Global warming mitigation by sulphur loading in the stratosphere: dependence of required emissions on allowable residual warming rate

An approach to mitigate global warming via sulphur loading in the stratosphere (geoengineering) is studied, employing a large ensemble of numerical experiments with the climate model of intermediate complexity IAP RAS CM. The model is forced by the historical+SRES A1B anthropogenic greenhouse gases+tropospheric sulphates scenario for 1860–2100 with additional sulphur emissions in the stratosphere in the twenty-first century. Different ensemble members are constructed by varying values of the parameters governing mass, horizontal distribution and radiative forcing of the stratospheric sulphates. It is obtained that, given a global loading of the sulphates in the stratosphere, among those studied in this paper latitudinal distributions of geoengineering aerosols, the most efficient one at the global basis is that peaked between 50°N and 70°N and with a somewhat smaller burden in the tropics. Uniform latitudinal distribution of stratospheric sulphates is a little less efficient. Sulphur emissions in the stratosphere required to stop the global temperature at the level corresponding to the mean value for 2000–2010 amount to more than 10 TgS/year in the year 2100. These emissions may be reduced if some warming is allowed to occur in the twenty-first century. For instance, if the global temperature trend S _g in every decade of this century is limited not to exceed 0.10 K/decade (0.15 K/decade), geoengineering emissions of 4–14 TgS/year (2–7 TgS/year) would be sufficient. Even if the global warming is stopped, temperature changes in different regions still occur with a magnitude up to 1 K. Their horizontal pattern depends on implied latitudinal distribution of stratospheric sulphates. In addition, for the stabilised global mean surface air temperature, global precipitation decreases by about 10%. If geoengineering emissions are stopped after several decades of implementation, their climatic effect is removed within a few decades. In this period, surface air temperature may grow with a rate of several Kelvins per decade. The results obtained with the IAP RAS CM are further interpreted employing a globally averaged energy–balance climate model. With the latter model, an analytical estimate for sulphate aerosol emissions in the stratosphere required climate mitigation is obtained. It is shown that effective vertical localisation of the imposed radiative forcing is important for geoengineering efficiency.     

U–Th–Pb–REE systematics of organic-rich shales from the ca. 2.15 Ga Sengoma Argillite Formation, Botswana: Evidence for oxidative continental weathering during the Great Oxidation Event

The redox-sensitive geochemical behavior of uranium permits the use of Th/U ratios as a geochemical proxy for the oxidation state of the atmosphere during deposition. Due to the effects of post-depositional uranium mobility on Th/U ratios during events involving oxygenated fluids, direct measurements of Th/U ratios are often misleading even for drill core samples. Because both of these elements radioactively decay and produce lead isotopes, the Pb isotope composition may reflect the depositional Th/U ratio, although the Th/U ratios induced by changes shortly after deposition may not be distinguished from the true depositional Th/U ratios. In order to effectively evaluate the time-integrated Th/U ratio (κ_a), values for the initial depositional Pb isotope composition must be determined or accepted from the models for the whole Earth.While the timing for the rise of atmospheric oxygen is reasonably well constrained now, its effect on continental weathering and ocean redox state remains poorly constrained and debated. The ca. 2.15 Ga Sengoma Argillite Formation of Botswana contains organic-rich shales deposited during the Great Oxidation Event. The slope of the ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb–²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb array of shales from the Sengoma Argillite Formation corresponds to a Pb–Pb age that is within analytical error of the depositional age and is, therefore, inferred to be the time by which the time-integrated thorogenic and uranogenic lead growth started. The time-integrated lead growth corresponds to an average κ_a of 2.63 (± 0.62, 1σ) for the organic-rich shales of the Sengoma Argillite Formation. This is lower than Th/U ratios measured in Archean shale suites or estimated for the Archean–Proterozoic average upper continental crust [Taylor, S.R. and McLennan, S.M., 1985. The Continental Crust: Its Composition and Evolution. Blackwell, Oxford, 312 pp.], which indicates that these samples were enriched in uranium with respect to thorium (and perhaps lead) at the time of deposition. In the modern ocean, sediments are enriched in uranium under reducing conditions by reduction of the water-soluble uranyl ion, which is delivered to the ocean by oxidative weathering of continental crust. To evaluate the potential mobility of Th, U, and Pb during post-depositional processes, the concentrations of the rare earth elements (REE) were also determined. Interelement ratios of the largely immobile REE (in this study, La/Nd and Gd/Er) can be used as a proxy for the Th/U ratio, as the geochemical behavior of the lanthanide and actinide elements is similar under a variety of conditions. Furthermore, close similarity in the chondrite-normalized REE patterns and small range in La/Nd and Gd/Er ratios in studied samples indicate that variations in κ_a values are not likely to have been controlled by mixing of one or more REE-, Th-, and U-rich heavy minerals from the multiple detrital sources. Our study of shales from the ca. 2.15 Ga Sengoma Argillite Formation indicates that decoupling of U from Th, most likely related to the oxidative continental weathering, began by 2.15 Ga, at the latest.     

