Quantitative Evaluation of Water Deposited By Dew on Monuments

Samples of White and Green Carrara marble, and three types oflimestone and brick exposed in the field vertically and horizontally were used to evaluate condensationon monuments during clear sky nights. Experiments in a simulation chamber under controlledconditions led to a general equation for the actual amount of water deposited on a surface by dew.This is determined by: How much and for how long the surface temperature falls below the dew point,the moisture content in the air and the ventilation. On clear nights, the condensation on buildingstructures facing the sky may reach some 0.2 kg m^-2 (or 0.2 mm), whereas condensation on verticalsurfaces is very small. Computation of the seasonal trend of night-time condensationshowed that the maximum amount of water condensed per night occurs in the autumn, with the moreabundant concentration of moisture in the air. The total amount of water condensed per month isfound to be a maximum in the summer-autumn period. Morning condensationfor the thermal inertia of monuments is also relevant, and has been calculated to reach the same order of magnitude as thenocturnal dew. A detailed analysis of the temperature and mixing ratio profiles near a condensingsurface has shown two different situations. In still air, the two profiles follow an exponentiallaw and the thermal and the concentration layers lie within a few tens of millimetres. Inthe presence of turbulence, the thickness of these two layers is dramatically reduced. In still air, infront of a vertical, chilly surface, the deposition rate of air pollutants by thermophoresis and/orStefan flow is increased by 3 or 4 times in comparison with a horizontal surface. In the presence ofturbulence, the thickness of the thermal and concentration layers was dramatically reduced, makingthese two kinds of deposition much faster.     

Seismic hazard assessment in the Ionian Islands based on observed macroseismic intensities

Catalogues of actual observed intensities are constructed for three towns in the Ionian Islands. They are used for seismic hazard assessment and the results are compared with those obtained by standard approaches; that is, by statistics applied to the data computed from epicentral parameters. The results show that seismic hazard is better assessed using observed rather than computed data, but preparation of the local catalogue presents non-trivial difficulties.     

Topographical controls on small‐volume pyroclastic flows

Emplacement of small‐volume (<0·1 km³) pyroclastic flows is significantly influenced by topography. The Arico ignimbrite on Tenerife (Canary Islands) is a characteristic small‐volume pyroclastic flow deposit emplaced on high relief topography. The pyroclastic flow flowed down pre‐existing valleys on the southern slopes of the island. In proximal areas deep (up to 100 m) valleys acted as efficient conduits for the pyroclastic flow, which was mostly channelled; in this particular area the ignimbrite corresponds to a homogeneous, moderately welded deposit, consisting of flattened pumices in an abundant ashy matrix with a relatively low lithic fragment content. In intermediate zones significant changes occur in the steepness of the slope and, although still channelled, here the pyroclastic flow was influenced by hydraulic jumps. In this area, two different units can be clearly distinguished in the ignimbrite: the lower unit is composed of a lithic‐rich ground‐layer deposit that formed at the turbulent, highly concentrated head of the flow; the upper unit consists of a well welded pumice‐rich deposit that occasionally reveals a basal layer formed by shearing with the lower part. This division into two units is maintained as far as distal areas near the present‐day coastline, where the slope is very gentle or null and the ignimbrite is not channelled. The ground layer is not found in distal areas. The ignimbrite here only consists of the upper unit, which is occasionally repeated due to a surging process provoked by the lower flow speed, as the pyroclastic flow spread out of the channelled zone. A theoretical model on how topography controlled the deposition of the Arico ignimbrite is derived by interpreting the observed lithological and sedimentological variations in terms of changes in topography and bedrock morphology. This new model is of general applicability and will help to explain other deposits of similar characteristics.     

JP3D compression of solar data-cubes: Photospheric imaging and spectropolarimetry

Hyperspectral imaging is an ubiquitous technique in solar physics observations and the recent advances in solar instrumentation enabled us to acquire and record data at an unprecedented rate. The huge amount of data which will be archived in the upcoming solar observatories press us to compress the data in order to reduce the storage space and transfer times. The correlation present over all dimensions, spatial, temporal and spectral, of solar data-sets suggests the use of a 3D base wavelet decomposition, to achieve higher compression rates. In this work, we evaluate the performance of the recent JPEG2000 Part 10 standard, known as JP3D, for the lossless compression of several types of solar data-cubes. We explore the differences in: a) The compressibility of broad-band or narrow-band time-sequence; I or V Stokes profiles in spectropolarimetric data-sets; b) Compressing data in [x,y, λ] packages at different times or data in [x,y,t] packages of different wavelength; c) Compressing a single large data-cube or several smaller data-cubes; d) Compressing data which is under-sampled or super-sampled with respect to the diffraction cut-off.     

