Parameters of Land-Surface Processes for Gobi in North-West China

Using data from the intensive observation period (May–June 2000) of the NWC-ALIEX (The Field Experiment on Interaction between Land and Atmosphere in Arid Region of North-west China), the characteristics and mechanisms of some key land-surface process over Gobi in a typical arid region of north-west China are analyzed and several parameters of land-surface processes are calculated. The weighted mean of the surface albedo over a typical arid region of the Dunhuang Gobi is calculated using the relative reflection as a weighting factor, and its value is 0.255 ± 0.021. After removing the influence of precipitation, the mean soil heat capacity over a typical arid region of the Dunhuang Gobi is 1.12 × 10⁶ J m^-3 K^-1,which is smaller than that observed in the Heihe (China) River basin Field Experiment (HEIFE). The mean soil heat diffusivity and conductivity are about half of those observed in HEIFE.     

A Preliminary Analysis of Relations Between Tectonic Deformation of Sedimentary Cover and Basement in Kuqa Depression

Study of seismic activity in the Kuqa area enables us to infer some possible active faults in basement from the epicentral distribution on different profiles. The relations between active faults in the basement and surface structures are analyzed and the difference between sedimentary cover and basement in their deformation characteristics and the genesis are discussed. The following conclusions have been drawn : ( 1 ) the epicentral distribution indicates that, the east Qiulitag and south and north Qiulitag deep faults in the basement correspond to the east and west Qiulitag anticlines, respectively. Moreover, deep faults also exist beneath the Yiqiklik and Yaken anticlines. It indicates that the formation of surface structures is controlled by deep structures; (2) A NE-trending strike-slip fault develops along the line from the western termination of Yiqiklik structure to Dongqiu Well 5 and a NW-trending active fault on the western side of Baicbeng. The two active faults across the tectonic strike are the main causes for tectonic segmentation of the Kuqa depression and possibly the cause for the middle segment (Kuqa-Baicheng) of the depression to be more shortened than both its eastern and western terminations; (3) The difference between the sedimentary cover and basement in their deformation characteristics depends mainly on the different properties of media between them.The lithospheric strength of the basement in the basin is fairly high, which determines the basement deformation to be mainly of brittle fracture seismic activity. While the strength of sedimentary cover is low, where there exist weak thin layers, such as coal and gyps. Under the effect of strong tectonic compression, the sedimentary rocks may undergo strong viscous or plastic flow deformation; meanwhile, an aseismic detachment may take place along the weak layers.     

地面风对瓦里关山大气CH4本底浓度的影响分析

使用1994年7月至1996年12月大气CH₄和地面风现场连续观测资料，分析了瓦里关全球大气本底基准站（36°17′N, 100°54′E，海拔3816 m）地面风变化对大气CH₄本底浓度的影响。结果表明，水平风向、风速和垂直风向、风速的变化对大气CH₄观测值的影响在春、夏、秋、冬季有明显不同，水平风向NE—ENE—E为CH₄测量最主要的局地影响非本底扇区，静风及水平风速大于10 m/s、垂直风速大于±1 m/s对观测结果都有较大影响；由的统计平均还给出了此段期间瓦里关大气CH₄在不同季节的浓度分布范围和日变化类型，并分析了可能成因；将地面风数据作为大气CH₄本底资料的过滤因子之一，提出了适用于不同使用目的和要求的我国内陆高原大气CH₄本底数据筛选方法，本底数据留存率约为原始资料量的50%。     

中国春季沙尘天气频数的时空变化及其与地面风压场的关系

文中利用EOF和SVD方法分析了近半个世纪中国春季沙尘天气频数的时空分布特征及其与近地面风速和海平面气压的关系。中国北方大部分地区春季沙尘天气发生频数近半个世纪呈减少趋势 ,2 0世纪 70年代末以前沙尘天气发生频数较多 ,70年代末开始逐渐减少 ,1997年降到最低值 ,同期中国近地面风速也呈减小趋势 ,两者之间存在显著相关。春季海平面气压场与中国沙尘天气的发生频数有十分密切的联系 ,海平面气压在中高纬度地区降低 ,中低纬度地区升高 ,气压梯度发生改变 ,从而引起地面风速减小 ,进一步影响到沙尘天气发生频数减少     

