On the brightness variations of comet Halley at large heliocentric distances

Sporadic variations of its intrinsic brightness of up to 500%, with time scales as short as a few hours, has been exhibited by Halley's comet at large heliocentric distances (11-8 AU). It is shown that many of these brightness enhancements are closely correlated to the encounter of high-speed solar wind streams by the comet. It is proposed that during such periods the night side of the comet gets charged to numerically large negative electrostatic potentials, with consequent electrostatic levitation and blow-off of fine charged dust grains lying on it. This gives rise to the observed brightness variations.     

Strategic planning and urban restructuring: the case of Pyrmont‐Ultimo

The City West Urban Strategy is concerned with redevelopment in part of inner metropolitan Sydney. Such plans should not be seen in isolation, but in a wider temporal and spatial context. Pyrmont and Ultimo have been undergoing significant socioeconomic changes for a decade and this trend is likely to be reinforced and intensified if the Strategy is implemented. Also the recent and projected changes are consistent with a global pattern of restructuring in urban waterfront areas where former port and industrial functions have declined.     

Radio sources in the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey – II. Local radio luminosity functions for AGN and star-forming galaxies at 1.4 GHz

We have cross-matched the 1.4-GHz NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) with the first 210 fields observed in the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS), covering an effective area of 325 deg² (about 20 per cent of the final 2dFGRS area). This yields a set of optical spectra of 912 candidate NVSS counterparts, of which we identify 757 as genuine radio identifications – the largest and most homogeneous set of radio source spectra ever obtained. The 2dFGRS radio sources span the redshift range     to 0.438, and are a mixture of active galaxies (60 per cent) and star-forming galaxies (40 per cent). About 25 per cent of the 2dFGRS radio sources are spatially resolved by NVSS, and the sample includes three giant radio galaxies with projected linear size greater than 1 Mpc. The high quality of the 2dF spectra means we can usually distinguish unambiguously between AGN and star-forming galaxies. We make a new determination of the local radio luminosity function at 1.4 GHz for both active and star-forming galaxies, and derive a local star formation density of         .     

Significance of discrepancies in the processing of GPS data with different algorithms

Summary GPS phase measurements can be processed by using a number of different algorithms. These include models based on (interferometric) single differences, double differences and triple differences, as well as an algorithm using the direct observable, i.e. the pure phase measurement. Theoretically, subject to including appropriate a priori covariance matrices, which express the geometrical configuration (correlation) between the different nominal observables, the results should be identical. Conversely, neglecting these covariances could lead to different numerical answers. Identical GPS data sets are processed with software packages based on different algorithms, and the resulting discrepancies established, in order to asses whether or not they are significant. Similarly, differential ionospheric and tropospheric corrections are evaluated and their significance determined for baselines of different lengths.     

Community structure of macrozooplankton in Trinity and Upper Galveston Bays

Macrozooplankton were sampled bi-weekly from October 1969 through May 1973 at 16 stations. Hydrological measurements, including water temperature and conductivity, accompanied each biological sample. Sampling sites and species were grouped by cluster analysis using Camberra-Metric measure of dissimilarity and flexible sorting. Two major seasons, based on taxon composition and abundance, were identified: A warm season (average water temperature above 22°C) dominated by larval and juvenile crustaceans, and a cool season with an abundance of larval fishes. Sites were more similar to each other within a year than they were between years. Differences between years correlated with variations in salinity and temperature. Community structure indices (Shannon-Weaver diversity, species richness and “evenness”) were applied to the seasonal data. Shannon diversity and “evenness” were positively correlated with each other, but richness values were often negatively correlated with the other two indices.     

The geometrical evolution of normal fault systems

The purpose of this paper is to examine the kinematic behaviour of normal fault systems and see what general conditions govern their geometrical evolution. We pay particular attention to seismological and surface data from regions of present day active normal faulting, as the instantaneous three-dimensional geometry at the time of fault movement is better known in active regions than in areas where the faults are now static.Most normal faults are concave upward, or listric. This shape can be produced by geometric constraints, either because the faults reactivate curved thrusts, or because they must be curved to accommodate rotations. Another effect which will produce curved faults is the variation of rheology with depth: brittle failure at shallow depths produces less fault rotation than does distributed creep in the lower part of the crust. An important geometric feature of normal faulting is the uplift of the footwall. The amount of such uplift is related not only to the elastic properties of the lithosphere, but also to the throw and dip of the fault. A striking feature of active normal faults is that they occur in groups in which all the faults dip in the same direction. This behaviour arises because the faults cannot intersect: if they do, one must cease to be active. The rotation which such fault systems produce reduces the dip of the faults until a new steeply dipping fault is formed. Once a new fault cuts pre-existing faults the earlier faults become locked, and a new set of faults must propagate rapidly across the whole region involved. Many of these geometric constraints also apply to thrust faulting.     

The neotectonics of the Aegean: An alternative view

Flow directions are estimated from the measurement of the magnetic fabric of 106 samples, collected at 18 sites in four welded tuff units in the central San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. The estimates assume that the tuffs generally flowed directly away from the extrusive vents and that the lineations of magnetic grains within the tuffs represent the flow direction at individual sites. Errors in the estimation may arise from topographic variation, rheomorphism (post-emplacement mass flow) within the tuff, and other factors. Magnetic lineation is defined as the site mean anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility maximum azimuth. A test on the flow directions for individual units is based on the projection of lineation azimuths and their intersection within or near the known source caldera for the tuff. This test is positive for the four units examined. Paleomagnetic results for these tuffs are probably reliable indicators of the geomagnetic field direction in southwest Colorado, during the time (28.2–26.5 Ma) of emplacement.     

Application of the Mussel Watch concept in studies of the distribution of hydrocarbons in the coastal zone of the Ebro Delta

The Mussel Watch concept was applied in a study of man-induced chemical changes in the Ebro Delta on the Catalonian coast to obtain a preliminary assessment of the distribution of synthetic organic compounds, petroleum and biogenic hydrocarbons in the local coastal zone. Mussels, oysters and clams were selected as the indicator organisms. Levels of petroleum accumulated by mussels were generally high, in the order of 100–800 μg^?1 dry weight, equivalent to those in mussels in the most polluted harbours and bays of California. The relative distributions of the steranes and pentacyclic triterpanes in the mussels were significantly different from those found in petroleum from a local field, indicating that local petroleum was not contributing to the present contamination. The composition of biogenic compounds was variable, probably reflecting differences in the composition of local plankton communities, PCB levels were high in relation to current levels in mussels from US sites, reflecting continuing PCB use in Spain. The Delta appears to be a point source of a number of organochlorine compounds, including HCB, the DDT compounds, endrin and γ-chlordane. Levels of the DDT compound o,p′-DDD, a pharmacologically active substance, were unexpectedly high; identification was confirmed by GS/MS. Many unidentified peaks were present on EC chromatograms, indicating a more complex pattern of contamination than might be suggested by printed summaries of data.