Trace contaminant concentrations in the Kara Sea and its adjacent rivers, Russia.

PubMed

Sericano, J L; Brooks, J M; Champ, M A; Kennicutt, M C; Makeyev, V V

2001-11-01

Trace organic (chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, PAHs and dioxins/furans) and trace metal concentrations were measured in surficial sediment and biological tissues (i.e., worms, crustaceans, bivalve molluscs, and fish livers) collected from the Russian Arctic. Total DDT, chlordane, PCB and PAH concentrations ranged from ND to 1.2, ND to <0.1, ND to 1.5 and <20-810 ng g(-1), respectively, in a suite of 40 surficial sediment samples from the Kara Sea and the adjacent Ob and Yenisey Rivers. High sedimentary concentrations of contaminants were found in the lower part of the Yenisey River below the salt wedge. Total dioxins/furans were analysed in a subset of 20 sediment samples and ranged from 1.4 to 410 pg g(-1). The highest trace organic contaminant concentrations were found in organisms, particularly fish livers. Concentrations as high as 89 ng g(-1) chlordane; 1010 ng g(-1) total DDTs; 460 ng g(-1) total PCBs; and 1110 ng g(-1) total PAH, were detected. A subset of 11 tissue samples was analysed for dioxins and furans with total concentrations ranging from 12 to 61 pg g(-1). Concentrations of many trace organic and metal contaminants in the Kara Sea appear to originate from riverine sources and atmospheric transport from more temperate areas. Most organic contaminant concentrations in sediments were low; however, contaminants are being concentrated in organisms and may pose a health hazard for inhabitants of coastal villages.

Bacterial and primary production in the pelagic zone of the Kara Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sazhin, A. F.; Romanova, N. D.; Mosharov, S. A.

2010-10-01

Data on the bacterial and primary production, which were obtained simultaneously for the same water samples, are presented for three regions of the Kara Sea. The samples were collected for the transect westwards of the Yamal Peninsula, along the St. Anna Trough, and the transect in Ob Bay. Direct counts of the DAPI-stained bacterial cells were performed. The bacterial production and grazing rates were determined using a direct method when metabolic inhibitors vancomycin and penicillin were added. The primary production rates were estimated using the 14C method. The average primary production was 112.6, 58.5, and 28.7 mg C m-2 day-1, and the bacterial production was 12.8, 48.9, and 81.6 mg C m-2 day-1 along the Yamal Peninsula, the St. Anna Trough, and Ob Bay, respectively. The average bacterial carbon demand was 34.6, 134.5, and 220.4 mg C m-2 day-1 for these regions, respectively. The data obtained lead us to conclude that the phytoplankton-synthesized organic matter is generally insufficient to satisfy the bacterial carbon demand and may be completely assimilated via the heterotrophic processes in the marine ecosystems. Therefore, the bacterial activity and, consequently, the amount of the synthesized biomass (i.e., the production) both depend directly on the phytoplankton’s condition and activity. We consider these relationships to be characteristics of the Kara Sea’s biota.

Petroleum geology and resource assessment of the Timan-Pechora Basin, USSR, and the adjacent Barents-northern Kara shelf

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ulmishek, G.

1982-06-01

The regions discussed contain thick sequences of sedimentary rocks ranging in age from early Paleozoic to Late Cretaceous and, occasionally, Cenozoic. Over 50 oil and gas fields, including two giants, are found in the Timan-Pechora Basin. The Barents-northern Kara shelf is still in the earliest stage of exploration. This report considers (1) tectonic regionalization of the Timan-Pechora Basin and major structures in each region; (2) facies characteristics of the sedimentary cover and the history of geological development; (3) the main hydrogeological features; (4) producing regions of each basin and the major oil and gas fields; (5) specificity of oil-gas generationmore » and formation of fields; and (6) geology and conditions for expected productivity of the Barents-northern Kara shelf. Initial recoverable petroleum resources of the Timan-Pechora basin are estimated at 0.86 x 10/sup 9/ t (6.4 x 10/sup 9/ bbl) of oil and 1.7 x 10/sup 12/ m/sup 3/ (60 TCF) of gas, of which 0.41 x 10/sup 9/ t (3.0 x 10/sup 9/ bbl) of oil and 1.2 x 10/sup 12/ m/sup 3/ (42 TCF) of gas are yet to be discovered. Potential recoverable resources of the Barents-northern Kara shelf are estimated at 3.2 x 10/sup 9/ t (23.7 x 10/sup 9/ bbl) of oil and 10.2 x 10/sup 12/ m/sup 3/ (360 TCF) of gas.« less

Intraseasonal Cold Air Outbreak over East Asia and the preceding atmospheric condition over the Barents-Kara Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hori, M. E.; Inoue, J.

2011-12-01

Frequent occurrence of cold air outbreak is a dominant feature of the East Asian winter monsoon. A contributing factor for the this cold air outbreak is the role of stationary Rossby waves over the Eurasian continent which intensifies the surface Siberian High and the accompanying cold air outflow. Reduced sea ice and increase in turbulence heat flux is hypothesized as a source of such stationary waves (Honda et al. 2009). In particular, the winter of 2009/2010 saw a strong correlation of high pressure anomaly over the Barents/Kara sea and the following cold air buildup over the Eurasian continent and its advection towards East Asia (Hori et al. 2011). The lag correlation of surface temperature over Japan and the 850hPa geopotential height shows a cyclonic anomaly appearing over the Barents/Kara sea which creates a cold air advection over the Eurasian continent. The pressure anomaly subsequently shifted westward to mature into a blocking high which created a wave- train pattern downstream advecting the cold air buildup eastward toward East Asia and Japan (Fig1). We further examine this mechanism for other years including the 2005/2006, 2010/2011 winter and other winters with extreme cold air outbreaks. Overall, the existence of an anticyclonic anomaly over the Barents/Kara sea correlated well with the seasonal dominance of cold air over the Eurasian continent thereby creating a contrast of a warm Arctic and cold Eurasian continent.In the intraseasonal timescale, the existence of this anticyclone corresponds to a persisting atmospheric blocking in the high latitudes. In the presentation, we address the underlying chain of events leading up to a strong cold air outbreak over East Asia from an atmosphere - sea ice - land surafce interaction point of view for paritular cold winter years.

Ethnobotanical study of wild edible plants of Kara and Kwego semi-pastoralist people in Lower Omo River Valley, Debub Omo Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The rural populations in Ethiopia have a rich knowledge of wild edible plants and consumption of wild edible plants is still an integral part of the different cultures in the country. In the southern part of the country, wild edible plants are used as dietary supplements and a means of survival during times of food shortage. Therefore, the aim of this study is to document the wild edible plants gathered and consumed by Kara and Kwego people, and to analyze patterns of use between the two people. Methods A cross sectional ethnobotanical study of wild edible plant species was conducted from January 2005 to March 2007. About 10% of each people: 150 Kara and 56 Kwego were randomly selected to serve as informants. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaire and group discussions. Analysis of variance (α = 0.05) was used to test the similarity of species richness of wild edible plants reported by Kara and Kwego people; Pearson's Chi-square test (α = 0.05) was used to test similarity of growth forms and plant parts of wild edible plants used between the two people. Results Thirty-eight wild plant species were reported as food sources that were gathered and consumed both at times of plenty and scarcity; three were unique to Kara, five to Kwego and 14 had similar local names. The plant species were distributed among 23 families and 33 genera. The species richness: families, genera and species (p > 0.05) were not significantly different between Kara and Kwego. Nineteen (50%) of the reported wild edible plants were trees, 11 (29%) were shrubs, six (16%) were herbs and two (5%) were climbers. Forty plant parts were indicated as edible: 23 (58.97%) fruits, 13 (33.33%) leaves, 3 (7.69%) roots and one (2.56%) seed. There was no difference between wild edible plants growth forms reported (Pearson's Chi-square test (d.f. = 3) = 0.872) and plant parts used (Pearson's Chi-square test (d.f. = 3) = 0.994) by Kara and Kwego people. The majority of wild edible

Furfural-based polymers for the sealing of reactor vessels dumped in the Arctic Kara Sea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

HEISER,J.H.; COWGILL,M.G.; SIVINTSEV,Y.V.

1996-10-07

Between 1965 and 1988, 16 naval reactor vessels were dumped in the Arctic Kara Sea. Six of the vessels contained spent nuclear fuel that had been damaged during accidents. In addition, a container holding {approximately} 60% of the damaged fuel from the No. 2 reactor of the atomic icebreaker Lenin was dumped in 1967. Before dumping, the vessels were filled with a solidification agent, Conservant F, in order to prevent direct contact between the seawater and the fuel and other activated components, thereby reducing the potential for release of radionuclides into the environment. The key ingredient in Conservant F ismore » furfural (furfuraldehyde). Other constituents vary, depending on specific property requirements, but include epoxy resin, mineral fillers, and hardening agents. In the liquid state (prior to polymerization) Conservant F is a low viscosity, homogeneous resin blend that provides long work times (6--9 hours). In the cured state, Conservant F provides resistance to water and radiation, has high adhesion properties, and results in minimal gas evolution. This paper discusses the properties of Conservant F in both its cured and uncured states and the potential performance of the waste packages containing spent nuclear fuel in the Arctic Kara Sea.« less

Barents-Kara sea ice and the winter NAO in the DePreSys3 Met Office Seasonal forecast model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warner, J.; Screen, J.

2017-12-01

Accurate seasonal forecasting leads to a wide range of socio-economic benefits and increases resilience to prolonged bouts of extreme weather. This work looks at how November Barents-Kara sea ice may affect the winter northern hemisphere atmospheric circulation, using various compositing methods in the DePreSys3 ensemble model, with lag to argue better a relationship between the two. In particular, the NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) is focused on given its implications on European weather. Using this large hindcast dataset comprised of 35 years with 30 available ensemble members, it is found that low Barents-Kara sea ice leads to a negative NAO tendency in all composite methods, with increased mean sea level pressure in higher latitudes. The significance of this varies between composites. This is preliminary analysis of a larger PhD project to further understand how Arctic Sea ice may play a role in seasonal forecasting skill through its connection/influence on mid-latitude weather.

Chemical Characterization of an Ayurvedic Herbo-Mineral Formulation - Vasantakusumākara Rasa: A Potential Tool for Quality Assurance.

PubMed

Ota, Sarada; Singh, Arjun; Srikanth, Narayana; Sreedhar, Bojja; Ruknuddin, Galib; Dhiman, Kartar Singh

2017-01-01

Herbo-mineral formulations of Ayurveda contain specified metals or minerals as composition, which have their beneficial effects on biological systems. These metals or minerals are transformed into non-toxic forms through meticulous procedures explained in Ayurveda. Though literature is available on quality aspects of such herbo-mineral formulations; contemporary science is raising concerns at regular intervals on such formulations. Thus, it becomes mandate to develop quality profiles of all formulations that contain metals or minerals in their composition. Considering this, it is planned to evaluate analytical profile of Vasantakusumākara Rasa . To prepare Vasantakusumākara Rasa as per Standard operating Procedures (SoP) mentioned in classical text and to characterize it chemically using modern analytical techniques. The drug ( Vasantakusumākara Rasa ) in three batches was prepared in GMP certified pharmacy. Physico-chemical analysis, Assay of elements and HPTLC were carried out as per API. XRD was conducted using Rigaku Ultima-IV X-ray diffractometer. The analysis shown the presence of Mercury, Tin, Gold, Silver, Iron, Zinc and Calcium etc., and HPTLC revealed presence of organic constituents from plant material. The XRD indicated the presence of cinnabar (mercury sulphide from Rasa Sindhura ), cassiterite (tin oxide from Vaṅga Bhasma ), massicot (lead oxide from Nāga bhasma ) and Magnetite (di-iron oxide from Loha bhasma ). The physico chemical analysis reveals that VKR prepared by following classical guidelines is very effective in converting the macro elements into therapeutically effective medicines in micro form. Well prepared herbo-mineral drugs offer many advantages over plant medicines due to their longer shelf life, lesser doses, easy storing facilities, better palatability etc. The inferences and the standards laid down in this study certainly can be utilized as baseline data of standardization and QC.

Potentiometric surface of the Inyan Kara Aquifer in the Black Hills area, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Strobel, Michael L.; Galloway, Joel M.; Hamade, Ghaith R.; Jarrell, Gregory J.

2000-01-01

This map is a product of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, which was initiated in 1990 to assess the quantity, quality, and distribution of surface water and ground water in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (Driscoll, 1992). This long-term study is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District, which represents various local and county cooperators. This map is part of a series of 1:100,000-scale maps for the study. The maps include a hydrogeologic map, structure-contour maps (altitudes of the tops of formations) for five formations that contain major aquifers in the study area, and potentiometric maps for these five major aquifers (the Inyan Kara, Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers).The study area consists of the topographically defined Black Hills and adjacent areas located in western South Dakota. The Black Hills area is an elongated, dome-shaped feature, about 125 miles long and 60 miles wide, which was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny (Feldman and Heimlich, 1980). The oldest geologic units in the study area are Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are exposed in the central core of the Black Hills. Surrounding the Precambrian core is a layered series of sedimentary rocks including limestones, sandstones, and shales that are exposed in roughly concentric rings around the uplifted flanks of the Black Hills. The bedrock sedimentary units typically dip away from the uplifted Black Hills at angles that approach or exceed 10 degrees near the outcrops, and decrease with distance from the uplift. Many of the sedimentary units contain aquifers, both within and beyond the study area. Recharge to these aquifers occurs from infiltration of precipitation upon the outcrops and, in some cases, from infiltration of streamflow (Hortness and Driscoll, 1998). Artesian conditions generally exist within these

The instrumental seismicity of the Barents and Kara sea region: relocated event catalog from early twentieth century to 1989

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morozov, Alexey Nikolaevich; Vaganova, Natalya V.; Asming, Vladimir E.; Konechnaya, Yana V.; Evtyugina, Zinaida A.

2018-05-01

We have relocated seismic events registered within the Barents and Kara sea region from early twentieth century to 1989 with a view to creating a relocated catalog. For the relocation, we collected all available seismic bulletins from the global network using data from the ISC Bulletin (International Seismological Centre), ISC-GEM project (International Seismological Centre-Global Earthquake Model), EuroSeismos project, and by Soviet seismic stations from Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The location was performed by applying a modified method of generalized beamforming. We have considered several travel time models and selected one with the best location accuracy for ground truth events. Verification of the modified method and selection of the travel time model were performed using data on four nuclear explosions that occurred in the area of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and in the north of the European part of Russia. The modified method and the Barents travel time model provide sufficient accuracy for event location in the region. The relocation procedure was applied to 31 of 36 seismic events registered within the Barents and Kara sea region.

1993-94-95 Kara sea field experiments and analysis. 1995 progress report to onr Arctic Nuclear Waste Assessment Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Phillips, G.W.; August, R.A.; King, S.E.

1996-01-14

This progress report covers field work and laboratory analysis efforts for quantifying the environmental threat of radioactive waste released in the Arctic seas adjacent to the former Soviet Union and for studying the various transport mechanisms by which this radioactivity could effect populations of the U.S. and other countries bordering the Arctic. We obtained water, sediment, biological samples and oceanographic data from several cruises to the Kara Sea and adjacent waters and conducted detailed laboratory analyses of the samples for radionuclides and physical biological properties. In addition, we obtained water and sediment samples and conducted on site low level radionuclidemore » analysis on the Angara, Yenisey River system which drains a major part of the Siberian industrial heartland and empties into the Kara Sea. We report on radionuclide concentrations, on radionuclide transport and scrubbing by sediments, on adsorption by suspended particles, on transport by surface and benthic boundary layer currents, on the effects of benthic and demersal organisms, on studies of long term monitoring in the Arctic, and on an interlaboratory calibration for radionuclide analysis.« less

75 FR 41886 - Public Land Order No. 7744; Withdrawal of National Forest System Land for Inyan Kara Area; WY

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-19

... National Forest System land other than the mining laws (30 U.S.C. Ch. 2). 3. This withdrawal will expire 20... Order No. 7744; Withdrawal of National Forest System Land for Inyan Kara Area; WY AGENCY: Bureau of Land... Forest System land from location and entry under the United States mining laws for a period of 20 years...

Distribution coefficients (Kd's) for use in risk assessment models of the Kara Sea.

PubMed

Carroll, J; Boisson, F; Teyssie, J L; King, S E; Krosshavn, M; Carroll, M L; Fowler, S W; Povinec, P P; Baxter, M S

1999-07-01

As a prerequisite for most evaluations of radionuclide transport pathways in marine systems, it is necessary to obtain basic information on the sorption potential of contaminants onto particulate matter. Kd values for use in modeling radionuclide dispersion in the Kara Sea have been determined as part of several international programs addressing the problem of radioactive debris residing in Arctic Seas. Field and laboratory Kd experiments were conducted for the following radionuclides associated with nuclear waste: americium, europium, plutonium, cobalt, cesium and strontium. Emphasis has been placed on two regions in the Kara Sea: (i) the Novaya Zemlya Trough (NZT) and (ii) the mixing zones of the Ob and Yenisey Rivers (RMZ). Short-term batch Kd experiments were performed at-sea on ambient water column samples and on samples prepared both at-sea and in the laboratory by mixing filtered bottom water with small amounts of surficial bottom sediments (particle concentrations in samples = 1-30 mg/l). Within both regions, Kd values for individual radionuclides vary over two to three orders of magnitude. The relative particle affinities for radionuclides in the two regions are americium approximately equal to europium > plutonium > cobalt > cesium > strontium. The values determined in this study agree with minimum values given in the IAEA Technical Report [IAEA, 1985. Sediment Kd's and Concentration Factors for Radionuclides in the Marine Environment. Technical Report No. 247. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.]. Given the importance of Kd's in assessments of critical transport pathways for radionuclide contaminants, we recommend that Kd ranges of values for specific elements rather than single mean values be incorporated into model simulations of radionuclide dispersion.

Spatial patterns of water quality parameters in upper layer of the Kara Sea in summer 2016 based on laser remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osokina, Varvara; Pelevin, Vadim; Shatravin, Alexander; Belyaev, Nikolay; Demidov, Andrey; Redzhepova, Zuleyha

2017-04-01

The paper represents results of remote sensing by means of Laser Induced Fluorescence LiDAR during the expedition in Kara Sea in summer 2016. The expedition took place in Western and Southern parts of Kara Sea including Ob and Yenisei areas from June, 14 to August, 20 2016. The LiDAR observations were obtained from the research vessel Mstislav Keldysh and included 4600 km of almost continuous measurements and 94 complex stations. As a result now there is a vast LiDAR database available for scientific purposes. The data were processed and recalculated providing a set of high resolution maps of distribution of main oceanographic water quality parameters including chlorophyll "a", total organic carbon and total suspended matter in surface layer. The proceeded maps give a precise information about the location of frontal zones between Ob and Yenisei waters and Kara Sea waters, provide a detailed picture of complex surface water structure in central Kara Sea and other locations and present data about spatial distinction of concentrations of measured water parameters. The LiDAR measurements were afterwards compared to data, obtained by underway flow-through CTD measuring system and satellite images providing adjunct information on water parameters' distribution features. The instruments of UFL (Ultraviolet fluorescent LiDAR) series were developed by the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Moscow, Russia, and have been successfully used in lots of scientific expeditions in different water areas. UFL LiDARs take measurements with sampling rate up to 2 Hz from the vessel under way in any weather or sunlight conditions. The measurements are linked to a GPS, and so all data are geo-tagged and can be used to create interpolated maps of the measured parameters. The instrument analyses backward signal from dual excitation (355, 532 nm) laser pulses emitted at 2 Hz. The signal is detected across 11 bands in series (355, 385, 404, 424, 440, 460, 499, 532, 620, 651, 685 nm) on

2009/2010 Eurasian Cold Winter and Loss of Arctic Sea-ice over Barents/Kara Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shim, T.; Kim, B.; Kim, S.

2012-12-01

In 2009/2010 winter, a few extreme cold events and heavy snowfall occurred over central North America, north western Europe, and East Asia exerting a severe social and economic impacts. In this study, we performed modeling experiments to examine the role of substantially reduced Arctic sea-ice over Barents/Kara Sea on the 2009/2010 cold winters. Although several previous studies investigated cause of the extreme events and emphasized the large snow-covered area over Siberia in autumn 2009, we note that the area extent of Arctic sea-ice over Barents/Kara sea in autumn 2009 was anomalously low and the possible impact from Arctic for the extreme cold events has not been presented. To investigate the influence from the Arctic, we designed three model runs using Community Atmosphere Model Version 3 (CAM3). Each simulation differs by the prescribed surface boundary conditions: (a) CTRL - climatological seasonal cycle of sea surface temperature (SST) and sea-ice concentration (SIC) are prescribed everywhere, (b) EXP_65N - SST and SIC inside the Arctic circle (north of 65°N) are replaced by 2009/2010 values. Elsewhere, the climatology is used, (c) EXP_BK - Same with (b) except that SIC and SST are fixed only over Barents/Kara Sea where the sea-ice area dropped significantly in 2009/2010 winter. Model results from EXP_65N and EXP_BK commonly showed a large increase of air temperature in the lower troposphere where Arctic sea-ice showed a large reduction. Also, compared with the observation, model successfully captured thickened geopotential height in the Arctic and showed downstream wave propagation toward midlatitude. From the analysis, we reveal that this large dipolar Arctic-midlatitude teleconnection pattern in the upper troposphere easily propagate upward and played a role in the weakening of polar vortex. This is also confirmed in the observation. However, the timing of excitation of upward propagating wave in EXP_65N and EXP_BK were different and thus the timing of

Spatial features of glacier changes in the Barents-Kara Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharov, A. I.; Schöner, W.; Pail, R.

2009-04-01

In the 1950s, the total area of glaciers occupying separate islands and archipelagos of the Barents and Kara seas exceeded 92,300 km² (Atlas of the Arctic 1985). The overall glacier volume reached 20,140 km³ and the average ice thickness was given as 218 m. Our recent remote sensing studies and mass-balance estimates using spaceborne ASTER and LANDSAT imagery, ERS and JERS radar interferometric mosaics, and ICESat altimetry data revealed that, in the 2000s, the areal extent and volume of Barents-Kara glaciation amounted to 86,200±200 km² and 19,330±20 km³, respectively. The annual loss of land ice influenced by severe climate change in longitudinal direction was determined at approx. 8 km³/a in Svalbard, 4 km³/a both in the Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya archipelagos, and less than 0.3 km³/a in Severnaya Zemlya over the past 50 years. The average ice thickness of remaining glaciation increased to 224 m. This fact was explained by rapid disintegration of thinner glacier margins and essential accumulation of snow at higher glacier elevations. Both effects were clearly visible in the series of satellite image maps of glacier elevation changes generated within the framework of the INTEGRAL, SMARAGD and ICEAGE research projects. These maps can be accessed at http://joanneum.dib.at/integral or smaragd (cd results). The largest negative elevation changes were typically detected in the seaward basins of fast-flowing outlet glaciers, both at their fronts and tops. Ablation processes were stronger manifested on southern slopes of ice caps, while the accumulation of snow was generally higher on northern slopes so that main ice divides "shifted" to the north. The largest positive elevation changes (about 100 m) were found in the central part of the study region in the accumulation areas of the biggest ice caps, such as Northern Ice Cap in Novaya Zemlya, Tyndall and Windy ice domes in Franz Josef Land, and Kvitoyjokulen at Kvitøya. The sides of these glaciers

Trends in trace organic and metal concentrations in the Pechora and Kara Seas and adjacent rivers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brooks, J.M.; Champ, M.A.; Wade, T.L.

1995-12-31

Trace organic (pesticides, PCBs, PAHs and dioxin/furan) and trace metal concentrations have been measured in surficial sediment and tissue (i.e., clam, fish liver and flesh) samples from the Pechora and Kara Seas and their adjacent rivers -- Pechora, Ob and Yenisey Rivers. Total PAH, PCB and total DDT and chlordane concentrations ranged in surficial sediments from n.d. to 810 ppb, n.d.--8.7 ppb, n.d.--1.2 ppb, and n.d.--1.2 ppb, respectively, in a suite of 40 samples from the Kara Sea and its adjacent rivers. The highest concentrations of many of the trace organic and metal contaminants were found in the lower partmore » of the Yenisey River below the salt wedge. Some trace metals (As for example) were elevated in the Pechora River dispositional plume region. Dioxin ranged from 1.36 to 413 ppt in a subset of 20 sediment samples. Higher trace organic contaminant concentrations compared to sediments were found in tissue samples from the region, especially fish liver samples. Concentrations as high as 1,114 ppb total PAHs, 89 ppb chlordane, 1,011 ppb for total DDT and 663 ppb PCBs were found in some fish liver samples. Dioxin concentrations in tissue samples ranged from 11.7 to 61 ppt. Concentrations of many trace organic and metal contaminants in these Russian marginal seas are influenced by inputs from these large Arctic rivers. Many organic contaminant concentrations in sediments are low, however detecting these compounds in tissue show they are bioavailable.« less

Macrobenthos of Yenisei Bay and the adjacent Kara Sea shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galkin, S. V.; Vedenin, A. A.

2015-07-01

Trawl samples were collected in the northern region of Yenisei Bay and adjacent parts of the Kara Sea shelf. A total of eight stations were taken. We found more than 200 species of benthic organisms. A consecutive replacement of benthic communities is observed when going to the north from the Ob and Yenisei estuaries to the open parts of the sea. We could distinguish four different species complexes in the investigated area: a brackish-water complex where Saduria entomon is dominant; an intermediate complex where S. sibirica, S. sabini and Portlandia aestuariorum are dominant; a transitional complex with P. arctica as a dominant species and with a small amount of Ophiocten sericeum; a marine complex where O. sericeum is dominant. When salinity increased, some brackish-water species were replaced by related euryhaline species. One such example was the replacement of brackish-water Saduria entomon isopods by two euryhaline species: S. sibirica and S. sabini. The consecutive replacement of benthic communities showed a break near Sverdrup Island. In this area the marine complex was replaced by a transitional complex with P. arctica.

Altitude of the top of the Inyan Kara Group in the Black Hills area, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Janet M.; Redden, Jack A.

2000-01-01

This map is a product of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, which was initiated in 1990 to assess the quantity, quality, and distribution of surface water and ground water in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (Driscoll, 1992). This long-term study is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District, which represents various local and county cooperators. This map is part of a series of 1:100,000-scale maps for the study. The maps include a hydrogeologic map, structure-contour maps (altitudes of the tops of formations) for five formations that contain major aquifers in the study area, and potentiometric maps for these five major aquifers (the Inyan Kara, Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers).The study area consists of the topographically defined Black Hills and adjacent areas located in western South Dakota. The Black Hills area is an elongated, dome-shaped feature, about 125 miles long and 60 miles wide, which was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny (Feldman and Heimlich, 1980). The oldest geologic units in the study area are Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are exposed in the central core of the Black Hills. Surrounding the Precambrian core is a layered series of sedimentary rocks including limestones, sandstones, and shales that are exposed in roughly concentric rings around the uplifted flanks of the Black Hills. The bedrock sedimentary units typically dip away from the uplifted Black Hills at angles that approach or exceed 10 degrees near the outcrops, and decrease with distance from the uplift. Many of the sedimentary units contain aquifers, both within and beyond the study area. Recharge to these aquifers occurs from infiltration of precipitation upon the outcrops and, in some cases, from infiltration of streamflow (Hortness and Driscoll, 1998). Artesian conditions generally exist within these

Springtime microwave emissivity changes in the southern Kara Sea

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crane, Robert G.; Anderson, Mark R.

1994-01-01

Springtime microwave brightness temperatures over first-year ice are examined for the southern Kara Sea. Snow emissivity changes are revealed by episodic drops in the 37- to 18-GHz brightness temperature gradient ratio measured by the Nimbus 7 scanning multichannel microwave radiometer. We suggest that the negative gradient ratios in spring 1982 result from increased scatter at 37 GHz due to the formation of a near-surface hoar layer. This interpretation is supported by the results of a surface radiation balance model that shows the melt signature occurring at below freezing temperatures but under clear-sky conditions with increased solar input to the surface. Published observations from the Greenland ice cap show a surface hoar layer forming under similar atmospheric conditions owing to the increased penetration and absorption of solar radiation just below the surface layer. In spring/early summer 1984 similar gradient ratio signatures occur. They appear to be due to several days of freeze-thaw cycling following the movement of a low-pressure system through the region. These changes in surface emissivity represent the transition from winter to summer conditions (as defined by the microwave response) and are shown to be regional in extent and to vary with the synoptic circulations.

Geohydrology and water quality of the Inyan Kara, Minnelusa, and Madison aquifers of the northern Black Hills, South Dakota and Wyoming, and Bear Lodge Mountains, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kyllonen, D.P.; Peter, K.D.

1987-01-01

The Inyan Kara, Minnelusa, and Madison aquifers are the principal sources of ground water in the northern Black Hills, South Dakota and Wyoming, and Bear Lodge Mountains, Wyoming. The aquifers are exposed in the Bear Lodge Mountains and the Black Hills and are about 3,000 to 5,000 ft below the land surface in the northeast corner of the study area. The direction of groundwater movement is from the outcrop area toward central South Dakota. Recharge is by infiltration of precipitation and streamflow is by springs and well withdrawals. All three aquifers yield water to flowing wells in some part of the area. Measured and reported well yields in each of the three aquifers exceed 100 gal/min (gpm). A well open to the Minnelusa Formation and the upper part of the Madison Limestone yielded more than 2 ,000 gpm. Water from the Inyan Kara aquifer may require treatment for gross alpha radiation, iron, manganese, sulfate, and hardness before use in public water systems. Water from the Minnelusa aquifer in the northern one-half of the study area may require treatment for sulfate and hardness before use in public water systems. Water from the Madison aquifer in the northern one-half of the study area may require treatment of fluoride, gross alpha radiation, sulfate, and hardness before use in public water systems. Water from the Minnelusa and Madison aquifers in the southern one-half of the study area, though very hard (more than 180 mg/L hardness as calcium carbonate), is suitable for public water systems and irrigation. Flow between the Minnelusa and the Inyan Kara aquifers appears to be insignificant, based on the results of a digital model results. The model indicated there may be significant recharge to the Minnelusa and Madison aquifers by leakage between these two aquifers and perhaps deeper aquifers. (Author 's abstract)

Ar-40 to Ar-39 ages of the large impact structures Kara and Manicouagan and their relevance to the Cretaceous-Tertiary and the Triassic-Jurassic boundary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trieloff, M.; Jessberger, E. K.

1992-01-01

Since the discovery of the Ir enrichment in Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary clays in 1980, the effects of a 10-km asteroid impacting on the Earth 65 Ma ago have been discussed as the possible reason for the mass extinction--including the extinction of the dinosaurs--at the end of the Cretaceous. But up to now no crater of this age that is large enough (ca. 200 km in diameter) has been found. One candidate is the Kara Crater in northern Siberia. Kolesnikov et al. determined a K-Ar isochron of 65.6 +/- 0.5 Ma, indistinguishable from the age of the K-T boundary and interpreted this as confirmation of earlier proposals that the Kara bolide would have been at least one of the K-T impactors. Koeberl et al. determined Ar-40 to Ar-39 ages ranging from 70 to 82 Ma and suggested an association to the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary, another important extinction horizon 73 Ma ago. We dated four impact melts, KA2-306, KA2-305, SA1-302, and AN9-182. Results from the investigation are discussed.

Ar-40 to Ar-39 ages of the large impact structures Kara and Manicouagan and their relevance to the Cretaceous-Tertiary and the Triassic-Jurassic boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trieloff, M.; Jessberger, E. K.

Since the discovery of the Ir enrichment in Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary clays in 1980, the effects of a 10-km asteroid impacting on the Earth 65 Ma ago have been discussed as the possible reason for the mass extinction--including the extinction of the dinosaurs--at the end of the Cretaceous. But up to now no crater of this age that is large enough (ca. 200 km in diameter) has been found. One candidate is the Kara Crater in northern Siberia. Kolesnikov et al. determined a K-Ar isochron of 65.6 +/- 0.5 Ma, indistinguishable from the age of the K-T boundary and interpreted this as confirmation of earlier proposals that the Kara bolide would have been at least one of the K-T impactors. Koeberl et al. determined Ar-40 to Ar-39 ages ranging from 70 to 82 Ma and suggested an association to the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary, another important extinction horizon 73 Ma ago. We dated four impact melts, KA2-306, KA2-305, SA1-302, and AN9-182. Results from the investigation are discussed.

Leaching of radionuclides from furfural-based polymers used to solidify reactor compartments and components disposed of in the Arctic Kara Sea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

HEISER,J.H.; SIVINTSEV,Y.; ALEXANDROV,V.P.

1999-09-01

Within the course of operating its nuclear navy, the former Soviet Union (FSU) disposed of reactor vessels and spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in three fjords on the east coast of Novaya Zemlya and in the open Kara Sea within the Novaya Zemlya Trough during the period 1965 to 1988. The dumping consisted of 16 reactors, six of which contained SNF and one special container that held ca. 60% of the damaged SNF and the screening assembly from the No. 2 reactor of the atomic icebreaker Lenin. At the time, the FSU considered dumping of decommissioned nuclear submarines with damaged coresmore » in the bays of and near by the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Kara Sea to be acceptable. To provide an additional level of safety, a group of Russian scientists embarked upon a course of research to develop a solidification agent that would provide an ecologically safe barrier. The barrier material would prevent direct contact of seawater with the SNF and the resultant leaching and release of radionuclides. The solidification agent was to be introduced by flooding the reactors vessels and inner cavities. Once introduced the agent would harden and form an impermeable barrier. This report describes the sample preparation of several ``Furfurol'' compositions and their leach testing using cesium 137 as tracer.« less

Movement of a female polar bear (Ursus maritimus) in the Kara Sea during the summer sea-ice break-up.

PubMed

Rozhnov, V V; Platonov, N G; Naidenko, S V; Mordvintsev, I N; Ivanov, E A

2017-01-01

The polar bear movement trajectory in relation to onset date of the sea-ice break-up was studied in the coastal zone of the Taimyr Peninsula, eastern part of the Kara Sea, using as an example a female polar bear tagged by a radio collar with an Argos satellite transmitter. Analysis of the long-term pattern of ice melting and tracking, by means of satellite telemetry, of the female polar bear who followed the ice-edge outgoing in the north-eastern direction (in summer 2012) suggests that direction of the polar bear movement depends precisely on the direction of the sea-ice cover break-up.

Radioactive contamination from dumped nuclear waste in the Kara Sea--results from the joint Russian-Norwegian expeditions in 1992-1994.

PubMed

Salbu, B; Nikitin, A I; Strand, P; Christensen, G C; Chumichev, V B; Lind, B; Fjelldal, H; Bergan, T D; Rudjord, A L; Sickel, M; Valetova, N K; Føyn, L

1997-08-25

Russian-Norwegian expeditions to the Kara Sea and to dumping sites in the fjords of Novaya Zemlya have taken place annually since 1992. In the fjords, dumped objects were localised with sonar and ROV equipped with underwater camera. Enhanced levels of 137Cs, 60Co, 90Sr and 239,240Pu in sediments close to dumped containers in the Abrosimov and Stepovogo fjords demonstrated that leaching from dumped material has taken place. The contamination was inhomogeneously distributed and radioactive particles were identified in the upper 10 cm of the sediments. 137Cs was strongly associated with sediments, while 90Sr was more mobile. The contamination was less pronounced in the areas where objects presumed to be reactor compartments were located. The enhanced level of radionuclides observed in sediments close to the submarine in Stepovogo fjord in 1993 could, however, not be confirmed in 1994. Otherwise, traces of 60Co in sediments were observed in the close vicinity of all localised objects. Thus, the general level of radionuclides in waters, sediments and biota in the fjords is, somewhat higher or similar to that of the open Kara Sea, i.e. significantly lower than in other adjacent marine systems (e.g. Irish Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea). The main sources contributing to radioactive contamination were global fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapon tests, river transport from Ob and Yenisey, marine transport of discharges from Sellafield, UK and fallout from Chernobyl. Thus, the radiological impact to man and the arctic environment of the observed leakages from dumped radioactive waste today, is considered to be low. Assuming all radionuclides are released from the waste, preliminary assessments indicate a collective dose to the world population of less than 50 man Sv.

Methane Release and Pingo-Like Feature Across the South kara Sea Shels, an Area of Thawing Offshore Permafrost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serov, P.; Portnov, A.; Mienert, J.

2015-12-01

Thawing subsea permafrost controls methane release from the Russian Arctic shelf having a considerable impact on the climate-sensitive Arctic environment. Our recent studies revealed extensive gas release over an area of at least 7500 km2and presence of pingo-like features (PLFs), showing severe methane leakage, in the South Kara Sea in water depths >20m (Serov et al., 2015). Specifically, we detected shallow methane ebullition sites expressed in water column acoustic anomalies (gas flares and gas fronts) and areas of increased dissolved methane concentrations in bottom water, which might be sufficient sources of carbon for seawater-atmosphere exchange. A study of nature and source of leaking gas was focused on two PLFs, which are acoustically transparent circular mounds towering 5-9 m above the surrounding seafloor. One PLF (PLF 2) connects to biogenic gas from deeper sources, which is reflected in δ13CCH4 values ranging from -55,1‰ to -88,0‰ and δDCH4values varied from -175‰ to -246‰. Low organic matter content (0.52-1.69%) of seafloor sediments restricts extensive in situ methane production. The formation of PLF 2 is directly linked to the thawing of subsea permafrost and, possibly, decomposition of permafrost related gas hydrates. High accumulations of biogenic methane create the necessary forces to push the remaining frozen layers upwards and, therefore, form a topographic feature. We speculate that PLF 1, which shows ubiquitously low methane concentrations, is either a relict submerged terrestrial pingo, or a PLF lacking the necessary underlying methane accumulations. Our model of glacial-interglacial permafrost evolution supports a scenario in which subsea permafrost tapers seaward and pinches out at 20m isobaths, controlling observed methane emissions and development of PLFs. Serov. P., A. Portnov, J. Mienert, P. Semenov, and P. Ilatovskaya (2015), Methane release from pingo-like features across the South Kara Sea shelf, an area of thawnig

How the origin of fresh household waste affects its ability to be biodegraded: an assessment using basic tools and its application to the city of Kara in Togo.

PubMed

Segbeaya, K N; Feuillade-Cathalifaud, G; Baba, G; Koledzi, E K; Pallier, V; Tchangbedji, G; Matejka, G

2012-12-01

Waste biodegradation has been largely investigated in the literature by using conventional tests like the BMP test and the respirometric test, whereas only few studies deal with the use of leaching tests in combination with biological activity measurements. Consequently, this study used an improved leaching test to evaluate the biodegradability of two deposits of fresh household waste from the city of Kara in Togo. The first deposit came from households in neighborhoods located in the outskirts of the city and the second consisted of fresh waste, mainly composed of business waste and household waste, collected in the urban center and aimed at being deposited in the landfill. A physicochemical characterization of the two deposits completed the leaching test. The biological activity was monitored by measuring O(2) consumption and CO(2) production. pH, DOC/OM, VFA/DOC ratios and the SUVA index was measured in the leaching juice to assess both the state of degradation of the waste in the deposits and the ability of the organic matter to be mobilized quickly and to be easily assimilated by microorganisms. The biodegradability of waste from the city of Kara correlated with their origin even though the physical characteristics of the two deposits studied differed greatly. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of radionuclide accumulation in benthic organisms and fish of the Barents and Kara Seas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matishov, G.G.; Matishov, D.G.; Rissanen, C.

1995-05-01

Artificial radionuclides play a specific role in the hydrochemical, geochemical, and hydrobiological processes that are currently occurring in the western Arctic. The existing data on radioactive contamination of different plant and animal species inhabiting the sea shelf are fragmentary. Hence, it was difficult to follow the transformation of radionuclides during their transmission along food chains, from phyto- and zoo-plankton to benthos, fish, birds, and marine mammals. In 1990-1994, the Murmansk Institute of Marine Biology organized expeditions to collect samples of residues on the sea floor and also of benthos, benthic fish, macrophytes, and other organisms inhabiting the shelf of themore » Barents and Kara Seas. These samples were tested for cesium-137, cesium-134, strontium-90, plutonium-239, plutonium-240, americium-241, and cobalt-60 in Rovaniemi (Finland) by the regional radiation administration of the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety. Over 1000 tests were made. Their results provided new data on the content and distribution of these radionuclides among different components of marine ecosystems. 7 refs.« less

Critical Latitude in Tidal Dynamics Using the Kara Sea as an Example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kagan, B. A.; Sofina, E. V.; Timofeev, A. A.

2018-03-01

It is well known that, within the linear nonviscous equations of tidal dynamics, the amplitudes of oscillations of the barotropic and baroclinic tidal velocity components unlimitedly increase when approaching the critical latitude. It is also known that the linear equations of tidal dynamics with a constant and specified vertical eddy viscosity indicate the occurrence of significant tidal velocity shears in the near-bottom layer, which are responsible for increasing the baroclinic tidal energy dissipation, the turbulent kinetic energy, and the thickness of the bottom boundary layer. The first circumstance—the growth of the amplitudes of oscillations of the barotropic and baroclinic tidal velocity components—is due to the elimination in the original equations of small terms, which are small everywhere except for the critical latitude zone. The second circumstance—the occurrence of significant tidal velocity shears—is due to the fact that internal tidal waves, which induce the dissipation of the baroclinic tidal energy and the diapycnal diffusion, are either not taken into account or described inadequately. It is suggested that diapycnal diffusion can lead to the degeneration (complete or partial) of tidal velocity shears, with all the ensuing consequences. The aforesaid is confirmed by simulation results obtained using the QUODDY-4 high-resolution three-dimensional finite-element hydrostatic model along the 66.25° E section, which passes in the Kara Sea across the critical latitude.

Selected data for wells and test holes used in structure-contour maps of the Inyan Kara Group, Minnekahta Limestone, Minnelusa Formation, Madison Limestone, and Deadwood Formation in the Black Hills area, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, J.M.

1999-01-01

This report presents selected data on wells and test holes that were used in the construction of structure-contour maps of selected formations that contain major aquifers in the Black Hills area of western South Dakota. Altitudes of the top of the Inyan Kara Group, Minnekahta Limestone, Minnelusa Formation, Madison Limestone, and Deadwood Formation are presented for the wells and test holes presented in this report.

40Ar-39Ar Ages of the Large Impact Structures Kara and Manicouagan and their Relevance to the Cretaceous-Tertiary and the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trieloff, M.; Jessberger, E. K.

1992-07-01

Since the discovery of the iridium enrichment in Cretaceous- Tertiary boundary clays by Alvarez et al. (1980) the search for the crater of the K/T impactor is in progress. Petrographic evidence at the K/T boundary material points towards an impact into an ocean as well as onto the continental crust, multiple K/T impacts are now being considered (Alvarez and Asaro, 1990). One candidate is the Kara crater in northern Siberia of which Kolesnikov et al. (1988) determined a K-Ar isochrone age of 65.6 +- 0.5 Ma, regarding this as indicating that the Kara bolide is at least one of the K/T impactors. Koeberl et al. (1990) determined ^40Ar-^39Ar ages of six impact melts ranging from 70 to 82 Ma and suggested rather an association to the Campanian- Maastrichtian boundary, another important extinction horizon 73 Ma ago (Harland et al., 1982). We dated with the ^40Ar-^39Ar technique four impact melts, KA2- 306, KA2-305, SA1-302 and AN9-182. The spectra have rather well- defined plateaus, shown with highly extended age scales (Fig. 1). The plateau ages range from 69.3 to 71.7 Ma. Our data do not support an association either with the Cretaceous-Tertiary or with the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary. We deduce an age of 69-71 Ma for the Kara impact structure. Nazarov et al. (1991) have demonstrated by isotopic hydrogen studies that the Kara bolide impacted on dry land, while the last regression at the target area before the end of the Cretaceous occurred 69-70 Ma ago. Our data are consistent with an impact shortly after the regression. We further dated impact metamorphic anorthosite samples (10BD5 and 10BD3C) of the Manicouagan crater, Canada, which may be related to the Triassic-Jurassic boundary (McLaren and Goodfellow, 1990). The samples consist of two different phases, one degassing at low temperatures yielding a plateau age of 212 Ma and another phase which was degassed during the cratering event to varying degrees with apparent ages increasing up to 950 Ma, the age of the

Pre-rift sedimentation of the Lomonosov Ridge, Arctic Ocean at 84°N - A correlation to the complex geologic evolution of the conjugated Kara Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauermilch, Isabel; Weigelt, Estella; Jokat, Wilfried

2018-07-01

The Arctic Ocean region plays, and has played in the geological past, a key role for Earth's climate and oceanic circulation and their evolution. Studying the Lomonosov Ridge, a narrow submarine continental ridge in the central Arctic Ocean, is essential to answer fundamental questions related to the complex tectonic evolution of the Arctic basins, the glacial history, and the details of known paleoceanographic changes in the Cenozoic. In this study, we present a new seismic dataset that provides insights into the sedimentary structures along the ridge, their possible origin, age and formation. We compare the structure and stratigraphy of the deeper parts of the ridge between 83°N and 84°30‧N to its conjugate, the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago at the Eurasia margin. We propose that some sediment sequences directly underlying the prominent HARS (High Amplitude Reflector Sequence) formed well before the ridge separated from the Barents and Kara shelves and represent a prolongation of the North Kara Terrane, most likely part of the Neoproterozoic Timanide orogen. Towards Siberia along the Lomonosov Ridge, we interpret the HARS to be underlain by Upper Proterozoic-Lower Paleozoic metasedimentary material that is correlated to metamorphic complexes exposed on Bol'shevik Island. Northward, this unit descends and gives way to a foreland sedimentary basin complex of presumed Ordovician/Devonian age, which underwent strong deformation during the Triassic/Jurassic Novaya Zemlya orogeny. The transition zone between these units might mark a conjugate continuation of the Eurasian margin's Bol'shevik-Thrust Zone. A prominent erosional unconformity is observed over these strongly deformed foreland basins of the Eurasian and Lomonosov Ridge margins, and is conceivably related to vertical tectonics during breakup or a later basin-wide erosional event.

Geology and petroleum resources of the Barents-northern Kara shelf in light of new geologic data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ulmishek, G.

1985-10-01

The Barents-northern Kara shelf, one of the largest continental shelves in the world, is still in the earliest stage of exploration for oil and gas. During the last several years, numerous seismic surveys have been conducted, a number of wells have been drilled, and several gas fields have been discovered. This report summarizes the geological data gathered during recent exploration activities and presents the changes in earlier concepts necessitated by consideration of these new data. The revised assessment of undiscovered petroleum resources is based on new information about the distribution and quality of source rocks and reservoir rocks and themore » structural framework of the shelf. Special attention is paid to evaluating the oil versus gas potential of the shelf, an evaluation that strongly depends on the expected offshore extension of oil-source facies in the Lower-Middle Triassic section. The most probable amounts of undiscovered petroleum resources of the shelf are estimated at 14.2 x 10/sup 9/ barrels of oil and 312.2 x 10/sup 12/ cubic feet of gas. The Finnmark trough, the south Barents and North Novaya Zemlya depressions, and the offshore continuation of the Timan-Pechora basin possess the great majority of these resources. 103 refs., 12 figs., 1 tab.« less

Box model of radionuclide dispersion and radiation risk estimation for population in case of radioactivity release from nuclear submarine {number_sign}601 dumped in the Kara Sea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yefimov, E.I.; Pankratov, D.V.; Ignatiev, S.V.

1997-12-31

When ships with nuclear reactors or nuclear materials aboard suffer shipwreck or in the case of burial or dumping of radioactive wastes, atmospheric fallout, etc., radionuclides may be released and spread in the sea, contaminating the sea water and the sea bottom. When a nuclear submarine (NS) is dumped this spread of activity may occur due to gradual core destruction by corrosion over many years. The objective of this paper is to develop a mathematical model of radionuclide dispersion and to assess the population dose and radiation risk for radionuclide release from the NS No. 601, with Pb-Bi coolant thatmore » was dumped in the Kara Sea.« less

Distribution of bacterioplankton with active metabolism in waters of the St. Anna Trough, Kara Sea, in autumn 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosharova, I. V.; Mosharov, S. A.; Ilinskiy, V. V.

2017-01-01

The distribution of bacterioplankton with active electron transport chains, as well as bacteria with intact cell membranes, was investigated for the first time in the region of St. Anna Trough in the Kara Sea. The average number of bacteria with active electron transport chains in the waters of the St. Anna Trough was 15.55 × 103 cells mL-1 (the limits of variation were 1.06-92.17 × 103 cells mL-1). The average number of bacteria with intact membranes was 33.46 × 103 cells mL-1 (the limits of variation were 6.78 to 103.18 × 103 cells mL-1). Almost all bacterioplankton microorganisms in the studied area were potentially viable, and the average share of bacteria with intact membranes was 92.1% of the total number of bacterioplankton (TNB) (the limits of variation were 76.2 to 98.4%). The share of bacteria with active metabolisms was 38.2% of the TNB (the limits of variation were 5.6-93.4%). The shares of the bacteria with active metabolisms were maximum in areas with the most stable environmental conditions (on the shelf and in deep water), whereas on the slope, where the gradients of water temperature and salinity were maximum, these values were lower.

Using remotely sensed vegetation indices to model ecological pasture conditions in Kara-Unkur watershed, Kyrgyzstan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masselink, Loes; Baartman, Jantiene; Verbesselt, Jan; Borchardt, Peter

2017-04-01

Kyrgyzstan has a long history of nomadic lifestyle in which pastures play an important role. However, currently the pastures are subject to severe grazing-induced degradation. Deteriorating levels of biomass, palatability and biodiversity reduce the pastures' productivity. To counter this and introduce sustainable pasture management, up-to-date information regarding the ecological conditions of the pastures is essential. This research aimed to investigate the potential of a remote sensing-based methodology to detect changing ecological pasture conditions in the Kara-Unkur watershed, Kyrgyzstan. The relations between Vegetation Indices (VIs) from Landsat ETM+ images and biomass, palatability and species richness field data were investigated. Both simple and multiple linear regression (MLR) analyses, including terrain attributes, were applied. Subsequently, trends of these three pasture conditions were mapped using time series analysis. The results show that biomass is most accurately estimated by a model including the Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI) and a slope factor (R2 = 0.65, F = 0.0006). Regarding palatability, a model including the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Northness Index, Near Infrared (NIR) and Red band was most accurate (R2 = 0.61, F = 0.0160). Species richness was most accurately estimated by a model including Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Eastness Index and estimated biomass (R2 = 0.81, F = 0.0028). Subsequent trend analyses of all three estimated ecological pasture conditions presented very similar trend patterns. Despite the need for a more robust validation, this study confirms the high potential of a remote sensing based methodology to detect changing ecological pasture conditions.

Estimated inventory of radionuclides in former Soviet Union naval reactors dumped in the Kara Sea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mount, M.E.; Sheaffer, M.K.; Abbott, D.T.

1993-07-01

Radionuclide inventories have been estimated for the reactor cores, reactor components, and primary system corrosion products in the former Soviet Union naval reactors dumped at the Abrosimov Inlet, Tsivolka Inlet, Stepovoy Inlet, Techeniye Inlet, and Novaya Zemlya Depression sites in the Kara Sea between 1965 and 1988. For the time of disposal, the inventories are estimated at 69 to 111 kCi of actinides plus daughters and 3,053 to 7,472 kCi of fission products in the reactor cores, 917 to 1,127 kCi of activation products in the reactor components, and 1.4 to 1.6 kCi of activation products in the primary systemmore » corrosion products. At the present time, the inventories are estimated to have decreased to 23 to 38 kCi of actinides plus daughters and 674 to 708 kCi of fission products in the reactor cores, 124 to 126 kCi of activation products in the reactor components, and 0.16 to 0.17 kCi of activation products in the primary system corrosion products. Twenty years from now, the inventories are projected to be 11 to 18 kCi of actinides plus daughters and 415 to 437 kCi of fission products in the reactor cores, 63.5 to 64 kCi of activation products in the reactor components, and 0.014 to 0.015 kCi of activation products in the primary system corrosion products. All actinide activities are estimated to be within a factor of two.« less

Spatial variability of concentrations of chlorophyll a, dissolved organic matter and suspended particles in the surface layer of the Kara Sea in September 2011 from lidar data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelevin, V. V.; Zavjalov, P. O.; Belyaev, N. A.; Konovalov, B. V.; Kravchishina, M. D.; Mosharov, S. A.

2017-01-01

The article presents results of underway remote laser sensing of the surface water layer in continuous automatic mode using the UFL-9 fluorescent lidar onboard the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh during cruise 59 in the Kara Sea in 2011. The description of the lidar, the approach to interpreting seawater fluorescence data, and certain methodical aspects of instrument calibration and measurement are presented. Calibration of the lidar is based on laboratory analysis of water samples taken from the sea surface during the cruise. Spatial distribution of chlorophyll a, total organic carbon and suspended matter concentrations in the upper quasi-homogeneous layer are mapped and the characteristic scales of the variability are estimated. Some dependencies between the patchiness of the upper water layer and the atmospheric forcing and freshwater runoff are shown.

Estimated inventory of radionuclides in Former Soviet Union Naval Reactors dumped in the Kara Sea and their associated health risk

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mount, M.E.; Layton, D.W.; Schwertz, N.L.

