bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Density of the Vulnerable Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi in two commercial forest reserves in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo
Authors: Wilting Andreas , Mohamed Azlan , Ambu Laurentius N. , Lagan Peter , Mannan Sam , Hofer Heribert , Sollmann Rahel
Published: May 2012

Recently the Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi was recognized as a separate species distinct from the clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa of mainland Asia. Both species are categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Little is known about the newly identified species and, in particular, information from forests outside protected areas is scarce. Here we present one of the first density estimates calculated with spatial capture–recapture models using camera-trap data. In two commercial forest reserves in Sabah (both certified for their sustainable management practices) the density of the Sunda clouded leopard was estimated to be c. 1 per 100 km2 (0.84±SE 0.42 and 1.04±SE 0.58). The presence of the Sunda clouded leopard in such forests is encouraging for its conservation but additional studies from other areas, including protected forests, are needed to compare and evaluate these densities.
Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infection in dairy cows in subtropical southern China
Authors: XU M. J. , LIU Q. Y. , FU J. H. , NISBET A. J. , SHI D. S. , HE X. H. , PAN Y. , ZHOU D. H. , SONG H. Q. , ZHU X. Q.
Published: May 2012

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are closely related protozoan parasites which cause lowered production and increased abortion in dairy cows. The aim of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum infection in dairy cows in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), subtropical southern China. In total, 875 serum samples were collected from the tail veins of dairy cows in 6 main dairy cow-rearing districts of 4 administrative cities in GZAR. The samples were surveyed for T. gondii antibody using the Indirect Haemagglutination Test (IHA), and 365 of the serum samples were examined for N. caninum antibody by indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii in dairy cows was 13·71% (120/875), and the average seroprevalence of N. caninum was 15·07% (55/365). There were significant differences in the seroprevalence of N. caninum infection between different districts (P = 0·002, χ2 = 9·261). The highest prevalences of T. gondii and N. caninum were found in cows older than 8 years and those that had completed 5–6 pregnancies. Five cows (1·37%) presented antibodies against both T. gondii and N. caninum, and dairy cows with both T. gondii and N. caninum antibodies had higher abortion rates. The present results indicate widespread exposure of dairy cows to T. gondii and N. caninum in GZAR, subtropical southern China.
EDITORIAL: Between ‘Faith’ and ‘Facts’: By What Standards Should We Assess International Criminal Justice?
Authors: STAHN CARSTEN
Published: May 2012

The traditional vision that international courts and tribunals do ‘good’ or create a better world through law is increasingly under question. International criminal justice started largely as a ‘faith’-based project, but is increasingly criticized in light of its actual record and impact. This essay examines this journey and, in particular, the role of ‘faith’ and ‘fact’ in the treatment and assessment of international criminal courts, through four core themes (‘effectiveness’, ‘fairness’, ‘fact-finding’, and legacy’) addressed in André Gide's version of the parable ofThe Return of the Prodigal Son. It argues that, in its ‘homecoming’, international criminal justice would benefit from a greater degree of realism by openly accepting its limitations and embracing its expressivist function. It cautions at the same time against exclusively quantitative understandings of impact, arguing that the power of international courts and tribunals lies not so much in their quantitative record as in their role in setting a moral or legal example or shaping discourse. It concludes that a better match between ‘idealism’ and ‘realism’ requires greater attention to the interplay between ‘international’, ‘domestic’, and ‘local’ responses to conflict, as well as recognition of their legitimate differences.
Standardization: A Dynamic and Procedural Conceptualization of International Law-Making
Authors: RADI YANNICK
Published: May 2012

The paper analyses the dynamic procedures that work during the formation of international law in international organizations and conventional frameworks. These procedures organize and structure the interactive exercise of the normative function by law-creating bodies and law-applying bodies. The paper conceives of this ‘way’ of making international law as a law-making method that the concept of standardization helps to understand. Grounded in Aristotelian dialectic logic, standardization indeed conceptualizes the dialogic and procedural law-making that works for normative coherence in contexts characterized by co-operation and the heterogeneity of interests. Introducing this concept, the paper insists on the fact that it is the procedural nature of the dialogue that is crucial to reach normative coherence. Drawing on the consequences of standardization, and regarding dynamic procedures, it reappraises the status and the importance of both the different sources of international law and the different participants to international law-making. Also, the paper points out the predominance of normative coherence, as well as that of its ‘guarantor’, namely procedure that its author considers the cornerstone of legal certainty in the co-operative context of the international society.
We Need to Cut Off the Head of the King: Past, Present, and Future Approaches to International Soft Law
Authors: GOLDMANN MATTHIAS
Published: May 2012

