The impact of organic material on cloud and fog processes

Airborne surface-active organic substances can form adsorbed films at air-water and air-solid interfaces in the atmosphere. On the basis of considerable laboratory research, it has been suggested that these films can modify the microphysical processes of clouds and fog. The possible alterations of physical processes include retardation of the rate of growth and evaporation of water drops, passivation of cloud condensation nuclei, modification of drop coalescence efficiency, and the promotion of drop instability. The chemical structure of the film-forming compounds and the physical properties of the adsorbed films determine the degree to which the physical processes are modified. Upon consideration of the actual organic composition of the atmosphere, it was concluded that natural surface films will not greatly influence drop growth and evaporation. In addition, there is no definitive evidence from field experiments that other processes are influenced by natural organic films. The potential for useful weather modification through the intentional introduction of film-forming organic substances into the atmosphere was critically evaluated. Although numerous approaches have been suggested by laboratory studies, only the stabilization of airborne drops against evaporation has been unequivocally demonstrated in field experiments.     

Differences in hillslope runoff and sediment transport rates within two semi-arid catchments in southeast Spain

This paper focuses on hillslope runoff and sediment transport within two catchments in southeast Spain. Five monitoring sites were established on hillslope concavities throughout the two catchments. The techniques used were mini-crest stage recorders, spray-painted lines, sediment traps and tipping bucket rain gauges (established during previous research). Results show that a storm event in the Rambla Nogalte on 30 June 2002 of 83.0 mm was responsible for a maximum runoff depth of 12 cm and a maximum hillslope sediment transport of 1886 cm³ m⁻¹. The same storm in the Rambla de Torrealvilla produced 53.4 mm of rainfall on the 1 July 2002, had a maximum runoff depth of 26 cm and resulted in 2311 cm³ m⁻¹ of sediment transport. There is evidence to suggest that measured sediment transport is related to runoff and a qualitative estimate of Morphological Runoff Zones (MRZ). Sediment transport and depth of runoff varied dramatically with lithology; marl sites produced most runoff and sediment transport, followed by the sites of mixed red and blue schist, then blue schist. These results are important for understanding the behaviour of slopes and show that for short lived storms with high, but not rare, rainfall intensities and total rainfall amounts, runoff can cause significant hillslope sediment transport in semi-arid areas.     

Radar observations of Comet 2P/Encke during the 2003 apparition

The nucleus of Comet 2P/Encke was detected with the Arecibo radar during the close approach of November, 2003, making this the first comet to yield radar detections at two different apparitions. Although the measured radar cross section of 1.0 km² was close to that obtained in 1980, the Doppler bandwidth was nearly four times larger. Most of this bandwidth difference can simply be attributed to a different observing aspect relative to the spin axis proposed by Sekanina [1988, Astron. J. 95, 911] and Festou and Barale [2000, Astron. J. 119, 3119]. Comparison of the 2003 Doppler bandwidth with infrared-based size estimates supports an 11-h dominant rotation period and excludes slower 15- and 22-h periods that have also been suggested. If one assumes a short-axis-mode rotation with an 11-h period, then the Doppler bandwidth indicates that the nucleus is an oblong object with a long-axis dimension of 9 km. The estimated radar albedo of 0.05 is similar to that measured for C/IRAS-Araki-Alcock, providing further evidence that comet nuclei have relatively low surface densities of ∼0.5-1.0 g cm⁻³. No broadband echo component was detected from large coma grains despite predictions, based on optical/infrared models, that such a component might be detectable.     

Space weathering and the interpretation of asteroid reflectance spectra

Lunar-style space weathering is well understood, but cannot be extended to asteroids in general. The two best studied Asteroids (433 Eros and 243 Ida) exhibit quite different space weathering styles, and neither exhibits lunar-style space weathering. It must be concluded that at this time the diversity and mechanisms of asteroid space weathering are poorly understood. This introduces a significant unconstrained variable into the problem of analyzing asteroid spectral data. The sensitivity of asteroid surface material characterizations to space weathering effects - whatever their nature - is strongly dependent upon the choice of remote sensing methodology. The effects of space weathering on some methodologies such as curve matching are potentially devastating and at the present time essentially unmitigated. On other methodologies such as parametric analysis (e.g., analyses based on band centers and band area ratios) the effects are minimal. By choosing the appropriate methodology(ies) applied to high quality spectral data, robust characterizations of asteroid surface mineralogy can be obtained almost irrespective of space weathering. This permits sophisticated assessments of the geologic history of the asteroid parent bodies and of their relationships to the meteorites. Investigations of the diversity of space weathering processes on asteroid surfaces should be a fruitful area for future efforts.     

Surface morphological features of boulders on Asteroid 25143 Itokawa

On the sub-kilometer S-type asteroid, 25143 Itokawa, some boulders on rough terrains seem to be exposed without any powdery material covering. Based on surface morphological features, there are two major types of boulders: one has rounded edges and corners (rounded boulders), while the other has angular edges and corners (angular boulders). The surface features of the rounded boulders suggest that they have hardness heterogeneity and that some may be breccias. The angular boulders appear to be more resistant to impact disruption than the rounded ones, which may be due to a difference in lithology. The major constituents of Itokawa may be LL chondrite-like brecciated lithology (rounded boulders) along with a remarkable number of boulders suggesting that lithology is atypical among LL chondrites (angular boulders). Some of both types of boulders contain intersecting and stepped planar foliations. Comparison with meteorite ALH76009 suggests that the planar foliations may be marks where rocks were torn apart. As lithified breccias cannot be formed on present-day sub-kilometer-sized Itokawa, it is reasonable that boulders with various lithologies on Itokawa were formed on its large ancestor(s). The rubble-pile structure of Itokawa suggested by its low density (∼1.9 g/cm³) indicates that boulders on Itokawa are reassembled fragments formed by catastrophic disruption of large ancestor(s).     

