Vertical and meridional distribution of ethane, acetylene and propane in Saturn’s stratosphere from CIRS/Cassini limb observations

Measuring the spatial distribution of chemical compounds in Saturn’s stratosphere is critical to better understand the planet’s photochemistry and dynamics. Here we present an analysis of infrared spectra in the range 600-1400 cm⁻¹ acquired in limb geometry by the Cassini spacecraft between March 2005 and January 2008. We first determine the vertical temperature profiles from 3 to 0.01 hPa, at latitudes ranging from 70°N to 80°S. We infer a similar meridional temperature gradient at 1-2 hPa as in recent previous studies [Fletcher, L.N., Irwin, P.G.J., Teanby, N.A., Orton, G.S., Parrish, P.D., de Kok, R., Howett, C., Calcutt, S.B., Bowles, N., Taylor, F.W., 2007. Icarus 189, 457-478; Howett, C.J.A., Irwin, P.G.J., Teanby, N.A., Simon-Miller, A., Calcutt, S.B., Fletcher, L.N., de Kok, R., 2007. Icarus 190, 556-572]. We then retrieve the vertical profiles of C₂H₆ and C₂H₂ from 3 to 0.01 hPa and of C₃H₈ around 1 hPa. At 1 hPa, the meridional variation of C₂H₂ is found to follow the yearly averaged solar insolation, except for a strong equatorial mole fraction of 8×10^-7, nearly two times higher than expected. This enhancement in abundance can be explained by the descent of hydrocarbon-rich air, with a vertical wind speed at the equator of 0.25±0.1 mm/s at 1 hPa and 0.4±0.15 mm/s at 0.1 hPa. The ethane distribution is relatively uniform at 1 hPa, with only a moderate 25% increase from 35°S to 80°S. Propane is found to increase from north to south by a factor of 1.9, suggesting that its lifetime may be shorter than Saturn’s year at 1 hPa. At high altitudes (1 Pa), C₂H₂ and C₂H₆ abundances depart significantly from the photochemical model predictions of Moses and Greathouse [Moses, J.I., Greathouse, T.K., 2005. J. Geophys. Res. 110, 9007], except at high southern latitudes (62, 70 and 80°S) and near the equator. The observed abundances are found strongly depleted in the 20-40°S region and enhanced in the 20-30°N region, the latter coinciding with the ring’s shadow. We favor a dynamical explanation for these anomalies.     

Fracture in a heterogeneous medium: a network approach

Fracture in a heterogeneous medium is simulated by a network model. Heterogeneity is introduced by randomly distributing an initial population of cracks on a triangular network of bonds. Each ruptured bond represents a crack. External stresses are applied onto the network and the evolution of the crack population is analysed when the stresses are increased. A crack will propagate to an intact bond if the critical crack extension force is reached. This propagation leads to the coalescence of bonds: crack clusters are formed. When their shapes are complex we approximate them by simpler ones to compute a crack extension force. Crack interactions are introduced by adding for a given bond the contributions of all adjacent dusters. By using this kind of approach combining fracture mechanics and network modelling, we are able to simulate the rupture of a rock specimen under compression/ traction or shear stresses and to give some characteristics of the macroscopic fracture.     

Mn-oxide: a major source of easily mobilisable Co and Ni under reducing conditions in New Caledonia FerralsolsLes oxydes de Mn : une source majeure de Co et Ni facilement mobilisables en conditions réductrices dans les Ferralsols de Nouvelle-Calédonie

Chemical and bacterial reduction and dissolution of Fe and Mn-oxide and the concomitant solubilisation of Co and Ni were studied in a surface horizon of a New-Caledonia Ferralsol. Chemical extractions showed that Mn and Co were in a large part associated in Mn-oxides. The main part of Ni was associated with goethite, but a very small fraction was also associated with Mn-oxides. Anaerobic reducing bacterial activity was responsible for Fe solubilisation at a smaller extent than for Mn solubilisation and consequently for associated metal release. Submicroscopic investigations revealed the presence of a Mn-oxide containing Co, Ni and Al, close to a lithiophorite–asbolane mixed-layers Mn-oxide, which can be considered as a main source of easily available metals in this soil. To cite this article: C. Quantin et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 273–278.     

