Jet Deflection by a Quasi-Steady-State Side Wind in the Laboratory

We present experimental data on the steady state deflection of a highly supersonic jet by a side-wind in the laboratory. The use of a long interaction region enables internal shocks to fully cross the jet, leading to the development of significantly more structure in the jet than in previous work with a similar setup (Lebedev et al., 2004). The ability to control the length of the interaction region in the laboratory allows the switch between a regime representing a clumpy jet or wind and a regime similar to a slowly varying mass loss rate. The results indicate that multiple internal oblique shocks develop in the jet and the possible formation of a second working surface as the jet attempts to tunnel through the ambient medium.     

Hydrocarbon lakes on Titan

The Huygens Probe detected dendritic drainage-like features, methane clouds and a high surface relative humidity (∼50%) on Titan in the vicinity of its landing site [Tomasko, M.G., and 39 colleagues, 2005. Nature 438, 765-778; Niemann, H.B., and 17 colleagues, 2005. Nature 438, 779-784], suggesting sources of methane that replenish this gas against photo- and charged-particle chemical loss on short (10-100) million year timescales [Atreya, S.K., Adams, E.Y., Niemann, H.B., Demick-Montelara, J.E., Owen, T.C., Fulchignoni, M., Ferri, F., Wilson, E.H., 2006. Planet. Space Sci. In press]. On the other hand, Cassini Orbiter remote sensing shows dry and even desert-like landscapes with dunes [Lorenz, R.D., and 39 colleagues, 2006a. Science 312, 724-727], some areas worked by fluvial erosion, but no large-scale bodies of liquid [Elachi, C., and 34 colleagues, 2005. Science 308, 970-974]. Either the atmospheric methane relative humidity is declining in a steady fashion over time, or the sources that maintain the relative humidity are geographically restricted, small, or hidden within the crust itself. In this paper we explore the hypothesis that the present-day methane relative humidity is maintained entirely by lakes that cover a small part of the surface area of Titan. We calculate the required minimum surface area coverage of such lakes, assess the stabilizing influence of ethane, and the implications for moist convection in the atmosphere. We show that, under Titan's surface conditions, methane evaporates rapidly enough that shorelines of any existing lakes could potentially migrate by several hundred m to tens of km per year, rates that could be detected by the Cassini orbiter. We furthermore show that the high relative humidity of methane in Titan's lower atmosphere could be maintained by evaporation from lakes covering only 0.002-0.02 of the whole surface.     

Sediment provenance of the Wilderness barrier dunes,southern Cape coast,South Africa

Trace‐element geochemistry has been used to discern the provenance of sediments derived from geologically distinct sources found in a range of depositional settings. This study investigates whether this approach can also identify provenance signatures in sediments derived from clastic sedimentary rocks of similar origins, within a complex coastal transport environment. The potential local sediment sources of a coastal barrier dune in South Africa were analysed to assess their relationships with the barrier and whether these have varied with time. Results indicate that the oldest part of the barrier, partly formed during MIS 6 when sea levels were lower than at present, has a closer affinity to fluvial sediment provided by local rivers than either younger samples from the barrier′s seaward flank or the Holocene dunes atop its crest, both formed during sea‐level highstands. Constraints on the timing of barrier formation provided by OSL dating proved helpful in discriminating between provenance and weathering signals. Terra Nova, 00, 000–000, 2010     

Identifying and removing structural biases in climate models with history matching

Climate Dynamics - We describe the method of history matching, a method currently used to help quantify parametric uncertainty in climate models, and argue for its use in identifying and removing...     

