The Destruction of Heterogeneous Cometary Grains as the Possible Cause of Variations and Outbursts of Comets' Brightness

It is examined whether the destruction of heterogeneous cometary grains can explain the variation of cometary brightness and comet outburst.Calculations were carried out for water ice grains with carbonoxideinclusions. It was shown that for realistic chosen values of parametersthe comet luminosity can increase by even a few stellar magnitudes.     

The strength and width of Fe Kα lines in Seyferts and their correlations with the X-ray slope

We study properties of Fe K lines of a large sample of Seyfert 1s observed by ASCA . Fits with power laws and Gaussian lines yield the average linewidth and equivalent width of 0.22±0.03 keV and 0.13±0.01 keV, respectively. Thus, the typical lines are weak and narrow. We then obtain the average line profile of all our spectra, and find it to consist of a narrow core and blue and red wings, with the red wing being much weaker than that of e.g. MCG −6-30-15. We obtain three average spectra of Seyferts grouped according to the hardness, and find the equivalent width of the core (originating in a remote medium) to be ≃50 eV in all three cases. The wings are well fitted by a broad line from a disc with strong relativistic effects. Its equivalent width correlates with the slope, increasing from ∼70 eV for the hardest spectrum to ∼120 eV for the softest one. The inner disc radius decreases correspondingly from ∼40 to ∼10 gravitational radii, and the fitted disc inclination is ∼45°. The obtained correlation between the slope and the strength of the broad Fe K line is found to be consistent with the previously found correlation of the slope and Compton reflection.     

A nonhydrostatic unstructured-mesh soundproof model for simulation of internal gravity waves

A semi-implicit edge-based unstructured-mesh model is developed that integrates nonhydrostatic soundproof equations, inclusive of anelastic and pseudo-incompressible systems of partial differential equations. The model builds on nonoscillatory forward-in-time MPDATA approach using finite-volume discretization and unstructured meshes with arbitrarily shaped cells. Implicit treatment of gravity waves benefits both accuracy and stability of the model. The unstructured-mesh solutions are compared to equivalent structured-grid results for intricate, multiscale internal-wave phenomenon of a non-Boussinesq amplification and breaking of deep stratospheric gravity waves. The departures of the anelastic and pseudoincompressible results are quantified in reference to a recent asymptotic theory [Achatz et al. 2010, J. Fluid Mech., 663, 120–147)].     

Interpretation of tracer tests performed in fractured rock of the Lange Bramke basin, Germany

 Two multitracer tests performed in one of the major cross-fault zones of the Lange Bramke basin (Harz Mountains, Germany) confirm the dominant role of the fault zone in groundwater flow and solute transport. Tracers having different coefficients of molecular diffusion (deuterium, bromide, uranine, and eosine) yielded breakthrough curves that can only be explained by a model that couples the advective–dispersive transport in the fractures with the molecular diffusion exchange in the matrix. For the scale of the tests (maximum distance of 225 m), an approximation was used in which the influence of adjacent fractures is neglected. That model yielded nearly the same rock and transport parameters for each tracer, which means that the single-fracture approximation is acceptable and that matrix diffusion plays an important role. The hydraulic conductivity of the fault zone obtained from the tracer tests is about 1.5×10^–2 m/s, whereas the regional hydraulic conductivity of the fractured rock mass is about 3×10^–7 m/s, as estimated from the tritium age and the matrix porosity of about 2%. These values show that the hydraulic conductivity along the fault is several orders of magnitude larger than that of the remaining fractured part of the aquifer, which confirms the dominant role of the fault zones as collectors of water and conductors of fast flow. Received, April 1997 Revised, January 1998, August 1998 Accepted, August 1998     

Towards petascale simulation of atmospheric circulations with soundproof equations

This paper highlights progress with the development of a petascale implementation of general-purpose high-resolution (nonoscillatory) hydrodynamical simulation code EULAG [Prusa et al. 2008, Comput. Fluids 37, 1193]. The applications addressed are anelastic atmospheric flows in the range of scales from micro to planetary. The new modeldomain decomposition into a three dimensional processor array has been implemented to increase model performance and scalability. The performance of the new code is demonstrated on the IBM BlueGene/L and Cray XT4/XT5 supercomputers. The results show significant improvement of the model efficacy compared to the original decomposition into a two-dimensional processor array in the horizontal — a standard in meteorological models.     

