Regional effects of climate change on reindeer: a case study of the Muotkatunturi region in Finnish Lapland

Few studies have investigated current climate changes for high latitude regions, and the impact of such changes on reindeer and indigenous people. Previous work by other authors has identified snow and ice conditions in winter as being critical in determining the availability of forage for reindeer. Deep snow makes it difficult to access food. Lack of food weakens the herd and can reduce the allocation of nutrients to the development of the foetus in the female deer. Climate data for Lapland, northern Finland, and Karasjok, northern Norway, are examined, together with reindeer calf numbers for the period 1977 to 1994 for the Muotkatunturi region (68°N 25°30'E). Between 1883 and 1993, precipitation increased but temperatures showed no clear warming or cooling trend. However, since the late 1980s, temperatures have increased. A regression analysis on the climate and reindeer data found that the warmer the winter prior to the rut, the fewer the live calves recorded the following year (r = 0.529, p < 0.05). Also, the wetter the winter prior to the rut, the fewer the calves recorded (r = 0.427, p < 0.10). In contrast, the warmer the autumn prior to their birth, the greater the number of calves recorded (r = 0.474, p < 0.10). These results suggest that as climate changes and winters become warmer and wetter with increased snowfall, calf numbers will decline. These findings have important implications for the Saami people who are heavily dependent on the reindeer for their livelihood.     

Polarization models of young stellar objects – II. Linear and circular polarimetry of R Coronae Australis

Near-infrared linear imaging polarimetry of the young stellar objects R CrA and T CrA in the J , H and K n bands, and circular imaging polarimetry in the H band, is presented. The data are modelled with the Clark and McCall scattering model. The R CrA and T CrA system is shown to be a particularly complex scattering environment. In the case of R CrA there is evidence that the wavelength dependence of polarization changes across the nebula. MRN dust grain models do not explain this behaviour. Depolarization by line emission is considered as an alternative explanation. The dust grain properties could also be changing across the nebula.
Although surrounded by reflection nebulosity, there is a region of particularly low polarization surrounding R CrA that is best modelled by the canonical bipolar outflow being truncated by an evacuated spherical cavity surrounding the star. The symmetry axis of the nebula appears inclined by 50° to the plane of the sky.
The H -band circular polarimetry of R CrA clearly shows a quadrupolar structure of positive and negative degrees of circular polarization that reach peak magnitudes of ∼5 per cent within our limited map. It is shown that spherical MRN grains are incapable of producing this circular polarization given the observed linear polarization of the R CrA system. Instead, scattering from aligned non-spherical grains is proposed as the operating mechanism.
T CrA is a more archetypical bipolar reflection nebula, and this object is modelled as a canonical parabolic reflection nebula that lies in the plane of the sky. The wavelength independence of linear polarization in the T CrA reflection nebula suggests that the scattering particles are Rayleigh sized. This is modelled with the MRN interstellar grain size distribution.     

Mapping the substructure in the Galactic halo with the next generation of astrometric satellites

We run numerical simulations of the disruption of satellite galaxies in a Galactic potential to build up the entire stellar halo, in order to investigate what the next generation of astrometric satellites will reveal by observing the halo of the Milky Way. We generate artificial DIVA , FAME and GAIA halo catalogues, in which we look for the signatures left by the accreted satellites. We develop a method based on the standard Friends-of-Friends algorithm applied to the space of integrals of motion. We find this simple method can recover about 50 per cent of the different accretion events, when the observational uncertainties expected for GAIA are taken into account, even when the exact form of the Galactic potential is unknown. The recovery rate for DIVA and FAME is much smaller, but these missions, like GAIA , should be able to test the hierarchical formation paradigm on our Galaxy by measuring the amount of halo substructure in the form of nearby kinematically cold streams with, for example, a two-point correlation function in velocity space.     

Effects of volcano topography on seismic broad‐band waveforms

Volcano seismology often deals with rather shallow seismic sources and seismic stations deployed in their near field. The complex stratigraphy on volcanoes and near‐field source effects have a strong impact on the seismic wavefield, complicating the interpretation techniques that are usually employed in earthquake seismology. In addition, as most volcanoes have a pronounced topography, the interference of the seismic wavefield with the stress‐free surface results in severe waveform perturbations that affect seismic interpretation methods. In this study we deal predominantly with the surface effects, but take into account the impact of a typical volcano stratigraphy as well as near‐field source effects. We derive a correction term for plane seismic waves and a plane‐free surface such that for smooth topographies the effect of the free surface can be totally removed. Seismo‐volcanic sources radiate energy in a broad frequency range with a correspondingly wide range of different Fresnel zones. A 2‐D boundary element method is employed to study how the size of the Fresnel zone is dependent on source depth, dominant wavelength and topography in order to estimate the limits of the plane wave approximation. This approximation remains valid if the dominant wavelength does not exceed twice the source depth. Further aspects of this study concern particle motion analysis to locate point sources and the influence of the stratigraphy on particle motions. Furthermore, the deployment strategy of seismic instruments on volcanoes, as well as the direct interpretation of the broad‐band waveforms in terms of pressure fluctuations in the volcanic plumbing system, are discussed.     

Weak lensing from strong clustering

We investigate the effect of weak gravitational lensing in the limit of small angular scales where projected galaxy clustering is strongly non-linear. This is the regime likely to be probed by future weak lensing surveys. We use well-motivated hierarchical scaling arguments and the plane-parallel approximation to study multi-point statistical properties of the convergence field. These statistics can be used to compute the vertex amplitudes in tree models of hierarchical clustering; these can be compared with similar measurements from galaxy surveys, leading to a powerful probe of galaxy bias.     

