A vertical sounding of severe haze process in Guangzhou area

We detected a severe haze process in Guangzhou area with lidar and microwave radiometer, performed an inversion to get boundary layer height by wavelet covariance transform, and analyzed the correlation between meteorological factors of boundary layer and visibility from the perspective of dynamical and thermodynamic structures. Our results indicate that the boundary layer height shows significant daily changes, consistent with ground visibility variation. During the cleaning process, the boundary layer height exceeded 1 km; during severe haze, the height was only 500 m. Temperature gradient of 50–100 m, which was 30 h lag, was remarkably correlated with visibility, with the correlation coefficient of 0.77. High layer visibility(255 m) and low layer stability were significantly anticorrelation, and the maximum anticorrelation coefficient was up to-0.76 in cleaning days and-0.49 in haze days. In the related boundary layer meteorological factors, surface ventilation coefficient was linearly correlated with ground visibility, with the greatest correlation coefficient of 0.88. The correlation coefficients of boundary layer height, ground wind velocity, relative humidity and ground visibility were 0.76, 0.67, and-0.77, respectively. There was a strong correlation between different meteorological factors. The dominant meteorological factor during this haze process was surface ventilation coefficient. In the area without boundary layer height sounding, ground visibility and wind velocity could be used to estimate boundary layer height.     

Mesospheric bore formation from large-scale gravity wave perturbations observed by collocated all-sky OH imager and sodium lidar

On 9 October 2007, long-horizontal-wavelength gravity waves were observed for the first time to steepen and form mesospheric bores at the altitude of ～87 km, by an all-sky OH imager located at Fort Collins (41°N, 105°W), Colorado. The collocated sodium lidar simultaneously observed the presence of a temperature inversion layer as the ducting region. One mesospheric bore uniquely later evolved into a large-amplitude soliton-like perturbation. When the gravity wave and the associated soliton-like perturbation passed through the lidar beams, the lidar detected strong vertical disturbance at 90 km, indicating convective instability. A large cold front system recorded several hours before in the troposphere was aligned to phase fronts of these large gravity waves. For all of the 7 mesospheric bores observed over a 5 year period, we found a similar alignment with a cold front 1000–1500 km away as the likely source of these large-scale gravity waves.     

Optical properties of long-range transported volcanic ash over Romania and Poland during Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010

After Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption on 14 April 2010, due to a complex air mass circulation, Romania was exposed to volcanic ash and its mixture with continental aerosols. Ash particles with an average Ångström (UV-VIS) exponent of 1.4 ± 0.2 and (VIS-IR) of 1.2 ± 0.3, a color ratio (VIS-UV) of 0.54 and (IR-VIS) of 0.49, an average particle depolarization value ～9.4%, and a lidar ratio of 50 sr were retrieved on 18 April from multiwavelength Raman lidar measurements in Bucharest. Mixed volcanic ash with mineral dust particles advected from Sahara, depolarization ～12%, Ångström (UV-VIS) exponent of 1.25 ± 0.25 and (VIS-IR) of 1.45 ± 0.25, an increased color ratio (VIS-UV) of 0.61, (IRVIS) of 0.39 and lidar ratio of 53 sr were identified on 28 April. From observations in Poland conducted by an elastic lidar at 532 nm and a ceilometer at 1064 nm we retrieved an average backscatter related Ångström (VIS-IR) exponent of 1.25 ± 0.35, and a color ratio (IR-VIS) of 0.53 in the layer at about 5.5 km during the night of 16/17 April, indicating fresh ash over Warsaw.     

Coordinated optical and radar image measurements of noctilucent clouds and polar mesospheric summer echoes

Novel coincident 3-D radar, lidar and optical image measurements of dynamical structures in polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) and noctilucent clouds (NLC) are presented. Common volume mesospheric measurements were made over central Alaska using the new Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR), a co-located Rayleigh lidar and remote, two-station digital image observations, enabling the first detailed investigation of the horizontal and vertical structures of NLC and PMSE. Coincident measurements were made of an unusual NLC display recorded on 10–11 August 2007, characterized by a broad luminous band that contained several prominent wave forms. Concurrent lidar and image measurements established the presence of NLC within the radar volume from ～09:00 UT (01:00 LT), when the solar depression angle was 10.4°, until dawn. Strong but intermittent PMSE were detected by PFISR, with distinct patchy structures that exhibited a similar southward motion as the NLC. Detailed comparison of the 3-D PMSE structures and the NLC lidar and image data have revealed striking similarities when account was taken of the NLC layer altitude, suggesting a direct link between their small-scale spatial signatures (within the current resolution of the radar measurements). At the same time, the lidar detected a sustained increase in the backscatter signal, while the imagers revealed the development of copious short horizontal wavelength (4.9 km) billow waves. We conclude that strong wind shears associated with the Kelvin–Helmholtz billow instabilities played a key role in the development of a neutral turbulence layer in close proximity to the NLC layer resulting in the strong but intermittent PMSE detected at 450 MHz on this occasion.     

