Global electric circuit parameters and their variability observed over Maitri,Antarctica

The global component of fairweather electricity is subject to special attention to watch the solar-terrestrial effects and secular changes in climate. It is generally considered that the diurnal variation of atmospheric electricity parameters, if they are not following the Carnegie pattern, are not representative of the global thunderstorm activity. Some of the results obtained from Maitri (70°45′54″S, 11°44′03″), are discussed here in context with global thunderstorm activity and space weather influences. The diurnal pattern of the Potential Gradient and current density strongly deviate from the Carnegie curve. We have showed that this deviation is not due to the local electrical influence but due to the global thunderstorm activity. During fairweather condition the parameters are representing the global thunderstorm activity and to some extent they respond to the upper atmospheric electro dynamic phenomenon. The mean value of the potential gradient (77.7 V/m) and current density (2.13 pA/m²) well below the expected global mean but close to the value reported from the same location and season in the past years. The mean conductivity, 3.34 × 10⁻¹⁴ mhom⁻¹, is slightly at higher side and they exhibit a different diurnal trend comparing to the past measurements at this location.     

First results of fair-weather atmospheric electricity measurements in Northeast India

During the month of March 2006, a short campaign was conducted to measure fair-weather atmospheric electricity parameters in Tripura, Northeast India (23.50°N, 91.25°E). The campaign was the first of its kind in this region of the globe. The main objective of the campaign was to characterize the diurnal variation of three parameters namely vertical potential gradient (E), vertical air-earth current density (J _z ) and atmospheric electrical conductivity (σ) in fair-weather conditions. The diurnal variation of E and J _z over sixteen fair-weather days shows two distinct maxima around 14UT and 20UT and a minimum around 03UT. The average vertical potential gradient is found to be 108V·m⁻¹ and air-earth current density 1.85 pA·m⁻². The average bipolar atmospheric electrical conductivity at the ground level is found to be 19.6 fS·m⁻¹. An excellent positive correlation between E and J _z is found, with a correlation coefficient of 0.96. A comparative study with Carnegie universal variation shows 70% correlation with observed variation of vertical potential gradient during the period of the campaign. The results are discussed in view of difficulty as well as possibility of getting global signatures in atmospheric electricity measurements made from tropical land stations.     

GPS based TEC measurements for a period August 2008– December 2009 near the northern crest of Indian equatorial ionospheric anomaly region

In recent years, measurements of total electron content (TEC) have gained importance with increasing demand for the GPS-based navigation applications in trans-ionospheric communications. To study the variation in ionospheric TEC, we used the data obtained from GPS Ionospheric Scintillation and TEC monitoring (GISTM) system which is in operation at SVNIT, Surat, India (21.16°N, 72.78°E) located at the northern crest of equatorial anomaly region. The data collected (for the low sunspot activity period from August 2008–December 2009) were used to study the diurnal, monthly, seasonal semi-annual and annual variations of TEC at Surat. It was observed that the diurnal variation at the region reaches its maximum value between 13:00 and 16:00 IST. The monthly average diurnal variations showed that the TEC maximizes during the equinox months followed by the winter months, and are lowest during the summer months. The ionospheric range delay to TEC for the primary GPS signal is 0.162 m per TECU. The diurnal variation in TEC shows a minimum to maximum variation of about 5 to 50 TECU (in current low sunspot activity periods). These TEC values correspond to range delay variations of about 1 to 9 m at Surat. These variations in the range delay will certainly increase in high sunspot activity periods. Detected TEC variations are also closely related to space weather characterizing quantities such as solar wind and geomagnetic activity indices.     

Variability of soil moisture and its relationship with surface albedo and soil thermal diffusivity at Astronomical Observatory,Thiruvananthapuram, south Kerala

Continuous observation data collected over the year 2008 at Astronomical Observatory, Thiruvananthapuram in south Kerala (76°59′E longitude and 8°30′N latitude) are used to study the diurnal, monthly and seasonal soil moisture variations. The effect of rainfall on diurnal and seasonal soil moisture is discussed. We have investigated relationships of soil moisture with surface albedo and soil thermal diffusivity. The diurnal variation of surface albedo appears as a U-shaped curve on sunny days. Surface albedo decreases with the increase of solar elevation angle, and it tends to be a constant when solar elevation angle is greater than 40°. So the daily average surface albedo was calculated using the data when solar elevation angle is greater than 40°. The results indicate that the mean daily surface albedo decreases with increases in soil moisture content, showing a typical exponential relation between the surface albedo and the soil moisture. Soil thermal diffusivity increases firstly and then decreases with the increase of soil moisture.     

