Geographic perspectives on vulnerability analysis

This special issue of GeoJournal is centered on geographic approaches to vulnerability analysis. Six papers addressing several core areas of active research in vulnerability analysis are included in this volume of work. In particular, network analysis methods, geographic data acquisition and use, measurement of vulnerability, evaluation of spatial and temporal variability in vulnerability, as well as related theoretical and policy issues are examined in detail.     

贵州锦丰（烂泥沟）超大型金矿床构造解析及构造成矿作用

在矿区大比例尺填图的基础上,运用构造解析的理论和方法,对贵州锦丰(烂泥沟)金矿的构造特征、构造演化和构造控矿作用进行了系统的阐述。矿区构造线主要分为近NS向、NW向和NE向3组,其中NW向构造线控制了矿区的构造格架。构造变形主要经历了同生期裂陷、造山期挤压、后碰撞造山侧向挤压和岩石圈伸展等4个阶段。盆地裂陷期间(D2-T2)形成的同生断层为后续的构造活动提供了最初的构造薄弱面,并成为主要的热液通道;造山期挤压期间(T3)形成了矿区最为明显的近NS向和NW向大型倒转褶皱和逆冲断层以及配套的NE向右旋走滑断层;后碰撞造山侧向挤压期间(J1)形成走向NE的叠加褶皱,并在F2-F3\"X\"型断裂系上形成近EW向的拉张区,矿质沿着拉张的空间沉淀就位;燕山期(J2-K)岩石圈伸展,形成小规模的近水平逆断层。上述4个主要构造变形阶段与右江盆地的裂陷-闭合-坍塌的发展演化历史相吻合,成矿发生在由挤压向拉张过渡的构造体制转换阶段。造山期逆冲作用形成的构造闭圈和后碰撞造山期间挤压向伸展转变的过程中形成的局部张性构造环境是矿质得以大量聚集、沉淀的主要构造控制因素。构造成矿作用是锦丰(烂泥沟)金矿单一矿体垂向延深1000m以上的主要制约因素。构造成矿的观点将为在滇黔桂\"金三角\"卡林型金矿带的深部找矿提供重要的理论依据。     

The BIMA Survey of Nearby Galaxies (BIMA SONG)

BIMA SONG is a systematic imaging study of the 3 mm CO J = 1 → 0molecular emission within the centres and discs of 44 nearby spiral galaxies on size scales of a few hundred parsecs (6-9"). The overall goal of the survey is to study the role of molecular gas in the evolution of spiral galaxies. To this end, BIMA SONG addresses 1) the distribution and physical conditions of the molecular gas in galactic discs and its relation to star formation, 2) the effects of a stellar bar on the kinematics of molecular gas, including the possible inflow of gas along a bar, and 3) the distribution and role of molecular gas in the central few hundred parsecs of active and quiescent galaxies. The source list includes all (except M33and M31) 44 galaxies of Hubble types Sa–Sd, with declinations δ >−20^°, visual magnitudes B < 11.0, velocities v _hel <2000 km s^-1, and inclinations i < 70^°. Beyond the specific scientific questions we will address, this survey will provide a unique database for astronomers who study galaxies at all wavelengths. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characterization of the atmosphere above a site for millimeter wave astronomy

The Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) is a challeging scientific project managed by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), it is being developed at 30 km North of the city of Cagliari, Italy. The goal of the SRT project is to build a general purpose, fully steerable, 64 m diameter radio telescope, capable of operating with high efficiency in the centimeter and millimeter frequency range (0.3–100 GHz). In portions of this frequency range, especially towards the high end, astronomical observations can be heavily deteriorated by non-optimal atmospheric conditions, especially by water vapor content. The water molecule permanent electric dipole in fact, leads to pressure broadened rotational transitions around the 22.23 GHz spectral line. Furthermore, water vapor’s continuum absorption and emission may influence higher frequency observations too. To a lower degree, cloud liquid black body radiation can also affect centimeter and millimeter observations. In addition to this, inhomogeneities in water vapor distributions can cause signal phase errors which introduce a great amount of uncertainty to VLBI mode observations. The Astronomical Observatory of Cagliari (OA-CA) has obtained historical timeseries of radiosonde profiles conducted at the airport of Cagliari. Through the radiosonde measurements and an appropriate radiative transfer model, we have performed a statistical analysis of the SRT site’s atmosphere which accounts for atmospheric opacity at different frequencies, integrated water vapor (IWV), integrated liquid water (ILW) and cloud cover distributions during the year. This will help to investigate in which period of the year astronomical observations at different frequencies should be performed preferably. The results show that, at the SRT site, K-band astronomical observations are possible all year round, the median opacity at 22.23 GHz is 0.10 Np in the winter (Dec-Jan-Feb) and 0.16 Np in the summer (Jun-Jul-Aug). Integrated water vapor during winter months ranges, on average, between 7 and 15 mm. Cloud cover is usually not present for more than 36% of the time during the year. The atmospheric opacity study indicates that observations at higher frequencies (50–100 GHz) may be performed usefully: the median opacity at 100 GHz is usually below or equal to 0.2 Np in the period that ranges from January to April.     

GESE: a small UV space telescope to conduct a large spectroscopic survey of z∼1 Galaxies

One of the key goals of NASA’s astrophysics program is to answer the question: How did galaxies evolve into the spirals and elliptical galaxies that we see today? We describe a space mission concept called Galaxy Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) to address this question by making a large spectroscopic survey of galaxies at a redshift, z～1 (look-back time of ～8 billion years). GESE is a 1.5-m space telescope with an ultraviolet (UV) multi-object slit spectrograph that can obtain spectra of hundreds of galaxies per exposure. The spectrograph covers the spectral range, 0.2–0.4 μm at a spectral resolving power, R～500. This observed spectral range corresponds to 0.1–0.2 μm as emitted by a galaxy at a redshift, z=1. The mission concept takes advantage of two new technological advances: (1) light-weighted, wide-field telescope mirrors, and (2) the Next-Generation MicroShutter Array (NG-MSA) to be used as a slit generator in the multi-object slit spectrograph.     

Gas Flows and Star Formation in the Ringed Galaxy NGC 4736

We present high-resolution (∼5″) BIMA CO observations of the ringed galaxy NGC 4736, along with previously published VLA HI data (Braun, 1995). Strong CO emission is detected from the star-forming ring at r=45″ and in the central region, where a molecular bar is apparent. The azimuthally averaged gas surface density is still much less than the Toomre critical density within r=60″, despite the starburst conditions in the ring (gas depletion time ≲1Gyr). Both CO and HI velocity fields show strong departures from a circular rotating disc model. The velocity residuals are consistent with inflowing gas near the ends of the central bar, outflowing gas between the bar and the ring, and inflowing gas outside the ring. We propose that the high star formation efficiency in the ring results from gas being driven out towards the OLR of the bar and in towards the ILR of the larger oval distortion. However, the strong signature of inflow outside the ring is probably due in part to gas motion in elliptical orbits. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.