Optimal dynamos in the cores of terrestrial exoplanets: Magnetic field generation and detectability

A potentially promising way to gain knowledge about the internal dynamics of extrasolar planets is by remote measurement of an intrinsic magnetic field. Strong planetary magnetic fields, maintained by internal dynamo action in an electrically conducting fluid layer, are helpful for shielding the upper atmosphere from stellar wind induced mass loss and retaining water over long (Gyr) time scales. Here we present a whole planet dynamo model that consists of three main components: an internal structure model with composition and layers similar to the Earth, an optimal mantle convection model that is designed to maximize the heat flow available to drive convective dynamo action in the core, and a scaling law to estimate the magnetic field intensity at the surface of a terrestrial exoplanet. We find that the magnetic field intensity at the core surface can be up to twice the present-day geomagnetic field intensity, while the magnetic moment varies by a factor of 20 over the models considered. Assuming electron cyclotron emission is produced from the interaction between the stellar wind and the exoplanet magnetic field we estimate the cyclotron frequencies around the ionospheric cutoff at 10 MHz with emission fluxes in the range 10⁻⁴-10⁻⁷ Jy, below the current detection threshold of radio telescopes. However, we propose that anomalous boosts and modulations to the magnetic field intensity and cyclotron emission may allow for their detection in the future.     

LightSquared effects on estimated C/N 0, pseudoranges and positions

We present experimental results showing the impact of the proposed LightSquared (LS) Long-term Evolution (LTE) signals on both GPS and Galileo civil modulations in the L1/E1 band. The experiments were conducted in radiated mode in a large anechoic chamber. Three Galileo enabled receivers were chosen for the tests, and a state of the art GNSS signal generator was used to simulate both GPS and Galileo signals. The LTE signals were generated by an Agilent Programmable Signal Generator with a license to generate the signals according to the 3GPP LTE FDD standard. The interference impact was measured in terms of a Carrier-to-Noise power spectral density ratio (C/N ₀) degradation, in accordance with the methodology which the LS/GPS Technical Working Group (TWG) established by mandate of the FCC. A model for determining the impact of the LS signal on the considered GNSS signals is provided and is validated against experimental data. It is shown that the Galileo E1 Open Service (OS) signal is marginally more susceptible to this form of interference than the GPS L1 C/A signal due to its greater proximity to the lower edge of the L1 band. The impact of LS interference was further analyzed in terms of pseudorange and position errors. Despite its relevance for most GNSS users, this aspect was not considered by the TWG. Measurement and position domain analysis along with the study of the LS impact on the Galileo OS signals are the major contributions. The analysis confirms the results obtained by the TWG and shows that the receiver front-end plays a major role in protecting GNSS signals against RF interference. While it appears that, for now, the LS network will not be deployed, the approach taken and the results obtained herein can be readily adapted for any future terrestrial mobile network that may take the place of LS.     

Controls on surface water chemistry in two lake‐watersheds in the Adirondack region of New York: differences in nitrogen solute sources and sinks

