Carbon co-benefits of tighter SO2 and NOx regulations in China

Air pollution has been recognized as a significant problem in China. In its Twelfth Five Year Plan, China proposes to reduce SO₂ and NO_x emissions significantly, and here we investigate the cost of achieving those reductions and the implications of doing so for CO₂ emissions. We extend the analysis through 2050, and either hold emissions policy targets at the level specified in the Plan, or continue to reduce them gradually. We apply a computable general equilibrium model of the Chinese economy that includes a representation of pollution abatement derived from detailed assessment of abatement technology and costs. We find that China's SO₂ and NO_x emissions control targets would have substantial effects on CO₂ emissions leading to emissions savings far beyond those we estimate would be needed to meet its CO₂ intensity targets. However, the cost of achieving and maintaining the pollution targets can be quite high given the growing economy. In fact, we find that the near term pollution targets can be met while still expanding the use of coal, but if they are, then there is a lock-in effect that makes it more costly to maintain or further reduce emissions. That is, if firms were to look ahead to tighter targets, they would make different technology choices in the near term, largely turning away from increased use of coal immediately.     

Valuing direct use values of wetlands: A case study of Tam Giang–Cau Hai lagoon wetland in Vietnam

Tam Giang–Cau Hai lagoon wetland directly or indirectly provides the likelihoods for about 300,000 persons living around as well as on the lagoon. Due to expansion of aquacultures, intensive fishing, and lack of an appropriate management scheme, the biological resources in the lagoon are degraded. This study provides information on the direct use values of the lagoon wetland, using market price approach. This information on economic values can be used for designing new policies and making trade-offs among alternative management options for the lagoon wetland.     

Electron density and temperature in the Io plasma torus from Ulysses thermal noise measurements

During the Ulysses flyby of Jupiter, the spacecraft crossed the outer part of the Io plasma torus along a basically North-to-South trajectory at a Jovicentric distance of about 8R_J. The quasi-thermal noise measured by the Unified Radio and Plasma Wave (URAP) experiment is used to deduce the electron density and temperature along the trajectory. The density is deduced from the upper hybrid frequency line and the temperature from the spin modulation of Bernstein waves. These results are used to build a simplified Gaussian model of the torus. The density profile is roughly symmetric with respect to the centrifugal equator, with a scale height of about 0.9R_J. The density at equator crossing is twice as large as that expected from the Divine-Garrett Voyager-based model at the same radial distance. The density scale height is lower than that found by Voyager 1; it is consistent with an ion temperature of about 5 × 10⁵K, assuming an effective mass of about 20 proton masses. The fitting of the pressure distribution, symmetric with respect to the centrifugal equator, yields a cold electron temperature of about 1.4 × 10⁵K at the equator, which is of the same order of magnitude as found by Voyager 1.     

Study of the State and Variability of Marine Environment in the Japan/East Sea in Cruise 58 of the R/V Akademik Oparin

Oceanology - Multiyear monitoring of the marine environment of the Japan/East Sea was continued by the joint Korean–Russian expedition of the R/V Akademik Oparin (cruise 58) in...     

Characteristics of easterly-induced snowfall in Yeongdong and its relationship to air-sea temperature difference

