An analysis of the radar backscatter from oil-covered sea surfaces using moment method and Monte-Carlo simulation: preliminary results

An analysis of the radar backscattering from the ocean surface covered by oil spill is presented using a microwave scattering model and Monte-Carlo simulation. In the analysis, a one-dimensional rough sea surface is numerically generated with an ocean waveheight spectrum for a given wind velocity. A two-layered medium is then generated by adding a thin oil layer on the simulated rough sea surface. The electric fields backscattered from the sea surface with two-layered medium are computed with the method of moments (MoM), and the backscattering coefficients are statistically obtained with N independent samples for each oil-spilled surface using the Monte-Carlo technique for various conditions of surface roughness, oil-layer thickness, frequency, polarization and incidence angle. The numerical simulation results are compared with theoretical models for clean sea surfaces and SAR images of an oil-spilled sea surface caused by the Hebei (Hebei province, China) Spirit oil tanker in 2007. Further, conditions for better oil spill extraction are sought by the numerical simulation on the effects of wind speed and oil-layer thickness at different incidence angles on the backscattering coefficients.     

Atmospheric gravity waves identified by ground-based observations of the intensity and rotational temperature of OH airglow

Spectroscopic observations of OH airglow undertaken on May 2, 2006 at Uji, Japan reveal variations in intensity and rotational temperature related to the passage of an atmospheric gravity wave. The variations exhibit a period of approximately 1 h and magnitudes of 2–6% in intensity and 0.5–2% in rotational temperature. The vertical wavelength and intrinsic frequency of the atmospheric gravity wave were determined from the horizontal wavelength derived by an OH airglow imager, the background horizontal wind velocity obtained by the middle and upper atmosphere (MU) radar, and the dispersion relationship. The observed variations are consistent with the values calculated using the model of Liu, A.Z., Swenson, G.R. [2003. A modeling study of O₂ and OH airglow perturbations induced by atmospheric gravity waves. J. Geophys. Res. 108 (No. D4), 4151. doi:10.1029/2002JD002474].     

Numerical study of surface water circulation around Sekisei Lagoon, southwest Japan

This paper discusses the variability of surface currents around Sekisei Lagoon using a nested grid ocean circulation model. We developed a triple-nested grid system that consists of a coarse-resolution (1/60° or ∼1.85 km) model off Taiwan, an intermediate-resolution (1/300° or ∼370 m) model around the Yaeyama Islands, and a fine-resolution (1/900° or ∼123 m) model of Sekisei Lagoon. The nested grid system was forced by wind and heat flux calculated from six-hourly atmospheric reanalysis data and integrated over the period from May to July 2003. The coarse-resolution model was driven by lateral boundary conditions calculated from daily ocean reanalysis data to include realistic variation of the Kuroshio and mesoscale eddies with spatial scales of ∼500–700 km in the open ocean. The tidal forcing was included in the intermediate-resolution model by interpolating sea level data obtained from a data-assimilative tidal model. The results were then used to drive the fine-resolution model to simulate the surface water circulation around Sekisei lagoon. Model results show that (1) currents inside the lagoon are mainly driven by tide and wind; (2) there exists a strong southwestward current along the bottom slope in the southeast portion of the lagoon; the current is mainly driven by remote mesoscale eddies and at times intensified by the local wind; (3) the flow relaxation scheme is effective in reducing biases along the open boundaries. The simulated currents were used to examine the retention and dispersion of passive particles in the surface layer. Results show that the surface dispersion in the strong open ocean current region is significantly higher than that inside the lagoon.     

Toward seamless indoor-outdoor applications: Developing stakeholder-oriented location-based services

Location-Based Services (LBS), an emerging new business based on smartphone and mobile networks, are becoming more and more popular. Most of these LBSs, however, only offer non-seamless indoor/outdoor applications and simple applications without giving stakeholders the chance to play an active role. Our specific aim is to solve these issues. This paper presents concepts to solve these issues by expanding the Open Location Services Interface Standard (OpenLS) to allow seamless indoor/outdoor positioning and to extend the content of the services to include information recommended by stakeholders.     

Partial breaching of Hattian Bala Landslide Dam formed in the 8th October 2005 Kashmir Earthquake, Pakistan

The 8th October 2005 Kashmir Earthquake of magnitude 7.6 triggered a huge landslide 3.5 km upstream of Hattian Bala town in the state of Azad Jammu Kashmir of Pakistan. The debris mass blocked two tributaries of the Karli branch of the Jhelum River and was breached on 9th February 2010. This debris dam provided us with a rare opportunity to keep careful and continuous eyes on its post-earthquake behavior especially as it was a serious threat to people living along the lower reaches of both the Karli and Jhelum Rivers. This paper describes post-formation behaviors of the debris mass, breaching-inflicted changes of not only the debris mass but also both upstream and downstream reaches based upon laser-scanned images of landforms and Differential Global Positioning System survey results.     

