The interannual variability of mid-latitude meridional circulation and its teleconnection with Indian monsoon activity

The statistical relationship between the summer monsoon rainfall over all India, northwest India and peninsular India, onset dates of monsoon and the index of mid latitude, (35° to 70°N) meridional circulation at 500 hPa level over different sectors and hemisphere based on 19 years (1971–1989) data, have been examined. The results indicate that (i) the summer monsoon rainfalls over all India, northwest India and peninsular India show a significant inverse relationship with the strength of meridional index during previous January over sector 45°W to 90°E. (ii) The summer monsoon rainfalls over all India and peninsular India show a significant inverse relationship with the strength of meridional index during previous December over sector 90°E to 160°E, (iii) The summer monsoon rainfall over northwest India shows a significant direct relationship with the meridional index during previous May over sector 160°E to 45°W. Significant negative relationships are also observed between the meridional circulation indices of previous October (sector 3 and 4), previous December (sectors 1, 3 and 4), previous winter season (sector 3 and 4) and the onset dates of summer monsoon over India. The meridional circulation index thus can have some possible use for long range forecasting of monsoon rainfall over all India, northwest India and peninsular India, as well as the onset dates of monsoon.     

Lake-ice collapse trenches in Wisconsin,U.S.A.

A series of trenches about a metre deep, 20 to 30 m wide, and as much as 2 km in length occurs in central Wisconsin, along the east shore of proglacial Lake Wisconsin. They are interpreted to be collapse trenches formed when shore ice melted after being buried beneath an expanding outwash plain.     

Effects of surface characteristics on infiltration patterns in an arid shrub desert

Precipitation is often the sole source of water replenishment in arid and semi‐arid areas and, thus, plays a pertinent role in sustaining desert ecosystems. Revegetation over 40 years using mainly Artemisia ordosica and Caragana korshinskii at Shapotou Desert Experimental Research Station near Lanzhou, China, has established a dwarf‐shrub and microbiotic soil crust cover on the stabilized sand dunes. The redistribution of infiltrated moisture through percolation, root extraction, and evapotranspiration pathways was investigated. Three sets of time‐domain reflectometry (TDR) probes were inserted horizontally at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 cm depths below the ground surface in a soil pit. The three sets of TDR probes were installed in dwarf‐shrub sites of A. ordosica and C. korshinskii community with and without a microbiotic soil crust cover, and an additional set was placed in a bare sand dune area that had neither vegetation nor a microbiotic soil crust present. Volumetric soil moisture content was recorded at hourly intervals and used in the assessment of infiltration for the different surface covers. Infiltration varied greatly, from 7·5 cm to more than 45 cm, depending upon rainfall quantity and soil surface conditions. In the shrub community area without microbiotic soil crust cover, infiltration increased due to preferential flow associated with root tunnels. The microbiotic soil crust cover had a significant negative influence on the infiltration for small rainfall events (～10 mm), restricting the infiltration depth to less than 20 cm and increasing soil moisture content just beneath the soil profile of 10 cm, whereas it was not as strong or clear for larger rainfall events (～60 mm). For small rainfall events, the wetting front depth for the three kinds of surface cover was as follows: shrub community without microbiotic soil crust > bare area > shrub community with microbiotic soil crust. In contrast, for large rainfall events, infiltration was similar in shrub communities with and without microbiotic soil crust cover, but significantly higher than measured in the bare area. Soil water extraction by roots associated with evapotranspiration restricted the wetting front penetration after 1 to 3 h of rainfall. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地复合沙垄的流场和上覆沙丘组合及动态特征

复合沙垄是最大的沙丘地貌类型之一，表现为简单沙丘类型的垂直叠加和水平连接，在沙垄的高大地形影响下，沙垄不同部位形成不同的风沙环境特征。以塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地/复合沙垄为例，通过野外实地观测研究其流场和上覆沙丘组合特征。研究结果表明，复合沙垄的流场可分为沙垄迎风坡气流加速区、沙垄背风坡气流转向减速区、垄间粗沙平地气流风速风向恢复区和气流风速稳定区。受沙垄流场和地形的控制，沙垄上覆新月形沙丘链，垄间地分有简单新月形沙丘、沙堆、沙片、侵蚀地、简单线形沙丘。上覆沙丘分布特征表现为：垄间地上覆新月形沙丘疏密度较小，沙垄迎风坡和沙垄背风坡上覆新月形沙丘疏密度较大，而且超过1，说明沙垄迎背风坡上覆沙丘有叠置现象。沙垄上覆沙丘高度自沙垄迎风坡底部到顶部增高，背风坡上覆沙丘高度自沙垄顶部到背风坡底部减小，上覆沙丘在自身形态、地形和流场的共同影响下，存在相对运动，表现为分布进一步集中，因此沙垄有增高的趋势。     

