A case-study of the low-latitude thermosphere during geomagnetic storms and its new representation by improved MSIS model

The thermospheric temperatures from low and equatorial latitudes during geomagnetically disturbed periods are known to exhibit significant deviations from atmospheric model predictions. Also, the oscillatory features seen in the observations are not accounted for by the models. A simple relation has been established between the difference in the observed and model-predicted temperatures and the rate of change of Dst, the magnetic index representing the ring current variabilities. Using this relation, a correction term has been added to the latest MSIS-90 model algorithm and almost all the observed variations in neutral temperatures spectroscopically determined from Mt. Abu, a low-latitude station in India, are successfully reproduced for two moderate geomagnetic storms.     

Variations of near-surface atmospheric CO_2 and H_2O concentrations during summer on Muztagata

1 Introduction As one of the most important greenhouse gases, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has increased in concentration rapidly since preindustrial times[1―4] and significantly contributes to the climate change[5] caused by anthropogenic emissions. Documentation of the global carbon cycle has been critical for under-standing the causative relationships between green-house gases and climate change. For example, the CO2 level in the atmosphere has been monitored at many sites worldwide …     

A comparison of atmospheric CO2 concentration GOSAT-based observations and model simulations

Satellite observations of atmospheric CO2 are able to truly capture the variation of global and regional CO2 concentration.The model simulations based on atmospheric transport models can also assess variations of atmospheric CO2 concentrations in a continuous space and time,which is one of approaches for qualitatively and quantitatively studying the atmospheric transport mechanism and spatio-temporal variation of atmospheric CO2 in a global scale.Satellite observations and model simulations of CO2 offer us two different approaches to understand the atmospheric CO2.However,the difference between them has not been comprehensively compared and assessed for revealing the global and regional features of atmospheric CO2.In this study,we compared and assessed the spatio-temporal variation of atmospheric CO2 using two datasets of the column-averaged dry air mole fractions of atmospheric CO2(XCO2)in a year from June 2009 to May 2010,respectively from GOSAT retrievals(V02.xx)and from Goddard Earth Observing System-Chemistry(GEOS-Chem),which is a global 3-D chemistry transport model.In addition to the global comparison,we further compared and analyzed the difference of CO2 between the China land region and the United States(US)land region from two datasets,and demonstrated the reasonability and uncertainty of satellite observations and model simulations.The results show that the XCO2 retrieved from GOSAT is globally lower than GEOS-Chem model simulation by 2 ppm on average,which is close to the validation conclusion for GOSAT by ground measures.This difference of XCO2 between the two datasets,however,changes with the different regions.In China land region,the difference is large,from 0.6 to 5.6 ppm,whereas it is 1.6 to 3.7 ppm in the global land region and 1.4 to 2.7 ppm in the US land region.The goodness of fit test between the two datasets is 0.81 in the US land region,which is higher than that in the global land region(0.67)and China land region(0.68).The analysis results further indicate that the inconsistency of CO2concentration between satellite observations and model simulations in China is larger than that in the US and the globe.This inconsistency is related to the GOSAT retrieval error of CO2 caused by the interference among input parameters of satellite retrieval algorithm,and the uncertainty of driving parameters in GEOS-Chem model.     

