Persistent organic pollutants and stable isotopes in biopsy samples (2004/2006) from Southern Resident killer whales

“Southern Resident” killer whales include three “pods” (J, K and L) that reside primarily in Puget Sound/Georgia Basin during the spring, summer and fall. This population was listed as “endangered” in the US and Canada following a 20% decline between 1996 and 2001. The current study, using blubber/epidermis biopsy samples, contributes contemporary information about potential factors (i.e., levels of pollutants or changes in diet) that could adversely affect Southern Residents. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes indicated J- and L-pod consumed prey from similar trophic levels in 2004/2006 and also showed no evidence for a large shift in the trophic level of prey consumed by L-pod between 1996 and 2004/2006. ∑PCBs decreased for Southern Residents biopsied in 2004/2006 compared to 1993–1995. Surprisingly, however, a three-year-old male whale (J39) had the highest concentrations of ∑PBDEs, ∑HCHs and HCB. POP ratio differences between J- and L-pod suggested that they occupy different ranges in winter.     

Deriving airborne laser scanning based computational canopy volume for forest biomass and allometry studies

A computational canopy volume (CCV) based on airborne laser scanning (ALS) data is proposed to improve predictions of forest biomass and other related attributes like stem volume and basal area. An approach to derive the CCV based on computational geometry, topological connectivity and numerical optimization was tested with sparse-density, plot-level ALS data acquired from 40 field sample plots of 500–1000 m² located in a boreal forest in Norway. The CCV had a high correspondence with the biomass attributes considered when derived from optimized filtrations, i.e. ordered sets of simplices belonging to the triangulations based on the point data. Coefficients of determination (R²) between the CCV and total above-ground biomass, canopy biomass, stem volume, and basal area were 0.88–0.89, 0.89, 0.83–0.97, and 0.88–0.92, respectively, depending on the applied filtration. The magnitude of the required filtration was found to increase according to an increasing basal area, which indicated a possibility to predict this magnitude by means of ALS-based height and density metrics. A simple prediction model provided CCVs which had R² of 0.77–0.90 with the aforementioned forest attributes. The derived CCVs always produced complementary information and were mainly able to improve the predictions of forest biomass relative to models based on the height and density metrics, yet only by 0–1.9 percentage points in terms of relative root mean squared error. Possibilities to improve the CCVs by a further analysis of topological persistence are discussed.     

2010年6月中国南方持续性强降水过程：天气系统演变和青藏高原热力作用的影响

2010年6月中国南方发生持续性强降水,其强度与2008年6月相当,超过近年来其他年份。但是,与2008年6月相比,2010年6月对流层中低层低值系统活动在青藏高原至长江中下游地区异常频繁,副热带高压(副高)位置异常偏西、强度偏强,导致低层异常风场辐合区及强降水区域相对偏北。分析2010年6月14—24日中国南方连续出现的4次持续性强降水过程,发现南亚高压、对流层中层的中纬度槽脊和西太平洋副高以及低层切变线和东移低涡是造成持续性强降水的主要天气系统。利用WRF模式对2010年6月强降水过程实施显式对流集合模拟试验,在控制试验重现观测到的地面降水和天气系统特征的基础上,在敏感性试验中将青藏高原的地表短波反照率修改为1.0,对比两组模拟试验的结果表明:控制试验中青藏高原的地表感热加热作用使得高原及其周边地区的大气温度发生变化,相应的热成风平衡调整使得对流层低层至高层大气环流和天气系统特征发生显著变化,增强了中国南方的持续性降水。200 hPa青藏高原西部形成反气旋性环流异常,东部形成气旋性环流异常,青藏高原东部南下的冷空气加强,中国南方辐散增强;500 hPa青藏高原北部的脊加强,中国东部的槽加深,副高西北侧的西南风明显增强,从青藏高原向下游传播的正涡度也显著加强;850 hPa的低涡强烈发展并逐步东移,华南沿海的西南低空急流更为强盛,导致降水区的水汽辐合、上升运动及降水强度都增强。     

