Assessment of potential transport of pollutants into the Barents Sea via sea ice--an observational approach

The present estimates of ice drift in the Arctic include utilization of satellite imagery data (special sensor microwave/imager) and a reconstruction of air pressure for the period 1899-1998. A significant part of the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has its origin in the Kara Sea and melts in the Greenland and the Barents Sea (BS). Consequently there may be a particular risk of pollutants in the Kara Sea entering the food webs of the Greenland and BS. The ice export from the Kara Sea between 1988 and 1994 was about 208,000 km2 (154 km3) per year. The import of ice into the BS was during the same period 161,000 km2 (183 km3) per year while the ice drift through the Fram Strait into the Greenland Sea was 583,000 km2 (1859 km3) per year. Ice which formed adjacent to the Ob and Yenisey rivers in early January, drifted into the BS within two years (with a probability of about 50%.     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene small- and large-mammal faunas from the Northern Urals

Data from the mammal fauna of the North Urals during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene are synthesised. Analysis of differentiation the degree of small- and large-mammal faunas during this time has been undertaken. Only differences of mammal species composition were significant between the Late Pleistocene and Holocene complexes, and within these complexes, the distinction between faunas was insignificant. The transition from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene complex small-mammal faunas occurred in the Middle Late Valdai due to expansion of the forest species. In large-mammal faunas, the process was recorded later (in Dryas 3-Early Holocene) because of the extinction of some species and others that changed their areas of occupation.     

Coda Q before and after the eruptions of 13 November 1985, and 1 September 1989, at Nevado del Ruiz Volcano, Colombia

 Coda Q^–1 was calculated at Nevado del Ruiz Volcano (NRV) before and after two phreatomagmatic eruptions (November 1985, September 1989) and for a period of stability (May 1987) using a functional form for coda derived from a single scattering model (Sato 1977). Substantial changes were found before and after the eruptions. The highest value of Q^–1 was found during the November 1985 eruption, an intermediate value for the September 1989 eruption, and the lowest value for May 1987. It seems that the changes in coda Q^–1 at NRV have a still-unknown relationship with the volume or magnitude of the eruption. A relatively strong frequency dependence was found for all periods. Also Q^–1 clearly changed with time, suggesting that the scattering was strong for the eruption of November 1985 and decreased for the eruption of September 1989, and that the intrinsic absorption probably increased. This suggests the possibility that crystallization is taking place in the NRV magma. The clear change of coda Q^–1 before and after the eruptions at NRV also suggests the possibility that coda Q^–1 is a premonitory tool of activity at this volcano. Received: 25 October 1996 / Accepted: 21 January 1998     

Radioactivité artificielle et ozone,traceurs en météorologie dynamique

Résumé La comparaison des mesures de radioactivité et de concentration de l'ozone en un même lieu, montre que l'approvisionnement, dans les deux cas, se fait par arrivées discontinues; ainsi se trouve confirmée l'hypothèse deG. Lambert d'injections à partir de la basse stratosphère à l'occasion de ruptures momentanées de la barrière de la tropopause, conformément aux calculs deStaley. D'autres exemples montrent comment les données fournies par l'ozone et la radioactivité se complètent pour préciser les grands mouvements de l'atmosphère.

---

Summary We have compared the measurements made at the same location on artificial radioactivity of the air and ozone concentration; the results show that in both cases, these products reach ground level by discrete periods of time and not continously. This is in agreement withG. Lambert's assumption of injections from the lower stratosphere throught the tropopause barrier when this barrier is temporarily opened according toStaley's computations. Other examples show how ozone and radioactivity data give complementary information in the field of movements of the atmosphere.

     

Radionuclides and mercury in the salt lakes of the Crimea

90 Sr concentrations,resulting from the Chernobyl NPP accident,were determined in the salt lakes of the Crimea(Lakes Kiyatskoe,Kirleutskoe,Kizil-Yar,Bakalskoe and Donuzlav),together with the redistribution between the components of the ecosystems.The content of mercury in the waters of the studied reservoirs was also established.Vertical distributions of natural radionuclide activities( 238 U,232 Th,226 Ra,210 Pb,40 K) and anthropogenic 137 Cs concentrations(as radiotracers) were determined in the bottom sediments of the Koyashskoe salt lake(located in the south-eastern Crimea) to evaluate the longterm dynamics and biogeochemical processes.Radiochemical and chemical analysis was undertaken and radiotracer and statistical methods were applied to the analytical data.The highest concentrations of 90 Sr in the water of Lake Kiyatskoe(350.5 and 98.0 Bq/m 3) and Lake Kirleutskoe(121.3 Bq/m 3) were due to the discharge of the Dnieper water from the North-Crimean Canal.The high content of mercury in Lake Kiyatskoe(363.2 ng/L) and in seawater near Lake Kizil-Yar(364 ng/L) exceeded the maximum permissible concentration(3.5 times the maximum).Natural radionuclides provide the main contribution to the total radioactivity(artificial and natural combined) in the bottom sediments of Lake Koyashskoe.The significant concentration of 210 Pb in the upper layer of bottom sediments of the lake indicates an active inflow of its parent radionuclide—gaseous 222 Rn from the lower layers of the bottom sediment.The average sedimentation rates in Lake Koyashskoe,determined using 210 Pb and 137 Cs data,were 0.117 and 0.109 cm per year,respectively.     

