Integration of reflection seismic and sediment grain-size data from Lake Khubsugul (Northern Mongolia): a reply to Prokopenko and Kendall

Prokopenko and Kendall (J Paleolimnol doi:, 2008) criticise the work presented in Fedotov et al. (J Paleolimnol 39:335–348, 2008), and instead propose an alternative interpretation for the grain-size evolution recorded in the KDP-01 core, retrieved from the central part of Lake Khubsugul. Their interpretation is based (i) on a seismic-stratigraphic re-interpretation of sparker seismic profile khub012 (which they copied from Fedotov et al. (EOS Trans 87:246–250, 2006)), (ii) on the presupposition that changes in lake level are the dominant control on facies distribution in Lake Khubsugul, and (iii) on the invalidation of our age-depth model. In this reply to their comment, we demonstrate that they interpreted seismic artefacts and geometries caused by changes in profile orientation as true stratigraphic features and that the lake-level reconstruction they derive from this interpretation is therefore incorrect. We also demonstrate that their grain-size predictions, which they consider to be predominantly driven by changes in lake level, are inconsistent with the measured sulphate concentration, which is a demonstrated proxy of lake level in Lake Khubsugul, and with the measured grain-size record. Finally, we point out that even if there would be a problem with the age-depth model, this problem would not affect the part of the sedimentary sequence discussed in Fedotov et al. (J Paleolimnol 39:335–348, 2008).     

Relationships between southern Chilean varved lake sediments,precipitation and ENSO for the last 600 years

In this paper, the relationships between paleo-precipitation and the regional influence of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in South America are assessed from a high-resolution calendar varve-thickness record. Two short laminated sediment cores (53 and 61 cm length) from Lago Puyehue (40° S) are analysed by continuous varve measurements through the last 600 years. The calendar varve years are determined by the occurrence of graded planktonic-rich layers. The annual sediment accumulation rates are reconstructed by using the standard varve-counting methods on thin sections. The 1980–2000 varve-thickness record is interpreted in terms of climate through correlation with limnological and local monthly instrumental climate databases. The comparison between the standardized varve thickness with the instrumental records reveals a strong correlation (r = 0.75, р = 0.07) between the total varve thickness and the austral autumn/winter precipitation. We argue that strong austral winter winds and precipitation are the forcing factors for the seasonal turn-over and phytoplankton increase in the lake sediments. During strong El Nino events the precipitation and the winds decrease abnormally, hence reducing the thickness of the biogenic sediments deposited after the winter turn-over. Our results show one significant regional maximum peak of winter precipitation (>900 mm) in the mid 20th century and a significant period with lower winter precipitation (<400 mm) before the 15th century, i.e., the late Medieval Warm Period. The first peak in the mid 20th century is confirmed by the regional precipitation database. The influence of ENSO cycles over the last 600 years is assessed by spectral analysis in Fagel et al. (2007). The possible influence of the regional volcanism and/or the seismic activity on the local climate record is also discussed. This is the sixth in a series of eight papers published in this special issue dedicated to the 17,900 year multi-proxy lacustrine record of Lago Puyehue, Chilean Lake District. The papers in this special issue were collected by M. De Batist, N. Fagel, M. -F. Loutre and E. Chapron.     

Seasonal temperatures for the past ∼400 years reconstructed from diatom and chironomid assemblages in a high-altitude lake (Lej da la Tscheppa,Switzerland)

We analysed a 42 cm long sediment record from Lej da la Tscheppa, a high-altitude lake (2,616 m a.s.l.) in the Upper Engadine valley (Switzerland) for subfossil diatoms, chironomids and pollen. The chronology of the top 21 cm of the record was established using ²¹⁰Pb analysis using a constant-rate-of-supply model, and validated with ¹³⁷Cs measurements and the content of spheroidal carbonaceous particles. A tentative chronology for the lower part of the core was obtained through extrapolation of the sedimentation rates in the uppermost part of the record. Pollen assemblages in the record reflect regional changes in forestation and land-use patterns in the Upper Engadine valley and show no evidence of significant local human activity in the lake’s catchment. Diatom assemblages record a distinct increase in planktonic taxa since the early 19th century, suggesting a decrease in the duration of ice-cover. In contrast, chironomid assemblages remained stable during a large part of the record. We applied an established chironomid-based July air temperature transfer function and a newly developed diatom-based spring air temperature transfer function to reconstruct past seasonal air temperature changes at Lej da la Tscheppa. The reconstructions indicate a diatom-inferred warming trend in spring temperatures during the past ca. 400 years, whereas chironomid-inferred summer temperatures suggest a slight cooling trend. These biota-based reconstructions are in good agreement with the centennial-scale temperature trend in an independent reconstruction of regional temperatures in the Upper Engadine region based on instrumental records and documentary proxy evidence from the Alps. Our results suggest that, in high-altitude lakes, independent chironomid- and diatom-based seasonal temperature reconstruction is possible and can be successfully used to track seasonal temperature trends.     

