The Tallinn Temperature Series Reconstructed Back Half a Millennium by Use of Proxy Data

In order to extend the Tallinn temperature series backward in time, three different climate proxies were used. These were: the first day of ice break-up in Tallinn port, a proxy for the mean winter air temperature (December to March); the first day of ice break-up on the rivers in northern Estonia, a proxy for the beginning of spring; and, the first day of the rye harvest, a proxy for the mean air temperature in spring and summer (April to July). On the basis of these proxies the mean winter temperature could be extended back to the year AD 1500, and the spring and summer temperature back to 1731. The series of winter temperatures was analysed for long-term trends and variations on different timescales. The most striking feature is the warming of the winters from about the mid nineteenth century to the present. The warming is especially noticeable over the latest decades. The climate from the start of the series (AD 1500) to the mid nineteenth century was in general somewhat colder, and should be recognised as a part of the Little Ice Age, though the period was intercepted by warmer winters in the first half of the eighteenth century.     

Behaviour of H2O2, NH3, and black carbon in mixed-phase clouds during CIME

We investigated the partitioning of trace substances during the phase transition from supercooled to mixed-phase cloud induced by artificial seeding. Simultaneous determination of the concentrations of H₂O₂, NH₃ and black carbon (BC) in both condensed and interstitial phases with high time resolution showed that the three species undergo different behaviour in the presence of a mixture of ice crystals and supercooled droplets. Both H₂O₂ and NH₃ are efficiently scavenged by growing ice crystals, whereas BC stayed predominantly in the interstitial phase. In addition, the scavenging of H₂O₂ is driven by co-condensation with water vapour onto ice crystals while NH₃ uptake into the ice phase is more efficient than co-condensation alone. The high solubility of NH₄⁺ in the ice could explain this result. Finally, it appears that the H₂O₂–SO₂ reaction is very slow in the ice phase with respect to the liquid phase. Our results are directly applicable for clouds undergoing limited riming.     

小冰期以来中国十年尺度气候变化时空分布特征的初步研究

依据10年际的冰芯、树轮和历史文献记录，首先进行了聚类分析，近400年来中国温度变化大体上可分为两类：第一类包括高原南部、高原西部、东北和闽台地区；第二类包括西南、华南、华中、华东、西北和华北地区。接着分析了近600年、500年和400年三种不同时间尺度上中国气温的时空分布，第一特征向量显示中国东部温度值高于西部，第二特征向量中高原南部、高原东北部与高原西部的反位相变化趋势在不同时间惊讶的EOF结果中都有表现。西南、华南区与华北、华东区在后两种时间尺度上温度变化位相相反。以上这些变化型在近40年来的年际变化中同样发生。小冰期在不同时间尺度的第一特征向量的权重系数中均有明显表现。将中国温度变化与北半球和北极进行比较，发现它们变化非常类似，且以北半球和北级滞后中国温度20年时相关相关最好。     

ICE Particle Size and Shape Effect on Solar Energy Scattering Angular Distribution

The rare occurrence of te halos produced by cirrus ice crystals in nature has been investigated by modelling the incident solar (visible) light scattering angular distribution using the Monte Carlo/ray tracing method.The results show that the irregular shapes of ice crystals and large population of small ice particles in cirrus are responsible forthe rare occurrence of halos.     

The great Minoan eruption of Thera volcano and the ensuing tsunami in the Greek Archipelago

The eastern Mediterranean has been the cradle of many great civilizations. The history of the area consisted of glorious battles, heroic acts, and the rise and fall of great civilizations. But, sometimes, natural hazards became the cause for a new classification of the political, as well as of the military status quo of the region. The enormous eruption of the submarine volcano at the Greek island of Thera (Santorini) during the Bronze Age, around 1500 BC, is such a natural hazard. The tsunami generated by the eruption, literally wiped out the peace-loving Minoan civilization who inhabited the island of Crete. After the sea subsided, the configuration of the area was altered, and the decline of the Minoan principality on the Archipelago began. The present paper introduces evidence concerning the tsunami and states some of the after-effects which were partly responsible for the decline of the Minoan empire. All the information is gathered from historical sources and from recent research works. An effort has been made to include many of the theories introduced by various researchers through time concerning the event. Finally, information has been included from all known research, as well as from the author's own conclusions, in order to make the paper useful to future researchers.     

