The release of phosphorus from sediment into water in subtropical wetlands: a warming microcosm experiment

Global warming poses a great threat to wetland ecological stability and water quality improvement. In this paper, we sampled six types of wetlands representing different kinds of land utilisation around the TaiHu Lake Basin in southeast China. An outdoor computerized microcosm was set up in May 2008 to simulate climate scenarios of ambient temperature (control) and a warmed ambient temperature (+5 °C) using a novel minute‐scale daily and seasonal temperature manipulation technology. The 18‐month incubation indicated that warming impaired the ecological sink of sediment (fixing P from porewater) while strengthening the role of the ecological source, moreover, the rate of P release from sediment into porewater (19–113% for total phosphorus) was much stronger than from top sediment into overlying water. Warming enhanced the activity of neutral and alkaline phosphatases for P‐deficient wetland sediments and neutral phosphatases for P‐rich sediments, at the 14th month of incubation. A significant increase in total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) occurred under warming in sediments with relatively low levels of PLFAs, but bacterial abundance in the sediment biomass tended to decrease (18%) along with an increase (4·5%) of the fungi‐to‐bacteria ratio. The variations of carbon consumption and availability indicated by measured dissolved organic carbon in sediment may have contributed to P release from sediments to water. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magnetic Stereoscopy of Coronal Loops in NOAA 8891

The Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) requires powerful tools for the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the solar corona. Here we test such a program with data from SOHO and TRACE. By taking advantage of solar rotation, a newly developed stereoscopy tool for the reconstruction of coronal loops is applied to the solar active region NOAA 8891 observed from 1 March to 2 March 2000. The stereoscopic reconstruction is composed of three steps. First, we identify loop structures in two TRACE images observed from two vantage viewpoints approximately 17 degrees apart, which corresponds to observations made about 30 hours apart. In the second step, we extrapolate the magnetic field in the corona with the linear force-free field model from the photospheric line-of-sight SOHO/MDI data. Finally, combining the extrapolated field lines and one-dimensional loop curves from two different viewpoints, we obtain the 3D loop structures with the magnetic stereoscopy tool. We demonstrate that by including the magnetic modeling this tool is more powerful than pure geometrical stereoscopy, especially in resolving the ambiguities generated by classical stereoscopy. This work will be applied to the STEREO mission in the near future.     

The importance of wave-tide-surge interaction to coastal material transport and diffusion

This study is to combine a coastal high-resolution (2′×2′) two-way coupled wave-tide-surge numerical model (including 3 main physical mechanisms) with a material transport/diffusion model for understanding the law of material transport/diffusion. Results show that the law of material trans- port/diffusion driven by background current field simulated by the coupled wave-tide-surge model is dif- ferent from that simulated by pure tide-surge, and more different from traditional ones driven by tidal current. The coupled background current should be taken into account for the simulation.     

Scenarios of land cover in China

A method for surface modeling of land cover change (SMLC) is developed on the basis of establishing transition probability matrixes between land cover types and HLZ types. SMLC is used to simulate land cover scenarios of China for the years 2039, 2069 and 2099, for which HLZ scenarios are first simulated in terms of HadCM3 climatic scenarios that are downscaled in zonal model of spatial climate change in China. This paper also analyzes spatial distribution of land cover types, area change and mean center shift of each land cover type, ecotope diversity, and patch connectivity under the land cover scenarios. The results show that cultivated land would decrease and woodland would expand greatly with climatic change, which coincides with consequences expected by implementation of Grain-for-Green policy. Nival area would shrink, and desertification area would expand at a comparatively slow rate in future 100 years. Climate change would generally cause less ecotope diversity and more patch connectivity. Ecosystems in China would have a pattern of beneficial cycle after efficient ecological conservation and restoration. However, if human activities would exceed regulation capacity of ecosystems themselves, the ecosystems in China might deteriorate more seriously.     

Hit or miss: Glacial incisions of snowball Earth

Estimated at ~58 Ma in duration, the Sturtian snowball Earth (ca. 717–659 Ma) is one of the longest‐known glaciations in Earth history. Surprisingly few uncontroversial lines of evidence for glacial incisions associated with such a protracted event exist. We report here multiple lines of geological field evidence for deep but variable glacial erosion during the Sturtian glaciation. One incision, on the scale of several kilometres, represents the deepest incision documented for snowball Earth; another much more modest glacial valley, however, suggests an erosion rate similar to sluggish Quaternary glaciers. The heterogeneity in snowball glacial incisions reported here and elsewhere was likely influenced by actively extending horst‐and‐graben topography associated with the breakup of supercontinent Rodinia.     

