Readout Techniques for Drift and Low Frequency Noise Rejection in Infrared Arrays

Three different methods are presented to subtract thermal drifts and low-frequency noise from the signal of infrared array. The first is dead pixels with open Indium bumps, the second is reference output as implemented on the Hawaii2 multiplexer, and the third is dark pixels to emulate reference cells having a capacity connected to the gate of the unit cell field-effect transistor (FET). The third method is the most effective and yields a reduction in readout noise from15.4–9.4 erms. A novel method will be described to extend this readout technique to the Aladdin 1 K × 1 K InSb array. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characteristics and Influence of Phosphorus Accumulated in the Bed Sediments of a Stream Located in an Agricultural Watershed

We investigated the accumulation and influence of bioavailable P (BAP) in sediments of a stream located in an agricultural area of the Lake Mendota watershed in Wisconsin, USA. During hydrologic events, the stream carried high concentrations of suspended sediment (up to 250 mg/l) and BAP (up to 2.5 mg/l). Bed sediments were highly enriched in BAP, as inventories of BAP in the top 10 cm of sediment ranged from 143 to 14,500 μg P/cm². Space variations in BAP inventories were related to site-specific hydrodynamics and geochemical factors, including iron (Fe; r ² = 0.71) and aluminum (Al; r ² = 0.54) concentrations. Most sites behaved as potential sinks for dissolved reactive phosphate during hydrologic events and potential sources during base-flow periods. Through the combination of site-specific factors and geochemical controls, Dorn Creek modifies the amount, timing, and composition of P delivered from the watershed to downstream sites and water bodies.     

Groundwater flow and capture zone analysis of the Central Passaic River Basin, New Jersey

Delineating capture zones of pumping wells is an important part of safe drinking water and well protection programs. Capture zones or contributing areas of a groundwater extraction well are the parts of the aquifer recharge areas from which the wells draw their water. Their extent and location depend on the hydrogeologic conditions such as groundwater recharge, pumping scenario and the aquifer properties such as hydraulic conductivity, porosity, heterogeneity of the medium and hydraulic gradient. Different methods of delineation can be used depending on the complexity of the hydrogeologic conditions. In this study, a 3-dimensional transient numerical MODFLOW model was developed for the Central Passaic River Basin (CPRB), and used with a MODPATH particle tracking code to determine 3-dimensional transient capture zones. Analytically calculated capture zones from previous studies at the site were compared with the new numerically simulated capture zones. The study results revealed that the analytical solution was more conservative, estimating larger capture zones than the numerical models. Of all the parameters that can impact the size, shape and location of a capture zone, the hydraulic conductivity is one of the most critical. Capture zones tend to be smaller in lower hydraulic conductivity areas.     

Quantitative description of the geomagnetic field during the Matuyama-Brunhes polarity transition

A model of the reversing geodynamo based on the assumptions (1) that reversals start in a localized region of the core and (2) that upon its onset this reversed region extends, or “floods”, both north-south and east-west until the entire core is affected, has recently been shown to provide a generally successful simulation of existing paleomagnetic records of the Matuyama-Brunhes transition (Hoffman, 1979). In this paper the modelled solution is analyzed so as to reveal the behavior of the dominant Gauss coefficients during the transition. At the time of total axial dipole decay the controlling components are found to be a zonal octupole (g₃⁰) and a non-axisymmetric quadrupole (g₂¹, h₂¹). Given the distribution of sites corresponding to the available records of the Matuyama-Brunhes, the existence of a significant zonal quadrupole field component cannot be ruled out; however, the role of any equatorial dipole component can be neglected.Due to the presence of a significant low-order non-axisymmetric term in the analyzed transition field, the predicted minimum intensity experienced during the Matuyama-Brunhes is found to be dependent on both site latitude and longitude. In particular, over a mid-northern circle of latitude, the predicted minimum intensity is found to vary by more than a factor of three, averaging about 10% of the full polarity field strength.Although not a unique solution, the applicability of the findings from this analysis is not tied to the phenomenological model from which they were derived. More specifically, whether the above two-component non-dipole transitional field arises from assumed configurational changes of the reversing geodynamo (as is the case for the flooding model) or, alternatively, is considered to be a stationary (non-reversing) portion of the field during axial dipole decay and regeneration, has little effect on either the calculated path locality of the virtual geomagnetic pole or the minimum intensity experienced at a given site. These two possible situations, in principle, should be distinguishable given the future attainment of detailed paleomagnetic data corresponding to back-to-back (R → N and N → R) polarity transitions.     

