Space Charge Waves in Cylindrical Plasma Columns

When a plasma is of finite transverse cross section, space-charge waves may propagate even in the absence of a drift motion or thermal velocities of the plasma. Some of the properties of these space charge waves have been investigated by regarding the plasma as a dielectric and solving the resulting field equations. The effect of a steady axial magnetic field is considered, but motion of heavy ions and electron temperature effects are neglected. Waves are found to exist at frequencies low compared with the plasma frequency as well as waves with oppositely directed phase and group velocities (backward waves).Many of the features of these waves have been verified experimentally by measuring phase velocity and attenuation of waves along the positive column of a low pressure mercury arc in an axial magnetic field. Measurements of electron density have been made using these waves and the results are compared with those obtained by other methods. An interesting feature of these measurements, of value in plasma diagnostics, is that they can be made with frequencies which are small compared with the plasma frequency

Flexibility in foraging strategies of Brown Skuas in response to local and seasonal dietary constraints

The Brown Skua Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi is an opportunistic species that displays a high degree of flexibility in foraging tactics. We deployed global positioning system (GPS) and immersion (activity) loggers on breeding Brown Skuas of known sex, body size and condition at Admiralty Bay, King George Island with the aim to examine the impacts of spatial and seasonal fluctuations in prey availability on movement and foraging behavior. We also investigated whether reversed sexual size dimorphism (females larger than males) in this species leads to differences between sexes in foraging behavior and whether this or other factors contribute to variation in breeding success. Analysis of the GPS data highlighted the high degree of plasticity in foraging behavior among individuals. Although most Brown Skuas were flexible in their feeding tactics, this was not enough to ensure a successful breeding season, as few pairs fledged chicks. During early chick rearing, Brown Skuas spent most of their time on land, feeding almost exclusively on penguin chicks. By late chick rearing, when the availability of penguins had diminished, Brown Skuas supplemented the food obtained on land by traveling to the ocean. All foraging trips to sea occurred during daylight, mostly during the early morning. Despite marked sexual size dimorphism, we failed to find any difference in foraging tactics between males and females. Furthermore, although laying date affected the number of chicks hatched (earlier pairs were more successful), no relationship was found between breeding success and male or female body size, condition or degree of dimorphism within pair

Electro-Mechanical Modes in Plasma Waveguides

In addition to increasing the cut-off frequencies of TM-modes in a waveguide, the introduction of a plasma column into the waveguide also introduces new modes of propagation. The properties of these modes, including the effect of an axial d.c. magnetic field but neglecting ion motion, have been studied by solving the field equations considering the electron plasma as a dielectric. The new modes generally have phase velocities much less than the velocity of light; one type exists down to zero frequency and another type is a backward wave. Neither the metallic conductor nor the axial magnetic field is essential to the existence of slow modes. Angular-dependent modes can exhibit Faraday rotation of polarization. A qualitative explanation of these modes is given in terms of an equivalent electrical circuit for the transmission line. Many of the properties of these modes have been verified experimentally by measuring phase velocity of waves along a mercury-arc discharge in an axial magnetic field. These modes are closely related to space- charge waves in electron beams, and several interesting microwave applications arc suggested

The disappearing cryosphere : impacts and ecosystem responses to rapid cryosphere loss

Author Posting. © American Institute of Biological Sciences, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of American Institute of Biological Sciences for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in BioScience 62 (2012): 405-415, doi:10.1525/bio.2012.62.4.11.The cryosphere—the portion of the Earth's surface where water is in solid form for at least one month of the year—has been shrinking in response to climate warming. The extents of sea ice, snow, and glaciers, for example, have been decreasing. In response, the ecosystems within the cryosphere and those that depend on the cryosphere have been changing. We identify two principal aspects of ecosystem-level responses to cryosphere loss: (1) trophodynamic alterations resulting from the loss of habitat and species loss or replacement and (2) changes in the rates and mechanisms of biogeochemical storage and cycling of carbon and nutrients, caused by changes in physical forcings or ecological community functioning. These changes affect biota in positive or negative ways, depending on how they interact with the cryosphere. The important outcome, however, is the change and the response the human social system (infrastructure, food, water, recreation) will have to that change.The authors wish to thank the funding provided by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network for supporting our long-term studies, in which we track the ecosystem response to the disappearing cryosphere. NSF LTER Site Grants OPP 0823101, OPP 1115245, DEB 1114804, DEB-1026415, DEB-0620579, and DEB-1027341 supported the authors during the preparation of this article.2012-10-0

