ABSTRACT We present full photometric coverage and spectroscopic data for soft gamma-ray burst GRB 201015A with a redshift z = 0.426. Our data span a time range of 85 d following the detection of GRB. These observations revealed an underlying supernova SN 201015A with a maximum at 8.54 ± 1.48 d (rest frame) and an optical peak absolute magnitude $-19.45_{-0.47}^{+0.85}$ mag. The SN stands out clearly, since the contribution of the afterglow at this time is not dominant, which made it possible to determine SN’s parameters. A comparison of these parameters reveals that the SN 201015A is the earliest (the minimum Tmax) known SN associated with GRBs. Spectroscopic observations during the SN decay stage showed broad lines, indicating a large photospheric velocity, and identified this SN as a Type Ic-BL. Thus, the SN 201015A associated with the GRB 201015A becomes the 27th SN/GRB confirmed by both photometric and spectroscopic observations. Using the results of spectral analysis based on the available data of Fermi-GBM experiment, the parameters Ep,i = 20.0 ± 8.5 keV and Eiso = (1.1 ± 0.2) × 1050 erg were obtained. According to the position of the burst on the Ep,i–Eiso correlation, GRB 201015A was classified as a type II (long) GRB, which was also confirmed by the T90,i–EH diagram.

More than 36 years have passed since the discovery of the infrared excess from circumstellar dust orbiting the white dwarf G29-38, which at 17.5 pc it is the nearest and brightest of its class. The precise morphology of the orbiting dust remains only marginally constrained by existing data, subject to model-dependent inferences, and thus fundamental questions of its dynamical origin and evolution persist. This study presents a means to constrain the geometric distribution of the emitting dust using stellar pulsations measured at optical wavelengths as a variable illumination source of the dust, which re-radiates primarily in the infrared. By combining optical photometry from the Whole Earth Telescope with 0.7-2.5 micron spectroscopy obtained with SpeX at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility, we detect luminosity variations at all observed wavelengths, with variations at most wavelengths corresponding to the behavior of the pulsating stellar photosphere, but towards the longest wavelengths the light curves probe the corresponding time-variability of the circumstellar dust. In addition to developing methodology, we find pulsation amplitudes decrease with increasing wavelength for principal pulsation modes, yet increase beyond approximately 2 microns for nonlinear combination frequencies. We interpret these results as combination modes deriving from principal modes of identical l values and discuss the implications for the morphology of the warm dust. We also draw attention to some discrepancies between our findings and theoretical expectations for the results of the non-linearity imposed by the surface convection zone on mode--mode interactions and on the behavior of the first harmonic of the highest-amplitude pulsation mode.

This work presents an automatic algorithm for detecting internal waves (IWs) using the visible channel images of the MODIS radiometer. The algorithm is based on the local Hough transform. The sources of detection errors and the possibility of excluding false detections are considered. If a train of IWs is detected, it is possible to estimate the wavenumber. The wavelength in the images used in our experiments is within the range 1300–2200 m. The speed of IWs is estimated using two adjacent passes of the Aqua and Terra satellites. The speed and wavenumber are used for estimating the density characteristics of the mixed layer in a two-layer model with constant density. The estimated density difference between the layers based on satellite data is in a good agreement with the in situ data.

The paper analyzes the data of manual ionograms processing of hourly measurements of the critical frequency foF2 of the F2 ionospheric layer at the Wakkanai ionospheric vertical sounding station (Japan) in a geomagnetically quiet environment before a series of earthquakes with magnitude M > 6.0, for which the station entered the earthquake preparation zone, in order to detect possible Ionospheric Disturbances Preceding Earthquakes (IDPE), and to determine their quantitative characteristics. Detected IDPE, in the opinion of the authors, can be related to the processes of preparation of the corresponding earthquakes, i.e., to be Ionospheric Precursors of Earthquakes (IPE).

