Two modes of dipole events in tropical Indian Ocean

By analyzing the distributions of subsurface temperature and the surface wind stress anomalies in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans during the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events, two major modes of the IOD and their formation mechanisms are revealed. (1) The subsurface temperature anomaly (STA) in the tropical Indian Ocean during the IOD events can be described as a "<" -shaped and west-east-oriented dipole pattern; in the east side of the "<" pattern, a notable tongue-like STA extends westward along the equator in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean; while in the west side of the "<" pattern, the STA has opposite sign with two centers (the southern one is stronger than the northern one in intensity) being of rough symmetry about the equator in the tropical mid-western Indian Ocean. (2) The IOD events are composed of two modes, which have similar spatial pattern but different temporal variabilities due to the large scale air-sea interactions within two independent systems. The first mode of the IOD event originates from the air-sea interaction on a scale of the tropical Pacific-Indian Ocean and coexists with ENSO. The second mode originates from the air-sea interaction on a scale of the tropical Indian Ocean and is closely associated with changes in the position and intensity of the Mascarene high pressure. The strong IOD event occurs when the two modes are in phase, and the IOD event weakens or disappears when the two modes are out of phase. Besides, the IOD events are normally strong when either of the two modes is strong. (3) The IOD event is caused by the abnormal wind stress forcing over the tropical Indian Ocean, which results in vertical transports, leading to the upwelling and pileup of seawater. This is the main dynamic processes resulting in the STA. When the anomalous easterly exists over the equatorial Indian Ocean, the cold waters upwell in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean while the warm waters pileup in the tropical western Indian Ocean, hence the thermocline in the tropical Indian Ocean is shallowed in the east and deepened in the west. The off-equator component due to the Coriolis force in the equatorial area causes the upwelling of cold waters and the shallowing of the equatorial India Ocean thermocline. On the other hand, the anomalous anticyclonic circulations and their curl fields located on both sides of the equator, cause the pileup of warm waters in the central area of their curl fields and the deepening of the equatorial Indian Ocean thermocline off the equator. The above three factors lead to the occurrence of positive phase IOD events. When anomalous westerly dominates over the tropical Indian Ocean, the dynamic processes are reversed, and the negative-phase IOD event occurs.

Dynamics of intraseasonal sea level and thermocline variability in the equatorial Atlantic during 2002-03

Satellite and in situ observations in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean during 2002-03 show dominant spectral peaks at 40-60 days and secondary peaks at 10-40 days in sea level and thermocline within the intraseasonal period band (10-80 days). A detailed investigation of the dynamics of the intraseasonal variations is carried out using an ocean general circulation model, namely, the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Two parallel experiments are performed in the tropical Atlantic Ocean basin for the period 2000-03: one is forced by daily scatterometer winds from the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellite together with other forcing fields, and the other is forced by the low-passed 80-day version of the above fields. To help in understanding the role played by the wind-driven equatorial waves, a linear continuously stratified ocean model is also used. Within 3 degrees S-3 degrees N of the equatorial region, the strong 40-60-day sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) and thermocline variability result mainly from the first and second baroclinic modes equatorial Kelvin waves that are forced by intraseasonal zonal winds, with the second baroclinic mode playing a more important role. Sharp 40-50-day peaks of zonal and meridional winds appear in both the QuikSCAT and Pilot Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA) data for the period 2002-03, and they are especially strong in 2002. Zonal wind anomaly in the central-western equatorial basin for the period 2000-06 is significantly correlated with SSHA across the equatorial basin, with simultaneous/ lag correlation ranging from-0.62 to 0.74 above 95% significance. Away from the equator (3 degrees-5 degrees N), however, sea level and thermocline variations in the 40-60-day band are caused largely by tropical instability waves (TIWs). On 10-40-day time scales and west of 10 degrees W, the spectral power of sea level and thermocline appears to be dominated by TIWs within 5 degrees S-5 degrees N of the equatorial region. The wind-driven circulation, however, also provides a significant contribution. Interestingly, east of 10 W, SSHA and thermocline variations at 10 40- day periods result almost entirely from wind-driven equatorial waves. During the boreal spring of 2002 when TIWs are weak, Kelvin waves dominate the SSHA across the equatorial basin (2 degrees S-2 degrees N). The observed quasi-biweekly Yanai waves are excited mainly by the quasi-biweekly meridional winds, and they contribute significantly to the SSHA and thermocline variations in 1 degrees-5 degrees N and 1 degrees-5 degrees S regions.

