Surface atmospheric pressure excitation of the translational mode of the inner core

Using hourly atmospheric surface pressure field from ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) and from NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) models, we show that atmospheric pressure fluctuations excite the translational oscillation of the inner core, the so-called Slichter mode, to the sub-nanogal level at the Earth surface. The computation is performed using a normal-mode formalism for a spherical, self-gravitating anelastic PREM-like Earth model. We determine the statistical response in the form of power spectral densities of the degree-one spherical harmonic components of the observed pressure field. Both hypotheses of inverted and non-inverted barometer for the ocean response to pressure forcing are considered. Based on previously computed noise levels, we show that the surface excitation amplitude is below the limit of detection of the superconducting gravimeters, making the Slichter mode detection a challenging instrumental task for the near future

Epiphytic biomass of a tropical montane forest varies with topography

The spatial heterogeneity of tropical forest epiphytes has rarely been quantified in terms of biomass. In particular, the effect of topographic variation on epiphyte biomass is poorly known, although forests on ridges and ravines can differ drastically in stature and exposure. In an Ecuadorian lower montane forest we quantified epiphytic biomass along two gradients: (1) the twig-branch-trunk trajectory, and (2) the ridge-ravine gradient. Twenty-one trees were sampled in each of three forest types (ridge, slope, ravine positions). Their epiphytic biomass was extrapolated to stand level based on basal area-epiphyte load relationships, with tree basal areas taken from six plots of 400 m 2 each per forest type. Our results document the successional addition and partial replacement of lichens by bryophytes, angiosperms and finally dead organic matter along the twig-branch-trunk trajectory. Despite having the highest tree basal area, total epiphytic biomass (mean ± SD) of ravine forest was significantly lower (2.6 ± 0.7 Mg ha -1) than in mid-slope forest (6.3 ± 1.1 Mg ha -1) and ridge forest (4.4 ± 1.6 Mg ha -1), whereas maximum bryophyte water storage capacity was significantly higher. We attribute this pattern to differences in forest dynamics, stand structure and microclimate. Although our study could not differentiate between direct effects of slope position (nutrient availability, mesoclimate) and indirect effects (stand structure and dynamics), it provides evidence that fine-scale topography needs to be taken into account when extrapolating epiphytic biomass and related matter fluxes from stand-level data to the regional scale. © Copyright Cambridge University Press 2011

Using Gap Charts to Visualize the Temporal Evolution of Ranks and Scores

To address the limitations of traditional line chart approaches, in particular rank charts (RCs) and score charts (SCs), a novel class of line charts called gap charts (GCs) show entries that are ranked over time according to a performance metric. The main advantages of GCs are that entries never overlap (only changes in rank generate limited overlap between time steps) and gaps between entries show the magnitude of their score difference. The authors evaluate the effectiveness of GCs for performing different types of tasks and find that they outperform standard time-dependent ranking visualizations for tasks that involve identifying and understanding evolutions in both ranks and scores. They also show that GCs are a generic and scalable class of line charts by applying them to a variety of different datasets