Low-temperature constraints on the Alpine thermal evolution of the Western Carpathian basement rock complexes

The Cretaceous to Palaeogene Alpine exhumation of previously buried Variscan basements is recorded in the southern portion of the Western Carpathians in the Gemeric and Veporic units. The Meso-Cenozoic collisional processes resulted in basement exhumation of the Tatric Unit from Palaeogene to Neogene times. According to zircon and apatite fission track data, the Gemeric Unit, an uppermost thick-skinned thrust sheet, cooled from depth levels of ∼10 up to 2.5 km (temperature interval of ∼250–60 °C) about 88–64 Ma ago, after the collapse of overlying Meliata-Turňa-Silica Mesozoic accretionary prism. The middle and lower thick-skinned thrust sheets, Veporic and Tatric units, cooled from the depths of ∼10 up to 2.5 km ∼110–40 Ma ago. The process was controlled by unroofing of footwall from beneath the Gemeric Unit. About 50–20 Ma ago, the internal zone of Tatric Unit gradually exhumed to depth of <2 km and some parts of the unit appeared at the surface level. However, the external zone of Tatric Unit was buried beneath the Eocene to Lower Miocene sedimentary successions and exhumed to the subsurface level at ∼21–8 Ma ago, as a result of oblique collision of the Western Carpathians with the European Platform.     

Exhumation history of the Peake and Denison Inliers: insights from low-temperature thermochronology

Multi-method thermochronology applied to the Peake and Denison Inliers (northern South Australia) reveals multiple low-temperature thermal events. Apatite fission track (AFT) data suggest two main time periods of basement cooling and/or reheating into AFT closure temperatures (～60–120°C); at ca 470–440 Ma and ca 340–300 Ma. We interpret the Ordovician pulse of rapid basement cooling as a result of post-orogenic cooling after the Delamerian Orogeny, followed by deformation related to the start of the Alice Springs Orogeny and orocline formation relating to the Benambran Orogeny. This is supported by a titanite U/Pb age of 479 ± 7 Ma. Our thermal history models indicate that subsequent denudation and sedimentary burial during the Devonian brought the basement rocks back to zircon U–Th–Sm/He (ZHe) closure temperatures (～200–150°C). This period was followed by a renewal of rapid cooling during the Carboniferous, likely as the result of the final pulses of the Alice Springs Orogeny, which exhumed the inlier to ambient surface temperatures. This thermal event is supported by the presence of the Mount Margaret erosion surface, which indicates that the inlier was exposed at the surface during the early Permian. During the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic, the inlier was subjected to minor reheating to AFT closure temperatures; however, the exact timing cannot be deduced from our dataset. Cretaceous apatite U–Th–Sm/He (AHe) ages coupled with the presence of contemporaneous coarse-grained terrigenous rocks suggest a temporally thermal perturbation related with shallow burial during this time, before late Cretaceous exhumation cooled the inliers back to ambient surface temperatures.     

Verification and Correction of Cloud Base and Top Height Retrievals from Ka–band Cloud Radar in Boseong,Korea

In this study,cloud base height(CBH) and cloud top height(CTH) observed by the Ka-band(33.44 GHz) cloud radar at the Boseong National Center for Intensive Observation of Severe Weather during fall 2013(September-November) were verified and corrected.For comparative verification,CBH and CTH were obtained using a ceilometer(CL51) and the Communication,Ocean and Meteorological Satellite(COMS).During rainfall,the CBH and CTH observed by the cloud radar were lower than observed by the ceilometer and COMS because of signal attenuation due to raindrops,and this difference increased with rainfall intensity.During dry periods,however,the CBH and CTH observed by the cloud radar,ceilometer,and COMS were similar.Thin and low-density clouds were observed more effectively by the cloud radar compared with the ceilometer and COMS.In cases of rainfall or missing cloud radar data,the ceilometer and COMS data were proven effective in correcting or compensating the cloud radar data.These corrected cloud data were used to classify cloud types,which revealed that low clouds occurred most frequently.     

Possible sources of forecast errors generated by the global/regional assimilation and prediction system for landfalling tropical cyclones. Part I: Initial uncertainties

This paper investigates the possible sources of errors associated with tropical cyclone (TC) tracks forecasted using the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES). The GRAPES forecasts were made for 16 landfalling TCs in the western North Pacific basin during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, with a forecast length of 72 hours, and using the default initial conditions (“initials”, hereafter), which are from the NCEP-FNL dataset, as well as ECMWF initials. The forecasts are compared with ECMWF forecasts. The results show that in most TCs, the GRAPES forecasts are improved when using the ECMWF initials compared with the default initials. Compared with the ECMWF initials, the default initials produce lower intensity TCs and a lower intensity subtropical high, but a higher intensity South Asia high and monsoon trough, as well as a higher temperature but lower specific humidity at the TC center. Replacement of the geopotential height and wind fields with the ECMWF initials in and around the TC center at the initial time was found to be the most efficient way to improve the forecasts. In addition, TCs that showed the greatest improvement in forecast accuracy usually had the largest initial uncertainties in TC intensity and were usually in the intensifying phase. The results demonstrate the importance of the initial intensity for TC track forecasts made using GRAPES, and indicate the model is better in describing the intensifying phase than the decaying phase of TCs. Finally, the limit of the improvement indicates that the model error associated with GRAPES forecasts may be the main cause of poor forecasts of landfalling TCs. Thus, further examinations of the model errors are required.     

