Study of statistically correcting model CMAQ-MOS for forecasting regional air quality

Based on analysis of the air pollution observational data at 8 observation sites in Beijing including outer suburbs during the period from September 2004 to March 2005, this paper reveals synchronal and in-phase characteristics in the spatial and temporal variation of air pollutants on a city-proper scale at deferent sites; describes seasonal differences of the pollutant emission influence between the heating and non-heating periods, also significantly local differences of the pollutant emission influence between the urban district and outer suburbs, i.e. the spatial and temporal distribution of air pollutant is closely related with that of the pollutant emission intensity. This study shows that due to complexity of the spatial and temporal distribution of pollution emission sources, the new generation Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model developed by the EPA of USA produced forecasts, as other models did, with a systematic error of significantly lower than observations, albeit the model has better capability than previous models had in predicting the spatial distribution and variation tendency of multi-sort pollutants. The reason might be that the CMAQ adopts average amount of pollutant emission inventory, so that the model is difficult to objectively and finely describe the distribution and variation of pollution emission sources intensity on different spatial and temporal scales in the areas, in which the pollution is to be forecast. In order to correct the systematic prediction error resulting from the average pollutant emission inventory in CMAQ, this study proposes a new way of combining dynamics and statistics and establishes a statistically correcting model CMAQ-MOS for forecasts of regional air quality by utilizing the relationship of CMAQ outputs with corresponding observations, and tests the forecast capability. The investigation of experiments presents that CMAQ-MOS reduces the systematic errors of CMAQ because of the uncertainty of pollution emission inventory and improves the forecast level of air quality. Also this work employed a way of combining point and area forecasting, i.e. taking the products of CMAQ for a center site to forecast air pollution for other sites in vicinity with the scheme of model products "reanalysis" and average over the "area".     

The diurnal and seasonal characteristics of urban heat island variation in Beijing city and surrounding areas and impact factors based on remote sensing satellite data

Based on the land surface temperature (LST), the land cover classification map,vegetation coverage, and surface evapotranspiration derived from EOS-MODIS satellite data, and by the use of GIS spatial analytic technique and multivariate statistical analysis method, the urban heat island (UHI) spatial distribution of the diurnal and seasonal variabilities and its driving forces are studied in Beijing city and surrounding areas in 2001. The relationships among UHI distribution and landcover categories, topographic factor, vegetation greenness, and surface evapotranspiration are analyzed. The results indicate that: (i) The significant UHI occur in Beijing city areas in the four seasons due to high heat capacity and multi-reflection of compression building, as well as with special topographic features of its three sides surrounded by mountains,especially in the summer. The UHI spatial distribution is corresponding with the urban geometry structure profile. The LST difference is approximately 4-6℃ between Beijing city and suburb areas, comparatively is 8- 10℃ between Beijing city area and outer suburb area in northwestern regions. (ii) The UHI distribution and intensity in daytime are different from nighttime in Beijing city area, the nighttime UHI is obvious. However, in the daytime, the significant UHI mainly appears in the summer, the autumn takes second place, and the UHI in the winter and the spring seem not obvious. The surface evapotranspiration in suburb areas is larger than that in urban areas in the summer, and high latent heat exchange is evident, which leads to LST difference between city area and suburb area. (iii) The reflection of surface landcover categories is sensitive to the UHI, the correlation between vegetation greenness and UHI shows obviously negative.The scatterplot shows that there is the negative correlation between NDVI and LST (R2 = 0.6481).The results demonstrate that the vegetation greenness is an important factor for reducing the UHI,and large-scale construction of greenbelts can considerably reduce the UHI effect.     

Research relevance, 'knowledge transfer' and the geographies of CASE studentship collaboration

The Co-operative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE) studentship programme of the UK Research Councils provide one example of wider efforts internationally to encourage so-called 'knowledge transfer' and thereby harness publicly supported university research more closely to the goals of national competitiveness, regional economic development and local regeneration. In this paper we describe the implications of how the various UK research councils have interpreted the objectives and beneficiaries of 'knowledge transfer', both for the relative opportunities available to human and physical geographers for collaboration through CASE and for the sorts of values that their research must serve. Then, we draw on unpublished data from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to explore the geographies of CASE studentship allocation and participation. The broad regional and institutional patterns of participation we describe have important implications for ongoing debates in the UK about research selectivity and the role of the university as an engine of local development, while the striking disciplinary patterns of CASE participation, and in particular the overwhelming success of geographers in this competitive programme, provide an opportunity to reassess claims about whether and for whom geographical research is relevant.     

