6,103 research outputs found
The Influence of Sea Ice on Primary Production in the Southern Ocean: A Satellite Perspective
Sea ice in the Southern Ocean is a major controlling factor on phytoplankton productivity and growth, but the relationship is modified by regional differences in atmospheric and oceanographic conditions. We used the phytoplankton biomass (binned at 7-day intervals), PAR and cloud cover data from SeaWiFS, ice concentrations data from SSM/I and AMSR-E, and sea-surface temperature data from AVHRR, in combination with a vertically integrated model to estimate primary productivity throughout the Southern Ocean (south of 60"s). We also selected six areas within the Southern Ocean and analyzed the variability of the primary productivity and trends through time, as well as the relationship of sea ice to productivity. We found substantial interannual variability in productivity from 1997 - 2005 in all regions of the Southern Ocean, and this variability appeared to be driven in large part by ice dynamics. The most productive regions of Antarctic waters were the continental shelves, which showed the earliest growth, the maximum biomass, and the greatest areal specific productivity. In contrast, no large, sustained blooms occurred in waters of greater depth (> 1,000 m). We suggest that this is due to the slightly greater mixed layer depths found in waters off the continental shelf, and that the interactive effects of iron and irradiance (that is, increased iron requirements in low irradiance environments) result in the limitation of phytoplankton biomass over large regions of the Southern Ocean
Hydrography, nutrients, and carbon pools in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean: Implications for carbon flux
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We investigated the hydrography, nutrients, and dissolved and particulate carbon pools in the western Pacific sector of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) during austral summer 1996 to assess the region\u27s role in the carbon cycle. Low f CO2 values along two transects indicated that much of the study area was a sink for atmospheric CO2. The f CO2 values were lowest near the Polar Front (PF) and the Subtropical Front (STF), concomitant with maxima of chlorophyll a and particulate and dissolved organic carbon. The largest biomass accumulations did not occur at fronts, which had high surface geostrophic velocities (20â51 cm sâ1), but in relatively low velocity regions near fronts or in an eddy. Thus vertical motion and horizontal advection associated with fronts may have replenished nutrients in surface waters but also dispersed phytoplankton. Although surface waters north of the PF have been characterized as a âhigh nutrientâlow chlorophyllâ region, low silicic acid (Si) concentrations (2â4 ÎŒM ) may limit production of large diatoms and therefore the potential carbon flux. Low concentrations (4â10 ÎŒM Si) at depths of winter mixing constrain the level of Si replenishment to surface waters. It has been suggested that an increase in aeolian iron north of the PF may increase primary productivity and carbon export. Our results, however, indicate that while diatom growth and carbon export may be enhanced, the extent ultimately would be limited by the vertical supply of Si. South of the PF, the primary mechanism by which carbon is exported to deep water appears to be through diatom flux. We suggest that north of the PF, particulate and dissolved carbon may be exported primarily to intermediate depths through subduction and diapycnal mixing associated with Subantarctic Mode Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water formation. These physicalâbiological interactions and Si dynamics should be included in future biogeochemical models to provide a more accurate prediction of carbon flux
General existence proof for rest frame systems in asymptotically flat space-time
We report a new result on the nice section construction used in the
definition of rest frame systems in general relativity. This construction is
needed in the study of non trivial gravitational radiating systems. We prove
existence, regularity and non-self-crossing property of solutions of the nice
section equation for general asymptotically flat space times. This proves a
conjecture enunciated in a previous work.Comment: 14 pages, no figures, LaTeX 2
Vertical structure, seasonal drawdown, and net community production in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
We calculate net community production (NCP) during summer 2005-2006 and spring 2006 in the Ross Sea using multiple approaches to determine the magnitude and consistency of rates. Water column carbon and nutrient inventories and surface ocean O-2/Ar data are compared to satellite-derived primary productivity (PP) estimates and C-14 uptake experiments. In spring, NCP was related to stratification proximal to upper ocean fronts. In summer, the most intense C drawdown was in shallow mixed layers affected by ice melt; depth-integrated C drawdown, however, increased with mixing depth. Delta O-2/Ar-based methods, relying on gas exchange reconstructions, underestimate NCP due to seasonal variations in surface Delta O-2/Ar and NCP rates. Mixed layer Delta O-2/Ar requires approximately 60 days to reach steady state, starting from early spring. Additionally, cold temperatures prolong the sensitivity of gas exchange reconstructions to past NCP variability. Complex vertical structure, in addition to the seasonal cycle, affects interpretations of surface-based observations, including those made from satellites. During both spring and summer, substantial fractions of NCP were below the mixed layer. Satellite-derived estimates tended to overestimate PP relative to C-14-based estimates, most severely in locations of stronger upper water column stratification. Biases notwithstanding, NCP-PP comparisons indicated that community respiration was of similar magnitude to NCP. We observed that a substantial portion of NCP remained as suspended particulate matter in the upper water column, demonstrating a lag between production and export. Resolving the dynamic physical processes that structure variance in NCP and its fate will enhance the understanding of the carbon cycling in highly productive Antarctic environments
Observation and Modeling of the Solar Transition Region: II. Solutions of the Quasi-Static Loop Model
In the present work we undertake a study of the quasi-static loop model and
the observational consequences of the various solutions found. We obtain the
most general solutions consistent with certain initial conditions. Great care
is exercised in choosing these conditions to be physically plausible (motivated
by observations). We show that the assumptions of previous quasi-static loop
models, such as the models of Rosner, Tucker and Vaiana (1978) and Veseckey,
Antiochos and Underwood (1979), are not necessarily valid for small loops at
