Seasonal variation of snow microbial community structure in the East Rongbuk glacier, Mt. Everest

Mt. Everest, the zenith of the world, plays an impor- tant role in the global climate change. During the lastdecade, some studies on glacier and snow have been undertaken in this region. The climate and environment changes in the past hundred years have b…     

Elemental composition in surface snow from the ultra-high elevation area of Mt. Qomolangma （Everest）

A total of 14 surface snow （0-10 cm） samples were collected along the climbing route （6500-8844 m a.s.h） on the northern slope of Mt. Qomolangma in May, 2005. Analysis of elemental concentrations in these samples showed that there are no clear trends for element variations with elevation due to redistribution of surface snow by strong winds during spring. In addition, local crustal aerosol inputs also have an influence on elemental composition of surface snow. Comparison between elemental concentration datasets of 2005 and 1997 indicated that data from 2005 were of higher quality. Elemental concentrations （especially for heavy metals） at Mt. Qomolangma are comparable with polar sites, and far lower than large cities. This indicates that anthropogenic activities and heavy metal pollution have little effect on the Mt. Qomolangma atmospheric environment, which can be representative of the background atmospheric environment.     

Sedimentation rates and provenance analysis in the Southwestern Okinawa Trough since the mid-Holocene

As a high-sedimentation rate depocenter along the path of the Kuroshio Current, the southwesternmost part of the Okinawa Trough is a key area to understand the Kuroshio history and sediments transpor-tation. A 34.17-m-long sediment core was obtained by the advanced piston corer of Marco Polo/IMAGES XII MARION DUFRESNE during the May 2005 from the Southern Okinawa Trough at site MD05-2908. The recovered sediments were analyzed by AMS ¹⁴C dating, coarse size fraction (>63 μm) extraction and moisture content determination in order to study its sedimentation flux and provenance. The depth-age relationship of core MD05-2908 was well constrained by 17 ¹⁴C dating points. The sediments span across the mid-Holocene (6.8 ka B.P.) and have remarkablely high sedimentation rates between 1.8 and 21.2 m ka^-1, which is well consistent with the modern observations from sediment traps. We identified five 70―200 a periods of abnormally rapid sedimentation events at 6790―6600 a B.P., 5690―5600 a B.P., 4820―4720 a B.P., 1090―880 a B.P., and 260―190 a B.P., during which the highest sedimentation rate is up to 21.2 m/ka. In general, the lithology of the sediments were dominated by silt and clay, associated with less than 5% coarse size fraction (>63 μm). As the most significant sediment source, the Lanyang River in northeastern Taiwan annually deliver about 10Mt materials to the coastal and offshore region of northeast Taiwan, a portion of which could be carried northward by currents toward the study area. Therefore, we concluded that the 5 abnormally rapid sedimentation events may be related to intensified rainfall in Taiwan and thus increased materials to our study area at that time. However, a few ex-treme-rapid sedimentation events cannot be explained by normal river runoff alone. The large earth-quakes or typhoons induced hyperpycnal discharge of fluvial sediment to the ocean may also act as a potential source supply to the Okinawa Trough.     

Preliminary evidence indicating Dome A （Antarctica） satisfying preconditions for drilling the oldest ice core

Lowest temperature and snow accumulation rate are preconditions for retrieving the oldest ice core from the polar ice sheets. The 10-m depth firn temperature at Dome A, the summit of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, recorded by an automatic weather station （AWS） was -58.3℃ in 2005 and -58.2℃ in 2006, respectively. The 10-m firn temperature is an approximation of the annual mean air temperature （AMAT）, and this is the lowest AMAT that has been recorded on the surface of the Earth. The stable isotopic ratios （δ^18O and δD） of surface snow at Dome A are also lower than at other ice sheet domes along the East Antarctic Ice Divide such as Dome C, Dome F, Dome B and Vostok. These facts indicate that Dome A is the ＂pole of cold＂ on the Earth. The total amount of snow accumulation rate in 2005 and 2006 was only 0.16 cm, equaling 0.016 m water equivalent per year, the lowest precipitation ever recorded from Antarctica. Preliminary evidences indicate that Dome A is a candidate site for recovering the oldest ice core.     

