Abstract: A new scheme is proposed for the inversion of surface waves using a continuous formulation of the inverse problem and the least squares criterion. Like some earlier schemes a Gaussian a priori covariance function controls the horizontal degree of smoothing in the inverted model, which minimizes some artifacts observed with spherical harmonic parameterizations. Unlike earlier schemes the new approach incorporates some sophisticated geometrical algorithms which dramatically increase computational efficiency and render possible the inversion of several tens of thousands of seismograms in few hours on a typical workstation. The new algorithm is also highly suited to parallelization which makes practical the inversion of data sets with more than 50,000 ray paths. The constraint on structural and anisotropic parameters is assessed using a new geometric approach based on Voronoi diagrams, polygonal cells covering the Earth's surface. The size of the Voronoi cells is used to give an indication of the length scale of the structures that can be resolved, while their shape provides information on the variation of azimuthal resolution. The efficiency of the scheme is illustrated with realistic uneven ray path configurations. A preliminary global tomographic model has been built for SV wave heterogeneities and azimuthal variations through the inversion of 24,124 fundamental and higher-mode Rayleigh waveforms. Our results suggest that the use of relatively short paths (<10,000 km) in a global inversion should minimize multipathing, or focusing/defocusing effects and provide lateral resolution of a few hundred kilometers across the globe.

Abstract: Frost flowers often grow on new sea ice. They are thought to have a high specific surface area (SSA) that provides sites for heterogeneous reactions. We have measured the SSA of frost flowers using CH4 adsorption at 77 K and obtained a value of 185 (+80 ?50) cm2/g, much lower than inferred by others. Their density is 0.02 g/cm3. We calculate that the total surface area of frost flowers is 1.4 m2 per m2 of ice surface, so that they do not increase the ice surface area significantly. Their role as sites for enhanced heterogeneous reactions should be reconsidered. Frost flowers also commonly grow on fresh water and the saline brine seen on young sea ice is not necessary for their growth. Photo- and electro-micrographs reveal hollow and concave structures, typical of very fast growing crystals. The brine that wicks up frost flowers considerably perturbs their growth.

Abstract: We have built a Sv-wavespeed tomographic model for the upper mantle beneath the Siberian platform and surrounding region derived from the analysis of more than 13,000 fundamental and higher mode regional waveforms. The dense path coverage and rich higher mode content of the data allow building an upper mantle image with an horizontal resolution of a few hundred kilometers extending to ?400 km depth. The high velocity, upper mantle lid or seismic lithosphere is ?200 km thick beneath most of the Siberian platform but may extend to ?250 km depth beneath small areas. A high velocity seismic lid also underlies a large region west of the Siberian platform. Our observation of a ?200 thick seismic lithosphere beneath the Siberian platform on the slow-moving Eurasian plate, similar to the thickness of the seismic lithosphere beneath Precambrian terrains on the fast-moving Australian plate, suggests that a moderately thick seismic lithosphere beneath Precambrian terrains may be more common than previously supposed.