Transient simulation of the last glacial inception. Part II: sensitivity and feedback analysis

The sensitivity of the last glacial-inception (around 115 kyr BP, 115,000 years before present) to different feedback mechanisms has been analysed by using the Earth system model of intermediate complexity CLIMBER-2. CLIMBER-2 includes dynamic modules of the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial biosphere and inland ice, the last of which was added recently by utilising the three-dimensonal polythermal ice-sheet model SICOPOLIS. We performed a set of transient experiments starting at the middle of the Eemiam interglacial and ran the model for 26,000 years with time-dependent orbital forcing and observed changes in atmospheric CO₂ concentration (CO₂ forcing). The role of vegetation and ocean feedback, CO₂ forcing, mineral dust, thermohaline circulation and orbital insolation were closely investigated. In our model, glacial inception, as a bifurcation in the climate system, appears in nearly all sensitivity runs including a run with constant atmospheric CO₂ concentration of 280 ppmv, a typical interglacial value, and simulations with prescribed present-day sea-surface temperatures or vegetation cover—although the rate of the growth of ice-sheets growth is smaller than in the case of the fully interactive model. Only if we run the fully interactive model with constant present-day insolation and apply present-day CO₂ forcing does no glacial inception appear at all. This implies that, within our model, the orbital forcing alone is sufficient to trigger the interglacial–glacial transition, while vegetation, ocean and atmospheric CO₂ concentration only provide additional, although important, positive feedbacks. In addition, we found that possible reorganisations of the thermohaline circulation influence the distribution of inland ice.     

Multipath mitigation by conventional antennas with ground planes and passive vertical structures

An antenna ground plane (GP) plays a major role in the mitigation of multipath coming from underneath the antenna. A distinct trend in user antenna size and weight reduction has been observed during recent years. With this focus in mind, an overview of conventional flat conductive and impedance GP is provided. Results of modern developments of passive vertically stacked structures are discussed. The possibility of obtaining a reasonable level of multipath mitigation with vertical structures of several centimeters is shown.     

Magnetotelluric studies of the East-European Craton and adjacent regions

Magnetotelluric method is widely applied to study the Russian part of the East-European Craton, as well as the Caucasus and the Urals: several thousand soundings were performed during the last few years. Their periods range is approximately from 0.003 to 3000 seconds, which allows to study the sedimentary cover and the consolidated crust. Resistivity cross-sections along several regional profiles which run across the tectonic structures of the East-European Craton and the adjacent folded systems were obtained, mainly using 1D and 2D interpretational tools. MT investigations provided important information about the structure and reservoir properties of sedimentary complexes, the state of active geodynamic regions, the graphitization and fluid regime of the consolidated crust, and the permeable and fluid-saturated crustal zones.     

基于冻融次数-物理时间比拟理论的冻土长期强度预测方法

冻融作用可以改变土的结构,引起其力学特征的变化,从而影响到冻土工程的稳定性。由于冻融周期的设定不尽相同,因此大量的试验结果不能有效地进行对比分析。另外,对于冻融作用下土体力学特征的预测也成为研究的难点。在冻土遗传蠕变理论的基础上,利用球型模板压入仪作为测试方法,提出了一种冻融次数-物理时间比拟的方法。把冻融周期(次数)转化成物理时间(min),将不同冻融周期土的长期强度曲线簇映射到同一坐标中,利用该归一化曲线进行长期抗剪强度的预测,并选取了两种土样进行了测试,分别得到了相关的长期抗剪强度的预测方程。该方法对冻融作用下土体力学行为的成果对比研究以及长期强度的预测有重要的理论意义,对寒区工程稳定性预测分析也具有工程实践价值。     

