Drought monitoring

Drought detection, monitoring and indices are closely related to its definition. The specific definition chosen for a particular drought analysis will affect the procedures one uses in drought detection and monitoring. The traditional Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) has been proven to be ineffective in regions of predominantly irrigated agriculture.The recently developed ALERT (Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time) system is proposed for use in monitoring the spatial and temporal variations of drought in real time. The ALERT system uses standardized instruments, radio frequencies, software and hardware. It was originally developed as a flash flood waming system by local flood control districts and the National Weather Service. However, now it has expanded to over 100 other uses in the areas of natural and man-made disaster detection and warning. The successful ALERT system indicates the need for the continued development of a national drought monitoring index that is applicable to a wide range of climate, hydrologic and water resource environments.     

Comparison of element abundance between the exposed crust of the continent of China and the global averaged upper continental crust: Constraints on crustal evolution and some speculations

Based on the results of a study of regional element abundance in eastern China and the 1:200 000 geochemical surveys in northern Xinjiang, the element geochemical characteristics of the exposed crust in 23 tectonic units of the continent of China are summarized. Compared with the global average abundance of the upper continental crust, the exposed crust of the continent of China is compositionally more evolved than the upper crust of the island arc, but less evolved than the mature Precambrian Canadian shield. The exposed crust of the North China and Yangtze platforms has a lower SiO₂ content, but markedly higher CaO and MgO contents due to the presence of widespread carbonate strata, which suggests that we should not neglect the contribution of carbonate rocks in the study of the exposed crust and the element abundance of the upper crust. In comparison with two recently published average compositional models of the global upper continental crust, the exposed crust of the continent of China is depleted in Au, Hg, Mo, Sn, and W, which suggests that their abundance in the present global models is overestimated. The exposed crust of the North China platform and the Qinling-Dabieshan fold belt to its south has lower μ(²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb) values (<8), but other regions of the continent of China exhibit much higher μ values, which implies that the low μ feature of the North China platform and its adjacent regions does not have global significance. Considering the apparent lateral variation in composition of the exposed crust for the tectonic units of the continent of China, there is no adequate reason to take the average upper crust compositional model of the North China platform and its adjacent regions as a reliable composition representative for Chinese and global upper continental crust composition. Translated from Geological Bulletin of China, 2005, 24(10–11): 906–915 [译自: 地质通报]     

南海北部陆坡ODP 1144站位第四纪硅藻及其古环境演变

中国南海北部陆坡ODP 1144站位硅藻植物群的研究，建立了西太平洋边缘海一个新的中更新世晚期以来的硅藻生物地层图式，根据硅藻化石中具有指示意义的硅藻种的分布和生态变化（暖水种和冷水种），划分了8个硅藻组合带，其硅藻组合带分别在不同的高低海面环境下形成的，根据ODP1144站位氧同位素（OIS）测定结果，8个硅藻组合带与OIS 1－8期相对应。1、3、5、7硅藻组合带相当于OIS1、3、5、7期，间冰期是以热带和亚热带硅藻占优势，其中冷期出现大量的沿岸硅藻为特征，反映高海平面温暖的气候条件；2、4、6、8硅藻组合带相当于OIS2、4、6、8期，冰期是以亚热带，热带和出现较多冷水硅藻为特征，反映低海平面较冷气候条件，硅藻丰度值的变化与冰期和间冰期有关，可以证实间冰期时期高的海平面和较低的生物生产力以及冰期时低的海平面和高的生物生产力，而生物生产力的变化又与沉积时期沿岸流或上升流的强弱及水团活动有密切关系，进而揭示该区古海洋环境的演化与季风强弱之间的内在关系。     

REMOTE SENSING OF THE SEASONAL VARIATION IN COLUMN ABUNDANCE OF ATMOSPHERIC CH4*

Infrared solar spectra on clear days were measured automatically by an infrared solar spectrometer(ISS) with 0.4 cm^-1 resolution developed by us.A line-by line(LBL) computation method was used to calculate theoretical atmospheric absorption.In the wavelength range of 3.410-3.438 μm.the absorption is mainly due to atmospheric methane and water vapor.Columnatmospheric methane was retrieved from the recorded infrared solar spectra.The seasonal variation of column atmospheric methane in Hefei has been obtained from the measuremental data of nearly 18 months since the April of 1997.and found that it is similar to that of background data.The instruments.principles of measurement and some of results were introduced,and the results are also discussed briefly in the paper.     

A darkling beetle population in West Texas during the 1997–1998 El Niño

We examined the abundance and distribution of Eleodes extricata (Tenebrionidae) in a semi-arid region of West Texas. During the 2-year study, climatic conditions were extreme but opposite, with 1997 being unusually wet and mild, and 1998 being unusually dry and hot. These conditions were associated with striking differences in the population structure of the beetles. Under identical pitfall-sampling efforts, we captured 1562 and 671 individuals in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Capture rates were lowest in grassland, and highest in sand shinnery oak, and within the latter, they were lowest in blowouts, intermediate along the edges of blowouts, and highest under vegetative cover. Sex ratios were consistently female-biased, and the degree of bias increased from spring through fall in both years. These increases were more pronounced in 1998, with the sex ratios of early and late sampling periods differing by over four-fold, from 1·15 to 5·00. Females were heavier than males, and the dry masses of both sexes increased from spring though fall in both years. As with sex ratios, these increases were more pronounced in 1998. Only the largest beetles survived the drought, illustrating how extreme conditions can exert especially strong directional selection, and affect sex ratios in populations with sexual size dimorphism.     

