Composition of hydrated near-Earth object (100085) 1992 UY4

Near-infrared spectra of the near-Earth object (100085) 1992 UY4 are similar to those of P-type asteroids, providing a fitted geometric albedo of 0.052±0.005 and an effective diameter of 1.68±0.08 km. This object, with a likely outer-belt origin, also exhibits a 3-μm absorption feature with a band depth of 3%±1%, corresponding to a regolithic bulk hydrogen-to-silicon ratio of 0.30±0.05. The bulk of this hydrogen seems to be present in H₂O-dominated minerals.     

A synthesis of morphological evolutions and Holocene stratigraphy of a wave-dominated estuary: The Arcachon lagoon,SW France

This work presents the first synthesis of secular to millenary morphological evolutions and stratigraphy of a wave-dominated estuary, the Arcachon lagoon, from a combination of unpublished bathymetric maps (1865 and 2001), core results and high-resolution seismic profiles recorded for the first time in this lagoon. The Arcachon lagoon is located on the Atlantic coast of France, facing the wave-dominated shelf of the Bay of Biscay. It is a mesotidal semi-enclosed environment of about 160 km².The sediment budget of the Arcachon lagoon was computed by subtracting the 1865 bathymetric map from that of 2001. The computed volume difference is low (?9.9±35×10⁶ m³ in 136 yrs) and is the result of the balance between erosion and accretion that occurs within tidal channels and tidal flats, respectively. This morphological evolution pattern is explained by low sediment supply and also by the tidal distortion resulting from the morphology of the lagoon. Deep channels connected to the inlet are dominated by ebb currents inducing erosion. Tidal flats and transverse channels display weak or flood-dominated tidal currents leading to the deposition of silts. The areas of tidal flat siltation locally correlate with the presence of oyster farms, suggesting the influence of Man on the lagoon sediment-fill. Transverse channel-infill is related to weak tidal currents resulting from the hydraulically inefficient orientation of these channels which served as an ancient drainage network.Evidence for tidal channel-infill and channel abandonment are also provided by seismic profiling and cores. The upper stratigraphic succession of the lagoon (about 10 m thick) includes four main stratigraphic units dominated by channel-fills. The two lower units (around 7500–2800 yrs BP) display tabular-shape sandy channels interpreted to be records of the open estuarine phase of the Arcachon lagoon. The two upper units (around 2800 yrs BP to present-day) display U-shaped mixed sand-and-mud channel-fills interpreted to be records of the closure of the lagoon. Given that the basal estuarine units are transgressive and the upper lagoonal units are regressive, the main stratigraphic change at around 2800 yrs BP is interpreted as being the maximum flooding surface (MFS). This late MFS is explained by the low sediment supply. It is proposed that the transition from the estuarine to the lagoonal phase is related to the development of the Cap-Ferret spit in response to an increase in the ratio between wave power to tide power. This change in wave-to-tide ratio may be triggered by wave power increase following the Subboreal/Subatlantic climate instability or a decrease in tide power following a decrease in tidal prism related to the lagoon sediment-fill.Thus, the evolution of the Arcachon lagoon over the last millenaries was mainly controlled by its spit development, leading to a wave-dominated estuary in terms of its geomorphology. Once it was partially closed, extensive mud flats developed in the lagoon which became ebb-dominated.     

Simulations of baryon oscillations

The coupling of photons and baryons by Thomson scattering in the early universe imprints features in both the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and matter power spectra. The former have been used to constrain a host of cosmological parameters, the latter have the potential to strongly constrain the expansion history of the universe and dark energy. Key to this program is the means to localize the primordial features in observations of galaxy spectra which necessarily involve galaxy bias, non-linear evolution and redshift space distortions. We present calculations, based on mock catalogs produced from high-resolution N-body simulations, which show the range of behaviors we might expect of galaxies in the real universe. We investigate physically motivated fitting forms which include the effects of non-linearity, galaxy bias and redshift space distortions and discuss methods for analysis of upcoming data. In agreement with earlier work, we find that a survey of several Gpc³ would constrain the sound horizon at z  1 to about 1%.     

Evaluating the role of climate and tectonics during non-steady incision of the Yellow River: evidence from a 1.24 Ma terrace record near Lanzhou,China

The competing roles of bedrock uplift and climatic change in the formation of fluvial terraces remain uncertain. Most of recent studies have attributed terrace formation to climatic changes and held that, even in tectonically active settings, climate variations control cycles of terrace planation and abandonment. Based on field investigations of loess-paleosol sequences, magnetostratigraphy and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, we develop a new chronology for a spectacular flight of terraces along the Yellow River near Lanzhou, China over past 1.24 Ma. All the terraces are strikingly similar in that they have several meters of paleosol developed directly above fluvial deposits on the terrace treads, suggesting that the abandonment of each terrace due to river incision occurs during the transition from glacial to interglacial climates. However, the ages of terraces cluster in two relatively short time periods (1.24–0.86 Ma and 0.13 Ma – present). During the intervening time between 0.86 Ma and 0.13 Ma, terraces either did not form or were not preserved. We suggest that this record indicates that rock uplift rates varied through time and influenced terrace formation/preservation. Thus, our results demonstrate the utility of deep chronologic records from fluvial terraces for deconvolving the effects of tectonics and climate on fluvial incision.     

The 2013 Ibiza Calibration Campaign of Jason-2 and SARAL Altimeters

This study presents the results of the 2013 Ibiza (Western Mediterranean) calibration campaign of Jason-2 and SARAL altimeters. It took place from 14 to 16 September 2013 and comprised two phases: the calibration of the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) buoys to estimate the antenna height of each of them and the absolute calibration to estimate the altimeter bias (i.e., the difference of sea level measured by radar altimetry and GNSS). The first one was achieved in the Ibiza harbor at a close vicinity of the Ibiza tide gauge and the second one was performed at ～ 40 km at the northwest of Ibiza Island at a crossover point of Jason-2 and SARAL nominal groundtracks. Five buoys were used to delineate the crossover region and their measurements interpolated at the exact location of each overflight. The overflights occurred two consecutive days: 15 and 16 September 2013 for Jason-2 and SARAL, respectively. The GNSS data were processed using precise point positioning technique. The biases found are of (?0.1 ± 0.9) and (?3.1 ± 1.5) cm for Jason-2 and SARAL, respectively.     

Protracted oogenesis and annual reproductive periodicity in the deep‐sea pennatulacean Halipteris finmarchica (Anthozoa,Octocorallia)

Halipteris finmarchica is one of the most common species of deep‐sea pennatulacean corals in the Northwest Atlantic; it was recently determined to act as a biogenic substrate for other species and as a nursery for fish larvae. Its reproductive cycle was investigated in colonies sampled in 2006 and 2007 along the continental slope of Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada). Halipteris finmarchica exhibits large oocytes (maximum diameter of 1000 μm), which are consistent with lecithotrophic larval development. Female potential fecundity based on mature oocytes just before spawning was ~6 oocytes · polyp^?1 (500–6300 oocytes · colony^?1); male potential fecundity was 16 spermatocysts · polyp^?1 (5500–57,400 spermatocysts · colony^?1). Based on statistical analysis of size‐probability frequency distributions, males harboured one cohort of spermatocysts that matured inside 8–11 months, whereas females harboured two distinct cohorts of oocytes; a persistent pool of small ones (≤400 μm) and a small number (~20%) of larger ones that grew from ~400 to >800 μm over a year. Despite this difference in the tempo of oogenesis and spermatogenesis, a synchronic annual spawning was detected. A latitudinal shift in the spawning period occurred from south (April in the Laurentian Channel) to north (May in Grand Banks and July–August in Labrador/Lower Arctic), following the development of the phytoplankton bloom (i.e. sinking of phytodetritus). Prolonged oogenesis with the simultaneous presence of different oocyte classes in a given polyp is likely not uncommon in deep‐sea octocorals and could hamper the detection of annual/seasonal reproduction when sample sizes are low and/or time series discontinued or brief.