Progress and perspective on frontiers of geobiology

Geobiology is a new discipline on the crossing interface between earth science and life science,and aims to understand the interaction and co-evolution between organisms and environments.On the basis of the latest international achievements,the new data presented in the Beijing geobiology forum sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013,and the papers in this special issue,here we present an overview of the progress and perspectives on three important frontiers,including geobiology of the critical periods in Earth history,geomicrobes and their responses and feedbacks to global environmental changes,and geobiology in extreme environments.Knowledge is greatly improved about the close relationship of some significant biotic events such as origin,radiation,extinction,and recovery of organisms with the deep Earth processes and the resultant environmental processes among oceans,land,and atmosphere in the critical periods,although the specific dynamics of the co-evolution between ancient life and paleoenvironments is still largely unknown.A variety of geomicrobial functional groups were found to respond sensitively to paleoenvironmental changes,which enable the establishment of proxies for paleoenvironmental reconstruction,and to play active roles on the Earth environmental changes via elemental biogeochemical cycles and mineral bio-transformations,but to be deciphered are the mechanisms of these functional groups that change paleoenvironmental conditions.Microbes of potential geobiology significance were found and isolated from some extreme environments with their biological properties partly understood,but little is known about their geobiological functions to change Earth environments.The biotic processes to alter or modify the environments are thus proposed to be the very issue geobiology aims to decipher in the future.Geobiology will greatly extend the temporal and spatial scope of biotic research on Earth and beyond.It has great potential of application in the domains of resource exploration and global change.To achieve these aims needs coordinative multidisciplinary studies concerning geomicrobiology and related themes,database and modeling of biogeochemical cycles,typical geological environments,and coupling of biological,physical,and chemical processes.     

基于正交试验设计的层状盐岩地下储库群多因素优化研究

目前国内正在大规模兴建盐岩地下储库群,其规划设计阶段可优化因素较多,且各因素影响程度不同,选取椭球形腔体几何分布形式、矿柱宽度和夹层位置3个主要因素进行了综合优化研究,旨在分析3个因素的敏感性影响程度,并确立储库群最优形式。对3个因素分别设立3个水平,运用正交试验设计原理,确立了9组试验方案,进行了相关数值模拟试验。评价层状盐岩地下储库群时选用经改进的位移、应力试验指标,基于试验结果运用正交试验法中的极差分析和方差分析对3个因素进行详细分析。结果表明,3个因素中夹层位置影响最显著,矿柱宽度居次,椭球形腔体几何分布形式影响最弱;最优储库群形式为邻腔夹角60°的分布形式、2.0D矿柱宽度、夹层分布在腔体上部1/4H（H为腔体高度）位置。     

近60年来西南地区旱涝变化及极端和持续性特征认识

利用1953~2012年中国西南地区44个气象台站的逐日降水、温度资料,通过降水和潜在蒸发均一化旱涝指数,从旱涝的年代际、年际、季节内变化以及极端和持续性特征等方面进行了分析,结果表明：从旱涝的空间趋势变化来看,西南近60 a来秋季和年变化呈显著的一致变旱趋势,而春、夏、冬3季旱涝变化趋势表现出一定的区域性特征;从旱涝的时间演变来看,在温度与降水双重因子驱动下春、夏、秋、冬均表现为干旱化趋势,相比较秋季的干旱化程度最强,而春季的最弱,夏、冬两季相当,而全年的干旱程度比四季的程度更强;从极端旱涝的多时间尺度来看,在年代际和年际尺度上,极端洪涝发生频次逐渐减少,而极端干旱发生频次逐渐增多,从季节尺度看,春、冬两季极端干旱发生频次较多,而夏季最少,极端洪涝发生频次夏季最多,春季次之,秋季最少。从旱涝的持续性特征来看,持续性干旱事件的持续时间有增长趋势,发生频率有增多趋势,发生强度有增强趋势,并且主要发生在冬春两季,而持续性洪涝事件的持续时间、发生强度没明显变化趋势,发生频率有减少趋势,发生的季节也没明显差异。     

The exceptionally hot summer of 2007 in Athens, Greece — A typical summer in the future climate?

