A high-resolution quartz OSL chronology of the Talede loess over the past ∼30 ka and its implications for dust accumulation in the Ili Basin,Central Asia

Similar to the loess deposits on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), a reliable chronology plays also an important role in revisiting past climate and environment changes recorded by the loess in Central Asia. Previously, a few luminescence and ¹⁴C ages, mainly covering the last glacial, were obtained for several loess sections in Central Asia, which are often controversial. Until now, there is still a lack of reliable high-resolution chronologies covering the late Pleistocene, especially the Holocene. Here, the fine-grained (4–11 μm) quartz single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating protocol is used to establish a detailed chronology of the uppermost part (∼5 m) of Talede loess in the Ili Basin Central Asia. Conventional tests of the SAR protocol and the general luminescence characteristics indicate that this protocol is suitable for dating the Talede loess. Finally, 15 closely-spaced quartz OSL ages, ranging from 0.72 ± 0.05 to 28.9 ± 2.12 ka and with no reversals, were obtained. Consistent with previous studies in the Ili Basin, two of the three ¹⁴C ages show discrepancy when compared with quartz OSL ages for the Talede loess section. The constructed OSL chronology of the Talede loess reveals that the dust accumulation is rapid during marine isotope stage (MIS) 2, especially during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and is also continuous during the Holocene, with the dust accumulation rate exhibiting a relatively low level and an increasing trend. Comparison of the dust accumulation at Talede with that at other sites in the Ili Basin indicates that the rapid dust accumulation during the LGM is not universal, and the slow dust accumulation during the Holocene is probably true for the entire Ili Basin. Comparison of different grain sized quartz OSL ages from Central Asian loess show characteristics of both consistency and inconsistency, which needs to be further investigated.     

Albedo models for the residual south polar cap on Mars: Implications for the stability of the cap under near-perihelion global dust storm conditions

It is uncertain whether the residual (perennial) south polar cap on Mars is a transitory or a permanent feature in the current Martian climate. While there is no firm evidence for complete disappearance of the cap in the past, clearly observable changes have been documented. Observations suggest that the perennial cap lost more CO₂ material in the spring/summer season prior to the Mariner 9 mission than in those same seasons monitored by Viking and Mars Global Surveyor. In this paper we examine one process that may contribute to these changes—the radiative effects of a planet encircling dust storm that starts during late Martian southern spring on the stability of the perennial south polar cap. To approach this, we model the radiative transfer through a dusty planetary atmosphere bounded by a sublimating CO₂ surface.A critical parameter for this modeling is the surface albedo spectrum from the near-UV to the thermal-IR, which was determined from both space-craft and Earth-based observations covering multiple wavelength regimes. Such a multi-wavelength approach is highly desirable since one spectral band by itself cannot tightly constrain the three-parameter space for polar surface albedo models, namely photon “scattering length” in the CO₂ ice and the amounts of intermixed water and dust.Our results suggest that a planet-encircling dust storm with onset near solstice can affect the perennial cap's stability, leading to advanced sublimation in a “dusty” year. Since the total amount of solid CO₂ removed by a single storm may be less than the total CO₂ thickness, a series of dust storms would be required to remove the entire residual CO₂ ice layer from the south perennial cap.     

Dust in cometary comae: Present understanding of the structure and composition of dust particles

In situ probing of a very few cometary comae has shown that dust particles present a low albedo and a low density, and that they consist of both rocky material and refractory organics. Remote observations of solar light scattered by cometary dust provide information on the properties of dust particles in the coma of a larger set of comets. The observations of the linear polarization in the coma indicate that the dust particles are irregular, with a size greater (on the average) than about 1 μm. Besides, they suggest, through numerical and experimental simulations, that both compact grains and fluffy aggregates (with a power law of the size distribution in the −2.6 to −3 range), and both rather transparent silicates and absorbing organics are present in the coma. Recent analysis of the cometary dust samples collected by the Stardust mission provide a unique ground truth and confirm, for comet 81P/Wild 2, the results from remote sensing observations. Future space missions to comets should, in the next decade, lead to a more precise characterization of the structure and composition of cometary dust particles.     

