Modeling optical contrast for thin organic films on the sea surface

A continuation of the work dedicated to the study of slicks and film formations on the sea surface is presented. A vector model for the calculation of reflected radiation by the wavy sea surface with respect to the contribution of upwelling radiation from under the sea surface (the second type of waters) is described briefly in [5]. This work contains an analysis of numerical calculations according to the developed procedure and the search for optimal conditions of slick detection. The best conditions for detecting slicks on the sea surface are reached when a P-polarization component of reflected radiation is recorded. In this case, the value of contrast between a slick and a clean surface is 30% higher on average than in recording a contrast without using a polarization filter and is 50% higher than in the case of recording a contrast with a filter oriented to the maximum transmission of S polarization component of reflected radiation. It is shown that, under clear sky conditions, the optimal condition for recording slicks on a sea surface is videotaping in the plane of solar vertical at viewing angles sliding towards the sea surface and when a polarization filter that identifies the Р polarization component of sea radiation is used. In contrast, under overcast sky conditions, it is best to perform observations in the plane that has a wind velocity vector.     

Geomechanical conditions of the Tien Shan and Altai Orogeny

The results of numerical modelling of deformation of the Earth’s crust along the Tarim–Altai profile caused by the force of gravity and lateral compression using the approximate two-dimensional model of the elastoplastic transition are presented. The conditions of the formation of mountains and their roots were determined taking into account some geological and geophysical parameters.     

The Geochemical Prerequisites for the Formation of High-Carbonate Inversion Groundwater with Reduced Dissolved Solids Content in Deep Horizons of Oil-and-Gas Bearing Structures

Synthesis of empirical natural materials and thermodynamic computer modeling of geochemical processes in water–rock systems at different boundary conditions (solid-to-liquid ratio, , T) were used to determine the genetic causes of the inverse geochemical zonality that forms in deep horizons of oil-and-gas bearing structures. The geochemical pattern of inversion water was found to form chiefly because of changes in the Eh–pH-conditions of the original groundwater under the effect of organic components of rocks and because of an increase in temperature to 100°C at low values of solid-to-liquid ratios and at no higher than 10^–2 bar.     

Laser ablation ICP-MS analyses of tree-ring profiles in pine and birch from N Norway and NW Russia – a reliable record of the pollution history of the area?

 Laser ablation ICP-MS analysis of tree rings provides a rapid and sensitive method for investigating element concentrations and fluctuations in trees along time profiles. Time profiles obtained from pine and birch trees from a strongly polluted area in northwest Russia and a slightly polluted area at the Norwegian-Russian border show that single trees behave rather individualistically in terms of heavy metal contents as observed in the yearly growth rings. The obtained profiles can not be linked to the pollution history of the area. No correlation between pollution levels of the soils and observed metal content in tree rings can be established. Received: 6 September 1996 / Accepted: 18 November 1996     

Anthropogenic noble-metal enrichment of topsoil in the Monchegorsk area, Kola Peninsula, northwest Russia

Eight catchments, an area of 15 to 35 km², have been studied within an ecogeochemical mapping programme in the western Kola Peninsula and contiguous parts of Finland and Norway. Three catchments, one northeast of Zapolyarniy (1) and two, 5 and 25 km south of Monchegorsk (2 and 4) show high levels of deposition of heavy metals, especially nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu), related to the metallurgical industry in these cities. Twenty-five topsoil samples, from sites evenly distributed over catchment 2, have mean contents of Ni and Cu 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than both C-horizon samples from the same sites and topsoil samples from catchment 4, providing strong evidence for the anthropogenic origin of the heavy metals. The same samples show geometric mean total contents for the noble metals analysed of: 1.4 μg/kg rhodium (Rh), 49.6 μg/kg platinum (Pt), 187.6 μg/kg palladium (Pd) and 9.5 μg/kg gold (Au). The pattern of concentration of the noble metals mirrors that found in published averages for ore from the Talnakh mineralizations in the Noril'sk province, though 1–2 orders of magnitude lower. This also clearly shows that the noble-metal contents of the topsoil are anthropogenic, and suggests that they emanate from the plants in Monchegorsk at an early stage in treatment of the ore, probably as a minor component of Ni-Cu rich particles. The noble-metal geochemistry of the topsoil in the other catchments also reflects the nature of the ore being processed at the plants nearby.     

The role of vibrationally excited nitrogen in the formation of the mid-latitude negative ionospheric storms

Millstone Hill ionospheric storm time measurements of the electron density and temperature during the ionospheric storms (15-16 June 1965; 29–30 September 1969 and 17–18 August 1970) are compared with model results. The model of the Earth’s ionosphere and plasmasphere includes interhemispheric coupling, the H⁺, O⁺(⁴S), O⁺(²D), O⁺(²P), NO⁺, O⁺₂ and N⁺₂ ions, electrons, photoelectrons, the electron and ion temperature, vibrationally excited N₂ and the components of thermospheric wind.In order to model the electron temperature at the time of the 16 June 1965 negative storm, the heating rate of the electron gas by photoelectrons in the energy balance equation was multiplied by the factors 5–30 at he altitude above 700 km for the period 4.50-12.00 LT, 16 June 1965. The [O]/[N₂] MSIS-86 decrease and vibrationally excited N₂ effects are enough to account for the electron density depressions at Millstone Hill during the three storms. The factor of 2 (for 27–30 September 1969 magnetic storm) and the & actor 2.7 (for 16–18 August 1970 magnetic storm) reduction in the daytime peak density due to enhanced vibrationally excited N₂ is brought about by the increase in the O⁺+N₂ rate factor.     

Paleomagnetic studies and estimation of geomagnetic paleointensity at the early/middle Riphean boundary in rocks of the Salmi Formation (North Ladoga area)

The territory of Karelia (Baltic Shield) is virtually not represented in the global paleomagnetic database for the Lower Riphean time interval (1650—1350 Ma). As regards the paleointensity H _an, the huge interval 1–2 Ga in length is represented in the global paleointensity database by only eight determinations concentrated in the interval 1–1.35 Ga. The paper presents results of paleomagnetic studies of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks composing the Early Riphean Salmi Formation, which outcrops in the valley of the lower Tulemaioki River in the northern coast area of Lake Ladoga. Results of the study indicate that, in the Early Riphean time, the East European craton was located in the tropical region of the Southern Hemisphere between 15° S and 40° S. The inferred value of H _an is close to the lower boundary of the interval (1.36–11.56) × 10²² A m², encompassing previously published intensity values of the paleofield 1–1.35 Ga; this supports the hypothesis on the existence of long intervals of a lower field in the period in question [Maquoin et al., 2003].