Retrospective Mineragenic Analysis of Deposits of the Vishera Diamond-Bearing Zone (Eastern Margin of the Russian Platform)

Geology of Ore Deposits - Systematized information on the formation of all types of diamond placers in the Vishera diamondiferous zone is given for the first time. The method of retrospective...     

Historical-Genetic Analysis of the Formation of High-Grade Iron Ores and Related Bauxites in the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (Russia)

Lithology and Mineral Resources - High-grade iron ores and bauxites of the Kursk magnetic anomaly (KMA) were formed in weathering crusts on the Early Precambrian ferruginous quartzites and shales,...     

The IKFS-2 Infrared Fourier-Transform Spectrometer Operating Onboard the Meteor-M No.2 Satellite

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The results of the commissioning of the IKFS-2 instrument and its subsequent operation onboard the Meteor-M no. 2 polar orbiting meteorological...     

Contrasting regional and global climate simulations over South Asia

Climate Dynamics - Two ensembles of climate simulations, one global and one regional, are used to investigate model errors and projected climate change in seasonal mean temperature and...     

Regional Arctic sea ice variations as predictor for winter climate conditions

Seasonal prediction skill of winter mid and high northern latitudes climate from sea ice variations in eight different Arctic regions is analyzed using detrended ERA-interim data and satellite sea ice data for the period 1980–2013. We find significant correlations between ice areas in both September and November and winter sea level pressure, air temperature and precipitation. The prediction skill is improved when using November sea ice conditions as predictor compared to September. This is particularly true for predicting winter NAO-like patterns and blocking situations in the Euro-Atlantic area. We find that sea ice variations in Barents Sea seem to be most important for the sign of the following winter NAO—negative after low ice—but amplitude and extension of the patterns are modulated by Greenland and Labrador Seas ice areas. November ice variability in the Greenland Sea provides the best prediction skill for central and western European temperature and ice variations in the Laptev/East Siberian Seas have the largest impact on the blocking number in the Euro-Atlantic region. Over North America, prediction skill is largest using September ice areas from the Pacific Arctic sector as predictor. Composite analyses of high and low regional autumn ice conditions reveal that the atmospheric response is not entirely linear suggesting changing predictive skill dependent on sign and amplitude of the anomaly. The results confirm the importance of realistic sea ice initial conditions for seasonal forecasts. However, correlations do seldom exceed 0.6 indicating that Arctic sea ice variations can only explain a part of winter climate variations in northern mid and high latitudes.