Enstatite chondrites: Trace element clues to their origin

We have analyzed by RNAA 3 EH and 3 EL chondrites for 20 trace elements. Interelement correlations were examined visually and by factor analysis, to assess the effects of nebular fractionation and metamorphism.Refractory siderophiles (Ir, Os, Re) correlate with “normal siderophiles” (Ni, Pd, Au, Sb, and Ge) in EL's but not EH's; presumably these two element groups originally condensed on separate phases (CAI and metal), but then concentrated in metal during metamorphism. Sb and Ge are more depleted than the other three elements of the “normal” group, presumably by volatilization during chondrule formation.Volatiles are consistently more depleted in EL's than EH's, by factors >10× for the more volatile elements. Some of the stronger correlations are found for In-Tl, Tl-Bi, and Zn-Cd-In. These correlations are about equally consistent with predicted condensation curves for the solar nebula (especially for host phases with negative heats of solution, or for P = 0.1?1 atm) and with volatilization curves for artificially heated Abee, as determined by M E. Lipschutz and coworkers at Purdue. No decisive test between these alternatives is available at present, but the close correlation of Zn, Cd, In may eventually provide a crucial test.Factor analysis shows that 3 factors account for 93% of the variance; they seem to reflect volatile (F1), siderophile (F2), and chalcophile (F3) behavior. The element groupings agree largely with those recognized visually; they are listed with the inferred host phases. F1 (minor sulfide, probably ZnS): Zn, Cd, In, Br; F2 (CAI, later metal): Ir, Os. Re; F1, F2 (metal): Ni, Pd, Au, Ge, Sb; F3, F1 (FeS): Se, Te, Bi, Tl. These correlations differ to some extent from those obtained by Shaw (1974) in an earlier factor analysis, presumably because the new data are more homogeneous and extensive, especially for siderophiles. The new correlations also show that the cosmochemical behavior of some volatiles in E-chondrites differs from that predicted for ordinary chondrites, so that condensation curves for the latter are not strictly applicable.     

NATURE OF PRECIPITATION AND ACTIVITY OF CUMULUS CONVECTION DURING THE 1991 MEIYU SEASON OF CHANGJIANG-HUAIHE RIVER BASIN

Seasonal variability regarding the nature of precipitation and the activity of cumulus convectionduring the 1991 Meiyu season of Changjiang-Huaihe River Basin(Jianghuai)has been investigatedby calculating apparent heat source/apparent moisture sink and analyzing TBB(cloud-topblackbody radiation temperature)data.It is found that three periods of strong ascending motionduring the Meiyu season lead to three episodes of heavy rain,and the latent heat due to theprecipitation is of the sole heat source of the atmosphere.The nature of precipitation showsdistinct seasonal variability,from frontal precipitation of the first episode to the extremely strongconvective precipitation of the third episode.TBB field of East Asia may well reflect not only theintensity of convection and rainfall,but also the movement of rain belt and convection belt.In thewhole Meiyu season.convection belt mainly stays in Jianghuai.but may shift within the domain ofEast Asia.Its locating in Jianghuai or not determines the maintenance or break of Meiyu.In thethird episode,the narrow convection belt over Jianghuai is mainly caused by southwest monsoonwhich takes moist and convective atmosphere from tropical ocean.     

Magnetism and mineralogy of Almahata Sitta polymict ureilite (= asteroid 2008 TC3): Implications for the ureilite parent body magnetic field

Abstract– The Almahata Sitta meteorite is the first case of recovered extraterrestrial material originating from an asteroid that was detected in near Earth space shortly before entering and exploding in the high atmosphere. The aims of our project within the 2008 TC₃ consortium were investigating Almahata Sitta’s (AS) magnetic signature, phase composition and mineralogy, focussing on the opaque minerals, and gaining new insights into the magnetism of the ureilite parent body (UPB). We report on the general magnetic properties and behavior of Almahata Sitta and try to place the results in context with the existing data set on ureilites and ureilite parent body models. The magnetic signature of AS is dominated by a set of low‐Ni kamacites with large grain sizes. Additional contributions come from micron‐sized kamacites, suessite, (Cr) troilite, and daubreelite, mainly found in the olivine grains adjacent to carbon‐rich veins. Our results show that the paleomagnetic signal is of extraterrestrial origin as can be seen by comparing with laboratory produced magnetic records (IRM). Four types of kamacite (I–IV) have been recognized in the sample. The elemental composition of the ureilite vein metal Kamacite I (particularly Co) clearly differs from the other kamacites (II‐IV), which are considered to be indigenous. Element ratios of kamacite I indicate that it was introduced into the UPB by an impactor, supporting the conclusions of Gabriel and Pack (2009) .     