CO2 absorption of sandy soil induced by rainfall pulses in a desert ecosystem

Soil CO₂ flux is strongly influenced by precipitation in many ecosystem types, yet knowledge of the effects of precipitation on soil CO₂ flux in semi‐arid desert ecosystems remains insufficient, particularly for sandy soils. To address this, we investigated the response of sandy soil CO₂ flux to rainfall pulses in a desert ecosystem in northern China during August–September 2011. Significant changes (P < 0.05) were found in diel patterns of soil CO₂ flux induced by small (2.1 mm), moderate (12.4 mm) and large (19.7 mm) precipitation events. Further analysis indicated that rainfall pulses modified the response of soil CO₂ flux to soil temperature, including hysteresis between soil CO₂ flux and soil temperature, with F_s higher when T_s was increasing than when T_s was decreasing, and the linear relationship between them. Moreover, our results showed that rainfall could result in absorption of atmospheric CO₂ by soil, possibly owing to mass flow of CO₂ induced by a gradient of gas pressure between atmosphere and soil. After each precipitation event, soil CO₂ flux recovered exponentially to pre‐rainfall levels with time, with the recovery times exhibiting a positive correlation with precipitation amount. On the basis of the amounts of precipitation that occurred at our site during the measurement period (August–September), the accumulated rain‐induced carbon absorption evaluated for rainy days was 1.068 g C m^?2; this corresponds approximately to 0.5–2.1% of the net primary production of a typical desert ecosystem. Thus, our results suggest that rainfall pulses can strongly influence carbon fluxes in desert ecosystems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Glacial atmospheric CO_2 decline in association with decrease of marine sedimentary phosphorus

Since the discovery from the ice-core record of South Pole revealed that atmospheric concentration of CO2 of the last glacial was 80―100 ppm less than that of Holocene[1], many researchers[2―6] have obtained a series of important findings to seek the dominant fac- tors controlling its change from marine physical, chemical and biological processes, among which the view has gained increasing attention that phosphorus, as a macronutrient, is a crucial limitation to marine primary production, a…     

A new unsteady-state method of determining two-phase relative permeability illustrated by CO2-brine primary drainage in berea sandstone

This study presents a new unsteady-state method for measuring two-phase relative permeability by obtaining local values of the three key parameters (saturation, pressure drop, and phase flux) versus time during a displacement. These three parameters can be substituted to two-phase Darcy Buckingham equation to directly determine relative permeability. To obtain the first two, we use a medical X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) scanner to monitor saturation in time and space, and six differential pressure transducers to measure the overall pressure drop and the pressure drops of five individual sections (divided by four pressure taps on the core) continuously. At each scanning time, the local phase flux is obtained by spatially integrating the saturation profile and converting this to the flux using a fractional flow framework. One advantage of this local method over most previous methods is that the capillary end effect is experimentally avoided; this improvement is crucial for experiments using low viscosity fluids such as supercritical and gas phases. To illustrate the new method, we conduct five CO₂-brine primary drainage experiments in a 60.8 cm long and 116 mD Berea sandstone core at 20 °C and 1500 psi. In return, we obtain hundreds of unsteady-state CO₂ and brine relative permeability data points that are consistent with steady-state relative permeability data from the same experiments. Due to the large amount of relative permeability data obtained by the new unsteady-state method, the uncertainties of the exponents in the Corey-type fits decrease by up to 90% compared with the steady-state method.     

新04号泉溶解气CO2异常特征分析

运用Mapsis软件前兆异常分析中的差分和从属函数,对新04号泉溶解气CO2进行异常识别,结果认为:①差分和从属函数异常形态均为高值异常;②差分异常对近场中强震和远场强震的映震率均为71.4％(5/7);从属函数异常对近场中强震的映震率为66.7％,而对远场强震的映震率为83.3％(5/6);两者均出现异常时,对近场中...     

Hydrodynamic dispersion during absorption of water by soil: 2. Immobile water model

The assumptions and analysis of Part 1 are extended to the three model soil-water profiles having different immobile-water contents up to 0.08 m³ m^?3. Concentration profiles in the mobile zone obtained with a constant dispersion coefficient are compared with those calculated with the same dispersion coefficient and no immobile water. The average concentration profiles were calculated from the concentration of the solution in both the mobile and immobile phases. Increasing the immobile-water content decreased and shifted the average concentration profiles further into the soil. The values of the dispersion coefficient calculated with the immobile-water fraction ignored, were found to be water content dependent and many times greater than that of the input dispersion coefficient.     

