Mapping of sound scattering objects in the northern part of the Barents Sea and their geological interpretation

On cruises 25 (2007) and 28 (2011) of the R/V Akademik Nikolai Strakhov in the northern part of the Barents Sea, the Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, conducted comprehensive research on the bottom relief and upper part of the sedimentary cover profile under the auspices of the International Polar Year program. One of the instrument components was the SeaBat 8111 shallow-water multibeam echo sounder, which can map the acoustic field similarly to a side scan sonar, which records the response both from the bottom and from the water column. In the operations area, intense sound scattering objects produced by the discharge of deep fluid flows are detected in the water column. The sound scattering objects and pockmarks in the bottom relief are related to anomalies in hydrocarbon gas concentrations in bottom sediments. The sound scattering objects are localized over Triassic sequences outcropping from the bottom. The most intense degassing processes manifest themselves near the contact of the Triassic sequences and Jurassic clay deposits, as well as over deep depressions in a field of Bouguer anomalies related to the basement of the Jurassic–Cretaceous rift system     

Particulate dispersion from sources within a forest

Particulate dispersion from sources within a 10- to 13-m tall pine forest was studied experimentally at Brookhaven National Laboratory using stained ragweed pollen and other tracers ranging from 14 to 58 m in size. Forty-seven continuous point source releases lasting from 22 to 55 min were made at heights from 1.75 to 14.0 m from locations having a long fetch through the forest. In most experiments, differently colored ragweed pollen were emitted simultaneously from three locations. In other tests, several particle types were released from a single point. The sampling network consisted of 119 rotoslide samplers at heights from 0.5 to 21.0 m at 57 positions within and at the edge of the forest. Deposition to the ground was sampled by greased microscope slides at each position. Meteorological measurements were taken in and near the forest.Data were classified by particle characteristics, source height and meteorological parameters. Concentration patterns were illustrated on scale diagrams of the sampling grid. Changes in centerline and crosswind integrated concentrations, plume width and height, mass flux, deposition and deposition velocity were studied as a function of distance, particle size and wind speed. Results were compared to those obtained from similar releases over open terrain.In the forest, vertical predominates over lateral dispersion and considerable interchange occurs through the canopy. Flow is channelled somewhat by vegetation density differences but is generally in the direction of the mean wind above the forest. No systematic turning of the wind with height was observed. Most particles are lost to the foliage rather than to the ground and large particles are lost more rapidly than smaller ones. Rate of change in mass flux is similar to that over open terrain and is greater with light than with stronger wind speeds.This research was carried out under the auspices of the New York State Museum and Science Service and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (now Energy Research and Development Administration) and was partially supported by Research Grant No. R-800677 from the Division of Meteorology, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.     

The Role of Forests in the Implementation of Russia’s Low-Carbon Development Strategy

Doklady Earth Sciences - The potential role of forests in achieving carbon neutrality in the Russian Federation by 2060 is analyzed. It is shown that the key rate in the Strategy for the...     

Deep structure of the Racha earthquake source zone from seismic tomography data

The Racha earthquake of 1991 was the strongest of the earthquakes recorded in the Caucasus. It was studied by an international epicentral expedition. Unique data gathered by this expedition included records of aftershocks whose swarm was very intense. A 3-D velocity model is obtained from analysis of these data by the method of local earthquake tomography. The ancient crystalline basement and the sedimentary-volcanic Mesozoic-Cenozoic cover could be identified from cross sections of the P wave field. The eastern and western boundaries of an uplift in the basement of the Dzirulskii Massif are delineated. Linear low velocity heterogeneities correlating with the active Kakheti-Lechkhumi fault zone and two Trans-Caucasian linear fault zones are discovered in the basement. The cloud of aftershock hypocenters is shown to correlate with a reflector coinciding with the cover-basement interface.     

