Size of flatfish larvae at transformation, functional demands and historical constraints

At hatching the larvae of flatfish closely resemble the bilateral symmetric larvae of other teleosts, especially perciforms. Literature data show that transformation to asymmetric benthic juveniles normally occurs at body lengths between 10 and 25 mm. Unexpectedly, minimal size at its completion (including eye migration) can be 4.1 mm SL and maximal size is over 72 mm. In this paper we consider the functional requirements for a successful switch from a symmetric pelagic larva to a typical asymmetric juvenile benthic flatfish partly based on evidence from other teleosts. The unfavourable period of eye migration and transition to a benthic habitat requires some food reserves and rewiring and/or recalibration of vision and gravity-associated structures utilised previously by the still symmetric larvae for e.g. food detection. Binocular fixation of the prey probably occurs in that stage. Critical or sensitive periods occurring during development of fish larvae suggest that a completely functional symmetric stage of development must precede transformation. The normal size range in flatfish larvae at transformation seems to confirm our considerations. Recent data on temperature effects during development provide an explanation for metamorphosis at the minimal size. Some evidence for paedomorphic heterochrony in flatfish larvae is presented.     

A correcting “prism” for underwater viewpoints

The angular field observable in water by an observer in air depends on the configuration of the air-water interface. When the interface is a plane, the absolute limit to observable field is about from the normal to the interface. A practical limit, because of lateral chromatic aberration is considerably less, approximately 30°. A conventionally used configuration in research submersibles, is a polymethyl methacrylate port with inner and outer surfaces parallel. This has the same optical limitations as the plane air-water interface. It is shown that if the inner and outer surfaces are not required to be parallel to each other, there are solutions which permit extending the observable field to nearly a full hemisphere with acceptably small distortion and lateral chromatic aberration.     

Stratigraphic framework of gas accumulations in the Ría de Pontevedra (NW Spain)

Knowledge of marine geological environments in which shallow gas is accumulating is becoming increasingly important in global studies of climate change because a measurable proportion of the total methane source comes from continental margins. Previous studies have revealed that coastal environments represent important geological environments where microbial methane is being generated, is accumulating, and is being released. In the Ría de Pontevedra, at least 4.5 km² of seafloor in the innermost part of the ría is underlain by sediments containing natural gas. Seismic interpretation contributes new findings for the definition of periods and geological environments in which the gas could have been generated, and is accumulating and released in the Ría de Pontevedra. Groundtruthing the seismic data (facies, environments) makes it possible to identify favourable geological environments for gas generation in the sedimentary infill of the Ría de Pontevedra. Sequence stratigraphy based on high-resolution seismic profiles and post-Last Glacial Maximum sea-level records makes it possible to establish the stratigraphic architecture of the ría and to define the periods in which gas could have been generated. The results of this study show that the sedimentary infill is composed of a fifth-order sequence developed since the Last Glacial Maximum. Within this sequence, gas appears to have accumulated in the Holocene deposits associated with the latest transgressive and highstand system tracts. Seismic analysis shows that gas could have been generated in different geological environments in the Ría de Pontevedra. If coastal environments at times of lower sea level were similar to those of the present, organic-rich mud deposits (deposited mainly in lakes, estuaries and floodplains) could have survived transgression and remained buried as potential gas sources in the inner part of the ría.     

The thermal continuum in coronal loops: The influence of finite resistivity on the continuous spectrum

The normal mode spectrum for the linearized MHD equations is investigated for a cylindrical equilibrium. This spectrum is examined for zero perpendicular thermal conduction, with both zero and non-zero scalar resistivity. Particular attention is paid to the continuous branches of this spectrum, or continuous spectra. For zero resistivity there are three types of continuous spectra present, namely the Alfvén, slow, and thermal continua. It is shown that when dissipation due to resistivity is included, the slow and Alfvén continua are removed and that the thermal continuum is shifted to a different position (where the shift is independent of the exact value of resistivity). The old location of the thermal continuum is covered by a dense set of nearly singular discrete modes called a quasi-continuum. The quasi-continuum is investigated numerically, and the eigenfunctions are shown to have rapid spatial oscillating behaviour. These oscillations are confined to the most unstable part of the equilibrium based on the Field criterion, and may be the cause of fine structure in prominences.     

