Type IV dm bursts: Onset and sudden reductions

The effect of collisions of suprathermal electrons with a thermal background plasma is investigated and is shown to cause flattening of a monotonically descending velocity distribution of fast particles. As a result flare-produced energetic electrons that are trapped in a coronal magnetic arch and that are initially distributed in energy according to a power-law, can give rise to an instability of Langmuir waves in the background plasma and the subsequent emission of continuum radiation as observed in type IV dm bursts.To explain the appearance of sudden reductions observed in type IV dm outbursts the effects both of magnetic compressions of the source region and of renewed injections of fast particles on the continuum source are investigated. It is found that the latter process can explain the observed reductions.     

Centennial scale benthic foraminiferal record of late Holocene oceanographic variability in Disko Bugt,West Greenland

A new centennial scale benthic foraminiferal record of late Holocene climate variability and oceanographic changes off West Greenland (Disko Bugt) highlights substantial subsurface water mass changes (e.g. temperature and salinity) of the West Greenland Current (WGC) over the past 3.6 ka BP. Benthic foraminifera reveal a long-term late Holocene cooling trend, which may be attributed to increased advection of cold, low-salinity water masses derived from the East Greenland Current (EGC). Cooling becomes most pronounced from c. 1.7 ka BP onwards. At this point the calcareous Atlantic benthic foraminiferal fauna decrease significantly and is replaced by an agglutinated Arctic fauna. Superimposed on this cooling trend, centennial scale variability in the WGC reveals a marked cold phase at c. 2.5 ka BP, which may correspond to the 2.7 ka BP cooling-event recorded in marine and terrestrial archives elsewhere in the North Atlantic region. A warm phase recognized at c. 1.8 ka BP is likely to correspond to the ‘Roman Warm Period’ and represents the warmest bottom water conditions. During the time period of the ‘Medieval Climate Anomaly’ we observe only a slight warming of the WGC. A progressively more dominant cold water contribution from the EGC on the WGC is documented by the prominent rise in abundance of agglutinated Arctic water species from 0.9 ka BP onwards. This cooling event culminates at c. 0.3 ka BP and represents the coldest episode of the ‘Little Ice Age’.Gradually increased influence of cold, low-salinity water masses derived from the EGC may be linked to enhanced advection of Polar and Arctic water by the EGC. These changes are possibly associated with a reported shift in the large-scale North Atlantic Oscillation atmospheric circulation pattern towards a more frequent negative North Atlantic Oscillation mode during the late Holocene.     

The geologic history of the Nicoya Ophiolite Complex, Costa Rica, and its geotectonic significance

Costa Rica forms part of an intra-oceanic arc between the Pacific and Caribbean oceans; the Nicoya Ophiolite Complex is located along its Pacific border. In this study, evidence is given that the Nicoya Complex is composed of ridge-formed oceanic crust that suffered a strong compressional stress during Late Santonian times. As a result of this, isoclinal folding and large-scale nappe emplacement occurred at a shallow crustal depth. The principal component of this compressional stress was E-W-directed. It is also demonstrated that, from this time, the complex was situated between a subducting plate and a volcanic arc. From that Campanian until the Middle Eocene the zone was undulated, and generally at a great depth below sea level. During the Eocene—Oligocene epoch a new tectonic stress affected the area. It produced open folding with upthrusting in the ophiolite complex and overthrust folding of the overlying rock series. As a result of crustal thickening during this tectonic phase, the area was uplifted. From Miocene times, the zone was shaped into a dome and a synform. These undulations are attributed to compression of the subducting Coco Plate, west of the area.The Upper Santonian tectonic phase demonstrates how compressional stress produced the break-up of the Caribo-Pacific plate west of the study area, as a result of which, a Caribbean plate without an associated oceanic ridge and a Pacific plate originated. The compressional stress in question was presumably generated by the opposed spreading directions of the new Mid-Atlantic Ridge and an older ridge to the west of the study area.Furthermore, it is argued that the Cretaceous obduction of the ophiolite belt along the Pacific coast of the American continents, was produced by the directional change of these continents during the birth of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This created intra-plate compressional stress and converted originally passive continental margins into active zones, where thrusting of oceanic crust on to a continental margin (obduction) could occur. When the Mid-Atlantic Ridge started spreading, the obduction phase ended due to subduction of the oceanic plate below the leading edge of the continent.     

A coherent radiation mechanism for type IV dm radio bursts

An interpretation is presented of the decimetric type IV continuum with fine structure on March 6, 1972 and of the corresponding source region, in terms of ?erenkov plasma radiation and alternatively of synchrotron radiation, both in case of coherent and incoherent generation. If the magnetic field strength in the source region is a few gauss, in a stationary situation a loss cone instability develops which generates electron plasma waves coherently. The amount of energetic electrons required for consecutive induced scattering of the plasma waves at the thermal ions into electromagnetic waves is less than in case of synchrotron radiation. It is concluded that the former mechanism provides the explanation of type IV continua with fine structure such as intermediate drift bursts and sudden reductions of the continuum level.     

