Sea surface height and transport stream function of the South China Sea from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model

The study on the South China Sea (SCS) circulation has a history of more than 40 years. Nevertheless, the SCS circulation is not fully understood compared with the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea (ECS). Many numerical studies on the SCS circulati…     

Conditioning mean steady state flow on hydraulic head and conductivity through geostatistical inversion

Nonlocal moment equations allow one to render deterministically optimum predictions of flow in randomly heterogeneous media and to assess predictive uncertainty conditional on measured values of medium properties. We present a geostatistical inverse algorithm for steady-state flow that makes it possible to further condition such predictions and assessments on measured values of hydraulic head (and/or flux). Our algorithm is based on recursive finite-element approximations of exact first and second conditional moment equations. Hydraulic conductivity is parameterized via universal kriging based on unknown values at pilot points and (optionally) measured values at other discrete locations. Optimum unbiased inverse estimates of natural log hydraulic conductivity, head and flux are obtained by minimizing a residual criterion using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. We illustrate the method for superimposed mean uniform and convergent flows in a bounded two-dimensional domain. Our examples illustrate how conductivity and head data act separately or jointly to reduce parameter estimation errors and model predictive uncertainty.This work is supported in part by NSF/ITR Grant EAR-0110289. The first author was additionally supported by scholarships from CONACYT and Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas of Mexico. Additional support was provided by the European Commission under Contract EVK1-CT-1999-00041 (W-SAHaRA-Stochastic Analysis of Well Head Protection and Risk Assessment).     

北祁连山早古生代硅质岩稀土元素特征及构造环境意义

通过对北祁连山不同地质环境中的与火山岩相伴生的硅质岩稀土元素特征的分析,证明产于不同地质环境硅质岩的稀土元素特征,特别是稀土元素总量w( REE)、w(Ce)/w(Ce*)、w(LaN)/w(YbN)具有特定的规律性变化:从洋中脊→弧后盆地→岛弧→裂隙式火山作用大陆裂谷→中心式火山作用大陆裂谷,硅质岩的w( REE)、w(Ce)/w(Ce*)、w(LaN)/w(YbN)基本呈由小到大的规律性变化,w( REE)由7.64×10-6→8.20×10-6→23.74×10-6→28.40×10-6→69.41×10-6;w(Ce)/w(Ce*)由0.63→0.68→0.72→0.75→0.95;w(LaN)/w(YbN)由0.37→0.41→0.59→0.76→1.08。该研究成果为利用硅质岩稀土元素特征判定古老造山带的构造环境提供了参考标准。     

国际地球自转服务(IERS)评介

回顾了建立国际地球自转服务(IERS)的历史过程,简述了IERS机构各部门的设置及其作用。着重介绍了IERS重建的理由和过程以及新IERS机构的组成。最后给出IERS成果对现有科学研究的作用和意义。     

Measurement of Impact Ejecta from Regolith Targets in Oblique Impacts

This paper reports the results of experiments on projectile impact into regolith targets at various impact angles. Copper projectiles of 240 mg are accelerated to 197 to 272 m s⁻¹ using an electromagnetic gun. The ejecta are detected by thin Al foil targets as secondary targets, and the resulting holes on the foil are measured to derive the spatial distribution of the ejecta. The ejecta that penetrated the foil are concentrated toward the downrange azimuths of impacting projectiles in oblique impacts. In order to investigate the ejecta velocity distribution, the nondimensional volume of ejecta with velocities higher than a given value is calculated from the spatial distribution. In the case of the vertical impact of the projectile, most ejecta have velocities lower than 24% of the projectile speed (∼50 m s⁻¹), and there are only several ejecta with velocities higher than 72 m s⁻¹. This result confirms the existence of an upper limit to the ejection velocity in the ejecta velocity distribution (Hartmann cutoff velocity) (W. K. Hartmann, 1985, Icarus63, 69-98). On the other hand, it is found that, in the oblique impacts, there are a large number of ejecta with velocities higher than the Hartmann cutoff velocity. The relative quantity of ejecta above the Hartmann cutoff velocity increases as the projectile impact angle decreases. Taking these results with the results of S. Yamamoto and A. M. Nakamura (1997, Icarus128, 160-170) from impact experiments using an impact angle of 30°, it can be concluded that the ejecta from these regolith targets exhibit a bimodal velocity distribution. Below a few tens of m s⁻¹, we see the expected velocity distribution of ejecta, but above this velocity we see a separate group of high-velocity ejecta.     

