Numerical simulation of the response of general circulation of the middle atmosphere to spatial inhomogeneities of orographic waves

We have developed a parameterization of the dynamical and thermal effects of stationary orographic waves (SOWs) generated by the earth’s surface topography and included it into the general circulation model of the middle and upper atmosphere. We have analyzed the sensitivity of atmospheric general circulation at tropospheric to thermospheric altitudes to the impact of SOWs propagating from the troposphere. Changes in atmospheric circulation due to variations in the SOW generation and propagation have been considered for different seasons. It has been shown that, during solstices, the main dynamical and thermal impacts the middle atmosphere of winter hemispheres, where the SOW-induced changes in the velocity of zonal circulation can reach 30%. During equinoxes, the SOW impact is distributed more homogeneously between the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and the relative changes in the velocity of zonal circulation of the middle atmosphere may constitute 10%.     

Seismoacoustic emission and electromagnetic radiation of fractured rocks in deep wells

The results of simultaneous measurements in seismoacoustic emission (SAE) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR), carried out with the help of a program-apparatus complex developed at the Institute of Geophysics, Ural Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, are considered. Measurements have been carried out in the wells with varied structures located in Karelia, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, and Kamchatka. It has been shown that intervals of fractured rocks are simultaneously recorded in anomalies of SAE and EMR signals. This fact allows us to detect these zones of high tensosensitivity in a geomedium volume for the purposes of monitoring in geodynamic phenomena in the Earth’s crust.     

Analysis of the landscape structure in the tundra zone for western Siberia based on satellite data

The landscape structure are investigated for typical and southern tundra subzones of western Siberia based on satellite images from Landsat and WorldView. The microlandscape types for the considered regions are selected and areas of microlandscapes are defined on the basis of satellite information and accounting data of field studies. The areas of the main wetland landscapes in the different types of bogs in northwestern Siberia are defined.     

Geomagnetic Effects of Remote Earthquakes

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - The paper presents the results of a study of the relationship of seismic events with geomagnetic disturbances arising from the acoustic impact on the lower ionosphere,...     

Reflection of seismic paleoevents in Mesozoic–Cenozoic terrigenous sequences of the northern Caucasus

Numerous traces of paleoseismic events (seismites) were established in Mesozoic–Cenozoic marine sedimentary sequences of the northern Caucasus. These traces are most prominent in the terrigenous Middle Miocene sandy–clayey sediments. Impact of seismic shocks upon the relatively weakly lithified sediments provoked distortion of the primary sedimentary structure, liquefaction of the sandy material, and injections of different morphologies (neptunic dikes and sills). The formation of jointing in sediments fostered their vertical permeability and promoted the migration of diagenetic solutions into the adjacent horizons, which stimulated the formation of subvertical carbonate bodies. The amount and intensity of seismic events varied at different stages of the accumulation of sequences and in different areas of the paleobasin. In the eastern sector of the northern Caucasus, seismic activity similar to the present-day general pattern was likely developed as early as the Middle Miocene: maximum activity in the Dagestan and its westward attenuation. Traces of seismic activity are also recorded in the Maikopian (Oligocene–Lower Miocene) and Lower–Middle Jurassic rocks.     

Numerical simulation of wave interactions during sudden stratospheric warming

Parameterizations of normal atmospheric modes (NAMs) and orographic gravity waves (OGWs) are implemented into the mechanistic general circulation model of the middle and upper atmosphere (MUA). Numerical experiments of sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events are performed for climatological conditions typical for January and February using meteorological reanalysis data from the UK MET Office in the MUA model averaged over the years 1992–2011 with the easterly phase of quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). The simulation shows that an increase in the OGW amplitudes occurs at altitudes higher than 30 km in the Northern Hemisphere after SSW. The OGW amplitudes have maximums at altitudes of about 50 km over the North American and European mountain systems before and during SSW, as well as over the Himalayas after SSW. At high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, significant (up to 50–70%) variations in the amplitudes of stationary planetary waves (SPWs) are observed during and after the SSW. Westward travelling NAMs have local amplitude maximums not only in the Northern Hemisphere, but also in the Southern Hemisphere, where there are waveguides for the propagation of these modes. Calculated variations of SPW and NAM amplitudes correspond to changes in the mean temperature and wind fields, as well as the Eliassen-Palm flux and atmospheric refractive index for the planetary waves, during SSW. Including OGW thermal and dynamical effects leads to an increase in amplitude (by 30–70%) of almost all SPWs before and during SSW and to a decrease (up to 20–100%) after the SSW at middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.     

Precision of selenodetic frames of reference

The number of reference points for the fixing of a selenodetic reference frame in the Moon’s body is estimated. It is shown that, for this purpose, from 40 to 100 reference points are sufficient. Precision of the selenodetic coordinate transformations from one system to another is also analysed.     

A thermomechanical model of the formation of a rift valley

A numerical model describing the thermomechanical state of the “cold” upper mantle near a mid-oceanic ridge (MOR) spreading at a moderate rate is constructed in the approximation of the boundary layer theory. The condition of rift valley formation leads to a constraint on the temperature and shows what temperature distribution corresponds to the “cold” upper mantle. Taking into account the dependence of mantle rheology on the pressure, temperature, and viscous stresses, the model distributions of the pressure and normal viscous stresses at the base of the lithosphere result in a bend of the heterogeneous lithosphere near the MOR, producing a seafloor topography typical of a rift valley with a depth of a few hundred meters and a spreading rate of ～2.5 cm/yr, characteristic of the Atlantic Ocean. The model width of the rift valley (～10–15 km) agrees with observations fairly well. The model is consistent with the typical heat-flow values observed in the spreading zone.