Impacts of Climatic Factors on Runoff Coefficients in Source Regions of the Huanghe River

Runoff coefficients of the source regions of the Huanghe River in 1956–2000 were analyzed in this paper. In the 1990s runoff of Tangnaihai Hydrologic Station of the Huanghe River experienced a serious decrease, which had at- tracted considerable attention. Climate changes have important impact on the water resources availability. From the view of water cycling, runoff coefficients are important indexes of water resources in a particular catchment. Kalinin baseflow separation technique was improved based on the characteristics of precipitation and streamflow. After the separation of runoff coefficient (R/P), baseflow coefficient (Br/P) and direct runoff coefficient (Dr/P) were estimated. Statistic analyses were applied to assessing the impact of precipitation and temperature on runoff coefficients (including Dr/P, Br/P and R/P). The results show that in the source regions of the Huanghe River, mean annual baseflow coefficient was higher than mean annual direct runoff coefficient. Annual runoff coefficients were in direct proportion to annual pre- cipitation and in inverse proportion to annual mean temperature. The decrease of runoff coefficients in the 1990s was closely related to the decrease in precipitation and increase in temperature in the same period. Over different sub-basins of the source regions of the Huanghe River, runoff coefficients responded differently to precipitation and temperature. In the area above Jimai Hydrologic Station where annual mean temperature is –3.9oC, temperature is the main factor in- fluencing the runoff coefficients. Runoff coefficients were in inverse relation to temperature, and precipitation had nearly no impact on runoff coefficients. In subbasin between Jimai and Maqu Hydrologic Station Dr/P was mainly affected by precipitation while R/P and Br/P were both significantly influenced by precipitation and temperature. In the area be-tween Maqu and Tangnaihai hydrologic stations all the three runoff coefficients increased with the rising of annual precipitation, while direct runoff coefficient was inversely proportional to temperature. In the source regions of the Huanghe River with the increase of average annual temperature, the impacts of temperature on runoff coefficients be-come insignificant.     

粤港澳大湾区气溶胶对白天城市热岛强度的影响

以粤港澳大湾区为例,利用卫星遥感资料结合大气化学模式模拟,分析2003―2018年城市热岛强度、气溶胶光学厚度的变化规律,定性和定量研究气溶胶对白天城市热岛强度的影响。结果表明：2003―2018年粤港澳大湾区城市热岛强度呈波动上升趋势,夏季热岛强度最大,冬季热岛强度最小;气溶胶光学厚度呈波动下降趋势,春季气溶胶光学厚度最大,冬季气溶胶光学厚度最小。在年际和季节尺度,城市热岛强度与城区、郊区气溶胶光学厚度之差均呈弱的正相关。基于WRF-Chem的模拟实验表明,气溶胶的存在导致城区、郊区地表向下总辐射减少、地表温度降低,且城区地表向下总辐射减少多于郊区、降温幅度大于郊区,进而导致了热岛强度减弱。气溶胶对城市热岛强度的贡献率为?2.187%,冬季贡献率绝对值略高于夏季。     

喜马拉雅山北坡卡鲁雄曲径流与气候变化

以冰川融水补给为主的喜马拉雅山北坡的卡鲁雄曲流域,近20年平均气温以0.34 ^oC/10a的趋势上升,高于西藏年均温0.26 ^oC/10a的增长率,更是明显高于全国和全球气温的增长率,且极端最高温都出现在20世纪90年代。后10年气温 (1994~2003年) 比前十年 (1983~1993年) 升高0.5 ^oC,径流量增加了26%;不同月份径流增加强度不同,10~2月增加了44%,7~9月增加了27%,3~6月增加了24%。径流对气候变化的响应最灵敏 (一年中有8个月的增加趋势通过了α = 0.05的显著性检验),尤其是秋冬季的径流 (增加趋势超过α = 0.01的显著性检验)。受冰川消融和季风影响,不同时期的径流有不同的影响因素,但存在共性,即气温对径流起着积极主导作用,而降水对径流的影响具有不确定性,即正负双面效应。     

