Upper Limit of Iodine Oxide in the Lower Stratosphere     

Irene Pundt  Jean-Pierre Pommereau  Celine Phillips  Eric Lateltin 《Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry》1998,30(1):173-185

It has been suggested that iodine oxides, IOx, could play a significant role in the ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere. To investigate this suggestion, spectra from nine SAOZ uv-visible spectrometer balloon flights were examined for the IO absorption signature between 405 and 450 nm. IO was not detected, either at mid- or high latitude, in the morning or the evening, in summer or winter. An upper limit of 0.2 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) at 20 km and 0.1 pptv at 15 km at the 95% confidence level (2), was derived from the best measurements at 90° SZA at sunset and sunrise. Since a photochemical model shows that 70% of inorganic iodine should be in the form IO at that time, it is concluded that unless iodine chemistry is different from that assumed at the moment, the role of iodine in stratospheric ozone depletion is small.  相似文献   

Intercomparison of Tropospheric OH Measurements by Different Laser Techniques during the POPCORN Campaign 1994     

A. Hofzumahaus  U. Aschmutat  U. Brandenburger  T. Brauers  H.-P. Dorn  M. Hausmann  M. Heßling  F. Holland  C. Plass-Dülmer  D. H. Ehhalt 《Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry》1998,31(1-2):227-246

In-situ OH measurements by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy and folded long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) were carried out in a rural environment in North-East Germany as part of the field experiment POPCORN in August 1994. The large set of OH data obtained allowed an intercomparison of both techniques based on relative diurnal profiles and simultaneously measured absolute concentrations. Most of the time the two OH instruments encountered the same air and agreed well in the measured relative diurnal variations. Only on a few occasions the measurements significantly disagreed due to a perturbation of the DOAS measurements by a local OH source in the north-western wind sector. Excluding data from this wind direction, the statistical analysis of 137 data pairs yields a correlation coefficient of r = 0.90 and a weighted linear fit with a slope of 1.09 ± 0.12. The correlations are carefully analyzed. The comparison of both instruments is discussed in the light of newly published effective absorption cross-sections for H2O and O2 that affect the calibration of LIF.  相似文献   

Intrinsic spectra of the AXPs     

Martin Durant 《Astrophysics and Space Science》2007,308(1-4):641-645

Using direct measurements of photo-electric absorption edges, I derive the intrinsic spectra for the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars. In the past, the hydrogen column density, N _H had been found by fitting the X-ray spectra with a variety of simple continuum models. Since different models fit equally well, with different values of N _H, little is learned about the true column density or intrinsic spectra. Here, I measure the column densities in a model-independent way, and thus derive intrinsic spectra without first assuming what those spectra ought to look like. Particularly for the brightest source, 4U 0142+61, the column density can be determined accurately, and is a factor of 1.4 smaller that the typically N _H quoted. With this new value, the new intrinsic spectrum can be investigated anew, and shows a slight hint of a feature around 13 Å. To be emphasised, this is an empirical method with the minimum of assumptions, as is appropriate for these beguiling sources, the behaviour of which has mystifies astronomers for over a decade. This paper summarises the methods and conclusions to be published in the Astrophysical Journal by Durant and Van Kerkwijk (2006; see astro-ph/0606604).  相似文献   

A laboratory study on capillary sealing efficiency of Iranian shale and anhydrite caprocks     

《Marine and Petroleum Geology》2015

Caprock has the most important role in the long term safety of formation gas storage. The caprocks trap fluid accumulated beneath, contribute to lateral migration of this fluid and impede its upward migration. The rapid upward passage of invasive plumes due to buoyancy pressure is prevented by capillary pressure within these seal rocks. In the present study, two main seal rocks, from the Zagros basin in the southwest of Iran, a shale core sample of Asmari formation and an anhydrite core sample of Gachsaran formation, were provided. Absolute permeabilities of shale and anhydrite cores, considering the Klinkenberg effect, were measured as 6.09 × 10⁻¹⁸ and 0.89 × 10⁻¹⁸ m², respectively. Capillary sealing efficiency of the cores was investigated using gas breakthrough experiments. To do so, two distinct techniques including step by step and residual capillary pressure approaches were performed, using carbon dioxide, nitrogen and methane gases at temperatures of 70 and 90 °C, under confining pressures in the range 24.13–37.92 MPa. In the first technique, it was found that capillary breakthrough pressure of the cores varies in the range from 2.76 to 34.34 MPa. Moreover, the measurements indicated that after capillary breakthrough, gas effective permeabilities lie in range 1.85 × 10⁻²¹ – 1.66 × 10⁻¹⁹ m². In the second technique, the minimum capillary displacement pressure of shale varied from 0.66 to 1.45 MPa with the maximum effective permeability around 7.76 × 10⁻²¹ – 6.69 × 10⁻²⁰ m². The results indicate that anhydrite caprock of the Gachsaran formation provides proper capillary sealing efficacy, suitable for long term storage of the injected CO₂ plumes, due to its higher capillary breakthrough pressure and lower gas effective permeability.  相似文献   