1993-05-01

Radionuclide inventories have bin estimated for the reactor cores, reactor components, and primary system corrosion products in the former Soviet Union naval reactors dumped at the Abrosimov Inlet, Tsivolka Inlet, Stepovoy Inlet, Techeniye Inlet, and Novaya Zemlya Depression sites in the Kara Sea between 1965 and 1988. For the time of disposal, the inventories are estimated at 17 to 66 kCi of actinides plus daughters and 1695 to 4782 kCi of fission products in the reactor cores, 917 to 1127 kCi of activation products in the reactor components, and 1.4 to 1.6 kCi of activation products in the primary systemmore » corrosion products. At the present time, the inventories are estimated to have decreased to 6 to 24 kCi of actinides plus daughters and 492 to 540 kCi of fission products in the reactor cores, 124 to 126 kCi of activation products in the reactor components, and 0.16 to 0.17 kCi of activation products in the primary system corrosion products. All actinide activities are estimated to be within a factor of two.« less

Evidence for Holocene centennial variability in sea ice cover based on IP25 biomarker reconstruction in the southern Kara Sea (Arctic Ocean)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hörner, Tanja; Stein, Rüdiger; Fahl, Kirsten

2017-10-01

The Holocene is characterized by the late Holocene cooling trend as well as by internal short-term centennial fluctuations. Because Arctic sea ice acts as a significant component (amplifier) within the climate system, investigating its past long- and short-term variability and controlling processes is beneficial for future climate predictions. This study presents the first biomarker-based (IP25 and PIP25) sea ice reconstruction from the Kara Sea (core BP00-07/7), covering the last 8 ka. These biomarker proxies reflect conspicuous short-term sea ice variability during the last 6.5 ka that is identified unprecedentedly in the source region of Arctic sea ice by means of a direct sea ice indicator. Prominent peaks of extensive sea ice cover occurred at 3, 2, 1.3 and 0.3 ka. Spectral analysis of the IP25 record revealed 400- and 950-year cycles. These periodicities may be related to the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation, but probably also to internal climate system fluctuations. This demonstrates that sea ice belongs to a complex system that more likely depends on multiple internal forcing.

Distribution of trace gases and aerosols in the troposphere over West Siberia and Kara Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belan, Boris D.; Arshinov, Mikhail Yu.; Paris, Jean-Daniel; Nédélec, Philippe; Ancellet, Gérard; Pelon, Jacques; Berchet, Antoine; Arzoumanian, Emmanuel; Belan, Sergey B.; Penner, Johannes E.; Balin, Yurii S.; Kokhanenko, Grigorii; Davydov, Denis K.; Ivlev, Georgii A.; Kozlov, Artem V.; Kozlov, Alexander S.; Chernov, Dmitrii G.; Fofonov, Alexader V.; Simonenkov, Denis V.; Tolmachev, Gennadii

2015-04-01

The Arctic is affected by climate change much stronger than other regions of the globe. Permafrost thawing can lead to additional methane release, which enhances the greenhouse effect and warming, as well as changes of Arctic tundra ecosystems. A great part of Siberian Arctic is still unexplored. Ground-based investigations are difficult to be carried out in this area due to it is an out-of-the-way place. So, in spite of the high cost, aircraft-based in-situ measurements can provide a good opportunity to fill up the gap in data on the atmospheric composition over this region. The ninth YAK-AEROSIB campaign was focused on the airborne survey of Arctic regions of West Siberia. It was performed in October 2014. During the campaign, the high-precision in-situ measurements of CO2, CH4, CO, O3, black carbon and aerososls, including aerosol lidar profiles, have been carried out in the Siberian troposphere from Novosibirsk to Kara Sea. Vertical distributions of the above atmospheric constituents will be presented. This work was supported by LIA YAK-AEROSIB, CNRS (France), the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CEA (France), the Branch of Geology, Geophysics and Mining Sciences of RAS (Program No. 5); State contracts of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia No. 14.604.21.0100, (RFMTFIBBB210290) and No. 14.613.21.0013 (RFMEFI61314X0013); Interdisciplinary integration projects of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science No. 35, No. 70 and No. 131; and Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grants No. 14-05-00526 and 14-05-00590).

Sedimentology and uranium potential of the Inyan Kara Group, near Buffalo Gap, South Dakota. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dandavati, K.S.; Fox, J.E.

1980-04-01

Sedimentary structures, along with textural and compositional evidence gathered from two stratigraphic sections of the Lower Cretaceous Inyan Kara Group in Calico and Fuson Canyons on the southeastern flank of the Black Hills, suggest the following depositional framework: the basal, Chilson Member of the Lakota Formation consists of a series of upward fining sequences deposited in point-bar and flood-plain environments of a northeasterly flowing, meandering river system. Fluvial sandstones in the Chilson include channel-fill, channel margin, crevasse microdelta and levee facies. The Minnewaste Limestone Member and the lower part of the overlying Fuson Member of the Lakota Formation were depositedmore » in low-energy, lacustrine environments. Flood oriented tidal-delta facies overlain by tidal flat deposits in the upper part of the Fuson Member suggest an earlier incursion of the initial Cretaceous seaway, at least locally, than previously documented in the region. Lower Fall River deposits represent northeast-trending barrier bar and northwest-trending deltaic distributary mouth bar facies, reflecting an increase in sediment supply. Upper Fall River sandstones include distributary mouth bar and lower foreshore deposits. Altered sandstones of the basal Chilson Member and the lower part of the Fuson Member in Calico Canyon contain anomalous values of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/. Fossil wood and bone samples are also enriched in trace elements of U, V, and Mo, suggesting that uranium-bearing solutions might have passed through porous and permeable sandstones of the study area, possibly flowing toward the northeast along Chilson paleochannels.« less

Numerical model of frazil ice and suspended sediment concentrations and formation of sediment laden ice in the Kara Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sherwood, C.R.

2000-01-01

A one-dimensional (vertical) numerical model of currents, mixing, frazil ice concentration, and suspended sediment concentration has been developed and applied in the shallow southeastern Kara Sea. The objective of the calculations is to determine whether conditions suitable for turbid ice formation can occur during times of rapid cooling and wind- and wave-induced sediment resuspension. Although the model uses a simplistic approach to ice particles and neglects ice-sediment interactions, the results for low-stratification, shallow (∼20-m) freeze-up conditions indicate that the coconcentrations of frazil ice and suspended sediment in the water column are similar to observed concentrations of sediment in turbid ice. This suggests that wave-induced sediment resuspension is a viable mechanism for turbid ice formation, and enrichment mechanisms proposed to explain the high concentrations of sediment in turbid ice relative to sediment concentrations in underlying water may not be necessary in energetic conditions. However, salinity stratification found near the Ob' and Yenisey Rivers damps mixing between ice-laden surface water and sediment-laden bottom water and probably limits incorporation of resuspended sediment into turbid ice until prolonged or repeated wind events mix away the stratification. Sensitivity analyses indicate that shallow (≤20 m), unstratified waters with fine bottom sediment (settling speeds of ∼1 mm s−1 or less) and long open water fetches (>25 km) are ideal conditions for resuspension.

Prolonged effect of the stratospheric pathway in linking Barents-Kara Sea sea ice variability to the midlatitude circulation in a simplified model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Pengfei; Wu, Yutian; Smith, Karen L.

2018-01-01

To better understand the dynamical mechanism that accounts for the observed lead-lag correlation between the early winter Barents-Kara Sea (BKS) sea ice variability and the later winter midlatitude circulation response, a series of experiments are conducted using a simplified atmospheric general circulation model with a prescribed idealized near-surface heating over the BKS. A prolonged effect is found in the idealized experiments following the near-surface heating and can be explicitly attributed to the stratospheric pathway and the long time scale in the stratosphere. The analysis of the Eliassen-Palm flux shows that, as a result of the imposed heating and linear constructive interference, anomalous upward propagating planetary-scale waves are excited and weaken the stratospheric polar vortex. This stratospheric response persists for approximately 1-2 months accompanied by downward migration to the troposphere and the surface. This downward migration largely amplifies and extends the low-level jet deceleration in the midlatitudes and cold air advection over central Asia. The idealized model experiments also suggest that the BKS region is the most effective in affecting the midlatitude circulation than other regions over the Arctic.

Use of {sup 59}Ni, {sup 99}Tc, and {sup 236}U to monitor the release of radionuclides from objects containing spent nuclear fuel dumped in the Kara Sea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mount, M.E.; Layton, D.W.; Lynn, N.M.

1998-04-01

Between 1965 and 1981, five objects - six naval reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) from four former Soviet Union submarines and a special containers from the icebreaker Lenin, each of which contained damaged spent nuclear fuel (SNF) - were dumped in a variety of containments, using a number of sealing methods, at four sites in the Kara Sea. All objects were dumped at sites that varied in depth from 12 to 300 m. This paper examines the use of the long-lived radionuclides {sup 59}Ni, {sup 99}Tc, and {sup 236}U encased within these objects to monitor the breakdown of the containments duemore » to corrosion. Included are discussions of the radionuclide inventory and their release rate model, the estimated radionuclide mass in a typical seawater sample, and the potential for radionuclide measurement via Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS).« less

The influence of climate change on the intensity of ice gouging at the Kara Sea bottom by hummocky formations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogorodov, Stanislav; Arkhipov, Vasily; Kokin, Osip; Natalia, Shabanova

2016-04-01

Sea ice as a zonal factor is an important passive and active relief-forming agent in the coastal-shelf zone of the Arctic and other freezing seas. The most dangerous process in relation to the hydrotechnical facilities is ice gouging - destructive mechanical impact of the ice of the ground, connected with the dynamics of the ice cover, formation of hummocks and stamukhas under the influence of hydrometeorologic factors and of the relief of the coastal-shelf zone. Underestimation of the ice gouging intensity can lead to damage of the engineering facilities, while excessive deepening increases the expenses of the construction. Finding the optimal variant and, by this, decreasing the risks of extreme situations is a relevant task of the science and practice. This task is complicated by the fact that the oil and gas infrastructure within the coastal and shelf areas of the freezing seas is currently being developed in the conditions of global climate change. In the present work, several results of the repeated sounding of bottom ice gouging microrelief within the area of the underwater pipeline crossing of the Baydaratskaya Bay, Kara Sea, are presented. Based on the results of the monitoring, as well as the analysis of literature sources and modeling it has been established that under the conditions of climate warming and sea ice reduction, the zone of the most intensive ice gouging is shifted landwards, on shallower water areas.

Development of Oil Spill Monitoring System for the Black Sea, Caspian Sea and the Barents/Kara Seas (DEMOSS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandven, Stein; Kudriavtsev, Vladimir; Malinovsky, Vladimir; Stanovoy, Vladimir

2008-01-01

DEMOSS will develop and demonstrate elements of a marine oil spill detection and prediction system based on satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and other space data. In addition, models for prediction of sea surface pollution drift will be developed and tested. The project implements field experiments to study the effect of artificial crude oil and oil derivatives films on short wind waves and multi-frequency (Ka-, Ku-, X-, and C-band) dual polarization radar backscatter power and Doppler shift at different wind and wave conditions. On the basis of these and other available experimental data, the present model of short wind waves and radar scattering will be improved and tested.A new approach for detection and quantification of the oil slicks/spills in satellite SAR images is developed that can discriminate human oil spills from biogenic slicks and look-alikes in the SAR images. New SAR images are obtained in coordination with the field experiments to test the detection algorithm. Satellite SAR images from archives as well as from new acquisitions will be analyzed for the Black/Caspian/Kara/Barents seas to investigate oil slicks/spills occurrence statistics.A model for oil spills/slicks transport and evolution is developed and tested in ice-infested arctic seas, including the Caspian Sea. Case studies using the model will be conducted to simulate drift and evolution of oil spill events observed in SAR images. The results of the project will be disseminated via scientific publications and by demonstration to users and agencies working with marine monitoring. The project lasts for two years (2007 - 2009) and is funded under INTAS Thematic Call with ESA 2006.

Sensitivity of the sea ice concentration over the Kara-Barents Sea in autumn to the winter temperature variability over East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, K. H.; Chang, E. C.

2017-12-01

In this study, we performed sensitivity experiments by utilizing the Global/Regional Integrated Model system with different conditions of the sea ice concentration over the Kara-Barents (KB) Sea in autumn, which can affect winter temperature variability over East Asia. Prescribed sea ice conditions are 1) climatological autumn sea ice concentration obtained from 1982 to 2016, 2) reduced autumn sea ice concentration by 50% of the climatology, and 3) increased autumn sea ice concentration by 50% of climatology. Differently prescribed sea ice concentration changes surface albedo, which affects surface heat fluxes and near-surface air temperature. The reduced (increased) sea ice concentration over the KB sea increases (decreases) near-surface air temperature that leads the lower (higher) sea level pressure in autumn. These patterns are maintained from autumn to winter season. Furthermore, it is shown that the different sea ice concentration over the KB sea has remote effects on the sea level pressure patterns over the East Asian region. The lower (higher) sea level pressure over the KB sea by the locally decreased (increased) ice concentration is related to the higher (lower) pressure pattern over the Siberian region, which induces strengthened (weakened) cold advection over the East Asian region. From these sensitivity experiments it is clarified that the decreased (increased) sea ice concentration over the KB sea in autumn can lead the colder (warmer) surface air temperature over East Asia in winter.

Concentrations of trace elements and iron in the Arctic soils of Belyi Island (the Kara Sea, Russia): patterns of variation across landscapes.

PubMed

Moskovchenko, D V; Kurchatova, A N; Fefilov, N N; Yurtaev, A A

2017-05-01

The concentrations of several trace elements and iron were determined in 26 soil samples from Belyi Island in the Kara Sea (West Siberian sector of Russian Arctic). The major types of soils predominating in the soil cover were sampled. The concentrations of trace elements (mg kg -1 ) varied within the following ranges: 119-561 for Mn, 9.5-126 for Zn, 0.082-2.5 for Cd, <0.5-19.2 for Cu, <0.5-132 for Pb, 0.011-0.081 for Hg, <0.5-10.3 for Co, and 7.6-108 for Cr; the concentration of Fe varied from 3943 to 37,899 mg kg -1 . The impact of particular soil properties (pH, carbon and nitrogen contents, particle-size distribution) on metal concentrations was analyzed by the methods of correlation, cluster, and factor analyses. The correlation analysis showed that metal concentrations are negatively correlated with the sand content and positively correlated with the contents of silt and clay fractions. The cluster analysis allowed separation of the soils into three clusters. Cluster I included the soils with the high organic matter content formed under conditions of poor drainage; cluster II, the low-humus sandy soils of the divides and slopes; and cluster III, saline soils of coastal marshes. It was concluded that the geomorphic position largely controls the soil properties. The obtained data were compared with data on metal concentrations in other regions of the Russian Arctic. In general, the concentrations of trace elements in the studied soils were within the ranges typical of the background Arctic territories. However, some soils of Belyi Island contained elevated concentrations of Pb and Cd.

Signal Processing in Cold Atom Interferometry-Based INS

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-27

INTERFEROMETRY-BASED INS Kara M. Willis, BS Civilian, DAF Approved: //signed// Meir Pachter, PhD (Chairman) //signed// Maj Marshall Haker , PhD (Member) //signed...matter mentors, Maj Marshall Haker and Dr Kyle Kauffman, for their insights and unwavering encouragement. Kara M. Willis v Table of Contents Page

Anthropogenic radioactivity in the Arctic Ocean--review of the results from the joint German project.

PubMed

Nies, H; Harms, I H; Karcher, M J; Dethleff, D; Bahe, C

1999-09-30

The paper presents the results of the joint project carried out in Germany in order to assess the consequences in the marine environment from the dumping of nuclear wastes in the Kara and Barents Seas. The project consisted of experimental work on measurements of radionuclides in samples from the Arctic marine environment and numerical modelling of the potential pathways and dispersion of contaminants in the Arctic Ocean. Water and sediment samples were collected for determination of radionuclide such as 137Cs, 90Sr, 239 + 240Pu, 238Pu, and 241Am and various organic micropollutants. In addition, a few water and numerous surface sediment samples collected in the Kara Sea and from the Kola peninsula were taken by Russian colleagues and analysed for artificial radionuclide by the BSH laboratory. The role of transport by sea ice from the Kara Sea into the Arctic Ocean was assessed by a small subgroup at GEOMAR. This transport process might be considered as a rapid contribution due to entrainment of contaminated sediments into sea ice, following export from the Kara Sea into the transpolar ice drift and subsequent release in the Atlantic Ocean in the area of the East Greenland Current. Numerical modelling of dispersion of pollutants from the Kara and Barents Seas was carried out both on a local scale for the Barents and Kara Seas and for long range dispersion into the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. Three-dimensional baroclinic circulation models were applied to trace the transport of pollutants. Experimental results were used to validate the model results such as the discharges from the nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield and subsequent contamination of the North Sea up the Arctic Seas.

National Uranium Resource Evaluation: Newcastle Quadrangle, Wyoming and South Dakota

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Santos, E S; Robinson, K; Geer, K A

1982-09-01

Uranium resources of the Newcastle 1/sup 0/x2/sup 0/ Quadrangle, Wyoming and South Dakota were evaluated to a depth of 1500 m (5000 ft) using available surface and subsurface geologic information. Many of the uranium occurrences reported in the literature and in reports of the US Atomic Energy Commission were located, sampled and described. Areas of anomalous radioactivity, interpreted from an aerial radiometric survey, were outlined. Areas favorable for uranium deposits in the subsurface were evaluated using gamma-ray logs. Based on surface and subsurface data, two areas have been delineated which are underlain by rocks deemed favorable as hosts for uraniummore » deposits. One of these is underlain by rocks that contain fluvial arkosic facies in the Wasatch and Fort Union Formations of Tertiary age; the other is underlain by rocks containing fluvial quartzose sandstone facies of the Inyan Kara Group of Early Cretaceous age. Unfavorable environments characterize all rock units of Tertiary age above the Wasatch Formation, all rock units of Cretaceous age above the Inyan Kara Group, and most rock units of Mesozoic and Paleozoic age below the Inyan Kara Group. Unfavorable environments characterize all rock units of Cretaceous age above the Inyan Kara Group, and all rock units of Mesozoic and Paleozoic age below the Inyan Kara Group.« less

Hardness Results for Agnostically Learning Low-Degree Polynomial Threshold Functions

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

S∩[n](ri + δ) ∙ ∏ j∈S∩[n+1,2n]rj − ∏ i∈ Sri ) | 6 ∑ 16|S|6d|cS | ∙ (∑ ∅6=T⊆S∩[n]δ |T | ∙ ∏ i∈S\\T |ri| ) 6 ∑ 16|S|6d|cS | ∙ 2 |S| ∙ ( δ ∙ ∏ i∈S:ri>1...Diakonikolas, P. Harsha, A. Klivans, R. Meka, P. Raghavendra, R. A. Servedio, and L.-Y. Tan . Bounding the average sensitivity and noise sensitiv- ity of...applications. Information and Computation, 100(1):78–150, 1992. [12] J. Jackson . An efficient membership-query algo- rithm for learning DNF with respect to

Algorithms in Discrepancy Theory and Lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramadas, Harishchandra

This thesis deals with algorithmic problems in discrepancy theory and lattices, and is based on two projects I worked on while at the University of Washington in Seattle. A brief overview is provided in Chapter 1 (Introduction). Chapter 2 covers joint work with Avi Levy and Thomas Rothvoss in the field of discrepancy minimization. A well-known theorem of Spencer shows that any set system with n sets over n elements admits a coloring of discrepancy O(√n). While the original proof was non-constructive, recent progress brought polynomial time algorithms by Bansal, Lovett and Meka, and Rothvoss. All those algorithms are randomized, even though Bansal's algorithm admitted a complicated derandomization. We propose an elegant deterministic polynomial time algorithm that is inspired by Lovett-Meka as well as the Multiplicative Weight Update method. The algorithm iteratively updates a fractional coloring while controlling the exponential weights that are assigned to the set constraints. A conjecture by Meka suggests that Spencer's bound can be generalized to symmetric matrices. We prove that n x n matrices that are block diagonal with block size q admit a coloring of discrepancy O(√n . √log(q)). Bansal, Dadush and Garg recently gave a randomized algorithm to find a vector x with entries in {-1,1} with ∥Ax∥infinity ≤ O(√log n) in polynomial time, where A is any matrix whose columns have length at most 1. We show that our method can be used to deterministically obtain such a vector. In Chapter 3, we discuss a result in the broad area of lattices and integer optimization, in joint work with Rebecca Hoberg, Thomas Rothvoss and Xin Yang. The number balancing (NBP) problem is the following: given real numbers a1,...,an in [0,1], find two disjoint subsets I1,I2 of [ n] so that the difference |sumi∈I1a i - sumi∈I2ai| of their sums is minimized. An application of the pigeonhole principle shows that there is always a solution where the difference is at most O √n/2

Annotated type catalogue of the Orthalicoidea (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the Royal Belgian Institute of Sciences, Brussels, with descriptions of two new species

PubMed Central

Breure, Abraham S.H.

2011-01-01

Abstract The type status is described of 57 taxa from the superfamily Orthalicoidea in the collection of the Brussels museum. Two new species are described: Stenostylus perturbatus sp. n., and Suniellus adriani sp. n. New lectotypes are designated for Bulimulus (Naesiotus) amastroides Ancey, 1887; Bulimulus blanfordianus Ancey, 1903; Bulimulus montivagus chacoensis Ancey, 1897; Bulimus coloratus Nyst, 1845; Plecochilus dalmasi Dautzenberg, 1900; Placostylus porphyrostomus elata Dautzenberg, 1923; Bulimulus ephippium Ancey, 1904; Bulimus fulminans Nyst, 1843; Bulimus funckii Nyst, 1843; Orphnus thompsoni lutea Cousin, 1887; Bulimus melanocheilus Nyst, 1845; Orphnus thompsoni nigricans Cousin, 1887; Orphnus thompsoni olivacea Cousin, 1887; Bulimulus pollonerae Ancey, 1897; Orphnus thompsoni zebra Cousin, 1887. New combinations are: Bostryx borellii (Ancey, 1897); Bostryx carandaitiensis (Preston, 1907); Protoglyptus mazei (Crosse, 1874); Kuschelenia (Vermiculatus) sanborni (Haas, 1947). New synonymies are established for the following nominal taxa: Orphnus thompsoni var. lutea Cousin, 1887 = Kara thompsonii (Pfeiffer, 1845); Orphnus thompsoni var. nigricans Cousin, 1887 = Kara thompsonii (Pfeiffer, 1845); Thaumastus nystianus var. nigricans Cousin, 1887 = Drymaeus (Drymaeus) nystianus (Pfeiffer, 1853); Orphnus thompsoni var. olivacea Cousin, 1887 = Kara thompsonii (Pfeiffer, 1845); Orphnus thompsoni var. zebra Cousin, 1887 = Kara thompsonii (Pfeiffer, 1845). PMID:21747669

Recent Rapid Decline of the Arctic Winter Sea Ice in the Barents-Kara Seas Owing to Combined Effects of the Ural Blocking and SST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Binhe; Yao, Yao

2018-04-01

This study investigates why the Arctic winter sea ice loss over the Barents-Kara Seas (BKS) is accelerated in the recent decade. We first divide 1979-2013 into two time periods: 1979-2000 (P1) and 2001-13 (P2), with a focus on P2 and the difference between P1 and P2. The results show that during P2, the rapid decline of the sea ice over the BKS is related not only to the high sea surface temperature (SST) over the BKS, but also to the increased frequency, duration, and quasi-stationarity of the Ural blocking (UB) events. Observational analysis reveals that during P2, the UB tends to become quasi stationary and its frequency tends to increase due to the weakening (strengthening) of zonal winds over the Eurasia (North Atlantic) when the surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly over the BKS is positive probably because of the high SST. Strong downward infrared (IR) radiation is seen to occur together with the quasi-stationary and persistent UB because of the accumulation of more water vapor over the BKS. Such downward IR favors the sea ice decline over the BKS, although the high SST over the BKS plays a major role. But for P1, the UB becomes westward traveling due to the opposite distribution of zonal winds relative to P2, resulting in weak downward IR over the BKS. This may lead to a weak decline of the sea ice over the BKS. Thus, it is likely that the rapid decline of the sea ice over the BKS during P2 is attributed to the joint effects of the high SST over the BKS and the quasi-stationary and long-lived UB events.

Arctic Moisture Source for Eurasian Snow Cover Variations in Autumn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegmann, M.

2015-12-01

Global warming is enhanced at high northern latitudes where the Arctic surface airtemperature has risen at twice the rate of the global average in recent decades - afeature called Arctic amplification. This recent Arctic warming signal likely resultsfrom several factors such as the albedo feedback due to a diminishing cryosphere,enhanced poleward atmospheric and oceanic transport, and change in humidity. Moreover, Arcticsummer sea-ice extent has declined by more than 10% per decade since the start ofthe satellite era (e.g. Stroeve et al., 2012), culminating in a new record low inSeptember 2012.Eurasian snow cover changes have been suggested as a driver for changes in theArctic Oscillation and might provide a link between sea ice decline in the Arcticduring summer and atmospheric circulation in the following winter. However, themechanism connecting snow cover in Eurasia to sea ice decline in autumn is stillunder debate. Our analysis focuses on sea ice decline in the Barents-Kara Sea region, which allowsus to specify regions of interest for FLEXPART forward and backwards moisturetrajectories. Based on Eularian and Lagrangian diagnostics from ERA-INTERIM, wecan address the origin and cause of late autumn snow depth variations in a dense(snow observations from 820 land stations), unutilized observational datasets over theCommonwealth of Independent States.Open waters in the Barents and Kara Sea have been shown to increase the diabaticheating of the atmosphere, which amplifies baroclinic cyclones and might induce aremote atmospheric response by triggering stationary Rossby waves (Honda et al.2009).In agreement with these studies, our results show enhanced storm activity originatingat the Barents and Kara with disturbances entering the continent through a smallsector from the Barents and Kara Seas. Maxima in storm activity trigger increasing uplift, oftenaccompanied by positive snowfall and snow depth anomalies.We show that declining sea ice in the Barents and Kara Seas

EPOCA-95 cruise report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

King, S.E.; Carroll, J.; Johnson, D.R.

1996-02-13

The EPOCA 95 expedition (Environmental Pollution and Oceanography in Arctic Seas) collected data and samples in the Kara Sea in order to assess the impact of anthropogenic pollution, both radioactive and chemical on one of the marginal Arctic seas and to study the oceanography of the Kara Sea in order to better understand circulation and transport pathways of potential pollutants. This expedition included measurements near dump sites for the fueled reactors dumped by the former Soviet Union.

Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment detailed geochemical survey for Edgemont, South Dakota; Wyoming

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Butz, T.R.; Dean, N.E.; Bard, C.S.

1980-05-31

Results of the Edgemont detailed geochemical survey are reported. Field and laboratory data are presented for 109 groundwater and 419 stream sediment samples. Statistical and areal distributions of uranium and possible uranium-related variables are given. A generalized geologic map of the survey area is provided, and pertinent geologic factors which may be of significance in evaluating the potential for uranium mineralization are briefly discussed. Groundwaters containing greater than or equal to 7.35 ppB uranium are present in scattered clusters throughout the area sampled. Most of these groundwaters are from wells drilled where the Inyan Kara Group is exposed at themore » surface. The exceptions are a group of samples in the northwestern part of the area sampled and south of the Dewey Terrace. These groundwaters are also produced from the Inyan Kara Group where it is overlain by the Graneros Group and alluvium. The high uranium groundwaters along and to the south of the terrace are characterized by high molybdenum, uranium/specific conductance, and uranium/sulfate values. Many of the groundwaters sampled along the outcrop of the Inyan Kara Group are near uranium mines. Groundwaters have high amounts of uranium and molybdenum. Samples taken downdip are sulfide waters with low values of uranium and high values of arsenic, molybdenum, selenium, and vanadium. Stream sediments containing greater than or equal to 5.50 ppM soluble uranium are concentrated in basins draining the Graneros and Inyan Kara Groups. These values are associated with high values for arsenic, selenium, and vanadium in samples from both groups. Anomalous values for these elements in the Graneros Group may be caused by bentonite beds contained in the rock units. As shown on the geochemical distribution plot, high uranium values that are located in the Inyan Kara Group are almost exclusively draining open-pit uranium mines.« less

Bottom Water Acidification and Warming on the Western Eurasian Arctic Shelves: Dynamical Downscaling Projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallhead, P. J.; Bellerby, R. G. J.; Silyakova, A.; Slagstad, D.; Polukhin, A. A.

2017-10-01

The impacts of oceanic CO2 uptake and global warming on the surface ocean environment have received substantial attention, but few studies have focused on shelf bottom water, despite its importance as habitat for benthic organisms and demersal fisheries such as cod. We used a downscaling ocean biogeochemical model to project bottom water acidification and warming on the western Eurasian Arctic shelves. A model hindcast produced 14-18 year acidification trends that were largely consistent with observational estimates at stations in the Iceland and Irminger Seas. Projections under SRES A1B scenario revealed a rapid and spatially variable decline in bottom pH by 0.10-0.20 units over 50 years (2.5%-97.5% quantiles) at depths 50-500 m on the Norwegian, Barents, Kara, and East Greenland shelves. Bottom water undersaturation with respect to aragonite occurred over the entire Kara shelf by 2040 and over most of the Barents and East Greenland shelves by 2070. Shelf acidification was predominantly driven by the accumulation of anthropogenic CO2, and was concurrent with warming of 0.1-2.7°C over 50 years. These combined perturbations will act as significant multistressors on the Barents and Kara shelves. Future studies should aim to improve the resolution of shelf bottom processes in models, and should consider the Kara Sea and Russian shelves as possible bellwethers of shelf acidification.

Red:far-red light conditions affect the emission of volatile organic compounds from barley (Hordeum vulgare), leading to altered biomass allocation in neighbouring plants.

PubMed

Kegge, Wouter; Ninkovic, Velemir; Glinwood, Robert; Welschen, Rob A M; Voesenek, Laurentius A C J; Pierik, Ronald

2015-05-01

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play various roles in plant-plant interactions, and constitutively produced VOCs might act as a cue to sense neighbouring plants. Previous studies have shown that VOCs emitted from the barley (Hordeum vulgare) cultivar 'Alva' cause changes in biomass allocation in plants of the cultivar 'Kara'. Other studies have shown that shading and the low red:far-red (R:FR) conditions that prevail at high plant densities can reduce the quantity and alter the composition of the VOCs emitted by Arabidopsis thaliana, but whether this affects plant-plant signalling remains unknown. This study therefore examines the effects of far-red light enrichment on VOC emissions and plant-plant signalling between 'Alva' and 'Kara'. The proximity of neighbouring plants was mimicked by supplemental far-red light treatment of VOC emitter plants of barley grown in growth chambers. Volatiles emitted by 'Alva' under control and far-red light-enriched conditions were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). 'Kara' plants were exposed to the VOC blend emitted by the 'Alva' plants that were subjected to either of the light treatments. Dry matter partitioning, leaf area, stem and total root length were determined for 'Kara' plants exposed to 'Alva' VOCs, and also for 'Alva' plants exposed to either control or far-red-enriched light treatments. Total VOC emissions by 'Alva' were reduced under low R:FR conditions compared with control light conditions, although individual volatile compounds were found to be either suppressed, induced or not affected by R:FR. The altered composition of the VOC blend emitted by 'Alva' plants exposed to low R:FR was found to affect carbon allocation in receiver plants of 'Kara'. The results indicate that changes in R:FR light conditions influence the emissions of VOCs in barley, and that these altered emissions affect VOC-mediated plant-plant interactions. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on

Geochemical interpretation of distribution of aromatic hydrocarbons in components of geologic environment of Pechora, Barents and Kara seas.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kursheva, Anna; Petrova, Vera; Litvinenko, Ivan; Morgunova, Inna

2017-04-01

Information about the hydrocarbons content (including aromatic ones) in components of geologic environment allows to define common factors in distribution and correlation both nature and technogenic component, and also to reveal the sources of contamination. At that, it should be noted, that hydrocarbons are widely spread in lithosphere and create steady geochemical background, variations are caused here by specifics of initial organic matter, conditions of its accumulation and transformation. The basis of the study are the samples of sea water and deep sea sediments (more than 600 stations), collected in western sector of Arctic region (Pechora, Barents and Kara seas) during the scientific-research expeditions of FSBI "VNIIOkeangeologia" for the period 2000-2010. Total content of aromatic hydrocarbons was defined by spectrofluorometric method using analyzer «FLUORAT-Panorama-02». Certification of data was performed on representative samples based on contents and molecule structure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using GC-MS (Agilent 5973/6850 GC-MS System). Results of spectrofluorometric analysis of lipid fraction of organic matter of bottom sediments allowed to define specific parameters, which characterize various lithofacies groups of sediments. Thus, sandy residues are characterized by low level of aromatic hydrocarbons (ca. 4.3 μg/g) with prevalence of bi- and tri-aromatic compounds (λmax 270-310 nm). This correlates with low sorption capacity of coarse-grained sediments and absence of organic-mineral component, containing the breakdown products of initial organic matter. Tetra- and penta- aromatic structures prevail in clay sediments (ca. 13.0 μg/g), which are typical components of lipid fraction of organic matter of post sedimentation and early diagenetic stages of transformation. At that, changes of spectral characteristic of sediments in stratigraphic sequence completely reflect processes of diagenetic transformation of organic matter, including

Relative Role of Horizontal and Vertical Processes in Arctic Amplification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, K. Y.

2017-12-01

The physical mechanism of Arctic amplification is still controversial. Specifically, relative role of vertical processes resulting from the reduction of sea ice in the Barents-Kara Seas is not clearly understood in comparison with the horizontal advection of heat and moisture. Using daily data, heat and moisture budgets are analyzed during winter (Dec. 1-Feb. 28) over the region of sea ice reduction in order to delineate the relative roles of horizontal and vertical processes. Detailed heat and moisture budgets in the atmospheric column indicate that the vertical processes, release of turbulent heat fluxes and evaporation, are a major contributor to the increased temperature and specific humidity over the Barents-Kara Seas. In addition, greenhouse effect caused by the increased specific humidity, also plays an important role in Arctic amplification. Horizontal processes such as advection of heat and moisture are the primary source of variability (fluctuations) in temperature and specific humidity in the atmospheric column. Advection of heat and moisture, on the other hand, is little responsible for the net increase in temperature and specific humidity over the Barents-Kara Seas.

Forcing, variability, and pathway of a freshwater-driven current in the Eurasian Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janout, Markus; Aksenov, Yevgeny; Hölemann, Jens; Rabe, Benjamin; Schauer, Ursula; Polyakov, Igor; Bacon, Sheldon; Coward, Andrew; Karcher, Michael; Lenn, Yueng-Djern; Kassens, Heidi; Timokhov, Leo

2015-04-01

Siberian river water is a first-order contribution to the Arctic freshwater budget, with the Ob, Yenisey, and Lena supplying nearly half of the total surface freshwater flux. However, few details are known regarding where, when and how the freshwater transverses the vast Siberian shelf seas. This paper investigates the mechanism, variability and pathways of the fresh Kara Sea outflow through Vilkitsky Strait towards the Laptev Sea. We utilize a high-resolution ocean model and recent shipboard observations to characterize the freshwater-laden Vilkitsky Strait Current (VSC), and shed new light on the little-studied region between the Kara and Laptev Seas, characterized by harsh ice conditions, contrasting water masses, straits and a large submarine canyon. The VSC is 10-20 km wide, surface-intensified, and varies seasonally (maximum from August-March) and interannually. Average freshwater (volume) transport is 500 ± 120 km3 a-1 (0.53 ± 0.08 Sv), with a baroclinic flow contribution of 50-90%. Interannual transport variability is explained by a storage-release mechanism, where blocking-favorable summer winds hamper the outflow and cause accumulation of freshwater in the Kara Sea. The year following a blocking event is characterized by enhanced transports driven by a baroclinic flow along the coast that is set up by increased freshwater volumes. Eventually, the VSC merges with a slope current and provides a major pathway for Eurasian river water towards the Western Arctic along the Eurasian continental slope. Kara (and Laptev) Sea freshwater transport is not correlated with the Arctic Oscillation, but rather driven by regional summer pressure patterns.

Arctic moisture source for Eurasian snow cover variations in autumn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegmann, Martin; Orsolini, Yvan; Vázquez Dominguez, Marta; Gimeno Presa, Luis; Nieto, Raquel; Buligyna, Olga; Jaiser, Ralf; Handorf, Dörthe; Rinke, Anette; Dethloff, Klaus; Sterin, Alexander; Brönnimann, Stefan

2015-04-01

Global warming is enhanced at high northern latitudes where the Arctic surface air temperature has risen at twice the rate of the global average in recent decades - a feature called Arctic amplification. This recent Arctic warming signal likely results from several factors such as the albedo feedback due to a diminishing cryosphere, enhanced poleward atmospheric and oceanic transport, and change in humidity. The reduction in Arctic sea ice is without doubt substantial and a key factor. Arctic summer sea-ice extent has declined by more than 10% per decade since the start of the satellite era (e.g. Stroeve et al., 2012), culminating in a new record low in September 2012, with the long-term trend largely attributed to anthropogenic global warming. Eurasian snow cover changes have been suggested as a driver for changes in the Arctic Oscillation and might provide a link between sea ice decline in the Arctic during summer and atmospheric circulation in the following winter. However, the mechanism connecting snow cover in Eurasia to sea ice decline in autumn is still under debate. Our analysis focuses at sea ice decline in the Barents-Kara Sea region, which allows us to specify regions of interest for FLEXPART forward and backwards moisture trajectories. Based on Eularian and Lagrangian diagnostics from ERA-INTERIM, we can address the origin and cause of late autumn snow depth variations in a dense (snow observations from 820 land stations), unutilized observational datasets over the Commonwealth of Independent States. Open waters in the Barents and Kara Sea have been shown to increase the diabatic heating of the atmosphere, which amplifies baroclinic cyclones and might induce a remote atmospheric response by triggering stationary Rossby waves (Honda et al. 2009). In agreement with these studies, our results show enhanced storm activity originating at the Barents and Kara with disturbances entering the continent through a small sector from the Barents and Kara Seas

Trends in aerosol optical depth in the Russian Arctic and their links with synoptic climatology.

PubMed

Shahgedanova, Maria; Lamakin, Mikhail

2005-04-01

Temporal and spatial variability of aerosol optical depth (AOD) are examined using observations of direct solar radiation in the Eurasian Arctic for 1940-1990. AOD is estimated using empirical methods for 14 stations located between 66.2 degrees N and 80.6 degrees N, from the Kara Sea to the Chukchi Sea. While AOD exhibits a well-known springtime maximum and summertime minimum at all stations, atmospheric turbidity is higher in spring in the western (Kara-Laptev) part of the Eurasian Arctic. Between June and August, the eastern (East Siberian-Chukchi) sector experiences higher transparency than the western part. A statistically significant positive trend in AOD was observed in the Kara-Laptev sector between the late 1950s and the early 1980s predominantly in spring when pollution-derived aerosol dominates the Arctic atmosphere but not in the eastern sector. Although all stations are remote, those with positive trends are located closer to the anthropogenic sources of air pollution. By contrast, a widespread decline in AOD was observed between 1982 and 1990 in the eastern Arctic in spring but was limited to two sites in the western Arctic. These results suggest that the post-1982 decline in anthropogenic emissions in Europe and the former Soviet Union has had a limited effect on aerosol load in the Arctic. The post-1982 negative trends in AOD in summer, when marine aerosol is present in the atmosphere, were more common in the west. The relationships between AOD and atmospheric circulation are examined using a synoptic climatology approach. In spring, AOD depends primarily on the strength and direction of air flow. Thus strong westerly and northerly flows result in low AOD values in the East Siberian-Chukchi sector. By contrast, strong southerly flow associated with the passage of depressions results in high AOD in the Kara-Laptev sector and trajectory analysis points to the contribution of industrial regions of the sub-Arctic. In summer, low pressure gradient or

Chapter 1: An overview of the petroleum geology of the Arctic

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spencer, A.M.; Embry, A.F.; Gautier, D.L.; Stoupakova, A.V.; Sorensen, K.

2011-01-01

Nine main petroleum provinces containing recoverable resources totalling 61 Bbbl liquids + 269 Bbbloe of gas are known in the Arctic. The three best known major provinces are: West Siberia-South Kara, Arctic Alaska and Timan-Pechora. They have been sourced principally from, respectively, Upper Jurassic, Triassic and Devonian marine source rocks and their hydrocarbons are reservoired principally in Cretaceous sandstones, Triassic sandstones and Palaeozoic carbonates. The remaining six provinces except for the Upper Cretaceous-Palaeogene petroleum system in the Mackenzie Delta have predominantly Mesozoic sources and Jurassic reservoirs. There are discoveries in 15% of the total area of sedimentary basins (c. 8 ?? 106 km2), dry wells in 10% of the area, seismic but no wells in 50% and no seismic in 25%. The United States Geological Survey estimate yet-to-find resources to total 90 Bbbl liquids + 279 Bbbloe gas, with four regions - South Kara Sea, Alaska, East Barents Sea, East Greenland - dominating. Russian estimates of South Kara Sea and East Barents Sea are equally positive. The large potential reflects primarily the large undrilled areas, thick basins and widespread source rocks. ?? 2011 The Geological Society of London.

Transport of contaminants by Arctic sea ice and surface ocean currents

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pfirman, S.

1995-12-31

Sea ice and ocean currents transport contaminants in the Arctic from source areas on the shelves, to biologically active regions often more than a thousand kilometers away. Coastal regions along the Siberian margin are polluted by discharges of agricultural, industrial and military wastes in river runoff, from atmospheric deposition and ocean dumping. The Kara Sea is of particular concern because of deliberate dumping of radioactive waste, as well as the large input of polluted river water. Contaminants are incorporated in ice during suspension freezing on the shelves, and by atmospheric deposition during drift. Ice releases its contaminant load through brinemore » drainage, surface runoff of snow and meltwater, and when the floe disintegrates. The marginal ice zone, a region of intense biological activity, may also be the site of major contaminant release. Potentially contaminated ice from the Kara Sea is likely to influence the marginal ice zones of the Barents and Greenland seas. From studies conducted to date it appears that sea ice from the Kara Sea does not typically enter the Beaufort Gyre, and thus is unlikely to affect the northern Canadian and Alaskan margins.« less

Glacier velocity Changes at Novaya Zemlya revealed by ALOS1 and ALOS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konuma, Y.; Furuya, M.

2016-12-01

Matsuo and Heki (2013) revealed substantial ice-mass loss at Novaya Zemlya by Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE). In addition, the elevation thinning (Moholdt et al., 2012) and glacier retreat (Carr et al., 2014) has been reported. Melkonian et al. (2016) showed velocities map at coastal area of Novaya Zemlya by using Worldview, Landsat, ASTER and TerraSAR-X images. However, the entire distributions of ice speed and the temporal evolution remain unclear. In this study, we measured the glacier velocities using L-band SAR sensor onboard ALOS1 and ALOS2. We analyzed the data using pixel-offset tracking technique. We could observe the entire glaciated region in 2007-2008 winter and 2008-2009 winter. In particular, we could examine the velocities at middle of the glaciated region from 2006 to 2015 due to the availability of high-temporal resolution SAR data. As a result, we found the most glaciers in Novaya Zemlya have been accelerating since 1990s (Strozzi et al., 2008). Specially, Shokalskogo glacier has dramatically accelerated from the maximum of 300 ma-1 in 1998 to maximum of 600 ma-1 in 2015. Additionally, it turns out that there are marked differences in the glacier's velocities between the Barents Sea side and the Kara Sea side. The averaged maximum speed of the glaciers in Barents Sea side were approximately two times faster than that in Kara Sea side. We speculate the causes as the difference of topography under the calving front and sea-ice concentration. While each side has many calving glaciers, the fjord distribution in the Barents Sea side is much broader than in the Kara Sea side. Moreover, sea-ice concentration in the Barents Sea is lower than the Kara Sea, which might affect the glaciers' speed distribution.

76 FR 66912 - Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee; Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-28

... Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee (Committee) in New Orleans, Louisiana. DATES: The meeting will be... the Ritz Carlton Hotel, 921 Canal Street, New Orleans, 70112. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kara...

Improving the simulation of landfast ice by combining tensile strength and a parameterization for grounded ridges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemieux, Jean-François; Dupont, Frédéric; Blain, Philippe; Roy, François; Smith, Gregory C.; Flato, Gregory M.

2016-10-01

In some coastal regions of the Arctic Ocean, grounded ice ridges contribute to stabilizing and maintaining a landfast ice cover. Recently, a grounding scheme representing this effect on sea ice dynamics was introduced and tested in a viscous-plastic sea ice model. This grounding scheme, based on a basal stress parameterization, improves the simulation of landfast ice in many regions such as in the East Siberian Sea, the Laptev Sea, and along the coast of Alaska. Nevertheless, in some regions like the Kara Sea, the area of landfast ice is systematically underestimated. This indicates that another mechanism such as ice arching is at play for maintaining the ice cover fast. To address this problem, the combination of the basal stress parameterization and tensile strength is investigated using a 0.25° Pan-Arctic CICE-NEMO configuration. Both uniaxial and isotropic tensile strengths notably improve the simulation of landfast ice in the Kara Sea but also in the Laptev Sea. However, the simulated landfast ice season for the Kara Sea is too short compared to observations. This is especially obvious for the onset of the landfast ice season which systematically occurs later in the model and with a slower build up. This suggests that improvements to the sea ice thermodynamics could reduce these discrepancies with the data.

Radionuclide bioconcentration factors and sediment partition coefficients in Arctic Seas subject to contamination from dumped nuclear wastes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fisher, N.S.; Fowler, S.W.; Boisson, F.

1999-06-15

The disposal of large quantities of radioactive wastes in Arctic Seas by the former Soviet Union has prompted interest in the behavior of long-lived radionuclides in polar waters. Previous studies on the interactions of radionuclides prominent in radioactive wastes have focused on temperate waters; the extent to which the bioconcentration factors and sediment partitioning from these earlier studies could be applied to risk assessment analyses involving high latitude systems is unknown. Here the authors present concentrations in seawater and calculated in situ bioconcentration factors for [sup 90]Sr, [sup 137]Cs, and [sup 239+240]Pu (the three most important radionuclides in Arctic riskmore » assessment models) in macroalgae, crustaceans, bivalve molluscs, sea birds, and marine mammals as well as sediment K[sub d] values for 13 radionuclides and other elements in samples taken from the Kara and Barents Seas. The data analysis shows that, typically, values for polar and temperate waters are comparable, but exceptions include 10-fold higher concentration factors for [sup 239+240]Pu in Arctic brown macroalgae, 10-fold lower K[sub d] values for [sup 90]Sr in Kara Sea sediment than in typical temperate coastal sediment, and 100-fold greater Ru K[sub d] values in Kara Sea sediment. For most elements application of temperate water bioconcentration factors and K[sub d] values to Arctic marine systems appears to be valid.« less

Semiannual Report, April 1 1999 through September 30, 1999.

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-11-01

Ruben Montero - Departamento de Arquitectura de Computadores y Automatica, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain. (July 1999 to August 1999) Kara...Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University. (March 1999 to Present) Manuel Prieto-Matias - Departamento de Arquitectura de Computadores y Automatica

75 FR 63443 - Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee; Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-15

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Protected Areas... Areas Federal Advisory Committee (Committee) in Santa Barbara, California. DATES: The meeting will be... CONTACT: Kara Schwenke, Designated Federal Officer, MPA FAC, National Marine Protected Areas Center, 1305...

Validation Test Report for the 1/8 deg Global Navy Coastal Ocean Model Nowcast/Forecast System

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-24

Test Report for the 1/8° Global Navy Coastal Ocean Model Nowcast/Forecast System Charlie N. BarroN a. Birol Kara roBert C. rhodes ClarK rowley......OF ACRONYMS ......................................................................48 VALIDATION TEST REPORT FOR THE 1/8° GLOBAL NAVY COASTAL

Study of the geothermal production potential in the Williston Basin, North Dakota

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chu, Min H.

1991-09-10

Preliminary studies of geothermal production potential for the North Dakota portion of the Williston Basin have been carried out. Reservoir data such as formation depth, subsurface temperatures, and water quality were reviewed for geothermal brine production predictions. This study, in addition, provides important information about net pay thickness, porosity, volume of geothermal water available, and productivity index for future geothermal direct-use development. Preliminary results show that the Inyan Kara Formation of the Dakota Group is the most favorable geothermal resource in terms of water quality and productivity. The Madison, Duperow, and Red River Formations are deeper formations but because ofmore » their low permeability and great depth, the potential flow rates from these three formations are considerably less than those of the Inyan Kara Formation. Also, poor water quality and low porosity will make those formations less favorable for geothermal direct-use development.« less

Using Population-Size Estimation and Cross-sectional Survey Methods to Evaluate HIV Service Coverage Among Key Populations in Burkina Faso and Togo.

PubMed

Holland, Claire E; Kouanda, Seni; Lougué, Marcel; Pitche, Vincent Palokinam; Schwartz, Sheree; Anato, Simplice; Ouedraogo, Henri Gautier; Tchalla, Jules; Yah, Clarence S; Kapesa, Laurent; Ketende, Sosthenes; Beyrer, Chris; Baral, Stefan

2016-11-01

The objective of our study was to measure progress toward the UNAIDS 90-90-90 HIV care targets among key populations in urban areas of 2 countries in West Africa: Burkina Faso and Togo. We recruited female sex workers (FSWs) and men who have sex with men (MSM) through respondent-driven sampling. From January to July 2013, 2738 participants were enrolled, tested for HIV, and completed interviewer-administered surveys. We used population-size estimation methods to calculate the number of people who were engaged in the HIV continuum of care. HIV prevalence ranged from 0.6% (2 of 329) of MSM in Kara, Togo, to 32.9% (115 of 350) of FSWs in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Of those confirmed to be HIV infected, a range of 0.0% (0 of 2) of MSM in Kara to 55.7% (64 of 115) of FSWs in Bobo Dioulasso were using ART. Based on population estimates, the percentage gap between HIV-infected people who should be using ART (per the 90-90-90 targets) and those who reported using ART ranged from 31.5% among FSWs in Bobo Dioulasso to 100.0% among MSM in Kara. HIV service coverage among MSM and FSWs in Burkina Faso and Togo was low in 2013. Interventions for improving engagement of these at-risk populations in the HIV continuum of care should include frequent, routine HIV testing and linkage to evidence-based HIV treatment services. Population-size estimates can be used to inform governments, policy makers, and funding agencies about where elements of HIV service coverage are most needed.

Monitoring industrial contaminants release to Russian Arctic rivers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-12-31

Reports suggest that over 100 billion metric tons of mixed industrial wastes have been dumped or disposed of in the Northern and Arctic regions of the former Soviet Union in crude landfill facilities or directly into rivers. GERG has undertaken studies in two of the principal river systems transporting contaminants from large watersheds to the Arctic Ocean and Kara Seas, and has obtained samples of sediment and biota for analysis. In the current phase of the study, 20 surficial sediments down each of the axis of the Ob and Yenisey Rivers into the Kara Sea were analyzed for industrially derivedmore » trace organic compounds (hydrocarbons, pesticides, PCBs) and trace metals. Twenty sediments from the two rivers were subjected to high resolution OCIMS analysis for dioxins, furans, and coplanar PCBs to determine the concentrations of these industrial pollutants. In addition, similar analyses were conducted on 10 tissue samples (fish and other invertebrate animals) down the axis of each river.« less

TEF Bibliography

Science.gov Websites

] Cervero, Robert; Kockelman, Kara. (1997). "Travel demand and the 3Ds: Density, diversity, and design efficient design of sustainable goods and services." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment . Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press. [202] Das, Sujit. (2004). "A Comparative Assessment of

Register of new fruit and nut cultivars list 49

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ariana (Soft-seeded VIR-2). Tart-sweet, soft seeded red medium to large pomegranate. Origin: Open pollinated seedling number 31 by A.D. Strebkova. Selected in Turkmenistan by N.I. Zaktreger, O.F. Mizgireva, and A.D. Strebkova, VIR Kara-Kala Experimental Station. Introduced from the Turkmenistan Expe...

78 FR 12713 - Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings and Hearings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-25

.... Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et. seq. Dated: February 20, 2013. Kara Meckley, Acting Deputy Director, Office of... announced its annual preseason management process for the 2013 ocean salmon fisheries. This notice informs the public of opportunities to provide comments on the 2013 ocean salmon management measures which...

78 FR 35153 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Modifications of the West Coast Commercial Salmon Fisheries...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-12

... seq. Dated: June 7, 2013. Kara Meckley, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries... June 27, 2013. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2012-0248, by any one of the... anonymous). Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file...

Ride or Die

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denmead, Tyler; Brown, Ruth-Nicole

2014-01-01

In this Instructional Resource, Denmead and Brown consider how "Ruffneck Constructivists," an exhibition curated by Kara Walker at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), University of Pennsylvania, can disturb and provoke young creatives and art education more broadly. For this exhibition, Walker draws on the figure that MC Lyte…

Climate change impacts on sea-air fluxes of CO2 in three Arctic seas: a sensitivity study using Earth observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Land, P. E.; Shutler, J. D.; Cowling, R. D.; Woolf, D. K.; Walker, P.; Findlay, H. S.; Upstill-Goddard, R. C.; Donlon, C. J.

