太阳质子事件、双带耀斑及日冕物质抛射

本文统计了第２２ 太阳活动周期间（１９９１ ～１９９５ 年） 发生的２５ 个太阳质子事件与太阳耀斑及日冕物质抛射（ＣＭＥ） 事件的关系　　统计结果表明, 所有的太阳质子事件都与耀斑发生相关, 除２ 个质子事件（１９９４１０２０ 和１９９５１０２０ 日发生的太阳质子事件） 与ＣＭＥ发生无关, 其余质子事件也都与ＣＭＥ 相关　　值得注意的是, 与质子事件相关的耀斑有１６ 个是双带耀斑, 其中包括与ＣＭＥ无关的２ 个事件的耀斑, 占总数的６４ ％ 　　上述统计结果证实了无论是太阳耀斑, 还是物质抛射, 它们对太阳质子事件的发生同样起着非常重要的作用     

Changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere in the polar regions of the Earth after solar proton flares (3d modeling)

The paper presents the results of numerical photochemical simulations of the impact of the most powerful solar proton flares during the 23rd solar cycle on the ozonosphere in the polar regions of the Earth. A global 3D photochemical model, CHARM, developed at Central Aerological Observatory (CAO) was used in the simulations. The model introduces an additional source of nitrogen atoms and OH radicals. These components are formed due to the ionization effect of solar protons in the Earth’s atmosphere. The ionization rate was determined from data on proton fluxes measured by GOES satellites. The production rate of additional NO _x and HО _x molecules per ion pair was based on published theoretical studies. It is shown that the most intense flares in the 23rd solar cycle (2000, 2001, and 2003) destroyed ozone in the mesosphere to a great extent (sometimes completely, for example, during the July 14, 2000, event). It is found that the response of ozone to solar proton events follows a seasonal pattern. For the first time, the long-term effect of solar proton events is identified; it is approximately one year.     

The probabilistic approach to estimating the origination of certain types of extreme solar events

The probability of origination of superpower flares (super-flares) on the Sun, the power of which is higher than that of the observed flares, is discussed. The probabilistic approach, which makes it possible to find the analytical expression for the distribution of the observed values of any solar activity parameter and to extrapolate the obtained function to the range of values that were not observed previously, is proposed. The estimated probabilities of implementation of the Wolf number (400) and the flare proton fluxes in the Earth’s orbit (from 60000 to 160000 s⁻¹ cm⁻²) are presented as an example. It has been obtained that these events occur ones per 10 000 and 100 years, respectively.     

Effects of solar proton events in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere region according to the data of meteo radar wind measurements at high and middle latitudes

Data from meteo radar measurements of the wind in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere region at high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere (Molodezhnaya station, 68° S, 45° E) and at middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (Obninsk station, 55° N, 37° E) during solar proton events that took place in 1989, 1991, 2000, 2005, and 2012 are analyzed in the paper. In 1989 and 1991, we succeeded in observing the response to solar proton evens at both stations simultaneously. The results show that solar proton events lead to a change in the wind regime of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. At high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, significant changes are observed in the values of the velocities of the meridional and zonal components of the prevailing wind. In the case of powerful solar proton events, the amplitude of the semidiurnal tide grows in the vicinity of the proton flux maximum. The response to these events depends on the season. The reaction of the prevailing wind at middle latitudes shows the same features as the reaction of the wind at high latitudes. However no unambiguous response of the tide amplitude is observed. In the summer season, even powerful events (for example, in July 2000) cause no changes in the wind regime parameters in the midlatitude region of the mesosphere/lower thermosphere.     

Influence of solar activity on variations in the density of the Earth’s upper atmosphere

This article studies long-period variations in the Earth’s upper atmosphere density over several solar activity cycles, using long-term data on the evolution of motion of three artificial satellites (Intercosmos-19, Meteor-1-2, and Cosmos-1154) in orbits at heights of 400–1000 km. The time interval when the satellites were in the orbits covered three solar activity cycles (partly the 21st, completely the 22nd, and partly the 23rd). It is found that the variations in the average density of the upper atmosphere at heights of 400–600 km in the 1980–2000 period were governed by the changes in the solar activity level.     