The southwestern Adirondack region of New York receives among the highest rates of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition in the USA. Atmospheric N deposition to sensitive ecosystems, like the Adirondacks, may increase the acidification of soils through losses of exchangeable nutrient cations, and the acidification of surface waters associated with enhanced mobility of nitrate (NO₃^?). However, watershed attributes, including surficial terrestrial characteristics, in‐lake processing, and geological settings, have been found to complicate the relationships between atmospheric N deposition and N drainage losses. We studied two lake‐watersheds in the southwestern Adirondacks, Grass Pond and Constable Pond, which are located in close proximity (～26 km) and receive similarly high N deposition, but have contrasting watershed attributes (e.g. wetland area, geological settings). Since the difference in the influence of N deposition was minimal, we were able to examine both within‐ and between‐watershed influences of land cover, the contribution of glacial till groundwater inputs, and in‐lake processes on surface water chemistry with particular emphasis on N solutes and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Monthly samples at seven inlets and one outlet of each lake were collected from May to October in 1999 and 2000. The concentrations of NO₃^? were high at the Grass Pond inlets, especially at two inlets, and NO₃^? was the major N solute at the Grass Pond inlets. The concentrations of likely weathering products (i.e. dissolved Si, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺) as well as acid neutralizing capacity and pH values, were also particularly high at those two Grass Pond inlets, suggesting a large contribution of groundwater inputs. Dissolved organic N (DON) was the major N solute at the Constable Pond inlets. The higher concentrations of DON and DOC at the Constable Pond inlets were attributed to a large wetland area in the watershed. The DOC/DON ratios were also higher at the Constable Pond inlets, possibly due to a larger proportion of coniferous forest area. Although DON and DOC were strongly related, the stronger relationship of the proportion of wetland area with DOC suggests that additional factors regulate DON. The aggregated representation of watershed physical features (i.e. elevation, watershed area, mean topographic index, hypsometric‐analysis index) was not clearly related to the lake N and DOC chemistry. Despite distinctive differences in inlet N chemistry, NO₃^? and DON concentrations at the outlets of the two lakes were similar. The lower DOC/DON ratios at the lake outlets and at the inlets having upstream ponds suggest the importance of N processing and organic N sources within the lakes. Although an inverse relationship between NO₃^? and DOC/DON has been suggested to be indicative of a N deposition gradient, the existence of this relationship for sites that receive similar atmospheric N deposition suggest that the relationship between NO₃^? and the DOC/DON ratio is derived from environmental and physical factors. Our results suggest that, despite similar wet N deposition at the two watershed sites, N solutes entering lakes were strongly affected by hydrology associated with groundwater contribution and the presence of wetlands, whereas N solutes leaving lakes were strongly influenced by in‐lake processing. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Response of surface water chemistry to reduced levels of acid precipitation: comparison of trends in two regions of New York,USA

In light of recent reductions in sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) emissions mandated by Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, temporal trends and trend coherence in precipitation (1984–2001 and 1992–2001) and surface water chemistry (1992–2001) were determined in two of the most acid‐sensitive regions of North America, i.e. the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains of New York. Precipitation chemistry data from six sites located near these regions showed decreasing sulphate (SO₄^2?), nitrate (NO₃^?), and base cation (C_B) concentrations and increasing pH during 1984–2001, but few significant trends during 1992–2001. Data from five Catskill streams and 12 Adirondack lakes showed decreasing trends in SO₄^2? concentrations at all sites, and decreasing trends in NO₃^?, C_B, and H⁺ concentrations and increasing trends in dissolved organic carbon at most sites. In contrast, acid‐neutralizing capacity (ANC) increased significantly at only about half the Adirondack lakes and in one of the Catskill streams. Flow correction prior to trend analysis did not change any trend directions and had little effect on SO₄^2? trends, but it caused several significant non‐flow‐corrected trends in NO₃^? and ANC to become non‐significant, suggesting that trend results for flow‐sensitive constituents are affected by flow‐related climate variation. SO₄^2? concentrations showed high temporal coherence in precipitation, surface waters, and in precipitation–surface water comparisons, reflecting a strong link between S emissions, precipitation SO₄^2? concentrations, and the processes that affect S cycling within these regions. NO₃^? and H⁺ concentrations and ANC generally showed weak coherence, especially in surface waters and in precipitation–surface water comparisons, indicating that variation in local‐scale processes driven by factors such as climate are affecting trends in acid–base chemistry in these two regions. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long‐term and seasonal hydrologic performance of an extensive green roof

