Adatom Fe(III) on the hematite surface: Observation of a key reactive surface species

The reactivity of a mineral surface is determined by the variety and population of different types of surface sites (e.g., step, kink, adatom, and defect sites). The concept of "adsorbed nutrient" has been built into crystal growth theories, and many other studies of mineral surface reactivity appeal to ill-defined "active sites." Despite their theoretical importance, there has been little direct experimental or analytical investigation of the structure and properties of such species. Here, we use ex-situ and in-situ scanning tunneling microcopy (STM) combined with calculated images based on a resonant tunneling model to show that observed nonperiodic protrusions and depressions on the hematite (001) surface can be explained as Fe in an adsorbed or adatom state occupying sites different from those that result from simple termination of the bulk mineral. The number of such sites varies with sample preparation history, consistent with their removal from the surface in low pH solutions.     

Storm-intensity criteria for several classes of the driving interplanetary structures

In this paper we discuss the main-phase evolution of intense magnetic storms, associated with the passage of different interplanetary magnetic structures. It is shown that their evolution, driven by intense magnetic fields in the sheath region just behind interplanetary shocks, evolves faster (implying physically different magnetospheric configurations) than that associated with intense magnetic fields in the ejecta itself and in corotating streams. The estimated ring-current injection rate for the main phase of intense magnetic storms caused by sheath fields is ～10 times greater than the estimated injection rate for N–S magnetic clouds. Based on these results, we propose storm-intensity criteria for several classes of the driving interplanetary structures. The time necessary to reach a Dst/SYM index threshold level is an important parameter for a space weather forecast.     

Sensitivity analyses of a distributed catchment model to verify the model structure

Sensitivity analyses are valuable tools for identifying important model parameters, testing the model conceptualization, and improving the model structure. They help to apply the model efficiently and to enable a focussed planning of future research and field measurement. Two different methods were used for sensitivity analyses of the complex process-oriented model TAC^D (tracer aided catchment model, distributed) that was applied to the meso-scale Brugga basin (40 km²) and the sub-basin St Wilhelmer Talbach (15.2 km²). Five simulations periods were investigated: two summer events, two snow melt induced events and one summer low flow period. The model was applied using 400 different parameter sets, which were generated by Monte Carlo simulations using latin hypercube sampling. The regional sensitivity analysis (RSA) allowed determining the most significant parameters for the complete simulation periods using a graphical method. The results of the regression-based sensitivity analysis were more detailed and complex. The temporal variability of the simulation sensitivity could be observed continuously and the significance of the parameters could be determined in a quantitative way. A dependency of the simulation sensitivity on initial- and boundary conditions and the temporal and spatial variability of the sensitivity to some model parameters was revealed by the regression-based sensitivity analysis. Thus, the difficulty of transferring the results to different time periods or model applications in other catchments became obvious. The analysis of the temporal course of the simulation sensitivity to parameter values in conjunction with simulated and measured additional data sets (precipitation, temperature, reservoir volumes etc.) gave further insight into the internal model behaviour and demonstrated the plausibility of the model structure and process conceptionalizations.     

Chemical composition of the graphitic black carbon fraction in riverine and marine sediments at sub-micron scales using carbon X-ray spectromicroscopy

The chemical composition of the graphitic black carbon (GBC) fraction of marine organic matter was explored in several marine and freshwater sedimentary environments along the west coast of North America and the Pacific Ocean. Analysis by carbon X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy shows the GBC fraction of Stillaguamish River surface sediments to be dominated by more highly ordered and impure forms of graphite, together forming about 80% of the GBC, with a smaller percent of an aliphatic carbon component. Eel River Margin surface sediments had very little highly ordered graphite, and were instead dominated by amorphous carbon and to a lesser extent, impure graphite. However, the GBC of surface sediments from the Washington State Slope and the Mexico Margin was composed almost solely of amorphous carbon. Pre-anthropogenic, highly oxidized deep-sea sediments from the open Equatorial Pacific Ocean contained over half their GBC in different forms of graphite as well as highly aliphatic carbon, low aromatic/highly acidic aliphatic carbon, low aromatic/highly aliphatic carbon, and amorphous forms of carbon. Our results clearly show the impact of graphite and amorphous C phases in the BC fraction in modern riverine sediments and nearby marine shelf deposits. The pre-anthropogenic Equatorial Pacific GBC fraction is remarkable in the existence of highly ordered graphite.     

