Paleosecular Variations of the Geomagnetic Field Isolated in Pliocene–Quaternary Sediments of Western Turkmenistan

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Akchagyl deposits of Western Turkmenistan were studied in order to identify the spectrum of paleosecular variations in the geomagnetic field in...     

Amplitude–Frequency Characteristics of Geomagnetic Noise at Low Frequencies

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The features of the geomagnetic noise distribution over frequencies in different bandwidths and in the signal accumulation mode are investigated. It is...     

Russian Investigations in the Field of Atmospheric Radiation in 2015–2018

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - A short survey prepared by the Russian Commission on Atmospheric Radiation contains the most significant results of works in the field of...     

Variations of the Earth’s magnetic field in the Phanerozoic

The global VDM database, which was later supplemented by new determinations published in the world literature (a total of 3194 determinations), is used as the basis for addressing the VDM behavior in the Phanerozoic (0–542 Ma) and up to 580 Ma. The results revealed a positive linear trend to higher VDM values from 3.5 × l0²² Am² to 5.7 × l0²² Am². Against this background, fluctuations of the mean VDMs occur with a periodicity of about 40 Myr. In the Phanerozoic, prominent minima of the intensity are found in the time intervals of 510–520, 420–460, 340–370, 290–300, 240–270, 190–210, 165–140 Ma (chrons M17–M43), 130–120 Ma (chrons M2–M10), 100–110 Ma (chron C34), 75–85 Ma (chrons C33 and the beginning of chron C34), 70–60 Ma (chrons C31–C27), and 40–15 Ma (chrons C18–C5AD). The distribution of the VDMs appears to reflect the paleomagnetic field behavior and may be taken into account in a magnetization model for the reversely magnetized oceanic crust.     

Wave Activity and Its Changes in the Troposphere and Stratosphere of the Northern Hemisphere in Winters of 1979–2016

An analysis of spectra of wave disturbances with zonal wave numbers 1 ≤ k ≤ 10 is carried out using winter (November to March) ERA-Interim reanalysis geopotential data in the troposphere and stratosphere for 1979–2016. Contributions of eastward-traveling (E), westward-traveling (W), and stationary (S) waves are estimated. The intensification of wave activity is observed in the tropical troposphere and stratosphere and in the upper stratosphere of the entire Northern Hemisphere. The intensification of wave activity in the tropics and subtropics is noted for waves of all types (E, W, and S), while in the middle and higher latitudes it is related mainly to stationary and eastward waves. Near the subtropical tropopause, the energy of stationary waves has increased in recent decades. In addition, in the tropical and subtropical troposphere and in the subtropical lower stratosphere, the energy of the eastward-traveling waves in El Niño years may be one and a half times or twice the energy in La Niña years. The spectrally weighted zonal wave numbers for waves of all types (E, W, and S) are the largest in the upper subtropical troposphere. The spectrally weighted zonal wave number for W and S waves is correlated with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation index and varies by 15% in 1979–2016 (on an interdecadal time scale). The spectrally weighted wave period is larger in the stratosphere than in the troposphere. It is maximal in the middle extratropical stratosphere. The spectrally weighted wave periods correlate with the activity of sudden stratospheric warmings. The sign of this correlation depends on the latitude, atmospheric layer, and zonal wave number.     

Velocity Field of the Oyashio Region Observed with Satellite-Tracked Surface Drifters during 1999–2000

Based on the surface drifters that moved out from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Pacific, the surface velocity fields of mean, eddy, and tidal components in the Oyashio region are examined for the period September 1999 to August 2000. Along the southern Kuril Island Chain, the Oyashio Current, having a width of ∼100 km, exists with velocities of 0.2–0.4 m s⁻¹. From 40°N to 43°N, the Subarctic Current flows east- or northeastward with velocities of 0.1–0.3 m s⁻¹, accompanied by a meandering Oyashio or Subarctic front. Between the Oyashio and Subarctic current regions, an eddy-dominant region exists with both cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies. The existence of an eastward flow just south of Bussol' Strait is suggested. The 2000 anticyclonic warmcore ring located south of Hokkaido was found to have a nearly symmetric velocity structure with a maximum velocity of ∼0.7 m s⁻¹ at 70 km from the eddy center. Diurnal tidal currents with a clockwise tidal ellipse are amplified over the shelf and slope off Urup and Iturup Islands, suggesting the presence of diurnal shelf waves. From Lagrangian statistics, the single-particle diffusivity is estimated to be ∼10 × 10⁷ cm²s⁻¹.     

