VHF radio response of the near Earth space during solar activity growth in October, 2003

The analysis of observations of very high frequency radio noise intensity at the middle latitude on a frequency f = 500 MHz from 14th till 26th of October, 2003 is presented. These data are compared with the solar radio bursts in the range of frequencies 1–14 MHz registered by RAD2 receiver of the WAVES device installed on board the WIND spacecraft.     

Total electron content of the ionosphere at two stations in East Africa during the 24–25 October 2011 geomagnetic storm

The equatorial ionosphere has been known to become highly disturbed and thus rendering space-based navigation unreliable during space weather events, such as geomagnetic storms. Modern navigation systems, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) use radio-wave signals that reflect from or propagate through the ionosphere as a means of determining range or distance. Such systems are vulnerable to effects caused by geomagnetic storms, and their performance can be severely degraded. This paper analyses total electron content (TEC) and the corresponding GPS scintillations using two GPS SCINDA receivers located at Makerere University, Uganda (Lat: 0.3^o N; Lon: 32.5^o E) and at the University of Nairobi, Kenya (Lat: 1.3^o S; Lon: 36.8^o E), both in East Africa. The analysis shows that the scintillations actually correspond to plasma bubbles. The occurrence of plasma bubbles at one station was correlated with those at the other station by using observations from the same satellite. It was noted that some bubbles develop at one station and presumably “die off” before reaching the other station. The paper also discusses the effects of the geomagnetic storm of the 24–25 October 2011 on the ionospheric TEC at the two East African stations. Reductions in the diurnal TEC at the two stations during the period of the storm were observed and the TEC depletions observed during that period showed much deeper depletions than on the non-storm days. The effects during the storm have been attributed to the uplift of the ionospheric plasma, which was then transported away from this region by diffusion along magnetic field lines.     

Numerical modeling of propagation of breaking nonlinear acoustic-gravity waves from the lower to the upper atmosphere

Acoustic-gravity waves (AGWs) observed in the upper atmosphere may be generated near the Earth’s surface due to a variety of meteorological sources. Two-dimensional simulations of vertical propagation and breaking of nonlinear AGWs in the atmosphere are performed. Forcing near the Earth’s surface is used as the AGW source in the model. We use a numerical method based on finite-difference analogues of fundamental conservation laws for solving atmospheric hydrodynamic equations. This approach selects physically correct generalized solutions of the wave hydrodynamic equations. Numerical simulations are performed in a representative region of the Earth’s atmosphere up to altitude 500 km. Vertical profiles of temperature, density, molecular viscosity and heat conductivity were taken from the standard atmosphere model MSIS-90 for January. Calculations were made for different amplitudes and frequencies of lower boundary wave forcing. It is shown that after activating the tropospheric wave forcing, the initial pulse of AGWs may very quickly propagate to altitudes of 100 km and above and relatively slowly dissipate due to molecular viscosity and heat conduction. This may increase the role of transient nonstationary waves in effective energy transport and variations of atmospheric parameters and gas admixtures in a broad altitude range.     

Height of shock formation in the solar corona inferred from observations of type II radio bursts and coronal mass ejections

Employing coronagraphic and EUV observations close to the solar surface made by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission, we determined the heliocentric distance of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) at the starting time of associated metric type II bursts. We used the wave diameter and leading edge methods and measured the CME heights for a set of 32 metric type II bursts from solar cycle 24. We minimized the projection effects by making the measurements from a view that is roughly orthogonal to the direction of the ejection. We also chose image frames close to the onset times of the type II bursts, so no extrapolation was necessary. We found that the CMEs were located in the heliocentric distance range from 1.20 to 1.93 solar radii (Rs), with mean and median values of 1.43 and 1.38 Rs, respectively. We conclusively find that the shock formation can occur at heights substantially below 1.5 Rs. In a few cases, the CME height at type II onset was close to 2 Rs. In these cases, the starting frequency of the type II bursts was very low, in the range 25–40 MHz, which confirms that the shock can also form at larger heights. The starting frequencies of metric type II bursts have a weak correlation with the measured CME/shock heights and are consistent with the rapid decline of density with height in the inner corona.     

Numerical modeling of inhomogeneous orographic wave influence on planetary waves in the middle atmosphere

Parameterization of dynamical and thermal effects of stationary orographic gravity waves (OGWs) generated by the Earth’s surface topography is incorporated into a numerical model of general circulation of the middle and upper atmosphere. Responses of atmospheric general circulation and characteristics of planetary waves at altitudes from the troposphere up to the thermosphere to the effects of OGWs propagating from the earth surface are studied. Changes in atmospheric circulation and amplitudes of planetary waves due to variations of OGW generation and propagation in different seasons are considered. It is shown that during solstices the main OGW dynamical and heat effects occur in the middle atmosphere of winter hemispheres, where changes in planetary wave amplitudes due to OGWs may reach up to 50%. During equinoxes OGW effects are distributed more homogeneously between northern and southern hemispheres.     

Subsidence rate monitoring of Aghajari oil field based on Differential SAR Interferometry

Land subsidence, due to natural or anthropogenic processes, causes significant costs in both economic and structural aspects. That part of subsidence observed most is the result of human activities, which relates to underground exploitation. Since the gradual surface deformation is a consequence of hydrocarbon reservoirs extraction, the process of displacement monitoring is amongst the petroleum industry priorities. Nowadays, Differential SAR Interferometry, in which satellite images are utilized for elevation change detection and analysis – in a millimetre scale, has proved to be a more real-time and cost-effective technology in contrast to the traditional surveying method. In this study, surface displacements in Aghajari oil field, i.e. one of the most industrious Iranian hydrocarbon sites, are being examined using radar observations. As in a number of interferograms, the production wells inspection reveals that surface deformation signals develop likely due to extraction in a period of several months. In other words, different subsidence or uplift rates and deformation styles occur locally depending on the geological conditions and excavation rates in place.     

A survey of radio jets with Chandra and HST

Relativistic jets are a common property of radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Understanding jet physical properties is an essential precursor to understanding the mechanisms of energy transport, and ultimately, how energy is extracted from the central black hole. In this paper, I highlight recent developments from Chandra and HST observations of kpc-scale jets in AGN, with particular emphasis on our survey of 17 radio jets in a sample of FRII radio galaxies. These observations show that (1) X-ray and optical emission is common from kpc-scale jets, (2) a large fraction of the bolometric luminosity is emitted at X-rays, and (3) in most sources, a candidate emission process for the X-rays is inverse Compton scattering of the Cosmic Microwave Background off the relativistic electrons in the jet. If the latter scenario holds, the implication is that jets are still relativistic on kpc scales.     

Annual solar UV exposure and biological effective dose rates on the Martian surface.

The ultraviolet (UV) environment of Mars has been investigated to gain an understanding of the variation of exposure throughout a Martian year, and link this flux to biological effects and possible survival of organisms at the Martian surface. To gain an idea of how the solar UV radiation varies between different regions, including planned landing sites of two future Mars surface missions, we modelled the total solar UV surface flux throughout one Martian year for two different dust scenarios. To understand the degree of solar UV stress on micro-organisms and/or molecules essential for life on the surface of Mars, we also calculated the biologically effective dose (BED) for T7 and Uracil in relevant wavelength regions at the Martian surface as a function of season and latitude, and discuss the biological survival rates in the presence of Martian solar UV radiation. High T7/Uracil BED ratios indicate that even at high latitudes where the UV flux is significantly reduced, the radiation environment is still hostile for life due to the persisting UV-C component of the flux.