Variation of the FeMn ratio of ferromanganese crusts from the Central North Pacific: implication for paleoclimate changes

Contents of Fe, Mn and other elements in four ferromanganese crusts recovered from the central North Pacific are analyzed at high depth-resolution by electron microprobe for reconstructing factors controlling their deposition. Manganese (IV) in hydrogenetic ferromanganese crusts is mainly supplied as colloidal precipitates from the Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ), which concentrates high amounts of dissolved Mn (II). The iron is derived from carbonate dissolution and silicate particles of eolian dust. An increase in paleoproductivity during cooler climate would potentially lead to a decrease in Mn deposition due to enlargement of the OMZ which has a “temporary storage” effect for Mn. On the other hand, not affected by the OMZ, the iron entering the Fe-Mn crust would likely increase with the eolian dust input and surface productivity at glacial stages. As a result, the increasing FeMn ratio should indicate a cooling climate. This is supported by the following observations. In the profile of the past 1 Ma, the variations of FeMn ratio coincide with benthic oxygen isotope fluctuation in glacial-interglacial cycles. Three episodes with high FeMn ratios, approximately at 2.6, 1.8 and 0.8 Ma, are detected within the past 3 Ma and coincide with major climate transitions and cooling events. The secular evolution pattern of FeMn ratio in the Cenozoic is similar to the Pb isotope evolution which is mainly controlled by eolian dust and related to climate. The FeMn evolution pattern is also broadly consistent with the global deep-sea oxygen isotope records. Therefore, FeMn ratio recorded in the ferromanganese crusts may be a new proxy for climate change.     

Spatiotemporal variations in mid-upper tropospheric methane over China from satellite observations

Spaceborne measurements by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the EOS/Aqua satellite provide a global view of methane (CH 4 ) distribution in the mid-upper troposphere (MUT-CH 4 ). The focus of this study is to analyze the spatiotemporal varia- tions in MUT-CH 4 over China from 2003 to 2008. Validation of AIRS CH 4 products versus Fourier transform infrared profiles demonstrates that its RMS error is mostly less than 1.5%. A typical atmospheric methane profile is found that shows how concentrations decrease as height increases because of surface emissions. We found that an important feature in the seasonal variation in CH 4 is the two peaks that exist in summer and winter in most parts of China, which is also observed in in-situ measurements at Mt. Waliguan, Qinghai Province, China (36.2879°N 100.8964°E, 3810 m). Also, in the summer, only one peak existed in western and southern China since there are no more significant anthropogenic sources in winter than at any other time of the year. Further analysis of the deseasonalized time-series of AIRS CH 4 in three fixed pressure layers of AIRS from 2003 to 2008 indicates that CH 4 in the Northern Hemisphere has increased abruptly since 2007, with no significant increase occurring before 2007. The increase in China is generally more significant than in other areas around the world, which again correlates with in-situ measurements at Mt. Waliguan.     

Climate change in China in the 21st century as simulated by a high resolution regional climate model

Climate change in the 21st century over China is simulated using the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) Regional Climate Model version 3 (RegCM3). The model is one-way nested within the global model CCSR/NIES/FRCGC MIROC3.2_hires (Center for Climate System Research/National Institute for Environmental Studies/Frontier Research Center for Global Change/Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate). A 150-year (1951-2100) transient simulation is conducted at 25 km grid spacing, under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (IPCC SRES) A1B scenario. Simulations of present climate conditions in China by RegCM3 are compared against observations to assess model performance. Results show that RegCM3 reproduces the observed spatial structure of surface air temperature and precipitation well. Changes in mean temperature and precipitation in December-January-February (DJF) and June-July-August (JJA) during the middle and end of the 21st century are analyzed. Significant future warming is simulated by RegCM3. This warming becomes greater with time, and increased warming is simulated at high latitude and high altitude (Tibetan Plateau) areas. In the middle of the 21st century in DJF, a general increase of precipitation is found in most areas, except over the Tibetan Plateau. Precipitation changes in JJA show an increase over northwest China and a decrease over the Tibetan Plateau. There is a mixture of positive and negative changes in eastern China. The change pattern at the end of the century is generally consistent with that in mid century, except in some small areas, and the magnitude of change is usually larger. In addition, the simulation is compared with a previous simulation of the RegCM3 driven by a different global model, to address uncertainties of the projected climate change in China.     