This article surveys contemporary approaches to international soft law, such as various types of legal positivism, legal realism, critical legal studies, and global administrative law. It scrutinizes to what extent the concept of law endorsed by each of these approaches is able to tackle two challenges caused by the spread of soft law as a means of governance: (1) the fact that international soft law is today often the functional equivalent of international treaties and (2) the contestations of the legitimacy of soft law. It concludes that discursive approaches that stress the public character of international law appear very promising, because they link broad concepts of law with considerations of legitimacy. However, since international institutions today exercise public authority not only through soft law or hard law, but also through non-legal instruments like information, the article argues that one ultimately needs to conceptually dissociate the concept of international law from the concept of public authority.
The King Is Dead, Long Live the King? A Reply to Matthias Goldmann
Authors: ELLIS JAYE
Published: May 2012

Matthias and I clearly agree on a great deal: a voluntarist approach to defining public international law is unsatisfactory; any rule of recognition in international law must provide a basis for a link between legality and legitimacy; one of the central contributions that law can make to international society is procedural in nature. However, our respective positions on the utility of a binary distinction between law and not-law have significant impacts on our approaches. We are both concerned, I think, with preserving the autonomy of politics – with ensuring that politics (or, more specifically, international public authority) do not come to be invaded by law. My own concern with preserving the autonomy of law leads me to two conclusions with which Matthias would take issue: that international public authority must be constituted by law; and that the rules which those authorities administer must be treated differently, depending on whether or not they meet a set of formal criteria that legal rules must satisfy. I will also address Matthias's discussion of Lon L. Fuller's internal morality of law and Benedict Kingsbury's concept of publicness in international law. I believe that both sets of concepts may be useful to Matthias's argument and deserve further attention. First, however, I would like to explore what it means, or could mean, to cut off the head of the king.
The Notion of ‘Armed Attack’ in the Nicaragua Judgment and Its Influence on Subsequent Case Law
Authors: YUSUF JUDGE ABDULQAWI A.
Published: May 2012

The notion of ‘armed attack’ is at the heart of the law on the use of force in self-defence. The ICJ first addressed the issue in its judgment in Nicaragua; however, its formulation of the legal parameters of ‘armed attack’ has not been without controversy. In particular, the high threshold of force required for an ‘armed attack’ and the consequent distinction between ‘armed attack’ proper and acts of lower intensity (termed ‘frontier incidents’) is said to have reduced the barrier to armed aggression. More recently, the formulation has also been criticized for not being fully applicable to large-scale terrorist attacks such as the events of 11 September 2001. This article examines the Court's first pronouncement on the concept of armed attack, with a specific focus on the rationae materiae aspect of ‘armed attack’, which situates it in the context from which it arose and analyses its development through subsequent case law, particularly the Court's judgments in Oil Platforms and Armed Activities (Congo v. Uganda) and the decision of the Eritrea–Ethiopia Claims Commission.
The Nicaragua Case: ‘Mafiosi's’ and ‘Veteran's’ Approaches Combined
Authors: PELLET ALAIN
Published: May 2012

This presentation is twofold. The first part shows that the Nicaragua case played a significant role in reconciling the Third World with the International Court of Justice and, more generally, in revitalizing the Court. In the second part, the author, who was counsel for Nicaragua in that case, casts an eye as external analyst on the judgments of 1984, about which he has some reluctance, and 1986, which he largely approves of, even though Nicaragua did not win 100 per cent and some points may be debatable.
The Legitimacy of International Criminal Tribunals and the Current Prospects of International Criminal Justice
Authors: CASSESE ANTONIO
Published: May 2012

Having identified the differences between the concept of legality and the much more complex concept of legitimacy, the author scrutinizes the legality and the legitimacy of the existing international criminal tribunals. Their legality has been put in doubt only concerning the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), but the criticisms have been or could be overcome. Assessing the legitimacy of these tribunals is instead a more difficult task. In fact, misgivings have been voiced essentially concerning the legitimacy of the ICTY and the STL, but not the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the other international criminal courts. The legitimacy of the STL in particular deserves to be discussed: even assuming that the STL initially lacked some forms of legitimacy, it could achieve it – or confirm it – through its ‘performance legitimacy’. The author then suggests what the realistic prospects for international criminal justice are. Convinced as he is that it is destined to flourish even more, he tries to identify the paths it is likely to take in future years.
The Appeals Decision in the ICC'sJean-Pierre Bemba GomboCase on the Trial Chamber's ‘Decision on the Admission into Evidence of Materials Contained in the Prosecution's List of Evidence’
Authors: SCHUON CHRISTINE
Published: May 2012

When, on 3 May 2011, the Appeals Chamber reversed the decision of Trial Chamber III in theBembacase that had admitted material on a list of the prosecution into evidence, it addressed various central issues related to the admission of evidence under the legal framework of the International Criminal Court (inter alia, the orality principle). The present article critically analyses both decisions. In particular, it views the Trial Chamber's approach that envisages a multi-tiered process of admitting evidence, in light of the approaches of civil law and common law, and expresses concerns about uncertainties and protraction that may result. As the Court's legal framework does not determine that the processing of evidence follow either the civil-law or the common-law model, this is left for the trial chambers to decide in each case. In determining the preferable approach for each respective case, consideration of the procedural context is key. The Appeals Chamber decision allows for the required leeway of the trial chambers in regulating the processing of evidence, to adopt a way that fits the particular circumstances best.
Responsibility of the Netherlands for the Acts of Dutchbat inNuhanovićandMustafić: The Continuous Quest for a Tangible Meaning for ‘Effective Control’ in the Context of Peacekeeping
Authors: BOUTIN BÉRÉNICE
Published: May 2012

