SPIRE point source photometry: within the Herschel interactive processing environment (HIPE)

The different algorithms appropriate for point source photometry on data from the SPIRE instrument on-board the Herschel Space Observatory, within the Herschel Interactive Processing Environment (HIPE) are compared. Point source photometry of a large ensemble of standard calibration stars and dark sky observations is carried out using the 4 major methods within HIPE: SUSSEXtractor, DAOphot, the SPIRE Timeline Fitter and simple Aperture Photometry. Colour corrections and effective beam areas as a function of the assumed source spectral index are also included to produce a large number of photometric measurements per individual target, in each of the 3 SPIRE bands (250, 350, 500μm), to examine both the accuracy and repeatability of each of the 4 algorithms. It is concluded that for flux densities down to the level of 30mJy that the SPIRE Timeline Fitter is the method of choice. However, at least in the 250 and 350μm bands, all 4 methods provide photometric repeatability better than a few percent down to at approximately 100mJy. The DAOphot method appears in many cases to have a systematic offset of ～8 % in all SPIRE bands which may be indicative of a sub-optimal aperture correction. In general, aperture photometry is the least reliable method, i.e. largest scatter between observations, especially in the longest wavelength band. At the faintest fluxes, <30mJy, SUSSEXtractor or DAOphot provide a better alternative to the Timeline Fitter.     

Inland aeolian deposits of south‐west France: facies,stratigraphy and chronology

Archaeological investigations undertaken along a proposed highway together with the compilation of available geological and pedological data made it possible to give a first overview of the distribution of Pleistocene aeolian deposits in south‐west France. A chronological framework for deposition has been obtained using both radiocarbon (n = 24) and luminescence (n = 26) dating. It shows that aeolian transport was very active during the Late Pleniglacial, between 15 and ～23 ka, leading to sand emplacement over a 13 000‐m² area at the centre of the basin. The Pleniglacial coversands are typified by extensive fields of small transverse to barchanoid ridges giving way to sandsheets to the east. Subsequent aeolian phases, at ca. 12 ka (Younger Dryas) and 0.8–0.2 ka (Little Ice Age), correspond to the formation of more localized and higher, mainly parabolic dunes. At the southern and eastern margins of the coversand area, aeolian dust accumulated to form loess deposits, the thickness of which reaches ～3 m on the plateaus. Luminescence dates together with interglacial‐ranking palaeoluvisols between the loess units clearly indicate that these accumulations built up during the last two glacial–interglacial cycles. The chronology of sand and loess deposition thus appears to be consistent with that already documented for northern Europe. This suggests that it was driven by global climate changes in the northern hemisphere. The relatively thin aeolian deposits (and particularly loess) in south‐west France is thought to reflect both a supply‐limited system and a moister climate than in more northern and continental regions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

GNSS processing at CODE: status report

Since May 2003, the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE), one of the analysis centers of the International GNSS Service, has generated GPS and GLONASS products in a rigorous combined multi-system processing scheme, which promises the best possible consistency of the orbits of both systems. The resulting products, in particular the satellite orbits and clocks, are easily accessible by the user community. In the first part of this article, we focus on the generation of the combined global products at CODE, where we put emphasis not only on accuracy, but also on completeness. We study the impact of GLONASS on the CODE products, and the benefit of using them. Last, but not least, we introduce AGNES (Automated GNSS Network for Switzerland), a regional tracking network of small extensions (roughly 400 km East–West, 200 km North–South), which consequently tracks all GNSS satellites and analyzes their measurements using the CODE products.     

Local effects of redundant terrestrial and GPS-based tie vectors in ITRF-like combinations

