Modelling multiphase chemistry in deliquescent aerosols and clouds using CAPRAM3.0i

Modelling studies were performed with the multiphase mechanism RACM-MIM2ext/CAPRAM 3.0i to investigate the tropospheric multiphase chemistry in deliquesced particles and non-precipitating clouds using the SPACCIM model framework. Simulations using a non-permanent cloud scenario were carried out for two different environmental conditions focusing on the multiphase chemistry of oxidants and other linked chemical subsystems. Model results were analysed by time-resolved reaction flux analyses allowing advanced interpretations. The model shows significant effects of multiphase chemical interactions on the tropospheric budget of gas-phase oxidants and organic compounds. In-cloud gas-phase OH radical concentration reductions of about 90 % and 75 % were modelled for urban and remote conditions, respectively. The reduced in-cloud gas-phase oxidation budget increases the tropospheric residence time of organic trace gases by up to about 30 %. Aqueous-phase oxidations of methylglyoxal and 1,4-butenedial were identified as important OH radical sinks under polluted conditions. The model revealed that the organic C₃ and C₄ chemistry contributes with about 38 %/48 % and 8 %/9 % considerably to the urban and remote cloud / aqueous particle OH sinks. Furthermore, the simulations clearly implicate the potential role of deliquescent particles to operate as a reactive chemical medium due to an efficient TMI/HO_x,y chemical processing including e.g. an effective in-situ formation of OH radicals. Considerable chemical differences between deliquescent particles and cloud droplets, e.g. a circa 2 times more efficient daytime iron processing in the urban deliquescent particles, were identified. The in-cloud oxidation of methylglyoxal and its oxidation products is identified as efficient sink for NO₃ radicals in the aqueous phase.     

Multifrequency studies of the enigmatic gamma-ray source 3EG J1835+5918

The EGRET telescope aboard the NASA Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory ( CGRO ) has repeatedly detected 3EG J1835+5918, a bright and steady source of high-energy gamma-ray emission which has not yet been identified. The absence of any likely counterpart for a bright gamma-ray source located 25° off the Galactic plane initiated several attempts of deep observations at other wavelengths. We report on counterparts in X-rays on a basis of a 60-ks ROSAT HRI image. In order to conclude on the plausibility of the X-ray counterparts, we reanalysed data from EGRET at energies above 100 MeV and above 1 GeV, including data up to CGRO observation cycle 7. The gamma-ray source location represents the latest and probably the final positional assessment based on EGRET data. We especially address the question of flux and spectral variability, here discussed using the largest and most homogeneous data set available at high-energy gamma-rays for many years. The results from X-ray and gamma-ray observations were used in a follow-up optical identification campaign at the 2.2-m Guillermo Haro Telescope at Cananea, Mexico. VRI imaging has been performed at the positions of all of the X-ray counterpart candidates, and spectra were taken where applicable. The results of the multifrequency identification campaign toward this enigmatic unidentified gamma-ray source are given, especially on the one object which might be associated with the gamma-ray source 3EG J1835+5918. This object has the characteristics of an isolated neutron star and possibly of a radio-quiet pulsar.     

Vegetation and Climate Reconstruction of the Planalto in Rio Grande do Sul, South Brazil (Late Glacial and Holocene)

A 405 cm long core was drilled in the Aparados da Serra National Park (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) at the end of 1999, and in all, 23 samples were taken for palynological investigation. The cores′ age is estimated at 27 000 a BP based on three radiocarbon dates taken from different depths of the core. Palynological methods were used to reconglacial conditions mainly influenced by the South Pole throughout several transition stages to today's humid warm climate, mainly being influenced by the Brazil stream.     

