A simultaneous interpretation,by wind speed and direction,of ambient air negative ion density in Athens,Greece

A recently developed data presentation technique, the rectangular wind frequency isopleth diagram, has been applied to examine the effect of wind speed and direction, acting simultaneously, on ambient air negative ion densities. The large negative ion concentration decreases in the majority of directions and wind speed intervals, while that of the small ions increases, as the wind speed increases. The local maxima and minima, occurring in some sectors, are properly discussed.     

The magnetic observatory of Pendeli (Athens,Greece)

Summary A new magnetic observatory, named the Magnetic Observatory of Pendeli, was established and put in operation in 1958 near Athens (Greece). This Observatory was organized by and belongs to the Greek «Institute for Geology and Subsurface Research». The geographical position of the Pendeli Observatory is given by =38° 02.8, =23°51.8 andh=495 m (above sea level). The gemagnetic coordinates of the same are =36°.2, =102°.0. The Observatory is situated near Pendeli Mt. (18 km NEE of Athens). The site of the Observatory consists of marmor underlain by mica schists, both magnetically inactive.The building of the Observatory is constructed of stone and its roof made of tiles. The magnetograph room is in the underground of the building. The magnetic and thermal conditions in the variometer room are satisfactory enough.The variometers of the Observatory forH andZ are of the magnetic balance type. ForD a fibre suspension declinometer is used. The scale values of the variometers are _H =7.2 /mm, _D =1.0/mm (7.6 /mm), _Z =11.5 /mm. The speed of recording amounts to 12 mm/h and the width of the record is 9 cm.The Pendeli Observatory has been operating since April 1958. The record is changed every day. The scale and base-line values are determined every 10 days. The room for the absolute measurements is found in the ground floor of the building. A field magnetic theodolite is being used in the absolute measurements.D is measured with two magnets in a fibre suspension declinometer.H is measured by means of the deflection oscillation method and with a QHM as well. For the measurement ofI an earthinductor is available. The values of the magnetic elements are properly corrected in order to represent the external normal field.     

Seismic source-parameter relations for earthquakes in Greece

A data set of nineteen, mainly shallow, moderate to large earthquakes, which occurred in the Aegean and the surrounding area, has been used to derive empirical relations for kinematic fault parameters. Thus the relations between seismic momentM ₀ and magnitudeM _s andm _b and betweenM ₀ andM _s and fault dimensionsS andL have been determined. From these relations and theoretical ones it was deduced that earthquakes in the Aegean and the surrounding events, chiefly interplate, are characterized by low average stress drop values. Values of ranging from 1 to 30 bar are consistent with the data. It was also found that, in general terms, most of the data obey the geometrical similarity conditionL=2w, whereL is the fault length measured along the strike andw is its width measured along the dip. For strike-slip faults, however, the conditionL=4w seems to hold.     

The 15-minute periodicity of earthquakes in Greece

A 15-min periodicity of seismic events in the catalog of earthquakes in Greece is discovered. It is most vividly expressed in the time series of weak and shallow events; however, it also occurs in the series of rather strong representative and deep earthquakes.     

Cases of aerosol optical depth estimation in the Athens area,Greece

This work estimates the Ångström turbidity coefficients and investigates the variation of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the Athens area, during different atmospheric conditions. The AOD is estimated in the wavelength band of 400–670 nm from direct-beam spectral irradiance measurements using ground-based instrumentation, during an experimental campaign performed in the period 22 September–1 October 2002. All data were collected under clear-sky conditions near the city center of Athens; the AODs were estimated relative to the local zenith to avoid the influence of the optical air mass. The study shows that the AOD is influenced by wind regime and traffic in the Athens area. The Angstrom's turbidity coefficients and the AOD values were found to be higher under the influence of South-sector winds compared to those from the North-sector. Under South-sector low winds, the pollutants are accumulated in the Athens basin. On the contrary, the North-sector winds clean the atmosphere.     

Total Atmospheric Transmittance in the UV and VIS Spectra in Athens,Greece

This work investigates the seasonal and diurnal variation of total spectral transmittance of solar radiation. Such a study dealing with ultraviolet and visible wavelengths (310–575 nm) is carried out in Athens for the first time. The spectral values presented are averages over a number of records in a period of 42 days and have been calculated using ground-based spectral measurements of direct-beam irradiance. The data were recorded on selected days throughout a year by a simple pyrheliometer capable of performing spectral measurements. All data were recorded under clear-sky conditions in the city center of Athens and the total spectral atmospheric transmittance was estimated in the direction of local zenith to become independent of any optical mass effects. The comparison between seasons reveals that the atmospheric transmittance is higher in the cold period of the year than in the warm, simply because the photochemical pollution in the summer is more severe. Various features of seasonal and diurnal variation are also discussed with respect to emission sources, topographic peculiarities and wind regime.     

