The nitrogen cycle on Mars: Impact decomposition of near-surface nitrates as a source for a nitrogen steady state

Nitrogen isotopes appear to be escaping from Mars at approximately the primordial ratio ¹⁴N/¹⁵N ≈ 275 and to have an atmospheric nitrogen depletion time scale of about 800 Myr. For the standard model of a progressive decline of an initial inventory of atmospheric nitrogen, having no source of N, the agreement of the isotopic ratio of escaping N with primitive nitrogen would be coincidental. Here we propose a steady state model in which nitrates, produced early in Mars' history, are later decomposed by the current impact flux. The detection of near-surface nitrates can discriminate between the standard and the steady state models. Based on current estimates of N loss to space, we predict a quantity of nitrates equivalent to 60 ± 30 mbars for a steady state, or a global layer of about 3 m of pure NaNO₃.     

Observations on mass media reporting and individual motivation to obtain a flood inundation map—River Torrens,Adelaide, South Australia

A four-sheet set of flood inundation maps of the River Torrens floodplain in Adelaide, prepared as part of the River Torrens Flood Mitigation Study, was made available by the government in an attempt to inform the public about the flood risk. Prior levels of awareness were low, there not having been a significant flood in the area since 1931.Announcement of the Flood Mitigation Study and the maps' availability was made by news release, ministerial press conference and paid advertisements in the local press. A content analysis of the various news media's coverage of this event shows that the media generally ignored the floodplain maps and concentrated on other aspects of the news release.The maps were available free from state and local government offices, and records were kept of all persons requesting maps. In the first three months only 277 persons requested maps. Approximately two-thirds of these collected maps for personal reasons and the other one-third for occupational reasons. There was no relationship between the numbers of each sheet collected and the number of flood-prone premises on the sheet. One of the sheets shows no flood-affected premises but has been requested as much as any other sheet.The results are compared with sales figures of floodplain maps prepared for Brisbane, Queensland, after a disastrous flood there in 1974. The effect of experience of a flood is evident on both the population and the media in Brisbane when compared to Adelaide. In addition to low prior awareness of flood risk, the low prominence of the story in the mass media, the content of the media reports and the positions of the paid advertisements in the press all contributed to the poor community response to the maps.     

Mechanical balance-electrical readout weighing lysimeter

As part of the research programme of the Atmospheric Environment Service, a large, sensitive weighing lysimeter was constructed on the Atmospheric Environment Service research site north of Toronto. Features of the instrument include: measurement of runoff, percolation, drainage of water held in tension, addition of water from below during dry conditions, equalization of soil temperature profile inside with that outside the lysimeter, humidity control to eliminate condensation, low area of discontinuity at the rim to reduce edge effects, and quasimonolith filling. This paper describes the construction and installation of the lysimeter, the problems encountered and some infrequently considered sources of error.     

Analysis of the Time-Dependent Chemical Evolution of Titan Haze Tholin

Haze particles exert a significant influence over the thermodynamics and radiation absorption properties of the Titan haze, as well as its complex organic chemistry. Characterization of both the molecular and the submicrometer components of the haze is therefore vital for understanding the global properties of Titan. We have carried out a Titan tholin synthesis experiment and measured the time variation of the infrared spectrum of the product as a thin film developed. Also, to examine the possibility of oxygen contamination, we compared the infrared spectrum of the tholin film with that of a tholin film exposed to dry air and laboratory air. The objective of this study is to understand the chemical processes related to how simple organic molecules are processed into more complex haze particles. The progressive development of features characteristic of amines, aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, and nitriles in the experimental mixture is clear. Of particular interest is the formation of aromatic rings after only a few seconds of glow discharge, indicating that these compounds appear to be intermediates between simple haze molecules and microphysical aerosols. The early dominance of aromatic ring structures is accompanied during the later stages of the experiment by the appearance of nitrile and amine compounds. This time-dependent succession of chemical structures provides vital clues to the possible chemical formation pathways of Titan haze aerosols.     

Titan's Atmosphere in Late Southern Spring Observed with Adaptive Optics on the W. M. Keck II 10-Meter Telescope

Using adaptive optics on the W. M. Keck II telescope, we imaged Titan several times during 1999 to 2001 in narrowband near-infrared filters selected to probe Titan's stratosphere and upper troposphere. We observed a bright feature around the south pole, possibly a collar of haze or clouds. Further, we find that solar phase angle explains most of the observed east-west brightness asymmetry of Titan's atmosphere, although the data do not preclude the presence of a “morning fog” effect at small solar phase angle.     

