Tephrochronology and tephrostratigraphy of two Pleistocene continental fossiliferous successions from central Italy

The stratigraphical context of two Middle Pleistocene fossiliferous palaeosols from Central Italy (Abruzzo and Tuscany) have been studied. Small mammals and molluscs occur in both palaeosols, which are covered by tephra layers that were analysed using an interdisciplinary approach. Application of fission‐track dating to apatites separated from the Case Picconetto tephra (Pescara, Abruzzo), yielded an age of 0.48 ± 0.04 Ma, indistinguishable from those previously determined for the Campani Quarry (Lower Valdarno, Tuscany) (0.46 ± 0.05 Ma and 0.48 ± 0.05 Ma). Geochemical and petrographic investigations indicate that these tephra originated from different volcanoes, the Alban Hills Volcanic Complex and the Vico Volcano (Latium) respectively. Small mammal and mollusc assemblages indicate different palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions for the Case Picconetto and Campani Quarry palaeosols. Warm and humid conditions can be inferred for the Campani Quarry site, whereas open and cold conditions can be inferred for Case Picconetto. On the basis of faunal data, fission‐track dates and attribution of tephra to specific volcanic eruptions, we suggest a correlation of these faunas with marine oxygen isotope stage 14 (Case Picconetto) and with marine oxygen isotope stage 11 (Campani Quarry), respectively. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mezen Bay—a key area for understanding Weichselian glaciations in northern Russia

Sediment successions in coastal cliffs around Mezen Bay, southeastern White Sea, record an unusually detailed history of former glaciations, interstadial marine and fluvial events from the Weichselian. A regional glaciation model for the Weichselian is based on new data from the Mezen Bay area and previously published data from adjacent areas. Following the Mikulinian (Eemian) interglacial a shelf‐centred glaciation in the Kara Sea is reflected in proglacial conditions at 100–90 ka. A local ice‐cap over the Timan ridge existed between 75 and 65 ka. Renewed glaciation in the Kara Sea spread southwestwards around 60 ka only, interrupted by a marine inundation, before it advanced to its maximum position at about 55–50 ka. After a prolonged ice‐free period, the Scandinavian ice‐sheet invaded the area from the west and terminated east of Mezen Bay about 17 ka. The previously published evidence of a large ice‐dammed lake in the central Arkhangelsk region, Lake Komi, finds no support in this study. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Palaeotemperature reconstructions of the European permafrost zone during marine oxygen isotope Stage 3 compared with climate model results

A palaeotemperature reconstruction based on periglacial phenomena in Europe north of approximately 51 °N, is compared with high‐resolution regional climate model simulations of the marine oxygen isotope Stage 3 (Stage 3) palaeoclimate. The experiments represent Stage 3 warm (interstadial), Stage 3 cold (stadial) and Last Glacial Maximum climatic conditions. The palaeotemperature reconstruction deviates considerably for the Stage 3 cold climate experiments, with mismatches up to 11 °C for the mean annual air temperature and up to 15 °C for the winter temperature. However, in this reconstruction various factors linking climate and permafrost have not been taken into account. In particular a relatively thin snow cover and high climatic variability of the glacial climate could have influenced temperature limits for ice‐wedge growth. Based on modelling the 0 °C mean annual ground temperature proves to be an appropriate upper temperature limit. Using this limit, mismatches with the Stage 3 cold climate experiments have been reduced but still remain. We therefore assume that the Stage 3 ice wedges were generated during short (decadal time‐scale) intervals of extreme cold climate, below the mean temperatures indicated by the Stage 3 cold climate model simulations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phase transitions in the ISM a source of dissipative behaviour

By considering a simple fluid model, we investigate the role of phase transitions in the ISM on the galaxy- scale gas dynamics. Cooling and heating timescales in the ISM are typically shorter than typical galactic rotation timescales, so the individual phases in the ISM can be assumed to be in temperature equilibrium with the radiation field. Using this approximation we can construct an equation of state which depends upon the average density and mass fractions in the individual phases. Previous studies suggest that there is an equilibrium phase fraction as a function of pressure. We incorporate evolution towards this equilibrium state as a relaxation term with a time to obtain equilibrium . We derive a condition in terms of a critical Mach number when one dimensional shocks should be continuous. For small values of the relaxation time we show that the relaxation term acts like a viscosity. We show with one dimensional simulations that increasing causes shocks to become smoother. This work suggests that phase changes can strongly effect the gas dynamics of the ISM across spiral arms and bars.     

