Gamma-Hadron Separation using Čerenkov Photon Density Fluctuations

In the atmospheric Čerenkov technique γ-rays are detected against the abundant background produced by hadronic showers. In order to improve the signal to noise ratio of theexperiment, it is necessary to reject a significant fraction of hadronic showers. Traditional background rejection methods based on image shape parameters have been extensively used for the data from imaging telescopes. However, non-imaging Čerenkov telescopes have to develop very different means of statistically identifying and removing cosmic ray events. Some of the parameters, which could be potentially important for non-imaging arrays, are the temporal and spectral differences, the lateral distributions and density fluctuations of Čerenkov photons generated by γ-ray and hadron primaries. Here we study the differences in fluctuations of Čerenkov photon density in the light pool at the observation level from showers initiated by photons and those initiated by protons or heavier nuclei. The database of simulated events for the PACT array has been used to evaluate the efficiency of the new technique. Various types of density fluctuations like the short range and medium range fluctuations as well as flatness parameter are studied. The estimated quality factors reflect the efficiencies with which the hadrons can be rejected from the data. Since some of these parameters are independent, the cuts may be applied in tandem and we demonstrate that the proton rejection efficiency of ∼90% can be achieved. Use of density fluctuations is particularly suited for wavefront sampling observations and it seems to be a good technique to improve the signal to noise ratio. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

乌什体应变的气压响应特征分析

通过选取不同时段乌什体应变、气压观测数据,利用小波分析分离观测数据中的信号,将相同频段的体应变、气压进行相关性分析。结果表明,乌什气压对乌什体应变的影响主要表现为线性关系,并且有16~64 min和64~128 h两个卓越频段。     

基于航空客流的中国城市层级结构分析

基于1995、2000和2003三个年份的航空客运统计数据,分析中国城际航空客流的结构,并以优势流(dominant flow)方法为主,辅以距离平方和聚类法,分析中国主要城市在国内客运航空网络中的层级及其变化。研究表明,通过航空客运方式产生的空间联系主要集中于东部地区,中部地区在航空网络的重要性方面落后于西部,北京、上海、广-深3个顶点组成全国航空网络的主干;从主导航空客流角度观察,自1995至2003年,一个高度集中的城市层级在3个全国性中心的控制下形成和发展,航空客运网络层级体系中的顶层结构业已清晰,而以下各层次的结构尚处于分化发展之中。     

中国近代北方极端干湿事件的演变规律

Using monthly precipitation and monthly mean temperature, a surface humid index was proposed. According to the index, the distributed characteristics of extreme dryness has been fully analyzed. The results indicated that there is an obvious increasing trend of extreme dryness in the central part of northern China and northeastern China in the last 10 years, which shows a high frequency period of extreme dryness; while a low frequency period in the regions during the last 100 years. Compared with variation trend of the temperature in these regions, the region of high frequent extreme dryness is consistent with the warming trend in the same region.     

Transition Periods Between Sea Ice Concentration and Sea Surface Air Temperature in the Arctic Revealed by an Abnormal Running Correlation

This study used the synthetic running correlation coefficient calculation method to calculate the running correlation coefficients between the daily sea ice concentration(SIC) and sea surface air temperature(SSAT) in the Beaufort-Chukchi-East Siberian-Laptev Sea(BCEL Sea), Kara Sea and southern Chukchi Sea, with an aim to understand and measure the seasonally occurring changes in the Arctic climate system. The similarities and differences among these three regions were also discussed. There are periods in spring and autumn when the changes in SIC and SSAT are not synchronized, which is a result of the seasonally occurring variation in the climate system. These periods are referred to as transition periods. Spring transition periods can be found in all three regions, and the start and end dates of these periods have advancing trends. The multiyear average duration of the spring transition periods in the BCEL Sea, Kara Sea and southern Chukchi Sea is 74 days, 57 days and 34 days, respectively. In autumn, transition periods exist in only the southern Chukchi Sea, with a multiyear average duration of only 16 days. Moreover, in the Kara Sea, positive correlation events can be found in some years, which are caused by weather time scale processes.     

The place of individuals in the politics of scale

Conceptualizations and re-conceptualizations of scale have been powerful tools for explaining spatial processes that transcend traditionally-bounded territories. Examining the role of individuals within a politics of scale can do even more to explain multi-scalar conflicts. This paper does so by examining struggles over airport expansion in the US, showing how an understanding of the various roles of individuals in the politics of scale – as sites of multiple scales, as actors constituting other scales, and as scales in and of themselves – better explains multi-scalar conflicts and offers more opportunities for resolving them.     

