The influence of tropical cyclones on the thunderstorm activity on the Kamchatka peninsula for winter thunderstorms in the 2008–2018 period is studied. The temporal variations of the quasi-static electric field and meteorological values at the Paratunka Observatory of the Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Radio Wave Propagation (IKIR) of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (φ = 52.97° N; λ = 158.25° E) and data on the solar, seismic, and cyclonic activities available on the INTERNET are used as an indicator of thunderstorm activity. It is shown that, in addition to from solar flares, which are accompanied by increased radiation in the visible and infrared spectra, the infrared radiation from a series of closely located epicenters of average-intensity earthquakes, as well as distant tropical cyclones in the Pacific Ocean, can be a source of powerful flows of warm and humid air for the formation of thunderstorm activity.

Winter thunderstorms in Kamchatka are a rare meteorological phenomenon. Temporal variations of the quasi-static electric field and meteorological values at the Paratunka observatory of the Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Radio Wave Propagation, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (φ = 52.97° N; λ = 158.25° E), as well as data on solar, seismic and cyclonic activities available on INTERNET, are used to study the nature of this phenomenon. It is shown that powerful solar flares accompanied by increased radiation in the visible and infrared spectra, as well as the infrared radiation from the Earth that enters the atmosphere before powerful earthquakes with a magnitude of M > 8 may serve as an additional heat source in the surface atmosphere of Kamchatkan for the formation of thunderstorm activity. The contribution of tropical cyclones to these processes with weak seismic activity is not clearly defined and requires further detailed study.

Представлены результаты наблюдений активности свистов в обс. Карымшина (Камчатка) в период ноябрь-декабрь 2008 г. Этот период характеризовался превышением значений f0F2 и уменьшением hF2 по сравнению с обычным уровнем. Наиболее отчетливо этот эффект наблюдался в Иркутске, однако проявлялся и на Камчатке, хотя был выражен слабее. Такое событие объясняют 4 как изменением состава термосферы, так и возникновением западной составляющей электрического поля и градиента электронной концентрации в максимуме возмущений. Последнее также связывают с изменением направления северной компоненты межпланетного магнитного поля 4. В обычных условиях показатель преломления ОНЧ-волн в дневных условиях выше, чем в ночных 7, а число свистов, напротив, ночью выше, чем днем. 18-19 декабря на Камчатке наблюдалось появление свистящих атмосфериков (СА) днем в таком же количестве, как и ночью, порядка 10 1/мин. В то же время в периоды, следующие за максимумом изменения характеристик ионосферы (23, 24, 27, 29, 30 декабря), наблюдалось резкое возрастание количества свистов в дневное время до 50 1/мин. Возможно, что в данном случае источником свистов являлись атмосферные разряды, инициируемые в тайфуне, который наблюдались вблизи сопряженной области в южном полушарии. Увеличение числа свистов связано с изменением условий захвата на силовой линии L 2.4. The results of observations of whistlers in obs. Karymshina (Kamchatka) in the period November-December 2008 are presented. This period was characterized by an excess of f0F2 values and a decrease in hF2 compared to the usual level. This effect was most clearly observed in Irkutsk, however, it also manifested itself in Kamchatka, although it was less pronounced. Such an event is explained 4 by both a change in the composition of the thermosphere and the appearance of the western component of the electric field and the electron concentration gradient at the maximum of disturbances. The latter is also associated with a change in the direction of the northern component of the interplanetary magnetic field 4. Under normal conditions, the refractive index of VLF waves in daytime conditions is higher than at night 7, and the number of whistlers, on the contrary, is higher at night than during the day. On December 18-19, the appearance of whistling atmospherics in the daytime was observed in Kamchatka in the same amount as at night, about 10 1/min. At the same time, in the periods following the maximum changes in the ionosphere characteristics (23, 24, 27, 29, 30 December), there was a sharp increase in the number of whistles in the daytime to 50 1/min. It is possible that in this case the source of whistles were atmospheric discharges initiated in a typhoon, which were observed near the conjugate region in the southern hemisphere. The increase in the number of whistlers is associated with a change in the conditions of capture on the force line L 2.4.

The temperature variations of the near-surface atmosphere in Kamchatka at Paratunka observatory and fluxes of outgoing infrared radiation prior to strong Kuril earthquakes (November 15, 2006, M = 8.3; January 13, 2007, M = 8.1) have been analyzed. It is shown that the radiation fluxes at ground level, as measured on satellites above the epicenter of earthquakes and above a remote observatory, coincide with each other, both in magnitude and in the feature of their time variations. The temperature measured directly at the observatory and the temperature at surface level estimated from satellite observations differ in magnitude, but they coincide in the feature of their time variations. The detected temperature increase (despite the negative regular trend at this time of year) is caused by the appearance of an additional heat source entering in the nearsurface atmosphere. This result, together with the studies of variations of various geophysical data before strong earthquakes performed earlier in Kamchatka, led to the conclusion that the additional heat source is in the Earth’s crust.