Variations in the Atlantic inflow to the Nordic Seas, 1955–1996

Hydrographic observations on the Svinøy section, which runs NW from about 62°N on the Norwegian coast to 64°40′N on the prime meridian, have been used to investigate variations in the Atlantic inflow to the Nordic Seas. The data are from the winter 1955 to 1973 and from the spring and the summer 1978 to 1996. The observations show that in the summer there exist two cores of water with salinity above 35.25 at about 100 m depth, but in the spring and the winter the core furthest offshore is less distinct. Geostrophic calculations show that, for all data sets, there are two kernels with northward currents in the Svinøy section: one over the inner part of the continental slope (over 600–800 m depths) and one further offshore (over 1400–2500 m depth). The mean volume transports of Atlantic water in the section are 4.5, 5.0 and 5.6 Sv in spring, summer and winter, respectively. Results from an Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis of the summer data indicate that there is a dual structure in the section when interannual variations are considered. In the western part of the section the temperature and salinity are negatively correlated with the winter North Atlantic Oscillation index, but in the eastern part of the section they are weakly positively correlated. This is not found in the winter data from 1955 to 1973. The geostrophic volume transport in the summer through the Svinøy section is positively correlated with the NAO indices for winter and spring, where the March NAO index gave the best correlation. Also, the summer volume transports west and east in the section seem to be in opposite phase. From the summer data 1978 to 1996 there is a positive linear trend for the eastern transport (+2.4 Sv), but there is a negative linear trend for the western transport (−2.0 Sv). The transport through the whole section has increased by 1.1 Sv during the same similar period. The atmospheric conditions were different in years with relatively low temperatures and salinities in the western part of the section compared to those years with relatively high temperatures and salinities. It is proposed that interannual variations of temperature, salinity and volume transport in the Svinøy section are controlled mostly by a large-scale variable pressure system (i.e. the North Atlantic Oscillation index).     

Multidisciplinary Program of Field Studies of the Ecosystem in the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean (December 2019–March 2020)

Oceanology - The research program of the dynamics and ecosystem of the Drake Passage and Scotia Sea is scientifically substantiated. Measurements will be carried out by the interdepartmental...     

Cyclical Variations in the Surface Temperature in the Sea of Okhotsk and Adjacent Waters,According to 1998–2018 Satellite Data

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - A series of monthly mean values of the surface temperature in August are created for the Sea of Okhotsk and adjacent waters using 21 years’ worth...     

Study on Nutrient Limitation of Phytoplankton in the Field Experiment of the Yangtze River Estuary in Summer

Introduction The growth of phytoplankton, which is the main primary producer in the ocean, is always limited by some nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. This limitation has spacial variation, and even in the same area, the nitrogen and phosphorus limitation has seasonal alternation [1]. There are many ways to determine the nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth. Among them, the enrichment bioassay is the closest to the natural condition and is accepted by many scholars [2-7]. In r…     

Hydrometeorological characteristics of the Black-Sea region in the years with extreme values of the Sargasso–Black-Sea index

We analyze the annual average values and the anomalies of some hydrometeorological characteristics averaged over the period since January till March near the South Coast of Crimea and in the open part of the Black Sea. It is shown that the sea-surface temperature, the surface temperature of air, and the atmospheric precipitation in the Black-Sea region are lower than the climatic mean values for the extremely high values of the index of North-Atlantic Oscillation (NAO index) (NAO ≥ 1) and the surface temperature gradient between the Sargasso and Black Seas (SBS index) (SBS ≥ 1). In the years with NAO ≤ − 1 and SBS ≤ − 1, the indicated characteristics exceed the climatic mean values. The entire process of changes in the sign of anomalies of the hydrometeorological characteristics runs with a period close to 20 yr.     

Comparison of Field and Satellite Data on the Total Cloudiness for the Atlantic Ocean in the Period 2004–2014

Oceanology - The aim of this study is to compare satellite measurements of the total cloudiness with visual observations of clouds. This makes it possible to compare “different...     

