Climate variability at the southern boundaries of the Namib (southwestern Africa) and Atacama (northern Chile) coastal deserts during the last 120,000 yr

In this study, we present grain-size distributions of the terrigenous fraction of two deep-sea sediment cores from the SE Atlantic (offshore Namibia) and from the SE Pacific (offshore northern Chile), which we ‘unmix’ into subpopulations and which are interpreted as coarse eolian dust, fine eolian dust, and fluvial mud. The downcore ratios of the proportions of eolian dust and fluvial mud subsequently represent paleocontinental aridity records of southwestern Africa and northern Chile for the last 120,000 yr. The two records show a relatively wet Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) compared to a relatively dry Holocene, but different orbital variability on longer time scales. Generally, the northern Chilean aridity record shows higher-frequency changes, which are closely related to precessional variation in solar insolation, compared to the southwestern African aridity record, which shows a remarkable resemblance to the global ice-volume record. We relate the changes in continental aridity in southwestern Africa and northern Chile to changes in the latitudinal position of the moisture-bearing Southern Westerlies, potentially driven by the sea-ice extent around Antarctica and overprinted by tropical forcing in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.     

西风带海洋环境观测技术研究

南大洋海况常年较恶劣,导致现场观测资料匮乏。中国首套南大洋西风带环境观测浮标于2019年1月1日布放在新西兰东南近53°S海域,现场实时观测并传输风向、风速、气温、气压、相对湿度、海表层温盐、海流、波浪等数据资料。该套锚定浮标也是我国首次布放超过4 500 m水深的极端环境观测浮标系统。布放运行结果表明,我国已具备研发极端环境海洋资料浮标的技术基础和深海浮标布放作业经验,研发的西风带环境观测浮标可长期运行在南大洋西风带海域,进行长期海上水文气象和动力环境参数观测。     

末次冰期40 ka以来阿拉善高原地区的环境演变与地貌演化

阿拉善高原末次冰期（40 ka）以来的环境演变研究是揭示中纬度沙漠的发展变化与物质来源的重要依据,为不同尺度区域乃至全球气候变化间的比较提供依据,进一步揭示气候要素的发展变化。目前已有大量的研究工作及成果见诸文献报道,但缺乏系统性的总结与对比分析,尤其是40 ka以来的环境演变过程及其原因。本文通过对中西方已有文献的系统总结和对比研究,从末次冰期、全新世早、中、晚期的古气候变化记录、地貌演化记录及环境变化的原因、可能存在的问题等方面,分析了阿拉善高原地区末次冰期以来的环境演变历史。指出约40 ka到末次盛冰期结束时的环境比现在湿润,之后至更新世结束环境普遍干旱,风沙活动增强;但是乌兰布和沙漠的环境演变与区域总体的变化结果不同,即整个末次冰期均表现为干旱的环境;全新世早期和中期环境普遍湿润,湖泊、植被等进一步发育,风沙活动弱,全新世晚期环境干旱,沙漠或进一步扩大。但是,腾格里沙漠全新世早期表现为干旱的环境,并且存在争议最大的是巴丹吉林沙漠全新世中期的干旱事件,这些问题仍需要进一步研究。此外,西风带、东亚季风在不同时期对研究区气候变化的影响不同,关于研究区与全球气候变化的具体关系的研究很少,缺少代表性事件的证据。沙源的研究结果存在不一致性,由于研究方法的局限性和地貌营力作用的复杂性,沙源的定性和量化分析具有一定的难度;沙丘的形态、分布与风的方向、能量具有相互指示性,适当的风能才是沙丘建造的关键;从气候变化的全球尺度分析,沙漠的形成普遍与冰期或者气候寒冷干燥时期相对应。     

澳洲大陆热力强迫对南北半球环流异常的影响效应

本文采用OSU-AGCM动力框架加入牛顿加热项构成的简化大气环流模式,研究澳洲大陆热力强迫与南北半球环流异常的相关关系。本文对不同平衡温度模拟结果的差异(偏差场)进行了分析,探讨某局地热力强迫对全球其它区域环流异常的影响效应.数值试验结果表明,南北半球海陆热力结构有利于两半球行星尺度经向环流的加强及其低纬跨赤道气流的形成:南半球澳洲大陆热力强迫可以通过东、西风带侧向藕合效应,显著地影响北半球中纬西风带急流状况;二维Rossby波能量频散径向传播可能足澳洲热力强迫与北半球常定环流系统的异常变化相关现象的重要成因,且澳洲大陆强迫产生的径向波列路经与PNA、EU型相似.     