Confronting hysteresis: Wood based river rehabilitation in highly altered riverine landscapes of south-eastern Australia

This study evaluates an experiment in river rehabilitation which uses large wood to stimulate and emulate natural system processes in an effort to reverse channel degradation, excess sediment transport and habitat simplification that has resulted from two centuries of human induced disturbances, particularly desnagging. The experiment involved the reintroduction of 436 logs (350 t) within 20 engineered log jams (ELJs) over an 1100 m reach. Commencing in 1999, the experiment was set up as a standard BACI design, with a control reach 3 km upstream. In the 5 years since implementing the rehabilitation strategy, the study reach has experienced five floods greater than the mean annual, and a further five events capable of mobilising the gravel bed. Five surveys of channel terrain have been completed since treatment implementation, and the changes to net sediment storage and morphologic diversity assessed in comparison to the control reach. Seven surveys of the fish population in the reach have also been undertaken during the project to measure the ecological response to the introduced wood. The experiment has demonstrated the effectiveness of ELJ technology in achieving engineering and geomorphic goals. To date, the treatment has halted further degradation of the river and increased sediment storage, with the test reach now storing, on average, 40 m³/1000 m² more sediment than in the control. These values, it would appear, represent a new reach-scale dynamic equilibrium storage level over decadal timescales. Additional sediment storage amounts to 3.5 m³/m³ of wood added. At the reach scale this additional storage represents a reduction of just 2% or less of the post-European expansion in channel capacity, suggesting far greater efforts are required than those employed here to reverse the cumulative effects of 180 years of channel erosion and simplification.Pool and bar area in the test reach increased by around 5% and 3.5%, respectively, while the corresponding values in the control were around 1.5% and 1%, respectively. Two indices of morphologic diversity were measured for each bed survey: the standard deviation of 3D residuals of change compared with the baseline survey (SD_iΔ3D); and the standard deviation of thalweg residuals from the line of best fit (SD_iTR). The SD_iΔ3D index shows both reaches increased in complexity through the study with the treatment increasing more than the control (0.37 and 0.29, respectively). The SD_iTR index does not detect clear changes because of the low signal to noise ratio, however, it does suggest the test reach was more complex than the control at the outset. The observed increase in fish abundance after the first 12 months of monitoring, reported previously, is now far less distinct 4 years on — a pattern seemingly reflecting the relatively minor increases in critical pool habitat and habitat diversity over the same period. Although no significant differences were detectable in fish species richness or total abundance from the reach aggregate data after 4 years, analysis of individual structures show them to be high quality habitat for native fish compared to the rest of the reach and the upstream control.These results highlight the challenges river managers face in achieving measurable improvements in the health of aquatic ecosystems in highly altered rivers. Managers must confront hysteresis in a biophysical and institutional sense when attempting to reverse the degradation of rivers. The scale of treatment implemented in this experiment was at the upper end of the spectrum of rehabilitation efforts currently being undertaken in Australia, suggesting that far greater resources and longer timescales are required to achieve the levels of improvement in the diversity of stream habitat expected by the community. The study also highlights problems with the strategy of attempting to meet multiple objectives within a reach scale rehabilitation project. While this treatment successfully met some geomorphic study objectives, maximising the benefits for fish habitat would require a strategy focused primarily on the creation of complex woody habitat within deeper pools, particularly pools immediately below riffles.     

Darwinian origin of landforms

Whilst earth surface landforms evolve largely as a result of the activity of certain living organisms, the biologically driven geomorphic changes have evolutionary consequences on organisms and ecological communities. Recognition of complex biotic–abiotic feedbacks may lead to deep changes in our understanding of geomorphology. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphological significance of Ontario Lacus on Titan: Integrated interpretation of Cassini VIMS,ISS and RADAR data and comparison with the Etosha Pan (Namibia)

Ontario Lacus is the largest lake of the whole southern hemisphere of Titan, Saturn’s major moon. It has been imaged twice by each of the Cassini imaging systems (Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) in 2004 and 2005, Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) in 2007 and 2009 and RADAR in 2009 and 2010). We compile a geomorphological map and derive a “hydrogeological” interpretation of Ontario Lacus, based on a joint analysis of ISS, VIMS and RADAR SAR datasets, along with the T49 altimetric profile acquired in December 2008. The morphologies observed on Ontario Lacus are compared to landforms of a semi-arid terrestrial analog, which resembles Titan’s lakes: the Etosha Pan, located in the Owambo Basin (Namibia). The Etosha Pan is a flat-floored depression formed by dissolution, under semi-arid conditions, of a surface evaporitic layer (calcretes) controlled by groundwater vertical motions. We infer that Ontario Lacus is an extremely flat and shallow depression lying in an alluvial plain surrounded by small mountain ranges under climatic conditions similar to those of terrestrial semi-arid regions. Channels are seen in the southern part of Ontario Lacus in VIMS and RADAR data, acquired at a 2-years time interval. Their constancy in location with time implies that the southern portion of the depression is probably not fully covered by a liquid layer at the time of the observations, and that they most probably run on the floor of the depression. A shallow layer of surface liquids, corresponding to the darkest portions of the RADAR images, would thus cover about 53% of the surface area of the depression, of which almost 70% is located in its northern part. These liquid-covered parts of the depression, where liquid ethane was previously identified, are interpreted as topographic lows where the “alkanofer” raises above the depression floor. The rest of the depression, and mostly its southern part, is interpreted as a flat and smooth exposed floor, likely composed of a thick and liquid-saturated coating of photon-absorbing materials in the infrared. This hypothesis could explain its dark appearance both in the infrared and radar data and the persistence of channels seen on the depression floor over the time. Shorelines are observed on the border of Ontario Lacus suggesting past high-stand levels of the alkanofer table. The analogy with the Etosha Pan suggests that Ontario Lacus’ depression developed at the expense of a soluble layer covering the region. Dissolution of this layer would be controlled by vertical motions of the alkanofer table over the time. During flooding events, liquid hydrocarbons covering the depression floor would dissolve the surface layer, increasing progressively the diameter of the depression on geological timescales. During drought episodes, liquid hydrocarbons of the underground alkanofer would evaporate, leading to crystallization of “evaporites” in the pores and at the surface of the substratum, and to the formation of the regional soluble layer. The presence of specific landforms (lunette dunes or evaporites) is compatible with such evaporitic regional settings. Alternatively, but not exclusively, the surface soluble layer might have formed by accumulation on the ground of soluble compounds formed in the atmosphere.     