Anomalous deformation of the Earth's bow shock in the lunar wake: Joint measurement by Chang’E-1 and SELENE

Because the solar wind (SW) flow is usually super-sonic, a fast-mode bow shock (BS) is formed in front of the Earth's magnetosphere, and the Moon crosses the BS at both dusk and dawn flanks. On the other hand, behind of the Moon along the SW flow forms a tenuous region called lunar wake, where the flow can be sub-Alfvénic (and thus sub-sonic) because of its low-density status. Here we report, with joint measurement by Chang’E-1 and SELENE, that the Earth's BS surface is drastically deformed in the lunar wake. Despite the quasi-perpendicular shock configuration encountered at dusk flank under the Parker-spiral magnetic field, no clear shock surface can be found in the lunar wake, while instead gradual transition of the magnetic field from the upstream to downstream value was observed for a several-minute interval. This finding suggests that the ‘magnetic ramp’ is highly broadened in the wake where a fast-mode shock is no longer maintained due to the highly reduced density. On the other hand, observations at the 100 km altitude on the dayside show that the fast-mode shock is maintained even when the width of the downstream region is smaller than a typical scale length of a perpendicular shock. Our results suggest that the Moon is not so large to eliminate the BS at 100 km altitude on the dayside, while the magnetic field associated with the shock structure is drastically affected in the lunar wake.     

Phase relations in the carbon-saturated C–Mg–Fe–Si–O system and C and Si solubility in liquid Fe at high pressure and temperature: implications for planetary interiors

The phase and melting relations of the C-saturated C–Mg–Fe–Si–O system were investigated at high pressure and temperature to understand the role of carbon in the structure of the Earth, terrestrial planets, and carbon-enriched extraterrestrial planets. The phase relations were studied using two types of experiments at 4 GPa: analyses of recovered samples and in situ X-ray diffractions. Our experiments revealed that the composition of metallic iron melts changes from a C-rich composition with up to about 5 wt.% C under oxidizing conditions (ΔIW = ?1.7 to ?1.2, where ΔIW is the deviation of the oxygen fugacity (fO₂) from an iron-wüstite (IW) buffer) to a C-depleted composition with 21 wt.% Si under reducing conditions (ΔIW < ?3.3) at 4 GPa and 1,873 K. SiC grains also coexisted with the Fe–Si melt under the most reducing conditions. The solubility of C in liquid Fe increased with increasing fO₂, whereas the solubility of Si decreased with increasing fO₂. The carbon-bearing phases were graphite, Fe₃C, SiC, and Fe alloy melt (Fe–C or Fe–Si–C melts) under the redox conditions applied at 4 GPa, but carbonate was not observed under our experimental conditions. The phase relations observed in this study can be applicable to the Earth and other planets. In hypothetical reducing carbon planets (ΔIW < ?6.2), graphite/diamond and/or SiC exist in the mantle, whereas the core would be an Fe–Si alloy containing very small amount of C even in the carbon-enriched planets. The mutually exclusive nature of C and Si may be important also for considering the light elements of the Earth’s core.     

Integrative assessment of organotin contamination in a southern European estuarine system (Ria de Aveiro, NW Portugal): tracking temporal trends in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the EU ban

