Search results for "science and technology"
showing 10 items of 1592 documents
Volcanic plume monitoring at Mount Etna by diffusive (passive) sampling
2004
[1] This paper reports the use of diffusive tubes in determining HF, HCl, and SO2 in the volcanic plume of Mount Etna in an attempt to highlight the potential of this method in studying volcanoes. In a first application a network of 18 diffusive tubes was installed on Etna's flanks, aimed at evaluating the atmospheric dispersion of the volcanic plume on a local scale. Results showed a monotonic decrease in volatile air concentrations with distance from the craters (HF from 0.15 to <0.003 μmol m−3, HCl from 2 to <0.01 μmol m−3, and SO2 from 11 to 0.04 μmol m−3), revealing the prevalently volcanic contribution. Matching of SO2/HCl and HCl/HF volatile ratios with contemporaneous measurements a…
Sources, size distribution, and downwind grounding of aerosols from Mount Etna
2006
The number concentrations and size distributions of aerosol particles >0.3 mm diameter were measured at the summit of Mount Etna and up to 10 km downwind from the degassing vents during July and August 2004. Aerosol number concentrations reached in excess of 9 106 L1 at summit vents, compared to 4–8 104 L1 in background air. Number concentrations of intermediate size particles were higher in emissions from the Northeast crater compared to other summit crater vents, and chemical composition measurements showed that Northeast crater aerosols contained a higher mineral cation content compared to those from Voragine or Bocca Nuova, attributed to Strombolian or gas puffing activity within the ve…
Spirit Mars Rover Mission to the Columbia Hills, Gusev Crater: Mission overview and selected results from the Cumberland Ridge to Home Plate
2008
This paper summarizes the Spirit rover operations in the Columbia Hills of Gusev Crater from sols 513 to 1476 and provides an overview of selected findings that focus on synergistic use of the Athena Payload and comparisons to orbital data. Results include discovery of outcrops (Voltaire) on Husband Hill that are interpreted to be altered impact melt deposits that incorporated local materials during emplacement. Evidence for extensive volcanic activity and aqueous alteration in the Inner Basin is also detailed, including discovery and characterization of accretionary lapilli and formation of sulfate, silica, and hematite-rich deposits. Use of Spirit's data to understand the range of spectra…
Modeling suggests that oblique extension facilitates rifting and continental break-up
2012
[1] In many cases the initial stage of continental break-up was and is associated with oblique rifting. That includes break-up in the Southern and Equatorial Atlantic, separation from eastern and western Gondwana as well as many recent rift systems, like Gulf of California, Ethiopia Rift and Dead Sea fault. Using a simple analytic mechanical model and advanced numerical, thermomechanical modeling techniques we investigate the influence of oblique extension on the required tectonic force in a three-dimensional setting. While magmatic processes have been already suggested to affect rift evolution, we show that additional mechanisms emerge due to the three-dimensionality of an extensional syst…
Numerical analysis of ionosphere disturbances and Schumann mode splitting in the Earth-ionosphere cavity
2008
[1] The variability of ionosphere properties plays an important role in the Schumann resonances (SR), amplitudes, frequencies, and Q factor. Therefore, as atmosphere ionization is related to solar activity, SR could be devised as a source of indirect parameters that locally from the surface of the Earth could provide space weather information. A proper understanding of this link to SR parameters can be obtained through finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations, specifically with the numerically obtained modes and frequencies that relate frequency shifts to the day-night asymmetry and polar inhomogeneities. Day-Night asymmetry is observed to have a minor influence in SR; however, larg…
Lichens Used as Monitors of Atmospheric Pollution Around Agadir (Southwestern Morocco)—A Case Study Predating Lead-Free Gasoline
2011
More than 30 epiphytic lichens, collected in Agadir (Morroco) and along a 150-km transect from the Atlantic Ocean eastward, were analyzed for their metal content and lead isotopic composition. This dataset was used to evaluate atmospheric metal contamination and the impact of the city on the surrounding area. The concentrations of Cu, Pb, and Zn (average ± 1 SD) were 20.9 ± 15.2 μg g−1, 13.8 ± 9.0 μg g−1, and 56.6 ± 26.6 μg g−1, respectively, with the highest values observed in lichens collected within the urban area. The 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb ratios in the lichens varied from 1.146 to 1.186 and from 2.423 to 2.460, respectively. Alkyllead-gasoline sold in Morocco by the major petrol …
Monitoring daily evapotranspiration at a regional scale from Landsat-TM and ETM+ data: Application to the Basilicata region
2008
Summary The increasing interest of hydrological, climatic and meteorological models in the different components of the surface energy balance has encouraged the development of operational methods for estimating surface energy fluxes at a regional scale. In this paper, a sequence of three high-resolution satellite-based surface energy fluxes images are analyzed over an extensive area with a large variety of land uses. Two images from Landsat 7-ETM+ (1999, 2002) and one from Landsat 5-TM (2004) are collected covering the whole Basilicata region (Southern Italy). A Simplified version of a Two-Source Energy Balance (STSEB) model is used to retrieve the surface sensible heat flux. A balance betw…
A general comparison between various types of linear generators for wave energy conversion
2017
This paper presents a general comparison between various types of linear generators for wave energy conversion. According to the type of magnetic configuration they are distinguished as: linear asynchronous generators, linear generators with permanent magnets and linear reluctance generators. The paper shows their peculiarities and discusses their field of applications.
Evidence of deep magma degassing and ascent by geochemistry of peripheral gas emissions at Mount Etna (Italy): Assessment of the magmatic reservoir p…
2003
[1] Five gas discharges in the area of Mount Etna volcano (Italy) and in the near Hyblean plateau have been monitored since 1996. All the emissions displayed low contributions from crustal fluids, whereas magmatic gases were the main component. Selective dissolution of these gases into hydrothermal aquifers has been recognized and modeled, allowing us to calculate the original composition of the magma-released gases. The inferred composition of the magmatic gases exhibits synchronous variations of He/Ne and He/CO2 ratios, which are coherent with the magma degassing process. On the basis of numerical simulations of volatile degassing from Etnean basalts we have computed the initial and final…
Visible and near-infrared multispectral analysis of geochemically measured rock fragments at the Opportunity landing site in Meridiani Planum
2010
[1] We have used visible and near-infrared Panoramic Camera (Pancam) spectral data acquired by the Opportunity rover to analyze 15 rock fragments at the Meridiani Planum landing site. These spectral results were then compared to geochemistry measurements made by the in situ instruments Mossbauer (MB) and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) to determine the feasibility of mineralogic characterization from Pancam data. Our results suggest that dust and alteration rinds coat many rock fragments, which limits our ability to adequately measure the mineralogy of some rocks from Pancam spectra relative to the different field of view and penetration depths of MB and APXS. Viewing and lighting …