First scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer developed in China

A scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer （SFPI） was first developed and deployed at the Langfang near Space Environment Field Scientific Observation Station （39.38°N, 116.65°E） of the National Space Science Center, CAS. The instrument is designed to measure the mesospheric and ther- mospheric wind velocities using the atomic oxygen 557.7-nm and 630.0-nm emissions. Data from February 28 to March 3 and February 28 to March 15 in 2011 were chosen for case study and mean value study, respectively. The errors of the meridional and zonal winds are 6.5 and 7.5 m/s at 557.7-nm and at 630.0-nm, they are 7.1 and 6.6 m/s, respectively. During the whole experiment, the instrument has performed in good condition and provided high-quality data. The mean neutral wind data were consistent with that predicted by HWM07. Good agreement has been found in between the SFPI and a neighbor Meridian Project Fabry-Perot interferometer （MP FPI）, with a corresponding coefficient （re） larger than 80 %. In general, the scanning FPI meets the design goal, and it is a useful ground-based instrument for measuring mesospheric and thermospheric winds at middle latitudes and is able to provide high-quality data for future scientific studies.     

Observations of thermospheric vector wind over Yellow River Station during auroral substorm events

Strong disturbances associated with auroral substorms originate from the ionosphere-magnetosphere owing to the effects of the solar wind, and the wind field in the ionosphere is related to such substorm activity. Here, we describe the analysis of four auroral substorm events, for which we employed an all-sky Fabry-Perot interferometer to observe the two-dimensional horizontal wind field and combined the results with data from an all-sky charge-coupled device imager, a fluxgate magnetometer installed at Yellow River Station, and the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network. The results demonstrate that, during auroral substorms, the vector wind field is related closely to variations in the ion drift and geomagnetic field. Moreover, we observed a changing wind field of approximately 300 rn/s in response to variations in the electric and magnetic fields （likely caused by ion drag） and a disturbance of about 200 m/s that we attribute to the interaction of Joule heating and ion drag.     

Meteor radar observation of circulation near mesopause over Wuhan

The Wuhan meteor radar is the first all-sky meteor radar in China. The circulation near the mesopause from February to September 2002 is studied based on the data obtained by the Wuhan meteor radar. The zonal wind is usually eastward in winter from 80 to 100 km. The mean zonal wind become westward from March to early of May, when the winter circulation reverses to the summer circulation. But at the meteor heights, the zonal circulation usually becomes eastward after the middle of May. The meridional circulation is always equatorward. The peaks of the meridional wind move downward with the height, and the peak value reaches its maximum of 21 ms^-1 in July. Having made a comparison between monthly mean wind and HWM93 model wind, the value of southward wind, the maximal value of eastward wind as well as the reversal height of zonal wind are found to be quite different from each other.     

An analysis of interplanetary sources of geomagnetic storm during November 7–8, 1998

We analyzed the properties of the solar wind appeared during November 7–8, 1998. Results show that the spaceship ACE spotted a shock （hereinafter referred to as the first shock） at 07:33 UT, November 7. The sheath appeared from the first shock to 22:00 UT November 7. A magnetic cloud-like （MCL） was observed during the period from 22:00 UT November 7 to 11:50 UT, November 8. Another shock was observed at 04:19 UT, November 8 （the second shock）. It is apparent that the second shock has entered the rear part of the MCL （MCL₂）, though the former part of the MCL （MCL₁） was not affected by the second shock. The main phase of the geomagnetic storm is split into three steps for the convenience of SYM-H index analysis. Step 1 covers the period from the sudden storm commence （SSC） at 08:15 UT, November 7 to the moment of 22:44 UT, November 7. Step 2 starts from 22:44 UT, November 7 and ends at 04:51 UT, November 8. The last step runs from 04:51 UT, November 8 to 06:21 UT, November 8. Step 2 has played a key role in the main development phase of the geomagnetic storm. Analysis of the solar wind properties associated with the main phase shows that the three steps in the main phase have sheath, MCL₁, and MCL₂ as their respective interplanetary source. Specifically, the sheath is covered by the solar wind data from 07:33 UT to 22:00 UT, November 7, MCL1 by the solar wind data from 22:00 UT, November 7 to 04:19 UT November 8, and MCL₂ by the solar wind data from 04:19 UT to 05:57 UT, November 8. MCL₁ had a strong and long lasting so UTh directed magnetic field, allowing it to play a key role in the development of the main phase. MCL₂ made a much smaller contribution to the main development phase, compared with MCL₁.     

