Evolution of the variability of surface temperature and vegetation density in the great plains

This study focuses on how the variability of land surface temperature and vegetation density at the SGP ARM-CART site changes over episodic (day to day) and seasonal time scales using AVHRR satellite data. Four drying periods throughout the year are analyzed. Land surface temperature had an erratic relationship with time exhibiting no deterministic pattern from day-to-day or season-to-season. Furthermore, it did not exhibit spatial pattern persistence. On the other hand, vegetation density had a consistent spatial pattern and temporal decay during average length drying periods (less than 7 days) as well as within a season. However, there were distinct differences in the seasonal pattern of variation between winter and growing seasons. In addition, the paper highlights a methodology to quantify the relationships that exist at the land surface between the primary parameter of interest and the controlling variables.     

Laboratory simulation of the salt weathering of schist: II. Fragmentation of fine schist particles

Recent developments in long term landform evolution modelling have created a new demand for quantitative salt weathering data, and in particular data describing the size distribution of the weathered rock fragments. To enable future development of rock breakdown models for use in landscape evolution and soil production models, laboratory work was undertaken to extend existing schist/salt weathering fragmentation studies to include an examination of the breakdown of sub‐millimetre quartz chlorite schist particles in a seasonally wet tropical climate. Laser particle sizing was used to assess the impact of different experimental procedures on the resulting particle size distribution. The results reveal that salt weathering under a range of realistic simulated tropical wet season conditions produces a significant degree of schist particle breakdown. The fragmentation of the schist is characterized by splitting of the larger fragments into mid‐sized product with finer material produced, possibly from the breakdown of mid‐sized fragments when weathering is more advanced. Salinity, the salt addition method and temperature were all found to affect weathering rates. Subtle differences in mineralogy also produce variations in weathering patterns and rates. It is also shown that an increase in drying temperature leads to accelerated weathering rates, however, the geometry of the fracture process is not significantly affected. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long‐term landscape evolution: linking tectonics and surface processes

