Building and Testing an <Emphasis Type="Italic">a priori</Emphasis> Geophysical Model for Western Eurasia and North Africa

We construct and evaluate a new three-dimensional model of crust and upper mantle structure in Western Eurasia and North Africa (WENA) extending to 700 km depth and having 1° parameterization. The model is compiled in an a priori fashion entirely from existing geophysical literature, specifically, combining two regionalized crustal models with a high-resolution global sediment model and a global upper mantle model. The resulting WENA1.0 model consists of 24 layers: water, three sediment layers, upper, middle, and lower crust, uppermost mantle, and 16 additional upper mantle layers. Each of the layers is specified by its depth, compressional and shear velocity, density, and attenuation (quality factors, Q _P and Q _S ). The model is tested by comparing the model predictions with geophysical observations including: crustal thickness, surface wave group and phase velocities, upper mantle _n velocities, receiver functions, P-wave travel times, waveform characteristics, regional 1-D velocities, and Bouguer gravity. We find generally good agreement between WENA1.0 model predictions and empirical observations for a wide variety of independent data sets. We believe this model is representative of our current knowledge of crust and upper mantle structure in the WENA region and can successfully be used to model the propagation characteristics of regional seismic waveform data. The WENA1.0 model will continue to evolve as new data are incorporated into future validations and any new deficiencies in the model are identified. Eventually this a priori model will serve as the initial starting model for a multiple data set tomographic inversion for structure of the Eurasian continent.     

Tidal currents,energy flux and bottom boundary layer thickness in the Clyde Sea and North Channel of the Irish Sea

A high-resolution three-dimensional model of the Clyde Sea and the adjacent North Channel of the Irish Sea is used to compute the major diurnal and semidiurnal tides in the region, the associated energy fluxes and thickness of the bottom boundary layer. Initially, the accuracy of the model is assessed by performing a detailed comparison of computed tidal elevations and currents in the region, against an extensive database that exists for the M₂, S₂, N₂, K₁ and O₁ tides. Subsequently, the model is used to compute the tidal energy flux vectors in the region. These show that the major energy flux is confined to the North Channel region, with little energy flux into the Clyde Sea. Comparison with the observed energy flux in the North Channel shows that its across-channel distribution and its magnitude are particularly sensitive to the phase difference between elevation and current. Consequently, small changes in the computed values of these parameters due to slight changes of the order of the uncertainty in the open-boundary values to the model, can significantly influence the computed energy flux. The thickness of the bottom boundary layer in the region is computed using a number of formulations. Depending upon the definition adopted, the empirical coefficient C used to determine its thickness varies over the range 0.1 to 0.3, in good agreement with values found in the literature. In the North Channel, the boundary layer thickness occupies the whole water depth, and hence tidal turbulence produced at the sea bed keeps the region well mixed. In the Clyde Sea, the boundary layer thickness is a small fraction of the depth, and hence the region stratifies.Responsible Editor: Phil Dyke     

Stable carbon isotope ratios in lake and swamp sediments as a proxy for prehistoric forest clearance and crop cultivation in the Neotropics

Close correspondence between stable carbon isotope ratios ( ¹³ C), pollen, and charcoal profiles in sediment cores from Laguna Zoncho and Machita swamp, Costa Rica, shows that prehistoric forest clearance and crop cultivation can be detected in the stable carbon isotope ratios of total organic carbon ( ¹3C _TOC ). Analyses of δ 13C _TOC complement evidence from pollen, charcoal, and phytoliths and provide a proxy that is sensitive to the intensity and/or proximity to core sites of prehistoric forest clearance and agriculture in watersheds. Stable carbon isotope analyses are particularly useful in situations in which other evidence of forest clearance and agriculture is limited.     

Organic carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in the intertidal sediments from the Yangtze Estuary, China

The natural isotopic compositions and C/N elemental ratios of sedimentary organic matter were determined in the intertidal flat of the Yangtze Estuary. The results showed that the ratios of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes were respectively −29.8‰ to − 26.0‰ and 1.6‰–5.5‰ in the flood season (July), while they were −27.3‰ to − 25.6‰ and 1.7‰–7.8‰ in the dry season (February), respectively. The δ¹³C signatures were remarkably higher in July than in February, and gradually increased from the freshwater areas to the brackish areas. In contrast, there were relatively complex seasonal and spatial changes in stable nitrogen isotopes. It was also reflected that δ¹⁵N and C/N compositions had been obviously modified by organic matter diagenesis and biological processing, and could not be used to trace the sources of organic matter at the study area. In addition, it was considered that the mixing inputs of terrigenous and marine materials generally dominated sedimentary organic matter in the intertidal flat. The contribution of terrigenous inputs to sedimentary organic matter was roughly estimated according to the mixing balance model of stable carbon isotopes.     

