scholarly journals First observations of noctilucent clouds by lidar at Svalbard

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 521-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Höffner ◽  
C. Fricke-Begemann ◽  
F.-J. Lübken
Keyword(s):  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Noctilucent Clouds ◽  
Backscatter Coefficient ◽  
Maximum Volume ◽  
Height Range ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
The North ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Bad Weather

Abstract. In summer 2001 a potassium lidar was installed near Longyearbyen (78° N) on the north polar island of Spitsbergen which is part of the archipelago Svalbard. At the same place a series of meteorological rockets ("falling spheres", FS) were launched which gave temperatures from the lower thermosphere to the stratosphere. The potassium lidar is capable of detecting noctilucent clouds (NLCs) and of measuring temperatures in the lower thermosphere, both under daylight conditions. In this paper we give an overview on the NLC measurements (the first at this latitude) and compare the results with temperatures from meteorological rockets which have been published recently (Lübken and Müllemann, 2003).. NLCs were observed from 12 June (the first day of operation) until 12 August when a period of bad weather started. When the lidar was switched on again on 26 August, no NLC was observed. The mean occurrence frequency in the period 12 June–12 August ("lidar NLC period") is 77%. The mean of all individual NLC peak altitudes is 83.6 km (variability: 1.1 km). The mean peak NLC altitude does not show a significant variation with season. The average top and bottom altitude of the NLC layer is 85.1 and 82.5 km, respectively, with a variability of ~1.2 km. The mean of the maximum volume backscatter coefficient ßmax at our wavelength of 770 nm is 3.9×10−10/m/sr with a large variability of +/−3.8×10−10/m/sr. Comparison of NLC characteristics with measurements at ALOMAR (69° N) shows that the peak altitude and the maximum volume backscatter coefficient are similar at both locations but NLCs occur more frequently at higher latitudes. Simultaneous temperature and NLC measurements are available for 3 flights and show that the NLC layer occurs in the lower part of the height range with super-saturation. The NLC peak occurs over a large range of degree of saturation (S) whereas most models predict the peak at S=1. This demonstrates that steady-state considerations may not be applicable when relating individual NLC properties to background conditions. On the other hand, the mean variation of the NLC appearance with height and season is in agreement with the climatological variation of super-saturation derived from the FS temperature measurements.

scholarly journals First observations of noctilucent clouds by lidar at Svalbard, 78°N

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1101-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Höffner ◽  
C. Fricke-Begemann ◽  
F.-J. Lübken
Keyword(s):  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Noctilucent Clouds ◽  
Backscatter Coefficient ◽  
Maximum Volume ◽  
Height Range ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
The North ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Bad Weather

Abstract. In summer 2001 a potassium lidar was installed near Longyearbyen (78° N) on the north polar island of Spitsbergen which is part of the archipelago Svalbard. At the same place a series of meteorological rockets ("falling spheres", FS) were launched which gave temperatures from the lower thermosphere to the stratosphere. The potassium lidar is capable of detecting noctilucent clouds (NLCs) and of measuring temperatures in the lower thermosphere, both under daylight conditions. In this paper we give an overview on the NLC measurements (the first at this latitude) and compare the results with temperatures from meteorological rockets which have been published recently (Lübken and Mülleman, 2003) NLCs were observed from 12 June (the first day of operation) until 12 August when a period of bad weather started. When the lidar was switched on again on 26 August, no NLC was observed. The mean occurrence frequency in the period 12 June -- 12 August ("lidar NLC period") is 77%. The mean of all individual NLC peak altitudes is 83.6 km (variability: 1.1 km). The mean peak NLC altitude does not show a significant variation with season. The average top and bottom altitude of the NLC layer is 85.1 and 82.5 km, respectively, with a variability of ~1.2 km. The mean of the maximum volume backscatter coefficient bmax at our wavelength of 770 nm is 3.9 x 10-10/m/sr with a large variability of ±3.8 x 10-10/m/sr. Comparison of NLC characteristics with measurements at ALOMAR (69° N) shows that the peak altitude and the maximum volume backscatter coefficient are similar at both locations but NLCs occur more frequently at higher latitudes. Simultaneous temperature and NLC measurements are available for 3 flights and show that the NLC layer occurs in the lower part of the height range with super-saturation. The NLC peak occurs over a large range of degree of saturation (S) whereas most models predict the peak at S = 1. This demonstrates that steady-state considerations may not be applicable when relating individual NLC properties to background conditions. On the other hand, the mean variation of the NLC appearance with height and season is in agreement with the climatological variation of super-saturation derived from the FS temperature measurements.