Characteristics of snowfall episodes have been investigated for the past ten years in order to study its association with lowlevel stability and air-sea temperature difference over the East Sea. In general, the selected snowfall episodes have similar synoptic setting such as the Siberian High extended to northern Japan along with the Low passing by the southern Korean Peninsula, eventually resulting in the easterly flow in the Yeongdong region. Especially in the heavy snowfall episodes, convective unstable layers have been identified over the East sea due to relatively warm sea surface temperature (SST) about 8～10°C and specifically cold pool around 1～2 km above the surface level (ASL), which can be derived from Regional Data Assimilation and Prediction System (RDAPS), but that have not been clearly exhibited in the weak snowfall episodes. The basic mechanism to initiate snowfall around Yeongdong seems to be similar to that of lake-effect snowstorms around Great Lakes in the United States (Kristovich et al., 2003). Difference of equivalent potential temperature (θ _e ) between 850 hPa and surface as well as difference between air and sea temperatures altogether gradually began to increase in the pre-snowfall period and reached their maximum values in the course of the period, whose air (850 hPa) — sea temperature difference and snowfall intensity in case of the heavy snowfall episodes are almost larger than 20°C and 6 tims greater than the weak snowfall episodes, respectively. Interestingly, snowfall appeared to begin in case of an air-sea temperature difference exceeding over 15°C. The current analysis is overall consistent with the previous finding (Lee et al., 2012) that an instabilityinduced moisture supply to the lower atmosphere from the East sea, being cooled and saturated in the lower layer, so to speak, East Sea-Effect Snowfall (SES), would make a low-level ice cloud which eventually moves inland by the easterly flow. In addition, a longlasting synoptic characteristics and convergence-induced invigoration also appear to play the important roles in the severe snowstorms. Improvements in our understanding of mesoscale sea-effect snowstorms require detailed in-situ and remote sensing observations over and around East Sea since observations of the concurrent thermodynamic and microphysical characteristics have not been available there and this study emphasizes the importance of low level stability as quantitative estimation of moist static energy generation over the East Sea.     

Distribution of trace elements in subcellular fractions of three aquatic birds

This study investigated the subcellular distribution of Cu, Zn, Cd and Ag in liver of mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), spot-billed duck (A. poecilorhyncha) and great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) to better understand metal fractionation and dynamics in avian liver. Most of the total Cu, Zn, Cd and Ag were present in hepatocytosol, and their concentrations increased with total hepatic levels in all the three avian species. Copper, Zn and Cd in hepatocytosol were present mostly in metallothionein fractions (MTs), and Cu and Cd contents in this fraction were positively correlated with hepatocytosol levels in all the species. Silver was observed mostly in both high-molecular weight and MT fractions in hepatocytosol in mallard and great cormorant, whereas it was present in both low-molecular weight and MT fractions in spot-billed duck, suggesting that distribution of Ag in the hepatocytosol was species-specific. The elution profile of metals in MT fractions revealed six metallic peaks in mallard and spot-billed duck, and three peaks in great cormorant, implying the presence of multiple MT isoforms in the liver of these avian species. The present study demonstrated that MTs are closely associated with metal regulation, especially Cu and Cd, in these three aquatic birds.     

Long-term and real-time monitoring system of the East/Japan sea

Long-term, continuous, and real-time ocean monitoring has been undertaken in order to evaluate various oceanographic phenomena and processes in the East/Japan Sea. Recent technical advances combined with our concerted efforts have allowed us to establish a real-time monitoring system and to accumulate considerable knowledge on what has been taking place in water properties, current systems, and circulation in the East Sea. We have obtained information on volume transport across the Korea Strait through cable voltage measurements and continuous temperature and salinity profile data from ARGO floats placed throughout entire East Sea since 1997. These ARGO float data have been utilized to estimate deep current, inertial kinetic energy, and changes in water mass, especially in the northern East Sea. We have also developed the East Sea Real-time Ocean Buoy (ESROB) in coastal regions and made continual improvements till it has evolved into the most up-to-date and effective monitoring system as a result of remarkable technical progress in data communication systems. Atmospheric and oceanic measurements by ESROB have contributed to the recognition of coastal wind variability, current fluctuations, and internal waves near and off the eastern coast of Korea. Long-term current meter moorings have been in operation since 1996 between Ulleungdo and Dokdo to monitor the interbasin deep water exchanges between the Japanese and Ulleung Basins. In addition, remotely sensed satellite data could facilitate the investigation of atmospheric and oceanic surface conditions such as sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height, near-surface winds, oceanic color, surface roughness, and so on. These satellite data revealed surface frontal structures with a fairly good spatial resolution, seasonal cycle of SST, atmospheric wind forcing, geostrophic current anomalies, and biogeochemical processes associated with physical forcing and processes. Since the East Sea has been recognized as a natural laboratory for global oceanic changes and a clue to abrupt climate change, we aim at constructing a 4-D continuous real-time monitoring system, over a decade at least, using the most advanced techniques to understand a variety of oceanic processes in the East Sea.     

