Extended statistical entropy analysis for the evaluation of nitrogen budgets in Austria

Extended statistical entropy analysis (eSEA) is used to evaluate the nitrogen (N) budgets of two Austrian catchments, the Wulka and the Ybbs, and of entire Austria. The eSEA quantifies the extent of N dispersion in the environment. The results from the eSEA are compared to the corresponding N use efficiencies (NUEs). Application of the eSEA reveals that the Ybbs catchment, compared to the Wulka catchment leads to a greater extent of N dispersion, primarily as a result of increased losses of N compounds to the atmosphere and in leachates to the groundwater. The NUE in the Wulka catchment, at 63 %, is substantially higher than that in the Ybbs catchment, at 43 %, and confirms a more efficient N use in Wulka. Furthermore, it is shown that the adoption of a healthy, balanced diet, as defined by the German Nutrition Society, changes the N budget of Austria in a way that significantly reduces the dispersion of N. Decreased N losses to the atmosphere and to the groundwater are primarily responsible for this result. The national NUE of Austria responds only moderately to the adoption of such a diet increasing from 48 to 53 % and leads to statistically insignificant results if the uncertainty of the input data is taken into account. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of eSEA for the evaluation of N budgets in agricultural regions and suggests that statistical entropy can serve as a reliable agri-environmental indicator to support decisions regarding nutrient management.     

Westward moving dynamic substorm features observed with the IMAGE magnetometer network and other ground-based instruments

We present the ground signatures of dynamic substorm features with particular emphasis on the event interpretation capabilities provided by the IMAGE magnetometer network. This array covers the high latitudes from the sub-auroral to the cusp/cleft region. An isolated substorm on 11 Oct. 1993 during the late evening hours exhibited many of well-known features such as the Harang discontinuity, westward travelling surge and poleward leap, but also discrete auroral forms, known as auroral streamers, appeared propagating westward along the centre of the electrojet. Besides the magnetic field measurements, there were auroral observations and plasma flow and conductivity measurements obtained by EISCAT. The data of all three sets of instruments are consistent with the notion of upward field-aligned currents associated with the moving auroral patches. A detailed analysis of the electro-dynamic parameters in the ionosphere, however, reveals that they do not agree with the expectations resulting from commonly used simplifying approximations. For example, the westward moving auroral streamers which are associated with field-aligned current filaments, are not collocated with the centres of equivalent current vortices. Furthermore, there is a clear discrepancy between the measured plasma flow direction and the obtained equivalent current direction. All this suggests that steep conductivity gradients are associated with the transient auroral forms. Also self-induction effects in the ionosphere may play a role for the orientation of the plasma flows. This study stresses the importance of multi-instrument observation for a reliable interpretation of dynamic auroral processes.     

THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE HAVERÖ METEORITE AND THE GENESIS OF THE UREILITES

The chemical composition of Haverö is presented and compared with the composition of the other five ureilites     

Petrochemistry of Cenozoic basalts and associated rocks in the Baikal rift zone

The main episode of Cenozoic volcanic activity occurred simultaneously with formation of the Sayan—Baikal uplift, before the rift depressions were initiated. Volcanism and rifting in this region have developed as independent processes, connected with each other only by an ultimate primary mantle energy source. The volcanic regions do not coincide with the rift depressions, except in the Tunka graben.Chemical features of the volcanics show that during the entire period of volcanic activity there was a complex alternation of basaltic lavas of alkaline, intermediate and tholeiitic composition. Both alkaline and subalkaline lavas are distributed over the entire volcanic region, excepting the Tunka depression where tholeiitic lavas are predominant. However, there is neither mineralogical nor chemical evidence for the existence of two separate magma types within the Baikal rift zone.Judging by the presence of high-pressure, lherzolitic megacrysts of clinopyroxene, and to a lesser extent titaniferous biotite and amphibole in alkaline basalts, variations of lava chemistry are connected with high-pressure fractionation of initial melts, which was more complete for sources outside the rift zone. The predominance of tholeiitic lavas in the Tunka depression is likely to have been caused by a higher degree of partial melting and quick ascent of magma to the surface, facilitated by a high geothermal gradient under the depression where crustal extension is taking place.     

Hygienische Aspekte bei der Behandlung und Beseitigung von Klärschlamm und anderen festen Abfallstoffen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

A new tunable filter with a very narrow pass-band

A new tunable optical filter incorporated in a solar magnetograph consists of an interference filter followed by three automatically controlled Fabry-Pérot interferometers. It has a spectral resolving power of 10⁵, an angular resolution of 5″ arc and a field angle of 30′ arc for this spectral resolving power. By using auxiliary optics the angular resolution of the object may be improved at the expense of the angular field. Thus $$\frac{{angular field}}{{angular resolution}} = 6 are \min (are \sec )^{ - 1} $$ . It is operational over the range 400–650 nm and may be tuned through ± 0.2 nm about the selected transmission band.     

Magnesite growth rates as a function of temperature and saturation state

Magnesite growth rates and step velocities have been measured systematically as a function of temperature from 80 to 105 °C and saturation state in 0.1 M NaCl solutions using hydrothermal atomic force microscopy (HAFM). The observations indicate that at these conditions magnesite precipitation is dominated by the coupling of step generation via spiral growth at screw dislocations and step advancement away from these dislocations. As these two processes occur in series the slowest of these dominates precipitation rates. At 100 °C magnesite growth rates (r) determined by HAFM are consistent with

r=k(Ω-1)²,