Seasonal surface frost at low latitudes on Mars

During the past 4 Mars years, Mars Orbiter Camera imaging capabilities have been used to document occurrence of seasonal patches of frost at latitudes as low as 33° S, and even 24° S. Monitoring reveals bright patches on pole-facing slopes; these appear in early southern winter and disappear in mid winter. The frost forms annually. Thermal Emission Spectrometer and daytime Thermal Emission Imaging System observations show surface temperatures on and near pole facing slopes reach the condensation temperature of CO₂, indicating the patches consist of carbon dioxide rather than water frost. For several months, temperatures on pole-facing crater walls are so low that even carbon dioxide condenses on them, although the slopes are illuminated by the Sun every day. Thermal model calculations show slopes accumulate a several centimeter thick layer of CO₂ frost. The frost becomes visible only months after it has begun to form, and has an orientational preference which is due to illumination bias at the time of observation. H₂O condenses at higher temperatures and water frost must therefore also be present. Potential opportunities to observe seasonal water frost at low latitudes are also described.     

Thermally distinct craters near Hrad Vallis, Elysium Planitia, Mars

Evidence of volcano-ground ice interactions on Mars can provide important constraints on the timing and distribution of martian volcanic processes and climate characteristics. Northwest of the Elysium Rise is Hrad Vallis, a ∼370 m deep, 800 km long sinuous valley that begins in a source region at 34° N, 218° W. Flanking both sides of the source region is a lobate deposit that extends ∼50 km perpendicular from the source and is an average of ∼40 m thick. Previous studies have suggested the formation of the Hrad Vallis source region was the result of explosive magma-ice interaction and that the lobate deposit is a mudflow; here we use newly available MOLA, MOC, and THEMIS data to investigate the evidence supporting this hypothesis. Within the lobate deposit we have identified 12 craters with thermal infrared signatures and morphologies that are distinct from any other craters or depressions in the region. The thermally distinct craters are distinguished by their cool interiors surrounded by warm ejecta in the nighttime THEMIS IR data and warm interiors surrounded by cool ejecta in the daytime THEMIS IR data. The craters are typically 1100-1800 m in diameter (one crater is ∼2300 m across) and 30-40 m deep, but may be up to 70 m. The craters are typically circular and have central depressions (several with interior dune fill) surrounded by ∼1 to >6 concentric fracture sets. The distribution of the craters and their morphology suggests that they are likely the result of the interaction between a hot mudflow and ground ice.     

Spatial analysis of the impact of land-use on surface runoff and soil erosion-a case study of western Jilin

IntroductionNever before hasit beensotrue than now,thatlandis ali mitedresource.Population growth and as-sociated human activities,especially agricultureacross the world have not only led to land degrada-tion,but soil loss at rates that have pushed arablesoils to frontier thresholds.In the absence of arablesoil,the human environment would cease to groworeven demise(Ramet al.,2006).Studies haveshownthat in many regions of the world,runoff andsoil erosion differ withland-use type.Judson(1965)re…     

ANALYSIS OF SURFACE SINK OF EXPLORATION VACANCY IN GOLD MINING AREA OF ZHAOYUAN CTIY BASED ON RS AND GIS

1 IN T R O D U C T IO NZhaoyuan C ity, located in northeast of ShandongProvince,iscalled "G old C ity"and itisone ofim portantgold production bases in C hina.The exploitation ofthegold broughtoutthe extensive vacantareas,leading tolarge-scale ground subsi…     

Seasonal evolution of meltwater generation,storage and discharge at a non‐temperate glacier in Svalbard