The Upper Middle Rhine Valley as a risk area

The Upper Middle Rhine Valley, granted the status of a World Heritage site, is well known for its unique inner narrow valley of Quaternary age with its historical legacy of numerous medieval castles and old towns. Less known is that this has always been a risk area of floods and gravitative mass movements. Up to the recent past, mainly ice floods caused enormous damage. The inhabitants of the valley were well aware that they lived in a risk area, but they had learned to handle the flood hazard. With the demise of ice floods over the last 40 years, due to climate change and because of the additional heating of the river water by power plants, the awareness of flood hazards has been much diminished, in contrast to that of potential damage by rockfalls and landslides which were also much feared in the past, though at the local level only. Still in the people’s memory is the Kaub catastrophe of March 10, 1876, when 28 persons were killed by a landslide. Nowadays, even minor rockfalls are a major threat, as they will affect the much-used traffic lines on both banks of the river, in particular the railroads. Therefore, since 2002, on behalf of German Rail (Deutsche Bahn, DB), all problematic slopes have been protected by costly steel-ring nets, although they are an aesthetic problem by UNESCO standards. The feeling of absolute safety created among the public is only subjective, though, as planners are well aware of. Moreover, the impact of modern climate change on slope stability is nearly unknown. Therefore, it is still necessary to develop a risk map for the narrow valley, with emphasis on gravitational hazards.     

Resolving the landfill siting impasse: modelling technocratic and indigenous perspectives using GIS multicriteria approach

Increase in waste generation calls for an effective waste management as this has become a necessity for environmental sustainability. Several methods are adopted in managing waste, which include waste reduction, reuse, thermal treatment, recycling and landfilling. The landfill method is recognised as the most used of all the waste management methods in developing countries such as Ghana. However, the selection of a suitable landfill site is very difficult and tedious. This is because it involves a consideration of many factors such as environmental, topographic, economic, socio-cultural and civil engineering. This research sought to identify a suitable landfill site by applying GIS multicriteria and weighted overlay approach in the Bongo District of Northern Ghana. The analysis relied on criteria and weights provided by the technocrats and the indigenes in the district as a way of demonstrating how landfill siting impasse can be resolved by incorporating the various stakeholders. The results obtained provided clear areas for landfill sites in the study area from the technocratic and the indigenous perspectives. However, the technocratic perspective failed to include an important cultural criterion, sacred groves, as a factor. The indigenous perspective also compromised on the factor related to nearness to residential areas, and is equally not sufficient on its own. The optimal landfill sites, which meets the expectations of both the technocrats and indigenes, was identified. This perspective has produced technically favourable and socio-culturally acceptable landfill site. However, it is recommended an environmental impact assessment (EIA) be conducted to identify the full environmental and social cost of the site. It is concluded that in landfill site selection much attention be given to cultural factors in the same way as the technical factors.     

水分胁迫对东方百合光合特性、叶绿素荧光参数及干物质积累的影响

 以东方百合“索邦”为试材,在科尔沁沙地对其在不同水分胁迫下的光合特性、叶绿素荧光及干物质积累进行了研究。结果显示,随着水分胁迫的加剧,净光合速率(Pn)和蒸腾速率(Tr)明显下降。另外,水分胁迫下百合叶片发生了“光合午休”现象,气孔导度(gs)也呈下降的趋势,胞间二氧化碳浓度(Ci)先下降后升高,并且通过gs和Ci变化方向可以判断出,百合叶片净光合速率受气孔与非气孔两种因素的限制。百合叶片最小荧光(Fo)无明显变化,最大荧光(Fm)、可变荧光(Fv)和光系统Ⅱ(PSⅡ)最大光化学效率(Fv/Fm)下降较明显。百合总干重及各器官干重也随水分胁迫的加剧而明显下降。研究表明,水分胁迫降低了百合叶片净光合速率,抑制了PSⅡ的光化学活性,从而影响到了百合干物质的积累。因此,在科尔沁沙地,应该采取合理的灌溉技术来保证百合在生长过程中得到充足的水分,以此确保切花百合的品质。     

Near-source noise suppression of AMT by compressive sensing and mathematical morphology filtering

In deep mineral exploration, the acquisition of audio magnetotelluric (AMT) data is severely affected by ambient noise near the observation sites; This near-field noise restricts investigation depths. Mathematical morphological filtering (MMF) proved effective in suppressing large-scale strong and variably shaped noise, typically low-frequency noise, but can not deal with pulse noise of AMT data. We combine compressive sensing and MMF. First, we use MMF to suppress the large-scale strong ambient noise; second, we use the improved orthogonal match pursuit (IOMP) algorithm to remove the residual pulse noise. To remove the noise and protect the useful AMT signal, a redundant dictionary that matches with spikes and is insensitive to the useful signal is designed. Synthetic and field data from the Luzong field suggest that the proposed method suppresses the near-source noise and preserves the signal well; thus, better results are obtained that improve the output of either MMF or IOMP.