Spin rate estimation of sounding rockets using GPS wind-up

Carrier phase wind-up is a well-known effect that arises from the relative rotation between a transmitting and receiving antenna. In GPS measurements at L1 frequency, this effect translates into an error of 19.029 cm per full relative rotation of antennas. Since this effect is independent of the satellite elevation for pure rotation about the antenna boresight axis, it is usually absorbed by the clock estimation in navigation algorithms. Therefore, the impact of wind-up is usually neglected for applications that do not require accuracies to the cm level like RTK. However, in receiving platforms with high rotation rate, the accumulated wind-up value can be important and actually be larger than receiver noise or even ionospheric variations. Therefore, in such scenarios, the wind-up contribution can be isolated and used as a source of information to compute the spin rate of such platforms using an appropriate combination of GPS observables. This work shows some results of a coarse, yet simple, approach to monitor the rotation angle and spin-rate of spin stabilized sounding rockets flown by DLR.     

Simulations of 3D DC borehole resistivity measurements with a goal-oriented <Emphasis Type="Italic">hp</Emphasis> finite-element method. Part II: through-casing resistivity instruments

We simulate direct current (DC) borehole resistivity measurements acquired in steel-cased deviated wells for the assessment of rock formation properties. The assumed data acquisition configuration considers one current (emitter) and three voltage (collector) electrodes that are utilized to measure the second difference of the electric potential along the well trajectory. We assume a homogeneous, 1.27-cm-thick steel casing with resistivity equal to 10^− 5 Ω· m. Simulations are performed with two different numerical methodologies. The first one is based on transferring two-dimensional (2D) axisymmetric optimal grids to a three-dimensional (3D) simulation software. The second one automatically produces optimal 3D grids yielded by a 3D self-adaptive goal-oriented algorithm. Both methodologies utilize high-order finite elements (FE) that are specially well-suited for problems with high-contrast coefficients and rapid spatial variations of the electric field, as it occurs in simulations that involve steel-cased wells. The method based on transferring 2D-optimal grids is efficient in terms of CPU time (few seconds per logging position). Unfortunately, it may produce inaccurate 3D simulations in deviated wells, even though the error remains below 1% for the axisymmetric (vertical) well. The method based on optimal 3D grids, although less efficient in terms of CPU time (few hours per logging position), produces more accurate results that are validated by a built-in a posteriori error estimator. This paper provides the first existing simulations of through-casing resistivity measurements in deviated wells. Simulated resistivity measurements indicate that, for a 30° deviated well, measurements in conductive layers 0.01 Ω· m) are similar to those obtained in vertical wells. However, in resistive layers (10,000 Ω· m), we observe 100% larger readings in the 30° deviated well. This difference becomes 3,000% for the case of a 60° deviated well. For this highly-deviated well, readings corresponding to the conductive formation layer are about 30% smaller in magnitude than those in a vertical well. Shoulder effects significantly vary in deviated wells.     

Water balance in the playa-lakes of an arid environment,Monegros, NE Spain

The playa-lakes of the Monegros desert in north-east Spain are saline wetlands in an arid environment, a rare phenomenon in Europe. These extremely valuable habitats are threatened by changes associated with agricultural expansion and incorporation of new irrigated areas. An understanding of the present hydrologic regime will enable changes to be identified, particularly those brought about by flooding and pollution caused by irrigation surplus. This study sets out to show the results of applying a daily water balance in three selected playa-lakes. The balance was in two parts and consisted of: (1) the average balance for all the endorheic basin using the BALAN_11 program, and (2) the water balance in some playa-lakes, applying discharge flows obtained from the previous balance. The resulting volumes of water were converted to water depths and contrasted with reference volumes taken from field and Landsat images. The model was calibrated by applying various hypotheses of function which enabled the results to be adjusted. The proposed balance is an acceptable reproduction of field water measurements during this period, and underlines the consistency of the conceptual model. The methodology used is appropriate for understanding the playa-lakes function and for monitoring them for conservation purposes.     

Hydrogeochemistry and isotope analyses used to determine groundwater recharge and flow in low-gradient catchments of the province of Buenos Aires,Argentina

The region known as Pampa Plain, in Argentina, is a vast area characterized by slopes of less than 0.05%. The surface sediment is silty sand, mainly Aeolian, referred to as Pampean Loess, which is a phreatic aquifer unit of utmost importance for the water supply of the region. On account of the slight gradient, hydrogeological analyses using only hydraulic measurements are difficult to perform, often leading to confusing results. Thus, the study presented relies on hydrochemical modeling and isotopic determinations as well. The study area comprises three catchments in the inter-mountainous area corresponding to El Moro, Tamangueyú and Seco creeks, and covering 2,570 km² in the province of Buenos Aires. Measurements of piezometric levels and samples of groundwater, surface water and rainwater were carried out between January and March 2005. Major ion results were analyzed by means of hydrochemical graphs and hydrogeochemical modelling using NETPATH. The resulting data show that it is possible to identify local changes in recharge, flow direction and stream/groundwater relationship by using hydrochemical and isotopic information, which may become a useful and more precise tool for the study of particularly flat landscapes.