Multiple populations in globular clusters Lessons learned from the Milky Way globular clusters

Recent progress in studies of globular clusters has shown that they are not simple stellar populations, but rather are made up of multiple generations. Evidence stems both from photometry and spectroscopy. A new paradigm is arising for the formation of massive star clusters, which includes several episodes of star formation. While this provides an explanation for several features of globular clusters, including the second-parameter problem, it also opens new perspectives on the relation between globular clusters and the halo of our Galaxy, and by extension on all populations with a high specific frequency of globular clusters, such as, e.g., giant elliptical galaxies. We review progress in this area, focussing on the most recent studies. Several points remain to become properly understood, in particular those concerning the nature of the polluters producing the abundance pattern in the clusters and the typical timescale, the range of cluster masses where this phenomenon is active, and the relation between globular clusters and other satellites of our Galaxy.     

Contribution of spectral coherency analysis and tracer test to study leakage at the Doosti Dam reservoir,Iran and Turkmenistan

The Doosti Dam was built across the Harirood River on the border between Turkmenistan and Iran. During the reservoir impounding, leakage occurred as new springs through the sandstone layers of the Pesteleigh Aquifer and limy sandstone and limestone layers of the Neyzar–Kalat Aquifer, at the right abutment of the dam. To evaluate the grout curtain operation, a tracer test was carried out by injection of Uranine in a borehole located at the upstream of grout curtain in the Pesteleigh Aquifer. Tracer test results demonstrated a diffuse flow component through the grout curtain in the Pesteleigh Aquifer, but no tracer was detected at the main leakage point, SP1 Spring, emerged downstream of grout curtain from the Neyzar–Kalat Aquifer. Using the spectral coherency function, the lag time between changes in the water level of the injection borehole and water level in the tracer detected boreholes or discharge of the tracer detected springs was determined. Linear regression analyses indicated that the estimated lag time by the time series analysis was close to the first arrival time of the tracer. Therefore, the estimated velocities based on the lag time of time series could be considered close to the calculated velocities based on the first arrival time of the tracer. The estimated groundwater velocities based on the time series analysis ranged from 3.91 to 20.31 m h^?1, showed that diffuse flow dominated pathways from the reservoir toward the downstream boreholes in the Neyzar–Kalat Aquifer, while conduit flow was present within the pathways toward the SP1 Spring. Regarding the reservoir volume, the negligible amount of leakage at the maximum water level of the reservoir confirmed well overall operation of the grout curtain at the dam site.     

Use of Nested Flow Models and Interpolation Techniques for Science‐Based Management of the Sheyenne National Grassland,North Dakota,USA

Noxious weeds threaten the Sheyenne National Grassland (SNG) ecosystem and therefore herbicides have been used for control. To protect groundwater quality, the herbicide application is restricted to areas where the water table is less than 10 feet (3.05 m) below the ground surface in highly permeable soils, or less than 6 feet (1.83 m) below the ground surface in low permeable soils. A local MODFLOW model was extracted from a regional GFLOW analytic element model and used to develop depth‐to‐groundwater maps in the SNG that are representative for the particular time frame of herbicide applications. These maps are based on a modeled groundwater table and a digital elevation model (DEM). The accuracy of these depth‐to‐groundwater maps is enhanced by an artificial neural networks (ANNs) interpolation scheme that reduces residuals at 48 monitoring wells. The combination of groundwater modeling and ANN improved depth‐to‐groundwater maps, which in turn provided more informed decisions about where herbicides can or cannot be safely applied.