末次冰消期以来中国湖泊沉积记录的古气候演化及其驱动机制研究

末次冰消期是全球气候与环境出现较大变化的时段,其间发生了一系列气候突变事件,在全球不同地区以不同方式回应着这些事件的变化过程。综述了末次冰消期以来青藏高原高寒干旱区、西北干旱区、云贵高原湿润区以及东部平原地区的湖泊沉积记录的古气候演化特征,探讨了气候变化的驱动机制,并提出未来该研究领域亟待深入开展的工作,包括拓展高分辨率湖泊沉积记录的气候演化时间序列研究,提升学科交叉和与其他地质记录的对比研究,加强中国第四纪湖泊数据库和全球气候变化研究,以及加强水汽来源示踪研究。     

中国西部及邻区现代年降水时空分布初步研究

传统上认为中国东部、西南以及青藏高原南部的降水主要受亚洲夏季风的控制,以夏季降水为主;而青藏高原北部以及新疆受西风带的影响,以冬、春季降水为主。最近一些地质记录和数值模拟结果显示,在万年时间尺度上新疆降水在地质历史时期的间冰期增加,和亚洲季风区类似。用TRMM 3B43降雨数据和气象台站观测降水数据,研究了中国西部及邻区现代年降水的时空分布。研究结果显示现代中国西部地区以夏季降水为主,中国边境线以西的中亚干旱区(介于25°⁴5°N,58°45°N,58°⁷0°E之间)以冬、春季降水为主。中国新疆的降水模式不同于西风带影响区,但其降水也不全是亚洲夏季风带来的。     

西风带高频振荡对台风Yancy打转运动的影响

利用SPECTRUM-90资料和国家气象中心的T42L9格点资料分析了台风Yancy(9012)打转运动的过程，认为来自台风上游西风带的高频扰动(周期约１天)及其传播过程对台风打转运动可能有重要影响。     

Pollen evidence for variations in the southern margin of the westerly winds in SW Patagonia over the last 12,600 years

We report pollen and charcoal records from Vega Ñandú ( 51°0′S, 72°45′W), a small mire located near the modern forest-steppe ecotone in Torres del Paine National Park, southern Chile. The record shows an open landscape dominated by low shrubs and herbs between 12,600 and 10,800 cal yr BP, under cold and relatively humid conditions. Nothofagus experienced frequent, large-amplitude oscillations between 10,800 and 6800 cal yr BP, indicating recurrent transitions between shrubland/parkland environments, under warm and highly variable moisture conditions. A sustained increase in Nothofagus started at 6800 cal yr BP, punctuated by step-wise increases at 5100 and 2400 cal yr BP, implying further increases in precipitation. We interpret these results as indicative of variations in the amount of precipitation of westerly origin, with prominent increases at 6800, 5100, and 2400 cal yr BP. These pulses led to peak precipitation regimes during the last two millennia in this part of SW Patagonia. Our data suggest variations in the position and/or strength of the southern margin of the westerlies, most likely linked to variations in the extent and/or persistence of sea ice and sea-surface temperature anomalies in the Southern Ocean. Over the last two centuries the record shows a forest decline and expansion of Rumex acetosella, an exotic species indicative of European disturbance.     

Late Quaternary climatic changes in southern Chile, as recorded in a diatom sequence of Lago Puyehue (40°40′ S)

A late Quaternary diatom stratigraphy of Lago Puyehue (40°40′ S, 72°28′ W) was examined in order to infer past limnological and climatic changes in the South-Chilean Lake District. The diatom assemblages were well preserved in a 1,122 cm long, ¹⁴C-dated sediment core spanning the last 17,900 years, and were in support of an early deglaciation of Lago Puyehue. The presence of a short cold spell in South Chile, equivalent to the Younger Dryas event in the Northern Hemisphere, the Antarctic Cold Reversal in Antarctica, or the Huelmo-Mascardi event in southern South America, was not clearly evidenced in the diatom data, although some climate instability may have occurred between 13,400 and 11,700 cal. yr. BP, and a relatively long period (between 16,850 and 12,810 cal. yr. BP) with low absolute abundances and biovolumes could be tentatively interpreted as a period of low rainfall and/or temperatures. An increase in the moisture supply to the lake was tentatively inferred at 12,810 cal. yr. BP. After 9,550 cal. yr. BP, inferred stronger and longer persisting summer stratification, may have been the result of the higher temperatures associated with an early-Holocene thermal optimum. The mid-Holocene appeared to be characterized by a decrease in precipitation, culminating around 5,000 cal. yr. BP, and rising again after 3,000 cal. yr. BP, likely associated with a previously documented lowered frequency and amplitude of El Niño events. An increase in precipitation during the late Holocene (3,000 cal. yr. BP–present) might have marked subsequent increased frequency of El Niño occurrences, leading to drier summers and slightly moister winters in the area.