2013-12-01

We applied coincident Earth observation data collected during 2008 and 2009 from multiple sensors (RA2, AATSR and MERIS, mounted on the European Space Agency satellite Envisat) to characterise environmental conditions and integrated sea-air fluxes of CO2 in three Arctic seas (Greenland, Barents, Kara). We assessed net CO2 sink sensitivity due to changes in temperature, salinity and sea ice duration arising from future climate scenarios. During the study period the Greenland and Barents seas were net sinks for atmospheric CO2, with integrated sea-air fluxes of -36 ± 14 and -11 ± 5 Tg C yr-1, respectively, and the Kara Sea was a weak net CO2 source with an integrated sea-air flux of +2.2 ± 1.4 Tg C yr-1. The combined integrated CO2 sea-air flux from all three was -45 ± 18 Tg C yr-1. In a sensitivity analysis we varied temperature, salinity and sea ice duration. Variations in temperature and salinity led to modification of the transfer velocity, solubility and partial pressure of CO2 taking into account the resultant variations in alkalinity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Our results showed that warming had a strong positive effect on the annual integrated sea-air flux of CO2 (i.e. reducing the sink), freshening had a strong negative effect and reduced sea ice duration had a small but measurable positive effect. In the climate change scenario examined, the effects of warming in just over a decade of climate change up to 2020 outweighed the combined effects of freshening and reduced sea ice duration. Collectively these effects gave an integrated sea-air flux change of +4.0 Tg C in the Greenland Sea, +6.0 Tg C in the Barents Sea and +1.7 Tg C in the Kara Sea, reducing the Greenland and Barents sinks by 11% and 53%, respectively, and increasing the weak Kara Sea source by 81%. Overall, the regional integrated flux changed by +11.7 Tg C, which is a 26% reduction in the regional sink. In terms of CO2 sink strength, we conclude that the Barents Sea is the most

Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) M2 ( 3.3 Ma) in the southern hemisphere: constraining the climatic drivers of a short-term glaciation event during the Pliocene warm Period.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Vleeschouwer, D.; Auer, G.; Bogus, K.; Groeneveld, J.; Henderiks, J.; Jatiningrum, R. S.; Christensen, B. A.

2017-12-01

Global climate was characterized by intriguing climate variability during the Late Pliocene (3.6 to 2.59 Ma): a brief (<100 kyr) but intense glaciation (MIS M2) interrupted the relatively warm climate state around 3.3 Ma. Until today, different hypotheses exist to explain why this glaciation event was so intense, and why the global climate system returned to warm Pliocene conditions relatively quickly. One of these proposed mechanisms is a reduced equator-to-pole heat transfer, in response to a tectonically reduced Indonesian Throughflow (ITF; De Schepper et al., 2014; Karas et al., 2011a, b). However, the scarcity of orbital-scale continuous climate archives in the outflow of the Indonesian Seaway hampers testing this hypothesis. To assess the supposed relationship between mid-Pliocene glaciations and latitudinal heat transport through the Indonesian Throughflow, we constructed a 3-kyr resolution planktonic δ18OG.sacculiferrecord for the 3.9 - 2.7 Ma interval from Site U1463 (18°59'S, 117°37'E; Northwestern Australian Shelf; IODP Expedition 356 "Indonesian Throughflow"). The U1463 oxygen isotope record concurs exceptionally well with the sea surface temperature (SST) record from Site 806 (0°19'N, 159°22'E) in the West Pacific Warm Pool (Wara et al., 2005), even during MIS M2. Hence, Site U1463 suggests an uninterrupted ITF signal during Pliocene glaciations. Surprisingly though, the U1463 δ18OG.sacculifer record exhibits a 0.5‰ offset with the nearby Site 763 record (20°35'S, 112°12'E) around MIS M2. This implies that Site 763, which lies a bit further offshore than U1463, fits better with Indian Ocean SST records (e.g. Site 214; Karas et al., 2009) across MIS M2. In conclusion, the U1463 data reveal that heat-transport through the Indonesian Throughflow did not shut down completely during MIS M2. However, its intensity decreased during MIS M2, causing Site 763 to temporarily reflect an Indian Ocean, rather than an ITF signal. References De Schepper, S

Wood-Vasey DOE #SC0011834 Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wood-Vasey, William Michael

During the past reporting period (Year 3), this grant has provided partial support for graduate students Daniel Perrefort and Kara Ponder. They have been working exploring different aspects of the technical work needed to take full advantage of the potential for cosmological inference using Type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) with LSST.

Rendering Private Writing Public in the DALN

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Kara Poe

2017-01-01

In this article Kara Alexander discusses why, as a literacy studies instructor, she believes requiring her students to upload their literacy narratives to the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives (DALN) is beneficial. She provides three reasons for this requirement: (1) making their work public has the potential to enhance student agency,…

78 FR 34044 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Comprehensive Fishery Management...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-06

.... Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: June 3, 2013. Kara Meckley, Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable..., 2013. The scoping meetings will be held in July 2013. For specific dates and times, see SUPPLEMENTARY..., identified by ``NOAA- NMFS-2013-0092'', by any of the following methods: Electronic Submission: Submit all...

78 FR 9849 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in Statistical Area 630 in the Gulf...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-12

....S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: February 7, 2013. Kara Meckley, Acting Deputy Director, Office of...). This action is necessary to fully use the 2013 total allowable catch of pollock in Statistical Area 630 of the GOA. DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), February 8, 2013, through 1200 hrs...

Privatization of Peacekeeping: UN’s Institutional Capacity to Control Private Military and Security Companies

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

SECURITY COMPANIES Huseyin Yigit Captain, Turkish Army B.S., Kara Harp Okulu, 2003 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the...Collective Security Practice ............................................................. 34   C.   PEACEKEEPING...involvement in intrastate conflicts is inevitable and will be so. Furthermore, though UN attempts aim to restore peace, military force requirement is

The gas heterogeneous flows cleaning technology from corona discharge field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogdanov, A.; Tokarev, A.; Judanov, V.; Vinogradov, V.

2017-11-01

A nanogold capture and extraction from combustion products of Kara-Keche coal, description the process: a coal preparation to experiments, nanogold introducing in its composition, temperature and time performance of combustion, device and function of experimental apparatus, gas-purification of the gas flow process and receiving combustion products (condensate, coke, ash, rags) is offerred.

The Trust Gap: Understanding the Effects of Leadership Churn in School Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finnigan, Kara S.; Daly, Alan J.

2017-01-01

In this article, Kara Finnigan and Alan Daly argue that studying churn among central office leaders and school principals can improve retention of high-quality leaders who can better support teachers. Constant churn often means that initiatives barely have the opportunity to get off the ground before a new central office administrator or principal…

78 FR 13812 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by Catch Vessels Using Trawl...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-01

.... 1801 et seq. Dated: February 26, 2013. Kara Meckley, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable... hours. This action is necessary to fully use the A season allowance of the 2013 Pacific cod total...: Effective 1200 hours, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 1, 2013, through 1200 hours, A.l.t., March 3, 2013...

From Engaging Liaison Librarians to Engaging Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenney, Anne R.

2015-01-01

Kara J. Malenfant wrote in her 2010 article "Leading Change in the System of Scholarly Communication: A Case Study of Engaging Liaison Librarians for Outreach to Faculty" that it would be interesting to revisit the University of Minnesota (UMN) Libraries in three years and see how they are doing. Malenfant had documented a culture shift…

Music Activities for Lemonade in Winter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cardany, Audrey Berger

2014-01-01

"Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money" is a children's book about math; however, when sharing it in the music classroom, street cries and clapping games emerge. Jenkins' and Karas' book provides a springboard to lessons addressing several music elements, including form, tempo, and rhythm, as well as…

Identifying Climate Model Teleconnection Mechanisms Between Arctic Sea Ice Loss and Mid-Latitude Winter Storms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kravitz, B.; Mills, C.; Rasch, P. J.; Wang, H.; Yoon, J. H.

2016-12-01

The role of Arctic amplification, including observed decreases in sea ice concentration, thickness, and extent, with potential for exciting downstream atmospheric responses in the mid-latitudes, is a timely issue. We identify the role of the regionality of autumn sea ice loss on downstream mid-latitude responses using engineering methodologies adapted to climate modeling, which allow for multiple Arctic sea regions to be perturbed simultaneously. We evaluate downstream responses in various climate fields (e.g., temperature, precipitation, cloud cover) associated with perturbations in the Beaufort/Chukchi Seas and the Kara/Barents Seas. Simulations suggest that the United States response is primarily linked to sea ice changes in the Beaufort/Chukchi Seas, whereas Eurasian response is primarily due to Kara/Barents sea ice coverage changes. Downstream effects are most prominent approximately 6-10 weeks after the initial perturbation (sea ice loss). Our findings suggest that winter mid-latitude storms (connected to the so-called "Polar Vortex") are linked to sea ice loss in particular areas, implying that further sea ice loss associated with climate change will exacerbate these types of extreme events.

New oil and gas province of Russia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gramberg, I.S.; Shcola, A.I.

1994-12-31

Geological and geophysical researches and exploration works conducted in the Russian Arctic offshore during the last two decades indicate the presence of extensive sedimentary basins. The data coverage in this vast continental margin is uneven, and the reliability of hydrocarbon prediction varies significantly from one basin to the next. Nevertheless, the existence of a major frontier Barents-Northern Kara Oil and Gas Province (BNKP) is quite evident. The BNKP encompasses the Barents Sea and the Northern Kara Sea subbottom, the islands along the shelf edge, the Kola Peninsula shelf, the Arkhangelsk coastal territory, and a large part of the northernmost Komimore » Republic. The total area of BNKP is close to 1,500,000 sq. km, and the sediments in the deepest depocenter (South Barents Basin) reach 16--18 km. Vast areal extent, great thickness of sedimentary cover, favorable conditions for oil and gas generation and accumulation, presence of oil and gas fields in all major sequences suggest a very high hydrocarbon potential for the BNKP.« less

Should I Say Something? Dating and Sexual Aggression Bystander Intervention among High School Youth. National Issue Brief Number 92

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Katie M.; Eckstein, Robert P.; Rodenhizer-Stämpfli , Kara Anne

2015-01-01

Using data from a sample of 218 high school youth from three high schools in New England (one rural, two urban), this brief discusses dating and sexual aggression bystander intervention among high school youth. Authors Katie Edwards, Robert Eckstein, and Kara Anne Rodenhizer-Stämpfli report that an overwhelming majority (93.6 percent) of high…

78 FR 17885 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in the West Yakutat District of the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-25

.... Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: March 20, 2013. Kara Meckley, Acting Deputy Director, Office of... (GOA). This action is necessary to fully use the 2013 pollock total allowable catch in the West Yakutat District of the GOA. DATES: Effective 1200 hours, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 22, 2013, [[Page 17886...

Feasibility Analysis of an All Volunteer Armed Force in Turkey

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

Kara Harp Okulu Matbaasi, 1991), 29. 33 Michael Howard, War in European History, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1976), 54. 34 K. Ugur ...resulting in higher productivity, the end 35 K. Ugur Kizilaslan, trans., Asker ve Devlet, Sivil...Kizilaslan, K. Ugur , trans., Asker ve Devlet, Sivil-Asker Iliskilerinin Kuram ve Siyasasi, (Istanbul: Salyangoz Yayinlari, 2004). Kurtcephe, Israfil

United States Air Force F-35A Operational Basing Environmental Impact Statement. Appendix E: Comments

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

Germanos, Nicholas M Civ USAF HQ ACC/A7NS From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Mr. Germanos, Ginger Hobbs Monday, July 15, 2013 9:45PM Germanos...considerat ion of all t he facts. Thank you, Ginger Hobbs 1 E-757 Germanos, Nicholas M Civ USAF HQ ACC/A7NS From: Sent: To: Subject: Kara Schwartz

Malaria Genome Sequencing Project

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

BEHNAM JOANA JENKINS, CHELTON CARTY, HEATHER JENKINS, JENNIFER CHAUDHARY, ABHILASHA JIANG, LINGXIA CHEN, DAN JONES, KRISTINE CHEN, MINGHUA KALB, ERICA... JENNIFER SILVA, JOANA MOAZZEZ, AZITA SITZ, JEFF MOFFAT, KELLY SKOVORODNEV, NELSON, KEITH ALEXANDER NENE, VISHVANATH SMIRNOVA, TATYANA NORCUTT, KARA...Shallom*, Susan E. van Aken*, Steven B. Riedmuller*, Tamara V. Feldblyum*, Jennifer L Cho*t, John Quackenbush*, Martha Sedegah§, Azadeh Shoalbl*, Leda M

The Shadow Emirate: The Taliban’s Return to Power

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

9  III.  THE ISLAMIC EMIRATE’S SHADOWY PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE . 19  A.  INTRODUCTION...Afghanistan: Organizations, Operations, and Shadow Governance,” Institute for the Study of War : Military Analysis and Education for Civilian Leaders...Taliban Networks in Afghanistan,” United States Naval War College (2012), http://www.usnwc.edu, 15, 21, 31; Kara Jensen, “Obstacles to Accessing

The Modeling of Factors That Influence Coast Guard Manpower Requirements

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

applications, and common data warehouses needed to fully develop an effective and efficient manpower requirements engineering and management program. The... manpower requirements determination ensures a ready force, and safe and effective mission execution. Shortage or excess of manpower is the catalyst...FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE COAST GUARD MANPOWER REQUIREMENTS by Kara M. Lavin December 2014 Thesis Advisor: Ronald E. Giachetti Co-Advisor

Plutonium in the arctic marine environment--a short review.

PubMed

Skipperud, Lindis

2004-06-18

Anthropogenic plutonium has been introduced into the environment over the past 50 years as the result of the detonation of nuclear weapons and operational releases from the nuclear industry. In the Arctic environment, the main source of plutonium is from atmospheric weapons testing, which has resulted in a relatively uniform, underlying global distribution of plutonium. Previous studies of plutonium in the Kara Sea have shown that, at certain sites, other releases have given rise to enhanced local concentrations. Since different plutonium sources are characterised by distinctive plutonium-isotope ratios, evidence of a localised influence can be supported by clear perturbations in the plutonium-isotope ratio fingerprints as compared to the known ratio in global fallout. In Kara Sea sites, such perturbations have been observed as a result of underwater weapons tests at Chernaya Bay, dumped radioactive waste in Novaya Zemlya, and terrestrial runoff from the Ob and Yenisey Rivers. Measurement of the plutonium-isotope ratios offers both a means of identifying the origin of radionuclide contamination and the influence of the various nuclear installations on inputs to the Arctic, as well as a potential method for following the movement of water and sediment loads in the rivers.

Enhanced ice sheet growth in Eurasia owing to adjacent ice-dammed lakes.

PubMed

Krinner, G; Mangerud, J; Jakobsson, M; Crucifix, M; Ritz, C; Svendsen, J I

2004-01-29

Large proglacial lakes cool regional summer climate because of their large heat capacity, and have been shown to modify precipitation through mesoscale atmospheric feedbacks, as in the case of Lake Agassiz. Several large ice-dammed lakes, with a combined area twice that of the Caspian Sea, were formed in northern Eurasia about 90,000 years ago, during the last glacial period when an ice sheet centred over the Barents and Kara seas blocked the large northbound Russian rivers. Here we present high-resolution simulations with an atmospheric general circulation model that explicitly simulates the surface mass balance of the ice sheet. We show that the main influence of the Eurasian proglacial lakes was a significant reduction of ice sheet melting at the southern margin of the Barents-Kara ice sheet through strong regional summer cooling over large parts of Russia. In our simulations, the summer melt reduction clearly outweighs lake-induced decreases in moisture and hence snowfall, such as has been reported earlier for Lake Agassiz. We conclude that the summer cooling mechanism from proglacial lakes accelerated ice sheet growth and delayed ice sheet decay in Eurasia and probably also in North America.

Discussion: Comparison of slope instability screening tools following a large storm event and application to forest management and policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lingley, Leslie; Slaughter, Stephen L.; Sarikhan, Isabelle Y.; Norman, David K.

2013-02-01

This discussion is in response to the article entitled "Comparison of slope stability screening tools following a large storm event and application to forest management and policy" by Kara Whittaker and Dan McShane (Geomorphology 145-146 (2012) 115-122). The discussion is coauthored by several geologists at the Washington Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) including those from the research and policy sections of the state agency.

Shallow Water Propagation

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-30

representations for ocean environmental and geoacoustic variability using data and parametric models . Determine acoustic fields with PE, normal mode, and...comparisons with mooring and other available data. • An adiabatic-mode transport theory is used to develop a scattering model for acoustic energy...276-2825 email: siegmw@rpi.edu Kara G. McMahon Rensselaer doctoral student Award Numbers: N000140410016 N000140910638 (Ocean Acoustics

Transport of 137Cs and 239,240Pu with ice-rafted debris in the Arctic Ocean

USGS Publications Warehouse

Landa, E.R.; Reimnitz, E.; Beals, D.M.; Pochkowski, J.M.; Winn, W.G.; Rigor, I.

1998-01-01

Ice rafting is the dominant mechanism responsible for the transport of fine-grained sediments from coastal zones to the deep Arctic Basin. Therefore, the drift of ice-rafted debris (IRD) could be a significant transport mechanism from the shelf to the deep basin for radionuclides originating from nuclear fuel cycle activities and released to coastal Arctic regions of the former Soviet Union. In this study, 28 samples of IRD collected from the Arctic ice pack during expeditions in 1989-95 were analyzed for 137Cs by gamma spectrometry and for 239Pu and 240Pu by thermal ionization mass spectrometry. 137Cs concentrations in the IRD ranged from less than 0.2 to 78 Bq??kg-1 (dry weight basis). The two samples with the highest 137Cs concentrations were collected in the vicinity of Franz Josef Land, and their backward trajectories suggest origins in the Kara Sea. Among the lowest 137Cs values are seven measured on sediments entrained on the North American shelf in 1989 and 1995, and sampled on the shelf less than six months later. Concentrations of 239Pu + 240Pu ranged from about 0.02 to 1.8 Bq??kg-1. The two highest values came from samples collected in the central Canada Basin and near Spitsbergen; calculated backward trajectories suggest at least 14 years of circulation in the Canada Basin in the former case, and an origin near Severnaya Zemlya (at the Kara Sea/Laptev Sea boundary) in the latter case. While most of the IRD samples showed 240Pu/239Pu ratios near the mean global fallout value of 0.185, five of the samples had lower ratios, in the 0.119 to 0.166 range, indicative of mixtures of Pu from fallout and from the reprocessing of weapons-grade Pu. The backward trajectories of these five samples suggest origins in the Kara Sea or near Severnaya Zemlya.

The Increasing Capabilities of the Soviet Navy

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-09-01

production -run of 72 Skorys (not including some built for export) and 28 Kotlins ) and to large numbers of smaller ships such as frigates, corvettes...bombers. Incomplete Kotlin destroyers were converted for surface-to-surface missiles, the Kildin class being the first in the world with this capability...anti-surface missiles, and a helicopter carried, and the larger Kara cruiser was heavily armed for ASW. Kanin and Kotlin rlestroyers were convected

Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of the fluid during formation of anthophyllite metaultramafic rocks in the Sysert metamorphic complex, central Urals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murzin, V. V.

2014-12-01

The oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δD) isotopic composition of H2O-bearing minerals was studied for the ore-bearing amphibole metaultramafic rocks, which are the products of the early regional (435 ± 44 Ma) and late local (260 ± 6 Ma) silicic metasomatose in the Sysert metamorphic complex. The gold-sulfide mineralization of the Karas'evogorskoe deposit and anthophyllite-asbestos bodies of the Tersut deposit are related to the regional and local metasomatose combined with plagiogranitization and potassium granitization, respectively. The H2O-bearing minerals of metasomatites (anthophyllite, tremolite, talc) of the Karas'evogorskoe and Tersut deposits are characterized by heavier δ18O (9.8 to 12.2 and 7.6 to 9.4‰, respectively) and lighter ·D (87 to -91 and -56 to -67‰, respectively) values. The calculated isotopic composition of the fluid in equilibrium with these minerals indicates a heterogeneous source of water for the fluids related to the formation of metasomatites and the metamorphic origin of fluids. During the regional metasomatose, this fluid was a result of equilibrium of the deep fluid with volcanosedimentary rocks enriched in the heavy oxygen isotope. At the local metasomatose, the metamorphic fluid was formed by interaction of magmatic water produced by potassium granitization with ultramafic rocks.

Breeding and moulting locations and migration patterns of the Atlantic population of Steller's eiders Polysticta stelleri as determined from satellite telemetry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Petersen, M.R.; Bustnes, J.O.; Systad, G.H.

2006-01-01

This study was designed to determine the spring, summer, autumn, and early winter distribution, migration routes, and timing of migration of the Atlantic population of Steller's eiders Polysticta stelleri. Satellite transmitters were implanted in 20 eiders captured in April 2001 at Vads??, Norway, and their locations were determined from 5 May 2001 to 6 February 2002. Regions where birds concentrated from spring until returning to wintering areas included coastal waters from western Finnmark, Norway, to the eastern Taymyr Peninsula, Russia. Novaya Zemlya, Russia, particularly the Mollera Bay region, was used extensively during spring staging, moult, and autumn staging; regions of the Kola, Kanin, and Gydanskiy peninsulas, Russia, were used extensively during spring and moult migrations. Steller's eiders migrated across the Barents and Kara seas and along the Kara Sea and Kola Peninsula coastal waters to nesting, moulting, and wintering areas. The majority of marked eiders (9 of 15) were flightless in near-shore waters along the west side of Novaya Zemlya. Eiders were also flightless in northern Norway and along the Kanin and at Kola Peninsula coasts. We compare and contrast natural history characteristics of the Atlantic and Pacific populations and discuss evolutionary and ecological factors influencing their distribution. © Journal of Avian Biology.

Relating Regional Arctic Sea Ice and climate extremes over Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionita-Scholz, Monica; Grosfeld, Klaus; Lohmann, Gerrit; Scholz, Patrick

2016-04-01

The potential increase of temperature extremes under climate change is a major threat to society, as temperature extremes have a deep impact on environment, hydrology, agriculture, society and economy. Hence, the analysis of the mechanisms underlying their occurrence, including their relationships with the large-scale atmospheric circulation and sea ice concentration, is of major importance. At the same time, the decline in Arctic sea ice cover during the last 30 years has been widely documented and it is clear that this change is having profound impacts at regional as well as planetary scale. As such, this study aims to investigate the relation between the autumn regional sea ice concentration variability and cold winters in Europe, as identified by the numbers of cold nights (TN10p), cold days (TX10p), ice days (ID) and consecutive frost days (CFD). We analyze the relationship between Arctic sea ice variation in autumn (September-October-November) averaged over eight different Arctic regions (Barents/Kara Seas, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi/Bering Seas, Central Arctic, Greenland Sea, Labrador Sea/Baffin Bay, Laptev/East Siberian Seas and Northern Hemisphere) and variations in atmospheric circulation and climate extreme indices in the following winter season over Europe using composite map analysis. Based on the composite map analysis it is shown that the response of the winter extreme temperatures over Europe is highly correlated/connected to changes in Arctic sea ice variability. However, this signal is not symmetrical for the case of high and low sea ice years. Moreover, the response of temperatures extreme over Europe to sea ice variability over the different Arctic regions differs substantially. The regions which have the strongest impact on the extreme winter temperature over Europe are: Barents/Kara Seas, Beaufort Sea, Central Arctic and the Northern Hemisphere. For the years of high sea ice concentration in the Barents/Kara Seas there is a reduction in the number

Temperature Versus Salinity Gradients Below the Ocean Mixed Layer

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-03

where salinity controls the depth of the mixed layer are understood to have “barrier” layers [Lukas and Lindstrom , 1991], where the depth of vertically...the horizontal. For example, Rudnick and Martin [2002] have shown that the ocean mixed layer at sub-mesoscales is horizontally well density compensated...Res., 102, 23,063–23,078, doi:10.1029/97JC01443. Barron, C. N., A. B. Kara, P. J. Martin , R. C. Rhodes, and L. F. Smedstad (2006), Formulation

The Influence of Climate Change on the Intensity of Ice Gouging of the Bottom by Hummocky Formations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogorodov, S. A.; Arkhipov, V. V.; Baranskaya, A. V.; Kokin, O. V.; Romanov, A. O.

2018-02-01

In the present work, several results of repeated sounding of bottom ice gouging microrelief within the area of the underwater pipeline crossing of the Baydaratskaya Bay, Kara Sea, are presented. Based on the results of the monitoring, as well as the analysis of literature sources and modeling it has been established that under the conditions of climate warming and sea ice reduction, the zone of the most intensive ice gouging is shifted landwards, on shallower water areas.

Establishing Baseline Subsurface Light Fields for the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sancturay

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-12

Code 1226 Office of Counsel,Code 1008.3 ADOR/Director NCST E. R. Franchi , 7000 Public Affairs (Unclassified/ Unlimited Only). Code 7030 4...deRada et al., 2009), which receives boundary information from the operational Global NCOM system (Kara et al., 2006; http://www7320.nrlssc.navy.mil...Gulf of Mexico. OCEANS 2009, MTS/IEEE Biloxi - Marine Technology for Our Future: Global and Local Challenges, ISBN: 978-1-4244-4960-6, pp. 1-7, 26-29

Geographic variation of PCB congeners in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Svalbard east to the Chukchi Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Andersen, M.; Lie, E.; Derocher, A.E.; Belikov, S.E.; Bernhoft, A.; Boltunov, Andrei N.; Garner, G.W.; Skaare, J.U.; Wiig, Øystein

2001-01-01

We present data on geographic variation in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in adult female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Svalbard eastward to the Chukchi Sea. Blood samples from 90 free-living polar bears were collected in 1987–1995. Six PCB congeners, penta to octa chlorinated (PCB-99, -118, -153, -156, -180, -194), were selected for this study. Differences between areas were found in PCB levels and congener patterns. Bears from Franz Josef Land (11,194 ng/g lipid weight) and the Kara Sea (9,412 ng/g lw) had similar ΣPCB levels and were higher than all other populations (Svalbard 5,043 ng/g lw, East Siberian Sea 3,564 ng/g lw, Chukchi Sea 2,465 ng/g lw). Svalbard PCB levels were higher than those from the Chukchi Sea. Our results, combined with earlier findings, indicate that polar bears from Franz Josef Land and the Kara Sea have the highest PCB levels in the Arctic. Decreasing trends were seen eastwards and westwards from this region. Of the congeners investigated in the present study, the lower chlorinated PCBs are increasing and the high chlorinated PCBs are decreasing from Svalbard eastward to the Chukchi Sea. Different pollution sources, compound transport patterns and regional prey differences could explain the variation in PCB congener levels and patterns between regions.

Atmospheric response to anomalous autumn surface forcing in the Arctic Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassano, Elizabeth N.; Cassano, John J.

2017-09-01

Data from four reanalyses are analyzed to evaluate the downstream atmospheric response both spatially and temporally to anomalous autumn surface forcing in the Arctic Basin. Running weekly mean skin temperature anomalies were classified using the self-organizing map algorithm. The resulting classes were used to both composite the initial atmospheric state and determine how the atmosphere evolves from this state. The strongest response was to anomalous forcing—positive skin temperature and total surface energy flux anomalies and reduced sea ice concentration—in the Barents and Kara Seas. Analysis of the evolution of the atmospheric state for 12 weeks after the initial forcing showed a persistence in the anomalies in this area which led to a buildup of heat in the atmosphere. This resulted in positive 1000-500 hPa thickness and high-pressure circulation anomalies in this area which were associated with cold air advection and temperatures over much of central and northern Asia. Evaluation of days with the opposite forcing (i.e., negative skin temperature anomalies and increased sea ice concentration in the Barents and Kara Seas) showed a mirrored, opposite downstream atmospheric response. Other patterns with positive skin temperature anomalies in the Arctic Basin did not show the same response most likely because the anomalies were not as strong nor did they persist for as many weeks following the initial forcing.

Atmospheric methane over Siberia: measurements from the 2014 YAK-AEROSIB aircraft campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paris, Jean-Daniel; Pisso, Ignacio; Ancellet, Gérard; Law, Kathy; Arshinov, Mikhail Yu.; Belan, Boris D.; Nédélec, Philippe; Myhre, Cathrine Lund

2017-04-01

The YAK-AEROSIB program collects high-precision in-situ measurements of the vertical distribution of CO2, CH4, CO, O3, black carbon and ultrafine particles distribution in the Siberian troposphere, as well as other parameters including aerosol lidar profiles, on a pan-Siberian aircraft transect. Recent efforts aim at better understanding the respective role of CH4 emission processes in driving its large scale atmospheric variability over the region. The October 2014 YAK-AEROSIB/MOCA campaign from Novosibirsk to Salekhard and over the Kara sea and the Yamal peninsula sampled air masses affected by local, regional and remote pollution. We analyse the contribution of local anthropogenic sources to measured CH4 enhancements, in relation to atmospheric mixing and transport conditions. Our analysis also attempts to detect CH4 signal from sources of methane in the Siberian shelf and the Arctic ocean during low level flight legs over the Kara sea using the airborne measurements and a Lagrangian model coupled to potential CH4 hydrate and geological sources. The measured CH4 concentrations do not contradict a potential source upstream of our measurements, but the interpretation is challenging due to a very low CH4 signal. The challenging question of the methane budget and its evolution in Siberia leads to a need for new approaches. A new generation of airborne measurements, more flexible, is now needed.

How do rigid-lid assumption affect LES simulation results at high Reynolds flows?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khosronejad, Ali; Farhadzadeh, Ali; SBU Collaboration

2017-11-01

This research is motivated by the work of Kara et al., JHE, 2015. They employed LES to model flow around a model of abutment at a Re number of 27,000. They showed that first-order turbulence characteristics obtained by rigid-lid (RL) assumption compares fairly well with those of level-set (LS) method. Concerning the second-order statistics, however, their simulation results showed a significant dependence on the method used to describe the free surface. This finding can have important implications for open channel flow modeling. The Reynolds number for typical open channel flows, however, could be much larger than that of Kara et al.'s test case. Herein, we replicate the reported study by augmenting the geometric and hydraulic scales to reach a Re number of one order of magnitude larger ( 200,000). The Virtual Flow Simulator (VFS-Geophysics) model in its LES mode is used to simulate the test case using both RL and LS methods. The computational results are validated using measured flow and free-surface data from our laboratory experiments. Our goal is to investigate the effects of RL assumption on both first-order and second order statistics at high Reynolds numbers that occur in natural waterways. Acknowledgment: Computational resources are provided by the Center of Excellence in Wireless & Information Technology (CEWIT) of Stony Brook University.

A Systems Biology Strategy to Identify Molecular Mechanisms of Action and Protein Indicators of Traumatic Brain Injury

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-14

2 Xueping Yu,1 Bhaskar Dutta,1 Jacob D. Feala,1 Kara Schmid,2 Jitendra Dave,2 Gregory J . Tawa,1 Anders Wallqvist,1 and Jaques Reifman1* 1Department of...pathway.html), downloaded in December, 2011. KEGG, one of the largest and most widely used publicly available pathway databases, anno - tates pathways...Ansari MA, Roberts KN, Scheff SW. 2008b. A time course of contusion-induced oxidative stress and synaptic proteins in cortex in a rat model of TBI. J

Translations on Environmental Quality, Number 169

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-06-28

purified water to polluted streams. This is like adding clean water to dirty dish water. The water is improved, but it cannot be used again." The CUM...disturbed by heavy nitrogen and phosphate compound burdens on the water, a clarification plants was built first to impede the further introduction of...a pair of shoes and socks , some trousers, 3 boy’s shirts and a pair of child’s shorts. The Aboobar Kara firm gave 50 contos; the Zambezia Footwear

Observed Volume Fluxes and Mixing in the Dardanelles Strait

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-04

et al , 2001; Kara el al ., 2008]. [3] It has been recognized for years that the upper-layer outflow from the Dardanelles Strait to the Aegean Sea...than the interior of the sea and manifests itself as a subsurface flow bounded by the upper layer of the Sea of Mannara. 5007 JAROSZ ET AL ...both ends of the Dardanelles Strait, and assuming a steady state mass budget, Unl’uata et al . [1990] estimated mean annual volume transports in the

The Maritime Security of the Baltic Approaches. NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

the last of which was transferred in 1970 when Poland received a SAM Kotlin class destroyer. They have also received several coastal patrol craft...conscripts). 4 W-class submarines. I Kotlin destroyer with two Goa SAM. 13 Osa FAC(M) with Styx SSM. 17 FAC(T): 4 Pilica, 10 Wisla, 3 P-6. 23 large...cruisers CG (Kara, Kresta, Kynda) 2 2 - Light cruisers CL (Sverdlov, Chapaev 4 5 2 Guided missile destroyers DDG (Kashin, Kilden, Kanin, Kivak, Kotlin (SAM

TrkB Activators for the Treatment of Traumatic Vision Loss

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

R01EY017841. P30EY06360, DoD COMRP Grant W81XWH1210255. DoD COMRP Grant WSlXWH-12-1-0436 OPTll - Dry eye diagnosis Staining of Ocul ar Surface: Optimizing...Diagnosis and Interpretation. Basis of Successful Surgery and Adaptive Therapy of Dry Eye GYSBERT VAN SETTEN St Eriks Eye Hospital. KaraUnska...lnstitutet. Stockholm. Sweden Dry eye disease (OED) is a condition of the ocular surface condition that is increasingly recognized to affect not only

SeizAlert could give patients 4.5 hour warning of seizure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dr. Lee Hively and Kara Kruse

2009-01-16

One percent of Americans, 3 million people, suffer from epilepsy. And their lives are about to be dramatically changed by scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. For 15 years, Dr. Lee Hively has been working on "SeizAlert", a seizure-detecting device that resembles a common PDA. "It allows us to analyze scalp brain waves and give us up to 4.5 hours' forewarning of that event," he said. With the help of partner Kara Kruse, he's now able to help patients predict the previously unpredictable.

Naval Nuclear Arms Reduction - Fixing the US Navy’s Achilles’ Heel

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-12

Kashin ( 4 1 3 6 ) 12 Kashin (4/36) 8 Kanin (2/16) 8 SAM Kotlin (2/16) N u c l e a r or Cony 3 K i e v ( 4 / 7 2 ) I Hod K i e v (4172) 2...8 SAM Kotlin (2/16) 3 K iev (4172) 1 Hod K iev (4172) 2 Moskva (4 /44) 7 Kara (4 /72) I0 K res ta I I (4 /72) 3+ K i r o v ( 1 2 / 9 6

The influence of climatic conditions on the heat balance of the human body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blażejeczyk, Krzysztof; Krawczyk, Barbara

1991-06-01

The structure of heat exchange between the human body and its surroundings has been studied according to M.I. Budyko's model. Comparative measurements were carried out in the Polish Lakeland (maritime, temperate warm climate), in Central Mongolia (continental, temperate cool climate), and in the Kara Kum desert (dry subtropical climate). The results deal with the summer and early autumn seasons. The calculations indicate that the quantitative apportionment of various forms of heat exchange depend on specific weather conditions, which are typical for the distinguished climatic zones.

SeizAlert could give patients 4.5 hour warning of seizure

ScienceCinema

Dr. Lee Hively and Kara Kruse

2017-12-09

One percent of Americans, 3 million people, suffer from epilepsy. And their lives are about to be dramatically changed by scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. For 15 years, Dr. Lee Hively has been working on "SeizAlert", a seizure-detecting device that resembles a common PDA. "It allows us to analyze scalp brain waves and give us up to 4.5 hours' forewarning of that event," he said. With the help of partner Kara Kruse, he's now able to help patients predict the previously unpredictable.

Current state of macrobenthic communities in Baydaratskaya Bay (Kara Sea)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kokarev, V. N.; Kozlovsky, V. V.; Azovsky, A. I.

2015-09-01

Macrobenthic communities in Baydaratskaya Bay were studied before and after the seafloor pipeline was begun to be laid out in the year 2011. Materials were collected during three surveys in 2007, 2012, and 2013. Ordination of the data based on community structure and composition revealed a clear depthrelated zonality of the communities. Stations deeper than 10 meters were dominated by bivalves, while shallower stations were dominated by nephtyid polychaetes. This structure persisted though the whole period studied, without any pronounced temporal trends. However, several deep-water stations near the pipeline path in the year 2013 revealed a distinct shift in the structure of macrofauna, with large bivalves disappearing, an increased abundance of small polychaetes, and a decrease in total biodiversity. Moreover, macrofauna were absent at one of these stations. We conclude that the structure and distribution of communities are relatively stable and mainly driven by depth. However, there are some local but evident disturbance effects, probably caused by recent human activity (dumping of dredged sediments).

Ichthyofauna of the Eastern Coast Bays of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolshakova, Ya. Yu.; Bolshakov, D. V.

2018-03-01

Based on 2014-2016 studies and published data on the ichthyofauna composition near the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya, a revised list of fish fauna has been compiled. It includes 30 species from 23 genera and 13 families. The taxonomic diversity of ichthyofauna, its characteristics in respect to geographic range and biotopic groups of fish are considered. In general, ichthyological communities in bays off the eastern coast are similar in the species ratio to the communities in the open Kara Sea, and do not demonstrate any essential features of isolation.

Ice Jams the Ob River

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Russia's Ob River flows from south to north, and each summer, it thaws in the same direction. The result is that an ice jam sits downstream from thawed portions of the river, which is laden with heavy runoff from melted snow. On June 29, 2007, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of the almost completely thawed Ob River. The scene is typical for early summer. South of the ice jam, the Gulf of Ob is swollen with pent-up run-off, and upstream from that, the river is widened as well. Unable to carve through frozen land, the river has little choice but to overflow its banks. For a comparison of early summer and autumn conditions, see Flooding on the Ob River in the Earth Observatory's Natural Hazards section. Besides the annual overflow, this image captures other circumstances of early summer. Sea ice is retreating from the Kara Sea. A lingering line of snow cover snakes its way along the Ob River, to the west. And while the land is lush and green in the south, it appears barren and brown in the north. Near the mouth of the river and the Kara Sea, the land is cold-adapted tundra, with diminutive plants and a short growing season. Just as the ice plugging the river had yet to thaw in the Far North's short summer, the tundra had not yet to greened up either. In this image it still appears lifeless beige. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center

Deglacial-Holocene short-term variability in sea-ice distribution on the Eurasian shelf (Arctic Ocean) - An IP25 biomarker reconstruction.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hörner, Tanja; Stein, Ruediger; Fahl, Kirsten

2016-04-01

Four well-dated sediment cores from the Eurasian continental shelf, i.e., the Kara Sea (Cores BP99/07 and BP00/07) and Laptev Sea (Cores PS51/154 and PS51/159), were selected for high-resolution reconstruction of past Arctic environmental conditions during the deglacial-Holocene time interval. These marginal seas are strongly affected by the post-glacial sea-level rise of about 120m. The major focus of our study was the reconstruction of the paleo-sea-ice distribution as sea-ice plays a key role within the modern and past climate system. For reconstruction of paleo-sea ice, the sea-ice proxy IP25 in combination with open-water phytoplankton biomarkers was used (for approach see Belt et al., 2007; Müller et al., 2009, 2011). In addition, specific sterols were determined to reconstruct changes in river run-off and biological production. The post-glacial sea-level rise is especially reflected in prominent decrease in terrigenous biomarkers. Deglacial variations in sea-ice cover sustained for thousand of years, mostly following climatic changes like the Bølling/Allerød (14.7-12.9 ka), Younger Dryas (12.9-11.6 ka) and Holocene warm phase (10-8 ka). Superimposed on a (Late) Holocene cooling trend, short-term fluctuations in sea-ice cover (on centennial scale) are distinctly documented in the distal/off-shore Core BP00/07 from the Kara Sea, less pronounced in the proximal/near-shore Core PS99/07 and in the Laptev Sea cores. Interestingly, this short-term variability in sea-ice cover correlates quite well to changes in Siberian river run-off (e.g., Stein et al. 2004), pointing to a direct linkage between precipitation (atmospheric circulation) and sea-ice formation. References Belt, S.T., Massé, G., Rowland, S.J., Poulin, M., Michel, C., LeBlanc, B., 2007. A novel chemical fossil of palaeo sea ice: IP25. Organic Geochemistry 38, 16-27. Müller, J., Masse, G., Stein, R., Belt, S.T., 2009. Variability of sea-ice conditions in the Fram Strait over the past 30,000 years

Precambrian Continent Arctida: A New Kinematic Reconstruction of Late Precambrian - Early Paleozoic Arctida U Europe (baltia) Collision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisova, T. P.; Guertseva, M. V.; Egorov, A. Ju.; Kononov, M. V.; Kouznetsov, N. B.

In according to L.P.Zonenshain and L.M.Natapov (1988, 1990), different size conti- nental blocks locating at the margins and inside of present-day Arctic ocean composed the hypothetical early Paleozoic paleocontinent Arctida. The blocks are Kara block (north part of Taymir peninsula, Severnaja Zemlja archipelago and Franz Joseph Land archipelago), north part of Alaska (northward Bruks ridge), Chukchi block, Novosi- birsky block (Novosibirskiye islands together their shelves), several fragments north- ward to the Innuitian orogen (north parts of Peary Land and Ellesmere Island), and Lomonosov ridgeSs block. In the previous kinematic reconstruction it was believed that Arctida as a whole collided with north flanks of Laurentia (Innuitian margin) and Europe (Baltia, Barentsia margin) in middle Paleozoic time. Later, the Arctida (been a fragment of supercontinent Pangea) was fragmented due to a spreading in the Arctic ocean and north part of Atlantic ocean in late Mesozoic and Cenozoic times. Then ArctidaSs fragments were accreted to the Eurasia and North America conti- nents. During the last decade "AEROGEOLOGIA" company has been gathered new data (geologic, stratigraphical, paleomagnetic, and others) of Russian Arctic sector and Svalbard. The data were summarized into "Paleogeographical Atlas for the Rus- sian Arctic sector and Svalbard from Vendian to Jurassic times" (see Abstact SE1.04, ID-NR: EGS02-A-02453). An analyzing of the maps for Vend and Cambrian times allows us to reconsider a few stages of kinematic scenario of late Precambrian - early Paleozoic Arctida U Europe collision. 1) Old interpretation: Arctida was considered as an isolated paleocontinent during early Paleozoic time. New interpretation: during the early Paleozoic Arctida together Europe (Baltia) were assembled into a paleo- continent named us Arcteurope. This conclusion is based on excellent coincidence of Paleozoic paleomagnetic poles of the Kara block (which is a part of Arctida) and Europe

A 21-Year Record of Arctic Sea Ice Extents and Their Regional, Seasonal, and Monthly Variability and Trends

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parkinson, Claire L.; Cavalieri, Donald J.; Zukor, Dorothy J. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Satellite passive-microwave data have been used to calculate sea ice extents over the period 1979-1999 for the north polar sea ice cover as a whole and for each of nine regions. Over this 21-year time period, the trend in yearly average ice extents for the ice cover as a whole is -32,900 +/- 6,100 sq km/yr (-2.7 +/- 0.5 %/decade), indicating a reduction in sea ice coverage that has decelerated from the earlier reported value of -34,000 +/- 8,300 sq km/yr (-2.8 +/- 0.7 %/decade) for the period 1979-1996. Regionally, the reductions are greatest in the Arctic Ocean, the Kara and Barents Seas, and the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan, whereas seasonally, the reductions are greatest in summer, for which season the 1979-1999 trend in ice extents is -41,600 +/- 12,900 sq km/ yr (-4.9 +/- 1.5 %/decade). On a monthly basis, the reductions are greatest in July and September for the north polar ice cover as a whole, in September for the Arctic Ocean, in June and July for the Kara and Barents Seas, and in April for the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan. Only two of the nine regions show overall ice extent increases, those being the Bering Sea and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.For neither of these two regions is the increase statistically significant, whereas the 1079 - 1999 ice extent decreases are statistically significant at the 99% confidence level for the north polar region as a whole, the Arctic Ocean, the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan, and Hudson Bay.

Current Soviet exploration plays: Success and potential

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grace, J.D.

1991-03-01

Soviet hydrocarbon exploration in the 1980s took four distinct directions. First was extension exploration and the search for smaller new fields in discrete traps in traditional producing regions, such as the Apsheron Peninsula, North Caucasus, and Volga-Urals. This strategy produced a large number of small discoveries close to established infrastructure. Second was new field exploration in West Siberia in the stratigraphically complex Jurassic and the lower Neocomian sections. Third was expansion of the prolific gas plays in northern West Siberia. Exploratory success in West Siberia has created a backlog of several hundred discoveries awaiting full delineation and development. Most ofmore » these fields are distant from the established oil production center in the Middle Ob region and, therefore, may remain in inventory. Fourth was initial tests of new exploration frontiers, most important, the Paleozoic and Mesozoic plays of the Barents and Kara seas and the subsalt plays of the North Caspian basin. While these plays have yielded very important discoveries, significant technological barriers impede their development. The outlook for Soviet oil exploration in the 1990s is for significant opportunities for discovery of large volumes of oil, but at radically increasing exploration and production costs. In established regions, these costs arise from small field sizes and low well productivities. In frontier regions, exploitation of new fields will require technology not currently available in the USSR. The outlook for gas exploration continues to be very bright, as the onshore northern West Siberia is not fully explored and initial results from the Barents and Kara seas promise more very large gas discoveries.« less

Water-quality characteristics in the Black Hills area, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williamson, Joyce E.; Carter, Janet M.

2001-01-01

This report summarizes the water-quality characteristics of ground-water and surface-water in the Black Hills area. Differences in groundwater quality by aquifer and differences in surfacewater quality by water source are presented. Ground-water characteristics are discussed individually for each of the major aquifers in the Black Hills area, referred to herein as the Precambrian, Deadwood, Madison, Minnelusa, Minnekahta, and Inyan Kara aquifers. Characteristics for minor aquifers also are discussed briefly. Surface-water characteristics are discussed for hydrogeologic settings including headwater springs, crystalline core sites, artesian springs, and exterior sites. To characterize the water quality of aquifers and streams in the Black Hills area, data from the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System water-quality database were examined. This included samples collected as part of the Black Hills Hydrology Study as well as for other studies within the time frame of October 1, 1930, to September 30, 1998. Tables of individual results are not presented in this report, only summaries. Constituents summarized and discussed include physical properties, common ions, nutrients, trace elements, and radionuclides. Comparisons of concentration levels are made to drinking-water standards as well as beneficial-use and aquatic-life criteria. Ground water within the Black Hills and surrounding area generally is fresh and hard to very hard. Concentrations exceeding various Secondary and Maximum Contaminant Levels may affect the use of the water in some areas for many aquifers within the study area. Concentrations that exceed Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels (SMCL's) generally affect the water only aesthetically. Radionuclide concentrations may be especially high in some of the major aquifers used within the study area and preclude the use of water in some areas. The sodiumadsorption ratio and specific conductance may affect irrigation use for some wells. High

Aerial gamma ray and magnetic survey: Powder River II Project, Gillette Quadrangle, Wyoming. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1979-04-01

The Gillette quadrangle in northeastern Wyoming and western South Dakota contains approximately equal portions of the Powder River Basin and the Black Hills Uplift. In these two structures, a relatively thick sequence of Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata represent nearly continuous deposition over the Precambrian basement complex. The Powder River Basin also contains a thick sequence of early Tertiary rocks which cover about 50% of the surface. A stratigraphic sequence from Upper Cretaceous to Precambrian is exposed in the Black Hills Uplift to the east. Magnetic data apparently illustrate the relative depth to the Precambrian crystalline rocks, but only weakly definemore » the boundary between the Powder River Basin and the Black Hills Uplift. The positions of some small isolated Tertiary intrusive bodies in the Black Hills Uplift are relatively well expressed. The Gillette quadrangle has been productive in terms of uranium mining, but its current status is uncertain. The producing uranium deposits occur within the Lower Cretaceous Inyan Kara Group and the Jurassic Morrison Formation in the Black Hills Uplift. Other prospects occur within the Tertiary Wasatch and Fort Union Formations in the Pumpkin Buttes - Turnercrest district, where it extends into the quadrangle from the Newcastle quadrangle to the south. These four formations, all predominantly nonmarine, contain all known uranium deposits in the Gillette quadrangle. A total of 108 groups of sample responses in the uranium window constitute anomalies as defined in Volume I. The anomalies are most frequently found in the Inyan Kara-Morrison, Wasatch and Fort Union Formations. Many anomalies occur over known mines or prospects. Others may result from unmapped uranium mines or areas where material other than uranium is mined. The remainder may relate to natural geologic features.« less

Recent Trends in the Arctic Navigable Ice Season and Links to Atmospheric Circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maslanik, J.; Drobot, S.

2002-12-01

One of the potential effects of Arctic climate warming is an increase in the navigable ice season, perhaps resulting in development of the Arctic as a major shipping route. The distance from western North American ports to Europe through the Northwest Passage (NWP) or the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is typically 20 to 60 percent shorter than travel through the Panama Canal, while travel between Europe and the Far East may be reduced by as much as three weeks compared to transport through the Suez Canal. An increase in the navigable ice season would also improve commercial opportunities within the Arctic region, such as mineral and oil exploration and tourism, which could potentially expand the economic base of Arctic residents and companies, but which would also have negative environmental impacts. Utilizing daily passive-microwave derived sea ice concentrations, trends and variability in the Arctic navigable ice season are examined from 1979 through 2001. Trend analyses suggest large increases in the length of the navigable ice season in the Kara and Barents seas, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Beaufort Sea, with decreases in the length of the navigable ice season in the Bering Sea. Interannual variations in the navigable ice season largely are governed by fluctuations in low-frequency atmospheric circulation, although the specific annular modes affecting the length of the navigable ice season vary by region. In the Beaufort and East Siberian seas, variations in the North Atlantic Oscillation/Arctic Oscillation control the navigable ice season, while variations in the East Pacific anomaly play an important role in controlling the navigable ice season in the Kara and Barents seas. In Hudson Bay, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and Baffin Bay, interannual variations in the navigable ice season are strongly related to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

Adaptive strategies and life history characteristics in a warming climate: salmon in the Arctic?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nielsen, Jennifer L.; Ruggerone, Gregory T.; Zimmerman, Christian E.

2013-01-01

In the warming Arctic, aquatic habitats are in flux and salmon are exploring their options. Adult Pacific salmon, including sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), coho (O. kisutch), Chinook (O. tshawytscha), pink (O. gorbuscha) and chum (O. keta) have been captured throughout the Arctic. Pink and chum salmon are the most common species found in the Arctic today. These species are less dependent on freshwater habitats as juveniles and grow quickly in marine habitats. Putative spawning populations are rare in the North American Arctic and limited to pink salmon in drainages north of Point Hope, Alaska, chum salmon spawning rivers draining to the northwestern Beaufort Sea, and small populations of chum and pink salmon in Canada’s Mackenzie River. Pacific salmon have colonized several large river basins draining to the Kara, Laptev and East Siberian seas in the Russian Arctic. These populations probably developed from hatchery supplementation efforts in the 1960’s. Hundreds of populations of Arctic Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are found in Russia, Norway and Finland. Atlantic salmon have extended their range eastward as far as the Kara Sea in central Russian. A small native population of Atlantic salmon is found in Canada’s Ungava Bay. The northern tip of Quebec seems to be an Atlantic salmon migration barrier for other North American stocks. Compatibility between life history requirements and ecological conditions are prerequisite for salmon colonizing Arctic habitats. Broad-scale predictive models of climate change in the Arctic give little information about feedback processes contributing to local conditions, especially in freshwater systems. This paper reviews the recent history of salmon in the Arctic and explores various patterns of climate change that may influence range expansions and future sustainability of salmon in Arctic habitats. A summary of the research needs that will allow informed expectation of further Arctic colonization by salmon is given.

How sea ice could be the cold beating heart of European weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margrethe Ringgaard, Ida; Yang, Shuting; Hesselbjerg Christensen, Jens; Kaas, Eigil

2017-04-01

The possibility that the ongoing rapid demise of Arctic sea ice may instigate abrupt changes is, however, not tackled by current research in general. Ice cores from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) show clear evidence of past abrupt warm events with up to 15 degrees warming in less than a decade, most likely triggered by rapid disappearance of Nordic Seas sea ice. At present, both Arctic Sea ice and the GIS are in strong transformation: Arctic sea-ice cover has been retreating during most of the satellite era and in recent years, Arctic sea ice experienced a dramatic reduction and the summer extent was in 2012 and 2016 only half of the 1979-2000 average. With such dramatic change in the current sea ice coverage as a point of departure, several studies have linked reduction in wintertime sea ice in the Barents-Kara seas to cold weather anomalies over Europe and through large scale tele-connections to regional warming elsewhere. Here we aim to investigate if, and how, Arctic sea ice impacts European weather, i.e. if the Arctic sea ice works as the 'cold heart' of European weather. To understand the effects of the sea ice reduction on the full climate system, a fully-coupled global climate model, EC-Earth, is used. A new energy-conserving method for assimilating sea ice using the sensible heat flux is implemented in the coupled climate model and compared to the traditional, non-conserving, method of assimilating sea ice. Using this new method, experiments are performed with reduced sea ice cover in the Barents-Kara seas under both warm and cold conditions in Europe. These experiments are used to evaluate how the Arctic sea ice modulates European winter weather under present climate conditions with a view towards favouring both relatively cold and warm conditions.

Pore Pressure and Field stress variation from Salt Water Injection; A case Study from Beaver Lodge Field in Williston Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammed, R. A.; Khatibi, S.

2017-12-01

One of the major concerns in producing from oil and gas reservoirs in North American Basins is the disposal of high salinity salt water. It is a misconception that Hydro frack triggers Earthquakes, but due to the high salinity and density of water being pumped to the formation that has pore space of the rock already filled, which is not the case in Hydro-frack or Enhanced Oil Recovery in which fracturing fluid is pumped into empty pore space of rocks in depleted reservoirs. A review on the Bakken history showed that the concerns related to induce seismicity has increased over time due to variations in Pore pressure and In-situ stress that have shown steep changes in the region over the time. In this study, we focused on Pore pressure and field Stress variations in lower Cretaceous Inyan Kara and Mississippian Devonian Bakken, Inyan Kara is the major source for class-II salt-water disposal in the basin. Salt-water disposal is the major cause for induced seismicity. A full field study was done on Beaver Lodge Field, which has many salt-water disposal wells Adjacent to Oil and Gas Wells. We analyzed formation properties, stresses, pore-pressure, and fracture gradient profile in the field and. The constructed Mechanical Earth Model (MEM) revealed changes in pore pressure and stresses over time due to saltwater injection. Well drilled in the past were compared to recently drilled wells, which showed much stress variations. Safe mud weight Window of wells near proximity of injection wells was examined which showed many cases of wellbore instabilities. Results of this study will have tremendous impact in studying environmental issues and the future drilling and Fracking operations.