Spectral Aerosol Transmittance in the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectra in Athens,Greece

This work investigates the spectral atmospheric transmittance due to aerosols in the urban environment of Athens during a period of one year. The spectral transmittance due to aerosols is derived using measurements of spectral direct-beam solar irradiance in the 310–575 nm spectral band. This derivation is accomplished by using a radiative transfer model for estimating the partial spectral atmospheric transmittance functions due to Rayleigh scattering, and absorption by ozone, nitrogen dioxide and water vapor. The seasonal and diurnal variation of the aerosol transmittance is investigated and the results are discussed with a view to air pollution sources, meteorological factors and topographic characteristics of the Athens basin.     

The University of Athens Hellenic Macroseismic Database (HMDB.UoA): historical earthquakes

A systematic study of historical earthquakes leading to the quantification of earthquake effects in terms of macroseismic data points (MDPs) and, consequently, earthquake parameters has been carried out in the last decade at the Laboratory of Seismology of the University of Athens. For each earthquake, the available background information was evaluated and the corresponding macroseismic intensities assessed in terms of the European Macroseismic Scale 1998. A considerable amount of these MDPs contributed to the Archive of Historical Earthquake Data inventory through European initiatives (NERIES and SHARE). Based on the structure of the European Database, the local version of the Hellenic Macroseismic Database (HMDB.UoA) was designed incorporating historical earthquakes of the period 1000–1899 from the eastern Aegean area, central Greece and Ionian Islands. In its present form, the HMDB.UoA includes 90 events with I _max?≥?7 (868 MDPs) and 1,088 events with I _max?<?7 (1,273 MDPs). The database is hosted on the website http://macroseismology.geol.uoa.gr/.     

基于小震经验格林函数研究中等地震破裂方向性: 以2008年攀枝花MS6.1地震为例

中小地震破裂方向性研究在确定实际发震面以及地震灾害评估中具有非常重要的意义.本文以2008年8月30日攀枝花M_S6.1地震为研究实例, 以较小余震作为经验格林函数地震, 利用表观震源时间函数随台站方位角变化特性, 确定了主震的破裂方向、破裂尺度以及破裂速度, 验证了该方法的适用性和可行性.研究结果表明, 主震的破裂方向为几乎正南的184°, 破裂长度8.05 km, 破裂速度3.35 km·s^-1, 进一步确认了主震震源机制解其中沿南北向的节面是地震实际发震面, 主震在水平方向沿着南北向元谋断裂从北往南破裂.攀枝花地震震源破裂速度接近地壳剪切波速度, 这可能是造成此次地震虽然震级不大但破坏性严重的重要原因.本文综合分析主震的矩心深度、震源机制解、破裂方向性以及构造应力背景等信息, 探讨了地震发生的破裂过程以及灾害严重的原因.

     

Evidence for tidal triggering on the earthquakes of the Hellenic Arc,Greece

In this paper we investigate the tidal triggering evidence on the earthquakes of the seismic area of the Hellenic Arc using the Hist(ogram)Cum(mulation) method. We analyze the series of the earthquakes occurred in the area which is confined by the longitudes 22° and 28°E and latitudes 34° and 36°N in the time period from 1964 to 2012. In this time period 16,137 shallow and of intermediate depth earthquakes with M_L up to 6.0 and 1,482 deep earthquakes with M_L up to 6.2 occurred. The result of the this analysis indicate that the monthly variation of the frequencies of earthquake occurrence is in accordance with the period of the tidal lunar monthly variations, and the same happens with the corresponding daily variations of the frequencies of earthquake occurrence with the diurnal luni-solar (K1) and semidiurnal solar (S2) tidal variations. These results are in favor of a tidal triggering process on earthquakes when the stress in the focal area is near the critical level.     

Monitoring air pollution in China from geostationary satellite: A synthetic study using simulated observations

We simulated geostationary satellite observations to assess the potential for high spatial-and temporal-resolution monitoring of air pollution in China with a focus on tropospheric ozone(O_3), nitrogen dioxide(NO_2), sulfur dioxide(SO_2), and formaldehyde(HCHO). Based on the capabilities and parameters of the payloads onboard sun-synchronous satellites, we simulated the observed spectrum based on a radiative transfer model using a geostationary satellite model. According to optimal estimation theory, we analyzed the sensitivities and retrieval uncertainties of the main parameters of the instrument for the target trace gases. Considering the retrieval error requirements of each trace gas, we determined the major instrument parameter values(e.g., observation channel, spectral resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio). To evaluate these values, retrieval simulation was performed based on the three-dimensional distribution of the atmospheric components over China using an atmospheric chemical transportation model. As many as 90% of the experiments met the retrieval requirements for all target gases. The retrieval precision of total-column and stratospheric O_3 was 2%. In addition, effective retrieval of all trace gases could be achieved at solar zenith angles larger than 70°. Therefore, the geostationary satellite observation and instrument parameters provided herein can be used in air pollution monitoring in China. This study offers a theoretical basis and simulation tool for improving the design of instruments onboard geostationary satellites.     

