Modeling undertow due to random waves

A numerical model of undertow due to random waves is developed. The model includes three sub-models: (i) a model for multi-directional and multi-frequency random wave transformation, (ii) a surface roller evolution model, and (iii) a model for calculating the vertical distribution and the mean value of the undertow velocity. The calculation of wave trough level is performed based on a theory for the wave asymmetry. The model was successfully validated against small- and large-scale laboratory experiments. Thus, the model is expected to provide reliable input for the modeling of sediment transport and morphological change due to waves and currents.     

Remotely sensed assessment of water quality levels in the Pearl River Estuary, China

In this paper, a method of assessing water quality from satellite data is introduced. The composite pollution index (CPI) was calculated from measured chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nutrient concentration. The relationships between CPI and 240 band combinations of SeaWiFS water-leaving radiance were analyzed and the optimal band combination for estimating CPI was chosen from the 240 band combinations. An algorithm for retrieval of CPI was developed using the optimal band combination, (L₄₄₃ × L₅₁₀)/(L₄₁₂ + L₄₉₀). The CPI was estimated from atmospherically corrected SeaWiFS data by employing the algorithm. Furthermore, the CPI value range for each water quality level was determined based on data obtained from 850 samples taken in the Pearl River Estuary. The remotely sensed CPIs were then transferred to water quality levels and appropriate maps were derived. The remotely sensed water quality level maps displayed a similar distribution of levels based on in situ investigation issued by the State Ocean Administration, China. This study demonstrates that remote sensing can play an important role in water quality assessment.     

Radon 222 measurements below 4 km as related to atmospheric convection

Summary Radon (Rn²²²) profiles were made over southwest Arizona from 300 m to 4km altitude. A temperature inversion near 2000 m and a stable radon concentration averaging 32.0 pc m^–3 at 2000 m were characteristic of morning flights. At 300 m there was a definite pattern of high radon concentrations in the early morning and lower concentrations by noon. At 760 m the radon concentration increased between the times of ascent and descent. This pattern resulted from the trapping of radon close to the ground during stable night-time conditions and its subsequent upward dispersal with solar heating. The day-to-day variation in radon concentrations at higher levels cannot be attributed to local upward transport by diffusion but must have resulted from larger scale circulations. Above 2000 m there are no conclusive differences between morning, afternoon and evening profiles. Low concentrations of radon were measured during one late evening profile when there was definite subsidence and advection of drier air into the region.     

MAGNETISM OF METEORITES: A REVIEW OF RUSSIAN STUDIES

We present here a summary review of the work of Russian scientists, primarily Gus'kova and Pochtarev, on the magnetism of meteorites. They have measured the initial natural remanent magnetization and the magnetic susceptibility in more than 900 meteorite samples from collections throughout the Soviet Union. More sophisticated studies, involving both thermal and alternating field demagnetization experiments, were also conducted on a few samples. Meteorites almost invariably retain evidence of ancient magnetic fields in their pre-terrestrial history     

Numerical study of droplet size dependent chemistry in oceanic,wintertime stratus cloud at southern mid-latitudes

Cloud droplet chemistry is modelled for the first 150 m of rise in a wintertime, mid-latitude, marine stratus cloud using observations made at and near the Cape Grim Baseline Station as a source of input parameters. The emphasis in this work was to study the variation in droplet chemistry as a function of both droplet size and nucleus composition, with a particular focus on the way in which oxidation of dissolved sulfur dioxide varied.At 150 m above the condensation level, solute concentration as a function of droplet size was found to increase by as much as 2 to 3 orders of magnitude for only a factor of 2 increase in droplet radius, primarily as a consequence of the 1/r dependence in the droplet growth equation. This type of size dependence exists at all levels in the model cloud, and has a significant influence on oxidation rate of sulfur dioxide in droplets growing on sulfate nuclei, oxidation by ozone being favoured in the smallest droplets, but oxidation by hydrogen peroxide being favoured in the larger droplets. Oxidation by ozone is favoured at all sizes in droplets formed on sea-salt nuclei as a result of the initially high alkalinity of these droplets, and in the cloud overall is calculated to be the more important oxidation pathway. Although based on a simplified chemical scheme, these results suggest that both size-dependent and nucleus-dependent chemistry of cloud droplets may need to be considered explicitly in cloud modelling work.Volume-weighted mean pH values in the range 5 to 6 were predicted from sensitivity studies in which input variables were varied over reasonable ranges, in agreement with two sets of bulk cloud-water pH data obtained by aircraft near Cape Grim.     

Remote spectroscopic identification of carbonaceous chondrite mineralogies: Applications to Ceres and Pallas

High-resolution spectroscopic observations of asteroids Ceres and Pallas have been obtained in the 1.0- to 2.6-μm region. Combined with previous spectralmeasurements at other wavelengths, this work presents the broadband spectral reflectances of these asteroids over the 0.4 to 3.6-um region. This extended coverage permits new analyses of the surface mineralogies of these objects. Using laboratory comparison spectra of meteorites and mixtures of terrestrial minerals, the surfaces of Ceres and Pallas are consistent with mixtures of opaques and hydrated silicates, such as are found in types C1 and C2 meteorites. This research emphasizes the importance of the 3-um spectral region for studying by remote methods the relationship of carbonaceous chondrite mineralogies to asteroid surfaces.     

