Morphological aspects of a new type of counter electrojet event

The study describes the time and space morphologies of a rather new type of counter electrojet event on the basis of data from the excellent chain of magnetic and ionospheric observatories along the Indo-Russian longitude sector. Abnormally large westward currents are observed during almost the whole of the daytime hours on a series of days. These events do not form any vortices in the current system and do not apparently seem to be associated with tidal effects or any solar magnetosphere events or geomagnetic disturbances. The existence of a westward electric field over the equatorial ionosphere has been confirmed by the absence of an equatorial type of sporadic E in the ionograms at Thumba precisely during the periods when H at Trivandrum minus H at Alibag is negative. The equatorial F region anomaly was also absent on the counter electrojet day. Such counter electrojet events during the northern winter months of low solar activity years are suggested to be the result of the modified wind system in the ionosphere associated with stratospheric warming events.     

Ocean wind fields retrieved from the advanced synthetic aperture radar aboard ENVISAT

In this paper an algorithm is presented which enables high-resolution ocean surface wind fields to be retrieved from the advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) data acquired by the European remote sensing satellite ENVISAT. Wind directions are extracted from wind-induced streaks that are visible in ASAR images at scales above 200 m and that are approximately in line with the mean surface wind direction. Wind speeds are derived from the normalized radar cross section (NRCS) and image geometry of the calibrated ASAR images, together with the local ASAR-retrieved wind direction. Therefore the empirical C-band model CMOD4, which describes the dependency of the NRCS on wind and image geometry, is used. CMOD4 is a semi-empirical model, which was originally developed for the scatterometer of the European remote sensing satellites ERS-1 and 2 operating at C-band with vertical polarization. Consequently, CMOD4 requires modification when applied to ASAR images that were acquired with horizontal polarization in transmitting and receiving. This is performed by considering the polarization ratio of the NRCS. To demonstrate the applicability of the algorithm, wind fields were computed from several ENVISAT ASAR images of the North Sea and compared to atmospheric model results of the German weather service.Acknowledgements The authors were supported by the German Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) in the framework of the project. A new perspective of the Ocean ENVISAT Oceanography (ENVOC). The ENVISAT ASAR data were kindly made available by the European Space Agency in the framework of the ENVISAT Project AO-ID 220, Biological and geophysical parameters from synthetic aperture radar over the ocean (BIGPASO).     

Jet stream activity detected as wavelike disturbances at mid-latitude ionosphericF region heights

Summary Wavelike disturbances with periods of 12 to 15 minutes detected at ionosphericF region heights by radio techniques are investigated. These disturbances in an otherwise quiet ionosphere are attributed to the presence of active wind patterns associated with the jet stream at the height of the tropopause. The active flow patterns on the tropopause weather maps indicate horizontal wind shear, the direction of flow parallel to the isolines of constant speed. Conversely, the ionospheric activity diminishes when the contours of constant wind speed swing perpendicular to the direction of flow.At times the wind patterns meander across the United States from west to east essentially unchanged. On such occasions the ionospheric activity attributed to these winds appears over a given station for 5 or 6 days, and then disappears. At other times less stable wind patterns are seen to break apart within a matter of hours and the ionospheric activity appears in correspondingly short gusts. For both cases, the ionospheric activity may be thought of as localized, in terms of global circulation, exhibiting a strong longitudinal dependence.Initial work sponsored by the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences of the Environmental Science Services Administration, Boulder, Colorado.     

Airborne microorganisms: Their occurrence,distribution and dependence on environmental factors — Especially on organic compounds of air-pollution

For a period of approximately six months the concentrations of airborne microorganisms were determined by the uptake of their day-characteristic at local places differing by the extent of air pollution. By simultaneously recording the meteorological parameters as temperature, relative humidity, direction and velocity of wind and intensity of solar radiation, it was intended to find out the relationship between these factors and the viability of airborne microorganisms. The present data show an oscillation of the concentration counts over a wide range and seem not yet to depend on the local situation of air pollution.In a further series of experiments the atmospheric aerosol <10 m was collected on air-filters. The decreased substances were extracted from the filter material by aqueous and organic solutants and tested for their antimicrobial activities. In this context the seasonal dependence of the microbicidal activity of organic compounds of aerosol is discussed.     