A 2680-year record of sea ice extent in the Ross Sea and the associated atmospheric circulation derived from the DT401 East Antarctic ice core

Long time series of Antarctic sea ice extent(SIE) are important for climate research and model forecasting. A historic ice extent in the Ross Sea in early austral winter was rebuilt through sea salt ions in the DT401 ice core in interior East Antarctica. El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) had a significant influence on the sea salt deposition in DT401 through its influence on the Ross Sea SIE and the transport of sea salt inland. Spectral analysis also supported the influence of ENSO with a significant 2–6 a periodicity band. In addition, statistically significant decadal(10 a) and pentadecadal(50–70 a) periodicities suggested the existence of a teleconnection from the Pacific decadal oscillation(PDO), which originated from sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The first eigenvector of the empirical orthogonal function analysis(EOF1) showed lower values during the Medieval Warm Period(MWP), while higher values were found in the Little Ice Age(LIA). A higher frequency of ENSO events were found in the cold climatic stage. The post 1800 AD period was occupied by significant fluctuations of the EOF1, and PDO may be one of the influencing factors. The EOF1 values showed moderate fluctuations from 680 BC to 1000 AD, showing that the climate was relatively stable in this period.     

Contemporary rates of chemical denudation and atmospheric CO2 sequestration in glacier basins: an Arctic perspective

This paper presents new estimates of solute fluxes from five high Arctic glacier basins in Svalbard. These estimates are combined with data from two other glacier basins to assess the effectiveness of chemical denudation on Svalbard and to estimate rates of temporary (or transient) CO₂ drawdown. We use a solute provenance model to partition solutes into marine, aerosol, atmospheric and crustal components and to estimate their annual fluxes. Crustally derived solute fluxes are equivalent to a mean chemical denudation rate of 350 Σmeq⁺ m⁻² a⁻¹ for Svalbard (range: 160–560 Σmeq⁺ m⁻² a⁻¹), which lies within the global range of 94–4200 Σmeq⁺ m⁻² a⁻¹ for 21 glacier basins in the northern hemisphere, and is close to the continental average of 390 Σmeq⁺ m⁻² a⁻¹. Specific annual discharge is the most significant control upon chemical denudation in the glacierized basins, and basin lithology is an important secondary control, with carbonate‐rich and basaltic lithologies currently showing the greatest chemical denudation rates. Estimates of transient CO₂ drawdown are also directly associated with specific annual discharge and rock type. On Svalbard transient CO₂ drawdown lies in the range 110–3000 kg C km⁻² a⁻¹, whilst the range is 110–13000 kg C km⁻² a⁻¹ for the northern hemisphere glacial data set. Transient CO₂ drawdown is therefore usually low in the Svalbard basins unless carbonate or basalt rocks are abundant. The analysis shows that a large area of uncertainty in the transient CO₂ drawdown estimates exists due to the non‐stoichiometric release of solute during silicate hydrolysis. Silicate hydrolysis is particularly non‐stoichiometric in basins where the extent of glacierization is high, which is most probably an artefact of high flushing rates through ice‐marginal and subglacial environments where K‐feldspars are undergoing mechanical comminution. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new mechanism for the magnetic enhancement of hematite during heating: the role of clay minerals

The magnetic properties of loess, lake, and ocean sediments are often used as indicators for paleoclimatic/paleoenvironmental changes. Thermomagnetic analysis is a conventional approach for identifying magnetic phases and thermal alteration of samples. Magnetic concentration parameters are often enhanced after thermal treatment. In this study, the role of clay minerals in magnetic enhancement at elevated temperatures is systematically investigated. The results indicate that the clay minerals (saponite, Ca-montmorillonite, kaolinite, and chlorite) are dominated by paramagnetic behaviour and that the magnetic properties remain relatively stable after heating to 700°C in argon. In contrast, mixtures of hematite and chlorite have a high degree of magnetic enhancement after heating in argon, which indicates that clay minerals play important role in magnetic enhancement. These results improve our understanding of the processes involved in complicated mineral transformations, which is important for retrieving paleoclimatic/paleoenvironemntal signals from magnetic proxies.     

