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At least 307 records · Page 17

Osmium isotopes in Ivory Coast tektites: Confirmation of a meteoritic component and rhenium depletion

The sensitive negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry method was used for the measurement of concentrations and isotopic ratios of osmium and rhenium in four Ivory Coast tektites. These tektites have crustal major and trace element composition, as well as large negative epsilon(sub Nd)(-20) and positive epsilon(sub Sr)(+260 to +300) which are characteristic for old continental crust. Os concentrations ranging from 0.09 to 0.30 ppb were found, clearly much higher than average crustal values, Os-187/Os-186 ratios of about 1.2-1.7, and low Re-187/Os-186 ratios. These results show unambiguously the existence of a meteoritic component (on the order of 0.06%) in the Ivory Coast tektites. Low Re abundances are the result of fractionation of Re during the impact.

Koeberl, Christian↗

Primary differentiation in the early Earth: Nd and Sr isotopic evidence from diamondiferous eclogites for both old depleted and old enriched mantle, Yakutia, Siberia

Ancient, stable, continental cratons possess thick, subcontinental-lithospheric mantle 'keels' which favor particularly the emplacement of diamondiferous kimberlites and included peridotites and eclogites. These refractory mantle samples of the roots provide hard constraints on the theories of formation, growth, and evolution of these cratons. Xenoliths containing only primary garnet and clinopyroxene (eclogites), although rare in most kimberlites, can retain the geochemical signatures of their parent protoliths (e.g., subducted oceanic crust, ancient mantle) thus offering the opportunity to address mantle processes which may have taken place at earlier times in the Earth's history. In fact, it has been postulated that some eclogites are residues from the accretion of the early Earth. Nd and Sr isotopic data are presented which may be interpreted as evidence of an early (greater than 4 Ga) mantle differentiation event. The kimberlites of Yakutia are located both marginal and central to the Siberian craton, and a wide variety of xenoliths are present within them. The Siberian mantle samples have received little attention in the western world, largely because suitable suites of Yakutian samples have not been readily available. Importantly, there is evidence that metasomatism of the Siberian lithosphere has been considerably less intense or extensive than for the Kaapvaal craton. Therefore, it should be considerably easier to elicit the igneous/metamorphic histories of Siberian kimberlitic xenoliths. One of the notable features of the Siberian eclogites is the common appearance of diamonds, especially in the Mir and Udachnaya pipes. In all, eight eclogite samples (eight garnet separates and eight clinopyroxene separates) have been analyzed to date on the Udachnaya pipe, seven from our group.

Snyder, Gregory A.↗

Chronology and genesis of high-Ti mare volcanism: Melting of cogenetic depleted and enriched reservoirs

An understanding of the chronology and petrogenesis of volcanic rocks is paramount to unravelling the complexities of the composition and structure of the mantle of the Moon. High-Ti mare basalts represent the best-sampled suite of lunar volcanic rocks and likely represent melts of the uppermost mantle of the Moon. Compiled Nd and Sr isotopic data for high-Ti basalts, combined with weighted average ages determiend by various techniques, yield a complex melting history for the high-Ti mantle source. Melting occurred during three distinct episodes (3.84 Ga, 3.75-3.69 Ga, and 3.56 Ga) separated by hiatuses of 100 Ma or more. The first episode included the melting of a relatively trapped liquid (KREEPy)-rich source beneath the A-11 landing site. Later melting of this source produced magmas which were relatively trapped liquid-free at the A-11 site. Synchronous melting at the A-17 landing site produced magmas with variable proportions of this evolved trapped liquid component. The final phase of volcanism occurred at the A-11 site and involved the assimilation of an evolved 'neuKREEP' component. Continued melting of a similar source, which was nearly exhausted of its ilmenite component, beneath the A-12 landing site may have lead to production of magmas parental to the A-12 ilmenite basalts.

