In situ observations of ClO in the Antarctic: Evidence for chlorine catalyzed destruction of ozone

Results from a series of 12 ER-2 aircraft flights into the Antarctic polar vortex are summarized. These in situ data define the spatial and temporal distribution of ClO as the aircraft flew at an altitude of approx. 18 km from Punta Arenas (54 deg S latitude) to the base of the Palmer Peninsula (72 deg S latitude), executed a rapid descent to approx. 13 km, turned north and climbed bach to approximately 18 km, returning to Punta Arenas. A general pattern in the ClO distribution is reported: mixing ratios of approximately 10 ppt are found at altitude in the vicinity of 55 deg S increasing to 50 ppt at 60 degrees S. In the vicinity of 65 deg S latitude a steep gradient in the ClO mixing ratio is observed. At a fixed potential temperature, the ClO mixing ratio through this sharp transition increases by an order of magnitude within a very few degrees of latitude, thus defining the edge of the chemical containment vessel. From the edge of that containment vessel to the southern extension of the flights, 72 deg S, a dome of slowly increasing ClO best describes the distribution. Conclusion are drawn from the data

Correlation of N2O and ozone in the Southern Polar vortex during the airborne Antarctic ozone experiment

In situ N20 mixing ratios, measured by an airborne laser spectrometer (ATLAS), have been used along with in situ ozone measurements to determine the correlation of N2O and ozone in the Antarctic stratosphere during the late austral winter. During the 1987 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment (AAOE), N2O data were collected by a laser absorption spectrometer on board the ER-2 on five ferry flights between Ames Research Center (37 deg N) and Punta Arenas, Chile (53 deg S), and on twelve flights over Antarctica (53 S to 72 S). Of all the trace gas species measured by instruments on board the ER-2, only one showed a relationship to the N2O/O3 correlations in the vortex. With few exceptions, positive N20/O3 correlations coincided with total water mixing ratios of greater than 2.9 ppmv, and total water mixing ratios of less than 2.9 ppmv corresponded to negative correlations. The lower water mixing ratios, or dehydrated regions, are colocated with the negative correlations within the vortex, while the wetter regions always occur near the vortex edge

Temporal trends and transport within and around the Antarctic polar vortex during the formation of the 1987 Antarctic ozone hole

During AAOE in 1987 an ER-2 high altitude aircraft made twelve flights out of Punta Arenas, Chile (53 S, 71 W) into the Antarctic polar vortex. The aircraft was fitted with fast response instruments for in situ measurements of many trace species including O3, ClO, BrO, NO sub y, NO, H2O, and N2O. Grab samples of long-lived tracers were also taken and a scanning microwave radiometer measured temperatures above and below the aircraft. Temperature, pressure, and wind measurements were also made on the flight tracks. Most of these flights were flown to 72 S, at a constant potential temperature, followed by a dip to a lower altitude and again assuming a sometimes different potential temperature for the return leg. The potential temperature chosen was 425 K (17 to 18 km) on 12 of the flight legs, and 5 of the flight legs were flown at 450 K (18 to 19 km). The remaining 7 legs of the 12 flights were not flown on constant potential temperature surfaces. Tracer data have been analyzed for temporal trends. Data from the ascents out of Punta Arenas, the constant potential temperature flight legs, and the dips within the vortex are used to compare tracer values inside and outside the vortex, both with respect to constant potential temperature and constant N2O. The time trend during the one-month period of August 23 through September 22, 1987, shows that ozone decreased by 50 percent or more at altitudes form 15 to 19 km. This trend is evident whether analyzed with respect to constant potential temperature or constant N2O. The trend analysis for ozone outside the vortex shows no downward trend during this period. The analysis for N2O at a constant potential temperature indicates no significant trend either inside or outside the vortex; however, a decrease in N2O with an increase in latitude is evident

Evaluating Elk Summer Resource Selection and Applications to Summer Range Habitat Management

