Structure and development of the Andean system between 36° and 39°S

One of the main morphological changes along the Southern Central Andes occurs from 36° to 39°S. The northern portion is characterized by prominent basement structures and a thick-skinned orogenic front with relief of over 2000 m with a deep level of exhumation where more than 4 km of section has been eroded. Contrastingly, the southern part is formed by mildly inverted basement structures restricted mainly to the hinterland zone, which reaches only 1500–1700 m relief. We quantify the variable contributions of two main contractional stages through the construction of three regionally balanced sections across the Andes, constrained by field and geophysical data. Extensional re-activation described for this segment in late Oligocene-early Miocene and Pliocene to Quaternary times, after the two main contractional episodes, suggests only 3 km of stretching that represents 30–10% of the original longitude. We, therefore, conclude that while initial Late Cretaceous to Eocene compression was similar along strike (∼10–7 km), it is the contrasting degrees of Neogene shortening (∼16–6 km) that have played the largest role in the along strike differences in structure and morphology along this portion of the southern Andes. Variable Neogene arc expansion could be responsible for the contrasting contractional deformation: In the north, late Miocene arc-related rocks cover most of the retroarc zone (>200 km with respect to the late Miocene arc front in the south), presumably driven by a shallow subduction episode in the area, whereas to the south they remain restricted to the continental drainage divide. Other factors involving architecture of previous rift structures, are proposed as additional mechanisms that accommodated variable shortening magnitudes through inversion.     

MF radar observations of mean winds over Yamagawa (31.2°N, 130.6°E) and Wakkanai (45.4°N, 141.7°E)

Continuous MF radar measurements of mesospheric mean winds are in progress at the observatories in Yamagawa (31.2°N, 130.6°E) and Wakkanai (45.4°N, 141.7°E). The observations at Yamagawa and Wakkanai were started in August 1994 and September 1996, respectively. The real-time wind data are used for the study of major large scale dynamic features of the middle atmosphere such as mean winds, tides, planetary waves, and gravity waves, etc. In the present study of mean winds, we have utilized the data collected until June 1999, which include the simultaneous observation period of little more than two and a half years, for the two sites. The database permits us to draw conclusions on the characteristics of mean winds and to compare the mean wind structure over these sites. The mean prevailing zonal winds at both sites are dominated by westward/eastward motions in summer/winter seasons below 90 km. Meridional circulation at meteor heights is generally southward during most times of the year and it extends to lower mesospheric heights during summer also. The summer westward jet at Wakkanai is consistently stronger than those at Yamagawa. However, the winter eastward winds have identical strength at both locations. Meridional winds also show larger values at Wakkanai. The mean wind climatology has been examined and compared with the MU radar observations over Shigaraki (34.9°N, 136.1°E). The paper also presents the results of the comparison between the MF radar winds and the latest empirical model values (HWM93 model) proposed by Hedin et al. (1996. Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics 58, 1421–1447). Hodograph analyses of mean winds conducted for the summer and winter seasons show interesting similarities and discrepancies.     

Comparison of ground-based OH temperature data measured at Irkutsk (52°N, 103°E) and Zvenigorod (56°N, 37°E) stations with Aura MLS v3.3

Data about the variations of mesopause temperature (～87 km) obtained from ground-based spectrographic measurements of the OH emission (834.0 nm, band (6-2)) at Irkutsk and Zvenigorod observatories were compared with satellite data on vertical temperature distribution in the atmosphere from Aura MLS v3.3. We analyzed MLS data for two geopotential height levels: 0.005 hPa (～84 km) and 0.002 hPa (～88 km) as the closest to OH height (～87 km). We revealed that Aura MLS temperature data have lower values than ground-based (cold bias). In summer periods, that difference increases. Aura cold biases compared with OH(6-2) at Irkutsk and Zvenigorod were calculated. For the 0.002 hPa height level, the biases are 10.1 and 9.4 K, and for 0.005 hPa they are 10.5 and 10.2 K at Irkutsk and Zvenigorod, respectively. When the bias is accounted for, an agreement between Aura MLS and OH(6-2) data obtained at both Irkutsk and Zvenigorod is remarkable.     

