Use of total precipitable water classification of a priori error and quality control in atmospheric temperature and water vapor sounding retrieval

This study investigates the use of dynamic a priori error information according to atmospheric moistness and the use of quality controls in temperature and water vapor profile retrievals from hyperspectral infrared (IR) sounders. Temperature and water vapor profiles are retrieved from Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) radiance measurements by applying a physical iterative method using regression retrieval as the first guess. Based on the dependency of first-guess errors on the degree of atmospheric moistness, the a priori first-guess errors classified by total precipitable water (TPW) are applied in the AIRS physical retrieval procedure. Compared to the retrieval results from a fixed a priori error, boundary layer moisture retrievals appear to be improved via TPW classification of a priori first-guess errors. Six quality control (QC) tests, which check non-converged or bad retrievals, large residuals, high terrain and desert areas, and large temperature and moisture deviations from the first guess regression retrieval, are also applied in the AIRS physical retrievals. Significantly large errors are found for the retrievals rejected by these six QCs, and the retrieval errors are substantially reduced via QC over land, which suggest the usefulness and high impact of the QCs, especially over land. In conclusion, the use of dynamic a priori error information according to atmospheric moistness, and the use of appropriate QCs dealing with the geographical information and the deviation from the first-guess as well as the conventional inverse performance are suggested to improve temperature and moisture retrievals and their applications.     

New Data About Cosmic Spherules and Microdiamonds from Middle Pleistocene Selenge River Basin in North Mongolia

This paper deals with new discovery of cosmic spherules and microdiamonds from Middle Pleistocene Selenge river basin on the Teel aggradation terrace. The Teel aggradation terrace is located at the left edge of the Selenge River, at the pedestal of mountain Namnan uul (Dorjnamjaa et al., 2008). The Teel ter-race is those whose cusp and bench entirely composed of alluvial deposits. This indicates that the Selenge River has a long history of development, and had time to develop a flood plain and to deposit alluvium, through which it cut subsequently and left behind a Teel terrace. Alluvium studies may be of great practi-cal interest because in some areas, river terraces are veritable treasure-troves of economic minerals. With river terraces are associated most placer deposits of such important economic minerals as gold, platinum, diamond, etc. Numerous engineering projects, such as bridges(Kherlen, Tuul, Selenge, Orkhon, Baidrag, Zavkhan, etc.), dams (Ulaan Boom), hydropower plants(Durgun Nuur, Ulaan Boom) are built on alluvial deposits. Hence we need to know all the essential fea-tures of the geostructure of river terraces. Our investi-gation of the Selenge river terraces in 2006-2008 gave a possibility to discover the placer diamonds within the Teel aggradation terrace for the first time in Mongolia.     

叶缘—年均温中国模型在定量重建中国新生代植物群古年均温中的应用

叶缘分析法是一种利用现代植被木本双子叶植物全缘叶物种百分比与年均温的函数关系,定量重建化石植物群古年均温的方法。该方法在新生代植物群的古年均温定量重建研究中得到了广泛的应用。目前基于世界不同地区现代植被的研究表明,尽管全缘叶物种百分比与年均温存在很好的相关性,但其相关性具有地区差异性。本文旨在总结叶缘分析法的研究进展,并介绍基于中国植被建立的叶缘—年均温中国模型;同时,采用该模型重建了中国新生代不同时期植物群的古年均温,且与前人采用其它模型得到的年均温重建值相比较。结果表明,叶缘—年均温中国模型能够有效地重建中国新生代植物群的古年均温值。     

Iverya averyi gen.nov.and sp.nov.,a New Triadotypomorphan Species from the Middle Triassic at Picton,New South Wales,Australia

<正>A new specimen assigned to the species Iverya averyi gen.nov.and sp.nov.is described.This species is considered as a triadotypomorphan insect,a poorly known group of Triassic stem-odonatans.Like other triadotypomorphans,this species exhibits an area between MA and MP that is comparatively broad,and a cubitoanal area involving an AA stem distinct from CuA+CuP+AA emitting several posterior branches.Diagnostic character states of the new species are listed.Although incomplete,the specimen provides new information on the wing morphology of triadotypomorphans.This discovery might contribute to better assessment of the phylogenetic position of triadotypomorphan species with respect to other stem-odonatans.     

