Nonlinear magneto-acoustic waves in the solar atmosphere

The weakly nonlinear evolution of quasi-isentropic magnetoacoustic waves in the solar atmosphere is analyzed. The plasma is assumed to be initially homogeneous, in thermal equilibrium and with a straight and homogeneous magnetic field frozen in. Additionally, the plasma is assumed to be cooled by the standard cooling function in the range of 10⁴ K<T<10⁷ K and heated by a mechanism which is proportional to the density and temperature. The range of temperature where the plasma is isentropically unstable, the e-folding time for thermal instability and the corresponding time and length-scale for wave breaking are found.     

Galileo Constellation Design

A significant effort has been carried out in Europe to define the European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), named Galileo Satellites flying in Medium Earth Orbits (MEO) will compose the system (according to the most recent architecture definition baseline); a regional complement of geosynchronous satellites may be required to increase performances over Europe and maybe also to provide some specific communication services. Nominal medium performances are envisaged, but they will be increased by means of augmentation systems (local or wide area), or even by using simultaneously other GNSSs such as GPS. All the involved requirements make the design process quite complex. A powerful software tool, Elcano, has been developed for this purpose; its capabilities will be outlined, and the results of the design process will be presented. ? 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The coral communities of the Islas Marias archipelago,Mexico: structure and biogeographic relevance to the Eastern Pacific

Various authors have suggested that the Islas Marias archipelago, Mexico, may play a significant biogeographic role in the dispersal of Indo Pacific coral species into the Eastern Pacific; however, the coral communities of this archipelago have received scarce attention to date. Here, we first addressed coral community structure across the islands and, by employing ordination analysis, minimum spanning tree and particle‐tracking experiments, used this information to evaluate the relevance of the archipelago for coral dispersal. Twenty‐four coral communities were recorded in the archipelago. Coral cover varied significantly among islands: Maria Cleofas had large values (38.5%), intermediate values were observed for Maria Madre (26.5%) and Maria Magdalena (22.84%), and relatively low values were recorded for San Juanito (18.5%). Coral communities mainly consisted of Pocillopora (57.3%) and Porites (25.5%) species, while species of Pavona (16%) and Psammocora (0.6%) made relatively minor contributions. Thirteen stony coral species were identified in the archipelago; of these Psammocora profundacella and Pavona duerdeni represent new records. Ordination analysis, minimum spanning tree and particle‐tracking experiments suggested similar connecting paths in the studied area; in general, the Islas Marias stands as a route for coral dispersal of Indo Pacific species into the Northeastern Pacific. In a regional context, the Islas Marias has three major biogeographic implications to coral dispersal: (i) the archipelago stands as a major stepping stone for the transport of species and individuals among the Revillagigedo archipelago, the Gulf of California and the tropical Mexican Pacific; (ii) the Islas Marias may play a seminal role in maintaining the genetic connectivity between southern and northern coral populations along the Mexican Pacific and (iii) because of its relatively pristine status and low levels of human impact, the archipelago may potentially serve as a source of coral propagules for ecosystem recovery in the Gulf of California and along the Pacific coast of the Mexican mainland following natural and/or human induced perturbations.     

Sobre un volcán de Verita recientemente descubierto en el Mioceno de Barqueros. — (Murcia)

While working to construct a geological map. A.Almela, an Engineer of Mines, discovered in Alhama de Murcia a previously unknown volcanic crater. This volcano erupted through the miocene layers and extended above them, thus establishing the date of this eruption as being post-miocene. Since there are no sedimentary rocks in this region of a more recent date it is impossible to fix the date of the eruption any more exactly. The crater is about 1Km. In the surface of the crater one finds slag, scoriaceous lava and compact rocks. The rock is composed of phlogopite, olivine and diopside in phenocrysts in a hyaloid cement with tiny grains of sanidine, olivine and diopside; and a thin layer of phlogopite in a glassy brownish black. A study was made of the chemical constituency of the rocks on the basis of three complete analyses and a comparison was made with the findings already made by Vera-Garrucha and those of Fortuna. All of the data as compiled in the five tables and four diagrams graphically represents the obtained results. The volcanic rocks have a close analogy to those ofOsann’s « Verita » type, which are shown not only by the analytical value of the magmatic parameters but also by the positions of the points shown in diagramsK-mg andLs-Fs-Ks of the three types already analized. In all the samples which have been studied from Barqueros the value of the K₂O is superior to that of Na₂O; it is also greater than that of Vera-Garrucha and less than in that of Fortuna.     

