Propagation of Stationary Planetary Waves in the Upper Atmosphere under Different Solar Activity

Numerical modeling of changes in the zonal circulation and amplitudes of stationary planetary waves are performed with an accounting for the impact of solar activity variations on the thermosphere. A thermospheric version of the Middle/Upper Atmosphere Model (MUAM) is used to calculate the circulation in the middle and upper atmosphere at altitudes up to 300 km from the Earth’s surface. Different values of the solar radio emission flux in the thermosphere are specified at a wavelength of 10.7 cm to take into account the solar activity variations. The ionospheric conductivities and their variations in latitude, longitude, and time are taken into account. The calculations are done for the January–February period and the conditions of low, medium, and high solar activity. It was shown that, during high-activity periods, the zonal wind velocities increases at altitudes exceeding 150 km and decreases in the lower layers. The amplitudes of planetary waves at high solar activity with respect to the altitude above 120 km or below 100 km, respectively, are smaller or larger than those at low activity. These differences correspond to the calculated changes in the refractive index of the atmosphere for stationary planetary waves and the Eliassen–Palm flux. Changes in the conditions for the propagation and reflection of stationary planetary waves in the thermosphere may influence the variations in their amplitudes and the atmospheric circulation, including the lower altitudes of the middle atmosphere.     

Estimate of Variations in the Parameters of the Midlatitude Lower Ionosphere Caused by the Solar Flare of September 10, 2017

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - Changes in the state of the D and E ionospheric regions lead to variations in the amplitude-phase characteristics of VLF radio signals. The existing theoretical and...     

Peculiarities of approximation of meteorological characteristics having vertical gradient discontinuities close to the tropopause

Carried out is an analysis of errors of different approximation methods for separating the long- and short-wave parts of the spectra of the vertical distribution of meteorological variables and gas components in the areas of dramatic variations of their vertical gradients close to the tropopause. Proposed is an integrated approach using the polynomial, piecewise-linear, and spectral filtration and enabling to minimize the errors of approximation of long- and short-wave components of profiles of meteorological characteristics in the troposphere and stratosphere including the tropopause area. The method is useful for analyzing the mean values and mesoscale variations of meteorological parameters measured by the modern balloon and satellite systems.     

New architecture of an automated system for acquisition,storage, and processing of seismic data

Features of the new architecture of an automated system for acquisition, storage, and processing of seismic data are considered in detail. The system is based on SEISNET and SEISAN software. Specific technologies, software, and examples of the interconnection of system components are presented. The functionality of the system and the data life cycle are shown. An example of the implementation of the new architecture in the existing seismic monitoring network in the northern part of Sakhalin Island is examined.     

Lithological and Geochemical Characteristics of the Paleocene/Eocene Sediments corresponding to the PETM Biospheric Event in the Eastern Crimea (Nasypnoe Section)

The paper reports lithological and geochemical data on the stratigraphic interval corresponding to the Paleocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) event in the Paleogene section of Eastern Crimea (Nasypnoe section). The section is located on the western continuation of the sublatitudinal profile consisting of 15 PETM sections spanning the area from Crimea to Tajikistan (over 2500 km). It is shown that PETM sediments have the negative δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O isotope excursions and are enriched in kaolinite, which is typical of most sections of this interval around the world. At the same time, the extremely low content of organic matter (OM) in sediments of the Nasypnoe section makes them sharply different from the highly carbonaceous rocks of the PETM interval in Central and Eastern Caucasus, and Central Asian regions. This is correlated with the low contents of many chemical elements in the studied rocks, and their extremely high contents in the highly carbonaceous rocks of the easterly sections. Thus, Eastern Crimea in the end of the Paleocene?beginning of the Eocene was occupied by the low-bioproductive marine paleobasin, whereas the coeval paleobasin in Central Asia was characterized by extremely high bioproductivity owing to the presence of significant amount of phosphorus.     

The mechanism of modulation of geoacoustic emission intensity by weak electromagnetic fields in the audio-frequency range

We propose a physical mechanism explaining the mechanism of modulation of the geoacoustic emission intensity by an external electromagnetic field in the audio-frequency range, which was previously revealed as a result of borehole measurements at the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii geodynamic testing area. It was established that electric double layers (EDL) at the interface between solid and liquid phases in a fluidsaturated geological medium play a key role in the mechanism proposed.     

The K–Ar and Rb–Sr Isotopic Systems in Rocks from the Jurassic Terrigenous Complex of the Greater Caucasus

The behavior of K–Ar and Rb–Sr isotopic systems in clayey rocks from the Jurassic terrigenouis complex of the Greater Caucasus sampled along the Terek River is discussed. It is shown that the rocks experienced intense postdiagenetic alterations accompanied by substantial changes in mineral composition and K–Ar and Rb–Sr isotopic systems. Lateral stress is the leading factor responsible for secondary mineral and geochemical transformations of rocks in cleavage zones. Rejuvenation of the radiological age of rocks, relative to their stratigraphic age, is 100 Ma and more. The age estimate of approximately 50 Ma obtained for samples from the southern limb of the anticlinorium reflects the Paleocene–Eocene phase of tectonic activity manifested in both the Caucasus and other areas of the Mediterranean foldbelt.     

Cross-correlation earthquake precursors in the hydrogeochemical and geoacoustic signals for the Kamchatka peninsula

We propose a new type of earthquake precursor based on the analysis of correlation dynamics between geophysical signals of different nature. The precursor is found using a two-parameter cross-correlation function introduced within the framework of flicker-noise spectroscopy, a general statistical physics approach to the analysis of time series. We consider an example of cross-correlation analysis for water salinity time series, an integral characteristic of the chemical composition of groundwater, and geoacoustic emissions recorded at the G-1 borehole on the Kamchatka peninsula in the time frame from 2001 to 2003, which is characterized by a sequence of three groups of significant seismic events. We found that cross-correlation precursors took place 27, 31, and 35 days ahead of the strongest earthquakes for each group of seismic events, respectively. At the same time, precursory anomalies in the signals themselves were observed only in the geoacoustic emissions for one group of earthquakes.     

Comparison of the geoacoustic measurements in boreholes with the data of laboratory and in-situ experiments on electromagnetic excitation of rocks

The data of borehole geoacoustic and electromagnetic measurements in Kamchatka are compared with the results of laboratory and field experiments on electromagnetic excitation of rocks. A noticeable similarity in the responses of the natural geological medium and rock specimens is observed. The field experiments with controlled electromagnetic sources show that the geophones placed in boreholes are capable of reliably detecting the responses of rocks in situ to electric impacts as low as 0.5 mV/m. The obtained results provide the experimental evidence in favor of the previously proposed hypothesis of modulation of geoacoustic emission in rocks in situ by the ULF atmospheric electromagnetic field.