Stratospheric NO2 content according to data from ground-based measurements of solar IR radiation

Atmospheric NO₂ content data obtained from regular ground-based measurements of solar IR radiation in the St. Petersburg region using a spectrometer with a high spectral resolution are analyzed. The absorption spectra of the NO₂ multiplet in the vicinity of ～2915 cm^?1 allow one to obtain data on variations in the stratospheric total content of NO₂ in 2009–2011. The accuracy of these data is estimated from their comparison with data obtained from independent ground-based and satellite measurements. The parameters of the seasonal cycle of the stratospheric content of NO₂ are estimated. The body of data accumulated during these measurements in the IR region made it possible to isolate the component of a daytime photochemical increase in the stratospheric content of NO₂ and estimate its rate.     

Seasonal and interannual variations of the field of sea-surface temperature in the southwest Atlantic according to the data of satellite and contact measurements

We study the seasonal and interannual variations of the field of sea-surface temperature (SST) in the Southwest Atlantic on the basis of the analysis of three data arrays, namely, the Levitus-Boyer-1994 hydrological array, the WOD-98 actual database, and the data of satellite measurements of SST. We perform the comparative analysis of the amplitude-phase characteristics of the annual course of the SST field and discuss the distinctive features of its seasonal and interannual variations. It is shown that the results obtained by using different data arrays are in good agreement. The values of the coefficient of linear correlation are equal to 0.7–0.9. It is discovered that the maximum seasonal variations of SST are observed in the zone of confluence of the Falkland and Brasil Currents in the vicinities of the South Subtropical and Antarctic Polar fronts. The minimum seasonal variations are recorded in the Antarctic region and in the Weddell Sea. The satellite data demonstrate that the level of interannual variability is high in the zones of climatic fronts. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 62–76, September–October, 2006.     

大气对微波散射计回波信号衰减的修正方法研究

为了使微波散射计测得的海面后向散射具有足够的精度，必须考虑大气对微波衰减的影响。大气对微波的衰减可以用微波射计来测定。本文将估算晴空、云和降雨天气下的衰减系，讨论计算海面发射率及用微波辐射计剩余亮温估算散射计工作频率下大气衰减的方法。     

First retrieval of data regarding spatial distribution of Asian dust aerosol from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager

Aerosol optical thickness (AOT) was retrieved from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) on board the Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) for the first time. AOT values were retrieved over the ocean at a spatial scale of 0.5 × 0.5 km² by using the look-up table (LUT)-based separation technique. The radiative transfer model (RTM) was used for different models of atmosphere-ocean environmental conditions, taking into account the realistic variability of scattering and absorption. Ocean surface properties affected by whitecaps and pigment content were also taken into account. The results show that the radiance observed by the GOCI amounts to only 5% of the radiation that penetrated the ocean and, consequently, 95% of the radiation is scattered in the atmosphere or reflected at the ocean surface in the visible wavelengths longer than 0.6 ìm. Within these wavelengths, radiance variations at the top of atmosphere (TOA) due to pigment variations are within 10%, while the radiance variation due to wind speed is considerably higher. For verification of GOCI-retrieved AOTs, comparison between GOCI and ground-based sunphotometer measurement at Gosan, Korea (126.10°E, 33.23°N)) showed good correlation (r = 0.99). The GOCI observations obtained by using the proposed technique showed promising results for the daily monitoring of atmospheric aerosol loading as well as being useful for environmental supervisory authorities.     

The structure of suspended matter in Lake Baikal according to the data of measurements of light scattering functions

By using light scattering functions measured in Lake Baikal, we compute the characteristics of suspended matter, such as the mass concentration and the number of particles of the mineral and biological fractions, their mean radius, and the parameter of dispersion of mineral particles. The data on the vertical distributions of the characteristics of suspended matter are obtained for various regions of the lake in the summer period. We compare the characteristics of suspended matter in the zones of upwelling and downwelling of waters in Lake Baikal and in the Indian Ocean, which reveals its identical specific composition in these waters.     

Age of the western Black Sea basin according to an analysis of the anomalous magnetic field and geological data

Until recently, the ideas about the age of the Black Sea deep-water basin have been based on land geological observations in the coastal areas at the interaction periphery, underwater observations from manned submersibles, and on the data of seismic reflection and refraction studies and drilling. Formerly, the scarcity of the information led to a wide scattering of the age determinations: from the Jurassic to the Eocene. Recently, with the appearance of reliable geological and geophysical data, the range of the age estimates has been considerably reduced during the last few years, although there is no commonly accepted opinion on this issue. Therefore, the first attempt to determine the age of the Western Black Sea basin using an analysis of the anomalous magnetic field is of certain interest. The following results were obtained: the basin probably opened between 71.338 and 71.587 My B.P. (subchron C32n.1r). During the interval 68.737–71.071 My B.P. (subchron C31r), extinction of the spreading axes took place. Thus, the total duration of the Campanian-Maestrichtian phase of the opening was about 3 My (interval from 71.587 to 68.737 My B.P.). This result does not agree with the geological and geophysical data available to date. To solve this problem, collection of new geological data and further studies of the structure of the anomalous magnetic field are required.     

