北山戈壁荒漠地区1：5万植物地球化学测量效果

北山戈壁荒漠景观区土壤垂直剖面不存在通常的A、B、C分层结构，且掺杂有大量风成沙。在公婆泉地区开展1：5万常规地球化学测量方法研究的同时，进行了植物地球化学测量试验研究。研究表明，两种方法的主要指示元素异常有很好对应性，红沙是我国西部干旱荒漠广大地区开展植物地球化学测量的一种良好采样对象。     

中国东北样带NDVI的季节变化及其与气候因子的关系

NDVI是研究大尺度生态学问题一个非常有用的指数,它可以为估价全球植被动态模型提供足够的信息.中国东北样带是全球变化研究中首选样带之一,本文分析了分辨率为1km×1km的NDVI年内季节变化的两个特征值:年均NDVI(NDVI-I)和NDVI年内极差(NDVI-MM)在样带内5种不同植被类型间的变化及其与年平均气温和降水量之间的相关关系.结果表明,NDVI具有明显的季节变化格局,NDVI-I和NDVI-MM由东到西均呈下降趋势,NDVI-I与降水量具有显著的线性回归关系,降水量能够解释NDVI-I和NDVI-MM空间变异的绝大部分.这一结果说明NDVI反映了植被沿环境梯度的时空变化格局,可用于监测样带植被对气候变化的响应.     

Temporal variations of shear-wave splitting in field and laboratory studies in China

Observations of shear-wave splitting at seismic stations above a swarm of small earthquakes on Hainan Island, China, and other examples world-wide, suggest that the time-delays of split shear-waves monitor the build up of stress before earthquakes and the stress release as earthquakes occur. Rock physics experiments on marble specimens also show variations of shear-wave time-delays with uniaxial pressure analogous to the field observations. The rock experiments show an abrupt decrease in time-delays immediately before fracturing occurs. Similar precursory behaviour has been observed before earthquakes elsewhere, and is believed to be important for two reasons. Precursory changes in shear-wave splitting could be used for short-term forecasting, but of greater importance may be the information such behaviour provides about the source processes in earthquake preparation zones.     

The importance of plant root characteristics in controlling concentrated flow erosion rates

While it has been demonstrated in numerous studies that the aboveground characteristics of the vegetation are of particular importance with respect to soil erosion control, this study argues the importance of separating the influence of vegetation on soil erosion rates into two parts: the impact of leaves and stems (aboveground biomass) and the influence of roots (belowground biomass). Although both plant parameters form inseparable constituents of the total plant organism, most studies attribute the impact of vegetation on soil erosion rates mainly to the characteristics of the aboveground biomass. This triggers the question whether the belowground biomass is of no or negligible importance with respect to soil erosion by concentrated flow. This study tried to answer this question by comparing cross‐sectional areas of concentrated flow channels (rills and ephemeral gullies) in the Belgian Loess Belt for different cereal and grass plant densities. The results of these measurements highlighted the fact that both an increase in shoot density as well as an increase in root density resulted in an exponential decrease of concentrated flow erosion rates. Since protection of the soil surface in the early plant growth stages is crucial with respect to the reduction of water erosion rates, increasing the plant root density in the topsoil could be a viable erosion control strategy. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

福建龙永煤田二叠纪(竹蜓)生物带的面貌特征与对比

研究地层是有效寻找沉积矿产的重要基础,将龙永煤田内关于的层位及分带性与大区域上的相似层位作了对比,并论述了本煤田的特征与变迁的基本过程。最后,结合多年来的研究成果,就煤田内的产出情况,作了两点必要的说明。     

Paleoclimate Changes during the Early Oiigocene in the Hoh Xil Region, Northern Tibetan Plateau

Sedimentological, cyclic-stratigraphic, paleomagnetic, and clay-mineralogical studies on the early Oligocene Yaxicuo Group in the Hoh Xil Basin, the largest Cenozoic sedimentary basin in the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau, provide abundant information of paleoclimate changes. A 350-m thick section in the middle-lower Yaxicuo Group was analyzed to reveal the climatic history that occurred in the Hoh Xil region during the early Oligocene interval 31.30-30.35 Ma, dated with the paleomagnetic chronostratigraphy. The results indicate that add and cold climate dominated the Hoh Xil region during the early Oligocene in general, being related to the global cooling and drying events that occurred in the earliest Oligocene. Within this period, relatively warm and wet climate accompanied by strong tectonic activity occurred in the 31.05-30.75 Ma interval; while add and cold climate and relatively inactive tectonics occurred in the 31.30-31.05 and 30.75-30.35 Ma intervals. Furthermore, spectral analyses of high-temporal resolution paleoclimatic records show orbital periods including eccentricity, obliquity, and precession. It is concluded that paleoclimate changes during the early Oligocene in the Hoh Xil region were forced by both tectonic activity and orbital periods.     