Characterization of dissolved organic matter fluorescence in the South Atlantic Bight with use of PARAFAC model: Interannual variability

Systematic water sampling for characterization of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in the coastal South Atlantic Bight, was conducted as part of the long term Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program (CORMP). Water samples were collected during a 3.5 year period, from October 2001 until March 2005, in the vicinity of the Cape Fear River (CFR) outlet and in adjacent Onslow Bay (OB). During this study there were two divergent hydrological and meteorological conditions in the CFR drainage area: a severe drought in 2002, followed by the very wet year of 2003. CDOM was characterized optically by the absorption coefficient at 350 nm, the spectral slope coefficient (S), and by Excitation Emission Matrix (EEM) fluorescence. Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) was used to assess CDOM composition from EEM spectra and six components were identified: three terrestrial humic-like components, one marine humic-like component and two protein-like components. Terrestrial humic-like components contributed most to dissolved organic matter (DOM) fluorescence in the low salinity plume of the CFR. The contribution of terrestrial humic-like components to DOM fluorescence in OB was much smaller than in the CFR plume area. Protein-like components contributed significantly to DOM fluorescence in the coastal ocean of OB and they dominated DOM fluorescence in the Gulf Stream waters. Hydrological conditions during the observation period significantly impacted both concentration and composition of CDOM found in the estuary and coastal ocean. In the CFR plume, there was an order of magnitude difference in CDOM absorption and fluorescence intensity between samples collected during the drought compared to the wet period. During the drought, CDOM in the CFR plume was composed of equal proportions of terrestrial humic-like components (ca. 60% of the total fluorescence intensity) with a significant contribution of proteinaceous substances (ca. 20% of the total fluorescence). During high river flow, CDOM was composed mostly of humic substances (nearly 75% of total fluorescence) with minor contributions by proteinaceous substances. The impact of changes in fresh water discharge patterns on CDOM concentration and composition was also observed in OB, though to a lesser degree.     

Internal catchment process simulation in a snow‐dominated basin: performance evaluation with spatiotemporally variable runoff generation and groundwater dynamics

Hydrologic models have increasingly been used in forest hydrology to overcome the limitations of paired watershed experiments, where vegetative recovery and natural variability obscure the inferences and conclusions that can be drawn from such studies. Models are also plagued by uncertainty, however, and parameter equifinality is a common concern. Physically‐based, spatially‐distributed hydrologic models must therefore be tested with high‐quality experimental data describing a multitude of concurrent internal catchment processes under a range of hydrologic regimes. This study takes a novel approach by not only examining the ability of a pre‐calibrated model to realistically simulate watershed outlet flows over a four year period, but a multitude of spatially‐extensive, internal catchment process observations not previously evaluated, including: continuous groundwater dynamics, instantaneous stream and road network flows, and accumulation and melt period spatial snow distributions. Many hydrologic model evaluations are only on the comparison of predicted and observed discharge at a catchment outlet and remain in the ‘infant stage’ in terms of model testing. This study, on the other hand, tests the internal spatial predictions of a distributed model with a range of field observations over a wide range of hydroclimatic conditions. Nash‐Sutcliffe model efficiency was improved over prior evaluations due to continuing efforts in improving the quality of meteorological data collection. Road and stream network flows were generally well simulated for a range of hydrologic conditions, and snowpack spatial distributions were well simulated for one of two years examined. The spatial variability of groundwater dynamics was effectively simulated, except at locations where strong stream–groundwater interactions exist. Model simulations overall were quite successful in realistically simulating the spatiotemporal variability of internal catchment processes in the watershed, but the premature onset of simulated snowmelt for one of the simulation years has prompted further work in model development. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Various Approaches to Forward and Inverse Wide-Angle Seismic Modelling Tested on Data from DOBRE-4 Experiment

The interpretation of seismic refraction and wide angle reflection data usually involves the creation of a velocity model based on an inverse or forward modelling of the travel times of crustal and mantle phases using the ray theory approach. The modelling codes differ in terms of model parameterization, data used for modelling, regularization of the result, etc. It is helpful to know the capabilities, advantages and limitations of the code used compared to others.This work compares some popular 2D seismic modelling codes using the dataset collected along the seismic wide-angle profile DOBRE-4, where quite peculiar/uncommon reflected phases were observed in the wavefield.The ~505 km long profile was realized in southern Ukraine in 2009, using 13 shot points and 230 recording stations. Double P_MP phases with a different reduced time (7.5–11 s) and a different apparent velocity, intersecting each other, are observed in the seismic wavefield. This is the most striking feature of the data. They are interpreted as reflections from strongly dipping Moho segments with an opposite dip. Two steps were used for the modelling. In the previous work by Starostenko et al. (2013), the trial-and-error forward model based on refracted and reflected phases (SEIS83 code) was published. The interesting feature is the high-amplitude (8–17 km) variability of the Moho depth in the form of downward and upward bends. This model is compared with results from other seismic inversion methods: the first arrivals tomography package FAST based on first arrivals; the JIVE3D code, which can also use later refracted arrivals and reflections; and the forward and inversion code RAYINVR using both refracted and reflected phases. Modelling with all the codes tested showed substantial variability of the Moho depth along the DOBRE-4 profile. However, SEIS83 and RAYINVR packages seem to give the most coincident results.