Observations with the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) during Cassini's flyby of Jupiter

The Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) is an imaging spectrometer covering the wavelength range 0.3-5.2 μm in 352 spectral channels, with a nominal instantaneous field of view of 0.5 mrad. The Cassini flyby of Jupiter represented a unique opportunity to accomplish two important goals: scientific observations of the jovian system and functional tests of the VIMS instrument under conditions similar to those expected to obtain during Cassini's 4-year tour of the saturnian system. Results acquired over a complete range of visual to near-infrared wavelengths from 0.3 to 5.2 μm are presented. First detections include methane fluorescence on Jupiter, a surprisingly high opposition surge on Europa, the first visual-near-IR spectra of Himalia and Jupiter's optically-thin ring system, and the first near-infrared observations of the rings over an extensive range of phase angles (0-120°). Similarities in the center-to-limb profiles of H⁺₃ and CH₄ emissions indicate that the H⁺₃ ionospheric density is solar-controlled outside of the auroral regions. The existence of jovian NH₃ absorption at 0.93 μm is confirmed. Himalia has a slightly reddish spectrum, an apparent absorption near 3 μm, and a geometric albedo of 0.06±0.01 at 2.2 μm (assuming an 85-km radius). If the 3-μm feature in Himalia's spectrum is eventually confirmed, it would be suggestive of the presence of water in some form, either free, bound, or incorporated in layer-lattice silicates. Finally, a mean ring-particle radius of 10 μm is found to be consistent with Mie-scattering models fit to VIMS near-infrared observations acquired over 0-120° phase angle.     

Exospheric perturbations by radiation pressure: II. Solution for orbits in the ecliptic plane

An earlier paper gave solutions for the mean time rates of change of orbital elements of satellite atoms in an exosphere influenced by solar radiation pressure. Each element was assumet to beahve independently. Here the instantaneous rates of change for three elements $\text{(e, ω,}\text{and}\text{θ = ω + Ω)}$ are integrated simultaneously for the case of the inclination i = 0. The results (a) confirm the validity of using mean rates when the orbits are tightly bound to the planet and (b) serve as examples to be reproduced by the complicated numerical solutions required for arbitrary inclination. Strongly bound hydrogen atoms perturbed in Earth orbit by radiation pressure do not seem a likely cause of the geotail extending in the anti-Sun direction. Instead, radiation pressure wil cause those particles' orbits to form a broad fan-shaped tail and to deteriorate into the Earth's atmosphere. Whether loosely bound H atoms are plentiful enough to create the geotail depends on their source function versusr; that question is beyond the scope of this paper.     

Dating of mine waste in lacustrine sediments using cesium-137

For over a century Medicine Lake in northern Idaho has received heavy-metal-laden tailings from the Coeur d'Alene mining district. Establishing the depositional chronology of the lake bottom sediments provides information on the source and rate of deposition of the tailings. Cesium-137, an isotope produced in the atmosphere by nuclear bomb tests, was virtually absent in the environment prior to 1951, but reached its apex in 1964. Our analysis of cesium-137 in the sediments of Medicine Lake revealed that 14 cm of fine-grained tailings were deposited in the lake from 1951 to 1964 and tailing deposition downstream was greatly reduced by the installation of tailings dams in the district in 1968. Cesium-137 analysis is accomplished by a fairly simple gamma-ray counting technique and should be a valuable tool for analyzing sedimentation in any lacustrine environment that was active during the 1950s and 1960s.     

Early use by fish of a mitigation salt marsh,Humboldt Bay,California

Fish numbers and biomass in a mitigation salt marsh, Humboldt Bay, California, were examined from July 1981 to October 1982 and were compared with a nearby established marsh to determine whether the restored marsh provided adequate mitigation for habitat lost due to construction of a nearby marina. The use by fish of channels adjacent to the two marshes and the channel at the Woodley Island Marina construction site, for which mitigation was required, were also compared. The mitigation marsh, adjacent to Freshwater Slough channel, was 5.2 km from the marina site. Fishes were sampled by otter trawl, ichthyoplankton net, fixed channel nets, drop traps, and beach seines. Thirty-one fish species and two crab species were collected. Wide ranges in seasonal salinities and water temperatures, and differences in marsh elevation influenced fish use of the mitigation marsh area. The intertidal area of the mitigation marsh, dominated by euryhaline sticklebacks and topsmelts, did not replace intertidal and subtidal habitat lost by marina construction, which had more stable salinities and water temperatures and was used extensively by juvenile English sole.     

Effect of freezing and thawing on the permeability and structure of soils

The permeability and structure of four fine-grained soils were observed to be changed by freezing and thawing. In all cases freezing and thawing caused a reduction in void ratio and an increase in vertical permeability. The increase in permeability is attributed to the formation of polygonal shrinkage cracks and/or to the reduction of the volume of fines in the pores of the coarse fraction, the mechanism controlling the process depending on material type. No definite relationships are established; however, it appears that the largest increase in permeability occurs for the soil of highest plasticity.     