Planar Velocity Distribution of Viscous Debris Flow at Jiangjia Ravine, Yunnan, China： A Field Measurement Using Two Radar Velocimeters

Characteristics of planar velocity distribution of viscous debris flow were analyzed using the measured data at Jiangjia Ravine, Yunnan, China. The velocity data were measured through using two radar velocimeters. The cross-sectional mean velocities were calculated and used to examine Kang et al＇s （2004） relationship, which was established for converting the flow velocity at river centerline measured by a radar velocimeter into the mean velocity based on the stop-watch method. The velocity coefficient, K, defined by the ratio of the mean velocity to the maximum velocity, ranges from 0.2 to 0.6. Kang et al＇s （2004） relationship was found being inapplicable to flows with K smaller than 0.43. This paper contributes to show the complexity of the planar velocity distribution of viscous debris flows and the applicability of Kang et al＇s relationship.     

Effect of surface waves on air-sea momentum flux in high wind conditions for typhoons in the South China Sea

The WAVEWATCH-III wave model is implemented in the South China Sea to investigate the air-sea momentum flux in high wind conditions during 23 passages of typhoon occurred in 2005. The wave model is driven by the reanalyzed surface winds assimilated by several meteorologic data sources. The friction velocity was calculated and the relationships between different air-sea momentum param- eters were studied. The results show that the drag coefficient decreases with the wave age generally and levels off for wind speeds higher than 35 m/s under typhoon wind forcing. The spatial variations of air-sea momentum flux parameters in high wind conditions forced by typhoons are completely different from those at weak wind speeds and significantly depend on the relative position from the typhoon center.     

THEMIS observation of a magnetotail current sheet flapping wave

A flapping wave was observed by THEMIS-B （P1） and THEMIS-C （P2） probes on the dawn side of the magnetotail, while the solar wind was generally stable. The magnetic activity was quite weak, suggesting that this flapping wave was generated by an internal instability, which normally occurs during magnetic quiet times. Our analysis shows that the flapping wave was propagating downward with a tail-aligned scale of at least 3.7 RE and did not show much change in shape during its propagation from P1 to P2. Correlation analysis employed to estimate the time lag between the corresponding half waveforms of P1 and P2 shows that the propagating velocities along the current sheet normal directions were close to each other in the beginning, but increased linearly later on. The average wavelength of the flapping wave is approximately 4 RE. Theoretical analysis suggests that the ballooning type wave model may not be the mechanism for the observed flapping wave, but that the magnetic double-gradient instability model is a more plausible candidate.     

Effect of different atmospheres on dry friction behavior of steel sliding against brass at high speed

The atmosphere components have an influence on tribological behaviors of tribo-pairs. Through changing the atmosphere component, the effect of atmosphere component on the tribological behaviors of CrNiMo steel against brass at high sliding velocity was investigated. The wear test was carried out on a high-speed friction and wear test rig whose test atmosphere could be controlled. The tests were performed at four sliding velocities （30, 40, 50, 60 m/s）, one contact pressure （1.33 MPa） and two atmosphere components （N2 or O2）. The morphologies of the worn surfaces of various pins were observed with a scanning electron microscope. The chemical compositions of the surfaces and subsurfaces for steels were determined with an energy dispersion spectroscopy. The results showed that the wear rate of the steel pins were low all the time with the sliding velocity increasing in oxygen atmosphere, and that the wear rate of the steel pin in nitrogen atmosphere was higher than that of the steel pin in oxygen atmosphere. It was found that the thin and compact oxidation layer formed on the worn surface of the steel in oxygen atmosphere played a key role in wear resistance. However, the wear rate of the steel pin increased rapidly with the sliding velocity increasing in nitrogen atmosphere, which was attributed to the thick and loose surface layer formed on the worn surface of the steel.     

