Climate and cultural history of the Northeastern Yucatan Peninsula, Quintana Roo, Mexico

We inferred the Holocene paleoclimate history of the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, by studying stratigraphic variations in stable isotopes (δ ¹⁸O and δ ¹³C) and lithologic properties (organic matter and carbonate content) in sediment cores taken in 6.3 and 16.2 m of water from Lake Punta Laguna. We present a simple model to explain the lithologic and isotopic variations, and discuss the inferred paleoclimate history in terms of its relation to ancient Maya cultural development. We find evidence for lower lake level and drier climate at about the same time as each major discontinuity in Maya cultural history: Preclassic Abandonment (150–250 A.D.), Maya Hiatus (534 to 593 A.D.), Terminal Classic Collapse (750–1050 A.D.), and Postclassic Abandonment (mid-fifteenth century). Although these broad temporal correlations suggest climate played a role in Maya cultural evolution, chronological uncertainties preclude a detailed analysis of climate changes and archaeologically documented cultural transformations.     

Dry season precipitation over the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor is more sensitive to deforestation than to greenhouse gas driven climate change

To prevent the loss of biodiversity in northern Central America, which is one of 34 global biodiversity hotspots, the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, a network of protected parks and reserves has been proposed. While on-going deforestation to croplands and pastures outside the protected regions is likely to effect the dry season precipitation over the regenerated and extant forests in the proposed protected regions, global climate change driven precipitation changes may also be a significant factor, at least at some locations. This study compares the effects of land cover change to the effects of elevated greenhouse gas concentrations on precipitation in the proposed areas of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor network. Using 5 consecutive dry season simulations of the effects of land cover change that included dry, wet and normal years, and using statistically downscaled global climate model (GCM) precipitation from the fourth assessment report (AR4), a larger expanse of the proposed protected regions was found more sensitive to precipitation decreases due to land cover changes. Two specific protected regions however stand out: the Maya Highlands and some areas of the Maya lowlands that were more sensitive to global climate change driven precipitation decreases. In these protected regions it is likely that irrespective of local policies the climate change signal would dominate.     

Simulation of the variability and extremes of daily rainfall during the Indian summer monsoon for present and future times in a global time-slice experiment

In this study the simulation of the variability and extremes of daily rainfall during the Indian summer monsoon for the present-day and the future climate is investigated. This is done on the basis of a global time-slice experiment (TSL) with the ECHAM4 atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) at a high horizontal resolution of T106. The first time-slice (period: 1970–1999) represents the present-day climate and the second (2060–2089) the future climate. Moreover, observational rainfall data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP, 1997–2002) and rainfall data from the ECMWF re-analysis (ERA, 1958–2001) are considered. ERA reveals serious deficiencies in its representation of the variability and extremes of daily rainfall during the Indian summer monsoon. These are mainly a severe overestimation of the frequency of wet days over the oceans and in the Himalayas, where also the rainfall intensity is overestimated. Further, ERA shows unrealistically heavy rainfall events over the tropical Indian Ocean. The ECHAM4 atmospheric GCM at a horizontal resolution of T106, on the other hand, simulates the variability and extremes of daily rainfall in good agreement with the observations. The only marked deficiencies are an underestimation of the rainfall intensity on the west coast of the Indian peninsula and in Bangladesh, an overestimation over the tropical Indian Ocean, due to an erroneous northwestward extension of the tropical convergence zone, and an overestimation of the frequency of wet days in Tibet. Further, heavy rainfall events are relatively strong in the centre of the Indian peninsula. For the future, TSL predicts large increases in the rainfall intensity over the tropical Indian Ocean as well as in northern Pakistan and northwest India, but decreases in southern Pakistan, in the centre of the Indian peninsula, and over the western part of the Bay of Bengal. The frequency of wet days is markedly increased over the tropical Indian Ocean and decreased over the northern part of the Arabian Sea and in Tibet. The intensity of heavy rainfall events is generally increased in the future, with large increases over the Arabian Sea and the tropical Indian Ocean, in northern Pakistan and northwest India as well as in northeast India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.     

