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The development of reactor technologies and neutrino physics by means of nuclear reactors requires unceasingly refining and extending knowledge of reactors as an antineutrino source. By employing new data on the reactor-antineutrino spectrum and updated nuclear databases and upon taking into account special features of fuel burnup, the thermal energy released in the reactor core per fission event is calculated for a standard operating period of a thermal-neutron reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of continuous observations of the mass concentration of black carbon (BC) and PM10 and PM2.5 aerosols in the near-surface layer of the atmosphere in the center of Moscow metropolis in 2022 are considered. The results are interpreted applying meteorological data, backward trajectories of air mass transport to Moscow, and MERRA-2 reanalysis data on the spatial distribution of dust and BC in near-surface air of the center of European Russia. The days (less than 9%) of an extreme increase in BC and PM10 concentrations due to atmospheric transport of fire aerosols or dust to Moscow from other regions are highlighted. The variability of a typical aerosol (outside of such episodes) in the megalopolis has been studied at different time scales—from daily to monthly and seasonal. The main contribution of dust and carbon-containing aerosols to megalopolis atmosphere is made by local anthropogenic sources (transport, thermal energy, industrial enterprises, and construction facilities). A high correlation has been established between the concentrations of BC and PM2.5 particles in daily and seasonal changes. Data on BC, PM2.5, and PM10 air pollution in large cities around the world show that Moscow has no more aerosol pollution than the largest cities in Europe and North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the monitoring data of the optical and microphysical characteristics of smoke aerosol at AERONET stations during forest fires in the summer of 2019 in Alaska, the anomalous selective absorption of smoke aerosol has been detected in the visible and near-infrared spectral range from 440 to 1020 nm. With anomalous selective absorption, the imaginary part of the refractive index of smoke aerosol reached 0.315 at a wavelength of 1020 nm. A power-law approximation of the spectral dependence of the imaginary part of the refractive index with an exponent from 0.26 to 2.35 is proposed. It is shown that, for anomalous selective absorption, power-law approximations of the spectral dependences of the aerosol optical extinction and absorption depths are applicable with an Ångström exponent from 0.96 to 1.65 for the aerosol optical extinction depth and from 0.97 to –0.89 for the aerosol optical absorption depth, which reached 0.72. Single scattering albedo varied from 0.62 to 0.96. In the size distribution of smoke aerosol particles with anomalous selective absorption, the fine fraction of particles of condensation origin dominated. The similarity of the fraction of particles distinguished by anomalous selective absorption with the fraction of tar balls (TBs) detected by electron microscopy in smoke aerosol, which, apparently, arise during the condensation of terpenes and their oxygen-containing derivatives, is noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomalous absorption of finely dispersed smoke aerosol was recorded in large-scale smoke haze during mass fires in the boreal forests of Alaska in July 2019 in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum (440‒1020 nm) according to the data of monitoring of the spectral dependences in the refractive index imaginary part on the network of AERONET stations. The variations in the spectral dependences of the aerosol optical depths (extinction and absorption), as well as the size distribution function of aerosol particles, are analyzed. During the anomalous absorption, the imaginary part of the refractive index increased by a factor of 1.8‒7.2 with an increasing optical wavelength from 440 to 1020 nm, reaching a value of 0.315 for the wavelength of 1020 nm. A power approximation is proposed for the spectral dependence of the imaginary part of the refractive index with indices of power approximately from 0.7 to 2.3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of electric currents of saltation in the wind-sand flux and currents caused by the wind transport of dust aerosol particles have been carried out in the desertified territories of Astrakhan oblast and Kalmykia. Empirical distribution functions of the specific charge of saltating particles in a wind-sand flux are presented for the conditions of quasi-continuous and intermittent saltation. It is established that the electric charge surface density reaches +25 nC/m2. It is shown that the local electric field on the surface of the saltating particles can exceed 450 kV/m. An abnormal high electrization mechanism of the wind-sand flux is proposed, including the initiation of high-speed saltation: electric (corona) discharges on the underlying surface, which makes it possible to consider the wind-sand flux a dusty plasma. An analytical model has been developed for the escape of saltating