Sensitivity analysis of a deterministic water temperature model to forest canopy and soil temperature in Catamaran Brook (New Brunswick,Canada)

A coupled deterministic hydrological and water temperature model, CEQUEAU, was modified to include soil temperature and crown closure in its calculation of local advective terms in the heat budget. The modified model was than tested to verify its sensitivity to these modifications. An analysis of the heat budget of a small forested catchment in eastern Canada revealed that the advective term related to interflow plays a significant role in the daily water heat budget, providing on average 28% of the local advective budget (which also includes advective heat terms from surface runoff and groundwater) and nearly 14% of the total heat budget (which includes all radiative terms at the water surface, convection and evaporation, as well as the local advective terms). Relative sensitivity indices (RSIs) were used to verify the impact of the newly introduced parameters and variables. Among them, parameters related to the forest cover (crown closure and leaf area index) have a maximum RSI of ?0·6; i.e. a 100% increase in value produces a 60% decrease in the local advective term. Parameters with the greatest influence are the volume of water contributing to interflow and the amplitude of the net radiative flux at the soil surface, which, if doubled, would double the contribution of the local interflow advective term to the heat budget. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Incorporation of Cr<Superscript>3+</Superscript> in dickite: a spectroscopic study

 We have investigated a well-ordered sample of natural Cr-bearing dickite from Nowa Ruda (Lower Silesia, Poland) using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) at X- and Q-band frequencies (9.42 and 33.97 GHz, respectively) and optical diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The observation of the spin-forbidden transitions at 15500 and 14690 cm⁻¹ allows us to unambiguously identify the major contribution of octahedrally coordinated Cr³⁺ ions in the optical spectrum. The X- and Q-band EPR spectra show two superposed Cr³⁺ signals. The corresponding fine-structure parameters were determined at room temperature and 145 K. These results suggest the substitution of Cr³⁺ for Al³⁺ in equal proportions in the two unequivalent octahedral sites of the dickite structure. In kaolin group minerals, the distortion around Cr³⁺ ions (λ≈ 0.2–0.4) in Al sites is significantly less rhombic than that observed around Fe³⁺ ions (λ≈ 0.6–0.8). Received: 29 June 2001 / Accepted: 22 October 2001     

Uniting space, ground, and underwater measurements for improved estimates of rain rate

Global precipitation is monitored from a variety of platforms including spaceborne, ground-, and ocean-based platforms. Intercomparisons of these observations are crucial to validating the measurements and providing confidence for each measurement technique. Probability distribution functions of rain rates are used to compare satellite and ground-based radar observations. A preferred adjustment technique for improving rain rate distribution estimates is identified using measurements from ground-based radar and rain gauges within the coverage area of the radar. The underwater measurement of rainfall shows similarities to radar measurements, but with intermediate spatial resolution and high temporal resolution. Reconciling these different measurement techniques provides understanding and confidence for all of the methods.     

Native and artificial radiation-induced defects in montmorillonite. An EPR study

A natural montmorillonite containing radiation-induced defects was studied with Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy (X- and Q-band). A first dominant native defect, namely native defect 1, is identified. It gives rise to an orthorhombic spectrum with g_x= 2.004 ± 0.005 g_y= 2.010 ± 0.003, g_z= 2.065 ± 0.002. Simulation of the EPR spectrum at X- and Q-band reveals a second native defect with isotropic spectrum at g= 2.019 ± 0.005. Both are electron holes trapped on oxygen atoms of the structure. The native defect 1 is located on an oxygen-silicon bond or a non-bonding orbital parallel to the c* axis. These defects are annealed at 500°C and the half-life determined for native defect 1 is circa 3,000 years. Irradiations with beta rays produced two additional hole centers of lower stability and distinct EPR parameters. Artificial irradiations show that montmorillonite can be used as a dosimeter in a large dose range.     

