Dynamics of Axisymmetric Truncated Dynamo Models

An important question regarding the study of mean field dynamo models is how to make precise the nature of their underlying dynamics. This is difficult both because relatively little is known about the dynamical behaviour of infinite dimensional systems and also due to the numerical cost of studying the related partial differential equations. As a first step towards their understanding, it is useful to consider the corresponding truncated models. Here we summarise some recent results of the study of a class of truncated axisymmetric mean field dynamo models. We find conclusive evidence in these models for various types of intermittency as well as multiple attractors and final state sensitivity. We also find that the understanding of the underlying dynamics of such dynamo models requires the study of a new class of dynamical systems, referred to as the non-normal systems. Current work demonstrates that these types of systems are capable of a novel type of intermittency and also of relevance for the understanding of the full axisymmetric PDE dynamo models.     

Central Europe: Active or residual tectonic stresses

The regional stress field in the Western Alps and their northern foreland has been investigated byin situ stress determinations. More than 600 strain relief measurements were made with resistance strain gages in boreholes carried out in mines, tunnels and quarries. The stresses calculated and data obtained from other papers were used to get a detailed idea of the stress conditions in Central Europe.The measurements confirm a continuous flux of compressive stress from the Alps to the northern foreland east of the Rhinegraben. The largest stresses are observed in the Central Alps, the lowest in the Rhinegraben rift system. The horizontal stresses exceed at nearly all places the vertical ones. Evidently the excess of horizontal stress is generated by active plate tectonics in the Alps. A tectonic model to explain the observed stress pattern is presented.     

Performance of mixed and enhanced finite elements for strain localization in hypoplasticity

Displacement and mixed finite element formulations of shear localization in materials are presented. The formulations are based on hypoplastic constitutive laws for soils and the mixed enhanced treatment involving displacement, strain and stress rates as independently varied fields. Included in these formulations are the standard displacement method, the three‐field mixed formulation, the enhanced assumed strain method and the mixed enhanced strain method. Several numerical examples demonstrating the capability and performance of the different finite element formulations are presented. The numerical results are compared with available experimental data for Hostun RF sand and numerical results for Karlsruhe sand on biaxial tests. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Importance of no‐rain measurements on the comparison of radar and rain gauge rain rate

This study evaluated four possible cases of comparing radar and rain gauge rain rate for the detection of mean‐field bias. These four cases, or detection designs, consider in this study are: (1) design 1‐uses all the data sets available, including zero radar rain rate and zero rain gauge rain rate, (2) design 2—uses the data sets of positive radar rain rate and zero or positive rain gauge rain rate, (3) design 3—uses the data sets of zero or positive radar rain rate and positive rain gauge rain rate and (4) design 4—uses the data sets of positive radar rain rate and positive rain gauge rain rate. A theoretical review of these four detection designs showed that only the design 1 causes no design bias, but designs 2, 3 and 4 can cause positive, negative and negative design biases, respectively. This theoretical result was also verified by applying these four designs to the rain rate field generated by a multi‐dimensional rain rate model, as well as to that of the Mt Gwanak radar in Korea. The results from both applications showed that especially the design 4, which is generally used for the detection of mean‐field bias of radar rain rate, causes a serious design bias; therefore, is inappropriate as a design for detecting the mean‐field bias of radar rain rate. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The upper limit of magnetic field strength in dense stellar hadronic matter

It is shown that in strongly magnetized neutron stars, there exist upper limits of magnetic field strength, beyond which the self energies for both neutron and proton components of neutron star matter become complex in nature. As a consequence they decay within the strong interaction time scale. However, in the ultra-strong magnetic field case, when the zeroth Landau level is only occupied by protons, the system again becomes stable against strong decay.      

磁弧剪切动力学的一个精确解

我们在文[1]里对磁弧剪切作了数值解,得到了剪切速度ω和磁场B_z的分析解,但对二维速度(u,v)的振幅占δ′/ζ仅有只依赖于时间的近似解。本文在密度为常数条件下得到了磁弧剪切在线性演化阶段的较精确的解析解,比较了密度为常数和密度重力分层两种情形下的数值解,证实当β(=气压/磁压)很小(量级为10~(-2))时两者差别不大,因此本文结果近似可用于密度不为常数的实际太阳大气中的磁弧剪切动力学过程。解析解的主要结果是导出振幅δ′/ζ的高度依赖关系:随着时间增加,振幅δ′/ζ随高度下降越来越慢。这导致磁弧顶越升越高而脚根基本上不朝外移动,这样闭合的磁弧将有可能逐渐变为开场。     

