Interannual sea level variability in the South China Sea and its response to ENSO

Sea level observed by altimeter during the 1993–2004 period, thermosteric sea level from 1945 through 2004, and tide gauge records are analyzed to investigate the interannual variability of sea level in the South China Sea (SCS) and its relationship with ENSO (El Niño and Southern Oscillation). Both the interannual variations of the observed sea level and the thermosteric sea level are closely related to ENSO. An ‘enigma’ that the SST and sea level in the SCS have inverse response to ENSO is revealed. It is found that the thermosteric sea level has an excellent correspondence to seawater temperature at 100 m depth, and their variations are unsynchronized to SST. Detailed analysis denotes that the warming of seawater occurs only in the upper 75 m during and after the mature phase of El Niño, while the cooling appears in the layers deeper than 75 m during El Niño years. The volume transports between the SCS and the adjacent oceans and the anomalous Ekman pumping contribute a lot for the sea level fall in the developing stage of El Niño, while the mass exchange, which is dominated by precipitation, plays a more significant role in the following continuous negative sea level anomalies.     

Investigating the use of spatial discretization of hydrological processes in conceptual rainfall runoff modelling: a case study for the meso‐scale

In this study a simple modelling approach was applied to identify the need for spatial complexity in representing hydrological processes and their variability over different scales. A data set of 18 basins was used, ranging between 8 and 4011 km² in area, located in the Nahe basin (Germany), with daily discharge values for over 30 years. Two different parsimoniously structured models were applied in lumped as well as in spatially distributed according to two distribution classifications: (1) a simple classification based on the lithology expressed in three permeability types and (2) a more complex classification based on seven dominating runoff production processes. The objective of the study was to compare the performances of the models on a local and on a regional scale as well as between the models with a view to identifying the accuracy in capturing the spatial variability of the rainfall‐runoff relationships. It was shown that the presence of a specific basin characteristic or process of the distribution classification was not related with higher model performance; only a larger basin size promoted higher model performance. The results of this study also indicated that the permeability generally contained more useful information on the spatial heterogeneity of the hydrological behaviour of the natural system than did a more detailed classification on dominating runoff generation processes. Although model performance was slightly lower for the model that used permeability as a distribution classification, consistency in its parameter values was found, which was lacking with the more complex distribution classification. The latter distribution classification had a higher flexibility to optimize towards the variability of the runoff, which resulted in higher performance, however, process representation was applied inconsistently. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physical parameters of the continuum emission layer of Mira type stars. II. Radii and expansion velocities

The Pulkovo Spectrophotometric Data Base is used to determine the expansion velocities and radii of the continuum emission layers of the stars RR SCO and OMICR CET. Dependences of the radii and velocities on the phase of the variability cycle are found which agree with the known values obtained from the layers which emit line radiation. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 557–564 (November 2007).     

How is the precipitation distributed vertically in arid mountain region of Northwest China?

Precipitation in the arid region of Northwest China (NWC) shows high spatial and temporal variability,in large part because of the region's complex topography and moisture conditions.However,rain gauges in the area are sparse,and most are located at altitudes below 2000 m,which limits our understanding of precipitation at higher altitudes.Interpolated precipitation products and satellite-based datasets with high spatiotemporal resolution can potentially be a substitute for rain gauge data.In this study,the spatial and temporal proper-ties of precipitation in the arid region of NWC were analyzed using two gridded precipitation products:SURF_CLI_CHN_PRE_DAY_GRID_0.5 (CHN) and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B43.The CHN and TRMM 3B43 data showed that in summer,precipitation was more concentrated in southern Xinjiang than in northern Xinjiang,and the opposite was true in winter.The largest difference in precipitation between mountainous areas and plains appeared in summer.High-elevation areas with high precipitation showed more stable annual precipitation.Different sub-regions showed distinctive precipitation distributions with elevation,and both datasets showed that the maximum precipitation zone appeared at high altitude.     

多时相遥感影像提取湖泊边界信息的融合算法

为了有效改善遥感影像提取湖泊边界信息的可靠性和精度,减少人为误差,提出了一种利用多时相遥感影像提取边界信息的加权平均融合算法以及误差的域法修正处理方法.结果表明,该方法能有效融合各时相影像信息,提高湖泊边界信息提取的可靠性,并且对融合时相变化较大的湖泊边界都有一定的普适性.通过融合算法提取的呼伦湖面积为1928.35km2,修正后的面积为1929.85km2.通过利用地统计学理论对算法的验证及误差分析,得出相对误差空间变异拟合模型的块金方差与基台值之比都小于25%,具有很强的空间相关性,修正后的数据空间相关性要优于融合数据,空间变程也得到了有效地降低,显示修正后的数据对半方差函数理论模型的拟合程度更好.     

