The vertical structure of the F ring of Saturn from ring-plane crossings

We present a photometric model of the rings of Saturn which includes the main rings and an F ring, inclined to the main rings, with a Gaussian vertical profile of optical depth. This model reproduces the asymmetry in brightness between the east and west ansae of the rings of Saturn that was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) within a few hours after the Earth ring-plane crossing (RPX) of 10 August 1995. The model shows that during this observation the inclined F ring unevenly blocked the east and west ansae of the main rings. The brightness asymmetry produced by the model is highly sensitive to the vertical thickness and radial optical depth of the F ring. The F-ring model that best matches the observations has a vertical full width at half maximum of 13 ± 7 km and an equivalent depth of 10 ± 4 km. The model also reproduces the shape of the HST profiles of ring brightness vs. distance from Saturn, both before and after the time of ring-plane crossing. Smaller asymmetries observed before the RPX, when the Earth was on the dark side of the rings, cannot be explained by blocking of the main rings by the F ring or vice versa and are probably instead due to the intrinsic longitudinal variation exhibited by the F ring.     

Development of a stochastic weather generator for the sub-polar North Atlantic

The article presents an approach for creating a computationally efficient stochastic weather generator. In this work the method is tested by the stochastic simulation of sea level pressure over the sub-polar North Atlantic. The weather generator includes a hidden Markov model, which propagates regional circulation patterns identified by a self organising map analysis, conditioned on the state of large-scale interannual weather regimes. The remaining residual effects are propagated by a regression model with added noise components. The regression step is performed by one of two methods, a linear model or artificial neural networks and the performance of these two methods is assessed and compared. The resulting simulations express the range of the major regional patterns of atmospheric variability and typical time scales. The long term aims of this work are to provide ensembles of atmospheric data for applied regional studies and to develop tools applicable in down-scaling large-scale ocean and atmospheric simulations.     

A New Interlaboratory Characterisation of Silicon,Rare Earth Elements and Twenty‐Two Other Trace Element Concentrations in the Natural River Water Certified Reference Material SLRS‐6 (NRC‐CNRC)

The natural river water reference material SLRS‐6 (NRC‐CNRC) is the newest batch of a quality control material routinely used in many international environmental laboratories. This work presents a nine‐laboratory compilation of measurements of major and trace element concentrations and their related uncertainties, unavailable in the NRC‐CNRC certificate (B, Cs, Li, Ga, Ge, Hf, Nb, P, Rb, Rh, Re, S, Sc, Se, Si, Sn, Th, Ti, Tl, W, Y, Y, Zr and REEs). Measurements were mostly made using inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry. The results are compared with equivalent data for the last batch of the material, SLRS‐5, measured simultaneously with SLRS‐6 in this study. In general, very low concentrations, close to the quantification limits, were found in the new batch. The Sr isotopic ratio is also reported.     

Dynamics of grains falling on a sloping granular medium: application to the evolution of a talus

Numerous field surveys have provided quantitative information on the characteristics of talus deposits. Much less has been done to quantify the basic dynamics processes of blocks involved in talus evolution. In this work, we perform a set of experiments at the reduced scale of some metres using an inclined board covered with a loose granular medium. The complexity of the processes forming a talus is simplified by studying the interaction of only two kinds of grain sizes at a time. Grains of one class size are dropped from a fixed height onto the board covered by a layer of grains of a different class size, and their final distribution is recorded. We find that when small grains fall on large grains, the granular abundance decreases rapidly as a function of the distance from the fall point, which is explained by the effect of multiple bouncing on the irregular surface. In contrast, large grains falling on a bed of smaller grains lose much more energy at impact. They may stop at once, or roll down slope, often reaching the whole board length; as a consequence, their abundance peaks in the fall zone and at the change of slope. Experiments also show that grains travel longer with increasing fall height and sloping angle. The results clarify in a physical manner one mechanism that might explain why large blocks are typically found in the distal part of a talus slope, while smaller blocks remain near the fall zone. Based on these and previous experiments, a schematic view of talus evolution is discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Earliest human remains in Eurasia: New 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Dmanisi hominid-bearing levels,Georgia

Several hominid remains have been discovered in the open-air site of Dmanisi (Georgia), the oldest prehistoric site in Eurasia. Two major arguments prove that this site is close in age to the Plio-Pleistocene boundary: a Villafranchian fauna and the morphological characteristics of hominid remains recently ascribed to Homo georgicus. Direct dating of the lower hominid-bearing level was carried out on volcanic glass and minerals using the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method. The concordant results from two different sampled locations allow the determination of the age of the earliest human presence in Eurasia. This radioisotopic result strengthens the argument that the first dispersal of hominids outside Africa occurred at least 1.8 Ma ago.     

New Constraints on the Composition of Jupiter from Galileo Measurements and Interior Models

Using the helium abundance measured by Galileo in the atmosphere of Jupiter and interior models reproducing the observed external gravitational field, we derive new constraints on the composition and structure of the planet. We conclude that, except for helium which must be more abundant in the metallic interior than in the molecular envelope, Jupiter could be homogeneous (no core) or could have a central dense core up to 12M_⊕. The mass fraction of heavy elements is less than 7.5 times the solar value in the metallic envelope and between 1 and 7.2 times solar in the molecular envelope. The total amount of elements other than hydrogen and helium in the planet is between 11 and 45M_⊕.     

CO2 abatement goals for international shipping

The Paris Agreement, which entered into force in 2016, sets the ambitious climate change mitigation goal of limiting the global temperature increase to below 2°C and ideally 1.5°C. This puts a severe constraint on the remaining global GHG emissions budget. While international shipping is also a contributor to anthropogenic GHG emissions, and CO₂ in particular, it is not included in the Paris Agreement. This article discusses how a share of a global CO₂ budget over the twenty-first century could be apportioned to international shipping, and, using a range of future trade scenarios, explores the requisite cuts to the CO₂ intensity of shipping. The results demonstrate that, under a wide range of assumptions, existing short-term levers of efficiency must be urgently exploited to achieve mitigation commensurate with that required from the rest of the economy, with virtually full decarbonization of international shipping required as early as before mid-century.

Key policy insights

• Regulatory action is key to ensuring the international shipping sector’s long-term sustainability.

• For the shipping industry to deliver mitigation in line with the Paris Agreement, virtually full decarbonization needs to be achieved.

• In the near term, immediate and rapid exploitation of available mitigation measures is of critical importance.

• Any delay in the transition will increase the risk of stranded assets, or diminish the chances of meeting the Paris Agreement's temperature commitments.