Regolith Surface Reflectance: A New Attempt to Model

The reflectance coefficient of the regolith layer of celestial bodies has been studied in relation to the physical properties of regolith particles (size, refractive index, and packing density) on the basis of an accurate numerical radiative-transfer algorithm for a semi-infinite flat layer. Using the geometric-optics approximation, we have found that a shape mixture of randomly oriented spheroids can successfully model the single-scattering phase function of independent soil grains. In order to take into account the effect of packing density in a regolith layer, the concept of the so-called static structure factor was used. The main effect of increasing packing density is to suppress the forward-scattering peak of the phase function and to increase the albedo of the reflecting surface. We also investigated the influence of fine dust on the reflected light. An addition of small particles not only increases the surface albedo, but also changes the brightness profile and enhances the backscattering. Although the problem of unique solution, which is inherent in the retrieval of the properties of a medium from the measurements of the intensity of light scattered by this media, cannot be removed in the proposed model, the procedure used here, in contrast to widely used approximations, allows us to fit observational data with a set of real characteristics of the regolith. Semiempirical approaches are able to fit the measurements well with a small number of free parameters, but they do not explicitly contain crucial physical characteristics of the regolith such as grain sizes or the refractive index. We compared the numerical solution of the radiative-transfer equation with the Hapke approximation, which is most often used by investigators. The errors introduced by the Hapke model are small only for near-isotropic scattering by isolated particles. However, independent regolith grains are known to scatter light mainly in the forward direction.     

Pristine stratospheric collection of interplanetary dust on an oil‐free polyurethane foam substrate

We performed chemical, mineralogical, and isotopic studies of the first interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) collected in the stratosphere without the use of silicone oil. The collection substrate, polyurethane foam, effectively traps impacting particles, but the lack of an embedding medium results in significant particle fragmentation. Two dust particles found on the collector exhibit the typical compositional and mineralogical properties of chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles (CP‐IDPs). Hydrogen and nitrogen isotopic imaging revealed isotopic anomalies of typical magnitude and spatial variability observed in previous CP‐IDP studies. Oxygen isotopic imaging shows that individual mineral grains and glass with embedded metal and sulfide (GEMS) grains are dominated by solar system materials. No systematic differences are observed in element abundance patterns of GEMS grains from the dry collection versus silicone oil‐collected IDPs. This initial study establishes the validity of a new IDP collection substrate that avoids the use of silicone oil as a collection medium, removing the need for this problematic contaminant and the organic solvents necessary to remove it. Additional silicone oil‐free collections of this type are needed to determine more accurate bulk element abundances of IDPs and to examine the indigenous soluble organic components of IDPs.     

An Early Investigation Of The Striated Tail Of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)

The Sekanina-Farrell particle fragmentation model for the striated tails of dust comets is successfully applied to two images of comet Hale-Bopp to study the motions of 12 striae in a time span of March 12–15, 1997. There is evidence for recurring outbursts with a periodicity of 11^h21^m, consistent with results based on analysis of dust jets. The ejecta in all the striae appear to have been released from one source on the nucleus between the end of January and the second half of February 1997, some 60 to 40 days before perihelion. The parent particles were subjected to a radiation pressure acceleration of β_p ≃ 0.55 and their fragmentation lifetimes in 11 of the 12 striae were practically constant and equal to 13–15 days, when normalized to 1 AU from the Sun. Brief analysis of Watanabe et al.'s measurements of striae on their images from March 5–9, 1997 shows even shorter fragmentation lifetimes for the parent particles, mostly about 7–11 days at1 AU. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Temperature lapse rate and methane in Titan's troposphere