Analysis of soil‐structural interface behavior using three‐dimensional DEM simulations

The shear behavior at the interface between the soil and a structure is investigated at the macroscale and particle‐scale levels using a 3‐dimensional discrete element method (DEM). The macroscopic mechanical properties and microscopic quantities affected by the normalized interface roughness and the loading parameters are analyzed. The macro‐response shows that the shear strength of the interface increases as the normalized roughness of the interface increases, and stress softening and dilatancy of the soil material are observed in the tests that feature rough interfaces. The particle‐scale analysis illustrates that a localized band characterized by intense shear deformation emerges from the contact plane and gradually expands as shearing progresses before stabilizing at the residual stress state. The thickness of the localized band is affected by the normalized roughness of the interface and the normal stress, which ranges between 4 and 5 times that of the median grain diameter. A thicker localized band is formed when the soil has a rough shearing interface. After the localized band appears, the granular material structuralizes into 2 regions: the interface zone and the upper zone. The mechanical behavior in the interface zone is representative of the interface according to the local average stress analysis. Certain microscopic quantities in the interface zone are analyzed, including the coordination number and the material fabric. Shear at the interface creates an anisotropic material fabric and leads to the rotation of the major principal stress.     

论岩浆热液矿床的成矿期——以南岭地区燕山期钨矿为例

中国岩浆热液型钨矿主要赋存在南岭地区的燕山期花岗岩体内部或周围。目前,尚无法精准地测定此类钨矿的成矿年龄,统计上,得出了两期钨成矿作用：150?160 Ma（主成矿期）和130?140 Ma（次成矿期）,然而,这困扰了对南岭钨矿成矿作用及其与花岗岩关系的理解。本文将综合分析各种最新资料,对成矿母岩、深部岩浆房和成矿机制开展系统的讨论,从而针对南岭钨矿的成矿模式给出明确的判断：（1）燕山早期呈岩基、岩株状的黑云母二长花岗岩不是南岭钨矿的成矿母岩,150?160 Ma的年龄值不是钨成矿作用的年龄值;（2）燕山晚期呈岩株、岩瘤、岩脉状的二云母/白云母碱长花岗岩是潜在的钨源载体,但其体积太小,也无法满足成矿母岩要求;（3）当组合燕山早期主体花岗岩（黑云母二长花岗岩）、燕山晚期补体花岗岩（二云母/白云母碱长花岗岩）和燕山晚期钨矿三者为一体时,一种新颖的成矿模式被构建起来：一个长期存活的深部岩浆房可以分异出富含成矿物质的残余岩浆;当这种岩浆沿着张性断裂快速侵位时,将发生流体–熔体之间的溶离作用,碱性硅质流体形成含黑钨矿的石英脉,而强硅铝质熔体固结为二云母/白云母碱长花岗岩;（4）130?140 Ma的二云母/白云母碱长花岗岩与黑钨矿石英脉是一对同源分体,两者的同步出现充分展示了成矿物质“源–运–储”的完整过程。该认识不仅可以合理地解释与岩浆热液矿床有关的多种地质现象（如“小岩体成大矿”）,而且更新了岩浆热液成矿作用理论,更加重要的是为找矿勘探提供了确切的指导方向。     

国内外土壤环境调查声波钻机研究进展及发展探讨

主要论述了声波钻进技术在理论以及应用方面的研究进展。阐述了声波钻进技术的发展历程;其次调研并对比了国内外声波钻机代表机型,分析得出国内同类钻机存在的不足。分析了声波钻机在土壤环境调查中的应用,可满足不同地层的连续完整原位弱扰动采样要求。探讨了声波钻机研发方向,如高频声波动力头双振子结构和复合橡胶减振材料的研发,以稳定达标150 Hz高振频并增强动力头寿命;抗疲劳、抗冲击铬钼合金材料的研发,以解决高振频下钻具疲劳损伤问题;故障诊断识别和自动修复、远程无人化操作和挥发性有机污染物在线监测系统的研发,以提升高频声波钻机的智能化和自动化水平。     

珠江口盆地珠一坳陷西部中新世早-中期沉积特征及控制因素*

大型海相三角洲分布范围广,沉积动力复杂,其精细层序—沉积构型和演化规律是沉积学领域长期研究的热点。综合岩矿、测井和三维地震资料,充分结合高精度层序地层学和三维地震沉积学分析方法,对古珠江三角洲西侧的恩平地区中新世早-中期沉积特征进行了精细研究,识别出了辫状河道、曲流河道等河控三角洲的主要微相单元,同时也揭示出海岸砂脊等浪控三角洲中发育的典型微相类型。在高精度层序格架约束下,揭示出单一典型层序内古珠江三角洲的演化特征: 低位体系域以河控三角洲为主,发育大型交切状辫状水道;海侵和高位体系域河道规模明显减小,以小规模曲流河道为主,且易于见到海岸砂脊等波浪作用的典型特征。此外,针对恩平地区中新世早-中期沉积相带的系统编图和演化分析,在大约6 ^Ma时间内识别出6次河道大规模改道现象,推测恩平地区沉积演化明显受到自旋回沉积过程的影响。