http://hdl.handle.net/2122/67 Search the Channel search http://www.earth-prints.org/simple-search http://hdl.handle.net/2122/4165 Title: EFFECTS OF ENERGETIC SOLAR PARTICLES ON OZONE AND MINOR ATMOSPHERIC COMPONENTS INSIDE THE POLAR REGIONS <br/> <br/>Authors: Damiani, A.; INAF-IFSI <br/> <br/>Abstract: Solar activity influences the Earth’s environment, in particular the atmospheric ozone, by the direct output of the e.m. radiation or through the variability of the incoming cosmic ray flux (solar and galactic particles). Especially energetic particles, arising from huge explosions on the Sun’s surface, travel in the interplanetary medium and, if the circumstances were favorable, they could enter the terrestrial atmosphere (driven by the geomagnetic field lines of our planet) and reach the polar cap regions (geomagnetic latitude > 60°). There, they provide additional external energy and are able to produce ionizations, dissociations, dissociative ionizations and excitations phenomena by interacting with the minor constituents. The induced changes are not confined to the ion chemistry but also to the neutral components. In this way a rise of the concentration of HOx and NOx species and the triggering of catalytic cycles which lead to short (hours) and medium (days) term ozone destruction occur. Finally, also no-reactive reservoir species (e.g., HNO3, HCl, HOCl) are involved in these processes and endure large variations. The present thesis highlights the chemical variability of the middle atmosphere during and after some Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) events recorded during the current solar cycle. Special attention has been paid to the relationship between ozone and HOx data (retrieved from the Microwave Limb Sounder of EOS AURA satellite) for four events referred to 2005. The HOx data, recorded for the first time during the intense ionization caused by the SEP flux, have pointed out some features related to these phenomena not wholly captured by the current theoretical models. In addition, they have highlighted that the HOx rise is able to destroy the so-called third ozone peak at the polar latitudes of the winter hemisphere and it occurs also during medium intensity events. Besides, the analyses of January 2005 SEP events have shown that the changes on the hydrogen species leaded to variability in the concentration and partitioning of chlorine family, not discernible in the summer hemisphere. Further, the use of data coming from the HALOE instrument, referred to SEP events occurred in July 2000 and April 2002, has in short confirmed past experimental results. Finally, the study of a little SEP event occurred during May 2003 has pointed out that SEP events are not the unique ionization source inside the polar latitudes during the winter. http://hdl.handle.net/2122/3969 Title: Ecological Impact of Tsunami on the nearshore western coasts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu <br/> <br/>Authors: Iyer, Dr. CSP; Regional Research Lab, Trivandrum, Kerala; Sreejith, C; Regional Research Lab, Trivandrum, Kerala; Subha, S; Regional Research Lab, Trivandrum, Kerala; Smitha, S; Regional Research Lab, Trivandrum, Kerala http://hdl.handle.net/2122/3891 Title: Conception, verification and application of innovative techniques to study active volcanoes <br/> <br/>Authors: AA.VV. <br/> <br/>Editors: Marzocchi, Warner; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Bologna, Bologna, Italia; Zollo, Aldo; Dipartimento Scienze Fisiche, Università Federico II, Napoli <br/> <br/>Abstract: The development of innovative and quantitative methods is one of the main ingredients for future progresses in volcanic risk assessment and management at long- and short- term time scales. The complexity of volcanic systems originates from the strong heterogeneity of their internal structure (in terms of spatial variation of physical rock properties) and the large variety of thermomechanical processes which may precede and accompany the magma rise and eruption. The most comprehensive understanding of volcanic processes necessarily calls for a multi-disciplinary, integrated approach of data acquisition, analysis and modeling. During the past three decades, we have been witnessing a strong technological development leading to a rapid growth of multidisciplinary studies of volcanoes. The controlled, repeatable experimentation is nowadays replaced by dense monitoring surveys, where the analysis strategy is often dictated afterwards, depending on the data produced. Volcano monitoring networks (geophysical, geochemical, geodetical, …) produce terabytes of data, only a small fraction of them is practically used for research and/or survey purposes. It comes out the need for implementing new strategies of data management able to analyze and mine in the near-real-time huge data flows, having the targets 1/ to exploit the whole available information, 2/ identify and measure quantitative risk indicators useful for volcanic risk monitoring and emergency management and 3/ develop advanced tools for process simulation and event prediction based on the real time analysis and modeling of observed data. Due to the multi-disciplinary nature of the object under study, innovative approaches and techniques for volcano monitoring may concern an ultra-wide disciplinary domain (geophysics, geochemistry, geology, remote sensing, …). The collection of articles in this volume represents an exhaustive description of the main outcomes of the INGV-DPC V4 project “Conception, verification, and application of innovative techniques to study active volcanoes” that we have coordinated during 2005-2007 and which has seen the participation of 14 national and international research units. In the project development the innovation has been focussed on a restricted number of tasks which were believed to be prior in terms of needed scientific effort and development and possible gain of knowledge about volcanic processes. The Task 1 of the project (Probabilistic volcanic hazard estimation) was aimed at the estimation of volcanic hazard based on probabilistic techniques and eruption forecasting. In this framework the research activity was devoted to developments of prototypes of software/codes, strategies for the development of quantitative tools to analyze multivariate seismic database, find precursory patterns of volcanic eruptions, and define probabilistic rules to quantify shortterm volcanic hazard, applications to case studies. The main issue in project Task 2 (High resolution seismic imaging of volcanic structures) was the analysis and modelling of seismic waves propagating through the complex volcanic medium with the aim to extract relevant information about structure, depth location and geometry of the feeding system. Since the initial TOMOVES experiments around Mt Vesuvius in 1993 till the SERAPIS project in Campi Flegrei bay area in 2001, the active exploration tools have demonstrated to well complement passive observations standardly performed by volcanological observatories. In this task most of applications have been devoted to a better understanding of the Campi Flegrei caldera structure through the adaptation of existing tools to the complexity of acquisition and modelling in volcanic environments, while new tools have been developed, especially for the imaging of local elastic/anelastic properties of the volcanic medium. The main objectives of Task 3, was the development, implementation and testing of new tools for realtime analysis of seismic and thermal monitoring data, and to design and test of a prototype, sea-bottom multi-parametric station integrated to an on-land existing monitoring network. Automatic techniques for real-time detection and location estimation of seismic events have been developed and made able to work in 3D heterogeneous volcanic structures. Concerning the experimentation of prototypes for data acquisition in hostile environments it has been developed and tested a sea bottom seismic station with real time transmission connected to the monitoring system of Neapolitan volcanic area. New instruments for thermal monitoring have been conceived along with tools to analyze thermal images in near real-time. The researches and results described in this volume follow the new trend of modern volcanology, where the multi-disciplinary observation is combined with advanced modelling tools and innovative technologies for monitoring of volcanic processes. We hope this book can represent an useful reference for volcano researchers and technology developers. http://hdl.handle.net/2122/3885 Title: Mio/Pliocene phreatomagmatic volcanism in the Western Pannonian Basin <br/> <br/>Authors: Martin, Ulrike; KTB; Nemeth, Karoly; Massey University