Incoming solar radiation measurements in Iraq and their presentation

Summary Measurements of the total incoming solar radiation on a horizontal surface have been recorded since 1967 at a network of actinometric stations in Iraq. The instrument used at each of these stations is a bimetallic actinograph of the Robitzsch type. The stations at Mosul, Baghdad and Nasiriya have been selected, to represent respectively the northern, central and southern climatic zones of Iraq.This paper examines from the available records at these stations, until August 1973, the differnt aspects of radiation climatology which are important in solar energy utilizations. The mean annual, monthly and daily radiation; the number of days in which the radiation has exceeded certain given limits and the periods of successive days having radiation less than 100 and 250 cal cm^–2 day^–1 have been studied and presented in tabular and graphical forms suitable for direct application.To architects and engineers interested in the availability of solar radiation on vertical and inclined surfaces, the hourly radiation values for Baghdad have been studied for the different months of the year and the corresponding isopleths on the horizontal have been drawn.     

Experimental evidence for direct penetration of ULF waves from the solar wind and their possible effect on acceleration of radiation belt electrons

The event of March 12–19, 2009, when a moderately high-speed solar wind stream flew around the Earth’s magnetosphere and carried millihertz ultralow-frequency (ULF) waves, has been analyzed. The stream caused a weak magnetic storm (D _{st min} = −28 nT). Since March 13, fluxes of energetic (up to relativistic) electrons started increasing in the magnetosphere. Comparison of the spectra of ULF oscillations observed in the solar wind and magnetosphere and on the Earth’s surface indicated that a stable common spectral peak was present at frequencies of 3–4 mHz. This fact is interpreted as evidence that waves penetrated directly from the solar wind into the magnetosphere. Possible scenarios describing the participation of oscillations in the acceleration of medium-energy (E > 0.6 MeV) and high-energy (E > 2.0 MeV) electrons in the radiation belt are discussed. Based on comparing the event with the moderate magnetic storm of January 21–22, 2005, we concluded that favorable conditions for analyzing the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere are formed during a deep minimum of solar activity.     

Reflection of wide-angle acoustic waves from a high velocity interface

At angles other than normal incidence a pencil of plane acoustic waves, incident on a planar interface separating a low velocity medium from a high velocity medium, gives rise to a reflected pencil of waves which is laterally displaced from the illumination point of the incident pencil. The importance of this planar shift for understanding and interpreting wide-angle acoustic reflections is discussed, as is the variation of the equivalent depth below the interface at which a point-like reflection would be considered as an equivalent reflecting horizon.     

Observed features of acoustic gravity waves in the heterosphere

According to measurements on the Dynamic Explorer 2 satellite, features of the propagation of acoustic gravity waves (AGWs) in the multicomponent upper atmosphere have been investigated. In the altitude range 250–400 km in wave concentration variations of some atmospheric gases, amplitude and phase differences have been observed. Using the approach proposed in this paper, in different gases, AGW variations have been divided into components associated with elastic compression, adiabatic expansion, and the vertical background distribution. The amplitude and phase differences observed in different gases are explained on the basis of analyzing these components. It is shown how to use this effect in order to determine the wave propagation, the vertical displacement of the volume element, the wave frequency, and the spatial distribution of the wave energy density.     

Frequency shift of acoustic gravity waves in a stratified,isothermal, turbulent atmosphere

We study the modification of the frequency of small amplitude acoustic gravity waves which propagate in an isothermal turbulent atmosphere that is stratified by a homogeneous gravitational field. Using a Green's function method, the dispersion relation for the frequency of the waves is formulated as an integral eigenvalue equation and it is solved by perturbation techniques. We draw the following main conclusions: (a) for an arbitrary turbulent correlation spectrum the dispersion relation has a root with a negative imaginary part in the unphysical Riemann sheet of the dispersion function, leading to wave attenuation, much in the same way as it happens for Landau damping; (b) the real part of this root differs from the frequency of an acoustic gravity wave propagating in a nonturbulent medium and, for all forms of the turbulent correlation spectrum, the absolute value of this difference increases if gravity increases; (c) for a Gaussian turbulent correlation spectrum, this difference is always positive; (d) conversely if this frequency difference is known from observations, the auto-correlation function of the temperature fluctuations can be calculated through a simple inversion formula.     

