Assessment with satellite data of the urban heat island effects in Asian mega cities

This study focuses on using remote sensing for comparative assessment of surface urban heat island (UHI) in 18 mega cities in both temperate and tropical climate regions. Least-clouded day- and night-scenes of TERRA/MODIS acquired between 2001 and 2003 were selected to generate land-surface temperature (LST) maps. Spatial patterns of UHIs for each city were examined over its diurnal cycle and seasonal variations. A Gaussian approximation was applied in order to quantify spatial extents and magnitude of individual UHIs for inter-city comparison. To reveal relationship of UHIs with surface properties, UHI patterns were analyzed in association with urban vegetation covers and surface energy fluxes derived from high-resolution Landsat ETM+ data. This study provides a generalized picture on the UHI phenomena in the Asian region and the findings can be used to guide further study integrating satellite high-resolution thermal data with land-surface modeling and meso-scale climatic modeling in order to understand impacts of urbanization on local climate in Asia.     

Sex‐related differences in size,function and regeneration of the major cheliped in the hermit crab Pagurus filholi

Pagurus hermit crabs have a well‐developed right cheliped (major cheliped) and in some species the major cheliped of males is longer than that of females. This paper describes sex‐related differences in major cheliped length and regeneration pattern of the major cheliped in the hermit crab Pagurus filholi. We also examined the function of the major cheliped in male–male competition. Major cheliped length of males was longer than that of females in P. filholi. Males regenerated larger chelipeds than females at the first molt after experimentally induced autotomy. Body size growth in males of the regeneration group was less than that in intact males of the control group while there was no significant difference in body size growth of females between regeneration and control groups. Major cheliped length was included in the best model to explain the outcome of male–male competition and thus sexual selection appears to be a causative factor in the sex‐related difference of the major cheliped length. Sex‐related differences in the regeneration pattern may reflect differences in evolutionary pressures on males for large major chelipeds and females for large body size.     

Lithospheric drift on early Mars: Evidence in the magnetic field

The crustal magnetic anomalies on Mars may represent hot spot tracks resulting from lithospheric drift on ancient Mars. As evidence, an analysis of lineation patterns derived from the ΔBr magnetic map is presented. The ΔBr map, largely free of external magnetic field effects, allows excellent detail of the magnetic anomaly pattern, particularly in areas of Mars where the field is relatively weak. Using cluster analysis, we show that the elongated anomalies in the martian magnetic field form concentric small circles (parallels of latitude) about two distinct north pole locations. If these pole locations represent ancient spin axes, then tidal force on the early lithosphere by former satellites in retrograde orbits may have pulled the lithosphere in an east-west direction over hot mantle plumes. With an active martian core dynamo, this may have resulted in the observed magnetic anomaly pattern of concentric small circles. As further evidence, we observe that, of the 15 martian giant impact basins that were possibly formed while the core dynamo was active, seven lie along the equators of our two proposed paleopoles. We also find that four other re-magnetized giant impact basins lie along a great circle about the mean magnetic paleopole of Mars. These 11 impact basins, likely the result of fallen retrograde satellite fragments, indicate that Mars once had moons large enough to cause tidal drag on the early martian lithosphere. The results of this study suggest that the magnetic signatures of this tidal interaction have been preserved to the present day.     

Heavily fractionated noble gases in an acid residue from the Klein Glacier 98300 EH3 chondrite

Noble gases were measured both in bulk samples (stepped pyrolysis and total extraction) and in a HF/HCl residue (stepped pyrolysis and combustion) from the Klein Glacier (KLE) 98300 EH3 chondrite. Like the bulk meteorite and as seen in previous studies of bulk type 3 E chondrites (“sub-Q”), the acid residue contains elementally fractionated primordial noble gases. As we show here, isotopically these are like those in phase-Q of primitive meteorites, but elementally they are heavily fractionated relative to these. The observed noble gases are different from “normal” Q noble gases also with respect to release patterns, which are similar to those of Ar-rich noble gases in anhydrous carbonaceous chondrites and unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (with also similar isotopic compositions). While we cannot completely rule out a role for parent body processes such as thermal and shock metamorphism (including a later thermal event) in creating the fractionated elemental compositions, parent body processes in general seem not be able to account for the distinct release patterns from those of normal Q noble gases. The fractionated gases may have originated from ion implantation from a nebular plasma as has been suggested for other types of primordial noble gases, including Q, Ar-rich, and ureilite noble gases. With solar starting composition, the corresponding effective electron temperature is about 5000 K. This is lower than inferred for other primordial noble gases (10,000-6000 K). Thus, if ion implantation from a solar composition reservoir was a common process for the acquisition of primordial gas, electron temperatures in the early solar system must have varied spatially or temporally between 10,000 and 5000 K.Neon and xenon isotopic ratios of the residue suggest the presence of presolar silicon carbide and diamond in abundances lower than in the Qingzhen EH3 and Indarch EH4 chondrites. Parent body processes including thermal and shock metamorphism and a late thermal event also cannot be responsible for the low abundances of presolar grains. KLE 98300 may have started out with smaller amounts of presolar grains than Qingzhen and Indarch.     

