Phases of environmental evolution indicated by primary chemical elements and paleontological records in the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene Series for the Salawusu River Valley；China

IEECAS SKLLQG

Geochemistry of rare earth elements in Permian coals from the Huaibei Coalfield；China

IEECAS SKLLQG

Structure of upper-g(9/2)-shell nuclei and shape effect in the Ag-94 isomeric states

Using a shell model which is capable of describing the spectra of upper g(9/2)-shell nuclei close to the N = Z line, we study the structure of two isomeric states 7(+) and 21(+) in the odd-odd N = Z nucleus Ag-94. It is found that both isomeric states exhibit a large collectivity. The 7(+) state is oblately deformed, and is suggested to be a shape isomer in nature. The 21(+) state becomes isomeric because of level inversion of the 19(+) and 21(+) states due to core excitations across the N = Z = 50 shell gap. Calculation of spectroscopic quadrupole moment indicates clearly an enhancement in these states due to the core excitations. However, the present shell model calculation that produces the 19(+)-21(+) level inversion cannot accept the large-deformation picture of Mukha et al.

DISSOCIATIVE RECOMBINATION OF PROTONATED PROPIONITRILE, CH3CH2CNH+: IMPLICATIONS FOR TITAN'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE

The dissociative recombination of protonated propionitrile, CH3CH2CNH+, has been investigated at the heavy ion storage ring, CRYRING, at the Manne Siegbahn Laboratory, Stockholm University, Sweden. The thermal rate coefficient has been deduced to follow k(T) = (1.5 +/- 0.2) x 10(-6) (T/300)(-0.76) (+/-) (0.02) cm(3) s(-1) for electron temperatures ranging from similar to 10 to similar to 1000 K. Measurements of the branching fractions were performed at similar to 0 eV relative kinetic energy. It has been found that in 43% +/- 2% of the reactions the four heavy atoms remain in the same product fragment. An equal portion of the reactions leads to products where one of the heavy atoms is split off from the other three and 14% +/- 1% result in a breakup into two heavy fragments containing two heavy atoms each. We discuss the significance of the data to Titan's upper atmosphere.

Impacts of socio-economic factors on sediment yield in the Upper Yangtze River

In recent years, the role of human activities in changing sediment yield has become more apparent for the construction of hydraulic engineering and water conservation projections in the Upper Yangtze River, but it has not been evaluated at the macro scale. Taking Sichuan Province and Chongqing City as an example, this paper studies the relationship between socio-economic factors and sediment yield in the Upper Yangtze River based on section data in 1989 and 2007. The results show that sediment yield is significantly correlated with population density and cultivated area, in which the former appears to be more closely related to sediment yield. Moreover, in the relation of sediment yield vs. population density, a critical value of population density exists, below which the sediment yield increases with the increase of population density and over which the sediment yield increases with the decrease of population density. The phenomenon essentially reflects the influence of natural factors, such as topography, precipitation and soil property, and some human activities on sediment yield. The region with a higher population density than critical value is located in the east of the study area and is characterized by plains, hills and low mountains, whereas the opposite is located in the west and characterized by middle and high mountains. In the eastern region, more people live on the lands with a low slope where regional soil erosion is slight; therefore, sediment yield is negatively related with population density. In contrast, in the western region, the population tends to aggregate in the areas with abundant soil and water resources which usually lead to a higher intensity of natural erosion, and in turn, high-intensity agricultural practices in these areas may further strengthen local soil erosion. It is also found that population tends to move from the areas with bad environment and high sediment yield to the areas with more comfortable environment and less sediment yield. The natural factors have greater influence on sediment yield of western region than that of eastern region. Generally, the natural factors play a dominant role on sediment yield in the Upper Yangtze River.