InNuhanovićandMustafić(5 July 2011), the Court of Appeal of The Hague held the Netherlands liable under Bosnian torts law in relation to acts of Dutchbat in the days following the fall of Srebrenica. The claims were brought by relatives of victims killed by Mladić's troops after being evicted from the Dutchbat premises, where they had sought refuge. When resorting to international law to attribute the conduct to the Netherlands, the Court shed light on the concrete meaning of ‘effective control’ when a wrongful conduct does not result from direct orders, thereby clarifying some of the questions surrounding the determination of responsibility for conducts in the framework of international organizations.
Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels in the Brain: the Good and the Ugly
Authors: Nilius Bernd
Published: May 2012

The ‘transient receptor potential’ (TRP) multigene family encodes sixspan membrane proteins that function as ion channels in mostly tetrameric structures. Members of this family are conserved from yeast, worm, fly to invertebrate, vertebrate and man. These channels have been stigmatized to function only as cell sensors occupied by sensory function. It turns out that TRP channels fulfil a plethora of cellular functions, including non-sensory functions in our brain. This short paper will highlight the advent of novel ion channels in the brain serving different functions and being significantly involved in the genesis of multiple diseases. We will certainly witness a plethora of the novel roles of this protein family in physiological and pathophysiological functions in our central nervous system.
Strangers on the Move: Ethnic Entrepreneurs as Urban Change Actors
Authors: Kourtit Karima , Nijkamp Peter
Published: May 2012

This paper aims to examine the critical success and failure factors for the new generation of ethnic (or migrant) entrepreneurs in high-tech and creative industries in Dutch cities. The present study investigates their entrepreneurial behaviour with a particular focus on their personal and business characteristics as well as their motivations and driving forces, which all determine their entrepreneurship and their business performance. An empirical application is presented, in which the results from an in-depth interview study on second-generation Moroccan entrepreneurs are discussed. The findings of our study show that, in general, these entrepreneurs are more open and are looking for new opportunities beyond the traditional markets by using modern break-out strategies. This research helps to map out key factors that influence their entrepreneurial behaviour and activity, business entry decisions, and creative business strategies. It also identifies conditions for success and other factors that impact on the performance of ethnic entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, within the broader context of entrepreneurship. These findings are informative for various stakeholders such as other ethnic entrepreneurs, policy makers and business investors in this dynamic and promising urban business environment.
Uniting Europe: The Council of Europe's Unfinished Mission
Authors: Brummer Klaus
Published: May 2012

The Council of Europe (CoE) is an essential building block of the European integration process. However, the organisation is confronted with fundamental challenges relating to the erosion of its core principles, the overload of the ECHR system and the expansion of the European Union. These developments put the CoE's future in jeopardy. Yet, there are three reasons why the organisation should have a future: the CoE has the potential to become the key forum for dialogue between Europe and Russia, it could make further contributions to a European stability policy, and it could continue to build a pan-European legal space.
How Russia's Bureaucracy hindered its Economic Development
Authors: Shinar Chaim
Published: May 2012

At least as far back as the reign of Tsar Nicholas I, Russia's state bureaucracy has been widely considered to be top-heavy, corrupt, inefficient and tyrannical. By the early twentieth century the real driving force of Russian history and society was neither the constitutional façade erected by the autocracy to stifle the revolution nor the subsequent Bolshevik seizure of power, but rather the growth of the state bureaucracy. Similarly, in the course of the twentieth century, analysts on both the left and the right came to view hyper-bureaucratic growth unchecked by democratic constraint as the major problem of Soviet society. Attempts to reduce bureaucratic interference in the economy of post-Soviet Russia have not resulted in positive change.
Atomic-Scale Imaging and Spectroscopy for In Situ Liquid Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
Authors: Jungjohann Katherine L. , Evans James E. , Aguiar Jeffery A. , Arslan Ilke , Browning Nigel D.
Published: May 2012