Growth of ringwoodite reaction rims from MgSiO3 perovskite and periclase at 22.5 GPa and 1,800 °C

The growth rate of ringwoodite reaction rims between MgSiO₃ perovskite and periclase was investigated at 22.5 GPa and 1,800 °C for 1–24 h using the Kawai-type high-pressure apparatus. The reaction was likely to proceed by a diffusion-controlled mechanism in which the dominant diffusion mechanism was grain-boundary diffusion. The reaction constant (the width of the ringwoodite reaction rim squared divided by time) determined from these experiments was between 1.3 × 10^?15 and 5.6 × 10^?15 m²/s. A Pt inert marker experiment indicated that the MgO component migrated faster than the SiO₂ component in ringwoodite. Thus, either Mg or O having the slower diffusion rate controlled the reaction. Because previous diffusion studies have shown that diffusion rates of O are slower than those of Mg, O would be a rate-controlling element for ringwoodite formation from MgSiO₃ perovskite and periclase. The growth rate appeared to be too fast to explain the observed topographic rise (~10 km) inside mantle plumes at the 660-km discontinuity.     

Ice-silicate fractionation among icy bodies due to the difference of impact strength between ice and ice-silicate mixture

Laboratory experiments on the impact disruption of ice-silicate mixtures were conducted to clarify the accretion process of small icy bodies. Since the icy bodies are composed of ice and silicates with various porosities, we investigated the effect of porosity on the impact disruption of mixtures. We tested the mixture target with the mass ratio of ice to silicate, 0.5 and with 5 different porosities (0, 12.5, 25, 32, 37%) at the impact velocities of 150 to 670 m/s. The silicate mass ratio was changed from 0 to 0.5 in steps of 0.1 at a porosity of 12.5% and a constant impact velocity of about 300 m/s. The impact strength of the mixture was found to decrease with increasing porosity and the silicate mass ratio between 0.1 and 0.5 could enhance the strength of the icy target. The observed dependence of the impact strength on the porosity is opposite to that observed for pure ice. This difference could play an important role in ice-silicate fractionation during the accretion process. Because, ice rich bodies are easily broken as the porosity decreases in their evolution, the collisional growth could be prohibited. On the other hand, among the silicate rich bodies the collisional growth could be enhanced.     

Standardization of baseline and additionality determination under the CDM

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project developers have long complained about the complexities of project-specific baseline setting and the vagaries of additionality determination. In response to this, the CDM Executive Board took bold steps towards the standardization of CDM methodologies, culminating in the approval of guidelines for the establishment of performance standards in November 2011. The guidelines specify a performance standard stringency level for both baseline and additionality of 80% for several priority sectors and 90% for all other sectors. However, an analysis of 14 large-scale CDM methodologies that use performance standard approaches challenges this top-down approach to the performance standard design. An appropriate performance standard stringency level strongly depends on sector and technology characteristics. A single stringency level for baseline and additionality determination is appropriate only for greenfield projects, but not for retrofit ones. Overly simple, highly aggregated performance standards are unlikely to ensure high environmental integrity, and difficult questions regarding stringency and updating frequency will eventually have to be addressed on a rather disaggregated level. A careful balance between data requirements and the practicability of performance standards is essential because the heavy data requirements of the existing performance standard methodologies have been the key barrier to their actual implementation.

Policy relevance

CDM regulators have been pushed by many stakeholders to standardize baseline setting and eliminate project-specific additionality determination. At first glance, performance standards seem to provide the perfect solution for both tasks. However, a one-size-fits-all political decision – e.g. the average of the top 20% performers as enshrined in the Marrakech Accords – is inappropriate. Substantial disaggregation of performance standards is required both technologically and geographically in order to limit over- and under-crediting and close loopholes for non-additional projects. As a lack of reliable and complete data has been and will be a key bottleneck for the development of performance standards, international support for data collection will be indispensable, but costly, and time-consuming. Empirically driven, techno-economic assessments of performance standard stringency levels must be the central task of the future work on standardized methodologies, and should not be sidelined by perceived needs of policy makers to take bold decisions under time pressures.     

A Tsunami Generated by a Possible Submarine Slide: Evidence for Slope Failure Triggered by the North Anatolian Fault Movement

A tsunamigenic sediment layer has been discovered in fluvio-alluvial sequences on the northern coast of the Marmara Sea, northwestern Turkey. The layer consists of unsorted silty coarse sand including terrestrial molluscs and charcoal fragments. The AMS radiometric ages of the shells have been estimated at around BC 400, AD 300, AD 400, and AD 1000. We propose that a tsunami occurred in the Marmara Sea in the middle of 11th century and invaded the fluvial plains. The older fossils were derived from the underlying horizons, and it is probable that buoyant materials such as terrestrial molluscs and charcoals were isolated from liquefied sediments during submarine sliding. Slope failure of coastal blocks triggered by fault movement generated tsunamis, which might have transported floating materials to the backshore.