On the collocation between dayside auroral activity and coherent HF radar backscatter

The 2D morphology of coherent HF radar and optical cusp aurora has been studied for conditions of predominantly southward IMF conditions, which favours low-latitude boundary layer reconnection. Despite the variability in shape of radar cusp Doppler spectra, the spectral width criterion of 220 m s^–1 proves to be a robust cusp discriminator. For extended periods of well-developed radar backscatter echoes, the equatorward boundary of the 220 m s^–1 spectral width enhancement lines up remarkably well with the equatorward boundary of the optical cusp aurora. The spectral width boundary is however poorly determined during development and fading of radar cusp backscatter. Closer inspection of radar Doppler profile characteristics suggests that a combination of spectral width and shape may advance boundary layer identification by HF radar. For the two December days studied the onset of radar cusp backscatter occurred within pre-existing 630.0 nm cusp auroral activity and appear to be initiated by sunrise, i.e. favourable radio wave propagation conditions had to develop. Better methods are put forward for analysing optical data, and for physical interpretation of HF radar data, and for combining these data, as applied to detection, tracking, and better understanding of dayside aurora. The broader motivation of this work is to develop wider use by the scientific community, of results of these techniques, to accelerate understanding of dynamic high-latitude boundary-processes. The contributions in this work are: (1) improved techniques of analysis of observational data, yielding meaningfully enhanced accuracy for deduced cusp locations; (2) a correspondingly more pronounced validation of correlation of boundary locations derived from the observational data set; and (3) a firmer physical rationale as to why the good correlation observed should theoretically be expected.     

Retrieval of the boundary layer height from active and passive remote sensors. Comparison with a NWP model

In this study, we used boundary layer heights derived from lidar in Romania to validate the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model improved by ARIA Technologies SA in the framework of ROMAIR LIFE project. Lidar retrievals were also compared to the retrievals from meteorological data, both modeled (Global Data Assimilation System; GDAS) and measured (microwave radiometry). Both the gradient and the wavelet covariance methods were used to compute the boundary layer height (BLH) from the range corrected lidar signal, and their equivalence was shown. The analysis was performed on 102 datasets, spread over all seasons and 3 years (2009–2011). A good agreement was found for the remote sensors (lidar and microwave radiometer) which are co-located and measure simultaneously. The correlation of the measured boundary layer height and the modelled one was 0.66 for the entire dataset, and 0.73 when considering daytime data, i.e., for a well defined boundary layer. A systematic underestimation of the boundary layer height by the WRF during non-convective periods (nocturne, stable atmosphere) was found.     

A Raman lidar to measure water vapor in the atmospheric boundary layer

A new multi-telescope scanning Raman lidar designed to measure the water vapor mixing ratio in the atmospheric boundary layer for a complete diurnal cycle with high resolution spatial (1.25 m) and temporal (1 s) resolutions is presented. The high resolution allows detailed measurements of the lower atmosphere and offers new opportunities for evaporation and boundary layer research, atmospheric profiling and visualization. This lidar utilizes a multi-telescope design that provides for an operational range with a nearly constant signal-to-noise ratio, which allows for statistical investigations of atmospheric turbulence. This new generation ground-based water vapor Raman lidar is described, and first observations from the Turbulent Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (TABLE) are presented. Direct comparison with in-situ point measurements obtained during the field campaign demonstrate the ability of the lidar to reliably measure the water vapor mixing ratio. Horizontal measurements taken with time are used to determine the geometric characteristics of coherent structures. Vertical scans are used to visualize nocturnal jet features, layered structures within a stably stratified atmosphere and the internal boundary layer structure over a lake.     

