Correction of the ionospheric distortion on the MARSIS surface sounding echoes

Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) on the Mars Express (MEX) spacecraft has made numerous measurements of the Martian surface and subsurface. However, all of these measurements are distorted by the ionosphere and must be compensated before any analysis. We have developed a technique to compensate for the ionospheric distortions. This technique provides a powerful tool to derive the total electron content (TEC) and other higher-order terms of the limited expansion of the plasma dispersion function that are related to overall shape of the electron column profile. The derived parameters are fitted by using a Chapman model to derive ionospheric parameters like n₀, electron density primary peak (maximum for solar zenith angle (SZA) equal 0), and the neutral height scale H.

Our estimated ionospheric parameters are in good agreement with Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) radio-occultation data. However, since MARSIS does not have the observation geometry limitations of the radio occultation measurements, our derived parameters extend over a large range of SZA for each MEX orbit.

The first results from our technique have been discussed by Safaeinili et al. [2007, Estimation of the total electron content of the Martian ionosphere using radar sounder surface echoes. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L23204, doi:10.1029/2007GL032154].     

H 187 - At the Onset of a New Eclipse

CCD photometry data of the T Tauri star H 187 are presented. They show that a new eclipse of this star began at the end of 2004. Since only one eclipse of this star has been observed previously with a duration of 3.5 years, our data indicate that the eclipses of this object are periodic with a period P=4.9 years between eclipses. Thus, in terms of the absolute duration of the eclipses and in terms of their relative length as a fraction of the period, H 187 is one of the most exotic objects in the sky. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 529–534 (November 2005).     

Lunar Gravity-Assist Maneuver As a Way of Reducing the Orbit Amplitude in the Spectrum–Röntgen–Gamma Project

Spectrum–Röntgen–Gamma (SRG) is a space observatory designed to observe astrophysical objects in the X-ray range of the electromagnetic spectrum. SRG is planned to be launched in 2019 by a Proton-M launch vehicle with a DM3 upper stage. The spacecraft will be delivered to an orbit around the Sun–Earth collinear libration point L2 located at a distance of ~1.5 million km from the Earth. Although the SRG launch scheme has already been determined at present, in this paper we consider an alternative spacecraft transfer scenario using a lunar gravity-assist maneuver. The proposed scenario allows a oneimpulse transfer from a low Earth orbit to a small-amplitude orbit around the libration point to be performed while fulfilling the technical constraints and the scientific requirements of the mission.     

Möglichkeiten der photometrischen Untersuchung von Kugelhaufen mittels photographischer Äquidensiten

A method of estimating the surface-brightness of globular cluster with equidensity curves is described. (Russian abstract)     

Jovian electron jets in interplanetary space

The COSPIN/KET experiment onboard Ulysses has been monitoring the flux of 3–20 MeV electrons in interplanetary space since the launch of Ulysses in October 1990. The origin of these electrons has been known for a long time to be the Jovian magnetosphere. Propagation models assuming interplanetary diffusion of these electrons in the ideal Parker magnetic field were successfully developed in the past. The average electron flux measured by our experiment agrees with these models for most of the times before and after the Jovian flyby of February 1992, i.e. in and out of the ecliptic down to 28° S of heliographic latitude for the last data presented here (end of March 1993).However, in addition to this average flux level well accounted for by diffusion in an ideal Parker field, we have found very short duration electron events which we call “jets”, characterized by: (i) a sharp increase and decrease of flux; (ii) a spectrum identical to the electron spectrum in the Jovian magnetosphere; and (iii) a strong first-order anisotropy. These jets only occur when the magnetic field at Ulysses lies close to the direction of Jupiter, and most of the time (86% of the events) points outwards from Jupiter, i.e. has the same polarity after the flyby as the Jovian dipole (North to South). These events are interpreted as crossings by Ulysses of magnetic flux tubes or sheets directly connected to the location of the Jovian magnetosphere from which electrons escape into interplanetary space. The average thickness of these sheets is 10¹¹cm or 14 Jovian radii. These jets are clearly identified up to 0.4 a.u. before the Jupiter flyby in the ecliptic plane, and up to 0.9 a.u. out of the ecliptic.Moreover, the characteristic rocking of the electron spectrum in the Jovian magnetosphere with a 10 h periodicity is found to be present during the jets, and predominantly during them. In the past, this modulation has been reported to be present in interplanetary space as far as 1 a.u. upwind of Jupiter, a fact which cannot be accounted for by diffusion in the average Parker magnetic field. Our finding gives a simple explanation to this phenomenon, the 10 h modulation being carried by the “jet” electrons which travel with no appreciable diffusion along magnetic field lines with a direction far from the ideal Parker spiral.     

