The fossil phase in the life of a galaxy group

We investigate the origin and evolution of fossil groups in a concordance ΛCDM cosmological simulation. We consider haloes with masses between  1 × 10¹³  and  5 × 10¹³  h ⁻¹ M_⊙  , and study the physical mechanisms that lead to the formation of the large gap in magnitude between the brightest and the second most bright group member, which is typical for these fossil systems. Fossil groups are found to have high dark matter concentrations, which we can relate to their early formation time. The large magnitude gaps arise after the groups have built up half of their final mass, due to merging of massive group members. We show that the existence of fossil systems is primarily driven by the relatively early infall of massive satellites, and that we do not find a strong environmental dependence for these systems. In addition, we find tentative evidence for fossil group satellites falling in on orbits with typically lower angular momentum, which might lead to a more efficient merger on to the host. We find a population of groups at higher redshifts that go through a 'fossil phase': a stage where they show a large magnitude gap, which is terminated by renewed infall from their environment.     

Properties of low‐frequency trapped mode in viscous‐fluid waveguides

We derived the velocity and attenuation of a generalized Stoneley wave being a symmetric trapped mode of a layer filled with a Newtonian fluid and embedded into either a poroelastic or a purely elastic rock. The dispersion relation corresponding to a linearized Navier–Stokes equation in a fracture coupling to either Biot or elasticity equations in the rock via proper boundary conditions was rigorously derived. A cubic equation for wavenumber was found that provides a rather precise analytical approximation of the full dispersion relation, in the frequency range of 10^?3 Hz to 10³ Hz and for layer width of less than 10 cm and fluid viscosity below 0.1 Pa· s [100 cP]. We compared our results to earlier results addressing viscous fluid in either porous rocks with a rigid matrix or in a purely elastic rock, and our formulae are found to better match the numerical solution, especially regarding attenuation. The computed attenuation was used to demonstrate detectability of fracture tip reflections at wellbore, for a range of fracture lengths and apertures, pulse frequencies, and fluid viscosity.     

Land Aridization in the Context of Global Warming - a Case Study of Transbaikalia

An increase in the extremality of natural processes is a consequence of warming, aridization, and desertification. The authors consider the processes of warming, aridization, and desertification to be the parts of a single system and major destabilizing factors of ecological balance. Destabilization is expressed in the growth of natural processes extremality. Ecosystems of Transbaikalia were once characterized by a different natural contrast and amplitude. Warming, aridization and desertification have led to an increase of environmental regimes tensions. This is demonstrated quantitatively by the root-mean-square difference of atmospheric and soil parameters. Quantitative indicators of aridization are estimated using Walter-Gossen climate charts. Permafrost zone response information to the long-term warming is provided as well.     

Lithospheric stress in Mongolia,from earthquake source data

Lithospheric stress in Mongolia has been studied using mechanisms of 84 M_(LH)≥ 4 earthquakes that occurred in the 20 th century and instrumental seismic moments of 17,375 M_(LH)≥2.5 events recorded between 1970 and 2000.The M_(LH)≥ 3.5 earthquakes mostly have strike-slip mechanisms in southern and central Mongolia,with frequent reverse-slip motions in the west and normal slip in the north,especially,in the area of Lake Hovsgol.The principal stresses are,respectively,S_HS_vS_h in the center and in the south;high horizontal compression with S_HS_hS_v in the west;and a heterogeneous stress pattern with S_vS_HS_h in the north.According to seismic moments of M_(LH)=2.5 events,oblique slip generally predominates over the territory,at S_v≈S_HS_h,while frequent strike slip motions in the west record high horizontal compression(S_HS_vS_h).Earthquake mechanisms show the principal horizontal compression S_H to be directed W-E in the east,NE-SW in the central and Gobi-Altay regions,and approximately N-S in the west of Mongolia.The patterns of principal lithospheric stresses in the territory of Mongolia have undergone three events of dramatic change for a few recent decades,and these events were synchronous with three similar events in the Baikal rift system(BRS):in the latest 1960 s,latest 1970 s to earliest 1980 s,and in the latest 1980 s to earliest 1990 s.The seismicity of Mongolia has been controlled by superposition of variable stresses associated with rifting activity pulses in the neighbor BRS on the background of quasi-stationary super-regional compression.     

An asymptotic approach to the inversion of free oscillation data

Summary. A technique is suggested for the non-linearized inversion of subsets of free oscillation periods which are short enough that their asymptotic properties may be exploited. The general background of the method for monotonic and non-monotonic velocity distributions are described and applications to torsional and spheroidal free oscillation data are suggested. The advantages of joint analysis of travel times and free oscillation periods as a single data stream for non-linearized inversion are discussed.     

