Connection Between Chromospheric Events and Photospheric Dynamics

We analyzed chromospheric events and their connection to oscillation phenomena and photospheric dynamics. The observations were done with the New Solar Telescope of Big Bear Solar Observatory using a broad-band imager at the wavelength of a TiO band and FISS spectrograph scanning Ca?ii and Hα spectral lines. The event in Ca?ii showed strong plasma flows and propagating waves in the chromosphere. The movement of the footpoints of flux tubes in the photosphere indicated flux tube entanglement and magnetic reconnection as a possible cause of the observed brightening and waves propagating in the chromosphere. An upward propagating train of waves was observed at the site of the downflow event in Hα. There was no clear relationship between photospheric waves and the Ca?ii and Hα events. Our observations indicate that chromospheric waves that were previously thought to originate from the photosphere may be generated by some events in the chromosphere as well.     

Microbiological response to well pumping

To better constrain sampling strategies for observing biologically sensitive parameters in ground water, we vigorously pumped for 120 h a lightly pumped well completed in a confined glacial aquifer while observing how various physical and chemical parameters evolve in the water produced. The parameters commonly monitored when sampling a well stabilized within about an hour, after 5 wellbore volumes were produced; these parameters include temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, oxidation-reduction potential (Eh), and electrical conductivity. The concentrations of ferrous iron, sulfide, and sulfate and various biological or biologically sensitive parameters, including the concentrations of dissolved hydrogen and methane, direct cell counts, and the microbial community profile, in contrast, required more than 8 h or 36 well volumes to stabilize. We interpret this result to mean that the zone of influence of the wellbore on biologic processes in the aquifer extends beyond the commonly recognized zone where physical properties are affected. A second period of adjustment of these biologically sensitive parameters began after about 50 h of pumping, following displacement of 230 wellbore volumes, and continued to the end of the experiment. During this period, the cell density and the composition of the microbial community suspended in the water samples changed. This finding indicates that the microbial community in and near the wellbore changed in response to pumping and the changes affected aspects of the composition of water produced from the well. The study demonstrates the importance of allowing adequate pumping time when sampling ground water for the analysis of biologically sensitive parameters.     

Application of implicit sub-time stepping to simulate flow and transport in fractured porous media

In general, the accuracy of numerical simulations is determined by spatial and temporal discretization levels. In fractured porous media, the time step size is a key factor in controlling the solution accuracy for a given spatial discretization. If the time step size is restricted by the relatively rapid responses in the fracture domain to maintain an acceptable level of accuracy in the entire simulation domain, the matrix tends to be temporally over-discretized. Implicit sub-time stepping applies smaller sub-time steps only to the sub-domain where the accuracy requirements are less tolerant and is most suitable for problems where the response is high in only a small portion of the domain, such as within and near the fractures in fractured porous media. It is demonstrated with illustrative examples that implicit sub-time stepping can significantly improve the simulation efficiency with minimal loss in accuracy when simulating flow and transport in fractured porous media. The methodology is successfully applied to density-dependent flow and transport simulations in a Canadian Shield environment, where the flow and transport is dominated by discrete, highly conductive fracture zones.     

A generalized transformation approach for simulating steady-state variably-saturated subsurface flow

A numerical method is proposed to accurately and efficiently compute a direct steady-state solution of the nonlinear Richards equation. In the proposed method, the Kirchhoff integral transformation and a complementary transformation are applied to the governing equation in order to separate the nonlinear hyperbolic characteristic from the linear parabolic part. The separation allows the transformed governing equation to be applied to partially- to fully-saturated systems with arbitrary constitutive relations between primary (pressure head) and secondary variables (relative permeability). The transformed governing equation is then discretized with control volume finite difference/finite element approximations, followed by inverse transformation. The approach is compared to analytical and other numerical approaches for variably-saturated flow in 1-D and 3-D domains. The results clearly demonstrate that the approach is not only more computationally efficient but also more accurate than traditional numerical solutions. The approach is also applied to an example flow problem involving a regional-scale variably-saturated heterogeneous system, where the vadose zone is up to 1 km thick. The performance, stability, and effectiveness of the transform approach is exemplified for this complex heterogeneous example, which is typical of many problems encountered in the field. It is shown that computational performance can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude with the described integral transformation approach.     

Tectonics and sedimentation around Kashinosaki Knoll: A subducting basement high in the eastern Nankai Trough

Abstract   When seamounts and other topographic highs on an oceanic plate are subducted, they cause significant deformation of the overriding plate and may act as asperities deeper in the seismogenic zone. Kashinosaki Knoll (KK) is an isolated basement high of volcanic origin on the subducting Philippine Sea Plate that will soon be subducted at the eastern Nankai Trough. Seismic reflection imaging reveals a thick accumulation of sediments (∼1200 m) over and around the knoll. The lower portion of the sedimentary section has a package of high-amplitude, continuous reflections, interpreted as turbidites, that lap onto steep basement slopes but are parallel to the gentler basement slopes. Total sediment thickness on the western and northern slopes is approximately 40–50% more than on the summit and southeastern slopes of KK. These characteristics imply that the basal sedimentary section northwest of KK was deposited by infrequent high-energy turbidity currents, whereas the area southeast of KK was dominated by hemipelagic sedimentation over asymmetric basement relief. From the sediment structure and magnetic anomalies, we estimate that the knoll likely formed near the spreading center of the Shikoku Basin in the early Miocene. Its origin differs from that of nearby Zenisu Ridge, which is a piece of the Shikoku Basin crust uplifted along a thrust fault related to the collision of the Izu–Bonin arc and Honshu. KK has been carried into the margin of the Nankai Trough, and its high topography is deflecting Quaternary trench turbidites to the south. When KK collides with the accretionary prism in about 1 My, the associated variations in sediment type and thickness around the knoll will likely result in complex local variations in prism deformation.     