大尺度环流的年代际变化对初夏华南持续性暴雨的影响

利用1961-2010年中国逐日降水数据和NCEP/NCAR逐日再分析资料集,研究了大尺度环流的年代际变化对不同频发年代华南持续性暴雨的影响。结果表明,虽然过去50年里华南持续性暴雨的发生存在两个频发时段(20世纪60年代中期到70年代中期、20世纪90年代初到2010年),其典型环流配置都表现为中高纬度冷空气和低纬度充沛水汽的配合,但不同频发时段的大尺度环流配置明显不同,这种配置使得两个频发时段的暴雨发生特点有所不同,最近20年的暴雨发生次数更多,强度更强,持续时间更长。在频发的1964-1976年,高纬度的冷空气主要来自西西伯利亚上空深厚的低槽前部,而此时南亚高压偏弱,西太平洋副热带高压偏弱、偏东,低纬度的水汽主要来自孟加拉湾印缅低压槽前,可降水量偏小,但垂直速度较大,水汽辐合较旺盛,华南上空大气环流较不稳定;在频发的1991-2010年,鄂霍次克海上空附近的高压脊活跃,高纬度冷空气主要来自高压后部,低纬度西太平洋副热带高压偏强,位置偏西,其西北侧的水汽源源不断输送到华南上空,故可降水量增多,伴随着强大的南亚高压提供的良好的高层辐散条件,华南上空垂直速度增大,水汽辐合明显,强有利的环流配置导致1991-2010年华南持续性暴雨强度更大、范围更广。因此,大气环流的年代际转型使得华南持续性暴雨发生了巨大改变,故在未来做预测时应充分考虑不同年代际环流背景场对华南持续性暴雨的重要影响。     

利用DS-InSAR技术监测黄河三角洲地表形变

针对黄河三角洲地区湿地及农田多、范围大,导致PS-InSAR技术难以获取高密度地表形变信息的问题,提出一种基于分布式目标InSAR（DS-InSAR）的黄河三角洲地表形变监测方法。该方法通过置信区间估计选取同质像元点,利用特征值分解方法计算主散射体对应相位值以达到相位优化的目的,再根据时空相干性确定分布式目标,最后建模解算时序地表形变信息。以26景Sentinel-1A影像为数据源,提取2019-12～2020-12期间黄河三角洲地区的地表沉降信息,与PS-InSAR方法结果相比,点位密度提高5.56倍;两种方法获取的同名点对形变速率的相关系数为0.727,说明两者具有很好的一致性。实验结果表明,研究区内存在4处明显沉降区域,最大沉降速率达-238 mm/a,经分析及实地调查验证,其主要影响因素为地下卤水及油气开采。     

PS-DInSAR公共主影像的优化选取

在充分顾及DInSAR时空基线跨度及多普勒质心频率差异3个因素对干涉相关性影响的基础上,提出一种PS—DInSAR公共主影像的优化选取算法,采用综合相关测度作为总体干涉相关性的衡量指标,给出具体的综合相关函数模型及其求解方法。借助欧洲空间局（ESA）ERS-1／2卫星从1992—2002年间飞越上海地区所获取的25幅C波段SAR影像作为源数据,开展了PS—DInSAR公共主影像的优化选取实验。计算结果与分析表明,综合相关系数模型用于PS公共主影像的优化选取是有效的和可靠的。     

青藏高原大地形对华南持续性暴雨影响的数值试验

利用新一代中尺度数值预报模式WRF3.2及NCEP/NCAR 逐日4次1°×1°的FNL再分析资料,通过有、无青藏高原以及将高原高度降低到临界高度的数值试验,研究了青藏高原大地形对我国华南地区2010 年5 月一次持续性暴雨过程的影响。试验结果表明:高原大地形对降水的影响显著,随着高原高度的升高,降水增多,高原以东地区的雨带也由北向南移动;高原地形的机械阻挡作用使迎风坡一侧的近地面层附近为强上升运动,背风坡为下沉运动,并分别对应降水的峰值和谷值区;高原对西风气流的爬流、绕流作用明显,高原升高后爬坡作用减弱,以绕流作用为主;高原的加热作用使气流过高原时南支减弱,北支加强,并加强了高原及其东部地区低层的正涡度和高层的负涡度,使高原上空为强烈的上升运动;高原的热力作用使西太平洋副热带高压位置偏南、偏西并稳定维持;高原大地形对形成稳定的高原季风环流圈有重要作用;高原地形高度的作用有利于定常波的形成,波动中心对应强上升运动,形成降水的大值区,稳定维持的定常波使得降水持续集中在同一地区,造成持续性暴雨。     

