-sight magnetic field) is a rigorous and self-consistent solution with respect to the available data, (3) that it is necessary to correct for the saturation of the magnetograph (at about 80 G) because fields exceeding 80 G provide significant flux to the coronal field, and (4) that a zero-potential surface at 2.5 solar radii can simulate the effect of the solar wind on the coronal magnetic field.     

Radar detection of Vesta

Asteroid 4 Vesta was detected on 1979 November 6 with the Arecibo Observatory's S-band (12.6-cm-wavelength) radar. The echo power spectrum, received in the circular polarization opposite to that transmmited,, yields a radar cross section of (0.2 ± 0.1)πa², for a = 272 km. The data are too noisy to permit derivation of Vesta's rotation period.     

Estimates using fluorescence spectroscopy of the present state of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in the water column of the northwest Atlantic Ocean

Concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in seawater from the general region between Nova Scotia and Bermuda were estimated using fluorescence spectroscopy. Concentrations in surface water (0–3 mm) averaged 20.4 μg/l, and in water from 1 and 5 m they averaged 0.8 and 0.4 μg/l respectively. No significant concentrations could be detected in deeper water. There was considerable variability in the concentrations suggesting that the distribution of oil in seawater is quite patchy, especially in surface waters. Seawater samples for hydrocarbon analysis cannot be collected with conventional sampling equipment. Due to adsorption problems, the inner surface of samplers must come into contact only with the water being sampled and must be rinsed with organic solvent after samples are removed. Because these precautions were not taken in previous investigations, much of the published data of hydrocarbons in seawater is unreliable.     

The biogeochemistry of sediments in two Gulf of Maine basins

Pore water, sediment and microbiological samples were collected from two areas in the Gulf of Maine. The Jeffreys Basin sediments had low organic carbon and low reduced sulfur values; the quality of their pore water indicated that nitrification and subsequent denitrification were major biogeochemical processes occurring in the upper 115 cm. Sediments from the Wilkinson Basin had higher values of organic carbon and higher reduced sulfur and total plate-count bacteria. These data indicate that the major biogeochemical processes occurring in these sediments are denitrification followed by sulfate reduction. The differences in the rates of these microbially mediated processes can be related to differences in sedimentation rates at the two sites.     

A new dry combustion method for the simultaneous determination of total organic carbon and nitrogen in seawater

A new dry combustion method for the simultaneous determination of total organic carbon and nitrogen in seawater is presented. Concentrations of total organic carbon obtained using this method average about 2.0 mg/l in surface water and 1.5 mg/l in deep water in the Northwest Atlantic. These concentrations are significantly greater than those reported using wet oxidation and wet combustion methods, but are comparable to concentrations reported by Russian workers using a similar dry combustion method. Organic nitrogen concentrations average 0.44 mg/l in surface water and 0.12 mg/l in deep water, yielding CN ratios for total organic matter of 5 and 12 respectively.     

Book reviews

VANCOUVER'S CHINATOWN: racial discourse in Canada 1875–1980 by K. J. Anderson. 16 × 24 cm, 323 pages. McGill‐Queen's University Press, Montreal, 1991. (ISBN 07735 0844 9) $C34.95 (hard).

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS: developments and applications edited by L. Worrall. 15 × 23 cm, 251 pages. Belhaven, London, 1990. (ISBN 1 85293 140 X) £45.00 (hard).

SAVANNA ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT: Australian perspectives and intercontinental comparisons edited by P. A. Werner. 22 × 27 cm, xii and 221 pages. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford, 1991. (ISBN 0 632 03199 9) $A89.00 (soft).

GLOBAL CHANGE AND CHALLENGE: geography for the 1990s edited by R. J. Bennett and R. Estall. 14 × 22 cm, xii and 264 pages. Routledge, London, 1991. (ISBN 0 415 00143 9) $A29.95 (soft).

PLAINS OF PROMISE RIVERS OF DESTINY: water management and the development of Queensland 1824–1990 by J. M. Powell. 17 × 24 cm, xvii and 395 pages. Boolarong Publications, Brisbane, 1991. (ISBN 0 7242 4470 0) $A40.00 (hard).

A SHARED HARVEST: The Australian Wheat Industry, 1939–1989 by G. Whitwell and D. Sydenham. 17 × 25 cm, xi and 324 pages. Macmillan, Melbourne, 1991. (ISBN 0 7329 0584 2) $A29.95 (hard).

TAMING THE GREAT SOUTH LAND: a history of the conquest of nature in Australia by W. J. Lines. 16 × 23cm, xx and 337 pages. Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1991. (ISBN 1 86373 017 6) $A34.95 (hard).

