Influences of the Clearness Index on UV Solar Radiation for Two Locations in the Tibetan Plateau——Lhasa and Haibei

Ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation has a significant influence on human health, the environment and climate. A series of measurements, including UV radiation (290-400 nm) and global solar radiation (Rs), were continuously recorded from August 2004 at the Lhasa and Haibei sites on the Tibetan Plateau. Both observation sites' altitudes are above 3000 m and have similar meteorological conditions. The data from 2005-2006 was used to identify the varying characteristics of UV radiation. It's relation to the clearness index Ks, the relative optical mass mr, and Rs were established. The annual mean values of total daily UV radiation are 0.92 and 0.67 MJ m-2 at Lhasa and Haibei, respectively. The UV radiation in Lhasa represented 4.6% of the global solar radiation while in Haibei this percentage was 4.2%. In the case of clear days (Ks > 0.8), these percentages ranged between 4.0% and 4.5% in Lhasa and between 5.1% and 5.5% in Haibei. In the case of cloudy days (Ks < 0.4), these percentages ranged from 4.4% to 6.8% in Lhasa and from 5.1% to 5.5% in Haibei. The maximum values of UV radiation for each relative optical mass diminished exponentially with mr. Thus, for Lhasa and Haibei, UV=46.25m-r 1.29, and UV=51.76m-r 1.42, respectively. The results of this study can be used to obtain more UV radiation data for the study of UV climate characteristics, the effects of UV on ecological processes and the feedback of the thinning of the stratospheric ozone, from more routine measurements Rs data.     

多尺度空气质量模式系统及其验证 II.东亚地区对流层臭氧及其前体物模拟

利用一个多尺度空气质量模式系统对东亚地区2001年春季对流层臭氧及其前体物的输送与演变过程进行了模拟。为了检验模式系统模拟臭氧演变过程的能力,将模拟的臭氧浓度及其与之紧密相关的化学物种浓度,如OH自由基、HO2自由基、一氧化氮、二氧化氮、一氧化碳、乙烷和乙烯,与TRACE-P期间两架飞机在西北太平洋上空获取的大量观测资料进行了比较。比较结果表明,模拟值的平均值与相应的观测值具有相当好的一致性,且绝大多数模拟值在相应观测值的2倍范围之内;模拟的化学物种浓度的时空分布与观测结果基本相符;模式系统对于非甲烷烃中不同化学物种的输送与转化过程的处理是基本合理的,反映了光化学生成和平流层输送等过程对对流层臭氧浓度分布的影响。     

STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF THE MEIYU FRONT SYSTEM

A new subtropical front near the periphery of the West Pacific subtropical anticyclone isfound,which is never revealed in previous studies.The coupling of the subtropical front andMeiyu front forms a Meiyu front system (MFS) and is the most direct synoptic system for theMeiyu precipitation along the Mid-lower Reaches of Yangtze River (MRYR) in China.In thispaper.The detailed structural features and cloud features of the MFS in 1998 and 1999 areanalyzed,which manifests that the MFS is an objective phenomenon over the period of Meiyu alongMRYR and the Southwest Japan.Generally.the subtropical front is mainly located between 850hPa and 500 hPa.The moist southwest monsoon is transported in the passageway between theMeiyu front and the subtropical front.The vertical motion ascends in the passageway and descendson both sides of the MFS.forming the MFS's secondary circulation.A lower TBB band indicatedthat obvious convective activities are also located in the passageway of MFS.The horizontal windof MFS is vertically asymmetric.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION ON THE RESPONSE OF LAND SURFACE TO SEVERE WEATHER

