A New Tethered Balloon-Borne Payload for Fine-Scale Observations in the Cloudy Boundary Layer

A new scientific payload is introduced for fine-scale measurements of meteorological (wind vector, static air temperature, humidity, and air pressure) and microphysical (aerosol particles and cloud droplets) properties, suspended below a tethered balloon. The high resolution sensors and the tethered balloon are described. Measurements in a lifted fog layer from a first field campaign are presented.The detailed investigation of the fog/haze and the temperature inversion layer demonstrates the damping influence of the fog on temperature fluctuations, while thewind fluctuations are significantly decreased by theevolving temperature inversion, whichwas about 30 m above the fog layer.From spectral analysis the noise floors of the high-resolution sensors are determined to10^-6 kg m^-3 for the LWC (liquid water content) and 4 mK for the fast temperature sensor (UFT-B). The correlation betweentemperature and LWC structures in shallow haze layers is investigated. The release of latent heat and the corresponding warming in the haze of about 0.1 K could be quantified.     

Über die Vertikalverteilung und jahreszeitliche Entwicklung der Larvendichte vonDreissena polymorpha Pallas im Pelagial des unteren Zürichseebeckens im Jahre 1974

The freshwater musselDreissena polymorpha Pallas was sighted for the first time in Lake Zürich about 1969. This meant a real problem for the water treatment of lake water. By means of a pump and vertical net hauls it was tried to add more information to the scarce results on Lake Zürich. Additional dates about temperature, depth of Secchi disk visibility and beam transmittance were collected. There was a first appearance of the larvae ofD. polymorpha at the beginning of June. Following the mean temperature of the epilimnion the number of individuals/m² reached max. 210,000. The greatest concentration measured in 1974 of larvae/m³ was 54,375 at a depth of 4 m. The last appearance ofD. polymorpha was observed at the end of October.

     

Energy flow and elemental concentrations in the Steina River ecosystem (Black Forest, Germany)

Considering food web energetics and elemental cycling together allows the testing of hypotheses about the coevolution of biological systems and their physical environment. We investigated the energy flow and the distribution of 25 elements in the Steina River.¶We constructed an annual energy flow network and estimated the emergy ("embodied energy" that includes all the energy involved in a process) contributions of resources sustaining the system. Furthermore, we measured the concentration of various macronutrients, essential elements, and heavy metals in the physical environment and trophic compartments. Finally, we examined the hypothesis of a positive relationship between the "rarity" of an element and its tendency to bioaccumulate. To do so, we used transformity, the relative energy input required to sustain a compartment's net production or the concentration differential of an element between the living community and the physical environment.¶The resulting energy flow network is one of the most complete available for streams. In the Steina, over 99% of the energy input is transported through the system without being processed. Dissolved inorganic matter and sunlight are the largest inputs, but uptake efficiency is much higher for dissolved and particulate organic matter. Transformities of trophic compartments and elements span 6 to 7 orders of magnitude.¶The tendency to bioaccumulate was as predicted for most elements, with macronutrients showing no accumulation and heavy elements accumulating in high-transformity compartments. However, Na and K were found at highest concentrations in consumers, and Pb, Ga, and Cd in algae. Improved estimates may become possible as more knowledge is available on ecosystem flows. We suggest further ways of testing hypotheses about strategies of element processing.     

Elimination of source-generated noise from correlated vibroseis data (the ‘ghost-sweep’ problem)

The most common noise-reduction methods employed in the vibroseis technique (e.g. spike and burst reduction, vertical stacking) are applied in the field to reduce noise at a very early stage. In addition, vibrator phase control systems prevent signal distortions produced by non-linearity of the source itself. However, the success of these automatic correction methods depends on parameter justification by the operator and the actual characteristics of the distorting noise. More specific noise-reduction methods (e.g. Combisweep (Trade mark of Geco-Prakla), elimination of harmonics) increase production costs or need uncorrelated data for the correction process. Because the field data are usually correlated and vertically stacked in the field to minimize logistical and processing costs, it is not possible to make subsequent parameter corrections to optimize the noise reduction after correlation and vertical stacking of a production record. The noise-reduction method described here uses the final recorded, correlated and stacked vibroseis field data. This method eliminates signal artifacts caused e.g. by incorrect vibroseis source signals being used in parameter estimation when a frequency–time analysis is combined with a standard convolution process. Depending on the nature of the distortions, a synthetically generated, nearly recursive noise-separation operator compresses the noise artifact in time using a trace-by-trace filter. After elimination of this compressed noise, re-application of the separation operator leads to a noise-corrected replacement of the input data. The method is applied to a synthetic data set and to a real vibroseis field record from deep seismic sounding, with good results.     