气溶胶影响亚洲夏季风机理的数值研究

利用NCEP/NCAR （National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research）2001-2010年再分析资料,检验了全球气候系统模式CESM中大气模块CAM （Community Atmosphere Model）对亚洲夏季风和大气热源的模拟能力。结果显示,模式可以再现亚洲夏季风和大气热源的主要特征。通过敏感试验探讨人为气溶胶影响亚洲夏季风的机理,分析、讨论了气溶胶引起的非均匀加热的变化对辐散风和无辐散风强度的影响,在机理上解释了亚洲夏季风减弱的原因。结果表明,人为气溶胶浓度的升高使东亚夏季风强度在中国东南地区、中南半岛北部和印度半岛北部减弱。而中国东南部季风的减弱促使中国内陆降水减少,沿海降水增多。进一步分析人为气溶胶浓度升高的作用发现,其改变了大气热源的分布,造成阿拉伯海、孟加拉湾和中国南海大气热源增强,中国东部地区和中南半岛大气热源减弱,其中气溶胶通过影响凝结潜热来改变大气热源,主要是对对流过程的影响。此外,大气热源分布的变化改变了季风区的热力结构,使中国东南地区、中南半岛北部的加热减弱,从而减少了全位能的产生,使得全位能向辐散风的转换减小,辐散风减弱;同时,中国东南部、中南半岛北部季风由于辐散风向无辐散风转换的减弱,无辐散风减弱,最终导致了夏季风强度的减弱。而且,人为气溶胶对亚洲夏季风的影响主要通过大气热力和动力过程的响应产生作用。     

Abrupt Climate Change around 4 ka BP： Role of the Thermohaline Circulation as Indicated by a GCM Experiment

A great deal of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic evidence suggests that a predominant tem-perature drop and an aridification occurred at ca. 4.0 ka BP. Palaeoclimate studies in China support thisdedution. The collapse of ancient civilizations at ca. 4.0 ka BP in the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia hasbeen attributed to climate-induced aridification. A widespread alternation of the ancient cultures was alsofound in China at ca. 4.0 ka BP in concert with the collapse of the civilizations in the Old World. Palaeo-climatic studies indicate that the abrupt climate change at 4.0 ka BP is one of the realizations of the coldphase in millennial scale climate oscillations, which may be related to the modulation of the ThermohalineCirculation (THC) over the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, this study conducts a numerical experiment ofa GCM with SST forcing to simulate the impact of the weakening of the THC. Results show a drop intemperature from North Europe, the northern middle East Asia, and northern East Asia and a significantreduction of precipitation in East Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Peninsula, and the Yellow RiverValley. This seems to support the idea that coldness and aridification at ca. 4.0 ka BP was caused by theweakening of the THC.     

Abrupt Climate Change around 4 ka BP:Role of the Thermohaline Circulation as Indicated by a GCM Experiment

A great deal of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic evidence suggests that a predominant temperature drop and an aridiflcation occurred at ca. 4.0 ka BP. Palaeoclimate studies in China support this dedution. The collapse of ancient civilizations at ca. 4.0 ka BP in the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia has been attributed to climate-induced aridification. A widespread alternation of the ancient cultures was also found in China at ca. 4.0 ka BP in concert with the collapse of the civilizations in the Old World. Palaeoclimatic studies indicate that the abrupt climate change at 4.0 ka BP is one of the realizations of the cold phase in millennial scale climate oscillations, which may be related to the modulation of the Thermohaline Circulation (THC) over the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, this study conducts a numerical experiment of a GCM with SST forcing to simulate the impact of the weakening of the THC. Results show a drop in temperature from North Europe, the northern middle East Asia, and northern East Asia     

