Numerical Simulation of the Orbital Evolution of Near-Earth Asteroids Close to Mean Motion Resonances

The dynamics of near-Earth asteroids near mean motion resonances with the Earth or other planets is considered. The probability domains of the motion of some near-Earth asteroids close to low-order resonances are presented. The investigations have been carried out by means of a numerical integration of differential equations, taking into account the perturbations from the major planets and the Moon. For each investigated object an ensemble of 100 test particles with orbital elements nearby those of the nominal orbit has been constructed and its evolution has been retraced over the time interval (–3000, +3000 years). The initial set of orbits has been generated on the basis of probable variations of the initial orbital elements obtained from the least square analysis of observations.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Messinian events in the Black Sea

Past hydrological interactions between the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea are poorly resolved due to complications in establishing a high‐resolution time frame for the Black Sea. We present a new greigite‐based magnetostratigraphic age model for the Mio‐Pliocene deposits of DSDP Hole 380/380A, drilled in the southwestern Black Sea. This age model is complemented by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of a volcanic ash layer, allowing a direct correlation of Black Sea deposits to the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) interval of the Mediterranean Sea. Proxy records divide these DSDP deposits into four intervals: (i) Pre‐MSC marine conditions (6.1–6.0 Ma); (ii) highstand, fresh to brackish water conditions (~6.0–5.6 Ma); (iii) lowstand, fresh‐water environment (5.6–5.4 Ma) and (iv) highstand, fresh‐water conditions (5.4–post 5.0 Ma). Our results indicate the Black Sea was a major fresh‐water source during gypsum precipitation in the Mediterranean Sea. The introduction of Lago Mare fauna during the final stage of the MSC coincides with a sea‐level rise in the Black Sea. Across the Mio‐Pliocene boundary, sea‐level and salinity in the Black Sea did not change significantly.     

A tale of two species: Extirpation and range expansion during the late Quaternary in an extreme environment

Death Valley, California is today the hottest hyperarid area in the western Hemisphere with temperatures of 57 °C (134 °F) recorded. During the late Quaternary, pluvial Lake Manly covered much of the Valley and contributed to a much more moderate climate. The abrupt draining of Lake Manly in the mid-Holocene and coincident dramatic shifts in temperature and aridity exerted substantial selection pressure on organisms living in this area. Our research investigates the adaptive response of Neotoma (woodrats) to temperature change over the late Quaternary along a steep elevational and environmental gradient. By combining fieldwork, examination of museum specimens, and collection of paleomiddens, our project reconstructs the divergent evolutionary histories of animals from the valley floor and nearby mountain gradients (− 84 to > 3400 m). We report on recent paleomidden work investigating a transition zone in the Grapevine Mountains (Amargosa Range) for two species of woodrats differing significantly in size and habitat preferences: N. lepida, the desert woodrat, and N. cinerea, the bushy-tailed woodrat. Here, at the limits of these species' thermal and ecological thresholds, we demonstrate dramatic fluctuations in the range boundaries over the Holocene as climate shifted. Moreover, we find fundamental differences in the adaptive response of these two species related to the elevation of the site and local microclimate. Results indicate that although N. cinerea are currently extirpated in this area, they were ubiquitous throughout the late Pleistocene and into the middle Holocene. They adapted to climate shifts over this period by phenotypic changes in body mass, as has been demonstrated for other areas within their range; during colder episodes they were larger, and during warmer intervals, animals were smaller. Their presence may have been tied into a much more widespread historical distribution of juniper (Juniperus sp.); we document a downward displacement of approximately 1000 m relative to juniper's modern extent in the Amargosa Range. These results suggest a cooler and more mesic habitat association persisting for longer and at lower elevations than previously reported.     

Palaeolimnological evidence for recent climatic change in lakes from the northern Urals, arctic Russia

The recent sediments from two deep arctic lakes, Mitrofanovskoe and Vanuk-ty, situated in the permafrost belt within the Bolshezemelskaya Tundra in the northern Ural region, were studied for diatoms, chironomids, spheroidal carbonaceous particles and stable lead isotopes. The magnitudes and rates-of-change in diatom and chironomid assemblages were numerically estimated. Instrumental climate records were used to assess statistically the amount of variance in diatom and chironomid data explained by temperature. August and September air temperatures have a statistically significant effect on diatom composition at both lakes. At Mitrofanovskoe Lake, major compositional changes in diatom and chironomid assemblages occurred at the turn of the 20th century and might be related to the regional increase in temperature. Chironomid-inferred air temperature also increased by approximately 1 °C since the early 1900s. At both lakes diatom compositional changes, coincident with the increase in June and September temperatures, also occurred in the late 1960s. These compositional changes are correlated with the increase in diatom production, sediment organic content and diatom species richness, and are likely to be a diatom response to the lengthening of the growing season. These changes are also correlated with the circum-Arctic temperature increase from the 1960s. A chironomid response to the late 1960s temperature increase was less pronounced at both lakes. Pollution levels are relatively low and pollution history is unrelated to ecological changes. Both lead isotopes and spheroidal carbonaceous particles show a clear atmospheric pollution signal, peaking in the 1980s.     