Effect of freeze—thaw cycles on resilient properties of fine-grained soils

Stress-deformation data for silt and clay subgrade soils were obtained from in-situ tests and laboratory tests, for use in mechanistic models for design of pavements that will experience freezing and thawing. Plate-bearing tests were run on in-service allbituminous-concrete (ABC) pavements constructed directly on silt subgrade, and on an experimental ABC pavement constructed on clay subgrade, applying repeated loads to the pavement surfaces while the subgrade was frozen, thawing, thawed, and fully recovered. The in-service pavement had experienced several seasons of natural cyclic freezing and thawing, while the experimental pavement was artificially frozen and thawed twice. Repeated-load laboratory triaxial compression tests were performed on the same soils in the frozen and thawed states.

Analysis of deflection data from the in-situ tests showed resilient moduli of the subgrade soils up to more than 10 GPa when frozen, as low as 2 MPa during the thawing period, and up to more than 100 MPa when fully recovered. Analysis of the laboratory tests, which gave moduli comparable to the latter values, showed that resilient modulus and Poisson's ratio in the thawed and recovering conditions can be expressed as a function of the stress state, the moisture content, and the dry density.     

In situ U–Pb dating of micro-baddeleyite by secondary ion mass spectrometry

We introduce a technique for U–Pb dating of baddeleyite using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) in situ analysis of ng-mass crystals that cannot be efficiently extracted by conventional mineral separation techniques. Average ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages for Precambrian baddeleyite crystals are within < 0.3% of the respective isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) ages. ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ratios are corrected for instrumental fractionation calibrated through linear regression in a Pb/U relative sensitivity vs. UO₂⁺/U⁺ calibration plot. Calibration is performed on separated baddeleyite crystals (～ 100–200 μm in maximum dimension) mounted in random crystallographic orientation. ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages for baddeleyite from Duluth gabbro (FC4b) and Kovdor are accurate within 1–2% when averaging 15–30 individual spot analyses and relative sensitivities calibrated on Phalaborwa baddeleyite. The relative difference of ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U between large crystals and micro-baddeleyite from FC4b is within ～ 1%. Comparison between silicate glass and baddeleyite, as well as replicate analysis of the same grains in different orientations relative to the incidence direction of the primary beam support previous evidence for bias in Pb/U sensitivity in baddeleyite due to variable crystal orientations. We successfully utilized oxygen flooding and a UO₂⁺/U⁺-based calibration to significantly reduce orientation dependent bias.     

In situ U–Pb SIMS (IN-SIMS) micro-baddeleyite dating of mafic rocks: Method with examples

An in situ U–Pb SIMS (IN-SIMS) method to date micro-baddeleyite crystals as small as 3 μm is presented with results from three samples that span a variety of ages and geologic settings. The method complements ID-TIMS geochronology by extending the range of dateable crystals to sizes smaller than can be recovered by physical separation. X-ray mapping and BSE imaging are used to locate target grains in thin section, followed by SIMS analysis on a CAMECA ims 1270, using the field aperture in the transfer column to screen out ions from host phases. Internal age precisions for the method are anticipated to range from 0.1% for Precambrian rocks to 3–7% for Phanerozoic rocks. Results establish a 2689 ± 5 Ma age for mafic dikes in the Wyoming craton, USA, a 1540 ± 30 Ma age for a subaerial lava flow from the Thelon Basin of northern Canada, and a 457 ± 34 Ma age for mafic dikes in the platform sequence of southeastern Siberia. The method is ideal for relatively non-destructive dating of small samples such as extraterrestrial rocks and precious terrestrial samples.     

Evaluation of Density Corrections to Methane Fluxes Measured by Open-Path Eddy Covariance over Contrasting Landscapes

Corrections accounting for air density fluctuations due to heat and water vapour fluxes must be applied to the measurement of eddy-covariance fluxes when using open-path sensors. Experimental tests and ecosystem observations have demonstrated the important role density corrections play in accurately quantifying carbon dioxide \((\hbox {CO}_{2})\) fluxes, but less attention has been paid to evaluating these corrections for methane \((\hbox {CH}_{4})\) fluxes. We measured \(\hbox {CH}_{4}\) fluxes with open-path sensors over a suite of sites with contrasting \(\hbox {CH}_{4}\) emissions and energy partitioning, including a pavement airfield, two negligible-flux ecosystems (drained alfalfa and pasture), and two high-flux ecosystems (flooded wetland and rice). We found that density corrections successfully re-zeroed fluxes in negligible-flux sites; however, slight overcorrection was observed above pavement. The primary impact of density corrections varied over negligible- and high-flux ecosystems. For negligible-flux sites, corrections led to greater than 100% adjustment in daily budgets, while these adjustments were only 3–10% in high-flux ecosystems. The primary impact to high-flux ecosystems was a change in flux diel patterns, which may affect the evaluation of relationships between biophysical drivers and fluxes if correction bias exists. Additionally, accounting for density effects to high-frequency \(\hbox {CH}_{4}\) fluctuations led to large differences in observed \(\hbox {CH}_{4}\) flux cospectra above negligible-flux sites, demonstrating that similar adjustments should be made before interpreting \(\hbox {CH}_{4}\) cospectra for comparable ecosystems. These results give us confidence in \(\hbox {CH}_{4}\) fluxes measured by open-path sensors, and demonstrate that density corrections play an important role in adjusting flux budgets and diel patterns across a range of ecosystems.