Evolution of the Martian water cycle.

The current Martian water cycle is extremely asymmetric, with large amounts of vapor subliming off a permanent north polar water ice cap in northern summer, but with no apparent major source of water vapor in the southern hemisphere. Detailed simulations of this process with a three-dimensional circulation model indicate that the summertime interhemispheric exchange (Hadley cell) is very much stronger than transport by eddies in other seasons. As a result, water ice would be distributed globally were it not for the buffering action of regolith soil adsorption which limits the net flux of water vapor off the north polar cap to amounts that are insignificant even on the scale of thousands of years. It has been suggested that the polar layered deposits are the result of exchange on these long time scales, driven by changes in Martian orbital parameters. We therefore are conducting simulations to test the effect of varied orbital parameters on the Martian water cycle. We find that when the perihelion summer pole is charged with a polar water ice cap, large quantities of water are quickly transfered to the aphelion summer pole, setting up an annual cycle that resembles the present one. Thus, the adsorptivity of the Martian regolith may be in the narrow range where it can limit net transport from the aphelion but not the perihelion pole.     

Auxin polar transport in Arabidopsis under simulated microgravity conditions — Relevance to growth and development

Activity of auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes of Arabidopsis thaliana grown under simulated microgravity conditions was studied in relation to the growth and development. Seeds were germinated and allowed to grow on an agar medium in test tubes on a horizontal clinostat. Horizontal clinostat rotation substantially reduced the growth of inflorescence axes and the productivity of seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana (ecotypes Landsberg erecta and Columbia), although it little affected seed germination, development of rosette leaves and flowering. The activity of auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes decreased when Arabidopsis plants were grown on a horizontal clinostat from germination stage, being ca. 60% of 1 g control. On the other hand, the auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes of Arabidopsis grown in 1 g conditions was not affected when the segments were exposed to various gravistimuli, including 3-dimensional clinorotation, during transport experiments. Pin-formed mutant of Arabidopsis, having a unique structure of the inflorescence axis with no flower and extremely low levels of the activity of auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes and endogenous auxin, did not continue its vegetative growth under clinostat rotation. These facts suggest that the development of the system of auxin polar transport in Arabidopsis is affected by microgravity, resulting in the inhibition of growth and development, especially during reproductive growth.     

Ozone mini-hole observation over the Balkan Peninsula in March 2005

Areas with dimensions of 1000–3000 km in which the total ozone content (TOC) decreases fast are called ozone mini-holes. They are generated mainly dynamically in two ways, either by poor-ozone air mass transport from the tropics to higher latitudes by planetary wave activity or, they are connected with strong adiabatic uplifting of the tropopause height. An ozone mini-hole, generated by the second mechanism, was observed over the Balkan Peninsula on 19/21 March 2005. In the middle of March, the polar vortex was strongly disturbed by Rossby waves, reaching up to the lower stratosphere. Warming episodes over a geographical area, covering the Barents Sea and the Polar Sea north from Central Siberia, displaced a polar vortex fragment extremely southwards. However, the vorticity was weak and the stratospheric temperatures did not reach low values, providing conditions for ozone chemical destruction via heterogenic reactions. At the same time, a Rossby wave ridge was located below the European polar fragment. In the period from 13 to 19 March, the thermal tropopause over Sofia was uplifted almost by 3 km. Ozone distributions observed by the SCIAMACHY instrument on 18–21 March show a fast TOC decrease westwards from Ireland, which was moving eastwards during the next days, increasing the area in which the ozone content decreased. On 20/21 March low ozone content was observed above the Stara Zagora (42°N, 25°E) ground-based station by means of the GASCOD instrument, using DOAS technique. The TOMS Earth probe instrument detected 237 DU over Sofia. This is a record low March value from the beginning of the TOMS instrument measurements in 1978. In March/April the ozone distribution was characterized by its mean annual maximum of 360 DU at 42°N.     

