Mid-ultraviolet and optical photometry of helium stars

Mid-ultraviolet and optical photometric analysis of helium stars are presented. A linear relation exists between the effective temperature derived from model atmospheres and (1965-V)₀ index. The effective temperatures derived from (1965-V)₀ index are somewhat higher than that of MK spectral type estimates especially for late B-type helium objects.     

The Upper Pleistocene to Holocene sediments on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa (Italy)

The island of Lampedusa lies on the northern edge of the African continental shelf, but during some Quaternary marine lowstands it was joined to the African continent. The study and dating of the aeolian, alluvial, detrital sediments, calcareous crusts and speleothems have established that the climatic–environmental variations recorded on the island can be related chronologically to those known for northern Libya, Tunisia and the Italian peninsula. During the Last Glacial Maximum, phases of Saharan dust accumulation on Lampedusa occurred, and were coeval with dust accumulation in crater lakes and on high mountains in central‐southern Italy, and with phases of glacial advance in the Apennines and in the Alps. During the late Holocene, accumulation of Saharan dust on Lampedusa occurred but there was little accumulation of dust on the northern side of the Mediterranean Sea. With the new data from Lampedusa, it is possible to envisage two different scenarios of atmospheric circulation relating to the Last Glacial Maximum and to the late Holocene. During the Last Glacial Maximum, southerly atmospheric circulation brought rainfall to the southern slopes of the Alps and to the Apennines. During the late Holocene, a prevalent westerly atmospheric circulation became established in the northern Mediterranean. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Water transport from the North-east Irish Sea to western Scottish coastal waters: Further observations from time-trend matching of Sellafield radiocaesium

Radiocaesium isotopes, discharged into the North-east Irish Sea from the Sellafield (formerly Windscale) nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Cumbria, have been employed as flow monitors to update and extend the record of coastal water movement from the Irish Sea to the Clyde Sea area and, further north, to Loch Etive. The temporal trends in radiocaesium levels have been used to determine the extent of water mixing en route and to define mean advection rates. Flow conditions from the Irish Sea have changed considerably since the mid-1970s, the residence time of northern Irish Sea waters being ～12 months during 1978–1980 inclusive. Average transport times of four and six months are estimated for the Sellafield to Clyde and Sellafield to Etive transects respectively. Sellafield ¹³⁷Cs levels in seawater were diluted by factors of 27 and 50 respectively during current movement to the Clyde and Etive areas. The decrease in salinity-corrected ¹³⁷Cs concentrations between the Clyde and Etive suggests that dilution by Atlantic water occurs, the latter mainly entering the Firth of Lorne from the west. The majority (～94%) of the radiocaesium supply to Loch Etive enters the Firth of Lorne via the portion of the coastal current circulating west of Islay, only ～6% arriving via the Sound of Jura.     

Characteristics of Light Transmission in Summer and Winter and Its Relation to Sediment Transport in the East China Sea

INTRODUCTIONTheSubeiShoalandtheChangjiangRiverestuarineareainthewestoftheHuanghaiandEastChinaSeasisoneofthemarginalseasintheworld ,wheresuspendedmatterisextremelyhigh .Here ,notonlyistheretheTaiwanWarmCurrentoneoftheKuroshio’sbranchesintheEastChinaSea,butalsotheHuanghaiCoastalCurrent,andChangjiangDilutedWater.Sothestrongmixingbetweenthecoastalandoffshorewaterscomplicatessuspendedmatterdistributioninthisarea.HowthesuspendedmatterdischargedfromtheChangjiangRiverandtheabandonedHuan…     

Sensitivity analysis of a deterministic water temperature model to forest canopy and soil temperature in Catamaran Brook (New Brunswick,Canada)

A coupled deterministic hydrological and water temperature model, CEQUEAU, was modified to include soil temperature and crown closure in its calculation of local advective terms in the heat budget. The modified model was than tested to verify its sensitivity to these modifications. An analysis of the heat budget of a small forested catchment in eastern Canada revealed that the advective term related to interflow plays a significant role in the daily water heat budget, providing on average 28% of the local advective budget (which also includes advective heat terms from surface runoff and groundwater) and nearly 14% of the total heat budget (which includes all radiative terms at the water surface, convection and evaporation, as well as the local advective terms). Relative sensitivity indices (RSIs) were used to verify the impact of the newly introduced parameters and variables. Among them, parameters related to the forest cover (crown closure and leaf area index) have a maximum RSI of ?0·6; i.e. a 100% increase in value produces a 60% decrease in the local advective term. Parameters with the greatest influence are the volume of water contributing to interflow and the amplitude of the net radiative flux at the soil surface, which, if doubled, would double the contribution of the local interflow advective term to the heat budget. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling the effect of low soil temperatures on transpiration by Scots pine