Phylogenetic identification and microbial diversity in snow of the summit （8201 m） of Cho Oyu Mountain,Tibet

The bacterial diversity and abundance in snow of the summit （8201 m） of Cho Oyu mountain, Tibet, were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing followed by scanning electronic microscopy analysis. Most of bacteria were found to be of spherical or oval shape （〉95%）. Bacterial 16S rDNA sequences were classified into 5 genera （Caulobacter, Ralstonia, Cupriavidus, Pelomonas and Pseudomonas）. Gammaproteobacteria were the most abundant （91.25%） among the library that consists of 594 clones. The sequences found in this study are highly similar to those previously retrieved from other cold environments, such as ice core, sea ice, permafrost and snow. The results showed that the cold and barren environments strongly influence the survival of bacteria. The high similarity among sequences retrieved from snow sample and other places, such as ocean, soil and water, suggested that the bacteria in snow, soil and water environments have the same origin.     

Stable dislocation configuration in the surface layer of metals

The stable dislocation configuration in the surface layer of metals was calculated according to dislo-cation energy theory. It was shown that the stable dislocation configuration was only influenced by Burger's vector, while dislocation line could fluctuate closely around the direction vertical to free sur-face in a limited range.     

Tracing the sources of particles in the East Rongbuk ice core from Mt. Qomolangma

Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic tracer was applied, for the first time, to identifying the sources of the particles in the East Rongbuk ice core from Mt. Qomalangma （Everest）. The results show that the particles in the dirty layers originate mainly from local sources, while the particles in the non-dirty layers are consistent with the features of dust from the arid regions in northwestern India. The HYSPLIT model shows that the air trajectory goes first through northwestern India before reaching the drilling site of ice core when dust storms occur in northwestern India, confirming northwestern India as a possible source of dust in the East Rongbuk ice core.     

Holocene climatic and environmental changes recorded in Baahar Nuur Lake core in the Ordos Plateau, Inner Mongolia of China

A 5.3 m lake core was drilled in Baahar Nuur Lake in the Ordos Plateau, and measurements of meangrain size, organic δ 13C (δ 13Corg), organic carbon content (TOC), C/N, carbonate content, carbonate δ 13C(δ 13Ccar) and δ 18O (δ 18Ocar) were conducted for retrieving the Holocene chronosequence of climaticchanges based on 15 AMS 14C dates. The record documented four major stages of climate change inthe Ordos Plateau: (IV) a cold and dry condition before ～7.65 14C ka BP; (III) a warm and humid stagebetween ～7.65 and ～5.40 ka BP; (II) a generally drier and cooler climate since ～5.40 ka BP with twohumid events occurring from ～4.70 to ～4.60 ka BP and from ～4.20 to ～3.70 ka BP, and (I) a dry climatecharacterized by complete desiccation of the lake after 3.70 ka BP. Stage III can be further divided intothree sub-stages: (IIIa) a warm and humid episode from ～7.65 to ～6.70 ka BP, (IIIb) a warm and relativelydry episode from ～6.70 to ～6.20 ka BP, and (IIIc) the magthermal and maghumid episode of the Holo-cene from ～6.20 to ～5.40 ka BP.     

Complicated phenomena of the Beichuan-Yingxiu surface fracture zone during Wenchuan <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>s8.0 earthquake in Sichuan Province,China

After Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake, the surface fractures have been investigated in Beichuan City and Yingxiu Town. It was found that the Beichuan-Yingxiu earthquake fracture zone trends northeastward, dipping to northwest. The earthquake fracture zone is mainly characterized by thrust faulting with small amounts of strike-slip movement, and demonstrating various complexities for different areas. The phenomena related to dextral strike-slip displacement are found in Beichuan City and those related to left-lateral strike-slip movement in Yingxiu Town. The compressive shortening of the two surface fracture zones in Beichuan City is 2.8-3.9 m and the left-lateral strike-slip displacement of the surface fractures in Yingxiu Town is 0.52 m.     

