Relating stellar cycle periods to dynamo calculations

Stellar magnetic activity in slowly rotating stars is often cyclic, with the period of the magnetic cycle depending critically on the rotation rate and the convective turnover time of the star. Here we show that the interpretation of this law from dynamo models is not a simple task. It is demonstrated that the period is (unsurprisingly) sensitive to the precise type of non-linearity employed. Moreover the calculation of the wave-speed of plane-wave solutions does not (as was previously supposed) give an indication of the magnetic period in a more realistic dynamo model, as the changes in length-scale of solutions are not easily captured by this approach. Progress can be made, however, by considering a realistic two-dimensional model, in which the radial length-scale of waves is included. We show that it is possible in this case to derive a more robust relation between cycle period and dynamo number. For all the non-linearities considered in the most realistic model, the magnetic cycle period is a decreasing function of | D | (the amplitude of the dynamo number). However, discriminating between different non-linearities is difficult in this case and care must therefore be taken before advancing explanations for the magnetic periods of stars.     

Health of red morwong, Cheilodactylus fuscus, and rock cale, Crinodus lophodon, from Sydney cliff-face sewage outfalls

Health of red morwong, Cheilodactylus fuscus and rock cale, Crinodus lophodon was assessed using histology to determine effects of the Sydney cliff outfalls on these two species. Ten individuals of each species were sampled from three outfall sites and three control sites. Benign epitheliocystis, presence of metazoan parasites, epithelial lifting, telangiectasis, haemorrhage and inflammation were found in the gills of some individuals. Hemosiderin was present in melanomacrophage aggregates in liver and spleen of some fish and also in kidneys of a few fish collected in Malabar outfall site. Hyaline droplets were present in tubular epithelium in kidney of some fish, particularly in the individuals collected from Malabar. Although for some changes there was a trend of greater prevalence at the outfall sites, there was no statistically significant difference between the fish from outfall sites and control sites. Most changes were species specific and the differences were statistically significant. This suggests problems with extrapolating results from one species to others. Greater replication, smaller range of size, chemical analysis of tissue residues as well as better knowledge of the fate of sewage and oceanographic processes would improve interpretation of any future surveys. A multidisciplinary approach would be most beneficial for pollution studies.     

Reconstructing the iron cycle from the horizontal distribution of metals in the sediment of Baldeggersee

In Baldeggersee, the distributions of solid phase Fe, Mn, V, Cr, As and Mo were determined in different sediment strata, deposited under various deep-water oxygen conditions. Iron concentrations are correlated with water depth when an anoxic sediment is in contact with an oxic water column. Benthic redox gradients trigger iron transport towards the deepest site (geochemical focusing) and loss of iron from the shallower parts through the outflow. Fe cycling in the lake is inhibited by oxygen penetration into the sediment. Vanadium and arsenic can be used as tracers for the internal Fe cycle. Their distribution patterns are highly correlated with iron. In case of a stable oxycline in the deep water, Mo is enriched in the sediment and correlates with Mn. The horizontal distribution patterns of Fe, V, As and the correlation of Fe and Mn with trace metals are promising proxy indicators for the reconstruction of deep-water oxygen conditions during deposition.     

Detection of the Kuiper bands in the spectrum of Titan

3ew spectra of Titan centered at 7500 Å, at resolutions of 4 and 1 Å are presented. Weak absorptions coincident with features observed in the spectra of Uranus and Neptune are found. This observation suggests methane abundances in excess of 1 km-am, thereby emphasizing the complexity of line formation in Titan's atmosphere. The question of the total atmospheric pressure of Titan must be reexamined.     

