Non-adiabatic interactions in excitedC 2 H molecules and their relationship toC 2 formation in comets

A unified picture of the photodissociation of theC ₂ H radical has been developed using the results from the latest experimental and theoretical work. This picture shows that a variety of electronic states ofC ₂ are formed during the photodissociation of theC ₂ H radical even if photoexcitation accesses only one excited state. This is because the excited states have many avoided corssings and near intersections where two electronic states come very close to one another. At these avoided crossings and near intersections, the excited radical can hop from one electronic state to another and access new final electronic states of theC ₂ radical. The complexity of the excited state surfaces also explains the bimodal rotational distributions that are observed in all of the electronic states studied. The excited states that dissociate through a direct path are limited by dynamics to produceC ₂ fragments with a modest amount of rotational energy, whereas those that dissociate by a more complex path have a greater chance to access all of phase space and produce fragments with higher rotational excitation. Finally, the theoretical transition moments and potential energy curves have been used to provide a better estimate of the photochemical lifetimes in comets of the different excited states of theC ₂ H radical. The photochemically active states are the 2²₊, 2²II, 3²II, and 3²₊, with photodissociation rate constants of 1.0×10^–6, 4.0×10^–6, 0.7×10^–6, and 1.3×10^–6s^–1, respectively. These rate constants lead to a total photochemical lifetime of 1.4×10⁵ s.     

Observations of meteotsunami on the Louisiana shelf: a lone soliton with a soliton pack

The paper reports unique high-resolution observations of meteotsunami by a large array of oceanographic instruments deployed on the Atchafalaya Shelf (Louisiana, USA) in 2008 with the primary aim to study wave dissipation in muddy environments. The meteotsunami event on March 7, 2008, was caused by the passage of a cold front which was monitored by the NOAA NEXRAD radar. The observations of water surface elevations on the shelf show a highly detailed textbook picture of an undular bore (solibore) in the process of its disintegration into a train of solitons. The picture has a striking feature never reported before not only for the meteotsunamis but in other contexts of disintegration of a long-wave perturbation into a sequence of solitons as well—the persistent presence of a single soliton, well ahead of the solibore. Data analysis and simulations based on the celebrated variable-coefficient KdV (vKdV) equation first proposed by Ostrovsky and Pelinovsky (Izv Atmos Ocean Phys 11:37–41, 1975) explain the physics of this phenomenon and suggest that the formation of the lone soliton ahead of the solibore is very likely to be the result of the specific interplay of natural meteotsunami forcing and nearshore bathymetry. The analysis strongly suggests that the patterns of coexisting lone solitons and packets of cnoidal waves should be quite common for meteotsunamis. They were not observed before only because of the scarcity of high-resolution observations. The results highlight the effectiveness of the vKdV equation in providing understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of the complex natural phenomenon that would otherwise require computationally very expensive numerical models.     

Characterization of mean transit time at large springs in the Upper Colorado River Basin,USA: a tool for assessing groundwater discharge vulnerability

Environmental tracers (noble gases, tritium, industrial gases, stable isotopes, and radio-carbon) and hydrogeology were interpreted to determine groundwater transit-time distribution and calculate mean transit time (MTT) with lumped parameter modeling at 19 large springs distributed throughout the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), USA. The predictive value of the MTT to evaluate the pattern and timing of groundwater response to hydraulic stress (i.e., vulnerability) is examined by a statistical analysis of MTT, historical spring discharge records, and the Palmer Hydrological Drought Index. MTTs of the springs range from 10 to 15,000 years and 90 % of the cumulative discharge-weighted travel-time distribution falls within the range of 2?10,000 years. Historical variability in discharge was assessed as the ratio of 10–90 % flow-exceedance (R _10/90%) and ranged from 2.8 to 1.1 for select springs with available discharge data. The lag-time (i.e., delay in discharge response to drought conditions) was determined by cross-correlation analysis and ranged from 0.5 to 6 years for the same select springs. Springs with shorter MTTs (<80 years) statistically correlate with larger discharge variations and faster responses to drought, indicating MTT can be used for estimating the relative magnitude and timing of groundwater response. Results indicate that groundwater discharge to streams in the UCRB will likely respond on the order of years to climate variation and increasing groundwater withdrawals.     

Large scale vertical eddies in the atmosphere and the energy of the mean zonal flow

Summary The zonal eddy stress across horizontal surfaces due to large scale vertical motions was evaluated for two months from data for the northern hemisphere for a number of levels up to 50 mb. From this information and from the corresponding distributions for each of the two months of the mean zonal winds, the rate of transformation of kinetic energy from eddy to mean zonal form was calculated. The two sets of data gave rather small values for the hemisphere which were of opposite sign.     

