Spatial and temporal variation in magnetic properties of street dust in Lanzhou City, China

Urban environmental problems are of increasing concern. Lanzhou is a large industrial city in Northwest China. Street dust samples representing different temporal and spatial scales were collected for magnetic properties study. Magnetic measurements indicate a high concentration of magnetic minerals in Lanzhou street dust, dominated by pseudo-single domain （PSD） magnetite. The concentration of magnetic materials is distinctly high in winter and spring, low in autumn. Similarly, higher concentrations associated with heavy industry, concentrated residential development, and vehicular traffic suggest mixed contributions of magnetic material from both anthropogenic and natural sources. XIf and SOFT% are effective magnetic parameters that denote seasonal differences among magnetic properties in street dust, convenient and economical methods for monitoring street dust pollution.     

Magnetic response to atmospheric heavy metal pollution recorded by dust-loaded leaves in Shougang industrial area,western Beijing

Fifty-five evergreen tree＇s leaves growing less than one year were collected from Shougang industrial area in western suburb of Beijing, including steel plants and its ambient residential areas, recreational parks and farmlands. Rock magnetic properties and heavy metal contents were studied. The results show that the magnetic properties of leaf samples are predominated by Iow-coercivity magnetite, and both the concentration and grain size of magnetite particles gradually decreased with the distance from the main pollution source increases. Moreover, there is a significant linear relationship between magnetic parameters （the low-field magnetic susceptibility, saturation isothermal remanent magnetization and anhysteretic remanent magnetization） and heavy metals contents （Fe, Pb, V, Cr and Zn） （0.73≤ R≤ 0.88）. Hence, the magnetic parameters of leaves can serve as a proxy for quick detecting of the recent atmospheric metallic pollution.     

Seasonal variations of dust record in the Muztagata ice cores

Based on the oxygen isotope ratio and microparticle record in ice cores recovered at Mt. Muztagata, Eastern Pamirs, the seasonal variations of atmospheric dust have been reconstructed for the past four decades. High dust concentrations and coarser particle grains have the similar trend with oxygen isotope value. Our statistical results indicate that 50%--60% high dust concentration samples occur during the season with high oxygen isotope values （summer）, while low dust storm frequency during spring and winter. Back-trajectory analysis shows that the air mass hitting Muztagata predominately came from West Asia （such as Iran-Afghanistan Plateau） and Central Asia, which are the main dust source area for Muztagata. Dust storms in those source areas most frequently occur during summer （from May to August）, while frequent dust storm events in northern China mainly occur during spring （March to May）. Regions in the path of Asian dust transport, such as in Japan, the North Pacific, and Greenland, also show high dust concentrations during spring （from March to May）. Our results indicate that dust storms have different seasonality in different regions within Asia.     

Magnetic properties of highroad-side pine tree leaves in Beijing and their environmental significance

This is a report on magnetic properties of highroad-side tree (Pinus pumila Regel) leaves collected along an expressway linking Beijing City and the Capital International Airport and further focus on their environmental contributions. A series of rock magnetic experiments show that the primary mag-netic mineral of leaf samples was identified to be magnetite,in the pseudo-single domain (PSD) grain size range 0.2―5.0 μm. On the other hand,magnet-ite concentration and grain size in leaves are ascer-tained to decrease with increasing of sampling dis-tance to highroad asphalt surface,suggesting that high magnetic response to traffic pollution is localized within a distance of some two meters away from highroad asphalt surface. Although magnetic suscep-tibility is ordinarily regarded as a simple,rapid and low-cost method for monitoring traffic pollution,saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM) can be treated as a valid proxy for monitoring air par-ticulate matter (PM) when samples are magnetically weak. It is believed that a synthetic rock magnetic study is an effective method for determining concen-tration and grain size of ferromagnets in the atmos-pheric PM,and then it should be a rapid and feasible technique for monitoring atmospheric pollution.     

