The evolution of regional development concepts: some new trends

This paper traces the theoretical development of the regional concept and the use of regionalization techniques in Soviet geography and seeks to compare this history with comparable trends in Western geography. It is severely critical of the major and rapid paradigm shifts noticed in post-war Western geographical science and relates these to shifts in the approach to global development issues.     

Small-scale clusters of photospheric network bright points and their dependence on the solar cycle phase

The tendency of network bright points (NBPs) to form in their surface distribution non-random, small-scale clusters is studied by a 2-D nearest-neighbours test, based on observational data for the distance between separate NBPs. High-resolution photographs taken from long time series obtained at4308 with the 50-cm refractor of Pic du Midi Observatory are used. Three different epochs of the solar cycle were chosen. The results obtained suggest that the degree of clustering depends on the solar cycle phase. Supposing that the NBPs are good tracers of the kilogauss small-scale magnetic field, we use them to obtain information about the subphotospheric small-scale magnetic field organisation and its dependence on the solar cycle phase.     

Modified multispectral space for color representation

IntroductionIn color reproduction and communication, met-amer exists inherently when the conventionalcondition matching used. Therefore , the colordifference introduced makes the accuracy of colorrepresentation be lowered.In order to eli minatemetamer CIE developed the scheme so-calledspectra matching in Publication 15 .2 and speci-fied that using band-pass filters with 5 nminter-val to sample and then reconstruct the originalcolor signal ,thus the color difference will disap-pear[1].Spectra…     

Bistatic Radar Detection in the Luna-Resurs Mission

An overview of radiophysical investigations of the lunar soil and plasma shell by active radar detection with the use of spacecraft is presented. The possibility is analyzed of conducting bistatic measurements using the Irkutsk Incoherent Scattering Radar and the onboard radar system RLK-L which is being developed for the orbital station of the Luna-Resurs mission.     

Manganese concentration in the silts of the Mozhaisk Reservoir

The causes of the high Mn concentration in the solid phase and pore solution of bottom sediments in the Mozhaisk Reservoir are discussed. Regularities are identified in variations the concentrations of Mn forms in reservoir deposits from its upper part to the dam.     

On the warming of intermediate and deep waters in the equatorial North Atlantic

In July 2000, a transatlantic hydrographic section was made on board the Russian R/V Akademik Ioffe in the northern equatorial region at ～6.5° N on the WOCE (World Ocean Circulation Experiment) A06 line. A significant warming in the layers of intermediate and deep waters in the interior eastern basin is determined from comparison of the section temperature data and those obtained on the WOCE A06 line in 1993. This result, together with the results of the previous studies, indicates a substantial warming of intermediate and upper deep waters above 2800–3000 m in the eastern equatorial North Atlantic during the second half of the 20th century. In the 1000–2000 m layer, temperature has increased by 0.13–0.14°C since 1957.     

A New Solar Radio Spectrometer at 1.10-2.06 GHz and First Observational Results

An improved Solar Radio Spectrometer working at 1.10-2.06 GHz with much improved spectral and temporal resolution, has been accomplished by the National Astronomical Observatories and Hebei Semiconductor Research Institute, based on an old spectrometer at 1-2 GHz. The new spectrometer has a spectral resolution of 4 MHz and a temporal resolution of 5ms, with an instantaneous detectable range from 0.02 to 10 times of the quiet Sun flux. It can measure both left and right circular polarization with an accuracy of 10% in degree of polarization. Some results of preliminary observations that could not be recorded by the old spectrometer at 1-2 GHz are presented.     

Thick and thin models of the evolution of carbon dioxide on Mars

We present results from a new simulation code that accounts for the evolution of the reservoirs of carbon dioxide on Mars, from its early years to the present. We establish a baseline model parameter set that produces results compatible with the present (i.e., Patm?6.5 mbar with permanent CO₂ ice cap) for a wide range of initial inventories. We find that the initial inventory of CO₂ broadly determines the evolutionary course of the reservoirs of CO₂. The reservoirs include the atmosphere, ice cap, adsorbed CO₂ in the regolith, and carbonate rocks. We track the evolution of the free inventory: the atmosphere, ice cap and regolith. Simulations begin at 4.53 Gyr before present with a rapid loss of free inventory to space in the early Noachian. Models that assume a relatively small initial inventory (?5 bar) have pronounced minima in the free inventory of CO₂ toward the end of the Noachian. Under baseline parameters, initial inventories below ∼4.5 bar result in a catastrophic loss of the free inventory to space. The current free inventory would be then determined by the balance between outgassing, sputtering losses and chemical weathering following the end of the late bombardment. We call these “thin” models. They generically predict small current free inventories in line with expectations of a small present CO₂ ice cap. For “thick” models, with initial inventories ?5 bar, a surplus of 300-700 mbar of free CO₂ remains during the late-Noachian. The histories of free inventory in time for thick models tend to converge within the last 3.5 Gyr toward a present with an ice cap plus atmospheric inventory of about 100 mbar. For thick models, the convergence is largely due to the effects of chemical weathering, which draws down higher free inventories more rapidly than the low. Thus, thick models have ?450 mbar carbonate reservoirs, while thin models have ?200 mbar. Though both thick and thin scenarios can reproduce the current atmospheric pressure, the thick models imply a relatively large current CO₂ ice cap and thin models, little or none. While the sublimation of a massive cap at a high obliquity would create a climate swing of greenhouse warming for thick models, under the thin model, mean temperatures and pressures would be essentially unaffected by increases in obliquity.