Engagement in the Third U.S. National Climate Assessment: commitment,capacity, and communication for impact

This paper examines the dynamics of energy investments and clean energy Research and Development (R&D) using a scenario-based modeling approach. Starting from the global scenarios proposed in the RoSE model ensemble experiment, we analyze the dynamics of investments under different assumptions regarding economic and population growth as well as availability of fossil fuel resources, in the absence of a climate policy. Our analysis indicates that economic growth and the speed of income convergence across countries matters for improvements in energy efficiency, both via dedicated R&D investments but mostly through capital-energy substitution. In contrast, fossil fuel prices, by changing the relative competitiveness of energy sources, create an economic opportunity for radical innovation in the energy sector. Indeed, our results suggest that fossil fuel availability is the key driver of investments in low carbon energy innovation. However, this innovation, by itself, is not sufficient to induce emission reductions compatible with climate stabilization objectives.     

南秦岭金龙山微细浸染型金矿成矿时代

 金龙山金矿带是南秦岭新发现的卡林型金矿带,主要产于上泥盆统南羊山组细碎屑岩—碳酸盐岩建造中,在上泥盆统冷水河组、下石炭统碳酸盐建造中也有产出,可分为明显受断裂控制的脉型金矿化和受有利岩性及小规模断裂、节理控制的浸染型矿化。     

公路路面热效应对环境气温的影响分析

为定量研究公路对气温观测的影响,本文使用2014年1—5月在陕西省开展的两组公路观测试验的逐分钟温度、风向、风速等气象资料,对比分析了合阳县国道和渭蒲高速公路在不同季节、不同天空状况以及不同背景风速条件下对周围环境气温观测的影响程度和影响距离。试验结果表明:公路对周围的环境温度有一定的增温影响,合阳国道对环境温度的增温影响至75m,增温效应达0.25~0.4℃。高速公路的增温影响至125m,增温效应达0.2~0.4℃。冬季,两条公路白天增温效应较夜间明显,春季,高速公路夜间增温更明显。晴天、多云天气比阴天、降雨天气增温程度大。公路对气温的增温影响存在风速阈值,当风速小于对应阈值时,增温效应明显。公路上来往车流量对气温有一定的叠加增温影响,合阳国道白天车流量150~350辆,叠加增温效应0.05~0.1℃,蒲渭高速白天车流量2000~3500辆,叠加增温效应0.16℃。     

The spatial distribution of archaeal lipids in a mesoscale subtropical watershed,Southeast China

Archaea play an important role in global carbon and nitrogen cycles. Archaeal lipids, such as isoprenoid glycerol diakyl glycerol tetraethers (iGDGTs), are important biomarkers tracing change in archaeal community structure and biogeochemical processes in the natural environments. In this research, the spatial distributions of archaeal lipids in the surface sediments of the Jiulong River (JR) and the Jiulong River estuary (JRE) were examined. GDGT-0 (containing zero cyclopentyl ring) and crenarchaeol were the most abundant iGDGTs in the JR and JRE. From the rivers to the estuary, the total iGDGTs, GDGT-0, crenarchaeol and archaeol concentrations showed significant spatial variation; in particular, GDGT-0 and archaeol in the river may be predominantly derived in situ from methanogens, whereas crenarchaeol in the estuary mainly derived in situ from Thaumarchaeota. We inferred that archaeal community was dominated by methanogens in the Jiulong River and by Thaumarchaeota in the Jiulong River estuary, which are consistent with change in archaeal community structure observed in other estuarine environments.     

An Efficient Numerical Method for Computing Synthetic Seismograms for a Layered Half-space with Sources and Receivers at Close or Same Depths

— It is difficult to compute synthetic seismograms for a layered half-space with sources and receivers at close to or the same depths using the generalized R/T coefficient method (Kennett, 1983; Luco and Apsel, 1983; Yao and Harkrider, 1983; Chen, 1993), because the wavenumber integration converges very slowly. A semi-analytic method for accelerating the convergence, in which part of the integration is implemented analytically, was adopted by some authors (Apsel and Luco, 1983; Hisada, 1994, 1995). In this study, based on the principle of the Repeated Averaging Method (Dahlquist and Björck, 1974; Chang, 1988), we propose an alternative, efficient, numerical method, the peak-trough averaging method (PTAM), to overcome the difficulty mentioned above. Compared with the semi-analytic method, PTAM is not only much simpler mathematically and easier to implement in practice, but also more efficient. Using numerical examples, we illustrate the validity, accuracy and efficiency of the new method.     

Characteristics of Permeability Changes in Bituminous Coal Under Conditions of Stress Variation Due to Repeated Mining Activities

The factors affecting permeability change under repeated mining of coal seams are important study aspects that need to be explored. This study combined various stress variation characteristics of protective seam mining and simplified the stress path of repeated mining in protective seam mines. Based on the results from the bespoke gas flow and displacement testing apparatus, seepage tests for simulated repetitive mining were carried out. The results simulated the actual behavior very well. With any drastic increase in the mining influence, the axial deviation stress in the stress path increased, and the greater the difference in coal permeability during the unloading and stress recovery stage, the more substantial the increase in permeability. The change in coal permeability was significantly influenced by the severity of simulated repeated mining cycles. When the mining stress exceeded a critical value, the permeability of the coal sample increased with the increase in the number of loading and unloading cycles, but the reverse was true when the mining stress was lower than the critical value. The effective sensitivity of seepage to the applied stress decreased with an increase in the number of stress cycles. With a decrease in the deviation stress, that is, with lower severity of mining influence, the effective sensitivity of coal seepage to stress gradually decreased.