A New Retracking Technique for Brown Peaky Altimetric Waveforms

A new Brown-Peaky (BP) retracker has been developed for peaky waveforms that usually appear within ～10 km to the coastline. The main feature of the BP is that it fits peaky waveforms using the Brown model without introducing a peak function. The retracking strategy first detects the peak location and width of a waveform using an adaptive peak detection method, and then estimates retracking parameters using a weighted least squares (WLS) estimator. The WLS assigns a downsized weight to corrupted waveform gates, but an equal weight to other normal waveform gates. The BP retracker has been applied to 4-year Jason-1 waveform (2002–2006) in two Australian coastal zones. The results retracked by BP, MLE4 and ALES retrackers have been validated against tide-gauge observations located at Burnie, Lorne and Broome. The comparison results show that three retrackers have similar performance over open oceans with the correlation coefficient (～0.7) and RMSE (～13 cm) between altimetric and tide-gauge sea levels for distance >7 km offshore. The main improvement of BP retracker occurs for distance ≤7 km to the coastline, where validation results indicate that data retracked by BP are more accurate (15–21 cm) than those by ALES (16–24 cm) and MLE4 (19–37 cm).     

Modelling the effect of changing precipitation inputs on deep soil water utilization

Forests in the Southeastern United States are predicted to experience future changes in seasonal patterns of precipitation inputs as well as more variable precipitation events. These climate change‐induced alterations could increase drought and lower soil water availability. Drought could alter rooting patterns and increase the importance of deep roots that access subsurface water resources. To address plant response to drought in both deep rooting and soil water utilization as well as soil drainage, we utilize a throughfall reduction experiment in a loblolly pine plantation of the Southeastern United States to calibrate and validate a hydrological model. The model was accurately calibrated against field measured soil moisture data under ambient rainfall and validated using 30% throughfall reduction data. Using this model, we then tested these scenarios: (a) evenly reduced precipitation; (b) less precipitation in summer, more in winter; (c) same total amount of precipitation with less frequent but heavier storms; and (d) shallower rooting depth under the above 3 scenarios. When less precipitation was received, drainage decreased proportionally much faster than evapotranspiration implying plants will acquire water first to the detriment of drainage. When precipitation was reduced by more than 30%, plants relied on stored soil water to satisfy evapotranspiration suggesting 30% may be a threshold that if sustained over the long term would deplete plant available soil water. Under the third scenario, evapotranspiration and drainage decreased, whereas surface run‐off increased. Changes in root biomass measured before and 4 years after the throughfall reduction experiment were not detected among treatments. Model simulations, however, indicated gains in evapotranspiration with deeper roots under evenly reduced precipitation and seasonal precipitation redistribution scenarios but not when precipitation frequency was adjusted. Deep soil and deep rooting can provide an important buffer capacity when precipitation alone cannot satisfy the evapotranspirational demand of forests. How this buffering capacity will persist in the face of changing precipitation inputs, however, will depend less on seasonal redistribution than on the magnitude of reductions and changes in rainfall frequency.     

非等间距GM(1,1)模型的总体最小二乘算法及其病态问题

在非等间距GM(1,1)模型中，系数矩阵中有无误差的常数项和有误差的随机项，并且系数矩阵与观测向量误差同源，即系数矩阵与观测向量中有相同的元素存在，这些相同元素应该有相同的改正数，为此本文推导了一种适合非等间距GM(1,1)模型求解的总体最小二乘算法。同时，考虑到非等间距GM(1,1)模型中存在病态问题时影响总体最小二乘计算结果的稳定性，提出对系数矩阵常数列乘以某一常数的方法，以改善病态问题。     

利用超快速精密星历约束的北斗卫星实时精密定轨

以广播星历为起算轨道的北斗卫星实时滤波精密定轨往往需要较长收敛时间，针对此，提出利用超快速精密星历约束的实时精密定轨方法。通过MGEX跟踪网全球分布的51个测站连续7 d的实测数据，利用平方根信息滤波对北斗卫星实时精密轨道进行确定，并以3 d解事后轨道作为参考，评估北斗卫星实时滤波轨道精度。结果表明，利用广播星历作起算轨道时，北斗实时滤波轨道平均需要经过15 h收敛才能达到稳定，而新方法在这段时间内轨道变化较为平稳，未出现明显的收敛现象，并且7 d时间内GEO卫星在切向、法向和径向上RMS分别优于2.5 m、20 cm和30 cm，IGSO和MEO卫星在3个方向上分别优于30 cm、15 cm和10 cm。
     

Revisiting Sustainable Development of Dry Valleys in Hengduan Mountains Region

Dry valleys are a striking geographic landscape in Hengduan Mountains Region and are characterized by low rainfall, desert type of vegetation and fragile environment. Past efforts and resources have been concentrated mainly on rehabilitation of degraded ecosystem and fragile environment, particularly reforestation, while socio-economic development has been largely overlooked. Despite successes in pocket areas, the overall trend of unsustainability and environmental deterioration are continuing. It is important to understand that uplift of the Tibetan Plateau is the root cause of development of dry valleys, and development and formation of dry valleys is a natural process. Human intervention has played a secondary role in development of dry valleys and degradation of dry valleys though human intervention in many cases has speeded up environmental degradation of the dry valleys. It is important to understand that dry valleys are climatic enclaves and an integrated approach that combines rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and socio-economic development should be adopted if the overall goal of sustainable development of dry valleys is to be achieved. Promotion of niche-based cash crops, rural energy including hydropower, solar energy, biogas and fuelwood plantation is recommended as the priority activities.     

