MOISTURE STRESS,MID-TROPOSPHERIC PRESSURE PATTERNS,AND THE FOREST/GRASSLAND TRANSITION IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL STATES

The climatic causes of the major forest/grassland ecotone in the south central United States (Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas) are still poorly understood. Grassland and forest vegetation types differ markedly in their ability to withstand water stress induced by vapor pressure deficit (VPD), the difference between saturation vapor pressure and actual vapor pressure in the atmosphere. VPD is an airmass characteristic induced by ambient temperatures higher than dewpoint temperature. Mean summer airmass movement is from the Gulf of Mexico onto the continent in the central states area, but mean VPD displays a strong gradient approximately parallel to the ecotone. A subset of days having the strongest VPD gradients across the ecotone also had a 500 mb pressure height pattern identical to the long-term mean (modal) pattern. This 500 mb pattern, with a ridge over the Rocky Mountains and a trough over the Great Lakes, induces subsidence, stability, warming, and high VPD in Great Plains airmasses. Farther east, away from the zone of maximum subsidence, VPD is much lower. The grassland region coincides with the area of highest VPD. Because of the importance of the daily configuration of mid-tropospheric windflow patterns in controlling the distribution of VPD, moisture, and precipitation, more frequent occurrence of the modal 500 mb pattern is one mechanism for the occurrence of drought.     

Synoptic circulation and stream discharge in the Great Lakes basin, USA

Impacts on water resources caused by human activity, natural climate variation and long-term climate change are unclear in the US Great Lakes region. Improved understanding of the impact of atmospheric circulation on stream discharge variability into the Lakes is thus important. In this analysis, monthly surface and mid-tropospheric circulation patterns suggest that surface pressure variations over Missouri and Illinois are most strongly correlated to discharge. The mid-tropospheric patterns most directly related to discharge place the Great Lakes in a trough-to-ridge flow pattern. The analysis confirms that at this scale, lee shore advection resulting in ‘lake-effect’ precipitation is not very important to regional discharge, and neither are variations in the Pacific–North American teleconnection.     

Winter Cyclones and Circulation Patterns on the Western Great Lakes

The climatology of winter cyclones crossing the western Great Lakes was investigated. Data concerning storm strength, place of origin, and surface and 500 mb level synoptic characteristics were obtained from the months of October through February, 1955–1976, for 469 cyclones. November cyclones had the lowest mean pressure and strongest pressure gradient of the 5 months examined, but cyclonic frequencies were greatest in December and January. In all months, cyclones originating in the southwestern United States were significantly deeper than storms of northern origins, and these cyclones crossed the western Lakes most frequently in November. In November, cyclogenesis in the southwest was related to departures of the observed flow from the mean monthly mid-tropospheric circulation with trough development over the west. Yearly variations in the number of severe November cyclones were related to differences of mean monthly 500 mb flow.     

Riparian plant species richness along lateral and longitudinal gradients of water stress and flood disturbance, San Pedro River, Arizona, USA

