Near-infrared polarization studies of Saturn and Jupiter

Polarization measurements of Jupiter, Saturn, and Saturn's rings from 1 to 3.5 μm are presented. At 1.6 μm on the discs of the two planets, the radially directed limb polarizations observed in the visible undergo, in some cases, a surprising 90° rotation to a tangential direction, particularly on the poles. The only immediate explanation for this effect is double Mie scattering, due to aerosols which must be of the order of a micrometer in size. On Jupiter the patterns are not uniform and are not stable, reflecting variable aerosol concentrations on the two poles. The ring polarization is uniformly negative (E vector parallel to the ecliptic plane) from the visible through 3.5 μm, and is inversely proportional to the albedo. This is as expected from Wolff's model for scattering from rough solid surfaces; but the degree of polarization seems uncommonly high, exceeding 2% at 3.5 μm.     

Scattering in the atmosphere of Venus: II. Effect of varying the scale height of the scattering particles

We have made calculations for the variation of equivalent width with phase angle (for a Venus-like atmosphere except that the cloud particles scatter isotropically). The effect of temperature variations, within our model atmosphere, is shown to be small. The effect of changing the scale height of the cloud relative to the scale height of the gas is much larger.     

Far-infrared spectral observations of Venus,Mars, and Jupiter

Spectra of Venus, Mars, and Jupiter between 45 and 115 μm have been obtained at a resolving power of ～10, observing from the NASA Lear Jet at an altitude of 13.7 km. The results are calibrated with lunar observations, and show Mars and Venus to have relatively constant brightness temperatures over this wavelength region, with Venus appearing somewhat warmer at longer wavelengths. The brightness temperature of Jupiter decreases slightly toward longer wavelengths.     

Planetary isophotes as a clue to aerosol characteristics

A study was made to see how much information could be extracted from the Mariner 9 Mars isophotes taken at a phase angle of ～60°. We found that the Minneart functions and both isotropic and Rayleigh scattering could easily be ruled out, and that it was essential to use forward-peaked phase functions, which were computed from Mie theory. We could achieve isophotes similar to those observed assuming a semi-infinite dust cloud with a considerable variation in particle properties and size distribution, so long as the ratio of the multiply to singly scattered light was held within certain limits. These conditions are met by micron-sized, moderately absorbing mineral grains whose mean size should not be much larger than a micron. It was also found that a dust cloud of finite optical thickness bounded from below by a Lambert ground would fit the isophote data.     

Tharsis province of Mars: Geologic sequence,geometry, and a deformation mechanism

The early history of Mars included two large-scale events of great significance: (1) the lowering and resurfacing of one-third of the crust, followed closely by (2) evolution of the Tharsis bulge. Tharsis development apparently involved two stages: (1) an initial rapid topographic rise accompanied by the development of a vast radial fault system, and (2) an extremely long-lived volcanic stage apparently continuing to the geologic present. A deformational model is proposed whereby a first-order mantle convection cell caused early subcrustal erosion and foundering of the low third of the planet. Underplating and deep intrusion by the eroded materials beneath Tharsis caused isostatic doming. Minor radial gravity motions of surficial layers off the dome produced the radial fault system. The hot underplate eventually affected the surface to cause the very long-lived volcanic second stage. Deep crustal anisotropy associated with the locally NE-trending boundary between the highland two-thirds and the lowland one-third caused the NE elongation of many features of Tharsis.     

Radiative transfer in spherical shell atmospheres. III. Application to Venus

We have introduced a method of partitioning the radiance emerging from a planetary atmosphere in proportion to the average number of scatterings in each atmospheric layer in order to gain a more fundamental understanding of the so-called level of line formation. A realistic model of the Venus atmosphere was used to compute the radiance for a range of phase angles and two planetary colatitudes, namely, 20 and 90°. We computed the core and continuum radiances for the P(16) line of 8689-Å CO₂ band and introduced two ways of computing an effective temperature. Both definitions yielded similar results. We found that these effective temperatures varied little with phase angles up to 120°, but fell rather rapidly beyond this point. Also colder effective temperatures were found as we went from equator to pole. The results obtained are all consistent with the spectroscopic temperature determination from CO₂ band studies. We have also defined an effective optical depth, τ_eff, which we feel gives a better understanding of the level of line formation than other definitions used to date.     

An objective Bayesian analysis of the change point problem

The Bayesian literature on the change point problem deals with the inference of a change in the distribution of a set of time-ordered data based on a sample of fixed size. This is the so-called retrospective or off-line analysis of the change point problem. A related but different problem is that of the sequential change point detection, mainly analyzed from a frequentist viewpoint. While the former typically focuses on the estimation of the position in which the change point occurs, the latter is a testing problem which has a natural formulation as a Bayesian model selection problem. In this paper we provide such a Bayesian formulation, which generalizes previous formulations such as the well-known CUSUM stopping rule. We show that the conventional improper priors (also called non-informative, objective or default), cannot be used either for sequential detection of the change or for retrospective estimation. Then, we propose objective intrinsic prior distributions for the unknown model parameters. The normal and Poisson cases are studied in detail and examples with simulated and real data are provided.     

NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) – A Coastal Solution to Tsunami Alert and Notification

The Washington State/Local Tsunami Work Group adopted the NOAA Weather Radio All-Hazards Warning System to warn citizens quickly and effectively of not only tsunami hazards but also other natural or man-made hazards. In concert with an array of deep ocean tsunami detectors, land-based seismic sensors, and warning messages issued by the tsunami warning centers, NWR provides a means to expeditiously get critical decision-making information to emergency managers, elected officials, and first responders. To implement the NWR strategy effectively, a partnership was developed to add a repeater to the NWR system to provide complete coverage to the coast of Washington and to shipping lanes off the coast. The Work Group also recognized the need to disseminate time critical hazard information on tsunamis to the public on beaches and in high traffic areas, so it developed a new notification system, with the first prototype installed on 2 July 2003 in Ocean Shores, Washington. A public education program also was developed to improve the impacted communities understanding of the tsunami hazard, the warning system, and actions they should take if a tsunami occurs.     

Contribution to the study of Greek thermal springs: hydrogeological and hydrochemical characteristics and origin of thermal waters

A large number of chemical analyses of Greek thermal waters were evaluated in order to investigate spring water origin, water–rock interaction mechanisms, and estimate the thermal potential of the geothermal areas. Four water types were distinguished from geochemical diagrams. The relatively fresher waters include samples of Ca–HCO₃ and Mg–HCO₃ type waters originating from the schistose Rhodope Massif and the Quaternary basin of Aridea, respectively. Samples of the Na–HCO3 water type are typical of springs located in the post-orogenic basins of northern Greece. These hot, deep-rising Na–HCO₃ waters circulate in a CO₂-rich environment that favours the solubility of alkaline ions such as Na from siliceous rocks. Most of the samples belong to the Na–Cl water type and originate from Greek islands and coastal springs. These are characterized by the mixing of deep thermal solutions with seawater and fresh water. The presence of CO₂ in thermal and mineral springs is due to the metamorphism of buried marine carbonate horizons while H₂S is due to both local pyrite oxidation and the reduction of sulphates. The use of geothermometers suggested that the investigated geothermal areas have low enthalpy fluids at depth, while higher temperatures are likely present in Milos, Lesvos, Nisyros islands and Xanthi Basin.

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Resumen Se ha evaluado un gran número de análisis químicos de aguas termales griegas con objeto de investigar el origen del agua en los manantiales, los mecanismos de interacción agua-roca, y estimar el potencial termal de las áreas geotérmicas. Se distinguieron cuatro tipos de aguas a partir de diagramas geoquímicos. Las aguas relativamente frescas incluyen muestras de agua tipo Ca–HCO₃ y Mg–HCO₃ que se originan en los esquistos del Macizo Rhodope y la cuenca Cuaternaria de Aridea, respectivamente. Las muestras de agua tipo Na–HCO₃ son típicas de manantiales localizados en las cuencas post-orogénicas del norte de Grecia. Estas aguas calientes y profundas, de tipo Na–HCO₃, circulan en un ambiente rico en CO₂ que favorece la solubilidad de iones alcalinos, tal como Na proveniente de rocas silícicas. La mayoría de las muestras pertenecen al tipo de agua Na–Cl y se originan en islas y manantiales costeros griegos. Estas aguas se caracterizan por la mezcla de soluciones termales profundas con agua de mar y agua dulce. La presencia de CO₂ en manantiales termales y minerales se debe a el metamorfismo de horizontes carbonatados marinos enterrados mientras que el H₂S se debe a oxidación local de pirita y reducción de sulfatos. El uso de geotermómetros sugiere que las áreas termales investigadas tienen fluidos de baja entalpía a profundidad, mientras que las temperaturas más elevadas es probable que se presenten en Milos, Lesvos, islas de Nisyros y la cuenca Xanthi.

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Résumé Un grand nombre danalyses chimiques des eaux thermales grecques ont été menées de manière à investiguer lorigine des eaux des sources thermales, les mécanismes dinteraction avec les roches traversées, et destimer le potentiel des zones géothermiques. Quatre types deau ont été distinguées sur base des diagrammes géochimiques. Les eaux les plus fraîches correspondent respectivement aux échantillons des eaux calco et magnéso carbonatées du massif schisteux de Rhodope et du bassin quaternaire dAridea. Les échantillons deaux sodi carbonatées proviennent typiquement des sources localisées dans les bassins posts-orogéniques du Nord de la Grèce. Ces chaudes et très profondes eaux sodi carbonatées circulent dans des environnements riches en CO₂ qui favorisent la solubilité des ions alcalins, tel que le sodium, des roches siliceuses. La plus part des échantillons ont un facies chloruré sodique et proviennent des îles grecques ou des environnement côtier. Ces eaux sont caractérisées par des mélanges entre eaux profondes avec des eaux de mer et des eaux de surface. La présence de CO₂ dans les eaux de sources thermales et minérales est due au métamorphisme des horizons de calcaires marins et couverts, tandis que la présence de H₂S est due à loxydation locale de la pyrite et à la réduction des sulfates. Lutilisation de géothermomètres suggère que les zones géothermiques étudiées contiennent des eaux à faible enthalpie en profondeur, bien que des températures assez élevées soient rencontrées à Milos, Lesvos, sur les îles Nisyros et dans le bassin de Xanthi.