Climatic trends in temperature,zonal flow,and stationary planetary waves from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data

A detailed analysis of climatic trends in the longitudinally averaged temperature, zonal wind velocity, and activity of a stationary planetary wave with the zonal wave number 1 (SPW1) is made for January. The results of analysis indicate that marked climatic temperature variations having opposite signs in the low and high latitudes are observed. These variations cause the relevant variations in the intensity and arrangement of maxima of tropospheric jet flows and, thereby, are responsible for changes in SPW1 propagation conditions. SPW1 propagation from the troposphere into the upper atmosphere is calculated with a linearized model by using the distributions of zonal mean flow that are characteristic of the 1960s and the early 21st century. These calculations indicate that, over the past 40 years, the propagation conditions have improved “on average” and the calculated SPW1 amplitude in the stratosphere and mesosphere of the winter hemisphere has increased substantially. Analysis of the amplitudes of the zonal wind velocity for SPW1 that were obtained from the NCEP/NCAR data is consistent with the results of simulation and shows that some enhancement of SPW1 activity in the lower stratosphere has been actually observed in recent years. These variations in the amplitudes are also accompanied by the enhancement of SPW1 interannual variability.     

Currents and intensity of turbulent processes in the Gavan’ Gaidamak Inlet (Vostok Bay, Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan)

Presented are the data of observations carried out in the fall of 2000 in the Gavan?? Gaidamak Inlet (Vostok Bay, Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan). It is revealed that the main transport of water takes place in the surface horizons from 0 to 1?C2 m predominantly in the meridional direction (north-south). It is demonstrated that in spite of not being under wind influence, the inlet area has a high degree of water flow turbulization. It was also registered that the wind-induced phenomena promote the development of turbulent processes and serve as the main self-cleaning mechanism of the inlet.     

Population Structure of White Sea Harp Seals (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pagophilus groenlandicus</Emphasis>) as an Adaptation to Habitat Conditions

The spatiotemporal distribution of harp seal pups around breeding grounds in the White Sea is considered. It is shown that spatial localization of groups of females with different terms of mass pup birth takes place. This somewhat confirms the data on the gregarious structure of White Sea harp seal population. It is possible to explain the structure of this adaptation of the seal population to different living conditions in different feeding areas.     

Climate change prediction: Erring on the side of least drama?

Over the past two decades, skeptics of the reality and significance of anthropogenic climate change have frequently accused climate scientists of “alarmism”: of over-interpreting or overreacting to evidence of human impacts on the climate system. However, the available evidence suggests that scientists have in fact been conservative in their projections of the impacts of climate change. In particular, we discuss recent studies showing that at least some of the key attributes of global warming from increased atmospheric greenhouse gases have been under-predicted, particularly in IPCC assessments of the physical science, by Working Group I. We also note the less frequent manifestation of over-prediction of key characteristics of climate in such assessments. We suggest, therefore, that scientists are biased not toward alarmism but rather the reverse: toward cautious estimates, where we define caution as erring on the side of less rather than more alarming predictions. We call this tendency “erring on the side of least drama (ESLD).” We explore some cases of ESLD at work, including predictions of Arctic ozone depletion and the possible disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet, and suggest some possible causes of this directional bias, including adherence to the scientific norms of restraint, objectivity, skepticism, rationality, dispassion, and moderation. We conclude with suggestions for further work to identify and explore ESLD.     

Sources of Terrigenous Clastic Material of the Pechenga Ore-Bearing Structure from Data of Detrital Zircon Isotopic Analysis (SIMS SHRIMP-II,LA-ICPMS)

Doklady Earth Sciences - The research results were received from studying the Pechenga ore-bearing Paleoproterozoic structure, which is located on the northwestern part of the Kola region. The...     

Search for radio pulsations in four anomalous X-ray pulsars and discovery of two new pulsars

We have performed deep searches for radio pulsations from four southern anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) to investigate their physical nature in comparison with the rotation powered pulsars. The data were acquired using the Parkes radio telescope with the 1.4 GHz multibeam receiver. No pulsed emission with periodicity matching the X-ray ephemeris have been found in the observed targets down to a limit of ∼0.1 mJy. A blind search has also been performed on all the 13 beams of the multibeam receiver (the central beam being pointed on the target AXP), leading to the serendipitous discovery of two new radio pulsars and to the further detection of 18 pulsars. Also a search for single dispersed pulses has been performed in the aim to detect signals similar to those of the recently discovered rotating radio transients.      

A new approach to analysis of landslide slope stability

This paper is based on data from engineering-geological research on the landslide slopes of the Moscow River valley from the site of a proposed bridge crossing reconstruction. A method for delineating the slippage surface is suggested, which allows a more reliable evaluation of landslide stability and pressure for planning and decision-making purposes during the reconstruction of the bridge crossing, and an appropriate mitigation strategy.