Spectral analysis of the 3B flare on September 19, 1979: asymmetries and shifts of metallic lines

The asymmetries and Doppler shifts of metallic lines of the 3B flare on September 19, 1979 are investigated in this paper. The results show that: (1) red asymmetries dominate in strong metallic lines, but blue asymmetries also exist in some weak lines; (2) the maximum of the line asymmetry always precedes the maximum of the line intensity; (3) the blue asymmetry occurs generally in the early phase, and can occasionally turn to a red one in the later phase; and (4) the line center has no obvious shift, regardless of the line asymmetry. It is proposed that, the mass motions around the temperature minimum region caused by the impulsive heating or the propagation of the chromospheric condensation can explain these observational results. The study on metallic lines has an auxiliary help for understanding the dynamic process in the lower atmosphere of solar flares.     

Magnetized centrifugal winds

It is argued that for steady, axisymmetric, non-relativistic magneto-centrifugal winds, not only the boundary and criticality conditions but also the current-closure condition are of crucial significance as global conditions in resolving the acceleration-collimation problem. In Sakurai's numerical models, the split-monopole field adopted at the surface of the source provided the most favourable condition for global collimation of the flow, by making the domain of anti -collimating flow with outgoing electric current degenerate into an infinitely thin boundary layer at the equator, and hence suppressing the explicit appearance of the current-closure condition.
For more general or realistic boundary conditions at the source, it is shown that the current-closure condition yields a two-component structure (with the return current at least in part in a volume current, not totally a sheet current) as a natural consequence of the transfield equation in the asymptotic domain. This equation, combined with the Bernoulli (and other) integrals, requires the wind to tend asymptotically to a 'quasi-conical' structure, as a natural consequence of the flow particles' becoming more and more ballistic as a result of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) acceleration. This is a result that the Poynting energy flux diminishes to zero along each field line. The criticality problem is solved for magneto-centrifugal winds, to give the eigenvalues of the Alfvénic distance and other quantities at the fast magnetosonic surface, situated somewhere between the subasymptotic and asymptotic domains.     

Spectrum of slowly varying component of solar radio emission on millimeter wavelengths

The spectrum of the S-component of solar radio emission has been investigated at 4 GHz, 17 GHz, 35 GHz, 70 GHz, and 94 GHz. The spectrum for a spot group which appeared late in March 1966 (McMath plage No. 8223), seems to be flat at the frequencies above about 35 GHz. This implies that the emission is due to pure free-free emission at the frequencies above 35 GHz.     

Effective elastic thickness of island arc lithosphere under Japan

Abstract Using topography and observed gravity anomalies, we have estimated the effective elastic thickness as a measure of strength of Japanese island arc lithosphere. The thickness is found to range from about 3 km to >20 km. The thickness seems to be controlled primarily by the thermal state of the lithosphere. The higher the heat flow, the thinner is the elastic plate. However, several areas show significant deviations. The smaller effective elastic thickness in the northern Ryukyu arc than that inferred from heat flow may be attributed to the stress regime. In Japan, extensional tectonics are going on only in the Ryukyu arc region. Shallow subducting slab under the south-western Japan frontal arc probably increases the effective thickness by several kilometers. The determined effective elastic thickness suggests that when we consider vertical movements in the volcanic arc, we should take account of topographic and subsurface loading over a few hundred kilometers. However, if the dip of the slab is shallow, the flexural responses of the underlying slab, not only that of the island arc lithosphere, should be taken into account for the compensation, as is the case of the south-western Japan frontal arc.     

Temporal changes in the phytoplankton community of the southern basin of Lake Baikal over the last 24,000 years recorded by photosynthetic pigments in a sediment core

Photosynthetic pigments and other indicators of phytoplankton were analyzed in a dated undisturbed sediment core obtained from the southern basin of Lake Baikal to reveal temporal changes in the phytoplankton community in the lake through the last glacial/post-glacial transition. The sedimentation age of the core spans the last 24 ¹⁴C ka. Chlorophyll a, its derivatives, carotenoids and total organic carbon (TOC) started to increase after 15 ¹⁴C ka, and the onset of biogenic silica occurred at 10 ¹⁴C ka. This indicated that the post-glacial growth of diatoms was preceded by that of other phytoplankton groups. In the record of the pigments and TOC, a temporary decrease was observed in the period 11.5–10.5 ¹⁴C ka, corresponding to the Younger Dryas cold period. The similarity found between the depth profiles of pyropheophytin a and steryl chlorin esters formed through predation of phytoplankton by zooplankton and that of TOC suggested the important contribution of fecal pellets to sedimentary organic matter in the lake.     