Carboniferous Granitoid Magmatism of Northern Taimyr: Results of Isotopic-Geochemical Study and Geodynamic Interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurapov, M. Yu.; Ershova, V. B.; Makariev, A. A.; Makarieva, E. V.; Khudoley, A. K.; Luchitskaya, M. V.; Prokopiev, A. V.

2018-03-01

Data on the petrography, geochemistry, and isotopic geochronology of granites from the northern part of the Taimyr Peninsula are considered. The Early-Middle Carboniferous age of these rocks has been established (U-Pb, SIMS). Judging by the results of 40Ar/39Ar dating, the rocks underwent metamorphism in the Middle Permian. In geochemical and isotopic composition, the granitic rocks have much in common with evolved I-type granites. This makes it possible to specify a suprasubduction marginal continental formation setting. The existence of an active Carboniferous margin along the southern edge of the Kara Block (in presentday coordinates) corroborates the close relationship of the studied region with the continent of Baltia.

Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus): A literature survey and status report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reeves, Randall R.

1978-01-01

It is generally agreed that the genus Odobenus includes only one species, O. rosmarus. At least two subspecies are widely recognized: O. r. rosmarus, the Atlantic walrus, and O. r. divergens, the Pacific walrus. A third nominal subspecies, O. r. laptevi, the Laptev walrus, is designated by some Soviet researchers; and the taxonomic status of the Kara Sea walrus is undetermined. The range and abundance of nearly all walrus stocks have been seriously reduced by intensive human exploitation.The Atlantic walrus, the principal subject of this study, remains plentiful in only three known areas of concentration: northern Hudson Bay and northern Foxe Basin in the eastern Canadian Arctic, and the Thule district of northwest Greenland. This animal is no longer the object of large-scale commercial hunting, but is still subject to heavy subsistence hunting by native groups in some areas.The status of the walrus population in Canada was investigated in the 1950's and is believed to have changed little since that time. There are probably no more than about 10,000 walruses in Canadian waters, virtually all of them in the eastern arctic. The biology, ecology, and exploitation of walruses in the Thule district were studied during the 1940's, and some information is available concerning recent catch levels and hunting practices. The Polar Eskimos of north Greenland continue to organize much of their cultural and economic life around the hunting of walruses, and the species remains abundant in their area, numbering at least a few thousand. The walrus stocks off west Greenland and in the Greenland, Barents, and Kara seas are the most critically depleted. No systematic field investigations of walruses east of Greenland have been made since the Kara Sea and Franz Josef Land populations were studied in the mid-1930's. Opportunistic sighting records and compilations of historical catch information indicate that the herds of many tens of thousands that once inhabited Svalbard, Bear Island

COMMENT Comment on 'Conservation laws of higher order nonlinear PDEs and the variational conservation laws in the class with mixed derivatives'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarlet, W.

2010-11-01

In a recent paper (R Narain and A H Kara 2010 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 43 085205), the authors claim to be applying Noether's theorem to higher-order partial differential equations and state that in a large class of examples 'the resultant conserved flows display some previously unknown interesting 'divergence properties' owing to the presence of the mixed derivatives' (citation from their abstract). It turns out that what this obscure sentence is meant to say is that the vector whose divergence must be zero (according to Noether's theorem), turns out to have non-zero divergence and subsequently must be modified to obtain a true conservation law. Clearly this cannot be right: we explain in detail the main source of the error.

Double structure of ionospheric conductivity in the midnight auroral oval during a substorm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotikov, A. L.; Shishkina, E. M.; Troshichev, O. A.; Sergienko, T. I.

1995-02-01

Measurements of precipitating particles on board Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F7 spacecraft are used to analyze the distribution of ionospheric conductance in the midnight auroral zone during substorms. The distribution is compared with the meridional profile of ionospheric currents calculated from magnetic data from the Kara meridional chain. Two regions of high Hall conductance are found; one of them is the traditional auroral zone, at latitudes 64-68 deg, and the other is a narrow band at latitudes 70-73 deg. The position of high conductance zones is in agreement with the location of the intense westward currents. The accelerated particle population is typical of electrons E(sub e) greater than 5 keV in the high conductance region.

Polymorphisms in the phosducin (PDC) gene on chromosome 1q25-32

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Humphries, P.; Mansergh, F.C.; Farrar, G.J.

1994-09-01

Phosducin (33 kDa protein or MEKA) is a principal water-soluble phosphoprotein in the rod and cone photoreceptor cells and pinealocytes. This protein modulates the phototransduction cascade by binding to the beta and gamma subunit complexes of transducin. The PDC gene has been mapped to 1q25-32, the region of linkage of two hereditary retinal degenerative disorders; autosomal dominant juvenile-onset open-angle glaucoma and one form of autosomal recessive RP. Using previously published sequence data, PCR primers were designed to amplify the coding and 5{prime} flanking regions of the PDC gene. Direct sequencing revealed three polymorphisms in the 5{prime} flanking region, two ofmore » which were in regions highly homologous between humans and mice. Analysis of the polymorphisms was then extended to larger population samples using SSCPE and denaturing gel analysis. The first polymorphism PDC1 resulted from an insertion of a G residue at position -653/4. Allele frequencies were determined to be 0.51 (insG) and 0.49 (normal) giving a PIC value of 0.50. A deletion of a T residue at position -488 was the basis of the PDC2 polymorphism with allele frequencies of 0.88 (normal) and 0.12 (delT) and a PIC value of 0.21. Interestingly, the allele with an inserted G residue in PDC1 always segregrated with the deleted T allele in PDC2. The third polymorphism PDC3 was caused by a T or G residue at position -1083. Allele frequencies of 0.26 (G residue) and 0.74 (T residue) were determined from an analysis of 80 individuals with an overall PIC value of 0.39. The identification of these three polymorphisms in the PDC gene will be useful for future genetic linkage studies of chromosome 1q in inherited retinopathies.« less

[An epidemiologic study of health care seeking behavior of children under 5 years of age by sex in developing countries].

PubMed

Tursz, A; Crost, M

1999-10-01

Since the end of the 1970's, excess mortality among girls, from the end of the neonatal period until the age of 4 years, has been observed in some South Asian countries. Explanatory hypotheses for this situation have in fact noted differences by sex in food allocation and in care during illness. In some North African and sub-Saharan countries in Africa, mortality data suggest the same type of phenomenon, but less reliable statistics and a lack of data analysis by sex on use of health services does not really allow clarification of the problem. The objective of this study was to analyse health seeking behaviour by sex and to identify explanatory factors for any differences found. A cross sectional study of 1560 consultations of under-5 children was carried out in 6 university and regional hospitals in 3 African countries: Algeria (the zones of Aïn Taya and Tigzirt); Togo (the zones of Lomé, Atakpamé and Kara) and the Congo (Brazzaville). Results confirm the existence of discrimination against girls. In ways which vary according to zones, and in comparison to boys, observations of girls show: under-representation among outpatients (29% in Tigzirt, 40% in Kara), especially when they have many siblings, of which some are sisters; longer duration of the development of symptoms before first resort (leading to increased severity of symptoms); less investment in health care; detrimental feeding practices. Higher SES of the father plays a favourable role, especially for girls, and children of both sexes benefit when the mother has a good educational level. The large regional differences demonstrate the complex interaction among explanatory factors: rurality, problems of access to the hospital, low economic level, low social status of women. This research opens the way so that, in Africa, research will no longer be carried out on health seeking behaviour and utilisation of health services without examining separately the situation of boys and girls, and analysing the

Selected physical, biological and biogeochemical implications of a rapidly changing Arctic Marginal Ice Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barber, David G.; Hop, Haakon; Mundy, Christopher J.; Else, Brent; Dmitrenko, Igor A.; Tremblay, Jean-Eric; Ehn, Jens K.; Assmy, Philipp; Daase, Malin; Candlish, Lauren M.; Rysgaard, Søren

2015-12-01

The Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) of the Arctic Ocean is changing rapidly due to a warming Arctic climate with commensurate reductions in sea ice extent and thickness. This Pan-Arctic review summarizes the main changes in the Arctic ocean-sea ice-atmosphere (OSA) interface, with implications for primary- and secondary producers in the ice and the underlying water column. Changes in the Arctic MIZ were interpreted for the period 1979-2010, based on best-fit regressions for each month. Trends of increasingly open water were statistically significant for each month, with quadratic fit for August-November, illustrating particularly strong seasonal feedbacks in sea-ice formation and decay. Geographic interpretations of physical and biological changes were based on comparison of regions with significant changes in sea ice: (1) The Pacific Sector of the Arctic Ocean including the Canada Basin and the Beaufort, Chukchi and East Siberian seas; (2) The Canadian Arctic Archipelago; (3) Baffin Bay and Hudson Bay; and (4) the Barents and Kara seas. Changes in ice conditions in the Barents sea/Kara sea region appear to be primarily forced by ocean heat fluxes during winter, whereas changes in the other sectors appear to be more summer-autumn related and primarily atmospherically forced. Effects of seasonal and regional changes in OSA-system with regard to increased open water were summarized for photosynthetically available radiation, nutrient delivery to the euphotic zone, primary production of ice algae and phytoplankton, ice-associated fauna and zooplankton, and gas exchange of CO2. Changes in the physical factors varied amongst regions, and showed direct effects on organisms linked to sea ice. Zooplankton species appear to be more flexible and likely able to adapt to variability in the onset of primary production. The major changes identified for the ice-associated ecosystem are with regard to production timing and abundance or biomass of ice flora and fauna, which are related to

Terrestrial analogs of the hellespontus dunes, Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breed, C.S.

1977-01-01

Geomorphic features in the Hellespontus region, Mars, were compared with dunes of the crescentic ridge type in numerous terrestrial sand seas quantitatively by dimensional analysis of dune lengths, widths, and wavelengths. Mean values for the Hellespontus dunes are close to mean values derived from measurements of all sampled terrestrial sand seas. Terrestrial analogs of form and areal distribution of the Hellespontus dunes are shown by comparison of scale ratios derived from the measurements. Dunes of similar form occur in South West Africa, in Pakistan, in the southeastern Arabian peninsula, in the Sahara, in eastern USSR and northern China, and in western North America. Terrestrial analogs closest to form and areal distribution of the Hellespontus dunes are in the Kara Kum Desert, Turkmen SSR, and in the Ala Shan (Gobi) Desert, China. ?? 1977.

Sensitivity of climate and Atlantic overturning circulation to uncertain ocean gateway configurations for the late Miocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradshaw, C.; Lunt, D. J.; Flecker, R.; Martinez-Mendez, G.

2013-12-01

The palaeorecord documents late Miocene (11.6-5.3 Ma) climate to be much warmer and wetter than today yet CO2 reconstructions are similar to modern levels. Given the apparent decoupling between CO2 and warmth for this period we investigate here the role of the oceans. The late Miocene experienced significant tectonic change including the restriction of some of the last ocean gateways to close (Panama Gateway and Indonesian Seaway) and open (Bering Strait and Barents/Kara Sea). However, the timing and configuration of these tectonic changes is uncertain. The final closure of the Panama Gateway is dated to the Pliocene, but continental mammal exchange suggests the existence of a Central American archipelago from the mid-late Miocene. The Bering Strait is typically assumed to have opened at the very end of the late Miocene/early Pliocene based on diatom exchange, but other marine and terrestrial evidence points to a much earlier, perhaps intermittent, opening. The timing of the restriction of the Indonesian Seaway is very poorly constrained at middle Miocene to Pliocene. The Barents Sea and Kara Sea shelves are documented as having being subject to extensive glacial erosion and post-glacial uplift since the Pliocene and throughout the Quaternary but records of uplift and erosion during the earlier Cenozoic are limited. However, the presence of significant preglacial sediments suggests that this region underwent tectonic uplift, volcanism and subsequent erosion during the Eocene-Miocene period although the age assignment of the data remains controversial. The Panama Gateway has been suggested to influence North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) production through numerous modelling studies, the Bering Strait has been suggested to greatly impact NADW during the Quaternary, and the strength of Indonesian Throughflow is hypothesised to influence Agulhas Leakage, which, in turn, has been speculated to influence Atlantic meridional overturning and thus NADW production. Here, we

Problems of deep drilling in abnormally pressured zones of the Kara Sea continental shelf

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simonov, V.I.

1996-12-31

There are discussed results of drilling operations in shelf hydrocarbon areas of the Far North of Tyumen Region (Kharassavieskaya, Bovanenkovskaya and Krusenshternskaya ones) and on the Bely Island. The author describes equipment and technologies used, problems arising in the process of operations and possible ways of solving them. Application of the results discussed in the report seems rather attractive in connection with possible realization of joint projects on development of the mentioned areas. Thus, Amoco Eurasia plans to participate in development of Bovanenkovskoye and Novoportovskoye fields. Well planning for Amoco has been done of specialists of ZapSibBurNIPI. Experience of Russianmore » drilling companies in the Yamal area (Far North of Tyumen Region) has proved that well planning for shelf areas requires special attention as drilling-in both overpressured zones (Bovanenkovskoye field) and underpressured ones (Novoportovskoye field) is done actually in balance. Investigated are reasons for such drilling problems as kicks and lost circulation. Taking them into consideration will help to decrease considerably the cost of well drilling in shelf areas.« less

KSC-2012-3635

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – John Karas, vice president and general manager of Human Spaceflight for Lockheed Martin Space Systems, addresses the audience assembled in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay for an event marking the arrival of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

How might the North American ice sheet influence the northwestern Eurasian climate?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beghin, P.; Charbit, S.; Dumas, C.; Kageyama, M.; Ritz, C.

2015-10-01

It is now widely acknowledged that past Northern Hemisphere ice sheets covering Canada and northern Europe at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) exerted a strong influence on climate by causing changes in atmospheric and oceanic circulations. In turn, these changes may have impacted the development of the ice sheets themselves through a combination of different feedback mechanisms. The present study is designed to investigate the potential impact of the North American ice sheet on the surface mass balance (SMB) of the Eurasian ice sheet driven by simulated changes in the past glacial atmospheric circulation. Using the LMDZ5 atmospheric circulation model, we carried out 12 experiments under constant LGM conditions for insolation, greenhouse gases and ocean. In these experiments, the Eurasian ice sheet is removed. The 12 experiments differ in the North American ice-sheet topography, ranging from a white and flat (present-day topography) ice sheet to a full-size LGM ice sheet. This experimental design allows the albedo and the topographic impacts of the North American ice sheet onto the climate to be disentangled. The results are compared to our baseline experiment where both the North American and the Eurasian ice sheets have been removed. In summer, the sole albedo effect of the American ice sheet modifies the pattern of planetary waves with respect to the no-ice-sheet case, resulting in a cooling of the northwestern Eurasian region. By contrast, the atmospheric circulation changes induced by the topography of the North American ice sheet lead to a strong decrease of this cooling. In winter, the Scandinavian and the Barents-Kara regions respond differently to the American ice-sheet albedo effect: in response to atmospheric circulation changes, Scandinavia becomes warmer and total precipitation is more abundant, whereas the Barents-Kara area becomes cooler with a decrease of convective processes, causing a decrease of total precipitation. The gradual increase of the

The Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic Arctic Margins: early stages of geodynamic evolution and plate reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernikovsky, V. A.; Metelkin, D. V.; Vernikovskaya, A. E.; Matushkin, N. Yu.; Lobkovsky, L. I.; Shipilov, E. V.

2012-04-01

Available data on the existence of Precambrian metamorphic complexes among the main structures of the Arctic led to the suggestion that a large continental mass existed between Laurentia, Baltica and Siberia - an Arctic continent, more often called Arctida (Zonenshain, Natapov, 1987). It is inferred that as an independent continental mass Arctida was formed after the breakup of Rodinia, and in general it can have a pre-Grenvillian (including Grenvillian) basement age. The breakup of this mass and the collision of its fragments with adjacent cratons led to the formation of heterochronous collisional systems. Arctida probably included the Kara, Novosibirsk, Alaska-Chukotka blocks, the blocks of northern Alaska and the submerged Lomonosov Ridge, small fragments of the Inuit fold belt in the north of Greenland and the Canadian archipelago, the structures of the Svalbard and maybe the Timan-Pechora plates. However the inner structure of this paleocontinent, the mutual configuration of the blocks and its evolution in the Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic is still a matter of discussion. The most accurate way of solving these issues is by using paleomagnetic data, but those are nonexistent for most of the defined blocks. Reliable paleomagnetic determinations for the Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic time interval we are concerned with are available only for fragments of an island arc from Central Taimyr, which are 960 m.y. old (Vernikovsky et al., 2011) and for which the paleomagnetic pole is very close to the pole of Siberia from (Pavlov et al., 2002), and of the Kara microcontinent. This includes three paleomagnetic poles for 500, 450 and 420 Ma (Metelkin et al., 2000; Metelkin et al., 2005). It is those data that made up the basis of the presented paleotectonic reconstructions along with an extensive paleomagnetic database for the cratons of Laurentia, Baltica, Siberia and Gondwana. The paleogeographic position of the cratons is corrected (within the confidence levels for the

Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic Evolution of the Arctida Paleocontinent and Plate Reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernikovsky, V. A.; Metelkin, D. V.; Vernikovskaya, A. E.; Matushkin, N. Y.; Lobkovsky, L. I.; Shipilov, E. V.; Scientific Team of Arctida

2011-12-01

Available data on the existence of Precambrian metamorphic complexes among the main structures of the Arctic led to the suggestion that a large continental mass existed between Laurentia, Baltica and Siberia - an Arctic continent, more often called Arctida (Zonenshain, Natapov, 1987). It is inferred that as an independent continental mass Arctida was formed after the breakup of Rodinia, and in general it can have a pre-Grenvillian (including Grenvillian) basement age. The breakup of this mass and the collision of its fragments with adjacent cratons led to the formation of heterochronous collisional systems. Arctida probably included the Kara, Novosibirsk, Alaska-Chukotka blocks, the blocks of northern Alaska and the submerged Lomonosov Ridge, small fragments of the Inuit fold belt in the north of Greenland and the Canadian archipelago, the structures of the Svalbard and maybe the Timan-Pechora plates. However the inner structure of this paleocontinent, the mutual configuration of the blocks and its evolution in the Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic is still a matter of discussion. The most accurate way of solving these issues is by using paleomagnetic data, but those are nonexistent for most of the defined blocks. Reliable paleomagnetic determinations for the Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic time interval we are concerned with are available only for fragments of an island arc from Central Taimyr, which are 960 m.y. old (Vernikovsky et al., 2011) and for which the paleomagnetic pole is very close to the pole of Siberia from (Pavlov et al., 2002), and of the Kara microcontinent. This includes three paleomagnetic poles for 500, 450 and 420 Ma (Metelkin et al., 2000; Metelkin et al., 2005). It is those data that made up the basis of the presented paleotectonic reconstructions along with an extensive paleomagnetic database for the cratons of Laurentia, Baltica, Siberia and Gondwana. The paleogeographic position of the cratons is corrected (within the confidence levels for the

Sea Ice, Hydrocarbon Extraction, Rain-on-Snow and Tundra Reindeer Nomadism in Arctic Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forbes, B. C.; Kumpula, T.; Meschtyb, N.; Laptander, R.; Macias-Fauria, M.; Zetterberg, P.; Verdonen, M.

2015-12-01

It is assumed that retreating sea ice in the Eurasian Arctic will accelerate hydrocarbon development and associated tanker traffic along Russia's Northern Sea Route. However, oil and gas extraction along the Kara and Barents Sea coasts will likely keep developing rapidly regardless of whether the Northwest Eurasian climate continues to warm. Less certain are the real and potential linkages to regional biota and social-ecological systems. Reindeer nomadism continues to be a vitally important livelihood for indigenous tundra Nenets and their large herds of semi-domestic reindeer. Warming summer air temperatures over the NW Russian Arctic have been linked to increases in tundra productivity, longer growing seasons, and accelerated growth of tall deciduous shrubs. These temperature increases have, in turn, been linked to more frequent and sustained summer high-pressure systems over West Siberia, but not to sea ice retreat. At the same time, winters have been warming and rain-on-snow (ROS) events have become more frequent and intense, leading to record-breaking winter and spring mortality of reindeer. What is driving this increase in ROS frequency and intensity is not clear. Recent modelling and simulation have found statistically significant near-surface atmospheric warming and precipitation increases during autumn and winter over Arctic coastal lands in proximity to regions of sea-ice loss. During the winter of 2013-14 an extensive and lasting ROS event led to the starvation of 61,000 reindeer out of a population of ca. 300,000 animals on Yamal Peninsula, West Siberia. Historically, this is the region's largest recorded mortality episode. More than a year later, participatory fieldwork with nomadic herders during spring-summer 2015 revealed that the ecological and socio-economic impacts from this extreme event will unfold for years to come. There is an urgent need to understand whether and how ongoing Barents and Kara Sea ice retreat may affect the region's ancient

Pan-Arctic Distribution of Bioavailable Dissolved Organic Matter and Linkages With Productivity in Ocean Margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Yuan; Benner, Ronald; Kaiser, Karl; Fichot, Cédric G.; Whitledge, Terry E.

2018-02-01

Rapid environmental changes in the Arctic Ocean affect plankton productivity and the bioavailability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) that supports microbial food webs. We report concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and yields of amino acids (indicators of labile DOM) in surface waters across major Arctic margins. Concentrations of DOC and bioavailability of DOM showed large pan-Arctic variability that corresponded to varying hydrological conditions and ecosystem productivity, respectively. Widespread hot spots of labile DOM were observed over productive inflow shelves (Chukchi and Barents Seas), in contrast to oligotrophic interior margins (Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, and Beaufort Seas). Amino acid yields in outflow gateways (Canadian Archipelago and Baffin Bay) indicated the prevalence of semilabile DOM in sea ice covered regions and sporadic production of labile DOM in ice-free waters. Comparing these observations with surface circulation patterns indicated varying shelf subsidies of bioavailable DOM to Arctic deep basins.

KSC-05PD-0209

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, being held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando, the NASA Explorer School team from McNair High School in Dekalb County, Ga., receives the Space Exploration Video Festival award sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Standing with the awards are Trenten Nash, Theo Maxie and Daniel Jackson. Presenting the awards were John Karas (left), with Lockheed, and Adm. Craig Steidle (right), associate administrator, Office of Exploration Systems at NASA. The three- day conference drew attendees from around the world. It presented topics on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Keynote speakers at the three-day conference include NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

Changes in Arctic Melt Season and Implications for Sea Ice Loss

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stroeve, J. C.; Markus, T.; Boisvert, L.; Miller, J.; Barrett, A.

2014-01-01

The Arctic-wide melt season has lengthened at a rate of 5 days dec-1 from 1979 to 2013, dominated by later autumn freeze-up within the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi and Beaufort seas between 6 and 11 days dec(exp -1). While melt onset trends are generally smaller, the timing of melt onset has a large influence on the total amount of solar energy absorbed during summer. The additional heat stored in the upper ocean of approximately 752MJ m(exp -2) during the last decade, increases sea surface temperatures by 0.5 to 1.5 C and largely explains the observed delays in autumn freeze-up within the Arctic Ocean's adjacent seas. Cumulative anomalies in total absorbed solar radiation from May through September for the most recent pentad locally exceed 300-400 MJ m(exp -2) in the Beaufort, Chukchi and East Siberian seas. This extra solar energy is equivalent to melting 0.97 to 1.3 m of ice during the summer.

Pan-Arctic distributions of continental runoff in the Arctic Ocean

PubMed Central

Fichot, Cédric G.; Kaiser, Karl; Hooker, Stanford B.; Amon, Rainer M. W.; Babin, Marcel; Bélanger, Simon; Walker, Sally A.; Benner, Ronald

2013-01-01

Continental runoff is a major source of freshwater, nutrients and terrigenous material to the Arctic Ocean. As such, it influences water column stratification, light attenuation, surface heating, gas exchange, biological productivity and carbon sequestration. Increasing river discharge and thawing permafrost suggest that the impacts of continental runoff on these processes are changing. Here, a new optical proxy was developed and implemented with remote sensing to determine the first pan-Arctic distribution of terrigenous dissolved organic matter (tDOM) and continental runoff in the surface Arctic Ocean. Retrospective analyses revealed connections between the routing of North American runoff and the recent freshening of the Canada Basin, and indicated a correspondence between climate-driven changes in river discharge and tDOM inventories in the Kara Sea. By facilitating the real-time, synoptic monitoring of tDOM and freshwater runoff in surface polar waters, this novel approach will help understand the manifestations of climate change in this remote region. PMID:23316278

Comprehensive Virus Detection Using Next Generation Sequencing in Grapevine Vascular Tissues of Plants Obtained from the Wine Regions of Bohemia and Moravia (Czech Republic)

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Comprehensive next generation sequencing virus detection was used to detect the whole spectrum of viruses and viroids in selected grapevines from the Czech Republic. The novel NGS approach was based on sequencing libraries of small RNA isolated from grapevine vascular tissues. Eight previously partially-characterized grapevines of diverse varieties were selected and subjected to analysis: Chardonnay, Laurot, Guzal Kara, and rootstock Kober 125AA from the Moravia wine-producing region; plus Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir from the Bohemia wine-producing region, both in the Czech Republic. Using next generation sequencing of small RNA, the presence of 8 viruses and 2 viroids were detected in a set of eight grapevines; therefore, confirming the high effectiveness of the technique in plant virology and producing results supporting previous data on multiple infected grapevines in Czech vineyards. Among the pathogens detected, the Grapevine rupestris vein feathering virus and Grapevine yellow speckle viroid 1 were recorded in the Czech Republic for the first time. PMID:27959951

Arctic geodynamics: Continental shelf and deep ocean geophysics. ERS-1 satellite altimetry: A first look

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Allen Joel; Sandwell, David T.; Marquart, Gabriele; Scherneck, Hans-Georg

1993-01-01

An overall review of the Arctic Geodynamics project is presented. A composite gravity field model of the region based upon altimetry data from ERS-1, Geosat, and Seasat is made. ERS-1 altimetry covers unique Arctic and Antarctic latitudes above 72 deg. Both areas contain large continental shelf areas, passive margins, as well as recently formed deep ocean areas. Until ERS-1 it was not possible to study these areas with satellite altimetry. Gravity field solutions for the Barents sea, portions of the Arctic ocean, and the Norwegian sea north of Iceland are shown. The gravity anomalies around Svalbard (Spitsbergen) and Bear island are particularly large, indicating large isostatic anomalies which remain from the recent breakup of Greenland from Scandinavian. Recently released gravity data from the Armed Forces Topographic Service of Russia cover a portion of the Barents and Kara seas. A comparison of this data with the ERS-1 produced gravity field is shown.

Spatial patterns of increases and decreases in the length of the sea ice season in the north polar region, 1979-1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parkinson, Claire L.

1992-01-01

Recently it was reported that sea ice extents in the Northern Hemisphere showed a very slight but statistically significant decrease over the 8.8-year period of the Nimbus 7 scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) data set. In this paper the same SMMR data are used to reveal spatial patterns in increasing and decreasing sea ice coverage. Specifically, the length of the ice season is mapped for each full year of the SMMR data set (1979-1986), and the trends over the 8 years in these ice season lengths are also mapped. These trends show considerable spatial coherence, with a shortening in the sea ice season apparent in much of the eastern hemisphere of the north polar ice cover, particularly in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Barents Sea, and the Kara Sea, and a lengthening of the sea ice season apparent in much of the western hemisphere of the north polar ice cover, particularly in Davis Strait, the Labrador Sea, and the Beaufort Sea.

Comprehensive Virus Detection Using Next Generation Sequencing in Grapevine Vascular Tissues of Plants Obtained from the Wine Regions of Bohemia and Moravia (Czech Republic).

PubMed

Eichmeier, Aleš; Komínková, Marcela; Komínek, Petr; Baránek, Miroslav

2016-01-01

Comprehensive next generation sequencing virus detection was used to detect the whole spectrum of viruses and viroids in selected grapevines from the Czech Republic. The novel NGS approach was based on sequencing libraries of small RNA isolated from grapevine vascular tissues. Eight previously partially-characterized grapevines of diverse varieties were selected and subjected to analysis: Chardonnay, Laurot, Guzal Kara, and rootstock Kober 125AA from the Moravia wine-producing region; plus Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir from the Bohemia wine-producing region, both in the Czech Republic. Using next generation sequencing of small RNA, the presence of 8 viruses and 2 viroids were detected in a set of eight grapevines; therefore, confirming the high effectiveness of the technique in plant virology and producing results supporting previous data on multiple infected grapevines in Czech vineyards. Among the pathogens detected, the Grapevine rupestris vein feathering virus and Grapevine yellow speckle viroid 1 were recorded in the Czech Republic for the first time.

Pan-Arctic distributions of continental runoff in the Arctic Ocean.

PubMed

Fichot, Cédric G; Kaiser, Karl; Hooker, Stanford B; Amon, Rainer M W; Babin, Marcel; Bélanger, Simon; Walker, Sally A; Benner, Ronald

2013-01-01

Continental runoff is a major source of freshwater, nutrients and terrigenous material to the Arctic Ocean. As such, it influences water column stratification, light attenuation, surface heating, gas exchange, biological productivity and carbon sequestration. Increasing river discharge and thawing permafrost suggest that the impacts of continental runoff on these processes are changing. Here, a new optical proxy was developed and implemented with remote sensing to determine the first pan-Arctic distribution of terrigenous dissolved organic matter (tDOM) and continental runoff in the surface Arctic Ocean. Retrospective analyses revealed connections between the routing of North American runoff and the recent freshening of the Canada Basin, and indicated a correspondence between climate-driven changes in river discharge and tDOM inventories in the Kara Sea. By facilitating the real-time, synoptic monitoring of tDOM and freshwater runoff in surface polar waters, this novel approach will help understand the manifestations of climate change in this remote region.

Southern Africa as seen from STS-61 Shuttle Endeavour

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-12-09

STS061-106-091 (December 1993) --- The entire southern tip of Africa is shown in this high altitude 50mm photograph. The center of the photograph is at approximately 28.0 degrees south and 24.0 degrees east Cape Columbine is at the upper right with Durban at the lower center. The Orange River is at the upper center of the frame. Cape Agulas is the southernmost part of the African continent and is visible toward the upper right corner with the great bays of South Africa trending toward the bottom right. Continuing clockwise along the coast, Durban projects out into the Indian Ocean. The oceanic clouds on the right side of the photograph probably depict a current boundary. The Drakensberg Range on the east, the great Karoo Range to the south and the Karas Mountains on the west surround the drier central plateau. The southern Kalahari Desert is at the upper left of the photograph.

Weakening of the Stratospheric Polar Vortex by Arctic Sea-Ice Loss

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Baek-Min; Son, Seok-Woo; Min, Seung-Ki

2014-09-02

Successive cold winters of severely low temperatures in recent years have had critical social and economic impacts on the mid-latitude continents in the Northern Hemisphere. Although these cold winters are thought to be partly driven by dramatic losses of Arctic sea ice, the mechanism that links sea ice loss to cold winters remains a subject of debate. Here, by conducting observational analyses and model experiments, we show how Arctic sea ice loss and cold winters in extra-polar regions are dynamically connected through the polar stratosphere. We find that decreased sea ice cover during early winter months (November-December), especially over themore » Barents-Kara seas, enhance the upward propagation of planetary-scale waves with wavenumbers of 1 and 2, subsequently weakening the stratospheric polar vortex in mid-winter (January- February). The weakened polar vortex preferentially induces a negative phase of Arctic Oscillation at the surface, resulting in low temperatures in mid-latitudes.« less

Numerical simulation study of polar lows in Russian Arctic: dynamical characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verezemskaya, Polina; Baranyuk, Anastasia; Stepanenko, Victor

2015-04-01

Polar Lows (hereafter PL) are intensive mesoscale cyclones, appearing above the sea surface, usually behind the arctic front and characterized by severe weather conditions [1]. All in consequence of the global warming PLs started to emerge in the arctic water area as well - in summer and autumn. The research goal is to examine PLs by considering multisensory data and the resulting numerical mesoscale model. The main purpose was to realize which conditions induce PL development in such thermodynamically unusual season and region as Kara sea. In order to conduct the analysis we used visible and infrared images from MODIS (Aqua). Atmospheric water vapor V, cloud liquid water Q content and surface wind fields W were resampled by examining AMSR-E microwave radiometer data (Aqua)[2], the last one was additionally extracted from QuickSCAT scatterometer. We have selected some PL cases in Kara sea, appeared in autumn of 2007-2008. Life span of the PL was between 24 to 36 hours. Vortexes' characteristics were: W from 15m/s, Q and V values: 0.08-0.11 kg/m2 and 8-15 kg/m2 relatively. Numerical experiments were carried out with Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF), which was installed on supercomputer "Lomonosov" of Research Computing Center of Moscow State University [3]. As initial conditions was used reanalysis data ERA-Interim from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Numerical experiments were made with 5 km spatial resolution, with Goddard center microphysical parameterization and explicit convection simulation. Modeling fields were compared with satellite observations and shown good accordance. Than dynamic characteristics were analyzed: evolution of potential and absolute vorticity [4], surface heat and momentum fluxes, and CAPE and WISHE mechanisms realization. 1. Polar lows, J. Turner, E.A. Rasmussen, 612, Cambridge University press, Cambridge, 2003. 2. Zabolotskikh, E. V., Mitnik, L. M., & Chapron, B. (2013). New approach for severe marine

The powdery mildew resistance gene REN1 co-segregates with an NBS-LRR gene cluster in two Central Asian grapevines

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Grape powdery mildew is caused by the North American native pathogen Erysiphe necator. Eurasian Vitis vinifera varieties were all believed to be susceptible. REN1 is the first resistance gene naturally found in cultivated plants of Vitis vinifera. Results REN1 is present in 'Kishmish vatkana' and 'Dzhandzhal kara', two grapevines documented in Central Asia since the 1920's. These cultivars have a second-degree relationship (half sibs, grandparent-grandchild, or avuncular), and share by descent the chromosome on which the resistance allele REN1 is located. The REN1 interval was restricted to 1.4 cM using 38 SSR markers distributed across the locus and the segregation of the resistance phenotype in two progenies of collectively 461 offspring, derived from either resistant parent. The boundary markers delimit a 1.4-Mbp sequence in the PN40024 reference genome, which contains 27 genes with known functions, 2 full-length coiled-coil NBS-LRR genes, and 9 NBS-LRR pseudogenes. In the REN1 locus of PN40024, NBS genes have proliferated through a mixture of segmental duplications, tandem gene duplications, and intragenic recombination between paralogues, indicating that the REN1 locus has been inherently prone to producing genetic variation. Three SSR markers co-segregate with REN1, the outer ones confining the 908-kb array of NBS-LRR genes. Kinship and clustering analyses based on genetic distances with susceptible cultivars representative of Central Asian Vitis vinifera indicated that 'Kishmish vatkana' and 'Dzhandzhal kara' fit well into local germplasm. 'Kishmish vatkana' also has a parent-offspring relationship with the seedless table grape 'Sultanina'. In addition, the distant genetic relatedness to rootstocks, some of which are derived from North American species resistant to powdery mildew and have been used worldwide to guard against phylloxera since the late 1800's, argues against REN1 being infused into Vitis vinifera from a recent interspecific

Water quality of selected springs and public-supply wells, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, 1992-97

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heakin, Allen J.

2000-01-01

This report presents results of a water-quality study for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota. The study was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Water Resources Department of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Discharge and water-quality data were collected during 1992-97 for 14 contact springs located in the northwestern part of the Reservation. Data were collected to evaluate potential alternative sources of water supply for the village of Red Shirt, which currently obtains water of marginal quality from a well completed in the Inyan Kara aquifer. During 1995-97, water-quality data also were collected for 44 public-supply wells that serve about one-half of the Reservation's population. Quality-assurance sampling was used to evaluate the precision and accuracy of environmental samples. Ten of the springs sampled contact the White River Group, and four contact the Pierre Shale. Springs contacting the White River Group range from calcium bicarbonate to sodium bicarbonate water types. Two springs contacting the Pierre Shale have water types similar to this; however, sulfate is the dominant anion for the other two springs. In general, springs contacting the White River Group are shown to have better potential as alternative sources of water supply for the village of Red Shirt than springs contacting the Pierre Shale. Nine of the springs with better water quality were sampled repeatedly; however, only minor variability in water quality was identified. Six of these nine springs, of which five contact the White River Group, probably have the best potential for use as water supplies. Discharge from any of these six springs probably would provide adequate water supply for Red Shirt during most periods, based on a limited number of discharge measurements collected. Concentrations of lead exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) action level of 15 ?g/L for three of these six springs. Five of these six springs also had arsenic

Radionuclide contamination of sediment deposits in the Ob and Yenisey estuaries and areas of the Kara Sea.

PubMed

Standring, W J F; Stepanets, O; Brown, J E; Dowdall, M; Borisov, A; Nikitin, A

2008-04-01

The Ob and Yenisey rivers are major contributors to total riverine discharge to the Arctic Ocean. Several large nuclear facilities discharge into these rivers, which could affect actual and potential discharges of radionuclides to the Arctic region. This article presents new radionuclide concentration and grain-size data resulting from analyses of several sediment samples collected during research cruises in the Ob and Yenisey estuaries and adjacent areas during 2000 and 2001. Results indicate that discharges from the main nuclear facilities do not constitute a major contribution to the level of radioactive contamination in the marine areas studied, though Co-60 was detected at low concentrations in some sediment horizons. However, the aggregate contamination from different sources is not radioecologically significant in sediments within the study area, maximum Cs-137 levels being approximately 80 Bq kg(-1) dry weight.

Warm Arctic-cold Siberia: comparing the recent and the early 20th-century Arctic warmings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegmann, Martin; Orsolini, Yvan; Zolina, Olga

2018-02-01

The Warm Arctic-cold Siberia surface temperature pattern during recent boreal winter is suggested to be triggered by the ongoing decrease of Arctic autumn sea ice concentration and has been observed together with an increase in mid-latitude extreme events and a meridionalization of tropospheric circulation. However, the exact mechanism behind this dipole temperature pattern is still under debate, since model experiments with reduced sea ice show conflicting results. We use the early twentieth-century Arctic warming (ETCAW) as a case study to investigate the link between September sea ice in the Barents-Kara Sea (BKS) and the Siberian temperature evolution. Analyzing a variety of long-term climate reanalyses, we find that the overall winter temperature and heat flux trend occurs with the reduction of September BKS sea ice. Tropospheric conditions show a strengthened atmospheric blocking over the BKS, strengthening the advection of cold air from the Arctic to central Siberia on its eastern flank, together with a reduction of warm air advection by the westerlies. This setup is valid for both the ETCAW and the current Arctic warming period.

Local increase of anticyclonic wave activity over northern Eurasia under amplified Arctic warming: WAVE ACTIVITY RESPONSE TO ARCTIC MELTING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xue, Daokai; Lu, Jian; Sun, Lantao

In an attempt to resolve the controversy as to whether Arctic sea ice loss leads to more mid-latitude extremes, a metric of finite-amplitude wave activity is adopted to quantify the midlatitude wave activity and its change during the observed period of the drastic Arctic sea ice decline in both ERA Interim reanalysis data and a set of AMIP-type of atmospheric model experiments. Neither the experiment with the trend in the SST or that with the declining trend of Arctic sea ice can simulate the sizable midlatitude-wide reduction in the total wave activity (Ae) observed in the reanalysis, leaving its explanationmore » to the atmospheric internal variability. On the other hand, both the diagnostics of the flux of the local wave activity and the model experiments lend evidence to a possible linkage between the sea ice loss near the Barents and Kara seas and the increasing trend of anticyclonic local wave activity over the northern part of the central Eurasia and the associated impacts on the frequency of temperature extremes.« less

The North Atlantic-Eurasian teleconnection in summer and its effects on Eurasian climates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jianping; Ruan, Chengqing

2018-02-01

A teleconnection between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Eurasian continent is suggested by statistical and dynamical analysis of the northern summer 500 hPa geopotential height field. This teleconnection, termed the Atlantic-Eurasian (AEA) teleconnection, has five centers of action, in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean, northeastern North Atlantic Ocean, Eastern Europe, the Kara Sea, and north China. The AEA index (AEAI) shows that the AEA undergoes a high degree of variability from year to year, and the AEAI has an increasing trend over the last 30 years. Our results suggest that this phenomenon is a large-scale Rossby wave train that originates in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. We support this conclusion by the methods of stationary wave ray tracing in non-uniform horizontal basic flow, wave activity flux calculations, and numerical models. The AEA and midlatitude circumglobal teleconnection pattern manifest distinct features at the hemispheric scale, despite the anomalies associated with them bear some similarities in the northeastern North Atlantic and Eastern Europe. Regional climate variations are strongly linked to this AEA along its path through northern Eurasia.

Major cause of unprecedented Arctic warming in January 2016: Critical role of an Atlantic windstorm

PubMed Central

Kim, Baek-Min; Hong, Ja-Young; Jun, Sang-Yoon; Zhang, Xiangdong; Kwon, Hataek; Kim, Seong-Joong; Kim, Joo-Hong; Kim, Sang-Woo; Kim, Hyun-Kyung

2017-01-01

In January 2016, the Arctic experienced an extremely anomalous warming event after an extraordinary increase in air temperature at the end of 2015. During this event, a strong intrusion of warm and moist air and an increase in downward longwave radiation, as well as a loss of sea ice in the Barents and Kara seas, were observed. Observational analyses revealed that the abrupt warming was triggered by the entry of a strong Atlantic windstorm into the Arctic in late December 2015, which brought enormous moist and warm air masses to the Arctic. Although the storm terminated at the eastern coast of Greenland in late December, it was followed by a prolonged blocking period in early 2016 that sustained the extreme Arctic warming. Numerical experiments indicate that the warming effect of sea ice loss and associated upward turbulent heat fluxes are relatively minor in this event. This result suggests the importance of the synoptically driven warm and moist air intrusion into the Arctic as a primary contributing factor of this extreme Arctic warming event. PMID:28051170

Using timing of ice retreat to predict timing of fall freeze-up in the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroeve, Julienne C.; Crawford, Alex D.; Stammerjohn, Sharon

2016-06-01

Reliable forecasts of the timing of sea ice advance are needed in order to reduce risks associated with operating in the Arctic as well as planning of human and environmental emergencies. This study investigates the use of a simple statistical model relating the timing of ice retreat to the timing of ice advance, taking advantage of the inherent predictive power supplied by the seasonal ice-albedo feedback and ocean heat uptake. Results show that using the last retreat date to predict the first advance date is applicable in some regions, such as Baffin Bay and the Laptev and East Siberian seas, where a predictive skill is found even after accounting for the long-term trend in both variables. Elsewhere, in the Arctic, there is some predictive skills depending on the year (e.g., Kara and Beaufort seas), but none in regions such as the Barents and Bering seas or the Sea of Okhotsk. While there is some suggestion that the relationship is strengthening over time, this may reflect that higher correlations are expected during periods when the underlying trend is strong.

Phytoplankton bloom along the coast of Novaya Zemlya, Russia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

North of the western Russian mainland lies the island archipelago of Novaya Zemlya. The northern island is glacier covered and is the site of ongoing research into the effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation and climate change on the glaciers. The archipelago is situated in the Arctic Ocean, between the Barents Sea to the west and the Kara Sea to the east. In this true-color MODIS image, the blue-green swirls in the waters of the Barents Sea on the western coast could indicate a bloom of phytoplankton, or they could be highly reflective glacial silt resulting from run off. The Barents Sea is named for Dutch explorer Willem Barents, who is 1596 attempted to sail to Asia via the North Pole. Barents and his crew were caught in sea ice at north of the northern cape of Novaya Zemlya in August and were forced to winter on the island, building a house out of the wood from their ship. Not just a historic and climatological research site, the islands are also home to a Russian nuclear test facility.

Capturing total chronological and spatial uncertainties in palaeo-ice sheet reconstructions: the DATED example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Anna; Gyllencreutz, Richard; Mangerud, Jan; Svendsen, John Inge

2017-04-01

Glacial geologists generate empirical reconstructions of former ice-sheet dynamics by combining evidence from the preserved record of glacial landforms (e.g. end moraines, lineations) and sediments with chronological evidence (mainly numerical dates derived predominantly from radiocarbon, exposure and luminescence techniques). However the geomorphological and sedimentological footprints and chronological data are both incomplete records in both space and time, and all have multiple types of uncertainty associated with them. To understand ice sheets' response to climate we need numerical models of ice-sheet dynamics based on physical principles. To test and/or constrain such models, empirical reconstructions of past ice sheets that capture and acknowledge all uncertainties are required. In 2005 we started a project (Database of the Eurasian Deglaciation, DATED) to produce an empirical reconstruction of the evolution of the last Eurasian ice sheets, (including the British-Irish, Scandinavian and Svalbard-Barents-Kara Seas ice sheets) that is fully documented, specified in time, and includes uncertainty estimates. Over 5000 dates relevant to constraining ice build-up and retreat were assessed for reliability and used together with published ice-sheet margin positions based on glacial geomorphology to reconstruct time-slice maps of the ice sheets' extent. The DATED maps show synchronous ice margins with maximum-minimum uncertainty bounds for every 1000 years between 25-10 kyr ago. In the first version of results (DATED-1; Hughes et al. 2016) all uncertainties (both quantitative and qualitative, e.g. precision and accuracy of numerical dates, correlation of moraines, stratigraphic interpretations) were combined based on our best glaciological-geological assessment and expressed in terms of distance as a 'fuzzy' margin. Large uncertainties (>100 km) exist; predominantly across marine sectors and other locations where there are spatial gaps in the dating record (e.g. the

Radionuclides in the Arctic seas from the former Soviet Union: Potential health and ecological risks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Layton, D W; Edson, R; Varela, M

1999-11-15

The primary goal of the assessment reported here is to evaluate the health and environmental threat to coastal Alaska posed by radioactive-waste dumping in the Arctic and Northwest Pacific Oceans by the FSU. In particular, the FSU discarded 16 nuclear reactors from submarines and an icebreaker in the Kara Sea near the island of Novaya Zemlya, of which 6 contained spent nuclear fuel (SNF); disposed of liquid and solid wastes in the Sea of Japan; lost a {sup 90}Sr-powered radioisotope thermoelectric generator at sea in the Sea of Okhotsk; and disposed of liquid wastes at several sites in the Pacificmore » Ocean, east of the Kamchatka Peninsula. In addition to these known sources in the oceans, the RAIG evaluated FSU waste-disposal practices at inland weapons-development sites that have contaminated major rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The RAIG evaluated these sources for the potential for release to the environment, transport, and impact to Alaskan ecosystems and peoples through a variety of scenarios, including a worst-case total instantaneous and simultaneous release of the sources under investigation. The risk-assessment process described in this report is applicable to and can be used by other circumpolar countries, with the addition of information about specific ecosystems and human life-styles. They can use the ANWAP risk-assessment framework and approach used by ONR to establish potential doses for Alaska, but add their own specific data sets about human and ecological factors. The ANWAP risk assessment addresses the following Russian wastes, media, and receptors: dumped nuclear submarines and icebreaker in Kara Sea--marine pathways; solid reactor parts in Sea of Japan and Pacific Ocean--marine pathways; thermoelectric generator in Sea of Okhotsk--marine pathways; current known aqueous wastes in Mayak reservoirs and Asanov Marshes--riverine to marine pathways; and Alaska as receptor. For these waste and source terms addressed, other pathways, such as

The Regional Influence of the Arctic Oscillation and Arctic Dipole on the Wintertime Arctic Surface Radiation Budget and Sea Ice Growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hegyi, Bradley M.; Taylor, Patrick C.

2017-01-01

An analysis of 2000-2015 monthly Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System-Energy Balanced and Filled (CERES-EBAF) and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA2) data reveals statistically significant fall and wintertime relationships between Arctic surface longwave (LW) radiative flux anomalies and the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Arctic Dipole (AD). Signifying a substantial regional imprint, a negative AD index corresponds with positive downwelling clear-sky LW flux anomalies (greater than10W m(exp -2)) north of western Eurasia (0 deg E-120 deg E) and reduced sea ice growth in the Barents and Kara Seas in November-February. Conversely, a positive AO index coincides with negative clear-sky LW flux anomalies and minimal sea ice growth change in October-November across the Arctic. Increased (decreased) atmospheric temperature and water vapor coincide with the largest positive (negative) clear-sky flux anomalies. Positive surface LW cloud radiative effect anomalies also accompany the negative AD index in December-February. The results highlight a potential pathway by which Arctic atmospheric variability influences the regional surface radiation budget over areas of Arctic sea ice growth.

Sea ice, rain-on-snow and tundra reindeer nomadism in Arctic Russia

PubMed Central

Kumpula, Timo; Meschtyb, Nina; Laptander, Roza; Macias-Fauria, Marc; Zetterberg, Pentti; Verdonen, Mariana; Kim, Kwang-Yul; Boisvert, Linette N.; Stroeve, Julienne C.; Bartsch, Annett

2016-01-01

Sea ice loss is accelerating in the Barents and Kara Seas (BKS). Assessing potential linkages between sea ice retreat/thinning and the region's ancient and unique social–ecological systems is a pressing task. Tundra nomadism remains a vitally important livelihood for indigenous Nenets and their large reindeer herds. Warming summer air temperatures have been linked to more frequent and sustained summer high-pressure systems over West Siberia, Russia, but not to sea ice retreat. At the same time, autumn/winter rain-on-snow (ROS) events have become more frequent and intense. Here, we review evidence for autumn atmospheric warming and precipitation increases over Arctic coastal lands in proximity to BKS ice loss. Two major ROS events during November 2006 and 2013 led to massive winter reindeer mortality episodes on the Yamal Peninsula. Fieldwork with migratory herders has revealed that the ecological and socio-economic impacts from the catastrophic 2013 event will unfold for years to come. The suggested link between sea ice loss, more frequent and intense ROS events and high reindeer mortality has serious implications for the future of tundra Nenets nomadism. PMID:27852939

Using NWP to assess the influence of the Arctic atmosphere on midlatitude weather and climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semmler, Tido; Jung, Thomas; Kasper, Marta A.; Serrar, Soumia

2018-01-01

The influence of the Arctic atmosphere on Northern Hemisphere midlatitude tropospheric weather and climate is explored by comparing the skill of two sets of 14-day weather forecast experiments using the ECMWF model with and without relaxation of the Arctic atmosphere towards ERA-Interim reanalysis data during the integration. Two pathways are identified along which the Arctic influences midlatitude weather: a pronounced one over Asia and Eastern Europe, and a secondary one over North America. In general, linkages are found to be strongest (weakest) during boreal winter (summer) when the amplitude of stationary planetary waves over the Northern Hemisphere is strongest (weakest). No discernible Arctic impact is found over the North Atlantic and North Pacific region, which is consistent with predominantly southwesterly flow. An analysis of the flow-dependence of the linkages shows that anomalous northerly flow conditions increase the Arctic influence on midlatitude weather over the continents. Specifically, an anomalous northerly flow from the Kara Sea towards West Asia leads to cold surface temperature anomalies not only over West Asia but also over Eastern and Central Europe. Finally, the results of this study are discussed in the light of potential midlatitude benefits of improved Arctic prediction capabilities.

Filling a SMBH accretion disk atmosphere at small and intermediate radii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karas, Vladimir; Czerny, Bozena; Kunneriath, Devaky

2017-08-01

The medium above an accretion disk is highly diluted and hot. An efficient mechanism to deliver particles and dust grains is an open question; apparently, different processes must be in operation. We discuss an interplay of two different scenarios, where the material is elevated from the plane of an equatorial accretion disk into a corona near a supermassive black hole: (i) an electromagnetically induced transport, which can be driven by magnetic field of stars passing across an accretion disk (Karas et al., 2017); and (ii) radiatively driven acceleration by radiation emerging from the disk (Czerny et al 2015), which can launch a dusty wind near above the dust sublimation radius. The former process can operate in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) surrounded by a dense nuclear star-cluster. The latter process involves the effect of radiation pressure from various sources - stars, accretion disc, and the central accreting SMBH; it can help filling the Broad-Line Region against the vertical component of the black hole gravitational attraction and the accretion disk self-gravity at radius about a few $\\times 10^3 R_g$.

KSC-2012-3637

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Distinguished speakers are seated in the front row in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay for an event marking the arrival of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Florida. From left are Dan Dumbacher, NASA deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Mark Geyer, Orion program manager, David Beaman, NASA Space Launch System spacecraft and payload integration manager, Pepper Phillips, program manager for NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations, and John Karas, vice president and general manager of Human Spaceflight for Lockheed Martin Space Systems. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Self-Learning Off-Lattice Kinetic Monte Carlo method as applied to growth on metal surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trushin, Oleg; Kara, Abdelkader; Rahman, Talat

2007-03-01

We propose a new development in the Self-Learning Kinetic Monte Carlo (SLKMC) method with the goal of improving the accuracy with which atomic mechanisms controlling diffusive processes on metal surfaces may be identified. This is important for diffusion of small clusters (2 - 20 atoms) in which atoms may occupy Off-Lattice positions. Such a procedure is also necessary for consideration of heteroepitaxial growth. The new technique combines an earlier version of SLKMC [1] with the inclusion of off-lattice occupancy. This allows us to include arbitrary positions of adatoms in the modeling and makes the simulations more realistic and reliable. We have tested this new approach for the case of the diffusion of small 2D Cu clusters diffusion on Cu(111) and found good performance and satisfactory agreement with results obtained from previous version of SLKMC. The new method also helped reveal a novel atomic mechanism contributing to cluster migration. We have also applied this method to study the diffusion of Cu clusters on Ag(111), and find that Cu atoms generally prefer to occupy off-lattice sites. [1] O. Trushin, A. Kara, A. Karim, T.S. Rahman Phys. Rev B 2005

Sea ice, rain-on-snow and tundra reindeer nomadism in Arctic Russia.

