中国极端温度的群发性研究

从极端事件再现时间的角度研究了中国极端高、低温事件再现时间序列的长程相关性、群发性以及二者的关系。发现极端温度事件再现时间序列具有长程相关性,表征长程相关性的标度指数分布存在着明显的区域性特征,并与大气环流有关,当中国大陆在盛夏或隆冬稳定的西风环流控制下,极端温度的长程相关性较好,标度指数较大。通过定义极端事件的群发指数,对极端高、低温进行研究,发现具有长程相关性再现时间序列的极端温度呈现群发现象,且极端温度再现时间序列的标度指数和群发指数二者在空间分布上有较好的对应,极端温度再现时间序列的长程相关性可能是导致极端温度群发性的原因。从年际变化的角度看,极端高温Ⅰ级群发区域的群发指数增长趋于平缓,而极端低温Ⅰ级群发区域的群发指数有下降趋势,这与近几十年来全球变暖一致。在年代际尺度上,群发指数分布的演变特征明显,极端高温Ⅰ级群发区域总体面积变化不大,而极端低温Ⅰ级群发区域面积明显减少。因此,极端低温事件群发性减弱很可能是年代际气候变暖的主要原因。     

近距离地闪电场变化及对通道电荷密度分布的响应

一般认为,如果回击过程将先导通道的电荷完全中和,则几十米到几百米范围内的近距离先导电场与回击电场的大小相同,否则,二者之间则存在一定的差异。为了对上述观点进行分析,将源电荷先导模式和MTLL回击模式组合建立了先导-回击模式(这两个模式的组合意味着先导通道的电荷被回击完全中和),对近距离先导-回击电场变化的"V"形结构进行了模拟分析。结果表明,即使假定先导电场被回击完全中和,在近距离30—550m范围回击电场与先导电场强弱关系并不确定。另外,根据进一步的讨论,上述模拟结果几乎不受其他因素,如土壤湿度(该因素直接决定土壤电参数)和地形起伏的影响。因此,在回击开始几十微秒内,基于地面测量的先导-回击电场之差来判断先导通道电荷是否被回击完全中和可能存在一定的不确定。     

Radiocarbon deficiencies of US Gulf Coast lakes compromise paleo-hurricane records

Radiocarbon assays of sediments from Lake Shelby, US Gulf Coast, exhibit substantial ¹⁴C deficiencies of 9.3% and 4.7% for the limnic sapropel and associated fresh-water clams Rangia cuneata, respectively. Measured radiocarbon dates from the sapropel and clams require corrections of 785 ± 80 and 365 ± 90 ¹⁴C yr (1σ), respectively, in order to achieve consistency with the radiocarbon time scale. Lake sediments of the US Gulf Coast serve as unique repositories of pre-historic hurricane strikes. Previously unrecognized radiocarbon deficiencies likely render compromised chronologies of the paleo-hurricane records, and erroneous estimates of return period and landfall probability that are derived from the storm chronologies. The recalculated severe hurricane chronologies suggest that the annual landfall probabilities of the last millennium on the US Gulf Coast are equal to, or higher than, the preceding three millennia.     

Regularized joint inverse estimation of extreme rainfall amounts in ungauged coastal basins of El Salvador

A regularized joint inverse procedure is presented and used to estimate the magnitude of extreme rainfall events in ungauged coastal river basins of El Salvador: Paz, Jiboa, Grande de San Miguel, and Goascoran. Since streamflow measurements reflect temporal and spatial rainfall information, peak-flow discharge is hypothesized to represent a similarity measure suitable for regionalization. To test this hypothesis, peak-flow discharge values determined from streamflow recurrence information (10-year, 25-year, and 100-year) collected outside the study basins are used to develop regional (country-wide) regression equations. Peak-flow discharge derived from these equations together with preferred spatial parameter relations as soft prior information are used to constrain the simultaneous calibration of 20 tributary basin models. The nonlinear range of uncertainty in estimated parameter values (1 curve number and 3 recurrent rainfall amounts for each model) is determined using an inverse calibration-constrained Monte Carlo approach. Cumulative probability distributions for rainfall amounts indicate differences among basins for a given return period and an increase in magnitude and range among basins with increasing return interval. Comparison of the estimated median rainfall amounts for all return periods were reasonable but larger (3.2–26%) than rainfall estimates computed using the frequency-duration (traditional) approach and individual rain gauge data. The observed 25-year recurrence rainfall amount at La Hachadura in the Paz River basin during Hurricane Mitch (1998) is similar in value to, but outside and slightly less than, the estimated rainfall confidence limits. The similarity in joint inverse and traditionally computed rainfall events, however, suggests that the rainfall observation may likely be due to under-catch and not model bias.     

Bayesian stochastic modelling for avalanche predetermination: from a general system framework to return period computations

Stochastic models are recent but unavoidable tools for snow avalanche hazard mapping that can be described in a general system framework. For the computation of design return periods, magnitude and frequency have to be evaluated. The magnitude model consists of a set of physical equations for avalanche propagation associated with a statistical formalism adapted to the input–output data structure. The friction law includes at least one latent friction coefficient. The Bayesian paradigm and the associated simulation techniques assist considerably in performing the inference and taking estimation errors into account for prediction. Starting from the general case, simplifying hypotheses allows computing the predictive distribution of high return periods on a case-study. Only release and runout altitudes are considered so that the model can use the French database. An inversible propagation model makes it possible to work with the latent friction coefficient as if it is observed. Prior knowledge is borrowed from an avalanche path with similar topographical characteristics. Justifications for the working hypotheses and further developments are discussed. In particular, the whole approach is positioned with respect to both deterministic and stochastic hydrology.     