Role of aeolian sediment accretion in the formation of heuweltjie earth mounds,western South Africa

The action of organisms in shaping landforms is increasingly recognized; the field of biogeomorphology and the conceptual framework of ecosystem engineering have arisen in response to the need for integrated studies of the interactions between biotic and abiotic components of landscapes. Pathways by which organisms influence landscape development may be complex. For example, primary change initiated by one biotic element may initiate a cascade of other changes that eventually produce a significant landscape modification. Mound‐like landforms in North America and southern Africa are widely cited examples of biogenic structures, yet there is considerable controversy regarding the processes responsible for their formation. Heuweltjies (Afrikaans for little hills) are circular mounds ranging from 10–30 m diameter and 0.5–2 m height and are widespread in western South Africa. Colonies of the termite (Microhodotermes viator) are typically associated with heuweltjies and some investigators have attributed heuweltjie formation to the direct action of termites in redistributing earthen materials. However, rather than being directly responsible in this way, termites simply create nutrient‐rich islands, which support denser vegetation, thereby inducing the localized accretion of aeolian sediments and upward growth of mounds. Contrasting soil features in heuweltjies in one locale indicate these processes have occurred throughout the late Quaternary. Geographic variation in sizes of mounds is explained in part by the local availability of sediments that can be mobilized and redistributed by the wind. Recognition of the operation of aeolian processes in the formation of heuweltjies has important implications for conservation. Any land use that diminishes the sediment‐trapping effect of vegetation on heuweltjies truncates the very process by which new aeolian materials can accrue and may promote irreversible erosion and landscape degradation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New developments in water efficiency

1Water LossInitiativesUnaccounted-for water(or unbilled water)has beenreceiving newscrutiny at both the state and nationallevels.For years,water conservationeffortsin Europehave emphasized reduction in water loss to a muchgreater extent thaninthe United S…     

A lithogeochemical approach to Stratigraphical problems at the Millstream potash deposit, New Brunswick, Canada

A lithogeochemical study was undertaken of the Millstream potash deposit, New Brunswick, Canada, a marine evaporite deposit with a complex depositional and tectonic history. The objective of the study was to determine if potash intersections in boreholes represent different geological horizons, or the same stratum repeated by folding or faulting. The deposit is found at a depth of 800–1000 m.Water-soluble and -insoluble fractions of drill core from five ore zones in four holes were analyzed using multielement ICP instrumentation following sequential hot water and aqua regia leaches. Meaningful variations in the data for the different ore zones were evident for eight elements in the water-soluble portion, and for seventeen elements in the water-insoluble residue. These results characterize a lowermost sylvinite unit which is relatively depleted in most elements, with the exception of Mg and Al in the residue. Regression analysis indicates a weak correlation between Fe and the common base metals, in contrast to the immediately overlying sylvinite unit which is relatively enriched in most elements, including Fe, but where Fe apparently exerts no control over the base metals. Cluster analysis confirms these two units are easily distinguished from each other. The upper two ore horizons are distinguishable from the lower units on the basis of different abundances of some elements, such as water-soluble B, and on the strong scavenging abilities of Fe on the common base metals.No single element is able to uniquely fingerprint a particular sylvinite horizon, but suites of elements are able to classify each horizon as geochemically distinctive. The results appear to confirm the validity of the geological correlations.