Climate variability,snow, and physiographic controls on storm hydrographs in small forested basins,western Cascades,Oregon

Large floods are often attributed to the melting of snow during a rain event. This study tested how climate variability, snowpack presence, and basin physiography were related to storm hydrograph shape in three small (<1 km²) basins with old‐growth forest in western Oregon. Relationships between hydrograph characteristics and precipitation were tested for approximately 800 storms over a nearly 30‐year period. Analyses controlled for (1) snowpack presence/absence, (2) antecedent soil moisture, and (3) hillslope length and gradient. For small storms (<150 mm precipitation), controlling for precipitation, the presence of a snowpack on near‐saturated soil increased the threshold of precipitation before hydrograph rise, extended the start lag, centroid lag, and duration of storm hydrographs, and increased the peak discharge. The presence of a snowpack on near‐saturated soil sped up and steepened storm hydrographs in a basin with short steep slopes, but delayed storm hydrographs in basins with longer or more gentle slopes. Hydrographs of the largest events, which were extreme regional rain and rain‐on‐snow floods, were not sensitive to landform characteristics or snowpack presence/absence. Although the presence of a snowpack did not increase peak discharge in small, forested basins during large storms, it had contrasting effects on storm timing in small basins, potentially synchronizing small basin contributions to the larger basin hydrograph during large rain‐on‐snow events. By altering the relative timing of hydrographs, snowpack melting could produce extreme floods from precipitation events whose size is not extreme. Further work is needed to examine effects of canopy openings, snowpack, and climate warming on extreme rain‐on‐snow floods at the large basin scale. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamics of line-of-sight velocities and magnetic field in the solar photosphere during the formation of the large active region NOAA 10488

Analysis of SOHO longitudinal magnetograms and Dopplergrams has revealed the appearance of a region of enhanced upflow of matter in the photosphere when the top of a loop-shaped magnetic flux tube forming a large active region passed through it. The maximum upflow velocity reached 2 km s^?1, the maximum size exceeded 20 000 km, and the lifetime was about 2 h.     

Land management impacts on runoff sources in small Amazon watersheds

Forest clearing and conversion to cattle pasture in the lowland Amazon region has been linked to soil compaction and increased soil water storage, which combine to diminish soil infiltration, enhance quick lateral flows and increase the stream flow response to precipitation. Quantifying the importance of quick surficial flow in response to this land use change requires identification of water sources within catchments that contribute to stream flow. Using an end member mixing analysis approach, potential contributing sources of stream flow were evaluated during an entire rainy season in a forest and a pasture watershed drained by ephemeral‐to‐intermittent streams in the south‐western Amazon. Water yield was 17% of precipitation in the pasture and 0·8% of precipitation in the forest. During the early rainy season, throughfall, groundwater, and soil water contributed 79%, 18%, and 3%, respectively, to total forest stream flow. Over the entire rainy season, throughfall, groundwater, and shallow soil water provided 57%, 24%, and 19%, respectively, of stream flow. In the pasture watershed, overland flow dominated stream flow both in the early (67%) and late (57%) rainy season, with a mean contribution of 60% overland flow, 35% groundwater, and 5% soil water. The uncertainty associated with those estimates was studied using a Monte Carlo approach. In addition to large changes in total surface flow, marked differences were found in the proportions of total stream flow in the second half of the rainy season between the forest and pasture watershed. These results suggest that (1) there is great potential for alteration of the hydrological budgets of larger watersheds as the proportion of deforested land in the Amazon increases, and (2) as more rainfall is diverted into fast flowpaths to streams in established pastures, the potential to deliver water with higher solute concentrations generated by erosion or by bypassing sites of solute removal increases. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observational Evidence for Rising Penumbral Flux Tubes?

On 13 May 2000 parts of a penumbra were observed in an active region NOAA 8990 with the La Palma Stokes Polarimeter attached to the Swedish Vacuum Solar Telescope. The stratification over the solar atmosphere of different physical parameters is retrieved from these data by using the Stokes inversion based on response functions. The results confirm the previous findings of the penumbral structure. In general, the magnetic field becomes weaker and more horizontal with increasing distance from the umbra and the line-of-sight velocities are increasing towards the outer boundary of the penumbra. The results also suggest the existence of the unresolved fine structure of the penumbra. The stratifications of the temperature and of the magnetic field strength indicate the presence of rising flux tubes, which were predicted theoretically by Schlichenmaier, Jahn and Schmidt (1998, Astron. Astrophys. 337, 897).