Diversity theory predicts that species numbers should be highest at intermediate levels of both disturbance and environmental stress. We examined woody and herbaceous plant species richness and cover in the San Pedro River flood plain, along lateral gradients of water availability (ground-water depth), flood disturbance (inundation frequency), and distance from and elevation above the channel, and along longitudinal gradients of water availability (ground-water depth, surface flow permanence, and rainfall) and flood disturbance (total stream power). Herbaceous species were recorded during four sampling periods, and spatial patterns for this group were time-dependent, reflecting temporal variation in limiting factors. During the summer dry season of a dry year, when overall richness was low, richness and cover of herbaceous species declined laterally from the stream channel with increasing ground-water depth, consistent with the idea that low resource levels can limit species richness. Following the summer monsoon rains and floods, when water was less limiting and annuals were seasonally abundant, lateral patterns shifted such that herbaceous species richness and cover increased with increasing plot location above or from the channel. The relationship of herbaceous species richness with tree canopy cover also varied seasonally, shifting from positive (greater richness under canopy) in dry seasons to negative (lesser richness under canopy) in wet seasons. Longitudinally, herbaceous species richness and cover were limited primarily by stream flow and/or ground-water availability during the summer dry season of a dry year. Following the summer monsoon rains and floods, patterns were weighted by the seasonally abundant annuals, and richness increased among sites primarily with distance upstream (and related rainfall gradients). Richness and cover patterns also varied between years with different flood conditions. During the two sampling seasons in the year following a large flood, herbaceous species richness increased with flood disturbance intensity but declined at the few most intensely disturbed sites, consistent with intermediate disturbance theory.For woody species, richness within plant functional groups varied in opposing ways along the lateral gradients: hydromesic pioneer species decreased and hydromesic and xeric competitors increased with distance from or above the channel, with no overall change in species richness. Among sites, woody species richness patterns were related to water availability, but not to flood disturbance. However, richness of woody hydromesic pioneer species increased with both increasing site moisture and flood disturbance. Woody and herbaceous species richness both increased among sites as a function of increasing flood-plain width, likely due to species–area effects. Overall, results indicate that flood disturbance and water availability both influence species richness of riparian plants in the flood plain of this semi-arid region river, with the relative influence of each factor varying among plant groups and over time.     

A SYNOPTIC CLIMATOLOGY OF NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES TORNADOES

This study documents the spatial and temporal characteristics of northeast United States tornadoes and the synoptic patterns associated with their development. Daily 1200 UTC surface pressure, 500 mb height and 850 mb temperature data are used in a compositing analysis to indicate the general conditions on tornado-producing days during four quasi-seasonal periods. Temporally, two-thirds of all northeast tornadoes occur between the hours of 1800 UTC and 0000 UTC. Annually, greater than 75% occur during the four-month period from May through August. During the period of study (1950 through 1986) the region had an average of 30 tornado occurrences per year. Spatially, three preferred areas of tornadic development are identified across the northeast region. These areas include western and southeastern Pennsylvania and north-central Massachusetts. The general synoptic patterns associated with tornadic events in the northeast United States remain consistent throughout the year. The composite analyses indicate that the presence of a strong surface low pressure system moving through the Great Lakes, coupled with significant upper-level divergence associated with a vigorous shortwave feature and a cold frontal boundary, are the synoptic features most common during the initiation of tornadic storms in this region. [Key words: synoptic climatology, tornadoes, northeastern United States.]     

SPATIAL,SYNOPTIC, AND SEASONAL PATTERNS OF HEAVY RAINFALL IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

This paper examines the synoptic climatology and seasonality of heavy rainfall across the southeastern United States. Frontal systems (particularly cold fronts) were found to be the dominant mechanism that induces heavy rainfall across the study area, but tropical disturbances and air-mass storms also contribute, especially at the more coastal locations. Annual regimes were found to vary dramatically from one site to another, and seven of the eight sites investigated exhibited statistically significant seasonality. Generally, peaks in heavy rainfall are bimodal in the western portion of the region, occurring in the transitional seasons. The central portion of the region peaks in late winter and spring, whereas the area east of the Appalachians (including Florida) has summer peaks. This spatial pattern is likely related to patterns of mid-tropospheric air flow and positions of the Bermuda High in summer, and the seasonality of cyclogenesis in North America. [Key words: synoptic climatology, seasonality, heavy rainfall, storms, southeastern United States.]     

REGIONAL-SCALE TROUGHING OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES: TEMPORAL CLIMATOLOGY,TELECONNECTIONS, AND CLIMATIC IMPACT

Regional-scale middle- and upper-tropospheric troughing over the southwestern United States represents a departure from the modal circulation pattern for western North America. Once developed, southwestern troughs often are associated with positive vorticity advection aloft, surface cyclone formation, and moisture advection over areas of the western Great Plains and Intermountain West. These trough systems may play an important role in the precipitation climatology of the western and central United States. However, very little work has focused on the temporal climatology, developmental characteristics, or climatic impacts of southwestern troughs. This study provides a detailed climatology of southwestern troughing that focuses on: (1) the temporal frequency of these events; (2) the teleconnective circulation changes that are associated with their development; and (3) the importance of these systems in the precipitation climatology of the western and central United States.

