The engineering-physical basis of temperature regime regulation of ground massifs in northern construction

Artificial ground freezing at low temperatures provides a solution to such complicated problems as strengthening foundations, improvement of their reliability and the provision of the watertightness of the ground.

Ground cooling and freezing directly changes the stress—deformation state of foundations and underground constructions.

Basic diagrams on ways and means of forming low temperature frozen zones of a definite shape in the ground are given in the paper. Peculiarities of the work of the seasonally functioning heat-exchange devices and systems are discussed.

The development and refinements of methods of calculation and long-term forecast of temperature fields in artificially cooled ground massifs is of great importance.

Experimental data on migration phenomena in freezing soils and the methods of the numerical modeling of cooled massifs are discussed.

The paper is illustrated by diagrams, test results and calculation data.     

Ratio between erosion and tectonic processes in platforms and mountainous regions

The paper discusses changes in the structure of river valleys under action of Coriolis forces, directed migration of river channels toward the right-side banks regardless of river orientation, dimensions, and water abundance. The values of lateral and bottom erosion in river valleys are compared with the rates of modern deformations in platforms and mountainous regions. This phenomenon is to be taken into consideration when interpreting lineaments and other topographic features as tectonic elements.     

Test results of railway ballast for bearing capacity calculations

This paper presents the results of field and laboratory tests of railway ballast.Field tests were aimed to study vibrational acceleration of ballast particles and ballast layer stressed state in terms of train traffic with heavy axle loads.The test results are vibrational acceleration and stress values distribution in ballast layer and experimental relationships of vertical and horizontal vibroaccelerations damping in terms of train operation with axle load up to 300 kN.Laboratory stabilometer tests were directed to study the change of ballast strength properties due to vibrodynamic impact and shows that for dynamic loading with 10,25,55 Hz frequencies vibrodynamic impact influences strength properties insignificantly and coincides with the accuracy of test equipment.Stated test results provide references for calculation of ballast and sub-ballast bearing capacity.     

Tritium in the snow cover at mid-taiga landscapes in central Yakutia

The paper presents data on the distribution of tritium, a hydrogen radioactive isotope, in the snow cover of mid-taiga landscapes in central Yakutia. Regional tritium escape to the atmosphere in the late 20th century and its accumulation in the snow cover resulted from regional atmospheric transfer and corresponded to the concentration of this isotope in the snow cover at the South Pole. Tritium concentration in the snow cover had almost tripled by 2013. Tritium concentration in the snow cover is correlated with the human population of the settlement zone. The long-term anthropogenic contamination in the area is caused first of all by atmospheric fallouts of radioactive products of the 2011 Fukushima accident.     

On the 22-year oscillations

Observational data of the solar diameter in Italy during 1876–1937 and in Greenwich during 1851–1937 were analyzed. The Whittaker operator with different smoothing coefficients was used. The average data sets for the analysis of the possible oscillations of the solar diameter during 1876–1937 were obtained. Average values of the solar radius R(t) and absolute values of its time derivative ¦dR(t)/dt¦ were compared with the Wolf number, W(t), and with the integral A(t) = ₀ ^t W(t)dt + constant. A good correlation r(R, W) = ¦dR(t)/dt¦, W(t) and r(R, A) = R(t), A(t) was found. It was shown that the frequency spectra of R(t) and A(t) are similar. It was found that during odd 11-yr cycles, the solar diameter decreases, whereas during even cycles it increases. A hysteresis-like behavior in the variation of R(t) during the 22-yr solar magnetic cycle was demonstrated.     

Polar faculae and sunspot cycles

The monthly number of polar faculae of the Sun were determined from white-light images at spectral band (eff) = (4100 ± 200) Å obtained at the Kislovodsk Solar Station during 1960–1994. Corrected monthly numbers were obtained with the help of the visibility function. The level of polar activity larger than 1 above the monthly running mean was calculated, and the relation between the polar faculae and sunspot cycle was studied. We confirmed earlier results (Makarov and Makarova, 1987) that the monthly number of polar faculae, NPF _m (t) correlates with the monthly sunspot area A _m (Sp)(t + T) with a time shift T 6 yr. The new polar faculae cycle began in the middle of 1991. Peculiarities of the first part of sunspot cycle 23 are discussed.Guest scientist with the University of Arizona and Zetetic Institute. Tucson, Arizona 85719, U.S.A.     

