Air temperature and wind changes in Costa Rica during the total solar eclipse of July 11, 1991

Air temperature and wind measurements on the surface and in the free atmosphere taken during the total solar eclipse of July 11, 1991, are analyzed. Surface air temperature decreased significantly, 2 to 5 °C in general, with the lowest values occurring 10 to 30 minutes after totality. In some places, surface wind speed decreased gradually during the eclipse, as a result of the decrease of air temperature and temperature gradients. In other places, it increased due to local atmospheric conditions. A radiosonde launched at 13:26 LT (local time) appeared to have been affected by the moon's shadow at about 13 km height. At this altitude temperature was relatively lower than usual and the balloon carrying the radiosonde experienced an upward acceleration. Also at this altitude wind direction changed and wind speed decreased     

Timing and formation of porphyry Cu–Mo mineralization in the Chuquicamata district, northern Chile: new constraints from the Toki cluster

The recently discovered Toki cluster, which includes the Toki, Quetena, Genoveva, Miranda, and Opache porphyry Cu–Mo prospects, is located 15 km south–southwest of the Chuquicamata–Radomiro Tomic mines in northern Chile. These prospects occur in an area of 5?×?6 km and are completely covered with Neogene alluvial deposits. Inferred resources for the cluster are estimated at about 20 Mt of fine copper, with Toki and Quetena contributing ～88 % of these resources. Mineralization in these deposits is associated with tonalite porphyries that intruded andesites and dacites of the Collahuasi Group and intrusions of the Fortuna–Los Picos Granodioritic Complex. Hypogene mineralization in the Toki cluster consists mainly of chalcopyrite–bornite with minor molybdenite with mineralization grading outward to a chalcopyrite–pyrite zone and ultimately to a pyrite halo. Alteration is dominantly of the potassic type with K-feldspar and hydrothermal biotite. Sericitic alteration is relatively restricted to late quartz–pyrite veins (D-type veins). Previous K–Ar geochronology for the cluster yielded ages within a range of 34 to 40 Ma. Four new Re–Os ages for Toki indicate that molybdenite mineralization occurred in a single pulse at ～38 Ma. Re–Os ages for three different molybdenite samples from Quetena are within error of the Toki mineralization ages. These ages are concordant with a new zircon U–Pb age of 38.6?±?0.7 Ma from the tonalite porphyry in Quetena. Two Re–Os ages for Genoveva (38.1?±?0.2 and 38.0?±?0.2 Ma) are also within error of the Toki and Quetena molybdenite ages. Four Re–Os molybdenite ages for Opache range between 36.4 and 37.6 Ma. The Miranda prospect is the youngest with an age of ～36 Ma. Four new Re–Os ages for the Chuquicamata deposit range between 33 and 32 Ma, whereas nine new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of biotite, muscovite, and K-feldspar range between 32 and 31 Ma. Analyzed molybdenites have Re and Os concentrations that vary between 21–3,099 ppm and 8–1,231 ppb, respectively. The highest Re and Os concentrations are found in the Toki prospect. Three new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages for the Toki cluster are younger than the Re–Os mineralization ages. The age spectra for these three samples show evidence of excess argon and have similar inverse isochron ages of 35 Ma that probably reflect a late hydrothermal phyllic event. The new geochronological data presented here for the Toki cluster indicate that molybdenite mineralization occurred within a very short period, probably within 2 Ma, and synchronously (at ～38 Ma) in three mineralization centers (Toki, Quetena, and Genoveva). Furthermore, mineralization at the Toki cluster preceded the emplacement of the Chuquicamata deposit (35–31 Ma) and indicates that porphyry Cu–Mo mineralization occurred episodically over a period of several million years in the Chuquicamata district.     