Effect of vegetation with different evolution degree on soil organic matter in a semi-arid environment (Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, SE Spain)

The organic matter of the surface horizons of soils developed below scrub vegetation in a Mediterranean semi-arid area of great environmental interest (Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, SE Spain) has been studied. The study mainly concentrates on examining the influence of two vegetation types, one evolved (according to its successional stage), and the other clearly degraded as a result of prior removal of vegetation. In spite of the homogeneity in the results obtained from the analysis of the organic matter from the soils studied, a relationship may be established between vegetation biotype and characteristics and evolution of the soil organic matter. The evolved vegetation results in the presence in the soil of a somewhat more evolved and stable organic matter (demonstrated by certain chemical and microbiological aspects), resulting in a greater degree of humification, thus favouring the protection of the soil and the ecosystem as a whole. Hence, the presence of degraded vegetation might lead to soil degradation, something that is unsustainable in semi-arid areas that are particularly fragile in nature.     

Upper mantle structure of the South American continent and neighboring oceans from surface wave tomography

We present a new three-dimensional SV-wave velocity model for the upper mantle beneath South America and the surrounding oceans, built from the waveform inversion of 5850 Rayleigh wave seismograms. The dense path coverage and the use of higher modes to supplement the fundamental mode of surface waves allow us to constrain seismic heterogeneities with horizontal wavelengths of a few hundred kilometres in the uppermost 400 km of the mantle.The large scale features of our tomographic model confirm previous results from global and regional tomographic studies (e.g. the depth extent of the high velocity cratonic roots down to about 200–250 km).Several new features are highlighted in our model. Down to 100 km depth, the high velocity lid beneath the Amazonian craton is separated in two parts associated with the Guyana and Guapore shields, suggesting that the rifting episode responsible for the formation of the Amazon basin has involved a significant part of the lithosphere. Along the Andean subduction belt, the structure of the high velocity anomaly associated with the sudbduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate reflects the along-strike variation in dip of the subducting plate. Slow velocities are observed down to about 100 km and 150 km at the intersection of the Carnegie and Chile ridges with the continent and are likely to represent the thermal anomalies associated with the subducted ridges. These lowered velocities might correspond to zones of weakness in the subducted plate and may have led to the formation of “slab windows” developed through unzipping of the subducted ridges; these windows might accommodate a transfer of asthenospheric mantle from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean. From 150 to 250 km depth, the subducting Nazca plate is associated with high seismic velocities between 5°S and 37°S. We find high seismic velocities beneath the Paraná basin down to about 200 km depth, underlain by a low velocity anomaly in the depth range 200–400 km located beneath the Ponta Grossa arc at the southern tip of the basin. This high velocity anomaly is located southward of a narrow S-wave low velocity structure observed between 200 and 500–600 km depth in body wave studies, but irresolvable with our long period datasets. Both anomalies point to a model in which several, possibly diachronous, plumes have risen to the surface to generate the Paraná large igneous province (LIP).     