Comparison between refraction angles measured in the Microlab-1 experiment and calculated on the basis of an atmospheric general circulation model

The differences between the refraction angles measured and calculated for the reanalyses of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts were statistically analyzed on the basis of 64 radio occultation events recorded by the Microlab-1 satellite. It is shown that, for minimum ray heights below 20 km, the main contribution to the differences is made by spatial refractive-index fluctuations neglected by the model. The power spectral density of these fluctuations is mainly concentrated within the vertical wave-number range 0.5–10 rad/km. For heights above 30 km, the deviations are mainly determined by ionospheric disturbances and may vary several times during changes of the site and time of observations. This suggests that the results of satellite radio-occultation sounding of the neutral atmosphere can be used as an indirect quantitative estimate of local discrepancies between the actual field of the refractive index and its values calculated on the basis of a hydrodynamic atmospheric general circulation model.     

Biostratigraphy of the Upper Pleistocene (Upper Neopleistocene)–Holocene deposits of the Lemeza River valley of the Southern Urals region (Russia)

Numerous caves and terraces with late Late Pleistocene (Upper Neopleistocene according to the Russian stratigraphic scale)–Holocene deposits are located in the Lemeza River valley in the surroundings of the Atysh waterfall, the native reserve territory of the Bashkortostan Republic. Lemeza River runs in the southern part of the western slope of the Urals and belongs to the Belaya River valley system (Russian Federation). A summary of the biostratigraphical investigations between 1992 and 2007 in this area is given. Deposits of cave and fluvial origin are characterized in the framework of the regional stratigraphy. The results of mammalian investigations and radiocarbon dating provide the basis for the stratigraphical subdivision. Palynology, mollusca, fishes, amphibian and reptiles are used for the reconstruction the palaeoenvironments. The Southern Urals stratigraphic subdivisions are correlated with Western European (Weichselian-Holocene), Eastern European (Russia) (Leningrad–Ostashkov–Shuvalov) and Uralian (Nevyansk–Polar Urals–Gorbunovsky) stratigraphic schemes.     

The late Pleistocene environment of the Eastern West Beringia based on the principal section at the Main River,Chukotka

Chukotka is a key region for understanding both Quaternary environmental history and transcontinental migrations of flora and fauna during the Pleistocene as it lies at the far eastern edge of Asia bordering the Bering Sea. The now submerged land bridge is the least understood region of Beringia yet the most critical to understanding migrations between the Old and New Worlds. The insect fauna of the Main River Ledovy Obryv (Ice Bluff) section, which is late Pleistocene in age (MIS 3-2), is markedly different from coeval faunas of areas further to the west, as it is characterized by very few thermophilous steppe elements. From the fauna we reconstruct a steppe-tundra environment and relatively cold conditions; the reconstructed environment was moister than that of typical steppe-tundra described from further west. The data from this locality, if typical of the Chukotka Peninsula as a whole, may indicate that a barrier associated with the environments of the land bridge restricted trans-Beringian migrations, particularly the more thermophilous and xeric-adapted elements of the Beringian biota, supporting the hypothesis of a cool but moist land-bridge filter inferred from evidence from several other studies.     

How did the suspended sediment load change in the North Caucasus during the Anthropocene?

Quantifying and understanding catchment sediment fluxes is crucial both from a scientific and environmental management perspective. To deepen the understanding of landuse impacts and climate change on sediment load, we explore factors controlling the suspended sediment load formation in the Northern Caucasus during the Anthropocene. We examine how sediment flux of various river basins with different land-use/landcover and glacier cover changes during the 1925–2018 period. Our analysis is based on observed mean annual suspended sediment discharges (SSD, kg s⁻¹) and annual fluxes (SSL, t year⁻¹) from 33 gauging stations of The Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Russia). SSL series have been analysed to detect statistically significant changes during the 1925–2018 period. The occurrence of abrupt change points in SSD was investigated using cumulative sum (CUSUM) charts. We found that SSL has decreased by −1.17% per year on average at most gauges. However, the decline was not linear. Several transition years are expected in the region increasing trends from the 1950s and decreasing trends from 1988 to 1994. Correlation analyses showed that variation in SSL trend values is mainly explained by gauging station altitude, differences in landuse (i.e. the fraction of cropland), and catchment area. Nonetheless, more accurate quantifications of SSL trend values and more refined characterizations of the catchments regarding (historical) landuse, soil types/lithology, weather conditions, and topography may reveal other tendencies.