Assessment of the management of organizations supplying ecosystem services from tropical forests

Global environmental change leads to degradation of tropical forests in many countries. In response to this pressure, programs for payments for ecosystem services (PES) are developing and organizations are emerging which manage forests in order to supply ecosystem services, rather than only harvest timber. Typically such services are carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, pollination, and watershed protection. Public or private actors interested to invest in or donate money for the provisioning of such services are faced with the problem of choosing the appropriate organization supplying ecosystem services. The goal of this paper was to develop an assessment framework based on the balanced scorecard concept including drivers, impact, performance and context variables. Results of a survey of international market actors were used to determine assessment criteria and their weights. Putting the focus of this paper on drivers and impacts, we assessed Latin American organizations that “sell” ecosystem services from tropical forests in terms of their general management, marketing, forest management, client and stakeholder satisfaction, and forest ecosystem status. We found that supplying organizations vary widely with respect to their achievements in these areas. However, the variance of assessment results is influenced even more by the variance in weights the international market actors allocate to the assessment criteria. The insights of this study can contribute to the continuous improvement of management processes in supplying organizations and can support investors and donors in their decision-making with respect to organization supplying ecosystem services.     

Three-dimensional variational data assimilation of WindSat ocean surface winds for the genesis and forecasting of tropical storm Henri

With available high-resolution ocean surface wind vectors retrieved from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratorys WindSat on Coriolis, the impact of these data on genesis and forecasting of tropical storm Henri is examined using the non-hydrostatic, fifth-generation mesoscale model (MM5) of Pennsylvania State University-National Center for Atmospheric Research plus its newly released three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) system. It is shown that the assimilation of the WindSat-retrieved ocean surface wind vectors in the 3DVAR system improves the model initialization fields by introducing a stronger vortex in the lower troposphere. As a result, the model reproduces the storm formation and track reasonably close to the observations. Compared to the experiment without the WindSat surface winds, the WindSat assimilation reduced an error between the model simulated track and observations of more than 80 km and also improved the storm intensity by nearly 2 hPa. It suggests that these data could provide early detection and prediction of tropical storms or hurricanes.     

粒子群算法与支持向量机相结合的热带气旋强度预报试验

支持向量机(SVM)的惩罚参数及核参数的选择直接影响到模型效果,通过粒子群算法(PSO)解决支持向量机的参数选择问题,实现了参数选择的自动化。将该方法应用于热带气旋强度预报,利用气候持续性因子,挑选了1990年的100个左右样本进行预报检验,预报时效为12 h、24 h、36 h、48 h的强度平均绝对误差分别为3.00、4.35、4.93和6.68 m/s。另外,还与国外预报结果及采用最小二乘回归法的预报结果进行了效果的比较,SVM方法显示了更好的预报能力。     

Boundary-Layer Similarity Under an Axisymmetric,Gradient Wind Vortex

We present similarity solutions for the mean boundary-layer profiles under an axisymmetric vortex that is in gradient wind balance; the similarity model includes the nonlinear momentum advection and curvature terms. These solutions are a generalization of the Ekman layer mean flow, which is the canonical boundary-layer basic state under a uniform, geostrophically-balanced flow. Near-surface properties such as inflow angle, surface wind factor, diffusive transport of kinetic energy into the surface layer and dissipational heating are calculated and shown to be sensitive to the choice of turbulence parameterization.     

Review of the Tropical Gyre in the Indian Ocean with Its Impact on Heat and Salt Transport and Regional Climate Modes

Due to the IO monsoon impact, the tropical IO circulation has significant seasonal variation, especially in the northern IO. However, in mean-state, a relatively closed current loop is established by eastward current along the equator and westward current south of equator, which is regarded as Tropical Gyre in the Indian Ocean. Based on this circulation system, relevant studies were reviewed. Its impact on heat and salt transports and regional climate changes were discussed.     

不同强度热带气旋对中国降水变化的影响

基于1960—2017年2 000多个气象台站逐日降水数据和中国气象局热带气旋(TC)最佳路径资料集,采用客观天气图分析法(OSAT)识别得到TC降水。研究表明,中国TC降水总体呈显著下降趋势,较12年前的研究结果下降趋势变缓;TC盛期(7~9月)降水占到TC总降水的78.5%,TC盛期降水和TC非盛期降水均呈显著下降趋势。TC降水气候趋势在空间分布上以减少为主要特征,并表现出明显的地域差异,自南向北呈"减少—增多—减少"的分布型,减少趋势中心位于广东和海南。按TC影响期最大强度分级(弱TC、中等强度TC和强TC)研究不同强度TC降水的变化,结果显示,强TC降水表现出显著减少趋势,主要决定着TC总降水的影响范围和趋势等主要特征。进一步分析发现,影响TC频数在1960—2017年呈显著减少趋势,并在1995年发生突变;对1995年前后2个时期的对比研究显示,与前一时期(1960—1994年)相比,后一时期(1995—2017年)影响TC活动频次在20°N以南的海域呈现出显著的减少趋势,减少大值中心位于南海北部,而且这一特征也主要由影响TC中的强TC所决定;强TC的这一变化趋势导致了华南地区尤其是广东和海南TC降水日数的减少,进而使得TC降水减少。     