For ecosystem modelling of the Boreal forest it is important to include processes associated with low soil temperature during spring‐early summer, as these affect the tree water uptake. The COUP model, a physically based SVAT model, was tested with 2 years of soil and snow physical measurements and sap flow measurements in a 70‐year‐old Scots pine stand in the boreal zone of northern Sweden. During the first year the extent and duration of soil frost was manipulated in the field. The model was successful in reproducing the timing of the soil warming after the snowmelt and frost thaw. A delayed soil warming, into the growing season, severely reduced the transpiration. We demonstrated the potential for considerable overestimation of transpiration by the model if the reduction of the trees' capacity to transpire due to low soil temperatures is not taken into account. We also demonstrated that the accumulated effect of aboveground conditions could be included when simulating the relationship between soil temperature and tree water uptake. This improved the estimated transpiration for the control plot and when soil warming was delayed into the growing season. The study illustrates the need of including antecedent conditions on root growth in the model in order to catch these effects on transpiration. The COUP model is a promising tool for predicting transpiration in high‐latitude stands. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

NEMERTEANS OF ZHOUSHAN ISLANDS, EAST CHINA SEA COAST,CHINA Ⅰ.ENOPLA: DISTROMATOPHYNCHOCOELA: MONOSTILIFERA: EMPLECTONEMERTIDAE

Two nemerteans of the Zhoushan Islands, Paranemertes sinensis sp. nov. and P. peregrina, are reportedin this paper. P. sinensis sp. nov. has the body wall longitudinal musculature anteriorly divided,numerous eyes grouped into four clusters, two pairs of cephalic furrows, rhynchocoel 1/3 to 1/2 of fullbody length, cephalic glands well developed and posteriorly extending beyond the cerebral ganglia.precerebral septum absent, cerebral sense organs situated in front of brain, three pairs of nephridiopores,and 17-18 proboscis nerves.     

Experimental study on the deterioration and natural remediation of the Ariake Sea tidal mud caused by the sea laver treatment acid practice and the upward seepage of pore water liquid

This study presents a laboratory study of the following two aspects: (1) the influence of sea laver treatment acid on the geoenvironmental properties of Ariake Sea tidal mud, and (2) the natural remediation effect on the sea laver treatment acid contaminated Ariake Sea tidal mud caused by the upward seepage of pore water liquid in the mud. Firstly, the mechanisms of the transport of sea laver treatment acid in the Ariake Sea tidal mud and the generation mechanisms of the upward seepage flow in the Ariake Sea tidal mud are discussed. Secondly, a series of one-dimensional laboratory infiltration tests were carried out to investigate the deterioration of the Ariake Sea tidal mud caused by the sea laver acid treatment practice. Test results reveal that the acid treatment practice caused considerable change in the geochemical properties of the mud in terms of increase in sulfide content and decrease in pH value. After the treatment by the sea laver treatment acid, the sulfide content of the mud even exceeded the safe limit value for the benthos, which represents undesirable living condition for benthos. Thirdly, series of laboratory fresh seawater infiltration tests for the deteriorated Iida site mud were conducted to illustrate this natural remediation efficiency. It is found that with the infiltration of the fresh seawater, the sulfide content of the Iida site mud was considerably reduced and pH value increased to an acceptable range for benthos living in the tidal flat mud. With the increase in the infiltration time and the hydraulic gradient, the remediation efficiency could be increased.     

Geotechnical properties of evaporite soils of the Dead Sea area

The Dead Sea Basin is the lowest point on earth and is tectonically subsiding. During the Holocene Period the climate became much drier with increasing evaporation whereby initially lacustrine sediments were deposited from the non-marine brines, giving a multi-layered stratigraphy of lime carbonate and halite sediments. The lime carbonate sediments are comprised of laminated, clay to silt sized, clastic sediments (calcite) and authigenic aragonite and gypsum. The halite commonly appears as rock salt. Chemical industries, based on harvesting the salts from the Dead Sea, have developed on both the Israeli and the Jordanian sides of the basin. The lime carbonate soils are used for dike construction, and these soils, together with significant salt layers, are encountered in the foundations of structures, dikes, and tailings dams, requiring definition of their geotechnical properties. Use of standard soil mechanics definitions and testing approaches for the lime carbonates have been found inapplicable, particularly in view of their exceptionally high saline content, and it has been necessary to develop new concepts. The rock salt is encountered at shallow depths, with unit weights considerably lower than those usually discussed in the literature, and with correspondingly different mechanical properties. The geotechnical properties of these soils, and approaches used to define them, are discussed in the paper.     

Planktonic foraminifers in the southern Bering Sea: Changes in composition and productivity during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene

Taxonomic composition and distribution of planktonic foraminifers are studied in section of Core GC-11 that penetrated through Upper Quaternary sediments of the Bowers Ridge western slope, the southern Bering Sea. As is shown, structure of foraminiferal assemblage and productivity have varied substantially during the last 32000 calendar years in response to changes in surface water temperatures and water mass circulation in the northern part of the Pacific, the Bering Sea included. The productivity was maximal during deglaciation epoch, being notably lower in the Holocene and minimal at the glaciation time.