Gravitational accretion of particles in Saturn's rings

Gravitational accretion in the rings of Saturn is studied with local N-body simulations, taking into account the dissipative impacts and gravitational forces between particles. Common estimates of accretion assume that gravitational sticking takes place beyond a certain distance (Roche distance) where the self-gravity between a pair of ring particles exceeds the disrupting tidal force of the central object, the exact value of this distance depending on the ring particles' internal density. However, the actual physical situation in the rings is more complicated, the growth and stability of the particle groups being affected also by the elasticity and friction in particle impacts, both directly via sticking probabilities and indirectly via velocity dispersion, as well as by the shape, rotational state and the internal packing density of the forming particle groups. These factors are most conveniently taken into account via N-body simulations. In our standard simulation case of identical 1 m particles with internal density of solid ice, ρ=900 kg m⁻³, following the Bridges et al., 1984 elasticity law, we find accretion beyond a=137,000-146,000 km, the smaller value referring to a distance where transient aggregates are first obtained, and the larger value to the distance where stable aggregates eventually form in every experiment lasting 50 orbital periods. Practically the same result is obtained for a constant coefficient of restitution εn=0.5. In terms of rp parameter, the sum of particle radii normalized by their mutual Hill radius, the above limit for perfect accretion corresponds to rp<0.84. Increased dissipation (εn=0.1), or inclusion of friction (tangential force 10% of normal force) shifts the accretion region inward by about 5000 km. Accretion is also more efficient in the case of size distribution: with a q=3 power law extending over a mass range of 1000, accretion shifts inward by almost 10,000 km. The aggregates forming in simulations via gradual accumulation of particles are synchronously rotating.     

European VOC Emission Estimates Evaluated by Measurements and Model Calculations

Observations and model calculations of the concentration of hydrocarbonsat five Scandinavian rural sites during March–June 1993are reported.Decreasing concentrations from March to June are observedat all sites. The highest concentrations of hydrocarbons were found in air massescoming in from the southwest to southeast, indicating that long rangetransport fromcontinental Europe and the U.K. is important in pollution episodes. An episode of elevated concentrations of hydrocarbons observed at three of the sites in the middle of Marchis described and discussed in relation to the synoptic situation and thepresenceof other chemical compounds (NO₂, PAN, total nitrate andozone).A Lagrangian numerical model is used to calculate the concentrations of theindividual hydrocarbons at the fivesites and comparison with observations is made.The calculated concentrations for nonmethane hydrocarbons with quite longchemicallifetimes agree well with the observations.For the sum of observed and calculated hydrocarbons the correlationcoefficientsare in the range of 0.65–0.88 for the five sitesand the ratio between calculated and measured concentrations was0.72–0.97, indicating thatthe European VOC emission inventory is quite well estimated.     

Anthropogenic noble-metal enrichment of topsoil in the Monchegorsk area, Kola Peninsula, northwest Russia

Eight catchments, an area of 15 to 35 km², have been studied within an ecogeochemical mapping programme in the western Kola Peninsula and contiguous parts of Finland and Norway. Three catchments, one northeast of Zapolyarniy (1) and two, 5 and 25 km south of Monchegorsk (2 and 4) show high levels of deposition of heavy metals, especially nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu), related to the metallurgical industry in these cities. Twenty-five topsoil samples, from sites evenly distributed over catchment 2, have mean contents of Ni and Cu 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than both C-horizon samples from the same sites and topsoil samples from catchment 4, providing strong evidence for the anthropogenic origin of the heavy metals. The same samples show geometric mean total contents for the noble metals analysed of: 1.4 μg/kg rhodium (Rh), 49.6 μg/kg platinum (Pt), 187.6 μg/kg palladium (Pd) and 9.5 μg/kg gold (Au). The pattern of concentration of the noble metals mirrors that found in published averages for ore from the Talnakh mineralizations in the Noril'sk province, though 1–2 orders of magnitude lower. This also clearly shows that the noble-metal contents of the topsoil are anthropogenic, and suggests that they emanate from the plants in Monchegorsk at an early stage in treatment of the ore, probably as a minor component of Ni-Cu rich particles. The noble-metal geochemistry of the topsoil in the other catchments also reflects the nature of the ore being processed at the plants nearby.     

The pace of Holocene vegetation change – testing for synchronous developments

Mid to high latitude forest ecosystems have undergone several major compositional changes during the Holocene. The temporal and spatial patterns of these vegetation changes hold potential information to their causes and triggers. Here we test the hypothesis that the timing of vegetation change was synchronous on a sub-continental scale, which implies a common trigger or a step-like change in climate parameters. Pollen diagrams from selected European regions were statistically divided into assemblage zones and the temporal pattern of the zone boundaries analysed. The results show that the temporal pattern of vegetation change was significantly different from random. Times of change cluster around 8.2, 4.8, 3.7, and 1.2 ka, while times of higher than average stability were found around 2.1 and 5.1 ka. Compositional changes linked to the expansion of Corylus avellana and Alnus glutinosa centre around 10.6 and 9.5 ka, respectively. A climatic trigger initiating these changes may have occurred 0.5 to 1 ka earlier, respectively. The synchronous expansion of C. avellana and A. glutinosa exemplify that dispersal is not necessarily followed by population expansion. The partly synchronous, partly random expansion of A. glutinosa in adjacent European regions exemplifies that sudden synchronous population expansions are not species specific traits but vary regionally.     