利用区域气候模式预估未来登陆中国热带气旋活动

鉴于热带气旋（TC）对我国沿海地区的影响,研究全球变暖背景下未来登陆我国TC活动的变化,对于我国沿海地区的防灾减灾具有重要意义。基于CMIP5中全球气候模式HadGEM2-ES数据,文中利用区域气候模式RegCM4开展了历史时期和3种情景（RCP2.6、RCP4.5和RCP8.5）下未来东亚区域气候的动力降尺度模拟,检验了模式对历史登陆我国TC活动及其相关大尺度环境场的模拟能力,并预估了3种情景下2030—2039年、2050—2059年和2089—2098年,登陆我国TC的路径、强度和频率的变化特征。结果表明：模式能合理地再现东亚区域历史时期（1986—2005年）大气环流场的空间结构以及登陆我国TC的特征;在3种情景下未来登陆我国TC的平均强度和数量均有不同程度的增加,尤其是台风及以上级别TC的总数明显增加,其中RCP8.5情景最突出,到21世纪末期（2089—2098年）登陆我国TC的平均强度、台风及以上级别TC总数的年平均值较历史时期将分别增加7.56%和1.05个;不同情景下未来登陆我国TC的路径均有不同程度的北移趋势,且全球升温的幅度越大,北移趋势越明显,这可能与未来中国近海显著变暖和垂直风切变减弱有关。未来我国沿海地区尤其是中高纬度很可能将面临日益严峻的TC灾害风险,亟需尽快开展防灾减灾及对策研究。     

Possible relationship between NAO and tropical cyclone genesis frequency in the western North Pacific

This study examined a strong positive correlation between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index during June and the total tropical cyclone (TC) genesis frequency in the western North Pacific during July and August. To investigate a possible cause for this relation, the mean difference between highest positive NAO years and lowest negative NAO years was analyzed by dividing into when the El Niño and La Niña years were included and when the El Niño and La Niña years were not included.When the El Niño and La Niña years were included, for positive NAO years, the TCs mostly occurred in the northwestern region of tropical and subtropical western Pacific, and showed a pattern that migrate from the sea northeast of the Philippines, pass the East China Sea, and move toward the mid-latitudes of East Asia. In contrast, for negative NAO years, the TCs mostly occurred in the southeastern region of tropical and subtropical western Pacific, and showed a pattern that migrate westward from the sea southeast of the Philippines, pass the South China Sea, and move toward the southern coast of China and Indochinese peninsula. These two different TC migration patterns affect the recurving location of TC, and for positive NAO years, the recurving of TC was averagely found to take place in the further northeast. In addition, the migration patterns also affect the TC intensity, and the TCs of positive NAO years had stronger intensity than the TCs of negative NAO years as sufficient energy can be absorbed from the ocean while moving north in the mid-latitudes of East Asia. The TCs of negative NAO years showed weak intensity as they weaken or disappear shortly while landing on the southern coast of China and Indochinese peninsula. On the other hand, the above result of analysis is also similarly observed when the El Niño and La Niña years were not included.     

Simulated sensitivity of tropical cyclone track to the moisture in an idealized monsoon gyre

In this study, the sensitivity of tropical cyclone (TC) track to the moisture condition in a nearby monsoon gyre (MG) is investigated. Numerical simulations reveal that TC track is highly sensitive to the spatial distribution of relative humidity (RH). In an experiment conducted with higher (lower) RH in the eastern (western) semicircle of an MG, the TC experiences a sharp northward turning. In contrast, when the RH pattern is reversed, the simulated TC does not show a sharp northward turning. The RH distribution modulates the intensity and structure of both the TC and MG, so that when the TC is initially embedded in a moister environment, convection is enhanced in the outer core, which favors an expansion of the outer core size. A TC with a larger outer size has greater beta-effect propagation, favoring a faster westward translational speed. Meanwhile, higher RH enhances the vorticity gradient within the MG and promotes a quicker attraction between the TC and MG centers through vorticity segregation process. These cumulative effects cause the TC to collocate with the MG center. Once the coalescence process takes place, the energy dispersion associated with the TC and MG is enhanced, which rapidly strengthens southwesterly flows on the eastern flanks. The resulting steering flow leads the TC to take a sharp northward track.     

CFSv2模式产品在汛期海南热带气旋频数预测模型中的应用

利用1982—2014年汛期影响海南的热带气旋频数、NCEP/NCAR逐月再分析资料和CFSv2模式历史回报数据,分析了热带气旋频数特征及同期环流特征,并利用逐步回归构建基于模式有效预测信息的热带气旋频数预测模型。结果表明:汛期影响海南热带气旋频数的异常与同期大尺度环流变化密切相关,且CFSv2模式对其环流影响关键区具有较好的预测技巧,包括南海到热带太平洋的海平面气压、500 h Pa位势高度场、低层风及热带太平洋纬向风切变。据此,利用逐步回归构建热带气旋频数预测模型,其26 a交叉检验中实况与预测相关为0.88,距平同号率达88%;6 a预测试验仅2 a预测与观测反号,可见模型具有良好的稳定性和预测技巧,可为汛期热带气旋频数预测提供依据。