An accurate momentum advection scheme for a z-level coordinate models

In this paper, we focus on a conservative momentum advection discretisation in the presence of z-layers. While in the 2D case conservation of momentum is achieved automatically for an Eulerian advection scheme, special attention is required in the multi-layer case. We show here that an artificial vertical structure of the flow can be introduced solely by the presence of the z-layers, which we refer to as the staircase problem. To avoid this staircase problem, the z-layers have to be remapped in a specific way. The remapping procedure also deals with the case of an uneven number of layers adjacent to a column side, thus allowing one to simulate flooding and drying phenomena in a 3D model.     

A word about the teacher

This is a memorial report on the biography and scientific heritage of M.A. Svechnikov — an outstanding scientist and teacher, the founder of the Ural school of close binary stars and the author of the classification scheme for eclipsing variable stars.     

Evolutionary status of T Tauri stars

The problem of determining the masses and ages of T Tauri star(TTS) using their evolutionary status is discussed. We test four pre-main sequence evolutionary models using well determined observational parameters of 12 binary TTSs and two binary red dwarfs. It is shown that the masses derived using the tracks of all models are in good agreement with the masses obtained from the observations of TTSs with masses M 0.7 M_⊙(mean error ε ~ 10%). Low-mass stars with M ≤ 0.7 M_⊙have significantly greater mean error: ε ~ 50% for the tracks of Bressan et al. and Chen et al., and ε ~ 30% for the other tracks. The isochrones of all tested evolutionary models diverge for stars with masses M ≤ 0.7 M_⊙. The difference increases with the mass decrease and can reach 10% of KelvinHelmholtz time for stars with mass M = 0.2 M_⊙. The ages of most of the considered TTSs are smaller than the Kelvin-Helmholtz time. This confirms their evolutionary status of being pre-main sequence stars.     

Martian cratering 12. Utilizing primary crater clusters to study crater populations and meteoroid properties

Images from Mars Global Surveyor and later images from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveal that roughly half of the meteoroids striking Mars (at meter to few decameter crater diameters) fragment in the Martian atmosphere, producing small clusters of primary impact craters. Statistics of these “primary clusters” yield valuable information about important Martian phenomena and properties of interplanetary bodies, including meteoroid behavior in the Martian atmosphere, bulk strengths of bodies striking Mars, and the fraction of Martian “field secondary” craters, a datum that would improve crater count chronometry. Many Martian impactors fragment at altitudes significantly higher than 18 km above the mean surface of Mars, and we find that most bodies striking Mars and Earth have low bulk strengths, consistent with crumbly or highly fractured objects. Applying statistics of primary clusters at various elevations and independent diameter bins, we describe a technique to estimate the percentage of semirandomly scattered “field secondary” craters. Our provisional estimate of this percentage, in the diameter range ~250 m down to ~22 m, is ~40% to ~80% of the total impacts, with the higher percentages at smaller diameters. Our data argue against earlier suggestions of overwhelming dominance by either primaries or secondaries in this diameter range.     

Timing,magnitude and geochemistry of major Southeast Asian volcanic eruptions: identifying tephrochronologic markers

We review the current knowledge about Southeast Asian volcanoes and their eruption histories, and focus on identifying tephrochronologic markers representing major explosive eruptions in order to further future palaeoclimate and volcanological studies. Forty-one volcanic edifices in Southeast Asia have been classified as large calderas by Whelley et al. (2015) and thus have, or are likely to have, produced large explosive eruptions with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6–8. Unfortunately, only 20 such eruptions have known ages, spanning from 1.2 Ma to 1991 ad , and fewer have geochemical data that can be used for tephrostratigraphic correlations. Volcanic products from different geodynamic regions and different sources can generally be distinguished on major element plots (e.g. K₂O versus CaO) of matrix glass composition. However, the distinction of multiple eruptions from the same source often requires additional data such as trace element compositions of matrix glass and/or mineral compositions. Biotite, but also magnetite compositions (MgO and TiO₂ content in particular) appear to be very discriminating. Up to nine tuffs in addition to the three to four Toba tuffs can be utilised as widespread tephrochronologic markers and span a range from 1.2 to 1.6 Ma to recent. As only a few Holocene major eruptions have been well characterised and dated, many large calderas are still unstudied, and many distal tephra layers are still lacking a source, more tephrochronologic markers can certainly be defined in the future.     