Gamma-ray bursts: optical afterglows in the deep Newtonian phase

Gamma-ray burst remnants become trans-relativistic typically in days to tens of days, and they enter the deep Newtonian phase in tens of days to months, during which the majority of shock-accelerated electrons will no longer be highly relativistic. However, a small portion of electrons are still accelerated to ultra-relativistic speeds and are capable of emitting synchrotron radiation. The distribution function for electrons is re-derived here so that synchrotron emission from these relativistic electrons can be calculated. Based on the revised model, optical afterglows from both isotropic fireballs and highly collimated jets are studied numerically, and compared to analytical results. In the beamed cases, it is found that, in addition to the steepening due to the edge effect and the lateral expansion effect, the light curves are universally characterized by a flattening during the deep Newtonian phase.     

Stellar polarization and the structure of the magnetic field of our galaxy

The stellar polarization data have been examined using a new catalogue containing accurate stellar distances. On the assumption of a magnetic alignment hypothesis, correlations on the larger distance scale indicate the existence of a dominant regular magnetic field, although its characteristics are difficult to determine. Within 500 pc its direction is towardsl45° and beyond this towardsl60°, though it is clear that such a longitudinal model is too simple. There is also some evidence for an inclination of this field to the galactic plane. The distribution of the polarization vectors away from the galactic plane has been examined and it is proposed that the two largest loop structures, previously identified as Supernova remnants, are linked by the regular field. Incremental polarization maps have been produced but they show little correlation with the spiral structure. The polarization appears to be saturated at about 1 kpc from the Sun, which is explained as the result of an observational selection effect. On the smaller distance scales an autocorrelation analysis in different directions has revealed no obvious coherence in the irregular component on scales greater than 50 pc.     

Application of time- and magnitude-predictable model for long-term earthquake prediction in Iran

The regional time- and magnitude-predictable model has been applied successfully in diverse regions of the world to describe the occurrence of main shocks. In the current study, the model has been calibrated against the historical and instrumental catalog of Iranian earthquakes. The Iranian plateau is divided into 15 seismogenic provinces; then, the interevent times for strong main shocks have been determined for each one. The empirical relations reported by Papazachos et al. (Tectonophysics 271:295–323, 1997a) for the Alpine–Himalayan belt (including Iran) were adopted except for the constant terms that were calculated separately for every seismotectonic area. By using the calibrated equations developed for the study area and taking into account the occurrence time and magnitude of the last main shocks in each seismogenic source, the time-dependent conditional probabilities of occurrence P(?t) of the next main shocks during next 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years as well as the magnitude of the expected main shocks (M _f) have been estimated. The immediate probability (within next 10 years) of a large main shock is estimated to be high and moderate (>35 %) in all regions except zones 9 (M _f = 5.8) and 15 (M _f = 6.1). However, it should be noted that the probabilities have been estimated for different M _f values in 15 regions. Comparing the model predictions with the actual earthquake occurrence rates shows the good performance of the model for Iranian plateau.     

Electrical and electromagnetic surveys to locate possible causes of water seepage to ground surface at a quarry open pit near Helwan city,Egypt

Water seepage to ground surface at a limestone quarry located at Wadi Garawy about 20 km south-east of Helwan city in Egypt posed a real threat to the mining activity at the quarry. The quarry area is known to be very dry for decades and away from water utilities and infrastructures that may cause water leaks to the quarry. Geophysical investigation including 1D Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES), 2D Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and 1D Transient Electromagnetic (TEM) surveys were conducted to characterize the rock sequence and locate what could be a possible source of water seepage to the quarry. The resistivity profiles generated from the VES and TEM surveys mapped the rock units in the area down to depths exceeded 100 m. The ERT profiles acquired from the quarrying zone close to the water seepage spot have imaged the top of groundwater level at few meters below the ground surface at the quarry open pit. The spot of groundwater seepage seemed to occur at an area of limestone dissolution that were filled by finer sediments. The finer sediments acted as a hydrological conduit that allowed an upward seepage of groundwater to ground surface under the capillary action effect.     

Subpollen Particles as Atmospheric Cloud Condensation Nuclei

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Bioparticles constitute a significant fraction of atmospheric aerosol. Their size range varies from nanometers (macromolecules) to hundreds of...