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.     

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.     

Statistic characteristics and weather significance of infrared TBB during May―August in Beijing and its vicinity

In order to meet the demand of nowcasting convective storms in Beijing, the climatological characteristics of convective storms in Beijing and its vicinity were analyzed based on the infrared （IR） temperature of black body （TBB） data during May--August of 1997--2004. The climatological probabilities, the diurnal cycle and the spatial distribution of convective storms are given respectively in this paper. The results show that the climatological characteristics of convective storms denoted by TBB≤-52℃ are consistent with those statistic studies based on the surface and lightning observations. Furthermore, the climatological characteristics of May and June are very different from those of July and August, showing that there are two types of convective storms in this region. One occurs in the transient polar air mass on the midlatitude continent during the late spring and early summer. This type of convection arises with thunder, strong wind gust and hail over the mountainous area in the northern part of this region from afternoon to nightfall, the other occurs with heavy rainfall in the warm and moist air mass over the North China Plain and vicinity of Bohai Sea. This study also shows that the long-term data of IR TBB observed by geostationary satellite can complement the temporal and spatial limitation of the weather radar and surface observations.     

Dust direct radiative effects on the earth-atmosphere system over east Asia: Early spring cooling and late spring warming

Focusing on three dust storms occurring in spring 2001,we developed a detailed aerosol parameterization scheme and integrated it in a radiative transfer model to characterize possible impacts of solar altitude angle on dust direct radiative effects over China desert regions and the North Pacific,using actual daily solar altitude angles.Increasing solar altitude angle from early spring (or winter) to late spring (or summer) leads to increase of positive clear sky radiative forcing,and decrease of negative radiative forcing due to dust aerosols at the top of the atmosphere.Because solar altitude angle increases from early to late spring,dust-clear sky radiative forcing may change from negative to positive at the top of atmosphere,showing a change from cooling to heating of the earth-atmosphere system over high-albedo deserts and nearby regions.Over low-albedo ocean negative clear sky radiative forcing by dust may decrease,suggesting a change from strong to weak cooling on the earth-atmosphere system.The impacts of solar altitude angle on cloudy sky radiative forcing due to dust are similar to those of clear sky.Impacts of low cloud on dust radiative forcing are the same as increasing surface albedo.This causes the transition of dust cooling effects into heating effects over deserts to occur earlier,and causes decrease of negative radiative forcing over the ocean and even cause a change from weak negative radiative forcing to weak positive forcing over local areas.Even in the same East Asian desert regions and nearby areas,the strength and sign of the radiative forcings depend on storm dates and thus solar altitude angle.The nearer to early spring (or winter) a dust storm occurs,the easier it leads to negative radiative forcing at the top of atmosphere,which indicates cooling effects on the earth-atmosphere system.In contrast,the nearer to late spring (or summer) a dust storm occurs,the easier it leads to positive radiative forcing at the top of atmosphere,showing heating effects.Over East Asian deserts and nearby regions,dust layers may be regarded as cooling sources in early spring (winter) and warming sources in late spring (summer).     

Statistic characteristics of severe convective storm during Warm-Season in the Beijing-Tianjin region and its vicinity

This study analyzed the climatological characteristics of severe convective storms in the Beijing and Tianjin region and its vicinity based on the Doppler radar data of Tanggu during May-August of 2003-2007. The climatological characteristics, e.g. storm area, volume, top height, max reflectivity, life time and motion, are analyzed. The results include： 75% of all storms in the Beijing-Tianjin region last no more than 30 minutes, and most storms have a volume less than 400 kin3; most storms move from southwest to northeast while the speed is between 10-30 km/h; the mean storm top height is about 6 km, but some strong convective storms can have a top height larger than 15 kin; finally, storm area and volume have a similar geographical distribution character showing increasing trends from west to east. Compared with the statistic results based on the conventional surface meteorological observations, the results based on the radar data can present not only 3D spatial statistic results of convective storms （e.g., volume and top height）, but also the quantitative climatological characteristics, such as the lifetime and speed distributions. These statistical results are useful for studying the climatic characteristics of convective storms in the Beijing-Tianjin region and its vicinity.     

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.     

