The Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point （GSSP） of the Drumian Stage （Cambrian） in the Drum Mountains, Utah, USA     

Loren E. Babcock Richard A. Robison Margaret N. Rees Shanchi Peng Matthew R. Saltzman 《《幕》》2007,30(2):85-95

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STAGES: the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey     

Meghan E. Gray  Christian Wolf  Marco Barden  Chien Y. Peng  Boris Häußler  Eric F. Bell  Daniel H. McIntosh  Yicheng Guo  John A. R. Caldwell  David Bacon  Michael Balogh  Fabio D. Barazza  Asmus Böhm  Catherine Heymans  Knud Jahnke  Shardha Jogee  Eelco van Kampen  Kyle Lane  Klaus Meisenheimer  Sebastian F. Sánchez  y Taylor  Lutz Wisotzki  Xianzhong Zheng  David A. Green  R. J. Beswick  D. J. Saikia  Rachel Gilmour  Benjamin D. Johnson  Casey Papovich 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2009,393(4):1275-1301

We present an overview of the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey (STAGES). STAGES is a multiwavelength project designed to probe physical drivers of galaxy evolution across a wide range of environments and luminosity. A complex multicluster system at   z ∼ 0.165  has been the subject of an 80-orbit F606W Hubble Space Telescope (HST) /Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) mosaic covering the full     span of the supercluster. Extensive multiwavelength observations with XMM–Newton , GALEX, Spitzer , 2dF, Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and the 17-band COMBO-17 photometric redshift survey complement the HST imaging. Our survey goals include simultaneously linking galaxy morphology with other observables such as age, star formation rate, nuclear activity and stellar mass. In addition, with the multiwavelength data set and new high-resolution mass maps from gravitational lensing, we are able to disentangle the large-scale structure of the system. By examining all aspects of an environment we will be able to evaluate the relative importance of the dark matter haloes, the local galaxy density and the hot X-ray gas in driving galaxy transformation. This paper describes the HST imaging, data reduction and creation of a master catalogue. We perform the Sérsic fitting on the HST images and conduct associated simulations to quantify completeness. In addition, we present the COMBO-17 photometric redshift catalogue and estimates of stellar masses and star formation rates for this field. We define galaxy and cluster sample selection criteria, which will be the basis for forthcoming science analyses, and present a compilation of notable objects in the field. Finally, we describe the further multiwavelength observations and announce public access to the data and catalogues.  相似文献   

GAUGE: the GrAnd Unification and Gravity Explorer     

G. Amelino-Camelia  K. Aplin  M. Arndt  J. D. Barrow  R. J. Bingham  C. Borde  P. Bouyer  M. Caldwell  A. M. Cruise  T. Damour  P. D’Arrigo  H. Dittus  W. Ertmer  B. Foulon  P. Gill  G. D. Hammond  J. Hough  C. Jentsch  U. Johann  P. Jetzer  H. Klein  A. Lambrecht  B. Lamine  C. Lämmerzahl  N. Lockerbie  F. Loeffler  J. T. Mendonca  J. Mester  W.-T. Ni  C. Pegrum  A. Peters  E. Rasel  S. Reynaud  D. Shaul  T. J. Sumner  S. Theil  C. Torrie  P. Touboul  C. Trenkel  S. Vitale  W. Vodel  C. Wang  H. Ward  A. Woodgate 《Experimental Astronomy》2009,23(2):549-572

The GAUGE (GrAnd Unification and Gravity Explorer) mission proposes to use a drag-free spacecraft platform onto which a number of experiments are attached. They are designed to address a number of key issues at the interface between gravity and unification with the other forces of nature. The equivalence principle is to be probed with both a high-precision test using classical macroscopic test bodies, and, to lower precision, using microscopic test bodies via cold-atom interferometry. These two equivalence principle tests will explore string-dilaton theories and the effect of space–time fluctuations respectively. The macroscopic test bodies will also be used for intermediate-range inverse-square law and an axion-like spin-coupling search. The microscopic test bodies offer the prospect of extending the range of tests to also include short-range inverse-square law and spin-coupling measurements as well as looking for evidence of quantum decoherence due to space–time fluctuations at the Planck scale.  相似文献   

Modified water regime and salinity as a consequence of climate change: prospects for wetlands of Southern Australia     

