Integration of zircon and apatite U–Pb geochronology and geochemical mapping of the Wude basalts(Emeishan large igneous province):A tool for a better understanding of the tectonothermal and geodynamic evolution of the Emeishan LIP

Radiogenic isotopic dating and Lu–Hf isotopic composition using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(LA-ICP-MS)of the Wude basalt in Yunnan province from the Emeishan large igneous province(ELIP)yielded timing of formation and post-eruption tectonothermal event.Holistic lithogeochemistry and elements mapping of basaltic rocks were further reevaluated to provide insights into crustal contamination and formation of the ELIP.A zircon U–Pb age of 251.3±2.0 Ma of the Wude basalt recorded the youngest volcanic eruption event and was consistent with the age span of 251-263 Ma for the emplacement of the ELIP.Such zircons hadε_Hf(t)values ranging from7.3 to+2.2,identical to those of magmatic zircons from the intrusive rocks of the ELIP,suggesting that crust-mantle interaction occurred during magmatic emplacement,or crust-mantle mixing existed in the deep source region prior to deep melting.The apatite U–Pb age at 53.6±3.4 Ma recorded an early Eocene magmatic superimposition of a regional tectonothermal event,corresponding to the Indian–Eurasian plate collision.Negative Nb,Ta,Ti and P anomalies of the Emeishan basalt may reflect crustal contamination.The uneven Nb/La and Th/Ta values distribution throughout the ELIP supported a mantle plume model origin.Therefore,the ELIP was formed as a result of a mantle plume which was later superimposed by a regional tectonothermal event attributed to the Indian–Eurasian plate collision during early Eocene.     

太阳辐射管理地球工程对海洋酸化影响的模拟研究

研究地球工程对海洋酸化的影响对于评估地球工程对全球气候和环境的影响有重要意义。文中使用中等复杂程度的地球系统模式,模拟了典型CO₂高排放情景RCP8.5下,实施太阳辐射管理地球工程对海洋表面的pH和文石（碳酸钙的一种亚稳形态）饱和度的影响,并定量分析了各环境因子对海洋酸化影响的机理。模拟结果表明,在RCP8.5情景下,到2100年,相对于工业革命前水平,全球海洋表面平均pH下降了0.43,文石饱和度下降了1.77。相对于RCP8.5情景,2100年地球工程情景下全球海洋表面平均pH增加了0.003,而文石饱和度降低了0.16。地球工程通过改变溶解无机碳、碱度、温度等环境因子影响海洋酸化。相对于RCP8.5情景,实施地球工程引起的溶解无机碳浓度的增加使pH和文石饱和度均减小,碱度的增加使pH和文石饱和度均增大,温度的降低使pH增大而使文石饱和度减小。总体而言,太阳辐射管理地球工程可以降低全球温度,但无法减缓海洋酸化。     

Generation of oceanic internal gravity waves by a cyclonic surface stress disturbance

Atmospheric cyclones with strong winds significantly impact ocean circulation, regional sea surface temperature, and deep water formation across the global oceans. Thus they are expected to play a key role in a variety of energy transport mechanisms. Even though wind-generated internal gravity waves are thought to contribute significantly to the energy balance of the deep ocean, their excitation mechanisms are only partly understood.The present study investigates the generation of internal gravity waves during a geostrophic adjustment process in a Boussinesq model with axisymmetric geometry. The atmospheric disturbance is set by an idealized pulse of cyclonic wind stress with a Rankine vortex structure. Strength, radius and duration of the forcing are varied. The effect upon wave generation of stratification with variable mixed-layer depth is also examined.Results indicate that internal gravity waves are generated after approximately one inertial period. The outward radial energy flux is dominated by waves having structure close to vertical mode-1 and with frequency close to the inertial frequency. Less energetic higher mode waves are observed to be generated close to the sea floor underneath the storm. The total radiated energy corresponds to approximately 0.02% of the wind input. Deeper mixed-layer conditions as well as weaker stratification reduce this fraction.The low energy transfer rates suggest that other processes that drive vertical motion like surface heat fluxes, turbulent motion, mixed region collapse and storm translation are essential for significant energy extraction by internal gravity waves to occur.     

