Using SNAP for Galactic &; extragalactic astronomy

SNAP, the SuperNova Acceleration Probe, is planned as a space-based telescope designed specifically to search for and monitor cosmological supernovae and weak lensing. In this paper we propose some other mission objectives which are of great importance in the fields of Galactic and extragalactic astronomy and which can be done as by-products with the same instrumentation and survey strategy as currently proposed for the main SNAP mission.     

Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR): Polarimetric and photometric studies

We present the results of polarimetric and photometric observations of dynamically new comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) at phase angles from 6° to 26°. During the observations, the comet was at a distance of 2.7–1.3 AU from the Sun and 1.7–2.0 AU from the Earth. The aperture polarimetry was made with the 2.6-m Shain telescope and the 1.25-m AZT-11 telescope of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory and with the 0.7-m telescope of the Astronomical Institute of the Kharkiv National University during the period from November 21, 2003, to February 21, 2004. The wideband UBVRI and WRC (λ7228/1142 Å) filters and the narrowband GC (λ5260/56 Å) filter were used. The photometric observations of the comet were carried out on February 21, 2004, with narrowband filters isolated the BC (λ4845/65 Å) and RC (λ6840/90 Å) continuum and the C₂ emission (λ5140/90 Å). The phase-angle dependence of linear polarization of the comet has been obtained, and its parameters, such as the minimal polarization P _min = ?1.63%, the phase angle of the minimal polarization α_min = 10.6°, the inversion angle α_inv = 22.7°, and the slope of the phase curve at the inversion angle h = 0.24% per degree, were found. From the photometric observations, the following quantities have been obtained: the column density of molecules C₂ in the line of sight logN (C₂) = ?9.15 mol/cm² and their production rate log Q (C₂) = 27.11 mol/s, the spectral gradient of reflectivity for the dust S′(BC, RC) ≈ 3%/1000 Å, and the dust production parameter Afρ equal to 371 and 273 cm for the blue and red continuum ranges, respectively. According to these results, the physical parameters of comet C/2002 T7 are close to the average characteristics of typical dusty comets.     

Variability of surface wind directions over Finnmark, Norway, and coupling to the larger-scale atmospheric circulation

This study documents the temporal and spatial variability of surface wind conditions over the Norwegian county of Finnmark and the coupling of local surface winds to the larger-scale atmospheric circulation, represented by the mean sea level pressure field. At locations along the northern coast, thermally driven offshore winds from the south dominate, especially during the cold season. During the warm season, downward mixing of westerly overlying winds becomes more important as the stability of the boundary layer stratification decreases. In the western part, locations are situated in valleys, resulting in two opposing along-channel dominant wind directions. Seasonal changes in atmospheric conditions are reflected in a reversal of the dominant wind direction, with a component towards the coast during the cold season. At all locations, a clear separation between different prevailing surface wind directions in each season can be achieved based exclusively on local mean sea level geostrophic wind direction. This allows statistical downscaling of the prevailing surface wind conditions from lower-resolution simulations of the surface pressure field and may improve local wind forecasts over complex terrain.     

Phytoplankton in the south-western Kara Sea: composition and distribution

The taxonomic composition and spatial distribution of pelagic algae were studied in the south-western Kara Sea in August-September 1981. In the north-western and easternmost regions of the study area the phytoplankton community, dominated by neritic diatoms and autotrophic dinoflagellates, was at the late spring bloom stage of the seasonal succession. In the central deep-water zone of the sea, there was a predominance of heterotrophic dinoflagellates from the genera Protoperidinium and Dinophysis , and the autotrophic compartment of the algal community was clearly in a stage of decline. The distribution of the phytoplankton assemblages followed closely the major routes of receding marginal ice zones. Three stages of the seasonal succession were established for the area of interest: (1) early spring (ice edge) bloom of arcto-boreal neritic diatoms; (2) late spring bloom of neritic diatoms and autotrophic dinoflagellates, fuelled by continental run-off; and (3) summer minimum with a predominance of heterotrophic dinoflagellates, followed by autumnal decline of the phytoplankton community.     

