Terrestrial vegetation carbon sinks in China, 1981―2000

Using China's ground observations, e.g., forest inventory, grassland resource, agricultural statistics, climate, and satellite data, we estimate terrestrial vegetation carbon sinks for China's major biomes between 1981 and 2000. The main results are in the following: (1) Forest area and forest biomass car- bon (C) stock increased from 116.5×106 ha and 4.3 Pg C (1 Pg C = 1015 g C) in the early 1980s to 142.8×106 ha and 5.9 Pg C in the early 2000s, respectively. Forest biomass carbon density increased form 36.9 Mg C/ha (1 Mg C = 106 g C) to 41.0 Mg C/ha, with an annual carbon sequestration rate of 0.075 Pg C/a. Grassland, shrub, and crop biomass sequestrate carbon at annual rates of 0.007 Pg C/a, 0.014― 0.024 Pg C/a, and 0.0125―0.0143 Pg C/a, respectively. (2) The total terrestrial vegetation C sink in China is in a range of 0.096―0.106 Pg C/a between 1981 and 2000, accounting for 14.6%―16.1% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by China's industry in the same period. In addition, soil carbon sink is estimated at 0.04―0.07 Pg C/a. Accordingly, carbon sequestration by China's terrestrial ecosystems (vegetation and soil) offsets 20.8%―26.8% of its industrial CO2 emission for the study period. (3) Considerable uncertainties exist in the present study, especially in the estimation of soil carbon sinks, and need further intensive investigation in the future.     

Linear spectral unmixing algorithm for modelling suspended sediment concentration of flash floods,upper Tekeze River,Ethiopia

Flash floods are the highest sediment transporting agent,but are inaccessible for in-situ sampling and have rarely been analyzed by remote sensing technology.Laboratory and field experiments were done to develop linear spectral unmixing(LSU) remote sensing model and evaluate its performance in simulating the suspended sediment concentration(SSC) in flash floods.The models were developed from continuous monitoring in the laboratory and the onsite spectral signature of river bed sediment deposits and flash floods in the Tekeze River and in its tributary,the Tsirare River.The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the variability of correlations between reflectance and SSCs.The coefficient of determination(R2) and root mean square of error(RMSE) were used to evaluate the performance of the generated models.The results found that the Pearson correlation coefficient between SSCs and reflectance varied based on the level of the SSCs,geological colors,and grain sizes.The performance of the LSU model and empirical remote sensing approaches were computed to be R2=0.92,and RMSE=±0.76 g/1 in the Tsirare River and R2=0.91,and RMSE=±0.73 g/1 in the Tekeze River and R2=0.81,RMSE=±2.65 g/l in the Tsirare river and R2=0.76,RMSE=±10.87 g/l in the Tekeze River,respectively.Hence,the LSU approach of remote sensing was found to be relatively accurate in monitoring and modeling the variability of SSCs that could be applied to the upper Tekeze River basin.     

Classification of estuaries in China based on eutrophication susceptibility to nutrient load

Recently, environmental pressures along coasts have increased substantially. Classification of estuaries according to their susceptibility to eutrophication nutrient load is a useful method to determine priority management objects and to enforce control measures. Using historical monitoring data from 2007 to 2012, from 65 estuaries, including 101 estuarine monitoring sections and 260 coastal monitoring stations, a nutrient-driven phytoplankton dynamic model was developed based on the relationship among phytoplankton biomass, Total Nitrogen(TN) load and physical features of estuaries. The ecological filter effect of estuaries was quantified by introducing conversion efficiency parameter values into the model. Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm of Bayesian inference was then employed to estimate parameters in the model. The developed model fitted well to the observed chlorophyll, primary production, grazing, and sinking rates. The analysis suggests that an estuary with Q/V(the ratio of river flow to estuarine volume) greater than 2.0 per year and ε(conversion efficiency ratio) less than 1.0 g C/g N can be classified as less susceptible to TN load, Q/V between 0.7 to 2.0 per year and ε between 1.0 to 3.0 g C/g N as moderately susceptible, and ε greater than 3.0 g C/g N as very susceptible. The estuaries with Q/V less than 0.7 per year vary greatly in their susceptibility. The estuaries with high and moderate susceptibility accounted for 67% of all the analyzed estuaries. They have relatively high eutrophication risks and should be the focus of environmental supervision and pollution prevention.     