A new chronology for the age of Appalachian erosional surfaces determined by cosmogenic nuclides in cave sediments

The relative chronology of landscape evolution across the unglaciated Appalachian plateaus of Kentucky and Tennessee is well documented. For more than a century, geomorphologists have carefully mapped and correlated upland erosional surfaces inset by wide‐valley straths and smaller terraces. Constraining the timing of river incision into the Appalachian uplands was difficult in the past due to unsuitable dating methods and poorly preserved surface materials. Today, burial dating using the differential decay of cosmogenic ²⁶Al and ¹⁰Be in clastic cave sediments reveals more than five million years of landscape evolution preserved underground. Multilevel caves linked hydrologically to the incision history of the Cumberland River contain in situ sediments equivalent to fluvial deposits found scattered across the Eastern Highland Rim erosional surface. Cave sediments correlate with: (1) thick Lafayette‐type gravels on the Eastern Highland Rim deposited between c. 5·7 and c. 3·5 Ma; (2) initial incision of the Cumberland River into the Eastern Highland Rim after c. 3·5 Ma; (3) formation of the Parker strath between c. 3·5 Ma and c. 2·0 Ma; (4) incision into the Parker strath at c. 2 Ma; (5) formation of a major terrace between c. 2·0 Ma and c. 1·5 Ma; (6) shorter cycles of accelerated incision and base level stability beginning at c. 1·5 Ma; and (7) regional aggradation at c. 0·85 Ma. Initial incision into the Appalachian uplands is interpreted as a response to eustasy at 3·2–3·1 Ma. Incision of the Parker strath is interpreted as a response to eustasy at 2·5–2·4 Ma. A third incision event at c. 1·5 Ma corresponds with glacial reorganization of the Ohio River basin. Widespread aggradation of cave passages at c. 0·85 Ma is interpreted as the beginning of intense glacial–interglacial cycling associated with global climate change. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new approach to the Nd residence time in the ocean: the role of atmospheric inputs

Concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) and Nd isotopic ratios were analyzed for seawater, filtered suspension and sediment trap samples collected in the tropical Atlantic Ocean (EUMELI program, EUtrophic, MEsotrophic and oLIgotrophic sites, 20°N, 18°–21°W). This is the first REE/Nd dataset on solution and different-sized particles collected at the same site. We present direct evidence of the Nd isotopic exchange between particulate lithogenic fraction and seawater without significant mass transfer. This exchange is probably one of the main factors that simultaneously constrains the Nd concentration and isotopic ratio budget. We propose a new approach to estimate the residence time of Nd in the ocean (τ_Nd) based on isotopic exchange: 200 yr < τ_Nd< 1000 yr. The exchange requires a partial dissolution of lithogenic Nd. We estimate that the fraction of soluble Nd proportion in atmospheric dust is of the order of 20% based on the isotopic ratios. We suggest that the partial dissolution of atmospheric fallout is probably one of the main REE sources of the ocean.     

Experimental investigation of injectivity alteration due to salt precipitation during CO2 sequestration in saline aquifers

Injection of CO₂ into saline aquifers causes the geochemical reaction of rock-fluid and salt precipitation due to the evaporation of water as a physical process. Well injectivity is an important issue in carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects because large volumes of CO₂ must be stored for a long time and salt precipitation can significantly reduce injectivity by reducing the permeability. The impact of salt precipitation on the injectivity must therefore be specified in order to maintain the security of CCS projects and enable them to perform at a high level of practicality. The objective of this work is to investigate the influence of the injection rate and brine salinity on injectivity reduction due to evaporation and salt precipitation. In this study, we injected supercritical CO₂ into a sandstone rock sample fully saturated with NaCl brine to characterize the salt precipitation induced by the evaporation process.Evaporation is investigated by mass measurement of the water and vapor produced. The extension in time of salt precipitation and the precipitation profile are analyzed by drying rate measurement, Capillary number and Peclet number. The consequences of salt precipitation on injectivity are specified by permeability and relative permeability analysis. The results show that a high drying rate in the early stage of injection induces rapid salt precipitation. The level of salt precipitation increases with salinity, within a permeability reduction range of 21–66%, and decreases with the injection rate, within a permeability reduction range of 43–62%. The relative permeability of CO₂ is affected by both the injection rate and salinity.     

