30 resultados para Eastern question (Central Asia)
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Glaciers in west China are the sources of the major great rivers in Asia, and the solid water resources are crucial to China and South Asia. Black carbon (BC) results in very complex climate effects not only in the atmosphere, but accelerates the melting after its deposit on the surface of snow/ice. As the main distributed area of glaciers in China, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Xinjiang region are abutted by South Asia, Central Asia, and Russia, and east China, and the atmospheric environment would be influenced by the BC emitted from these regions. Whereas, the BC’s temporal and spatial distributions for concentration in the mid and top troposphere in west China, its transport, and its radiative forcing after deposited on the snow/ice surface are not well understood at the present. In the field, we collected samples from surface snow, snow pits, ice core, and aerosol in the glaciers, analyzed BC content mainly by the thermo-oxidized method in the laboratory, and discussed temporal and spatial distributions for BC concentrations in glaciers, the transport, and its impacts on the environment. Several conclusions were derived as follows: 1_Spatial distribution and the impact on albedos for BC concentrations in snow/ice: the BC concentrations in the surface snow for the investigated glaciers could be placed in areas, the Tianshan Mountains > the central TP > the Pamirs > the Qilian Mountians > the Himalayas. This distribution could be attributed to the elevation of the glaciers, the topography of the TP, and more regional emissions. Probably significant impacts on the albedos of the glacier surface could be caused by BC deposits, and the estimated reduced albedos on the glaciers are 9.8% (the Zhadang glacier), 8.7% (the Miao’ergou Riverhead No.3 glacier), and 6.8% (the Kuitun River Haxilegen No.48 glacier), and 6.2% (the Dongkemadi glacier), and 5.3% (the La’nong glacier), and 4.2% (the Muztagata glacier), etc. 2_The temporal variance of BC concentrations in ice of the East Rongbuk Glacier (ERG) and its climatic implications: major cations and anions (e.g., SO42- and Ca2+) concentrations in aerosols during summer monsoon seasons showed their close relationships with the sources of air masses, in which the variance of SO42- concentrations suggested the atmospheric environment over the ERG was significantly influenced by the aerosols from South Asia. BC record based on an ice core suggested its deposit was dominantly transported by monsoons in summers and by westerlies in other seasons, and the BC from South Asia in summers dominated the varying trend of its concentrations in the ice core and caused higher concentrations in summers than those in other seasons. In the past 50 yrs, BC concentrations showed fluctuations, whereas showed an increasing tread in the most recent decade, and exceeded 50 μg kg-1 in the summer of 2001; correspondingly, the radiative forcing caused by BC showed an increasing trend since 1990s, and exceeded 4.5 W m-2 in the summer of 2001. 3_Cabonaceous aerosols in the Nam Co region: organic carbon (OC) concentration accounted for ~95% and BC for ~5% in the total carbonaceous aerosol concentration, which was significantly influenced by summer precipitations. OC was dominantly derived from fossil fuel burning and BC from both fossil fuel and biomass burning. Trajectory analysis and aerosol optical depth suggested the atmospheric environment in the Nam Co region was most probably influenced by the emissions from South Asia. The potential source regions of air pollutants in the Nam Co regions in summers might be Bangladesh and east India, and in winters might be the Indo-gangetic basin. The scavenging ratio of atmospheric BC by rainfalls was less than those at other sites. West China is a less-developed region for industry, where BC concentrations in the atmosphere and snow/ice could be significantly influenced by the emissions from the abutted regions with rising industries (South Asia, Central Asia, and Russia). For example, snow/ice BC concentrations in the glaciers of the Parmirs, the Tianshan Mountains, and the Qilian Mountains in the northeast margin of the TP might be more influenced by the emissions from Centrial Asia (transported by the westerlies), those in the glaciers of the Himalayas might be more influenced by the emissions from South Asia (transported by the monsoons and the westerlies), and atmospheric carbonaceous aerosols might also be more influenced by the emissions from South Asia (transported by the monsoons and the westerlies). The BC concentrations in some glaciers might cause significant impacts on the albedos for the glaciers, and therefore enhanced the radiative forcings, for example, the ERG. The research on the relationships among atmospheric and snow/ice BC and its radiative forcing, variance of snow cover, mass balance of glaciers, and climate forcing would be needed in future.