PubMed

Forbes, Bruce C; Kumpula, Timo; Meschtyb, Nina; Laptander, Roza; Macias-Fauria, Marc; Zetterberg, Pentti; Verdonen, Mariana; Skarin, Anna; Kim, Kwang-Yul; Boisvert, Linette N; Stroeve, Julienne C; Bartsch, Annett

2016-11-01

Sea ice loss is accelerating in the Barents and Kara Seas (BKS). Assessing potential linkages between sea ice retreat/thinning and the region's ancient and unique social-ecological systems is a pressing task. Tundra nomadism remains a vitally important livelihood for indigenous Nenets and their large reindeer herds. Warming summer air temperatures have been linked to more frequent and sustained summer high-pressure systems over West Siberia, Russia, but not to sea ice retreat. At the same time, autumn/winter rain-on-snow (ROS) events have become more frequent and intense. Here, we review evidence for autumn atmospheric warming and precipitation increases over Arctic coastal lands in proximity to BKS ice loss. Two major ROS events during November 2006 and 2013 led to massive winter reindeer mortality episodes on the Yamal Peninsula. Fieldwork with migratory herders has revealed that the ecological and socio-economic impacts from the catastrophic 2013 event will unfold for years to come. The suggested link between sea ice loss, more frequent and intense ROS events and high reindeer mortality has serious implications for the future of tundra Nenets nomadism. © 2016 The Authors.

Digital data sets for map products produced as part of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, western South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williamson, Joyce E.; Jarrell, Gregory J.; Clawges, Rick M.; Galloway, Joel M.; Carter, Janet M.

2000-01-01

This compact disk contains digital data produced as part of the 1:100,000-scale map products for the Black Hills Hydrology Study conducted in western South Dakota. The digital data include 28 individual Geographic Information System (GIS) data sets: data sets for the hydrogeologic unit map including all mapped hydrogeologic units within the study area (1 data set) and major geologic structure including anticlines and synclines (1 data set); data sets for potentiometric maps including the potentiometric contours for the Inyan Kara, Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers (5 data sets), wells used as control points for each aquifer (5 data sets), and springs used as control points for the potentiometric contours (1 data set); and data sets for the structure-contour maps including the structure contours for the top of each formation that contains major aquifers (5 data sets), wells and tests holes used as control points for each formation (5 data sets), and surficial deposits (alluvium and terrace deposits) that directly overlie each of the major aquifer outcrops (5 data sets). These data sets were used to produce the maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey.

HIV prevalence and behavioral studies among female sex workers in Togo in 2015.

PubMed

Teclessou, J N; Akakpo, S; Gbetoglo, D; Koumagnanou, G; Singo, A; Pitché, P

2017-10-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the seroprevalence of HIVamong female sex workers (FSWs) and to document the behavior in this target population four years after the last study and possibly readjust these interventions. We conducted from March 27 to April 4, 2015 a crosssectional study of 1197 FSWs. Behavior data were collected by interviewer-administered questionnaires. The FSWs were then subjected to blood tests to measure the prevalence of HIV. The average age of respondents FSWs was 28 years and 20% had their first sexual intercourse before 15 years old. Overall, 48% of the FSWs received between 1 and 7 customers per working day. The majority of FSWs (90%) had consistently used condoms during their last week of work. HIV seroprevalence was 11.7% for FSWs. HIV prevalence was higher in FSWs living in Lomé, the capital city, (13.4%) than those living in the Kara region, in the North of the country (2%), P < 0.0001. The results of this study show the positive behavioral change in FSWs with a stabilization of HIV prevalence in this group after four years.

DARWIN Glass and DARWIN Crater Revisited. Multiple Impacts in the Australasian Strewn Field?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meisel, T.; Biino, G. G.; Villa, I. M.; Chambers, J. E.; McHone, J. F.

1995-09-01

Darwin glass, an impact glass occurring in South West Tasmania, has been found at least since human beings reached Tasmania ca. 40 k.y. ago. Darwin glass, although in the proximity of the Australasian tektites strewn field, has never been counted as part of it. Darwin Crater was recognized about 30 years ago. Still, the existence of an impact structure in Tasmania has been neglected and does not show up in most compilations of known impact craters. Age determinations on Darwin Glass from the early 70's revealed a combined K-Ar and fission track age of 0.73 +/- 0.04 m.y. [1]. The most recent and most precise estimate for Australites and Indochinites yields 0.784 +/- 0.012 m.y. [2]. The two ages are indistinguishable from each other. This contemporaneity lead to the hypothesis that impact on Earth producing australites also formed Darwin Crater as a primary and/or secondary crater (Gentner et al., 1973). If one believes that all tektites of the Australian strewn field were produced by one impact in or near Indochina, then a special case is required to also form Darwin Crater, which is at least 5000 km away. Atmospheric breakup of a planetary body is a very unlikely possibility, because the distance travelled after breakup is too small to account for the dispersion. Double craters on Earth are always close to each other (e.g., Kara and Kara Ust). A more likely scenario could be an impact of an asteroidal body with an accompanying small moon (e.g., Ida and Gaspra). If one believes in multiple impacts for the formation of Muong Nong-type or layered tektites in the Australasian strewn field, then a collision of an asteroidal body with another body shortly before impact on Earth is required. In this case, an impact on Earth a large distance away (i.e., Tasmania) is realistic. To address the problem of crater recognition and possible simultaneous impact events, a new multidisciplinary investigation is currently underway. We intend to determine the age of three Darwin

A difficult Arctic science issue: Midlatitude weather linkages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Overland, James E.

2016-09-01

There is at present unresolved uncertainty whether Arctic amplification (increased air temperatures and loss of sea ice) impacts the location and intensities of recent major weather events in midlatitudes. There are three major impediments. The first is the null hypothesis where the shortness of time series since major amplification (∼15 years) is dominated by the variance of the physical process in the attribution calculation. This makes it impossible to robustly distinguish the influence of Arctic forcing of regional circulation from random events. The second is the large chaotic jet stream variability at midlatitudes producing a small Arctic forcing signal-to-noise ratio. Third, there are other potential external forcings of hemispheric circulation, such as teleconnections driven by tropical and midlatitude sea surface temperature anomalies. It is, however, important to note and understand recent emerging case studies. There is evidence for a causal connection of Barents-Kara sea ice loss, a stronger Siberian High, and cold air outbreaks into eastern Asia. Recent cold air penetrating into the southeastern United States was related to a shift in the long-wave atmospheric wind pattern and reinforced by warmer temperatures west of Greenland. Arctic Linkages is a major research challenge that benefits from an international focus on the topic.

Connections between the tropical Pacific Ocean, Arctic sea ice, and anomalous northeastern Pacific ridging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swain, D. L.; Singh, D.; Horton, D. E.; Mankin, J. S.; Ballard, T.; Thomas, L. N.; Diffenbaugh, N. S.

2016-12-01

The ongoing and severe drought in California is linked to the multi-year persistence of anomalously strong ridging along the west coast of North America, which has deflected the Pacific storm track north of its climatological mean position. Recent work has shown that that highly amplified and strongly meridional atmospheric flow patterns in this region similar to the "Ridiculously Resilient Ridge" have become more common in recent decades. Previous investigations have suggested multiple possible contributors to this conspicuous atmospheric anomaly—including remote teleconnections to unusual tropical Pacific Ocean warmth and/or reduced Arctic sea ice, internal (natural) atmospheric variability, and anthropogenic forcing due to greenhouse gas emissions. Here, we explore observed relationships between mid-tropospheric atmospheric structure in this region and five hypothesized surface forcings: sea ice extent in the (1) Barents/Kara and (2) Beaufort/Chukchi regions, and sea surface temperatures in the (3) extratropical northeastern Pacific Ocean, (4) western tropical Pacific Ocean, and (5) eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Using a predictive model based upon these observed relationships, we also investigate whether the failure of the powerful 2015-2016 El Niño event to bring above-average precipitation to California could have been predicted based upon these teleconnections.

The DNA of Bacteria of the World Ocean and the Earth in Cosmic Dust at the International Space Station

PubMed Central

Grebennikova, T. V.; Syroeshkin, A. V.; Shubralova, E. V.; Eliseeva, O. V.; Kostina, L. V.; Kulikova, N. Y.; Latyshev, O. E.; Morozova, M. A.; Yuzhakov, A. G.; Chichaeva, M. A.; Tsygankov, O. S.

2018-01-01

Cosmic dust samples from the surface of the illuminator of the International Space Station (ISS) were collected by a crew member during his spacewalk. The sampler with tampon in a vacuum container was delivered to the Earth. Washouts from the tampon's material and the tampon itself were analyzed for the presence of bacterial DNA by the method of nested PCR with primers specific to DNA of the genus Mycobacteria, DNA of the strains of capsular bacteria Bacillus, and DNA encoding 16S ribosomal RNA. The results of amplification followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis indicated the presence of the bacteria of the genus Mycobacteria and the extreme bacterium of the genus Delftia in the samples of cosmic dust. It was shown that the DNA sequence of one of the bacteria of the genus Mycobacteria was genetically similar to that previously observed in superficial micro layer at the Barents and Kara seas' coastal zones. The presence of the wild land and marine bacteria DNA on the ISS suggests their possible transfer from the stratosphere into the ionosphere with the ascending branch of the global electric circuit. Alternatively, the wild land and marine bacteria as well as the ISS bacteria may all have an ultimate space origin. PMID:29849510

Spotlight: Togo.

PubMed

May, J F

1988-12-01

The Republic of Togo is a land of 21,622 square miles on the west coast of Africa, 8 degrees north of the equator. The country is divided between the Kabye people in the north (22%) and the Ewe people in the south (35%). The president, General Gnassingbe Eyadema, is a Kabye. The population of 3.3 million (1988) is growing at the rate of 3.3%/year, despite an infant mortality of 107 deaths/1000 live births and a life expectancy of only 54 years. The total fertility rate is 6.5 children/woman. The birth rate is 47 births/1000 population, and the death rate is 14/1000. Population growth, especially in the cities of Lome and Kara, where 1/4 of the population lives, is considered a major threat to development. A Demographic and Health Survey has been taken, and a Conference on Population and Development was held in Lome in 1987 to draft a national population policy statement. Family planning services need to be implemented to raise the contraceptive prevalence rate above its present 2%, and the population needs to be redistributed, but this requires investment of funds currently being used to service the foreign debt. The country's gross national product is only $300 per capita.

Springtime extreme moisture transport into the Arctic and its impact on sea ice concentration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wenchang; Magnusdottir, Gudrun

2017-05-01

Recent studies suggest that springtime moisture transport into the Arctic can initiate sea ice melt that extends to a large area in the following summer and fall, which can help explain Arctic sea ice interannual variability. Yet the impact from an individual moisture transport event, especially the extreme ones, is unclear on synoptic to intraseasonal time scales and this is the focus of the current study. Springtime extreme moisture transport into the Arctic from a daily data set is found to be dominant over Atlantic longitudes. Lag composite analysis shows that these extreme events are accompanied by a substantial sea ice concentration reduction over the Greenland-Barents-Kara Seas that lasts around a week. Surface air temperature also becomes anomalously high over these seas and cold to the west of Greenland as well as over the interior Eurasian continent. The blocking weather regime over the North Atlantic is mainly responsible for the extreme moisture transport, occupying more than 60% of the total extreme days, while the negative North Atlantic Oscillation regime is hardly observed at all during the extreme transport days. These extreme moisture transport events appear to be preceded by eastward propagating large-scale tropical convective forcing by as long as 2 weeks but with great uncertainty due to lack of statistical significance.

U.S. Geological Survery Oil and Gas Resource Assessment of the Russian Arctic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Donald Gautier; Timothy Klett

2008-12-31

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed a study of undiscovered petroleum resources in the Russian Arctic as a part of its Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA), which comprised three broad areas of work: geological mapping, basin analysis, and quantitative assessment. The CARA was a probabilistic, geologically based study that used existing USGS methodology, modified somewhat for the circumstances of the Arctic. New map compilation was used to identify assessment units. The CARA relied heavily on geological analysis and analog modeling, with numerical input consisting of lognormal distributions of sizes and numbers of undiscovered accumulations. Probabilistic results for individual assessment unitsmore » were statistically aggregated, taking geological dependencies into account. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funds were used to support the purchase of crucial seismic data collected in the Barents Sea, East Siberian Sea, and Chukchi Sea for use by USGS in its assessment of the Russian Arctic. DOE funds were also used to purchase a commercial study, which interpreted seismic data from the northern Kara Sea, and for geographic information system (GIS) support of USGS mapping of geological features, province boundaries, total petroleum systems, and assessment units used in the USGS assessment.« less

The 16 August 1997 Novaya Zemlya seismic event as viewed from GSN stations KEV and KBS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hartse, H.E.

1997-11-01

Using current and historic seismic records from Global Seismic Network stations KEV and KBS, the authors find that S minus P arrival time comparisons between nuclear explosions and the 16 August 1997 seismic event (m{sub b} {approx} 3.6) from near Novaya Zemlya clearly indicate that (relative to KEV) the 16 August event occurred at least 80 km east of the Russian test site. Including S minus P arrival times from KBS constrains the location to beneath the Kara Sea and in good agreement with previously reported locations, over 100 km southeast of the test site. From an analysis of P{submore » n}/S{sub n} waveform ratios at frequencies above 4 Hz, they find that the 16 August event falls within the population of regional earthquakes and is distinctly separated from Novaya Zemlya and other northern Eurasian nuclear explosion populations. Thus, given its location and waveform characteristics, they conclude the 16 August event was an earthquake. The 16 August event was not detected at teleseismic distances, and thus, this event provides a good example of the regional detection, location, and identification efforts that will be required to monitor the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty below m{sub b} {approx} 4.« less

The DNA of Bacteria of the World Ocean and the Earth in Cosmic Dust at the International Space Station.

PubMed

Grebennikova, T V; Syroeshkin, A V; Shubralova, E V; Eliseeva, O V; Kostina, L V; Kulikova, N Y; Latyshev, O E; Morozova, M A; Yuzhakov, A G; Zlatskiy, I A; Chichaeva, M A; Tsygankov, O S

2018-01-01

Cosmic dust samples from the surface of the illuminator of the International Space Station (ISS) were collected by a crew member during his spacewalk. The sampler with tampon in a vacuum container was delivered to the Earth. Washouts from the tampon's material and the tampon itself were analyzed for the presence of bacterial DNA by the method of nested PCR with primers specific to DNA of the genus Mycobacteria , DNA of the strains of capsular bacteria Bacillus , and DNA encoding 16S ribosomal RNA. The results of amplification followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis indicated the presence of the bacteria of the genus Mycobacteria and the extreme bacterium of the genus Delftia in the samples of cosmic dust. It was shown that the DNA sequence of one of the bacteria of the genus Mycobacteria was genetically similar to that previously observed in superficial micro layer at the Barents and Kara seas' coastal zones. The presence of the wild land and marine bacteria DNA on the ISS suggests their possible transfer from the stratosphere into the ionosphere with the ascending branch of the global electric circuit. Alternatively, the wild land and marine bacteria as well as the ISS bacteria may all have an ultimate space origin.

Structural-tectonic zoning of the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrov, Oleg; Sobolev, Nikolay; Morozov, Andrey; Shokalsky, Sergey; Kashubin, Sergey; Grikurov, Garrik; Tolmacheva, Tatiana; Rekant, Pavel; Petrov, Evgeny

2017-04-01

. From the north, Ellesmerides are limited by the Precambrian continental blocks - North Kara and Mendeleev Rise, the sedimentary cover within which is represented by undisturbed Paleozoic and Mesozoic deposits. Analysis of the geological and tectonic maps and the map of the Arctic basement structure indicates that the heterogeneous crustal structure of the Arctic Ocean and its continental framing were formed as a result of simultaneous development and interaction of three large paleo-oceans in the Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic - Paleo-Asian, Proto-Atlantic and Paleo-Pacific oceans. A conceptual model that represents our understanding of structural relationships and crustal types of the main Arctic Basin structures is quite simple. The Arctic Basin is bounded by continental margins with continental crust: relatively elevated Barents-Kara - in the west, and generally submerged Amerasia margin - in the east. The latter represents a continental "bridge" formed by thinned and stretched continental crust. It connects two opposite continents - Laurentia and Eurasia, and is essentially a fragmented, tectonically mobile structure.

Ethics Considerations in Global Mobile Phone-Based Surveys of Noncommunicable Diseases: A Conceptual Exploration.

PubMed

Ali, Joseph; Labrique, Alain B; Gionfriddo, Kara; Pariyo, George; Gibson, Dustin G; Pratt, Bridget; Deutsch-Feldman, Molly; Hyder, Adnan A

2017-05-05

Mobile phone coverage has grown, particularly within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), presenting an opportunity to augment routine health surveillance programs. Several LMICs and global health partners are seeking opportunities to launch basic mobile phone-based surveys of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The increasing use of such technology in LMICs brings forth a cluster of ethical challenges; however, much of the existing literature regarding the ethics of mobile or digital health focuses on the use of technologies in high-income countries and does not consider directly the specific ethical issues associated with the conduct of mobile phone surveys (MPS) for NCD risk factor surveillance in LMICs. In this paper, we explore conceptually several of the central ethics issues in this domain, which mainly track the three phases of the MPS process: predata collection, during data collection, and postdata collection. These include identifying the nature of the activity; stakeholder engagement; appropriate design; anticipating and managing potential harms and benefits; consent; reaching intended respondents; data ownership, access and use; and ensuring LMIC sustainability. We call for future work to develop an ethics framework and guidance for the use of mobile phones for disease surveillance globally. ©Joseph Ali, Alain B Labrique, Kara Gionfriddo, George Pariyo, Dustin G Gibson, Bridget Pratt, Molly Deutsch-Feldman, Adnan A Hyder. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 05.05.2017.

Improvement in Simulation of Eurasian Winter Climate Variability with a Realistic Arctic Sea Ice Condition in an Atmospheric GCM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lim, Young-Kwon; Ham, Yoo-Geun; Jeong, Jee-Hoon; Kug, Jong-Seong

2012-01-01

The present study investigates how much a realistic Arctic sea ice condition can contribute to improve simulation of the winter climate variation over the Eurasia region. Model experiments are set up using different sea ice boundary conditions over the past 24 years (i.e., 1988-2011). One is an atmospheric model inter-comparison (AMIP) type of run forced with observed sea-surface temperature (SST), sea ice, and greenhouse gases (referred to as Exp RSI), and the other is the same as Exp RSI except for the sea ice forcing, which is a repeating climatological annual cycle (referred to as Exp CSI). Results show that Exp RSI produces the observed dominant pattern of Eurasian winter temperatures and their interannual variation better than Exp CSI (correlation difference up to approx. 0.3). Exp RSI captures the observed strong relationship between the sea ice concentration near the Barents and Kara seas and the temperature anomaly across Eurasia, including northeastern Asia, which is not well captured in Exp CSI. Lagged atmospheric responses to sea ice retreat are examined using observations to understand atmospheric processes for the Eurasian cooling response including the Arctic temperature increase, sea-level pressure increase, upper-level jet weakening and cold air outbreak toward the mid-latitude. The reproducibility of these lagged responses by Exp RSI is also evaluated.

U.S. Geological Survey circum-arctic resource appraisal

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gautier, D.L.

2011-01-01

Among the greatest uncertainties in future energy supply is the amount of oil and gas yet to be found in the Arctic. Using a probabilistic geology-based methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey has assessed the area north of the Arctic Circle. The Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA) consists of three parts: (1) Mapping the sedimentary sequences of the Arctic (Grantz and others 2009), (2) Geologically based estimation of undiscovered technically recoverable petroleum (Gautier and others 2009, discussed in this presentation) and (3) Economic appraisal of the cost of delivering the undiscovered resources to major markets (also reported at this conference by White and others). We estimate that about 30% of the world's undiscovered gas and about 13% of the world's undiscovered oil may be present in the Arctic, mostly offshore under less than 500m of water. Billion BOE-plus accumulations of gas and oil are predicted at a 50% probability in the Kara Sea, Barents Sea, offshore East and West Greenland, Canada, and Alaska. On a BOE basis, undiscovered natural gas is three times more abundant than oil in the Arctic and is concentrated in Russian territory. Oil resources, while critically important to the interests of Arctic countries, are probably not sufficient to significantly shift the current geographic patterns of world oil production. Copyright 2011, Offshore Technology Conference.

Global drivers of the stratospheric polar vortex via nonlinear causal discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kretschmer, M.; Runge, J.; Coumou, D.

2016-12-01

The stratospheric polar vortex plays a major role in the Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes, especially in driving extreme weather conditions. Many different global drivers, from Arctic sea ice to tropical climate patterns, are hypothesized to influence its stability, including linear and nonlinear mechanisms. Here a novel causal discovery approach, extending previous work [1], that is adapted to the particular challenges posed by such a high-dimensional dataset comprised of multiple, possibly nonlinearly coupled time series is demonstrated. While links in the reconstructed network can be called causal only with respect to the set of analyzed variables, the absence of causal links allows to assess where physical mechanisms are unlikely.The present work confirms recent results obtained with a similar, but linear, approach [2], regarding the impact of Barents and Kara sea ice concentrations, and extends the analysis also to tropical drivers to cover more proposed mechanisms. [1] Jakob Runge, Vladimir Petoukhov, and Jürgen Kurths, 2014: Quantifying the Strength and Delay of Climatic Interactions: The Ambiguities of Cross Correlation and a Novel Measure Based on Graphical Models. J. Climate 27, 720-739, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00159.1.[2] Marlene Kretschmer, Dim Coumou, Jonathan F. Donges, and Jakob Runge, 2016: Using Causal Effect Networks to Analyze Different Arctic Drivers of Midlatitude Winter Circulation. J. Climate 29, 4069-4081, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0654.1.

Winter Eurasian cooling linked with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Dehai; Chen, Yanan; Dai, Aiguo; Mu, Mu; Zhang, Renhe; Ian, Simmonds

2017-12-01

In this paper, we analyze observational and reanalysis data to demonstrate that the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) significantly modulates winter Eurasian surface air temperature through its impact on the shape, frequency and persistence of Ural blocking (UB) events that last for 10-20 d. This impact results from changes in mid-high latitude westerly winds over Eurasia associated with the warming in the Barents-Kara Seas (BKS) through the AMO-driven high sea surface temperature and sea-ice decline and resultant weakening in meridional temperature gradients. The BKS warming has a strongest positive correlation with the AMO at a time lag of about 14 years. During the recent positive AMO phase, more persistent northwest-southeast (NW-SE) oriented UB events are favored by weakened westerly winds in Eurasian mid-high latitudes. Through cold atmospheric advection and radiative cooling, such UB events produce a strong, persistent and widespread cooling over Eurasia and enhance BKS warming during 1999-2015. However, the positive AMO phase cannot directly produce the Eurasian cooling if the UB is absent. Thus, we conclude that the recent AMO phase change is a major cause of the recent winter cooling over Eurasia through its impact on BKS temperature and sea ice, which in turn affect the meridional temperature gradient, the westerly winds and the UB events.

HPTLC Fingerprinting and Cholinesterase Inhibitory and Metal-Chelating Capacity of Various Citrus Cultivars and
Olea europaea

PubMed Central

Senol, Fatma Sezer; Ankli, Anita; Reich, Eike

2016-01-01

Summary Inhibitory activity of thirty-one ethanol extracts obtained from albedo, flavedo, seed and leaf parts of 17 cultivars of Citrus species from Turkey, the bark and leaves of Olea europaea L. from two locations (Turkey and Cyprus) as well as caffeic acid and hesperidin was tested against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, using ELISA microtiter assays at 500 µg/mL. Metal-chelating capacity of the extracts was also determined. BChE inhibitory effect of the Citrus sp. extracts was from (7.7±0.7) to (70.3±1.1) %, whereas they did not show any inhibition against AChE. Cholinesterase inhibitory activity of the leaf and bark ethanol extracts of O. europaea was very weak ((10.2±3.1) to (15.0±2.3) %). The extracts had either no or low metal-chelating capacity at 500 µg/mL. HPTLC fingerprinting of the extracts, which indicated a similar phytochemical pattern, was also done using the standards of caffeic acid and hesperidin with weak cholinesterase inhibition. Among the screened extracts, the albedo extract of C. limon ‘Interdonato’, the flavedo extracts of ‘Kara Limon’ and ‘Cyprus’ cultivars and the seed extract of C. maxima appear to be promising as natural BChE inhibitors. PMID:27956858

Preliminary investigation on the deformation rates of the Nazimiye Fault (Eastern Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sançar, Taylan

2016-04-01

The complex tectonic setting of the eastern Mediterranean is mainly shaped by the interaction between three major plates, Eurasian, African, and Arabian plates, with additional involvement from the smaller Anatolian Scholle. The internal deformation of the Anatolian Scholle is mainly accommodated along NW-striking dextral and NE-striking sinistral faults, which are explained by the Prandtl Cell model by Şengör (1979). Although some of these strike-slip faults, such as Tuzgölü, Ecemiş and Malatya-Ovacık faults, have long been documented, the Nazimiye Fault (NF) is only presented in very recent studies (Kara et al. 2013; Emre et al. 2012). The aim of the study is to understand intra-plate deformation of the Anatolian Scholle, by studying the morphotectonic structures along the NF. The study area located close to the eastern boundary of Anatolia, roughly on the wedge that is delimited by the North and East Anatolian shear zones and the Malatya-Ovacık Fault Zone. After the preliminary remote sensing analyses and field observations, I mapped the locations of the different terrace treads along the Pülümür River, which is strongly deflected by the activity of the NF. This dextral strike-slip fault, is not only characterized with the deformation of the Pülümür River, but also it shows many beheaded streams, pressure ridges, hot springs and travertines along its course. I sampled one of the alluvial fans for cosmogenic dating at the eastern section of the NF, where about 20 m of dextral offset was measured at the margins of the incised stream. Moreover, additional sampling was performed from different terrace levels along the Pülümür River, in order not only to estimate the min. horizontal rate, but also to quantify the vertical deformation. Moreover, I applied morphometric indices to understand the tectonic control on the local morphology along the NF. Transverse Topographic Symmetry Factor was used to show the relative degree of tectonic activity along the

Weichselian periglacial environments in the northeastern extremety of Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astakhov, V.; Svendsen, J. I.

2009-04-01

the last Kara and Barents ice sheets in northern European Russia. Boreas 28(1), 23-45. - Astakhov V.I. and Svendsen J.I. 2002: Age of remnants of a Pleistocene glacier in Bol`shezemel`skaya Tundra. Doklady Earth Sciences 384(4), 468-472. - Mangerud, J., Svendsen, J.I. and Astakhov, V.I. 1999: Age and extent of the Barents and Kara Sea ice sheets in Northern Russia. Boreas 28 (1), 46-80. - Mangerud, J., Astakhov, V. and Svendsen, J-I. 2002: The extent of the Barents-Kara Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary Science Reviews 21 (1-3), 111-119. - Mangerud, J., Jakobsson, M., Alexanderson et al. 2004: Ice-dammed lakes and rerouting of the drainage of northern Eurasia during the Last Glaciation. Quaternary Science Reviews 23(11-13), 1313-1332. - Svendsen, J. I., Alexanderson, H., Astakhov V. et al. 2004: Late Quaternary ice sheet history of Northern Eurasia. Quaternary Science Reviews 23(11-13), 1229-1271. - Svendsen, J.I. and Pavlov, P. 2003: Mamontovaya Kuya: an enigmatic, nearly 40000 years old Paleolithic site in the Russian Arctic. Trabalhos de Arqueologia 33. Lisboa, Instituto Português de Arqueologia, 109-120.

Ice Mass Changes in the Russian High Arctic from Repeat High Resolution Topography.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willis, Michael; Zheng, Whyjay; Pritchard, Matthew; Melkonian, Andrew; Morin, Paul; Porter, Claire; Howat, Ian; Noh, Myoung-Jong; Jeong, Seongsu

2016-04-01

We use a combination of ASTER and cartographically derived Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) supplemented with WorldView DEMs, the ArcticDEM and ICESat lidar returns to produce a time-series of ice changes occurring in the Russian High Arctic between the mid-20th century and the present. Glaciers on the western, Barents Sea coast of Novaya Zemlya are in a state of general retreat and thinning, while those on the eastern, Kara Sea coast are retreating at a slower rate. Franz Josef Land has a complicated pattern of thinning and thickening, although almost all the thinning is associated with rapid outlet glaciers feeding ice shelves. Severnaya Zemlya is also thinning in a complicated manner. A very rapid surging glacier is transferring mass into the ocean from the western periphery of the Vavilov Ice Cap on October Revolution Island, while glaciers feeding the former Matusevich Ice Shelf continue to thin at rates that are faster than those observed during the operational period of ICESat, between 2003 and 2009. Passive microwave studies indicate the total number of melt days is increasing in the Russian Arctic, although much of the melt may refreeze within the firn. It is likely that ice dynamic changes will drive mass loss for the immediate future. The sub-marine basins beneath several of the ice caps in the region suggest the possibility that mass loss rates may accelerate in the future.

A Linkage of Recent Arctic Summer Sea Ice and Snowfall Variability of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwamoto, K.; Honda, M.; Ukita, J.

2014-12-01

In spite of its mid-latitude location, Japan has a markedly high amount of snowfall, which owes much to the presence of cold air-break from Siberia and thus depends on the strength of the Siberian high and the Aleutian low. With this background this study examines the relationship between interannual variability and spatial patterns of snowfall in Japan with large-scale atmospheric and sea ice variations. The lag regression map of the winter snowfall in Japan on the time series of the Arctic SIE from the preceding summer shows a seesaw pattern in the snowfall, suggesting an Arctic teleconnection to regional weather. From the EOF analyses conducted on the snowfall distribution in Japan, we identify two modes with physical significance. The NH SIC and SLP regressed on PC1 show a sea ice reduction in the Barents and Kara Seas and anomalous strength of the Siberia high as discussed in Honda et al. (2009) and other studies, which support the above notion that the snowfall variability of Japan is influenced by Arctic sea ice conditions. Another mode is related to the AO/NAO and the hemispheric scale double sea-ice seesaw centered over the sub-Arctic region: one between the Labrador and Nordic Seas in the Atlantic and the other between the Okhotsk and Bering Seas from the Pacific as discussed in Ukita et al. (2007). Together, observations point to a significant role of the sea-ice in determining mid-latitude regional climate and weather patterns.

Water Mass Classification on a Highly Variable Arctic Shelf Region: Origin of Laptev Sea Water Masses and Implications for the Nutrient Budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauch, D.; Cherniavskaia, E.

2018-03-01

Large gradients and inter annual variations on the Laptev Sea shelf prevent the use of uniform property ranges for a classification of major water masses. The central Laptev Sea is dominated by predominantly marine waters, locally formed polynya waters and riverine summer surface waters. Marine waters enter the central Laptev Sea from the northwestern Laptev Sea shelf and originate from the Kara Sea or the Arctic Ocean halocline. Local polynya waters are formed in the Laptev Sea coastal polynyas. Riverine summer surface waters are formed from Lena river discharge and local melt. We use a principal component analysis (PCA) in order to assess the distribution and importance of water masses within the Laptev Sea. This mathematical method is applied to hydro-chemical summer data sets from the Laptev Sea from five years and allows to define water types based on objective and statistically significant criteria. We argue that the PCA-derived water types are consistent with the Laptev Sea hydrography and indeed represent the major water masses on the central Laptev Sea shelf. Budgets estimated for the thus defined major Laptev Sea water masses indicate that freshwater inflow from the western Laptev Sea is about half or in the same order of magnitude as freshwater stored in locally formed polynya waters. Imported water dominates the nutrient budget in the central Laptev Sea; and only in years with enhanced local polynya activity is the nutrient budget of the locally formed water in the same order as imported nutrients.

Sources of the transuranic elements plutonium and neptunium in arctic marine sediments.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cooper, L. W.; Kelley, J. M.; Bond, L. A.

2000-01-01

We report here thermal ionization mass spectrometry measurements of {sup 239}Pu, {sup 240}Pu, {sup 241}Pu, {sup 242}Pu, and {sup 237}Np isolated from oceanic, estuarine, and riverine sediments from the Arctic Ocean Basin. {sup 238}Pu/{sup 239+240}Pu activity ratios are also reported for alpha spectrometric analyses undertaken on a subset of these samples. Our results indicate that the Pu in sediments on the Alaskan shelf and slope, as well as that in the deep basins (Amerasian and Eurasian) of the Arctic Ocean, has its origin in stratospheric and tropospheric fallout. Sediments from the Ob and Yenisei Rivers show isotopic Pu signatures thatmore » are distinctly different from those of northern-hemisphere stratospheric fallout and indicate the presence of weapons-grade Pu originating from nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes generated at Russian facilities within these river catchments. Consequently, sediments of the Eurasian Arctic Ocean, particularly those in the Barents and Kara Seas, probably contain a mixture of Pu from stratospheric fallout, tropospheric fallout, and fuel-reprocessing wastes of riverine origin. In particular, the {sup 241}Pu/{sup 239}Pu ratios observed in these sediments are inconsistent with significant contributions of Pu to the arctic sediments studied from western European reprocessing facilities, principally Sellafield in the UK. Several other potential sources of Pu to arctic sediments can also be excluded as significant based upon the transuranic isotope ratios presented.« less

SONARC: A Sea Ice Monitoring and Forecasting System to Support Safe Operations and Navigation in Arctic Seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, S. R.; Babiker, M.; Sandven, S.; Muckenhuber, S.; Korosov, A.; Bobylev, L.; Vesman, A.; Mushta, A.; Demchev, D.; Volkov, V.; Smirnov, K.; Hamre, T.

2015-12-01

Sea ice monitoring and forecasting systems are important tools for minimizing accident risk and environmental impacts of Arctic maritime operations. Satellite data such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR), combined with atmosphere-ice-ocean forecasting models, navigation models and automatic identification system (AIS) transponder data from ships are essential components of such systems. Here we present first results from the SONARC project (project term: 2015-2017), an international multidisciplinary effort to develop novel and complementary ice monitoring and forecasting systems for vessels and offshore platforms in the Arctic. Automated classification methods (Zakhvatkina et al., 2012) are applied to Sentinel-1 dual-polarization SAR images from the Barents and Kara Sea region to identify ice types (e.g. multi-year ice, level first-year ice, deformed first-year ice, new/young ice, open water) and ridges. Short-term (1-3 days) ice drift forecasts are computed from SAR images using feature tracking and pattern tracking methods (Berg & Eriksson, 2014). Ice classification and drift forecast products are combined with ship positions based on AIS data from a selected period of 3-4 weeks to determine optimal vessel speed and routing in ice. Results illustrate the potential of high-resolution SAR data for near-real-time monitoring and forecasting of Arctic ice conditions. Over the next 3 years, SONARC findings will contribute new knowledge about sea ice in the Arctic while promoting safe and cost-effective shipping, domain awareness, resource management, and environmental protection.

A basal stress parameterization for modeling landfast ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemieux, Jean-François; Tremblay, L. Bruno; Dupont, Frédéric; Plante, Mathieu; Smith, Gregory C.; Dumont, Dany

2015-04-01

Current large-scale sea ice models represent very crudely or are unable to simulate the formation, maintenance and decay of coastal landfast ice. We present a simple landfast ice parameterization representing the effect of grounded ice keels. This parameterization is based on bathymetry data and the mean ice thickness in a grid cell. It is easy to implement and can be used for two-thickness and multithickness category models. Two free parameters are used to determine the critical thickness required for large ice keels to reach the bottom and to calculate the basal stress associated with the weight of the ridge above hydrostatic balance. A sensitivity study was conducted and demonstrates that the parameter associated with the critical thickness has the largest influence on the simulated landfast ice area. A 6 year (2001-2007) simulation with a 20 km resolution sea ice model was performed. The simulated landfast ice areas for regions off the coast of Siberia and for the Beaufort Sea were calculated and compared with data from the National Ice Center. With optimal parameters, the basal stress parameterization leads to a slightly shorter landfast ice season but overall provides a realistic seasonal cycle of the landfast ice area in the East Siberian, Laptev and Beaufort Seas. However, in the Kara Sea, where ice arches between islands are key to the stability of the landfast ice, the parameterization consistently leads to an underestimation of the landfast area.

On the linkage between Arctic sea ice and Mid-latitude weather pattern: the situation in East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, S.; Zhang, Y.; Wu, Q.

2017-12-01

The influence of Arctic changes on the weather patterns in the highly populated mid-latitude is a complex and controversial topic with considerable uncertainties such as the low signal-to-noise, ill-suited metrics of circulation changes and the missing of dynamical understanding. In this study, the possible linkage between the Arctic sea ice concentration (SIC) and the wintertime weather patterns in East Asia is investigated by comparing groups of statistical and diagnostic analyses. Our study shows a robust relationship between the early autumn SIC in Barents, Kara, Laptev and East Siberia Sea and the energies of wintertime transient activities corresponding to the weather patterns over East Asia on inter-annual time scales. With the reduction of SIC in autumn, the wintertime synoptic (2-10 day) kinetic energy in the north of Eurasia decreases while the low-frequency (10-30 days) kinetic energy, which corresponds to persistent weather patterns, exhibits an evident and dominant increase over the north of Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal and the Ural Mountain. With the reduction of SIC, the intra-seasonal temperature fluctuations present coherent changes over a broader region as well, with significant increase of the low-frequency variability in the vast north of Tibet Plateau and East Asia. The changes of the low-frequency transient activities may be attributed to the slowly southward propagating wave energies from polar regions. However, no consistent stratosphere signals are found associated with such linkage on inter-annual time scales.

How would publication bias distort the estimated effect size of prototypic antidepressants in the forced swim test?

PubMed

Ramos-Hryb, Ana B; Harris, Cari; Aighewi, Omorose; Lino-de-Oliveira, Cilene

2018-06-07

This commentary aims to discuss the impact of publication bias on the estimated effect of prototypic antidepressants in the forced swim test (FST). A systematic review and meta-analysis (SRMA) recently reported by Kara et al. (2018) showed that selected prototypic antidepressants reduced immobility time of mice in the FST across a variety of experimental designs. Despite differences in the procedures for SRMA, these results resemble the interim data collected by our research group according to a protocol deposited in the Systematic Review Facility and Open Science Framework (osf.io/9kxm4). Both studies detected a high amount of publications reporting statistically significant results and agreement with the primary hypothesis raising the possibility of publication bias in the field of FST. In our preliminary analysis, no evidence for publication bias was observed. However, the present work was limited to the effects of imipramine (doses ranging from 4 to 64 mg/kg) in different strains of mice. Therefore, more comprehensive studies are required to evaluate the risk of publication bias in the field of basic antidepressant research. We see the need to expand the current preliminary studies to evaluate the risk of publication bias within the preclinical research using the FST. Appraisal of the risk of publication bias may avoid misestimated effects of drugs in the FST providing better bases for the discovery of new antidepressants. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The effect of Ocean resolution, and external forcing in the correlation between SLP and Sea Ice Concentration in the Pre-PRIMAVERA GCMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuentes-Franco, Ramon; Koenigk, Torben

2017-04-01

Recently, an observational study has shown that sea ice variations in Barents Sea seem to be important for the sign of the following winter NAO (Koenigk et al. 2016). It has also been found that amplitude and extension of the Sea Level Pressure (SLP) patterns are modulated by Greenland and Labrador Seas ice areas. Therefore, Earth System Models participating in the PRIMAVERA Project are used to study the impact of resolution in ocean models in reproducing the previously mentioned observed correlation patterns between Sea Ice Concentration (SIC) and the SLP. When using ensembles of high ocean resolution (0.25 degrees) and low ocean resolution (1 degree) simulations, we found that the correlation sign between sea ice concentration over the Central Arctic, the Barents/Kara Seas and the Northern Hemisphere is similar to observations in the higher ocean resolution ensemble, although the amplitude is underestimated. In contrast, the low resolution ensemble shows opposite correlation patterns compared to observations. In general, high ocean resolution simulations show more similar results to observations than the low resolution simulations. Similarly, in order to study the mentioned observed SIC-SLP relationship reported by Koenigk et al (2016), we analyzed the impact of the use of pre-industrial and historical external forcing in the simulations. When using same forcing ensembles, we found that the correlation sign between SIC and SLP does not show a systematic behavior dependent on the use of different external forcing (pre-industrial or present day) as it does when using different ocean resolutions.

Atmospheric precursors of and response to anomalous Arctic sea ice in CMIP5 models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelleher, Michael; Screen, James

2018-01-01

This study examines pre-industrial control simulations from CMIP5 climate models in an effort to better understand the complex relationships between Arctic sea ice and the stratosphere, and between Arctic sea ice and cold winter temperatures over Eurasia. We present normalized regressions of Arctic sea-ice area against several atmospheric variables at extended lead and lag times. Statistically significant regressions are found at leads and lags, suggesting both atmospheric precursors of, and responses to, low sea ice; but generally, the regressions are stronger when the atmosphere leads sea ice, including a weaker polar stratospheric vortex indicated by positive polar cap height anomalies. Significant positive midlatitude eddy heat flux anomalies are also found to precede low sea ice. We argue that low sea ice and raised polar cap height are both a response to this enhanced midlatitude eddy heat flux. The so-called "warm Arctic, cold continents" anomaly pattern is present one to two months before low sea ice, but is absent in the months following low sea ice, suggesting that the Eurasian cooling and low sea ice are driven by similar processes. Lastly, our results suggest a dependence on the geographic region of low sea ice, with low Barents-Kara Sea ice correlated with a weakened polar stratospheric vortex, whilst low Sea of Okhotsk ice is correlated with a strengthened polar vortex. Overall, the results support a notion that the sea ice, polar stratospheric vortex and Eurasian surface temperatures collectively respond to large-scale changes in tropospheric circulation.

The missing lynx of Eurasia at its Southern edge: a connection to the critically endangered Balkan lynx.

PubMed

Cömert, Numan; Carlı, Oya; Dinçtürk, H Benan

2018-03-08

The populations of Eurasian lynx in Anatolia are as fragmented as the European populations. Although the origins of and the connections between the European lynx populations have been elucidated, there have been no genetic studies on the lynx populations in Turkey. The lack of genetic and evolutionary information about lynx in Anatolia, which is considered to be a biodiversity hotspot, makes it difficult to track the migration routes during the Quaternary. In this study, we present the genetic characteristics of two isolated lynx populations in Southwest Taurus Mountains and the Turkish Caucasus as well as two individuals from Erzincan area. DNA purified from the ecological scat samples collected from Çığlıkara Nature Reserve in Elmalı-Antalya and Allahuekber Mountains in Sarıkamış-Kars, as well as two roadkill samples from Erzincan, has been analysed for phylogenetic markers such as the mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b. The DNA sequences were compared with haplotypes previously detected in populations from Europe and the Caucasus in order to determine the evolutionary relationships of the populations. This study compares the current genetic structure of some of the Turkish lynx populations to the other lynx genetic data, mostly carried out with museum samples around the world. Three haplotypes were found in three different regions of Anatolia. The Northeast and Southwest populations harbour genetically distinct haplotypes, the latter one, a new haplotype: H13-TR is the only phylogenetic connection to the critically endangered Balkan lynx yet to be described.

RUN1 and REN1 Pyramiding in Grapevine (Vitis vinifera cv. Crimson Seedless) Displays an Improved Defense Response Leading to Enhanced Resistance to Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe necator)

PubMed Central

Agurto, Mario; Schlechter, Rudolf O.; Armijo, Grace; Solano, Esteban; Serrano, Carolina; Contreras, Rodrigo A.; Zúñiga, Gustavo E.; Arce-Johnson, Patricio

2017-01-01

Fungal pathogens are the cause of the most common diseases in grapevine and among them powdery mildew represents a major focus for disease management. Different strategies for introgression of resistance in grapevine are currently undertaken in breeding programs. For example, introgression of several resistance genes (R) from different sources for making it more durable and also strengthening the plant defense response. Taking this into account, we cross-pollinated P09-105/34, a grapevine plant carrying both RUN1 and REN1 pyramided loci of resistance to Erysiphe necator inherited from a pseudo-backcrossing scheme with Muscadinia rotundifolia and Vitis vinifera ‘Dzhandzhal Kara,’ respectively, with the susceptible commercial table grape cv. ‘Crimson Seedless.’ We developed RUN1REN1 resistant genotypes through conventional breeding and identified them by marker assisted selection. The characterization of defense response showed a highly effective defense mechanism against powdery mildew in these plants. Our results reveal that RUN1REN1 grapevine plants display a robust defense response against E. necator, leading to unsuccessful fungal establishment with low penetration rate and poor hypha development. This resistance mechanism includes reactive oxygen species production, callose accumulation, programmed cell death induction and mainly VvSTS36 and VvPEN1 gene activation. RUN1REN1 plants have a great potential as new table grape cultivars with durable complete resistance to E. necator, and are valuable germplasm to be included in grape breeding programs to continue pyramiding with other sources of resistance to grapevine diseases. PMID:28553300

Marine radioactivity in the Arctic: a retrospect of environmental studies in Greenland waters with emphasis on transport of 90Sr and 137Cs with the East Greenland Current.

PubMed

Aarkrog, A; Dahlgaard, H; Nielsen, S P

1999-09-30

The waters around Greenland have received radioactive contamination from three major sources: Global fallout, discharges from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant Sellafield in the UK, and the Chernobyl accident in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). The global fallout peaked in the early 1960s. The radiologically most important radionuclides from this source are 90Sr and 137Cs. The input of global fallout to arctic waters was direct deposition from the atmosphere and indirect delivery through river run off and advection from the Atlantic Ocean via the north-east Atlantic current system. The waterborne discharges from Sellafield which were at their peak between 1974 and 1981 contributed primarily 137Cs, although some 90Sr was also discharged. The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was characterised by its substantial atmospheric release of radiocaesium (134Cs and 137Cs). Other sources may, however, also have contributed to the radioactivity in the Greenland waters. Examples include La Hague, France, and radioactive discharges to the great Siberian rivers (Ob, Yenisey and Lena) from nuclear activities in the Former Soviet Union or the local fallout from the Novaya Zemlya nuclear weapons test site. Dumping of nuclear waste in the Kara and Barents Seas may be another, although minor source. From measurements in Greenland waters carried out since 1962 the transport of radionuclides with the East Greenland Current is calculated and compared with the estimated inputs of 90Sr and 137Cs to the Arctic Ocean. This study focus on 90Sr and 137Cs because the longest time series are available for these two radionuclides.

Summers with low Arctic sea ice linked to persistence of spring atmospheric circulation patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapsch, Marie-Luise; Skific, Natasa; Graversen, Rune G.; Tjernström, Michael; Francis, Jennifer A.

2018-05-01

The declining trend of Arctic September sea ice constitutes a significant change in the Arctic climate system. Large year-to-year variations are superimposed on this sea-ice trend, with the largest variability observed in the eastern Arctic Ocean. Knowledge of the processes important for this variability may lead to an improved understanding of seasonal and long-term changes. Previous studies suggest that transport of heat and moisture into the Arctic during spring enhances downward surface longwave radiation, thereby controlling the annual melt onset, setting the stage for the September ice minimum. In agreement with these studies, we find that years with a low September sea-ice concentration (SIC) are characterized by more persistent periods in spring with enhanced energy flux to the surface in forms of net longwave radiation plus turbulent fluxes, compared to years with a high SIC. Two main atmospheric circulation patterns related to these episodes are identified: one resembles the so-called Arctic dipole anomaly that promotes transport of heat and moisture from the North Pacific, whereas the other is characterized by negative geopotential height anomalies over the Arctic, favoring cyclonic flow from Siberia and the Kara Sea into the eastern Arctic Ocean. However, differences between years with low and high September SIC appear not to be due to different spring circulation patterns; instead it is the persistence and intensity of processes associated with these patterns that distinguish the two groups of anomalous years: Years with low September SIC feature episodes that are consistently stronger and more persistent than years with high SIC.

Arctic Sea Ice Variability and Trends, 1979-2006

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parkinson, Claire L.; Cavalieri, Donald J.

2008-01-01

Analysis of Arctic sea ice extents derived from satellite passive-microwave data for the 28 years, 1979-2006 yields an overall negative trend of -45,100 +/- 4,600 km2/yr (-3.7 +/- 0.4%/decade) in the yearly averages, with negative ice-extent trends also occurring for each of the four seasons and each of the 12 months. For the yearly averages the largest decreases occur in the Kara and Barents Seas and the Arctic Ocean, with linear least squares slopes of -10,600 +/- 2,800 km2/yr (-7.4 +/- 2.0%/decade) and -10,100 +/- 2,200 km2/yr (-1.5 +/- 0.3%/decade), respectively, followed by Baffin Bay/Labrador Sea, with a slope of -8,000 +/- 2,000 km2/yr) -9.0 +/- 2.3%/decade), the Greenland Sea, with a slope of -7,000 +/- 1,400 km2/yr (-9.3 +/- 1.9%/decade), and Hudson Bay, with a slope of -4,500 +/- 900 km2/yr (-5.3 +/- 1.1%/decade). These are all statistically significant decreases at a 99% confidence level. The Seas of Okhotsk and Japan also have a statistically significant ice decrease, although at a 95% confidence level, and the three remaining regions, the Bering Sea, Canadian Archipelago, and Gulf of St. Lawrence, have negative slopes that are not statistically significant. The 28-year trends in ice areas for the Northern Hemisphere total are also statistically significant and negative in each season, each month, and for the yearly averages.

Criminal prosecution of a male partner for sexual transmission of infectious diseases: the views of educated people living in Togo.

PubMed

Kpanake, Lonzozou; Patassi, Akouda; Mullet, Etienne

2013-06-01

To examine the views of educated people in Togo on the acceptability of criminal prosecution of a male partner for sexual transmission of infectious diseases (STIDs) to his female partner. 199 adults living in Kara, Togo judged acceptability of criminal prosecution for STID in 45 scenarios composed of combinations of five factors: (a) severity of disease; (b) awareness and communication of one's serological status; (c) partners' marital status; (d) number of sexual partners the female partner has and (e) male partner's subsequent attitude (supportive or not). Acceptability was lower (a) when the male partner decided to take care of his female partner he had infected than when he decided to leave, (b) when both partners were informed but decided not to take precautions than when none of them was informed or when only the male partner was informed and (c) when the female partner has had several male sexual partners than when she has had only one. Two qualitatively different views were identified. For 66% of participants, when the male partner accepts to take care of his partner, he should not be sued, except when he did not disclose his serological status. For 34%, when both partners were informed, the male partner should not be sued, irrespective of other circumstances. Regarding criminal prosecution for STID, most people in the sample endorsed the position of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS that urges governments not to apply criminal law to cases where sexual partners disclosed their status or were not informed of it.

Classification methods for monitoring Arctic sea ice using OKEAN passive/active two-channel microwave data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belchansky, Gennady I.; Douglas, David C.

2000-01-01

This paper presents methods for classifying Arctic sea ice using both passive and active (2-channel) microwave imagery acquired by the Russian OKEAN 01 polar-orbiting satellite series. Methods and results are compared to sea ice classifications derived from nearly coincident Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) image data of the Barents, Kara, and Laptev Seas. The Russian OKEAN 01 satellite data were collected over weekly intervals during October 1995 through December 1997. Methods are presented for calibrating, georeferencing and classifying the raw active radar and passive microwave OKEAN 01 data, and for correcting the OKEAN 01 microwave radiometer calibration wedge based on concurrent 37 GHz horizontal polarization SSM/I brightness temperature data. Sea ice type and ice concentration algorithms utilized OKEAN's two-channel radar and passive microwave data in a linear mixture model based on the measured values of brightness temperature and radar backscatter, together with a priori knowledge about the scattering parameters and natural emissivities of basic sea ice types. OKEAN 01 data and algorithms tended to classify lower concentrations of young or first-year sea ice when concentrations were less than 60%, and to produce higher concentrations of multi-year sea ice when concentrations were greater than 40%, when compared to estimates produced from SSM/I data. Overall, total sea ice concentration maps derived independently from OKEAN 01, SSM/I, and AVHRR satellite imagery were all highly correlated, with uniform biases, and mean differences in total ice concentration of less than four percent (sd<15%).

Impacts on the marine environment in the case of a hypothetical accident involving the recovery of the dumped Russian submarine K-27, based on dispersion of 137Cs.

PubMed

Hosseini, A; Amundsen, I; Brown, J; Dowdall, M; Karcher, M; Kauker, F; Schnur, R

2017-02-01

There is increasing concern regarding the issue of dumped nuclear waste in the Arctic Seas and in particular dumped objects with Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF). Amongst dumped objects in the Arctic, the dumped Russian submarine K-27 has received great attention as it contains two reactors with highly enriched fuel and lies at a depth of about 30 m under water. To address these concerns a health and environmental impact assessment has been undertaken. Marine dispersion of potentially released radionuclides as a consequence of different hypothetical accident scenarios was modelled using the model NAOSIM. The outputs from the dispersion modelling have been used as inputs to food-chain transfer and environmental dosimetry models. The annual effective doses for subsistence fishing communities of the Barents-Kara seas region do not exceed 0.6 mSv for hypothetical accidents located at Stepovogo fjord or the Barents Sea. For high rate consumers of fish in Norway, following a potential accident at the Gremikha Bay, annual effects doses would be at around 0.15 mSv. Accumulated doses (over 90 days) for various organisms and for all release scenarios considered were never in excess of 150 μGy. The levels of 137 Cs derived for marine organism in areas close to Norway were not values that would likely cause concern from a regulatory perspective although for subsistence fishing communities close to the considered accident locations, it is not inconceivable that some restrictions on fishing etc. would need to be introduced. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interannual variability of March snow mass over Northern Eurasia and its relation to the concurrent and preceding surface air temperature, precipitation and atmospheric circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Kunhui

2018-06-01

The interannual variability of March snow water equivalent (SWE) in Northern Eurasia and its influencing factors are studied. The surface air temperature (SAT) and precipitation are the dominant factors for the snow accumulation in northern Europe and the remaining region, respectively. The strongest contribution of SAT to snow accumulation is mainly found in those months with moderate mean SAT. The strongest contribution of precipitation is not collocated with the climatological maxima in precipitation. The leading mode of March SWE variability is obtained and characterized by a spatial dipole. Anomalies in atmospheric water vapor divergence, storm activity and the associated atmospheric circulation can explain many of the associated precipitation and SAT features. Anomalies in autumn Arctic sea ice concentration (SIC) over the Barents Sea and Kara Sea (B/K Sea) and a dipole pattern of November snow cover (SC) in Eurasia are also observed. The atmospheric circulation anomalies that resemble a negative phase of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)/Arctic Oscillation (AO) are strongly projected onto the wintertime atmospheric circulation. Both observations and model experiment support that the autumn B/K Sea SIC has some impacts on the autumn and AO/NAO-like wintertime atmospheric circulation patterns. The dipole pattern of November Eurasian SC seems to be strongly forced by the autumn B/K Sea SIC and its feedback to the atmospheric circulation is important. Therefore, the impacts of autumn B/K Sea SIC on the autumn/wintertime atmospheric circulation and thus the March SWE variability may be modulated by both constructive and destructive interference of autumn Eurasian SC.