On the evaluation of solar radiation in Egypt

Summary A study of the depletion of solar radiation at Helwan Observatory has shown, for Egypt, that:a) Diffuse reflexion and absorption by suspended particles in the atmosphere constitute about 20 percent of the total depletion;b) Absorption by water vapour is the only factor that should be evaluated at any place to give an estimation of the solar radiation received at that place. This can be obtained either from the mean values of the surface water vapour pressure which have been considered in detail, or, for individual cases, from spectroscopic measurements of the precipitable water content whose daily variations have been studied.     

Correlation between the parameters of coronal mass ejections and features of their propagation in the corona with the large-scale structure of the solar magnetic field

Correlation between the parameters of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that are detected on the LASCO coronographs and are associated with eruptive prominences and the distances of CME axes from the coronal streamer belt has been analyzed. The deviations of CME trajectories from the radial direction have been investigated.     

A comparison of acoustic turbulence profiling techniques in the presence of waves

In order to measure turbulent quantities in coastal waters, one must either avoid or confront the confounding effect of waves. In previous work, we have developed a method to cancel waves when using the variance technique to compute Reynolds stress from acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data. In this paper, we extend this wave cancellation methodology to measurements of turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation using velocities measured along a single acoustic beam. Velocity profiles were collected using a Teledyne/RDI 1,200 kHz ADCP and a Nortek AWAC. The AWAC has a vertical beam that was programmed by Nortek to deliver profiles of vertical velocity. Vertical velocities are desirable both because they eliminate sources of phase error in the wave cancellation procedure and because they constrain measurement uncertainty with respect to turbulent anisotropy. Results indicate that acoustic profiles taken in standard Doppler mode, to which the vertical beam of the AWAC was limited, were too noisy to resolve turbulence under the deployment conditions herein. Pulse-to-pulse coherent modes such as those available on the ADCP were sufficiently low noise to resolve turbulent signals; however, vertical beam data are not available for this device. Nevertheless, our wave cancellation methodology was successful in removing the overwhelming variance associated with waves from both instruments, allowing realistic estimates of Reynolds stress, turbulent kinetic energy, and dissipation from the ADCP. This method holds even more promise as low-noise operating modes are developed for vertical beam acoustic profiling instruments such as the AWAC.     

Development of a 50-year daily surface solar radiation dataset over China

Although solar radiation is a crucial parameter in designing solar power devices and studying land surface processes,long-term and densely distributed observations of surface solar radiation are usually not available.This paper describes the development of a 50-year dataset of daily surface solar radiation at 716 China Meteorological Administration(CMA) stations.First,a physical model,without any local calibration,is applied to estimate the daily radiation at all 716 CMA routine stations.Then,an ANN-based(Artificial Neural Network) model is applied to extend radiation estimates to earlier periods at each of all 96 CMA radiation stations.The ANN-based model is trained with recent reliable radiation data and thus its estimate is more reliable than the physical model.Therefore,the ANN-based model is used to correct the physical model dynamically at a monthly scale.The correction generally improves the accuracy of the radiation dataset estimated by the physical model:the mean bias error(MBE) averaged over all the 96 radiation stations during 1994-2002 is reduced from 0.68 to 0.11 MJ m-2 and the root mean square error(RMSE) from 2.01 to 1.80 MJ m-2.The new radiation dataset shows superior performance over previous estimates by locally calibrated ngstr m-Prescott models.Based on the new radiation dataset,the annual mean daily solar radiation over China is 14.3 MJ m-2.The maximal seasonal mean daily solar radiation occurs in the Tibetan Plateau during summer with a value of 27.1 MJ m-2,whereas the minimal seasonal mean daily solar radiation occurs in the Sichuan Basin during winter with a value of 4.7 MJ m-2.     

