Spectroscopy, morphometry, and photoclinometry of Titan's dunefields from Cassini/VIMS

Fine-resolution (500 m/pixel) Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) T20 observations of Titan resolve that moon's sand dunes. The spectral variability in some dune regions shows that there are sand-free interdune areas, wherein VIMS spectra reveal the exposed dune substrate. The interdunes from T20 are, variously, materials that correspond to the equatorial bright, 5-μm-bright, and dark blue spectral units. Our observations show that an enigmatic “dark red” spectral unit seen in T5 in fact represents a macroscopic mixture with 5-μm-bright material and dunes as its spectral endmembers. Looking more broadly, similar mixtures of varying amounts of dune and interdune units of varying composition can explain the spectral and albedo variability within the dark brown dune global spectral unit that is associated with dunes. The presence of interdunes indicates that Titan's dunefields are both mature and recently active. The spectrum of the dune endmember reveals the sand to be composed of less water ice than the rest of Titan; various organics are consistent with the dunes' measured reflectivity. We measure a mean dune spacing of 2.1 km, and find that the dunes are oriented on the average in an east-west direction, but angling up to 10° from parallel to the equator in specific cases. Where no interdunes are present, we determine the height of one set of dunes photoclinometrically to be between 30 and 70 m. These results pave the way for future exploration and interpretation of Titan's sand dunes.     

Spectral analysis of continuous redox data reveals geochemical dynamics near the stream–aquifer interface

Changes in streamflow and water table elevation influence oxidation–reduction (redox) conditions near river–aquifer interfaces, with potentially important consequences for solute fluxes and biogeochemical reaction rates. Although continuous measurements of groundwater chemistry can be arduous, in situ sensors reveal chemistry dynamics across a wide range of timescales. We monitored redox potential in an aquifer adjacent to a tidal river and used spectral and wavelet analyses to link redox responses to hydrologic perturbations within the bed and banks. Storms perturb redox potential within both the bed and banks over timescales of days to weeks. Tides drive semidiurnal oscillations in redox potential within the streambed that are absent in the banks. Wavelet analysis shows that tidal redox oscillations in the bed are greatest during late summer (wavelet magnitude of 5.62 mV) when river stage fluctuations are on the order of 70 cm and microbial activity is relatively high. Tidal redox oscillations diminish during the winter (wavelet magnitude of 2.73 mV) when river stage fluctuations are smaller (on the order of 50 cm) and microbial activity is presumably low. Although traditional geochemical observations are often limited to summer baseflow conditions, in situ redox sensing provides continuous, high‐resolution chemical characterization of the subsurface, revealing transport and reaction processes across spatial and temporal scales in aquifers.     

Depositional ice nucleation on NX illite and mixtures of NX illite with organic acids

Mineral dust particles are known to be efficient ice nuclei in the atmosphere. Previous work has probed heterogeneous ice nucleation on various laboratory dust samples including Arizona Test Dust, kaolinite, montmorillonite, and illite as atmospheric dust surrogates. However, it has recently been suggested that NX illite may be a better representation of atmospheric dust. Hiranuma et al. (2015) performed a laboratory comparison for immersion ice nucleation on NX illite, but here we focus on depositional ice nucleation because of its importance in low temperature cirrus cloud formation. A Raman microscope setup was used to examine the ice-nucleating efficiency of NX illite. Organic coatings on the NX illite particles were also investigated using a mixture of 5 dicarboxylic acids (M5). The ratio of NX illite to M5 was varied from 1:10 to 100:1. It was found that NX illite efficiently nucleates ice with S_ice = 1.07 ± 0.01 at ?47 °C, with S_ice slightly increasing at lower temperatures. In contrast, pure M5 is a poorer ice nucleus with S_ice = 1.30 ± 0.02 at ?40 °C, relatively independent of temperature. Further, it was found that M5 coatings on the order of several monolayers thick hindered the ice nucleating ability of NX illite. Optical images suggest that at colder temperatures (< ?50 °C) 1:1 NX illite:M5 particles and pure M5 particles nucleate ice depositionally, while at warmer temperatures (> ?50 °C) subsaturated immersion ice nucleation dominates. These experiments suggest that mineral dust particles may become less active towards ice nucleation as they age in the atmosphere.     