Sediment provenance and evolution of the East Asian winter monsoon since 700 ka recorded by major elements in the West Philippine Sea

To synthetically realize the character of major-element compositions as well as its significance for provenance and paleoenvironment recorded in core sediments of the West Philippine Sea over the last 700 ka,grain size and major elements of 221 bulk sediments,together with major-element compositions in the detrital phase of 16 typical samples,in core MD06-3047 collected from the Benham Rise were analyzed.Both discrimination plot and R-mode factor analysis indicate that vertical changes of major elements are mainly controlled by the sedimentation of nearby volcanic matter and the eolian dust input,whereas influences from marine biologic deposition and hydrothermal activity are minor.In particular,Al2O3 and K2O are representative of an eolian dust factor.The variation in the eolian dust factor score is characterized by the obviously glacial-interglacial periodicity and can be well compared with the paleotemperature record of the Antarctic ice core and the evolution of the East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM) recorded in the Chinese loess sequence,and then offers a new proxy for the evolution history of eolian dust input into the study area that is controlled by the EAWM intensity and aridity in the continental source regions of atmospheric dust.     

The ion chemistry of surface and ground waters in the Taklimakan Desert of Tarim Basin, western China

The physio-chemical and chemical features of water in natural conditions are controlled by the weath-ering of bedrocks,local climate,landforms and other geo-environmental parameters. In order to un-derstand the characteristics of water and the origins of the dissolved loads in the rivers and in the ground waters of the Taklimakan Desert,western China,we studied the ions in the water samples col-lected from rivers and wells. We collected water samples from four rivers (Keriya River,Cele River,Tumiya River and Yulongkashi River) in the southern desert and ground water samples from many parts of the desert. Major cations and anions were measured using ion-chromatograph and titration with HCl. The total dissolved solids (TDS),pH and conductivity were examined on site by a portable multi-parameter analyzer. The data show that the water in the rivers of southern Taklimakan is still of fresh water quality and slight alkalinity,although the TDS is comparatively higher than that of many other rivers of the world. The ground water is fresh to slightly saline,with TDS a little higher than that of river water in the study area. The concentration of ions is slightly different between the four rivers in the southern Taklimakan. However,the chemistries of ground water in all samples are to a large degree controlled by sodium and chloride. The ions in the ground water are concluded to be mainly from dissolving of evaporites,consistent with the dry climate in the region,whereas the ions in the rivers are mainly from rock weathering. Low-level human imprints are recognized in the ground water samples also.     

Magnetic properties of surface soils across the southern Tarim Basin and their relationship with climate and source materials

The magnetic susceptibility (χ) of surface soils on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) has strong positive correlation with mean annual precipitation.It is widely accepted that ultrafine magnetite/maghemite grains produced during pedogenesis are responsible for the enhancement of χ,and loess χ on the CLP has been widely used as a proxy for the intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon.However,few works have investigated mechanisms for the enhancement of χ in the case of surface aeolian sediments in westerly-dominated inland China,north of the Tibetan Plateau.Here detailed rock magnetism and grain size studies of 49 surface samples taken across the southern Tarim Basin for different rainfall/temperature/altitude conditions are presented.The results show that samples taken from desert have the lowest χ values and that χ of loessic sand and loess samples decreases with increasing altitude.In addition,the rock magnetism studies suggest that the magnetic properties of surface soils across the southern Tarim Basin are mainly controlled by the concentration of coarse aeolian ferrimagnetic minerals.The contribution of ultrafine pedogenically produced magnetic grains to χ is very limited.     

Seasonal features of the Sverdrup circulation in the South China Sea

Based on the Sverdrup relation, using climatological wind stress data, the basin scale Sverdrup transport in the South China Sea(SCS) is calculated and the basic seasonal features of the Sverdrup circulation are obtained. A comparison of these calculated features with observations proves that the wind-driven circulation in the SCS is very important for the formation of the SCS upper oceanic circulation in winter, summer and fall. It is shown that the non-uniform sea surface wind is one of the causes to form multi circulation centers in the basin of the SCS. The westward current at 18°N is caused by the local wind, which is stronger in fall and winter. The seasonal variation of circulation in the southern SCS is much more remarkable than that in the north. The wind in spring is helpful to the seasonal reversal of the circulation in the central SCS. The northward transport of the cyclonic circulation reaches the maximum in fall.     

Study of the ionospheric anomaly before the Wenchuan earthquake

The behavior of the ionosphere before the Wenchuan earthquake is analyzed with the global TEC and ionospheric foF2 observed at Xiamen. It can be found from TEC maps that in the afternoon (16―18LT) on May 9, 2008, 3 days before the earthquake, there is an enhancement of TEC with an amplitude of 10―15 TECU appearing in the east-south direction of Wenchuan, and another enhancement appears at the conjugate region of the Southern Hemisphere with an amplitude of 10 TECU, but no obvious in-crement or decrement can be seen in other regions on global scale. It can also be found that on May 6 (6 days before the great earthquake), there is a decrement of TEC with small amplitude of 4TECU and larger area with 80° along the longitude in southern China, and there is no synchronous decrement observed at the conjugate region of the Southern Hemisphere. There are also many anomalies ob-served by ionosondes across China. The result shows that foF2 and TEC abnormally increased, which is different from pervious results that ionospheric parameters decreased prior to earthquakes. Pre-liminary results suggest that the enhancement on May 9 maybe has a close relationship with the pos-sible enhancement of ionospheric electric fields, and it may be an ionospheric precursor of earth-quakes. Whereas the decrement on May 6 may be attributed to the geomagnetic disturbance appearing on May 5.     

