Pulsation stability of helium-rich subdwarf B stars

We present results of the pulsation monitoring of helium-rich subdwarf B (He-sdB) stars using high-speed differential photometry observations made with the SAAO (1.0m), NOT (2.6m) and the IAC80 (0.8m) telescopes. Although we did not find a pulsator in our sample of He-sdB stars, some of the stars show hints of pulsations which need further investigation.     

HS 2333 + 3927: a new sdB binary with a large reflection effect

We report the discovery of a binary, HS 2233 + 3927, consisting of an sdB star with a faint companion. From its lightcurve the orbital period of 14,844 s, the mass ratio, the inclination, and other system parameters are derived. The companion does not contribute to the optical light of the system except through a strong reflection effect. The semi-amplitude of the radial velocity curve K ₁= 89.6 km/s^?1 and a mass function of f(m) = 0.013 M _⊙ are determined. A preliminary spectroscopic analysis of the blue spectra using NLTE model atmospheres results in T_eff= 36 500 K, log g= 5.70, and log(n _He/n _H) =?2.15. These parameters are typical for sdB stars, the companion is probably an M dwarf.     

Late Cenozoic evolution of the western Barents Sea-Svalbard continental margin

Seven regionally correlatable reflectors, named R7 (oldest) to R1, have been identified in the Upper Cenozoic sedimentary succession along the western continental margin of Svalbard and the Barents Sea. Regional seismic profiles have been used to correlate between submarine fans that comprise major depocentres in this region. Glacial sediment thicknesses reach up to 3 seconds two-way time, corresponding to 3.5–4 km. Despite limited chronostratigraphic control, ages have been assigned to the major sequence boundaries based on ties both to exploration wells and to shallow boreholes, and by paleoenvironmental interpretations and correlations with other regions. Lateral and vertical variations in seismic facies, between stratified and chaotic with slump structures, have major implications for the interpretation of the depositional regime along the margin. The main phases of erosion and deposition at different segments of the margin are discussed in the paper, which also provides a regional seismic stratigraphic framework for two complementary papers in the present volume. Reflector R7 marks the onset of extensive continental shelf glaciations, but whereas the outer Svalbard shelf has been heavily and frequently glaciated since R7 time, this did not occur, or occurred to a much less extent, until R5 time in the southern Barents Sea. The present study provides the background for a quantification of the late Cenozoic glacial erosion of Svalbard and the Barents Sea. The rates of erosion and deposition exhibit large temporal and spatial variations reflecting the importance of glacial processes in the Late Cenozoic development of this nearly 1000 km long margin.     

The NOT pulsating sdB search programme

A search program for pulsating sdBs was conducted with the Nordic Optical Telescope in the years 1999–2001. Possible candidates were selected from the HS, HE and PG surveys. In total 10 pulsators were found, some quite bright. In addition one more was found from a small SDSS sample observed in Oct. 2002.     

Improved data gap-filling schemes for estimation of net ecosystem exchange in typical East-Asian croplands

The estimation of carbon exchange between ecosystems and the atmosphere suffers unavoidable data gaps in eddy-covariance technique, especially for short-living and fast-growing croplands. In this study we developed a modified gap-filling scheme introducing a leaf area index factor as the vegetation status information based on the conventional light response function for two East-Asian cropland sites (rice and potatoes). This scheme’s performance is comparable to the conventional time window scheme, but has the advantage when the gaps are large compared to the total length of the time series. To investigate how the time binning approach performs for fast-growing croplands, we tested different widths of the time window, showing that a four-day window for the potato field and an eight-day time window for the rice field perform the best. The insufficiency of the conventional temperature binning approach was explained as well as the influence of vapor pressure deficit. We found that vapor pressure deficit plays a minor role in both the potato and the rice fields under Asian monsoon weather conditions with the exception of the early pre-monsoon growing stage of the potatoes. Consequently, we recommend using the conventional time-window scheme together with our new leaf-light response function to fill data gaps of net ecosystem exchange in fast-growing croplands.     