Subtropical dipole mode in the Southern Hemisphere: A global view

A global wavenumber-3 dipole SST mode is showed to exist in the Southern Hemisphere subtropical climate variability in austral summer. A positive (negative) phase of the mode is characterized by cool (warm) SST anomalies in the east and warm (cool) SST anomalies in the southwest of the south Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans, respectively. This coherent dipole structure is largely a response of ocean mixed layer to the atmospheric forcing characterized by migration and modulation of the subtropical high-pressures, in which the latent heat flux play a leading role through wind-induced evaporation, although ocean dynamics may also be crucial in forming SST anomalies attached to the continents. Exploratory analyses suggest that this mode is strongly damped by the negative heat flux feedback, with a persistence time about three months and no spectral peak at interannual to decadal time scales. As the subtropical dipole mode is linearly independent of ENSO and SAM, whether it represents an additional source of climate predictability should be further studied. Citation: Wang, F. (2010), Subtropical dipole mode in the Southern Hemisphere: A global view, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L10702, doi: 10.1029/2010GL042750.

Long-Wave Dynamics of Sea Level Variations during Indian Ocean Dipole Events

Long-wave dynamics of the interannual variations of the equatorial Indian Ocean circulation are studied using an ocean general circulation model forced by the assimilated surface winds and heat flux of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The simulation has reproduced the sea level anomalies of the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon altimeter observations well. The equatorial Kelvin and Rossby waves decomposed from the model simulation show that western boundary reflections provide important negative feedbacks to the evolution of the upwelling currents off the Java coast during Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) events. Two downwelling Kelvin wave pulses are generated at the western boundary during IOD events: the first is reflected from the equatorial Rossby waves and the second from the off-equatorial Rossby waves in the southern Indian Ocean. The upwelling in the eastern basin during the 1997-98 IOD event is weakened by the first Kelvin wave pulse and terminated by the second. In comparison, the upwelling during the 1994 IOD event is terminated by the first Kelvin wave pulse because the southeasterly winds off the Java coast are weak at the end of 1994. The atmospheric intraseasonal forcing, which plays an important role in inducing Java upwelling during the early stage of an IOD event, is found to play a minor role in terminating the upwelling off the Java coast because the intraseasonal winds are either weak or absent during the IOD mature phase. The equatorial wave analyses suggest that the upwelling off the Java coast during IOD events is terminated primarily by western boundary reflections.

Analysis of the sea-level variability along the Chinese coast and estimation of the impact of a CO2-perturbed atmospheric circulation

The relationship between monthly sea-level data measured at stations located along the Chinese coast and concurrent large-scale atmospheric forcing in the period 1960-1990 is examined. It is found that sea-level varies quite coherently along the whole coast, despite the geographical extension of the station set. A canonical correlation analysis between sea-level and sea-level pressure (SLP) indicates that a great part of the sea-level variability can be explained by the action of the wind stress on the ocean surface. The relationship between sea-level and sea-level pressure is analyzed separately for the summer and winter half-years. In winter, one factor affecting sea-level variability at all stations is the SLP contrast between the continent and the Pacific Ocean, hence the intensity of the winter Monsoon circulation. Another factor that affects coherently all stations is the intensity of the zonal circulation at mid-latitudes. In the summer half year, on the other hand, the influence of SLP on sea-level is spatially less coherent: the stations in the Yellow Sea are affected by a more localized circulation anomaly pattern, whereas the rest of the stations is more directly connected to the intensity of the zonal circulation. Based on this analysis, statistical models (different for summer and winter) to hindcast coastal sealevel anomalies from the large-scale SLP field are formulated. These models have been tested by fitting their internal parameters in a test period and reproducing reasonably the sea-level evolution in an independent period. These statistical models are also used to estimate the contribution of the changes of the atmospheric circulation on sea-level along the Chinese coast in an altered climate. For this purpose the ouput of 150 year-long experiment with the coupled ocean-atmosphere model ECHAM1-LSG has been analyzed, in which the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases was continuously increased from 1940 until 2090, according to the Scenario A projection of the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change. In this experiment the meridional (zonal) circulation relevant for sea-level tends to become weaker (stronger) in the winter half year and stronger (weaker) in summer. The estimated contribution of this atmospheric circulation changes to coastal sea-level is of the order of a few centimeters at the end of the integration, being in winter negative in the Yellow Sea and positive in the China Sea with opposite signs in the summer half-year.