菱铁矿热处理后的异常等温剩磁与逆向磁化

菱铁矿经过适当温度热处理后的异常等温剩磁曲线的全部形态与初始剩磁态的３个集合相对应。根据ＩＲＭ曲线存在负微商线段这一事实，提出有逆磁相存在，并用正常磁相和逆磁相的耦合来解释这种异常等温剩磁行为，这种逆向剩磁是在室温下获得的，在弱化时没有任何热过程和化学过程发生，在本质上已与观察到的逆向热剩磁和逆向化学剩磁不同。     

Paleomagnetism of early Paleozoic volcanic rocks from the Beishan area,Gansu of northwest China: Preliminary insight into early Paleozoic kinemics of the Beishan terrane

We report rock magnetic and paleomagnetic results for Middle Silurian Gongpoquan and Middle Ordovician Huaniushan volcanic samples collected from the Mazongshan and Hongliuyuan areas of Gansu Province, northwest China. The resultsindicate that the main magnetic mineral of the Gongpoquan and Huaniushan volcanic rock is magnetite, and it may remain characteristic remanent magnetization acquired at the time of formation of the rocks. However, with the exception of samples from site go20, most of Middle Ordovician Huaniushan volcanic samples have a very weak nature remanent magnetization, and generally show an erratic demagnetization behavior, which does not allow isolation of characteristic remanent magnetizations from these samples. Comparison of paleomagnetic results obtained from the Beishan area of Gansu with Paleozoic apparent polar wander paths for Tarimand Siberia suggests that the Beishan tarrane, the southern part of the Beishanarea of Gansu beyond the Mingshui-Shipanjin-Xiaohuang- shan zone, and adjacent Tarim block and Siberia plate could not have been connected in their present configuration by the Middle Silurian time. On the other hand, we infer that the early Paleozoic Mingshui-Shipanjin-Xiaohuangshan oceanic basin may open from west to east during period from the Ordovician to Silurian, and the post-Middle Silurian closing of this oceanic basin may result from a progressed eastward scissor-like rotation.     

Speciation of the elements and compositions on the surfaces of dust storm particles： The evidence for the coupling of iron with sulfur in aerosol during the long-range transport

The speciation of the elements on the surface of the particles collected during dust storm and non-dust storm in Beijing and Inner Mongolia was studied by XPS. The major species of iron on the surface were oxides, sulfate, silicate,FeOOH and minor part sorbed on SiO2/Al2O3. Sulfate is the dominant species of sulfur on the surface. SiO2 and Al2O3 are the main components of Si and Al on the surface respectively.One of the most important findings was that the Fe(Ⅱ) (FeS and FeSO4) produced could account for up to 44.3% and 45.6% of the total Fe on the surface in the aerosol sample collected at that night and next day of the “peak” time of the dust storm occurring on March 20, 2002, while Fe2(SO4)3,one of the Fe(Ⅲ) species on the surface decreased from 67.1% to 49.5% and 48.0% respectively. Both S and Fe enriched on the surface of aerosol particles. Fe(Ⅱ) accounted for 1.3%-5.3% of total Fe in bulk aerosol samples during dust storm. These results provided strong evidence to support the hypothesis of the coupling between iron and sulfur in aerosols during the long-range transport, which would have important impact on the global biogeochemical cycle.     

Helium isotope investigation on magnetic reversal boundaries of loess-paleosol sequence at Luochuan, central Chinese Loess Plateau

Extraterrestrial particles have higher 3He/4He ratios than those of terrestrial sediments ( > 100 Ra versus < 0.03 Ra, where Ra is the 3He/4He ratio normalized to the atmospheric value of 1.4×10?6). The inter- planetary dust particles (IDPs), which are very rich in 3He, continuously bombard the Earth and can accumulate in deposits. IDPs sedimentation rate changes can significantly influence 3He concentration in the Earth surface sediments. Since IDPs are not easy to detect in terrestrial deposits, measuring helium isotopes is a helpful approach to examine changes in IDPs. Helium concentration and helium isotopic composition magnetic substances and the quartz particles were examined for helium concen- tration and helium isotopic ratio. Results show that the 3He/4He ratio and the 3He concentrations of the magnetic substances are clearly higher than those of the bulk samples and the quartz particles, and, the 3He/4He ratio of the extracted magnetic substances is also higher than that of the average level of the Earth’s crust. The higher helium content in the magnetic fractions can be explained by an influx of IDPs.     

Mineral magnetism of quaternary red earth in Eastern China and Its paleoenvironmental significance

Mineral magnetic measurements have been made on Quaternary Red Earth profiles from Zhejiang Province, Eastern China. Three distinctive magnetic stratigraphic horizons have been identified on the basis of magnetic susceptibility, anhysteretic remanent magnetization, saturation isothermal remanent magnetization and magnetization parameters measurements. Magnetic measurements revealed that there were great variations in ferrimagnetic mineral concentration, mineralogy assemblages and grain size in Quaternary Red Earth profiles, suggesting that these variations reflect pedogenic processes fluctuation and environmental changes. The preliminary results indicate that mineral magnetic measurement of Quaternary Red Earth is useful for studying the Quaternary environmental changes recorded in paleosols.     

