The Upper Pleistocene to Holocene sediments on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa (Italy)

The island of Lampedusa lies on the northern edge of the African continental shelf, but during some Quaternary marine lowstands it was joined to the African continent. The study and dating of the aeolian, alluvial, detrital sediments, calcareous crusts and speleothems have established that the climatic–environmental variations recorded on the island can be related chronologically to those known for northern Libya, Tunisia and the Italian peninsula. During the Last Glacial Maximum, phases of Saharan dust accumulation on Lampedusa occurred, and were coeval with dust accumulation in crater lakes and on high mountains in central‐southern Italy, and with phases of glacial advance in the Apennines and in the Alps. During the late Holocene, accumulation of Saharan dust on Lampedusa occurred but there was little accumulation of dust on the northern side of the Mediterranean Sea. With the new data from Lampedusa, it is possible to envisage two different scenarios of atmospheric circulation relating to the Last Glacial Maximum and to the late Holocene. During the Last Glacial Maximum, southerly atmospheric circulation brought rainfall to the southern slopes of the Alps and to the Apennines. During the late Holocene, a prevalent westerly atmospheric circulation became established in the northern Mediterranean. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vicissitude of Sogo Nur and environmental-climatic change during last 1500 years

Lakes in arid zone are sensitive to climatic changes. The lacustrine sediment sequence in Sogo Nur has well and truly recorded climatic events such as the Sui-Tang Dynasty Warm Period, the Song-Liao Dynasty Cold Period, the Medieval Warm Period, the Little Ice Age and the 20th Century Warm Period. Commonly, the climate in warm Periods was relatively humid,accordingly the lake area extended and water level rose, and vice versa. Apart from climatic change, human activity is also an important factor of influencing lake vicissitude, and they played the dominant role alternatively during different periods; the factor of climatic change predominated in historical period, while since the beginning of the 20th century the utilization of water resources by human has became decisive.     

A Dipole Pattern of Summer Precipitation over Mid-high Latitude Asia and Related Snow Cover Anomalies in the Preceding Spring

A dipole pattern of summer precipitation over the mid-high latitudes of Asia, which is characterized by opposing summer precipitation variations between the Mongolian and Northeast China （MNC） region and the West Siberian Plain （WSP）, is found to be clear and stable on both interdecadal and interannual scales during 1981- 2011. Spring snow cover anomalies over a small region within the WSP and the Heilongjiang River （HR） region are closely related to the variation of this dipole mode during the subsequent summer, and they can therefore be considered as forecasting factors. Our statistical results imply a potential process explaining the relationship between the spring snow anomalies and the summer rainfall dipole. Corresponding to the snow anomalies, Rossby waves propagate along a path from the WSP region, via the Mongolian Plateau, to the Stanovoy Range during summer. At the same time, Rossby-wave energy divergences and convergences along this path maintain and reinforce an anomalous cyclone and anticyclone pairing over the Asian continent, which is significantly linked to opposite summer precipitation anomalies between the MNC and WSP regions. Numerical experiments are need- ed to further confirm the above conjecture and demonstrate the detailed physical mechanisms linking the spring snow cover anomalies and summer precipitation dipole.     

地球演化中最大的两级节律

地球演化中表现出的最大两级节律为１０×１０８ａ和２×１０８ａ。每２个相邻节律可合并为一个周期，因而地球演化的最大两级周期为２０×１０８ａ和４×１０８ａ。岩石学、地层学和构造地质学方面诸多证据都说明这种划分的合理性。对于地球演化中的这类大型节律及周期性的成因机制，用笔者已提出的“地球多级驻波脉动理论模型”可以得到较合理的解释。     

Multi-scale variation characteristics of polar vortex at 10 hPa in the Southern Hemisphere

By use of 1948-2007 NCEP/NCAR reanalysis monthly geopotential data, a set of circulation indices are defined to characterize the polar vortex at 10 hPa in the Southern Hemisphere, including area-(S), intensity-(P) and centre position-(λc , φc) indices. Sea-sonal variation, interannual anomalies and their possible causes of 10 hPa polar vortex in the Southern Hemisphere are analyzed by using these indices, the relationship between 10 hPa polar vortex strength and the Antarctic Oscillation are analyzed as well. The results show that: (1) the polar region at 10 hPa in the Southern Hemisphere is controlled by anticyclone (cyclone) from Dec. to Jan. (from Mar. to Oct.), Feb. and Nov. are circulation transition seasons. (2) Intensity index (P) and area index (S) of anticy-clone (cyclone) in Jan. (Jul.) show a significant spike in the late 1970s, the anticyclone (cyclone) enhances (weakens) from ex-tremely weak (strong) oscillation to near the climatic mean before a spike, anticyclone tends to the mean state from very strong oscillation and cyclone oscillates in the weaker state after the spike. (3) There is significant interdecadal change for the anticyclone center in Jan., while markedly interannual variation for cyclone center in July. (4) The ozone anomalies can cause the interannual anomaly of the polar anticyclone at 10 hPa in the Southern Hemisphere in Jan. (positive correlation between them), but it is not related to the polar cyclone anomalies. (5) There is notable negative correlation between the polar vortex intensity index P and the Antarctic Oscillation index (AAOI), thus AAOI can be represented by P.     

