Comparisons on seasonal and annual variations of δ~(18)O in precipitation

interpretationofpaleoclimaticrecordsinicecore(Dansgaardetal.,1969;Rozanskietal.,1997;Yao,1999;Thompsonetal.,2000).SincethefirstdeepicecorewasdrilledinGreenlandin1966(Dansgaardetal.,1969),hundredsoficecoreswereobtainedsuccessivelyfromicesheetsinAntarcticaandArctic,andmountainglaciersatmid-highlatitudes,fundedbynumerousresearchprogramsonglobalclimateandenvironmentalchange.Theseicecoresprovideuniqueandvaluablefirst-handinformationinrecoveringglobalpaleoenvironmentalrecordsandforecastingfuturecl…     

Targeting seasonal climate forecasts for integration into household level decisions: the case of smallholder farmers in Lesotho

Seasonal climate forecasts have been promoted as a means to increase the resilience of marginal groups in Africa. The manifestations of this are still to be seen. This paper argues that successful dissemination and adoption of the forecast requires an in-depth profile of the characteristics and needs of user groups. The case study of a mountainous village in southern Lesotho is used to highlight the decisions which one group of marginal users – smallholder farmers – might make in response to the forecast. A participatory role-play exercise explores what information households presently receive and how new climate forecast information could be integrated into seasonal decision making. Results show that there are a number of low-input options available to these farmers for responding to the forecast. Adoption, however, is going to require repeated exposure to the forecast in conjunction with forecast development that is suited to users' needs. The case study is linked back to the larger scale by suggesting paths that seasonal climate forecast development could take if it is to contribute to improving livelihood sustainability among marginal groups.     

Seasonal Variation of the East Asian Subtropical Westerly Jet and Its Association with the Heating Field over East Asia

The structure and seasonal variation of the East Asian Subtropical Westerly Jet （EAWJ） and associations with heating fields over East Asia are examined by using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. Obvious differences exist in the westerly jet intensity and location in different regions and seasons due to the ocean-land distribution and seasonal thermal contrast, as well as the dynamic and thermodynamic impacts of the Tibetan Plateau. In winter, the EAWJ center is situated over the western Pacific Ocean and the intensity is reduced gradually from east to west over the East Asian region. In summer, the EAWJ center is located over the north of the Tibetan Plateau and the jet intensity is reduced evidently compared with that in winter. The EAWJ seasonal evolution is characterized by the obvious longitudinal inconsistency of the northward migration and in-phase southward retreat of the EAWJ axis. A good correspondence between the seasonal variations of EAWJ and the meridional differences of air temperature （MDT） in the mid-upper troposphere demonstrates that the MDT is the basic reason for the seasonal variation of EAWJ. Correlation analyses indicate that the Kuroshio Current region to the south of Japan and the Tibetan Plateau are the key areas for the variations of the EAWJ intensities in winter and in summer, respectively. The strong sensible and latent heating in the Kuroshio Current region is closely related to the intensification of EAWJ in winter. In summer, strong sensible heating in the Tibetan Plateau corresponds to the EAWJ strengthening and southward shift, while the weak sensible heating in the Tibetan Plateau is consistent with the EAWJ weakening and northward migration.     

Histogram and variogram inference in the multigaussian model

Several iterative algorithms are proposed to improve the histogram and variogram inference in the framework of the multigaussian model. The starting point is the variogram obtained after a traditional normal score transform. The subsequent step consists in simulating many sets of gaussian values with this variogram at the data locations, so that the ranking of the original values is honored. The expected gaussian transformation and the expected variogram are computed by an averaging operation over the simulated datasets. The variogram model is then updated and the procedure is repeated until convergence. Such an iterative algorithm can adapt to the case of tied data and despike the histogram. Two additional issues are also examined, referred to the modeling of the empirical transformation function and to the optimal pair weighting when computing the sample variogram.     

