Coral assemblages and reef growth in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (Western Pacific Ocean)

Reef development varies considerably around the high, raised‐limestone islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Here we examine the modern assemblages at 30 sites for coral composition, colony density, colony size, and fidelity. We defined four reef types and hypothesize the presence of environmentally driven ecological stasis, whereby the environment continuously selects for coral species membership, defines colony sizes, and over time creates the noted reef types. Our results show that constructional spur‐and‐groove reefs supported significantly larger coral‐colony sizes and higher coral species richness compared with high‐relief interstitial framework, low‐relief incipient, and non‐constructional coral assemblages. Non‐constructional reefs supported much smaller coral colony sizes, despite similar population densities, and were consistently found in association with high wave exposure. The distinct coral assemblages found on interstitial framework and low‐relief incipient reefs were not affiliated with any wave exposure regime, but were located adjacent to large watersheds and on islands with unique geological history. These assemblages were nested within the spur‐and‐groove species pool. Overall, modern coral cover was well predicted by bathymetric slope and watershed size, while species richness was additively influenced by two proxies of pollution, suggesting the latter is better suited for establishing management targets. In contrast with previous studies that suggested modern assemblages were biologically controlled in the CNMI, we show reef assemblages and reef development are highly influenced by long‐term environmental forcing.     

康普顿化的计算-推广的Kompaneets方程与Monte Carlo方法比较

在X射线天文学以及辐射物理学中,当硬X射线穿过" 冷"的等离子体时所发生的Compton软化是一种重要的辐射转移过程.简要介绍推广的Kompaneets方程,该方程在hv〈mec2及kTe〈mec2较宽松的条件下广泛成立,因此不仅能处理Compton硬化过程,而且也适用于Compton软化过程,后者在目前快速发展的X射线和γ射线天文学中十分重要.基于此方程,我们对天体物理中4种常见辐射谱(Gauss型发射谱线、黑体辐射谱、幂律辐射谱和热轫致辐射谱)在Compton软化情况下的谱演化进行了数值求解,并同Monte Carlo模拟结果做比较,证实了推广的Kompaneets方程的正确性和有效性.最后指出此方程在X射线天文学和γ射线天文学中的重要意义和潜在应用.     

三组火山强迫资料差异及其对模式模拟结果的影响

Gao2008、Crowley2013和Sigl2015火山强迫资料,均基于极地冰芯重建.由于每组重建使用的冰芯数据和分析方法等不同,因此结果存在差异,从而影响气候模式应用.文中详细梳理三组火山强迫资料在原始冰芯数据、信号识别提取和沉积通量计算等方面的差异;介绍重建中涉及的对未知火山事件发生季节、纬度及从极地硫酸盐沉积...     

附有限制条件的间接平差秩亏时解法初探

在附有限制条件的间接平差的应用中,若所列观测方程中实际用到的未知参数的个数少于所选参数的总数u时,就会出现法方程系数阵秩亏的问题。为了解决此问题,在理论公式推导的基础上,给出了一种新的解决方法,并结合算例进行了验证。     

基于全站仪工程控制测量的三维间接平差法

目前,利用高精度全站仪三维坐标测量功能建立三维工程控制网已成为一种趋势。针对这一问题的观测数据处理,提出了一种考虑平面观测数据和高程观测数据二者间整体性的三维间接平差方法,详细推导了水平角误差方程,天项距误差方程,斜距误差方程等关键步骤,较之已有的方法,严密性和实用性更强,具有一定的参考价值。     

A Nonlinear Representation of Model Uncertainty in a Convective-Scale Ensemble Prediction System

How to accurately address model uncertainties with consideration of the rapid nonlinear error growth characteristics in a convection-allowing system is a crucial issue for performing convection-scale ensemble forecasts. In this study, a new nonlinear model perturbation technique for convective-scale ensemble forecasts is developed to consider a nonlinear representation of model errors in the Global and Regional Assimilation and Prediction Enhanced System(GRAPES)Convection-Allowing Ensemble Predi...     

华南黑碳气溶胶浓度与南海夏季风关系的年代际突变

利用重建的华南区域黑碳气溶胶(Black Carbon,BC)浓度资料,分析其与南海夏季风在年际尺度上的关系.结果 表明,华南区域BC浓度与南海夏季风的关系在2000年前后有明显的突变,由显著负相关变为显著正相关,即由高BC浓度弱季风变为高BC浓度强季风.通过合成对比分析,发现1988-1999年(第一时间段)的华南B...     

Paleoclimate studies and natural-resource management in the Murray-Darling Basin I: past,present and future climates

This paper provides an incisive review of paleoclimate science and its relevance to natural-resource management within the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). The drought of 1997–2010 focussed scientific, public and media attention on intrinsic climate variability and the confounding effect of human activity, especially in terms of water-resource management. Many policy and research reviews make statements about future planning with little consideration of climate change and without useful actionable knowledge. In order to understand future climate changes, modellers need, and demand, better paleoclimate data to constrain their model projections. Here, we present an insight into a number of existing long-term paleoclimate studies relevant to the MDB. Past records of climate, in response to orbital forcing (glacial–interglacial cycles) are found within, and immediately outside, the MDB. High-resolution temperature records, spanning the last 10⁵ years, exist from floodplains and cave speleothems, as well as evidence from lakes and their associated lunettes. More recently, historical climate records show major changes in relation to El Niño–Southern Oscillation cycles and decadal shifts in rainfall regimes. A considerable body of research currently exists on the past climates of southeastern Australia but, this has not been collated and validated over large spatial scales. It is clear that a number of knowledge gaps still exist, and there is a pressing need for the establishment of new paleoclimatic research within the MDB catchment and within adjacent, sensitive catchments if past climate science is to fulfil its potential to provide policy-relevant information to natural-resource management into the future.     

Can Eddy Forcing be Responsible for the Spatial Structure of the Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode?

In order to study the origin of the spatial structure of the Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode (NAM),a linear stochastic model is constructed empirically from the output of a GCM run.Optimal stochastic forcing in terms of the maximum variance contribution,which may be potentially related to the maintenance of the NAM,is investigated.Theoretical analysis on the dominant non-modal response to the stochastic forcing shows that this dominance is jointly decided by the properties of forcing and the non-modal grow...