Latitude variation 1958·7–1959·9 at the Geodetical Observatory Pecný

Резюме Отчет о наблюдениях выполненных на ломаном нассажном инструменте Цейсса 100/1000мм. Наблюдалось всего 920 широтных и 738 шкальных пар. Дается вывод инструментальных постоянных и оценка точности первоначальных склонений, которые брались из каталогов Общего каталога Босса (GC), Каталога геодезических звезд Н. В. Циммермана и каталога Моргана N 30. Возможные систематические ошибки значений цены оборота винта микрометра, которые выводились отдельно для трех периодов, разделенных ремонтами и чисткой микрометра, не повлияют на кривую изменения широты. Наблюдения широты производились по программе состоящей, согласно Е. П. Федорову, из четырех групп по двум звеньям. Средняя квадратическая ошибка одного звена равна ±0,22″. По результатам наблюдений построена кривая изменения широты. Кроме того по теории А. Я. Орлова было выведено движение полюса и его сравнением с данными службы SIR получен неполярный z-член +0,030″ cos (18°t+208°). Установлено изменение широты в течение ночи наблюдений, выраженное суточной волной +0,027″. · cos (t _⊙+5,4 ^h ).

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Address: Kostelní 42, Praha 7-Letná.     

Impact of climate change on zooplankton communities, seabird populations and arctic terrestrial ecosystem—A scenario

Many arctic terrestrial ecosystems suffer from a permanent deficiency of nutrients. Marine birds that forage at sea and breed on land can transport organic matter from the sea to land, and thus help to initiate and sustain terrestrial ecosystems. This organic matter initiates the emergence of local tundra communities, increasing primary and secondary production and species diversity. Climate change will influence ocean circulation and the hydrologic regime, which will consequently lead to a restructuring of zooplankton communities between cold arctic waters, with a dominance of large zooplankton species, and Atlantic waters in which small species predominate. The dominance of large zooplankton favours plankton-eating seabirds, such as the little auk (Alle alle), while the presence of small zooplankton redirects the food chain to plankton-eating fish, up through to fish-eating birds (e.g., guillemots Uria sp.). Thus, in regions where the two water masses compete for dominance, such as in the Barents Sea, plankton-eating birds should dominate the avifauna in cold periods and recess in warmer periods, when fish-eaters should prevail. Therefore under future anthropogenic climate scenarios, there could be serious consequences for the structure and functioning of the terrestrial part of arctic ecosystems, due in part to changes in the arctic marine avifauna. Large colonies of plankton-eating little auks are located on mild mountain slopes, usually a few kilometres from the shore, whereas colonies of fish-eating guillemots are situated on rocky cliffs at the coast. The impact of guillemots on the terrestrial ecosystems is therefore much smaller than for little auks because of the rapid washing-out to sea of the guano deposited on the seabird cliffs. These characteristics of seabird nesting sites dramatically limit the range of occurrence of ornithogenic soils, and the accompanying flora and fauna, to locations where talus-breeding species occur. As a result of climate warming favoring the increase of ichthyiofagous cliff-nesting seabirds, we can expect that large areas of ornithogenic tundra around the colonies of plankton-eating seabirds situated far from the sea may disappear, while areas of tundra in the vicinity of cliffs inhabited by fish-eating seabirds, with low total production and supporting few large herbivores, will likely increase, but only imperceptibly. This may lead to habitat fragmentation with negative consequences for populations of tundra-dependent birds and mammals, and the possibility of a substantial decrease in biodiversity of tundra plant and animal communities.     

The Trænadjupet Slide: a large slope failure affecting the continental margin of Norway 4,000 years ago

¹⁴C AMS-dated gravity cores reveal that the Trænadjupet Slide offshore Norway occurred about 4,000 ¹⁴C years B.P. (ca. 4,000 cal. years ago). From 4,000 to 3,000 years B.P., minor areas of the newly formed slide scar were probably eroded, the result of smaller episodes of mass wasting caused by delayed collapse of part of the western, upper sidewall or by bottom currents. From about 3,000 years B.P. to the present, sediments were derived from alongslope-flowing, north-eastward-oriented ocean currents carrying sediments in suspension. These results demonstrate that large-scale mass wasting during sea-level highstand is rather common on passive continental margins.     

Evolution des hydrocarbures dans des sédiments côtiers méditerranéens prélevés à proximité d'un emissaire d'une raffinerie de pétrole

Coastal Mediterranean sediments highly polluted by refinery effluents have been studied for their hydrocarbon content and bacterial activity. The study has taken into account both the distance from the refinery and depth of sampling. Very high hydrocarbon concentrations have been found (1–250 g/kg dry sediment). Micro-organisms in the sediments have a high bacterial activity and a good correlation exists between hydrocarbon concentrations and bacteria able to use these substrates as a carbon and energy source.     

Changes in structural and functional diversity of nematode communities during a spring phytoplankton bloom in the southern North Sea

The response of nematode communities to the sedimentation of a spring phytoplankton bloom in a sandy, well-oxygenated sediment at a single station (station 330) in the Southern North Sea was investigated monthly from early March to July 1999. Both structural (nematode density, diversity, vertical distribution and community composition) and functional (feeding type distributions, number of species within feeding groups) characteristics showed considerable changes shortly after the arrival of fresh organic material at the sediment surface. The general increase in numerical densities and diversity was related to changes within the groups of selective deposit-feeding and epistrate-feeding nematodes. It is hypothesised that sedimentation and subsequent remineralisation of fresh organic matter during the spring phytoplankton bloom result in an increase of suitable food items (both living and dead). This, combined with the availability of oxygen, creates conditions in which many nematode species can co-exist.     

Idealised flow models to predict alluvial sandstone body distribution in the Middle Jurassic Yorkshire Basin

Prediction of the subsurface position of alluvial channel sandstones is of great importance in the search for potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. For maximum production at minimum expense, wells need to be sited where there is abundant sandstone and, for enhanced oil recovery, detailed knowledge of sandstone-body geometry and connectivity is desirable. Attempts to predict the position of sandstone-bodies in the subsurface have included theoretical computer simulation and detailed empirical modelling of alluvial architecture (three-dimensional rock type distributions). Up to now, no reliable predictive method has been developed and any improvement is of significance.The method presented here combines the theoretical approach to tectonic control of alluvial architecture with the available geological data to predict subsurface concentrations and orientations of alluvial sandstone bodies.     

Stoneley waves,Lopez Island noise,and deep sea noise from 1 to 5 Hz

The Lopez Island OBS Intercomparison Experiment provided a data set of sufficient spatial density to allow study of the propagation of shot-generated Stoneley waves as well as ambient background noise. The Stoneley waves were observed propagating at velocities of 20 to 50 m s^-1, Phase velocities were determined by fitting peaks in the frequency wave number spectrum. Group velocities were calculated by narrowly filtering the data and determining the arrival time of the peak in the frequency packet. Particle displacement plots illustrate the surface wave character of these waves. The analysis of the ambient background noise failed to produce a clearly defined dispersion curve yet it did allow bounds to be placed on the phase velocities (20 to 50 m s^-1). The data were modeled using eleven layers overlying a half-space. The results indicated that the top 7 m of the sediment column at Lopez Island is best approximated by two zones. In the upper zone there is a fairly rapid change of shear velocity with depth. This zone overlies a region in which the shear velocity gradient is much lower. Deep ocean background noise recorded by University of Washington ocean bottom seismometers was also examined. Although insufficient data precluded any velocity analysis, definite similarities exist between these data and noise data observed at Lopez Island.Hawaii Institute of Geophysics Contribution No. 1174.