The mass ratio of Charon to Pluto from Hubble Space Telescope astrometry with the fine guidance sensors

The mass ratio of Charon to Pluto is a basic parameter describing the binary system and is necessary for determining the individual masses and densities of these two bodies. Previous measurements of the mass ratio have been made, but the solutions differ significantly (Null et al., 1993; Young et al., 1994; Null and Owen, 1996; Foust et al., 1997; Tholen and Buie, 1997). We present the first observations of Pluto and Charon with a well-calibrated astrometric instrument—the fine guidance sensors on the Hubble Space Telescope. We observed the motion of Pluto and Charon about the system barycenter over 4.4 days (69% of an orbital period) and determined the mass ratio to be 0.122±0.008 which implies a density of 1.8 to 2.1 g cm⁻³ for Pluto and 1.6 to 1.8 g cm⁻³ for Charon. The resulting rock-mass fractions for Pluto and Charon are higher than expected for bodies formed in the outer solar nebula, possibly indicating significant postaccretion loss of volatiles.     

Optimal deflection of NEOs en route of collision with the Earth

Recently, a method for the n-body analysis of the velocity change required to deflect a hazardous near-Earth object (NEO) was presented by Carusi et al. [Carusi, A., Valsecchi, G.B., D'Abramo, G., Boattini A., 2002. Icarus 159, 417-422]. We extent this method in order to optimize the velocity change vector instead of its along-track magnitude. From an application of both methods to a fictitious NEO we find Carusi's parallel approach to be reasonable for phases of unperturbed two-body motion. But, for orbit phases inhering third-body perturbations, i.e., for planetary close approaches or prior to a collision, the results obtained from the new method show the radial component of deflection impulse to play a major role. We show that a fivefold greater efficiency can be achieved by a deflection impulse being non-parallel to orbital velocity. The new method is applied to two possible 99942 Apophis impact trajectories in order to provide constraints for future Apophis deflection mission analysis.     

Biological and granulometric controls on sedimentary organic matter of an intertidal mudflat

A variety of measures of organic matter concentration and quality were made on samples collected from the top few mm of intertidal mudflat sediment over the course of a year, in order to assess the relative importance of biological and sedimentological influences on sedimentary organic matter. Winter and summer were times of relatively fine-grained sediment accumulation, caused by biological deposition or stabilization processes and resulting in higher organic matter concentrations. Stable carbon isotope and Br:C ratios indicated a planktonic source of bulk organic matter. Ratios of organic carbon to specific surface area of the sediments were consistent with an organic monolayer coverage of sediment grains. Correction for changing grain size during the year showed no change in the organic concentration per unit surface area, in spite of organic matter inputs by in situ primary production, buildup of heterotroph biomass and mucus coatings, and biodeposition of organic-rich seston. There were also no indications of changes in bulk organic quality, measured as hydrolyzable carbohydrates and amino acids, in response to these biological processes. It is concluded that biological processes on a seasonal time scale affect the bulk organic matter of these sediments via a modulation of grain size rather than creation or decay of organic matter.     

Scanning electron microscopy,cathodoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy of experimentally shock‐metamorphosed quartzite

Abstract— We studied unshocked and experimentally (at 12, 25, and 28 GPa, with 25, 100, 450, and 750°C pre‐shock temperatures) shock‐metamorphosed Hospital Hill quartzite from South Africa using cathodoluminescence (CL) images and spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy to document systematic pressure or temperature‐related effects that could be used in shock barometry. In general, CL images of all samples show CL‐bright luminescent patchy areas and bands in otherwise nonluminescent quartz, as well as CL‐dark irregular fractures. Fluid inclusions appear dominant in CL images of the 25 GPa sample shocked at 750°C and of the 28 GPa sample shocked at 450°C. Only the optical image of our 28 GPa sample shocked at 25°C exhibits distinct planar deformation features (PDFs). Cathodoluminescence spectra of unshocked and experimentally shocked samples show broad bands in the near‐ultraviolet range and the visible light range at all shock stages, indicating the presence of defect centers on, e.g., SiO₄ groups. No systematic change in the appearance of the CL images was obvious, but the CL spectra do show changes between the shock stages. The Raman spectra are characteristic for quartz in the unshocked and 12 GPa samples. In the 25 and 28 GPa samples, broad bands indicate the presence of glassy SiO₂, while high‐pressure polymorphs are not detected. Apparently, some of the CL and Raman spectral properties can be used in shock barometry.     

Geobarometry for Peridotites: Experiments in Simple and Natural Systems from 6 to 10 GPa

