Storminess and vulnerability along the Atlantic coastlines of Europe: analysis of storm records and of a greenhouse gases induced climate scenario

Identification of the distinctive circulation patterns of storminess on the Atlantic margin of Europe forms the main objective of this study; dealing with storm frequency, intensity and tracking. The climatology of the extratropical cyclones that affect this region has been examined for the period 1940–1998. Coastal meteorological data from Ireland to Spain have been linked to the cyclone history for the North Atlantic in the analysis of storm records for European coasts. The study examines the evolution in the occurrence of storms since the 1940s and also their relationship with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Results indicate a seasonal shift in the wind climate, with regionally more severe winters and calmer summers established. This pattern appears to be linked to a northward displacement in the main North Atlantic cyclone track.

An experiment with the ECHAM4 A-GCM at high resolution (T106) has also been used to model the effect of a greenhouse gases induced warming climate on the climatology of coastal storms in the region. The experiment consists of (1), a 30-year control time-slice representing present-day equivalent CO₂ concentrations and (2), a 30-year perturbed period corresponding to a time when the radiative forcing has doubled in terms of equivalent CO₂ concentrations. The boundary conditions have been obtained from an atmosphere-ocean coupled OA-GCM simulation at low horizontal resolution. An algorithm was developed to allow the identification of individual cyclone movements in selected coastal zones. For most of the northern part of the study region, covering Ireland and Scotland, results describe the establishment by ca. 2060 of a tendency for fewer but more intense storms.

The impacts of these changes in storminess for the vulnerability of European Atlantic coasts are considered. For low-lying, exposed and ‘soft’ sedimentary coasts, as in Ireland, these changes in storminess are likely to result in significant localised increases in coastal erosion.     

Persistent volcanic signature observed around Barren Island, Andaman Sea, India

This study delineates the formation of a warm pool (>34°C) of air to the west (downwind) of the active volcano of the Barren Island during October–November 2005. Barren Island is located in the Sumatra–Andaman region, about 135 km east of Port Blair, and lies within the Burma microplate, the southern tip of which experienced a submarine earthquake (M _w 9.3) causing a tsunami in December 2004. Barren Island is the only volcano, which has shown sustained eruptive activity since shortly after the Great Sumatran Earthquake of December 2004. Our observations require further corroboration to relate how submarine earthquakes activate volcanoes and how far these thermal emissions influence climate changes. Because it links global warming and climate changes to the frequent emissions from a volcano activated by submarine earthquakes, this case study is of special interest to the earth-ocean-atmosphere sciences community.     

Water temperature behaviour in the River Loire since 1976 and 1881

Analysis of monthly mean river temperatures, recorded on an hourly basis in the middle reaches of the Loire since 1976, allows reconstruction by multiple linear regression of the annual, spring and summer water temperatures from equivalent information on air temperatures and river discharge. Since 1881, the average annual and summer temperatures of the Loire have risen by approximately 0.8?°C, this increase accelerating since the late 1980s due to the rise in air temperature and also to lower discharge rates. In addition, the thermal regime in the Orleans to Blois reach is considerably affected by the inflow of groundwater from the Calcaires de Beauce aquifer, as shown by the summer energy balance. To cite this article: F. Moatar, J. Gailhard, C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

全球氦气勘探开发进展与利用现状

【研究目的】 由于氦气具有独特的物理特性,在科学研究、医学和高科技行业的用途越来越广泛。寻找更多的氦气资源,满足市场需求,是地质行业的责任。【研究方法】 按照统计分析原则,对全球氦气勘探成果与供需形势进行梳理、总结。【研究结果】 全球氦气资源分布极不均匀,主要氦气供应国为美国、卡塔尔、俄罗斯等。近期,许多公司开始在北美地区、俄罗斯、卡塔尔、坦桑尼亚等地开展氦气的勘探开发,其中北美部分地区的氦气资源位于富含氮气的储层中,具有广阔的开发前景,全球氦气勘探活动掀起新一轮热潮。【结论】 2021年全球氦市场出现供应缺口,当今全球氦气需求的增长开始转向亚洲和中东。建议高度重视氦气不可再生性和不可替代性,开展氦气资源潜力评价工程,勘查国内非烃类氦气矿床前景,加强国际合作,开展国内氦气储备地下空间评价与选址工作,增强中国的氦气储备能力。     

