The 'zero charge' partitioning behaviour of noble gases during mantle melting

Noble-gas geochemistry is an important tool for understanding planetary processes from accretion to mantle dynamics and atmospheric formation. Central to much of the modelling of such processes is the crystal-melt partitioning of noble gases during mantle melting, magma ascent and near-surface degassing. Geochemists have traditionally considered the 'inert' noble gases to be extremely incompatible elements, with almost 100 per cent extraction efficiency from the solid phase during melting processes. Previously published experimental data on partitioning between crystalline silicates and melts has, however, suggested that noble gases approach compatible behaviour, and a significant proportion should therefore remain in the mantle during melt extraction. Here we present experimental data to show that noble gases are more incompatible than previously demonstrated, but not necessarily to the extent assumed or required by geochemical models. Independent atomistic computer simulations indicate that noble gases can be considered as species of 'zero charge' incorporated at crystal lattice sites. Together with the lattice strain model, this provides a theoretical framework with which to model noble-gas geochemistry as a function of residual mantle mineralogy.     

Possible cometary origin of heavy noble gases in the atmospheres of Venus, Earth and Mars

Models that trace the origin of noble gases in the atmospheres of the terrestrial planets (Venus, Earth and Mars) to the 'planetary component' in chondritic meteorites confront several problems. The 'missing' xenon in the atmospheres of Mars and Earth is one of the most obvious; this gas is not hidden or trapped in surface materials. On Venus, the absolute abundances of neon and argon per gram of rock are higher even than those in carbonaceous chondrites, whereas the relative abundances of argon and krypton are closer to solar than to chondritic values (there is only an upper limit on xenon). Pepin has developed a model that emphasizes hydrodynamic escape of early, massive hydrogen atmospheres to explain the abundances and isotope ratios of noble gases on all three planets. We have previously suggested that the unusual abundances of heavy noble gases on Venus might be explained by the impact of a low-temperature comet. Further consideration of the probable history of the martian atmosphere, the noble-gas data from the (Mars-derived) SNC meteorites and laboratory experiments on the trapping of noble gases in ice lead us to propose here that the noble gases in the atmospheres of all of the terrestrial planets are dominated by a mixture of an internal component and contribution from impacting icy planetesimals (comets). If true, this hypothesis illustrates the importance of impacts in determining the volatile inventories of these planets.     

稀有气体晶体表面能的理论估算

稀有气体晶体属于分子型晶体，其晶格内的作用力主要是范德华力或其与库仑力的结合力，在介绍稀有气体晶体表面能的理论估算方法。     

Palaeotemperature reconstruction from noble gases in ground water taking into account equilibration with entrapped air

Noble-gas concentrations in ground water have been used as a proxy for past air temperatures, but the accuracy of this approach has been limited by the existence of a temperature-independent component of the noble gases in ground water, termed 'excess air' whose origin and composition is poorly understood. In particular, the evidence from noble gases in a Brazilian aquifer for a cooling of more than 5 C in tropical America during the Last Glacial Maximum has been called into question. Here we propose a model for dissolved gases in ground water, which describes the formation of excess air by equilibration of ground water with entrapped air in quasi-saturated soils. Our model predicts previously unexplained noble-gas data sets, including the concentration of atmospheric helium, and yields consistent results for the non-atmospheric helium isotopes that are used for dating ground water. Using this model of excess air, we re-evaluate the use of noble gases from ground water for reconstructing past temperatures. Our results corroborate the inferred cooling in Brazil during the Last Glacial Maximum, and indicate that even larger cooling took place at mid-latitudes.     

稀有气体晶体表面能的理论估算

稀有气体晶体属于分子型晶体,其晶格内的作用力主要是范德华力或其与库仑力的结合力,在介绍稀有气体晶体表面能的理论估算方法.     

根据惰性气体含量计算深层地下水的形成温度

惰性气体在地下水中的溶解量主要取决于水温和气体分压.而且溶解度在常见的水温范围内是水温的单调函数.因此,当深层地下水系统处于封闭状态,系统中不存在蜕变成因的惰性气体源时,可将溶解的惰性气体作为指示地下水形成温度的天然示踪剂.     