Analysis of solutions to the inverse problem on the retrieval of the microstructure of stratospheric aerosol from satellite measurements

A statistical ensemble of microphysical parameters of the background stratospheric aerosol at altitudes of 15 to 30 km is modeled on the basis of experimental data. The aerosol attenuation coefficients (AACs) in the wavelength range 0.38–16.3 μm are calculated for all realizations of the ensemble by algorithms of the Mie theory. Analysis of correlations between the AACs and the microphysical parameters indicate that the AAC correlates most strongly with the total volume V and area S of all particles. The errors of determining the microphysical parameters from AAC measurements are analyzed via the method of linear regression. It is shown that, if the AAC is measured with an error of 5%, the errors of determining both the particle size distribution (PSD) for particles with sizes of 0.4 to 4 μm and the parameter S are an order of magnitude smaller than the prior uncertainty, whereas the error of determining V is two orders of magnitude smaller than the prior uncertainty. Schemes of AAC measurements with the SAGE III, ISAMS, CLAES, HALOE instruments and an IR interferometer in the visible and IR regions are discussed. It is shown that combining the schemes makes it possible to extend the range of particle sizes for which the PSD is retrieved with a satisfactory accuracy and to increase the accuracy of determining S and V substantially and the accuracy of determining the total number of particles N _opt to a lesser extent. Examples of interpreting AAC measurements carried out simultaneously with the SAGE III and HALOE instruments within the same spatial region are presented. A systematic discrepancy between vertical profiles of S and V obtained from SAGE III and HALOE measurements is revealed.     

热液硫化物现场调查中超短基线异常定位数据的快速剔除

热液硫化物现场调查所需的船舶动力定位系统给水下定位数据带来较大的噪声干扰,而调查的现场决策与后续研究均对水下定位数据提出更高的要求.针对现有的Posidonia 6000超短基线水下定位系统,快速有效地剔除受干扰的异常定位数据对热液硫化物调查研究具有积极的意义.本文从超短基线解算过程数据(x,y,z三维分量)入手,根据现场作业水深、滑轮偏角,建立异常定位数据的三维剔除模型;根据三维各自的时间系列分布图,采用合理的数据结构与算法,实现对异常定位数据的交互式剔除.本研究成果能快速有效地剔除异常定位数据,为热液硫化物调查的现场决策和各搭载传感器的后续资料研究提供更准确的水下定位数据.     

一种船载水深测量数据均匀性分布研判方法

针对联合船载水深测量数据和海面重力信息构建海底地形模型时,判断测区水深测量数据分布均匀性主要依靠目视判别方法,致使效率较低缺点,借鉴图像处理领域特征点分布均匀性评价方法,结合船载水深数据抽稀简化技术,给出了描述船载水深测量测区数据均匀性分布量化指标方法.首先以4'网格边长为划分依据,将密集的船载水深测量数据抽稀简化;计...     

Comparative analysis of the methods used for the determination of the optical parameters of waters in the black sea according to the data of satellite measurements

We demonstrate the possibility of determination of the spectral characteristics of absorption and backward scattering of light in the Black Sea according to the data of a SeaWiFS satellite device. We use specially selected data of observations obtained under favorable atmospheric conditions. It is shown that the results of calculations performed by using different methods are almost identical and weakly depend on the model parameters of the spectral course of the coefficients of absorption of light by yellow substance and its scattering by suspended particles.     

Damping of gravity-capillary waves in the presence of oil slicks according to data from laboratory and numerical experiments

Laboratory study results on the damping of gravity-capillary waves (GCWs) on water covered with oil slicks are presented. The nonmonotonic behavior (the presence of a local maximum) of the dependence of the damp coefficient on the slick thickness has been ascertained. The dispersion relation for GCWs in the presence of a viscoelastic slick of arbitrary thickness has been numerically calculated; this confirmed the presence of a damp coefficient maximum as a function of slick thickness. The parameters of oil slicks (interfacial elasticity and viscosity) have been estimated in a wide range of their thickness from a comparison of the calculation results with the data from laboratory measurements of wave parameters on water covered with an oil slick.     

Kinematic structure and mesoscale variability of the rim current near the coast of Crimea (according to the data of instrumental measurements in September 2008)

By using the results of processing of the instrumental data with high space resolution obtained in September 2008, we analyze the structure of the Rim Current in the upper 100-m layer near the coast of Crimea. We determine the statistical characteristics of the mesoscale fluctuations of currents according to the data of 1165 vertical probes. It is shown that the kinetic energy of intense mesoscale perturbations observed in the vicinity of the Rim Current is of the same order of magnitude as the kinetic energy of the mean current.     

A two-channel method for retrieval of the Black Sea surface temperature from Landsat-8 measurements

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The present work is devoted to the development of a retrieval algorithm for the sea surface temperature from the two-channel measurements of the...     