The mesospheric metal layer topside: Examples of simultaneous metal observations

We show examples of common volume observations of three metals by lidar focusing on the altitude of the topside of the meteoric metal layer as described by Höffner and Friedman (H&F) [The mesospheric metal layer topside: a possible connection to meteoroids, Atmos. Chem. Phys. 4 (2004) 801–808]. In contrast to H&F, we will focus on time scales of a few hours and less whereas the previous study examined the seasonally averaged climatological state on time scales of several days or weeks, and we examine the entire topside, whereas H&F focused on data at 113 km. The examples, taken under different observation conditions in 1997 and 1998 at Kühlungsborn, Germany (54°N, 15°E), show that the metal layers can often be observed at altitudes as high as 130 km if the signal is integrated over a period of several hours. Under such conditions it is possible to derive reasonably good metal abundance ratios from nocturnally averaged data, which, in turn, allow the discussion of metal abundance ratios to broaden from a single altitude as discussed in H&F to an altitude range extending as high as 130 km. The examples herein show, for the first time, that it is possible to track the transition in the metal abundance ratios from the main layer to an altitude region that has not been studied in the past by lidar. On shorter time scales, small structures are detectable and observable, sometimes above 120 km, resulting in, on average, a broad but weak topside layer above 105 km. In particular, the example of 26–27 October 1997, obtained during enhanced meteor activity, is an indication that this broad layer may result from meteor ablation occurring in this altitude range during the observation. Ratios of metal densities for Ca, Fe, K, and Na are remarkably consistent above about 110 km and in close agreement with the results of H&F. They are less consistent with ratios measured in individual meteor trails and appear to have little relation to the ratios measured in CI meteorites. Finally, it is the temporal smoothing of descending sporadic metal atom layers on top of an undisturbed background metal layer that is the basis of the summer topside extension as described by H&F.     

FFIM用于机载大气激光雷达 ABCT反演的可行性研究

Fernald前向积分法能否用于机载大气探测激光雷达气溶胶后向散射系数的反演一直是一个有争议的课题.本文利用青岛机载大气探测激光雷达实测数据、国外机载大气探测激光雷达实测数据和机载大气探测激光雷达模拟数据,对Fernald前向积分法应用于不同高度的机载大气探测激光雷达气溶胶后向散射系数反演的误差进行了定量分析,分析结果表明:飞机的飞行高度在3.5 km左右,标定值存在20%的误差时,离地面2 km的高度范围内反演得到的气溶胶后向散射系数的相对误差在12%以内,但在标定点附近相对误差可达20%;飞机飞行高度在7 km左右,当标定值存在100%的误差时,反演得到的气溶胶后向散射系数的相对误差大都在10%~15%之间,标定值存在400%的误差时,反演得到的气溶胶后向散射系数的相对误差大部分在15%~50%之间.本文从理论上对Fernald前向积分法应用于机载大气探测激光雷达气溶胶后向散射系数反演出现负值的原因进行了探讨.研究表明:Fernald前向积分法能够较准确地反演出中高空探测(4.5 km以上)机载大气探测激光雷达气溶胶后向散射系数,但应用于低空探测(4.5 km以下)机载大气探测激光雷达气溶胶后向散射系数反演时,反演误差较大甚至反演结果会出现负值.     

Vertical structures of PM10 and PM 2.5 and their dynamical character in low atmosphere in Beijing urban areas

