Anomalous sea-ice reduction in the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean during summer 2010

During the summer of 2010 ice concentration in the Eurasian Basin, Arctic Ocean was unusually low. This study examines the sea-ice reduction in the Eurasian Basin using ice-based autonomous buoy systems that collect temperature and salinity of seawater under the ice along the course of buoy drift. An array of GPS drifters was deployed with 10 miles radius around an ice-based profiler, enabling the quantitative discussion for mechanical ice divergence/convergence and its contribution to the sea-ice reduction. Oceanic heat fluxes to the ice estimated using buoy motion and mixed-layer (ML) temperature suggest significant spatial difference between fluxes under first-year and multi-year ice. In the former, the ML temperature reached 0.6 K above freezing temperature, providing >60–70 W m^?2 of heat flux to the overlying ice, equivalent to about 1.5 m of ice melt over three months. In contrast, the multiyear ice region indicates nearly 40 W m^?2 at most and cumulatively produced 0.8 m ice melt. The ice concentration was found to be reduced in association with an extensive low pressure system that persisted over the central Eurasian Basin. SSM/I indicates that ice concentration was reduced by 30–40% while the low pressure persisted. The low ice concentration persisted for 30 days even after the low dissipated. It appears that the wind-forced ice divergence led to enhanced absorption of incident solar energy in the expanded areas of open water and thus to increased ice melt.     

ANNUAL ACCUMULATION OVER THE GREENLAND ICE SHEET INTERPOLATED FROM HISTORICAL AND NEWLY COMPILED OBSERVATION DATA

The estimation of ice/snow accumulation is of great significance in quantifying the mass balance of ice sheets and variation in water resources. Improving the accuracy and reducing uncertainty has been a challenge for the estimation of annual accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet. In this study, we kriged and analyzed the spatial pattern of accumulation based on an observation data series including 315 points used in a recent research, plus 101 ice cores and snow pits and newly compiled 23 coastal weather station data. The estimated annual accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet is 31.2 g cm^?2 yr^?1, with a standard error of 0.9 g cm^?2 yr^?1. The main differences between the improved map developed in this study and the recently published accumulation maps are in the coastal areas, especially southeast and southwest regions. The analysis of accumulations versus elevation reveals the distribution patterns of accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet.     

Radiation balance and the response of albedo to environmental factors above two alpine ecosystems in the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Understanding the energy balance on the Tibetan Plateau is important for better prediction of global climate change. To characterize the energy balance on the Plateau, we examined the radiation balance and the response of albedo to environmental factors above an alpine meadow and an alpine wetland surfaces in the eastern Tibetan Plateau, using 2014 data. Although our two sites belong to the same climatic background, and are close geographically, the annual incident solar radiation at the alpine meadow site(6,447 MJ/(m2·a)) was about 1.1 times that at the alpine wetland site(6,012 MJ/(m2·a)),due to differences in the cloudiness between our two sites. The alpine meadow and the alpine wetland emitted about 38%and 42%, respectively, of annual incident solar radiation back into atmosphere in the form of net longwave radiation; and they reflected about 22% and 18%, respectively, of the annual incident solar radiation back into atmosphere in the form of shortwave radiation. The annual net radiation was 2,648 and 2,544 MJ/(m2·a) for the alpine meadow site and the alpine wetland site, respectively, accounting for only about 40% of the annual incident solar radiation, significantly lower than the global mean. At 30-min scales, surface albedo exponentially decreases with the increase of the solar elevation angle; and it linearly decreases with the increase of soil-water content for our two sites. But those relationships are significantly influenced by cloudiness and are site-specific.     

塔克拉玛干沙漠不同下垫面太阳总辐射比较

本文运用统计学方法,分析并比较了塔克拉玛干沙漠绿洲-沙漠过渡带（肖塘、哈德）与沙漠腹地（塔中）总辐射的气候学特征。结果表明：沙漠腹地（塔中）总辐射年总量高于绿洲-沙漠过渡带（肖塘、哈德）,塔中、肖塘和哈德年总量分别为6 515.0 MJ·m^-2、5 666.4 MJ·m^-2和5 774.5 MJ·m^-2。春、夏、秋、冬四季变化幅度,塔中高于肖塘和哈德,肖塘与哈德相近;3个观测点均为夏季最大、冬季最小、春季高于秋季。塔中月总量最大值出现时间（6月）早于肖塘和哈德（7月）,最小值均在12月;塔中月总量最大值比肖塘和哈德分别高99.4 MJ·m^-2和81.9 MJ·m^-2。平均日变化表现为早晚小、正午12：00最大。沙尘暴天气下总辐射被明显削弱,日变化波动大。肖塘、哈德和塔中沙尘暴日的峰值分别减少40.3%、56.2%和53.0%;日总量分别减少41.6%、57.8%和61.2%。沙尘暴日的后续天气仍受到沙尘的明显影响,只有当整个沙尘天气过程结束其日变化曲线才恢复。沙尘天气日,小时平均值>500 W·m^-2的总辐射明显被削弱,主要向低值区集中,分布在高值区的概率减少。总辐射与太阳高度角的变化一致,相同太阳高度角下晴天总辐射高于沙尘天。     

