A pictorial comparison of interplanetary magnetic field polarity,solar wind speed,and geomagnetic disturbance index during the sunspot cycle

Observations of interplanetary magnetic field polarity, solar wind speed, and geomagnetic disturbance index (C9) during the years 1962–1975 are compared in a 27-day pictorial format that emphasizes their associated variations during the sunspot cycle. This display accentuates graphically several recently reported features of solar wind streams including the fact that the streams were faster, wider, and longer-lived during 1962–1964 and 1973–1975 in the declining phase of the sunspot cycle than during intervening years (Bame et al., 1976; Gosling et al., 1976). The display reveals strikingly that these high-speed streams were associated with the major, recurrent patterns of geomagnetic activity that are characteristic of the declining phase of the sunspot cycle. Finally, the display shows that during 1962–1975 the association between long-lived solar wind streams and recurrent geomagnetic disturbances was modulated by the annual variation (Burch, 1973) of the response of the geomagnetic field to solar wind conditions. The phase of this annual variation depends on the polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field in the sense that negative sectors of the interplanetary field have their greatest geomagnetic effect in northern hemisphere spring, and positive sectors have their greatest effect in the fall. During 1965–1972 when the solar wind streams were relatively slow (500 km s^-1), the annual variation strongly influenced the visibility of the corresponding geomagnetic disturbance patterns.Visiting Scientist, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, Arizona.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

On the Spectral Index－Flux Density Relation for Large Samples of Radio Sources

We present new statistical results on the spectral index-flux density relation for large samples of radio sources using archival data of the most sensitive surveys, such as 6C, Miyun, WENSS, B3, NVSS, GB87. Instrumental selection effects and the completeness of the catalogs are discussed. Based on the spectral indices calculated for about 200 000 sources from the WENSS (327 MHz) and NVSS (1.4 GHz) catalogs, we obtained (1) The median spectral index increases from amed --0.9 toαmed --0.8 (Svαvα), while S327 flux densities decrease from 0.1 Jy down to 25mJy. The median spectral indices nearly show no variation within the error bars when the flux density is larger than 0.1 Jy. (2) A dependence of the fraction of ultra-steep spectrum sources (USS, -1.5 <α<-1.0), steep spectrum sources (SSS, -1.0 <α< -0.5) and flat spectrum sources (FSS, -0.5≤α≤0.0) is partly responsible for the spectral flattening. Another contribution to the spectral flattening comes from the variation of αmed of steep spectrum so     

Der Galaxienhaufen Abell 2199

This cluster consists of ≈ 130 members up to the photographic limiting magnitude ≈ 19^m·0, its radius amounts to ≈ 1.0 Mpc (according to the distance of 90 Mpc), and it is built up according to the generalized SCHUSTER density law with n = 2.45. The mean velocity of its stars may be of the order of 250 km/s.     

Evolution of sedimentary environments of the middle Jiangsu coast, South Yellow Sea since late MIS 3

An evolutionary model of sedimentary environments since late Marine Isotope Stage 3 （late MIS 3, i.e., ca. 39 cal ka BP） along the middle Jiangsu coast is presented based upon a reinterpretation of core 07SR01, new correlations between adjacent published cores, and shallow seismic profiles recovered in the Xiyang tidal channel and adjacent northern sea areas. Geomorphology, sedimentology, radiocarbon dating and seismic and sequence stratigraphy are combined to confirm that environmental changes since late MIS 3 in the study area were controlled primarily by sea-level fluctuations, sediment discharge of paleo-rivers into the South Yellow Sea （SYS）, and minor tectonic subsidence, all of which impacted the progression of regional geomorphic and sedimentary environments （Le., coastal barrier island freshwater lacustrine swamp, river floodplain, coastal marsh, tidal sand ridge, and tidal channel）. This resulted in the formation of a fifth-order sequence stratigraphy, comprised of the parasequence of the late stage of the last interstadial （Para-Sq2）, including the highstand and forced regressive wedge system tracts （HST and FRWST）, and the parasequence of the postglacial period （Para-Sql）, including the transgressive and highstand system tracts （TST and HST）. The tidal sand ridges likely began to develop during the postglacial transgression as sea-level rise covered the middle Jiangsu coast at ca. 9.0 cal ka BP. These initially submerged tidal sand ridges were constantly migrating until the southward migration of the Yellow River mouth to the northern Jiangsu coast during AD 1128 to 1855. The paleo-Xiyang tidal channel that was determined by the paleo-tidal current field and significantly different from the modern one, was in existence during the Holocene transgressive maxima and lasted until AD 1128. Following the capture of the Huaihe River in AD 1128 by the Yellow River, the paleo-Xiyang tidal channel was infilled with a large amount of river-derived sediments from AD 1128 to 1855, causing the emergence of some of the previously submerged tidal sand ridges. From AD 1855 to the present, the infilled paleo-Xiyang tidal channel has undergone scouring, resulting in its modern form. The modern Xiyang tidal channel continues to widen and deepen, due both to strong tidal current scouring and anthropogenic activities.     

