A 6.5-year continuous record of sea surface salinity and seawater isotopic composition at Harbour of Ishigaki Island,southwest Japan

We produced continuous records of sea surface salinity and isotopic composition from 1998 to 2004 at Ishigaki Island, southwest Japan, and found clear seasonal variations in salinity and oxygen isotopic composition and increasing trends of them after 1999. These increasing trends could be principally due to the decreasing difference between local precipitation (P) and evaporation (E), as a result of the reduction of horizontal vapour transport from adjacent oceans. When samples collected in heavy rainfall events were excluded, the average Δδ¹⁸O/Δ salinity slope was obtained as 0.31, 0.35 in summer and 0.28 in winter. Estimated E/P ratios based on the isotopic box model are in good agreement with the ratios of independently estimated E to observed P.     

The sound speed in southern deepwater zone of the Caspian Sea,off Anzali Port

Sound velocity determination in seawater is a key component of modern hydrographic surveying; however, little data exists on sound velocity characteristics of the southern Caspian Sea. Hence, a study was undertaken in 2008 to examine the seasonal variability of sound speed in deep-waters of the South Caspian Sea near the Iranian coast. The seasonal cycle of seawater temperature and thermal stratification in the Caspian Sea water created a wide range of spatial and temporal changes of sound speed with relevant differences between shallow water (over the continental shelf) and deep-water area. The collected data showed that seasonal variations of the sound speed were most important in the upper 100 m water depth, while below this level that is in deepwater the changes were small. The maximum values of sound speed were observed at the surface in midsummer around 1517–1519 m s⁻¹ over the continental shelf while the speed of sound was about 1453 m s⁻¹ between 450–470 m depths with no major seasonal variations. Variations in vertical structure of the sound speed were in agreement with temperature changes, while effects of the salinity on the sound speed were little.     

Viscous Interaction Between a Vortex Tube and a Rotating Spherical Particle

The transient advection of a cylindrical vortex tube in a viscous incompressible flow field and its interaction with a rotating/spinning spherical particle has been investigated numerically at Reynolds numbers in the range of 20≤ Re≤200 for angular velocities of 0≤Ω≤0.5. The effects of vortex parameters such as size, circulation strength and initial position relative to the particle, on the temporal behavior of the lift and drag forces are studied. Vortex‐sphere interactions bring about major changes in the flow field particularly when coupled with particle rotation. It is observed that the forces acting on the particle are significantly influenced during the time that the vortex core is in the vicinity of the particle. The extent of these local changes are about ±30% in the drag coefficient and about ±200% in the lift coefficient as compared to flow over a rotating solid sphere with no vortex interaction. It is also found that a vortex with core radius between one and two particle diameters creates the strongest temporal variations in the lift and drag coefficients. Furthermore, maximum lift variations occur for the vortex‐particle head on collision, while a vortex with an offset distance of about one diameter from the principal flow axis generates the maximum drag variations.     

Thirteen years of atmospheric carbon dioxide measurements at Mt. Cimone station, Italy

Summary The atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has been continuously measured at Mt. Cimone station from March 1979. In this paper a selection scheme is applied to the measured concentrations in order to obtain data representative of background conditions. Monthly averages, expressed in the WMO X-85 scale are calculated from the selected data and analysed by a technique of time series decomposition until december 1991. Monthly values exibit an increasing long-term trend, mainly due to the fossil fuel combustion: over the whole monitoring period the average CO₂ growth rate is 1.66 p.p.m.v./y. A seasonal cycle, largely due to the biospheric activity of the northern hemisphere is evident. The estimated average peak-to-peak amplitude is 11.32 p.p.m.v. with a maximum occurring in April and a minimum in August. The seasonal amplitude is found to be decreasing with time, by about 1.5 p.p.m.v. over the entire record: no conclusive interpretations are given about this experimental result. Besides the long-term trend and the seasonal cycle, CO₂ interannual variations are observed in the selected record; these correlate negatively with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) with a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.6 for a delay of about 7–8 months.     

