Zur Struktur der Wolken

Zusammenfassung Die vonRittberger aufgestelleten Arbeitshypothesen über den Zusammenhang zwischen Tropfenspektren und Niederschlag gelten primär für den Feldberg (Schwarzwald, 1500 m ü. NN.). Die vorliegenden Messungen vom Jungfraujoch (3550 m ü. NN.) ergänzen und bestätigen im allgemeinen die Ergebnisse vonRittberger. Die Mittelwerte der Wolkenelemente schwanken etwa in den gleichen Grenzen. Auf Jungfraujoch sind breite Spektren etwas häufiger und die Tropfenanzhal geringer als auf dem Feldberg. Die Grenzwerte zwischen Tropfendurchmesser und Temperatur erfahren eine wesentliche Erweiterung zu tieferen Temperaturen.Die Hochnebellagen auf Jungfraujoch sind durch Stau bedingt, und die Tropfengröße ändert sich von der Wolkenuntergrenze (klein) zur Wolkenobergrenze (groß). Die Gleichgewichtsgröße an der Wolkenobergrenze wird durch die darüber liegende Bewölkung bestimmt.Auf Jungfraujoch überwiegen die breiten Spektren, schmale scheinen an Wolkenunter- und-obergrenzen gebunden zu sein. Dabei ist schwer zu entscheiden, inwieweit geschmolzene Kristalle breite Tropfenspektren vortäuschen. Eindeutig ist das starke Überwiegen breiter Spektren bei großräumigem Niederschlag im Tal.Diese Feststellung läßt sich bei der Bearbeitung der einzelnen Wetterlagen bestätigen. Ergiebige Regen im Tal sind mit starken Abkühlungen in der freien Atmosphäre und breiten Tropfenspektren verbunden. Dabei tritt mit Einsetzen des Regens im Tal in drei von vier Fällen auf dem Jungfraujoch ein Rückgang der Tropfenanzahl um eine Zehnerpotenz ein.

---

Summary Rittberger's working hypotheses on the relation between drop spectra and precipitation are primarily valid for the Feldberg (Black Forest, 1500 m a. s. l.). The present measurements from Jungfraujoch (3550 m) complete and confirm in general the results ofRittberger. The mean values of cloud elements vary in about the same limits. On Jungfraujoch broad spectra are slightly more frequent and the number of drops per unit is smaller than on the Feldberg. The limits between drop diameter and temperature show a considerable extension towards lower temperatures.The layers of elevated fog on Jungfraujoch are conditioned by barrage and the drop size varies from the lower (small drops) to the upper (larger drops) cloud border. The equivalent quantity at the upper cloud border is determined by the cloudiness above.On Jungfraujoch broad spectra prevail, small ones seem to be restricted to lower and upper cloud borders, whereby it is difficult to decide, in how far melted crystals give the impression of broad drop spectra. Strong prevailing of broad spectra with large-scale precipitation in the valley is well established.This result is confirmed by a discussion of the weather situations. Rich precipitations in the valley are combined with considerable cooling in the upper air and broad drop spectra. Precipitatons in the valley are on Jungfraujoch in three of four cases accompanied by a reduction of the drop number with a power of ten.

---

Résumé Les hypothèses de travail établies parRittberger sur les rapports existant entre le spectre des gouttes et les précipitations ne sont valables, à l'origine, que pour le Feldberg (Forêt Noire, 1500 m d'altitude). Les mesures effectuées au Jungfraujoch (3550 m), mesures qui sont présentées ici, viennent compléter et en général confirmer les résultats obtenus parRittberger. Les valeurs moyennes des éléments de nuages oscillent à peu près entre les mêmes limites. Les spectres largement étalés sont un peu plus fréquent et le nombre des gouttes plus petit au Jungfraujoch qu'au Feldberg. Les valeurs limites entre le diamètre des gouttes et la température s'étendent notablement en direction des basses températures.Les situations de brouillard élevé sont provoquées au Jungfraujoch par un effet de barrage et la grosseur des gouttes augmente de la base (petites gouttes) au sommet (grosses gouttes) du nuage. La valeur d'équilibre à la limite supérieure des nuages est déterminée par la nébulosité située au-dessus.Les spectres largement étalés sont en majorité au Jungfraujoch. Les spectres étroits y semblent liés à la base et au sommet des nuages. Il est cependant difficile de déterminer dans quelle mesure des cristaux fondus donnent l'illusion de spectres largement étalés. Ces derniers sont plus fréquents, et cela de façon absolument certaine, lorsque des précipitations étendues s'abatten en plaine.Cette constatation est confirmée par l'étude des situations météorologiques. Des précipitations abondantes en plaine sont liées à un fort refroidissement de l'atmosphère libre et à des spectres de gouttes largement étalés. Au moment du début des précipitations en plaine, on constate trois fois sur quatre une diminuation d'une puissance de 10 du nombre des gouttes au Jungfraujoch.