scholarly journals Vertical velocities associated with gravity waves measured in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere with the EISCAT VHF radar

1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 1367-1379 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Mitchell ◽  
V. St. C. Howells
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
Motion Field ◽  
Vhf Radar ◽  
Height Range ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Vertical Winds ◽  
Mean Variance

Abstract. The EISCAT VHF radar (69.4°N, 19.1°E) has been used to record vertical winds at mesopause heights on a total of 31 days between June 1990 and January 1993. The data reveal a motion field dominated by quasi-monochromatic gravity waves with representative apparent periods of ~30–40 min, amplitudes of up to ~2.5 m s–1 and large vertical wavelength. In some instances waves appear to be ducted. Vertical profiles of the vertical-velocity variance display a variety of forms, with little indication of systematic wave growth with height. Daily mean variance profiles evaluated for consecutive days of recording show that the general shape of the variance profiles persists over several days. The mean variance evaluated over a 10 km height range has values from 1.2 m2s–2 to 6.5 m2s–2 and suggests a semi-annual seasonal cycle with equinoctial minima and solsticial maxima. The mean vertical wavenumber spectrum evaluated at heights up to 86 km has a slope (spectral index) of –1.36 ± 0.2, consistent with observations at lower heights but disagreeing with the predictions of a number of saturation theories advanced to explain gravity-wave spectra. The spectral slopes evaluated for individual days have a range of values, and steeper slopes are observed in summer than in winter. The spectra also appear to be generally steeper on days with lower mean vertical-velocity variance.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; waves and tides)

scholarly journals Modelling the residual mean meridional circulation at different stages of sudden stratospheric warming events

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-368
Author(s):  
Andrey V. Koval ◽  
Wen Chen ◽  
Ksenia A. Didenko ◽  
Tatiana S. Ermakova ◽  
Nikolai M. Gavrilov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Planetary Wave ◽  
Polar Region ◽  
Meridional Circulation ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Sudden Stratospheric Warming ◽  
The North ◽  
Mean Meridional Circulation ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Wave Induced

Abstract. Ensemble simulation of the atmospheric general circulation at altitudes up to the lower thermosphere is performed using the 3-D nonlinear mechanistic numerical model MUAM. The residual mean meridional circulation (RMC), which is the superposition of the mean Eulerian and wave-induced eddy components, is calculated for the boreal winter. Changes in the vertical and meridional RMC velocity components are analysed at different stages of a simulated composite sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event averaged over 19 model runs. The simulation results show a general decrease in RMC velocity components up to 30 % during and after SSW in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere of the Northern Hemisphere. There are also increases in the downward and northward velocities at altitudes of 20–50 km at the northern polar latitudes during SSW. Associated vertical transport and adiabatic heating can contribute to warming the stratosphere and downward shifting of the stratopause during the composite SSW. The residual mean and eddy mass fluxes are calculated for different SSW stages. It is shown that before the SSW, planetary wave activity creates wave-induced eddy circulation cells in the northern upper stratosphere, which are directed upwards at middle latitudes, northward at high latitudes and downwards near the North Pole. These cells increase heat transport and adiabatic heating in the polar region. During SSW, the region of upward eddy vertical velocity is shifted to high latitudes, but the velocity is still downward near the North Pole. After SSW, upward eddy-induced fluxes span the entire polar region, producing upward transport and adiabatic cooling of the stratosphere and providing the return of the stratopause to higher altitudes. The obtained statistically significant results on the evolution of RMC and eddy circulation at different SSW stages at altitudes up to the lower thermosphere can be useful for a better understanding the mechanisms of planetary wave impacts on the mean flow and for the diagnostics of the transport of conservative tracers in the atmosphere.