The diurnal variations in electrical (quasistatic electric field and electrical conductivity) and meteorological (temperature, pressure, relative humidity of the atmosphere, and wind speed) parameters, measured simultaneously before strong earthquakes in Kamchatka region (November 15, 2006, М = 8.3; January 13, 2007, М = 8.1; January 30, 2016, М = 7.2), are studied for the first time in detail. It is found that a successively anomalous increase in temperature, despite the negative regular trend in these winter months, was observed in the period of six–seven days before the occurrences of earthquakes. An anomalous temperature increase led to the formation of “winter thunderstorm” conditions in the near-surface atmosphere of Kamchatka region, which was manifested in the appearance of an anomalous, type 2 electrical signal, the amplification of and intensive variations in electrical conductivity, heavy precipitation (snow showers), high relative humidity of air, storm winds, and pressure changes. With the weak flow of natural heat radiation in this season, the observed dynamics of electric and meteorological processes can likely be explained by the appearance of an additional heat source of seismic nature.

Records of the coastal mareographs during the December 26, 2004, tsunami are used to study the fine structure of the tsunami wave power spectra. It is shown that a series of maxima is observed in their spectra near the source in a range of internal gravity wave frequencies of 0.2–1.2 mHz, which coincides with the frequencies of the natural oscillations of the Earth. This experimental finding enables us to propose a possible physical mechanism for the formation of tsunami waves as a result of oscillations in the sea bottom at these frequencies. Internal gravity waves in the Earth’s atmosphere excited in this way are found in the variations of the total electron content that resulted from this powerful earthquake.

The objective of work is to study the influence of quasi-biennial oscillation of atmospheric processes on precipitation and frequency of the spring-summer drought against the background of the statistics of cyclonic and anticyclonic activity in different phases of the quasi-biennial oscillation and, consequently, on the yield of wheat in the European part of Russia. The area of the study is the grain zone of European Russia including the North Caucasus, Central Chernozem zone, Volga region and Southern Urals. The timeseries of values of speed and direction of zonal wind on an isobaric surface of 30 hPa for the period 1953–2011 was accepted as data characterizing the “classical” quasi-biennial (Data of Free University of Berlin, https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu). Decadic precipitation totals, indices of PDSI and SPI, snow depth in March, the frequency of centers of cyclones during the period of vegetation classified by phases of quasi-biennial. The increase of snow depth in March is revealed, as well as significant increase in precipitation and a reduction in the frequency of severe droughts in May associated with the intensification of cyclonic activity during the Western phase in relation to Eastern on a vast territory: the western region of Central Chernozem zone, Rostov region and Krasnodar krai. As a result of changing agro-climatic conditions depending on the phase of the quasi-biennial in the territory, it is found a significant excess of productivity of spring wheat during the Western phase against the Eastern phase. The yield of winter wheat was less sensitive to the quasi-biennial. The results of the study can be used to adequately address the problem of increasing the sustainability of harvests in Russia (improvement of agrometeorological practice, including prognostic aspects, and agroinsurance).

The duration of growing seasons and the reaction of the plant component of landscape depending on the average position of the Arctic Front (AF) in different climatic episodes according to observations in the sub-arctic (tundra and forest-tundra) and boreal (northern taiga and middle taiga) landscapes in European Russia and in Western Siberia, north of 60° N, is analyzed. The dynamics of climatic characteristics such as gradients of temperature and precipitation, sum of air temperatures above +10° C (sum of active temperatures), Satellite Climatic Extremes Index (SCEI), vegetation index gradients (NDVI AVHRR (1982–2000) and NDVI MODIS (2000–2012)) was used for the estimation. The regularities of the active temperatures sum increase and slight moisture variation were found. It was caused by the quasistationary and increasing intensity of frontal processes at the Arctic front in summer. All these reasons will cause the advance of the boreal forests to the north.

This work presents the most important results, some of which have been previously unknown, of long-term experimental studies of signals and emission in the ELF and VLF ranges carried by Ya.I. Likhter during ground-based and satellite observations. In addition, the possibility of using the research results obtained for the diagnostics of parameters and the state of the near Earth’s plasma is shown.

Small spacecraft “Compass-2” was created for carrying out of space experiments to research of an opportunity of detection of ionospheric precursors of strong earthquakes. Flight tests and operation of scientific devices "Compass-2" has shown that, the created complex of the scientific equipment can be used for monitoring of an ionosphere with the purpose of detection, registration and studying of the abnormal phenomena in an ionosphere, connected with earthquakes and others natural and man- caused accidents. The abnormal signals probably connected to preparation of earthquake - one day prior to earthquake with M= 4.2 happened in area of Kamchatka 28.02.2007 are found out. The results of other experiments are presented also.