Observation of growth, synthesis, dynamics, and electrochemical reactions in the liquid state is an important yet largely unstudied aspect of nanotechnology. The only techniques that can potentially provide the insights necessary to advance our understanding of these mechanisms is simultaneous atomic-scale imaging and quantitative chemical analysis (through spectroscopy) under environmental conditions in the transmission electron microscope. In this study we describe the experimental and technical conditions necessary to obtain electron energy loss (EEL) spectra from a nanoparticle in colloidal suspension using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) combined with the environmental liquid stage. At a fluid path length below 400 nm, atomic resolution images can be obtained and simultaneous compositional analysis can be achieved. We show that EEL spectroscopy can be used to quantify the total fluid path length around the nanoparticle and demonstrate that characteristic core-loss signals from the suspended nanoparticles can be resolved and analyzed to provide information on the local interfacial chemistry with the surrounding environment. The combined approach using aberration-corrected STEM and EEL spectra with the in situ fluid stage demonstrates a plenary platform for detailed investigations of solution-based catalysis.
Outcome of the radical hypofractioned radiotherapy treatment in patients with stage I and II of non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Wilczynska Maria , Garcia-Alonso Angel
Published: May 2012

Introduction: Surgery is the treatment of choice in stage I and II non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the management of patients who are medically unfit to tolerate surgical intervention or who refuse surgery, radiotherapy is an acceptable alternative. We have performed a retrospective analysis of the effectiveness of radical radiotherapy in patients with early stage NSCLC treated over a period of 4 years.

Methods: Thirty nine patients treated with radiotherapy of radical intent were identified. All patients received hypofractionated radiotherapy with a total dose of 55Gy in 20 fractions.

Results: The median survival of all cases was 29 months. The one and two-year survival was respectively 61 % and 41%. The median survival of patients ≥75 years was 28 months, and age was the only prognostic factor identified in this analysis that affected survival.

Conclusions: The presented survival results are consistent with those from other series published in the literature. At present, radical radiotherapy is often offered to patients with medically inoperable stage I and II NSCLC or those who decline surgery. But there is emerging evidence that some new techniques like stereotactic radiotherapy could be also used in the operable, early stage NSCLC.
Dutch Double Gender Nouns: Arbitrary or Motivated Agreement?
Authors: Semplicini Chiara
Published: May 2012

Recent studies on spoken Dutch emphasize an ongoing recategorization of pronominal gender on semantic grounds, with no apparent con-nection to lexical gender (Audring 2006, 2009; De Vogelaer 2006, 2009; De Vogelaer & De Sutter 2010; De Vogelaer & De Vos 2011). In fact, gender instability is not confined to the pronominal domain: Some Dutch nouns display more than one lexical gender (de/het-nouns), a phenomenon that has not been linked to the process of pronominal re-semanticization. The aim of this paper is to identify the common semantic and pragmatic basis for pronominal gender agreement and the choice of a determiner for double gender nouns.
Nitrogen balance as an indicator of environmental impact: Toward sustainable agricultural production
Authors: Sassenrath G.F. , Schneider J.M. , Gaj R. , Grzebisz W. , Halloran J.M.
Published: May 2012

Efficient nutrient use is critical to ensure economical crop production while minimizing the impact of excessive nutrient applications on the environment. Nitrogen (N) is a key component of agricultural production, both as an input to support crop production and as a waste product of livestock production. Increasing concern for future sustainability of agricultural production and preservation of the natural resource base has led to the development of nutrient budgets as indicators and policy instruments for nutrient management. Nutrient budgets for N have been developed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as agri-environmental indicators to compare the evolving conditions in member states, and are also used by the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) to develop nutrient management plans. Here, we examine the crop and animal production systems, drivers impacting management choices, and the outcome of those choices to assess the utility of gross annual N balances in tracking the progress of management decisions in minimizing the environmental impact of agricultural production systems. We use as case studies two very different agronomic production systems: Mississippi, USA and Poland. State and country level data from the US Department of Agriculture and OECD databases are used to develop data for the years 1998–2008, and gross annual N balances are computed. Examination of agricultural production practices reveals that the gross annual N balance is a useful tool in identifying differences in the magnitude and trends in N within agricultural systems over large areas. Significant differences in the magnitude of the N budget were observed between the highly diversified, small-scale agriculture common to Poland, and the large-scale, intensive agriculture of Mississippi. It is noted that use of N balance indices can be problematic if the primary intent is to reveal the impact of economic drivers, such as crop prices, or management choices, such as tillage or crop rotation. Changes in cropping systems in response to commodity prices that improve N balance can be masked by detrimental growing conditions, including edaphic, biotic and weather conditions, that are outside of the producers’ control. Moreover, use of large area-scale indices such as country or state-wide balances may mask the severity of localized nutrient imbalances that result from regionalized production systems that overwhelm the nutrient balance, such as confinement livestock production. Development of a policy to address environmental impact and establish sustainable production systems must consider the year-to-year variability of drivers impacting agricultural production, and the spatial heterogeneity of nutrient imbalance.
Simultaneous ground‐satellite observations of meso‐scale auroral arc undulations
Authors: Motoba T. , Hosokawa K. , Ogawa Y. , Sato N. , Kadokura A. , Milan S. E. , Lester M.
Published: May 2012

