Estimation of water-vapor and ozone transport in the upper troposphere-lower stratosphere and fluxes through the tropopause during the field campaign at the Sodankyla station (Finland)

Processes of mass exchange through the tropopause at extratropical latitudes are studied. For this purpose, balloon data on ozone and water vapor obtained during the LAUTLOS field campaign were analyzed and a trajectory model was used to analyze the origin of air masses and to calculate fluxes through the tropopause. The results of observations and trajectory modeling showed that tropospheric air masses penetrated into the stratosphere by no more than ～2.5 km above the tropopause level during the campaign. Both tropospheric and stratospheric particles are present in this mixing layer. Backward trajectories showed that, at the anticyclone boundary, tropospheric air penetrates into the stratosphere in the form of fine fibrous structures (filaments). The fluxes through the tropopause were also quantitatively estimated by the Wei method with the use of forward and backward trajectories. The spatial structure of the fluxes through the tropopause coincides with the regions of the tropopause inclination and its folds. The absolute values of the fluxes calculated with the use of the Wei method decrease, depending on the length of trajectories at the expense of the filtering-out of a shallow reversible exchange. It is shown that the exchange depth can be controlled by both vertical fluxes in the troposphere and changes in the level of the tropopause itself. The use of isentropic and three-dimensional trajectories made it possible to estimate the contribution of nonadiabatic processes to the stratosphere-troposphere exchange.     

Types of Arctic coasts of Russia

Typification of the northern coasts of Russia is performed. The spatial distribution and quantitative relations of different types of coasts along the entire Russian Arctic seaside are considered. The types of coasts cover the situation existing over the entire World Ocean. A short-term forecast of the evolution of different coast types under the conditions of climate changes is formulated.     

The Bunburra Rockhole meteorite fall in SW Australia: fireball trajectory,luminosity, dynamics,orbit, and impact position from photographic and photoelectric records

Abstract– We report an analysis of the first instrumentally observed meteorite fall in Australia, which was recorded photographically and photoelectrically by two eastern stations of the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) on July 20, 2007. The meteoroid with an initial mass of 22 kg entered the atmosphere with a low speed of 13.36 km s^?1 and began a luminous trajectory at an altitude of 62.83 km. In maximum, it reached ?9.6 absolute magnitude and terminated after a 5.7 s and 64.7 km long flight at an altitude of 29.59 km with a speed of 5.8 km s^?1. The angle of the atmospheric trajectory to the Earth’s surface was 30.9°. The first organized search took place in October 2008 and the first meteorite (150 g) was found 97 m southward from the predicted central line at the end of the first day of searching (October 3, 2008). The second stone (174 g) was recovered 39 m northward from the central line, both exactly in the predicted mass limits. During the second expedition in February 2009, a third fragment of 14.9 g was found again very close (～100 m) from the predicted position. Total recovered mass is 339 g. The meteorite was designated Bunburra Rockhole (BR) after a nearby landscape structure. This first DFN sample is an igneous achondrite. Initial petrography indicated that BR was a brecciated eucrite but detailed analyses proved that BR is not a typical eucrite, but an anomalous basaltic meteorite ( Bland et al. 2009 ). BR was delivered from an unusual, Aten type orbit (a < 1 AU) where virtually the entire orbit was contained within Earth’s orbit. BR is the first achondrite fall with a known orbit and it is one of the most precise orbits ever calculated for a meteorite dropping fireball.     

Geochemical evidence for peat bog contribution to the streamflow generation process: case study of the Vltava River headwaters,Czech Republic

ABSTRACT

A geochemical approach using stable oxygen isotopes was used to understand streamflow generation processes in the highly peaty catchment of the Rokytka Brook in the headwaters of the Vltava River, Czech Republic. The contribution of water from peat bog areas to the total surface runoff was assessed using a hydrological time series, as well as geochemical, hydrochemical and isotope-hydrological approaches for unit hydrogram separation by means of anion deficiency. Using data from the hydrological year 2008, the role of an existing peat bog in the runoff formation dynamics of the Rokytka Brook catchment was determined, and the hydrological cycle was described and assessed using stable ¹⁸O/¹⁶O isotopes. The research findings strongly support the fact that peatland areas within the studied catchment do not significantly communicate hydraulically with surface streams, and their hydrological function in this region is insignificant.