A coupled model of RAMS3b(Regional Atmospheric Modeling System,Version 3b)andLSPM(a land surface process model),in which some basic hydrological processes such asprecipitation,evapotranspiration.surface runoff,infiltration and bottom drainage are included,has been established.With the coupled model,we have simulated the response of soil to the severeweather process which caused the disastrous flood in north italy during 4-7.November,1994,simultaneously compared with the observation and the original RAMS3b,which has a soil andvegetation parameterization scheme(hereafter,SVP)emphasizing on the surface energy fluxes,while some hydrological processes in the soil are not described clearly.The results show that the differences between coupling LSPM and SVP exist mainly in theresponse of soil to the precipitation.The soil in the SVP never saturates under the strong input ofprecipitation,while the newly coupled model seems better,the soil has been saturated for one dayor more and causes strong surface runoff,which constitutes the flood.Further sensitivityexperiments show that the surface hydrological processes are very sensitive to the initial soilmoisture and soil type when we compared the results with a relatively dry case and sandy soil.The coupled model has potentiality for simulation on the interaction between regional climateand land surface hydrological processes,and the regional water resources research concerningdesertification,drought and flood.     

Thermochronometry and palaeomagnetism of the Archaean Nelshoogte Pluton, South Africa

²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb single-grain zircon, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar single-grain hornblende and biotite, and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar bulk-sample muscovite and biotite ages from the Nelshoogte trondhjemite pluton located in eastern Transvaal, South Africa, show that this granitoid had a protracted thermal history spanning 3213±4  Ma to about 3000  Ma. Whole-rock ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages from cross-cutting dolerite dykes indicate that these were intruded at about 1900  Ma. There is no evidence of this or other, later events significantly affecting the argon systematics of the minerals from the pluton dated by the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method.
  The pluton has a well-defined palaeomagnetic pole which is dated at 3179±18 (2 σ ) Ma by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of hornblende. This pole (18°N, 310°E, A ₉₅=9°) yields a palaeolatitude of 0°, significantly different from other Archaean poles from the Kaapvaal Craton. The palaeolatitude difference implies that there was significant apparent polar wander during the Archaean. A second, overprinting magnetization seen in the pluton is also seen in the lower-Proterozoic dolerite dykes, and is consistent with other lower-Proterozoic (2150–1950  Ma) poles for southern Africa.     

Potentially active volcanoes of Peru-Observations using Landsat Thematic Mapper and Space Shuttle imagery

Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images and Space Shuttle color photograph have been used to make a synoptic study of the volcanoes of southern Peru (14°–17° S), the northernmost portin of the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ 14°–28° S) of the Andes. Apart from providing consistent coverage, the chief merit of the TM for this study has been the spatial resolution provided by the 30-m pixel size. The optimal 20-m resolution, variable lighting and viewing geometry, and stereo capability of the Shuttle photography provided an invaluable ancilliary data set. At the resolution available, subtle glacial-morphological features such as valley and terminal moraines can be confidently identified, and these features have been used to determine the relative ages of volcanoes. Volcanoes have been classified as potentially active if they have; (i) a well-preserved summit crater, (ii) pristine lava flow texture and morphology, (iii) flank lava flows with low albedo, and (iv) evidence of postglacial (<10 000 years) activity. Eight major volcanoes are postulated to be potentially active. Most are large, dominantly andesitic, composite cones with edifice heights of up to 2500 m; some of which threaten nearby settlements. One of them, Sabancaya, was active as recently as July 1988. Other, little-known, postglacial volcanic features include Huaynaputina, site of a major explosive rhyolitic eruption in 1600 a.d., and several fields of monogenetic scoria cones and lava flows. The active volcanic front is some 200 km east of the Peru-Chile trench, and the volcanoes lie on a trenchparallel trend oblique to the EW subduction. This narrow volcanic zone is thought to reflect the steep dip of the Nazca plate through the zone of magma generation. The break in the trend of the volcanic front in the northern extremity of the volcanic zone is thought to reflect the complexity of the crustal stress field above a major segment boundary in the subducting plate. The fields of mafic monogenetic centers also occur in this region. In comparison with the southern part of the CVZ, the general paucity of older volcanic edifices north of 17° S suggests a more recent onset of volcanism north of this latitude probably resulting from the oblique subduction of the Nazca ridge and the consequent northward migration of its intersection with the Pere-Chile trench. This, coupled with the lack of any large silicic caldera systems and youthful dacite domes, like those found further south, suggest that there are real differences between the volcanic evolution of different parts of the CVZ.     

