Impact of ice cover in the Arctic on ocean–atmosphere turbulent heat fluxes

The impact of spatiotemporal variability of the ice-covered area in the Arctic on the value and interannual dynamics of turbulent heat fluxes on the ocean–atmosphere border is considered. An expected inverse dependence of the heat fluxes integrated over the Arctic area and the area of ice is not detected. The largest interannual oscillations of heat fluxes from the ocean to the atmosphere are timed to the varying position of the ice edge and, to a lesser extent, are connected with total area of ice. The role of the marginal ice zone in oceanic heat transfer is analyzed. In particular, it is shown that while moving along the marginal zone from the ice-free surface to the surface with an ice concentration of 0.8, latent and sensible heat fluxes are reduced by a factor of 2.5–3.     

Formation of extreme surface turbulent heat fluxes from the ocean to the atmosphere in the North Atlantic

The role of extreme surface turbulent fluxes in total oceanic heat loss in the North Atlantic is studied. The atmospheric circulation patterns enhancing ocean–atmosphere heat flux in regions with significant contributions of the extreme heat fluxes (up to 60% of the net heat loss) are analyzed. It is shown that extreme heat fluxes in the Gulf Stream and the Greenland and Labrador Seas occur in zones with maximal air pressure gradients, i.e., in cyclone–anticyclone interaction zones.     

Neoproterozoic ‘anomalous’ kimberlites of Guaniamo, Venezuela: Mica kimberlites of ‘isotopic transitional’ type

In Venezuela, kimberlites have so far only been found in the Guaniamo region, where they occur as high diamond grade sheets in massive to steeply foliated Paleoproterozoic granitoid rocks. The emplacement age of the Guaniamo kimberlites is 712±6 Ma, i.e., Neoproterozoic. The Guaniamo kimberlites contain a high abundance of mantle minerals, with greater than 30% olivine macrocrysts. The principal kimberlite indicator minerals found are pyrope garnet and chromian spinel, with the overwhelming majority of the garnets being of the peridotite association. Chrome-diopside is rare, and picroilmenite is uncommon. Chemically, the Guaniamo kimberlites are characterized by high MgO contents, with low Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ contents and higher than average FeO and K₂O contents. These rocks have above average Ni, Cr, Co, Th, Nb, Ta, Sr and LREE concentrations and very low P, Y and, particularly, Zr and Hf contents. The Nb/Zr ratio is very distinctive and is similar to that of the Aries, Australia kimberlite. The Guaniamo kimberlites are similar in petrography, mineralogy and mantle mineral content to ilmenite-free Group 2 mica kimberlites of South Africa. The Nd-Sr isotopic characteristics of Guaniamo kimberlites are distinct from both kimberlite Group 1 and Group 2, being more similar to transitional type kimberlites, and in particular to diamondiferous kimberlites of the Arkhangelsk Diamond Province, Russia. The Guaniamo kimberlites form part of a compositional spectrum between other standard kimberlite reference groups. They formed from metasomatised subcontinental lithospheric mantle and it is likely that subduction of oceanic crust was the source of this metasomatised material, and also of the eclogitic component, which is dominant in Guaniamo diamonds.     

Global historical archive of wind waves based on Voluntary Observing Ship data

A new global archive of wind wave characteristics has been developed based on Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) data for the period of 1888–2015. In addition to the basic meteorological variables, we have derived the records of visually observed heights, periods, and wind sea and swell directions. The main parameters have been supplemented by significant wave height and dominant period estimates, as well as wave geometry characteristics: steepness, wave age, and wavelength. Multistage quality control has been applied to correct or eliminate spurious values. Data are presented as individual records for every month and as original monthly means fields for every parameter. Easy access and use, along with representative data, make the new archive particularly special and applicable in different ways without any additional preprocessing. Visual wave observations assimilated in the new archive can be used to develop global and regional climatologies, estimate extreme wave characteristics and long-term trends in wave climate, verify and compare them with satellite measurements and model analysis, and test the theoretical laws of ocean wave development and propagation.     