Variations in the characteristics of acoustic gravity waves according to simulation data

The characteristics of different-scale acoustic gravity waves (wavelengths of 100–1200 km, periods of 10–50 min) under different geophysical conditions have been studied using a numerical model for calculating the vertical structure of these waves in a nonisothermal atmosphere in the presence of an altitudedependent background wind and in a situation when molecular dissipation is taken into account. It has been established that all considered acoustic gravity waves (AGWs) effectively reach altitudes of the thermosphere. The character of the amplitude vertical profile depends on the AGW scales. The seasonal and latitudinal differences in the AGW vertical structure depend on the background wind and temperature. A strong thermospheric wind causes the rapid damping of medium-scale AGWs propagating along the wind. Waves with long periods to a lesser degree depend on dissipation in the thermosphere and can penetrate to high altitudes. A change in the geomagnetic activity level affects the background wind vertical distribution at high latitudes, as a result of which the AGW vertical structure varies.     

Incipient magma chamber formation as a result of repetitive intrusions

An analytical solution for periodic magma intrusions in conduits was developed to study the onset of shallow magma chamber formation. The solution is based on determining when a repetitive series of intrusions can cause the wall rock of a conduit to reach its melt temperature. The results show that magma chamber formation in conduits is a strong function of the volume rate of intrusion and that magma chamber formation is likely when the intrusion rate exceeds 10^?3 km³/ yr. which agrees with observations by other investigators. Once this critical value of intrusion rate is reached, magma chambers are likely to begin forming after only a few intrusive pulses (less than ten). Results for both cylindrical conduits and dikes show cylindrical conduits are more favourable for the formation of shallow magma chambers.     

Response of the global fields of temperature and tropospheric wind and the middle atmosphere to variations in the solar UV radiation flow during a solar activity cycle in the presence of planetary waves (3D modeling)

Using a model of the general circulation, the response of the temperature and wind in the Earth’s atmosphere to variations in solar UV radiation flows during an 11-year activity cycle is studied with respect to their dependence on the wavelength. Satellite measurement data for the 23rd cycle that were characterized by anomalously low flows of UV radiation at minimum activity are used in calculations. To implement numerical scenarios, wavelength-dependent variations in the UV radiation flow changing absorption in the bands of ozone and molecular oxygen are used in the radiation block of the model. Based on empirical data, a spatial structure of stationary disturbances having the wavenumbers S = 1, 2, and 3 are assigned at the lower boundary of the model. The calculation results demonstrating the changes in the atmospheric parameters between the solar activity maximum and minimum within the height range 0–120 km are presented. It is shown that the response of monthly average values has a wavy structure in latitude, i.e., a nonseasonal character, amounting to several degrees in the lower atmosphere. The results obtained indicate that planetary waves are an important link in the transmission of an external effect on the lower atmosphere.     

Wind control of the propagation of acoustic gravity waves in the polar atmosphere

The relationship between the directions of polar acoustic gravity waves and a wind at 250–350 km altitudes has been studied based on an analysis of the Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite measurements. A method, which makes it possible to determine the direction of these waves relative to the satellite velocity vector based on one-point measurements of different neutral atmosphere parameters, is presented. It has been established that acoustic gravity waves observed over the polar caps systematically propagate upwind, which argues for their spatial wind filtering. In the polar regions, waves mainly propagate in two directions: toward magnetic noon and 15–16 MLT. Waves tend to move counterclockwise and clockwise over the northern and southern polar caps, respectively.     

Penetration of solar radiation in the Schumann-Runge bands of molecular oxygen: a robust approximation

The Schumann-Runge bands of molecular oxygen between 175 nm and 205 nm cover a spectral region of great importance for the effect of solar radiation in the middle atmosphere. The highly structured absorption cross sections that can be computed with good accuracy lead to prohibitive computer resources, however, when they have to be used in complex atmospheric models. Although various approximations have been developed, another approach is proposed to avoid spurious effects, even when the new approximations are used outside of their validity range, corresponding to a solar attenuation of the order of 10^?10. Comparisons between exact computations and present approximations lead to satisfactory agreement.     

