Soil moisture potential and water content in the unsaturated zone within the arid Ejina Oasis in Northwest China

Three soil profiles were selected in the Ejina Oasis, northwest China, to determine water content profiles and evolution of soil moisture potentials in the unsaturated zone within the arid area. The total soil moisture potentials have been monitored for about 3 months in 2001 at different depths in the soil profiles. The occurrence and movement of water in the unsaturated zone was analyzed using the zero flux plane (ZFP) method. It is shown that convergent ZFPs and divergent ZFPs may occur at depths between 0.5 and 3.0 m, and that the depth of the ZFPs was controlled by the root zone of plants growing on the land surface. Profiles of the total soil moisture potentials were observed to be coincident with those of the water contents at the three experimental sites. The total soil moisture potential showed a slight increasing trend and the ZFPs tend to vanish from summer to winter as the water extraction by roots decreased. Evapotranspiration through vegetation has an important bearing on the water content and the total potential in the unsaturated zone.     

Dynamics of an active rock glacier (Ötztal Alps, Austria)

The rock glacier Innere Ölgrube, located in a small side valley of the Kauner Valley (Ötztal Alps, Austria), consists of two separate, tongue-shaped rock glaciers lying next to each other. Investigations indicate that both rock glaciers contain a core of massive ice. During winter, the temperature at the base of the snow cover (BTS) is significantly lower at the active rock glacier than on permafrost-free ground adjacent to the rock glacier. Discharge is characterized by strong seasonal and diurnal variations, and is strongly controlled by the local weather conditions. Water temperature of the rock glacier springs remains constantly low, mostly below 1°C during the whole melt season. The morphology of the rock glaciers and the presence of meltwater lakes in their rooting zones as well as the high surface flow velocities of >1 m/yr point to a glacial origin. The northern rock glacier, which is bounded by lateral moraines, evolved from the debris-covered tongue of a small glacier of the Little Ice Age with its last highstand around A.D. 1850. Due to the global warming in the following decades, the upper parts of the steep and debris-free ice glacier melted, whereas the debris-covered glacier tongue transformed into an active rock glacier. Due to this evolution and due to the downslope movement, the northern rock glacier, although still active, at present is cut off from its ice and debris supply. The southern rock glacier has developed approximately during the same period from a debris-covered cirque glacier at the foot of the Wannetspitze massif.     

Atmospheric hydrological budget with its effects over Tibetan Plateau

Based on 1961-2000 NCEP/NCAR monthly mean reanalysis datasets, vapor transfer and hydrological budget over the Tibetan Plateau are investigated. The Plateau is a vapor sink all the year round. In summer, vapor is convergent in lower levels (from surface to 500 hPa) and divergent in upper levels (from 400 to 300 hPa), with 450 hPa referred to as level of non-divergence. Two levels have different hydrologic budget signatures: the budget is negative at the upper levels from February to November, i.e., vapor transfers from the upper levels over the plateau; as to the lower, the negative (positive) budget occurs during the winter (summer) half year. Evidence also indicates that Tibetan Plateau is a "vapor transition belt", vapor from the south and the west is transferred from lower to upper levels there in summer, which will affect surrounding regions, including eastern China, especially, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze. Vapor transfer exerts significant influence on precipitation in summertime months. Vapor transferred from the upper layers helps humidify eastern China, with coefficient -0.3 of the upper budget to the precipitation over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze (MLRY); also, vapor transferred from east side (27.5o-32.5oN) of the upper level has remarkable relationship with precipitation, the coefficient being 0.41. The convergence of the lower level vapor has great effects on the local precipitation over the plateau, with coefficient reaching 0.44, and the vapor passage affects the advance and retreat of the rainbelt. In general, atmospheric hydrologic budget and vapor transfer over the plateau have noticeable effects on precipitation of the target region as well as the ambient areas.     

The influence of floodplain geohydrology on the distribution of Sarcocornia pillansii in the Olifants Estuary on the West Coast, South Africa

The distribution of Sarcocornia pillansii (Moss) A.J. Scott was determined by water-table depth and electrical conductivity (EC) of the groundwater. Where the groundwater was accessible (<1.5 m) and had a low EC (<80 mS cm⁻¹), S. pillansii extended its roots down to the water-table where a suitable water potential gradient was shown to exist between the soil and roots. In areas where the groundwater was too deep and/or hypersaline, the plants grew on hummocks. The unconfined aquifer below the floodplain is linked to the estuary and although diurnal tidal waves were dampened, water-table level fluctuations were recorded between tidal events. The complex geomorphology of the floodplain influences groundwater flow, in turn affecting the distribution of the salt marsh vegetation.     

内外网中转程序介绍

为了防止计算机病毒的干扰,保证基础气象业务的正常运行,阳泉市气象局的局域网分为内网和外网,内网上的计算机用于基础气象业务,外网上的计算机都可以上互连网。为了方便内外网的信息交换,在内外网之间安装一台计算机,运行内外网中转程序,使内外网的文件基本达到同步更新。这样既保证了内网上的计算机运行稳定,又满足了外网上的计算机对内网上气象信息的需求。     

Impacts of Previous Winter Kuroshio SSTA on Summer Rainfall in China

1. IntroductionAs well known, Kuroshio is a famous and strongwest boundary current in the North Pacific. It trans-fers enormous energy from the low latitudes to themid-high latitudes and releases huge heat flux to theatmosphere above (Hsiung, 1985). The variation ofKuroshio exerts great influence on weather and cli-mate in East Asian.During 1950-60s, Lü (1950, 1964) found that thewestern North Pacific SSTA had a close relation withsummer rainfall in China. In the 1970s, evidencesshowed…     

Distribution of trace metals in the Odra River system: Water–suspended matter–sediments

