Scientific Station Research Articles

Field Stations and Marine Labs Urged to Adapt to Changing Economies and Technologies

More than 900 scientific field stations, marine laboratories, and nature reserves around the world provide valuable and often unique opportunities for research, education, and public outreach. They also are repositories of long‐term data. However, if these scientific outposts—which often are in remote locations—are going to continue to survive and thrive in challenging economic times, “they will need to become more flexible, able to adapt to changing research technologies, to changing economies, and to the changing environment in which we are all embedded,” according to a 23 July report issued by a committee of the U.S. National Research Council.

First measurements of formaldehyde integral content in the atmosphere using MAX-DOAS in the Moscow region

We present the first observations of formaldehyde (HCHO) atmospheric column performed for Zvenigorod, Moscow region, Russia. The data were retrieved from UV spectra of the scattered solar radiation measured by the multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instrument developed by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. We developed an algorithm for the HCHO retrieval from these spectra. For retrieval of the HCHO differential slant column densities, we used the DOAS settings used as baseline in the Cabauw Intercomparison Campaign of Nitrogen Dioxide Measuring Instruments (CINDI). The slant column densities of HCHO were converted to vertical column densities (VCDs) using the air mass factors calculated by a radiative transfer model. The determination of HCHO in the reference spectrum used multi-axis measurements.The variability of the HCHO vertical column in 2010 is analysed. The HCHO vertical column density is larger during east wind directions than during non-east wind directions. This can be associated with the Moscow Megacity influence on air quality at Zvenigorod. The estimation of the Moscow Megacity influence on HCHO abundance at Zvenigorod is around 2.5 × 1014 molec cm−2 per 1 km length of trajectory path inside the Moscow Ring Road.A temperature effect is noticeable in the HCHO VCD. Our data show a statistically significant positive temperature effect in HCHO for the background condition for temperatures from −5°C to +33°C. The temperature trend in HCHO data at Zvenigorod Scientific Station is about (8.9 ± 2.3) × 1014 molec cm−2 (°C)−1. The increase of the HCHO VCD during increase of the air temperature can be explained by the HCHO formation from non-methane biogenic volatile organic compounds (e.g. isoprene) for which more emission is expected at higher temperatures, and by growth of areas of forest and turf fires.

Estimate for radiative forcing of smoke aerosol from 2010 summer fires based on measurements in the Moscow region

Temperature and radiation effects of the 2010 summer fires are estimated on the basis of measurements at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station (ZSS) of the Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), in the Moscow region. The surface air temperature during the 2010 summer smoke varied in antiphase with the aerosol mass concentration, and the thermal radiation balance in the surface layer of the atmosphere varied in phase. Under extreme smoke of the surface layer in August 2010, the reduction in surface air temperature at ZSS has been found to reach 4 K with an increase in the downward flux of thermal radiation by an average of 20 W/m2 and a decrease in the difference between upward and downward fluxes of thermal radiation by an average of 24 W/m2.

Analysis of relationship between condensation activity of surface aerosol and its chemical composition and relative air humidity according to measurements at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station

Data of IR transmission spectra of aerosol samples and measurements of optical characteristics of surface aerosol at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station are used to study the statistical relationship between the Hanel condensation activity parameter and relative air humidity and the basic chemical components of aerosol, namely, sulfate, nitrate, and mineral components, contained in particles with diameters of 1–2 μm. It is found that the Hanel parameter of nitrate-containing surface aerosol decreases with an increase in relative air humidity. An increase in the fraction of nitrates in micron particles is likely to lead to a minor increase in the Hanel parameter. Poorly soluble mineral particles present in the 2-micron fraction of aerosol lead to a decrease in the Hanel parameter. Values of the Hanel parameter, characteristic for sulfate aerosol, are likely to be in the range of 0.4–0.6. Seasonal variations in the Hanel parameter are caused by changes in the aerosol chemical composition, to some degree.

Preparation and characterization of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses in form of plate

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses present an interesting combination of physical, chemical and mechanical properties. During the last decade, intensive progress has been made and a number of applications have been suggested for these materials. In order to successfully apply these materials, it is necessary to accurately characterize their structure, thermal stability and other properties accurately.The aim of the presented work is the manufacturing, examination of the structure of selected Zr-based bulk metallic alloys and confirmation of an amorphous structure using X-ray analysis, microscopic observation and thermal analysis.In this work, the Zr-based bulk metallic glasses in form of plate was successful produced by die pressure casting method. Designed scientific station for casting zirconium based amorphous alloys in the form of plates and rods with selected dimensions is in our university a comprehensive method for achieving amorphous materials which enables us to maintain repeatability of as-cast samples with the amorphous structure and the assumed dimensions range.The diffraction pattern and exothermic reaction as well as the fracture surface morphology reveal that studied as-cast Zr-based alloy is in amorphous state. The calculated GFA parameters show that the alloy exhibits satisfactory glass-forming ability in form of studied plate. These obtained values can suggest that studied alloys are suitable materials for further planned practical application at welding process. The success of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses production in form of plate with obtained sizes is important for future progress in joining research of this group of materials.

