Correction of the ionospheric distortion on the MARSIS surface sounding echoes

Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) on the Mars Express (MEX) spacecraft has made numerous measurements of the Martian surface and subsurface. However, all of these measurements are distorted by the ionosphere and must be compensated before any analysis. We have developed a technique to compensate for the ionospheric distortions. This technique provides a powerful tool to derive the total electron content (TEC) and other higher-order terms of the limited expansion of the plasma dispersion function that are related to overall shape of the electron column profile. The derived parameters are fitted by using a Chapman model to derive ionospheric parameters like n₀, electron density primary peak (maximum for solar zenith angle (SZA) equal 0), and the neutral height scale H.

Our estimated ionospheric parameters are in good agreement with Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) radio-occultation data. However, since MARSIS does not have the observation geometry limitations of the radio occultation measurements, our derived parameters extend over a large range of SZA for each MEX orbit.

The first results from our technique have been discussed by Safaeinili et al. [2007, Estimation of the total electron content of the Martian ionosphere using radar sounder surface echoes. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L23204, doi:10.1029/2007GL032154].     

基于新型单相MICP技术改性黏性土力学特性的试验研究

微生物诱导碳酸钙沉积(MICP)是一种绿色低碳的新型土体改性技术.该技术当前主要适用于渗透性较好的砂土,普遍使用两相处理方法,即菌液和胶结液分开施用.然而,对于渗透性相对较差的黏性土,传统的两相处理方法难以适用.为此,引入新的单相胶结方法,即菌液和胶结液混合施用,通过调节溶液的初始pH值为细菌水解作用提供窗口期,避免微生物絮凝阻塞孔隙,使混合液均匀分布于土体一定深度范围内,从而达到显著提升胶结效果的目的.利用喷洒法将混合液喷洒至土体表层进行MICP处理,处理完成后使用超微型贯入仪SMP-1测试土体表层不同深度处的结构强度,分析土体力学特性的空间差异,对土体的胶结效果进行定量评价.此外,探究了胶结液浓度(0.2M、0.5M和1.0M)及胶结方法(调节pH与否)对于土体结构强度及MICP改性效果的影响.结果表明:采用单相MICP技术对黏性土进行改性,能够显著提高其结构强度,具有较好的适用性;在不高于1.0 M的胶结液浓度范围内,黏性土的胶结效果随着胶结液浓度增加而提升;相比较而言,调节pH的单相胶结方法对于提升土体胶结的深度和均匀性有明显积极作用.新型单相MICP技术简单易行,能够节约成本,在黏性土表层加固方面具有潜在推广应用价值.     

三次拟合计算法测定土壤样品中的硫含量

本方法采用三次拟合计算法处理土壤样品中硫含量的测试结果。试样采用传统的燃烧碘量法进行处理,在结果计算中使用三次拟合法处理测试结果,取得令人满意的效果。本方法的精密度为1.54%5.38%,方法检出限（3S）：0.005%,较好的满足土壤样品中硫的测试要求。     

Rock moisture content in the field and the laboratory and its relationship to mechanical weathering studies

Rock moisture content is a major control of mechanical weathering, particularly freeze-thaw, and yet almost no data exist from field situations. This study presents moisture content values for rocks, taken from a variety of positions and conditions, in the maritime Antarctic. Additional information regarding the amount of water the rock could take up, as observed from laboratory experiments, is also presented. The results show that the approaches used in simulation experiments, particularly that of soaking a rock for 24 hours, may produce exaggerated results. It was found that the saturation coefficient (S-value) was a good indicator of frost susceptibility (based on water content) but that the derivation of that value may underestimate the potential of some rocks. The distribution of moisture within rocks is seen as an important, but unkown, factor. The results of these field moisture contents suggest that for simulations of freeze-thaw or hydration to be meaningful then they should have rock water contents based on field observations.     

