Turbulent Fluxes of the Dust Aerosol on the Desertified Area

Doklady Earth Sciences - Vertical turbulent dust aerosol fluxes are determined on the basis of measurements of fluctuations of the content of aerosol particles and the vertical component of the...     

Relativistic solar protons in the event of January 20, 2005: Model studies

Using the optimization methods, the characteristics of relativistic solar protons (RSPs) have been obtained from the data of ground-based cosmic ray detectors in the event of January 20, 2005, which was the largest event in the last 50 years since the event of February 23, 1956. The RSP dynamics during the event has been studied. The existence of two populations (components) of particles, fast and delayed (slow) has been shown. The fast component with a hard exponential energy spectrum and strong anisotropy was shown as a giant pulselike enhancement at several southern polar stations. The delayed component had a power-law energy spectrum and a wider pitch-angle distribution, which caused the enhancement effect at the majority of stations at the global network.     

The evolution of the behavior and physico-chemical characteristics of solutions in the new geyser in Uzon Caldera, Kamchatka

This paper is a study of variations in the behavior and physico-chemical characteristics of solutions in the geyser that formed in 2008 in the place of a pulsating spring in Uzon Caldera. We describe the features of this geyser??s activity in 2009 and 2010. Overheating of water is for the first time described, rising to reach100.13°C at the mouth of a geyser during an eruption. We discuss the compositions of the solutions and free gases in the geyser, the possible source depths of the solutions, and the causes of geyser generation.     

Model studying the effect of the solar terminator on the thermospheric parameters

The results of model studying the mechanism of formation of large-scale disturbances in the thermosphere under the action of short-period waves propagating from the middle atmosphere are presented. The region of the solar terminator is considered as a source of such waves. The calculation results for the summer conditions in the Northern Hemisphere indicate that such an energy source, local in the space and time, results in the formation of large-scale inhomogeneities at altitudes of 120–160 km. A disturbance of these inhomogeneities is caused by the nonlinear and dissipative processes accompanying HF propagation in the terminator region. Large-scale disturbances have a quasistationary character and are localized near the morning and evening terminators. Vortex motions around the pole at altitudes of 140–160 km are formed at nigh latitudes of the winter hemisphere under the polar night conditions.     

Post-eruptive process and products of volcanic rock alteration (transformation and synthesis of secondary products)

The conditions of transformation of the primary material of extrusive rocks and the synthesis of secondary products during post-eruptive processes have been considered using the example of three large areas of presentday volcanism and hydrothermal activity in Kamchatka, viz., the Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption of 1975–1976 (GTFE), the Karymskii Volcanic Center (eruption of 1996 in Lake Karymskii), and the Uzon volcanic-hydrothermal system. Post-eruptive transformation of rocks causes volcanic-hydrothermal lithogenesis and low-middle-temperature mineralization in areas of present-day contrast (basalt-andesite) volcanism in zones of crustal extension. Based on the permanent presence of a wide range of acid rocks, such as dacites, rhyolites, and pumices in the areas of Holocene basalt volcanism of Kamchatka, we concluded that in conditions of pre-rift crustal extension, acid volcanism is preceded by deep-seated differentiation (similar to liquation) of primary mantle melts with separation of fluids enriched in ore-forming elements, first of all Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Sb, and Hg. During volcanogenic-hydrothermal lithogenesis in the discharge areas of those fluid systems, the destruction and replacement of primary minerals of igneous rocks and formation of complex-composition metasomatites take place. Clay minerals are major components of metasomatites in subaqueous conditions. The role of microbiota in processes of volcanogenic-hydrothermal lithogenesis and occurrences of local mineralization was studied.     

Condor-E Spacecraft with a Synthetic Aperture Antenna and Its Capabilities

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The main parameters of a small spacecraft (SSC) (Condor-E) and its onboard radar with a synthetic aperture antenna (SAR) are presented in the paper. Two...     

Two-position quasi-mirror radar of the sea surface: Principles of microwave scattering and possibilities of solving Oceanology problems from space

Using available wind wave spectra data, we consider the applicability conditions of the tangent plane (Kirchhoff) method and the small perturbations and diffusion (Rayleigh) method to construct microwave diagrams of sea surface scattering (quasi-mirror forward scattering). We take into account the peculiarities of Earth sensing from orbit, the closeness of viewing of a mirror point to the Brewster angle, and the possibility of simultaneous formation of wide-capture radar images for the coaxial and collinear polarization components of a reflected signal. It is concluded that, taking into account the approximations made, it is possible to creat panorama small- and mesoscale images of the field of wind wave slopes for a coverage area on the order of 2000 km. Then, based on earlier engineering design studies, we present three possible modifications of “tandem” space radar designed to efficiently solve certain oceanological and applied problems.     

An Investigation of the Fine Spatial Structure of Meteor Streams Using the Relational Database “Meteor”

We have restored and ordered the archive of meteor observations carried out with a meteor radar complex KGU-M5 since 1986. A relational database has been formed under the control of the Database Management System (DBMS) Oracle 8. We also improved and tested a statistical method for studying the fine spatial structure of meteor streams with allowance for the specific features of application of the DBMS. Statistical analysis of the results of observations made it possible to obtain information about the substance distribution in the Quadrantid, Geminid, and Perseid meteor streams.     

Hermannjahnite,CuZn(SO4)2, a new mineral with chalcocyanite derivative structure from the Naboko scoria cone of the 2012–2013 fissure eruption at Tolbachik volcano,Kamchatka, Russia

Mineralogy and Petrology - A new mineral hermannjahnite, ideally CuZn(SO4)2, was found in the sublimates of Saranchinaitovaya fumarole, Naboko scoria cone, where the recent Fissure Tolbachik...