Validation of very high cloud droplet number concentrations in air masses transported thousands of kilometres over the ocean

The microstructure of orographic clouds related to the aerosol present was studied during the second Aerosol Characterisation Experiment (ACE‐2). Very high cloud droplet number concentrations (almost 3000 cm⁻³) were observed. These high concentrations occurred when clouds formed on a hill slope at Tenerife in polluted air masses originating in Europe that had transported the order of 1000 km over the Atlantic Ocean. The validity of the measured droplet number concentrations was investigated by comparing with measurements of the aerosol upstream of the cloud and cloud interstitial aerosol. Guided by distributions of the ratios between the measurements, three criteria of typically 30% in maximum deviation were applied to the measurements to test their validity. Agreement was found for 88% of the cases. The validated data set spans droplet number concentrations of 150–3000 cm⁻³. The updraught velocity during the cloud formation was estimated to 2.2 m s⁻¹ by model calculations, which is typical of cumuliform clouds. The results of the present study are discussed in relation to cloud droplet number concentrations previously reported in the literature. The importance of promoting the mechanistic understanding of the aerosol/cloud interaction and the use of validation procedures of cloud microphysical parameters is stressed in relation to the assessment of the indirect climatic effect of aerosols.     

Precipitation and evaporation budgets over the Baltic Proper: observations and modelling

Precipitation and evaporation budgets over the Baltic Sea were studied in a concerted project called PEP in BALTEX (Pilot study of Evaporation and Precipitation in the Baltic Sea), combining extensive field measurements and modelling efforts. Eddy-correlation-measurements of turbulent heat flux were made on a semi-continuous basis for a 12 month period at four well-exposed coastal sites in the Baltic Proper (the main basin of the Baltic Sea). Precipitation was measured at land-based sites with standard gauges and on four merchant ships travelling between Germany and Finland with the aid of specially designed ship rain gauges (SRGs). The evaporation and precipitation regime of the Baltic Sea was modelled for a 12 month period by applying a wide range of numerical models: the operational atmospheric High Resolution Limited Area Model (HIRLAM, Swedish and Finnish versions), the German atmospheric REgional-scale MOdel, REMO, the operational German Europe Model (only precipitation), the oceanographic model PROBE-Baltic, and two models that use interpolation of ground-based data, the Swedish MESAN model of SMHI and a German model of IFM-GEOMAR Kiel. Modelled precipitation was compared with SRG measurements on board the ships. A reasonable correlation was obtained, but the regional-scale models and MESAN gave some 20% higher precipitation over the sea than is measured. Bulk parameterisation schemes for evaporation were evaluated against measurements. A constant value of C_HN and C_EN with wind speed, underestimated large fluxes of both sensible and latent heat flux. The limited area models do not resolve the influence of the height of the marine boundary layer in coastal zones and the entrainment (on the surface fluxes), which may explain the observed low correlations between modelled and measured latent heat fluxes. Estimates of evaporation, E, and precipitation, P, for the entire Baltic Proper were made with several models for a 12 month period. While the annual variation was well represented by all predictions, there are still important differences in the annual means. Evaporation ranges from 509 to 625 mm year^-1 and precipitation between 624 and 805 mm year^-1 for this particular 12 month period. Taking the results of model verification from the present study into account, the best estimate of P-E is about 100 ± 50 mm for this particular 12 month period. But the annual mean of P-E varies considerably from year to year. This is reflected in simulations with the PROBE-Baltic model for an 18 year period, which gave 95 mm year^-1 for the 12 month period studied here and 32 mm year^-1 as an average for 18 years.     

The changing social relations of a community-based mangrove forest project in Zanzibar

Coastal areas in East Africa are experiencing rapid economic, resource management, demographic and technological shifts. In response diverse Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) applications have been embraced to provide mutual conservation and use benefits. These initiatives have met with mixed success in practice. Reflecting on the limitations of past research using common pool resources theory theory to study CBNRM we use insights from actor oriented theory combined with satellite image analysis to describe and discuss the forces dynamically influencing institutional and mangrove forest cover change at Kisakasaka, Zanzibar focussing on the formal CBNRM project period between 1996 and 2001, but also considering the period before and after this. We examine the shifting social relations that affected the performance and viability of the formal CBNRM arrangements. An integrated approach was taken to the presentation and discussion of results where it was possible to enrich and expand explanations of socio-environmental change, which was driven by a lack of government support, the undermining effects of party political divisions, and the lack of institutional adaptive capacity. We conclude that this was a useful approach to explain CBNRM intervention events at Kisakasaka.     

Circular symmetry in the geomagnetic plane for auroral phenomena

Published observational data concerning the configuration and location of the northen and southern auroral zones are reviewed and are compared with circles projected from the geomagnetic equatorial plane, outside the earth, on to the earth's surface along the geomagnetic field lines (in an approximation which includes the five first terms of the spherical harmonic development). Other auroral distance parameters are also compared with these circle projections.

Very good agreement has been found for the northern hemisphere. More accurate data are still needed for those parts of the southern auroral zone which lie over the ocean at a great distance from the Antarctic continent. In the author's opinion the new data confirm that the northern and southern auroral zones are geomagnetically conjugated curves and that they correspond to projections of circles in the geomagnetic equatorial plane on to the earth's surface along the real geomagnetic field lines.     

