Herbage Production, Nitrogen Fixation and Condensed Tannin Concentrations in \u3cem\u3eLotus glaber\u3c/em\u3e Mill. Germplasm

Lotus glaber (Lg) grows on clay, sandy and medium textured soils in central Chile (32º to 38º S). The diversity of environments where the species grows naturally supports the hypothesis that genetic variability would be found. The objectives of the experiment were to characterise accessions of Lg collected in the region for dry matter (DM) production, comparative capacity to fix atmospheric N and condensed tannins (CT) in Lg grown on clay soils used for cropping rice

Twenty years monitoring growth dynamics of a logged tropical forest in Western Amazon.

Resumo - Foi conduzido um estudo sobre a dinâmica de crescimento em floresta localizada no Estado do Acre na Amazônia sul ocidental, onde uma área de 20 ha foi explorada para extração de madeira em 1992. O estudo foi baseado em parcelas permanentes (1 ha) estabelecidas dentro da área explorada e na floresta não manejada, imediatamente após o fim das operações florestais. Os parâmetros da dinâmica florestal foram analisados em termos da biomassa seca acima do solo (BAS). Durante o período do estudo três eventos climáticos extremos causaram um elevado impacto tanto nas áreas exploradas como nas não perturbadas por exploração, produzindo perdas de biomassa superiores às estimadas para a exploração. Vinte anos após a exploração, as taxas de ingresso e mortalidade foram semelhantes às esperadas em uma área de floresta não perturbada por exploração e a recuperação da BAS foi significativamente mais alta nas áreas cortadas. Quando praticado de forma adequada, o manejo de floresta pode promover uma recuperação da BAS mais rápida. Nós sugerimos que o manejo florestal pode ser considerado como uma alternativa para adaptação a eventos extremos de clima por meio da promoção de perturbações controladas que minimizem a mortalidade de árvores e a perda de biomassa

Probing upper thermospheric neutral densities at Mars using electron reflectometry

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95666/1/grl20594.pd

A Comprehensive View of the 2006 December 13 CME: From the Sun to Interplanetary Space

The biggest halo coronal mass ejection (CME) since the Halloween storm in 2003, which occurred on 2006 December 13, is studied in terms of its solar source and heliospheric consequences. The CME is accompanied by an X3.4 flare, EUV dimmings and coronal waves. It generated significant space weather effects such as an interplanetary shock, radio bursts, major solar energetic particle (SEP) events, and a magnetic cloud (MC) detected by a fleet of spacecraft including STEREO, ACE, Wind and Ulysses. Reconstruction of the MC with the Grad-Shafranov (GS) method yields an axis orientation oblique to the flare ribbons. Observations of the SEP intensities and anisotropies show that the particles can be trapped, deflected and reaccelerated by the large-scale transient structures. The CME-driven shock is observed at both the Earth and Ulysses when they are separated by 74$^{\circ}$ in latitude and 117$^{\circ}$ in longitude, the largest shock extent ever detected. The ejecta seems missed at Ulysses. The shock arrival time at Ulysses is well predicted by an MHD model which can propagate the 1 AU data outward. The CME/shock is tracked remarkably well from the Sun all the way to Ulysses by coronagraph images, type II frequency drift, in situ measurements and the MHD model. These results reveal a technique which combines MHD propagation of the solar wind and type II emissions to predict the shock arrival time at the Earth, a significant advance for space weather forecasting especially when in situ data are available from the Solar Orbiter and Sentinels.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figures. 2008, ApJ, in pres

Characterization of the HD 108236 system with CHEOPS and TESS Confirmation of a fifth transiting planet

Context. The HD 108236 system was first announced with the detection of four small planets based on TESS data. Shortly after, the transit of an additional planet with a period of 29.54 d was serendipitously detected by CHEOPS. In this way, HD 108236 (V = 9.2) became one of the brightest stars known to host five small transiting planets (Rp < 3 R⊕). Aims. We characterize the planetary system by using all the data available from CHEOPS and TESS space missions. We use the flexible pointing capabilities of CHEOPS to follow up the transits of all the planets in the system, including the fifth transiting body. Methods. After updating the host star parameters by using the results from Gaia eDR3, we analyzed 16 and 43 transits observed by CHEOPS and TESS, respectively, to derive the planets’ physical and orbital parameters. We carried out a timing analysis of the transits of each of the planets of HD 108236 to search for the presence of transit timing variations. Results. We derived improved values for the radius and mass of the host star (R★ = 0.876 ± 0.007 R0 and M★ = 0.867-0.046+0.047M⊙). We confirm the presence of the fifth transiting planet f in a 29.54 d orbit. Thus, the HD 108236 system consists of five planets of Rb = 1.587±0.028, Rc = 2.122±0.025, Rd = 2.629 ± 0.031, Re = 3.008 ± 0.032, and Rf = 1.89 ± 0.04 [R⊕]. We refine the transit ephemeris for each planet and find no significant transit timing variations for planets c, d, and e. For planets b and f, instead, we measure significant deviations on their transit times (up to 22 and 28 min, respectively) with a non-negligible dispersion of 9.6 and 12.6 min in their time residuals. Conclusions. We confirm the presence of planet f and find no significant evidence for a potential transiting planet in a 10.9 d orbital period, as previously suggested. Further monitoring of the transits, particularly for planets b and f, would confirm the presence of the observed transit time variations. HD 108236 thus becomes a key multi-planetary system for the study of formation and evolution processes. The reported precise results on the planetary radii – together with a profuse RV monitoring – will allow for an accurate characterization of the internal structure of these planets

Climate trends and glacier retreat in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, revisited

The total glacial area of the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, has shrunk by more than 30% in the period of 1930 to the present with a marked glacier retreat also in the recent decades. The aim of this paper is to assess local air temperature and precipitation changes in the Cordillera Blanca and to discuss how these variables could have affected the observed glacier retreat between the 1980s and present. A unique data set from a large number of stations in the region of the Cordillera Blanca shows that after a strong air temperature rise of about 0.31 °C per decade between 1969 and 1998, a slowdown in the warming to about 0.13 °C per decade occurred for the 30 years from 1983 to 2012. Additionally, based on data from a long-term meteorological station, it was found that the freezing line altitude during precipitation days has probably not increased significantly in the last 30 years. We documented a cooling trend for maximum daily air temperatures and an increase in precipitation of about 60 mm/decade since the early 1980s. The strong increase in precipitation in the last 30 years probably did not balance the increase of temperature before the 1980s. It is suggested that recent changes in temperature and precipitation alone may not explain the glacial recession within the thirty years from the early 1980s to 2012. Glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca may be still reacting to the positive air temperature rise before 1980. Especially small and low-lying glaciers are characterised by a serious imbalance and may disappear in the near future

On the origin of aurorae on Mars

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95268/1/grl20829.pd