Climatology of short-period mesospheric gravity waves over Halley,Antarctica (76°S, 27°W)

We present a first detailed climatological study of individual quasi-monochromatic mesospheric, short-period gravity-wave events observed over Antarctica. The measurements were made using an all-sky airglow imager located at Halley Station (76°S, 27°W) and encompass the 2000 and 2001 austral winter seasons. Distributions of wave parameters were found to be similar to findings at other latitudes. The wave headings exhibited unusually strong anisotropy with a dominant preference for motion towards the Antarctic continent and a rotation from westward during fall, to poleward in mid-winter, to eastward in spring. This rotation was accompanied by a systematic increase of ～50% in the magnitudes of the horizontal wavelengths and observed phase speeds. It is postulated that the observed wave anisotropy was due to a succession of wave sources of different characteristics lying equatorward of Halley, or a dominant source mechanism evolving with time during the winter months.     

Spatio-temporal trends of precipitation,its aggressiveness and concentration,along the Pacific coast of South America (36–49°S)

ABSTRACT

Precipitation is the most critical climatic element that directly affects the availability of water resources. The objective of this study was to describe and discuss spatio-temporal patterns of annual precipitation, its aggressiveness, and its concentration along the southwest coast of South America (36°–49°S) from 1930 to 2006. An annual and multi-decadal analysis was applied to 107 sampling stations distributed throughout this region, using the Mann-Kendall test (MK), and the Sampling Uncertainty Analysis (SUA) coupled with Gumbel probability density function (SUA-Gumbel). The analysis revealed positive but not significant trends in annual precipitation and aggressiveness for the region between 36° and 44°S, at least during the last 50 years of the analysed period. However, a significant decrease in annual precipitation and aggressiveness was observed between 44° and 49°S during the same period. The annual concentration of precipitation became slightly more seasonal in the last 50 years within the entire study area.     

Imaging the Seismic Crustal Structure of the Western Mexican Margin between 19°N and 21°N

Three thousand kilometres of multichannel (MCS) and wide-angle seismic profiles, gravity and magnetic, multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data were recorded in the offshore area of the west coast of Mexico and the Gulf of California during the spring 1996 (CORTES survey). The seismic images obtained off Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in the Jalisco subduction zone extend from the oceanic domain up to the continental shelf, and significantly improve the knowledge of the internal crustal structure of the subduction zone between the Rivera and North American (NA) Plates. Analyzing the crustal images, we differentiate: (1) An oceanic domain with an important variation in sediment thickness ranging from 2.5 to 1 km southwards; (2) an accretionary prism comprised of highly deformed sediments, extending for a maximum width of 15 km; (3) a deformed forearc basin domain which is 25 km wide in the northern section, and is not seen towards the south where the continental slope connects directly with the accretionary prism and trench, thus suggesting a different deformational process; and (4) a continental domain consisting of a continental slope and a mid slope terrace, with a bottom simulating reflector (BSR) identified in the first second of the MCS profiles. The existence of a developed accretionary prism suggests a subduction–accretion type tectonic regime. Detailed analysis of the seismic reflection data in the oceanic domain reveals high amplitude reflections at around 6 s [two way travel time (twtt)] that clearly define the subduction plane. At 2 s (twtt) depth we identify a strong reflection which we interpret as the Moho discontinuity. We have measured a mean dip angle of 7° ± 1° at the subduction zone where the Rivera Plate begins to subduct, with the dip angle gently increasing towards the south. The oceanic crust has a mean crustal thickness of 6.0–6.5 km. We also find evidence indicating that the Rivera Plate possibly subducts at very low angles beneath the Tres Marias Islands.     