Research in landscape evolution over millions to tens of millions of years slowed considerably in the mid‐20th century, when Davisian and other approaches to geomorphology were replaced by functional, morphometric and ultimately process‐based approaches. Hack's scheme of dynamic equilibrium in landscape evolution was perhaps the major theoretical contribution to long‐term landscape evolution between the 1950s and about 1990, but it essentially ‘looked back’ to Davis for its springboard to a viewpoint contrary to that of Davis, as did less widely known schemes, such as Crickmay's hypothesis of unequal activity. Since about 1990, the field of long‐term landscape evolution has blossomed again, stimulated by the plate tectonics revolution and its re‐forging of the link between tectonics and topography, and by the development of numerical models that explore the links between tectonic processes and surface processes. This numerical modelling of landscape evolution has been built around formulation of bedrock river processes and slope processes, and has mostly focused on high‐elevation passive continental margins and convergent zones; these models now routinely include flexural and denudational isostasy. Major breakthroughs in analytical and geochronological techniques have been of profound relevance to all of the above. Low‐temperature thermochronology, and in particular apatite fission track analysis and (U–Th)/He analysis in apatite, have enabled rates of rock uplift and denudational exhumation from relatively shallow crustal depths (up to about 4 km) to be determined directly from, in effect, rock hand specimens. In a few situations, (U–Th)/He analysis has been used to determine the antiquity of major, long‐wavelength topography. Cosmogenic isotope analysis has enabled the determination of the ‘ages’ of bedrock and sedimentary surfaces, and/or the rates of denudation of these surfaces. These latter advances represent in some ways a ‘holy grail’ in geomorphology in that they enable determination of ‘dates and rates’ of geomorphological processes directly from rock surfaces. The increasing availability of analytical techniques such as cosmogenic isotope analysis should mean that much larger data sets become possible and lead to more sophisticated analyses, such as probability density functions (PDFs) of cosmogenic ages and even of cosmogenic isotope concentrations (CICs). PDFs of isotope concentrations must be a function of catchment area geomorphology (including tectonics) and it is at least theoretically possible to infer aspects of source area geomorphology and geomorphological processes from PDFs of CICs in sediments (‘detrital CICs’). Thus it may be possible to use PDFs of detrital CICs in basin sediments as a tool to infer aspects of the sediments' source area geomorphology and tectonics, complementing the standard sedimentological textural and compositional approaches to such issues. One of the most stimulating of recent conceptual advances has followed the considerations of the relationships between tectonics, climate and surface processes and especially the recognition of the importance of denudational isostasy in driving rock uplift (i.e. in driving tectonics and crustal processes). Attention has been focused very directly on surface processes and on the ways in which they may ‘drive’ rock uplift and thus even influence sub‐surface crustal conditions, such as pressure and temperature. Consequently, the broader geoscience communities are looking to geomorphologists to provide more detailed information on rates and processes of bedrock channel incision, as well as on catchment responses to such bedrock channel processes. More sophisticated numerical models of processes in bedrock channels and on their flanking hillslopes are required. In current numerical models of long‐term evolution of hillslopes and interfluves, for example, the simple dependency on slope of both the fluvial and hillslope components of these models means that a Davisian‐type of landscape evolution characterized by slope lowering is inevitably ‘confirmed’ by the models. In numerical modelling, the next advances will require better parameterized algorithms for hillslope processes, and more sophisticated formulations of bedrock channel incision processes, incorporating, for example, the effects of sediment shielding of the bed. Such increasing sophistication must be matched by careful assessment and testing of model outputs using pre‐established criteria and tests. Confirmation by these more sophisticated Davisian‐type numerical models of slope lowering under conditions of tectonic stability (no active rock uplift), and of constant slope angle and steady‐state landscape under conditions of ongoing rock uplift, will indicate that the Davis and Hack models are not mutually exclusive. A Hack‐type model (or a variant of it, incorporating slope adjustment to rock strength rather than to regolith strength) will apply to active settings where there is sufficient stream power and/or sediment flux for channels to incise at the rate of rock uplift. Post‐orogenic settings of decreased (or zero) active rock uplift would be characterized by a Davisian scheme of declining slope angles and non‐steady‐state (or transient) landscapes. Such post‐orogenic landscapes deserve much more attention than they have received of late, not least because the intriguing questions they pose about the preservation of ancient landscapes were hinted at in passing in the 1960s and have recently re‐surfaced. As we begin to ask again some of the grand questions that lay at the heart of geomorphology in its earliest days, large‐scale geomorphology is on the threshold of another ‘golden’ era to match that of the first half of the 20th century, when cyclical approaches underpinned virtually all geomorphological work. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sandstone response to salt weathering following simulated fire damage: a comparison of the effects of furnace heating and fire

Fire has long been recognized as an agent of rock weathering. Our understanding of the impact of fire on stone comes either from early anecdotal evidence, or from more recent laboratory simulation studies, using furnaces to simulate the effects of fire. This paper suggests that knowledge derived from simulated heating experiments is based on the pre‐conceptions of the experiment designer – when using a furnace to simulate fire, the operator decides on the maximum temperature and the duration of the experiment. These are key factors in determining the response of the stone to fire, and if these are removed from real‐world observations then knowledge based on these simulations must be questioned. To explore the differences between heating sandstone in a furnace and a real fire, sample blocks of Peakmoor Sandstone were subjected to different stress histories in combination (lime rendering and removal, furnace heating or fire, frost and salt weathering). Block response to furnace heating and fire is discussed, with emphasis placed on the non‐uniformity of the fire and of block response to fire in contrast to the uniform response to surface heating in a furnace. Subsequent response to salt weathering (by a 10% solution of sodium chloride and magnesium sulphate) was then monitored by weight loss. Blocks that had experienced fire showed a more unpredictable response to salt weathering than those that had undergone furnace heating – spalling of corners and rapid catastrophic weight loss were evidenced in blocks that had been subjected to fire, after periods of relative quiescence. An important physical side‐effect of the fire was soot accumulation, which created a waxy, relatively impermeable layer on some blocks. This layer repelled water and hindered salt ingress, but eventually detached when salt, able to enter the substrate through more permeable areas, concentrated and crystallized behind it, resulting in rapid weight loss and accelerated decay. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical experiments on the generation of long ocean waves in coastal waters of the Buenos Aires province,Argentina