Melt-Water-Pulse （MWP） events and abrupt climate change of the last deglaciation

The last deglaciation is characterized by massive ice sheet melting, which results in an average sea-level rise of -120-140m. At least three major Melt-Water-Pulse （MWP） events （19ka-MWP, MWP-1A and MWP-1B） are recognizable for the last deglaciation, of which MWP-1A event lasting from -14.2 to -13.7 ka B.P. is of the most significance. However, the accurate timing and source of MWP-1A event remain debatable and controversial. It has long been postulated that meltwater of the last deglaciaUon pouring into the North Atlantic resulted in a slowdown or even a shutdown of the thermohaline circulation （THC） which subsequently affected the global climate change. Accordingly, the focus of this debate consists in establishing a reasonable relationship between MWP events and abrupt climate change. Here we summarize a variety of geological and model results for the last deglaciation, reaching a conclusion that the major MWP events did not correspond with the rigorous stadials, nor always happened within climate reversal intervals. MWP events of the last deglaciation had very weak influences on the intensity of the THC and were not able to trigger a collapse of the global climate. We need to reevaluate the influences of the temporal meltwater variability on the global climate system.     

Pollen flux and vertical dispersion in coniferous and deciduous broadleaved mixed forest in the Changbai Mountains

The pollen flux in coniferous and deciduous broadleaved mixed forest in the Changbai Mountains is presented in one year's experiments. The results indicate that arboreal pollen percentages are more than 65% and pollen flux is higher than 5000 grain·cm-2·a-1,while less than 2% and lower than 1000 grain·cm-2·a-1 for shrubby pollen,and less than 20% and lower than 3000 grain·cm-1·a-1 for herbaceous pollen for most samples at different heights. The pollen assemblages are similar to those in the samples under 8 m height where Pinus and Ouercus are dominant and followed by the few non-local pollen types,and Fraxinus percentages are high with a few non-local pollen types at 16 m to 32 m height as well as non-local pollen clearly increased at 40 m height. Comparisons between pollen assemblages and vegetation composition suggest that similarities are higher for pollen trap samples than for surface moss samples.     

Recent high-resolution glaciochemical record from a Dasuopu firn core of middle Himalayas

A 16.8 m firn core of middle Himalayas was recovered on the col of Dasuopu glacier in August 2006, being 7000 m above sea level. A total of 317 samples were measured for stable oxygen isotope ratios （6180） and major ion concentrations （Na＋, NH＋, K＋, Mg2＋, Ca2＋, Cl-, SO4^2-, and NO3^-. The firn core dating and seasonal partitioning were carried out based on the marked seasonal variations along the stable oxygen isotopes and crustal species （Ca2＋, Mg2＋） profiles. The multi-parameters and high-resolution glaciochemical data set of Dasuopu firn core recorded the detailed chemical characteristics of pre cipitation in high-elevation region, middle Himalayas, since 1991 A.D., which mainly originated from the crustal and anthropogenic sources, while the sea-salt contribution was minor. The seasonal variability of major ion concentrations was dominated by the seasonal alternation of the prevalent air mass, atmospheric circulation situation and precipitation regime. Linear regression analysis indicated that most of the variance in annual ionic fluxes can be explained by a linear dependence on snow accumulation rate.     

Compression behavior and equation of state of Ni77P23 amorphous alloy

The compression behavior of Ni77P23 amorphous alloy is investigated at room temperature in a diamond-anvil cell instrument using insitu high pressure energy dispersive X-ray diffraction with a syn- chrotron radiation source. The equation of state is determined by fitting the experimental data accord- ing to Birch-Murnaghan equation: -ΔV/V0=0.08606P-3.2×10-4P2 5.7×10-6P3. It is found that the structure of Ni77P23 amorphous alloy is stable under pressures up to 30.5 GPa.     