Index and Composites of the Kuroshio Meander South of Japan

Using the merged NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC)/Japan Oceanographic Data Center (JODC)/Marine Information Research Center (MIRC) historical hydrographic dataset, a new Kuroshio large meander (LM) index is introduced. This index helps to distinguish between the LM events and other types of Kuroshio Current (KC) variability south of Japan. Observations, re-systematized according to the index, provide composite patterns of typical formation and decay of the LM. The patterns reveal a remarkable similarity between individual LMs and support the deterministic rather than the stochastic model of LM evolution on a time-scale of one year. A “trigger” meander (TM) occurs on composite maps six months prior to the LM formation as a 1° latitude southward shift of the KC axis south of Kyushu. When propagating eastward along the coast of Japan, TM gradually increases in area. In principal the emergence of LM takes only one month. East of TM and LM a remarkable onshore shift of the KC is noticed, supplying the coastal region with warm water. Other warm anomalies are found on the warm side of KC next to the propagating TM and in the larger warm eddy area southeast of Kyushu. Different LMs survive for different times and decay in some months after KC “jumps” across the Izu Ridge. Changes of water properties on isopycnals in the interior of LM can be roughly described by two-layer kinematics with an interface at σ_θ = 27 which suggests a strong inflow of deep Kuroshio waters into the LM core during the formation of the latter. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Western Palaearctic palaeoenvironmental conditions during the Early and early Middle Pleistocene inferred from large mammal communities,and implications for hominin dispersal in Europe

Large-scale fluctuations in global climate and resulting changes in ecology had a profound effect on human evolution and dispersal. Though hominin remains are scarce, studies focussing on the more abundant records of fossil land mammal communities can contribute greatly to our knowledge of the palaeoenvironmental circumstances that influenced and directed the global spread of hominins. To produce a comprehensive and accurate account of the evolution of western Palaearctic habitat diversity between 2.6 and 0.4 Ma BP, information generated from large mammal communities from 221 key sites has been included in this study.The palaeoecological conditions of the western Palaearctic during the Early and early Middle Pleistocene were principally controlled by the following key factors: (1) a widespread trend of temperature decrease, (2) the periodicity of the global temperature record, (3) the intensity of single climatic stages, (4) the temporal pattern of climatic variation, (5) geographical position, and (6) the distribution of continental water resources. A general picture of the evolution of western Palaearctic habitat diversity saw the replacement of extensive forested terrain by an alternating sequence of varied savannah-like and forested habitats during the 2.6–1.8 Ma span, as well as an alternation between different types of predominantly open habitats between 1.8 and 1.2 Ma. Both of these processes were governed by 41 ka temperature periodicity. During the 1.2–0.9 Ma time span, irregular climatic fluctuations were more common and habitat variability increased. The subsequent 0.9–0.4 Ma interval, a period controlled by 100 ka periodicity, was by comparison more stable, with longer climatic cycles alternating between open and forested landscapes. During the entire Early and early Middle Pleistocene, assemblages of large mammal communities reveal a distinct trend of decreasing continentality between Eastern and South-Eastern Europe on the one hand, and South-Western and North-Western Europe on the other. This trend was due to the effect of the Atlantic Ocean, while in Southern Europe the relatively low continentality was balanced by influences from the Mediterranean Sea.When plotted against evidence of hominin occurrence, the data on western Palaearctic habitat diversity inferred from large mammal communities indicate clear environmental stimuli for the earliest human dispersal in Europe. These are: (1) a wide range of habitats, implying a high diversity of resources; (2) mild climates with low seasonality, implying a lack of strong environmental fluctuations. Around 1.8 Ma at the latest, hominins of African origin entered the western Palaearctic for the first time, taking advantage of the diversity of habitats and resources, particularly along large river systems. Their subsequent westward spread between 1.7 and 1.3 Ma was restricted to Mediterranean-influenced areas, which offered a high variability of habitats and relatively low seasonality. The increase in environmental diversity, which occurred from 1.2 Ma onwards, opened up South-Eastern and Eastern Europe for hominin occupation. According to the available records, North-Western and Central Europe were initially colonized during late Early to early Middle Pleistocene interglacials, when these regions experienced periods of low seasonality and considerable habitat diversity.     

Charcoal records from thermokarst deposits in central Yakutia, eastern Siberia: Implications for forest fire history and thermokarst development

Macroscopic charcoal records from a thermokarst lake deposit in central Yakutia, eastern Siberia, were used to reconstruct the history of forest fires and investigate its relationship to thermokarst initiation. High accumulation rates of charcoal and pollen were coincident in the basal deposits of the thermokarst lake, which suggests that both were initially deposited on the forest floor and subsequently reworked and accumulated in the thermokarst depression. High charcoal and pollen accumulation rates in the basal deposits, dating to 11,000-9000 cal yr BP, also indicate that the thermokarst topography developed during the early Holocene. A lower charcoal accumulation rate after ca. 9000 cal yr BP suggests that thermokarst development has been inhibited since this time. It also indicates that a surface-fire regime has been predominant at least since ca. 9000 cal yr BP in central Yakutia.