particles from the underlying surface during a corona discharge. It is shown that, when saltation is initiated by a corona discharge, the escape velocity of charged particles can exceed 1 m/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the measurement data in a wind–sand flux on the desertified areas of Astrakhan oblast and Kalmykia, it has been established that the time variability of saltating and dust aerosol particle concentrations, the electric characteristics of the wind–sand flux, including electric currents of saltation, the volume charge of dust aerosol particles, and the electric field intensity in the near-surface layer of the atmosphere within a range of ~30 s to 30 min are determined by the low-frequency variations in the horizontal component of the wind velocity. According to the data of measurements, over the desertified area, the electric charge surface density reaches +25 nC/m2. The empirical probability distribution of a specific charge for sand grains under the condition of quasi-continuous saltation is obtained. A saltation initiation mechanism by electric discharges on the underlayer surface is proposed. An analytical model of particle liftoff to the near-surface layer of the atmosphere by electric discharges on the underlayer surface is presented. It is shown that, during the electric (corona) discharge, the saltating particle launch velocity can exceed 1 m/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of acoustic-gravity waves (waveforms, time durations, amplitudes, azimuths and horizontal phase speeds) from the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Hapai volcano detected at different infrasound stations of the Infrasound Monitoring System and at a network of low-frequency microbarographs in the Moscow region are studied. Using the correlation analysis of the signals at different locations, six arrivals of signals from the volcano, which made up to two revolutions around the Earth, were detected. The Lamb mode of acoustic gravity waves from the volcano eruption is identified and the effect of this mode on generation of tsunami waves and variation of aerosol concentration is studied. The energy released from an underwater volcano into the atmosphere is estimated from the parameters of the Lamb wave and compared with the energy released from the most powerful nuclear bomb of 58 Mt TNT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on monitoring from AERONET stations in the Beijing region in the twenty first century, it is found that, during transport of dust haze with the aerosol optical depth up to 4.0–4.5, the optical and microphysical characteristic of dust aerosol are determined by coarse particles with modal radii of ∼2–4 μm and a mass content of dust aerosol reaching 11–12 g/m2. Data of monitoring from the Beijing and Xinglong stations in April 2006 and from the Beijing-CAMS station in March 2021 indicate that the imaginary part of the refractive index of dust aerosol under the conditions of optically dense dust haze is comparatively small, from 0.0005 to 0.003, with 54 and 77% detection probabilities at the Beijing and Xinglong stations, respectively, in April 2006. The analysis of the spatial distribution of the aerosol optical depth and the wind field reanalysis data showed that the long-range dust aerosol transport from Takla-Makan desert to North China Plain (NCP) was observed in April 2006. The aerosol radiative forcings at the top and bottom of the atmosphere are calculated for the period of dust haze propagation on the territory of China. During intense transports of dust aerosol to the Beijing region, the efficiency of the aerosol radiative forcing is shown to be 85 W/m2 at the top of the atmosphere and 135–140 W/m2 at the bottom of the atmosphere. Using the wind field reanalysis data, aerosol optical depth satellite monitoring data, and retrievals of the optical and microphysical characteristics of the tropospheric aerosol, we estimated the dust aerosol mass flux from Takla-Makan Desert to NCP (∼1.5 ton/s) in April 2006 and the daily total dust aerosol mass transport (∼1.5 million tons). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents author's original and literature data on the standard free energy of 31 Sc ions and complexes in aqueous solution. Scandium behavior at the weathering of phyllite shales is physicochemically simulated with the Selector program package. The content of Sc in the shales is close to its average content in the Earth's crust: 10–3 wt %. Solution in the weathering profile was determined to contain Sc practically only in the form of the hydroxocomplex The dissolved Sc concentrations is controlled by the solubility of its oxide Sc2O3 and phosphate ScPO4 and is lower than 10–9 mol/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data on black carbon (BC) concentration CBC in the air basin of Moscow, and 5-day back trajectories of air mass motion, obtained in the period of 2003–2014, were used to determine the dependence of variations in black carbon concentration in the air basin of Moscow on the direction of air mass transport, and to determine the black carbon source regions. The 12-year measurements of black carbon concentration in Moscow air are used