748 research outputs found
Modern seawater acidification: The response of foraminifera to high-CO<inf>2</inf> conditions in the Mediterranean Sea
The seas around the island of Ischia (Italy) have a lowered pH as a result of volcanic gas vents that emit carbon dioxide from the sea floor at ambient seawater temperatures. These areas of acidified seawater provide natural laboratories in which to study the long-term biological response to rising CO2 levels. Benthic foraminifera (single-celled protists) are particularly interesting as they have short life histories, are environmentally sensitive and have an excellent fossil record. Here, we examine changes in foraminiferal assemblages along pH gradients at CO2 vents on the coast of Ischia and show that the foraminiferal distribution, diversity and nature of the fauna change markedly in the living assemblages as pH decreases. © 2010 Geological Society of London
Coastal vulnerability of a pinned, soft-cliff coastline. Part I, assessing the natural sensitivity to wave climate
The impact of future sea-level rise on coastal erosion as a result of a changing climate has been studied in detail over the past decade. The potential impact of a changing wave climate on erosion rates, however, is not typically considered. We explore the effect of changing wave climates on a pinned, soft-cliff, sandy coastline, using as an example the Holderness coast of East Yorkshire, UK.
The initial phase of the study concentrates on calibrating a numerical model to recently measured erosion rates for the Holderness coast using an ensemble of geomorphological and shoreface parameters under an observed offshore wave climate. In the main phase of the study, wave climate data are perturbed gradually to assess their impact on coastal morphology. Forward-modelled simulations constrain the nature of the morphological response of the coast to changes in wave climate over the next century. Results indicate that changes to erosion rates over the next century will be spatially and temporally heterogeneous, with a variability of up to ±25% in the erosion rate relative to projections under constant wave climate. The heterogeneity results from the current coastal morphology and the sediment transport dynamics consequent on differing wave climate regimes
Assessing the influence of sea walls on the coastal vulnerability of a pinned, soft-cliff, sandy coastline
Coastal defences have long been employed to halt or slow coastal erosion. Their impact on local sediment flux and ecology has been studied in detail through field studies and numerical simulations. The non-local impact of a modified sediment flux regime on mesoscale erosion and accretion has received less attention. Morphological changes at this scale due to defended structures can be difficult to quantify or identify with field data. Engineering scale numerical models, often applied to assess the design of modern defences on local coastal erosion, tend not to cover large stretches of coast and are rarely applied to assess the impact of older structures. We extend previous work to explore the influences of sea walls on the evolution and morphological sensitivity of a pinned, soft-cliff, sandy coastline under a changing wave climate. The Holderness coast of East Yorkshire, UK, is used as a case study, represented both as a defended example with major sea walls included and a natural example where no sea defences exist.
Using a mesoscale numerical coastal evolution model, stochastic wave climate data are perturbed gradually to assess the sensitivity of the coastal morphology to changing wave climate for both the defended and natural scenarios. Comparative analysis of the simulated output suggests that sea walls in the south of the region have a greater impact on sediment flux due to the increased sediment availability along this part of the coast. Multiple defended structures, including those separated by several kilometres, were found to interact with each other, producing a complex imprint on coastal morphology under a changing wave climate. Although spatially and temporally heterogeneous, sea walls generally slowed coastal recession and accumulated sediment on their up-drift side
Coastal vulnerability of a pinned, soft-cliff coastline. Part II, assessing the influence of sea walls on future morphology
Coastal defences have long been employed to halt or slow coastal erosion, and their impact on local
sediment flux and ecology has been studied in detail through field research and numerical simulation. The nonlocal
impact of a modified sediment flux regime on mesoscale erosion and accretion has received less attention.
Morphological changes at this scale due to defending structures can be difficult to quantify or identify with
field data. Engineering-scale numerical models, often applied to assess the design of modern defences on local
coastal erosion, tend not to cover large stretches of coast and are rarely applied to assess the impact of older
structures. We extend previous work to explore the influences of sea walls on the evolution and morphological
sensitivity of a pinned, soft-cliff, sandy coastline under a changing wave climate. The Holderness coast of East
Yorkshire, UK, is used as a case study to explore model scenarios where the coast is both defended with major
sea walls and allowed to evolve naturally were there are no sea defences.
