NO emissions as observed by SPICAV during stellar occultations

Ultraviolet (UV) nightglow data from the SPICAV instrument (SPectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Venus) onboard the Venus Express spacecraft, currently in orbit around Venus, are presented. In its extended source mode, SPICAV has shown that the Venus nightglow in the UV contains essentially Lyman-α and Nitric Oxide (NO) emissions. In the stellar mode, when the slit of the spectrometer is removed, an emission is also observed at the limb in addition to the stellar spectrum. A forward model allows us to identify this feature as being an NO emission. Due to radiative recombination of N and O atoms produced on the dayside of Venus, and transported to the nightside, NO nightglow provides important constraints to the Solar-to-Anti Solar thermospheric circulation prevailing above 90 km. The forward model presented here allows us to derive the altitude of the peak of emission of the NO layer, found at 113.5±6 km, as well as its scale height, of 3.4±1 km and its brightness. The latter is found to be very variable with emissions between 19 Kilo-Rayleigh (kR) and 540 kR. In addition, the NO nightglow is sometimes very patchy, as we are able to observe two distinct emission zones in the field of view. Finally, systematic extraction of this emission from stellar occultations extends the database of the NO emission already reported elsewhere using limb observations.     

球载双球式电场仪及其应用

探测雷暴电场垂直分量幅度的球载双球电场仪,它由两个空心的、直径为１４．３ｃｍ,相距３．１ｃｍ的导电球构成,两球绕垂直于两球心连线的轴旋转,电场在球上的感应电荷按正弦变化,放大后由遥测发射机传输到地面．配有温度、湿度、气压传感器,既能进行高空大气温度、气压和湿度等常规气象要素的测量,又能完成雷雨云电场特殊参量的探测任务．电场探测电路及其电池组分别装在两个球内．仪器自１９９４年投入使用以来,先后参加了近２０颗卫星的升空安全保障任务,为“澳星”等卫星在雷雨期间安全升空,发挥了重要作用．仪器测量范围为１--１００ｋＶ／ｍ,性能良好．     

一个分析大气谱模式的合理性的定性方法

利用对称运动和非对称运动的理论结果,如‘对称运动的不变性’,可以推得:如初始时刻运动是对称的,对于绝热无摩擦的谱模式,在时间积分过程中,总有 1.和反对称运动有关的谱系数等于零; 2.全球预报和半球预报在同一半球内处处相同; 3.和赤道对称的任意两个区域,其各自的运动彼此对称。 数值试验也证实了这些结果。 在有外力强迫的情形,如地形(或加热),如其分布是对称的,则在初始运动是对称的情况下,‘对称运动的不变性’仍然成立。但如果地形(或加热)分布是非对称的,则运动的对称性会减小,而变成非对称运动,并出现越赤道气流。这些也经过数值试验加以证实。 利用上述理论结果作为指导,可以用所设计的模式进行试验、分析,从而,确定模式设计是否合理,有关软件是否有误等。     

Characteristics of disturbances in the atmosphere and oceans

The characteristics of the disturbances in the atmosphere and oceans and in other stably stratified and rotating fluids are analyzed according to their phase and group velocities. It is shown that both stable stratification and rotation augment the velocity of the sound waves, and that the internal gravity waves and inertial waves are mutually exclusive when the Brunt-Väisälä frequency is different from the Coriolis parameter. It is also shown that both the barotropic and the internal Rossby waves are well separated from the gravity waves and that they can be represented accurately by the quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity equation, even close to the equator, except for the one member withn=0 which is coupled with an eastward propagating gravity wave.     

