ABSTRACT
Coupled general circulation models (CGCMs) integrate our knowledge about atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Different versions of CGCMs are used to provide a better understanding of natural climate variability on interannual and decadal time scales, for extended weather forecasting, and for making seasonal climate scenario projections. They also help to reconstruct past climates, especially abrupt climate change processes. Model intercomparisons, new test data (mainly from satellites), more powerful computers, and parameterizations of atmospheric and oceanic processes have improved CGCM performance to such a degree that the model results are now used by many decision-makers, including governments. They are also fundamental for the detection and attribution of climate change.
ABSTRACT
Far-ultraviolet alkali metal or Wood's filters have been produced and tested supporting the production of a flight filter for the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on the Hubble Space Telescope. Sodium layers 0.5-1-microm thick transmit up to 40% in the ultraviolet while efficiently blocking visible wavelengths. The prevention of visible pinholes is assisted by a clean, sleek-free surface and a cooled substrate during deposition. The coatings are stabilized efficiently by a bismuth overcoating whose transmission spectrum is presented. We also report for the first time, to our knowledge, the first demonstrated long-wavelength cutoff from a lithium filter, with a shorter cutoff wavelength than sodium and potentially higher stability for astronomical imaging.
ABSTRACT
Through various processes the nitrogen oxides (NOX) interact with trace gases in the troposphere and stratosphere which do absorb in the spectral range relevant to the greenhouse effect (infrared wavelengths). The net effect is an enhancement of the greenhouse effect. The catalytic role of NOX in the production of tropospheric ozone provides the most prominent contribution. The global waming potential is estimated as GWP (NOX = 30 - 33 and 7 - 10 for the respective time horizons of 20 and 100 years, and is thereby comparable to that of methane. NOX emissions in rural areas of anthropogenically influenced regions, or those in the vicinity of the txopopause caused by air traffic, cause the greenhouse effectivity to be substantially more intense. We estimate an additional 5-23 % for Germany's contribution to the anthropogenic greenhouse effect as a result of the indirect greenhouse effects stemming from NOX. Furthermore, a small and still inaccurately defined amount of the deposited NOX which has primarily been converted into nitrates is again released from the soil into the atmosphere in the form of the long-lived greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Thus, anthropogenically induced NOX emissions contribute to enhanced greenhouse effect and to stratospheric ozone depletion in the time scale of more than a century.
ABSTRACT
Factor analysis is applied to multispectral (seventeen wavelengths) radiances simulated by a radiative transfer model (matrix-operator method) in and above coastal and open ocean waters. The calculated radiances were compared with measured radiances before applying factor analysis. They agree well for different sun elevations and even for turbid coastal waters. The factor analysis technique allows us to extract the characteristic signatures of phytoplankton, suspended matter, and yellow substance. The fluorescence of chlorophyll at lambda = 685 nm is found to be a clear signal for phytoplankton, also in the presence of other suspensions and yellow substance. A comparison of different algorithms for the extraction of the fluorescence peak favors the addition of chlorophyll absorption at lambda = 670 nm. The blue-green ratio is found to be useless for chlorophyll detection in coastal waters. Suspended matter and yellow substance can also clearly be seen in the factor loading for all multispectral radiances analyzed. However, suspended matter is reflected more strongly than yellow substance.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of bite force changes on the duration and latency of the menton tap silent period and particularly whether a decrease in bite force can increase the duration of the silent period to the extent which may be found in dysfunctional patients. The menton tap silent period was recorded from both anterior temporal and masseter muscles while the subject was clenching at different force levels. A bilaterally stable force transducer was used to monitor the clenching force. The results indicated no statistically significant differences in the mean durations and latencies of silent periods at different clenching forces. They suggest that duration and latency are not related to the degree of clenching force.
