Modelling the Global Solar Corona: III. Origin of the Hemispheric Pattern of Filaments

We consider the physical origin of the hemispheric pattern of filament chirality on the Sun. Our 3D simulations of the coronal field evolution over a period of six months, based on photospheric magnetic measurements, were previously shown to be highly successful at reproducing observed filament chiralities. In this paper we identify and describe the physical mechanisms responsible for this success. The key mechanisms are found to be (1) differential rotation of north – south polarity inversion lines, (2) the shape of bipolar active regions, and (3) evolution of skew over a period of many days. As on the real Sun, the hemispheric pattern in our simulations holds in a statistical sense. Exceptions arise naturally for filaments in certain locations relative to bipolar active regions or from interactions among a number of active regions.     

Evidence of Magnetic Helicity in Emerging Flux and Associated Flare

The aim of this paper is to look at the magnetic helicity structure of an emerging active region and show that both emergence and flaring signatures are consistent with a same sign for magnetic helicity. We present a multiwavelength analysis of an M1.6 flare occurring in the NOAA active region 10365 on 27 May 2003, in which a large new bipole emerges in a decaying active region. The diverging flow pattern and the “tongue” shape of the magnetic field in the photosphere with elongated polarities are highly suggestive of the emergence of a twisted flux tube. The orientation of these tongues indicates the emergence of a flux tube with a right-hand twist (i.e., positive magnetic helicity). The flare signatures in the chromosphere are ribbons observed in Hα by the MSDP spectrograph in the Meudon solar tower and in 1600 Å by TRACE. These ribbons have a J shape and are shifted along the inversion line. The pattern of these ribbons suggests that the flare was triggered by magnetic reconnection at coronal heights below a twisted flux tube of positive helicity, corresponding to that of the observed emergence. It is the first time that such a consistency between the signatures of the emerging flux through the photosphere and flare ribbons has been clearly identified in observations. Another type of ribbons observed during the flare at the periphery of the active region by the MSDP and SOHO/EIT is related to the existence of a null point, which is found high in the corona in a potential field extrapolation. We discuss the interpretation of these secondary brightenings in terms of the “breakout” model and in terms of plasma compression/heating within large-scale separatrices.     

The evolution of Petrov lake and moraine dam rupture risk (Tien-Shan,Kyrgyzstan)

An interdisciplinary study of glacier-related hazards in the Petrov lake region (Ak-Shiirak Range, the Inner Tien-Shan, Kyrgyzstan) has been undertaken to identify potential dangers to the area. A cooperative effort from experts in the fields of hydrology, glaciology, geomorphology and geophysics has been employed in this study. For the hazard assessment, evolution of the Petrov glacier and lake was reconstructed using historical reports, aerial photographs and satellite images. Geomorphological mapping and geophysical soundings was applied to the lake territory and the moraine dam. This has identified potentially hazardous areas of the dam including subsurface drainage zones and cracks that could cause a sudden extremely high discharge. In the past three decades, the Petrov lake has doubled in size, while in recent years, its area has been increasing by more than 92,000 square metres per year. Although there is no evidence for an imminent outburst, the dramatic increase in the lake’s size emphasizes the importance of this study.     

Alpine climate during the Holocene: a comparison between records of glaciers,lake sediments and solar activity

The European Alps are very sensitive and vulnerable to climate change. Recent improvements in Alpine glacier length records and climate reconstructions from annually laminated sediments of Alpine Lake Silvaplana give the opportunity to investigate the relationship between these two data sets of Alpine climate. Two different time frames are considered: the last 500–1000 years as well as the last 7400 years. First, we found good agreement between the two different climate archives during the past millennium: mass accumulation rates and biogenic silica concentration are largely in phase with the glacier length changes of Mer de Glace and Unterer Grindelwaldgletscher, and with the records of glacier length of Grosser Aletschgletscher and Gornergletscher. Secondly, the records are compared with temporally highly resolved data of solar activity. The Sun has had a major impact on the Alpine climate variations in the long term, i.e. several centuries to millennia. Solar activity varies with the Hallstatt periodicity of about 2000 years. Hallstatt minima are identified around 500, 2500 and 5000 a. Around these times grand solar minima (such as the Maunder Minimum) occurred in clusters coinciding with colder Alpine climate expressed by glacier advances. During the Hallstatt maxima around 0, 2000 and 4500 a, the Alpine glaciers generally retreated, indicating a warmer climate. This is supported by archaeological findings at Schnidejoch, a transalpine pass in Switzerland that was only accessible when glaciers had retreated. On shorter timescales, however, the influence of the Sun cannot be as easily detected in Alpine climate change, indicating that in addition to solar forcing, volcanic influence and internal climate variations have played an important role. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Cretaceous paleoenvironment and lake level fluctuation in the Songliao Basin,northeastern China