Analysis of carbon isotopes in airborne carbonate and implications for aeolian sources

Methods were developed to determine the mass ratios of carbon isotopes in trace amounts of aerosol carbonate. A Finnigan MAT 252 mass spectrometer fitted with an on-line Kiel device was to determine the ^13C/^12C ratio in CO2 produced from the carbonate. A study using these methods was conducted to characterize the carbonate carbon isotopes in aerosol samples collected in Xi‘an on dusty and normal days during March and April 2002. Results of the study demonstrate that insights into the origin of the dust can be deduced from its isotopic composition. That is, the δ^13C ofcarbonate for dust storm samples ranged from -1.4‰ to -4.2‰, and this is consistent with sandy materials in dust source regions upwind. In contrast, for non-dusty days δ^13C ranged from -7.5% to -9.3‰, which is more similar to fine particles emitted from local surface soils. Comparisons of dust storm aerosols with surface soils from source regions and with aerosol samples collected downwind indicate that the δ^13C values did not change appreciably during longrange transport. Therefore, carbon isotopes have the potential for distinguishing among source materials, and this approach provides a powerful new tool for identifying dust provenance.     

Magnetic records of Core MD77-181 in the Bay of Bengal and their paleoenvironmental implications

Located in the low latitude region of the northeastern Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal represents one of the largest marginal seas in the world. The Bengal Fan hosts erosional products mostly from Himalayas and is under the influence of the Indian monsoon system. The Bengal Fan has thus been one of the ideal places for studying the uplift of the Tibet Plateau and the history of the Indian monsoon[1―8]. The intensity of the Indian monsoon is controlled by secular variations in insola- ti…     

Characteristics and sources of 2002 super dust storm in Beijing

~~Characteristics and sources of 2002 super dust storm in Beijing~~     

Coupling and feedback between iron and sulphur in air-sea exchange

Iron in surface seawater has been demonstrated to be the limiting nutrient factor for primary productivity in certain oceanic regions where other major nutrients are abundant[1—5]. The available Fe to the phytoplankton in seawater is related to the uptake of carbon dioxide through the ocean and, in turn, to the global greenhouse effect[6—11]. Recent reports showed that the available Fe in the seawater is closely correlative to nitrogen fixation in the ocean[12—17]. Understanding which Fe s…     

Dust storms and loess accumulation on the Tibetan Plateau：A case study of dust event on 4 March 2003 in Lhasa

Whether the Tibetan Plateau is a significant dust source area is of great importance, because this is related to the understanding of sources, accumulation and environmental effects of dusts on the Tibetan Plateau and inthe Far East-Pacific Ocean regions as well as to the evointion of coupling of the Tibetan Plateau and atmaspbere-oeean-continent exchange. Synoptic dynamics and remote sensing tracing of a dust storm on 3 to 5 March, 2003 in Lhasa onSouth Tibet demonstrate that the Tibetan Plateau possessesall factors and conditions of generating dust storms. Accompanied with this dust storm is a strong ascending stream onthe Plateau which has raised various sizes of durst particlesinto different levels. The lifted coarse particles were largelyfallen down and accumulated as loess on the eastern TibetanPlateau, and the fine particles were translated by the westerly jet and subsided in the northern Pacific Ocean. The spa-tial-temporal distribution of dust-storms between years 1961and 2000 ou the Plateau shows that duststorms mainly occurin winter and early spring with high frequency, and tile pathof dust storm moves gradually from south to north, which isclosely coupled with the northward moving of the westerlyjet from winter to spring over the Tibetan Plateau. Com-pared with other twelve dust source areas in China. the Ti-betan Plateau is one of the key dust souree areas for thelong-distance transport because its high occurring frequencyand elevation cause fine particles easily to be lifted into thezone of the westerly jet.     