Query driven visualization of astronomical catalogs

Interactive visualization of astronomical catalogs requires novel techniques due to the huge volumes and complex structure of the data produced by existing and upcoming astronomical surveys. The creation as well as the disclosure of the catalogs can be handled by data pulling mechanisms (Buddelmeijer et al. 2011). These prevent unnecessary processing and facilitate data sharing by having users request the desired end products. In this work we present query driven visualization as a logical continuation of data pulling. Scientists can request catalogs in a declarative way and set process parameters directly from within the visualization. This results in profound interoperation between software with a high level of abstraction. New messages for the Simple Application Messaging Protocol are proposed to achieve this abstraction. Support for these messages are implemented in the Astro-WISE information system and in a set of demonstrational applications.     

Importance of instantaneous radiative forcing for rapid tropospheric adjustment

To better understand CFMIP/CMIP inter-model differences in rapid low cloud responses to CO₂ increases and their associated effective radiative forcings, we examined the tropospheric adjustment of the lower tropospheric stability (LTS) in three general circulation models (GCMs): HadGEM2-A, MIROC3.2 medres, and MIROC5. MIROC3.2 medres showed a reduction in LTS over the sub-tropical ocean, in contrast to the other two models. This reduction was consistent with a temperature decrease in the mid-troposphere. The temperature decrease was mainly driven by instantaneous radiative forcing (RF) caused by an increase in CO₂. Reductions in radiative and latent heating, due to clouds, and in adiabatic and advective heating, also contribute to the temperature decrease. The instantaneous RF in the mid-troposphere in MIROC3.2 medres is inconsistent with the results of line-by-line (LBL) calculations, and thus it is considered questionable. These results illustrate the importance of evaluating the vertical profile of instantaneous RF with LBL calculations; improved future model performance in this regard should help to increase our confidence in the tropospheric adjustment in GCMs.     

Soil CO2 flux baseline in an urban monogenetic volcanic field: the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand

The Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) is a dormant monogenetic basaltic field located in Auckland, New Zealand. Though soil gas CO₂ fluxes are routinely used to monitor volcanic regions, there have been no published studies of soil CO₂ flux or soil gas CO₂ concentrations in the AVF to date or many other monogenetic fields worldwide. We measured soil gas CO₂ fluxes and soil gas CO₂ concentrations in 2010 and 2012 in varying settings, seasons, and times of day to establish a baseline soil CO₂ flux and to determine the major sources of and controlling influences on Auckland's soil CO₂ flux. Soil CO₂ flux measurements varied from 0 to 203 g m^?2 day^?1, with an average of 27.1 g m^?2 day^?1. Higher fluxes were attributed to varying land use properties (e.g., landfill). Using a graphical statistical approach, two populations of CO₂ fluxes were identified. Isotope analyses of δ¹³CO₂ confirmed that the source of CO₂ in the AVF is biogenic with no volcanic component. These data may be used to assist with eruption forecasting in the event of precursory activity in the AVF, and highlight the importance of knowing land use history when assessing soil gas CO₂ fluxes in urban environments.     

Multifractality in Seismicity Spatial Distributions: Significance and Possible Precursory Applications as Found for Two Cases in Different Tectonic Environments

We explore fractal properties of two observed seismicity distributions prior to the 2003 M _w 7.4 Colima, Mexico and 1992 M _w 7.3 Landers, USA earthquakes, together with several mathematical fractal distributions and two non-fractal ones, in order to estimate minimum reliable sample sizes, determine whether fractality for observed seismicity is essentially different from random uniform distributions, and explore the possibility of extracting premonitory information from fractal characteristics of seismicity before large earthquakes. Sample sizes above 800 events for whole catalogs appear to be sufficient to maintain ordered multifractality and to yield dimension estimates that vary smoothly and reliably. Fractal estimates appear to be best for whole catalogs that include aftershocks. The fractal characteristics of spatial distributions of seismicity are essentially different from those of the uniform random distribution, which is the null hypothesis of a non-fractal distribution with minimum information. The fractal dimensions and afractality measures of seismicity distributions change with time and show distinctive behaviors associated with foreshocks and main events, although these behaviors are different for each example. Results suggest the possibility of a priori identification of foreshocks to large earthquakes. A combination of fractal dimension and afractality measures over time may be helpful in large earthquake premonitory studies.     