A mesocosm experiment coupled with optical measurements to assess the fate and sinking of atmospheric particles in clear oligotrophic waters

It has recently been postulated that lithogenic particles such as Saharan dust strongly influence particulate organic carbon export to the deep ocean by acting as mineral ballast. However, our understanding of the processes involved remains scant. In the present study, optical measurements were performed to monitor variations in the concentration, composition and size distribution of particles in suspension within the water column after simulating a Saharan dust event in very clear Mediterranean waters off Corsica in June 2010. A new methodology set up in large mesocosms proved very successful in this regard. Values obtained simultaneously from three instruments (WetLabs ECO-BB3, WetLabs ac-9, Sequoia Scientific LISST-100) provided evidence that (1) part of the Saharan dust pool has a rapid settling velocity (∼24–86 m day⁻¹), (2) particulate export following a dust event is a nonlinear multi-step process and (3) export is controlled in part by the formation of organic-mineral aggregates. This experimental study provides the first insight of the complex export processes occurring after a dust event involving both physical and biogeochemical forcings in clear oligotrophic waters.     

A simplified method of obtaining the response of structures from large data banks of wave power spectral densities

A statistical method using empirical orthonormal functions (EOF's) is presented for efficiently representing large data banks of archived nondirectional wave power spectral densities (PSD's). This reduced data set is used to obtain a displacement output probability density function of an offshore structure in response to a wave field. An example is presented thai utilizes five months of NOAA estimated wave spectra taken at 4-h intervals in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Structural Applications Software was developed to provide the output probability density function for any frequency band of interest without requiring the many tapes of original data. For nonlinear problems, a method of generating typical random wave data is discussed that will allow for Monte Carlo simulation.     

Basin geometry and salt diapirs in the Flinders Ranges,South Australia: Insights gained from geologically-constrained modelling of potential field data

The Adelaide Basin in Australia is a complex of late Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian rift and sag basins which was inverted during the Cambro–Ordovician Delamerian Orogeny. The deposition of evaporitic sediments during the earliest stage of basin development in the late Neoproterozoic (Willouran age) played a major role in the subsequent tectonic evolution of the basin. Previous studies have shown that early mobilization, vertical transport and withdrawal of the evaporites influenced the sedimentation during the late Neoproterozoic and Early Cambrian. The evaporites also influenced deformation during the inversion of the basin and the development of the Delamerian fold and thrust belt. However, the control exerted by basement structures in the deposition of the evaporitic beds and the role of these tectonic structures in the later inversion of the basin have been poorly constrained.     

Biogenic carbon flows through the planktonic food web of the Amundsen Gulf (Arctic Ocean): A synthesis of field measurements and inverse modeling analyses

Major pathways of biogenic carbon (C) flow are resolved for the planktonic food web of the flaw lead polynya system of the Amundsen Gulf (southeast Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean) in spring-summer 2008. This period was relevant to study the effect of climate change on Arctic marine ecosystems as it was characterized by unusually low ice cover and warm sea surface temperature. Our synthesis relied on a mass balance estimate of gross primary production (GPP) of 52.5 ± 12.5 g C m⁻² calculated using the drawdown of nitrate and dissolved inorganic C, and a seasonal f-ratio of 0.64. Based on chlorophyll a biomass, we estimated that GPP was dominated by phytoplankton (93.6%) over ice algae (6.4%) and by large cells (>5 μm, 67.6%) over small cells (<5 μm, 32.4%). Ancillary in situ data on bacterial production, zooplankton biomass and respiration, herbivory, bacterivory, vertical particle fluxes, pools of particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC, DOC), net community production (NCP), as well as selected variables from the literature were used to evaluate the fate of size-fractionated GPP in the ecosystem. The structure and functioning of the planktonic food web was elucidated through inverse analysis using the mean GPP and the 95% confidence limits of every other field measurement as lower and upper constraints. The model computed a net primary production of 49.2 g C m⁻², which was directly channeled toward dominant calanoid copepods (i.e. Calanus hyperboreus 20%, Calanus glacialis 10%, and Metridia longa 10%), other mesozooplankton (12%), microzooplankton (14%), detrital POC (18%), and DOC (16%). Bacteria required 29.9 g C m⁻², a demand met entirely by the DOC derived from local biological activities. The ultimate C outflow comprised respiration fluxes (82% of the initial GPP), a small sedimentation (3%), and a modest residual C flow (15%) resulting from NCP, dilution and accumulation. The sinking C flux at the model limit depth (395 m) supplied 60% of the estimated benthic C demand (2.8 g C m⁻²), suggesting that the benthos relied partly on other C sources within the bottom boundary layer to fuel its activity. In summary, our results illustrate that the ongoing decline in Arctic sea ice promotes the growth of pelagic communities in the Amundsen Gulf, which benefited from a ∼80% increase in GPP in spring-summer 2008 when compared to 2004 – a year of average ice conditions and relatively low GPP. However, 53% of the secondary production was generated within the microbial food web, the net ecological efficiency of zooplankton populations was not particularly high (13.4%), and the quantity of biogenic C available for trophic export remained low (6.6 g C m⁻²). Hence it is unlikely that the increase in lower food web productivity, such as the one observed in our study, could support new harvestable fishery resources in the offshore Beaufort Sea domain.