Drought and institutional adaptation in the Great Plains of Alberta and Saskatchewan, 1914–1939

Agriculture in the southern Great Plains of Canada has been particularly vulnerable to prolonged episodes of drought. Using climate data and a precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration index, the extent of the region’s exposure to drought is examined. Between 1914 and 1917, the Dry Belt was particularly vulnerable to drought, whereas after 1928, a much larger region known as the Palliser Triangle covering most of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan was much more exposed to drought. These droughts provoked major institutional adaptation, in particular the establishment of the Special Areas Board by the Government of Alberta, and the creation of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration by the Government of Canada. Both organizations have proved to be relatively permanent public adaptations to the natural hazard of drought in the region. Moreover, these earlier experiences with prolonged drought as well as institution-building may be of value in helping the residents of the Palliser Triangle adapt to predicted climate changes in the future as well as anticipate some of the barriers to effective institutional adaptation.     

湖南省2001年夏秋季对流云降水潜力数值模拟结果

应用对流云数值模式模拟了2001年7～9月湖南省三个探空站0000和1200(世界时)462个对流云降水算例.模拟结果表明(1)其中53天的198个算例属于有利人工增雨的天气形势,133个算例的可播度大于零,54个算例的增雨率大于零;(2)7～9月天气形势有利于人工增雨日的算例,对流云平均含水量为575万吨,平均降水效率11.4%;(3)8月降水潜力大于7月,9月降水潜力最小.这表明即使大旱的2001年湖南省夏秋季对流云仍然有一定的增雨潜力.     

Steady, annual, and monthly recharge implied by deep unconfined aquifer flow

We consider the response of a deep unconfined horizontal aquifer to steady, annual, and monthly recharge. A groundwater divide and a zero head reservoir constrain the aquifer, so that sinusoidal monthly and aperiodic annual recharge fluctuations create transient specific discharge near the reservoir and an unsteady water table elevation inland. One existing and two new long-term data sets from the Plymouth-Carver Aquifer in southeastern Massachusetts calibrate and confirm hydraulic properties in a set of analytical models. [Geohydrology and simulated groundwater flow, 1992] data and a new power law for tritiugenic helium to tritium ratios calibrate the steady recharge that drives the classical parabolic model of steady hydraulics [Applied Hydrogeology, 2001]. Observed water table and gradient fluctuations calibrate the transient recharge models. In the latter regard, monitoring wells within 1 km of Buttermilk Bay exhibit appreciable specific discharge and reduced water table fluctuations. We apply [Trans Am Geophys Union 32(1951)238] periodic model to the monthly hydraulics and a recharge convolution integral [J Hydrol 126(1991)315] to annual flow. An infiltration fraction of 0.79 and a consumptive use coefficient of 1.08×10⁻⁸ m/s °C relate recharge to precipitation and daylight weighted temperature across all three time scales. Errors associated with this recharge relation decrease with increasing time scale.     

Discrimination between climate and human-induced dryland degradation

In this study we present a technique to discriminate between climate or human-induced dryland degradation, based on evaluations of AVHRR NDVI data and rainfall data. Since dryland areas typically have high inter-annual rainfall variations and rainfall has a dominant role in determining vegetation growth, minor biomass trends imposed by human influences are difficult to verify. By performing many linear regression calculations between different periods of accumulated precipitation and the annual NDVI_max, we identify the rainfall period that is best related to the NDVI_max and by this the proportion of biomass triggered by rainfall. Positive or negative deviations in biomass from this relationship, expressed in the residuals, are interpreted as human-induced. We discuss several approaches that use either a temporally fixed NDVI peaking time or an absolute one, a best mean rainfall period for the entire drylands or the best rainfall period for each individual pixel. Advantages and disadvantages of either approach or one of its combinations for discriminating between climate and human-induced degradation are discussed. Depending on the particular land-use either method has advantages. To locate areas with a high likelihood of human-induced degradation we therefore recommend combining results from each approach.     

Analysis of the environmental sensitivities of a typical dynamic epikarst system at the Nongla monitoring site, Guangxi, China

Nongla, a typical karst dynamic system (KDS) monitoring site, is located at Nongla Village, Mashan County, Guangxi, China. The data from a Greenspan CTDP300 multichannel data logger indicates that the KDS is highly sensitive to environmental changes. Multi-day and diurnal physico-chemical composition of epikarst spring water is quite different under different climatic conditions. During a day with no rainfall, water temperature and air temperature have similar variations. Electrical conductivity (EC) has good positive correlation with pH value and water temperature. During rainstorms, the physico-chemical composition of the spring water is initially strongly effected by dilution, pH and EC drop rapidly. However, half to one hour later, EC returns to normal and the CO₂ effects will be the dominant physical effect. This is due to the high fissure rates and high permeability in the epikarst zone. Dilution effects were observed during the entire rainstorm event,whereas, it only acts during the earliest period of light rain. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the water–rock–CO₂ combination as a whole system to explain the hydrochemical behavior of epikarst processes.     

