The nature of a dusty ring in Virgo

We detected a ring-like distribution of far-infrared (FIR) emission in the direction of the centre of the Virgo cluster (VC). We studied this feature in the FIR, radio and optical domains, and deduced that the dust within the feature reddens the galaxies in the direction of the VC but does not affect stars within the Milky Way. This is likely to be a dusty feature in the foreground of the VC, presumably in the Galactic halo. The H  i distribution follows the morphology of the FIR emission and shows peculiar kinematic behaviour. We propose that a highly supersonic past collision between an H  i cloud and the Galactic H  i formed a shock that heated the interface gas to soft X-ray temperatures. H  i remnants from the projectile and from the shocked Galactic H  i rain down on to the disc as intermediate-velocity gas.
Our finding emphasizes that extragalactic astronomy must consider the possibility of extinction by dust at high galactic latitude and far from the Galactic plane, which may show structure on 1° and smaller scales. This is particularly important for studies of the VC, e.g. in the determination of the Hubble constant from Cepheids in cluster galaxies.     

Correcting surface winds by assimilating high-frequency radar surface currents in the German Bight

Surface winds are crucial for accurately modeling the surface circulation in the coastal ocean. In the present work, high-frequency radar surface currents are assimilated using an ensemble scheme which aims to obtain improved surface winds taking into account European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts winds as a first guess and surface current measurements. The objective of this study is to show that wind forcing can be improved using an approach similar to parameter estimation in ensemble data assimilation. Like variational assimilation schemes, the method provides an improved wind field based on surface current measurements. However, the technique does not require an adjoint, and it is thus easier to implement. In addition, it does not rely on a linearization of the model dynamics. The method is validated directly by comparing the analyzed wind speed to independent in situ measurements and indirectly by assessing the impact of the corrected winds on model sea surface temperature (SST) relative to satellite SST.     

Diatom community response to multiple scales of Holocene climate variability in a small lake on Victoria Island, NWT, Canada

A lake sediment core spanning 9900 years, collected from a small lake on western Victoria Island, NWT, Canada, provides a high-resolution record of diatom community dynamics over the Holocene. Ten radiocarbon dates and ²¹⁰Pb dating provided the core chronology. Loss-on-ignition (LOI), magnetic susceptibility, biogenic silica content, and diatom concentrations provided information on changes in the sedimentary environment. LOI gradually increased over the Holocene whereas magnetic susceptibility showed an inverse trend. Biogenic silica content showed three distinct peaks spaced approximately 3000 years apart. Major shifts in diatom assemblages occurred at 8100–8000, 5800–5700, and 3800–3500 cal yr BP. There is evidence of diatom community response to centennial-scale variations such as the ‘Medieval Warm Period’ (1000–700 cal yr BP), ‘Little Ice Age’ (800–150 cal yr BP) and recent warming. Although recent changes in diatom community composition, productivity, and species richness are apparent they were surpassed at other periods throughout the Holocene. Variations of the taxa within the genera Staurosira, Pseudostaurosira, Fragilaria, and Staurosirella, usually combined into one genus in Arctic lake sediment studies, suggest these taxa provide useful insight into paleonvironmental questions.     

Climate-change impacts on sagebrush habitat and West Nile virus transmission risk and conservation implications for greater sage-grouse

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are threatened by loss of sagebrush habitat and the spread of West Nile virus throughout much of their range in North America; yet, future impacts of climate change on these potential stressors have not been addressed. Here, we aim to quantify the potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of climatically suitable habitat for sagebrush and on transmission risk for West Nile virus in the eastern portion of the species’ range. We used Maxent to model the current and future climatically suitable habitat for two dominant sagebrush species in the study area, and we used a degree-day model to predict future West Nile virus transmission risk under likely climate-change scenarios. Our models suggest that areas with the highest future suitability for sagebrush habitat will be found in southwestern Wyoming and north-central Montana. The degree-day model suggests that greater sage-grouse in western portions of the study area, which are generally higher in elevation than where West Nile virus currently occurs, will see increasing risk of transmission in the future. We developed a spatially explicit map of suggested management actions based on our predictions that will aid in conservation of the species into the coming decades.     