to show that the СBC variations are determined by the character of the air mass circulation in the troposphere. Measurements of black carbon content in the Moscow air basin in June–September 2019 and 10-day back trajectories of air mass transport were used to study the effect of the latter on the air pollution level in Moscow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first cycle of measurements of the ratio of cumulative spectra of beta particles originating from the isotopes U and Pu undergoing thermal-neutron-induced fission was performed. It is found that the curve obtained from our present measurement of the U Pu ratio of beta-particle spectra lies 5 lower than the analogous curve following from the measurement of a group from Institute Laue–Langevin (ILL). The present analysis reveals that this is due to an erroneous 5 overestimation of the U beta-particle spectrum measured by the ILL group. As a consequence, the results obtained for the U spectrum at the production instant via a reconstruction from the cumulative spectrum of beta particles from U also turned out to be overestimated by 5 . These data explain the effect of the reactor antineutrino anomaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentration of black carbon (BC), measured in near-surface air on the territory of the Pechora-Ilych State Natural Biosphere Reserve (PISNBR) on the western side of the Northern Ural Mountains, far from sources, is presented for two years (December 2017–November 2019). The temporal variations in BC concentration throughout a year and the location of its main sources are analyzed. The average values for two cold and two warm half-years were 128 and 62 ng/m3, respectively. The BC concentration in near-surface atmosphere was compared with MERRA-2 reanalysis data. On a monthly scale, the anomalous increase in BC concentration during short-term smoke aerosol transport across the observation area is more clearly revealed from the reanalysis data, rather than by values measured at a single point. Daily monitoring allows us to detect the specific dates of such situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Russian Arctic seas, observations of surface methane concentrations (CH4), ozone, nitrogen and carbon oxides, as well as the content of isotope and black carbon (BC, soot aerosol), were carried out from onboard of the R/V Academician Mstislav Keldysh. The areas of local methane releasing from bottom sediments were investigated. It was shown that the studied methane releasing on the Arctic shelf are of a local nature and, on the whole, insignificantly affect the composition of the atmosphere in the region. The average concentration of methane in the surface air in the Arctic seas is mainly determined by large-scale processes of air mass transfer. An analysis of the distribution of black carbon along the route of the vessel was carried out. It was found that the excess in the concentration of black carbon over the background values is observed occasionally during advection of air masses from the mainland and from the areas of associated gases burning and forest fires. The effect of emissions from a ship's chimney on the data obtained was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A weathering profile of phyllite shales with an original Ag concentration of 10–5 wt % (the average Ag concentration in the Earth's crust is 7 × 10–6 wt %) was numerically simulated with the SELECTOR program package. Under oxidizing conditions, Ag occurs in the solutions dominantly in the form of the cation and a few percent of the anion , at a total Ag concentration of ×10–6.4 mol/L. Under reduced conditions, the dominant ion is , whose concentration is 10–8.19 mol/L. The mineral form of Ag throughout the whole vertical section is native silver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size distributions of saltating aleurite and sand particles have been measured in a windsand flux in a desertified area in Astrakhan oblast. The distributions are approximated by a sum of lognormal distributions for the aleurite-sand and aleurite fractions. The threshold wind velocity for the total particle concentration is determined under conditions of nonintermittent saltation. It is found that the threshold velocity depends on the size of saltating particles. Empirical approximations of the total number concentration and differential particle concentration of aleurite and sand particles as functions of wind velocity are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurements of soot aerosol concentration in Moscow and Beijing in 2004–2010 are presented. The variability ranges of one-time soot concentrations in this period of time had been 0.1–77 μg/m3 in Beijing and 0.1–22 μg/m3 in Moscow. The seven-year average daytime soot concentration in Beijing is 2.5 times higher than in Moscow. The seasonal behavior of the soot concentration is more pronounced in Moscow: the soot concentration is 33% lower in summer than in winter, and only 13% lower in Beijing. Analysis of back trajectories of air mass transport and variations in soot concentration showed that the soot content in the atmosphere of Beijing significantly increases when air masses are transported from