Ocean environment and developing of oceanic iron-manganese ores

This work is devoted to some problems of the genesis, chemical composition, and forming rates of iron-manganese ores (IMOs) in the ocean bed due to real outlooks of their development in the years 2015–2020. It is particularly accentuated that ores are continuously originating on the ocean bed with rates of several millimeters per million years. IMO accumulation in modern oceans is greatly more than the age of the mobile ocean bed. These unique ores are not only sorbents of some strategic microelements, but also store easily mobilized oxygen, which is able to supersaturate water in endogenic processes on the ocean bed, blocking their expansion in a limited volume. Thus, iron-manganese ores must be mined only with nonpolluting methods and under the control of competent authorities.     

Characteristic Features of Solar Cosmic Rays in the 21st–24th Solar-Activity Cycles According to Data from Catalogs of Solar Proton Events

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - Homogeneous series of solar cosmic-ray events for four solar-activity cycles against the background of decreased activity in cycles 23 and 24 are considered. The number...     

Galactic Cosmic Ray Intensity in the Upcoming Minimum of the Solar Activity Cycle

During the prolonged and deep minimum of solar activity between cycles 23 and 24, an unusual behavior of the heliospheric characteristics and increased intensity of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) near the Earth’s orbit were observed. The maximum of the current solar cycle 24 is lower than the previous one, and the decline in solar and, therefore, heliospheric activity is expected to continue in the next cycle. In these conditions, it is important for an understanding of the process of GCR modulation in the heliosphere, as well as for applied purposes (evaluation of the radiation safety of planned space flights, etc.), to estimate quantitatively the possible GCR characteristics near the Earth in the upcoming solar minimum (~2019–2020). Our estimation is based on the prediction of the heliospheric characteristics that are important for cosmic ray modulation, as well as on numeric calculations of GCR intensity. Additionally, we consider the distribution of the intensity and other GCR characteristics in the heliosphere and discuss the intercycle variations in the GCR characteristics that are integral for the whole heliosphere (total energy, mean energy, and charge).     

Modulation of galactic cosmic rays in solar cycles 22–24: Analysis and physical interpretation

This work represents a physical interpretation of cosmic ray modulation in the 22nd–24th solar cycles, including an interpretation of an unusual behavior of their intensity in the last minimum of the solar activity (2008–2010). In terms of the Parker modulation model, which deals with regularly measured heliospheric characteristics, it is shown that the determining factor of the increased intensity of the galactic cosmic rays in the minimum of the 24th solar cycle is an anomalous reduction of the heliospheric magnetic field strength during this time interval under the additional influence of the solar wind velocity and the tilt angle of the heliospheric current sheet. We have used in the calculations the dependence of the diffusion tensor on the rigidity in the form K _ij ∝ R ^2?μ with μ = 1.2 in the sector zones of the heliospheric magnetic field and with μ = 0.8 outside the sector zones, which leads to an additional amplification of the diffusion mechanism of cosmic ray modulation. The proposed approach allows us to describe quite satisfactorily the integral intensity of protons with an energy above 0.1 GeV and the energy spectra in the minima of the 22nd–24th solar cycles at the same value of the free parameter. The determining factor of the anomalously high level of the galactic cosmic ray intensity in the minimum of the 24th solar cycle is the significant reduction of the heliospheric magnetic field strength during this time interval. The forecast of the intensity level in the minimum of the 25th solar cycle is provided.     

Structure of the maximum phase of solar cycles 21 and 22

A distinctive peak and gap structure in a number of solar indices was observed in the maximum phase of solar cycles 21 and 22. The effect became even more prominent after separating the northern and southern solar hemispheres. In cycle 21 the multi-peaked structures observed in the two solar hemispheres were not synchronous and their sum resulted in the rather shallow two-peaked solar maximum for the parameters taken over the whole solar disk. In cycle 22 there were only double peaks in each hemisphere which were rather synchronous. Examination of solar activity in the northern and southern hemispheres has shown that the structured maximum appears to be due to the superposition of two quasi-oscillating processes with characteristic time-scales of 11 years and of 1–3 years (quasi-biennial oscillations). The absolute amplitude of the quasi-biennial oscillations depends on the 11-year cycle phase and reaches its maximum at the maximum of the 11-year cycle. This explains the occurrence of a double- or triple-peak structure in the solar maximum phase.