Sources and transport of dissolved and particulate organic carbon in the Mississippi River estuary and adjacent coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), stable carbon isotopic (delta(13)C) compositions of DOC and particulate organic carbon (POC), and elemental C/N ratios of POC were measured for samples collected from the lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers and adjacent coastal waters in the northern Gulf of Mexico during the low flow season in June 2000 and high flow season in April 2001. These isotopic and C/N results combined with DOC measurements were used to assess the sources and transport of terrestrial organic matter from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers to the coastal region in the northern Gulf of Mexico. delta(13)C values of both POC (-23.8parts per thousand to -26.8parts per thousand) and DOC (-25.0parts per thousand to -29.0parts per thousand) carried by the two rivers were more depleted than the values measured for the samples collected in the offshore waters. Strong seasonal variations in delta(13)C distributions were observed for both POC and DOC in the surface waters of the region. Fresh water discharge and horizontal mixing played important roles in the distribution and transport of terrestrial POC and DOC offshore. Our results indicate that both POC and DOC exhibited non-conservative behavior during the mixing especially in the mid-salinity range. Based on a simple two end-member mixing model, the comparison of the measured DOC-delta(13)C with the calculated conservative isotopic mixing curve indicated that there was a significant in situ production of marine-derived DOC in the mid- to high-salinity waters consistent with our in situ chlorophyll-a measurements. Our DOC-delta(13)C data suggest that a removal of terrestrial DOC mainly occurred in the high-salinity (>25) waters during the mixing. Our study indicates that the mid- to high- (10-30) salinity range was the most dynamic zone for organic carbon transport and cycling in the Mississippi River estuary. Variability in isotopic and elemental compositions along with variability in DOC and POC concentrations suggest that autochthonous production, bacterial utilization, and photo-oxidation could all play important roles in regulating and removing terrestrial DOC in the northern Gulf of Mexico and further study of these individual processes is warranted. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Zooplankton functional groups on the continental shelf of the yellow sea

Zooplankton plays a vital role in marine ecosystems. Variations in the zooplankton species composition, biomass, and secondary production will change the structure and function of the ecosystem. How to describe this process and make it easier to be modeled in the Yellow Sea ecosystem is the main purpose of this paper. The zooplankton functional groups approach, which is considered a good method of linking the structure of food webs and the energy flow in the ecosystems, is used to describe the main contributors of secondary produciton of the Yellow Sea ecosystem. The zooplankton can be classified into six functional groups: giant crustaceans, large copepods, small copepods, chaetognaths, medusae, and salps. The giant crustaceans, large copepods, and small copepods groups, which are the main food resources for fish, are defined depending on the size spectrum. Medusae and chaetognaths are the two gelatinous carnivorous groups, which compete with fish for food. The salps group, acting as passive filter-feeders, competes with other species feeding on phytoplankton, but their energy could not be efficiently transferred to higher trophic levels. From the viewpoint of biomass, which is the basis of the food web, and feeding activities, the contributions of each functional group to the ecosystem were evaluated; the seasonal variations, geographical distribution patterns, and species composition of each functional group were analyzed. The average zooplankton biomass was 2.1 g dry wt m(-2) in spring, to which the giant crustaceans, large copepods, and small copepods contributed 19, 44, and 26%, respectively. High biomasses of the large copepods and small copepods were distributed at the coastal waters, while the giant crustaceans were mainly located at offshore area. In summer, the mean biomass was 3.1 g dry wt m(-2), which was mostly contributed by the giant crustaceans (73%), and high biomasses of the giant crustaceans, large copepods, and small copepods were all distributed in the central part of the Yellow Sea. During autumn, the mean biomass was 1.8 g dry wt m(-2), which was similarly constituted by the giant crustaceans, large copepods, and small copepods (36, 33, and 23%, respectively), and high biomasses of the giant crustaceans and large copepods occurred in the central part of the Yellow Sea, while the small copepods were mainly located at offshore stations. The giant crustaceans and large copepods dominated the zooplankton biomass (2.9 g dry wt m(-2)) in winter, contributing respectively 57 and 27%, and they, as well as the small copepods, were all mainly located in the central part of the Yellow Sea. The chaetognaths group was mainly located in the northern part of the Yellow Sea during all seasons, but contributed less to the biomass compared with the other groups. The medusae and salps groups were distributed unevenly, with sporadic dynamics, mainly along the coastline and at the northern part of the Yellow Sea. No more than 10 species belonging to the respective functional groups dominated the zooplankton biomass and controlled the dynamics of the zooplankton community. The clear picture of the seasonal and spatial variations of each zooplankton functional group makes the complicated Yellow Sea ecosystem easier to be understood and modeled. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surface energy partitioning in alpine swamp meadow in the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau

