Global air-sea surface carbon dioxide transfer velocity and flux estimated using 17 a altimeter data and a new algorithm

The global distributions of the air-sea CO2 transfer velocity and flux are retrieved from TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason altimeter data from October 1992 to December 2009 using a combined algorithm. The 17 a average global, area-weighted, Schmidt number-corrected mean gas transfer velocity is 21.26 cm/h, and the full exploration of the uncertainty of this estimate awaits further data. The average total CO2 flux （calculated by carbon） from atmosphere to ocean during the 17 a was 2.58 Pg/a. The highest transfer velocity is in the circumpolar current area, because of constant high wind speeds and currents there. This results in strong CO2 fluxes. CO2 fluxes are strong but opposite direction in the equatorial east Pacific Ocean, because the air-sea CO2 partial pressure difference is the largest in the global cceans. The results differ from the previous studies calculated using the wind speed. It is demonstrated that the air-sea transfer velocity is very important for estimating air-sea CO2 flux. It is critical to have an accurate estimation for improving calculation of CO2 flux within climate change studies.     

Surface latent heat flux anomalies preceding inland earthquakes in China

Using data from the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), the paper analyzed the surface latent heat flux (SLHF) variations for five inland earthquakes occurred in some lake area, moist area and arid area of China during recent years. We used the SLHF daily and monthly data to differentiate the global and seasonal variability from the transient local anomalies. The temporal scale of the observed variations is 1-2 months before and after the earthquakes, and spatial scale is about 10°×10°. The result suggests that the SLHFs adjacent the epicenters all are anomalous high value (>μ+2σ) 8-30 days before the shocks as compared with past several years of data. Different from the abnormal meteorological phenomenon, the distribution of the anomalies was isolated and local, which usually occurred in the epicenter and its adjacent area, or along the fault lines. The increase of SLHF was tightly related with the season which the earthquake occurs in; the maximal (125 W/m², Pu'er earthquake) and minimal (25 W/m², Gaize earthquake) anomalies were in summer and winter, respectively. The abundant surface water and groundwater in the epicenter and its adjacent region can provide necessary condition for the change of SLHF. To further confirm the reliability of SLHF anomaly, it is necessary to explore its physical mechanism in depth by more earthquake cases.     

The assessment of weathering stages in granites using an EC/pH meter

The sidewall effects of a wind tunnel on aeolian sand transport were investigated experimentally. A wind tunnel was used to conduct the experiments with a given channel height of 120 cm and varying widths (B) of 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 cm. Both vertical profiles of wind velocity and sand mass flux were measured at different locations across the test section. The results show that the wind velocity with saltation first increases and then decreases to a minimum, from the sidewall to the central line of the wind tunnel. The discrepancy among wind velocities at different locations of the transverse section decreases with decreasing tunnel width. The wind friction velocity across the wind tunnel floor, with the exception of the region closest to the sidewalls, does not deviate strongly in wide wind tunnels from that along the central line, whereas it does vary in narrow tunnels. The sand mass fluxes, with the exception of some near-bed regions, are larger along the central line of the wind tunnel than they are at the quarter width location from the sidewall. Unlikely previously reported results, the dimensionless sand transport rate, Qg / (ρu³) (where Q is the total sand transport rate, g is the gravitational acceleration constant, ρ is the air density, and u is the wind friction velocity), first decreases and then increases with the dimensionless friction velocity, u / u_t (where u_t is the threshold friction velocity). The above differences may be attributed to the sidewall effects of the wind tunnel. A dimensionless parameter, F_B = u / (gB)^1/2, is defined to reflect the sidewall effects on aeolian sand transport. The flows with F_B of 0.33 or less may be free from the sidewall effects of the wind tunnel and can ensure accurate saltation tunnel simulation.     

New insights into the spatial variability of the surface water carbon dioxide in varying sea ice conditions in the Arctic Ocean

In the summer of 2005, continuous surface water measurements of fugacity of CO₂ (fCO₂^sw), salinity and temperature were performed onboard the IB Oden along the Northwest Passage from Cape Farwell (South Greenland) to the Chukchi Sea. The aim was to investigate the importance of sea ice and river runoff on the spatial variability of fCO₂ and the sea–air CO₂ fluxes in the Arctic Ocean. Additional data was obtained from measurements of total alkalinity (A_T) by discrete surface water and water column sampling in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), on the Mackenzie shelf, and in the Bering Strait. The linear relationship between A_T and salinity was used to evaluate and calculate the relative fractions of sea ice melt water and river runoff along the cruise track. High-frequency fCO₂^sw data showed rapid changes, due to variable sea ice conditions, freshwater addition, physical upwelling and biological processes. The fCO₂^sw varied between 102 and 678 μatm. Under the sea ice in the CAA and the northern Chukchi Sea, fCO₂^sw were largely CO₂ undersaturated of approximately 100 μatm lower than the atmospheric level. This suggested CO₂ uptake by biological production and limited sea–air CO₂ gas exchange due to the ice cover. In open areas, such as the relatively fresh water of the Mackenzie shelf and the Bering Strait, the fCO₂^sw values were close to the atmospheric CO₂ level. Upwelling of saline and relatively warm water at the Cape Bathurst caused a dramatic fCO₂^sw increase of about 100 μatm relative to the values in the CAA. At the southern part of the Chukchi Peninsula we found the highest fCO₂^sw values and the water was CO₂ supersaturated, likely due to upwelling. In the study area, the calculated sea–air CO₂ flux varied between an oceanic CO₂ sink of 140 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ and an oceanic source of 18 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹. However, in the CAA and the northern Chukchi Sea, the sea ice cover prevented gas exchange, and the CO₂ fluxes were probably negligible at this time of the year. Assuming that the water was exposed to the atmosphere by total melting and gas exchange would be the only process, the CO₂ undersaturated water in the ice-covered areas will not have the time to reach the atmospheric CO₂ value, before the formation of new sea ice. This study highlights the value of using high-frequency measurements to gain increased insight into the variable and complex conditions, encountered on the shelves in the Arctic Ocean.     

