Diurnal Variations of Hydrochemistry in a Travertine-depositing Stream at Baishuitai, Yunnan, SW China

Diurnal variations of hydrochemistry were monitored at a spring and two pools in a travertine-depositing stream at Baishuitai, Yunnan, SW China. Water temperature, pH and specific conductivity were measured in intervals of 5 and 30 min for periods of 1 to 2 days. From these data the concentrations of Ca²⁺, HCO₃⁻, calcite saturation index, and CO₂ partial pressure were derived. The measurements in the spring of the stream did not show any diurnal variations in the chemical composition of the water. Diurnal variations, however, were observed in the water of the two travertine pools downstream. In one of them, a rise in temperature (thus more CO₂ degassing) during day time and consumption of CO₂ due to photosynthesis of submerged aquatic plants accelerated deposition of calcite, whereas in the other pool, where aquatic plants flourished and grew out of the water (so photosynthesis was taking place in the atmosphere), the authors suggest that temperature-dependent root respiration underwater took place, which dominated until noon. Consequently, due to the release of CO₂ by the root respiration into water, which dominated CO₂ production by degassing induced by temperature increase, the increased dissolution of calcite was observed. This is the first time anywhere at least in China that the effect of root respiration on diurnal hydrochemical variations has been observed. The finding has implications for sampling strategy within travertine-depositing streams and other similar environments with stagnant water bodies such as estuaries, lakes, reservoirs, pools and wetlands, where aquatic plants may flourish and grow out of water.     

中更新世气候转型时期南海生态环境的南北差异

中更新世气候转型在南海浮游有孔虫、氧同位素和其它生物记录上主要反映在900 ka BP前后发生高频率变化,特别是指示表层水骤然降温。北部冬季表层水温从24~25℃降至17~28℃,而南部也从26~27℃降至23~24℃。总的降温趋势与开放西太平洋一致,直接反映了西太平洋暖池在900 ka BP之后MIS22期间有明显的减弱。表层水大幅度降温还发生在后继的MIS 20、18、16几大冰期,说明主要冰期旋回周期由41 ka转变为100 ka经历了长达400 ka的过渡时期,并且冬季风增强也在过渡时期的后半段最明显。南海南北生物组合和δ18O值的差异,突出了中更新世气候转型期边缘海区南北气候梯度反差和冬季风在冰期增强的讯号。结论是：生态环境系统反应总体表现与冰期旋回一致的同时,还包含了独特的地区性系统演变特征。但是,南海—西太平洋地区在0.9 Ma BP前后表层海水盐度因东亚冬季风和海平面下降的定量变化,以及这些变化对气候转型时期海—气耦合过程和生态环境系统的影响,尚缺乏足够的资料和证据。     

A new gravity map, a new marine geoid around Japan and the detection of the Kuroshio current

About half a million marine gravity measurements over a 30^∘×30^∘ area centered on Japan have been processed and adjusted to produce a new free-air gravity map from a 5′×5′ grid. This map seems to have a better resolution than those previously published as measured by its correlation with bathymetry. The grid was used together with a high-degree and -order spherical harmonics geopotential model to compute a detailed geoid with two methods: Stokes integral and collocation. Comparisons with other available geoidal surfaces derived either from gravity or from satellite altimetry were made especially to test the ability of this new geoid at showing the sea surface topography as mapped by the Topex/Poseidon satellite. Over 2 months (6 cycles) the dynamic topography at ascending passes in the region (23^∘47^∘N and 123^∘147^∘E) was mapped to study the variability of the Kuroshio current. Received: 15 July 1994 / Accepted: 17 February 1997     

Formation and evolution of the Archean continental crust of China: A review

The mainland of China is composed of the North China Craton, the South China Craton, the Tarim Craton and other young orogenic belts. Amongst the three cratons, the North China Craton has been studied most and noted for its widely-distributed Archean basement rocks. In this paper, we assess and compare the geology, rock types, formation age and geochemical composition features of the Archean basements of the three cratons. They have some common characteristics, including the fact that the crustal rocks prior to the Paleoarchean and the supracrustal rocks of the Neoarchean were preserved, and Tonalite-Trondhjemtite-Granodiorite (TTG) magmatism and tectono-magmatism occurred at about 2.7 Ga and about 2.5 Ga respectively. The Tarim Craton and the North China Craton show more similarities in their early Precambrian crustal evolution. Significant findings on the Archean basement of the North China Craton are concluded to be: (1) the tectonic regime in the early stage (>3.1 Ga) is distinct from modern plate tectonics; (2) the continental crust accretion occurred mostly from the late Mesoarchean to the early Neoarchean period; (3) a huge linear tectonic belt already existed in the late Neoarchean period, suggesting the beginning of plate tectonics; and (4) the preliminary cratonization had already been completed by about 2.5 Ga. Hadean detrital zircons were found at a total of nine locations within China. Most of them show clear oscillatory zoning, sharing similar textures with magmatic zircons from intermediate-felsic magmatic rocks. This indicates that a fair quantity of continental material had already developed on Earth at that time.     