A statistical approach to evaluating distance metrics and analog assignments for pollen records

The modern analog technique typically uses a distance metric to determine the dissimilarity between fossil and modern biological assemblages. Despite this quantitative approach, interpretation of distance metrics is usually qualitative and rules for selection of analogs tend to be ad hoc. We present a statistical tool, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, which provides a framework for identifying analogs from distance metrics. If modern assemblages are placed into groups (e.g., biomes), this method can (1) evaluate the ability of different distance metrics to distinguish among groups, (2) objectively identify thresholds of the distance metric for determining analogs, and (3) compute a likelihood ratio and a Bayesian probability that a modern group is an analog for an unknown (fossil) assemblage. Applied to a set of 1689 modern pollen assemblages from eastern North America classified into eight biomes, ROC analysis confirmed that the squared-chord distance (SCD) outperforms most other distance metrics. The optimal threshold increased when more dissimilar biomes were compared. The probability of an analog vs no-analog result (a likelihood ratio) increased sharply when SCD decreased below the optimal threshold, indicating a nonlinear relationship between SCD and the probability of analog. Probabilities of analog computed for a postglacial pollen record at Tannersville Bog (Pennsylvania, USA) identified transitions between biomes and periods of no analog.     

Global thermal and dynamical perturbations due to Cretaceous mantle avalanche

The numerical models of mantle convection agree to depict avalanches behaviour according to the level of endothermicity of the spinel → perovskite phase change. Their potential effects on the global thermal and dynamical states of the mantle have been computed thanks to a numerical code, which takes into account both the 400-km exothermic and the 660-km endothermic phase changes. The cycle followed by the avalanches is: local layering, destabilization of the 660-km thermal layer, travelling and spreading on the core, and reappearing of the local layering. Therefore, mantle convection is characterized by quiet periods of partial layering embedded in catastrophic events. During the avalanche, the amplitude of the surface velocity is multiplied by two, which would imply an enhanced plate tectonic and ridge activities. The global thermal effects of the avalanche are compatible with a high mantle temperature and an acceleration of Earth's rotation during the Cretaceous. They also offer a coherent explanation to locate the origin of mantle plumes both within the CMB and just below the transition zone.     

The Influence of Vegetation Cover on Summer Precipitation in China： a Statistical Analysis of NDVI and Climate Data

This study provides new evidence for the feedback effects of vegetation cover on summer precipitation in different regions of China by calculating immediate (same season), and one-and two-season lagged correlations between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and summer precipitation. The results show that the correlation coefficients between NDVI in spring and the previous winter and precipitation in summer are positive in most regions of China, and they show significant difference between regions. The stronger one-and two-season lagged correlations occur in the eastern arid/semi-arid region, Central China,and Southwest China out of the eight climatic regions of China, and this implies that vegetation cover change has more sensitive feedback effects on summer precipitation in the three regions. The three regions are defined as sensitive regions. Spatial analyses of correlations between spring NDVI averaged over each sensitive region and summer precipitation of 160 stations suggest that the vegetation cover strongly affects summer precipitation not only over the sensitive region itself but also over other regions, especially the downstream region.     

华北北部场源前兆观测资料分析(一)──场源前兆特征与机制

1976年唐山地震前，在距震源很远的地区内都观测到一些前兆趋势变化，如重力、重力位二次徽商W△、水氧、地电阻率、水位和油井出油量等变化。作者认为这些变化不是由震源体直接引起的，而是在区域应力场的作用下，在某些活动断层附近，浅层岩，尤其是含水砂岩层和含油层受挤压出现的一些与地震有关的异常现象。其特征是：（1）异常范围大，可能在距震源很远的地方发生，但就同一种方法的多个观测点来说却又是局部的，即只有其中部分测点才能观测到异常，不少测点观测不到异常。（2）异常发生的时间大致相同。有些异常有同步变化的特征，如同时上升或同时下降。（3）临震前多数异常有恢复的趋势。这些特征与引起异常的机理有关。作者还从理论上计算了这种趋势异常量级，重力变化100×10-6cm／s2左右，重力位二次微商变化（1～2）×10－9／s2，地电阻率变化2％～3％，Rn变化7．4～11．1Bq／L，这样的变化量在活动断层附近的一些台站可能观测到。作者还研究了干旱降雨对某些前兆的影响，其影响量级可以被一些方法观测到，因此在确定是否是地震异常时，必须注意利用综合分析的方法排除干旱降雨的影响，减少异常的多解性。