气候变化情景下泥石流危险性响应分析

通过中国1950—2010年降水日值0.5°×0.5°格点数据和CMIP5的6个气候模式数据,以2010年舟曲8·7特大山洪泥石流为例,估算此次灾害发生的降雨重现期,并估算未来同等重现期下的降雨量,基于HEC-HMS和FLO-2D模型模拟该降雨量下山洪泥石流堆积面积与泥沙冲出量,进而得到了气候变化背景下的泥石流危险性变化。结果表明：2010年舟曲8·7山洪泥石流灾害的降雨重现期为1500 a,未来相同重现期下降雨量为113.7 mm。设防水平不变条件下,舟曲县城泥石流堆积面积可达2010年灾害的173%,总泥沙量增加到148%,且泥石流堆积面积增加的区域主要位于2010年舟曲县城人口密集区。可见,灾后重建中舟曲县城一半以上居民的转移安置政策有利于弱化未来气候变化背景下泥石流危险性增加的不利影响,是一种有效的气候变化适应性举措。     

Scenario predictions for potential near-field and far-field earthquakes affecting Hong Kong

Historical earthquakes noted in the written records of the South China region, including Hong Kong, are not well delineated along identified prominent fault sources. Despite the lack of any definitive, localised trend in the spatial distribution of seismic activity in the region, there does appear to be some major disparity in the seismic activity rates (especially for large magnitude earthquakes) between the near-field and the far-field regions of Hong Kong. Despite this observation, previous studies of the regional seismic activity and seismic ground motion hazard (the latter using a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment, PSHA) have considered very broad source zone regions, in which uniform levels of seismic activity have been assumed. The present paper further scrutinises this broad source zone (BSZ) approach by adopting a novel expanding circular disc (ECD) method to determine the rates of earthquake recurrence. Such a method is intended to counter-check previously developed models by determining earthquake scenario events in terms of magnitude–distance (M–R) pairs or combinations, having defined values of average return period. Unlike the BSZ approach, the ECD method specifically accounts for the supposed variations in the seismic activity rates between events in the near-field and the far-field of Hong Kong.The form of the developed method is particularly suited to the determination of design-level earthquake ground motions for bedrock sites, since it assumes a directionally-independent attenuation model as described in the companion paper. It is found that, whilst the BSZ approach may indicate the overall average levels of hazard that are representative of the South China region as a whole, it does not capture the large disparity in seismic activity rates between near-field and far-field events. This important feature is expected to have a significant impact upon engineering assessments of the seismic safety of structures in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the South China region. For example, it is found that for events with M≥6, the seismic activity rate (normalised by time and area) in the very far-field is around 3.5 times larger than in the near-field and medium-field of Hong Kong. The resulting design M-R combinations, covering a range of return periods from 70 to 2500 years, are limited, for very long return periods and for distant events, by the maximum credible earthquake (MCE) magnitude. Intensive research to determine this seismic hazard parameter is recommended, in order to refine further the results of the ECD analysis, which presently conservatively assumes the MCE to range between M=6 in the near-field of Hong Kong to M=8 in the very far-field, at distances greater than 280 km from Hong Kong.     

Application of spatial EOF and multivariate time series model for evaluating agricultural drought vulnerability in Korea

This study proposed a methodology using the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and multivariate time series model for the analysis of drought both in time and space. The methodology proposed was then applied to evaluate the vulnerability of agricultural drought of major river basins in Korea. First, the three-month SPI data from 59 rain gauge stations over the Korean Peninsula were analyzed by deriving and spatially characterizing the EOFs. The shapes of major estimated EOFs were found to well reflect the observed spatial pattern of droughts. Second, the coefficient time series of estimated EOFs were then fitted by a multivariate time series model to generate the SPI data for 10,000 years, which were used to derive the annual maxima series of areal average drought severity over the Korean Peninsula. These annual maxima series were then analyzed to determine the mean drought severity for given return periods. Four typical spatial patterns of drought severity could also be selected for those return periods considered. This result shows that the southern part of the Korean Peninsula is most vulnerable to drought than the other parts. Finally, the agricultural drought vulnerability was evaluated by considering the potential water supply from dams. In an ideal case, when all the maximum dam storage was assumed to be assigned to agriculture, all river basins in Korea were found to have the potential to overcome a 30-year drought. However, under more realistic conditions considering average dam storage and water allocation priorities, most of the river basins could not overcome a 30-year drought.     

木星极光区亮斑形成机制

近年来一系列的木星照片显示,除了主极光卵和卫星足迹外,在极光卵内还有极区发射.学者基本认为这是由中磁尾的磁场活动引起的.本文建立一个具有离心力效应的木星稳态磁场模型.并以该模型给出的磁场结果为基础,利用Hill等人1979年总结的木星磁层较差自转的结果进行模拟分析.结果显示在约54R_j (R_j为木星平均半径) 至60R_j的木星磁场由于较差自转形成涡旋结构,其形状约为5R_j的圆形.由于磁力线的扭曲引发大小为数十万安培的电流注入极区电离层,与中性粒子相互作用,从而形成极光卵内的亮斑.     

Sea level extremes in Marseille (NW Mediterranean) during 1885–2008

Sea level extremes and their temporal variability have been explored based on the hourly measurements at Marseille tide gauge for the period 1885–2008. A careful quality check has first been applied to the observations to ensure consistency of the record by eliminating outliers and datum shifts. Yearly percentiles have been used to investigate long-term trends of extremes revealing that secular variations in extremes are linked to mean sea level changes. The associated decadal changes show discrepancies between mean sea level trend and extreme fluctuations, due to the influence of the atmospheric forcing. A local regression model based on the generalized Pareto distribution has been applied to derive trends in return levels. The 50-years return levels reach values between 80 and 120 cm. The most significant changes in return levels are characterized by an increase since the 1970s.