An analysis on the dust aerosol climatology over the major dust sources in the northern hemisphere

The paper addresses influence of dust particles on the aerosol loading over the major deserts in the northern hemisphere. The role of dust aerosols in the total aerosol concentration and size distribution of the particles are analysed. It is observed that the aerosol loading is high in the northern hemisphere of which the deserts and adjoining areas in Asia and Africa play a leading role. Over the entire oceanic region, except some parts of the Atlantic Ocean near to the West coast of Africa and the Arabian Sea, aerosol loading is less. The Sahara Desert is the prominent source of dust aerosols throughout the year. The deserts of Asia are also prominent sources of dust aerosols on a global basis. Above 70% of the total aerosol optical depth (AOD) is contributed by the dust particles, reaching to around 90% during spring months March, April and May over the Sahara Desert, which is the major source of dust aerosols. Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model is used to estimate the dust aerosol concentration over the deserts of Asia and Africa. The model output almost agrees with the regions of dust loading obtained from the Envisat/SCIAMACHY. Hence, the model is reliable in estimating the dust aerosol loading over the major dust aerosol sources. The major portion of the total dust loading belongs to coarse mode particles.     

Enhancement and identification of dust events in the south-west region of Iran using satellite observations

South-west Asia including the Middle East is one of the most prone regions to dust storm events. In recent years, there was an increase in the occurrence of these environmental and meteorological phenomena. Remote sensing could serve as an applicable method to detect and also characterise these events. In this study, two dust enhancement algorithms were used to investigate the behaviour of dust events using satellite data, compare with numerical model output and other satellite products and finally validate with in-situ measurements. The results show that the use of thermal infrared algorithm enhances dust more accurately. The aerosol optical depth from MODIS and output of a Dust Regional Atmospheric Model (DREAM8b) are applied for comparing the results. Ground-based observations of synoptic stations and sun photometers are used for validating the satellite products. To find the transport direction and the locations of the dust sources and the synoptic situations during these events, model outputs (HYSPLIT and NCEP/NCAR) are presented. Comparing the results with synoptic maps and the model outputs showed that using enhancement algorithms is a more reliable way than any other MODIS products or model outputs to enhance the dust.     

撒哈拉地区沙尘气溶胶南北空间型分布特征及其成因

本次研究利用MODIS、CALIPSO等卫星观测资料以及MERRA-2再分析资料分析了2007–2017年撒哈拉地区气溶胶光学厚度的空间分布特征.结果表明,撒哈拉地区气溶胶光学厚度的空间分布具有明显的季节变化,夏季沙尘气溶胶光学厚度高值区位于撒哈拉北部地区,高达0.6以上;而冬季沙尘气溶胶光学厚度高值区位于撒哈拉南部地...     

Connection between South Mediterranean climate and North African atmospheric circulation during the last 50,000 yr BP North Atlantic cold events

High-resolution clay mineralogical analyses were performed on sediment deposited during the last 50,000 yr in the Alboran sea (ODP Site 976). The clay mineral record is compared with pollen assemblages and with annual precipitation (Pann) and mean temperatures of the coldest month (MTCO) reconstructed with the modern analog technique (MAT). Enhanced contribution of palygorskite, a typical wind-blown clay mineral, characterizes the North Atlantic cold climatic events. Coeval development of the semi-arid vegetation (Artemisia rich) associated with a drastic fall of reconstructed precipitations and temperatures, suggest cold and arid continental conditions in the West Mediterranean area during North Atlantic cold events. The clay mineral association, especially the palygorskite content and the illite-to-kaolinite ratio, indicate western Morocco as one of the major source of the clay-size fraction during the North Atlantic cold events. The maximum abundance of Artemisia associated with the presence of Argania pollen both indicate Morocco as the main origin for pollen during these cold periods. The comparison of these pollen and clay mineral-specific features allows us to pinpoint western Morocco as the dominant source of wind-blown particles during North Atlantic cold events. These specific mineralogical composition and palynological assemblages reveal enhanced aridity over North Africa and intensification of winds favouring dust erosion and transport from North Africa toward the Alboran Sea during the North Atlantic cold events. According to atmospheric models, such a meridian transport (1) likely results from the development of strong and stable anticyclonic conditions over the tropical Atlantic and North Africa, similar to today's summer meteorological configuration and (2) implies a northward position of the westerly winds during North Atlantic cold events. Finally the synoptic situation over the West Mediterranean during the North Atlantic cold events is compared with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), suggesting that during the cold Atlantic events, weather regimes over Europe and North Africa may have been systematically shifted towards a positive NAO situation.     

