Sediment Distribution Around Glacially Abraded Bedrock Landforms (Whalebacks) at Lago Tranquilo, Chile

Whalebacks are convex landforms created by the smoothing of bedrock by glacial processes. Their formation is attributed to glacial abrasion either by bodies of subglacial sediment sliding over bedrock or by individual clasts contained within ice. This paper reports field measurements of sediment depth around two whaleback landforms in order to investigate the relationship between glacigenic deposits and whaleback formation. The study site, at Lago Tranquilo in Chilean Patagonia, is situated within the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ice limits. The two whalebacks are separated by intervening depressions in which sediment depths are generally 0.2 to 0.3 m. Two facies occur on and around the whalebacks. These facies are: (1) angular gravel found only on the surface of the whalebacks, interpreted as bedrock fracturing in response to unloading of the rock following pressure release after ice recession, and (2) sandy boulder‐gravel in the sediment‐filled depressions between the two whalebacks, interpreted as an ice‐marginal deposit, with a mixture of sediment types including basal glacial and glaciofluvial sediment. Since the whalebacks have heavily abraded and striated surfaces but are surrounded by only a patchy and discontinuous layer of sediment, the implication is that surface abrasion of the whalebacks was achieved primarily by clasts entrained in basal ice, not by subglacial till sliding.     

Effects of natural attenuation processes on groundwater contamination caused by abandoned waste sites in Berlin

The aim of this research project is to identify, characterize and quantify natural attenuation (NA) processes in groundwater affected by emissions of abandoned waste disposal sites in Berlin-Kladow/Gatow, Germany. It is part of the funding priority called KORA established by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) to explore the extent to which NA can be used for remedial purposes for varied forms of soil and groundwater contamination. Information on the emission behaviour of individual parameters is generated on the basis of hydrogeochemical comparison of 20 years old and new data. Using groundwater-modelling and CFC-analysis, information on the transport and retention of pollutants in groundwater is compiled. The microbial colonization of contaminated aquifers is characterized by molecular biological methods [polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)] to differentiate between contaminated and not contaminated zones.     

Early Holocene brackish closed basin conditions in Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada: microfossil (thecamoebian and pollen) evidence

Microfossils have been critical in unravelling the complex postglacial history of Georgian Bay. Thecamoebians (testate amoebae/rhizopods) record paleolimnological conditions, and pollen stratigraphy allows correlation across the basin, where sedimentation has been spatially and temporally discontinuous. Because parts of Georgian Bay have been non-depositional or erosional since the end of the Nipissing transgression (~5,000 (5,800 cal) BP), early Holocene features are exposed on the lakebed. Among these are shoreline features, such as submerged beaches and relict channels, associated with low-level Lake Hough that was driven far below the level of basin overflow. Cores taken throughout Georgian Bay record the existence of closed basin conditions that persisted several centuries around 7,500 (8,300 cal) BP, corresponding to the late Lake Hough lowstand. Evidence for hydrologic closure includes a low-diversity centropyxid-dominated thecamoebian fauna around the boundary between pollen subzones 2a and 2b in the Flowerpot Beach core, Flowerpot and Killarney basins, and in Severn Sound. This low-diversity centropyxid-dominated fauna is interpreted as recording the development of slightly brackish conditions as a result of a hydrologic deficit associated with relatively arid conditions in the Great Lakes basin during the early Holocene pine zone (~8,800–7,200 (9,900–8,050 cal) BP). The rest of the Holocene record in Georgian Bay (where it is preserved) is more diverse and dominated by difflugiid thecamoebians: predominantly Difflugia oblonga prior to human settlement, and Cucurbitella tricuspis since high-density human occupation and agriculture (and resulting eutrophication) began with the Wendat First Nations people around Severn Sound about 750 years ago. The implication that water budget fluctuations leading to discernible variations in lake level and water chemistry occurred in the relatively recent geologic past is significant to studies of global climate change and resource management in the Great Lakes, one of the world’s largest freshwater resources.     

Spectral analysis of the 91bg-like Type Ia SN 2005bl: low luminosity, low velocities, incomplete burning

The properties of underluminous Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) of the 91bg subclass have yet to be theoretically understood. Here, we take a closer look at the structure of the dim SN Ia 2005bl. We infer the abundance and density profiles needed to reproduce the observed spectral evolution between −6 d and  +12.9 d  with respect to B maximum. Initially, we assume the density structure of the standard explosion model W7; then we test whether better fits to the observed spectra can be obtained using modified density profiles with different total masses and kinetic energies. Compared to normal SNe Ia, we find a lack of burning products especially in the rapidly expanding outer layers  ( v ≳ 15 000 km s⁻¹)  . The zone between ∼8500 and 15 000 km s⁻¹ is dominated by oxygen and includes some amount of intermediate-mass elements. At lower velocities, intermediate-mass elements dominate. This holds down to the lowest zones investigated in this work. This fact, together with negligible-to-moderate abundances of Fe-group elements, indicates large-scale incomplete Si burning or explosive O burning, possibly in a detonation at low densities. Consistently with the reduced nucleosynthesis, we find hints of a kinetic energy lower than that of a canonical SN Ia: the spectra strongly favour reduced densities at  ≳13 000 km s⁻¹  compared to W7, and are very well fitted using a rescaled W7 model with original mass  (1.38 M_⊙)  , but a kinetic energy reduced by ∼30 per cent (i.e. from  1.33 × 10⁵¹  to  0.93 × 10⁵¹ erg  ).     

