Emission metrics and sea level rise

Here we present two new metrics used for comparing climate impacts of emissions of different climate forcers: the Global Sea level rise Potential (GSP) and the Integrated Global Sea level rise Potential (IGSP). The GSP represents the Sea Level Rise (SLR) at a given time horizon due to an emission pulse of a forcer; the IGSP is similar but represents the time integrated SLR up to a given point in time. The GSP and IGSP are presented relative to the SLR caused by a comparable emission pulse of carbon dioxide. The metrics are assessed using an Upwelling-Diffusion Energy Balance Model (UDEBM). We focus primarily on the thermosteric part of SLR, denoted GSP_th. All of the examined climate forcers – even black carbon, a very Short-Lived Climate Forcer (SLCF) – have considerable influence on the thermosteric SLR on the century time scale. For a given time horizon and forcer, GSP_th lies in between the corresponding metric values obtained using Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Global Temperature change Potential (GTP), whereas IGSP_th ends up in the opposite end to GTP in the spectrum of compared metrics. GSP_th and IGSP_th are more sensitive for SLCFs than for the long-lived Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) to changes in the parameterization of the model (under the time horizons considered here). We also use a Semi-Empirical (SE) model to estimate the full SLR, and corresponding GSP_SE and IGSP_SE, as alternatives to the thermosteric approach. For SLCFs, GSP_SE is greater than GSP_th for all time horizons considered, while the opposite holds for long-lived GHGs such as SF₆.     

Anomalous Fe II spectral effects and high H I Lyα temperature in gas blobs near η Carinae

We consider the origin of the anomalously high intensity of the ultraviolet Fe II λλ2507/2509 Å lines observed with high spatial and spectral resolutions from gas blobs (GBs) near η Carinae. This rare effect in stellar spectra is attributable to a combination of several factors: (1) the high hydrogen density(>10⁸ cm^?3) that ensures the blockingof the Lyman continuum by GBs and, accordingly, the formation of a cold H I region with completely ionized Fe atoms; (2) the small distance between the GBs and the central star that ensures a high (>8000–10000 K) Lyα H spectral temperature, which photoexcites Fe II selectively; and (3) the population of Fe II levels and, accordingly, the opening of a stimulated emission channel, which together with spontaneous transitions creates a radiative cycle where a single Fe II ion can multiply absorb Lyα emission.     

Long-term Evolution of the Outgassing of Comet Hale-Bopp From Radio Observations

C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) has been observed on a regular basis since August 1995 at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths using IRAM, JCMT, CSO and SEST radio telescopes. The production rates of eight molecular species (CO, HCN, CH₃OH, H₂CO,H₂S, CS, CH₃CN,HNC) have been monitored as a function of heliocentric distance(r_h from 7 AU pre-perihelion to 4 AU post-perihelion. As comet Hale-Bopp approached and receded from the Sun, these species displayed different behaviours. Far from the Sun, the most volatile species were found in general relatively more abundant in the coma. In comparison to other species, HNC, H₂CO and CS showed a much steeper increase of the production rate with decreasing r_h. Less than 1.5 AU from the Sun, the relative abundances were fairly stable and approached those found in other comets near 1 AU. The kinetic temperature of the coma, estimated from the relative intensities of the CH₃OH and CO lines, increased with decreasing r_h, from about10 K at 7 AU to 110 K around perihelion. The expansion velocity of the gaseous species, derived from the line shapes, also increased with a law close tor_h ³. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Physical properties of molecular clouds as functions of their Galactocentric distance from CS and C<Superscript>34</Superscript>S observations

