The aeolian sedimentation record of the Thar desert

A review of the aeolian sedimentary record of the Thar desert is presented. This includes a regional survey of the major dune forms, their genesis and their relationship to climate and other regional landforms. A key aspect of this work is the chronometry of the dunes using luminescence methods. Luminescence dating of sand has enabled quantification of the duration of the phases of sand aggradation and quiescence, time scales of dune migration and the dating of pedogenic carbonates. We demonstrate that the conventional wisdom of synchronicity of dune aggradation with glacial epoch is not true in the context of Thar sands and here only a short durationwindow of opportunity existed for dune aggradation. Luminescence ages further suggest that this window occurred during a transitional climatic regime from glacial to interglacial about 4–10 ka after the glacial epoch. Other inferences included are that:

Performance of a flux splitting scheme when solving the single-phase pressure equation discretized by MPFA

In this article we present a series of tests to study how well suited the TPFA coefficient matrix is as a preconditioner for the MPFA discrete system of equations in an iterative solver, using a flux splitting method. These tests have been conducted for single-phase flow for a wide range of anisotropy, heterogeneity, and grid skewness (mainly parallelogram grids). We use the K-orthogonal part of the MPFA transmissibilities for a parallelogram grid to govern the TPFA transmissibilities. The convergence of the flux splitting method is for each test case measured by the spectral radius of the iteration matrix.     

Features of clay minerals in the YSDP102 core on the continental shelf of the southeast Yellow Sea

Ninety-eight clay mineral samples from the YSDP102 core were analyzed by x-ray diffractometer to study the four clay minerals: illite, chlorite, kaolinite and smectite. Twenty-eight samples had been analyzed on the laser particle-siz eanalyzer to reveal the particle features of the sediments. Distribution of the clay minerals and the particle characteristics in the YSDP102 core show that the core experienced three different depositional periods and formed three different sedimentary intervals due to different sediment sources and different depositional environments. Features of the clay minerals and the heavy minerals in the YSDP102 core indicate that coarse-grained sediments and fine-grained sediments result from different sources. The Yellow Sea Warm Current has greatly influenced the sedimentary framework of this region since the current‘s formation.     

A Parameterization of Third-order Moments for the Dry Convective Boundary Layer

We describe one-dimensional (1D) simulations of the countergradient zone of mean potential temperature observed in the convective boundary layer (CBL). The method takes into account the third-order moments (TOMs) in a turbulent scheme of relatively low order, using the turbulent kinetic energy equation but without prognostic equations for other second-order moments. The countergradient term is formally linked to the third-order moments and , and a simple parameterization of these TOMs is proposed. It is validated for several cases of a dry CBL, using large-eddy simulations that have been realized from the MESO-NH model. The analysis of the simulations shows that TOMs are responsible for the inversion of the sign of in the higher part of the CBL, and budget analysis shows that the main terms responsible for turbulent fluxes and variances are now well reproduced.     

青藏高原不同时段气候变化的研究综述

综述了近年来通过冰芯、树轮、湖泊沉积等记录对青藏高原不同时段气候变化研究取得的成果．并特别着重于末次间冰期以来青藏高原的气候变化特征。在末次间冰期．青藏高原气候变化剧烈,降温迅速升温缓慢;末次冰期温度变化与格陵兰冰芯记录具有较好一致性,同时也具有高原的独特性;新仙女木事件发生时间与欧洲和格陵兰冰芯的记录基本一致;全新世总体比较温暖;近2000年来温度变化在波动中逐渐上升;近代温度有加速升高的趋势。总体上青藏高原各种尺度上的气候变化要早于我国其它地区．变化的幅度也较大。     

LABORATORY OBSERVATIONS OF SEDIMENT ENTRAINMENT BY FREEZING SUPERCOOLED WATER

Debris in basal ice produced by glaciohydraulic supercooling is typically characterized by high proportions of silt. A prominent hypothesis for this silt‐dominance is that frazil ice growing in supercooled water preferentially traps silt from sediment‐laden water percolating through it. It has therefore been suggested that silt‐dominance may be diagnostic of glaciohydraulic supercooling. The aim of our work is to test this hypothesis that freezing sediment‐laden supercooled water necessarily produces ice dominated by silt. We do this by simulating two freezing processes under laboratory conditions: (1) percolation of sediment‐laden water through frazil ice; (2) turbulent supercooling and subsequent freezing of sediment‐laden water. In experiments repeated using different particle sizes (sand, silt and clay in individual experiments) both processes entrained sand most effectively and silt least effectively. In experiments using a sediment mixture dominated by medium to coarse silt, both processes produced ice facies dominated by particle sizes between fine sand and coarse silt. These results suggest that silt‐dominance should therefore not be expected for supercooled freeze‐on, and is not a reliable diagnostic signature for supercooling. The silt‐dominated character of basal ice types associated with supercooling may result from other controls such as a silt‐dominated sediment supply or subglacial water flow rates, rather than the freezing process.     

