A pronounced dry event recorded around 4.2 ka in brine sediments from the northern Red Sea

Partly laminated sediments were sampled from the brine-filled, anoxic Shaban Deep basin in the northern Red Sea. At about 4200 cal yr BP more than two millennia of anoxic sedimentation is replaced by a sub-oxic facies strongly suggesting the episodic absence of the brine. At the same time stable oxygen isotopes from surface dwelling foraminifera show a sharp increase (within less than 100 yr) pointing to a strong positive salinity anomaly at the sea surface. This major evaporation event significantly enhanced the renewal of deep water and the subsequent ventilation of the small Shaban Deep basin. The timing and strength of the reconstructed environmental changes around 4200 cal yr BP suggest that this event is the regional expression of a major drought event, which is widely observed in the neighboring regions, and which strongly affected Middle East agricultural civilizations.     

Enregistrement de la variabilité hydroclimatique au cours des 6500 dernières années sur le littoral de Cabo Frio (Rio de Janeiro,Brésil)

This study concerns a core collected in Brejo do Espinho's lagoon from Cabo Frio littoral (Brazil) submitted to dry influence of local upwelling controlled by north-east trade winds from the South Atlantic and particularly strengthened during El Niño events. Diatoms study supported by sedimentological and isotopic analyses shows dry phases infrequent before 4000 yr, a highly variable climatic phase between 3600 and 2900 yr and from 2400 yr onward a dryness enhancement. To cite this article: B. Laslandes et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

克拉玛依近40年来气温变化特征分析

利用1961～2000年克拉玛依的逐月平均气温、平均最高、最低气温、高温日数等资料，对克拉玛依近40年的气温变化作了较全面的分析。     

冷暖事件对大气能量循环和纬向平均环流影响的模拟研究

利用中国科学院大气物理研究所大气科学与地球流体力学数值模拟国家重点实验室新发展的GOALS 5全球海 陆 气耦合模式研究了暖事件 (ElNi no)和冷事件 (LaNina)对大气能量循环和纬向平均环流的影响 ,并用观测资料进行了对比分析。结果表明 :对于纬向平均资料来说 ,冷、暖事件在热带和副热带地区的大气环流相关量的反相变化特征非常清晰 ,中高纬度地区并不明显。此外 ,还发现 ,暖事件时定常涡动的经向热通量的变化是北半球对流层热带外地区温度异常的主要原因 ,而瞬变波的影响则起抵消作用。冷事件时定常波和瞬变波相互抵消的局地特征也依然存在 ,但瞬变波的影响有所增强。     

乐平统底界定义和点位的争论

有关乐平统底界定义和点位的争论涉及到有关建立界线层型的一些基本原则。本文作者确信,乐平统的底界不可能建立在小间断上或层序界面上;不能被证实的点断成种事件也不能用来建立界线层型;定义种在连续演化谱系中首现的点位是确定的不是任意的;必须考虑定义种的首现时期的居群特征,不能用定义种晚期的居群特征来确定GSSP的点位;定义种的定义不能任意改动,要保持分类的稳定。不能过高估计或只认为齿脊特征是区别晚二叠世舟刺分子的唯一标准。梅仕龙有关C. postbitteri和C. dukouensis两个种区别特征的争辩是无用的,因为本文作者所使用的区别这两个种的标准正是梅仕龙等(Mei et al, 1994)所提出的。现在没有必要为维护自己的界线定义或点位而修改有关种的定义。原来有关这两个种的定义和区别特征是科学的。本文作者鉴定的C. dukouensis (Wang, 2000a, p1. 2, figs. 1～8)是正确的,符合原来的定义。乐平统底界定义应当是严格的科学的。金玉玕等(Jin et al, 1994, 1998)从来没有提到更谈不上“反复讨论”了C. doukouensis的“首现”(梅仕龙,本期)。虽然提到(C. postbitteri的首现,但由于C. postbitteri的先驱种不清,这个定义是不科学的。乐平统底界的科学而严格的定义应是:在Clarkikina postbitteri—C. duk     