Indian Ocean Dipole-related Predictability Barriers Induced by Initial Errors in the Tropical Indian Ocean in a CGCM

利用GFDL CM2p1模式, 本文探讨了初始海温误差对印度洋偶极子(IOD)事件可预报性的影响. 当热带印度洋存在初始海温误差时, IOD预报发生了冬季预报障碍(WPB)现象和夏季预报障碍(SPB)现象. WPB发生与否与正IOD事件发展位相冬季的厄尔尼诺-南方涛动(ENSO)有关. 即当冬季存在ENSO时, IOD预测不发生WPB现象, 反之亦然. 相比之下, SPB发生与否和ENSO没有必然联系. 此外, 进一步探讨了最容易导致SPB现象的初始海温误差的主要模态, 指出该模态在热带印度洋上表现为东-西偶极子型, 这和前人研究中最容易导致WPB现象的初始海温误差模态相似. 当在热带印度洋上叠加这些初始海温误差后, 热带太平洋上出现了海表温度异常和风场异常, 进而通过大气桥和印尼贯穿流的作用影响热带印度洋, 使之在夏季出现了东-西偶极子型的海表温度异常, 该异常在Bjerknes作用下快速发展, 加强, 最终导致SPB现象的发生.     

亚欧典型热浪过程的大气环流对比分析

使用探空站实测资料、国家气象中心500 hPa位势高度和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,分析了中国西北和江南地区以及欧洲、印度发生的典型热浪过程及其形成热浪的大气环流系统。结果表明:西风带高压脊和副热带高压的同位相“南北叠加”(表明高压宽广)和低层高压与上层高压的同位相“上下叠加”(表明高压深厚),以及下沉运动和感热、潜热中心的分布,是中国西北和欧洲热浪形成的大气环流原因;而中国江南和印度的热浪,则与副热带高压的异常强大和夏季风活动有关。     

Historical tsunami in the Makran Subduction Zone off the southern coasts of Iran and Pakistan and results of numerical modeling

Tsunami hazard in the Makran Subduction Zone (MSZ), off the southern coasts of Iran and Pakistan, was studied by numerical modeling of historical tsunami in this region. Although the MSZ triggered the second deadliest tsunami in the Indian Ocean, among those known, the tsunami hazard in this region has yet to be analyzed in detail. This paper reports the results of a risk analysis using five scenario events based on the historic records, and identifies a seismic gap area in western Makran off the southern coast of Iran. This is a possible site for a future large earthquake and tsunami. In addition, we performed numerical modeling to explain some ambiguities in the historical reports. Based on the modeling results, we conclude that either the extreme run-up of 12–15 m assigned for the 1945 Makran tsunami in the historical record was produced by a submarine landslide triggered by the parent earthquake, or that these reports are exaggerated. The other possibility could be the generation of the huge run-up heights by large displacements on splay faults. The results of run-up modeling reveal that a large earthquake and tsunami in the MSZ is capable of producing considerable run-up heights in the far field. Therefore, it is possible that the MSZ was the source of the tsunami encountered by a Portuguese fleet in Dabhul in 1524.     

Return period and risk calculations for ocean wave energy applications

The statistical behavior of wave energy at a site strongly depends on the wave characteristics. Wave energy converters fail to produce energy when there are no sufficiently available wave heights. Hence, evaluation of return periods and risk values of the minimum wave height becomes important for wave energy studies. A time index representing the minimum wave height is proposed here for ocean wave applications. Persistence plays a significant role in the calculation of return period and risk. Although ignoring the serial independence makes calculations easy, it leads to overestimations of the real status. In this paper, return periods and risk values are compared with each other by taking into consideration independent and dependent situations. Application of the study is achieved for the stations located in the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.     

