The effect of asynchronism on wind-driven mass transfer rates in the polars

An asynchronous magnetic white dwarf affects the rate of orbital evolution in AM Herculis binaries. An over-synchronous star leads to a positive orbital magnetic torque which reduces the rate of shrinkage of the secondary star's Roche lobe, and hence reduces the mass transfer rate. An opposing effect occurs as a result of the orbital angular momentum loss via secondary mass transfer in the absence of an accretion disc. The modification of the magnetic braking-driven synchronous mass transfer rate is calculated for a range of degrees of asynchronism, and its effect is compared at different orbital periods.     

Effects of Tree Size,Shade Tolerance,and Spatial Pattern on the Mortality of Woody Plants in a Seminatural Forest in Central Kentucky

Previous biogeographical research has investigated the mortality of woody plants, emphasizing tree size, shade tolerance, and competition individually as critical factors. Few researchers, though, have empirically evaluated the simultaneous and relative importance of these three factors in a single study. Based on a thirty-five-year study within the University of Kentucky Arboretum, we report that none of the factors exerted an overriding influence on the tree survivorship alone. Rather, they were tightly intertwined in a complex way. Our study indicates that the three factors have contributed perhaps equally or at least simultaneously to the overall demographic processes in the woodland.     

Modified passive capillary samplers for collecting samples of snowmelt infiltration for stable isotope analysis in remote,seasonally inaccessible watersheds 1: laboratory evaluation

Snowmelt is the most significant source of runoff generation and recharge in many of the mountainous watersheds worldwide and this is especially true in the southwestern United States. Yet, the isotopic and geochemical composition of the soil–meltwater endmember remains poorly constrained. Using the isotopic compositions of snow and snowmelt runoff samples taken from the landscape surface as proxies for soil–meltwater endmembers is problematic since they are typically not representative of the actual composition of soil meltwater. Furthermore, the applicability of current methodologies to collect the isotopic composition of meltwater is limited because of the remote and often seasonally inaccessible nature of the terrain where snowpacks develop. Therefore, a robust methodology requiring little maintenance or monitoring is desirable. A lab experiment was conducted to determine the suitability of using a modified passive capillary sampler (M‐PCAPS) design to collect snowmelt infiltration for isotopic analysis. Passive capillary samplers are constructed from fiberglass wicks that can be installed in the soil to sample vadose‐zone waters under a wide range of matric potentials and require little maintenance. Results from this lab experiment indicate that the wicking process associated with M‐PCAPS does not fractionate water but certain precautions are necessary to prevent exchange between the wick and the atmosphere. In this experiment, M‐PCAPS effectively tracked the changing isotopic composition of a soil reservoir undergoing evaporation. Therefore, M‐PCAPS provide a robust methodology to sample the isotopic composition of snowmelt infiltration in remote watersheds and similar applications. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Amazonian magnetostratigraphy: Dating the first pulse of the Great American Faunal Interchange

The chronostratigraphy of the youngest Neogene deposits of the Amazon Basin, which comprise the Madre de Dios Formation in eastern Peru, remains unresolved. Although ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates on two volcanic ashes from this formation in Peru provide critical baseline data points, stratigraphic correlations among scattered riverine outcrops in adjacent drainage basins remain problematic. To refine the chronostratigraphy of the Madre de Dios Formation, we report here the magnetostratigraphy of an outcrop on the Madre de Dios River in southeastern Peru. A total of 18 polarity zones was obtained in the ～65-m-thick Cerro Colorado section, which we correlate to magnetozones Chrons C4Ar to C2An (9.5–3.0 Ma) based on the prior ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates. These results confirm the late Miocene age of a gomphothere recovered from the Ipururo Formation, which underlies the late Miocene Ucayali Unconformity at the base of the Cerro Colorado outcrop. The results also support earlier interpretations of a late Miocene age for other fossils of North American mammals recovered from basal conglomeratic deposits of the Madre de Dios Formation immediately above the Ucayali Unconformity. These mammals include other gomphotheres, peccaries, and tapirs, and their presence in South America in the late Miocene is recognized as part of the first pulse of the Great American Faunal Interchange.     

Co-management of sea turtle fisheries: Biogeography versus geopolitics

Co-management between local communities and government agencies is promoted as a strategy to improve fisheries management. This paper considers the potential for co-management of sea turtle fisheries within four UK Overseas Territories (OTs) in the Caribbean, and for co-ordinated management among those territories. We focus on fisher incentives for engaging in co-management and on the potential to scale up co-management to a regional level. This paper presents data from Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, and Turks and Caicos Islands, where 110 turtle fishers participated in a socio-economic survey undertaken as part of the ‘Turtles in the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean’ project. Based on three established criteria for co-management (perceived crisis in stock, willingness to participate and community cohesion), results suggest that fisher support for co-management exists within each OT, but the extent of support for and views of specific management interventions varies among OTs. The implications of results for co-management in each territory, and for establishing co-ordinated management regimes in the region, are discussed in the context of current debates about the nature of resources and scalar (mis)matches between resource and management regimes.     

Bootstrapped models for intrinsic random functions

Use of intrinsic random function stochastic models as a basis for estimation in geostatistical work requires the identification of the generalized covariance function of the underlying process. The fact that this function has to be estimated from data introduces an additional source of error into predictions based on the model. This paper develops the sample reuse procedure called the bootstrap in the context of intrinsic random functions to obtain realistic estimates of these errors. Simulation results support the conclusion that bootstrap distributions of functionals of the process, as well as their kriging variance, provide a reasonable picture of variability introduced by imperfect estimation of the generalized covariance function.This paper was presented at Emerging Concepts, MGUS-87 Conference, Redwood City, California, 13–15 April 1987.     

The use of geologic and seismologic information to reduce earthquake Hazards in California

Five examples illustrate how geologic and seismologic information can be used to reduce the effects of earthquakes Included are procedures for anticipating damage to critical facilities, preparing, adopting, or implementing seismic safety studies, plans, and programs, retrofitting highway bridges, regulating development in areas subject to fault-rupture, and strengthening or removing unreinforced masonry buildings. The collective effect of these procedures is to improve the public safety, health, and welfare of individuals and their communities.     

Radiocarbon tracer measurements of atmospheric hydroxyl radical concentrations

Radiochemical techiques have many untapped applications in atmospheric chemistry, especially when great sensitivity is required. We describe the application of these techniques to the measurement of hydroxyl radical concentrations in the troposphere.     

Subsidence rates for the Southeastern Hawaiian Islands determined from submerged terraces

Detailed bathymetric maps of the southeastern Hawaiian Islands reveal terraces west of Lanai and west of Hawaii; these can be correlated with glacial maxima to provide island subsidence rates of 1.9 and 2.4 mm/yr, respectively. These data agree in general with subsidence rates determined by other means. Plots of present depth versus age for these terraces show that subsidence of the island of Hawaii has remained relatively constant since 600 ka; thus the magma production of the Hawaiian hotspot has been nearly steady for this period. These subsidence rates also explain why evidence of sea levels higher than present is not found on the islands southeast of Oahu.