Overstrength of dowelled CLT connections under monotonic and cyclic loading

This paper presents an evaluation of overstrength based on an experimental study on dowelled connections in Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). Connection overstrength needs to be well understood in order to ensure that ductile system behaviour and energy dissipation can be achieved under seismic loading. Overstrength is defined as the difference between the code-based strength, using characteristic material strengths, and the 95th percentile of the true strength distribution. Many aspects contribute to total connection overstrength, which makes its definition challenging. In this study, half-hole embedment tests were performed on CLT to establish embedment strength properties and three point bending tests were performed to determine the fastener yield moment. Different connection layouts, making use of mild steel dowels and an internal steel plate, were tested under monotonic and cyclic loading to evaluate theoretically determined overstrength values and study the influence of cyclic loading on overstrength. Experimental results were compared with strength predictions from code provisions and analytical models for ductile response under monotonic loading. It was found that cyclic loading does not significantly influence overstrength for connections that respond in a mixed-mode ductile way indicating that in future more expedient monotonic test campaigns could be used. This work also provides further experimental data and theoretical considerations necessary for the estimation of a generally applicable overstrength factor for dowelled CLT connections.     

Rock physics model of tight oil siltstone for seismic prediction of brittleness

Tight oil siltstones are rocks with complex structure at pore scale and are characterized by low porosity and low permeability at macroscale. The production of tight oil siltstone reservoirs can be increased by hydraulic fracturing. For optimal fracking results, it is desirable to map the ability to fracture based on seismic data prior to fracturing. Brittleness is currently thought to be a key parameter for evaluating the ability to fracture. To link seismic information to the brittleness distribution, a rock physics model is required. Currently, there exists no commonly accepted rock physics model for tight oil siltstones. Based on the observed correlation between porosity and mineral composition and known microstructure of tight oil siltstone in Daqing oilfield of Songliao basin, we develop a rock physics model by combining the Voigt–Reuss–Hill average, self-consistent approximation and differential effective medium theory. This rock physics model allows us to explore the dependence of the brittleness on porosity, mineral composition, microcrack volume fraction and microcrack aspect ratio. The results show that, as quartz content increases and feldspar content decreases, Young's modulus tends to increase and Poisson ratio decreases. This is taken as a signature of higher brittleness. Using well log data and seismic inversion results, we demonstrate the versatility of the rock physics template for brittleness prediction.     

Sensitivity of Simulated Hyporheic Exchange to River Bathymetry: The Steinlach River Test Site

This study determines the aspects of river bathymetry that have the greatest influence on the predictive biases when simulating hyporheic exchange. To investigate this, we build a highly parameterized HydroGeoSphere model of the Steinlach River Test Site in southwest Germany as a reference. This model is then modified with simpler bathymetries, evaluating the changes to hyporheic exchange fluxes and transit time distributions. Results indicate that simulating hyporheic exchange with a high-resolution detailed bathymetry using a three-dimensional fully coupled model leads to nested multiscale hyporheic exchange systems. A poorly resolved bathymetry will underestimate the small-scale hyporheic exchange, biasing the simulated hyporheic exchange towards larger scales, thus leading to overestimates of hyporheic exchange residence times. This can lead to gross biases in the estimation of a catchment's capacity to attenuate pollutants when extrapolated to account for all meanders along an entire river within a watershed. The detailed river slope alone is not enough to accurately simulate the locations and magnitudes of losing and gaining river reaches. Thus, local bedforms in terms of bathymetric highs and lows within the river are required. Bathymetry surveying campaigns can be more effective by prioritizing bathymetry measurements along the thalweg and gegenweg of a meandering channel. We define the gegenweg as the line that connects the shallowest points in successive cross-sections along a river opposite to the thalweg under average flow conditions. Incorporating local bedforms will likely capture the nested nature of hyporheic exchange, leading to more physically meaningful simulations of hyporheic exchange fluxes and transit times.     

Communicating landscape hydrology — the water cycle in a box

Physical models are a well‐established tool in education to strengthen hydrological understanding. They facilitate the straightforward visualization of hydrological processes and allow the communication of hydrological concepts, research and questions of general interest to the public. In order to visualize the water cycle in a landscape of postglacial sediments, in particular the subsurface part, a physical model was constructed. In two videos, (1) a detailed construction manual and (2) visualization examples of hydrological concepts and processes are presented. With our contribution, we like to encourage professionals in the field of hydrology to share methods and tools of knowledge transfer and communication of hydrological concepts. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.