March 1990 Hailstorm Damage in Sydney,Australia

On 18 March 1990, an intense hailstorm in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia caused insured damage valued at A$million – the third most expensive loss event in Australian insurance history.While damage was widespread with claims for buildings spread across more than 130 postcodes, 20% of the claims came from just two postcodes. The proportion of dwellings of brick construction that made a claim was significantly less than the proportion of policies for this type of construction. Fibro (fibre-cement), timber and aluminium-clad dwellings are more likely to sustain damage than brick buildings in this type of storm.Hail caused the majority of damage to exterior building items while water damage more commonly affected interior building items and contents. While the repair of Interior building items such as ceilings and walls cost more than contents damage on average, the repair/replacement costs of contents contributed more to the total costs. Damage to window glass and roofs together made up more than 50% of the total claim.     

Study on General Performance of Jack-up Under Elevated Condition

Method of checking for jack-up elevated performance including leg structure strength, fixation system or jacking system bearing capacity, pre-load requirements, spud can bearing capacity and overturning stability is suggested in this paper. As an example, a jack-up with truss legs is analyzed by finite element analysis method. This paper may be helpful to the rig owners, operators and designers.     

升温与硝酸盐加富对鹿角杯形珊瑚幼虫的生理影响

选择三亚鹿回头近岸海域常见的鹿角杯形珊瑚(Pocillopora damicornis)幼虫为研究对象,采用室内连续培养的方法,探究了升温(29℃和31℃)与硝酸盐加富(0、5、20μmol/dm^3)对鹿角杯形珊瑚幼虫共生体的生理影响。结果表明:升温和硝酸盐加富对鹿角杯形珊瑚幼虫存活率与共生虫黄藻叶绿素荧光指数(Fv/Fm)无显著影响,但对幼虫附着率的影响表现为明显的交互作用。升温条件下,各处理珊瑚幼虫附着率均显著下降,且硝酸盐加富加剧了升温对珊瑚幼虫附着率的负面影响。再者,升温对幼虫呼吸速率的影响与硝酸盐的浓度有关,5μmol/dm^3硝酸盐处理抵消了升温对幼虫呼吸的促进作用;与此同时,5μmol/dm^3硝酸盐处理提高了幼虫的净光合作用而且光合呼吸速率比(PG/RD)大于2,表明此时珊瑚幼虫共生体系光合作用固定的有机碳为净累积。综上,适量的硝酸盐加富可以缓解升温对珊瑚幼虫代谢的负面影响,但高浓度硝酸盐加富则会不利于鹿角杯形珊瑚幼虫的附着及种群的本地补充。     

Storm catastrophes in the United States

A unique historical data set describing the 142 storms each producing losses in excess of $100 million in the United States during the 1950–89 period were analyzed to describe their temporal characteristics. The storms caused $66.2 billion in losses (in 1991 values), 76% of the nation's insured storm losses in this period. These extreme storm catastrophes (SCs) were most prevalent in the south, southeast, northeast, and central U.S., with few in and west of the Rocky Mountains. Storm incidences were high in the 1950s, low in the 1960s-early 1970s, and increased in the 1980s. Losses due to SCs peaked in the 1950s, again in the late 1960s, with a lesser peak after 1985. The areal extent of storm losses peaked after 1975 and was least in the 1960s. The temporal variations of the three storm measures (incidence, losses, and extent) did not agree except when they all peaked in the 1950s. Regionally-derived time distributions of SCs showed a marked north-south differences in the United States with a U-shaped 40-year distribution in the northern half of the nation, and a relatively flat trend until a peak in the 1980s in the southern regions. The temporal distributions of hurricane-caused catastrophes differed regionally with occurrences in the prime areas, the southern, southeastern, and northeastern U.S., each quite different. Temporal distributions of thunderstorm and winter storm catastrophes were regionally more uniform.     

Emerging coral diseases: a temperature‐driven process?

