Regional‐scale mapping of groundwater discharge zones using thermal satellite imagery

Mapping groundwater discharge zones at broad spatial scales remains a challenge, particularly in data sparse regions. We applied a regional scale mapping approach based on thermal remote sensing to map discharge zones in a complex watershed with a broad diversity of geological materials, land cover and topographic variation situated within the Prairie Parkland of northern Alberta, Canada. We acquired winter thermal imagery from the USGS Landsat archive to demonstrate the utility of this data source for applications that can complement both scientific and management programs. We showed that the thermally determined potential discharge areas were corroborated with hydrological (spring locations) and chemical (conservative tracers of groundwater) data. This study demonstrates how thermal remote sensing can form part of a comprehensive mapping framework to investigate groundwater resources over broad spatial scales. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coexistence of garnet blueschist and eclogite in South Tianshan,NW China: dependence of P–T evolution and bulk‐rock composition

Coexisting garnet blueschist and eclogite from the Chinese South Tianshan high‐pressure (HP)–ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) belt consist of similar mineral assemblages involving garnet, omphacite, glaucophane, epidote, phengite, rutile/sphene, quartz and hornblendic amphibole with or without paragonite. Eclogite assemblages generally contain omphacite >50 vol.% and a small amount of glaucophane (<5 vol.%), whereas blueschist assemblages have glaucophane over 30 vol.% with a small amount of omphacite which is even absent in the matrix. The coexisting blueschist and eclogite show dramatic differences in the bulk‐rock compositions with higher X(CaO) [=CaO/(CaO + MgO + FeO_total + MnO + Na₂O)] (0.33–0.48) and lower A/CNK [=Al₂O₃/(CaO + Na₂O + K₂O)] (0.35–0.56) in eclogite, but with lower X(CaO) (0.09–0.30) and higher A/CNK (0.65–1.28) in garnet blueschist. Garnet in both types of rocks has similar compositions and exhibits core–rim zoning with increasing grossular and pyrope contents. Petrographic observations and phase equilibria modelling with pseudosections calculated using thermocalc in the NCKMnFMASHO system for the coexisting garnet blueschist and eclogite samples suggest that the two rock types share similar P–T evolutional histories involving a decompression with heating from the P_max to the T_max stage and a post‐T_max decompression with slightly cooling stage, and similar P–T conditions at the T_max stage. The post‐T_max decompression is responsible for lawsonite decomposition, which results in epidote growth, glaucophane increase and omphacite decrease in the blueschist, or in an overprinting of the eclogitic assemblage by a blueschist assemblage. Calculated P–X(CaO), P–A/CNK and P–X(CO₂) pseudosections indicate that blueschist assemblages are favoured in rocks with lower X(CaO) (<0.28) and higher A/CNK (>0.75) or fluid composition with higher X(CO₂) (>0.15), but eclogite assemblages preferentially occur in rocks with higher X(CaO) and lower A/CNK or fluid composition with lower X(CO₂). Moreover, phase modelling suggests that the coexistence of blueschist and eclogite depends substantially on P–T conditions, which would commonly occur in medium temperatures of 500–590 °C under pressures of ~17–22 kbar. The modelling results are in good accordance with the measured bulk‐rock compositions and modelled temperature results of the coexisting garnet blueschist and eclogite from the South Tianshan HP–UHP belt.     