Summertime winds and direct cyclonic circulation: observations from Lake Geneva

Records of wind, air temperature and air pressure from nine stations, situated along the shoreline of Lake Geneva, Switzerland, were analyzed for the summer period May to September. At all stations the consistent appearance of significant spectral peaks and changes in wind direction at the diurnal frequency indicates the importance of lake-land breezes. It is shown that the surrounding topography has a strong modifying effect (temporal and spatial) on the lake-land breeze. Superimposed on this cyclic wind pattern, short episodes of strong winds with long fetch over parts of Lake Geneva are regularly observed. Both of these winds exert a spatially variable wind stress over the lake surface on the same time scale. Typical examples of the expected lakes response are presented, among them the seasonally persistent gyre in the central part of the lake. Evidence is provided that this dominant circulation is part of a direct cyclonic circulation, generated by the curl of the diurnal wind field. It is concluded that the mean circulation is caused by these winds and affected by the topography of the surrounding land.Present address: Environmental Protection Agency, Perth 6009, Australia     

Variations in the IMF vertical component in isolated solar wind streams

The regularities of the variations in the IMF B _z component have been studied based on the data on the solar wind streams and their solar sources. Isolated solar wind streams such as magnetic clouds and shock layers before them, undisturbed heliospheric current sheets (HCSs), leading edges and bodies of high-speed streams from coronal holes (HSSs from CHs) have been considered. It has been revealed that each type of isolated streams in the interplanetary medium has it own features in the variations in the value and direction of the B _z component related to the stream immanent properties and conditions of propagation in the interplanetary plasma. The appearance of the southward B _z component is obligatory for all these streams which are, therefore, geoeffective.     

Vertical structure of the midlatitude winter <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis> region of the ionosphere during postmidnight enhancements in <Emphasis Type="Italic">NmF</Emphasis>2

The behavior of the vertical structure of the ionospheric F2 layer, including the variations in the heights of the maximum and bottom of the layer, its half-thickness, and electron content at some fixed heights during postmidnight enhancements in the electron density at the F2 layer maximum (NmF2), has been studied based on the data of the ionospheric vertical sounding, conducted in Alma-Ata (76°55′ E, 43°15′ N) in 2005–2006. The analysis of the amplitude and phase relationships between the measured parameters of the layer made it possible to qualitatively complete the existing concepts of the mechanisms by which the discussed effect is maintained. It is shown that the accelerated decrease in the electron density of the layer within a short time interval preceding the beginning of the postmidnight increase in NmF2 is governed not only by recombination processes but also by the plasma redistribution over the increasing thickness of the layer. The regularly observed effect of the delay in the moment of reversal in the motion direction of the layer bottom relative to the corresponding moment for the layer maximum made it possible to conclude that the meridional wind asynchronously reverses its direction from the poleward daytime to the equatorward nighttime in the entire layer: the direction changes later with decreasing height.     

EISCAT measurements of the solar wind

EISCAT observations of interplanetary scintillation have been used to measure the velocity of the solar wind at distances between 15 and 130R (solar radii) from the Sun. The results show that the solar wind consists of two distinct components, a fast stream with a velocity of 800 km s^–1 and a slow stream at 400 kms^–1. The fast stream appears to reach its final velocity much closer to the Sun than expected. The results presented here suggest that this is also true for the slow solar wind. Away from interaction regions the flow vector of the solar wind is purely radial to the Sun. Observations have been made of fast wind/slow wind interactions which show enhanced levels of scintillation in compression regions.     

Multi-instrument observations of the electric and magnetic field structure of omega bands

High time resolution data from the CUTLASS Finland radar during the interval 01:30–03:30 UT on 11 May, 1998, are employed to characterise the ionospheric electric field due to a series of omega bands extending 5° in latitude at a resolution of 45 km in the meridional direction and 50 km in the azimuthal direction. E-region observations from the STARE Norway VHF radar operating at a resolution of 15 km over a comparable region are also incorporated. These data are combined with ground magnetometer observations from several stations. This allows the study of the ionospheric equivalent current signatures and height integrated ionospheric conductances associated with omega bands as they propagate through the field-of-view of the CUTLASS and STARE radars. The high-time resolution and multi-point nature of the observations leads to a refinement of the previous models of omega band structure. The omega bands observed during this interval have scale sizes 500 km and an eastward propagation velocity 0.75 km s^–1. They occur in the morning sector (05 MLT), simultaneously with the onset/intensification of a substorm to the west during the recovery phase of a previous substorm in the Scandinavian sector. A possible mechanism for omega band formation and their relationship to the substorm phase is discussed.     

