Recovery rates of microbiotic crusts within a dune ecosystem in the Negev Desert   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Giora J. Kidron  Ahuva Vonshak  Aharon Abeliovich   《Geomorphology》2008,100(3-4):444-452

Despite the important role played by microbiotic crusts in desert ecosystems, data concerning their recovery rates are scarce and are mainly based on estimates that fluctuate between several years to a few hundred years. In order to study the recovery rates of microbiotic crusts inhabiting sand dunes in the western Negev Desert, Israel, annual measurements of chlorophyll, protein, carbohydrates and moss counts were carried out during 1990–1995. Measurements were taken in two pairs of plots (1.5–6.3 m²) established in each north- and south-facing aspect from which the upper 10 cm surface from one plot of each pair was removed. Recovery of the crusts was fast with surface-removed plots showing a complete recovery of chlorophyll a within 6–7 years, of protein within 6–8 years and of carbohydrates within 8–9 years. Recovery of the mosses was slightly longer at 17–22 years. The data are higher than the lower estimates of recovery but much lower than the higher estimates proposed in the literature. The data also suggest that upon prohibition of goat and sheep grazing (and consequently trampling) a relatively rapid stabilization process may take place in the north-eastern Sinai dune field.  相似文献   

The effect of galaxy mass ratio on merger-driven starbursts     

T. J. Cox  Patrik Jonsson  Rachel S. Somerville  Joel R. Primack  Avishai Dekel 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2008,384(1):386-409

We employ numerical simulations of galaxy mergers to explore the effect of galaxy mass ratio on merger-driven starbursts. Our numerical simulations include radiative cooling of gas, star formation, and stellar feedback to follow the interaction and merger of four disc galaxies. The galaxy models span a factor of 23 in total mass and are designed to be representative of typical galaxies in the local universe. We find that the merger-driven star formation is a strong function of merger mass ratio, with very little, if any, induced star formation for large mass ratio mergers. We define a burst efficiency that is useful to characterize the merger-driven star formation and test that it is insensitive to uncertainties in the feedback parametrization. In accord with previous work we find that the burst efficiency depends on the structure of the primary galaxy. In particular, the presence of a massive stellar bulge stabilizes the disc and suppresses merger-driven star formation for large mass ratio mergers. Direct, coplanar merging orbits produce the largest tidal disturbance and yield the most intense burst of star formation. Contrary to naive expectations, a more compact distribution of gas or an increased gas fraction both decrease the burst efficiency. Owing to the efficient feedback model and the newer version of smoothed particle hydrodynamics employed here, the burst efficiencies of the mergers presented here are smaller than in previous studies.  相似文献   

The climatic and physiographic controls of the eastern Mediterranean over the late Pleistocene climates in the southern Levant and its neighboring deserts   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Yehouda Enzel  Rivka Amit  Uri Dayan  Onn Crouvi  Ron Kahana  Baruch Ziv  David Sharon   《Global and Planetary Change》2008,60(3-4):165-192

