The Split Window Microwave Radiometer (SWMR) for hurricane wind speed measurement from space

The monitoring of hurricanes demands considerable resources each year by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Even with the extensive use of satellite and airborne probing of those storms, there is still much uncertainty involved in predicting landfall for timely evacuation of people subject to the threat. The concept of the Split Window Microwave Radiometer (SWMR) is to add an additional capability of remotely measuring surface winds to hopefully improve prediction capabilities or at least define the severity of the storm while it is far from land. Some of the present science and observational needs are addressed in this report as are remote sensing limitations which impact the design of a minimal system which can be launched into low earth orbit by a low cost launch system. This study has concluded that wind speed and rain rate maps of hurricanes can be generated with an X-Band radiometer system with an antenna whose aperture is 2 m on a side

Guidelines for Minimizing Salinity Buildup in Groundwaters of Utah

In arid Utah practically all of the replenishable surface water supplies are nearly fully developed. At least some groundwater resources are being used in every basin. Groundwater use is expanding throughout the state and in some areas the draft is nearly equal to the sustained yield. Irrigated agriculture is the major water user. Multiple reuse of water is common in many areas, but as salinity increases with each cycle of usage, salinity also is usually the limiting factor for usefulness. Effective control of salinity buildup will permit more efficient and more extensive use of the state’s waters with potentially large benefits to irrigated agriculture. This report describes physical and chemical processes which contribute to salinity buildup and suggests methods that might be used to control it. Some areas are described where groundwater salinity is becoming a serious problem in the state. Hypothetical cases of salinity buildup are portrayed graphically to illustrate the relationship to time and the effects of the various processes. Emphasis is upon groundwater, but control of surface water salinity is also addressed as these resources are often inextricably interrelated

A Survey and Evaluation of Shallow Groundwater Contamination Hazards in the State of Utah

A survey was made to appraise current man-made contamination of shallow groundwater in Utah. Very little has been published on the subject, and most of the information was obtained by personal observation and through interviews of individuals concerned with water quality protection in Utah. After presenting the relevant physiographic, geologic, and hydrologic characteristics of the various regions of Utah and discussing how these relate to groundwater contamination in general, representative groundwater quality hazards in 32 sites or regions in Utah are presented. A very wide range of hazards to groundwater quality was found to exist. These cases cover the range of situations which need to be covered for an effective shallow groundwater pollution control program. Shallow aquifers with the largest amounts of deleterious contaminations underlie cities and towns. Agricultural areas generate greater quantities of dissolved salts and possible other contaminants, but the contamination is spread over considerably larger areas and thus is more dilute. Improper disposal of oil-field brines is a very serious problem in the state. Leaking disposal ponds, mining operations, and poorly managed solid waste dumps are serious hazards locally. Septic and other wastes from recreational activities in the state are a small but increasing hazard. By law, the State of Utah has the authority and enforcement framework to cope with thee problems of shallow groundwater contamination. More understanding, personnel, guidelines, regulations, and funding are needed to bring the protection of shallow groundwater quality into perspective with the present heavy emphasis upon surface water quality

Keys to Profitable Avocado Production.

4 p

The potential for groundwater contamination along basin margins in the arid west: Alluvial fans and lake features

Many towns of the arid west were built upon alluvial fans and upon sites underlain by Pleistocene lake deposits. The objective of this study was to assess the potential impact of these activities of man upon groundwater quality within these geological features. Emphasis was placed on shallow groundwater quality after it was determined that deep groundwater is rarely contaminated at such sites. A reconnaissance of Utah and Nevada was made and four sites underlain by alluvial fans (Willard, Manti, Elsinore, and Spring City) and four sites underlain by lake shore deposits (Hyde Park, Fielding, Providence and Richmond) were selected in Utah for more detailed geologic, hydrologic, and water quality studies. Samples for water quality analyses were taken from existing wells and springs where available. At Hyde Park a shallow, small diameter well was constructed. Three groundwater sampling wells were constructed on the Willard Creek fan. Sites were selected to represent various degrees and types of land use. It was concluded that septic effluents, agricultural wastes, and other sources of man-made contamination can be hazards to shallow groundwater quality in alluvial fans and lake shore sediments. Mercury was found in concentrations exceeding the EPA drinking water standards at a few of the sites, but its source was probably natural. Nitrates and phosphates usually were the observable indicators of shallow groundwater contamination at the sites investigated, while coliform bacteria evidently are not transported appreciable distances underground and made poor indicators. The conclusions reached in this report are believed to be applicable to other areas of the arid west where similar geologic features and basin margin sediments occur

Understanding visual map formation through vortex dynamics of spin Hamiltonian models

The pattern formation in orientation and ocular dominance columns is one of the most investigated problems in the brain. From a known cortical structure, we build spin-like Hamiltonian models with long-range interactions of the Mexican hat type. These Hamiltonian models allow a coherent interpretation of the diverse phenomena in the visual map formation with the help of relaxation dynamics of spin systems. In particular, we explain various phenomena of self-organization in orientation and ocular dominance map formation including the pinwheel annihilation and its dependency on the columnar wave vector and boundary conditions.Comment: 4 pages, 15 figure

Management of Groundwater Recharge Areas in the Mouth of Weber Canyon

Proper management of surface and groundwater resources is important for their prolonged and a beneficial use. Within the Weber Delta area there has existed a continual decline in the piezometric surface of the deep confined aquifer over the last 40 years. This decline ranges from approximately 20 feet along the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake to 50 feet along in the vicinity of Hill Air Force Base. Declines in the piezometric surface are undesirable because of the increased well installation costs, increased pumping costs, decreased aquifer storage, increased risk of salt water intrusion, and the possibility of land subsidence. Declines in the piezometric surface can be prevented or reduced by utilizing artificial groundwater recharge. The purpose of this study was to develop and operate a basin groundwater model with stochastic recharge inputs to determine the feasibility of utilizing available Weber River water for the improvement of the groundwater availability. This was accomplished by preparing auxiliary computer models which generated statistically similar river flows from which river water rights were subtracted. The feasibility of utilizing this type of recharge input was examined by comparing the economic benefit gained by reducing area wide pumping lifts through artificial recharge with the costs of the recharge operations. Institutions for implementing a recharge program were examined. Through this process a greater understanding of the geohydrologic conditions of the area was obtained. Piezometric surface contour maps, geologic profiles, calibrated values for geologic and hydrologic variables, as well as system response to change were quantified

Laser-driven electron source suitable for single-shot Gy-scale irradiation of biological cells at dose-rates exceeding 101010^{10} Gy/s

We report on the first systematic characterisation of a tuneable laser-driven electron source capable of delivering Gy-scale doses in a duration of 10 - 20 ps, thus reaching unprecedented dose rates in the range of $10^{10} - 10^{12}$ Gy/s. Detailed characterisation of the source indicates, in agreement with Monte-Carlo simulations, single-shot delivery of multi-Gy doses per pulse over cm-scale areas, with a high degree of spatial uniformity. The results reported here confirm that a laser-driven source of this kind can be used for systematic studies of the response of biological cells to picosecond-scale radiation at ultra-high dose rates.Comment: submitted for publicatio