Tie vectors (TVs) between co-located space geodetic instruments are essential for combining terrestrial reference frames (TRFs) realised using different techniques. They provide relative positioning between instrumental reference points (RPs) which are part of a global geodetic network such as the international terrestrial reference frame (ITRF). This paper gathers the set of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI)–global positioning system (GPS) local ties performed at the observatory of Medicina (Northern Italy) during the years 2001–2006 and discusses some important aspects related to the usage of co-location ties in the combinations of TRFs. Two measurement approaches of local survey are considered here: a GPS-based approach and a classical approach based on terrestrial observations (i.e. angles, distances and height differences). The behaviour of terrestrial local ties, which routinely join combinations of space geodetic solutions, is compared to that of GPS-based local ties. In particular, we have performed and analysed different combinations of satellite laser ranging (SLR), VLBI and GPS long term solutions in order to (i) evaluate the local effects of the insertion of the series of TVs computed at Medicina, (ii) investigate the consistency of GPS-based TVs with respect to space geodetic solutions, (iii) discuss the effects of an imprecise alignment of TVs from a local to a global reference frame. Results of ITRF-like combinations show that terrestrial TVs originate the smallest residuals in all the three components. In most cases, GPS-based TVs fit space geodetic solutions very well, especially in the horizontal components (N, E). On the contrary, the estimation of the VLBI RP Up component through GPS technique appears to be awkward, since the corresponding post fit residuals are considerably larger. Besides, combination tests including multi-temporal TVs display local effects of residual redistribution, when compared to those solutions where Medicina TVs are added one at a time. Finally, the combination of TRFs turns out to be sensitive to the orientation of the local tie into the global frame.     

Impact of a pre-existing transverse drainage system on active rift stratigraphy: An example from the Corinth Rift,Greece

Models to explain alluvial system development in rift settings commonly depict fans that are sourced directly from catchments formed in newly uplifted footwalls, which leads to the development of steep-sided talus-cone fans in the actively subsiding basin depocentre. The impact of basin evolution on antecedent drainage networks orientated close to perpendicular to a rift axis, and flowing over the developing hangingwall dip slope, remains relatively poorly understood. The aim of this study is to better understand the responses to rift margin uplift and subsequent intrabasinal fault development in determining sedimentation patterns in alluvial deposits of a major antecedent drainage system. Field-acquired data from a coarse-grained alluvial syn-rift succession in the western Gulf of Corinth, Greece (sedimentological logging and mapping) has allowed analysis of the spatial distribution of facies associations, stratigraphic architectural elements and patterns of palaeoflow. During the earliest rifting phase, newly uplifted footwalls redirected a previously established fluvial system with predominantly southward drainage. Footwall uplift on the southern basin margin at an initially relatively slow rate led to the development of an overfilled basin, within which an alluvial fan prograded to the south-west, south and south-east over a hangingwall dip slope. Deposition of the alluvial system sourced from the north coincided with the establishment of small-scale alluvial fans sourced from the newly uplifted footwall in the south. Deposits of non-cohesive debris flows close to the proposed hangingwall fan apex pass gradationally downstream into predominantly bedload conglomerate deposits indicative of sedimentation via hyperconcentrated flows laden with sand- and silt-grade sediment. Subsequent normal faulting in the hangingwall resulted in the establishment of further barriers to stream drainage, blocking flow routes to the south. This culminated in the termination of sediment supply to the basin depocentre from the north, and the onset of underfilled basin conditions as signified by an associated lacustrine transgression. The evolution of the fluvial system described in this study records transitions between three possible end-member types of interaction between active rifting and antecedent drainage systems: (a) erosion through an uplifted footwall, (b) drainage diversion away from an uplifted footwall and (c) deposition over the hangingwall dip slope. The orientation of antecedent drainage pathways at a high angle to the trend of a developing rift axis, replete with intrabasinal faulting, exerts a primary control on the timing and location of development of overfilled and underfilled basin states in evolving depocentres.     

A systematic analysis of the XMM-Newton background: III. Impact of the magnetospheric environment

A detailed characterization of the particle induced background is fundamental for many of the scientific objectives of the Athena X-ray telescope, thus an adequate knowledge of the background that will be encountered by Athena is desirable. Current X-ray telescopes have shown that the intensity of the particle induced background can be highly variable. Different regions of the magnetosphere can have very different environmental conditions, which can, in principle, differently affect the particle induced background detected by the instruments. We present results concerning the influence of the magnetospheric environment on the background detected by EPIC instrument onboard XMM-Newton through the estimate of the variation of the in-Field-of-View background excess along the XMM-Newton orbit. An important contribution to the XMM background, which may affect the Athena background as well, comes from soft proton flares. Along with the flaring component a low-intensity component is also present. We find that both show modest variations in the different magnetozones and that the soft proton component shows a strong trend with the distance from Earth.     