Toward seamless indoor-outdoor applications: Developing stakeholder-oriented location-based services

Location-Based Services (LBS),an emerging new business based on smartphone and mobile networks,are becoming more and more popular.Most of these LBSs,however,only offer non-seamless indoor/outdoor applications and simple applications without giving stakeholders the chance to play an active role.Our specific aim is to solve these issues.This paper presents concepts to solve these issues by expanding the Open Location Services Interface Standard (OpenLS) to allow seamless indoor/outdoor positioning and to extend the content of the services to include information recommended by stakeholders.     

On the gravity wave-driven instability of E layer at mid-latitude

The plasma instability process during internal gravity wave propagation through the ionospheric E region is considered. The growth rate of the instability has been found and it has been shown that it depends on perturbation wavelength, gravity wave parameters and direction of propagation. The conditions for the instability are favorable when the vorticity of the associated neutral motion becomes antiparallel to the geomagnetic field. In the proposed instability mechanism plasma irregularities could seed the large-scale sporadic E layer structuring because they are generated in situ as a part of the same neutral wind structure that serves to initiate the formation of the layer.     

Geochemical Characteristics,Origin, and Evolution of Ore‐Forming Fluids of the Khut Copper Skarn Deposit,West of Yazd in Central Iran

The Khut copper skarn deposit is located at about 50 km northwest of Taft City in Yazd province in the middle part of the Urumieh‐Dokhtar magmatic arc. Intrusion of granitoid of Oligocene–Miocene age into carbonate rocks of the Triassic Nayband Formation led to the formation of marble and a calcic skarn. The marble contains high grade Cu mineralization that occurs mainly as open space filling and replacement. Cu‐rich sulfide samples from the mineralized marble are also anomalous in Au, Zn, and Pb. In contrast, the calcic skarn is only weakly anomalous in Cu and W. The calcic skarn is divided into garnet skarn and garnet–pyroxene skarn zones. Paragenetic relationships and microthermometric data from fluid inclusions in garnet and calcite indicate that the compositional evolution of skarn minerals occurred in three main stages as follows. (i) The early prograde stage, which is characterized by Mg‐rich hedenbergite (Hd_53.7Di_42.3–Hd_86.1Di_9.5) with Al‐bearing andradite (69.8–99.5 mol% andradite). The temperature in the early prograde skarn varies from 400 to 500°C at 500 bar. (ii) The late prograde stage is manifested by almost pure andradite (96.2–98.4 mol% andradite). Based on the fluid inclusion data from garnet, fluid temperature and salinity in this stage is estimated to vary from 267 to 361°C and from 10.1 to 21.1 wt% NaCl equivalent, respectively. Pyrrhotite precipitation started during this stage. (iii) The retrograde stage occurs in an exoskarn, which consists of an assemblage of ferro‐actinolite, quartz, calcite, epidote, chlorite, sphalerite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite that partially replaces earlier mineral assemblages under hydrostatic conditions during fracturing of the early skarn. Fluids in calcite yielded lower temperatures (T < 260°C) and fluid salinity declined to ～8 wt% NaCl equivalent. The last stage mineralization in the deposit is supergene weathering/alteration represented by the formation of iron hydroxide, Cu‐carbonate, clay minerals, and calcite. Sulfur isotope data of chalcopyrite (δ³⁴S of +1.4 to +5.2‰) show an igneous sulfur source. Mineralogy and mineral compositions of the prograde assemblage of the Khut skarn are consistent with deposition under intermediately oxidized and slightly lower fS₂ conditions at shallow crustal levels compared with those of other typical Fe‐bearing Cu–Au skarn systems.     

Geochemical behavior of rare earth elements in hydrothermally altered rocks of the Kuroko mining area,Japan

In this study we analyzed the chemical composition of hydrothermally altered dacite and basalt from the Kuroko mining area, northeastern Honshu, Japan, by REE (rare earth element). Features of rare earth element analyses include: (1) altered footwall dacite exhibits a negative Eu anomaly compared with fresh dacite, suggesting preferential removal of Eu²⁺ from the altered dacite via hydrothermal solutions, (2) altered hangingwall dacite and basalt and dacite and basalt adjacent to ore deposits exhibit positive Eu anomalies compared with fresh dacite and basalt, suggesting addition of Eu²⁺ from hydrothermal solutions, (3) LREE ratio (∑LREE/∑REE) from altered dacite of chlorite–sericite zone and K-feldspar zone show a negative relationship with δ¹⁸O, and La/Sm ratios show a positive correlation with the K₂O index. These trends indicate the addition of light rare earth elements such as La to the altered dacite from hydrothermal solution and/or leaching of heavy rare earth elements such as Sm and Yb, (4) Principal component analysis (PCA) indicates that light rare earth elements enrichment is related to the formation of sericite zone near the Kuroko deposits but not to the formations of chlorite and K-feldspar zones, and (5) The correlations among REE features (LREE ratio, MREE ratio, HREE ratio, Eu/Eu?), δ¹⁸O and K₂O index are not found for montmorillonite zone, mixed layer clay mineral zone and mordenite zone. Therefore, it is inferred that sericite, chlorite and K-feldspar alterations are related to the Kuroko and vein-type mineralization, but montmorillonite and mordenite alterations are not related to the mineralizations, and probably they formed at the post-mineralization stage.