开合构造在不同时空尺度下的地学表现

开合构造是研究地球开合运动及其构造特征,分析开合构造体系的形成机制,探索地球成因和演化的一种新假说。不同时空尺度的开合构造在地学上存在不同的表现,需要从不同角度开展研究。以亚欧非邻区巨型开合构造区、地中海大型开合构造区、东大别中型开合构造区为例,研究了开合构造理论在大地构造分区、地震活动以及现代大地测量结果解释等方面的应用。研究表明:(1)依据开合构造观点可将亚欧非邻区巨型开合构造划分为俄罗斯构造集群、非洲构造集群、北亚构造集群、中亚构造集群、南亚构造集群及东亚构造集群;(2)亚欧非邻区的强地震活动与构造集群间的新生代开合构造转换带关系密切;(3)地中海大型开合构造区内的地震剖面及震源机制揭示了地中海—土耳其—伊朗—阿富汗构造转换带现今构造运动主要以合为主;(4)东大别中型开合构造周边的狮子山、黄梅、麻城等台站的地倾斜和地应变、周边GNSS和流动重力观测结果揭示了该区周边存在时间尺度较短、量级较弱的由“合”向“开”的趋势转变,开合运动是近期诸多观测数据趋势出现准同步性变化的共同机理。     

Die Strukturgeschichte der Zentralsahara

The author has investigated paleogeographic and structural problems in the middle part of the Sahara desert since 1959. Detailed studies of thickness changes, of disconformities and unconformities and of structural events resulted in the definition of the different tectonical eras and their individual paleogeographic elements. The middle part of North Africa is characterized by three major periods of structural development:

1. Folding and consolidation in Precambrian time.
2. Formation of NW to NNW striking horsts during Cambrian time, which became the core of uplifts (separated by troughs) in Silurian and Devonian time. This structural relief of the early Paleozoic era possibly is the result of regional stretch in NE-SW direction.
3. Formation of uplifts and troughs striking NE during late Paleozoic and Mesozoic time. Blockfaulting occurred along the edge of some uplifts during Jurassic time or at the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition. These movements were the result of regional compression from SE toward NW. The formation of this large scale undulation of the earth's crust coincides with the separation of the Sahara platform from the so-called Tethys (geosynclinal area in NW Africa, the Mediterranean and parts of Asia). This separation most probably began in Northwest Africa during late Carboniferous or early Permian time, it reached Northeastern Libya in Jurassic time. The Sirte grabens were formed as the result of east-west shearing movements, during Upper Cretaceous. Finally, in late Tertiary to Pleistocene time, volcanic activity formed large basalt plateaus. Volcanism occurs mainly along well defined old structural elements.

The results of this analysis were used to interpret structural aspects of larger parts of Africa. The structural relief of the early Paleozoic Era seems to extend far southeast into areas of the old African shield indicating that there is no principal structural difference between the shield and the Sahara platform. The orientation of the late Paleozoic to Mesozoic large scale undulation indicates that the reason for the SE-NW compression is the rotation tendency of Africa which began in late Carboniferous time and culminated during the Tertiary, when Africa was separated from Asia along the Red Sea graben. At approximately the same time, the Atlas area of Northwest Africa was folded.     