气候态调整对华北冬、夏季气候监测的影响研究

本研究对比分析了不同气候态下,华北冬、夏季降水及气温的差异,分析了气候平均值的改变对历史极端事件监测的可能影响。研究结果发现,1991～2020年（简称气候Ⅱ态）的冬季和夏季的平均降水量均略多于1981～2010年（简称气候Ⅰ态）,但接近或略少于1961～2020年的平均降水量,平均降水量逐年变化幅度冬季Ⅱ态小于Ⅰ态,夏季反之。气候Ⅱ态冬季降水空间分布不均,夏季较Ⅰ态呈“中部减少,东西增加”的分布型。冬季和夏季极端降水阈值Ⅱ态（0.86 mm和22.0 mm）较Ⅰ态（0.83 mm和21.6 mm）均略有提高,造成近60年华北大部基于Ⅱ态阈值的冬、夏季极端降水日数较Ⅰ态略减少。此外,气候Ⅱ态的华北冬、夏季平均气温均明显高于Ⅰ态,也高于1961～2020年平均值。Ⅱ态气温较Ⅰ态基本呈全区增加特征,但空间分布不均匀。冬季极端低温和夏季极端高温阈值Ⅱ态（-9.8°C和27.9°C）较Ⅰ态（-10.2°C和27.5°C）均有所有所提高,造成华北大部分地区基于Ⅱ态阈值的近60年冬季极端低温日数较Ⅰ态有所增加,夏季极端高温日数较Ⅰ态存在不同程度的减少。因此,新气候态下华北气温和降水均值,华北大部极...     

黑河流域降水统计——动力降尺度问题研究

依据区域气候模式RIEMS2.0输出的3 km高分辨率数据和站点降水记录分析了中国西北黑河流域降水的动力降尺度和统计—动力降尺度问题,检验了多种因子组合下多元线性回归（MLR）和贝叶斯模式平均（BMA）降尺度模型,评估了降尺度降水的均方根误差、相关系数、方差百分率及“负降水”偏差率等方面的统计特征。结果表明,动力降尺度降水相关系数最高,误差也最大,降水方差达到观测值的1.5～2倍;除相关系数外,统计—动力降尺度模型的几个统计特征均最优,纯统计模型次之。检验表明,仅用700 hPa位势高度场、经向风和比湿等构建的统计降尺度模型估计的站点降水相关系数较低,均方根误差也较大。当在统计降尺度模型中引入模式降水因子后站点降水的估计得到明显改善,其中MLR类模型的降水相关系数和方差百分率均明显高于BMA类模型,均方根误差二者相当,但前者“负降水”出现频次明显大于后者,“负降水”偏差主要出现在降水稀少的冬半年及黑河中、下游干旱或极端干旱区,上游出现频率较低,其中MLR类模型“负降水”出现频次明显高于BMA类模型,后者仅出现在黑河中、下游地区。包含模式降水因子的统计—动力降尺度模型能减少“负降水”出现...     

Solution to the Stokes Boundary-Value Problem on an Ellipsoid of Revolution

We have constructed Green's function to Stokes's boundary-value problem with the gravity data distributed over an ellipsoid of revolution. We show that the problem has a unique solution provided that the first eccentricity e₀ of the ellipsoid of revolution is less than 0·65041. The ellipsoidal Stokes function describing the effect of ellipticity of the boundary is expressed in the E-approximation as a finite sum of elementary functions which describe analytically the behaviour of the ellipsoidal Stokes function at the singular point = 0. We prove that the degree of singularity of the ellipsoidal Stokes function in the vicinity of its singular point is the same as that of the spherical Stokes function.     

RECONSTRUCTING THE SOLAR CORONAL MAGNETIC FIELD AS A FORCE-FREE MAGNETIC FIELD

We present some preliminary results on different mathematical problems encountered in attempts to reconstruct the coronal magnetic field, assumed to be in a force-free state, from its values in the photosphere. We discuss the formulations associated with these problems, and some new numerical methods that can be used to get their approximate solutions. Both the linear constant- and the nonlinear cases are considered. We also discuss the possible use of dynamical 3D MHD codes to construct approximate solutions of the equilibrium force-free equations, which are needed for testing numerical extrapolation schemes.     

