Formation Mechanisms of the Spring–Autumn Asymmetry of the Midlatitudinal <Emphasis Type="Italic">NmF</Emphasis>2 under Daytime Quiet Geomagnetic Conditions at Low Solar Activity

Formation mechanism of the spring–autumn asymmetry of the F2-layer peak electron number density of the midlatitudinal ionosphere, NmF2, under daytime quiet geomagnetic conditions at low solar activity are studied. We used the ionospheric parameters measured by the ionosonde and incoherent scatter radar at Millstone Hill on March 3, 2007, March 29, 2007, September 12, 2007, and September 18, 1984. The altitudinal profiles of the electron density and temperature were calculated for the studied conditions using a one-dimensional, nonstationary, ionosphere–plasmasphere theoretical model for middle geomagnetic latitudes. The study has shown that there are two main factors contributing to the formation of the observed spring–autumn asymmetry of NmF2: first, the spring–autumn variations of the plasma drift along the geomagnetic field due to the corresponding variations in the components of the neutral wind velocity, and, second, the difference between the composition of the neutral atmosphere under the spring and autumn conditions at the same values of the universal time and the ionospheric F2-layer peak altitude. The seasonal variations of the rate of O⁺(⁴S) ion production, which are associated with chemical reactions with the participation of the electronically excited ions of atomic oxygen, does not significantly affect the studied NmF2 asymmetry. The difference in the degree of influence of O⁺(⁴S) ion reactions with vibrationally excited N₂ and O₂ on NmF2 under spring and autumn conditions does not significantly change the spring–autumn asymmetry of NmF2.     

Groundwater Hydrochemistry of Suprapermafrost–Intrapermafrost Flow in Their Discharge Areas in Central Yakutia

Water Resources - The results of long-term studies of a group of aufeis-forming Buluus groundwater sources are given. A stow, which has been formed by the spring, contains the drainage area of the...     

Diurnal Variations in the Statistical Characteristics of the Variability of the Midlatitude NmF2 during Quiet Geomagnetic Conditions at Low Solar Activity

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - The work examines diurnal variations in the statistical characteristics of the variability of the electron number density NmF2 of the maximum of the ionspheric F2 layer...     

Effect of the Solar Activity Variations on the NmF2 Variability under Geomagnetically Quiet Conditions According to Ionosonde Data over Moscow

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - Diurnal variations in the statistical characteristics of the day-to-day variability in the electron number density NmF2 of the ionospheric F2 layer maximum is studied...     

Determination of parameters of low-frequency internal waves in the coastal zone of a fringing sea using field measurements and basing on the nonlinear theory

A method is presented to determine the quadratic nonlinearity parameter and amplitude of low-frequency internal gravity waves in the coastal zone of a fringing sea, based upon their propagation rate dependence on local value of pycnocline vertical displacement produced by the waves. To test the method, the internal wave field observations in the coastal zone of the Sea of Japan are used. The testing results show that the internal wave parameters calculated using the proposed method and the experimental data are in a good agreement with those calculated from theoretical formulas.     

IRI model in the problem of predicting ionospheric radio-wave propagation under conditions of high solar activity

The paper presents the results of an analysis of the correspondence between model representations the monthly mean diurnal dependences of critical frequency and vertical profiles of plasma frequency at local noon at IZMIRAN station for the middle months of the four seasons of 2014, the year of the maximum solar activity in the current 24th cycle. It is shown that in general the IRI model reliably describes the daily variation of foF2, and the smallest discrepancy is achieved when its basic input parameter is given by the ionospheric index of solar activity IG12. An exception is April, for which there is a fundamental discrepancy with the model both in the daily variation of the critical frequency foF2 and in the N _e (h)-profile for local noon time. For this month, the inadequacy in the model representation of the vertical distribution of the electron density turned out to be very significant in the calculation of the MUF: the relative error can reach 20%. The simulation results are confirmed by data from oblique-incidence ionospheric radio sounding.     

Model estimates for the mean gas exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere under the conditions of the present-day climate and its changes expected in the 21st century

Annual mean fluxes of CO₂ and oxygen across the sea surface are estimated with the use of numerical modeling for several regions located in the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio zones. The present-day climatic conditions and the climatic conditions expected in the middle and at the end of the 21st century are considered. Specific features of gas exchange under a strong wind that are associated with gas exchange by bubbles and with changes in the air-water difference of the gas concentrations were taken into account in the calculations. The estimates obtained differ substantially from the results based on the traditional approach, which disregards the above features. A considerable increase in the absorption of CO₂ by the ocean, which is mainly caused by the continuing increase in the CO₂ concentration in the air during its small changes in the ocean, is expected in the 21st century. At the same time, no trends are revealed in the annual mean fluxes of oxygen across the ocean surface. The conclusion is made that, in calculations of CO₂ absorption by the world ocean, it is necessary to take into account both specific features of gas transfer under a strong wind and an increase in the atmospheric concentration of CO₂.     

Study of the seawater transparency field in the Crimea-Caucasus shelf area

This paper discussesin situ observational data on the directed light attenuation index in the near-surface layer, collected in September 1987. The absolute light attenuation index has been evaluated for a near-shore strip of water 10–15 miles in width. When multidisciplinary research is conducted in the open sea, this part of the sea surface remains unstudied, as the observational grid for it is made larger than the spatial-temporal parameters of the biophysical processes producing optical inhomogeneities.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

The role of chloride-carbonate melts in the formation of sideritic carbonatites of the KARASUg FE-F-REE deposit (Tyva Republic,Russia)

The authors have studied melt-fluid and fluid inclusions in quartz and fluorite of sideritic and ankerite-calcitic carbonatites of the Karasug ore field, as well as melt inclusions in apatite from granosyenites. The content of salt and fluid components in brine-melt inclusions was evaluated on the basis of the thermodynamic data, the calculations of volumes and densities of the solid phases, a solution of about 50% concentration, and the gas phase of the inclusions, as well as the results of the LA-ICP-MS analysis. The content of salt phases, the solution, and the gas phase amounted to 85–70, 10–25, and about 5% of the inclusion substance, respectively. The total percentage of salt and fluid components (H₂O and CO₂) amounted to 90–80 and 10–20 wt %, respectively. The fraction of a carbonate constituent in the inclusions was as high as 45–50% and over in ankerite-calcite carbonatites and about 15 wt % in sideritic carbonatites. The 117.2 ± 1.3 Ma age of these carbonatites by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar, along with other datings for this area, shows that their formation was associated with a manifestation of the Cretaceous alkaline-mafic magmatism (117–120 Ma). The presented model of the formation of carbonatites is in agreement with the sequence of the development of magmatic processes and mineralization in this area. The model is also confirmed by the results of the studies of melt and fluid inclusions in minerals.     

Is There a Link between Arctic Sea Ice Loss and Increasing Frequency of Extremely Cold Winters in Eurasia and North America? Synthesis of Current Research

Studies dealing with impact of the Arctic warming and related sea ice decline on the Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation are considered. The causes of occurrence of extremely cold winters over the mid-latitude continents observed in the recent decades against the warming background are discussed. Several conceptions are outlined which explain potential reasons for occurrence of this phenomenon. The paper discusses impacts of the Arctic sea ice loss on the large-scale atmospheric circulation, oscillations of planetary waves. It also discusses issues related to sea ice changes in the Barents and Kara seas and their link to the frequency of extremely cold winters observed in Eurasia and North America, the contribution of internal atmospheric variability to the increasing frequency of cold weather, and the role of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation in the Arctic sea ice reduction.