The vertical structures and their dynamical character of PM2.5 and PM10 over Beijing urban areas are revealed using the 1 min mean continuous mass concentration data of PM2.5 and PM10 at 8, 100, and 320 m heights of the meteorological observation tower of 325 m at Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP CAS tower hereafter) on 10―26 August, 2003, as well as the daily mean mass concentration data of PM2.5 and PM10 and the continuous data of CO and NO2 at 8, 100 (low layer), 200 (middle layer), and 320 m (high layer) heights, in combination with the same period meteorological field observation data of the meteorological tower. The vertical distributions of aerosols observed on IAP CAS tower in Beijing can be roughly divided into two patterns: gradually and rapidly decreasing patterns, I.e. The vertical distribution of aerosols in calm weather or on pollution day belongs to the gradually decreasing pattern, while one on clean day or weak cold air day belongs to the rapidly decreasing pattern. The vertical distributive characters of aerosols were closely related with the dynamical/thermal structure and turbulence character of the atmosphere boundary layer. On the clean day, the low layer PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were close to those at 8 m height, while the concentrations rapidly decreased at the high layer, and their values were only one half of those at 8 m, especially, the concentration of PM2.5 dropped even more. On the clean day, there existed stronger turbulence below 150 m, aerosols were well mixed, but blocked by the more stronger inversion layer aloft, and meanwhile, at various heights, especially in the high layer, the horizontal wind speed was larger, resulting in the rapid decrease of aerosol concentration, I.e. Resulting in the obvious vertical difference of aerosol concentrations between the low and high layers. On the pollution day, the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 at the low, middle, and high layers dropped successively by, on average, about 10% for each layer in comparison with those at 8 m height. On pollution days, in company with the low wind speed, there existed two shallow inversion layers in the boundary layer, but aerosols might be, to some extent, mixed below the inversion layer, therefore, on the pollution day the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 dropped with height slowly; and the observational results also show that the concentrations at 320 m height were obviously high under SW and SE winds, but at other heights, the concentrations were not correlated with wind directions. The computational results of footprint analysis suggest that this was due to the fact that the 320 m height was impacted by the pollutants transfer of southerly flow from the southern peripheral heavier polluted areas, such as Baoding, and Shijiazhuang of Hebei Province, Tianjin, and Shandong Province, etc., while the low layer was only affected by Beijing's local pollution source. The computational results of power spectra and periods preliminarily reveal that under the condition of calm weather, the periods of PM10 concentration at various heights of the tower were on the order of minutes, while in cases of larger wind speed, the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 at 320 m height not only had the short periods of minute-order, but also the longer periods of hour order. Consistent with the conclusion previously drawn by Ding et al., that air pollutants at different heights and at different sites in Beijing had the character of "in-phase" variation, was also observed for the diurnal variation and mean diurnal variation of PM2.5 and PM10 at various heights of the tower in this experiment, again confirming the "in-phase" temporal/spatial distributive character of air pollutants in the urban canopy of Beijing. The gentle double-peak character of the mean diurnal variation of PM2.5 and PM10 was closely related with the evident/similar diurnal variation of turbulent momentum fluxes, sensible heat fluxes, and turbulent kinetic energy at various heights in the urban canopy. Besides, under the condition of calm weather, the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 declined with height slowly, it was 90% of 8 m concentration at the low layer, a little lesser than 90% at the middle layer, and 80% at the high layer, respectively. Under the condition of weak cold air weather, the concentration remarkably dropped with height, it was 70% of 8 m concentration at the low layer, and 20%―30% at the middle and high layers, especially the concentration of PM2.5 was even lower.     

Long-range transport of aerosols from agriculture crop residue burning in Indo-Gangetic Plains—A study using LIDAR,ground measurements and satellite data

Agriculture crop residue burning in tropics is an important source of atmospheric aerosols and monitoring their long-range transport is an important element in climate change studies. Synchronous measurements using micro-pulsed lidar, MICROTOPS-II sun photometer, multi-filter rotating shadow band radiometer (MFRSR) on aerosol optical depth and ground reaching solar irradiance were carried at an urban location in central region of India. Aerosol backscatter profiles obtained from micro-pulse lidar showed elevated aerosol layers up to ～3 km on certain days during October 2007. Satellite data observations on aerosol properties suggested transport of particles from agriculture crop residue burning in Indo-Gangetic Plains over large regions. Radiative forcing of aerosols estimated from SBDART model with input information on aerosol chemical properties, aerosol optical depth and single scattering albedo and broadband solar irradiance measurements using MFRSR showed good correlation (R=0.98).     

The relationship between glaciation and volcanism: Numerical simulation and the Holocene volcanism in Kamchatka

This study is concerned with numerical simulation of the strain due to glaciation and glacial melting, when a magma zone (a layer containing inclusions of magma and magma cumulates) is present at the crust–mantle boundary. According to analytical solutions of this problem that involves viscous relaxation of an uncompensated depression at the place of the molten glacier, the depth to the zone of increased shear stresses beneath the depression is proportional to its width, while the relaxation duration is proportional to viscosity of the lithosphere and is a few thousand years. These fundamental estimates are corroborated by our numerical simulation. According to it, the magma zone at the Moho boundary shields the zone of increased shear stresses, limiting it from below. The maximum values (12–25 MPa) with glacial thickness 500–1000 m are reached at the top of this layer of low viscosity. The directions of maximum compression (s₁) as calculated for the time after the melting indicate that the magma that rises along dikes is displaced from the center of the magma lens toward its periphery. It is found that glacial unloading makes the dipping faults in the crust above the low-viscosity layer attractors for the rising magma. Glacial unloading accelerates, by factors of a few times, the magma generation in the mantle that occurs following the mechanism of adiabatic decompression, as well as facilitating the accumulation of mantle fluids in the zone of increased shear stresses at the boundary of the low viscosity layer. The magma traverses this deep fluid collector and increases the intensity and explosivity of eruptions at the beginning of an interglacial period. Our numerical simulation results are in general agreement with published data on Early Holocene volcanic eruptions that occurred after the second phase of the Late Pleistocene glaciation in Kamchatka.     

