A Case study of a snowstorm at the Great Wall Station,Antarctica

A case of a snowstorm at the Great Wall Station was studied using data of NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) analysis, in situ observations and surface weather charts. The storm occurred on August 29th,2006, and brought high winds and poor horizontal visibility to the region.It was found that the storm occurred under the synoptic situation of a high in the south and a low in the north. A low-level easterly jet from the Antarctic continent significantly decreased the air temperature and humidity.Warm air advection at high level brought sufficient vapor from lower latitudes for the snowstorm to develop.The dynamic factors relating to strong snowfall and even the developmentof a snowstorm were deep cyclonic vorticity at middle and low levels,the configuration of divergence at high level and convergence at low level, and strong verticaluplift. There was an inversion layer in the low-level atmosphere during the later phase of the storm.This vertical structure of cold air at low levels and warm air at high levels may have been important to the longevity of the snowstorm.     

Spatial variability of soil nutrients in Punta Fort William,Greenwich Island,maritime Antarctic

This study aims to report baseline soil nutrients, specifically the organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus profile, in soil samples collected from Puntta Fort William on Greenwich Island in maritime Antarctic. Samples were collected along two transect lines during the early summer of 2008. Ward＇s method of hierarchical agglomerative clustering was employed to group the sampling points based on their physico-chemical properties. In this context, the soil samples can be grouped into three major clus- ters： （1） Samples with intensive biological activities, （2） samples from the area recently exposed by glacial retreat and （3） samples from barren and dried areas. Nutrient contents in Punta Fort William are driven by the intensity of biological activities as well as melt water from the Qnito glacier.     

Landsat 8全色影像阴影的扁平冰山出水高度提取

冰山出水高度是测量冰山厚度进而估算冰山体积的一个重要几何参数,是定量评估冰山对海洋的淡水输入量的基础。冬季冰山在海冰上成影且阴影较长,本文提出利用阴影测高模型高精度测量冰山出水高度的方法。试验选择2016年8月29日、9月7日和9月16日中心太阳高度角分别为5.43°、7.49°和11.01°的3期Landsat 8全色15 m影像,以独立扁平冰山为例,自动提取冰山在海冰上的阴影长度计算冰山出水高度,并利用不同时相同名成影点进行交叉验证评估测量精度。结果显示：阴影长度测量误差优于1个像元,在太阳高度角低于11.01°时,全色15 m影像提取的冰山出水高度均方根误差（RMSE）低于2.0 m,平均绝对误差（MAE）低于1.5 m。由此表明：在冬季低太阳高度角下,Landsat 8全色15 m影像可用于高精度测量冰山出水高度,具有大范围测量南极冰山出水高度的潜力。     

国际南极大地参考框架的构建与进展

回顾了南极大地参考框架发展的历史,总结了由国际南极研究科学委员会(SCAR)组织的历次南极地区大地测量观测活动的成果,并结合2007~2008第四次国际极地年(IPY)对南极大地参考框架的前景进行了展望,其中重点介绍了我国对构建南极大地参考框架的贡献。     

南极放线菌NJ-F2萃取物的抗菌活性初步研究

从南极第24次科学考察采集的海泥样品中分离获得放线菌NJ-F2,对NJ-F2发酵液的乙酸乙酯萃取物进行体外抗菌实验,并采用16S rDNA方法对NJ-F2进行系统发育分析.结果表明萃取物对金黄色葡萄球菌和枯草芽孢杆菌的最低抑菌浓度(MIC)、最低杀菌浓度(MBC)分别为0.25 mg/mL,5.0 mg/mL;而对大肠杆菌和产气杆菌的MIC、MBC分别为0.5 mg/mL,5.0 mg/mL,但对真菌没有抗菌作用;16SrDNA分析结果表明NJ-F2为链霉菌属(Streptomyces sp.).     

Analysis of the Sea Fog in the Sea Around the Great Wall Station,Antarctica

The synoptic analysis of sea fog in western Antarctic sea region is made based on the observation data in the Chinese Antarctic station, Great Wall Station, from December 1994 to November 1995, and the facsimile weather charts issued by Chile. It is found that more than 90% fog in this region is the advection cooling fog. Also, the synoptic mechanism of the fog creation and distinction is discussed by analyzing the pressure field, the temperature field and the upperlevel stratification. Finally, the focus of attention in forecasting fog is pointed out.     

5月南极涛动对青藏高原西部夏季气温影响的诊断分析

青藏高原是全球气候变暖最敏感的地区之一,是北半球夏季最大的热源,其气候响应受到广泛关注。然而,有关南极涛动与青藏高原夏季气温的关系和机理知之甚少。为了研究南极涛动与青藏高原夏季气温的关系,基于1979—2020年英国东安哥拉大学气候研究中心（CRU）的逐月气温、美国国家海洋和大气管理局（NOAA）的逐月海表面温度和大气环流再分析数据以及南极涛动指数等数据,采用相关、回归、合成分析等方法进行研究。结果表明,北半球夏季青藏高原西部气温与5月南极涛动存在显著负相关,即当5月南极涛动异常偏弱时,夏季青藏高原西部气温异常偏高。其影响过程为,南极涛动为正位相时,在南印度洋中高纬地区出现“负-正-负”的经向“三极子”海温模态,该模态可持续到夏季,在印度洋形成异常的纬向-垂直环流,相应在热带西印度洋和东印度洋-海洋性大陆之间的降水异常导致热带正“偶极子”降水模态,通过该降水模态在青藏高原西部引起异常反气旋环流和下沉运动,有利于高原西部气温偏高。研究结果显示,海洋的热惯性在“延长”南极涛动影响过程中起着重要的桥梁作用,可为青藏高原夏季气温预测提供科学依据。     

火星生命研究的进展与前景

关于火星是否存在或曾经存在生命的争论由来已久。有人以ALH84001火星陨石新鲜破裂面上的大量碳酸盐小球体和多环芳香烃（PAHs）为主要依据，推论火星至少在13～36亿 aBP前很可能有生命形态存在。然而，很多人认为ALH84001陨石的各种特性可以是非生物成因的。由于地球上的生物在超过115℃的温度下很难存活（火星可与之类比），争论的焦点逐渐集中在碳酸盐球体的形成温度上。也有研究者关注该陨石上有机物质的来源问题。对ALH84001陨石的综合学科研究提出了互相矛盾的证据。综述了自1996年以来在国外各种主要期刊上发表的关于 ALH84001陨石与火星生命的研究成果（也包括了一些对其他火星陨石的研究），认为目前尚不能断言火星生命存在与否。对火星继续深入探索以获取进一步的证据是十分必要的。以美国国家航空和宇航局（NASA）Odys sey宇宙飞船起始的火星探测计划将引发新一轮火星生命研究的热潮。     

Late-glacial and Holocene vegetation and climatic history of the Cass Basin, central South Island, New Zealand

Lithology, pollen, macrofossils, and stable carbon isotopes from an intermontane basin bog site in southern New Zealand provide a detailed late-glacial and early Holocene vegetation and climate record. Glacial retreat occurred before 17,000 cal yr B.P., and tundra-like grassland–shrubland occupied the basin shortly after. Between 16,500 and 14,600 cal yr B.P., a minor regional expansion of forest patches occurred in response to warming, but the basin remained in shrubland. Forest retreated between 14,600 and 13,600 cal yr B.P., at about the time of the Antarctic Cold Reversal. At 13,600 cal yr B.P., a steady progression from shrubland to tall podocarp forest began as the climate ameliorated. Tall, temperate podocarp trees replaced stress-tolerant shrubs and trees between 12,800 and 11,300 cal yr B.P., indicating sustained warming during the Younger Dryas Chronozone (YDC). Stable isotopes suggest increasing atmospheric humidity from 11,800 to 9300 cal yr B.P. Mild (annual temperatures at least 1°C higher than present), and moist conditions prevailed from 11,000 to 10,350 cal yr B.P. Cooler, more variable conditions followed, and podocarp forest was completely replaced by montane Nothofagus forest at around 7500 cal yr B.P. with the onset of the modern climate regime. The Cass Basin late-glacial climate record closely matches the Antarctic ice core records and is in approximate antiphase with the North Atlantic.     

Dissolved iron in the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean (CLIVAR SR3 section): Meridional and seasonal trends

We report measurements of dissolved iron (dFe, <0.4 μm) in seawater collected from the upper 300 m of the water column along the CLIVAR SR3 section south of Tasmania in March 1998 (between 42°S and 54°S) and November–December 2001 (between 47°S and 66°S). Results from both cruises indicate a general north-to-south decrease in mixed-layer dFe concentrations, from values as high as 0.76 nM in the Subtropical Front to uniformly low concentrations (<0.1 nM) between the Polar Front and the Antarctic continental shelf. Samples collected from the seasonal sea-ice zone in November–December 2001 provide no evidence of significant dFe inputs from the melting pack ice, which may explain the absence of pronounced ice-edge algal blooms in this sector of the Southern Ocean, as implied by satellite ocean-color images. Our data also allow us to infer changes in the dFe concentration of surface waters during the growing season. South of the Polar Front, a comparison of near-surface with subsurface (150 m depth) dFe concentrations in November–December 2001 suggests a net seasonal biological uptake of at least 0.14–0.18 nM dFe, of which 0.05–0.12 nM is depleted early in the growing season (before mid December). A comparison of our spring 2001 and fall 1998 data indicates a barely discernible seasonal depletion of dFe (0.03 nM) within the Polar Frontal Zone. Further north, most of our iron profiles do not exhibit near-surface depletions, and mixed-layer dFe concentrations are sometimes higher in samples from fall 1998 compared to spring 2001; here, the near-surface dFe distributions appear to be dominated by time-varying inputs of aerosol iron or advection of iron-rich subtropical waters from the north.