Could giant impacts cripple core dynamos of small terrestrial planets?

Large impacts not only create giant basins on terrestrial planets but also heat their interior by shock waves. We investigate the impacts that have created the largest basins existing on the planets: Utopia on Mars, Caloris on Mercury, Aitken on Moon, all formed at ∼4 Ga. We determine the impact-induced temperature increases in the interior of a planet using the “foundering” shock heating model of Watters et al. (Watters, W.A., Zuber, M.T., Hager, B.H. [2009]. J. Geophys. Res. 114, E02001. doi:10.1029/2007JE002964). The post-impact thermal evolution of the planet is investigated using 2D axi-symmetric convection in a spherical shell of temperature-dependent viscosity and thermal conductivity, and pressure-dependent thermal expansion. The impact heating creates a superheated giant plume in the upper mantle which ascends rapidly and develops a strong convection in the mantle of the sub-impact hemisphere. The upwelling of the plume rapidly sweeps up the impact-heated base of the mantle away from the core-mantle boundary and replaces it with the colder surrounding material, thus reducing the effects of the impact-heated base of the mantle on the heat flux out of core. However, direct shock heating of the core stratifies the core, suppresses the pre-existing thermal convection, and cripples a pre-existing thermally-driven core dynamo. It takes about 17, 4, and 5 Myr for the stratified cores of Mars, Mercury, and Moon to exhaust impact heat and resume global convection, possibly regenerating core dynamos.     

A data‐based mechanistic modelling (DBM) approach to understanding dynamic sediment transmission through Wyresdale Park Reservoir,Lancashire, UK

This paper outlines the application of a new data‐based mechanistic (DBM) modelling methodology to the characterization of the sediment transmission dynamics in a small upland reservoir, Wyresdale Park, Lancashire. The DBM modelling strategy exploits advanced statistical procedures to infer the dynamic model structure and its associated parameters directly from the instrumented data, producing a parametrically efficient, continuous time, transfer function model which relates suspended sediment load at the reservoir inflow to the outflow at the event scale. The associated differential equation model parameters have physical attributes which can be interpreted in terms of sediment transmission processes and associated reservoir trap efficiency. Sedigraph analysis suggests that wind‐induced resuspension episodically supplies an additional load to the reservoir outlet. The stochastic nature of the DBM model makes it ideal for evaluating the effects of uncertainty through Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) for discharge and sediment transmission. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于CFD技术的河谷型城市风环境模拟——以兰州市城关区为例

本文应用CFD软件对多种流场的强大模拟功能,模拟小尺度的兰州市城关区风环境。选用SRTM资料表征兰州市城关区的地形,应用ArcGIS生成兰州市地形模型,计算相关参数,将计算得到的地形粗糙度和兰州多年气候资料转化为CFD模型的数字参数及模拟边界条件等,首次模拟得到河谷型地区兰州城关区的风环境。结果表明:（1）河谷型地区中,气流过山时风速达最大值,依山体高度增大,而在背风坡风速值明显降低,达到0～1 m·s-1;（2）气流过境时在沿河谷前进,且在谷底风速值达0～1 m·s-1;（3）在模拟城市热岛效应的对比实验中,地块加热对气流过境有停滞作用。     

Dynamics of mule deer forage in the Sonoran Desert

Forage availability for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Sonoran Desert depends on plant biomass, which is influenced by rainfall. We determined how rainfall, temperature and plant characteristics affected biomass of deer forage. We measured forage biomass, rainfall and temperature every 3 months from April 2000 to December 2002. Quarterly rainfall ranged from <1 to 57 mm, and forage biomass in desert washes fluctuated between 6 and 34 g m⁻². There was a positive relationship between forage biomass and rainfall the previous six months (p<0.001), and a negative relationship between biomass and average temperature the previous 3 months (p<0.001). Quarterly forage growth was positively influenced by rainfall (p<0.001) and negatively influenced by forage biomass (p<0.001). The relationships between deer forage and environmental factors established here will be useful in understanding population ecology of mule deer as part of an interactive model of plant–herbivore dynamics in arid environments.     

开封市的城市生态位变化分析

城市生态位作为生态学重要理论之一,用于分析城市生态不同功能模块间竞争、演化等现象。通过以开封市不同功能模块为研究对象,在各模块污染指数和适宜度指数的基础上,运用生态位理论和方法,探讨改革开放以来,特别是近十年来开封市不同功能模块生态位格局变化规律,并对变化的原因进行了分析。研究结果表明：(1) 1994~2003年开封市自然生态环境系统各模块生态位呈上升趋势的有大气环境模块、城市绿化模块,而呈下降趋势的有水环境模块、声环境模块。(2) 1994~2003年开封市经济系统各模块生态位呈上升趋势的是第三产业模块,呈下降趋势的是第二产业模块,而变化不大的是第一产业模块。(3) 1994~2003年开封市社会系统各模块适宜度生态位呈上升趋势的有社会基础设施模块、社会资源配置模块、社会生产与保障模块,而呈下降趋势的只有人口模块。(4) 国家政策体制的改革是改革开放以来特别是近十年来开封市各功能模块生态位发生变化的最直接和最根本的原因。该研究不但对城市不同功能模块的宏观规划、经济发展和环境保护有具体的指导意义,而且对拓展城市生态学理论、研究复合生态系统的内在作用机制也同样具有重大的理论和现实意义。     

金华市水资源承载力分析

从生态学角度出发,提出水资源承载力是在社会发展的某一阶段和生态系统良性循环的条件下,水资源对人类活动的最大支撑能力。指出目前金华市的水荒不是水源型缺水,而是水质型缺水和工程型缺水。根据20多年的历史数据和2020年全面建设小康社会的标准,利用系统动力学(SD)模型,仿真研究了金华市未来政策实施后水资源承载力的动态变化过程。同时指出,对于金华市来说,单方面追求经济的快速发展、以牺牲环境作为代价的高方案和把环境保护作为首要目标、经济慢速发展的低方案都是不可取的,只有经济发展和环境保护同时兼顾的中方案才是首选方案。     

我国高寒草甸植被生产力及其影响因子

生物量是重要的植物群落数量特征，直接反映生态系统生产者的物质生产量，是生态系统生产力的重要体现。高寒草甸广泛分布于青藏高原，是高寒生态系统的主要植被类型。回顾了高寒草甸生物量的研究成果。高寒草甸生物量呈典型的金字塔式垂直分布格局，地上生物量主要集中于0—10cm的冠层，地下生物量也集中分布于0—10cm的土层内。增温和多雨会降低生物量，叶面积和物种丰富度与地上生物量成正相关关系，氮素的增加有助于植被生物量的增长，而放牧率与生物量成显著负相关。