We have reanalyzed the Voyager radio occultation data for Titan, examining two alternative approaches to methane condensation. In one approach, methane condensation is facilitated by the presence of nitrogen because nitrogen lowers the condensation level of a methane/nitrogen mixture. The resulting enhancement in methane condensation lowers the upper limit on surface relative humidity of methane obtained from the Voyager occultation data from 0.7 to 0.6. We conclude that in this case the surface relative humidity of methane lies between 0.08 and 0.6, with values close to 0.6 indicated. In the other approach, methane is allowed to become supersaturated and reaches 1.4 times saturation in the troposphere. In this case, surface humidities up to 100% are allowed by the Voyager occultation data, and thus the upper limit must be set by other considerations. We conclude that if supersaturation is included, then the surface relative humidity of methane can be any value greater than 0.08--unless a deep ocean is present, in which case the surface relative humidity is limited to less than 0.85. Again, values close to 0.6 are indicated. Overall, the tropospheric lapse rate on Titan appears to be determined by radiative equilibrium. The lapse rate is everywhere stable against dry convection, but is unstable to moist convection. This finding is consistent with a supersaturated atmosphere in which condensation-and hence moist convection-is inhibited.     

Long-term (105) or short-term (103) δ13C excursion near the Palaeocene-Eocene transition: evidence from the Tethys

Expanded sedimentary records from the Tethys reveal unique faunal and isotopic changes across the Palaeocene-Eocene (P-E) transition. Unlike in the open oceans, the Tethys exhibits a gradual decrease of 1.5% in δ¹³C values prior to the rapid δ¹³C excursion. Associated with the 6¹³C excursion is a decrease in calcite burial, increase in detrital content and appearance of a unique opportunistic planktic foraminifera1 assemblage (e.g. compressed acarininids). The existence of a prelude decrease in δ¹³C values in the Tethys suggests that the P-E δ¹³C excursion may have occurred in two steps and over a few hundred thousand years, rather than as one step over a few thousand years as previously suggested. This slower excursion rate is readily explained by changing organic carbon weathering or burial rates and avoids the need of invoking ad hoc scenarios.     

Interpolation for geochemical surface reconstruction incorporating topographic catchment definitions

Geochemical surfaces are reconstructed by interpolating geochemical measurements obtained from stream-water and stream-sediment samples. The geographical region that influences (and therefore is represented by) the value of a geochemial sample is its topographic catchment area. However, standard convention is to treat and to record the stream sample in the database as a point location, and to reconstruct geochemical surfaces utilizing conventional point interpolation procedures. These interpolation procedures assume, generally, that a data point exerts geographical influence away from itself in all directions, and that influence declines with distance away from that data point. Conventional interpolation procedures are poorly suited for reconstructing geochemical surfaces from stream samples; they do not take into account the true geographic area that geochemical sample points represent (topographic catchments). In this paper we propose a method of interpolation which assumes that data points are representative of their topographic catchment areas. Experimental data indicates that a surface reconstruction procedure which preserves the areal character of geochemical samples provides results more meaningful than surfaces reconstructed using more conventional interpolation techniques.     

Near-K/T age of clastic deposits from Texas to Brazil: impact,volcanism and/or sea-level lowstand?

Near-K/T boundary clastic deposits from Texas, Mexico, Haiti, Guatemala and Brazil, often described as impact-generated tsunami deposits, are stratigraphically below well-defined K/T boundary horizons and appear not to be causally related to the K/T boundary event. Stratigraphic evidence indicates that their deposition began during the last 170–200 kyr of the Maastrichtian, coincident with a major eustatic sea-level lowstand that lowered sea level by as much as 70–100 m. Clastic deposition ended a few tens of thousands of years before the K/T boundary during a rapidly rising sea level. The presence of glass in clastic deposits in Haiti, northeastern Mexico and Yucatan suggests that the sea-level lowstand coincided with a time of major volcanism or pre-K/T boundary bolide impact.     

Die Matrix der Fische XVI Zweidimensionale papierchromatographische Analyse von Fischschuppenhydrolysaten und Hydrolysaten einiger weiterer Fischorgane

Summary The aminoacids in hydrolysates (HCl) of the scales of six different fish-species have been determined by partition paper chromatography (Consden andDent). The scales contain considerable amounts of protein besides hydroxyl apatit and guanin, but none or only minute quantities of carbohydrates. Some of the aminoacids in the liver, air-bladder, kidney and the body muscles of two fish species were investigated.