广西丹池成矿带芒场矿田岩浆岩源区特征及锆石U-Pb年龄分析

丹池成矿带是我国重要锡多金属成矿带,过去对丹池成矿带成岩成矿研究主要集中在大厂矿田及五圩矿田,而对丹池成矿带北部的芒场矿田岩浆作用时代、源区特征及其成矿性缺少分析。芒场矿田岩浆活动强烈,发育隐伏斑状花岗岩及有关的花岗斑岩脉和隐伏细粒花岗斑岩及有关的白云母花岗斑岩脉。本文分析花岗斑岩脉U-Pb年龄及花岗斑岩脉和白云母花岗斑岩脉主、微量元素组成,以探讨岩浆活动时代、岩浆源区特征及其成矿潜力。芒场矿田花岗斑岩脉锆石U-Pb年龄为89.1±0.9Ma (MSWD=0.9),和丹池成矿带内大厂矿田岩浆活动时代相近,表明丹池成矿带岩浆活动时代都发生于90Ma左右。白云母花岗斑岩脉具高A/CNK比值(2.69～2.88),含高铝硅酸盐矿物白云母及在Th-Rb图上沿S型花岗岩趋势线分布,和大厂矿田S型黑云母花岗岩的特征基本一致,表明其主要为S型花岗岩。花岗斑岩脉形成时代晚于白云母花岗斑岩脉,但其具有更低的SiO_2含量和更高的MgO、Fe_2O_3~T、CaO和TiO_2含量,且在SiO_2与TiO_2、Fe_2O_3~T、Al_2O_3和P_2O_5关系图中分布于不同区域,没有线性变化关系,显示两者不是同一岩浆结晶分异演化形成的,而为不同沉积变质岩部分熔融形成的。白云母花岗斑岩脉富Al_2O_3、K_2O、Rb、Cs、Sn、W、Nb和Ta,在Rb/Ba-Rb/Sr图上位于富粘土源区,为强风化作用形成的富粘土质富稀有金属源区部分熔融形成的产物。华南西部基底发育经强风化作用形成的富粘土质富稀有金属元素沉积变质源区,为华南西南缘大规模锡矿床的形成提供了物质基础。     

Assessment of potential transport of pollutants into the Barents Sea via sea ice--an observational approach

The present estimates of ice drift in the Arctic include utilization of satellite imagery data (special sensor microwave/imager) and a reconstruction of air pressure for the period 1899-1998. A significant part of the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has its origin in the Kara Sea and melts in the Greenland and the Barents Sea (BS). Consequently there may be a particular risk of pollutants in the Kara Sea entering the food webs of the Greenland and BS. The ice export from the Kara Sea between 1988 and 1994 was about 208,000 km2 (154 km3) per year. The import of ice into the BS was during the same period 161,000 km2 (183 km3) per year while the ice drift through the Fram Strait into the Greenland Sea was 583,000 km2 (1859 km3) per year. Ice which formed adjacent to the Ob and Yenisey rivers in early January, drifted into the BS within two years (with a probability of about 50%.     