Experimental study on upward bubble velocity and pierce length distributions in a water model of copper converter

The upward bubble velocity and the pierce length distributions in a sectional water model of the copper convener in Guixi Smelter in Jiangxi, China, were measured using a two-contact electro-resistivity probe. In the case of using a single tuyere, the bubble velocity distribution along longitudinal direction was similar to that derived from Guassian function. Beyond the center of the longitudinal range, the bubble pierce length exhibited a sudden increase. The upward bubble velocity at a specified location could go up to meters per second. Its probability at a fixed location obeys a lognormal function; the bubble pierce length there varies bellow a few centimeters. In the case of using multi-tuyeres, the upward bubble velocity was roughly uniform right above the tuyeres and showed a slow decrease beyond this region. The bubble pierce length within both of these two regions was roughly uniform. Its average value in the former region, however, was found to be somewhat lower than that in the later.     

Interannual variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current strength based on merged altimeter data

Interannual variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) strength is studied in stream-coordinate with twenty-year Absolute Dynamic Topography data from satellite altimetry. The stream-coordinate projection method separates the ACC from adjacent subtropical and subpolar gyres, enabling consideration of the zonal asymmetry of the ACC rather than assuming that the ACC is a purely zonal flow. It is shown that the ACC strength has large interannual variations with two recent peaks around 2000 and 2009. The interannual variability appears mainly in the Indo-Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean and the strongest signal is located south of Australia. The intensification of the westerly wind in 1998 and 2008 appears to cause the strengthening of the ACC via baroclinic processes.     

Improvement of different source function expressions in SWAN model for the Bohai Sea

The simulating wave nearshore (SWAN) wave model has been widely used in coastal areas, lakes and estuaries. However, we found a poor agreement between modeling results and measurements in analyzing the chosen four typical cases when we used the default parameters of the source function formulas of the SWAN to make wave simulation for the Bohai Sea. Also, it was found that at the same wind process the simulated results of two wind generation expressions (Komen, Janssen) demonstrated a large difference. Further study showed that the proportionality coefficient α in linear growth term of wave growth source function plays an unperceived role in the process of wave development. Based on experiments and analysis, we thought that the coefficient α should change rather than be a constant. Therefore, the coefficient α changing with the variation of friction velocity U* was introduced into the linear growth term of wave growth source function. Four weather processes were adopted to validate the improvement in the linear growth term. The results from the improved coefficient α agree much better with the measurements than those from the default constant coefficient α. Furthermore, the large differences of results between Komen wind generation expression and Janssen wind generation expression were eliminated. We also experimented with the four weather processes to test the new white-capping mechanisms based on the cumulative steepness method. It was found that the parameters of the new white-capping mechanisms are not suitable for the Bohai Sea, but Alkyon's white-capping mechanisms can be applicable to the Bohai Sea after amendments, demonstrating that this improvement of parameter α can improve the simulated results of the Bohai Sea.     

Experimental studies on the erosion rate of different heat treated carbon steel economiser tubes of power boilers by fly ash particles

The experimental investigations on the effect of the fly ash particle size, velocity, impingement angle, and feed rate were done with an emphasis on the effect of erosion on annealed SA 210 GrA1 (A) and normalized SA 210 GrA1 (N) carbon steel economizer-tube materials. Erosion rates were evaluated with different impingement angles ranging from 15° to 90°, at four different velocities of 32.5, 35, 37.5, and 40 m/s, and at four different feed rates of fly ash particles of 2, 4, 6 and 8 g/min. The erodent used was fly ash particles, sizes ranging from 50-250 μm of irregular shapes. Erosion rate is found to be the maximum at the impingement angle of 30°. Erosion rates of the carbon steel tube in different heat treatment conditions, annealed and normalized, at a constant velocity of 32.5 m/s with different angles were studied. In all cases of feed rates, impingement angles, particle sizes, and velocities of fly ash particles, it has been found that the erosion rate of the annealed tube is less than that of the normalized tube. Empirical correlations for erosion rate relating the velocity, size, feed rate, and impingement angle of the particles and elongation property of the target materials were arrived. Morphologies of the eroded surface were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM).     

