Variability of Extra Tropical Atmospheric Circulation and Periodic Trajectories in Simplified Models of Atmospheric Dynamics

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The possibility for approximate basic statistical characteristics of atmospheric models using periodic trajectories (closed solutions of equations of...     

Digital Elevation Models of the Bottom in the Operational Oceanography System

Oceanology - A new area of oceanography, operational oceanography, involves a comprehensive assessment and forecast of the variability of the state of the marine environment. This requires...     

On the “rotational angular momentum” of the oceans and the corresponding polar motion

Periodic polar motions caused by ocean tides are predicted. In the Liouville equations for rotational motion the complete excitation functions for the ocean tides have to be used. This does not depend on the fact that hydrodynamical ocean tide models do not consider the centrifugal acceleration. The observable polar motion of the Celestial Ephemeris Pole CEP (more exactly: the terrestrial location of the CEP) is tabulated for the ten ocean tides M₂, S₂, N₂, K₁, O₁, P₁, M f, M f′, M m, Ssa. Typical amplitudes for the largest ocean tides are 0.4 milliarcseconds. This is within the reach of geodetic VLBI and SLR observations.     

Venera-D Mission Scenario and Trajectory

Solar System Research - The article describes the trajectory scenario for the Venera-D mission. The main aspects of optimal launch dates are considered. A scenario, which enables insertion of an...     

Formation of Hydrogen Emission Lines in the Magnetospheres of Young Stars

Astronomy Letters - The formation of hydrogen emission lines in the magnetospheres of young stars is considered. The magnetosphere is assumed to be formed by a dipolar magnetic field whose axis is...     

Planet Four: Craters—Optimizing task workflow to improve volunteer engagement and crater counting performance

Virtual citizen science platforms allow nonscientists to take part in scientific research across a range of disciplines, including planetary science. What is required of the volunteer can vary considerably in terms of task type, variety, judgment required, and autonomy—even when the overall goal is unchanged. Through analysis of our live Zooniverse Planet Four: Craters citizen science platform, the effects of task workflow design factors including volunteer autonomy, task variety, task type, and judgment required on volunteer engagement and crater marking performance were investigated. Website analytics showed volunteers using the Full interface (most autonomy and variety) were more likely to return to the platform, although the amount of time spent per visit was unaffected by the interface used. However, analysis of performance suggested that how this time was used did differ. The interface involving the least complex task resulted in the greatest amount of data and rate of collection, although this also coincided with a greater number of false positives when compared with the expert. Performance in terms of agreement, both between participants and with the expert judgment, was significantly improved when using the Stepped interface for crater position and the Ramped (Mark) when measuring diameter—interfaces that both directly measured the metric with a specific, delineated task. The implications for planetary scientists considering the citizen science route is that there is a balancing act to perform, weighing the importance of volunteer engagement with scientists' data needs and the resources that can be committed to data validation.     

Upgrading of Oil Shale by Flotation Without Collector

Natural Resources Research - Oil shale impurities prevent its direct usage as a source of energy. Removing or reducing of these impurities before retorting can reduce the cost of oil shale...     

Three-Dimensional Petrophysical Modelling and Volumetric Analysis to Model the Reservoir Potential of the Kupe Field,Taranaki Basin,New Zealand

Natural Resources Research - This study addresses the three-dimensional (3D) petrophysical modelling and volumetric analysis of the Farewell Reservoir in the Kupe Field in the southern Taranaki...