Ekman Convective Layer Flow of a Viscous Incompressible Fluid

Analytical solutions for generalizing the Ekman stationary flow of a viscous incompressible fluid in an infinite layer are obtained. The solution of an overdetermined system of the Oberbeck–Boussinesq equations is considered. It is suggested to use a class of exact solutions for this problem. It is shown that the structure of the solutions allows one to preserve the advective derivative in the heat-conductivity equation; this makes it possible to model the stratification of the temperature and pressure fields and describe the oceanic countercurrents.     

Comprehensive Geological–Geophysical and Botanic Study of the Tectonic Junction Zone between the Katun Ridge and Uimon Depression (Altai Mountains)

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Areas with large gradients and anomalous variations in geomagnetic and radiation fields have been revealed and mapped at the northwestern foot of the...     

Geophysical Signature of the Shallow Water Flow in the Deepwater Basin of the Northern South China Sea

Shallow water flow (SWF), a disastrous geohazard in the continental margin, has threatened deepwater drilling operations. Under overpressure conditions, continual flow delivering unconsolidated sands upward in the shallow layer below the seafloor may cause large and long-lasting uncontrolled flows; these flows may lead to control problems and cause well damage and foundation failure. Eruptions from over-pressured sands may result in seafloor craters, mounds, and cracks. Detailed studies of 2D/3D seismic data from a slope basin of the South China Sea (SCS) indicated the potential presence of SWF. It is commonly characterized by lower elastic impedance, a higher Vp/Vs ratio, and a higher Poisson’s ratio than that for the surrounding sediments. Analysis of geological data indicated the SWF zone originated from a deepwater channel system with gas bearing over-pressured fluid flow and a high sedimentation rate. We proposed a fluid flow model for SWF that clearly identifies its stress and pressure changes. The rupture of previous SWF zones caused the fluid flow that occurred in the Baiyun Sag of the northern SCS.     

Nonlinear model to study filamentation instability of circularly polarized dispersive Alfvén waves in solar wind plasmas

This paper examines the small-scale solar wind turbulence driven in view of the Alfvén waves subjected to ponderomotive nonlinearity. Filamentation instability is known to take place for the case of dispersive Alfvén wave (DAW) propagating parallel to the ambient magnetic field. The ponderomotive force associated with DAW is responsible for wave localization and these webs of filaments become more intense and irregular as one proceeds along the spatial domain. The ponderomotive force associated with pump changes with pump parameters giving rise to different evolution patterns. This paper studies in detail the nonlinear evolution of filamentation instability introduced by dispersive Alfven waves (DAWs) which becomes dispersive on account of the finite frequency of DAW i.e., pump frequency is comparable to the ion cyclotron frequency. We have explicitly obtained the perturbation dynamics and then examined the impact of pump magnitude on the driven magnetic turbulence using numerical simulation. The results show steepening at small scales with increasing pump amplitude. The compressibility associated with acoustic fluctuations may explain the variation in spectral scaling of solar wind turbulence as observed by Alexandrova et al. (Astrophys. J. 674:1157, 2008).     

Petrochronology of oxidized granulites from southern Peru

Sapphirine–quartz granulites from the Cocachacra region of the Arequipa Massif in southern Peru record early Neoproterozoic ultrahigh‐temperature metamorphism. Phase equilibrium modelling and zircon petrochronology are used to quantify timing and pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions of metamorphism. Modelling of three magnetite‐bearing sapphirine–quartz samples indicates peak temperatures of >950°C at ~0.7 GPa and a clockwise P–T evolution. Elevated concentrations of Al in orthopyroxene are also consistent with ultrahigh‐temperature conditions. Neoblastic zircon records ages of c. 1.0–0.9 Ga that are interpreted to record protracted ultrahigh‐temperature metamorphism. Th/U ratios of zircon of up to 100 reflect U‐depleted whole‐rock compositions. Concentrations of heavy rare earth elements in zircon do not show systematic trends with U–Pb age but do correlate with variable whole‐rock compositions. Very large positive Ce anomalies in zircon from two samples probably relate to strongly oxidizing conditions during neoblastic zircon crystallization. Low concentrations of Ti‐in‐zircon (<10 ppm) are interpreted to result from reduced titania activities due to the strongly oxidized nature of the granulites and the sequestration of titanium‐rich minerals away from the reaction volume. Whole‐rock compositions and oxidation state have a strong influence on the trace element composition of metamorphic zircon, which has implications for interpreting the geological significance of ages retrieved from zircon in oxidized metamorphic rocks.     

