Latitudinal and downcore (0–750 ka) changes in n-alkane chain lengths in the eastern equatorial Pacific

The n-alkane C₃₁/(C₂₉ + C₃₁) ratios from surface sediments in the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) exhibit higher values to the north and lower values to the south across the southern edge (2–4°N) of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Since plants tend to synthesize longer chain length n-alkanes in response to elevated temperature and/or aridity, the higher C₃₁/(C₂₉ + C₃₁) ratios at northern sites suggest a higher contribution of vegetation under hot and/or dry conditions. This is consistent with the observation that northern sites receive higher levels of plant waxes transported by northeasterly trade winds from northern South America, where hot and dry conditions prevail. Furthermore, from a sediment core covering the past 750 ka (core HY04; 4°N, 95°W) we found that C₃₁/(C₂₉ + C₃₁) ratios exhibit a long-term decrease from MIS (marine oxygen isotope stage) 17 to 13. During this period, the zonal SST (sea-surface temperature) gradient in the equatorial Pacific increased, suggesting an increase in Walker circulation. Such intensified Walker circulation may have enhanced moisture advection from the equatorial Atlantic warm pool to the adjacent northern South America, causing arid regions in northern South America to contract, which may explain long-term decrease in n-alkane chain lengths.     

Studies on groundwater recharge characteristics at a reclaimed land site with an equatorial climate using time‐series and spectral analyses

Groundwater recharge studies are essential for investigating the feasibility of using the reclaimed lands in Singapore for subsurface storage and recovery of water. Through time‐series and spectral analyses, net recharge percentages and stress‐filtering characteristics at the reclaimed land were found to depend strongly on the stress transfer velocity, which was a combined function of rainfall pattern and vadose zone thickness. Based on stress transfer velocity, a theory was established to provide logical explanations for the rainfall–recharge relationship, the observed stress‐filtering characteristics and the recharge percentage characteristics at the unconfined sandy aquifer. Although the reclaimed land site has a lithollogically homogeneous soil profile, a non‐uniform recharge pattern was observed to be influenced pronouncedly by the uneven density distribution of bush grasses. Under a bare soil condition, significantly lower recharge percentages were observed for areas under the influence of offshore tides. The unconfined sandy aquifer appears to dampen out the wave propagation of offshore tides rapidly within a short distance from the tidal source, though it has a fairly straight shoreline and is created from highly compacted sand fills. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long term ionospheric electron content variations over Delhi

Ionospheric electron content (IEC) observed at Delhi (geographic co-ordinates: 28.63°N, 77.22°E; geomagnetic co-ordinates: 19.08°N, 148.91E; dip Latitude 24.8°N), India, for the period 1975/80 and 1986/89 belonging to an ascending phase of solar activity during first halves of solar cycles 21 and 22 respectively have been used to study the diurnal, seasonal, solar and magnetic activity variations. The diurnal variation of seasonal mean of IEC on quiet days shows a secondary peak comparable to the daytime peak in equinox and winter in high solar activity. IEC_max (daytime maximum value of IEC, one per day) shows winter anomaly only during high solar activity at Delhi. Further, IEC_max shows positive correlation with F_10.7 up to about 200 flux units at equinox and 240 units both in winter and summer; for greater F_10.7 values, IEC_max is substantially constant in all the seasons. IECmax and magnetic activity (A_p) are found to be positively correlated in summer in high solar activity. Winter IEC_max shows positive correlation with A_p in low solar activity and negative correlation in high solar activity in both the solar cycles. In equinox IEC_max is independent of A_p in both solar cycles in low solar activity. A study of day-to-day variations in IEC_max shows single day and alternate day abnormalities, semi-annual and annual variations controlled by the equatorial electrojet strength, and 27-day periodicity attributable to the solar rotation.     

东亚赤道异常区电离层CT诊断──实验及初步结果

国际上第一个低纬电离层层析（ＣＴ）探测台链于１９９３年１１月建成，并开始数据采集．该ＣＴ台链沿１２０°Ｅ子午圈由６个卫星信标差分多普勒接收站组成，北起我国上海，南至菲律宾的马尼拉，纬度覆盖范围约２０°．该台链专为电高层赤道异常区电子密度大尺度结构ＣＴ成像而设计，其目的是监测研究赤道异常形态与动力学、电离层等离子体泡、行优以及暴时磁层－电离层－热层耦合过程等重要的赤道与低纬区电离层现象．本文介绍该低纬电离层ＣＴ实验的有关技术问题，包括接收台站布设、实验设备、数据采集软件和数据预处理方法．文中还给出利用ＣＴ技术，由实测斜电子含量数据反演电离层电子密度二维分布图像的几个实例．结果表明，利用低纬电离层ＣＴ台链可以有效地监测电离层赤道异常及其它低纬电高层电子密度大尺度结构的时空变化．     

