Nonstationary pearl pulsations as a signature of magnetospheric disturbances

We analyse long-lasting (several hours) Pc1 pearl pulsations with decreasing, increasing or constant central frequencies. We show that nonstationary pearl events (those with either decreasing or increasing central frequency) are observed simultaneously with increasing auroral magnetic activity at the nightside magnetosphere while the stationary events (constant central frequency) correspond to quiet magnetic conditions. Events with decreasing central frequency are observed mostly in the late morning and daytime whereas events with increasing central frequency appear either early in the morning or in the afternoon. We explain the diurnal distribution of the nonstationary pearl pulsations in terms of proton drifts depending on magnetic activity, and evaluate the magnetospheric electric field based on the variation of the central frequency of pearl pulsations.     

Authors' Reply

Abstract— Jull et al. propose an alternative interpretation of our depth vs. ¹⁴C data measured on a peat core from the central Tunguska impact site (Rasmussen et al., 1999). We find that the proposed alternative is untenable.     

The marine Lockne impact structure, Jämtland, Sweden: a review

The Lockne impact structure in Jämtland (63°00'20"N, 14°49'30"E) formed in the Middle Ordovician at approximately 455 Ma. The structure is a concentric crater with a total diameter of 13.5 km. The impact took place in a marine environment. Seawater played an important role in the cratering process and in crater morphology and the amount of melt remaining in the structure. Seawater rushed back into the crater in a resurge, eroding and redepositing the ejecta among the resurge deposit. Seawater furthermore facilitated the hydrothermal system, which was driven by the residual heat in the structure. The Lockne structure hosts shocked quartz and an iridium anomaly. The rim wall round the crater collapsed in the modification stage of the crater and was annihilated by the resurge. The fractured basement and the impact breccia were initially rich in open cavities. These became partly filled with dominantly calcite. The filling contributed to a low-density contrast, generating a negative gravity anomaly of 22 gu. The gravity model indicates a central uplift and a NW-directed tilt of the structure. This tilt is also seen in the magnetic models. The apparent absence of any impact melt is probably real and related to the environment of impact.     

Cluster–subcluster mergers and the formation of narrow-angle tailed radio sources

We examine the ROSAT PSPC X-ray properties of a sample of 15 Abell clusters containing 23 narrow-angle tailed (NAT) radio galaxies. We find that clusters with NATs show a significantly higher level of substructure than a similar sample of radio-quiet clusters, indicating that NAT radio sources are preferentially located in dynamically complex systems. Also, the velocity distribution of the NAT galaxies is similar to that of other cluster members; these velocities are inadequate for producing the ram pressure necessary to bend the radio jets. We therefore propose a new model for NAT formation, in which NATs are associated with dynamically complex clusters undergoing merger events. The U -shaped NAT morphology is produced in part by the merger-induced bulk motion of the ICM bending the jets.     

Subpollen Particles as Atmospheric Cloud Condensation Nuclei

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Bioparticles constitute a significant fraction of atmospheric aerosol. Their size range varies from nanometers (macromolecules) to hundreds of...     

The relation between electric and redox potential: evidence from laboratory and field measurements

In field and laboratory experiments the relationship of redox, electric, and total potential was studied. This was carried out by using different arrangements of Pt and Ag/AgCl electrodes. The total potential is obtained by placing a Pt and an Ag/AgCl electrode at considerable distance apart on the rock. The studies indicate that the total potential yields the sum of redox and electric potential. Deviations larger than a couple of mV are caused by extensive fluid–rock interactions. In the laboratory it is seen that the magnitude of the electric potential is generally not larger than the artificially produced difference of the redox potential. The former is most likely attributed to a diffusion or membrane potential. At field scale the electric potential is designated as self potential. Redox potential measurements in the field may supply information from remnants of pore fluid of the rock and thereby may be suitable to support the exploration of concealed metal deposits. Detectable are in particular the fast H⁺ ions which are released by electrochemical reactions and transported by electromigration, both of which are attributed to the presence of the so called geobattery.     

Changes in European precipitation seasonality and in drought frequencies revealed by a four-century-long tree-ring isotopic record from Brittany, western France

A new paleoclimatic reconstruction for western France is obtained from tree-ring cellulose stable isotopes. Living trees from Rennes Forest and beams from two ancient buildings in Rennes city have been combined to cover the past four centuries with a gap from 1730 to 1750. The cellulose ¹³C reflects the progressive changes in atmospheric CO₂ isotopic composition. The combined ¹³C and ¹⁸O measurements are used to propose a reconstruction of interannual fluctuations in local summer temperature and water stress. At the decadal time scale, the reconstructed water stress profile exhibits a significant similarity with the historical wine harvest dates, an indicator of warm and dry growth seasons, as well as with the summer central England and central Alps instrumental temperature records and climate model results. Combined with instrumental precipitation records from Paris, these reconstructions suggest a dramatic and widespread change in the seasonality of the precipitation at the beginning of the nineteenth century, with drier winters and wetter summers, which may have contributed to the Alpine glacier decline at the end of the Little Ice Age. The tree-ring isotope records also show a relationship with large-scale North Atlantic circulation changes and the interannual variability is modified between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (7–8 year periodicities) and the seventeenth century (11–14 year periodicities). By classifying 20-year-long subsets of the reconstructed climatic parameters, we estimate that a decadal mean summer warming of 0.8±0.1°C induced extreme dry years to be 2.2±0.7 times more frequent.