喜马拉雅北部地区春季大气特征及日变化分析

利用珠峰北部地区的观测资料和AIRS卫星遥感资料,分析了喜马拉雅北部地区的大气日变化及其垂直结构.结果发现喜马拉雅北部地区气温日变化具有明显的单峰单谷型特征,一天气温最高值出现在18:00左右,最低值出现在早上7:00～9:00.风速的日变化呈现单峰型特征.气压的平均日变化呈双峰双谷型分布特征,气压极大值出现在2:00和12:00,气压极小值出现在6:00和19:00时,其中19:00出现气压最小值.感热通量、潜热通量的平均日变化和气温日变化具有一致性,春季感热通量大于潜热通量.净辐射通量的日变化特征是单峰型特征,每日最大值出现的时间比感热通量及潜热通量的最大值出现的时间早2个小时.引起高原地区日变化剧烈有2个主要原因:一是高原地区大气柱的质量较小,对太阳辐射的削弱较小,且相同的辐射加热和冷却可使较少大气产生较大温度变化;二是高原地区是大气云光学厚度较小的区域,由此可使地面在日间接受较强烈的太阳短波辐射而增温较大,在夜间又接受较小的大气长波逆辐射而降温较大.     

Daily variation of geomagnetic field at low latitudes associated with stable solar wind flow

Mean diurnal variation ofH at low and equatorial latitudes is computed for days in the vicinity of passage of ‘quiet’ solar wind. It is shown that the prepassage magnitude of the diurnal variation is appreciably larger when compared to post-passage intervals at low latitudes but the difference vanishes in the electrojet region. It is suggested that the Sq current system moves towards dip equator immediately following quiet wind conditions relative to earlier periods. It is also shown that during conditions of stable solar wind, the solar wind proton density is inversely related to the electrojet strength, while at low latitudes outside the jet influence, there is no clear association.     

Worldwide features of the strength of recurrent geomagnetic activity

Variation of the strength of recurrent geomagnetic activity, which occurs just before a sunspot minimum, with local time is studied for a network of observatories covering different latitude and longitude zones. For this purpose, hourly averages of horizontal intensity(H) for each UT hour for 173 days, which are totally free of disturbances due to solar transients, have been subjected to spectral analysis. Well-defined spectral peaks associated with periodicities of 28, 14 and 9 days were present in almost all the spectra. The pattern of daily variation of the strength of the 27-day signal changes from a diurnal one at low latitudes to a semi-diurnal one near the Sq focus and in this region, the 14-day signal appears to have an independent origin irrespective of the longitude zone. A study of 27-day oscillation in mean dailyH field also indicates that apart from ring current modulation, both Sq and electrojet fields also undergo 27-day oscillations during the declining phase of a solar cycle possibly through the ionospheric wind system.     

拉萨河谷大气水汽日变化特征

基于近10年(1999~2008年)地基GPS遥感的大气可降水量(GPS-PW)资料和地面气象资料,分析了拉萨河谷各季GPS-PW日变化特征及其对夏季降水日变化特征的影响。结果表明,在拉萨河谷各季GPS-PW都具有明显的日变化特征。春、夏、秋和冬季GPS-PW平均日变化幅度分别为1.0mm、1.7mm、1.0mm和0.8mm。GPS-PW日最小值和最大值出现的时间随季节变化不大,分别出现在08:00~10:00UTC和15:00~18:00UTC。各季GPS-PW日变化序列的谐波分析结果表明,日循环(24h)与半日循环(12h)是GPS-PW日变化的主要信号。日循环信号夏季最强,冬季最弱;半日循环信号夏季最强,春季最弱。在夏季GPS-PW达到日最大值的时间比平均逐时降水频次和降水量达到日最大值的时间约早2h。GPS-PW日变化对夏季降水日变化特征具有重要影响。     

Influence of soil moisture content on surface albedo and soil thermal parameters at a tropical station