Modern-day synoptic-scale eastern Mediterranean climatology provides a useful context to synthesize the diverse late Pleistocene (60–12 ka) paleohydrologic and paleoenvironmental indicators of past climatic conditions in the Levant and the deserts to its south and east. We first critically evaluate, extract, and summarize paleoenvironmental and paleohydrologic records. Then, we propose a framework of eastern Mediterranean atmospheric circulation features interacting with the morphology and location of the southeast Mediterranean coast. Together they strongly control the spatial distribution of rainfall and wind pattern. This cyclone–physiography interaction enforces the observed rainfall patterns by hampering rainfall generation south and southeast of the latitude of the north Sinai coast, currently at 31°15′.The proposed framework explains the much-increased rains in Lebanon and northern Israel and Jordan as deduced from pollen, rise and maintenance of Lake Lisan, and speleothem formation in areas currently arid and semiarid. The proposed framework also accounts for the southward and eastward transition into semiarid, arid, and hyperarid deserts as expressed in thick loess accumulation at the deserts' margins, dune migration from west to east in the Sinai and the western Negev, and the formation of hyperarid (< 80 mm yr^− 1) gypsic–salic soils in the southern Negev and Sinai. Our climatic synthesis explains the hyperarid condition in the southern Negev, located only 200–250 km south of the much-increased rains in the north, probably reflecting a steeper rainfall gradient than the present-day gradient from the wetter Levant into its bordering southern and eastern deserts.At present, the rainiest winter seasons in Lebanon and northern and central Israel are associated with more frequent (+ 20%), deeper Cyprus Lows traversing the eastern Mediterranean at approximately the latitude of southern Turkey. Even these wettest years in northern Israel do not yield above average annual rainfall amounts in the hyperarid southern Negev. This region is mainly influenced by the Active Red Sea Troughs that produce only localized rains. The eastern Mediterranean Cyprus Lows also produce more dust storms and transport higher amounts of suspended dust to the loess area than any other atmospheric pattern. Concurrent rainfall and dust are essential to the late Pleistocene formation of the elongated thick loess zone along the desert northern margin. Even with existing dust storms, the lack of rain and very sparse vegetation account for the absence of late Pleistocene loess sequences from the southern Negev and the formation of hyperarid soils.When the north Sinai coast shifted 30–70 km northwest due to last glacial global sea level lowering, the newly exposed coastal areas supplied the sand and dust to these active eastern Mediterranean cyclones. This enforced the latitude of the northern boundary of the loess zone to be directly due east of the LGM shoreline. This shift of coast to the northwest inhibited rainfall in the southern Levant deserts and maintained their hyperaridity. Concurrently, frequent deep eastern Mediterranean Cyprus Lows were funneled along the northern Mediterranean increasing (probably doubling) the rains in central and northern Israel, Lebanon, southwestern Syria and northern Jordan. These storms and rains formed lakes, forests, and speleothems only a short distance north of the deserts in the southern Levant.  相似文献   

Observational limits on inverse Compton processes in gamma-ray bursts     

Tsvi Piran  Re'em Sari  Yuan-Chuan Zou 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2009,393(4):1107-1113

Inverse Compton (IC) scattering is one of two viable mechanisms that can produce prompt non-thermal soft gamma-ray emission in gamma-ray bursts. IC requires low-energy seed photons and a population of relativistic electrons that upscatter them. The same electrons will upscatter the gamma-ray photons to even higher energies in the TeV range. Using the current upper limits on the prompt optical emission, we show that under general conservative assumption the IC mechanism suffers from an 'energy crisis'. Namely, IC will overproduce a very high energy component that would carry much more energy than the observed prompt gamma-rays, or alternatively it will require a low-energy seed that is more energetic than the prompt gamma-rays. Our analysis is general, and it makes no assumptions on the specific mechanism that produces the relativistic electron population.  相似文献   

The possible high-energy emission from GRB 080319B and origins of the GeV emission of GRBs 080514B, 080916C and 081024B     

Yuan-Chuan Zou  Yi-Zhong Fan  Tsvi Piran 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2009,396(2):1163-1170

We calculate the high-energy (sub-GeV to TeV) prompt and afterglow emission of GRB 080319B that was distinguished by a naked-eye optical flash and by an unusual strong early X-ray afterglow. There are three possible sources for high-energy emission: the prompt optical and γ-ray photons IC scattered by the accelerated electrons, the prompt photons IC scattered by the early external reverse-forward shock electrons, and the higher band of the synchrotron and the synchrotron self-Compton emission of the external shock. There should have been in total hundreds of high-energy photons detectable for the Large Area Telescope onboard the Fermi satellite, and tens of photons of those with energy >10 GeV. The >10 GeV emission had a duration about twice that of the soft γ-rays. Astro-rivelatore Gamma a Immagini Leggero (AGILE) could have observed these energetic signals if it was not occulted by the Earth at that moment. The physical origins of the high-energy emission detected in GRB 080514B, GRB 080916C and GRB 081024B are also discussed. These observations seem to be consistent with the current high-energy emission models.  相似文献   

Climate deterioration in the Eastern Mediterranean as revealed by ion microprobe analysis of a speleothem that grew from 2.2 to 0.9 ka in Soreq Cave, Israel   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Ian J. Orland  Miryam Bar-Matthews  Avner Ayalon  John W. Valley 《Quaternary Research》2009,71(1):27-35