Editor M. C. Acreman; Associate editor not assigned     

The geological-geomorphological structure of the Baltic (Vistula) spit

A model of Holocene evolution for the coastal zone is discussed using the example of the geological-geomorphological structure of the Vistula spit. The conclusion is drawn that there is a significant role played by the aeolian factor in the formation of the studied area. The entire spit, excluding beaches, the near-gulf terrace, and several remnants of the ancient deltaic plain, is mostly composed by aeolian sands. One of these remnants is found in the near-gulf part of the spit near Cape Vysokii.     

Analog of the surfaces of zero velocity in the restricted elliptic,parabolic, and hyperbolic three-body problem

The surfaces of minimum energy have been constructed in the noncircular restricted three-body problem, which are a generalization of the surfaces of zero velocity known in the circular problem. The Hill stability, conditional stability, and instability criteria have been established. Some astronomical applications of the results obtained are considered.     

METHODOLOGY: A SIMPLE RAINFALL SIMULATOR AND TRICKLE SYSTEM FOR HYDRO-GEOMORPHOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS

A simple rainfall simulator is described which consists of stand-alone sprinkling units with cone jet nozzles that spray downward. With a fall height of 4.57 m and water pressure of 67 kPa, the median drop size of the simulated rainfall is 2.40 mm. Rainfall from two units irrigating a 2 by 2.5 m plot has a total kinetic energy of 0.57 J/m²/s which is approximately 90% of the equivalent energy of natural rainfall at the simulation intensity of 72.4 mm/h. To simulate overland flow, perforated trickle pipes were designed that permit overland flow rates to be readily adjusted and closely controlled by simply varying the input water pressure. In field experiments in southern Arizona, rates between 572 to 1400 cm³/s were generated from a 19-mm pipe. Given their low cost, simplicity, and portability, the rainfall simulator and trickle system should be attractive to researchers working in a wide variety of geomorphic environments.     

Spectral,Photometric, and Dynamic Analysis of Eight Draconid Meteors

A Draconid meteor shower outburst was observed from on board two scientific aircraft deployed above Northern Europe on 8th October 2011. The activity profile was measured using a set of photographic and video cameras. The main peak of the activity occurred around 20:15 ± 0:0.5 UT which is consistent with the model prediction as well as with the IMO network visual observations. The corrected hourly rates reached a value of almost 350. The brighter meteors peaked about 15–20 min earlier than the dimmer ones. This difference can be explained by different directions of the ejection of the meteoroids from the parent comet. One of the instruments was even able to detect meteors connected with the material ejected from the parent comet before 1900 and thus confirmed the prediction of the model, although it was based on uncertain pre-1900 cometary data. Another small peak of the activity, which was caused by material ejected during the 1926 perihelion passage of the parent comet, was detected around 21:10 UT. The mass distribution index determined using the narrow field-of-view video camera was 2.0 ± 0.1. This work shows that the observation of meteor outbursts can constrain the orbital elements, outgassing activity and existence of jets at the surface of a comet.     

Remote and in situ measurements of aerosol concentration in the Arctic troposphere from the Yak-42D “Roshydromet” research aircraft

The results are presented of measurements of aerosol content at different heights in the Arctic troposphere in the area of Naryan-Mar city and the Yamal Peninsula on June 24, 2014 using in situ and remote instruments installed on the Yak-42D "Roshydromet" research aircraft. The maximum aerosol content was detected in the layer up to 3000 m, and the aerosol concentration in the troposphere over the Yamal Peninsula is higher than that in the area of Naryan-Mar by 100 times. The in situ aircraft instrument measured the number concentration of black carbon particles in the tropospheric aerosol. To identify the sources of aerosol in the Arctic troposphere during airborne measurements the air mass trajectory analysis was performed. Simulations were conducted using the TRACAO trajectory model and FLEXPART particle dispersion model. The possible contribution of long-range and local transport of industrial pollutants to the Arctic troposphere was analyzed. The air mass transport was simulated using the trajectory model. Model computations of aerosol concentration in the troposphere using the satellite data on the gas flaring incite that the high content of black carbon in the lower troposphere over the Yamal Peninsula was caused by its transfer from the oil-producing areas located on the adjoining territory of Russia. The contribution of long-range transport of pollutants from industrial enterprises in Western Europe to the Arctic area under study was insignificant in the period under consideration.