Snyder, Gregory A.↗

Depletions in winter total ozone values over southern England

A study has been made of the recently re-evaluated time series of daily total ozone values for the period 1979 to 1992 for southern England. The series consists of measurements made at two stations, Bracknell and Camborne. The series shows a steady decline in ozone values in the spring months over the period, and this is consistent with data from an earlier decade that has been published but not re-evaluated. Of exceptional note is the monthly mean for January 1992 which was very significantly reduced from the normal value, and was the lowest so far measured for this month. This winter was also noteworthy for a prolonged period during which a blocking anticyclone dominated the region, and the possibility existed that this was related to the ozone anomaly. It was possible to determine whether the origin of the low ozone value lay in ascending stratospheric motions. A linear regression analysis of ozone value deviation against 100hPa temperature deviations was used to reduce ozone values to those expected in the absence of high pressure. The assumption was made that the normal regression relation was not affected by atmospheric anomalies during the winter. This showed that vertical motions in the stratosphere only accounted for part of the ozone anomaly and that the main cause of the ozone deficit lay either in a reduced stratospheric circulation to which the anticyclone may be related or in chemical effects in the reduced stratospheric temperatures above the high pressure area. A study of the ozone time series adjusted to remove variations correlated with meteorological quantities, showed that during the period since 1979, one other winter, that of 1982/3, showed a similar although less well defined deficit in total ozone values.

Lapworth, A.↗

Subsidence of aircraft engine exhaust in the stratosphere: Implications for calculated ozone depletions

The deposition altitude of nitrogen oxides and other exhaust species emitted by stratospheric aircraft is a crucial parameter in determining the impact of these emissions on stratospheric ozone. We have utilized a model for the wake of a High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) to estimate the enhancements in water and reductions in ozone in these wakes as a function of time. Radiative calculations indicate differential cooling rates as large as -5K/day at the beginning of the far-wake regime, mostly due to the enhanced water abundance. These cooling rates would imply a net sinking of the wakes of about 1.2 km after three days in the limit of no mixing. Calculated mid-latitude column ozone reductions due to emissions from a Mach 2.4 HSCT would then change from about -1% to -06%. However, more realistic calculations adopting moderate mixing for the wake reduce the net sinking to less than 0.2 km, making the impact of radiative subsidence negligible.

Rodriguez, J. M.↗

Effects of a polar stratosphere cloud parameterization on ozone depletion due to stratospheric aircraft in a two-dimensional model

A parameterization of Type 1 and 2 polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) formation is presented which is appropriate for use in two-dimensional (2-D) photochemical models of the stratosphere. The calculations of PSC frequency of occurrence and surface area density uses climatological temperature probability distributions obtained from National Meteorological Center data to avoid using zonal mean temperatures, which are not good predictors of PSC behavior. The parameterization does not attempt to model the microphysics of PSCs. The parameterization predicts changes in PSC formation and heterogeneous processing due to perturbations of stratospheric trace constituents. It is therefore useful in assessing the potential effects of a fleet of stratospheric aircraft (high speed civil transports, or HSCTs) on stratospheric composition. the model calculated frequency of PSC occurrence agrees well with a climatology based on stratospheric aerosol measurement (SAM) 2 observations. PSCs are predicted to occur in the tropics. Their vertical range is narrow, however, and their impact on model O3 fields is small. When PSC and sulfate aerosol heterogeneous processes are included in the model calculations, the O3 change for 1980 - 1990 is in substantially better agreement with the total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS)-derived O3 trend than otherwise. The overall changes in model O3 response to standard HSCT perturbation scenarios produced by the parameterization are small and tend to decrease the model sensitivity to the HSCT perturbation. However, in the southern hemisphere spring a significant increase in O3 sensitivity to HSCT perturbations is found. At this location and time, increased PSC formation leads to increased levels of active chlorine, which produce the O3 decreases.