Mesospheric nitric oxide and ozone measurements in polar winter at 69°N

Two rocket experiments were carried out just before and after the polar night at Andoya (69°N), Norway to investigate transport of nitric oxide produced by auroral processes into the middle atmosphere and its influence on the ozone chemistry. Nitric oxide densities of (2–5) × 10⁸cm⁻³ found in the 70–90 km region are one to two orders of magnitude larger than those at middle latitudes. The influence on ozone densities in the 70–90 km region due to such enhanced nitric oxide abundance is found to be insignificant as compared to that due to transport in the middle of February. The larger ozone densities found in February (in spite of longer sunlit duration) than in November in the 40–60 km region again support predominance of transport over photochemical loss.     

A model of the rapid burster

A new burst mode of MXB 1730 - 335, the rapid burster, as discovered by Hakucho in August 1979, is characterized by a train of long X-ray bursts whose behaviour is dictated by the accretion rate. In this mode the burst luminosity reaches the Eddington limit, so that the X-ray pressure controls the accretion from a reservoir in the magnetopause and accretion columns in the polar regions explain general features of the rapid burster observed in August 1979.     

Optical bursts from X-ray irradiated accretion disk

A new burst mode of MXB 1730 - 335, the rapid burster, as discovered by Hakucho in August 1979, is characterized by a train of long X-ray bursts whose behaviour is dictated by the accretion rate. In this mode the burst luminosity reaches the Eddington limit, so that the X-ray pressure controls the accretion from a reservoir in the magnetopause and accretion columns in the polar regions explain general features of the rapid burster observed in August 1979.     

Regional and temporal variability of solar activity and galactic cosmic ray effects on the lower atmosphere circulation

In this work we studied the spatial and temporal structure of long-term effects of solar activity (SA) and galactic cosmic ray (GCR) variations on the lower atmosphere circulation as well as possible reasons for the peculiarities of this structure. The study revealed a strong latitudinal and regional dependence of SA/GCR effects on pressure variations in the lower troposphere which seems to be determined by specific features of baric systems formed in different regions. The temporal structure of SA/GCR effects on the troposphere circulation at high and middle latitudes is characterized by a roughly 60-year periodicity which is apparently due to the epochs of the large-scale atmospheric circulation. It is suggested that a possible mechanism of long-term effects of solar activity and cosmic ray variations on the troposphere circulation involves changes in the evolution of the polar vortex in the stratosphere of high latitudes, as well as planetary frontal zones.     

地磁Ap指数滞后太阳周循环分析

把1932-2006年地磁Ap指数12个月流动均值分解成为(Ap)R和(Ap)I.其中(Ap)R为太阳黑子数R的线性函数,与太阳黑子数R相位相同,可能对应于日冕物质抛射(CME)等地磁控制因素. (Ap)I分量与太阳黑子数R相位相差约180°,该分量可能对应于极冕洞变化(从太阳峰年开始,由日面极区逐渐向赤道延伸).以地磁Ap指数与太阳黑子数R滞后非常严重的第20太阳周为例,证实了(Ap)I分量与极冕洞向赤道延伸循环变化相对应.因此极冕洞循环变化可能是导致地磁扰动指数与太阳周循环相位不一致,出现滞后现象的一个十分重要原因.      

极区中层夏季回波火箭探空观测的个例分析

利用仅发生极区中层夏季回波 (Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes, PMSE) 现象时的ECT-02 火箭探空数据, 反演出电子数密度和尘埃电荷数密度. 这些典型的极区中层顶的基本参量为研究PMSE提供了良好的数据基础. 通过分析得出了极区中 层顶区域属于弱电离、弱耦合尘埃等离子体的结论. 根据电子数密度数扰动分析PMSE现象发现, 电子数密度的扰动与PMSE有密切的联系, 扰动强烈的地方回波就强, 扰动弱的地方回波就弱, 或者不发生PMSE 现象.      