The energy spectra of electromagnetic field and plasma density in the 10−4 - 4×10−2 Hz frequency bands observed on Vega 1 behind bow shock are presented. It has been shown that the spectral maxima coincide with the cyclotron frequencies of cometary molecular ions.

The data of hourly measurements of ionospheric parameters in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsk are analyzed for the period 1998–2002. In the vertical component of near-surface atmospheric quasistatic electric field Ez, earthquake precursors in the form of anomalous negative bays have been found earlier. In some cases, anomalously high sporadic layer Es, interpreted as an ionospheric precursor of an earthquake, was observed simultaneously with anomalous negative bays in Ez. All these cases were correlated with earthquakes of different magnitudes which occurred with a significant time delay (more than five days) after the precursor appearance. Based on the whole data set (including those for simultaneously measured Es and Ez), empirical dependences linking the prediction time of a precursor, earthquake magnitudes, and the distance from the observation point to the epicenter, are presented. It is shown that these dependences are close to those obtained earlier for long-term earthquake precursors in near-surface geophysical fields of the same seismoactive region. Estimates of the prediction time for earthquake precursors on the boundaries of preparation zones are presented.

High-frequency oscillations in a pulse wave signal in the range of 1–50 Hz and their relation to differential blood count leucocytes have been investigated. It is shown that the correlation coefficients grow in the frequency range of 1–12.5 Hz between high-frequency oscillations in a pulse wave signal and stab neutrophils, monocytes and segmented granulocytes. The procedure of smoothing the coefficients of harmonic variation has been proposed.

Natural disasters, the processes of their origin and large-scale technogenic catastrophes are accompanied by anomalous physical phenomena in near-Earth space (NES). In order to reveal such phenomena, record and investigate them, complex NES monitoring is required with the use of specially designed research equipment onboard a low-orbiting spacecraft. This work presents the results of flight tests of the small Vulkan-Compass-2 satellite with research equipment specially designed for orbital monitoring of the ionosphere and search for abnormal phenomena caused by large-scale catastrophes of different nature.

We consider data obtained when the parameters of the ionospheric Es and F2 layers and the vertical gradient of the electric potential in the surface atmosphere were simultaneously measured during the preparatory period of crustal earthquakes with M = 5.0–6.2 in the Kamchatka region. The appearance of anomalously high Es, accompanied by an increase in frequency parameters of the sporadic layer and the regular F2 layer, was detected on days when possible earthquake precursors, as determined earlier, occurred in atmospheric electric fields. The presumed earthquake precursors in the ionosphere are divided into two groups with different earthquake lead times ranging from several hours to two weeks. Empirical dependences are presented that connect the lead time of an earthquake (from the moment of the appropriate anomaly’s occurrence in the ionosphere or in the atmospheric electric field to the moment of the shock) and the epicentral distance to the observation point with the earthquake magnitude. These dependences are different for the two groups of presumed earthquake precursors, but they are close inside each group of possible precursors selected on the basis of quasistatic electric field measurements and revealed in ionospheric parameter variations.

The preliminary results of observations of VLF electromagnetic signals (atmospherics) in the mountains of North Vietnam (Dien Bien Phu, 21°23′50″ N, 103°0′28″ E) are presented. Primarily, signals of typical atmospherics with a maximum in the frequency range of 4–9 kHz were observed; sometimes they were accompanied by so-called “tails” at frequencies less than 1 kHz, and also tweeks of usually short duration (about 10 ms) were observed. Several parameters of the ionosphere, as well as the distance to sources of atmospherics (in accordance to the data of the World Wide Lightning Location Network (TOGA)), were estimated by spectral-temporal characteristics of tweeks.

We have performed a spectral analysis of variations in the E z component of a quasistatic electric field in the atmospheric surface layer in a wide band of internal gravity waves (from 5 min to 3 h) for quiet and seismically active conditions as well as high thunderstorm activity. Observational data of the field for September, 1999 and August–September, 2002, were used. It has been shown that, if there are no thunderstorms or earthquakes, the background spectrum includes oscillations with maxima at periods of T ∼ 1.8 and 1 h, 40, 30, 15, and 10–13 min. Their intensity in the range of periods of 0.5–3.0 h is two or more orders of magnitude higher than the intensity of maxima in the range of 5–30 min. Before earthquakes, with anomalies in diurnal variations of field intensity, there is a tendency of increased background spectrum at maxima noted there. In both ranges of oscillation periods, the spectral intensity increases by one to one and a half orders of magnitude. Under high thunderstorm activity, the variability is higher as compared to the spectra of earthquake precursors by both locations of maxima and their intensity. The intensity of maxima exceeds the maxima on the eve of earthquakes one to one and a half orders of magnitude in the range of periods 0.5–3.0 h and two and more orders of magnitude in the range of periods 5–30 min.