industrially developed regions south of Beijing. The air pollution by soot in Moscow predominantly decreases due to advection when air masses from northern regions come to Moscow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New data on the black carbon (BC) content in the atmosphere are obtained during year-round daily monitoring of BC concentration in the near-surface air layer in a hard-to-reach region of the northern Urals (on the territory of Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve) with the time resolution of 1 day. Results are analyzed for the cold half-year (from October 2017 to March 2018), when only BC of anthropogenic origin is present in the atmosphere and no fire effect is possible. Average BC concentrations (plus or minus standard deviation) are (296 ± 172) and (175 ± 82) ng/m3 in the near-surface air of Yaksha settlement and outside it, respectively. Comparison of monthly average BC concentrations in the near-surface air with those estimated from satellite observations (https://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov/giovanni/) shows a satisfactory agreement, serving as a cross-check and confirming the reliability of results. Trajectory analysis of long-range transport of air masses and BC for the region of Pechora-Ilych nature reserve made it possible to identify the main anthropogenic BC sources in the atmosphere at distances less than 500 km on industrial territories of the central Urals, areas of carbon-containing fuel production in Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Districts, in the cities and settlements of Perm oblast, Udmurtia, and the Komi Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of a study of black carbon concentrations in the atmospheric boundary layer over the Baltic and North seas, the North Atlantic, and Norwegian, Barents, Kara, and Laptev seas from June 30 to September 29, 2017, on cruises 68 and 69 of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh. Black carbon has a significant impact on climate change and pollution in the Arctic. It forms as a result of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels (primarily coal and oil) and biomass or biofuels. It consists of submicron particles and their aggregates and can be transported long distances from their source. Samples were taken by pumping air for 4–6 h through Hahnemule quartz filters at a height of 10 m above sea level in a headwind to prevent exhaust from the smokestack from entering the filters. The black carbon content was subsequently determined in a laboratory with an aethalometer. The backward trajectories of air mass transfer and the transported black carbon particles to the sampling points were calculated by the HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model on the NOAA website at http://www.arl.noaa.gov/ready.html. Studies show low black carbon concentrations (<50 ng/m3) along the expedition's route when the air masses came from background regions of the North Atlantic and Arctic. High black carbon concentrations (100–200 ng/m3 or more) are characteristic of active shipping areas (southwestern Baltic, North Sea) and near ports (e.g., Reykjavik), as well as the arrival of air masses from industrialized areas of Europe in the southeastern Baltic and from oil and gas field areas where gas flaring is carried out (North, Norwegian, and Kara seas). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The saltating particle aleurite mode has been discovered in the wind–sand flux over a desertified area. The approximation of the measured saltating particle distribution was found using two lognormal distribution functions. In the wind–sand flux, the countable concentrations of aleurite and sand particles depend differently on the wind velocity in the atmospheric surface layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X2307005X [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The smoke haze over the European part of Russia (EPR) and Belorus in July 2016 has been studied with the use of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) data measured by MODIS satellite spectrometers. The AOT maximum on the territory limited by coordinates 45°-70° N and 20°-60° E reached 2.95 on July 24, 2016 with an average regional value of 0.48. The total mass of smoke aerosol without the area covered by clouds was 0.73 million tons. Analysis of the wind fields and five-day back trajectories of air mass movement showed that the smoke was transported by the northeast winds to the EPR and Belorus from western Siberia, including the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, which was characterized by large forest fires from July 17 to 23. Simulation of the radiation regime of the smoky atmosphere indicated that the average radiative forcings of smoke aerosol at upper and lower boundaries of the atmosphere for the above-mentioned territory are -29 and -54 W/m2, respectively (the extreme values are -124 and -154 W/m2, respectively). A comparative analysis of the smoke haze characteristics over the EPR in July 2016 and in summer 2010 has been conducted. According to ground-based measurement data, the mass concentration of PM10 during the smoke period from July 24 to 27 in the