Using Landsat images to monitor changes in the snow-covered area of selected glaciers in northern Pakistan

Landsat satellite images were used to map and monitor the snow-covered areas of four glaciers with different aspects(Passu: 36.473°N, 74.766°E;Momhil: 36.394°N, 75.085°E; Trivor: 36.249°N,74.968°E; and Kunyang: 36.083°N, 75.288°E) in the upper Indus basin, northern Pakistan, from 1990-2014. The snow-covered areas of the selected glaciers were identified and classified using supervised and rule-based image analysis techniques in three different seasons. Accuracy assessment of the classified images indicated that the supervised classification technique performed slightly better than the rule-based technique. Snow-covered areas on the selected glaciers were generally reduced during the study period but at different rates. Glaciers reached maximum areal snow coverage in winter and premonsoon seasons and minimum areal snow coverage in monsoon seasons, with the lowest snow-covered area occurring in August and September. The snowcovered area on Passu glacier decreased by 24.50%,3.15% and 11.25% in the pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. Similarly, the other three glaciers showed notable decreases in snow-covered area during the pre-and post-monsoon seasons; however, no clear changes were observed during monsoon seasons. During pre-monsoon seasons, the eastward-facing glacier lost comparatively more snow-covered area than the westward-facing glacier. The average seasonal glacier surface temperature calculated from the Landsat thermal band showed negative correlations of-0.67,-0.89,-0.75 and-0.77 with the average seasonal snowcovered areas of the Passu, Momhil, Trivor and Kunyang glaciers, respectively, during pre-monsoon seasons. Similarly, the air temperature collected from a nearby meteorological station showed an increasing trend, indicating that the snow-covered area reduction in the region was largely due to climate warming.     

A preliminary study on quaternary glacial landforms in Mt.Ma’an

Mt.Ma’an (4288 m) is the highest mountain in the southwest edge of Sichuan Basin. It is situated to the south of the Dadu River. The geographic coordinates are: 28°58′N, 102°55′E. There are six peaks over 4000 m in elevation. Many quaternary glacial landforms in this mountain have been discovered. It’s a typical example of fossil glacial landform in the east China. Its glacial stages are the last glaciation (Q ₃ ³ ) and the neoglaciation (Q ₄ ³ ). Mt. Ma’an and Mt. Luoji (4359 m) are similar in the fossil glacial landforms, but there are still some differences between them. For example, the ratio between the direct difference and the minus difference is different.     

A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON QUATERNARY GLACIAL LANDFORMS IN MT.MA'AN

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Feasibility Comparison of Reanalysis Data from NCEP-Ⅰ and NCEP-Ⅱ in the Himalayas

Mt. Everest is often referred to as the earth＇s ＇third＇ pole. As such it is relatively inaccessible and little is known about its meteorology. In 2005, an automatic weather station was operated at North Col （28°1′ 0.95＂ N, 86°57′ 48.4＂ E, 6523 m a.s.l.） of Mt. Everest. Based on the observational data, this paper compares the reanalysis data from NCEP/NCAR （hereafter NCEP-Ⅰ） and NCEP-DOE AMIP-Ⅱ （NCEP- Ⅱ）, in order to understand which reanalysis data are more suitable for the high Himalayas with Mr. Everest region. When comparing with those from the other levels, pressure interpolated from 500 hPa level is closer to the observation and can capture more synoptic-scale variability, which may be due to the very complex topography around Mt. Everest and the intricately complicated orographic land-atmosphereocean interactions. The interpolation from both NCEP-Ⅰ and NCEP-Ⅱ daily minimum temperature and daily mean pressure can capture most synopticscale variability （r〉0.82, n=83, p〈0.001）. However, there is difference between NCEP-Ⅰ and NCEP-Ⅱ reanalysis data because of different model parameterization. Comparing with the observation, the magnitude of variability was underestimated by 34.1%, 28.5 % and 27.1% for NCEP-Ⅰ temperature and pressure, and NCEP-Ⅱ pressure, respectively, while overestimated by 44.5 % for NCEP-Ⅱ temperature. For weather events interpolated from the reanalyzed data, NCEP-Ⅰ and NCEP-Ⅱ show the same features that weather events interpolated from pressure appear at the same day as those from the observation, and some events occur one day ahead, while most weather events and NCEP-Ⅱ temperature interpolated from NCEP-Ⅰ happen one day ahead of those from the observation, which is much important for the study on meteorology and climate changes in the region, and is very valuable from the view of improving the safety of climbers who attempt to climb Mt. Everest.     