The circulation of the Indian Ocean at 32°S

Using inverse methods a circulation for a new section along 32°S in the Indian Ocean is derived with a maximum in the overturning stream function (or deep overturning) of 10.3 Sv at 3310 m. Shipboard and Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data are used to inform the choice of reference level velocity for the initial geostrophic field. Our preferred solution includes a silicate constraint (−312 ± 380 kmol s⁻¹) consistent with an Indonesian throughflow of 12 Sv. The overturning changes from 12.3 Sv at 3270 m when the silicate constraint is omitted to 10.3 Sv when it is included. The deep overturning varies by only ±0.7 Sv as the silicate constraint varies from +68 to −692 kmol s⁻¹, and by ±0.3 Sv as the net flux across the section, driven by the Indonesian throughflow, varies from −7 to −17 Sv with an appropriately scaled silicate flux constraint. Thus, the overturning is insensitive to the size of the Indonesian throughflow and silicate constraint within their apriori uncertainties. We find that the use of the ADCP data adds significant detail to the horizontal circulation. These resolved circulations include the Agulhas Undercurrent, deep cyclonic gyres and deep fronts, features evidenced by long term integrators of the flow such as current meter and float measurements as well as water properties.     

利用南极走航观测评估卫星遥感海表面温度

利用1989-2005年间南极走航观测的海表面温度,对目前3个主要的卫星反演的SST产品AVHRR(Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer),TMI(TRMM Microwave Imager)和AMSR-E(Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System)进行了较为系统的评估,并着重检验了它们在南大洋的准确性.结果表明,AVHRR SST比观测数据偏冷,白天的偏差为-0.12℃,夜晚的偏差为-0.04℃,而且南大洋的冷偏差更为显著.TMI SST比观测数据明显偏暖,白天的偏差为0.48℃,夜晚的偏差为0.57℃,其温差ΔT受37GHz风速影响,在强风速(>6m/s)下这种影响仍然存在.AMSR-ESST比观测数据偏暖,白天的偏差为0.34℃,夜晚的偏差为0.27℃,而且南大洋的暖偏差相对较大.AMSR-E SST温差受水汽影响,并在南大洋随着水汽的增加而增加.通过进一步比较微波(AMSR-E和TMI)和红外(AVHRR)遥感的SST在2004年北半球冬季(即南半球夏季)的差别,发现微波遥感在热带(15°S-15°N)和南大洋区域(45°S以南)比红外遥感偏暖,而且在南大洋区域的偏差相对较大,相反在北半球中纬度区域(15°~40°N)偏冷.AMSR-E与AVHRR SST的温差,从白天到夜晚有减小的趋势,而TMI与AVHRR SST的温差无明显的变化.     

Seismic images of a collision zone offshore NW Sabah/Borneo

Multichannel reflection seismic data from the southern South China Sea, refraction and gravity modelling were used to investigate the compressional sedimentary structures of the collision-prone continental margin off NW Borneo. An elongated imbricate deepwater fan, the toe Thrust Zone bounds the Northwest Borneo Trough to the southeast. The faults separating the individual imbricates cut through post-Early Miocene sediments and curve down to a carbonate platform at the top of the subsiding continental Dangerous Grounds platform that forms the major detachment surface. The age of deformation migrates outward toward the front of the wedge. We propose crustal shortening mechanisms as the main reason for the formation of the imbricate fan. At the location of the in the past defined Lower Tertiary Thrust Sheet tectonostratigraphic province a high velocity body was found but with a much smaller extend than the previously defined structure. The high velocity structure may be interpreted either as carbonates that limit the transfer of seismic energy into the sedimentary layers beneath or as Paleogene Crocker sediments dissected by remnants of a proto-South China Sea oceanic crust that were overthrust onto a southward migrating attenuated continental block of the Dangerous Grounds during plate convergence.