A numerical model (two horizontal dimensions, vertically integrated) is used to investigate the generation of long ocean waves, ranging from 20 min to almost 2 h, at Buenos Aires continental shelf. The domain includes the Río de la Plata estuary and the continental shelf together and extends from 33.5° to 40.5°S latitude, and from 51° to 63°W longitude. Sea-level oscillations are modeled by forcing with passage of atmospheric cold fronts and atmospheric gravity waves. Both forcing mechanisms, which have been present during high activity lapses of long ocean waves, are mathematically implemented. After several numerical simulations, it is concluded that the pressure and wind fields associated to cold fronts do not generate long ocean waves in the area, though they do produce disturbances with periods longer than the tidal ones. On the other hand, it is so concluded that atmospheric gravity waves are an effective mechanism to force long ocean waves. Results obtained show that generation of long ocean waves is highly sensitive depending on the propagation direction and the phase speed of the atmospheric gravity waves. The long ocean wave event detected during the large-amplitude gravity-wave event of 13 October 1985 is successfully simulated. Finally, all our results suggest that atmospheric gravity waves are a highly effective mechanism forcing for the generation of long ocean waves in Buenos Aires coastal waters.     

Capillary pressure for the sand–CO2–water system under various pressure conditions. Application to CO2 sequestration

Accurate modeling of storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in heterogeneous aquifers requires experiments of the capillary pressure as function of temperature and pressure. We present a method with which static drainage and imbibition capillary pressures can be measured continuously as a function of saturation at various temperature (T) and pressure (P) conditions. The measurements are carried out at (T, P) conditions of practical interest. Static conditions can be assumed as small injection rates are applied. The capillary pressure curves are obtained for the unconsolidated sand–distilled water–CO₂ system. The experimental results show a decrease of drainage and imbibition capillary pressure for increasing CO₂ pressures and pronounced dissolution rate effects for gaseous CO₂. Significant capillary pressure fluctuations and negative values during imbibition are observed at near critical conditions. The measurement procedure is validated by a numerical model that simulates the experiments.     

南京城区夏季低层逆温对人体舒适状况影响初探

利用2000年夏季南京志区地面气象要素和低层探空资料，分析了该夏季南京城区早、晚低层逆温的频率、厚度和强度变化特征，着重从统计角度研究了逆温的厚度、强度与城区地面温度、相对湿度变化的关系及对人体舒适状况的影响。结果表明：低层逆温对城区地面温湿变化及其幅度影响较大，当07时有逆温层时，08时至14时的温度增加幅度变大，相对温度减小幅度也变大，人体不适指数增加幅度变大；当19时有逆温层时，20时至23时温度减小幅度变小，相对湿度增加幅度也变小，人体不适指数减小幅度变小，并通过相关分析建立了人体舒适度指数与逆温强度之间的回归方程。     

GMS—5多通道高温差的高度分布特征

本文从GMS－5红外通道探测原理出发，得到多通道亮温差DT12，DT1W随高度的分布特征，分析结果表明，所得的DT12，DT1W的高度分布特征具有明确的物理意义，它们与局地降雨概率及强度还存在一定的相关关系。     

瑞利散射激光雷达探测平流层和中间层低层大气温度

介绍了一台瑞利散射激光雷达,它能够探测22～60 km范围内大气温度的垂直分布;比较了两种反演温度的数据处理方法.该激光雷达分别与UARS/HALOE卫星和无线电探空仪观测结果进行了对比,均表现了较好的一致性.同时还模拟分析了平流层低层气溶胶对计算温度的影响.