Summer 2007 was abnormally warm for many areas of southeastern Europe, the Balkan peninsula and parts of Asia Minor with departures from the seasonal means exceeding 4 °C in some areas but also distinct periods of extremely hot weather. Greece experienced very likely the warmest summer of its instrumental history with record breaking temperatures being observed at a number of stations. The historical air temperature record of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), extending back to the 19th century, was used in order to highlight the rarity of the event. Seasonal (June to August) temperature anomalies at NOA exceeded 3 °C corresponding to more than 3 standard deviations with respect to the 1961–1990 reference period. The record value of 44.8 °C was observed at NOA on 26 June 2007 (previous record 43 °C in June 1916) during the first and most intense heat wave that affected the area. The study places summer 2007 in the climatology of the previous century and also examines whether the statistics of summer 2007 have similarities with Mediterranean summers of the future. An ensemble of regional climate model simulations undertaken for the European domain indicate that summer 2007 reflects the daily maximum temperatures that are projected to occur in the latter part of the 21st century. The analysis of temperature data from other less urbanized stations indicates that the urban heat effect in Athens contributed positively to the anomalies of the nocturnal temperatures. The abnormally hot summer of 2007 is perhaps not the proof but a strong indicator of what eastern Mediterranean summers could resemble in future.     

AN ANALYSIS OF THE WINTER EXTREME PRECIPITATION EVENTS ON THE BACKGROUND OF CLIMATE WARMING IN SOUTHERN CHINA

Based on daily precipitation and monthly temperature data in southern China, the winter extreme precipitation changes in southern China have been investigated by using the Mann-Kendall test and the return values of Generalized Pareto Distribution. The results show that a winter climate catastrophe in southern China occurred around 1991, and the intensity of winter extreme precipitation was strengthened after climate warming. The anomalous circulation characteristics before and after the climate warming was further analyzed by using the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis data. It is found that the tropical winter monsoon over East Asia is negatively correlated with the precipitation in southeastern China. After climate warming the meridionality of the circulations in middle and high latitudes increases, which is favorable for the southward movement of the cold air from the north. In addition, the increase of the temperature over southern China may lead to the decrease of the differential heating between the continent and the ocean. Consequently, the tropical winter monsoon over East Asia is weakened, which is favorable for the transport of the warm and humid air to southeastern China and the formation of the anomalous convergence of the moisture flux, resulting in large precipitation over southeastern China. As a result, the interaction between the anomalous circulations in the middle and high latitudes and lower latitudes after the climate warming plays a major role in the increase of the winter precipitation intensity over southeastern China.     

Interdecadal Change in Extreme Precipitation over South China and Its Mechanism

Based on the daily precipitation data taken from 17 stations over South China during the period of 1961--2003, a sudden change in summer extreme precipitation events over South China in the early 1990s along with the possible mechanism connected with the anomalies of the latent heat flux over the South China Sea and the sensible heat flux over the Indochina peninsula are examined. The results show that both the annual and summer extreme precipitation events have obvious interdecadal variations and have increased significantly since the early 1990s. Moreover, the latent heat flux over the South China Sea and the sensible heat flux over the Indochina peninsula also have obvious interdecadal variations consistent with that of the extreme precipitation, and influence different months' extreme precipitation, respectively. Their effects are achieved by the interdecadal increases of the strengthening convection over South China through the South China Sea Summer Monsoon.     

Changes in temperature extremes based on a 6-hourly dataset in China from 1961–2005