海底沉积物孔隙度与声速的关系

给出大陆架海底沉积层中声速(压缩波)V_p依赖于沉积物孔隙度n的一个新的经验公式,该公式当n=100时,V_p=V₀,V₀为海底水声速.公式的计算值与我国周边大陆架测量值吻合较好,并将其结果与国内外成果作了对比讨论.     

Marine protected area networks in China: Challenges and prospects

With over 30 years’ experience of managing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), China has established more than 250 MPAs in its coastal and marine areas, but the overall management effectiveness is unimpressive [46]. Recently, China has made commitments to expand the MPA coverage in its waters ([7,52,53]) and develop an “ecological barrier” along the coast by connecting MPAs and islands by 2020 (The State Council 2015). In this context, this study reviews major challenges in current MPA practices in China, including the lack of systematic and scientific approaches, inadequate laws and regulations, ineffective governance mechanisms, conflicts between conservation and exploitation, limited funding, and inadequate monitoring programs. Four scenarios for developing China's MPA networks are developed and analyzed based on a literature review of experience in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union and the Philippines, as well as a set of interviews with Chinese MPA experts. These scenarios include: 1) creating a national system with an inventory of MPAs, 2) developing social networks, 3) developing regional ecological networks, and 4) developing a national representative network. The first two scenarios focus on the enhancement of the governance system through connecting individual MPAs as a social, institutional, and learning network, which could provide opportunities for creating an ecologically coherent network, while the latter two emphasized ecological connectivity and representativeness. Given different focuses, they can be applied at different stages of implementation and combinations of scenarios can be used depending on China's needs.     

南海西南海域表层沉积物中微量元素Ba的地球化学特征

分析南海西南海域表层沉积物中微量元素Ba的地球化学特征,并探讨生物成因Ba的分布及其与表层海水生产力的关系。南海西南海域表层沉积物Ba总量的变化范围为398~1 270 μg/g,平均值为851 μg/g,从上陆坡到下陆坡,沉积物中的Ba含量逐渐增加;微量元素Ba主要赋存于陆源碎屑相和生物成因相中,且明显受到沉积环境水深和陆源物质输入的影响。生物成因Ba含量的变化范围为30.6~938 μg/g,陆坡区和深海区平均值分别为495 μg/g、349 μg/g,占沉积物Ba总量的54％和51％,总体上,与沉积物Ba总量具有相对一致的分布特征。尽管研究区表层沉积物中Al、Ti成分为典型的陆源碎屑组分,但是,利用大陆上地壳Ba/Al比值和陆坡区沉积物回归分析获得的Ba/Al比值进行生物成因Ba的计算,过高地估算了沉积物中陆源Ba的含量;而采用页岩Ba/Ti比值来估算陆坡区表层沉积物中的生物成因Ba含量显得相对可靠。在深海区,利用经验的Ba/Al或Ba/Ti比值均不能获得有效的生物成因Ba值。因此,在获取沉积物中生物成因钡含量时,需结合各海区的特点选取合适的参数来扣除陆源Ba的含量。     

Putative Meteoritic Craters in Río Cuarto (Central Argentina) Interpreted as Eolian Structures

Ten oblong aligned depressions in the Río Cuarto area (provincia de Córdoba, Argentina) were supposed to be the result of very-low-angle Holocene meteoroid impacts. However, we consider that authors that studied the structures did not demonstrated their extraterrestrial origin. We suggest that an eolian origin for the structures of Río Cuarto is more likely. Actually, these landforms integrate large systems of similar deflation/accumulation geoforms aligned according to predominant winds during different periods.     

Annual cycle and budgets of nutrients in the Bohai sea

The environmental problems in the Bohai Sea have become more serious in the last decade. High nutrient concentration contributes much to it. A Sino-German cooperation program has been carried out to improve the understanding of the ecosystem by observations and modelling. A three-dimensional ecosystem model, coupled with a physical transport model, is adopted in this study. The simulation for the year 1982 is validated by the data collected in 1982/1983. The simulated annual mean nutrient concentrations are in good agreement with observations. The nutrient concentrations in the bohai Sea, which are crucial to the algal growth, are high in winter and low in summer. There are depletion from spring to summer and elevation from autumn to winter for nutrients. The nutrients’ depletion is a response to the consumption of the phytoplankton bloom in spring. Internal recycle and external compensation affect the nutrient cycle. Their contributions to the nutrient budgets are discussed based on the simulated results. Production and respiration are the most important sink and source of nutrients. The process of photosynthesis consumes 152 kilotons-P and 831.1 kilotons-N while respiration releases 94.5 kilotons-P and 516.6 kilotons-N in the same period. The remineralization of the detritus pool is an important source of nutrient regeneration, It can compensate 23 percent of the nutrient consumed by the production process. The inputs of phosphates and nitrogen from rivers are 0.55 and 52.7 kilotons respectively. The net nutrient budget is −3.05 kilotons-P and 31.6 kilotons-N.