A concentric ellipse multiple-arch system in the solar corona

A typical concentric ellipse multiple-arch system was observed in the solar corona during the February 4, 1962 eclipse in New Guinea. The following results have been obtained from analysis of a white-light photograph taken by N. Owaki (see Owaki and Saito, 1967a).

1. The arches are composed of four equidistant components, elliptical in shape, and almost concentric with a prominence at the common center of the ellipses.
2. The prominence and arch system appears to be the lower region of a helmet-shaped streamer.
3. The widths of the arches are observed to increase with height.
4. Analysis was made in the light of three models for the coronal structures that could lead to the observed arches: (a) rod-like concentrations of electrons; (b) tunnel-shaped elliptical shells of electrons; and (c) dome-like ellipsoidal shells of electrons. Electron densities are derived for the models, and the dome-like model is excluded as a possibility for arch systems exhibiting a coronal cavity.
5. The scale height in the arch-streamer region is found to be almost the same as that of the K-corona, suggesting equal temperatures, density distributions, etc. in each region.
6. There is a dark space (a coronal cavity) between the innermost arch and the prominence. The brightness of this cavity is 1/5 that of the adjacent arch. It is 3% brighter than the background corona of the arch-streamer system.
7. A comparison is made between the deficiency of electrons in the coronal cavity and the excess of electrons in the prominence. It is found that the ratio of the excess to the deficiency lies between 0.9 and 40.
8. A comparison between the electron efflux from the ‘leaky magnetic bottle’ possibly formed by rod-shaped coronal arches and the electron influx into those arches from the chromosphere leads us to the conclusion that the rod model is probably valid and that spicules appear to be an adequate supply for the electrons observed in the arches. The tunnel model may be valid, but in that case spicules are probably not the sources of the electrons observed in coronal arches.

     

Terrestrial organic matter controlling gas hydrate formation in the Nankai Trough accretionary prism, offshore Shikoku, Japan

Sediment core samples from Sites 1175, 1176, and 1178, ODP Leg 190, Nankai Trough were analyzed for sedimentary organic matter and inorganic elemental compositions to clarify geochemical conditions for the formation of gas hydrate. Low chloride concentrations and anomalously low core temperature infer the existence of gas hydrate at Site 1178. Trace amounts of gas hydrate are also suggested for Site 1176. Site 1175 does not have any significant evidence of gas hydrate, although all the three sites are within the gas hydrate stability zone. The sediment from Site 1178 is characterized by abundant terrigenous organic matter, older geologic ages, and comparatively higher maturity levels, suggesting high rates of CO₂ generation during diagenesis. The CO₂ generation potential of sediment may be one of the crucial conditions for the formation of gas hydrate.     

Long-term variations in north-south asymmetry of solar activity

We present a new set of data on relative sunspot number (total, northern hemisphere, and southern hemisphere), taken for the 37-yr period 1947 to 1983; this constitutes a particularly coherent and consistent set of data, taken by the same observer (Hisako Koyama) using the same observing instrument. These data are combined with earlier data (White and Trotter, 1977) on the variation of sunspot areas for both solar hemispheres from 1874 to 1971. The combined data, covering 110 years and 10 solar cycles, are examined for periodicity in solar activity north-south asymmetry. We show that, in general, northern hemisphere activity, displayed as either An/(An + As) or Rn/(Rn + Rs), peaks about two years after sunspot minimum. This peak is greater during even cycles, pointing to a 22-yr periodicity in north-south asymmetry in solar activity, suggesting that the asymmetry is related to the 22-yr solar magnetic cycle. We demonstrate that the largest and most protracted period of northern-hemisphere activity excess in the last 110 years has occurred from 1959 to 1970; we show that there is a strong correlation between northern activity excess and a cosmic-ray density gradient perpendicular to the ecliptic plane, pointing southward, which is evident in cosmic-ray diurnal variation data from the Embudo underground cosmic-ray telescope.     

Analysis of a magnetohydrodynamic stellar wind

Characteristic features of solutions are analysed around the Alfvénic point. There are three types of solutions through the point.Paper presented at the IAU Third Asian-Pacific Regional Meeting, held in Kyoto, Japan, between 30 September–6 October, 1984.     

Substances of cometary grains estimated from evaporation and radiation pressure mechanisms

The shape and intensity distribution of tails for several large comets are estimated on the basis of grain properties in the solar radiation field. The following results are obtained: (1) The ratio of the maximum radiation pressure force to the gravitaional force acting on dust grains in cometary tails is found to be less than 2.5. This means that grains such as graphite particles in the size range 0.02–0.2 μm do not exist in them, because such particles would allow forces greater than 2.5 (2) Tail substances supplied near the time of perihelion passage for the Sun-grazing comet Ikeya-Seki (1965 VIII) and Comet Seki-Lines (1962 III) were composed of particular grains which had values of radiation pressure ratio less than 1.0. Therefore, it is concluded that the material was composed of silicate grains only, since iron grains had sublimated and there were no graphite particles.     

