Spread-F during the magnetic storm of 22 January 2004 at low latitudes: Effect of IMF-Bz in relation to local sunset time

The paper describes the results of spread-F at low latitude stations around the world during the magnetic storm starting at 0130 UT on 22 January 2004. The storm can be divided into two phases, first phase up to 1000 UT when interplanetary magnetic field IMF-Bz was highly fluctuating around a small positive value and the second phase after a sudden large southward turning of IMF-Bz at 1030 UT. The first phase produced strong spread-F at Jicamarca, Sao Luis, and Ascension Island and caused complete inhibition of spread-F at Thumba and Waltair in India. It generated weak spread-F at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and strong spread-F at Hainan and Chung Li. The strong spread-F at Hainan and Chung Li were caused by the positive IMF-Bz during the first phase of the storm and not by the negative pulse of IMF-Bz at 1000 UT.     

Microphysical properties of stratocumulus clouds during ACE‐2

Microphysical measurements performed during 8 flights of the CLOUDYCOLUMN component of ACE‐2, with the Meteo‐France Merlin‐IV, are analyzed in terms of droplet number concentration and size. The droplet concentration is dependent upon the aerosol properties within the boundary layer. Its mean value over a flight varies from 55 cm⁻³, for the cleanest conditions, to 244 cm⁻³, for the most polluted one. For each flight, the variability of the concentration, in selected cloud regions that are not affected by mixing with dry air or drizzle scavenging, ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 of the mean value. The mean volume diameter increases with altitude above cloud base according to the adiabatic cloud model. The frequency distribution of mean droplet volume normalized by the adiabatic value, for the selected regions, shows the same dispersion as the distribution of normalized concentration. The values of droplet concentration versus mean volume diameter are then examined in sub‐adiabatic samples to characterize the effects of mixing and drizzle scavenging. Finally, the ratio of mean volume diameter to effective diameter is analyzed and a simple relationship between these 2 crucial parameters is proposed.     

Glacial-interglacial mean sea level pressure change due to sea level, ice sheet and atmospheric mass changes

The change in the global mean atmospheric pressure between glacial and interglacial periods is evaluated at sea level. This change originates in a modification of topography and in a possible variation in the atmospheric mass. In this calculation the atmosphere is at hydrostatic equilibrium, and the parameters describing the glacial period are varied in a plausible range. The result, with constant atmospheric mass, is a mean sea level pressure decrease of 9–15 hPa linked with the deglaciation. The corresponding pressure change at the reference level corresponding to the present day sea level does not exceed one hPa. When considering only the change in the atmospheric mass, an increase which does not exceed 2 hPa is found, linked with the deglaciation.     

New 1982 — 1990 photometry of λ Andromedae and its 11-year cycle

We present photoelectric photometry of λ And never before published, obtained between February 1982 and December 1990 at 29 different observatories. Then we combine it with all other photometry available to us (previously published, contained in the I.A.U. Commission 27 Archives, and obtained with the Vanderbilt 16-inch automatic telescope but not yet published), to yield a 14.8-year data base. Analysis reveals a long-term cycle in mean brightness, with a full range of 0^m.15 and a period of 11.4 ± 0.4 years. Because most of our new photometry was concentrated in the 1983-84 observing season, we analyze that one well-defined light curve with a two-spot model. Spot A keeps a 0^m.04 amplitude throughout four rotation cycles whereas the amplitude of spot B diminishes from 0^m.09 down almost to 0^m.03. The spot rotation periods were 55^d.9 ± 0^d.6 and 520^d.8 ± 1^d.0, respectively.     

Transfers between libration-point orbits in the elliptic restricted problem

A strategy is formulated to design optimal time-fixed impulsive transfers between three-dimensional libration-point orbits in the vicinity of the interiorL ₁ libration point of the Sun-Earth/Moon barycenter system. The adjoint equation in terms of rotating coordinates in the elliptic restricted three-body problem is shown to be of a distinctly different form from that obtained in the analysis of trajectories in the two-body problem. Also, the necessary conditions for a time-fixed two-impulse transfer to be optimal are stated in terms of the primer vector. Primer vector theory is then extended to non-optimal impulsive trajectories in order to establish a criterion whereby the addition of an interior impulse reduces total fuel expenditure. The necessary conditions for the local optimality of a transfer containing additional impulses are satisfied by requiring continuity of the Hamiltonian and the derivative of the primer vector at all interior impulses. Determination of the location, orientation, and magnitude of each additional impulse is accomplished by the unconstrained minimization of the cost function using a multivariable search method. Results indicate that substantial savings in fuel can be achieved by the addition of interior impulsive maneuvers on transfers between libration-point orbits.An earlier version was presented as Paper AAS 92–126 at the AAS/AIAA Spaceflight Mechanics Meeting, Colorado Springs, Colorado, February 24–26, 1992.     