Petrographische Untersuchungen des Suevit aus den Bohrungen Deiningen und Wörnitzostheim im Ries von Nördlingen

Zusammenfassung In den Bohrungen Deiningen (D.) und Wörnitzostheim (W.) im Nördlinger Ries wurde unter tertiären Seesedimenten eine 40 m bzw. 70 m mächtige Suevitabfolge aufgeschlossen. Diese Breccie, bestehend aus zertrümmertem kristallinem Grundgebirge mit verschiedenen Anzeichen einer Stoßwellenmetamorphose und aus Glasbomben, wurde mineralogisch und petrographisch untersucht.Korngrößenanalysen zeigen in beiden Profilen eine allmähliche Zunahme des Mediandurchmessers von oben nach unten (D.: 0,1···0,4 mm; W.: 1···6 mm). Die Kornverteilungskurve von W. ist bimodal; das Hauptmaximum wird überwiegend aus grobkörnigen Gesteinsgläsern gebildet, ein kleineres Maximum liegt bei 0,2–0,6 mm und enthält bevorzugt Grundgebirgseinschlüsse.Das Verhältnis von Gesteinsgläsern: Kristallinkomponenten beträgt in D. etwa 30 70, in W. 60 40. Der Suevit von W. enthält durchschnittlich 28% Porenraum und 1–2% Neubildungen; seine Glassubstanz ist überwiegend frisch. Im Suevit von D. sind die Gläser sekundär zersetzt und bedingen höhere Porenvolumina (34–36%) und eine stärkere Verwitterungsneubildung (6–10%; Montmorillonit, Montmorillonit-Illit-Wechsellagerung, Karbonate und Analcim).Einzelminerale in der Kornfraktion 0,063–0,125 mm verteilen sich bei den Leicht-mineralen (d<2,96 g/cm³; Neubildungen nicht berücksichtigt) auf Feldspäte (D.: 56%; W.: 44%), Quarz (D.: 32%; W.: 28%), Biotit (D.: 5%; W.: <1%), Hornblende (D.: 2%; W.: -) und Gläser (D.: 3%; W.: 27%); der Anteil der Schwerminerale beträgt in D. 3–4% (Biotit, Opakes — Hornblende, Granat, Turmalin), in W. 0,5–0,8% (Opakes, Zirkon — Biotit, Rutil).Die chemische Zusammensetzung der Suevit- und Glasproben von W. ist dem granodioritischen Magmentyp ähnlich; die Suevitproben von D. weisen höhere Alkaligehalte auf.

---

Underlying miocene lake sediments, suevite was found in the drill holes of Deiningen (D.) and Wörnitzostheim (W.), 40 meters and 70 meters thick, respectively. This breccia, containing glass and shattered crystalline rocks, in different stages of shock metamorphism, was examined by mineralogical and petrographical methods.In the two suevite profiles medians of grain size distributions gradually increase from top to bottom (D.: 0,1···0,4 mm; W.: 1···6 mm). The grain size distributions of W. are bimodal; the first maximum is mainly formed by coarse grained glass, the second (smaller) maximum (0,2···0,6 mm) contains crystalline components. The ratio of melted rocks: crystalline components is 3070 at D. and 6040 at W. Suevite from the latter locality has a total porosity of 28% (average) and contains 1–2% autigenic minerals; the glasses are mostly fresh. In the D. suevite decomposition of the glass has produced higher porosities (34–36%) and more autigenic minerals (6–10%: montmorillonite, mixed-layer minerals montmorillonite-illite, carbonates, analcime).Mineral composition was determined for the grain sizes from 0,063 to 0,125 mm. The light minerals (d<2,96 g/cm³, without autigenic minerals) comprise: feldspars (D.: 56%; W.: 44%), quartz (D.: 32%; W.: 28%), biotite (D.: 5%; W.: < 1%), hornblende (D.: 2%; W.: -) and glass (D.: 3%; W.: 27%); heavy-mineral content is 3–4% at D. (biotite, opaque minerals — hornblende, garnet, tourmaline) and 0,5–0,8% at W. (opaque minerals, zircon — biotite, rutile).The chemical composition of suevite and glass samples from W. is similar to granodiorite type rock. The suevite of D. contains more potassium and sodium.