We present simultaneous ground‐based and in situ measurements of a train of meso‐scale (about 100–300 km) auroral arc undulations, occurring in the postmidnight sector (∼1 MLT) between 0040 UT and 0054 UT on September 21, 2009. The undulations appeared at the auroral poleward boundary, and then moved eastward with a speed of 0.9–2.2 km s−1. Dynamic behaviors of the associated meso‐scale ionospheric plasma flows and current systems were also detected with the ground‐based magnetometer and radar measurements within the all‐sky camera field‐of‐view. During the interval of interest, simultaneous Cluster observations in the central near tail region (11–14 RE down tail) were available, and especially the ionospheric footprint of Cluster 2 (CL2) was close to the optical auroral forms. CL2 observed strong fluctuations in the in situ magnetic field with amplitude of 5–10 nT whenever a bright arc area, and its trailing adjacent area, of the auroral undulations passed its ionospheric footprint. Such in situ magnetic field changes at CL2 could be considered as a manifestation of localized upward and downward field‐aligned current sheets moving eastward at the central near‐Earth tail boundary, linked to the meso‐scale auroral undulation structures.
Key features of >30 keV electron precipitation during high speed solar wind streams: A superposed epoch analysis
Authors: Kavanagh A. J. , Honary F. , Donovan E. F. , Ulich T. , Denton M. H.
Published: May 2012

We present an epoch analysis of energetic (>30 keV) electron precipitation during 173 high speed solar wind streams (HSS) using riometer observations of cosmic noise absorption (CNA) as a proxy for the precipitation. The arrival of the co‐rotating interaction region (CIR) prior to stream onset, elevates the precipitation which then peaks some 12 h after stream arrival. Precipitation continues for several days following the HSS arrival. The MLT distribution of CNA is generally consistent with the statistical pattern explained via the substorm process, though the statistical deep minimum of CNA/precipitation does change during the HSS suggesting increased precipitation in the 15–20 MLT sector. The level of precipitation is strongly controlled by the average state of the IMF BZ component on the day prior to the arrival of the stream interface. An average negative IMF BZ will produce higher CNA across all L‐shells and MLT, up to 100% higher than an average positive IMF BZ.
Modeling of electron fluxes in the Enceladus plume
Authors: Ozak N. , Cravens T. E. , Jones G. H. , Coates A. J. , Robertson I. P.
Published: May 2012

Observations by instruments onboard the Cassini spacecraft of Saturn's icy satellite Enceladus have shown that a plume containing water vapor and ice grains is present in the southern hemisphere. Energy distributions of electrons in this plume were measured by the electron sensor part of the Cassini plasma spectrometer (CAPS – ELS). A significant suprathermal electron population was detected. The nature of the electron population is important for understanding the composition and chemistry of the plume plasma because the electron‐ion recombination rate depends on the energy distribution and because ionizing collisions by energetic electrons creates new plasma. We present the results of a two‐stream electron transport model for plume electrons that includes neutral densities that agree with Cassini Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) data. Electron production within the plume due to photoionization by solar radiation and by electron impact ionization was included, as were energy losses due to electron‐neutral collisions. Model cases were considered that both included and did not include electron inputs from outside the plume. Comparisons are made of model fluxes with measured fluxes by CAPS – ELS on October 9, 2008. The model‐data comparisons indicate that photoelectrons (10 eV–70 eV energies) locally produced within the plume can explain the data. The possible role of electron‐grain collisions was also explored and it was determined that nanograin densities in excess of 106 cm−3 would be needed to affect the electron distribution.
Mapping phytoplankton iron utilization: Insights into Southern Ocean supply mechanisms
Authors: Boyd P. W. , Arrigo K. R. , Strzepek R. , van Dijken G. L.
Published: May 2012

The emerging field of ocean iron biogeochemistry has prompted interest in the identification and quantification of Fe supply mechanisms. However, less attention has been given to estimating biological Fe utilization, and using the magnitude of Fe utilization to enhance our understanding of modes of supply. Here, we combine regionally validated data sets (1997–2007) on remotely sensed net primary production (NPP) with the iron:carbon (Fe:C) molar ratios for resident phytoplankton to produce Southern Ocean maps of Fe utilization. This approach exploits the resolution of remotely sensed data to investigate the spatial patterns, areal extent and interannual variability of Fe utilization, and relates it to published temporal and spatial trends for Fe supply mechanisms. We estimate that Southern Ocean Fe utilization averaged ∼3.3 ± 0.3 × 108 mol Fe a−1. This utilization varied little between years (7.8–9.6 μmol Fe m−2 a−1), was greatest for subpolar waters, particularly in the Atlantic (up to 53.0 μmol Fe m−2 a−1), and was lowest for the polar waters of the Indian sector. Application of maps corresponding to the location and areal extent of Fe supply regions (e.g., dust deposition) revealed that Fe utilization was highest in waters supplied by Patagonian dust, and to a lesser extent, where sediment resuspension (i.e. <500 m depth) probably supplies the majority of the Fe. The Atlantic sector has regions where multiple supply mechanisms are evident, resulting in perennially high productivity. This approach provides a better assessment of the relative importance, realm of influence, and areal extent of different Fe supply mechanisms to Southern Ocean waters.
Cirrus cloud appearance in a volcanic aerosol layer around the tropical cold point tropopause over Biak, Indonesia, in January 2011
Authors: Shibata T. , Hayashi M. , Naganuma A. , Hara N. , Hara K. , Hasebe F. , Shimizu K. , Komala N. , Inai Y. , Vömel H. , Hamdi S. , Iwasaki S. , Fujiwara M. , Shiotani M. , Ogino S.‐Y. , Nishi N.
Published: May 2012

