Flame Emission for Accurate Cesium Determination in Geostandards

Cesium values for 21 geostandards obtained by flame emission spectrometry are presented. Analytical sensitivity was separately determined for each sample by the method of standard addition to cancel effects of chemical interferences. Three types of chemical interferences have been found and their magnitude has been measured. Correction factors have been derived to improve the accuracy of analytical values reported in the literature that were obtained by calibration against a single standard.     

Transformation of global spherical harmonic models of the gravity field to a local adjusted spherical cap harmonic model

The new global gravity models represented by global spherical harmonics like EGM2008 require a high degree and order in their coefficients to resolve the gravity field in local areas; therefore, there are interests to represent the regional or local field by less parameters and to develop a parameter transformation from the global model to a local kind of spherical harmonic model. The authors use local spherical cap harmonics for the regional gravity potential representation related to a local pole and a local spherical coordinate system. This allows to model regional gravity potential with less parameters and less memory requirements in computation and storage. From different kinds of representations of spherical cap harmonics, we have selected the so-called adjusted spherical cap harmonics (ASCH). This is the most appropriate for the presented mathematical model of deriving its coefficients from global gravity models. In that way, the global gravity models can fully be exploited and mapped to regional ASCH, in particular with respect to the computation of regional geoid models with improved solution.     

Scattering of radiation by a large particle with a random rough surface

Intensity and polarization of scattered light by an absorbing spherical particle with a random rough surface and with a radius larger than the wavelength of radiation are investigated. Multiple reflections of incident light on the rough surface are treated based on the multiple scattering theory.Within the limits of our approximation the model gives good agreement with typical scattering features by irregular shaped particles derived by microwave analogue experiments and laser measurements, namely a backward enhancement of the intensity, and a reduction of magnitude of polarization.Our treatment will be provide a powerful tool for studying scattering problems of interstellar and/or interplanetary grains as well as those of asteroids and the Moon.     

Solar Origin of the Radio Attributes of a Complex Type III Burst Observed on 11 April 2001

We report here on the solar origin of distinctive radiation characteristics observed for a decametric type III solar radio burst that was associated with a major solar flare and CME on 11 April 2001. The associated decimeter (Ond?ejov) and meter (Potsdam) wavelength emissions, as well as the GOES soft X-ray lightcurve, suggest that there were two successive events of energy release and electron acceleration associated with this solar eruption. The Nançay radioheliograph images and additional evidence of plasmoid propagation suggest that the second event of electron acceleration resulted from coronal reconfigurations, likely caused by the erupting CME. These observational analyses provide new insights into the physical origin of the distinguishing characteristics of complex type III-like radio emissions that are typically observed at decameter wavelengths during major solar eruptive events.     

Multipoint Observations of Solar Type III Radio Bursts from STEREO and Wind

The twin STEREO and the Wind spacecraft make remote multipoint measurements of interplanetary radio sources of solar origin from widely separated vantage points. One year after launch, the angular separation between the STEREO spacecraft reached 45°, which was ideal for locating solar type III radio sources in the heliosphere by three-spacecraft triangulation measurements from STEREO and Wind. These triangulated source locations enable intrinsic properties of the radio source, such as its beaming characteristics, to be deduced. We present the first three-point measurements of the beaming characteristics for two solar type III radio bursts that were simultaneously observed by the three spacecraft in December of 2007 and in January of 2008. These analyses suggest that individual type III bursts exhibit a wide beaming pattern that is approximately beamed along the direction tangent to the Parker spiral magnetic field line at the source location.     

Stabilization and global climate policy

Academic and political debates over long-run climate policy often invoke “stabilization” of atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs), but only rarely are non-CO₂ greenhouse gases addressed explicitly. Even though the majority of short-term climate policies propose trading between gases on a global warming potential (GWP) basis, discussions of whether CO₂ concentrations should be 450, 550, 650 or perhaps as much as 750 ppm leave unstated whether there should be no additional forcing from other GHGs beyond current levels or whether separate concentration targets should be established for each GHG. Here, we use an integrated modeling framework to examine multi-gas stabilization in terms of temperature, economic costs, carbon uptake and other important consequences. We show that there are significant differences in both costs and climate impacts between different “GWP equivalent” policies and demonstrate the importance of non-CO₂ GHG reduction on timescales of up to several centuries.     

