Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Analysis Of Nonequilibrium Hcp Precipitate Growth In Fcc Matrices: Application To Al–Ag, Daniel Finkenstadt, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) γ-precipitates with large aspect ratios form rapidly in some face-centered cubic (fcc) solid-solutions. No model explains the observed time-dependent increase in aspect ratio, nor irregular intermediate growth shapes. We propose a nonequilibrium process involving trapezoidal offshoots (controlled only by energetics) that governs the growth behavior (kinetics) and yields nonequilibrium structures in agreement with observation. Then, combining nucleation theory and diffusion-limited growth both of secondary nuclei and ledges, we derive a general growth equation for γ-precipitates due to solute-segregation to precipitate–matrix interfaces that includes our modification of the Jones–Trivedi model for thickening to account for the slow growth of …

Slides: The Use Of Terrestrial Cyanobacteria For The Rehabilitation Of Arid Soils: Not Just Another Good Idea, Timothy Flynn

Best Practices for Community and Environmental Protection (October 14)

Presenter: Dr. Timothy Flynn, Primordial Solutions Inc.

42 slides

Change-Point Analysis: Asymptotic Theory And Applications, Michael Robbins

All Dissertations

The problem of undocumented change-points in data sets appears in many areas of science. Mathematical fundamentals of asymptotic methods used in change-point analysis are discussed, and several important maximally selected change-point statistics are introduced. First, the likelihood ratio method is applied to abstract data models within the setting of precipitation series. Basic inference as to the legitimacy and effectiveness of asymptotic methods at detecting undocumented change-points is provided. Next, maximally selected chi-square statistics are discussed in detail and applied to data on tropical cyclone behavior, where a widely available and widely analyzed data set on Atlantic basin cyclones is studied. …

Slides: Water Footprints: Consciousness Raising Meets Risk Management, Steve Malloch

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Steve Malloch, Senior Western Water Program Manager, National Wildlife Federation, Seattle, WA

38 slides

Slides: Climate Change And The Death Of Stationarity: A New Era For Western Water?, Stephen T. Gray

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Steven T. Gray, Wyoming State Climatologist, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

48 slides

Synoptic-Scale Characteristics And Precursors Of Cool-Season Precipitation Events At St. John's, Newfoundland, 1979-2005, Shawn M. Milrad, Eyad H. Atallah, John R. Gyakum

Publications

The issue of quantitative precipitation forecasting continues to be a significant challenge in operational forecasting, particularly in regions susceptible to frequent and extreme precipitation events. St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, is one location affected frequently by such events, particularly in the cool season (October–April). These events can include flooding rains, paralyzing snowfall, and damaging winds.

A precipitation climatology is developed at St. John’s for 1979–2005, based on discrete precipitation events occurring over a time period of up to 48 h. Threshold amounts for three categories of precipitation events (extreme, moderate, and light) are statistically derived and utilized to categorize such events. …

Changes In Continental Freshwater Discharge From 1948 To 2004, Aiguo Dai, Taotao Qian, Kevin E. Trenberth, John D. Millliman

VIMS Articles

A new dataset of historical monthly streamflow at the farthest downstream stations for the world’s 925 largest ocean-reaching rivers has been created for community use. Available new gauge records are added to a network of gauges that covers ∼80 × 10⁶ km² or ∼80% of global ocean-draining land areas and accounts for about 73% of global total runoff. For most of the large rivers, the record for 1948–2004 is fairly complete. Data gaps in the records are filled through linear regression using streamflow simulated by a land surface model [Community Land Model, version 3 (CLM3)] forced with observed …

Dynamical And Precipitation Structures Of Poleward-Moving Tropical Cyclones In Eastern Canada, 1979-2005, Shawn M. Milrad, Eyad H. Atallah, John R. Gyakum

Publications

Tropical cyclones in the western North Atlantic basin are a persistent threat to human interests along the east coast of North America. Occurring mainly during the late summer and early autumn, these storms often cause strong winds and extreme rainfall and can have a large impact on the weather of eastern Canada. From 1979 to 2005, 40 named (by the National Hurricane Center) tropical cyclones tracked over eastern Canada. Based on the time tendency of the low-level (850–700 hPa) vorticity, the storms are partitioned into two groups: ‘‘intensifying’’ and ‘‘decaying.’’ The 16 intensifying and 12 decaying cases are then analyzed …

Optics And Remote Sensing Of Bahamian Carbonate Sediment Whitings And Potential Relationship To Wind-Driven Langmuir Circulation, H. M. Dierssen, Richard C. Zimmerman, David J. Burdige

OES Faculty Publications

Regions of milky white seas or "whitings" periodically occur to the west of Andros Island along the Great Bahama Bank where the bottom sediment consists of fine-grained aragonite mud. We present measurements of inherent optical properties within a sediment whiting patch and discuss the potential for monitoring the frequency, extent, and quantity of suspended matter from ocean colour satellite imagery. Sea spectral reflectance measured in situ and remotely from space revealed highly reflective waters elevated across the visible spectrum (i.e., "whitened") with a peak at 490 nm. Particulate backscattering was an order of magnitude higher than that measured at other …

The Nature And Origin Of Decadal To Millennial Scale Climate Variability In The Southern Tropics Of South America: The Holocene Record Of Lago Umayo, Peru, Paul A. Baker, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Stephen J. Burns, Erik Ekdahl, Catherine A. Rigsby

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

This paper serves two purposes: to review current ideas about the nature and forcing of decadal to millennial scale precipitation variation in the southern tropics of South America during the late Quaternary and to present a new methodology for the reconstruction of precipitation as applied to a Holocene stable isotopic record of carbonate sediments in a tropical Andean lake, Lago Umayo, Peru. The basic thesis of the first part of the paper is that, although modern instrumental records suffice for deducing climate variability at decadal and shorter time scales, these records cannot adequately characterize the nature and forcing of lower-frequency …

Anthropogenic Osmium In Rain And Snow Reveals Global-Scale Atmospheric Contamination, Cynthia Chen, Peter N. Sedwick, Mukul Sharma

OES Faculty Publications

Osmium is one of the rarer elements in seawater, with typical concentration of ≈10 x 10^-15 g g^-1 ( 5.3 x 10^-14 mol kg^-1. The osmium isotope composition (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio) of deep oceans is 1.05, reflecting a balance between inputs from continental crust (≈ 1.3) and mantle/cosmic dust (≈ 0.13). Here, we show that the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios measured in rain and snow collected around the world range from 0.16 to 0.48, much lower than expected (>1), but similar to the isotope composition of ores (approximate to 0.2) …

Optimization Of The Microprecipitation Procedure For Nuclear Forensics Applications, Lyndsey Renee Kelly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Microprecipitation has become one of the most widely used sample preparation techniques for alpha spectroscopy. Many factors during the precipitation process can affect the yield and energy resolution by adding unwanted mass to the sample. Current applications in nuclear forensics call for an optimization of energy resolution and yield in order to improve identification and quantify specific radionuclides. The purpose of this research is to determine the optimal parameters used for microprecipitation. The optimal solution temperature, precipitation time, carrier amount, and hydrofluoric acid amount are used to investigate the influence of varying the type of carrier, as well as, the …