Natural seabed gas seeps as sources of atmospheric methane

Microbial and thermogenic methane migrates towards the seabed where some is utilised during microbially-mediated anaerobic oxidation. Excess methane escapes as gas seeps, which occur in a variety of geological contexts in every sea and ocean, from inter-tidal zones to deep ocean trenches. Some seeps are localised, gentle emanations; others are vigorous covering areas of >1 km²; the most prolific seeps reported (offshore Georgia) produce ~40 t CH₄ per year. Gas bubbles lose methane to the water as they rise, so deep water seeps are unlikely to contribute to the atmosphere. However, bubbles break the surface above some shallow water seeps. Estimates of the total methane contribution to the atmosphere are poorly constrained, largely because the data set is so small. 20 Tg yr^–1 is considered a realistic first approximation. This is a significant contribution to the global budget, particularly as methane from seeps is ¹⁴C-depleted. A seep measurement programme is urgently required.GEM     

Atmospheric nitrous oxide observations above the oceanic surface during the first Chinese Arctic Research Expedition

339 gas samples above oceanic surface were collected on the cruise of "Xuelong" expeditionary ship and nitrous oxide concentrations were analyzed in the laboratory. Results showed that Atmospheric average N2O concentration was 309 ±3. 8nL/L above the surface of northern Pacific and Arctic ocean. N2O concentrations were significantly different on the northbound and southbound track in the range of the same latitude, 308.0 ±3.5 nL/L from Shanghai harbor to the Arctic and 311.9 ±2.5 nL/L from the Arctic to Shanghai harbor. N2O concentration had a greater changing magnitude on the mid- and high-latitude oceanic surface of northern Pacific Ocean than in the other latitudinal ranges. The correlation between the concentrations of the compositions in the aerosol samples and atmospheric N2 O showed that continental sources had a great contribution on atmospheric N2 O concentration above the oceanic surface. Atmospheric N2O concentration significantly increased when the expeditionary ship approached Shanghai h     

GISS海气耦合模式的基本气候态评估

该文简单介绍了GISS海气耦合模式, 并且利用该模式进行数值模拟, 以此来判断其模拟能力, 尤其是对亚洲地区的模拟。结果表明:该模式模拟的亚洲地区大气和海洋的气候状况比较接近实况, 具有一定的气候模拟能力。同时, 由于其较粗的分辨率, 对计算机要求不高, 容易利用目前国内中小型计算机进行长期运转, 是一个简易的数值模拟工具。文章也讨论了该模式模拟的不足之处, 如亚洲地区模拟的地面气温偏低, 海温略偏高, 青藏高原南部夏季降水过大, 中国华北夏季降水偏少等。     

长波辐射对大气变化的敏感性和在WRF模式中的应用检验

用RRTM长波辐射 (LWR)参数化方案测试了LWR对大气变化的敏感性。结果表明 :高云对向外长波辐射(OLR)、30 0和 5 0 0hPa净LWR通量的减弱作用较中、低云大 ;低云对 85 0hPa和地表净LWR通量的减弱作用较中、高云大。在云层中 ,LWR冷却率受云影响最大 ;在云层下方 ,云对LWR的影响迅速减小 ;而在云层上方 ,冷却率几乎不受云的影响。当水汽含量减少或增加时 ,地表向下LWR受到相应减弱或增强 ,而净LWR则在一定程度上受到相应增强或减弱 ,并且越接近地面 ,受到水汽变化的影响就越大。O3 对LWR的影响相对云和水汽来说是比较小的。文中介绍了在WRF模式中应用RRTM方案预报LWR不同季节的 2个个例 ,给出了应用NCEP/AVN分析资料预报和验证中国范围 2d之内LWR通量的模拟结果。试验表明 ,OLR和 5 0 0hPa净LWR通量与高度形势场有较好的对应关系 ,而地表净LWR很大程度上还受到地形的影响。     

Observations of Solitary Waves in the Stable Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Large amplitude, isolated, wave-like phenomena have been observed in the lowest 40 m of the strongly stably stratified atmospheric boundary layer overlying a coastal Antarctic ice shelf. The waves only occur when prevailing wind speeds are low. They always propagate from over the land, with phase speeds exceeding the local mean wind speed. They have wavelengths of the order of 200 m. Several examples are described and a summary of the statistical properties of these waves events is presented.