Application of the weighted residual method to diffraction by 2-D canyons of arbitrary shape: I. Incident SH waves

A solution for the two-dimensional scattering and diffraction of plane SH waves by canyons of arbitrary shape in an elastic half space is presented. The wave field for arbitrary geometry in this paper is computed numerically by the method of weighted residues (moment method). The wave displacement field computed by the present residual method for the case of a semi-circular canyon was shown to agree analytically and numerically with that computed by the exact closed form series solution. The same observations about ground amplifications, their dependence on frequencies and orientations of the incident waves, can be stated here for canyons of arbitrary shape as previously made for circular canyons.     

Two-step deglaciation: 14C-Dated high-resolution δ18O records from the tropical Atlantic Ocean

Eight box cores from the tropical Atlantic were studied in detail with regard to foraminiferal oxygen isotopes, radiocarbon, and Globorotalia menardii abundance. A standard Atlantic oxygen-isotope signal was reconstructed for the last 20,000 yr. It is quite similar to the west-equatorial Pacific signal published previously. Deglaciation is seen to occur in two steps which are separated by a pause. Onset of deglaciation is after 15,000 yr B.P. The pause is centered between 11,000 and 12,000 yr B.P., but may be correlative with the Younger Dryas (10,500 yr B.P.) if allowance is made for a scale shift due to mixing processes on the sea floor. Step 2 is centered near 10,000 yr B.P. and is followed by a brief excursion toward light oxygen values. This excursion (the M event) may correlate with the Gulf of Mexico meltwater spike.     

Equilibrium state of diopside-bearing harzburgites from ophiolites: Geobarometric and geodynamic implications

The bulk compositions of coexisting enstatite and diopside in basal lherzolites and clinopyroxene-bearing harzburgites from ophiolitic complexes are typical of solidus/subsolidus equilibria, but for a few texturally distinct magmatic diopsides. They would presumably reflect the state of equilibrium at the time they last coexisted with liquid as the rocks reentered subsolidus conditions. The total lack of correlation between Al and Ca concentrations shows that the compositional scatter observed for any given massif, results from analytical errors related to extensive exsolution and serpentinization, rather than from differences in equilibrium conditions. However, significant differences are found between the residual ophiolitic lherzolites from Hare Bay, Newfoundland, and from Xigaze, Tibet, two massifs selected for their distinct structural and textural features. As for thermobarometry techniques relevant to these rocks, the best barometer found is an empirical relation for the expression of pressure as a virtually temperature-independent function of the ratioK _f=(X _Di ^opx )/(1 –X _Di ^cpx ), in agreement with semi-quantitative models based on natural solid solutions. Temperatures are then simply derived from a surface-fitting expression relating pressure, temperature and diopside-solvus compositions, according to a regularX _En ^cpx solution model (CMS) corrected for the effect of Al in the spinel facies. Application of these techniques yield pressures of 0.4 and 1.4 GPa, i.e. depths from sea-bottom of about 13 and 43 km, for temperatures of 1,170 and 1,300° C for the ophiolitic lherzolites of Tibet and New-foundland, respectively, in good agreement with dry-solidus data by radioactive tracing and with geothermal-model estimates for ridges.     

Multiple geographies of the Arab Internet

The Arab world plays a relatively minor role in the rapidly changing geographies of global cyberspace. This paper explores the multiple geographies of the Arab Internet. First, it addresses Internet penetration rates, which averaged 7.8 per cent in 2006, although these varied widely among and within the region's countries. Between 2000 and 2006, the number of users jumped by 830 per cent, indicating these geographies are in rapid flux. It then examines the telecommunications infrastructure of the Middle East and North Africa, including fixed and mobile telephone networks and Internet cafes. Third, it turns to the reasons why the Internet has experienced relatively late adoption among Arab countries, including the dominance of the Latin alphabet, high access costs reflecting state-owned telecommunications monopolies, low Arab literacy rates, and restrictive gender relations that keep the proportion of female users low. The paper pays special attention both to government censorship of the Arab Internet as well as resistance to such controls and attempts to utilize the Internet counter-hegemonically. Finally, it explores the impacts of the Internet on some Arab societies, including the opening of discursive communities of politics, the Palestinian–Israeli conflict, Iraq and electronic commerce.     

Unstructured,anisotropic mesh generation for the Northwestern European continental shelf,the continental slope and the neighbouring ocean

A new mesh refinement strategy for generating high quality unstructured meshes of the Northwestern European continental shelf, the continental slope and the neighbouring ocean is presented. Our objective is to demonstrate the ability of anisotropic unstructured meshes to adequately address the challenge of simulating the hydrodynamics occurring in these three regions within a unique mesh. The refinement criteria blend several hydrodynamic considerations as the tidal wave propagation on the continental shelf and the hydrostatic consistency condition in steep areas. Several meshes illustrate both the validity and the efficiency of the refinement strategy. The selection of the refinement parameters is discussed. Finally, an attempt is made to take into account tidal ellipses, providing another cause for anisotropy in the mesh.     