The fate of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon on the Eurasian shelves and export to the North Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaiser, K.; Benner, R.; Amon, R. M. W.

2017-01-01

Dissolved lignin phenols, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption, and fluorescence were analyzed along cross-slope mooring locations in the Barents, Laptev, and East Siberian Seas to gain a better understanding of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon (tDOC) dynamics in Arctic shelf seas and the Arctic Ocean. A gradient of river water and tDOC was observed along the continental shelf eastward into the East Siberian Sea. Correlations of carbon-normalized yields of lignin-derived phenols supplied by Siberian rivers with river water fractions and known water residence times yielded in situ decay constants of 0.18-0.58 yr-1. Calculations showed ˜50% of annual tDOC discharged by Siberian rivers was mineralized in estuaries and on Eurasian shelves per year indicating extensive removal of tDOC. Bioassay experiments and in situ decay constants indicated a reactivity continuum for tDOC. CDOM parameters and acid/aldehyde ratios of vanillyl (V) and syringyl (S) lignin phenols showed biomineralization was the dominant mechanism for the removal of tDOC. Characteristic ratios of p-hydroxy (P), S, and V phenols (P/V, S/V) also identified shelf regions in the Kara Sea and regions along the Western Laptev Sea shelf where formation of Low Salinity Halocline Waters (LSHW) and Lower Halocline Water (LHW) occurred. The efficient removal of tDOC demonstrates the importance of Eurasian margins as sinks of tDOC derived from the large Siberian Rivers and confirms tDOC mineralization has a major impact on nutrients budgets, air-sea CO2 exchange, and acidification in the Siberian Shelf Seas.

The fate of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon on the Eurasian shelves and export to the North Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaiser, Karl; Amon, Rainer; Benner, Ronald

2017-04-01

Dissolved lignin phenols, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption, and fluorescence were analyzed along cross-slope mooring locations in the Barents, Laptev, and East Siberian Seas to gain a better understanding of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon (tDOC) dynamics in Arctic shelf seas and the Arctic Ocean. A gradient of river water and tDOC was observed along the continental shelf eastward into the East Siberian Sea. Correlations of carbon-normalized yields of lignin-derived phenols supplied by Siberian rivers with river water fractions and known water residence times yielded in situ decay constants of 0.18-0.58 per year. Calculations showed about 50% of annual tDOC discharged by Siberian rivers was mineralized in estuaries and on the Eurasian shelves per year indicating extensive removal of tDOC. Bioassay experiments and in situ decay constants indicated a reactivity continuum for tDOC. CDOM parameters and acid/aldehyde ratios of vanillyl (V) and syringyl (S) lignin phenols showed biomineralization was the dominant mechanism for the removal of tDOC. Characteristic ratios of p-hydroxy (P), S, and V phenols (P/V, S/V) also identified shelf regions in the Kara Sea and regions along the Western Laptev Sea shelf where formation of Low Salinity Halocline Waters (LSHW) and Lower Halocline Water (LHW) occurred. The efficient removal of tDOC demonstrates the importance of Eurasian margins as sinks of tDOC derived from the large Siberian Rivers and confirms tDOC mineralization has a major impact on nutrients budgets, air-sea CO2 exchange, and acidification in the Siberian Shelf Seas.

Variability and Trends in the Arctic Sea Ice Cover: Results from Different Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Comiso, Josefino C.; Meier, Walter N.; Gersten, Robert

2017-01-01

Variability and trend studies of sea ice in the Arctic have been conducted using products derived from the same raw passive microwave data but by different groups using different algorithms. This study provides consistency assessment of four of the leading products, namely, Goddard Bootstrap (SB2), Goddard NASA Team (NT1), EUMETSAT Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI-SAF 1.2), and Hadley HadISST 2.2 data in evaluating variability and trends in the Arctic sea ice cover. All four provide generally similar ice patterns but significant disagreements in ice concentration distributions especially in the marginal ice zone and adjacent regions in winter and meltponded areas in summer. The discrepancies are primarily due to different ways the four techniques account for occurrences of new ice and meltponding. However, results show that the different products generally provide consistent and similar representation of the state of the Arctic sea ice cover. Hadley and NT1 data usually provide the highest and lowest monthly ice extents, respectively. The Hadley data also show the lowest trends in ice extent and ice area at negative 3.88 percent decade and negative 4.37 percent decade, respectively, compared to an average of negative 4.36 percent decade and negative 4.57 percent decade for all four. Trend maps also show similar spatial distribution for all four with the largest negative trends occurring at the Kara/Barents Sea and Beaufort Sea regions, where sea ice has been retreating the fastest. The good agreement of the trends especially with updated data provides strong confidence in the quantification of the rate of decline in the Arctic sea ice cover.

Permian paleomagnetism of the Tien Shan fold belt, Central Asia: post-collisional rotations and deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazhenov, Mikhail L.; S. Burtman, Valentin; Dvorova, Ariadna V.

1999-11-01

Permian volcanic and sedimentary rocks were sampled from eight localities in the western and central parts of the Tien Shan fold belt. High-temperature, sometimes intermediate-temperature components isolated from these rocks at seven localities after stepwise thermal demagnetization are shown either to predate folding or be acquired during deformation; the conglomerate test at some localities is positive. The observed inclinations fit rather well with the Eurasian reference data, whereas the declinations are strongly deflected westward; westerly declinations have already been observed from the other parts of the Tien Shan (from the Turan plate in the west to the northern rim of Tarim and the Urumque area in the east). Our analysis shows that a considerable counterclockwise rotation of the Tien Shan fold belt as a rigid body is geologically improbable. We hypothesize that a sinistral shear zone existed over the fold belt thus accounting for systematically westerly declinations. This zone is about 300 km wide and is traced along the Tien Shan fold belt for 2500 km. A large area of Permian alkali magmatism in the West and Central Tien Shan is interpreted as an extensional domain conjugated with the shear zone. This shear zone can be accounted for by translation of the Kara Kum and Tarim blocks along the Eurasian boundary after their oblique collision in the Late Carboniferous. Two phases of rotation are recognized in the Tien Shan. The earlier rotation took place under shear strain during the D3 stage of deformation in the Artinskian-Ufimian. The later rotation is connected with transpression (D4 stage of deformation) and could occur from the Late Permian to Early Jurassic.

Spatial and temporal patterns of sea ice variations in Vilkitsky strait, Russian High Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ci, T.; Cheng, X.; Hui, F.

2013-12-01

The Arctic Ocean has been greatly affected by climate change. Future predications show an even more drastic reduction of the ice cap which will open new areas for the exploration of natural resources and maritime transportation.Shipping through the Arctic Ocean via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) could save about 40% of the sailing distance from Asia (Yokohama) to Europe (Rotterdam) compared to the traditional route via the Suez Canal. Vilkitsky strait is the narrowest and northest portion of the Northern Sea Route with heaviest traffic between the Taimyr Peninsular and the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. The preliminary results of sea ice variations are presented by using moderate-resolution imaging spectro radiometer(MODIS) data with 250-m resolution in the Vilkitsky strait during 2009-2012. Temporally, the first rupture on sea ice in Vilkitsky strait usually comes up in April and sea ice completely break into pieces in early June. The strait would be ice-free between August and late September. The frequency of ice floes grows while temperature falls down in October. There are always one or two months suitable for transport. Spatially, Sea ice on Laptev sea side breaks earlier than that of Kara sea side while sea ice in central of strait breaks earlier than in shoreside. The phenomena are directly related with the direction of sea wind and ocean current. In summmary, study on Spatial and temporal patterns in this area is significant for the NSR. An additional research issue to be tackled is to seeking the trends of ice-free duration in the context of global warming. Envisat ASAR data will also be used in this study.

Prospects of developing the Shtokman and Prirazlomnoe Fields in the Barents Sea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dubin, I.B.

1994-09-01

Russia, having the world`s largest oil and gas resources on the shelf, exceeding 60 billion tons of hydrocarbons, has hardly begun to develop them. Such a situation developed because more than 95% of the oil and gas resources of the shelf of the Russian Federation are concentrated in arctic and Far Eastern seas with harsh natural and climatic conditions and require large and long-term capital investments. Nine oil and gas fields have been discovered on the shelf of arctic seas, including three unique ones: the Shtokman gas-condensate field in the Barents Sea with gas reserves of category C{sub 1} ofmore » 1.7 trillion m{sup 3} and of category C{sub 2} of 1.3 trillion m{sup 3}, Rusanov gas-condensate field, and the Leningrad gas field in the Kara Sea with estimated natural gas resources up to 4.0 trillion m{sup 3}. Furthermore, an oil field, the Prirazlomnoe, the recoverable reserves of which are estimated to be up to 70 million tons, was discovered in the Perchora Sea. To execute the orders of the government of the Russian Federation, in 1992 the Russian joint-stock company for developing the oil and gas resources of the continental shelf {open_quotes}Rosshelf{close_quotes} was created for exploration of useful resources on the continental shelf, their extraction and transportation, processing, and sale of the products, as well as design, construction, and manufacture of equipment needed for developing the fields on the basis of converting defence enterprises of the northwestern shipbuilding complex and design departments, institutes, organizations, and enterprises related to them.« less

Special event discrimination analysis: The TEXAR blind test and identification of the August 16, 1997 Kara Sea event. Final report, 13 September 1995--31 January 1998

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baumgardt, D.

1998-03-31

The International Monitoring System (IMS) for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) faces the serious challenge of being able to accurately and reliably identify seismic events in any region of the world. Extensive research has been performed in recent years on developing discrimination techniques which appear to classify seismic events into broad categories of source types, such as nuclear explosion, earthquake, and mine blast. This report examines in detail the problem of effectiveness of regional discrimination procedures in the application of waveform discriminants to Special Event identification and the issue of discriminant transportability.

Geology of the Jewel Cave SW Quadrangle, Custer County, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Braddock, William A.

1963-01-01

The Jewel Cave SW quadrangle is in the southwestern part of the Black Hills in Custer County, S. Dak., about midway between Edgemont, S. Dak., and Newcastle, Wyo. All the rocks that crop out within the quadrangle are of sedimentary origin and range in age from Pennsylvanian to Early Cretaceous. The Minnesota Formation of Pennsylvania and Permian age, which is about 1,000 feet thick, was studied in outcrop and from two diamond-drill cores. In the subsurface the upper part of the formation consists of gray sandstone, very fine grained dolomite, and anhydrite. The anhydrite has been leached from the formation near the outcrop, perhaps in the early part of the Cenozoic Era, and the resulting subsidence has produced collapse breccias in the Minnelusa and milder deformation in the overlying units. In the collapse breccias the rocks have been oxidized and are red, whereas in the subsurface they are gray. The anhydrite cement of the subsurface sandstone has been replaced by calcite, and the dolomite beds have been partially converted to limestone. The Opeche Formation of Permian age consists of 75 to 115 feet of red siltstone and shale and two thin gypsum beds. The Minnekahta Limestone of Permian age is about 40 feet thick. The Spearfish Formation of Permian and Triassic age is about 550 feet thick and consists of red siltstone red sandstone, dolomite, and gypsum. The dolomite and gypsum beds are restricted to the lower half of the formation. In the northeast corner of the quadrangle the gypsum beds have been dissolved by ground water. The Sundance Formation of Late Jurassic age is divided into five members that have a total thickness of about 360 feet. The Morrison Formation of Late Jurassic age ranges in thickness from 60 to 120 feet. It consists of blocky weathering noncarbonaceous mudstone and subordinate beds of limestone and sandstone. The Inyan Kara Group of Early Cretaceous age has been subdivided into the Lakota Formation and the Fall River Formation. The Lakota

Modes of Arctic Ocean Change from GRACE, ICESat and the PIOMAS and ECCO2 Models of the Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peralta Ferriz, C.; Morison, J. H.; Bonin, J. A.; Chambers, D. P.; Kwok, R.; Zhang, J.

2012-12-01

EOF analysis of month-to-month variations in GRACE derived Arctic Ocean bottom pressure (OBP) with trend and seasonal variation removed yield three dominant modes. The first mode is a basin wide variation in mass associated with high atmospheric pressure (SLP) over Scandinavia mainly in winter. The second mode is a shift of mass from the central Arctic Ocean to the Siberian shelves due to low pressure over the basins, associated with the Arctic Oscillation. The third mode is a shift in mass between the Eastern and Western Siberian shelves, related to strength of the Beaufort High mainly in summer, and to eastward alongshore winds on the Barents Sea in winter. The PIOMAS and ECCO2 modeled OBP show fair agreement with the form of these modes and provide context in terms of variations in sea surface height SSH. Comparing GRACE OBP from 2007 to 2011 with GRACE OBP from 2002 to 2006 reveals a rising trend over most of the Arctic Ocean but declines in the Kara Sea region and summer East Siberian Sea. ECCO2 bears a faint resemblance to the observed OBP change but appears to be biased negatively. In contrast, PIOMAS SSH and ECCO2 especially, show changes between the two periods that are muted but similar to ICESat dynamic ocean topography and GRACE-ICESat freshwater trends from 2005 through 2008 [Morison et al., 2012] with a rising DOT and freshening in the Beaufort Sea and a trough with decreased freshwater on the Russian side of the Arctic Ocean. Morison, J., R. Kwok, C. Peralta-Ferriz, M. Alkire, I. Rigor, R. Andersen, and M. Steele (2012), Changing Arctic Ocean freshwater pathways, Nature, 481(7379), 66-70.

On Kill Curves and Sampling Protocols: Studying the Relationships between Impact and Extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, Peter D.

1997-05-01

The pioneering efforts of Raup (1990) have suggested that a relationship exists between crater diameter and percentage of organisms killed as a result of meteor or comet impact with the Earth. The new data (coming from study of the Manson and Chicxulub craters) suggest that the nature of target rock may be a factor nearly as important as impacter size, and that other aspects of the target, including its latitude, the atmospheric and climate conditions characterizing the Earth, as well as the stage of biological evolution and community development at the time of impact are factors which all must be factored into any new kill curve. It may be that no single 'curve' is appropriate, but that a family of curves may be necessary to model the biological effects of large impacts. We propose that a new protocol be developed to better constrain and understand the relationship between impact and extinction. Rather than searching known mass extinction boundaries for evidence of impact (an exercise which up to now has demonstrated that only the Chicxulub crater can be unambiguously related to a mass extinction of planetary scale), we propose that four known craters be investigated to see if they are temporally correlated with extinction at any detectable level. We suggest that Kara, Popigai, Manson, and Manicouagan Craters be investigated in the following way. First, what is their age? The Manson lesson is that the first step in understanding the relationship between impact and extinction is through reliable age dating. Second, can distal components of the impact ejecta (spherules, shocked quartz, and mineral signatures) be located from sedimentary record? Third, once identified, do these signatures coincide with paleontological or geochemical markers of extinction in either the synoptic literature, or from actual outcrops (or deep sea cores).

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

PubMed Central

Tiyyagura, Satish; Fuster, Valentin

2008-01-01

Background Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a novel, yet well-described, reversible cardiomyopathy triggered by profound psychological or physical stress with a female predominance. Objective This review is designed to increase general clinician awareness about the diagnosis, incidence, pathogenesis, and therapies of this entity. Data Sources A complete search of multiple electronic databases (Pubmed, EMBASE, Science Citation Index) was carried out to identify all full-text, English-language articles published from 1980 to the present date and relevant to this review. Review Methods The following search terms were used: takotsubo cardiomyopathy, stress-induced cardiomyopathy, and left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome. Citation lists from identified articles were subsequently reviewed and pertinent articles were further identified. Results Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is typically characterized by the following: 1) acute onset of ischemic-like chest pain or dyspnea, 2) transient apical and mid-ventricular regional wall-motion abnormality, 3) minor elevation of cardiac biomarkers, 4) dynamic electrocardiographic changes, and 5) the absence of epicardial coronary artery disease. The pathogenesis of the syndrome is unknown but has mostly been associated with acute emotional or physiologic stressors. Dote, Sato, Tateishi, Uchida, Ishihara (J Cardiol. 21(2):203–214, 1991); Desmet, Adriaenssens, Dens (Heart. 89(9):1027–1031, Sep., 2003); Bybee, Kara, Prasad, et al. (Ann Intern Med. 141(11):858–865, Dec 7, 2004); Sharkey, Lesser, Zenovich, et al. (Circulation. 111(4):472–479, Feb 1, 2005) The short and long-term prognosis of these patients is overwhelmingly favorable and often only requires supportive therapy. Conclusion Whether an emotional or physical event precedes one’s symptoms, it is apparent that takotsubo cardiomyopathy case presentations mimic ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and thus is an important entity to be recognized by the medical

Geological Structure and History of the Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrov, Oleg; Morozov, Andrey; Shokalsky, Sergey; Sobolev, Nikolay; Kashubin, Sergey; Pospelov, Igor; Tolmacheva, Tatiana; Petrov, Eugeny

2016-04-01

New data on geological structure of the deep-water part of the Arctic Basin have been integrated in the joint project of Arctic states - the Atlas of maps of the Circumpolar Arctic. Geological (CGS, 2009) and potential field (NGS, 2009) maps were published as part of the Atlas; tectonic (Russia) and mineral resources (Norway) maps are being completed. The Arctic basement map is one of supplements to the tectonic map. It shows the Eurasian basin with oceanic crust and submerged margins of adjacent continents: the Barents-Kara, Amerasian ("Amerasian basin") and the Canada-Greenland. These margins are characterized by strained and thinned crust with the upper crust layer, almost extinct in places (South Barents and Makarov basins). In the Central Arctic elevations, seismic studies and investigation of seabed rock samples resulted in the identification of a craton with the Early Precambrian crust (near-polar part of the Lomonosov Ridge - Alpha-Mendeleev Rise). Its basement presumably consists of gneiss granite (2.6-2.2 Ga), and the cover is composed of Proterozoic quartzite sandstone and dolomite overlain with unconformity and break in sedimentation by Devonian-Triassic limestone with fauna and terrigenous rocks. The old crust is surrounded by accretion belts of Timanides and Grenvillides. Folded belts with the Late Precambrian crust are reworked by Caledonian-Ellesmerian and the Late Mesozoic movements. Structures of the South Anuy - Angayucham ophiolite suture reworked in the Early Cretaceous are separated from Mesozoides proper of the Pacific - Verkhoyansk-Kolyma and Koryak-Kamchatka belts. The complicated modern ensemble of structures of the basement and the continental frame of the Arctic Ocean was formed as a result of the conjugate evolution and interaction of the three major oceans of the Earth: Paleoasian, Paleoatlantic and Paleopacific.

Cattle breeding, trypanosomosis prevalence and drug resistance in Northern Togo.

PubMed

Tchamdja, E; Kulo, A E; Vitouley, H S; Batawui, K; Bankolé, A A; Adomefa, K; Cecchi, G; Hoppenheit, A; Clausen, P H; De Deken, R; Van Den Abbeele, J; Marcotty, T; Delespaux, V

2017-03-15

African Animal Trypanosomosis (AAT) is a major disease of cattle in Togo and its control is essentially based on chemotherapy. However, because of excessive use of trypanocides during the past decades, chemo-resistance in the parasites has developed. In order to assess the current situation of AAT and resistance to trypanocidal drugs in Northern Togo, a study was conducted on cattle from December 2012 to August 2013 in the regions of Kara and Savanes. An initial cross-sectional survey was carried out in 40 villages using the Haematocrit Centrifugation Technique (HCT). Out of these, 5 villages with a trypanosome prevalence of >10% were selected for a block treatment study (BT) with diminazene diaceturate (DA: 3.5mg/kg for a 14-day follow-up) and isometamidium chloride (ISM: 0.5mg/kg for a 28-day follow-up). Positive blood samples collected during the parasitological surveys and an equivalent number of negatives were further analyzed by PCR-RFLP for trypanosome species confirmation and molecular diagnosis of resistance to DA in Trypanosoma congolense. The results from 1883 bovine blood samples confirmed a high overall trypanosome prevalence of 10.8% in Northern Togo. PCR-RFLP revealed that T. congolense is the dominant pathogenic trypanosome species (50.5%) followed by T. vivax (27.3%), and T. brucei (16.2%). The BT showed varying levels of treatment failures ranging from 0 to 30% and from 0 to 50% for DA and for ISM respectively, suggesting the existence of resistant trypanosome populations in the study area. Our results show that AAT still represents a major obstacle to the development of cattle husbandry in Northern Togo. In areas of high AAT risk, a community-based integrated strategy combining vector control, rational use of trypanocidal drugs and improving the general condition of the animals is recommended to decision makers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Feasibility of synthetic aperture altimeter data in ice charting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinne, Eero; Kangas, Antti

We demonstrate the possibility to utilise synthetic aperture altimeter data in operational ice charting. Different waveform parameters from Cryosat-2 SIRAL measurements are compared to AARI ice charts over the Barents and Kara seas. It is shown that polygons of different ice types are distinguishable in the altimeter data. The most important sea ice application of satellite altimeters today is measuring the thickness of Arctic winter sea ice. However, the use of altimeters to support ice mapping has been suggested already more than 30 years ago. Due to advent of imaging instruments more suitable for ice charting, most notably the SAR, altimeters have remained tools for sea ice science. They are however used operationally to determine sea height anomaly and significant wave height. Our input data is the SAR mode Level 1B data of CryoSat-2. We only consider the waveform data and calculate simple parameters describing the shape of the waveform such as the pulse peakiness and backscatter coefficient sigma_0. We compare these to ice stages of development given in the ice chart. As expected, ice edge is clearly visible in the altimeter data. What is more promising for operational ice thickness, areas of old ice can be distinguished from areas of young ice and nilas. Altimeters provide an independent source of sea ice information to complement SAR and passive microwave data. Albeit low resolution, altimeter data may prove valuable at times and locations where other data sources are unavailable. SAR data is frequently available for our study area, but our methods are applicable to areas where SAR data is scarce such as the Southern ice covered seas. Furthermore, our results here are directly applicable to the future Sentinel-3 altimeter data.

Atmospheric transport of radioactive debris to Norway in case of a hypothetical accident related to the recovery of the Russian submarine K-27.

PubMed

Bartnicki, Jerzy; Amundsen, Ingar; Brown, Justin; Hosseini, Ali; Hov, Øystein; Haakenstad, Hilde; Klein, Heiko; Lind, Ole Christian; Salbu, Brit; Szacinski Wendel, Cato C; Ytre-Eide, Martin Album

2016-01-01

The Russian nuclear submarine K-27 suffered a loss of coolant accident in 1968 and with nuclear fuel in both reactors it was scuttled in 1981 in the outer part of Stepovogo Bay located on the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya. The inventory of spent nuclear fuel on board the submarine is of concern because it represents a potential source of radioactive contamination of the Kara Sea and a criticality accident with potential for long-range atmospheric transport of radioactive particles cannot be ruled out. To address these concerns and to provide a better basis for evaluating possible radiological impacts of potential releases in case a salvage operation is initiated, we assessed the atmospheric transport of radionuclides and deposition in Norway from a hypothetical criticality accident on board the K-27. To achieve this, a long term (33 years) meteorological database has been prepared and used for selection of the worst case meteorological scenarios for each of three selected locations of the potential accident. Next, the dispersion model SNAP was run with the source term for the worst-case accident scenario and selected meteorological scenarios. The results showed predictions to be very sensitive to the estimation of the source term for the worst-case accident and especially to the sizes and densities of released radioactive particles. The results indicated that a large area of Norway could be affected, but that the deposition in Northern Norway would be considerably higher than in other areas of the country. The simulations showed that deposition from the worst-case scenario of a hypothetical K-27 accident would be at least two orders of magnitude lower than the deposition observed in Norway following the Chernobyl accident. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The build-up, configuration, and dynamical sensitivity of the Eurasian ice-sheet complex to Late Weichselian climatic and oceanic forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patton, Henry; Hubbard, Alun; Andreassen, Karin; Winsborrow, Monica; Stroeven, Arjen P.

2016-12-01

The Eurasian ice-sheet complex (EISC) was the third largest ice mass during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), after the Antarctic and North American ice sheets. Despite its global significance, a comprehensive account of its evolution from independent nucleation centres to its maximum extent is conspicuously lacking. Here, a first-order, thermomechanical model, robustly constrained by empirical evidence, is used to investigate the dynamics of the EISC throughout its build-up to its maximum configuration. The ice flow model is coupled to a reference climate and applied at 10 km spatial resolution across a domain that includes the three main spreading centres of the Celtic, Fennoscandian and Barents Sea ice sheets. The model is forced with the NGRIP palaeo-isotope curve from 37 ka BP onwards and model skill is assessed against collated flowsets, marginal moraines, exposure ages and relative sea-level history. The evolution of the EISC to its LGM configuration was complex and asynchronous; the western, maritime margins of the Fennoscandian and Celtic ice sheets responded rapidly and advanced across their continental shelves by 29 ka BP, yet the maximum aerial extent (5.48 × 106 km2) and volume (7.18 × 106 km3) of the ice complex was attained some 6 ka later at c. 22.7 ka BP. This maximum stand was short-lived as the North Sea and Atlantic margins were already in retreat whilst eastern margins were still advancing up until c. 20 ka BP. High rates of basal erosion are modelled beneath ice streams and outlet glaciers draining the Celtic and Fennoscandian ice sheets with extensive preservation elsewhere due to frozen subglacial conditions, including much of the Barents and Kara seas. Here, and elsewhere across the Norwegian shelf and North Sea, high pressure subglacial conditions would have promoted localised gas hydrate formation.

Collective doses to man from dumping of radioactive waste in the Arctic Seas.

PubMed

Nielsen, S P; Iosjpe, M; Strand, P

1997-08-25

A box model for the dispersion of radionuclides in the marine environment covering the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean has been constructed. Collective doses from ingestion pathways have been calculated from unit releases of the radionuclides 3H, 60Co, 63Ni, 90Sr, 129I, 137Cs, 239Pu and 241Am into a fjord on the east coast of NovayaZemlya. The results show that doses for the shorter-lived radionuclides (e.g. 137Cs) are derived mainly from seafood production in the Barents Sea. Doses from the longer-lived radionuclides (e.g. 239Pu) are delivered through marine produce further away from the Arctic Ocean. Collective doses were calculated for two release scenarios, both of which are based on information of the dumping of radioactive waste in the Barents and Kara Seas by the former Soviet Union and on preliminary information from the International Arctic Sea Assessment Programme. A worst-case scenario was assumed according to which all radionuclides in liquid and solid radioactive waste were available for dispersion in the marine environment at the time of dumping. Release of radionuclides from spent nuclear fuel was assumed to take place by direct corrosion of the fuel ignoring the barriers that prevent direct contact between the fuel and the seawater. The second scenario selected assumed that releases of radionuclides from spent nuclear fuel do not occur until after failure of the protective barriers. All other liquid and solid radioactive waste was assumed to be available for dispersion at the time of discharge in both scenarios. The estimated collective dose for the worst-case scenario was about 9 manSv and that for the second scenario was about 3 manSv. In both cases, 137Cs is the radionuclide predicted to dominate the collective doses as well as the peak collective dose rates.

Identifying inequities in maternal and child health through risk stratification to inform health systems strengthening in Northern Togo

PubMed Central

McCarthy, Katharine J.; Braganza, Sandra; Fiori, Kevin; Gbeleou, Christophe; Kpakpo, Vivien; Lopez, Andrew; Schechter, Jennifer; Singham Goodwin, Alicia; Jones, Heidi E.

2017-01-01

Objective In Togo, substantial progress in maternal and child health is needed to reach global development goals. To better inform clinic and community-based health services, this study identifies factors associated with maternal and child health care utilization in the Kara region of Northern Togo. Methods We conducted a population-representative household survey of four health clinic catchment areas of 1,075 women of reproductive age in 2015. Multivariable logistic regression was used to model individual and structural factors associated with utilization of four maternal and child health services. Key outcomes were: facility-based delivery, maternal postnatal health check by a health professional within the first six weeks of birth, childhood vaccination, and receipt of malaria medication for febrile children under age five within 72 hours of symptom onset. Results 83 percent of women who gave birth in the last 2 years delivered at a health facility. In adjusted models, the strongest predictor of facility delivery in the rural catchment areas was proximity to a health center, with women living under three kilometers having 3.7 (95% CI 1.7, 7.9) times the odds of a facility birth. Only 11 percent of women received a health check by a health provider at any time in the postnatal period. Postnatal health checks were less likely for women in the poorest households and for women who resided in rural areas. Children of polygamous mothers had half the odds of receiving malaria medication for fever within 72 hours of symptom onset, while children with increased household wealth status had increased odds of childhood vaccination and receiving treatment for malaria. Conclusion Our analysis highlights the importance of risk stratification analysis to inform the delivery and scope of maternal and child health programs needed to reach those with the least access to care. PMID:28301539

Being prepared to verify the CTBT-Atmospheric Transport modeling and radionuclide analysis at the Austrian National Data Centre during the NDC Preparedness Exercise 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wotawa, Gerhard; Schraick, Irene

2010-05-01

An explosion in the Kara-Zhyra mine in Eastern Kazakhstan on 28 November 2009 around 07:20 UTC was recorded by both the CTBTO seismic and infrasound networks. This event triggered a world-wide preparedness exercise among the CTBTO National Data Centres. Within an hour after the event was selected by the German NDC, a computer program developed by NDC Austria based on weather forecasts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) was started to analyse what Radionuclide Stations of the CTBTO International Monitoring System (IMS) would be potentially affected by the release from a nuclear explosion at this place in the course of the following 3-10 days. These calculations were daily updated to consider the observed state of the atmosphere instead of the predicted one. Based on these calculations, automated and reviewed radionuclide reports from the potentially affected stations as produced by the CTBTO International Data Centre (IDC) were looked at. An additional analysis of interesting spectra was provided by the Seibersdorf Laboratories. Based on all the results coming in, no evidence whatsoever was found that the explosion in Kazakhstan was nuclear. This is in accordance with ground truth information saying that the event was caused by the detonation of more than 53 Tons of explosives as part of mining operations. A number of conclusions can be drawn from this exercise. First, the international, bilateral as well as national mechanisms and procedures in place for such an event worked smoothly. Second, the products and services from the CTBTO IDC proved to be very useful to assist the member states in their verification efforts. Last but not least, issues with the availability of data from IMS radionuclide stations do remain.

Geologic structure and altitude of the top of the Minnelusa Formation, northern Black Hills, South Dakota and Wyoming, and Bear Lodge Mountains, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peter, Kathy D.; Kyllonen, David P.; Mills, K.R.

1987-01-01

Beginning in 1981, a 3-yr project was conducted to determine the availability and quality of groundwater in the sedimentary bedrock aquifers in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. The project was limited to three bedrock units in order of increasing age: the Cretaceous Inyan kara Group, Permian and Pennsylvanian Minnelusa Formation, and Mississippian Madison (or Pahasapa) Limestone. This map shows the altitude of the top of the Minnelusa Formation in the northern Black Hills, and shows the configuration of the structural features in the northern part of the Black Hills and the eastern part of the Bear Lodge Mountains. In general, the Minnelusa Formation dips away from the Black Hills uplift, either to the northeast and the Williston Basin or, south of the Bear Lodge Mountains, to the southwest and the Powder River basin, which is outside the map area. In the map area, the upper beds of the Minnelusa Formation are an aquifer and the lower beds are a confining or semi-confining unit. The upper part of the Minnelusa Formation has a greater percentage of coarse-grained sandstone beds than the lower part. Furthermore, solution and removal of anhydrite, brecciation, and solution of cement binding the sandstone grains may have increased the permeability of the upper part of the Minnelusa Formation in the Black Hills. Wells completed in the upper part of the Minnelusa have yields that exceed 100 gal/min in some areas and at least one large diameter well is reported to flow 1,000 gal/min in some areas and at least one large diameter well is reported to flow 1,000 gal/min. Flowing wells have been completed in the Minnelusa aquifer in most of the study area in South Dakota and in about the northern one-half of Crook County, Wyoming. (Lantz-PTT)

A randomised controlled trial of the effects of cryotherapy on pain, eyelid oedema and facial ecchymosis after craniotomy.

PubMed

Shin, Yong Soon; Lim, Nan Young; Yun, Sung-Cheol; Park, Kwang Ok

2009-11-01

To identify the effects of cryotherapy on patient discomfort following craniotomy. Following craniotomy, many patients suffer from unexpected discomfort, including pain, eyelid oedema and ecchymosis. Cryotherapy is regarded as a safe method for managing these postcraniotomy problems. Randomised controlled trial. A total of 97 Korean patients who underwent elective supratentorial craniotomy were randomly assigned to a cryotherapy or a control group. In the cryotherapy group, ice bags were applied to surgical wounds, and cold gel packs were applied to periorbital areas, for 20 minutes per hour, beginning three hours postoperatively and for three days thereafter. The level of patient pain was measured using the visual analogue scale while the eyelid oedema was measured using the Kara & Gokalan's scale. Ecchymosis was also classified according to its extent. The level of pain three hours after craniotomy was similar in the cryotherapy and control groups (57.9 vs. 58.7). Three days after surgery, pain had significantly decreased in the cryotherapy group (p = 0.021). After adjusting diagnosis by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), pain score did not differ significantly between the two groups. The mean eyelid oedema scores were lower in the cryotherapy group than in the control group (0.59 vs. 2.29, p < 0.001), with ANCOVA showing that cryotherapy had a significant effect on eyelid oedema (p < 0.001). Pain (p = 0.047) and eyelid oedema (p < 0.001) in the cryotherapy group were significantly decreased over time. Ecchymosis were significantly less frequent in the cryotherapy (11/48, 22.9%) than in the control (26/49, 53.1%) group (p = 0.003). Logistic regression analysis showed that cryotherapy affected ecchymosis (p = 0.001). These results indicate that cryotherapy can control pain, eyelid oedema and facial ecchymosis after craniotomy. Cryotherapy, which is both convenient and cost-effective, can be used to prevent postoperative discomforts in a clinical setting.

The C32 alkane-1,15-diol as a tracer for riverine input in coastal seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lattaud, Julie; Kim, Jung-Hyun; De Jonge, Cindy; Zell, Claudia; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S.; Schouten, Stefan

2017-04-01

Long chain alkyl diols are lipids that occur ubiquitously in marine sediments and are used as a proxy for sea surface temperature (SST), using the Long chain Diol Index (LDI), and for upwelling intensity/high nutrient conditions. The distribution of 1,13- and 1,15-diols has been documented in open marine and lacustrine sediments and suspended particulate matter, but rarely in coastal seas receiving a significant riverine, and thus continental organic matter, input. Here we studied the distribution of diols in four shelf seas with major river outflows: the Gulf of Lion, the Kara Sea, the Amazon shelf and the Berau delta, covering a wide range of climate conditions. The relative abundance of the C32 1,15-diol is consistently higher close to the river mouth and particularly in the suspended particulate matter of the rivers suggesting a terrigenous source. This is supported by statistical analysis which points out a significant positive correlation between the C32 1,15-diol and the Branched and Isoprenoid Tetraether index, a proxy reflecting soil and riverine input in marine environments. However, the C32 1,15-diol was not detected in soils and is unlikely to be derived from vegetation, suggesting that the C32 1,15-diol is mainly produced in rivers. This agrees with the observation that it is a dominant diol in most cultivated freshwater eustigmatophyte algae. We, therefore, suggest that the relative abundance of the C32 1,15-diol can potentially be used as a proxy for riverine organic matter input in shelf seas. Our results also show that long chain alkyl diols delivered by rivers can substantially affect LDI-reconstructed SSTs in coastal regions close to river mouths.

NKG201xGIA - first results for a new model of glacial isostatic adjustment in Fennoscandia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steffen, Holger; Barletta, Valentina; Kollo, Karin; Milne, Glenn A.; Nordman, Maaria; Olsson, Per-Anders; Simpson, Matthew J. R.; Tarasov, Lev; Ågren, Jonas

2016-04-01

Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) is a dominant process in northern Europe, which is observed with several geodetic and geophysical methods. The observed land uplift due to this process amounts to about 1 cm/year in the northern Gulf of Bothnia. GIA affects the establishment and maintenance of reliable geodetic and gravimetric reference networks in the Nordic countries. To support a high level of accuracy in the determination of position, adequate corrections have to be applied with dedicated models. Currently, there are efforts within a Nordic Geodetic Commission (NKG) activity towards a model of glacial isostatic adjustment for Fennoscandia. The new model, NKG201xGIA, to be developed in the near future will complement the forthcoming empirical NKG land uplift model, which will substitute the currently used empirical land uplift model NKG2005LU (Ågren & Svensson, 2007). Together, the models will be a reference for vertical and horizontal motion, gravity and geoid change and more. NKG201xGIA will also provide uncertainty estimates for each field. Following former investigations, the GIA model is based on a combination of an ice and an earth model. The selected reference ice model, GLAC, for Fennoscandia, the Barents/Kara seas and the British Isles is provided by Lev Tarasov and co-workers. Tests of different ice and earth models will be performed based on the expertise of each involved modeler. This includes studies on high resolution ice sheets, different rheologies, lateral variations in lithosphere and mantle viscosity and more. This will also be done in co-operation with scientists outside NKG who help in the development and testing of the model. References Ågren, J., Svensson, R. (2007): Postglacial Land Uplift Model and System Definition for the New Swedish Height System RH 2000. Reports in Geodesy and Geographical Information Systems Rapportserie, LMV-Rapport 4, Lantmäteriet, Gävle.

Problems of Tectonics and Tectonic Evolution of the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernikovskiy, V. A.; Metelkin, D. V.; Matushkin, N. Y.; Vernikovskaya, A. E.; Chernova, A. I.; Mikhaltsov, N. E.

2017-12-01

The Arctic Ocean within Russia remains poorly investigated area, in particular to geological structures and the Arctic Ocean floor. Many researchers believe that the basements of the terranes, composing the Arctic shelf and continental slopes, are of the Precambrian age. It was assumed that the Arctic terranes formed the ancient paleocontinent of Arctida that broke up during rifting, whereas the separated plates and terranes accreted to the periphery of the Arctic Ocean at a later stage. However, geological, geochronological and paleomagnetic evidence to test this assumption has been insufficient. Recently, geological and geophysical studies have significantly increased, in particular to the structures of Eastern Arctic. For example, the New Siberian Islands Archipelago is one of key structures for understanding geology and evolution of the Arctic region. Additionally, several submerged structures containing fragments of continental crust, including the Lomonosov Ridge and the Mendeleev Rise, are identified within the Arctic Ocean and adjacent to the New Siberian Islands Archipelago. Here we present new geochronological and paleomagnetic data to refine the evolution of the Arctida paleocontinent. Our model implies existence of the two Arctidas during Late Precambrian - Late Paleozoic. The earlier Arctida-I was located near equator and connected with the continental margins of Laurentia, Baltica and Siberia within the supercontinent of Rodinia. The initiation of Arctida-I rifting is associated with breakup of Rodinia. As a result, small plates, including Svalbard, Kara, New Siberia Island and other terranes, were formed. We have reconstructed the main stages of further remobilization and global drift of these plates before Pangea assemblage. We assume that the later Arctida-II was located at the Pangean periphery in the temperate latitudes, and was also connected to the Laurentia, Baltica, and Siberia cratons. The breakup of the Arctida-II is suggested to have

Runoff simulation in the Ferghana Valley (Central Asia) using conceptual hydrological HBV-light model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radchenko, Iuliia; Breuer, Lutz; Forkutsa, Irina; Frede, Hans-Georg

2013-04-01

Glaciers and permafrost on the ranges of the Tien Shan mountain system are primary sources of water in the Ferghana Valley. The water artery of the valley is the Syr Darya River that is formed by confluence of the Naryn and Kara Darya rivers, which originate from the mountain glaciers of the Ak-Shyrak and the Ferghana ranges accordingly. The Ferghana Valley is densely populated and main activity of population is agriculture that heavily depends on irrigation especially in such arid region. The runoff reduction is projected in future due to global temperature rise and glacier shrinkage as a consequence. Therefore, it is essential to study climate change impact on water resources in the area both for ecological and economic aspects. The evaluation of comparative contribution of small upper catchments (n=24) with precipitation predominance in discharge and the large Naryn and Karadarya River basins, which are fed by glacial melt water, to the Fergana Valley water balance under current and future climatic conditions is general aim of the study. Appropriate understanding of the hydrological cycle under current climatic conditions is significant for prognosis of water resource availability in the future. Thus, conceptual hydrological HBV-light model was used for analysing of the water balance of the small upper catchments that surround the Ferghana Valley. Three trial catchments (the Kugart River basin, 1010 km²; the Kurshab River basin, 2010 km2; the Akbura River basin, 2260 km²) with relatively good temporal quality data were chosen to setup the model. Due to limitation of daily temperature data the MODAWEC weather generator, which converts monthly temperature data into daily based on correlation with rainfall, was tested and applied for the HBV-light model.

Adenosine A1 receptors (A1Rs) play a critical role in osteoclast formation and function

PubMed Central

Kara, Firas M.; Chitu, Violeta; Sloane, Jennifer; Axelrod, Matthew; Fredholm, Bertil B.; Stanley, E. Richard; Cronstein, Bruce N.

2010-01-01

Adenosine regulates a wide variety of physiological processes via interaction with one or more G-protein-coupled receptors (A1R, A2AR, A2BR, and A3R). Because A1R occupancy promotes fusion of human monocytes to form giant cells in vitro, we determined whether A1R occupancy similarly promotes osteoclast function and formation. Bone marrow cells (BMCs) were harvested from C57Bl/6 female mice or A1R-knockout mice and their wild-type (WT) littermates and differentiated into osteoclasts in the presence of colony stimulating factor-1 and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand in the presence or absence of the A1R antagonist 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentyl xanthine (DPCPX). Osteoclast morphology was analyzed in tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase or F-actin-stained samples, and bone resorption was evaluated by toluidine blue staining of dentin. BMCs from A1R-knockout mice form fewer osteoclasts than BMCs from WT mice, and the A1R antagonist DPCPX inhibits osteoclast formation (IC50=1 nM), with altered morphology and reduced ability to resorb bone. A1R blockade increased ubiquitination and degradation of TRAF6 in RAW264.7 cells induced to differentiate into osteoclasts. These studies suggest a critical role for adenosine in bone homeostasis via interaction with adenosine A1R and further suggest that A1R may be a novel pharmacologic target to prevent the bone loss associated with inflammatory diseases and menopause.—Kara, F. M., Chitu, V., Sloane, J., Axelrod, M., Fredholm, B. B., Stanley, R., Cronstein, B. N. Adenosine A1 receptors (A1Rs) play a critical role in osteoclast formation and function. PMID:20181934

The National Data Center Preparedness Exercise 2009 - First Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gestermann, Nicolai; Bönnemann, Christian; Ceranna, Lars; Wotawa, Gerhard

2010-05-01

The NDC preparedness initiative was initiated by 8 signature states. It has now a history of more than 2 years with two successful exercises and subsequent fruitful discussions during the NDC Evaluation Workshops of the CTBTO. The first exercise was carried out in 2007 (NPE07). The objectives of and the idea behind this exercise have been described in the working paper CTBT/WGB-28/DE-IT/1 of the CTBTO. The exercise simulates a fictitious violation of the CTBT and all NDCs are invited to clarify the nature of the selected event. This exercise should help to evaluate the effectiveness of analysis procedures applied at NDCs, as well as the quality, completeness, and usefulness of IDC products. Moreover, the NPE is a measure for the readiness of the NDCs to fulfil their duties in regard of the CTBT verification: the treaty compliance based judgments about the nature of events as natural or artificial and chemical or nuclear, respectively. The NPE09 has started on 1 October 2009, 00:00 UTC. In addition to the previous exercises, three technologies (seismology, infrasound, and radionuclide) have been taken into account leading to tentative mock events generated by strong explosions in open pit mines. Consequently, the first event, which fulfils all previously defined criteria, was close to the Kara-Zhyra mine in Eastern Kazakhstan and occurred on 28 November 2009 at 07:20:31 UTC. It generated seismic signals as well as infrasound signals at the closest IMS stations. The forward atmospheric transport modelling indicated that a sufficient number of radionuclide stations were also affected to enable the application of a negative testing scenario. First results of the seismo-acoustic analysis of the NPE09 event were presented along with details on the event selection process.

Annotated type catalogue of the Megaspiridae, Orthalicidae, and Simpulopsidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Orthalicoidea) in the Natural History Museum, London

PubMed Central

Breure, Abraham S. H.; Ablett, Jonathan D.

2015-01-01

Abstract The type status is described for 65 taxa of the Orthalicoidea, classified within the families Megaspiridae (14), Orthalicidae (30), and Simpulopsidae (20); one taxon is considered a nomen inquirendum. Lectotypes are designated for the following taxa: Helix brephoides d’Orbigny, 1835; Simpulopsis cumingi Pfeiffer, 1861; Bulimulus (Protoglyptus) dejectus Fulton, 1907; Bulimus iris Pfeiffer, 1853. The type status of Bulimus salteri Sowerby III, 1890, and Strophocheilus (Eurytus) subirroratus da Costa, 1898 is now changed to lectotype according Art. 74.6 ICZN. The taxa Bulimus loxostomus Pfeiffer, 1853, Bulimus marmatensis Pfeiffer, 1855, Bulimus meobambensis Pfeiffer, 1855, and Orthalicus powissianus var. niveus Preston 1909 are now figured for the first time. The following taxa are now considered junior subjective synonyms: Bulimus marmatensis Pfeiffer, 1855 = Helix (Cochlogena) citrinovitrea Moricand, 1836; Vermiculatus Breure, 1978 = Bocourtia Rochebrune, 1882. New combinations are: Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) Rochebrune, 1882; Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) aequatoria (Pfeiffer, 1853); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) anthisanensis (Pfeiffer, 1853); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) aquila (Reeve, 1848); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) badia (Sowerby I, 1835); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) bicolor (Sowerby I, 1835); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) caliginosa (Reeve, 1849); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) coagulata (Reeve, 1849); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) cotopaxiensis (Pfeiffer, 1853); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) filaris (Pfeiffer, 1853); Kara indentata (da Costa, 1901); Clathrorthalicus magnificus (Pfeiffer, 1848); Simpulopsis (Eudioptus) marmartensis (Pfeiffer, 1855); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) nucina (Reeve, 1850); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) ochracea (Morelet, 1863); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) peaki (Breure, 1978); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) petiti (Pfeiffer, 1846); Clathrorthalicus phoebus (Pfeiffer, 1863); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia) polymorpha (d’Orbigny, 1835); Scholvienia porphyria (Pfeiffer, 1847); Kuschelenia (Bocourtia

Coupled ice sheet - climate simulations of the last glacial inception and last glacial maximum with a model of intermediate complexity that includes a dynamical downscaling of heat and moisture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quiquet, Aurélien; Roche, Didier M.

2017-04-01

Comprehensive fully coupled ice sheet - climate models allowing for multi-millenia transient simulations are becoming available. They represent powerful tools to investigate ice sheet - climate interactions during the repeated retreats and advances of continental ice sheets of the Pleistocene. However, in such models, most of the time, the spatial resolution of the ice sheet model is one order of magnitude lower than the one of the atmospheric model. As such, orography-induced precipitation is only poorly represented. In this work, we briefly present the most recent improvements of the ice sheet - climate coupling within the model of intermediate complexity iLOVECLIM. On the one hand, from the native atmospheric resolution (T21), we have included a dynamical downscaling of heat and moisture at the ice sheet model resolution (40 km x 40 km). This downscaling accounts for feedbacks of sub-grid precipitation on large scale energy and water budgets. From the sub-grid atmospheric variables, we compute an ice sheet surface mass balance required by the ice sheet model. On the other hand, we also explicitly use oceanic temperatures to compute sub-shelf melting at a given depth. Based on palaeo evidences for rate of change of eustatic sea level, we discuss the capability of our new model to correctly simulate the last glacial inception ( 116 kaBP) and the ice volume of the last glacial maximum ( 21 kaBP). We show that the model performs well in certain areas (e.g. Canadian archipelago) but some model biases are consistent over time periods (e.g. Kara-Barents sector). We explore various model sensitivities (e.g. initial state, vegetation, albedo) and we discuss the importance of the downscaling of precipitation for ice nucleation over elevated area and for the surface mass balance of larger ice sheets.

Chapter 9: Oil and gas resource potential north of the Arctic Circle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gautier, D.L.; Bird, K.J.; Charpentier, R.R.; Grantz, A.; Houseknecht, D.W.; Klett, T.R.; Moore, Thomas E.; Pitman, Janet K.; Schenk, C.J.; Schuenemeyer, J.H.; Sorensen, K.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Valin, Z.C.; Wandrey, C.J.

2011-01-01

The US Geological Survey recently assessed the potential for undiscovered conventional petroleumin the Arctic. Using a new map compilation of sedimentary elements, the area north of the Arctic Circle was subdivided into 70 assessment units, 48 of which were quantitatively assessed. The Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA) was a geologically based, probabilistic study that relied mainly on burial history analysis and analogue modelling to estimate sizes and numbers of undiscovered oil and gas accumulations. The results of the CARA suggest the Arctic is gas-prone with an estimated 770-2990 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered conventional natural gas, most of which is in Russian territory. On an energy-equivalent basis, the quantity of natural gas ismore than three times the quantity of oil and the largest undiscovered gas eld is expected to be about 10 times the size of the largest undiscovered oil eld. In addition to gas, the gas accumulationsmay contain an estimated 39 billion barrels of liquids. The South Kara Sea is themost prospective gas assessment unit, but giant gas elds containingmore than 6 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas are possible at a 50%chance in 10 assessment units. Sixty per cent of the estimated undiscovered oil resource is in just six assessment units, of which the Alaska Platform, with 31%of the resource, is the most prospective. Overall, the Arctic is estimated to contain between 44 and 157 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Billion barrel oil elds are possible at a 50%chance in seven assessment units.Undiscovered oil resources could be signicant to the Arctic nations, but are probably not sufcient to shift the world oil balance away from the Middle East. ?? 2011 The Geological Society of London.

Synoptic Drivers of Precipitation in the Atlantic Sector of the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, L.; Hudson, S.; Graham, R.; Renwick, J. A.

2017-12-01

Precipitation in the Arctic has been shown to be increasing in recent decades, from both observational and modelling studies, with largest trends seen in autumn and winter. This trend is attributed to a combination of the warming atmosphere and reduced sea ice extent. The seasonality of precipitation in the Arctic is important as it largely determines whether the precipitation falls as snow or rain. This study assesses the spatial and temporal variability of the synoptic drivers of precipitation in the Atlantic (European) sector of the Arctic. This region of the Arctic is of particular interest as it has the largest inter-annual variability in sea ice extent and is the primary pathway for moisture transport into the Arctic from lower latitudes. This study uses the ECMWF ERA-I reanalysis total precipitation to compare to long-term precipitation observations from Ny Ålesund, Svalbard to show that the reanalysis captures the synoptic variability of precipitation well and that most precipitation in this region is synoptically driven. The annual variability of precipitation in the Atlantic Arctic shows strong regionality. In the Svalbard and Barents Sea region, most of the annual total precipitation occurs during autumn and winter (Oct-Mar) (>60% of annual total), while the high-Arctic (> 80N) and Kara Sea receives most of the annual precipitation ( 60% of annual total) during summer (July-Sept). Using a synoptic classification developed for this region, this study shows that winter precipitation is driven by winter cyclone occurrence, with strong correlations to the AO and NAO indices. High precipitation over Svalbard is also strongly correlated with the Scandinavian blocking pattern, which produces a southerly flow in the Greenland Sea/Svalbard area. An increasing occurrence of these synoptic patterns are seen for winter months (Nov and Jan), which may explain much of the observed winter increase in precipitation.

Seasonal changes in hepatocytic lipid droplets, glycogen deposits, and rough endoplasmic reticulum along the natural breeding cycle of female ohrid trout (Salmo letnica Kar.)-A semiquantitative ultrastructural study.