不同沙尘天气微气象和沙尘演变规律的对比研究

利用内蒙古浑善达克沙地沙尘暴实验探测资料,给出2004年春季多次沙尘天气过程近地面微气象学要素、湍流通量及沙尘浓度的极值对比,重点分析了3月27-28日强沙尘暴过境时近地面微气象学要素和辐射分量的变化特征。结果表明： 沙尘天气过程中,白天近地层温差均有不同程度的降低,夜间逆温强度减弱;净辐射与感热通量较晴空值均有不同程度的削弱。沙尘天气过境时,动量通量显著增加,动力湍流与热力湍流配合,有利于加强沙尘源区的局地起沙和沙尘的垂直输送过程。3月27-28日强沙尘暴过境时,伴随地面水平风向的转变,沙尘浓度迅速增加,风速及其垂直梯度增大;在沙尘暴增强阶段,近地层降温达7℃,比湿出现极大值,净辐射和感热通量降为负值。当沙尘浓度达到最大值后,净辐射上升至零,反映了夜间沙尘气溶胶对低层大气和地表的保温作用。     

东亚高空大气气溶胶的分布及沙尘输送特征研究

利用长达20 年的SAGEⅡ(stratospheric aerosol and gas experimentⅡ) 资料, 研究了东亚地区5.0 ～15.0 km 高空气溶胶多年时空分布特征和变化趋势, 并研究了东亚沙尘活动对高空及下游的气溶胶输送。发现东亚高空气溶胶水平分布呈现上中下3 层不同的分布特征, 下层 5. 0 ～8. 5 km 高值区对应气溶胶源区青藏高原和西北沙漠地区;中层 9. 0 ～10. 0 km 高值区对应温带气旋高发的中纬度地区;上层 10. 5 ～15. 0 km 表现为低纬气溶胶含量显著高于高纬地区。高空各层气溶胶的空间分布受天气系统的影响具有明显的季节变化。近10 年来东亚高空气溶胶呈减少趋势, 平均光学厚度约下降了0. 016。另外还发现沙尘活动与 5. 0 ～11. 5 km 范围内的气溶胶显著相关, 反映沙尘活动影响的高度范围可以达到整个对流层。定义沙尘暴高空影响指数, 用来分析东亚沙尘暴对下游地区的影响, 发现随着时间推移沙尘逐渐向东移动, 在约 12 天之后可以到达大西洋。     

毛乌素沙地上空沙尘暴的前向轨迹及其影响范围

基于气象数据、MODIS遥感影像数据和NCEP再分析资料, 利用HYSPLIT模型模拟2000—2019年毛乌素沙地上空不同海拔高度(500, 1000和1500 m)各季节沙尘暴的前向轨迹, 并与遥感影像识别出的沙尘信息进行比较, 识别毛乌素沙地沙尘暴的影响范围。结果显示: 1) 在过去的20年中, 共有143个沙尘暴月和387个沙尘暴日, 并且 2004 年以来, 毛乌素沙地发生沙尘暴的频率逐渐降低; 2) 季节性气候条件对毛乌素沙地沙尘暴的移动路径有很大的影响, 春季沙尘暴发生频率较高, 秋季发生频率最低; 3) 受毛乌素沙地沙尘暴影响的国内地区主要包括陕西省北部、山西省北部、河北省北部和中部、山东省北部和中部、北京市、天津市、内蒙古自治区东部以及东北三省, 国外受影响的地区有朝鲜、日本北部以及俄罗斯与我国交界处, 受影响的海域有渤海、黄海北部和日本海西北部。遥感影像与HYSPLIT模型的比较提供了一种对沙尘运输、扩散和沉积过程进行验证和加深了解的有效工具, 研究结果可以为防灾减灾决策及沙源地治理提供科学的参考依据。     

Typical severe dust storms in northern China during 1954 —2002

Based on China抯 available daily observation data from 681 national meteorological stations from 1954 to 2002, a time series of typical severe dust storms in northern China is constructed in terms of the weather process, and the temporal and spatial distribution, and their evolution ten-dency is analyzed. The results indicate that there were 223 relatively typical severe dust storms in northern China from 1954 to 2002, among which the event on April 10—12, 1979 had the largest affected area. Closely associated with the geographical distribution of deserts, sandy lands and the tracks of strong cold air outbreaks, severe dust storms mainly occurred in the Tarim Basin, the eastern part of Northwest China and the northern part of North China. The season with the most frequent severe dust storms was spring, in which the frequency accounts for 82.5% in the whole year, while the least occurrence was in summer and autumn. Dur-ing the past 49 years, the highest frequency of severe dust storms occurred in the 1950s and the lowest was in the 1990s with a general descending tendency, but during 2000—2002 the occurrence was relatively increasing. On the average, the duration of severe dust storms was shortest in the 1990s, about 0.5—1 h shorter than that in the other 4 decades.     

