Microstructure characteristics and forming environment of late Quaternary Period loess in the Loess Plateau of China

Since the late Quaternary Period, the rapid rising of the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau has greatly changed the East Asian climate and formed different regional monsoon climates. Various microstructures of the loess in northern China have formed under a variety of climatic conditions. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy spectrum analysis are used in this paper to study the relationship between the indexes of loess microstructures and the forming climates, and the indexes include the diameter of sand grains, Ca/Fe value and the characteristic shapes of the loess from SEM microstructures pictures. In terms of their respective climatic circumstances, the major microstructures of regional loess may be classified into nine categories according to their forms and particle sizes, such as loess formed in near-sand source, loess of granule sand dropping, and loess formed in hot and rainy places, i.e. with the loess SEM pictures, climates of about 15 ka b.p. in different places may be evaluated. In conclusion, the clear and distinguishable loess microstructures and their indexes in the Loess Plateau of China can also deduce the evolution of climate, such as warm or cold and wet or dry, and even sandstorm activities when the loess is deposited.     

淤泥质地基海塘与水闸不均匀沉降控制措施优化研究

多年的调查与研究表明,建于淤泥质地基上的水闸与海塘等水工建筑物常常因海塘与水闸连接部位产生过大的差异沉降,影响水闸的正常使用,甚至造成连接部位完全破环。在海塘与水闸之间构建连接段则可以有效减小两者过大的差异沉降,进而减小差异沉降对建筑物的不利影响,但单纯设置连接段对于控制过大差异沉降效果极其有限。论文以浙东沿海某海堤围垦工程为背景,基于有限差分数值模拟软件（FLAC3D）,模拟了海塘堆载及流固耦合过程,并考虑通过调节连接段水泥搅拌桩的桩径、桩长及桩间距的连续变化对地基处理措施进行优化,计算出了不同优化措施下水闸与海塘的差异沉降。计算结果表明：基于连接段地基桩桩长的连续变化,再通过调节桩间距的大小可以很大程度控制海塘与水闸之间的差异沉降。     

Electron temperature variations during solar-maximum conditions (200–3500 km)

The electron temperature variations are investigated above Arecibo, Jicamarca, Millstone Hill, St. Santin and a polar area—located at the meridian of Millstone Hill. The data analyzed represent quiet geomagnetic conditions (Kp ≤ 3) during a solar maximum (1967–1970). Between 200 and 600 km the electron temperature data stem from incoherent scatter measurements and above 600 km from the ISIS-1 observations. A simple analytical model which includes Fourier terms and cubic splines (for approximating the height dependence of the coefficients) describes the diurnal and seasonal pattern of the electron temperature in the altitude interval 200–3500 km. Three height regions are particularly striking, i.e. near 200 km where the diurnal variations show a sinusoidal pattern, the altitude interval up to approximately 1000 km which exhibits strong temperature gradients and a complex diurnal and seasonal structure, and the upper region beyond 1000 km which reflects again sinusoidal pattern but with a very pronounced latitudinal dependence.     

The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite: A preserved record of atmospheric entry processes

Fusion crusts form during the atmospheric entry heating of meteorites and preserve a record of the conditions that occurred during deceleration in the atmosphere. The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite closely resembles that of other stony meteorites, and in particular CM2 chondrites, since it is dominated by olivine phenocrysts set in a glassy mesostasis with magnetite, and is highly vesicular. Dehydration cracks are unusually abundant in Winchcombe. Failure of this weak layer is an additional ablation mechanism to produce large numbers of particles during deceleration, consistent with the observation of pulses of plasma in videos of the Winchcombe fireball. Calving events might provide an observable phenomenon related to meteorites that are particularly susceptible to dehydration. Oscillatory zoning is observed within olivine phenocrysts in the fusion crust, in contrast to other meteorites, perhaps owing to temperature fluctuations resulting from calving events. Magnetite monolayers are found in the crust, and have also not been previously reported, and form discontinuous strata. These features grade into magnetite rims formed on the external surface of the crust and suggest the trapping of surface magnetite by collapse of melt. Magnetite monolayers may be a feature of meteorites that undergo significant degassing. Silicate warts with dendritic textures were observed and are suggested to be droplets ablated from another stone in the shower. They, therefore, represent the first evidence for intershower transfer of ablation materials and are consistent with the other evidence in the Winchcombe meteorite for unusually intense gas loss and ablation, despite its low entry velocity.     

Evidence for chemical evolution in spectra of high redshift galaxies

Using a sample of 57 VLT FORS spectra in the redshift range 1.37< z < 3.40 and a comparison sample with 36 IUE spectra of local ( ) starburst galaxies we derive CIV equivalent width values and estimate metallicities of starburst galaxies as a function of redshift. Assuming that a calibration of the CIV equivalent widths in terms of the metallicity based on the local sample of starburst galaxies is applicable to high-z objects, we find a significant increase of the average metallicities from about 0.16 Z _⊙ at the cosmic epoch corresponding to z ≈ 3.2 to about 0.42 Z _⊙ at z ≈ 2.3. A significant further increase in metallicity during later epochs cannot be detected in our data. Compared to the local starburst galaxies our high-redshift objects tend to be overluminous for a given metallicity. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Differential rotation caused by anisotropic turbulent viscosity

The law of rotation as well as the corresponding meridional circulations in the hydrogen convection zone (HCZ) are investigated by solving numerically the time independent Navier-Stokes equations. The HCZ is assumed to be a spherical layer of fluid with constant density and viscosity. It is assumed further that the viscosity is caused by unisotropic turbulent motions.The results show differential rotation together with circulations. The detailed behaviour depends on a parameters characterizing the nonisotropic friction and on the kinematic viscosityv. If the friction is larger in radial direction than in lateral directions (0 s < 1) the poles rotate faster than the equator and the circulation rises at the equator and falls at the poles; if friction is smaller in radial direction (s > 1) the equator rotates faster and the sense of the circulation is reversed. The differential rotation observed at the solar surface is obtained for the values = 1.2.For small values ofv the angular velocity is constant on cylindrical surfaces, for large values ofv it is constant on spherical surfaces. The solar law of rotation turns out to be very close to the first case.Based on the author's Thesis in Göttingen.     

Modeling basin-scale hydrology in support of physical climate and global biogeochemical studies: An example using the Zambezi River

Human activity is an important agent defining the contemporary hydrologic cycle. We have documented the potential impacts of impoundment, land use change and climate change on the Zambezi River system in southern Africa and found that they can be substantial. A full analysis requires construction and parameterization of a simulation for the entire catchment. This paper develops a strategy for implementing catchment-scale models of the major hydrologic processes operating within the basin. A coherent data set for calibrating the models has also been assembled. The algorithms consist of a Water Balance (WBM) and a Water Transport (WTM) operating at 1/2^o spatial scale and at monthly timesteps. These models transform complex patterns of regional climatology into estimates of soil water, evapotranspiration, runoff, and discharge through rivers of various size. The models are dependent on the characteristics of the terrestrial surface, principally soil texture and land cover. A simulated river network is also required. Additional tabular data sets are essential for model testing and calibration. These include subcatchment areas; observed river discharge at selected points; flooding, storage and loss characteristics of major wetlands; floodwave translation; and, volume, surface area, withdrawal and evaporative losses from impoundments. An important design consideration for the numerous impoundments in the Zambezi requires an understanding of the seasonal variation in discharge, in particular how it might respond to climate and land use change. The research strategy offered here lays a framework for addressing such issues. Although the primary focus of this work is hydrologic, we discuss how the model can be extended to consider constituent transport and biogeochemical cycling issues at the continental scale.     

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