Searching for the brightest stars in galaxies outside the Local Group

This paper introduces a technique for searching for bright massive stars in galaxies beyond the Local Group.To search for massive stars,we processed the results of stellar photometry from the Hubble Space Telescope(HST) images using the DAOPHOT and DOLPHOT packages.The results of such searches are demonstrated with examples of the galaxies DDO 68,M94 and NGC 1672.In the galaxy DDO 68,the LBV star changes its brightness,and massive stars in M94 can be identified by excess in the Ha band.For the galaxy NGC 1672,we measure the distance for the first time by the TRGB method,which enabled determining the luminosities of the brightest stars,likely hypergiants,in the young star formation region.So far,we have performed stellar photometry on HST images of 320 northern sky galaxies located at a distance less than 12 Mpc.This allowed us to identify 53 galaxies with probable hypergiants.Further photometric and spectral observations of these galaxies are planned to search for massive stars.     

Large‐scale regional delineation of riparian vegetation in the arid and semi‐arid Pilbara region,WA

Multiscene Landsat 5 TM imagery, Principal Component Analysis, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index were used to produce the first region‐scale map of riparian vegetation for the Pilbara (230,000 km²), Western Australia. Riparian vegetation is an environmentally important habitat in the arid and desert climate of the Pilbara. These habitats are supported by infrequent flow events and in some locations by groundwater discharge. Our analysis suggests that riparian vegetation covers less than 4% of the Pilbara region, whereas almost 10.5% of this area is composed of groundwater dependent vegetation (GDV). GDV is often associated with open water (river pools), providing refugia for a variety of species. GDV has an extremely high ecological value and are often important Indigenous sites. This paper demonstrates how Landsat data calibrated to Top of Atmosphere reflectance can be used to delineate riparian vegetation across 16 Landsat scenes and two Universal Transverse Mercator spatial zones. The proposed method is able to delineate riparian vegetation and GDV, without the need for Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function correction. Results were validated using ground truth data from local and regional scale vegetation surveys.     

The Project for Intercomparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS) phase 2(c) Red-Arkansas River basin experiment:: 2. Spatial and temporal analysis of energy fluxes

The energy components of sixteen Soil-Vegetation Atmospheric Transfer (SVAT) schemes were analyzed and intercompared using 10 years of surface meteorological and radiative forcing data from the Red-Arkansas River basin in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. Comparisons of simulated surface energy fluxes among models showed that the net radiation and surface temperature generally had the best agreement among the schemes. On an average (annual and monthly) basis, the estimated latent heat fluxes agreed (to within approximate estimation errors) with the latent heat fluxes derived from a radiosonde-based atmospheric budget method for slightly more than half of the schemes. The sensible heat fluxes had larger differences among the schemes than did the latent heat fluxes, and the model-simulated ground heat fluxes had large variations among the schemes. The spatial patterns of the model-computed net radiation and surface temperature were generally similar among the schemes, and appear reasonable and consistent with observations of related variables, such as surface air temperature. The spatial mean patterns of latent and sensible heat fluxes were less similar than for net radiation, and the spatial patterns of the ground heat flux vary greatly among the 16 schemes. Generally, there is less similarity among the models in the temporal (interannual) variability of surface fluxes and temperature than there is in the mean fields, even for schemes with similar mean fields.     

O,p'-DDT induction of vitellogenesis and its inhibition by tamoxifen in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

In order to investigate the mechanism by which o,p'-DDT disrupts endocrine functioning of Nile tilapia in vivo, the estrogenicity of o,p'-DDT was investigated in conjunction with 17beta-estradiol (E2) and tamoxifen. Mature, male tilapia were treated intraperitoneally with o,p'-DDT (60 mg/kg, one dose) or E2 (5 mg/kg, four doses) in the presence or absence of tamoxifen (5 mg/kg, six doses) for 12 days and then plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) (measured as alkaline-labile phosphorous), E2, and testosterone (T) were measured. Vtg levels were increased dramatically by E2 (1,744 +/- 171 microg/ml) and moderately by o,p'-DDT (82 +/- 15 microg/ml) compared with controls (23 +/- 3.5 microg/ml). Tamoxifen alone had no effect on Vtg production, but inhibited both E2 and o,p'-DDT stimulated vitellogenesis. T levels were reduced with E2 administration (1,688 +/- 383 pg/ml) and declined further with the combined treatment of E2 and tamoxifen (281 +/- 70 pg/ml), compared with controls (6,558 +/- 1,438 pg/ml). Tamoxifen or o,p'-DDT alone did not affect T levels, but their combined treatment did (2,069 +/- 647 pg/ml). The results of this study suggest that o,p'-DDT is weakly estrogenic in male tilapia, and that this activity may be mediated through the estrogen receptor.