Propagating of sound and thermal waves in a reacting fluid

The propagation of linear sound and thermal waves in a reacting fluid, in which the heating and cooling processes can be represented by a heat-loss functionL(, T, is studied. A complex dispersion relation is found, from which the phase velocity and the scale length for damping (or amplification), of the above two-wave mode are calculated Wave amplification may occur in reacting locally stable fluids. Results are applied to a hydrogen plasma model assumed to be heated at a non-specified constant rate and cooled by recombination, excitation, and ionization by collisions, and free-free transitions. The phase velocity , the scale-length for damping , and the relevant relaxation times are calculated as functions of the dimensionless frequency , for temperatures ranging from those at which the hydrogen plasma is neutral to those at which it becomes completely ionized.     

Analysis of incorporating groundwater exchanges in hydrological models

In many catchments, the geographical demarcation does not coincide with the limits of the aquifers, so groundwater may be exchanged beyond their topographic boundaries. By studying groundwater exchanges, the natural resources of a catchment can be better assessed, and the divergences between hydrological models and measurements can be explained. The aim of this work is to reveal the importance of including groundwater exchanges in the hydrological modelling of some catchments, using a water balance model. For this purpose, a simple example is conducted. The so‐called parent model scheme is modified to only allow groundwater exchanges, and it is applied to the headwater of the Segura River Basin District, located in the southeast of Spain. This area is selected because groundwater plays an important role in surface hydrology. The results reveal that groundwater exchanges cannot be neglected in some catchments when assessing water resources because their integration in the hydrological model corrects errors in the water balance. Moreover, this paper proves that water balance models are a useful tool for estimating groundwater exchanges between catchments, which can be contrasted with more complex distributed models or isotopic tracers if there is enough information available. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lithological control of land subsidence induced by groundwater withdrawal in new urban AREAS (Granada Basin,SE Spain). Multiband DInSAR monitoring

Ground subsidence in the southeastern border of the Granada Basin (SE Spain) has been studied using remote sensing techniques. Over the last decades, the region has experienced a huge urban expansion, which has caused a substantial increase in water supply requirements. Water needs are exclusively met by groundwater by means of numerous pumping wells, which exploit a confined detrital aquifer of alluvial fan deposits with a heterogeneous facies distribution. A general piezometric level decline (up to 50 m) has been recorded in the aquifer during the past 30 years that has induced the generation of a subsiding area with oval shape oriented WNW‐ESE just where the new urban areas and pumping wells are located. Subsidence has been monitored by exploiting synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images from ENVISAT (2003–2009) and Cosmo‐SkyMed (2011–2014). A new approach, which combines A‐DInSAR and small‐area persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI) analysis, has been applied obtaining a good accuracy regarding temporal and spatial dimension of the subsidence. ENVISAT data (2003–2009) reveal subsidence rates up to 10–15 mm/year, and Cosmo‐SkyMed (2011–2014) values slightly lower; up to 10 mm/year. Temporal variations in the subsidence velocity are in accordance with the rainfall pattern and piezometric fluctuations in the aquifer. The sector with highest rates of subsidence does not correspond to the area with more intense groundwater exploitation but to the area with greater presence of clays in the confining layer of the aquifer. There is a clear lithological control in the spatial distribution of the ground subsidence. This work integrates detailed geological and hydrogeological data with differential SAR interferometry monitoring with the aim to better understand subsidence processes in detrital aquifers with small‐scale heterogeneity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.