A relativistic theory of plasma cut-offs

It is pointed out that at frequencies near the plasma cut-off frequencies, the corrections to wave refractive indices in a cold plasmaN ₀due to the contribution of ions and relativistic effects can be of the same order of magnitude or greater thanN ₀. Expressions for wave refractive indicesN taking into account these corrections are derived in a limiting case |N| I. It is shown that the increase in cut-off frequencies due to effects of ions is negligibly small unless the electron plasma frequency is well below the electron gyrofrequency. The decrease of the cut-off frequencies due to relativistic effects is significant ( 1%) only in a rather hot plasma (T _e 1 keV), which may be observed in a plasma sheet region of the Earth's magnetosphere and in astrophysical conditions. These effects appear to be particularly important in a strongly anisotropic plasma (the electron perpendicular temperature is noticeably greater than the parallel one).     

Plankton distribution associated with frontal zones in the vicinity of the Pribilof Islands

We studied the effect of four types of fronts, the coastal front, the middle front, the shelf partition front and the shelf break front on the quantitative distribution and the composition of plankton communities in the Pribilof area of the eastern Bering Sea shelf in late spring and summer of 1993 and 1994. The coastal fronts near St. Paul and St. George Islands and the coastal domains encircled by the fronts featured specific taxonomic composition of planktonic algae, high abundance and production of phytoplankton, as well as large numbers of heterotrophic nanoplankton. The coastal fronts also were characterized by high values of total mesozooplankton biomass, high concentrations of Calanus marshallae, as well as relatively high abundances of Parasagitta setosa and Euphausiacea compared to surrounding shelf waters. We hypothesize that wind-induced erosion of a weak thermocline in the inner part of the coastal front as well as transfrontal water exchange in subthermocline layers result in nutrient enrichment of the euphotic layer in the coastal fronts and coastal domains in summer time. This leads to prolonged high primary production and high phytoplankton biomass. In this paper a new type of front—the shelf partition front located 45–55 km to the north-east off St. Paul Island—is described, which is assumed to be formed by the flux of oceanic domain waters onto the shelf. This front features a high abundance of phytoplankton and a high level of primary production compared to the adjacent middle shelf. Near the southwestern periphery of the front a mesozooplankton peak occurred, composed of C. marshallae, with biomass in the subthermocline layer, reaching values typical for the shelf break front and the highest for the area. High abundance of phyto- and zooplankton as well as heterotrophic nanoplankton and elevated primary production were most often observed in the area adjacent to the shelf break front at its oceanic side. The phyto- and mesozooplankton peaks here were formed by oceanic community species. The summer levels of phytoplankton numbers, biomass and primary production in the shelf break frontal area were similar to those reported for the outer and middle shelf during the spring bloom and the coastal domains and coastal fronts in summer. In the environment with a narrow shelf to the south of St. George Island, the mesozooplankton peak was observed at the inner side of the shelf break front as close as 20 km from the island shore and was comprised of a “mixed” community of shelf and oceanic species. The biomass in the peak reached the highest values for the Pribilof area at 2.5 g mean wet weight m⁻³ in the 0–100 m layer. Details of the taxonomic composition and the numbers and production of phytoplankton hint at the similarity of processes that affect the phytoplankton summer community in the coastal domains of the islands, at the coastal fronts, and at the oceanic side of the shelf break front. The middle front was the only one that had no effect on plankton composition or its quantitative characteristics in June and July. Location of a variety of frontal productive areas within 100 km of the Pribilof Islands creates favorable foraging habitat for higher trophic level organisms, including sea birds and marine mammals, populating the islands.     

Characteristics of the variability of the surface temperature in the Atlantic Ocean on various spatial-temporal scales

The behaviour of various characteristics of the temperature variability such as gradients and dispersions versus the scales of spatial and temporal averaging is studied on the basis of data contained in the facsimile charts of the sea surface temperature (SST). The approximating relationships which permit us to establish the connection between these characteristics on various spatial-temporal scales are developed for the characteristics of the SST variability. A correspondence between the scales of spatial-temporal averaging which results in identical variations of the gradients and the spatial-temporal dispersions of the SST field is revealed.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Morphological and Biological Particularities of Black Sea Whiting Merlangius merlangus euxinus (nordmann) (Teleostei: Gadidae)*

Abstract. From 1987–1992 nearly 4000 specimens of Merlangius merlangus euxinus were collected from most Black Sea areas. Biological parameters such as weight, standard length, sex, and age were studied. Seven meristic and twenty-four morphometric parameters were analyzed from 756 specimens. Data were processed employing discriminant and cluster analyses; they indicate the existence of several populations or sub-populations of the Black Sea whiting. The findings are supported by biological data and the general circulation pattern of the Black Sea.     

The North Atlantic High-Resolution Regional Climate Model Experiment for Oceanic and Atmospheric Applications

We present a high-resolution historical analysis of the atmosphere over the North Atlantic for the period from January 1979 to December 2018. The dataset was obtained using the nonhydrostatic atmospheric model WRF-ARW version 3.8.1 and contains two experiments that differ in spatial resolution: 14 km (HiRes) and 77 km (LoRes). Except for the spatial resolution, the configuration remained identical in both experiments: 50 vertical sigma-levels (starting from ~12 m up to 50 hPa); ERA-Interim reanalysis was used as forcing and spectral nudging. The dataset for HiRes and LoRes experiments was named NAAD (North Atlantic Atmospheric Downscaling). Preliminary results of both HiRes and LoRes reveal good agreement with observations and the ERA-Interim, ERA5, and ASRv2 reanalyses. The NAAD dataset is available online at http://www.naad.ocean.ru and provides a variety of surface and upper-troposphere atmospheric variables with a time step of 3 h.