A three-parameter magnitude phase function for asteroids

We develop a three-parameter H, G₁, G₂ magnitude phase function for asteroids starting from the current two-parameter H, G phase function. We describe stochastic optimization of the basis functions of the magnitude phase function based on a carefully chosen set of asteroid photometric observations covering the principal types of phase dependencies. We then illustrate the magnitude phase function with a chosen set of observations. It is shown that the H, G₁, G₂ phase function systematically improves fits to the existing data and considerably so, warranting the utilization of three parameters instead of two. With the help of the linear three-parameter phase function, we derive a nonlinear two-parameter H, G₁₂ phase function, and demonstrate its applicability in predicting phase dependencies based on small numbers of observations.     

Implicit and explicit integration schemes in the anisotropic bounding surface plasticity model for cyclic behaviours of saturated clay

Two integration algorithms, namely the implicit return mapping and explicit sub-stepping schemes, are adopted in the anisotropic bounding surface plasticity model for cyclic behaviours of saturated clay and are implemented into finite element code. The model is a representative of a series of bounding surface models that have typical characteristics, including isotropic and kinematic hardening rules and a rotational bounding surface to capture complex but important cyclic behaviours of soils, such as cyclic shakedown and degradation. However, there is no explicit current yield surface in the model to which the conventional implicit algorithm returns the stress state back or the sub-stepping integration corrects the drift of the stress state. Hence, necessary modifications have been made for both of the integration schemes. First, the image stress point is mapped or corrected to the bounding surface instead of mapping back or correcting the stress state to the yield surface. Second, the unloading–loading criterion is checked to determine the image stress point rather than checking the yield criterion after giving the trial stress state in a conventional way. Comparative studies on the accuracy, stability and efficiency of the two integration schemes are conducted not only at the element level but also in solving boundary value problems of monotonic and cyclic bearing behaviours of rigid footings on saturated clay. For smaller strain increments, there is no significant difference in the accuracy between the two integration schemes, but the explicit integration shows a higher efficiency and accuracy. For relatively larger increments, the implicit return mapping algorithm presents good accuracy and more robustness, while the sub-stepping algorithm shows deteriorating accuracy and suffers the convergence problem. With the tolerance used in the present model, the bearing capacity of the rigid footing predicted by the return mapping algorithm is closer to the available analytical and numerical solutions, while the bearing capacity predicted by the sub-stepping algorithm shows a marginal increase.     

Volcanic activity at Tvashtar Catena, Io

Galileo's Solid State Imager (SSI) observed Tvashtar Catena four times between November 1999 and October 2001, providing a unique look at a distinctive high latitude volcanic complex on Io. The first observation (orbit I25, November 1999) resolved, for the first time, an active extraterrestrial fissure eruption; the brightness temperature was at least 1300 K. The second observation (orbit I27, February 2000) showed a large (∼500 km²) region with many, small, hot, regions of active lava. The third observation was taken in conjunction with Cassini imaging in December 2000 and showed a Pele-like, annular plume deposit. The Cassini images revealed an ∼400 km high Pele-type plume above Tvashtar Catena. The final Galileo SSI observation of Tvashtar (orbit I32, October 2001), revealed that obvious (to SSI) activity had ceased, although data from Galileo's Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) indicated that there was still significant thermal emission from the Tvashtar region. In this paper, we primarily analyze the style of eruption during orbit I27 (February 2000). Comparison with a lava flow cooling model indicates that the behavior of the Tvashtar eruption during I27 does not match that of simple advancing lava flows. Instead, it may be an active lava lake or a complex set of lava flows with episodic, overlapping eruptions. The highest reliable color temperature is ∼1300 K. Although higher temperatures cannot be ruled out, they do not need to be invoked to fit the observed data. The total power output from the active lavas in February 2000 was at least ¹⁰¹¹ W.     

Evidence for asteroid space weathering from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

By studying color variations between young and old asteroid families we find evidence for processes that modify colors of asteroids over time. We show that colors of aging surfaces of S-type asteroids become increasingly ‘redder’ and measure the rate of these spectral changes. We estimate that the mean spectral slope between 0.35 and 0.9 μm increases with time t (given in My) as ≈0.01 μm⁻¹×log₁₀t. This empirical fit is valid only for 2.5?t?3000 My (the time interval where we have data) and for the mean spectral slope determined from wide-wavelength filter photometry obtained by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We also find that Gy-old terrains of S-type asteroids reflect about 15% more light at ∼1-μm wavelengths than an ∼5-My-old S-type asteroid surface when the flux is normalized by the reflected light at 0.55 μm. We attribute these effects to space weathering. This result has important implications for asteroid geology and the origin of meteorites that reach the Earth. Our results also suggest that surfaces of C-type asteroids exhibit color alterations opposite to those of the S-type asteroids.     

Quantified mineralogical evidence for a common origin of 1929 Kollaa with 4 Vesta and the HED meteorites

In this paper, we present the first correlation of derived mineral abundances of V-class Asteroid 1929 Kollaa, 4 Vesta, and the HED meteorites. We demonstrate that 1929 Kollaa has a basaltic composition consistent with an origin within the crustal layer of 4 Vesta, and show a plausible genetic connection between Kollaa and the cumulate eucrite meteorites. These data support the proposed delivery mechanism of HED meteorites to the Earth from Vesta, and provide the first mineralogical constraint derived from the observation of a small V-class, Vesta family asteroid on the crustal thickness of 4 Vesta.