Oxidation of the Kaapvaal lithospheric mantle driven by metasomatism

The oxidation state, reflected in the oxygen fugacity (fO₂), of the subcratonic lithospheric mantle is laterally and vertically heterogeneous. In the garnet stability field, the Kaapvaal lithospheric mantle becomes progressively more reducing with increasing depth from Δlog fO₂ FMQ-2 at 110 km to FMQ-4 at 210 km. Oxidation accompanying metasomatism has obscured this crystal-chemical controlled depth-fO₂ trend in the mantle beneath Kimberley, South Africa. Chondrite normalized REE patterns for garnets, preserve evidence of a range in metasomatic enrichment from mild metasomatism in harzburgites to extensive metasomatism by LREE-enriched fluids and melts with fairly unfractionated LREE/HREE ratios in phlogopite-bearing lherzolites. The metasomatized xenoliths record redox conditions extending up to Δlog fO₂ = FMQ, sufficiently oxidized that magnesite would be the stable host of carbon in the most metasomatized samples. The most oxidized lherzolites, those in or near the carbonate stability field, have the greatest modal abundance of phlogopite and clinopyroxene. Clinopyroxene is modally less abundant or absent in the most reduced peridotite samples. The infiltration of metasomatic fluids/melts into diamondiferous lithospheric mantle beneath the Kaapvaal craton converted reduced, anhydrous harzburgite into variably oxidized phlogopite-bearing lherzolite. Locally, portions of the lithospheric mantle were metasomatized and oxidized to an extent that conversion of diamond into carbonate should have occurred. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Formation of the Bencubbin polymict meteoritic breccia

The Bencubbin meteorite is a polymict breccia consisting of a host fraction of ~60% metal and ~40% ferromagnesian silicates and a selection of carbonaceous, ordinary and ‘enstatite’ chondritic clasts. Concentrations of 27 elements were determined by neutron activation in replicate samples of the host silicates and the ordinary and carbonaceous chondritic clasts; 12 elements were determined in the host metal. Compositional data for the ordinary chondrite clast indicate a classification of LL4 ± 1. Refractory element data for the carbonaceous chondrite clast indicate that it belongs to the CI-CM-CO clan; its volatile element abundances are intermediate between those of CM and CO chondrites. Abundances of nonvolatile elements in the silicate host are similar to those in the carbonaceous chondrite clast and in CM chondrites; the rare earths are unfractionated. We conclude that it is not achondritic as previously designated, but chondritic and that it is probably related to the CI-CM-CO clan; its volatile abundances are lower than those in CO chondrites. Oxygen isotope data are consistent with these classifications. Host metal in Bencubbin and in the closely related Weatherford meteorite has low abundances of moderately volatile siderophiles; among iron meteorite groups its nearest relative is group IIIF.We suggest that Bencubbin and Weatherford formed as a result of an impact event on a carbonaceous chondrite regolith. The impact generated an ‘instant magma’ that trapped and surrounded regolithic clasts to form the polymict breccia. The parent of this ‘magma’ was probably the regolith itself, perhaps mainly consisting of the so-called ‘enstatite’ chondrite materials. Accretion of such a variety of materials to a small parent body was probably only possible in the asteroid belt.     

Faunal relationships between the New Zealand plateau and the New Zealand sector of Antarctica based on echinoderm distribution

The problem of New Zealand‐Antarctic faunal relationships is discussed on the basis of echinoderm distribution. The limitations of the data upon which past zoogeographical speculations have been based are pointed out.

Macquarie Island (occupying an intermediate geographical position between the New Zealand Plateau and the Antarctic) shows definite relationships with New Zealand, and the submarine Macquarie Ridge may have provided a connecting migration route. However, only four species of echinoderms are shared between the Ross Sea‐Balleny Islands area (the New Zealand sector of the Antarctic Region) and the New Zealand Pliateau‐Macquarie Island area (the New Zealand Region). Although the as yet unsampled part of the Macquarie‐Balleny Ridge may reveal other faunal similarities, the present systematic sampling has made possible a sounder understanding of the zoogeographical affinities of the two regions.     

Effect of polychromatic X‐ray microtomography imaging on the amino acid content of the Murchison CM chondrite

X‐ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) is a useful means of characterizing cosmochemical samples such as meteorites or robotically returned samples. However, there are occasional concerns that the use of μCT may be detrimental to the organic components of a chondrite. Small organic compounds such as amino acids comprise up to ~10% of the total solvent extractable carbon in CM carbonaceous chondrites. We irradiated three samples of the Murchison CM carbonaceous chondrite under conditions akin to and harsher than those typically used during typical benchtop X‐ray μCT imaging experiments to determine if detectable changes in the amino acid abundance and distribution relative to a nonexposed Murchison control sample occurred. After subjecting three meteorite samples to ionizing radiation dosages between ~300 Gray (Gy) and 3 kGy with bremstrahlung X‐rays, we analyzed the amino acid content of each sample. Within sampling and analytical errors, we cannot discern differences in the amino acid abundances and amino acid enantiomeric ratios when comparing the control samples (nonexposed Murchison) and the irradiated samples. We conclude that a polychromatic X‐ray μCT experiment does not alter the abundances of amino acids to a degree greater than how well those abundances are measured with our techniques and therefore any damage to amino acids is minimal.     

Opportunities for satellite remote sensing in hydrology and water management

Abstract

Hydrology and Water Management are key areas of applied science in the current world economy. Increasingly hydrologiste are looking to satellite remote sensing to help meet their needs for near real‐time data to measure, monitor and model water in the environment. However, progress has been hindered by the lack of a dedicated series of hydro‐logical satellites.

The paper summarises studies undertaken on an international basis in order to influence satellite, sensor and ground segment design operations to suit the needs of water management.     

An Intercomparison of NO2 and OClO Measurements at Arrival Heights, Antarctica during Austral Spring 1996

For several years NO2 and OClO, two species important to understanding ozone destruction in the Antarctic stratosphere, have been measured at Arrival Heights, Antarctica by two groups: New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and the NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. Using data independently collected by these two groups during the Austral spring of 1996, it is shown that the two data sets are in extremely close agreement. Besides offering validation of the instrumentation and analysis techniques of both groups, this result provides confidence in the more complete history of these species gained by combining the two data sets.