Infrared and microwave satellite images used for sea-surface temperature (SST) retrieval often have distortions such as noise and blurring of thermal front lines that decrease the quality of SST charts. In order to solve this problem, it is proposed to use an approach based on the Mumford–Shah model that approximates an image with a piecewise smooth function. In order to combine the advantages of the proposed approach and conventional methods for noise filtering and image restoration it is proposed to divide images into flat and frontal zones and process them separately. The SST quality is enhanced by the use of edge-preserving noise filtering and restoration algorithms. The latter use the features of radiometers and different stages of the SST construction procedure to improve their accuracy. The images obtained using the MTSAT/VISSR, METEOR-M/MSU-MR, and AQUA/AMSR-E radiometers are used for testing the developed approach.

Based on data from ground-based vertical sounding stations, the behaviors of the ionosphere F region before a strong M 6.8 earthquake off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, and during the moderate magnetic storm before this earthquake are compared. It was found that the critical frequency of the ionosphere F region (foF2) above the Wakkanai ground-based ionosphere vertical sounding station, which was located in the preparation zone of this earthquake, suffered a long-term disturbance of slightly more than an hour nearly half a day before the earthquake. The magnitude of earthquake-induced disturbance is comparable to that caused by a magnetic storm.

In this paper we present the results of the computation of the electric and magnetic fields produced in the ionosphere by the near-earth seismogenic disturbance in the vertical atmospheric electrostatic field under different ionospheric conditions. It is shown that in the night-time ionosphere during solar minimum and inside large-scale plasma bubbles, the magnitude of the transverse electric field can attain similar to 0.2 and 1.0 mV/m, respectively. The seismomagnetic effect with the magnitude of similar to 13 pT is predicted in the topside daytime and night-time ionosphere at any solar activity. (C) 2015 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We report on in situ measurements of equatorial plasma depletions in the dawn sector from the DMSP F13 satellite during magnetic disturbances which occurred within the solar minimum period of 1995-1996. Examples are given when DMSP F13 observed prominent pre-sunrise depletions associated with weak magnetic disturbances, while the most severe magnetic storms of the period showed only small amplitude depletions of plasma density. Our results indicate that the depletions were observed within about two third of the magnetically perturbed days with the negative maximum excursions of SYM-H less than -40 nT at any season and at various longitudes. Commonly, the depletions appear following the negative SYM-H peaks in the recovery phase of the magnetic disturbances. We discuss the roles of corotating evening depletions and near-dawn effects of the prompt penetration overshielding and the disturbance dynamo eastward electric fields as sources for the reported depletions. (C) 2014 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The transient penetration of high-latitude electric fields into the middle and low latitude ionosphere during the substorm expansion phase is studied by using an analytical model of the magnetospheric convection. The model calculates the distribution of the electric fields of magnetospheric sources between the polar cap boundary and the geomagnetic equator by taking self-consistent account of the hot plasma belt polarization due to the electric fields both of the solar wind/magnetosphere dynamo and the corotation. It is found that a sudden strong enhancement of auroral conductivities associated with the expansive phase of severe substorm results in a significant, short-lived increase of electric field at middle and low latitudes. The electric field perturbation is essentially of transient nature stemming from the large difference between the characteristic time scales of the primary electric field driven by solar wind and of the Alfven layer’s shielding electric field. Under steady state conditions, there is no substantial penetration of the auroral electric fields to middle and low latitudes due to the enhanced auroral conductivities. The corotation driven polarization electric field can noticeably affect the electric field perturbation in the inner plasmasphere provided the ring current is rather intense.

A study of variations in the critical frequency of the F2 layer (foF2) prior to a shallow-focus eartquake with a magnitude M = 5.1 which occurred in Spain on May 11, 2011, is carried out. The obtained results show that a positive disturbance in the foF2 value was observed at the ionospheric Del’ebre station, which is the closest to the earthquake epicenter. At the same time, no disturbances in foF2 are revealed at ionospheric stations located at a greater distance from the epicenter. This fact makes it possible to conclude that the positive disturbance in the F2 layer observed at the Del’ebre station could have a sesmogenic nature.

Based on data from the Japanese Kokubunji and Wakkanai stations of vertical sounding of the ionosphere, the variations in the foF2 critical frequency prior to the strong earthquakes of March 9 and 11, 2011 (M 7.2 and 9.0, respectively), are analyzed. It is found that significant positive disturbances of foF2 had been recorded approximately one day before the first earthquake. Notably, at the Irkutsk reference station, which is located about 3300 km from the earthquake epicenters, there were no significant disturbances of foF2. This suggests that the effects of increased foF2, observed at the Kokubunji and Wakkanai stations, were probably caused by the earthquake preparation processes. The seismo-ionospheric manifestations of the stronger earthquake on March 11, 2011, even if they took place, were hidden by the geomagnetic storm's effects.

