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.     

Direct Current Plasma Emission Spectrometric Determination of Major, Minor and Trace Elements in Microwave Oven Acid Leachates of Powdered Whole Coal Samples

Major concentrations of Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, MgO, CaO, Na₂O and K₂O, minor levels of TiO₂, P₂O₅ and thirty petrologically, geochemically and environmentally significant trace elements have been determined in microwave oven acid leachates of whole powdered coal samples by direct current plasma‐atomic emission spectrometry (DCP‐AES). A single sample preparation procedure was suitable for all the determinations with no additional dilution step for major elements solution. Dried samples (0.5 g) were treated in low‐pressure PFA digestion vessels with HF/HCl/HNO₃/HClO₄ acids to quantitatively extract the analytes from the bulk material, while leaving the major part of organic matrix as a residue. The major constituents of geological samples, in particular the easily ionised elements (EIEs) such as alkali and alkaline earths, may complicate the instrumental determinations in DCP‐AES because of differential enhancements of elemental emission intensities and stray light interferences. Taking account of these factors, the coal matrix is considered to have very low major oxide totals as compared to many other common geo‐environmental and related materials (rocks, sediments, soil, ashes etc.). The sample size employed here, while yielding a relatively concentrated solution to cover a wide range of elemental determinations, provided a sample matrix that significantly diminished interferences for DCP measurements. The need for closely matching the unknowns and calibrators was eliminated except for overall acidity and an excess quantity of caesium for EIE buffering. Calibration of the spectrometer was accomplished by simple aqueous single element solutions as high concentration calibrators in addition to a reagent blank as a low concentration calibrator. Two point working curves were established to allow for the maximum concentrations of each element expected in the unknowns. The precision of determinations under routine conditions as well as the reproducibility of the leaching and precision of instrumental measurements have been evaluated. Relative standard deviations (RSD) were of 1–2% for those elements whose concentrations in solid samples were well above the limits of quantification. Method detection limits in the buffered solutions were also evaluated. To evaluate the accuracy of the microwave oven‐DCP method a suite of eight certified coal reference materials of differing rank, were analysed with good agreement with the certified and/or available published data. Results are presented for the uncertified major oxides in the AR series reference materials.     

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).     

Development of a rain‐on‐snow detection algorithm using passive microwave radiometry

Currently observed climate warming in the Arctic has numerous consequences. Of particular relevance, the precipitation regime is modified where mixed and liquid precipitation can occur during the winter season leading to rain‐on‐snow (ROS) events. This phenomenon is responsible for ice crust formation, which has a significant impact on ecosystems (such as biological, hydrological, ecological and physical processes). The spatially and temporally sporadic nature of ROS events makes the phenomenon difficult to monitor using meteorological observations. This paper focuses on the detection of ROS events using passive microwave (PMW) data from a modified brightness temperature (T_B) gradient approach at 19 and 37 GHz. The approach presented here was developed empirically for observed ROS events with coincident ground‐based PMW measurements in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. It was then tested in Nunavik, Quebec, with the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR‐E). We obtained a detection accuracy of 57, 71 and 89% for ROS detection for three AMSR‐E grid cells with a maximum error of 7% when considering all omissions and commissions with regard to the total number of AMSR‐E passes throughout the winter period. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integrating ASTER and GLASS broadband emissivity products using a multi-resolution Kalman filter

In this study, the multi-resolution Kalman filter (MKF) algorithm, which can handle multi-resolution problems with high computational efficiency, was used to blend two emissivity products: the Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS) (BBE) product and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) narrowband emissivity (NBE) product. The ASTER NBE product was first converted into a BBE product. A new detrending method was used to transfer the BBEs into a process suitable for the MKF. The new detrending method was superior to the two existing methods. Finally, both the de-trended GLASS and ASTER BBE products were incorporated into the MKF framework to obtain the optimal estimation at each scale. Field measurements collected in North America were used to validate the integrated BBEs. Visually, the fusion map showed good continuity, with the exception of the border areas, and the quality of the fusion map was better than that of the original maps. The validation results indicate that the MKF improved the BBE product accuracy at the coarse scale. In addition, the MKF was capable of recovering missing pixels at a finer scale.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定铅合金中的微量杂质元素镉和锡