Inertial theory of the mean Hadley circulation under the condition of nonstatic equilibrium

1 Introduction The mean meridional circulation plays an important role in the transportation and balance of heat, momen- tum, vortex and vapor between different latitudes. According to the data analysis, there are three circula- tions from the equator to the polar area: the Hadley circulation, a heat-driven circulation which rises around the equator and sinks at a certain latitude; the subpolar circulation, another heat-driven circulation around the polar area; and the Ferrel circulation, an i…     

Topography on the D′′ region from analysis of a thin dense layer beneath a convecting cell

In this study, we examine the development of topography on a thin dense layer at the base of the lower mantle. The effect of the convecting mantle above is represented as a traction acting on the upper surface of the layer. Topography on the layer boundaries is predicted by a balance of dynamic flow stress and external traction. The nature of boundary topography depends on the magnitude of the driving tractions and the density variation within the layer. If we assume that the layer density is greatest beneath areas of mantle downwelling and decreases to a minimum beneath areas of mantle upwelling (the layer is thermally coupled to the convection in the overlying mantle) then its upper boundary develops a cusp-like peak beneath the upwelling mantle. The height of this peak is potentially much greater than the layer thickness. If, however, the layers are effectively coupled by viscous shear then internal density gradients of the opposite sign may be established. In this case, we observe solutions where the layer is completely swept away beneath areas of mantle downwelling leaving steep-sided ‘islands’ of dense material. This mechanism therefore provides a possible explanation for steep-sided anomalously slow regions at the base of the mantle observed by seismic methods (e.g. beneath south Africa) or for discrete ultralow velocity zones detected at the core-mantle boundary beneath locations of surface hotspots. The magnitude of the upper boundary driving tractions compared to the density gradient within the layer is the key parameter that determines the nature of flow in, and consequently boundary topography of, the layer. The deflection of the core-mantle boundary is small compared with that of the top of the dense layer, but a change in sign of the ratio of these deflections is observed as the magnitude of the driving tractions changes relative to the magnitude of the internal density gradient. We compare seismic measurements of core-mantle boundary topography and D′′ topography with the predictions of this model in an attempt to constrain model parameters, but no clear correlation seems to exist between D′′ thickness and CMB topography.     

Reducing the biases in shortwave cloud radiative forcing in tropical and subtropical regions from the perspective of boundary layer processes

Biases in shortwave cloud radiative forcing (SWCF), which cause overestimates in tropical regions and underestimates in subtropical marine stratocumulus regions, are common in many climate models. Here, two boundary layer processes are investigated in the atmospheric model GAMIL2, entrainment at the top of the boundary layer and longwave radiative cooling at the top of stratocumulus clouds, in order to reduce biases and reveal the mechanisms underlying these processes. Our results show that including the entrainment process in the model can reduce negative SWCF biases in most tropical regions but increases positive SWCF biases in subtropical marine stratocumulus regions. This occurs because entrainment reduces the low-level cloud fraction and its cloud liquid water content by suppressing the vertical turbulent diffusion in the boundary layer and decreasing the relative humidity when warm and dry free atmosphere is entrained in the boundary layer. Longwave radiative cooling at the top of stratocumulus clouds can enhance turbulent diffusion within the stratocumulus-topped boundary layer. When combined with the entrainment process, longwave radiative cooling reduces the positive SWCF biases in subtropical marine stratocumulus regions that are observed using the entrainment process alone. The incorporation of these two boundary layer processes improves the simulated SWCF in tropical and subtropical regions in GAMIL2.     