Daryl L. Nielsen  Margaret A. Brock 《Climatic change》2009,95(3-4):523-533

The natural Australian landscape sustains a mosaic of wetlands that range from permanently wet to temporary. This diversity of wetland types and habitats provides for diverse biotic communities, many of which are specific to individual wetlands. This paper explores the prospects for southern Australian wetlands under modified water regime and salinity induced by climatic changes. Extended droughts predicted as a consequence of climate change (lower rainfall and higher temperatures) combined with human-induced changes to the natural hydrological regime will lead to reductions in the amount of water available for environmental and anthropogenic uses. Reduced runoff and river flows may cause the loss of some temporary wetland types that will no longer hold water long enough to support hydric communities. Species distributions will shift and species extinctions may result particularly across fragmented or vulnerable landscapes. Accumulation of salts in wetlands shift species-rich freshwater communities to species-poor salt tolerant communities. Wetlands will differ in ecological response to these changes as the salinity and drying history of each wetland will determine its resilience: in the short term some freshwater communities may recover but they are unlikely to survive and reproduce under long term increased salinity and altered hydrology. In the long term such salinized wetlands with altered hydrology will need to be colonized by salt tolerant species adapted for the new hydrological conditions if they are to persist as functional wetlands. As the landscape becomes more developed, to accommodate the need for water in a warmer drying climate, increasing human intervention will result in a net loss of wetlands and wetland diversity.  相似文献   

Limits on the trapping of atmospheric CH₄ in martian polar ice analogs     

Melissa G. Trainer  Margaret A. Tolbert  Christopher P. McKay 《Icarus》2010,208(1):192-197

Recent detection of methane (CH₄) on Mars has generated interest in possible biological or geological sources, but the factors responsible for the reported variability are not understood. Here we explore one potential sink that might affect the seasonal cycling of CH₄ on Mars - trapping in ices deposited on the surface. Our apparatus consisted of a high-vacuum chamber in which three different Mars ice analogs (water, carbon dioxide, and carbon dioxide clathrate hydrates) were deposited in the presence of CH₄ gas. The ices were monitored for spectroscopic evidence of CH₄ trapping using transmission Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and during subsequent sublimation of the ice films the vapor composition was measured using mass spectrometry (MS). Trapping of CH₄ in water ice was confirmed at deposition temperatures <100 K which is consistent with previous work, thus validating the experimental methods. However, no trapping of CH₄ was observed in the ice analogs studied at warmer temperatures (140 K for H₂O and CO₂ clathrate, 90 K for CO₂ snow) with approximately 10 mTorr CH₄ in the chamber. From experimental detection limits these results provide an upper limit of 0.02 for the atmosphere/ice trapping ratio of CH₄. If it is assumed that the trapping mechanism is linear with CH₄ partial pressure and can be extrapolated to Mars, this upper limit would indicate that less than 1% is expected to be trapped from the largest reported CH₄ plume, and therefore does not represent a significant sink for CH₄.  相似文献   

Using climate information for supporting climate change adaptation in water resource management in South Africa     

Gina Ziervogel  Peter Johnston  Margaret Matthew  Pierre Mukheibir 《Climatic change》2010,103(3-4):537-554

Water resources, and in particular run-off, are significantly affected by climate variability. At present, there are few examples of how the water management sector integrates information about changing intra-annual climate conditions in a systematic manner in developing countries. This paper, using the case study of Cape Town in the Western Cape, South Africa, identifies processes and products to facilitate increased uptake of seasonal climate forecasts among water resource managers. Results suggest that existing seasonal forecasts do not focus enough on specific users’ needs. In order to increase uptake, forecasts need to include information on the likely impact of precipitation variability on runoff and water availability. More opportunities are also needed for those with climate knowledge to interact with water resource managers, particularly in the developing country context where municipal managers’ capacity is strained. Although there are challenges that need to be overcome in using probabilistic climate information, seasonal forecast information tailored to the needs of water resource planners has the potential to support annual planning and is therefore a means of adapting to climate change.  相似文献   

Potential climate-change impacts on the Chesapeake Bay   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Raymond G. Najjar  Christopher R. Pyke  Mary Beth Adams  Denise Breitburg  Carl Hershner  Michael Kemp  Robert Howarth  Margaret R. Mulholland  Michael Paolisso  David Secor  Kevin Sellner  Denice Wardrop  Robert Wood 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2010