Considine, David B.↗

Link Winds: A visual data analysis system and its application to the atmospheric ozone depletion problem

The Linked Windows Interactive Data System (LinkWinds) is a prototype visual data exploration system resulting from a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) program of research into the application of graphical methods for rapidly accessing, displaying, and analyzing large multi variate multidisciplinary data sets. Running under UNIX it is an integrated multi-application executing environment using a data-linking paradigm to dynamically interconnect and control multiple windows containing a variety of displays and manipulators. This paradigm, resulting in a system similar to a graphical spreadsheet, is not only a powerful method for organizing large amounts of data for analysis, but leads to a highly intuitive, easy-to-learn user interface. It provides great flexibility in rapidly interacting with large masses of complex data to detect trends, correlations, and anomalies. The system, containing an expanding suite of non-domain-specific applications, provides for the ingestion of a variety of data base formats and hard -copy output of all displays. Remote networked workstations running LinkWinds may be interconnected, providing a multiuser science environment (MUSE) for collaborative data exploration by a distributed science team. The system is being developed in close collaboration with investigators in a variety of science disciplines using both archived and real-time data. It is currently being used to support the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) in orbit aboard the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). This paper describes the application of LinkWinds to this data to rapidly detect features, such as the ozone hole configuration, and to analyze correlations between chemical constituents of the atmosphere.

Jacobson, Allan S.↗

Fos Expression in Rat Brain During Depletion-Induced Thirst and Salt Appetite

The expression of Fos protein (Fos immunoreactivity, Fos-ir) was mapped in the brain of rats subjected to an angiotensin-dependent model of thirst and salt appetite. The physiological state associated with water and sodium ingestion was produced by the concurrent subcutaneous administration of the diuretic furosemide (10 mg/kg) and a low dose of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor captopril (5 mg/kg; Furo/Cap treatment). The animals were killed 2 h posttreatment, and the brains were processed for Fos-ir to assess neural activation. Furo/Cap treatment significantly increased Fos-ir density above baseline levels both in structures of the lamina terminalis and hypothalamus known to mediate the actions of ANG 2 and in hindbrain regions associated with blood volume and pressure regulation. Furo/Cap treatment also typically increased Fos-ir density in these structures above levels observed after administration of furosemide or captopril separately. Fos-ir was reduced to a greater extent in forebrain than in hindbrain areas by a dose of captopril (100 mg/kg sc) known to block the actions of ACE in the brain. The present work provides further evidence that areas of lamina terminalis subserve angiotensin-dependent thirst and salt appetite.

Thunhorst, R. L.↗

Ozone Depletion, UVB and Atmospheric Chemistry

The primary constituents of the Earth's atmosphere are molecular nitrogen and molecular oxygen. Ozone is created when ultraviolet light from the sun photodissociates molecular oxygen into two oxygen atoms. The oxygen atoms undergo many collisions but eventually combine with a molecular oxygen to form ozone (O3). The ozone molecules absorb ultraviolet solar radiation, primarily in the wavelength region between 200 and 300 nanometers, resulting in the dissociation of ozone back into atomic oxygen and molecular oxygen. The oxygen atom reattaches to an O2 molecule, reforming ozone which can then absorb another ultraviolet photon. This sequence goes back and forth between atomic oxygen and ozone, each time absorbing a uv photon, until the oxygen atom collides with and ozone molecule to reform two oxygen molecules.

Stolarski, Richard S.↗

Ozone Depletion, UVB and Atmospheric Chemistry

The primary constituents of the Earth's atmosphere are molecular nitrogen and molecular oxygen. Ozone is created when ultraviolet light from the sun photodissociates molecular oxygen into two oxygen atoms. The oxygen atoms undergo many collisions but eventually combine with a molecular oxygen to form ozone (O3). The ozone molecules absorb ultraviolet solar radiation, primarily in the wavelength region between 200 and 300 nanometers, resulting in the dissociation of ozone back into atomic oxygen and molecular oxygen. The oxygen atom reattaches to an O2 molecule, reforming ozone which can then absorb another ultraviolet photon. This sequence goes back and forth between atomic oxygen and ozone, each time absorbing a uv photon, until the oxygen atom collides with and ozone molecule to reform two oxygen molecules.