---

---

Mit 6 Textabbildungen     

Torsional vibrations in boxgirder suspension bridges

A linear theory is developed for the free, torsional vibrations of the single-span, boxgirder suspension bridge. Both symmetric and antisymmetric modes are considered. For the symmetric modes, which induce additional cable tension, it is shown that it is imperative to include the elasticity of the cables if correct solutions are to be obtained. Three examples of bridges with widely differing properties are presented to illustrate the applicability of the theory. Orthogonality of the torsional modes of vibration is proved in Appendix I and the modification to the analysis, required when rigid centre ties are present, is outlined in Appendix II. The theories presented herein can be readily extended to the three-span bridge.     

Latest Pleistocene and Holocene glacier variations in the European Alps

In the Alps, climatic conditions reflected in glacier and rock glacier activity in the earliest Holocene show a strong affinity to conditions in the latest Pleistocene (Younger Dryas). Glacier advances in the Alps related to Younger Dryas cooling led to the deposition of Egesen stadial moraines. Egesen stadial moraines can be divided into three or in some cases even more phases (sub-stadials). Moraines of the earliest and most extended advance, the Egesen maximum, stabilized at 12.2 ± 1.0 ka based on ¹⁰Be exposure dating at the Schönferwall (Tyrol, Austria) and the Julier Pass-outer moraine (Switzerland). Final stabilization of moraines at the end of the Egesen stadial was at 11.3 ± 0.9 ka as shown by ¹⁰Be data from four sites across the Alps. From west to east the sites are Piano del Praiet (northwestern Italy), Grosser Aletschgletscher (central Switzerland), Julier Pass-inner moraine (eastern Switzerland), and Val Viola (northeastern Italy). There is excellent agreement of the ¹⁰Be ages from the four sites. In the earliest Holocene, glaciers in the northernmost mountain ranges advanced at around 10.8 ± 1.1 ka as shown by ¹⁰Be data from the Kartell site (northern Tyrol, Austria). In more sheltered, drier regions rock glacier activity dominated as shown, for example, at Julier Pass and Larstig valley (Tyrol, Austria). New ¹⁰Be dates presented here for two rock glaciers in Larstig valley indicate final stabilization no later than 10.5 ± 0.8 ka. Based on this data, we conclude the earliest Holocene (between 11.6 and about 10.5 ka) was still strongly affected by the cold climatic conditions of the Younger Dryas and the Preboreal oscillation, with the intervening warming phase having had the effect of rapid downwasting of Egesen glaciers. At or slightly before 10.5 ka rapid shrinkage of glaciers to a size smaller than their late 20th century size reflects markedly warmer and possibly also drier climate. Between about 10.5 ka and 3.3 ka conditions in the Alps were not conducive to significant glacier expansion except possibly during rare brief intervals. Past tree-line data from Kaunertal (Tyrol, Austria) in concert with radiocarbon and dendrochronologically dated wood fragments found recently in the glacier forefields in both the Swiss and Austrian Alps points to long periods during the Holocene when glaciers were smaller than they were during the late 20th century. Equilibrium line altitudes (ELA) were about 200 m higher than they are today and about 300 m higher in comparison to Little Ice Age (LIA) ELAs. The Larstig rock glacier site we dated with ¹⁰Be is the type area for a postulated mid-Holocene cold period called the Larstig oscillation (presumed age about 7.0 ka). Our data point to final stabilization of those rock glaciers in the earliest Holocene and not in the middle Holocene. The combined data indicate there was no time window in the middle Holocene long enough for rock glaciers of the size and at the elevation of the Larstig site to have formed. During the short infrequent cold oscillations between 10.5 and 3.3 ka small glaciers (less than several km²) may have advanced to close to their LIA dimensions. Overall, the cold periods were just too short for large glaciers to advance. After 3.3 ka, climate conditions became generally colder and warm periods were brief and less frequent. Large glaciers (for example Grosser Aletschgletscher) advanced markedly at 3.0–2.6 ka, around 600 AD and during the LIA. Glaciers in the Alps attained their LIA maximum extents in the 14th, 17th, and 19th centuries, with most reaching their greatest LIA extent in the final 1850/1860 AD advance.     