Large seasonal variations and anomalous absorption curves of the high-ionization cosmic ray component obtained at the Doch-4M spectrometric scintillation telescope

Cosmic ray absorption curves and seasonal variations were measured at the Doch-4M spectrometric scintillation telescope over its service period (2001–2008) in order to study the nature of the high-ionization cosmic ray component. Large seasonal variations (A ≈ 30%) in cosmic rays, practically independent of the zenith angle of the Doch-4M telescope axis inclination, were observed for the first time. The anomalous results obtained both for the seasonal variations and for the absorption range of the high-ionization cosmic ray component in various materials of lead and polyethylene, which are in conflict with the absorption of the hadron cosmic ray component, were explained within the erzion model.     

Climatologies of tides at mid-latitudes in the lower thermosphere

Summary Time variations of the semi-diurnal and diurnal tides observed at Budrio (45°N, 12°E) in the wind structure of the lower thermosphere ((80÷110) km) throughout the period 1976–1990 are herewith represented as monthly contours of both amplitudes and phasesvs. height. The semi-diurnal tide has more marked seasonal variations, showing amplitudes generally larger than the diurnal ones ((10÷30) m/svs. (5÷15) m/s). The vertical wavelengths are longer in summer than in winter, at least below 100 km. Agreement with new numerical models for semi-diurnal tide at 50°N appears to be satisfactory.     

The effect of internal waves on the sound propagation in the shelf zone of the sea of Japan in different seasons

Results of the observation of seasonal variations in the vertical distribution of water temperature in the shelf zone of the Sea of Japan are presented, and the effect of this variability on the parameters of internal waves and on sound propagation is studied. The measurements were carried out in different seasons using a vertical acoustical-hydrophysical measuring system. The propagation of sound (tone and noise signals) was studied on a 510-m-long track at a constant depth of 38 m. Using a self-contained resonance (320 Hz) transmitter of the electromagnetic type, which was bottom-moored at a depth of 65 m, a 10.6-km-long stationary acoustic track crossing the shelf was set up. During the in-sea experiments, the spatial characteristics of internal waves were measured along with the distributions of temperature, salinity, sound velocity, and sea level variations.     

Temporal structure of the muon disk at large distances from the axis of extensive air showers with E 0⩾6 ×1016eV

Preliminary results are reported from an investigation of the temporal structure of the muon disk in extensive air showers (EASs) with primary energy E ₀≥6×10¹⁶eV at distances 100–1500 m from the axis. The investigation is performed at the Yakutsk array using the large muon detector, which commenced operation in November 1995, with a planned area 184 m² and a detection threshold E _μ≈0.5· sec θ GeV. For E ₀>10¹⁸eV it is found that the thickness of the muon disk tends to decrease. This requires substantial changes in our notions of the development of EASs. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 6, 361–366 (25 March 1998)     

Total cloudiness and high-cloud frequency on eastern sicily

Summary High clouds are the main responsibles for the increase of collimated radiation coming from the circumsolar corona. It is, therefore, required a quantitative evaluation of such a radiation in order to know whether it is convenient to use low focusing systems in the mirror solar plants. For this purpose we have analysed the diurnal evolution (from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) of the cloud cover and of the high-cloud frequency over eastern Sicily in which the EURELIOS solar plant is located. The results show that 1) the high-cloud frequency over the Adrano area exceeds of (50÷100)% that observed in other stations of eastern Sicily; 2) with the exception of summer months, in which the cloud cover is scanty, the high-cloud frequency increases with the solar elevation. So far, it has not been possible to quantify the circumsolar radiation (which varies from a few to 30% of the direct one) as a function of clouds of different kind and thickness. Work product with EC financial contribution.     

General relativistic coupling of orbital and rotational motion of the planets

A monadic method of specifying frames of reference is used to investigate the coupling between the orbital and rotational motion of the planets. Expressions are obtained for the general relativistic contributions to the precession of the equinoxes, the nutation of the rotation axis, and the seasonal variations of the length of the day.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 11–15, March, 1981.I am grateful to the participants of the Little Gravitational Seminar of the Gravitation Section at the Ministry of Higher Education of the USSR for their interest in the work.