On the impact of wind on the development of wave field during storm Britta

The observation of extreme waves at FINO 1 during storm Britta on the 1st November 2006 has initiated a series of research studies regarding the mechanisms behind. The roles of stability and the presence of the open cell structures have been previously investigated but not conclusive. To improve our understanding of these processes, which are essential for a good forecast of similarly important events offshore, this study revisits the development of storm Britta using an atmospheric and wave coupled modeling system, wind and wave measurements from ten stations across the North Sea, cloud images and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. It is found here that a standard state-of-the-art model is capable of capturing the important characteristics of a major storm like Britta, including the storm path, storm peak wind speed, the open cells, and peak significant wave height (H _s ) for open sea. It was also demonstrated that the impact of the open cells has negligible contribution to the development of extreme H _s observed at FINO 1. At the same time, stability alone is not sufficient in explaining the development of extreme H _s . The controlling conditions for the development of Britta extreme H _s observed at FINO 1 are the persistent strong winds and a long and undisturbed fetch over a long period.     

A statistical analysis of longitudinal dependences of upper thermospheric zonal winds at dip equator latitudes derived from CHAMP

New observations, obtained by the accelerometer onboard the CHAMP satellite, reveal a detailed picture of the thermospheric zonal wind. Based on three years of data (2002–2004) we have studied the longitudinal dependence of the zonal delta wind (deviations from the zonal average) at the dip equator. The large number of passes ($\sim$33 750) allows to consider several aspects of the wind characteristics at the same time. For this analysis we derived the longitudinal variation of the zonal delta wind at about 400 km altitude and investigated its dependence on solar flux, magnetic activity, and season. Major longitudinal dependences are confined to the morning hours, 03-09 local time (LT). The amplitude of the delta wind is approximately proportional to the latitudinal displacement of the magnetic dip equator from the geographic equator. The direction of the delta wind reverses sign between the June and December Solstices. During Equinox seasons these large scale features are almost absent. The flux level of solar EUV has no significant influence on the longitudinal variations. A dependence on magnetic activity could only be found during the post-sunset hours, 18-21 LT. Performing a Fourier transform of our delta wind velocities revealed a dominance of the wavenumber 4 in the Equinox data at some LT sectors. The wave-4 structure is a prevailing feature in the slowly precessing satellite frame, which has been recently reported, e.g. in nonmigrating tidal temperature measurements of the SABER instrument on the TIMED satellite in the Mesosphere Lower Thermosphere (MLT) region. Therefore, this statistical study of zonal wind longitudinal dependences provides new observational evidence for the coupling of the various atmospheric layers by nonmigrating tides.     

Analytical model of the near-Earth magnetopause according to the data of the Prognoz and Interball satellite data

Based on the magnetopause observations near the Earth by the Prognoz/Interball satellites in 1972–2000, the empirical model of this boundary has been proposed, and the magnetopause behavior at different parameters of the oncoming solar wind has been studied. For the first time, it has been detected that the Earth’s magnetopause is compressed by ∼5% in the direction perpendicular to the plane including the vectors of the solar wind velocity and IMF. At the same time, any dependence of the subsolar magnetopause position on the IMF B _z component has not been revealed in the Progrnoz/Interball data. The proposed magnetopause model can be used to model the position and shape of the near-Earth bow shock.     

Seasonal variation of space–time parameters of internal gravity waves at Kharkiv (49°30′N, 36°51′E)

Internal gravity waves (IGWs) over Kharkiv (49°30′N, 36°51′E) have been studied by using an automatic goniometer of a meteor radar (AG MR), with its antenna directed to the East. The AG MR carries out Doppler measurements of the radial drift velocity and the position of the reflecting area of meteor trails. In order to obtain information about IGW parameters, an algorithm was used that processes the AG MR wind data by dividing the measured volume into several sub-volumes, and by carrying out wavelet analysis of wind variations in these areas. Results of 1 year (1987) of AG MR data show a good qualitative correspondence with literature results. There is an increase of IGW activity during the change of the zonal background wind in spring and autumn. It was found that the mean IGW horizontal phase velocity and predominating horizontal propagation direction change with season. However, the mean period (1.5 h), the dominant amplitude (30 m/s) and the vertical phase velocity do not strongly vary in the course of the year. The mean vertical and horizontal wavelengths were found to be 40 and 250 km, respectively.     

Calculating the azimuth of mountain waves, using the effect of tilted fine-scale stable layers on VHF radar echoes

A simple method is described, based on standard VHF wind-profiler data, where imbalances of echo power between four off-vertical radar beams, caused by mountain waves, can be used to calculate the orientation of the wave pattern. It is shown that the mountain wave azimuth (direction of the horizontal component of the wavevector), is given by the vector are radar echo powers, measured in dB, in beams pointed away from vertical by the same angle towards north, south, east and west respectively, and W is the vertical wind velocity. The method is applied to Aberystwyth MST radar data, and the calculated wave vector usually, but not always, points into the low-level wind direction. The mean vertical wind at Aberystwyth, which may also be affected by tilted aspect-sensitive layers, is investigated briefly using the entire radar output 1990–1997. The mean vertical-wind profile is inconsistent with existing theories, but a new mountain-wave interpretation is proposed.     

