Water temperature modelling in a controlled environment: comparative study of heat budget equations

One of the challenges when modelling a complex variable such as water temperature in rivers is that it can be difficult to determine the sources of error and to ensure that the simulations are truly representative of the reality. Therefore, a heat budget study was completed in a controlled environment, which excluded advection and bottom fluxes but enabled observation of all the other fluxes. A 21.42 m³ pool was installed and insulated to limit heat exchange through the sides and bottom. All the major energy fluxes were monitored for a 50‐day period. Different equations for individual heat budget terms were tested to determine their ability to reproduce the observations. This experiment also permitted to assess the relative importance of each component of the heat budget. Performance of each semi‐empirical equation was determined by comparing predictions and measured values. It was thus possible to choose the formulae that best represented the measured heat exchange processes, while understanding the limits of some of the semi‐empirical representations of heat exchange processes. The results highlight the importance of radiative terms into the heat budget because they controlled the major sources and sinks. The study also showed the importance of the wind function determination into the calculation of latent heat flux. The resulting water temperature model returned simulated hourly water temperature with an overall root mean square error of 0.71 °C/h and a modified Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient of 0.97. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Removing attitude-related variations in the line-of-sight for kinematic GPS positioning

We are presenting a method for removing attitude-related variations (ATTRVs) in dynamic 1 Hz GPS positioning. The ATTRVs are separated into vertical and horizontal components. These result from the translational and rotational motions of the vehicle, which is a marine research vessel in our case. We have developed new observation equations that use corrected pseudoranges and carrier phases to account for ATTRVs. In the present contribution, we are only focusing on the vertical signals. These modeled ATTRVs are included as corrections in the line-of-sight (LoS) to each GPS satellite in the RINEX data sets using a new software called RNXATTCOR. Precise IGS sp3-orbits are used as inputs together with precise lever arm coordinates of the onboard GPS antennas, observations from the marine inertial navigation system and a priori 3D position of the vessel. The corrected RINEX data sets are then processed using kinematic processing or sequential processing in Precise Point Positioning (PPP) mode. The reduction of the standard deviation from a running mean in the final processed GPS time series is about 95%. The current method is being proposed for marine geodesy science applications such as along-track calibration/validation of altimetry products, and also for applications related to offshore kinematic high precision GPS positioning such as drilling, offshore platforms stability, marine pipeline positioning, earthquake monitoring and tsunami detection.     

CBM and CO2-ECBM related sorption processes in coal: A review

This article reviews the state of research on sorption of gases (CO₂, CH₄) and water on coal for primary recovery of coalbed methane (CBM), secondary recovery by an enhancement with carbon dioxide injection (CO₂-ECBM), and for permanent storage of CO₂ in coal seams.Especially in the last decade a large amount of data has been published characterizing coals from various coal basins world-wide for their gas sorption capacity. This research was either related to commercial CBM production or to the usage of coal seams as a permanent sink for anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Presently, producing methane from coal beds is an attractive option and operations are under way or planned in many coal basins around the globe. Gas-in-place determinations using canister desorption tests and CH₄ isotherms are performed routinely and have provided large datasets for correlating gas transport and sorption properties with coal characteristic parameters.Publicly funded research projects have produced large datasets on the interaction of CO₂ with coals. The determination of sorption isotherms, sorption capacities and rates has meanwhile become a standard approach.In this study we discuss and compare the manometric, volumetric and gravimetric methods for recording sorption isotherms and provide an uncertainty analysis. Using published datasets and theoretical considerations, water sorption is discussed in detail as an important mechanisms controlling gas sorption on coal. Most sorption isotherms are still recorded for dry coals, which usually do not represent in-seam conditions, and water present in the coal has a significant control on CBM gas contents and CO₂ storage potential. This section is followed by considerations of the interdependence of sorption capacity and coal properties like coal rank, maceral composition or ash content. For assessment of the most suitable coal rank for CO₂ storage data on the CO₂/CH₄ sorption ratio data have been collected and compared with coal rank.Finally, we discuss sorption rates and gas diffusion in the coal matrix as well as the different unipore or bidisperse models used for describing these processes.This review does not include information on low-pressure sorption measurements (BET approach) to characterize pore sizes or pore volume since this would be a review of its own. We also do not consider sorption of gas mixtures since the data base is still limited and measurement techniques are associated with large uncertainties.     

