Dust emission from desertified lands in the Heihe River Basin,Northwest China

The annual and seasonal dust emissions were calculated for eight types of desertified lands at 120 sites in the Heihe River Basin of northwestern China. The results showed that dust emission rates increased from the middle to the lower reaches of the river by a factor of up to 10³. There two strongest areas of dust emission are the dried-up Gaxun Lake with a dust emission rate of 1.6 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, and the desertified grassland areas around the abandoned Heicheng City, with a dust emission rate of 0.6–0.7 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The total annual dust emissions with their particle diameters less than 50, 30, and 10 μm were 1.71 × 10⁶, 1.11 × 10⁶, and 0.555 × 10⁶ t, respectively. Dust emission rates showed striking seasonal variations, with the maximum value (45%) occurring in spring and the minimum value (13.5%) in summer. The mineral aerosol-size distributions were also measured and the results showed that the size distributions for dust and non-dust events were both trimodal, in contrast with the widely accepted view that primary particles such as aeolian dust are coarse, whereas particles less than 1 μm in diameter are mainly secondary particulate substances such as ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, and organic matter.     

Characteristics of aerosol dust in fresh snow in the Asian dust and non-dust periods at Urumqi glacier no. 1 of eastern Tian Shan,China

Windblown mineral aerosol dust derived from the crustal surface is an important atmospheric component affecting the earth’s radiation budget. Deposition of atmospheric dust was measured in the fresh snow on glacier no. 1 at the headwater of the Urumqi River in eastern Tian Shan, central Asia. An analysis of seasonal variation of concentrations of dust particles in the snow suggests that the number concentration of dust particle is significantly high from April to June, which may be caused by Asian dust storms in the spring. The comparison of mass-size distribution of dust particles from April to August shows an obvious seasonal change trend. The distribution of particles changes from single model (3–21 μm) in the non-dust period before dust events in April, to bi-model (3–21 and 20–80 μm) during the Asian dust period, and to single model (3–21 μm) after July in the non-dust period again. The Ca²⁺ concentration in the fresh snow is also very high from April to June, while NH₄ ⁺ and SO₄ ²⁻, as water-soluble constituents, have concentration changes that are different from each other. Backward trajectory was also employed to examine the transport process of air mass in this region.     

The Changjiang sediment flux into the seas: measurability and predictability

This paper examines the credibility and predictability of sediment flux of the Changjiang River that has discharged into the seas on the basis of historical database. The assumption of the study stands on the lack of sufficient observation data of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) during peaking flood period, which most likely results in the application of an inappropriate method to the downstream-most Datong hydrological gauging station in the Changjiang basin. This insufficient method (only 30–50 times of SSC observation per year), that obviously did not cover the peaking SSC during peaking floods, would lead to an inaccuracy in estimating the Changjiang sediment load by 4.7×10⁸ t/a (multiyearly) into the seas. Also, sediment depletion that often takes place upstream of the Changjiang basin has, to some extent, lowered the credibility of traditional sediment rating curve that has been used for estimating sediment budget. A newly-established sediment rating curve of the present study is proposed to simulate the sediment flux/load into the seas by using those SSC only under discharge of 60000 m³/s at the Datong station-the threshold to significantly correlate to SSC. Since discharge of 60000–80000 m³/s is often linked to extreme flood events and associated sediment depletion in the basin, unincorporating SSC of 60000–80000 m³/s into the sediment rating curve will increase the credibility for sediment load estimation. Using this approach of the present study would indicate the sediment load of 3.3×10⁸–6.6×10⁸ t/a to the seas in the past decades. Also, our analytical result shows a lower sediment flux pattern in the 1950 s, but higher pattern in the 1960 s–1980 s, reflecting the changes in landuse in the upstream of Changjiang basin, including widely devastated deforestation during the middle 20th century.     