Sustainable strategies such as green roofs have been implemented as stormwater management tools to mitigate disturbance of the hydrologic cycle resulting from urbanization. Green roofs, also referred to as vegetated roofs, can improve the urban landscape by reducing heat island effects, providing ecosystem services, and facilitating the retention and treatment of stormwater. Green roofs have received particular attention because they do not require acquisition and development of land and represent an application of biomimicry in design and construction. In this paper, we evaluate the effects of precipitation, evapotranspiration (ET), antecedent dry period (ADP), and seasonal variation on the run‐off quantity and distribution of an extensive, sedum covered, green roof on a commercial building in Syracuse, NY, USA. The green roof greatly facilitated retention of precipitation events without significant changes over the 4‐year study. The green roof retained on average 95.9 ± 3.6% (6.5 ± 5.6 mm) per rainfall event, with a range from 75% to 99.6% (33.2 to 3.3 mm). However, as precipitation quantity increased, the retention of water decreased. This high water retention capacity was the result of the combined effects of ET, stormwater storage (plants, growth media, and stormwater retention layer), and limited surface run‐off from the roof deck due to variation in the sloping of the green roof and the tapered insulation to the deck drains. The water retention capacity of the green roof did not change significantly between growing and nongrowing seasons. Slightly greater precipitation during the growing season coincided with increased ET. Average potential ET during the growing season was approximately 3 times greater than during the nongrowing season. The hydrologic performance of the green roof was not significantly impacted by an ADP greater than 2 days.     

Airborne Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF) Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) for the Quantification of Dissolved Organic Matter Concentration in Natural Waters

Analysis of dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentration and composition is essential to quantifying biological and chemical oxygen demand and atmosphere?Cocean heat flux exchange in natural waters. However, manual water sampling is costly and time consuming over large areas. The purpose of this research was to analyze the applicability of airborne laser-induced fluorescence light detection and ranging (LiDAR) for the detection of DOM in estuarine ecosystems impacted by agriculture. A fluorescence LiDAR system (Airborne Marine) (FLS-AM) was used to assess the DOM concentration of the Annapolis River and Basin, Nova Scotia, Canada, as well as three rivers and their estuaries in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Two FLS-AM flight missions were conducted in the summers of 2008 and 2009 and the resulting datasets were compared with spectral fluorescence signature (SFS DOM) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) analysis of in situ water samples. Significant positive correlations were found at five of seven sites between the FLS-AM DOM and SFS DOM relationship which indicates that the FLS-AM sensor is a good surrogate for traditional sample collection of DOM data in estuaries in this region. Positive correlations were also found at all sites between FLS-AM DOM values and DOC. FLS-AM DOM patterns show that DOM values are significantly higher in rivers and estuaries that drain watersheds which are heavily impacted by agricultural practices. The results of this study show that the FLS-AM can be used efficiently as a general indicator for how estuaries are affected by runoff from agricultural watersheds in real time and thus reduce the requirement for traditional water sample collection and laboratory analysis methods.     

A wavelet for predicting the time-domain response of vertically tethered systems

The response wavelets for tether tension and the displacement of a package on the end of a tether are derived from a linear, frequency-domain model of vertically tethered systems using inverse fourier transform techniques. These wavelets are convolved with a record of ship displacement to predict the instantaneous tension and displacement to an accuracy of better than 20% for a typical system. Although snap loads are non-linear and the response cannot be calculated while the tether is slack, the onset of zero tension — a precursor to snap loads — is predicted by the wavelet. Thus, extreme and potentially hazardous conditions are foreseeable with the wavelet and this information can be used in real-time to guide operations at sea.     

Etiologies, observations and reporting of estuarine finfish lesions.