An Origin for the Linear Magnetic Anomalies on Mars through Accretion of Terranes: Implications for Dynamo Timing

The proposed existence of magnetic lineations in the Terra Cimmeria and Terra Sirenum regions of Mars was initially explained by Earth-like sea-floor spreading. Here we argue instead that these lineations could have been formed at a convergent plate margin through collision and accretion of terranes. A similar process produced banded magnetic anomalies, similar in geometry and even in size to those in Earth's North American Cordillera. Because only sparse and generally weak anomalies have been detected in the martian northern lowlands, which could constitute an analog to the terrestrial oceanic crust, it is possible that the magnetic field stopped its activity while crustal recycling was still active in Mars.     

Spectroscopy of Loose and Cemented Sulfate-Bearing Soils: Implications for Duricrust on Mars

The goal of this work is to determine the spectroscopic properties of sulfate in martian soil analogs over the wavelength range 0.3 to 25 μm (which is relevant to existing and planned remotely sensed data sets for Mars). Sulfate is an abundant component of martian soil (up to 9% SO₃ by weight) and apparently exists as a particulate in the soil but also as a cement. Although previous studies have addressed the spectroscopic identity of sulfates on Mars, none have used laboratory mixtures of materials with sulfates at the abundances measured by landed spacecraft, nor have any works considered the effect of salt-cementation on spectral properties of soil materials. For this work we created mixtures of a palagonitic soil (JSC Mars-1) and sulfates (MgSO₄ and CaSO₄·2H₂O). The effects of cementation were determined and separated from the effects of packing and hydration by measuring the samples as loose powders, packed powders, cemented materials, and disaggregated materials. The results show that the presence of particulate sulfate is best observed in the 4-5 μm region. Soils cemented with sulfate exhibit a pronounced restrahlen band between 8 and 9 μm as well as well-defined absorptions in the 4-5 μm region. Cementation effects are distinct from packing effects and disaggregation of cemented samples rapidly diminishes the strength of the restrahlen bands. The results of this study show that sulfate in loose materials is more detectable in the near infrared (4-5 μm) than in the thermal infrared (8-9 μm). However, cemented materials are easily distinguished from loose mixtures in the thermal infrared because of the high values of their absorption coefficient in this region. Together these results suggest that both wavelength regions are important for determining the spatial extent and physical form of sulfates on the surface of Mars.     

地面感热对青藏高原低涡流场结构及发展的作用

考虑热带气旋类青藏高原低涡为受加热和摩擦强迫并满足热成风平衡的轴对称涡旋系统,通过求解线性化的柱坐标系中涡旋模式的初值问题,分析了地面感热对高原低涡流场结构及发展的影响,给出了高原低涡眼壁内、外侧水平流场和垂直流场的结构特征,讨论了低涡发展与其水平尺度、垂直厚度、所处纬度以及热量总体输送系数和加热强度的关系.结果表明:地面感热对低涡的生成及发展具有重要作用,但这种作用是否有利于低涡的发展与低涡中心和感热加热中心的配置有关.     

Une dépression piézométrique naturelle en hausse au Sahel (Sud-Ouest du Niger)A rising piezometric depression in the Sahel (southwestern Niger)

In southwest Niger, the Continental Terminal water table displays a natural hollow shape about 10 m in depth over an area of 4000 km². A 10-year survey of this hollow aquifer has shown that current recharge is above $\text{20 }\text{mm}\text{yr}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$. The water table has risen continuously since the 1950–1960s as a result of land clearance. This shows a disequilibrium in the aquifer balance. The long-term recharge rate is estimated by radioisotopes to be around $\text{1 }\text{mm}\text{yr}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$. This figure fits with the only possible origin of the piezometric depression, i.e. evapotranspiration losses in its centre. To cite this article: G. Favreau et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 395–401.     

21世纪矿业应向后工业发展势态倾斜--适者生存和可持续发展

“后工业”（post-industry)是知识经济或曰“新经济”的发展时代。这个时代的自然资源和一般劳动力资源,包括矿产资源在国民经济和社会发展中的基础地位逐渐为知识产权、市场网络、信息、创新环境等后天获得性资源,以及为创新人才的新“认知”（recognized intellect,RI)所代替。然而,据矿产资源分布及其成矿既具有一定的全球统一性又有区域的特殊性,以及不同国家（地区）对矿产资源勘查程度的不均衡性,特别是矿业活动与其他产业性质的不同,如何能按不同国家（地区）的具体发展状况,做好21世纪矿业向“后工业”发展势态的倾斜,达到适者生存和矿业可持续发展的目标是当代探讨的重大问题。在概括阐述了21世纪矿业发展势态、矿业活动特点及其自然属性的基础上,提出了矿业可持续发展的地质勘查和矿业活动决策支持系统的模拟,以及对当前紧缺铜矿资源可持续发展的新“认知”。