Interannual Variability of Atmospheric CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Concentrations over Central Siberia from ZOTTO Data for 2009–2015

The interannual variations in the characteristics of the seasonal cycle (annual and seasonal amplitudes, winter emission, dates of annual minimum and maximum, and phase) and in the growth rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration over Central Siberia are analyzed for the period from May 2009 to January 2016. The results are based on the continuous monitoring of CO₂ concentration at the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory (ZOTTO, www.zottoproject.org). It is found that the seasonal amplitude of CO₂ concentration in the atmo spheric surface layer over Western Siberia is 26.4 ± 0.8 μmol/mol (no long-term trend toward its increase was revealed), the annual mean growth rate of CO₂ is 2.34 μmol/mol per year, its variations range from 1 to 4 μmol/mol per year.     

Weak <Emphasis Type="Italic">r</Emphasis>-process component as a result of the neutrino interaction with the helium shell of a supernova

Possibilities for the development of an r-process in the helium shell of a supernova under the action of free neutrons appearing as a result of inelastic neutrino scattering by ⁴He nuclei are investigated. The conditions in the outer part of the helium shell in metal-poor stars are shown to be favorable for the reproduction of a weak r-process component.     

Influence of spontaneous fission rates on the yields of superheavy elements in the r-process

The formation of heavy elements in the neutron star merger scenario is considered. In such a scenario, the duration of the r-process is long and when the nucleosynthesis wave passes through the region of actinides, beta-delayed, neutron-induced, and spontaneous fission are added to the main r-process reaction channels. The dependence of the formation of superheavy elements on spontaneous fission model is investigated numerically. The formation of nuclei lighter than the cadmium-peak elements and cosmochronometer nuclei is shown to depend on strongly on the spontaneous fission model used in nucleosynthesis calculations. The regions of nuclei with short spontaneous fission half-lives prevent the formation of superheavy elements in the r-process, but the prediction of their yields is so far inaccurate because of an insufficient accuracy of calculating a number of transactinide parameters. The relative contributions from neutron-induced, beta-delayed, and spontaneous fission have been determined for various spontaneous fission models in the nucleosynthesis scenario considered.     

Cosmic gamma-ray burst spectroscopy

A review is given of the gamma-ray burst energy spectrum measurements on Venera 11 and Venera 12 space probes. The gamma burst continuum approximates in shape thermal brems-strahlung emission of a hot plasma. The radiation temperature varies over a broad range, 50–1000 keV, for different events. Spectra of many bursts contain cyclotron absorption and/or redshifted annihilation lines. Strong variability is typically observed in both continuum and line spectra. These spectral data provide convincing evidence for the gamma-ray bursts being generated by neutron stars with superstrong magnetic fields 10¹²–10¹³ G.     

Discovery of Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene brown coal deposits (Kosh-Agach formation) in the Dzhazator River valley (Southeastern Russian Altai): Neotectonic and paleogeographical aspects

Results of complex paleontological and geochemical analysis are reported for a new locality of the Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene Kosh-Agach carbonaceous formation in the Dzhazator River valley. This find specifies the scales of lacustrine–marsh sedimentation at the end of the Paleogene and beginning of the Neogene, as well as the character and amplitude of post-Neogene neotectonic movements in the southeastern highest mountain part of Russian Altai. Systematic rejuvenation of the radiocarbon age of the sequences studied, which has been established for the first time in Altai, is related to influx of young carbon during the subsequent complex geological history. This fact is of great importance for deciphering the chronology of Pleistocene glacial–dammed lakes in the intermontane basins of Altai and Tuva, the erosion zone of which spanned exhumed Tertiary deposits.     

Langzeitige Helligkeitsänderungen bei magnetischen Sternen

Seven of eleven investigated Apstars show longtime variations of their magnitude. The Si and Cr-Eu-Sr stars varies in the sense the brigther the star the bluer its colour.     

Sources,seasonal variability,and trajectories of atmospheric aerosols over central Siberian forest ecosystems

The possibility to obtain reliable data on the chemical and physical characteristics of aerosols and the regularities in the processes of their formation and transportation under the background natural-climatic conditions is a necessary requirement for verification of existing climate models [1, 2].     

Jurassic magmatic bodies of mountainous Crimea in the Bodrak River catchment (Southwestern Crimea)

The synthetic (geological and petrochemical) study of Jurassic magmatic bodies in the catchment of the Bodrak River (mountainous Crimea) is conducted. Their structural position and a Middle Jurassic age were determined. The magmatic bodies of mountainous Crimea were compared to those of the Lozovskaya zone. The study considers the geodynamic settings of the Middle Jurassic magmatism in mountainous Crimea.     

Time series analysis of vegetation-cover response to environmental factors and residential development in a dryland region

Land-use changes as a result of residential development often lead to degradation and alter vegetation cover (VC). Although these are worldwide phenomena, sufficient knowledge about anthropogenic effects caused by various populated areas in dryland ecosystems is lacking. This study explored anthropogenic development in rural areas and its effects on the conservation of protected areas in drylands, focusing on the change in VC, the reasons, extent, and the drivers of change. We propose a novel framework for exploring VC change (VCC) as a function of environmental and human-driven factors including different types of populated areas in drylands. As a case study, we used a 30-year time series of Landsat satellite images over the arid region of Israel to analyze spatiotemporal VCC. The temporal analysis involved the Contextual Mann-Kendall significance test and spatial analysis to model clustering of VCC. A Gradient Boosted Regression machine learning algorithm was applied to study the relative influence of environmental and human-driven factors on VCC. In addition, we used ANOVA to examine differences between the effects of three types of populated areas on the spatiotemporal trends of VC. The results show that the most influential environmental variable on VCC was elevation (relative contribution of 17%), followed by slope (14.8%) and distance from populated areas (14.6%). Moreover, different types of populated areas affected VC differently with varying distances from residential centroids. The nature reserves increased VC positively and significantly, while livestock settlements had a negative effect. Change in vegetation was mostly confined to the stream network and occurred in lower elevations. The study demonstrates how different land-use practices alter the landscape in terms of VC and differ in their extents, patterns, and effects. With the expected growth in population and residential development worldwide, the proposed framework may assist conservation managements and policy makers in minimizing environmental degradation in drylands.