HALF-WIDTH OF A SOLAR DYNAMO WAVE IN PARKER'S MIGRATORY DYNAMO

A kinematic -dynamo model of magnetic field generation in a thin convection shell with nonuniform helicity for large dynamo numbers is considered in the framework of Parker's migratory dynamo. The asymptotic solution obtained of equations governing the magnetic field has the form of an anharmonic travelling dynamo wave. This wave propagates over most latitudes of the solar hemisphere from high latitudes to the equator, and the amplitude of the magnetic field first increases and then decreases with propagation. Over the subpolar latitudes, the dynamo wave reverses; there the dynamo wave propagates polewards and decays with latitude. The half-width of the maximum of the magnetic field localisation and the phase velocity of the dynamo wave are calculated. Butterfly diagrams are plotted and analysed and these show that even a simple model may reveal some properties of the solar magnetic fields.     

Moderately compact helix antennas with cutoff patterns for millimeter RTK positioning

GPS Solutions - Helical antennas have been developed that feature a cutoff pattern and are suitable for practical positioning at millimeter level. The antennas are in the form of a tube with...     

A geophysical survey of the Spitsbergen Margin and surrounding areas

New geophysical information including multichannel seismic profiling data obtained by the PGO Sevmorgeologia Ministry of Geology of the former USSR, Murmansk during 1984–1988 is discussed and interpreted in this study. The deep structure, sedimentary cover and stratigraphy of the Spitsbergen Continental Margin, considered to be a passive margin, i.e. divergent in the northern part and strike-slip in the western part, is described.Two genetically different types of plateaus on the continental margin, Yermak in the north and Spitsbergen (Vestnesa) in the west, have been identified.The entire extent of the continental slope of the northern part of the Spitsbergen Continental Margin in the Eurasia Basin is underlain by attenuated continental crust, while at the base of the Southwest Continental Margin, the oceanic crust along almost the entire extent is observed. The sedimentary cover, up to 10 km thick within the West Spitsbergen Continental Margin, is likewise observed. Within the North Spitsbergen Margin, however, it does not exceed 3.5 km in thickness.The extension and deposition within the West Spitsbergen Margin began in early Oligocene, while the rifting with accompanying sedimentation within the North Spitsbergen Continental Margin started probably in Early Cretaceous.     

Pressure solution creep under cyclic loading

Pressure solution creep was studied on sodium chloride, calcium carbonate and ammonium nitrate in respective saturated aqueous solutions under static loading and cyclic unloading. Ball indentation and powder compaction curves show that each transition from static to cyclic regime produces an increase—sometimes manifold—in creep rate which lasts over the whole time of cyclic impact. After returning to static regime, the initial creep rate reappears. Over longer-term tests, both in static and cyclic regime, the creep gradually slows down. Increasing impact frequency enhances the effect. Any noticeable changes in strain rate are absent in a pure inert medium (paraffin oil). Possible mechanisms of the cyclic unloading effect are discussed.     

Multipath mitigation by conventional antennas with ground planes and passive vertical structures

An antenna ground plane (GP) plays a major role in the mitigation of multipath coming from underneath the antenna. A distinct trend in user antenna size and weight reduction has been observed during recent years. With this focus in mind, an overview of conventional flat conductive and impedance GP is provided. Results of modern developments of passive vertically stacked structures are discussed. The possibility of obtaining a reasonable level of multipath mitigation with vertical structures of several centimeters is shown.     

