Search results for "Planetary Science"
showing 10 items of 4367 documents
Altitude effect in UV radiation during the Evaluation of the Effects of Elevation and Aerosols on the Ultraviolet Radiation 2002 (VELETA-2002) field …
2008
[1] The Evaluation of the Effects of Elevation and Aerosols on the Ultraviolet Radiation 2002 (VELETA-2002) field campaign was designed to study the influence of aerosols and altitude on solar UV irradiance. The altitude effect (AE) was evaluated for UV irradiance under cloudless conditions by taking spectral and broadband measurements in SE Spain in the summer of 2002 at three nearby sites located at different heights (680 m, 2200 m, and 3398 m). A spectral radiative transfer model (Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART)) was also applied, mainly to evaluate the tropospheric ozone impact on AE. Results are related to the optical properties and air mass origin of the a…
Three-dimensional solar radiation effects on the actinic flux field in a biomass-burning plume
2003
[1] Three-dimensional (3-D) solar radiative transfer models describe radiative transfer under inhomogeneous atmospheric conditions more accurately than the commonly used one-dimensional (1-D) radiative transfer models that assume horizontal homogeneity of the atmosphere. Here results of 3-D radiative transfer simulations for a biomass-burning plume are presented and compared with local one-dimensional (l-1-D) simulations, i.e., 1-D simulations in every column of the model domain. The spatial distribution of the aerosol particles was derived from a 3-D atmospheric transport simulation. We studied the impact of 3-D radiative effects on the actinic flux within the plume center. The differences…
Adapting rail and road networks to weather extremes: Case studies for southern Germany and Austria
2013
Published version of an article in the journal: Natural Hazards. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0969-3 The assessment of the current impacts of extreme weather conditions on transport systems reveals high costs in specific locations. Prominent examples for Europe are the economic consequences of the harsh winter periods 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 and the floods in Austria, Eastern Europe, Germany and the United Kingdom in 2005 and 2007. Departing from the EC-funded project WEATHER, this paper delves into the subject of adaptation strategies by revisiting the project’s general findings on adaptation strategies and by adding two specific cases: (1) adv…
Influence of proprioceptive information on space orientation on the ground and in orbital weightlessness
1989
Conscious space orientation depends on afferent information from different sense organs including the labyrinth, the eyes, tactile cues from the skin, joint receptors, muscle spindles, tendon organs and possibly viscera. An important role is played by impulses from the cervical position receptors in interaction with concomitant information from the otolith system. In order to isolate the effect of cervical position receptors from that of the otolith system, space experiments in orbital weightlessness and in parabolic aircraft flight were performed. It was found that stimulation of the neck receptors in weightlessness markedly influences the perception of the subjective vertical and horizont…
Approaches to relativistic positioning around Earth and error estimations
2016
In the context of relativistic positioning, the coordinates of a given user may be calculated by using suitable information broadcast by a 4-tuple of satellites. Our 4-tuples belong to the Galileo constellation. Recently, we estimated the positioning errors due to uncertainties in the satellite world lines (U-errors). A distribution of U-errors was obtained, at various times, in a set of points covering a large region surrounding Earth. Here, the positioning errors associated to the simplifying assumption that photons move in Minkowski space-time (S-errors) are estimated and compared with the U-errors. Both errors have been calculated for the same points and times to make comparisons possib…
Evidence for montmorillonite or its compositional equivalent in Columbia Hills, Mars
2007
During its exploration of the Columbia Hills, the Mars Exploration Rover ‘‘Spirit’’ encountered several similar samples that are distinctly different from Martian meteorites and known Gusev crater soils, rocks, and sediments. Occurring in a variety of contexts and locations, these ‘‘Independence class’’ samples are rough-textured, iron-poor (equivalent FeO 4 wt%), have high Al/Si ratios, and often contain unexpectedly high concentrations of one or more minor or trace elements (including Cr, Ni, Cu, Sr, and Y). Apart from accessory minerals, the major component common to these samples has a compositional profile of major and minor elements whic…
Leachate analyses of volcanic ashes from Stromboli volcano: A proxy for the volcanic gas plume composition?
2011
[1] Many volcanoes show a change in chemical composition of the gas phase prior to periods of eruptive activity. Fine-grained tephra erupted from active vents and transported through volcanic plumes can adsorb, and therefore rapidly scavenge, volatile elements such as sulfur, halogens, and metal species in the form of soluble salts adhering to ash surfaces. Analysis of such water-soluble surface materials is a suitable supplement for remote monitoring of volcanic gases at inaccessible volcanoes. In this work, ash samples of the 2004 to 2009 eruptive activity of Stromboli volcano were sampled, leached, and analyzed for major and trace elements. Data analysis and interpretation was focused on…
Sulfate deposition in subsurface regolith in Gusev crater, Mars
2006
Excavating into the shallow Martian subsurface has the potential to expose stratigraphic layers and mature regolith, which may hold a record of more ancient aqueous interactions than those expected under current Martian surface conditions. During the Spirit rover's exploration of Gusev crater, rover wheels were used to dig three trenches into the subsurface regolith down to 6-11 cm depth: Road Cut, the Big Hole, and The Boroughs. A high oxidation state of Fe and high concentrations of Mg, S, Cl, and Br were found in the subsurface regolith within the two trenches on the plains, between the Bonneville crater and the foot of Columbia Hills. Data analyses on the basis of geochemistry and miner…
Geochemical and mineralogical indicators for aqueous processes in the Columbia Hills of Gusev crater, Mars
2006
[1] Water played a major role in the formation and alteration of rocks and soils in the Columbia Hills. The extent of alteration ranges from moderate to extensive. Five distinct rock compositional classes were identified; the order for degree of alteration is Watchtower ≅ Clovis > Wishstone ≅ Peace > Backstay. The rover's wheels uncovered one unusual soil (Paso Robles) that is the most S-rich material encountered. Clovis class rocks have compositions similar to Gusev plains soil but with higher Mg, Cl, and Br and lower Ca and Zn; Watchtower and Wishstone classes have high Al, Ti, and P and low Cr and Ni; Peace has high Mg and S and low Al, Na, and K; Backstay basalts have high Na and K comp…
In situ and experimental evidence for acidic weathering of rocks and soils on Mars
2006
Experimental data for alteration of synthetic Martian basalts at pH=0-1 indicate that chemical fractionations at low pH are vastly different from those observed during terrestrial weathering. Rock analyses from Gusev crater are well described by the relationships apparent from low pH experimental alteration data. A model for rock surface alteration is developed which indicates that a leached alteration zone is present on rock surfaces at Gusev. This zone is not chemically fractionated to a large degree from the underlying rock interior, indicating that the rock surface alteration process has occurred at low fluid-to-rock ratio. The geochemistry of natural rock surfaces analyzed by APXS is c…