Hard X-ray all-sky imaging with BATSE/CGRO

The large Area Detectors (LADs) of the BATSE experiment aboard the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory have been used recently as the first hard X-ray all-sky imager at energies between 20 keV and 300 keV. The Earth occultation process is formulated in terms of a curved Radon transform convoluted by a step transform in a selected field of view (FOV) ranging from 5°×5° to 40°×40°. The Maximum Entropy Method is then used to reconstruct an image in the hard X-ray sky. Multiple images of different regions of the sky can be produced simultaneously. A source location accuracy of 0.1° for strong sources and a sensitivity limit of 100 mCrab have been achieved in an one-day integration period.Invited Paper on Imaging in High Energy Astronomy, Sept., 1994, Capri, Italyalso Universities Space Research Association     

Mapping the sedimentary basins of the Barents and Kara Seas using ERS-1 altimetry-geodetic mission

The continental shelf in the Arctic north of Russia consists of a series of epicontinental seas, which are the offshore continuation of potentially oil and gas basins on land. The geology of all these epicontinental seas is poorly known, due to the remoteness, the extreme climatic conditions and the extensive costs associated with seismic exploration. Radar altimeter sensors thus provide an invaluable tool for studying the geological structures off the coast. The unique ERS-1 contribution comes from its high latitude coverage (81.5 deg south to north), and the space and time density of its measurements (168-day repeat-orbit).The gravity anomaly field is derived from the geoid height measurements by computing the deflections of the vertical in the north-south and east-west directions and transforming these deflections into gravity anomalies. The gravimetry reveals interesting features of the basement of the Barents and Kara Seas which have not been chartered in recent, previous compilation maps of sedimentary thickness in the Arctic Ocean (Jackson and Oakey, 1988; Gramberg and Puscharovski, 1989). We obtain no indication of the SE-NW offshore Baikalian trend described by Fichler et al (1997) using ERS-1 gravimetry. Instead, the data indicate the presence of a north-south trending gravity high associated with the maximum sediment thickness within the South Barents Sea and the North Barents Sea Basins. Further geological studies are needed to interpret the gravimetric data, which directly addresses the problem of understanding the gravity signature of deep, old, sedimentary basins.     

An examination of the radiative and dissipative properties of deep ocean internal tides

In this study, the energy flux and energy dissipation of deep ocean internal tides are examined. Properties of the internal tide from two distinct generation regions are contrasted: the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and the Hawaiian Ridge. Considerable differences are noted for the baroclinic energy flux, u^′p^′, radiated from each site. Radiation from the MAR is relatively rich in high modes, with an energy flux spectral peak at mode 5 and modes 10 and greater accounting for 40% of the total flux. In contrast, Hawaiian Ridge radiation is dominantly composed of modes 1 and 2, with modes 10 and greater accounting for less than 5% of the total flux. Depth integrated energy flux levels are at the MAR site, and at the Hawaiian Ridge. Despite these differences, observed turbulent dissipation rates at these sites are similar in magnitude and depth dependence. Decay scales, estimated as , range from O(100)km to . The mean decay scale based on the MAR data is 230 km, a factor of 3 smaller than at the Hawaiian Ridge site. We demonstrate that the dissipation level scales with the energy flux available in the high modes, which is comparable at both sites, rather than the total energy flux.     

The critical state and steady state of sand: A literature review

Abstract

The critical state and steady state theories are widely accepted for simulating the soil behavior and providing a basis for liquefaction evaluation and constitutive modeling. However, there was conflicting evidence regarding the critical state and steady state of sands in the last decades. In some cases, the critical state and steady state are taken to be identical and in others they differ significantly. Whether they are the same or not remain a hot academic debate to date. This paper provides a critical review on the origin and history of the critical state and steady state of sands, which identifies conflicting evidences and discusses the influencing factors on the existence and uniqueness of critical state and steady state. Based on a critical review of literature, it is concluded that the steady state concept is a refinement of the critical state concept and the uniqueness of the critical state and steady state was affirmed. Special care should be paid in the laboratory techniques in order to accurately measure the critical state and steady state due to the numerous influencing factors of them.     