Ketilidian structure and the rapakivi suite between Lindenow Fjord and Kap Farvel, South-East Greenland

2000 ◽  
pp. 50-59
Author(s):  
Brian Chadwick ◽  
Adam A. Garde ◽  
John Grocott ◽  
Ken J.W. McCaffrey ◽  
Mike A. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Region ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Natural Environment Research Council ◽  
East Greenland ◽  
The North ◽  
Tectonic Processes ◽  
Field Investigations ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Bad Weather ◽  
North Eastern Part

NOTE: This article was published in a former series of GEUS Bulletin. Please use the original series name when citing this article, for example: Chadwick, B., Garde, A. A., Grocott, J., McCaffrey, K. J., & Hamilton, M. A. (2000). Ketilidian structure and the rapakivi suite between Lindenow Fjord and Kap Farvel, South-East Greenland. Geology of Greenland Survey Bulletin, 186, 50-59. https://doi.org/10.34194/ggub.v186.5215 _______________ The southern tip of Greenland is underlain by the Palaeoproterozoic Ketilidian orogen (e.g. Chadwick & Garde 1996; Garde et al. 1998a). Field investigations in the summer of 1999 were focused on the structure of migmatites (metatexites) and garnetiferous granites (diatexites) of the Pelite Zone in the coastal region of South-East Greenland between Lindenow Fjord and Kap Farvel (Figs 1, 2). Here, we first address the tectonic evolution in the Pelite Zone in that region and its correlation with that in the Psammite Zone further north. Then, the structure and intrusive relationships of the rapakivi suite in the Pelite Zone are discussed, including particular reference to the interpretation of the controversial outcrop on Qernertoq (Figs 2, 8). Studies of the structure of the north-eastern part of the Julianehåb batholith around Qulleq were continued briefly from 1998 but are not addressed here (Fig. 1; Garde et al. 1999). The field study was keyed to an interpretation of the Ketilidian orogen as a whole, including controls of rates of thermal and tectonic processes in convergent settings. Earlier Survey field work (project SUPRASYD, 1992–1996) had as its principal target an evaluation of the economic potential of the orogen (Nielsen et al. 1993). Ensuing plate-tectonic studies were mainly funded in 1997–1998 by Danish research foundations and in 1999 by the Natural Environment Research Council, UK. The five-week programme in 1999 was seriously disrupted by bad weather, common in this part of Greenland, and our objectives were only just achieved. Telestation Prins Christian Sund was the base for our operations (Fig. 2), which were flown with a small helicopter (Hughes MD-500).

scholarly journals The Flow through the Gulf of Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1381-1401 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Candela ◽  
J. Ochoa ◽  
J. Sheinbaum ◽  
M. López ◽  
P. Pérez-Brunius ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Straits Of Florida ◽  
The North ◽  
Astronomical Tide ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Sverdrup Transport ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Yucatan Channel ◽  
Range Variation

AbstractFour years (September 2012 to August 2016) of simultaneous current observations across the Yucatan Channel (~21.5°N) and the Straits of Florida (~81°W) have permitted us to investigate the characteristics of the flow through the Gulf of Mexico. The average transport in both channels is 27.6 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1), in accordance with previous estimates. At the Straits of Florida section, the transport related to the astronomical tide explains 55% of the observed variance with a mixed semidiurnal/diurnal character, while in the Yucatan Channel tides contribute 82% of the total variance and present a dominant diurnal character. At periods longer than a week the transports in the Yucatan and Florida sections have a correlation of 0.83 without any appreciable lag. The yearly running means of the transport time series in both channels are well correlated (0.98) and present a 3-Sv range variation in the 4 years analyzed. This long-term variability is well related to the convergence of the Sverdrup transport in the North Atlantic between 14.25° and 18.75°N. Using 2 years (July 2014–July 2016) of simultaneous currents observations in the Florida section, the Florida Cable section (~26.7°N), and a section across the Old Bahama Channel (~78.4°W), a mean northward transport of 28.4, 31.1, and 1.6 Sv, respectively, is obtained, implying that only 1.1 Sv is contributed by the Northwest Providence Channel to the mean transport observed at the Cable section during this 2-yr period.