Bioaccumulation of potentially toxic trace elements in benthic organisms of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Antarctica)

Data about the concentration, accumulation and transfer of potentially toxic elements in Antarctic marine food webs are essential for understanding the impacts of these elements, and for monitoring the pollution contribution of scientific stations, mainly in Admiralty Bay due to the 2012 fire in the Brazilian scientific station. Accordingly, the concentration of As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn was measured in eight benthic species collected in the 2005/2006 austral summer and the relationship between concentration and trophic position (indicated by δ15N values) was tested. A wide variation in metal content was observed depending on the species and the element. In the studied trophic positions, it was observed bioaccumulation for As, Cd and Pb, which are toxic elements with no biological function. In addition, Cd showed a positive relationship between concentration and trophic level suggesting the possible biomagnification of this element.

Chemical composition and microphysical characteristics of atmospheric aerosol over moscow and its vicinity in June 2009 and during the fire peak of 2010

The microphysical characteristics of aerosol were measured in the atmospheric surface layer simultaneously over the center of Moscow and its vicinity (Zvenigorod Scientific Station, Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences) from June 15 to June 30, 2009, in order to compare the mass concentrations, particle-size distribution functions, and elemental compositions of aerosol over the megapolis and the background zone. During the fire peak of 2010, on August 8, aerosol samples were taken in the center of Moscow and their chemical composition was determined. Comparing results obtained from the simultaneous measurements of the concentrations of aerosol and its elemental composition made it possible to determine their interdiurnal variability, which suggests that the features of time variations are of a regional character and they are determined mainly by the dynamics of the synoptical processes of air-mass exchange. The chemical composition of obtained samples was determined using the method of atomic absorption spectrometry. The measurement results obtained in June 2009 revealed an increase in the content of anthropogenic elements in the atmosphere over Moscow when compared to their content in the atmosphere over the background zone. In Moscow, during the summer fires of 2010, the concentration of sulfur exceeded its concentration in June 2009 by an order of magnitude, and the concentrations of Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, and Fe increased several times. The mean mass concentration of aerosol amounted to 917 μg/m3 in August 2010 and 50–70 μg/m3 in June 2009.

Correlation of Radio and Gamma Emissions in Lightning Initiation

The results of simultaneous radio and gamma emission measurements during thunderstorms are presented. A gamma detector situated at the height 3840 m and two radio detectors of Tien-Shan Mountain Scientific Station (altitude 3340 m) registered intensive gamma flashes and radio pulses during the time of lightning initiation. The radio-gamma correlation grows abruptly at the initial moment (a few hundred microseconds), and the correlation coefficient reaches 0.9-0.95. The gamma-energy spectrum measured during lightning initiation is close to the characteristic spectrum of runaway breakdown. Radio pulses observed at the same time have highest amplitudes. Combined observation of gamma and radio emissions confirm the conception of lightning initiation due to multiple simultaneous electric discharges at hydrometeors stimulated and synchronized by low-energy electrons generated in the runaway breakdown process.

Profiles of Wind Speed Variances within Nocturnal Low-Level Jets Observed with a Sodar

AbstractContinuous sodar measurements of wind profiles have been carried out at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station of the Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics since 2008. The station is located in a slightly inhomogeneous rural area about 45 km west of Moscow, Russia. The data were used to determine the parameters of wind and turbulence within low-level jets in the stable atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). Along with the mean velocity profiles, the profiles of variances of wind speed components from the sodar and the profiles of temperature from a microwave radiometer have been used to quantify turbulence and thermal stratification. Data from two sonic anemometers were used to get the near-surface parameters.The typical standard deviation of the vertical wind component σw within the low-level jet is about 5% of the maximum wind speed in the jet. No noticeable vertical variation of σw across the jets was detected in several earlier sodar campaigns, and it was not found in the present study. An increase in horizontal variances was detected in zones of substantial wind shear, which agrees with earlier published lidar data.Quasi-periodic structures in the sodar return signal, which appear in sodar echograms as braid-shaped patterns, were found to emerge preferably when a substantial increase of wind shear occurs at the top of the stable ABL. The braid patterns in the sodar echograms were not accompanied by any noticeable increase of observed σw, which disagrees with earlier data and indicates that such patterns may originate from various phenomena.

