Seismic coda due to non-linear elasticity

Non-linear elastic response of rocks has been widely observed in laboratory, but very few seismic studies are reported in the literature, even though it is the most natural environment where this feature could be observed. Analytic solutions to the non-linear wave propagation phenomena are not readily available, and there is a need to use approximated techniques. It is clear that when a seismic wave propagates through a homogeneous non-linear elastic media, it will be perturbed by the non-linearity. This perturbation can be treated as a source of scattering, spreading the energy of the primary wave in space and time, contributing to the seismic coda. This is in some sense similar to the effect of heterogeneities. The properties of the coda due to the non-linearity depend on the amount of non-linearity and the seismic moment. Using a perturbation approach we calculate the amplitude of the scattered waves, and show that it can describe reasonably well the main features of real seismic codas.     

The atmospheric effects of October 2003 solar proton event simulated with the chemistry–climate model SOCOL using complete and parameterized ion chemistry

October 2003 solar proton events (SPE) is rather well covered by the observations; therefore its studies represent a good way for model validation and intercomparison. Here we apply chemistry–climate model (CCM) SOCOL with complete (SOCOLⁱ) and parameterized ion chemistry to evaluate the accuracy of a commonly used ion chemistry parameterization scheme. We performed ensemble experiments with and without SPE to characterize the effect of the October 2003 SPE on the NO_x, HO_x, ClO_x and O₃ in the middle atmosphere. Preliminary comparison of the simulated effects against MIPAS observations revealed rather good general agreement for most of the species. Comparison of the results obtained with complete and parameterized ion chemistry representation showed that the model with parameterized ion chemistry underestimates the effect of SPE on chemical composition of the middle atmosphere by up to 40% for NO_x and N₂O, up to 70% for HO_x and ClO_x and up to 600% for HNO₃. The parameterization is more accurate for ozone, however the model with parameterized ion chemistry underestimates ozone depletion by up to 15% during the SPE in the mesosphere and by 10% 2 weeks later in the stratosphere, which can be important for the long-term effects of SPE on the ozone layer.     

Influence of the Precipitating Energetic Particles on Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate

We evaluate the influence of the galactic cosmic rays (GCR), solar proton events (SPE), and energetic electron precipitation (EEP) on chemical composition of the atmosphere, dynamics, and climate using the chemistry-climate model SOCOL. We have carried out two 46-year long runs. The reference run is driven by a widely employed forcing set and, for the experiment run, we have included additional sources of NO _x and HO _x caused by all considered energetic particles. The results show that the effects of the GCR, SPE, and EEP fluxes on the chemical composition are most pronounced in the polar mesosphere and upper stratosphere; however, they are also detectable and statistically significant in the lower atmosphere consisting of an ozone increase up to 3?% in the troposphere and ozone depletion up to 8?% in the middle stratosphere. The thermal effect of the ozone depletion in the stratosphere propagates down, leading to a warming by up to 1?K averaged over 46?years over Europe during the winter season. Our results suggest that the energetic particles are able to affect atmospheric chemical composition, dynamics, and climate.