Zircon U-Pb and geochemical analyses for leucocratic intrusive rocks in pillow lavas in the Danfeng Group,north Qinling Mountains,China

Field observation showed that there are many irregular leucocratic intrusive rocks in pillow lavas in the Danfeng Group in the Xiaowangjian area, north Qinling orogenic belt. Photomicrographs indicated that the protoliths of those altered leucocratic intrusive rocks are dioritic rocks. Geochemical analyses showed that pillow lavas have a range of SiO2 from 47.35% to 51.20%, low abundance of TiO2 from 0.97% to 1.72%, and percentages of MgO (MgO#=41―49). Chondrite-normalized REE patterns of pillow lavas are even, indicative of a weak differentiation between LREE and HREE (La/YbN=1.52―0.99). N-MORB-normalized trace element abundances showed that pillow lavas are enriched in incompatible elements (e.g., K, Rb, and Ba). Leucocratic intrusive rocks in pillow lavas have a wide range of SiO2 from 53.85%―67.20%, low abundances of TiO2 from 0.51%―1.10%, and MgO (MgO#=40―51), and higher percentages of Al2O3 (13.32%―16.62%) and concentration of Sr (342-539 μg/g), ratios of Na2O/K2O (2―7) and Sr/Y (17―28). Chondrite-normalized REE patterns of leucocratic intrusive rocks showed highly differentiation between LREE and HREE (La/YbN=12.26―19.41). N-MORB-normalized trace element abundances showed that leucocratic intrusive rocks are enriched in incompatible elements (e.g., K, Rb, and Ba), and significantly depleted in HFSE (e.g., Nb, Ta, Zr and Ti), indicative of a relationship to subduction. Isotopically, leucocratic intrusive rocks have a similar εNd(t) ( 7.45― 13.14) to that of MORB ( 8.8― 9.7), which indicates that those leucocratic intrusive rocks sourced from depleted mantle most likely. SHRIMP U-Pb analyses for zircon showed that those leucocratic intrusive rocks were formed at 442±7 Ma, yielding an age of subduction in the early Paleozoic in the north Qinling orogenic belt.     

Study on the nutrient evolution and its controlling factors of Longgan Lake for the last 200 years

Based on the total phosphorous (TP) concentration in sediment core, the TP concentration in lake water quantitatively reconstructed from fossil diatoms and diatom-TP transfer function in the Longgan Lake during the last 200 years, the temperature and precipitation data from meteorological observation for the last 50 years, the temperatures and precipitation sequences of climate simulation for the last 200 years, as well as the amount of the agricultural phosphate fertilizer in Longgan area for nearly 50 years, the characteristic and the law of the nutrient status evolution were analyzed, and the influence of the climatic factor, the anthropologic factor and the aquatic biology factor on the nutrient status evolution and its mechanism were discussed for the Longgan Lake during the last 200 years. The results showed that, in the nearly 200 years, the TP concentration in the sediment core of the Longgan Lake gradually increased, its range of variation was situated between 330-580 mg/kg, the mean value was 388 mg/kg, a nearly 30-year vibration adjustment period existed at 1950 around. The TP concentration in lake water changed in a different way. Before 1950, it had a slow increasing tendency in fluctuated background, to 1950 around it reached up to the mean value (52.18μg/L), and vibrated and adjusted around the mean value, then it fast declined, its change range was situated between 37.75-62.33μg/L. The analyses indicated that, in the centennial time scale, the climate change was the main controlling factor, while in the decadal time scale in the recent 50 years, human activities were the leading factors for the nutrient status evolution of the Longgan Lake. 60% of the variability of the TP concentration in the sediments and 57% of that in lake water were due to human activities. The differentiation between phosphorus concentration in the sediment and in the lake water reflected the response processes and the adjustment abilities of the lake aquatic ecosystems to the lake nutrient level, implying the maintenance and the destruction of the balances between the algae and the aquatic plants, as well as the corresponding accumulating characteristics of the phosphorus.     