Debris flows triggered from non-stationary glacier lake outbursts: the case of the Teztor Lake complex (Northern Tian Shan,Kyrgyzstan)

One of the most far-reaching glacier-related hazards in the Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan is glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and related debris flows. An improved understanding of the formation and evolution of glacial lakes and debris flow susceptibility is therefore essential to assess and mitigate potential hazards and risks. Non-stationary glacier lakes may fill periodically and quickly; the potential for them to outburst increases as water volume may change dramatically over very short periods of time. After the outburst or drainage of a lake, the entire process may start again, and thus these non-stationary lakes are of particular importance in the region. In this work, the Teztor lake complex, located in Northern Kyrgyzstan, was selected for the analysis of outburst mechanisms of non-stationary glacial lakes, their formation, as well as the triggering of flows and development of debris flows and floods downstream of the lakes. The different Teztor lakes are filled with water periodically, and according to field observations, they tend to outburst every 9–10 years on average. The most important event in the area dates back to 1953, and another important event occurred on July 31, 2012. Other smaller outbursts have been recorded as well. Our study shows that the recent GLOF in 2012 was caused by a combination of intense precipitation during the days preceding the event and a rapid rise in air temperatures. Analyses of features in the entrainment and depositional zones point to a total debris flow volume of about 200,000 m³, with discharge ranging from 145 to 340 m³ s^?1 and flow velocities between 5 and 7 m s^?1. Results of this study are key for a better design of sound river corridor planning and for the assessment and mitigation of potential GLOF hazards and risks in the region.     

Power-Law Testing for Fault Attributes Distributions

This paper is devoted to statistical analysis of faults’ attributes. The distributions of lengths, widths of damage zones, displacements and thicknesses of fault cores are studied. Truncated power-law (TPL) is considered in comparison with commonly used simple power-law (PL) (or Pareto) distribution. The maximal likelihood and the confidence interval of the exponent for both PL and TPL are estimated by appropriate statistical methods. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) test and the likelihood ratio test with alternative non-nested hypothesis for exponential distribution are used to verify the statistical approximation. Furthermore, the advantage of TPL is proved by Bayesian information criterion. Our results suggest that a TPL is more suitable for describing fault attributes, and that its condition is satisfied for a wide range of fault scales. We propose that using truncated power laws in general might eliminate or relax the bias related to sampling strategy and the resolution of measurements (such as censoring, truncation, and cut effect) and; therefore, the most reliable range of data can be considered for the statistical approximation of fault attributes.     

Were Late Cretaceous extinctions of gastropods selective by generic longevity?

Many gastropod taxa went extinct during the Late Cretaceous.The stratigraphic ranges of 268 genera permit to establish the longevity of extinction victims for each stage of this epoch."Young" taxa (originated within 3 epochs before the extinction) prevailed among victims of the extinctions in all stages.The proportion of "old" taxa(originated before the Cretaceous) that went extinct was the highest in the Cenomanian,and it was the lowest in the Coniacian and the Maastrichtian.It appears that the end-Cretaceous mass extinction affected chiefly "young" taxa.However,the comparison with the earlier time intervals suggests that this pattern of selectivity by generic longevity was not specific for the noted catastrophe,but,in contrast,it was typical for the entire Late Cretaceous.The latest Cenomanian environmental perturbation(OAE2) caused a stronger extinction of "old" taxa,and thus,this biotic crisis was less selective by generic longevity.This hypothesis,however,is not proven by the statistical test.     

Mode enslavement in a two-layer stellar dynamo

We consider a conventional stellar  α²ω  -dynamo with dynamo generators localized in two spherical shells separated by a passive layer. The signs of the α-effect as well as rotational shear in the dynamo active layers can be chosen to give dynamo waves that propagate in opposite directions (poleward and equatorward) if the layers are considered separately in the framework of the Parker migratory dynamo. In a sequence of numerical experiments we show that the variety of dynamo-generated magnetic configurations in the system under discussion is quite rich. We identify the possibility of almost independent dynamo waves existing in the two layers as well as enslavement of one layer by the other, and of activity waves generated by a joint action of the two layers. We suggest some qualitative explanations of the behaviour and discuss also the limited nature of these explanations. This variety of phenomena suggests previously underexploited freedoms to understand how predictions of dynamo theory may accommodate the observed solar and stellar activity phenomenology.