The ionizing background at the end of reionization

One of the most sought-after signatures of reionization is a rapid increase in the ionizing background (usually measured through the Lyα optical depth towards distant quasars). Conventional wisdom associates this with the 'overlap' phase when ionized bubbles merge, allowing each source to affect a much larger volume. We argue that this picture fails to describe the transition to the post-overlap Universe, where Lyman-limit systems (LLSs) absorb ionizing photons over moderate length-scales  (≲20–100   Mpc)  . Using an analytic model, we compute the probability distribution of the amplitude of the ionizing background throughout reionization, including both discrete ionized bubbles and LLSs (parametrized by an attenuation length, which we impose rather than attempt to model self-consistently). We show that the overlap does not by itself cause a rapid increase in the ionizing background or a rapid decrease in the mean Lyα transmission towards distant quasars. More detailed seminumeric models support these conclusions. We argue that the rapid changes should instead be interpreted as evolution in the attenuation length itself, which may or may not be directly related to overlap.     

Inertial waves near corotation in three-dimensional hydrodynamical discs

This paper concerns the interaction between non-axisymmetric inertial waves and their corotation resonances in a hydrodynamical disc. Inertial waves are of interest because they can localize in resonant cavities circumscribed by Lindblad radii and, as a consequence, can exhibit discrete oscillation frequencies that may be observed. It is often hypothesized that these trapped eigenmodes are affiliated with the poorly understood quasi-periodic oscillation phenomenon. We demonstrate that a large class of non-axisymmetric three-dimensional (3D) inertial waves cannot manifest as trapped normal modes. This class includes any inertial wave whose resonant cavity contains a corotation singularity. Instead, these 'singular' modes constitute a continuous spectrum and, as an ensemble, are convected with the flow, giving rise to shearing waves. Finally, we present a simple demonstration of how the corotation singularity stabilizes 3D perturbations in a slender torus.     

tempo2: a new pulsar timing package – III. Gravitational wave simulation

Analysis of pulsar timing data sets may provide the first direct detection of gravitational waves. This paper, the third in a series describing the mathematical framework implemented into the tempo2 pulsar timing package, reports on using tempo2 to simulate the timing residuals induced by gravitational waves. The tempo2 simulations can be used to provide upper bounds on the amplitude of an isotropic, stochastic, gravitational wave background in our Galaxy and to determine the sensitivity of a given pulsar timing experiment to individual, supermassive, binary black hole systems.     

The approach to collapse of molecular clouds

The dense molecular cloud cores that form stars, like other self-gravitating objects, undergo bulk oscillations. Just at the point of gravitational instability, their fundamental oscillation mode has zero frequency. We study, using perturbation theory, the evolution of a spherical cloud that possesses such a frozen mode. We find that the cloud undergoes a prolonged epoch of subsonic, accelerating contraction. This slow contraction occurs whether the cloud is initially inflated or compressed by the oscillation. The subsonic motion described here could underlie the spectral infall signature observed in many starless dense cores.     

e-VLBI observations of GHz-peaked spectrum radio sources in nearby galaxies from the AT20G survey

Gigahertz-peaked spectrum (GPS) radio sources are thought to be young objects which later evolve into Fanaro–Riley type I (FR I) and FR II radio galaxies. We have used the Australia Telescope 20 GHz (AT20G) survey catalogue to select a uniform sample of GPS sources with spectral peaks above 5 GHz, which should represent the youngest members of this class. In this paper, we present e-VLBI observations of 10 such objects which are associated with nearby  ( z < 0.15)  galaxies and so represent a new population of local, low-power GPS sources. Our e-VLBI observations were carried out at 4.8 GHz with the Australia Telescope Long Baseline Array (LBA) using a real-time software correlator. All 10 sources were detected, and were unresolved on scales of ∼100 mas, implying that they are typically less than 100 pc in linear size.     

Application of 4D-Variational data assimilation to the California Current System

The Incremental Strong constraint 4D-Variational (IS4DVAR) data assimilation system of the Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS) is used to study the controllability of a realistic, high resolution configuration of the California Current System. The configuration and results of assimilating both satellite-derived surface observations along with in situ data are presented. Results show consequent improvements in many characteristics of the model circulation, and some of the strengths of the adjoint method for data assimilation are highlighted. General issues of the sensitivity of the results to the configuration of ROMS-IS4DVAR are also discussed.     