Observations of eruption clouds from Sakura-zima volcano,Kyushu, Japan from Skylab 4

Hasselblad and Nikon stereographic photographs taken from Skylab between 9 June 1973 and 1 February 1974 give synoptic plan views of several entire eruption clouds emanating from Sakura-zima volcano in Kagoshima Bay, Kyushu, Japan. Analytical plots of these stereographic pairs, studied in combination with meteorological data, indicate that the eruption clouds did not penetrate the tropopause and thus did not create a stratospheric dust veil of long residence time. A horizontal eddy diffusivity of the order of 10⁶ cm² s^?1 and a vertical eddy diffusivity of the order of 10⁵ cm² s^?1 were calculated from the observed plume dimensions and from available meteorological data. These observations are the first, direct evidence that explosive eruption at an estimated energy level of about 10¹⁸ ergs per paroxysm may be too small under atmospheric conditions similar to those prevailing over Sakura-zima for volcanic effluents to penetrate low-level tropospheric temperature inversions and, consequently, the tropopause over northern middle latitudes. Maximum elevation of the volcanic clouds was determined to be 3.4 km. The cumulative thermal energy release in the rise of volcanic plumes for 385 observed explosive eruptions was estimated to be 10²⁰ to 10²¹ ergs (10¹³ to 10¹⁴ J), but the entire thermal energy release associated with pyroclastic activity may be of the order of 2.5 × 10²² ergs (2.5 × 10¹⁵ J).Estimation of the kinetic energy component of explosive eruptions via satellite observation and meteorological consideration of eruption clouds is thus useful in volcanology as an alternative technique to confirm the kinetic energy estimates made by ground-based geological and geophysical methods, and to aid in construction of physical models of potential and historical tephra-fallout sectors with implications for volcano-hazard prediction.     

Sustained Ability of a Natural Microbial Community to Remove Nitrate from Groundwater

Microbial-mediated nitrate removal from groundwater is widely recognized as the predominant mechanism for nitrate attenuation in contaminated aquifers and is largely dependent on the presence of a carbon-bearing electron donor. The repeated exposure of a natural microbial community to an electron donor can result in the sustained ability of the community to remove nitrate; this phenomenon has been clearly demonstrated at the laboratory scale. However, in situ demonstrations of this ability are lacking. For this study, ethanol (electron donor) was repeatedly injected into a groundwater well (treatment) for six consecutive weeks to establish the sustained ability of a microbial community to remove nitrate. A second well (control) located upgradient was not injected with ethanol during this time. The treatment well demonstrated strong evidence of sustained ability as evident by ethanol, nitrate, and subsequent sulfate removal up to 21, 64, and 68%, respectively, as compared to the conservative tracer (bromide) upon consecutive exposures. Both wells were then monitored for six additional weeks under natural (no injection) conditions. During the final week, ethanol was injected into both treatment and control wells. The treatment well demonstrated sustained ability as evident by ethanol and nitrate removal up to 20 and 21%, respectively, as compared to bromide, whereas the control did not show strong evidence of nitrate removal (5% removal). Surprisingly, the treatment well did not indicate a sustained and selective enrichment of a microbial community. These results suggested that the predominant mechanism(s) of sustained ability likely exist at the enzymatic- and/or genetic-levels. The results of this study demonstrated the in situ ability of a microbial community to remove nitrate can be sustained in the prolonged absence of an electron donor.     

Subsurface formation of oxidants on Mars and implications for the preservation of organic biosignatures

Hydrogen peroxide can form through the interaction of pyrite and anoxic water. The oxidation of pyrite results in the precipitation of sulfates and iron oxides, high redox potentials (~ 1000 mV) and acidic pH (3–4). The oxidative potential of the resultant solution may be responsible for the oxidation of organic compounds, as observed in the subsurface of the Rio Tinto Mars analog. On Mars subsurface migration of groundwater interacting with volcanogenic massive pyrite deposits would have mobilized acidic and oxidizing fluids through large portions of the crust, resulting in the widespread deposition of sulfates and iron oxides. This groundwater could have leached substantial volumes of aquifer material and crustal rocks, thereby erasing any organic compounds possibly down to depths of hundreds of meters. Therefore, the preservation of organic biosignatures must have been severely constrained in the portions of the ancient Martian crust that were exposed to aqueous processes, calling for a redefinition of the future targets in the search for biomolecular traces of life on Mars.     

Improved Method for Estimating Reaction Rates During Push-Pull Tests

The breakthrough curve obtained from a single-well push-pull test can be adjusted to account for dilution of the injection fluid in the aquifer fluid. The dilution-adjusted breakthrough curve can be analyzed to estimate the reaction rate of a solute. The conventional dilution-adjusted method assumes that the ratios of the concentrations of the nonreactive and reactive solutes in the injection fluid vs. the aquifer fluid are equal. If this assumption is invalid, the conventional method will generate inaccurate breakthrough curves and may lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the reactivity of a solute. In this study, a new method that generates a dilution-adjusted breakthrough curve was theoretically developed to account for any possible combination of nonreactive and reactive solute concentrations in the injection and aquifer fluids. The newly developed method was applied to a field-based data set and was shown to generate more accurate dilution-adjusted breakthrough curves. The improved dilution-adjusted method presented here is simple, makes no assumptions regarding the concentrations of the nonreactive and reactive solutes in the injection and aquifer fluids, and easily allows for estimating reaction rates during push-pull tests.