Bandpass calibration of a wideband spectrometer using coherent pulse injection

We present a relatively simple time domain method for determining the bandpass response of a system by injecting a nanosecond pulse and capturing the system voltage output. A pulse of sub-nanosecond duration contains all frequency components with nearly constant amplitude up to 1 GHz. Hence, this method can accurately determine the system bandpass response to a broadband signal. In a novel variation on this impulse response method, a train of pulses is coherently accumulated providing precision calibration with a simple system. The basic concept is demonstrated using a pulse generator-accumulator setup realised in a Bedlam board which is a high speed digital signal processing unit. The same system was used at the Parkes radio telescope between 2–13 October 2013 and we demonstrate its powerful diagnostic capability. We also present some initial test data from this experiment.     

Resource partitioning by two large planktivorous fishes Micromesistius australis and Macruronus magellanicus in the Southwest Atlantic

The ontogenetic, seasonal, bathymetric and regional variations in the feeding spectrum of 922 specimens of southern blue whiting Micromesistius australis and 512 specimens of hoki Macruronus magellanicus were studied on the Falkland Islands’ shelf (Southwest Atlantic) between November 1999 and April 2003. A total of 49 different prey items were found in the stomach contents of the two species, with the hyperiid Themisto gaudichaudii and Euphausiacea being amongst the most important prey. Although the species composition did not change over fish size, the proportions of individual prey items in their diets did, with an increase in T. gaudichaudii and Euphausiacea with increasing fish size in southern blue whiting. The opposite occurred in hoki. Seasonal variations in the diet were found to mirror the seasonal abundance of prey around the Falkland Islands for the two species. Intra-specific differences in the diet of both predators reflected the distribution of prey, which in turn was determined by the water structure in the two regions sampled, leading to very different diets. In the limited time that the two species occupied the same space there was little or no competition resulting in almost total segregation of their trophic niches in space and time.     

Automated threshold selection methods for extreme wave analysis

The study of the extreme values of a variable such as wave height is very important in flood risk assessment and coastal design. Often values above a sufficiently large threshold can be modelled using the Generalized Pareto Distribution, the parameters of which are estimated using maximum likelihood. There are several popular empirical techniques for choosing a suitable threshold, but these require the subjective interpretation of plots by the user.In this paper we present a pragmatic automated, simple and computationally inexpensive threshold selection method based on the distribution of the difference of parameter estimates when the threshold is changed, and apply it to a published rainfall and a new wave height data set. We assess the effect of the uncertainty associated with our threshold selection technique on return level estimation by using the bootstrap procedure. We illustrate the effectiveness of our methodology by a simulation study and compare it with the approach used in the JOINSEA software. In addition, we present an extension that allows the threshold selected to depend on the value of a covariate such as the cosine of wave direction.     

Diatoms grow faster using ammonium in rapidly flushed eutrophic Dokai Bay,Japan

The importance of the nitrogen source for phytoplankton growth in a highly eutrophic embayment, Dokai Bay, was investigated. The DIN concentration often exceeded 100 μM of which 40–70% was NH₄ ⁺. During two incubation experiments, the natural assemblage of mainly diatoms took up NH₄ ⁺ instead of NO₃ ⁻. The growth of two Skeletonema species isolated in Dokai Bay were significantly faster on NH₄ ⁺ (1.86 and 1.27 div. d⁻¹ respectively) than on NO₃ ⁻ (1.55 and 1.04 div. d⁻¹ respectively). Our results indicated that these diatoms could grow faster by using NH₄ ⁺ compared to NO₃ ⁻ in this eutrophic bay.     

Distribution and spatial variation of hydrothermal faunal assemblages at Lucky Strike (Mid-Atlantic Ridge) revealed by high-resolution video image analysis

Whilst the fauna inhabiting hydrothermal vent structures in the Atlantic Ocean is reasonably well known, less is understood about the spatial distributions of the fauna in relation to abiotic and biotic factors. In this study, a major active hydrothermal edifice (Eiffel Tower, at 1690 m depth) on the Lucky Strike vent field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR)) was investigated. Video transects were carried out by ROV Victor 6000 and complete image coverage was acquired. Four distinct assemblages, ranging from dense larger-sized Bathymodiolus mussel beds to smaller-sized mussel clumps and alvinocaridid shrimps, and two types of substrata were defined based on high definition photographs and video imagery. To evaluate spatial variation, faunal distribution was mapped in three dimensions. A high degree of patchiness characterizes this 11 m high sulfide structure. The differences observed in assemblage and substratum distribution were related to habitat characteristics (fluid exits, depth and structure orientation). Gradients in community structure were observed, which coincided with an increasing distance from the fluid exits. A biological zonation model for the Eiffel Tower edifice was created in which faunal composition and distribution can be visually explained by the presence/absence of fluid exits.     