Stolarski, Richard S.↗

Arctic Ozone Depletion Observed by UARS MLS During the 1994-95 Winter

During the unusually cold 1994-95 Arctic winter, the Microwave Limb Sounder observed enhanced chlorine monoxide (ClO) in late Dec and throughout Feb and early Mar. Late Dec ClO was higher than during any of the previous 3 years, consistent with the colder early winter. Between late Dec 1994 and early Feb 1995, 465 K (about 50 hPa) vortex-averaged ozone (03) decreased by about 15%, with local decreases of about 30%; additional local decreases of about 5% were seen between early Feb and early Mar. Transport calculations indicate that vortex-averaged chemical loss between late Dec and early Feb was about 20% at 465 K, with about 1/4 of that masked by downward transport of O3. This Arctic chemical O3 loss is not readily detectable in MLS column O3 data.

Manney, G. L.↗

Evidence for Arctic Ozone Depletion in Late February and early March 1994

Significant chemical ozone (O3 ) loss in the 1993-94 Arctic winter occurred mainly during an unusually late cold spell of approximately 10 days in late Feb/early Mar. Over the 30 d period studied (including the cold spell), observed vortex-averaged O3 at 465 K (approximately 40 hPa) decreased by approximately 10%. New three-dimensional, diabatic trajectory calculations show that this observed decrease represents only about half of the net chemical loss (approximately 20%) during the 30 day period. The resupply of lower stratospheric O3 by transport in Feb 1994 was considerably greater than in 1993, when transport masked only about a quarter of the chemical loss in Feb/Mar. The net estimated chemical loss over 30 days in 1994 was comparable to that over the same 30 days in 1993, but mainly occurred at a faster rate during the brief cold spell. These results highlight the impact of Arctic interannual variability on the relative roles of chemistry and dynamics in O3 evolution during recent Arctic winters.

Manney, G. L.↗

Evidence for a Light-Rare-Earth-Element-Depleted Source for Some Ferroan Anorthosites

In the lunar magma ocean model, ferroan anorthosites (FANs) are expected to be derived from a relatively undifferentiated source with chondritic REE abundances and yield the oldest radiometric ages of any lunar rocks. Samarium-neodymium-isotopic analyses of 60025 and 67016 yielded ages of 4.44 +/- 0.02 Ga and 4.53 +/- 0.12 Ga and initial Epsilon(sub Nd)(sup 143) values in excess of -0.5. These ages are within error of ages determined on some Mg-suite rocks by researchers. Thus, the existing data are not completely consistent with the standard magma ocean model. We have completed isotopic analysis on the pristine FAN 62236 in order to place further constraints on lunar crust-forming processes.

Borg, L. E.↗

Contributions of a Tunable Diode Laser Instrument (ATLAS) to the Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Question

The Airborne Tunable Laser Absorption Spectrometer - ATLAS - was designed and built at the NASA Ames Research Center and operates on the NASA ER-2 high altitude research aircraft. ATLAS has taken part in a number of important polar and mid-latitude research campaigns, since 1987, focused on various aspects of stratospheric ozone chemistry and dynamics. The chief measurement carried out by the ATLAS second harmonic diode laser spectrometer is of the important atmospheric tracer N2O. Using N2O as an inert tracer we have been able to gain significant new information on polar vortex dynamics and on the correlations of several important long-lived tracers in the stratosphere. The correlation of N2O with NOy (total reactive nitrogen) has been shown to be linear for a great variety of unperturbed stratospheric conditions, and the breakdown of this correlation has been used to detect denitrification by PSCs in the polar vortex, especially in the Antarctic spring. Denitrification is an important step in the process of ozone hole formation in the austral spring. Correlations of N2O with CFCs and CH4 have led to improved estimates of atmospheric lifetimes of these important molecules. Finally the correlation of N2O with CO2, the latter now being measured with great precision by a new instrument on the ER-2, has led to a significant new tool for studying horizontal and vertical mixing in the lower stratosphere, a tool which is very useful in assessing the potential effects of high speed civil transport aircraft in the lower stratosphere. A new, light-weight version of ATLAS is currently being built for unmanned high altitude aircraft, specifically the new Perseus vehicle. We will give a brief description of this effort.