The isotopic composition of strontium and oxygen in lavas from St. Helena,South Atlantic

Strontium and oxygen isotope measurements on the alkali basalt-trachyte-phonolite suite of St. Helena show that some of the late-fractionated rocks are enriched in ⁸⁷Sr and depleted in ¹⁸O relative to the older basalts. The data rule out both the formation of the late-fractionated rocks by the partial melting of hydrothermally altered oceanic crust and the contamination of the volcanic rocks by oceanic sediment. It also appears to be incompatible with models based either on the melting of previously fractionated and crystallized liquids in the volcanic pile, or the long-term fractionation of lavas over several millions of years in a sub-volcanic magma chamber.It is concluded that hydrothermal interaction with meteoric water is the most important cause of the ¹⁸O depletion. If the interaction occurred at widely differing temperatures, and involved meteoric and seawaters, it might conceivably have caused both the oxygen and strontium isotope heterogeneities.     

The double inverse polarity paradigm

A model is presented for the origin of inverse polarity magnetic fields in the perpendicular as well as in the axial direction of quiescent prominences. The model is based on the presence of a discrete coronal arcade structure where magnetic separating surfaces can be identified. On the crossing of these separating surfaces magnetic reconnection driven by photospheric shear and converging motions can create the observed field direction in quiescent prominences.Dedicated to Cornelis de Jager     

Processing of cometary grains at the nucleus surface

Cometary material inevitably undergoes chemical changes before and on leaving the nucleus. In seeking to explain comets as the origin of many IDPs (interplanetary dust particles), an understanding of potential surface chemistry is vital. Grains are formed and transformed at the nucleus surface; much of the cometary volatiles may arise from the organic material. In cometary near-surface permafrost, one expects cryogenic chemistry with crystal growth and isotope. This could be the hydrous environment where IDPs form. Seasonal and geographic variations imply a range of environmental conditions and surface evolution. Interplanetary dust impacts and electrostatic forces also have roles in generating cometary dust. The absence of predicted cometary dust envelopes is compatible with the wide range of particle structures and compositions. Study of IDPs would distinguish between this model and alternatives that see comets as aggregates of core-mantle grains built in interstellar clouds.     

Physics of solar prominences

Summary Conclusion This colloquium on solar prominences - the first ever held - has shown that a major part of activity in prominence research in recent years concentrated on both observation and computation of the magnetic conditions which were found to play a crucial role for the development and the maintainance of prominences. Remarkable progress was made in fine-scale measurements of photospheric magnetic fields around filaments and in internal field measurements in prominences. In addition, important information on the structure of the magnetic fields in the chromosphere adjacent to the filaments may be derived from high resolution photographs of the H fine structure around filaments which have become available recently; unfortunately, an unambiguous determination of the vector field in the chromosphere is not yet possible.It is quite clear, now, that stable filaments extend along neutral lines which divide regions of opposite longitudinal magnetic fields. Different types of neutral lines are possible, depending on the history and relationship of the opposite field regions. There is convincing evidence that the magnetic field in the neighbouring chromosphere may run nearly parallel to the filament axis and that there are two field components in stable prominences: an axial field dominant in the lower parts and a transverse field dominant in the higher parts.Methods for the computation of possible prominence field configurations from measured longitudinal photospheric fields were developed in recent years. In a number of cases (e.g. for loop prominences) the observed configuration could be perfectly represented by a force-free or even a potential field; poor agreement was found between computed and measured field strengths in quiescent prominences. In order to reconcile both of them it is necessary to assume electric currents. Unambiguous solutions will not be found until measurements of the vector field in the photosphere and in the prominences are available.The two-dimensional Kippenhahn-Schlüter model is still considered a useful tool for the study of prominence support and stability. However, a more refined model taking into account both field components and considering also thermal stability conditions is available now. It was proposed that quiescent prominences may form in magnetically neutral sheets in the corona where fields of opposite directions meet.As for the problem of the origin of the dense prominence material there are still two opposite processes under discussion. The injection of material from below, which was mainly applied to loop prominences, has recently been considered also a possible mechanism for the formation of quiescent prominences. On the other hand, the main objections against the condensation mechanism could be removed: it was shown that (1) sufficient material is available in the surrounding corona, and that (2) coronal matter can be condensed to prominence densities and cooled to prominence temperatures in a sufficiently short time.The energy balance in prominences is largely dependent on their fine structure. It seems that a much better radiative loss function for optically thin matter is now available. The problem of the heat conduction can only be treated properly if the field configuration is known. Very little is known on the heating of the corona and the prominence in a complicated field configuration. For the optically thick prominences the energy balance becomes a complicated radiative transfer problem.Still little is known on the first days of prominence development and on the mechanism of first formation which, both, are crucial for the unterstanding of the prominence phenomenon. As a first important step, it was shown in high resolution H photographs that the chromospheric fine structure becomes aligned along the direction of the neutral line already before first filament appearance. More H studies and magnetic field measurements are badly needed.Recent studies have shown that even in stable prominences strong small-scale internal rotational or helical motions exist; they are not yet understood. On the other hand, no generally agreed interpretation of large-scale motions of prominences seems to exist. A first attempt to explain the ascendance of prominences, the Disparitions Brusques, as the result of a kink instability was made recently.New opportunities in prominence research are offered by the study of invisible radiations: X-rays and meterwaves provide important information, not available otherwise, on physical conditions in the coronal surroundings of prominences; EUV observations will provide data on the thin transition layer between the cool prominence and the hot coronal plasma.Mitt. aus dem Fraunhofer Institut No. 111.     