Characteristics of Spatial and Temporal Variations of Monthly Mean Surface Air Temperature over Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

1 Introduction The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the highest plateau with the most complex topography in the world, covers an area of more than 200km2, with a mean elevation of more than 4000m a.s.l. (Ye and Gao, 1979). Surrounded by the Earth’s highest mountains, such as the Himalayas, Pamir, Kunlun Mountains, the plateau plays a significant role in climate change in China even in the world, thus attracted great attention of researchers. Up to now, many achievements have been gained by…     

平凉隐伏岩溶水环境同位素研究

地下水资源可持续利用的一个急待解决的重要问题,是对地下水补给和更新能力的评价.利用环境同位素技术研究地下水的补给和可更新性是当前较为新颖的方法之一.在西北干旱、半干旱的隐伏岩溶地区,地下水埋藏条件复杂,常规的地质勘探方法所能提供的水文地质信息有限,环境同位素方法在研究地下水的补给及可更新能力方面发挥了优势,可对传统方法进行补充和验证.其结果表明,研究区隐伏岩溶水形成较早,且有大量现代水的混入,平均混入量为54%.说明区内隐伏岩溶水的补给和更新能力较好.环境同位素分析结果还显示,大岔河隐伏岩溶水为一相对独立、半开放的水文地质单元,其补给来源部分为流域内大气降水、地表水的补给,部分为东南部三道沟岩溶地下水的补给;根据环境同位素EPM模型计算,地下水的滞留时间为36 a.地下水储存量为1.314×108 m3; 储水系数为7.29×10-3.这一结果与传统勘探方法的计算结果基本吻合,说明环境同位素方法的实用性.     

HD 82943行星系统的2:1共振与稳定性

用直接数值积分方法通过模拟不同的行星构型探讨了HD82943行星系统(由两颗共振的巨行星组成)的长期动力演化,同时,还研究了在相空间的轨道运动.在对系统长达107年数值积分中,发现所有的稳定轨道均与2:1共振相关联.典型地,在相同的时标内,两个共振幅角θ1和θ2同时(或其中之一)存在秤动.由于共振幅角在一定范围内的秤动,因而使两颗行星轨道半长径被约束而表现为规则运动模式.另外,利用分析模型(包含了外行星偏心率e2的因素),还讨论了对于不同取值的e2和相对近星点经度θ时,内行星在相空间的运动,并发现2:1轨道共振对于相对较小的e2以及当θ=0°时易于保持.此外,适中的e2将导致系统的两颗行星进入深度共振状态.再者,分析模型和数值计算的结果吻合得很好,两者都揭示了行星系统的2:1共振结构.     

Minor planet short periodic perturbations: The indirect part of the disturbing function

Leverrier's development of the indirect part of the disturbing function has been extended to include terms up to degree 4 in eccentricity and inclination; the resulting series has been expressed with respect to a fixed plane, and in a computer readable form (a list of integers). Tests have been performed for the relative significance of the terms of degrees 2, 3 and 4, and estimates have been obtained for the accuracy of the short periodic perturbations of a minor planet, and of the corresponding mean orbital elements. It was found that: (i) even in extreme cases, the indirect part of the disturbing function gives rise to very small short periodic perturbations; (ii) bodies of very high eccentricity/inclination and those close to mean motion resonances are most significantly affected; (iii) indirect perturbations for minor planets can be computed up to the degree 2 terms only, without any significant loss of accuracy; and (iv) higher degree indirect perturbations appear to be important only for their contribution to the long periodic effects of higher order (with respect to the perturbing mass).     

Modelling the effect of low soil temperatures on transpiration by Scots pine

For ecosystem modelling of the Boreal forest it is important to include processes associated with low soil temperature during spring‐early summer, as these affect the tree water uptake. The COUP model, a physically based SVAT model, was tested with 2 years of soil and snow physical measurements and sap flow measurements in a 70‐year‐old Scots pine stand in the boreal zone of northern Sweden. During the first year the extent and duration of soil frost was manipulated in the field. The model was successful in reproducing the timing of the soil warming after the snowmelt and frost thaw. A delayed soil warming, into the growing season, severely reduced the transpiration. We demonstrated the potential for considerable overestimation of transpiration by the model if the reduction of the trees' capacity to transpire due to low soil temperatures is not taken into account. We also demonstrated that the accumulated effect of aboveground conditions could be included when simulating the relationship between soil temperature and tree water uptake. This improved the estimated transpiration for the control plot and when soil warming was delayed into the growing season. The study illustrates the need of including antecedent conditions on root growth in the model in order to catch these effects on transpiration. The COUP model is a promising tool for predicting transpiration in high‐latitude stands. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.