Airborne Lidar Observations of Water Vapor Variability in Tropical Shallow Convective Environment

An airborne downward-pointing water vapor lidar provides two-dimensional, simultaneous curtains of atmospheric backscatter and humidity along the flight track with high accuracy and spatial resolution. In order to improve the knowledge on the coupling between clouds, circulation and climate in the trade wind region, the DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) water vapor lidar was operated on board the German research aircraft HALO during the NARVAL (Next Generation Aircraft Remote Sensing for Validation Studies) field experiment in December 2013. Out of the wealth of about 30 flight hours or 25,000 km of data over the Tropical Atlantic Ocean east of Barbados, three ~ 2-h-long, representative segments from different flights were selected. Analyses of Meteosat Second Generation images and dropsondes complement this case study. All observations indicate a high heterogeneity of the humidity in the lowest 4 km of the tropical troposphere, as well as of the depth of the cloud (1–2 km thick) and sub-cloud layer (~ 1 km thick). At the winter trade inversion with its strong humidity jump of up to 9 g/kg in water vapor mixing ratio, the mixing ratio variance can attain 9 (g/kg)², while below it typically ranges between 1 and 3 (g/kg)². Layer depths and partial water vapor columns within the layers vary by up to a factor of 2. This affects the total tropospheric water vapor column, amounting on average to 28 kg/m², by up to 10 kg/m² or 36%. The dominant scale of the variability is given by the extent of regions with higher-than-average humidity and lies between 300 and 600 km. The variability mainly stems from the alternation between dry regions and moisture lifted by convection. Occasionally, up to 100-km large dry regions are observed. In between, convection pushes the trade inversion upward, sharpening the vertical moisture gradient that is colocated with the trade inversion. In most of the water vapor profiles, this gradient is stronger than the one located at the top of the sub-cloud layer. Lidar observations in concert with models accurately reproducing the observed variability are expected to help evaluate the role these findings play for climate.     

Hydrological and salinity impacts of a bio‐drainage strategy application in the Yizre'el Valley,Israel

The bio‐drainage–commercial forestry strategy was applied in five plots in the Yizre'el Valley, northern Israel, to evaluate the hydrological and salinity impacts of eucalypt plantations. Each plot contained a mix of 11 selected eucalyptus species/ecotypes. Two plots (Nahalal and Genigar), representing the two extreme waterlogging/salinity conditions in the valley, were selected for in‐depth monitoring over a 10‐year period to assess the likely environmental improvement through bio‐drainage. Despite impressive growth rates of genetically improved Eucalyptus camaldulensis in the year‐round waterlogged, slightly saline Nahalal site (650 mm annual rainfall), the water uptake by the trees was insufficient to control the rising water table caused by excessive water inputs, both natural and human. In the more saline, alkaline and drier Genigar plot (450 mm annual rainfall), where rainfall is the only water input, the ground water dropped to below 3 m from soil surface in the fourth year after planting, i.e. deeper than the adjacent ground water levels. Both sites showed appreciable rise in wells that penetrated the 3‐ to 4‐m confining layer. The 10‐year salinity (EC) trend of the top layer in Nahalal varied because the drainage was limited by the positive water balance and the above‐average spells of dry winters. In and below the 4 m deep layer the EC remained below 1·5 dS m^?1 throughout the entire 10‐year study. The last EC measurement, taken in 2003, showed values not higher than 4 dS m^?1 throughout the 6 m soil profile. In Genigar, there was significant leaching of salts from the top layer (1 m) during the 9‐year monitoring period, but recently a salts ‘bulge’ was gradually developed in the 1–5 m strata indicating that the expected downward movement of leached salts was impeded by the 3–4 m deep low‐permeability clayey layer that lies over a coarser, far more conductive and notably confined layer, which leads to a perched water body. The last EC measurement at the end of 2003 showed a maximum value of 5·5 dS m^?1 at 3 m depth. No signs of tree stress were observed in either site, at any soil depth during the 10 years of monitoring. Theoretical considerations do not support the hypothesis that there would be a fatal long‐term accumulation of salts in the root zone. The Israeli experience has shown that the bio‐drainage technique can effectively lower a shallow water table and reverse salinity trends, provided that the overall water balance is negative, i.e. that the water inputs match the water use by the tree plantation and local drainage characteristics. However, the rate of improvement of the hydraulic, salinity, sodicity and soil physical properties is site specific. Excess fresh water inputs into the plantation, although they create waterlogging conditions, supply unlimited water to the trees, which, in turn, show exceptional growth rates, with usable commercial value. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of the oceanic lithosphere velocity on free convection in the asthenosphere beneath mid-ocean ridges