In the last few decades there has been a surge in research focusing on coral disease. While climate change, specifically rising sea surface temperature, has been proposed as a major and growing driver of the emergence of marine diseases, to date a solid connection between disease epizootics and elevated sea surface temperature has not been established. However, a wealth of data now exists, compiled from many different perspectives, that may support such a connection. In this work we provide a comprehensive review targeting one coral disease, black band disease, that spans the infection process, pathobiology, and epizootiology, and links specific mechanisms of the disease process to increasing temperatures. This temperature‐driven pattern of infection can be expanded to include similar processes associated with other temperature‐related coral diseases. The conclusions presented here are based upon the results of many studies using a diverse suite of approaches that have been synthesized to argue that the emergence and continuing spread of black band disease is linked to warming sea surface temperatures. In summary, as global ocean temperatures increase seasonally and over decades, the environment shifts to become more favorable for the growth of potentially pathogenic microorganisms endemic to the immediate environment of the reef. The increase in the relative number of potential pathogens in the microbial community produces microenvironments conducive to the growth of other potential pathogens, leading to infection by a polymicrobial consortium. This consortium is easily perturbed by a (seasonal) temperature decrease, but remains associated with the coral host and can be reactivated with a subsequent seasonal increase in temperature, resulting in a cycle of temperature‐dependent disease emergence.     

基于雷达和微波辐射计的湖北省冷季“高架雷暴”特征分析

利用常规观测、加密自动气象站、三维闪电定位仪、天气雷达和地基微波辐射计资料等,对湖北冷季（2014年11月）发生的3次高架雷暴过程进行了分析。（1）3次过程发生在地面冷锋后部地面冷气团中,主要以短时强降水和频繁的雷电活动为主,是典型的冷季“高架雷暴”,对流区位于地面冷锋后部500 km左右。（2）地面到925 hPa的冷垫,迫使暖湿气流爬升,在925 hPa逆温层附近触发对流,冷垫之上西南暖湿气流越强,对流越旺盛,雷达径向速度剖面可以明显看到1 km之下的冷垫。（3）冷季高架雷暴雷电活动剧烈,CG（地闪）占总闪比例60%以上,而+CG则占CG的40%左右,闪电频次和降水有很好的时空对应关系,CG出现在较强降水中心附近及周围,IC和CG突增对降水均有一定的时间提前量。CG更靠近强回波中心,且和≥30 dBZ的回波位置对应较好,IC则分布在雷暴单体外侧回波强度≥15 dBZ的区域。0 ℃等温线以上的（最大）回波强度达到43 dBZ以上或者18 dBZ回波顶高超过7.5 km是湖北冷季高架雷暴是否发生雷电的重要预警因子。（4）地基微波辐射计温度、湿度廓线和探空曲线基本吻合,可以看到明显的冷垫、逆温层及西南急流。基于微波辐射计资料计算的不稳定指数变化特征对冷季高架雷暴的短临预报有重要的实际应用价值。当A指数、TT指数、K指数和T_850-500出现快变抖动时,伴随抖动加剧可以判断将会有雷暴天气发生,当波动曲线开始下降并变得平稳,表示雷暴减弱消亡;θ_{se 850}在雷暴出现后跃增并在320 K附近抖动,雷暴结束后下落到290 K的平稳状态;T_d850在雷暴活跃阶段近乎为0 ℃;T_850-500在雷暴发生前是一个缓慢下降的过程,雷暴结束后大气趋于稳定。      

2012年早春广西高架雷暴冰雹天气过程分析

利用常规观测资料和雷达资料,对2012年早春广西高架强雷暴冰雹天气过程进行分析,得出以下结论:(1)冰雹伴随雷暴发生在地面锋后约1000 km,边界层为冷高压控制.850 hPa风速较小,700 hPa以上层有强急流,700～850 hPa有强的垂直风切变,500 hPa高空冷槽东移为对流的发生提供触发条件.(2)冰雹发生在850 hPa切变线南北两侧约200 km范围,等压面锋区强度大;高空槽前正负变温使700～500 hPa垂直方向温度差大,导致层结对流不稳定性加大.当500 hPa低槽移至强锋区上空时,锋面坡度变陡,上升运动加强,不稳定性增大,使得冰胚在对流层中层增长而形成冰雹.(3)风暴追踪信息显示风暴生成高度高,在垂直方向上倾斜增长;质心均在5～6 km,风暴生成后,随着时间的推移逐渐向低层发展,最大反射率以及液态含水量均不大,具有明显高架雷暴特征.     

