1,074 research outputs found
Evaluation of global EMEP MSC-W (rv4.34)-WRF (v3.9.1.1) model surface concentrations and wet deposition of reactive N and S with measurements
Atmospheric pollution has many profound effects on human health, ecosystems, and the climate. Of concern are high concentrations and deposition of reactive nitrogen (Nr) species, especially of reduced N (gaseous NH3, particulate NH4+). Atmospheric chemistry and transport models (ACTMs) are crucial to understanding sources and impacts of Nr chemistry and its potential mitigation. Here we undertake the first evaluation of the global version of the EMEP MSC-W ACTM driven by WRF meteorology (1∘×1∘ resolution), with a focus on surface concentrations and wet deposition of N and S species relevant to investigation of atmospheric Nr and secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA). The model–measurement comparison is conducted both spatially and temporally, covering 10 monitoring networks worldwide. Model simulations for 2010 compared use of both HTAP and ECLIPSEE (ECLIPSE annual total with EDGAR monthly profile) emissions inventories; those for 2015 used ECLIPSEE only. Simulations of primary pollutants are somewhat sensitive to the choice of inventory in places where regional differences in primary emissions between the two inventories are apparent (e.g. China) but are much less sensitive for secondary components. For example, the difference in modelled global annual mean surface NH3 concentration using the two 2010 inventories is 18 % (HTAP: 0.26 µg m−3; ECLIPSEE: 0.31 µg m−3) but is only 3.5 % for NH4+ (HTAP: 0.316 µg m−3; ECLIPSEE: 0.305 µg m−3). Comparisons of 2010 and 2015 surface concentrations between the model and measurements demonstrate that the model captures the overall spatial and seasonal variations well for the major inorganic pollutants NH3, NO2, SO2, HNO3, NH4+, NO3−, and SO42− and their wet deposition in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America. The model shows better correlations with annual average measurements for networks in Southeast Asia (mean R for seven species: R7¯¯¯¯=0.73), Europe (R7¯¯¯¯=0.67), and North America (R7¯¯¯¯=0.63) than in East Asia (R5¯¯¯¯=0.35) (data for 2015), which suggests potential issues with the measurements in the latter network. Temporally, both model and measurements agree on higher NH3 concentrations in spring and summer and lower concentrations in winter. The model slightly underestimates annual total precipitation measurements (by 13 %–45 %) but agrees well with the spatial variations in precipitation in all four world regions (0.65–0.94 R range). High correlations between measured and modelled NH4+ precipitation concentrations are also observed in all regions except East Asia. For annual total wet deposition of reduced N, the greatest consistency is in North America (0.75–0.82 R range), followed by Southeast Asia (R=0.68) and Europe (R=0.61). Model–measurement bias varies between species in different networks; for example, bias for NH4+ and NO3− is largest in Europe and North America and smallest in East Asia and Southeast Asia. The greater uniformity in spatial correlations than in biases suggests that the major driver of model–measurement discrepancies (aside from differing spatial representativeness and uncertainties and biases in measurements) are shortcomings in absolute emissions rather than in modelling the atmospheric processes. The comprehensive evaluations presented in this study support the application of this model framework for global analysis of current and potential future budgets and deposition of Nr and SIA
Fabrication of Artificial Graphene in a GaAs Quantum Heterostructure
The unusual electronic properties of graphene, which are a direct consequence
of its two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice, have attracted a great deal of
attention in recent years. Creation of artificial lattices that recreate
graphene's honeycomb topology, known as artificial graphene, can facilitate the
investigation of graphene-like phenomena, such as the existence of massless
Dirac fermions, in a tunable system. In this work, we present the fabrication
of artificial graphene in an ultra-high quality GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well, with
lattice period as small as 50 nm, the smallest reported so far for this type of
system. Electron-beam lithography is used to define an etch mask with honeycomb
geometry on the surface of the sample, and different methodologies are compared
and discussed. An optimized anisotropic reactive ion etching process is
developed to transfer the pattern into the AlGaAs layer and create the
artificial graphene. The achievement of such high-resolution artificial
graphene should allow the observation for the first time of massless Dirac
fermions in an engineered semiconductor.Comment: 13 pages text, 8 figures, plus reference
Scaling analysis of Schottky barriers at metal-embedded semiconducting carbon nanotube interfaces
We present an atomistic self-consistent tight-binding study of the electronic
and transport properties of metal-semiconducting carbon nanotube interfaces as
a function of the nanotube channel length when the end of the nanotube wire is
buried inside the electrodes. We show that the lineup of the nanotube band
structure relative to the metal Fermi-level depends strongly on the metal work
function but weakly on the details of the interface. We analyze the
length-dependent transport characteristics, which predicts a transition from
tunneling to thermally-activated transport with increasing nanotube channel
length.Comment: To appear in Phys.Rev.B Rapid Communications. Color figures available
in PRB online versio
Helix vs. Sheet Formation in a Small Peptide
Segments with the amino acid sequence EKAYLRT appear in natural occurring
proteins both in -helices and -sheets. For this reason, we have
use this peptide to study how secondary structure formation in proteins depends
on the local environment. Our data rely on multicanonical Monte Carlo
simulations where the interactions among all atoms are taken into account.