河南省地热资源综合评价

河南省地热资源类型按照所处的大地构造环境分为沉积盆地型和隆起山地型。计算结果表明,沉积盆地区4 000 m以浅储存的地热水总量为82 063.23×10~8 m~3,储存热能总量为7 734 086.01×10~(12) kJ。不考虑回灌时,全省沉积盆地型地热可采流体量为92 223.93×10~4 m~3/a,可利用热能量196.6×10~(12) kJ/a;考虑回灌时,全省沉积盆地型地热流体可开采量5 931 841.92×10~4 m~3/a,可利用热能量为13 003.47×10~(12) kJ/a。统计分析显示,按地热流体可采量为92 223.93×10~4 m~3/a、地热流体可开采热量196.46×10~(12) kJ/a计算,即使按50%利用,其经济效益也是十分可观的。另外,地热开发可带动第三产业经济的发展,产生的间接经济效益更加巨大。     

Rare earth element and gallium diffusion in yttrium aluminum garnet

Diffusion of four rare-earth elements and gallium has been measured in yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG). Sources of diffusant were mixtures of alumina and rare-earth element oxides for REE diffusion, and mixtures of gallium and yttrium oxides for Ga diffusion. Diffusion profiles were measured with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). For the rare-earth elements investigated, the following Arrhenius relations were obtained: D_La=6.87×10^–1 exp (–582±21 kJ mol^–1 /RT) m²s^–1 D_Nd=1.63×10^–1 exp (–567±15 kJ mol^–1 /RT) m²s^–1 D_Dy=2.70×10⁰ exp (–603±35 kJ mol^–1 /RT) m²s^–1 D_Yb=1.50×10^–2 exp (–540±26 kJ mol^–1 /RT) m²s^–1 Diffusion rates for the rare earths are quite similar, in contrast with trends noted for zircon. It is likely that these differences are a consequence of the relative ionic radii of the REE and the cations for which they substitute in the mineral lattice. For gallium, the following Arrhenius relation was determined: D_Ga=9.96×10^–6 exp (–404±19 kJ mol^–1 /RT) m²s^–1 Gallium diffuses faster than the REE in YAG and has a smaller activation energy for diffusion. These data mirror relative trends in diffusion rates for YIG, in which trivalent cations occupying tetrahedral and octahedral sites (i.e., Al, Ga, Fe) diffuse faster than trivalent cations occupying dodecahedral sites (i.e., Y and the REE), and suggest that the rate-limiting process in the diffusion-controlled regime of solid-state creep of YAG is the diffusion of yttrium. Received: 10 November 1997 / Revised; accepted: 13 March 1998     

Seepage measurements from Long Lake,Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

 Long Lake, located near Lake Michigan within the dune-complexes of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, USA, was formed some time during the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. A surficial aquifer underlies Long Lake, which is either a source or sink for the later. The hydrologic processes in the lakeshore and surrounding environs have been significantly altered during the agricultural, municipal, and industrial development of the region. Limited data suggest that the organisms of Long Lake have elevated levels of several contaminants. This study attempts to quantify seepage within the lake to assess the potential threat to groundwater quality. Seepage measurements and minipiezometric tests were used to determine seepage within the lake. Seepage measurements and minipiezometric tests suggest that water seeps out of Long Lake, thus recharging the groundwater that flows southwest away from the lake. There is a great deal of variability in the seepage rate, with a mean of 11.5×10^–4±11.2×10^–4 m d^–1. The mean seepage rate of 0.3 m yr^–1 for Long Lake is greater than the 0.2 m yr^–1 recharge rate estimated for the drainage basin area. The Long Lake recharge volume of 2.5×10⁵ m³ yr^–1 is approximately 22% of the volume of the lake and is significant when compared to the total surface recharge volume of 4.8×10⁵ m³ yr^–1 to the upper aquifer of the drainage area. There is a potential for contamination of the groundwater system through seepage from the lake from contaminants derived from aerial depositions. Received: 16 August 1995 · Accepted: 18 September 1995     