基于小波分析的汾河河津站径流与输沙的多时间尺度特征

基于汾河流域19个气象台站1959~2005年的月均降水量、河津站的径流量和输沙量资料,借助小波分析方法研究了降水、径流与输沙序列的多时间尺度特征及它们的耦合关系。结果表明:降水、径流与输沙量具有2~4a、14~18 a左右2个不同尺度的周期变化,且三者的主周期基本一致,即3 a和16 a;3 a尺度上,3个要素曲线的正、负位相交替频繁,突变点较多,且曲线变化除个别时段发生紊乱外基本上保持同步性;16 a尺度上,突变点较少,3条曲线的正、负位相交替相应减少且出现不同步现象。降水、径流与输沙量曲线发生趋势变化及出现不同步现象的原因包括自然因素和人类活动,而后者是其主要影响因素。     

流域侵蚀产沙人类活动影响指数研究——以长江上游为例

流域产沙是土壤侵蚀的重要反映, 受降雨等自然要素和人类活动的共同作用。采用退 耦理论的思想和差分方法推导出流域侵蚀产沙人类活动影响指数的简易估算方法, 并对长江 上游的金沙江、乌江、嘉陵江、岷江分别计算人类活动总体贡献率。结果表明, 各流域人类 活动对侵蚀产沙变化的贡献率达72%～97%,总体上属于抑制侵蚀的正向活动。长江上游输 沙量呈阶段梯级变化, 根据流域侵蚀产沙人类活动影响指数的距平累积变化的突变特征将 1955～2009年划分为5个阶段并分析了每个阶段人类活动的主要特点及其对侵蚀产沙的影响。 其中, 20世纪80年代中期以前河流输沙量较大, 主要与“一五”、“大炼钢铁”、“三线建设”、 农村改革前期不稳定因素等密切相关, 而70年代河流输沙量较小是受当时大搞农田基本建设 和采取“挑沙面土”、“边沟背沟”等传统水土保持措施的影响, 80年代中期后河流输沙量明 显减少, 主要受社会经济稳定有序发展、水保工程的实施及大兴水库建设等影响。     

Moisture transport over the Arabian Sea associated with summer rainfall over Pakistan in 1994 and 2002

In this study,we aimed to elucidate the critical role of moisture transport affecting monsoon activity in two contrasting summers over the Arabian Sea during the years 1994,a relatively wet year,and 2002,a relatively dry year.A comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and comparisons of the moisture fields were conducted;we focused on the precipitation and evaporation as well as the moisture transport and its divergence or convergence in the atmosphere.Monthly mean reanalysis data were obtained from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP-I and-II).A detailed evaluation of the moisture budgets over Pakistan during these two years was made by calculating the latent energy flux at the surface(E P) from the divergence of the total moisture transport.Our results confirm the moisture supply over the Arabian Sea to be the major source of rainfall in Pakistan and neighboring regions.In 1994,Pakistan received more rainfall compared to 2002 during the summer monsoon.Moisture flow deepens and strengthens over Arabian Sea during the peak summer monsoon months of July and August.Our analysis shows that vertically integrated moisture transport flux have a significant role in supplying moisture to the convective centers over Pakistan and neighboring regions from the divergent regions of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.Moreover,in 1994,a deeper vertically integrated moisture convergence progression occurred over Pakistan compared to that in 2002.Perhaps that deeper convergence resulted in a more intense moisture depression over Pakistan and also caused more rainfall in 1994 during the summer monsoon.Finally,from the water budget analysis,it has been surmised that the water budget was larger in 1994 than in 2002 during the summer monsoon.     

黄河流域冬、夏季水汽输送及收支特征

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析资料和我国实测雨量资料,对黄河流域1月和7月多年平均及旱、涝年整层积分的水汽通量、辐合(辐散)及各分区水汽收支进行了研究。结果表明,1月黄河流域无明显的水汽输送,而7月水汽沿西南、东南及西北3条路径输送,前两支气流在多年平均时主要影响黄河下游区。涝年时影响到黄河中、下游区,而上游区水汽流入较小;旱年,黄河中、上游区均无明显的水汽输送,只有下游的小范围地区受西南气流影响。各区净水汽通量分别与其地面降水的时空演变相对应,而经向净水汽通量是影响水汽收支变化及供给流域降水的主要水汽来源;涝年的水汽净收支与各边界水汽流入明显大于旱年。1月,西边界和北边界微弱的水汽输入远小于东边界和南边界的输出,各区均为水汽净辐散,不利于降水;7月,大量的水汽主要来自西边界和南边界,涝年各区均为水汽盈余,多年平均也以净辐合为主,而旱年则以水汽亏损为主。