Population ecology of the endangered Himalayan Yew in Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary of North Western Himalaya for conservation management

The Himalayan Yew （Taxus baccata subsp, wallichiana） is an endangered native high value medicinal plant of the Himalayan Region. The several medicinal properties of the bark and leaves of this species have increased its risk of extinction due to pressures for utilization. It is also subjected to harvest for fuelwood. The species does not regenerate well from seed and that is another risk factor. The objective of this research was to investigate the population ecology of the species as a foundation for its conservation. Six forest communities in the Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary where the species is present were sampled. The abundance of the species, impacts of harvesting and its current regeneration patterns indicate that it may soon be extirpated from the Sanctuary. A plan for conserving the remaining sub-populations is presented. It could provide a template for conservation in other locations where the species is at risk.     

Coastal upwelling along the north coast of Papua New Guinea and SST cooling over the pacific warm pool: A case study for the 2002/03 El Niño event

We investigate an overlooked mechanism—coastal upwelling—for sea surface temperature (SST) cooling in the western side of the mean location of the Pacific warm pool (WSWP: 5°S–5°N, 140°E–150°E) prior to El Niño onset. We analyze various observed data such as the TRIangle Trans-Ocean buoy Network (TRITON) moored buoy data, Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) data, satellite data and a hindcast experiment output by a high-resolution ocean general circulation model (OGCM). We focus on the precondition of the 2002/03 El Niño event, for which many datasets are available. Relatively cool water upwelled along the north coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG) during December 2001, prior to the onset of the 2002/03 El Niño event, and then spread out over a wider area to the northeast. Simultaneously, strong west-northerly surface winds occur along the north coast. Heat budget analysis of TRITON buoy data in the WSWP reveals that negative zonal heat advection due to eastward current is the main factor for cooling the mixed layer in the WSWP in contrast to the warming effect of the surface heat flux during the period. This cooling requires a source of colder water to the west. Similar analysis of OGCM outputs also suggests that the upwelled relatively cool water along the PNG north coast, and its northeastward extension to the equatorial region, contributes to cooling of the surface water over the WSWP mainly via negative zonal heat advection. Similar mechanisms are confirmed also for the 1982/83 and 1997/98 El Niño events by analyses of OGCM outputs and historical SST data. The low SST in the WSWP generated a positive zonal SST gradient together with high SST east of the WSWP. It may contribute to enhancement of the westerly surface wind in this region, leading to the onset of the 2002/03 El Niño event.     

Bathymetry enhancement by altimetry-derived gravity anomalies in the East Sea (Sea of Japan)

The gravity-geologic method (GGM) was used to enhance the bathymetry of the East Sea (Sea of Japan) with satellite altimetry-derived free-air gravity anomalies and shipborne depth measurements. By comparison with the bathymetry model of Smith and Sandwell’s (SAS) approach (1994), GGM was found to have an advantage with short wavelength (≤12 km) components, while SAS better predicts longer wavelength (≥25 km) components, despite its dependency on density contrast. To mitigate this limitation, a tuning density contrast of 10.25 g/cm³ between seawater and the seafloor was primarily estimated by the downward continuation method and then validated by the check points method with GGM. Similarly, SAS is limited by the “A” value in low-pass part of the Wiener filter, which defines the effective range of the wavelength components on bathymetry. As a final result, we present an enhanced GGM bathymetry model by integrating all available data.     

1010号台风“莫兰蒂”对福建近海风场的影响及其成因分析

分析福建沿岸区域气象自动站、近海气象浮标站等有关风的精细观测资料以及NCEP再分析、雷达反演风场等资料,研究了2010年第10号台风"莫兰蒂"影响福建期间,福建近海风场分布的特点及其成因,以寻找台风影响时福建近海风场预报的着眼点.结果表明:受到环境场及台湾海峡狭管效应,气流与中央山脉之间绕流、阻挡等共同作用,1010号台风"莫兰蒂"影响福建期间,大风在海区上主要集中分布在台风环流东部和福建北部海区;福建中部沿海最早出现大风;而大部分台风影响时间中,中部沿海风力大于北部、南部沿海风力,呈现中间大两头小的布局.特别是1010号台风"莫兰蒂",进入台湾海峡后发展成微型台风,靠近台风的测站在台风临近时才大风突起.而这种微型台风,大风天气突发性强,在风的精细预报中要特别注意短时临近的监控监测.对比各种资料的应用效果表明:NCEP再分析资料反映的主要是海区的大风分布;雷达反演风场,必须结合实况资料验证,具有一定的参考价值;近海浮标站资料,能较早反映台风影响时风场的演变特点,但近海浮标站所观测的海区风力不一定大于相近的沿岸区域气象自动站所观测的沿海风力,二者所观测到的风力、风向的变化与台风位置密切相关.在业务预报中,对近海浮标站资料的应用,还需深入研究,具体情况具体分析.     