Paleohydrology of Andean saline lakes from sedimentological and isotopic records, Northwestern Argentina

The paleohydrological evolution of several high altitude, saline lakes located in the southernmost Altiplano (El Peinado and San Francisco basins, Catamarca province, NW Argentina) was reconstructed applying sedimentological, geochemical and isotopic techniques. Several playa lakes from the San Francisco basin (26° 56 S; 68° 08 W, 3800-3900 m a.s.l.) show evidence of a recent raise in the watertable that led to modern deposition of carbonate and diatomaceous muds. A 2 m - long core from El Peinado Lake (26° 29 59 S, 68°05 32 W, 3820 m a.s.l.) consists of calcitic crusts (unit 3), overlaid by an alternation of macrophyte-rich and travertine clast- rich, laminated muds (unit 2), and topped by travertine facies (unit 1). This sedimentary sequence illustrates a paleohydrological evolution from a subaerial exposure (unit 3) to a high lake stand (unit 2), and a subsequent smaller decrease in lake level (unit 1). The ¹³C_{organic matter}record also reflects the lake transgression between units 3 and 2. Although there is a general positive correlation between ¹⁸O_carbonate and salinity proxies (Na, Li and B content), the large data dispersion indicates that other factors besides evaporation effects control chemical and isotopic composition of lakewater. Consequently, the oxygen isotopic composition cannot be interpreted exclusively as an indicator of salinity or evaporation ratio. The degassing of CO₂ during groundwater discharge can explain the enriched ¹³C values for primary carbonates precipitated. The carbon budget in these high altitude, saline lakes seems to be controlled by physical rather than biological processes.The Altiplano saline lakes contain records of environmental and climatic change, although accurate ¹⁴C dating of these lacustrine sediments is hindered by the scarcity of terrestrial organic material, and the large reservoir effects. Sedimentologic evidence, a ²¹⁰Pb-based chronology, and a preliminary U/Th chronology indicate a very large reservoir effect in El Peinado, likely as a result of old groundwaters and large contributions of volcanic and geothermal ¹⁴C-free CO₂ to the lake system. Alternative chronologies are needed to place these paleorecords in a reliable chronological framework. A period of increased water balance in the San Francisco basin ended at about 1660 ± 82 yr B.P. (calendar yr U/Th age), and would correlates with the humid phase between 3000 and 1800 yr B.P detected in other sites of the southern Altiplano. Both, ²¹⁰Pb and preliminary U/Th dating favor a younger age for the paleohydrological changes in El Peinado. The arid period reflected by subaerial exposure and low lake levels in unit 3 would have ended with a large increase in effective moisture during the late 17th century. The increased lake level during deposition of unit 2 would represent the period between AD1650 - 1900, synchronous to the Little Ice Age. This chronological framework is coherent with other regional records that show an abrupt transition from more arid to more humid conditions in the early 17th century, and a change to modern conditions in the late 19th century. Although there are local differences, the Little Ice Age stands as a significant climatic event in the Andean Altiplano.     

Humid Little Ice Age in arid central Asia documented by Bosten Lake, Xinjiang, China

Short sediment cores retrieved from Bosten Lake, the largest inland freshwater lake in China, were used to explore humidity and precipitation variations in arid central Asia during the past millennium. The chronology of the cores was established using 137Cs, 210Pb and AMS 14C dating re- sults. Multi-proxy high-resolution analysis, including pollen ratios of Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae (A/C), carbonate content and grain size, indicates that the climate during the past millennium can be divided into three stages: a dry climate between 1000―1500 AD, a humid climate during the Little Ice Age (LIA) (c. 1500―1900 AD), and a warm dry period after 1900 AD. On centennial timescales, the climate change in northwestern China during the past 1000 years is characterized by oscillations between warm-dry and cold-humid climate conditions. All the proxies changed significantly and indi- cate increased precipitation during the LIA, including increased pollen A/C ratios and pollen concen- trations, decreased carbonate content and increased grain size. The humid period during the LIA re- corded by the Bosten Lake sediments is representative of arid central Asia and is supported by nu- merous records from other sites. During the LIA, the water runoff into the Keriya River and Tarim River in the Tarim Basin increased, while the ice accumulation in the Guliya ice core increased. Additionally, the lake levels of the Aral and Caspian Sea also rose, while tree-ring analysis indicates that precipita- tion increased. We hypothesize that both the lower temperature within China and the negative anomalies of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during this period may have contributed to the humid climate within this area during LIA.