ALBERT

Description: The Van Allen Probe satellites were near apogee in the late evening local time sector during the 1 June 2013 magnetic storm's main phase. About an hour after crossing the ring current's “nose structure” into the plasma sheet, the satellites encountered a quasi-periodic sequence of 0.08 - 3 keV O+ ions. Pitch angle distributions of this population consistently peaked nearly anti-parallel to the local magnetic field. We interpret this population as O+ conics originating in the northern ionosphere. Sequences began as fairly steady state conic fluxes with energies in the ~ 80 to 100 eV range. Over about a half hour build-up phase, O+ energies peaked near 1 keV. During subsequent release phases lasting ~ 20 minutes, O+ energies returned to low-energy starting points. We argue these observations reflect repeated formations and dissolutions of downward, magnetically aligned electric fields (ε || ) layers trapping O+ conics between mirror points within heating layers below and electrostatic barriers above [ Gorney et al ., 1985]. Nearly identical variations were observed at the locations of both satellites during 9 of these 13 conic cycles. Phase differences between cycles were observed at both spacecraft during the remaining events. Most “build-up” to “release” phase transitions coincided with AL index minima. However, in situ magnetometer measurements indicate only weak dipolarizations of tail-like magnetic fields. The lack of field-aligned reflected O+ and tail-like magnetic fields suggest that both ionospheres may be active. However, southern hemisphere origin conics cannot be observed since they would be isotropized and accelerated during neutral sheet crossings.

Description: Dipolarization front (DF) is a sharp boundary most probably separating the reconnection jet from the background plasma sheet. So far at this boundary, the observed waves are mainly in low-frequency range (e.g., magnetosonic waves and lower hybrid waves). Few high-frequency waves are observed in this region. In this paper, we report the broadband high-frequency wave emissions at the DF. These waves, having frequencies extending from the electron cyclotron frequency f ce , up to the electron plasma frequency f pe , could contribute ~10% to the in-situ measurement of intermittent energy conversion at the DF layer. Their generation may be attributed to electron beams, which are simultaneously observed at the DF as well.

Description: A numerical investigation on flow distribution and pressure drop characteristics in a plate-fin heat exchanger is presented. Influences from length and width of the distribution channel were particularly investigated. Flow distribution in the studied model was improved by increasing the length or reducing the width of the distribution channel, but at the cost of an increased pressure drop. The relationship of flow distribution and pressure drop was analyzed by the porous medium approach. A dynamic balance phenomenon was observed and further studied. Based on the results, a novel strategy for the attainment of flow uniformity, which causes negligible pressure drop variation, was proposed. Finally, a performance effectiveness factor was developed for predicting the effect of the proposed strategy on the performance of plate-fin heat exchangers. Flow distribution and pressure drop characteristics in a plate-fin heat exchanger are studied for the first time. Based on the effects of distribution channel dimensions, a new strategy for improving the performance of the heat exchanger is proposed. A performance effectiveness factor was developed for predicting the effect of the proposed approach.

Description: Salt marshes provide numerous valuable ecological services. In particular, nitrogen (N) removal in salt marsh sediments alleviates N loading to the coastal ocean. N removal reduces the threat of eutrophication caused by increased N inputs from anthropogenic sources. It is unclear, however, whether chronic nutrient over-enrichment alters the capacity of salt marshes to remove anthropogenic N. To assess the effect of nutrient enrichment on N cycling in salt marsh sediments, we examined important N cycle pathways in experimental fertilization plots in a New England salt marsh. We determined rates of nitrification, denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) using sediment slurry incubations with 15 N labeled ammonium or nitrate tracers under oxic headspace (20% oxygen / 80% helium). Nitrification and denitrification rates were more than ten-fold higher in fertilized plots compared to control plots. By contrast, DNRA, which retains N in the system, was high in control plots but not detected in fertilized plots. The relative contribution of DNRA to total nitrate reduction largely depends on the carbon/nitrate ratio in the sediment. These results suggest that long-term fertilization shifts N cycling in salt marsh sediments from predominantly retention to removal.