The temporal climatology of southwestern troughs reveals that most of these systems occur during spring and autumn, with somewhat fewer events in winter and very few events in summer. An examination of 500-mb geopotential height and 24-hr height change composites during trough development shows that much of the wave-train activity that accompanies trough onset is limited to the North Pacific and North American regions. These changes are characterized by the amplification and eastward movement of a ridge/trough couplet over the eastern Pacific, which is preceded by synoptic-scale transient wave activity over the western and central Pacific. While southwestern troughs occur less than 30% of the time, southwestern trough-derived precipitation comprises over 60% of the monthly totals for some sites.     

Evaluating diatom succession: some pecularities of the Great Lakes case

Succession of diatom communities in the Laurentian Great Lakes has several unusual aspects related to physical and chemical characteristics peculiar to these large systems and the constraints these conditions impose upon species which inhabit the Great Lakes. In such systems, paleolimnological reconstructions based on strict analogy to succession patterns in smaller lakes may be incomplete and, in some cases, positively misleading. In the Great Lakes, diatom accumulation rates appear to be regulated by interaction between concentration and supply rates of phosphorus and dissolved silicate. As phosphorus loadings increased historically, storage of diatom frustules in sediments was first increased, then limited, as concentrations of dissolved silica were reduced to levels limiting to diatom growth. Qualitative aspects of the diatom flora are also affected. Indigenous species adapted to growth in winter persist, while those with abundance maxima in summer are extirpated, presumably due to silica limitation in the summer epilimnion. Severe silica limitation also results in shifts to dominance by species whose growth strategies are particularly well adapted to sequestering dissolved silica. Because it is necessary to know the historical context in order to correctly interpret current changes in the Great Lakes diatom flora, paleolimnological studies have proven particularly valuable.     

加拿大入境美国旅游流的地域对接分析

加拿大游客入境美国旅游是北美最大的国际旅游流。依据2006～2007年的有关统计资料,采用游客到访率、市场占有率和二维矩阵模型等,分析了加拿大10个省到美国22个州旅游流的0-D对接关系。结果发现:加拿大游客入境美国旅游,多以北部边界、五大湖区,沿环美高速铁路分东西两线流向美国南部;从加拿大各省到美国各州旅游流,遵循以"三择原理"为特征的0-D对接关系。其中,东部各省游客主要分布在五大湖区和东部沿海,中部各省游客分布在相邻的边界各州,西部各省游客主要分布在美国西部沿海,受趋"阳光性"影响沿环美高铁可抵达南部的佛罗里达。加拿大各省游客在美国各州的分布,主要受距离衰减原理、沿高铁和航空线分布、以及顶极旅游资源吸引的控制。这个研究拓展了旅游流0-D对接中的多源对多汇,为我国沿边省区与周边国家开展跨国旅游合作提供借鉴。     

Distribution Characteristics of In Situ Stress Field and Vertical Development Unit Division of CBM in Western Guizhou,China

In situ stress is not only a vital indicator for selecting explorative regions of coalbed methane (CBM), but also a pivotal factor affecting CBM production. The present study explored whether in situ stress affected the development potential of CBM in western Guizhou, China. To this end, we collected injection/falloff well test data and gas content data from 70 coal seams in 28 wells. The study found that from top to bottom, strike slip fault stress fields (<?500 m), normal fault stress fields (500–1000 m) and strike slip fault stress fields (>?1000 m) were successively developed in western Guizhou. The distribution features of vertical permeability in western Guizhou are consistent with the stress fields' transformation location. The coal permeability in the western part in Guizhou presents a tendency of increase followed by decrease as a result of increased burial depth. The vertical development characteristics of coal seam gas content are controlled mainly by reservoir pressure, and the relationship between reservoir pressure and buried depth shows a linear increase. The CBM in western Guizhou is divided vertically into three development potential regions dependent on the characteristics of burial depth, permeability and gas content of coal seams. The most favorable vertical development potential region in western Guizhou is 500–1000 m. This region exhibits high gas content, high permeability and moderate burial depth, which are favorable for the production of CBM. These research results can provide basis for geological selection and engineering implementation of CBM in western Guizhou.

