Stability of the subseismic wave equation for the Earth's fluid core

Abstract

The effects of compressibility on the stability of internal oscillations in the Earth's fluid core are examined in the context of the subseismic approximation for the equations of motion describing a rotating, stratified, self-gravitating, compressible fluid in a thick shell. It is shown that in the case of a bounded fluid the results are closely analogous to those derived under the Boussinesq approximation.     

Assessing possible changes in flood frequency due to climate change in mid‐sized watersheds in New York State,USA

The frequency of flooding is often presumed to increase with climate change because of projected increases in rainfall intensities. In this paper, using 50‐plus years of historical discharge and meteorological data from three watersheds in different physiographic regions of New York State, USA, we find that annual maximum stream discharges are associated with 20% or less of the annual maximum rainfall events. Instead of rainfall events, approximately 20% of annual maximum stream discharges are associated with annual maximum snowmelt events while 60% of annual maximum discharges are associated with moderate rainfall amounts and very wet soil conditions. To explore the potential for changes in future flood risk, we employed a compound frequency distribution that assumes annual maximum discharges can be modelled by combining the cumulative distribution functions of discharges resulting from annual maximum rainfall, annual maximum snowmelt, and occurrences of moderate rain on wet soils. Basing on a compound frequency distribution comprised of univariate general extreme value (GEV) and gamma distributions, we found that a hypothetical 20% increase in the magnitude of rainfall‐related stream discharge results in little change in 96th percentile annual maximum discharge. For the 99th percentile discharge, two waterbodies in our study had a 10% or less increase in annual maximum discharge when annual maximum rainfall‐related discharges increased 20% while the third waterbody had a 16% increase in annual maximum discharges. Additionally, in some cases, annual maximum discharges could be offset by a reduction in the discharge resulting from annual maximum snowmelt events. While only intended as a heuristic tool to explore the interaction among different flood‐causing mechanisms, use of a compound flood frequency distribution suggests a case can be made that not all waterbodies in humid, cold regions will see extensive changes in flooding due to increased rainfall intensities. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of the closure of a major sewage outfall on sublittoral, soft sediment benthic communities

The present study examines the benthos within western inner Swansea Bay (Wales, UK), for the period before, during and immediately after the cessation of a major, sewage discharge from Mumbles Head. There have been significant improvements in seawater quality and changes in the species composition of the benthic communities following the cessation of the sewage discharge. There has been an increase in the diversity of deposit feeders, especially the amphipods, and a decrease in the diversity of the filter feeders, especially the polychaetes. Changes are not attributable either to sediment organic matter content or to gross changes in sediment type, but are related to the significant reduction in suspended particulate organic material and sewage contaminants discharged to the Bay. A recovery model has been proposed to describe how soft sediment benthic communities in a shallow, sublittoral, high tidal energy environment respond to the abrupt cessation of a major sewage discharge.     

The azimuthal variation of teleseismic P-wave residuals for stations in southern California

A study of teleseismic P-residuals for 13 stations in southern California reveals that these vary systematically with the azimuth of the event; the residuals generally tend to be negative in the NW and SE quadrants. This effect is greatest in the north of the region: a maximum peak-to-peak variation of 1.3 sec with residuals as low as ?0.9 sec was observed at Isabella. The delays become less negative further south in the region, and at the southernmost station, Glamis, delays of up to +0.75 sec were observed to the west. The latter may be associated with velocity decreases in the active geothermal areas of the Imperial Valley. A simple model, consisting of a region some 175 km wide and 100 km thick at a depth of approximately 100 km in which a velocity increase of up to 0.45 km/sec occurs, is proposed to account for the observed variations. This region trends NW-SE approximately parallel to the North America-Pacific plate boundary. The proposed velocity changes are consistent with a pinching out of the low-velocity (partial melting) zone under the area, such as has been proposed to explain the low heat flow in the Sierra Nevada, and may be related to the presence of an ancient (～ 30 m.y.) subduction zone under southern California.     