Chemical and biological benefits in a stormwater wetland in Kalmar,SE Sweden

A manmade stormwater wetland in Kalmar, SE Sweden, sized 1 ha and receiving water from residential and road areas, was monitored over the first years after inundation with respect to chemistry and biology. Water flow and chemistry was analysed in years 2–4, mainly on a monthly basis, but, in the final year, every second month. This revealed that total nitrogen, according to the Swedish Environmental Quality Criteria (EQC), typically showed moderate or high concentrations, whereas total phosphorous levels were very high or extremely high. Metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn) concentrations were low or moderate in terms of EQC. Yearly average reduction of nitrogen was 173 kg ha^?1 y^?1, tending to increase over time, and for phosphorous 12.1 kg ha^?1 y^?1, tending to decrease. Vegetation analysis was performed in years 1–4 by noting all species in 27 consecutive zones around the wetland system. This showed that one year after filling with water, the vegetation was already well established with >30 plant species in the entire pond system, and this increased only slightly. After four years, the shoreline vegetation cover had become denser, especially with larger graminoids such as common reed (Phragmites australis) and sea club-rush (Bolboschoenus maritimus), and submersed vegetation almost disappeared. There was a tendency for common species to become more dominant, and for less common species to become rarer. Using sweep net sampling of benthic invertebrates during years 0–2, ca 50 species/higher taxa were observed during the first year, largely because of the appearance of many beetles, especially dytiscids. However, these decreased the following years. Apart from these animals, in the first few months the invertebrate colonisation was dominated by chironomids and corixids, whereas later prominent increases were noticed for the isopod Asellus aquaticus, the snail Physa fontinalis, and the mayfly nymph Cloeon dipterum. The results are discussed in terms of wetland values for biodiversity and nutrient reduction, suggesting that these objectives seem possible to combine in stormwater wetlands.     

How do early successional patterns in man-made wetlands differ between cold temperate and Mediterranean regions?

The early stages of succession in newly created wetlands should be impacted by the region in which the wetland is located, since climate may have filtered the dominant biological strategies of the taxa leading this process and may condition their dynamics. We studied the early successional patterns of macroinvertebrates within man made ponds, located in cold temperate (Scandinavian Peninsula) and Mediterranean regions (Iberian Peninsula), during the first three years following their creation. We predicted (1) non random subsets of the regional species pool (deterministic assembly) guiding the successional process in cold temperate wetlands, and random (stochastic) assembly in the Mediterranean region; (2) higher successional rates in Mediterranean ponds than in the cold temperate ponds, with contrary episodes of highest and lowest change throughout the year; and (3) a significant difference in the composition of biological traits between regions, due to the dominance of traits adapted to hydrological variability in the Mediterranean region. Hypotheses on community structure (1) and the composition of dominant biological traits (3) were mostly supported – deterministic assembly mechanisms in the cold temperate ponds and stochastic assembly in the Mediterranean ponds; and a dominance of different biological traits between regions, explained by the need to overcome hydrological disturbances in the Mediterranean ponds. The dynamics of succession (2) were explained by climatic factors in the cold temperate region but not in the Mediterranean ponds. We suggest that the intrinsic hydrological variability of Mediterranean lentic systems may be a major factor driving community changes in man-made wetlands in this region. In order to generalize the observed patterns, we performed a meta-analysis of the temporal trends of taxonomic distinctness parameters of other successional studies across a latitudinal gradient in Europe, which supported the differences we had observed between latitudinal extremes.     

Wind erosion characteristics of Sahelian surface types

The assessment of wind erosion magnitudes for a given area requires knowledge of wind erosion susceptibilities of the dominant local surface types. Relative wind erosion potentials of surfaces can hardly be compared under field conditions, as each erosion event is unique in terms of duration, intensity and extent. The objective of this study was to determine and compare relative wind erosion potentials of the most representative surface types over a transect comprising most parts of southwestern Niger. For this purpose, mobile wind tunnel experiments were run on 26 dominant surface types. The effects of surface disturbance were additionally determined for 13 of these surfaces. The results, namely measurements of wind fields and mass fluxes, can be classified according to specific surface characteristics. Three basic surface groups with similar emission behaviour and aerodynamic characteristics were identified: (1) sand surfaces, (2) rough stone surfaces and (3) flat crusted surfaces. Sand surfaces feature a turbulent zone close to the surface due to the development of a saltation layer. Their surface roughness is medium to high, as a consequence of the loss of kinetic energy of the wind field to saltating particles. Sand surfaces show the highest mass fluxes due to the abundance of loose particles, but also fairly high PM10 fluxes, as potential dust particles are not contained in stable crusts or aggregates. Rough stone surfaces, due to their fragmented and irregular surface, feature the highest surface roughness and the most intense turbulence. They are among the weakest emitters but, due to their relatively high share of potential dust particles, PM10 emissions are still average. Flat crusted surfaces, in contrast, show low turbulence and the lowest surface roughness. This group of surfaces shows rather heterogeneous mass fluxes, which range from moderate to almost zero, although the share of PM10 particles is always relatively high. Topsoil disturbance always results in higher total and PM10 emissions on sand surfaces and also on flat crusted surfaces. Stone surfaces regularly exhibit a decrease in emission after disturbance, which can possibly be attributed to a reorganization which protects finer particles from entrainment. The results are comparable with field studies of natural erosion events and similar wind tunnel field campaigns. The broad range of tested surfaces and the standardized methodology are a precondition for the future regionalization of the experimental point data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lake Van, Eastern Anatolia, Hydrochemistry and History