Changes in benthos following the clean-up of a severely metalpolluted cove in the Hudson River estuary: Environmental restoration or ecological disturbance?

We studied changes in macrobenthic communities following the environmental clean-up of metal-polluted (cadmium, nickel, and cobalt) sediments in Foundry Cove, a small inlet within the Hudson River estuary of New York. We used a BACI-style experiment to test the hypotheses that high levels of cadmium in sediments change macrobenthic assemblages relative to unpolluted areas, and removal of metals (especially cadmium) by dredging will restore the benthos, such that benthic fauna in Foundry Cove are not different from unpolluted areas. In 1984, prior to the restoration work, there were no significant differneces between macrobenthic assemblages in polluted and unpolluted locations, indicating that cadmium had little effect on community structure. The lack of an observed toxicity effect may have been caused by the compensatory evolution of resistance to cadmium in dominant organisms. Six years after the restoration work and despite a substantial reduction in metal pollution, there were lower abundances of oligochaetes, nematodes, and chironomids and a higher abundance of polychaetes at Foundry Cove relative to reference locations. Correlative analyses identified greater sediment compaction caused by dredging at Foundry, Cove as a possible cause of faunal differences. The results demonstrate that it is difficult to accurately predict, the effects of anthropogenic disturbances and restorations in complex natural systems and that unforeseen side effects are inevitable. Documenting these unpredicted effects and experimentally understanding their causes in past restorations will greatly improve the success and cost-effectiveness of future projects of a similar type.     

Synthetic stellar and SSP libraries as templates for Gaia simulations

ESA’s Gaia mission will collect low resolution spectroscopy in the optical range for ～10⁹ objects. Complete and up-to-date libraries of synthetic stellar spectra are needed to built algorithms aimed to automatically derive the classification and the parametrization of this huge amount of data. In addition, libraries of stellar spectra are one of the main ingredients of stellar population synthesis models, aiming to derive the properties of unresolved stellar populations from their integrated light. We present (a) the newly computed libraries of synthetic spectra built by the Gaia community, covering the whole optical range (300–1100 nm) at medium-high resolution of (0.3 nm) for stars spanning the most different types, from M to O, from A-peculiar to Emission lines to White Dwarfs, and (b) the implementation of those libraries in our SSP code (Tantalo in The Initial Mass Function 50 Years Later, 327:235 2005), exploring different stellar evolution models.     

Effects on ground water caused by excavation of rock store caverns

Unlined rock caverns for oil storage are very common in Sweden. Most of them are excavated in hard rocks (compact, non-carbonate, non-volcanic rocks). The fundamental idea of underground oil storage is that the rock caverns are located below the natural ground water level. Hereby the ground water keeps the oil inside the caverns and prevents products migration.

During the excavating period the water seeping through the fractures of a cavern is pumped up to avoid flooding. This discharge causes a local drop in the ground-water level around the cavern and a cone of depression develops.

A local study of the development of such a cone of depression has been made by means of a network of observation holes around the cavern. On enlargement of an oil storage (by constructing new caverns close to the old ones), the cone of depression moves according to the progress of the new excavations. This process has been studied and described in two cases.

Underground storages in Sweden are very often closely spaced in order to use common facilities such as entrance tunnel, pumping station, housing etc. Therefore an artificial ground-water divide sometimes must be arranged between different caverns in order to prevent products migration. This paper describes how such an artificial recharge of water between some caverns is made. The control of its effectiveness is shown as well as the method for sealing off undesirable leakage.     

Models of late-type stellar photospheres

Summary In this review we discuss recent work and progress in the modelling of photospheres of stars of spectral types F and later. Special emphasis is laid on advances as regards the consideration of atomic and molecular blanketing, non-LTE and convection and other dynamic processes. In a special chapter we discuss the possibilities of semi-empirical modelling of late-type photospheres. In the conclusions we find that much important work remains in this field, but that a considerable part of this work may in fact be carried out in a near future.     

Water Discharges Determined From Sediment Distributions: A Palaeohydrological Method

The article presents a simple sediment deposition model, based on current knowledge of the processes of transport and deposition of suspended material. It indicates possibilities of interpreting flow conditions from grain-size distributions at two localities, situated along the water flowline. The model reveals new information on ancient hydrological and sedimentological processes and events. Previously the model has been applied to forecast trap efficiency of reservoirs and predict reservoir sedimentation. In this study the model is used as a palaeohydrological method in studies of annual varves.
In varve geochronology a major attention has been paid to varve correlations and varve thickness variations, whereas other sedimentological data have been more or less disregarded. In this article new information on the spatial distribution of particle sizes demonstrate that further knowledge can be gained by careful studies of the patterns of grain-size distributions.
Annual variations in water discharges during late glacial time were studied in the Indalsälven and Dalälven valleys in Sweden. Water discharges during the deglaciation seem to have been of the same order of magnitude as in present-day rivers during normal years. During some years catastrophic events occurred, resulting in exceptional water discharges. The magnitudes of these discharges were estimated, and drainage directions were established. It appears from the studies that there are promising prospects of finding out both the magnitude and frequency of processes that until now have been described only in qualitative terms.