Calibration and Instrumental Errors in Early Measurements of Air Temperature

Calibration and instrumental errors of early thermometers are analysed. The first concepts, the development of scientific ideas, the main problems linked to the construction of early thermometers and the calibration are considered in order to evaluate errors. The operating principle of the `constant-volume' air thermometer is presented andits limits are discussed. The theory shows that for an ideal Amontons' thermometer, only one calibration point is sufficient from which the other can be calculated; it is therefore possible to determine the difference from an ideal instrument. A comparison is made between calibrations and instruments made by G. Amontons (1699), G. Poleni (Venice, 1709; Padova 1725), and J.H. Lambert (1779). Amontons' thermometer needs to be integrated with a barometric reading; an important error arises from the different density of mercury during calibration and usage. The calibration was made in winter and at the upper point the thermometer was at 100 ° C, while the barometer remained near 0 ° C. However, field observations were made with both instruments at the same temperature and this caused an error that in the cold season is negligible, but in the hot season reaches 1 ° C. Problems connected with the calibration and scale linearity are discussed in view of the beliefs of the time and the operative methodologies used in early meteorology. Emphasis is given to comparability of different instruments, thermometric scales and calibration methodologies used in Padova in the 18th century for Amontons' Poleni's, Fahrenheit's, Réaumur's and Delisle's thermometers. The instrument supports and the incision of the scale were subject to expand or contract depending on temperature or humidity changes, and this was a source of error that can be corrected with the help of observed or estimated data. Problems linked to the construction of thermometers have been evaluated, as well as the linearity of displacements of the thermometric liquid, or the drift due to ageing and transformation of the thermometric liquid, the glass or the support. All these errors have been evaluated and some of them have been found negligible, but some are of the order of 0.5 ° C. The quantitative resultsobtained here can also be usefully applied to correct and validate other long series.     

Corrections of Systematic Errors, Data Homogenisation and Climatic Analysis of the Padova Pressure Series (1725-1999)

A short history of the series with daily observations of barometric pressure in Padova (since 1725) is made, with special reference to the types of barometers used, their locations, the types of corrections (which were only partial in the early period), the calibrations and the comparison with primary instruments. The paper also describes the homogenisation of the series and the procedures used to fill the small gaps. The Padova series was compared with previously well investigated series from the ADVICE and IMPROVE projects and especially with the nearby Milan series in order to check its reliability. Trend analysis shows an increase in pressure (some 1 hPa) during the last a hundred year. This trend is a common feature for Northern Italy. An effect of the increased air pressure is a local lowering of the Northern Mediterranean Sea level by 1 cm. The part of the year mostly affected by this increase is from late spring to August and corresponds to an extension of the hot season, characterised by an earlier start, and longer duration of the Azores Anticyclone. This reduces the penetration of the Atlantic disturbances in the Northern Mediterranean and the precipitation associated with the passage of fronts. This change is associated with an increase in thermoconvective activity with thunderstorms and heavy precipitation. This explains why, in the last decades, the annual total amount of precipitation is slightly decreased and at the same time the frequency of intense rainfall is increased. Moreover, a comparison of the day-to-day pressure variability with the Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO) indicates a significant positive correlation during the late autumn-early winter period. An increase of the WeMO index means a strengthening of the baric dipole from Azores to Northern Italy, that could be explained by a deepening of the cyclonic circulation over northern Italy from November to January.     

Kinetic and equilibrium studies of copper-dissolved organic matter complexation in water column of the stratified Krka River estuary (Croatia)

An interaction of dissolved natural organic matter (DNOM) with copper ions in the water column of the stratified Krka River estuary (Croatia) was studied. The experimental methodology was based on the differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetric (DPASV) determination of labile copper species by titrating the sample using increments of copper additions uniformly distributed on the logarithmic scale. A classical at-equilibrium approach (determination of copper complexing capacity, CuCC) and a kinetic approach (tracing of equilibrium reconstitution) of copper complexation were considered and compared. A model of discrete distribution of organic ligands forming inert copper complexes was applied. For both approaches, a home-written fitting program was used for the determination of apparent stability constants (K_i^equ), total ligands concentration (L_iT) and association/dissociation rate constants (k_i¹,k_i^- 1).A non-conservative behaviour of dissolved organic matter (DOC) and total copper concentration in a water column was registered. An enhanced biological activity at the freshwater–seawater interface (FSI) triggered an increase of total copper concentration and total ligand concentration in this water layer. The copper complexation in fresh water of Krka River was characterised by one type of binding ligands, while in most of the estuarine and marine samples two classes of ligands were identified. The distribution of apparent stability constants (log K₁^equ: 11.2–13.0, log K₂^equ:8.8–10.0) showed increasing trend towards higher salinities, indicating stronger copper complexation by autochthonous seawater organic matter.Copper complexation parameters (ligand concentrations and apparent stability constants) obtained by at-equilibrium model are in very good accordance with those of kinetic model. Calculated association rate constants (k₁¹:6.1–20 × 10³ (M s)^− 1, k₂¹: 1.3–6.3 × 10³ (M s)^− 1) indicate that copper complexation by DNOM takes place relatively slowly. The time needed to achieve a new pseudo-equilibrium induced by an increase of copper concentration (which is common for Krka River estuary during summer period due to the nautical traffic), is estimated to be from 2 to 4 h.It is found that in such oligotrophic environment (dissolved organic carbon content under 83 µM_C, i.e. 1 mg_CL^− 1) an increase of the total copper concentration above 12 nM could enhance a free copper concentration exceeding the level considered as potentially toxic for microorganisms (10 pM).