Study of initial vorticity forcing for block onset by a 4-dimensional variational approach

With the aid of a global barotropic model, the role of the interaction of the synoptic-scale disturbance and the planetary flow in block onset is examined by a 4-dimensional variational approach. A cost function is defined to measure the squared errors of the forecasted stream functions during block onset period (day 4 and day 5 in this study) over a selected blocking domain. The sensitivity of block onset with respect to the initial synoptic-scale disturbance is studied by examining the gradient of the defined cost function with respect to the initial (during the first 24 hours) vorticity forcing, which is evaluated by the adjoint integration. Furthermore, the calculated cost function and gradient are connected with the limited-memory quasi-Newton optimization algorithm for solving the optimal initial vorticity forcing for block onset. For two studied cases of block onset (northern Atlantic and northern Pacific) introducing the optimal initial vorticity forcing, the nonlinear barotropic advection process mostly reconstructs these blocking onset processes. The results show that the formation of blocking can be correctly described by a barotropic nonlinear advection process, in which the wave- (synoptic-scale) flow (planetary-scale) interaction plays a very important role. On an appropriate planetary-scale flow, a certain synoptic-scale disturbance can cause the blocking onset by the interaction between the synoptic scale perturbations and the planetary scale basic flows. The extended forecasts show that the introduction of the optimal initial vorticity forcing can predict the blocking process up to the 7th or 8th day in this simple model case. The experimental results in this study show that the 4-dimensional variational approach has a good potential to be applied to study the dynamics of the medium-range weather processes. This simple model case study is only an initial trial. Applying the framework in this study to a complex model will further our understanding of the mechanism of the atmospheric/oceanic processes and improve their prediction.     

Impact of land use changes on surface warming in China

Land use changes such as urbanization, agriculture, pasturing, deforestation, desertification and irrigation can change the land surface heat flux directly, and also change the atmospheric circulation indirectly, and therefore affect the local temperature. But it is difficult to separate their effects from climate trends such as greenhouse-gas effects. Comparing the decadal trends of the observation station data with those of the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis (NNR) data provides a good method to separate the effects because the NNR is insensitive to land surface changes. The effects of urbanization and other land use changes over China are estimated by using the difference between the station and the NNR surface temperature trends. Our results show that urbanization and other land use changes may contribute to the observed 0.12℃ (10 yr)- 1 increase for daily mean surface temperature, and the 0.20℃ (10 yr)- 1 and 0.03℃ (10 yr)-1 increases for the daily minimum and maximum surface temperatures, respectively. The urban heat island effect and the effects of other land-use changes mayalso play an important role in the diurnal temperature range change. The spatial pattern of the differences in trends shows a marked heterogeneity.The land surface degradation such as deforestation and desertification due to human activities over northern China, and rapidly-developed urbanization over southern China, may have mostly contributed to the increases at stations north of about 38°N and in Southeast China, respectively. Furthermore, the vegetation cover increase due to irrigation and fertilization may have contributed to the decreasing trend of surface temperature over the lower Yellow River Basin. The study illustrates the possible impacts of land use changes on surface temperature over China.     

河北省城市热岛强度变化对区域地表平均气温序列的影响

按照大中城市站、城市站、国家基本/基准站与乡村站等类别,对河北省区域内55个气象站1961～2003年和1981～2003年时段月、季、年平均气温变化进行了对比分析.结果表明:近40年来,大中城市增温趋势最为显著,城市站、国家基本/基准站增温趋势较强,乡村站增温趋势最小,季节中以冬季增温为最大;城市热岛效应增强因素对大中城市站、城市站、国家基本/基准站年平均温度增加的份额分别占到44.7%、38.7%、39.7%.城市热岛效应增强因素对季节增暖的作用在夏秋季较大,冬季最小;近20年来各类台站增温趋势更加明显,但热岛增温效应对平均温度序列增温的相对贡献却在降低,说明近20年的迅速增温可能是由于大气环流和增强的温室效应引起的;近20年全省各类台站由于城市热岛效应引起的增温与1961～2003年整个时段相比表现不一,部分站城市热岛增温效应绝对量趋于增强,部分站城市热岛增温效应趋于弱化或消失.因此,城市热岛增温效应对台站和区域平均温度序列的影响比较复杂,它受到人口增长、城市化进程、乡村台站环境变化等多种因素的影响.     