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 properties of street dust and topsoil in Beijing and its environmental implications

Environmental magnetic measurements were carried out on the sanrhples of street dust and topsoil, which were collected along the roadway in the urban and suburb of Beijing, including magnetic susceptibility （X）, anhysteretic remanent magnetization （ARM）, isothermal remanent magnetization （IRM） of all samples and temperature-dependence of magnetic susceptibilities and magnetic hysteresis parameters of representative samples. Obvious differences exist between the samples of street dust and those of topsoil. Compared with topsoil samples, the concentration of magnetic particles and high-coercivity components in street dust samples are higher, and the magnetic grains are coarser. Both dust and topsoil samples are dominated by ferrimagnetic minerals, and iron particles are only detected in some dust samples. These results suggest that street dust samples reflect the characteris- tic of particles produced by industrial and traffic activities, and the magnetic property of topsoil sam- ples represents the characteristic of particles from both anthropogenic and natural sources. The distribution of magnetic parameters is influenced by the environment where the samples are collected, like industry, traffic density and other road conditions. Hard isothermal remanent magnetization （HIRM） may be used as an indicator of particles produced by traffic activity. Dust storm samples collected on 17 and 18 April, 2006 have different magnetic properties from street dust and natural particles, like loess and paleosol, which indicate that the dust storm might be mixed with anthropogenic particulates during transport and falling.     

兰州远郊区春季碳气溶胶的质量浓度特征

 为探讨春季沙尘(暴)期间兰州大学半干旱气候与环境观测站(SACOL)碳气溶胶的变化特征, 2012 年5 月17-26 日于SACOL 站采用石英膜收集PM₁₀样品, 利用DRI-2001A 热/光碳分析仪测量元素碳(EC)和有机碳(OC)的质量浓度。结果显示, 沙尘(暴)是导致OC、EC 质量浓度增大的主要因素。采样期间EC、OC 和总碳(TC)的平均质量浓度分别为2.71、11.26 和13.97 μg/m³。进一步分析显示, 沙尘(暴)期间兰州城区碳气溶胶污染逐渐加重主要受本地源的影响。PM₁₀中OC 和EC 的相关系数达到0.94, 揭示SACOL 站OC、EC 的来源相对一致。OC/EC 的均值为5.05, 表明春季SACOL 站PM₁₀中碳气溶胶存在二次污染。二次有机碳(SOC)的质量浓度为3.37 μg/m³, 为OC 的29.9%。结合考察周边环境, 分析表明SACOL 站春季碳气溶胶的主要来源是直接污染源, 来自周边环境中的燃煤以及机动车尾气排放。对碳气溶胶8 种组分的因子分析结果也表明, 周边环境的燃煤和机动车尾气排放是春季SACOL 站碳气溶胶的主要贡献源。     

Meridional seesaw-like distribution of the Meiyu rainfall over the Changjiang-Huaihe River Valley and characteristics in the anomalous climate years

Although Meiyu rainfall has its in-phase spatial variability over the Changjiang-Huaihe River Valley (CHRV) in most years, it is distributed in some years like a seesaw to the north and south of the Changjiang River, when the precipitation tends to be nearly normal throughout the valley, which would inevitably increase difficulties of making short-term prediction of the rainfall. For this reason, EOF analysis is made on 15 related stations’ precipitation from June to July during 1951─2004, revealing that the EOF2 mode shows largely a north-south seesaw-like pattern, and thereby classifying Meiyu patterns into two types: "northern drought and southern flood (NDSF)" and "northern flood and southern drought (NFSD)". Afterwards, the authors investigated ocean-atmospheric characteristics when these two anomalous types occured using the NCEP reanalysis (version 1) and the extended reconstructed SSTs (version 2). The results show that in the NDSF years, the low-level frontal area and moisture convergence center lie more southward, accompanied by weaker subtropical summer mon- soon over East Asia, with the western Pacific subtropical high and 200 hPa South Asia High being more southward. Both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere Annular Modes are stronger than normal in preceding February; SST is higher off China during boreal winter and spring and the opposite happens in the NFSD years. Also, this seesaw-form Meiyu rainfall distribution might be affected to some degree by the previous ENSO event.     

Water isotope variations in the snow pack and summer precipitation at July 1 Glacier, Qilian Mountains in northwest China

This paper presents the stable isotope data of the snow pack and summer precipitation collected at the July 1 Glacier, Qilian Mountains in northwest China and analyses their relationships with meteorologi- cal factors. On an event scale, there is no temperature effect on the δ 18O values in the summer pre- cipitation, whereas the amount effect is shown to be clear. By tracing the moisture transport history and comparing the precipitation with its isotopic composition, it is shown that this amount effect not only reflects the change in moisture trajectory, which is related to the monsoon activities, but is also associated with the cooling degree of vapor in the cloud, the evaporation of falling raindrops and the isotopic exchange between the falling drops and the atmospheric vapor. As very little precipitation occurs in winter, the snow pack profile mainly represents the precipitation in the other three seasons. There are low precipitation δ 18O ratios in summer and high ratios in spring and autumn. The Meteoric Water Line (MLW) for the summer precipitation is δ D = 7.6 δ 18O 13.3, which is similar to that at Delingha, located in the south rim of the Qilian Mountains. The MWL for the snow pack is δ D = 10.4 δ 18O 41.4, showing a large slope and intercept. The deuterium excess (d) of the snow pack is positively correlated with δ 18O, indicating that both d and δ 18O decrease from spring to summer and increase from early autumn to early spring. This then results in the high slope and intercept of the MWL. Sea- sonal fluctuations of d in the snow pack indicate the change of moisture source and trajectory. During spring and autumn, the moisture originates from continental recycling or rapid evaporation over rela- tively warm water bodies like Black, Caspian and Aral Seas when the dry westerly air masses pass over them, hence very high d values in precipitation are formed. During summer, the monsoon is responsi- ble for the low d values. This indicates that the monsoon can reach the western part of the Qilian Mountains.     