     

1987—1988年夏季长城站地区的热力和动力特征

本文利用1987～1988年夏季我国首次南极长城站边界层气象观测实验资料,运用近地层大气通量的平均廓线理论计算方法,分析了该地区夏季的热状况特征,并与南极内陆的瑞穗站及我国青藏高原等地区的热状况进行了初步比较。在夏季,长城站地面相对于大气而言,仍为热源,地面主要以潜热输送的方式加热大气。夏季长城站的热状况特征与我国青藏高原东部地区进入雨季后的情况相近。     

Great Lakes response to catastrophic inflows from Lake Agassiz: some simulations of a hydraulic geometry for chained lake systems

Simulations (216) were undertaken to evaluate the impact of typical Lake Agassiz outbursts on the upper Great Lakes under plausible variations in lake surface areas and sill widths. Flows over sills out of lakes are modelled using the equation for a broad-crested weir, with the model time increment set to one day. The model was evaluated for Lake Agassiz outlet sill widths of 1, 4, and 10 km and with outbursts ranging from 100 000 m³ s^–1 to 600 000 m³ s^–1. The surface area of Lake Agassiz was evaluated for 182 000 km² ±20%. The surface area of the upper Great Lakes were modelled as either Lake Algonquin (Superior, Huron and Michigan basins =200 000 km²) or Lake Minong (Superior basin 87 000 km²) with sill widths of 0.5, 1.5, and 3 km.Downstream peak discharge modelled at the outlet sill of the upper Great Lakes, was normally between 20 and 60% of the initial outburst, with a lagtime to peak usually between 80 and 280 days. Upper Great Lakes water level rises of between 2 and 20 m are calculated with rises to 36 m for some configurations. Rise magnitude is inversely related to the width of the outlet sills at both lake systems and to the surface area of the receiving lake.The modeling implies that measuring outflow from the upper Great Lakes, or water level rises, does not in itself determine peak or total outflow from Lake Agassiz unless the dimensions of the Lake Agassiz and upper Great Lakes outflow sills are also known.Lake level rises probably coincided on the upper Great Lakes with meltout from the winter freeze-up. Lake levels re-attain equilibrium values with respect to through flow within three years of an outburst. Substantial episodic lake level rises in the upper Great Lakes may have had severe impacts on the lake biota, for example via the affect on spawning grounds.     

CONTRASTING TREE‐RING GROWTH RESPONSE OF PICEA ABIES TO CLIMATE VARIABILITY IN WESTERN AND EASTERN ESTONIA

Climatic variations and changes regulate arboreal growth. In Estonia, the tree‐ring growth variability of coniferous and deciduous trees has been linked with various climatic variables in different parts of the country. However, the dendroclimatic signals of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H.Karst.) have not been explored across the region. Here we compare the growth variability of this species, growing under various site conditions in Estonia, with records of temperature, precipitation, and indices of the North Atlantic Oscillation over a period of 50 years (1956–2005). Western chronologies correlated positively and significantly (p<0.01) with early‐summer (June) precipitation, while eastern chronologies showed positive and significant (p<0.05) correlation with mid‐winter (January) precipitation. Moreover, the eastern chronologies correlated positively and significantly (p<0.05) with the North Atlantic Oscillation index in January. First, our results indicated that the previously established geobotanical division, rather than forest site types, most probably explains the spatial patterns in spruce growth variability. Second, our findings agreed with the late Quaternary pollen studies showing that the vigour of spruce is limited in the western forests by a combination of climatic (i.e. summer moisture) and edaphic factors. Third, our results complement those of previous investigations, suggesting that the impacts and threats the changing climate will pose on spruce may be different in western and eastern Estonia, with more severe effects envisaged in the western part of the region through drought‐induced physiological stress.     

