Africa: the FBA connection

Since its inception in the 1930's the Freshwater Biological Association at Windermere, England has been involved in research on African lakes and rivers. Research has included general and multidisciplinary surveys of many lakes including Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Lake George. The hydrobiology of the River Nile has also been studied. Research into physical and chemical limnology, phytoplankton ecology and primary productivity, invertebrate biology, freshwater fish and fisheries.

The connection between single species and ecosystems

Ecosystem level models are motivated by some combination of scientific and practical concerns. Those models motivated by practical concerns are likely to bear little historical relation to previous models. Mechanisms of interaction between particular species and their ecosystems vary enormously. Some species literally construct their own ecosystems. Others have more or less complex and important interactions with other species so that their presence or absence may alter the ecosystem. Prior information about the natural history of particular species can make ecosystem investigations quicker, cheaper, and more effective. The optimal resource for preparing to deal with the unlimited diversity of questions asked of ecologists would be a large' computerized databank of natural history observations for as many species as possible.

神光Ⅱ装置中空间滤波器系统的稳定性设计与分析

考虑到空间滤波器系统在激光装置中的稳定性要求，分析了影响稳定性的各种因素。对现行装置中的SF4空间滤波器系统进行振动模态测试，初步确定系统的工作状况，并结合振动理论明确系统稳定性的设计参数。利用有限元软件ANSYS对空间滤波器系统及相关的设计进行仿真验证计算。结果表明：SF4系统的一阶固有频率达到83Hz，与实验结果相符合，满足系统稳定性的要求；在系统中引入支撑不但能有效增加系统的刚度，同时能转移系统的振型；系统基础支撑平台的选择要求平台独立，并且选择较低的高度以便于控制上层光学元件的变形；在系统中的引入

Anomalies in North American climate: the South Asian-tropical west Pacific connection

How do tropical heating fluctuations create North American climate anomalies? We propose some answers using the results from a simplified global atmospheric model. We find that the South Asian-tropical west Pacific area is especially effective at stimulating North American responses. The relatively strong tropical/extratropical interaction between these two areas is the result of two major processes acting on the Rossby wave signal induced by the tropical heating fluctuations. These factors are: 1) Wave guiding by the Asian-north Pacific subtropical jet; and 2) Wave amplification within unstable regions of the jet flank. These factors allow relatively small, remote, and short-term tropical fluctuations to have relatively large impacts on North American climate.

Near and distant connection of atmospheric systems to ocean temperature change in the coastal California Current region

In studying hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere interactions, it is useful to focus on specific subsystem processes and energy exchanges (forcing). Since subsystem scales range over ten orders of magnitude, it may be difficult to focus research on scales that will yield useful results in terms of establishing causal and predictive connections between more easily and less easily observed subsystems. In an effort to find pertinent scales, we have begun empirical investigations into relationships between atmospheric, oceanic, and biological systems having spatial scales exceeding 10^3 kilometers and temporal scales of six months or more.