Planetary radio astronomy from voyager

The Planetary Radio Astronomy instruments on Voyager 1 and 2 provided new, highly detailed measurements of several different kinds of strong, nonthermal radiation generated in the inner magnetospheres and upper ionospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. At Jupiter, an intense decameter-wavelength component (between a few tenths of a MHz and 39.5 MHz) is characterized by complex, highly organized structure in the frequency-time domain and by a strong dependence on the longitude of the observer and, in some cases, of Io. At frequencies below about 1 MHz there exists a (principally) kilometer-wavelength component of emission that is bursty, relatively broadbanded (typically covering 10 to 1000 kHz), and strongly modulated by planetary rotation. The properties of this component are consistent with a source confined to high latitudes on the dayside hemisphere of Jupiter. A second kilometric component is narrow-banded, relatively weak and exhibits a spectral peak near 100 kHz. The narrowband component also occurs periodically but at a repetition rate that is a few percent slower than that corresponding to the planetary rotation rate. This component is thought to originate at a frequency near the electron plasma frequency in the outer part of the Io plasma torus (8 to 10 R_J) and to reflect the small departures from perfect corotation experienced by plasma there.The Voyager instruments also detected intense, low frequency, radio emissions from the Saturn system. The Saturnian kilometric radiation is observed in a relatively narrow frequency band between 3 kHz and 1.2 MHz, is elliptically or circularly polarized, and is strongly modulated in intensity at Saturn's 10.66-hr rotation period. This emission is believed to be emitted in the right-hand extraordinary mode from regions near or in Saturn's dayside, polar, magnetospheric cusps. Variations in intensity at Saturn's rotation period may correspond to the rotation of a localized magnetic anomaly into the vicinity of the ionospheric footprint of the polar cusp. Variations in activity on time scales of a few days and longer seem to indicate that both the solar wind and the satellite Dione can also influence the generation of the radio emission.     

South polar permanent CO2 ice cap presentation in the Global Mars Multiscale Model

The atmospheric influence caused by the Martian permanent south CO₂ ice cap is examined to improve the Global Mars Multiscale Model (GM3) to see if it can significantly improve the representation of south polar meteorology. However, the seasonal carbon dioxide ice in the polar regions is presented in the surface ice simulation by the Global Mars Multiscale Model but the model does not produce a permanent south CO₂ ice cap, and the physics code must modify to capture the realistic physical such as ice process detail; probably makes a bias in terms of total CO₂ ice and meteorological processes in the model aside from ice formation. The permanent south CO₂ ice cap in the model can significantly improve the representation of south polar meteorology for example in predicted surface temperatures, surface pressures, horizontal and zonal winds over the south cap and possible initiation of dust storms at south polar region during the southern summer period.     

Role of calcium in gravity perception of plant roots

Calcium ions may play a key role in linking graviperception by the root cap to the asymmetric growth which occurs in the elongation zone of gravistimulated roots. Application of calcium-chelating agents to the root cap inhibits gravitropic curvature without affecting growth. Asymmetric application of calcium to one side of the root cap induces curvature toward the calcium source, and gravistimulation induces polar movement of applied ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ across the root cap toward the lower side. The action of calcium may be linked to auxin movement in roots since 1) auxin transport inhibitors interfere both with gravitropic curvature and gravi-induced polar calcium movement and 2) asymmetric application of calcium enhances auxin movement across the elongation zone of gravistimulated roots. Indirect evidence indicates that the calcium-modulated regulator protein, calmodulin, may be involved in either the transport or action of calcium in the gravitropic response mechanism of roots.     