     

Advanced relativistic VLBI model for geodesy

Our present relativistic part of the geodetic VLBI model for Earthbound antennas is a consensus model which is considered as a standard for processing high-precision VLBI observations. It was created as a compromise between a variety of relativistic VLBI models proposed by different authors as documented in the IERS Conventions 2010. The accuracy of the consensus model is in the picosecond range for the group delay but this is not sufficient for current geodetic purposes. This paper provides a fully documented derivation of a new relativistic model having an accuracy substantially higher than one picosecond and based upon a well accepted formalism of relativistic celestial mechanics, astrometry and geodesy. Our new model fully confirms the consensus model at the picosecond level and in several respects goes to a great extent beyond it. More specifically, terms related to the acceleration of the geocenter are considered and kept in the model, the gravitational time-delay due to a massive body (planet, Sun, etc.) with arbitrary mass and spin-multipole moments is derived taking into account the motion of the body, and a new formalism for the time-delay problem of radio sources located at finite distance from VLBI stations is presented. Thus, the paper presents a substantially elaborated theoretical justification of the consensus model and its significant extension that allows researchers to make concrete estimates of the magnitude of residual terms of this model for any conceivable configuration of the source of light, massive bodies, and VLBI stations. The largest terms in the relativistic time delay which can affect the current VLBI observations are from the quadrupole and the angular momentum of the gravitating bodies that are known from the literature. These terms should be included in the new geodetic VLBI model for improving its consistency.     

A search for unique objects in nearby galaxies

A list of 171 stars in the galaxy M33 is presented. The stars could be considered as candidates for unique objects, such as SS 433, S Dor, P Cyg stars and possibly new kinds of peculiar objects. All these stars have been selected on the basis of the similarity to SS 433, free from interstellar absorption: OB star with strongH emission or with HeII 4686 and CIII, NIII 4630 - 4660 emission lines; a hot star inside a supernovae remnant or radio nebula. The variability of these stars has been used as an additional criterion of the selection. It is important to carry out spectral observations of the presented stars, which will allow us to select stars with intrinsicH emission.     

On the sensitivity of balance computations of the meridional heat transport to estimations of separate parameters

The response of balance estimates for the meridional heat fluxes in the North Atlantic to methods of calculating the boundary condition in the north as well as the effects of spatial-temporal averaging of hydrometeorological information is analysed. It is shown that spatial-temporal averaging of parameters during calculation of the surface heat fluxes can not only affect the characteristics of the meridional heat flux variability, but also significantly alter the average values.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Geodesy and relativity

Relativity, or gravitational physics, has widely entered geodetic modelling and parameter determination. This concerns, first of all, the fundamental reference systems used. The Barycentric Celestial Reference System (BCRS) has to be distinguished carefully from the Geocentric Celestial Reference System (GCRS), which is the basic theoretical system for geodetic modelling with a direct link to the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS), simply given by a rotation matrix. The relation to the International Celestial Reference System (ICRS) is discussed, as well as various properties and relevance of these systems. Then the representation of the gravitational field is discussed when relativity comes into play. Presently, the so-called post-Newtonian approximation to GRT (general relativity theory) including relativistic effects to lowest order is sufficient for practically all geodetic applications. At the present level of accuracy, space-geodetic techniques like VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry), GPS (Global Positioning System) and SLR/LLR (Satellite/Lunar Laser Ranging) have to be modelled and analysed in the context of a post-Newtonian formalism. In fact, all reference and time frames involved, satellite and planetary orbits, signal propagation and the various observables (frequencies, pulse travel times, phase and travel-time differences) are treated within relativity. This paper reviews to what extent the space-geodetic techniques are affected by such a relativistic treatment and where—vice versa—relativistic parameters can be determined by the analysis of geodetic measurements. At the end, we give a brief outlook on how new or improved measurement techniques (e.g., optical clocks, Galileo) may further push relativistic parameter determination and allow for refined geodetic measurements.     

Anomalously deep convection in the Irminger Sea during the winter of 2014–2015

The anomalous thermohaline properties of the core of the Labrador Sea water (LSW), a product of winter convection resulted from the ocean–winter interaction, which were recorded in the Irminger Sea in 2014 and 2015, are discussed. It is found that, in the summer of 2015, the LSW filled the entire deepwater basin in the south of the sea down to a depth of 1300 m over the periphery of the Irminger gyral, and down to a depth of 1800 m, in the anticyclone eddy formed in early June of 2015. The maximum density of the LSW core here was 27.75 σ_θ. Such deep and intense winter convection in the Irminger Sea was last recorded 20 years ago. As a result, the temperature of the LSW dropped to values observed in the years 2002 and 2007, but its average salinity remained high. The LSW that have been formed in recent years are reported to have great amplitude and nonmonotonic variability of the properties.