Contents Volume 89

Volume Contents

Contents Volume 89     

Long-term tendencies in the electoral behavior and the geography of voting in St. Petersburg: 1989–1995

This paper studies the basis and nature of the long-term factors that may have influenced the electoral behavior of St. Petersburgers between 1989 and 1995 from the perspective of geography. Our analysis shows two distinct periods in St. Petersburgs recent electoral history marked by differing behavioral motivations of voters in the city. The first period was marked by only one ideological cleavage between marketers and hard-liners. In 1993 protest motivation managed to erode the predominance of ideology as the determining variable in voting behavior, and began to act as a new independent variable. This marked the beginning of the second period. Four major groupings of St. Petersburg electorate are described in terms of the basic ideological cleavages, party affiliations and geographical gravity centers.     

Evidence for the Trapping and Amplification of Near-Inertial Motions in a Large Anticyclonic Ring in the Oyashio

Three ARGOS drift buoys were deployed in the Oyashio Current off the Kuril Islands near 45°N in fall, 1990, during a joint Russia/Canada study of western boundary current dynamics in the Subarctic Pacific Ocean. We here report on one buoy deployed within an anticyclonic warm core ring (WCR86B) which shows evidence of large amplitude inertial motions of near-diurnal frequency. During its first week within the ring the buoy drifted with a mean azimuthal current speed of 0.40–0.45 m s⁻¹ and a radius of rotation of 15–20 km. However, superimposed on the mean rotation of the ring at this time were “loops” of near-diurnal period, radius 7–8 km and speeds exceeding 1 m s⁻¹. During successive rotations the buoy spiraled outward, its mean period of rotation increased and the amplitude of the near-diurnal motions decreased. The large motions are explained by inertial wave trapping and amplification within the extremely large and weakly stratified eddy, wherein the negative vorticity of the eddy reduces the local inertial frequency to near-diurnal frequency. We here suggest that either tidal or wind forcing may generate these high-amplitude “loop” motions. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermoelastic properties of chromium oxide Cr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> (eskolaite) at high pressures and temperatures

A new synchrotron X-ray diffraction study of chromium oxide Cr₂O₃ (eskolaite) with the corundum-type structure has been carried out in a Kawai-type multi-anvil apparatus to pressure of 15 GPa and temperatures of 1873 K. Fitting the Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (EoS) with the present data up to 15 GPa yielded: bulk modulus (K _0,T0), 206 ± 4 GPa; its pressure derivative K′_0,T , 4.4 ± 0.8; (?K _0,T /?T) = ?0.037 ± 0.006 GPa K^?1; a = 2.98 ± 0.14 × 10^?5 K^?1 and b = 0.47 ± 0.28 × 10^?8 K^?2, where α _0,T  = a + bT is the volumetric thermal expansion coefficient. The thermal expansion of Cr₂O₃ was additionally measured at the high-temperature powder diffraction experiment at ambient pressure and α _0,T0 was determined to be 2.95 × 10^?5 K^?1. The results indicate that coefficient of the thermal expansion calculated from the EoS appeared to be high-precision because it is consistent with the data obtained at 1 atm. However, our results contradict α ₀ value suggested by Rigby et al. (Brit Ceram Trans J 45:137–148, 1946) widely used in many physical and geological databases. Fitting the Mie–Grüneisen–Debye EoS with the present ambient and high-pressure data yielded the following parameters: K _0,T0 = 205 ± 3 GPa, K′_0,T  = 4.0, Grüneisen parameter (γ ₀) = 1.42 ± 0.80, q = 1.82 ± 0.56. The thermoelastic parameters indicate that Cr₂O₃ undergoes near isotropic compression at room and high temperatures up to 15 GPa. Cr₂O₃ is shown to be stable in this pressure range and adopts the corundum-type structure. Using obtained thermoelastic parameters, we calculated the reaction boundary of knorringite formation from enstatite and eskolaite. The Clapeyron slope (with \({\text{d}}P/{\text{d}}T = - 0.014\) GPa/K) was found to be consistent with experimental data.     

Triassic rift-related komatiite, picrite and basalt, Pelagonian continental margin, Greece

A wide range of Triassic rift-related volcanic rocks is preserved on the extensional continental margin of the central part of the Pelagonian micro-continental block of Greece, in the region of northern Evia Island and Othris. This part of the continental margin is unusual for the abundance of lavas, the wide range of lava types, and the presence of komatiitic lavas. The predominant rock types are subalkaline basalt and basaltic andesite, mildly alkaline basalt and picrite, and minor komatiite. Four groups of mafic rocks are distinguished from the 32 samples analyzed on the basis of variation in incompatible trace elements, with all but one group including both picritic and basaltic rocks. The geochemical character of the volcanic rocks suggests derivation from inhomogenous, spinel-bearing, lithospheric mantle. This mantle source was variably depleted and moderately refertilized by subduction-related fluids during earlier Hercynian subduction. The picrites were generated by variable degrees of partial melting, which are inferred to inversely correlate with pressure, thus suggesting decompression melting of their source. Evidence is lacking for a major mantle plume, but the enhanced magmatism in this sector of the rifted margin suggests that melting was induced by a large amount of hydration, which is appropriate to generate melts at lower temperatures. Consequent fractionation coupled with crustal assimilation generated the wide range of subalkaline to mildly alkaline mafic rocks.     