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The Tianshan Mountains is located about 1000-2000 km north of the India-Asia suture and is the most outstanding topography in central Asia, with transmeridional length of nearly 2500 km, north-southern wideness of ~ 300-500 km, peaks exceeding 7000 m above sea level (asl.), and average altitude of over 4000 m asl. Much of the modern relief of the Tianshan Range is a result of contraction driven by the collision of the India subcontinent with the southern margin of Asia, which began in early Tertiary and continues today. Understanding where, when and how the deformation of the Tianshan Mountains occurred is essential to decipher the mechanism of intracontinental tectonics, the process of foreland basin evolution and mountain building, and the history of climate change in central Asia. In order to better constrain the Cenozoic building history of the Tianshan Mountains and the climate change in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin, we carried out multiple studies of magnetostratigraphy, sedimentology, and stable isotopes of paleosol carbonate at the Jingou River section, which is located at the Huoerguosi anticline, the westernest one of the second folds and thrust faults zone in the northern piedmont of the Tianshan Mountains. The Jingou River section with a thickness of about 4160 m is continuous in deposits according to the observed gradual change in sedimentary environments and can be divided into five formations: Anjihaihe, Shawan, Taxihe, Dushanzi and Xiyu in upward sequence. Characteristic remamences were isolated by progressive thermal demagnetization, generally between 300 and 680℃. A total of 1133 out of 1607 samples yielded well-defined ChRMs and were used to establish the magnetostratigraphic column of a 3270-m-thick section from the exposed base of the Anjihaihe Formation to the middle of the Xiyu Formation. Two vertebrate fossil sites and a good correlation with the CK95 geomagnetic polarity time scale suggest that the section was deposited from ~30.5 to ~4.6 Ma and the age of the top of the Xiyu formation is ~2.6 Ma based on an extrapolation of the sedimentation rates. A plot of magnetostratigraphic age vs. height at the Jingou River section shows that significant increases in sedimentation rates as well as notable changes in depositional environments occurred at ~26-22.5 Ma, ~13-11 Ma and ~7 Ma, which represent the initial uplift of the Tianshan Mountains and two subsequent rapid uplift events. In addition, changes in sedimentation rates display characteristic alternations between increases and decreases, which probably indicate that the uplift of the Tianshan Mountains was episodic. We discussed the history of C4 biomass and climatic conditions in the southern margin of the Junggur Basin using the stable carbon and oxygen isotope composition of paleosol carbonates from the Jingou River section during ~17.5-6.5 Ma. The δ13C values indicate that the proportion of C4 biomass was uniform and moderate (15-20 %) during the interval of ~17.5-6.5 Ma. We proposed three hypotheses for this pattern of C4 biomass: (1) counteraction of two opposed factors (global cooling since ~15 Ma and thereafter increased dry and seasonality in central Asia) controlling the growth of C4 grasses, (2) variability in abundance of C3 grasses relative to C3 trees and shrubs if vegetation had ever changed in ecosystems, and (3) the higher latitude of the studied region. The δ18O values show a stepwise negative trend since ~13 Ma which may be attributed to three factors: (1) the temperature decreasing gradually after the middle Miocene (~15 Ma), (2) the increasing contribution of the moistures carried by the polar air masses from the Arctic Ocean to precipitation, and (3) the gradual retreat westward and disappearance of the Paratethys Ocean. Among them, which one played a more important role will need further study of the paleoclimate in central Asia.
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To investigate the changes in the chemical weathering intensity of dust source region in Asia continent, ~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr ratios of acid-washed residues from the loess deposits in China and Tajikistan were analyzed, respectively. The results and conclusions are listed as below. 1. The oscillation of ~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr ratios of acid-insoluble residues in the Chinese Loess Plateau was mainly attributed to the chemical weathering intensity of the source region and the grain size. Counteracted the effect of particle size, the calibrated 87Sr/S6Sr ratio can be used as a proxy for the chemical weathering intensity of the source region. 2. The Sr/ Sr ratios of red clay-loess sequence from the Loess Plateau indicate that the chemical weathering intensity of the dust source region between 7.0 and 2.6 Ma is stronger than that in the Quaternary period. This also suggests a general decline in chemical weathering intensity of the source region from 2.6 Ma to the present. Such pattern is more remarkable since 1.0 Ma BP. 3. The ~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr ratios of the Tajik loess during 0.8-1.8 Ma is much more higher than those from 0.8 Ma to the present. This implies that the chemical weathering intensity of the source region in Central Asia is much stronger during 0.8-1.8 Ma than the period since 0.8 Ma. 4. The record of Sr isotope ratios from both sections shows an accelerating course of aridity of the Asian dust source region over the Quaternary period.