Raman spectroscopic analysis of cyanobacterial colonization of hydromagnesite, a putative martian extremophile

Raman spectra of an extremophile cyanobacterial colony in hydromagnesite from Lake Salda in Turkey have revealed a biogeological modification which is manifest as aragonite in the stratum associated with the colony. The presence of key spectral biomarkers of organic protectant molecules such as β-carotene and scytonemin indicate that the survival strategy of the cyanobacteria is significantly one of UV-radiation protection. The terrestrial location of this extremophile is worthy of consideration further because of its possible putative link with the “White Rock” formations in Sabaea Terra and Juventae Chasma on Mars.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167498711400108X

We present three 3D numerical models of deep subduction where buoyant material from an oceanic plateau and a plume interact with the overriding plate to assess the influence on subduction dynamics,trench geometry,and mechanisms for plateau accretion and continental growth.Transient instabilities of the convergent margin are produced,resulting in:contorted trench geometry;trench migration parallel with the plate margin;folding of the subducting slab and orocline development at the convergent margin;and transfer of the plateau to the overriding plate.The presence of plume material beneath the oceanic plateau causes flat subduction above the plume,resulting in a "bowed" shaped subducting slab.In plateau-only models,plateau accretion at the edge of the overriding plate results in trench migration around the edge of the plateau before subduction is re-established directly behind the trailing edge of the plateau.The plateau shortens and some plateau material subducts.The presence of buoyant plume material beneath the oceanic plateau has a profound influence on the behaviour of the convergent margin.In the plateau + plume model,plateau accretion causes rapid trench advance.Plate convergence is accommodated by shearing at the base of the plateau and shortening in the overriding plate.The trench migrates around the edge of the plateau and subduction is re-established well behind the trailing edge of the plateau,effectively embedding the plateau into the overriding plate.A slab window forms beneath the accreted plateau and plume material is transferred from the subducting plate to the overriding plate through the window.In all of the models,the subduction zone maintains a relatively stable configuration away from the buoyancy anomalies within the downgoing plate.The models provide a dynamic context for plateau and plume accretion in Phanerozoic accretionary orogenic systems such as the East China Orogen and the Central Asian Orogen(Altiads),which are characterised by accreted ophiolite complexes with diverse geochemical affinities,and a protracted evolution of accretion of exotic terranes including oceanic plateau and terranes with plume origins.     

The fate of waste in Hawaii: Technology assessment and solid waste planning in Hawaii, 1968–78

In this article I consider the initial period of solid waste management planning in the US state of Hawaii. The State encountered a number of economic and ecological controversies during its solid waste management planning, a process that was prompted by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Some issues, like project financing, were common across the US, while others, such as the potential of waste materials to reduce reliance on imported food and materials, were more unique to Hawaii. The controversies from this initial planning period were never quite fully resolved; as they lingered, they were interpreted differently across the Islands. Based on a close reading of government, advocacy group, waste industry and news media documents, I examine the controversies over solid waste management of the time and consider how the ‘dual nature’ of waste in Hawaii—simultaneously an ecological threat and (potential) economic input—shaped the adoption of solid waste management systems there. This article adds to an expanding literature examining infrastructure in environmental and technology histories.     

Instruments, Detectors and the Future of Astronomy with Large Ground Based Telescopes

Results of a survey of instrumentation and detector systems, either currently deployed or planned for use at telescopes larger than 3.5 m, in ground based observatories world-wide, are presented. This survey revealed a number of instrumentation design trends at optical, near, and mid-infrared wavelengths. Some of the most prominent trends include the development of vastly larger optical detector systems (> 10⁹ pixels) than anything built to date, and the frequent use of mosaics of near-infrared detectors – something that was quite rare only a decade ago in astronomy. Some future science applications for detectors are then explored, in an attempt to build a bridge between current detectors and what will be needed to support the research ambitions of astronomers in the future.