Evaluation of multidecadal and longer-term temperature changes since 850 CE based on Northern Hemisphere proxy-based reconstructions and model simulations

The temperature variability over multidecadal and longer timescales(e.g., the cold epochs in the late 15 th, 17 th, and early 19 th centuries) is significant and dominant in the millennium-long, large-scale reconstructions and model simulations;however, their temporal patterns in the reconstructed and simulated temperature series are not well understood and require a detailed assessment and comparison. Here, we compare the reconstructed and simulated temperature series for the Northern Hemisphere(NH) at multidecadal and longer-term timescales(30 years) by evaluating their covariance, climate sensitivity and amplitude of temperature changes. We found that covariances between different reconstructions or between reconstructions and simulations are generally high for the whole period of 850–1999 CE, due to their similar long-term temporal patterns. However,covariances between different reconstructions or between reconstructions and simulations steadily decline as time series extends further back in time, becoming particularly small during Medieval times. This is related to the large uncetainties in the reconstructions caused by the decreased number of proxy records and sample duplication during the pre-instrumental periods.Reconstructions based solely on tree-ring data show higher skill than multiproxy reconstructions in capturing the amplitude of volcanic cooling simulated by models. Meanwhile, climate models have a shorter recovery(i.e., lag) in response to the cooling caused by volcanic eruptions and solar activity minima, implying the lack of some important feedback mechanisms between external forcing and internal climate processes in climate models. Amplitudes of temperature variations in the latest published tree-ring reconstructions are comparable to those of the multiproxy reconstructions. We found that the temperature difference between the Medieval Climate Anomaly(950–1250 CE) and the Little Ice Age(1450–1850 CE) is generally larger in proxybased reconstructions than in model simulations, but the reason is unclear.     

Hurricane impacts on turbidity and sediment in the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve,Florida, USA

The resuspension and transportation of sediments affect the nutrient or contaminants cycles in water column. Therefore, hurricane-induced sediment resuspension in coastal waters may cause environment impacts on coastal ecosystems. In this study, field observed data during a hurricane event from the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Rookery Bay NERR), Florida, were studied. Based on the relationship between sediment and turbidity, variations of turbidity in the Rookery Bay NERR were discussed in this paper under the impact of the Hurricane Isaac in 2012. Time series analysis indicates that Hurricane Isaac causes the substantial increase of turbidity. Traditional direct regression analysis with raw data was found to result in poor correlation (R2 o 0.41) between wind speed and turbidity due to the impacts of multi-factors in coastal waters of study region during hurricane. Then Hanning Filter was used to remove tidal effect, which shows some improvement of correlations (R2 4 0.6) between wind speed and turbidity. Further improvement was made by introducing a phase factor to account for the lag time between the peak turbidity and peak wind speed, which lead to further improvement of the regression equation between wind speed and turbidity. By using Hanning Filter and phase factor, the regression equation between turbidity and wind speed fits well with observations (R2 4 0.96). Different lag time between wind speed and turbidity at different locations illustrated that wind had different effects on turbidity due to the locations and water depth. Based on the approximate empirical rela-tionship between turbidity and sediment concentration, a regression equation between wind speed and sediment concentration was derived approximately. The equation could be applied to approximately estimate the sediment concentration using wind speed during hurricane, especially with the strong wind speed above 4 m/s. It can be used to provide technical supports for sediment assessment and coastal zone research under extreme clime in the study region.     

The seasonal cycle of redistribution of atmospheric mass between continent and ocean in the Northern Hemisphere

