Atmospheric densities derived from CHAMP/STAR accelerometer observations

The satellite CHAMP carries the accelerometer STAR in its payload and thanks to the GPS and SLR tracking systems accurate orbit positions can be computed. Total atmospheric density values can be retrieved from the STAR measurements, with an absolute uncertainty of 10-15%, under the condition that an accurate radiative force model, satellite macro-model, and STAR instrumental calibration parameters are applied, and that the upper-atmosphere winds are less than . The STAR calibration parameters (i.e. a bias and a scale factor) of the tangential acceleration were accurately determined using an iterative method, which required the estimation of the gravity field coefficients in several iterations, the first result of which was the EIGEN-1S (Geophys. Res. Lett. 29 (14) (2002) 10.1029) gravity field solution. The procedure to derive atmospheric density values is as follows: (1) a reduced-dynamic CHAMP orbit is computed, the positions of which are used as pseudo-observations, for reference purposes; (2) a dynamic CHAMP orbit is fitted to the pseudo-observations using calibrated STAR measurements, which are saved in a data file containing all necessary information to derive density values; (3) the data file is used to compute density values at each orbit integration step, for which accurate terrestrial coordinates are available. This procedure was applied to 415 days of data over a total period of 21 months, yielding 1.2 million useful observations. The model predictions of DTM-2000 (EGS XXV General Assembly, Nice, France), DTM-94 (J. Geod. 72 (1998) 161) and MSIS-86 (J. Geophys. Res. 92 (1987) 4649) were evaluated by analysing the density ratios (i.e. “observed” to “computed” ratio) globally, and as functions of solar activity, geographical position and season. The global mean of the density ratios showed that the models underestimate density by 10-20%, with an rms of 16-20%. The binning as a function of local time revealed that the diurnal and semi-diurnal components are too strong in the DTM models, while all three models model the latitudinal gradient inaccurately. Using DTM-2000 as a priori, certain model coefficients were re-estimated using the STAR-derived densities, yielding the DTM-STAR test model. The mean and rms of the global density ratios of this preliminary model are 1.00 and 15%, respectively, while the tidal and latitudinal modelling errors become small. This test model is only representative of high solar activity conditions, while the seasonal effect is probably not estimated accurately due to correlation with the solar activity effect. At least one more year of data is required to separate the seasonal effect from the solar activity effect, and data taken under low solar activity conditions must also be assimilated to construct a model representative under all circumstances.     

攀枝花市大气污染物降水清除机制的研究

本文采用了主成份分析及因子分析的方法,研究了影响降水pH值的主要源及其贡献和这些源被降水清除的机制。分析结果表明:大气中一次污染物是影响降水pH及各种成分浓度的主要因素。人为污染源包括高排放源、低排放源和汽车源,它们的排放物以碱性物质为主;自然污染源包括输送物、腐烂物、自然NOx等,它们的排放物主要是酸性物质;在一般情况下,降水的pH值取决于高、低排放源排放的碱性物质的多寡;降水量越大,清除的污染物越多,在雨季各测点降水平均pH值为6.31～7.10。在高排放源影响小的地方,对持续时间长的大雨,降水后期的pH能反映自然源的影响,其值小于5.60。可见,攀枝花市酸雨几率极低甚至降水呈碱性,     

大数据时代的人类移动性研究

人类个体/群体移动特征是多学科共同关注的研究主题。移动定位、无线通讯和移动互联网技术的快速发展使得获取大规模、长时间序列、精细时空粒度的个体移动轨迹和相互作用定量化成为可能。同时,地理信息科学、统计物理学、复杂网络科学和计算机科学等多学科交叉也为人类移动性研究的定量化提供了有力支撑。本文首先系统总结了大数据时代开展人类移动性研究的多源异构数据基础和多学科研究方法,然后将人类移动性研究归纳为面向人和面向地理空间两大方向。面向人的研究侧重探索人类移动特性的统计规律,并建立模型解释相应的动力学机制,或分析人类活动模式,并预测出行或活动;面向地理空间的研究侧重从地理视角分析人类群体在地理空间中的移动,探索宏观活动和地理空间的交互特征。围绕这两大方向,本文评述了人类移动性的研究进展和存在问题,认为人类移动性研究在数据稀疏性、数据偏斜影响与处理、多源异构数据挖掘、机器学习方法等方面依然面临挑战,对多学科研究方法的交叉与融合提出了更高要求。     

