Approach to the Spanish continental Neogene synthesis and paleoclimatic interpretation

Integrated studies on Neogene geology have been scarce in Spain, but attemps to stratigraphic and sedimentological analysis of continental Tertiary basins have increased considerably lately. The large extent of Neogene basins in Spain, the good quality of the outcrops and the abundance of fossil provide an excellent basis for this kind of studies

Stability and maturity of biowaste composts derived by small municipalities : correlation among physical, chemical and biological indices

Stability and maturity are important criteria to guarantee the quality of a compost that is applied to agriculture or used as amendment in degraded soils. Although different techniques exist to evaluate stability and maturity, the application of laboratory tests in municipalities in developing countries can be limited due to cost and application complexities. In the composting facilities of such places, some classical low cost on-site tests to monitor the composting process are usually implemented; however, such tests do not necessarily clearly identify conditions of stability and maturity. In this article, we have applied and compared results of stability and maturity tests that can be easily employed on site (i.e. temperature, pH, moisture, electrical conductivity [EC], odor and color), and of tests that require more complex laboratory techniques (volatile solids, C/N ratio, self-heating, respirometric index, germination index [GI]). The evaluation of the above was performed in the field scale using 2 piles of biowaste applied compost. The monitoring period was from day 70 to day 190 of the process. Results showed that the low-cost tests traditionally employed to monitor the composting process on-site, such as temperature, color and moisture, do not provide consistent determinations with the more complex laboratory tests used to assess stability (e.g. respiration index, self-heating, volatile solids). In the case of maturity tests (GI, pH, EC), both the on-site tests (pH, EC) and the laboratory test (GI) provided consistent results. Although, stability was indicated for most of the samples, the maturity tests indicated that products were consistently immature. Thus, a stable product is not necessarily mature. Conclusively, the decision on the quality of the compost in the installations located in developing countries requires the simultaneous use of a combination of tests that are performed both in the laboratory and on-site

Aportaciones al conocimiento de la evolución paleoclimática y paleoambiental en la Península Ibérica durante los dos ultimos millones de años a partir del estudio de trasvertinos y espeleotemas

En este trabajo se contemplan los resultados principales del Proyecto" Reconstrucción Paleoclimática desde el Pleistoceno Medio a partir de análisis geocronológicos e isotópicos de travertinos españoles" (P. CEC FI2W-CT91-0075 " Paleoclimatological revision of climate evolution in the Western Mediterranean Region, Evaluation of altered scenarios) . Se seleccionaron cuatro áreas de depósitos travertínicos de carácter fluvial (Priego, Río Blanco), lacustre (Río Blanco, Banyoles) y aluvial (Tolox) así como una zona con depósitos espeleotémicos (Karst de la Cueva del Reguerillo). En ellas se obtuvieron datos sobre la evolución del paisaje y del clima, los travertinos y espeleotemas son indicadores de clima cálido s.l. que de forma abreviada son: O Mediante la geomorfología y dataciones (paleomagnetismo, U/Th, Resonancia de espín Resumen electrónico y racemización de aminoácidos), se determinó las historia fluvial de los travertinos de Priego y Río Blanco así como del Karst de la Cueva del Reguerillo donde, además, se dataron un paleosismo y fenómenos de neotectónica. La data más antigua obtenida mediante Resonancia de espín electrónico fue 950ka, mientras que mediante racemización de aminoácidos se dataron depósitos de más de 750ka. Mediante dataciones, sedimentología, análisis de isótopos estables y palinología se determinaron aspectos de la evolución climática de algunas áreas de la Península Ibérica. La correlación entre palinología e isotopía permitió la validación de algunos de los resultados. También se obtuvieron datos cualitativos sobre input hidraúlicos a los sistemas fluviales o kársticos

