A new MODIS daffy cloud free snow cover mapping algorithm on the Tibetan Plateau

Because of similar reflective characteristics of snow and cloud, the weather status seriously affects snow monitoring using optical remote sensing data. Cloud amount analysis during 2010 to 2011 snow seasons shows that cloud cover is the major limitation for snow cover monitoring using MOD10A1 and MYD10A1. By use of MODIS daily snow cover products and AMSR-E snow wa- ter equivalent products （SWE）, several cloud elimination methods were integrated to produce a new daily cloud flee snow cover product, and information of snow depth from 85 climate stations in Tibetan Plateau area （TP） were used to validate the accuracy of the new composite snow cover product. The results indicate that snow classification accuracy of the new daily snow cover product reaches 91.7% when snow depth is over 3 cm. This suggests that the new daily snow cover mapping algorithm is suitable for monitoring snow cover dynamic changes in TP.     

Thermodynamic properties of snow cover on sea ice during the austral summer in Prydz Bay,East Antarctica

The thermodynamic properties of snow cover on sea ice play a key role in the ice-ocean-atmosphere system and have been a focus of recent scientific research. In this study, we investigated the thermodynamic properties of snow cover on sea ice in the Nella Fjord, Prydz Bay, East Antarctica(69°20′S, 76°07′E), near the Chinese Antarctic Zhongshan Station. Our observations were carried out during the 29th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition. We found that the vertical temperature profile of snow cover changed considerably in response to changes in air temperature and solar radiation during the summer. Associated with the changes in the temperature profile were fluctuations in the temperature gradient within the upper 10 cm of the snow cover. Results of previous research have shown that the thermal conductivity of snow is strongly correlated with snow density. To calculate the thermal conductivity in this study, we measured densities in three snow pits. The calculated thermal conductivity ranged from 0.258–0.569 W?m-1?K-1. We present these datasets to show how involved parameters changed, and to contribute to a better understanding of melting processes in the snow cover on sea ice.     

大伙房库区近30年来植被覆盖变化分析

根据像元二分模型原理,利用1983年、2000年、2011年大伙房库区遥感影像数据提取植被覆盖遥感信息,结合植被指数计算植被覆盖度,分析比较大伙房库区不同时期植被覆盖的变化,研究大伙房库区这三个时期植被覆盖动态变化规律,为大伙房库区的生态建设和可持续发展提供决策支持。结果显示:1近30年以来,大伙房库区植被覆盖等级分布不均衡,高植被覆盖区过分集中在北部地带,西部则多为低植被覆盖区;2大伙房库区高植被覆盖面积在减少、低植被覆盖面积在增加;3大伙房库区植被覆盖总面积在下降,库区的生态环境已经遭到了破坏;4政策建议:加强监测与监管力度,合理开发利用矿产资源,积极响应国家"退耕还林、退耕还草"号召。     

Results of a CLM4 Land Surface Simulation over China Using a Multisource Integrated Land Cover Dataset

In this study, the high-accuracy multisource integrated Chinese land cover （MICLCover） dataset was used in version 4 of the Community Land Model （CLM4） to assess how the new land cover information affected land surface simulation over China. Compared to the default land cover dataset in CLM4, the MICL data indicated lower values for bare soil （14.6% reduction）, nee- dleleaf tree （3.6%）, and broadleaf tree （1.9%）; higher values for shrub cover （1.8% increase）, grassland （9.9%）, cropland （5.0%）, glaciers （0.5%）, lakes （1.6%）, and wetland （1.1%）; and unchanged for urban areas. Two comparative CLM4 simulations were conducted for the 33-yr period from 1972 to 2004, one using the MICL dataset and the other using the default dataset. The results revealed that the MICL data produced a 0.3% lower mean annual surface albedo over China than the original data. The largest contributor to the reduced value was semiarid regions （2.1% reduction）. The MICL-data albedo value agreed more closely with observations （MODIS broad- band black-sky albedo products） over arid and semiarid regions than for the original data to some extent. The simulated average sensible heat flux over China increased by only 0.1 W m 2 owing to the reduced values in arid and semiarid regions, as opposed to increases in humid and semihumid regions, while an increased latent heat flux of I W m-2 was reflected in almost identical changes over the whole region. In addition, the mean annual runoff simulated by CLM4 using MICL data decreased by 6.8 mm yr-1, primarily due to large simulated decreases in humid regions.     