Effects of ultraviolet radiation B （UV-B） on photosynthesis of natural phytoplankton assemblages in a marine bay in Southern China

Solar ultraviolet radiation B (UVB) is known to have inhibitive effects on phytoplankton photosynthesis. UVB light decreases rapidly with increasing depth in the water column and exerts different degrees of UVB inhibitive effects on phytoplankton photosynthesis. In this study, the objectives were to quantify effects of UVB on phytoplankton photosynthesis and quantum yield, and to examine UVB effects on phytoplankton photosynthesis when light varies. The insitu experiments were conducted in Da Ya Bay, which is a semienclosed area in the subtropical South China. The results showed a significant reduction of photosynthetic rates and quantum yield in the presence of UVB. Maximum photosynthetic rates (Pmax) and maximum quantum yield (Φmax) were 11%-22% and 17%-49% less under solar radiation with UVB than without UVB. A simplified model was developed to describe the UVB biologically effective fluence rate (E*inh) as an exponential decay function of depth. Light-shift experiments, in which water samples from the surface and at depth of 4 m were divided into several subsamples, and each subsamples were then incubated at different depths with and without UVB in the water column, showed that phytoplankton from the deeper water (4 m) had more inhibitive rates by UVB than that from the surface when exposed to the same light condition.     

Preparation of monolayer-assembled fluorescent film and its sensing performances to hidden nitroaromatic explosives

Pyrene was chemically assembled on a glass plate surface in a monolayer manner via spacers containing triethylenetetramine （TETA） subunits. It has been demonstrated that the fluorescence emission of the film is sensitive to the presence of trace amount of nitroaromatic compound （NAC） vapors. As discovered in the present work, the response selectivity of the pyrene-functionalized film depends on the length of the spacer, the vapor pressure of a given NAC, and the quencher size. The film shows faster response to those quenchers which have higher vapor pressure and smaller size. Compared to the film with shorter spacers, the present film with longer flexible spacers shows a slower response to the NACs, but higher selectivity to the quencher size. Additionally, the detection limits to common ex- plosives in vapor phase, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene （TNT） and 2,4-dinitrotoluene （DNT）, are 7.14×10^-12 and 5.49×10^-11 g·mL^-1, respectively. Further examinations indicated that the sensing process is fully reversible, and the vapors of those common interference such as benzene, toluene, ethanol, and perfume have little effect upon the sensing performances of the film.     

Recent temperature increase recorded in an ice core in the source region of Yangtze River

Interests on climate change in the source region of Yangtze River have been raised since it is a region with the greatest warming over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A 70-year history of precipitation δ~(18)O has been recovered using an ice core record retrieved in a plat portion of the firn area in the Guoqu Glacier (33°34′37.8″N, 91°10′35.3″E, 5720 m a.s.l.), Mt. Geladaindong (the source region of Yangtze River), in November, 2005. By using a significant positive relationship between ice core δ~(18)O record and summer air temperature (July to September) from the nearby meteorological stations, a history of summer air temperature has been reconstructed for the last 70 years. Summer temperature was relatively low in 1940s and high in 1950s to the middle of 1960s. The lowest temperature occurred in the middle of 1970s. Temperature was low in 1980s and dramatically increased since 1990s, keeping the trend to the begin-ning of the 21st century. The warming rate recorded in the ice core with 0.5℃/10 a since 1970s is much higher that that in the central TP and the Northern Hemisphere (NH), and it becomes 1.1℃/10 a since 1990s which is also higher than these from the central TP and the NH, reflecting an accelerated warm-ing and a more sensitive response to global warming in the high elevation region.     

Carbonaceous particles in Muztagh Ata ice core,West Kunlun Mountains,China

Carbonaceous particles concentrations of OC and EC are determined using a two-step gas chroma- tography system in Muztagh Ata ice core covering the time period of 1955--2000. Over the period represented by the core, OC and EC concentrations appear to have changed significantly, varied in the range of 17.7--216.7 and 6.5--124.6, and averaged 61.8, 32.9 ng·g^-1, respectively. The average concentration of EC in Muztagh Ata ice core is much lower than that in an Alpine ice core record （100--300 ng·g^-1） during the same period, but it is a factor of 14 in Greenland ice core （2.3 ng·g^-1）, this may induce a strong impact on the snow albedo in the last 46 years in our study area. Observations indicate two periods with obviously high deposition concentrations （1955--1965 and 1974--1989） and two periods with low concentrations （1966--1973 and 1990--1995）, as well as a recent increasing trend. By comparing EC and SO4^2- concentration variations and deciphering OC/EC ratios recorded in the same ice core, we can judge roughly that the carbonaceous particles deposited in Muztagh Ata ice core were attributed to fossil fuel combustion sources.     

