Modeling Iceberg Drift in the Barents Sea from Field Data

The iceberg drift model is developed and used for simulating the iceberg drift trajectory in the Barents Sea. The model is forced by hydrometeorological characteristics obtained from ship observations. Original techniques for retrieving the sea-level slope gradient and surface velocity of currents are proposed, implemented, and validated using independent data. Thus, additional data were calculated from field data in order to use the iceberg drift model with the full set of external forces. This allowed improving the iceberg trajectory simulation and assessing the contribution of all forces that affect the iceberg drift. The iceberg drift calculations demonstrate that the drift characteristics are extremely sensitive to all external effects and the model parameters; therefore, the quality of input hydrometeorological data essentially affects the simulation of real iceberg trajectories.     

Dynamical conditions in planets and stars

With the available data in planets, stars and galaxies, it is studied the functions of angular momentaJ(M) and amounts of actionA _c(M) (associated to the non rotational terms in the kinetic energy). The results indicate that independently of how are these functionsJ(M),A _c(M) their ratioA _c/J remains a near invariant. It is independent also from the type of angular momenta: intrinsic spins of the bodies or the total angular (orbital) momenta of the bodies forming a system; for instance, the Solar System and the planets.The relationA _c(M) for the Solar System are analogous to these in the FGK stars of the main sequence, and the relationJ(M) (also for the Solar System) is analogous to the lower possible limit for binary stars.The different types of binary stars from the short period, detached systems to contactary systems, gives a range of functionsJ(M),A _c(M) that are the same that one can expect in stars with planetary systems. According to the detection limits given for planetary companions by Campbell, Walker and Yang (1988) (masses of less than 9 Jupiter masses and orbital periods of less than 50 years) we calculate the limits forJ(M) andA _c(M) This gives a lower limitA _c/J 1 associated to stars with planetary systems as 61 Cygni and to short period detached binaries. The upper limitA _c/J 16 correspond to planetary systems as the ours and probably to cataclysmic binaries. There are reasons to suspect that systems as the ours and in range 4 A _c/J 16 (with a lower limit analogous to contactary binaries as Algols and W Ursa Majoris) must be the most common type of planetary systems. The analogies with the functionsJ(M)A _c(M) for galaxies suggest cosmogonical conditions in the stellar formation.Independently of this, one can have boundary conditions for the Jacobi problem when applied to a collapsing cloud. Namely, from the initial stage (a molecular cloud) to the final stage (a formed stellar system: binary or planetary) the angular momenta and amounts of action decayed to 10^~4 the initial values, but in such a form thatA _c(t)/J(t) remains a near invariant.     

Bidirectional Type III Solar Radio Bursts

Bidirectional coronal type III bursts are modeled by combining a model of coronal electron heating and beam generation via time-of-flight effects with semiquantitative estimates of quasilinear relaxation. Electromagnetic emissivities are estimated by extending the recently developed theory of interplanetary type III bursts to coronal emissions, including its features of stochastic Langmuir-wave growth and three-wave interactions. The results are investigated for heating on open and closed coronal field lines and are compared with observations of normal, reverse-slope, bidirectional, and inverted-J and -U coronal type III radio bursts. Harmonic emission is predicted to dominate at plasma frequencies above roughly 100 MHz where the efficiency of fundamental emission falls off steeply, while its free-free reabsorption rises. The model also explains the observed trends in the likelihood of occurrence of normal, reverse-slope, and bidirectional coronal type III bursts.     

Seismic microzonation study in Doon valley, northwest Himalaya, India

Fundamental frequency map of site amplification at different sites in Doon valley, Uttarakhand, India is prepared from microtremor (ground ambient noise) using Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) technique. The fan deposited alluvium filled synclinal valley of Doon lies between Main Boundary Thrust (MFT) and Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) in the Himalayan active seismic belt and experienced many earthquakes in the past. The HVSR at different sites in the Doon valley ranges between the predominant frequencies 0.13 and 12.77 Hz. The HVSR in lower frequencies indicates that the site has either thick sediment covers or less compact rocks with fractures. Based on information on fundamental frequency and soft soil thickness, site classification map is generated. Results indicate that degree of compactness of rock types and presences of sediments vary significantly, which may play a major role in seismic hazard. The use of microtremor, therefore, constitutes an effective and inexpensive approach to site response and soft soil thickness estimation for preliminary microzonation.     