Results in gas phase are compared with that in an implicit solvent. We find
that both in gas phase and solvated EKAYLRT forms an -helix when not
interacting with other molecules. However, in the vicinity of a -strand,
the peptide forms a -strand. Because of this change in secondary
structure our peptide may provide a simple model for the
transition that is supposedly related to the outbreak of Prion diseases and
similar illnesses.Comment: to appear in Physical Review
The feasibility of wind and solar energy application for oil and gas offshore platform
Renewable energy is an energy which is freely available in nature such as winds and solar energy. It plays a critical role in greening the energy sector as these sources of energy produce little or no pollution to environment. This paper will focus on capability of renewable energy (wind and solar) in generating power for offshore application. Data of wind speeds and solar irradiation that are available around SHELL Sabah Water Platform for every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, for a period of one year are provided by SHELL Sarawak Sdn. Bhd. The suitable wind turbine and photovoltaic panel that are able to give a high output and higher reliability during operation period are selected by using the tabulated data. The highest power output generated using single wind energy application is equal to 492 kW while for solar energy application is equal to 20 kW. Using the calculated data, the feasibility of renewable energy is then determined based on the platform energy demand
Probing interactions in mesoscopic gold wires
We have measured in gold wires the energy exchange rate between
quasiparticles, the phase coherence time of quasiparticles and the resistance
vs. temperature, in order to probe the interaction processes which are relevant
at low temperatures. We find that the energy exchange rate is higher than
expected from the theory of electron-electron interactions, and that it has a
different energy dependence. The dephasing time is constant at temperatures
between 8 K and 0.5 K, and it increases below 0.5 K. The magnetoresistance is
negative at large field scales, and the resistance decreases logarithmically
with increasing temperatures, indicating the presence of magnetic impurities,
probably Fe. Whereas resistivity and phase coherence measurements can be
attributed to magnetic impurities, the question is raised whether these
magnetic impurities could also mediate energy exchanges between quasiparticles.Comment: latex pothier.tex, 12 files, 15 pages in: Proceedings of the NATO
Advanced Research Workshop on Size Dependent Magnetic Scattering, Pesc,
Hungary, May 28 - June 1st, 2000 Chandrasekhar V., Van Haesendonck C. eds
(Kluwer, 2001) [SPEC-S00/083
Electronic Transport in a Three-dimensional Network of 1-D Bismuth Quantum Wires
The resistance R of a high density network of 6 nm diameter Bi wires in
porous Vycor glass is studied in order to observe its expected semiconductor
behavior. R increases from 300 K down to 0.3 K. Below 4 K, where R varies
approximately as ln(1/T), the order-of-magnitude of the resistance rise, as
well as the behavior of the magnetoresistance are consistent with localization
and electron-electron interaction theories of a one-dimensional disordered
conductor in the presence of strong spin-orbit scattering. We show that this
behaviour and the surface-enhanced carrier density may mask the proposed
semimetal-to-semiconductor transition for quantum Bi wires.Comment: 19 pages total, 4 figures; accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Global sensitivities of reactive N and S gas and particle concentrations and deposition to precursor emissions reductions
The reduction of fine particles (PM2.5) and reactive
N (Nr) and S (Sr) species is a key objective for air pollution
control policies because of their major adverse effects on human health,
ecosystem diversity, and climate. The sensitivity of global and regional
Nr, Sr, and PM2.5 to 20 % and 40 % individual and
collective reductions in anthropogenic emissions of NH3, NOx, and
SOx (with respect to a 2015 baseline) is investigated using the EMEP
MSC-W (European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme Meteorological
Synthesizing Centre – West) atmospheric chemistry transport model with WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) meteorology. Regional
comparisons reveal that the individual emissions reduction has multiple