Branch xylem density variations across Amazonia

International audienceMeasurements of branch xylem density, Dx, were made for 1466 trees representing 503 species, sampled from 80 sites across the Amazon basin. Measured values ranged from 240 kg m?3 for a Brosimum parinarioides from Tapajos in West Pará, Brazil to 1130 kg m?3 for an Aiouea sp. from Caxiuana, Central Pará, Brazil. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in average Dx across the sample plots as well as significant differences between families, genera and species. A partitioning of the total variance in the dataset showed that geographic location and plot accounted for 33% of the variation with species identity accounting for an additional 27%; the remaining "residual" 40% of the variance accounted for by tree to tree (within species) variation. Variations in plot means, were, however, hardly accountable at all by differences in species composition. Rather, it would seem that variations of xylem density at plot level must be explained by the effects of soils and/or climate. This conclusion is supported by the observation that the xylem density of the more widely distributed species varied systematically from plot to plot. Thus, as well as having a genetic component branch xylem density is a plastic trait that, for any given species, varies according to where the tree is growing and in a predictable manner. Exceptions to this general rule may be some pioneers belonging to Pourouma and Miconia and some species within the genera Brosimum, Rinorea and Trichillia which seem to be more constrained in terms of this plasticity than most species sampled as part of this study

The search for high altitude sites in South America for the SWGO detector

The Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO) is a project for a new generation of extensive air shower front detectors, based primarily on the water Cherenkov technique, to be located in the Southern Hemisphere, where no other instrument of that kind is currently operating in the TeV gamma-ray energy range. The reference configuration of SWGO foresees an array of about 6, 000 water Cherenkov tanks deployed over a circle of 320 m diameter, about 80, 000 m2 area. In order to reach a sensitivity at energies around and below 1 TeV competitive with current and future detectors, SWGO will be placed at altitude above 4, 400 m a.s.l. Preliminary site searches have found several candidate sites in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The major challenge will be the water provision, considering that at least 105 m3 of water will be required. This poster will present the challenges and status of the SWGO site search in South America

The Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory reach for Primordial Black Hole evaporation

The Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO) is a proposed ground-based gamma-ray detector that will be located in the Southern Hemisphere and is currently in its design phase. In this contribution, we will outline the prospects for Galactic science with this Observatory. Particular focus will be given to the detectability of extended sources, such as gamma-ray halos around pulsars; optimisation of the angular resolution to mitigate source confusion between known TeV sources; and studies of the energy resolution and sensitivity required to study the spectral features of PeVatrons at the highest energies. Such a facility will ideally complement contemporaneous observatories in studies of high energy astrophysical processes in our Galaxy

The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer, MEDA. A Suite of Environmental Sensors for the Mars 2020 Mission

86 pags., 49 figs., 24 tabs.NASA’s Mars 2020 (M2020) rover mission includes a suite of sensors to monitor current environmental conditions near the surface of Mars and to constrain bulk aerosol properties from changes in atmospheric radiation at the surface. The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) consists of a set of meteorological sensors including wind sensor, a barometer, a relative humidity sensor, a set of 5 thermocouples to measure atmospheric temperature at ∼1.5 m and ∼0.5 m above the surface, a set of thermopiles to characterize the thermal IR brightness temperatures of the surface and the lower atmosphere. MEDA adds a radiation and dust sensor to monitor the optical atmospheric properties that can be used to infer bulk aerosol physical properties such as particle size distribution, non-sphericity, and concentration. The MEDA package and its scientific purpose are described in this document as well as how it responded to the calibration tests and how it helps prepare for the human exploration of Mars. A comparison is also presented to previous environmental monitoring payloads landed on Mars on the Viking, Pathfinder, Phoenix, MSL, and InSight spacecraft.This work has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the projects No. ESP2014-54256-C4-1-R (also -2-R, -3-R and -4-R) and AYA2015-65041-P; Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, projects No. ESP2016-79612-C3-1-R (also -2-R and -3-R), ESP2016-80320-C2-1-R, RTI2018-098728-B-C31 (also -C32 and -C33) and RTI2018-099825-B-C31; Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial; Ministry of Science and Innovation’s Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology; Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT1366-19; and European Research Council Consolidator Grant no 818602. The US co-authors performed their work under sponsorship from NASA’s Mars 2020 project, from the Game Changing Development program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate and from the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate