On the relation between cloud cover amount and sunshine duration

Summary The total cloud cover is deduced from measurements of monthly mean averages of the percent of possible sunshine duration at three locations in Egypt, Cairo, Bahtim and Sedi-Barrani stations during the period 1987–1995. This sunshine-derived total cloud cover (C_s) is compared to conventional ground-based observations of total cloud covers (C_g) made by meteorological observers. A linear relationship between the two estimates is calculated, and the difference between the two estimates as a function of C_s and C_g is fitted with a least-squares linear equation. It is found that on the average the sunshine-derived values of total cloud cover are about 7% lower than the corresponding ground-based estimated of total cloud cover. Both of these parameters are mainly used in solar radiation models and the error sources are mainly depending upon the way to describe sky cover.     

Microseismicity and active deformation of Messinia,SW Greece

By deploying a 30 3-component digital seismic array in the Messiniakos gulf and the surrounding region, we recorded for a period of 45 days the microseismic activity. With a minimum of six records per event, we located 1121 earthquakes corresponding to an average of 20 events per day. For the hypocenter location we used a local velocity model adopted to two controlled source seismic experiments. Within the array, traveltime residuals were within ± 0.2 s and the epicentral accuracy in the order of ± 2 km, while the hypocentral one is twice this value. Correlation of the seismicity with the tectonic elements indicated that most of the NW-SE oriented faults are active with strike-slip movement along this orientation and extension perpendicular to it. The neogene basins of Messini, Meligalas and Megalopolis are seismically very active and their eastern flanks are delineated by higher seismic activity than their western ones. This indicates that the basins are asymmetric with master faults defining their eastern-northeastern flanks. This hypothesis is supported by the asymmetric structure mapped at the offshore Messiniakos basin as densely spaced high resolution reflection seismic profiles have revealed. The western margins of the basins are less deformed and the seismic activity is dispersed over several minor NW-SE faults. Since the NW-SE striking faults onshore are truncated by major NE-SW oriented ones, their overall length is shortened, reducing their seismic potential and capacity to store large stresses that could produce events above Ms6.1. Offshore western Messinia, in the Ionian Sea, the size and activity of the faults is significantly larger and prone to develop events of larger magnitudes. Subcrustal seismicity indicates a deepening of the foci to the east-northeast.Part of this work was presented at the CIESM Conference, Monaco, 2001, and in the EGS General Assembly, Nice, 2001.     

The influence of climate on mechanistic pathways that affect lower food web production in Northern San Francisco Bay estuary

Significant coherence among time series of environmental and biological production variables suggested mechanistic pathways through which climate contributed to the downward shift in estuarine production (biomass) in northern San Francisco Bay estuary, 1975–1993. Climate directly and indirectly affected physical processes in the estuary through precipitation and its subsequent impact on streamflow and physical variables affected by streamflow. Climate also directly influenced air temperature and wind velocity. The influence if climate was evaluated through a climate index based on sea level pressure. A shift in this climate index in the early 1980s coincided with changes in many environmental variables including water transparency, water temperature, wind velocity, and rainfall. These physical changes were accompanied by a decrease in diatom, total zooplankton, andNeomysis mercedis carbon at the base of the food web throughout the estuary. Box-Jenkins time series coherence analysis was used to quantify associations among these physical, chemical, and biological time series for nine regions of the estuary. These associations were used to develop a conceptual model of mechanistic pathways that directly linked food web carbon production to climate. Strong coherence among diatom, zooplankton, andN. mercedis carbon time series suggested climate also had an indirect impact on food web production through trophic cascade. Differing mechanistic pathways among the nine regions of the estuary suggested climate was an important contributor to the spatial variability in total food web production and trophic structure.     

Spectral characteristics of components of a model radio-brightness distribution for the radio galaxy 3C 234

Physical processes that can, under cosmic conditions, give rise to emission whose spectrum peaks at some frequency are discussed in the context of the spectrum of the central extended component of a model brightness distribution for the radio galaxy 3C 234. This component is not detected at decameter wavelengths, probably due to the absorption of the radiation in the plasma in the source itself.     

Velocity field in the spiral-wave pattern observed in rotating shallow-water experiments

The paper presents the first quantitative results of a laboratory study of the velocity field in a two-arm spiral-wave pattern generated in a steady-state fashion by a hydrodynamical instability in a differentially rotating, thin layer of liquid. The liquid layer has a free surface, and the rotational profile includes an interval where the velocity drops abruptly, as in the gaseous disks of spiral galaxies. The properties of anticyclonic vortices observed between the arms of this pattern at the corotation radius are considered.     