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Western China is regarded as an assemblage of blocks or microplates. The India/Asia postcollisional kinematics of these blocks has attracted many geologists to pay attentions, especially on the geodynamics and intracontinental deformation of Tibetan and adjoining parts of central Asia. So far there are still many debates on the amount of continental shortening and extrusion within Western China blocks. Paleomagnetism plays a very important role in the paleogeographic reconstruction and depiction of kinematics of the blocks, however the unequilibrium of paleomagentic data obtained from Western China prevents paleomagnetists from studying the kinematics and intracontinental deformation on the Tibetan plateau and the central Asia. Moreover, shallower inclinations observed in the Cretaceous and Cenozoic terrestrial red sediments in central Asia makes it difficult to precisely estimate the northward convergence of Tibetan plateau and its adjacent areas since the onset of the Indian/Asian collision. In this thesis, detailed rock magnetic, chronological and paleomagnetic studies have been carried out on the Tuoyun Basin in the southwestern Tianshan to discuss the possible continental shortening and tectonic movements since the Cretaceous-Tertiary. Ar-Ar geochronological study has been conducted on the upper and lower basalt series from the Tuoyun Basin, yielding that the lower and upper basalt series were extruded during 115-113 Ma and 61.8-56.9 Ma, respectively. Both the age spectrum and inverse isochron show that the samples from the upper and lower basalt series have experienced no significant thermal events since extrusion of the baslts. Rock magnetic studies including temperature dependence of magnetization and susceptibility during a heating-cooling cycle from temperature up to 600 ℃ suggest that the baslt samples from the lower and upper basalt series are ferromagnetically predominant of magnetite and a subordinate hematite with a few sites of titanomagnetite. The predominant magnetic mineral of the intercalated red beds is magnetite and hematite. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility shows that both the baslts and the intercalated red beds are unlikely to have undergone significant strain due to compaction or tectonic stress since formation of the rocks. The stable characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) isolated from the most samples of the upper and lower basalt series and intercalated red beds, passes fold test at the 99% confidence level. Together with the geochronological results, we interpret the characteristic component as a primary magnetization acquired in the formation of rocks. Some sites from both the upper and lower basalts yielded shallower inclinations than the reference field computed from the Eurasia APW, we prefer to argue that these shallow inclinations might be related to geomagnetic secular variation, whereas the shallow inclination in the intercalated red beds is likely to be related to detrital remanent magnetization. Paleomagnetic results from the early Cretaceous-Paleogene basalts indicate that no significant N-S convergence has taken place between the Tuoyun Basin and the south margin of Siberia. Furthermore, the Cretaceous and Tertiary paleomagnetic results suggest that the Tuoyun Basin was subjected to a local clockwise rotation of 20°-30° with respect to Eurasia since the Paleocene time, which is probably subsequent to the Cenozoic northward compression of the Pamir arc.
Resumo:
In Asia continent, several significant environmental events happened during the Cenozoic era, such as uplift of the Tibet Plateau, formation of the Asian Monsoon system, aridification of the temperate inland region in Central Asia. To investigate the history of long-term palaeoclimate evolution during the late Cenozoic, a lacustrine sequence located at Sikouzi, Guyuan county, Ningxia-Hui Autonomous Region, was studied. The Sikouzi section is about 2880 m in thickness and has a general continuous nature according to field observation. Thus this thick lacustrine record is an important archive to further understand those environmental events. In this study, detailed field measurement, layer-after-layer description and sampling, and magnetostratigraphy and palynoflora investigations are conducted at the Sikouzi section and some preliminary results have been achieved as follows. Based on Hipparion fauna, pollen data and long distinctive patterns of the local magnetozones, the confident correlation of the Sikouzi magnetostratigraphic polarity to the GPTS (CK95) is best established, indicating that the top boundary of the Sikouzi formation is dated back to -19.8 Ma B.P. and consequently no Oligocene sediments deposited locally. On the other hand, both the field observation and the correlation to GPTS indicate a nearly continuous nature for the whole sequence. The palynological results show that the grassland has been a dominant vegetation in the Sikouzi area since ~19.8 Ma B.P, although some trees/shrubs were present sparsely during the intervals of relatively warm and wet climatic conditions. This implies that the onset of the aridification in northwestern China is dated back to at least 19.8 Ma B.P. ago. The Neogene Global Climatic Optimum (-16.0 Ma B.P.) occurring between the late Early Miocene and the early Middle Miocene is well documented in the Shanwang formation, Shandong Province. However, such event was not found in the Sikouzi record, and neither in the Guide and the Hualong basins, Qinghai province. This may lead us to the conclusion that the East-Asian Summer Monsoon system remained weak during the period of the Miocene Climatic Optimum although the onset of it was traced back to the Early Oligocene. In the Sikouzi area, it was warm between the latest Miocene and the early Pliocene and then became cool in the late Pliocene. This pattern is consistent with the palaeoclimate record of the Pliocene from other areas in the world.