Moscow region reached 0.25 mg/m3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of measurements of the soot and fine aerosol mass concentration in the center of Moscow and at two points of the Zvenigorod Scientific Site (ZSS) in the spring-autumn periods of 2014-2016 are presented. The results are compared with data of complex measurements made during 1989-2013. Events where the increase in atmospheric air pollution by smokes from burning peat bogs in Bryansk oblast and smoke from burning trees infested by bark beetles in forests in Moscow region, as well as by forest fire smoke coming from Siberia, have been identified. The considerable increase in vehicle density during past 25 years near the ZSS measurement point located 150 m from a highway led to an increase in the level of air contamination by aerosol components by two or three times. At the second point, 1 km from the highway, the soot contamination level is comparable with data obtained in the 1990s and is approximately a third as high as in Moscow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have characterized the large-scale smoke pollution of the European territory of Russia (ETR) and adjoining areas in July 2017, caused by long-range transport from forest-fire areas in Siberia, confirmed by calculations of ten-day back trajectories of air mass motion to the ETR urban area, spanning Archangelsk to Rostov-on-Don. The smoke-laden ETR area with an AOD > 0.3 (average value being 0.43 and maximal value being 2.5) on July 25, 2016, covered 5 million km2, and the total smoke mass was ~1.2 million tons. It is shown that the daily average mass concentration of aerosol with particle sizes less than 2.5 μm exceeded the corresponding maximum permissible concentration in the Moscow region during the period from July 24 to 27, 2016. The influence of local sources on aerosol and gas pollution of atmospheric air was estimated. The smoke haze in 2016 was found to be deficient in carbon monoxide as compared to smoke pollution in 2010. It is shown that the thermal and wind stratification in the atmospheric boundary layer markedly influenced the pollution level in the smoke-laden urban atmosphere. Smoke aerosol radiative effect was estimated. The average aerosol radiative forcings at the top and bottom of the atmosphere over ETR on July 25, 2016, were-29 and-53 W/m2, and extreme forcings reached-112 and-215 W/m2, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of measurements of the black carbon and fine aerosol content in Beijing and in a background region 150 km to the northeast of the capital of China are analyzed. The measurements have been carried out for many years, mainly in autumn periods. A regional decrease in the black carbon concentration has been found. The conclusion made in earlier works about the decrease in the relative contribution of soot aerosol, on average, with an increase in air turbidity has been corroborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulations of a weathering profile on granite containing 10 mol/L Sn (whose average content in the Earth's crust is 0.00025%) by the SELECTOR program package indicate that cassiterite SnO solubility under both oxidizing and reducing conditions is no higher than 10 mol/L within the pH range of 3 to 11. The only ion occurring in equilibrium with cassiterite is the neutral Sn(OH) complex, which was detected in both oxidizing and reducing environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of the reactor-antineutrino spectrum and the evolution of the spectrum of positrons from the inverse-beta-decay reaction in the course of reactor operation and after reactor shutdown are considered. The present-day status in determining the initial reactor-antineutrino spectrum on the basis of spectra of beta particles from mixtures of products originating from uranium and plutonium fission is described. A local rise of the experimental spectrum of reactor antineutrinos with respect to the expected spectrum is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a comprehensive study of the physicochemical characterization of multicomponent aerosols in the smoky atmosphere of Moscow during the extreme wildfires of August 2010 and against the background atmosphere of August 2011. Thermal-optical analysis, liquid and ion chromatography, IR spectroscopy, and electron microscopy were used to determine the organic content (OC) and elemental content (EC) of carbon, organic/inorganic and ionic compounds, and biomass burning markers (anhydrosaccharides and the potassium ion) and study the morphology and elemental composition of individual particles. It has been shown that the fires are characterized by an increased OC/EC ratio and high concentrations of ammonium, potassium, and sulfate ions in correlation with an increased content of levoglucosan as a marker of biomass burning. The organic compounds containing carbonyl groups point to the process of photochemical aging and the formation of secondary organic aerosols in the urban atmosphere when aerosols are emitted from forest fires. A cluster analysis of individual particles has indicated that when the smokiest atmosphere is characterized by prevailing soot/tar ball particles, which are smoke-emission micromarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative study of the efficiency of procedures for the determination of the biomarkers of organophosphorus agents (OPAs) in blood plasma was performed. It was found that the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry determination of OPAs reactivated from the composition of protein adducts is a rapid method for the detection of exposure to OPAs. The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry determination of phosphonylated butyrylcholinesterase and albumin fragments modified with OPA residues provides an opportunity to perform more sensitive and retrospective analysis. The tyrosine adducts of OPAs with serum albumin and other blood plasma proteins are not prone to dealkylation in the course of aging; in the series of the test markers, they possess the greatest diagnostic value because they make it possible to determine the precise structure a toxic agent after the longest time interval after exposure. The tentative limit of detection of OPA markers varies from 0.1 to 1.0 ng/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The probability distribution of specific charge of saltating sand over a desertified area has been obtained for the first time. The specific charge of the saltating sand varied between 10 and 150 μC/kg (48.5 μC/kg on the average) according to measurements over a desertified area in Kalmykia (July 2014). An original setup has been designed whereby the saltating sand concentrations, electric current fluctuations, and turbulent pulsations of the wind velocity have been measured over the desertified area in Kalmykia. Regularities in transformations of the statistical parameters from the wind speed to the sand grain concentration and further to the electric current of the saltation due to nonlinear processes in a windsand flux have been ascertained for the first time, including variations in the empirical distribution functions and fluctuation power spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi-horizontal trajectories of salting sand grains were found using high-speed video-recording in the desertified territory of the Astrakhan region. The sizes and displacement velocities of the saltating sand grains were determined. A piecewise logarithmic approximation of the wind profile in a quasi-stationary wind-sand flow is suggested, which is consistent with the data of observations and modeling. It was established that, in the regime of stationary saltation, the wind profile in the lower saltation layer of the wind-sand flow depends only slightly on the wind profile variations in the upper saltation layer. The vertical profiles of the horizontal wind component gradient in a quasi-stationary wind-sand flow were calculated and plotted. It was shown using high-speed video recording of the trajectory of a sand grain with an approximate diameter of 95 μm that the weightlessness condition in the desertified territory of the Astrakhan region in a stationary wind-sand flow is satisfied at a height of approximately 0.15 mm. The electric parameters of a wind-sand flow, which can provide for compensation of the force of gravity by the electric force, were estimated. In particular, if the specific charge of a sand grain is 100 μC/kg, the force of gravity applied to the sand grain can be compensated by the electric force if the vertical component of the electric field in a wind-sand flow reaches approximately 100 kV/m. It was shown that the quasi-horizontal transport of sand grains in the lower millimeter saltation layer observed in the desertified territory can be explained by the joint action of the aerodynamic drag, the force of gravity, the Saffman force, the lift force, and the electric force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in the aerosol mass concentration in the smoky atmosphere of the Moscow region in autumn 2014 have been analyzed. The soot mass fraction and ratio between the PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations were typical of the fires in boreal forests. The smoke event in the Moscow region was due to the long-range transfer of the smoke aerosol, which was confirmed by a joint analysis of aerospace monitoring data and inverse trajectories of air mass transfer, and local fires in the Moscow region. As a result, statistical parameters of variations in the smoke aerosol mass concentrations were atypical, including empirical distribution functions and power spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurements of submicron aerosol and black carbon (BC) surface concentrations, and carbon monoxide (CO) total column in 1992-2012 in Beijing and Moscow are illustrated. The specific features in the long-term variations in the studied impurities in these megacities are discussed. The level of pollution with all three impurities in Beijing is substantially higher than in Moscow. From 1992 to 1999, the monthly means of black carbon and aerosol increased in Beijing. These concentrations substantially decreased beginning from 2000. From 2007 to 2011, black carbon decreased and submicron aerosol increased. In 1996-2003 the urban part of CO total column (TC) in Beijing was on average higher than in 2006-2012 by a