The O(1S) dayglow emission as observed by the WIND imaging interferometer on the UARS

Volume emission rate profiles of the O(¹D-¹S) 5577 Å dayglow measured by the WIND imaging interferometer on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite are analyzed to examine the O(¹S) excitation mechanisms in the sunlit lower thermosphere and upper mesosphere. The observed emission profiles are compared with theoretical profiles calculated using a model which takes into account all of the known daytime sources of O(¹S). These include photoelectron impact on atomic oxygen, dissociative recombination of O⁺₂, photodissociation of molecular oxygen, energy transfer from metastable N₂(A³⁺_u) and three body recombination of atomic oxygen. Throughout most of the thermosphere the measured and modelled emission rates are in reasonably good agreement, given the limitations of the model, but in the region below 100 km, where the oxygen atom recombination source is likely to dominate, the measured emission rates are considerably larger than those modelled using the MSIS-90 oxygen atom densities. This discrepancy is discussed in terms of possible inadequacies in the MSIS-90 model atmosphere and/or additional sources of O(¹S) at low altitude.     

Upper layer circulation of the Nordic seas as inferred from the spatial distribution of heat and freshwater content and potential energy

The spatial distribution of heat and freshwater content and potential energy of a several hundred metre thick surface layer are computed for the Nordic seas and adjacent parts of the northern North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean using a total of almost 100 000 hydrographic stations. The fields clearly show the major features of the area's circulation, with warm salty water in the eastern part and fresher, colder water in the western part. Comparisons with published estimates show that the potential energy field, representing the baroclinic part of the flow, accounts for about 30 % of the total flow but roughly 100 % of the flow of Polar Water in the northern part of the East Greenland Current, about 50 % of the total flow in the Norwegian Atlantic Current, and just a small fraction of the flow in the eastern part of Fram Strait. This suggests that the barotropic circulation is quite important in many parts of the Nordic seas. The barotropic circulation is also clearly seen by its effects on the integrated fields with isolines following deep bathymetric contours. We speculate that the barotropic circulation in combination with topographic obstacles, like the Greenland–Scotland Ridge and the ridge system in the Jan Mayen area, may have large impact on the spreading of freshwater and heat in the Nordic seas.     

Quasigeoid evaluation with improved levelled height data for Norway

GPS-levelling points are widely used to control gravimetric geoid or quasigeoid models. Direct comparison is often interpreted to reveal the accuracy of the gravimetric model, using GPS-levelling as a reference. However, both GPS and levelled heights contain errors, and in order to achieve a centimeter-accuracy geoid, these should be investigated. The Norwegian Height System NN1954 is known to contain large systematic errors due to postglacial land uplift in the area. In this study, the current height system and two revised versions, corrected for uplift, are applied to compute three sets of control quasigeoid heights in the southern part of Norway. These heights are then compared to various Nordic gravimetric quasigeoid models generated during the last two decades. In contradiction to some earlier studies, the accuracy of gravimetric quasigeoid models for this area are found to improve near-linearly with time. This is in accordance with expectations, since both data coverage and computation methods have progressed during this time. However, this study shows the importance of establishing accurate and error-free control data for geoid comparisons.     

SWIFT-DASH: Spatial Heterodyne Spectroscopy Approach to Stratospheric Wind and Ozone Measurement

Abstract

Passive wind measurements using Doppler shifts from atmospheric emissions were well demonstrated by the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) and the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI) instruments on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, operated from 1991 to 2005. For WINDII these emissions were from visible region upper atmospheric airglow in the altitude range from 80 to 300?km. Application of the same technique in the stratosphere requires using thermal emission from a minor constituent, and an ozone line near 1133?cm^?1 (about 8.8?μm) has been identified as a suitable target line. The WINDII method employed a Doppler Michelson Interferometer, in which the wind is measured from phase shifts of a single spectral line. Isolating a single ozone spectral line is a major challenge but using Spatial Heterodyne Spectroscopy (SHS) offers a way to resolve a number of interferogram spectral components (fringes) within a narrow spectral range. The instrument is a Michelson interferometer similar to WINDII but one in which the two mirrors are replaced by diffraction gratings. A developmental instrument capable of measuring the phase shifts from several ozone lines within a spectral range of 4?cm^?1 has been designed, built, and operated in the laboratory. Simulated retrievals using the measurement parameters of this instrument demonstrate the capability of wind measurement with an accuracy better than 3?m?s^?1 over an altitude range of 24 to 60?km. The retrieval employs four spectral lines for wind and three fringe frequencies for ozone concentration (of about 30 possible), each of which provides an optimal measurement for a particular altitude range. Ozone concentrations are also provided with an accuracy better than 10% from 20 to 50?km. Further detailed tests of this instrument are planned for the future. This work is supported by the Canadian Space Agency.