New or rare fungi from eastern Amazonia. 1. Circinoconiopsis amazonica gen. and sp. nov.

Circinoconiopsis amazonica, a new fungal genus and species, is described and illustrated from specimens collected during an excursion to the Scientific Station Ferreira Penna at the Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, eastern Amazonia, Pará, Brazil.

Are Bogs Reservoirs for Emerging Disease Vectors? Evaluation of Culicoides Populations in the Hautes Fagnes Nature Reserve (Belgium)

Several species of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) biting midges serve as biological vectors for the bluetongue virus (BTV) and the recently described Schmallenberg virus (SBV) in northern Europe. Since their recent emergence in this part of the continent, these diseases have caused considerable economic losses to the sheep and cattle industries. Much data is now available that describe the distribution, population dynamics, and feeding habits of these insects. However, little is known regarding the presence of Culicoides in unusual habitats such as peaty marshes, nor their potential vector capacity. This study evaluated Culicoides biting midges present in the bogs of a Belgian nature reserve compared to those residing at a nearby cattle farm. Culicoides were trapped in 2011 at four different sites (broadleaved and coniferous forested areas, open environments, and at a scientific station) located in the Hautes Fagnes Nature Reserve (Belgium). An additional light trap was operated on a nearby cattle farm. Very high numbers of biting midges were captured in the marshy area and most of them (70 to 95%) were Culicoides impunctatus, a potential vector of BTV and other pathogens. In addition, fewer numbers of C. obsoletus/C. scoticus species, C. chiopterus, and C. dewulfi were observed in the bogs compared to the farm. The wet environment and oligotrophic nature of the soil were probably responsible for these changes in the respective populations. A total of 297,808 Culicoides midges belonging to 27 species were identified during this study and 3 of these species (C. sphagnumensis, C. clintoni and C. comosioculatus) were described in Belgium for the first time.

Geographies of place-making in Antarctica: an ethnographic approach

The article implements an ethnographic perspective to explore new modes of engaging with the geopolitics of place in Antarctica. It does so by entertaining the idea that a youth science education initiative undertaken every year in Chile is exemplary of distinctive forms of soft power, where cultural diplomacy plays a significant role alongside scientific practices and international cooperation in the Antarctic. Drawing on critical socio-spatial approaches to conceptualising place and the practices of place-making, the article scales down [or sideways] the discussion of Antarctic geopolitics to an ethnographic account of embodied and situated everyday practices in Fildes Peninsula, King George Island. Visual ethnographic work was undertaken during two short field seasons in 2012 and 2013 at Julio Escudero Station (Chile) and surrounding areas comprising a cluster of national scientific stations. The work was undertaken as part of the annual School Antarctic Expedition (EAE in Spanish), a programme arranged and organized by the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH). Employing the EAE as a methodological strategy and integrating interludes of ethnographic writing, the article argues that this activity, while still promoting national interests, enacts as a particular mode of cultural mediation, moving past propaganda models and top-down discourses of sovereignty, while endeavouring to promote science into wider publics and foster intercultural dialogue in the Antarctic as an indispensable aspect of Antarctic everyday life. The article concludes by venturing into how the effects of an ethnography of Antarctic place can be then scaled up to signal that attention to the “banal geopolitics” of everyday life in Antarctica can be relevant in providing fresh perspectives on large-scale (national and global) debates in polar geopolitics and could be taken more into account in emerging debates about the future challenges in Antarctica.

The first results of observations of acoustic signals generated by cosmic ray muons in a seismically stressed medium

The first results of observations of acoustic signals generated by high-energy muons of extensive air showers, which propagate in a seismically stressed medium are presented. The cosmophysical method for monitoring the volume stressed state is tested using the experimental setup developed in the earthquake-prone region of Almaty at the Tien Shan High-Altitude Scientific Station of the Lebedev Physical Institute. High-amplitude acoustic signals correlated with the passage and interaction of muon groups in the Earth’s crust are detected for the first time.

Supervision of double extensive air showers

Double extensive air showers were investigated at Tien-Shan high mountain scientific station of P.N. Lebedev Institute by means of two various installations. One installation registered electron-photon air shower component, another – Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation. On both installations the double showers divided by a time interval of ~100 nanoseconds have been registered. In the present work frequency of occurrence of such showers in each of installations is analysed, and is shown that at supervision of vertical showers (zenith angle θ <60°) these frequencies coincide.