Helium isotope geochemistry of mid-ocean ridge basalts from the South Atlantic

We report new helium isotope results for 49 basalt glass samples from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between 1°N and 47°S.³He/⁴He in South Atlantic mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) varies between 6.5 and 9.0 R_A (R_A is the atmospheric ratio of1.39 × 10⁻⁶), encompassing the range of previously reported values for MORB erupted away from high³He/⁴He hotspots such as Iceland. He, Sr and Pb isotopes show systematic relationships along the ridge axis. The ridge axis is segmented with respect to geochemical variations, and local spike-like anomalies in³He/⁴He, Pb and Sr isotopes, and trace element ratios such as(La/Sm)_N are prevalent at the latitudes of the islands of St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Gough to the east of the ridge. The isotope systematics are consistent with injection beneath the ridge of mantle “blobs” enriched in radiogenic He, Pb and Sr, derived from off-axis hotspot sources. The variability in³He/⁴He along the ridge can be used to refine the hotspot source-migrating-ridge sink model.

MORB from the 2–7°S segment are systematically the least radiogenic samples found along the mid-ocean ridge system to date. Here the depleted mantle source is characterized by⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.7022, Pb isotopes close to the geochron and with²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb of 17.7, and³He/⁴He of 8.6–8.9 R_A. The “background contamination” of the subridge mantle, by radiogenic helium derived from off-ridge hotspots, displays a maximum between 20 and 24°S. The HePb and HeSr isotope relations along the ridge indicate that the³He/⁴He ratios are lower for the hotspot sources of St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Gough than for the MORB source, consistent with direct measurements of³He/⁴He ratios in the island lavas. Details of the HeSrPb isotope systematics between 12 and 22°S are consistent with early, widespread dispersion of the St. Helena plume into the asthenosphere, probably during flattening of the plume head beneath the thick lithosphere prior to continental breakup. The geographical variation in theHe/Pbratio deduced from the isotope systematics suggests only minor degassing of the plume during this stage. Subsequently, it appears that the plume component reaching the mid-Atlantic ridge was partially outgassed of He during off-ridge hotspot volcanism and related melting activity.

Overall, the similar behavior of He and Pb isotopes along the ridge indicates that the respective mantle sources have evolved under conditions which produced related He and Pb isotope variations.     

Comparability of Large-Scale Studies of Agricultural Chemical Contamination of Rural Private Wells

Detection of agricultural chemicals in ground water has prompted numerous studies. Federal, state, and regional studies were conducted in the last 10 years in order to assess the occurrence of agricultural chemicals in ground water. The results of the studies present the number or percentage of samples with agricultural chemicals above the drinking water standard or health advisory levels as well as samples with detections of one or more compounds. Data comparison from one state or region to another are frequently referred to by regulatory and agency personnel involved in water quality and agriculture issues. Unless the history of pesticide use, method of chemical analyses, detection limits, statistical design of the sampling plan, well type, well depth, geology of the formation material, and typical land use around the wellhead are known, such comparisons can be misleading. Reporting the limitations or presenting a disclaimer should be a key element for a study so that "apples and oranges" are not compared.     

Comprehensive Utilization of Vanadium–Titanium Magnetite Deposits in China Has Come to a New Level

There are two production areas for vanadium-titanium magnetite deposits in China:the Panzhihua area in Sichuan Province and the Chengde area in Hebei Province. The Panzhihua vanadium titanomagnetite iron ore deposits are hosted by a mafic-ultramafic intrusive complex,and belong to late magmatic differentiation condensation of crystalline iron deposits.The rock mass is characterized by good differentiation,clear and differentiated facies zones and rhythm.The rock assemblage can be divided into the following rock facies combination:gabbro,gabbro-norite,gabbro troctolite,gabbro-plagioclase,gabbro-eclogite-olivine pyroxenite,and diabase types.The orebodies occur mostly as close-bedded,distributed in the dark facies zone in the bottom layers of the middle or lower part of the stratiform rock mass.The main ore minerals are granular ilmenite,magnetite,ilmenite spar,and magnesium aluminum spinel,with small amounts of pyrrhotite,pyrite and cobalt,nickel and copper sulfide.The ores have siderite and mosaic textures and occur as compact massive,banded and disseminated structures;they consist of TFeO 20％-45％,TiO2 3％-16％,V2O50.15％-0.5％,Cr2O30.1％-0.38％,associated with trace amounts of Cu,Co,Ni,Ga,Mn,P,Se,Te,Sc and Pt group elements.