A review of pollutants in the sea-surface microlayer (SML): a unique habitat for marine organisms

Boundary layers between different environmental compartments represent critical interfaces for biological, chemical and physical processes. The sea-surface microlayer (uppermost 1-1000 microm layer) forms the boundary layer interface between the atmosphere and ocean. Environmental processes are controlled by the SML, and it is known to play a key role in the global distribution of anthropogenic pollutants. Due to its unique chemical composition, the upper organic film of the SML represents both a sink and a source for a range of pollutants including chlorinated hydrocarbons, organotin compounds, petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals. These pollutants can be enriched in the SML by up to 500 times relative to concentrations occurring in the underlying bulk water column. The SML is also a unique ecosystem, serving as an important habitat for fish eggs and larvae. Concentration ranges and enrichment factors of pollutants in the SML in different areas of the world's oceans have been critically reviewed, together with available toxicity data for marine biota found within the SML. Overall, the SML is highly contaminated in many urban and industrialized areas of the world, resulting in severe ecotoxicological impacts. Such impacts may lead to drastic effects on the marine food web and to fishery recruitment in coastal waters. Studies of the toxicity of fish eggs and larvae exposed to the SML contaminants have shown that the SML in polluted areas leads to significantly higher rates of mortality and abnormality of fish embryos and larvae.     

利用最小二乘的雷达干涉PS相位解缠方法

常规DInSAR技术中,时空失相关及大气延迟等因素的影响限制了相位解缠结果的精度。永久散射体(PS)InSAR方法间接克服了常规雷达干涉中的时空失相关问题,单独对PS这种高相干目标进行相位解缠可以避免失相关噪声对解缠结果的影响。本文在已有相位解缠方法的基础上,提出基于最小二乘的稀疏PS点相位解缠方法,陈述了相应的建模思想及相关数据处理方法;分别基于模拟数据和真实数据(日本ALOS卫星获取的PALSAR L波段数据)对所提方法进行了实验验证。结果表明,该方法能够有效地对PS数据集进行相位解缠。     

中国东南部5—8月持续性强降水和环流异常的准双周振荡

利用1979—2009年夏季(5—8月)中国站点逐日降水资料、NCEP/NCAR大气再分析资料以及向外长波辐射(OLR)资料,分析了中国东南部夏季持续性强降水的低频特征及其伴随的低频大气环流形势,利用超前滞后合成的方法对该低频信号的来源和传播特征进行了研究。结果表明:中国东南部夏季降水存在明显的准双周低频振荡,低频降水事件(持续性强降水)在6月10日前后和7月1日前后发生的次数较多,持续5d的低频降水事件降水量占总低频降水事件的比例最大。在低频降水事件发生时期,中国东南部在低层是很强的低频气旋式环流,而在中国南海至西太平洋一带则是强大的低频反气旋,同时低频的水汽从孟加拉湾北部以及中国南海、菲律宾海一带输送到长江以南地区强烈辐合上升;此时在高层一个低频反气旋控制中国东北部地区,该低频反气旋与其西侧的低频反气旋以及位于中国东南沿海的低频气旋相互配合,使得长江以南地区高层强烈地辐散,加强了低层的上升运动。在超前低频降水7d左右时,大气低层在150°E洋面附近开始出现低频反气旋,逐渐加强并向西移动到达中国东南沿海,而在中国南海一带的低频气旋则向西北移动到长江以南地区,与此同时,副热带高压有一个明显的西伸过程,高低层相互配合最终导致低频降水的发生。