Chemical ozone loss in the Arctic vortex in the winter 1995–96: HALOE measurements in conjunction with other observations

Severe chemical ozone loss has been detected in the Arctic in the winter and spring of 1995–96 by a variety of methods. Extreme reductions in column ozone due to halogen catalysed chemistry were derived from measurements of the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) on board the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite in the Arctic vortex. Here, we discuss further aspects of the HALOE observations in the Arctic over this period. Potential problems, both in the data themselves and in the methodology of the data analysis are considered and the reason for the differences between the Arctic ozone losses deduced from HALOE data version 17 and 18 is analysed. Moreover, it is shown that HALOE measurements in the Arctic in winter and spring 1995–96 compare well with observations by other ground-based and satellite instruments.     

Transmissivity identification through multi-directional aquifer stimulation

This paper presents a geostatistical approach to multi-directional aquifer stimulation in order to better identify the transmissivity field. Hydraulic head measurements, taken at a few locations but under a number of different steady-state flow conditions, are used to estimate the transmissivity. Well installation is generally the most costly aspect of obtaining hydraulic head measurements. Therefore, it is advantageous to obtain as many informative measurements from each sampling location as possible. This can be achieved by hydraulically stimulating the aquifer through pumping, in order to set-up a variety of flow conditions. We illustrate the method by applying it to a synthetic aquifer. The simulations provide evidence that a few sampling locations may provide enough information to estimate the transmissivity field. Furthermore, the innovation of, or new information provided by, each measurement can be examined by looking at the corresponding spline and sensitivity matrix. Estimates from multi-directional stimulation are found to be clearly superior to estimates using data taken under one flow condition. We describe the geostatistical methodology for using data from multi-directional simulations and address computational issues.     

On Convection Driven Dynamos in Rotating Spherical Shells

Solutions for chaotic dynamos driven by thermal convection in a rotating spherical shell are obtained numerically for different Prandtl numbers. The influence of this parameter which is usually suppressed in the magnetostrophic approximation is emphasized in the present analysis.     

Long-term precipitation and stream discharge records at seven forested experimental watersheds along a latitudinal transect in Japan: Jozankei,Kamabuchi, Takaragawa,Tsukuba, Tatsunokuchi-yama,Kahoku and Sarukawa

This data note introduces a database of long-term daily total precipitation and stream discharge data for seven forested watersheds in Japan that have been continuously monitored by the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute. Three of the watersheds started data collection in the 1930s. Forest cover across the sites ranges from cool to warm temperate regions with the latitude spanning from 31 to 44° N and annual precipitation ranging from 1200 to 3000 mm yr⁻¹. The effects of vegetation change via clearcutting, thinning and forest fire (among other stressors) on stream discharge can be analysed from the long-term observation sites. Moreover, this multi-site dataset allows for inter- and intra-site comparisons of annual water loss (difference of annual precipitation and stream discharge). These long-term datasets can provide comprehensive insights into the effects of climate change and other stressors on forested ecosystems, not only in Japan but across a spectrum of forest types, if combined with other long-term records from other forested watersheds across the world.     

Types of variations in the geomagnetic field spectrum

The purpose of archaeomagnetic research is to investigate the structure of the geomagnetic field and its evolution. This paper is a study of this type. In our preceding studies, we divided the geomagnetic field into dipole and nondipole components. It was then shown that the dipole component consists of the predominant 1200-yr variation and the remainder δ. The δ variation is the subject of this paper. Detailed study and comparison of the characteristic features of two 1200-yr variations (the dipole and δ variations) in both the declination and inclination indicates that, according to most of their features, they can be assigned to different types of waves, namely, traveling waves (the dipole variation) and standing waves (the δ variation). Successive averaging in time and space yielded averaged data on δI and δD not only for various parts of the world (Europe, Asia, and America) but also for the western and eastern hemispheres.     

A study in the dynamics of the geoelectrical medium from electrotelluric field data

The manner in which the dynamics of geoelectric earth inhomogeneities can be studied using receiving lines oriented in different directions at a single site is considered. It is shown that the presence of a local geoelectric inhomogeneity allows monitoring the state of electric conductivity in the earth by observation of the telluric tensor. We quote results from long-continued monitoring of the electrotelluric tensor in Kamchatka. The tensor’s behavior showed an appreciable anomaly, which may have been related to great (magnitude 8.2 and 8.3) earthquakes in the Kuril-Kamchatka region.     

Fault-slip Triggering, Healing, and Viscoelastic Afterworking in Sediments in the Mexicali-Imperial Valley

—Crackmeter data from the southern tip of the Imperial fault in the Mexicali-Imperial Valley in northern Baja California, Mexico, show slip events that tend to group in episodes, or suites, that last over a few days, with months of quiescence between them. The events in these suites are apparently triggered and stopped by ground strain related to temperature changes. A characteristic decrease in peak extension velocities during the slip event suites indicates the presence of viscoelastic afterworking which contributes the strain necessary for succeeding events with diminishing driving stresses, and which can be roughly modeled as a series of Kelvin-Voigt viscoelastic solids. Occurrence of very small events towards the end of the suites plus gaps between suites indicate that for the sediments significant fault healing requires a minimum of several days without slip.     

Spatial Distribution of Time-independent Seismicity in China

—The seismicity in the territory of China, a seismotectonically complicated region, has been examined by using three complete samples of earthquakes which occurred during the last two centuries (1800–1995). The b value of the Gutenberg-Richter relation was estimated by using this data sample. Taking into account the fact that the b value is spatially more stable than the a value, the b values were calculated at the nodes of a normal grid superposing on the entire area studied, and their distribution was examined. The results showed that the b value increases smoothly from 0.4 in inner-Mongolia to 0.8 in the east, south and southwest of China with higher values (b>0.8) in the Taiwan region. Furthermore, keeping fixed the obtained b values, the a value distribution was also examined. In order to display more detailed information about the seismicity, smaller cell surface (10,000 km²) for the calculation of the a values was chosen. The mean return periods for different cutoff magnitudes were also calculated for each of these small cells. It was observed that the mean return periods are the shortest ones in China, which are 10 and 50 years for the magnitude larger than or equal to 6.0 and 7.0, respectively.     

Konzepte zur Mobilitätsabschätzung von Schadstoffen in Boden- und Abfallmaterialien

Concepts for the Evaluation of Contaminant Mobility in Soil and Waste Materials Elution tests (S4, pH_stat, and SDS test) are presented, enabling the evaluation of the mobility of hydrophilic/hydrophobic and inorganic/organic contaminants in soil and waste materials. While elution tests for estimation of the mobilization potential of hydrophilic substances are performed following the pH_stat method, for hydrophobic species surfactant-containing eluents are used. The individual parameters of the elution process are selected assuming a "worst-case" scenario. In principle, because of economic reasons, detailed analytical investigations should be preceded by relevant screening tests.     

Formation of Frazil Ice and Ice Jams on the Rivers of the Yenisei River Basin

The effect of different factors on the duration of spring ice jams and the flood water level in the Siberian rivers is considered. Observational data on the frequency of ice jams of different probabilities within some reaches of the Yenisei River are presented.