Soil temperature extrema recovery rates after precipitation cooling

From a one dimensional view of temperature alone variations at the Earth's surface manifest themselves in two cyclic patterns of diurnal and annual periods, due principally to the effects of diurnal and seasonal changes in solar heating as well as gains and losses of available moisture. Beside these two well known cyclic patterns, a third cycle has been identified which occurs in values of diurnal maxima and minima soil temperature extrema at 10 cm depth usually over a mesoscale period of roughly 3 to 14 days. This mesoscale period cycle starts with precipitation cooling of soil and is followed by a power curve temperature recovery. The temperature recovery clearly depends on solar heating of the soil with an increased soil moisture content from precipitation combined with evaporation cooling at soil temperatures lowered by precipitation cooling, but is quite regular and universal for vastly different geographical locations, and soil types and structures. The regularity of the power curve recovery allows a predictive model approach over the recovery period. Multivariable linear regression models alloy predictions of both the power of the temperature recovery curve as well as the total temperature recovery amplitude of the mesoscale temperature recovery, from data available one day after the temperature recovery begins

Thermal infrared remote sensing of surface features for renewable resource applications

The subjects of infrared remote sensing of surface features for renewable resource applications is reviewed with respect to the basic physical concepts involved at the Earth's surface and up through the atmosphere, as well as the historical development of satellite systems which produce such data at increasingly greater spatial resolution. With this general background in hand, the growth of a variety of specific renewable resource applications using the developing thermal infrared technology are discussed, including data from HCMM investigators. Recommendations are made for continued growth in this field of applications

Classical approximation for ionization by heavy particle impact

Classical binary approximation for ionization by proton impac

Classical calculations of charge transfer cross sections

Calculations of charge transfer cross section

Application of the equipartition theorem to the thermal excitation of quartz tuning forks

The deflection signal of a thermally excited force sensor of an atomic force microscope can be analyzed to gain important information about the detector noise and about the validity of the equipartion theorem of thermodynamics. Here, we measured the temperature dependence of the thermal amplitude of a tuning fork and compared it to the expected values based on the equipartition theorem. In doing so, we prove the validity of these assumptions in the temperature range from 140K to 300K. Furthermore, the application of the equipartition theorem to quartz tuning forks at liquid helium temperatures is discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, published in Applied Physics Letter

A phantom force induced by the tunneling current, characterized on Si(111)

Simultaneous measurements of tunneling currents and atomic forces on surfaces and adsorbates provide new insights into the electronic and structural properties of matter on the atomic scale. We report on experimental observations and calculations of a strong impact the tunneling current can have on the measured force, which arises when the resistivity of the sample cannot be neglected. We present a study on Si(111)-7\times7 with various doping levels, but this effect is expected to occur on other low-conductance samples like adsorbed molecules, and is likely to strongly affect Kelvin probe measurements on the atomic scale.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitte

Predicing Ecological Effects of Watershed-Wide Rain Garden Implementation Using a Low-Cost Methodology

Stormwater control measures (SCMs) have been employed to mitigate peak flows and pollutants ssociated with watershed urbanization. Downstream ecological effects caused by the implementation of SCMs are largely unknown, especially at the watershed scale. Knowledge of these effects could help with setting goals for and targeting locations of local restoration efforts. Unfortunately, studies such as these typically require a high level of time and effort for the investigating party, of which resources are often limited. This study proposes a low-cost investigation method for the prediction of ecological effects on the watershed scale with the implementation of rain garden systems by using publicly available data and software. For demonstration purposes, a typical urban watershed was modeled using Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) 5.0. Forty-five models were developed in which the percent impervious area was varied 3 to 80%, and the fraction of rain gardens implemented with respect to the number of structures was varied from to 100%. The river chub fish (Nocomis micropogon) and its congeners (Nocomis spp.) were chosen as ecological indicators, as they are considered to be keystone species through interspecific nesting association. Depth and velocity criteria for successful nest building locations of the river chub were determined; these criteria can then be applied to many other watersheds. In this study, both base flow conditions and a typical summer storm event (1.3 cm, 6 h duration) were evaluated. During the simulated storm, nest-building locations were not affected in the 3 and 5% impervious cover models. Nest destruction was found to occur in approximately 54% of the original nest building sites for the 9% and 10% impervious areas. Nearly all of the nest-building locations were uninhabitable for impervious areas 20% and greater. Rain garden implementation significantly improved river chub habitat in the simulation, with greatest marginal benefit at lower levels of implementation

Should the Federal Circuit Stand Down on Standing?

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, just ninety days after patients in Wuhan, China, began experiencing an unknown pneumonia-like illness.1 States rapidly responded, beginning shutdowns just a few days later.2 Amidst the early shutdown chaos, Moderna began human trials on its new COVID-19 vaccine.3 Moderna’s road to vaccine development was not without bumps, however, as the company launched a patent validity attack on another company’s technology it used while developing its vaccine. The dispute made its way to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where the question focused on whether Moderna could even contest the results of an Inter Partes Review (“IPR”), which could have invalidated the patent and given Moderna license to use the technology, in the first place—i.e., did Moderna have standing