Observed features of a two-phase stellar wind from WR 136 in the vicinity of NGC 6888

A number of features are detected outside the nebula NGC 6888, within 1.2° (30 pc) of the star WR 136, which can be explained in a two-phase stellar-wind model. These include regions with fine filamentary gas structure that do not contain sources of stellar wind, extended radial “streams,” ultra-compact HII regions with high-velocity gas motions, and high-velocity gas motions outside the envelope of NGC 6888. The two-phase wind consists of a rarefied component and dense compact condensations, or “bullets.” The bullets generate cylindrical shocks in the interstellar gas, resulting in the presence of high-velocity gas up 20–30 pc from the star, outside the cavity formed by the rarified component of the wind.     

Near-polar starspots and polar dynamo waves

A possible mechanism for the formation of near-polar magnetic spots on some stars with convective envelopes is proposed. The mechanism is based on the idea that the maximum of the dynamo waves that are excited in thin convective shells by the dynamo mechanism is shifted appreciably from the maximum of the magnetic-field sources in the direction of motion of the dynamo wave. If there is no region of super-rotation near the equator for some reason (as a consequence of disruption due to tidal interaction with a companion in a binary system, for example) and the wave of stellar activity propagates toward the poles rather than toward the equator, this maximum will be in the near-polar regions.     

A brief comparison of lava flows from the Deccan Volcanic Province and the Columbia-Oregon Plateau Flood Basalts: Implications for models of flood basalt emplacement

The nature and style of emplacement of Continental Flood Basalt (CFB) lava flows has been a matter of great interest as well as considerable controversy in the recent past. However, even a cursory review of published literature reveals that the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) and Hawaiian volcanoes provide most of the data relevant to this topic. It is interesting to note, however, that the CRBG lava flows and their palaeotopographic control is atypical of other CFB provinces in the world. In this paper, we first present a short overview of important studies pertaining to the emplacement of flood basalt flows. We then briefly review the morphology of lava flows from the Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP) and the Columbia-Oregon Plateau flood basalts. The review underscores the existence of significant variations in lava flow morphology between different provinces, and even within the same province. It is quite likely that there were more than one way of emplacing the voluminous and extensive CFB lava flows. We argue that the establishment of general models of emplacement must be based on a comprehensive documentation of lava flow morphology from all CFB provinces.     

Analysis of a high-amplitude event in component A of the gravitational lens QSO 2237+0305

We present an analysis of a high-amplitude event in the flux curve of component A of the gravitational lens QSO 2237+0305 observed by the OGLE and GLITP groups in autumn 1999. Hypothesizing this event to be associated with microlensing of a fold caustic, we analyzed the observational data using a method for the successive reconstruction of branches of the one-dimensional strip brightness distribution across the source corresponding to positive and negative arguments. The search for the branches was carried out on compact sets of nonnegative, monotonically nonincreasing, convex downward functions. The resulting shape of the strip brightness distribution for the accretion disk of the quasar is in agreement with results obtained earlier via model fitting. Features in the lensing curve that could be associated with curvature of the caustic, nearness of a cusp, or the influence of nearby caustics are noted.     

Pollution history and recovery of a boreal lake exposed to a heavy bleached pulping effluent load

We examined the effects of heavy pulp mill discharges on the Lake Lievestuoreenjärvi ecosystem and the later recovery of diatom and chironomid communities from age-dated short core samples. Beginning in 1927 the lake received a heavy effluent load from a sulphite pulp mill. Except for the recession during the Second World War and the temporary closure of the mill from 1967 to 1971, the industrial load, containing large quantities of nutrients, organic matter and toxic compounds, increased continuously. In the early 1980s, laboratory documents were falsified by the directors of the mill and the systematic illegal effluent overload led to a collapse of the whole lake ecosystem. In 1985, the outdated plant was finally closed down. Based on the assessment of chemical properties and biological remains of the sediment, we distinguished five developmental phases in the ecological state of the lake. In the pre-industrial phase, the pelagic and profundal benthic communities were dominated by species preferring ultraoligotrophic or oligotrophic lakes. Concomitant with the increasing discharge and deposition of chlorine compounds, resin acids, and mercury, as well as strong acidity and hypolimnetic and epilimnetic anoxia, the ecological status changed in a short period from excellent to bad. Finally, in the early 1960s, the majority of the lake was virtually dead and the aquatic life survived only in the uppermost littoral zone. Since 1985, a fast recovery in the water quality has led to a strong, but temporary eutrophy in pelagic communities. The main peak of eutrophication was caused by the invasion of a species new to the lake,Aulacoseira granulata var.angustissima. Later, the pelagic communities shifted towards oligotrophy, but the original, pre-industrial status has not been re-established. The profundal benthic communities have not achieved the pre-industrial structure, but at present indicate mesotrophy.