A Study on the Surface Wettability of Clastic Rocks with Potential Application for CO2 Storage Sites

Natural Resources Research - There have been many studies carried out in the past decades attempting to develop strategies for a safe injection of CO2 into storage sites without leakage and...     

Determinants and characteristics of female migration: a case study of Salem City in Tamil Nadu,India

A random sample of 521 male and 481 female migrants surveyed in Salem city in Tamil Nadu, India, during 1980-1981 was analyzed on the basis of a classification related to reasons (association, marriage, distress, and voluntary) for migration. Women were found to outnumber males in associational migration, both in rural to urban and urban to urban streams. They also formed almost all the marriage migrants. They were more numerous in distress migration as well. There were, however, comparatively few women among voluntary migrants. The incidence of illiteracy among migrant women was generally high, except for voluntary migrants who had completed high school. The share of working women was not negligible, but in most cases present work status was achieved after migrating.     

Classification of CM chondrite breccias—Implications for the evaluation of samples from the OSIRIS‐REx and Hayabusa 2 missions

CM chondrites are complex impact (mostly regolith) breccias, in which lithic clasts show various degrees of aqueous alteration. Here, we investigated the degree of alteration of individual clasts within 19 different CM chondrites and CM‐like clasts in three achondrites by chemical analysis of the tochilinite‐cronstedtite‐intergrowths (TCIs; formerly named “poorly characterized phases”). To identify TCIs in various chondritic lithologies, we used backscattered electron (BSE) overview images of polished thin sections, after which appropriate samples underwent electron microprobe measurements. Thus, 75 lithic clasts were classified. In general, the excellent work and specific criteria of Rubin et al. (2007) were used and considered to classify CM breccias in a similar way as ordinary chondrite breccias (e.g., CM2.2‐2.7). In BSE images, TCIs in strongly altered fragments in CM chondrites (CM2.0‐CM2.2) appear dark grayish and show a low contrast to the surrounding material (typically clastic matrix), and can be distinguished from TCIs in moderately (CM2.4‐CM2.6) or less altered fragments (CM2.7‐CM2.9); the latter are bright and have high contrast to the surroundings. We found that an accurate subclassification can be obtained by considering only the “FeO”/SiO₂ ratio of the TCI chemistry. One could also consider the TCIs’ S/SiO₂ ratio and the metal abundance, but these were not used for classification due to several disadvantages. Most of the CM chondrites are finds that have suffered terrestrial weathering in hot and cold deserts. Thus, the observed abundance of metal is susceptible to weathering and may not be a reliable indicator of subtype classification. This study proposes an extended classification scheme based on Rubin’s scale from subtypes CM2.0‐CM2.9 that takes the brecciation into account and includes the minimum to maximum degree of alteration of individual clasts. The range of aqueous alteration in CM chondrites and small spatial scale of mixing of clasts with different alteration histories will be important for interpreting returned samples from the OSIRIS‐REx and Hayabusa 2 missions in the future.     

Method for UAV-based 3D topography reconstruction of tidal creeks

It is common to obtain the topography of tidal flats by the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV) photogrammetry,but this method is not applicable in tidal creeks.The residual water will lead to inaccurate depth inversion results,and the topography of tidal creeks mainly de-pends on manual survey.The present study took the tidal creek of Chuandong port in Jiangsu Province,China,as the research area and used UAV oblique photogrammetry to reconstruct the topography of the exposed part above the water after the ebb tide.It also proposed a Trend Prediction Fitting (TPF) method for the topography of the unexposed part below the water to obtain a complete 3D topography.The topography above the water measured by UAV has the vertical precision of 12 cm.When the TPF method is used,the cross-section should be perpendicular the central axis of the tidal creek.A polynomial function can be adapted to most shape of sections,while a Fourier function obtains better results in asym-metrical sections.Compared with the two-order function,the three-order function lends itself to more complex sections.Generally,the TPF method is more suitable for small,straight tidal creeks with clear texture and no vegetation cover.     