Towards a new generation of sediment traps and a better measurement/understanding of settling particle flux in lakes and oceans: A hydrodynamical protocol

This article is aimed at established sediment trap specialists as well as young learning scientists. The development of sediment trap techniques and hydrodynamics are briefly reviewed, with special emphasis on the experimental and in-situ trap calibration. The ongoing controversy within the trap community on the validity of flux data obtained by sediment traps can only be overcome by understanding the effects of hydrodynamics on the entrapping of settling particles in turbulent waters. A proper trap protocol is still missing. Also, the problems of entering swimmers and preservatives are not yet fully solved. Innovative ideas and robust data are needed to improve our knowledge on trapping efficiency, particle settling flux data, and the interpretation of lake and oceanic nutrient cycles. It is emphasized that controversial papers should be published when based on documented experiments and/or theory applied.     

致密砂岩储层CO2驱油特征的核磁共振实验研究

利用核磁共振技术对致密砂岩储层不同渗透率级别基质岩心和裂缝基质岩心不同驱替压力下CO2驱油特征进行了研究,简述核磁共振原理及实验方法。表明:致密砂岩储层特低、超低渗透基质岩心在初始CO2驱替压力下,岩心毛细孔隙和微毛细孔隙区间的油不同程度被采出,随着CO2驱替压力增大,特低、超低渗透基质岩心毛细孔隙区间油的采出程度不断增加且累积采出程度不同。裂缝致密砂岩储层岩心,裂缝和毛细孔隙区间的油在初始CO2驱替压力下,岩心裂缝中的油及毛细孔隙中的部分油被驱替出来,CO2驱替压力提高毛细孔隙、微毛细区间油的采出程度和累积采收程度较小。致密砂岩储层特低、超低渗透基质岩心和裂缝致密砂岩储层岩心,随着CO2驱替压力增大毛细孔隙区间的部分剩余油成正比增加进入到微毛细孔隙区间改变储层剩余油分布。核磁共振技术能够深入研究致密砂岩储层CO2不同驱替压力阶段,岩心裂缝、毛细孔隙区间、微毛细孔隙区间油的采出程度和剩余油分布情况,对于研究致密砂岩储层微观驱油机理具有较重要的价值。     

降水过程对断层CO2气体异常排放响应的个例分析

为了从观测事实的角度揭示岩石圈的热异常对大气圈的影响,本文利用怀来后郝窑测点的断层气CO2排放观测数据和中国752站降水的逐日观测资料,分析了断层气CO2异常排放与降水事件的时空演变联系.个例分析结果表明,断层气CO2的异常排放会导致局地降水的增多.以1991年为例,伴随着断层气CO2排放的异常增加,在大范围降水负异常的背景下,CO2排放点周边区域出现显著的降水正异常（降水距平百分率大于零）区.同时,CO2异常幅度较大的时段,相应的降水正异常区的中心值也较大.此外,分析降水响应断层气CO2排放异常的时间还发现,断层气CO2异常排放对其后10天内的降水过程影响最为显著.     