PLAINS OF PROMISE RIVERS OF DESTINY: water management and the development of Queensland 1824–1990 by J. M. Powell. 17 × 24 cm, xvii and 395 pages. Boolarong Publications, Brisbane, 1991. (ISBN 0 7242 4470 0) $A40.00 (hard).

THE HUMANITIES AND THE AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENT: Papers from the Australian Academy of the Humanities Symposium edited by D. J. Mulvaney. 24 × 17 cm, xiii and 123 pages. Australian Academy of the Humanities, Canberra, 1991. (ISBN 0 909897 22 0) $A18.50 posted (soft).

GROWTH (Vol. 167, Sage Library of Social Research) by H. Teune. 141 pages. Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA, 1988. (ISBN 0 8039 3183 2) US$46.00 (hard); (ISBN 0 8039 3190 5) US$22.95 (soft).

BEYOND GROWTH: elements of sustainable development by U.E. Simonis. 151 pages. Edition Sigma Bohn, Berlin, 1990. (ISBN 3 924859 56 6) DM24.80 (soft).

BEYOND BEEF: the rise and fall of the cattle culture by J. Rifkin. 16 × 24 cm, xi and 353 pages. Viking O'Neil, Melbourne, 1992. (ISBN 0 670 84844 1) $35.00 (hard).

A QUESTION OF PLACE: exploring the practice of human geography by R.J. Johnston. 15 × 23 cm, ix and 280 pages. Blackwell, Oxford, 1991. (ISBN 0 631 18207 1) $39.95 (soft).

GEOGRAPHY IN SOCIETY edited by R. Gerber. 21 × 29 cm, 92 pages. Royal Geographical Society of Queensland, Brisbane, [1992]. (ISBN 0 949286 02 8) $8.00 (soft).     

Book reviews

THE CAPITALIST SPACE ECONOMY: Geographical Analysis after Ricardo, Marx and Sraffa by E. Sheppard and T. J. Barnes. 15 × 22 cm, xviii and 328 pages. Unwin Hyman: London 1990 (ISBN 004 330401 X) £40.00 hard; (ISBN 004 330402 8) £14.95 (soft).

THE INTERNATIONAL STEEL INDUSTRY: Restructuring, State Policies and Localities by R. Hudson and D. Sadler. 14 × 22 cm, xii and 163 pages. Routledge: London 1989 (ISBN 0 415 02186 3) $A89.95 (hard).

INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMATION AND CHALLENGE IN AUSTRALIA AND CANADA (Carleton Library No. 164) edited by R. Hayter and P. D. White. 15 × 23 cm, x and 340 pages. Carleton University Press: Ottawa 1990 (ISBN 0 88629 129 1) $A34.95 (hard); (ISBN 0 88629 128 3) $A 19.95 (soft).

LABOUR MIGRATION. The Internal Geographical Mobility of Labour in the Developed World edited by J. H. Johnson and J. Salt. 15 × 24 cm, viii and 215 pages. David Fulton: London 1990 (ISBN 1 85346 120 2) £30.00 (hard).

CITIES IN SPACE: CITY AS PLACE by D. Herbert and C. Thomas. 15 × 23 cm, xi and 340 pages. David Fulton: London 1990 (ISBN 1 85346 138 5) £35.00 (hard); (ISBN 1 85346 109 1) £14.95 (soft).

THE NEW URBAN FRONTIER. Urbanisation and City Building in Australasia and the American West by L. Frost. 15 × 23 cm, xvii and 226 pages. New South Wales University Press: Sydney (ISBN 0 86840 268 0) $A24.95 (soft).

SYDNEY: A Social Atlas by R. Horvath, G. E. Harrison and R. M. Dowling. 19 × 28 cm, 110 pages. Sydney University Press: Sydney 1989 (ISBN 0 424 00144 6) $A19.95 (soft).

CHANGE AND ADJUSTMENT IN NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES edited by D. J. Walmsley. 17 × 23 cm. 118 pages. Department of Geography and Planning, University of New England: Armidale 1990 (ISBN 0 85834 887 X) $A10.00 (soft).

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF URANIUM IN AUSTRALIA (Cover Title: URANIUM IN AUSTRALIA 1970–1987: An Annotated Bibliography) by C. O'Faircheallaigh, A. Webb and D. Wade‐Marshall. 18 × 25 cm, xi and 306 pages. North Australia Research Unit, Australian National University: Darwin 1989 (ISBN 07315 05433).