秋季南海北部持续性强降水和环流异常的准双周振荡特征

基于1998—2011年的TRMM卫星逐日降水资料、NCEP/NCAR大气再分析资料以及向外长波辐射(OLR)资料,利用小波分析、Butterworth带通滤波、EOF分析以及合成分析的方法,对秋季(9—10月)南海北部地区(10°—24°N,100°—120°E)持续性强降水的低频特征进行分析。结果表明,秋季南海北部降水存在显著的准双周振荡特征,主要表现为南海北部地区一致变化型和南海东北部地区和中南半岛沿海地区反相变化型两个模态。其中,第一模态的低频降水主要集中在中南半岛沿岸附近的南海中西部,第二模态则主要集中在南海东北部。进一步对与这两种模态相关联的大气环流和OLR的低频场进行合成分析。结果表明,第一模态的对流层低层准双周低频信号主要来源于南半球近赤道上空,该地区异常强对流活动产生的波列和气旋性环流越赤道进入南海并加强传播至南海北部。而第二模态则来源于南海中南部和吕宋岛东侧西太平洋上空,异常强对流和气旋性环流的合并加强并传播至南海东北部。     

略谈气候异变对中国上古农业转型的影响

结合考古资料,对气候异变与中国上古农业转型的关系进行了论述,认为在全新世时期中国发生过几次较大的降温事件,气候异变一方面给原始农业文化造成严重的损害,另一方面又激发了人们应对这种挑战的勇气和智慧,成为原始农业文化进化和转型的契机;中国上古农业发展中的两次重大转型——农业"边缘"地区游牧经济的形成和黄河中下游地区"沟洫农业"的出现,均与气候异变有关;人类科学地应对和适应气候异变,使中华文明的进程出现了新格局。历史经验表明,自然环境虽然能够对历史过程产生重大影响,但关键是人类如何去应对,人类自身才是历史发展更为重要的决定性因素。     

Recent tree-growth reduction in north central China as a combined result of a weakened monsoon and atmospheric oscillations

Tree-ring records are a valuable source of information for understanding long-term, regional-scale drought changes. In this study, a tree ring width chronology spanning the last 330?years (A.D. 1681–2010) is developed for the northern fringe of the Asian summer monsoon in north central China based on tree ring widths of the Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) at three sites in the Hasi Mountain (HSM). An annual (running from the previous August to the present July) Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) series is reconstructed for the period A.D. 1698 to 2010 using a linear regression model. This reconstruction accounts for 49?% of the actual PDSI variance during the calibration period (A.D.1951–2005). During the last past 330?years, the year 1759 drought was the most severe and the 1926–1932 drought was the most long-lasting. These drought episodes resulted in huge economic losses and severe famine. Similar periods of drought are also found in the Great Bend of the Yellow River region, northeastern Tibetan Plateau and northern China. Our drought reconstruction is consistent with the dry-wet index derived from historical documents for the Great Bend of the Yellow River region for the last three centuries, revealing that our annual PDSI reconstruction reflects broad-scale climate anomalies and represents drought variations in the northern fringe of the Asian summer monsoon. The PDSI reconstruction correlates significantly with sea surface temperature (SST) in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and northern Indian Ocean at an annual timescale, implying that El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation and the Indian monsoon might be influencing drought variability in the study area. Some extremely dry years of 1707, 1764, 1837, 1854, 1878, 1884, 1926 and 1932 coincided with major El Ni?o events in historical times. The decadal-scale variability is linked to Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and SST variations in the Atlantic Ocean. The observed recent tree growth reduction is unusual when viewed from a long-term perspective.     