Organotin (OT) compounds have been used as biocide agents in antifouling paints since the mid 1960s and are now ubiquitous in the marine environment. Due to their high toxicity to non-target species they were banned from antifouling paints in the European Union in 2003 (2002/62/EC directive). The aim of the present work is to assess any obvious decline of the OT environmental levels at Ria de Aveiro (NW Portugal) after the ban. The organotins - monobutyltin (MBT), dibutyltin (DBT), tributyltin (TBT), monophenyltin (MPT), diphenyltin (DPT), triphenyltin (TPT), monoctyltin (MOT), dioctyltin (DOT) and trioctyltin (TOT) - were quantified in the gastropod Nassarius reticulatus, in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and in sediments. Imposex (imposition of male characters on females of gonochorist gastropods) in N. reticulatus was additionally used as a biomarker of TBT pollution. Time comparisons show a slight decrease of imposex between 2003 and 2005 probably as a consequence of the EU ban, though in some cases this trend seems to have started earlier since 2000. The fraction of TBT relatively to its metabolites has been decreasing over the last years but still remains high suggesting that there are still recent inputs of this compound into the study area.     

Isomer specific determination of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in small cetaceans from the South China Sea--Levels and temporal variation

A diastereoisomer (alpha, beta, and gamma) specific analytical method for measuring hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) was developed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). The method developed was applied to analyze blubber of small cetaceans to divulge the distribution and temporal variation of HBCDs in the Asian marine environment. HBCDs were detected in all the blubber samples of finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) collected from the South China Sea during 1990-2001. Concentrations of HBCDs were higher in humpback dolphins (31-380 ng/g lipid) than in finless porpoises (4.7-55 ng/g lipid), which can be attributed to habitat differences. Average concentrations of alpha-HBCD in finless porpoises increased from 9.5 ng/g lipid in 1990 to 35 ng/g lipid in 2000/01. alpha-HBCD was predominant among the three isomers with some exceptions in finless porpoises collected in 1990. This is the first report on HBCDs contamination in marine mammals from Southeast Asia.     

Contamination status and spatial distribution of organochlorine compounds in fishes from Nansei Islands, Japan

Two species of fishes (n=52; tilapia and mullet) from industrialized and urbanized areas of Okinawa Island (Manko-Noha river, Hija river and Shikaza river) and from a remote area of Ishigaki Island (Anparu mudflat), Japan were collected between August 2005 and July 2006, and analyzed for five organochlorine compounds (OCs), viz., DDTs, PCBs, CHLs, HCHs and HCB. Concentrations and the contamination patterns of OCs in fishes varied between locations. Considerable residue levels of OCs, especially CHLs and DDTs were found in both fishes from the main Okinawa Island. These levels were relatively higher than the reported values for seafood from Japanese coasts, indicating that even now pollution sources of these contaminants still exist in this region. On the other hand, lower concentrations of OCs were detected in fishes from Ishigaki Island waters than those of other Japanese coastal waters, suggesting that this region is less contaminated by OC contaminants.     

Mesospheric gravity waves and ionospheric plasma bubbles observed during the COPEX campaign

During the Conjugate Point Experiment (COPEX) campaign performed at Boa Vista ($2.{80}^{°}\mathrm{N};60.{70}^{°}\mathrm{W}$, dip angle $21.7^{°}\mathrm{N}$) from October to December 2002, 15 medium-scale gravity waves in the OHNIR airglow images were observed. Using a Keogram image analysis, we estimate their parameters. Most of the waves propagate to Northwest, indicating that their main sources are Southeast of Boa Vista. Quasi-simultaneous plasma bubble activities in the OI 630 nm images were observed in seven cases. The distances between the bubble depletions have a linear relationship with the wavelengths of the gravity waves observed in the mesosphere, which suggests a direct contribution of the mesospheric medium-scale gravity waves in seeding the equatorial plasma bubbles.     

Implications for the low latitude cloud formations from solar activity and the quasi-biennial oscillation

We examined the effect of the 11-year solar cycle and quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) on the ～27-day solar rotational period detected in tropical convective cloud activity. We analyzed the data of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) for AD1979–2004, dividing into four different cases by the combination of high and low solar activities in terms of the 11-year variation, and easterly and westerly stratospheric winds associated with QBO. As a result, ～27-day variation has been most significantly detected in high solar activity period around the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool. Based on correlation analysis, we find that solar rotation signal can explain 10–20% of OLR variability around the tropical warm pool region during the high solar activity period. The spatial distribution has been, however, apparently different according to the phases of QBO. It is suggested that the 11-year solar cycle and stratospheric QBO have a possibility to cause large-scale oceanic dipole phenomena.