Accounting of water flows used in Russian economy and estimation of the water accumulated in exported products

An input–output model was applied to analyze the used freshwater and total used water in Russian economy sectors over 2005–2010. In addition, the sectors that are the main sources of wastewater discharge are identified and the volumes of water sent abroad with exported products are calculated based on data on 2011. The compiled scheme of intersectoral flows and water use in the country can be used as a base for water resources management.     

Tectonophysics and recent geodynamics

Important problems of tectonophysical analysis of observational results in recent geodynamics are considered. The paradox of low rates of recent horizontal deformations of the Earth’s surface is formulated. This paradox states that, according to GPS measurements, the annual mean rates of relative deformations are 10⁻⁹–10⁻¹⁰ per year, whereas, according to ground-based geodetic and deformographic observations, the rates of recent horizontal deformations of the Earth’s surface are on the order of 10⁻⁵–10⁻⁶ per year. This paradox is shown to appear as a result of the application of the procedure of averaging to the displacements obtained on large measuring bases with a low degree of details of the time of observations. It is established that, according to multiyear (over 40 years) data, the annual mean rate of deformation processes in the Kopet Dagh seismically active region is 4 × 10⁻⁸ per annum along the vertical and 3.2 × 10⁻⁸ per year along the horizontal.     

Application of a vanishing, quasi-sigma, vertical coordinate for simulation of high-speed, deep currents over the Sigsbee Escarpment in the Gulf of Mexico

Recent observations over the Sigsbee Escarpment in the Gulf of Mexico have revealed extremely energetic deep currents (near 1 m s⁻¹), which are trapped along the escarpment. Both scientific interest and engineering needs demand dynamical understanding of these extreme events, and can benefit from a numerical model designed to complement observational and theoretical investigations in this region of complicated topography. The primary objective of this study is to develop a modeling methodology capable of simulating these physical processes and apply the model to the Sigsbee Escarpment region. The very steep slope of the Sigsbee Escarpment (0.05–0.1) limits the application of ocean models with traditional terrain-following (sigma) vertical coordinates, which may represent the very complicated topography in the region adequately, can result in large truncation errors during calculation of the horizontal pressure gradient. A new vertical coordinate system, termed a vanishing quasi-sigma coordinate, is implemented in the Navy Coastal Ocean Model for application to the Sigsbee Escarpment region. Vertical coordinate surfaces for this grid have noticeably gentler slopes than a traditional sigma grid, while still following the terrain near the ocean bottom. The new vertical grid is tested with a suite of numerical experiments and compared to a classical sigma-layer model. The numerical error is substantially reduced in the model with the new vertical grid. A one-year, realistic, numerical simulation is performed to simulate strong, deep currents over the Escarpment using a very-high-resolution nested modeling approach. The model results are analyzed to demonstrate that the deep-ocean currents in the simulation replicate the prominent dynamical features of the observed intense currents in the region.     

Nutrient exchange via the Bering Strait

It was shown that the supply of high nutrient concentrations via the western part of the Bering Strait to the Chukchi Sea is mainly caused by the quasi-stationary cyclonic eddy located between the Chukchi Peninsula and St. Lawrence Island. A quantitative estimation of the nutrient supply via the Bering Strait was made.     

Artificial Beach as a Structure for Protecting a Seacoast from Storm Surge Impact (Based on the Example of the Eastern Gulf of Finland)

Oceanology - A model of an artificial beach is proposed for protecting a seacoast subjected to erosion under significant storm surge impact. The beach profile properties are based on the Dean...     

Experimental Studies of Aerosols in the Atmosphere of Semiarid Landscapes of Kalmykia: 1. Microphysical Parameters and Mass Concentration of Aerosol Particles

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - This paper summarizes the results of long-term (2004–2016) comprehensive experimental studies of microphysical parameters and the mass...     

Monitoring Anthropogenic Impact on Some Coastal Water Areas of the Black Sea Using Multispectral Satellite Imagery

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The results of comprehensive monitoring of anthropogenic impact on some coastal water areas of the Black Sea are presented. Multispectral satellite...     

Organized Roll Circulation and Transport of Mineral Aerosols in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - An investigation into mesoscale roll circulation and its transport characteristics in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is carried out. The case...     

Eurasian Large-Scale Hazes in Summer 2016

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The technique for constructing the spatial distribution of maximum aerosol optical depth (MAOD) has been used to estimate the optically dense haze...