从沙尘暴看黄土的沉积及黄土高原的形成

以近年来我国西北地区多发的沙尘暴现象为缘起,对沙尘暴的特征、发生机制等进行了讨论;论述了沙尘暴引起的降尘与黄土的堆积与沉积的过程;黄土堆积沉积的年龄、颗粒成分等;以及沙尘暴与高土高原的形成之间的关系,同时论述了黄土高原的环境变迁,认为高空均质粉尘的降落是不均匀的;高空降尘是突发的,而风及流水对堆积粉尘的改造是长期和连续的。     

Oxidative stress on plasmid DNA induced by inhalable particles in the urban atmosphere

Plasmid DNA assay is a newly-developed in vitro method to investigate bioreactivity of particles. In this paper, this method was used to study the bioreactivity of PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm) and PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm). Samples and dust storm particles were collected in 2001 in an urban area, a satellite city and a clean air area in Beijing. A big difference was found for oxidative DNA stress induced by different particulate matter (PM) samples, with the TM50 (particle mass causing 50% damage to DNA) values varying by a factor over 10. This was closely dependent on the sizes of particles as well as the variation in relative proportion of mineral matter. PM2.5 samples generally impose larger oxidative stress on plasmid DNA than PM10 samples. Airborne particles collected during dust storm episodes, usually with a higher proportion of mineral matter, have a much lower oxidative capacity than those collected during non-dust storm episodes. PM samples and their water-soluble fractions usually have similar bioreactivities, demonstrating that oxidative capacity of Beijing airborne particles is mainly sourced from their water-soluble fractions.     

春季沙尘天气与气压的关系

利用西北地区10个站近30年（1971—2000年）春季月平均气压与沙尘暴、扬沙、浮尘月发生次数计算分析了沙尘暴多发年、正常年、少发年春季地面气压场（距平均）特征差异,研究了中国西北地区春季扬沙、浮尘月发生次数与春季地面气压场的相关性。     

兰州皋兰山顶春季大气气溶胶的监测与分析

对兰州皋兰山顶春季大气气溶胶连续采样，得到了大气背景、浮尘、扬沙、沙尘暴等不同天气条件下的气溶胶质量浓度．通过沙尘天气的过程分析，得到不同沙尘天气条件下，TSP浓度的时间变化规律．与兰州大学小二楼顶的监测数据进行比较分析，可以看出兰州市的污染状况和TSP的时空分布．通过各类沙尘天气不同粒径气溶胶粒子的浓度分析，发现气溶胶粒子粒径的分布规律和气溶胶来源不同．     

Magnetostratigraphy of the Zanda basin in southwest Tibet Plateau and its tectonic implications

The Zanda basin is one of the very important basins at the north slope of the Himalaya Range. Thus the study of the basin strata will provide critical information about the tectonic evolution of the Himalayan Orogenic Belt. 268 oriented block samples were collected in the 750-m-thick sections of the Zanda basin. The characteristic remanent magnetization （ChRM） was isolated that decays linearly to the origin between 500℃ and 690℃for most studied samples. An age range of 9.5-2.6 Ma was estimated from the correlation between our observed polarity column and the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale （GPTS）. The age of the Zanda basin does not support the models that the South Tibetan Detach system （STDS） is one of the basin controlling faults. Given the sedimentological features in the basin and the tectonic features at the north edge of the basin, the Zanda basin was a half graben that was possibly controlled by the Karakorum fault on the northeast.     

Mineral magnetic properties of surface sediments at Bei’anhe, Beijing, and its environmental significance

A multiparameter investigation of surface sediments from the Bei＇anhe section （Beijing） has been conducted using environmental magnetic approaches. The studied sedimentary sequence consists of pluvial and lacustrine silts and clay of the Holocene age. Magnetite, hematite and pyrrhotite were identiffed as the dominant magnetic minerals. The mineral magnetic characteristics are considered to reflect the Holocene paleoenvironmental processes of the studied area, which are different from the mineral magnetic properties of typical polluted sections reported in the Beijing area. The low-field magnetic susceptibility and saturated isothermal remanence magnetization of the section decrease gradually with increasing depth. This indicates that the concentration of magnetic minerals in the strata decreases down the section. Values of interparametric ratios, such as ARM/SIRM, XARM/Xand SIRM/X, gradually increase with increasing depth, which indicates a down-section decreasing trend in the magnetic grain size of the sediments. Pyrrhotite occurs below the depth of 22 cm, suggesting the existence of redox interface. The magnetic variations of the Bei＇anhe surface sediments might be controlled by two geological processes： reductive diagenesis and pedogenesis. Our findings may have provided a reference point for magnetic investigation of polluted surface sediments in the Beijing area.