Based on surface energy flux data measured by eddy covariance methods from China Flux in alpine swamp meadow of the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau in 2005, the daily and seasonal dynamic of surface energy fluxes and their partitioning, as well as abiotic factors effects were analyzed. The results suggested that LE （Latent heat flux） was the largest consumer of the incoming energy. Rn （Net radiation flux） and LE showed clear seasonal variations in sharp hump and up to their maximums in August and July, respectively. H （Sensible heat flux） increased to its peak in August whereafter declined slowly. Precipitation could reduce the components of surface energy. As to Rn and LE, their correlations with abiotic factors were evident while it was not significant in H. Average EBR （Energy balance ratio） was 50.7 %, which was much larger in growing season than non-growing season.

Effects of vegetation control on ecosystem water use efficiency within and among four grassland ecosystems in China

Through 2-3-year (2003-2005) continuous eddy covariance measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes, we examined the seasonal, inter-annual, and inter-ecosystem variations in the ecosystem-level water use efficiency (WUE, defined as the ratio of gross primary production, GPP, to evapotranspiration, ET) at four Chinese grassland ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and North China. Representing the most prevalent grassland types in China, the four ecosystems are an alpine swamp meadow ecosystem, an alpine shrub-meadow ecosystem, an alpine meadow-steppe ecosystem, and a temperate steppe ecosystem, which illustrate a water availability gradient and thus provide us an opportunity to quantify environmental and biological controls on ecosystem WUE at different spatiotemporal scales. Seasonally, WUE tracked closely with GPP at the four ecosystems, being low at the beginning and the end of the growing seasons and high during the active periods of plant growth. Such consistent correspondence between WUE and GPP suggested that photosynthetic processes were the dominant regulator of the seasonal variations in WUE. Further investigation indicated that the regulations were mainly due to the effect of leaf area index (LAI) on carbon assimilation and on the ratio of transpiration to ET (T/ET). Besides, except for the swamp meadow, LAI also controlled the year-to-year and site-to-site variations in WUE in the same way, resulting in the years or sites with high productivity being accompanied by high WUE. The general good correlation between LAI and ecosystem WUE indicates that it may be possible to predict grassland ecosystem WUE simply with LAI. Our results also imply that climate change-induced shifts in vegetation structure, and consequently LAI may have a significant impact on the relationship between ecosystem carbon and water cycles in grasslands.