A Dipole Pattern of Summer Precipitation over Mid-high Latitude Asia and Related Snow Cover Anomalies in the Preceding Spring

A dipole pattern of summer precipitation over the mid-high latitudes of Asia, which is characterized by opposing summer precipitation variations between the Mongolian and Northeast China （MNC） region and the West Siberian Plain （WSP）, is found to be clear and stable on both interdecadal and interannual scales during 1981- 2011. Spring snow cover anomalies over a small region within the WSP and the Heilongjiang River （HR） region are closely related to the variation of this dipole mode during the subsequent summer, and they can therefore be considered as forecasting factors. Our statistical results imply a potential process explaining the relationship between the spring snow anomalies and the summer rainfall dipole. Corresponding to the snow anomalies, Rossby waves propagate along a path from the WSP region, via the Mongolian Plateau, to the Stanovoy Range during summer. At the same time, Rossby-wave energy divergences and convergences along this path maintain and reinforce an anomalous cyclone and anticyclone pairing over the Asian continent, which is significantly linked to opposite summer precipitation anomalies between the MNC and WSP regions. Numerical experiments are need- ed to further confirm the above conjecture and demonstrate the detailed physical mechanisms linking the spring snow cover anomalies and summer precipitation dipole.     

Assessing integration of intensity,polarimetric scattering,interferometric coherence and spatial texture metrics in PALSAR-derived land cover classification

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an important alternative to optical remote sensing due to its ability to acquire data regardless of weather conditions and day/night cycle. The Phased Array type L-band SAR (PALSAR) onboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) provided new opportunities for vegetation and land cover mapping. Most previous studies employing PALSAR investigated the use of one or two feature types (e.g. intensity, coherence); however, little effort has been devoted to assessing the simultaneous integration of multiple types of features. In this study, we bridged this gap by evaluating the potential of using numerous metrics expressing four feature types: intensity, polarimetric scattering, interferometric coherence and spatial texture. Our case study was conducted in Central New York State, USA using multitemporal PALSAR imagery from 2010. The land cover classification implemented an ensemble learning algorithm, namely random forest. Accuracies of each classified map produced from different combinations of features were assessed on a pixel-by-pixel basis using validation data obtained from a stratified random sample. Among the different combinations of feature types evaluated, intensity was the most indispensable because intensity was included in all of the highest accuracy scenarios. However, relative to using only intensity metrics, combining all four feature types increased overall accuracy by 7%. Producer’s and user’s accuracies of the four vegetation classes improved considerably for the best performing combination of features when compared to classifications using only a single feature type.     

The Observed and Simulated Major Summer Climate Features in Northwest China and Their Sensitivity to Land Surface Processes

Northwest China （NWC） is a typical arid and semi-arid region. In this study, the main summer climate features over NWC are presented and the performance of an atmospheric general circulation model （NCEP GCM/SSiB） over this region is evaluated. Satellite-derived vegetation products are applied in the model. Based on comparison with observational data and Reanalysis II data, the model generally captures major features of the NWC summer energy balance and circulation. These features include： a high surface tem- perature center dominating the planetary boundary layer; widespread descending motion; an anticyclone （cyclone） located in the lower and middle （upper） troposphere, covering most parts of central NWC; and the precipitation located mainly in the high elevation areas surrounding NWC.
The sensitivity of the summer energy balance and circulation over NWC and surrounding regions to land surface processes is assessed with specified land cover change. In the sensitivity experiment, the degradation over most parts of NWC, except the Taklimakan desert, decreases the surface-absorbed radiation and leads to weaker surface thermal effects. In northern Xinjiang and surrounding regions, less latent heating causes stronger anomalous lower-level anticyclonic circulation and upper-level cyclonic circulation, leading to less summer precipitation and higher surface temperature. Meanwhile, the dry conditions in the Hexi Corridor produce less change in the latent heat flux. The circulation change to the north of this area plays a domi- nant role in indirectly changing lower-level cyclonic conditions, producing more convergence, weaker vertical descending motion, and thus an increase in the precipitation over this region.     