Environmental evolution of Gongwang Mountains during Holocene in northeastern Yunnan, China

This paper presents the study on two continuous glacio-lacustrine sedimentary deposits, Laotanfang （3 597 m） and Shibantang （3 689 m） located on the southern and northern sides of Hulifang peak in Yunan, China. Environmental change indexes are constructed for each deposit, based on grain size, geochemical and pollen analysis, environmental magnetic susceptibility, and 14C dating. The study of climatic environmental change since the Holocene epoch in this region shows that the climate fluctuated at different stages during the early Holocene, that is, the climate was cool and wet during 8.4-7. 7r ka, cold and wet during 7.7-6. 5 ka, cold and dry during 6. 5-4.7 ka, cool and wet during 4.7-2. 1 ka, warm and wet during 2. 1-1.0 ka, and warmer and wet since 1 ka. These findings reflect the overlapping influences of the southwest and southeast monsoons in different times during the Holocene in the north part of southwestern China are in accord with other Holocene climate change models in this part of China.     

成都地区雷暴的天气气候特征

利用1986～2000年成都地区的雷暴资料，分析得到：成都地区的多年平均雷暴日数在2430之间，属雷暴较多的地区之一。季节性显著，冬季无雷暴，盛夏雷暴日数占全年雷暴日数的2／3左右。地域性强，大城市的热岛效应对雷暴的发生有促进作用。雷暴天气过程的分析为作好雷暴发生时空域预报提供了好的思路。     

Fluctuations of floods of the River Morava (Czech Republic) in the 1691–2009 period: interactions of natural and anthropogenic factors

Abstract

Floods from the middle part of the River Morava (eastern Czech Republic) are considered over the course of the past three centuries, the study being based on data derived from documentary evidence (1691–1880), measured peak water stages, H_k (1881–1920) and peak discharges, Q_k (1916–2009), evaluated with respect to their N-year return period (H_N and Q_N ). Changes in land use and water management (water reservoirs, channel modifications) are discussed, as are factors influencing runoff conditions in the Morava catchment. Decadal synthesis of flood series identifies the highest flood activity in the decades of 1911–1920 and 1961–1970 (11 floods each), 1831–1840, 1891–1900, 1901–1910 and 1931–1940 (10 floods each). Uncertainty in this series is related to some incompleteness of documentary data in the pre-1881 period. Very low flood frequency occurred in the 1990s–2000s, although the most disastrous floods were recorded in this particular period (July 1997 at Q ₁₀₀ and March/April 2006 at Q ₂₀–Q ₅₀). Changes in flood frequency correspond partly to long-term changes in temperature and precipitation patterns.

Citation Brázdil, R., ?ezní?ková, L., Valá?ek, H., Havlí?ek, M., Dobrovolný, P., Soukalová, E., ?ehánek, T. & Skokanová, H. (2011) Fluctuations of floods of the River Morava (Czech Republic) in the 1691–2009 period: interactions of natural and anthropogenic factors. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(3), 468–485.     

安顺地区暴雨日数年际变化的气候特征

利用1979—2009年31 a安顺地区（安顺、平坝、普定、镇宁、关岭和紫云）6站的降水资料,统计分析6站暴雨日数和暴雨量的变化特征,提取代表安顺地区的代表站,对其进行统计分析,得到安顺地区暴雨日数年际变化的气候特征。安顺地区暴雨日数的在20世纪80年代末—90年代末期间具有明显的3～5a的年际震荡,并在90年代初达到峰值。安顺地区暴雨偏多年在高低空环流、风场和能量场配置的主要特征为：700hPa和500hPa高低空位势高度配置一致,位势高度在中高纬度出现＂东高西低＂的走势,安顺地区位于异常低涡的东南部,西太平洋副热带高压的西部,这样来自异常低涡东南侧的冷空气与来自海洋北上的暖湿气流在此交汇,利于底层切变线和准静止锋的建立;安顺地区位于高空偏西急流的右前方的出口处,低空西南急流右前方的出口处和低空东南急流左前方的出口处,这种高低空急流的配置非常有利于暴雨区垂直上升运动的产生;安顺地区及其附近区域对流不稳定较强,利于对流不稳定能量的积累,从而使对流不稳定区域易出现强对流系统,对安顺地区的不稳定能量的储存和释放十分有利。