中国低纬地区地磁场Z分量日变特征

根据我国低纬地区的台站资料，分析了地磁场Ｚ分量的静日变化特征，得到的主要结果是：（１）日变幅随季节和太阳黑子数的变化而变化；（２）低点出现时间大约在地方时１２时左右，并随季节有所变化；（３）最大值出现时间大约在地方时６时左右，在赤道电射流影响区其受季节的影响较大。     

Morphological aspects of a new type of counter electrojet event

The study describes the time and space morphologies of a rather new type of counter electrojet event on the basis of data from the excellent chain of magnetic and ionospheric observatories along the Indo-Russian longitude sector. Abnormally large westward currents are observed during almost the whole of the daytime hours on a series of days. These events do not form any vortices in the current system and do not apparently seem to be associated with tidal effects or any solar magnetosphere events or geomagnetic disturbances. The existence of a westward electric field over the equatorial ionosphere has been confirmed by the absence of an equatorial type of sporadic E in the ionograms at Thumba precisely during the periods when H at Trivandrum minus H at Alibag is negative. The equatorial F region anomaly was also absent on the counter electrojet day. Such counter electrojet events during the northern winter months of low solar activity years are suggested to be the result of the modified wind system in the ionosphere associated with stratospheric warming events.     

亚洲夏季风爆发与热源强迫下的热带大气Rossby波

对南海夏季风爆发前的风场和局地对流凝结加热强迫作用进行了合成分析, 表明南海夏季风爆发前局地对流凝结加热作用对与南海夏季风爆发密切相关的低频涡对的产生起着重要作用.然后, 从动力学的角度研究了带有外部热源强迫的赤道β平面上的Rossby波, 利用Gardner-Morikawa变换和摄动展开方法, 得到了热源强迫下描写赤道Rossby的mKdV方程, 进而得到了不同热源形式下切变气流中赤道非线性Rossby波的解析解.结果表明, 不同类型的热源对赤道Rossby波的结构起着非常重要的作用, 同时也为南海夏季风爆发前低频涡对的形成给出了一种动力学解释.     

太平洋-印度洋海表温度加热对中高纬低频振荡的调频作用

用数值试验的方法，分别以无热源型、El Nino初期、El Nino成熟期对应的赤道中东太平洋与赤道印度洋海表温度作为外强迫源，应用强迫耗散准地转正压涡度方程的全球谱模式，考虑了摩擦耗散及3波准共振的共同作用，采用非定常、定常加热两种形式积分90d，研究了对中高纬大气低频振荡的调频作用。结果表明：（1）3个行星波之间存在很强的波-波相互作用，且波动振荡呈现准双周和季节内振荡；（2）在El Nino初期和El Nino成熟期，无论是赤道中东太平洋海温还是赤道印度洋海温在逐渐增暖的过程中，大气低频振荡周期都有缩短的趋势。1997年2月-1997年4月，赤道印度洋调节作用强；而在1998年5月，赤道中东太平洋调节作用强；（3）赤道印度洋西区对大气低频振荡的调节作用要强于赤道印度洋东区；Nino3区对大气低频振荡的调节作用要强于Ninol＋2区；（4）太平洋-印度洋海温异常模态在1997年10月为高指数（简称PIMI一型），在1996年9月为低指数（简称PIMI二型），前者对应的东太平洋-西印度洋区对大气的调频作用要大于后者对应的西太平洋一东印度洋区。     

切变基流对赤道大气波动稳定性的作用

在赤道β平面近似条件下，使用纬向切变基流下线性化Boussinesq方程组，分析了在纬向切变基流下几种赤道大气波动的稳定性特征。研究结果表明，基本气流的水平切变对赤道大气波动起到不稳定的作用，但是对赤道大气Kelvin波的频率、稳定性以及传播的相速度并不起作用。基本气流的水平切变使得相对于基本气流向东传播的重力惯性内波相速度减慢，而使得相对于基本气流向西传播的重力惯性内波的相速度加快，却造成相对于基本气流向西传播的Rossby波相速度减慢。基本气流的水平切变对于对赤道混合Rossby-重力惯性内波的影响主要取决于纬向波数k值的范围大小。当纬向波数k值较小时，基流的水平切变使得相对于基本气流向西传播的混合Rossby-重力惯性内波相速度加快；而当纬向波数k值较大时，则使得相对于基本气流向西传播的混合Rossby-重力惯性内波相速度减慢。在半地转近似下，风速水平切变的存在，会使得波长较大（纬向波数k→0）的赤道Rossby波相对于基本气流向西传播的相速度减慢；而风速垂直切变的存在，必然会引起这种波长较大（k→0）的Rossby波出现不稳定增长，同样也会造成赤道Rossby波相对于基本气流向西传播的相速度减慢。最后通过扰动发展能量方程，说明了基本气流的水平切变和垂直切变可以为扰动的发展提供能量来源。     

赤道逆向电射流对琼中台地磁日变化的影响

１９８７年１月２８日和２９日连续出现赤道逆向电射流。本文对比了这两天９个地磁台的Ｘ分量日变化曲线,结果显示琼中台的Ｘ日变曲线不受赤道逆向电射流的影响。