---

---

Meinem verehrten Lehrer, Herrn Prof. Dr. W. v. Engelhardt, danke ich für die Überlassung des Themas und alle Förderung meiner Arbeit. Für fördernden Rat danke ich ferner den Herren Dr. F. Lippmann und Dr. D. Stöffler.

---

Der Deutschen Erdöl AG, insbesondere Herrn Prof. Dr. F. Hecht, danke ich für die Überlassung der Bohrkerne von Deiningen.

---

Der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft danke ich für die finanzielle Unterstützung dieser Arbeit.     

Emerging Technologies and Synergies for Airborne and Space-Based Measurements of Water Vapor Profiles

A deeper understanding of how clouds will respond to a warming climate is one of the outstanding challenges in climate science. Uncertainties in the response of clouds, and particularly shallow clouds, have been identified as the dominant source of the discrepancy in model estimates of equilibrium climate sensitivity. As the community gains a deeper understanding of the many processes involved, there is a growing appreciation of the critical role played by fluctuations in water vapor and the coupling of water vapor and atmospheric circulations. Reduction of uncertainties in cloud-climate feedbacks and convection initiation as well as improved understanding of processes governing these effects will result from profiling of water vapor in the lower troposphere with improved accuracy and vertical resolution compared to existing airborne and space-based measurements. This paper highlights new technologies and improved measurement approaches for measuring lower tropospheric water vapor and their expected added value to current observations. Those include differential absorption lidar and radar, microwave occultation between low-Earth orbiters, and hyperspectral microwave remote sensing. Each methodology is briefly explained, and measurement capabilities as well as the current technological readiness for aircraft and satellite implementation are specified. Potential synergies between the technologies are discussed, actual examples hereof are given, and future perspectives are explored. Based on technical maturity and the foreseen near-mid-term development path of the various discussed measurement approaches, we find that improved measurements of water vapor throughout the troposphere would greatly benefit from the combination of differential absorption lidar focusing on the lower troposphere with passive remote sensors constraining the upper-tropospheric humidity.     

Stabilization of extracellular polymeric substances (Bacillus subtilis) by adsorption to and coprecipitation with Al forms

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are continuously produced by bacteria during their growth and metabolism. In soils, EPS are bound to cell surfaces, associated with biofilms, or released into solution where they can react with other solutes and soil particle surfaces. If such reaction results in a decrease in EPS bioaccessibility, it may contribute to stabilization of microbial-derived organic carbon (OC) in soil. Here we examined: (i) the chemical fractionation of EPS produced by a common Gram positive soil bacterial strain (Bacillus subtilis) during reaction with dissolved and colloidal Al species and (ii) the resulting stabilization against desorption and microbial decay by the respective coprecipitation (with dissolved Al) and adsorption (with Al(OH)_3(am)) processes. Coprecipitates and adsorption complexes obtained following EPS-Al reaction as a function of pH and ionic strength were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The stability of adsorbed and coprecipitated EPS against biodegradation was assessed by mineralization experiments for 1100 h. Up to 60% of the initial 100 mg/L EPS-C was adsorbed at the highest initial molar Al:C ratio (1.86), but this still resulted only in a moderate OC mass fraction in the solid phase (17 mg/g Al(OH)_3(am)). In contrast, while coprecipitation by Al was less efficient in removing EPS from solution (maximum values of 33% at molar Al:C ratios of 0.1-0.2), the OC mass fraction in the solid product was substantially larger than that in adsorption complexes. Organic P compounds were preferentially bound during both adsorption and coprecipitation. Data are consistent with strong ligand exchange of EPS phosphoryl groups during adsorption to Al(OH)_3(am), whereas for coprecipitation weaker sorption mechanisms are also involved. X-ray photoelectron analyses indicate an intimate mixing of EPS with Al in the coprecipitates, which is not observed in the case of EPS adsorption complexes. The incubation experiments showed that both processes result in overall stabilization of EPS against microbial decay. Stabilization of adsorbed or coprecipitated EPS increased with increasing molar Al:C ratio and biodegradation was correlated with EPS desorption, implying that detachment of EPS from surface sites is a prerequisite for microbial utilization. Results indicate that the mechanisms transferring EPS into Al-organic associations may significantly affect the composition and stability of biomolecular C, N and P in soils. The observed efficient stabilization of EPS might explain the strong microbial character of organic matter in subsoils.