Sensitivity of the thermohaline circulation in coupled oceanic GCM — atmospheric EBM experiments

We analyze the sensitivity of the oceanic thermohaline circulation (THC) regarding perturbations in fresh water flux for a range of coupled oceanic general circulation — atmospheric energy balance models. The energy balance model (EBM) predicts surface air temperature and fresh water flux and contains the feedbacks due to meridional transports of sensible and latent heat. In the coupled system we examine a negative perturbation in run-off into the southern ocean and analyze the role of changed atmospheric heat transports and fresh water flux. With mixed boundary conditions (fixed air temperature and fixed surface fresh water fluxes) the response is characterized by a completely different oceanic heat transport than in the reference case. On the other hand, the surface heat flux remains roughly constant when the air temperature can adjust in a model where no anomalous atmospheric transports are allowed. This gives an artificially stable system with nearly unchanged oceanic heat transport. However, if meridional heat transports in the atmosphere are included, the sensitivity of the system lies between the two extreme cases. We find that changes in fresh water flux are unimportant for the THC in the coupled system.     

Über den Aufbau von 11 offenen Sternhaufen

The strip functions, circular velocity functions and various characteristic parameters of NGC 659, 1027, 1245, 1502, 1528, 1907, 2420, 6830, 6866, 7062 and IC 1848 are derived. From these functions the relative density distribution in the “mean” cluster defined by the 11 clusters is determined. The corresponding generalized SCHUSTER model is found (n = 3.04). The stars of the mean cluster are somewhat more concentrated to the centre than in the model.     

ROSAT PSPC observations of the Orion Trapezium area II. Source variability and revised source list

A deep ROSAT PSPC image centred on the Orion Trapezium has been reduceda second time using an improved version of the PSF to fit the data. The outer rim of the field of view was also included. The new catalogue contains 316 X‐ray sources which are easily identified with pre‐main sequence stars of the Ori OB1 Ic and Id association. All 316 sources were tested for variability. No variations were found inside the single exposures of about 45 minutes length each. Between the 4 exposures spaced over 5 days about 1/3 of the sources show signs of activities of various forms. As above 25% of these have somewhat regular lights curves (monotonically rising or falling or hill‐shaped) we infer that at least some outbursts with time scales longer than a day are present and that past searches for X‐ray flares of pre‐main sequence stars were biased towards shorter time scales.