Location and height of intertidal bars on macrotidal ridge and runnel beaches

Previous studies devoted to the morphology and hydrodynamics of ridge and runnel beaches highlight characteristics that deviate from those initially postulated by King and Williams (Geographical Journal, 1949, vol. 113, 70–85) and King (Beaches and Coasts, 1972, Edward Arnold). Disagreements on the morphodynamics of these macrotidal beaches include the position of the ridges relative to the mean neap and spring tide levels, the variation in the height of the ridges across the intertidal profile and, most importantly, whether the ridges are formed by swash or surf zone processes. The morphological characteristics of ridge and runnel beaches from three locations with varying wave, tidal and geomorphic settings were investigated to address these disagreements. Beach profiles from each site were analysed together with water‐level data collected from neighbouring ports. It was found that the ridges occur over the entire intertidal zone. On one site (north Lincolnshire, east England), the ridges are uniformly distributed over the intertidal beach, whereas on the two other sites (Blackpool beach, northwest England, and Leffrinckoucke beach, north France) there is some indication that the ridges appear to occur at preferential locations. Most significantly, the locations of the ridge crests were found to be unrelated to the positions on the intertidal profile where the water level is stationary for the longest time. It was further found that the highest ridges generally occur just above mid‐tide level where tidal non‐stationarity is greatest. These findings argue against the hypothesis that the ridges are formed by swash processes acting at stationary tide levels. It is tentatively suggested that the ridges are the result of a combination of swash and surf zone processes acting across the intertidal zone. Elucidation of the morphodynamic roles of these two types of processes, and other processes such as strong current flows in the runnels, requires further comprehensive field measurements complemented by numerical modelling. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

星状沙丘研究进展综述

本文阐述了近年来的星状沙丘方面的研究进展，介绍了国内外星状沙丘的形成发育模式，粒度特征和沉积构造特征方面的理论及研究进展。     

东海陆架平湖海域改造砂沉积特征

东海陆架平湖海域分布的改造砂。其物质来源为晚更新世末生成的沙脊物质,是在晚更新世末至全新世初期间,原始物质被掀起再沉积的产物。     

古尔班通古特沙漠南部沙垄水分动态--兼论积雪融化和冻土变化对沙丘水分分异作用

2004年3月至2005年7月对古尔班通古特沙漠南部典型半固定沙垄土壤水分进行了系统监测,结合气象资料,特别是对冬季积雪和冻土资料的分析,认为该沙漠沙丘土壤水分时空变化规律在很大程度上受积雪融化和季节性冻土的影响.由于冬季稳定存在20~30 cm的积雪于春季融化,使得春季沙丘土壤含水率成为全年最高的季节,从而为早春植物的萌发生长创造了有利的条件.冬季1 m多深的冻土于早春时节由表及里开始消融,沙丘表面融化的雪水在坡面重力作用下,沿难以透水的冻土层上界自坡上向坡下发生迁移,在春夏季形成了垄间最高、坡部次之和垄顶最少的土壤水分空间格局.该研究具有生态学意义,可为古尔班通古特沙漠特殊环境条件下植被恢复与重建提供依据.     

金字塔沙丘地表气流场及其动力学过程研究

沙丘沉积构造指示及风洞实验结果表明：莫高窟顶金字塔沙丘形成于３组风向条件下（ＮＥ、ＳＷ及ＮＷ）,是链状沙丘的一种变形、分离形式。从沙丘形态特征分析,三面体金字塔沙丘及其它复杂沙丘类型（线形、格状、多面体金字塔沙丘）之间存在某种内在本质的联系。即多信风条件下产生的风向组合,通过主、副脊（梁）的不同形式发育组合过程,形成适应于地表气流的地貌形态。同时认为：沙丘沉积构造及风洞实验相结合的综合研究比以往单一过程研究更为全面、系统、深刻。