Saline, 450-m-deep Lake Van (Eastern Anatolia, Turkey) is, with 576 km³, the third largest closed lake on Earth and its largest soda lake. In 1989 and 1990, we investigated the hydrochemistry of the lake’s water column and of the tributary rivers. We also cored the Postglacial sediment column at various water depths. The sediment is varved throughout, allowing precise dating back to ca. 15 ka BP. Furthermore, lake terrace sediments provided a 606-year-long floating chronology of the Glacial high-stand of the lake dating to 21 cal. ka BP. The sediments were investigated for their general mineralogical composition, important geochemical parameters, and pore water chemistry as well. These data allow reconstructing the history of the lake level that has seen several regressions and transgressions since the high-stand at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Today, the lake is very alkaline, highly supersaturated with Ca-carbonate and has a salt content of about 22 g kg^?1. In summer, the warmer epilimnion is diluted with river water and forms a stable surface layer. Depth of winter mixing differs from year to year but during time of investigation the lake was oxygenated down to its bottom. In general, the lake is characterized by an Na–CO₃–Cl–(SO₄)-chemistry that evolved from the continuous loss of calcium as carbonate and magnesium in the form of Mg-silica-rich mineral phases. The Mg cycle is closely related to that of silica which in turn is governed by the production and dissolution of diatoms as the dominant phytoplankton species in Lake Van. In addition to Ca and Mg, a mass balance approach based on the recent lake chemistry and river influx suggests a fractional loss of potassium, sodium, sulfur, and carbon in comparison to chloride in the compositional history of Lake Van. Within the last 3 ka, minor lake level changes seem to control the frequency of deep water renewal, the depth of stratification, and the redox state of the hypolimnion. Former major regressions are marked by Mg-carbonate occurrences in the otherwise Ca-carbonate dominated sediment record. Pore water data suggest that, subsequent to the major regression culminating at 10.7 ka BP, a brine layer formed in the deep basin that existed for about 7 ka. Final overturn of the lake, triggered by the last major regression starting at about 3.5 ka BP, may partly account for the relative depletion in sulfur and carbon due to rapid loss of accumulated gases. An even stronger desiccation phase is proposed for the time span between about 20 and 15 ka BP following the LGM, during which major salts could have been lost by precipitation of Na-carbonates and Na-sulfates.     

Dense water formation in the Gulf of Lions shelf: Impact of atmospheric interannual variability and climate change

Dense water formed over the continental shelf and cascading down the slope is responsible for shelf-slope exchanges in many parts of the world ocean, and transports large amounts of sediment and organic matter into the deep ocean. Here we perform numerical modeling experiments to investigate the impact of atmospheric interannual variability and climate change on dense water formation over the Gulf of Lions shelf, in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Results obtained for a 140 years eddy-permitting simulation (1960–2100) performed over the whole Mediterranean Sea under IPCC A2 scenario forcings are used to force a regional eddy-resolving model of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea.     

Zur Vorgeschichte des Astrophysikalischen Observatorium Potsdam (1865 bis 1874)

This study analyses the activities which led to the “Denkschrift betreffend die Einrichtung einer Sonnenwarte” (Memorandum on the Establishment of a Sun Observatory) which was written by W. FOERSTER in 1871 and had a decisive influence on the foundation of the Potsdam Astrophysical Observatory (AOP). The complete text of the “Denkschrift” is published occuring for the first time. The history of the effect exerted by that “Denkschrift” up to 1874 is dealt with. Particularly the role of K. F. ZÖLLNER in training H. C. VOGEL who later was the first director of the Astrophysical Observatory as well as ZÖLLNER'S influence on the research program of the observatory is investigated. The attempt to obtain G. R. KIRCHHOFF as director of the observatory is mentioned. In addition to printed sources, mainly the records of the Deutsche Zentralarchiv Merseburg as well as letters recently discovered by the author in archives of the USSR and GDR have been included.     

Measurements of H2S and SO2 over the Atlantic Ocean

Concentrations of sulfur gases H₂S and SO₂ have been measured in the marine atmosphere over the Atlantic Ocean at various sites. Mean values of 40 ng H₂S m^-3 STP and 209 ng SO₂ m^-3 STP are the results of the measurements. A diurnal variation of H₂S concentration was detected on the west coast of Ireland with nighttime concentrations of up to 200 ng H₂S m^-3 STP and values below detection limit (15 ng H₂S m^-3 STP) during daytime.