探测冰盖和多年冻土层的融冰探头研发

The exploration of ice sheets by melting vertical holes into the ground has some tradition in terrestrial glaciology. Such probes have been used since the 1960's to investigate the vertical structure of the ice in Greenland and Antarctica and in alpine glaciers. In this paper we look into the possibility to develop similar devices for use on extraterrestrial icy bodies, like e.g. the polar areas on Mars or the icy satellites of the outer solar system. We report on some basic experiments performed in the cryo-vacuum laboratory of the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz. In these experiments the penetration of a simple melting probe into compact and porous water ice (with a snow-like texture) was monitored, both under vacuum conditions and under air pressure. The observed penetration speeds for a given power supply are compared with a simple mathematical model. We conclude that a miniature melting probe with small overall dimensions and a reasonable power demand could well be part of the payload of a future planetary mission, for example to the poles of Mars. Such missions are currently under discussion in several space agencies. Moreover such probes could also e? ectively be used in terrestrial environments. A possible design is presented at the end of the paper.     

渤海湾沿岸泥炭沼泽形成机制与时空分布

渤海湾沿岸的海陆过渡带，优越的水文地理环境有利于泥炭沼泽的形成与发育。海洋海退导致的海岸线变迁，是控制泥炭沼泽发育时间和空间分布的主导因素。间冰期和冰后期的海面上升期间，自海向陆发育了海侵基底泥炭；中全新世高海面期，在山前扇缘洼地和沟谷有泥炭沼泽发育；晚全新世海面下降期，泥炭沼泽主要发育在沿岸的海湾、泻湖、三角洲汊河间洼地及平原上的河滩、阶地、古河道等地。     

东北地区湿度梯度下的表土植硅体的空间分布规律

植硅体的现代过程研究是恢复古环境的基础,探讨表土植硅体分布及组合特征对环境因子的响应尤为重要。沿中国东北地区年均温为4 ℃等温线采集70块表土样品,研究了单一温度因素控制下表土植硅体的空间分布规律,以期获得不同类型植硅体对降水的响应。研究结果表明：所有表土样品中植硅体丰富且数量较多,主要有棒型、尖型、块状、扇型、扁平状、短鞍型、帽型、哑铃型、齿型、三棱柱型、导管型、硅质突起、硅化气孔、弓型和多面表皮植硅体;且主要以短细胞、棒型、尖型为主,其平均百分含量之和高达80.77%,块状、扁平状、扇型次之,其他类型的植硅体含量较少。方差分析结果表明：棒型、三棱柱型、硅质突起、哑铃型和扁平状在大兴安岭、松嫩平原和长白山之间存在显著性差异,且棒型、三棱柱型、硅质突起的百分含量与年降水量具有极显著的正相关性,哑铃型的百分含量与年降水量具有极显著的负相关性。总之,年均温为4 ℃等温线上70块表土样品中植硅体类型基本相同,但不同类型植硅体的百分含量存在差异,说明本研究区域内表土植硅体组合特征对降水的响应较为敏感。

     

QUEST on DASI: a South Pole CMB polarization experiment

QUEST on DASI is a ground-based, high-sensitivity, high-resolution (ℓ_max2500) experiment designed to map CMB polarization at 100 and 150 GHz and to measure the power spectra from E-modes, B-modes from lensing of the CMB, and B-modes from primordial gravitational waves. The experiment comprises a 2.6 m Cassegrain optical system, equipped with an array of 62 polarization-sensitive bolometers (PSBs), located at the South Pole. The instrument is designed to minimize systematic effects; features include differencing of pairs of orthogonal PSBs within a single feed, a rotatable achromatic waveplate, and axisymmetric rotatable optics. In addition the South Pole location allows both repeatable and highly controlled observations. QUEST on DASI will commence operation in early 2005.     

Organic matter in deepwater sediments of the Northern Gulf of Mexico and its relationship to the distribution of benthic organisms

Sediment samples were selected from 28 sites across the deep (212–3527 m) northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) as part of the Deep Gulf of Mexico Benthos (DGoMB) program, and analyzed for geochemical parameters related to organic carbon (OC) distribution and characteristics. The results of this study indicate that the OC content of sediments in the deep northern GOM is controlled by several factors; including water depth, overlying water productivity, sediment carbonate content, sediment oxygen exposure time, OC sources, and regional influences. The best correlation between sediment OC content, on a CaCO₃-free basis, and other parameters examined was an inverse correlation of OC with water depth. The OC/SA ratio had a wide range of values and, along with variable sources of sedimentary OC, indicated that the organism-available concentration of metabolizable organic matter may not be simply related to sedimentary OC content. This was perhaps reflected in the observation that benthic macrofaunal and meiofaunal biomass abundances were well correlated with sedimentary OC, but the abundance of bacteria in sediments was not.     

