A study of surges and flares within an active region

Active region 2684 was observed by the Solar Maximum Mission and ground-based observatories simultaneously for over 12 hours on September 23, 1980. During these observations, recurrent surges were detected above an area with complex parasitic magnetic polarity located at the periphery of the active region. The time evolution of the H surges, Civ brightenings and X-ray spikes leads to the conclusion that the energy source is in the corona, from magnetic reconnection. The energy is transported by energetic charged particles along the loops, thereby heating the chromosphere as the particles lose their energy. The divergent motion of the spots corresponding to small dipoles at the base of the surge indicates that there is important magnetic reorganisation. According to the magnetic field-line configuration (large loop or open structures), X-rays can (or cannot) be associated with surges.     

On the determination of the velocity of the exciters of type II solar radiobursts

Under the assumption that type II bursts are excited by strong shock waves it is shown that the velocity determined from dynamic spectrograms should be corrected by a term proportional to the gradient of the shock strength. The magnitude of the correction strongly depends on the properties of the pre-shock atmosphere and the geometry of the shock propagation.     

GPS Water Vapor and Its Comparison with Radiosonde and ERA-Interim Data in Algeria

Remote sensing of atmospheric water vapor using global positioning system(GPS) data has become an effective tool in meteorology,weather forecasting and climate research. This paper presents the estimation of precipitable water(PW)from GPS observations and meteorological data in Algeria,over three stations located at Algiers,Bechar and Tamanrasset.The objective of this study is to analyze the sensitivity of the GPS PW estimates for the three sites to the weighted mean temperature(T_m),obtained separately from two types of T_m–T_s regression [one general,and one developed specifically for Algeria(T_s stands for surface temperature)],and calculated directly from ERA-Interim data. The results show that the differences in T_m are of the order of 18 K,producing differences of 2.01 mm in the final evaluation of PW. A good agreement is found between GPS-PW and PW calculated from radiosondes,with a small mean difference with Vaisala radiosondes.A comparison between GPS and ERA-Interim shows a large difference(4 mm) in the highlands region. This difference is possibly due to the topography. These first results are encouraging,in particular for meteorological applications in this region,with good hope to extend our dataset analysis to a more complete,nationwide coverage over Algeria.     

Approaches for modeling longitudinal dispersion in pore-networks

The purpose of this study is to quantify the dispersivity in the longitudinal direction by upscaling pore scale mixing over a network domain and to verify the dispersivity with that obtained through the more rigorous upscaling technique, the Brownian particle tracking model (BPTM). We model a porous medium with a network of pore-units that are comprised of pore bodies and bonds of finite volume. Such a pore-unit is assumed to be a mixing cell with the steady state flow condition for a single fluid. Dispersivity can be obtained by solving the mixing cell model (MCM) for the concentration in each pore-unit and by averaging the concentrations for a large number of pore units (as a function of time and space). A minimal size of network that ascertains an asymptotic value of dispersivity was determined and verified with large size pore networks. This numerically computed dispersivity is compared with the results from the BPTM for the same porous medium and flow conditions. We show that the dispersivity obtained from the MCM is equally reliable for the heterogeneous pore-networks and can be estimated as a function of pore size heterogeneity. For homogeneous networks with the MCM, the iteration time step plays an important role. On the other hand, for networks with the BPTM, the assumption of intra-bond velocity profile affects the results.     

Geodynamic models for the Alpine type of orogeny (Test-case II: the Alps in central Europe)

Two modern geodynamic models on the Alps are tested: plate tectonics (mechanical effects of colliding lithospheric mega-units), and mantle diapirism (mechanical and geochemical effects of ultra-lowvelocity bodies, rising from the low-velocity layer or asthenosphere). Verification occurs by means of comparing the expectations of these models (their ‘prognoses’) with the great wealth of available ‘diagnostic’ facts on the geology and geophysics of the Alps. It appears that the picture of the Alpine structural evolution, drafted by plate tectonics, is inadequate to describe the observed reality, whereas the idea of mantle diapirism, combined with crustal corrosion (geochemical oceanization) and gravity tectonics, provides a functionally correct model, that logically and coherently explains the entire Alpine cycle of orogeny.In the concluding remarks comparisons are made with the formation of island arcs in the western Pacific, the origin of the basin-and-range topography and volcanicity along the eastern margin of the Pacific, as well as the Sunda arc of Indonesia.     

Palaeomagnetism of the Ordovician dolerites of the Crozon Peninsula (France)

Summary. In order to obtain a Lower Palaeozoic pole for the Armorican Massif and to test the origin of the Ibero-Armorican arc, the Ordovician dolerites of the Crozon peninsula have been palaeomagnetically studied. The samples show a multicomponent magnetization which has been revealed by AF and thermal demagnetization and thoroughly investigated with rock magnetic experiments, polished section examinations and K/Ar dating. Four groups of directions have been recognized, often superimposed on each other in an individual sample. One component (D) has always the lowest blocking temperatures and coercivities and is considered to be of viscous origin, acquired recently in situ or in the laboratory during storage. Two components (A and B) are interpreted to be of secondary origin and to correspond to the observed K/Ar age distribution between 300 and 190 Myr. These ages represent the time interval between two regional thermo-tectonic events, associated with the Hercynian orogeny and the intrusion of dykes related to the early opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay. A fourth component (C) could be of Ordovician or younger Palaeozoic age; it is not clear whether the age of the magnetization is pre- or post-folding, but a pre-folding age would yield a direction of magnetization similar to Ordovician results from the Iberian peninsula. The latter interpretation suggests a fairly high palaeolatitude, which is in agreement with a glacio-marine postulated for sediments overlying the dolerite sills.     

The Effects of Climate on Welfare and Well-Being in Russia

This paper measures the concepts of welfare and well-being in Russia on the basis of two large Russian household surveys, carried out in 1993 and 1994. Welfare refers to satisfaction with income and well-being refers to satisfaction with life as a whole. This paper investigates how climate conditions in various parts of Russia affect the cost of living and well-being. Climate equivalence scales have been constructed for both welfare and well-being.