Climatological distribution of lightning density observed by satellites in China and its circumjacent regions

The 0.5°×0.5°grid resolution distribution of lightning density in China and its circumjacent regions have been analyzed by using the satellite-borne OTD (Apr 1995-Mar 2000) and LIS (Dec 1997-Mar 2003) databases. It is shown that: (i) Firstly, the variability of the lightning density (LD) is particularly pronounced over the different subareas, 9 times greater over the south than the north side of Himalayas Mountains, 2.5 times greater over the eastern than the western area of China. While the maximum and minimum LD are respectively 31.4fl/km2/a (in Guangzhou region) and less than 0.2fl/km2/a (in the desert of western China). Secondly, the LD of China's continent regularly varies with latitude and distance off coast, which is consistent with annual mean precipitation in varying trend. In conclusion, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the China's three-step staircase topography and the latitude are three important factors affecting macro-scale characteristics of the LD distribution, (ii) The regional differences     

Thresholds of geographic environmental elements in sediment yield of drainage basins

Threshold of environmental elements in drainage basin sediment yield refers to, under effect of climate, underlying surface and human activity, a turning point of abrupt changes in drainage sediment yield related to environmental element characteristics. Previous studies on threshold of sediment yield of relevant drainage basins were mainly concentrated on impact of natural zones with a few researches on impact of other environmental elements. Particularly studies on compound environmental element threshold in drainage basin sediment yield remain blank today. Studies indicate that sediment yield in drainage basins is affected by compound interactions and complex actions. Based on single element analysis, the present paper gives quantitatively compound threshold of environmental elements affecting sediment yield of the drainage basin between Hekouzhen and Tongguan in the middle Yellow River by the method of multi-variant, polynomial formula regression analysis.     

Heating status of the Tibetan Plateau from April to June and rainfall and atmospheric circulation anomaly over East Asia in midsummer

Based on the 1958-1999 monthly averaged reanalysis data of the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the rainfall data of 160 Chinese surface stations, the relationship between rainfall and the atmospheric circulation anomaly over East Asia (EA) in July and the sensible heating (SH) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) from April to June (AMJ) is investigated by using the rotational experimental orthogonal function (REOF) method. The results show that the TP is an isolated heating source in this period. The lagged correlation analysis between the first rotational principal component (RPC) of SH over the TP in May and rainfall of EA in July demonstrates that strong SH over the TP before July leads to a positive rainfall anomaly over the TP, the valley between the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, and the regions south and southeast of the TP, and the Sichuan Basin and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, but less rainfall anomaly over the regions north, northeas     

An integrated decision method for prediction of tropical cyclone movement by using genetic algorithm

Typhoon disaster is one of the most influentialnatural disasters. The strong storm surge of Bangla-desh cyclone, which happened in November 1970,resulted in 300000 deaths. Asia and the western Pa-cific can be regarded as an area where is affected mostseverely by the disasters of tropical storms[1]. Themost important thing is to improve the accuracy oftyphoon tracks prediction internationally. Lande-sea,C.[2] pointed out that for a successful forecast oftropic cyclone (TC) tracks, it is not …     

Gas formation mechanism of marine carbonate source rocks in China

It has been proven in exploration practice that thecarbonates in China not only can generate hydrocar-bons, but also form commercial reservoirs. The car-bonates are different from clastic rocks in view of theirdeposition environment as well as their sedimentaryand diagenetic processes. Therefore, the evaluationcriteria and hydrocarbon generation mechanism forcarbonates can not be the same as that for clasticrocks, and it is important to establish a special hydro-carbon generation mechanism and…     

Geochemical discriminations of sandstones from the Mohe Foreland basin,northeastern China: Tectonic setting and provenance

The Mohe region near the border area of China with Russia is in Heilongjiang Province. Topographically the area consists of lower mountains or hills situated at the northern end of the Da Hinggan Mountains. Struc-turally the Mohe basin rests on the north margin of the Ergun Block, and the Mongol-Okhotsk Orogen is lo-cated to the north of the basin. Due to poor access conditions and good vegetation coverage, previous researches on the basin are much weak with few spe-cial geological inves…     

Discovery of double-peaking potassic volcanic rocks in Langshan Group of the Tanyaokou hydrothermal-sedimentary deposit,Inner Mongolia,and its indicating significance

Since the mid-1980s,Tanyaokou large Zn-Cu-Fe sulfides deposit,located at the southwest end of Langshan-Zhaertaishan-Bayan Obo Mesoproterozoic metallogenic belt in the west section of the northern margin of the North China Platform[1?9](Fig.1),has been confirmed to be submarine volcanic exhalative-sedimentary metamorphosed deposit hosted in the miogeosynclinal mud-carbonaceous formation of the Langshan Group(LG)[1],or submarine volcanic exha-lative-deposition-altered deposit[2]or stratabo…     

Prediction of permafrost distribution on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the next 50 and 100 years

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)has the highestand largest permafrost coverage in the low-middlelatitudes all over the world.With the progress ofChina’s Western Development,human activities areincreasing significantly on the QTP.For instance,theQinghai-Tibet Railway project started in June2001iscurrently under construction,but permafrost problemwill be one of the critical factors for the engineeringconstruction.Frost heave and permafrost settlementmay destroy engineering construction[1,2]…     

Magma underplating and Hannuoba present crust-mantle transitional zone composition: Xenolith petrological and geochemical evidence

Studies on the deep-seated xenoliths from global volcanoes reveal that the present petrological crust-mantle boundary between the lower crust and the upper mantle actually is a transitional layer from mainly mafic granulites to ultramafic spinel lher-zolites[1,2], i.e. a transitional zone distinctive from the seismological Moho[3]. Oceanic lithosphere crust- mantle transitional zone can be established from the study on the exposed ophiolites. However, as for the continental lithosphere, since …     

Dehydration melting of solid amphibolite at 2.0 GPa: Effects of time and temperature

The dehydration melting of the natural rock at high pressure is important to investigating the magma formation in the earth’s interior. Since the 1970s, a lot of geological scientists have paid more atten- tion to the dehydration melting of the natural rock[1―5]. Previous experiments of dehydration melting and observations of fieldwork argued that the dehy- dration melting of the rock was probably the most important fashion for the melting of the lower crust rock[6―12]. The genesis of most …