COASTAL SEA-LEVEL AND THE LARGE-SCALE CLIMATE STATE - A DOWNSCALING EXERCISE FOR THE JAPANESE ISLANDS

A major problem which is envisaged in the course of man-made climate change is sea-level rise. The global aspect of the thermal expansion of the sea water likely is reasonably well simulated by present day climate models; the variation of sea level, due to variations of the regional atmospheric forcing and of the large-scale oceanic circulation, is not adequately simulated by a global climate model because of insufficient spatial resolution. A method to infer the coastal aspects of sea level change is to use a statistical ''downscaling'' strategy: a linear statistical model is built upon a multi-year data set of local sea level data and of large-scale oceanic and/or atmospheric data such as sea-surface temperature or sea-level air-pressure. We apply this idea to sea level along the Japanese coast. The sea level is related to regional and North Pacific sea-surface temperature and sea-level air pressure. Two relevant processes are identified. One process is the local wind set-up of water due to regional low-frequency wind anomalies; the other is a planetary scale atmosphere-ocean interaction which takes place in the eastern North Pacific.

Effect of Stokes drift on upper ocean mixing

Stokes drift is the main source of vertical vorticity in the ocean mixed layer. In the ways of Coriolis - Stokes forcing and Langmuir circulations, Stokes drift can substantially affect the whole mixed layer. A modified Mellor-Yamada 2.5 level turbulence closure model is used to parameterize its effect on upper ocean mixing conventionally. Results show that comparing surface heating with wave breaking, Stokes drift plays the most important role in the entire ocean mixed layer, especially in the subsurface layer. As expected, Stokes drift elevates both the dissipation rate and the turbulence energy in the upper ocean mixing. Also, influence of the surface heating, wave breaking and wind speed on Stokes drift is investigated respectively. Research shows that it is significant and important to assessing the Stokes drift into ocean mixed layer studying. The laboratory observations are supporting numerical experiments quantitatively.

Cross-shelf circulation in the Yellow and East China Seas indicated by MODIS satellite observations

Ocean color and sea surface temperature data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra satellite are used to study the cross-shelf circulation and transport of suspended sediments in the Yellow and the East China Seas. The ocean color images show a significant turbid water plume extending in the southeast direction from the Subei coasts of China to the shelf edge south of Cheju during fall-winter, suggesting significant cross-shelf currents in the Yellow Sea/East China Sea in winter. The currents transport suspended sediments from the area of the old Huanghe mouth into the Okinawa Trough. Part of the turbid plume joins the Yellow Sea Warm Current to enter the Yellow Sea trough in winter. The satellite images suggest that the time scales of cross-shelf transport and surface-to-subsurface descending of the suspended sediments are a few weeks. The turbid plume grows in fall, reaches its maximum expansion and intensity in winter-spring, and subsides in late spring. In summer, the plume becomes coastally trapped. Substantial interannual variations of the intensity and coverage of the turbid plume are indicated by the observations. In comparison, the Changjiang Diluted Water in summer only transports a small amount of the Changjiang suspended sediment to the outer shelf south of Cheju, which does not enter the Yellow Sea owing to the weak intrusion of the Yellow Sea Warm Current in summer. The dynamics of the cross-shelf circulation in the Yellow Sea in winter are hypothesized to be associated with (1) the convergence of the Yellow Sea Coastal Current and the Taiwan Warm Current off the Changjiang mouth and (2) the time-dependent forcing of the northerly wind bursts that drives the intrusion of the Yellow Sea Warm Current. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of winds, tides and storm surges on ocean surface waves in the Sea of Japan

Ocean surface waves are strongly forced by high wind conditions associated with winter storms in the Sea of Japan. They are also modulated by tides and storm surges. The effects of the variability in surface wind forcing, tides and storm surges on the waves are investigated using a wave model, a high-resolution atmospheric mesoscale model and a hydrodynamic ocean circulation model. Five month-long wave model simulations are inducted to examine the sensitivity of ocean waves to various wind forcing fields, tides and storm surges during January 1997. Compared with observed mean wave parameters, results indicate that the high frequency variability in the surface wind filed has very great effect on wave simulation. Tides and storm surges have a significant impact on the waves in nearshores of the Tsushima-kaihyo, but not for other regions in the Sea of Japan. High spatial and temporal resolution and good quality surface wind products will be crucial for the prediction of surface waves in the JES and other marginal seas, especially near the coastal regions.