电离层行进式扰动的GPS台网监测研究

In this dissertation, we investigated two types of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs)/gravity waves (GWs) triggered separately by auroral energy input during super geomagnetic storms and solar terminator (ST) under quiet geomagnetic conditions (kp<3+) using TEC measurements from the global network of GPS receivers. Research into the generation and propagation of TIDs/GWs during storms greatly enhance our understandings on the evolution processes of energy transportation from the high-latitude’s magnetosphere to the low-latitude ionosphere and the conjugated effect of TIDs propagation between the northern and southern hemispheres. Our results revealed that the conjugacy of propagation direction between the northern and southern hemispheres was subject to the influence of Coriolis force. We also figure out the evolution processes of ionospheric disturbances at the global scale. These are important topics that had not been well addressed previously. In addition, we also obtained thee wave structures of medium scale TIDs excited by the solar terminator (ST) moving over the northern America and physical mechanisms involved. Our observations confirm that the ST is a stable and repetitive source of ionospheric wave disturbances and the evidence of solar terminator generated disturbances has been demonstrated experimentally via the GPS TEC measurement. The main researches and results of this dissertation are as follows. First, the global traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) during the drastic magnetic storms of October 29–31, 2003 were analyzed using the Global Position System (GPS) total electron content (TEC) data observed in the Asian-Australian, European and North American sectors. We collected the most comprehensive set of the TEC data from more than 900 GPS stations on the International GNSS Services (IGS) website and introduce here a strategy that combines polynomial fitting and multi-channel maximum entropy spectral analysis to obtain TID parameters. Moreover, in collaboration with my thesis advisor, I have developed an imaging technique of 2-dimensional map of TIDs structures to obtain spatial and temporal maps of large scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (LSTIDs). The clear structures of TEC perturbations map during the passage of TIDs were displayed. The results of our study are summarized as follows: (1) Large-scale TIDs (LSTIDs) and medium-scale TIDs (MSTIDs) were detected in all three sectors after the sudden commencement (SC) of the magnetic storm, and their features showed longitudinal and latitudinal dependences. The duration of TIDs was longer at higher latitudes than at middle latitudes, with a maximum of about 16 h. The TEC variation amplitude of LSTIDs was larger in the North American sector than in the two other sectors. At the lower latitudes, the ionospheric perturbations were more complicated, and their duration and amplitude were relatively longer and larger. (2) The periods and phase speeds of TIDs were different in these three sectors. In Europe, the TIDs propagated southward; in North America and Asia, the TIDs propagated southwestward; in the near-equator region, the disturbances propagated with the azimuth (the angle of the propagation direction of the LSTIDs measured clockwise from due north with 0°) of 210° showing the influence of Coriolis force; in the Southern Hemisphere, the LSTIDs propagated conjugatedly northwestward. Both the southwestward and northeastward propagating LSTIDs are found in the equatorial region. These results mean that the Coriolis effect cannot be ignored for the wave propagation of LSTIDs and that the propagation direction is correlated with the polar magnetic activity. (3) The day (day of year: 301) before the SC (sudden commencement) of magnetic storm, we observed a sudden TEC skip disturbances (±10 TECU). It should be a response for the high flux of proton during the solar flare event, but not the magnetic storms. Next, the most comprehensive and dense GPS network’s data from North-America region were used in this paper to analyze the medium scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) which were generated by the moving solar terminator during the quiet days in 2005. We applied the multi-channel maximum entropy spectral analysis to calculated TID parameters, and found that the occurrence of ST-MSTIDs depends on the seasonal variations. The results of our study are summarized as follows: (1) MSTIDs stimulated by the moving ST (ST-MSTIDs) are detected at mid-latitudes after the passage of the solar terminator with the life time of 2～3 hours and the variation amplitude of 0.2～0.8 TECU. Spectral analysis indicated that the horizontal wavelength, average period, horizontal phase velocity of the MSTIDs are around 300±150 km，150±80 m/s and 25±15 min, respectively. In addition, ST-MSTIDs have wave fronts elongating the moving ST direction and almost parallel to ST. (2) The statistical results demonstrate that the dusk MSTIDs stimulated by ST is more obvious than the dawn MSTIDs in summer. On the contrary, the more-pronounced dawn MSTIDs occurs in winter. (3) Further analysis indicates that the seasonal variations of ST-MSTIDs occurrence frequency are most probably related to the seasonal differences of the variations of EUV flux in the ionosphere region and recombination process during sunrise and sunset period at mid-latitudes. Statistical study of occurrence characteristics of TIDs using the GPS network in North-American and European during solar maximum, In conclusion, statistical studies of the propagation characteristics of TIDs, which excited by the two common origins including geomagnetic storms and moving solar terminator, were involved with global GPS TEC databasein this thesis. We employed the multichannel maximum entropy spectral analysis method to diagnose the characteristics of propagation and evolvement of ionospheric disturbances, also, the characteristics of their regional distribution and climatological variations were revealed by the statistic analysis. The results of these studies can improve our knowledge about the energy transfer in the solar-terrestrial system and the coupling process between upper and lower atmosphere (thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere). On the other hand, our results of the investigation on TIDs generated by particular linear origin such as ST are important for developing ionospheric irregularity physics and modeling the transionosphere radio wave propagation. Besides, the GPS TEC representation of the ST-generated ionospheric structure suggests a better possibility for investigating this phenomenon. Subsequently, there are scientific meaning of the result of this dissertation to deeply discuss the energy transfer and coupling in the ionosphere, as well as realistic value to space weather forecast in the ionosphere region.