Origin, development and evolutionary model of shelf desertization environment in late stage of Upper Pleistocene

Based on the study of palaeo-environmental evolution in the shelves of the Eastern China Seas, the concept of ''shelf desertization'' in the late stage of Upper Pleistocene is defined; the environmental background and evolutionary process of shelf desertization are analysed. Study on the records of subbottom profiling and the data of core samples from shelf areas revealed that during low sea-level stages, the sedimentary environment in the exposed shelf plains was dominated by aeolian depositional process under cold and dry climatic conditions, i.e. under the action of strong winter-monsoon winds. Parts of the exposed marine strata were disintegrated, and aeolian sand dunes were formed on the disintegrated marine deposits, from which the finer sediment grains were blown away by wind and deposited in the downwind areas to form the derivative loess deposits. Thus a desertization environmental system was formed in the exposed shelf plains of the Eastern China Seas.

The variation of upper ocean structure and paleoproductivity in the Kuroshio source region during the last 200 kyr

A core from the source region of the Kuroshio warm current (east of the Luzon Island) was analyzed using several proxies in order to study the variability of the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) during the last two glacial-interglacial cycles. Primary productivity (PP) variations were deduced from variations in the coccolith flora. Primary productivity was higher during glacial periods (the end of Marine Isotope Stage [MIS] 3, some periods in MIS 2 and 6), and decreased during interglacial periods (MIS 7, MIS Se and probably MIS 5c-5d), with the lowest PP in MIS 5e. variations in the delta C-13 difference in benthic and bulk carbonate, thus in the vertical gradient of delta C-13 in dissolved inorganic carbon (Delta delta C-13(c). (wuellerstorfi-N. dutertrei) and Delta delta C-13(c.) (wuellerstorfi-coccolith)) Coincided With the PP Changes, showing that export productivity was low during interglacial periods (MIS 7, MIS 5e and Holocene) and high during glacial periods (MIS 6, probably MIS 5c-5d, late MIS 4 and late MIS 3). Comparison of foraminiferal carbonate dissolution indicators and PP changes reveals that nannofossil assemblage in core Ph05-5 is not sensitive to carbonate dissolution intensity. The depth of the thermocline (DOT) was estimated from planktonic forminiferal assemblages, and was relatively greater during interglacial periods (MIS 7, MIS 5e, probably MIS 5c and Holocene) than during glacials (middle MIS 6, probably MIS 5b and 5d, some periods in MIS 4, MIS 3 and MIS 2). Good coherence between the paleoproductivity records and the DOT suggests that the DOT changes could be the primary control factor in changes of paleoproductivity, and the glacial high productivity in the Kuroshio source region could be associated with a global increase of nutrient concentration in the intermediate waters that upwelled into the photic zone. The low CO2 values derived for intervals of high productivity and a relatively shallow DOT suggest that the changes in biological productivity and DOT in the equatorial Pacific could have modified atmospheric CO2 concentrations. High Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) during the warm MIS 5e in combination with intensified monsoonal rain fall could have resulted in a more intense stratification of the upper waters, resulting in low nutrient supply to the surface waters and a resulting decrease in productivity. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of low-frequency Rossby wave on thermal structure of the upper southwestern tropical Indian Ocean

We investigate the influence of low-frequency Rossby waves on the thermal structure of the upper southwestern tropical Indian Ocean (SWTIO) using Argo profiles, satellite altimetric data, sea surface temperature, wind field data and the theory of linear vertical normal mode decomposition. Our results show that the SWTIO is generally dominated by the first baroclinic mode motion. As strong downwelling Rossby waves reach the SWTIO, the contribution of the second baroclinic mode motion in this region can be increased mainly because of the reduction in the vertical stratification of the upper layer above thermocline, and the enhancement in the vertical stratification of the lower layer under thermocline also contributes to it. The vertical displacement of each isothermal is enlarged and the thermal structure of the upper level is modulated, which is indicative of strong vertical mixing. However, the cold Rossby waves increase the vertical stratification of the upper level, restricting the variability related to the second baroclinic mode. On the other hand, during decaying phase of warm Rossby waves, Ekman upwelling and advection processes associated with the surface cyclonic wind circulation can restrain the downwelling processes, carrying the relatively colder water to the near-surface, which results in an out-of-phase phenomenon between sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) and sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) in the SWTIO.

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.