Detrital zircon of 4.1 Ga in South China

One hadean zircon from the Cambrian sandstone in the southern part of South China has a U-Pb age of 4107±29 Ma with ε Hf(t) value similar to that of the homochronous depleted mantle and Hf model age of 4102±21 Ma.This demonstrates the existence of hadean crustal remnant in South China.A close match between the U-Pb age and Hf model age with the highly position ε Hf(t) value indicates the growth and immediate reworking of juvenile crust from the depleted mantle at ca 4.1 Ga.The prominent "Pan-African" and Grenville zircons derived from the exotic sources were also found in the sample,which indicates a linking between South China and Gondwana in the Cambrian period.The southern part of South China has complex histories of crustal growth and tectonic evolution.     

Study and case simulation of a regional dust model coupled with a nonhydrostatic dynamics model

A new regional dust model suitable for simulation and forecasting of dust storms over northern China was described. The dust model was developed by coupling the mesoscale dynamics model MM5 (the Fifth-Generation NCAR/Penn State Mesoscale Model) with a set of mass conservation equations for the particles. The model includes all the atmospheric physical processes of dust storms including occurrence, lifting, transport, and dry and wet deposition. It considers the parameterization of dry and wet deposition, the dust size distribution and microphysical processes in detail. The dust flux from the surface is parameterized based on the friction velocity, which is provided by the mesoscale nonhydrostatic dynamics model, which takes account of the vegetation coverage, land use, soil category, and soil moisture. This new dust model is used to simulate the dust storm that occurred on 19--21 March, 2002 in North China. The results show that there is high dust concentration and its movement is consistent with the surface weather record and satellite monitoring images of the observed dust storm. The simulated dust concentration coincides with the observation data of the particulate concentration of PM10 (dust particles smallerthan 10 μm in diameter). The new numerical model also successfully simulates the formation and migration of the dust storm of 6-8 April, 2002 in North China.     

黄土高原朝那剖面风尘堆积序列磁化率的古环境意义

黄土高原中部连续的风尘堆积黄土-红粘土序列,蕴含着东亚季风演化与高原隆升等重要的古气候与构造信息.结合已有的古地磁年代,根据磁化率的变化特征对黄土高原中部朝那黄土-红粘土剖面记录的古环境变化进行了划分,共划分I(8.1～5.6 MaBP)东亚季风的初显期、Ⅱ(5.6～4.8 MaBP)东亚夏季风开始增强期、Ⅲ(4.8～...     

Grain-size evidence for multiple origins of the reticulate red clay in southern China

The loess-paleosol sequences in Chinese Loess Plateau record the multi-cyclic paleo-climatic changes in the Quaternary period[1]. Presently, what interests people most is that at what degrees and scales the climates in southern China had corresponded to the alternating changes be-tween the glacial and interglacial climates in northern China in the Quaternary period. Many researchers[2―10] hope to find some potential Quaternary sediment materials in southern China, just as the loess-paleoso…     

Mid-Pleistocene vermiculated red soils in southern China as an indication of unusually strengthened East Asian monsoon

A paleosol unit, referred to as vermiculated red soil (VRS), widely distributes in the region south of the Yangtze River. It is characterized by red and white veins, easy to be identified in the fields, and is usually considered a stratigraphic marker. VR…     

Neogene eolian deposits within the West Qinling Mountains: Climatic and tectonic implications

The Qinling Mountains constitute a key climate barrier between southern and northern China.Our recent investigations revealed widely spread eolian deposits of Neogene age mantling the piedmont highlands of the intermountain basins within West Qinling.Micro-mammalian fossils dated a 150.2 m section (NL-VI) near Xihe for the late Miocene to Pliocene (～10-4 Ma).Soil micromorphology,grain-size and geochemical analysis consistently define typical loess-soil alternations for the upper (0-66 m) and lower (98-150.2...     