Formation and failure of the Tsatichhu landslide dam, Bhutan

At 00:30 (local time) on the 10th September 2003 a joint and foliation defined wedge of material with an estimated volume of 7–12×10⁶ m³ slid into the narrow Tsatichhu River Valley, in Jarrey Geog, Lhuentse, eastern Bhutan. The Tsatichhu River, a north–easterly flowing tributary of the Kurichuu River, was completely blocked by the landslide. During its movement, the landslide transitioned into a rock avalanche that travelled 580 m across the valley before colliding with the opposite valley wall. The flow then moved down valley, travelling a total distance of some 700 m. The rock avalanche was accompanied by an intense wind blast that caused substantial damage to the heavily forested valley slopes. The resulting geomorphologically-typical rock-avalanche dam deposit created a dam that impounded a water volume of 4–7×10⁶ m³ at lake full level. This lake was released by catastrophic collapse of the landslide, which occurred at 16:20 (local time) on 10th July 2004, after reported smaller failures of the saturated downstream face. The dam failure released a flood wave that had a peak discharge of 5900 m³ s⁻¹ at the Kurichhu Hydropower Plant 35 km downstream.     

Hydraulic parameters and solute velocities in triple-porosity karstic-fissured-porous carbonate aquifers: case studies in southern Poland

 Rock and flow parameters of three karstic-fissured-porous aquifers in the Krakow-Silesian Triassic formations were measured using various methods and compared. Though cavern and fissure porosities are shown to be very low (cavern porosity below 0.5% and fracture porosity below 0.2%), they contribute dominantly to the hydraulic conductivity (from about 1.3×10^–6 to about 11×10^–6 m/s). Matrix porosity (2–11%) is shown to be the main water reservoir for solute transport and the main or significant contributor to the specific yield (<2%). Though the matrix porosity is shown to be much larger than the sum of the cavern and fissure porosities, its contribution to the total hydraulic conductivity is practically negligible (hydraulic conductivity of the matrix is from about 5×10^–11 m/s to about 2×10^–8 m/s). On the other hand, the matrix porosity (for neglected cavern and fissure porosities) when combined with tracer ages (or mean travel times) is shown to yield proper values of the hydraulic conductivity (K) by applying the following formula: K≅(matrix porosity×mean travel distance)/(mean hydraulic gradient×mean tracer age). Confirming earlier findings of the authors, this equation is shown to be of great practical importance because matrix porosity is easily measured in the laboratory on rock samples, whereas cavern and fracture porosities usually remain unmeasurable. Received: 21 February 1997 · Accepted: 13 May 1997     

Cryosphere as a temporal sink and source of microplastics in the Arctic region

Microplastics (MPs) pollution has become a serious environmental issue of growing global concern due to the increasing plastic production and usage. Under climate warming, the cryosphere, defined as the part of Earth’s layer characterized by the low temperatures and the presence of frozen water, has been experiencing significant changes. The Arctic cryosphere (e.g., sea ice, snow cover, Greenland ice sheet, permafrost) can store and release pollutants into environments, making Arctic an important temporal sink and source of MPs. Here, we summarized the distributions of MPs in Arctic snow, sea ice, seawater, rivers, and sediments, to illustrate their potential sources, transport pathways, storage and release, and possible effects in this sentinel region. Items concentrations of MPs in snow and ice varied about 1–6 orders of magnitude in different regions, which were mostly attributed to the different sampling and measurement methods, and potential sources of MPs. MPs concentrations from Arctic seawater, river/lake water, and sediments also fluctuated largely, ranging from several items of per unit to >40,000 items m^?3, 100 items m^?3, and 10,000 items kg^?1 dw, respectively. Arctic land snow cover can be a temporal storage of MPs, with MPs deposition flux of about (4.9–14.26) × 10⁸ items km^?2 yr^?1. MPs transported by rivers to Arctic ocean was estimated to be approximately 8–48 ton/yr, with discharge flux of MPs at about (1.65–9.35) × 10⁸ items/s. Average storage of MPs in sea ice was estimated to be about 6.1×10¹⁸ items, with annual release of about 5.1×10¹⁸ items. Atmospheric transport of MPs from long-distance terrestrial sources contributed significantly to MPs deposition in Arctic land snow cover, sea ice and oceanic surface waters. Arctic Great Rivers can flow MPs into the Arctic Ocean. Sea ice can temporally store, transport and then release MPs in the surrounded environment. Ocean currents from the Atlantic brought high concentrations of MPs into the Arctic. However, there existed large uncertainties of estimation on the storage and release of MPs in Arctic cryosphere owing to the hypothesis of average MPs concentrations. Meanwhile, representatives of MPs data across the large Arctic region should be mutually verified with in situ observations and modeling. Therefore, we suggested that systematic monitoring MPs in the Arctic cryosphere, potential threats on Arctic ecosystems, and the carbon cycle under increasing Arctic warming, are urgently needed to be studied in future.     