铅合金中的镉和锡由于含量较低,国家标准方法均为单一元素分析,步骤繁琐,检出限高,难以达到理想的检出要求。本文建立了应用电感耦合等离子体质谱法(ICP-MS)测定铅合金中微量级(μg/g级)杂质元素镉和锡的分析方法。采用单一的低浓度硝酸溶解铅合金,用低温慢溶的方式使样品溶解更加完全,减少了多离子对仪器的干扰;通过铅基体匹配和加入酒石酸保证了标准与样品介质的一致性,同时避免了锡的水解;以~(103)Rh作为内标元素,~(111)Cd和~(118)Sn作为测量同位素克服了质谱干扰。方法检出限为镉0.05 ng/g、锡0.04 ng/g,比国家标准方法的检出限(1~6μg/g)低,精密度小于4%。该方法试剂用量少,减少了处理样品的复杂性,实现了合金中微量级元素的准确测定。     

利用微波等离子体炬四极杆质谱在线测定稀土矿样中的多种稀土元素

随着稀土的应用越来越广泛,开发稀土元素的快速在线检测技术已日趋成为行业发展的需求。本文以微波等离子体炬(MPT)为离子源,以四极杆质谱仪(QMS)作为质量分析器建立了一种快速、直接检测水样中稀土元素的质谱检测方法,并将其应用于分析稀土矿样中的多种稀土元素。研究表明,应用MPT-QMS测定水样中的钇、镧、铈、钕、铕五种稀土元素,检出限(LOD)可达11.0~60.5μg/L,测定范围为50~1000μg/L。当分析固体稀土矿样时,样品经酸溶处理后通过气动雾化形成气溶胶,再进行冷却干燥,气溶胶由MPT的中心管道进入等离子体中,产生稀土元素复合离子,再引入QMS中进行分析,即可以定量地测定矿样中稀土元素的含量。同一样品用电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)进行对比实验,两者的检测结果在数量级上接近,证明了MPTQMS方法在半定量的意义下是准确、可靠的,因而这种快速的检测方法可发展成为水体中金属元素的现场分析方法,应用于环境水、生活水质量在线监测等领域。     

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。     

冰雹云降水过程中微波亮温的变化特征

通过冰雹云模式模拟的一次冰雹云降水过程中降水粒子廓线和微波辐射传输模式结合,分析了冰雹云发展的不同阶段的微物理含量垂直结构变化及其对微波亮温的影响,得到以下几点结论:1)如果微波通道受到降水粒子散射和辐射的共同作用,如降水云早期的85 GHz亮温,成熟期的19 GHz亮温及消散期的37 GHz亮温,由于辐射和散射信息互相抵消,致使亮温随雨强的变化较复杂,这些通道亮温和雨强的相关性明显降低,不宜被用来反演地面雨强。2)根据19 GHz亮温随地面雨强或冰相粒子柱含量的改变,可以大致确定降雨云的不同阶段:在发展阶段,主要是降雨层以上的冰相粒子,尤其霰粒影响19 GHz亮温,致使其亮温与冰相粒子柱含量具有较好的负相关,而与地面雨强相关性较差;在成熟阶段,主要受雨水上层逐渐增加的辐射和冰相粒子散射共同作用,使得19GHz亮温与地面雨强和冰相粒子柱含量的相关性都不太好;在消散阶段,19 GHz亮温主要受较强的雨水辐射影响,与地面雨强和冰相粒子柱含量均有着较高的正相关。3)37 GHz是相对比较稳定的通道,其亮温与地面雨强有较好的线性关系,尤其与冰相粒子柱含量相关性更好,因此是反演地面雨强和冰相粒子柱含量的最佳通道。85 GHz亮温对降雨云体的中高层结构较为敏感,使得其亮温随地面雨强增加而降低的变化比较离散,不如37 GHz的集中。