Recent Progress in Dual-Polarization Radar Research and Applications in China

Dual-polarization(dual-pol)radar can measure additional parameters that provide more microphysical information of precipitation systems than those provided by conventional Doppler radar.The dual-pol parameters have been successfully utilized to investigate precipitation microphysics and improve radar quantitative precipitation estimation(QPE).The recent progress in dual-pol radar research and applications in China is summarized in four aspects.Firstly,the characteristics of several representative dual-pol radars are reviewed.Various approaches have been developed for radar data quality control,including calibration,attenuation correction,calculation of specific differential phase shift,and identification and removal of non-meteorological echoes.Using dual-pol radar measurements,the microphysical characteristics derived from raindrop size distribution retrieval,hydrometeor classification,and QPE is better understood in China.The limited number of studies in China that have sought to use dual-pol radar data to validate the microphysical parameterization and initialization of numerical models and assimilate dual-pol data into numerical models are summarized.The challenges of applying dual-pol data in numerical models and emerging technologies that may make significant impacts on the field of radar meteorology are discussed.     

Chemical Characteristics of Carbonaceous Aerosols During Dust Storms over Xi'an in China

Characterization of carbonaceous aerosols including CC （carbonate carbon）, OC （organic carbon）, and EC （elemental carbon） were investigated at Xi＇an, China, near Asian dust source regions in spring 2002. OC varied between 8.2 and 63.7μgm^- 3, while EC ranged between 2.4 and 17.2 μ m^-3 during the observation period. OC variations followed a similar pattern to EC and the correlation coefficient between OC and EC is 0.89 （n=31）. The average percentage of total carbon （TC, sum of CC, OC, and EC） in PM2.5 during dust storm （DS） events was 13.6%, which is lower than that during non-dust storm （NDS） periods （22.7%）. CC, OC, and EC accounted for 12.9%, 70.7%, and 16.4% of TC during DS events, respectively. The average ratio of OC/EC was 5.0 in DS events and 3.3 in NDS periods. The OC-EC correlation （R^2=0.76, n=6） was good in DS events, while it was stronger （R^2=0.90, n=25） in NDS periods. The percentage of watersoluble OC （WSOC） in TC accounted for 15.7%, and varied between 13.3% and 22.3% during DS events. The distribution of eight carbon fractions indicated that local emissions such as motor vehicle exhaust were the dominant contributors to carbonaceous particles. During DS events, soil dust dominated the chemical composition, contributing 69% to the PM2.5 mass, followed by organic matter （12.8%）, sulfate （4%）, EC （2.2%）, and chloride （1.6%）. Consequently, CC was mainly entrained by Asian dust. However, even in the atmosphere near Asian dust source regions, OC and EC in atmospheric dust were controlled by local emission rather titan the transport of Asian dust.     

Radar Data Assimilation for the Simulation of Mesoscale Convective Systems

A heavy rainfall case related to Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) over the Korean Peninsula was selected to investigate the impact of radar data assimilation on a heavy rainfall forecast. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) three-dimensional variational (3DVAR) data assimilation system with tuning of the length scale of the background error covariance and observation error parameters was used to assimilate radar radial velocity and reflectivity data. The radar data used in the assimilation experiments were preprocessed using quality-control procedures and interpolated/thinned into Cartesian coordinates by the SPRINT/CEDRIC packages. Sensitivity experiments were carried out in order to determine the optimal values of the assimilation window length and the update frequency used for the rapid update cycle and incremental analysis update experiments. The assimilation of radar data has a positive influence on the heavy rainfall forecast. Quantitative features of the heavy rainfall case, such as the maximum rainfall amount and Root Mean Squared Differences (RMSDs) of zonal/meridional wind components, were improved by tuning of the length scale and observation error parameters. Qualitative features of the case, such as the maximum rainfall position and time series of hourly rainfall, were enhanced by an incremental analysis update technique. The positive effects of the radar data assimilation and the tuning of the length scale and observation error parameters were clearly shown by the 3DVAR increment.     

Paper I – Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of perennially frozen deposits in north‐central Siberia: OSL characteristics of quartz grains and methodological considerations regarding their suitability for dating

Arnold, L. J. & Roberts, R. G. 2011: Paper I – Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of perennially frozen deposits in north?central Siberia: OSL characteristics of quartz grains and methodological considerations regarding their suitability for dating. Boreas, Vol. 40, pp. 389–416. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2011.00209.x. ISSN 0300?9483. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of coarse‐grained quartz is increasingly being used as the main chronological tool in late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of Siberia. However, relatively little information has been published on the suitability of OSL dating for the various types of perennially frozen sediments found in this region. Here we provide a systematic examination of the quartz luminescence characteristics of 21 perennially frozen samples from the Taimyr Peninsula and adjacent coastal lowlands of north‐central Siberia, and discuss their implications for the reliability of single‐grain and multi‐grain OSL chronologies in such contexts. The results of this study suggest that the quartz luminescence characteristics of these samples are, in principle, favourable for OSL dating but, in practice, require that a series of validation checks are made of the chosen experimental conditions. If these tests are satisfied, then reliable OSL chronologies should be obtained for sedimentary deposits in this region. Importantly, however, the single‐grain and multi‐grain aliquot equivalent dose (D_e) distribution characteristics for our samples reveal that there are advantages in targeting certain types of depositional settings for OSL dating studies of Siberian sediments. We also show that samples from the same depositional settings, and even from the same sites, do not necessarily display similar D_e distribution characteristics. The latter complication favours the use of single‐grain analysis to unravel the bleaching and burial histories of young (mid‐ to late Holocene) sediments in these Arctic environments.     

