Modeling the length of day and extrapolating the rotation of the Earth

The stochastic behavior of the length of day (LOD) process is analyzed and is modeled within statistical accuracy on a time-scale ranging from weeks to millennia by a three-component model comprising a global Brownian motion process, decadal fluctuations, and a 50-day Madden–Julian oscillation. While the model is intended to be phenomenological, some possible physical models underlying the three components are speculated upon. The model is applied to estimate long-range extrapolation errors. For example, it predicts a standard error of 1 h in the clock-time correction ΔT for extrapolation by 1,500 years from 500 to 2000 BC.     

多普勒天气雷达风场产品在螺旋度计算中的应用

本文介绍了一种利用新一代天气雷达风场产品VWP计算螺旋度的方法,通过对两次大面积降水个例的螺旋度诊断分析发现,利用VWP风场产品计算的螺旋度具有较高的时间分辨率,大面积降水的螺旋度变化趋势与降水变化趋势比较吻合,螺旋度变化一般提前于降水变化,有2—3 h的提前预报量;螺旋度数值的大小与降水量的大小一般没有明显线性关系;螺旋度可以作为观测雷达站上空风场随高度变化的一个敏感因子;利用VWP风场产品来作为计算螺旋度的风场资料是可行的,比起其它风场资料更适于短时(临近)预报的业务化工作。     

Incipient sediment motion based on turbulent fluctuations

The current study modifies the representation of the Shields parameter using turbulent strength,i.e.the root-mean-square(rms) fluid velocity.Experiments were done under a steady,uniform flow using eight sediment sizes with particle Reynolds numbers(Rep) ranging between 1.0(fine sediment) and 183.4(coarse sediment).Utilising the peak rms horizontal(u) values,the critical Shields parameter,θ_c,was calculated and a trend similar to the well-established Shields curve was developed.The analysis was extended to the Shields curve obtained based on the critical shear velocity,Reynolds shear stress,and data extracted fro m the oscillating grid-turbulence experiments.Results show that turbulent fluctuations are crucial for the incipient sediment motion and are essentially better predictors than the commonly used critical shear velocity.A quadrant analysis to identify the role of turbulent bursting events in incipient sediment motion also was done where sweeps and ejections are dominant for finer and coarser sediment sizes,respectively.     

U-Series Chronology of Lacustrine Deposits in Death Valley, California

Uranium-series dating on a 186-m core (DV93-1) drilled from Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California, and on calcareous tufas from nearby strandlines shows that Lake Manly, the lake that periodically flooded Death Valley during the late Pleistocene, experienced large fluctuations in depth and chemistry over the last 200,000 yr. Death Valley has been occupied by a long-standing deep lake, perennial shallow saline lakes, and a desiccated salt pan similar to the modern valley floor. The average sedimentation rate of about 1 mm/yr for core DV93-1 was punctuated by episodes of more-rapid accumulation of halite. Arid conditions similar to the modern conditions prevailed during the entire Holocene and between 120,000 and 60,000 yr B.P. From 35,000 yr B.P. to the beginning of the Holocene, a perennial saline lake existed, over 70 m at its deepest. A much deeper and longer lasting perennial Lake Manly existed from about 185,000 to 128,000 yr B.P., with water depths reaching about 175 m, if not 330 m. This lake had two significant “dry” excursions of 10²–10³yr duration about 166,000 and 146,000 yr B.P., and it began to shrink to the point of halite precipitation between 128,000 and 120,000 yr B.P. The two perennial lake periods correspond to marine oxygen isotopic stages (OIS) 2 and 6. Based on the shoreline tufa ages, we do not rule out the possible existence 200,000 yr ago of yet a third perennial lake comparable in size to the OIS 6 lake. The²³⁴U/²³⁸U data suggest that U in tufa owes its origin mainly to Ca-rich springs fed by groundwater that emanated along lake shorelines in southern Death Valley, and that an increase of this spring-water input relative to the river-water input apparently occurred during OIS 6.     

Statistical characterization of impact of system variables on temporal dynamics of groundwater in highly weathered regoliths

In situations where the water table fluctuates during the rainy season the characterization of the impact of system variables on the temporal dynamics of the groundwater (GW) is essential to improve the understanding at catchment or regional scale behaviour of GW. In this study the appropriateness of the statistical parameters; mean, median, the 80^th percentile (PC80), coefficient of variation (CV), correlation coefficient (r), and multiple regression models were assessed to characterize the impact of system variables on the temporal dynamics of hydraulic head relative to ground surface (HH) during rainy seasons. The study was conducted from 1999 to 2003 in the wet tropical Johnstone River catchment (JRC) in north‐east Queensland, Australia. Piezometer wells were installed at 32 sites under cropping to 5–90 m depth on different soil types, landscape positions, and varying proximity to surface water bodies (i.e. four system variables). The HH was measured, at least at 10–15 day intervals during 1–5 consecutive rainy seasons. The HH in the 32 wells fluctuated throughout each of the five rainy seasons. The mean HH averaged over the seasons ranged from 1·1 to 17·2 m across the wells, the median from 0·9 to 17·3 m, and the PC80 from 0·3 to 16·1 m. The temporal behaviour of HH characterization by mean of means of HH, the mean of medians of HH, and the mean of PC80 of HH, indicated the HH can be classified to belong to three different groups for each one of these parameters. The impact of the system variables on temporal dynamics, explored using multiple regression procedure, indicated that the model for median was marginally better than mean. The CV was found to be most appropriate parameter to characterize the impact of GW system variable (aquifer type), a component of the system variables, on temporal dynamics. The interactions of GW (i) belonging to different GW system and (ii) at shoulder with footslope in a landscape were best characterized by simple linear correlations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Test and evaluation of a moored microstructure recorder