Roles of equatorial waves and western boundary reflection in the seasonal circulation of the equatorial Indian Ocean

An ocean general circulation model (OGCM) is used to study the roles of equatorial waves and western boundary reflection in the seasonal circulation of the equatorial Indian Ocean. The western boundary reflection is defined as the total Kelvin waves leaving the western boundary, which include the reflection of the equatorial Rossby waves as well as the effects of alongshore winds, off-equatorial Rossby waves, and nonlinear processes near the western boundary. The evaluation of the reflection is based on a wave decomposition of the OGCM results and experiments with linear models. It is found that the alongshore winds along the east coast of Africa and the Rossby waves in the off-equatorial areas contribute significantly to the annual harmonics of the equatorial Kelvin waves at the western boundary. The semiannual harmonics of the Kelvin waves, on the other hand, originate primarily from a linear reflection of the equatorial Rossby waves. The dynamics of a dominant annual oscillation of sea level coexisting with the dominant semiannual oscillations of surface zonal currents in the central equatorial Indian Ocean are investigated. These sea level and zonal current patterns are found to be closely related to the linear reflections of the semiannual harmonics at the meridional boundaries. Because of the reflections, the second baroclinic mode resonates with the semiannual wind forcing; that is, the semiannual zonal currents carried by the reflected waves enhance the wind-forced currents at the central basin. Because of the different behavior of the zonal current and sea level during the reflections, the semiannual sea levels of the directly forced and reflected waves cancel each other significantly at the central basin. In the meantime, the annual harmonic of the sea level remains large, producing a dominant annual oscillation of sea level in the central equatorial Indian Ocean. The linear reflection causes the semiannual harmonics of the incoming and reflected sea levels to enhance each other at the meridional boundaries. In addition, the weak annual harmonics of sea level in the western basin, resulting from a combined effect of the western boundary reflection and the equatorial zonal wind forcing, facilitate the dominance by the semiannual harmonics near the western boundary despite the strong local wind forcing at the annual period. The Rossby waves are found to have a much larger contribution to the observed equatorial semiannual oscillations of surface zonal currents than the Kelvin waves. The westward progressive reversal of seasonal surface zonal currents along the equator in the observations is primarily due to the Rossby wave propagation.

Restructuring of a zooplankton community by perturbation from a wind-forced coastal jet

The impact of transient wind events on an established zooplankton community was observed during a, field survey in a, coastal region off northern Norway in May 2002. A transient wind event induced a coastal jet/filament intrusion of warm, saline water into our survey area where a semi-permanent eddy was present. There was an abrupt change in zooplankton community structure within 4-7 days of the wind event, with a change in the size structure, an increase in lower size classes less than 1 mm in equivalent spherical diameter (ESD) and a decrease in larger size classes greater than 1.5 mm in ESD. The slope of zooplankton biovolume spectra changed from -0.6 to -0.8, consistent with the size shifting towards smaller size classes. This study shows that even well established zooplankton communities are susceptible to restructuring during transient wind events, and in particular when wind forcing induces horizontal currents or filaments.

A three-dimensional coupled physical-biological model study in the spring of 1993 in the Bohai Sea of China

A three-dimensional (3-D) coupled physical and biological model was used to investigate the physical processes and their influence on the ecosystem dynamics of the Bohai Sea of China. The physical processes include M-2 tide, time - varying wind forcing and river discharge. Wind records from I to 31 May in 1993 were selected to force the model. The biological model is based on a simple, nitrate and phosphate limited, lower trophic food web system. The simulated results showed that variation of residual currents forced by M, tide, river discharge and time-varying wind had great impact on the distribution of phytoplankton biomass in the Laizhou Bay. High phytoplankton biomass appeared in the upwelling region. Numerical experiments based on the barotropic model and baroclinic model with no wind and water discharge were also conducted. Differences in the results by the baroclinic model and the barotropic model were significant: more patches appeared in the baroclinic model comparing with the barotropic model. And in the baroclinic model, the subsurface maximum phytoplankton biomass patches formed in the stratified water.

基于各向异性非线性扩散的图像消抖算法

对于图像抖动产生偏移,提出了一种基于各向异性非线性扩散以及抖动估计的抖动消除算法。这种各向异性非线性扩散的模型由两项组成,即扩散项以及强制项。基本思想就是对于边界点以及图像内部的点分别进行处理。利用Newton-Raphson算法最小化抖动误差,估计出抖动偏移量。实验结果表明本文的抖动消除技术比其他方法的消除性能好,恢复效果接近于理想图像且性能稳定。