Effects of the number of stations and time resolution on derivation

For at least 30 years now it has been well known that the Dst index can be modelled using the solar wind as input. Since then, many attempts have been made to improve the predictability of Dst using different approaches. These attempts are useful, for instance, to understand which features of the solar wind–magnetosphere interactions are most important in producing magnetospheric activity and how the Dst index would improve the space weather forecast. The Dst index is by far the most reliable and simple indication that a magnetic storm is in progress. In this work, the effect of using more than four magnetic stations and shorter time intervals than the hourly averages used in Sugiura's procedures is evaluated. The discussion is based on the results presented by Burton in 1975 and Feldstein in 1984 considering 4 or 12 magnetic stations and time averages of 2.5 min for a magnetic disturbed period that occurred from February 7–28, 1967, including two geomagnetic storms. The analysis has shown that the global representation of a magnetic storm by the standard Dst (Sugiura) is well preserved either using 4, 6, 12 magnetic stations or using 1 h, 2.5 min 1 min averages. A brief review of the current understanding of Dst has been included to support the discussions. The analysis performed has shown that a more refined Dst index (time and number of stations>4) would be useful to investigate the intrinsic processes and the different current systems involved in the ring current development during magnetic storms; the standard Dst, as it is conceived, is quite adequate to monitor geomagnetic storms and identify their overall features; concerning the magnetic stations normally considered, the inclusion of higher magnetic latitude stations (>35) may underestimate the observed Dst.     

Unstable kinetic Alfvén wave in partially ionized plasma

The stability of kinetic Alfven waves is discussed for a partially ionized plasma with a flux of ionizing electrons which balance the plasma particle losses. Accidental electromagnetic perturbations are shown to be unstable due to the energy change of ionizing electrons.     

面向地上下无缝集成建模的新一代三维地理信息系统

地上下无缝集成三维建模是新一代3DGIS的主要标志,地上下无缝集成建模已成为当务之急。在三维空间建模技术现状与存在问题、目标层次与功能需求及三维空间模型现状与趋势分析的基础上,介绍了地上下集成建模的两个层次和无缝集成的基本原理;阐述以CD-TIN为纽带、以BRep-TIN-GTP为核心、以三层混合模型为成份的地上下集成空间数据模型的概念结构与典型逻辑关系。并结合城市与矿山应用,介绍该集成模型在GeoMo3D系统中初步实现后的可视化效果。同时,指出了与地上下集成建模相关的近年3DGIS的主要攻关方向和重点理论难题。     

基于COMGIS的徐州市报业信息管理系统

针对目前国内报业信息管理中存在的问题,在分析了当前软件开发技术的基础上,提出了通过引入GIS可以方便地对报社的日常业务信息进行管理和分析。徐州市报业信息管理系统的实现采用了组件式软件开发技术,选择MapX和ADO控件,在VisualBasic集成环境下进行开发,系统结构采用客户端/服务器模式。本文详细介绍了徐州市报业信息系统的基本功能、空间数据库和属性数据库的建立、专题应用模型的设计等。     

基于3D+-TPR-tree的点目标全时段移动索引设计

在经典3D R-tree基础上提出新的3D R-tree索引,通过改变待索引数据项的结构并重新设计查询处理算法,减少包容矩形死区,提高查询效率;为了满足全时段查询要求,设计一种称为3D -TPR-tree的联合索引结构,并对其中TPR-tree的参数包容矩形的调整算法进行优化。通过测试,证明3D R-tree的查询效率明显高于普通3D R-tree;此外,测试结果也表明经过优化的参数包容矩形的调整算法也部分提升了TPR-tree的查询性能。     

无控制DEM表面差异探测研究

本文提出了一个新的无控制DEM差异探测算法。它可以将不同时期获取的DEM纳入到统一坐标系中,这样就可以根据匹配后的DEM来定量探测地表变化情况。该方法通过差分模型考虑了观测量的数值及其相互关系。与目前差异探测能力最强的LMS-LZD方法相比,新方法具有更好的差异能力和更高的匹配精度。普歪沟泥石流沟多时相DEM差异探测实例验证了新方法的优越性。