A note on some early radiosonde temperature observations in the Antarctic lower stratosphere

The behaviour of the Southern Hemisphere stratosphere has attracted considerable interest, and been compared with the Northern Hemisphere, since the International Geophysical Year (1957–58) when the sudden (explosive or accelerated) springtime warming phenomenon in the Antarctic was first observed. Over the years studies of upper air temperature and wind observations have been made, principally through the spring months when the polar vortex breakdown occurs, utilising both ground-based (rawinsonde, rocket) and more recently, satellite-derived data. Although the radiosonde-derived temperature data are limited both by the number of reporting stations, and the practical difficulty of securing observations much above the 100 hPa level, useful records exist from 1956 or 1957. These have shown that in the 1959 southern spring, the lower stratosphere was relatively colder, and the warming rate through the season was essentially more regular, with little evidence of the marked but short-lived temperature fluctuations usually found. Similar, but not quite such wide-spread conditions occurred again in the 1961 spring. In another study, 30 hPa temperature fields over the Antarctic continent, which could be drawn for the 1967 spring, showed the complexity of the polar vortex breakdown. These features are recalled because extension of the 100 hPa springtime temperature series for the Australian Antarctic station at Casey (66.3°S, 110.5°E) shows that in 1985 and part of 1986, the temperature behaviour there was similar to, but not quite so extreme as that which occurred at Mirny (66.5°S, 93.0°E) in 1959.     

Late Quaternary record of sea-level changes in the Antarctic

The Late Quaternary sediment sequence of the continental margin in the eastern Weddell Sea is well suited for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Two cores from the upper slope, which contain the sedimentary record of the last 300 ky, have been sedimentologically investigated. Age models are based on lithostratigraphy and are correlated with the stable isotope record. As a result of a detailed analysis of the clay mineral composition, grain size distributions and structures, this sedimentary record provides the first marine evidence that the Antarctic ice sheet extended to the shelf edge during the last glacial.The variations in volume and size of the ice sheet were also simulated in numerical models. Changes in accumulation rate and ice temperature are of some importance, but the model revealed that fluctuations are primarily driven by changes in eustatic sea-level and that the ice edge extended to the shelf edge during the last glacial maximum. This causal relationship implies that the maximum ice extension strongly depends on the magnitude and duration of the sea-level depression during a glacial period. The results of the sedimentological investigations and of the numerical models show that the Antarctic ice sheet follows glacial events in the northern hemisphere by teleconnections of sea level. Correspondence to: H. Grobe     

南北两极海冰的涛动关系

本文将南极海冰分为４个区：ＳＰＩ１（０°－１２０°Ｅ），东南极海冰；ＳＰＩ２（１２０°Ｅ－１２０°Ｗ），以罗斯海为主体的海冰区；ＳＰＩ３（１２０°Ｗ－０°），以威德尔海为主体的海冰区；ＳＰＩ４，全南极海冰区。北极海冰区分为３个区：ＮＰＩ１（９０°Ｅ－１８０°－９０°Ｗ），太平洋侧冰区；ＮＰＩ２（９０°Ｗ－０°－９０°Ｅ），大西洋侧冰区；ＮＰＩ３，全北极冰区。本文使用了ＷＤＣ－Ａ的ＳＩＧＲＩＤ海冰资料，以分析南极和北极各冰区之间的相互关系。发现两极各冰区之间存在着非常复杂的相互作用。其中最突出的特征是：两极海冰之间相互作用的振源是ＮＰＩ２。ＳＰＩ３是影响南极海冰的正反馈中心。ＳＰＩ２则是南北两极海冰的负反馈中心。ＮＰＩ２，ＳＰＩ３和ＳＰＩ２之间的相互作用最强，形成涛动关系。这种涛动关系不是同时期的，而是有较长的滞后时间差。两极海冰形成周期变化，其周期为５－６年，正与ＮＰＩ２和ＳＰＩ３自身变化周期一致。另外还有更长的循环周期９－１１年     

Radiometric dating of lake sediments from Signy Island (maritime Antarctic): evidence of recent climatic change

Sediment cores from three lakes (Moss, Sombre and Heywood) in the maritime Antarctic (Signy Island, South Orkney Islands) have been successfully dated radiometrically by²¹⁰Pb and¹³⁷Cs. The core inventories of both fallout radionuclides are an order of magnitude higher than that which can be supported by the direct atmospheric flux at this latitude. The elevated values may be explained by fallout onto the catchment during the winter being delivered directly to the lakes during the annual thaw. Two of the lakes (Sombre and Heywood) show marked increases in sediment accumulation afterc. 1950. This appears to be associated with a documented rise in temperature in the South Orkney Islands, which has caused extensive deglaciation at Signy Island.This is the tenth of a series of papers to be published by this journal following the 20 ^th anniversary of the first application of²¹⁰Pb dating of lake sediments. Dr P.G. Appleby is guest editing this series.     