Study on coupling effects of ship motion and sloshing

This study considers the coupling effects of ship motion and sloshing. The linear ship motion is solved using an impulse-response-function (IRF) method, while the nonlinear sloshing flow is simulated using a finite-difference method. The IRF method requires the frequency-domain solution prior to conversion to time domain, but the computational effort is much less than that of direct time-domain approaches. The developed scheme is verified by comparing the motion RAOs between the frequency-domain solution and the solution obtained by the IRF method. Furthermore, a soft-spring concept and linear roll damping are implemented to predict more realistic motions of surge, sway, yaw, and roll. For the simulation of sloshing flow in liquid tanks, a physics-based numerical approach adopted by Kim [2001. Numerical simulation of sloshing flows with impact load. Applied Ocean Research 23, 53–62] and Kim et al. [2004. Numerical study on slosh-induced impact pressures on three-dimensional prismatic tanks. Applied Ocean Research 26, 213–226] is applied. In particular, the present method focuses on the simulation of the global motion of sloshing flow, ignoring some local phenomena. The sloshing-induced forces and moments are added to wave-excitation forces and moments, and then the corresponding body motion is obtained. The developed schemes are applied for two problems: the sway motion of a box-type barge with rectangular tanks and the roll motion of a modified S175 hull with rectangular anti-rolling tank. Motion RAOs are compared with existing results, showing fair agreement. It is found that the nonlinearity of sloshing flow is very important in coupling analysis. Due to the nonlinearity of sloshing flow, ship motion shows a strong sensitivity to wave slope.     

Freshwater supply by Korean rivers to the East Sea during the last glacial maximum: a review and new evidence from the Korea Strait region

This study presents a review of extensive literature and reports new findings extracted from previously collected cores. Globally lowered sea level during the last glacial maximum (LGM) reduced the cross-sectional area in the Korea Strait, minimizing volume transport of the paleo-Tsushima Current and increasing freshwater input to the East Sea. The higher supply of freshwater played an important role in compositional changes of surface water in the sea, indicated by low sea surface salinity (down to about 20‰) and light d ¹⁸O of planktonic Foraminifera (lighter than 1‰) recorded in core sediments. The Korean fluvial systems (Nakdong and Seomjin rivers) emptying into the southeastern sea of Korea may have contributed substantially to freshwater supply to the surface layer of the LGM East Sea, although Chinese paleo-river (Huanghe and Yangtze rivers) waters, together with the paleo-Tsushima Current, also seem to have supplied some freshwater to the sea. The higher supply of river waters to the East Sea is strongly evidenced by the high amount of terrigenous material (quartz, feldspar and rock fragments) in core sediments. In addition, high magnetic susceptibility, high grain density, and high C/N ratios were documented in cores MB98PC-11 and 95PC-1. In contrast with earlier studies, we propose that Korean rivers played a more substantial role in supplying freshwater to the East Sea during the LGM than previously thought.     

Apport des spectres des ondes SH a l'etude des repliques sismiques

The SH wave spectra from some sequences of earthquakes of Kuril Islands and Chili regions, are examined following the dislocation model of seismic sources. We show by this way that, in a same sequence, it's difficult to correlate the magnitude with geometrical dimensions of the fault. We also make appear the persistence of the radiation, by developing for that, one method based on the comparison of the low frequency level with an isotropic quantity.

Résumé

On étudie le spectre des ondes SH, pour quelques séquences de séismes des Kouriles et du Chili, dans le cadre des modèles dislocatifs des sources sismiques. On montre ainsi que dans une même séquence, il est difficile de corréler la magnitude avec les dimensions géométriques de la faille. On met également en évidence la conservation de la radiation au cours d'une même séquence; on propose pour ceci une méthode, basée sur la comparaison des niveaux basses fréquences des spectres avec une quantité isotrope.