Winter Temperature Variability During Warming and Cooling Periods in the Conterminous United States, 1947–1992

Summary  Much literature has reported on the concept of increased surface temperature variability during cool periods, although analyses on temperature records have rendered inconsistent results. In addition, temperature variability during transition periods has been rarely investigated. This study examines temperature variability during wintertime cooling (1947–1977) and warming (1978–1992) periods for the conterminous United States to determine both whether temperature variability is different during warming or cooling periods, and whether the change in variability is supported by midtropospheric circulation conditions. Our results indicate that regions with high temperature variability are mostly found below the troughs in the midtropospheric pressure fields. The direction of change in temperature variability corresponding to cooling or warming conditions, however, varied spatially. For the southeastern and northeastern United States, winter temperatures were more variable during the cooling period than during the warming period, while the northern and central Great Plains had greater temperature variability during the warming period than the cooling period. Similar spatial patterns are also found for the changes in the variability of geopotential height fields. Such spatial patterns in the temperature and height variability during warming and cooling periods may be related to the dominant midtropospheric circulation patterns, such as the different phases of the Pacific-North American teleconnection pattern, and the El Ni?o/Southern Oscillation events. It is concluded that the response of interannual temperature variability to climatic changes is determined by the variation in circulation patterns, and therefore, not spatially uniform. Received September 26, 1996 Revised April 2, 1998     

Stellar Tomography

I review recent progress in the field of stellar surface imaging, with particular reference to advanced methods for mapping surface-brightness inhomogeneities and the surface vector magnetic field on magnetically active late-type stars. New signal enhancement techniques, utilising profile information from hundreds or thousands of photospheric lines simultaneously, allow images to be derived for stars several magnitudes fainter than was previously possible. For brighter stars, the same techniques make it possible to map features as small as two or three degrees in extent on the stellar surface. This opens up whole new areas of research, such as the ability to use starspot tracking to study surface differential rotation patterns on single and binary stars, and to follow the secular evolution of the magnetic field itself. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

First Byurakan Spectral Sky Survey. Stars of Late Spectral Types. XI. Zone -7° ≤ δ ≤ -3°

The eleventh list of faint late M and carbon type stars detected on the plates of the First Byurakan Spectral Survey in zone -7° -3° and covering about 1000 square degrees is presented. From 126 detected stars, 88 are newly discovered objects: they are 6 carbon stars, 8 carbon star candidates, and 74 M-type stars; among the latter 38 (26 PSC + 12 FSC) are unclassified IRAS sources, and one object is an unclassified ROSAT source. Distances to the 6 newly discovered early-type carbon stars are estimated. Equatorial coordinates, red magnitudes, and spectral classes determined from the Palomar E-charts are provided. The lack of optical counterparts on Palomar O and E maps for two detected late M-type stars indicates a large variability in brightnesses of these objects (amplitude not smaller than 7.0 magnitude).     

VELOCITY DISPERSION OF SEISMIC WAVES*

In well velocity surveys made to calibrate Sonic (CV) Logs the calibration survey uses frequencies around 50 Hz whereas the Sonic Logging tool uses frequencies around 20 kHz. There thus exists the possibility of making a direct measure of velocity dispersion. In any one survey the disturbing factors, both instrumental and operational, will often mask any dispersive effect that might exist. Consequently this paper reports on a statistical analysis of the velocity differences resulting from calibration surveys and Sonic logs. Only Borehole Compensated Sonic Logs were used. Four areas were investigated: the North Sea, Abu Dhabi, Libya and Alaska. After rejecting logs and calibration records which were obviously in error there remained 424000 feet (about 130 km) of usable log distributed throughout 66 wells. The four areas were analysed separately and in no case was the estimated dispersion significantly different from zero. However, the mean values did correlate with lithology from (? 0.17 ± 0.18)% for the essentially carbonate section in Abu Dhabi to (+ 0.45 ± 0.25)% for the sand-shale section in Alaska, a positive sign meaning that the higher frequencies travelled faster. Except for Alaska the calibration surveys were made with a wall-clamp geophone, and for these areas amplitude measurements were made. After suitable corrections estimates of the absorption parameter Q were obtained. These varied from 20 to 200 with mean values of 63 for Libya, 70 for Abu Dhabi and 88 for the North Sea (excluding the Tertiary). If, as is usually assumed, the absorption mechanism is linear and is described by a Q which is independent of frequency, then these values would necessarily imply dispersion of several percent. As instanced above no such dispersion was observed. It is possible that the expected dispersion was compensated for by invasion of the mud filtrate into the borehole walls, but it is more likely that the absorption mechanism was substantially non-linear.     

Volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits of ophiolite associations

Volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in ophiolite complexes are usually attributed to the Cyprus type. They associate with basaltic volcanics that are formed in mid-ocean or back-arc spreading centers and much less frequently in intra-plate settings. The deposits are characterized by copper or copper-zinc ores that are enriched in Ni, Co, and in places Mn and As, but are very poor in Pb and demonstrate a low to moderate content of Ag and Au. Typically, the deposits are low to very low in ore and metal reserves. Cyprus-type deposits were irregularly distributed during geological history. The most ancient of them were formed in the Neoproterozoic, while the bulk of the deposits are Ordovician or Cretaceous in age. Their possible Paleoproterozoic analogues can be found in the Svecofennian belt (Outokumpu ore district), while modern ones are confined to the Explorer and Endeavour Ridges and southern segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge.     

Bericht über die Versammlung der Geologischen Vereinigung am 24.–26. Sept. 1924 in Innsbruck

Ohne Zusammenfassung