An exceptionally well-preserved fossil Kalligrammatid from the Jehol Biota

A new species of Neuroptera, Sophogramma lii sp. nov. is described and illustrated in this paper. This new species is assigned to Sophogramma Ren of Kalligrammatidae, mainly based on its humeral recurrent veins, the basal cell present between posterior branch of media at base of wing, etc. The new species is distinguished from all other Sophogramma species on the difference of wing venation. This exceptionally well-preserved specimen is recovered from the Yixian Formation, Huangbanjigou, located near Beipiao City, in western Liaoning Province. The genus diagnosis has been emended based on new characters shown in this new species. Based on a summary of localities, distribution and geological ages of all genera and species of the Kalligrammatidae, we suggest that Kalligrammatids might have originated in Eastern Asia, especially in China. Function of the wing pigmentation is discussed briefly. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 30430100 and 40872022), Beijing Natural Science Foundation Program (Grant No. 5082002), Scientific Research Key Program (Grant No. KZ200910028005) and PHR Project of of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education, Science-Technology Basic Condition Platform from the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (Grant No. 2005DKA21402)     

New material of microfossils from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in the Zhangcunping area, Yichang, Hubei Province and its zircon SHRIMP U-Pb age

The Zhangcunping area is located at the north limb of the Huangling anticline in Yichang, Hubei Province. Here, the sedimentary succession of the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation is similar with that in the Weng’an area, Guizhou Province. A large number of new microfossils (mainly acanthoacritarchs) from the Doushantuo Formation in this area are reported in this paper. The fossil assemblage shows similarity as the phosphatized biota of the Doushantuo Formation at Weng’an, Guizhou Province and the silicified biota of the Doushantuo Formation at the Yangtze Gorges, which suggests that the Zhangcunping area is a key for correlation of the Doushantuo Formation between the Weng’an area, Guizhou Province and the Yangtze Gorges. Besides, a new zircon SHRIMP U-Pb age (614.0±7.6 Ma) is first obtained from a horizon underneath the exposed surface in the middle of the Doushantuo Formation in the Zhangcunping area. This age not only provides a new datum for subdivision of the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation, but also indicates that the age of the exposed surface in the middle of the Doushantuo Formation in the Yangtze Platform should be posterior to 614.0±7.6 Ma. Due to the horizon of the Weng’an biota situated above the exposed surface, the age of the Weng’an biota should be posterior to 614.0±7.6 Ma as well. Supported jointly by the Basic Foundation of scientific research work from Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (Grant No. J0716), Science and Technology of China for fundamental work (Grant No. 2006FY120300-2), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40772013 and 40672022) and China Geological Survey (1212010611801-3)     

中国的珠峰高程测定

20世纪60年代以来,我国曾单独或与外国合作,在1966年、1975年、1992年、1998年、1999年和2005年对珠穆朗玛峰高程进行了6次测定,开展了大规模的大地测量外业作业、数据处理和科学研究。介绍了我国近40年来珠峰高程测定的成果和进展,其中重点介绍了最新的2005年我国对珠穆朗玛峰高程测定的进展。相对于以前的珠峰测高,2005年在珠峰以北地区的地面控制和珠峰高程测定中,采用了较大规模和精密的GPS三维定位技术,采用了雷达探测技术测定珠峰峰顶冰雪覆盖层的深度,提高了测量珠峰高程和探测峰顶冰雪覆盖层深度的精度和可靠性。由此测得珠峰峰顶雪面正高(海拔高)为8847.93m,珠峰峰顶岩面正高为8844.43m,珠峰峰顶相应点的冰雪层厚度为3.50m。