毫米波雷达与无线电探空对云垂直结构探测的一致性分析

在众多种针对云垂直结构的探测中,毫米波雷达可获取云底、云顶、云厚等完整的云垂直结构信息,并可以连续监测云的垂直剖面变化,是有力的探测手段之一。而无线电探空因其直接的测量优势,能直观、确切地描述大气湿度垂直结构,可将其进一步处理生成云垂直结构信息,并作为一种数据源用于与毫米波雷达云垂直结构探测结果进行比对,以评估毫米波雷达针对云宏观垂直结构的探测性能,为毫米波雷达更好地应用于云探测提供参考。通过获取位于北京南郊观象台的毫米波雷达2014年10月28日至2015年2月17日长达113天连续观测的反射率因子以及探空温、压、湿数据,设计或选取合适的方法对二者进行云边界的计算,并进行云高（包括云底高和云顶高）以及云层数的一致性比对分析。结果认为,除对于高层云的云顶高度毫米波雷达由于探测限制不能探测到10 km以上的云顶,某些时刻与探空产生较大差异外,在云底高度以及中低云的云顶高度上可以与探空观测取得很好的匹配效果,对于云的垂直分层上二者也有较强的一致性。该毫米波雷达具有较为准确并连续刻画10 km以下云垂直结构的能力。     

新疆哈密地区近54a日照时数的均一性分析及其影响因素

以新疆哈密地区1961-2014年6个气象观测站地面气象观测资料为依据,利用线性趋势分析、相关性分析、M-K突变检验分析等方法,对哈密地区近54a四季及年平均日照时数的变化趋势、异常年份、突变检验及影响因子进行分析,得出以下结论：近54a哈密地区春季与年平均日照时数均呈上升趋势,而夏、秋、冬季变化比较平稳;年日照时数异常偏少出现在1998年,但从未出现过异常偏多年;年日照时数在1973年和2008年发生两次突变,减少、增加趋势不显著;年、春季日照时数增加与低云量的减少关系密切。     

1998-2009年间台风不活跃期间热带云团活动分析

热带云团是台风生成的前兆,虽然一些研究将近20 a来台风不活跃与大尺度环境场相联系,但是还没有人分析台风不活跃期热带云团的活动特点。本文利用目前仅有的1989-2009年全球热带云团资料,分析了西北太平洋热带云团近20 a的变化特征。1998年以后西北太平洋台风生成减少主要发生在7-10月,集中在南海（13～23°N,110～120°E）和西北太平洋台风活动区域的东部（13～23°N,145～170°E）。热带云团除1月外各月都有增加的趋势,特别是与台风生成显著减少区域相联系的热带云团活动具有显著的增加趋势。通过对NCEP/NCAR再分析资料分析发现,1998年后热带云团活动增加与环境风垂直切变增加有关,而增强的垂直切变不利于台风生成。     

北京和广州地区云闪初始击穿电场变化特征

对比分析了北京和广州地区各100例云闪初始阶段前30 ms快电场变化波形上初始击穿脉冲的特征。依据脉冲的结构特征,两地区的云闪初始击穿脉冲可分为单极性单峰型、单极性多峰型、双极性单峰型和双极性多峰型脉冲,两地区均以单极性和单峰型脉冲为主。对脉冲参量特征的统计发现,脉冲的10%-90%上升时间、半峰值宽度地区差异性小于脉冲类型差异性;双极性单峰型脉冲的半峰值宽是单极性单峰型的1.2倍。不同类型脉冲过零时间的中值、平均值在10μs左右量级,且广州地区较北京地区的大;云闪初始击穿脉冲宽度平均值显著小于相同地区正地闪的,而脉冲间隔显著大于正地闪的。初始击穿脉冲最为集中的出现在云闪最初的1~2 ms,其比例随时间以显著的负指数分布下降。研究发现,双极性脉冲的过零时间与脉冲宽度之间、起始半周期峰值幅度与过冲幅度之间均存在较好的线性关系。     

地基探测与NCEP GFS模式预报云量在ARM SGP站点对比

使用大气辐射测量实验(Atmospheric Radiation Measurements:ARM)在美国南部大平原站点(Southern Great Plains:SGP)长时间序列(2001 2010年)的地基主动遥感云(Active Remote Sensing of Clouds:ARSCL)和美国国家环境预报中心(National Centers for Environmental Prediction:NCEP)全球预报系统(Global Forecast System:GFS)模式预报资料,对比分析了两者云量在不同时间尺度内(年际、月份和季节)的差异。结果表明,GFS模式预报总云量为83.8%,略高于地基观测结果(78.1%);两者总云量差异在秋季最大(8.8%),春季最小(2.2%)。在低垂直高度分辨率(≥3 km)时,地基探测低云、中云和高云的云量分别为46.1%、43.5%和61.2%;模式预报三类云的云量均要高于地基探测的云量,差异分别为9.6%、17.2%和9.1%。但是,在高垂直分辨率(250 m)时,地基探测云量在大多数高度层上要高于模式预报结果。这应该是两种资料廓线中有云出现的高度层数目存在差异引起的。地基观测和GFS模式预报同时表明,SGP站点上空云量垂直廓线呈现双峰结构,在边界层附近(1 km)和上对流层区域(8-12 km)云量较大,2-3 km高度范围内云量较小。在春夏秋冬四个季节内,两种资料在低层边界层附近的最大云量偏差分别为9.5%、8.8%、7.8%和11.2%。