Estimation of multi-scale temporal variability of air and water temperature in the northeastern part of the Black Sea

Standard deviations of mesoscale, synoptic, seasonal, and interannual fluctuations of the air and water temperature are calculated from long-term measurements. The contributions of each type of fluctuation to the total temporal variability are estimated. The intraannual cycle of variability of monthly (long-term) means of mesoscale and synoptic fluctuations is considered.     

Baiyun Cave in Naigu Shilin,Yunnan Karst,China

The Baiyun cave is a 380 m long karst cave in the Naigu Shilin, situated 70 km southeast of Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. The prevailing orientations of the cave passages are N110°-120°E and N0°-10°W and those of the fissures in the cave are N30°-40°W and N20°-30°W. The cave is developed in the thick-bedded Lower Permian Qixia Formation. The cave has an active water flow and is currently at the near water-table stage. There are large amounts of different infills of cave sediments. The cave shows different stages of paragenesis. The palaeomagnetic analysis of cave sediments shows that their ages are younger than 780 ka B.P. (the Brunhes Chron). The upper part of the sampled profile belongs to the reverse Blake event (112.3-117.9 ka B.P.). The formation of the Baiyun cave is directly connected with the development of the Naigu Shilin. The formation of karst underground and surface features depends on the regional tectonic deformation and the Cenozoic extension of the study area.     

Theoretical and experimental study of time domain-induced polarization in water-saturated sands

A theoretical model of spectral-induced polarization (IP) of sand is presented. In the proposed model, contacts of sand grains and intergrain solution-filled space are considered as electrical current passages of varying thickness, which differ in values of ion transport number. Ion-selective narrow passages are considered as active zones, large passages as passive. The proposed model describes spectral IP characteristics for the medium where the length of passive zones is much greater than the length of active ones. The model is called short narrow pores (SNP) model. The SNP model predicts a growth of IP time constant with increase of length of ion-selective zone. Both the time domain and frequency domain parameters are described. The parameters of Cole–Cole model corresponding to the SNP model were also found.The behaviour of model parameters is compared with experimental data obtained on natural and sieved sands using time domain technique. The natural sand spectra correspond neither to the simple SNP model nor simple Cole–Cole model with single time constant because the lengths of ion-selective zones vary, reflecting the grain-size distribution.The spectra of sieved sand compared with the theoretical SNP spectra reveal close correspondence between experimental data and theoretical parameters. For four sieved sands, both the theoretical and experimental data show that the time constant of the IP is proportional to the square of the average grain size.     

Metasomatism and ore formation at contacts of dolerite with saliferous rocks in the sedimentary cover of the southern Siberian platform

The data on the mineral composition and crystallization conditions of magnesian skarn and magnetite ore at contacts of dolerite with rock salt and dolomite in ore-bearing volcanic—tectonic structures of the Angara—Ilim type have been integrated and systematized. Optical microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, electron paramagnetic resonance, Raman and IR spectroscopy, and methods of mineralogical thermometry were used for studying minerals and inclusions contained therein. The most diverse products of metasomatic reactions are found in the vicinity of a shallow-seated magma chamber that was formed in Lower Cambrian carbonate and saliferous rocks under a screen of terrigenous sequences. Conformable lodes of spinel-forsterite skarn and calciphyre impregnated with magnesian magnetite replaced dolomite near the central magma conduit and apical portions of igneous bodies. At the postmagmatic stage, the following mineral assemblages were formed at contacts of dolerite with dolomite: (1) spinel + fassaite + forsterite + magnetite (T = 820?740°C), (2) phlogopite + titanite + pargasite + magnetite (T = 600–500°C), And (3) clinochlore + serpentine + pyrrhotite (T = 450°C and lower). Rock salt is transformed at the contact into halitite as an analogue of calciphyre. The specific features of sedimentary, contact-metasomatic, and hydrothermal generations of halite have been established. The primary sedimentary halite contains solid inclusions of sylvite, carnallite, anhydrite, polyhalite, quartz, astrakhanite, and antarcticite; nitrogen, methane, and complex hydrocarbons have been detected in gas inclusions; and the liquid inclusions are largely aqueous, with local hydrocarbon films. The contact-metasomatic halite is distinguished by a fine-grained structure and the occurrence of anhydrous salt phases (CaCl₂ · KCl, CaCl₂, nMgCl₂ · mCaCl₂) and high-density gases (CO₂, H₂S, N₂, CH₄, etc.) as inclusions. The low-temperature hydrothermal halite, which occurs in skarnified and unaltered silicate rocks and in ore, is characterized by a low salinity of aqueous inclusions and the absence of solid inclusions. The composition and aggregative state of inclusions in halite and forsterite indicate that salt melt-solution as a product of melting and dissolution of salt was the main agent of high-temperature metasomatism. Its total salinity was not lower than 60%. The composition and microstructure of magnetite systematically change in different mineral assemblages. Magnetite is formed as a result of extraction of iron together with silicon and phosphorus from dolerite. The first generation of magnetite is represented by mixed crystals, products of exsolution in the Fe-Mg-Al-Ti-Mn-O system. The Ti content is higher at the contact of dolerite with rock salt, whereas, at the contact with dolomite, magnetite is enriched in Mg. The second generation of magnetite does not contain structural admixtures. The distribution of boron minerals and complex crystal hydrates shows that connate water of sedimentary rocks could have participated in hydrothermal metasomatic processes.     