Interval‐Based Diagnosis of Biological Systems – a Powerful Tool for Highly Uncertain Anaerobic Digestion Processes

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a highly nonlinear time‐varying process commonly used for biological wastewater treatment, which is subject to large disturbances of both influent concentrations, and flow rates that may lead the process to a breakdown. In order to compensate the effect of these disturbances, the dynamics of the main state variables – including biomass – must be closely monitored and used to improve the process performance. However, AD processes still suffer from a lack of reliable and cheap sensors of key process variables to insure the right process operation. This has led to the development of estimation schemes, which infer the information of such key variables from the available measurements. Nevertheless, reliable measurements are not always possible to get because these readings may be corrupted by noise or erroneous due to sensor failures and as a consequence, they may lead to deteriorated control efforts and the eventual crash of the AD process. In this article, we propose an integrated system for the detection, isolation, and analysis of faults in AD processes by using interval observers (IO). The proposed approach was experimentally implemented on a 1‐m³ pilot scale anaerobic digester. Based on the comparison between the measured outputs and their corresponding estimates, results show that this approach was able to detect sensor failures as well as faults in the basic hypotheses made during the design step.     

Eutrophication-induced changes in Lake Nakaumi,southwest Japan

Lake Nakaumi, southwest Japan, is an enclosed lagoon characterized by polyhaline and halocline conditions. Since the last century, its ecological state has been altered by eutrophication. We used a paleolimnological approach and studied multiple proxies, including chemical compounds, diatoms, foraminifera and molluscs, to infer the eutrophication history of the ecosystem. Eutrophication in Lake Nakaumi was associated with several factors, including increased nutrient loading, input of herbicides, and dike building since the 1920s. The ecological condition of this lake was divided into several stages that reflect the eutrophication process after the 1940s. A catastrophic “regime shift” from a clear state with aquatic vegetation to a turbid one with phytoplankton occurred in the early 1950s. Environmental degradation in the Honjo area, a part of Lake Nakaumi, was attributed primarily to physical changes caused by the construction of an enclosing dike. Eutrophication occurred almost simultaneously with the physical changes to the Honjo area in the 1970s. Until recently, no regime shift was observed in this area, though the core-top sediments show possible symptoms of incipient change.     

Sub-terahertz,Microwaves and High Energy Emissions During the 6 December 2006 Flare,at 18:40 UT

The presence of a solar burst spectral component with flux density increasing with frequency in the sub-terahertz range, spectrally separated from the well-known microwave spectral component, bring new possibilities to explore the flaring physical processes, both observational and theoretical. The solar event of 6 December 2006, starting at about 18:30 UT, exhibited a particularly well-defined double spectral structure, with the sub-THz spectral component detected at 212 and 405 GHz by the Solar Submilimeter Telescope (SST) and microwaves (1 – 18 GHz) observed by the Owens Valley Solar Array (OVSA). Emissions obtained by instruments onboard satellites are discussed with emphasis to ultra-violet (UV) obtained by the Transition Region And Coronal Explorer (TRACE), soft X-rays from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and X- and γ-rays from the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). The sub-THz impulsive component had its closer temporal counterparts only in the higher energy X- and γ-rays ranges. The spatial positions of the centers of emission at 212 GHz for the first flux enhancement were clearly displaced by more than one arc-minute from positions at the following phases. The observed sub-THz fluxes and burst source plasma parameters were difficult to be reconciled with a purely thermal emission component. We discuss possible mechanisms to explain the double spectral components at microwaves and in the THz ranges.     

Macroscopic motions in prominences

Macroscopic velocity fields have been studied in a solar prominence. The spectra and monochromatic images were analyzed, and the existence of a contracting motion, possibly due to a pinch effect, is discussed. A helical shape of the prominence is proposed.