小型激光天文动力学空间计划概念

小型激光天文动力学空间计划是 :使用在太阳轨道上无拖曳航天器和地面站以激光干涉和脉冲测距的方法 ,精确地探讨天文动力学 ,检测相对论与时空基本定律 ,改进探测引力波的灵敏度以及更准确地测定太阳、行星和小行星的参数。 1 969年开始的月球激光 (反射 )测距 ,对地球物理、参考坐标的选定、相对论的检验均有重要的贡献。 3 0年来 ,激光技术的长足进步 ,使现在正是适合于开始进行研究空间有源 (主动 )测距和光波空间通讯的时候。激光天文动力学的兴起是必然的趋势 ,其精确度将比现在提高 3到 6个数量级 ,将是天文动力学革命性的发展。小型激光天文动力学空间计划可以起到带头作用。它的关键技术有三 ,即 :弱光锁相、极精确无拖曳航天和高衰减日冕仪。弱光锁相已有长足的进步。对高衰减日冕仪的研究 ,也有了初步的方案。LISA空间计划将于 2 0 0 6年 8月发射SMART -2 ,研究测试极精确无拖曳航天。小型激光天文动力学空间计划的关键技术已日趋成熟。在第一届国际激光天文动力学研讨会 ( 2 0 0 1 ,9.1 3 -2 3 )中介绍了各相关学科背景及前沿研究 ,讨论了激光天文动力学空间计划科学目标及相关技术 ,并召开了两次小型激光天文动力学空间计划预研究筹备会 ,建立了和欧洲的合作关系。会后着手进行此项对基础     

An algorithm to resolve γ-rays from charged cosmic rays with DAMPE

The DArk Matter Particle Explorer(DAMPE),also known as Wukong in China,which was launched on 2015 December 17,is a new high energy cosmic ray and γ-ray satellite-borne observatory.One of the main scientific goals of DAMPE is to observe Ge V-Te V high energy γ-rays with accurate energy,angular and time resolution,to indirectly search for dark matter particles and for the study of high energy astrophysics. Due to the comparatively higher fluxes of charged cosmic rays with respect to γ-rays,it is challenging to identify γ-rays with sufficiently high efficiency,minimizing the amount of charged cosmic ray contamination. In this work we present a method to identify γ-rays in DAMPE data based on Monte Carlo simulations,using the powerful electromagnetic/hadronic shower discrimination provided by the calorimeter and the veto detection of charged particles provided by the plastic scintillation detector. Monte Carlo simulations show that after this selection the number of electrons and protons that contaminate the selected γ-ray events at～10 Ge V amounts to less than 1% of the selected sample.Finally,we use flight data to verify the effectiveness of the method by highlighting known γ-ray sources in the sky and by reconstructing preliminary light curves of the Geminga pulsar.     

The timing and nature of recession of outlet glaciers of Hielo Patagónico Norte, Chile, from their Neoglacial IV (Little Ice Age) maximum positions

The dates of recession of eleven outlet glaciers of the Hielo Patagónico Norte (Northern Patagonian Icefield) from their recent maximum positions have been inferred from dendrochronology, lichenometry, radiocarbon dating and historical sources. We have refined the dating for part of the Little Ice Age period in this area placing a glacial advance to between AD 1650 and 1766 with the latter date favoured as conformable with historical records and an uncalibrated radiocarbon determination. Glacier recession from maximal positions began in the early 1860s–1870s. Recession was largely synchronous on the western and eastern sides of the Icefield. This synchronicity suggests that climate forcing over-rides second-order controls on glacier behaviour such as the nature of the terminal environment (e.g. calving/non-calving) or differences in glacier drainage basin area. We argue that this icefield-wide glacier recession represents a response to post-Little Ice Age warming, and provides further evidence for the global extent and near synchronous termination of the Little Ice Age.     

Suspended sediment concentration in a buoyant plume: Fraser River,Canada

A study of suspended sediment concentration in the buoyant plume of the Fraser River, Canada, showed that unstratified flow conditions at the river mouth caused resuspension of sandy bed material and high concentrations of coarse sediment. When flow at the mouth was stratified, sediment was fine-grained and concentrations were low. Application of a multivariate model revealed that suspended sediment concentration along the plume axis was controlled primarily by distance seaward of the river mouth, secondly by tidal height, and least by sediment concentration in the river.     

Behaviour of H2O2, NH3, and black carbon in mixed-phase clouds during CIME

We investigated the partitioning of trace substances during the phase transition from supercooled to mixed-phase cloud induced by artificial seeding. Simultaneous determination of the concentrations of H₂O₂, NH₃ and black carbon (BC) in both condensed and interstitial phases with high time resolution showed that the three species undergo different behaviour in the presence of a mixture of ice crystals and supercooled droplets. Both H₂O₂ and NH₃ are efficiently scavenged by growing ice crystals, whereas BC stayed predominantly in the interstitial phase. In addition, the scavenging of H₂O₂ is driven by co-condensation with water vapour onto ice crystals while NH₃ uptake into the ice phase is more efficient than co-condensation alone. The high solubility of NH₄⁺ in the ice could explain this result. Finally, it appears that the H₂O₂–SO₂ reaction is very slow in the ice phase with respect to the liquid phase. Our results are directly applicable for clouds undergoing limited riming.