Magnetic signature of indoor air pollution: Household dust study

The combination of magnetic and geochemical methods was used to determine the mineralogy, grain size and domain structure of magnetic particles in indoor dust collected in 195 sites in Warsaw, Poland. Data show an asymmetric distribution of magnetic susceptibility (χ) in the wide range of 20–1514 × 10^?8 m³ kg^?1. Comparison of magnetic parameters shows that the internal dust contains outside pollution characteristic for air and soil. More than 90% of indoor dust samples were characterized by roughly uniform magnetic mineralogy, typical for fine grained magnetite (diameter of 0.2–5 μm), and grain size between pseudo-single-domain and small multi-domain with small contribution of superpara-magnetic particles (～10%). Samples with χ larger than 220 × 10^?8 m³ kg^?1 contain mainly magnetite and an anthropogenic metallic Fe with T _C > 700°C. The indoor dust contains, characteristic for the urban areas, spherical magnetic particles originated from fossil fuel combustion processes and mixture of irregular angular iron-oxides grains containing other elements, including Na, Ca, Al, Si, K, S, Mn, Cl, and Mg.     

评“两次希腊大地震的预测”

Uyeda和Kamogawa报道了短期地震预测的VAN实验方法（VAN是3位希腊物理学家Panayiotis Varotsos、Kessar Alexopoulos和Konstantine Nomicos姓氏的首字母缩写）。     

中国大陆特征地震震级分布规律

根据特征地震的震级分布符合正态分布的基本假设,对特征地震的震级分布规律进行定量化研究.考虑到原地复发型大地震的震级数据稀少,提出利用大地震的同震位移转换得到震级数据,再对不同观测点所得到的震级数据进行归一化处理,使所有归一化震级数据均服从均值为0的同分布,进而可以统计得到反映特征地震震级变异性的标准差σ.最后基于广泛搜集的中国大陆54个特征地震的同震位移,利用本文给出的统计方法得到一个通用的标准差σ=0.08,为进一步研究特征地震的发生概率模型提供了重要依据.      

A mathematical formulation for optimal control of air pollution

In recent years the urban air pollutions caused by emissions from industry, transportation and energy consuming for daily living are getting worse in many major cities of China. Peoples awareness on air quality is increasing. Routine monitoring and foreca…     

Dependence of air pollution on meteorological conditions based on magnetic susceptibility measurements: a case study from Warsaw

This study reports systematic analysis of air pollution concentration by particulate matter (PM) in relation to annual changes of metrological conditions. The concentration of PM collected on filters was evaluated by magnetic properties. Long series of filters collected during 1977, 1980, 1981 and 1985 in Warsaw have been used for measurement. Such long time series allowed a better determination of correlation between seasonal susceptibility changes and meteorological conditions and to verify the repeatability of annual behavior. The magnetic susceptibility normalized by mass (??) has been used as a proxy of pollution. Monthly variations of ?? (??_m) demonstrated slow and small seasonal changes disturbed by quick, high peaks. The filters with high susceptibilities contain a mixture of magnetic single and multidomain grains which is characteristic for anthropogenic pollution, with the frequency-dependent susceptibility ??_fd being less than 4%. The low susceptibility samples are characterized by admixture of small amount of pseudo-single domain (PSD) and possible small amount of superparamagnetic (SP) grains. Detailed analysis of reduced mean monthly susceptibility ??_R revealed that temperature and absolute humidity correlate positively in cold period of year and negatively in warm months. The linear correlation coefficients range from 0.7 to 0.9 and from 0.3 to 0.4 for negative and positive linear correlation, respectively. The dispersion of pollutants in a city depends on the way of ventilation. The big cities like Warsaw are urban heat islands which act the most effective way for the warm period and for the cold time. The correlation of ??_R with absolute humidity is similar to that for temperature but for different reasons. The presence of big amount of water vapor particles in the atmosphere can favor the adhesion of smaller ferromagnetic grains to their surface which can accelerate the process of falling down of such agglomerates. Such a process can take place during wintertime. We do not observe clear correlation between ??_R and precipitation.