A ROSAT survey of Wolf–Rayet galaxies — II. The extended sample

We present results from an ongoing X-ray survey of Wolf–Rayet (WR) galaxies, a class of objects believed to be very young starbursts. This paper extends the first X-ray survey of WR galaxies by Stevens &38; Strickland by studying WR galaxies identified subsequent to the original WR galaxy catalogue of Conti.   Out of a sample of 40 new WR galaxies a total of 10 have been observed with the ROSAT PSPC, and of these seven have been detected (NGC 1365, NGC 1569, I Zw 18, NGC 3353, NGC 4449, NGC 5408 and a marginal detection of NGC 2366). Of these, all are dwarf starbursts except for NGC 1365, which is a barred spiral galaxy possibly with an active nucleus. We also report on observations of the related emission-line galaxy IRAS 0833+6517.   The X-ray properties of these galaxies are broadly in line with those found for the original sample; they are X-ray overluminous compared with their blue luminosity and have thermal spectra with typically kT  ∼ 0.4 − 1.0 keV. There are some oddities: NGC 5408 is very overluminous in X-rays, even compared with other WR galaxies; I Zw 18 has a harder X-ray spectrum; NGC 1365, although thought to contain an active nucleus, has X-ray properties that are broadly similar to other WR galaxies, and we suggest that the X-ray emission from NGC 1365 is due to starburst activity.   A good correlation between X-ray and blue luminosity is found for the WR galaxy sample as a whole. However, when just dwarf galaxies are considered there is little evidence of correlation. We discuss the implications of these results on our understanding of the X-ray emission from WR galaxies and suggest that the best explanation for the X-ray activity is starburst activity from a young starburst region.     

A simplified method for simulation of strong ground motion using finite rupture model of the earthquake source

We present a simplified method to simulate strong ground motion for a realistic representation of a finite earthquake source burried in a layered earth. This method is based on the stochastic simulation method of Boore (Boore, D. M., 1983, Bull. Seism. Soc. Am. 73, 1865–1894) and the Empirical Greens Function (EFG) method of Irikura (Irikura, K., 1986, Proceedings of the 7th Japan Earthquake symposium, pp. 151–156). The rupture responsible for an earthquake is represented by several subfaults. The geometry of subfaults and their number is decided by the similarity relationships. For simulation of ground motion using the stochastic simulation technique we used the shapping window based on the kinetic source model of the rupture plane. The shaping window deepens on the geometry of the earthquake source and the propagation characteristics of the energy released by various subfaults. The division of large fault into small subfaults and the method for accounting their contribution at the surface is identical to the EGF. The shapping window has been modified to take into account the effect of the transmission of energy released form the finite fault at various boundaries of the layered earth model above the source. In the present method we have applied the correction factor to adjust slip time function of small and large earthquakes. The correction factor is used to simulate strong motion records having basic spectral shape of ² source model in broad frequency range. To test this method we have used the strong motion data of the Geiyo earthquake of 24th March 2001, Japan recorded by KiK network. The source of this earthquake is modelled by a simple rectangular rupture of size 24 × 15 km, burried at a depth of 31 km in a multilayered earth model. This rupture plane is divided into 16 rectangular subfaults of size 6.0 × 3.75 km each. Strong motion records at eight selected near-field stations were simulated and compared with the observed records in terms of the acceleration and velocity records and their response spectrum. The comparison confirms the suitability of proposed rupture model responsible for this earthquake and the efficacy of the approach in predicting the strong motion scenario of earthquakes in the subduction zone. Using the same rupture model of the Geiyo earthquake, we compared the simulated records from our and the EGF techniques at one near-field station. The comparison shows that this technique gives records which matches in a wide frequency range and that too from simple and easily accessible parameters of burried rupture.     