Twenty-eight CS molecular clouds toward HII regions with Galactocentric distances from ～ 4 to 20 kpc have been studied based on observations obtained in the J=2→1 lines of CS and C³⁴S on the 20-meter radio telescope of the Onsala Space Observatory (Sweden) in March 2001. All 28 clouds have been mapped with an angular resolution of ～40″. The peak intensity in the C³⁴S line has been measured for 20 objects. An LTE analysis has been performed and the parameters of the molecular cloud cores derived. The core sizes are d_A=0.3–4.8 pc, with a median value of ～1.6 pc. The mean hydrogen densities in the cloud cores are n_H2=3.5×10²–3.7 × 10⁴ cm^?3, with a median value of ～7.2×10³ cm^?3. The value of n_H2 ends to decrease with increasing Galactocentric distance of the cloud. The masses of most clouds are 10²?6×10³M_⊙, with the most probable value being M_CS～10³M_⊙. The data follow the dependence M_CS ∝d _A ^(2.4–3.2) . As a rule, the cloud masses are lower than the virial masses for M_CS<10³M_⊙.     

Fault induced permanent ground deformations—an experimental comparison of wet and dry soil and implications for buried structures

Fault surface ruptures constitute a great risk to human lives, buildings and infrastructure. Despite this few building codes contain risk reducing provisions. Experiments provided results for establishing design rules in terms of possible dislocation and failure strains. Dry and wet soil behave substantially different. A brief discussion on counteracting effects of the wet soil on the interaction between a buried structure and the surrounding ground is included.     

Petrogenesis of ultramafic and mafic xenoliths from Mesozoic basanites in southern Sweden: constraints from mineral chemistry

Jurassic basanite necks occurring at the junction of two major fault zones in Scania contain ultramafic (peridotites, pyroxenites) and mafic xenoliths, which together indicate a diversity of upper mantle and lower crustal assemblages beneath this region. The peridotites can be subdivided into lherzolites, dunites and harzburgites. Most lherzolites are porphyroclastic, containing orthopyroxene and olivine porphyroclasts. They consist of Mg-rich silicates (Mg# = Mg/(Mg + Fe_tot) × 100; 88–94) and vermicular spinel. Calculated equilibration temperatures are lower in porphyroclastic lherzolites (975–1,007°C) than in equigranular lherzolite (1,079°C), indicating an origin from different parts of the upper mantle. According to the spinel composition the lherzolites represent residues of 8–13% fractional melting. They are similar in texture, mineralogy and major element composition to mantle xenoliths from Cenozoic Central European volcanic fields. Dunitic and harzburgitic peridotites are equigranular and only slightly deformed. Silicate minerals have lower to similar Mg# (83–92) as lherzolites and lack primary spinel. Resorbed patches in dunite and harzburgite xenoliths might be the remnants of metasomatic processes that changed the upper mantle composition. Pyroxenites are coarse, undeformed and have silicate minerals with partly lower Mg# than peridotites (70–91). Pyroxenitic oxides are pleonaste spinels. According to two-pyroxene thermometry pyroxenites show a large range of equilibration temperatures (919–1,280°C). In contrast, mafic xenoliths, which are mostly layered gabbronorites with pyroxene- and plagioclase-rich layers, have a narrow range of equilibration temperatures (828–890°C). These temperature ranges, together with geochemical evidence, indicate that pyroxenites and gabbroic xenoliths represent mafic intrusions within the Fennoscandian crust.     

An improved and extended GPS-derived 3D velocity field of the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in Fennoscandia

We present a new GPS-derived 3D velocity field for the Fennoscandia glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) area. This new solution is based upon ∼3,000 days of continuous GPS observations obtained from the permanent networks in Fennoscandia. The period encompasses a prolongated phase of stable observation conditions after the northern autumn of 1996. Several significant improvements have led to smaller uncertainties and lower systematic errors in the new solutions compared to our previous results. The GPS satellite elevation cut-off angle was lowered to 10°, we fixed ambiguities to integers where possible, and only a few hardware changes occurred over the entire network. The GAMIT/GLOBK software package was used for the GPS analysis and reference frame realization. Our new results confirmed earlier findings of maximum discrepancies between GIA models and observations in northern Finland. The reason may be related to overestimated ice-sheet thickness and glaciation period in the north. In general, the new solutions are more coherent in the velocity field, as some of the perturbations are now avoided. We compared GPS-derived GIA rates with sea-level rates from tide-gauge observations, repeated precise leveling, and with GIA model computations, which showed consistency.