Powerful nonstationary processes on the sun: Spatio-temporal structure and efficient particle acceleration

Data on high-energy processes on the Sun are summarized. We refine the classification of flares and substantiate the view that a coronal mass ejection and a flare proper are manifestations of the same common process, at least for the most powerful events. Next, we analyze data on the acceleration of electrons (RHESSI, Mars Odyssey) and protons. The existence of two peaks of hard X-ray emission spaced 10–20 min apart and the evolution of its spectra are shown to be indicative of two acceleration episodes. We have analyzed the spectra of 172 proton increases identified with the ratio of the proton fluxes at energies above 10 and 100 MeV near the Earth. These spectra turn out to be virtually the same for most of the large flares under favorable conditions for the escape of particles from the corona and their propagation in the interplanetary space. This is an argument for the invariance of the main features of efficient particle acceleration in powerful events. This process takes place at the explosive phase of a flare and its source is located low, immediately above the chromosphere, in the region adjacent to sunspots. There is a reason to believe that, in this case, a rapid simultaneous acceleration of electrons and protons takes place with the capture of some fraction of the particles into magnetic traps. However, there exist a few events in which an additional number of protons with energies as high as 10–30 MeV escape from the corona at the post-eruptive phase of flare development. Analysis of these cases with softer particle spectra more likely suggests an additional particle acceleration at coronal heights (about 30 000 km) than the facilitation of particle escape from magnetic traps. We estimate the contribution from the proton flux at an energy above 10 MeV arising at the post-eruptive phase of a flare to the total particle flux at the maximum of a proton increase and discuss possible particle acceleration mechanisms at significant coronal heights.     

Dependence of the ionospheric response on the solar flare parameters based on the theoretical modeling and GPS data

The measurements of an increase in the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere during solar flares, obtained based on the GPS data, indicated that up to 30% of TEC increments corresponded to the ionospheric regions above 300 km altitude in some cases, and TEC increased mainly below altitudes of 300 km in other cases. The theoretical model of the ionosphere and plasmasphere was used to study the obtained effects. The altitude-time variations in the charged particle density in the ionospheric region from 100 to 1000 km were used depending on the solar flare spectrum. An analysis of the modeling results indicated that an intensification of the flare UV emission in the 55–65 and 85–95 nm spectral ranges results in a pronounced increase in the electron density in the topside ionosphere (above 300 km). The experimental dependences of the ionospheric TEC response amplitude on the localization and peak power of flares on the Sun in the X-ray range, obtained based on the GPS data, are also presented in the work.     

Morphology and causes of the Weddell Sea anomaly

The zone of anomalous diurnal variations in foF2, which is characterized by an excess of nighttime foF2 values over daytime ones, has been distinguished in the Southern Hemisphere based on the Intercosmos-19 satellite data. In English literature, this zone is usually defined as the Weddell Sea anomaly (WSA). The anomaly occupies the longitudes of 180°–360° E in the Western Hemisphere and the latitudes of 40°–80° S, and the effect is maximal (up to ∼5 MHz) at longitudes of 255°–315° E and latitudes of 60°–70° S (50°–55° ILAT). The anomaly is observed at all levels of solar activity. The anomaly formation causes have been considered based on calculations and qualitative analysis. For this purpose, the longitudinal variations in the ionospheric and thermospheric parameters in the Southern Hemisphere have been analyzed in detail for near-noon and near-midnight conditions. The analysis shows that the daytime foF2 values are much smaller in the Western Hemisphere than in the Eastern one, and, on the contrary, the nighttime values are much larger, as a result of which the foF2 diurnal variations are anomalous. Such a character of the longitudinal effect mainly depends on the vertical plasma drift under the action of the neutral wind and ionization by solar radiation. Other causes have also been considered: the composition and temperature of the atmosphere, plasma flows from the plasmasphere, electric fields, particle precipitation, and the relationship to the equatorial anomaly and the main ionospheric trough.     

Global elevation vibration and seasonal changes derived by the analysis of GPS height

Nearly10yearshaveelapsedsincetheGPSobservationtechniquewasappliedingeophysicalstudies.TheInternationalGPSServiceforGeodynamics(IGS),whichcameintooperationin1994,distributespreciseGPSsatelliteephemerides,Earthrotationparameters,internationalterrestrialrefe…     

Spatial features of the manifestation of the geomagnetic field westward drift

The specific features of the spatial structure and time dynamics of the main geomagnetic field during the 20th century, proceeding from the present-day concepts of geomagnetic jerks have been studied. The variations, caused by global dissipation of the geomagnetic field dipole part, have been separated from the regional variations, described by nondipole spatial harmonics of the spherical harmonic expansion series. It has been indicated that the geomagnetic field westward drift manifests itself in a limited region of the Earth’s surface, forming the known Brazil anomaly. However, the drift component in the variations in the geomagnetic field morphological structures is globally found out during the considered almost 100-year period along the narrow belt around the geomagnetic axis. However, this drift is northwestward in the Northern Hemisphere, and the structures drift southeastward in the Southern Hemisphere. The detected variations of the drift nature are reflected in the variations in the integral geomagnetic characteristic, when changes in the position of the Earth’s magnetic center are considered. The direct correlation between the global geomagnetic variations of the drift nature and the trend variations in the orientation of the vector of the Earth daily rotation velocity has been detected.     

