Chemical and mineralogical characterization of the Mineo (Sicily,Italy) pallasite: A unique sample

The Mineo pallasite is characterized here for the first time. The only 42 g still available worldwide is part of the collection of the Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia. A multianalytical approach was used, joining field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, electron-probe microanalysis, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results highlighted that (1) the Mineo pallasite belongs to the Main Group pallasites; (2) the silicate component is essentially olivine, with no pyroxene component; (3) the olivine chemical composition varies in terms of both iron and trace elements; (4) the metal phase is essentially kamacite with the taenite mainly found in the plessite structure; (5) phosphide phases are present as schreibersite and barringerite. The observed compositional variability in olivines as well as their occurrence as both angular and rounded crystals suggest that the Mineo pallasite could have been derived from a large impact of a differentiated parent body with a larger solid body. The resulting pallasite conglomerate consists of the compositionally different olivines, likely coming from different areas of the same differentiated parent body, and the residual molten Fe-Ni.     

Clear-sky aerosol radiative forcing effects based on multi-site AERONET observations over Europe

Summary One of the great unknowns in climate research is the contribution of aerosols to climate forcing and climate perturbation. In this study, retrievals from AERONET are used to estimate the direct clear-sky aerosol top-of-atmosphere and surface radiative forcing effects for 12 multi-site observing stations in Europe. The radiative transfer code sdisort in the libRadtran environment is applied to accomplish these estimations. Most of the calculations in this study rely on observations which have been made for the years 1999, 2000, and 2001. Some stations do have observations dating back to the year of 1995. The calculations rely on a pre-compiled aerosol optical properties database for Europe. Aerosol radiative forcing effects are calculated with monthly mean aerosol optical properties retrievals and calculations are presented for three different surface albedo scenarios. Two of the surface albedo scenarios are generic by nature bare soil and green vegetation and the third relies on the ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) data product. The ISCCP database has also been used to obtain clear-sky weighting fractions over AERONET stations. The AERONET stations cover the area 0° to 30° E and 42° to 52° N. AERONET retrievals are column integrated and this study does not make any seperation between the contribution of natural and anthropogenic components. For the 12 AERONET stations, median clear-sky top-of-atmosphere aerosol radiative forcing effect values for different surface albedo scenarios are calculated to be in the range of −4 to −2 W/m². High median radiative forcing effect values of about −6 W/m² were found to occur mainly in the summer months while lower values of about −1 W/m² occur in the winter months. The aerosol surface forcing also increases in summer months and can reach values of −8 W/m². Individual stations often have much higher values by a factor of 2. The median top-of-atmosphere aerosol radiative forcing effect efficiency is estimated to be about −25 W/m² and their respective surface efficiency is around −35 W/m². The fractional absorption coefficient is estimated to be 1.7, but deviates significantly from station to station. In addition, it is found that the well known peak of the aerosol radiative forcing effect at a solar zenith angle of about 75° is in fact the average of the peaks occurring at shorter and longer wavelengths. According to estimations for Central Europe, based on mean aerosol optical properties retrievals from 12 stations, the critical threshold of the aerosol single scattering albedo, between cooling and heating in the presence of an aerosol layer, is close between 0.6 and 0.76.     

Estimating sagebrush cover in semi-arid environments using Landsat Thematic Mapper data

Sagebrush ecosystems of the western US provide important habitat for several ungulate and vertebrate species. As a consequence of energy development, these ecosystems in Wyoming have been subjected to a variety of anthropogenic disturbances. Land managers require methodology that will allow them to consistently catalog sagebrush ecosystems and evaluate potential impact of proposed anthropogenic activities. This study addresses the utility of remotely sensed and ancillary geospatial data to estimate sagebrush cover using ordinal logistic regression. We demonstrate statistically significant prediction of ordinal sagebrush cover categories using spectral (χ² = 113; p < 0.0001) and transformed indices (χ² = 117; p < 0.0001). Both Landsat spectral bands (c-value = 0.88) and transformed indices (c-value = 0.89) can distinguish sites with closed, moderate and open cover sagebrush cover categories from no cover. The techniques described in this study can be used for estimating categories of sagebrush cover in arid ecosystems.     