Shell growth and oxygen isotopes in the topshell Osilinus turbinatus: resolving past inshore sea surface temperatures

Shells of the rocky shore intertidal gastropod Osilinus turbinatus (von Born), often abundant in archaeological deposits in the Mediterranean region, are a potential source of data on palaeotemperature, palaeoseasonality and archaeological seasonality. To evaluate this species as a climate archive, investigations of annual patterns of shell growth and of monthly variations in oxygen isotopes in shell carbonates were made on different populations in NW Sicily. Mark-recapture experiments at San Vito lo Capo and Mazzaforno show that O. turbinatus grows almost continuously throughout the year but at different rates in different seasons. Around 75% of the yearly shell growth occurs in the autumn and winter. On average, larger/older shells produce narrower annual growth increments than smaller/younger ones. Conspicuous growth lines in larger/older shells show that growth stops during the hottest part of the summer. Oxygen isotope analyses on monthly collected shells of O. turbinatus from three shores (Cala Grande, Monte Cofano and Mazzaforno) show that the isotope values record temperature variations through the year. In all the datasets, surface seawater temperatures (SSTs) calculated from δ¹⁸O_SHELL mostly underestimate measured SSTs, offsets being generally greater in summer. Minimum annual offsets range from 0.0°C to 0.7°C and maximum annual offsets from 3.1°C to 8.7°C. δ¹⁸O_SHELL values fail to record temperatures higher than 25°C. Careful selection of shells to be analysed can reduce offsets between δ¹⁸O_SHELL temperature estimates and measured SSTs for many parts of the year, except the hottest. Allowing for this, shells of O. turbinatus offer good potential as climate archives and for archaeological studies of seasonal patterns of human foraging for shellfish.     

海浪外观波数谱与谱宽度最优确定

本文将外频谱转化为外观波数谱并设计了计算处理格式,提出了一种谱宽度参量的优化方法,为进一步研究海浪特征资料提取谱值和应用奠定基础。数值试验验证了此方法的可行性,但在高海况下风浪过程复杂,优化出的谱宽度偏大,外观谱解析形式需进一步改进     

Late glacial and Holocene environmental change in the Lake Baikal region documented by oxygen isotopes from diatom silica

We investigate late glacial and Holocene climate change recorded in Lake Baikal using the oxygen isotope composition of diatom silica (δ¹⁸O_DIAT). Evaporation from the lake is minor, and the temperature fractionations of δ¹⁸O are unable to explain variations in the δ¹⁸O_DIAT record alone. Isotopically, low meltwater input from glaciers may have some influence on δ¹⁸O_DIAT, but the assumed periods of climatic warming and wastage do not coincide with large shifts in δ¹⁸O_DIAT. There is a gradual oxygen isotope lowering from 27.0‰ to 20.6‰ over the late glacial, while, during the Holocene, δ¹⁸O_DIAT values return to relatively high values. Previous studies of the modern oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of Lake Baikal's inputs reveal that fluvial input to the lake's North Basin are isotopically lower than fluvial input from South Basin rivers. This north–south gradient of river δ¹⁸O and δD is mainly due to the greater input from isotopically low winter precipitation in the north and isotopically higher summer precipitation in the south. As a result, the δ¹⁸O_DIAT record from Lake Baikal can at least in part be explained by varying input from these sources related to seasonal changes in precipitation. Changes in atmospheric conditions may have a role in altering seasonality and the distribution of precipitation over Lake Baikal's catchment. A feedback mechanism is well known linking higher Eurasian spring snow cover extent (ESSC) to the development of anticyclonic conditions and low precipitation the following summer in the areas south of Lake Baikal. A simultaneous increase in the importance of depleted water (snowmelt) input from the north and decreased enriched summer precipitation in the south is needed to explain depletions in δ¹⁸O of lake water and subsequently δ¹⁸O_DIAT during colder periods. The opposite of this situation is required to enrich lake water during warmer periods. The analysis of δ¹⁸O from diatom silica is a useful proxy for environmental change, especially in lakes, like Lake Baikal, where carbonates are absent or diluted. However, analysis must be based on near pure diatom samples as even trace amounts of silt can have a dominating effect on δ¹⁸O_DIAT values.     

Advances of Soil Microbiology in the Last Decade in China

Soils are fundamental to preservation and sustainability of life-support system on Earth. Soils develop as the most dynamic and complex interface linking atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Soils harbor enormous diversities of microbial communities as the primary driving forces for global exchanges of matter and energy on our planet. Despite of its profound importance, the invisible soil microbes have for long been underappreciated. In the early 2000s, there has been growing awareness that soil microbiology has attracted huge interest from nonsoil scientists due to the introduction of three domain phylogeny. It is also known as tree of life theory which is widely recognized as the most accurate reflection of the relatedness of all organisms and provides us with a tool to classify and elucidate the largely untapped resource of soil microbial communities. In January 2005, the Department of Earth Sciences of National Natural Science Foundation of China organized a workshop of ‘Soil Biology and Soil Processes’ with focused discussion on soil microbiology research frontiers. The workshop outlined research priorities, cross disciplinary research opportunities, technological needs and potential breakthroughs within soil microbiology. This workshop has witnessed the rapid advances of soil microbiology in soil nutrient transformation, global environmental changes and environmental remediation over the last decade in China. This article will give a brief review on soil microbial researches in the past decade in China, present the status quo of funding system and highlight the challenge and opportunities for future soil microbiology in China.