Solar radiation transfer in the surface snow layer in Dronning Maud Land,Antarctica

Spectroradiometer measurements of solar radiation (the broadest band used 400–900 nm) were performed above and inside the surface snow layer in western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, during the austral summer of 2009–2010. The vertical distributions of transmittance and the extinction coefficient were examined from the surface to a depth of 30 cm. Physical characterization of the snowpack included measurements of thickness, density, hardness (hand test), liquid-water content, and grain size and shape (from photographs of grains). The transmittance was <1% in the upper 20 cm and <27% in the upper 10 cm. The mean spectral diffuse extinction coefficient varied between 0.04 and 0.31 cm^-1 (10–20-cm layer). Using the spectral extinction coefficients of the 0–10-cm and 10–20-cm layers, the depth, where broadband (400–700-nm band) irradiance was 1% of the downwelling irradiance at the surface, was 50 cm. The density of the snow in the upper part of the snowpack (depth of 0–55 cm) varied from 300 to 440 kg m^?3. The predominant grain type was large rounded particles (RGlr) and the predominant grain size was 1 mm.     

2010年夏季北极海冰反照率的观测研究

雪和海冰作为北极地区反照率最高的地表类型,可以将大部分入射辐射能量反射回天空,其表面反照率的变化对整个地表-大气辐射平衡系统和全球气候变化都会有重要影响。在2010年中国第4次北极科学考察期间用ASD光谱仪对北极太平洋扇区不同类型的海冰表面反照率进行了现场测量,观测时段为7月27日至8月23日,地理范围在72°18′-87°20′N和152°34′-178°22′W之间。观测结果表明积雪覆盖海冰的反照率最高,干雪覆盖时均值达到0.82,融化的湿雪覆盖时反照率会有一定程度地降低。夏季北极地区存在大量融池,融池海冰按颜色划分为白冰,蓝冰和灰冰,白冰的平均反照率为0.54,蓝冰的为0.31,灰冰的只有0.20,融池水的反照率只有0.16。融池是北极夏季反照率变化的重要原因。     

COSMOGENIC 10BE-AGES FROM THE STORE KOLDEWEY ISLAND, NE GREENLAND

Earlier work in northeast Greenland has suggested a limited advance of the Greenland Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, this concept has recently been challenged by marine geological studies, indicating grounded ice on the continental shelf at this time. New ¹⁰Be‐ages from the Store Koldewey island, northeast Greenland, suggest that unscoured mountain plateaus at the outer coast were covered at least partly by cold‐based ice during the LGM. It is, however, still inconclusive whether this ice was dynamically connected to the Greenland Ice Sheet or not. Regardless of the LGM ice sheet extent, the ¹⁰Be results from Store Koldewey add to a growing body of evidence suggesting considerable antiquity of crystalline unscoured terrain near present and Pleistocene ice sheet margins.     

Horizontal distribution of calanoid copepods in the western Arctic Ocean during the summer of 2008

The horizontal distribution of the epipelagic zooplankton communities in the western Arctic Ocean was studied during August–October 2008. Zooplankton abundance and biomass were higher in the Chukchi Sea, and ranged from 3,000 to 274,000 ind. m^?2 and 5–678 g WM m^?2, respectively. Copepods were the most dominant taxa and comprised 37?94% of zooplankton abundance. For calanoid copepods, 30 species belonging to 20 genera were identified. Based on the copepod abundance, their communities were classified into three groups using a cluster analysis. The horizontal distribution of each group was well synchronized with depth zones, defined here as Shelf, Slope and Basin. Neritic Pacific copepods were the dominant species in the Shelf zone. Arctic copepods were substantially greater in the Slope zone than the other regions. Mesopelagic copepods were greater in the Basin zone than the other regions. Stage compositions of large-sized Arctic copepods (Calanus glacialis and Metridia longa) were characterized by the dominance of late copepodid stages in the Basin. Both the abundance and stage compositions of large copepods corresponded well with Chl. a concentrations in each region, with high Chl. a in the Shelf and Slope supporting reproduction of copepods resulting in high abundance dominated by early copepodid stages.     

