Effects of temperature and humidity upon the transport of sedimentary particles by wind

Wind tunnel simulations of aeolian transport carried out over a range in mean temperature between 32 °C and ?9 °C suggest that cold airflows support higher mass transport rates (Q) than very warm air. The magnitude of this increase is larger than expected, so that analytical and semi‐empirical models underestimate Q. Extrapolation of the results suggests that, at ?40 °C, as for example in the dry valleys of Antarctica in winter, Q may be as much as 70% higher than for the equivalent wind speed in hot deserts at air temperatures of 40 °C. Temperature‐dependent changes in air density and turbulence contribute to this result. The decreased tension of water adsorbed onto particle surfaces at low temperatures is postulated to reduce interparticle cohesion and, thus, to increase the elasticity of particle impacts on cold beds. Definition of the roles that temperature and humidity play in aeolian transport is relevant to studies of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and extraterrestrial (or planetary) geology. Investigation of present‐day, cold climate features and of climate change effects also requires knowledge of these fundamental relations.     

Retrograded textures and associated mass transfer: evidence for aqueous fluid action during exhumation of the Qinglongshan eclogite, Southern Sulu ultrahigh pressure metamorphic terrane, eastern China

The Qinglongshan eclogites in the Southern Sulu ultrahigh pressure metamorphic (UHPM) terrane show very different retrograded textures from their counterparts in the Northern Sulu terrane, implying a different thermal history. Scanning electron and optical microscope observations indicate that the peak assemblage of the Qinglongshan eclogite is anhydrous, composed of Grt + OmpI + Rt + (Ky + coesite). These primary minerals were replaced by second and third stage minerals, resulting in symplectite pseudomorphs or coronas. The following relationships are inferred: OmpI → OmpII + Ab + Fe‐oxide symplectite (type I) and Rt → Rt + Ilm intergrowth; and, Ky → Pg, OmpII (+Pl) → Amp (+Pl) symplectite (type II), and Grt → Prg (+Fe‐oxide). Mineral chemistry and mass‐balance demonstrate that the pseudomorphed textures were developed by metasomatism involving dissolution and precipitation intensified by fluids along grain boundaries. The formation of symplectite type I produced Fe, Mg and Na but consumed Ca and Si. The Mg and Fe diffused to garnet where exchange of (Mg, Fe) with Ca of the garnet resulted in compositional zonation with decreased Ca towards the edge of garnet grains where Ca was consumed during symplectite formation. The replacement of kyanite by paragonite consumed the extra Na. In the later stage, fluid infiltration partially transformed symplectite type I to type II, and narrow rims of pargasite resorbed garnet from their boundaries. Mass balance suggests that the transformation and resorption would have been coupled during fluid infiltration. In the latest stage, epidote and quartz were precipitated at very late stage as a result of fluid activity along microfractures. Tentative P–T conditions based on mineral reactions and thermocalc software suggest that the retrograded eclogite did not record the granulite facies retrograde evolution characteristic of eclogites from the Northern Sulu terrane. The difference in retrograde evolution between the Southern and Northern Sulu eclogites suggests a different exhumation history.     

Meteorological Office, Pune-411 005

Natural disasters like floods, tornadoes, tropicalcyclones, heat and cold wavewreak havoc and cause tremendous loss ofproperty all over the world. Most ofthe natural disasters are either dueto weather or are triggered due toweather related processes.Extreme weather events claimed thousands oflives and caused damage on vastscale. Recent super cyclone which affectedOrissa in 1999, Bangladesh cyclone of1970 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 areexamples of some of the more damagingtropical cyclones which affected developingas well as the developed world. Heatand cold waves are also extreme events,which cause enormous losses in terms oflives lost and human discomfort and ailmentsarising out of them. The heat waveof 1995 and 1998 are still fresh in the mindof the Indian public. The estimated lossof human lives due to heat wave in 1998 was morethan 15,000. Economic losses asa result of these disasters and in particular inassociation with tropical cyclones haveincreased enormously over the last three decades.During 1961–1991, total loss oflives from drought alone was 1,333,728 overthe whole world. In terms of economiclosses, there is 8–10 fold increase from thebase figure of 1960. The socio-economicimpact of natural disaster is complex dependingupon the vulnerability of the placeand mitigation strategies that are put in place.Meteorology plays a crucial role in forewarningpeople about the severe/extremeweather systems and a constant endeavour by themeteorological services worldover has gone a long way towards minimizing thelosses caused by natural disasters.The paper summarises the natural disasterstatistics over south Asia and the possibleprediction strategies for combating theirsocio-economic impacts.     

利用遥感综合分析西风引导气流与地形对沙尘运移路径的影响

沙尘暴的发生受大气环流、地表状况、降雨的影响，还受到局部地区地形的影响。一次规模较大的沙尘暴过程，沙尘可以从蒙古国和我国西部沙源地输送到我国东部、韩国、日本乃至夏威夷、美国西海岸。中日亚洲沙尘暴ADEC项目对亚洲沙尘暴的起沙、传输和降落的运行机制已经作了深入的研究，并建立了亚洲沙尘暴的数值模拟系统。本文以影响北京地区的沙尘暴事件为例，利用遥感技术，综合DEM地形数据和地面实测数据分析西风引导气流和地形对沙尘运移路径影响，将MODIs影像数据和DEM地形数据以及地面观测站点实测数据相结合，进行综合分析，结果表明在一次沙尘暴过程中，沙尘在运移过程中的运移路径明显地受到西风引导气流、沙尘粒子自然沉降规律以及局部地形的影响，要预防(减少)北京地区的沙尘暴仅仅作好北京地区的生态环境建设是不够的，加强北京周边地区，尤其是张家口地区、官厅水库库区及库区周围地区的生态环境建设尤为重要。     