Storm-time ionospheric disturbances monitored by GPS beacon measurements

The Total Electron Content (TEC) during three great storms, from April to August 2000, was collected by means of a GPS receiver located in Jingzhou (30.4° N, 112.2° E). The time-latitude-dependent features of ionospheric storms are identified using TEC difference images based on the deviations of TEC during storm relative to quiet time. The responses of ionospheric TEC to magnetic storms were analyzed. The results show that: 1) In middle and low latitude, ionospheric storms effects are more apparent in local day time than at night: 2) Ionospheric storm effects are more dominant near the hump of the equatorial anomaly region than in other regions of TEC measurements; 3) The positive effects during the main phase of ionospheric storm may be caused by electric fields in low latitude; 4) During the recovery period of ionospheric storm, the negative phase of storm may be due to the perturbation of the neutral gas composition. Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (49984001) Biography: Pei Xiao-hong (1977-), male, Master candidate, research direction: studying ionosphere on GPS beacons.     

塔中石油基地沙尘天气的变化趋势及影响因素

通过对塔中石油基地1997-2005年浮尘、扬沙和沙尘暴的季节变化和年际变化分析,表明;塔中沙尘天气多出现在春、夏两个季节。塔中沙尘天气近9a总的趋势是整体平稳,变化幅度不大,沙尘暴的日数减少,浮尘和扬沙日数有所增加。沙尘天气与气温、降水、蒸发量、季风等气象要索有一定的关系,同时也受到人类活动的影响。     

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.     

Elemental composition of aerosols collected in the glacier area on Nyainqêntanglha Range, Tibetan Plateau, during summer monsoon season

In order to investigate the elemental composition in atmospheric aerosols and its sources in the glacier area over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), seven totally suspended particle samples were collected continuously at the col of the Zhadang glacier (30°28′N,90°39′E,5800 m a.s.l.), Nyainqêntanglha Range, southern TP, from June to October 2006. Twenty-seven elements (Li, Be, B, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ga, As, Rb, Sr, Y, Cd, Cs, Ba, Tl, Pb, Bi, Th, U) were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The result indicates that the concentrations of most elements (especially crustal elements) are lower than values at the Nam Co Station during the same period of 2005, and also much lower than other sites in the TP such as Wudaoliang and Waliguan. This suggests that elemental compositions of aerosols in the Zhadang glacier area may represent the background levels of the middle/upper troposphere over the TP. Crustal enrichment factors (EFs) reveal that several elements (e.g. B, Zn, As, Cd, Pb and Bi) may have anthropogenic sources. The southern TP is mainly influenced by the summer Indian monsoon during the sampling period. Backward air mass trajectory analysis suggests that air masses in the region may originate from South Asia. Therefore, anthropogenic pollutants from South Asia may be transported by the summer Indian monsoon to the region which clearly affects the atmospheric environment in the southern TP during the summer monsoon season.     

Ammonium record over the last 96 years from the muztagata glacier in Central Asia

As a major alkaline gas in the atmosphere, ammonia （NH3） plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry. However, there is little knowledge about NH3 variations in the Central Asia. Here we analyzed the ammonium （NH4^＋） history recorded in an ice core from the East Pamir in Central Asia, which was drilled on the Mt. Muztagata at the elevation of 7010 m a.s.I, in 2003. The core was carefully dated and NH; concentration history during 1907-2002 was reconstructed. The result shows that NH; concentration remained approximately constant until the 1930s after a sudden decrease at the very beginning of the 20th century, followed by a minimum in 1940 before increasing steadily to the peak at the end of 1990s. It is found that the annual mean NH4^＋ concentration was strongly associated with the Northern Hemisphere temperature, suggesting the impact of temperature on NH3 emissions in the Central Asia. Moreover, an increase of NH4^＋ concentration after 1940 also reflects the enhancement of NH3 emissions from anthropogenic sources such as fertilizer applications and livestock wastes in the 20th century.