Vertical material flux under seasonal sea ice in the Okhotsk Sea north of Hokkaido, Japan

Downward material fluxes under seasonal sea ice were measured using a time-series sediment trap installed at an offshore site in the Okhotsk Sea north of Hokkaido, Japan, from 13 January to 23 March 2005. The maximum fluxes of lithogenic material (753 mg m⁻² day⁻¹) and organic matter (mainly detritus; 333 mg m⁻² day⁻¹) were recorded during the period in which sea ice drifted ashore and increased in extent, from 13 January to 9 February. Organic matter as fecal pellets (81–93 mg m⁻² day⁻¹) and opal as biosilica (51–67 mg m⁻² day⁻¹), representing diatom fluxes, were abundant in sediment trap samples obtained during the period of full sea ice coverage from 10 February to 9 March. Microscopic observations revealed that fecal pellets were largely diatom frustules, suggesting that zooplankton actively grazed on ice algae during the period of full sea ice coverage. During the period of retreating sea ice, from 10 to 23 March, the phytoplankton flux showed a rapid increase (from 9.5 to 22.5 × 10⁶ cells m⁻² day⁻¹), reflecting their release into the water column as the sea ice melted. Our results demonstrate that the quantity and quality of sinking biogenic and lithogenic materials vary with the seasonal extent of sea ice in mid-winter.     

Photosynthetic characteristics of sinking microalgae under the sea ice

The photosynthetic characteristics of sinking a microalgal community were studied to compare with the ice algal community in the sea ice and the phytoplankton community in the water column under the sea ice at the beginning of the light season in the first-year sea ice ecosystem on the Mackenzie Shelf, in the western Canadian Arctic. The phytoplankton community was collected using a water bottle, whereas the sinking algal community was collected using particle collectors, and the ice algal community was obtained by using an ice-core sampler from the bottom portion of ice core. Photosynthesis versus irradiance (P-E) incubation experiments were conducted on deck to obtain the initial slope (α^B) and the maximum photosynthetic rate (P_m^B) of the three algal communities. The α^B and the P_m^B of the light saturation curve, and chlorophyll a (Chl a) specific absorption coefficient (ā_ph*) between the sinking microalgal community and the ice algal community were similar and were distinctly different from the phytoplankton community. The significant linear relationship between α^B and P_m^B, which was obtained among the three groups, may suggest that a photo-acclimation strategy is common for all algal communities under the low light regime of the early season. Although the sinking algal community could be held for the entire duration of deployment at maximum, this community remained photosynthetically active once exposed to light. This response suggests that sinking algal communities can be the seed population, which results in a subsequent phytoplankton bloom under the sea ice or in a surface layer, as well as representing food for the higher trophic level consumers in the Arctic Ocean even before the receding of the sea ice.     

Growth response of three globose cacti to radiation and soil moisture: An experimental test of the mechanism behind the nurse effect

Cactus seedlings often establish under nurse plants which modify environmental conditions by increasing moisture and decreasing solar radiation, which may cause beneficial and detrimental effects, respectively, on seedling growth. Three soil moisture treatments (5%, 25% and 60%) and two solar radiation levels (100% exposure=243 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹, and 40%=102 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) were used in a factorial design to analyze seedling growth response of three rare cactus species (Mammillaria pectinifera, Obregonia denegrii and Coryphantha werdermannii). The variables evaluated were relative growth rate (RGR), root/shoot ratio (R/S), and K (RGR_roots/RGR_shoot), obtained from an initial seedling harvest (6-month-old seedlings) and a final harvest 6 months after treatment application. All three species had slow RGRs (0.002–0.012 g g⁻¹ day⁻¹). O. denegrii had the lowest RGR values, but was the only species for which R/S and K varied with soil moisture. While all seedlings responded markedly to soil moisture, no response was observed to radiation treatments. The latter might have been related to the relatively low solar radiation levels present in the greenhouse. Yet, our results suggest that the main benefit nurse plants offer to seedlings is the increase in soil moisture.     

Meteorological Observations 2002 at the Arctic Station,Qeqertarsuaq (69°15'N), Central West Greenland

An automatic meteorological station has been operating at the Arctic Station (69°15'N, 53°31'W) in West Greenland since 1990. This paper summarises meteorological parameters during 2002, including snow cover, ground temperatures and active layer development, and air temperatures at the Station during the last 12 years are compared to large scale trends during the last century.