A new moored microstructure recorder （MMR） is designed, developed, tested, and evaluated. The MMR directly measures the high-frequency shear of velocity fluctuations, with which we can estimate the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy. We summarize and discuss methods for estimating the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate. Instrument body vibrations contaminate the shear signal in an ocean field experiment, and a compensating correction successfully removes this contamination. In both tank test and ocean field experiment, the dissipation rate measured with the MMR agreed well with that measured using other instruments.     

Observations and model estimates of diurnal water temperature dynamics in mosquito breeding sites in western Kenya

Water temperature is an important determinant of the growth and development of malaria mosquito immatures. To gain a better understanding of the daily temperature dynamics of malaria mosquito breeding sites and of the relationships between meteorological variables and water temperature, three clear water pools (diameter × depth: 0·16 × 0·04, 0·32 × 0·16 and 0·96 × 0·32 m) were created in Kenya. Continuous water temperature measurements at various depths were combined with weather data collections from a meteorological station. The water pools were homothermic, but the top water layer differed by up to about 2 °C in temperature, depending on weather conditions. Although the daily mean temperature of all water pools was similar (27·4–28·1 °C), the average recorded difference between the daily minimum and maximum temperature was 14·4 °C in the smallest versus 7·1 °C in the largest water pool. Average water temperature corresponded well with various meteorological variables. The temperature of each water pool was continuously higher than the air temperature. A model was developed that predicts the diurnal water temperature dynamics accurately, based on the estimated energy budget components of these water pools. The air–water interface appeared the most important boundary for energy exchange processes and on average 82–89% of the total energy was gained and lost at this boundary. Besides energy loss to longwave radiation, loss due to evaporation was high; the average estimated daily evaporation ranged from 4·2 mm in the smallest to 3·7 mm in the largest water pool. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于雷达资料四维变分同化技术对北京地区一次下山突发性增强风暴热动力机制的模拟分析

利用三维数值云模式和雷达资料四维变分(4DVar)同化技术,通过对4部新一代多普勒天气雷达探测资料进行快速更新同化和云尺度模拟,初步分析了2009年8月1日发生在北京地区的一次短生命史、突发性增强风暴的低层动力和热力影响机制。此次风暴过程处于弱天气尺度背景和弱层结背景下,冷池和低层环境风场相互作用是造成山上对流风暴增强传播下山的关键机制,而风暴的短生命史和平原地区上空弱风垂直切变环境有关:在对流风暴产生的初期,由于平原地区局地热力、动力场分布的差异,在平原地区西部近地面形成冷池结构,而冷池的“障碍物”作用进而阻碍环境风场的传播。在此机制下,导致在冷池东南边缘附近形成辐合中心、较强的低层水平风垂直切变和全螺旋度大值中心,有助于风暴传播下山。在风暴临近山边阶段,平原地区原有冷池的“绕流”等机制仍然有助于形成有利于主体风暴传播下山增强的近地面辐合中心、强低层水平风垂直切变和全螺旋度大值中心等环境。此外,随着山上风暴降水产生若干冷池,由于风暴形成的阵风锋抬升作用以及新生冷池与老冷池的逐渐发展并相互靠近,使冷池之间暖空气不断抬升,在冷池之间低层形成较强的辐合中心、全螺旋度大值中心。并且,由于冷池边缘的热力场分布不均匀,同样在冷池边缘形成较大扰动气压和扰动温度,增大了垂直加速度,在冷池之间中高层形成上升气流区,这些机制使北部风暴重新增强和新生风暴产生的同时,最终也导致这些风暴互相靠近,合并组织成带状回波。风暴在平原传播阶段,带状回波产生的冷池进一步增强,并明显扩展。低层风场指示冷池出流(阵风锋)更加强烈且存在明显的“前冲”特征,显现出部分飑线系统特征。但是,由于此时平原地区处于弱风垂直切变环境,此时冷池强于低层风垂直切变,即冷池产生的负涡度大于低层风垂直切变产生的正涡度,因此,冷池前沿的上升气流向后倾斜并导致阵风锋逐渐离开主体风暴,不利于沿着出流边界形成新的对流单体,从而不利于维持对流风暴系统的发展传播。随后,阵风锋和前方东南气流交汇,形成新的孤立单体。并且,基于模拟结果计算了与对流系统发展密切相关的全螺旋度、风垂直切变。结果显示,风垂直切变(尤其是0—3 km)和全螺旋度与风暴发生和传播位置及强度相关性较高,反映出模拟量对带状回波风暴过程具有较好的指示意义。