Assessing uncertainties in dust emission in the Aral Sea region caused by meteorological fields predicted with a mesoscale model

This study investigates how the choice of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterization and dust emission scheme affects the prediction of dust entrainment simulated with a regional mesoscale model. For this analysis we consider a representative dust episode which occurred on April 2001 in the Aral Sea region. The meteorological fields were simulated using the PSU/NCAR MM5 modeling system considering two different boundary layer parameterizations. In each case, emitted dust fluxes were computed off-line by incorporating MM5 meteorological fields into the dust module DuMo. Several dust emission schemes with a prescribed erodible fraction and fixed threshold wind speed were the subject of our analysis. Implications to assessment of the anthropogenic fraction of dust emitted in the Aral region were investigated by conducting the full, half, and no lake modeling experiments.Our results show that the discrepancies in dust fluxes between the two different PBLs are much higher compared to the discrepancy associated with the use of considered dust production schemes. Furthermore, the choice of the PBL affects the timing and duration of a modeled dust event. We demonstrate that different combinations of the PBL parameterization and wind- or friction velocity-driven dust emission schemes can result in up to about a 50% difference in predicted dust mass caused by the Aral Sea desiccation. We found that the drying-up of the Aral cannot only affect the dust emission by expanding the source area, but also by affecting atmospheric characteristics, especially winds. These competitive factors add further complexity to quantification of the anthropogenic dust fraction in the region.     

Regional climate change patterns identified by cluster analysis

Climate change caused by anthropogenic greenhouse emissions leads to impacts on a global and a regional scale. A quantitative picture of the projected changes on a regional scale can help to decide on appropriate mitigation and adaptation measures. In the past, regional climate change results have often been presented on rectangular areas. But climate is not bound to a rectangular shape and each climate variable shows a distinct pattern of change. Therefore, the regions over which the simulated climate change results are aggregated should be based on the variable(s) of interest, on current mean climate as well as on the projected future changes. A cluster analysis algorithm is used here to define regions encompassing a similar mean climate and similar projected changes. The number and the size of the regions depend on the variable(s) of interest, the local climate pattern and on the uncertainty introduced by model disagreement. The new regions defined by the cluster analysis algorithm include information about regional climatic features which can be of a rather small scale. Comparing the regions used so far for large scale regional climate change studies and the new regions it can be shown that the spacial uncertainty of the projected changes of different climate variables is reduced significantly, i.e. both the mean climate and the expected changes are more consistent within one region and therefore more representative for local impacts.     

Influence of freeze-thaw events on carbon dioxide emission from soils at different moisture and land use

Background  

The repeated freeze-thaw events during cold season, freezing of soils in autumn and thawing in spring are typical for the tundra, boreal, and temperate soils. The thawing of soils during winter-summer transitions induces the release of decomposable organic carbon and acceleration of soil respiration. The winter-spring fluxes of CO₂ from permanently and seasonally frozen soils are essential part of annual carbon budget varying from 5 to 50%. The mechanisms of the freeze-thaw activation are not absolutely clear and need clarifying. We investigated the effect of repeated freezing-thawing events on CO₂ emission from intact arable and forest soils (Luvisols, loamy silt; Central Germany) at different moisture (65% and 100% of WHC).     

Seismogenic destruction of the Kamenka medieval fortress, northern Issyk-Kul region, Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan)

A paleoseismological study of the medieval Kamenka fortress in the northern part of the Issyk-Kul Lake depression, northern Tien Shan in Kyrgyzstan, revealed an oblique slip thrust fault scarp offsetting the fortification walls. This 700 m long scarp is not related to the 1911 Kebin Earthquake (Ms 8.2) fault scarps which are widespread in the region. As analysis of stratigraphy in a paleoseismic trench and archaeological evidence reveal, it can be assigned to a major twelfth century a.d. earthquake which produced up to 4 m of oblique slip thrusting antithetic to that of the nearby dominant faults. The inferred surface rupturing earthquake apparently caused the fortress destruction and was likely the primary reason for its abandonment, not the Mongolian–Tatar invasions as previously thought.     

Egg production of Calanus finmarchicus—A basin-scale study

Egg production of Calanus finmarchicus was studied during joint basin-scale surveys in April–June 2003 in the Norwegian Sea. Surveys covered the whole Norwegian Sea and were conducted from Norwegian, Icelandic and Faroese research vessels. Stations were classified as being in pre-bloom, bloom or post-bloom phase according to levels of chlorophyll a and nitrate. Individual egg production rates and population egg production rates were calculated and compared between areas. Both individual egg production rates (eggs female⁻¹ day⁻¹) and population egg production rates (eggs m⁻² day⁻¹) were significantly higher in bloom areas compared with pre-bloom and post-bloom areas. However, when integrated over an estimated duration of the three phases, the time-integrated egg production (eggs m⁻²) in most years was highest in the pre-bloom phase, and this was explained by the longer duration of this phase compared with the two other phases.     