Multispectral thermal infrared mapping of the 1 October 1988 Kupaianaha flow field,Kilauea volcano,Hawaii

Multispectral thermal infrared radiance measurements of the Kupaianaha flow field were acquired with the NASA airborne Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) on the morning of 1 October 1988. The TIMS data were used to map both the temperature and emissivity of the surface of the flow field. The temperature map depicted the underground storage and transport of lava. The presence of molten lava in a tube or tumulus resulted in surface temperatures that were at least 10° C above ambient. The temperature map also clearly defined the boundaries of hydrothermal plumes which resulted from the entry of lava into the ocean. The emissivity map revealed the boundaries between individual flow units within the Kupaianaha field. In general, the emissivity of the flows varied systematically with age but the relationship between age and emissivity was not unique. Distinct spectral anomalies, indicative of silica-rich surface materials, were mapped near fumaroles and ocean entry sites. This apparent enrichment in silica may have resulted from an acid-induced leaching of cations from the surfaces of glassy flows. Such incipient alteration may have been the cause for virtually all of the emissivity variations observed on the flow field, the spectral anomalies representing areas where the acid attack was most intense.     

Electromagnetic 2.5-dimensional forward modelling with a boundary integral formulation

An effective and accurate technique for the numerical solution of 2-D electromagnetic scattering problems with 3-D sources is presented. This solution introduces a set of the usual boundary integral equations and uses a scalar Green's function. In this scalar version, the unknowns of the problem are the boundary values of the longitudinal fields and their normal derivatives in the Fourier domain. A generalization of the usual boundary integral formulation enables us to handle a large class of models composed of piecewise homogeneous domains, including contiguous domains, multiply-connected domains and unbounded domains. This formulation involves the solution of a system of linear equations, and results in a significant saving in computation time in comparison with other rigorous methods.
  The requirements for the numerical implementation of this solution are described in detail. Numerical tests were carried out using the important example of electromagnetic tomography. The specific symmetry properties of the response function in this case are illustrated. Numerical accuracy is verified over a large frequency range, up to 1  MHz.     

An Approach to a Visual Language for Convective Fluid Flows: Visualization of Geophysical Simulations

It was known that deep within numbers and binary data from simulations of geophysical convective flows resided various patterns. Two models of convective fluid flows were being considered. One was a model of two-dimensional (768 × 256) air convection with finite Prandtl number of one and Rayleigh number of 10⁸−10¹⁰, and another was a model of three-dimensional (up to 120 × 120 × 90) mantle convection with infinite Prandtl number and Rayleigh number of 10⁶−10⁸. Clearly, phenomena existed which superceded each individual dimensionless computer model to provide a piece of information regarding actual fluid flows. The problem was how to find, prove, and communicate these patterns and phenomena for convection simulations with gigabytes of data. In a search for such an analytical and communicative tool, the alternative of visualization was considered. The need for visualization was recognized and discussed. Then, utilizing both two- and three-dimensional models of high Rayleigh number convection, basic techniques of style and content were developed. Applications of the visualization techniques were designed utilizing IBM’s Data Explorer in order to create communicative images and movies, and after the applications, the problems of data storage and transfer became apparent. Throughout the process though, it became clear how important the language of vision actually could be in the geophysics community. In a field in which words such as plumes and internal waves have in ways replaced mathematics as the basic language for science, there is a need for another resource, another language-the visualization of convective fluid flows.     

Atmospheric electrical measurements in the Hawaiian islands

Summary An exploration of the electrical properties of the atmosphere on and above the island of Hawaii, as indicated by a portable corona current unit, is described. A 30 foot telescopic mast having a radioactive probe mounted on an insulated bushing and connected by shielded cable to a sensitive microammeter was used. Corona currents were measured at a number of geographic locations ranging from sea level under conditions of heavy surf to the 10,000 foot level on Mauna Kea several thousand feet above the exchange layer, and over the land and ocean in a light plane. Observations were made under clear, cloudy and rainy conditions. Fair weather and cloudy conditions gave currents from air to earth of positive sign. With warm rain falling the currents had a negative sign and increased in value with intensity of precipitation. In several instances indications of incipient discharges similar to that observed in mild lightningstorms were noted.The island of Hawaii has many desirable features to recommend it for an extensive research program in atmospheric electricity. A simple and inexpensive approach to inaugurating such a program is suggested.