Fifteen Years of Ocean Observations with China Argo

For 15 years since the beginning of China Argo project, China has deployed over 350 profiling floats in Pacific and Indian ocean, and constructed China Argo ocean observing network. Moreover, we have setup the Argo data receiving, processing and distributing system, and developed various Argo data products using Argo observations, which has promoted the progress of ocean data sharing in China. The abundant Argo data have become a main data source in oceanic and atmospheric basic researches and operational applications. A batch of important achievements in basic research and operational application have been brought, e.g. in aspects of tropical cyclone (typhoon), ocean circulation, meso-scale eddy, turbulence, heat/salt storage and transport and water mass, as well as in ocean, atmosphere/climate operational forecasting and predicting. With the extension of the international Argo program from “Core Argo” to “Global Argo”, we are faced with great challenges in the long-term maintaining and sustained developing of our Argo ocean observing network. It is suggested that we should take the opportunity to construct China regional Argo ocean observing network as soon as possible in adjacent northwestern Pacific and Indian ocean using Chinese BeiDou profiling floats, which will make us to take responsibility and obligation of a big country for addressing global climate changes and preventing natural disasters.     

Comparative Analysis of International Energy Consumption Characteristics and China's Countermeasures

With the rise of low carbon economy and the deterioration of the international energy situation, most countries in the world pay more attention to energy issues. In this paper, based on a comparison with several countries of large energy consumption, we used long sequence statistics to analyze the energy consumption characteristics from the world and the history, including energy consumption, energy consumption structure and energy efficiency, and then summed up the characteristics of energy consumption in developed countries, analyzed China's energy consumption process and the current stage, and found out the main problems of energy consumption in China. At last, countermeasures for the healthy development of China's energy were proposed, including actively promoting scientific and technological progress, upgrading energy structure, developing low carbon economy, rationalizing energy prices, improving the proportion of clean energy consumption and emphasizing synergistic effect on environment protection.     

Radar-based collision avoidance for unmanned surface vehicles

Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) have become a focus of research because of their extensive applications. To ensure safety and reliability and to perform complex tasks autonomously, USVs are required to possess accurate perception of the environment and effective collision avoidance capabilities. To achieve these, investigation into realtime marine radar target detection and autonomous collision avoidance technologies is required, aiming at solving the problems of noise jamming, uneven brightness, target loss, and blind areas in marine radar images. These technologies should also satisfy the requirements of real-time and reliability related to high navigation speeds of USVs. Therefore, this study developed an embedded collision avoidance system based on the marine radar, investigated a highly real-time target detection method which contains adaptive smoothing algorithm and robust segmentation algorithm, developed a stable and reliable dynamic local environment model to ensure the safety of USV navigation, and constructed a collision avoidance algorithm based on velocity obstacle (V-obstacle) which adjusts the USV’s heading and speed in real-time. Sea trials results in multi-obstacle avoidance firstly demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed avoidance system, and then verify its great adaptability and relative stability when a USV sailing in a real and complex marine environment. The obtained results will improve the intelligent level of USV and guarantee the safety of USV independent sailing.     

Paratacamite from Gypsum Veins in Sandstones of the Kuqa Basin,Xinjiang, China: Implications for a New Epigenetic Cu Enrichment Mechanism

The Kuqa Basin filled with Paleogene evaporite series is located in the northeast of the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China. It is famous for sandstone‐hosted Cu deposits formed by synsedimentary processes. However, our recent studies reveal that there has been another Cu mineralization mechanism in this basin. Field investigations show that there is a close relationship among faults, salt domes, and brine. Cu deposits are mainly located in two east–west‐trending anticlinal belts in the basin, adjacent to salt domes in the belts. Cu minerals in gypsum veins of the Jidike and Kangcun formations have been investigated by SEM, EDS, and X‐ray diffraction methods. The occurrence of paratacamite in gypsum veins has been reported to coexist with glauberite and halite in the joint planes of sandstones. In addition, it occurs accompanying residual crystal salt encrustation in limestone fractures, or in sandstones in dendritic form. These features indicate that the surface‐Cu enrichment in the Kuqa Basin might have originated from Cu‐bearing brine in the underlying evaporite units, which migrated upward along fractures. In addition, the presence of H₂S in the east–west fault belt in the Kuqa Basin, and the discovery of surface sulfur, calcium carbonate, and covellite, suggest thermochemical sulfate reduction near salt domes in the deeper parts of the rock units. This process resulted in the generation of reduced brine and provided a favorable environment for Cu enrichment. Therefore, the surface‐Cu mineralization near salt domes is interpreted to be the result of Cu‐bearing brine migrating upward to the surface along faults (or joints) following the intrusion of deep salt domes. The geological evidence indicates the presence of reducing brine and Cu‐bearing brine near the salt dome in the deeper rocks of the Kuqa Basin, thus making the intrusive contact zone of the salt dome a favorable site for the epigenetic enrichment of Cu. Our study demonstrates that Cu enrichment in the Kuqa Basin resulted not only from synsedimentary deposition but also through epigenetic enrichment associated with salt dome intrusion and brine‐rich fluids.     

Non-capacity transport of non-uniform bed load sediment in alluvial rivers

Rivers often witness non-uniform bed load sediment transport. For a long time, non-uniform bed load transport has been assumed to be at capacity regime determined exclusively by local flow. Yet whether the capacity assumption for non-uniform bed load transport is justified remains poorly understood. Here, the relative time scale of non-uniform bed load transport is evaluated and non-capacity and capacity models are compared for both aggradation and degradation cases with observed data. As characterized by its relative time scale, the adaptation of non-uniform bed load to capacity regime should be fulfilled quickly. However, changes in the flow and sediment inputs from upstream or tributaries hinder the adaptation. Also, the adaptation to capacity regime is size dependent, the finer the sediment size the slower the adaptation is, and vice versa. It is shown that the capacity model may entail considerable errors compared to the non-capacity model. For modelling of non-uniform bed load, noncapacity modelling is recommended, in which the temporal and spatial scales required for adaptation are explicitly appreciated.