THE STUDY OF THE GENESIS OF SURFACE WATERS BY OBSERVING THEIR ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITIES*

Specific electrical resistivity of natural waters contains information on their genesis. The authors propose to conduct mass and regime observations of this parameter in river and stream beds. The electrical resistivities in streams flowing from under a glacier reveal details formed at the same time as the glacier. Observations in the beds of big rivers show a gradual increase in water salinity overlain by reductions by inflowing glacial waters. The diurnal and annual trend of changes in the electrical conductivity of water associated with the change in the balance of glacial and ground waters has been established near to glaciers. Resistivity observations help to locate discharge sites of sub-permafrost waters, for water.     

Morphological redshift estimates for galaxy clusters in a Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect survey

We develop a new method to estimate the redshift of galaxy clusters through resolved images of the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect (SZE). Our method is based on morphological observables which can be measured by actual and future SZE experiments. We test the method with a set of high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy clusters at different redshifts. Our method combines the observables in a principal component analysis. After calibrating the method with an independent redshift estimation for some of the clusters, we show – using a Bayesian approach – how the method can give an estimate of the redshift of the galaxy clusters. Although the error bars given by the morphological redshift estimation are large, it should be useful for future SZE surveys where thousands of clusters are expected to be detected; a first preselection of the high-redshift candidates could be done using our proposed morphological redshift estimator. Although not considered in this work, our method should also be useful to give an estimate of the redshift of clusters in X-ray and optical surveys.     

Amplitudes of long-period PcP and the core-mantle boundary

The amplitudes of the core reflection PcP are sensitive to the wave velocities and densities in the neighborhood of the core-mantle boundary (CMB). We study the amplitude ratio of the long-period phases PcP and P from two South American deep-focus earthquakes with favorable fault-plane solution, depth and magnitude, as recorded by WWNSS and CSN stations in North America.Comparison is made with long-period PcP/P amplitude ratios, derived from theoretical seismograms for a variety of CMB models. Models from previous studies, which were mainly derived from short-period PcP observations and which are characterized by discrete layers above the CMB, are almost all inconsistent with the long-period data. The data also discriminate against low nonzero S velocities below the CMB. Simple first-order-discontinuity models of the CMB, for instance according to the Jeffreys-Bullen earth model or according to recent models based mainly on free oscillations, explain the data reasonably well.Model improvements are attempted by varying the P-velocity gradient above the CMB. The best amplitude fit is obtained for a rather strong decrease in P velocity with depth in this zone which, however, gives no acceptable traveltime fit for PcP. The scatter in body-wave amplitudes is considerable even for long-period waves and may prevent the correct assessment of that part of the amplitude variation of a phase with distance that is due to the variation of velocities and densities with depth alone.     

Tropical Deforestation and Climate Change: What Does the Record Reveal?

Tropical deforestation is widely believed to directly influence the climate at a number of scales. Yet while much has been written about the tropical forest-climate relationship, there is little empirical evidence showing if and how local and regional climates are modified by deforestation. This study presents the results of an analysis of deforestation and climate change in a rain forest in southern Mexico. Records from 18 climate stations in the Selva Lacandona of Chiapas, Mexico were examined and related to an analysis of deforestation based on Landsat images. The area surrounding some stations has been deforested since the stations were established, while the area surroundings others has remained forested. Strong climatic trends were generally evident at the deforested stations, including decreases in the average daily maximum temperature and temperature range. No precipitation changes were observed. A comparison of the results with microclimatic experiments and modeling studies suggests that the climatic impacts of deforestation are overgeneralized at the local scale. Landscape heterogeneity appears to influence the biophysical mechanisms linking tropical forests and climate, and should be explicitly represented in modeling studies.     

Flow and form in rehabilitation of large-river ecosystems: An example from the Lower Missouri River

On large, intensively engineered rivers like the Lower Missouri, the template of the physical habitat is determined by the nearly independent interaction of channel form and flow regime. We evaluated the interaction between flow and form by modeling four combinations of modern and historical channel form and modern and historical flow regimes. The analysis used shallow, slow water (shallow-water habitat, SWH, defined as depths between 0 and 1.5 m, and current velocities between 0 and 0.75 m/s) as an indicator of habitat that has been lost on many intensively engineered rivers and one that is thought to be especially important in rearing of young fishes. Two-dimensional hydrodynamic models for modern and historical channels of the Lower Missouri River at Hermann, Missouri, indicate substantial differences between the two channels in total availability and spatial characteristics of SWH. In the modern channel, SWH is maximized at extremely low flows and in overbank flows, whereas the historical channel had substantially more SWH at all discharges and SWH increased with increasing discharge. The historical channel form produced 3–7 times the SWH area of the modern channel regardless of flow regime. The effect of flow regime is evident in increased within-year SWH variability with the natural flow regime, including significant seasonal peaks of SWH associated with spring flooding. Comparison with other reaches along the Lower Missouri River indicates that a) channel form is the dominant control of the availability of habitat even in reaches where the hydrograph is more intensively altered, and b) rehabilitation projects that move toward the historical condition can be successful in increasing topographic diversity and thereby decreasing sensitivity of the availability of habitat to flow regime. The relative efficacy of managing flow and form in creating SWH is useful information toward achieving socially acceptable rehabilitation of the ecosystem in large river systems.     