典型气象条件下城市热岛效应逐时变化特征

本文基于上海市典型城市和乡村站2017年逐时气象观测数据,详细分析和深入阐述了晴朗微风、大风、强降水和极端高温等典型气象条件下城市热岛强度逐时变化特征。通过分析上海市微风和极端高温等气象事件长期变化趋势,讨论了城市热岛效应未来变化趋势。伴随日出日落,年平均和微风晴朗条件下城市热岛强度呈现出快速降低—稳定低值—快速增加—稳定高值周期性昼夜变化特征,其中微风晴朗条件下城市热岛强度日内变化可高达7℃,而大风、强降水和高温等极端事件下城市热岛强度呈现出不一样的逐时变化特征。随着风速降低和气候变暖,过去40 a上海市微风和极端高温天气日数呈现快速增加趋势,其势必会加剧上海市城市热岛强度及其不利影响。     

Growing season evapotranspiration in boreal fens in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region: Variability and environmental controls

Current efforts to assess changes to the wetland hydrology caused by growing anthropogenic pressures in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) require well-founded spatial and temporal estimates of actual evapotranspiration (ET), which is the dominant component of the water budget in this region. This study assessed growing season (May–September) and peak growing season (July) ET variability at a treed moderate-rich fen and treed poor fen (in 2013–2018), open poor fen (in 2011–2014), and saline fen (in 2015–2018) using eddy covariance technique and a set of complementary environmental data. Seasonal fluctuations in ET were positively related to net radiation, air temperature and vapour pressure deficit and followed trends typical for the Boreal Plains (BP) and AOSR with highest rates in June–July. However, no strong effect of water table position on ET was found. Strong surface control on ET is evident from lower ET values than potential evapotranspiration (PET); the lowest ET/PET was observed at saline fen, followed by open fen, moderately treed fen, and heavily treed fen, suggesting a strong influence of vegetation on water loss. In most years PET exceeded precipitation (P), and positive relations between P/PET and ET were observed with the highest July ET rates occurring under P/PET ~1. However, during months with P/PET > 1, increased P/PET was associated with decreased July ET. With respect to 30-year mean values of air temperature and P in the area, both dry and wet, cool and warm growing seasons (GS) were observed. No clear trends between ET values and GS wetness/coldness were found, but all wet GS were characterized by peak growing seasons with high daily ET variability.     

Forecasting extreme events in the tropical Indian Ocean sector climate

Prospects for forecasting climate variability over the tropical Indian Ocean sector, specifically extreme positive events of the Indian Dipole Mode (IDM), with lead times of a season or more are investigated using the NASA Seasonal-to-Interannual Prediction Project (NSIPP) coupled-model system. The coupled system presents biases in its climatology over the Indian Ocean sector, which include (i) warmest sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) occurring in the central equatorial basin rather than on the eastside with the eastern (western) tropical SSTs up to 1 °C too cool (warm), (ii) a too northwest lying InterTropical Convergence Zonal over the ocean in boreal fall, (iii) a thermocline shallower (deeper) than observed west of Sumatra-Java (north of Madagascar), (iv) a delay of about a month in the onset (cessation) of the southwest (southeast) monsoon in the west (east) in boreal spring (fall). These biases affect the effectiveness of the SST-clouds-shortwave radiation negative feedback, the sensitivity of SST to wind-stress perturbations, and the character of equatorial coupled ocean-atmosphere modes. Despite these biases, ensemble hindcasts of the SST anomalies averaged over the eastern and western poles of the IDM for the decade 1993–2002, which included extreme positive events in 1994 and 1997/1998, are encouragingly good at 3-months lead. The onset of the 1997/1998-event is delayed by about a month, though the peak and decay are correctly timed. At 6-months lead-time, the forecast at the eastern pole deteriorates with either positive or negative false alarms generated each boreal fall. The forecast at the western pole remains good.     

Dynamics and driving mechanisms of asymmetric human water consumption during alternating wet and dry periods

Increases in human water consumption (HWC) and consequent degradation of the ecological environment are common in arid regions. Understanding the mechanisms behind these processes is important for sustainable development. Analyses of changes in HWC between alternating wet and dry periods are carried out in four arid inland basins in Central Asia and China (Syr Darya, Tarim, Heihe and Shulehe river basins). Based on runoff records, the presence of an asymmetric HWC response is proved (p < 0.01), with an increase in HWC during wet periods and a muted decrease during subsequent dry periods. This behaviour is interpreted by invoking theories from behavioural economics at the individual and community levels. A simple model based on these theories is shown to be able to reproduce the observed dynamics and is used to discuss the importance of strengthening institutional factors for water sustainability.     

Spatial and temporal variability of the hydrological response in a small Mediterranean research catchment (Vallcebre,Eastern Pyrenees)

This paper analyses the spatial and temporal variability of the hydrological response in a small Mediterranean catchment (Cal Rodó). The first part of the analysis focuses on the rainfall–runoff relationship at seasonal and monthly scale, using an 8‐year data set. Then, using storm‐flow volume and coefficient, the temporal variability of the rainfall–runoff relationship and its relationship with several hydrological variables are analysed at the event scale from hydrographs observed over a 3‐year period. Finally, the spatial non‐linearity of the hydrological response is examined by comparing the Cal Rodó hydrological response with the Can Vila sub‐catchment response at the event scale. Results show that, on a seasonal and monthly scale, there is no simple relationship between rainfall and runoff depths, and that evapotranspiration is a factor that introduced some non‐linearity in the rainfall–runoff relationship. The analysis of monthly values also reveals the existence of a threshold in the relationship between rainfall and runoff depths, denoting a more contrasted hydrological response than the one usually observed in humid catchments. At the event scale, the storm‐flow coefficient has a clear seasonal pattern with an alternance between a wet period, when the catchment is hydrologically responsive, and a dry summer period, when the catchment is much less reactive to any rainfall. The relationship between the storm‐flow coefficient and rainfall depth, rainfall maximum intensity and base‐flow shows that observed correlations are the same as those observed for humid conditions, even if correlation coefficients are notably lower. Comparison with the Can Vila sub‐catchment highlights the spatial heterogeneity of the rainfall‐runoff relationship at the small catchment scale. Although interpretation in terms of runoff processes remains delicate, heterogeneities between the two catchments seem to be related to changes in the ratio between infiltration excess and saturation processes in runoff formation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.