Statistical Characteristics of Convective Initiation in the Beijing-Tianjin Region Revealed by Six-Year Radar Data

Characteristics of convective initiation (CI) in the Beijing-Tianjin region during the warm season of2008-2013 are examined. A total of 38877 CI cases are identified by a thunderstorm identification, tracking, analysis, and nowcasting algorithm. CI cases are evaluated in the context of associated terrain, weather systems, and land cover properties. The spatial distribution of all CI cases shows that there are dense CI activities around the 200-m elevation, which means that convective storms are more easily triggered over foothills. From 1500-1800 to 0300-0600 BT (Beijing Time), the high-occurrence CI region tends to propagate southeastward (i.e., from mountains to plains, then to ocean). Among the four local weather systems, the Mongolian cold vortex has the highest CI frequency while the after-trough system has the lowest CI frequency. For the land cover relationships with CI, the urban land cover has the highest CI density and the forest-type land cover has the second highest CI density; these two types of land cover are more conducive to CI formation.     

赣南白面石铀矿田成因再认识

赣南白面石铀矿田经上世纪60~80年代勘查,发现和探明了白面石、龙坑、双坑、马荠塘4个铀矿床和黄泥湖铀矿点,成为中国重要的铀资源基地。该矿田产于EW向南岭铀成矿带东段的白面石沉积-火山盆地内。该盆地的基底为印支期白面石花岗岩体;盖层为中侏罗统菖蒲组。盖层的底部为第一层砂岩,其上由基性-酸性双峰式火山岩组合与5层碎屑岩夹层组成。铀矿主要赋存在盖层底部的第一层砂岩中,其次是产在第一层玄武岩与第一层砂岩的接触带,有少量产在基底花岗岩顶部的风化壳中。关于该铀矿田的成因,有砂岩型沉积说、同生沉积后生富集说、成岩成矿热液叠加说、岩浆热液说,等等。为了厘定矿床成因类型,以确立今后的找矿方向,笔者对该矿田的资料进行了重新整理,应用Minesight软件选择典型的白面石铀矿床建立了三维地质模型,并收集了最新的同位素定年和岩石地球化学分析资料。研究表明,白面石铀矿田存在2次成矿（160~156 Ma和99~86 Ma）,其主成矿作用与第一层玄武岩的覆盖,在空间上相伴（铀矿体主要赋存于第一层砂岩及其与玄武岩的接触带）、时间上相近（成矿时间为160~156 Ma,玄武岩成岩时间为173 Ma）、成生上相关（矿化具有明显的中-低温热液蚀变）,为火山热盖成因类型,后期又有大量脉体活动,在岩脉两侧的砂岩层内又有热液型铀矿化叠加,从而形成了火山热盖及热液叠加的复成因矿床。该矿田的成矿条件是：富铀的基底,砂岩的沉积,洼沟的地形,岩浆的热盖,脉岩的入侵。     

全球土地覆被时空变化与中国贡献

20世纪下半叶以来全球土地覆被发生了剧烈变化,人类活动对土地覆被变化的影响成为“人类世”最为显著的特征之一。科学评估全球土地覆被变化的时空过程和新态势,分析中国在其中扮演的角色和地位并提出优化路径,成为中国在可持续发展领域应对全球百年未有之大变局的核心任务之一。本文基于多源土地覆盖数据,运用地理空间分析方法定量刻画了全球土地覆被变化的时空演化过程,从景观尺度分析了地类间的转化关系以及全球“变绿”和森林覆盖度的变化趋势,揭示了中国对全球土地覆被时空变化的贡献。结果表明,1992—2015年全球土地覆被经历了显著变化,全球土地覆被变化度在南美洲中部、撒哈拉以南的非洲、中亚、东南亚和东亚等地形成显著的热点区。中国森林覆盖率从1990年的12.98%增至2020年的23.34%,湿地面积增长1908 km²,为维护全球生态安全贡献了力量,同时在城市用地增长、草地和其他用地减少等方面也有一定的限制作用。与全球其他国家不同,中国城市扩张占用耕地面积居全球第一位,高达7.3万km²。1999—2019年全球叶面积指数存在全球性的显著提高趋势。中国以仅占全球6.6%的植被面积,贡献了全球20%左右的叶面积增加量,引领了全球“变绿”过程。1990—2020年全球森林覆盖度变化呈现出空间集聚性。中国森林面积增长62.84万km²居全球前列,其中西南林区和秦巴山区是林地增长的主要区域,长三角、粤港澳大湾区和内蒙古东部部分地区是森林覆盖度降低的主要区域。中国未来应进一步提升经济社会发展与生态保护的均衡协调度,持续推进美丽中国建设,为全球生态安全和可持续发展贡献更大力量和更多经验。