Average annual structure and transport of waters eastward of Greenland by the system of western boundary currents

The results of calculating the values of average annual transport of waters eastward of Greenland in 2007–2015 by the system of western boundary currents are discussed. It is shown that the values of the average annual transport of waters estimated by different methods for measuring the velocity of currents and the different calculation methods differ by 20%. The role of friction in the bottom jets of the northwestern deep water, which were discovered for the first time during long-term observations, is discussed. The considerable contribution of the shelf water cascading across the continental slope to the formation of the structure and transport of the East Greenland Current is established. The significant influence of vertical mixing on the physicochemical properties of the bottom layer waters is shown. The biological arguments of the contribution made by the Irminger current and the subsurface waters to the formation of the northwestern deep water are presented.     

Y/Ho Ratios in the Late Cenozoic Basalts from the Eastern Tuva, Russia: An ICP-MS Study with Enhanced Data Quality

A set of forty seven Late Cenozoic basaltic rocks from the Eastern Tuva (southern Siberia, Russia) have been studied by ICP-MS using In as an internal standard. Yttrium and Ho concentrations, determined along with other trace elements, varied systematically from one analytical run to another and covered the entire charge-and-radius-controlled field within the range 24 < Y/Ho < 34, so obscuring any geochemical interpretation. A correction procedure was therefore developed in which the Y/Ho ratios were recalculated using concentrations of these elements determined in international and in-house reference materials (BHVO-1, AGV-1, BIR-1 and U-94-5). Statistical analysis of the recalculated data set revealed two groups of samples not related by their genesis but rather by their respective analytical runs. Fourteen samples originally analysed in five different runs were then re-measured by the same instrument in peak-hopping mode using only specific mass peaks (m/z = 89, 115 and 165). All of these samples yielded Y/Ho ratios in a narrow range between 29 and 31, thus illustrating how analytical problems in the determination of Y and Ho by routine ICP-MS procedures can be overcome. Finally, a mean value of Y/Ho = 30.3 ± 1.1 (1s) was derived for the basaltic rocks of the Eastern Tuva. This is close to the value of 28.8 accepted for chondrites and for ocean island basalts. Despite the uniform Y/Ho ratio, the element concentrations in basaltic rocks from the Eastern Tuva show systematic enrichment in heavy rare earth elements and yttrium from the Miocene to the Quaternary.     

Towards the solution of the λ Bootis problem

Having analysed the accretion-based model of the dust–gas separation, which is regarded to be the most promising for the explanation of the anomalous properties of λ Bootis-type stars, we can conclude that: (i) for any reasonable density profiles of the shell, dust grains appear to be decoupled from the gaseous background within the region where the temperature drops to a value that is less than the condensation temperature of heavy elements such as Mg, Ca, Fe, etc; (ii) most likely, in the shell of λ Bootis-type stars only small dust particles (of less than ≈10⁻⁶ cm in size) can be created; (iii) significant alteration of the initial atmospheric chemical composition can take place in the case when the density in the shell changes as ∼ r ⁻².     

Developing configuration of WRF model for long-term high-resolution wind wave hindcast over the North Atlantic with WAVEWATCH III

The spatial resolution of wind forcing fields is critical for modeling ocean surface waves. We analyze here the performance of the non-hydrostatic numerical weather prediction system WRF-ARW (Weather Research and Forecasting) run with a 14-km resolution for hindcasting wind waves in the North Atlantic. The regional atmospheric model was run in the domain from 20° N to 70° N in the North Atlantic and was forced with ERA-Interim reanalysis as initial and boundary conditions in a spectral nudging mode. Here, we present the analysis of the impact of spectral nudging formulation (cutoff wavelengths and depth through which full weighting from reanalysis data is applied) onto the performance of the modeled 10-m wind speed and wind wave fields for 1 year (2010). For modeling waves, we use the third-generation spectral wave model WAVEWATCH III. The sensitivity of the atmospheric and wave models to the spectral nudging formulation is investigated via the comparison with reanalysis and observational data. The results reveal strong and persistent agreement with reanalysis data during all seasons within the year with well-simulated annual cycle and regional patterns independently of the nudging parameters that were tested. Thus, the proposed formulation of the nudging provides a reliable framework for future long-term experiments aiming at hindcasting climate variability in the North Atlantic wave field. At the same time, dynamical downscaling allows for simulation of higher waves in coastal regions, specifically near the Greenland east coast likely due to a better representation of the mesoscale atmospheric dynamics in this area.