A severe autumn storm over the middle-east: synoptic and mesoscale convection analysis

Summary  At times, a pronounced trough of low barometric pressure extends from equatorial Africa northward, over the Red Sea and the eastern Mediterranean countries, i.e., the Red Sea Trough. The associated weather is usually hot and dry, and consequently the atmosphere becomes conditionally unstable. In cases in which additional moisture is supplied and dynamic conditions become supportive, as the case analyzed here, intense thunderstorms occur, with extreme rain rates, hail and floods. The storm herein analyzed caused extensive damage both in casualties and property and evolved in two main consecutive phases: In the first a Mesoscale Convective System that moved from Sinai northward over Israel dominated, and in the second deep convection was organized mainly along a cold front. Data analysis indicates several synoptic-scale factors that had a supportive effect on the storm formation and intensification: Conditional instability established by the Red Sea trough, mid-level moisture transport from Northern Africa, and upper-level divergence imparted by both polar and subtropical jet streams over the Middle-East. Mesoscale features were further investigated by means of a hydro-meteorological observational analysis with high spatio-temporal resolution using raingauge and radar data, and satellite imagery. It is shown that local factors, particularly topographic effects, play a major role in the evolution, intensity and spatial organization of the convective activity. Our findings support results of a numerical study of another autumn rainstorm associated with the Red Sea trough. In the present case we identify an additional contributing factor, i.e., a mid-latitude upper-level trough that further intensified the storm as it was approaching the Middle-East. Received July 4, 2000 Revised January 16, 2001     

Determination des intervalles de confiance de la loi Pearson III par les statistiques d'ordre

The knowledge of the distribution functions of the order statistics for the Pearson III law and its derived forms is used for determining the confidence intervals associated with this law.This method is used to establish the tables and graphs for the confidence intervals of this law and its derived forms.     

Holocene rockfalls in the southern Negev Desert,Israel and their relation to Dead Sea fault earthquakes

Rockfall ages in tectonically active regions provide information regarding frequency and magnitude of earthquakes. In the hyper-arid environment of the Dead Sea fault (DSF), southern Israel, rockfalls are most probably triggered by earthquakes. We dated rockfalls along the western margin of the DSF using terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCN). At each rockfall site, samples were collected from simultaneously exposed conjugate boulders and cliff surfaces. Such conjugate samples initially had identical pre-fall (“inherited”) TCN concentrations. After boulder detachment, these surfaces were dosed by different production rates due to differences in post-fall shielding and geometry. However, in our study area, pre-rockfall inheritance and post-rockfall production rates of TCN cannot be evaluated. Therefore, we developed a numerical approach and demonstrated a way to overcome the above-mentioned problems. This approach can be applied in other settings where rockfalls cannot be dated by simple exposure dating. Results suggest rockfall ages between 3.6 ± 0.8 and 4.7 ± 0.7 ka. OSL ages of sediment accumulated behind the boulders range between 0.6 ± 0.1 and 3.4 ± 1.4 ka and support the TCN results. Our ages agree with dated earthquakes determined in paleoseismic studies along the entire length of the DSF and support the observation of intensive earthquake activity around 4–5 ka.     

Observations of the Ushant tidal front in September 2007

The Ushant tidal front is the dominant feature of the summer season hydrological structure of the Iroise Sea. It separates tidally mixed coastal waters from thermally stratified open Celtic Sea waters. This article reports on observations made in September 2007 during two short cruises that took place aboard R/V “Côtes de la Manche”, and gives a general account of the physical structure of the front along one cross-frontal transect. The data set comprises data from a 4 month ADCP mooring, short CTD/fluorescence/nutrients transects, Lagrangian drifter trajectories, and HF radar surface current measurements. One finding is that the surface and bottom fronts, being affected by different dynamical influences, are not necessarily coincident in the vertical. This entails that the opposite density gradients located above and below the thermocline depth do not necessarily compensate, and can each be associated with a significant surface geostrophic expression. A second finding is that mixing effects bear a very strong influence on the thermal structure of the warm-water intrusions associated with frontal cyclonic eddies of the kind described by Pingree [1978. Cyclonic eddies and cross-frontal mixing. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 58 (4), 955–963].