土壤活性氮气体排放研究进展

氮肥的不合理施用导致土壤活性氮气体(Nr,包括N2O、HONO、NOx、NH3等)过度排放,严重威胁着生态环境和人类健康.综述了土壤Nr排放的主要途径,探讨了土壤微生物过程、施肥、土壤温度、土壤水分含量、耕作方式及其他调控因素对土壤Nr排放的影响,总结了土壤Nr排放通量估算的研究现状.提出未来的研究还需结合多种手段,例...     

Drainage and nitrogen loss in dry soils with controlled drainage

为探讨不同暗管控制水位对旱地排水、氮素流失过程和流失总量流失的影响,选取控制水位为地下Ocm,30cm,50cm,80cm,1OOcm的5块暗管排水棉花地进行对照试验,测定2a棉花生育期内发生的4次较大规模排水过程的排水量、排水中氮素含量.结果表明,暗管排水条件下,暗管排水量高于地表径流排水量,且明显随控制水位的增加而降低,总排水量随暗管控制水位降低而有增加的趋势;各田块暗管排水中硝氮和全氮质量浓度变化规律明显,初始时较小,逐渐增大到峰值后又逐渐减少;暗管铵氮排放量与排水量明显呈线性相关;暗管径流氮素流失量总体上随暗管控制水位升高而减少.因此,适当提高暗管控制水位能减少旱地排水量和氮素流失量.     

Isolation and application of effective nitrogen fixation rhizobial strains on low-phosphorus acid soils in South China

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is a very important food and oil crop in China. Legume-rhizobium symbiotic nitrogen (N) fixation is an important biological character and also the base of improving soil fertility of soybean. However, soybean production and development is severely limited in tropical and subtropical areas in China due to a lack of effective rhizobial inoculants adapting to low-phosphorus (P) acid soils. In the present study, 12 soybean rhizobial strains were isolated and purified from the nodules of two soybean genotypes contrasting in P efficiency, which were grown on different low-P acid soils with different soybean cultivation histories. Results from 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed that these 12 rhizobial strains belonged to the genus of Bradyrhizobium, which had higher nitrogenase activities compared to the control strain, Bradyrhizboium japonicum USDA110. A field experiment was carried out by applying rhizobial inoculants, a mixture of three rhizobial strains that showed the highest nitrogenase activity, on a typical low-P acid soil in South China. The results showed that, without inoculation, no nodules were formed in the three soybean genotypes tested; with inoculation, the nodulation rates in all were 100%. Inoculation with rhizobial inoculants not only made many nodules formed, but also increased soybean shoot biomass and yield, and improved nitrogen (N) and P nutrient status. Among which, shoot dry weight, N and P content of a soybean genotype, Huachun 3, inoculated with rhizobium were increased 154.3%, 152.4% and 163.2% compared to that without inoculation, respectively. We concluded that: (i) The effective indigenous rhizobial strains isolated in this study from soybeans on low-P acid soils in South China have the characters of broad host range, high nodulation efficiency, efficient N fixation, great low pH and low P tolerance. (ii) Soil environment and host types are the key factors to screen the effective rhizobial strains. Considering soil pH values and P efficiency of the host genotypes might increase the screening efficiency. (iii) Improving N status and facilitating root growth might be the mechanisms of increasing the P uptake in soybean plants inoculated with the effective rhizobial strains on low-P acid soils. (iv) Inoculation with the effective rhizobial inoculants could significantly improve growth, N and P content of soybean on low-P acid soils, which might be an effective approach to enhance soybean cultivation and development in these areas. Therefore, application and extension of inoculation techniques with effective rhizobial inoculants in legumes would result in great economical, environmental and ecological benefits. The authors contributed equally to this work Supported by National Key Basic Research and Development of China (Grant No. 2005CB120902), McKnight Foundation Collaborative Crop Research Program (USA) (Grant No. 05-780) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30571111)     