Geochronology and paleoenvironment of pluvial Harper Lake,Mojave Desert,California, USA

Accurate reconstruction of the paleo-Mojave River and pluvial lake (Harper, Manix, Cronese, and Mojave) system of southern California is critical to understanding paleoclimate and the North American polar jet stream position over the last 500 ka. Previous studies inferred a polar jet stream south of 35°N at 18 ka and at ~ 40°N at 17–14 ka. Highstand sediments of Harper Lake, the upstream-most pluvial lake along the Mojave River, have yielded uncalibrated radiocarbon ages ranging from 24,000 to > 30,000 ¹⁴C yr BP. Based on geologic mapping, radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating, we infer a ~ 45–40 ka age for the Harper Lake highstand sediments. Combining the Harper Lake highstand with other Great Basin pluvial lake/spring and marine climate records, we infer that the North American polar jet stream was south of 35°N about 45–40 ka, but shifted to 40°N by ~ 35 ka. Ostracodes (Limnocythere ceriotuberosa) from Harper Lake highstand sediments are consistent with an alkaline lake environment that received seasonal inflow from the Mojave River, thus confirming the lake was fed by the Mojave River. The ~ 45–40 ka highstand at Harper Lake coincides with a shallowing interval at downstream Lake Manix.     

Formalization of assessing radioactive waste burial site seismic regime parameters from seismological and geological data

A model is proposed that shows the relation of the block structure of the crust and earthquake sources (Sadovskii, 1979; Rodionov, 1979, 1984, 1994; Bugaev, 1999, 2011, 2014, 2015). The model can formalize how to assess the prediction of seismic regime parameters depending on the elastic limit and conditions and rate of deformation of the Earth’s crust. The spent nuclear fuel repository site in Olkiluoto (Finland) and a site in the area of the Krasnoyarsk Mining and Chemical Combine are considered as examples. It is demonstrated that the parameters of the prediction graphs limit the location of the points of magnitude repeatability graphs calculated for a site based on samples of earthquakes in the area according to different authors. This makes it possible to recommend predictive assessment of seismic regime parameters for stability monitoring of the seismic regime and safety analysis of a geological environment’s insulation properties for waste sites from the results of seismological monitoring and high-precision observations of modern movements of the Earth’s crust.     

Experiments on scalar dispersion within a model plant canopy,part III: An elevated line source

An experiment is reported in which heat was released as a passive tracer from an elevated lateral line source within a model plant canopy, with h _s = 0.85 h _c (h _s and h _c being the source and canopy heights, respectively). A sensor assembly consisting of three coplanar hot wires and one cold wire was used to measure profiles of mean temperature % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaaiikamaana% aabaGaeqiUdehaaiaacMcaaaa!390C!\[(\overline \theta )\], temperature variance (Σ_θ ²), vertical and streamwise turbulent heat fluxes, and third moments of wind and temperature fluctuations. Conclusions were:

1. Despite the very heterogeneous flow within the canopy, the observed dispersive heat flux (due to spatial correlation between time-averaged temperature and vertical velocity) was small. However, there is evidence from the plume centroid (which was lower than h _s at the source) of systematic recirculating motions within the canopy.
2. The ratio % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaeq4Wdm3aaS% baaSqaaiabeI7aXjaab2gacaqGHbGaaeiEaaqabaGccaGGVaWaa0aa% aeaacqaH4oqCaaWaaSbaaSqaaiaab2gacaqGHbGaaeiEaaqabaaaaa!41DF!\[\sigma _{\theta {\text{max}}} /\overline \theta _{{\text{max}}} \] (of maximum values on vertical profiles) decreased from 1 near the source to an asymptotic value of 0.4 far downstream, in good agreement with previous experimental and theoretical work for concentration fluctuations in the surface layer well above the canopy.
3. The eddy diffusivity for heat from the line source (K _HL ) increased, downstream of the source, to a nearly constant ‘far-field’ vertical profile. Within the canopy, the far-field K _HL was an order of magnitude larger than K _HP , the equivalent diffusivity for a plane source; well above the canopy, the two were equal. The time scale defined by (far-field K _HL )/(vertical velocity variance) was independent of height within the canopy.
4. Budgets for temperature variance, vertical heat flux and streamwise heat flux are remarkably similar to the equivalent budgets for an elevated line source in the surface layer well above the canopy, except in the lower part of the canopy in the far field, where vertical transport is much more important than in the surface layer.
5. A random flight simulation of the mean height and depth of the temperature plume was generally in good agreement with experiment. However, details of the temperature and streamwise turbulent heat flux profiles were not correct, suggesting that the model formulation needs to be improved.

     

LABORATORY OBSERVATIONS OF SEDIMENT ENTRAINMENT BY FREEZING SUPERCOOLED WATER

Debris in basal ice produced by glaciohydraulic supercooling is typically characterized by high proportions of silt. A prominent hypothesis for this silt‐dominance is that frazil ice growing in supercooled water preferentially traps silt from sediment‐laden water percolating through it. It has therefore been suggested that silt‐dominance may be diagnostic of glaciohydraulic supercooling. The aim of our work is to test this hypothesis that freezing sediment‐laden supercooled water necessarily produces ice dominated by silt. We do this by simulating two freezing processes under laboratory conditions: (1) percolation of sediment‐laden water through frazil ice; (2) turbulent supercooling and subsequent freezing of sediment‐laden water. In experiments repeated using different particle sizes (sand, silt and clay in individual experiments) both processes entrained sand most effectively and silt least effectively. In experiments using a sediment mixture dominated by medium to coarse silt, both processes produced ice facies dominated by particle sizes between fine sand and coarse silt. These results suggest that silt‐dominance should therefore not be expected for supercooled freeze‐on, and is not a reliable diagnostic signature for supercooling. The silt‐dominated character of basal ice types associated with supercooling may result from other controls such as a silt‐dominated sediment supply or subglacial water flow rates, rather than the freezing process.