Periodic drainage of ice-dammed lakes as a result of variations in glacier velocity

Previous discussions of the catastrophic drainage of ice-dammed lakes have centred on mechanisms where characteristics of the lake are crucial to drainage initiation, for example dam flotation or tunnel formation at a critical lake depth. This paper describes a mechanism for lake drainage where drainage initiation depends on the characteristics of the glacier and is independent of the characteristics of the lake. Prediction of this mechanism must be based on glacier dynamics, whereas the mechanisms most commonly discussed previously are best predicted primarily on the basis of lake evolution. An ice-dammed lake at the margin of the glacier Solheimajokull, in southern Iceland, was observed to drain rapidly into the sub- or englacial drainage system, supplying water and debris to the bed or interior of the glacier. Geomorphological evidence suggests that the lake drains and refills periodically, discharging up to 13300 m³ of water into the glacier-hydrological system. The depth of the maximum lake is insufficient to cause either flotation of the ice margin or tunnel opening by plastic deformation of the ice, and we suggest that sudden drainage is related to ice-bed separations associated with specific glacier flow states rather than to a critical lake depth threshold. This mechanism of lake drainage has implications for conditions at the glacier bed, for the development of basal ice and for the entrainment of debris into the glacier, as well as for the prediction of potentially hazardous catastrophic drainage events and jokulhlaups from ice-dammed lakes.     

Time delay in pulsations of the nonthermal radiation of solar flares

The oscillations with a period of about 6 and 12 s in the nonthermal radiation of a solar flare occurred on November 5, 1992, are identified. The time-translated profiles of hard X-ray and microwave radiation flux are characterized by an anticorrelation. The specific features of the radiation fine time structure are interpreted using the model of the coronal magnetic mirror where fast magnetoacoustic modes are excited.     

Transformation and absorption of magnetosonic waves generated by solar wind in the magnetosphere

Resonant transformation of fast magnetosonic (FMS) wave flux into Alfven and slow magnetosonic (SMS) oscillations is investigated in the one-dimensionally inhomogeneous magnetosphere. Spatial distribution of energy absorption rate of FMS oscillations penetrating into the magnetosphere from the solar wind is studied. The FMS wave energy absorption rate caused by magnetosonic resonance excitation is shown to be several orders of magnitude greater than that caused by Alfven resonance excitation at the same surface. It is connected with the spectrum of incident FMS waves. The Kolmogorov spectrum is used in numerical calculations. Magnitude of the Fourier harmonics exciting resonant Alfven oscillations is much smaller than that of the harmonics driving lower-frequency magnetosonic resonance. It is shown that resonant transformation of FMS waves into SMS oscillations can be an effective mechanism of energy transfer from the solar wind to the magnetosphere.     

Distribution of medium-scale acoustic gravity waves in polar regions according to satellite measurement data

The peculiarities of the distribution of medium-scale acoustic gravity waves (AGWs) in polar regions according to the data of measurements on board the Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite are studied. Over polar regions of both hemispheres at heights of 250–400 km, wave variations in neutral atmospheric parameters were systematically registered. These variations were identified as AGWs with horizontal wavelengths of 500–650 km. The relative amplitudes of polar AGWs in a neutral concentration reach 10%. Wave trains extend over the polar caps to thousands of kilometers and show a distinct spatial relationship with the auroral oval. A systematic direction is found in AGW propagation from the nighttime sector of the oval into the day-time sector, where wave activity is strictly limited. An assumption is formulated that this restriction is caused by dynamic interactions between AGWs and the zonal wind in the daytime sector of the auroral oval.     

Short-period VLF emissions as solitary envelope waves in a magnetospheric plasma maser

Space and ground-based experiments have shown evidence of natural short-period VLF emissions in which separate spectral elements are repeated with a periodicity of 2–7 s. Their basic morphological properties are found on the basis of original experimental data. In our opinion, excitation of such emissions is the result of quasi-linear relaxation effects that compensate for natural spectral dispersion. The quasi-linear relaxation of the energetic electron distribution function incrementally changes wave cyclotron instability and hence the VLF emission spectral forms. Some properties of the quasi-linear interaction of whistler waves with magnetospheric radiation belt electrons are studied. It is shown that quasi-linear relaxation can increase the cyclotron instability at the leading edge of an electromagnetic pulse. This effective saturation of absorption facilitates the division of VLF hiss-like emission into separate electromagnetic pulses without spectral modification from one pulse to the next. Some features and manifestations of this effective saturation of absorption are discussed. The results are important for a better understanding of temporal and spatial structures of VLF whistler-mode emissions and energetic electron fluxes.