Formation mechanism and evolution process of the Chada rock avalanche in Southeast Tibet,China

The Chada rock avalanche is a prehistoric high-elevation giant rock landslide located in the Boshula Mountains, Lhorong County, Southeast Tibet. It is composed of conglomerates with a volume of 6.62?×?10⁶ m³ and has a height difference of 1450 m and a transport distance of 3155 m. The accumulational landform shows characteristics indicating rock avalanches. With a unique red conglomerate as the marker of landslide movement, we combined the results of geological surveys, aerial surveys, and engineering geological drilling to determine the entrainment and geomorphic features of the rock avalanche. The rock avalanche was divided into the main scarp, entrainment zone (residual deposit, mixed deposit, and impact fragmentation areas), transport zone (compressed, local landslide, and longitudinal ridge areas), and deposit zone. The sequence of deposits in the valley indicates that the rock avalanche formed before the first-stage terrace and after the second-stage terrace. Combined with 3D numerical simulation, four movement stages were obtained: (1) the rock mass was broken and disintegrated due to progressive failure, initiating high-speed sliding; (2) the sliding mass scraped the thick previous slope material and formed oblique ridges by forward extrusion and lateral friction; (3) the 4.95?×?10⁶ m³ sliding mass was compressed and decelerated to form bending ridges, and the 1.67?×?10⁶ m³ sliding mass continued to move through the channel; and (4) the sliding mass extended to form longitudinal ridges in the channel and hummocks in the valley. The rock avalanche accelerated three times and decelerated three times during its motion.

     

西昌盆地白果湾组致密砂岩油气形成关键指标评价与有利区优选

综合钻井、大量实测剖面、样品测试分析和区域地质资料,对西昌盆地白果湾组烃源岩生烃强度、镜质体反射率、砂岩储层物性等关键指标进行了系统评价.西昌盆地上三叠统白果湾组主要油气储层类型为中-粗砂岩,有利层段主要发育在白果湾组一段、三段和四段,砂岩具有中孔低渗、区域分布广、厚度大等特征,ZD-1井揭示砂岩含油气性好.西昌盆地白...     

In situ and laboratory investigations of fluid flow through an argillaceous formation at different scales of space and time, Tournemire tunnel, southern France

In the context of a research and development program on waste disposal, an experimental site (Tournemire tunnel, Aveyron, France) was selected by the French Institute for Nuclear Protection and Safety (IPSN) in order to undertake studies on potential fluid flow at different scales of space and time within a 250-m-thick argillaceous formation. The argillite has a low natural water content (~3–5%) and very low radii access porosity. Diffusion (tritiated water) coefficients (1×10^–12 to 2×10^–11 m²/s) and hydraulic conductivities derived from different types of laboratory tests (10^–14 to 10^–13 m/s) are characteristics of a very low-permeable rock. In situ hydraulic tests (including long-term hydraulic-head measurements) were used to obtain values for hydraulic head and hydraulic conductivity at a scale of 1–10 m (10^–13 to 10^–11 m/s). Despite uncertainties on these data (due to a scale factor, presence of fissures, and possible artefacts due to hydro-chemo-mechanical coupling), it is expected that fluid flow is essentially governed by diffusion processes. Identification of possible natural flows at larger scales of time and space was investigated using natural isotopic tracers from interstitial fluids. Modelling, based on the deuterium profile along the clay formation and assuming pure diffusion processes, provides estimations of possible flow times. However, lack of knowledge concerning the past geological evolution of the site and the possible role of a fracture network do not permit reduction of uncertainties on these estimations at this stage. Electronic Publication     