Description: Spatial patterns in trait variation reflect underlying community assembly processes, allowing us to test hypotheses about their trait and environmental drivers by identifying the strongest correlates of characteristic spatial patterns. For 43 evergreen tree species (〉1 cm dbh) in a 20-ha seasonal tropical rainforest plot in Xishuangbanna, China, we compared the ability of drought-tolerance traits, other physiological traits, and commonly measured functional traits to predict the spatial patterns expected from the assembly processes of habitat associations, niche-overlap-based competition, and hierarchical competition. We distinguished the neighborhood-scale (0–20 m) patterns expected from competition from larger-scale habitat associations with a wavelet method. Species’ drought tolerance and habitat variables related to soil water supply were strong drivers of habitat associations, and drought tolerance showed a significant spatial signal for influencing competition. Overall, the traits most strongly associated with habitat, as quantified using multivariate models, were leaf density, leaf turgor loss point (π tlp ; also known as the leaf wilting point), and stem hydraulic conductivity ( r 2 range for the best fit models = 0.27–0.36). At neighborhood scales, species spatial associations were positively correlated with similarity in π tlp , consistent with predictions for hierarchical competition. Although the correlation between π tlp and interspecific spatial associations was weak ( r 2  〈 0.01), this showed a persistent influence of drought tolerance on neighborhood interactions and community assembly. Quantifying the full impact of traits on competitive interactions in forests may require incorporating plasticity among individuals within species, especially among specific life stages, and moving beyond individual traits to integrate the impact of multiple traits on whole-plant performance and resource demand.

Description: Auroral substorms are often associated with optical ray or bead structures during initial brightening (substorm auroral onset waves). Occurrence probabilities and properties of substorm onset waves have been characterized using 112 substorm events identified in THEMIS all-sky imager data, and compared to Rice Convection Model-Equilibrium (RCM-E) and kinetic instability properties. All substorm onsets were found to be associated with optical waves, and thus optical waves are a common feature of substorm onset. Eastward-propagating wave events are more frequent than westward-propagating wave events, and tend to occur during lower-latitude substorms (stronger solar wind driving). The wave propagation directions are organized by orientation of initial brightening arcs. We also identified notable differences in wave propagation speed, wavelength (wavenumber), period and duration between westward and eastward propagating waves. In contrast, the wave growth rate does not depend on the propagation direction or substorm strength but is inversely proportional to the wave duration. This suggests that the waves evolve to poleward expansion at a certain intensity threshold, and that the wave properties do not directly relate to substorm strengths. However, waves are still important for mediating the transition between the substorm growth phase and poleward expansion. The relation to arc orientation can be explained by magnetotail structures in the RCM-E, indicating that substorm onset location relative to the pressure peak determines the wave propagation direction. The measured wave properties agree well with kinetic ballooning interchange instability, while cross-field current instability and electromagnetic ion cyclotron instability give much larger propagation speed and smaller wave period.

Description: In this paper, we investigate the role of plasma sheet bubbles in the ion flux variations at geosynchronous orbit during substorm injections by using the Rice Convection Model with an equilibrated magnetic field model (RCM-E). The bubble is initiated in the near-Earth plasma sheet with a localized reduction in entropy parameter PV5/3 following a substorm growth phase. In the expansion phase, characteristic features of substorm injections are reproduced; that is, there is a prominent dispersionless flux increase for energetic protons (〉40 keV) and a flux decrease for lower-energy protons near midnight geosynchronous orbit while there is dispersive flux enhancement near the dusk sector. We find that the injection boundary is well coincident with the earthward boundary of the bubble, inside which the depletion of plasma content causes the magnetic field dipolarization, and in return, the magnetic field collapse energizes particles and alters the drift paths dramatically. Our results also show that a high-PV5/3 island is pushed ahead of the fast earthward propagating bubble, and a dipolarization front forms between them. Within the high-PV5/3 island, the diamagnetic effect makes the plasma pressure increase and the strength of the magnetic field decrease to a local minimum. We suggest that plasma sheet bubbles are elementary vehicles of substorm time particle injections from the main plasma sheet to the inner magnetosphere.