Source and movement of helium in the eastern Morongo groundwater Basin: The influence of regional tectonics on crustal and mantle helium fluxes

We assess the role of fracturing and seismicity on fluid-driven mass transport of helium using groundwaters from the eastern Morongo Basin (EMB), California, USA. The EMB, located ∼200 km east of Los Angeles, lies within a tectonically active region known as the Eastern California Shear Zone that exhibits both strike-slip and extensional deformation. Helium concentrations from 27 groundwaters range from 0.97 to 253.7 × 10⁻⁷ cm³ STP g⁻¹H₂O, with corresponding ³He/⁴He ratios falling between 1.0 and 0.26 R_A (where R_A is the ³He/⁴He ratio of air). All groundwaters had helium isotope ratios significantly higher than the crustal production value of ∼0.02 R_A. Dissolved helium concentrations were resolved into components associated with solubility equilibration, air entrainment, in situ production within the aquifer, and extraneous fluxes (both crustal and mantle derived). All samples contained a mantle helium-3 (³He_m) flux in the range of 4.5 to 1351 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm³ STP ³He cm⁻² yr⁻¹ and a crustal flux (J₀) between 0.03 and 300 × 10⁻⁷ cm³ STP ⁴He cm⁻² yr⁻¹. Groundwaters from the eastern part of the basin contained significantly higher ³He_m and deep crustal helium-4 (⁴He_dc) concentrations than other areas, suggesting a localized source for these components. ⁴He_dc and ³He_m are strongly correlated, and are associated with faults in the basin. A shallow thermal anomaly in a >3,000 m deep graben in the eastern basin suggests upflow of fluids through active faults associated with extensional tectonics. Regional tectonics appears to drive large scale crustal fluid transport, whereas episodic hydrofracturing provides an effective mechanism for mantle-crust volatile transport identified by variability in the magnitude of degassing fluxes (³He_m and J₀) across the basin.     

大学城的另类定位--广州旅游的"太阳"

从旅游的角度,运用定性分析和比较分析的方法,分析广州大学城,发现它在广州所有景区中,最有资格和条件担当广州旅游的“太阳”。它位于广州市番禺区新造镇小谷围岛,投资规模、大学数量、占地面积和规划人口容量皆为中国之最,是世界最大的人造景区,具有浓浓的文化氛围、时代气息,能够体现与闪烁广州的灵魂与精神。为此,广州应在大学城的建设中为未来角色创造更好的条件。     

基于高通量测序的表层水体纤毛虫多样性评估方法比较与优化

基于扩增子的高通量测序技术广泛应用于微型生物多样性的研究, 不同的测序手段和数据分析流程, 影响着微型生物多样性与群落结构的分析结果。本研究以易于形态鉴定的砂壳纤毛虫作为研究对象, 比较DNA测序、RNA测序和形态学方法检获的多样性和物种组成等, 探究序列分析流程中关键步骤: 嵌合体处理、可操作分类单元分析方法选择、合并相似分类单元以及去除稀有类群等对多样性结果的影响。研究结果显示无论基于DNA还是RNA的分子手段与形态学方法检获的主要物种基本一致, 与DNA测序相比, RNA测序检获的物种数少, 但差异不显著。基于97%以上相似度聚类和单核苷酸变异所得群落结构相似, 无显著差异; 且所有分析方法都能在一定程度上反映出自然界中不同类群的相对丰度。相较于单核苷酸变异和其他相似度阈值, 99%相似度下聚类所得多样性更为接近形态学结果。去除嵌合体和稀有类群(去除阈值: DNA测序0.05%; RNA测序0.07%), 可明显改善分子多样性虚高的问题。本研究为纤毛虫等真核微生物的分子多样性研究提供了科学的数据分析流程, 对未来真核微生物多样性研究具有指导意义。     

地质岩芯科技资源科普化工作探索与实践——以自然资源实物地质资料中心为例

岩芯科技资源科普化是打通地质科研—科普链条的重要途径,本文通过梳理我国岩芯科技资源现状,分析了岩芯科技资源科普化的现实意义,重点阐述了岩芯科技资源在向地质科普转化5个方面的探索与实践,提出了今后岩芯科技资源科普化工作应建立良好政策机制制度、转变科研人员观念、科技知识向科普转化水平、新技术新手段的应用以及做好科普活动的实施总结等5项工作建议。