In glacierized catchments, meteorological inputs driving surface melting are translated into runoff outputs mediated by the glacier hydrological system: analysis of the relationship between meteorology and diurnal and seasonal patterns of runoff should reflect the functioning of that system, with the role of meltwater storage likely to be of particular importance. Daily meltwater storage is determined for a glacier at 78 °N in the Svalbard archipelago, by comparing inputs calculated from a surface energy balance model with measured outputs (proglacial discharge). Solar radiation, air temperature, wind speed and proglacial discharge are then analysed by regression and time‐series methods, in order to assess the meteorology–discharge relationship and its variation at diurnal and seasonal time‐scales. The recorded discharge time‐series can be divided into two contrasting intervals: up to early August, proglacial discharge was high and variable, mean hydrographs showed little indication of diurnal cycling, ARIMA models of discharge indicated a non‐seasonal, moving‐average generating process, and there was a net loss of meltwater from storage; from early August, proglacial discharge was low and relatively invariable, but with clearer diurnal cycles, regression models of discharge showed substantially improved correlations with air temperature and solar radiation, ARIMA models indicated a non‐seasonal, autoregressive generating process, and eventually a seasonal component, and there was a net gain in meltwater storage. The transition between the two periods is brief compared with the duration of the melt season. The runoff response to meteorology therefore lacks the strongly progressive element previously identified in mid‐latitude glacierized catchments. In particular, the glacier hydrological system only appears responsive to diurnal forcing following the depletion of the seasonal snowpack meltwater store. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Topographic zonation of infiltration in the hilly loess region,north china

Field infiltration tests using portable rainfall infiltrometers were conducted in the Wangjiagou experimental basin in the hilly loess region of north China. Based on data collected at 27 sites, a topographic zonation of infiltration characteristics was observed. The average steady infiltration rate and the average ponding time decreased from the hilltop to the hillslope and further decreased to the gully wall. Such a zonation is closely related to the variations of topography, soil and land use conditions in the study area. A general infiltration model is proposed. Collected field data are used to establish the applicability of the proposed model in the study area.     

Climatic and biological simulations in a two-way coupled atmosphere–biosphere model (CABM)

Today, most land surface process models have prescribed seasonal change of vegetation with regard to the exchange processes between land and the atmosphere. However, in order to consider the real interaction between vegetation and atmosphere and represent it best in a climate model, the vegetation growth process should be included. In other words, “life” should be brought into climate models. In this study, we have coupled the physical and biological components of AVIM (Atmosphere–Vegetation Interaction Model), a land surface model including plant ecophysiological processes, into the IAP/LASG L9 R15 GOALS GCM. To exhibit terrestrial vegetation information, the vegetation is given a high resolution of 1.5° by 1.5° to nest and couple the fine grid cells of land with the coarse grid cells of atmosphere, which is 7.5° longitude and 4.5° latitude. The simulated monthly mean surface air temperature and precipitation is close to the observations. The monthly mean Leaf Area Index (LAI) is consistent with the observed data. The global annual mean net primary production (NPP) simulation is also reasonable. The coupled model is stable, providing a good platform for research on two-way interaction between land and atmosphere, and the global terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle.     

往复活塞式制冷压缩机性能系数的曲面回归方程

采用非线性二乘法对国产１２．５系列往复活塞式制冷压缩机的实测性能数据进行拟合，得出描述该系列制冷压缩机性能系数与运行工况之间相关关系的曲面回归方程，为制冷系统的数值计算、动态特性模拟和优化设计提供数学模型。     

First‐order exchange coefficient coupling for simulating surface water–groundwater interactions: parameter sensitivity and consistency with a physics‐based approach

Distributed hydrologic models capable of simulating fully‐coupled surface water and groundwater flow are increasingly used to examine problems in the hydrologic sciences. Several techniques are currently available to couple the surface and subsurface; the two most frequently employed approaches are first‐order exchange coefficients (a.k.a., the surface conductance method) and enforced continuity of pressure and flux at the surface‐subsurface boundary condition. The effort reported here examines the parameter sensitivity of simulated hydrologic response for the first‐order exchange coefficients at a well‐characterized field site using the fully coupled Integrated Hydrology Model (InHM). This investigation demonstrates that the first‐order exchange coefficients can be selected such that the simulated hydrologic response is insensitive to the parameter choice, while simulation time is considerably reduced. Alternatively, the ability to choose a first‐order exchange coefficient that intentionally decouples the surface and subsurface facilitates concept‐development simulations to examine real‐world situations where the surface‐subsurface exchange is impaired. While the parameters comprising the first‐order exchange coefficient cannot be directly estimated or measured, the insensitivity of the simulated flow system to these parameters (when chosen appropriately) combined with the ability to mimic actual physical processes suggests that the first‐order exchange coefficient approach can be consistent with a physics‐based framework. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.