降水气候强迫下非均匀地表区域平均径流的一种参数化方案

将任一中尺度区域的平均瞬间径流率考虑为区域平均降水量和地表土壤层水分渗透垦的余项.根据降水量在地理空间上分布的实测资料拟合其空间概率密度函数(PDF),并结合土壤入渗物理过程的数学描述及其经验公式,精确估计出地表土壤渗透率及其空间分布,由此建立区域地表径流率的统计-动力学估计方案.换言之,区域内地表产流率可视为区域平均降水量与区域平均的土壤下渗量之差值,而区域内土壤的平均下渗量又町分为非饱和区和饱和区两部分的下渗量来分别计算.就陆面水分循环的物理过程而言,地表入渗现象是在一定的下垫面特性基础上,由一定的水分供应源而形成的.根据大气降水向地表层输送水分的物理过程,在满足植被表层覆盖需水(截流水)和地表层土壤人渗水基础上,多余的降水量才会形成地表径流.凶此,推求地表产流率的主要关键在于地表土壤层需水量.为此奉文根据土壤水分通量方程推导出水分入渗公式.又从描述土壤水分和降水的空间PDF出发,推导出非均匀土壤含水量及降水气候强迫所形成的次网格尺度区域平均径流率计算公式.利用长江三角洲地区1996年降水量和土壤特性等实测资料建立区域平均地表径流率的估计公式,并对其影响凶素进行敏感性试验.结果表明,该方法与用Mosaic方法计算的区域径流率(或产流率)结果十分接近.由此可见,该文提出的降水气候强迫下非均匀地表区域平均径流的这种统计-动力参数化方案,具有相当的可靠性与可行性.     

Weibel Turbulence in Laboratory Experiments and GRB/SN Shocks

It has recently been realized that the Weibel instability plays a major role in the formation and dynamics of astrophysical shocks of gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. Thanks to technological advances in the recent years, experimental studies of the Weibel instability are now possible in laser-plasma interaction devices. We, thus, have a unique opportunity to model and study astrophysical conditions in laboratory experiments – a key goal of the Laboratory Astrophysics program. Here we briefly review the theory of strong non-magnetized collisionless GRB and SN shocks, emphasizing the crucial role of the Weibel instability and discuss the properties of radiation emitted by (isotropic) electrons moving through the Weibel-generated magnetic fields, which is referred to as the jitter radiation. We demonstrate that the jitter radiation field is anisotropic with respect to the direction of the Weibel current filaments and that its spectral and polarization characteristics are determined by microphysical plasma parameters. We stress that the spectral analysis can be used for accurate diagnostics of the plasma conditions in laboratory experiments and in astrophysical GRB and SN shocks.     

The black hole mass – spheroid luminosity relation

The differing   M _bh– L   relations presented in McLure & Dunlop, Marconi & Hunt and Erwin et al. have been investigated. A number of issues have been identified and addressed in each of these studies, including but not limited to the removal of a dependency on the Hubble constant, a correction for dust attenuation in the bulges of disc galaxies, the identification of lenticular galaxies previously treated as elliptical galaxies and the application of the same ( Y ∣ X ) regression analysis. These adjustments result in relations which now predict similar black hole masses. The optimal K -band relation is  log( M _bh/M_⊙) =−0.37(±0.04)( M _K + 24) + 8.29(±0.08)  , with a total (not intrinsic) scatter in log M _bh equal to 0.33 dex. This level of scatter is similar to the value of 0.34 dex from the     relation of Tremaine et al. and compares favourably with the value of 0.31 dex from the   M _bh– n   relation of Graham & Driver. Using different photometric data, consistent relations in the B and R band are also provided, although we do note that the small  ( N = 13)  R -band sample used by Erwin et al. is found here to have a slope of −0.30 ± 0.06. Performing a symmetrical regression on the larger K -band sample gives a slope of ∼−0.40, implying M _bh∝ L ^1.00. Implications for galaxy–black hole co-evolution, in terms of dry mergers, are briefly discussed, as are the predictions for intermediate mass black holes. Finally, as noted by others, a potential bias in the galaxy sample used to define the   M _bh– L   relations is shown and a corrective formula provided.