The paper presents results obtained in experiments on a horizontal layer heated from below in its central part and cooled from above; the layer models the oceanic asthenosphere. Flow velocity and temperature profiles are measured and the flow structure under boundary layer conditions is determined (at Rayleigh numbers Ra > 5 × 10⁵). The flow in the core of a plane horizontal layer heated laterally and cooled from above develops under conditions of a constant temperature gradient averaged over the layer thickness. The flow core is modeled by a horizontal layer with a moving upper boundary and with adiabatic bounding surfaces under conditions of a constant horizontal gradient of temperature. Exact solutions of free convection equations are found for this model in the Boussinesq approximation. Model results are compared with experimental data. Temperature and flow velocity ranges are determined for the boundary layer regime. Based on the experimental flow velocity profiles, an expression is found for the flow velocity profile in a horizontal layer with a mobile upper boundary heated laterally and cooled from above. Free convection velocity profiles are obtained for the asthenosphere beneath a mid-ocean ridge (MOR) with a mobile lithosphere. An expression is obtained for the tangential stress at the top of the asthenosphere beneath an MOR and the total friction force produced by the asthenospheric flow at the asthenosphere-lithosphere boundary is determined.     

Application of a perfectly matched layer in seismic wavefield simulation with an irregular free surface

Recently, an effective and powerful approach for simulating seismic wave propagation in elastic media with an irregular free surface was proposed. However, in previous studies, researchers used the periodic condition and/or sponge boundary condition to attenuate artificial reflections at boundaries of a computational domain. As demonstrated in many literatures, either the periodic condition or sponge boundary condition is simple but much less effective than the well‐known perfectly matched layer boundary condition. In view of this, we intend to introduce a perfectly matched layer to simulate seismic wavefields in unbounded models with an irregular free surface. We first incorporate a perfectly matched layer into wave equations formulated in a frequency domain in Cartesian coordinates. We then transform them back into a time domain through inverse Fourier transformation. Afterwards, we use a boundary‐conforming grid and map a rectangular grid onto a curved one, which allows us to transform the equations and free surface boundary conditions from Cartesian coordinates to curvilinear coordinates. As numerical examples show, if free surface boundary conditions are imposed at the top border of a model, then it should also be incorporated into the perfectly matched layer imposed at the top‐left and top‐ right corners of a 2D model where the free surface boundary conditions and perfectly matched layer encounter; otherwise, reflections will occur at the intersections of the free surface and the perfectly matched layer, which is confirmed in this paper. So, by replacing normal second derivatives in wave equations in curvilinear coordinates with free surface boundary conditions, we successfully implement the free surface boundary conditions into the perfectly matched layer at the top‐left and top‐right corners of a 2D model at the surface. A number of numerical examples show that the perfectly matched layer constructed in this study is effective in simulating wave propagation in unbounded media and the algorithm for implementation of the perfectly matched layer and free surface boundary conditions is stable for long‐time wavefield simulation on models with an irregular free surface.     

Constraints on rigid zones and other distinct layers at the top of the outer core using CMB underside reflected PKKP waves

Clear PKKP, a P wave reflects off the core-mantle boundary on the core side, is recorded by the transcontinental USArray from two deep earthquakes occurred in South America and Tonga, and one intermediate-depth earthquake in the Hindu Kush region. We compare the PKKP waveforms with the direct P waves to investigate the fine structures near the core-mantle boundary, with a primary focus on the core side. We find no evidence for the existence of a sedimentary layer of lighter elements with a thickness above a few hundreds of meters beneath the reflection points of the two deep events, which are located at the Ninety-East Ridge and South Africa. On the other hand the PKKP wave duration of the Hindu Kush event is almost twice as long as that of the P wave, suggesting that multiple reflections may be occurring at the core-mantle boundary located beneath the Antarctic, which is located inside the so-called tangent cylinder of the outer core. The tangent cylinder is an imaginary cylindrical region suggested by geodynamics studies, which has different flow pattern and may have a higher concentration in lighter elements as compared to the rest of the outer core. One possible explanation of the elongated PKKP is a thin distinct layer with a thickness of a few kilometers at the top of the outer core, suggesting that precipitation of lighter elements may occur at the core-mantle boundary. Our data also indicate an extremely low Q_P of 312, approximately 40% of the PREM average (~780), within the large-scale low-velocity anomaly in the lowermost mantle beneath Pacific.