Interannual Sea Level Variations in the South China Sea Over 1950–2009

Spatial patterns of interannual sea level variations in the South China Sea (SCS) are investigated by analyzing an EOF-based 2-dimensional past sea level reconstruction from 1950 to 2009 and satellite altimetry data from 1993 to 2009. Long-term tide gauge records from 14 selected stations in this region are also used to assess the quality of reconstructed sea levels and determine the rate of sea level along the coastal area. We found that the rising rate of sea levels derived from merged satellite altimetry data during 1993–2009 and past sea level reconstruction over 1950–2009 is about 3.9 ± 0.6 mm/yr and 1.7 ± 0.1 mm/yr, respectively. For the longer period, this rate is not significantly different from the global mean rate (of 1.8 ± 0.3 mm/yr). The interannual mean sea level of the SCS region appears highly correlated with Niño 4 indices (a proxy of El Niño-Southern Oscillation/ENSO), suggesting that the interannual sea level variations over the SCS region is driven by ENSO events. Interpolation of the reconstructed sea level data for 1950–2009 at sites where tide gauge records are of poor quality (either short or gapped) show that sea level along the Chinese coastal area is rising faster than the global mean rate of 1.8 mm/yr. At some sites, the rate is up to 2.5 mm/yr.     

Seasonal Cycle Analysis of the Nitrate Nitrogen and Nitrite Nitrogen in the Bohai Sea

During 1985～1987,the concentration of nitrate nitrogen was higher in the Laizhou Bay and the Bohai Bay while that of nitrite nitrogen was higher in the Liaodong Bay and the Bohai Bay,The concentration of nitrate nitrogen was highest in winter and lowest in summer while that of nitrite nitrogen was highest in autumn and lowest in spring .the seasonal variation of the concentration of nitrate nitrogen was maximum in the Laizhou Bay and the Bohai Bay while that of the concentration of nitrite nitrogen was maximum in the Liaodong Bay.There was a great difference in the concentration of nitrate nitrogen between the surface and the bottom in autumn and in the concentration of nitrite nitrogen between the surface and the bottom in summer.The main reason for the seasonal variations of the concentration of nitrate nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen was the marine biochemical process.The nitrate nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen in the Bohai Sea basically maintained a quasi-equilibrium state seasonal cycle,The quesi-equilibrium state seasonal cycle of nitrate nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen at the bottom was stable while that at the surface was liable to variations caused by other factors.     

Variations in the atmospheric aerosol optical depth from the data obtained at the Russian actinometric network in 1976–2006

The results of an analysis of variations in the optical depth of a vertical atmospheric column on the basis of a 30-year (1976–2006) series of observations obtained by the Russian actinometric network are generalized. This analysis is based on the Atmosphere Transparency special-purpose database created at the Voeikov Main Geophysical Observatory on the basis of observational data obtained at the actinometric stations of the Russian Hydrometeorological Research Center. The general regularities of spatial variations in the atmospheric optical depth (AOD) over Russia are revealed: there is a monotonic decrease from the southwest to the northeast, with localized areas having different aerosol loads due to the global and regional factors of their formation. A spatiotemporal structure of the anomalies of AOD annual values within the time interval under consideration, including the El Chichon (1982) and Pinatubo (1991) eruptions, is studied.     

A Study from Space of Anomalous Variations of Various Geophysical Fields during the Preparation of a Series of Strong Earthquakes in Italy in 2016–2017

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - A time series of the occurrence of thermal anomalies, aerosol optical-depth anomalies, and total electron content of the ionosphere during the...     

Variations in the Fishing and Sea Conditions of Northwestern East China Sea in Autumn 1983

Some unusual features have been analysed in this paper on the sea conditions ofnorthwestern East China Sea and the fisheries of Mackerel, Round Scad, Sardines off Zhejiangin the autumn of 1983, based on the data of the past years. The findings are as follows: 1. The low-salinity water area formed by the Changjiang River runoff emptying intothe sea expanded by three times as campared with that of 1978 (a poor runoff year). The     

Delivery of chemical elements with atmospheric precipitations to the coastal regions of the Crimea in 2004–2008

We study the space-and-time variations of the delivery of fluxes of 26 elements (Na, K, Rb, Cs, Cu, Ag, Au, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn, Cd, Hg, Hf, Ta, As, Sb, Cr, Se, Mo, W, Mn, Br, Fe, Co and Ni) with atmospheric precipitations to the sea surface in the regions of Sevastopol and the South Coast of Crimea. It is established A series of general regularities of the delivery of the sum of these elements and their soluble and insoluble forms. We also give the characteristics of their space-time variability.     

Changes in the Frequency of Phase Transitions of Different Types of El NIño Phenomena in Recent Decades

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Estimates of changes in the frequency of transitions between different phases of El Niño processes over the past seven decades (1950–2019)...