Coupled convection and tidal dissipation in Europa’s ice shell

We performed 2D numerical simulations of oscillatory tidal flexing to study the interrelationship between tidal dissipation (calculated using the Maxwell model) and a heterogeneous temperature structure in Europa’s ice shell. Our 2D simulations show that, if the temperature is spatially uniform, the tidal dissipation rate peaks when the Maxwell time is close to the tidal period, consistent with previous studies. The tidal dissipation rate in a convective plume encased in a different background temperature depends on both the plume and background temperature. At a fixed background temperature, the dissipation increases strongly with plume temperature at low temperatures, peaks, and then decreases with temperature near the melting point when a melting-temperature viscosity of 10¹³ Pa s is used; however, the peak occurs at significantly higher temperature in this heterogeneous case than in a homogeneous medium for equivalent rheology. For constant plume temperature, the dissipation rate in a plume decreases as the surrounding temperature increases; plumes that are warmer than their surroundings can exhibit enhanced heating not only relative to their surroundings but relative to the Maxwell-model prediction for a homogeneous medium at the plume temperature. These results have important implications for thermal feedbacks in Europa’s ice shell.To self-consistently determine how convection interacts with tidal heating that is correctly calculated from the time-evolving heterogeneous temperature field, we coupled viscoelastic simulations of oscillatory tidal flexing (using Tekton) to long-term simulations of the convective evolution (using ConMan). Our simulations show that the tidal dissipation rate resulting from heterogeneous temperature can have a strong impact on thermal convection in Europa’s ice shell. Temperatures within upwelling plumes are greatly enhanced and can reach the melting temperature under plausible tidal-flexing amplitude for Europa. A pre-existing fracture zone (at least 6 km deep) promotes the concentration of tidal dissipation (up to ∼20 times more than that in the surroundings), leading to lithospheric thinning. This supports the idea that spatially variable tidal dissipation could lead locally to high temperatures, partial melting, and play an important role in the formation of ridges, chaos, or other features.     

Efficacy of a multi-metric fish index as an analysis tool for the transitional fish component of the Water Framework Directive

The WFD has introduced an international commitment to assess the ecological status of transitional waters (TWs), within which fish communities are a key biological monitoring component. The Transitional Fish Classification Index (TFCI) outlined in this paper uses 10 ecological measures to analyse fish populations caught from various ecological niches using a variety of gear types within the Thames estuary. These reach and method-specific communities are then compared to a reference population created from a 'healthy' population from TWs of a similar type. The results indicate a progressive downstream increase the quality of fish communities, consistent with previous work; variation between methods can be accounted for by gear selectivity. Overall, the TFCI is an effective communication tool for converting ecological information into an easily understood format for managers, policy makers and the general public.     

Comparison of P- and S-waves velocities estimated from Biot-Gassmann and Kuster-Toksöz models with results obtained from acoustic wavetrains interpretation

Kuster-Toksöz and Biot-Gassmann models for estimating velocities of longitudinal and shear waves on the basis of well-logging data were analysed. P-wave and S-wave velocity models are crucial for interpretation of seismic data. Discussed models enable determination with quite good accuracy, in some cases higher than the acoustic full wavetrains interpretation. Because velocity strongly depends on lithology and saturation of pore space, the selection of parameters of rock matrix, hydrocarbons and formation waters has a strong effect on the quality of velocities estimation.     

Nitrogen isotopes in the recent solar wind from the analysis of Genesis targets: Evidence for large scale isotope heterogeneity in the early solar system

We have analyzed nitrogen, neon and argon abundances and isotopic ratios in target material exposed in space for 27 months to solar wind (SW) irradiation during the Genesis mission. SW ions were extracted by sequential UV (193 nm) laser ablation of gold-plated material, purified separately in a dedicated line, and analyzed by gas source static mass spectrometry. We analyzed gold-covered stainless steel pieces from the Concentrator, a device that concentrated SW ions by a factor of up to 50. Despite extensive terrestrial N contamination, we could identify a non-terrestrial, ¹⁵N-depleted nitrogen end-member that points to a 40% depletion of ¹⁵N in solar-wind N relative to inner planets and meteorites, and define a composition for the present-day Sun (¹⁵N/¹⁴N = [2.26 ± 0.67] × 10⁻³, 2σ), which is indistinguishable from that of Jupiter’s atmosphere. These results indicate that the isotopic composition of nitrogen in the outer convective zone of the Sun has not changed through time, and is representative of the protosolar nebula. Large ¹⁵N enrichments due to e.g., irradiation, low temperature isotopic exchange, or contributions from ¹⁵N-rich presolar components, are therefore required to account for inner planet values.     

Submarine groundwater discharge and benthic biogeochemical zonation in the Huanghe River Estuary

Submarine groundwater discharge(SGD) has received increasing attention by studies on coastal areas; however,its effects on biogeochemical zonation have not been investigated to date. The Huanghe River Estuary(HRE) is a world class river estuary with high turbidity, and heavy human regulation. This study investigated how SGD is related to the benthic biogeochemistry of the HRE. Based on the distribution of several parameters(e.g., salinity,temperature, dissolved oxygen(DO) levels, p H, radium iso...     

Realizable accessibility: evaluating the reliability of public transit accessibility using high-resolution real-time data

Journal of Geographical Systems - The widespread availability of high spatial and temporal resolution public transit data is improving the measurement and analysis of public transit-based...