Lesions in estuarine finfish are associated with a variety of organisms including parasites and bacterial, viral, and fungal infectious agents. In addition, trauma, suboptimal water quality, and other abiotic stress factors may result in the loss of homeostasis. We have observed solitary ulcerative lesions on menhaden sampled from the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, the Pimlico River, North Carolina, and the St. Johns River, Florida. Histologically, the lesions demonstrated a marked chronic inflammatory infiltrate and granulomas in response to fungal hyphae throughout large areas of exposed necrotic muscle. Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria were also observed in the lesions, a common finding in ulcers of aquatic organisms. Similar observations in menhaden and other species have been described previously in the literature as ulcerative mycosis, mycotic granulomatosis, red spot disease, and epizootic ulcerative syndrome. Despite the many different known causes of fish lesions, the popular press and the scientific literature have recently emphasized Pfiesteria piscicida and other Pfiesteria-like dinoflagellates (and their bioactive compounds) as the primary causative agent for finfish lesions, particularly mycotic granulomatous ulcers in Atlantic menhaden. While some laboratory data suggest that Pfiesteria may play a role in field-observed lesions, much more cause-and-effect evidence is needed to determine the importance of other risk factors, both alone or and in combination with Pfiesteria. In order to better understand the etiology of lesion initiation and progression in estuarine finfish, accurate assessments of environmental conditions collected on appropriate temporal and spatial scales, and fish morphological indicators consistent with gross and histological pathologic terminology, should be used for reporting fish lesion observations and kills. Further, this outlook will help to avoid bias and may foster a broader perspective for examining the health of estuarine systems in general.     

The development and application of a mass balance model for mercury (total,elemental and methyl) using data from a remote lake (Big Dam West,Nova Scotia,Canada) and the multi-species multiplier method

Big Dam West, located in Kejimkujik Park, Nova Scotia, Canada, is a remote lake with elevated Hg concentrations in fish due in part to low pH and high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. These features reflect the poor buffering capacity of peat lands in the flat drainage basin. To address the multiple species of Hg, a model was developed by coupling the “multiplier method” for multi-species chemicals with average concentration ratios to the Quantitative Water Air Sediment Interaction (QWASI) model. Elemental Hg was the “key species” modeled. Total Hg fluxes and concentrations were computed using concentration ratios. Many of the concentrations and Hg flux processes within the Big Dam West catchment had been previously measured with concentration ratios that were either computed or taken from the literature when measured data were not available. Measured values for total Hg concentration in each compartment (air, water, sediment) and Hg fluxes (e.g., precipitation, sediment deposition) enable verification of model concentration and flux estimates for total Hg in each environmental compartment. The model was also run with and without the inclusion of upward Hg fluxes from the underlying sediment to determine the significance of this controversial flux. The Hg QWASI model presented in this paper could be a valuable screening tool, especially for remote lakes, due to its ability to provide reasonable Hg estimates with a limited amount of data (water inflow rate, suspended particulate matter, sediment deposition velocity, and concentration of Hg in atmosphere and inflow water).     

Pairing paleolimnological inference models with mechanistic water column models enhances assessment of lake water quality

Reconciliation of paleolimnology inference models with hindcasts from mechanistic water column models aided the reconstruction of past relationships for total phosphorus/dissolved oxygen and acid neutralizing capacity/pH in highly polluted lake ecosystems in New York State. Pre-disturbance Onondaga Lake, Syracuse, NY, was shown to have experienced seasonal hypolimnetic anoxia even under oligotrophic (<10 ug l^?1) phosphorus levels. In the Adirondack Mountains of New York State the paired modeling confirmed that, while many lakes have the potential to eventually recover from acidification by atmospheric deposition, approximately 30% likely experienced naturally acidic conditions (pH < 6) prior to increases in industrial emissions. Comparison between the model results illuminated areas of individual model inadequacy, improved understanding of lake ecology, and increased confidence in the ability of predictive water column models to accurately develop restoration scenarios representing improved conditions. The work presented here is the first such comparison modeling for total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, and acid neutralizing capacity. The technique remains to be more widely applied geographically and extended to less heavily stressed lake systems. Because a fossil inference and mechanistic hindcast should independently lead to similar results, comparison modeling is a potentially powerful tool for examining past interactions between ecosystem structure and ecosystem functioning.