北京石花洞滴水沉积的季节变化及影响因素

Because of the high resolution, stalagmite laminae can play an important role in the paleoclimate reconstructions. However, few investigations for the formation mechanisms of stalagmite lamilae have been done. Based on two-year observation on calcite growth rate at the drip sites, three-year monitoring of hydrodynamics, physics and chemistry of drip waters at different drip sites and the surrounding environments inside and outside the Beijing Shihua Cave, the seasonal variations of calcite growth rate are revealed and the results can be concluded as follows: 1. The drip waters inside the Cave are mostly sourced from the summer rain, and its minimal response-time to the atmospheric precipitation is less than one day. There are three types of response relationships between the precipitation and the drip rate variations: rapid response type, time-lag response type and stable response type. For rapid response type, the drip discharge is recharged through the flow routes along intensive fractures and interconnectivities; for time-lag response type, the drip discharge is recharged by double-porosity system composed of a high conductivity, low storage capability conduit network and a low-conductivity high-storage capability rock matrix under variable boundary conditions; for stable response type, the drip discharge is mainly recharged by seepage flow and base flow. 2. The observation shows that, inside the Cave, the growth rate of calcite is generally lower in rainy seasons and higher in dry seasons. During the rainy seasons, the drip water is characterized by a lower pH value, higher [Ca2+], [Mg2+], [SO42-] and electrical conductivity (EC) values. According to the calculations of saturation index of calcite (SIc), pCO2 of the drip water, as well as the synthetical analysis of other possible factors, the calcite growth rate is found to be principally influenced by the drip water saturation index of calcite (SIc). And the drip rate and pCO2 in the drip water and in the cave air play the secondly important roles in this process. The recharge mode of heavy rainfall events in the rainy seasons should probably be the main driving force that controls the physicochemical properties and calcite sediment of the drip waters. The abrupt decrease of sedimentary rate and the sharp peak of DOC in drip water in the rainy season probably forms the thin opaque (luminescent under ultraviolet radiation) layers observed in the stalagmites, whereas the relatively higher sedimentary rate in the dry seasons may be responsible for the thicker bright layers. The investigation elucidated here preliminarily reveals the formation mechanism of the stalagmite laminae in Beijing Shihua Cave.