Using NCEP/NCAR and ERA-40 reanalyses,we studied the seasonal cycle of redistribution of air mass between continents and oceans over the Northern Hemisphere.Our results demonstrate that air mass in the Northern Hemisphere shifts clearly between continents and oceans when the season cycles.In July,the air mass reaches its lowest over Eurasia and its highest over the Pacific,and the opposite occurs in January.However,a different scenario is observed over the north Atlantic;the accumulated air mass reaches its maximum there in May.The maintenance of the accumulation or loss of air mass in a region is found to be related to the areal mean air mass flux divergence and the difference between precipitation and evaporation in an air column.The zonal-vertical circulations change with season,with the air ascent and decent reversed between land and sea.Besides,there also exists a noticeable difference of water vapor content of the air between continents and oceans,and this difference is season-dependent.Physically,the vapor content is able to significantly affect the atmosphere in absorbing solar short-and earth’s long-wave radiations,hence influencing atmospheric thermal conditions.The land-sea thermal contrasts inclusive of the diabatic heating rate changes their signs with season going on,resulting in the reversal of orientations of the temperature gradient.These thermal forcings not only facilitate the formation of the monsoons but also indirectly induce the seasonal cycle of the air mass exchanging over regions between continents and oceans.     

Subduction-zone peridotites and their records of crust-mantle interaction

Subduction is the core process of plate tectonics. The mantle wedge in subduction-zone systems represents a key tectonic unit, playing a significant role in material cycling and energy exchange between Earth's layers. This study summarizes research progresses in terms of subduction-related peridotite massifs, including supra-subduction zone(SSZ) ophiolites and mantle-wedge-type(MWT) orogenic peridotites. We also provide the relevant key scientific questions that need be solved in the future. The mantle sections of SSZ ophiolites and MWT orogenic peridotites represent the mantle fragments from oceanic and continental lithosphere in subduction zones, respectively. They are essential targets to study the crust-mantle interaction in subduction zones. The nature of this interaction is the complex chemical exchanges between the subducting slab and the mantle wedge under the major control of physical processes. The SSZ ophiolites can record melt/fluid-rock interaction, metamorphism,deformation, concentration of metallogenic elements and material exchange between crust and mantle, during the stages from the generation of oceanic lithosphere at spreading centers to the initiation, development, maturation and ending of oceanic subduction at continental margins. The MWT orogenic peridotites reveal the history of strong metamorphism and deformation during subduction, the multiple melt/fluid metasomatism(including silicatic melts, carbonatitic melts and silicate-bearing C-HO fluids/supercritical fluids), and the complex cycling of crust-mantle materials, during the subduction/collision and exhumation of continental plates. In order to further reveal the crust-mantle interaction using subduction-zone peridotites, it is necessary to utilize high-spatial-resolution and high-precision techniques to constrain the complex chemical metasomatism, metamorphism,deformation at micro scales, and to reveal their connections with spatial-temporal evolution in macro-scale tectonics.     

Discussion of the Horizontal Intensity of Late Quaternary Fault Activity Along the Tianjingshan Fault Zone in Different Time Intervals and Fault Segments

By computing and classifying the data of gully offset obtained from field surveys along the Tianjingshan fault zone and estimating the ages of three types of gullies,the strike-slip rates along the fault zone are discussed in different time intervals and fault segments.The results suggest that the intensity of activity along the fault zone is not strong,but the differences between different time intervals and fault segments since the late Pleistocene have been obvious.The average rates range from 0.23 mm/a to 1.62 mm/a.The largest average rate is 1.40 mm/a,which occurred in the early and middle of late Pleistocene along the western segment of the fault zone.Since the late stage of the late Pleistocene,the center of faulting activity of the fault zone has shifted to the middle segment,and the average slip rates range have changed from 1.30 mm/a to 1.63 mm/a.     

Precise dating of East-Asian-Monsoon D/O events during 95―56 ka BP: Based on stalagmite data from Shanbao Cave at Shennongjia, China

Based on 23 U/Th analyses and 532 oxygen isotopic data, an averaged 80-a stalagmite oxygen isotopic composition series was established through 95 to 56 thousand years before present (ka BP) from two speleothems in Shanbao Cave, Shennongjia, central China. Shanbao Cave record (referred to as SB record) replicates well with Hulu Cave record, extending the characteristics of millennial oscillations in East-Asian-Summer-Monsoon (EASM) to the past 95 ka. The trend of the SB record generally follows mid-July solar insolation at 65°N, suggesting that mid-high northern latitude insolation, in the first or- der, controls changes of EASM intensity. Millennial oscillations of EASM recorded in the stalagmites are well related to the Greenland interstadials referred to as Dansgaard/Oeschger (D/O) events from 1 to 22, indicating that rapid ocean-atmosphere reorganization in North Atlantic has a remote effect in EASM. The well-dated D/O events by stalagmites probably provide an absolute calibration for chro- nologies of Greenland ice cores. The timings of D/O events in the SB record are different variously from those in Greenland ice cores. For D/O 19 and 20, the age offsets between the stalagmites' and the Greenland ice cores' record are significant, larger than the uncertainties of uranium-series dating. The two events in the SB record are younger than those in North GRIP time scale by 1―2 ka, and older than the counterparts in GISP2 by approximately 3―4 ka. A comparison between the SB and Brazil stalag- mite record shows an anti-phase relation in millennial-scale monsoon precipitation between the two localities. This supports a mode for the coupled ocean-atmosphere "See-saw".     

