Detection of CN Emission from (2060) Chiron

In the past decade there has been a gradual, but substantial change in our understanding of the physical nature of (2060) Chiron. Once thought to be the first known member of a population of asteroids orbiting between Saturn and Uranus, Chiron is now generally regarded as the largest known comet. The detection of CN emission in the spectrum of Chiron is reported. Not only do these observations underscore the cometary nature of Chiron, but, at a heliocentric distance exceeding 11 astronomical units, represent the most distant detection yet of a neutral gas species common in comets. These results are consistent with the outgassing from Chiron being primarily driven by isolated outbursts of CO(2) from a very small fraction of Chiron's surface. These may be indicative of primordial inhomogeneities.     

Patent disputes. Biotech giants butt heads over cancer drug

On 8 June, Chiron challenged Genentech's patent on an important new breast cancer drug called Herceptin and sued for a share of the profits. Chiron's 4-page complaint, filed in the federal district court in Sacramento, California, accuses Genentech of "willful, wanton, and deliberate" infringement of one of its patents. The case is being closely watched in the biotech industry not just because of the money at stake but also because it involves one of the first therapies to emerge from the burgeoning field of cancer genetics     

Pluto: evidence for methane frost

Infrared photometry (1.2 to 2.2 micrometers) of Pluto provides evidence for frozen methane on the surface of the planet. This appears to be the first observational indication of this ice in the solar system. Its presence on Pluto suggests that the planet's albedo (reflectance) may be >/= 0.4 and that its diameter may be less than that of the moon.     

1982～2000年青藏高原地表反照率时空变化特征

[目的]研究青藏高原地表反照率的时空分布和变化特征。[方法]通过对NOAA/AVHRR数据反演的青藏高原地区地表反照率的不同算法进行验证,确认由Stroeve给出的反演结果最接近于观测值。基于Stroeve的反演算法,利用1982～2000年的NOAA/AVHRR数据,反演得到1982～2000年青藏高原地区地表反照率的空间分布。[结果]青藏高原地区年均地表反照率的分布与高原自然地理带的分布特征大致吻合;高原区域年均地表反照率呈缓慢下降趋势,不同地区的变化趋势有所不同;高原地区月均地表反照率有明显的地带性,且随时间的变化比较明显。[结论]该研究有助于改进气候模式中地面反射率的参数化方案,揭示局地和区域气候变化的内在机制,提高中长期气候预报的水平。     

Remotely sensed estimation and mapping of soil moisture by eliminating the effect of vegetation cover

Soil moisture (SM), which plays a crucial role in studies of the climate, ecology, agriculture and the environment, can be estimated and mapped by remote sensing technology over a wide region. However, remotely sensed SM is constrained by its estimation accuracy, which mainly stems from the influence of vegetation cover on soil spectra information in mixed pixels. To overcome the low-accuracy defects of existing surface albedo method for estimating SM, in this paper, Qinghai Lake Basin, an important animal husbandry production area in Qinghai Province, China, was chosen as an empirical research area. Using the surface albedo computed from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) reflectance products and the actual measured SM data, an albedo/vegetation coverage trapezoid feature space was constructed. Bare soil albedo was extracted from the surface albedo mainly containing information of soil, vegetation, and both albedo models for estimating SM were constructed separately. The accuracy of the bare soil albedo model (root mean square error=4.20, mean absolute percent error=22.75%, and theil inequality coefficient=0.67) was higher than that of the existing surface albedo model (root mean square error=4.66, mean absolute percent error=25.46% and theil inequality coefficient=0.74). This result indicated that the bare soil albedo greatly improved the accuracy of SM estimation and mapping. As this method eliminated the effect of vegetation cover and restored the inherent soil spectra, it not only quantitatively estimates and maps SM at regional scales with high accuracy, but also provides a new way of improving the accuracy of soil organic matter estimation and mapping.     

