On the influence of RF absorbing material on the GNSS position

Reflections of the GNSS signal around the antenna induce an error in the measurement of the satellite–receiver distance and therefore should be avoided as much as possible. One solution often used to mitigate these reflections is to apply radio frequency (RF) absorbing material to the antenna, its support or its site. Such material could however alter the antenna phase delay and, in turn, alter the position as calculated from the GNSS observations. We explain under which conditions the RF material will or will not alter the antenna phase delay, and hence in which conditions a re-calibration of the antenna is necessary after the installation of absorbing material. Furthermore, rules of thumb are given to install the material in such a way that re-calibration can be avoided. Some basic theory and measurements of the influence of RF material are reviewed. An application to a real life absorber setup similar to one of the International GNSS Service reference stations is then discussed, and the position offset due to the absorbing material is demonstrated. The topics discussed can serve station managers to limit effects of absorbing material and take precautions to avoid a position bias.     

Diatom-temperature transfer functions based on the altitudinal zonation of diatom assemblages in Papua New Guinea: a possible tool in the reconstruction of regional palaeoclimatic changes

Indirect and direct gradient ordination techniques were used to study the relationship between present-day benthic and periphytic diatom assemblages and environmental factors along an altitudinal gradient in Papua New Guinea. Both within the screened initial data-set and a narrowly-defined subset of soft-water lakes, shifts in diatom assemblages are clearly related to altitudinal differences. This relation is used to construct transfer functions for inferring altitude (and hence average water temperature) from the diatom records. Calibration by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and simple weighted averaging calibration proved to be superior to models using WA with tolerance downweighting and to a simple WA model based on a selection of 52 indicator taxa. From the calibration models and the linear relationship between altitude and epilimnetic water temperature, the average lake water temperature can be predicted with an accuracy of 3.2°C. After further refinement, a transfer function for palaeotemperature based on diatoms would be of potential value for climatic reconstructions in tropical regions.     

Australian research effort for the SKA

The next generation radio telescope being planned is the Square Kilometer Array (SKA): an international project which is currently in the research and development phase. Australia is one of the partner countries in the SKA consortium; here I describe some of the SKA research being undertaken in Australia. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition

The Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition is one of the most intensively studied periods in Earth History. The rapid climate and environmental changes that occurred during the transition can be used to test ideas about the functioning of our climate system. The stratigraphy of this period has been thoroughly investigated and, in particular, the recently proposed event stratigraphy for the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition based on the Greenland ice core records serves as a tool for synchronisation of records from the ice, marine and terrestrial environment.     

The Rwenzori Mountains,a landslide-prone region?

With its exceptionally steep topography, wet climate, and active faulting, landslides can be expected to occur in the Rwenzori Mountains. Whether or not this region is prone to landsliding and more generally whether global landslide inventories and hazard assessments are accurate in data-poor regions such as the East African highlands are thus far unclear. In order to address these questions, a first landslide inventory based on archive information is built for the Rwenzori Mountains. In total, 48 landslide and flash flood events, or combinations of these, are found. They caused 56 fatalities and considerable damage to road infrastructure, buildings, and cropland, and rendered over 14,000 persons homeless. These numbers indicate that the Rwenzori Mountains are landslide-prone and that the impact of these events is significant. Although not based on field investigations but on archive data from media reports and laymen accounts, our approach provides a useful complement to global inventories overlooking this region and increases our understanding of the phenomenon in the Rwenzori Mountains. Considering the severe impacts of landslides, the population growth and related anthropogenic interventions, and the likelihood of more intense rainfall conditions, there is an urgent need to invest in research on disaster risk reduction strategies in this region and other similar highland areas of Africa.     

Method to characterize aquitards above leaky aquifers with water supply wells

Leaky aquifers provide protected drinking water since the aquifer is overlain by an aquitard, and this study develops a method to estimate hydraulic properties of the latter deposit. Steady pumping, supply well shutdowns, and slug tests generate data in adjacent monitoring well clusters that characterize the aquitard. An existing steady model estimates a site-averaged value of the aquitard permeability k if its thickness is known, and this site-averaged estimate may be compared with local k estimates from conventional and extended slug tests. A shutdown attenuation model estimates a local value of the consolidation coefficient C _V, which combines with the local k value to specify the compressibility α of the aquitard. The method is illustrated for the Fowl Meadow Aquifer, a stratified drift deposit used as a drinking water supply in eastern Massachusetts (USA), with an overlying silt aquitard of 10 m thickness. Steady data and theory suggest a site-averaged k of 2.3?×?10^–17?m² for the aquitard, while the shutdown attenuation model generates local C _V values that vary from 10^–5 to 10^–3?m²/s. The slug tests yield a local k variation (10^–17–10^–13?m²) that brackets the site-averaged value, and an α range of 10^–9–10^–7?Pa^–1.     

Cyclic channel-shoal dynamics at the Ameland inlet: the impact on waves,tides, and sediment transport

Ocean Dynamics - Ebb-tidal deltas are shallow features seaward of tidal inlets, acting as a wave filter for the nearby barrier island and a source of sediment for the landward tidal basin. On many...