A Computer Model for Cyclic Activity of Strong Earthquakes in Continental Seismic Zones

Based on the study of activity of earthquakes with M**********>7.0 in mainland China,we have found a dynamic pattern,i.e.,the cyclic characteristics in time and migration from one seismic zone to another in space.In order to understand the physical mechanism of this pattern,we use a nonlinear dynamic model to simulate the seismic activity in fault zones under a unified tectonic stress field.The basic elements in our model consist of a Maxwell body and a rigid sliding block.Basic elements in a column represent a fault,and coupling elements connecting different columns simulate the interaction among faults and fault segments.The results provide insights to the cyclic activity of strong earthquakes and to the feature of mutual influence between strong earthquakes in groups in the climax of seismic activity.     

The earliest archaeobiological evidence of the broad-ening agriculture in China recorded at Xishanping site in Gansu Province

The crop types and agricultural characteristic are reconstructed using the archaeobiological proxies of pollen, seed and phytolith at Xishanping site in Gansu Province between 5250 and 4300 cal a BP. The agricultural activity strengthened in Xishanping from 5100 cal a BP. It appeared the earliest cultivation of prehistoric rice in the most northwest China at 5070 cal a BP. The sudden disappearance of conifers and expansion of chestnut trees is likely to be the result of selective hewing of conifers and cultivation of chestnuts at about 4600 cal a BP. There existed 8 crop types of foxtail millet, broomcorn millet, rice, wheat, barley, oats, soybean and buckwheat at Xishanping between 4650 and 4300 cal a BP, which cover the main crop types of the two origin centers of East and West Asia. Not only has the wheat and barley been approved to spread to northwestern China, but the earliest complexity agriculture in Neo-lithic China appeared in Tianshui, Gansu Province.     

Contributions of climate and human activities to changes in runoff of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers from 1950 to 2008

Runoffs in the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins,China,have been changing constantly during the last half century.In this paper,data from eight river gauging stations and 529 meteorological stations,inside and adjacent to the study basins,were analyzed and compared to quantify the hydrological processes involved,and to evaluate the role of human activities in changing river discharges.The Inverse Distance Weighted(IDW)interpolation method was used to obtain climatic data coverage from station observations.According to the runoff coefficient equation,the effect of human activities and climate can be expressed by changes in runoff coefficients and changes in precipitation,respectively.Annual runoff coefficients were calculated for the period 1950-2008,according to the correlation between respective hydrological series and regional precipitation.Annual precipitation showed no obvious trend in the upper reaches of the Yellow River but a marked downward trend in the middle and downstream reaches,with declines of 8.8 and 9.8 mm/10 a,respectively.All annual runoff series for the Yellow River basin showed a significant downward trend.Runoff declined by about 7.8 mm/10 a at Sanmenxia and 10.8 mm/10 a at Lijin.The series results indicated that an abrupt change occurred in the late 1980s to early 1990s.The trend of correlations between annual runoff and precipitation decreased significantly at the Yellow River stations,with rates ranging from 0.013/10 a to 0.019/10 a.For the hydrologic series,all precipitation series showed a downward trend in the Yangtze River basin with declines ranging from about 24.7 mm/10 a at Cuntan to 18.2 mm/10 a at Datong.Annual runoff series for the upper reaches of the Yangtze River decreased significantly,at rates ranging from 9.9 to 7.2 mm/10 a.In the middle and lower reaches,the runoff series showed no significant trend,with rates of change ranging from 2.1 to 2.9 mm/10 a.Human activities had the greatest influence on changes in the hydrological series of runoff,regardless of whether the effect was negative or positive.During 1970-2008,human activities contributed to 83% of the reduction in runoff in the Yellow River basin,and to 71% of the increase in runoff in the Yangtze River basin.Moreover,the impacts of human activities across the entire basin increased over time.In the 2000s,the impact of human activities exceeded that of climate change and was responsible for 84% of the decrease and 73% of the increase in runoff in the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins,respectively.The average annual runoff from 1980 to 2008 fell by about 97%,83%,83%,and 91%,compared with 1951-1969,at the Yellow River stations Lanzhou,Sanmenxia,Huayuankou and Lijin,respectively.Most of the reduction in runoff was caused by human activities.Changes in precipitation also caused reductions in runoff of about 3%,17%,17%,and 9% at these four stations,respectively.Falling precipitation rates were the main explanation for runoff changes at the Yangtze River stations Cuntan,Yichang,Hankou,and Datong,causing reductions in runoff of 89%,74%,43%,and 35%,respectively.Underlying surface changes caused decreases in runoff in the Yellow River basin and increases in runoff in the Yangtze River basin.Runoff decreased in arid areas as a result of increased water usage,but increased in humid and sub-humid areas as a result of land reclamation and mass urbanization leading to decreases in evaporation and infiltration.     