全新世期间亚洲和非洲干旱区环境的短尺度变化

过去对北非和中国干旱区140 ka BP来环境演化的初步对比表明,两地的干旱度在万年时间尺度上基本同步。这种关系是否也适用于全新世百年尺度的干旱事件,仍是有待研究的问题。本文对撒哈拉地区569个地表淡水指示物和我国北方干旱区158个古土壤和湖泊沉积的14C年代数据进行了时空频数统计分析,揭示出两地沙漠在全新世期间至少经历了三次同时性的、百年-千年尺度的干旱事件, 叠置于季风气候对地球轨道变化响应的总体趋势上;沙漠在纬向上的进退主要受控于季风前沿的伸缩幅度, 说明两个季风系统的短尺度变化可能受统一因素控制。最为显著的干旱事件发生于约4 ka BP。两地干旱区在过去认为的6 ka BP 前后的全新世气候适宜期并没有表现为稳定的湿润环境。我国过去发现的该时期不少的干旱证据被解释为高温所导致的强烈蒸发作用所致。但全新世中期的干旱期在热带的存在及其与冰心记录中低甲烷事件的吻合难以用蒸发来解释,而应与夏季风环流的减弱有关。     

中国和北非沙漠地区沙尘运动的原因剖析

本文着重分析中国和北非沙漠地区沙、尘搬运输送的动力学机制,作者根据野外观察和观测数据,依持续时间和强度为标尺,对风进行了系统的描述和分类.导言部分首先阐述了造成沙漠地表温度差异的主要因素.一个至关重要的要素就是物质的热传导性.例如,坚硬的岩石表面的加热往往没有在松散的沙质表面的快,但在胶结紧实的岩石上,阳光加热可以影响到表面下lm深,而在松散的河流和风成砂上只可达30cma的深度.正是由于这种差异,在很小的范围内,裸露的基岩和沙面上的温度可以有20℃的区别,这种温差难免会导致空气的运动.由于沙面上的空气增温而向上运动,在垂直方向上形成一个"气泵”,而在水平方向上则形成小的锋面.当沙质表面范围较大时,则会产生干绝热对流过程,有时这个过程极为强烈,导致了携带沙、尘的"气尾”.这就是笔者所说的第1类起沙扬尘风.例如,沙漠地区的小"龙卷风”就属于这类.由坡面倾向、地表起伏和积云阴影等造成的增温差异都会形成这类沙尘的运动过程.文章中阐述到干绝热对流时,选用利比亚Hon-Graben,美国PanamitValley及北非的萨赫勒地区的例子.第2类沙尘现象是指增温面积较大时形成积云,干绝热对流十分强烈,对流过程上升到云层,起沙扬尘的面积之大已可以称为沙尘暴.文中叙述的例子是库尔勒和嘎顺诺尔的沙尘天气.文中划分的第3至第5类现象都与雷雨天气所诱发的气流运动直接相关.第3类指的是由单个雷雨气团造成的,第4类是由多个雷雨气团造成的,而第5类则是由大的雷雨天气所造成的.就沙尘暴的影响范围而言,第1至第4类只导致沙尘在就地或小范围内的移动,而第5类则会导致远距离甚至全球尺度上的沙尘输送.笔者所说的第6类沙尘搬运的形式是指沙尘随锋面的运动,诱发因子在北非是南下的极地气团,而在西非是西南季风.第7类沙尘运动则是由全球性的信风和西风天气体系所造成的.但在第4类以上,很难区分不同类型沙尘暴的诱发要素,原因是在信风和西风的锋面上常伴随出现多个或较大的雷雨气团.从沙尘天气过程的强度来讲,主要是第5至第7类会在区域地貌上留下烙印.低等类型的沙尘输送虽然通过对地表物质的搬运也会造就沙丘和风蚀地形,但其形态都很小.只有较大的天气系统才能塑造有主导地位的地貌形态.这种形态被J.Hovermann和H.Hagedorn定义为风营力地形,其在北非的分布上线可达海拔l000m,在垂直带上与其它地貌形态相间.在撒哈拉地区风地形仅出现在一个地貌带上.而在中国风营力地形则分布于3个高度范围的台阶上,其垂直带的形态变化类同于撒哈拉地区.在低台阶上分布上线为1800m,在中台阶上分布范围为2800～3200m,而在高台阶上则出现在4300～4900m的高度作者简介:DieterJakel男60岁教授地理学专业2000-10-25收稿范围内.但就垂直带谱、地貌过程和天气系统而言,中国和北非则不尽相同.     

