A Tool and a Method for Obtaining Hydrologic Flow Velocity Measurements in Geothermal Reservoirs

Downhole instruments based on a thermal perturbation principle are being developed to measure heat flow in permeable formations where convective transport of heat is important. To make heat flow measurements in these regions, the ground water velocity vector must be determined. A downhole probe has been designed to measure the local ground water velocity vector. The probe is a cylindrical heat source operated at a constant heat flux. In a convecting environment, surface temperatures on the probe are perturbed from those values of a purely conductive environment. With the aid of analytical and numerical models, these temperature differences can be related to the local velocity vector

Magma Source Location Survey

A survey of Industry/University geophysicists was conducted to obtain their opinions on the existence of shallow (less than 10 km from surface) magma bodies in the western conterminous United States and methods for locating and defining them. Inputs from 35 individuals were received and are included. Responses were that shallow magma bodies exist and that existing geophysical sensing systems are adequate to locate them

Design of a molten-lava, single-tube boiler experiment

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Thermal model for solid rocket propellant fires

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Cryptic species within the cosmopolitan desiccation-tolerant moss Grimmia laevigata

The common cushion moss Grimmia laevigata (Bridel) Bridel grows on bare rock in a broad range of environments on every continent except Antarctica. As such, it must harbor adaptations to a remarkably broad set of environmental stresses, the extremes of which can include very high temperatures, prolonged nearly complete desiccation, and high ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure. Yet, like many mosses, G. laevigata shows very little morphological variability across its cosmopolitan range. This presents an evolutionary puzzle, the solution to which lies in understanding the phylogeographic structure of this morphologically simple organism. Here we report the results of an analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) in G. laevigata, focusing on individuals from the California Floristic Province. We found evidence that populations within California constitute two distinct geographically overlapping cryptic species. Each clade harbors multiple private alleles, indicating they have been genetically isolated for some time. We suggest that the existence of cryptic species within G. laevigata, in combination with its life history, growth habits, and extreme desiccation tolerance, makes this moss an ideal research tool and a candidate for a biological indicator of climate change and pollution