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Resumo:
The tumor suppressor p53 is a master sensor of stress. Two human-specific polymorphisms, p53 codon 72 and MDM2 SNP309, influence the activities of p53. There is a tight association between cold winter temperature and p53 Arg72 and between low UV intensity
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In spite of several classification attempts among taxa of the genus Lepus, phylogenetic relationships still remain poorly understood. Here, we present molecular genetic evidence that may resolve some of the current incongruities in the phylogeny of the leporids. The complete mitochondrial cytb, 12S genes, and parts of ND4 and control region fragments were sequenced to examine phylogenetic relationships among Chinese hare taxa and other leporids throughout the World using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian phylogenetic reconstruction approaches. Using reconstructed phylogenies, we observed that the Chinese hare is not a single monophyletic group as originally thought. Instead, the data infers that the genus Lepus is monophyletic with three unique species groups: North American, Eurasian, and African. Ancestral area analysis indicated that ancestral Lepus arose in North America and then dispersed into Eurasia via the Bering Land Bridge eventually extending to Africa. Brooks Parsimony analysis showed that dispersal events followed by subsequent speciation have occurred in other geographic areas as well and resulted in the rapid radiation and speciation of Lepus. A Bayesian relaxed molecular clock approach based on the continuous autocorrelation of evolutionary rates along branches estimated the divergence time between the three major groups within Lepus. The genus appears to have arisen approximately 10.76 MYA (+/- 0.86 MYA), with most speciation events occurring during the Pliocene epoch (5.65 +/- 1.15 MYA similar to 1.12 +/- 10.47 MYA). (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Clay fractions in the non-calcareous surface sediments from the eastern Pacific were analyzed for clay minerals, REE and Nd-143/Nd-144. Montmorillonite/illite ratio (M/I ratio), total REE contents (Sigma REE), LREE/HREE ratio and cerium anomaly (delta Ce) may effectively indicate the genesis of clay minerals. Clay fractions with M/I ratio > 1, delta Ce < 0.85, Sigma REE > 400 mu g/g, LREE/HREE ratio approximate to 4, and REE patterns similar to those of pelagic sediments are terrigenous and autogenetic mixed clay fractions and contain more autogenetic montmorillonite. Clay fractions with M/I ratio < 1, delta Ce=0.86 to 1.5, Sigma REE=200 to 350 mu g/g, LREE/HREE ratio approximate to 6 and REE distribution patterns similar to that of China loess are identified as terrigenous clay fraction. The Nd-143/Nd-144 ratios or epsilon(Nd) values of clay fractions inherit the features of terrigenous sources of clay minerals. Clay fractions are divided into 4 types according to epsilon(Nd) values. Terrigenous clay minerals of type I with the eNd values of -8 to -6 originate mainly from North American fluvial deposits. Those of type 11 with the epsilon(Nd) Values of -9 to -7 are mainly from the East Asia and North American fluvial deposits. Those of type III with epsilon(Nd) values of -6 to -3 could come from the central and eastern Pacific volcanic islands. Those of type IV with epsilon(Nd) values of -13 to -12 may be from East Asia eolian. The terrigenous and autogenetic mixed clay fractions show patchy distributions, indicating that there are volcanic or hot-spot activities in the eastern Pacific plate, while the terrigenous clay fractions cover a large part of the study area, proving that the terrigenous clay minerals are dominant in the eastern Pacific.
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The presumed pair relationships of intercontinental vicariad species in the Podophyllum group (Sinopodophyllum hexandrum vs. Podophyllum pelatum and Diphylleia grayi vs. D. cymosa) were recently, considered to be paraphyletic. In the present paper, the trnL-F and ITS gene sequences of the representatives were used to examine the sister relationships of these two vicariad species. A heuristic parsimony analysis based on the trnLF data identified Diphylleia as the basal clade of the other three genera, but provided poor resolution of their inter-relationships. High sequence divergence was found in the ITS data. ITS1 region, more variable but parsimonyuninformative. has no phylogenetic value, Sequence divergence of the ITS2 region provided abundant, phylogenetically informative variable characters. Analysis of ITS2 sequences confirmeda sister relationship between the presumable vicariad species, in spite of a low bootstrap support for Sinopodophyllum hexandrum vs. Podophyllum pelatum. The combined ITS2 and trnL-F data enforced a sister relationship between Sinopodophyllum hexandrum and Podophyllum pelatum with an elevated bootstrap support of 100%. Based on molecular phylogeny, the morphological evolution of this group was discussed. The self-pollination might have evolved from cross-fertilization two times in this group. The different pollination and seed dispersal systems of Sinopodophyllum hexandrum and Podophlyllum pelatum resulted from their adaptations to different ecological habitats. The divergence time of Sinopodophyllum hexandrum-Podophyllum pelatum is estimated to be 6.52+/-1.89 myr based on the ITS divergence. The divergence of this species pair predated or co-occurred with the recent uplift of the Himalayas 4-3 myr during the late Miocene and the formation of the alpine habitats. Sinopodophyllum hexandrum developed a host of specialized characters in its subsequent adaptation to the arid alpine surroundings. The present study confirmed the different patterns of species relationship between Asian-North American disjuncts. The isolation of plant elements between North America and eastern Asia must have been a gradual process, resulting in the different phylogenetic patterns and divergence times of the disjuncts.