Oceanic crust production and climate during the last 100 Myr

In order to evaluate the possible influence of oceanic crust production on climatic changes during the past 100Myr variations in total oceanic crust for this period including production at mid-ocean ridges, oceanic plateaus, and back-arc basins were calculated using the most recent and accurate time-scales. The rates presented here differ from those of Larson (1991a, b) on Cenozoic fluctuations and show that (1) maximum production values occurred during the Cenomanian, Palaeocene, and late Oligocene-early Miocene and (2) minimum values occurred in Campanian-Maastrichtian, late Eocene, and middle Miocene. Significantly, variations of oceanic crust production correspond with variations in the δ¹⁸O of deep-water benthic foraminifera: maximum values of oceanic crust production correspond with minimum values of δ¹⁸O, and minimum production values with maximum values of δ¹⁸O. This latter synchronism suggests that changes in land-sea relationships and atmospheric CO₂ related to major fluctuations in oceanic crust production were the main cause of mid-Cretaceous warming and Late Cretaceous cooling, and of climatic quasi-cycles having a periodicity of 33–38 million years over the last 100 Myr. This is the first report showing variations of ocean crust production synchronized with the Cenozoic climate changes.     

Solar Wind Speed and Expansion Rate of the Coronal Magnetic Field during Carrington Rotation 1909

The synoptic map of the solar wind speed (SWS) estimated by the computer-assisted tomography (CAT) method with interplanetary scintillation observations is constructed for the 1909 Carrington rotation. A similar synoptic map of expansion rate (RBR) of the coronal magnetic field calculated by the so-called 'potential model' with the photospheric magnetic field is also constructed under the radial field assumption (RF model). These maps consist of 64800 (180×360) data points of equal area. We examine for the first time relations between the SWS estimated by the CAT technique and the RBR calculated by the RF model. A highly significant correlation is found between the SWS and the RBR. A simple correlation coefficient is about –0.72; that is, high-velocity winds emanate from photospheric areas corresponding to a low expansion rate of the coronal magnetic field, and low-velocity winds emanate from photospheric areas of high expansion rate. This result suggests that there is some acceleration mechanism relating to the coronal field expansion.     

Partial derivative of love numbers

We present a simple formula for the partial derivatives of Love numbers with respect to density, bulk modulus and rigidity without urging the Adams-Williamson condition in the liquid core. Partials of the second degree Love numbers are computed for model 1066 A. Love numbers prove to be either completely or virtually independent of the elastic profile within the whole core. Delta-function-like changes occur in Love numbers when we perturb the density of the top and bottom layers of the outer core.     

东亚东倾地形格局的形成与季风系统演化历史寻踪——综合大洋钻探计划683号航次建议书简介

围绕IODP 683号建议书,介绍东亚东倾地形格局与季风系统演化历史的相关研究。新生代全球宏观环境格局发生了一系列重大变化,表现为岩石圈活动强烈,板块漂移导致海陆格局和地貌格局的变化,并引发洋流和大气环流的改组,最终导致全球气候的重大变化。新生代岩石圈运动和气候变化表现最为典型的地区是亚洲,其中最具标志性和全球意义的地质事件是喜马拉雅山和青藏高原的隆升及亚洲季风系统的形成与演化。青藏高原隆升最直接的结果是亚洲地区现代地貌格局的形成,大江大河的发育,并在很大程度上影响了亚洲季风系统的形成与演化。综合大洋钻探计划683号航次建议书,计划在长江中下游盆地和东海陆架盆地实施钻探,以获得长江历史演化和东亚季风演化的地质记录,并为研究青藏高原的演化提供新的证据。     

浅层包气带水汽昼夜运移规律及其数值模拟研究

西北干旱、半干旱地区,浅层包气带水分通量主要由水汽组成,而水汽在运移过程中产生的能量转换和质量迁移是地表质能平衡计算不可缺少的重要源汇项。在野外进行一个沙坑实验,发现土壤水在中午(12:00—15:00)达到最大值(10cm深度,5.9~6.1cm3/cm3;30cm深度,11.9~13.1cm3/cm3),而在凌晨(02:00—05:00)出现最小值(10cm深度,4.4~4.5cm3/cm3;30cm深度,10.4~10.8cm3/cm3)。为进一步验证该实验条件下的土壤水运移及分布规律,考虑了土壤水、汽、热耦合运移的HYDRUS-1D模型被用来对实验过程进行模拟,模拟结果与实测结果吻合较好。为描述土壤水分昼夜运移模式,笔者将土壤水耦合运移的时间信息和空间信息进行同步分析;并根据土壤水运移的不同驱动力,分别对温度梯度、基质势梯度作用下的液态水及汽态水通量进行了分析。