陕西盛夏多雨年与少雨年的大气环流特征分析

应用NCEP/NCAR 1979—2004年再分析资料,针对陕西盛夏（7—8月）降水的情况,分析了汛期降水异常的大气环流特征。结果表明:陕西汛期多雨年,影响降水的主要天气系统表现为“三强一弱”,即西太平洋副热带高压、西风带蒙古低槽、乌拉尔山阻塞高压强,青藏高压弱;少雨年天气系统表现为“三弱一强”,即西太平洋副热带高压、西风带蒙古低槽、乌拉尔山阻塞高压弱,青藏高压强。另外,在多雨年,500 hPa流场,在陕西中部有一条东西向的切变线或风向辐合区;850 hPa形成了孟加拉湾经四川盆地到陕西和南海经鄂西北到陕西的水汽通道;少雨年500 hPa河套中部为西北气流控制,850 hPa水汽通道不明显或水汽输送中途减弱。     

基于位置大数据的青藏高原人类活动时空模式

随着青藏高原城镇化和旅游的发展,人类活动强度不断加剧,有必要对青藏高原不同类型的人类活动时空模式进行研究,以便了解不同区域人类活动对自然环境的影响以及更好地采取生态环境保护措施。利用腾讯位置大数据,分析青藏高原在旅游淡季和旅游旺季的人类活动时空模式,研究旅游人口对青藏高原人类活动的影响。本文分别选取2018年1月和7月的腾讯定位请求数据,构建多时空维度的高阶张量,采用张量分解的方法对数据进行降维,获取旅游淡季和旺季不同时空维度的主要特征,分析活动模式,发现青藏高原在旅游淡季和旺季的活动模式在时间上和空间上都有很大不同,体现了旅游人口造成的影响。在旅游淡季,青藏高原居民的活动在凌晨有个高峰,在午间有个低谷,并且表现有特殊的节日模式,工作日的人类活动主要分布在城镇等人口聚集区,休息日向城镇周边发散;旺季凌晨活动分为两个高峰,一个在时间上较淡季提前,与午夜活动相连,另一个较淡季的时间推迟,旺季活动没有午间的低谷和特殊的节日模式,且工作日和休息日的日间活动都分布较广。     

A geographical analysis of warm season lightning/landscape interactions across Colorado,USA

This article analyzes lightning/landscape interactions across the State of Colorado. Ten years (2003–2012) of warm season cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning activity are mapped at 500 × 500 m² to characterize the distribution of thunderstorm activity. Geospatial analyses quantify lightning activity by elevation, physiographic region, and mountain range, and time-series animations outline the general movement of thunderstorms. From these spatio-temporal perspectives, our objective is to elucidate lightning/landscape interactions as they occur over a topographically and climatologically diverse landscape. The information aids meteorologists by exposing orographic and rainshadow effects, mesoscale meteorological effects, fluxes of moisture sources, thunderstorm initiation zones, and thunderstorm movements. Other benefits extend to wildland fire managers, those who maintain lightning-vulnerable infrastructures, and, from a human risk perspective, an overall awareness to those who work and play outdoors. Major findings include (1) elevation alone does not determine the degree of lightning activity, (2) across the state's mountain ranges, lightning density varies considerably, but the number of lightning days does not, and (3) the time of lightning initiation and maxima varies by elevation, with higher mountain elevations experiencing most activity 1 h before lower mountain elevations, and 3 h before lower Great Plains locations.     

Environment,Culture, and The Great Lakes Fisheries

The commercial fisheries of the United States and Canadian Great Lakes are in a long period of decline. Detailed statistics kept for well over a century document a fluctuating pattern of harvests of the major commercial species. In the 1940s, sea lamprey began to devastate the fisheries, an effect that has not been fully countered. Overfishing, nonnative species, declining nutrient levels, and chemical pollution have contributed to reduced catches. Court decisions in the United States and Canada during the past thirty years have awarded a sizable share of commercial fishing rights to Native North Americans for their own support and sustenance. The Lake Erie yellow perch and walleye fishery, based mainly in Ontario, is the most successful commercial fishing operation in the region. Despite the many environmental and cultural challenges, the Great Lakes fisheries live on.     