Surface-rupturing history of the Bree fault scarp, Roer Valley graben: Evidence for six events since the late Pleistocene

Since 1996 paleoseismological investigations have been used to develop the surface- rupturing history of the Bree fault scarp, the morphologically best-defined segment of the southwestern border fault of the Roer Valley graben in northeastern Belgium. The first studies determined that the escarpment is associated with a surface fault, and they exposed evidence for three surface displacements since about 40 ka BP. The most recent eventprobably occurred between 1000 and 1350 yr cal BP. Geophysical and trenching studies at a new site near the southeastern end of the fault scarp reconfirmed the coincidence of the frontal escarpment with a shallow normal fault, which displaces the Middle Pleistocene `Main Terrace' of the Maas River, as well as overlying coversands of Saalian to late Weichselian age. Different amounts of displacement shown by the two youngest coversand units indicate two discrete faulting events, but primary evidence for the coseismic nature of these events is sparse. Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating constrainthe age of these events to the Holocene and between 14.0 ± 2.3 ka BP and 15.8 ± 2.9 ka BP, respectively. In addition, four older surface-rupturing events are inferred from the presence of four wedge-shaped units of reworked Main Terrace deposits that are interbedded with coversand units in the hanging wall of the trench and in shallow boreholes. These wedges are interpreted as colluvial wedges, produced by accelerated slope processes in response torejuvenation of the fault scarp, most probably in a periglacial environment. Luminescence dating indicates that five out of a total of six identified faulting events are younger than 136.6 ± 17.6 ka. The antepenultimate event was the largest faulting event, associated with a total fault displacement in excess of 1 m. Thus, the newly investigated trench site represents the longest and most complete record of surface rupturing recovered so far along the Bree fault scarp. This study also demonstrates the viability of the paleoseismological approach to identify past large earthquakes in areas of present-day moderate to low seismic activity.     

Density and temperature determination of neutral hydrogen in coronal structures

High-resolution filtergrams in L have been obtained with a rocket borne instrument and evidence several loop shaped structures which can be seen as absorption features over the solar surface. The optical thickness of these coronal structures is measured with respect to nearby unabsorbed disk features. Their shape and dimension being known from the images, the determination of the neutral hydrogen temperature and density is possible. It is found that temperatures below 10⁵ K and densities of a few 10⁴ hydrogen atoms cm^–3 are compatible with the opacities observed in the structures.     

Impact of spatial resolution on simulated surface water mass transformations in the Atlantic

We analyze the water mass transformation in coarse (1°) and high (1/6°) resolution ocean simulations with the identical configuration of the CLIPPER model and interannual ERA15 forcing function. Climatological characteristics of surface water mass transformation in the two experiments are quite different. The high resolution experiment exhibits a stronger surface transformation in equatorial and tropical regions, in the Gulf Stream area and in the location of the formation of Subtropical Mode Water (STMW), associated with high levels of eddy kinetic energy. The coarse resolution experiment shows a better representation of the transformation rates corresponding to the densest subpolar mode waters and Labrador Sea Water (LSW). This is explained by the differences in lateral mixing procedures between high and coarse resolution experiments. The high resolution 1/6° run is eddy-resolving only in the tropics and mid-latitudes. In these areas eddies are found to enhance the process of water mass transformation compared to the isopycnal diffusion used to parameterized the eddies in the 1° model. Despite its 1/6° resolution, the high resolution model does not adequately represent eddies in the subpolar gyre and Labrador Sea. In these areas the high resolution model fails to correctly simulate water mass transformation because the lateral mixing (provided through the bi-harmonic sub-gridscale parameterization) of newly ventilated waters with surrounding waters is not efficient enough. In contrast in the coarse 1° resolution model, the strong lateral mixing and the unrealistically broad boundary currents imposed by the high diffusivity required for numerical stability mixes newly formed LSW waters with the warmer and saltier waters of the rim current. Finally, it results in a more effective representation of the surface water mass transformation in high latitudes in the 1° model. A possible impact of the increased lateral diffusion in high resolution experiment on the representation of re-stratification in the Labrador Sea was studied in sensitivity experiments with different lateral diffusion coefficients compared to the regional eddy-resolving 1/15° simulation in the subpolar North Atlantic. If the eddies are not resolved in subpolar latitudes (as in the case of 1/6° model), the GM90 parameterization with the coefficient close to 800 m² s⁻¹ provides the closest agreement with the solution of eddy-resolving 1/15° model.     

Experimental study of D/H isotopic fractionation factor of water adsorbed on porous silica tubes

This paper presents D/H isotopic fractionation factor measurements of water adsorbed on porous silica tubes in isotopic equilibrium with water vapor. The fractionation factor is measured as a function of vapor pressure ranging from 10% to 80% RH (relative humidity) at room temperature. It is shown that the fractionation factor between the adsorption film or nanometrically confined water and vapor is smaller than that between bulk liquid water and vapor. A qualitative analysis relates this deuterium depletion to a modification of the zero-point energy of the water isomers in the adsorbed/confined state. Furthermore, the behavior of the fractionation factor with RH shows two different linear trends. The transition between the two (at 60% RH) may indicate the transition from a two-dimensional adsorbed water to a three-dimensional water network.     