Certain basic atmospheric processes and their counterparts in celestial mechanics

Summary By analogy with the calculation from data of angular momentum flow across latitude surfaces in the earth's atmosphere, the corresponding calculation is proposed for the case of our galaxy and possibly other spiral nebulae. A cylindrical wall of constant radius is used to replace the latitude wall, and the subject is developed through consideration of an ideal model. Gravitational torques enter the problem in addition to advective effects and possible other torques in actual systems. The relation of gravitational torques to the structure of ordinary spirals is discussed, and certain more special effects for the case of barred spirals are introduced and discussed. The connection of the subject with the classical theory of tidal evolution is pointed out.

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Zusammenfassung Analog mit der Berechnung von Daten des Flusses des Momentes der Bewegungsgrösse über Breiten-Oberflächen in der Erd-Atmosphäre wird eine korrespondierende Berechnung für den Fall unseres Sternsystems und eventuell anderer spiraler Himmelskörper vorgeschlagen. Eine zylindrische Wand mit konstantem Radius wird benutzt, um die Breitenwand zu ersetzen, und dieses Problem wird entwickelt durch die Betrachtung eines idealen Modelles. Drehmomente der Schwerkraft kommen bei diesen Problem hinzu, zusätzlich der Wirkungen von Advektion und in aller Wahrscheinlichkeit anderer Drehmomente in den vorhandenen Systemen. Die Beziehung der Drehmomente der Schwerkraft in Bezug auf gewöhnliche Spiralen ist besprochen, und gewisse mehr spezialisierte Wirkungen für den Fall von Stangen-Spiralen werden eingeführt und besprochen. Der Zusammenhang dieses Problems mit der klassischen Theorie von Drehmomenten der Gezeiten ist nachgewiesen.

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Sommario In analogia ai calcoli che, partendo da dati sperimentali, vengono fatti sul trasferimento del momento angolare fra zone dell'atmosfera a diverse latitudini, vengono qui proposti corrispondenti calcoli per la nostra galassia e possibilmente per altre nebulose a spirale. Viene usata una superficie cilindrica a raggio costante in sostituzione della superficie conica a latitudine costante; l'argomento è sviluppato secondo un modello ideale. La coppia gravitazionale viene presa in considerazione insieme agli effetti convettivi e ad altre possibili coppie. Viene discussa la relazione fra la coppia gravitazionale e la struttura di una spirale ordinaria; sono quindi introdotti e discussi certi effetti nel caso di spirali a sbarra. Infine viene messo in luce la relazione del presente argomento con la teoria classica della coppia dovuta alle marce.

     

Hydromagnetic energy balance equations for the solar atmosphere

Summary Following the pattern established in meteorology, a system of energy balance equations for the solar atmosphere is presented. Since both hydromagnetic and thermodynamic processes are considered, the system includes kinetic, potential, thermal and magnetic forms of energy. Ionization energy is indirectly included in the treatment. The spatial distribution of the energy forms and the processes transforming them are separated into zonal means and departures from such means in order to depict turbulent eddy effects. Where available data concerning solar processes are used in order to appraise certain of the terms which arise.     

Fine-scale vertical distribution of coastal and offshore copepods in the Golfo de Arauco, central Chile, during the upwelling season

In order to understand the mechanism by which zooplankters from different origins co-occur during the upwelling season within Golfo de Arauco, one of the most productive areas in central Chile, we assessed short term variations in the vertical distribution of the most abundant copepod species. Fine-scale, day and night vertical zooplankton sampling was done with a pump over 12 days in summer. The water column in the gulf consisted of three layers: Equatorial Subsurface Water of low dissolved oxygen content in the deeper part of the water column, strong temperature and oxygen gradients at mid-depth (15-25 m), and a layer of warmer, more oxygenated, less saline water at the surface. Copepods within the gulf originated from offshore, from the continental shelf, and from the coastal area. Most taxa showed distinctive vertical distributions. Three copepod groups were identified by their mean weighted depths of residence. One group included shallow residents found above the thermocline/oxycline (Acartia tonsa, Centropages brachiatus, Corycaeus sp., Paracalanus parvus, Oncaea sp.). A second group was comprised by species distributed at or below the thermocline/oxycline (Oithona sp., Oncaea conifera, Lucicutia sp., Metridia sp., Heterorhabdus papilliger). The third group was composed of vertical migrators that crossed the thermocline/oxycline (Calanus chilensis, Calanoides patagoniensis, Aetideus armatus, Pleuromamma piseki). In spite of their different vertical distribution ranges, the most abundant and frequent copepod species (P. parvus, C. chilensis, C. patagoniensis, C. brachiatus) share a common capacity to withstand wide ranges of oxygen concentration and temperature. This characteristic, along with the capacity to vary their life strategies under different environmental conditions, seems to facilitate the maintenance of large numbers of copepods in coastal waters along the Humboldt Current.