Dust fallout characteristics within global dust storm major trajectories

Satellite images from 2000 to 2010 were used to identify major dust trajectories within seven major deserts in the world. The fallen dust from these trajectories were collected and analyzed. The fallen dust rates tend to be lower downwind. The average samples of the world's fallen dust are negatively skewed trimodal with dominancy of silt size fractions (61 %). Most of the fallen dust within major dust trajectories is fining downwind. The fallen dust from the eastern zones (Taklimakan, Gobi, and Australian deserts) are characterized by higher percentages of feldspars and clay minerals, low carbonate content, and grain surface area in comparison to the Western zones (Sahara and Arabian deserts). The Western Sahara Desert dust is differentiated by the highest depositional rates and average quartz percentage (66 %). The dust samples in this zone contain low carbonates and grain surface area compared to dust from the Eastern Sahara Desert. The dust samples within Northern Arabia and Ethiopian-south Arabia zones show the highest average of carbonate amounts and grain surface area.     

中国北方农牧交错带与非洲萨哈尔地带全新世环境变迁的比较研究

中国北方农牧交错带和非洲萨哈尔带均为处在季风尾闾带的干旱向半湿润气候过渡的地带。通过对比分析 ,发现两个地带自然地理环境及其全新世以来的环境演变等具有很大程度的相似性 ;自全新世以来 ,两个地带均出现过几乎同步的 8个千年尺度的冷暖、干湿旋回 ;在近百年的干湿变化方面都有 10～ 2 0a变化周期 ;在少雨期和多雨期的转变过程中非洲萨哈尔带较中国北方农牧交错带提前 5a以上。这一超前信息的存在 ,为中国北方农牧交错带的气候预测提供了一个重要的前兆因素。     

中、新生代太平洋陆缘带的构造格局和构造转换

亚洲东部大陆边缘和北美西部大陆边缘同处于环太平洋构造带，但具有不同的构造属性。从晚白垩世到新生代，前者以构造扩张为背景，由此引起陆缘裂解，陆块漂移以及岛弧、边缘海的形成；后者以构造收缩为基础，导致陆缘增生、陆块拼贴和陆缘造山带的出现。然而，从晚侏罗世到早白垩世，亚洲东部是以构造封闭型的陆缘带为特点，北美西部则主要表现为开放型的陆缘带。构造扩张和构造收缩是环太平洋陆缘带构造环境的两种基本型式，它们在空间上呈有规律的对峙分布，在时间上成有节奏的交替转换。     

东北亚活动大陆边缘中生代构造格架主体特点

东北亚是全球板块构造活动最复杂地区之一.中生代活动大陆边缘构造格架主体特点是,东部为陆缘增生带,包含碰撞造山带和增生造山带两种类型;西部为陆缘活化带,包含西伯利亚古陆东部活化区（北段）,东蒙古-兴安-吉黑活化区（中段）和中-朝古陆东部活化区（南段）.整体构造格架具有东西分带,南北分段,由北东向南逐渐发展的特点.华北-蒙古-兴安地区中侏罗晚期-早白垩世初的沉积-火山-沉积磨拉石,属东北亚中生代活动大陆边缘构造演历进程的组成部分,是构造体制转换的标志之一.     

Variability of Monsoon Climate in East Asia at the End of the Last Glaciation

High-resolution paleomonsoon proxy records from peat and eolian sand–paleosol sequences at the desert–loess transition zone in China denote a rapid oscillation from cold–dry conditions (11,200–10,600¹⁴C yr B.P.) to cool–humid conditions (10,600–10,200¹⁴C yr B.P.), followed by a return to cold–dry climate (10,200–10,000¹⁴C yr B.P.). Variations in precipitation proxies suggest that significant climatic variability occurred in monsoonal eastern Asia during the Younger Dryas interval. Late-glacial climate in the Chinese desert–loess belt that lies downwind from Europe was strongly influenced by cold air from high latitudes and from the North Atlantic via the westerlies. The inferred precipitation variations were likely caused by variations in the strength of the Siberian high, which influenced the pressure gradient between land and ocean and therefore influenced the position of the East Asian monsoon front.     