太阳活动变化对中低纬电离层的影响

With the variations of solar activity, solar EUV and X-ray radiations change over different timescales (e.g., from solar cycle variation to solar flare burst). Since solar EUV and X-ray radiations are the primary energy sources for the ionosphere, theirs variations undoubtedly produce significant and complicated effects on the ionosphere. So the variations of solar activity significantly affect the ionosphere. It is essential for both ionospheric theory and applications to study solar activity effects on the ionosphere. The study about solar activity variations of the ionosphere is an important part of the ionospheric climatology. It can enhance the understanding for the basic processes in the ionosphere, ionospheric structure and its change, ionosphere/thermosphere coupling, and so on. As for applications, people need sufficient knowledges about solar activity variations of the ionosphere in order to improve ionospheric models so that more accurate forecast for the ionospheric environments can be made. Presently, the whole image about the modalities of ionospheric solar activity variations is still unknown, and related mechanisms still cannot be well understood. This paper is about the effects of the 11-year change in solar activity to the low- and mid-latitude ionosphere. We use multi-type ionospheric observations and model to investigate solar activity effects on the electron density and ionospheric spatial structure, and we focus on discussing some related mechanisms. The main works are as follows: Firstly, solar activity variations of ionospheric peak electron density (NmF2) around 1400 LT were investigated using ionosonde observations in the 120°E sector. The result shows that the variation trend of NmF2 with F107 depends on latitudes and seasons. There is obvious saturation trend in low latitudes in all seasons; while in middle latitudes, NmF2 increases linearly with F107 in winter but saturates with F107 at higher solar activity levels in the other seasons. We calculated the photochemical equilibrium electron density to discuss the effects induced by the changes of neutral atmosphere and dynamics processes on the solar activity variations of NmF2. We found that: (1) Seasonal variation of neutral atmosphere plays an important role in the seasonal difference of the solar activity variations of NmF2 in middle latitudes. (2) Less [O]/[N2] and higher neutral temperature are important for the saturation effect in summer, and the increase of vibrational excited N2 is also important for the saturation effect. (3) Dynamics processes can significantly weaken the increase of NmF2 when solar activity enhances, which is also a necessary factor for the saturation effect. Secondly, solar activity variations of nighttime NmF2 were investigated using ionosonde observations in the 120°E sector. The result shows that the variation trends of NmF2 with F107 in nighttime are different from that in daytime in some cases, and the nighttime variation trends depend on seasons. There is linear increase trend in equinox nighttime, and saturation trend in summer nighttime, while the increase rate of NmF2 with F107 increases when solar activity enhances in winter nighttime (we term it with “amplification trend”). We discussed the possible mechanisms which affect the solar activity variations of nighttime NmF2. The primary conclusions are as follows: (1) In the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crest region, the plasma influx induced by the pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) results in the change of the variation trend between NmF2 and F107 from “saturation” to “linear” after sunset in equinoxes and winter; while the recombination process at the F2-peak is the primary factor that affects the variation trend of NmF2 with F107 in middle latitudes. (2) The recombination coefficient at the F2-peak height reaches its maximum at moderate solar activity level in winter nighttime, which induces NmF2 attenuates more quickly at moderate solar activity level. This is the main reason for the amplification trend. (3) The change of the recombination process at the F2-peak with solar activity depends on the increases of neutral parameters (temperature, density et al.) and the F2-peak height (hmF2). The seasonal differences in the changes of neutral atmosphere and hmF2 with solar activity are the primary reasons for the seasonal difference in the variation trend of nighttime NmF2 with F107. Finally, we investigated the solar activity dependence of the topside ionosphere in low latitudes using ROCSAT-1 satellite (at 600 km altitude) observations. The primary results and conclusions are as follows: (1) Latitudinal distribution of the plasma density is local time, seasonal, and solar activity dependent. In daytime, there is a plasma density peak at the dip equator. The peak is obviously enhanced at high solar activity level, and the strength of the peak strongly depends on seasons. While at sunset, two profound plasma density peaks (double-peak structure) are found in solar maximum equinox months. (2) Local time dependence of the latitudinal distribution is due to the local time variation of the equatorial dynamics processes. Double-peak structure is attributed to the fountain effect induced by strong PRE. Daytime peak enhances with solar activity since the plasma density increases with solar activity more strongly at the dip equator due to the equatorial vertical drift, and its seasonal dependence is mainly due to the seasonal variations of neutral density and the equatorial vertical drift. In the sunset sector, seasonal and solar activity dependences of the latitudinal distribution are related to the seasonal and solar activity variations of PRE. (3) The variation trend of the plasma density with solar activity shows local time, seasonal, and latitudinal differences. That is different from the changeless amplification trend at the DMSP altitude (840 km). Profound saturation effect is found in the dip equator region at equinox sunset. This saturation effect in the topside ionosphere is realated to the increase of PRE with solar activity. Solar activity variation trend of the topside plasma density was discussed quantitatively by Chapman-α function. The result shows that the effect induced by the change of the scale height is dominant at high altitudes; while the variation trend of ROCSAT-1 plasma density with solar activity is suggested to be related to the changes of the peak height, the scale height, and the peak electron density with solar activity.