Estimating minimum streamflow from measurements at ungauged sites in regions with streamflow‐gauging networks

Estimation of low flows in rivers continues to be a vexing problem despite advances in statistical and process‐based hydrological models. We develop a method to estimate minimum streamflow at seasonal to annual timescales from measured streamflow based on regional similarity in the deviations of daily streamflow from minimum streamflow for a period of interest. The method is applied to 1,019 gauged sites in the Western United States for June to December 2015. The gauges were clustered into six regions with distinct timing and magnitude of low flows. A gamma distribution was fit each day to the deviations in specific discharge (daily streamflow divided by drainage area) from minimum specific discharge for gauges in each region. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test identified days when the gamma distribution was adequate to represent the distribution of deviations in a region. The performance of the gamma distribution was evaluated at gauges by comparing daily estimates of minimum streamflow with estimates from area‐based regression relations for minimum streamflow. Each region had at least 8 days during the period when streamflow measurements would provide better estimates than the regional regression equation, but the number of such days varied by region depending on aridity and homogeneity of streamflow within the region. Synoptic streamflow measurements at ungauged sites have value for estimating minimum streamflow and improving the spatial resolution of hydrological model in regions with streamflow‐gauging networks.     

Coordinated monitoring of the eccentric O-star binary Iota Orionis: optical spectroscopy and photometry

With the objective of investigating the windwind collision phenomenon and supporting contemporaneous X-ray observations, we have organized a large-scale, coordinated optical monitoring campaign of the massive, highly eccentric O9 III+B1 III binary Iota Orionis. Successfully separating the spectra of the components, we refine the orbital elements and confirm the rapid apsidal motion in the system. We also see strong interaction between the components during periastron passage and detect phase-locked variability in the spectrum of the secondary star. However, we find no unambiguous signs of the bow shock crashing on the surface of the secondary, despite the predictions of hydrodynamic simulations. Combining all available photometric data, we find rapid, phase-locked variations and model them numerically, thus restricting the orbital inclination to 50° i 70°.     

Hydrologic metrics for status‐and‐trends monitoring in urban and urbanizing watersheds

Local governmental agencies are increasingly undertaking potentially costly “status‐and‐trends” monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of stormwater control measures and land‐use planning strategies or to satisfy regulatory requirements. Little guidance is presently available for such efforts, and so we have explored the application, interpretation, and temporal limitations of well‐established hydrologic metrics of runoff changes from urbanization, making use of an unusually long‐duration, high‐quality data set from the Pacific Northwest (USA) with direct applicability to urban and urbanizing watersheds. Three metrics previously identified for their utility in identifying hydrologic conditions with biological importance that respond to watershed urbanization—T_Qmean (the fraction of time that flows exceed the mean annual discharge), the Richards‐Baker Index (characterizing flashiness relative to the mean discharge), and the annual tally of wet‐season day‐to‐day flow reversals (the total number of days that reverse the prior days' increasing or decreasing trend)—are all successful in stratifying watersheds across a range of urbanization, as measured by total contributing area of urban development. All metrics respond with statistical significance to multidecadal trends in urbanization, but none detect trends in watershed‐scale urbanization over the course of a single decade. This suggests a minimum period over which dependable trends in hydrologic alteration (or improvement) can be detected with confidence. The metrics also prove less well suited to urbanizing watersheds in a semi‐arid climate, with only flow reversals showing a response consistent with prior findings from more humid regions. We also explore the use of stage as a surrogate for discharge in calculating these metrics, recognizing potentially significant agency cost savings in data collection with minimal loss of information. This approach is feasible but cannot be implemented under current data‐reporting practices, requiring measurement of water‐depth values and preservation of the full precision of the original recorded data. With these caveats, however, hydrologic metrics based on stage should prove as or more useful, at least in the context of status‐and‐trends monitoring, as those based on subsequent calculations of discharge.     