Using a mesoscale numerical coastal evolution model, observed wave-climate data are perturbed linearly to
assess the sensitivity of the coastal morphology to changing wave climate for both the defended and undefended
scenarios. Comparative analysis of the simulated output suggests that sea walls in the south of the region have
a greater impact on sediment flux due to increased sediment availability along this part of the coast. Multiple
defence structures, including those separated by several kilometres, were found to interact with each other,
producing complex changes in coastal morphology under a changing wave climate. Although spatially and
temporally heterogeneous, sea walls generally slowed coastal recession and accumulated sediment on their
up-drift side
Projective and Coarse Projective Integration for Problems with Continuous Symmetries
Temporal integration of equations possessing continuous symmetries (e.g.
systems with translational invariance associated with traveling solutions and
scale invariance associated with self-similar solutions) in a ``co-evolving''
frame (i.e. a frame which is co-traveling, co-collapsing or co-exploding with
the evolving solution) leads to improved accuracy because of the smaller time
derivative in the new spatial frame. The slower time behavior permits the use
of {\it projective} and {\it coarse projective} integration with longer
projective steps in the computation of the time evolution of partial
differential equations and multiscale systems, respectively. These methods are
also demonstrated to be effective for systems which only approximately or
asymptotically possess continuous symmetries. The ideas of projective
integration in a co-evolving frame are illustrated on the one-dimensional,
translationally invariant Nagumo partial differential equation (PDE). A
corresponding kinetic Monte Carlo model, motivated from the Nagumo kinetics, is
used to illustrate the coarse-grained method. A simple, one-dimensional
diffusion problem is used to illustrate the scale invariant case. The
efficiency of projective integration in the co-evolving frame for both the
macroscopic diffusion PDE and for a random-walker particle based model is again
demonstrated
Anomalous diffusion with absorption: Exact time-dependent solutions
Recently, analytical solutions of a nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation
describing anomalous diffusion with an external linear force were found using a
non extensive thermostatistical Ansatz. We have extended these solutions to the
case when an homogeneous absorption process is also present. Some peculiar
aspects of the interrelation between the deterministic force, the nonlinear
diffusion and the absorption process are discussed.Comment: RevTex, 16 pgs, 4 figures. Accepted in Physical Review
Two-Proton Correlations near Midrapidity in p+Pb and S+Pb Collisions at the CERN SPS
Correlations of two protons emitted near midrapidity in p+Pb collisions at
450 GeV/c and S+Pb collisions at 200A GeV/c are presented, as measured by the
NA44 Experiment. The correlation effect, which arises as a result of final
state interactions and Fermi-Dirac statistics, is related to the space-time
characteristics of proton emission. The measured source sizes are smaller than
the size of the target lead nucleus but larger than the sizes of the
projectiles. A dependence on the collision centrality is observed; the source
size increases with decreasing impact parameter. Proton source sizes near
midrapidity appear to be smaller than those of pions in the same interactions.
Quantitative agreement with the results of RQMD (v1.08) simulations is found
for p+Pb collisions. For S+Pb collisions the measured correlation effect is
somewhat weaker than that predicted by the model simulations, implying either a
larger source size or larger contribution of protons from long-lived particle
decays.Comment: 10 pages (LaTeX) text, 4 (EPS) figures; accepted for publication in
Phys. Lett.
Strange Meson Enhancement in PbPb Collisions
The NA44 Collaboration has measured yields and differential distributions of
K+, K-, pi+, pi- in transverse kinetic energy and rapidity, around the
center-of-mass rapidity in 158 A GeV/c Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN SPS. A
considerable enhancement of K+ production per pi is observed, as compared to
p+p collisions at this energy. To illustrate the importance of secondary hadron
rescattering as an enhancement mechanism, we compare strangeness production at
the SPS and AGS with predictions of the transport model RQMD.Comment: 11 pages, including 4 figures, LATE
Cyclophosphamide and human organ transplantation.
Cyclophosphamide, a drug that has not previously had an important role in whole-organ transplantation, was given as a primary immunosuppressant to one liver and eleven kidney recipients, in combination with prednisone and horse antilymphocyte globulin. One of the patients died despite good renal-graft function. Two kidneys from a common cadaveric donor failed. The other nine patients have excellent function of their homografts after 2-3 months. Cyclophosphamide was substituted for azathioprine in one hepatic and five renal recipients who were suspected of having liver toxicity from azathioprine 3 months to almost 8 years post-transplantation. Graft function was maintained after this change, and the evidence of liver injury subsided. © 1971
- …