A seasonal study of the atmospheric dynamics over the Iberian Peninsula based on circulation types

A seasonal analysis of the atmospheric circulation over the Iberian Peninsula (IP) based on circulation types (CTs) obtained from sea level pressure and 500-hPa geopotential height is presented. The study covers the period of 1958–2008, when a high variability and important changes in winter and spring precipitation and temperature have been reported. Frequency, persistence, and the most probable transitions of the circulation types are analyzed. Among the clustering methods available in the literature, two of the most reliable classification methods have been tested, K-means and simulated annealing and diversified randomization. A comparison of both methods over the IP is presented for winter (DJF). The quality of the circulation types obtained through both methods as well as the better stability achieved by K-means suggest this method as more appropriated for our target area. Twelve CTs were obtained for each season and were analyzed. The patterns obtained were regrouped in five general situations: anticyclonic, cyclonic, zonal, summertime, and hybrid-mixed. The analysis of frequencies of these situations offers a similar characterization of the atmospheric circulation that others previously obtained by subjective methods. The analysis of the trends in frequency and persistence for each CT shows few significant trends, mainly in winter and spring with a general decrease of the cyclonic patterns and an increase of the anticyclonic situations. This can be related to the negative precipitation trends reported by other authors. Regarding the persistence, an interesting result is that there is a high interannual variability of the persistence in autumn and spring, when patterns can persist longer than in other seasons. An analysis of the most probable transitions between the CTs has been performed, revealing the existence of cyclic sequences in all seasons. These sequences are related to the high frequency of certain patterns such as the anticyclonic situations in winter. Finally, a clear seasonal dependence of the transitions between cyclonic situations associated with extratropical disturbances was found. This dependence suggests that the transitions of low-pressure systems towards the south of the IP are more likely in spring and autumn than in winter.     

Past,present and future vegetation-cloud feedbacks in the Amazon Basin

To begin exploring the underlying mechanisms that couple vegetation to cloud formation processes, we derive the lifting condensation level (LCL) to estimate cumulus cloud base height. Using a fully coupled land–ocean–atmosphere general circulation model (HadCM3LC), we investigate Amazonian forest feedbacks on cloud formation over three geological periods; modern-day (a.d. 1970–1990), the last glacial maximum (LGM; 21 kya), and under a future climate scenario (IS92a; a.d. 2070–2090). Results indicate that for both past and future climate scenarios, LCL is higher relative to modern-day. Statistical analyses indicate that the 800 m increase in LCL during the LGM is related primarily to the drier atmosphere promoted by lower tropical sea surface temperatures. In contrast, the predicted 1,000 m increase in LCL in the future scenario is the result of a large increase in surface temperature and reduced vegetation cover.     

TNOs are Cool: A Survey of the Transneptunian Region

Over one thousand objects have so far been discovered orbiting beyond Neptune. These trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) represent the primitive remnants of the planetesimal disk from which the planets formed and are perhaps analogous to the unseen dust parent-bodies in debris disks observed around other main-sequence stars. The dynamical and physical properties of these bodies provide unique and important constraints on formation and evolution models of the Solar System. While the dynamical architecture in this region (also known as the Kuiper Belt) is becoming relatively clear, the physical properties of the objects are still largely unexplored. In particular, fundamental parameters such as size, albedo, density and thermal properties are difficult to measure. Measurements of thermal emission, which peaks at far-IR wavelengths, offer the best means available to determine the physical properties. While Spitzer has provided some results, notably revealing a large albedo diversity in this population, the increased sensitivity of Herschel and its superior wavelength coverage should permit profound advances in the field. Within our accepted project we propose to perform radiometric measurements of 139 objects, including 25 known multiple systems. When combined with measurements of the dust population beyond Neptune (e.g. from the New Horizons mission to Pluto), our results will provide a benchmark for understanding the Solar debris disk, and extra-solar ones as well.     

The South America VLF NETwork (SAVNET)

In this paper we present the South America VLF NETwork (SAVNET), a new observing facility at very low frequencies. It has been recently installed at different locations spread over Latin America, in Brazil, Peru and Argentina. It consists of a network of seven Very Low Frequency (VLF) receivers with the main scientific objective of monitoring the solar activity on short (minutes to hours) and long (years) time scales. Other objectives include a better understanding of the spatial structure of the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly, the study of atmospheric phenomena and the search for genuine seismic-electromagnetic effects. After discussing the scientific goals, the details of the installation are presented as well as the first results recently obtained.     

单窗算法的大气参数估计方法

根据地表热辐射传导方程,提出了一个简单可行且精度较高的专门用于从TM6数据中演算地表温度的方法——单窗算法.这一算法把大气和地表状态对地表热传导的影响直接包括在演算公式中.该方法需要两个大气参数进行地表温度的演算,即大气平均作用温度和大气透射率.本文论述这两个大气参数的估计方法:根据大气水分含量或地表附近空气湿度来估计大气透射率;通过分析标准大气剖面资料,尤其是大气水分和气温随高程的变化规律,根据地表温度推算大气平均作用温度.     

Effect of the wind acceleration magnitude during the first stages of the wind-wave generation process

Ocean Dynamics - A comprehensive analysis of the wavefield evolution under accelerated wind conditions provides an essential contribution to understanding the wind-wave generation process. A set of...     

Polygonal terrains on Mars: A contribution to their geometric and topological characterization

Detailed examination of large extensions of polygonal terrains on the surface of Mars and extraction of some characteristic geometric and topological parameters is made possible by the application of image analysis methods to scenes of the Martian surface acquired from orbit. This is illustrated by the analysis of a set of diverse Martian networks, clearly visible in MOC/MGS images with high spatial resolution. It is shown that these networks present, in average, a hexagonal habit, and that they verify two classic laws relative to 2D random networks (those of Lewis and Aboav-Weaire). This research can, through the quantified analysis of the differences and similarities between networks, lead into a much better understanding of the origin and dynamics of this type of features.     

Chemistry of chromium spinel in high-Mg rocks from the Morungava Intrusion,Cretaceous Paraná Igneous Province,southernmost Brazil

Mineralogy and Petrology - Mafic-ultramafic intrusions within continental flood basalt terrains are frequently associated with Cu-Ni-PGE mineralization. This study aims to constrain the...     

High-Order Block Support Spatial Simulation Method and Its Application at a Gold Deposit

Mathematical Geosciences - High-order sequential simulation methods have been developed as an alternative to existing frameworks to facilitate the modeling of the spatial complexity of non-Gaussian...     

Integration schemes with substepping algorithms for creep analysis in geomaterials

This paper describes a robust and efficient methodology for predicting displacements, deformations, and stresses in geomaterials that are susceptible to creep. The methodology is based on two integration schemes, which consider substepping algorithms. The first scheme is used for integrating space-time relations in a global sense, whereas the second scheme is used for integrating stress-stain relations in a local sense. Different from previous studies, both integration schemes are easy to implement and general in the sense that they can be applied to any type of creep law. Through an in-house finite element simulator, several numerical tests are performed. They include triaxial and wellbore closure analyses considering soft soils and salt rocks. The results show that the combination of both schemes leads to stable and accurate solutions with reduced computational time.