Al speciation in tropical podzols of the upper Amazon Basin: A solid-state Al MAS and MQMAS NMR study

In the upper Amazon Basin, aluminum previously accumulated in lateritic formations is massively remobilised in soils by podzolization and exported in waters. We have investigated the speciation of aluminum in the clay-size fractions of eight horizons of waterlogged podzols lying in a depression of a plateau. The horizons illustrate the main steps involved in the podzolization of laterites. They belong to eluviated topsoil A horizons and illuviated subsoil Bhs, Bh and 2BCs horizons of weakly and better-expressed podzols located at the margin and centre of the depression. For the first time, aluminum speciation is quantitatively assessed in soils by spectroscopic methods, namely FTIR, ²⁷Al magic angle spinning (MAS) and multiple-quantum magic angle spinning (MQMAS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results thus obtained are compared to chemical extraction data.Solid-state ²⁷Al MAS NMR spectra enable to distinguish Al bound to organic compounds from that incorporated in secondary mineral phases detected by FTIR. MQMAS experiments additionally show that both chemical shifts and quadrupolar constants are distributed for Al nuclei linked with organic compounds. Similar amounts of chelated Al are obtained from NMR spectra and chemical extractions. The study enables to highlight three major steps in the fate of aluminum. (i) Aluminum is first released by mineral weathering, feeds complexing sites of organic matter and accumulates in subsurface Bhs horizons of weakly expressed podzols (acidocomplexolysis). (ii) Complexes of aluminum with organic matter (Al-OM) then migrate downwards in sandy horizons of better-expressed podzols and accumulate at depth in less permeable 2BCs horizons. (iii) The minor amounts of aluminum present in the 2BCs horizon of the downslope podzol show that aluminum is eventually exported towards the river network, either complexed with organic matter or as Al³⁺ ions after desorption from organic compounds, due to decreasing pH or biodegradation of organic ligands. The direct spectroscopic determination of Al-speciation during the formation of podzolic soils opens new perspectives to trace metal loads in the rivers of the upper Amazon Basin.     

Impact of partial steps and momentum advection schemes in a global ocean circulation model at eddy-permitting resolution

Series of sensitivity tests were performed with a z-coordinate, global eddy-permitting (1/4°) ocean/sea-ice model (the ORCA-R025 model configuration developed for the DRAKKAR project) to carefully evaluate the impact of recent state-of-the-art numerical schemes on model solutions. The combination of an energy–enstrophy conserving (EEN) scheme for momentum advection with a partial step (PS) representation of the bottom topography yields significant improvements in the mean circulation. Well known biases in the representation of western boundary currents, such as in the Atlantic the detachment of the Gulf Stream, the path of the North Atlantic Current, the location of the Confluence, and the strength of the Zapiola Eddy in the south Atlantic, are partly corrected. Similar improvements are found in the Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans, and characteristics of the mean flow are generally much closer to observations. Comparisons with other state-of-the-art models show that the ORCA-R025 configuration generally performs better at similar resolution. In addition, the model solution is often comparable to solutions obtained at 1/6 or 1/10° resolution in some aspects concerning mean flow patterns and distribution of eddy kinetic energy. Although the reasons for these improvements are not analyzed in detail in this paper, evidence is shown that the combination of EEN with PS reduces numerical noise near the bottom, which is likely to affect current–topography interactions in a systematic way. We conclude that significant corrections of the mean biases presently seen in general circulation model solutions at eddy-permitting resolution can still be expected from the development of numerical methods, which represent an alternative to increasing resolution.     

Discovery of two ophiolite complexes of different ages in the Khoy area (NW Iran)

New field and laboratory studies on the ophiolite of Khoy (northwestern corner of Iran) lead to the discovery that there are not one, but two ophiolitic complexes in the Khoy area: (1) an old, poly-metamorphic ophiolite, whose oldest metamorphic amphiboles yielded a Lower Jurassic apparent ⁴⁰K–⁴⁰Ar age, and whose primary magmatic age should logically be pre-Jurassic (Upper-Triassic?); (2) a younger non metamorphic ophiolite of well dated Upper Cretaceous age. To cite this article: M. Khalatbari-Jafari et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).