Modeling and simulation of dynamic carbonate deposition in a loess-paleosol sequence

A compartment model of dynamic deposition processes has been developed and tested in the Potou loess section of China. There are four components in the model : carbonate input of eolian dust, carbonate output of erosion, carbonate chemical equilibrium and soil water balance. A climate stochastic model software (CLIMAK) generates the daily weather data. The processes of eolian dust deposition, erosion, and pedogenesis simulate the complex process of carbonate deposition in a loess-paleosol sequence. We consider both climatic change and soil-forming factors. The results indicate that since the Late Pleistocene in Potou section, the mean carbonate fluxes from precipitation, eolian dust and erosion are 0.14g/cm~2/kg, 1.45g/cm~2/ka and 0.23g/cm~2/ka respectively. Of this, 91.2% of the carbonate input is from eolian dust.     

Radiolarian record to paleoecological environment change events over the past 1.2 MaBP in the southern South China Sea

This note studies the Radiolarian fossil groups since 1.2 MaBP in ODP leg 184 site 1143, the southern South China Sea (SCS). The result shows that radiolarian abundance experienced a significant variation: before 0.9 MaBP it remained at the extremely low level, but increased with low extent between 0.9–0.65 Ma, which corresponded to the Mid-Pleistocene Transition stage, and it increased rapidly after 0.65 MaBP. During the whole process, the average abundance became higher and higher in each stage, and showed regularly periodic fluctuations. The obvious increase after 0.65 MaBP is inferred to result from the enhanced upwelling in this region, which was induced by the intensified monsoon circulation after the “Mid-Pleistocene Transition”. An outstanding result of the spectral analyses is that a long oscillation of ∼ 0.2 Ma cycle was found in the records of radiolarian abundance and complex diversity, which corresponds well to the result of other paleoceanographic indexes. This probably indicated a special cycle characteristic of paleoecological environment evolution in this area. In addition, all of the radiolarian indexes show an obvious boundary in about 0.47 MaBP, indicating the abrupt variation of the community structure and radiolarian abundance level before and after 0.47 MaBP. So we suppose that there existed a distinct change event of oceanic ecology environment during that period.     

Uplift processes for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A comparative study of Yecheng section and Siwalik group

Comparative studies of the Yecheng section at the northern piedmont of the Kunlun Mountain, and the Surai Khola section at the southern piedmont of the Himalayan Mountain, indicates that the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is dominated by continuous uplift over the past 10 Ma. And the effective time scale for dividing the uplift stages would be 1 Ma. The uplift processes of the entire plateau can be divided mainly into three stages, i.e., a slow uplift stage (10.0-6.0 MaBP), a transitional uplift stage (6.0-2.5 MaBP) and a rapid uplift stage (since 2.5 MaBP). The plateau might have risen to 2000 m above sea level by 4.6 MaBP in response to uplift and to more than 3000 m by 2.5 MaBP.     

祁连山东段冲积扇的发育时代及其成因

第四纪期间祁连山东段山麓地带广泛发育了多级冲积扇,它们是研究区域构造抬升与气候变化最为直接的载体.本文主要通过ESR,IRSL以及14C等绝对测年手段对该区冲积扇的形成年代进行研究,结果表明祁连山东段北麓最高级冲积扇形成于0.85 MaBP,而毛毛山南麓的最高级冲积扇形成于0.43 MaBP.随后各地又相继发育了0.25,0.16,0.06,0.01 MaBP等多级冲洪积台地.根据主要冲积扇的形成年代及其与区域构造气候事件的对比,认为它们是构造运动与气候变化共同作用的产物.     

临汾盆地中更新世中晚期以来的演化历史及成因分析

第四纪中晚期以来临汾盆地中发育了五级冲湖积台地或阶地。地貌沉积阶段性发育的特点反映出临汾古湖在这一时期曾经历过多次收缩的变化。根据上覆冲湖积台地或阶地的最老黄土古土壤序列,我们发现在S8的早期（年龄0.75MaBP),S5的早期（年龄0.50MaBP)和S1的早期（年龄0.13MaBP),盆地中发生了三次大幅度的湖退;在L1SS开始发育时（年龄52kaBP),汾河发生了一次强烈下切,形成了T2阶地。从影响湖盆变化的因素分析,构造抬升是导致三次大幅度湖退的根本原因;气候变化是T2阶地的致因。     

亚洲中部中更新世以来气候环境变化--来自天山北坡黄土沉积的证据

亚洲中部干旱区的形成演化对于理解干旱区大气粉尘的全球气候环境效应等具有极重要的科学价值。天山北坡沙湾县东湾镇厚71m的风成黄土为探讨该区环境演化提供了极好素材。对该剖面气候代用指标分析表明，中更新世以来气候环境经历了3个时期，在0．60和0．25Ma左右发生了重要气候事件，现在干旱气候格局是0．25Ma左右形成延续至今。