Analysis of oxygen isotope ratios (δ¹⁸O) by ion microprobe resolves a sub-annual climate record for the Eastern Mediterranean from a Soreq Cave stalagmite that grew between 2.2 and 0.9 ka. In contrast to conventional drill-sampling methods that yield a total variation of 1.0‰ in δ¹⁸O_calcite values across our sample, the methods described here reveal up to 2.15‰ variation within single annual growth bands. Values of δ¹⁸O measured by ion microprobe vary in a regular saw-tooth pattern that correlates with annual, fluorescent growth banding where calcite grades from light to dark fluorescence. Modern records of precipitation and of cave dripwater indicate that variable δ¹⁸O_calcite values record regular seasonal differences in δ¹⁸O_rainfall modified by mixing in the vadose zone. Large differences in δ¹⁸O values measured across a single band (i.e., between the dark and light fluorescent calcite, or Δ¹⁸O_dark-light) are interpreted to indicate wetter years, while smaller differences represent drier years. Oxygen isotopes record: 1) month-scale growth increments, 2) changes in Δ¹⁸O_dark-light that represent seasonality, 3) a systematic, long-term decrease in maximum Δ¹⁸O_dark-light values, and 4) an overall increase in average δ¹⁸O_calcite values through time. These results suggest a drying of regional climate that coincides with the decline of the Roman and Byzantine Empires in the Levant region.  相似文献   

Peculiar velocity reconstruction with the fast action method: tests on mock redshift surveys     

Enzo Branchini  Amiram Eldar  Adi Nusser 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2002,335(1):53-72

We present extensive tests of the fast action method (FAM) for recovering the past orbits of mass tracers in an expanding universe from their redshift-space coordinates at the present epoch. The tests focus on the reconstruction of present-day peculiar velocities using mock catalogues extracted from high-resolution N -body simulations. The method allows for a self-consistent treatment of redshift-space distortions by direct minimization of a modified action for a cosmological gravitating system. When applied to ideal, volume-limited catalogues, FAM recovers unbiased peculiar velocities with a one-dimensional, 1σ error of ∼220 km  s⁻¹  , if velocities are smoothed on a scale of  5 h ⁻¹  Mpc. Alternatively, when no smoothing is applied, FAM predicts nearly unbiased velocities for objects residing outside the highest density regions. In this second case the 1σ error decreases to a level of ∼150 km  s⁻¹  . The correlation properties of the peculiar velocity fields are also correctly recovered on scales larger than  5 h ⁻¹  Mpc. Similar results are obtained when FAM is applied to flux-limited catalogues mimicking the IRAS PSC z survey. In this case FAM reconstructs peculiar velocities with similar intrinsic random errors, while velocity–velocity correlation properties are well reproduced beyond scales of  ∼8 h ⁻¹  Mpc. We also show that FAM provides better velocity predictions than other, competing methods based on linear theory or the Zel'dovich approximation. These results indicate that FAM can be successfully applied to presently available galaxy redshift surveys such as IRAS PSC z .  相似文献   

The formation of natural cryogenic brines   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Abraham Starinsky 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2003,67(8):1475-1484