Using iron speciation in authigenic carbonates from hydrocarbon seeps to trace variable redox conditions     

《Marine and Petroleum Geology》2015

Seepage of hydrocarbon-rich fluids out of the marine sedimentary column is characterized by temporal changes of flow intensity and resultant spatially variable redox conditions. Authigenic carbonates at marine hydrocarbon seeps provide excellent geological and geochemical archives that serve to explore seepage dynamics over time. In this study, we investigated the potential of Mössbuaer spectroscopy and Fe contents of seep-related authigenic carbonates from the Congo Fan, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Black Sea for reconstructing past redox conditions and fluid seepage activity at cold seeps. The Fe speciation observed by Mössbauer spectroscopy and Fe contents suggest that (1) the Congo Fan carbonates precipitated in a sulfidic environment, (2) the formation conditions of seep carbonates were variable at the Gulf of Mexico seep site, ranging from oxic to suboxic and anoxic and even spanning into the methanogenic zone, and (3) the stratified water column of the Black Sea or suboxic condition resulted in low Fe contents of Black Sea carbonates. The study reveals that Fe speciation can provide constraints on the wide range of redox conditions that imprinted seep carbonates during the life span of seepage. Similarly, Mössbauer spectroscopy – particularly when used in combination with the analysis of redox-sensitive elements – is a promising tool to trace variable redox conditions in marine paleoenvironments other than seeps.  相似文献   

Europa’s disk-resolved ultraviolet spectra: Relationships with plasma flux and surface terrains     

Amanda R. Hendrix  Timothy A. Cassidy  Chris Paranicas 《Icarus》2011,212(2):736-743

The full set of high-resolution observations from the Galileo Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) is analyzed to look for spectral trends across the surface of Europa. We provide the first disk-resolved map of the 280 nm SO₂ absorption feature and investigate its relationship with sulfur and electron flux distributions as well as with surface features and relative surface ages. Our results have implications for exogenic and endogenic sources. The large-scale pattern in SO₂ absorption band depth is again shown to be similar to the pattern of sulfur ion implantation, but with strong variations in band depth based on terrain. In particular, the young chaos units show stronger SO₂ absorption bands than expected from the average pattern of sulfur ion flux, suggesting a local source of SO₂ in those regions, or diapiric heating that leads to a sulfur-rich lag deposit.While the SO₂ absorption feature is confined to the trailing hemisphere, the near UV albedo (300-310 nm) has a global pattern with a minimum at the center of the trailing hemisphere and a maximum at the center of the leading hemisphere. The global nature of the albedo pattern is suggestive of an exogenic source, and several possibilities are discussed. Like the SO₂ absorption, the near UV albedo also has local variations that depend on terrain type and age.  相似文献   

Refractive index measurements of ammonia and hydrocarbon ices at 632.8 nm     

Constantin Romanescu  Ajeeta Khatiwada 《Icarus》2010,205(2):695-701

Optical constants in a broad temperature and wavelength range are important input parameters in radiative transfer models used in studies of planetary atmospheres. In the laboratory, the refractive index values of ices at the HeNe laser wavelength (632.8 nm) are often used to monitor the growth rate and thickness of ice films. In this report we present laboratory measurements determining the refractive index at 632.8 nm of ammonia and hydrocarbon ices in the temperature range 80-100 K. Thin ice films are vapor-deposited on a cryogenically cooled mirror located inside a high-vacuum apparatus. The real component of the refractive index of these ice films is determined by a two-angle interferometric technique. Optical modeling calculations of the transmittance and reflectance through the thin ice films assist in the interpretation of the experimental results. We discuss our results and compare them with other measurements available in the literature. The results reported here are relevant to the spectroscopy of icy objects in the solar system; they are needed to perform laboratory characterization of ices, derive optical constants, and model spectra.  相似文献   