Glacier variations and rising temperature in the Mt. Kenya since the Last Glacial Maximum

High-resolution imagery can be used to reconstruct former glacier boundaries through the identification of glacial erosional and sedimentary geomorphology. We employed moraine mapping and the accumulation–area ratio method(AAR), in conjunction with Landsat, Google Earth, and SRTM imagery, to reconstruct glacier boundaries and equilibrium-line altitudes(ELAs) for Mt. Kenya in the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM), the Little Ice Age(LIA), and at present. Our results show that the areas of Lewis Glacier and the Tyndall-I glacier system were 0.678 km~2 and 0.390 km~2, respectively, during the maximum of LIA. Those mean that the both glaciers have shrunken by 87.0% and 88.7%, respectively since the LIA. Area change ratios for each glacier were significantly larger in the period of 2000 through 2015 than the former periods, indicating that glacier recession has accelerated. Continuous ice loss in this region has been driven by rising temperature and fluctuating precipitation. Linear regression data for Lewis glacier show that mass balance sensitivity to dry season temperature was –315 mm w.e./℃, whereas the sensitivity to dry season precipitation was 5.2 mm w.e./mm. Our data also show that the ELA on the western slope of Mt. Kenya rose by 716-816 m from the LGM to the modern era, corresponding to that temperature rose by 5.2℃-6.5℃.     

Difference in the influence of Indo-Pacific Ocean heat content on South Asian Summer Monsoon intensity before and after 1976/1977

Monthly ocean temperature from ORAS4 datasets and atmospheric data from NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis I/II were used to analyze the relationship between the intensity of the South Asian summer monsoon(SASM) and upper ocean heat content(HC) in the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean.The monsoon was differentiated into a Southwest Asian Summer Monsoon(SWASM)(2.5°–20°N,35°–70°E) and Southeast Asian Summer Monsoon(SEASM)(2.5°–20°N,70°–110°E).Results show that before the 1976/77 climate shift,the SWASM was strongly related to HC in the southern Indian Ocean and tropical Pacific Ocean.The southern Indian Ocean affected SWASM by altering the pressure gradient between southern Africa and the northern Indian Ocean and by enhancing the Somali cross-equatorial flow.The tropical Pacific impacted the SWASM through the remote forcing of ENSO.After the 1976/77 shift,there was a close relationship between equatorial central Pacific HC and the SEASM.However,before that shift,their relationship was weak.     

Variation of d δ18O/dT in precipitation in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

The relations between δ¹⁸O and temperature on the different time scales were analysed, according to the data from Tuotuohe (34°13′N, 96°25′E; 4533 m a. s. l.), Delingha (37°22′N, 97°22′E; 2981 m a. s. l.) and Xining (36°37′N, 101°46′E; 2261 m a. s. l.) in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The results show that the significance of d δ¹⁸O/dT on different time scales are different. The d δ¹⁸O/dT on the synoptic scale reflects the interdependent relation between δ¹⁸O and temperature in the short-term synoptic scale process; the d δ¹⁸O/d T on the seasonal scale reflects the relation between them whithin a year; and the d δ¹⁸O/d T on the climatic scale reflects the relation between them in the long-term climatic change. The calculated d δ¹⁸O/dT on climatic scale is very close to the theoretical values on the condition of advection transport for Tuotuohe Station. However, there are great differences between the calculated and the theoretical values for Delingha and Xining stations.     

An approach to prediction of the South China Sea summer monsoon onset

In the present paper, correlation between the South China Sea summer monsoon （SCSSM） onset and heat content in the upper layer of the warm pool in the western Pacific Ocean is examined using the Scripps Institution of Oceanography dataset for the period of 1955-1998 and an approach to prediction the SCSSM onset is proposed. Correlation showes that there exists interdecadal variability of the SCSSM onset demarcated by 1970 with the largest correlation coefficient in the area west of the center of the warm pool rather than near its centers, implying certain effect from other factors involved besides ENSO. As the correlation is poor for the period before 1970, the heat content anomaly of the warm pool after 1970 is used to indicate early or late onset of the SCSSM beforehand. An ideal representative area （1°×1°） for the warm pool heat content was determined with its center at 3°N/138°E. The nearest TAO （TAO-Tropical Atmosphere Ocean-array） mooring to the center is at 2°N/137°E, and chosen to calculate the heat content for prediction. It is suggested that the TAO mooring at 2°N/137°E could be used to predict the SCSSM onset with the heat content in the upper layer, if the correlation between the SCSSM onset and the heat content of the warm pool runs like that of after 1970. On the other hand, if the situation does like the one before 1970, the representative station is determined at 13°S/74°E with relatively poor correlation, meaning that the warm pool in the western Pacific Ocean plays more important role in the SCSSM onset than the Indian Ocean.     