Study of Late Cretaceous lacustrine sedimentary strata in the eastern Songliao Basin, China revealed that the paleoclimate was relatively arid and hot during sedimentation of the upper Santonian of the Yaojia Formation, but became relatively humid and warm during deposition of the lower Campanian Nenjiang Formation. The upper Yaojia Formation was deposited in a freshwater lake environment, while the lower Nenjiang Formation was deposited in a slightly brackish to brackish environment. The average total organic carbon content in the upper Yaojia Formation is 0.15%, while the hydrogen index is 36 mg_HC/g_TOC, implying poor source rock for oil generation and the organic matter comprised of a mixture of woody and herbaceous organic matter. In contrast, the hydrogen index of oil shale and black shale of the lower Nenjiang Formation is 619 mg_HC/g_TOC, and total organic carbon content on average is 3.37%, indicating a mixed algae and herbaceous source of kerogen and an increase in aquatic bioproductivity. The black shale and oil shale have low Pristane/Phytane and C₂₉ 5α,14α,17α(H) ? stigmastane 20R/(20R + 20S) ratios, with maximum concentration of n‐alkanes at n‐C₂₃, implying an anoxic depositional environment with algae, bacteria and higher plants providing most of the organic matter. Relatively abundant gammacerane and a higher Sr/Ba ratio in the oil shales suggest the presence of brackish water and development of salinity stratification in the lake. During sedimentation of the upper Yaojia through the lower Nenjiang Formations, the level of Songliao lake increased and a deep‐lake environment was formed with bottom waters being oxygen depleted. Concomitantly, as the lake deepened bottom conditions were changing from oxic to anoxic, and the input of organic matter changed from predominantly higher plants to a mixture of bacteria, algae and higher plants providing favorable conditions for oil source rock accumulation.     

安顺两次特大暴雨过程的TBB和螺旋度对比分析

利用自动站观测资料、探空资料及NCEP再分析资料,对2010年6月27日夜间和2012年7月12日夜间贵州南部局地大暴雨天气过程进行对比分析。结果表明,安顺的两次特大暴雨天气过程主要是受高空槽和中低层切变共同影响,并配合低空急流,形成了有利于强降水的环流背景。安顺处于假相当位温的高能舌区和K指数、螺旋度的大值区,为特大暴雨的形成提供了很好的能量和动力条件。MCC是造成安顺特大暴雨天气的直接原因,强降水发生在云团的冷核中心内,最强降水均出现在MCC的成熟期。关岭滑坡现场与周围环境明显的海拔高度差和温度差造成的热力差异,为关岭岗乌两次特大暴雨提供了动力源和暖湿气流,并造成了关岭岗乌多次的强降水。     

Holocene evolution of the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon area (Argentina) indicated by pollen analysis

Palynologycal information was integrated with the aim to study vegetation history and environmental changes in Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon area (in the southeast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina) related to sea‐level fluctuations during the Holocene. Prior to 5000 yr BP a mosaic of psammophytic and halophytic communities developed on extensive sandy flats. Between 4000 and 2500 yr BP, during a period of sea‐level stabilisation, similar halophytic communities developed in the south and in the middle part of the present lagoon. Between 4500 and 3500 yr BP hydrophytic and halophytic communities developed in Laguna Hinojales. Beginning 2500 yr BP, when sea level was nearing its present position, modern plant communities became established. Pollen records suggest that littoral evolution of the area was much more complex than previous models have described, introducing new evidence of the geomorphological evolution of Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon. The estuarine environment was delimited by a system of barrier islands instead of a linear prograding barrier, as has been proposed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