Population size and decadal trends of three penguin species nesting at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands

We report long-term changes in population size of three species of sympatrically breeding pygoscelid penguins: Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae), chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) and gentoo (Pygoscelis papua ellsworthii) over a 38 year period at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, based on annual counts from selected colonies and decadal all-island systematic counts of occupied nests. Comparing total numbers of breeding pairs over the whole island from 1978/79 to 2015/16 revealed varying fortunes: gentoo penguin pairs increased by 255%, (3.5% per annum), chinstrap penguins declined by 68% (-3.6% per annum) and Adélie penguins declined by 42% (-1.5% per annum). The chinstrap population has declined steadily over the last four decades. In contrast, Adélie and gentoo penguins have experienced phases of population increase and decline. Annual surveys of selected chinstrap and Adélie colonies produced similar trends from those revealed by island-wide surveys, allowing total island population trends to be inferred relatively well. However, while the annual colony counts of chinstrap and Adélie penguins showed a trend consistent in direction with the results from all-island surveys, the magnitude of estimated population change was markedly different between colony wide and all island counts. Annual population patterns suggest that pair numbers in the study areas partly reflect immigration and emigration of nesting birds between different parts of the island. Breeding success for all three species remained broadly stable over time in the annually monitored colonies. Breeding success rates in gentoo and chinstrap penguins were strongly correlated, despite the differing trends in population size. This study shows the importance of effective, standardised monitoring to accurately determine long-term population trajectories. Our results indicate significant declines in the Adélie and chinstrap penguin populations at Signy Island over the last five decades, and a gradual increase in gentoo breeding pairs

The Association of Antarctic Krill Euphausia superba with the Under-Ice Habitat

The association of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba with the under-ice habitat was investigated in the Lazarev Sea (Southern Ocean) during austral summer, autumn and winter. Data were obtained using novel Surface and Under Ice Trawls (SUIT), which sampled the 0–2 m surface layer both under sea ice and in open water. Average surface layer densities ranged between 0.8 individuals m−2 in summer and autumn, and 2.7 individuals m−2 in winter. In summer, under-ice densities of Antarctic krill were significantly higher than in open waters. In autumn, the opposite pattern was observed. Under winter sea ice, densities were often low, but repeatedly far exceeded summer and autumn maxima. Statistical models showed that during summer high densities of Antarctic krill in the 0–2 m layer were associated with high ice coverage and shallow mixed layer depths, among other factors. In autumn and winter, density was related to hydrographical parameters. Average under-ice densities from the 0–2 m layer were higher than corresponding values from the 0–200 m layer collected with Rectangular Midwater Trawls (RMT) in summer. In winter, under-ice densities far surpassed maximum 0–200 m densities on several occasions. This indicates that the importance of the ice-water interface layer may be under-estimated by the pelagic nets and sonars commonly used to estimate the population size of Antarctic krill for management purposes, due to their limited ability to sample this habitat. Our results provide evidence for an almost year-round association of Antarctic krill with the under-ice habitat, hundreds of kilometres into the ice-covered area of the Lazarev Sea. Local concentrations of postlarval Antarctic krill under winter sea ice suggest that sea ice biota are important for their winter survival. These findings emphasise the susceptibility of an ecological key species to changing sea ice habitats, suggesting potential ramifications on Antarctic ecosystems induced by climate change