Radiative transfer in the atmosphere of Venus and application to surface emissivity retrieval from VIRTIS/VEX measurements

The radiation measurements of VIRTIS-M-IR (1-5 μm) on Venus Express provide a valuable database for systematic studies of the atmosphere and surface of the Earth’s sister planet. The present paper focuses on the investigation of physical parameters that determine the retrieval accuracy of deep atmosphere and surface features of Venus including compositional conditions, continuum absorption effects, and spectroscopic input data required for radiative transfer simulations. The parameter discussion shall serve as a reference for ongoing and future work on methodical and simulation input data improvements.The high variability of the nightside atmospheric and surface emission window radiances with respect to cloud opacity and surface elevation is modeled and discussed in direct comparison with measurements performed over the northern hemisphere. Venus surface elevation is retrieved using the 1.18 and 1.02 μm emission windows where radiance ratios are well suited to de-cloud the measurement data. In general, the ratio-based VIRTIS topography is in good agreement with the Magellan topography, but differences occur in localized areas. The paper discusses possible origins of such differences including surface emissivity “anomalies”. Surface emissivity variations that may be due to changes in the chemical composition (mineralogy) and surface texture are important indicators of the nature of the surface material.Preliminary radiance retrievals along a number of complete northern orbits reveal a trend towards lower values of highland surface emissivity compared to the surrounding lowlands. Already the Magellan radar experiment suggested compositional variations at moderately high altitudes over the tesserae. They probably indicate a more felsic component giving a hint to older surface forming processes.     

Spatial pattern of coastal fish assemblages in different habitats in North‐western Mediterranean

Variability of fish assemblages across habitat structures can depend on spatial scales. A hierarchical sampling design was used to assess the spatial variability of temperate fish assemblages in different habitats and at multiple scales. Underwater visual censuses were carried out along the coasts of Elba Island (NW Mediterranean) on Posidonia oceanica beds, rocky algal reefs and sandy habitat at three spatial scales, namely tens of metres (individual replicates), hundreds of metres (sites) and tens of kilometres (locations). At the assemblage level, there was a clear relationship between fish and habitat type and the observed habitat‐related differences were largely dependent on species identity. Fish assemblages on P. oceanica beds and rocky reefs shared a high number of species, whereas overlap with sandy assemblages was negligible. Multivariate analyses revealed significant differences in fish assemblages among habitats, although there was also a significant habitat × site interaction. These differences relied mainly upon assemblage composition and species richness. Assemblages on rocky reefs and P. oceanica meadows usually harboured a higher number of species and individuals compared with sandy assemblages. Nevertheless, the patterns of habitat‐related differences in species richness and, especially, in the total number of fish, changed significantly from site to site. Eight species showed significant differences over habitats, but they were not consistent due to the interaction of habitat with site. Predictability of fish at both assemblage and population levels decreased with the scale of observation, and the spatial pattern of fish observed at the smallest scale was likely dependent on factors other than habitat type.     

Nonlinear finite and discrete element simulations of multi-storey masonry walls

Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering - This paper reports the results of different finite and discrete element simulations on a well-known benchmark of an unreinforced plane masonry structure....