Total electron content processing from GPS observations to facilitate ionospheric modeling

With the increasing global distribution of high rate dual-frequency global positioning system (GPS) receivers, the production of a real-time atmospheric constituent definition, total electron content (TEC), has become a beneficial contributor to the modeling applications used in the assessment of GPS position accuracy and the composition of the ionosphere, plasmasphere, and troposphere. Historically, TEC measurements have been obtained through post processing techniques to produce the quality of data necessary for modeling applications with rigorous error estimate requirements. These procedures necessitated the collection of large volumes of data to address the various abnormalities in the computation of TEC associated with the use of greater data quality controls and source selection while real-time modeling environments must rely on autonomous controls and filtration techniques to prevent the production of erroneous model results. In this paper we present methods for processing TEC in real time, which utilize several procedures including the application of an ionospheric model to automatically perform quality control on the TEC output and the computational techniques used to address receiver multipath, faulty receiver observations, cycle-slips, segmented processing, and receiver calibrations. The resulting TEC measurements are provided with rigorous error estimates validated using the vertical TEC from the Jason satellite mission.

The penetration experiment to predict liquefaction resistance of reclaimed soils

The liquefaction resistance of the soils used to be estimated through the in situ tests, such as standard penetration test and cone penetration test; or by means of cyclic triaxial test in laboratory. However, both in situ tests and cyclic triaxial test are time-consuming and costly; this study introduces a quick and cost-effective method to evaluate the liquefaction resistance of soils under certain confining pressure in laboratory. A particular device modified from the conventional triaxial compression test apparatus, namely “Triaxial Cone Penetration Test”, was developed to obtain the peak values of cone resistance in soils so as to correlate the liquefaction resistance of the reclaimed soils evaluated by cyclic triaxial tests. The test result indicates a good correlation between the peak value of cone resistance and the corresponding cyclic stress ratio (CSR) at the state of initial liquefaction, in which the correlation for loose samples is better than that for dense samples. Besides, both peak values of cone resistance and corresponding CSR increase with fine content of soils reaches 10% and decreased with fine content varying between 10% and 50%. By examining the compositions of the soils with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, it is found that the proportion and characteristics of the fines plays an important role on the liquefaction resistance of the reclaimed soils.     

Revisiting Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens) trophodynamics provides a new vision of the Humboldt Current system

The Peruvian anchovy or anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) forages on plankton and is a main prey for marine mammals, seabirds, fish, and fishers, and is therefore a key element of the food web in the Humboldt Current system (HCS). Here, we present results from the analysis of 21,203 anchoveta stomach contents sampled during 23 acoustic surveys over the period 1996–2003. Prey items were identified to the genus level, and the relative dietary importance of different prey was assessed by determination of their carbon content. Variability in stomach fullness was examined relative to the diel cycle, the distance from the coast, sea surface temperature, and latitude, using generalized additive models (GAMs). Whereas phytoplankton largely dominated anchoveta diets in terms of numerical abundance and comprised >99% of ingested prey items, the carbon content of prey items indicated that zooplankton was by far the most important dietary component, with euphausiids contributing 67.5% of dietary carbon followed by copepods (26.3%). Stomach fullness data showed that anchoveta feed mainly during daytime between 07h00 and 18h00, although night-time feeding also made a substantial contribution to total food consumption. Stomach fullness also varied with latitude, distance from the coast, and temperature, but with substantial variability indicating a high degree of plasticity in anchoveta feeding behaviour. The results suggest an ecological role for anchoveta that challenges current understanding of its position in the foodweb, the functioning of the HCS, and trophic models of the HCS.     

Water, organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus contents in sediment of a large-scale mariculture area in the Zhelin Bay of eastern Guangdong Province, China

The Zhelin Bay is one of the most important bays for large-scale mariculture in Guangdong Province, China. Owing to the increasing human population and the expanding mariculture in the last two decades, the ecological environment has greatly changed with frequent harmful algal blooms. A monthly survey of water content, organic matter （TOM）, and various forms of nitrogen and phosphorous in sediment from July 2002 to July 2003 in the bay was conducted. The results showed that the water content was correlated significantly with TOM and various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus and can be used as proxy for quick and rough estimate of these factors in the future surveys. TOM was also correlated significantly with various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus, indicating that it was one of the key factors affecting the concentrations and distributions of nitrogen and phosphorus in the investigated waters. Average total Kjeldhal nitrogen （TkN） content was（ 1 113.1 ± 382.5）μg/g and average total phosphorus （TP） content was（567.2± 223.3）μg/g, and both were much higher than those of similar estuaries in China and elsewhere. Average nitrogen and phosphorus tended to be higher inside than outside the bay, higher at aquaculture than non-aquaculture areas, and higher at fish-cage culture than oyster culture areas, suggesting that large-scale mariculture inside the bay played an important role in the eutrophication of the Zhelin Bay. Various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were higher during the warm season （July--September）, which was due to the increased decomposition and concentration of organic matter resulted from the fast growth and high mortality of the cultured species. Compared with July 2002, TkN and TP contents were much higher in July 2003, in consonance with the eutrophication of the Zhelin Bay. Because exchangeable phosphorus （Ex-P）, iron-bounded phos- phorus （Fe-P） and organic phosphorus （OP） combined accounted for 34.3% of the TP and authigenic phosphorus （Au-P     