敦煌戈壁地表风蚀起沙量的计算

利用三种不同的计算方案,根据敦煌地区的观测资料,计算了2002年4月8日沙尘天气过程中戈壁地表的风蚀起沙量(垂直尘粒通量)。结果表明:三种方法的计算结果比较接近;在风蚀起沙较严重的时段内,顺风向沙粒通量和垂直尘粒通量平均值的量级分别为10-4kg·m-1·s-1和10-8kg·m-2·s-1。通过计算结果和观测结果的比较,在地面风蚀起沙物理机制的基础上,讨论了三种计算方案各自的优缺点。     

Eolian transport of salts—A case study in the area of Lake Ebinur (Xinjiang, Northwest China)

In the Ebinur region of Western Dzungaria, strong wind flows from Dzungarian Gate predetermine the widespread development of deflation processes. As a result of human-induced desiccation of Lake Ebinur, a new source of the loose material—the dry lakebed—has formed, which has intensified dust storms in this region. Annual dynamics of the frequency and intensity of dust storms and the amount and chemical composition of salts in the eolian material deposited in the area have been studied. The frequency of dust storms and the intensity of dust and salt deposition regularly decrease with an increase in the distance from the dry lake bottom (playa). The amount of dust deposition ranges from 600 (near the lake) to 70 (100–200 km from the lake) g/m²/a. The amount of salts precipitating with dust is mainly from 14 to 27 g/m²/a; the maximum registered amount of salt deposition is 77 g/m²/a. As shown in our study, the farther from the lake, the higher the portion of sulfate and calcium and the smaller the portion of chloride and sodium ions in the composition of salts.     

Clearing enhances dust devil formation

In the southwest of Western Australia, the large scale replacement of native perennial vegetation with agriculture based on winter growing annual species leads to a significant change in the surface albedo and roughness. Whilst the redistribution of the surface energy balance impacts on cloud climatology, the reduced roughness of the agricultural area has enhanced the injection of aerosols into the atmosphere through the increased potential for dust devils. Although the native vegetation experiences a higher sensible heat flux, it is the reduced frictional drag of the cleared agricultural lands that enhances the potential for dust devil formation and thus provides an additional source of atmospheric aerosols.     

Geochemical studies to delineate topsoil contamination around an ash pond of a coal-based thermal power plant in India

In the present study, an attempt was made to delineate soil contamination around the ash pond of a coal-based thermal power plant. The topsoil in the study area was found to be contaminated to varying degrees from ash disposal. The soil drawn from various profiles was largely contaminated by ash fall out, predominantly in the prevalent wind direction. Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Mn, Cr, V and Ba were found to be enriched in the topsoil around the ash pond with respect to the crust as well as the background, while Mn, V, Cr, Co and Ni were enriched compared to their maximum permissible concentrations prescribed for agricultural soils. These observations have been further strengthened from the contamination index map and lognormal distribution pattern of the elements. As a consequence of this contamination, many of the important physicochemical properties of topsoil in the direction of the wind have been modified significantly.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at     

阳新粉煤灰综合利用的生态经济学思考

阳新火电厂粉煤灰综合利用不仅可以为阳新经济发展开拓新的空间,而且对牵动阳新以及整个地区经济的进一步发展带来新的契机。从生态经济学的角度阐述对阳新火电厂粉煤灰综合利用的现实意义、可行性和开发利用策略等方面进行了初步探讨,旨在为阳新火电厂粉煤灰的综合利用以及地方经济的发展提供一定的科学依据。     

Chaos in cosmic ray air showers

Unexpected chaotic features are found in time series of arrival time intervals of successive air showers with (E > 3 × 10¹⁴ eV). Over 99 % of air shower arrival time intervals obey the Poisson distribution law representing stochastic behaviors, but occasionally there are air showers showing real chaotic behaviors as distinguished from both random and colored noises. With two systems of the Kinki university installations, we found 13 cases showing chaotic time series in 3.36 yr with the system-1 and the 1.37 yr with the system-2. Five out of 10 chaotic air showers of the Kinki installation are detected during the same time zone also by the Osaka City university installation which is at 115 km distance from the Kinki one. In a remarkable example of September 19, 1991, the correlation dimension was observed to have dropped from about 4 to the minimum of 1.3 and recovered smoothly in about 38 h. The chaos structure in this case is detected in nearly the same time zone at the Ohya station of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, which is separated from the Kinki one by 460 km. Formation of chaos structure due to energetic cosmic ray dust particles is suggested. Progress of cosmic ray physics may be expected with the study of air showers marked with chaos.     

Si-O stretch modes in amorphous silicates

The 9.7µm Trapesium silicate band is modelled as the sum of contributions from tetrahedral Si-O units with varying numbers of non-bridging oxygen atoms. In principle this will allow the silicate grain structure to be determined.