Scalar fields,fluids and exact Bianchi type-V solutions

A photometric study of a large sample of Be stars is reported. Infrared homogeneous observational data in theJHKL system are used to derive some photometric characteristics of Be stars, as a class. New infrared observations of 34 Be stars are included in the present paper. Infrared two-colour diagrams are used to investigate the presence of in frared emission in Be stars. The origin of infrared excess in relation to Balmer line emission in Be stars is discussed.     

Bias aware Kalman filters: Comparison and improvements

This paper reviews two different approaches that have been proposed to tackle the problems of model bias with the Kalman filter: the use of a colored noise model and the implementation of a separate bias filter. Both filters are implemented with and without feedback of the bias into the model state. The colored noise filter formulation is extended to correct both time correlated and uncorrelated model error components. A more stable version of the separate filter without feedback is presented. The filters are implemented in an ensemble framework using Latin hypercube sampling. The techniques are illustrated on a simple one-dimensional groundwater problem. The results show that the presented filters outperform the standard Kalman filter and that the implementations with bias feedback work in more general conditions than the implementations without feedback.     

Optical dating of young tidal sediments in the Danish Wadden Sea

We have tested the applicability of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) to the dating of young estuarine sediments (<1000 years) to determine whether this method can be used to complement and support existing techniques, such as ²¹⁰Pb dating. The degree of bleaching before deposition is investigated by examining the age trend in various sediment cores, and where possible, by comparison with independent age control provided by ²¹⁰Pb dating. The consistency between optical ages and ²¹⁰Pb ages is shown to be satisfactory on a time-scale down to only a few years.

We conclude that OSL provides reliable and reproducible results in cores from sub-, inter- and supra-tidal sediments, ranging from only a few years up to 1000 years old, confirming its value in the estimation of estuarine accretion rates. With OSL it is, for the first time, possible to date sediment cores from silty and sandy tidal flats, providing a new approach to the problem of evaluation of stability and calculation of sediment budgets for estuaries and coastal lagoons.     

The microwave background and (m,Z) relations in a tilted cosmological model

The structure of the cosmic microwave background temperature is studied in the context of a Bianchi type-V tilted cosmological model. First integrals of the equations for the null geodesics are found by use of the symmetries of the model, enabling the celestial temperature distribution to be found. The quadrupole and dipole moments are calculated for some models, suggesting that the observed anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background can be understood in the context of a Bianchi type-V model of the Universe. The apparent magnitude-redshift relations are also calculated for these models.     

Downslope Displacement Rates of Ploughing Boulders in A Mid-Alpine Environment: Finse, Southern Norway.

Annual and seasonal displacements of ploughing boulders were investigated at Finse, southern Norway, by traditional surveying and differential carrier-phase global positioning system measurements. Annual displacement rates were mainly below 10 mm/year, although one particular season showed rates of 26 mm/year on average. There was a tendency for larger boulders to travel faster. Seasonal displacements were restricted to the annual freeze-thaw cycle. The frost heave seems to have a significant horizontal component, which does not necessarily point in the downslope direction. Thus, the concept of frost creep is not applicable to the investigated ploughing boulders. On the other hand, due to tilting of the boulders, a momentum may be gained during thaw consolidation that could induce downslope displacements. Such a process will work together with gelifluction.     

Great Salt Lake,and precursors,Utah: The last 30,000 years

Sediment cores up to 6.5 m in length from the South Arm of Great Salt Lake, Utah, have been correlated. Radiocarbon ages and volcanic tephra layers indicate a record of greater than 30,000 years. A variety of approaches have been employed to collect data used in stratigraphic correlation and lake elevation interpretation; these include acoustic stratigraphy, sedimentologic analyses, mineralogy, geochemistry (major element, C, O and S isotopes, and organics), paleontology and pollen.The results indicate that prior to 32,000 year B.P. an ephemeral saline lake-playa system was present in the basin. The perennial lake, which has occupied the basin since this time, rose in a series of three major steps; the freshest water conditions and presumably highest altitude was reached at about 17,000 year B.P. The lake remained fresh for a brief period, followed by a rapid increase in salinity and sharp lowering in elevation to levels below that of the present Great Salt Lake. The lake remained at low elevations, and divided at times into a north and south Basin, until about 8,000 year B.P. Since that time, with the exception of two short rises to about 1290 m, the lake level has remained near the present elevation of 1280 m.     

The role of regional information in estimation of extreme point rainfalls

Previous analysis has shown that inclusion of regional information improves at-site estimation of point rainfalls and makes it possible to obtain estimates at non-monitored sites. The basis for this analysis was a partial duration series (PDS) modelling of individual rainfall observations and use of regional prior distributions for the PDS-parameters in a Bayesian estimation procedure. The advantages of this theoretically satisfactory, but also somewhat complicated procedure are evaluated by means of a comparison with simplified procedures. These include modelling based on regional pooling of all point rainfall data into one sample from a common parent distribution and modelling with disregard of either the dependence between stations or the regional heterogeneity. The different models are analysed and compared with respect to the uncertainty of the predicted extreme events.