Upwellings in Lake Baikal

Based on shipboard and satellite observations, the characteristics of upwelling in Lake Baikal in the period of direct temperature stratification have been determined for the first time. Coastal upwellings appear annually under the effect of run-down and alongshore winds and are traced along the coast to a distance of up to 60–100 km and up to 250 km in North Baikal. Analogous to the way it occurs in seas, water rises from the depths of 100–200 m (350 m as a maximum) at the velocity of 0.1 × 10⁻²−6.5 × 10⁻² cm/s. Divergence in the field of intràbasin cyclonic macrovortices produces upwelling in the Baikal pelagic zone and downwelling in the vicinity of shores; this lasts from 7 to 88 days and covers the depth interval of 80–300 m in August and up to 400–800 m in early-mid November. The area of upwellings occupies up to 20–60% of the separate basins of the lake. Vertical circulation of water in the field of pelagic upwellings leads to intensification of coastal currents and to formation of the thermobar with a heat inert zone in the central part of the lake in November, and this thermobar is not observed in other lakes, at that.     

Successive Holocene rock avalanches at Lake Coleridge, Canterbury, New Zealand

At Lake Coleridge, Canterbury, New Zealand, at least three rock avalanches have been released from a single source area during the Holocene. The first of these was of 10⁷ m³ volume and dates to about 9,750 BP, and two with volumes 5 × 10⁵ and 4 × 10⁴ m³ occurred about 700 BP. All three crossed the course of the Ryton River; the latter two were emplaced within the part of the first that had subsequently been eroded by the Ryton River. All three were most likely triggered by, or related to, seismicity. The first rock avalanche formed a long-lived landslide dam, and no evidence remains to indicate whether its eventual failure was catastrophic. The second formed a correspondingly smaller dam, but there is no evidence that its lake was long-lived; however, a set of anomalously steep outwash terraces downstream of the landslide deposits show that it failed catastrophically. A camping ground is sited about 1 km downstream of the landslide deposits, and proposals to develop it further risk potentially severe hazards from future rock avalanche activity at the site.     

Geothermal investigations in the Upper Vindhyan sedimentary rocks of Shivpuri area,central India

Heat flow has been determined by combining temperature measurements in 7 boreholes with thermal conductivity measurements in the Upper Vindhyan sedimentary rocks of Shivpuri area, central India. The boreholes are distributed at 5 sites within an area of 15 × 10 km²; their depths range from 174 to 268 m. Geothermal gradients estimated from borehole temperature profiles vary from 8.0–12.7 mK m⁻¹ in the sandstone-rich formations to 25.5–27.5 mK m⁻¹ in the shale-rich formations, consistent with the contrast in thermal conductivities of the two rock types. Heat flow in the area ranges between 45 and 61 mW m⁻², with a mean of 52±6 mW m⁻². The heat flow values are similar to the >50 mW m⁻² heat flow observed in other parts of the northern Indian shield. The heat flow determinations represent the steady-state heat flow because, the thermal transients associated with the initial rifting, convergence and sedimentation in the basin as well as the more recent Deccan volcanism that affected the region to the south of the basin would have decayed, and therefore, the heat flow is in equilibrium with the radiogenic heat production of the crust and the heat flow from the mantle. The present study reports the heat flow measurements from the western part of the Vindhyan basin and provides heat flow information for the Bundhelkhand craton for the first time. Radioelement (Th, U and K) abundances have been measured both in the sedimentary rocks exposed in the area as well as in the underlying basement granite-gneiss of Bundelkhand massif exposed in the adjacent area. Radioactive heat production, estimated from those abundances, indicate mean values of 0.3 μW m⁻³ for sandstone with inter-bands of shale and siltstone, 0.25 μW m⁻³ for sandstone with inter-bands siltstone, 0.6 μW m⁻³ for quartzose sandstone, and 2.7 μW m⁻³ for the basement granitoids. With a total sedimentary thickness not exceeding a few hundred metres in the area, the heat production of the sedimentary cover would be insignificant. The radioactive heat contribution from the basement granitoids in the upper crust is expected to be large, and together with the heat flow component from the mantle, would control the crustal thermal structure in the region.     

