Relation of the Second Type Thermal Helicity to Precipitation of Landfalling Typhoons: A Case Study of Typhoon Talim

This study utilized the MM5 mesoscale model to simulate the landfalling process of Typhoon Talim. The simulated typhoon track, weather patterns, and rainfall process are consistent with the observation. Using the simulation results, the relation of the second type thermal helicity (H ₂) to rainfall caused by the landfalling typhoon Talim was analyzed. The results show that H ₂ could well indicate the heavy inland rainfall but it did not perform as well as the helicity in predicting rainfall during the beginning stage of the typhoon landfall. In particular, H ₂ was highly correlated with rainfall of Talim at 1-h lead time. For 1–5-h lead time, it also had a higher correlation with rainfall than the helicity did, and thus showing a better potential in forecasting rainfall intensification. Further analyses have shown that when Talim was in the beginning stage of landfall, 1) the 850–200-hPa vertical wind shear around the Talim center was quite small (about 5 m s⁻¹); 2) the highest rainfall was to the right of the Talim track and in the area with a 300-km radius around the Talim center, exhibiting no obvious relation to low-level temperature advection, low-level air convergence, and upper-level divergence; 3) the low-level relative vorticity reflected the rainfall change quite well, which was the main reason why helicity had a better performance than H ₂ in this period. However, after Talim moved inland further, 1) it weakened gradually and was increasingly affected by the northern trough; 2) the vertical wind shear was enhanced as well; 3) the left side of the down vertical wind shear lay in the Lushan and Dabieshan mountain area, which could have contributed to triggering a secondary vertical circulation, helping to produce the heavy rainfall over there; hence, H ₂ showed a better capacity to reflect the rainfall change during this stage.     

Taiwan Yushan Snowfall Activity and Its Association with Atmospheric Circulation from 1979 to 2009

Yushan is the most famous location for snow in Taiwan,while snowfall in the subtropical zone is rare.When it is snowing in Yushan,people are experiencing unusually cold and wet weather elsewhere in Taiwan.In this study,Yushan snowfall activity from 1979 to 2009 and the related atmosphere circulation were examined with the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau’s Yushan weather station observations and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Department of Energy(NCEP/DOE) reanalysis atmospheric data.To provide a quantitative measure of snowfall events,a snowfall activity index(SAI) was defined in this study.The time series of yearly SAIs shows that Yushan snowfall activity for an active year,such as 1983(SAI =39 153) was ～118 times larger than for an inactive year,such as 1999(SAI=331).Our analyses show that snowfall activity is closely related to the position of the East Asian Trough(EAT) and the strength of the West Pacific High(WPH).In active years,when the EAT shifted eastward and the strength of WPH increased,an anomalous anticyclone occurred in the West Pacific.This anticyclone introduced anomalous southwesterly flows along the southeastern cost of mainland China and over Taiwan,resulting in a wetter-than-normal atmosphere that favored snowfall.Alternatively,in inactive years,a drierthan-normal atmosphere resulted in sluggish snowfall seasons.     

Impact of Cloud Microphysical Processes on the Simulation of Typhoon Rananim near Shore. Part II: Typhoon Intensity and Track

The impact of cloud microphysical processes on the simulated intensity and track of Typhoon Rananim is discussed and analyzed in the second part of this study. The results indicate that when the cooling effect due to evaporation of rain water is excluded, the simulated 36-h maximum surface wind speed of Typhoon Rananim is about 7 m s⁻¹ greater than that from all other experiments; however, the typhoon landfall location has the biggest bias of about 150 km against the control experiment. The simulated strong outer rainbands and the vertical shear of the environmental flow are unfavorable for the deepening and maintenance of the typhoon and result in its intensity loss near the landfall. It is the cloud microphysical processes that strengthen and create the outer spiral rainbands, which then increase the local convergence away from the typhoon center and prevent more moisture and energy transport to the inner core of the typhoon. The developed outer rainbands are supposed to bring dry and cold air mass from the middle troposphere to the planetary boundary layer (PBL). The other branch of the cold airflow comes from the evaporation of rain water itself in the PBL while the droplets are falling. Thus, the cut-off of the warm and moist air to the inner core and the invasion of cold and dry air to the eyewall region are expected to bring about the intensity reduction of the modeled typhoon. Therefore, the deepening and maintenance of Typhoon Rananim during its landing are better simulated through the reduction of these two kinds of model errors.     