Description: The modeling equations for the temperature distribution and temperature polarization profiles in a laminar concurrent-flow parallel-plate direct-contact membrane distillation (DCMD) module were developed theoretically. The analytical solutions for such conjugated Graetz problems in DCMD systems were obtained using the variable separation method with an orthogonal expansion technique extended in power series. A description of the average Nusselt number variations and temperature distributions of both the hot and cold feed streams is given. The feed velocity effect on the temperature profiles and average Nusselt number was examined and is reported by employing the computed eigenvalues and the relevant constants. The analytical results show that the initial saline temperature effect on the hot feed stream regarding the pure water productivity is more significant than that of the hot and cold feed stream velocity variations. Modeling equations were developed theoretically for the temperature distribution and temperature polarization profiles in a laminar concurrent-flow parallel-plate direct-contact membrane distillation (DCMD) module. The feed velocity effect on the temperature profiles and average Nusselt number was examined. Good agreement between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions was achieved.

Description: Density currents such as turbidity currents are major transport agents in various terrestrial, lacustrine, and marine environments worldwide. However, a gap exists between those who study the deposits by turbidity currents (turbidite) on a field scale, and those who study turbidity currents using small-scale laboratory experiments and theoretical/numerical models. We report two typhoon-triggered hyperpycnal turbidity current events observed in a submarine canyon. Our findings verify turbidite sequences with the characteristics of suspended sediment carried by passing turbidity currents that displayed distinct waxing and waning phases. Our study also confirms the direct link between typhoon-triggered hyperpycnal flows in a small mountainous river and turbidity currents in a nearby submarine canyon that transport sediment to the deep-sea efficiently.

Description: We present a detailed analysis of the large-scale current systems and their effects on the ground magnetic field disturbance for an idealized substorm event simulated with the equilibrium version of the Rice Convection Model. The objective of this study is to evaluate how well the bubble-injection picture can account for some classic features of the substorm expansion phase. The entropy depletion inside the bubble is intentionally designed to be so severe that it can penetrate deep into geosynchronous orbit. The results are summarized as follows: (1) Both the region-1-sense and region-2-sense field-aligned currents (FACs) intensify substantially. The former resembles the substorm current wedge and flows along the eastern and western edges of the bubble. The latter is connected to the enhanced partial ring current in the magnetosphere associated with a dipolarization front earthward of the bubble. In the ionosphere, these two pairs of FACs are mostly interconnected via Pedersen currents. (2) The horizontal ionospheric currents show a significant westward electrojet peaked at the equatorward edge of the footprint of the bubble. The estimated ground magnetic disturbance is consistent with the typical features at various locations relative to the center of the westward electrojet. (3) A prominent Harang-reversal-like boundary is seen in both ground ΔH disturbance and plasma flow pattern, appearing in the westward portion of the equatorward edge of the bubble footprint, with a latitudinal extent of ∼5° and a longitudinal extent of the half width of the bubble. (4) The dramatic dipolarization inside the bubble causes the ionospheric map of the inner plasma sheet to exhibit a bulge-like structure, which may be related to auroral poleward expansion. (5) The remarkable appearance of the westward electrojet, Harang-reversal-like boundary and poleward expansion starts when the bubble reaches the magnetic transition region from tail-like to dipole-like configuration. We also estimate the horizontal and vertical currents using magnetograms at tens of ground stations for a deep injection substorm event occurred on April 9, 2008, resulting in a picture that is qualitatively consistent with the simulation. Based on the simulations and the observations, an overall picture of the ionospheric dynamics and its magnetospheric drivers during deep bubble injections is obtained.