An aerosol layer was found 1–2 km around the tropical cold point tropopause by observations using ground‐based lidar and balloon‐borne optical particle counters (OPC) over Biak, Indonesia, in January 2011. The layer was observed throughout the survey period from 6 to 13 January. The backscattering coefficient of the layer was about 5 times larger than that of the background aerosols. The lidar‐observed depolarization ratio of the layer was very low, and the wavelength dependence of the backscattering coefficients of the layer was similar to that of stratospheric aerosols. A layer of the particles at the size of the accumulation mode was also observed by an OPC at ambient temperature, but the particles were volatile at 200°C. These properties indicate that the aerosol layer was composed of liquid phase aqueous sulfuric acid solution particles and probably originated from a volcanic eruption. It was observed by lidar that a thin cirrus cloud layer appeared within this aerosol layer. Backward trajectory analysis and satellite‐observed equivalent blackbody temperature indicate that the cirrus cloud layer probably formed in situ. The estimated upper limit of the number concentration of cloud particles was 105 m−3. The number concentration of the volatile aerosol particles (∼3 × 106 m−3) was 30 times larger than this upper limit. This upper limit, however, is comparable to the aerosol particle concentration observed by the OPC at 200°C. These results are consistent with the cirrus cloud formation with solid sulfate particles in tropical upper troposphere suggested by previous studies.
The complexity of using a feedback parameter to quantify the soil moisture‐precipitation relationship
Authors: Sun Shanshan , Wang Guiling
Published: May 2012

The long time scale of soil moisture dynamics makes it a potentially important predictor in seasonal to interannual precipitation predictions. However, where and to what extent soil moisture can influence precipitation is still a topic of debate. A feedback parameter was applied by several studies to quantify both the magnitude and direction of soil moisture's impacts on precipitation based on both observational data and model output. Its effectiveness as an indicator of soil moisture impact on precipitation was questioned in recent studies. Using the NCAR CAM3‐CLM3 as a modeling framework, this study examines whether the feedback parameter can correctly identify regions of strong soil moisture impact on precipitation as compared with other more physically based numerical experimental designs. It is found that the effectiveness of feedback parameter as an indicator for soil moisture impact on precipitation is significantly reduced by the presence of low‐frequency precipitation variability. Such low‐frequency variability (which may be caused by large scale oceanic forcing) propagates to the land surface, causing similar variability in soil moisture, and the presence of the low‐frequency signal in both variables leads to spuriously large feedback parameter values. Our results suggest that the feedback parameter is not a reliable indicator for the impact of soil moisture on precipitation.
The metamorphic sole of New Caledonia ophiolite: 40Ar/39Ar, U‐Pb, and geochemical evidence for subduction inception at a spreading ridge
Authors: Cluzel Dominique , Jourdan Fred , Meffre Sébastien , Maurizot Pierre , Lesimple Stéphane
Published: May 2012

Amphibolite lenses that locally crop out below the serpentinite sole at the base of the ophiolite of New Caledonia (termed Peridotite Nappe) recrystallized in the high‐temperature amphibolite facies and thus sharply contrast with blueschists and eclogites of the Eocene metamorphic complex. Amphibolites mostly display the geochemical features of MORB with a slight Nb depletion and thus are similar to the youngest (Late Paleocene–Eocene) BABB components of the allochthonous Poya Terrane. Thermochronological data from hornblende (40Ar/39Ar), zircon, and sphene (U‐Pb) suggest that these mafic rocks recrystallized at ∼56 Ma. Using various geothermobarometers provides a rough estimate of peak recrystallization conditions of ∼0.5 GPa at ∼800–950°C. The thermal gradient inferred from the metamorphic assemblage (∼60°C km−1), geometrical relationships, and geochemical similarity suggest that these mafic rocks belong to the oceanic crust of the lower plate of the subduction/obduction system and recrystallized when they subducted below young and hot oceanic lithosphere. They were detached from the down‐going plate and finally thrust onto unmetamorphosed Poya Terrane basalts. This and the occurrence of slab melts at ∼53 Ma suggest that subduction inception occurred at or near to the spreading ridge of the South Loyalty Basin at ∼56 Ma.
Illumination of rheological mantle heterogeneity by the M7.2 2010 El Mayor‐Cucapah earthquake
Authors: Pollitz Fred F. , Bürgmann Roland , Thatcher Wayne
Published: May 2012