The most primitive mesosiderite Northwest Africa 1878, subgroup 0

All mesosiderites previously reported were subjected to thermal metamorphism and/or partial melting on the parent body. Therefore, their primordial features have been mostly lost. Here, we report detailed petrological and mineralogical features on a mesosiderite, Northwest Africa (NWA) 1878. This meteorite comprises silicate lithology and aggregates of small spheroidal Fe‐Ni metal grains. Silicate lithology typically shows igneous texture without recrystallization features, and mainly consists of low‐Ca pyroxene and plagioclase. Pyroxenes often show normal zoning. Exsolution lamella of augite is rarely noticed and very thin in width, compared with other mesosiderites. A few magnesian olivine grains are encountered without typical corona texture around them. They are not equilibrated with pyroxene on a large scale. Plagioclase shows a wide compositional range. These results show that NWA 1878 hardly experienced thermal metamorphism, distinguished from mesosiderites of subgroups 1–4. Therefore, we propose that this is classified as subgroup 0 mesosiderite. Nevertheless, NWA 1878 was locally subjected to secondary reactions, such as weak reduction of pyroxene and Fe‐Mg diffusion between olivine and pyroxene, on the parent body.     

Parallelization of the flow-path network model using a particle-set strategy

High-performance simulation of flow dynamics remains a major challenge in the use of physical-based, fully distributed hydrologic models. Parallel computing has been widely used to overcome efficiency limitation by partitioning a basin into sub-basins and executing calculations among multiple processors. However, existing partition-based parallelization strategies are still hampered by the dependency between inter-connected sub-basins. This study proposed a particle-set strategy to parallelize the flow-path network (FPN) model for achieving higher performance in the simulation of flow dynamics. The FPN model replaced the hydrological calculations on sub-basins with the movements of water packages along the upstream and downstream flow paths. Unlike previous partition-based task decomposition approaches, the proposed particle-set strategy decomposes the computational workload by randomly allocating runoff particles to concurrent computing processors. Simulation experiments of the flow routing process were undertaken to validate the developed particle-set FPN model. The outcomes of hourly outlet discharges were compared with field gauged records, and up to 128 computing processors were tested to explore its speedup capability in parallel computing. The experimental results showed that the proposed framework can achieve similar prediction accuracy and parallel efficiency to that of the Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN)-based Real-Time Integrated Basin Simulator (tRIBS).     

Factors influencing biodeposit production by the New Zealand freshwater mussel Echyridella menziesii

Laboratory experiments on the New Zealand freshwater mussel Echyridella menziesii were used to investigate the short-term effects (7–8 days) of food type on rates of biodeposition and benthic substrate respiration. Post-feeding biodeposition rates ranged from 0.34 to 1.52?mg?g^?1?h^?1 (mean?=?0.50?mg g^?1?h^?1) and were unaffected by the addition of toxin-producing Microcystis. Addition of suspended sediment (30?mg?L^?1) visibly altered substrate composition, and increased total and inorganic biodeposit production rates by 24–33% compared to mussels fed commercial phytoplankton stock. Biodeposition rates of mussels in lake bed substrates were 38% higher than those in silica sand for identical feeding regimes, suggesting that a significant proportion of material produced in this experiment could have been derived from feeding on organic matter in the lake bed sediments. Respiration rates were higher in treatments with Microcystis but were unaffected by the presence of mussels. This laboratory study suggests that biodeposition by E. menziesii is resilient to short-term exposure to Microcystis, and highlights the ability of mussels to alter benthic substrate composition by incorporating suspended sediment into substrates.     

Parameters of Acoustic Signals Generated by the Atmospheric Meteoroid Explosion over Romania on January 7, 2015

System spectral analysis of temporal variations in the level of acoustic signals recorded at a number of European infrasound stations is carried out. The prevailing periods that varied within 3–5 s are found. Initial kinetic and acoustic energies of the Romanian meteoroid and infrasound parameters are calculated: celerity (280 m/s), acoustic efficiency, and stratospheric wind velocity (about 20 m/s). Parameters of cylindrical and explosive shock waves are found: duration, characteristic size, and amplitude. The dependence of the attenuation of infrasonic waves on distance is estimated. The results of the estimates are in good agreement with the results of the observations.