An Attempt to Close the Daytime Surface Energy Balance Using Spatially-Averaged Flux Measurements

Single-tower eddy-covariance measurements represent the complete surface flux of a scalar only under idealized conditions. Therefore, we often find an underestimation of energy fluxes expressed as a lack of energy balance closure at many sites. In this study, a multi-tower approach to measure atmospheric energy fluxes based on spatial averaging is evaluated and possible mechanisms causing a lack of energy balance closure are analysed, focussing on daytime data only. It is shown that the multi-tower technique is also unable to measure the entire flux for our site, likely because the assumption of horizontal homogeneity is violated. Heterogeneity-induced and buoyancy-driven quasi-stationary circulations are probably the dominant processes causing the underestimation of energy fluxes. A dependence of the energy balance residual on stability is found, with residuals close to zero for stable stratification, a maximum under unstable to near-neutral conditions and still relatively large residuals for stronger instability. Assuming the processes transporting energy and CO₂ are similar, the implications on long-term CO₂ flux measurements are analysed. Accordingly, the resulting selective systematic error of cumulative net ecosystem exchange estimates for agricultural regions such as ours can be of the order of more than 100%, since mainly the fluxes during periods of net CO₂ uptake are underestimated while periods of net CO₂ release are much less affected by this bias. Further investigations about this issue are highly warranted.     

A meteoroid stream survey using the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar: I. Methodology and radiant catalogue

Using a meteor orbit radar, a total of more than 2.5 million meteoroids with masses ∼10⁻⁷ kg have had orbits measured in the interval 2002-2006. From these data, a total of 45 meteoroid streams have been identified using a wavelet transform approach to isolate enhancements in radiant density in geocentric coordinates. Of the recorded streams, 12 are previously unreported or unrecognized. The survey finds >90% of all meteoroids at this size range are part of the sporadic meteoroid background. A large fraction of the radar detected streams have q<0.15 AU suggestive of a strong contribution from sungrazing comets to the meteoroid stream population currently intersecting the Earth. We find a remarkably long period of activity for the Taurid shower (almost half the year as a clearly definable radiant) and several streams notable for a high proportion of small meteoroids only, among these a strong new shower in January at the time of the Quadrantids (January Leonids). A new shower (Epsilon Perseids) has also been identified with orbital elements almost identical to Comet 96P/Machholz.     

Agpaicity revisited: pattern recognition in the chemistry of nepheline syenite rocks

An attempt is made to describe global variations in the geochemistry of major and minor elements within a population of nepheline syenite samples defined by mineralogical criteria.Using correspondence analysis, a new pattern recognition procedure, it is possible to define a few trends of common behaviour which reflect most of the initial dispersion.As Al and Na participate in the scattering along the two main trends, agpaicity is recorded by them. However, the traditional form of the coefficient which measures it is proved to be unsatisfactory as variations of K are not significant.     

从显微煤岩学角度探讨六盘水地区龙潭煤系低煤级煤的生烃状况

摘 要　 从显微煤岩学角度探讨了贵州六盘水地区晚二叠世龙潭煤系煤的生烃状况。研究表 明‚树皮体和基质镜质体是研究区煤岩显微组成中主要的两种富氢组分‚“富镜质体 较富树 皮体” 是主采煤层典型的煤岩组合特征‚在成烃演化过程中‚富氢镜质体和树皮体对生烃作 出了主要贡献。渗出沥青体充填于镜质体微裂隙或细小孔洞以及丝质体胞腔中。这些微裂隙 和胞腔对煤成油的保存、富集和运移起到关键作用。显微组分间的这种配置关系为煤成油藏 的形成提供了非常有利的条件。六盘水地区具有形成煤成油藏的母质条件‚同时在煤层中具 有较好的保存富集以及运移条件‚如果存在有利的地质背景与之相配合‚研究区煤成油藏的 勘探开发工作将具有十分乐观的前景。     

Application of food waste based diets in polyculture of low trophic level fish: Effects on fish growth,water quality and plankton density

Food waste was collected from local hotels and fish feed pellets were produced for a 6 months long field feeding trial. Three types of fish feed pellets (control diet: Jinfeng® 613 formulated feed, contains mainly fish meal, plant product and fish oil; Diet A: food waste based diet without meat and 53% cereal; Diet B: food waste based diet with 25% meat and 28% cereal) were used in polyculture fish ponds to investigate the growth of fish (grass carp, bighead and mud carp), changes in water quality and plankton density. No significant differences in the levels of nitrogen and phosphorous compounds of water body were observed between 3 fish ponds after the half-year feeding trial, while pond receiving Diet A had the highest density of plankton. The food waste combination of Diet B seems to be a better formulation in terms of the overall performance on fish growth.     

Organic geochemical characteristics of time-series settling particles in northern South China Sea and their implications

Organic carbon, total nitrogen, amino acids, sugars, and chlorophyll were determined in < 1 mm fractions of the samples collected by successive large aperture time-series sediment traps (Honjo-Mark M) in northern South China Sea during September 1987 to October 1988. The ratio of C/N and the relative abundance of amino acids and sugars show that organic matter in the settling particles from northern South China Sea is derived mainly from marine plantkon (especially phytoplankton). The organic carbon fluxes in our sediment traps are lower than those in other sediment traps. But the relative contents of C_org/total particulate matter are generally similar to those in the Panama Basin, Arabian Sea and Subarctic Pacific. It is suggested that monsoon-caused changes of physical and chemical conditions in the upper euphotic layer would control the fluxes of organic matter as well as its composition and transport in northern South China Sea. This project was financially supported by both Sino-German Scientific Cooperation Program and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 49070269, 49776297).     

Comparison of coronal emission-line structure and polarization

Simultaneous observations obtained with the HAO/SPO coronal emission-line polarimeter and the new SPO emission-line coronagraph are compared. The polarimeter data are measured in the Fexiii (10747 Å) line and the coronagraph observations are recorded in the Fexiv (5303 Å) line. The polarimeter field-of-view is relatively coarse compared with the resolution limit of the coronagraph. Therefore, the observed coronal polarization cannot be related directly to the detailed loop structures that characterize the localized coronal distribution, but it is found that large-scale emission features have corresponding polarization signatures. Since the measured linear polarization vectors describe the projected magnetic field direction, as shown theoretically, it follows that the form of the large-scale coronal distribution describes corresponding magnetic field structures. Measured polarization values are consistent with those predicted theoretically. Interpretation of these data to obtain corresponding magnetic field directions suggests that the value usually accepted for iron abundance in the corona might be too large.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under contract AST 78-17292 with the National Science Foundation.