The summertime 12-h wind oscillation with zonal wavenumber s = 1 in the lower thermosphere over the South Pole

Meteor radar measurements of winds near 95 km in four azimuth directions from the geographic South Pole are analyzed to reveal characteristics of the 12-h oscillation with zonal wavenumber one (s = 1). The wind measurements are confined to the periods from 19 January 1995 through 26 January 1996 and from 21 November 1996 through 27 January 1997. The 12-h s = 1 oscillation is found to be a predominantly summertime phenomenon, and is replaced in winter by a spectrum of oscillations with periods between 6 and 11.5 h. Both summers are characterized by minimum amplitudes (5–10 ms^–1) during early January and maxima (15–20 ms^–1) in November and late January. For 10-day means of the 12-h oscillation, smooth evolutions of phase of order 4–6 h occur during the course of the summer. In addition, there is considerable day-to-day variability (±5–10 ms^–1 in amplitude) with distinct periods (i.e., 5 days and 8 days) which suggests modulation by planetary-scale disturbances. A comparison of climatological data from Scott Base, Molodezhnaya, and Mawson stations suggests that the 12-h oscillation near 78°S is s = 1, but that at 68°S there is probably a mixture between s = 1 and other zonal wavenumber oscillations (most probably s = 2). The mechanism responsible for the existence of the 12-h s = 1 oscillation has not yet been identified. Possible origins discussed herein include in situ excitation, nonlinear interaction between the migrating semidiurnal tide and a stationary s = 1 feature, and thermal excitation in the troposphere.     

Transient eastward-propagating long-period waves observed over the South Pole

Observations of the horizontal wind field over the South Pole were made during 1995 using a meteor radar. These data have revealed the presence of a rich spectrum of waves over the South Pole with a distinct annual occurrence. Included in this spectrum are long-period waves, whose periods are greater than one solar day, which are propagating eastward. These waves exhibit a distinct seasonal occurrence where the envelope of wave periods decreases from a period of 10 days near the fall equinox to a minimum of 2 days near the winter solstice and then progresses towards a period near 10 days at the spring equinox. Computation of the meridional gradient of quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity has revealed a region in the high-latitude upper mesosphere which could support an instability and serve as a source for these waves. Estimation of the wave periods which would be generated from an instability in this region closely resembles the observed seasonal variation in wave periods over the South Pole. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the observed eastward propagating long-period waves over the South Pole are generated by an instability in the polar upper mesosphere. However, given our limited data set we cannot rule out a stratospheric source. Embedded in this spectrum of eastward propagating waves during the austral winter are a number of distinct wave events. Eight such wave events have been identified and localized using a constant-Q filter bank. The periods of these wave events ranges from 1.7 to 9.8 days and all exist for at least 3 wave periods. Least squares analysis has revealed that a number of these events are inconsistent with a wave propagating zonally around the geographic pole and could be related to waves propagating around a dynamical pole which is offset from the geographic pole. Additionally, one event which was observed appears to be a standing oscillation.     

Global coherence of GPS-measured high-frequency surface tremor motions

The traditional approach of GPS investigations is determining trends which are connected with the motion of tectonic plates. At the same time, a global GPS network provides the possibility of investigating statistical properties of high-frequency earth surface tremor in different parts of the world. Based on the results of coherence and correlation analysis of noise components of daily three-component GPS time series, representing measurements of earth surface displacements at 1097 stations, we have found that, during 2010–2011, there was a significant increase in the average level of noise coherence or correlation with dominant periods 7–9 days of surface tremor in nine regions of the earth, and in some of these regions, the average level of coherence or correlation is still high and does not return to the previous level. The increase of the average level of coherence and correlation could be detected on the graphs purely visually, while the middle time point of the time interval in which the ascending occurred is detected more precisely by a formal method based on the use of the Fisher’s ratio.