Study of charge structure and radiation characteristic of intracloud discharge in thunderstorms of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The comprehensive observations on lightning discharges were conducted in Naqu area of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in summer of 2002. The electric structures of thunderstorms and the characteristics of lightning discharges at initial stage were analyzed by using the observation data. The results show that most of intracloud (IC) lightning flashes were polarities inverted in thunderstorms with tripole electric charge structure and occurred between negative charge region located in the middle of the thunderstorm and positive charge region located at the bottom of the thunderstorm. The radiation characteristics of discharge processes in cloud with longer lasting time involved in Cloud-to-Ground (CG) lightning flashes were similar to that of IC discharges.A lot of radiation pulses were produced in these discharge processes. Because the IC discharges took place at the bottom of thundercloud and were near the ground, they may produce more serious damage to equipment on the ground therefore should not be neglected in lightning protection.     

近1800年以来内蒙古达里湖浮游植物群落演变及驱动因素

湖泊是地质历史上区域生态环境演变的重要载体,其沉积物中包含了丰富的环境演变信息。达里湖是典型的草原内陆封闭型湖泊,位于东亚夏季风的北部边缘,地理位置关键。本研究基于在达里湖采集的约238 cm沉积物岩芯 (GDL-1),通过²¹⁰Pb和¹³⁷Cs (岩芯上部20 cm)、AMS¹⁴C测年,以及沉积物样品中甾醇等生物标志物含量分析,重建了近1800年以来达里湖硅藻、蓝藻等典型藻类含量的演化历史,并结合总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)、盐度(Sr/Ba)和温度(T)等环境代用指标,分析藻类群落的主要影响因素。结果显示达里湖典型藻类总量平均为2.03 ng/g(最高6.69 ng/g,最小0.53 ng/g),其中蓝藻占比平均为60%,绿藻和硅藻占比平均为20%;环境因子对硅藻、蓝藻和典型藻类生物量的解释率分别为47.7%、55.20%和48.10%,T、TN和Sr/Ba是影响浮游植物群落的主要影响因素;硅藻占比与温度呈显著负相关,小冰期硅藻占比最高,中世纪暖期占比最低;在达里湖的高盐环境下,湖泊营养盐浓度对藻类的影响受到限制,成为藻类等生长的限制因素;Sr/Ba小于0.9时,硅藻含量与典型藻类总量随着Sr/Ba值的升高而增加,Sr/Ba大于0.9时,典型藻类总量与Sr/Ba值呈负相关关系,而硅藻则表现出对盐度具有一定的耐受性;整体上,近1800年以来,区域或全球性气候事件通过改变达里湖盐度、营养元素浓度和温度来影响典型藻类群落结构。在暖期阶段,蒸发作用增强等导致的湖泊盐度增加成为达里湖典型藻类群落结构演变的主要影响因素;在冷期,营养元素浓度和温度的降低成为湖泊水体浮游植物生物量的主要影响因素。     

Vertical structures of PM10 and PM 2.5 and their dynamical character in low atmosphere in Beijing urban areas