Lunar highland meteorite Dhofar 026 and Apollo sample 15418: Two strongly shocked,partially melted,granulitic breccias

Abstract— Studies of lunar meteorite Dhofar 026, and comparison to Apollo sample 15418, indicate that Dhofar 026 is a strongly shocked granulitic breccia (or a fragmental breccia consisting almost entirely of granulitic breccia clasts) that experienced considerable post‐shock heating, probably as a result of diffusion of heat into the rock from an external, hotter source. The shock converted plagioclase to maskelynite, indicating that the shock pressure was between 30 and 45 GPa. The post‐shock heating raised the rock's temperature to about 1200 °C; as a result, the maskelynite devitrified, and extensive partial melting took place. The melting was concentrated in pyroxene‐rich areas; all pyroxene melted. As the rock cooled, the partial melts crystallized with fine‐grained, subophitic‐poikilitic textures. Sample 15418 is a strongly shocked granulitic breccia that had a similar history, but evidence for this history is better preserved than in Dhofar 026. The fact that Dhofar 026 was previously interpreted as an impact melt breccia underscores the importance of detailed petrographic study in interpretation of lunar rocks that have complex textures. The name “impact melt” has, in past studies, been applied only to rocks in which the melt fraction formed by shock‐induced total fusion. Recently, however, this name has also been applied to rocks containing melt formed by heating of the rocks by conductive heat transfer, assuming that impact is the ultimate source of the heat. We urge that the name “impact melt” be restricted to rocks in which the bulk of the melt formed by shock‐induced fusion to avoid confusion engendered by applying the same name to rocks melted by different processes.     

Hovsgol earthquake 5 December 2014, <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>W</Subscript> = 4.9: seismic and acoustic effects

A moderate shallow earthquake occurred on 5 December 2014 (M _W = 4.9) in the north of Lake Hovsgol (northern Mongolia). The infrasonic signal with duration 140 s was recorded for this earthquake by the “Tory” infrasound array (Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Russia). Source parameters of the earthquake (seismic moment, geometrical sizes, displacement amplitudes in the focus) were determined using spectral analysis of direct body P and S waves. The spectral analysis of seismograms and amplitude variations of the surface waves allows to determine the effect of the propagation of the rupture in the earthquake focus, the azimuth of the rupture propagation direction and the velocity of displacement in the earthquake focus. The results of modelling of the surface displacements caused by the Hovsgol earthquake and high effective velocity of propagation of infrasound signal (~ 625 m/s) indicate that its occurrence is not caused by the downward movement of the Earth’s surface in the epicentral region but by the effect of the secondary source. The position of the secondary source of infrasound signal is defined on the northern slopes of the Khamar-Daban ridge according to the data on the azimuth and time of arrival of acoustic wave at the Tory station. The interaction of surface waves with the regional topography is proposed as the most probable mechanism of formation of the infrasound signal.     

Israel’s Eastern border: Ask not ‘Where is the Green Line?’ Ask ‘What is the Green Line?’

The Green Line constituted the armistice line between Israel and Jordan during the period 1949-1967. This paper discusses the familiarity of Israeli students with the nature and geographical location of the Green Line by restructuring and analyzing their mental maps. The findings of this study show that students who are men, long-term residents, identify themselves on the left end of the political spectrum, and professional geographers, show better knowledge concerning the issue of borders. However, most students revealed a certain vagueness and even ignorance concerning both spatial perception of the Green Line and its essence. The reasons for the revealed phenomenon are also discussed in this paper, as well as the behavioral implications of the familiarity with the Green Line, both in spatial and political contexts.     

Technogenic hydrogeochemical anomalies of tungsten deposits in Kykylbey ore region

Peculiarities of the tungsten deposits drainage flow chemical composition formation, the development of which was ceased almost 40 years ago, have been considered. Migration peculiarities of ore components have been covered, and forms of their migration have been calculated. Inertial characteristics of the surface flow contamination are shown.     

The ADV/ASV AATSR aerosol retrieval algorithm: current status and presentation of a full-mission AOD dataset

An advanced along-track scanning radiometer (AATSR) global multi-year aerosol retrieval algorithm is described. Over land, the AATSR dual-view (ADV) algorithm utilizes the measured top of the atmosphere (TOA) reflectance in both the nadir and forward views to decouple the contributions of the atmosphere and the surface to retrieve aerosol properties. Over ocean, the AATSR single-view (ASV) algorithm minimizes the discrepancy between the measured and modelled TOA reflectances in one of the views to retrieve the aerosol information using an ocean reflectance model. Necessary steps to process global, multi-year aerosol information are presented. These include cloud screening, the averaging of measured reflectance, and post-processing. Limitations of the algorithms are also discussed. The main product of the aerosol retrieval is the aerosol optical depth (AOD) at visible/near-infrared wavelengths. The retrieved AOD is validated using data from the surface-based AERONET and maritime aerosol network (MAN) sun photometer networks as references. The validation shows good agreement with the reference (r?=?0.85, RMSE?=?0.09 over land; r?=?0.83, RMSE?=?0.09 at coasts and r?=?0.96, RMSE?=?0.06 over open ocean). The results of the aerosol retrievals are presented for the full AATSR mission years 2002–2012 with seasonally averaged time series for selected regions.