Effect of Secondary Circulations on the Surface–Atmosphere Exchange of Energy at an Isolated Semi-arid Forest

Afforestation in semi-arid regions can potentially enhance the global carbon sink by increasing the terrestrial biomass. However, the survival of planted forests under such extreme environmental conditions is not guaranteed a priori, and critically depends on the surface–atmosphere exchange of energy. We investigate the pine forest Yatir in Israel, an example of a man-made semi-arid ecosystem, by means of large-eddy simulations. We focus on the interaction between surface–atmosphere exchange and secondary circulations that couple the isolated forest to the surrounding shrubland. The large-eddy simulations feature a grid resolution that resolves the forest canopy in several layers, and are initialized by satellite data and Doppler lidar, eddy-covariance and radiosonde measurements. We perform three large-eddy simulations with different geostrophic wind speeds to investigate the influence of those wind speeds on the surface–atmosphere exchange. We reproduce the measured mean updrafts above the forest and mean downdrafts above the shrubland, which increase in strength with decreasing geostrophic wind speed. The largest updrafts emerge above the older, denser part of the forest, triggering secondary circulations. The spatial extent of these circulations does not cover the entire forest area, although we observe a reduced aerodynamic resistance in the regions of updraft. Our simulations indicate that the enhanced surface–atmosphere exchange of the Yatir forest is not sufficient to compensate for the increased net radiation, due to the lower albedo of the forest with respect to the surroundings, resulting in higher air temperatures inside the forest. However, the difference between the forest and shrubland temperatures decreases with increasing geostrophic wind speed due to reduction in the aerodynamic resistance.     

Polyphase tectonics and late Variscan extension in Austria (Moldanubian Zone,Strudengau area)

New data suggest syn-convergent extrusion and polyphase tectonics followed by late Variscan extension in the Strudengau area of the southern Moldanubian zone in Austria. The tectonic history can be summarized as follows: (1) The oldest ductile event is observed in HT/LP metamorphic pelitic gneisses, which preserve E-dipping foliation planes (D₁-fabric) with NW–SE-trending lineations. (2) The overlying gneisses record HT/HP conditions with decompression-induced anatexis in the central part of the domain. These gneisses exhibit N–S trending, horizontal lineations along steep-dipping foliation planes (D₂-fabric) crosscutting the D₁-fabric of the pelitic gneisses. Along the margin, these rocks have been strongly mylonitized under amphibolite facies conditions (D₂). D₂ is interpreted as a significant vertical shear zone, which juxtaposes the HT/LP rocks against the orogenic lower crust. (3) Lastly, the whole area is overprinted by localized shear zones (D₃-fabric) with top-to-the-NW kinematics. This newly discovered Strudengau shearing event is associated with isoclinal folding that possesses axial planes parallel to the mylonitic foliation and fold axes parallel to the stretching lineations. Initial mylonitization occurred under greenschist facies, representing the latest ductile event of the Strudengau area. The new geochronological data presented here indicate a narrow time frame (c. 323–318 Ma) for the D₃ deformation. Therefore, this event is contemporaneous with the intrusion of the granites of the South Bohemian Batholith (330–310 Ma). The nearby South Bohemian Batholith and generally steep dyke swarms in the Strudengau area and to the north trend in a NE–SW preferred orientation, interpreted to be D₃-synkinematic magmatism. In a regional context, the NW–SE stretching during D₃ together with the synkinematic intrusion of dykes is associated with late orogenic extension in the Austrian Moldanubian Zone. Kinematic data of brittle normal faults and tension gashes are consistent with NW–SE-oriented extension under cooler conditions.     

RXTE observations of 4U 1630−47 during the peak of its 1998 outburst

We present an analysis of the RXTE observations of 4U 1630−47 during its 1998 outburst. The light curve and the spectral evolution of the outburst were significantly different from the outbursts of the same source in 1996 and 1999. Special emphasis was placed on observations taken during the initial rise and during the maximum of the outburst. The maximum of the outburst was divided into three plateaux, with almost constant flux within each plateau, and fast jumps between them. The spectral and timing parameters are stable for each individual plateau, but significantly different between the plateaux. The variability detected on the first plateau is of special interest. During these observations the source exhibits quasi-regular oscillations with a period of ∼ 10–20 s. Our analysis revealed a difference in temporal behaviour of the source at high and low fluxes during this period of time. The source behaviour can be generally explained in the framework of the two-phase model of accretion flow, involving a hot inner Comptonization region and surrounding optically thick disc.
The variability and spectral evolution of the source were similar to what was observed earlier for other X-ray novae. We show that 4U 1630−47 resembles, in several aspects, other transient and persistent black hole binaries.     

Modelling of Thermal Stratification and Ice Dynamics with Application to Lake Teletskoye,Altai Republic,Russia

Water Resources - Numerical modelling of ice growth and transport of matter in lakes, estuaries, or coastal seas can provide crucial input for improving the environment. In this paper, the goal is...