俯冲板片中微量元素的活动性:西天山榴辉岩相运输脉的制约

西天山的基性高压变质岩显示互相连接的榴辉岩相脉体网络来源于蓝片岩的进变质脱水作用,通过这些网脉可以洞察在俯冲带高压条件下远程流体流动中的流体-岩石相互作用和元素负载。岩相学证据表明外来流体的渗透作用产生运输脉,而流体持续的沟道式流动导致主岩蓝片岩的淋滤。脉和蓝片岩蚀变带中锂(Li)的含量几乎是蓝片岩主岩中锂的两倍,它支持流体是外部来源的设想。这些流体触发了蓝片岩主岩的榴辉岩化作用而形成蓝片岩蚀变带。由于成脉流体中的微量元素含量低,所以导致与流体发生化学反应的主岩中所有微量元素的强烈淋滤。在此过程中有53%~81%的微量元素被活化,与大离子亲石元素和轻稀土元素的损失相符合,它们的损失量几乎是重稀土元素和高场强元素损失量的两倍。     

On the geoid–quasigeoid separation in mountain areas

The separation between the reference surfaces for orthometric heights and normal heights—the geoid and the quasigeoid—is typically in the order of a few decimeters but can reach nearly 3 m in extreme cases. The knowledge of the geoid–quasigeoid separation with centimeter accuracy or better, is essential for the realization of national and international height reference frames, and for precision height determination in geodetic engineering. The largest contribution to the geoid–quasigeoid separation is due to the distribution of topographic masses. We develop a compact formulation for the rigorous treatment of topographic masses and apply it to determine the geoid–quasigeoid separation for two test areas in the Alps with very rough topography, using a very fine grid resolution of 100 m. The magnitude of the geoid–quasigeoid separation and its accuracy, its slopes, roughness, and correlation with height are analyzed. Results show that rigorous treatment of topographic masses leads to a rather small geoid–quasigeoid separation—only 30 cm at the highest summit—while results based on approximations are often larger by several decimeters. The accuracy of the topographic contribution to the geoid–quasigeoid separation is estimated to be 2–3 cm for areas with extreme topography. Analysis of roughness of the geoid–quasigeoid separation shows that a resolution of the modeling grid of 200 m or less is required to achieve these accuracies. Gravity and the vertical gravity gradient inside of topographic masses and the mean gravity along the plumbline are modeled which are important intermediate quantities for the determination of the geoid–quasigeoid separation. We conclude that a consistent determination of the geoid and quasigeoid height reference surfaces within an accuracy of few centimeters is feasible even for areas with extreme topography, and that the concepts of orthometric height and normal height can be consistently realized and used within this level of accuracy.     

OH in zoned amphiboles of eclogite from the western Tianshan,NW-China

Chemically-zoned amphibole porphyroblast grains in an eclogite (sample ws24-7) from the western Tianshan (NW-China) have been analyzed by electron microprobe (EMP), micro Fourier-transform infrared (micro-FTIR) and micro-Raman spectroscopy in the OH-stretching region. The EMP data reveal zoned amphibole compositions clustering around two predominant compositions: a glaucophane end-member ( ^B Na₂ ^C M²⁺ ₃ M³⁺ ₂ ^T Si₈(OH)₂) in the cores, whereas the mantle to rim of the samples has an intermediate amphibole composition ( ^A _0.5 ^B Ca_1.5Na_0.5 ^C M ²⁺ _4.5 M _0.5^{3+ T} Si_7.5Al_0.5(OH)₂) (A = Na and/or K; M ²⁺ = Mg and Fe²⁺; M ³⁺ = Fe³⁺ and/or Al) between winchite (and ferro-winchite) and katophorite (and Mg-katophorite). Furthermore, we observed complicated FTIR and Raman spectra with OH-stretching absorption bands varying systematically from core to rim. The FTIR/Raman spectra of the core amphibole show three lower-frequency components (at 3,633, 3,649–3,651 and 3,660–3,663 cm⁻¹) which can be attributed to a local O(3)-H dipole surrounded by ^{M(1) M(3)}Mg₃, ^{M(1) M(3)}Mg₂Fe²⁺ and ^{M(1) M(3)} Fe²⁺ ₃, respectively, an empty A site and ^T Si₈ environments. On the other hand, bands at higher frequencies (3,672–3,673, 3,691–3,697 and 3,708 cm⁻¹) are observable in the rims of the amphiboles, and they indicate the presence of an occupied A site. The FTIR and Raman data from the OH-stretching region allow us to calculate the site occupancy of the A, M(1)–M(3), T sites with confidence when combined with EPM data. By contrast M(2)- and M(4) site occupancies are more difficult to evaluate. We use these samples to highlight on the opportunities and limitations of FTIR OH-stretching spectroscopy applied to natural high pressure amphibole phases. The much more detailed cation site occupancy of the zoned amphibole from the western Tianshan have been obtained by comparing data from micro-chemical and FTIR and/or Raman in the OH-stretching data. We find the following characteristic substitutions Si(T-site) (Mg, Fe)[M(1)–M(3)-site] → Al(T-site) Al[M(1)–M(3)-site] (tschermakite), Ca(M4-site)□ (A-site) → Na(M4-site) Na + K(A-site) (richterite), and Ca(M4-site) (Mg, Fe) [M(1)–M(3)-site] → Na(M4-site) Al[M(1)–M(3)-site] (glaucophane) from the configurations observed during metamorphism.