台风风神海上石油平台预报服务探讨

总结了在对台风风神数值预报失效,预报路径偏东的情况下,预报人员抓住天气形势的细微变化对路径及时修正,并紧密结合用户需求,以“全程跟进,及时沟通,急用户之所急”的高度责任心和服务态度,使海上石油平台1500人安全撤离,避免了人员伤亡和重大经济损失的服务过程。经研究发现：(1)“风神”偏西侧的强对流发展、地面负变压中心、中层正涡度中心、高层正散度中心的存在,以及云图北侧带状黑体区的形成均有利于“风神”西折;(2)在500hPa图上,“风神”前期西南部有一低压环流中心,后期东北侧高压坝形成,造成“风神”两次北翘。     

Evaluation of heavy metals and arsenic speciation discharged by the industrial activity on the Tinto-Odiel estuary, SW Spain

This study reports the annual amount of heavy metals discharged by industrial activity into the estuary of the Ría of Huelva (SW Spain). The findings showed that the discharged metals found in highest amounts were Fe (11 t y⁻¹), Zn (3.4 t y⁻¹) and Mo (0.88 t y⁻¹). There were other metals with high pollutant charge, such as Ti (232 kg y⁻¹), As (228 kg y⁻¹), Ni (195 kg y⁻¹), Pb (100 kg y⁻¹), Cr (39 kg y⁻¹) and Cd (33 kg y⁻¹). These results were compared with pollutants transported via the Tinto and Odiel rivers from abandoned mining activities in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), and it was deduced that the amounts spilled exclusively by industries were less than 1% in relation to the total discharge. Hence, the treatment of residues from the IPB should be the priority goal to improve water quality in the estuary.     

Ecological significance of alkaline phosphatase activity and phosphatase-hydrolyzed phosphorus in the northern part of Gamak Bay, Korea

We investigated the ecological significance of alkaline phsophatase (APase) and alkaline phosphatase-hydrolyzable phosphorus (APHP) in the northern part of Gamak Bay, Korea. APase activity was detectable throughout the year, and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) concentration and APase activity are highly correlated and can be regarded as an indicator of DIP-limiting conditions. Also, a strong linear positive correlation between APase activity and Chl a concentration indicated that the major part of APase activity may have been induced by phytoplanktons. The APHP proportion in dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) was above ca. 30% from winter to spring and below ca. 15% from summer to autumn due to freshwater discharge and uptake by phytoplankton. APHP may play an important role in species competition in coastal area such as northern part of Gamak Bay where DIP is limiting. Thus, APase induction by phytoplanktons may be ecologically significant, allowing dominance by these organisms under DIP-limiting conditions.     

Plant Species Mediate Rhizosphere Microbial Activity and Biodegradation Dynamics in a Riparian Soil Treated with Bensulfuron‐methyl

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate microbial characteristics and the biodegradation process of bensulfuron‐methyl (BSM) in a rhizosphere soils planted with different riparian plants. The results showed that microbial population decreased with BSM addition in the rhizosphere, especially for bacteria and fungi. The activities of the dehydrogenase (DHase) were stimulated firstly, due to BSM addition, but then were inhibited, and recovered to the initial level, while the activities of the phosphatase and urease showed obviously decreasing trend throughout the whole experiment. Rhizosphere soil substrate‐induced respiration (SIR) was depressed by BSM, especially at the initial 14 days of incubation. Compared to Zizania aquatica and Phragmites australis, Acorus calamus showed a significantly (p < 0.05) higher DHase activity and larger SIR in the rhizosphere soils treated with BSM, which means that A. calamus can effectively alleviate inhibitory effect of the sulfonylurea herbicide addition on microbial activity. There were significant (p < 0.05) differences in microbial degradation dynamics of BSM in the rhizosphere soils among three kinds of riparian plants. A. calamus displayed a significantly (p < 0.05) higher degradation efficiency of BSM in the rhizosphere soils, followed by Z. aquatica and P. australis. The residual BSM concentration in A. calamus rhizosphere soil was 23.1 and 32.2% lower than that in Z. aquatica and P. australis rhizosphere soils, respectively, indicating a greater improvement effect on biodegradation of BSM in A. calamus rhizosphere soils.     