A computational model for coupled multiphysics processes of CO2 sequestration in fractured porous media

In this paper, a computational model for the simulation of coupled hydromechanical and electrokinetic flow in fractured porous media is introduced. Particular emphasis is placed on modeling CO₂ flow in a deformed, fractured geological formation and the associated electrokinetic flow. The governing field equations are derived based on the averaging theory and the double porosity model. They are solved numerically with a mixed discretization scheme, formulated on the basis of the standard Galerkin finite element method, the extended finite element method, the level-set method and the Petrov–Galerkin method. The standard Galerkin method is utilized to discretize the equilibrium and the diffusive dominant field equations, and the extended finite element method, together with the level-set method and the Petrov–Galerkin method, are utilized to discretize the advective dominant field equations. The level-set method is employed to trace the CO₂ plume front, and the extended finite element method is employed to model the high gradient in the saturation field front. The proposed mixed discretization scheme leads to a convergent system, giving a stable and effectively mesh-independent model. The accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed model is evaluated by verification and numerical examples. Effects of the fracture spacing on the CO₂ flow and the streaming potential are discussed.     

Seasonal variations and mechanism for environmental control of NEE of CO2 concerning the Potentilla fruticosa in alpine shrub meadow of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The study by the eddy covariance technique in the alpine shrub meadow of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in 2003 and 2004 showed that the net ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange (NEE) exhibited noticeable diurnal and annual variations, with more distinct daily changes during the warmer seasons. The CO₂ emission of the shrub ecosystem culminated in April and September while the CO₂ absorption capacity reached a maximum in July and August. The absorbed carbon dioxide during the two consecutive years was 231.4 and 274.8 g CO₂·m⁻² respectively, yielding an average of 253.1 gCO₂·m⁻² per year: that accounts for a large proportion of absorbed CO₂ in the region. Obviously, the diurnal carbon flux was negatively related to temperature, radiation and other atmospheric factors. Still, minute discrepancies in kurtosis and duration of carbon emission/absorption were detected between 2003 and 2004. It was found that the CO₂ flux in the daytime was similarly affected by photosynthetic photon flux density in both years. Temperature appears to be the most important determinant of CO₂ flux: specifically, the high temperature during the plant growing season inhibits the carbon absorption capacity. One potential explanation is that soil respiration is enhanced under such condition. Analysis of biomass revealed that the annual net carbon fixed capacity of aboveground and belowground biomass was 544.0 in 2003 and 559.4 g C·m⁻² in 2004, which coincided with the NEE absorption capacity (63.1 g C·m⁻² in 2003 and 74.9 g C·m⁻² in 2004) in the corresponding plant growing season.

     

Natural 222Rn as a tracer of mixing and volatilization in a shallow aquifer during a CO2 injection experiment

This study aims to evaluate the application of ²²²Rn in groundwater as a tracer for monitoring CO₂ plume migration in a shallow groundwater system, which is important to detect potential CO₂ leakage in the carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. For this research, an artificial CO₂-infused water injection experiment was performed in a shallow aquifer by monitoring hydrogeochemical parameters, including ²²²Rn. Radon in groundwater can be a useful tracer because of its sensitivity to sudden changes in subsurface environment. To monitor the CO₂ plume migration, the data were analysed based on (a) the influence of mixing processes on the distribution of ²²²Rn induced by the artificial injection experiment and (b) the influence of a carrier gas role by CO₂ on the variation of ²²²Rn. The spatio-temporal distributions of radon concentrations were successfully explained in association with horizontal and vertical mixing processes by the CO₂-infused water injection. Additionally, the mixing ratios of each monitoring well were calculated, quantitatively confirming the influence of these mixing processes on the distribution of radon concentrations. Moreover, one monitoring well showed a high positive relationship between ²²²Rn and Total dissolved inorganic carbon (TIC) by the carrier gas effect of CO₂ through volatilization from the CO₂ plume. It indicated the applicability of ²²²Rn as a sensitive tracer to directly monitor CO₂ leakage. When with a little effect of carrier gas, natural ²²²Rn in groundwater can be used to compute mixing ratio of CO₂-infused water indicative of CO₂ migration pathways. CO₂ carrier gas effect can possibly increase ²²²Rn concentration in groundwater and, if fully verified with more field tests, will pose a great potential to be used as a natural tracer for CO₂.