Analysis of the activity of the blazar BL Lacertae over the period 1998–2011

In 1998–2011 the blazar (active galactic nucleus) BL Lacertae was observed at Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO) with the second-generation GT-48 Cherenkov telescope at energies >1 TeV with a total significance of 11.8σ. More than 20 flares and a fourfold change in yearly mean fluxes (>1 TeV) were recorded. The optical (B band) data obtained at CrAO and the TeV data are shown to correlate in some time intervals. The optical data are also compared with the X-ray RXTE/ASM (2–10 keV) data. In addition, the data from GT-48 are compared with the gamma-ray fluxes recorded by the Fermi LAT space telescope (0.1–300 GeV). The 2009 flare at TeV and Fermi energies has been studied. As a result, it has been found that as the activity rises the increase in flux at high energies exceeds its increase at low energies. This conclusion may be related to the conversion mechanism of particle acceleration. This is consistent with the results of studies for a similar object, 1ES 1426+428.     

Agate as an indicator of impact structures: An example from Sääksjärvi,Finland

Abstract— Mineralogical, petrographical and chemical determinations were made for 743 agate (banded variety of chalcedonic quartz) nodules (diameters from 5 mm to 5 cm) formed during postimpact, low-temperature hydrothermal activity as vesicle fillings in the melt rocks of the Sääksjärvi meteorite impact structure (diameter 5 km) in southwest Finland. Other hydrothermal vesicle fillings in the impact melt rocks include chlorite, mordenite, smectite and kaolinite. The agates were classified into two types, whose mineralogical properties and chemical compositions fall within the range of volcanic agates (basaltic and rhyolitic host rocks). The relatively high age (～510 Ma) of the Sääksjärvi impact melt rocks, however, is reflected by the presence of recrystallization textures, which are rare in younger volcanic agates. The Sääksjärvi structure was initially located after following the fortuitous discovery of agate “path-finders” in the glacial overburden. It is recommended that wherever volcanic type agates are found as float in Precambrian shield areas devoid of younger volcanic rocks, the possible presence of impact (or volcanic) craters in the vicinity should be considered.     

The shielding effect of small-scale martian surface geometry on ultraviolet flux

The atmosphere of Mars does little to attenuate incoming ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Large amounts of UV radiation sterilize the hardiest of terrestrial organisms within minutes, and chemically alter the soil such that organic molecules at or near the surface are rapidly destroyed. Thus the survival of any putative martian life near the surface depends to a large extent on how much UV radiation it receives. Variations in small-scale geometry of the surface such as pits, trenches, flat faces and overhangs can have a significant effect on the incident UV flux and may create “safe havens” for organisms and organic molecules. In order to examine this effect, a 1-D radiative transfer sky model with 836 meshed points (plus the Sun) was developed which includes both diffuse and direct components of the surface irradiance. This model derives the variation of UV flux with latitude and an object's Geometric Shielding Ratio (a ratio which describes the geometry of each situation). The best protection is offered by overhangs with flux reduced to a factor of 1.8±0.2×10⁻⁵ of the unprotected value, a reduction which does not vary significantly by latitude. Pits and cracks are less effective with a reduction in UV flux of only up to 4.5±0.5×10⁻³ for the modeled scenarios; however, they are more effective for the same geometric shielding ratio than overhangs at high latitudes due to the low height of the Sun in the sky. Lastly, polar faces of rocks have the least effective shielding geometry with at most a 1.1±0.1×10⁻¹ reduction in UV flux. Polar faces of rocks are most effective at mid latitudes where the Sun is never directly overhead, as at tropical latitudes, and never exposes the back of the rock, as at polar latitudes. In the most favorable cases, UV flux is sufficiently reduced such that organic in-fall could accumulate beneath overhanging surfaces and in pits and cracks. As well, hardy terrestrial microorganisms such as Bacillus pumilus could persist for up to 100 sols on the outer surfaces of typical spacecraft or several tens of martian years in the most shielded surface niches.