Stability and mass flow in Saturn's rings

Besides gravitational effects, interesting electrodynamical processes could also take place in the vicinity of the rings of Saturn. In part, this is because of the electrostatic charging of the ring particles by the magnetospheric and ionospheric plasma, and in part, the generation of impact plasma by meteoroid bombardment at the ring plane could lead to strong coupling between the rings and the ionosphere via a variety of current systems. The mass transport and angular momentum transfer in association with the ring-ionosphere coupling may cause quite large changes in the ring configuration over the age of the solar system. The presence of the sharp boundary between the B and the C rings perhaps is a good example. To highlight these new developments, we describe several of the electrodynamical mechanisms (with emphasis on their corresponding electric fields and current systems) which have been postulated to be of importance in determining the mass transport of the ring system. Further points are made that, besides mass exchange between the rings and the planetary atmosphere, the mass injection from the rings could also have significant effect on the mass and energy budget of the magnetosphere, maintenance of the E ring, the Titan hydrogen torus as well as aeronomic process in the upper atmosphere of Titan.     

Investigations of the polar atmosphere with use of dynamical characteristics of the processes and self -organizing neural networks on ground-based multi-position optical observations

This article discusses questions connected with investigations of the polar atmosphere via ground-based multi-position optical observations. For this investigation a specially developed method is applied. It use the calculated dynamical parameters of the processes and self-organizing artificial neural networks. With self-organizing neural networks 5–7 classes have been extracted which can be associated with the regions having different physical properties. In particular, have been extracted regions intuitively coincident with polar stratospheric clouds and aurora.     

Stratospheric polar vortex as a possible reason for temporal variations of solar activity and galactic cosmic ray effects on the lower atmosphere circulation

Possible reasons for the temporal instability of long-term effects of solar activity (SA) and galactic cosmic ray (GCR) variations on the lower atmosphere circulation were studied. It was shown that the detected earlier ∼60-year oscillations of the amplitude and sign of SA/GCR effects on the troposphere pressure at high and middle latitudes (Veretenenko and Ogurtsov, Adv.Space Res., 2012) are closely related to the state of a cyclonic vortex forming in the polar stratosphere. The intensity of the vortex was found to reveal a roughly 60-year periodicity affecting the evolution of the large-scale atmospheric circulation and the character of SA/GCR effects. An intensification of both Arctic anticyclones and mid-latitudinal cyclones associated with an increase of GCR fluxes at minima of the 11-year solar cycles is observed in the epochs of a strong polar vortex. In the epochs of a weak polar vortex SA/GCR effects on the development of baric systems at middle and high latitudes were found to change the sign. The results obtained provide evidence that the mechanism of solar activity and cosmic ray influences on the lower atmosphere circulation involves changes in the evolution of the stratospheric polar vortex.     

Case study of September 24–26, 1998 magnetic storm

We compute global magnetospheric parameters based upon solar wind data obtained from the WIND spacecraft upstream. Using the paraboloid magnetospheric model, calculations of the dynamic global magnetospheric current systems have been made. The solar wind dynamic pressure, the interplanetary magnetic field, the strength of the tail current, and the ring current control the polar cap and auroral oval size and location during the magnetic storm. The model calculations demonstrate that the polar cap and the auroral oval areas are mainly controlled by the tail current. The substorm onset at 0630 UT on September 25, 1998 happened near the minimum in the main phase field depression. The substorm expansion onset time is also marked by a sudden enhancement in the solar wind dynamic pressure and an enhancement in the tail current. The magnetic signatures of these two effects cancel each other, which explains why the D_st profile shows no strong time variation during the substorm. Evidence for the substorm expansion includes not only the signature in the AL index but also the strong asymmetry of the low latitude magnetic disturbances (substorm positive bay signature). Model calculations were checked by comparison with the GOES 8 and 10 magnetic field measurements.     

The heliospheric modulation of 3–10 MeV electrons: Modeling of changes in the solar wind speed in relation to perpendicular polar diffusion