A sensitivity analysis of Hortonian flow

We present a sensitivity analysis for infiltration excess (Hortonian) overland flow based on a classic laboratory experiment by Smith and Woolhiser [Smith RE, Woolhiser DA. Overland flow on an infiltrating surface. Water Resour Res 1971;7(4):899–913]. The model components of the compartment approach are comprised of a diffusive wave approximation to the Saint–Venant equations for overland flow, a Richards model for flow in the variably saturated zone, and an interface coupling concept that combines the two components. In the coupling scheme a hydraulic interface is introduced to allow the definition of an exchange flux between the surface and the unsaturated zone. The effects of friction processes, soil capillarity, hydraulic interface, and vertical soil discretization on both infiltration and runoff prediction are investigated in detail. The corresponding sensitivity analysis is conducted using a small-perturbation method. As a result the importance of the hydraulic processes and related parameters are evaluated for the coupled hydrosystem.     

CO2 exchange at air-sea interface in the Huanghai Sea

INTRODUCTIONTheroleoftheoceaniscrucialintheoverallcycleofCOZ,withitsspecialpumpingmechanismssuchassolubilitypumpingattheair-seainterfacewithcarbonatechemistry,biologicalpumpinginsurfacewatersandalsointhewatercolumn,anddynamicpumpingassociatedwithoceancirculation(BroeckerandPeng,1982).Inordertounderstandthesevariouspumpingprocessesintheocean,muchresearchhasbeencarriedoutonaglobalscaleasapartofeffortstounderstandtheglobalgeochemicalcycleofCOZ.TheHuanghaiSea,atypicalmid-latitudeepicontine…     

Last glacial sea-level changes and paleogeography of the Korea (Tsushima) Strait

The Korea (Tsushima) Strait is an important seaway through which the warm Tsushima Current flows into the East Sea (Japan Sea). A paleogeographic map constrained by a regional sea-level curve developed on the basis of a number of recent ¹⁴C radiocarbon dates suggests that the Korea Strait was not closed during the last glacial period. Rather, it was open as a channel-like seaway linking the western North Pacific and the East Sea. Some fraction of the paleo-Tsushima Current inflow presumably continued at that time through the Korea Strait. The activity of the paleo-Tsushima Current is evidenced by the distribution pattern of river-derived lowstand deposits, consisting of a beach/shoreface complex and lowstand deltaic wedges. Received: 16 April 1999 / Revision accepted: 25 February 2000     

Tidal Vorticity around a Coastal Promontory

The vorticity generation around a coastal promontory is examined using a transport vorticity equation. The complete vorticity balance analysis is made for the transient and residual vorticity generations around an idealized, symmetric promontory. The topographic vorticity tendency is found to be the dominant forcing term in the production of transient tidal vorticities. This result is different from the previous works which emphasized the effects of lateral and bottom frictions. The residual vorticity balance is between advection and topographic vorticity tendency. The model results are consistent with the observations off Gay Head, Massachusetts. Also, the stability of a promontory as well as the offshore sand bank formation are studied by examining the sand transport pattern around the promontory. Strong deposition occurs off the tip of the promontory while erosion occurs along the upstream slope of the promontory suggesting that an originally symmetric promontory tends to incline cyclonically from the axis normal to the tidal stream. Such tendency is indeed found among coastal promontories.     

Mineralogy,petrology, chronology,and exposure history of the Chelyabinsk meteorite and parent body

Three masses of the Chelyabinsk meteorite have been studied with a wide range of analytical techniques to understand the mineralogical variation and thermal history of the Chelyabinsk parent body. The samples exhibit little to no postentry oxidation via Mössbauer and Raman spectroscopy indicating their fresh character, but despite the rapid collection and care of handling some low levels of terrestrial contamination did nonetheless result. Detailed studies show three distinct lithologies, indicative of a genomict breccia. A light‐colored lithology is LL5 material that has experienced thermal metamorphism and subsequent shock at levels near S4. The second lithology is a shock‐darkened LL5 material in which the darkening is caused by melt and metal‐troilite veins along grain boundaries. The third lithology is an impact melt breccia that formed at high temperatures (~1600 °C), and it experienced rapid cooling and degassing of S₂ gas. Portions of light and dark lithologies from Chel‐101, and the impact melt breccias (Chel‐102 and Chel‐103) were prepared and analyzed for Rb‐Sr, Sm‐Nd, and Ar‐Ar dating. When combined with results from other studies and chronometers, at least eight impact events (e.g., ~4.53 Ga, ~4.45 Ga, ~3.73 Ga, ~2.81 Ga, ~1.46 Ga, ~852 Ma, ~312 Ma, and ~27 Ma) are clearly identified for Chelyabinsk, indicating a complex history of impacts and heating events. Finally, noble gases yield young cosmic ray exposure ages, near 1 Ma. These young ages, together with the absence of measurable cosmogenic derived Sm and Cr, indicate that Chelyabinsk may have been derived from a recent breakup event on an NEO of LL chondrite composition.