factor of 1.4. The anthropogenic part of CO in Moscow decreased in 2006-2012. High aerosol and CO concentrations, comparable with concentrations rather typical of Beijing, were observed in Moscow only during wildfires in 2010. Using the cluster analysis statistical methods, it has been indicated that the main sources of the air pollution in Beijing are located 100-500 km southward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses study conducted to estimate of the specific charge of saltation sand particles with the alternating sign of saltation electric currents in the sandy territory near the Volga River, Russia. Topics discussed include interaction between atmosphere and the terrain surface in sandy arid territories, measurements of the quasi-horizontal electric currents in wind and sand flow, and distributions of electric current densities.

An experimental setup on the thermal neutron beam of the IR-8 reactor at the National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute is described. This setup has been designed to precisely measure the ratio of spectra of β particles emitted by mixtures of U and Pu fission products. The experiment is based on simultaneous measurements of β spectra from fissile isotopes U and Pu and the background spectrum in the same neutron beam. Measurements of the β spectra are taken by a high-selectivity β spectrometer in the time interval when the neutron beam is intercepted by a mechanical chopper. The evolution of the measurement technique is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectral measurements of radiowaves emitted by artificial ball lightning are presented. The measurements were carried out using two different facilities: a pulsed power generator (PPG) and a three-contour Tesla transformer. The results of these measurements confirm the hypothesis that ball lightning is a self-oscillator of high-voltage pulses in the radio range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of smoke plume over European Russia (ER) during the massive forest and peatbog fires of summer 2010 has been studied using observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) from MODIS instruments (both Aqua and Terra platforms), objective analysis of meteorological fields performed at the Russian Hydrometeorological Research Center, NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, as well as upper air data. A relation between the structure inhomogeneities of the AOD field and regional atmospheric circulation has been found. It is shown that, on August 5-9, 2010, the maximum of smoke pollution did complete turn around Moscow, while remaining at a distance of 200 to 650 km from the megacity. Both regionally averaged shortwave aerosol radiative forcings (ARFs) at the top and the bottom of the atmosphere are estimated for the period of extreme smoke pollution over ER. The spatial distributions of ARF values over the territory of the region and the estimates of the local and spatially distributed thermal effects of smoke aerosol are given. It is shown that, on August 5-9, 2010, the spatial distribution of AOD and the calculated thermal effects of smoke aerosol were in agreement with the spatial distributions of air-temperature anomalies observed in the lower 1.5-km layer of the atmosphere. MODIS's AOD data obtained during the wildfires were validated by AOD observations from the CIMEL sun photometer operated at the AERONET station Zvenigorod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study to identify the process of transporting saltating sand grains over sandy desertified territories with the help of high speed video recording. The vertical profiles of saltating sand grain concentration were collected in the lower saltation layer. The scales of variations in the dynamic velocity were estimated and the vertical component of wind velocity at different intervals of the trajectory was found.

Arctic haze is a seasonal phenomenon with high concentrations of accumulation-mode aerosols occurring in the Arctic in winter and early spring. Chemistry transport models and climate chemistry models struggle to reproduce this phenomenon, and this has recently prompted changes in aerosol removal schemes to remedy the modeling problems. In this paper, we show that shortcomings in current emission data sets are at least as important. We perform a 3 yr model simulation of black carbon (BC) with the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART. The model is driven with a new emission data set ("ECLIPSE emissions") which includes emissions from gas flaring. While gas flaring is estimated to contribute less than 3% of global BC emissions in this data set, flaring dominates the estimated BC emissions in the Arctic (north of 66° N). Putting these emissions into our model, we find that flaring contributes 42% to the annual mean BC surface concentrations in the Arctic. In March, flaring even accounts for 52% of all Arctic BC near the surface. Most of the flaring BC remains close to the surface in the Arctic, so that the flaring contribution to BC in the middle and upper troposphere is small. Another important factor determining simulated BC concentrations is the seasonal variation of BC emissions from residential