A highly reflective low cost backscattering target

A low cost biplanar reflector target has been developed and used in a system performance test of a near surface omnidirectional source and receiver. The target was constructed from sheets of closed cell plastic bubble sheeting. Theoretically, this material should have very high reflectance characteristics, and this was demonstrated by the experiment. The strongly reflecting target was located at the sea surface, and allowed the interpretation of data as the ship passed through a range of azimuthal angles. The higher than expected backscatter from the target was presumed to be due to the bubble sheeting behaving as a coherent reflector, like a thin layer of air, rather than an ensemble of individually resonating bubbles. This was verified by the data analysis. Lloyd's mirror effects were strong, because practically all of the return signals from the 10-ms continuous wave pulses were overlapping. The target strength (TS) of the reflector was strongly reduced at ranges over 100 m. The experiment shows that studies of the statistical distribution of fish school TS must consider the effects of Lloyd's mirror     

Rainfall–interception–evaporation–runoff relationships in a semi-arid catchment,northern Limpopo basin,Zimbabwe

Abstract

Two types of monthly water balance models at basin scale are used: PE models use precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) as their observed input data, whereas P models need only precipitation. Calibration proceeds by comparing model runoff and observed runoff. Calibration is entirely automatic with the exclusion of subjective elements. All models differ only by their actual evapotranspiration equations. PE models from previous papers are generalized essentially by replacing the constant evapotranspiration parameter by a periodic one, thus increasing the number of parameters by two (a “parameter” is an unknown constant to be estimated, and which is a characteristic of the river basin to be described). P models use a periodic “driving force”, which is intended to represent periodicity of hydrological phenomena, normally originating in the (unavailable) PET time series. These eight PE models and three P models are then applied to 55 river basins in 10 countries with widely diverging climates and soil conditions. A marked improvement of model performance in about one third of the basins is due to the introduction of the above mentioned periodic functions. Even when PET data are available it is sometimes useful to consider P models. P models scarcely perform less well than PE models. An engineer, wanting to try out as few models as possible on a given river basin, can restrict his attention to the optimization of two or three models. The paper is an extension of a long effort towards monthly water balance models, and is believed to give a solution in most circumstances.     

Do Juvenile White Perch Morone americana Grow Better in Freshwater Habitats of the Blackwater River Drainage (Chesapeake Bay, MD, USA)?

Increasing rates of freshwater habitat loss in the Chesapeake Bay (and elsewhere) have renewed interest in the role of freshwater in population integrity for euryhaline fishes. Freshwater habitats may be important nurseries for juveniles of anadromous species. Using length?Cweight residuals and scales, we determined if body condition and growth of juvenile (<120?mm total length) white perch Morone americana (a semi-anadromous species) differed between brackish and freshwater tributaries within the Blackwater River drainage (Chesapeake Bay Watershed, U.S.A.). We then examined how monthly variation in body condition varied with monthly variation in selected environmental factors. Body condition differed between tributaries and was greater in freshwater (specific conductivity <0.45?mS) than brackish water when water temperature was greater than 9.6°C. White perch growth rates did not differ between tributaries, except for a short time during summer or early fall. Some anadromous fishes may spawn in freshwater to promote greater body condition, thereby ensuring a quality contingent of individuals for the population. With continued loss or impairment of freshwater habitat, the availability of nurseries for juvenile white perch will be reduced and reduce the number of quality juveniles recruiting to the adult population.     

The use of model compounds to investigate the release of covalently bound biomarkers via hydropyrolysis

This study describes the reduction of functionalised model compounds to their corresponding hydrocarbons by catalytic hydropyrolysis to provide information on the release of biomarkers from kerogens and asphaltenes covalently bound through the functional groups investigated. Five model compounds were investigated, the n-C₁₈ carboxylic acids, stearic and oleic acids; the C₂₄ steroidal acid, 5β-cholanic acid; and the saturated and unsaturated C₂₇ sterols, 5α-cholestanol and cholesterol. The yield and distribution of the hydrocarbons generated were assessed for the model compounds adsorbed to silica and carbon substrates, and unsupported on a bed of catalyst. The n-C₁₈ acids are shown to be reduced to the n-C₁₈ alkane, with a selectivity of >95% for stearic acid, although due to its unsaturated structure, oleic acid is prone to cracking, with shorter chained n-alkanes also being formed. The conversion of these compounds, adsorbed to either silica or carbon is relatively low, even at hydropyrolysis temperatures significantly above their boiling point, suggesting that interactions between the acids and substrate leading to the formation of stable entities (Si–O–C linkages in the case of silica) significantly retard volatilisation. The yield can be increased by placing the compounds directly onto a bed of catalyst, but for low boiling compounds such as stearic acid this can result in volatilisation and cracking at temperatures below that of the activation point of the catalyst. This method produced improved yields of >95% pure product for higher boiling compounds such as 5β-cholanic acid. The presence of the functional group attached to the ring system of compounds such as 5α-cholestanol does not diminish the selectivity of the technique. The double bond in cholesterol resulted in more incomplete hydrogenation with sterenes being generated, and in addition to 5α and 5β-cholestane, diasteranes were also generated via migration of the double bond.     

Differences in the mode of incorporation and biogenicity of the principal aliphatic constituents of a Type I oil shale

Compound-specific stable carbon isotope (δ ) measurements on the aliphatic hydrocarbons released from an immature Tertiary oil shale (Göynük, Turkey) via hydropyrolysis, following solvent extraction and a milder hydrogenation treatment, have further highlighted that significant compositional differences may exist between the principal aliphatic constituents of the solvent extractable (bitumen) phase and the insoluble macromolecular network (kerogen) comprising the bulk of sedimentary organic matter. Whilst inputs from diverse sources; including algae, bacteria and terrestrial higher plants, were implied from analysis of solvent-extractable alkanes, the much larger quantities of kerogen-bound n-alkyl constituents released by hydropyrolysis had a uniform isotopic signature which could be assigned to (freshwater) algae. Remarkably, the aliphatics bound to the kerogen by relatively weak covalent bonds, liberated via catalytic hydrogenation, appeared to comprise mainly allochthonous higher plant-derived n-alkanes. These results provide further compelling evidence that the molecular constituents of bitumen and, indeed, of low-yield kerogen degradation products, are not necessarily reliable indicators of kerogen biogenicity, particularly for immature Type I source rocks. The isotopic uniformity of aliphatic n-hydrocarbons released by the high-conversion hydropyrolysis step for the ultralaminae-rich Göynük oil shale, lends further support to the theory that selective preservation of highly resistant aliphatic biomacromolecules is an important mechanism in kerogen formation, at least for alginite.