Record-breaking warming in the Kamchatka Current halocline

Ocean Dynamics - We used historical CTD observations and Argo data to obtain the characteristics of the Kamchatka Current halocline and its eddies. Kamchatka Current eddies have a cold low salinity...     

GIA-induced secular variations in the Earth's long wavelength gravity field: Influence of 3-D viscosity variations

Predictions of present day secular variations in the Earth's long wavelength geopotential driven by glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) have previously been analyzed to infer the radial profile of mantle viscosity and to constrain ongoing cryospheric mass balance. These predictions have been based on spherically symmetric Earth models. We explore the impact of lateral variations in mantle viscosity using a new finite-volume formulation for computing the response of 3-D Maxwell viscoelastic Earth models. The geometry of the viscosity field is constrained from seismic-to-mographic images of mantle structure, while the amplitude of the lateral viscosity variations is tuned by a free parameter in the modeling. We focus on the zonal J˙_? harmonics for degrees ? = 2,…,8 and demonstrate that large-scale lateral viscosity variations of two to three orders of magnitude have a modest, 5-10%, impact on predictions of J˙₂. In contrast, predictions of higher degree harmonics show a much greater sensitivity to lateral variation in viscosity structure. We conclude that future analyses of secular trends (for degree ? > 2) estimated from ongoing (GRACE, CHAMP) satellite missions must incorporate GIA predictions based on 3-D viscoelastic Earth models.     

The new retail trade and services and their emerging location pattern in St. Petersburg

The system of factors affecting the spatial distribution of the retail trade and service establishments has changed dramatically since socialist times. The administrative regulation lost its almost complete dominance and turned into one of the market forces. In contrast, the impact of the urban environment under very free market conditions substantially increased. We show the main directions of this influence. Two generalized indicators that we use describe macro trends in the development of the spatial system of retail trade and services. One of them, which we call the urban morphology, is of a concentric effect, another – transportation pattern – adds the sectoral component to the retail trade and services geography. Five systems of spatial attractions differently affect the distribution of different branches.     

应用地球旋转力学方法评价金属矿、油气田的远景(英文)

文章叙述地质构造的新旋转概念,它可以解释地质构造激活的实质。每一次地质构造激活产生某些断裂系统,沿着这些断裂,地壳块体会发生一定的位移,并伴有一些地质现象产生。每一断裂系统的形成产生该系统特定的金属成矿条件,此规律性可用于金属矿预测。沉积盆地前景研究表明,沉积盖层中含碳氢化合物的局部构造仅与基底某些特定断裂系统的激活相关,用综合地球物理方法可揭示这种相关性的具体形式,并进行盆地前景评价。     

Three-dimensional wave patterns in long air cavities on a horizontal plane

Significant drag reduction of large displacement vessels can be achieved by applying multi-wave air cavities arranged on the hull bottom. Waves generated on the air–water interface of air cavities impose requirements on the dimensions of a hull recess that accommodates the air cavity. An approximate model for calculating wave patterns in the critical upstream part of long air cavities in a simplified, horizontal-plane geometry is presented in this paper. The influence of the recess planform boundaries and other factors on the wave patterns is studied parametrically. Some hydrodynamic aspects of multi-wave air cavities are discussed.     

Small waterplane area ship models: Re-analysis of test results based on scale effect and form drag

The first systematic model series of hulls with small waterplane area (both single hulls and twin-hulls) was designed and tested in Krylov Shipbuilding Research Institute in the middle of the 1980's. The series was intended to cover a broad range of Froude numbers, hull aspect ratios, design drafts, and spacing between hulls. In the present paper, these test results are re-analyzed by accounting for the scale effect in the form drag, obtained from the comparison with test data of larger out-of-series models. Illustrative results are also given for the influence of the cross-section hull shape, strut configuration, and shifted hulls on the residual resistance and for dynamic trim and draft. Some data are compared with those of the later series tests of twin-hull models with small waterplane area carried out in HSVA, Germany. Factors influencing the residual resistance of ships of this type are discussed.     

Flood hazard and risk assessment in Russia

The occurrence of rockfall incidents on the transportation network may cause injuries, and even casualties, as well as severe damage to infrastructure such as dwellings, railways, road corridors, etc. Passive protective measures (i.e., rockfall barriers, wire nets, etc.) are mainly deployed by operators of ground transport networks to minimize the impact of detrimental effects on these networks. In conjunction with these passive measures, active rockfall monitoring should ideally include the magnitude of each rockfall, its initial and final position, and the triggering mechanism that might have caused its detachment from the slope. In this work, the operational principle of a low-cost rockfall monitoring and alerting system is being presented. The system integrates measurements from a multi-channel seismograph and commercial cameras as the primary equipment for event detection. A series of algorithms analyze these measurements independently in order to reduce alarms originated by surrounding noise and sources other than rockfall events. The detection methodology employs two different sets of algorithms: Time–frequency analyses of the rockfall event’s seismic signature are performed using moving window pattern recognition algorithms, whereas image processing techniques are utilized to deliver object detection and localization. Training and validation of the proposed approach was performed through field tests that involved manually induced rockfall events and recording of sources (i.e., passing car, walking people) that may cause a false alarm. These validation tests revealed that the seismic monitoring algorithms produce a 4.17 % false alarm rate with an accuracy of 93 %. Finally, the results of a 34-day operational monitoring period are presented and the ability of the imaging system to identify and exclude false alarms is discussed. The entire processing cycle is 10–15 s. Thus, it can be considered as a near real-time system for early warning of rockfall events.     

Plant responses to global change: next generation biogeography

Global change has become a major ecological concern that has the potential to dramatically alter plant distributions and assemblages worldwide. The specific response of plants to global change will depend on their ability to move, evolve, or adjust through phenotypic plasticity. Advances in biogeographic research are on the verge of a giant leap forward if we can take advantage of emerging tools in genetics and genomics. In this review, we appraise how new, post-Sanger, high-throughput sequencing and associated technologies can be used by next generation biogeographers to assess plant responses to global change. First, we briefly review the recent advances in genome sequencing and available approaches of genomic analysis. Secondly, we discuss the three main plant responses to global change: migration, adaptation, and phenotypic plasticity. This review is intended to spark the interest of biogeographers who do not traditionally use genetics but could benefit from including genetic and genomic tools into their research. Our goal is to illustrate that their use can contribute to new perspective and add an additional level of resolution into future biogeographic research.     

地球磁场的新模型(英文)

根据地球内核存在有相对于外核的旋转,这里提出一个地球磁场的新模型。在这种场合下,地球磁场的本源就是电流,这种电流是由在地核团相与液相边界上的一对带电层的相对运动产生出来的（Bullen地球模型中的F层）。所提出的模型,是当前最为常见的水磁发电机模型的另一种可供选择的模型。它在能量方面已得到确证。借助该模型,有可能去解释在地表观察到的关于磁场的所有主要特性。该模型的本质,就在于它是维持地球现今磁场与构造运动的统一机制。这种统一性并不是偶然的,可以将其视为所研究现象本质的理论的最大可能性证据。