Higher plant biomarker signatures of Early Eocene sediments of North Eastern India

The biomarkers, molecular fossils of paleobiota, have been studied in detail from a coal-bearing sequence of Early Eocene Lakadong sandstone member of Sylhet Formation of Upper Assam Basin, NE India, using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Corresponding hydrocarbon source potential of the same unit has been studied using Rock-Eval pyrolysis. The Rock-Eval data suggest dominant terrestrial land plant contribution, i.e., Type III kerogen and the sediments of the section had entered the early stage of catagenesis. The alkane and isoprenoid distributions are characterized by odd over even preference (OEP) (1.1–1.2) of n-alkanes and high pristane/phytane ratio (2.9–7.6) which corroborate the Rock-Eval data. The distribution of aliphatic biomarkers is characterized by dominance of C₂₄ tetracyclics over C₂₃ tricyclics, high concentration of des-E hopane, moderate to high C₂₉/C₃₀ hopane ratio, extremely low oleanane index and low C₃₅ homohopane index. The extremely low oleanane index is correlated with a high degree of aromatization of oleanane skeleton, favoured by acidic swampy depositional environment. The presence of diterpanes at the base of the Early Eocene section indicates contribution from gymnosperms (Coniferales order of land plants) whereas angiospermous biomarkers with oleanoid skeleton are also preserved. This pattern subsequently evolved to angiosperm dominated towards the top of the section with no gymnosperm signature indicating possible climatic variation during the Early Eocene. Towards the top of the section presence of bicadinanes indicates contribution of Dipterocarpaceae family of trees and advent of the evergreen tropical rain forest element in eastern India in Early Eocene, similar to the pattern found in western India, e.g., Cambay and Kutch basins.     

新疆巴楚浅层地温变化对春季物候的影响

本文利用1961-2010年巴楚0～40cm逐月平均地温资料,采用气候倾向率和累积距平气候统计方法,探讨近50a巴楚县不同深度的地温变化特征,研究巴楚县气候变化对当地农、林果业生产以及生态环境的影响。结果表明：这半世纪来,巴楚县浅层地温的年和季节平均值呈现出不同程度的上升趋势,其中40cm的年升温率和夏季的升温率最大。近10a来,巴楚县地温明显升高,浅层地温的年、季节平均或平均最高、最低等均明显高于前40a。随着巴楚县地温的上升,年极大冻土深度的下降趋势也很明显,当地冬小麦返青期和林果业的树木萌动期提前。     

且末地区红枣越冬综合冻害指数研究

根据且末气象站1971-2012年冬季逐日气温资料,通过对冬季极端最低气温、日平均气温≤-10℃负积温、最低气温≤-18℃日数、≥1cm积雪持续日数等冻害气象因子进行标准化处理,运用主成分分析方法计算红枣综合冻害指数,并采用线性回归,man-kendall检验和小波分析方法对综合冻害指标进行分析,结果表明,综合冻害指数数值越小,冻害越严重;确定综合冻害指数≤-1.0时为红枣出现冻害的临界指标;冻害指数在1977年前后出现了一次增大突变;预测2013年红枣受冻可能性小.     

泰安市地质灾害预警预报系统研究

主要介绍了泰安市地质灾害气象风险预警与指挥系统。系统开发的主要目的是为了更好的与泰安市地质灾害防治工作相结合,通过对气象因素及地质灾害资料的分析和研究,基于地质灾害气象预警模型,采用先进的GIS技术能实现对地质灾害易发风险性区域预警,能直观地了解到各部分区域的地质灾害易发风险性,为各级政府防灾减灾提供科学的技术支撑。     

Trends in the near-zero range of the minimum air-temperature distribution

This study estimated the trends in the number of days that fall within the near-zero (0?°C) range of the temperature continuum. This narrow range has importance for potential transportation hazards and freeze-thaw cycles. While the tails of the air-temperature distribution and their trends often are closely examined under the climate change context, the frequency and trend of other portions of the air-temperature distribution can be equally important, as many societal impacts are caused by events in the non-tail region, such as near-zero °C temperatures (NZT). Examining the trend of the number of NZT days over the conterminous USA for the period of 1948–1949 through 2010–2011, we found three distinct spatial clusters. The most distinctive spatial clusters are found along the West Coast (positive temperature trends leading to a decrease in NZT days), the High Plains and Northern Rockies (positive temperature trends leading to an increase in NZT days), and the southeastern USA (negative temperature trends leading to an increase in NZT days). While trends in the number of NZT days are linked to changes in mean minimum air temperature, increasing minimum temperature leads to a positive trend at NZT days only at some locations.     

Analysing the advantages of high temporal resolution geostationary MSG SEVIRI data compared to Polar Operational Environmental Satellite data for land surface monitoring in Africa

Since 1972, satellite remote sensing of the environment has been dominated by polar-orbiting sensors providing useful data for monitoring the earth's natural resources. However their observation and monitoring capacity are inhibited by daily to monthly looks for any given ground surface which often is obscured by frequent and persistent cloud cover creating large gaps in time series measurements. The launch of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite into geostationary orbit has opened new opportunities for land surface monitoring. The Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) instrument on-board MSG with an imaging capability every 15 min which is substantially greater than any temporal resolution that can be obtained from existing Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) systems currently in use for environmental monitoring. Different areas of the African continent were affected by droughts and floods in 2008 caused by periods of abnormally low and high rainfall, respectively. Based on the effectiveness of monitoring these events from Earth Observation (EO) data the current analyses show that the new generation of geostationary remote sensing data can provide higher temporal resolution cloud-free (<5 days) measurements of the environment as compared to existing POES systems. SEVIRI MSG 5-day continental scale composites will enable rapid assessment of environmental conditions and improved early warning of disasters for the African continent such as flooding or droughts. The high temporal resolution geostationary data will complement existing higher spatial resolution polar-orbiting satellite data for various dynamic environmental and natural resource applications of terrestrial ecosystems.     