Analytical queries on semantic trajectories using graph databases

This article studies the analysis of moving object data collected by location‐aware devices, such as GPS, using graph databases. Such raw trajectories can be transformed into so‐called semantic trajectories, which are sequences of stops that occur at “places of interest.” Trajectory data analysis can be enriched if spatial and non‐spatial contextual data associated with the moving objects are taken into account, and aggregation of trajectory data can reveal hidden patterns within such data. When trajectory data are stored in relational databases, there is an “impedance mismatch” between the representation and storage models. Graphs in which the nodes and edges are annotated with properties are gaining increasing interest to model a variety of networks. Therefore, this article proposes the use of graph databases (Neo4j in this case) to represent and store trajectory data, which can thus be analyzed at different aggregation levels using graph query languages (Cypher, for Neo4j). Through a real‐world public data case study, the article shows that trajectory queries are expressed more naturally on the graph‐based representation than over the relational alternative, and perform better in many typical cases.     

The geometry of space-time prisms with uncertain anchors

Space-time prisms envelop all spatio-temporal locations that moving objects may have visited between two of their known spatio-temporal locations, given a bound on their travel speed. In this context, the known locations are often the result of observations or measurements, and they are called ‘anchor points’. The classic space-time prism, in isotropic two-dimensional space, as well as in transportation networks, assumes that the measurements of these anchor points are exact. Whereas, in many applications, we can assume that time can be measured fairly precisely, this assumption is unrealistic for the spatial components of measured locations (we think of Global Positioning System (GPS) errors, for instance). In this paper, we extend the classical prism from anchor points to circular ‘anchor regions’ that capture the uncertainty or error on their measurement. We define the notion of a space-time prism with uncertain anchor points, called uncertain prism, for short. We study the geometry of uncertain prisms in an arbitrary metric space to make this concept as widely applicable as possible. We also focus on the rims of uncertain space-time prisms, which demarcate the area that a moving object can have visited between two anchor regions (given some local speed limitations).     

西格陵兰Disko湾表层沉积硅藻组合研究

本文分析了西格陵兰Disko湾的表层沉积物硅藻,发现并统计了分属于39个属的78个硅藻种及其变种。应用对应分析方法,对Disko湾表层沉积硅藻组合进行了分类:组合Ⅰ为Fragilariopsis cylindrus-Fragilariopsis oceanica组合,主要分布在西格陵兰Disko湾南部的近岸和外海处;组合Ⅱ为Detonula confervaceae休眠孢子-Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii组合,都分布在Dis-ko湾北部海域。其中,根据海流等环境要素的不同,组合Ⅰ又可进一步划分为两个亚区:组合Ⅰa为F.cylindrus-F.oceanica-Pauliella taeniata组合,主要分布于沿岸海区;组合Ⅰb为F.cy-lindrus-F.oceanica-Thalassiosira antarcticavar.borealis休眠孢子-Thalassiosiracf.antarcticavar.borealis组合,分布于外海区域。     

Modeling uncertainty of moving objects on road networks via space–time prisms

Moving objects produce trajectories, which are typically observed in a finite sample of time‐stamped locations. Between sample points, we are uncertain about the moving objects's location. When we assume extra information about an object, for instance, a (possibly location‐dependent) speed limit, we can use space–time prisms to model the uncertainty of an object's location.

Until now, space–time prisms have been studied for unconstrained movement in the 2D plane. In this paper, we study space–time prisms for objects that are constrained to travel on a road network. Movement on a road network can be viewed as essentially one‐dimensional. We describe the geometry of a space–time prism on a road network and give an algorithm to compute and visualize space–time prisms. For experiments and illustration, we have implemented this algorithm in MATHEMATICA.

Furthermore, we study the alibi query, which asks whether two moving objects could have possibly met or not. This comes down to deciding if the chains of space–time prisms produced by these moving objects intersect. We give an efficient algorithm to answer the alibi query for moving objects on a road network. This algorithm also determines where and when two moving objects may have met.     

The Middle Miocene to Recent Davis Strait Drift Complex: implications for Arctic�CAtlantic water exchange

A large-scale contourite drift complex has been recognised on multi-channel 2D reflection seismic data acquired in the south-eastern Davis Strait and adjacent Labrador Sea slope offshore West Greenland between 63°?C66°N. Based on well-tie data, the drift complex developed from the Middle Miocene to the Recent. It has been mapped in a wide variety of water depths ranging from about 700?m, at a NNW-ESE-elongated crest located above structural highs in the Davis Strait, to more than 2,000?m beyond the slope to the Labrador Sea. The overall drift geometry has been described by subdivision into two first-order seismic units, enabling the generation of time-isochore maps. The reflection patterns demonstrating current-related deposition are illustrated by seismic examples. The time-isochores of the two first-order seismic units show lateral changes in their depocentres: the lower unit is absent in a zone slightly displaced south-westwards of the present-day crest, indicating changes in the prevailing deepwater current system during the Early Pliocene. The observations can be explained by two alternative palaeoceanographic scenarios: (1) either the present-day oceanographic setting with Arctic?CAtlantic water exchange across the Davis Strait was largely established by the mid-Miocene, with only minor adjustments during the Early Pliocene caused by tectonic movements, or (2) it became established during the Early Pliocene as a consequence of enhanced northward flow across the Davis Strait due to lowering of the sill depth.