transition region temperatures. We find three general classes of solutions for
the quasi-static loop model, which we denote, radiation dominated loops,
conduction dominated loops and classical loops. These solutions are then
compared with observations. Departures from the classical scaling law of RTV
are found for the solutions obtained. It is shown that loops of the type that
we model here can make a significant contribution to lower transition region
emission via thermal conduction from the upper transition region.Comment: 30 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to ApJ, Microsoft Word File 6.0/9
A Two-Tiered Correlation of Dark Matter with Missing Transverse Energy: Reconstructing the Lightest Supersymmetric Particle Mass at the LHC
We suggest that non-trivial correlations between the dark matter particle
mass and collider based probes of missing transverse energy H_T^miss may
facilitate a two tiered approach to the initial discovery of supersymmetry and
the subsequent reconstruction of the LSP mass at the LHC. These correlations
are demonstrated via extensive Monte Carlo simulation of seventeen benchmark
models, each sampled at five distinct LHC center-of-mass beam energies,
spanning the parameter space of No-Scale F-SU(5).This construction is defined
in turn by the union of the Flipped SU(5) Grand Unified Theory, two pairs of
hypothetical TeV scale vector-like supersymmetric multiplets with origins in
F-theory, and the dynamically established boundary conditions of No-Scale
Supergravity. In addition, we consider a control sample comprised of a standard
minimal Supergravity benchmark point. Led by a striking similarity between the
H_T^miss distribution and the familiar power spectrum of a black body radiator
at various temperatures, we implement a broad empirical fit of our simulation
against a Poisson distribution ansatz. We advance the resulting fit as a
theoretical blueprint for deducing the mass of the LSP, utilizing only the
missing transverse energy in a statistical sampling of >= 9 jet events.
Cumulative uncertainties central to the method subsist at a satisfactory 12-15%
level. The fact that supersymmetric particle spectrum of No-Scale F-SU(5) has
thrived the withering onslaught of early LHC data that is steadily decimating
the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model and minimal Supergravity
parameter spaces is a prime motivation for augmenting more conventional LSP
search methodologies with the presently proposed alternative.Comment: JHEP version, 17 pages, 9 Figures, 2 Table
Can the evolution of music be analyzed in a quantitative manner?
We propose a methodology to study music development by applying multivariate
statistics on composers characteristics. Seven representative composers were
considered in terms of eight main musical features. Grades were assigned to
each characteristic and their correlations were analyzed. A bootstrap method
was applied to simulate hundreds of artificial composers influenced by the
seven representatives chosen. Afterwards we quantify non-numeric relations like
dialectics, opposition and innovation. Composers differences on style and
technique were represented as geometrical distances in the feature space,
making it possible to quantify, for example, how much Bach and Stockhausen
differ from other composers or how much Beethoven influenced Brahms. In
addition, we compared the results with a prior investigation on philosophy.
Opposition, strong on philosophy, was not remarkable on music. Supporting an
observation already considered by music theorists, strong influences were
identified between composers by the quantification of dialectics, implying
inheritance and suggesting a stronger master-disciple evolution when compared
to the philosophy analysis.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, added references for sections 1 and 4.C, better
mathematical description on section 2. New values and interpretation, now
considering a bootstrap metho
Quasiparticle Hall Transport of d-wave Superconductors in Vortex State
We present a theory of quasiparticle Hall transport in strongly type-II
superconductors within their vortex state. We establish the existence of
integer quantum spin Hall effect in clean unconventional
superconductors in the vortex state from a general analysis of the
Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation. The spin Hall conductivity is
shown to be quantized in units of . This result does not
rest on linearization of the BdG equations around Dirac nodes and therefore
includes inter-nodal physics in its entirety. In addition, this result holds
for a generic inversion-symmetric lattice of vortices as long as the magnetic
field satisfies . We then derive the
Wiedemann-Franz law for the spin and thermal Hall conductivity in the vortex
state. In the limit of , the thermal Hall conductivity satisfies
. The
transitions between different quantized values of as well as
relation to conventional superconductors are discussed.Comment: 18 pages REVTex, 3 figures, references adde
Origin and evolution of the light nuclides
After a short historical (and highly subjective) introduction to the field, I
discuss our current understanding of the origin and evolution of the light
nuclides D, He-3, He-4, Li-6, Li-7, Be-9, B-10 and B-11. Despite considerable
observational and theoretical progress, important uncertainties still persist
for each and every one of those nuclides. The present-day abundance of D in the
local interstellar medium is currently uncertain, making it difficult to infer
the recent chemical evolution of the solar neighborhood. To account for the
observed quasi-constancy of He-3 abundance from the Big Bang to our days, the
stellar production of that nuclide must be negligible; however, the scarce
observations of its abundance in planetary nebulae seem to contradict this
idea. The observed Be and B evolution as primaries suggests that the source
composition of cosmic rays has remained quasi-constant since the early days of
the Galaxy, a suggestion with far reaching implications for the origin of
cosmic rays; however, the main idea proposed to account for that constancy,
namely that superbubbles are at the source of cosmic rays, encounters some
serious difficulties. The best explanation for the mismatch between primordial
Li and the observed "Spite-plateau" in halo stars appears to be depletion of Li
in stellar envelopes, by some yet poorly understood mechanism. But this
explanation impacts on the level of the recently discovered early ``Li-6
plateau'', which (if confirmed), seriously challenges current ideas of cosmic
ray nucleosynthesis.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figs. Invited Review in "Symposium on the Composition of
Matter", honoring Johannes Geiss on the occasion of his 80th birthday
(Grindelwald, Switzerland, Sept. 2006), to be published in Space Science
Series of ISS
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