Structure,composition, and location of organic matter in the enstatite chondrite Sahara 97096 (EH3)

Abstract– The insoluble organic matter (IOM) of an unequilibrated enstatite chondrite Sahara (SAH) 97096 has been investigated using a battery of analytical techniques. As the enstatite chondrites are thought to have formed in a reduced environment at higher temperatures than carbonaceous chondrites, they constitute an interesting comparative material to test the heterogeneities of the IOM in the solar system and to constrain the processes that could affect IOM during solar system evolution. The SAH 97096 IOM is found in situ: as submicrometer grains in the network of fine‐grained matrix occurring mostly around chondrules and as inclusions in metallic nodules, where the carbonaceous matter appears to be more graphitized. IOM in these two settings has very similar δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C; this supports the idea that graphitized inclusions in metal could be formed by metal catalytic graphitization of matrix IOM. A detailed comparison between the IOM extracted from a fresh part and a terrestrially weathered part of SAH 97096 shows the similarity between both IOM samples in spite of the high degree of mineral alteration in the latter. The isolated IOM exhibits a heterogeneous polyaromatic macromolecular structure, sometimes highly graphitized, without any detectable free radicals and deuterium‐heterogeneity and having mean H‐ and N‐isotopic compositions in the range of values observed for carbonaceous chondrites. It contains some submicrometer‐sized areas highly enriched in ¹⁵N (δ¹⁵N up to 1600‰). These observations reinforce the idea that the IOM found in carbonaceous chondrites is a common component widespread in the solar system. Most of the features of SAH 97096 IOM could be explained by the thermal modification of this main component.     

Les paléokarsts du Hainaut (Belgique)

Résumé

Les calcaires d’âge carbonifère de la province du Hainaut, en Belgique, presque toujours cachés par une couverture méso-cénozoïque et quaternaire sont intensément karstifiés.

Endokarsts et cryptokarsts caractérisent une morphologie karstique classique à laquelle s’ajoute une forme bien particulière d’altération en masse du calcaire que nous définissons sous le vocable de “fantôme de roche”.

Ces paléokarsts datent pour la majeure partie du Crétacé. Cependant, lorsque le manteau tertiaire et quaternaire recouvre directement le Paléozoïque et est plus ou moins perméable, le processus de karstification peut se poursuivre. Suite aux pompages industriels ou domestiques qui rabattent la nappe aquifère, une réactivation du processus karstique entraîne la formation de fontis à jour (appelés dans la région, puits naturels).

La localisation de ces formes karstiques cachées a une importance économique considérable, tant comme obstacle à l’exploitation et à la qualité de la pierre calcaire qu’à l’implantation des ouvrages d’art. Mais leur attrait scientifique ne cède en rien à l’impact économique. Les remplissages sédimentaires de ces paléokarsts constituent en effet des témoins irremplaçables de périodes continentales et permettent de cerner l’évolution paléogéographique locale avec la possibilité de reconstitution d’anciens réseaux hydrographiques.     

Preface

Abstract

The Pearl River Delta in SE China is commonly believed as originating from continuous subsidence of the basement fault-(bounded) blocks initiated at the about 60 ka B.P. A section recently exposed at Xilingang in the hinterland of the Pearl River Delta, however, reveals that the fault-block movement is likely periodic or paroxysmal. Quaternary system of the section can be divided into three parts named as layer A, B and C from the bottom upwards. Both layer A and B are alluvial while layer C is aeolian. OSL dating of sediments proves that layer A is older than 43 ka, layer B in between 43-23ka and layer C younger than 23ka. The unconformable contact with a dip angle larger than 30° between layer A and B suggests a paroxysmal tilting and subsidence of basement fault-blocks after the formation of layer A. The upper interface of layer B is about 20 meters high above the sea level while that in the delta plain used to be buried at 20 meters under the S.L., implying a relatively rapid uplifting of the Xilingang hill after formation of layer B. Three layers, i.e. layer A, B and C are all cut off by a NNE trending normal fault with a fault-throw of 53cm, suggesting that the third paroxysmal movement of fault-blocks in the Pearl River Delta were occurred in recent epoch.     