Sulfate transport in a Coastal Plain confining unit, New Jersey, USA

 A transient 1-D, two-pathway non-equilibrium deterministic advective dispersion model was used to examine the distribution of chloride (43–100 mg/L) and sulfate (57–894 mg/L) concentrations in the 35-m-thick section of the Lower confining unit, Atlantic Coastal Plain, New Jersey, USA. The model was used to constrain hypotheses about how pore-water chemistry changed over time. Explanations of the solute concentrations were explored by inverse and direct methods given a few known constraints, including concentrations of pore-water constituents from 12 core samples, reported simulated flow rates, and estimated hydrogeologic properties. The hypothesis that is best supported by the model results is that the distribution of chloride and sulfate concentrations in the confining unit reflect the history of the aquifer system since it was filled with seawater at the last eustatic high, about 84×10³yr BP. The model simulates fresh-water flushing of the seawater-permeated silts at a steady upward pore-water flow velocity of 8.8×10^–6 m/d, with a dispersion coefficient of 9.2×10^–7 m²/d, a dimensionless partition expression for chloride, β_Cl=0.981, and a dimensionless exchange coefficient, ω_Cl=0.31×10^–2. Sulfate concentrations were simulated over the flow path using flow and dispersion values calculated for chloride transport plus a retardation term. Parameters for sulfate transport include retardation coefficient=4.51, β_SO4=0.994, and ω_SO4=0.31×10^–2. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the model is most sensitive to flow velocity, and that fresh-water flushing of the confining unit is best simulated by having seawater concentration levels at the inflow boundary of the confining unit exponentially decrease with a concentration half-life rate of 825 yr. Received, January 1997 / Revised, April 1998, October 1998, January 1999 / Accepted, January 1999     

Groundwater resources of the middle and upper Odra River basin, southwestern Poland

 The total amount of groundwater resources in the middle and upper Odra River basin is 5200×10³ m³/d, or about 7.7% of the disposable groundwater resources of Poland. The average modulus of groundwater resources is about 1.4 L/s/km². Of the 180 'Major Groundwater Basins' (MGWB) in Poland, 43 are partly or totally located within the study area. The MGWB in southwestern Poland have an average modulus of groundwater resources about 2.28 L/s/km² and thus have abundant water resources in comparison to MGWB from other parts of the country. Several types of mineral waters occur in the middle and upper Odra River basin. These waters are concentrated especially in the Sudety Mountains. Carbon-dioxide waters, with yields of 414 m³/h, are the most widespread of Sudetic mineral waters. The fresh waters of the crystalline basement have a low mineralization, commonly less than 100 mg/L; they are a HCO₃–Ca–Mg or SO₄–Ca–Mg type of water. Various hydrochemical compositions characterize the groundwater in sedimentary rocks. The shallow aquifers are under risk of atmospheric pollution and anthropogenic effects. To prevent the degradation of groundwater resources in the middle and upper Odra River basin, Critical Protection Areas have been designated within the MGWB. Received, January 1995 Revised, May 1996, August 1997 Accepted, August 1997     

Fractional flow dimensions and hydraulic properties of a fracture-zone aquifer, Leppävirta, Finland

