The moon’s permanent magnetic field: a cratered-shell model

As part of our study of the larger-scale remanent magnetic field of the Moon, we have examined the effects of cratering in an otherwise spherically symmetrical shell magnetized by a concentric dipolar magnetic fieldH _o to an intensity of magnetizationc H _o, wherec is a constant. In our initial model, we assume that the material excavated from the craters is distributed with random orientation and thus does not contribute to the remanent dipole momentM _g . We further assume that the mare fill does not contribute significantly toM _g . We choose the magnetizing dipole momentM _o and the constantc such that the magnitude of the productcH _o ≃ 3 × 10⁻⁴Г at the outer surface of the shell in the equatorial plane of the dipole. This value of the intensity of remanent magnetization was chosen to be within the range 10⁻⁷−10⁻³Г’; the intensities of thermo-remanent magnetization exhibited by Apollo samples. Finally, we use the locations and diameters of the 10 largest craters on the Moon and the depth-to-diameter ratios of Pike’s formulation to model approximately the excavation of the magnetized shell. The remanent dipole momentM _g was calculated for each of three orthogonal orientations of the magnetizing dipoleM _o. The three magnitudes ofM _g fall in the range 4 × 10¹⁸−1 × 10¹⁹Г cm³ which is close to the upper limit of 10¹⁹Г cm³ estimated forM _g from the field measurements obtained with the Apollo subsatellites. Further, the distribution of the craters is such as to produce a significant transverse component ofM _g with acute angles between the spin axis andM _g in the range 51°–77°.     

Planetary microlensing signals from the orbital motion of the source star around the common barycentre

With several detections, the technique of gravitational microlensing has proven useful for studying planets that orbit stars at Galactic distances, and it can even be applied to detect planets in neighbouring galaxies. So far, planet detections by microlensing have been considered to result from a change in the bending of light and the resulting magnification caused by a planet around the foreground lens star. However, in complete analogy to the annual parallax effect caused by the revolution of the Earth around the Sun, the motion of the source star around the common barycentre with an orbiting planet can also lead to observable deviations in microlensing light curves that can provide evidence for the unseen companion. We discuss this effect in some detail and study the prospects of microlensing observations for revealing planets through this alternative detection channel. Given that small distances between lens and source star are favoured, and that the effect becomes nearly independent of the source distance, planets would remain detectable even if their host star is located outside the Milky Way with a sufficiently good photometry (exceeding present-day technology) being possible. From synthetic light curves arising from a Monte Carlo simulation, we find that the chances for such detections are not overwhelming and appear practically limited to the most massive planets (at least with current observational set-ups), but they are large enough for leaving the possibility that one or the other signal has already been observed. However, it may remain undetermined whether the planet actually orbits the source star or rather the lens star, which leaves us with an ambiguity not only with respect to its location, but also to its properties.     

Trapped Ar isotopes in meteorite ALH 84001 indicate Mars did not have a thick ancient atmosphere

Water is not currently stable in liquid form on the martian surface due to the present mean atmospheric pressure of ～7 mbar and mean global temperature of ～220 K. However, geomorphic features and hydrated mineral assemblages suggest that Mars’ climate was once warmer and liquid water flowed on the surface. These observations may indicate a substantially more massive atmosphere in the past, but there have been few observational constraints on paleoatmospheric pressures. Here we show how the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios of trapped gases within martian meteorite ALH 84001 constrain paleoatmospheric pressure on Mars during the Noachian era [～4.56–3.8 billion years (Ga)]. Our model indicates that atmospheric pressures did not exceed ～1.5 bar during the first 400 million years (Ma) of the Noachian era, and were <400 mbar by 4.16 Ga. Such pressures of CO₂ are only sufficient to stabilize liquid water on Mars’ surface at low latitudes during seasonally warm periods. Other greenhouse gases like SO₂ and water vapor may have played an important role in intermittently stabilizing liquid water at higher latitudes following major volcanic eruptions or impact events.     

CoRoT/ESTA–TASK 1 and TASK 3 comparison of the internal structure and seismic properties of representative stellar models

We compare stellar models produced by different stellar evolution codes for the CoRoT/ESTA project, comparing their global quantities, their physical structure, and their oscillation properties. We discuss the differences between models and identify the underlying reasons for these differences. The stellar models are representative of potential CoRoT targets. Overall we find very good agreement between the five different codes, but with some significant deviations. We find noticeable discrepancies (though still at the per cent level) that result from the handling of the equation of state, of the opacities and of the convective boundaries. The results of our work will be helpful in interpreting future asteroseismology results from CoRoT.     

Study of a thermal drill head for the exploration of subsurface planetary ice layers

The recently discovered water vapor plumes on Saturn's moon Enceladus, the polar caps of planet Mars and the possible ice volcanism on the Jovian satellites call for suitable techniques to explore deep ice layers of the solar system bodies. This paper presents a novel approach to deliver scientific probes into deeper layers of planetary ice. Several existing locomotion concepts and techniques for such probes are presented. After studying the mathematical framework of the melting locomotion process, melting tests with different head forms were done to evaluate the influence of the head's geometry on the melting process. This work led to a novel concept of a thermal drill head, using heat and mechanical drill in combination to penetrate the ice. We compare the performance of such a hybrid concept versus the melting penetration alone by a mathematical model and tests in ice with a prototype of the melting drill head.     