Reevaluation of historical ocean heat content variations with time-varying XBT and MBT depth bias corrections

As reported in former studies, temperature observations obtained by expendable bathythermographs (XBTs) and mechanical bathythermographs (MBTs) appear to have positive biases as much as they affect major climate signals. These biases have not been fully taken into account in previous ocean temperature analyses, which have been widely used to detect global warming signals in the oceans. This report proposes a methodology for directly eliminating the biases from the XBT and MBT observations. In the case of XBT observation, assuming that the positive temperature biases mainly originate from greater depths given by conventional XBT fall-rate equations than the truth, a depth bias equation is constructed by fitting depth differences between XBT data and more accurate oceanographic observations to a linear equation of elapsed time. Such depth bias equations are introduced separately for each year and for each probe type. Uncertainty in the gradient of the linear equation is evaluated using a non-parametric test. The typical depth bias is +10 m at 700 m depth on average, which is probably caused by various indeterminable sources of error in the XBT observations as well as a lack of representativeness in the fall-rate equations adopted so far. Depth biases in MBT are fitted to quadratic equations of depth in a similar manner to the XBT method. Correcting the historical XBT and MBT depth biases by these equations allows a historical ocean temperature analysis to be conducted. In comparison with the previous temperature analysis, large differences are found in the present analysis as follows: the duration of large ocean heat content in the 1970s shortens dramatically, and recent ocean cooling becomes insignificant. The result is also in better agreement with tide gauge observations. On leave from the Meteorological Research Institute of the Japan Meteorological Agency.     

西太平洋暖池热含量变化与东亚冬季风关系

利用 1955-2003 年 NCEP\NCAR 再分析资料和美国 Scripps 海洋研究所环境数据分析中心 ( JEDAC ) 提供的冬季热含量资料,采用小波分析、相关及合成分析等方法, 分析了西太平洋暖池热含量变化特征及其与东亚冬季风关系.结果表明,西太平洋暖池热含量与东亚冬季风有着非常密切的联系,当西太平洋暖池热含量异常偏高时,对流层低层在菲律宾及以东洋面形成一个异常的气旋性环流,中国大陆上空形成一个异常的反气旋性环流,从而使得东亚冬季风在东南区加强,西北区减弱.     

茂名地区海雾含水量的演变特征及其与大气水平能见度的关系

2008年3月16—19日,在广东茂名博贺海洋气象科学试验基地,利用美国DMT公司生产的FM-100型雾滴谱仪,连续观测了海雾的雾滴谱、数浓度等微物理量。在此基础上分析了海雾液态含水量的演变特征,并结合同期的气象观测与分析数据,进行了海雾中低能见度成因的天气学分析。研究表明,海雾发展过程中含水量有着上下起伏变化的特点;直径10μm以上雾滴的增多是含水量增大的主要原因;随着含水量的增大,雾滴谱分布有向大雾滴方向增宽的趋势,其峰值高度也不断增大。在相同的含水量区间,不同的大气能见度样本表现出明显不同的谱分布特征;在相同高数浓度区间的情况下,导致大气能见度降低的主要原因是含水量的增大。而海雾过程中低能见度的出现,是众多天气因素共同影响的结果:地面天气图上的均压场范围更大,大气低空及地面风速小,大气低层处于弱不稳定状态,以及高湿度层主要在近地层等等。     

茂名地区海雾的微物理结构特征

2007年3月16日至4月29日期间,在广东茂名海洋气象科学实验基地对海雾进行了连续观测,共取得51个雾滴谱样本,在此基础上分析了茂名地区海雾的微物理结构特征。观测分析表明:茂名地区海雾的雾滴谱分布符合Junge分布,平均数密度为57.1个/cm3,平均含水量为0.018 3 g/m3,算术平均直径为4.7μm,算术峰值直径为2.9μm。文中还比较了雾和轻雾情况下雾滴谱分布的不同特征,分析了能见度与含水量之间的关系。     

热带西太平洋海洋上层热含量的分布特征及其年际变化的分析

选用海面至20℃等温线所处深度水层的平均温度来表征研究海域海洋上层热含量。利用这一特征值，分析1986—1990年期间热带西太平洋边缘海域海洋上层热含量在秋季的分布特征和年际变化。结果表明：（1）热含量呈南高北低分布，在7．5－22．1°N范围内。以130°E断面为代表，热含量的平均递减率为0．179（℃／纬度）；（2）热含量的分布主要取决于环流系统，其等值线因受黑潮和棉兰老海流的影响而由纬向分布转向经向分布。某些区域因受暖涡及冷涡的影响而呈封闭状分布；（3）热含量的年际变化与E1Nino事件存在着很好的相关性，在E1Nino事件发生期间，热含量变得很低，高热含量（大于26．5℃）海区的分布范围明显缩小。     

浮游植物生物量研究 Ⅰ.浮游植物生物量细胞体积转化法

在海洋生态动力学研究过程中,采用浮游植物细胞数量来估算浮游植物丰度可以说是不够精确的,因为不同种的浮游植物细胞大小差别很大,只有浮游植物的生物量才能正确反映海洋生态系中的能量分布．本文以拟合浮游植物细胞相似体积方法,基于胶州湾生态动力学研究所获资料,计算了87种中国近海常见浮游植物的细胞体积、鲜重、碳含量、氮含量．