电离层垂直TEC映射函数的实验观测与统计特性

When used in the determining the total electron content (TEC), which may be the most important ionospheric parameter, the worldwide GPS observation brings a revolutionary change in the ionospheric science. There are three steps in the data processing to retrieve GPS TEC: (1) to estimate slant TEC from the measurements of GPS signals; (2) to map the slant TEC into vertical; and (3) to interpolate the vertical TEC into grid points. In this scientific dissertation we focus our attention on the second step, the mapping theory and method to convert slant TEC into vertical. This is conventionally done by multiplying on the slant TEC a mapping function which is usually determined by certain models of electron density profile. Study of the vertical TEC mapping function is of significance in GPS TEC measurement. This paper first reviews briefly the three steps in GPS TEC mapping process. Then we compare the vertical TEC mapping function which were respectively calculated from the electron density profiles of the ionospheric model and retrieved from the observation of worldwide GPS TEC. We also perform the statistical analysis on the observational mapping functions. The main works and results are as follows: 1. We calculated the vertical TEC mapping functions for both SLM and Chapman models, and discussed the modulation of the ionosphere height to the mapping functions. We use two simple models, single layer model (SLM) and Chapman models, of the ionospheric electron density profiles to calculate the vertical TEC mapping function. In the case of the SLM, we discuss the control of the ionospheric altitude, i.e., the layer height hipp, to the mapping function. We find that the mapping function decreases rapidly as hipp increases. For the Chapman model we study also the control mapping function by both ionospheric altitude indicated by the peak electron density height hmF2, and the scale height, H, which present the thickness of the ionosphere. It is also found that the mapping function decreases rapidly as hmF2 increases. and it also decreases as H increases. 2. Then we estimate the mapping functions from the GPS observations and compare them with those calculated from the electron density models. We first, proposed a new method to estimate the mapping functions from GPS TEC data. This method is then used to retrieve the observational mapping function from both the slant TEC (TECS) provided by International GPS Service (IGS）and vertical TEC provide by JPL Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs). Then we compare the observational mapping function with those calculated from the electron density models, SLM and Chapman. We find that the values of the observational mapping functions are much smaller than that from the model mapping functions, when the zenith angle is large enough. We attribute this to the effect of the plasmasphere which is above about 1000 km. 3. We statistically analyze the observational mapping functions and reveal their climatological changes. Observational mapping functions during 1999-2007 are used in our statistics. The main results are as follows. (1) The observational mapping functions decrease obviously with the decrement of the solar activity which is represented by the F10.7 index; (2) In annual variations of the observational mapping functions, the semiannual component is found at low-latitudes, and the remarkable seasonal variations at mid- and high-latitudes. (3) The diurnal variation of the observational mapping functions is that they are large in daytime and small at night, they become extremely small in the early morning before sunrise. (4) The observational mapping functions change with latitudes that they are smaller at lower latitudes and larger at higher. All of the above variations of the observational mapping functions are explained by the existence of the plasmasphere, which changes more slowly with time and more rapidly with latitude than the ionosphere does . In summary, our study on the vertical TEC mapping function imply that the ionosphere height has a modulative effect on the mapping function. We first propose the concept of the 'observational mapping functions' , and provide a new method to calculate them. This is important in improving the TEC mapping. It may also possible to retrieving the plasmaspheric information from GPS observations.