The P-wave velocity structure of the lithosphere of the North China Craton——Results from the Wendeng-Alxa Left Banner deep seismic sounding profile

For the first time on the Chinese mainland, long-range wide-angle seismic reflection/refraction profiling technology has been applied to seismic wave phases from different depths and with different attributes within the various blocks of the North China Craton to characterize the structure of the crust and upper mantle lithosphere. By comparative analysis of the seismic wave phase characteristics in each block across a 1500-km-long east-west profile, we have identified conventional Pg, Pci, PmP and Pn phases in the crust, made a clear contrast between PL1 and PL2 waves belonging to two groups of lithospheric-scale phases, and produced a model of crust-mantle velocity structures and tectonic characteristics after one- and two-dimensional calculations and processing. The results show that the thickness of the crust and lithosphere gradually deepens from east to west along the profile. However, at the reflection/refraction interface, seismic waves in each group show obvious localized changes in each block. Also, the depth to the crystalline basement changes greatly, from as much as 7.8 km in the North China fault basin to only about 2 km beneath the Jiaodong Peninsula and Taihang-Lüliang area. The Moho morphology as a whole ranges from shallow in the east to deep in the west, with the deepest point in the Ordos Block at 47 km; in contrast, the North China Plain Block is uplifting. The L1 interface of the lithosphere is observed only to the west of Taihang Mountains, at a relatively slowly changing depth of about 80 km. The L2 interface varies from 75 to 160 km and shows a sharp deepening to the west of Taihang Mountains, forming a mutation belt.     

In-situ investigation on real-time suspended sediment measurement techniques: Turbidimetry,acoustic attenuation,laser diffraction (LISST) and vibrating tube densimetry

Real-time measurements of Suspended Sediment mass Concentration(SSC) and Particle Size Distribution(PSD) are of prime importance for the investigation and management of fine-sediment related processes in surface water systems and hydraulic schemes. In a field study at the waterway of the hydropower plant(HPP) Fieschertal in the Swiss Alps, the real-time measurement performance of the following techniques and instruments were assessed based on measurements in the sediment seasons of the years 2013 and 2014:(1) turbidimetry,(2) single-frequency acoustic attenuation using a standard acoustic discharge measurement(ADM) installation,(3) laser diffraction(Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometry, LISST), and(4) vibrating tube densimetry using a Coriolis Flow and Density Meter(CFDM).Reference SSCs were obtained from gravimetric analysis of 219 automatically pumped water samples.LISST additionally supplied PSD every minute. The median particle diameter, d_(50), was usually 15μm and increased occasionally to 100μm. The turbidimeter and the ADM underestimated the SSC when the transported particles were coarser than usual. Such temporary biases resulted from the poor correlation between d_(50) and SSC at this study site. The SSCs from CFDM and LISST were not or less biased by PSD variations. Mainly due to angular and flaky particle shapes, SSC from LISST needed a correction by 79% on average. With the usually prevailing silt particles, an optical path length of 5 mm and no dilution, the SSC measurement range of LISST was limited to about 1.5 g/l. The CFDM allowed measuring higher SSC than the other investigated instruments(e.g. up to 13.5 g/l). With a periodic offset correction, its relative SSC measurement uncertainty was 20% for SSC≥ 1.5 g/I. To reliably measure a wide range of SSC with temporarily variable PSD, a combination of instruments is recommended: e.g. a standard LISST, a CFDM,and an automatic water sampler for gravimetric reference measurements.     