元谋盆地河湖相沉积记录的上新世印度季风转型事件

The Indian monsoon, an integral part of the global climate system, has been extensively investigated during the past decades. Most of the proxy records are derived from marine sediments and focused on time periods of the late Miocene and Pleistocene. The Pliocene represents a period when Earth’s boundary conditions underwent dramatic changes. However, variations of the Indian monsoon during the Pliocene and its forcing mechanisms have remained unclear. The Yuanmou Basin, located in the region of the Indian monsoon, provides an ideal target for understanding the Pliocene history of Indian monsoon variations. Detailed investigations on the lithostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy and limnology of a 650-m-thick fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary sequence from the basin are carried out in the present study. The clay and clay-plus-fine-silt fractions of the sediments are referred to the midlake-facies components, and changes in the percentages of both fractions generally reflect changes in the water level of the lakes developed in the basin closely related to variations in the intensity of the Indian monsoon. Whereas the greenish-gray lacustrine mud beds represent the environment of deep-water lakes, and the frequency of individual lacustrine mud beds is considered to indicate the frequency of the deep-water lakes developed in the basin associated with the variability of the Indian monsoon. The proxy data suggest that the Indian monsoon experienced abrupt shifts at 3.53, 3.14, 2.78 and 2.42 Ma, respectivey. 1) Since 3.53 Ma, the midlake-facies components displayed a general trend of increase in the concentrations, accompanied by an increase in the sedimentation rate from an average ~10 to 25 cm ka–1. The data suggest that high stands of the lakes in the basin rose progressively, implying a gradual intensification of the Indian monsoon since that time. This shift occurred coeval with the accelerated uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau, denoting a close link between the Indian monsoon strengthening and the Tibetan Plateau uplifting. 2) 2.78 Ma ago, the concentrations of the midlake-facies components decreased abruptly and the dominant fraction of the sediments turned to fluvial sands. The data indicate that lakes in the basin disappeared, reflecting a dramatic decline in the intensity of the Indian monsoon at that time. This shift coincided with the formation of extensive Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, implying a quick response of the low-latitude monsoon regime to the high-latitude glaciation. 3) At 3.14 Ma, the initial appearance of blackish-grey mud beds with long durations and occasional occurrences of lacustrine mud beds indicate that the basin was overall dominated by shallow lakes, implying a shift to decreased variability of the Indian monsoon at that time. At 2.42 Ma, an increase in the frequency and a decrease in the duration of the lacustrine mud beds suggest that deep-water lakes were frequently developed in the basin, denoting a shift to increased variability of the Indian monsoon at that time. The former shift coincides with the onset of large-scale glaciation in the circum Atlantic region and the latter corresponds to the inception of predominance of the 41 ka periodicity in Northern Hemisphere ice-sheet cover fluctuations, presumably suggesting a physical link between the Indian monsoon system and the high-latitude ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere.