Determination of the Coronal and Interplanetary Magnetic Field Strength and Radial Profiles from Large-Scale Photospheric Magnetic Fields

We propose a new model for the magnetic field at different distances from the Sun during different phases of the solar cycle. The model depends on the observed large-scale non-polar (\({\pm}\, 55^{\circ }\)) photospheric magnetic field and on the magnetic field measured at polar regions from \(55^{\circ }\) N to \(90^{\circ }\) N and from \(55^{\circ }\) S to \(90^{\circ }\) S, which are the visible manifestations of cyclic changes in the toroidal and poloidal components of the global magnetic field of the Sun. The modeled magnetic field is determined as the superposition of the non-polar and polar photospheric magnetic field and considers cycle variations. The agreement between the model predictions and magnetic fields derived from direct in situ measurements at different distances from the Sun, obtained with different methods and at different solar activity phases, is quite satisfactory. From a comparison of the magnetic fields as observed and calculated from the model at 1 AU, we conclude that the model magnetic field variations adequately explain the main features of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) radial, \(B_{\mathrm{x}}\), component cycle evolution at Earth’s orbit. The modeled magnetic field averaged over a Carrington rotation (CR) correlates with the IMF \(B_{\mathrm{x}}\) component also averaged over a CR at Earth’s orbit with a coefficient of 0.691, while for seven CR-averaged data, the correlation reaches 0.81. The radial profiles of the modeled magnetic field are compared with those of already existing models. In contrast to existing models, ours provides realistic magnetic-field radial distributions over a wide range of heliospheric distances at different cycle phases, taking into account the cycle variations of the solar toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields. The model is a good approximation of the cycle behavior of the magnetic field in the heliosphere. In addition, the decrease in the non-polar and polar photospheric magnetic fields is shown. Furthermore, the magnetic field during solar cycle maxima and minima decreased from Cycle 21 to Cycle 24. This implies that both the toroidal and poloidal components, and therefore the solar global magnetic field, decreased from Cycle 21 to Cycle 24.     

Feeding of the Norwegian spring spawning herring Clupea harengus (Linne) at the different stages of its life cycle

The aim of the research was to investigate the diet of herring at different stages of its life cycle. For that purpose feeding of 0-group and immature herring in the Barents Sea, as well as of mature fish from the Norwegian Sea, was studied. 0-Group herring was sampled in the Barents Sea in August–September 2002–2005 during the international 0-group and trawl-acoustic survey of pelagic fish, as well as during the trawl-acoustic survey of demersal fish in November–December 2003–2004. Stomach samples of immature herring (1–3 years) were collected in late May and early of June 2001 and 2005 in the south-western part of the Barents Sea during the trawl-acoustic survey for young herring. Stomach samples of mature herring were collected in the Norwegian Sea in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2002 in the course of the international trawl-acoustic survey of pelagic fish. Feeding intensity of herring of all age groups varied considerably between years and this was probably associated with availability and accessibility of their prey. The 0-group herring was found to have the most diverse diet, including 31 different taxa. In August–September, copepods, euphausiids, Cladocera, and larvae Bivalvia were most frequent in the diet of 0-group herring, but euphausiids and Calanus finmarchicus were the main prey taken. In November–December, euphausiids and tunicates were major prey groups. It was found that C. finmarchicus in the diet of 0-group herring was replaced by larval and adult euphausiids with increasing fish length. C. finmarchicus was the principal prey of immature herring and dominated in the diet of both small and large individuals and mainly older copepodites of C. finmarchicus were taken. Larval and adult euphausiids were found in stomachs of immature herring as well, but their share was not large. The importance of different prey for mature herring in the Norwegian Sea varied depending on the feeding area and length of the herring. On the whole C. finmarchicus and 0-group fish were the most important prey for mature herring diet, but fish prey were only important in a small sampling area. Hyperiids, euphausiids, tunicates, and pteropods were less important prey, and in 2002 herring actively consumed herring fry and redfish larvae.     

B and Li isotopes as intrinsic tracers for injection tests in aquifer storage and recovery systems

Boron and Li isotopes have been tested as environmental tracers of treated sewage injected into a sandy aquifer (Shafdan reclamation project, Israel). During a 38 days injection test in a newly dug injection well, a conservative artificial tracer (Br⁻) was monitored together with δ¹¹B and δ⁷Li in the injectate, in the unsaturated soil zone (porous cup) and an observation well in the aquifer. In spite of B and Li concentrations in the injectate close to background values, significant shifts of the isotope signatures could be observed over the duration of the injection test. Boron isotope ratios show a breakthrough curve delayed with respect to Br⁻ breakthrough due to some reversible sorption on the aquifer material. No isotope fractionation was observed in the unsaturated or the saturated zone so that B isotopes can be considered as conservative in the investigated part of the aquifer system. Lithium isotopes are strongly fractionated, probably due to sorption processes. Lithium concentrations point to a Li sink in the system, δ⁷Li values vary strongly with a tendency of ⁷Li depletion in the liquid phase over the duration of the experiment. This is opposite to the expected preferential sorption of ⁶Li onto clay minerals. Boron isotopes reveals a valuable tracer of artificial recharge of freshwaters derived from treated sewage, both for short term tracer tests and for long-term monitoring of artificial recharge, even if in aquifers with higher clay contents, sorption-linked isotope fractionation cannot be excluded. More data are needed on Li isotope fractionation in natural groundwater systems to assess the potential of this tracer as monitoring tool.     

Transient Electric Field in the Mesosphere above a Γ-shape Lightning Stroke

We describe the space–time distribution of the pulsed electric field in the middle atmosphere above a positive Γ-shaped lightning stroke. The channel of such a discharge contains a vertical and a horizontal section. The current wave moves initially vertically and then turns horizontally so that radiation appears from the vertical electric dipole followed by that from the horizontal dipole. Combined with reflection from the perfectly conducting ground, the source provides three subsequent pulses in the atmosphere, with the lag being determined by the finite velocity of the current wave in the Γ-shaped stroke. The pulses are reproduced by reflections from the air-ground and the air-ionosphere interfaces and the waveform resembles the M-component, which is often noted in the negative strokes (e.g. Yashunin et al., J Geophys Res 112:D10109, 2007). The non-stationary fine structure appears in the spatial distribution of electric field, which persists for 2 ms or even more and exceeds the runaway electron threshold. Estimates support the idea of free electron bunching in the mesosphere by the pulsed electric field. Focusing may occur about 10 km away from the point of electron- field interaction; it is delayed by a few ms from the moment of interaction. The data presented might be helpful in realistic modeling of the red sprite formation.