工程岩体断裂构造发育程度的定量评价研究IAEG信息(会讯)

岩体断裂构造发育程度及其均匀性是影响岩体结构类型、岩体质量优劣及岩体稳定性分析以及工程岩体综合分区利用的重要因素, 因此岩体断裂构造发育程度的定量评价具有重要的工程意义。本文以三峡工程永久船闸边坡工程为例, 系统地讨论了工程岩体断裂构造发育程度的评价方法、定量评价指标的确定原则、断裂构造发育程度的分级标准等。研究表明, 根据岩体断裂构造发育特点, 综合运用多层次模糊综合评判法和人工神经网络技术是评价工程岩体断裂构造发育程度的有效方法。     

新疆北部区域地球化学异常特征

对新疆北部区域地球化学基本特征－元素的丰度值、变化系数、元素在地层及侵入岩中的分布规律、元素共生组合、区域地球化学异常特征的研究，阐明了新疆北部区域上，不同时代地层及岩浆岩中元素及地球化学异常的变化规律。     

Effect of earthquake ground motions on fragility curves of highway bridge piers based on numerical simulation

Fragility curves express the probability of structural damage due to earthquakes as a function of ground motion indices, e.g., PGA, PGV. Based on the actual damage data of highway bridges from the 1995 Hyogoken‐Nanbu (Kobe) earthquake, a set of empirical fragility curves was constructed. However, the type of structure, structural performance (static and dynamic) and variation of input ground motion were not considered to construct the empirical fragility curves. In this study, an analytical approach was adopted to construct fragility curves for highway bridge piers of specific bridges. A typical bridge structure was considered and its piers were designed according to the seismic design codes in Japan. Using the strong motion records from Japan and the United States, non‐linear dynamic response analyses were performed, and the damage indices for the bridge piers were obtained. Using the damage indices and ground motion indices, fragility curves for the bridge piers were constructed assuming a lognormal distribution. The analytical fragility curves were compared with the empirical ones. The proposed approach may be used in constructing the fragility curves for highway bridge structures. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Element Abundances of China‘s Continental Crust and Its Sedimentary Layer and Upper Continental Crust

China’s continental crust (CCC) has an average thickness of 47km, with the upper continental crust (CUCC) being 31 km and the sedimentary layer(CSL) 5 km in thickness. The CCC, CUCC and CSL measure 12.437 × 10⁻¹⁷, 8.005 × 10⁻¹⁷ and 1.146 × 10¹⁷ metric tons in mass, respectively. The mass ratio of the upper continental crust to the lower one is 1.8:1. The element abundances were calculated for the CCC, CUCC and CSL respectively in terms of the chemical compositions of 2246 samples of various types and some complementary trace element data. The total abundance of 13 major elements accounts for 99.6% of the CCC mass while the other minor elements only account for 0.4%. REE characteristics, the abundance ratios of element pairs and the amounts of ore-forming elements are also discussed in the present paper.     

A hyperspectral experiment over tropical forests based on the EO-1 orbit change and PROSAIL simulation

ABSTRACT

We designed a unique hyperspectral experiment from the Earth Observing One (EO-1) orbit change to evaluate solar illumination effects over tropical forests in Brazil. Ten nadir-viewing Hyperion images collected over a fixed site and period of the year (July to August) were selected for analysis. We evaluated variations in reflectance and in 16 narrowband vegetation indices (VIs) with increasing solar zenith angle (SZA) from the pre-drift (2004–2008) to the EO-1 drift period (2011–2016). To detect changes in reflectance and shadows, we applied spectral mixture analysis (SMA) and principal component analysis (PCA) and calculated the similarity spectral angle (θ) between the vegetation spectra measured with variable SZA. The magnitude of the illumination effects was also evaluated from change-point analysis and nonparametric Mann-Whitney U tests applied over the time series. Finally, we complemented our experiment using the PROSAIL model to simulate the VIs variation with increasing SZA resultant from satellite drift. The results showed significant changes in Hyperion reflectance and VIs, especially when the EO-1 crossed the study area at earlier times and larger SZA in 2015 (9:05 a.m.; SZA = 59°) and 2016 (8:30 a.m.; SZA = 67°). Compared to the pre-drift period (10:30 a.m.; SZA = 45°), the SZA differences of 14° (2015) and 22° (2016) increased the shade fractions and decreased the vegetation brightness. PCA separated the pre-drift and drift reflectance datasets, showing shifts in scores due to changes in brightness. θ increased with SZA, indicating changes in the shape of the vegetation spectra with drift. For most VIs, the change-point analysis indicated 2015 (SZA = 59°) as the predominant year of detected changes. Compared to the EO-1 original orbit, the Plant Senescence Reflectance Index (PSRI), Anthocyanin Reflectance Index (ARI) and Structure Insensitive Pigment Index (SIPI) presented the largest positive changes during drift, while the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index (VARI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) had the largest negative changes. The effect size of the illumination geometry on these VIs was large, as indicated by increasing values of the Cohen’s r metric toward 2016. The anisotropy of the Hyperion VIs was generally consistent with that from PROSAIL in the simulated pre-drift and drift periods. Focusing on structural indices, it affected the relationships between VIs and simulated leaf area index (LAI) at large SZA.