The formation and stability of carbonic acid on outer Solar System bodies     

Z. Peeters  R.L. Hudson  M.H. Moore 《Icarus》2010,210(1):480-487

The radiation chemistry, thermal stability, and vapor pressure of solid-phase carbonic acid (H₂CO₃) have been studied with mid-infrared spectroscopy. A new procedure for measuring this molecule’s radiation stability has been used to obtain intrinsic IR band strengths and half-lives for radiolytic destruction. We report, for the first time, measurements of carbonic acid’s vapor pressure (0.290-2.33 × 10⁻¹¹ bar for 240-255 K) and its enthalpy of sublimation (71 ± 9 kJ mol⁻¹). We also report the first observation of a chemical reaction involving solid-phase carbonic acid. Possible applications of these findings are discussed, with an emphasis on the outer Solar System icy surfaces.  相似文献   

Characterization of halophiles in natural MgSO₄ salts and laboratory enrichment samples: Astrobiological implications for Mars     

Ian S. Foster  Penelope L. King  Brendt C. Hyde 《Planetary and Space Science》2010,58(4):599-615

The presence of sulfate salts and limited subsurface water (ice) on Mars suggests that any liquid water on Mars today will occur as (magnesium) sulfate-rich brines in regions containing sources of magnesium and sulfur. The Basque Lakes of British Columbia, Canada, represent a hypersaline terrestrial analogue site, which possesses chemical and physical properties similar to those observed on Mars. The Basque Lakes also contain diverse halophilic organisms representing all three Kingdoms of life, growing in surface and near-subsurface environments. Of interest from an astrobiological perspective, crushed magnesium sulfate samples that were analyzed using a modified Lowry protein assay contained biomass in every crystal inspected, with biomass values from 0.078 to 4.21 mg_biomass/g_salt; average=0.74±0.7 mg_biomass/g_salt. Bacteria and Archaea cells were easily observed even in low-biomass samples using light microscopy, and bacteria trapped within magnesium sulfate crystals were observed using confocal microscopy. Regions within the salt also contained bacterial pigments, e.g., carotenoids, which were separate from the cells, indicating that cell lysis might have occurred during entrapment within the salt matrix. These biosignatures, cells, and any ‘soluble’ organic constituents were primarily found trapped within fluid inclusions or fluid-filled void spaces between intergrown crystals. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (reflectance IR) analysis of enrichment cultures, containing cyanobacteria, Archaea, or dissimilatory sulfate-reducing bacteria, highlighted molecular biosignature features between 550-1650 and 2400-3000 cm⁻¹. Spectra from natural salts demonstrated that we can detect biomass within salt crystals using the most sensitive biosignatures, which are the 1530-1570 cm⁻¹, C-N, N-H, -COOH absorptions and the 1030-1050 cm⁻¹ C-OH, C-N, PO₄³⁻ bond features. The lowest detection limit for a biosignature absorption feature using reflectance IR was with a natural sample that possessed 0.78 mg_biomass/g_salt. In a model cell, i.e., a 0.5 by 1 μm bacillus, this biomass value corresponds to approximately 7.8×10⁸ cells/g_salt. Based on its ability to detect biomass entrapped within natural sulfate salts, reflectance IR may make an effective remote-sensing tool for finding enrichments of organic carbon within outcrops and surficial sedimentary deposits on Mars.  相似文献   

Abundances of Jupiter's trace hydrocarbons from Voyager and Cassini     

C.A. Nixon  R.K. Achterberg  P.N. Romani  X. Zhang  P.G.J. Irwin 《Planetary and Space Science》2010,58(13):1667-1680

The flybys of Jupiter by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979, and over two decades later by Cassini in 2000, have provided us with unique datasets from two different epochs, allowing the investigation of seasonal change in the atmosphere. In this paper we model zonal averages of thermal infrared spectra from the two instruments, Voyager 1 IRIS and Cassini CIRS, to retrieve the vertical and meridional profiles of temperature, and the abundances of the two minor hydrocarbons, acetylene (C₂H₂) and ethane (C₂H₆). The spatial variation of these gases is controlled by both chemistry and dynamics, and therefore their observed distribution gives us an insight into both processes. We find that the two gases paint quite different pictures of seasonal change. Whilst the 2-D cross-section of C₂H₆ abundance is slightly increased and more symmetric in 2000 (northern summer solstice) compared to 1979 (northern fall equinox), the major trend of equator to pole increase remains. For C₂H₂ on the other hand, the Voyager epoch exhibits almost no latitudinal variation, whilst the Cassini era shows a marked decrease polewards in both hemispheres. At the present time, these experimental findings are in advance of interpretation, as there are no published models of 2-D Jovian seasonal chemical variation available for comparison.  相似文献