Albedo of clouds and radiation conditions in the oceans

On the basis of the satellite and ship data of many-year observations, we parametrize the albedo of the ocean-atmosphere system both for the conditions of “fair weather” and for the maximum and climatic optical thicknesses of oceanic clouds. These results are used to develop a procedure of practically exact reconstruction of the monthly average fluxes of integral solar radiation and the radiation budget over the ice-free surface of the oceans according to the data of satellite measurements of albedo (Nimbus NOAA satellite, 1974–1983) for arbitrary conditions of transparency of the atmosphere and cloudiness. We determine the current and climatic monthly average values and the characteristics of interannual variability of all components of the radiation mode of the ocean-atmosphere system with a spatial resolution of 500×500 km. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

Dissipation of baroclinic tidal energy and diapycnal mixing in the White Sea

The modeling results obtained using the original version of the three-dimensional finite-element hydrostatic model QUODDY-4 testify that the spatial distributions of dissipation of baroclinic tidal energy and the related coefficient of diapycnal mixing in the deepwater stratified subdomain of the White Sea (the Basin and Kandalaksha and Dvina bays together) are highly similar to those found for low- and midlatitude oceans. It is in the open part of the sea that their values remain equal to the minimum possible values determined by the molecular kinematic viscosity; at its lateral boundaries (not all boundaries, but only individual segments (sites of mixing)), their values increase. In the shallow homogeneous subdomain of the White Sea, the dissipation of baroclinic tidal energy is considerably larger than in the deep stratified subdomain. Accordingly, the vertical eddy viscosity in the first subdomain is a few orders of magnitude higher than the coefficient of diapycnal mixing in the second subdomain. This is caused by an increased tidal velocity due to reduced depths.     

Manifestation of the 399-day variations in solar wind parameters

Astronomy Letters - Based on a large series (N = 14 038) of daily solar wind densities, we obtained the fluctuation power spectrum. The spectrum shows that the 399-day variation (the synodic period...     

Solar energetic particle events at the rise phase of the 23rd solar activity cycle registered aboard the spacecraft &;#x201C;INTERBALL-2&;#x201D;

The experiment with 10K-80 aboard the INTER-BALL-2 (which detects protons with energies > 7, 27–41, 41–58, 58–88, 88–180 and 180–300 MeV) registered six events of the solar energetic particle (SEP) increase. These events are during the initial rise phase of the 23rd solar activity cycle. Solar flares with the SEP generation are accompanied by coronal mass ejection (CME). Here we analyze the dynamics of the differential energy spectrum at different phases of the SEP increase.     

Estimation of Nocturnal Area Fluxes of Carbon Cycle Gases in Saint Petersburg Suburbs

Carbon dioxide, methane, and carbon monoxide are the carbon cycle gases, the data on their emissions are needed when monitoring air pollution and developing methods for reducing anthropogenic emissions to the atmosphere and for climate forecasting. The estimates of nocturnal area fluxes for CO₂, CH₄, and CO presented for a suburb of Saint Petersburg (Peterhof) are obtained using the box model and continuous observations of concentration of these gases. The mean values of CH₄, CO₂, and CO fluxes estimated for Peterhof for 2014–2015 are 44 ± 27, 6100 ± 4000, and 90 ± 100 t/(km² year), respectively. The intensity of the CO area flux has pronounced seasonal variations characterized by the maximum of ~(160 ± 120) t/(km² year) in November—February and by the minimum of ~(30 ± 20) t/(km² year) in June-July. The analysis of the ratio of CO/CO₂ fluxes identified the main types of anthropogenic sources typical of Peterhof: motor transport, natural gas combustion, and the use of wood stoves for the heating of private low-rise buildings (in the cold season).     

Considering temperature dependence of thermo-physical properties of sandy soils in two scenarios of oil pollution

We analyzed the heat conductivity and volumetric heat capacity of sandy soil contaminated in two scenarios of oil pollution, and also determined the temperature dependencies of these changed thermophysical properties. In the first pollution scenario, the oil product was introduced into wet river sand, and in the second case, dry sand was contaminated by the oil product and was then moistened with water. By considering these two scenarios as multicomponent dispersion systems with varying degrees of contamination and humidity, and by using a polystructural granular model with pore spaces and closed inclusions, we calculated that the heat conductivity of the sandy soil increased under the first pollution scenario and decreased under the second, but the change in the volumetric heat capacity of the sandy soil was proportional only to the amount of oil pollution, not the manner in which it was introduced. We also determined the temperature dependencies of these two thermophysical properties of sandy soil when polluted by oil, of which information will be useful for future containment and remediation of oil-contaminated soil.     

Regional space monitoring of nitrogen dioxide in the troposphere

Satellite instruments for the routine global monitoring of NO₂ in the atmosphere—the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) on the ERS-2 satellite, the Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography (SCIAMACHY) on the ENVISAT satellite, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the AURA satellite, and the GOME-2 on the MetOp satellite—are briefly described. It is shown that the error of measuring the NO₂ total column amount (∼10% for the background conditions in the troposphere) substantially increases in regions subject to anthropogenic pollution. Examples of practically using multiyear satellite measurements for the regional monitoring of NO₂ in the troposphere are presented, including mapping the tropospheric NO₂ in Russia, identifying the weekly and annual cycles in tropospheric NO₂ variations for megalopolises (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Paris), and estimating the long-term linear trend in 1995–2007.