Benthic macrofauna and productivity regimes in the Barents Sea — Ecological implications in a changing Arctic

Benthic faunal assemblages were analysed from 47 stations in the central and southern parts of the Barents Sea, together with sedimentary and water column parameters, daily ice records and modelled integrated primary productivity. Sampling spanned areas influenced by Atlantic Water (AW) to those lying under Arctic Water (ArW), and included stations with mixed water masses. Ice cover suppressed water column productivity in the northern areas. Three main faunal groups were identified, based on similarity of numerical faunal composition. The northern and southern faunal groups were separated by the northernmost penetration of AW in the bottom water and the third group, the Hopen group, was influenced by modified bank water. Faunal abundances were significantly higher within the southern faunal group relative to the northern group, but the numbers of taxa present were similar. The particularly rich fauna of the Hopen group reflected sediment heterogeneity and tight pelagic–benthic coupling. These results suggest that a retreat and thinning of the ice cover in the Barents Sea likely will result in the northern parts of the Barents Sea becoming more Atlantic in character, with a higher productivity at the sea floor.     

Application of a vanishing, quasi-sigma, vertical coordinate for simulation of high-speed, deep currents over the Sigsbee Escarpment in the Gulf of Mexico

Recent observations over the Sigsbee Escarpment in the Gulf of Mexico have revealed extremely energetic deep currents (near 1 m s⁻¹), which are trapped along the escarpment. Both scientific interest and engineering needs demand dynamical understanding of these extreme events, and can benefit from a numerical model designed to complement observational and theoretical investigations in this region of complicated topography. The primary objective of this study is to develop a modeling methodology capable of simulating these physical processes and apply the model to the Sigsbee Escarpment region. The very steep slope of the Sigsbee Escarpment (0.05–0.1) limits the application of ocean models with traditional terrain-following (sigma) vertical coordinates, which may represent the very complicated topography in the region adequately, can result in large truncation errors during calculation of the horizontal pressure gradient. A new vertical coordinate system, termed a vanishing quasi-sigma coordinate, is implemented in the Navy Coastal Ocean Model for application to the Sigsbee Escarpment region. Vertical coordinate surfaces for this grid have noticeably gentler slopes than a traditional sigma grid, while still following the terrain near the ocean bottom. The new vertical grid is tested with a suite of numerical experiments and compared to a classical sigma-layer model. The numerical error is substantially reduced in the model with the new vertical grid. A one-year, realistic, numerical simulation is performed to simulate strong, deep currents over the Escarpment using a very-high-resolution nested modeling approach. The model results are analyzed to demonstrate that the deep-ocean currents in the simulation replicate the prominent dynamical features of the observed intense currents in the region.     

Detecting anomalous CO2 flux using space borne spectroscopy

Over the time-scale, earth's atmospheric CO₂ concentration has varied and that is mostly determined by balance among the geochemical processes including burial of organic carbon in sediments, silicate rock weathering and volcanic activity. The best recorded atmospheric CO₂ variability is derived from Vostok ice core that records last four glacial/interglacial cycles. The present CO₂ concentration of earth's atmosphere has exceeded far that it was predicted from the ice core data. Other than rapid industrialization and urbanization since last century, geo-natural hazards such as volcanic activity, leakage from hydrocarbon reservoirs and spontaneous combustion of coal contribute a considerable amount of CO₂ to the atmosphere. Spontaneous combustion of coal is common occurrence in most coal producing countries and sometimes it could be in an enormous scale. Remote sensing has already proved to be a significant tool in coalfire identification and monitoring studies. However, coalfire related CO₂ quantification from remote sensing data has not endeavoured yet by scientific communities because of low spectral resolution of commercially available remote sensing data and relatively sparse CO₂ plume than other geological hazards like volcanic activity. The present research has attempted two methods to identify the CO₂ flux emitted from coalfires in a coalmining region in north China. Firstly, a band rationing method was used for column atmospheric retrieval of CO₂ and secondly atmospheric models were simulated in fast atmospheric signature code (FASCOD) to understand the local radiation transport and then the model was implemented with the inputs from hyperspectral remote sensing data. It was observed that retrieval of columnar abundance of CO₂ with the band rationing method is faster as less simulation required in FASCOD. Alternatively, the inversion model could retrieve CO₂ concentration from a (certain) source because it excludes the uncertainties in the higher altitude.     

The design and the development of a hyperspectral and multispectral airborne mapping system

Flexible and cost-effective tools for rapid image acquisition and natural resource mapping are needed by land managers. This paper describes the hardware and software architecture of a low-cost system that can be deployed on a light aircraft for rapid data acquisition. The Hyperspectral and Multispectral Cameras for Airborne Mapping (HAMCAM) was designed and developed in the Geospatial Laboratory for Environmental Dynamics at the University of Idaho as a student-learning tool, and to enhance the existing curriculum currently offered. The system integrates a hyperspectral sensor with four multispectral cameras, an Inertial Navigation System (INS), a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)-capable Global Positioning System (GPS), a data acquisition computer, and custom software for running the sensors in a variety of different modes. The outputs include very high resolution imagery obtained in four adjustable visible and near-infrared bands from the multispectral imager. The hyperspectral sensor acquires 240 spectral bands along 2.7 nm intervals within the 445–900 nm range. The INS provides aircraft pitch, roll and yaw information for rapid geo-registration of the imagery. This paper will discuss the challenges associated with the development of the system and the integration of components and software for implementation of this system for natural resource management applications. In addition, sample imagery acquired by the sensor will be presented.