Half hourly data of soil moisture content, soil temperature, solar irradiance, and reflectance are measured during April 2010 to March 2011 at a tropical station, viz., Astronomical Observatory, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India (76°59’E longitude and 8°29’N latitude). The monthly, seasonal and seasonal mean diurnal variation of soil moisture content is analyzed in detail and is correlated with the rainfall measured at the same site during the period of study. The large variability in the soil moisture content is attributed to the rainfall during all the seasons and also to the evaporation/movement of water to deeper layers. The relationship of surface albedo on soil moisture content on different time scales are studied and the influence of solar elevation angle and cloud cover are also investigated. Surface albedo is found to fall exponentially with increase in soil moisture content. Soil thermal diffusivity and soil thermal conductivity are also estimated from the subsoil temperature profile. Log normal dependence of thermal diffusivity and power law dependence of thermal conductivity on soil moisture content are confirmed.     

青藏高原唐古拉山多年冻土区夏、秋季节总辐射和地表反照率特征分析

根据青藏高原唐古拉山多年冻土区2005年6月24日~10月16日的总辐射、分光辐射和分光反照率观测资料,利用总辐射和大气层顶太阳辐射的比值——日有效透射率T_eff,用聚类分析法将资料划分为晴天、多云和阴天三类天气,分析了该地区夏、秋季节总辐射、分光辐射比例和分光反照率的日变化和季节变化规律.结果表明,夏季总辐射与大气层顶的差值和日际变化幅度最大,秋季以后这种差值和日际变化幅度减小.天空状况对分光辐射比例和地表反照率均有影响,表现为近红外辐射比例晴天比阴天大,可见光比例晴天比阴天小,各波段反照率晴天均比阴天大.反照率在夏季最低,秋季较高,反照率的日变化有依存分光辐射比例的关系,这大致可以解释地表反照率依存太阳高度角而变化的现象.无积雪地面反照率近红外波段大于可见光波段,地表有积雪时,反照率明显不同,其可见光波段反照率大于近红外波段反照率.功率谱分析表明,日有效透射率T_eff存在着2~3 d的周期,它是该地区天气系统活动影响太阳辐射收入的一个反映,指示出唐古拉山地区天气系统亦有2~3 d的周期性.     

Deep earth electrical conductivity-depth profiles around African geomagnetic equator using solar quiet currents

Electrical conductivity structure of the Earth’s deep interior has been successfully mapped out down to approximately 1500 km around the geomagnetic dip equatorial regions of Africa using solar quiet-day ionospheric currents. Spherical harmonic analysis (SHA) was employed in separating the internal and external field contributions to the solar quiet variations. Transfer function was used for each of the external and internal pairs to compute the conductivity-depth profile for the region. Calculated average electrical conductivity values were evidently higher than obtained in other parts of the world farther away from the geomagnetic equator. Sq current vortex foci are observed very close to the geomagnetic equator. Depth of penetration was greatly enhanced. Stations on latitudes less than 1° from the geomagnetic equator show higher electrical conductivity when compared with that situated more than 4° away from it at various corresponding depths. Evidence of discontinuities in the earth layers were also noted at some depths. Highly conductive layers were delineated around 400 km depth and beyond 1200 km.     

黑龙江省汛期逐时降水的时空变化特征分析

利用黑龙江省1961-2014年逐时降水资料,采用线性倾向估计方法分析了汛期（5-9月）降水量、降水频率、降水强度以及不同持续时间降水的时空变化特征.结果表明：汛期逐时累积降水量平均为430.0 mm,高值区集中在松嫩平原东部和南部以及小兴安岭南部;降水频率平均为297.2 h,仅在省西部的齐齐哈尔、大庆和绥化等地以及哈尔滨西部地区偏少,其余地区台站均在300 h以上;降水强度平均在1.2~1.7 mm·h^-1之间,增加趋势显著（P<0.01）,空间分布与降水频率分布相反;全省多数台站的汛期降水量、降水频率趋势变化不明显,但却有39%的台站降水强度增加明显.汛期降水量的日变化呈单峰型,超过半数的降水集中在11：00-22：00;降水频率的日变化表现出双峰型,00：00-04：00和13：00-19：00为高值区间;降水强度的日变化也呈单峰型,高值区间集中在13：00-18：00.全省的降水事件中短历时降水优势明显,降水量占总降水量的46.7%,降水历时占全部降水历时的49%;持续5~6 h的降水雨强最强,其次是持续3~4 h降水雨强,最弱的是持续1~2 h的降水雨强.     