冰芯记录中末次间冰期-冰期旋回气候突变事件的研究进展

冰芯记录中的气候变化是古气候研究中的重要组成部分. 极地、中低纬度和热带地区的冰芯记录表明, 在冰期间冰期旋回大尺度气候变化背景下, 全球经历了一系列数百年至千年时间尺度的快速气候突变事件, 诸如末次间冰期的干冷事件、末次冰期的DansgaardOeschger事件、 Heinrich事件和Younger Dryas事件等, 虽然这些穿插在冰阶中的暖湿气候事件、间冰阶中的干冷气候事件的成因、机制和影响范围还存在明显的不确定性. 主要介绍不同区域冰芯记录中末次间冰期冰期旋回这些气候突变事件发生的时间、过程和机制等的研究进展.     

古—中生代之交的全球变化与生物效应

古—中生代之交是显生宙以来最大的一次生物绝灭期 ,其形成机制一直是地学界长期探讨的热点课题之一。地史重大转折期是地球内、外各圈层长期作用下 ,各种量变达到阀值 ,加之可能的外因激化 ,在短时间内以连锁反应形式相继质变 ,形成了全球变化 (包括生物绝灭 )的地球突变期。文中从可能的外因 (外星体撞击事件 )及内因 (岩石圈的变化 ,地球表层的变化和生物圈的变化 )两个方面探讨了古—中生代之交的全球变化与生物效应     

Impact of Southern Oscillation on the Frequency of Monsoon Depressions in the Bay of Bengal

The impact of Southern Oscillation on thecyclogenesis over the Bay of Bengal duringthe summer monsoon has been investigated.The analysis of correlation coefficients(CCs) between the frequency of monsoondepressions and the Southern OscillationIndex (SOI) reveals that more depressionsform during July and August of El Niñoyears. Due to this, the seasonal frequencyof monsoon depressions remains little higherduring El Niño epochs even though thecorrelations for June and September are notsignificant. The CCs for July and August aresignificant at the 99% level.The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)is known to affect Indian MonsoonRainfall (IMR) adversely. The enhancedcyclogenesis over the Bay of Bengal duringJuly and August is an impact of ENSO whichneeds to be examined closely. Increasedcyclogenesis over the Bay of Bengal may bereducing the deficiency in IMR duringEl Niño years by producing more rainfallover the eastern parts of India duringJuly and August. Thus there is a considerablespatial variation in the impact of ENSOon the monsoon rainfall over India and El Niñoneed not necessarily imply a monsoonfailure everywhere in India.The area of formation of monsoon depressionsshifts eastward during El Niño years.Warmer sea surface temperature (SST) anomaliesprevail over northwest and adjoiningwestcentral Bay of Bengal during premonsoon andmonsoon seasons of El Niño years.May minus March SOI can provide useful predictionsof monsoon depression frequencyduring July and August.     

Estimation of azimuth and slowness of tele-seismic signals recorded by a local seismic network

Introduction The azimuth and slowness are two major features of seismic signals. The accurate estimation of them is quite important for both phase identification and event location. Generally, there are two types of seismic stations, i.e. 3-component stations (3C) and arrays. To estimate the two direc-tional parameters, the polarization analysis (Jurkevics, 1988) is commonly used for 3C stations and the frequency-wavenumber spectrum analysis ( f-k) (Capon, 1969; Kvaerna, Doornbos, 1986) is …     

The El Salvador earthquakes of January and February 2001: context, characteristics and implications for seismic risk

The small Central American republic of El Salvador has experienced, on average, one destructive earthquake per decade during the last hundred years. The latest events occurred on 13 January and 13 February 2001, with magnitudes M_w 7.7 and 6.6, respectively. The two events, which were of different tectonic origin, follow the patterns of the seismicity of the region although neither event has a known precedent in the earthquake catalogue in terms of size and location. The earthquakes caused damage to thousands of traditionally built houses and triggered hundreds of landslides, which were the main causes of fatalities. The earthquakes have clearly demonstrated trends of increasing seismic risk in El Salvador due to rapid population expansion in areas of high shaking and landslide hazard, exacerbated by deforestation and uncontrolled urbanisation. The institutional mechanisms required for the control of land use and building practice are very weak and present a major obstacle to risk mitigation.