Bankarization in the first European cities with an equal number of Muslim and Christian inhabitants

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 554-580
Author(s):  
Miguel Ángel Pérez-Castro ◽  
Miguel Ángel Montero-Alonso ◽  
Akram Abderrahman-Azaar
Keyword(s):  
North Coast ◽  
Content Type ◽  
European Cities ◽  
The North ◽  
Financial Depth ◽  
Financial Framework ◽  
European Banks ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Near Future

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the situation of the financial system in the Spanish-governed cities of Melilla and Ceuta, Christian and Muslim cities located on the north coast of Africa, and compared it with the mean bankarization level in the rest of Spain in 2000-2015. Design/methodology/approach Although different calculation methods have been proposed, most authors agree that the bankarization level of a country or a territory reflects the development of the society as a whole and has a positive correlation with economic growth. The indicators of financial depth proposed by these researchers are not only the ratio between variables such as loans, deposits, etc., but also the ratios of these variables to the population and the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country or territory. Findings The results obtained revealed that there are differences between these two North African Spanish cities. Furthermore, the financing gap between the mean bankarization levels of these cities and those of mainland Spain was found to be even larger than most of the other economic indicators (GDP per capita and the unemployment rate). Practical implications The authors are convinced that the manuscript is a contribution of great interest for serving pilot experience in cities wishing to offer a development of traditional banking and Islamic banking. The paper should be of interest to readers in the areas of finance systems and commercial banks where two different cultures coexist. Originality/value This is the first research study on the financial framework of European cities whose populations have an approximately equal percentage of Christians and Muslims. The data reflected the existence of savings and loan methods parallel to conventional banking. The conclusion was that in the near future, it would be advisable for European banks to take into account the cultural customs and religious practices of potential Muslim clients.

Aircraft Applications of Insecticides in East Africa. VIII.—An Experiment against the Tsetse Fly, Glossina swynnertoni Aust., in an isolated Area of Thronbush and Thicket

1954 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Hocking ◽  
G. F. Burnett ◽  
R. C. Sell
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Apparent Density ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
Tsetse Fly ◽  
Central Province ◽  
The North ◽  
Insecticidal Treatment ◽  
Bad Weather ◽  
Glossina Swynnertoni ◽  
Better Than

An isolated area of 2,200 acres of thicket and thronbush in the Central Province, Tanganyika, was treated from the air with a DDT-in-oil aerosol in an attempt to eliminate the tsetse fly, Glossina swynnertoni Aust. Eight applications of 0·25 lb. technical DDT per acre were planned to be done at fortnightly intervals.Delays due to unseasonal bad weather reduced this to seven at a slightly higher rate and over a longer-period.G. swynnertoni was reduced from an apparent density of about 7 to zero at the end of the second application. No flies were caught after the fifth application for a period of six months.It is not possible to say whether the few caught since then have been brought in or are the offspring of survivors of the insecticidal treatment.This experiment was more successful than that on the Galapo Block in the same ares, to a highly significant degree, and this is attributed to the vulnerability of the smaller population present. It was doubtfully better than the first treatment of the North Block, also in this area, because the increase in population in the latter block may have been assisted by immigration.

scholarly journals On tho proportions of the prevailing winds, the mean temperature, and depth of rain in the climate of London, computed through a cycle of Eighteen Years, or periods of the Moon’s declination