PubMed

Jordanova, Maja; Rebok, Katerina; Malhão, Fernanda; Rocha, Maria J; Rocha, Eduardo

2016-08-01

This study on wild female Ohrid trout was primarily designed to provide a general overview of the breeding cycle influence upon selected aspects of hepatocytes. According with a semiquantitatively evaluation, some of these cell's structural compartments change during the breeding cycle. Structural modifications were disclosed in the relative occurrence of lipid, glycogen, and RER content during breeding cycle. The relative amount of lipid deposits in the hepatocytes was much greater in previtellogenesis, and decreased postspawning. So, while the seasonal changes in RER were positively related with the ovary maturation status, those of the lipid droplets followed an opposite trend. The hepatocytic glycogen occurred rarely, mainly in late-vitellogenesis and spawning, suggesting that in this species such kind of energy storage is comparatively unimportant. Lipid accumulation and later usage is, probably, the relevant biochemical pathway for Ohrid trout in the wild. While glycogen and RER contents were positively correlated with the gonadosomatic index, lipids were negatively correlated. Additionally, glycogen inclusions were positively correlated with the plasma estradiol levels. When comparing seasonal patterns from wild Ohrid trout with those from well-studied rainbow and brown trout (specimens studied were from aquaculture), there are contradicting results as to lipid and glycogen reserves, and also as to RER loads. The differences among the mentioned trout can result from intrinsic interspecies differences or may be associated with natural feeding conditions versus feeding with commercially prepared diets, or other factors. This study offers new data useful as standard to access liver pathology in wild and aquacultured Ohrid trout. Microsc. Res. Tech. 79:700-706, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Analysis of Bearing Capacity Pile Foundation with Using Capwap Software for Testing Pile Driving Analyzer (pda) at Fasfel Development Project Parlimbungan Ketek Sikara-Kara Mandailing Natal District (north Sumatera)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oberlyn Simanjuntak, Johan; Suita, Diana

2017-12-01

Pile foundation is one type deep foundation that serves to distribute the load of hard soil structure loading which has a high bearing capacity that is located deep enough inside the soil. To determine the bearing capacity of the pile and at the same time control the Calendring results, the Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA) test at 8 pile sections from the 84 point piling section (10% of the number sections), the results were analyzed by CAPWAP SOFTWARE, and the highest bearing capacity of Ru 177 ton and the lowest bearing capacity of 111 tons, is bigger than the plan load which load plans that is 60,9 tons. Finally the PDA safe is bearing bearing capacity of the load planning.

Sensitivity of ocean model simulation in the coastal ocean to the resolution of the meteorological forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Feng; Shapiro, Georgy; Thain, Richard

2013-04-01

The quality of ocean simulations depends on a number of factors such as approximations in governing equations, errors introduced by the numerical scheme, uncertainties in input parameters, and atmospheric forcing. The identification of relations between the uncertainties in input and output data is still a challenge for the development of numerical models. The impacts of ocean variables on ocean models are still not well known (e.g., Kara et al., 2009). Given the considerable importance of the atmospheric forcing to the air-sea interaction, it is essential that researchers in ocean modelling work need a good understanding about how sensitive the atmospheric forcing is to variations of model results, which is beneficial to the development of ocean models. Also, it provides a proper way to choose the atmospheric forcing in ocean modelling applications. Our previous study (Shapiro et al, 2011) has shown that the basin-wide circulation pattern and the temperature structure in the Black Sea produced by the same model is significantly dependent on the source of the meteorological input, giving remarkably different responses. For the purpose of this study we have chosen the Celtic Sea where high resolution meteo data are available from the UK Met office since 2006. The Celtic Sea is tidally dominated water basin, with the tidal stream amplitude varying from 0.25m/s in the southwest to 2 m/s in the Bristol Channel. It is also filled with mesoscale eddies which contribute to the formation of the residual (tidally averaged) circulation pattern (Young et al, 2003). The sea is strongly stratified from April to November, which adds to the formation of density driven currents. In this paper we analyse how sensitive the model output is to variations in the spatial resolution of meteorological using low (1.6°) and high (0.11°) resolution meteo forcing, giving the quantitative relation between variations of met forcing and the resulted differences of model results, as well as

Ground water in folded Cretaceous sandstone of the Bhachau area, Kutch, India, with reference to the Kandla Port water supply

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, George C.; Osa, H.M.; Mitra, A.; Sen, B.N.

1964-01-01

This report is based on an investigation of the availability of ground-water supplies in the Bhachau area for the nearby Kandla Port and township development undertaken by the Government of India. This seaport lies on an estuary of the Gulf of Kutch in western India and in the eastern part of the State of Kutch. The fieldwork on the investigation was carried on from November 1952 through April 1953 with continuing hydrologic observations through 1954-55. The fieldwork included: geologic mapping and delimitation of the principal aquifers of the region; preparation of water-table maps; a detailed inventory of existing wells and springs; observations of significant water table fluctuations; preparation of isobicarb, isochlor and isosulf maps to show the areal distribution of ground-water salinity. The Bhachau area includes about 116 square miles in eastern Kutch and lies in a belt of semiarid low-latitude steppes. The mean annual rainfall is about 15 inches, most of which falls from late June to late September during the southwest monsoon. The area includes a central sandy upland ranging from about 100 to 250 feet above sea level ; a northern lowland of between about 50 to 125 feet altitude that slopes north to the Great Rann of Kutch; a belt of low buttes and discontinuous ridges ranging from about 200 to 275 feet above sea level; and southern lowland which slopes in a southerly to southeasterly direction from an altitude of about 125 feet to 25 feet or less near the Gulf of Kutch. The principal streams are Kageshwar Vokra and Kara Vokra which drain north to the Great Rann and Kotwala Vokra and Dalwala Vokra which drain south toward the Gulf of Kutch. The rocks of the Bhachau area include nonmarine and marine sediments of Mesozoic, Tertiary, and Quaternary age and volcanic rocks of late Mesozoic to early Tertiary age. The oldest rocks in the area are medium- to coarse-grained white to buff current-bedded friable sandstone with occasional partings of white silty shale

The BetterBirth Program: Pursuing Effective Adoption and Sustained Use of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist Through Coaching-Based Implementation in Uttar Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Kara, Nabihah; Firestone, Rebecca; Kalita, Tapan; Gawande, Atul A; Kumar, Vishwajeet; Kodkany, Bhala; Saurastri, Rajiv; Pratap Singh, Vinay; Maji, Pinki; Karlage, Ami; Hirschhorn, Lisa R; Semrau, Katherine Ea

2017-06-27

reference to the impact findings. © Kara et al.

Measurements of mercury in the near-surface layer of the atmosphere of the Russian Arctic.

PubMed

Golubeva, N; Burtseva, L; Matishov, G

2003-05-01

A series of measurements of gaseous elemental mercury concentrations in near-surface air of the Russian Arctic Region were carried out from 1994 to 1997. The measurements were conducted in Murmansk at a stationary site in April-May 1994, on a cruise in Motovsky Bay and Kola Bay during May-June 1996, and along the Russian Northern Sea Route in April-May 1997 on board the nuclear icebreaker 'Soviet Union'. Silver absorption was used for trapping of mercury and the mass of mercury was determined by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrophotometery. Detection limits were approximately 0.3 ng/m(3) (+/- error 46%). Sixty samples were selected and analysed. Sample volumes were 2.2 m(3) ashore, and up to 6.6 m(3) over water. The meteorological conditions, including a wind speed and direction, during the sampling period were typical of the spring-summer period of year, and therefore the concentrations of atmospheric mercury are regarded as representative for this season. The mean concentrations of mercury ranged from 2.2 ng/m(3) for Murmansk city, 1.7 ng/m(3) for Kola Bay, 1.6 ng/m(3) for Motovsky Bay, 1.1 ng/m(3) for the eastern part of the Barents Sea and 0.7 ng/m(3) for the western part of the Kara Sea. The levels of mercury in Murmansk, and over Kola and Motovsky Bays were associated with a primary direction of a near-surface wind from the nearest sources of mercury emission located in the Russian North region. These are the non-ferrous metallurgical plants in Nickel in the case of Motovsky Bay and Murmansk garbage-disposal plant, for sampling points in Murmansk and over Kola Bay. These concentrations of mercury, measured in the spring-summer season, in near-surface air of the Russian North, are more than two-fold lower than the concentrations that are typical of continental background regions in western Russia, and are comparable to the concentrations measured in the Arctic regions of other countries.

Identifying and mitigating errors in satellite telemetry of polar bears

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arthur, Stephen M.; Garner, Gerald W.; Olson, Tamara L.

1998-01-01

Satellite radiotelemetry is a useful method of tracking movements of animals that travel long distances or inhabit remote areas. However, the logistical constraints that encourage the use of satellite telemetry also inhibit efforts to assess accuracy of the resulting data. To investigate effectiveness of methods that might be used to improve the reliability of these data, we compared 3 sets of criteria designed to select the most plausible locations of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) that were tracked using satellite radiotelemetry in the Bering, Chukchi, East Siberian, Laptev, and Kara seas during 1988-93. We also evaluated several indices of location accuracy. Our results suggested that, although indices could provide information useful in evaluating location accuracy, no index or set of criteria was sufficient to identify all the implausible locations. Thus, it was necessary to examine the data and make subjective decisions about which locations to accept or reject. However, by using a formal set of selection criteria, we simplified the task of evaluating locations and ensured that decisions were made consistently. This approach also enabled us to evaluate biases that may be introduced by the criteria used to identify location errors. For our study, the best set of selection criteria comprised: (1) rejecting locations for which the distance to the nearest other point from the same day was >50 km; (2) determining the highest accuracy code (NLOC) for a particular day and rejecting locations from that day with lesser values; and (3) from the remaining locations for each day, selecting the location closest to the location chosen for the previous transmission period. Although our selection criteria seemed unlikely to bias studies of habitat use or geographic distribution, basing selection decisions on distances between points might bias studies of movement rates or distances. It is unlikely that any set of criteria will be best for all situations; to make efficient use

Intra- and Inter- annual PM2.5 variations in the Arctic region during 2003-2017 based on the NASA's MERRA-2 re-analysis data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasunari, T. J.; Kim, K. M.; da Silva, A. M., Jr.

2017-12-01

We examined the intra- and inter-annual variations of PM2.5 in the Arctic region based on monthly mean aerosols (dust, sulfate, sea salt, and carbonaceous aerosols) and PM2.5 from NASA's latest reanalysis, MERRA2. We focus on the time period from January 2003 to the recent month (May 2017). The domain of the Arctic region was defined as North of 66.5N in this study. Although there are some exceptions, the largest contributions of dust, ammonium sulfate, sea salt, and carbonaceous aerosols (i.e., Black Carbon, BC, and Particulate Organic Matter, POM) to the fractions of PM2.5 were mainly seen in spring, spring, fall, and summer, respectively. During the focused time period, the fractions of dust, ammonium sulfate, sea salt, BC, and POM explains 2.7-42.5%, 9.5-37.5%, 16.7-73.1%, 0.5-2.8%, 1.5-58.0% of the Arctic PM2.5, respectively. If we picked up the top 10 high PM2.5 months during the period, those were separated into two seasons: summer (eight months) and winter (two months). For the composites of the summer months above, the areas with higher PM2.5 were Siberia, Far East, Alaska, and Canada and the regions where POM fractions were larger, implying the contributions from smokes due to active wildfires in summer seasons. For the winter months, the mixture of increased dust, ammonium sulfate, and sea salt was seen. However, the highest PM2.5 in the Arctic region was seen from the Kara Sea, Barents Sea, and Greenland Sea over which the contribution of sea salt was very large. This means the sea salt aerosols were the main contributor to the high PM2.5 winter months there. Based on our MERRA-2 analyses, continuous monitoring and development for better forecasting wildfire activities in summer and sea salt emissions in winter would be the keys for better understanding of the air quality in the Arctic region including mitigation and measures of it in the future.

A three-dimensional geophysical model of the crust in the Barents Sea region: Model construction and basement characterization

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ritzmann, O.; Maercklin, N.; Inge, Faleide J.; Bungum, H.; Mooney, W.D.; Detweiler, S.T.

2007-01-01

BARENTS50, a new 3-D geophysical model of the crust in the Barents Sea Region has been developed by the University of Oslo, NORSAR and the U.S. Geological Survey. The target region comprises northern Norway and Finland, parts of the Kola Peninsula and the East European lowlands. Novaya Zemlya, the Kara Sea and Franz-Josef Land terminate the region to the east, while the Norwegian-Greenland Sea marks the western boundary. In total, 680 1-D seismic velocity profiles were compiled, mostly by sampling 2-D seismic velocity transects, from seismic refraction profiles. Seismic reflection data in the western Barents Sea were further used for density modelling and subsequent density-to-velocity conversion. Velocities from these profiles were binned into two sedimentary and three crystalline crustal layers. The first step of the compilation comprised the layer-wise interpolation of the velocities and thicknesses. Within the different geological provinces of the study region, linear relationships between the thickness of the sedimentary rocks and the thickness of the remaining crystalline crust are observed. We therefore, used the separately compiled (area-wide) sediment thickness data to adjust the total crystalline crustal thickness according to the total sedimentary thickness where no constraints from 1-D velocity profiles existed. The BARENTS50 model is based on an equidistant hexagonal grid with a node spacing of 50 km. The P-wave velocity model was used for gravity modelling to obtain 3-D density structure. A better fit to the observed gravity was achieved using a grid search algorithm which focussed on the density contrast of the sediment-basement interface. An improvement compared to older geophysical models is the high resolution of 50 km. Velocity transects through the 3-D model illustrate geological features of the European Arctic. The possible petrology of the crystalline basement in western and eastern Barents Sea is discussed on the basis of the observed seismic

International Arctic Seas Assessment Project.

PubMed

Sjöblom, K L; Salo, A; Bewers, J M; Cooper, J; Dyer, R S; Lynn, N M; Mount, M E; Povinec, P P; Sazykina, T G; Schwarz, J; Scott, E M; Sivintsev, Y V; Tanner, J E; Warden, J M; Woodhead, D

1999-09-30

The International Atomic Energy Agency responded to the news that the former Soviet Union had dumped radioactive wastes in the shallow waters of the Arctic Seas, by launching the International Arctic Seas Assessment Project in 1993. The project had two objectives: to assess the risks to human health and to the environment associated with the radioactive wastes dumped in the Kara and Barents Seas; and to examine possible remedial actions related to the dumped wastes and to advise on whether they are necessary and justified. The current radiological situation in the Arctic waters was examined to assess whether there is any evidence for releases from the dumped waste. Potential future releases from the dumped wastes were predicted, concentrating on the high-level waste objects containing the major part of the radionuclide inventory of the wastes. Environmental transport of released radionuclides was modelled and the associated radiological impact on humans and the biota was assessed. The feasibility, costs and benefits of possible remedial measures applied to a selected high-level waste object were examined. Releases from identified dumped objects were found to be small and localised to the immediate vicinity of the dumping sites. Projected future annual doses to members of the public in typical local population groups were very small, less than 1 microSv--corresponding to a trivial risk. Projected future doses to a hypothetical group of military personnel patrolling the foreshore of the fjords in which wastes have been dumped were higher, up to 4 mSv/year, which still is of the same order as the average annual natural background dose. Moreover, since any of the proposed remedial actions were estimated to cost several million US$ to implement, remediation was not considered justified on the basis of potentially removing a collective dose of 10 man Sv. Doses calculated to marine fauna were insignificant, orders of magnitude below those at which detrimental effects on

Radioactive waste disposal in seas adjacent to the territory of the Russian Federation.

PubMed

Yablokov, A V

2001-01-01

The former USSR illegally dumped into the ocean liquid and solid radioactive wastes (RW) originating from nuclear-powered vessels and ships. The Russian President created a special Commission to analyse both the scale and consequences of this activity. According to documentary data and expert estimates at the Commission's disposal, the maximum activity of RW that entered the seas adjacent to Russian territory could have been as much as 2,500 kCi at the time of disposal. The greatest radio-ecological hazard comes from reactors from nuclear submarines and core plates of the nuclear icebreaker 'Lenin', which had spent nuclear fuel in place and which were dumped in shallow water in the Kara Sea near Novaya Zemlya. Editor's note: This article extracts material from a Commission which published a report produced in Russia in 1993. Numerous sources in many Ministries and other government agencies, noted in the text, formed the basis for the final draft. The authors of the draft report were A. Yablokov, V. Karasev, V. Rumyantsev, M. Kokeev, O. Petrov, V. Lystsov, A. Yemelyanenkov and P. Rubtsov. After approving the draft report, the Commission submitted the report to the President of the Russian Federation in February 1993. By Presidential decision, this report (after several technical corrections) was open to the public: it is known variously as 'the Yablokov Commission report, or more simply the 'Yablokov Report', the 'White Book' or 'Yablokov White Paper'. During April-May 1993, 500 copies were distributed among governmental agencies inside Russia, and abroad through a net of Russian Embassies. This article was later sent to Dr Mike Champ as part of the ongoing collections of papers on the Arctic published in this journal (edited by Champ et al.: 1997 'Contaminants in the Arctic', Marine Pollution Bulletin 35, pp. 203-385 and in Marine Pollution Bulletin 2000, vol. 40, pp. 801-868, and continued with the present collection).

Spatial variability of aerosol and black carbon concentrations in the troposphere of the Russian Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozlov, Valerii S.; Panchenko, Mikhail V.; Paris, Jean D.; Nédéléc, Philippe; Chernov, Dmitry G.; Shmargunov, Vladimir P.

2015-11-01

A cycle of flights of the Optik TU-134 Flying Laboratory of IAO SB RAS over regions of Western Siberia and the Russian Arctic (55.0-74.8°N, 61.3-82.9°E) was carried out on October 15-17 of 2014 within the framework of the YAK-AEROSIB Russian—French Project. The mass concentrations of submicron aerosol and Black Carbon (BC) in the troposphere up to a height of 8.5 km were measured in the flights. The ranges of variability were 0.3-20 μg/m3 for the aerosol concentration and 0.02-1 μg/m3 for the BC concentration. In the subpolar latitudes of 71-74.8°N, the lower levels of aerosol (0.8-6 μg/m3) and BC (0.02-0.3 μg/m3) were observed. The comparison of the results of airborne sensing in 2008 and 2014 has shown that in the Western Subartic the aerosol and BC concentrations in the vertical profiles up to six times exceeded those observed in the Eastern Subarctic (0.3-1 μg/m3 and 10-50 ng/m3). The excess of the mean integral BC concentrations and the aerosol optical depth was, on average, 2-2.5 times (0.16 mg/m2; 0.02). In the region of the Kara Sea at heights of 0.5-2 and 4-6 km, the excess of the aerosol content in the western sector in comparison with the eastern one was, on average, 2 times, while for the black carbon the excess achieved 7 times at heights of 1-2 km (0.25- 0.035 μg/m3). The mean integral concentrations of aerosol and black carbon ˜ 1.3 times exceeded those in the clearer eastern region of the sea (0.31 mg/m2; 0.049). The obtained estimates indicate the decrease of the aerosol and BC concentrations in the subpolar latitudes of the Russian Federation from the west to the east.

Flooding of the Ob and Irtysh Rivers, Russia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

These images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite shows the cause and effect of the large-scale seasonal flooding experienced on rivers throughout Siberia each year. Because many Siberian rivers flow from south to north, they flood regularly in the spring as meltwater from southern latitudes backs up against the still-frozen northern reaches of the rivers.These images show the Ob' River on the western edge of the Central Siberian Plateau. The images from June 20, 2002, show the mouth of the Ob' River (large river at left) where it empties into Kara Sea. In the false-color image, Vegetation appears in bright green, water appears dark blue or black, and ice appears bright blue. The ice is still choking the river's outlet to the sea.The effect of this ice block on the more southern stretches of the river can be seen in the images captured on June 17. In the false-color image, water is black, vegetation is in shades of gold and green, and clouds are pale orange. In the northernmost portion of the Ob' visible in this image (the Ob' runs southeast to northwest in the image), what is normally a fine mesh of braided streams and branches of the river channel has become almost a lake in places. The flood waters have engorged the river to 52 kilometers (32 miles) wide in places. Rivers can back up for hundreds of miles, and cause devastating flooding for towns and villages along the banks. Often, explosives are dropped into ice jams in an effort to free the river and give the flood waters a chance to escape. The spring and summer floods of 2002 have proven to be quite severe and perhaps as many as 100,000 people have been affected across the country. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Mouth of the Ob River, Russia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

These images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite shows the cause and effect of the large-scale seasonal flooding experienced on rivers throughout Siberia each year. Because many Siberian rivers flow from south to north, they flood regularly in the spring as meltwater from southern latitudes backs up against the still-frozen northern reaches of the rivers.These images show the Ob' River on the western edge of the Central Siberian Plateau. The images from June 20, 2002, show the mouth of the Ob' River (large river at left) where it empties into Kara Sea. In the false-color image, Vegetation appears in bright green, water appears dark blue or black, and ice appears bright blue. The ice is still choking the river's outlet to the sea.The effect of this ice block on the more southern stretches of the river can be seen in the images captured on June 17. In the false-color image, water is black, vegetation is in shades of gold and green, and clouds are pale orange. In the northernmost portion of the Ob' visible in this image (the Ob' runs southeast to northwest in the image), what is normally a fine mesh of braided streams and branches of the river channel has become almost a lake in places. The flood waters have engorged the river to 52 kilometers (32 miles) wide in places. Rivers can back up for hundreds of miles, and cause devastating flooding for towns and villages along the banks. Often, explosives are dropped into ice jams in an effort to free the river and give the flood waters a chance to escape. The spring and summer floods of 2002 have proven to be quite severe and perhaps as many as 100,000 people have been affected across the country. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

The future of Arctic benthos: Expansion, invasion, and biodiversity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renaud, Paul E.; Sejr, Mikael K.; Bluhm, Bodil A.; Sirenko, Boris; Ellingsen, Ingrid H.

2015-12-01

One of the logical predictions for a future Arctic characterized by warmer waters and reduced sea-ice is that new taxa will expand or invade Arctic seafloor habitats. Specific predictions regarding where this will occur and which taxa are most likely to become established or excluded are lacking, however. We synthesize recent studies and conduct new analyses in the context of climate forecasts and a paleontological perspective to make concrete predictions as to relevant mechanisms, regions, and functional traits contributing to future biodiversity changes. Historically, a warmer Arctic is more readily invaded or transited by boreal taxa than it is during cold periods. Oceanography of an ice-free Arctic Ocean, combined with life-history traits of invading taxa and availability of suitable habitat, determine expansion success. It is difficult to generalize as to which taxonomic groups or locations are likely to experience expansion, however, since species-specific, and perhaps population-specific autecologies, will determine success or failure. Several examples of expansion into the Arctic have been noted, and along with the results from the relatively few Arctic biological time-series suggest inflow shelves (Barents and Chukchi Seas), as well as West Greenland and the western Kara Sea, are most likely locations for expansion. Apparent temperature thresholds were identified for characteristic Arctic and boreal benthic fauna suggesting strong potential for range constrictions of Arctic, and expansions of boreal, fauna in the near future. Increasing human activities in the region could speed introductions of boreal fauna and reduce the value of a planktonic dispersal stage. Finally, shelf regions are likely to experience a greater impact, and also one with greater potential consequences, than the deep Arctic basin. Future research strategies should focus on monitoring as well as compiling basic physiological and life-history information of Arctic and boreal taxa, and

Arctic Ocean sea ice drift origin derived from artificial radionuclides.

PubMed

Cámara-Mor, P; Masqué, P; Garcia-Orellana, J; Cochran, J K; Mas, J L; Chamizo, E; Hanfland, C

2010-07-15

Since the 1950s, nuclear weapon testing and releases from the nuclear industry have introduced anthropogenic radionuclides into the sea, and in many instances their ultimate fate are the bottom sediments. The Arctic Ocean is one of the most polluted in this respect, because, in addition to global fallout, it is impacted by regional fallout from nuclear weapon testing, and indirectly by releases from nuclear reprocessing facilities and nuclear accidents. Sea-ice formed in the shallow continental shelves incorporate sediments with variable concentrations of anthropogenic radionuclides that are transported through the Arctic Ocean and are finally released in the melting areas. In this work, we present the results of anthropogenic radionuclide analyses of sea-ice sediments (SIS) collected on five cruises from different Arctic regions and combine them with a database including prior measurements of these radionuclides in SIS. The distribution of (137)Cs and (239,240)Pu activities and the (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratio in SIS showed geographical differences, in agreement with the two main sea ice drift patterns derived from the mean field of sea-ice motion, the Transpolar Drift and Beaufort Gyre, with the Fram Strait as the main ablation area. A direct comparison of data measured in SIS samples against those reported for the potential source regions permits identification of the regions from which sea ice incorporates sediments. The (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratio in SIS may be used to discern the origin of sea ice from the Kara-Laptev Sea and the Alaskan shelf. However, if the (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratio is similar to global fallout, it does not provide a unique diagnostic indicator of the source area, and in such cases, the source of SIS can be constrained with a combination of the (137)Cs and (239,240)Pu activities. Therefore, these anthropogenic radionuclides can be used in many instances to determine the geographical source area of sea-ice. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All

Regional variations in provenance and abundance of ice-rafted clasts in Arctic Ocean sediments: Implications for the configuration of late Quaternary oceanic and atmospheric circulation in the Arctic

USGS Publications Warehouse

Phillips, R.L.; Grantz, A.

2001-01-01

The composition and distribution of ice-rafted glacial erratics in late Quaternary sediments define the major current systems of the Arctic Ocean and identify two distinct continental sources for the erratics. In the southern Amerasia basin up to 70% of the erratics are dolostones and limestones (the Amerasia suite) that originated in the carbonate-rich Paleozoic terranes of the Canadian Arctic Islands. These clasts reached the Arctic Ocean in glaciers and were ice-rafted to the core sites in the clockwise Beaufort Gyre. The concentration of erratics decreases northward by 98% along the trend of the gyre from southeastern Canada basin to Makarov basin. The concentration of erratics then triples across the Makarov basin flank of Lomonosov Ridge and siltstone, sandstone and siliceous clasts become dominant in cores from the ridge and the Eurasia basin (the Eurasia suite). The bedrock source for the siltstone and sandstone clasts is uncertain, but bedrock distribution and the distribution of glaciation in northern Eurasia suggest the Taymyr Peninsula-Kara Sea regions. The pattern of clast distribution in the Arctic Ocean sediments and the sharp northward decrease in concentration of clasts of Canadian Arctic Island provenance in the Amerasia basin support the conclusion that the modem circulation pattern of the Arctic Ocean, with the Beaufort Gyre dominant in the Amerasia basin and the Transpolar drift dominant in the Eurasia basin, has controlled both sea-ice and glacial iceberg drift in the Arctic Ocean during interglacial intervals since at least the late Pleistocene. The abruptness of the change in both clast composition and concentration on the Makarov basin flank of Lomonosov Ridge also suggests that the boundary between the Beaufort Gyre and the Transpolar Drift has been relatively stable during interglacials since that time. Because the Beaufort Gyre is wind-driven our data, in conjunction with the westerly directed orientation of sand dunes that formed during

Peculiarities of the vertical and geographical distribution of particulate organic matter over West Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belan, Boris D.; Voronetskaya, Natalia G.; Pevneva, Galina S.; Golovko, Anatoly K.; Kozlov, Alexandre S.; Malyshkin, Sergey B.; Simonenkov, Denis V.; Davydov, Denis K.; Tolmachev, Gennadii N.; Arshinov, Mikhail Yu.

2017-04-01

In recent years, we have performed aerosol sampling in the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) over different regions of West Siberia in order to reveal peculiarities of the geographical distribution of particulate organic matter (POM). Investigation of the vertical distribution of POM in the troposphere was undertaken by means of aerosol sampling from Optik TU-134 aircraft laboratory in the atmospheric layer from 2 to 8 km during three YAK-AEROSIB campaigns (2012, 2013, and 2014). Aerosol samples were collected onto Teflon filters (PTFE membranes, GRIMM 1.113). The collected aerosol samples were treated as follows: the organic part was extracted from the filter, using chromatographic acetone in an ultrasonic bath; then, it was concentrated in vacuum up to 50 μL, with the subsequent analysis using a chromatography mass spectrometer Agilent 6890N (50 - 250 °C with a rate of 5 °C/min., isotherm at the initial and final temperature - 3 and 45 min, respectively). Hydrocarbons were identified using mass spectral library databases NIST, Wiley, as well as by comparing retention times of reference compounds in model mixtures (Alkane Standard Solutions C8 - C20 and C21 - C40 by SIGMA -ALDRICH). Total organic matter varied from 244.56 ng/m3 in aerosol samples collected in the ASL to 0.08 ng/m3 in the free troposphere (FT) over the Kara Sea. Significant differences were also found in the geographical distribution of POM due to different volatile organic compounds emitted by vegetation in specific regions. Differences between concentrations of POM sampled in the free troposphere over the continent and ocean can exceed an order of magnitude. Average concentration of organic compounds in the ASL is close to 30 ng/m3 and it decreases exponentially with height down to 14 ng/m3 at the top of the atmospheric boundary layer and 5 ng/m3 in the FT.

Mapping and estimating land change between 2001 and 2013 in a heterogeneous landscape in West Africa: Loss of forestlands and capacity building opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badjana, Hèou Maléki; Olofsson, Pontus; Woodcock, Curtis E.; Helmschrot, Joerg; Wala, Kpérkouma; Akpagana, Koffi

2017-12-01

In West Africa, accurate classification of land cover and land change remains a big challenge due to the patchy and heterogeneous nature of the landscape. Limited data availability, human resources and technical capacities, further exacerbate the challenge. The result is a region that is among the more understudied areas in the world, which in turn has resulted in a lack of appropriate information required for sustainable natural resources management. The objective of this paper is to explore open source software and easy-to-implement approaches to mapping and estimation of land change that are transferrable to local institutions to increase capacity in the region, and to provide updated information on the regional land surface dynamics. To achieve these objectives, stable land cover and land change between 2001 and 2013 in the Kara River Basin in Togo and Benin were mapped by direct multitemporal classification of Landsat data by parameterization and evaluation of two machine-learning algorithms. Areas of land cover and change were estimated by application of an unbiased estimator to sample data following international guidelines. A prerequisite for all tools and methods was implementation in an open source environment, and adherence to international guidelines for reporting land surface activities. Findings include a recommendation of the Random Forests algorithm as implemented in Orfeo Toolbox, and a stratified estimation protocol - all executed in the QGIS graphical use interface. It was found that despite an estimated reforestation of 10,0727 ± 3480 ha (95% confidence interval), the combined rate of forest and savannah loss amounted to 56,271 ± 9405 ha (representing a 16% loss of the forestlands present in 2001), resulting in a rather sharp net loss of forestlands in the study area. These dynamics had not been estimated prior to this study, and the results will provide useful information for decision making pertaining to natural resources management, land

Annual Cycles of Multiyear Sea Ice Coverage of the Arctic Ocean: 1999-2003

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kwok, R.

2004-01-01

For the years 1999-2003, we estimate the time-varying perennial ice zone (PIZ) coverage and construct the annual cycles of multiyear (MY, including second year) ice coverage of the Arctic Ocean using QuikSCAT backscatter, MY fractions from RADARSAT, and the record of ice export from satellite passive microwave observations. An area balance approach extends the winter MY coverage from QuikSCAT to the remainder of the year. From these estimates, the coverage of MY ice at the beginning of each year is 3774 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2000), 3896 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2001), 4475 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2002), and 4122 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2003). Uncertainties in coverage are approx.150 x 10(exp 3) sq km. In the mean, on 1 January, MY ice covers approx.60% of the Arctic Ocean. Ice export reduces this coverage to approx.55% by 1 May. From the multiple annual cycles, the area of first-year (FY) ice that survives the intervening summers are 1192 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2000), 1509 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2001), and 582 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2002). In order for the MY coverage to remain constant from year to year, these replenishment areas must balance the overall area export and melt during the summer. The effect of the record minimum in Arctic sea ice area during the summer of 2002 is seen in the lowest area of surviving FY ice of the three summers. In addition to the spatial coverage, the location of the PIZ is important. One consequence of the unusual location of the PIZ at the end of the summer of 2002 is the preconditioning for enhanced export of MY ice into the Barents and Kara seas. Differences between the minimums in summer sea ice coverage from our estimates and passive microwave observations are discussed.

Duration of the Arctic sea ice melt season: Regional and interannual variability, 1979-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belchansky, G.I.; Douglas, David C.; Platonov, Nikita G.

2004-01-01

Melt onset dates, freeze onset dates, and melt season duration were estimated over Arctic sea ice, 1979–2001, using passive microwave satellite imagery and surface air temperature data. Sea ice melt duration for the entire Northern Hemisphere varied from a 104-day minimum in 1983 and 1996 to a 124-day maximum in 1989. Ranges in melt duration were highest in peripheral seas, numbering 32, 42, 44, and 51 days in the Laptev, Barents-Kara, East Siberian, and Chukchi Seas, respectively. In the Arctic Ocean, average melt duration varied from a 75-day minimum in 1987 to a 103-day maximum in 1989. On average, melt onset in annual ice began 10.6 days earlier than perennial ice, and freeze onset in perennial ice commenced 18.4 days earlier than annual ice. Average annual melt dates, freeze dates, and melt durations in annual ice were significantly correlated with seasonal strength of the Arctic Oscillation (AO). Following high-index AO winters (January–March), spring melt tended to be earlier and autumn freeze later, leading to longer melt season durations. The largest increases in melt duration were observed in the eastern Siberian Arctic, coincident with cyclonic low pressure and ice motion anomalies associated with high-index AO phases. Following a positive AO shift in 1989, mean annual melt duration increased 2–3 weeks in the northern East Siberian and Chukchi Seas. Decreasing correlations between consecutive-year maps of melt onset in annual ice during 1979–2001 indicated increasing spatial variability and unpredictability in melt distributions from one year to the next. Despite recent declines in the winter AO index, recent melt distributions did not show evidence of reestablishing spatial patterns similar to those observed during the 1979–88 low-index AO period. Recent freeze distributions have become increasingly similar to those observed during 1979–88, suggesting a recurrent spatial pattern of freeze chronology under low-index AO conditions.

Phytate degrading activities of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional fermented food

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damayanti, Ema; Ratisiwi, Febiyani Ndaru; Istiqomah, Lusty; Sembiring, Langkah; Febrisiantosa, Andi

2017-03-01

The objective of this study was to determine the potential of LAB with phytate degrading activity from fermented traditional food grain-based and legume-based. Lactic acid bacteria were isolated from different sources of traditional fermented food from Gunungkidul Yogyakarta Indonesia such as gembus tempeh (tofu waste), soybean tempeh, lamtoro tempeh (Leucaena bean) and kara tempeh. Isolation of LAB was performed using Total Plate Count (TPC) on de Man Rogosa Sharpe Agar (MRSA) medium supplemented with CaCO3. They were screened for their ability to degrade myo-inositol hexaphosphate or IP6 by using qualitative streak platemethod with modified de Man Rogosa-MorpholinoPropanesulfonic Acid Sharpe (MRS-MOPS) medium contained sodium salt of phytic acid as substrate and cobalt chloride staining (plate assay) method. The selected isolates were further assayed for phytase activities using quantitative method with spectrophotometer and the two selected isolates growth were optimized. Furthermore, thhe isolates that shown the highest phytase activity was characterized and identified using API 50 CH kitand 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that there were 18 LAB isolates obtained from samplesand 13 isolates were able to degrade sodium phytate based on qualitative screening. According to quantitative assay, the highest phytate degrading activities were found in TG-2(23.562 U/mL) and TG-1 (19.641 U/mL) isolated from gembus tempeh. The phytate activity of TG-2 was optimum at 37 °C with agitation, while the phytate activity of TG-1 was optimum at 45 °C without agitation. Characterization and identification of TG-2 isolate with the highest phytate degrading activity using API 50 CH and 16S rRNA showed that TG-2had homology with Lactobacillus fermentum. It could be concluded that LAB from from fermented traditional food grain-based and legume-based produced the extracellular phytase. Keywords: lactic acid bacteria, tempeh, phytatedegrading activity

Detection of iron-porphyrin proteins with a biochemiluminescent method in search of extraterrestrial life.

PubMed

Sotnikov, G G

1970-01-01

Iron-porphyrin proteins (catalase, peroxidase, hemoglobin, cytochrome C) represent an important group of redoxenzymes which have vitally important functions in micro-organisms. A biochemiluminescent method was employed for the detection of iron-porphyrin proteins. The reaction of luminol oxidation with H2O2 is accompanied by chemiluminescence. The rate of hydrogen peroxide decomposition increased 10(5)-10(7) -fold in the presence of the above enzymes as compared with ferrous (or ferric) ions. Possible application of this reaction for the detection of iron-porphyrin proteins of microbial origin was studied. Other authors have suggested this reaction for the detection of extraterrestrial life. Kinetics of the above reaction in the presence of iron-porphyrin proteins were shown to differ both in amplitude and duration of the signal from the pattern observed in the presence of non-hemin catalysts. The reaction pattern in the presence of mixed-soil populations is similar to those observed with pure bacterial cultures and individual iron-porphyrin proteins. Photometric tests revealed that among preparations studied the addition of 0.01% lysozyme was the most effective in destroying cell walls in microbial populations. However, removal of cell walls is not a necessary prerequisite for the detection of iron porphyrin since, for effective luminol oxidation with H2O2 the medium should be kept at pH 12.0. Pretreatment of microbial suspensions with ultrasound increased 2-fold the total signal due to iron porphyrins. The above method gives a reproducible signal indicating the presence of iron porphyrins when sterile nutrient media were innoculated with desert soil samples (Repeteck, Kara-Kum) and incubated for 13 hr. The device was able to detect the presence of no less than 10(5) - 10(6) cells per ml. The addition of limonite (Fe2O3 X nH2O) does not result in the appearance of an appreciable signal in the luminol + H2O2 system.

NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission Status and Science Highlights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yueh, Simon; Entekhabi, Dara; O'Neill, Peggy; Entin, Jared

2017-01-01

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory was launched January 31, 2015, and its L-band radiometer and radar instruments became operational during April 2015. This paper provides a summary of the quality assessment of its baseline soil moisture and freeze/thaw products as well as an overview of new products. The first new product explores the Backus Gilbert optimum interpolation based on the oversampling characteristics of the SMAP radiometer. The second one investigates the disaggregation of the SMAP radiometer data using the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data to obtain soil moisture products at about 1 to 3 km resolution. In addition, SMAPs L-band data have been found useful for many scientific applications, including depictions of water cycles, vegetation opacity, ocean surface salinity and hurricane ocean surface wind mapping. Highlights of these new applications will be provided.The SMAP soil moisture, freeze/taw state and SSSprovide a synergistic view of water cycle. For example, Fig.7 illustrates the transition of freeze/thaw state, change of soilmoisture near the pole and SSS in the Arctic Ocean fromApril to October in 2015 and 2016. In April, most parts ofAlaska, Canada, and Siberia remained frozen. Melt onsetstarted in May. Alaska, Canada, and a big part of Siberia havebecome thawed at the end of May; some freshwater dischargecould be found near the mouth of Mackenzie in 2016, but notin 2015. The soil moisture appeared to be higher in the Oband Yenisei river basins in Siberia in 2015. As a result,freshwater discharge was more widespread in the Kara Seanear the mouths of both rivers in June 2015 than in 2016. TheNorth America and Siberia have become completely thawedin July. After June, the freshwater discharge from other riversinto the Arctic, indicated by blue, also became visible. Thefreeze-up started in September and the high latitude regionsin North America and Eurasia became frozen. Comparing

Bedrock cores from 89° North: Implications for the geologic framework and Neogene paleoceanography of Lomonosov Ridge and a tie to the Barents shelf

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grantz, Arthur; Pease, Victoria L.; Willard, Debra A.; Phillips, R.L.; Clark, David L.

2001-01-01

Two piston cores from the Eurasian flank of Lomonosov Ridge near lat 88.9°N, long 140°E provide the first samples of bedrock from this high-standing trans-Arctic ridge. Core 94-PC27 sampled nonmarine siltstone similar in facies and age to uppermost Triassic to lower Lower Jurassic and mid– Lower Cretaceous beds in the 4 to > 5 km Mesozoic section on Franz Josef Land, on the outer Barents shelf. A ca. 250 Ma peak in the cumulative frequency curve of detrital zircons from the siltstone, dated by U- Th-Pb analysis, suggests a source in the post-tectonic syenites of northern Taymyr and nearby islands in the Kara Sea. Textural trends reported in the literature indicate that the Lower Jurassic nonmarine strata of Franz Josef Land coarsen to the southeast; this suggests the existence of a sedimentary system in which detrital zircons could be transported from the northern Taymyr Peninsula to the outer Barents shelf near the position of core 94-PC27 prior to opening of the Eurasia Basin. Correlation of the coaly siltstone in core 94-PC27 with part of the Mesozoic section on Franz Josef Land is compatible with the strong evidence from seafloor magnetic anomalies and bathymetry that Lomonosov Ridge is a continental fragment rifted from the Barents shelf during the Cenozoic. It also suggests that Lomonosov Ridge near the North Pole is underlain by a substantial section of unmetamorphosed Mesozoic marine and nonmarine sedimentary strata. Core 94-PC29 sampled cyclical deposits containing ice-rafted debris (IRD) overlying weakly consolidated laminated olive-black anoxic Neogene siltstone and mudstone with an average total organic carbon (TOC) of 4.1 wt%. The high TOC content of the mudstone indicates that during the Neogene, prior to the introduction of IRD into the Arctic seas about 3.3 Ma (early late Pliocene), the shallow waters of the central Arctic Ocean supported significant primary photosynthetic organic production near the North Pole. These deposits also contain fine

Extreme cyclone events in the Arctic during wintertime: Variability and Trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinke, Annette; Maturilli, Marion; Graham, Robert; Matthes, Heidrun; Handorf, Doerthe; Cohen, Lana; Hudson, Stephen; Moore, John

2017-04-01

Extreme cyclone events are of significant interest as they can transport much heat, moisture, and momentum poleward. Associated impacts are warming and sea-ice breakup. Recently, several examples of such extreme weather events occurred in winter (e.g. during the N-ICE2015 campaign north of Svalbard and the Frank North Atlantic storm during the end of December 2015). With Arctic amplification and associated reduced sea-ice cover and warmer sea surface temperatures, the occurrence of extreme cyclones events could be a plausible scenario. We calculate the spatial patterns, and changes and trends of the number of extreme cyclone events in the Arctic based on ERA-Interim six-hourly sea level pressure (SLP) data for winter (November-February) 1979-2015. Further, we analyze the SLP data from the Ny Alesund station for the same 37 year period. We define an extreme cyclone event by a extreme low central pressure (SLP below 985 hPa, which is the 5th percentile of the Ny Alesund/N-ICE2015 SLP data) and a deepening of at least 6 hPa/6 hours. Areas of highest frequency of occurrence of extreme cyclones are south/southeast of Greenland (corresponding to the Islandic low), between Norway and Svalbard and in the Barents/Kara Seas. The time series of the number of occurrence of extreme cyclone events for Ny Alesund/N-ICE show considerable interannual variability. The trend is not consistent through the winter, but we detect an increase in early winter and a slight decrease in late winter. The former is due to the increased occurrence of longer events at the expense of short events. Furthermore, the difference patterns of the frequency of events for months following the September with high and low Arctic sea-ice extent ("Low minus high sea ice") conforms with the change patterns of extreme cyclones numbers (frequency of events "2000-2015 minus 1979-1994") and with the trend patterns. This indicates that the changes in extreme cyclone occurrence in early winter are associated with

Why Earth cryopegs are interesting to astrobiologists?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivkina, Elizaveta; Spirina, Elena; Demidov, Nikita; Shcherbakova, Viktoria; Yoshikawa, Kenji; Gilichinsky, David

The lenses of perennially overcooled water brines (cryopegs) derived from ancient marine sedi-ments and sandwiched within permafrost 10 to 120,000 years ago after the placeArctic Ocean regressions. In these lenses freezing is prevented by freezing-point depression due to the dis-solved salt and they remain liquid at the in situ temperatures down to -11oC as a result of their high sodium-chloride concentration (3-5 mol/l). Cryopegs make up the only habitat on Earth that is characterized by permanently subzero temperatures, high salinity, and isolation from the influence of external factors during geological time. During last years the biodiversity of cryopeg's indigenous microbial community along the Arctic coast of placePlaceNamePolar PlaceTypeOcean (Kara and placeEast Siberian Sea, placePla-ceNameJamal PlaceTypePeninsula and placePlaceTypeCape PlaceNameBarrow) were studied and the new species representing the different genera have been isolated and described. There were found both aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms: Psychrobacters, Sulfate-reducers, Clostridia, etc. The isolated bacteria grew at subzero temperatures, and were also tolerant to salt concentra-tions up to metricconverterProductID3 M3 M NaCl. The microorganisms detected in cryopegs are halophilic and psychrophilic organisms at the same time. The microbial activity detected in cryopegs (14C-labeled glucose consumption) at temperatures as low as metricconverterProductID-15?C-15C-15° C documents the fact that subzero temper-atures themselves do not exclude biochemical reactions. In situ microbial activity and survival of microorganisms in a low-temperature high-salt aquatic environment on a geological time scale indicates the special type of microbial adaptation. From the astrobiological perspective, mineral-enriched brines provide the only opportunity for free water within the Martian subsurface permafrost, formed when Mars became dry and cold. These brines, just as terrestrial cryopegs, may contain

Dynamical Downscaling over Siberia: Is there an added value in representing recent climate conditions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klehmet, K.; Rockel, B.

2012-04-01

The analysis of long-term changes and variability of climate variables for the large areal extent of Siberia - covering arctic, subarctic and temperate northern latitudes - is hampered by the sparseness of in-situ observations. To counteract this deficiency we aimed to provide a reconstruction of regional climate for the period 1948-2010 getting homogenous, consistent fields of various terrestrial and atmospheric parameters for Siberia. In order to obtain in addition a higher temporal and spatial resolution than global datasets can provide, we performed the reconstruction using the regional climate model COSMO-CLM (climate mode of the limited area model COSMO developed by the German weather service). However, the question arises whether the dynamically downscaled data of reanalysis can improve the representation of recent climate conditions. As global forcing for the initialization and the regional boundaries we use NCEP-1 Reanalysis of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction since it has the longest temporal data coverage among the reanalysis products. Additionally, spectral nudging is applied to prevent the regional model from deviating from the prescribed large-scale circulation within the whole simulation domain. The area of interest covers a region in Siberia, spanning from the Laptev Sea and Kara Sea to Northern Mongolia and from the West Siberian Lowland to the border of Sea of Okhotsk. The current horizontal resolution is of about 50 km which is planned to be increased to 25 km. To answer the question, we investigate spatial and temporal characteristics of temperature and precipitation of the model output in comparison to global reanalysis data (NCEP-1, ERA40, ERA-Interim). As reference Russian station data from the "Global Summary of the Day" data set, provided by NCDC, is used. Temperature is analyzed with respect to its climatologically spatial patterns across the model domain and its variability of extremes based on climate indices derived

Observing Arctic Sea Ice from Bow to Screen: Introducing Ice Watch, the Data Network of Near Real-Time and Historic Observations from the Arctic Shipborne Sea Ice Standardization Tool (ASSIST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlich, A.; Hutchings, J. K.; Green, T. M.

2013-12-01

The Ice Watch Program is an open source forum to access in situ Arctic sea ice conditions. It provides the research community and additional stakeholders a convenient resource to monitor sea ice and its role in understanding the Arctic as a system by implementing a standardized observation protocol and hosting a multi-service data portal. International vessels use the Arctic Shipborne Sea Ice Standardization Tool (ASSIST) software to report near-real time sea ice conditions while underway. Essential observations of total ice concentration, distribution of multi-year ice and other ice types, as well as their respective stage of melt are reported. These current and historic sea ice conditions are visualized on interactive maps and in a variety of statistical analyses, and with all data sets available to download for further investigation. The summer of 2012 was the debut of the ASSIST software and the Ice Watch campaign, with research vessels from six nations reporting from a wide spatio-temporal scale spanning from the Beaufort Sea, across the North Pole and Arctic Basin, the coast of Greenland and into the Kara and Barents Seas during mid-season melt and into the first stages of freeze-up. The 2013 summer field season sustained the observation and data archiving record, with participation from some of the same cruises as well as other geographic and seasonal realms covered by new users. These results are presented to illustrate the evolution of the program, increased participation and critical statistics of ice regime change and record of melt and freeze processes revealed by the data. As an ongoing effort, Ice Watch/ASSIST aims to standardize observations of Arctic-specific sea ice features and conditions while utilizing nomenclature and coding based on the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards and the Antarctic Sea Ice and Processes & Climate (ASPeCt) protocol. Instigated by members of the CliC Sea Ice Working Group, the program has evolved with

Timing of Indonesian Gateway Restriction Between 4.0 and 2.8 Ma and its Impact on Indian Ocean Surface Waters Based on Calcareous Nannoplankton Assemblages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auer, G.; De Vleeschouwer, D.; Groeneveld, J.; Bogus, K.; Henderiks, J.; Castañeda, I. S.; Expedition 356 Scientists, I.

2017-12-01

The Early Pliocene is characterized by a fundamental reorganization of Earth's climate. In particular, the ongoing constriction of the Indonesian Gateway (IG) around 4.0 - 3.0 Ma is commonly evoked cause for these climatic changes (Christensen et al., 2017; De Schepper et al., 2014; Karas et al., 2009; 2017). The constriction of the IG, caused by the northward movement of Australia and related uplift of Indonesia, had major effects on global climate and may have contributed to Northern Hemisphere cooling via complex atmospheric and oceanographic teleconnections. Untangling the exact timing of IG constriction is thus critical for resolving the mechanisms driving Earth's climatic evolution during the Pliocene. Here we present high-resolution reconstructions of surface water conditions and IG connectivity using calcareous nannoplankton (CNP) assemblages between 4.0 and 2.8 Ma at Site U1463 (18°59'S, 117°37'E; IODP Expedition 356). Located on the Northwest Shelf (NWS) of Australia, the site lies directly in the path of the upper branch of the Leeuwin-Holloway current, making it an ideal location to study Pliocene IG dynamics and their influence on the eastern Indian Ocean. Using modern analogue based interpretation of CNP assemblages, in combination with an independent orbitally tuned age model, shows a change in surface water conditions along the NWS 3.8 Ma recognizable by a decrease in tropical taxa like Umbilicosphaera sibogae and Sphenolithus spp. Subsequently, a shift from Gephyrocapsa sp. to Reticulofenestra sp. dominated CNP assemblages and the increase of mesotrophic CNP taxa (e.g. Umbilicosphaera jafari; Helicosphaera spp.), suggests that warm, stratified, oligotrophic (i.e. tropical) waters were replaced by cooler, more turbulent, and less saline waters by 3.8 - 3.6 Ma. We relate this switch in dominant water masses to changes in IG geometry delivering relatively cooler and fresher waters from northern Pacific sources to the NWS. The abundance of

Changes in the Areal Extent of Arctic Sea Ice: Observations from Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parkinson, Claire L.

2000-01-01

Wintertime sea ice covers 15 million square kilometers of the north polar region, an area exceeding one and a half times the area of the U. S. Even at the end of the summer melt season, sea ice still covers 7 million square kilometers. This vast ice cover is an integral component of the climate system, being moved around by winds and waves, restricting heat and other exchanges between the ocean and atmosphere, reflecting most of the solar radiation incident on it, transporting cold, relatively fresh water equatorward, and affecting the overturning of ocean waters underneath, with impacts that can be felt worldwide. Sea ice also is a major factor in the Arctic ecosystem, affecting life forms ranging from minute organisms living within the ice, sometimes to the tune of millions in a single ice floe, to large marine mammals like walruses that rely on sea ice as a platform for resting, foraging, social interaction, and breeding. Since 1978, satellite technology has allowed the monitoring of the vast Arctic sea ice cover on a routine basis. The satellite observations reveal that, overall, the areal extent of Arctic sea ice has been decreasing since 1978, at an average rate of 2.7% per decade through the end of 1998. Through 1998, the greatest rates of decrease occurred in the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan and the Kara and Barents Seas, with most other regions of the Arctic also experiencing ice extent decreases. The two regions experiencing ice extent increases over this time period were the Bering Sea and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Furthermore, the satellite data reveal that the sea ice season shortened by over 25 days per decade in the central Sea of Okhotsk and the eastern Barents Sea, and by lesser amounts throughout much of the rest of the Arctic seasonal sea ice region, although not in the Bering Sea or the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Concern has been raised that if the trends toward shortened sea ice seasons and lesser sea ice coverage continue, this could entail major

Mid-Holocene stabilization of the Karakum and Kyzylkum sand seas, central Asia - evidence from OSL ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maman, Shimrit; Tsoar, Haim; Blumberg, Dan G.; Porat, Naomi

2013-04-01

Sand seas (ergs) are large areas of deserts covered by wind-swept sand with varying degrees of vegetation cover. The Kyzylkum and Karakum ergs have accumulated in the Turan basin, northwest of the Hindu Kush range, and span from south Turkmenistan to the Syrdarya River in Kazakhstan. These ergs are dissected by the Amudarya River; To the north lies the Kyzylkum (red sands) and to the south the Karakum (black sands). This area is understudied, and little information has been published regarding the sands stabilization processes and deposition ages. This research focuses on identifying and mapping the ergs of Central Asia and analyzing the climate factors that set the dunes into motion and that stabilized them. A variety of spaceborne imagery with varying spectral and spatial resolutions was used. These images provide the basis for mapping sand distribution, dune forms, and vegetation cover. Wilson (1973) defined these ergs as active based on precipitation. Our results show that they are mostly stabilized, with an estimated area of ~260,000 sq. Km for Kara-Kum , and ~195,500 sq. Km for the Kyzyl-Kum . Meteorological analysis of wind and precipitation data indicate a low wind energy environment (DP<200) and sufficient rainfall (>100 mm) to which is essential for vegetation cover. We present the first optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages from the upper meter of 14 exposed sections from both ergs. The age of the sand samples was determined as ~Mid-Holocene by OSL, which provides an insight into past climate characteristics. These ages indicate extensive sand and dune stabilization during the Mid-Holocene. GIS analysis was performed in parallel with field work to validate and verify the results. The OSL ages, coupled with a compilation of regional palaeoclimatic data, corroborate and reinforce the previously proposed Mid-Holocene Liavliakan phase, known to reflect a warmer, wetter, less windy climate than persists today and that resulted in dune stabilization

Observations of atmospheric methane and its stable isotope ratio (δ13C) over the Arctic seas from ship cruises in the summer and autumn of 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skorokhod, Andrey; Belikov, Igor; Pankratova, Natalia; Novigatsky, Alexander; Thompson, Rona

2016-04-01

Atmospheric methane (CH4) is the second most important long-lived greenhouse gas. The Arctic has significant sources of CH4, such as from wetlands and possibly also from methane hydrates, which may act as a positive feedback on the climate system. Despite significant efforts in establishing a network of ground-based CH4 observations in the Arctic zone, there is still a lack of measurements over the Arctic Ocean and sub-polar seas. From 21 July to 9 October 2015, concentrations of CH4 and CO2, as well as of the 13C:12C isotopic ratio in CH4, i.e., δ13C, were measured in the marine boundary layer from aboard the Research Vessel "Akademik Mstislav Keldysh" by the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology. Measurements were made using a Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy instrument from Picarro™ (model G2132-i). The cruises covered a vast area including the North Atlantic up to 70°N, the Baltic, North, Norwegian, Greenland, Barents, White, Kara and Laptev Seas. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first measurements of their type made in these regions. Concentrations of CH4 typically had low variations (in the range of a few ppb) in the open sea but relatively large variations (of the order of 100 ppb) were recorded near and during stops in ports. High variability of atmospheric CH4 was also registered near the delta of the Lena River in the Laptev Sea, which has been suggested to be a large CH4 reservoir and where bubbles rising through the water column have been observed. The obtained set of δ13CCH4 is characterized by significant range of the measured values varying from open Atlantic to polluted regions near large sea ports. The Keeling plot analyses were implemented to study possible CH4 sources according to its isotopic signature. Footprint analyses are presented for the shipboard observations, as well as comparisons to simulated CH4 concentrations and δ13C using the Lagrangian transport model, FLEXPART. This work has been carried-out with the financial support of

Development of a Web-based Family Intervention for BRCA Carriers and Their Biological Relatives: Acceptability, Feasibility, and Usability Study.

