Initial assessment of the COMPASS/BeiDou-2 regional navigation satellite system

An initial characterization and performance assessment of the COMPASS/BeiDou-2 regional navigation system is presented. Code and carrier phase measurements on up to three frequencies have been collected in March 2012 with a small regional network of monitoring stations. The signal and measurement quality are analyzed and compared with the Japanese Quasi Zenith Satellite System. A high level of stability is demonstrated for the inter-frequency carrier phase biases, which will facilitate the application of triple-frequency undifferenced ambiguity resolution techniques in future precise point positioning applications. The performance of the onboard Rubidium frequency standards is evaluated in comparison to ground-based hydrogen masers and shown to be well competitive with other GNSS satellite clocks. Precise orbit and clock solutions obtained in post-processing are used to study the presently achievable point positioning accuracy in COMPASS/BeiDou-2-only navigation. Finally, the benefit of triple-frequency measurements and extra-wide-lane ambiguity resolution is illustrated for relative positioning on a short baseline.     

Application of chemical tracers to an estimate of benthic denitrification in the Okhotsk Sea

To estimate benthic denitrification in a marginal sea, we assessed the usefulness of \({\text{N}}_{2}^{*}\) , a new tracer to measure the excess nitrogen gas (N₂) using dissolved N₂ and argon (Ar) with N* in the intermediate layer (26.6–27.4σ _θ ) of the Okhotsk Sea. The examined parameters capable of affecting \({\text{N}}_{2}^{*}\) are denitrification, air injection and rapid cooling. We investigated the relative proportions of these effects on \({\text{N}}_{2}^{*}\) using multiple linear regression analysis. The best model included two examined parameters of denitrification and air injection based on the Akaike information criterion as a measure of the model fit to data. More than 80 % of \({\text{N}}_{2}^{*}\) was derived from the denitrification, followed by air injection. Denitrification over the Okhotsk Sea shelf region was estimated to be 5.6 ± 2.4 μmol kg^?1. The distribution of \({\text{N}}_{2}^{*}\) was correlated with potential temperature (θ) between 26.6 and 27.4σ _θ (r = ?0.55). Therefore, we concluded that \({\text{N}}_{2}^{*}\) and N* can act complementarily as a quasi-conservative tracer of benthic denitrification in the Okhotsk Sea. Our findings suggest that \({\text{N}}_{2}^{*}\) in combination with N* is a useful chemical tracer to estimate benthic denitrification in a marginal sea.     

Massive landslide triggered by 2008 Iwate�CMiyagi inland earthquake in the Aratozawa Dam area, Tohoku, Japan

On June 14 2008, an Iwate–Miyagi inland earthquake that had a magnitude of 7.2 hit the eastern foot of the Ohu Mountains in Tohoku district, Japan. The seismic peak ground acceleration was greater than 1,000 gal in the Aratozawa Dam area. The earthquake triggered a massive landslide at the upper reach of the dam. The landslide had the sediment volume of over 67 million cubic meters and is considered the largest catastrophic landslide in Japan during the last 100 years. This report presents a summary of our findings pertinent to the landslide’s activities based on our field investigations that started the day after the landslide. This report covers: (1) details of the land deformations caused by the landslide, (2) geological background pertinent to landslide development, and (3) estimation of the slip surface and the other physical properties of the landslide based on the analysis of the boring core specimens and landform features. The landslide is roughly divided into two sections, a lower and an upper half. The lower half moved almost simultaneously as one massive block of 700 m long, 800 m wide, and 70–80 m thick. The slip surface had developed on the very fine sand of the alternate layer of fine-grained sandstone and siltstone. The slickensided slip surface has a gradient of only 2°. This feature indicates that the type of the landslide movement is considered to be a block glide. The landslide body is nearly identical to the topography of the landslide area that was developed about 50,000 years ago. This shows the possibility that the landslide was reactivated. The upper half consists of two large ridges and the broad debris field and is 600 m long, 900 m wide, and 70–100 m thick. The maximum height of the main scarp is over 150 m.     

Chaotic behavior of the north-south asymmetry of sunspots?

North-south asymmetry in the distribution of sunspots was examined. Weak correlations between north-south asymmetry and sunspot number were found in several time lags. Higuchi's fractal dimension (1988) was calculated to evaluate irregularity in north-south asymmetry. The fractal dimension obtained is 1.90 ± 0.01 and this implies that the north-south asymmetry is highly irregular. The method of Sugihara and May (1990), based on the nonlinear prediction method, was used to distinguish between deterministic chaos and noise. The results do not confirm the idea that north-south asymmetry is an example of deterministic chaos.     