从集集地震看建筑物震害与地震动参数的关系

本文根据9．21台湾集集大地震中南投县、台中县、台北县和苗栗县的建筑物震害调查资料确定出这4个主要受害地区的平均震害指数,然后义计算出这4个地区的地震动峰值加速度、峰值速度、峰值谱加速度、峰值谱速度、峰值谱位移的平均值。将这些均值分别与平均震害指数进行基于最小二乘法的线性回归,发现峰值速度和震害指数有非常好的相关性,相关系数接近1．0,而峰值加速度与震害指数相关性只有0．8,这说明地震动峰值速度能够体现地震动对脆性结构的破坏势,与以往将不同次地震的记录和资料混淆在一起研究而获得峰值加速度与震害有很好相关性形成了对比。     

水口山矿田矿床定位模式及找矿远景区评价

文章从水口山矿田所处大地构造背景及矿田构造岩浆作用分析入手,阐明了矿田内两大成岩成矿系列:Ⅰ与燕山中期中酸性侵入类有关的中温热液接触交代(夕卡岩)型铅锌铜银硫矿床,Ⅱ与燕山晚期英安质次火山-火山岩有关的浅成低温热液铅锌金银矿床.讨论了两者间的时空关系,分析了控矿因素,总结了矿床定位模式,并结合地物化遥资料进行了矿田内找矿远景区的评价.     

广东省外商直接投资业绩与潜力的时空差异

回顾广东省外商直接投资历史,选取10项影响其直接投资潜力的要素指标,构建业绩指数和潜力指数进行定量分析认为:(1)广东省已经取得了很高的外商直接投资业绩,但是外商直接投资业绩指数总体上呈稳定而缓慢的下降趋势。(2)无论是潜力还是业绩,珠江三角洲的核心区域一直是广东省外商直接投资高水平区域,珠江三角洲外商直接投资分散化空间分布趋势主导了全省外商直接投资的分散化趋势。(3)广东省大部分地市外商直接投资业绩水平的增长快于潜力水平的提高,但广州、深圳和佛山等中心城市外商直接投资业绩都不同程度地滞后于潜力。     

2011年极端天气和气候事件及其他相关事件的概要回顾

2011年世界各地极端天气事件频发。1月,朝鲜半岛经历1945年来最长的寒潮天气;同期,强暴风雪袭击美国,1亿人受影响;4月8日,持续干旱大风导致德国北部小镇遭遇沙尘暴;7～10月的季风强降水致使泰国遭遇自1942年以来最严重的洪灾;高温少雨致使东非地区、南美洲地区的古巴经历严重干旱;9月北极海冰的体积达历史最小。5～9月,我国平均高温日数为1961年以来历史同期次多,多地刷新高温历史极值;2011年我国平均年降水量创60年来最低,多地遭遇严重干旱;而华西和黄淮经历异常严重秋汛。     

Stabilization of Expansive Clays Using Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS) and GBFS-Cement

Expansive clays undergo swelling when subjected to water. This can cause damage, especially to light weight structures, water conveyance canals, lined reservoirs, highways, and airport runways unless appropriate measures are taken. In this study, granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and GBFS-cement (GBFSC) were utilized to overcome or to limit the expansion of an artificially prepared expansive soil sample (sample A). GBFS and GBFSC were added to sample A in proportions of 5–25% by weight. The effects of these stabilizers on grain size distribution, Atterberg limits, swelling percentage and rate of swell of soil samples were determined. GBFS and GBFSC were shown to successfully decreasing the total amount of swell while increasing the rate of swell.     

Free-Swell and Swelling Pressure of Unsaturated Compacted Clays; Experiments and Neural Networks Modeling

Expansive soils have received attentions of several investigators in the past half of century in the problematic soils context. Volume change behavior of unsaturated compacted soils in presence of water and change of degree of saturation was observed in two form of heave or collapse. Low water content and low density compacted soils in presence of enough surcharge pressure lose stability and collapse, because of their metastable and susceptible structure to change of degree of saturation. Free-swell and swelling pressure of five compacted clays, covering low to high plastic clays have been investigated in respect to compaction states and swelling pressure was compared with collapse pressure threshold. The results of experiments were utilized in two Artificial Neural Networks to predict free-swell percent and swelling pressure of a soil sample based on index properties and compaction state.     

川西马鞍塘组礁滩特征和含油气性初探

四川盆地西缘上三叠统马鞍塘组发育一套礁滩组合,部分推覆到地表,部分埋藏在地下。研究表明,这套礁滩有丰富的油源条件,有一定的储集能力、良好的圈闭条件,是油气富集的非常有利的区域,虽然受到多期构造运动的改造,但不能排除地下存在油气藏的可能性,因此有油气勘探的潜力。