Large quasi-circular features beneath frost on triton

Specially processed Voyager 2 images of Neptune's largest moon, Triton, reveal three large quasi-circular features ranging in diameter from 280 to 935 kilometers within Triton's equatorial region. The largest of these features contains a central, irregularly shaped area of comparatively low albedo about 380 kilometers in diameter, surrounded by crudely concentric annuli of higher albedo materials. None of the features exhibit significant topographic expression, and all appear to be primarily albedo markings. The features are located within a broad equatorial band of anomalously transparent frost that renders them nearly invisible at the large phase angles (alpha > 90 degrees ) at which Voyager obtained its highest resolution coverage of Triton. The features can be discerned at smaller phase angles (alpha = 66 degrees ) at which the frost only partially masks underlying albedo contrasts. The origin of the features is uncertain but may have involved regional cryovolcanic activity.     

淮河流域农田生态系统湍流输送特征

利用涡度相关法与垂直梯度法对安徽寿县农田湍流通量进行了连续观测,分析了不同天气状况与不同下垫面对农田湍流通量的影响。结果显示：农田湍流通量受不同天气条件的影响显著。LE、H、G变化特征在晴、阴、雨条件下均呈单峰型曲线,日峰值、变化幅度：LE＞H＞G;通量值受短时气象条件影响有所波动,其稳定程度：晴天＞阴天＞雨天;雪天湍流通量单峰曲线规律不明显,LE波动剧烈,G为负值。地表反照率：雪地＞裸地＞作物下垫面;雪面反照率最大,导致H、LE最小,G相对较大,为负值;作物下垫面地表反照率随作物生长周期有先增后减的趋势。反照率与湍流通量各值的变化呈负相关。     

A new look at the saturn system: the voyager 2 images

Voyager 2 photography has complemented that of Voyager I in revealing many additional characteristics of Saturn and its satellites and rings. Saturn's atmosphere contains persistent oval cloud features reminiscent of features on Jupiter. Smaller irregular features track out a pattern of zonal winds that is symmetric about Saturn's equator and appears to extend to great depth. Winds are predominantly eastward and reach 500 meters per second at the equator. Titan has several haze layers with significantly varying optical properties and a northern polar "collar" that is dark at short wavelengths. Several satellites have been photographed at substantially improved resolution. Enceladus' surface ranges from old, densely cratered terrain to relatively young, uncratered plains crossed by grooves and faults. Tethys has a crater 400 kilometers in diameter whose floor has domed to match Tethys' surface curvature and a deep trench that extends at least 270 degrees around Tethys' circumference. Hyperion is cratered and irregular in shape. Iapetus' bright, trailing hemisphere includes several dark-floored craters, and Phoebe has a very low albedo and rotates in the direction opposite to that of its orbital revolution with a period of 9 hours. Within Saturn's rings, the "birth" of a spoke has been observed, and surprising azimuthal and time variability is found in the ringlet structure of the outer B ring. These observations lead to speculations about Saturn's internal structure and about the collisional and thermal history of the rings and satellites.     

地形对地表反照率影响的模拟研究

地表反照率是决定地表能量收支平衡十分重要的参数,对地球-大气间太阳辐射能量收支以及全球气候变化都有着重要影响。地表反照率由于下垫面不同会产生明显差异,因此中国区域地表反照率空间分布也存在明显区域差异。影响地表反照率因素比较多,其中地形对地表反照率影响因素有坡度、坡向、地形遮蔽等。简单介绍反射率、双向反射因子、双向反射分布函数等与地表反照率相关的物理量及其之间的关系。同时简述反照率观测方法,包括常规观测、卫星遥感反演等,其中遥感反演方法是大范围乃至全球具有较高时空分辨率地表反照率的一条有效途径。另外,还特别介绍了RossThick-LiSpare核驱动的线性BRDF模型。     

Natural Versus Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Low-Level Cloud Albedo over the North Atlantic

Cloud albedo plays a key role in regulating Earth's climate. Cloud albedo depends on column-integrated liquid water content and the density of cloud condensation nuclei, which consists primarily of submicrometer-sized aerosol sulfate particles. A comparison of two independent satellite data sets suggests that, although anthropogenic sulfate emissions may enhance cloud albedo immediately adjacent to the east coast of the United States, over the central North Atlantic Ocean the variability in albedo can be largely accounted for by natural marine and atmospheric processes that probably have remained relatively constant since the beginning of the industrial revolution.     

