Seasonal distribution of harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) in the Barents Sea

The distributional patterns of Barents Sea harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) throughout the year are presented based on existing literature and recent Norwegian and Russian field observations. The harp seals breed in February-March in the White Sea. Moulting occurs during April to June in the White Sea and southern Barents Sea. Feeding.behaviour is closely related to the configuration and localisation of the drifting sea-ice during summer and autumn (June-October) when the seals follow the receding ice edge, retiring gradually northwards and northeastwards in the Barents Sea. The southward movement of the population in autumn probably takes place in November prior to the advance of the ice edge, and is likely related to food-search. Apparently, most Barents Sea harp seals seems to concentrate at the southern end of their range in winter and spring.     

Stratospheric aerosol measurements in the Arctic winter of 1996/1997 with the M‐55 Geophysika high‐altitude research aircraft

In‐situ aerosol measurements were performed in the northern hemispheric stratosphere up to altitudes of 21 km between 13 November 1996 and 14 January 1997, inside and outside of the polar vortex during the Airborne Polar Experiment (APE) field campaign. These are measurements of particle size distributions with a laser optical particle counter of the FSSP‐300 type operated during 9 flights on the Russian M‐55 high‐altitude research aircraft Geophysika. For specific flights, the FSSP‐300 measurements are compared with balloon‐borne data (launched from Kiruna, Sweden). It was found that the stratospheric aerosol content reached levels well below the background concentrations measured by the NASA operated ER‐2 in 1988/89 in the northern hemisphere. During the APE campaign, no PSC particle formation was observed at flight altitudes although the temperatures were below the NAT condensation point during one flight. The measured correlations between ozone and aerosol give an indication of the subsidence inside the 1996/97 polar vortex. Despite the lower aerosol content in the winter 1996/97 compared to the 1989 background, the heterogeneous reactivity of the aerosol (as calculated from the measured data with additional model input) is comparable. This is due to the dependency of the reactive uptake coefficients on the atmospheric water vapor content. Under the described assumptions the reaction rates on the background aerosol are significantly smaller than for competing gas phase chlorine activation, as can be expected for stratospheric background conditions especially inside the polar vortex.     

ESR/OSL ages of long-debated subtill fossil-bearing marine deposits from the southern Kola Peninsula: stratigraphic implications

The occurrence of sandy clay deposited in a warm marine environment just below the till of the last glaciation has created controversy about its age and stratigraphic position in the sedimentary basin of the Kola Peninsula. Data on marine microfauna, diatoms, malacofauna and pollen composition indicate that during the period when the sandy clay was deposited the climate was similar or even warmer than at present. According to ¹⁴ C dates, sedimentation of the sandy clay occurred around 40 ka BP. Based on these data, some researchers have attributed these marine deposits to the third Late Pleistocene Belomorian (sensu Lavrova 1960) interglacial transgression. At the same time there are geological indications suggesting re-deposition of these subtill sediments. To solve this problem we have reinvestigated the subtill interglacial marine deposits from the Varzuga section (∼66.4° N and 36.6° E). Four different marine shell species and enclosing sandy clay sediments taken from the subtill marine unit of the section were dated by the electron spin resonance (ESR) and optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) methods at about 103 and 104 ka, respectively. The results indicate that the subtill marine deposits belong to the first Late Pleistocene Boreal transgression that, according to our previous studies of the marginal areas of the Eurasian North, has occurred in the time interval from approximately 145 to 70 ka BP.     

Modern and Holocene hydrographic characteristics of the shallow Kara Sea shelf (Siberia) as reflected by stable isotopes of bivalves and benthic foraminifera

River discharge of Ob and Yenisei to the Kara Sea is highly variable on seasonal and interannual time scales. River water dominates the shallow bottom water near the river mouths, making it warmer and less saline but seasonally and interannually more changeable than bottom water on the deeper shelf. This hydrographic pattern shows up in measurements and modelling, and in stable isotope records (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C) along the growth axis of bivalve shells and in multiple analyses of single benthic foraminiferal shells. Average isotope ratios increase, but sample-internal variability decreases with water depth and distance from river mouths. However, isotope records of bivalves and foraminifera of a sediment core from a former submarine channel of Yenisei River reveal a different pattern. The retreat of the river mouth from this site due to early Holocene sea level rise led to increasing average isotope values up core, but not to the expected decrease of the in-sample isotope variability. Southward advection of cold saline water along the palaeo-river channel probably obscured the hydrographic variability during the early Holocene. Later, when sediment filled the channel, the hydrographic variability at the core location remained low, because the shallowing proceeded synchronously with the retreat of the river mouth.     

Morphology, stratigraphy and oxygen isotope composition of fossil glacier ice at Ledyanaya Gora, Northwest Siberia, Russia

Studies of the stratigraphy, sedimentology, structure and isotope composition of a buried massive ice body and its encompassing sediments at Ledyanaya Gora in northwestern Siberia demonstrate that the ice is relict glacier ice, probably emplaced during the Early Weichselian. Characteristics of this ice body should serve as a guide for the identification of other relict buried glacier ice bodies in permafrost regions.     

ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVE RANK OF A (CO)VARIANCE MATRIX: A NON-PARAMETRIC GOODNESS-OF-FIT TEST

Each eigenvector of the dispersion matrix[X]~T[X]was shown to be a partial predictor of the originaldata matrix [X],the sum of the predictions from the individual principal components being equal to theexpectance of [X].By comparing the distributions of the members of two neighbouring predictedmatrices,[X]_(1...i)and [X](1...i+1)(i.e.the sums of the first i and i+1 individual predictions respectively),it was shown that they should be indistinguishable provided that i is equal to or greater than the effectiverank of [X],and significantly different otherwise.This was confirmed by analysing the visible absorptionspectra of methyl orange and methyl red solutions as well as the Raman spectra of Na_2SO_4 and MgSO_4solutions.On the grounds of these findings,a non-parametric goodness-of-fit test for assessing theeffective rank of[X]was proposed which proved to be comparatively conservative and more robust thanmost currently used tests.     

HYDROLOGICAL CYCLES ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH PERIPHERIES OF MOUNTAIN–GLACIAL BASINS OF CENTRAL ASIA

Four high mountain glacial basins of the northern and southern periphery of central Asia were studied to determine their interaction with the external hydrological cycle over the Eurasian continent. Two of them located in the northern periphery are closed drainage basins with continental climate and the other two are open basins located in the southern periphery. Calculations of mass energy exchange, glacial runoff and components of the hydrological cycles were conducted. For glaciers with a continental climate, the calculations of snow–ice melt and runoff were based on solar parameters. For glaciers with a marine climate regime, glacier melt and runoff were based on air temperature. The relative errors of simulated annual flows were, on average, 8–14%. The components of the regional hydrological cycles (precipitation, condensation, runoff and evaporation) were quantified for each glacial system and their share in total atmospheric moisture was determined. The closed basins of the northern periphery in central Asia stored annually about 0·1–2·4% of the total external atmospheric moisture in the Aralo-Caspian and Tarim hydrographic systems. About 0·22–0·24% of the external water cycle is transferred annually in open glacial basins of the southern periphery. The glaciers of these regions return 0·25–0·30% of the external water cycle per year to the Pacific and Indian oceans, 0·03% and 0·06% of this external moisture is taken from the glacial resources of the Gongga and Xixibangma glaciers. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.