Application of ERTS-1 imagery to detecting and mapping modern erosion features, and to monitoring erosional changes, in southern Arizona

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 multispectral images have been used, without additional data, to prepare three maps at 1:1 million scale of the 18,000 sq. mi. project area: (1) modern (post-1890 A. D.) arroyos and channels; (2) types of stream channels; and (3) potential erodibility of soils; surficial deposits, and bedrock. Also completed was the collection and compilation of ground truth geologic, soil, and hydrologic data. Field studies to obtain ground control for the photointerpretive mapping include: (1) measurements, at many sites, of the depth, width, and channel characteristics of arroyos and gullies, and cross profiles of stream channels, flood plains, and Holocene terraces; and (2) stratigraphic measurements of the Holocene alluvial deposits. Significant conclusions from these extensive stratigraphic studies are: Slow deposition of sediment was the dominant process on stream lowlands throughout the project area for at least 2000 years prior to 1890 A.D. The deposition was broken by only two relatively brief and minor erosional episodes of regional importance, when channels no more than a third of the depth of modern channels were cut. The modern erosion has produced within about 80 years substantially more and larger arroyos than any erosion episode during the last 2000 years, and the end is not in sight

Assessment of flood damage in Arizona by means of ERTS-1 imagery

ERTS-1 MSS images clearly show two important effects of a large flood in southeastern Arizona - the extent of inundation and the areas affected by servere sediment deposition and erosion - although the images were made a week and a half after the flood. On October 20 and 21, 1972, the upper Gila River had its third-largest flood on record. Peak flows attained about 42,000 and 82,000 cubic feet a second at Duncan and Safford, Arizona, respectively. The first ERTS-1 images after the flood were made on November 1 and 2. The inundated area is best displayed on the infrared bands, particularly on band 7, where it appears as a belt along the river that is distinctly darker than adjoining parts of the flood plain. This dark belt does not appear on ERTS images that predate the flood. Presumably the low infrared reflectance of this belt is caused by still-moist soil and by flood-stressed vegetation. Inundation limits mapped from ERTS imagery agree well with those obtained by aerial photography during the flood and by ground surveys

Effects of Enamel Paint on the Behavior and Survival of the Periodical Cicada, \u3ci\u3eMagicicada Septendecim\u3c/i\u3e (Homoptera) and the Lesser Migratory Grasshopper, \u3ci\u3eMelanoplus Sanguinipes (Orthoptera).

We present information compiled from several studies on the effects of methods for marking individual arthropods on their longevity and behavior. Results from our own research on effects of enamel paint marking on two in- sect species, the periodical cicada, Magicicada septendecim, and the lesser migratory grasshopper, Melanoplus sanguinipes, are also presented. Neither species showed any adverse survivorship or behavioral effects from marking

Discussion of "Statistical Modeling of Spatial Extremes" by A. C. Davison, S. A. Padoan and M. Ribatet

Discussion of "Statistical Modeling of Spatial Extremes" by A. C. Davison, S. A. Padoan and M. Ribatet [arXiv:1208.3378].Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/12-STS376A the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

New Records of Michigan Cicadidae (Homoptera), With Notes on the Use of Songs to Monitor Range Changes

We present records of Diceroprocta vitripennis, Tibicen chloromera, and Tibicen pruinosa (new state record) in Michigan. Monitoring geographic range changes and population size differences by song suggests several population situations for cicadas: (1) sizable populations in most areas of apparently good habitat; (2) widely separated single individuals or small populations on the edges of populated regions, representing range extensions that may be of limited duration; (3) one or a few individuals present only once, probably transferred in soil on roots, and ultimately unsuccessful. Species- specific calling songs allow sensitive measurement of species\u27 range changes

A ground track control algorithm for the Topographic Mapping Laser Altimeter (TMLA)

The results of an analysis of an algorithm that will provide autonomous onboard orbit control using orbits determined with Global Positioning System (GPS) data. The algorithm uses the GPS data to (1) compute the ground track error relative to a fixed longitude grid, and (2) determine the altitude adjustment required to correct the longitude error. A program was written on a personal computer (PC) to test the concept for numerous altitudes and values of solar flux using a simplified orbit model including only the J sub 2 zonal harmonic and simple orbit decay computations. The algorithm was then implemented in a precision orbit propagation program having a full range of perturbations. The analysis showed that, even with all perturbations (including actual time histories of solar flux variation), the algorithm could effectively control the spacecraft ground track and yield more than 99 percent Earth coverage in the time required to complete one coverage cycle on the fixed grid (220 to 230 days depending on altitude and overlap allowance)

Non-linear effect of uniaxial pressure on superconductivity in CeCoIn5

We study single-crystal CeCoIn5 with uniaxial pressure up to 3.97 kbar applied along the c-axis. We find a non-linear dependence of the superconducting transition temperature Tc on pressure, with a maximum close to 2 kbar. The transition also broadens significantly as pressure increases. We discuss the temperature dependence in terms of the general trend that Tc decreases in anisotropic heavy-fermion compounds as they move towards three-dimensional behavior.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Downscaling extremes: A comparison of extreme value distributions in point-source and gridded precipitation data

There is substantial empirical and climatological evidence that precipitation extremes have become more extreme during the twentieth century, and that this trend is likely to continue as global warming becomes more intense. However, understanding these issues is limited by a fundamental issue of spatial scaling: most evidence of past trends comes from rain gauge data, whereas trends into the future are produced by climate models, which rely on gridded aggregates. To study this further, we fit the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution to the right tail of the distribution of both rain gauge and gridded events. The results of this modeling exercise confirm that return values computed from rain gauge data are typically higher than those computed from gridded data; however, the size of the difference is somewhat surprising, with the rain gauge data exhibiting return values sometimes two or three times that of the gridded data. The main contribution of this paper is the development of a family of regression relationships between the two sets of return values that also take spatial variations into account. Based on these results, we now believe it is possible to project future changes in precipitation extremes at the point-location level based on results from climate models.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/09-AOAS287 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Studies on the Reduction of Radon Plate-Out

The decay of common radioactive gases, such as radon, produces stable isotopes by a sequence of daughter particles with varied half-lives. These daughter particles are a significant source of gamma, neutron, and alpha particle backgrounds that can mimic desired signals in dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. In the LUMINA Laboratory at Southern Methodist University (SMU), studies of radon plate-out onto copper samples are conducted using one of XIA's first five UltraLo 1800 alpha counters. We present results from investigations into various mitigation approaches. A custom-built copper holder (in either plastic or metal) has been designed and produced to maximize the copper's exposure to 220Rn. The 220Rn source is a collection of camping lantern mantles. We present the current status of control and experimental methods for addressing radon exposure levels.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, Conference Proceedings for Low Radioactivity Techniques 201