Major intracontinental strike‐slip faults tend to mark boundaries between lithospheric blocks of contrasting mechanical properties along much of their length. Both crustal and mantle heterogeneities can form such boundaries, but the role of crustal versus mantle strength contrasts for localizing strain sufficiently to generate major faults remains unclear. Using the crustal velocity field observed through the Global Positioning System (GPS) in the epicentral area of the M7.2 2010 El Mayor‐Cucapah earthquake, Baja California, we find that transient deformation observed after the event is anomalously small in areas of relatively high seismic velocity in the shallow upper mantle (∼50 km depth). This pattern is best explained with a laterally heterogeneous viscoelastic structure that mimics the seismic structure. The mantle of the Southern Colorado River Desert (SCRD) and Peninsular Ranges (PR), which bound the fault system to its east and west, respectively, have anomalously high viscosity and seismic velocity. We hypothesize that compared with the rest of the San Andreas fault (SAF) system to its north, the strike‐slip fault system in northern Baja California is narrow because of the presence of the PR and SCRD high‐viscosity regions which bound it.
Scanning for velocity anomalies in the crust and mantle with diffractions from the core‐mantle boundary
Authors: Ruigrok Elmer , Mikesell T. Dylan , van Wijk Kasper
Published: May 2012

A novel method, based on differential arrival times of diffractions from the core‐mantle boundary, swiftly scans for seismic velocity anomalies in the crust and mantle below an array of seismometers. The method is applied to data from the USArray and the large‐scale structural features in the western United States are resolved. High lateral resolution is achieved, but structure is averaged over depth. As such, this method is complementary to surface‐wave and tomographic body‐wave methods, where averaging takes place in the lateral sense. Processing and data‐volume requirements involved are minimal. Therefore, this method can be applied during the early stages of array deployment, before the necessary data is acquired to obtain accurate inversion images. The quick scanner can be used to identify features of interest, upon which the array could be refined.
Exploring the missing source of glyoxal (CHOCHO) over China
Authors: Liu Zhen , Wang Yuhang , Vrekoussis Mihalis , Richter Andreas , Wittrock Folkard , Burrows John P. , Shao Min , Chang Chih‐Chung , Liu Shaw‐Chen , Wang Hongli , Chen Changhong
Published: May 2012

Recent comparisons between satellite observed and global model simulated glyoxal (CHOCHO) have consistently revealed a large unknown source of CHOCHO over China. We examine this missing CHOCHO source by analyzing SCIAMACHY observed CHOCHO vertical column densities (VCDs) using a Regional chEmical trAnsport Model (REAM). This missing source is first quantified by the difference between SCIAMACHY observed and REAM simulated CHOCHO VCDs (ΔCCHOCHO), which have little overlap with high biogenic isoprene emissions but are collocated with dense population and high anthropogenic NOxand VOC emissions. We then apply inverse modeling to constrain CHOCHO precursor emissions based on SCIAMACHY CHOCHO and find that this missing source is most likely caused by substantially underestimated aromatics emissions (by a factor of 4–10, varying spatially) in the VOC emission inventories over China used in current regional and global models. Comparison with in situ observations in Beijing, Shanghai, and a site in the Pearl River Delta shows that the large model biases in aromatics concentrations are greatly reduced after the inversion. The top‐down estimated aromatics emission is 13.4 Tg yr−1in total, about 6 times the bottom‐up estimate (2.4 Tg yr−1). The resulting impact on regional oxidant levels is large (e.g., ∼100% increase of PAN in the afternoon). Furthermore, since aromatics are important precursors of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), such an increase of aromatics could lead to ∼50% increase of global aromatic SOA production and thereby help to reduce the low bias of simulated organic aerosols over the region in previous modeling studies.
Generation of ascending flows in the Big Mantle Wedge (BMW) beneath northeast Asia induced by retreat and stagnation of subducted slab
Authors: Kameyama Masanori , Nishioka Ryoko
Published: May 2012

We conducted two‐dimensional numerical experiments of mantle convection with imposed kinematic motions of cold slabs, in order to study the mechanism for the generation of ascending flows in the “Big Mantle Wedge” (BMW), which has been recently proposed in order to relate the stagnant Pacific slab with the intraplate volcanism in northeast Asia. Our calculations demonstrated that the BMW is expanded oceanward in response to the retreating motion of trench and slab, which strongly affects the flows in the region. In particular, the subducting and retreating motion of slab induces a local but strong circulation near the oceanward end (or a hinge) of the stagnant slab in the BMW. Our findings suggest that ascending flows in the BMW can be triggered most easily near the hinge of the stagnant slab, which is in good agreement with the occurrence of several active intraplate volcanoes above the stagnant Pacific slab.
Breakdown of ENSO predictors in the 2000s: Decadal changes of recharge/discharge‐SST phase relation and atmospheric intraseasonal forcing
Authors: Horii Takanori , Ueki Iwao , Hanawa Kimio
Published: May 2012