An ephemeral turbidity maximum generated by resuspension of organic-rich matter in a macrotidal estuary, S.W. Wales

An ephemeral estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) occurs at high water in the macrotidal Taf estuary (SW Wales, United Kingdom). A new mechanism of ETM formation, due to resuspension and advection of material by flood tidal currents, is observed that differs from classical mechanisms of gravitational circulation and tidal pumping. The flood tide advances across intertidal sand flats in the main body of the estuary, progressively entraining material from the rippled sands. Resuspension creates, a turbid front that has suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) of about 4,000 mg I⁻¹ by the time it reaches its landward limit which is also the landward limit of salt penetration. This turbid body constitutes the ETM. Deposition occurs at high slack water but the ETM retains SSC values up to 800 mg I⁻¹, 1–2 orders of magnitude greater than ambient SSC values in the river and estuarine waters on either side. The ETM retreats down the estuary during the ebb; some material is deposited thinly across emergent intertidal flats and some is flushed out of the estuary. A new ETM is generated by the next flood tide. Both location and SSC of the ETM scale on Q/R³ where Q is tidal range and R is river discharge. The greatest expression of the ETM occurs when a spring tide coincides with low river discharge. It does not form during high river discharge conditions and is poorly developed on neap tides. Particles in the ETM have effective densities (120–160 kg m⁻³) that are 3–4 times less than those in the main part of the estuary at high water. High chlorophyll concentrations in the ETM suggest that flocs probably originate from biological production in the estuary, including production on the intertidal sand flats.     

Longitudinal dispersion processes in the upper tamar estuary

Measurements of velocity, salinity, and suspended solids concentration have been used to investigate the intra-tidal variation of vertical and transverse shear-induced dispersion. For the study research the interaction of the longitudinal density gradient and vertical shear during the early part of the ebb tide accounted for much of the net longitudinal dispersion of solute landward. The same mechanism also is shown to lead to a net particulate transport landward. The landward flux, however, takes place during the flood tide. The field data are also used to elucidate the tidally averaged tidal pumping mechanism.     

The Wolf-Rayet stars at high (spatial) resolution

The Wolf-Rayet stars represent an advanced stage of evolution of the most massive stars. Their next immediate stadium will be supernova explosion. The most striking property of this very rare but exceptionally hot and bright objects is their extreme mass loss, of the order of 10^-5 solar mass per year. In turn of evolution before and during the Wolf-Rayet phase such stars eject a lot of matter (∼ 10 M_⊙) with velocity up to 3000 km/s that surrounds the min the form of gas and dust. In the case of binary Wolf-Rayet star such expanding envelope may interact with a companion (usually hot OB star) wind forming a tail extended for ∼ 100 AU. This spectacular phenomenon as well as some other connected with Wolf-Rayet stars that can be studied with high spatial resolution instruments (both astrometric and imaging) are reviewed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mean Profiles of Moisture Fluxes in Snow-Filled Boundary Layers

Profiles of moisture fluxes have been examined for convective boundary layers containing clouds and snow, using data derived from aircraft measurements taken on four dates during the 1983/1984 University of Chicago lake-effect snow project. Flux profiles were derived from vertical stacks of aircraft cross-wind flight legs taken at various heights over Lake Michigan near the downwind shore. It was found that, if ice processes are taken into account, profiles of potential temperature and water content were very similar to those presented in past studies of convective boundary layers strongly heated from below. Profiles of total water content and equivalent potential temperature adjusted for ice were nearly invariant with height, except very near the top of the boundary layer, suggesting that internal boundary-layer mixing processes were rapid relative to the rates at which heat and vapour were transported into the boundary layer through entrainment and surface fluxes. Ice was found to play a significant, measurable role in boundary-layer moisture fluxes. It was estimated that 40 to 57% of the upward vapour flux was returned to the surface in the form of snow, converting about 45 to 64% of the surface latent heat flux into sensible heat in the snow-producing process. Assuming advective fluxes are relatively small (thought to be appropriate after the first few tens of km over the lake as suggested by past studies), the boundary layer was found to warm at a rate faster than could be explained by surface heat fluxes and latent heat releases alone, the remainder of the heating presumably coming from radiational processes and entrainment. Discussions of moisture phase change processes throughout the boundary layer and estimates of errors of these flux measurements are presented.