中国东北兴安岭地区年冻融频次的分布规律北大核心CSCD

冻融循环是影响寒区工程和环境变化的重要因素之一,而年冻融频次(冻融循环的年累计量)是可以直接标定冻融循环对寒区工程和环境造成影响大小的物理量,对寒区环境下年冻融频次的调查有重要意义。以中国东北兴安岭地区为研究对象,选取兴安岭地区18个气象站点1990—2017年地表温度数据进行整理,得出兴安岭地区各个站点的年冻融频次,并在空间分布和时间序列上分析了年冻融频次的变化情况。结果表明:年冻融频次在中国东北兴安岭地区随着纬度增加逐渐增多,随着经度的增加逐渐减少,随着海拔升高而逐渐增多,且均具有良好的线性趋势;年冻融频次在1990—2017年呈明显的减少趋势,在2004年前后发生突变。进一步分析发现,在影响年冻融频次空间分布的3个因素中,经纬度影响较大,海拔影响相对较小;在时间上年冻融频次变化与东北地区NDVI变化情况呈现良好的负相关性,表明年冻融频次在一定程度上与当地植被覆盖度有关,且随植被覆盖度的增加而减少。     

Two New Species of Eretmophyllum (Ginkgoales) from the Jurassic of Eastern Siberia

Two new species of Eretmophyllum Thomas are described from the lower (Toarcian) and upper (Aalenian) Prisayan Formation of the Irkutsk Basin, Eastern Siberia, Russia based on distinct morphological and cuticular features of the leaves that distinguish them from other species of the genus. Eretmophyllum polypapillosum sp. nov. is characterized by the presence of 2–3 papillae on the lower and upper epidermis of ordinary cells. Taphonomically, the leaf burials of E. polypapillosum sp. nov. indicate that it preferred mesophilic forests developed on river terraces and/or low watersheds. Eretmophyllum yershowskiensis sp. nov. is represented exclusively by leaf cuticles extracted by coal maceration, and it probably inhabited the low banks of peat bogs. The presence of the genus Eretmophyllum in the Early Jurassic of France and Eastern Siberia shows that it was already widespread in the territory of Eurasia, distributed from Western Europe to Eastern Siberia. This indicates the possible existence of Eretmophyllum species elsewhere in the Early Jurassic such as Central Asia and Northwest China.     

Magnetite-apatite-dolomitic rocks of Ust-Chulman (Aldan shield,Russia): Seligdar-type carbonatites?

Mineralogy and Petrology - The Ust-Chulman apatite ore body is situated within the Nimnyrskaya apatite zone at the Aldan shield in Russia. The latest data confirm the carbonatitic origin of the...     

球模仪测试冻土松弛模量的非线性Kelvin解答及其试验研究

冻土的松弛模量是进行蠕变力学分析的关键参数。但在理论方面, 尚未基于球模仪试验建立较完善的松弛模量表征公式。基于半空间黏弹性理论和分数阶微积分理论, 获得了松弛模量公式的非线性Kelvin模型解答并进行了材料参数影响分析。在给出恒载条件下, 可以用单轴蠕变试验的分析结果评估基于球形压痕试验的冻土松弛模量来预测准确性。随后分别以冻结细砂的球模仪试验曲线、 冻结砂和冻结砂质黏土的单轴蠕变曲线为例, 预测了各条试验曲线和冻土的松弛模量, 并通过其他试验实测数据进行了检验。结果表明： 该松弛模量表征公式的材料参数最少, 随各材料参数变化具有较佳单调性; 基于球形模板试验, 非线性Kelvin解答能对冻结细砂的松弛模量和位移曲线做出合理可靠的预测。非线性Kelvin模型能很好地吻合单轴蠕变试验曲线, 基于单轴蠕变试验的冻结砂松弛模量随时间变化规律和数值范围与球模仪试验分析结果较一致, 冻结砂质黏土的松弛模量随应力和温度的变化规律再现了已有研究结论。