Soil respiration in tropical seasonal rain forest in Xishuangbanna, SW China

With the static opaque chamber and gas chromatography technique, from January 2003 to January 2004 soil respiration was investigated in a tropical seasonal rain forest in Xishuangbanna, SW China. In this study three treatments were applied, each with three replicates: A (bare soil), B (soil+litter), and C (soil+litter+seedling). The results showed that soil respiration varied seasonally, low from December 2003 to February 2004, and high from June to July 2004. The annual average values of CO2 efflux from soil respiration differed among the treatments at 1% level, with the rank of C (14642 mgCO2· m-2. h-1)＞B (12807 mgCO2· m-2. h-1)＞A (9532 mgCO2· m-2. h-1). Diurnal variation in soil respiration was not apparent due to little diurnal temperate change in Xishuangbanna. There was a parabola relationship between soil respiration and soil moisture at 1% level. Soil respiration rates were higher when soil moisture ranged from 35% to 45%. There was an exponential relationship between soil respiration and soil temperature (at a depth of 5cm in mineral soil) at 1% level. The calculated Q1o values in this study,ranging from 2.03 to 2.36, were very near to those of tropical soil reported. The CO2 efflux in 2003was 5.34 kgCO2· m-2. a-1 from soil plus litter plus seedling, of them 3.48 kgCO2· m-2. a-1 from soil (accounting for 62.5%), 1.19 kgCO2· m-2. a-1 from litter (22.3%) and 0.67 kgCO2·m-2. a-1 from seedling (12.5%).     

Growth patterns and implications of complex dendrites in calcite travertines from Lýsuhóll, Snæfellsnes, Iceland

Calcite dendrite crystals are important but poorly understood components of calcite travertine that forms around many hot springs. The Lýsuhóll hot-spring deposits, located in western Iceland, are formed primarily of siliceous sinters that were precipitated around numerous springs that are now inactive. Calcite travertine formed around the vent and on the discharge apron of one of the springs at the northern edge of the area. The travertine is formed largely of two types (I and II) of complex calcite dendrite crystals, up to 1 cm high, that grew through the gradual addition of trilete sub-crystals. The morphology of the dendrite crystals was controlled by flow direction and the competition for growth space with neighbouring crystals. Densely crowded dendrites with limited branching characterize the rimstone dams whereas widely spaced dendrites with open branching are found in the pools. Many dendrite bushes in the pools nucleated around plant stems. Growth of the dendrite crystals was seasonal and incremental. Calcite precipitation was driven by rapid CO₂ degassing of CO₂-rich spring waters during the spring and summer. During winter, when snow covered the ground and temperatures were low, opal-A precipitated on the exposed surfaces of the dendrites. Segmentation of dendrite branches by discontinuities coated with opal-A and overgrowth development around sub-crystals resulted from this seasonal growth cycle. The calcite dendrite crystals in the Lýsuhóll travertine differ in morphology from those at other hot springs, such as those at Lake Bogoria, Kenya, and Waikite in New Zealand. Comparison with the calcite dendrite crystals found at those sites shows that dendrite morphology is site-specific and probably controlled by carbonate saturation levels that, in turn, are controlled by the rate of CO₂ degassing and location in the spring outflow system.     

Nutrient chemistry of groundwater in an intensively irrigated region of southern India

The concentration of nutrients in groundwater acts as an indicator to identify the influence of agricultural activities on the shallow subsurface environment. Hence, the present study was carried out to assess nutrient concentration (nitrate, phosphate and potassium) and understand its spatial and seasonal variations in the groundwater of Palar and Cheyyar River basin, Tamil Nadu, India. The groundwater samples collected from 43 wells were analyzed for nutrients once a month from January 1998 to June 1999. Results of the study suggested that agricultural activities, including application of fertilizers, soil mineralization processes and irrigation return flow, are major processes regulating the nutrients chemistry in the groundwater of this region. Groundwater in the sedimentary formation has comparatively higher concentration of nutrients than the groundwater in hard rock formations, which seems to be due to the adsorption of nutrients by the weathered rock materials. The seasonal water level fluctuation shows that rising water level increases nutrients concentration in groundwater due to the agriculture related activities. The results also indicate that nitrate and potassium concentrations are within the recommended drinking water limits, whereas phosphate concentration exceeds its drinking water limit and 35% of the samples are unsuitable for drinking purposes.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

Seasonal records of climatic change in annually laminated tufas: short review and future prospects