南极地区小象幅航测内业成图

本文阐述了用１２０型非量测相机对南极中山站地区所摄制的１４００００小象幅航片制作１５０００地形图、正射像片图及１１００００地形图的原理、方法和精度。在外定向中适当增加控制点及考虑到加入适当的权的情况下，其外定向最大对点误差平面为２．２ｍ，高程为１．２ｍ。所制作的正射像片图和相应的地形图套合中误差为０．１４ｍｍ。其结果完全可满足南极科研、考察的要求     

中国南极信息系统总体框架的构想与研究

本文根据现实需求和所面临的国际环境,以系统论、信息论、控制论为基本立足点,探讨了中国南极信息系统(CAIS)总体框架的构想以及如何建立CAIS的若干问题。文中阐述了建设CAIS与南极信息资源管理(AIRM)之间相辅相承的关系;描述了CAIS的概念结构和基本结构的框架模型;研究了总体框架及系统的基本特征;分析了基本结构的层次性和相关性。针对易造成信息系统脆弱性的各种问题,讨论了需采用的技术、研究方法、开发策略、应遵循的基本规律,指出CAIS的第一个实践目标是开发与编写基于ADIF(南极目录交换用格式)的南极数据目录和南极主题词表。     

Extremely low temperatures in the stratosphore and very low total ozone amount above northern and central Europe during winter 1989

On 1 February 1989, -83.5°C was recorded in 27.8 hPa over Hohenpeißenberg, the lowest temperature in the 22-year series. This was measured together with a very low total ozone amount of 266 DU. This may be compared with nearly twice this amount on 27 February 1989. The situation was very unusual: following an extremely cold winter in the Arctic stratosphere, the stratospheric cold pole was located over southern Scandinavia on 1 February in a very southerly position. The analyzed temperatures of -92 °C in 30 hPa were also unusual. Even though the low ozone amounts over Hohenpeißenberg were probably dynamically caused, an additional very small ozone decrease due to heterogeneous reactions in altitudes from 23–28 km, where the temperatures lie below -80 °C, cannot be ruled out. Extinction measurements by the orbitting SAGE II instrument indeed show polar stratospheric clouds over Europe near 50° N during the period 31 January–2 February. Also, polar stratospheric clouds were previously observed over Kiruna at similarly low temperatures and signs of a corresponding small ozone decrease were noted there.     

七月大气环流对南极海冰异常的响应

本文用一个全球大气九层谱模式，模拟了七月份南极两个不同海区海冰区异常对大气环流的影响。主要讨论了大气环流对南极海冰异常存在的局地性的及全球性的响应。细致分析了二个区域极冰异常导致的南北半球低频波列分布的差异，以及它们对热带区域及亚洲季风区降水、越赤道气流的不同影响。最后则依据我们的模拟结果，讨论了南极海冰异常影响全球大气环流的动力学机制。     

Structures caused by repeated freezing and thawing in various loamy sediments: A comparison of active,fossil and experimental data

In this paper, the authors present the results of both macroscopic and microscopic investigations on structure development created by repeated ice lensing in various loamy experiments. Experimental data are compared with observations performed on active forms in High Arctic and Alpine Mountain environments. Those observations are also compared with phenomena observed in fossil periglacial formations of Western Europe. Platy and short prismatic structure formation is bonded to the hydraulic and thermal conditions during ice segregation. When a long series of alternating freezing and thawing affects platy structures, the fabric evolves, also being influenced by slope and drainage conditions: cryoturbations, frostcreep, and gelifluction can appear. They are characterized by specific microfabrics which are better developed with an increasing number of cycles: this is clear in experiments where hydraulic and thermal parameters are better controlled. Vesicles are also a prominent characteristic of the surface horizon in experiments and arctic soils. The genesis of vesicles is discussed on the basis of new observations and is related to the mechanical collapse of frost-created aggregates under the mechanical work of soil air escape during soil saturation by water at thaw.