Sources of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Rivers of the Yenisei River Basin

The spatial and temporal variations in concentrations of dissolved organic carbon in the Yenisei River and its major tributaries are analyzed. The results obtained suggest that the maximal contribution to the flows of dissolved organic carbon in the Yenisei River is made by cryohydromorphic forest landscapes of the Central Siberian Plateau.     

Validation and Verification of Tsunami Numerical Models

In the aftermath of the 26 December, 2004 tsunami, several quantitative predictions of inundation for historic events were presented at international meetings differing substantially from the corresponding well-established paleotsunami measurements. These significant differences attracted press attention, reducing the credibility of all inundation modeling efforts. Without exception, the predictions were made using models that had not been benchmarked. Since an increasing number of nations are now developing tsunami mitigation plans, it is essential that all numerical models used in emergency planning be subjected to validation—the process of ensuring that the model accurately solves the parent equations of motion—and verification—the process of ensuring that the model represents geophysical reality. Here, we discuss analytical, laboratory, and field benchmark tests with which tsunami numerical models can be validated and verified. This is a continuous process; even proven models must be subjected to additional testing as new knowledge and data are acquired. To date, only a few existing numerical models have met current standards, and these models remain the only choice for use for real-world forecasts, whether short-term or long-term. Short-term forecasts involve data assimilation to improve forecast system robustness and this requires additional benchmarks, also discussed here. This painstaking process may appear onerous, but it is the only defensible methodology when human lives are at stake. Model standards and procedures as described here have been adopted for implementation in the U.S. tsunami forecasting system under development by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they are being adopted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the U.S. and by the appropriate subcommittees of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.     

A Comparison Study of Two Numerical Tsunami Forecasting Systems

This paper presents a comparison of two tsunami forecasting systems: the NOAA/PMEL system (SIFT) and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology system (T1). Both of these systems are based on a tsunami scenario database and both use the same numerical model. However, there are some major differences in the way in which the scenarios are constructed and in the implementation of the systems. Two tsunami events are considered here: Tonga 2006 and Sumatra 2007. The results show that there are some differences in the distribution of maximum wave amplitude, particularly for the Tonga event, however both systems compare well to the available tsunameter observations. To assess differences in the forecasts for coastal amplitude predictions, the offshore forecast results from both systems were used as boundary conditions for a high-resolution model for Hilo, Hawaii. The minor differences seen between the two systems in deep water become considerably smaller at the tide gauge and both systems compare very well with the observations.     

Role of the biogenic factor in platinum accumulation by oceanic ferromanganese nodules

A complex study of oceanic ferromanganese nodules (FMN) from the abyssal Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone and Lamont Guyot (Pacific Ocean) is performed. The concentrations of noble and trace elements are determined by AAS, INAA, and RFA-SR. Furthermore, SEM, and activation autoradiography are applied. Experiments are carried out using Pt, Au, and Ir radionuclides (radioisotope indicator method).