Sporadic and recurrent geomagnetic disturbances in 1859–1860 according to the archived data from the Russian network of stations

Based on an analysis of the available archived data from the Russian network of geomagnetic stations, it has been indicated that the known event of August–September 1859 was the first and the greatest event in the series of the recurrent geomagnetic storms. Similar series were repeatedly observed in the next years. These series are caused by the processes on the Sun and in the heliosphere related to the superposition of the solar wind flows. The sporadic and regular components in joint activity of the complex, including active regions and coronal holes on the rotating Sun, play the role of the Bartels M regions responsible for initiation and development of geomagnetic storms. Neither coronal holes nor active regions can separately explain observations. During interpretation, active regions and coronal holes should be considered as a unified complex.     

Investigation by backscatter radar of artificial irregularities produced in ionospheric plasma heating experiments

The artificial ionospheric turbulence occurs in the ionosphere illuminated by high power HF radio waves. There are a lot of irregularities stretched along the geomagnetic field in this region. The investigation of the artificially disturbed ionospheric region is based on the reception of back scattered signals (BSS) which permits the basic parameters of this region to be estimated and its inhomogeneous structure to be described.Experiments were carried out using ‘Sura’ heating facility in the frequency range of ? = 4.7–9 MHz (ordinary mode) with the effective radiated power P_eff = 50–70 MW beamed vertically upwards. The most important dynamic and statistical BSS characteristics (the built-up time, the relaxation and autocorrelation times, the BSS amplitude spatial correlation function and power spectra) were measured using probe waves in the frequency range of that made it possible to obtain the basic parameters of the artificial irregularities. The model representation of a disturbed region in a form of a periodic structure gives a possibity to evaluate the scale of the structure, the whole size of the disturbance and its power and to calculate the main BSS characteristics.     

Hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Does the science support the Plan to Reduce,Mitigate, and Control Hypoxia?

We update and reevaluate the scientific information on the distribution, history, and causes of continental shelf hypoxia that supports the 2001 Action Plan for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force 2001), incorporating data, publications, and research results produced since the 1999 integrated assessment. The metric of mid-summer hypoxic area on the LouisianaTexas shelf is an adequate and suitable measure for continued efforts to reduce nutrients loads from the Mississippi River and hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico as outlined in the Action Plan. More frequent measurements of simple metrics (e.g., area and volume) from late spring through late summer would ensure that the metric is representative of the system in any given year and useful in a public discourse of conditions and causes. The long-term data on hypoxia, sources of nutrients, associated biological parameters, and paleoindicators continue to verify and strengthen the relationship between the nitratenitrogen load of the Mississippi River, the extent of hypoxia, and changes in the coastal ecosystem (eutrophication and worsening hypoxia). Multiple lines of evidence, some of them representing independent data sources, are consistent with the big picture pattern of increased eutrophication as a result of long-term nutrient increases that result in excess carbon production and accumulation and, ultimately, bottom water hypoxia. The additional findings arising since 1999 strengthen the science supporting the Action Plan that focuses on reducing nutrient loads, primarily nitrogen, through multiple actions to reduce the size of the hypoxic zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico.     

Geochemistry and lithofacies of Permo-Carboniferous carbonaceous rocks from the southwestern edge of the Bohemian Massif (Germany). A contribution to facies analysis of continental anoxic environments

The Permo-Carboniferous Schmidgaden, Weiden, Erbendorf and Stockheim basins from southern Germany host discontinuous seams of high ash coal and carbargillites which were mined for hard coal, explored for uranium and only recently have proved their source rock potential for gaseous and fluid hydrocarbons. Alteration and facies of these carbonaceous beds were geologically and chemically investigated. During silicification which is exclusively confined to the carbonaceous interbeds of pyroclastic depositions, element depletion prograded except for Zn, Pb, U. The anoxic environments under consideration may be subdivided into fluvial/swamp (Upper Westphalian beds from Schmidgaden, Weiden, Erbendorf and Stockheim) and lacustrine depositions (Upper Stephanian and Upper Autunian carbargillites from Erbendorf, Weiden-Bechtsrieth). SiO₂, MgO, CaO, Mo and Zr have proved to be most suitable for recognition of these environments, whereas, U, K₂O and notably Cu/Zn are less appropriate. In the ternary plots displaying the organic chemistry of extracts of these carbonaceous beds fluvial swamps have low and lacustrine beds high contents of saturated hydrocarbons. All samples show a pronounced OEP (=odd even predominance) of n-alkanes which partly are environment-controlled (terrestrial origin), partly maturity-controlled. The high iso- and cyclo-alkanes of Schmidgaden and bimodal n-alkyl distribution point to a contribution of algal material. Finally four basin types bearing carbonaceous rocks are discussed with respect to their economic potential and compared with basins elsewhere (Cerilly, Lodève, St. Hippolyte, Uinta): type I: intramontane fault-bounded basin (swamp), type II: volcanic-depression with steep relief (swamps), type III: halfgraben (lake), type IV: volcanic-depression with smooth relief (lake). Types I and II are of interest for hard coal, organic-hosted U-deposits and mainly gasprone; types III and IV, however, show good source-rock potential for crude oil.     

Geography–Internationalisation and the Condition of Forestry in New Zealand

Abstract. Internationalisation is used as a device with which to reexamine geographies of national development and geography in national development in New Zealand. The second half of the paper discusses national and internationalised forestry in New Zealand before considering some of the new possibilities confronting geographers as the New Zealand economy becomes increasingly internationalised.     

85 Peg A: what age for a low-metallicity solar-like star?

We explore the possible evolutionary status of the primary component of the binary 85 Pegasi, listed as a target for asteroseismic observations by the MOST satellite. In spite of the assessed 'subdwarf' status, and of the accurate distance determination from the Hipparcos data, the uncertainties in the metallicity and age, coupled with the uncertainty in the theoretical models, lead to a range of predictions on the oscillation frequency spectrum. Nevertheless, the determination of the ratio between the small separation in frequency modes, and the large separation as suggested by Roxburgh, provides a very good measure of the star age, quite independent of the metallicity in the assumed uncertainty range. In this range, the constraint on the dynamical mass and the further constraint provided by the assumption that the maximum age is 14 Gyr limits the mass of 85 Peg A to the range from 0.75 to  0.82 M_⊙  . This difference of a few hundredths of a solar mass leads to well detectable differences both in the evolutionary stage (age) and in the asteroseismic properties. We show that the age determination which will be possible through the asteroseismic measurements for this star is independent either of the convection model adopted or the microscopic metal diffusion. The latter conclusion is strengthened by the fact that, although metal diffusion is still described in an approximate way, recent observations suggest that real stars suffer a smaller metal sedimentation compared with the models.     

Probabilities of occurrence of great earthquakes in the Himalaya

Long-term conditional probabilities of occurrence of great earthquakes along the Himalaya plate boundary seismic zone have been estimated. The chance of occurrence of at least one great earthquake along this seismic zone over a period of 100 years (beginning the year 1999) is estimated to be about 0.89. The 100-year probability of such an earthquake occurring in the Kashmir seismic gap is about 0.27, in the central seismic gap about 0.52 and in the Assam gap about 0.21. The 25-year probabilities of their occurrence in these gaps are 0.07, 0.17, and 0.05 respectively. These probability estimates may be used profitably to assess the seismic hazard in the Himalaya and the adjoining Ganga plains.