Seasonal Variations of CH_4 Emissions in the Yangtze River Delta Region of China Are Driven by Agricultural Activities

Developed regions of the world represent a major atmospheric methane(CH_4) source, but these regional emissions remain poorly constrained. The Yangtze River Delta(YRD) region of China is densely populated(about 16% of China's total population) and consists of large anthropogenic and natural CH_4 sources. Here, atmospheric CH_4 concentrations measured at a 70-m tall tower in the YRD are combined with a scale factor Bayesian inverse(SFBI) modeling approach to constrain seasonal variations in CH_4 emissions. Results indicate that in 2018 agricultural soils(AGS, rice production) were the main driver of seasonal variability in atmospheric CH_4 concentration. There was an underestimation of emissions from AGS in the a priori inventories(EDGAR—Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research v432 or v50), especially during the growing seasons. Posteriori CH_4 emissions from AGS accounted for 39%(4.58 Tg, EDGAR v432) to 47%(5.21 Tg, EDGAR v50) of the total CH_4 emissions. The posteriori natural emissions(including wetlands and water bodies) were1.21 Tg and 1.06 Tg, accounting for 10.1%(EDGAR v432) and 9.5%(EDGAR v50) of total emissions in the YRD in2018. Results show that the dominant factor for seasonal variations in atmospheric concentration in the YRD was AGS,followed by natural sources. In summer, AGS contributed 42%(EDGAR v432) to 64%(EDGAR v50) of the CH_4 concentration enhancement while natural sources only contributed about 10%(EDGAR v50) to 15%(EDGAR v432). In addition, the newer version of the EDGAR product(EDGAR v50) provided more reasonable seasonal distribution of CH_4 emissions from rice cultivation than the old version(EDGAR v432).     

Radiolarians from the Pohang Basin,Southeast Korea and Paleoceanographic Implications

We identified a total of 101 species and two subspecies of radiolarians belonging to 56 genera from 95 samples collected from the Hagjeon and Duho Formations in the Pohang Basin of the southeastern Korean Peninsula. On the basis of the biostratigraphic range of Cyrtocapsella cornuta and Theocorys redondoensis, the depositional period of the upper Hagjeon and lowest Duho Formations was determined to be early to late Middle Miocene. The occurrence of deep-dwelling radiolarians indicates that the paleobathymetry seems to become gradually progressing toward an upper bathyal environment in the middle part of the Hagjeon Formation. However, we prefer to accept another interpretation for the occurrence of deep-sea indicators in the Hagjeon and the lowest part of the Duho Formations, and consider the presence of a region of upwelling cold water that might have simulated a deep-water environment in relatively shallow water. This interpretation is based on the present upwelling of a cold-water mass off the southeast coast of Korea, the occurrence of upwelling microfossils from the Pohang Basin, and the effect of the closing of the Korea Strait approximately 15 Ma. We also considered that the uppermost part of the studied section represents a shallow-water environment.     

Improvement in Background Error Covariances Using Ensemble Forecasts for Assimilation of High-Resolution Satellite Data

Satellite data obtained over synoptic data-sparse regions such as an ocean contribute toward improving the quality of the initial state of limited-area models. Background error covariances are crucial to the proper distribution of satellite-observed information in variational data assimilation. In the NMC (National Meteorological Center) method, background error covariances are underestimated over data-sparse regions such as an ocean because of small differences between different forecast times. Thus, it is necessary to reconstruct and tune the background error covariances so as to maximize the usefulness of the satellite data for the initial state of limited-area models, especially over an ocean where there is a lack of conventional data. In this study, we attempted to estimate background error covariances so as to provide adequate error statistics for data-sparse regions by using ensemble forecasts of optimal perturbations using bred vectors. The background error covariances estimated by the ensemble method reduced the overestimation of error amplitude obtained by the NMC method. By employing an appropriate horizontal length scale to exclude spurious correlations, the ensemble method produced better results than the NMC method in the assimilation of retrieved satellite data. Because the ensemble method distributes observed information over a limited local area, it would be more useful in the analysis of high-resolution satellite data. Accordingly, the performance of forecast models can be improved over the area where the satellite data are assimilated.     

From the editors

Dear Contributors,Readers and Friends: 2011 milestones the tenth anniversary of the Journal of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration.we first want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to those retiring members of the Editorial Board for their valuable contributions in the past,and to welcome those who joined the Editorial Board this year. As we mentioned in our message to you in December 2010,effective 20ll,the journal is officially co-sponsored by the Huixian Earthquake     

H2O Abundance in Depleted to Moderately Enriched Mid-ocean Ridge Magmas; Part I: Incompatible Behaviour, Implications for Mantle Storage, and Origin of Regional Variations

The H₂O contents and trace-element abundances are presentedfor two well-studied suites of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)glasses from the Northern East Pacific Rise (EPR, 9–11°N)and the South East Indian Ridge (SEIR, 127–129°E).Exactly the same region of the glass samples has been analysedfor these components using microbeam techniques. Our data allowexamination of the fine details of H₂O geochemical behaviourduring MORB genesis. We demonstrate that relative H₂O contents[i.e. H₂O/(another incompatible element)] vary systematicallywith increasing (La/Sm)_N in MORB glasses from both the EPR andSEIR. This indicates that H₂O behaves like other incompatible(in peridotite mineralogies) elements during MORB petrogenesis,and is primarily controlled by solid–melt partitioning.However, the relative H₂O contents of MORB glasses from theSEIR are higher than in glasses from the EPR at a given (La/Sm)_N,demonstrating global variations in the H₂O contents of MORB.Despite regional differences in relative H₂O contents, the incompatiblebehaviour of H₂O is similar in both studied regions. The relativeincompatibility of H₂O varies systematically with increasing(La/Sm)_N: in depleted MORB, H₂O is similar to La whereas inEMORB, H₂O is similar to Ce. Similar patterns of varying relativeincompatibility (to REE) are displayed by Zr, Hf, and P. Ourdata are best explained if H₂O is stored in the mantle in thesame phase with LREE (clinopyroxene?) at sub-solidus. Regionalvariations in relative H₂O contents in EMORB that have moreradiogenic Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes might be explained by differencesin the nature of enriched components recycled via subductionprocesses. However, when EMORB have the same radiogenic isotopecompositions as NMORB within a segment, relative H₂O contentsin EMORB probably reflect local processes that lead to enrichmentin incompatible elements. Regional differences in relative H₂Ocontents of NMORB may reflect either initial variations in theEarth’s mantle or inhomogeneities left after formationof the continental crust. KEY WORDS: glass; geochemistry; H₂O; MORB; petrology     

沙尘分析及等离子空气清洁系统沙尘去除效果的评价

本研究对在中国和韩国采集的沙尘的粒径分布及质量浓度进行了测定,使用黄沙标准物质对基于静电沉降原理的等离子空气清洁系统的去除沙尘效率进行了评价。本研究所使用的黄沙采集于北京和汉城,其粒径中值在7.0~80μm之间,浓度范围为300~1462μg·m^-3。在单通道测试中,沙尘去除效果随粒径增大和流速降低而增加。系统速度为1.0m·s^-1时,去除率大于80%。在27m2的房间中,进行多通道测试时,浓度为300μg·m^-3的大气颗粒物仅用10min即可降至150μg·m^-3。因此,等离子空气清洁系统能够有效地去除沙尘及保持室内空气质量。