地形在高大金字塔沙山形成发育过程中的作用——以敦煌鸣沙山-月牙泉地区为例

地形在金字塔沙山形成发育过程中起着重要的作用。金字塔沙山通常形成于山前地带,应属于地形屏障影响下形成的一种沙丘类型。首先,上升气流的发育是山前风阻区气流的主要特征,地形屏障是上升气流发生发展的主要原因。沙山的坡脚、坡中及坡顶分别是上升气流的启动区、发育区及衰退区。上升气流是沙山增高增大发育的主要机制。其次,金字塔沙山多发育于局地环流发育较强的地带,局地环流与区域风况配置是形成复杂沙丘类型的重要因素。本区局地环流偏南风不仅持续时间长,且受到鸣沙山微地形的影响,下坡气流较强。实地观测结果破解了常规气候台观测数据难以揭示上升气流及局地环流对金字塔沙丘形成发育的影响。第三,下附地形在沙山形成发育过程中决定着沙丘发育的“临界尺度”,即丘体达到“临界尺度”的时候,坡面上升气流及风速放大作用逐渐显现,促使丘体增高增大发育,随着沙丘形态与上升气流的互馈作用进一步增强,金字塔沙丘逐渐形成演化为高大沙山。实地观测进一步证实了金字塔沙山是纵向（横向）沙丘形变的一种形式。并提出了金字塔沙山在地形条件下形成演化的一种新模式。     

南极普里兹湾气旋的生消发展

利用1989～2000年现场观测的气象资料,特别是自1997年以来在南极考察船上接收的NOAA卫星极轨高分辨的卫星云图,研究了普里兹湾气旋的生消发展;提出了夏季绕极气旋进入普里兹湾内也会发展加强,在湾内东风带里也能生成气旋的新观点,修正了普里兹湾仅是气旋墓地的不全面说法,从而进一步完善了南极西风带绕极气旋和东风带上气旋生消发展的理论;研究了普里兹湾冰-气-海相互作用的机理,解释了气旋发生、发展的物理过程.用整体动力学输送法计算了进入普里兹湾980205号绕极气旋爆发性发展的能量交换,指出气旋在超过冰坝进入冰间湖可以获得巨大的热量,使气旋迅速发展成为具有南极特色的强风暴,风力达12级以上,平均风速为38m/s;瞬时最大风速达100m/s.     

1971-2010年若尔盖湿地潜在蒸散量及地表湿润度的变化趋势

利用若尔盖、红原、玛曲3个气象站1971-2010年的地面气象观测资料,根据Penman-Monteith模型计算了若尔盖湿地的潜在蒸散量,发现若尔盖湿地年潜在蒸散量呈明显上升的趋势,上升趋势为9.1 mm/10a;若尔盖湿地潜在蒸散量在2001年出现了增大突变,2001-2010年平均潜在蒸散量比1971-2000年上升了28.6 mm;各季节潜在蒸散量均呈上升趋势,其中以秋季上升最明显,上升趋势为4.3 mm/10a。导致若尔盖湿地潜在蒸散量上升的主要气象因子是温度上升、相对湿度下降和降水量的减少,虽然日照时数减少和风速减小有利于潜在蒸散量的下降,但由于气温上升的趋势更明显,影响更大,所以若尔盖湿地潜在蒸散量呈明显的上升趋势。近40 a若尔盖湿地地表湿润度以-0.03/10a的趋势减小,其中2001-2010年比1981-1990年下降了0.11,下降十分明显;与此同时,年平均气温以0.41℃/10a的趋势上升,降水量以-13.5 mm/10a的趋势减少,虽然若尔盖湿地仍属于湿润区,但出现了明显的暖干化趋势。     

Lower Tropospheric Warm Air Advection Patterns Associated with Heavy Rainfall over the Appalachian Region*

A synoptic climatology of warm season heavy rainfall is developed from patterns of 850 mb thermal advection over the Appalachian region. Heavy rain events are categorized according to the position and orientation of a warm air advection (WAA) ridge, a feature found in nearly two-thirds of the events. Numerous study events occur within the conditionally unstable region of the WAA ridge. In fact, numerous occurrences of heavy rainfall are tied to a superpositioning of a WAA and air mass instability ridge in the vicinity or upstream of the heavy rain area.