On radiative forcing of sulphate aerosol produced from ion-promoted nucleation mechanisms in an atmospheric global model

A significant fraction of the total number of particles present in the atmosphere is formed by nucleation in the gas phase. Nucleation and the subsequent growth process influence both number concentration of particles and their size distribution besides chemical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols. Sulphate aerosol nucleation mechanisms promoted by ions have been evaluated here in a tropospheric interactive chemistry-aerosol module for mass and number concentration in a global atmospheric model. The indirect radiative forcing of sulphate particles is assessed in this model; indirect radiative forcing is different for ion-induced (IIN) and ion-mediated (IMN) mechanisms. The indirect radiative forcing in 10-year simulation runs has been calculated as ?1.42?W/m² (IIN) and ?1.54?W/m² (IMN). The 5% emission of primary sulphate particles in simulations changes the indirect radiative forcing from ?1.42 to ?1.44?W/m² for IIN case, and from ?1.54 to ?1.55 W/m² for the IMN case. More precisely, owing to greater nucleation rates, IMN mechanisms produces greater cooling than the IIN mechanisms in the backdrop that both mechanisms produce almost identical distribution of CDNC in their pre-industrial runs. The inclusion of primary particles in simulations with IIN and IMN mechanisms increases both CDNC and the indirect radiative forcing.     

The characteristics of rain electricity in Nigeria. I — Magnitudes and variations

The characteristics of rain and point charges based on routine measurements extending over four rainy seasons are presented. An average rain current density of (1.0±0.1)×10^–10 A m^–2 and charge per unit volume of rain water of (0.43±0.02)×10^–4 C m^–3 for the locality are obtained, which are compared with data obtained elsewhere by other workers. The point-discharge current measurements lead to a revised estimate of (0.86±0.08)×10^–9 A m^–2 for the average point discharge current below storm clouds.     

Whipple telescope observations of LS I +61 303: 2004–2006

In this paper we present the results of the past two years observations on the galactic microquasar LS I +61 303 with the Whipple 10 m gamma-ray telescope. The recent MAGIC detection of the source between 200 GeV and 4 TeV suggests that the source is periodic with very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission linked to its orbital cycle. The entire 50-hour data set obtained with Whipple from 2004 to 2006 was analyzed with no reliable detection resulting. The upper limits obtained in the 2005–2006 season covered several of the same epochs as the MAGIC Telescope detections, albeit with lower sensitivity. Upper limits are placed on emission during the orbital phases of 0→0.1 and 0.8→1, phases which are not included in the MAGIC data set.      

Geoarchaeological and Bioarchaeological Studies at Mira,an Early Upper Paleolithic Site in the Lower Dnepr Valley,Ukraine

New geoarchaeological and bioarcheological research was undertaken at the open‐air site of Mira, which is buried in deposits of the Second Terrace of the Dnepr River, roughly 15 km downstream from the city of Zaporozhye in Ukraine. Previous excavation of the site revealed two occupation layers dating to ∼32,000 cal BP. The lower layer (II/2) yielded bladelets similar to those of the early Gravettian, while the upper layer (I) contained traces of an artificial shelter and hundreds of bones and teeth of horse (Equus latipes). Mira represents the only firmly dated early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) site in the Dnepr Basin, and occupies a unique topographic setting for the EUP near the center of the broad floodplain of the Dnepr River. The site was visited during a period of floodplain stability, characterized by overbank deposition and weak soil formation under cool climate conditions. Mira was used as a long‐term camp, but also was the locus of large‐mammal carcass processing associated with a nearby kill of a group of horses (Layer I).     

The flux of secondary anti-deuterons and antihelium produced in the interstellar medium

Several measurements have been performed to find antiprotons in the primary cosmic radiation. Because it is difficult to get completely separated secondary produced antiprotons primary ones, calculations based on accelerator results have been performed for the flux of secondary produced antideuterons and antihelium.     

LA-ICP-MS heavy metal analyses of fish scales from sediments of the Oxbow Lake Certak of the Morava River (Czech Republic)

Heavy metal concentrations were studied in the scales of recent and subrecent (2–25 years old) fish buried in the oxbow lake sediments of the Morava River. The samples were taken from two cores up to 4-m deep and analysed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and an electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). The results were compared with heavy metal concentrations of bulk samples of the embedding sediment. The study has revealed substantial differences in heavy metal contents existing between the recent and subrecent fish scales documenting an extreme rapidity of the diagenesis/fossilization processes. The most apparent features of the early fossilization include the quick loss of the mucous envelope, collagen and magnesium and an enormous increase in the heavy metal concentrations in particular iron, which is connected with a colour change. The variations in heavy metal contents in fish scales within a sample are attributed to variations in heavy metal content in the environment and variable amounts of organic matter in the embedding sediment. In contrast to the contamination of the embedding sediment, no general increase in heavy metal concentrations in fish scales was observed down to the cores. It is inferred that the rapid sorption stabilizes the biologic hydroxyapatite of the fish scales, which thus rapidly attain a thermodynamic equilibrium with the embedding water-saturated sediment. The results show that the processes of sorption, fossilization and stabilization of hydroxyapatite can act very quickly over a time scale of several years and represent thus a great advantage in the preservation of the original signals of the ancient environments.