The Role of Changes in the Annual Cycle in Earlier Onset of Climatic Spring in Northern China

Climatic changes in the onset of spring in northern China associated with changes in the annual cycle and with a recent warming trend were quantified using a recently developed adaptive data analysis tool, the Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition. The study was based on a homogenized daily surface air temperature (SAT) dataset for the period 1955–2003. The annual cycle here is referred to as a refined modulated annual cycle (MAC). The results show that spring at Beijing has arrived significantly earlier by about 2.98 d (10 yr)-1, of which about 1.85 d (10 yr)-1 is due to changes in the annual cycle and 1.13 d (10 yr)-1 due to the long-term warming trend. Variations in the MAC component explain about 92.5% of the total variance in the Beijing daily SAT series and could cause as much as a 20-day shift in the onset of spring from one year to another. The onset of spring has been advancing all over northern China, but more significant in the east than in the west part of the region. These differences are somehow unexplainable by the zonal pattern of the warming trend over the whole region, but can be explained by opposite changes in the spring phase of the MAC, i.e. advancing in the east while delaying in the west. In the east of northern China, the change in the spring phase of MAC explains 40%–60% of the spring onset trend and is attributable to a weakening Asian winter monsoon. The average sea level pressure in Siberia (55°–80°N, 50°–110°E), an index of the strength of the winter monsoon, could serve as a potential short-term predictor for the onset of spring in the east of northern China.     

二维正方晶格光控太赫兹波调制器

2006年冬季在南京北郊盘城利用系留气球探测系统、自动气象站等仪器对雾日和非雾日的边界层进行了监测,对比分析了两者的边界层结构。结果表明,非雾日主要为单层贴地逆温,并时常出现短时的双层结构,雾发展成熟时逆温则脱离地面。与非雾日相比,雾日平均雾顶之上温度日较差增大,雾顶之下则减小。平均风速的时间—高度分布在雾日和非雾日类似,在稳定性边界层中风速随高度出现一个或者两个极大值区。温度和比湿在非雾日没有显著的对应性,而在雾体内具有较好的对应关系,在雾顶升降过程中反相关。较强的逆温、较低的温度和较小的近地层风速是南京冬季成雾的背景条件。     

河南省冬小麦干旱保险风险评估与区划

以河南省冬小麦干旱为例,探讨了农业气象灾害保险风险评估与区划方法。首先,在构建冬小麦不同生育期干旱指数的基础上,结合农业保险的特征和精细化、专业化的需求,从气象因子、作物产量以及社会经济水平的角度选用干旱风险度、易损性指数、产量风险指数、抗灾性能指数4个指标对致灾因子、承灾体易损性、灾损风险、防灾减灾能力4个方面进行分析和评估。然后将上述4个保险风险评估指标细化到县级,采用聚类分析方法,对河南省冬小麦干旱进行了气象指数保险风险区划和政策性保险风险区划。两种区划结果表明:除豫西高风险区的个别县互相重合外,其余各县所属风险区有较大差别。因此,针对不同的保险特点和需求,需要采用不同的区划指标和方法,才能推行区域农业保险,更好地实行差别保险费率。     

Onshore-offshore gradient in reductive early diagenesis in coastal marine sediments of the Ria de Vigo, Northwest Iberian Peninsula

Early diagenetic modification of magnetic properties is an important process in marine sediments, but temporal and spatial variability of diagenetic processes have rarely been reported for recent coastal sediments. The magnetic properties of sediments from the Ria de Vigo (NW Spain) define a marked three-part zonation with depth. The uppermost zone is magnetically dominated by (titano-)magnetite. In the intermediate zone, rapid down-core dissolution of (titano-)magnetite increases the relative influence of high-coercivity magnetic minerals, which react more slowly during reductive dissolution than (titano-)magnetite. This zone is characterized by the ubiquitous occurrence of framboidal iron sulphides. Pyrite is the dominant iron sulphide, but framboidal ferrimagnetic greigite is also frequently observed in association with pyrite. The lowermost zone is characterized by an almost complete depletion of magnetic minerals associated with progressive reduction of detrital iron oxides with depth. This zonation is controlled by organic matter diagenesis, which varies with water depth and wave-induced sediment resuspension and organic matter reoxidation in the water column. This leads to a shallowing and thinning of each zone with more intense reductive diagenesis toward the interior of the ria. Such a zonation seems to be a common feature in shallow water marine environments. If preserved, the described zonation and its spatial variability provide a potential tool for detecting estuarine-like environments in the geological record. Magnetic detection of current or past reductive conditions also has important implications for assessing paleoenvironmental proxies that are sensitive to diagenetic redox state.