AÏOUN EL ATROUSS: A NEW HYPERSTHENE ACHONDRITE WITH EUCRITIC INCLUSIONS

Preliminary investigations have been made on two separate pieces from the Aïoun el Atrouss meteorite that fell on April 17, 1974 in southeast Mauritania. The major portion of the meteorite is a brecciated hypersthene achondrite with orthopyroxene (En₇₄) as the major phase. Clasts of eucrite, up to 7 percent in volume within a single slice, occur within the hypersthene achondrite host. No evidence has been found of reaction between the two meteorite types, nor of the presence of any materials intermediate in composition.     

Tidal effects of the galaxy on a globular cluster

Tidal effects of a Schmidt (1965) model galaxy on a typical globular cluster moving in an orbit along the axis of symmetry of the spheroid is studied under the impulsive approximation. Ann-body simulation is made for comparison. Results show that in both cases, a high concentration cluster gains enough energy to be totally dissolved within a distance of 2 kpc. A significant mass loss occurs as the cluster approaches the Roche distance.     

Surface heat fluxes and subsurface heat content at a site over the southeastern Bering Sea shelf, May–July 1996

Observations from a surface mooring, in a weak-flow regime over the southeastern Bering Sea shelf, were used to derive surface heat fluxes for the period May–July 1996. Changes in heat content of the water column also were determined from subsurface temperature measurements. Agreement of net surface heat flux and change in heat content was within 2%. This result provides additional evidence that heat advection and diffusion are small in this region.     

Estimate for radiative forcing of smoke aerosol from 2010 summer fires based on measurements in the Moscow region

Temperature and radiation effects of the 2010 summer fires are estimated on the basis of measurements at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station (ZSS) of the Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), in the Moscow region. The surface air temperature during the 2010 summer smoke varied in antiphase with the aerosol mass concentration, and the thermal radiation balance in the surface layer of the atmosphere varied in phase. Under extreme smoke of the surface layer in August 2010, the reduction in surface air temperature at ZSS has been found to reach 4 K with an increase in the downward flux of thermal radiation by an average of 20 W/m² and a decrease in the difference between upward and downward fluxes of thermal radiation by an average of 24 W/m².     

Russian investigations in atmospheric chemistry for 2011–2014

This review covers the most significant Russian studies in atmospheric chemistry conducted from 2011 to 2014. This is part of the Russian National Report on the Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences prepared for the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS). The report was considered and approved by the XXVI General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG).¹ The review is appended by a list of publications by Russian scientists for 2011–2014 covering the field of atmospheric chemistry research.     

Transient Atmospheric Events Measured by Detectors on the Vernov Satellite

In this paper, data obtained by the Vernov satellite are discussed in comparison with the data obtained by Universitetsky–Tatiana-1, 2 satellites. The advanced instrumentation onboard the Vernov satellite improved the capabilities of the data-transmission system, providing an opportunity to acquire more detailed information on transient atmospheric events (TAEs), including a wider range of TAE photon numbers (event brightness) down to lower photon numbers, the opportunity to observe the events in ultraviolet range without the considerable inclusion of red–infrared photons (which indicates the substantial contribution of electric discharges, lightning precursors, at the altitudes of thunderstorm clouds), and the observation of TAE series at a rate of about 10–100 occurrences per second with a period from tens of seconds to several minutes.     

Error analysis of integrated water vapor measured by СIMEL photometer

Water vapor plays a key role in weather and climate forming, which leads to the need for continuous monitoring of its content in different parts of the Earth. Intercomparison and validation of different methods for integrated water vapor (IWV) measurements are essential for determining the real accuracies of these methods. CIMEL photometers measure IWV at hundreds of ground-based stations of the AERONET network. We analyze simultaneous IWV measurements performed by a CIMEL photometer, an RPG-HATPRO MW radiometer, and a FTIR Bruker 125-HR spectrometer at the Peterhof station of St. Petersburg State University. We show that the CIMEL photometer calibrated by the manufacturer significantly underestimates the IWV obtained by other devices. We may conclude from this intercomparison that it is necessary to perform an additional calibration of the CIMEL photometer, as well as a possible correction of the interpretation technique for CIMEL measurements at the Peterhof site.     

Assessing the Hydrochemical Conditions of the Tartar River

The paper gives the results of hydrochemical studies of the Tartar R.—the largest river in Nagornyi Karabakh Republic (NKR). Water quality was assessed with respect to the ecological standards of the Republic of Armenia in terms of major physicochemical characteristics and the concentrations of seven heavy metals. Water quality in the upper reaches of the Tartar R. was referred to the fifth class (poor quality), which is due to the effect of the dumps of the Sotck Gold Deposit and the pollution by agricultural, livestock, and municipal wastewaters. In the lower reaches of the Tartar R., the processes of dilution and self-purification neutralize the adverse effect of pollution sources on water quality, resulting in the improvement of water quality to the class not lower than medium, which is enough for the normal functioning of aquatic ecosystems, fishery, and irrigation. Thus, the Sarang Reservoir, which regulates the Tartar R. runoff, receives good-quality water.