Daily variation of the geomagnetic field near the focus of Sq-current system in Indian longitude

The paper presents the first results on the behaviour of solar quiet-day variations of the geomagnetic field components at Gulmarg. Combining the data from Russian stations in the same longitude belt, the annual average daily variations are calculated which show, in the horizontal component (H), a reversal of phase between Gulmarg and Tashkent. Studying the Sq-variations at Gulmarg separately for the three seasons, the daily variation of H duringd-months is predominantly diurnal in character with the maximum before noon. Duringe-months, and more so inj-months, daily variation of the H field is predominantly semidiurnal in character with minimum around 08–09 hr LT and maximum around 14 hr LT consistently during 1978, 1979 and 1980. These features of the Sq at Gulmarg are suggested to be due to the deformations of the current loops caused by the changing latitude of focus during the course of the day.     

First results from imaging riometer installed at Indian Antarctic station Maitri

Cosmic noise absorption (CNA) measurred by imaging riometer, is an excellent tool to passively study the high latitude D-region ionospheric conditions and dynamics. An imaging riometer has been installed at Indian Antarctic station Maitri (geographic 70.75°S, 11.75°E; corrected geomagnetic 63.11°S, 53.59°E) in February 2010. This is the first paper using the imaging riometer data from Maitri. The present paper introduces the details of this facility, including its instrumentation, related CNA theory and its applications. Sidereal shift of around 2 hours in the diurnal pattern validates the data obtained from the newly installed instrument. Moreover, the strength of cosmic noise signal on quiet days also varies with months. This is apparently due to solar ionization of D-region ionosphere causing enhanced electron density where collision frequency is already high. The main objective of installing the imaging riometer at Maitri is to study magneotspheric–ionospheric coupling during substorm processes. In the current study, we present two typical examples of disturbed time CNA associated with storm-time and non-storm time substorm. Results reveal that CNA is more pronounced during storm-time substorm as compared to non-storm time substorm. The level of CNA strongly depends upon the strengthening of convectional electric field and the duration of southward turning of interplanetary magnetic field before the substorm onset.     

Comparison of diurnal dynamics in evaporation rate between bare soil and moss-crusted soil within a revegetated desert ecosystem of northwestern China

Effects of biological soil crusts (BSCs) on soil evaporation is quite controversial in literature, being either facilitative or inhibitive, and therein few studies have actually conducted direct evaporation measurements. Continuous field measurements of soil water evaporation were conducted on two microlysimeters, i.e., one with sand soil collected from bare sand dune area and the other with moss-crusted soil collected from an area that was revegetated in 1956, from field capacity to dry, at the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert. We mainly aimed to quantify the diurnal variations of evaporation rate from two soils, and further comparatively discuss the effects of BSCs on soil evaporation after revegetation. Results showed that in clear days with high soil water content (Day 1 and 2), the diurnal variation of soil evaporation rate followed the typical convex upward parabolic curve, reaching its peak around mid-day. Diurnal evaporation rate and the accumulated evaporation amount of moss-crusted soil were lower (an average of 0.90 times) than that of sand soil in this stage. However, as soil water content decreased to a moderately low level (Day 3 and 4), the diurnal evaporation rate from moss-crusted soil was pronouncedly higher (an average of 3.91 times) than that of sand soil, prolonging the duration of this higher evaporation rate stage; it was slightly higher in the final stage (Day 5 and 6) when soil moisture was very low. We conclude that the effects of moss crusts on soil evaporation vary with different evaporation stages, which is closely related to soil water content, and the variation and transition of evaporation rate between bare soil and moss-crusted soil are expected to be predicted by soil water content.     