Surface images of the short period contact binary AE Phe

We present high resolution Doppler images of the short period (P = 0.362 d) contact binary AE Phe. Using least squares deconvolution, we make use of the information content of the several thousand lines in each échelle spectrum to obtain the necessary S/N and time resolution required to resolve individual starspot features. A single pair of rotationally broadened profiles (free of sidelobes due to blending) with a typical S/N of 3000 ‐ 4000 per spectrum is thus obtained. With 300 sec exposures we achieve a cadence of 350 sec which is equivalent to sampling the rotation phase every 4°. We derive images for four nights of data which reveal starspots at most latitudes on both components of the common envelope system. Individual starspots evolve significantly on very short timescales, of order one day; significantly faster than the week timescales found on active single stars and the Sun. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Comparison of garnet-biotite, calcite-graphite, and calcite-dolomite thermometry in the Grenville Orogen; Ontario, Canada

The Elzevir Terrane of the Grenville Orogen in southern Ontario contains metapelites and abundant graphitic marbles that were regionally metamorphosed from the upper greenschist to upper amphibolite facies. Comparative thermometry was undertaken with widely used calibrations for the systems garnet-biotite, calcite-dolomite, and calcite-graphite. Temperatures that are obtained from matrix biotites paired with prograde garnet near-rim analyses are usually consistent with those determined using calcite-graphite thermometry. However, calcite-graphite thermometry occasionally yields low temperatures due to lack of equilibration of anomalously light graphite. Application of calcite-graphite and garnet-biotite systems may yield temperatures up to 70 °C higher than calcite-dolomite in amphibolite facies rocks. Calcite-dolomite temperatures most closely approach those from calcite-graphite and garnet-biotite when the samples contain a single generation of dolomite and calcite grains contain no visible dolomite exsolution lamellae. However, some of these samples yield temperatures considerably lower than temperatures calculated from calcite-graphite and garnet-biotite thermometry, indicating that the calcite-dolomite thermometer may have been partially reset during retrogression. Estimated peak metamorphic temperatures of regional metamorphism between Madoc (upper greenschist facies) and Bancroft (upper amphibolite facies) range from 500 to 650 °C. These results place the chlorite-staurolite isograd at 540 °C, the kyanite-sillimanite isograd at 590 °C, and the sillimanite-K-feldspar isograd at 650 °C. Although each thermometer may have an absolute uncertainty of as much as ±50 °C, the 50 to 60 °C temperature differences between the isograds are probably accurate to 10 to 20 °C. An incomplete picture of the thermal gradients can result from the application of only one thermometer in a given area. Simultaneous application of several systems allows one to recognize and overcome the inherent limitations of each thermometer. Received: 26 March 1997 / Accepted: 15 April 1998     

Development of a distributed hydrological model to facilitate watershed management

To facilitate precise and cost-effective watershed management, a simple yet spatially and temporally distributed hydrological model (DHM-WM) was developed. The DHM-WM is based on the Mishra-Singh version of the curve number method, with several modifications: The spatial distribution of soil moisture was considered in moisture updating; the travel time of surface runoff was calculated on a grid cell basis for routing; a simple tile flow module was included as an option. The DHM-WM was tested on a tile-drained agricultural watershed in Indiana, USA. The model with the tile flow module performed well in the study area, providing a balanced water budget and reasonable flow partitioning. The daily coefficient of determination and Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient were 0.58 and 0.56, for the calibration period, and 0.63 and 0.62 for the validation period. The DHM-WM also provides detailed information about the source areas of flow components, the travel time and pathways of surface runoff.