1843 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 300-300
Keyword(s):  
The Moon ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
North West ◽  
West Wind ◽  
North East ◽  
East Wind ◽  
The North ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Solar Influence

In this paper the author investigates the periodical variations of the winds, rain and temperature, corresponding to the conditions of the moon’s declination, in a manner similar to that he has already followed in the case of the barometrical variations, on a period of years extending from 1815 to 1832 inclusive. In each case he gives tables of the average quantities for each week, at the middle of which the moon is in the equator, or else has either attained its maximum north or south declination. He thus finds that a north-east wind is most promoted by the constant solar influence which causes it, when the moon is about the equator, going from north to south; that a south-east wind, in like manner, prevails most when the moon is proceeding to acquire a southern declination ; that winds from the south and west blow more when the moon is in her mean degrees of declination, going either way, than with a full north or south declination ; and that a north-west wind, the common summer and fair weather wind of the climate, affects, in like manner, the mean declination, in either direction, in preference to the north or south, and most when the moon is coming north. He finds the average annual depth of rain, falling in the neighbourhood of London, is 25’17 inches.

PREDATION BY INSECTS AND SPIDERS INHABITING COLONIAL WEBS OF HYPHANTRIA CUNEA

1972 ◽  
Vol 104 (8) ◽  
pp. 1197-1207 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
North America ◽  
Population Density ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Numerical Response ◽  
Initial Number ◽  
Hyphantria Cunea ◽  
The North ◽  
The Mean

AbstractThe number of predators inhabiting nests of Hyphantria cunea Drury was recorded annually for 13 years in four areas in New Brunswick and two areas on the coast of Nova Scotia. The most common groups were the pentatomids and spiders, which sometimes reproduced within the nests, but the mean number per nest was low in relation to the number of H. cunea larvae in the colonies. The rate of predation on fifth-instar larvae was low. Small or timid predators appeared to prey largely on moribund larvae or small saprophagans during the principal defoliating instars of H. cunea.No relationship could be detected between the number of larvae reaching the fifth instar and the number of predators in the colony; nor could any functional or numerical response of the predators to either the initial number of larvae per colony or the population density of colonies be found. It is concluded that the influence of the nest-inhabiting predators is small and relatively stable, and may be treated as a constant in the development of models to explain the population dynamics of H. cunea.H. cunea is a pest in parts of Europe and Asia, where it has been accidentally introduced from North America. The introduction to other continents of the North American predator, Podisus maculiventiis (Say), is discussed briefly.

scholarly journals Different trends between extreme and median surface aerosol extinction coefficients over China inferred from quality controlled visibility data

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Li ◽  
Chengcai Li ◽  
Chunsheng Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Northwest China ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Median Surface ◽  
Aerosol Extinction ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
The North ◽  
Synoptic Conditions ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Trend ◽  
Year 2000

Abstract. Although the temporal changes of aerosol properties have been widely investigated, the majority focused on the averaged condition without much emphasis on the extremes. However, the latter can be more important in terms of human health and climate change. This study uses a previously validated, quality-controlled visibility dataset to investigate the long-term trends of extreme surface aerosol extinction coefficient (AEC) over China, and compare them with the median trends. Two methods are used to independently evaluate the trends, which arrive at consistent results. The sign of extreme and median trends are generally coherent, whereas their magnitudes show distinct spatial and temporal differences. In the 1980s, an overall positive trend is found throughout China with the extreme trend exceeding the mean trend, except for Northwest China and the North China Plain. In the 1990s, AEC over Northeast and Northwest China starts to decline while the rest of the country still exhibits an increase. The extreme trends continue to dominate in the south while it yields to the mean trend in the north. After year 2000, the extreme trend becomes weaker than the mean trend overall in terms of both the magnitude and significance level. The annual trend can be primarily attributed to winter and fall trends. The results suggest that the decadal changes of pollution in China may be governed by different mechanisms. Synoptic conditions that often result in extreme air quality changes might dominate in the 1980s, whereas emission increase might be the main factor for the 2000s.

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