Climatic Trend of Cloud Amount Related to the Aerosol Characteristics in Beijing During 1950-2005

This paper analyzes the correlation between variations of total and low cloud amounts and the varying features of aerosols related to urban development of Beijing by using the cubic spline fitting method based on the monthly meteorological data of temperature,humidity,precipitation,clouds,and aerosol optical depth (AOD) during 1950-2005.The statistics on the development of the city of Beijing in this period,including the total industrial output,population,residential housing development,highway construct...     

Origin of power-law X-ray emission in the steep power-law state of X-ray binaries

We present a new explanation for the origin of the steep power-law(SPL) state of X-ray binaries.The power-law component of X-ray emission is the synchrotron radiation of relativistic electrons in highly magnetized compact spots orbiting near the inner stable circular orbit of a black hole.It has a hard spectrum that extends to above MeV energies,which is determined by the electron acceleration rate.These photons are then down-scattered by the surrounding plasma to form an observed steep spectrum.We discuss ...     

Panel positioning error and support mechanism for a 30-m THz radio telescope

A 30-m TeraHertz(THz) radio telescope is proposed to operate at 200 μm with an active primary surface.This paper presents sensitivity analysis of active surface panel positioning errors with optical performance in terms of the Strehl ratio.Based on Ruze's surface error theory and using a Monte Carlo simulation,the effects of six rigid panel positioning errors,such as piston,tip,tilt,radial,azimuthal and twist displacements,were directly derived.The optical performance of the telescope was then evaluated usi...     

Testing the distance-duality relation with data from galaxy clusters and type Ia supernovae

We test the distance-duality(DD) relation by combining the angular diameter distance DA provided by two galaxy cluster samples compiled by De Filippis et al.(the elliptical β model) and Bonamente et al.(the spherical β model),and the luminosity distance DL from Constitution and Union2 type Ia supernova(SNe Ia) datasets. To obtain DL associated with the observed DA at the same redshift,we smooth the noise of the SNe Ia in a model-independent way,obtain the evolutionary curve of DL and,finally,test the DD rel...     

External photon fields in Fermi bright blazars

The external Compton(EC) model is used to study the high energy emission of some blazars,in which the external photon field is considered to dominate inverse Compton radiation. We explore the properties of the external photon field through analyzing the FERMI LAT bright AGN sample within three months of the start of operations in sky-survey mode. In the sample,assuming the high energy radiation of low synchrotron peaked blazars is from the EC process,we find that the external photon parameter Uext/νext may ...     

Testate amoebae as a proxy for reconstructing Holocene water table dynamics in southern Patagonian peat bogs

Testate amoebae are abundant and diverse in Sphagnum peat bogs and have been used extensively as indicators of past water table depths. Although these unicellular protists are widely dispersed with globally similar hydrological preferences, regional variations in communities demand region‐specific transfer functions. Here we present the first transfer function for southern Patagonian bogs, based on 154 surface samples obtained from transects in five bogs sampled in 2012 and 2013. Significant variance was explained by pH, electrical conductivity and, in particular, water table depth. Transfer functions for water table were constructed using weighted averaging and evaluated by cross‐validation and independent test sets. The optimal transfer function has predictive ability, but relatively high prediction errors given the wide range in sampled water tables. The use of independent test sets, as well as cross‐validation, allows a more rigorous assessment of model performance than most previous studies. For a subset of locations we compare surface and subsurface samples to demonstrate significant differences in community composition, possibly due to vertical zonation. Our results provide the first quantification of hydrological optima and tolerances for several rare species, which may include Southern Hemisphere endemics and pave the way for palaeohydrological reconstructions in southern Patagonian bogs.     

Impacts of Climate Warming on Alpine Glacier Tourism and Adaptive Measures:A Case Study of Baishui Glacier No.1 in Yulong Snow Mountain,Southwestern China

Alpine glaciers usually feature with best hydrothermal condition in mountain climate,and present beautiful glacier scenery,various glacier landforms,rich biodiversity,and easier accessibility,compared with continental glaciers or ice sheets.Nevertheless,Alpine glaciers are more sensitive to climate warming,and climate warming has seriously affected Alpine glaciers and surroundingenvironment.The quality and attractiveness of Alpine glaciers to tourism has been and will continue to be diminished with tourists...     

Shear wave splitting in the Eastern Alps observed at the TRANSALP network

Data from the temporary TRANSALP seismic network were analysed to investigate the seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle beneath the Eastern Alps. We operated mostly short period and some broadband stations in a dense linear array, which transects the Eastern Alps at 12° E longitude. Recorded SKS and SKKS phases with different backazimuths were used simultaneously to calculate the splitting parameters of delay time and fast axis direction for each seismic station. While we found variations in the delay times between 0.8 and 2.0 s, the determined fast axis directions prove to be rather consistent along the profile (60°–70° N). They coincide well with the trend of the Eastern Alps, thus suggesting orogen-parallel flow in the upper mantle. Our findings support the earlier proposed idea that the Adriatic indenter which was forced northwards into the European plate during the late stage of the Alpine orogeny, triggered an escape movement to the less constrained Pannonian basin to the east.     

Geological characterization of the Prestige sinking area

The tanker Prestige sank off NW Iberia on the 19th November 2002. The stern and bow of the Prestige wreck are located on the southwestern edge of the Galicia Bank, at 3565 m and 3830 m water depths, respectively. This bank is a structural high controlled by major faults with predominant N-S, NNE-SSW, and NNW-SEE trends. It is characterized by moderate to low seismic activity. The faults have controlled the local depositional architecture, deforming, fracturing, relocating and distributing sediments since the Valangian (early Cretaceous). The Prestige sinking area corresponds to an asymmetric half-graben structure with a N-S trend, which conditions the present-day morphology. The faulted flank outcrops and its activity and erosion have favoured the occurrence of mass-movements (slumps, slump debris, mass-flows and turbidity currents), building valleys and depositional lobes. Nearsurface sediments comprise mostly terrigenous and biogenous turbiditic muds and sands with a minor presence of hemipelagic muds, except on the fault scarp where pelagites predominate. Potential geological hazards resulting from tectonic and sedimentary processes affect almost the entire Prestige sinking area.     

The mini-QSO's contribution to cosmic reionization

By employing an improved simulation of the evolution of black holes(BHs)based on the merger tree of dark matter halos,we explore the relationship between the central BH mass Mbh and velocity dispersion σflat high redshift z≥6 and quantify the mini-QSO's(with BH mass M=200-105M)contribution to cosmic reionization.The simulation demonstrates how seed BHs migrate onto the MBH-σ* relation by merging with each other and accreting gas at z≥6:1.The correlation between BHs and their host halos increases as the BHs ...