Using 137Cs tracing technique to estimate wind erosion rates in the typical steppe region,northern Mongolian Plateau

Wind erosion is one of the major factors of land degradation in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau. Using ^137Cs tracing technique, we estimated the wind erosion rates of different pastures and abandoned farmland at Bayannur and Karakorum in Mongolia. The pastures and cutting grassland at Bayannur were slightly eroded by wind, with the rates of 64.58-169.07 t·km^-2.a^-1. The abandoned farmland in Karakorum, however, was strongly eroded by wind, with annual surface soil loss of 4.05 mm. a^-1, and wind erosion rates up to 6723.06 t· km^-2. a^-1. The total loss of surface soil due to wind erosion has been 17.4 cm since the cultivation of the steppe land in the 1960s. The wind ero- sion rate at the abandoned farmland was much higher than that at the typical steppe sites, showing that the cultivation led to serious wind erosion in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau. By contrast, traditional livestock grazing resulted in less disturbance to the surface soil, and did not induce to devastating wind erosion, which plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the steppe ecosystem in the northern Mongolian Plateau.     

Surface ozone monitoring and background characteristics at Zhongshan Station over Antarctica

Seasonal variation in surface ozone and the relationship between the background ozone concentration and wind were evaluated at Zhongshan Station,Antarctica using 2008 data.The wind frequency from the station area was only 2%,while the prevailing wind frequency was much larger (79.2%).This indicates that the surface ozone observations were not affected by the human activities at the station,and therefore could be counted as background concentrations of surface ozone along Antarctic coast.The concentration of surface ozone shows a distinct annual variation with the yearly mean of 25.0 nmol mol-1 and the maximum in winter,the minimum in summer.The surface ozone concentration had a strong negative correlation with ultraviolet radiation,and the mean values during polar night were one to two times higher than those in summer.These results imply that photochemical destruction of ozone dominates over Antarctica.The ozone depletion events at Zhongshan Station were obviously related to lower temperatures and higher BrO concentrations.Backward trajectory analysis reveals that the ozone depletion events are predominately caused by the high BrO concentrations.     

Pseudo-particle modeling for gas flow in microchannels

The velocity profiles and temperature distributions of gas flow in microchannels, for Knudsen numbers ranging from 0.01 to 0.20, are investigated with pseudo-particle modeling (PPM). It has been found that the velocity profiles are mainly affected by Knudsen number and the external force fields applied. When Knudsen number was increased, the slip velocities on the walls increased at the beginning, and then decreased. The temperature distributions were also significantly affected by the external force. The Darcy friction factor increased with increasing Knudsen number, and its variation with Mach number under increased Knudsen number was similar to the so-called premature laminar-turbulent transition observed in experiments.     

Micro-friction of diazoresin/polyacrylic acid self-assembly films in water with atomic force microscopy

Ultrathin films composed of diazoresin（DR）and polyacrylic acid（PAA）were fabricated.The surface morphology of the films in water was measured using an atomic force microscopy（AFM）.The self-assembly technique makes the surface rather flat and uniform.The friction force and its dependence on the velocity differ from the surface charge of the thin films.The friction force of repulsive DR/PAA film increases linearly with velocity and has lower values than that of attractive DR film over the full range of velocity.As the velocity increases,the attractive friction of DR film first decreases to a minimum at a velocity of 2 line/s and then increases all the way.When the surface is repulsive to the friction substrate,the friction of thin films that is determined by hydrated lubrication of polymer chains that is ultralubricated;when it is adhesive to the friction substrate,the friction is mainly contributed from the elastic deformation of adsorbed polymer chains in the low velocity region and from viscous sliding in the presence of hydrated-layer lubrication of the polymer chains in the higher velocity region.     

Identifying neutral allele Sb at pollen-sterility loci in cultivated rice with Oryza rufipogon origin