Nutrient and carbon removal ratios and fluxes in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

Net community production (NCP) and nutrient deficits (Def(X)) were calculated using decreases in dissolved CO₂ and nutrient concentrations due to biological removal in the upper 200 m of the water column during four cruises in the Ross Sea, Antarctica along 76°30′S in 1996 and 1997. A comparison to excess dissolved and particulate organic carbon showed close agreement between surplus total organic carbon (TOC) and NCP during bloom initiation and productivity maximum; however, when TOC values had returned to low wintertime values NCP was still significantly above zero. This seasonal NCP, 3.9±1 mol C m⁻², must be equivalent to the particle export to depths greater than 200 m over the whole productive season. We estimate that the annual export was 55±22% of the seasonal maximum in NCP. The fraction of the seasonal maximum NCP that is exported through 200 m is significantly higher than that measured by moored sediment traps at a depth of 206 m. The removal of carbon, nitrate and phosphate (based on nutrient disappearance since early spring) and their ratios showed significant differences between regions dominated by diatoms and regions dominated by the haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica. While the ΔC/ΔN removal ratio was similar (7.8±0.2 for diatoms and 7.2±0.1 for P. antarctica), the ΔN/ΔP and ΔC/ΔP removal ratios for diatoms (10.1±0.3 and 80.5±2.3) were significantly smaller than those of P. antarctica (18.6±0.4 and 134.0±4.7). The similarity in ΔC/ΔN removal ratios of the two assemblages suggests that preferential uptake of phosphate by diatoms caused the dramatic differences in ΔC/ΔP and ΔN/ΔP removal ratios. In contrast to low ΔC/ΔP and ΔN/ΔP removal ratio in diatom-dominated areas early in the growing season, deficit N/P and C/P ratios in late autumn indicate that the elemental stochiometry of exported organic matter did not deviate significantly from traditional Redfield ratios. Changes in biologically utilized nutrient and carbon ratios over the course of the growing season indicated either a substantial remineralization of phosphate or a decrease in phosphate removal relative to carbon and total inorganic nitrogen over the bloom period. The species dependence in C/P ratios, and the relative constancy in the C/N ratios, makes N a better proxy of biological utilization of CO₂.     

2-D and 3-D modelling of wide-angle seismic data: an example from the Vøring volcanic passive margin

This study presents the modelling of 2-D and 3-D wide-angle seismic data acquired on the complex, volcanic passive margin of the Vøring Plateau, off Norway. Three wide-angle seismic profiles were shot and recorded simultaneously by 21 Ocean Bottom Seismometers, yielding a comprehensive 3-D data set, in addition to the three in-line profiles. Coincident multi-channel seismic profiles are used to better constrain the modelling, but the Mesozoic and deeper structures are poorly imaged due to the presence of flood basalts and sills. Velocity modelling reveals an unexpectedly large 30 km basement high hidden below the flood basalt. When interpreted as a 2-D structure, this basement high produces a modelled gravity anomaly in disagreement with the observed gravity. However, both the gravity and the seismic data suggest that the structure varies in all three directions. The modelling of the entire 3-D set of travel times leads to a coherent velocity structure that confirms the basement high; it also shows that the abrupt transition to the slower Cretaceous basin coincides in position and orientation with the fault system forming the Rån Ridge. The positive gravity anomaly over the Rån Ridge originates from the focussed and coincident elevation of the high velocity lower crust and pre-Cretaceous basement. Although the Moho is not constrained by the seismic data, the gravity modelled from the 3-D velocity model shows a better fit along the profiles. This study illustrates the interest of a 3-D acquisition of wide-angle seismic over complex structures and the benefit of the subsequent integrated interpretation of the seismic and gravity data.