Soft X-ray Solar Activities Associated with Interplanetary Magnetic Flux Ropes

We studied the soft X-ray solar events that could be associated with the interplanetary magnetic flux ropes observed by the WIND satellite during 1995 through 1998. The timings of the launches of the magnetic flux ropes from the Sun were estimated using flux rope speeds derived by the fitting of a cylindrical model. In the reasonable time window, soft X-ray solar signatures were found in approximately 70% of the flux ropes. Parameters (e.g., axis direction, strength of magnetic field, radius, and helicity) of the magnetic flux ropes obtained by the model fitting were compared with the characteristics of the corresponding soft X-ray events observed by Yohkoh. According to the result of the comparison, the magnetic flux ropes with strong magnetic fields or high speeds were observed in association with higher soft X-ray solar activities.     

THE BASTILLE DAY (14 JULY 2000) EVENT IN HISTORICAL LARGE SUN–EARTH CONNECTION EVENTS

One of the large Sun–Earth connection events in solar cycle 23 occurred between 14 and 16 July 2000. Anomalies occurring on several satellites were reported in association with this event. Statistical study of extreme events is important not only for a view of space weather but for seeking ways to predict such kinds of large events. The Bastille Day event was characterized by a large flux (24 000 p.f.u. at its maximum) of solar energetic protons and a fast average transit speed of approximately 1500 km s⁻¹ of the interplanetary disturbance. A geomagnetic Kp index of more than 9 was observed after an interval of approximately eleven years since 1989. We found that return periods of extreme space weather (e.g., large flares, solar energetic proton events, and large geomagnetic storms) satisfied the Weibull distribution.     

Plasma waves caused by transient heat conduction in a coronal loop and anomalous resistivity

Numerical simulation is made of the transient heat conduction during local heating in a model coronal magnetic loop with an axial electric current. It is assumed that a segment near the top of the normal coronal loop is heated to above 10⁷ K by a sufficiently small heat input as compared with the total flare energy. A hump appears in the velocity distribution of electrons moving down the temperature gradient with speeds slightly below the thermal one. Consequently, electron plasma waves are excited. The high intensity of the waves persists in the upper region of the loop for more than a second until the termination of the simulation. The energy density of the plasma waves normalized with respect to thermal density is 10^–3.5 at maximum. A theoretical estimate gives an anomalous resistivity 5 orders of magnitude greater than an initial value. Based on the above result, we propose a model for impulsive loop flares.     

Long time delay between the peaks of intense solar hard X-ray and microwave bursts

New solar wind data from Helios-2 are used to study, in a statistical fashion, the relation between proton number density n, flow speed u and heliocentric distance r. It is shown that the average of nu ² r ² does not depend on flow speed nor on distance, verifying the previously established invariance of momentum flux density (mnu²) carried by the solar wind. Averages of mnu² from different spacecraft do not show correlation with the solar cycle. Rather, the close agreement (to within 1.8%) of values from Helios-1 and Helios-2 suggests that the momentum flux density carried by the solar wind may be also constant during the solar cycle.     

Timing analysis of hard X-ray emission and 22 GHz flux and polarization in a solar burst

A solar flare occurring on 26 February, 1981 at 19:32 UT was observed simultaneously in hard X-rays and microwaves with a time resolution of a fraction of a second. The X-ray observations were made with the Hard X-ray Monitor on Hinotori, and the microwave observations were made at 22 GHz with the 13.7 m Itapetinga mm-wave antenna. Timing accuracy was restricted to 62.5 ms, the best time resolution obtained in hard X-rays for this burst. We find that: (a) all 22 GHz flux structures were delayed by 0.2–0.9 s relative to similar structures in hard X-rays throughout the burst duration; (b) different burst structures showed different delays, suggesting that they are independent of each other; (c) the time structures of the degree of polarization at 22 GHz precede the total microwave flux time structures by 0.1–0.5 s; (d) The time evolutions of time delays of microwaves with respect to hard X-rays and also the degree of microwave polarization show fluctuations with are not clearly related to any other time structures. If we take mean values for the 32 s burst duration, we find that hard X-ray emission precedes the degree of microwave polarization by 450 ms, which in turn precedes the total microwave flux by 110 ms.     

Hard X-ray images of impulsive bursts

A morphological study is made for the hard X-ray images (25–50 keV) of nine impulsive bursts observed by Hinotori. Most of them revealed single sources, either extended or compact, during the whole duration of the bursts. The sources of all of four spike bursts in the present sample are compact. After the main phase of the impulsive bursts, generally the source size becomes smaller accompanying a shift of position. The X-ray source size is much greater than that of the Hα kernel in two events out of three. Four possible explanations for the X-ray source to be single are suggested. One of these is the strong electric field along the magnetic field as demonstrated to be produced at the decay of force-free current.