Topographic reflection of the Socompa debris avalanche,Chile

One of the most remarkable features of the exceptionally well preserved 26 km³ Socompa debris avalanche deposit is the evidence for topographically driven secondary flow. The avalanche formed by sector collapse of Socompa stratovolcano and spread 40 km across a pre-existing basin, forming a sheet of ∼50 m average thickness. As the avalanche impinged on the western and northern margins of the basin, it was reflected back, forming a secondary flow that continued to travel 15 km down a gentle slope at an oblique angle to the primary flow, the front of the return wave being preserved frozen on the surface of the deposit as a prominent escarpment. Satellite images, aerial photos, digital elevation models and field observations were used to reconstruct the sequence of events during avalanche emplacement, and in particular during secondary flow. The avalanche sheet was divided into distinct terrane groups, each believed to have experienced a particular strain history during emplacement. Evidence for avalanche reflection includes clearly recognizable secondary slide masses, sub-parallel sets of curvilinear shear zones, headwall scarps separating the (primary) levée from the secondary terranes, extensional jigsaw breakup of surface lithologies during return flow, and cross cutting, or deflection, of primary flow fabrics by secondary terranes. Reflection off the basin margin took place in an essentially continuous manner, most major return motions being simultaneous with, or shortly following, primary flow. The secondary flow occurred as a wave that swept obliquely across the primary avalanche direction, remobilizing the primary material, which was first compressed, then stretched, as it passed over and rearward of the wave front. As return flow occurred, surface lithologies were rifted in a brittle manner, and the slabs were sheared pervasively as they glided and rotated back into the basin; some sank into the more fluidal interior of the avalanche, which drained out into a prominent distal lobe. Extension by factors of up to 1.8 took place during return flow. Secondary flow took place on slopes of only a few degrees, and the distal lobe flowed 8 km on a slope of ∼1°. Overall the avalanche is inferred to have slid into place as a fast-moving sheet of fragmental rock debris, with a leading edge and crust with near-normal friction and an almost frictionless, fluidal interior and base. The avalanche emplacement history deduced from field evidence is consistent with the results of a previously published numerical model of the Socompa avalanche.     

Are peatlands cool humid islands in a landscape?

This study proposed that due to their high standing water tables that peatlands would be cold humid islands within their landscape, and especially so relative to farmland on mineral soils. To test this hypothesis, we measured air temperature and humidity at 17 locations along a 7.8 km transect across the UK's largest lowland raised bog from February 2018 to January 2019. Air temperature and humidity were measured hourly for 1 year and supported with spot albedo measurements. The study represented a factorial experiment with respect to sites of measurement, the type of land use (peat vs. arable land) and time of sampling over both the seasonal and diurnal cycles. We show that: (a) That although mean annual temperature was not significantly different between arable and peatlands, the arable land showed a decreased amplitude to its seasonal cycle – this is the reverse of the expected pattern. (b) The albedo of the peatland was significantly lower than that of arable land showing that vegetated peatland still absorbed more solar radiation. (c) The specific humidity was lower on the peatland than on the surrounding arable land. The study showed that while shrubby vegetation exists over a peatland then energy budgets are more likely to be dominated by the lower aerodynamic resistance and lower albedo of the vegetated peatland relative to arable land. Thus, shrub-dominated peatlands will not be a cold humid island in their landscape.     

Nickel isotope heterogeneity in the early Solar System

We report small but significant variations in the ⁵⁸Ni/⁶¹Ni-normalised ⁶⁰Ni/⁶¹Ni and ⁶²Ni/⁶¹Ni ratios (expressed as ε⁶⁰Ni and ε⁶²Ni) of bulk iron and chondritic meteorites. Carbonaceous chondrites have variable, positive ε⁶²Ni (0.05 to 0.25), whereas ordinary chondrites have negative ε⁶²Ni (− 0.04 to − 0.09). The Ni isotope compositions of iron meteorites overlap with those of chondrites, and define an array with negative slope in the ε⁶⁰Ni versus ε⁶²Ni diagram. The Ni isotope compositions of the volatile-depleted Group IVB irons are similar to those of the refractory CO, CV carbonaceous chondrites, whereas the other common magmatic iron groups have Ni isotope compositions similar to ordinary chondrites. Only enstatite chondrites have identical Ni isotope compositions to Earth and so appear to represent the most appropriate terrestrial building material. Differences in ε⁶²Ni reflect distinct nucleosynthetic components in precursor solids that have been variably mixed, but some of the ε⁶⁰Ni variability could reflect a radiogenic component from the decay of ⁶⁰Fe. Comparison of the ε⁶⁰Ni of iron and chondritic meteorites with the same ε⁶²Ni allows us to place upper limits on the ⁶⁰Fe/⁵⁶Fe of planetesimals during core segregation. We estimate that carbonaceous chondrites had initial ⁶⁰Fe/⁵⁶Fe < 1 × 10^− 7. Our data place less good constraints on initial ⁶⁰Fe/⁵⁶Fe ratios of ordinary chondrites but our results are not incompatible with values as high as 3 × 10^− 7 as determined by in-situ measurements. We suggest that the Ni isotope variations and apparently heterogeneous initial ⁶⁰Fe/⁵⁶Fe results from physical sorting within the protosolar nebula of different phases (silicate, metal and sulphide) that carry different isotopic signatures.