FRESH SNOW CHEMISTRY FROM HIGH MOUNTAIN REGIONS IN CENTRAL HIMALAYAS

Investigations of atmospheric composition in the Himalayas has been limited in both temporal and spatial scales, mainly due to difficult logistics. Ideal sites for monitoring atmospheric composition and its evolution should be free from local pollution and representative of the remote troposphere (HUEBERT et al., 1980). As the Himalayas are far removed from highly industrialized regions they provide suitable locations to monitor the chemistry of the remote troposphere and to study the evolu…     

Phytoplankton Assemblage of Yangtze River Estuary and the Adjacent East China Sea in Summer, 2004

A cruise was conducted from late August to early September 2004 with the intention of obtaining an interdisciplinary understanding of the Yangtze River Estuary including the biological, chemical and physical subjects. Water sample analysis indicated that total phytoplankton species richness was 137. Of them 81 were found in Bacillariophyta and 48 in Pyrrophyta, accounting for 59.1% and 35.0% respectively. The average cell abundance of surface water samples was 8.8×104 cells L-1, with the maximum, 102.9×104 cells L-1, encountered in the area (31.75°N, 122.33°E) and the minimum, 0.2×104 cells L-1, in (30.75°N, 122.17°E). The dominant species at most stations were Skeletonema costatum and Proboscia alata f. gracillima with the dominance of 0.35 and 0.27. Vertical distribution analysis indicated that obvious stratification of cell abundance and dominant species was found in the representative stations of 5, 18 and 33. Shannon-Wiener index and evenness of phytoplankton assemblage presented negative correlation with the cell abundance, with the optimum appearing in (30.75°N, 122.67°E). According to the PCA analysis of the environmental variables, elevated nutrients of nitrate, silicate and phosphate through river discharge were mainly responsible for the phytoplankton bloom in this area.     

Seasonal variability of salinity budget and water exchange in the northern Indian Ocean from HYCOM assimilation

Based on HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) assimilation and observations, we analyzed seasonal variability of the salinity budget in the southeastern Arabian Sea (AS) and the southern part of the Bay of Bengal (BOB), as well as water exchange between the two basins. Results show that fresh water flux cannot explain salinity changes in salinity budget of both regions. Oceanic advection decreases salinity in the southeastern AS during the winter monsoon season and increases salinity in the southern BOB during the summer monsoon season. In winter, the Northeast Monsoon Current (NMC) carries fresher water from the BOB westward into the southern AS; this westward advection is confined to 4°-6°N and the upper 180 m south of the Indian peninsula. Part of the less saline water then turns northward, decreasing salinity in the southeastern AS. In summer, the Southwest Monsoon Current (SMC) advects high-salinity water from the AS eastward into the BOB, increasing salinity along its path. This eastward advection of high-salinity water south of the India Peninsula extends southward to 2°N, and the layer becomes shallower than in winter. In addition to the monsoon current, the salinity difference between the two basins is important for salinity advection.     

Atmospheric methane over the past 2000 years from a sub-tropical ice core,central Himalayas

A high-resolution 2000-year methane record has been constructed from an ice core recovered at 7200 m a.s.l. on the Dasuopu Glacier in the central Himalayas. This sub-tropical methane record reveals an increasing trend in the concentration of methane during the industrial era that is similar to observations from polar regions. However, we also observed the differences in the atmospheric methane mixing ratio between this monsoon record and those from polar regions during pre-industrial times. In the time interval 0-1850 A.D., the average methane concentration in the Dasuopu ice core was 782±40 ppbv and the maximum temporal variation exceeded 200 ppbv. The difference gradient of methane concentration in Dasuopu ice core with Greenland and Antarctica cores are 66±40 ppbv and 107±40 ppbv, respectively. This suggests that the tropical latitudes might have acted as a major global methane source in pre- industrial times. In addition, the temporal fluctuation of the pre-industrial methane records suggests that monsoon evolution incorporated with high methane emission from south Asia might be responsible for the relatively high methane concentration observed in the Dasuopu ice core around A.D. 800 and A.D. 1600. These results provide a rough understanding of the contribution of tropical methane source to the global methane budget and also the relationship between atmospheric methane and climate change.     

