Determining the ionospheric irregularity velocity vector based on doppler measurements in the artificially modified <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> region of the polar ionosphere

The method for estimating the behavior of the ionospheric irregularity motion vector in the artificially disturbed HF ionospheric region has been proposed, and this behavior has been analyzed based on the simultaneous Doppler observations performed on several paths using the method of bi-static backscatter of diagnostic HF signals by small-scale artificial ionospheric irregularities. The Doppler measurements were performed during the modification of the auroral ionosphere by powerful HF radiowaves emitted by the EISCAT heating facility (Tromsø, Norway). It has been obtained that the dynamics of the ionospheric irregularity directions in the F region, calculated based on the Doppler measurements of the total vector of the ionospheric irregularity velocity above the Tromsø EISCAT radar at a frequency of 931 MHz, is in satisfactory agreement with such calculations performed using the three-position method.     

PALEOGEOGRAPHICAL MAPPING: APPROACHES,METHODS, AND RESULTS

The authors describe the evolution of a new field in cartography—the substantive basis of which is the preparation of a series of spatial reconstructions (climate, landscape components) of the past on the basis of principles of comprehensive mapping of contemporary geosystems. The paper investigates how such an approach may be used to assess the present status of landscapes from the perspective of their general evolution and assist in the formulation of long-range predictions. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA from: Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, seriya geograficheskaya, 1998, No. 5, pp. 30-43.     

Antimony speciation in saline hydrothermal fluids: A combined X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and solubility study

Solubility of senarmontite (Sb₂O₃, cubic) in pure water and NaCl-HCl aqueous solutions, and local atomic structure around antimony in these fluids were characterized using in situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy at temperatures to 450 °C and pressures to 600 bars. These experiments were performed using a new X-ray cell which allows simultaneous measurement of the absolute concentration of the absorbing element in the fluid, and atomic environment around the absorber. Results show that aqueous Sb(III) speciation is dominated by the complex in pure water, mixed Sb-hydroxide-chloride complexes in acidic NaCl-HCl solutions (2 m NaCl-0.1 m HCl), and by Sb-chloride species in concentrated HCl solutions (3.5 m HCl). Interatomic Sb-O and Sb-Cl distances in these complexes range from 1.96 to 1.97 Å and from 2.37 to 2.47 Å, respectively. These structural data, together with senarmontite solubility determined from XAFS spectra, were complemented by batch-reactor measurements of senarmontite and stibnite (Sb₂S₃, rhombic) solubilities over a wide range of HCl and NaCl concentrations from 300 to 400 °C. Analysis of the whole dataset shows that Sb(III) speciation in high-temperature moderately acid (pH > 2-3) Cl-rich fluids is dominated by mixed hydroxy-chloride species like Sb(OH)₂Cl° and Sb(OH)₃Cl⁻, but other species containing two or three Cl atoms appear at higher acidities and moderate temperatures (?300 °C). Calculations using stability constants retrieved in this study indicate that mixed hydroxy-chloride complexes control antimony transport in saline high-temperature ore fluids at acidic conditions. Such species allow for a more effective Sb partitioning into the vapor phase during boiling and vapor-brine separation processes occurring in magmatic-hydrothermal systems. Antimony hydroxy-chloride complexes are however minor in the neutral low- to moderate-temperature solutions (?250-300 °C) typical of Sb deposits formation; the antimony speciation in these systems is dominated by Sb(OH)₃ and potentially Sb-sulfide species.     

The Riverine Past of Lake Seliger

Water Resources - Lake Seliger has been always classified as a former glacial water body, a remnant of a vast proglacial lake, which has existed since the disappearance of the last glacial Ice...     

On the Effect of the Froude Number and Hydromorphometric Parameters on Sediment Transport in Rivers

Water Resources - A number of requirements for sediment transport formulas are considered for using in mathematical and physical models of alluvial channels. Some formulas (Bagnold, Petrov,...     

Paleoanalogues of global warming in the 21st century

On the basis of landscape-climatic reconstructions for warming periods in the past, likely scenarios of future global warming have been developed for various warming levels that might be reached during the current century. The paleoanalogue of global warming by 0.7–1°C is the Holocene climatic optimum (5.5–6 ka B.P.) and that by 1.7–2°C is the last interglacial optimum (about 125 ka B.P.). The complex analysis concerning response of the principal ecosystem components to the expected warming signifies that there will not be any shifts of vegetation zones during the 21st century; reconstruction will touch only the internal structure of vegetable associations and broadening of interzonal ecotones.     

Electromagnetic 3D tomography of the Elbrus volcanic center according to magnetotelluric and satellite data

A geoelectric 3D model of the potentially active Elbrus volcano and its vicinities has been constructed using magnetotelluric data, which takes the volume model of the tectonic fragmentation field developed based on deciphering satellite photographs into account. An original method of searching for the correlation and determination of the character of the interrelation between the ground-based and satellite data has been used in this construction. The geoelectric 3D model constructed includes two conducting objects located at different depths. One of the objects, with a resistivity of 25–40 Ω m, located at depths of 0–10 km, is most intense at a depth of 5 km, where the object is quasi-isometric in shape and has a radius of 10 km along the 40–60 Ω m contour lines. Another object with a resistivity of 10–40 Ω m is located at a depth of ～45 km, where its dimensions along the contour line for 40 Ω m are 35 and 15 km in latitude and longitude, respectively. The thickness of the conducting core is approximately 20 km. The upper and lower objects can be interpreted as a volcano magma chamber and a volcano parent chamber, respectively.     

Nature of the Kergelen Plateau and Its Place in the Structural Plan of the Southern Sector of the Indian Ocean

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The morphostructural characteristics of the main taxa of southern Indian Ocean, such as the Del Cano-Crozet, Conrad, and Kerguelen plateaus, are given...     

Climatic and geographic patterns of river runoff formation in Northern Eurasia

Siberian rivers are of global importance as they impact on the freshwater budget of the Arctic Ocean, which affects the Thermo-Haline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean. Siberian rivers, in particular the tributaries to the larger rivers, are under-represented in the international river-regime databases. The runoff of three Russian rivers in the Central Siberian taiga (Kureyka, Karabula and Erba) is modelled to analyse the relative influence of climate. In addition three rivers (Rhine, Maas and Odra) in Western Europe are similarly assessed as a control. The results show that the role of precipitation and autocorrelation as factors in the formation of river runoff is stronger under oceanic climate conditions, increasing from the central regions of Northern Eurasia towards the Arctic Ocean in the North and the Atlantic in the West. At the same time the influence of summer temperatures is weakened. The formation of Northern Eurasian river runoff appears to be influenced by periodically thawing top horizons of permafrost soil. Time served as an indicator for land use change after inclusion of meteorological data in the models. Maas and Erba showed a significant influence of the time factor. For the Erba the onset of agricultural land use in the catchment coincides with a drop in runoff. A similar causal relationship is suggested for the Maas. Land use can change the formation of runoff, which in turn can be used as an environmental indicator for sustainable land use.     

A New Model of the Ninety East Ridge Formation,Indian Ocean

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The comprehensive analysis of geological, geophysical, and geochemical data makes it possible to obtain the most complete picture of the geological...