Modeling of Thermal and Oxygen Conditions in Lake Kinneret (Israel)

Within the framework of a one-dimensional model taking into account the presence of an upper mixed layer, we compute the seasonal variation of temperature and the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the central part of Lake Kinneret. The temperature conditions of the lake are determined by heat exchange with the atmosphere, and the oxygen conditions depend on gas exchange with the atmosphere and oxygen consumption in sediments as well as on internal sources and sinks. The latter are connected with oxygen supply in the course of photosynthesis and its consumption for the oxidation of labile organic substance in the water thickness. In the period of winter convection from December to February, when the upper mixed layer reaches the bottom, complete aeration of water takes place. The presence of thermal stratification of the lake in the remaining time results in oxygen deficiency under the thermocline.     

Adjusted Daily Rainfall and Snowfall Data for Canada

This article documents how Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Adjusted Daily Rainfall and Snowfall (AdjDlyRS) dataset was developed. The adjustments include (i) conversion of ruler measurements of snowfall to its water equivalent using a previously developed snow water equivalent (SWE) ratio map for Canada; (ii) corrections for gauge-related issues including undercatch and evaporation caused by wind effects and gauge-specific wetting loss, as well as for trace precipitation amounts, using previously developed procedures for Canada. Various data flags (e.g., accumulation flags) were also treated. This dataset contains all Canadian stations reporting daily rainfall and snowfall for which we have metadata to implement the adjustments. The length of the data record varies from one station to another, starting as early as 1840. The results show that the original unadjusted total precipitation data in Environment and Climate Change Canada’s digital archive underestimate the total precipitation in northeastern Canada by more than 25% and by about 10–15% in most of southern Canada. Such large underestimates make the original data unsuitable for water availability and/or balance studies or for numerical model validation, among many other applications. The use of the assumed 10:1 SWE ratio for the archived total precipitation data is the primary cause of the underestimate, which is most severe in northeastern Canada. The trace correction adds 5–20% to precipitation values in northern Canada but less than 5% in southern Canada. The gauge-related corrections do not show an organized spatial pattern but add 5–10% to the precipitation at 312 stations. Long runs (≥3 months) of miscoded missing values were also identified and corrected.

The latest version of the AdjDlyRS dataset is available from the Canadian Open Data Portal; currently it is version 2016, which contains 3346 stations and covers the period from station inception to February 2016. This dataset is suitable for producing gridded precipitation datasets, as well as other applications.     

Analysis of IUE spectra for the star V1016 Ori

We analyze IUE spectra of the star 1016 Ori. Together with previously obtained visible spectra, they have allowed the wavelength range from 1150 to 7000 Å to be studied. Atmospheric parameters of the star were refined: logg=4.5(1), T _eff=30000(1000) K, and ξ_t=15(5) km s^?1. We measured the equivalent widths of ～500 lines and used them to compute the chemical composition. It turned out that the He, B, Mg, P, and S abundances were nearly solar; Ne, Ti, and Cr were overabundant; and C, N, O, Al, Si, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Zn were underabundant.     

Some consequences of inhomogeneous dust formation in the principal shell of a nova

It is pointed out that dust formation in the principal shell of a nova in the equatorial belt only and the orientation of this belt relative to the line of sight may lead to an overestimation of the interstellar extinction and, consequently, to an overestimation of the luminosity of the nova. The orientation of the dust belt must also be taken into account in evaluating its contribution to the bolometric luminosity of the nova.Translated fromAstrofizika, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 237–241, April–June, 1996.     

Behavior of the Line Profiles of the Sodium Doublet and the Calcium Triplet in the Spectrum of R CrB in the Shallow Minima of 1998-1999

The behavior of profiles of the Na I D line and of the infrared Ca II triplet for the star R Coronae Borealis (R CrB) during shallow light minima of 1998-1999 is traced using high-resolution spectra. During a light maximum, the sodium lines had an absorption profile with a shift of —(2-4) km/sec. During a light minimum, a narrow emission feature, which has an almost constant absolute intensity and a shift of —(8-10) km/sec, and an intense circumstellar absorption feature, which has a variable profile and a variable relative shift corresponding to an increase to 220 km/sec in the velocity of mass ejection, appeared in the cores of absorption lines. For several days before the onset of a light minimum, all three calcium lines exhibited a narrow emission feature in the line core with a shift of —(1-5) km/sec. All the subsequent changes in a line involved mainly the shape of the absorption line profile. The narrow emission feature's absolute intensity and relative position were maintained during all our observations. The behavior of the Na I D line profiles can be described qualitatively within the framework of the model of a spherical dust shell.