This paper presents the results of modeling the ionospheric effect of the seismogenic electrostatic field (SEF) seen at the earth's surface as a perturbation of the vertical atmospheric electrostatic field in the earthquake preparation zone. The SEF distribution at ionospheric altitudes is obtained as an analytical solution of the continuity equation for the electric current density. It is shown that at night, the horizontally large scale SEF can efficiently penetrate into the ionosphere and produce noticeable changes in the horizontal distribution of the F region electron density. The results suggest that the seismogenic electrostatic field could be a possible source for the ionospheric variations observed over Taiwan before the strong Chi Chi earthquake of September 21, 1999. (C) 2012 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The problem of recognition of algal genera based on the remote sensing data requires the analysis of the algae biomass’s distribution. This study provides the analysis of the algae spatial and temporal variations in the Peter the Great Bay. While 116 algal genera were observed, only a few genera have dominated. Usually, the dominant genus contributed about 60% of the sample’s biomass (the minimal value is 20% usually) and 4 dominant genera contributed about 90% of the total phytoplankton biomass. The effective scattering crosssection of the algae in the samples is very changeable and this feature looks promising for the recognition problem. It was found that the spatial and temporal variations of the algal biomass are significant, but the percentage characteristics of a few dominant genera are relatively stable with no significant dependence on a region and a biomass value. The algae’s composition analysis has demonstrated that the same algal genera are propagated in different parts of the Bay. For a given region and month, the set of algae dominated that constitutes about 90% of the monthly biomass is rather small (not more than 10 genera usually). Most of the alga genera (∼75%) do not ever reach a mono domination state (more than 50% of the sample’s biomass).

We examined polar rain flux observed by STSAT-1 in the northern polar cap and compared it with solar wind parameters. We found that the differential energy spectrum of polar rain was similar to that of the solar wind for the energy range 100eV – 1keV, although we cannot rule out the possibility of a small amount of acceleration. On the other hand, the low-energy component of the solar wind showed no correlation and, naturally, the solar wind density had only a weak correlation with the polar rain flux. Polar rain flux in the northern hemisphere is most significant for the condition of the interplanetary magnetic field components Bz<0, Bx<0, and By>0, and in this case it correlated well with the magnitude of By and Bz. For other interplanetary magnetic field conditions, the correlation was insignificant. The results are consistent with those reported previously.

A study of the critical frequency foF2 variations after the large earthquake (Ms=8.1) which occurred on 29 September, 2009 in the region of Samoa Islands in the Pacific Ocean is carried out using data of the ionospheric station of Kwajalein. The epicenter of the earthquake was located at about 184km southwest from Apia (the capital of West Samoa). It was found that wave-like perturbations of foF2 were observed for ∼3h above the station (located approximately 3560km northwest from the epicenter). The amplitude of the disturbance was as large as ∼20% of the average magnetic quiet day foF2 values. A comparison of the observed perturbations of foF2 with the ones detected at Stanford ionospheric station after the Alaska earthquake of 28 March 1964 (Ms=8.4) showed a close similarity of the wave-like perturbations of foF2 in both cases.

On the basis of the 15-min data from a series of ground-based vertical ionospheric sounding stations, a study of variations of the foF2 critical frequency before the strong earthquake (M = 6.3) that occurred on April 6, 2009 at L’Aquila (Italy) was carried out. The earthquake epicenter was located 85 km north-eastward from Rome. Approximately 20 h prior to the earthquake, a well-pronounced statistically significant effect of foF2 increase relative to the average background for magnetically quiet days was observed for almost 1.5 h at the Rome ionospheric station. In this case, at control stations distanced from the earthquake epicenter, no statistically significant deviations of foF2 from the background values were detected during the same observations period. This fact provides grounds for consideration of the foF2 increase observed at Rome station as a possible ionospheric precursor of this earthquake.