co-benefits and small disbenefits on different species, and those effects
are highly geographically variable. A 40 % NH3 emission reduction
decreases regional average NH3 concentrations by 47 %–49 % but only
decreases NH4+ by 18 % in Euro_Medi, 15 % in
East Asia, 12 % in North America, and 4 % in South Asia. This order
follows the regional ammonia richness. A disbenefit is the increased
SO2 concentrations in these regions (10 %–16 % for 40 % reductions)
because reduced NH3 levels decrease SO2 deposition through
altering atmospheric acidity. A 40 % NOx emission reduction reduces
NOx concentrations in East Asia by 45 %, Euro_Medi and
North America by ∼ 38 %, and South Asia by 22 %, whilst
the regional order is reversed for fine NO3-, which is related to
enhanced O3 levels in East Asia (and also, but by less, in
Euro_Medi) and decreased O3 levels in South Asia (and
also, but by less, in North America). Consequently, the oxidation of
NOx to NO3- and of SO2 to SO42- is enhanced in
East Asia but decreased in South Asia, which causes a less effective
decrease in NO3- and even an increase in SO42- in East
Asia but quite the opposite in South Asia. For regional policy making, it
is thus vital to reduce three precursors together to minimize such adverse
effects. A 40 % SOx emission reduction is slightly more effective in
reducing SO2 (42 %–45 %) than SO42- (34 %–38 %), whilst the
disbenefit is that it yields a ∼ 12 % increase in total NH3
deposition in the four regions, which further threatens ecosystem
diversity. This work also highlights important messages for policy makers
concerning the mitigation of PM2.5. More emissions controls focusing on
NH3 and NOx are necessary for regions with better air quality, such
as northern Europe and eastern North America. In East Asia, the three
individual reductions are equally effective, whilst in South Asia only
SOx reduction is currently effective. The geographically varying
non-one-to-one proportionality of chemical responses of Nr, Sr,
and PM2.5 to emissions reductions revealed by this work show the
importance of both prioritizing emissions strategies in different regions
and combining several precursor reductions together to maximize the policy
effectiveness.</p
Field-effect transistors assembled from functionalized carbon nanotubes
We have fabricated field effect transistors from carbon nanotubes using a
novel selective placement scheme. We use carbon nanotubes that are covalently
bound to molecules containing hydroxamic acid functionality. The functionalized
nanotubes bind strongly to basic metal oxide surfaces, but not to silicon
dioxide. Upon annealing, the functionalization is removed, restoring the
electronic properties of the nanotubes. The devices we have fabricated show
excellent electrical characteristics.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure
Cloud products from the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC): algorithms and initial evaluation
This paper presents the physical basis of the Earth Polychromatic Imaging
Camera (EPIC) cloud product algorithms and an initial evaluation of their
performance. Since June 2015, EPIC has been providing observations of the
sunlit side of the Earth with its 10 spectral channels ranging from the UV to
the near-infrared. A suite of algorithms has been developed to generate the
standard EPIC Level 2 cloud products that include cloud mask, cloud effective
pressure/height, and cloud optical thickness. The EPIC cloud mask adopts the
threshold method and utilizes multichannel observations and ratios as tests.
Cloud effective pressure/height is derived with observations from the
O2 A-band (780 and 764 nm) and B-band (680 and 688 nm) pairs. The
EPIC cloud optical thickness retrieval adopts a single-channel approach in
which the 780 and 680 nm channels are used for retrievals over ocean and
over land, respectively. Comparison with co-located cloud retrievals from
geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) and low earth orbit (LEO) satellites shows
that the EPIC cloud product algorithms are performing well and are consistent
with theoretical expectations. These products are publicly available at the
Atmospheric Science Data Center at the NASA Langley Research Center for
climate studies and for generating other geophysical products that require
cloud properties as input.</p
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