华北克拉通破坏时间与破坏范围分布特征——来自银根—额济纳旗盆地苏红图坳陷早白垩世火山岩的启示

克拉通破坏的时间和范围是华北克拉通破坏研究的重要基础问题,但是在华北克拉通破坏时间与破坏范围的问题上存在着不同观点。本文通过对位于华北克拉通西北部银根—额济纳旗盆地苏红图坳陷内采集的火山岩进行年代学及地球化学研究,认为苏红图火山岩年龄为105~113 Ma,为一套钾质碱性系列玄武岩,其形成机制是由于岩石圈发生减薄,软流圈地幔岩浆上涌,经分离结晶而形成的,而动力学机制主要是由于西伯利亚板块、内蒙古褶皱带和华北板块在晚侏罗世发生的碰撞拼合。此外,本文还在前人对华北克拉通破坏研究基础上,依据作者对苏红图坳陷火山岩做的一些工作,粗浅地探讨了华北克拉通破坏的时间与范围的问题,认为华北克拉通周缘均为构造薄弱带,北缘为兴—蒙造山带,南侧为大别—秦岭造山带,东侧为苏鲁带和太平洋俯冲带,河套裂陷、汾渭裂陷分别与古元古代高温变质孔兹岩带及约18.5亿年前华北克拉通东、西部块体拼合时形成的中部造山带内位置大致重合,而苏红图坳陷位于中亚造山带南缘,同时也处于两板块拼合交汇处。这些构造薄弱带处在不同时期发生的俯冲与碰撞的结合部位,它们可能是岩石圈减薄的起始位置,并且它们的俯冲与碰撞时间是华北克拉通破坏的起始时间。克拉通破坏范围主要发生在太行山以东地区,太行山以西的河套裂陷、汾渭裂陷发生了减薄,而苏红图坳陷在早白垩世也发生减薄,所以,破坏范围分布在地理上呈不连续分布特征,造成这种分布特征的主要原因是由于不同区域的破坏时间与破坏的动力学机制不同。     

Recurrent decadal-scale dust events over Holocene western Africa and their control on canyon turbidite activity (Mauritania)

Sediment records from continental shelves and slopes might provide paleoenvironmental information in the highest temporal resolution but are often hampered due to strong erosional and reworking processes. Here, we present a Holocene sedimentary record from an exceptional shelf mud belt depocenter off northern Mauritania, compared to a second sediment core located inside a large canyon system at the adjacent continental slope. Both records are of outstandingly continuous and highest temporal resolution (9 a/cm) and are investigated by sedimentological and geochemical methods.A series of sharply defined, recurrent dust peaks is preserved in the shelf archive. Each event has lasted for a single decade only and seems to coincide with an individual turbidite bed in the canyon. A joint mechanism should, thus, be responsible for both of these deposits and we suggest a regional atmospheric trigger. Only short-lasting Trade wind strengthening would cause such pronounced aridity over western Saharan Africa. The effect would be massive dust export to shelf and slope. Recently developed high resolution aridity and humidity records from western Africa support the existence of these events over the Holocene and identify them as being controlled by the Atlantic system as far south as 19°N.     

Late Quaternary climatic events and sea-level changes recorded by turbidite activity, Dakar Canyon, NW Africa

The relationship of sea-level changes and short-term climatic changes with turbidite deposition is poorly documented, although the mechanisms of gravity-driven sediment transport in submarine canyons during sea-level changes have been reported from many regions. This study focuses on the activity of the Dakar Canyon off southern Senegal in response to major glacial/interglacial sea-level shifts and variability in the NW-African continental climate. The sedimentary record from the canyon allows us to determine the timing of turbidite events and, on the basis of XRF-scanning element data, we have identified the climate signal at a sub-millennial time scale from the surrounding hemipelagic sediments. Over the late Quaternary the highest frequency in turbidite activity in the Dakar Canyon is confined to major climatic terminations when remobilisation of sediments from the shelf was triggered by the eustatic sea-level rise. However, episodic turbidite events coincide with the timing of Heinrich events in the North Atlantic. During these times continental climate has changed rapidly, with evidence for higher dust supply over NW Africa which has fed turbidity currents. Increased aridity and enhanced wind strength in the southern Saharan-Sahelian zone may have provided a source for this dust.     