The discrepancy between cosmic ray model predictions representing solar minimum conditions in the heliosphere and the 3–10 MeV post-1998 electrons observations by the Kiel Electron Telescope (KET) onboard Ulysses suggests the need for consistent changes in model parameters with increasing solar activity. In order to reduce this discrepancy, an effort is made to model the KET observations realistically during periods of increased solar activity by applying an advanced three-dimensional, steady-state electron modulation model based on Parker’s transport equation including the Jovian electron source. Some elements of the diffusion tensor which were not previously emphasized are revisited. A new relation is also established between the latitudinal dependence of the solar wind speed and the perpendicular polar diffusion. Based on this relation, a transition of an average solar wind speed from solar minimum to solar maximum conditions, as observed on board the Ulysses spacecraft, is modeled on the concept of the time-evolution of large polar coronal holes. These changes are correlated to different scenarios of the enhancement of perpendicular polar diffusion. Effects of these scenarios are illustrated, as a series of steady-state solutions, on the computed 7 MeV Jovian and galactic electrons in comparison with 3–10 MeV electrons observed from the period 1998 to the end of 2003. It is shown that this approach improves compatibility with the KET observations but it also points to the need for a time-dependent electron modulation model to fully describe modulation during moderate to extreme solar maximum conditions.     

Quality Assessment of the IDS Contribution to ITRF2008

Doppler Orbitography Radiopositionning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) is one of the four fundamental techniques contributing to the ITRF. The optimal coverage over the globe of the DORIS observing sites and sites co-located with GPS, allow a strong embedding of DORIS within the ITRF network. DORIS contributes to the access to ITRF through precise orbit determination of altimetric satellites with onboard DORIS receivers. The DORIS contribution to the ITRF2008 is enhanced by the fact that the solutions of seven analysis centers were included in the submitted combined time series of weekly station positions and daily polar motion. We evaluate the quality of the DORIS combined solution in terms of its agreement with the other techniques (VLBI, SLR, GPS) contributing to the ITRF2008 combination. We show in particular that the precisions of the current IDS products range between 1.5 to 2.6 mm for station positions (at the epochs of minimum variances); better than 1 mm/yr in velocities and between 170 and 260 micro-arc-seconds for polar motion, a significant improvement by a factor of three to five, compared to past data used in the ITRF2005 combination. This improvement is certainly due to improved analysis strategies employed by the seven IDS analysis centers that contributed to the combined weekly submitted solutions of station positions and polar motion. A spectral analysis of DORIS station height time series indicates that annual and semi-annual signals are dominant. However, TOPEX draconitic period of about 118 days is still detected in about 20% of the station position power spectra. DORIS height annual signals correlate well with GPS annual signal estimated at some co-located stations, which show that DORIS technique is able to detect loading signals.     

Sunspot activity and cosmic ray modulation at 1 a.u. for 1900–2013

The descent of sunspot cycle 23 to an unprecedented minimum of long duration in 2006–2009 led to a prolonged galactic cosmic ray (GCR) recovery to the highest level observed in the instrumental era for a variety of energetic charged particle species on Earth, over a wide range of rigidities. The remarkable GCR increase measured by several ground-based, balloon-borne, and detectors on a satellite is described and discussed. It is accompanied by a decrease in solar wind velocity and interplanetary magnetic field at 1 a.u., reaching the lowest values since measurements of the solar wind began in October 1963; the solar polar field strength (μT) measured at the Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO) is also significantly reduced compared to prior cycles since the start of the program in 1976, the polar field in the northern hemisphere reversed in June 2012 and again in February 2014, that in the southern hemisphere reversed in July 2013. If updates of WSO data confirm the second reversal in northern solar hemisphere, it would pose a serious challenge to the Dynamo Theory. The long-term change in solar behavior may have begun in 1992, perhaps earlier. The physical underpinnings of these solar changes need to be understood and their effect on GCR modulation processes clarified. The study discusses the recent phenomena in the context of GCR modulation since 1900. These happenings affected our empirical predictions for the key parameters for the next two sunspot cycles (they may be progressively less active than sunspot cycle 24) but it enhanced support for our prediction that solar activity is descending into a Dalton-like grand minimum in the middle of the twentyfirst century, reducing the frequency of the coronal mass ejections; they determine the space weather affecting the quality of life on Earth, radiation dose for hardware and human activities in space as well as the frequency of large Forbush decreases at 1 a.u.