1996 COMPILATION OF ANALYTICAL DATA ON NINE GSJ GEOCHEMICAL REFERENCE SAMPLES, "SEDIMENTARY ROCK SERIES"

Analytical data compiled on nine Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) reference samples, "Sedimentary rock series" received by February 1996 are reported. After excluding outliers and examining critically the analytical procedures employed, the data were evaluated statistically. Recommended or preferable values for fifteen major and sixty minor and trace elements are proposed.     

Next steps in geoengineering scenario research: limited deployment scenarios and beyond

Climate engineering has received increasing attention, but its discussion has remained on the sidelines of mainstream climate policy. The policy relevance of this previously exotic option is poised to rise because of the gap between the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement and slow global mitigation efforts. It is therefore crucial to understand the risks and benefits of the proposed schemes, and the social implications of policy choices. Assessment of the risks and benefits of solar geoengineering strongly depends on scenarios, but previous scenarios have not reflected the full range of social choices. In light of concerns over risks, a newer set of scenarios is desirable, which represents both uncertainties and social choices more fully. Borrowing and extending lessons from recent literature on the new community climate scenario process, we envision a possible scenario-building process that combines interdisciplinary scholarship with the involvement of stakeholders and citizens. The resultant scenarios would better characterize uncertainties of, and policy choices for, solar geoengineering, and foster critical appraisal of its risks and benefits. Such societal choices might include not only total ban and large-scale deployment, but also limited deployment, which has received less attention in the scenario literature. The interaction between scenario and governance research would be able to highlight the central issues at stake, including ethical, social, and political dimensions.

Key policy insights

• A more comprehensive assessment of solar geoengineering is necessary to evaluate its risks and benefits, necessitating new scenario research

• It is crucial to reflect the full span of policy choices and uncertainties with interdisciplinary collaboration in such scenarios

• Such societal choices might include not only total ban and large-scale deployment, but also limited deployment, which has received less attention in the scenario literature

• Participatory scenario research would enable incorporating the concerns and opinions of stakeholders and citizens in scenario creation

     

A meta-modeling approach for spatio-temporal uncertainty and sensitivity analysis: an application for a cellular automata-based Urban growth and land-use change model

The paper presents a computationally efficient meta-modeling approach to spatially explicit uncertainty and sensitivity analysis in a cellular automata (CA) urban growth and land-use simulation model. The uncertainty and sensitivity of the model parameters are approximated using a meta-modeling method called polynomial chaos expansion (PCE). The parameter uncertainty and sensitivity measures obtained with PCE are compared with traditional Monte Carlo simulation results. The meta-modeling approach was found to reduce the number of model simulations necessary to arrive at stable sensitivity estimates. The quality of the results is comparable to the full-order modeling approach, which is computationally costly. The study shows that the meta-modeling approach can significantly reduce the computational effort of carrying out spatially explicit uncertainty and sensitivity analysis in the application of spatio-temporal models.     

Vesicle layering in solidified intrusive magma bodies: a newly recognized type of igneous structure

 We report a novel type of layering structure in igneous rocks. The layering structure in the Ogi picrite sill in Sado Island, Japan, is spatially periodic, and appears to be caused by the variation in vesicle volume fraction. The gas phase forming the vesicles apparently exsolved from the interstitial melt at the final stage of solidification of the magma body. We call this type of layering caused by periodic vesiculation in the solidifying magma body "vesicle layering." The presence of vesicle layering in other basic igneous bodies (pillow lava at Ogi and dolerite sill at Atsumi, Japan) implies that it may be a fairly common igneous feature. The width of individual layers slightly, but regularly, increases with distance from the upper contact. The layering plane is perpendicular to the long axes of columnar joints, regardless of gravitational direction, suggesting that the formation of vesicles is mainly controlled by the temperature distribution in the cooling magma body. We propose a model of formation of vesicle layering which is basically the same as that for Liesegang rings. The interplay between the diffusion of heat and magmatic volatiles in melt, and the sudden vesiculation upon supersaturation, both play important roles. Received: 15 February 1996 / Accepted: 24 June 1996