Evidence for chemical evolution in spectra of high redshift galaxies

Using a sample of 57 VLT FORS spectra in the redshift range 1.37< z < 3.40 and a comparison sample with 36 IUE spectra of local ( ) starburst galaxies we derive CIV equivalent width values and estimate metallicities of starburst galaxies as a function of redshift. Assuming that a calibration of the CIV equivalent widths in terms of the metallicity based on the local sample of starburst galaxies is applicable to high-z objects, we find a significant increase of the average metallicities from about 0.16 Z _⊙ at the cosmic epoch corresponding to z ≈ 3.2 to about 0.42 Z _⊙ at z ≈ 2.3. A significant further increase in metallicity during later epochs cannot be detected in our data. Compared to the local starburst galaxies our high-redshift objects tend to be overluminous for a given metallicity. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

非饱和砂土抗拉强度的试验研究

含水合物土的抗拉强度特性对含水合物地层的稳定评估具有重要意义。以黏质粉土为赋存介质,利用四氢呋喃(THF)合成含水合物土试样,在冷冻库中利用改进后的单轴拉伸装置研究了含水合物土单轴抗拉强度特性。试验结果表明水合物饱和度、试样干密度、细粒含量对含水合物土的抗拉强度存在明显影响。随着水合物饱和度的增加,抗拉强度呈现指数函数的增长趋势。干密度和细粒含量对抗拉强度的影响在不同的水合物饱和度情况下影响不同,在低水合物饱和度情况下,干密度和细粒含量的增加会使抗拉强度增强;而在较高的水合物饱和度情况下,抗拉强度则随着干密度和细粒含量增加而降低。此外,通过分析含水合物土的波速特性,建立抗拉强度与波速之间的经验关系式。这一关系式对采用声波来估算含水合物土试样的抗拉特性具有重要的参考意义。     

低场核磁共振定量测定松散沉积物中含水量的方法

核磁共振通过测定体系中氢质子弛豫的T2谱来确定液态水的含量。采用低场核磁共振技术定量测定松散沉积物体系中的含水量,探讨了沉积物粒径、黏土矿物种类与含量、孔隙水盐度、温度及气体压力等因素对测试结果的影响。由于不同介质体系中孔隙水表面弛豫机制不同,导致低场核磁测定松散沉积物中的含水量偏小。引入校正系数Cm对水量测试值进行了修正,结果表明：沉积物及孔隙水介质本身特性对水量测试结果几乎无影响,相对误差<0.5%,测试精密度<0.20%;温度变化对测试结果影响较大且呈负相关,温度从25 ℃降至1.7 ℃,水量测试值增加了10.71%;压力变化对测试结果的影响与充注气体是否含氢密切相关,不含氢气体的压力变化对测试结果没有影响,而对于含氢气体如甲烷,水量测试结果随压力变化线性增加,甲烷增加到5.05 MPa时,测试结果增加了12.15%。因此,在采用该法测量甲烷水合物生成分解过程中沉积物孔隙水的变化时,必须考虑体系的温度、压力对测试结果的影响,恒温恒压条件下监测的含水量变化能够准确指示甲烷水合物生成分解的微观过程,可望在海洋天然气水合物生成分解微观动力学研究方面得到广泛应用。     

On the recent warming of the southeastern Bering Sea shelf

During the last decade, the southeastern Bering Sea shelf has undergone a warming of 3 °C that is closely associated with a marked decrease of sea ice over the area. This shift in the physical environment of the shelf can be attributed to a combination of mechanisms, including the presence over the eastern Bering Sea shelf of a relatively mild air mass during the winter, especially from 2000 to 2005; a shorter ice season caused by a later fall transition and/or an earlier spring transition; increased flow through Unimak Pass during winter, which introduces warm Gulf of Alaska water onto the southeastern shelf; and the feedback mechanism whereby warmer ocean temperatures during the summer delay the southward advection of sea ice during winter. While the relative importance of these four mechanisms is difficult to quantify, it is evident that for sea ice to form, cold arctic winds must cool the water column. Sea ice is then formed in the polynyas during periods of cold north winds, and this ice is advected southward over the eastern shelf. The other three mechanisms can modify ice formation and melt, and hence its extent. In combination, these four mechanisms have served to temporally and spatially limit ice during the 5-year period (2001–2005). Warming of the eastern Bering Sea shelf could have profound influences on the ecosystem of the Bering Sea—from modification of the timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom to the northward advance of subarctic species and the northward retreat of arctic species.