Experiments with peridotite minerals in simple (MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂,CaO–MgO–SiO₂ and CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂)and natural systems were conducted at 1300–1500°Cand 6–10 GPa using a multi-anvil apparatus. The experimentsin simple systems demonstrated consistency with previous lowerpressure experiments in belt and piston–cylinder set-ups.The analysis of spatial variations in pyroxene compositionswithin experimental samples was used to demonstrate that pressureand temperature variations within the samples were less than0·4 GPa and 50°C. Olivine capsules were used in natural-systemexperiments with two mineral mixtures: SC1 (olivine + high-Alorthopyroxene + high-Al clinopyroxene + spinel) and J4 (olivine+ low-Al orthopyroxene + low-Al clinopyroxene + garnet). Theexperiments produced olivine + orthopyroxene + garnet ±clinopyroxene assemblages, occasionally with magnesite and carbonate-richmelt. Equilibrium compositions were derived by the analysisof grain rims and evaluation of mineral zoning. They were comparedwith our previous experiments with the same starting mixturesat 2·8–6·0 GPa and the results from simplesystems. The compositions of minerals from experiments withnatural mixtures show smooth pressure and temperature dependencesup to a pressure of 8 GPa. The experiments at 9 and 10 GPa producedandradite-rich garnets and pyroxene compositions deviating fromthe trends defined by the lower pressure experiments (e.g. higherAl in orthopyroxene and Ca in clinopyroxene). This discrepancyis attributed to a higher degree of oxidation in the high-pressureexperiments and an orthopyroxene–high-P clinopyroxenephase transition at 9 GPa. Based on new and previous resultsin simple and natural systems, a new version of the Al-in-orthopyroxenebarometer is presented. The new barometer adequately reproducesexperimental pressures up to 8 GPa. KEY WORDS: garnet; mineral equilibrium; multi-anvil apparatus; orthopyroxene; geobarometry     

Präparationstechnik für Aufbereitungsprodukte zur quantitativen erzmikroskopischen Untersuchung

Zusammenfassung Mikroskopische Anschliffe feinkörniger Aufbereitungsprodukte können nur dann quantitativ ausgewertet werden, wenn ihre Schliffqualität so hoch ist, daß auch feinste Partien sicher zu bestimmen sind. Daneben muß gewährleistet sein, daß die an der Schliffoberfläche erfaßten Körner die tatsächliche Verteilung der Mineralien der Probe repräsentieren. Diese Forderung kann nur durch zweckentsprechende Präparation, die dem eigentlichen Schleif- und Polierprozeß vorausgeht, erfüllt werden. Als günstigste Lösung erscheint es, das Korngemisch exakt als Einkornschicht zu präparieren und anschließend wie Stückproben anzuschleifen. Die Schliffe können dann nach den gleichen statistischen Gesetzmäßigkeiten ausgewertet werden, wie sie bei praktisch zweidimensionalen Dünnschliffen oder bei Streupräparaten nichtopaker Korngemische vorliegen.

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Quantitative examination of fine-grained ore dressing products depends on good quality of the sections and on whether very small particles and areas of grains can be determined. Besides, it must absolutely be guaranteed that the grains at the section surface represent the actual distribution of the minerals in the sample. This condition can only be realized by suitable grain mounting prior to grinding and polishing. The best method for this purpose appears to be the preparation of a mono-grain layer. The polished sections can then be examined according to the same statistical laws as two-dimensional thin sections or immersion-liquid slides of non-opaque mixtures of grains.

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Mitteilung Nr. 141 aus dem Forschungsinstitut für Aufbereitung der Deutschen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Freiberg (Sachsen). Direktor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. H. Kirchberg.     

The Bering Sea—A dynamic food web perspective

The Bering Sea is a high-latitude, semi-enclosed sea that supports extensive fish, seabird, marine mammal, and invertebrate populations and some of the world's most productive fisheries. The region consists of several distinct biomes that have undergone wide-scale population variation, in part due to fisheries, but also in part due to the effects of interannual and decadal-scale climatic variation. While recent decades of ocean observation have highlighted possible links between climate and species fluctuations, mechanisms linking climate and population fluctuations are only beginning to be understood. Here, we examine the food webs of Bering Sea ecosystems with particular reference to some key shifts in widely distributed, abundant fish populations and their links with climate variation. Both climate variability and fisheries have substantially altered the Bering Sea ecosystem in the past, but their relative importance in shaping the current ecosystem state remains uncertain.     

Sediment mobility in the Pomeranian Bight (Baltic Sea): a case study based on sidescan-sonar images and hydrodynamic modelling

Sidescan-sonar surveys were performed on a 2×4 km area of seafloor in the southern Baltic Sea (Pomeranian Bight) in 1996 and 1998. Overlapping sub-areas of the individual surveys showing characteristic details were processed into geographically referenced mosaics. Sediment types were identified from echo characteristics and by comparison with granulometric data. The sea bottom covered by the mosaics consists predominantly of sand, with subordinate lag sediments with stones and small ripple fields consisting of coarse sand to fine gravel. A comparison of the two mosaics did not reveal any significant changes of the sea bottom over the 2-year period. Characteristic sedimentary features remained almost unchanged over this period on detailed sonar images of smaller sub-areas. Substantial transport of sandy sediments can thus be excluded in the course of the observation period. Grid files of advective velocity components and orbital velocity of wave motion of a three-dimensional hydrodynamical model for the period from September 1996 to October 1997 were used to estimate the current regime in the study area for the interval between the two sidescan surveys. Comparing critical velocities for the dominant sediment types with the results of the numerical bottom current simulations and the observations from sidescan images, it is apparent that strong current events during the modelled time interval were still too weak to resuspend and transport sand of any grain size, even though maximum current velocities of 30 cm/s at the seafloor were modelled. Only a few patches of newly accumulated (acoustically soft) material (mud, fluff and/or soft plant remnants), with a horizontal extension of about 10 m at a terrain step feature, were recognised in the 1998 mosaic. Our results imply that sand deposits in the southern Baltic Sea can remain stationary over time periods of several years, and that the transport of organic material, nutrients and associated pollutants to depositional areas in deeper water is predominantly accomplished by the movement of material finer than sand. A significant portion of this fine material is evidently transported in the bottom boundary layer under conditions of moderate hydrodynamical forcing.