EDITOR A. Castellarin; ASSOCIATE EDITOR F.-J. Chang     

Dissolved organic matter variations in coastal plain wetland watersheds: The integrated role of hydrological connectivity,land use,and seasonality

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is integral to fluvial biogeochemical functions, and wetlands are broadly recognized as substantial sources of aromatic DOM to fluvial networks. Yet how land use change alters biogeochemical connectivity of upland wetlands to streams remains unclear. We studied depressional geographically isolated wetlands on the Delmarva Peninsula (USA) that are seasonally connected to downstream perennial waters via temporary channels. Composition and quantity of DOM from 4 forested, 4 agricultural, and 4 restored wetlands were assessed. Twenty perennial streams with watersheds containing wetlands were also sampled for DOM during times when surface connections were present versus absent. Perennial watersheds had varying amounts of forested wetland (0.4–82%) and agricultural (1–89%) cover. DOM was analysed with ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, and bioassays. Forested wetlands exported more DOM that was more aromatic‐rich compared with agricultural and restored wetlands. DOM from the latter two could not be distinguished suggesting limited recovery of restored wetlands; DOM from both was more protein‐like than forested wetland DOM. Perennial streams with the highest wetland watershed cover had the highest DOC levels during all seasons; however, in fall and winter when temporary streams connect forested wetlands to perennial channels, perennial DOC concentrations peaked, and composition was linked to forested wetlands. In summer, when temporary stream connections were dry, perennial DOC concentrations were the lowest and protein‐like DOM levels the highest. Overall, DOC levels in perennial streams were linked to total wetland land cover, but the timing of peak fluxes of DOM was driven by wetland connectivity to perennial streams. Bioassays showed that DOM linked to wetlands was less available for microbial use than protein‐like DOM linked to agricultural land use. Together, this evidence indicates that geographically isolated wetlands have a significant impact on downstream water quality and ecosystem function mediated by temporary stream surface connections.     

First record of the Australian ascidian Eudistoma elongatum in northern New Zealand

A colonial ascidian was first reported by marine farmers in Houhora Harbour, Northland, New Zealand in early 2005 and subsequently found on oyster racks in Parengarenga Harbour and the Bay of Islands. The Northland ascidian was identified with a combination of morphological characters and DNA cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequence data, as Eudistoma elongatum, a species native to Australia, where it is found from northern New South Wales to Northern Queensland, and distinguished from Eudistoma circumvallatum, the only reported species in this genus from New Zealand. Ascidian larvae are weak dispersers and long distance dispersal of E. elongatum is likely to be enhanced by vectors such as oyster barges and/or movement of cultured oysters. In its native range, E. elongatum is restricted to areas with a minimum winter sea temperature of 16°C. Assuming similar biological limitations apply in New Zealand, the spread of E. elongatum might be restricted to northern New Zealand (north of latitude 37°S).     

Towards Quantifying the Likelihood of Water Resource Impacts from Unconventional Gas Development

Gas production from unconventional reservoirs has led to widespread environmental concerns. Despite several excellent reviews of various potential impacts to water resources from unconventional gas production, no study has systematically and quantitatively assessed the potential for these impacts to occur. We use empirical evidence and numerical and analytical models to quantify the likelihood of surface water and groundwater contamination, and shallow aquifer depletion from unconventional gas developments. These likelihoods are not intended to be exact. They provide a starting point for comparing the probabilities of adverse impacts between types of water resources and pathways. This analysis provides much needed insight into what are “probable” rather than simply “possible” impacts. The results suggest that the most likely water resource impacts are surface water and groundwater contamination from spills at the well pad, which can be as high as 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 for each gas well, respectively. For wells that are hydraulically fractured, the likelihood of contamination due to inter-aquifer leakage is 1 in 10⁶ or lower (dependent on the separation distance between the production formation and the aquifer). For gas-bearing formations that were initially over-pressurized, the potential for contamination from inter-aquifer leakage after production ceases could be as high as 1 in 400 where the separation between gas formation and shallow aquifer is 500 m, but will be much lower for greater separation distances (more characteristic of shale gas).     

The Gravity Module Assembly used in airborne full tensor gradiometry surveys

In airborne gravity gradiometry, the Gravity Module Assembly is an optional gravimeter unit that is mounted on the same stabilized platform as the Full Tensor Gradiometer. Direct measurements of the gravity field are needed from this device to constrain the long wavelengths when gradient data are integrated mathematically to form high-resolution gravity fields. The Gravity Module Assembly is, however, capable of providing independent gravity data with a specification approaching that expected from a dedicated airborne gravity system. Presented here is an error analysis of data from this instrument collected alongside the Full Tensor Gradiometer during an airborne survey. By having both gradiometry and gravity datasets, comparisons of the information content in these two types of measurement are made.