A compilation of 93 sedimentation rate determinations based on ²¹⁰Pb dating has been carried out for the North Sea-Baltic Sea transition area from a database containing 165 determinations carried out by Danish institutions. In the depositional parts of the area sedimentation rates generally range 25–6403 g m^?2 y^?1. An extreme rate of 13351 g m^?2 y^?1 is observed on a station in the Skagerrak. Sedimentation rates significantly increase with depth indicating that the Skagerrak and northern parts of the Kattegat as well as the deep basins in the Baltic Sea act as depocentres for fine-grained sediments. Apparently, sedimentation rates have increased in recent years.     

2013-2014年夏季南极普里兹湾海面反照率走航观测研究

在 2013—2014年南半球夏季时对南极普里兹湾海区的反照率进行了走航观测。利用安装于破冰船船头的高光谱辐照度计测量入射和反射的350—920 nm的太阳短波辐射, 基于此观测数据, 经计算得到了反照率。分析比较不同下垫面的反照率, 通过比较不同航段的观测结果, 得到了反照率的空间变化以及从海冰融化期至冻结初期的变化。不同下垫面的反照率差异较大, 有积雪覆盖的固定冰反照率最大, 有积雪覆盖的浮冰其次, 而积雪融化的浮冰则反照率有所降低。新冰的反照率较低, 有积雪覆盖的新冰反照率迅速增加。比较不同波段的反照率, 发现融化期由于积雪含水量较大, 增加了对近红外辐射的吸收, 降低了该波段的反照率。结合卫星遥感(AMSR-2)和人工观测的海冰密集度, 发现区域平均的反照率主要取决于海冰密集度, 然而也受下垫面物理特征影响, 例如2月底至3月初形成的新冰, 反照率只有老冰的1/3— 1/2。新冰形成, 会直接增加海冰密集度, 但由于其反照率较低, 对空间平均反照率的贡献较小。因此, 若要建立合理的冰水混合区的反照率参数化方案, 必须充分考虑海冰类型和冰面积雪的物理状态, 并考虑反照率的波长依赖性。     

基于CryoSat-2测高数据的北极格陵兰海海冰干舷高提取研究

北极是全球气候和环境变化的驱动器之一,获取北极海冰的时空特征和变化规律对研究北极以及全球气候变化意义重大。格陵兰海是北极海冰剧烈变化的区域之一,采用CryoSat-2的雷达测高数据,获取了格陵兰海的海冰干舷高分布,并利用波弗特环流计划(BGEP)仰视声呐(ULS)数据进行了验证。研究结果表明,格陵兰海海冰干舷高和分布范围存在明显的季节性变化特征,具体体现在格陵兰海海冰从10月份进入冻结期开始,海冰分布范围不断扩张,海冰干舷高也逐渐增大,2月份平均干舷高达到最大(0.2 m),之后格陵兰海海冰开始消融,覆盖范围不断内缩,9月海冰干舷高降至最小(0.13 m)。     

Surface reflectance of sea ice and under-ice irradiance in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard

Initial results from a field experiment on fast ice in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, in March 2002 are presented. We measured surface reflectance and under-ice irradiance using an advanced, portable spectroradiometer sensitive in the visible and near-infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, i.e. 350-1100 nm. Under-ice irradiance (UV-A, UV-B and photosynthetically active radiation [PAR]) was measured down to depths of 7.5 m by vertical profiling using a six-channel radiometer. We also present model results of wavelength-dependent transmittance of radiation through a combined snow and sea ice layer for various thicknesses of snow. Model results show that the snow and sea ice is more transparent for solar radiation in the PAR region (400-700 nm) than at shorter and longer wavelengths. This is confirmed by the field measurements. Even very thin snow layers on top of the sea ice efficiently prevent solar radiation from penetrating the snow–sea ice system. For example, a 5 cm thick snow layer reduces under-ice irradiance in the PAR region with a factor of about 10. Measurements of under-ice UV irradiance show that both UV-A and UV-B irradiance is reduced with a factor of more than 10 at depths of 7.5 m below the ice compared to at the ice-sea water interface.     

Meteorological Observations in 1999 at the Arctic Station,Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), Central West Greenland/Evidence of a warmer climate around AD 600, Mittivakkat Glacier,South East Greenland

In october 1990 an automatic weather station was established at the Arctic Station (65° 15', 53°31'W), Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), Central West Greenland. The Station register parameters each 20 minutes, and the paramters have been described in an earlier paper in this journal by Nielsen et al.(1995). The present paper summarizes meteorological parameters during 1999.