藻类磷酸甘露糖异构酶基因的序列结构特点及系统进化分析

磷酸甘露糖异构酶基因(phosphomannose isomerase,PMI)编码磷酸甘露糖异构酶(PMI),可逆催化甘露糖-6-磷酸和果糖-6-磷酸之间的相互转化,在GDP-D-甘露糖的合成中起重要的作用,后者是生物体合成糖蛋白和糖脂必需的前体物质。本文根据在Genbank中已经登录的部分藻类PMI基因序列,与部分细菌、真菌、植物和动物的PMI基因序列做比较,研究其进化趋势和规律及其基因结构,为以后在大型藻类中研究该基因奠定基础。系统进化分析表明,藻类的PMI基因有2个进化方向,绿藻类的PMI基因与高等植物的进化趋势一致;而杂色藻类(硅藻和褐藻)则单独形成一个进化分支。多序列比对表明,磷酸甘露糖异构酶蛋白有3个保守区,其中有4个氨基酸残基位点是金属离子结合位点,分别为2个Glu和2个His。对部分藻类的PMI基因进行结构分析表明:在比较低等的藻类中,PMI基因没有内含子插入,而较高等的藻类中则有不同数目和长度的内含子插入。对部分藻类PMI基因的生物信息学分析结果显示,PMI基因编码的蛋白为酸性蛋白,分子量在40到60kDa之间;二级结构中均以α-螺旋和无规则卷曲为主;三级结构与二级结构相吻合。     

广西北海涠洲岛海岸侵蚀特征

通过对2006-2013年布设在涠洲岛的15条岸滩剖面3次重复测量和数据对比分析,发现涠洲岛岸线整体遭受侵蚀.岸滩剖面长期变化特征表明,涠洲岛东部与西南部海岸侵蚀较为严重,西南部岸段年均下蚀可达0.18 m;正北部岸滩海岸侵蚀程度相对较轻,南湾段海岸整体变化较小,呈现弱侵蚀弱淤积变化.在短期强热带风暴影响下,冬季至夏季岸滩下蚀明显.     

Effects of cold eddy on phytoplankton production and assemblages in Luzon strait bordering the South China Sea

The biochemical effects of a cold-core eddy that was shed from the Kuroshio Current at the Luzon Strait bordering the South China Sea (SCS) were studied in late spring, a relatively unproductive season in the SCS. The extent of the eddy was determined by time-series images of SeaWiFS ocean color, AVHRR sea surface temperature, and TOPEX/Jason-1 sea surface height anomaly. Nutrient budgets, nitrate-based new production, primary production, and phytoplankton assemblages were compared between the eddy and its surrounding Kuroshio and SCS waters. The enhanced productivity in the eddy was comparable to wintertime productivity in the SCS basin, which is supported by upwelled subsurface nitrate under the prevailing Northeastern Monsoon. There were more Synechococcus, pico-eucaryotes, and diatoms, but less Trichodesmium in the surface water inside the eddy than outside. Prochlorococcus and Richelia intracellularis showed no spatial differences. Water column-integrated primary production (IPP) inside the eddy was 2–3 times that outside the eddy in the SCS (1.09 vs. 0.59 g C m⁻²d⁻¹), as was nitrate-based new production (INP) (0.67 vs. 0.25 g C m⁻²d⁻¹). INP in the eddy was 6 times that in the Kuroshio (0.12 g C m⁻²d⁻¹). IPP and INP in the eddy were higher than the maximum production values ever measured in the SCS basin. Surface chlorophyll a concentration (0.40 mg m⁻³) in the eddy equaled the maximum concentration registered for the SCS basin and was higher than the wintertime average (0.29 ± 0.04 mg m⁻³). INP was 3.5 times as great and IPP was doubled in the eddy compared to the wintertime SCS basin. As cold core eddies form intermittently all year round as the Kuroshio invades the SCS, their effects on phytoplankton productivity and assemblages are likely to have important influences on the biogeochemical cycle of the region.     