弱天气系统强迫下北京地区对流下山演变的热动力机制

利用三维数值云模式和雷达资料四维变分(4DVar)同化技术,通过对京津冀地区4部新一代多普勒天气雷达观测资料进行快速更新同化和云尺度模拟,初步分析了弱天气系统强迫下两次发生在北京地区对流风暴的低层动力和热力影响机制。这两次风暴过程处于弱天气系统强迫和弱层结背景下,局地冷池和环境风场的相互配合是造成山上对流风暴是否能够顺利传播下山的关键机制。起初,两个个例平原局地热、动力不均衡形成平原冷池,而冷池的“障碍物”作用进而阻碍环境风场的传播配置。在此机制下,导致在冷池东南边缘形成较强的辐合上升、垂直风切变和螺旋度。在6月26日个例中,由于冷池强度较强且位置偏南,因此阻断了东南暖湿气流向山区的输送,形成由平原至山区的辐散区使得山区的对流风暴不断减弱。但是,随着已经消散的对流风暴下沉气流,覆盖至冷池边缘东南气流上空形成了较强的风切变和垂直螺旋度,进而促使在冷池边缘形成新的对流风暴。而且,在新对流风暴生成后,由于平原地区整体切变强度较弱,因此形成了冷池扩张强度大于对流风暴传播速度的态势。这种配置会切断暖湿入流,从而导致对流风暴快速消亡。对于8月1日个例,冷池位置偏北,因而不受冷池阻挡作用的偏南风在山脚形成较强的辐合上升,同时与下山的偏西风形成明显辐合上升区,有利于山区对流风暴的不断增强;进而,受此影响,山上风暴降水产生若干冷池,新生冷池和原有冷池的相互挤压,在迫使中、北部风暴增强的同时,最终也导致这些风暴互相靠近,最终合并组织成带状对流系统。同时,北部冷池边缘形成的辐合带也为对流风暴向山下传播提供有利条件,而回波产生的冷池进一步增强,并明显扩展。低层风场指示冷池出流(阵风锋)更加强烈且存在明显的“前冲”特征,显现出部分飑线系统的热动力特征。但是由于此时平原地区处于弱切变环境中,风切变强度不能与冷池出流强度相平衡,同样冷池扩展将领先于对流风暴移动,切断东南暖湿入流,导致原有风暴快速减弱。在文章的最后,基于观测和模拟结果,对比分析这两个个例,初步得出了与对流风暴传播下山发展演变密切相关的低层热、动力配置概念模型。     

Climatic oscillations in central Italy during the Last Glacial–Holocene transition: the record from Lake Accesa

This paper presents an event stratigraphy based on data documenting the history of vegetation cover, lake‐level changes and fire frequency, as well as volcanic eruptions, over the Last Glacial–early Holocene transition from a terrestrial sediment sequence recovered at Lake Accesa in Tuscany (north‐central Italy). On the basis of an age–depth model inferred from 13 radiocarbon dates and six tephra horizons, the Oldest Dryas–Bølling warming event was dated to ca. 14 560 cal. yr BP and the Younger Dryas event to ca. 12 700–11 650 cal. yr BP. Four sub‐millennial scale cooling phases were recognised from pollen data at ca. 14 300–14 200, 13 900–13 700, 13 400–13 100 and 11 350–11 150 cal. yr BP. The last three may be Mediterranean equivalents to the Older Dryas (GI‐1d), Intra‐Allerød (GI‐1b) and Preboreal Oscillation (PBO) cooling events defined from the GRIP ice‐core and indicate strong climatic linkages between the North Atlantic and Mediterranean areas during the last Termination. The first may correspond to Intra‐Bølling cold oscillations registered by various palaeoclimatic records in the North Atlantic region. The lake‐level record shows that the sub‐millennial scale climatic oscillations which punctuated the last deglaciation were associated in central Italy with different successive patterns of hydrological changes from the Bølling warming to the 8.2 ka cold reversal. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A semi‐analytical solution for groundwater responses to stream‐stage variations and tidal fluctuations in a coastal aquifer

A two‐dimensional semi‐analytical solution to analyse stream–aquifer interactions in a coastal aquifer where groundwater level responds to tidal effects is presented. The conceptual model considered is a two‐dimensional subsurface system with stream and coastline boundaries at right angles. The dimensional and non‐dimensional boundary value problems were solved for water level in the aquifer by successive application of Laplace and Fourier transform techniques, and the results were obtained by numerical inversion of the transformed solution. The solution was then verified by reducing the solutions to one‐dimensional known problems and comparing the results with those from previous studies. Hypothetical examples were used to examine the characteristics of water‐level variations due to the variations in stream stage and the fluctuations in tide level. Sensitivity analysis indicated that streambed leakance has no influence over the amplitude of groundwater fluctuations, but that the effect of stream stage increases with increasing leakance. Little difference was observed in the water level for different aquifer penetration ratios with narrow stream width. Increases in streambed leakance caused increases in the effect of aquifer penetration by the stream on the water level. An increased specific yield value resulted in decreased amplitude of water fluctuations and mean water level, and showed that water‐level variations due to stream and tidal boundaries are sensitive to specific yield. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.