Extensive investigations of trace metals concentrations in water, suspended particulate matter (SPM) and bottom sediments of the whole Odra River system were carried out over the years 1997–2000. The vertical distribution of selected metals and their mobility were also studied in the sediment cores from upper and middle river sections. Significant levels of metal contamination were found. Median concentrations (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn and As) in the SPM and sediments were (mg kg⁻¹) 7.1 and 8.9 Cd, 128 and 146 Pb, 81 and 119 Cu, 1198 and 1204 Zn, 48 and 54 As, respectively. The highest metal pollution of the Odra River solids was found with cadmium, zinc, lead and arsenic, showing high similarity in their frequency distributions in both SPM and sediments. Cd, Zn and As appear to be of particular concern because of the high levels, that appear to be bioavailable, and their high mobility. The exchangeable and carbonate chemical forms of Cd and Zn reached up to 50% of their total amount. Besides the determination of total metal concentration, the metal chemical forms in river solids were investigated. The results of very wide studies of the Odra River system through 4 years suggest that metal pollution decreased, especially for Zn, Pb and Cu. Among all metals studied in the Odra River sediments, substantial reductions of Cd contamination were observed neither in the period after ’97 flood, nor if compared with the earlier results obtained before ’97. No essential differences of the metal contents were observed among the samples for the same river compartment, from the same locality, taken within the five sampling campaigns. The pattern of spatial and vertical metal distributions in the river solids indicates that a variety of sources might be responsible for the contamination; very intensive, historical and current mining and smelting activities probably are the most important ones.     

Experimental and theoretical study of stability of dense hydrous magnesium silicates in the deep upper mantle

Fluid-undersaturated experiments were conducted to determine the phase relations in the simplified peridotite system MgO-SiO₂-H₂O (MSH) at 11.0-14.5 GPa and 800-1400 °C. Stability relations of dense hydrous magnesium silicates (DHMSs) under fluid-undersaturated conditions were experimentally examined. From the fluid-absent experimental results, we retrieved thermodynamic data for clinohumite, phase A, phase E, and hydrous wadsleyite, consistent with the published data set for dry mantle minerals. With this new data set, we have calculated phase equilibria in the MSH system including dehydration reactions. The dehydration reactions calculated with lower water activities of 0.68-0.60 match the fluid-present experiments of this study above 11.0 GPa and 1000 °C, indicating that considerable amounts of silicate component were dissolved into the fluid phase. The calculated phase equilibria illustrate the stability of the post-antigorite phase A-bearing assemblages. In the cold subducting slab peridotite, phase A + enstatite assemblage survives into the transition zone, whereas phase A + forsterite + enstatite assemblage forms hydrous wadsleyite at a much shallower depth of about 360-km. The slab is subducted with no dehydration reactions occurring when entering the transition zone. The phase equilibria also show the high temperature stability of phase E. Phase E is stable up to 1200 °C at 13.5 GPa, a plausible condition in the mantle of relatively low temperature, i.e., beneath subduction zones. Phase E is a possible water reservoir in the mantle as well as wadsleyite and ringwoodite.     

Aquatic fungi growing on dead fragments of submerged plants

The authors investigated the dead fragments of 22 species of submerged plants in the water from three limnological and trophical different water bodies (spring, river and pond). A total of 184 species of aquatic fungi, including 119 zoosporic and 65 conidial species were found on the fragments investigated plants. The most common fungus species were Aphanomyces laevis, Saprolegnia litoralis, Pythium rostratum (zoosporic fungi) and Acrodictys elaeidicola, Anguillospora longissima, Angulospora aquatica, Lemonniera aquatica, Mirandina corticola, Tetracladium marchalianum, Tetracladium maxiliformis, Trinacrium subtile (conidial fungi).

Most fungus species were observed on the specimens of Elodea canadensis (33 fungus species), Hippuris vulgaris f. submersa (33), Myriophyllum spicatum (34) and Potamogeton crispus (33), fewest on Ceratophyllum demersum (24), Fontinalis dalicarlica and Potamogeton nitens (each 25).

The most fungi were growing in the water from River Supraśl (107), the fewest in the water from Pond Dojlidy (99). Some aquatic fungus species were observed in the water of only one of the three water bodies – in Pond Dojlidy (30), in Spring Jaroszówka (32) and in the River Supraśl (39) species. Seventy-five species growing only on fragments of single submerged plants. A number of zoosporic and conidial species (22 and four, respectively) appeared new to Polish waters. Out of these 119 zoosporic species, some are known as parasites or necrotrophs of fish.     

Origin of the high variability of water mineral content in the bedrock aquifers of Southern Madagascar

This study assesses the causes of the high spatial variability of the mineral content of groundwater in crystalline bedrock of Southern Madagascar. Although many kilometres from the coast and at a mean altitude of 400 m a.s.l, wells drilled in this area produce water with electrical conductivities in the range of 300–30,000 μS cm⁻¹ with a high spatial variability. Chemical and isotopic data are used to identify the processes involved in the groundwater mineralization. It is shown that the chemical composition of the groundwater in this region has its origin in (i) normal silicate and carbonate weathering reactions and (ii) input of marine salts, probably via rainfall recharge, modified by evapo-concentrative processes probably including precipitation and re-dissolution of secondary evaporites in the unsaturated zone. To obtain a better understanding of the spatial salinity distribution, well parameters such as yields, weathered zone thickness, weathered materials and morphological positions (upper slope, mid-slope, lower slope or valley bottom) are scrutinized.

A correlation was found between high salinity and low flow, shallow groundwater environments (flat hill tops, valley bottoms, weakly developed and clayey weathered zones) and between low salinity and high flow environments (granular, well-developed weathered zones and situation on valley slopes).