Valley winds in the mount Rainier area

Summary Four summer seasons of field work near Mt. Rainier have shown that a well-developed valley wind system tends to have the following features: Airflow within a valley is up the valley during the day and down it at night and is compensated by a return flow (anti-wind) at a higher level. The layers occupied by the two flows are of approximately equal thickness, and the boundary between them is generally at, or somewhat below, ridgeheight. Above the anti-wind, the flow depends on the large-scale synoptic situation.Horizontal wind speed in these two layers is greatest slightly below the center of each layer. Speeds reach a maximum in early afternoon and just beforce sunrise. The reversal between day and nighttime flows is almost simultaneous everywhere in the valley, about an hour after sunnet and sunrise.Vertical transport of air between the two layers appears to be localized, mainly in the neighborhood of the ridges. Slope winds apparently feed the vertical currents. Speed fluctuations, having a period of about 20 minutes, were observed in drainage winds near the surface at night.When a well-developed wind system occured in one valley, well-developed systems tended to occur in other valleys in the same area.

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Zusammenfassung Beobachtungen im Verlaufe von vier Sommern im Mount-Rainier-Gebiet zeigten ein gutentwickletes Talwind-System mit folgenden Eigenschaften: Die Luft im Tale bewegt sich tags talaufwärts und nachts talabwärts; diese Strömung wird kompensiert durch ein Gegenwind-System in größerer Höhe. Die vertikale Erstreckung der übereinander liegenden Strömungen ist etwa gleich, und ihre Grenzfläche liegt, im allgemeinen, in oder etwas unter der Höhe der Bergkämme. Oberhalb des Gegenwindes beherrscht die weiträumige synoptische Situation die Strömung.Die Horizontalgeschwindigkeit ist für beide Windsysteme am größten etwas unter dem Zentrum der betreffenden Schicht. Geschwindigkeitsmaxima werden am frühen Nachmittag und kurz vor Sonnenaufgang erreicht. Der Umschlag von Tag- zu Nachtströmungen erfolgt nahezu gleichzeitig in allen Teilen des Tales, und zwar je etwa eine Stunde nach Sonnenaufgang bzw. Sonnenuntergang.Der vertikale Luftmassenaustausch zwischen beiden Schichten erfolgt im wesentlichen oberhalb der Bergkämme. Dieser vertikale Kammwind wird von unten durch den Hangwind ernährt. Im nächtlichen Fallwind wurden Geschwindigkeits-Variationen mit einer Periode von etwa 20 Minuten beobachtet.Wenn gut entwickelte Wind-Systeme in einem Tal vorkommen, kann man auch in anderen Tälern gut entwickelte Systeme erwarten.

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Résumé Des observations faites durant quatre étés dans la région du Mount Rainier ont montré la présence d'un système bien développé de brises de vallée et de montagne. Ce système a les particularités suivants: Le courant est dirigé vers l'amont durant la journée, vers l'aval durant la nuit. Ces courants sont compensés par un système de vents contraires à grande altitude. Le développement vertical des deux courants est à peu près identique et la surface qui les sépare est située, en général, à l'altitude des crêtes ou légèrement au-dessous. Le courant situé au-dessus du ven contraire est déterminé par la situation synoptique générale.La vitesse horizontale du vent est maximum pour les deux systèmes un peu au-dessous du centre de la couche correspondante. Les plus grandes vitesses se mesurent au début de l'après-midi et peu avent le lever du soleil. Le passage de la brise de vallée à la brise de montagne ou vice versa s'opère presque simultanément en tous les points de la vallée et cela approximativement une heure après le lever, respectivement le coucher du soleil.L'échange vertical des masses d'air entre les deux couches se fait principalement au-dessus des crêtes. Ce vent vertical de crêtes est alimenté d'en bas par le courant remontant les pentes. Dans le cas du vent nocturne descendant, on a observé des variations de vitesse ayant une périodicité de 20 minutes environ.Si l'on observe dans une vallée déterminée un système bien développé de brises de vallée et de montagne, on peut s'attendre à ce que des systèmes semblables se retrouvent également dans d'autres vallées de la même région.

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With 9 Figures

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Contribution No. 97, department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.

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This research was aided by the U.S. Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories under AF Contract 19 (604)-7201, Project 7655, Task 7655.