We review current understanding of the potential impact of climate change on the Chesapeake Bay. Scenarios for CO₂ emissions indicate that by the end of the 21^st century the Bay region will experience significant changes in climate forcings with respect to historical conditions, including increases in CO₂ concentrations, sea level, and water temperature of 50–160%, 0.7–1.6 m, and 2–6 °C, respectively. Also likely are increases in precipitation amount (very likely in the winter and spring), precipitation intensity, intensity of tropical and extratropical cyclones (though their frequency may decrease), and sea-level variability. The greatest uncertainty is associated with changes in annual streamflow, though it is likely that winter and spring flows will increase. Climate change alone will cause the Bay to function very differently in the future. Likely changes include: (1) an increase in coastal flooding and submergence of estuarine wetlands; (2) an increase in salinity variability on many time scales; (3) an increase in harmful algae; (4) an increase in hypoxia; (5) a reduction of eelgrass, the dominant submerged aquatic vegetation in the Bay; and (6) altered interactions among trophic levels, with subtropical fish and shellfish species ultimately being favored in the Bay. The magnitude of these changes is sensitive to the CO₂ emission trajectory, so that actions taken now to reduce CO₂ emissions will reduce climate impacts on the Bay. Research needs include improved precipitation and streamflow projections for the Bay watershed and whole-system monitoring, modeling, and process studies that can capture the likely non-linear responses of the Chesapeake Bay system to climate variability, climate change, and their interaction with other anthropogenic stressors.  相似文献   

Discourse and desalination: Potential impacts of proposed climate change adaptation interventions in the Arizona–Sonora border region     

Jamie McEvoy  Margaret Wilder 《Global Environmental Change》2012,22(2):353-363

The specter of climate change threatens fresh water resources along the U.S.–Mexico border. Water managers and planners on both sides of the border are promoting desalination—the conversion of seawater or brackish groundwater to fresh water—as an adaptation response that can help meet growing water demands and buffer against the negative impacts of climate change on regional water supplies. However, the uneven distribution of costs and benefits of this expensive, energy-intensive technology is likely to exacerbate existing social inequalities in the border zone. In this paper, we examine the discourses employed in the construction of the climate problem and proposed solutions. We focus our analysis on a proposed Arizona–Sonora binational desalination project and use insights from risk and hazards literature to analyze how, why, and to what effect desalination is emerging as a preferred climate change adaptation response. Our risk analysis shows that while desalination technology can reduce some vulnerabilities (e.g., future water supply), it can also introduce new vulnerabilities by compounding the water-energy nexus, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, inducing urban growth, producing brine discharge and chemical pollutants, shifting geopolitical relations of water security, and increasing water prices. Additionally, a high-tech and path-dependent response will likely result in increased reliance on technical expertise, less opportunity for participatory decision-making and reduced flexibility. The paper concludes by proposing alternative adaptation responses that can offer greater flexibility, are less path dependent, incorporate social learning, and target the poorest and most vulnerable members of the community. These alternatives can build greater adaptive capacity and ensure equity.  相似文献   

The effects of anthropogenic nutrient enrichment on turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum) in Sarasota Bay,Florida     

Tomasko  David A.  Dawes  Clinton J.  Hall  Margaret O. 《Estuaries and Coasts》1996,19(2):448-456

Four meadows of turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum Banks ex Konig) in Sarasota Bay, Florida were sampled on a bimonthly basis from June 1992 to July 1993 to determine spatial and temporal variation in short shoot density, biomass, productivity, and epiphyte loads. Concurrent with the seagrass sampling, quarterly water-quality monitoring was undertaken at ≥3 sites in the vicinity of each studied seagrass meadow. Three months after termination of the seagrass sampling effort, a biweekly water-quality monitoring program was instituted at two of the seagrass sampling sites. In addition, a nitrogen loading model was calibrated for the various watersheds influencing the seagrass meadows. Substantial spatial and temporal differences in turtle grass parameters but smaller spatial variation in water quality parameters are indicated by data from both the concurrent quarterly monitoring program and the biweekly monitoring program instituted after termination of the seagrass study. Turtle grass biomass and productivity were negatively correlated with watershed nitrogen loads, while water quality parameters did not clearly reflect differences in watershed nutrient inputs. We suggest that traditional water-quality monitoring programs can fail to detect the onset or continuance of nutrient-induced declines in seagrass health. Consequently, seagrass meadows should be monitored directly as a part of any effort to determine status and/or trends in the health of estuarine environments. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY074 00029

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Preliminary study of the redistribution and transformation of HgS from cinnabar mine tailings deposited in Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines     

Gaboury Benoit  Jon M. Schwantes  Gil S. Jacinto  Margaret R. Goud-Collins 《Marine pollution bulletin》1994,28(12):754-759

Mining operations in Palawan, Philippines, resulted in cinnabar (HgS) mine tailings being used to build a 600 m long peninsula in Honda Bay. Samples collected from the peninsula as well as sediments from the surrounding waters had elevated mercury levels as high as 570 ppm. Natural processes are transporting mercury as much as 10 km from the peninsula, mainly in a coastwise direction, and preferentially associated with fine-grained, organic-rich sediments. Depth of penetration into sediments exceeds 10 cm near the source. As the HgS is transported away from the peninsula, it is rapidly altered to more bioavailable forms; 50% conversion occurs within a distance of only 10–40 m.  相似文献