Dynamics of algae growth and nutrients in experimental enclosures culturing bighead carp and common carp:Phosphorus dynamics

This is the third paper of the series about “Dynamics of algae growth and nutrients in experimental enclosures culturing bighead carp and common carp”. In this paper, phosphorus dynamics were inves-tigated under the condition of culturing bighead carp and common carp with added fish food (nitrogen dynamics is discussed in the second paper because their behaviors are so different from each other). Nearly fifty days’ observation results indicated that the reservoir water was typical of “phosphorus limited” water, and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) was the main constituent of measured total phosphorus (TP). The presence of fish food resulted in significantly higher SRP, dissolved total phos-phorus (DTP) and TP concentrations in contrast with the reservoir water. Moreover, continuous supply of fish food led to the decline of total nitrogen to total phosphorus (TN:TP) from more than 100 to less than 5. Variations in the ratio of TN to TP favored the growth of blue-green algae. Fish species affected phosphorus concentrations, and culturing bait-eating common carp contributed more to reducing the SRP, DTP and TP concentrations than culturing planktivorous bighead carp. 0.5%, 4.1%and 3.1%TP can be removed in enclosures with culturing bighead carp, common carp and mixed bighead carp and common carp, respectively. Abundant phosphorus in the fish culturing activities may be present as the uneaten food, algae cells, and within the water column and sediment, which should be taken into serious con-sideration for the target of future water eutrophication prevention and safety of the drinking water supply.     

Enhanced modeling of latent heat flux from urban surfaces in the Noah/single-layer urban canopy coupled model

The numerical modeling of the impacts of urban buildings in mesoscale meteorological models has gradually improved in recent years. Correctly representing the latent heat flux from urban surfaces is a key issue in urban land-atmosphere coupling studies but is a common weakness in current urban canopy models. Using the surface energy balance data at a height of 140 m from a 325 m meteorological tower in Beijing, we conducted a 1-year continuous off-line simulation by using a coupled land surface model and a single-layer urban canopy model and found that this model has a relatively large systematic error for simulated latent heat flux. To improve the numerical method for modeling latent heat flux from urban surfaces, we combined observational analysis and urban land surface model to derive an oasis effect coefficient for urban green areas; to develop a temporal variation formula for water availability in urban impervious surfaces; and to specify a diurnal profile and the maximum values of anthropogenic latent heat release for four seasons. These results are directly incorporated into the urban land surface model to improve model performance. In addition, this method serves as a reference for studies in other urban areas.     

基于涡动相关仪验证的SEBS模型对黑河中游地表蒸散发的估算研究

在我国西北干旱和半干旱地区, 农业收获主要依靠灌溉保证, 灌溉绿洲的蒸散发(ET)是当地水资源的主要消耗. 通过遥感估算区域灌溉绿洲的ET对于地区合理利用水资源极其重要, 利用MODIS/Terra 影像, 基于物理过程的地表能量平衡模型(SEBS), 结合WRF模式输出的气候驱动数据和地面观测数据来估算黑河中游地区的地表通量和日蒸散发(ET_daily). 估算的ET用不同下垫面的涡动相关仪观测数据进行验证, 结果显示: SEBS模型估算的不同下垫面的ET_daily具有很好的拟合效果(R²=0.96, P<0.001), 在灌溉绿洲估算的ET_daily比实测值偏高, 说明干旱、半干旱地区灌溉绿洲土壤水分胁迫是影响ET的主要因素. 模型估算绿洲作物生长期间的ET_daily和实测的ET_daily平均相对误差为12.5%, 精度在观测的能量不闭合误差以内且精度比戈壁和沙漠地区高.     

全球大洋季节内尺度上海-气相互作用特征分析

判定局地海-气相互作用的特征对海-气耦合模式中应用哪种形式的“强迫模拟”具有重要指导作用。本文根据海表热通量异常与海表温度异常及海表温度变率之间的相关关系,对全球大洋季节内尺度上的海-气相互作用特征进行了综合分析。结果表明:(1)南、北半球亚热带地区海-气相互作用的特征主要表现为大气对海洋的强迫,且在夏季(北半球为6—8月,南半球为12—翌年2月)强迫作用的范围最大,冬季强迫作用的范围最小;(2)赤道中、东太平洋及赤道大西洋地区海-气相互作用的特征全年表现为海洋对大气的强迫,印度洋索马里沿岸、阿拉伯海以及孟加拉湾地区仅在6—8月表现出海洋强迫大气的现象,而孟加拉湾则在9—11月表现为大气强迫海洋;(3)45°N(S)以上的高纬度地区海表温度的异常和变率无法用局地热通量的交换来解释,这是因为该区域海表温度的变化主要由平流等海洋内部动力过程决定,因此海-气之间在季节内尺度上的相互作用不明显。在某些海区,季节内尺度上的海-气相互作用关系与季节以上时间尺度的这种关系可能会有明显不同。