Validate global mapping of internal lunar magnetic field

In this work, we report a global mapping of vector lunar magnetic field based on new method of separation of internal and external fields. The magnetic measurements collected during the lifetime of lunar prospector (LP) extended mission during 1999 were strongly disturbed by the solar wind, a period which coincided with a maximum of the 23 cycle activity. The multiscale wavelength external fields were analyzed using spherical harmonic transform. The external field determined by inversion was then removed from each magnetic field component for each half orbit. To map the vector magnetic crustal anomalies, all LP magnetometer data collected at low altitudes in the three different lunar environments: (1) geomagnetic tail, (2) solar wind, and (3) geomagnetic sheath were processed using this new approach. The results obtained using these selection criteria allow us to get a global coverage of the lunar surface by the vector magnetic field at variable spacecraft low altitudes. To validate our mapping, we have developed and applied a method based on properties of potential fields functions. This method can be used to determine both horizontal north and east components using only vertical component. The validated lunar internal magnetic measurements obtained at variable spacecraft altitudes were then continued to a common altitude of 30 km using an inverse method. This mapping confirms firstly the nature of the crustal sources of lunar magnetic field and clearly shows that the strongest concentrations of anomalies are associated with high albedo and/or located antipodal to large young basins (Orientale, Serenitatis, Imbrium, and Crisium) of age about 3.9 Ga.     

Did fires drive Holocene carbon sequestration in boreal ombrotrophic peatlands of eastern Canada?

Wildfire is an important factor on carbon sequestration in the North American boreal biomes. Being globally important stocks of organic carbon, peatlands may be less sensitive to burning in comparison with upland forests, especially wet unforested ombrotrophic ecosystems as found in northeastern Canada. We aimed to determine if peatland fires have driven carbon accumulation patterns during the Holocene. To cover spatial variability, six cores from three peatlands in the Eastmain region of Quebec were analyzed for stratigraphic charcoal accumulation. Results show that regional Holocene peatland fire frequency was ~ 2.4 fires 1000 yr^? 1, showing a gradually declining trend since 4000 cal yr BP, although inter- and intra-peatland variability was very high. Charcoal peak magnitudes, however, were significantly higher between 1400 and 400 cal yr BP, possibly reflecting higher charcoal production driven by differential climatic forcing aspects. Carbon accumulation rates generally declined towards the late-Holocene with minimum values of ~ 10 g m^? 2 yr^? 1 around 1500 cal yr BP. The absence of a clear correlation between peatland fire regimes and carbon accumulation indicates that fire regimes have not been a driving factor on carbon sequestration at the millennial time scale.     

Convective dynamos with intermediate and strong fields

Abstract

The weak-field Benard-type dynamo treated by Soward is considered here at higher levels of the induced magnetic field. Two sources of instability are found to occur in the intermediate field regime M ～ T ^1/12, where M and T are the Hartmann and Taylor numbers. On the time scale of magnetic diffusion, solutions may blow up in finite time owing to destabilization of the convection by the magnetic field. On a faster time scale a dynamic instability related to MAC-wave instability can also occur. It is therefore concluded that the asymptotic structure of this dynamo is unstable to virtual increases in the magnetic field energy.

In an attempt to model stabilization of the dynamo in a strong-field regime we consider two approximations. In the first, a truncated expansion in three-dimensional plane waves is studied numerically. A second approach utilizes an ad hoc set of ordinary differential equations which contains many of the features of convection dynamos at all field energies. Both of these models exhibit temporal intermittency of the dynamo effect.