Paper II – Dirt,dates and DNA: OSL and radiocarbon chronologies of perennially frozen sediments in Siberia,and their implications for sedimentary ancient DNA studies

Arnold, L. J., Roberts, R. G., MacPhee, R. D. E., Haile, J. S., Brock, F., Möller, P., Froese, D. G., Tikhonov, A. N., Chivas, A. R., Gilbert, M. T. P. & Willerslev, E. 2010: Paper II – Dirt, dates and DNA: OSL and radiocarbon chronologies of perennially frozen sediments in Siberia, and their implications for sedimentary ancient DNA studies. Boreas, Vol. 40, pp. 417–445. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00181.x. ISSN 0300‐9483 The sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) technique offers a potentially invaluable means of investigating species evolution and extinction dynamics in high‐latitude environments. An implicit assumption of the sedaDNA approach is that the extracted DNA is autochthonous with the host deposit and that it has not been physically transported from older source deposits or reworked within the sedimentary profile by postdepositional mixing. In this paper we investigate whether these fundamental conditions are upheld at seven perennially frozen wetland sites across the Taimyr Peninsula and coastal lowlands of north‐central Siberia. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dating are used to constrain the ages of both the inorganic and organic fractions of perennially frozen deposits from which sedaDNA of extinct and extant species have been recovered. OSL and ¹⁴C age/depth profiles, as well as single‐grain equivalent dose (D_e) distribution characteristics, are used to assess the stratigraphic integrity of these sedaDNA sequences by (i) identifying the presence of primary or reworked organic and inorganic material, and (ii) examining the types of depositional and postdepositional processes that have affected specific sedimentary facies. The results of this study demonstrate that even though DNA preservation and stratigraphic integrity are commonly superior in perennially frozen settings, this does not, in itself, guarantee the suitability of the sedaDNA approach. The combined OSL and ¹⁴C chronologies reveal that certain perennially frozen sites may be poorly suited for sedaDNA analysis, and that careful site selection is paramount to ensuring the accuracy of any sedaDNA study – particularly for ‘latest appearance date’ estimates of extinct taxa.     

遥感、GIS结合与区域天然滑坡调查

以香港大屿山岛中部为试验研究区，探讨了遥感与GIS结合在区域滑坡调查中应用的可能性。在详细分析滑坡与环境因子关系后，将岩土类型、地貌、侵蚀、坡度等环境因子引入到影像中，与影像组成多源复合图像，可使地物的空间属性信息得到补充。同时采用适合高维复合数据的BP神经元网络对研究区天然滑坡进行识别，结果表明，区域滑坡的识别能力有较大提高。该方法的应用，将为大区域滑坡调查与监测奠定基础。     

桂北新元古代两类过铝花岗岩的地球化学研究

广西北部新元古代花岗岩类岩石包括黑云母花岗闪长岩和黑云母花岗岩。地球化学特征表明，黑云母花岗闪长岩与含堇青石的过铝花岗岩（CPG）相当，而黑云母花岗岩则类似于白云母二长花岗岩（MPG）。黑云母花岗岩类是成熟地宙岩石部分熔融作用的产物，而黑云母花岗闪长岩类的形成与地幔柱起源的镁铁质岩浆和地壳起源的过铝质黑云母花岗岩浆之间的混合作用有关。这两类新元古代过铝花岗岩的形成与碰撞造山导致地壳加厚的挤压性构造无关，而与导致Rodinia超大陆裂解的地幔柱上升诱发岩石圈伸展的张性构造相联系。     

西沙珊瑚锶温度计：便捷高精度海洋古水温代用指标

西沙群岛现代滨珊瑚1976－1994年生长期间Sr含量的高精度热电离质谱测定结果表明，Sr含量随季节发生周期性的变化，并与当地同期实测海水月平均温度变化相吻合，其Sr含量与实测海水温度相关系数为－0．94。这18年冬夏极端Sr含量与同期月温的相关系数可高达－0．98。Sr温度计误差小于0．5℃。     

亚洲500毫巴月平均环流指数(1939—1962年)的谱分析

本文计算了亚洲500毫巴月平均环流指数的方差谱。结果指出:亚洲经向及纬向环流指数谱的分布是有一定差异的,前者以5个月左右为周期的谐和振动占有显著的地位,而后者则以5个月以上的长周期振动所占的成分较大。     

Glaucophane-bearing Metamorphic Rock Types of the Cazadero Area, California

A detailed field and laboratory study has been made of a well-exposedglaucophane schist sequence within the Jurassic and CretaceousFranciscan Formation of northern California. Three types ofglaucophane-bearing metamorphic rocks have been distinguishedin and around the area of the detailed study. Each is characterizedby distinctive textures and mineral assemblages that are interpretedto represent different grades of metamorphism within the glaucophaneschist facies. From the combination of small- and large-scale mapping in thearea described it is clear that coarsely schistose blocks, tensof feet in diameter, commonly rest directly upon and withinless intensely metamorphosed terrain. In the Cazadero area theseisolated blocks of coarsely crystalline rocks are concentratedin a band that is roughly concordant with some of the majorfaulting, and their metamorphic fabric shows no consistent relationto local or regional structures. It is tentatively suggestedthat these blocks have been transported upward tectonicallyand that they are not stratigraphically equivalent to the othertypes of glaucophane-bearing metamorphic rocks in the area. Chemical and petrographic evidence indicates that basalt andsediments have been converted to glaucophane-bearing rocks underconditions of metamorphism that were essentially isochemical,except for fugitive components and some minor elements.