Pollen sterility is commonly found in the intra-specific hybrids of indica and japonica rice, which is one of the main constrains for the utilization of heterosis between indica and japonica. Six loci controlling the pollen sterility of F1 between indica and japonica have been identified from previous studies. Neutral alleles at each locus are potential to overcome the F1 pollen sterility associated with the locus. Therefore, exploitation and utilization of neutral alleles are of significant importance. The present research was based on fine mapping of the F1 pollen-sterility gene Sb and the abundant genetic diversity of Oryza rufipogon Griff. indigenous to Gaozhou, Guangdong Province （referred to as Gaozhou wild rice）. Crosses were made using Taichung65 （with the genotype of Sb^jSb^j and referred to as El） and its near-isogenic line of F1 pollen sterility gene Sb（with the genotype of Sb^iSb^i, E2） as female parents, and 12 different accessions of Gaozhou wild rice as male parents. F1 pollen fertility was examined to identify the materials having the neutral alleles at the F1 pollen-sterility locus. Segregation of 4 molecular markers tightly linked with the Sb locus was analyzed in the F2 populations derived from the FlS carrying the neutral gene. The pollen fertility related to the 3 genotypes of the molecular markers was also checked by statistical test to determine whether it was consistent with the hypothesis. The results showed that the pollen fertility of two F1s from one accession of Gaozhou wild rice （GZW099） with E1 and E2 was （89.2±21.07）% and （85.65±1.05）%, respectively. Both of them were fertile and showed no significant difference by t-test. Segregation of the 3 genotypes of the 4 molecular markers followed the expected Mendelian ratio （1：2：1） in the F2 populations. There was no significant difference for the averaged pollen fertility of the plants related to the 3 genotypes, suggesting that no interaction exists between the alleles at the Sb locus in GZW099 and Taichung65 or E2. Evidentially, GZW099 carried the neutral gene （named Sb″Sb″） at the Sb locus, which provides valuable theoretical basis and resources for further studying and overcoming the sterility of indica-japonica hybrids.     

Further exploration on causes of temperature anomalies associated with the abnormal northern annular mode

This article concerns the temperature anomalies during the high index phase of the northern annual mode for the wintertime from January to March, The response of the zonal and meridional winds and the temperature advection caused by the anomalous horizontal wind are investigated. The results show that both the zonal and meridional winds experience strong anomalies and the temperature advection induced by both the anomalous zonal and meridional winds is responsible for the temperature anomalies associated with the high index northern annual mode. The temperature advection induced by the anomalous zonal wind contributes dominantly to the cooling in the Atlantic and the Bering Sea while the temperature advection induced by the anomalous merional wind contributes dominantly the warming in the United States of America and the cooling in southern Europe and Canada. The superposed influences caused the obvious warming in north Eurasia.     

Using ~(137)Cs tracing technique to estimate wind erosion rates in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau

Wind erosion is one of the major factors of land degradation in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau. Using 137Cs tracing technique, we estimated the wind erosion rates of different pastures and abandoned farmland at Bayannur and Karakorum in Mongolia. The pastures and cutting grassland at Bayannur were slightly eroded by wind, with the rates of 64.58-169.07 t·km?2·a?1. The abandoned farmland in Karakorum, however, was strongly eroded by wind, with annual surface soil loss of 4.05 mm·a?1, and wind erosion rates up to 6723.06 t·km?2·a?1. The total loss of surface soil due to wind erosion has been 17.4 cm since the cultivation of the steppe land in the 1960s. The wind ero- sion rate at the abandoned farmland was much higher than that at the typical steppe sites, showing that the cultivation led to serious wind erosion in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau. By contrast, traditional livestock grazing resulted in less disturbance to the surface soil, and did not in- duce to devastating wind erosion, which plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the steppe ecosystem in the northern Mongolian Plateau.     

Effect of reinforcement content on the adhesive wear behavior of Cu10Sn5Ni/Si3N4 composites produced by stir casting

The main objective of this paper was to fabricate Cu10Sn5Ni alloy and its composites reinforced with various contents of Si₃N₄ particles (5wt%, 10wt%, and 15wt%) and to investigate their dry sliding wear behavior using a pin-on-disk tribometer. Microstructural examinations of the specimens revealed a uniform dispersion of Si₃N₄ particles in the copper matrix. Wear experiments were performed for all combinations of parameters, such as load (10, 20, and 30 N), sliding distance (500, 1000, and 1500 m), and sliding velocity (1, 2, and 3 m/s), for the alloy and the composites. The results revealed that wear rate increased with increasing load and increasing sliding distance, whereas the wear rate decreased and then increased with increasing sliding velocity. The primary wear mechanism encountered at low loads was mild adhesive wear, whereas that at high loads was severe delamination wear. An oxide layer was formed at low velocities, whereas a combination of shear and plastic deformation occurred at high velocities. The mechanism at short sliding distances was ploughing action of Si₃N₄ particles, which act as protrusions; by contrast, at long sliding distances, direct metal-metal contact occurred. Among the investigated samples, the Cu/10wt% Si₃N₄ composite exhibited the best wear resistance at a load of 10 N, a velocity of 2 m/s, and a sliding distance of 500 m.