Global distribution of thermosteric contribution to sea level rising trend

The sea level derived from TOPEX/Poseidon(T/P) altimetry data shows prominent long term trend and inter-annual variability.The global mean sea level rising rate during 1993-2003 was 2.9 mm a-1.The T/P sea level trend maps the geographical variability.In the Northern Hemisphere(15°-64°N),the sea level rise is very fast at the mid-latitude(20°-40°N) but much slower at the high-latitude,for example,only 0.5 mm a-1 in the latitude band 40°-50°N.In the Southern Hemisphere,the sea level shows high rising rate both in mid-latitude and high-latitude areas,for example,5.1 mm a-1 in the band 40°-50°S.The global thermosteric sea level(TSL) derived from Ishii temperature data was rising during 1993-2003 at a rate of 1.2 mm a-1 and accounted for more than 40% of the global T/P sea level rise.The contributions of the TSL distribution are not spatially uniform;for instance,the percentage is 67% for the Northern Hemisphere and only 29% for the Southern Hemisphere(15°-64°S) and the maximum thermosteric contribution appears in the Pacific Ocean,which contributes more than 60% of the global TSL.The sea level change trend in tropical ocean is mainly caused by the thermosteric effect,which is different from the case of seasonal variability in this area.The TSL variability dominates the T/P sea level rise in the North Atlantic,but it is small in other areas,and shows negative trend at the high-latitude area(40°-60°N,and 50°-60°S).The global TSL during 1945-2003 showed obvious rising trend with the rate of about 0.3 mm a-1 and striking inter-annual and decadal variability with period of 20 years.In the past 60 years,the Atlantic TSL was rising continuously and remarkably,contributing 38% to the global TSL rising.The TSL in the Pacific and Indian Ocean rose with significant inter-annual and decadal variability.The first EOF mode of the global TSL from Ishii temperature data was the ENSO mode in which the time series of the first mode showed steady rising trend.Among the three oceans,the first mode of the Pacific TSL presented the ENSO mode;there was relatively steady rising trend in the Atlantic Ocean,and no dominant mode in the Indian Ocean.     

Current structure and its variation in the equatorial area of the western north Pacific Ocean

Based on the current measurement data from the R/V Ryofu Maru of JMA in the equatorial area along 137°E (1972–83) and 155°E (1972–79) the structures of the zonal velocity of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) and the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) and their variations are systematically analyzed in detail. At 155°E, the current at the equator and 100–300 m depth was a typical eastward EUC, it intensified in 1973–75, i.e., in the non-El Niño period. While the corresponding current at 137°E was mostly westward, and the origin of the EUC shifted to north of the equator around 0.5–1.5°N owing to the influence of the New Guinea Coast. The EUC origin disappeared in early July, 1982. Comparing with the EUC disappearance at 159°W, the average speed of an eastward travelling wave would be～1.1m/s. The velocity core of the NECC at 137°E generally shifted northward in winter and southward in summer, and was stronger in summer and weaker in winter. The fluctuations of the NECC were closely related to those of the wind stress curl over the region 2–10°N, 160°E–150°W.     

Influence of the Convection over the South China Sea on the Summer Precipitation of Shandong Province

1　Introduction　ShandongProvince ,whichislocatedintheeastofChina ,consistspartlyofpeninsulaandpartlyofinlandwithatotalareaofabout 1 5 0 0 0 0km2 .Lyingfrom34°2 0′Nto 38°2 0′Nandfrom 1 1 4°4 0′Eto 1 2 2°4 0′E ,alltheareabelongstothemoderateregionandtothetypicalAsianmonsoonclimate .SoShandong’ssum merprecipitationaccountsforover 6 0 %oftheannualrainfall,andaccordinglyflood droughtdisastersmain lyoccurinsummer.Moreover,becauseitisgeographi callylocatedinthetransitionalareabetweenthe…     

Eddies in the northwest subtropical pacific and their possible effects on the South China Sea

Based on an analysis of drifter data from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment during 1979-1998, the sizes of the eddies in the North subtropical Pacific are determined from the radii of curvature of the drifter paths calculated by using a non-linear curve fitting method. To support the drifter data results, Sea Surface Height from the TOPEX/POSEIDON and ERS2 satellite data are analyzed in connection with the drifter paths. It is found that the eddies in the North Pacific （18^＊- 23^＊N and 125^＊-150^＊E） move westward at an average speed of approximately 0.098 ms^-1 and their average radius is 176 km, with radii ranging from 98 km to 298 km. During the nineteen-year period, only 4 out of approximately 200 drifters （2%） actually entered the South China Sea from the area adjacent to the Luzon Strait （18^＊-22^＊N and 121^＊-125^＊E） in the winter. It is also found that eddies from the interior of the North Pacific are unlikely to enter the South China Sea through the Luzon Strait.     

