Temporal and Spatial Distributions of the Spring Persistent Rains over Southeastern China

The spring persistent rains (SPR) over southeastern China (SEC) is a synoptic and climatic phenomenon that is unique in East Asia. Su cient evidence proves that it results from the mechanical and thermal effects of the giant Tibetan Plateau (TP), but its temporal span and spatial distribution are not clear at present.A climatological analysis of the NCEP/NCAR circulation and sensible heat data shows that at the 13th pentad of the solar year (1st pentad of March) there are remarkable increases in the sensible heating over the main and southeastern part of the TP, the southwesterly velocity over the southeastern flank of the TP and SEC, and rainfall over SEC, indicating the onset of the SPR.However, after the 27th pentad of the solar year (3rd pentad of May), these variables, except for the sensible heating over the main part of the TP, decrease rapidly. The ridge line of the subtropical high in the mid-low troposphere over the South China Sea (SCS) slopes northward instead of southward as before. The rain belt center over SEC shifts to the SCS and the SCS monsoon breaks out, indicating the end of the SPR. Hence, it is reasonable to define the SPR temporal span from the 13th to 27th pentad of the solar year. Data analysis and numerical sensitivity experiments show that, although the warm and cold airs converge at about 30°N in the SPR period, the distribution and intensity of the SPR rain belt are obviously in influenced by the topography of the Nanling and Wuyi Mountains (NWM). The mountains can block and lift cold and warm airs, strengthening frontogenesis and rainfall. As a result, the axis of the SPR rain belt is superposed over that of the mountain range. Accordingly, the spatial distribution of the SPR extends over most of the SEC, more speci cally, to the south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River (30°N), and to the east of 110°E.     

咸淡水过渡带的多组分离子交换行为研究

以大沽河下游海水入侵砂质含水层为研究对象,采集地下淡水、海水和含水介质样品,并测定其组成和性质。通过渗流装置模拟咸淡水驱替过程,测定驱替过程中含水介质的渗透性参数和主要离子的变化规律,并尝试用数值模拟方法定量研究水敏感性影响下的多组分离子交换过程。研究结果表明,海水驱替淡水情况下,Na+能将砂土吸附的Ca2+、Mg2+、K+交换出来,Na+-Ca2+、Na+-K+交换速度很快,而Na+-Mg2+交换反应持续时间较长;在淡水驱替海水的过程中,溶液中的Ca2+、Mg2+将介质吸附的Na+、K+交换出来,但Ca2+-Na+交换起主导作用。含水介质的动力学参数和突破曲线的拐点变化均进一步验证了咸淡过渡带的水敏感性现象,多组分离子的交换行为导致了水敏感现象的发生。     

Measuring the speed of gravity at short distances: Sensitivity estimate

An experimental set up was proposed to determine the speed of gravitational signals traveling in air or in some other medium. It involves two vibrating masses—the emitters, which will be the sources of periodic tidal gravitational signals—and one sapphire-made mass that will act as a detector, positioned between the two emitters. The detector is planned to be suspended in vacuum and cooled down to 4.2 K, and its vibrational amplitude should be measured by a microwave signal (with ultra-low phase-noise) that is expected to resonate with the whispering gallery modes inside the detector. The mechanical and electrical quality factors of sapphire are quite high, yielding a very narrow detection band that reduces the detector sensitivity while amplifying the phase difference of the emitters' signals. The frequencies of the normal modes of the detector were previously determined using a finite element program. In this work, these frequencies are applied to the calculation of a first estimate of the sensitivity of the experiment.     

Comparison of spectral and time domain calibration methods for precipitation‐discharge processes

Hydrological model parameter estimation is an important aspect in hydrologic modelling. Usually, parameters are estimated through an objective function minimization, quantifying the mismatch between the model results and the observations. The objective function choice has a large impact on the sensitivity analysis and calibration outcomes. In this study, it is assessed whether spectral objective functions can compete with an objective function in the time domain for optimization of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Three empirical spectral objective functions were applied, based on matching (i) Fourier amplitude spectra, (ii) periodograms and (iii) Fourier series of simulated and observed discharge time series. It is shown that most sensitive parameters and their optimal values are distinct for different objective functions. The best results were found through calibration with an objective function based on the square difference between the simulated and observed discharge Fourier series coefficients. The potential strengths and weaknesses of using a spectral objective function as compared to utilising a time domain objective function are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating the probability of river channel adjustment