基于贝叶斯模型的中国未来气温变化预估及不确定性分析

利用第5次耦合模式比较计划(CMIP5)中35个全球气候模式历史模拟与RCP4.5预估结果,通过贝叶斯模型平均(Bayesian Model Averaging,BMA)对中国气温进行多模式集合研究,给出了中国未来气温变化预估及其不确定性的时空分布。结果表明,中国21世纪冬夏将持续升温,且升温具有冬季高于夏季,北方高于南方的特点。初期(2016—2035年)北方有很大可能(80%)升温超过0.7℃,南方升温相同幅度的概率则超过50%;中期(2046—2065年)北方和南方升温超过1.5℃的概率分别为80%和50%;末期(2081—2100年),北方(南方)有80%(50%)的可能的升温超过2℃。气温预估的不确定性研究发现,无论冬夏,21世纪不同时期升温相对较弱的塔里木盆地、青藏高原南侧和中国东南地区为不确定性低值区,基本低于0.6℃,对应可信度较高,如21世纪初期信噪比超过4;而不确定性的高值区则主要分布在新疆北部、东北平原北部和青藏高原东南侧等升温相对较大的地区,普遍高于1℃,对应可信度较低,如初期信噪比低于2.5。此外,基于信噪比对比发现除青藏高原东部外,其他区域夏季预估的可信度均高于冬季,21世纪末期高于初期,且空间分布特征一致。     

强度尺度分解方法在气候温度场检验中的应用

本文首次将Casati等提出的强度尺度分解方法应用到气候地表温度场的检验中,探讨此方法用于评估气候模拟场误差的详细空间信息的适用性。以新一代气候系统模式模拟的月平均地表温度为例,传统的统计分析方法（较为常用的是空间相关系数和均方根误差、EOF分析等）不能完全反映模拟场误差的空间信息;强度尺度分解方法可计算不同阈值和空间尺度上的均方误差和模拟技巧,评估对应的模拟能力,定量给出模拟场主要误差的空间信息（误差范围即温度阈值及对应的空间尺度）,例如,亚洲东部地区1月单年及多年平均的模拟场在230 K阈值1600 km模拟技巧非常低。本研究表明强度尺度分解方法适用于气候温度场的检验评估,能定量给出误差的空间信息。     

Heterogeneous surface displacement pattern at the Hatchobaru geothermal field inferred from SAR interferometry time-series

We estimated surface displacements using persistent scatterer SAR interferometry (PS-InSAR) around the Hatchobaru geothermal field, Japan, from 18 ALOS/PALSAR images acquired from July 2007 to December 2010. Generally, geothermal fields, covered with natural targets such as rocky terrain and vegetation, have been one of the difficult targets for PS-InSAR analysis. However, we applied space adaptive filtering to increase the number of pixels for measuring surface displacement. The results of our analysis demonstrate ground subsidence with decaying velocity over the observation period around the geothermal field. The spatial pattern of ground subsidence includes sharp boundaries of subsidence that can be interpreted as fault traces. We demonstrated the usefulness of PS-InSAR analysis with the space adaptive filtering to estimate surface displacements with high spatial resolution and high spatial density around a geothermal field.     

Classification of forest land attributes using multi-source remotely sensed data

The aim of the study was to (1) examine the classification of forest land using airborne laser scanning (ALS) data, satellite images and sample plots of the Finnish National Forest Inventory (NFI) as training data and to (2) identify best performing metrics for classifying forest land attributes. Six different schemes of forest land classification were studied: land use/land cover (LU/LC) classification using both national classes and FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) classes, main type, site type, peat land type and drainage status. Special interest was to test different ALS-based surface metrics in classification of forest land attributes. Field data consisted of 828 NFI plots collected in 2008–2012 in southern Finland and remotely sensed data was from summer 2010. Multinomial logistic regression was used as the classification method. Classification of LU/LC classes were highly accurate (kappa-values 0.90 and 0.91) but also the classification of site type, peat land type and drainage status succeeded moderately well (kappa-values 0.51, 0.69 and 0.52). ALS-based surface metrics were found to be the most important predictor variables in classification of LU/LC class, main type and drainage status. In best classification models of forest site types both spectral metrics from satellite data and point cloud metrics from ALS were used. In turn, in the classification of peat land types ALS point cloud metrics played the most important role. Results indicated that the prediction of site type and forest land category could be incorporated into stand level forest management inventory system in Finland.