沙尘天气等对西安市空气污染影响的研究

通过对西安市1981—2000年TSP、SO2和NOx年平均浓度资料,1998—2000年周报和日报环境监测资料以及相应的地面、高空常规气象观测资料的统计分析,研究了该市空气污染的时间变化特点以及沙尘天气等几种气象条件对其浓度变化的影响。结果表明:(1)颗粒污染物(TSP和PM10)是西安市的首要污染物,其次是SO2。1981—2000年期间,TSP年平均浓度降低了75%,SO2年平均浓度降低了77%,NOx年平均浓度总体上变化不大;这三种污染物月平均浓度的年变化都呈单周期型,冬季1月份最高,夏季最低(TSP是7月份最低,SO2和NOx是8月份最低)。(2)2001年春季3～4月份沙尘天气的频繁发生,使西安市空气污染日出现全年的第二个多发期(23d·月-1),这有别于正常年份仅在冬季1月份出现一个浓度峰值的特点;强沙尘暴天气过程会使西安市PM10浓度在非常短的时间内提高3倍左右,造成严重的颗粒物污染。(3)西安市冬半年出现轻度污染以上级别的几率明显大于夏半年。影响西安市的地面天气系统可归纳为12类,当受不同天气系统控制时,其污染状况会有较大差异。(4)西安市一年四季都有逆温存在,100m平均逆温强度为0.90℃;全年以低层逆温出现日数最多,但冬季贴地逆温出现日数最多,厚度最厚,强度最大,是造成西安市冬季空气污染严重的最重要气象因素之一。(5)西安     

基于受限汉语的GIS路径重建研究

主要研究基于自然语言 (汉语 )的GIS路径重建问题 ,通过分析带有路径表述信息的汉语文本 ,建立了汉语的NLRP句法模型 ,它是由带有空间语义的动作以及作为动作对象的地理要素构成的集合。考虑到自然语言理解实现的需求 ,论文基于NLRP句法模型定义了受限汉语的NLRP文法 ,在此基础上 ,描述了路径重建算法PRA ,并探讨了算法实现中由于空间认知原因带来的不确定性问题以及其解决方案。最后 ,基于该算法进行了相关实例研究 ,从而验证了该算法的正确性     

西安市冬季冷暖的历史演变对采暖的影响

本文针对CAPPS2.0系统在业务化自动运行过程中的一些问题,提供了一套具体可行的解决方案,实现了CAPPS系统的全自动运行,具有很高的实用价值。     

侯马市酸雨概况及其气象条件分析

通过对侯马近14a酸雨观测资料分析,发现侯马出现酸雨的概率较大,强度较强,时间变化特征明显,与气象条件关系密切。     

Study of statistically correcting model CMAQ-MOS for forecasting regional air quality

Based on analysis of the air pollution observational data at 8 observation sites in Beijing including outer suburbs during the period from September 2004 to March 2005, this paper reveals synchronal and in-phase characteristics in the spatial and temporal variation of air pollutants on a city-proper scale at deferent sites; describes seasonal differences of the pollutant emission influence between the heating and non-heating periods, also significantly local differences of the pollutant emission influence between the urban district and outer suburbs, i.e. the spatial and temporal distribution of air pollutant is closely related with that of the pollutant emission intensity. This study shows that due to complexity of the spatial and temporal distribution of pollution emission sources, the new generation Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model developed by the EPA of USA produced forecasts, as other models did, with a systematic error of significantly lower than observations, albeit the model has better capability than previous models had in predicting the spatial distribution and variation tendency of multi-sort pollutants. The reason might be that the CMAQ adopts average amount of pollutant emission inventory, so that the model is difficult to objectively and finely describe the distribution and variation of pollution emission sources intensity on different spatial and temporal scales in the areas, in which the pollution is to be forecast. In order to correct the systematic prediction error resulting from the average pollutant emission inventory in CMAQ, this study proposes a new way of combining dynamics and statistics and establishes a statistically correcting model CMAQ-MOS for forecasts of regional air quality by utilizing the relationship of CMAQ outputs with corresponding observations, and tests the forecast capability. The investigation of experiments presents that CMAQ-MOS reduces the systematic errors of CMAQ because of the uncertainty of pollution emission inventory and improves the forecast level of air quality. Also this work employed a way of combining point and area forecasting, i.e. taking the products of CMAQ for a center site to forecast air pollution for other sites in vicinity with the scheme of model products "reanalysis" and average over the "area".     

THE U.S. MILITARY AS GEOGRAPHICAL AGENT: THE CASE OF COLD WAR ALASKA*

ABSTRACT. Alaska was strategically key to the U.S. defense plan during the cold war (1946–1989). As such, it was the scene of an enormous and sustained military investment, the effect of which was amplified by Alaska's undiversified economy, sparse development, small resident population, and marginalized political status at the beginning of the era. The strong military presence affected Alaskan demographics, economic development, and infrastructure and figured prominently in the admission of Alaska to the union in 1959. The high profile and long‐term presence of the U.S. military had such a dramatic affect on the course of Alaska that the result was tantamount to a “militarized landscape.”