Variations in the warm water volume (WWV) of the equatorial Pacific and atmospheric forcing from intraseasonal variation (ISV) in the western equatorial Pacific are regarded as two good predictors of the subsequent El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with a lead time of two to three seasons. Here we report that the robust predictability of these predictors for ENSO has changed in the 2000s. During 1981–2000, the recharge (discharge) of the WWV and strong (weak) ISV forcing preceded El Niño (La Niña) by two to three seasons. However, in the 2000s, the interrelationship between the WWV/ISV and following ENSO became weak, especially for the El Niño/La Niña events after 2005. Notably, the discharged phases of WWV that led to subsequent La Niña events were less observed since 2001. These changes may be caused by frequent occurrences of the “warm‐pool El Niño,” which is characterized by SST anomalies centered in the central equatorial Pacific.
How moderate sea states can generate loud seismic noise in the deep ocean
Authors: Obrebski M. J. , Ardhuin F. , Stutzmann E. , Schimmel M.
Published: May 2012

The location of oceanic sources of the micrometric ground displacement recorded at land stations in the 0.1–0.3 Hz frequency band (“double frequency microseisms”) is still poorly known. Here we use one particularly strong noise event in the Pacific to show that small swells from two distant storms can be a strong deep‐water source of seismic noise, dominating temporarily the signals recorded at coastal seismic stations. Our interpretation is based on the analysis of noise polarization recorded all around the source, and the good fit achieved for this event and year‐round between observed and modeled seismic data. The model further suggests that this is a typical source of these infrequent loud noise bursts, which supports previous inconclusive evidences of the importance of such sources. This new knowledge based on both modeling and observations will expand today's limits on the use of noise for climate studies and seismic imaging.
Dynamics of east‐west asymmetry of Indian summer monsoon rainfall trends in recent decades
Authors: Konwar Mahen , Parekh Anant , Goswami B. N.
Published: May 2012

Understanding the regional trends in Indian summer monsoon rainfall has important implications in developing appropriate adaptation strategies. Here, we provide a mechanistic explanation of the observed asymmetry in the trends of seasonal mean rainfall during past three decades over the eastern and western parts of the country. This asymmetry in trends of the seasonal mean rainfall is primarily contributed by a similar asymmetry in the trends of low and medium rainfall (RLMR) events explaining 85% of the seasonal mean. As the RLMR generally comes from mesoscale and synoptic systems, it is likely that the observed asymmetry may arise from some asymmetry in changes in large scale dynamic and thermodynamic parameters. We show that increasing vertically integrated moisture transport (VIMT) over the Arabian Sea (AS) is likely reason for the increasing trend of RLMR in the western parts during recent decades. In contrast, over the eastern parts, the RLMR is decreasing due to a decreasing trend of VIMT over the Bay of Bengal (BoB). The increasing trend of VIMT over AS arises primarily due to increasing trends of low level wind speed and moisture content while the decreasing trend of VIMT over the BoB seems to be due to decreasing trends of low level wind speed and moisture content.
Adiabatic electron heating in the magnetotail current sheet: Cluster observations and analytical models
Authors: Artemyev A. V. , Petrukovich A. A. , Nakamura R. , Zelenyi L. M.
Published: May 2012

We consider the electron distribution in current sheets observed by Cluster mission in the Earth magnetotail. We use the statistics of 70 fast (less than 20 minutes) and 12 slow (more than one hour) crossings of horizontal current sheets. We demonstrate that for both types electron temperature decreases with increase of magnetic field ∣Bx∣ away from the current sheet center. We use the approximations Te⊥/Te⊥ max ≈ 1 − αT⊥(Bx/Bext)2 and Te∥/Te∥ max ≈ 1 − αT∥(Bx/Bext)2, where Bext is value of Bx in the lobes. For statistics of thin current sheets (fast crossings) we obtain mean values 〈αT⊥〉 ≈ 〈αT∥〉 ≈ 1. For thick current sheets (slow crossings) we also obtain 〈αT⊥〉 ≈ 〈αT∥〉, but 〈αT⊥〉, 〈αT∥〉 > 1. The electron temperature anisotropy is about Te∥/Te⊥ = 1.1 − 1.2 and vertical profiles Te∥/Te⊥ ≈ const. Observed vertical distributions of Te∥ and Te⊥ are described by the analytical model of electron heating in the course of the earthward convection in thin current sheets with (Bx(z), Bz(x)) and in thick current sheets with (Bx(x, z), Bz(x, z)). We also show that the observed electron temperature anisotropy is provided by the electron population in the energy range between 50 ev and 3 keV. The cold core of electron distribution (<50 eV) is isotropic and the hot tail (>5 keV) has Te∥/Te⊥ ∼ 1 or even Te∥/Te⊥ < 1. We consider electron pressure tensor in observed thin current sheets and demonstrate that electron velocity distribution is gyrotropic with high accuracy.