Early star formation and the evolution of the stellar initial mass function in galaxies

It has frequently been suggested in the literature that the stellar IMF in galaxies was top-heavy at early times. This would be plausible physically if the IMF depended on a mass-scale such as the Jeans mass that was higher at earlier times because of the generally higher temperatures that were present then. In this paper it is suggested, on the basis of current evidence and theory, that the IMF has a universal Salpeter-like form at the upper end, but flattens below a characteristic stellar mass that may vary with time. Much of the evidence that has been attributed to a top-heavy early IMF, including the ubiquitous G-dwarf problem, the high abundance of heavy elements in clusters of galaxies, and the high rate of formation of massive stars in high-redshift galaxies, can be accounted for with such an IMF if the characteristic stellar mass was several times higher during the early stages of galaxy evolution. However, significant variations in the mass-to-light ratios of galaxies and large amounts of dark matter in stellar remnants are not as easily explained in this way, because they require more extreme and less plausible assumptions about the form and variability of the IMF. Metal-free 'population III' stars are predicted to have an IMF that consists exclusively of massive stars, and they could help to account for some of the evidence that has been attributed to a top-heavy early IMF, as well as contributing importantly to the energetics and chemical enrichment of the early Universe.     

Major-element petrochemistry of some extrusive rocks from the volcanically active Mariana Islands

Volcanic rocks from six of the currently or recently active volcances of the Mariana Island are show little variation in major element abundances. SiO₂ content averages 51.5 wt.%. The flows are high in Al₂O (mean 17.7 wt.%) and Fe oxides (mean 10.1 wt.% calculated as FeO only), and moderate in MgO content (mean 4.7 wt.%), Na₂O (mean 2.7 wt.%), and K₂O (mean 0.7 wt.%). Only the rocks from Farallon de Pajaros, the northernmost of the Mariana Islands, deviate slightly from the average of the analyses. Three analyses from this island are slightly higher in SiO₂ (about 54 wt.%) and Al₂O₃, and are lower in total Fe oxides and MgO. According to preferred classification, the lavas of the Mariana Islands can be termed mela-andesites, high-alumina basalts, or calc-alkaline (orogenic) basalts. The K₂O values (mean 0.7 wt.%) obtained from lavas of the Mariana Islands are significantly higher than the K₂O values (about 0.33 wt.%) from volcanics of the Izu chain to the north. Inasmuch as the substantial scatter in location of earthquake foci beneath both arcs prevents accurate delineation of the upper boundary of the Benioff zone, it presently cannot be determined whether this discrepancy in K₂O values reflects a difference in depth from the volcanic are to the dipping seismic zone or relates to other phenomena. The older volcanic islands within the Mariana-Bonin island chain apparently defined an island arc system during Eocene to Miocene time. This indicates that the present plane of convergence between the Pacific plate and the Philippine Sea plate has defined the convergence between these plates since Eocene time.     

Modelling considerations in probabilistic performance‐based seismic evaluation: case study of the I‐880 viaduct

Limitations associated with deterministic methods to quantify demands and develop rational acceptance criteria have led to the emergence of probabilistic procedures in performance‐based seismic engineering. The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research performance‐based methodology is one such approach. In this paper, the impact of certain modelling decisions made at different stages of the evaluation process on the performance assessment of a typical multi‐bent viaduct is examined. Modelling, in the context of this paper, covers hazard modelling, structural modelling and loss modelling. The specific application considered in this study is a section of an existing viaduct in California: the I‐880 interstate highway. Several simulation models of the viaduct are developed, a series of nonlinear time‐history analyses are carried out to predict demands, measures of damage are evaluated and the probability of closure of the viaduct is estimated using the specified hazard for the site. It is concluded that the methodology offers several advantages over existing deterministic performance‐based procedures. Results of the investigation indicate that the assessment methodology is particularly sensitive to the reliability of decisions made by bridge inspectors following a seismic event, and to the dispersion in the demand estimation, which in turn is influenced by several factors including soil–structure interaction effects and ground motion scaling procedures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ feeding rates of the ctenophoreMnemiopsis mccradyi

Prey ingested byMnemiopsis mccradyi collected in Link Port (Indian River, east coast of central Florida) consisted mostly of copepod nauplii, barnacle nauplii, bivalve veligers, and adult copepods (Acartia sp.,Oithona sp.); abundances in that order. Compared to relative in situ densities, there was an increased consumption of barnacle nauplii, bivalve veligers, andAcartia sp., and a decreasesed consumption of copepod nauplii andOithona sp., implying that prey selection had occurred. In situ clearance rates (based on numbers of ingested prey, digestion rates, and in situ prey densities) forM. mccradyi (5 cm mean length) were 0.1 to 1.31 h^?1 individual^?1, depending on prey taxon. These rates are less than those measured previously in the laboratory; however, it is not possible to state if this difference is statistically significant.