大气和植被生态及土壤系统水文过程相互作用的一些研究

利用我国测站的降水资料、卫星测得的OLR和高云量资料、SST和137°E次表层海温资料以及NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,分析了东亚夏季风的爆发和北进的年际变化特征及其与热带西太平洋热状态的关系.分析结果表明:当春季热带西太平洋处于暖状态,菲律宾周围对流活动强,在这种情况下,南海上空对流层下层有气旋性距平环流,西太平洋副热带高压偏东,从而使得南海夏季风爆发早;并且,当夏季热带西太平洋也处于暖状态,菲律宾周围对流活动也很强,在这种情况下,西太平洋副热带高压北进时,在6月中旬和7月初存在明显的突跳,从而使得东亚季风雨带在6月中旬明显由华南北跳到江淮流域,并于7月初由江淮流域北跳到黄河流域、华北和东北地区.这将引起江淮流域和长江中、下游夏季风降水偏少,并往往发生干旱,而黄河流域、华北和东北地区的夏季降水正常或偏多.相反,当春季热带西太平洋处于冷状态,菲律宾周围对流活动弱,在这种情况下,南海上空对流层下层有反气旋性距平环流,西太平洋副热带高压偏西,从而使得南海夏季风爆发晚;并且,当夏季热带西太平洋也处于冷状态,菲律宾周围对流活动也很弱,在这种情况下,西太平洋副热带高压北进时,在6月中旬或7月初向北突跳并不明显,而是以渐进式向北移动,从而使得东亚季风雨带一直维持在长江流域和淮河流域.这将引起此两流域夏季风降水偏多,并往往发生洪涝,而黄河流域、华北和东北地区的夏季降水偏少,发生干旱.作者还从非线性多平衡态动力理论说明了菲律宾周围对流活动强弱对西太平洋副热带高压北进时以突跳或渐进式向北移动起到重要作用.     

Natural entropy production in an inflationary model for a polarized vacuum

Though entropy production is forbidden in standard FRW Cosmology, Berman and Som presented a simple inflationary model where entropy production by bulk viscosity, during standard inflation without ad hoc pressure terms can be accommodated with Robertson–Walker’s metric, so the requirement that the early Universe be anisotropic is not essential in order to have entropy growth during inflationary phase, as we show. Entropy also grows due to shear viscosity, for the anisotropic case. The intrinsically inflationary metric that we propose can be thought of as defining a polarized vacuum, and leads directly to the desired effects without the need of introducing extra pressure terms.     

Sedimentological,geomorphological and dynamic context of debris-mantled glaciers,Mount Everest (Sagarmatha) region,Nepal

This paper presents the sediment, landform and dynamic context of four avalanche-fed valley glaciers (Khumbu, Imja, Lhotse and Chukhung) in the Mount Everest (Sagarmatha) region of Nepal. All four glaciers have a mantle of debris dominated by sandy boulder-gravel that suppresses melting to an increasing degree towards the snout, leading to a progressive reduction in the overall slope of their longitudinal profile. Prominent lateral–terminal moraine complexes, also comprising sandy bouldergravel, enclose the glaciers. These terminal moraines originally grew by accretion of multiple sedimentary facies of basal glacial and supraglacial origin, probably by folding and thrusting when the glaciers were more dynamic during the Little Ice Age. The four glaciers are in various stages of recession, and demonstrate a range of scenarios from down-wasting of the glacier tongue, through morainedammed lake development, to post-moraine-dam breaching. Khumbu Glacier is at the earliest stage of supraglacial pond formation and shows no sign yet of developing a major lake, although one is likely to develop behind its >250 m high composite terminal moraine. Imja Glacier terminates in a substantial body of water behind a partially ice-cored moraine dam (as determined from geophysical surveys), but morphologically appears unlikely to be an immediate threat. Chukhung Glacier already has a breached moraine and a connected debris fan, and therefore no longer poses a threat. Lhotse Glacier has an inclined, free-draining tongue that precludes hazardous lake development. From the data assembled, a conceptual model, applicable to other Himalayan glaciers, is proposed to explain the development of large, lateral-terminal moraine complexes and associated potentially hazardous moraine dams. – 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.     

Sea-level rise research and dialogue in North Carolina: Creating windows for policy change

Coastal areas are among the world's most vulnerable landscapes to impacts related to climate change, including inundation from sea-level rise (SLR), increased exposure to shoreline erosion, and greater frequency and intensity of storms. The status of research on the physical, ecological, and socio-economic effects of vulnerability to SLR and progress toward planning for its consequences varies from region to region worldwide. Here, we synthesize the results of three decades of SLR research and the development of coastal management policies in North Carolina, USA. We identify the major factors responsible for opening new policy ‘windows’ that address SLR, including how stakeholders have developed an increased understanding of the risks, the extent of public dialogue about potential response strategies, and advances in political receptivity to policy change. Research and policy progress in North Carolina continue to provide a model for other regions to help guide and evaluate the development of coastal policies.