青海高原近40 a降水变化特征及其对生态环境的影响

 利用青海省1961-2002年26个代表站逐日雨量资料和高原东部地区10个站的降水自记资料,分析了近40 a来降水量、雨日、雨强的气候变化特征。结果表明:青海高原近40 a来年降水量无明显的变化,但夏半年降水量呈减少趋势,冬半年降水量呈明显的增多趋势；夏半年降水量和雨日虽在减少,但降水强度在增大；夏半年降水量的减少主要是降水日数的减少造成的,而冬半年降水量的增加是由于雨日增多和每个降水日平均雨量的增大所造成；随着气候变暖,夏、秋季降水明显偏少,出现暖干化的气候趋势。     

TOPOCLIMATIC CONTROLS IN AN ALPINE FELLFIELD AND THEIR ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The interaction of topography and ambient atmospheric conditions and their combined effect on surface climate are studied in the alpine fellfield on Niwot Ridge, Colorado Front Range. Insolation, net shortwave and all-wave radiation, surface and air temperatures, ground heat flux, wind speed, and evapotranspiration are analyzed in order to characterize moisture and energy exchanges. The spatial pattern of daily energy and moisture fluxes is influenced more by cloud cover than topographic position. The daily radiation load is usually highest on east-facing slopes because clear mornings are commonly followed by cumulus development during midday and early afternoon. In the dominant westerly wind regime, wind speeds on east-facing slopes are lower than elsewhere. Strong insolation produces high rates of evapotranspiration from the thin, sandy/gravelly fellfield soil when moisture is abundant. After a few consecutive precipitation-free days, large radiation loads produce high surface temperatures, especially on east-facing slopes where wind speed and thus the sensible heat flux are small. During the 1985 summer drought period, the impact of hot, dry weather on plant water stress was most pronounced on east-facing slopes. The well-defined distribution of Dryas octopetala on Niwot Ridge, near the southern extent of its circumpolar range, is an example of the control of topoclimate over plant distribution owing to water stress during periods of drought The absence of Dryas from south-facing slopes does not correspond well with present topoclimatic patterns. The present distribution of Dryas may be a consequence of topoclimatic patterns throughout the middle of the last millennium when the summer climate in the Colorado Front Range was hotter and drier than today. Summer droughts then were probably more prolonged, and a combination of clearer days, lower wind speeds, or an increased frequency of northerly wind would have created more intense water stress on south-facing than east-facing slopes. [Key words: Topoclimate, alpine tundra, Dryas octopetala, energy balance.]     

胡杨(Populus euphratica)树干液流特征及其与环境因子的关系

以2012年4—10月实测数据,对黑河下游胡杨树干液流特征及其与环境因子的关系进行了分析。结果表明:在整个生长季,胡杨(Populus euphratica)树干液流速率日变化具有明显的昼夜节律性,夜间存在明显的树干液流以补充白天蒸腾损失的大量水分,恢复植物体内的水分平衡;与其他天气条件下树干液流速率特征比较,阴雨天液流启动时间推迟,液流停止时间提前,液流历时缩短,且峰值显著缩小;树干液流的季节变化特征表现为液流速率在夏季的启动时间、到达峰值的时间、液流停止时间均早于春季和秋季;单株蒸腾耗水表现出明显的季节性格局,4月和10月中下旬耗水量较低,5—8月为主要耗水期,占整个生长季的75%;日间液流速率主要受到土壤含水量、水汽压差、光合有效辐射、相对湿度和气温的影响,夜间液流速率主要受到水汽压差、相对湿度的影响,整个生长季胡杨树干液流主要受光合有效辐射、土壤水分、气温和相对湿度的影响。