气团来源对瓦里关地区颗粒物数谱分布的影响

通过对2005年8月到2007年5月在瓦里关全球本底站观测的气溶胶数谱分布资料和同期后向轨迹资料分析,发现气团来源对瓦里关地区颗粒物的数浓度及其谱分布有显著影响.气团起源于瓦里关东北部地区或者途径东北部地区,传输路径较短,传输速度相对较慢,大气中出现较高数浓度的爱根核模态颗粒物;气团来源于瓦里关西部或者两北地区时,传输路径较长,传输速度较快,大气中一般出现较高浓度的核模态颗粒物.     

Incessant excitation of the Earth's free oscillations: global comparison of superconducting gravimeter records

Records of superconducting gravimeters (SGs) at Canberra (Australia), Esashi (Japan), Metsähovi (Finland) and Syowa Stations (Antarctica) were analyzed to search for further evidence of background free oscillations of the Earth. Spectrograms for 1-year period and averaged power spectra for seismically quiet periods were obtained for each of the stations. Anomalous features of the oscillations observed at Syowa Station, such as an apparent seasonal variation and a high intensity at frequencies between 3 and 4 mHz, were absent at the other SG stations. Among the SG stations used in this study, the background free oscillations were detected most consistently and distinctly at Canberra, where the noise level was comparable to that at the IDA quietest station, while that at Syowa Station was close to the critical limit for detecting the oscillations. The background free oscillations provide a good reference to evaluate the noise level in the milliHertz band.     

Laboratory technique for measurement of spectral induced polarization response of soil sampies1

Laboratory measurements of soil samples are necessary to assess the effect of mineralogy, grain size distribution, moisture content, and electrolyte composition on the resistivity spectrum of soil material. Laboratory results are also required for the interpretation of field data. Induced polarization phenomena in glacial soils are poorly understood and so far no convenient laboratory techniques are available for its measurement. Coarse grain size and the need to measure unsaturated samples and to monitor the homogeneity of the sample require a sample holder–electrode construction that differs from those presented in Clay mineral Studies. This study presents a spectral induced polarization laboratory system that is suitable for measuring fine- and coarse-grained and both saturated and unsaturated soil samples. The noise caused by the electrode–electrolyte interface is studied in detail. It is shown that easy-to-use platinum or acid-free steel potential electrodes are convenient over a broad frequency band ranging from 0.016Hz up to more than 1000 Hz. The laboratory experiments and comparisons between laboratory and field results also indicate that sampling and sample packing procedures have only a minor influence on the phase spectrum of glacial soils.     

Heavy metals and high pup mortality in the Saimaa ringed seal population in eastern Finland

Hair nickel, mercury, cadmium, lead and chromium concentrations were measured from still-born ringed seal pups and from other ringed seal groups from Lake Saimaa in Finland. Nickel concentration was significantly higher in the hair samples of still-born pups as compared to live-born pups and to adult seals. There was assumed to be some connection between the stillbirth of the pups and nickel concentration of the hair. Mercury concentration of the natal hair of pups was significantly higher than the mercury concentration of the first adult hair but no clear connection between stillbirth and mercury pollution was observed. No differences were observed in cadmium, lead and chromium concentrations of the hair of still-born and other ringed seal groups.     

Spatio‐temporal patterns of major ions in urban stormwater under cold climate

Multiple natural and anthropogenic factors affect urban water chemistry. However, little is known about the abundance or temporal variation of major ions in urban runoff. This study explores the spatio‐temporal variation of major dissolved ions (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, NO₃, and SO₄) and total dissolved solids (TDS) in cold climate urban stormwater. Three watersheds with varying degrees of urban land use intensity and imperviousness (from 36% to 66%) in Helsinki, Finland, were continuously monitored for 5 years using an automated sampling procedure to obtain stormwater discharge and ion concentrations and, thus, loadings. High‐resolution datasets, including long‐term continuous discharge, both measured and simulated (using Storm Water Management Model), and automatic water quality sampling enabled the accurate calculation of loads of ions and TDS. Water quality was related to explanatory watershed characteristics (e.g., watershed physiography and sampling time) using hierarchical clustering, nonmetric multidimensional scaling, and hierarchical partitioning methods. Urban land use contributed to increased ion concentrations and loads year‐round. This study highlights how stormwater ion concentrations are elevated across seasons, indicating chronic pollution phenomena. The greatest loads occurred during summer (except for Na and Cl), while the highest variation in loads was observed in autumn. Significant clusters among ions were found in the hierarchical cluster analysis, suggesting similar temporal patterns and sources for the ions in each cluster. The importance of land use was evident, though in the most urbanized watershed, concentrations were not linked to any of the investigated watershed characteristics. Based on our results, only Na and Cl are manageable by alternative winter road antiskid practices, whereas other ions resulted from diffuse pollution sources, being therefore more difficult to control. Finally, this study contributes to an increased understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns of ions in stormwater and highlights the need for consistent time series data for ion monitoring under cold climatic conditions in order to enable reliable estimates of their loads to adjacent water bodies. Finally, year‐round stormwater treatment is highly recommended.