A multi-proxy reconstruction of spatial and temporal variations in Asian summer temperatures over the last millennium

To investigate climate variability in Asia during the last millennium, the spatial and temporal evolution of summer (June–July–August; JJA) temperature in eastern and south-central Asia is reconstructed using multi-proxy records and the regularized expectation maximization (RegEM) algorithm with truncated total least squares (TTLS), under a point-by-point regression (PPR) framework. The temperature index reconstructions show that the late 20th century was the warmest period in Asia over the past millennium. The temperature field reconstructions illustrate that temperatures in central, eastern, and southern China during the 11th and 13th centuries, and in western Asia during the 12th century, were significantly higher than those in other regions, and comparable to levels in the 20th century. Except for the most recent warming, all identified warm events showed distinct regional expressions and none were uniform over the entire reconstruction area. The main finding of the study is that spatial temperature patterns have, on centennial time-scales, varied greatly over the last millennium. Moreover, seven climate model simulations, from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), over the same region of Asia, are all consistent with the temperature index reconstruction at the 99 % confidence level. Only spatial temperature patterns extracted as the first empirical orthogonal function (EOF) from the GISS-E2-R and MPI-ESM-P model simulations are significant and consistent with the temperature field reconstruction over the past millennium in Asia at the 90 % confidence level. This indicates that both the reconstruction and the simulations depict the temporal climate variability well over the past millennium. However, the spatial simulation or reconstruction capability of climate variability over the past millennium could be still limited. For reconstruction, some grid points do not pass validation tests and reveal the need for more proxies with high temporal resolution, accurate dating, and sensitive temperature signals, especially in central Asia and before AD 1400.     

UV-radiation in galaxies

I review the origin of UV-radiation in galaxies of different morphological types. UV-excess in spectra of massive elliptical galaxies which have predominantly old stellar populations is traditionally explained by the contribution of low-mass stars at very late, poorly known stages of evolution—by so called ‘AGB-manqué’ stars or by the population of extended horizontal branch. However recent results from the GALEX survey of a large sample of nearby ellipticals have also demonstrated probable traces of recent star formation in a third of all ellipticals observed. In spiral galaxies extended UV-disks have been discovered by the GALEX; they are certainly illuminated by the current star formation, but what has provoked star formation in the areas of very low gas density, beyond the distribution of older stars, is a puzzle yet. The UV-spectra of starburst galaxies or starforming galactic nuclei are characterized by weak emission lines, if any, quite dissimilar to their optical spectra.     

Anthropogenic subsidence in the Mexicali Valley,Baja California,Mexico, and slip on the Saltillo fault

Deep fluid extraction in the Cerro Prieto geothermal field (CPGF) has caused subsidence and induced slip on tectonic faults in the Mexicali Valley (Baja California, Mexico). The Mexicali Valley is located in the southern part of the Salton Trough, at the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates. The Valley is characterized by being a zone of continuous tectonic deformation, geothermal activity, and seismicity. Within the Cerro Prieto pull-apart basin, seismicity is concentrated mainly in swarms, while strong earthquakes have occurred in the Imperial and Cerro Prieto transform faults, that are the eastern and western bound of the basin. Since 1973, fluid extraction at the CPGF has influenced deformation in the area, accelerating the subsidence and causing rupture (frequently as vertical slip or creep) on the surface traces of tectonic faults. Both subsidence and fault slip are causing damage to infrastructure like roads, railroad tracks, irrigation channels, and agricultural fields. Currently, accelerated extraction in the eastern part of CPGF has shifted eastwards the area of most pronounced subsidence rate; this accelerated subsidence can be observed at the Saltillo fault, a southern branch of the Imperial fault in the Mexicali Valley. Published leveling data, together with field data from geological surveys, geotechnical instruments, and new InSAR images were used to model the observed deformation in the area in terms of fluid extraction. Since the electricity production in the CPGF is an indispensable part of Baja California economy, extraction is sure to continue and may probably increase, so that the problem of damages caused by subsidence will likely increase in the future.     

Meteoroid ablation models

The fate of entering meteoroids in atmosphere is determined by their size, velocity and substance properties. Material from ablation of small-sized meteors (roughly R≤0.01–1 cm) is mostly deposited between 120 and 80 km altitudes. Larger bodies (up to meter sizes) penetrate deeper into the atmosphere (down to 20 km altitude). Meteoroids of cometary origin typically have higher termination altitude due to substance properties and higher entry velocity. Fast meteoroids (V>30–40 km/s) may lose a part of their material at higher altitudes due to sputtering. Local flow regime realized around the falling body determines the heat transfer and mass loss processes. Classic approach to meteor interaction with atmosphere allows describing two limiting cases: – large meteoroid at relatively low altitude, where shock wave is formed (hydrodynamical models); – small meteoroid/or high altitudes – free molecule regime of interaction, which assumes no collisions between evaporated meteoroid particles. These evaporated particles form initial train, which then spreads into an ambient air due to diffusion. Ablation models should make it possible to describe physical conditions that occur around meteor body. Several self-consistent hydrodynamical models are developed, but similar models for transition and free molecule regimes are still under study. This paper reviews existing ablation models and discusses model boundaries.