Many Recent and fossil freshwater tufa stromatolites contain millimetre‐scale, alternating laminae of dense micrite and more porous or sparry crystalline calcites. These alternating laminae have been interpreted to represent seasonally controlled differences in the biotic activity of microbes, and/or seasonally controlled changes in the rate of calcification. Either way, couplets of these microbially mediated alternating calcified laminae are generally agreed to represent annual seasonality. Combined stable isotope (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) and trace element (Mg, Sr, Ba) geochemistry from Recent tufa stromatolites show that seasonal climatic information is available from these calcites. Variability in δ¹⁸O (and in one case Mg concentration) has been shown to be controlled primarily by stream temperature change, usually driven by solar insolation. In arid climates, seasonal evaporation can also cause δ¹⁸O enrichment by at least 1‰. Variability in δ¹³C results potentially from: (1) seasonal change in plant uptake of ¹²C‐enriched CO₂; (2) seasonal change in degassing of ¹²C‐enriched CO₂ in the aquifer system; and (3) precipitation of calcite along the aquifer or river flow path, a process that increases δ¹³C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the remaining water. Mechanisms 2 and 3 are linked because calcite precipitates in aquifers where degassing occurs, e.g. air pockets. The latter mechanism for δ¹³C enrichment has also been shown to cause sympathetic variation between trace element/Ca ratios and δ¹³C because trace elements with partition coefficients much greater than 1 (e.g. Sr, Ba) remain preferentially in solution. Since degassing in air pockets will be enhanced during decreased recharge when water saturation of the aquifer is lowest, sympathetic variation in trace element/Ca ratios and δ¹³C is a possible index of recharge and therefore precipitation intensity. High‐resolution geochemical data from well‐dated tufa stromatolites have great potential for Quaternary palaeoclimate reconstructions, possibly allowing recovery of annual seasonal climatic information including water temperature variation and change in rainfall intensity. However, careful consideration of diagenetic effects, particularly aggrading neomorphism, needs to be the next step. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pressure fluctuations and the formation of the PGE-rich Merensky and chromitite reefs, Bushveld Complex

The Merensky Reef and the underlying Upper Group 2 chromitite layer, in the Critical Zone of the Bushveld Complex, host much of the world’s platinum-group element (PGE) mineralization. The genesis is still debated. A number of features of the Merensky Reef are not consistent with the hypotheses involving mixing of magmas. Uniform mixing between two magmas over an area of 150 by 300 km and a thickness of 3–30 km seems implausible. The Merensky Reef occurs at the interval where Main Zone magma is added, but the relative proportions of the PGE in the Merensky Reef are comparable to those of the Critical Zone magma. Mineral and isotopic evidence in certain profiles through the Merensky Unit suggest either mixing of minerals, not magmas, and in one case, the lack of any chemical evidence for the presence of the second magma. The absence of cumulus sulphides immediately above the Merensky Reef is not predicted by this model. An alternative model is proposed here that depends upon pressure changes, not chemical processes, to produce the mineralization in chromite-rich and sulphide-rich reefs. Magma was added at these levels, but did not mix. This addition caused a temporary increase in the pressure in the extant Critical Zone magma. Immiscible sulphide liquid and/or chromite formed. Sinking sulphide liquid and/or chromite scavenged PGE (as clusters, nanoparticles or platinum-group minerals) from the magma and accumulated at the floor. Rupturing of the roof resulted in a pressure decrease and a return to sulphur-undersaturation of the magma.     

中国陆地净初级生产力的季节变化研究

了解不同季节陆地净初级生产力(NPP)的变化及与气候的相互关系以及在不同地类的差异对深刻理解我国陆地生态系统对全球气候变化的响应和陆地碳循环研究具有重要意义。本文使用1981～2000年间GLO-PEM模型模拟的我国陆地NPP数据和同期气温、降水以及土地利用数据, 研究不同季节我国陆地植被NPP的变化。结果表明,在1981～2000年期间,四个季节的NPP都呈显著增加趋势,春季是NPP增加速率最快的季节,夏季是NPP增加量最大的季节。耕地在春、夏和秋季NPP增长和增长率最高,林地冬季NPP增长最多而水域冬季NPP增长率最高。夏季NPP增长最高的区域分布于我国东部的多数地区、内蒙古东部、四川盆地、贵州东部、藏南和新疆西部;夏季NPP降低最多的区域分布于在呼伦贝尔高原、鄂尔多斯高原、黄土高原、青藏高原东部和新疆西北部。