Anomalous winters

Fig. 6 Six-month running mean of mean monthly ENSO (solid line) and NAO (dashed line) indices in the period 1950-2003 acquired from the Internet sites (http //www.cpc. NOAA.gov/data/indices/soi, http //www.cpc.NOAA.gov/data/teledoc). The circles indicate years with the anomalous winter SST values the black circles correspond to cold winters, the open circles to warm winters...

Because of the large number of insecurely reconstructed cases in the period 1301 to 1400, the severity of ice winters has been derived from the number of anomalous winters (Strong- -, very strong and extreme severity types). 

The anomalous density behavior of water has important consequences for the survival of aquatic organisms at mid-latitudes. As winter approaches, the surface waters of ponds and lakes cool. The ensuing increase in density causes this water to sink to the bottom of the water body. This process continues until water temperatures drop... 

For the ripened Asiago strong correspondence exists among the different methodologies and the electronic nose technique the samples considered as outlier are the same. The sample 7 of the summer period and the sample 25 of the winter period, which the electronic nose underlines as anomalous, are recognized as products of fermentation, such as butyric acid, that have evident holes, anomalous taste (bitterness and acid) and are very adhesive the sample 6 of the summer period possesses little fermented odour and is a little bit salty and insipid. 

In mild winters, the release from ice occurs during March first in the southern regions and in river mouths, then in the north, and, finally, in Taganrog Bay (Fig. 1). The average duration of the ice period is 4.5 months. In anomalously warm or severe winters, the times of ice formation and thawing may be shifted by 1-2 months or even greater. 

It is probable that the cold summer of 1982 in the Black Sea as well as in the Mediterranean Sea [30] and in the northeastern Atlantic [31] was caused by the aerosols from the El Chichon (Mexican volcano) eruption in April 1982 [18]. Similarly, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo (Philippines volcano) in June 1991, whose after-effects were traced in the atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere up to 1995 (as follows from the modeling results), might also make its contribution to the anomalously cold winter and summer of 1993 [32]. It is interesting that both of these volcanic eruptions coincided with the El Nino events of 1982-1983 and 1990-1995. 

The discovery of the anomalous oxygen isotopic compositions of atmospheric sulfate provides a new means for identifying sulfate of atmospheric origin. Rainwater and aerosols from southern California were found to have A O values in the range of 0%o to -K.5%o (Lee et al., 2001). The average A O of snow sulfate in the Rocky Mountains (Colorado, USA) was - -1.3%o. Sulfate in ice cores, massive sulfate deposits, and Dry Valley soils from various locations also have MIF (Bao et al., 2000 Lee et al., 2001). There appears to be seasonality in the A O of sulfate in precipitation, with higher values in the winter and lower values in the summer, probably due to seasonal changes in climatic elfects that favor aqueous phase S(IV) oxidation in winter relative to summer (Lee and Thiemens, 2001). 

Another well studied marine environment with low exchange with the oceanic streams is the Baltic Sea (76, 77). In this area there are only few local sources of PCB pollution, in contrast with the Mediterranean basin, and a lower PCB concentration in sea water was observed, with a rather homogeneous distribution. Winter data seem quite contradictory and vary from 360 pg l to 14 pg l (76, 77). The total PCB concentration ranges were the following Baltic Sea 12-71 pg 1 in summer and 14—630 pg 1 in winter North Sea 61 217 pg L in winter and 203 2859 pg r in summer. Authors ascribe the anomalous concentration in North Sea (Belt Sea) in summer (exclusively related to the suspended matter) to the human... 

The anomalous behavior of water is critical for the survival of certai n species. If ice sank, bodies of water would freeze solid in winter, killing aquatic life. 

In Fig. 8.24, the occurrence of anomalous ice winters (anomalous ice winter = 1, normal ice winter = 0) is shown for the period 1301 to 2005. The thin and heavy solid curves are smoothed frequency curves obtained by applying a Gaussian low-pass filter with 20- and... 

FIGURE 8.24 Frequency of occurrence of normal (0) and anomalous (1) ice winters in the period from 1301 to 2005. 

At the other side of the temperature scale, water has a most peculiar property it expands as it freezes, contrary to most known substances. Anyone who has suffered the misfortune of frozen water pipes in the winter will be all too familiar with this property. Were it not for this anomalous expansion, ice would sink when it freezes and form a frozen reservoir at the bottom of the oceans. Because of the low thermal conductivity of water, the oceans would not thaw out in the summer. Year after year the ice would increase in winter and persist through the summer, until eventually all or much of the body of water, according to the locality, would be turned to ice (Henderson, 1913, p. 109). Henderson further stated that [t]his unique property of water [the anomalous expansion on freezing] is the most familiar instance of striking natural fitness of the environment, although its importance has perhaps been overestimated but he added that on the basis of its thermal properties alone. . . water is the one fit substance for its place in the process of universal evolution, when we regard that process biocentrically (1913, p. 107). 

Mechtly, E.A., and J.S. Shirke, Rocket electron concentration measurements on winter days of normal and anomalous absorption. J Geophys Res 73, 6243, 1968. 

The survival of life on Earth is offer allributed to Ihcsc anomalous volumetric properties. During winter, ice floats on the lake surface, acting as a thermal insulator to prevent further freezing. Meanwhile, the bottom of the lake remains comfortably liquid at 4 C. 

Sadeq, J., H. A. Duarte, and R. W. Serth, Anomalous Results from Process Simulators, Chem. Engr. Education, 31 (1), 46 (Winter 1997). 

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