A three-dimensional surface wave–ocean circulation coupled model and its initial testing

A theoretical framework to include the influences of nonbreaking surface waves in ocean general circulation models is established based on Reynolds stresses and fluxes terms derived from surface wave-induced fluctuation. An expression for the wave-induced viscosity and diffusivity as a function of the wave number spectrum is derived for infinite and finite water depths; this derivation allows the coupling of ocean circulation models with a wave number spectrum numerical model. In the case of monochromatic surface wave, the wave-induced viscosity and diffusivity are functions of the Stokes drift. The influence of the wave-induced mixing scheme on global ocean circulation models was tested with the Princeton Ocean Model, indicating significant improvement in upper ocean thermal structure and mixed layer depth compared with mixing obtained by the Mellor–Yamada scheme without the wave influence. For example, the model–observation correlation coefficient of the upper 100-m temperature along 35° N increases from 0.68 without wave influence to 0.93 with wave influence. The wave-induced Reynolds stress can reach up to about 5% of the wind stress in high latitudes, and drive 2–3 Sv transport in the global ocean in the form of mesoscale eddies with diameter of 500–1,000 km. The surface wave-induced mixing is more pronounced in middle and high latitudes during the summer in the Northern Hemisphere and in middle latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere.     

Optical observations of large-scale undulations in the 23rd cycle of solar activity

A statistical analysis of observations of large-scale undulations during the 23rd cycle of solar activity was performed using optical data from two stations: Tixie (71.6°N, 128.9°E) and Zhigansk (66.8°N, 123.4°E). The total number of events recorded was 54 (43 events at Tixie and 11 at Zhigansk). The complete list of observed events is presented. The occurrence frequency of eveningside (17–23 LT) undulations during the solar activity growth (1999) and decline (2003–2005) phases tends to increase. Large-scale undulations were shown to be generated both on the equatorward boundary of the diffuse auroral zone and inside the diffuse zone, which does not necessarily occur during magnetic storms.     

Evolution of energetic electron fluxes at a geostationary orbit during solar cycles 22 and 23. 27-day variations

In this paper, we consider variations in energetic electron fluxes at a geostationary orbit, which are related to the Sun’s rotation period, during two solar cycles. We use data on energetic electron fluxes obtained from the GOES (1986–2007) (>2 MeV) and LANL (1996–2007) (50–225 and 315–1500 keV) satellites. Within the solar cycle, we observed both periods of high flux peak recurrence during several rotations and periods when there was no (or a low) 27-day recurrence. We show the similarity and difference between manifestations of flux recurrences from cycle to cycle. Insignificant manifestation of recurrence and its absence were observed mainly during the solar maximum. High electron flux recurrence was observed mainly at the phase of decline in solar activity (near the solar minimum). We show that for both solar cycles, there were several days (within the Bartels rotation) during which increased energetic electron fluxes would be most likely observed.     

The angular velocity vectors of the main Eurasian domains in the phanerozoic and an increase in the Earth’s rotation period

Recent paleomagnetic studies and GPS-monitoring show that slow rotations of continental plates and differential rotations of separate domains inside them are important features of geophysics and geodynamics. The epicenter of rotation of contemporary Eurasia is located in the eastern Himalayas. To the second approximation, Eurasia is not a rigid plate because the angular velocities of its large domains vary several times, increasing from the periphery of the continent to the central domain, rotated. Paleomagnetic studies of the Phanerozoic rocks of ancient domains corroborate this regularity and the fact that continents in the Northern Hemisphere rotate, as a rule, clockwise, while in the Southern Hemisphere they rotate counter-clockwise, can be used to unambiguously determine the polarity of the pole from the Precambrian apparent pole wander paths (APWP). The majority of the ancient continental domains of contemporary Eurasia decrease the rotation velocity in Phanerozoic. According to the above model, their angular velocity vectors have components opposite in direction to the angular velocity vector of the proper rotation of the Earth. This factor, together with the known ocean tidal friction, resulted in a decrease in the rotational velocity of the Earth’s mantle on a geologic time scale.     

Space Weather: Physics,Effects and Predictability

The time varying conditions in the near-Earth space environment that may affect space-borne or ground-based technological systems and may endanger human health or life are referred to as space weather. Space weather effects arise from the dynamic and highly variable conditions in the geospace environment starting from explosive events on the Sun (solar flares), Coronal Mass Ejections near the Sun in the interplanetary medium, and various energetic effects in the magnetosphere–ionosphere–atmosphere system. As the utilization of space has become part of our everyday lives, and as our lives have become increasingly dependent on technological systems vulnerable to the space weather influences, the understanding and prediction of hazards posed by these active solar events have grown in importance. In this paper, we review the processes of the Sun–Earth interactions, the dynamic conditions within the magnetosphere, and the predictability of space weather effects on radio waves, satellites and ground-based technological systems today.     

