Stationary magnetospheric convection on November 24, 1981. 1. A case study of “pressure gradient/minimum-B” auroral arc generation

We present two case studies in the night and evening sides of the auroral oval, based on plasma and field measurements made at low altitudes by the AUREOL-3 satellite, during a long period of stationary magnetospheric convection (SMC) on November 24, 1981. The basic feature of both oval crossings was an evident double oval pattern, including (1) a weak arc-type structure at the equatorial edge of the oval/polar edge of the diffuse auroral band, collocated with an upward field-aligned current (FAC) sheet of ≈1.0 μA m⁻², (2) an intermediate region of weaker precipitation within the oval, (3) a more intense auroral band at the polar oval boundary, and (4) polar diffuse auroral zone near the polar cap boundary. These measurements are compared with the published magnetospheric data during this SMC period, accumulated by Yahnin et al. and Sergeev et al., including a semi-empirical radial magnetic field profile B_Z in the near-Earth neutral sheet, with a minimum at about 10–14 R_E. Such a radial B_Z profile appears to be very similar to that assumed in the “minimum B/cross-tail line current” model by Galperin et al. (GVZ92) as the “root of the arc”, or the arc generic region. This model considers a FAC generator mechanism by Grad-Vasyliunas-Boström-Tverskoy operating in the region of a narrow magnetic field minimum in the near-Earth neutral sheet, together with the concept of ion non-adiabatic scattering in the “wall region”. The generated upward FAC branch of the double sheet current structure feeds the steady auroral arc/inverted-V at the equatorial border of the oval. When the semi-empirical B_Z profile is introduced in the GVZ92 model, a good agreement is found between the modelled current and the measured characteristics of the FACs associated with the equatorial arc. Thus the main predictions of the GVZ92 model concerning the “minimum-B” region are consistent with these data, while some small-scale features are not reproduced. Implications of the GVZ92 model are discussed, particularly concerning the necessary conditions for a substorm onset that were not fulfilled during the SMC period.     

Analysis and application of a non-conventional underwater geoelectrical method in Lake Geneva,Switzerland

The electrical method presented is used for determining the resistivity of lake-bottom sediments and is based on the d.c. electrical sounding principles. The electrode array, called the fishing rod (FR), is of pole-pole type and is orientated vertically on a line perpendicular to the surface of the water. The technique is used for mapping resistivity anomalies located deep underwater. This paper presents an analysis of the resolution capabilities of the FR method and the results of a case study carried out in Lake Geneva, where measurements were interpreted using a one-dimensional (1D) multilayer earth model. The analysis of the uncertainty in the model parameters of a 1D multilayer earth model is carried out using the covariance matrix of the linearized inversion problem. The results of the analyses show that when the thickness and resistivity of the water layer is known, the resistivity of the sediment layer is well determined under most circumstances. The thickness of the sediment layer is well determined when resistivity contrasts are not too low. In Lake Geneva the FR method has been used to study an old depression with a resistive channel. This application shows the efficiency of the method compared with conventional electrical methods, where water depth becomes a limiting factor. The use of an automated iterative inversion scheme in this particular case is advantageous, as a joint interpretation of the three different data sets measured with the FR method can be carried out. Finally, the result of the inversion is compared with the trial-and-error interpretations of a previous study.     

On the use of IPCC-class models to assess the impact of climate on Living Marine Resources

The study of climate impacts on Living Marine Resources (LMRs) has increased rapidly in recent years with the availability of climate model simulations contributed to the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Collaboration between climate and LMR scientists and shared understanding of critical challenges for such applications are essential for developing robust projections of climate impacts on LMRs. This paper assesses present approaches for generating projections of climate impacts on LMRs using IPCC-class climate models, recommends practices that should be followed for these applications, and identifies priority developments that could improve current projections. Understanding of the climate system and its representation within climate models has progressed to a point where many climate model outputs can now be used effectively to make LMR projections. However, uncertainty in climate model projections (particularly biases and inter-model spread at regional to local scales), coarse climate model resolution, and the uncertainty and potential complexity of the mechanisms underlying the response of LMRs to climate limit the robustness and precision of LMR projections. A variety of techniques including the analysis of multi-model ensembles, bias corrections, and statistical and dynamical downscaling can ameliorate some limitations, though the assumptions underlying these approaches and the sensitivity of results to their application must be assessed for each application. Developments in LMR science that could improve current projections of climate impacts on LMRs include improved understanding of the multi-scale mechanisms that link climate and LMRs and better representations of these mechanisms within more holistic LMR models. These developments require a strong baseline of field and laboratory observations including long time series and measurements over the broad range of spatial and temporal scales over which LMRs and climate interact. Priority developments for IPCC-class climate models include improved model accuracy (particularly at regional and local scales), inter-annual to decadal-scale predictions, and the continued development of earth system models capable of simulating the evolution of both the physical climate system and biosphere. Efforts to address these issues should occur in parallel and be informed by the continued application of existing climate and LMR models.     

Feeding Habits of Trisopterus minutus capelanus (Gadidae) Off the Eastern Coast of Spain (Western Mediterranean)

Abstract. The stomach contents of poor cod, Trisopterus minutus capelanus (Lacepède), were taken at monthly intervals off the eastern coast of the Gulf of Valencia (Spain). A total of 1276 were analyzed to determine diet according to fish size and season. The basic food consists of crustaceans (Mysidacea and Decapoda) and teleosts. Feeding habits varied with size: decapods and fishes were more abundant in the stomachs of larger specimens. Little seasonal variation in food habits was recorded.     

New data on paleontological characteristic of the Oligocene in the Il’pinskii Peninsula, northeastern Kamchatka

Fossil diatom algae first found in the Paleogene marine succession (Alugivayam Formation) of the Il’pinskii Peninsula, northeastern Kamchatka are studied, and new data on molluscan assemblages from the same sequences are presented. Some of the diatom forms identified suggest the Oligocene age of their host deposits. This is consistent with earlier inference from benthic groups of marine organisms.     

Iron ore workings near Horsham,Sussex, and the sedimentology of Wealden clay ironstone

The distribution of old workings, or ‘minepits’, for clay ironstone in an area between Horsham and Crawley is shown on geological sketch-maps. The geological structure of the area is described in outline. The old workings, except for those in two anomalous patches, are restricted to two argillaceous units in the Upper Tunbridge Wells Sand and to an ironstone horizon some 2 m. below the Horsham Stone in the Weald Clay. Slags from two bloomery sites are described. The amount of ore dug from the minepits is estimated to correspond roughly to the requirements of local blast furnaces, of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century date. Depletion of iron ore reserves is suggested as a factor deciding against resumption of the iron industry in the area after the Civil War.