东亚地区春季黑碳气溶胶源排放及其浓度分布

本研究收集整理了东亚地区一个黑碳气溶胶的排放源,并利用一个三维化学输送模式系统模拟研究了东亚地区春季黑碳气溶胶的输送和演变过程.黑碳气溶胶浓度的模拟值与地面观测站和观测船获取的监测值相比,模拟值与监测值具有良好的一致性,这表明本研究收集整理的黑碳气溶胶的排放量及其分布是基本合理的,模式系统较好地反映了黑碳气溶浓度的时空分布和变化趋势,再现了许多观测到的重要特征.模拟结果表明,东亚地区春季间隙性的长距离输送对于西北太平洋海域的黑碳气溶胶浓度分布具有非常重要的影响.     

Phylogeny of the Sepia officinalis species complex in the eastern Atlantic extends the known distribution of Sepia vermiculata across the Benguela upwelling region

Accurate species identification and biogeographic characterisation are fundamental for appropriate management of expanding cephalopod fisheries. This study addresses this topic within the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis species complex (S. officinalis, S. hierredda and S. vermiculata), with an emphasis on occurrence in African waters. Tissue samples from the currently presumed distributions of S. vermiculata and S. hierredda (from South Africa and Ghana/Angola, respectively) were sequenced for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the cytochrome b (cytb) genes of the mitochondrial genome and then compared to existing S. officinalis sequences. Three highly divergent and reciprocally monophyletic clades, corresponding to S. officinalis, S. hierredda and S. vermiculata, were resolved, representing the first molecular confirmation of the distinct species status of S. hierredda and S. vermiculata. The sequences also revealed that, contrary to expectations based on presently published information, all samples from southern Angola were S. vermiculata. These results indicate that the range of S. vermiculata extends beyond the currently described northern limit and that S. hierredda and S. vermiculata may be indiscriminately harvested in Angolan waters. Finer-scale patterns within S. vermiculata phylogeography also indicate that the Benguela Current System and/or other environmental factors serve to isolate northern and southern stocks.     

Overview and status of estuarine microphytobenthos ecological research in South Africa

This article presents a historical overview of estuarine microphytobenthos (MPB) research in South Africa published over the period 1950 to the present, highlighting major milestones, challenges and estuarine management problems, as well as future research needs within the South African context. The studies that were covered comprise peer-reviewed books and journal articles on relevant research conducted in any estuarine environment during the period reviewed. There was a general increase in MPB research outputs over the decades, from only two publications in the 1950s, to over 20 outputs between 2010 and the present. Whereas the MPB studies in South Africa cover a broad spectrum of themes, the research priorities in these works have changed from taxonomically biased studies to those of ecologically based research. Research in the 1950s and 1960s was exclusively taxonomic in nature, with the first ecological investigation incorporating MPB being produced in the 1970s. By the 1980s, ecological studies dominated the research outputs and this trend has persisted to the present. The 1990s and 2000s saw the rise of research into the role of fresh water as a driver of MPB dynamics, whereas the period 2010 to the present saw an increase in more diverse ecological themes, ranging from an autecological investigation to food-web studies and the assessment of multiple drivers of MPB dynamics. However, the majority of studies have focused on either diatoms or estimates of overall MPB biomass. Moreover, there is a regional underrepresentation that runs broadly along biogeographic lines, with the bulk of the work having been conducted in the warm-temperate and subtropical zones of South Africa. Challenges and future research needs for the region are outlined, as is the need to expand MPB research to include other aspects of the biology and ecology of this flora.