珠穆朗玛峰东绒布冰川表层雪中的气候和环境记录

Snow chemistry research helps to found the basis of studying ice cores. Samples of fresh snow and snow pits were collected from East Rongbuk Glacier on the north slope of Mt. Qomolangma during October, 2002. Major soluble ions (Na~+, NH_4~+, K~+, Mg~(2+), Ca~(2+), Cl~-, NO_3~- and SO_4~(2-)) andδ~(18)O were detected for analysis. Source analysis showed that major sources contributing to the snow chemistry in Mt. Qomolangma region are remote Asian dust and salt lake dust, sea-salt aerosols from Indian monsoon, local rock-mineral dust, human activities and natural atmospheric procedures. Principal factor analysis indicated that high-concentration group was dominated by continental dust with little oceanic source, indicating continental or local precipitation, while the low group dominated by oceanic aerosols indicated oceanic precipitation. Local mineral dust was a minor a source characterized mainly by Ca~(2+), Mg~(2+) contribution. Ammonia related mainly with continental dusts and nitrogen-circulation processes in the atmosphere, it also had a peculiar source should be seasonal agriculture activities in the south Asia. Nitrate showed bad correlations with other ions for its special chemical characteristics. δ~(18)O and major soluble ions displayed obvious seasonal variations. The summer precipitation had very low ion loadings and relatively lower heavy oxygen isotope from the Indian Ocean with occasionally ion peaks formed by local evaporation. While the winter and spring precipitation had high ion loadings and δ~(18)O value for the great amount of continental dust and evaporated vapors. Frequent fluctuations of δ~(18)O and ion concentration occur during the transitional period, indicating alternated precipitations by various air mass types. Ion concentration in snow from the Qomolangma region is comparable with from the Antactica, representing relatively pure background of atmospheric environment on earth. While the high concentration is close to the glaciers' located near the major sources of Asian dust. Compared with the snow chemistry of South Slope of Mt. Qomolangma, the North Slope has lower sea-salt ion concentration during summer monsoon and higher concentration of all major ions during pre- and post-monsoon period due to it's special geophysical location.

Temporal and spatial variations in kinetics of alkaline phosphatase in sediments of a shallow Chinese eutrophic lake (Lake Donghu)

Monthly sediment and interstitial water samples were collected in a shallow Chinese freshwater lake (Lake Donghu) from three areas to determine if alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) plays an important role in phosphorus cycling in sediment. The seasonal variability in the kinetics of APA and other relevant parameters were investigated from 1995-1996. The phosphatase hydrolyzable phosphorus (PHP) fluctuated seasonally in interstitial water, peaking in the spring. A synchronous pattern was observed in chlorophyll a contents in surface water in general. The orthophosphate (o-P) concentrations in the interstitial water increased during the spring. An expected negative relationship between PHP and V-max of APA is not evident in interstitial water. The most striking feature of the two variables is their co-occurring, which can be explained in terms of an induction mechanism. It is argued that phosphatase activity mainly contributes to the driving force of o-P regeneration from PHP in interstitial water, supporting the development of phytoplankton biomass in spring. The V-max values in sediment increased during the summer, in Conjunction with lower K-m values in interstitial water that suggest a higher affinity for the substrate. The accumulation of organic matter in the sediment could be traced back to the breakdown of the algal spring bloom, which may stimulate APA with higher kinetic efficiency, by a combination of the higher V-max in sediments plus lower K-m values in interstitial water, in Summer. In summary, a focus On phosphatase and its substrate in annual scale may provide a useful framework for the development of novel P cycling, possible explanations for the absence of a clear relationship between PHP and APA were PHP released from the sediment which induced APA, and the presence of kinetically higher APA both in sediment and interstitial water which permitted summer mineralization of organic matter derived from the spring bloom to occur. The study highlighted the need for distinguishing functionally distinct extracellular enzymes between the sediment and interstitial water of lakes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Variations in the eastern Indian Ocean warm pool and its relation to the dipole in the tropical Indian Ocean