Development of RAMS-CMAQ to Simulate Aerosol Optical Depth and Aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing and Its Application to East Asia

The air quality modeling system RAMS （Regional Atmospheric Modeling System）-CMAQ （Models-3 Community Multi-scale Air Quality） is developed to simulate the aerosol optical depth （AOD） and aerosol direct forcing （DF）. The aerosol-specific extinction, single scattering albedo, and asymmetry factor are parameterized based on Mie theory taking into account the aerosol size distribution, composition, refractive index, and water uptake of solution particles. A two-stream solar radiative model considers all gaseous molecular absorption, Rayleigh scattering, and aerosols and clouds. RAMSCMAQ is applied to simulate all major aerosol concentrations （e.g., sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, organic carbon, black carbon, fine soil, and sea salt） and AOD and DF over East Asia in 2005. To evaluate its performance, the simulated AOD values were compared with ground-based in situ measurements. The comparison shows that RAMSCMAQ performed well in most of the model domain and generally captured the observed variations. High AOD values （0.2-1.0） mainly appear in the Sichuan Basin as well as in central and southeastern China. The geographic distribution of DF generally follows the AOD distribution patterns, and the DF at the top-of-the-atmosphere is less than -25 and -20 W m^-2 in clear-sky and all-sky over the Sichuan Basin. Both AOD and DF exhibit seasonal variations with lower values in July and higher ones in January. The DF could obviously be impacted by high cloud fractions.     

Storage of carbon in U.S. forests predicted from satellite data,ecosystem modeling,and inventory summaries

A plant and soil simulation model based on satellite observations of vegetation and climate data was used to estimate the potential carbon pools in standing wood biomass across all forest ecosystems of the conterminous United States up to the year 1997. These modeled estimates of vegetative carbon potential were compared to aggregated measurements of standing wood biomass from the U. S. Forest Service’s national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data set and the Carbon Online Estimator (COLE) to understand: 1) predominant geographic variations in tree growth rate and 2) local land cover and land use history including the time since the last stand-replacing disturbance (e.g., from wildfire or harvest). Results suggest that although wood appears to be accumulating at high rates in many areas of the U.S. (Northwest and Southeast), there are still extensive areas of relatively low biomass forest in the late 1990s according to FIA records. We attribute these low biomass accumulation levels to the high frequency of disturbances, which can be observed even in high production areas such as the Southeast due to frequent forest harvests. Ecosystem models like the one presented in this study have been coupled with satellite observations of land cover and green plant density to uniquely differentiate areas with a high potential for vegetative carbon storage at relatively fine spatial resolution.     

Upgrades to the Boundary-Layer Scheme in the Met Office Numerical Weather Prediction Model

Recent upgrades to the boundary-layer scheme in the UK Met Office operational global Numerical Weather Prediction model are documented. These comprise a reduction in turbulent mixing in stable conditions over the sea, and the inclusion of non-local momentum mixing in convective conditions. The dependence of low-level winds on changing stability is shown to have been significantly improved. Crucially, it is also found that these improvements in local performance have been achieved without degrading the model skill in terms of synoptic evolution—something that has proved difficult to achieve in the past in many operational models. In fact some aspects of the large-scale flow (e.g. zonal mean winds) have been slightly improved.     

Review of Lopingian (upper Permian) stratigraphy of the Galilee Basin,Queensland, Australia

The recent increase in exploration activity in the Galilee Basin, Queensland, has highlighted inconsistencies in the usage of Lopingian (upper Permian) stratigraphic nomenclature across the basin. This study utilised peer-reviewed journal, company and government publications to evaluate the current understanding of the naming conventions in use and correlated them to nomenclature in the adjacent Bowen Basin. The prominent misinterpretation is between the stratigraphic relationship and terminology of the northern and western Betts Creek beds and its eastern and southern correlatives the Bandanna Formation and Colinlea Sandstone. The correlation between the units has been assessed from a (1) lithological, (2) sedimentological and (3) coal-seam architectural perspective. The Betts Creek beds appear similar to the Colinlea Sandstone in their lithology and sedimentological character, but increased drilling data suggest the original type-sections no longer fit the heterogeneous lithology of correlated strata bearing that nomenclature. Correlation across the Springsure Shelf into the Bowen Basin suggests that the Betts Creek beds and their subdivisions are in fact equivalent to the Bandanna Formation, the Fort Cooper Coal Measures (the Burngrove and Fair Hill formations) and the Moranbah Coal Measures. A revised stratigraphic column for the Galilee Basin has been proposed to reflect this, and to suggest that a new stratigraphic unit be introduced; the ‘Fort Cooper Coal Measures equivalent’ and its subdivisions the ‘Burngrove and Fair Hill formation equivalents.’