Seismic refraction problem in anisotropic media of the cretaceous plateau in czechoslovakia

Summary Media with a distinct anisotropy make application of the refraction method for seismic exploration rather complicated. Velocity data obtained by seismic shooting, sonic log and laboratory measurements of borehole cores have been studied in the region of the Bohemian Cretaceous and interpretation problems of refraction have been analysed. Experience has shown that in such complicated anisotropic media the reflection method in the CDP modification has proved to be much more suitable.Paper was presented at the workshop meeting Seismic Waves in Laterally Inhomogeneous Media, Liblice 1978.     

Average sand particle trajectory examined by the Raindrop Detachment and Wind‐driven Transport (RD‐WDT) process

Recent studies of soil loss by the integrated action of raindrop impact and wind transport have demonstrated the significance of this mechanism. This paper presents data obtained during wind‐tunnel experiments examining the ‘Raindrop Detachment and Wind‐driven Transport’ (RD‐WDT) process to investigate average sand particle trajectory and the spatial extent at which the process operates. In the experimental design, at the same time as the horizontal wind velocities of 6·4, 10, and 12 m s^–1 passed through the tunnel, rainfall was simulated falling on very well sorted dune sand. The aspect and slope of the sand bed was varied to reproduce both windward (Ww) and leeward (Lw) slopes of 4º and 9º with respect to the prevailing wind direction. The average sand particle trajectories by the RD‐WDT process ( ) were estimated by a mass‐distribution function, which was integrated over a 7‐m uniform slope segment. The results showed that depended statistically upon the wind shear velocity (u*), and the effect of the slope gradient (θ) was insignificant on . This was different from that of the windless rain process ( ), ‘Raindrop Detachment and Splash‐driven Transport’ (RD‐ST), the spatial range of which relies strongly on θ. Additionally, was approximately 2·27 ± 2·2 times greater than the average path of a typical saltating sand particle of the rainless wind ( ), ‘Wind Erosion Saltation Transport’ (WE‐ST). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tidal currents and residual currents at Norderney,Elbe 1, and Aussen-Eider lightships and their variation under the influence of prevailing winds

Summary Four hourly current-and wind observations during the years 1924–1927 at the German lightvessels Norderney, Elbe 1, and Aussen-Eider were subjected to harmonic analysis with emphasis on the influence of the wind on the residual as well as on the tidal current. The tidal current is strongest at Elbe 1 and weakest at Aussen-Eider. The half-monthly inequality of the current is strongly influenced by a ₂ tidal component. Wind influences the velocity, phase and duration of ebb-and flow current in a systematic way at Norderney and Elbe 1. Deviations from the mean tidal current are caused mainly by the change in wind direction rather than by wind velocity. The mean residual current is weak at the three stations. But wind driven currents have a velocity up to 5 times as great as the mean residual current and reverse their direction with the wind. The annual variation of the mean residual current, however, is caused only to a small part by the annual wind variation.Abbreviations used in this paper Gr. M. Tr. Greenwich moon transit, i.e. Greenwich civil time of the upper or lower transit of the moon through the meridian of Greenwich - C _n computed tidal current at M1/2Hn - C _n ^m computed mean tidal current at M1/2Hn - M _n Moon-half hour mean, i.e. mean of all current velocities observed during M1/2Hn - M.A. Moon age of an observation, true Greenwich time of Gr.M.Tr. directly preceeding the time of observation, expressed in 12 integral numbers, each representing M.A. falling in 12 different hourly intervals - M1/2H Moon-half hour, 1/2 of the interval between one moon transit and the next, i.e. 1/24 of 12h25m - R _n ^o ,R _n ^' ,R _n ^" residual current computed by harmonic analysis ofn M1/2H means of the mean current, the current at weak winds, and the current at strong winds respectively - d.o.f. degrees of freedom - standard deviation ofC _n fromM _n - ^* mean standard deviation ofC _n fromM _n for analysis with weighted means - A _o Standard error of the residual currentA _o - AB standard error of the harmonic coefficientsA ₁,B ₁,A ₂,B ₂,... - S ₂ Phase of the current componentS ₂