During a field campaign in 1999, woody remains from Salix glauca were found on a nunatak, 515 m. a.s.l. on the Mittivakkat Glacier, South East Greenland. Radio carbon dating determined the age of a wood sample to AD 640. Together with analyses of macroscopic botanical remains and insect rests in peaty material found nearby, these results indicate, that a warmer climate prevailed near the glacier around AD 600. These findings are in accordance with temperature records based on studies of ice cores from the Greenland Ice sheet.     

雪冰电导率反映的南、北极和青藏高原大气环境差异

青藏高原（无论南部、北部）雪冰电导率与雪冰体的酸碱度及雪冰内各类杂质成分的关系明显不同于极地冰盖（南极冰盖与格陵兰冰盖）,青藏高原雪冰电导率依赖于地壳来源的碱性矿物盐类杂质（如Ｃａ２＋,Ｍｇ２＋,ＳＯ２－４等）,因而与雪冰酸度（即Ｈ＋）呈反相关;极地冰盖雪冰电导率依赖于海洋来源的酸根离子（如Ｃｌ－,ＳＯ２－４等）,因而与雪冰酸度呈正相关。但在北极地区,雪冰电导率与各离子的关系存在复杂的地域分异,如在北极中心地区,极可能由于“北极霾”的干扰,打破了格陵兰冰盖内电导率与酸根离子间明确的函数关系。总之,雪冰电导率是寒区大气环境的替代性“指示器”     

Diatoms reveal complex spatial and temporal patterns of recent limnological change in West Greenland

Diatoms in sediment cores were analysed across a range of stratigraphic resolutions along a transect of 23 lakes spanning the ice-free margin of the west coast of Greenland (~67°N), to explore spatial and temporal patterns of recent (last ~150 years) environmental change in the region. These records display heterogeneous lake development trajectories over the last several centuries. Estimates of species composition turnover (beta-diversity) since 1850 AD are among the lowest for lakes in the Arctic, and are comparable to “unimpacted” reference lakes from temperate regions. Most of the change that occurred in West Greenland lakes pre-dates potential industrial anthropogenic effects, while post-1850 change is well within the natural range of variability for these systems. Nonetheless, a spatial pattern in core “top–bottom” changes is apparent across the transect: lakes in the arid interior of the region, adjacent to the ice sheet, and those with higher pH, register greater change than those in the more maritime climate of the coast. This suggests that climate plays an indirect role in the recent development of these lakes, and that recent anthropogenic forcing has not yet exceeded major ecological thresholds in this region.     

北冰洋浮冰区的气象要素特征

利用中国首次北极科学考察队观测的气象资料 ,初步分析研究了 1 999年 8月 1 9～ 2 4日北冰洋浮冰 ( 75°N,1 60°W)上的温、压、湿、风、云量、辐射、海表温度、冰面及冰中温度等气象要素变化特征 ,并结合 50 0 h Pa高度场分析了该期间的天气过程。结果表明 :在考察期间海面与冰面温度日变化差异明显。除晴天夜间出现逆温外 ,气温随高度增大而减小 ,冰面为热源 ,不断有向上的热量输送。海温则稳定少变。冰中热交换主要发生在冰下 0～ 40 cm深度。由于有海上湿平流等影响 ,存在“逆湿”现象。晴天反射率具有明显日变化 ,早晚大 ,中午小。海冰表面平均反射率约为 0 .76。辐射与云量特别是低云量的关系密切     

Diel tuning of photosynthetic systems in ice algae at Saroma-ko Lagoon, Hokkaido, Japan

Ice algae are the major primary producers in seasonally ice-covered oceans during the cold season. Diurnal change in solar radiation is inevitable for ice algae, even beneath seasonal sea ice in lower-latitude regions. In this work, we focused on the photosynthetic response of ice algae under diurnally changing irradiance in Saroma-ko Lagoon, Japan. Photosynthetic properties were assessed by pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry. The species composition remained almost the same throughout the investigation. The maximum electron transport rate (rETR_max), which indicates the capacity of photosynthetic electron transport, increased from sunrise until around noon and decreased toward sunset, with no sign of the afternoon depression commonly observed in other photosynthetic organisms. The level of non-photochemical quenching, which indicates photoprotection activity by dissipating excess light energy via thermal processes, changed with diurnal variations in irradiance. The pigment composition appeared constant, except for xanthophyll cycle pigments, which changed irrespective of irradiance. These results indicate that ice algae tune their photosynthetic system harmonically to achieve efficient photosynthesis under diurnally changing irradiance, while avoiding damage to photosystems. This regulation system may be essential for productive photosynthesis in ice algae.