A high sensitivity, low volume HPLC method to determine soluble reactive phosphate in freshwater and saltwater

A reverse phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method was developed to detect soluble reactive phosphate (SRP) in marine and freshwater samples. This technique is scalable over a range of sample volumes from 10 μl to 10 ml, requires minimal sample preparation, and responds linearly from 1 nM to 100 μM (R²>0.964). Standard Murphy–Riley molybdenum blue reagents were used to react with phosphate in samples for analysis. Solid phase extraction tubes were used to clean the mixed complexing reagent prior to combining the reagent with samples. The method was applied to freshwater samples collected in July 2001 along an Andean mountain stream located in the Eastern Cordillera (2400 m) of Peru and marine samples collected in January 2002 within the low marsh of the estuarine Nueces Delta System, Texas Coastal Bend. For method comparison, field samples were analyzed using a standard manual spectrophotometric method. Field sample phosphate concentrations produced from each method were nearly identical. This method offers the advantages of low sample volume (1 ml or less) with high sensitivity, precision, and potential automation.     

A Numerical Study of Effects of Valley-Weathering and Valley-Shape-Ratio on the Ground Motion Characteristics

A study of combined effects of valley-weathering and valley-shaperatio on the ground motion characteristics and associated differential ground motion (DGM) is documented in this paper. In order to properly quantify the weathering effects, a forth-order-accurate staggered-grid viscoelastic time-domain finite-difference program has been used for the simulation of SH-wave responses. Simulated results revealed that the defocusing caused by valley is frequency-independent in contrast to the ridge-focusing. A decrease of average spectral amplification (ASA) with an increase of shape-ratio of the non-weathered triangular and elliptical valleys was obtained. Overall, the amplification and de-amplification pattern was larger in case of triangular valleys as compared to the elliptical valleys. It can be concluded that the dwelling within or near the topcorners of weathered valleys may suffer more damage as compared to their surroundings. A weathered triangular valley with large shape-ratio may cause unexpected damage very near its top-corners since both the ASA and DGM are largest.     

Estimated impacts of climate warming on California’s high-elevation hydropower

California’s hydropower system is composed of high and low elevation power plants. There are more than 150 high-elevation power plants, at elevations above 1,000 feet (300 m). Most have modest reservoir storage capacities, but supply roughly 74% of California’s in-state hydropower. The expected shift of runoff peak from spring to winter due to climate warming, resulting in snowpack reduction and increased snowmelt, might have important effects on power generation and revenues in California. The large storage capacities at low-elevation power plants provide flexibility to operations of these units under climate warming. However, with climate warming, the adaptability of the high-elevation hydropower system is in question as this system was designed to take advantage of snowpack, a natural reservoir. With so many high-elevation hydropower plants in California, estimation of climate warming effects by conventional simulation or optimization methods would be tedious and expensive. An Energy-Based Hydropower Optimization Model (EBHOM) was developed to facilitate practical climate change and other low-resolution system-wide hydropower studies, based on the historical generation data of 137 high-elevation hydropower plants for which the data were complete for 14 years. Employing recent historical hourly energy prices, the model was used to explore energy generation in California for three climate warming scenarios (dry warming, wet warming, and warming-only) over 14 years, representing a range of hydrologic conditions. The system is sensitive to the quantity and timing of inflows. While dry warming and warming-only climate changes reduce average hydropower revenues, wet warming could increase revenue. Re-operation of available storage and generation capacities help compensate for snowpack losses to some extent. Storage capacity expansion and to a lesser extent generation capacity expansion both increase revenues, although such expansions might not be cost-effective.     

Ganymede crater dimensions – Implications for central peak and central pit formation and development

The morphology of impact craters on the icy Galilean satellites differs from craters on rocky bodies. The differences are thought due to the relative weakness of ice and the possible presence of sub-surface water layers. Digital elevation models constructed from Galileo images were used to measure a range of dimensions of craters on the dark and bright terrains of Ganymede. Measurements were made from multiple profiles across each crater, so that natural variation in crater dimensions could be assessed and averaged scaling trends constructed. The additional depth, slope and volume information reported in this work has enabled study of central peak formation and development, and allowed a quantitative assessment of the various theories for central pit formation. We note a possible difference in the size-morphology progression between small craters on icy and silicate bodies, where central peaks occur in small craters before there is any slumping of the crater rim, which is the opposite to the observed sequence on the Moon. Conversely, our crater dimension analyses suggest that the size-morphology progression of large lunar craters from central peak to peak-ring is mirrored on Ganymede, but that the peak-ring is subsequently modified to a central pit morphology. Pit formation may occur via the collapse of surface material into a void left by the gradual release of impact-induced volatiles or the drainage of impact melt into sub-crater fractures.     

Dynamic limits on planar libration-orbit coupling around an oblate primary

This paper explores the dynamic properties of the planar system of an ellipsoidal satellite in an equatorial orbit about an oblate primary. In particular, we investigate the conditions for which the satellite is bound in librational motion or when the satellite will circulate with respect to the primary. We find the existence of stable equilibrium points about which the satellite can librate, and explore both the linearized and non-linear dynamics around these points. Absolute bounds are placed on the phase space of the libration-orbit coupling through the use of zero-velocity curves that exist in the system. These zero-velocity curves are used to derive a sufficient condition for when the satellite’s libration is bound to less than $90^{\circ }$ . When this condition is not satisfied so that circulation of the satellite is possible, the initial conditions at zero libration angle are determined which lead to circulation of the satellite. Exact analytical conditions for circulation and the maximum libration angle are derived for the case of a small satellite in orbits of any eccentricity.