Soft X-ray variability over the present minimum of solar activity as observed by SphinX

Solar Photometer in X-rays (SphinX) is an instrument designed to observe the Sun in X-rays in the energy range 0.85–15.00 keV. SphinX is incorporated within the Russian TESIS X and EUV telescope complex aboard the CORONAS-Photon satellite which was launched on January 30, 2009 at 13:30 UT from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, northern Russia. Since February, 2009 SphinX has been measuring solar X-ray radiation nearly continuously. The principle of SphinX operation and the content of the instrument data archives is studied. Issues related to dissemination of SphinX calibration, data, repository mirrors locations, types of data and metadata are discussed. Variability of soft X-ray solar flux is studied using data collected by SphinX over entire mission duration.     

New model simulations of the global atmospheric electric circuit driven by thunderstorms and electrified shower clouds: The roles of lightning and sprites

Several processes acting below, in and above thunderstorms and in electrified shower clouds drive upward currents which close through the global atmospheric electric circuit. These are all simulated in a novel way using the software package PSpice. A moderate negative cloud-to-ground lightning discharge from the base of a thunderstorm increases the ionospheric potential above the thundercloud by 0.0013%. Assuming the ionosphere to be an equipotential surface, this discharge increases the current flowing in the global circuit and the fair-weather electric field also by 0.0013%. A moderate positive cloud-to-ground lightning discharge from the bottom of a thunderstorm decreases the ionospheric potential by 0.014%. Such a discharge may trigger a sprite, causing the ionospheric potential to decrease by . The time scales for the recovery of the ionospheric potential are shown to be , which is of the same order as the CR time constant for the global circuit. Knowing the global average rate of lightning discharges, it is found that negative cloud-to-ground discharges increase the ionospheric potential by only 4%, and that positive cloud-to-ground discharges reduce it by 3%. Thus, overall, lightning contributes only 1%—an almost insignificant proportion—to maintaining the high potential of the ionosphere. It is concluded that the net upward current to the ionosphere due to lightning is only . Further, it is concluded that conduction and convection currents associated with “batteries” within thunderclouds and electrified shower clouds contribute essentially equally ( each) to maintaining the ionospheric potential.     

Pleurozium schreberi as bioindicator of mercury pollution in heavily industrialized region

This research is continuation of the investigation of metal accumulation in native and transplanted moss Pleurozium schreberi in the most industrialized and affected region in Poland (Upper Silesia). We tested the hypotheses that in Upper Silesia transplants of P. schreberi may be used in a 90 days bioindication experiment in case native specimens are absent; a 90 days exposure of transplanted P. schreberi was long enough for evaluation of Hg pollution of the environment. An assay was carried out with native mosses at 27 polluted sites and mosses from an uncontaminated control site transplanted to the same 27 polluted sites. P. schreberi collected from the same sites as classified for more and less polluted basing on Pb and Zn concentrations show quite different pattern of pollution with mercury; The accumulation of Hg by the transplants increased much faster in the first 45 days of the experiment (accumulation factor 1.5–6.7; mean 3.4?±?0.5) in comparison with the second period from day 45 to 90 (accumulation factor 1.0–1.6; mean 1.2?±?0.1). The 90 days exposure of transplanted P. schreberi was long enough for evaluation of Hg pollution of the environment. Transplants of P. schreberi may be used in a 90 days bioindication experiment in case native specimens are absent.     

Dust in the solar system and in extra-solar planetary systems

Among the observed circumstellar dust envelopes a certain population, planetary debris disks, is ascribed to systems with optically thin dust disks and low gas content. These systems contain planetesimals and possibly planets and are believed to be systems that are most similar to our solar system in an early evolutionary stage. Planetary debris disks have been identified in large numbers by a brightness excess in the near-infrared, mid-infrared and/or submillimetre range of their stellar spectral energy distributions. In some cases, spatially resolved observations are possible and reveal complex spatial structures. Acting forces and physical processes are similar to those in the solar system dust cloud, but the observational approach is obviously quite different: overall spatial distributions for systems of different ages for the planetary debris disks, as opposed to detailed local information in the case of the solar system. Comparison with the processes of dust formation and evolution observed in the solar system therefore helps understand the planetary debris disks. In this paper, we review our present knowledge of observations, acting forces, and major physical interactions of the dust in the solar system and in similar extra-solar planetary systems.     

Quasi-static Motions of Viscoelastic Satellites

We consider the motion of a spacecraft which consists of a rigid body with a thin viscoelastic circular ring attached at some point of the body. Assuming that the stiffness of the ring is large and the dissipation is small enough, we study the quasi-static motion which is set in after free elastic oscillations have damped. In particular, the steady-state motions in the weakly elliptic orbit are found and their stability is investigated.     

Ionospheric electron density observed by FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC over the European region and validated by ionosonde data

This research is motivated by the recent IGS Ionosphere Working Group recommendation issued at the IGS 2010 Workshop held in Newcastle, UK. This recommendation encourages studies on the evaluation of the application of COSMIC radio occultation profiles for additional IGS global ionosphere map (GIM) validation. This is because the reliability of GIMs is crucial to many geodetic applications. On the other hand, radio occultation using GPS signals has been proven to be a promising technique to retrieve accurate profiles of the ionospheric electron density with high vertical resolution on a global scale. However, systematic validation work is still needed before using this powerful technique for sounding the ionosphere on a routine basis. In this paper, we analyze the properties of the ionospheric electron density profiling retrieved from COSMIC radio occultation measurements. A comparison of radio occultation data with ground-based measurements indicates that COSMIC profiles are usually in good agreement with ionosonde profiles, both in the F2 layer peak electron density and the bottom side of the profiles. For this comparison, ionograms recorded by European ionospheric stations (DIAS network) in 2008 were used.     

Macroscopic impacts of cloud and precipitation processes in shallow convection

This paper presents application of the EULAG model combined with a sophisticated double-moment warm-rain microphysics scheme to the model intercomparison case based on RICO (Rain in Cumulus over Ocean) field observations. As the simulations progress, the cloud field gradually deepens and a relatively sharp temperature and moisture inversions develop in the lower troposphere. Two contrasting aerosol environments are considered, referred to as pristine and polluted, together with two contrasting subgridscale mixing scenarios, the homogeneous and the extremely inhomogeneous mixing. Pristine and polluted environments feature mean cloud droplet concentrations around 40 and 150 mg^?1, respectively, and large differences in the rain characteristics. Various measures are used to contrast evolution of macroscopic cloud field characteristics, such as the mean cloud fraction, the mean cloud width, or the height of the center of mass of the cloud field, among others. Macroscopic characteristics appear similar regardless of the aerosol characteristics or the homogeneity of the subgrid-scale mixing.