A New Species of the Family Juraperlidae(Insecta:Grylloblattida)from the Middle Jurassic of China

<正>Juraperla grandis sp.nov.(Grylloblattida:Juraperlidae) is described from the Daohugou locality (Middle Jurassic,China).Its wing venation is very similar to that of Juraperla daohugouensis Huang and Nel,2007 (Grylloblattida:Juraperlidae),in the particular occurrence of a supplementary longitudinal vein in the area between the anterior wing margin and ScP.The larger size of the new specimen,the lower number of CuA1 branches,and the occurrence of two rows of cells between MP and CuA in forewings justify the erection of a new species,J.grandis sp.nov..The material also preserved hind wing and body structures,described for the first time in Juraperlidae.     

基于植被状态指数的全国干旱遥感监测试验研究(Ⅱ)--干旱遥感监测模型与结果分析部分

通过利用1981～1994年连续504旬的由NOAA AVHRR 8km分辨率的NDVI时间系列数据,以及对应时段的全国102,个固定农气观测站的旬土壤湿度资料(-20cm),建立了植被状态指数(VCI)与土壤湿度之间的统计模型,由土壤湿度旱情等级标准来换算出每旬用VCI进行干旱遥感监测的旱情等级标准,以确定出全国的逐句旱情分布。对模型进行的统计检验表明,模型都通过了置信度为a=0．05统计检验。监测试验结果表明,这种方法在作物生长期内应用于大范围旱情遥感监测,有效且简便易行。     

Biogeochemical evolution of a landfill leachate plume, Norman, Oklahoma

Leachate from municipal landfills can create groundwater contaminant plumes that may last for decades to centuries. The fate of reactive contaminants in leachate-affected aquifers depends on the sustainability of biogeochemical processes affecting contaminant transport. Temporal variations in the configuration of redox zones downgradient from the Norman Landfill were studied for more than a decade. The leachate plume contained elevated concentrations of nonvolatile dissolved organic carbon (NVDOC) (up to 300 mg/L), methane (16 mg/L), ammonium (650 mg/L as N), iron (23 mg/L), chloride (1030 mg/L), and bicarbonate (4270 mg/L). Chemical and isotopic investigations along a 2D plume transect revealed consumption of solid and aqueous electron acceptors in the aquifer, depleting the natural attenuation capacity. Despite the relative recalcitrance of NVDOC to biodegradation, the center of the plume was depleted in sulfate, which reduces the long-term oxidation capacity of the leachate-affected aquifer. Ammonium and methane were attenuated in the aquifer relative to chloride by different processes: ammonium transport was retarded mainly by physical interaction with aquifer solids, whereas the methane plume was truncated largely by oxidation. Studies near plume boundaries revealed temporal variability in constituent concentrations related in part to hydrologic changes at various time scales. The upper boundary of the plume was a particularly active location where redox reactions responded to recharge events and seasonal water-table fluctuations. Accurately describing the biogeochemical processes that affect the transport of contaminants in this landfill-leachate-affected aquifer required understanding the aquifer's geologic and hydrodynamic framework.     

Assessing water quality in Marine Protected Areas from Southern California, USA

Despite the regulatory mandate to maintain “natural water quality”, there are ?271 storm drain discharges that potentially threaten the 14 designated marine water quality protected areas in Southern California called Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS). After sampling 35 site-events, the geomean concentrations of total suspended solids, nutrients, total and dissolved trace metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the ocean following storm events were similar between reference drainages and ASBS discharge sites. Concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons were nondetectable and no post-storm sample exhibited significant toxicity to the endemic purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) near ASBS discharge sites. A reference-based threshold was developed and, despite the similarities in average concentrations, there were some individual ASBS discharge sites that were greater than reference background. Cumulatively across all ASBS, the constituents that were most frequently greater than the reference-based threshold were nutrients and general constituents, followed by dissolved and total trace metals.     

Anthropogenic metal contamination and sapropel imprints in deep Mediterranean sediments

Sediment cores from the deep Balearic basin and the Cretan Sea provide evidence for the accumulation of Cd, Pd and Zn in the top few centimeters of the abyssal Mediterranean sea-bottom. In both cores, 206Pb/207Pb profiles confirm this anthropogenic impact with less radiogenic imprints toward surface sediments. The similarity between excess 210Pb accumulated in the top core and the 210Pb flux suggests that top core metal inventories reasonably reflect long-term atmospheric deposition to the open Mediterranean. Pb inventory in the western core for the past 100 years represents 20-30% of sediment coastal inventories, suggesting that long-term atmospheric deposition determined from coastal areas has to be used cautiously for mass balance calculations in the open Mediterranean. In the deeper section of both cores, Al normalized trace metal profiles suggest diagenetic remobilization of Fe, Mn, Cu and, to a lesser extent, Pb that likely corresponds to sapropel event S1.