River channels respond not only to natural external controls, and natural controls internal to individual drainage basins, but also to the influence of human activity. Although many site-specific instances of change have been documented, the complexity of the process interactions means that very little is known about the general nature of different styles of adjustment, or their relative sensitivity to drainage basin controls. Data obtained from the Thames Basin, southeast England, are used in a probabilistic approach to differentiate between four styles of river channel adjustment and a variety of drainage basin characteristics. Adopting a probabilistic approach quantifies the degree of confidence attributable to any prediction of river channel adjustment while acknowledging that certainties are difficult to obtain in studies of the natural environment. This approach could thus allow environmental planning decisions to be made with a quantified degree of uncertainty. Four multivariate logistic regression models are described which use a combination of continuous and categorical variables to associate drainage basin characteristics with four styles of river channel adjustment derived from a reconnaissance evaluation survey. In comparison, it is shown that laterally migrating river channels are the most common ‘natural’ channel type in the Thames Basin, and their probability of occurrence rises to 71 per cent in sand/gravel environments. In channels regulated by low weirs, deposition is the most likely channel activity where gradients are lower than 0·0040, whilst above this threshold the majority of channels are morphologically inactive. In urban channels, many of which are also lined by concrete, the likelihood of obtaining a stable channel is mostly in excess of 80 per cent. In channels straightened during this century, deposition is most likely in gradients below 0·0050, whereas erosional enlargement is most probable above this value. In channels which were initially channelized prior to this century, deposition gives way to stability at a threshold gradient of 0·0080.     

SENSITIVITY EXPERIMENTS ON INFLUENCES OF UPLIFT OF QINGHAI-XIZANG PLATEAU ON CIRCULATION IN SUMMER*

A coupled general circulation model in a zonal belt is used to simulate the variation of circulation features in the process of uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.The results reveal that the heating rates of the Plateau increase with the rising of the Plateau topography,and the latent heating component in the heating field tends to be the most important heating factor.The uplift of the Plateau enhances the upward motion,intensifies the pressure systems in the high and low level atmosphere,reinforces Southeast Asia monsoon strength,increases precipitation and severely decreases the surface temperature over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.However.the basic structures of the general circulation do not vary much due to the uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.and it is the land-sea distribution that is the decisive factor to form the present circulation pattern and monsoon.Therefore,to simulate the paleoclimate during the geological period people should consider more factors,especially the land-sea distribution.     

A SIMPLE PROGNOSTIC CLOSURE ASSUMPTION TO DEEP CONVECTIVE PARAMETERIZATION:I

In this work,the problem of dependency of the predicted rainfall upon the grid-size in mesoscale numerical weatherprediction models is addressed.We argue that this problem is due to (i) the violation of the quasi-equilibrium assump-tion,which is underlying most existing convective parameterization schemes,and states that the convective activity maybe considered in instantaneous equilibrium with the larger-scale forcing;and (ii) the violation of the hydrostatic approx-imation,made in most mesoscale models,which would induce too large-scale circulation in occurrence of strong con-vection.On the contrary,meso-β and meso-α scale models,i.e.models with horizontal grid size ranging from 10 to 100km,have a capacity to resolve motions with characteristic scales close to the ones of the convective motions.Wehypothesize that a possible way to eliminate this problem is (i) to take a prognostic approach to the parameterization ofdeep convection,whereby the quantities that describe the activity of convection are no longer diagnosed from the instan-taneous value of the large-scale forcing,but predicted by time-dependent equations,that integrate the large-scale forc-ing over time;(ii)to introduce a mesoscale parameter which varies systematically with the grid size of the numericalmodel in order to damp large-scale circulation usually too induced when the grid size becomes smaller (from 100 km to10 kin).We propose an implementation of this idea in the frame of one existing scheme,already tested and used for along time at the French Weather Service.The results of the test through one-dimensional experiments with the Phase Ⅲof GATE data are reported in this paper;and the ones on its implementation in the three-dimensional model with theOSCAR data will be reported in a companion paper.     

DW—10型电涡流传感器的性能测试

介绍了DW-10型电涡流位移传感器的主要技术性能及测试结果。其灵敏度为11-13mV/μm;线性范围达±0.5mm;线性度≥0.8％传感器对被测体的作用力<1×10~(-9)N。     

A SIMPLE PROGNOSTIC CLOSURE ASSUMPTION TO DEEP CONVECTIVE PARAMETERIZATION:Ⅱ

A series of 3D predictions,dealing with the development of a heavy storm observed during the OSCAR experiment,were carried out by utilizing the PERIDOT model,and introducing alternatively the cumulus parameterization scheme of Bougeault (1985) and the prognostic one (Chen,1989;Chen and Bougeault,1993),with three different grid sizes:160 km,80 km,40 km.The feasibility of the new prognostic scheme and its improvement on the problem of dependency of the predicted rainfall upon the grid size of the numerical model were verified by comparison of the rainfall observed and those predicted.The results demonstrate that,in general,the predicted rainfall increases when the grid size decreases for both diagnostic and prognostic schemes.However,with the new prognostic scheme,the numerical model is capable,on the one hand,for the larger grid sizes,to increase the rainfall,which is under-estimated with the scheme of Bougeault (1985);on the another hand,for the smaller grid sizes,to reduce the rainfall,which is usually over-estimated.In other word,there is an obvious improvement on the problem under study.