Capturing the spatiotemporal variability of bedload transport: A time‐lapse imagery technique

Monitoring sediment transport in morphologically complex and labile channels remains a difficult task, even at the laboratory scale. To address this challenge, a fully automated imagery technique for continuously mapping the spatial and temporal variability of bedload transport is proposed. This method uses differentiated time‐lapse imagery taken from a fixed camera to detect bed variations induced by grain displacement. The technique is not based on tracking the individual particles; rather, it evaluates macroscopic colour changes within a region that contains several grains, which depend on the occurrence and intensity of the bedload transport. Image‐derived data were compared with the sediment flux measured during four flume experiments, and produced good correspondence. The method provides continuous tracking of the location of the transporting channels, and enables estimation of local variations in the magnitude of the bedload flux. Moreover, the spatial extent of the monitoring area offers an unprecedented opportunity to aggregate spatially dense and continuous data at the reach scale, as needed to properly capture the full range of variability of morphologically complex and rapidly evolving gravel‐bed rivers. Despite being limited to laboratory‐scale physical experiments, the method provides useful data to investigate fundamental morphodynamic processes such as bar migration, bank erosion, anabranches opening/closure, and the associate spatial and temporal scales. Further, the data obtained have the potential to enhance numerical model calibration and improve our understanding of the complex dynamics of real‐world settings. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of structural organization of epilithic and endolithic lichens on limestone weathering

Hyphal penetration, mineral dissolution and neoformation at the lichen–rock interface have been widely characterized by microscopic and spectroscopic studies, and considered as proxies of lichen deterioration of stone substrates. However, these phenomena have not been clearly related to experimental data on physical properties related to stone durability, and the physical consequences of lichen removal from stone surfaces have also been overlooked. In this study, we combine microscopic and spectroscopic characterization of the structural organization of epi‐ and endolithic lichens (Caloplaca marina (Wedd.) Du Rietz, Caloplaca ochracea (Schaer.) Flagey, Bagliettoa baldensis (A.Massal.) Vězda, Porina linearis (Leight.) Zahlbr., Verrucaria nigrescens Pers.) at the interface with limestones of interest for Cultural Heritage (Portland Limestone, Botticino Limestone), with analysis of rock properties (water absorption, surface hardness) relevant for durability, before and after the removal or scraping of lichen thalli. Observations using reflected‐light and electron microscopy, and Raman analyses, showed lichen–limestone stratified interfaces, differing in the presence/absence and depth of lichen anatomical layers (lithocortex, photobiont layer, pervasive and sparse hyphal penetration component) depending on species and lithology. Specific structural organizations of lichen–rock interface were found to be associated with differential patterns of water absorption increase, evaluated by Karsten tube, in comparison with surfaces with microbial biofilms only, even more pronounced after the removal or scraping of the upper structural layers. Equotip measurements on surfaces bearing intact thalli showed lower hardness in comparison with control surfaces. By contrast, after the removal or scraping procedures, Equotip values were similar to or higher than those of controls, suggesting that the increasing open porosity may be related to a biogenic hardening process. Such counterposed patterns of porosity increase and hardening need to be considered when models relating lichen occurrence on limestones and biogeomorphological surface evolution are proposed, and to evaluate the consequences of lichen removal from stone‐built cultural heritage. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The geomorphologic forcing of wild boars

Among the main invasive species, the wild boar (Sus scrofa) is the most responsible for soil degradation in Europe and many Italian regions. At the same time, the stable presence of this species in agricultural areas has induced a conflict with humans, causing economic losses, environmental degradation and also social issues. A clear quantification of the potential damages (in terms of soil bioturbation) of this species at large scale is, however, still obscure. The purpose of this research is to analyse the role of wild boars as a geomorphologic agent, presenting a general diagnostic framework regarding the geomorphic impact of this species, classifying and mapping potential sediment hotspots and their likely connection to rivers and road networks. Accordingly, a record of wild boar damage types is first presented, and their possible interaction with hydrological and geomorphological processes is described. Then, a pilot case study is discussed on mapping and quantifying wild boar damages in a hilly agricultural landscape located in northeast Italy. The wild boar damages were geolocalized using a geographical positioning system (GPS) in two years of intensive field campaigns among agricultural fields involved in wild boar damaging activities. For each damaged area (total 406), several measures of soil erosion depth were taken and the degradation surface of interest mapped for a total of 10 150 measures. The volume of removed soil was then estimated, considering the average depth of damages previously recorded. Finally, the Index of Connectivity was applied to provide a classification of the considered damages based on their connection to both river and road networks. The results indicate that the ongoing uncontrolled wild boar expansion may not affect crops only or be a risk for people, but can also increase soil erosion, with a potential connection to hydrographic networks and human infrastructures. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.