夏季东天山中段一次强对流天气过程的数值模拟

利用常规气象观测资料、区域自动站观测资料和FY-2D卫星逐时TBB资料,采用WRF中尺度数值模式,对2011年夏季发生在东天山中段一次强对流天气过程进行数值模拟和诊断分析,研究了天山特殊地形对降水过程的动力结构、水汽输送和云降水微物理机制的影响。结果表明,西风气流东移时受东天山的阻挡,气流从东天山南北两侧绕流,北侧急流经博尔塔拉谷地越过北天山西段后,急流右侧气流反气旋转向形成北支气流;南侧急流遇吐鲁番地区反气旋系统阻挡而转向北进形成南支气流。两支气流受地形动力抬升在东天山中段北坡汇合,为此区域局地强对流降水的形成和发展提供动力条件,北支气流为主要的水汽供应源。高空西南气流引导的冰相云系与低层局地对流云在东天山中段北坡结合,分别持续提供冰晶和云水,促使云微物理过程发展旺盛,致使局地暴雨过程产生。     

Indigenous frameworks for observing and responding to climate change in Alaska

Despite a keen awareness of climate change, northern Indigenous Peoples have had limited participation in climate-change science due to limited access, power imbalances, and differences in worldview. A western science emphasis on facts and an indigenous emphasis on relationships to spiritual and biophysical components indicate important but distinct contributions that each knowledge system can make. Indigenous communities are experiencing widespread thawing of permafrost and coastal erosion exacerbated by loss of protective sea ice. These climate-induced changes threaten village infrastructure, water supplies, health, and safety. Climate-induced habitat changes associated with loss of sea ice and with landscape drying and extensive wildfires interact with northern development to bring both economic opportunities and environmental impacts. A multi-pronged approach to broadening indigenous participation in climate-change research should: 1) engage communities in designing climate-change solutions; 2) create an environment of mutual respect for multiple ways of knowing; 3) directly assist communities in achieving their adaptation goals; 4) promote partnerships that foster effective climate solutions from both western and indigenous perspectives; and 5) foster regional and international networking to share climate solutions.     

2011年极端天气和气候事件及其他相关事件的概要回顾

2011年世界各地极端天气事件频发。1月,朝鲜半岛经历1945年来最长的寒潮天气;同期,强暴风雪袭击美国,1亿人受影响;4月8日,持续干旱大风导致德国北部小镇遭遇沙尘暴;7～10月的季风强降水致使泰国遭遇自1942年以来最严重的洪灾;高温少雨致使东非地区、南美洲地区的古巴经历严重干旱;9月北极海冰的体积达历史最小。5～9月,我国平均高温日数为1961年以来历史同期次多,多地刷新高温历史极值;2011年我国平均年降水量创60年来最低,多地遭遇严重干旱;而华西和黄淮经历异常严重秋汛。     

气候变化对生态保护工程的影响

通过分析1978-2013年三北（东北、西北、华北）防护林建设区降水、气温等气象要素变化与植被生态质量的相互关系,以及1961-2013年我国主要草原区气象要素变化与草原生产力的相互关系,指出2000年以来北方降水增多导致三北防护林地区植被生态质量持续好转,且2000年以来在降水增加、生态工程实施的情况下,北方草原生态恶化的局面有所改变。进一步根据RCPs排放情景和预估的我国未来气候变化,指出未来30～60年我国北方地区气候呈现暖湿化趋势,利于巩固和扩大三北防护林和草原生态建设成果,缩短生态恢复的时间;但气候增暖会增加森林和草原火灾及病虫害的发生范围和频率。在对策上,指出应充分利用北方气候暖湿化的正效应,加快三北防护林建设和北方草原生态恢复;同时加强防护林和草原适应气候变化和防灾减灾的科学研究。     

2000/2001年冬季北欧异常流型形成机理及其对我国北方天气的影响

从Rossby波能量的频散和瞬变斜压扰动的正压反馈角度,探讨了2000/2001年冬季盛行的斯堪的纳维亚环流型(正位相)的维持机理,并讨论了其对我国北方地区天气气候的影响。该环流型上游部分,即北大西洋和斯堪的纳维亚半岛的两个活动中心主要由瞬变斜压扰动的正压反馈所形成,部分由Rossby波能量频散所维持。而下游部分,即贝加尔湖附近的气旋式环流异常主要由Rossby波能量从上游频散所形成和维持。与该环流型对应,冷空气在西、中西伯利亚堆积,并在其南侧的西风气流区中平流,使得我国华北部分地区和东北地区比常年冷。该环流型导致新疆北部地区、内蒙古东部及东北地区降雪量显著增强。大西洋急流的东伸及对应斜压扰动的显著加强是预报北疆和内蒙古东部及东北地区多雪的一个重要前兆因子。     