GEO-ECOLOGICAL TRANSECT STUDIES IN NORTHEAST TIBET (QINGHAI, CHINA) REVEAL HUMAN-MADE MID-HOLOCENE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN THE UPPER YELLOW RIVER CATCHMENT CHANGING FOREST TO GRASSLAND

Geo-ecological transect studies in the pastures of the upper catchment of the HuangHe (99 degrees 30'-100 degrees 00'E/35 degrees 30'-35 degrees 40'N'; 3,000-4,000 in a.s.l., Qinghai province, China) revealed evidence that pastures replace forests. Plot-based vegetation records and fenced grazing exclosure experiments enabled the identification of grazing indicator plants for the first time. The mapping of vegetation patterns of pastures with isolated juniper and Spruce forests raise questions as to the origin of the grasslands, which arc widely classified as "natural" at present. Soil investigations and charcoal fragments of Juniperus (8,153 +/- 63 uncal BP) and Picea (6,665 +/- 59 uncal BP) provide evidence of the wider presence of forests. As temperatures and rainfall records undoubtedly represent a forest climate, it is assumed that the present pastures have replaced forests. Circumstantial evidence arising from investigations into the environmental history of the Holocene effectively substantiates this theory.

济阳坳陷深层地质构造与演化

Based on geophysical and geological data in Jiyang depression, the paper has identified main unconformity surfaces (main movement surfaces) and tectonic sequences and established tectonic and strata framework for correlation between different sags. Based on different sorts of structural styles and characteristics of typical structures, the paper summarized characteristics and distribution of deep structures, discussed evolution sequence of structure, analyzed the relation between tectonic evolution and generation of petroleum. The major developments are as following: Six tectonic sequences could be divided from bottom to top in the deep zone of Jiyang depression. These tectonic sequences are Cambrian to Ordovician, Carboniferous to Permian, lower to middle Jurassic, upper Jurassic to lower Cretaceous, upper Cretaceous and Kongdian formation to the fourth member of Shahejie formation. The center of sedimentation and subsidence of tectonic sequences distinguished from each other in seismic profiles is controlled by tectonic movements. Six tectonic evolution stages could be summarized in the deep zone in Jiyang depression. Among these stages, Paleozoic stage is croton sedimentation basin; Indosinian stage, open folds of EW direction are controlled by compression of nearly SN direction in early Indosinian (early to middle Triassic) while fold thrust fault of EW – NWW direction and arch protruding to NNE direction are controlled by strong compression in late Indosinian (latter Triassic); early Yanshanian stage (early to middle Jurassic), in relatively weak movement after Indosinian compressional orogeny, fluviolacustrine is deposited in intermontane basins in the beginning of early Yanshanian and then extensively denudated in the main orogenic phase; middle Yanshanian (late Jurassic to early Cretaceous), strike-slipping basins are wide distribution with extension (negative reversion) of NW – SE direction; latter Yanshanian (late Cretaceous), fold and thrust of NE – NNE direction and positive reversion structure of late Jurassic to early Cretaceous strike-slipping basin are formed by strong compression of NW–SE direction; sedimentation stage of Kongdian formation to the fourth member of Shahejie formation of Cenozoic, half graben basins are formed by extension of SN direction early while uplift is resulted from compression of nearly EW direction latterly. Compression system, extension system and strike-slip system are formed in deep zone of Jiyang depression. According to identifying flower structure of seismic profiles and analysis of leveling layer slice of 3D seismic data and tectonic map of deep tectonic interface, strike-slip structures of deep zone in Jiyang depression are distinguished. In the middle of the Jiyang depression, strike-slip structures extend as SN direction, NNW direction in Huimin sag, but NNE in Zhandong area. Based on map of relict strata thickness, main faults activity and regional tectonic setting, dynamic mechanisms of deep structure are preliminary determination. The main reason is the difference of direction and character of the plate’s movement. Development and rework of multi-stage tectonic effects are benefit for favorable reservoir and structural trap. Based on tectonic development, accumulation conditions of deep sub-sags and exploration achievements in recent years, potential zones of oil-gas reservoir are put forward, such as Dongying sag and Bonan sag.