PubMed

Katapodi, Maria C; Jung, Miyeon; Schafenacker, Ann M; Milliron, Kara J; Mendelsohn-Victor, Kari E; Merajver, Sofia D; Northouse, Laurel L

2018-04-13

02154633; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02154633 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6yYNvLPjv). ©Maria C Katapodi, Miyeon Jung, Ann M Schafenacker, Kara J Milliron, Kari E Mendelsohn-Victor, Sofia D Merajver, Laurel L Northouse. Originally published in JMIR Cancer (http://cancer.jmir.org), 13.04.2018.

Sea-Level Change in the Russian Arctic Since the Last Glacial Maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horton, B.; Baranskaya, A.; Khan, N.; Romanenko, F. A.

2017-12-01

Relative sea-level (RSL) databases that span the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to present have been used to infer changes in climate, regional ice sheet variations, the rate and geographic source of meltwater influx, and the rheological structure of the solid Earth. Here, we have produced a quality-controlled RSL database for the Russian Arctic since the LGM. The database contains 394 index points, which locate the position of RSL in time and space, and 244 limiting points, which constrain the minimum or maximum limit of former sea level. In the western part of the Russian Arctic (Barents and White seas,) RSL was driven by glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) due to deglaciation of the Scandinavian ice sheet, which covered the Baltic crystalline shield at the LGM. RSL data from isolation basins show rapid RSL from 80-100 m at 11-12 ka BP to 15-25 m at 4-5 ka BP. In the Arctic Islands of Franz-Joseph Land and Novaya Zemlya, RSL data from dated driftwood in raised beaches show a gradual fall from 25-35 m at 9-10 ka BP to 5-10 m at 3 ka BP. In the Russian plain, situated at the margins of the formerly glaciated Baltic crystalline shield, RSL data from raised beaches and isolation basins show an early Holocene rise from less than -20 m at 9-11 ka BP before falling in the late Holocene, illustrating the complex interplay between ice-equivalent meltwater input and GIA. The Western Siberian Arctic (Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas, Beliy Island and islands of the Kara Sea) was not glaciated at the LGM. Sea-level data from marine and salt-marsh deposits show RSL rise at the beginning of the Holocene to a mid-Holocene highstand of 1-5 m at 5-1 ka BP. A similar, but more complex RSL pattern is shown for Eastern Siberia. RSL data from the Laptev Sea shelf show RSL at -40- -45 m and 11-14 ka BP. RSL data from the Lena Delta and Tiksi region have a highstand from 5 to 1 ka BP. The research is supported by RSF project 17-77-10130

Integrated approach for the assessment and development of groundwater resources in arid lands: Applications in the Quetta Valley, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagintayev, Zhanay (Jay Sagin)

The lack of adequate field measurements (e.g., precipitation and stream flow) and difficulty in obtaining them often hampers the construction and calibration of rainfall-runoff models over many of the world's watersheds, leaving key elements of the hydrologic cycle unconstrained. I adopted methodologies that rely heavily on readily available remote sensing datasets as viable alternatives and useful tools for assessing, managing, and modeling the water resources of such remote and inadequately gauged regions. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was selected for continuous (1998--2005) rainfall-runoff modeling of the northeast part of the Pishin Lora basin (NEPL), a politically unstable area that lacks adequate rain gauge and stream flow data. To account for the paucity of rain gauge and stream flow gauge data, input to the model included satellite-based Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission TRMM precipitation data. Modeled runoff was calibrated against satellite-based observations including: (1) monthly estimates of the water volumes impounded by the Khushdil Khan (latitude 30° 40'N, longitude 67° 40'E) and the Kara Lora (latitude 30° 34'N, longitude 66° 52'E) reservoirs, and (2) inferred wet versus dry conditions in streams across the NEPL throughout this period. Calibrations were also conducted against observed flow reported from the Burj Aziz Khan station at the NEPL outlet (latitude 30°20'N; longitude 66°35'E). Model simulations indicate that (1) average annual precipitation (1998--2005), surface runoff, and net recharge are 1,300 x 106 m3, 148 x 106 m3, and 361 x 106 m3, respectively; (2) within the NEPL watershed, precipitation and runoff are high for the northeast (precipitation: 194 mm/year; runoff: 38 x 106 m 3/year) and northwest (134 mm/year; 26 x 106 m3/y) basins compared to the southern basin (124 mm/year; 8 x 106 m3/year); and (3) construction of delay action dams in the northeast and northwest basins of the NEPL could increase recharge from 361 x

Integrating Observations and Models to Better Understand a Changing Arctic Sea Ice Cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroeve, J. C.

2017-12-01

TThe loss of the Arctic sea ice cover has captured the world's attention. While much attention has been paid to the summer ice loss, changes are not limited to summer. The last few winters have seen record low sea ice extents, with 2017 marking the 3rdyear in a row with a new record low for the winter maximum extent. More surprising is the number of consecutive months between January 2016 through April 2017 with ice extent anomalies more than 2 standard deviations below the 1981-2010 mean. Additionally, October 2016 through April 2017 saw 7 consecutive months with record low extents, something that had not happened before in the last 4 decades of satellite observations. As larger parts of the Arctic Ocean become ice-free in summer, regional seas gradually transition from a perennial to a seasonal ice cover. The Barents Sea is already only seasonally ice covered, whereas the Kara Sea has recently lost most of its summer ice and is thereby starting to become a seasonally ice covered region. These changes serve as harbinger for what's to come for other Arctic seas. Given the rapid pace of change, there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the drivers behind Arctic sea ice loss, the implications of this ice loss and to predict future changes to better inform policy makers. Climate models play a fundamental role in helping us synthesize the complex elements of the Arctic sea ice system yet generally fail to simulate key features of the sea ice system and the pace of sea ice loss. Nevertheless, modeling advances continue to provide better means of diagnosing sea ice change, and new insights are likely to be gained with model output from the 6th phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The CMIP6 Sea-Ice Model Intercomparison Project (SIMIP) aim is to better understand biases and errors in sea ice simulations so that we can improve our understanding of the likely future evolution of the sea ice cover and its impacts on global climate. To

Deciphering the evolution of the last Eurasian ice sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Anna; Gyllencreutz, Richard; Mangerud, Jan; Svendsen, John Inge

2016-04-01

Glacial geologists need ice sheet-scale chronological reconstructions of former ice extent to set individual records in a wider context and compare interpretations of ice sheet response to records of past environmental changes. Ice sheet modellers require empirical reconstructions on size and volume of past ice sheets that are fully documented, specified in time and include uncertainty estimates for model validation or constraints. Motivated by these demands, in 2005 we started a project (Database of the Eurasian Deglaciation, DATED) to compile and archive all published dates relevant to constraining the build-up and retreat of the last Eurasian ice sheets, including the British-Irish, Scandinavian and Svalbard-Barents-Kara Seas ice sheets (BIIS, SIS and SBKIS respectively). Over 5000 dates were assessed for reliability and used together with published ice-sheet margin positions to reconstruct time-slice maps of the ice sheets' extent, with uncertainty bounds, every 1000 years between 25-10 kyr ago and at four additional periods back to 40 kyr ago. Ten years after the idea for a database was conceived, the first version of results (DATED-1) has now been released (Hughes et al. 2016). We observe that: i) both the BIIS and SBKIS achieve maximum extent, and commence retreat earlier than the larger SIS; ii) the eastern terrestrial margin of the SIS reached its maximum extent up to 7000 years later than the westernmost marine margin; iii) the combined maximum ice volume (~24 m sea-level equivalent) was reached c. 21 ka; iv) large uncertainties exist; predominantly across marine sectors (e.g. the timing of coalescence and separation of the SIS and BKIS) but also in well-studied areas due to conflicting yet equally robust data. In just three years since the DATED-1 census (1 January 2013), the volume of new information (from both dates and mapped glacial geomorphology) has grown significantly (~1000 new dates). Here, we present the DATED-1 results in the context of the

Investigation of polar mesocyclones in Arctic Ocean using COSMO-CLM and WRF numerical models and remote sensing data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varentsov, Mikhail; Verezemskaya, Polina; Baranyuk, Anastasia; Zabolotskikh, Elizaveta; Repina, Irina

2015-04-01

Polar lows (PL), high latitude marine mesoscale cyclones, are an enigmatic atmospheric phenomenon, which could result in windstorm damage of shipping and infrastructure in high latitudes. Because of their small spatial scales, short life times and their tendency to develop in remote data sparse regions (Zahn, Strorch, 2008), our knowledge of their behavior and climatology lags behind that of synoptic-scale cyclones. In case of continuing global warming (IPCC, 2013) and prospects of the intensification of economic activity and marine traffic in Arctic region, the problem of relevant simulation of this phenomenon by numerical models of the atmosphere, which could be used for weather and climate prediction, is especially important. The focus of this paper is researching the ability to simulate polar lows by two modern nonhydrostatic mesoscale numerical models, driven by realistic lateral boundary conditions from ERA-Interim reanalysis: regional climate model COSMO-CLM (Böhm et. al., 2009) and weather prediction and research model (WRF). Fields of wind, pressure and cloudiness, simulated by models, were compared with remote sensing data and ground meteorological observations for several cases, when polar lows were observed, in Norwegian, Kara and Laptev seas. Several types of satellite data were used: atmospheric water vapor, cloud liquid water content and surface wind fields were resampled by examining AMSR-E and AMSR-2 microwave radiometer data (MODIS Aqua, GCOM-W1), and wind fields were additionally extracted from QuickSCAT scatterometer. Infrared and visible pictures of cloud cover were obtained from MODIS (Aqua). Completed comparison shown that COSMO-CLM and WRF models could successfully reproduce evolution of polar lows and their most important characteristics such as size and wind speed in short experiments with WRF model and longer (up to half-year) experiments with COSMO-CLM model. Improvement of the quality of polar lows reproduction by these models in

Delivering Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Young Adults With Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Using a Fully Automated Conversational Agent (Woebot): A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Fitzpatrick, Kathleen Kara; Darcy, Alison; Vierhile, Molly

2017-06-06

,54 = 9.24; P=.004). Participants' comments suggest that process factors were more influential on their acceptability of the program than content factors mirroring traditional therapy. Conversational agents appear to be a feasible, engaging, and effective way to deliver CBT. ©Kathleen Kara Fitzpatrick, Alison Darcy, Molly Vierhile. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 06.06.2017.

The Effectiveness of eHealth Technologies on Weight Management in Pregnant and Postpartum Women: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Sherifali, Diana; Nerenberg, Kara A; Wilson, Shanna; Semeniuk, Kevin; Ali, Muhammad Usman; Redman, Leanne M; Adamo, Kristi B

2017-10-13

.55 kg, 95% CI -3.81 to -1.28) after 3 to 12 months and six studies found a nonsignificant reduction in weight gain for pregnant women (-1.62 kg, 95% CI -3.57 to 0.33) at approximately 40 weeks. This review found evidence for benefits of eHealth technologies on weight management in postpartum women only. Further research is still needed regarding the use of these technologies during and after pregnancy. ©Diana Sherifali, Kara A Nerenberg, Shanna Wilson, Kevin Semeniuk, Muhammad Usman Ali, Leanne M Redman, Kristi B Adamo. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 13.10.2017.

Wearable Activity Tracker Use Among Australian Adolescents: Usability and Acceptability Study.

PubMed

Ridgers, Nicola D; Timperio, Anna; Brown, Helen; Ball, Kylie; Macfarlane, Susie; Lai, Samuel K; Richards, Kara; Mackintosh, Kelly A; McNarry, Melitta A; Foster, Megan; Salmon, Jo

2018-04-11

on sustained use over time. Overall, wearable activity trackers have the potential to be integrated into physical activity interventions targeted at adolescents, but both the functionality and wearability of the monitor should be considered. ©Nicola D Ridgers, Anna Timperio, Helen Brown, Kylie Ball, Susie Macfarlane, Samuel K Lai, Kara Richards, Kelly A Mackintosh, Melitta A McNarry, Megan Foster, Jo Salmon. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 11.04.2018.

Potentiometric surface of the Minnekahta Aquifer in the Black Hills area, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Strobel, Michael L.; Galloway, Joel M.; Hamade, Ghaith R.; Jarrell, Gregory J.

2000-01-01

This map is a product of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, which was initiated in 1990 to assess the quantity, quality, and distribution of surface water and ground water in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (Driscoll, 1992). This long-term study is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District, which represents various local and county cooperators. This map is part of a series of 1:100,000-scale maps for the study. The maps include a hydrogeologic map, structure-contour maps (altitudes of the tops of formations) for five formations that contain major aquifers in the study area, and potentiometric maps for these five major aquifers (the Inyan Kara, Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers).The study area consists of the topographically defined Black Hills and adjacent areas located in western South Dakota. The Black Hills area is an elongated, dome-shaped feature, about 125 miles long and 60 miles wide, which was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny (Feldman and Heimlich, 1980). The oldest geologic units in the study area are Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are exposed in the central core of the Black Hills. Surrounding the Precambrian core is a layered series of sedimentary rocks including limestones, sandstones, and shales that are exposed in roughly concentric rings around the uplifted flanks of the Black Hills. The bedrock sedimentary units typically dip away from the uplifted Black Hills at angles that approach or exceed 10 degrees near the outcrops, and decrease with distance from the uplift. Many of the sedimentary units contain aquifers, both within and beyond the study area. Recharge to these aquifers occurs from infiltration of precipitation upon the outcrops and, in some cases, from infiltration of streamflow (Hortness and Driscoll, 1998). Artesian conditions generally exist within these

Potentiometric surface of the Deadwood Aquifer in the Black Hills area, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Strobel, Michael L.; Galloway, Joel M.; Hamade, Ghaith R.; Jarrell, Gregory J.

2000-01-01

This map is a product of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, which was initiated in 1990 to assess the quantity, quality, and distribution of surface water and ground water in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (Driscoll, 1992). This long-term study is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District, which represents various local and county cooperators. This map is part of a series of 1:100,000-scale maps for the study. The maps include a hydrogeologic map, structure-contour maps (altitudes of the tops of formations) for five formations that contain major aquifers in the study area, and potentiometric maps for these five major aquifers (the Inyan Kara, Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers).The study area consists of the topographically defined Black Hills and adjacent areas located in western South Dakota. The Black Hills area is an elongated, dome-shaped feature, about 125 miles long and 60 miles wide, which was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny (Feldman and Heimlich, 1980). The oldest geologic units in the study area are Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are exposed in the central core of the Black Hills. Surrounding the Precambrian core is a layered series of sedimentary rocks including limestones, sandstones, and shales that are exposed in roughly concentric rings around the uplifted flanks of the Black Hills. The bedrock sedimentary units typically dip away from the uplifted Black Hills at angles that approach or exceed 10 degrees near the outcrops, and decrease with distance from the uplift. Many of the sedimentary units contain aquifers, both within and beyond the study area. Recharge to these aquifers occurs from infiltration of precipitation upon the outcrops and, in some cases, from infiltration of streamflow (Hortness and Driscoll, 1998). Artesian conditions generally exist within these

Potentiometric surface of the Minnelusa Aquifer in the Black Hills area, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Strobel, Michael L.; Galloway, Joel M.; Hamade, Ghaith R.; Jarrell, Gregory J.

2000-01-01

This map is a product of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, which was initiated in 1990 to assess the quantity, quality, and distribution of surface water and ground water in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (Driscoll, 1992). This long-term study is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District, which represents various local and county cooperators. This map is part of a series of 1:100,000-scale maps for the study. The maps include a hydrogeologic map, structure-contour maps (altitudes of the tops of formations) for five formations that contain major aquifers in the study area, and potentiometric maps for these five major aquifers (the Inyan Kara, Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers).The study area consists of the topographically defined Black Hills and adjacent areas located in western South Dakota. The Black Hills area is an elongated, dome-shaped feature, about 125 miles long and 60 miles wide, which was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny (Feldman and Heimlich, 1980). The oldest geologic units in the study area are Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are exposed in the central core of the Black Hills. Surrounding the Precambrian core is a layered series of sedimentary rocks including limestones, sandstones, and shales that are exposed in roughly concentric rings around the uplifted flanks of the Black Hills. The bedrock sedimentary units typically dip away from the uplifted Black Hills at angles that approach or exceed 10 degrees near the outcrops, and decrease with distance from the uplift. Many of the sedimentary units contain aquifers, both within and beyond the study area. Recharge to these aquifers occurs from infiltration of precipitation upon the outcrops and, in some cases, from infiltration of streamflow (Hortness and Driscoll, 1998). Artesian conditions generally exist within these

Potentiometric surface of the Madison Aquifer in the Black Hills area, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Strobel, Michael L.; Galloway, Joel M.; Hamade, Ghaith R.; Jarrell, Gregory L.

2000-01-01

This map is a product of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, which was initiated in 1990 to assess the quantity, quality, and distribution of surface water and ground water in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (Driscoll, 1992). This long-term study is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District, which represents various local and county cooperators. This map is part of a series of 1:100,000-scale maps for the study. The maps include a hydrogeologic map, structure-contour maps (altitudes of the tops of formations) for five formations that contain major aquifers in the study area, and potentiometric maps for these five major aquifers (the Inyan Kara, Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers).The study area consists of the topographically defined Black Hills and adjacent areas located in western South Dakota. The Black Hills area is an elongated, dome-shaped feature, about 125 miles long and 60 miles wide, which was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny (Feldman and Heimlich, 1980). The oldest geologic units in the study area are Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are exposed in the central core of the Black Hills. Surrounding the Precambrian core is a layered series of sedimentary rocks including limestones, sandstones, and shales that are exposed in roughly concentric rings around the uplifted flanks of the Black Hills. The bedrock sedimentary units typically dip away from the uplifted Black Hills at angles that approach or exceed 10 degrees near the outcrops, and decrease with distance from the uplift. Many of the sedimentary units contain aquifers, both within and beyond the study area. Recharge to these aquifers occurs from infiltration of precipitation upon the outcrops and, in some cases, from infiltration of streamflow (Hortness and Driscoll, 1998). Artesian conditions generally exist within these

Rapid Collapse of the Vavilov Ice Cap, Russian High Arctic.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willis, M. J.; Zheng, W.; Durkin, W. J., IV; Pritchard, M. E.; Ramage, J. M.; Dowdeswell, J. A.; Benham, T. J.; Glazovsky, A.; Macheret, Y.; Porter, C. C.

2016-12-01

Cold based ice caps and glaciers are thought to respond slowly to environmental changes. As sea ice cover evolves in the Arctic, a feedback process alters air-temperatures and precipitation patterns across the region. During the last decades of the 20th century the land-terminating western margin of the Vavilov Ice Cap, on October Revolution Island of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago, advanced slowly westwards. The advance was driven by precipitation changes that occurred about half a millennia ago. InSAR shows that in 1996 the margin sustained ice speeds of around 20 m/yr. By 2000 the ice front had moved a short distance into the Kara Sea and had transitioned to a marine-terminating front, although an ice apron around the ice margin indicates the ice there was still frozen to the bed and there is no evidence of calving in satellite imagery. In 2013 ice motions near the terminus had accelerated to around 1 m/day. By late 2015 the main trunk of the newly activated outlet glacier attained speeds of 25 m/day and the inland portion of the ice cap thinned at rates of more than 0.3 m/day. The acceleration of the outlet glacier occurred due to its advance over weak, water-saturated marine sediments that provide little resistance to ice flow, and to the removal of lateral resistive stresses as the glacier advanced out into an open embayment. Longitudinal stretching at the front forces an increase in the surface slope upstream. Rapid rates of motion inland generate frictional melt at the bed, possibly aided by cryohydrological warming. Large areas of the interior of the Vavilov ice cap are now below the equilibrium line and the grounded portion of the ice cap is losing mass at a rate of 4.5 km3 w.e./year. The changes at the Vavilov are likely irrecoverable in a warming climate due to a reduction in the accumulation area of the ice cap. Increased precipitation drove the advance, which accelerated due to the presence of soft sediments. The acceleration lowered the elevation

Seismotectonics of the Pamir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schurr, Bernd; Sippl, Christian; Yuan, Xiaohui; Mechie, James; Lothar, Ratschbacher

2013-04-01

The Pamir Mountains form a complex orographic node north of the western Himalayan Syntaxis. Due to the Pamir's remote location, crustal tectonics of the region is not well studied. We report new data on distribution and kinematics of crustal earthquakes in the Pamir and its surroundings. Our data set stems from a deployment of seismometers between 2008-2010 that covered the SW Tien Shan, Pamir and Tajik basin. We detected and carefully relocated several thousand crustal earthquakes that are confined to the uppermost 20 km of the crust and thereby clearly separated from Pamir's unique intermediate depth seismicity. For the larger earthquakes (M<3) we use both full waveform inversion and first motion polarities to determine source mechanisms. A string of earthquakes outlines the thrust system along the northern Pamir's perimeter. In the east, where the Pamir collides with the Tien Shan, the M6.7 Nura earthquake activated several faults. Whereas the main shock shows almost pure reverse faulting on a south dipping thrust, many aftershocks also show sinistral strike-slip faulting along a NE striking lineamnet. In the centre, where the Pamir overthrusts the intramontane Alai valley, micro-seismicity recedes southward from the Frontal and Trans Alai thrust systems. The largest of these earthquakes show mostly strike-slip mechanisms. Further west, where the Pamir thrust system bends southward, earthquakes show thrust mechanisms again with strikes following the oroclinal structures. Inside the Pamir a NE striking lineament runs from the eastern end of Lake Sarez across Lake Kara Kul to the Pamir thrust system. Source mechanisms along the lineament are sinistral strike slip and transtensional. This lineament approximately separates the deeply incised western Pamir, which shows significant seismic deformation, from the relatively aseismic eastern Pamir. In the western Pamir earthquakes cluster along approximately the Vanch valley and near Lake Sarez. Diffuse seismicity is

Sampling and Analysis of Organic Molecules in the Plumes of Enceladus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monroe, A. A.; Williams, P.; Anbar, A. D.; Tsou, P.

2012-12-01

The recent detection of organic molecules in the plumes of Enceladus, which also contain water and nitrogen (Waite et al., 2006; Matson et al., 2007), suggests that the geologically active South polar region contains habitable, subsurface water (McKay et al., 2008). Characterizing these molecules will be a high priority for any future mission to Enceladus. Sample return is highly desirable, but can it capture useful samples at Enceladus? Using Stardust mission parameters for comparison, we consider the survival of complex organic molecules during collection to assess the feasibility of one aspect of a sample return mission. A successful sample return mission must include the capability to capture and recover intact or partly intact molecules of particular astrobiological interest: lipids, amino and nucleic acids, polypeptides, and polynucleotides. The Stardust mission to comet Wild 2 successfully captured amino acids, amines, and PAHs using a combination of aerogel and Al foil (Sandford et al., 2006, 2010). For larger and more fragile molecules, particularly polypeptides and polynucleotides, low collisional damage is achieved by impact on low molecular weight surfaces. A particularly intriguing possibility is a capture surface pre-coated with organic matrices identified as ideal for analysis of various biomolecules using MALDI-MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry) (Hillenkamp and Karas, 2007). MALDI is a standard technique with attomole sensitivity, exceptional mass resolution, and (bio)molecular specificity (Vestal, 2011). Capture surfaces appropriate for MALDI-MS analysis could be analyzed directly without post-return manipulation, minimizing post-capture damage to these molecules and the risk of contamination during handling. A hypothetical sample collection encounter speed of ~ 5 km/s corresponds to ~0.13 eV kinetic energy per amu. Studies of molecule survival and fragmentation exist for free hexapeptides impacting hydrocarbon

Predicting the Arctic Ocean Environment in the 21st century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aksenov, Yevgeny; Popova, Ekaterina; Yool, Andrew; Nurser, George

2015-04-01

Recent environmental changes in the Arctic have clearly demonstrated that climate change is faster and more vigorously in the Polar Regions than anywhere else. Significantly, change in the Arctic Ocean (AO) environment presents a variety of impacts, from ecological to social-economic and political. Mitigation of this change and adaptation to it requires detailed and robust environmental predictions. Here we present a detailed projection of ocean circulation and sea ice from the present until 2099, based on an eddy-permitting high-resolution global simulation of the NEMO ¼ degree ocean model. The model is forced at the surface with HadGEM2-ES atmosphere model output from the UK Met. Office IPCC Assessment Report 5 (AR5) Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenario. The HadGEM2-ES simulations span 1860-2099 and are one of an ensemble of runs performed for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) and IPCC AR5. Between 2000-2009 and 2090-2099 the AO experiences a significant warming, with sea surface temperature increasing on average by about 4° C, particularly in the Barents and Kara Seas, and in the Greenland Sea and Hudson Bay. By the end of the simulation, Arctic sea ice has an average annual thickness of less than 10 cm in the central AO, and less than 0.5 m in the East-Siberian Sea and Canadian Archipelago, and disappears entirely during the Arctic summer. In summer, opening of large areas of the Arctic Ocean to the wind and surface waves leads to the Arctic pack ice cover evolving into the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ). In winter, sea ice persists until the 2030s; then it sharply declines and disappears from the Central Arctic Ocean by the end of the 21st century, with MIZ provinces remaining in winter along the Siberian, Alaskan coasts and in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Analysis of the AO circulation reveals evidence of (i) the reversal of the Arctic boundary currents in the Canadian Basin, from a weak cyclonic current in 2040-2049 to

Development of a pan-Arctic monitoring plan for polar bears: Background paper

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vongraven, Dag; Peacock, Lily

2011-01-01

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus), by their very nature, and the extreme, remote environment in which they live, are inherently difficult to study and monitor. Monitoring polar bear populations is both arduous and costly and, to be effective, must be a long-term commitment. There are few jurisdictional governments and management boards with a mandate for polar bear research and management, and many have limited resources. Although population monitoring of polar bears has been a focus to some degree within most jurisdictions around the Arctic, of the 19 subpopulations recognised by the IUCN/Species Survival Commission Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG), adequate scientific trend data exist for only three of the subpopulations, fair trend data for five and poor or no trend data for the remaining 11 subpopulations (PBSG 2010a). There are especially critical knowledge gaps for the subpopulations in East Greenland, in the Russian Kara and Laptev seas, and in the Chukchi Sea, which is shared between Russia and the United States. The range covered by these subpopulations represents a third of the total area (approx. 23 million km2) of polar bears’ current range, and more than half if the Arctic Basin is included. If we use popular terms, we know close to nothing about polar bears in this portion of their range.As summer sea-ice extent, and to a lesser degree, spring-time extent, continues to retreat, outpacing model forecasts (Stroeve et al. 2007, Pedersen et al. 2009), polar bears face the challenge of adapting to rapidly changing habitats. There is a need to use current and synthesised information across the Arctic, and to develop new methods that will facilitate monitoring to generate new knowledge at a pan-Arctic scale. The circumpolar dimension can be lost when efforts are channelled into regional monitoring. Developing and implementing a plan that harmonises local, regional and global efforts will increase our power to detect and understand important trends for polar

Archaeogeophysical Studies in the Ruins of Kars-Ani (Turkey) in the 2009 Excavation Season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoskan, Nihan; Ahmet Yuksel, Fethi; Gorucu, Ziya; Coruhlu, Yasar

2010-05-01

The Ani ancient city, which is at 48 km distance to Kars (Turkey), is founded at the banks of the Arpacay River flowing in the vicinity of Turkey - Armenia border and is in the borders of Mevcut Ocakli Village. Recent studies show that the first settlement in Ani ancient city could be in the 5th millenium B.C.(Chalcolithic Period) and moreover, there were some buildings built in the Iron and Bronze Period. In the early 9th century, Ashot Msaker, who was Bagratuni dynasty (806-827), declared their first capital city at Bagaran, some 40 km south of Ani, and then transferred it to Kars in the year 929. In 961, King Ashot III (953-977) transferred the capital city from Kars to Ani. Ani expanded during the reign of King Smbat II (977-989). Recent research shows that by the early 11th century the population of Ani was over 100,000. After capture of Ashot, Ani surrendered to Byzantine controlled in 1045. A Greek governor was installed in the city. In 1064 a Seljuk Turkish army, headed by Sultan Alparslan, attacked and captured Ani. Then the Georgians captured Ani in 1124, 1161 and 1174. By the 14th century Ani was ruled by the Turkish dynasties, namely Jalayrids and the Kara Koyunlu. After the Persian Safavids ruled Ani, it became part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire in 1579. A small town remained within its walls until 1650 A.C. and it was completely abandoned by the middle of the 18th century. Examples of Sasani, Arabic, Armenian, and Seljuk architecture can be found among the Ani ruins. Ani is home to the first Turkish mosque built in Anatolia, namely Ebul Menucehr. The mosque was erected by the members of the Seljuk Dynasty in 1072. The first archaeological excavations were conducted at Ani in 1892. Since then, several archaeological excavations have been done in Ani. In the 2009 excavation season, magnetic methods were applied in Ani ruins to find the exact locations of the ruins. Magnetic Gradient Measurements were taken in front of Ebul Menucehr Mosque. After

Control of lithosphere structure on surface deformation in the Central Barents Sea: insights from dynamical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gac, Sebastien; Faleide, Jan Inge

2014-05-01

., Huismans, R.S., Simon, N.S.C., Podladchikov, Y,Y, and Faleide, J.I., 2013. Formation of intra-cratonic basins by lithospheric shortening and phase changes: a case study from the ultra-deep East Barents Sea basin. Terra Nova, DOI: 10.1111/ter.12057. Levshin, A.L., Schweitzer, J., Weidle, C., Shapiro, N.M., and Ritzwoller, M.H., 2007. Surface wave tomography of the Barents Sea and surrounding region. Geophys. J. Int., 170, 441-459. Ritzmann, O., and Faleide, J.I., 2009. The crust and mantle lithosphere in the Barents Sea/Kara Sea region. Tectonophysics, 470, 89-104.

The spatial and interannual dynamics of the surface water carbonate system and air-sea CO2 fluxes in the outer shelf and slope of the Eurasian Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pipko, Irina I.; Pugach, Svetlana P.; Semiletov, Igor P.; Anderson, Leif G.; Shakhova, Natalia E.; Gustafsson, Örjan; Repina, Irina A.; Spivak, Eduard A.; Charkin, Alexander N.; Salyuk, Anatoly N.; Shcherbakova, Kseniia P.; Panova, Elena V.; Dudarev, Oleg V.

2017-11-01

The Arctic is undergoing dramatic changes which cover the entire range of natural processes, from extreme increases in the temperatures of air, soil, and water, to changes in the cryosphere, the biodiversity of Arctic waters, and land vegetation. Small changes in the largest marine carbon pool, the dissolved inorganic carbon pool, can have a profound impact on the carbon dioxide (CO2) flux between the ocean and the atmosphere, and the feedback of this flux to climate. Knowledge of relevant processes in the Arctic seas improves the evaluation and projection of carbon cycle dynamics under current conditions of rapid climate change. Investigation of the CO2 system in the outer shelf and continental slope waters of the Eurasian Arctic seas (the Barents, Kara, Laptev, and East Siberian seas) during 2006, 2007, and 2009 revealed a general trend in the surface water partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) distribution, which manifested as an increase in pCO2 values eastward. The existence of this trend was defined by different oceanographic and biogeochemical regimes in the western and eastern parts of the study area; the trend is likely increasing due to a combination of factors determined by contemporary change in the Arctic climate, each change in turn evoking a series of synergistic effects. A high-resolution in situ investigation of the carbonate system parameters of the four Arctic seas was carried out in the warm season of 2007; this year was characterized by the next-to-lowest historic sea-ice extent in the Arctic Ocean, on satellite record, to that date. The study showed the different responses of the seawater carbonate system to the environment changes in the western vs. the eastern Eurasian Arctic seas. The large, open, highly productive water area in the northern Barents Sea enhances atmospheric CO2 uptake. In contrast, the uptake of CO2 was strongly weakened in the outer shelf and slope waters of the East Siberian Arctic seas under the 2007 environmental conditions

Altitude of the Top of the Madison Limestone in the Black Hills area, South Dakota, 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Janet M.; Redden, Jack A.

2000-01-01

This map is a product of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, which was initiated in 1990 to assess the quantity, quality, and distribution of surface water and groundwater in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (Driscoll, 1992). This long-term study is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District, which represents various local and county cooperators. This map is part of a series of 1:100,000-scale maps for the study. The maps include a hydrogeologic map, structure-contour maps (altitudes of the tops of formations) for five formations that contain major aquifers in the study area, and potentiometric maps for these five major aquifers (the Inyan Kara, Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers).The study area consists of the topographically defined Black Hills and adjacent areas located in western South Dakota. The Black Hills area is an elongated, dome-shaped feature, about 125 miles long and 60 miles wide, which was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny (Feldman and Heimlich, 1980). The oldest geologic units in the study arca arc Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are exposed in the central core of the Black Hills. Surrounding the Precambrian core is a layered series of sedimentary rocks including limestones, sandstones, and shales that are exposed in roughly concentric rings around the uplifted flanks of the Black Hills. The bedrock sedimentary units typically dip away from the uplifted Black Hills at angles that approach or exceed 10 degrees near the outcrops, and decrease with distance from the uplift. Many of the sedimentary units contain aquifers, both within and beyond the study area. Recharge to these aquifers occurs from infiltration of precipitation upon the outcrops and, in some cases, from infiltration of streamflow (Hortness and Driscoll, 1998). Artesian conditions generally exist within these

Altitude of the Top of the Deadwood Formation in the Black Hills area, South Dakota, 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Janet M.; Redden, Jack A.

2000-01-01

This map is a product of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, which was initiated in 1990 to assess the quantity, quality, and distribution of surface water and ground water in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (Driscoll, 1992). This long-term study is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District, which represents various local and county cooperators. This map is part of a series of 1:100,000-scale maps for the study. The maps include a hydrogeologic map, structure-contour maps (altitudes of the tops of formations) for five formations that contain major aquifers in the study area, and potentiometric maps for these five major aquifers (the Inyan Kara, Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers).The study area consists of the topographically defined Black Hills and adjacent areas located in western South Dakota. The Black Hills area is an elongated, dome-shaped feature, about 125 miles long and 60 miles wide, which was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny (Feldman and Heimlich, 1980). The oldest geologic units in the study area are Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are exposed in the central core of the Black Hills. Surrounding the Precambrian core is a layered series of sedimentary rocks including limestones, sandstones, and shales that are exposed in roughly concentric rings around the uplifted flanks of the Black Hills. The bedrock sedimentary units typically dip away from the uplifted Black Hills at angles that approach or exceed 10 degrees near the outcrops, and decrease with distance from the uplift. Many of the sedimentary units contain aquifers, both within and beyond the study area. Recharge to these aquifers occurs from infiltration of precipitation upon the outcrops and, in some cases, from infiltration of streamflow (Hortness and Driscoll, 1998). Artesian conditions generally exist within these

Altitude of the Top of the Minnelusa Formation in the Black Hills area, South Dakota, 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Janet M.; Redden, Jack A.

2000-01-01

This map is a product of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, which was initiated in 1990 to assess the quantity, quality, and distribution of surface water and ground water in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (Driscoll, 1992). This long-term study is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District, which represents various local and county cooperators. This map is part of a series of 1:100,000-scale maps for the study. The maps include a hydrogeologic map, structure-contour maps (altitudes of the tops of formations) for five formations that contain major aquifers in the study area, and potentiometric maps for these five major aquifers (the Inyan Kara, Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers).The study area consists of the topographically defined Black Hills and adjacent areas located in western South Dakota. The Black Hills area is an elongated, dome-shaped feature, about 125 miles long and 60 miles wide, which was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny (Feldman and Heimlich, 1980). The oldest geologic units in the study area are Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are exposed in the central core of the Black Hills. Surrounding the Precambrian core is a layered series of sedimentary rocks including limestones, sandstones, and shales that are exposed in roughly concentric rings around the uplifted flanks of the Black Hills. The bedrock sedimentary units typically dip away from the uplifted Black Hills at angles that approach or exceed 10 degrees near the outcrops, and decrease with distance from the uplift. Many of the sedimentary units contain aquifers, both within and beyond the study area. Recharge to these aquifers occurs from infiltration of precipitation upon the outcrops and, in some cases, from infiltration of streamflow (Hortness and Driscoll, 1998). Artesian conditions generally exist within these

Altitude of the Top of the Minnekahta Limestone in the Black Hills area, South Dakota, 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Janet M.; Redden, Jack A.

2000-01-01

This map is a product of the Black Hills Hydrology Study, which was initiated in 1990 to assess the quantity, quality, and distribution of surface water and groundwater in the Black Hills area of South Dakota (Driscoli, 1992). This long-term study is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the South Dakota Department of environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water development District, which represents various local and county cooperators. This map is part of a series of 1:100,000-scale maps for the study. The maps include a hydrogeologic map, structure-contour maps (altitudes of the tops of formations) for five formations that contain major aquifers in the study area, and potentiometric maps for these five major aquifers (the Inyan Kara. Minnekahta, Minnelusa, Madison, and Deadwood aquifers).The study area consists of the topographically defined Black Hills and adjacent areas located in western South Dakota. The Black Hills area is an elongated, dome-shaped feature, about 125 miles long and 60 miles wide, which was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny (Feldman and Heimlich, 1980). The oldest geologic units in the study area are Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, which are exposed in the central core of the Black Hills. Surrounding the Precambrian core is a layered series of sedimentary rocks including limestones, sandstones, and shales that are exposed in roughly concentric rings around the uplifted flanks of the Black Hills. The bedrock sedimentary units typically dip away from the uplifted Black Hills at angles that approach or exceed 10 degrees near the outcrops, and decrease with distance from the uplift. Many of the sedimentary units contain aquifers, both within and beyond the study area. Recharge to these aquifers occurs from infiltration of precipitation upon the outcrops and, in some cases, from infiltration of streamflow (Hortness and Driscoll, 1998). Artesian conditions generally exist within these

Seismicity of the Earth 1900–2010 Himalaya and vicinity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turner, Bethan; Jenkins, Jennifer; Turner, Rebecca; Parker, Amy; Sinclair, Alison; Davies, Sian; Hayes, Gavin P.; Villaseñor, Antonio; Dart, Rirchard L.; Tarr, Arthur C.; Furlong, Kevin P.; Benz, Harley M.

2013-01-01

Seismicity in the Himalaya region predominantly results from the collision of the India and Eurasia continental plates, which are converging at a relative rate of 40–50 mm/yr. Northward underthrusting of India beneath Eurasia generates numerous earthquakes and consequently makes this area one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth. The surface expression of the plate boundary is marked by the foothills of the north-south trending Sulaiman Range in the west, the Indo-Burmese Arc in the east, and the east-west trending Himalaya Front in the north of India. Along the western margin of the India plate, relative motions between India and Eurasia are accommodated by strike-slip, reverse, and oblique-slip faulting resulting in the complex Sulaiman Range fold and thrust belt, and the major translational Chaman Fault in Afghanistan. Beneath the Pamir‒Hindu Kush Mountains of northern Afghanistan, earthquakes occur to depths as great as 200 km as a result of remnant lithospheric subduction. Further north again, the Tian Shan is a seismically active intra-continental mountain belt defined by a series of east-west trending thrust faults thought to be related to the broad footprint of the India-Eurasia collision. Tectonics in northern India are dominated by motion along the Main Frontal Thrust and associated thrust faults of the India-Eurasia plate boundary, which have resulted in a series of large and devastating earthquakes in (and prior to) the 20th century. The Tibetan Plateau to the north of the main plate boundary is a broad region of uplift associated with the India-Eurasia collision, and is cut by a series of generally east-west trending strike-slip faults. These include the Kunlun, Haiyuan, and the Altyn Tagh faults, all of which are left-lateral structures, and the Kara-Koram right-lateral fault. Throughout the plateau, thrust faults accommodate the north-south compressional component of crustal shortening associated with the ongoing collision of India

Snow depth on Arctic sea ice from historical in situ data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shalina, Elena V.; Sandven, Stein

2018-06-01

The snow data from the Soviet airborne expeditions Sever in the Arctic collected over several decades in March, April and May have been analyzed in this study. The Sever data included more measurements and covered a much wider area, particularly in the Eurasian marginal seas (Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, East Siberian Sea and Chukchi Sea), compared to the Soviet North Pole drifting stations. The latter collected data mainly in the central part of the Arctic Basin. The following snow parameters have been analyzed: average snow depth on the level ice (undisturbed snow) height and area of sastrugi, depth of snow dunes attached to ice ridges and depth of snow on hummocks. In the 1970s-1980s, in the central Arctic, the average depth of undisturbed snow was 21.2 cm, the depth of sastrugi (that occupied about 30 % of the ice surface) was 36.2 cm and the average depth of snow near hummocks and ridges was about 65 cm. For the marginal seas, the average depth of undisturbed snow on the level ice varied from 9.8 cm in the Laptev Sea to 15.3 cm in the East Siberian Sea, which had a larger fraction of multiyear ice. In the marginal seas the spatial variability of snow depth was characterized by standard deviation varying between 66 and 100 %. The average height of sastrugi varied from 23 cm to about 32 cm with standard deviation between 50 and 56 %. The average area covered by sastrugi in the marginal seas was estimated to be 36.5 % of the total ice area where sastrugi were observed. The main result of the study is a new snow depth climatology for the late winter using data from both the Sever expeditions and the North Pole drifting stations. The snow load on the ice observed by Sever expeditions has been described as a combination of the depth of undisturbed snow on the level ice and snow depth of sastrugi weighted in proportion to the sastrugi area. The height of snow accumulated near the ice ridges was not included in the calculations because there are no estimates of the area

Freshwater and polynya components of the shelf-derived Arctic Ocean halocline in summer 2007 identified by stable oxygen isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauch, D.; Rutgers van der Loeff, M.; Andersen, N.; Torres-Valdes, S.; Bakker, K.; Abrahamsen, E.

2011-12-01

by the position of the Lomonosov Ridge in 2007. The ratio of sea-ice derived brine influence and river water is roughly constant within each layer of the Arctic Ocean halocline. The correlation between brine influence and river water reveals two clusters that can be assigned to the two main mechanisms of sea-ice formation within the Arctic Ocean. Over the open ocean or in polynyas at the continental slope sea-ice formation results in a linear correlation between brine influence and river water at salinities of ~ 32 to 34. In coastal polynyas in the shallow regions of the Laptev Sea and southern Kara Sea, sea-ice formation transports river water into the shelf's bottom layer due to the close proximity to the river mouths. This process results in a second linear correlation between brine influence and river water at salinities of ~ 30 to 32.

Ice Core Reconnaissance in Siberian Altai for Mid-Latitudes Paleo-Climatic and Environmental Reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aizen, V.; Aizen, E.; Kreutz, K.; Nikitin, S.; Fujita, K.; Cecil, D.

2001-12-01

for year around records. The seasonal accumulation at the drilling site was ranged from 250 to 300 ?? with density of 0.34 - 0.40 g cm-3. The ice-core stratigraphy analysis has shown that accumulation area seems to lie in the cold infiltration-recrystallization zone. Geochemical analysis of the shallow ice core, snow pit samples collecting during the 2001 field research will be discussed along with meteorological and synoptic data collected at the nearest to Belukha Plateau Akkem, (2050 m) and Kara -Tyurek (3600 ?) stations. A preliminary result has revealed that variability of elementary synoptic processes over the region impact on the amount of precipitation. North Atlantic Oscillation and West Pacific Oscillation indices have inverse associations with average amount of precipitation in Siberia where Altai is located. >http://www.icess.ucsb.edu/%7eaizen/aizen.html

Remote sensing of SST in the coastal ocean and inland seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostianoy, Andrey

, as well as generated and made available via Internet by numerous world data centers for free. Examples of SST application for analy-sis/study/research/monitoring of SST fields, SST fronts, large-and meso-scale water dynamics and structure (currents, eddies, dipoles, jets, etc.), upwellings, SST seasonal and interannual variability, etc. will be shown. Combined analysis of SST data with optical (ocean color), SAR, altimetry, in-situ oceanographic, drifter and meteorological data was shown to be very successful for many purposes in physical oceanography, environment research and operational monitoring, regional and global climate change study, marine chemistry, marine biology and fishery. The presentation will include examples for different case studies in the Arctic Ocean (the Barents and Kara seas), the Atlantic Ocean (the Canary and Benguela upwellings), the Southern Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, Black, Caspian, Aral, and Baltic seas.

International Tectonic Map of the Circumpolar Arctic and its Significance for Geodynamic Interpretations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrov, O. V.; Morozov, A.; Shokalsky, S.; Leonov, Y.; Grikurov, G.; Poselov, V.; Pospelov, I.; Kashubin, S.

2011-12-01

In 2003 geological surveys of circum-arctic states initiated the international project "Atlas of Geological Maps of Circumpolar Arctic at 1:5 000000 scale". The project received active support of the UNESCO Commission for the Geological Map of the World (CGMW) and engaged a number of scientists from national academies of sciences and universities. Magnetic and gravity maps were prepared and printed by the Norwegian Geological Survey, and geological map was produced by the Geological Survey of Canada. Completion of these maps made possible compilation of a new Tectonic Map of the Arctic (TeMAr), and this work is now in progress with Russian Geological Research Institute (VSEGEI) in the lead of joint international activities. The map area (north of 60o N) includes three distinct roughly concentric zones. The outer onshore rim is composed of predominantly mature continental crust whose structure and history are illustrated on the map by the age of consolidation of craton basements and orogenic belts. The zone of offshore shelf basins is unique in dimensions with respect to other continental margins of the world. Its deep structure can in most cases be positively related to thinning and rifting of consolidated crust, sometimes to the extent of disruption of its upper layer, whereas the pre-rift evolution can be inferred from geophysical data and extrapolation of geological evidence from the mainland and island archipelagoes. The central Arctic core is occupied by abyssal deeps and intervening bathymetric highs. The Eurasia basin is commonly recognized as a typical oceanic opening separating the Barents-Kara and Lomonosov Ridge passive margins, but geodynamic evolution of Amerasia basin are subject to much controversy, despite significant intensification of earth science researchin the recent years. A growing support to the concept of predominance in the Amerasia basin of continental crust, particularly in the area concealed under High Arctic Large Igneous Province, is

PREFACE: Astronomy at High Angular Resolution 2011: The central kiloparsec in galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iserlohe, Christof; Karas, Vladimir; Krips, Melanie; Eckart, Andreas; Britzen, Silke; Fischer, Sebastian

2012-07-01

University of Thessaloniki in Greece for giving the dinner talk on the most astounding ancient Antikythera mechanism. We would also like to thank Victor Gomer and the staff of the Physikzentrum of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft in Bad Honnef where the conference took place. Last but not least we would like to thank all unnamed helpers, without whom the organisation of this conference would not have been possible. Financial support for this conference was granted by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Sonderforschungsbereich project number SFB 956. We also acknowledge support from the European Community Framework Programme 7, Advanced Radio Astronomy in Europe, grant agreement no. 227290. Christof Iserlohe, Vladimir Karas, Melanie Krips, Andreas Eckart, Silke Britzen and Sebastian Fischer The Editors Conference photograph Conference Group Photo, 1 September 2011 The PDF also contains additional photographs from the conference and the Contents of the Proceedings.

Cumulative effects of rapid climate and land-use changes on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, D. A.; Leibman, M. O.; Forbes, B. C.; Epstein, H. E.

2008-12-01

Our principal goal is to develop better, more far-looking tools to predict the cumulative effects of resource development, climate-change, and traditional land use. Here we use remote sensing, climate-change analyses, socio-economic analyses, and vegetation-change models to examine the cumulative effects of climate change, gas development, and reindeer herding on the Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia as part of the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI). We find: 1. Direct (planned) impacts of industrial activities on the Yamal Peninsula are currently local and limited in extent, but this is changing rapidly as extensive gas fields are developed and land and sea transportation corridors are developed to get the gas to market. Indirect impacts of the development at Bovanenkovo, the largest gas field, exceed the direct impacts by a factor of three, and the total area of influence of the development on the reindeer pasturelands (e.g., area where migration routes and access to pasturelands is affected) exceeds the direct impacts by a factor of about 40. 2. The trend in land-surface temperatures has co-varied with the trend in sea-ice. Low sea ice in the preceding December-March period is correlated to warmer land temperature the following summer. The sea- ice trends in the Kara Sea-Yamal region are tied to variation in the North Atlantic Oscillation index. 4. Only a small greening response to warming has been detected on the Yamal in comparison with some other areas in the Arctic (e.g. Northern Alaska). The actual effects of climate-change on vegetation are currently hard to document at the ground level because of lack of baseline and long-term ground observations and difficulty of excluding reindeer in these studies. 5. There is high potential for extensive landscape effects due to unstable sandy soils, and extremely ice-rich permafrost near the surface on slopes. 6. Two different vegetation modeling approaches are being used to predict

Technical-Environmental Permafrost Observatories (TEPO) of northern West Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurchatova, A. N.; Griva, G. I.; Osokin, A. B.; Smolov, G. K.

2005-12-01

During the last decade one of the most developed topics in environmental studies was the effect of global climate change. This has been shown to be especially pronounced in northern regions, having an important influence on the subsequent transformation of frozen soil distribution and potential permafrost degradation. In West Siberia such studies are especially important with the prospect of plans for development of oil-gas fields (Yamal, Gydan and Kara Sea shelf). Presently the enterprises independently determine the necessary research for ecological control of the territory. Therefore, the Tyumen State Oil and Gas University (TSOGU) together with one of the leading gas enterprises "Nadymgasprom" started to create an observational network along the meridian transect of northern West Siberia (Yamal-Nenets administrative district). Observational network consists from a number of monitoring sites - Technical-Environmental permafrost Observatories (TEPO). The research complex includes temperature observations in boreholes (depths of 30) equipped with automatic systems for registration and data collection; seasonal field investigations on spatial distribution and temporal variability of the snow cover and vegetation and soil distribution. TSOGU and "Nadymgasprom" plan for the realization of long-term monitoring to obtain representative results on permafrost-climate interaction. At present there are three monitoring observatories located in the main landscape types and gas fields in use since 1972 (Medvezhye), 1992 (Yubileynoe) and in development (Harasavey). The next contribution to International Polar Year (2007-2008) will be renewal of one of the former monitoring sites (established in 1972) with a long-term period of observation and creation of a new site at the Yamal peninsula (Arctic tundra zone). At the last site the installation of an automatic Climate-Soil Station is being planned in the framework of the INTAS Infrastructure Action project with cooperation of

Variability and trends in the Arctic Sea ice cover: Results from different techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comiso, Josefino C.; Meier, Walter N.; Gersten, Robert

2017-08-01

Variability and trend studies of sea ice in the Arctic have been conducted using products derived from the same raw passive microwave data but by different groups using different algorithms. This study provides consistency assessment of four of the leading products, namely, Goddard Bootstrap (SB2), Goddard NASA Team (NT1), EUMETSAT Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI-SAF 1.2), and Hadley HadISST 2.2 data in evaluating variability and trends in the Arctic sea ice cover. All four provide generally similar ice patterns but significant disagreements in ice concentration distributions especially in the marginal ice zone and adjacent regions in winter and meltponded areas in summer. The discrepancies are primarily due to different ways the four techniques account for occurrences of new ice and meltponding. However, results show that the different products generally provide consistent and similar representation of the state of the Arctic sea ice cover. Hadley and NT1 data usually provide the highest and lowest monthly ice extents, respectively. The Hadley data also show the lowest trends in ice extent and ice area at -3.88%/decade and -4.37%/decade, respectively, compared to an average of -4.36%/decade and -4.57%/decade for all four. Trend maps also show similar spatial distribution for all four with the largest negative trends occurring at the Kara/Barents Sea and Beaufort Sea regions, where sea ice has been retreating the fastest. The good agreement of the trends especially with updated data provides strong confidence in the quantification of the rate of decline in the Arctic sea ice cover.