用SMB法确定中国土壤的营养氮沉降临界负荷

为了对中国的氮沉降控制提供依据,确定了土壤的氮矿化速率、反硝化速率和临界氮淋溶速率以及植被对氮的吸收速率等参数,运用简单质量平衡法(SMB)对营养氮沉降临界负荷进行了计算和区划。结果表明:中国土壤营养氮沉降临界负荷的分布总体上呈现自西向东逐渐增加的格局,青藏高原和内蒙西部、新疆东部等地区(温带、亚热带高寒草原、温带高寒矮半灌木荒漠和温带矮半灌木荒漠)临界负荷小于0.5kmol.hm-2.a-1,而超过国土面积2/3的大部分地区则大于1.0kmol.hm-2.a-1。     

Glassy particles in lunar fines

Most of the Apollo 11 glassy particles differ from those generated by terrestrial volcanism, by meteoritic impacts, or by the condensation of the parent bodies of meteorites. Some of the particles may have been formed by the action of solar flares on the lunar surface.     

熵与地球生命环境

由于地球上任一地区接收到太阳辐射能量的周期变化,导致地球表面温度的周期性变化,由此及地球系统的能量收支状况出地球系统在一个周期中的熵变公式,得出地球系统平均负熵流功率,由于地球系统温度的日周期变化源地球自转,因而地球自转是地球系统熵变功率为负的根源,又由于生命生存、生物进货依赖于负熵流,得出重要结论：地球自转是地球系统生物进货和生命生存的必要条件,并且还对人体热熵流进行了估算。     

Effects of acetylene at low concentrations on nitrification, mineralization and microbial biomass nitrogen concentrations in forest soils

Temperate forest surface soils at the varying distances from main trunks (e.g., Pinus koraiensis and Quercus mongolica) were used to study the effects of acetylene (C₂H₂) at low concentrations on nitrification, mineralization and microbial biomass N concentrations of the soils, and to assess the contribution of heterotrophic nitrification to nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from soils. The use of acetylene at partial pressures within a range from 10 to 100 Pa C₂H₂ in headspace gas gave a significant decrease in N₂O emission at soil moisture of c. 45% water-filled porosity space, and the decrease was almost the same in each soil after exposure of C₂H₂ at low concentrations. Heterotrophic nitrification could account for 21%―48% of total N₂O emission from each soil; the contribution would increase with increasing distances from the Pinus koraiensis trunks rather than from the Quercus mongolica trunks. Under the experimental conditions, the use of C₂H₂ at low concentrations showed no significant influence on soil microbial biomass N, net N mineralization and microbial respiration. However, 100 Pa C₂H₂ in headspace gas could reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from soils. According to the rapid consumption of 10 Pa C₂H₂ by forest soils and convenience for laboratory incubations, 50 Pa C₂H₂ in headspace gas can be used to study the origin of N₂O emissions from forest soils under aerobic conditions and the key associated driving mechanisms. The N₂O and CO₂ emissions from the soils at the same distances from the Quercus mongolica trunks were larger than those from the Pinus koraiensis trunks, and both emissions decreased as the distances from trunks increased. The stepwise regression analysis showed that 95% of the variability in soil CO₂ emissions could be accounted for by the concentrations of soil total C and water soluble organic C and soil pH, and that 72% of the variability in soil N₂O emissions could be accounted for by the concentrations of soil total N, exchangeable NH⁺₄-N and microbial biomass N and 25% of the variability in heterotrophic nitrification by the soil microbial biomass N concentration. The emissions of N₂O and CO₂ from forest soils after exposure of C₂H₂ at low concentrations were positively related to the net nitrification of the soils.     

日月食观测在科学研究上的意义

阐述了日月食观测在研究太阳大气结构、太阳活动，寻找近日彗星和水内行星，检验广义相对论理论以及校正历史中年日次序诸多方面的价值．     

Carbon compounds in Apollo 11 lunar samples

Are they entrapped solar wind particles, meteoritic or cometary contributions, remnants of a primordial atmosphere or products of the degassing of the Moon ?