A statistic of water mass intrusions in the south Indian Ocean between 100° E and 110° E

Ocean Dynamics - The concept of water type richness wtr and inversion count inv is introduced and applied to high-resolution Argo float data in a meridional strip in the southern Indian Ocean as a...     

Composition,pre-eruptive zonation,and geochronologic significance of the ∼450 ka Diamante Tuff,Andean Cordillera (34°S), Argentina

Vertical geochemical sampling through the Diamante Tuff establishes patterns of zonation in the pre-eruption magma. Volcanic glass demonstrates a roofward increase in Fe and Cl, and a roofward decrease in Ca. Trace elements have no measurable zonation. Welded volcanic glass shows post-eruption loss of Fe, Mg and Cl as well as K gain. Our reported glass chemistry provides robust criteria for correlation to other localities. The Diamante Tuff is an important stratigraphic marker and recognition of this unit provides age control on Quaternary deposits, allowing determination of process rates and elucidating timing of tectonic and geomorphic activity.     

First results of warm mesospheric temperature over Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) during the sudden stratospheric warming of 2009

Rayleigh lidar observations at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) show an enhancement of the nightly mean temperature by 10–15 K at altitudes 70–80 km and of gravity wave potential energy at 60–70 km during the 2009 major stratospheric warming event. An enhanced quasi-16-day wave activity is observed at 50–70 km in the wavelet spectrum of TIMED–SABER temperatures, possibly due to the absence of a critical level in the low-latitude stratosphere because of less westward winds caused by this warming event. The observed low-latitude mesospheric warming could be due to wave breaking, as waves are damped at 80 km.     

Seasonal changes in the amplitude and phase of diurnal and semidiurnal variations in parameters of the midlatitude F2 layer under minimum solar activity conditions according to the data of an ionospheric station in Irkutsk (52.5°N, 104.0°E)

We performed a statistical and spectral analysis of variations in two main parameters of the ionospheric F2 layer: critical frequency (f ₀F2) and peak height (h _m F2), recorded at an ionospheric station in Irkutsk (52.5°N, 104.0°E) in the period from December 1, 2006, to January 31, 2008, under low solar activity conditions. It was found that the f ₀F2 and h _m F2 variations contained quasi-harmonic oscillations with periods T _n = 24/n h (n = 1−7). We studied the seasonal changes in the mean and median values of monthly f ₀F2 and h _m F2 time series, their spectra, as well as the amplitudes and phases of the diurnal (n = 1) and semidiurnal (n = 2) variations. It is shown that the amplitude of the diurnal f ₀F2 variations was maximal in October–March 2007 and minimal in May–August 2007. The diurnal f ₀F2 variations were maximal at noon in the winter months and at 1600 LT in the summer months. The semidiurnal f ₀F2 variations had two maxima: a primary maximum in December and January and a secondary maximum in May–July. The maxima of semidiurnal f ₀F2 variations were shifted from 0000 and 1200 LT in winter to 0900 and 2100 LT in summer.     

Temporal variations in the fractal properties of seismicity in the North Anatolian Fault Zone between 31°E and 41°E

We investigate the nature of temporal variations in the statistical properties of seismicity associated with the North Anatolian Fault Zone between longitudes 31°–41°E during the instrumental period 1900–1992. Temporal variations in the seismicb value and the fractal (correlation) dimensionD _c of earthquake epicenters are examined for earthquakes of magnitudeM _S 4.5, using sliding windows of 100 consecutive events.b varies temporally between 0.6 and 1.0, andD _c between 0.6 and 1.4, both representing significant fluctuations above the errors in measurement technique. A strong negative correlation (r=–0.85) is observed betweenb andD _c , consistent with previous observation of seismicity in Japan and southern California. Major events early in this century (M _S 7) are associated with lowb and highD _c , respectively consistent with greater stress intensity and greater spatial clustering of epicenters—both implying a greater degree of stress concentration at this time.