过去2000年亚澳夏季风降水百年际变化特征及成因的模拟研究

利用地球系统模式(CESM)开展过去2000年气候模拟试验,在利用观测资料、再分析资料对模拟资料进行检验的基础上,探讨百年时间尺度上亚澳夏季风降水的时、空变化特征及其成因,对于认识百年尺度气候变化规律、定量区分自然因子和人类活动对亚澳夏季风的影响具有重要意义。结果表明:过去2000年亚澳夏季风降水和温度的波动较为一致,暖期降水多,冷期降水少。两者相关系数为0.83,达到99%置信度。此外,亚澳夏季风降水存在105、130、180 a的百年尺度周期。亚澳夏季风降水经验正交函数分解第一模态在印度洋北部呈南北反向的分布型态,在东亚地区呈负、正、负的分布型态;第二模态在印度洋北部呈正、负、正的分布型态,在东亚地区呈全区一致型的分布型态。经验正交函数分解第一特征向量和第二特征向量的正、负值中心大多出现在印度洋北部地区,南北呈不对称分布。亚澳夏季风降水的105 a周期主要受火山活动和土地利用/覆盖的影响,130 a周期主要受太阳辐射、气候系统内部变率的影响,180 a周期主要受火山活动的影响。从经验正交函数分解第一特征向量来看,整个亚澳夏季风降水主要受土地利用/覆盖、太阳辐射的影响;第二特征向量表...     

气流的垂直分布对地形雨落区的影响

从大气运动的基本方程出发,讨论了华北地区太行山东侧低空东风气流背景下不同垂直分布气流对降水落区的影响。认为：当垂直于山体的气流随高度减小时,地形的作用表现为迎风坡上水平辐合,造成气旋式涡度增加,产生风场切变,因此对迎风坡降水产生明显的增幅作用。当气流的垂直分布随高度增加时,迎风坡方向表现为反气旋涡度增强,而在背风坡方向产生辐合作用,造成气旋式涡度增加,发生风场切变。     

一次江淮气旋复杂降水相态特征及成因分析

本文应用常规探空资料、地面观测资料、欧洲中心细网格(0.25°×0.25°)数值预报初始场资料和NCEP/NCAR 1°×1°再分析资料分析了山东一次江淮气旋降雪过程的复杂相态特征,并初步分析了成因。结论如下:(1)山东省2014年2月16—17日的雨雪天气过程,降水相态多样性和相态转化复杂性是主要特点,表现为同一时刻雨、雪和雨夹雪三种相态共存,郯城站降水相态逆转(由雨夹雪转雨再转雪),鲁东南地区降雪同时鲁西南地区降雨的"东雪西雨"现象。(2)在系统发展不强的江淮气旋降雪过程中,鲁中山区相对高海拔地区夜间强烈的辐射降温和山脉迎风坡的动力抬升作用均会造成边界层温度的降低,后期对流层低层为东北风控制时,除鲁中山区外,其迎风坡东麓或东北麓(潍坊地区)出现固态降水可能性也较大,一般情况下,地面2 m温度为1~2℃,1 000 hPa温度为0℃左右,925 hPa温度为-3℃左右,可出现固液共存降水现象。(3)相态逆转现象的发生与江淮气旋发展阶段和气温日变化两个因素紧密相关。0℃层在925 hPa上下的状态是一种临界状态,可产生雨夹雪或雨,但0℃层高度下降不是由雨转雪的充分条件,还需考察冷平流发展情况。(4)当江淮气旋生成地偏东(位于长江口附近),且发展不强烈时,山东若受其影响产生降水,后期上游如有新系统发展,可能与气旋共同影响山东,造成复杂相态的江淮气旋降雪过程。     

东亚冬季风异常与广东前汛期旱涝关系的初步分析

利用500hPa北半球格点资料,参照历史平均东亚大槽位置,定义了东亚冬季风强度指数(I₅₀₀)。分析发现,近50年东亚冬季风强度有减弱趋势,特别是1987年以来冬季风明显减弱。根据广东48个站1954～2004年前汛期(4～6月)降水资料,用区域旱涝指数W对广东前汛期旱涝等级进行划分。51年内广东有9年前汛期出现大涝(或特涝),11年出现大旱(或特旱),旱涝发生频繁。冬季风异常对广东前汛期降水的影响比较大,强冬季风年后广东前汛期出现大旱的可能性较大,而出现大涝的可能性很小。     

热带太平洋海表温度年际变化对降水季节内振荡的影响

根据 １９８２—１９９２年期间的日平均 ＭＳＵ（Ｓｐｅｎｃｅｒ, １９９３）海洋降水和 ５天平均的ＣＭＡＰ（Ｘｉｅ＆ Ａｒｋｉｎ, １９９７）降水观测资料,分析了热带太平洋大气季节内振荡（ＭＪＯ）的年际变化特征。在太平洋海表温度（ＳＳＴ）年际变化的正常年份（１９８２—８３年, １９８６—８８年, １９９１—９２年）,均有明显的ＭＪＯ信号传到日界线以东并在中、东太平洋维持数月。热带ＭＪＯ活动强度的年际变化与局地ＳＳＴ的变化存在正相关。中、东太平洋降水的季节内振荡的年际变化与热带太平洋ＳＳＴ的最强正相关在Ｎｉｎｏ３区附近。以观测ＳＳＴ场强迫ＣＣＭ３大气模式的数值试验基本上真实地再现了１１年期间热带太平洋降水季节内振荡的年际变化总趋势,但模拟季节内振荡的强度较观测平均偏弱。对比分别采用周平均和月平均ＳＳＴ强迫场的积分结果,发现在中、东太平洋,二个积分模拟的降水季节内振荡强度的年际变化接近并且趋势与观测基本一致,而在西太平洋二个积分的模拟结果差别较大。这表明在热带中、东太平洋,ＳＳＴ强迫的年际变化对ＭＪＯ强度的变化有强的制约。而在ＭＪＯ总体活跃的热带西太平洋,ＳＳＴ强迫场的季节变化对模拟ＭＪＯ活动也有较大影响。ＣＣＭ３模拟