地表参数对AERMOD模型预测浓度精确度的影响

AERMOD是一个新的先进的烟羽扩散模型,它主要应用到大气扩散的法规烟羽模式。在AERMOD模型中,它需要输入3个地表参数因子,分别是波文比、地表反照率和地面粗糙度。这些因子代表着不同的土地利用类型,影响着AERMOD模型的预测浓度。为了确保输入的地表参数因子值能更精确有效地模拟预测浓度,了解这些因子如何影响模拟结果是非常重要的。探讨了不同数值的地表反照率、波文比和地面粗糙度对AERMOD模式的模拟预测浓度值的影响变化情况,并通过4种土地利用类型来评价不同的地表参数因子对AERMOD的浓度影响,从而提出AERMOD模式中地表参数波文比、地表反照率和地面粗糙度的精确性的建议。     

Strong relationship between DMS and the solar radiation dose over the global surface ocean

Marine biogenic dimethylsulfide (DMS) is the main natural source of tropospheric sulfur, which may play a key role in cloud formation and albedo over the remote ocean. Through a global data analysis, we found that DMS concentrations are highly positively correlated with the solar radiation dose in the upper mixed layer of the open ocean, irrespective of latitude, plankton biomass, or temperature. This is a necessary condition for the feasibility of a negative feedback in which light-attenuating DMS emissions are in turn driven by the light dose received by the pelagic ecosystem.     

Phobos: preliminary results from mariner 7

Analysis of an image of Phobos on Mariner 7 frame 7F91 indicates that the martian satellite is larger and has a darker surface than had previously been thought. The limb profile measures 18 by 22 kilometers and is elongated along the orbital plane. Phobos has an average visual geometric albedo of 0.065 lower than that known for any other body in the solar system. It seems probable that Phobos did not form by accretion around primordial Mars, but was captured at some later time.     

利用MODIS数据反演植被指数的敏感性研究

根据Kaufman等提出的暗像元法,通过6S辐射传输模式,对MODIS的红光、蓝光、近红外通道辐射特性进行了敏感性实验.结果表明:三个通道的行星反射率对地表反射率都非常敏感,行星反射率随地表反射率的增加而增加.进一步提出了对地表反射率进行大气订正的思路,讨论了暗像元法确定地表反射率误差对大气气溶胶光学厚度反演结果的影响.最后计算分析了光学厚度反演误差对地表反射率大气订正传递误差的大小及其对NDVI、SAVI、ARVI和EVI 4种植被指数计算结果的影响.光学厚度误差对植被指数反演误差的影响以ARVI最为敏感,其误差范围与气溶胶光学厚度误差可达同一量级,两者呈负相关;NDVI与SAVI误差变化范围大致相近,与光学厚度误差均呈负相关.EVI受气溶胶光学厚度误差影响最小.     

Triton's Global Heat Budget

Internal heat flow from radioactive decay in Triton's interior along with absorbed thermal energy from Neptune total 5 to 20 percent of the insolation absorbed by Triton, thus comprising a significant fraction of Triton's surface energy balance. These additional energy inputs can raise Triton's surface temperature between approximately 0.5 and 1.5 K above that possible with absorbed sunlight alone, resulting in an increase of about a factor of approximately 1.5 to 2.5 in Triton's basal atmospheric pressure. If Triton's internal heat flow is concentrated in some areas, as is likely, local effects such as enhanced sublimation with subsequent modification of albedo could be quite large. Furthermore, indications of recent global albedo change on Triton suggest that Triton's surface temperature and pressure may not now be in steady state, further suggesting that atmospheric pressure on Triton was as much as ten times higher in the recent past.     