锋面北侧冷气团中连续降雹环境场特征及成因

对2009年2月24日—3月5日我国南方锋面北侧冷气团中连续冰雹天气过程的环流形势和环境场特征及形成机理进行分析。此次冰雹过程是发生在我国南方典型的连阴雨天气形势背景下,欧亚中高纬度地区为两槽一脊形势,副热带高压偏强、中南半岛为低槽区,青藏高原有5次短波槽东移,中层700 hPa暖湿气流势力强盛。中层强西南暖湿气流在强锋区 (冷垫) 上抬升,形成我国南方典型的高架雷暴。高架雷暴的发生与中低层强温度锋区、中层700 hPa不低于20 m·s-1的西南急流、强风垂直切变、对流层中层较大的温度直减率、较低的0℃层高度 (4 km以下) 有关。     

Phytochemical changes in leaves of subtropical grasses and fynbos shrubs at elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations

The effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations on plant polyphenolic, tannin, nitrogen, phosphorus and total nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations were investigated in leaves of subtropical grass and fynbos shrub species. The hypothesis tested was that carbon-based secondary compounds would increase when carbon gain is in excess of growth requirements. This premise was tested in two ecosystems involving plants with different photosynthetic mechanisms and growth strategies. The first ecosystem comprised grasses from a C₄-dominated, subtropical grassland, where three plots were subjected to three different free air CO₂ enrichment treatments, i.e., elevated (600 to 800 μmol mol⁻¹), intermediate (400 μmol mol⁻¹) and ambient atmospheric CO₂. One of the seven grass species, Alloteropsis semialata, had a C₃ photosynthetic pathway while the other grasses were all C₄. The second ecosystem was simulated in a microcosm experiment where three fynbos species were grown in open-top chambers at ambient and 700 μmol mol⁻¹ atmospheric CO₂ in low nutrient acid sands typical of south western coastal and mountain fynbos ecosystems. Results showed that polyphenolics and tannins did not increase in the grass species under elevated CO₂ and only in Leucadendron laureolum among the fynbos species. Similarly, foliar nitrogen content of grasses was largely unaffected by elevated CO₂, and among the fynbos species, only L. laureolum and Leucadendron xanthoconus showed changes in foliar nitrogen content under elevated CO₂, but these were of different magnitude. The overall decrease in nitrogen and phosphorus and consequent increase in C:N and C:P ratio in both ecosystems, along with the increase in polyphenolics and tannins in L. laureolum in the fynbos ecosystem, may negatively affect forage quality and decomposition rates. It is concluded that fast growing grasses do not experience sink limitation and invest extra carbon into growth rather than polyphenolics and tannins and show small species-specific chemical changes at elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. Responses of fynbos species are varied and were species-specific.     

Wave Flow Simulations Over Arctic Leads

We investigate the flow over Arctic leads using a mesoscale numerical model, typical of both summer and winter, under idealised conditions. We find that Arctic leads may be the source of standing atmospheric internal gravity waves during both seasons. The summertime wave may be compared with the wave generated by a small ridge, though with the phase reversed. The mechanism for exciting the wave is found to be the internal boundary layer developing due to horizontal variations in surface temperature and roughness length. During the more exploratory wintertime simulations, with substantial temperature difference between the lead and the ice surface, we find that secondary circulations and intermittent wave-breaking may occur. The effects of the lead appear far downstream.