Arctic sea-ice motion and its relation to pressure field

Daily Arctic sea-ice motion maps during the winter seasons (December–March) from December 1988 to March 2003 derived from NSCAT, QuikSCAT, SSM/I, and AMSRE data by a wavelet analysis method have been merged with those derived from buoy data. These merged sea-ice motion data have been used to study the circulation regimes and winter-to-winter variability of Arctic sea-ice motion. The relation between sea-ice motion and the pressure field in the Arctic Ocean was also studied by applying Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to the monthly merged sea-ice motion data and the monthly pressure field data from IABP. The mean Arctic sea-ice motion map of the 15 winter seasons has two distinct features: the Beaufort Gyre and a cyclonic circulation system in the Eurasian Basin, which moves ice from the Laptev Sea to Fram Strait. The strengths and sizes of the two features change from one winter season to another. Seasons with a strong or normal Beaufort Gyre alternate with seasons with a weak or no Beaufort Gyre every one to three seasons. The principal components of the first two modes of PCA of the monthly sea-ice motion are closely correlated with their counterparts of the monthly pressure field in the Arctic Ocean. The mode-one components of these two anomalies alternate between anticyclonic and cyclonic circulation systems. The correlation between Arctic Oscillation indexes and the principal components of the first mode of PCA of the monthly Arctic sea-ice motion is low but statistically significant.     

Characterization of marine microplankton communities of Qingdao coastal areas using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA（RAPD）

Microplankton communities of three coastal sites of Qingdao, Shandong Province, China were investigated using RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) molecular markers and morphological observations. Eight RAPD-primers were selected to amplify the DNA polymorphy. The genetic distances inferred from the pairwise similari-ties were calculated for the phylogenetic tree construction. Meantime, the traditional microscopic determination, a way of visualizing the species composition, was performed to detect the major taxa of microplanktons from all samples. Results showed that: (1) the band sharing index values were in the range of 0. 504 2-0. 763 2 among samples from the same sampling site at different time scales, while 0.406 5-0.685 7 among the samples from different stations at the same time scales, indicating that spatial variations of microplankton communities were more pronounced than temporal ones; (2) samples from the same station basically clustered together, cor-responding to the geographic distribution of the sampling sites; (3) diversity derived from genetic and morpho-logical data did not correspond with each other well.     

Trend and dynamic cause of sediment particle size on the adjacent continental shelf of the Yangtze Estuary

Based on the measured data in recent 20 years, the variation trends of the median grain size of the surface sediment, the sand-silt boundary and the mud area on the adjacent continental shelf of the Yangtze Estuary were analyzed in depth, and the effects of natural mechanism and human activities were discussed. The results show that:(1) In recent years(2006-2013), the median grain size of sediment and the distribution pattern of grouped sediments in the adjacent continental shelf area to the Yangtze Estuary have presented no obvious change compared with those before 2006;(2) The median diameter of the surface sediment in the continental shelf area displayed a coarsening trend with the decrease of sediment discharge from the basin and the drop in suspended sediment concentration in the shore area;(3) In 2004-2007, the sand-silt boundary in the north part(31°30′N) of the continental shelf area presented no significant changes, while that in the south part(31°30′S) moved inwards; In 2008-2013, both the sand-silt boundaries in the north and south parts of the continental shelf area moved inwards, mainly due to the fact that in the dry season, a relatively enhanced hydrodynamic force of the tides was generated in the Yangtze River, as well as a decreased suspended sediment concentration and a flow along the banks in North Jiangsu;(4) The mud area where the maximum deposition rate is found in the Yangtze Estuary, tends to shrink due to the drop in sediment discharge from the basin, and the decrease in suspended sediment concentration in the shore area and erosion in the delta. Moreover, it tended to shift to the south at the same time because the implement of the training works on the deep-water channel of the North Passage changed the split ratio between the North and South Passages with an increase in the power of the discharged runoff in the South Passage.