Optical, infrared and radio observations of the Seyfert galaxy Markarian 315

We report on new optical, infrared and radio observations of the Seyfert galaxy Markarian 315. We confirm the detection at all wavelengths of a secondary peak of emission, which lies ≈ 2 arcsec east of the Seyfert nucleus. Moreover, we detect a chain-like structure which surrounds the active nucleus, with peculiar behaviour westward of the nucleus. We consider different interpretations for the origin of the secondary peak emission.     

The effect of uncertainty in aerodynamic resistance on evaporation estimates from the combination model

Evaporation estimates from a soybean crop calculated from the combination model are insensitive to aerodynamic resistance. The insensitivity arises from a strong link between evaporation and the vapour pressure deficit of the air and bulk stomatal resistance. The sensitivity of aerodynamic resistance to errors in surface roughness and zero-plane displacement is considered. The resistance is found to be more sensitive to errors in surface roughness than to errors in zero-plane displacement. However, large errors in these have little effect on calculated evaporation. Both surface roughness and zero-plane displacement are empirically related to crop height and leaf area index. Errors incurred by ignoring bluff-body effects and atmospheric stability are small in estimating both resistance and evaporation. Evaporation can be calculated adequately from empirical estimates of surface roughness and zero-plane displacement and single-level measurements of windspeed.     

The mussel Mytilus edulis as a bio-assay organism for mercury in seawater

Surveys of natural populations of mussels have identified areas of mercury contamination in the Firth of Forth, Scotland. A field bio-assay technique has been devised which accurately reflects the mean total mercury concentration in the surrounding seawater. The detection limit of the technique is estimated at 5–20 ng Hg l.^?1, and consequently the method can detect comparatively small enhancements over background mercury concentrations in estuarine and sea water.     

Recent changes in the level of Lake Naivasha,Kenya, as an indicator of equatorial westerlies over East Africa

A previously unpublished record of lake levels from Lake Naivasha, Kenya from 1880 to 1976 has been analysed and shows little similarity to the level record from nearby Lake Victoria. Level changes from year to year of the two lakes show no significant correlation (at 5%) and spectral analysis of the two records shows no common significant peaks. Both lakes show significant correlations between their level changes and the strength of the North Atlantic winter circulation, with the correlation coefficients in opposing directions indicating important, but different, large scale climatic links.Lake Naivasha's major level increases occur during May and September. Lake Victoria's level increases mainly in May with a small December increase. East African rainfall is generally during April and November, corresponding with Lake Victoria's changes. Rainfall records from Kenyan highland areas, however, show an August rainfall peak and little rainfall in November. Rainfall amounts from Equator, a highland meteorological station, for July, August and September are highly correlated (at 1% significance level) with the change in Naivasha's level during September. Winds at the highland stations are westerly during August while the lower level stations experience the drier S.E. Trades. The level changes of Lake Naivasha indicate changes in the extent of the penetration of moist air from West Africa between the Trade winds and the 200 mb easterly jet.     

Synoptic Climatology of Air Pollution in Moscow

Summary Seasonal synoptic indices are developed employing principal components analysis and cluster analysis for Moscow and using surface and upper air meteorological data. Synoptic types are analysed in terms of circulation patterns and air mass characteristics. The indices are used to examine weather-induced variability in CO and NO₂ concentrations for different land use types and in the context of multiple pollution sources. Anticyclonic conditions in spring, summer and autumn are identified as producing high pollution concentrations. Local depressions developing in the low pressure gradient fields in summer are another synoptic type resulting in high levels of air pollution. Extremely cold anticyclonic conditions in winter result in high CO but low NO₂ levels. Weather patterns characterised by strong winds associated either with an established zonal flow or the passage of a cold front caused high NO₂ concentrations in the areas affected by elevated sources. Received October 28, 1997 Revised January 26, 1998     

A discrete particle representation of hillslope hydrology: hypothesis testing in reproducing a tracer experiment at Gårdsjön,Sweden

Despite the long history of the continuum equation approach in hydrology, it is not a necessary approach to the formulation of a physically based representation of hillslope hydrology. The Multiple Interacting Pathways (MIPs) model is a discrete realization that allows hillslope response and transport to be simultaneously explored in a way that reflects the potential occurrence of preferential flows and lengths of pathways. The MIPs model uses random particle tracking methods to represent the flow of water within the subsurface alongside velocity distributions that acknowledge preferential flows and transition probability matrices, which control flow pathways. An initial realization of this model is presented here in application to a tracer experiment carried out in Gårdsjön, Sweden. The model is used as an exploratory tool, testing several hypotheses in relation to this experiment. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stormflow dynamics and loads of Escherichia coli in a large mixed land use catchment

Storm events are major transporters of faecal microbial contaminants, but few studies have reported storm loads or concentration dynamics in relation to discharge or other pollutants, notably fine sediment. Episodically, high loads of faecal contamination during storm flows impact downstream uses of water bodies, particularly contact recreation and shellfish harvesting. We examined the storm dynamics of Escherichia coli, turbidity and discharge in the mixed land use Motueka catchment (2047 km²; 60% forest and 19% pasture) to gain insights into E. coli sources and transport. We also explored different approaches for calculating E. coli loads. Discharge and field turbidity were recorded continuously, and E. coli concentrations were sampled during events, over a 13‐month period near the mouth of the Motueka River. E. coli loads were estimated by interpolation, averaging estimators and by using linear regression with smearing correction of the log‐transformed variables: discharge, turbidity, and both turbidity and discharge. The annual E. coli load was dominated (～98%) by export during events. Comparison of monthly monitoring with the intensive storm monitoring campaign suggests that simple stratification of the sampling into storm and baseflow would greatly improve export estimates. E. coli peak concentrations always preceded discharge and turbidity peaks (which had similar timing). Turbidity can be a useful surrogate for faecal microbes in smaller catchments, but in the Motueka turbidity was no better for predicting E. coli concentration than discharge. Runoff from grazed pasture and direct deposition from livestock are probably the ultimate E. coli sources in the Motueka catchment. However, in‐channel stores seem to dominate E. coli dynamics during events and account for the typical feature of bacterial concentrations peaking ahead of discharge and turbidity. This study demonstrates the importance of storm events to faecal microbial loads and shows that E. coli concentration dynamics may contrast with those of turbidity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Catastrophic landslides,glacier behaviour and moraine formation – A view from an active plate margin

The influence of large bedrock landslides (“rock avalanches”) on the behaviour of glaciers is incompletely recognised. Here we present an example from an active tectonic margin in South Island, New Zealand where large earthquakes leave a significant imprint on glacial records. We demonstrate that terminal moraines on the western side of the Southern Alps record both ‘ordinary’ (i.e. climate-driven) and landslide-initiated glacial advances. Following consideration of the processes involved in rock avalanche-initiated moraine construction we suggest ways of determining the nature of the advance that built the terminal moraine. The implications of these observations are important in breaking the conventional linkage of individual terminal moraines with climate forcing.