1966-2010年山东夏季极端降水事件特征分析

利用山东省117个测站19662010年夏季逐日降水资料集,分析夏季极端降水的时空变化特征。结果表明：1）夏季极端降水频次高值区位于鲁中及鲁东南等地,低值区主要位于鲁西北地区。极端降水强度高值区位于鲁东南地区,低值区主要位于鲁中及其北部地区。全省大部分地区极端降水频次和强度都存在增加趋势,尤其鲁中及其以南地区增加趋势明显。2）夏季极端降水可大致划分为鲁西北、鲁西南、鲁中及其北部、鲁东南、半岛5个区域,各区域极端降水频次和强度以准2~3 a的周期波动为主,鲁西北、鲁西南及半岛地区的极端降水频次和强度在年代际尺度上呈现出反向变化特征。各区域极端降水频次的长期趋势均为增加,而极端降水强度表现为鲁西北地区先增加后减小、其他地区先减小后增加的长期趋势。3）鲁西北、鲁中及其北部、半岛3个区域的夏季极端降水主要集中在7月下旬和8月上中旬,而鲁西南和鲁东南地区极端降水主要集中在7月中下旬。鲁西北和半岛地区极端降水开始时间有推迟的趋势,其他地区的为提前趋势。鲁西北和鲁西南地区的结束时间有提前趋势,其他地区的则为推迟趋势,但提前和推迟的趋势变化均比较微弱。     

北方农牧交错带春小麦生育期对气候变化的响应——以内蒙古武川县为例

北方农牧交错带是气候变化的敏感地带,研究气候变化对农业生产的影响规律与农业生产的响应特征,对促进北方农牧交错带的农业可持续发展具有重要意义。以北方农牧交错带代表性站点--武川县为例,基于1960-2009年气象观测数据和1992-2010年春小麦农业气象观测数据,研究了气候变化与春小麦生育期变化之间的相互关系。结果表明,武川县1960-2009年年平均气温每10年升高0.43℃,春季稳定通过0℃的初日每10年提前0.98 d,当地满足春小麦播种温度的日期有提前的趋势,秋季稳定通过0℃的终日每10年推迟0.24 d,生长季具有延长趋势;1992-2010年作物生长季（4-8月）0～10 cm、10～20 cm土壤相对湿度有明显下降趋势,平均每10年分别下降18%和13%;播种期与0～10 cm和10～20 cm土壤相对湿度呈现显著负相关关系,表现为土壤相对湿度每降低1%,播种期分别推迟0.2 d和0.3 d;各生育期与播种期一样,受温度与水分综合作用的影响,不同生育期与二者之间关系不同,各生育期之间持续日数与二者呈正相关关系。研究得出,春小麦生育期的变化是各气侯因素综合作用的结果,在北方农牧交错带,水分对农作物生长发育具有较大影响,直接影响着春小麦的各个生育过程。     

Understanding variations and seasonal characteristics of net primary production under two types of climate change scenarios in China using the LPJ model