combustion (often also called domestic combustion, which is used synonymously in this paper). We have calculated daily residential combustion emissions using the heating degree day (HDD) concept based on ambient air temperature and compare results from model simulations using emissions with daily, monthly and annual time resolution. In January, the Arctic-mean surface concentrations of BC due to residential combustion emissions are 150% higher when using daily emissions than when using annually constant emissions. While there are concentration reductions in summer, they are smaller than the winter increases, leading to a systematic increase of annual mean Arctic BC surface concentrations due to residential combustion by 68% when using daily emissions. A large part (93 %) of this systematic increase can be captured also when using monthly emissions; the increase is compensated by a decreased BC burden at lower latitudes. In a comparison with BC measurements at six Arctic stations, we find that using daily-varying residential combustion emissions and introducing gas flaring emissions leads to large improvements of the simulated Arctic BC, both in terms of mean concentration levels and simulated seasonality. Case studies based on BC and carbon monoxide (CO) measurements from the Zeppelin observatory appear to confirm flaring as an important BC source that can produce pollution plumes in the Arctic with a high BC /CO enhancement ratio, as expected for this source type. BC measurements taken during a research ship cruise in the White, Barents and Kara seas north of the region with strong flaring emissions reveal very high concentrations of the order of 200-400 ngm-3. The model underestimates these concentrations substantially, which indicates that the flaring emissions (and probably also other emissions in northern Siberia) are rather under- than overestimated in our emission data set. Our results suggest that it may not be "vertical transport that is too strong or scavenging rates that are too low" and "opposite biases in these processes" in the Arctic and elsewhere in current aerosol models, as suggested in a recent review article (Bond et al., Bounding the role of black carbon in the climate system: a scientific assessment, J. Geophys. Res., 2013), but missing emission sources and lacking time resolution of the emission data that are causing opposite model biases in simulated BC concentrations in the Arctic and in the mid-latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bottom of Lake Chebarkul' was investigated by ground penetrating radar at the fall site of a large fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite. Linear profiles and 3D reconstructions revealed an anomalous depression of the lake floor relief and the disturbance of the structure of the ice cover, which indicate the possible place of meteorite fragment occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to perform reactor experiments aimed at studying the nature of the neutrino and measurements in the realms of geo- and astrophysical neutrinos and to meet practical requirements in this field, it is highly desirable to obtain deeper insight into the operation of nuclear reactors as a source of antineutrinos. The fluxes and spectra of neutrinos from a reactor in the on and off modes and from a reservoir intended for storing a spent reactor fuel and situated near the reactor being considered are calculated. Features that are peculiar to the flux and spectrum of reactor antineutrinos and which are of importance for implementing and interpreting experiments, but which were disregarded previously, are analyzed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of β spectra from fission fragments are complicated by high background of γ rays and neutrons. A scintillation β spectrometer capable of precisely reconstructing the β particle spectra in the energy range of >1 MeV has been developed to reduce the effect of this background without deteriorating the high detection efficiency for β particles. The functional diagram of the spectrometer is described, and the results of spectrometer testing using radioactive electron sources are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been indicated that the electric field that exists above the Earth's surface contains information about the structure of underground inhomogeneities. Equations have been obtained and are used to illustrate the numerical calculations of the electric field strength along the Earth's surface and some types of underground objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the mass concentration of the smoke aerosol in the smoky atmosphere of the Moscow region in Russia in 2010, focusing on its optical and microphysical parameters. The large-scale formation of smoke in the atmosphere during the peatbog forest fires in the European territory of the Russian Federation in 2010 brought a substantial worsening of the ecological situation and radical variation in the radiation regime of the atmosphere over huge territories such as the Moscow region. It highlights the application of multidisciplinary measurements of the optical aerosol characteristics as well as monitoring of the mass aerosol concentration.