The source of salts in the Ca-chloridic, hypersaline brines (up to 190 g Cl L⁻¹) occurring in crystalline basement rocks in the Canadian, Fennoscandian and Bohemian Shields and their evolution have been investigated and reported. The Cl-Br-Na relationship indicates that these waters have been concentrated from seawater, by freezing during glacial times. The Na/Cl ratio (0.25 to 0.35) in the more saline fluids is compatible with cooling down to −30°C, where the most saline waters have been concentrated by a factor of 25 to 30 relative to the parent seawater.The brines formed from seawater within cryogenic troughs, along the subarctic continental margins, around ice sheets. The depressions within which the brines formed are the cryogenic analogues of the classic, evaporitic lagoon. One million years suffice to saturate with brine a 2000km-radius by 1km-depth rock volume at an H₂O removal rate of only 2.8 mm/yr. Density-induced brine migration on a continental scale takes place via fissures below the ice.Our calculations, that were performed on a hypothetical ice sheet with dimensions compatible with the Laurentide ice sheet, demonstrate that during 1m.y., a 60m thick cryogenic sediment section could have formed. However, the precipitated minerals (mirabilite and hydrohalite) are repeatedly dispersed by the advance and retreat of the ice sheet, dissolved by melt water-seawater mixtures, and eroded during postglacial uplift, leaving almost no trace in the geological record.The cryogenic brines formed intermittently during and between glacial periods. The repeating advance and retreat of the ice sheets exerted a major control on the direction and intensity of brine flow. The cryogenic concentration of seawater and the migration of brine towards the center of the glaciostatic depression occurred mainly during the build up of the ice sheet, while reversal of the water flow from the center of the cryogenic basin outwards happened upon deglaciation. The flow of the waters in the subsurface was, inevitably, accompanied by significant dilution with melt water from the ice sheets.Using a “granitic” U concentration of 4 ppm and a (Ca-Mg mass balance based) rock/water ratio anywhere between 3.4 and 6.8 kg L⁻¹, a few hundred thousand years of brine-rock interaction are sufficient for the growth of ¹²⁹I in the most saline Canadian Shield brine to its present concentration (3.4×10⁸ atoms ¹²⁹I L⁻¹). Hence, both the formation of the saline fluids and their emplacement in their present sites occurred most likely within the Pleistocene.The young age calculated for cryogenic brines in crystalline shields and the dynamic water flow therein should raise concern about the planning and construction of high-grade nuclear waste repositories in such rocks, which are already under way.  相似文献   

On the red coloration of saltern crystallizer ponds   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Aharon Oren  Noga Stambler  Zvy Dubinsky 《International Journal of Salt Lake Research》1992,1(2):77-89

To assess, respectively, the contribution of red bacteria of theHalobacterium-Haloferax-Haloarcula group and of the β-carotene-rich green algaDunaliella salina to the red colour of saltern crystallizer ponds, we studied the optical properties of the brines of NaCl-saturated saltern ponds in Eilat, Israel, and quantified the pigments present in their biota. The absorption spectrum of the brines, as measured using the opal glass method to reduce the interference by scattering, or using an integrating sphere, nearly corresponded to thein vivo absorption spectrum of bacterioruberin-containing red archaeobacteria. However, extracts of the microbial community in organic solvents were dominated by β-carotene, a pigment occurring in high concentrations in theDunaliella cells present, and bacterioruberin contributed only between 13 and 28 per cent of the total visible light absorption by the extracts. The apparent discrepancy between these results can be explained by the very small in vivo optical cross-section of β-carotene, which is densely packed in globules inside theD. salina cells.  相似文献   

Interpretation of spring recession curves   总被引：4，自引：0，他引：4  

Amit H  Lyakhovsk V  Katz A  Starinsky A  Burg A 《Ground water》2002,40(5):543-551

Recession curves contain information on storage properties and different types of media such as porous, fractured, cracked lithologies and karst. Recession curve analysis provides a function that quantitatively describes the temporal discharge decay and expresses the drained volume between specific time limits (Hall 1968). This analysis also allows estimating the hydrological significance of the discharge function parameters and the hydrological properties of the aquifer. In this study, we analyze data from perennial springs in the Judean Mountains and from others in the Galilee Mountains, northern Israel. All the springs drain perched carbonate aquifers. Eight of the studied springs discharge from a karst dolomite sequence, whereas one flows out from a fractured, slumped block of chalk. We show that all the recession curves can be well fitted by a function that consists of two exponential terms with exponential coefficients alpha1 and alpha2. These coefficients are approximately constant for each spring, reflecting the hydraulic conductivity of different media through which the ground water flows to the spring. The highest coefficient represents the fast flow, probably through cracks, or quickflow, whereas the lower one reflects the slow flow through the porous medium, or baseflow. The comparison of recession curves from different springs and different years leads to the conclusion that the main factors that affect the recession curve exponential coefficients are the aquifer lithology and the geometry of the water conduits therein. In normal years of rainy winter and dry summer, alpha1 is constant in time. However, when the dry period is longer than usual because of a dry winter, alpha1 slightly decreases with time.  相似文献