Ambipolar diffusion and magnetic reconnection

Some mechanisms for Joule dissipation of electric currents flowing in partially ionized hydrogen plasmas are analyzed in a three-fluid approximation. It is shown that ambipolar diffusion can be responsible for the annihilation of magnetic flux during collisions of ions with neutral atoms. The relative influences of the electron conductivity and the Cowling conductivity on the magnetic-field annihilation rate are examined in the frameworks of the Sweet-Parker reconnection model. The escape of plasma is an efficient mechanism for cooling current sheetswith thicknesses of hundreds of kilometers in the solar chromosphere. The origin of the solar chromospheric jets observed by the Hinode spacecraft is discussed.     

地基GPS遥感的成都地区夏季可降水量的日循环合成分析

利用成都地基全球定位系统(GPS)观测网2004年7~9月的观测数据,结合自动气象站获得的气象资料计算出GPS遥感的可降水量(PWV).与气象探空站观测资料算出的可降水量进行对比,确定出本次GPS遥感可降水量的精度为3.09 mm.并对成都、郫县夏季PWV的日循环特征进行了合成分析.结果表明:PWV呈明显的日循环,最小值出现在8:00(北京时间),成都和郫县分别为40.5 mm和35.0 mm;最大值出现在17:00左右,成都和郫县分别为43.5 mm和38.0 mm.白天PWV的变化较大,夜间相对稳定,日变幅为3 mm.在盛夏静稳型天气下,成都地区的PWV日循环特征与地面气温基本一致,皆受太阳辐射日变化的控制.降水日变化的一个显著特点是降水主要发生在夜间,当PWV在下午达到最大之后,主降水阶段开始,使PWV明显减少,同时使地面空气比湿迅速增大;当PWV下降到一个稳定状态后,主降水过程随之结束.大气水汽总量的积累和释放与地面降水有较好的对应关系,PWV的持续性递增和持续性递减预示着降水的开始和结束.     

陇中黄土高原冬季地表辐射和能量平衡特征

利用定西试验基地2003年12月至2004年2月获取的地气相互作用观测资料,分析了陇中黄土高原冬季典型天气（晴天、阴天及雪天）和平均状况下的地表辐射能量平衡和土壤温度等微气象特征的日变化规律。结果表明,在典型天气间微气象特征有较大差异,但冬季的平均特征与晴天比较接近,云和降雪的扰动影响有限。冬季地表能量平衡以感热输送为主,土壤热通量为辅,且普遍存在不平衡现象。冬季初的2／3时段净辐射及土壤热通量日总量基本为负值,之后的1／3时段为正值,冬季地面加热场为热源。冬季土壤温度在地表及20 cm土壤层存在日变化,30 cm及以下土壤温度日变化很小。冬季地表日平均反射率基本在0.20～0.25之间变化,平均值为0.22。     

Nonlocal response functions in processing global electromagnetic data

We discuss approaches to mapping lateral apparent conductivity variations at different periods from magnetic observatory data using multipoint transfer operators as nonlocal functions of the EM response. The multipoint operators provide correlation of three magnetic field components recorded at all observatories. The inversion procedure was applied to S_q observatory data for 1964–68 and records of 30 magnetic storms for 1957–2001. To obtain lateral conductivity patterns, data on diurnal S_q variations and global magnetic storms were processed with the spherical harmonic analysis. The same data were used to estimate the coefficients of first harmonics in the SH series of diurnal lateral variations of Earth's apparent conductivity.     

外加直流电场下粘土矿物的膨胀特性研究

实验研究了外加直流电场作用下粘土膨胀率的变化。结果表明,在电场作用下,粘土膨胀率降低,电解膨率大小与粘土性质、电场强度、体相溶液矿化度及施加电场时机等有关。在相同电场强度条件下,膨胀性强的蒙脱石的电解膨率最大,而伊利石、高岭石的电解膨率较小。蒙脱石的电解膨率随着电场强度的增加而增加,当电场强度高于临界值(本实验中为2 V/m)时,电解膨率值基本不变。随着NaCl浓度的增加,蒙脱石的电解膨率以指数规律降低。施加电场时机对电场降低粘土膨胀率的效果有较大影响:在注入蒸馏水的同时施加电场可以有效防止粘土膨胀;在注入蒸馏水之后施加电场可以有效降低粘土膨胀率;先施加低强度电场(EFS=2 V/m)然后再注入蒸馏水,可以造成粘土的膨胀,即使提高电场强度,粘土膨胀率仍然很大。