Object Models with Vector Steering

Object models are widely used to model the distribution of facies in a reservoir. Several computer programs exist for modelling fluvial channels or more general facies objects. This paper focuses on a marked point model with objects that are able to orient locally according to a vector field. In this way, objects with locally varying curvature are created. With this kind of objects it is possible to model complex depositional basins, that are not easily modelled with conventional methods. The new object type is called Backbone objects. The objects have a piecewise linear centerline and are able to follow the direction of a three-dimensional vector field locally in lateral and vertical direction. How well the objects follow the vector field is determined by three parameters. Use of different coordinate systems and mapping between the systems make it possible to generate Gaussian random fields that follow the shape and direction of the objects. The Gaussian fields can be used to model petrophysical variables, which is important for fluid flow modelling.     

Tectonic effects of a subducting aseismic ridge: The subduction of the Nazca Ridge at the Peru Trench

A 1987 survey of the offshore Peru forearc using the SeaMARC II seafloor mapping system reveals that subduction of the Nazca Ridge has resulted in uplift of the lowermost forearc by as much as 1500 m. This uplift is seen in the varied depths of two forearc terraces opposite the subducting ridge. Uplift of the forearc has caused fracturing, minor surficial slumping, and increased erosion through small canyons and gullies. Oblique trending linear features on the forearc may be faults with a strike-slip component of motion caused by the oblique subduction of the Nazca Ridge. The trench in the zone of ridge subduction is nearly linear, with no re-entrant in the forearc due to subduction of the Nazca Ridge. Compressional deformation of the forearc due to subduction of the ridge is relatively minor, suggesting that the gently sloping Nazca Ridge is able to slide beneath the forearc without significantly deforming it. The structure of the forearc is similar to that revealed by other SeaMARC II surveys to the north, consisting of: 1) a narrow zone (10 to 15 km across) of accreted material making up the lower forearc; 2) a chaotic middle forearc; 3) outcropping consolidated material and draping sediment on the upper forearc; and 4) the smooth, sedimented forearc shelf.The subducting Nazca plate and the Nazca Ridge are fractured by subduction-induced faults with offsets of up to 500 m. Normal faulting is dominant and begins about 50 km from the trench axis, increasing in frequency and offset toward the trench. These faults are predominantly trench-parallel. Reverse faults become more common in the deepest portion of the trench and often form at slight angles to the trench axis.Intrusive and extrusive volcanic areas on the Nazca plate appear to have formed well after the seafloor was created at the ridge crest. Many of the areas show evidence of current scour and are cut by faulting, however, indicating that they formed before the seafloor entered the zone of subduction-induced faulting.     

Epiphytic orchids and their ecological niche under anthropogenic influence in central Himalayas,Nepal

The survival chance of epiphytic orchids today not only depends on the natural site conditions required by the orchids but also on anthropogenic changes in site conditions.This study answers two questions:(1) What is the ecological niche of the different epiphytic orchid species?(2) What are the ecological factors that threaten epiphytic orchid's population under anthropogenic disturbances? Our study area was the Kathmandu valley,Nepal,with its subtropical forest.We established 156 systematically selected sampling points in the Kathmandu area covering different types of ecosystems under human impacts such as densely populated area,agricultural land,mixed agricultural and settled area,old tree patches,and a natural forest in a national park.The ecological niche of the orchid species was analyzed with a principal component analysis(PCA).The correlations between the different site factors were statistically significant.Spearman's rank correlation matrices showed that the variables land-use intensities with altitude,and height with diameter in breast height(dbh) of host had the highest significant positive correlation coefficient(0.67 and 0.64 respectively).On the other hand,host bark p H and altitude as well as land use had a significantly strong negative correlation coefficient(-0.80 and-0.61,respectively).Different epiphytic orchid species interact differently with the given set ofenvironmental factors:for occurrence of Vanda cristata there is no single environmental factor of special influence,while for Rhynchostylis retusa high bark p H and high light availability are important.First two axis of the PCA explained more than 50% of the total variance.Most orchid species occupy a specific,narrow niche in this ecological space.The main causes of anthropogenic influence of orchid population in the Kathmandu Valley are loss of adequate host trees(species and size) and increasing air pollution,resulting in increasing host bark p H.     

HS 2134+0400—a new very metal-poor galaxy, a representative of the void population?

We present the 6-m SAO telescope spectroscopy of HS 2134+0400, a blue compact galaxy (BCG) discovered within the framework of a dedicated Hamburg/SAO survey for low-metallicity BCGs (HSS-LM). Its very low abundance of oxygen (12 + log(O/H) = 7.44) and other heavy elements (S, N, Ne, Ar) allows this dwarf galaxy to be assigned to the group of eight lowest-metallicity BCGs among the several thousand BCGs known in the nearby Universe. The measured heavy-element abundance ratios (S/O, Ne/O, N/O, and Ar/O) are in good agreement with the typical values found for other very metal-poor BCGs. The spatial location of HS 2134+0400 is atypical of the majority of BCGs: it lies in the Pegasus void, a large region with a very low density of galaxies with normal or higher luminosities. In addition to HS 2134+0400, we found a dozen more very metal-poor galaxies in voids. Therefore, we discuss the hypothesis that this type of objects may be representative for the population of dwarf galaxies in voids.