In much of the west, National Forest lands are managed in part to provide and protect elk (Cervus elaphus) habitat needs, and summer elk habitat is managed with consideration to motorized routes. We evaluated the relative importance of nutritional resources, access routes and other landscape attributes on elk summer resource selection at multiple spatial scales.  Resource selection models for 9 different western Montana elk populations, as well are regional models using data from all 9 herds, were compared to determine the applicability of resource selection models for informing habitat management recommendations. We found thatin all populations nutritional resources, best represented using NDVI metrics, were the most important factors associated with elk summer resource selection. Access route disturbances, best represented by the density of all routes (i.e., routes open and closed to motorized use), affected resource selection in all populations, however, the influence of access routes was relatively small as compared to nutritional resources. Regional models of resource selection predicted resource selection across populations better than population-specific models, thus we recommend these types of models be used to inform regional habitat management. Our results suggest that managers should expand the current management paradigm for elk summer habitat to also consider nutritional resources as an important component of elk summer habitat. Time-integrated NDVI, an easily accessible and free data source, may be useful as an assessment tool to identify areas of optimal elk nutrition

Asteroseismic determination of helium abundance in stellar envelopes

Intermediate degree modes of the solar oscillations have previously been used to determine the solar helium abundance to a high degree of precision. However, we cannot expect to observe such modes in other stars. In this work we investigate whether low degree modes that should be available from space-based asteroseismology missions can be used to determine the helium abundance, Y, in stellar envelopes with sufficient precision. We find that the oscillatory signal in the frequencies caused by the depression in \Gamma_1 in the second helium ionisation zone can be used to determine the envelope helium abundance of low mass main sequence stars. For frequency errors of 1 part in 10^4, we expect errors \sigma_Y in the estimated helium abundance to range from 0.03 for 0.8M_sun stars to 0.01 for 1.2M_sun stars. The task is more complicated in evolved stars, such as subgiants, but is still feasible if the relative errors in the frequencies are less than 10^{-4}.Comment: To appear in MNRAS. 11 pages, 11 figure

The Deuterium Abundance in the z=0.7 absorber towards QSO PG1718+4807

We report a further analysis of the ratio of deuterium to hydrogen (D/H) using HST spectra of the z=0.701 Lyman limit system towards the QSO PG1718+481. Initial analyses of this absorber found it gave a high D/H value, 1.8 - 3.1 \times 10^{-4} (Webb et al. 1998), inconsistent with several higher redshift measurements. It is thus important to critically examine this measurement. By analysing the velocity widths of the DI, HI and metal lines present in this system, Kirkman et al. (2001) report that the additional absorption in the blue wing of the lya line can not be DI, with a confidence level of 98%. Here we present a more detailed analysis, taking into account possible wavelength shifts between the three sets of HST spectra used in the analysis. We find that the constraints on this system are not as strong as those claimed by Kirkman et al. The discrepancy between the parameters of the blue wing absorption and the parameters expected for DI is marginally worse than 1 sigma. Tytler et al.(1999) commented on the first analysis of Webb et al.(1997,1998), reporting the presence of a contaminating lower redshift Lyman limit system, with log[N(HI)] = 16.7 at z=0.602, which biases the N(HI) estimate for the main system. Here we show that this absorber actually has log[N(HI)] < 14.6 and does not impact on the estimate of N(HI) in the system of interest at z = 0.701. The purpose of the present paper is to highlight important aspects of the analysis which were not explored in previous studies, and hence help refine the methods used in future analyses of D/H in quasar spectra.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures. Accepted by MNRA

Examining Seasonal Anthrax Risk in Wildlife: Comparing Home Ranges and Site Fidelity in Sero-Positive and Sero-Negative Ungulates