大地震纬向分布的基本规律与动力学解释

统计了 1 90 0～ 1 999年全球大地震 (M≥ 7.0 )的纬向分布 ,进一步证实了全球大地震的分布的确存在不对称问题 ,北、南半球大地震发生的次数不对称 ,北半球多 ,南半球少 ;二个半球大地震集中分布的区域不对称 ,北半球大地震集中分布的区域为 1 5°～ 55°,南半球集中分布的区域为 0°～ 35°;北半球有 3个明显的大地震分布区间 ,即 1 5°～ 2 0°,35°～ 45°,50°～ 55°;两极地区无大地震。并且导出了计算日、月对地壳纬向水平引潮力达到极值的计算公式 ,根据日、月水平引潮力达到极值时的纬度分布的规律 ,较好地解释了全球大地震分布的不对称问题     

利用哈佛CMT目录研究全球Ⅰ级构造系统的地震活动

地震是描述地壳现今构造带和应力场的最佳信息源,包含了全面而又丰富的动力学内涵。根据全球地震的分布及其运动学、动力学特征,全球最活动的构造被划分为环太平洋构造系、大洋中脊构造系和大陆构造系等 3个全球Ⅰ级构造系统。文中应用包含多种参数的哈佛CMT地震目录,研究了全球及其 3个Ⅰ级构造系统的地震震源破裂类型、地震活动特征、震源深度分布特征等,讨论了三大构造系在这些方面存在的差别,进而说明了各个构造系在构造环境和动力作用方面的差别     

遥感分景数据的剖分索引模型

随着空间技术和对地观测技术的飞速发展,海量遥感影像索引成为目前国内外学术界和应用部门面临的一大难题,地球剖分系统的产生为这一难题的解决开辟了新的途径。本文首先研究了遥感分景数据的特征和EMD全球剖分的特征,然后针对现有遥感影像数据索引方法的不足,提出了基于EMD剖分系统的三种索引模型:基于影像—面片映射关系的索引模型、基于EMD数据模型的索引和剖分数据标识索引模型,从三个不同的方面探讨了解决索引问题的方法和思路。并给出了利用遥感分景数据的剖分索引模型对线状对象和面状对象进行索引应用的实例。遥感分景数据的剖分索引模型的建立为遥感影像数据的高效存储和索引提供了一种有益的新思路。     

基于VisIt的全球科学数据并行可视化——以大气温度场为例

针对当前大规模全球科学数据可视化中存在的单机可视化数据量有限、从底层开发并行可视化系统难度大等问题,该文基于分布式环境和VisIt,提出了一种简便、开放而又有效的大规模全球科学数据可视化方法。介绍了VisIt的体系结构及运行机制,给出了自定义数据的并行可视化方法;并基于NCEP数据集及全球空间格网,在小规模集群环境下实现了小粒度适应性球体退化八叉树格网(SDOG)下的全球大气温度场的并行可视化。VisIt的并行可视化性能测试结果表明:通过增加计算节点,VisIt能有效摆脱传统单机可视化对数据量的限制,可实现大规模全球科学数据的并行可视化。     

山地环境系统研究新框架

20世纪80年代,地球系统科学概念开始出现,同时期全球变化研究迅速展开,可持续发展理念提出并获得广泛认同,这些都为山地环境系统研究提供了新的发展契机.当前,全球山地环境系统研究面临两大问题:山地环境变化和山区发展挑战.国际上围绕山地环境系统研究,逐渐形成若干清晰的主题,包括山地构造地貌和山地气候地貌,山地灾害在山地环境演化过程中的作用,山地(及流域)环境系统生物地球化学循环,山地全球变化和人类活动的影响与适应等.对于我国山地研究来说,核心科学问题是:我国山地环境系统是如何响应不同时间尺度全球变化和日益加剧的人类活动的影响?在此背景下如何构筑我国山区可持续发展的根本战略和支撑战略?对此核心问题的全面深入研究,将有望使我国山地环境研究水平提高到一个新的更高层次,并占据国际山地研究领域中不可替代的重要位置.为此,我们提出,以我国山地环境大断面研究为抓手,以梯度格局、系统关联和区域差异等为研究切入点,在山地环境系统的格局、干扰、过程、响应和适应研究等方面有所突破,促成我国山地环境系统研究新框架的形成,为世界山地研究做出我们应有的贡献.     

气候变暖对云南烤烟生产影响的初步分析

通过对云南6个烤烟种植区35 a来烤烟大田生长期气温资料的初步分析发现:云南省6个烤烟生产区烤烟大田生长季平均气温呈明显升高趋势,热量条件有较明显的改善;各烟区烤烟成熟—采烤期气候变暖趋势一致性好、增温最突出、增幅最大,增温幅度达到了0.0155~0.0356℃/a,这在一定程度上缓和了云南省烤烟生产过程中烤烟生长中、后期高温不足这一制约云南烤烟品质提高的气候瓶颈问题,对提高云南省烟叶品质有十分重要的促进作用。