 In order to characterize the hydraulic properties of an aquifer in Finland comprising two subvertical fracture zones, observation-well responses were matched with generalized radial flow (GRF) type curves. The responses in six wells out of seven are consistent with the GRF model. The fractional flow dimensions (1–1.2 and 1.5) were determined by regression analysis of straight-line slopes and type-curve matching. In each test, the flow dimensions in the neighboring fracture zone range from 2–2.25. Comparisons of the late-time responses with the asymptotic GRF solution and the flow dimensions obtained by reversing the pumping and observation points suggest homogeneous hydraulic properties. Deviations in responses can be explained by flow-path tortuosity. After assessments of the extent of the flow and radial distances along the fracture system, hydraulic conductivities and storativities were determined from the results of the type-curve matching procedure. The obtained hydraulic conductivities are 1.3×10^–5 to 7.9×10^–5 m/s and 5.0×10^–6 to 2.5×10^–5 m/s for the western and the eastern fracture zones, respectively. The results were verified by applying them to analytical solutions for pumping wells. The calculated pumping-well responses are consistent with the observations. The analysis of flow dimension also enhances qualitative interpretations on the hydrogeology of fracture zones. Received, April 1997 · Revised, September 1997 · Accepted, May 1998     

Ten-year progress of Chinese polar geodesy: 1996–2006

The ten-year progress of Chinese polar geodesy from 1996 to 2006 is summarized. Research on plate motion, crustal movement, orbit determination, and atmospheric monitoring, including the ionosphere and troposphere, were performed using GPS data of the Great Wall Station, Zhongshan Station and Yellow River Station. GPS was also applied in the Amery Ice Shelf, Grove Mountains and Dome A expeditions to study ice dynamics. During the 2004/2005 austral summer season, the absolute gravity and relative gravity were measured at the Great Wall Station with precision within ± 3 × 10⁻⁸ ms⁻² and ± 10 × 10⁻⁸ ms⁻² respectively. The tide gauge, which was set up in Zhongshan Station to monitor sea level change in 2000, recorded the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. SAR interferometry was applied to build the DEM of ice sheet and monitor ice flow in the polar region. __________ Translated from Advances in Earth Science, 2007, 22(8): 784–790 [译自: 地球科学进展]     

Hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay, 1950–2001: Long-term change in relation to nutrient loading and river flow

A 52-yr record of dissolved oxygen in Chesapeake Bay (1950–2001) and a record of nitrate (NO₃ ⁻) loading by the Susquehanna River spanning a longer period (1903, 1945–2001) were assembled to describe the long-term pattern of hypoxia and anoxia in Chesapeake Bay and its relationship to NO₃ ⁻ loading. The effect of freshwater inflow on NO₃ ⁻ loading and hypoxia was also examined to characterize its effect at internannual and longer time scales. Year to year variability in river flow accounted for some of the observed changes in hypoxic volume, but the long-term increase was not due to increased river flow. From 1950–2001, the volume of hypoxic water in mid summer increased substantially and at an accelerating rate. Predicted anoxic volume (DO<0.2 mg I⁻¹) at average river flow increased from zero in 1950 to 3.6×10⁹ m³ in 2001. Severe hypoxia (DO<1.0 mg I⁻¹) increased from 1.6×10⁹ to 6.5×10⁹ m³ over the same period, while mild hypoxia (DO<2.0 mg I⁻¹) increased from 3.4×10⁹ to 9.2×10⁹ m³. NO₃ ⁻ concentrations in the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, increased up to 3-fold from 1945 to a 1989 maximum and declined through 2001. On a decadal average basis, the superposition of changes in river flow on the long-term increase in NO₃ ⁻ resulted in a 2-fold increase in NO₃ ⁻ loading from the Susquehanna River during the 1960s to 1970s. Decadal average loads were subsequently stable through the 1990s. Hypoxia was positively correlated with NO₃ ⁻ loading, but more extensive hypoxia was observed in recent years than would be expected from the observed relationship. The results suggested that the Bay may have become more susceptible to NO₃ ⁻ loading. To eliminate or greatly reduce anoxia will require reducing average annual total nitrogen loading to the Maryland mainstem Bay to 50×10⁶ kg yr⁻¹, a reduction of 40% from recent levels.