2006年北太平洋柔鱼作业渔场时空变化及其与表温的关系

<正>柔鱼(Ommastrephes bartramii)广泛分布在北太平洋,20世纪70年代初首先由日本鱿钓船开发,我国大陆于1993年开始利用该资源,1994年进行较大规模地商业性生产。目前北太平洋鱿钓渔业已成为我国远洋渔业的支柱[1]。据估计,历史上北太平洋柔     

Fishery resources in arid zone mangroves in gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, northwest coast of India

The finfish and shellfish resources were assessed quantitatively and qualitatively in regard to their abundance in creek waters at three sites within a period of two years, from January 1999 to December 2000, in the western mangrove areas of Kachchh. The catch rate varied from 0.69 to 6.99 kg h⁻¹. It was low during monsoon (July to October), which could be due to the freshwater-flow-induced salinity reduction in all the sites. Among 38 species recorded, 5 were shellfish and 33 were finfish. The spawning period of fishes was found to be during summer and early monsoon period (May to August). Surface water temperatures varied from 17 °C to 37 °C. Salinity values varied from 34 to 44 and the pH ranged between 7 and 8.9. Variation in dissolved oxygen content was from 3.42 to 5.85 mL L⁻¹. The high fishery densities in these semi arid mangrove creek areas were recorded during monsoon and early winter season.     

Seasonal changes in Porteresia coarctata (Tateoka) beds along a subtropical coast

Shoot density, standing crop (above- and below-ground biomass) and habitat of salt marsh grass Porteresia coarctata were investigated along the coast of Bakkhali estuary, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh from January to December 2006. Shoot density of P. coarctata was influenced by season and was found to be higher (>2 500 shoots/m 2 ) in post-monsoon and minimal in monsoon season; plants were particularly active in vegetative propagation during pre-monsoon. Above-ground biomass was greater along the protected coast compared with the exposed one in this estuary. Below-ground biomass was higher (7.75-269.53 g DW/m 2 ) than that above ground (2.20-114.75 g DW/m 2 ). Standing crops of P. coarctata showed a negative relationship (R=-0.77; P<0.05) with sedimentation rate, while seasonal activity influenced sedimentation. The recorded sedimentation rate was lower (6.09 mg/(cm 2 ·d)) in pre-monsoon and highest (14.55 mg/(cm 2 ·d)) in monsoon season. The mean value of pore water salinity was higher (34.25±5.05) during post-monsoon and lowest (18.0±3.71) in monsoon season. The soil was sandy clay in this P. coarctata bed; it consisted of 86% sand, 13% clay and 1% silt. Soil organic matter dropped during the monsoon season (0.78%-0.67%) and was highest ((2.17±1.42)%-(2.3±1.47)%) during post-monsoon, probably owing to accumulation of decomposed peat on the marsh surface. The mean pore water NH 4 -N concentration ranged from 2.44±1.65 to 3.33±1.82 μg/L, with a minimum air temperature of 22.09°C in post-monsoon and a maximum of 31.16°C in pre-monsoon. Variations of physico-chemical parameters in the soil, water, and climate governed biological parameters of P. coarctata in the Bakkhali estuary, and were comparable with estuarine environments elsewhere.     

Physico-chemical characteristics and environmental significance of snow deposition on Haxilegen glacier No.51 in Tian Shan, China

Snow chemistry on the glaciers of alpine regions is a good indicator of atmospheric environmental change.We examine snow chemistry in three snowpits at different altitudes on the Haxilegen Glacier No.51,in the Kuitun River source,Tian Shan,China,during July-September 2004 to 2007.We use correlation analysis,factor analysis and sea-salt tracing methods to examine the characteristics and sources of major ions and mineral dust particles in the snow.Results show that mineral dust particles and major ions in the snow pits vary seasonally.During the Asian dust period in springtime,the concentration of mineral dust particles and major ions deposited in snow is high,while the concentration is relatively low during the non-dust period of summer and autumn.This may be caused by dust storm activity in central Asia.The order of major ionic concentrations in the snow packs was determined to be Ca2+ > SO42-> NH4+ > NO3-> Cl-> Na+ > Mg2+ > K+.Ca2+ was the dominant cation;SO42- was the dominant anion.We find,with the exception of NO3-,that the variabilities of ionic concentrations are highly correlated.Results show that the glacier region was significantly affected by dust activity and anthropogenic source.The major ions,especially Na+,originate from dust sources of central Asia and from the Ocean,transported by the westerly winds.