Based on the monthly average SST and 850 hPa monthly average wind data, the seasonal, interannual and long-term variations in the eastern Indian Ocean warm pool (EIWP) and its relationship to the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and its response to the wind over the Indian Ocean are analyzed in this study. The results show that the distribution range, boundary and area of the EIWP exhibited obviously seasonal and interannual variations associated with the ENSO cycles. Further analysis suggests that the EIWP had obvious long-term trend in its bound edge and area, which indicated the EIWP migrated westwards by about 14 longitudes for its west edge, southwards by about 5 latitudes for its south edge and increased by 3.52x10(6) km(2) for its area, respectively, from 1950 to 2002. The correlation and composite analyses show that the anomalous westward and northward displacements of the EIWP caused by the easterly wind anomaly and the southerly wind anomaly over the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean played an important and direct role in the formation of the IOD.

Seasonal and interannual variability of primary and export production in the South China Sea: a three-dimensional physical-biogeochemical model study

To investigate the seasonal and interannual variations in biological productivity in the South China Sea (SCS), a Pacific basin-wide physical - biogeochemical model has been developed and used to estimate the biological productivity and export flux in the SCS. The Pacific circulation model, based on the Regional Ocean Model Systems (ROMS), is forced with daily air-sea fluxes derived from the NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) reanalysis between 1990 and 2004. The biogeochemical processes are simulated with a carbon, Si(OH)(4), and nitrogen ecosystem (CoSiNE) model consisting of silicate, nitrate, ammonium, two phytoplankton groups (small phytoplankton and large phytoplankton), two zooplankton grazers (small micrograzers and large mesozooplankton), and two detritus pools. The ROMS-CoSiNE model favourably reproduces many of the observed features, such as ChI a, nutrients, and primary production (PP) in the SCS. The modelled depth-integrated PP over the euphotic zone (0-125 m) varies seasonally, with the highest value of 386 mg C m (-2) d (-1) during winter and the lowest value of 156 mg C m (-2) d (-1) during early summer. The annual mean value is 196 mg C m (-2) d (-1). The model-integrated annual mean new production (uptake of nitrate), in carbon units, is 64.4 mg C m (-2) d (-1) which yields an f-ratio of 0.33 for the entire SCS. The modelled export ratio (e-ratio: the ratio of export to PP) is 0.24 for the basin-wide SCS. The year-to-year variation of biological productivity in the SCS is weaker than the seasonal variation. The large phytoplankton group tends to dominate over the smaller phytoplankton group, and likely plays an important role in determining the interannual variability of primary and new production.

Seasonal variation of reproduction rates and body size of Calanus sinicus in the Southern Yellow Sea, China

Annual variations of egg production rate (EPR) and clutch size of Calanus sinicus, as well as body size of females (prosome length and dry weight), were investigated at a series of stations in the Southern Yellow Sea by onboard incubation. Calanus sinicus was spawning in all the 11 cruises investigated, and the annual variation of EPR was bimodal. Monthly average EPR was highest from May to July, respectively, 5.97, 5.36 and 6.30 eggs female(-1) d(-1), then decreased dramatically to only 1.37 eggs female(-1) d(-1) in August and attained the lowest 1.07 eggs female(-1) d(-1) in October. In November, average EPR increased again to 4.31 eggs female(-1) d(-1). Seasonal variation of clutch size was similar to EPR, except that it decreased gradually after August rather than dramatically as did EPR. Prosome length of females was maximum in May and minimum in October, but dry weight was highest in November. Monthly average EPR correlated better with prosome length than dry weight, while clutch size was rather determined by dry weight of females. It is suggested that egg production of C. sinicus was active during two discontinuous periods when both surface and bottom temperature fell into its favorite range (i.e. 10-23degreesC), and different reproductive strategies were adopted in these two reproductive peaks: other than the highest EPR, longer prosome length was also achieved by C. sinicus from May to July, while females in November developed shorter bodies but accumulated more energy for reproduction.