Experimental and computational validation and verification of the Stokes–Darcy and continuum pipe flow models for karst aquifers with dual porosity structure

In our previous study, we developed the Stokes–Darcy (SD) model was developed for flow in a karst aquifer with a conduit bedded in matrix, and the Beavers–Joseph (BJ) condition was used to describe the matrix–conduit interface. We also studied the mathematical well‐posedness of a coupled continuum pipe flow (CCPF) model as well as convergence rates of its finite element approximation. In this study, to compare the SD model with the CCPF model, we used numerical analyses to validate finite element discretisation methods for the two models. Using computational experiments, simulation codes implementing the finite element discretisations are then verified. Further model validation studies are based on the results of laboratory experiments. Comparing the results of computer simulations and experiments, we concluded that the SD model with the Beavers–Joseph interface condition is a valid model for conduit–matrix systems. On the other hand, the CCPF model with the value of the exchange parameter chosen within the range suggested in the literature perhaps does not result in good agreement with experimental observations. We then examined the sensitivity of the CCPF model with respect to the exchange parameter, concluding that, as has previously been noted, the model is highly sensitive for small values of the exchange parameter. However, for larger values, the model becomes less sensitive and, more important, also produces results that are in better agreement with experimental observations. This suggests that the CCPF model may also produce accurate simulation results, if one chooses larger values of the exchange parameter than those suggested in the literature. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Géomorphologie de Tromelin,océan Indien

Tromelin is a small coral reef island (1 km²) located in the Indian Ocean, approximately 440 km east of Madagascar and 580 km north of La Réunion. Despite the presence of a permanent Météo France weather station on Tromelin since the 1950 s, a detailed geomorhological study of the island has never been undertaken. In this paper, we describe results from the 2008 field season, which enabled us to map and describe seven geomorphological zones on the atoll. (1) Tromelin's bathymetry is characterised by a pronounced submarine slope, which attains depths of 1000 m at only 2.5 km from the island's coastline. This geomorphology is typical of volcanic hotspots. (2) A coral platform borders the emerged crown of the island. This platform is exposed at low tide and has been fashioned in an ancient Pleistocene substratum. The substratum has been eroded by abrasive marine action to its present shape since the stabilisation of relative sea level around 6000 years ago. Erosion of the reef yields most of the biogenic sediment supply to the island. (3) The upper foreshore is characterised by outcrops of beachrock. These formations show a stratfication in slabs and dip gently towards the sea in the same manner as the contemporary clastic sediments. (4) Tromelin's beaches are divided into three sub-units, which reflect the different energy dynamics around the island, in addition to the transfer of sediment from the windward to the leeward side: (i) the southern storm beaches are characterised by coral blocks reworked during episodic high-energy events; they form boulder ramparts. Four perched rampart ridges have been recorded at ∼1 m, ∼3 m, ∼4.5 m and ∼7 m above mean sea level; (ii) transitional beaches are observed between the south and the north, constituting storm blocks and coarse sands and gravels; and (iii) sandy beaches are noted on the northern leeward side, comprising rounded gravels and coarse sands. The northern tip of the island is characterised by a sand spit (∼125 × ∼225 m), whose geometry varies based on the seasonal and meteo-marine contexts. (5) On Tromelin, a number of dune formations are observed. These are best developed in the north of the island due to the south-north translation of clastic sediments by aeolian wind action, and the trapping of sands by the well-developed vegetation. The height of the dunes varies between 10 cm (the southern micro-dunes) to 250 cm in the Northeast of Tromelin. (6) Exceptional waves have deposited storm tracts up to 250 m from the foreshore zone, comprising coarse gravels and coral blocks. The storm tract deposits are most prevalent on the windward side of the island, due not only to the high-energy dynamics, but also to the absence of vegetation cover in this area. (7) The southern depression covers an area of ∼40,000 m². At its lowest point it is only 1.2 m above sea level.