The impact of boreal forest fire on climate warming

We report measurements and analysis of a boreal forest fire, integrating the effects of greenhouse gases, aerosols, black carbon deposition on snow and sea ice, and postfire changes in surface albedo. The net effect of all agents was to increase radiative forcing during the first year (34 +/- 31 Watts per square meter of burned area), but to decrease radiative forcing when averaged over an 80-year fire cycle (-2.3 +/- 2.2 Watts per square meter) because multidecadal increases in surface albedo had a larger impact than fire-emitted greenhouse gases. This result implies that future increases in boreal fire may not accelerate climate warming.     

Chemistry of the metal-polymer interfacial region

In many polymer-metal systems, chemical bonds are formed that involve metal-oxygen-carbon complexes. Infrared and M?ssbauer spectroscopic studies indicate that carboxylate groups play an important role in some systems. The oxygen sources may be the polymer, the oxygen present in the oxide on the metal surface, or atmospheric oxygen. Diffusion of metal ions from the substrate into the polymer interphase may occur in some systems that are cured at elevated temperatures. It is unclear whether a similar, less extensive diffusion occurs over long time periods in systems maintained at room temperature. The interfacial region is dynamic, and chemical changes occur with aging at room temperature. Positron annihilation spectroscopy may have application to characterizing the voids at the metal-polymer interface.     

玉树隆宝湿地土壤水热变化特征及对地表反照率的影响

利用青海玉树隆宝湿地2011年10月～2012年11月的观测资料,分析了该地区土壤湿度、土壤温度、土壤热通量、感热通量和潜热通量的年变化特征,以及地表反照率的日变化特征和地表反照率随土壤湿度的变化关系.结果表明,玉树隆宝湿地土壤湿度和土壤温度均呈夏秋季（融化期）高、冬春季（冻结期）低的特点;土壤热通量在10月～次年2月为负值,3～9月为正值;感热通量的年变化幅度较小,潜热通量的值呈现夏秋季高、冬春季低的特点,地表反照率冬季高夏季低,在春季和秋季土壤冻结和融化期间地表反照率的值上午高下午低,12月份地表反照率日平均值最高,为0.44,6月份地表反照率日平均值最低,为0.24,地表反照率年平均值为0.32;冻结和融化期间,地表反照率随土壤湿度的增大而减小.     

科尔沁沙地地表反照率遥感研究

地表反照率是影响遥感影像信息的重要因素之一,受地球表面覆盖类型等地表特征的影响,因而可利用地表覆盖类型信息结合遥感影像计算地表反照率。以科尔沁沙地为研究试验区,对试验区Landsat-TM进行地形和大气纠正,利用Liang所建立的Landsat-TM数据反演公式计算实验区的反照率分布图;将地表反照率分布图与与研究区监督分类获得的土地利用分布图进行相关分析。结果表明,研究区土地利用类型与地表反照率有明显相关关系;将研究区地表反照率与研究区归一化植被指数进行统计分析,获得研究区地表反照率与归一化植被指数的相关方程。     

1979J2: The Discovery of a Previously Unknown Jovian Satellite

During a detailed examination of imaging data taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft within 4.5 hours of its closest approach to Jupiter, a shadow-like image was observed on the bright disk of the planet in two consecutive wide-angle frames. Analysis of the motion of the image on the Jovian disk proved that it was not an atmospheric feature, showed that it could not have been a shadow of any satellite known at the time, and allowed prediction of its reappearance in other Voyager 1 frames. The satellite subsequently has been observed in transit in both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 frames; its period is 16 hours 11 minutes 21.25 seconds +/- 0.5 second and its semimajor axis is 3.1054 Jupiter radii (Jupiter radius = 7.14 x 10(4) kilometers). The profile observed when the satellite is in transit is roughly circular with a diameter of 80 kilometers. It appears to have an albedo of approximately 0.05, similar to Amalthea's.