Long–term Photometry of RT Lacertae: 2. Further Evidence fo a Circumstellar Envelope and MAss Accretion

The light curves, obtained by the authors of the present paper during the period 1978–1992, of the chromospherically active binary system RT Lac were examined. The average (B–V) colour indices were obtained and corrected for the interstellar extinction. Spectroscopic studies indicate that the less massive component may be taken as G8. The light curve analysis indicates that the less massive, larger component fills its corresponding Roche lobe. Both photometric and spectroscopic observations compel one to draw a conclusion that circumstellar matter does exist around the binary system. A colour excess caused by this matter is found to be 0.278 for B–V colour at mid–secondary eclipse. On the basis of photometric colour indices alone, the components of RT Lac are classified as G3–4 and G8. If we use the observed radial velocities of the less massive subgiant star from Ca II emission lines and from other optical lines we find for the mass of the more massive component as 1.34–1.70 M. This mass range corresponds to the main sequence late F stars. The common envelope hypothesis and mass function and also blending of the spectral lines of more massive component point out that it should be at most a late F type main sequence star.     

An Attempt to Partition Stomatal and Non-stomatal Ozone Deposition Parts on a Short Grassland

To evaluate the damaging effect of tropospheric ozone on vegetation, it is important to evaluate the stomatal uptake of ozone. Although the stomatal flux is a dominant pathway of ozone deposition onto vegetated surfaces, non-stomatal uptake mechanisms such as soil and cuticular deposition also play a vital role, especially when the leaf area index \({LAI}< 4\). In this study, we partitioned the canopy conductance into stomatal and non-stomatal components. To calculate the stomatal conductance of water vapour for sparse vegetation, we firstly partitioned the latent heat flux into effects of transpiration and evaporation using the Shuttleworth–Wallace (SW) model. We then derived the stomatal conductance of ozone using the Penman–Monteith (PM) theory based on the similarity to water vapour conductance. The non-stomatal conductance was calculated by subtracting the stomatal conductance from the canopy conductance derived from directly-measured fluxes. Our results show that for short vegetation (LAI \(=\) 0.25) dry deposition of ozone was dominated by the non-stomatal flux, which exceeded the stomatal flux even during the daytime. At night the stomatal uptake of ozone was found to be negligibly small. In the case of vegetation with \({LAI}\approx 1\), the daytime stomatal and non-stomatal fluxes were of the same order of magnitude. These results emphasize that non-stomatal processes must be considered even in the case of well-developed vegetation where cuticular uptake is comparable in magnitude with stomatal uptake, and especially in the case of vegetated surfaces with \({LAI}< 4\) where soil uptake also has a role in ozone deposition.     

High stress late Maastrichtian – early Danian palaeoenvironment in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina

During the late Maastrichtian to early Danian the Neuquén Basin of Argentina was adjacent to an active volcanic arc to the west and an extensive land area to the northeast. Mineralogical and geochemical studies of the Bajada del Jagüel in the Neuquén Basin indicate a generally warm climate with seasonal changes in humidity and an open seaway to the South Atlantic that maintained marine conditions. Biostratigraphic and quantitative foraminiferal and nannofossil analyses indicate that sediment deposition during the late Maastrichtian (zones CF4-CF2, N. frequens) occurred in relatively shallow middle neritic (100 m) depths with largely dysaerobic bottom waters (abundant low O₂ tolerant benthics) and fluctuating sea level. Calcareous nannofossils indicate a high stress marine environment dominated by Micula decussata. Planktic foraminifera mimic the post-K/T high stress environment with alternating blooms of the disaster opportunists Guembelitria and low oxygen tolerant Heterohelix groups, indicating nutrient-rich surface waters and an oxygen depleted water column. The high stress conditions were probably driven by high nutrient influx due to upwelling and terrestrial and volcanic influx. The K/T boundary is marked by an erosional surface that marks a hiatus at the base of a 15-25 cm thick volcaniclastic sandstone, which contains diverse planktic foraminiferal zone P1c assemblages and nannofossils of zone NP1b immediately above it. This indicates deposition of the sandstone occurred 500 ky after the K/T hiatus. No evidence of the Chicxulub impact or related tsunami deposition was detected.