Anthrax is frequently reported from wildlife and livestock in the US.  While useful in reducing risk in livestock, vaccination, the primary method of prevention, is untenable for free-ranging wildlife. Because of this, accurate surveillance and carcass clean-up are the most efficacious control measures for wildlife.  However, surveillance is expensive and requires significant personnel across large landscapes. Likewise, the transmission pathways are poorly understood in most species. Wildlife telemetry improves our understanding of movement patterns during risk periods. At the same time, serological surveys provide data on host exposure. Such data allow us to test hypotheses about host/pathogen interactions on the landscape. Starting in 2010, we initiated GPS telemetry and sero-prevalence studies for managed bison, Bison bison bison, and free-range elk (Cervus elaphus) in Montana. Here we will evaluate summertime home ranges in bulls from both species in western Montana. We compared home ranges and site fidelity metrics in sero-positive and sero-negative animals. Serological tests indicated that ~30% of bull elk and ~27% of unvaccinated bison were sero-positive for anthrax exposure, suggesting that low-level exposure is frequent on this landscape. Seasonal ranges can be useful for defining areas where animals may have increased likelihood of anthrax, comparing ranges to niche-based estimates of B. anthracis. Fidelity metrics suggest both species spent considerable time in niche-based high risk areas. Inter-annual data from elk suggest long-term range fidelity and overlap with high risk areas. These data can be used to prioritize surveillance efforts in those areas to maximize disease control, while managing search costs

Integrating resource selection into spatial capture-recapture models for large carnivores

Wildlife managers need reliable methods to estimate large carnivore densities and population trends; yet large carnivores are elusive, difficult to detect, and occur at low densities making traditional approaches intractable. Recent advances in spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models have provided new approaches for monitoring trends in wildlife abundance and these methods are particularly applicable to large carnivores. We applied SCR models in a Bayesian framework to estimate mountain lion densities in the Bitterroot Mountains of west central Montana. We incorporate an existing resource selection function (RSF) as a density co-variate to account for heterogeneity in habitat use across the study area and include data collected from harvested lions. We identify individuals through DNA samples collected by (1) biopsy darting mountain lions detected in systematic surveys of a study area, (2) opportunistically collecting hair and scat samples, and (3) sampling all harvested mountain lions. We included 80 DNA samples collected from 62 individuals in the analysis. Including information on predicted habitat use as a co-variate on the distribution of activity centers reduced the median estimated density by 44% the standard deviation by 7% and the width of 95% credible intervals by 10% as compared to standard SCR models. Within the two management units of interest, we estimated a median mountain lion density of 4.5 mountain lions/100 km2 (95% CI=2.9, 7.7) and 5.2 mountain lions/100 km2 (95% CI=3.4, 9.1). Including harvested individuals (dead recovery) did not create a significant bias in the detection process by introducing individuals that could not be detected after removal. However, the dead recovery component of the model did have a substantial effect on results by increasing sample size. The ability to account for heterogeneity in habitat use provides a useful extension to SCR models, and will enhance the ability of wildlife managers to reliably and economically estimate density of wildlife populations, particularly large carnivores

Testing Rotational Mixing Predictions with New Boron Abundances in Main Sequence B-type Stars

(Abridged) New boron abundances for seven main-sequence B-type stars are determined from HST STIS spectroscopy around the BIII 2066A line. Boron abundances provide a unique and critical test of stellar evolution models that include rotational mixing since boron is destroyed in the surface layers of stars through shallow mixing long before other elements are mixed from the stellar interior through deep mixing. Boron abundances range from 12+log(B/H) = 1.0 to 2.2. The boron abundances are compared to the published values of their stellar nitrogen abundances (all have 12+log(N/H) < 7.8, i.e., they do not show significant CNO-mixing) and to their host cluster ages (4 to 16 Myr) to investigate the predictions from models of massive star evolution with rotational mixing effects (Heger & Langer 2000). Only three stars (out of 34) deviate from the model predictions, including HD36591, HD205021, and HD30836. These three stars suggest that rotational mixing could be more efficient than currently modelled at the highest rotation rates.Comment: 10 figures, 7 tables; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa