Upper mantle structure of the South American continent and neighboring oceans from surface wave tomography

We present a new three-dimensional SV-wave velocity model for the upper mantle beneath South America and the surrounding oceans, built from the waveform inversion of 5850 Rayleigh wave seismograms. The dense path coverage and the use of higher modes to supplement the fundamental mode of surface waves allow us to constrain seismic heterogeneities with horizontal wavelengths of a few hundred kilometres in the uppermost 400 km of the mantle.The large scale features of our tomographic model confirm previous results from global and regional tomographic studies (e.g. the depth extent of the high velocity cratonic roots down to about 200–250 km).Several new features are highlighted in our model. Down to 100 km depth, the high velocity lid beneath the Amazonian craton is separated in two parts associated with the Guyana and Guapore shields, suggesting that the rifting episode responsible for the formation of the Amazon basin has involved a significant part of the lithosphere. Along the Andean subduction belt, the structure of the high velocity anomaly associated with the sudbduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate reflects the along-strike variation in dip of the subducting plate. Slow velocities are observed down to about 100 km and 150 km at the intersection of the Carnegie and Chile ridges with the continent and are likely to represent the thermal anomalies associated with the subducted ridges. These lowered velocities might correspond to zones of weakness in the subducted plate and may have led to the formation of “slab windows” developed through unzipping of the subducted ridges; these windows might accommodate a transfer of asthenospheric mantle from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean. From 150 to 250 km depth, the subducting Nazca plate is associated with high seismic velocities between 5°S and 37°S. We find high seismic velocities beneath the Paraná basin down to about 200 km depth, underlain by a low velocity anomaly in the depth range 200–400 km located beneath the Ponta Grossa arc at the southern tip of the basin. This high velocity anomaly is located southward of a narrow S-wave low velocity structure observed between 200 and 500–600 km depth in body wave studies, but irresolvable with our long period datasets. Both anomalies point to a model in which several, possibly diachronous, plumes have risen to the surface to generate the Paraná large igneous province (LIP).     

Stochastic Modelling of the Impact of Flood Protection Measures Along the River Waal in the Netherlands

River flooding is a problem of international interest. In the past few years many countries suffered from severe floods. A large part of the Netherlands is below sea level and river levels. The Dutch flood defences along the river Rhine are designed for water levels with a probability of exceedance of 1/1250 per year. These water levels are computed with a hydrodynamic model using a deterministic bed level and a deterministic design discharge. Traditionally, the safety against flooding in the Netherlands is obtained by building and reinforcing dikes. Recently, a new policy was proposed to cope with increasing design discharges in the Rhine and Meuse rivers. This policy is known as the Room for the River (RfR) policy, in which a reduction of flood levels is achieved by measures creating space for the river, such as dike replacement, side channels and floodplain lowering. As compared with dike reinforcement, these measures may have a stronger impact on flow and sediment transport fields, probably leading to stronger morphological effects. As a result of the latter the flood conveyance capacity may decrease over time. An a priori judgement of safety against flooding on the basis of an increased conveyance capacity of the river can be quite misleading. Therefore, the determination of design water levels using a fixed-bed hydrodynamic model may not be justified and the use of a mobile-bed approach may be more appropriate. This problem is addressed in this paper, using a case study of the river Waal (one of the Rhine branches in the Netherlands). The morphological response of the river Waal to a flood protection measure (floodplain lowering in combination with summer levee removal) is analysed. The effect of this measure is subject to various sources of uncertainty. Monte Carlo simulations are applied to calculate the impact of uncertainties in the river discharge on the bed levels. The impact of the “uncertain” morphological response on design flood level predictions is analysed for three phenomena, viz. the impact of the spatial morphological variation over years, the impact of the seasonal morphological variation and the impact of the morphological variability around bifurcation points. The impact of seasonal morphological variations turns out to be negligible, but the other two phenomena appear to have each an appreciable impact (order of magnitude 0.05–0.1 m) on the computed design water levels. We have to note however, that other sources of uncertainty (e.g. uncertainty in hydraulic roughness predictor), which may be of influence, are not taken into consideration. In fact, the present investigation is limited to the sensitivity of the design water levels to uncertainties in the predicted bed level.     

Age, distribution, tectonics, and eustatic controls of the Paranense and Caribbean marine transgressions in southern Bolivia and Argentina

Marine transgression onto the South American continent took place at least twice in the Miocene along distinct paleogeographic corridors. The first event occurred between 15 and 13 Ma and the second between 10 and 5? Ma. Each event has particular dominant variables (tectonism, eustacy, sediment accumulation rate) that permitted the preservation of the record and development of the sea on the continent. The 15–13 Ma transgression was tectonically and eustatically controlled, flooding older sedimentary accommodation zones on the South American plate during a global high sea level, whereas the 105? Ma event was predominantly tectonically controlled, generated by tectonic loading created in the Cordillera Oriental fold-and-thrust belt. A new 7.72±0.31 Ma ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar date from the Río Parapetí in Bolivia suggests that the 15–13 Ma transgression registered in Argentina produced no continental connection to the Caribbean transgression, registered in Bolivia, because of temporal constraints.     

Revision of the conchostracan genus Estherites from the Upper Cretaceous Nenjiang Formation of the Songliao Basin and its biogeographic significance in China

The diagnosis of Estherites corrugatus from the basal part of the Coniacian Second Member of the Nenjiang Formation in Nenjiang County, north-east China is revised following the application of a new preparation technique to some of the carapaces and an examination of specimens under a scanning electron microscope, both of which revealed morphological features on the carapace that had not been recognized previously. Restudy of the type species of the two subgenera Estherites (Euestherites) and Estherites (Parestherites) also revealed details of carapace features not seen hitherto. These indicate that they should be separated from Estherites. As a result, Euestherites is upgraded to genus level and Parestherites is placed in synonymy. The importance of Estherites and Euestherites is considered in the context of Late Cretaceous assemblages of these crustaceans and the three conchostracan provinces (South-West, South-East and North China) that are recognized to have been present in China during the Turonian–Santonian period.     

松花江上游地区汞污染的化学生态效应

采样分析了吉林省东部松花江上游金矿开采区及其附近水、土壤、动植物及河流沉积物样品中汞的含量，发现河流沉积物中汞的污染相当严重；受其影响当地的植物和两栖类动物——中国林蛙体内总汞和甲基汞含量也明显高于对照组。实验表明，林蛙内脏对汞的富集能力大于肌肉；秋季对汞的富集大于春季；河流沉积物中甲基汞的含量与林蛙体内甲基汞的含量有较好的正相关。汞污染的来源与区域内个体金矿的滥采滥排有直接关系，表明人类活动所产生的有毒重金属在地表过程中出现了化学生态效应。     

一次大气河背景下华北地区暴雨的诊断分析

利用2018年5月15-16日的ERA5再分析资料和观测资料,对大气河背景下一次华北地区暴雨过程的天气形势、大气河在暴雨过程中的作用及其在暴雨前后的演变特征以及结构特征进行了诊断分析.结果 表明此次降水过程的直接影响系统是位于华北地区的高空槽、低空切变线、地面冷锋和高低空急流,这些系统使得华北地区低层辐合高层辐散,带来...     

气候变化背景下江苏河蟹养殖高温热害风险评估

利用江苏省及周边共85个气象站观测资料,筛选出夏季高温强度、持续时间、降水量和日照时数作为高温热害的关键气象因子,构建高温热害综合指数。在此基础上,利用高温热害发生频率和河蟹因灾死亡率加权建立风险评估模型,将河蟹高温热害风险划分为三个等级,结合地形和土壤的适宜性,最终得出江苏河蟹高温热害风险区划图。结果发现,河蟹高温热害的高风险区位于以高淳为中心的江苏西南部,沿淮和淮北东部沿海地区风险值最低,淮北西部—沿江东部的风险值介于二者之间。年代际高风险区面积有逐渐扩大趋势,1991年以来已外扩到沿江和苏南大部分地区,达到历史极值。河蟹高温热害风险增大,需加强防范。     

高空大气温度变化趋势不确定性的研究进展

IPCC第4次评估报告指出：近50年来,全球对流层温度趋于升高、平流层趋于下降;同时强调了研究结果中普遍存在的不确定性,造成不确定性的主要原因是原始资料、台站选取和不同均一化方法。从理论基础入手,系统地总结了国内、外近年来高空大气温度长期变化趋势的研究成果及其不确定性产生的主要原因,详细介绍了高空大气温度序列的质量控制和均一化方法,并对我国探空台站温度序列的不确定性进行了探讨。利用静力学方法进行质量控制,以最大资料缺测率30%作为序列取舍标准,用两相回归法和再分析序列均一化处理116个中国探空站高空温度序列。研究结果表明,1958年以来我国对流层中低层趋于升温,其中1980年以后升温尤为明显;而平流层下层显示降温。      

黑河流域水环境演变及其驱动机制研究进展

基于近几十年来诸多学者对西北干旱区典型内陆河流域——黑河流域水环境演变诸方面研究成果,综述了上游山区成水环境、中游绿洲用水环境和下游荒漠天然绿洲水成环境在不同时间尺度上的演变过程及其驱动机制。通过对各种古环境代用指标的对比研究表明：在大尺度上,流域上下游表现出阶段性的一致性水环境演变趋势;在小尺度上,则表现水环境演变的时空异质性。驱动机制方面,在空间上,流域上、中、下游水环境演变的气候变化和人类活动影响驱动作用各有侧重;在时间上,表现为不同尺度上气候变化与流域人类活动耦合作用的驱动机制。     

近30年来深圳河网变化及其生态效应分析

在地形图、河道普查数据、遥感影像等多源数据支持下, 分析了深圳近30 年河网的时空变化规律及其与城市化水平的关系, 在此基础上通过分析植被盖度、生产有机物质的价值、生态系统服务价值、生态资产等指标的变化规律探讨了深圳观澜河流域河网变化的生态效应。 结果表明: (1) 近30 年深圳市河网结构趋于简单化、主干化, 河流支流发展受到较大限制; 河网总长度减少355.4 km, 总条数减少378 条, 河网密度从0.84 km/km² 降低到0.65 km/km²; 以区/ 街道办驻地为圆心, 半径为1-2 km 的圆环区成为河网萎缩、河网消失的主要 区域; 依据流域城市化水平和河流主干是否直接入海等2 个指标可将深圳市9 大流域/ 水系 分为4 种不同的河网变化类型; (2) 当城市化水平低于30%时, 城镇用地扩展与河网萎缩, 尤其是河网支流的萎缩存在显著相关; 当城市化水平大于30%时, 城镇用地扩展对河网的影响较小; (3) 2000-2005 年观澜河流域生态系统功能显著降低, 以生产有机物质价值降低幅度最 大(41%), 植被盖度次之(24%), 单位面积生态资产从2.79 元/m² 降低到2.34 元/m², 总生态 资产减少3136 万元; (4) 河网变化和城市化成为影响生态系统功能的主要因素, 其中河网变化因素和城市化因素对植被盖度降低的贡献率分别为23.1%和35.8%, 对生产有机物质价值减少的贡献率分别为25.1%和32.7%, 对生态系统服务价值减少的贡献率分别为7.7%和 56.2%, 对生态资产减少的贡献率分别为10.6%和52.2%。