Atmospheric boundary conditions of recent Saharan dust influx into Central Europe

During the period October 1987 to Oktober 1988 the exceptionally high frequency of eight cases of Saharan dust fallout was observed at Bochum University meteorological station, FR Germany. The main source areas of this long-range transport material were on both sides of the Atlas region, in the Algerian and Libyan Sahara and in various parts of the Sahelian zone. Surface and 500 hPa-layer chart analysis gives useful information on the trajectory evolution of the respective dust plumes. Once the material is lifted to this significant pressure level, upper tropospheric circulation leads to characteristic influx routes into Central Europe depending on the strength and position of the zonal wind component of the west wind drift in the Atlantic and European sectors. In both sectors a typical seasonal pattern of a meridional dust plume influx is confirmed. In this context, Saharan dust transport to Europe is not an anomaly in tropospheric circulation but an increased frequency of fallout events should have its reasons in variations of intercontinental atmospheric teleconnections.     

Structural and geochronological constraints on the Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the North Dabashan zone,South Qinling,central China

Structural and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data from the mylonitic rocks of the North Dabashan zone (NDZ) document kinematic and tectonothermal characteristics of the Mesozoic collisional and intra-continental orogenesis in the southern part of the Qinling orogenic belt. The NDZ underwent two deformational phases during the Mesozoic period. The earlier one is characterized by top-to-the-SW thrust ductile shearing along a NW-trending shear zone (DSZ-1), while the later one is featured by dextral strike-slip ductile shearing along another NNW-trending shear zone (DSZ-2). The timing of the two deformation events have been constrained to be 245–189 Ma and 178–143 Ma respectively, by using mica ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology. It is proposed that the earlier deformation event was associated with the Middle Triassic–Early Jurassic collision between the North and South China Blocks, which generated the initial framework of the NDZ; and the later one was related to the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous intra-continental orogeny in East Asia, which caused a significant eastward extrusion of the South Qinling and led to the formation of the SW-convex Dabashan foreland orocline. The distinguishing between these two deformation events sheds a new insight into the Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the Qinling orogenic belt.     

Geochemical and mineralogical evidence for Sahara and Sahel dust additions to Quaternary soils on Lanzarote,eastern Canary Islands,Spain

Africa is the most important source of dust in the world today, and dust storms are frequent on the nearby Canary Islands. Previous workers have inferred that the Sahara is the most important source of dust to Canary Islands soils, with little contribution from the Sahel region. Soils overlying a late Quaternary basalt flow on Lanzarote, Canary Islands, contain, in addition to volcanic minerals, quartz and mica, exotic to the island’s bedrock. Kaolinite in the soils also likely has an exotic origin. Trace‐element geochemistry shows that the soils are derived from varying proportions of locally derived basalt and African dust. Major‐element geochemistry, clay mineralogy and interpretation of satellite imagery suggest that dust additions to the Canary Islands come not only from the Sahara Desert, but also from the Sahel region.     

Characteristics of extreme dust events observed over two urban areas in Iran

Determination of dust loading in the atmosphere is important not only from the public health point of view, but also for regional climate changes. The present study focuses on the characteristics of two major dust events for two urban areas in Iran, Kermanshah and Tehran, over the period of 4 years from 2006 to 2009. To detect extreme dust outbreaks, various datasets including synoptic data, dust concentration, reanalysis data and numerical results of WRF and HYSPLIT models were used. The weather maps demonstrate that for these events dusts are mainly generated when wind velocity is high and humidity is low in the lower troposphere and the region is under the influence of a thermal low. The event lasts until the atmospheric stability prevails and the surface wind speed weakens. The thermal low nature of the synoptic conditions of these major events is also responsible for deep boundary layer development with its thermals affecting the vertical dust flux over the region. Trajectory studies show that the dust events originated from deserts in Iraq and Syria and transported towards Iran. The main distinction between the two types of mobilizations seems to affect the dust concentrations in the Tehran urban area.