Loewenstein, Max↗

Surface Crystallization of Cloud Droplets: Implications for Climate Change and Ozone Depletion

The process of supercooled liquid water crystallization into ice is still not well understood. Current experimental data on homogeneous freezing rates of ice nucleation in supercooled water droplets show considerable scatter. For example, at -33 C, the reported freezing nucleation rates vary by as much as 5 orders of magnitude, which is well outside the range of measurement uncertainties. Until now, experimental data on the freezing of supercooled water has been analyzed under the assumption that nucleation of ice took place in the interior volume of a water droplet. Here, the same data is reanalyzed assuming that the nucleation occurred "pseudoheterogeneously" at the air (or oil)-liquid water interface of the droplet. Our analysis suggest that the scatter in the nucleation data can be explained by two main factors. First, the current assumption that nucleation occurs solely inside the volume of a water droplet is incorrect. Second, because the nucleation process most likely occurs on the surface, the rates of nuclei formation could differ vastly when oil or air interfaces are involved. Our results suggest that ice freezing in clouds may initiate on droplet surfaces and such a process can allow for low amounts of liquid water (approx. 0.002 g per cubic meters) to remain supercooled down to -40 C as observed in the atmosphere.

Tabazadeh, A.↗

Oxygen-depleted zones inside reproductive structures of Brassicaceae: implications for oxygen control of seed development

Growth of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. in decreasing oxygen partial pressures revealed a linear decrease in seed production below 15 kPa, with a complete absence of seed production at 2.5 kPa oxygen. This control of plant reproduction by oxygen had previously been attributed to an oxygen effect on the partitioning between vegetative and reproductive growth. However, plants grown in a series of decreasing oxygen concentrations produced progressively smaller embryos that had stopped developing at progressively younger stages, suggesting instead that their growth is limited by oxygen. Internal oxygen concentrations of buds, pistils, and developing siliques of Brassica rapa L. and siliques of Arabidopsis were measured using a small-diameter glass electrode that was moved into the structures using a micromanipulator. Oxygen partial pressures were found to be lowest in the developing perianth (11.1 kPa) and pistils (15.2 kPa) of the unopened buds. Pollination reduced oxygen concentration inside the pistils by 3 kPa after just 24 h. Inside Brassica silique locules, partial pressures of oxygen averaged 12.2 kPa in darkness, and increased linearly with increasing light levels to 16.2 kPa. Measurements inside Arabidopsis siliques averaged 6.1 kPa in the dark and rose to 12.2 kPa with light. Hypoxia in these microenvironments is postulated to be the point of control of plant reproduction by oxygen.

Non-NASA Center↗

A Model of the Effect of Ozone Depletion on Lower-Stratospheric Structure

We have run two twenty-year integrations of a global circulation model using 1978-1980 and 1998-2000 monthly mean ozone climatologies. The ozone climatology is used solely in the radiation scheme of the model. Several key differences between the model runs will be presented. The temperature and potential vorticity (PV) structure of the lower stratosphere, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere, is significantly changed using the 1998-2000 ozone climatology. In the Southern Hemisphere summer, the lapse rate and PV-defined polar tropopauses are both at altitudes on the order of several hundred meters greater than the 1978-1980 climatological run. The 380 K potential temperature surf= is likewise at a greater altitude. The mass of the extratropical lowermost stratosphere (between the tropopause and 380 K surface) remains unchanged. The altitude differences are not observed in the Northern Hemisphere. The different ozone fields do not produce a significant change in the annual extratropical stratosphere-troposphere exchange of mass although slight variations in the spatial distribution of the exchange exist. We are also investigating a delay in the breakup of the Southern Hemisphere polar vortex due to the differing ozone climatologies.

Olsen, Mark A.↗