Pines, used for sand dune stabilization, can influence the hydrophysical parameters and water flow in an aeolian sandy soil considerably, mainly due to soil water repellency. Two sites, separated by distance of about 20 m, formed the basis of our study. A control soil ("Pure sand") with limited impact of vegetation or organic matter was formed at 50 cm depth beneath a forest glade area. This was compared to a "Forest soil" in a 30-year old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest. Most of the hydrophysical parameters were substantially different between the two soil surfaces. The forest soil was substantially more water repellent and had two-times the degree of preferential flow compared to pure sand. Water and ethanol sorptivities, hydraulic conductivity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity were 1%, 84%, 2% and 26% those of the pure sand, respectively. The change in soil hydrophysical parameters due to soil water repellency resulted in preferential flow in the forest soil, emerging during a simulated heavy rain following a long hot, dry period. The wetting front established in pure sand exhibited a form typical of that for stable flow. Such a shape of the wetting front can be expected in the forest soil in spring, when soil water repellency is alleviated substantially.

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Abstract-Statistical characteristics of scattered electromagnetic waves by turbulent magnetized plasma slab with electron density and magnetic field fluctuations are considered via the perturbation method and boundary conditions. Magnetic field fluctuates both in magnitude and direction. Analytical expressions for the component of scattered electric field, correlation functions of the amplitude and phase fluctuations, and also the phase structure function for arbitrary correlation functions of fluctuating plasma parameters are derived. The obtained results are valid for near and far zones. Under equal conditions, at strong magnetic fields, electron density fluctuations play the important role and in this case the imposed magnetic field decreases fluctuation intensity of the ordinary and extraordinary waves. Numerical calculations of statistical characteristics of scattered radiation were carried out for anisotropic Gaussian correlation function

This study tested the hypothesis that the changes in hydrophysical parameters and heterogeneity of water flow in an aeolian sandy soil have the same trend as the process of succession. Three sub-sites were demarcated at the area of about 50 m x 50 m. The first sub-site was located at the pine-forest glade covered with a biological soil crust and represented the initial stage of succession. The second sub-site was located at the grassland and represented more advanced stage of succession. The third sub-site was located at the pine forest with 30-year old Scots pines and represented advanced stage (close to climax) of succession. The sandy soil at the surface was compared to the soil at the pine-forest glade at 50 cm depth, which served as a control because it had a similar texture but limited impact of vegetation or organic matter. It was found that any type of vegetation cover studied had a strong influence on hydrophysical parameters and heterogeneity of water flow in an aeolian sandy soil during hot and dry spells. The changes in some hydrophysical parameters (WDPT, R, k(-2 cm), Sw(-2 cm), ECS and DPF) and heterogeneity of water flow in an aeolian sandy soil had the same trend as the process of succession, but it was not so in the case of Ksand Se(-2 cm), probably due to the higher content of smaller soil particles in grassland soil in comparison with that content at other sub-sites. Both the persistence and index of water repellency of pure sand differed significantly from those of grassland, glade and forest soils. The highest repellency parameter values in forest soil resulted in the lowest value of both the water sorptivity and hydraulic conductivity in this soil in comparison with other soils studied. The highest value of ethanol sorptivity and the lowest value of saturated hydraulic conductivity in the grassland soil in comparison with other soils studied were due to the higher content of fine-grained (silt and clay) particles in the grassland soil. The effective cross section and the degree of preferential flow of pure sand differed significantly from those of grassland, glade and forest soils. The change in soil hydrophysical parameters due to soil water repellency resulted in preferential flow in the grassland, glade and forest soils, while the wetting front in pure sand area exhibited a form typical of that for stable flow. The latter shape of the wetting front can be expected in the studied soils in spring, when soil water repellency is alleviated substantially. The columnar shape of the wetting front, which can be met during heavy rains following long dry and hot spells, was attributed to redistribution of applied water on the surface to a series of micro-catchments, which acted as runon and runoff zones.

Abstract-The mutual correlation function of the phase fluctuations of scattered ordinary and extraordinary waves by the magnetized plasma slab with electron density fluctuations and the variance of the Faraday angle is calculated by the perturbation method. Analytical expression of broadening of the spatial spectrum of scattered radiation is obtained for arbitrary fluctuation spectrum. Numerical calculations are carried out for the anisotropic Gaussian fluctuation spectrum at different anisotropy factor and the angle of inclination of prolate irregularities with respect to the external magnetic field. Isolines of the normalized root mean square deviation of the Faraday angle nonlinearly depends on the angle of inclination of prolate irregularities and increases in proportion to the anisotropy factor; two receiving antennas are located in orthogonal planes. It is shown that the broadening of the spatial spectrum of scattered electromagnetic waves by turbulent magnetized plasma slab in the principle plane (location of an external magnetic field) is less than in the perpendicular one.

Abstract. Here we investigated a statistical feature of earthquake time distributions in the southern California earthquake catalog. As a main data analysis tool, we used a simple statistical approach based on the calculation of integral deviation times (IDT) from the time distribution of regular markers. The research objective is to define whether and when the process of earthquake time distribution approaches to randomness. Effectiveness of the IDT calculation method was tested on the set of simulated color noise data sets with the different extent of regularity, as well as for Poisson process data sets. Standard methods of complex data analysis have also been used, such as power spectrum regression, Lempel and Ziv complexity, and recurrence quantification analysis, as well as multiscale entropy calculations. After testing the IDT calculation method for simulated model data sets, we have analyzed the variation in the extent of regularity in the southern California earthquake catalog. Analysis was carried out for different periods and at different magnitude thresholds. It was found that the extent of the order in earthquake time distributions is fluctuating over the catalog. Particularly, we show that in most cases, the process of earthquake time distributions is less random in periods of strong earthquake occurrence compared to periods with relatively decreased local seismic activity. Also, we noticed that the strongest earthquakes occur in periods when IDT values increase.

Abstract. The declustered seismic catalog from 1965 to 2010 around the Enguri high dam reservoir in western Georgia was analyzed using the singular spectrum analysis (SSA) technique in order to investigate the relationship of local seismicity with the reservoir water variations. In particular, the seismic activity was analyzed in two periods: a "reference" period, from 1965 to 1970, before the start of dam building in 1971; and an "active" period, from 1978 to 2010, in which the influence of the reservoir was significantly effective on the seismic activity (since the first flooding of the dam occurred in 1978). The SSA was applied to both the monthly number of earthquakes and the time series of the monthly mean of the water level. The first four reconstructed components explained most of the total variance in both seismicity and water level. Clear signatures of the annual oscillation linked with the loading/unloading operations of the dam are present in the periodogram of the second and the third reconstructed components of the seismic activity during the "active" period. Such annual cycle is absent in the periodogram of the reconstructed components of the seismic activity during the "reference" period. This is a clear indication of the reservoir-induced character of the seismicity around the Enguri dam.