The approach of conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation related to parameter (CNOP-P) is employed to provide a possible climate scenario and to study the impact of climate change on the simulated net primary production (NPP) in China within a state-of-the-art Lund-Potsdam-Jena dynamic global vegetation model (LPJ DGVM). The CNOP-P, as a type of climate perturbation to bring variation in climatology and climate variability of the reference climate condition, causes the maximal impact on the simulated NPP in China. A linear climate perturbation that induces variation in climatology, as another possible climate scenario, is also applied to explore the role of variation in climate variability in the simulated NPP. It is shown that NPP decreases in northern China and increases in northeastern and southern China when the temperature changes as a result of a CNOP-P-type temperature change scenario. A similar magnitude of change in the spatial pattern variations of NPP is caused by the CNOP-P-type and the linear temperature change scenarios in northern and northeastern China, but not in southern China. The impact of the CNOP-P-type temperature change scenario on magnitude of change of NPP is more intense than that of the linear temperature change scenario. The numerical results also show that in southern China, the change in NPP caused by the CNOP-P-type temperature change scenario compared with the reference simulated NPP is sensitive. However, this sensitivity is not observed under the linear temperature change scenario. The seasonal simulations indicate that the differences between the variations in NPP due to the two types of temperature change scenarios principally stem from the variations in summer and autumn in southern China under the LPJ model. These numerical results imply that NPP is sensitive to the variation in temperature variability. The results influenced by the CNOP-P-type precipitation change scenario are similar to those under the linear precipitation change scenario, which cause the increasing NPP in arid and semi-arid regions of the northern China. The above findings indicate that the CNOP-P approach is a useful tool for exploring the nonlinear response of NPP to climate variability.     

Spatial analysis of future East Asian seasonal temperature using two regional climate model simulations

CORDEX-East Asia, a branch of the coordinated regional climate downscaling experiment (CORDEX) initiative, provides high-resolution climate simulations for the domain covering East Asia. This study analyzes temperature data from regional climate models (RCMs) participating in the CORDEX - East Asia region, accounting for the spatial dependence structure of the data. In particular, we assess similarities and dissimilarities of the outputs from two RCMs, HadGEM3-RA and RegCM4, over the region and over time. A Bayesian functional analysis of variance (ANOVA) approach is used to simultaneously model the temperature patterns from the two RCMs for the current and future climate. We exploit nonstationary spatial models to handle the spatial dependence structure of the temperature variable, which depends heavily on latitude and altitude. For a seasonal comparison, we examine changes in the winter temperature in addition to the summer temperature data. We find that the temperature increase projected by RegCM4 tends to be smaller than the projection of HadGEM3-RA for summers, and that the future warming projected by HadGEM3-RA tends to be weaker for winters. Also, the results show that there will be a warming of 1-3°C over the region in 45 years. More specifically, the warming pattern clearly depends on the latitude, with greater temperature increases in higher latitude areas, which implies that warming may be more severe in the northern part of the domain.     

西江流域旅游气候舒适度的时空变化特征分析

采用人体舒适度指数分析方法,大样本利用西江流域13个主要旅游市（县）1961—2010年的气象站观测资料,统计分析了西江流域旅游气候舒适度的时空变化特征。结果表明：西江流域年舒适日数具有西部多于东部,山区多于河谷、平原的地域分布特点。西江流域北部多数市（县）适宜旅游的月份是3-5月、9-11月,南部多数市（县）适宜旅游的月份是3-5月、9-12月或10-12月。1961—2010年,西江流域冷不舒适日数均呈减少趋势,多数市（县）热不舒适日数呈增加趋势;北部多数市（县）年舒适日数呈显著增加趋势,南部部分市（县）,如靖西、梧州、大新等地年舒适日数呈现增加趋势,而桂平、南宁、上思等地则呈现减少趋势。     

历史寒冬极端气候事件的复原研究——1670/1671 年冬季严寒事件

1670/1671 年冬季中国东部地区异常严寒。本文依据历史文献记载复原该寒冬实况,绘制了雪、冰、冻雨和动植物冻害的地域分布图,连续降雪日数分布图和最大积雪深度分布图,可见河流封冻南界达27°N,是小冰期我国河流封冻的最南位置。依据各地寒冷记录和江河封冻、树木冻死的临界温度条件定量推断各地极端最低温度值,指出1671年1 月湖南衡山县的最低气温低至-15 ℃,比现代（1951—2000 年）极端最低气温记录低7 ℃。1670/1671 年寒冬之后华北、长江中下游地区夏季高温酷暑。这是小冰期寒冷阶段的典型寒冬之一,又是冬季严寒、夏季异常炎热的罕见个例。