The first results obtained with the installation HORIZON-T

A new installation HORIZON-T is commissioned at the high altitude scientific station of P.N. Lebedev Institute at the Tien-Shan Mountains. The purpose of this installation is to study EAS arriving at the zenith angles close to the horizon. The installation consists of three Vavilov – Cherenkov detectors located at the center of the installation and five registration points for muons which are placed within 500 m from the center. With the help of HORIZON-T installation EAS events have been detected at zenith angles more than 65 degrees, some of which had muon pulses with the front being ahead of one from Vavilov – Cherenkov pulses by more than 20 ns. Simulations show that such EAS are most likely initiated by primary nuclei with the mass more than 10.

Observation of double extensive air showers

Double extensive air showers were studied at the Tien Shan high-mountain scientific station of the Lebedev Physical Institute using two different installations. One measured the electron-photon shower component, the other measured Cherenkov radiation. Double showers separated by a time interval of ∼100 ns were detected by both setups. The frequency of the occurrence of such showers in each setup is analyzed. It is shown that these frequencies are identical when observing vertical showers (the zenith angle ϑ < 60°).

A Design Principle Analysis of Harmonious City Bus Station

By designing scientific, efficient, safe and comfortable bus stations, the design of harmonious bus station is actually coordinating and harmonizing the relationship among people, bus, station and environment. This paper aims to investigate and analyze the bus station by the concept of harmony, and finds the basis of design and summarizes the principle of harmonious bus station design.

Sewage organic markers in surface sediments around the Brazilian Antarctic station: Results from the 2009/10 austral summer and historical tendencies

The discharge of sewage into the Antarctic marine environments by scientific stations has resulted in local changes in these pristine sites. To assess the distribution and concentration of sewage indicators from the Brazilian Antarctic station, sediments were sampled during the 2009/10 austral summer at four points (water depth of 20 and 60m). Concentrations of faecal sterols and linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) ranged from <0.01 to 0.17μgg−1 and <1.0 to 46.5ngg−1 dry weight, respectively. Maximum concentration of faecal sterols was similar to the value previously calculated as the background level for this area (0.19μgg−1), and it is lower than the concentration observed in previous studies (1997–2008), whereas the LABs concentrations remained practically constant (35ngg−1). Despite the low concentrations of sewage markers, the permanent human activities in the region require monitoring programs to determine continuing trends and prevent the increase of anthropogenic impacts.

The radiative and thermal effects of smoke aerosol over the region of Moscow during the summer fires of 2010

The shortwave radiative forcings of smoke aerosol in the cloudless atmosphere during the summer fires of 2010 in European Russia were quantitatively estimated for the land surface and the atmospheric upper boundary from measurement data obtained at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station of the Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics (OIAP ZSS), Russian Academy of Sciences. Variations in the temperature of the surface air layer due to the smoke-induced attenuation of incoming solar radiation were estimated. The most intensive smoke generation in the atmosphere was observed on August 7–9, 2010, when the maximum aerosol optical thickness amounted to more than 4.0 at a wavelength of 550 nm. In this case, the albedo of single aerosol scattering amounted to ∼0.95–0.96 and the asymmetry factor amounted to ∼0.69–0.70. The maximum shortwave radiative forcing of aerosol amounted to about −360 W/m2 for the land surface and almost −150 W/m2 for the atmospheric upper boundary. During the period of intensive smoke generation, the cooling of the atmospheric surface layer over daylight hours (12 h) amounted, on average, to ∼6°C. The power character of the dependence of the shortwave radiative forcing of aerosol for the land surface on aerosol optical thickness up to its values exceeding 4.0, which was revealed earlier on the basis of data on aerosol optical thickness (up to 1.5) obtained at the OIAP ZSS during the summer forest and peatbog fires of 2002 in the region of Moscow, was supported.

Chemometric tools in chemical fractionation data of soil samples from five antarctic research stations

The aim of this study was to carry out a broad chemical investigation of selected soil samples from Antarctica, near different Antarctic scientific stations. Soil samples collected in background reference sites, with minimal human impact, far away from the stations were used as control samples. Anthropogenic places at the vicinity of the following stations Frei Montalva and Escudero (Chile), Great Wall (China), Bellingshausen (Russia) and Artigas (Uruguay) were studied as a priori human impacted sites. The sequential extraction procedure (SEP) based on the BCR (Community Bureau of Reference) protocol was applied for Cu, Mn and Zn determination. With the help of PCA (principal component analysis) and PARAFAC (parallel factor analysis) methods, meaningful information was extracted from the raw data obtained from SEP procedure. Soil samples affected by the scientific stations are associated with higher heavy metal contents (especially Cu and Zn, between the investigated metals, in the most labile fractions of the SEP applied). This pollution signal is associated with diesel use for the energy generation by the Antarctic stations.