Changes in Chinese temperature extremes are presented based on a six-hourly surface air temperature dataset for the period 1961--2005. These temperature series are manually observed at 0200, 0800, 1400, and 2000 Beijing Time (LST), and percentile based extreme indices of these time series are chosen for analysis. Although there is a difference in time among the different time zones across China, as more than 80% of the stations are located in two adjacent time zones, these indices for all the stations are called warm (cold) nights (0200 LST), warm (cold) mornings (0800 LST), warm (cold) days (1400 LST), and warm (cold) evenings (2000 LST), respectively for convenience. The frequency of the annual warm extremes has generally increased, while the frequency of the annual cold extremes has decreased, and significant changes are mainly observed in northern China, the Tibetan Plateau, and the southernmost part of China. Based on the national average, annual warm (cold) nights increase (decrease) at a rate of 5.66 (-5.92) d (10 yr)^-1, annual warm (cold) days increase (decrease) at a rate of 3.97 (-2.98) d (10 yr)^-1, and the trends for the annual warm (cold) mornings and evenings are 4.35 (-4.96) and 5.95 (-4.35) d (10 yr)^-1, respectively. For China as a whole, the increasing rates for the occurrence of seasonal warm extremes are larger in the nighttime (0200, 2000 LST) than these in the daytime (0800, 1400 LST), the maximal increase occurs at 2000 LST except in the summer and the minimal increase occurs at 1400 LST except in autumn; the maximal decrease in the occurrence of seasonal cold extremes occurs at 0200 LST and the minimal decrease occurs at 1400 LST.     

近45年来河北省极端降水事件的变化研究

利用河北省1961-2005年逐日降水资料,采用通用的极端气候指数,分析了近45年河北省极端降水事件频率变化的时空特征.结果表明,全省平均年最大日降水量呈下降趋势,1980年为由多向少的转折点;强降水日数和暴雨日数变化不大,但南部平原地区一般减少,北部山地区域多有增加,暴雨日数和强度在1990年代中后期显著增加;降水日数有较明显减少,南部和东南部平原减少更显著;降水日数的减少主要是中、小雨(雪)日数减少造成的.这些结果说明,河北省强降水日数和暴雨日数在降水日数中的比重有增大趋势,强降水量和暴雨降水量在总降水量中的比重可能增加了.这种相对增加趋势主要发生在1990年代中期以后.     

Experimental Simulations of Extreme Precipitation Based on the Multi-Status Markov Chain Model

A multi-status Markov chain model is proposed to produce daily rainfall, and based on which extreme rainfall is simulated with the generalized Pareto distribution (GPD). The simulated daily rainfall shows high precision at most stations, especially in pluvial regions of East China. The analysis reveals that the multistatus Markov chain model excels the bi-status Markov chain model in simulating climatic features of extreme rainfall. Results from the selected six stations demonstrate excellent simulations in the following aspects:standard deviation of monthly precipitation,daily maximum precipitation,the monthly mean rainfall days,standard deviation of daily precipitation and mean daily precipitation, which are proved to be consistent with the observations. A comparative study involving 78 stations in East China also reveals good consistency in monthly mean rainfall days and mean daily maximum rainfall, except mean daily rainfall. Simulation results at the above 6 stations have shown satisfactory fitting capability of the extreme precipitation GPD method. Good analogy is also found between simulation and observation in threshold and return values. As the errors of the threshold decrease, so do the di?erences between the return and real values. All the above demonstrates the applicability of the Markov chain model to extreme rainfall simulations.     

1961—2008年三峡库区极端高温的变化及其与区域性增暖的关系

系统地研究了1961-2008年三峡库区不同极端高温指标(包括极值、绝对阈值和相对阈值指标)变化规律及其与区域性增暖的关系.并分析了三峡库区夏季高温干旱异常年的环流形势。结果表明:近48年三峡库区各极端高温指数年代际变化与该区域年平均气温有较好的一致性,20世纪80年代中前期之前为下降趋势,之后转为上升趋势。逐年代变化上均表现为80年代偏低,其他年代均偏高。相对阈值指标(HWDI、WSDI和TX90p)在偏高/低年份、线性趋势、相关系数上都与年平均气温表现出较其他指数更好的一致性。相关分析表明极值指标与绝对阈值指标之间、相对阈值指标之间的关系甚好,而极值指标/绝对阈值指标与相对阈值指标之问的相关关系相对较差。三峡库区夏季高温酷暑年和凉夏年的环流形势存在着明显的差异。酷暑年,乌拉尔山和鄂霍次克海地区无持续性阻塞高压,东亚大槽偏弱,西太平洋副热带高压东撤、位置偏北,同时,青藏高原上升运动减弱。这种环流形势配合有利于三峡库区夏季高温干旱的发生、发展。