A complete infrared Einstein ring in the gravitational lens system B1938 + 666

We report the discovery, using NICMOS on the Hubble Space Telescope , of an arcsec-diameter Einstein ring in the gravitational lens system B1938+666. The lensing galaxy is also detected, and is most likely an early-type galaxy. Modelling of the ring is presented and compared with the radio structure from MERLIN maps. We show that the Einstein ring is consistent with the gravitational lensing of an extended infrared component, centred between the two radio components.     

B0712+472: a new radio four-image gravitational lens

A new four-image gravitational lens system, B0712+472, has been discovered during the Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey. This system consists of four flat-spectrum radio images that are also seen on a Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) image, together with the lensing galaxy. We present MERLIN, VLA and VLBA maps and WHT spectra of the system as well as the HST images. The light distribution of the lensing galaxy is highly elongated and so too is the mass distribution deduced from modelling. We suggest a redshift of ∼1.33 for the lensed object; the lens redshift will require further investigation. The discovery of this new system further increases the ratio of four-image to two-image lens systems currently known, exacerbating problems of required ellipticity of matter distributions in lensing galaxies.     

Improving efficiency in radio surveys for gravitational lenses

Many lens surveys have hitherto used observations of large samples of background sources to select the small minority which are multiply imaged by lensing galaxies along the line of sight. Recently surveys such as SLACS and OLS have improved the efficiency of surveys by pre-selecting double-redshift systems from SDSS. We explore other ways to improve survey efficiency by optimum use of astrometric and morphological information in existing large-scale optical and radio surveys. The method exploits the small position differences between FIRST radio positions of lensed images and the SDSS lens galaxy positions, together with the marginal resolution of some larger gravitational lens systems by the FIRST beam. We present results of a small pilot study with the VLA and MERLIN, and discuss the desirable criteria for future surveys.     

Climate change transformation: A definition and typology to guide decision making in urban environments

Climate change presents a threat to the sustainability of cities and their societies, and must be adequately addressed. Urban environments (cities) are responsible for the creation of a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions which are the source of climate change. Cities have been increasingly the focus of action to address climate change, yet emissions are not significantly reducing. Additionally, there a lack of integration between adaptation and mitigation. This prevents responses adequate to limit global warming to 1.5^OC, and to be well adapted to anticipated changes. This paper critically analyses existing definitions and typologies of climate change actions. A definition of ‘climate change transformation’ is proposed which includes the integration of adaptation and mitigation goals to enable a new regime in which global warming is limited to 1.5^OC. A new three-part typology: ‘coping, malaction and transformation,’ is presented for categorising climate change actions by the extent to which they integrate adaptation and mitigation, and define a new regime. The typology is accompanied by illustrations to demonstrate the relationship between adaptation and mitigation. The definition, typology and illustration serve to guide effective climate change decision making, and provides principles to guide application in urban environments.     

A two‐dimensional model of hydraulic performance of stormwater infiltration systems

Stormwater infiltration systems are a popular method for urban stormwater control. They are often designed using an assumption of one‐dimensional saturated outflow, although this is not very accurate for many typical designs where two‐dimensional (2D) flows into unsaturated soils occur. Available 2D variably saturated flow models are not commonly used for design because of their complexity and difficulties with the required boundary conditions. A purpose‐built stormwater infiltration system model was thus developed for the simulation of 2D flow from a porous storage. The model combines a soil moisture–based model for unsaturated soils with a ponded storage model and uses a wetting front‐tracking approach for saturated flows. The model represents the main physical processes while minimizing input data requirements. The model was calibrated and validated using data from laboratory 2D stormwater infiltration trench experiments. Calibrations were undertaken using five different combinations of calibration data to examine calibration data requirements. It was found that storage water levels could be satisfactorily predicted using parameters calibrated with either data from laboratory soils tests or observed water level data, whereas the prediction of soil moistures was improved through the addition of observed soil moisture data to the calibration data set. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intrinsic intraday variability in the gravitational lens system B0218+357

Radio monitoring of the gravitational lens system B0218+357 reveals it to be a highly variable source with variations on time-scales of a few days correlated in both images. This shows that the variability is intrinsic to the background lensed source and suggests that similar variations in other intraday variable sources can also be intrinsic in origin.