Metals in eggs and hatchlings of Dermochelys coriacea (testudines) in Espírito Santo,Brazil and their relation to hatching and emergence success

Certain concentration of metal may influence survival in embryonic stages, reducing the birthrate and hatching emergence. This study aimed to evaluate concentration of metal in eggs and hatchlings of Dermochelys coriacea and correlate metal concentrations in eggs with hatching and emergence success. The samples were collected at Biological Reserve Station, ES, Brazil. At the nests' opening, unhatched eggs and stillborn hatchlings were collected to survey the successful hatching and emergence of D. coriacea. The eggs shell, egg content, and dead hatchlings metal concentrations were compared to hatching and emergence success. A positive correlation was found between the concentration of copper (Cu) in the hatchlings and the success of the emergence (r² = .28, p < .05), and a moderate positive correlation between the concentrations of iron (Fe) and barium (Ba; r² = .44, p < .05) and success hatching. The concentrations of metals in eggs and hatchlings of D. coriacea in the Espírito Santo are below the levels that could be considered harmful to the species. In summary, there is a positive correlation between metals levels and hatching and emergence success.     

Assimilation of Hourly Surface Observations with the Canadian High-Resolution Ensemble Kalman Filter

An hourly-cycling ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) working at 2.5?km horizontal grid spacing is implemented over southern Ontario (Canada) to assimilate Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Reports (METARs) in addition to the observations assimilated operationally at the Canadian Meteorological Centre. This high-resolution EnKF (HREnKF) system employs ensemble land analyses and perturbed roughness length to prevent an ensemble spread that is too small near the surface. The HREnKF then performs continuously for a four-day period, from which twelve-hour ensemble forecasts are launched every six hours. The impact on analyses and short-term forecasts of assimilating METAR data is given special attention.

It is shown that using ensemble land surface analyses increases near-surface ensemble spreads for temperature and specific humidity. Perturbing roughness length enlarges the spread for surface wind. Given sufficient ensemble spread, the four-day case study shows that the near-surface model state is brought closer to surface observations during the cycling process. The impact of assimilating surface data can also be seen at higher levels by using aircraft reports for verification. The ensemble forecast verification suggests that METAR data assimilation improves ensemble forecasts of air temperature and dewpoint near the surface up to a lead time of six hours or even longer. However, only minor improvement is found in surface wind forecasts.     

Observations of Atmospheric Methane and Carbon Dioxide Mixing Ratios: Tall-Tower or Mountain-Top Stations?

Mountain-top observations of greenhouse gas mixing ratios may be an alternative to tall-tower measurements for regional scale source and sink estimation. To investigate the equivalence or limitations of a mountain-top site as compared to a tall-tower site, we used the unique opportunity of comparing in situ measurements of methane (\(\hbox {CH}_{4}\)) and carbon dioxide (\(\hbox {CO}_{2}\)) mixing ratios at a mountain top (986 m above sea level, a.s.l.) with measurements from a nearby (distance 28.4 km) tall tower, sampled at almost the same elevation (1009 m a.s.l.). Special attention was given to, (i) how local wind statistics and greenhouse gas sources and sinks at the mountain top influence the observations, and (ii) whether mountain-top observations can be used as for those from a tall tower for constraining regional greenhouse gas emissions. Wind statistics at the mountain-top site are clearly more influenced by local flow systems than those at the tall-tower site. Differences in temporal patterns of the greenhouse gas mixing ratios observed at the two sites are mostly related to the influence of local sources and sinks at the mountain-top site. Major influences of local sources can be removed by applying a statistical filter (\(5{\mathrm{th}}\) percentile) or a filter that removes periods with unfavourable flow conditions. In the best case, the bias in mixing ratios between the mountain-top and the tall-tower sites after the application of the wind filter was \({-}0.0005\pm 0.0010\) ppm for methane (September, 0000–0400 UTC) and \(0.11\pm 0.18\) ppm for \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) (February, 1200–1600 UTC). Temporal fluctuations of atmospheric \(\hbox {CH}_{4}\) and \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) mixing ratios at both stations also showed good agreement (apart from \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) during summertime) as determined by moving bi-weekly Pearson correlation coefficients (up to 0.96 for \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) and 0.97 for \(\hbox {CH}_{4}\)). When only comparing mixing ratios minimally influenced by local sources (low bias and high correlation coefficients), our measurements indicate that mountain-top observations are comparable to tall-tower observations.     

The Uncertainty in the True End Point of a Fossil's Stratigraphic Range When Stratigraphic Sections Are Sampled Discretely

Stratigraphic sections are often sampled at well-defined discrete points. Because of the incompleteness of the fossil record, a particular species may not be observed even when it is extant at a sampling point. We introduce a model and Bayesian analysis for estimating the true time of disappearance of a lineage from a section in the face of the possibility that failure to find the species beyond its observed stratigraphic range may represent false negatives. We incorporate proper prior information, including an estimated longevity of the species and the probability that it will be observed if extant. Our analysis produces a posterior density for the true extinction time of the species. Summaries of this probability distribution provide a point estimate of the extinction time, a standard deviation for the uncertainty in the estimate, and confidence intervals for the time of extinction. We apply our model to stratigraphic ranges of benthic foraminifera collected from the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian and Turonian) from Eastbourne, England.