Discussion on the Relation Between the Probabilistic Distribution of Magnitude in a Seismic Province and That in an Area with Potential Seismic Source

According to the joint probabilistic distribution model of magnitude and space,the author discusses the relationship between the probabilistic distribution of magnitude in a seismic province and that in an area with potential seismic sources.The results show that if the magnitude probabilistic distribution follows the truncated exponential form in a seismic province,there must be some potential source in which the magnitude probabilistic distribution does not conform to that form.The result is consistent with the concept of "characteristic earthquake" derived from the study of actual records of seismicity and the study of geology.The author suggests that the relationship between the probabilistic distribution of magnitude in a seismic province and that in a seismic potential area must be considered in the study of the analysis of seismicity,seismic zonation and engineering seismology,for the purpose of the evaluation of the probabilistic distribution of magnitude correctly in every area with potential s     

DISCUSSION ON THE RELATION BETWEEN BURST TIME OF KOKAIKAWA(小贝川) DIKE IN JAPAN AND SOLAR TERMS(节气)

In 1988, we found a close relation between the 24 solar terms and the occurrence time of natural disasters in some places in China, such as earthquakes and meteorological disasters. In this paper, we try to study the relation between burst times of Kokaikawa dike in Japan and     

Preliminary Research on Relation Between Field and Source in Earthquake Preparation

The "field" and "source" are two important branches in seismology and earthquake research.In this paper,we use a computer model to study the relation between the field and the source in earthquake activity.In our modeling,a network of nonlinear elements is used to simulate seismic activity of seismic zones in a seismotectonic block.Constant strain rate is enforced on the boundary of the model,cyclic seismic activity,quasi-periodic variation of stress field intensity,and strain energy are observed with high and low fluctuations.There is a main seismicity area in seismic cycles,and the main seismicity area shows the spatial migration during different seismic cycles.If the precursory area is related to high element stress,it is found that the development of precursors in our model is quite complicated.No certain relation between the precursors and earthquakes has been discovered.Anomalies show different characteristics in the seismic quiet period and active period.All of the seismic zones in the system hav     

Experimental study on the effect of bottomless structure in front of a bottom outlet on a sediment flushing cone

One of the main problems in reservoirs is sedimentation which reduces the operating life of dams if a proper plan and analysis method are not in place.The techniques to manage sediment in reservoirs include several sustainable management techniques that route sediment through or around the reservoir.One of the main economical methods in arid and semi-arid regions is pressurized flushing using moderate drawdown of the water level of the reservoir to evacuate sediment deposited behind dams.In the current study,the effect of a new structure called a dendritic bottomless extended(DBE)outlet structure at three angles of 30°,45°,and 60°
on pressurized flushing efficiency was investigated.Consequently,45 experiments were designed for three discharge rates (Qo),three sediment levels(Hs),four types of structure,and a no-structure condition(reference test).The results indicated that the DBE structure with a 30°angle between the branches,a sedimentary dimensionless index of Hs/Do=4.59,and a flow dimensionless index of Qo=/√gD05=1:43(where g is the acceleration of gravity and Do is the diameter of the bottom outlet)lead to 10-fold increase in the sediment flushing cone dimensions and sediment removal efficiency compared to the results of the reference test.Finally,according to a statistical analysis of the results,a dimensionless equation for calculating the sediment flushing cone dimensions was developed for the tested sediment characteristics.