Spatial sensitivity of seismic hazard results to different background seismic activity and temporal earthquake occurrence models

Spatial sensitivity of seismic hazard results to different models with respect to background seismic activity and earthquake occurrence in time is investigated. For the contribution of background seismic activity to seismic hazard, background area source with uniform seismicity and spatially smoothed seismicity models are taken into consideration. For the contribution of faults, through characteristic earthquakes, both the memoryless Poisson and the time dependent renewal models are utilized. A case study, involving the assessment of seismic hazard for the Bursa province in Turkey, is conducted in order to examine quantitatively the influence of these models on seismic hazard results. The spatial variation of the difference in Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) values obtained from these different models is presented in the form of difference maps for return periods of 475 and 2475 years. Best estimate seismic hazard maps for PGA and Spectral Accelerations (SA) at 0.2 and 1.0 s are obtained by using the logic tree method.     

Geological Structure and Quaternary Activity of the Zhangjiakou Fault, Northern China

Based on detailed field investigations,this paper describes the geometrical characteristics and tectonic activities of the Zhangjiakou fault at the northwest of Beijing. This fault strikes mainly northwest to west,short parts of which strike near east to west,dipping north,and extends over a length of 70km. It is a major geological and geomorphological margin,controlling the neotectonic movement in this region. On the south side of the Zhangjiakou fault are the Late Quaternary unconsolidated deposits,forming basins; while on the other side are Mesozoic volcano debris and Pre-Mesozoic metamorphic rocks, forming lower mountains and hills. The Zhangjiakou fault consists mainly of high-angle inverse strike-slip fault and partially of normal strike-slip fault. Among these,the north-dipping NW-NWW-trending secondary faults,constituting the main fracture of the fault,have inverse characteristics; those near the EW-trending secondary faults are links of the former faults,with a smaller length and normal faulting characteristics. Thus,the Zhangjiakou fault is a north-dipping inverse and partially south-dipping normal strike-slip fault. The Zhangjiakou fault has been continuously active since the Quaternary. With the exception of the western end extension,which has been active since the late Pleistocene, the main part of the fault has been active since the Holocene. The central main segment of the Zhangjiakou fault is more active. Since the mid-late period of the late Pleistocene,the average vertical slip rate of a single fault has been over 0. 07mm /a ～ 0. 30mm /a. The Zhangjiakou fault has multi-slip surfaces,and the total vertical slip rate reaches 1. 33mm /a,estimated from the Qingshuihe river terraces and the relevant drilling data.     

利用重力资料与GPS数据研究伽师及邻区近期地壳运动特征

利用重力资料和GPS数据研究伽师及邻近地区地壳运动特征,首先对2005～2009年该区域流动重力观测资料进行平差计算,绘制出以1年为尺度的重力场变化的等值线图.分析表明,伽师及邻近地区近年来重力场变化相对活跃,且有一定的规律,最大重力异常值达到150×10 -8m·s-2.其次,利用2005 ～2009年该区域GPS数据在统一框架下进行重新解算,并利用理论计算得到该地区每年的面膨胀值.研究表明,该区域地壳面压缩、面膨胀交替出现,正负交界处往往是剪应变值增大的地区,即地震易孕育区域.最后探讨了重力与GPS(面膨胀)二者在地壳形变、地球动力之间的响应关系.研究表明,震前伽师及邻区重力值主要显示正变化,震后则呈现出大面积负值区域,说明压陷(面收缩)和向北扩张(面膨胀)作用交替进行,这与GPS计算出的面膨胀结果是一致的.