The vertical structures and their dynamical character of PM2.5 and PM10 over Beijing urban areas are revealed using the 1 min mean continuous mass concentration data of PM2.5 and PM10 at 8, 100, and 320 m heights of the meteorological observation tower of 325 m at Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP CAS tower hereafter) on 10―26 August, 2003, as well as the daily mean mass concentration data of PM2.5 and PM10 and the continuous data of CO and NO2 at 8, 100 (low layer), 200 (middle layer), and 320 m (high layer) heights, in combination with the same period meteorological field observation data of the meteorological tower. The vertical distributions of aerosols observed on IAP CAS tower in Beijing can be roughly divided into two patterns: gradually and rapidly decreasing patterns, I.e. The vertical distribution of aerosols in calm weather or on pollution day belongs to the gradually decreasing pattern, while one on clean day or weak cold air day belongs to the rapidly decreasing pattern. The vertical distributive characters of aerosols were closely related with the dynamical/thermal structure and turbulence character of the atmosphere boundary layer. On the clean day, the low layer PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were close to those at 8 m height, while the concentrations rapidly decreased at the high layer, and their values were only one half of those at 8 m, especially, the concentration of PM2.5 dropped even more. On the clean day, there existed stronger turbulence below 150 m, aerosols were well mixed, but blocked by the more stronger inversion layer aloft, and meanwhile, at various heights, especially in the high layer, the horizontal wind speed was larger, resulting in the rapid decrease of aerosol concentration, I.e. Resulting in the obvious vertical difference of aerosol concentrations between the low and high layers. On the pollution day, the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 at the low, middle, and high layers dropped successively by, on average, about 10% for each layer in comparison with those at 8 m height. On pollution days, in company with the low wind speed, there existed two shallow inversion layers in the boundary layer, but aerosols might be, to some extent, mixed below the inversion layer, therefore, on the pollution day the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 dropped with height slowly; and the observational results also show that the concentrations at 320 m height were obviously high under SW and SE winds, but at other heights, the concentrations were not correlated with wind directions. The computational results of footprint analysis suggest that this was due to the fact that the 320 m height was impacted by the pollutants transfer of southerly flow from the southern peripheral heavier polluted areas, such as Baoding, and Shijiazhuang of Hebei Province, Tianjin, and Shandong Province, etc., while the low layer was only affected by Beijing's local pollution source. The computational results of power spectra and periods preliminarily reveal that under the condition of calm weather, the periods of PM10 concentration at various heights of the tower were on the order of minutes, while in cases of larger wind speed, the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 at 320 m height not only had the short periods of minute-order, but also the longer periods of hour order. Consistent with the conclusion previously drawn by Ding et al., that air pollutants at different heights and at different sites in Beijing had the character of "in-phase" variation, was also observed for the diurnal variation and mean diurnal variation of PM2.5 and PM10 at various heights of the tower in this experiment, again confirming the "in-phase" temporal/spatial distributive character of air pollutants in the urban canopy of Beijing. The gentle double-peak character of the mean diurnal variation of PM2.5 and PM10 was closely related with the evident/similar diurnal variation of turbulent momentum fluxes, sensible heat fluxes, and turbulent kinetic energy at various heights in the urban canopy. Besides, under the condition of calm weather, the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 declined with height slowly, it was 90% of 8 m concentration at the low layer, a little lesser than 90% at the middle layer, and 80% at the high layer, respectively. Under the condition of weak cold air weather, the concentration remarkably dropped with height, it was 70% of 8 m concentration at the low layer, and 20%―30% at the middle and high layers, especially the concentration of PM2.5 was even lower.     

海洋纤维增强热塑性立管极限承载拉力预测方法

海洋新型纤维增强热塑性立管因其可盘卷、耐腐蚀、耐疲劳和轻质化等优点,在深水油气开发中应用前景十分广阔。热塑性立管具有复合材料的各向异性、受力耦合效应及复杂的本构关系,且承受浮体运动和复杂海洋环境载荷,其失效模式尚未明确。针对轴对称载荷作用下纤维增强热塑性立管极限承载力问题,进行热塑性管稳态热传导和热应力的理论推导,求解了稳态温度和应力分布,首次给出了在任意温度载荷作用下管体径向位移的解析解,并直接求解其径向、轴向、环向和剪切应力。采用各向同性层Von Mises和各向异性层最大应力（Max Stress）准则或Tsai-Hill准则判定热塑性管的失效,基于应力分布、失效准则和二分法计算了热塑性管的极限载荷。温度载荷、纤维铺设角度和径厚比对管道的应力分布影响显著。不同温度载荷会改变失效指数沿径向的变化趋势,增大轴向拉力将增大热塑性管的失效指数,选用不同的失效准则在管体失效判定上存在一定的差异。热塑性管温度越低、纤维铺设角越小及径厚比越大,管道对轴向拉伸载荷的承载能力越强。     

Lymanα forests and the evolution of the universe

The Lyα forest absorption lines in the spectra of quasars are interpreted as caused by the crossings of the light beam with the walls of a bubble structure (expanding with the Hubble flow only). Then, the typical separation between the absorption lines is proportional to the mean size of the bubbles. The variable factor is the expansion rate H[z]. The Friedmann regression analysis of the observed line separations determines the density parameter ω₀ and the normalized cosmological term λ₀ = λc²/3H²₀ of the appropriate cosmological model: ω₀ = 0.014 ± 0.002, λ₀ = 1.080 ± 0.006. Depending on the Hubble parameter this method reveals the values of the present mean matter density pm,0 = 2.6 h² · 10⁻²⁸ kg m⁻³ and of the cosmological constant Λ = 3.77 h² · 10⁻⁵² m⁻² (with h = H₀/(100 km/s·Mpc)). According to our analysis all models with Λ = 0 must be excluded. The curvature of space is positive. The curvature radius R₀ is 3.3 times the Hubble radius (c/H₀). The age t₀ is 2.8 times the Hubble age (H₀⁻¹).