细粒沉积物多组分粒度特征及其成因机制研究

By using high-resolution laser grain size instrument Mastersizer 2000, the grain size distribution of windblown depositions (loess and sandy dunes), aqueous sediments (lake, river, riverside and foreshore sand), weathering crust, sloping materials and other fine-grain sediments are systemically measured. The multimodal characteristics of grain size distribution of these sediments are carefully studied. The standard patterns and their grain size characteristics of various sediments are systemically summarized. The discrepancies of multimodal distribution among windblown depositions, aqueous sediments and other sediments are concluded and the physical mechanisms of grain size multimodal distribution of various sediments are also discussed in this paper. The major conclusions are followed: 1. The multimodal characteristic of grain size distribution is a common feature in all sediments and results from properties of transportation medium, dynamic intensity, transportation manner and other factors. 2. The windblown depositions are controlled by aerodynamic forcing, resulting in that the median size of the predominant mode gradually decreases form sandy dunes to loess. Similarly, the aqueous sediments are impacted by dynamic forces of water currents and the median grain size of the predominant mode decreases gradually from river to lake sediments. Because the kinetic viscidity of air is lower than of water, the grain size of modes of windblown depositions is usually finer than that of corresponding modes of aqueous sediments. Typical characteristics of sediments grain size distribution of various sediments have been summarized in the paper: (1) Suspended particles which diameters are less than 75μm are dominant in loess and dust. There are three modes in loess’ grain size distribution: fine, median and coarse (the median size is <1μm、1-10μm、10-75μm, respectively). The coarse mode which percentage is larger than that of others is controlled by source distance and aerodynamic intensity of dust source areas. Some samples also have a saltation mode which median size is about 300-500μm. Our analysis demonstrates that the interaction of wind, atmospheric turbulence, and dust grain gravity along the dust transportation path results in a multimodal grain size distribution for suspended dust. Changes in the median sizes of the coarse and medium modes are related to variation in aerodynamic forcing (lift force related to vertical wind and turbulence) during dust entrainment in the source area and turbulence intensity in the depositional area. (2) There is a predominant coarse saltation mode in grain size distribution of sandy dunes, which median size is about 100-300μm and the content is larger than that of other modes. The grain size distribution curve is near axis symmetric as a standard logarithm normal function. There are some suspended particles in some samples of sandy dunes, which distribution of the fine part is similar to that of loess. Comparing with sandy samples of river sediments, the sorting property of sandy dunes is better than of river samples although both they are the saltation mode. Thus, the sorting property is a criterion to distinguish dune sands and river sands. (3) There are 5~6 modes (median size are <1μm, 1-10μm, 10-70μm, 70-150μm, 150-400μm, >400μm respectively) in grain size distribution of lacustrine sediments. The former 4 modes are suspensive and others are saltated. Lacustrine sediments can be divided into three types: lake shore facies, transitional facies and central lake facies. The grain size distributions of the three facies are distinctly different and, at the same time, the transition among three modes is also clear. In all these modes, the third mode is a criteria to identify the windblown deposition in the watershed. In lake shore sediments, suspended particles are dominant, a saltation mode sometimes occurs and the fourth mode is the most important mode. In the transitional facies, the percentage of the fourth mode decreases and that of the second mode increases from lake shore to central lake. In the central lake facies, the second mode is dominant. A higher content of the second mode indicates its position more close to the central lake. (4) The grain size distribution of river sediments is the most complex. It consist of suspension, saltation and rolling modes. In most situations, the percentage of the saltation mode is larger than that of other modes. The percentage of suspension modes of river sediments is more than of sandy dunes. The grain size distribution of river sediments indicates dynamic strength of river currents. If the fourth mode is dominant, the dynamic forcing of river is weaker, such as in river floodplain. If the five or sixth mode is dominant, the water dynamic forcing of rivers is strong. (5) Sediments can be changed by later forcing in different degree to form some complicated deposition types. In the paper, the grain size distribution of aqueous sediments of windblown deposition, windblown sediments of aqueous deposition, weathering crust and slope materials are discussed and analyzed. 3. The grain size distribution characteristics of different sediments are concluded: (1) Modal difference: Usually there are suspended and saltation modes in the windblown deposition. The third mode is dominant in loess dust and the fifth mode is predominant in sandy dunes. There are suspended, saltation and rolling particles in aqueous sediments. In lacustrine sediments, the second and fourth mode are predominant for central lake facies or lake shore facies, respectively. In river sediments, the fourth, or fifth, or sixth mode is predominant. Suspended modes: the grain size of suspended particles of windblown depositions usually is less than 75μm. The content of suspended particles is lower or none in sandy dunes. However, suspended particles of aqueous sediments may reach 150μm. Difference in grain size of suspended modes represents difference between transitional mediums and the strength of dynamic forcing. Saltation modes: the median size of saltation mode of sandy dunes fluctuates less than that of river sediments. (2) Loess dust and lacustrine sediment: Their suspended particles are clearly different. There is an obvious pit between the second and the third modes in grain size distribution of lacustrine sediments. The phenomenon doesn’t occur in loess dust. In lacustrine sediments, the second mode can be a dominant mode, such as central lake facies, and contents of the second and the third modes change reversely. However, the percentage of the third mode is always the highest in loess dust. (3) Dune Sand and fluvial sand: In these two depositions, the saltation particles are dominant and the median sizes of their saltation modes overlay in distribution range. The fifth mode of dune sand fluctuates is sorted better than that of fluvial sand. (4) Lacustrine and fluvial sediments: In lacustrine sediments, there are 5-6 modes and suspended particles can be predominant. The second mode is dominant in central lake facies and the third mode is dominant in lake shore facies. Saltation or roll modes occurred in central lake facies may indicate strong precipitation events. In fluvial sediments, saltation particles (or rolling particles) usually dominant. 4. A estimation model of lake depth is firstly established by using contents of the second, the third and the fourth modes. 5. The paleoenvironmental history of the eastern part of SongLiao basin is also discussed by analyzing the grain size distribution of Yushu loess-like sediments in Jilin. It was found that there is a tectonic movement before 40ka B.P. in SongLiao basin. After the movement, loess dust deposited in Yushu area as keerqin desert developed. In recent 2000 years, the climate became drier and more deserts activated in the eastern part of Song-Liao basin.