Analysis of variations in the nitrogen oxide content in the polar atmosphere of the northern hemisphere during the solar proton flare of July 14, 2000, based on the UARS satellite data

Nitrogen oxides, produced as a result of ionizing proton impacts, have long lifetimes and substantially affect the ozone balance. Photochemical models give an increased production level of nitrogen oxides during solar proton flares. The usage of an increased NO production effectiveness value (molecule number per each ion pair) during increased ionization of the atmosphere in models can be among the causes. This value has been estimated based on satellite observational data. Data on the solar proton fluxes and the composition of the atmosphere have been used. The period of the proton event of July 14, 2000, has been considered. The NO production effectiveness, obtained when the observational data were analyzed, was much smaller than the value obtained previously theoretically. The causes of these differences should be studied additionally.     

Magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a solar flare: 2. Flare model and simulation using active-region magnetic maps

The results of a three-dimensional MHD simulation and data obtained using specialized spacecraft made it possible to construct an electrodynamic model of solar flares. A flare results from explosive magnetic reconnection in a current sheet above an active region, and electrons accelerated in field-aligned currents cause hard X rays on the solar surface. In this review, we considered works where the boundary and initial conditions on the photosphere were specified directly from the magnetic maps, obtained by SOHO MDI in the preflare state, in order to simulate the formation of a current sheet. A numerical solution of the complete set of MHD equations, performed using the new-generation PERESVET program, demonstrated the formation of several current sheets before a series of flares. A comparison of the observed relativistic proton spectra and the simulated proton acceleration along a magnetic field singular line made it possible to estimate the magnetic reconnection rate during a flare (∼10⁷ cm s⁻¹). Great flares (of the X class) originate after an increase in the active region magnetic flux up to 10²² Mx.     

Precipitation variation in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau recorded by the tree rings since 850 AD and its relevance to the Northern Hemisphere temperature

With their high resolution and reliability, tree rings play a very important role in global climate change study. The long tree-ring chronology is considered as one of the most important information sources to study the climatic change in the past several thousands years. In recent years, the tree-ring researches in China have made great progress, and the temperature and precipita- tion in some areas were reconstructed[1-20] which on- tributed to the global change studies in China. Due to the…     

Geomagnetic solar flare effect on February 4 and 6，1986 at the china Antarctic Great wall Station

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Oscillating glacial northern and southern deep water formation from combined neodymium and carbon isotopes

While ocean circulation is driven by the formation of deep water in the North Atlantic and the Circum-Antarctic, the role of southern-sourced deep water formation in climate change is poorly understood. Here we address the balance of northern- and southern-sourced waters in the South Atlantic through the last glacial period using neodymium isotope ratios of authigenic ferromanganese oxides in thirteen deep sea cores from throughout the South Atlantic. The data indicate that northern-sourced water did not reach the Southern Ocean during the late glacial, and was replaced by southern-derived intermediate and deep waters. The high-resolution neodymium isotope record (~ 300 yr sample spacing) from two spliced deep Cape Basin sites indicates that over the last glacial period northern-sourced water mass export to the Southern Ocean was stronger during the major Greenland millennial warming intervals (and Southern Hemisphere cool periods), and particularly during the major interstadials 8, 12, and 14. Northern-sourced water mass export was weaker during Greenland stadials and reached minima during Heinrich Events. The benthic foraminiferal carbon isotopes in the same Cape Basin core reflect a partial control by Southern Hemisphere climate changes and indicate that deep water formation and ventilation occurred in the Southern Ocean during major Greenland cooling intervals (stadials). Together, neodymium isotopes and benthic carbon isotopes provide new information about water mass sourcing and circulation in deep Southern Ocean waters during rapid glacial climate changes. Combining carbon and neodymium isotopes can be used to monitor the relative proportion of northern- and southern-sourced waters in the Cape Basin to gain insight into the processes which control the carbon isotopic composition of deep waters. In this study we show that deep water formation and circulation was more important than biological productivity and nutrient regeneration changes for controlling the carbon isotope chemistry of Antarctic Bottom Water during millennial-scale glacial climate cycles. This observation also lends support to the hypothesis that ocean circulation is linked to interhemispheric climate changes on short timescales, and that ventilation in the glacial ocean rapidly switched between the northern and Southern Hemisphere on millennial timescales.