Regional characteristics of the interdecadal turning of winter/summer climate modes in Chinese mainland

Tomé and Miranda’s climate trend turning discriminatory model is used to identify the spatial-temporal characteristics of the interdecadal turning of winter/summer climate modes at stations and in eight sub-areas over Chinese mainland based on the 1961–2000 observations. It is found that the stations with close occurrence years of the interdecadal trend turning (ITT) and coincident trends after the ITT exhibit a zonal distribution. A view is accordingly proposed that the interdecadal turnings of climate modes in China have remarkably regional structures. The research results show that after the early 1980s, winter climate over Chinese mainland overall trends towards a “warm-wet” mode, while summer climate had an abrupt change into “warm wet” mode in the late 1980s, suggesting that the time of the “warm-wet” mode turning for winter climate is earlier than that for summer climate. The regional characteristics and test results of the ITTs in eight sub-areas suggest that winter climate exhibits a distinctive “warm-dry” trend in North China after the late 1970s, and a slight “warm-dry” trend in Northeast China, South China, and Southwest China after the late 1980s. A “warm-wet” trend appears in the rest four sub-areas (the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River Valley, briefly Jianghuai, the east of the Tibetan plateau, and the east and west of Northwest China) after the early 1980s. The summer climate trends towards a “warm-dry” mode in Northeast China, North China and the east of Northwest China after the late 1980s, but a “warm-wet” mode appears in Southwest China and the east of the Tibetan plateau after the middle 1970s, as well as in Jianghuai and the west of Northwest China after the early 1980s. Specially, summer climate in South China started a “cold-wet” trend in 1984.     

High precision topographic data on Lop Nor basin＇s Lake ＂Great Ear＂ and the timing of its becoming a dry salt lake

High precision elevation measurements using DGPS were carried out along three representative tran-sects for the ＂Great Ear＂ area, a dry salt lake within the Lop Nor basin. Results indicate that the Lop Nor basin is only 5.2 m deep and its lowest point occurs at the center of the ＂Great Ear＂. In addition, the basin is asymmetric-steeper in the southwest （0.19‰） and gentler in the northeast （0.09‰）. Points along the same ＂Great Ear＂ ring were found to have an identical elevation value, but different when from different ones （lower towards the center）. The spacing of the ＂Great Ear＂ rings was found to be closely related with the surface steepness. The closer the ＂Great Ear＂ rings are spaced, the steeper the ground surface, and vice versa. These findings support the argument that the ＂Great Ear＂ rings are the former shoreline trails left behind by Lop Nor water during the last few episodes of recession towards its total dry up. A comprehensive analysis of the high precision elevation data, historical accounts, aerial and satellite photographs and imagery, and official topographic maps of the study area suggests that the ＂Great Ear＂ area in the Lop Nor basin was incorrectly mapped as being covered by a great body of water on the 1963 topographic maps. A re-interpretation of the 1958 aerial photographs and newer remote sensing imagery indicated that the ＂Great Ear＂ ring structure was already in place in 1958 and it continued to appear on the subsequent remote sensing data without any major changes. It is estimated that lake water in the ＂Great Ear＂ area of the Lop Nor basin disappeared between the late 1930s and early 1940s.     

TiO2-based building materials: Above and beyond traditional applications

In the 1910s, TiO₂ began to be used in building materials as pigments and opacifier due to its excellent optical property. Since the photocatalytic property of TiO₂ was observed in 1972, its application field was expanded to air cleaning and sterilization. Thereafter, people added TiO₂ into building materials to develop novel and facile building materials. These materials were widely used for air cleaning, sterilization, self-cleaning, anti-fogging, decoration, and building cooling. The combination of building and other functions can serve simultaneously. Although TiO₂-based building materials have bright prospects, some aspects such as improving the stability and enhancing photoactive performance of the materials are of importance for future research. Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program (“863” Program) of China (Grant No. 2007AA061402), Chinese Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Eleventh Five-year Plan (Grant No. 2006BAJ02A08), Hangzhou Science & Technology Development Program (Grant No. 20061133B27) and Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (Grant No. 20070335197)     

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.     

A universal coherent source for quantum key distribution

We propose a concept of universal coherent source for quantum key distribution. The weak coherent pulse （WCP） and heralded single photon source （HSPS） are the most common photon sources for state-of-art quantum key distribution （QKD）. However, there exists a prominent crossover between the maximal secure distance and the secure key generating rate in short and middle distance if one applies these two sources in a practical decoy state quantum key distribution. It is shown that by combining the heralded pair coherent state （HPCS） photon source and the practical decoy state method together, one can not only strengthen the maximal secure transmission distance, but also improve key generat- ing rate at short and medium distance. Moreover, the advancement in key generating is not confined in the particular protocol utilized and can be easily checked for both BB84 and SARG protocol. Finally, we clearly demonstrate how the HPCS-based decoy method works effectively and feasibly by proposing an efficient HPCS-based ＂1 signal＋2 decoy＂ state method,     

Latitude migration of solar activity at high latitudes

Utilized here is the Carte Synoptique solar filament archive, namely the catalogue of solar filaments from March 1919 to December 1989, corresponding to solar rotation numbers 876 to 1823 to study latitudinal migration of solar activity at high latitudes. Except the well-known poleward migration of solar activity from middle latitudes to the poles, an equatorward migration is found from the solar poles toward middle latitudes （about 40°） within a normal cycle, which is neglected before, and the time interval for the former migration （4.4 years） is about 2.2 years shorter than that for the latter （6.6 years）, indicating that the change from one migration to the other takes place around the maximum time of a normal cycle. In the future, a dynamo model should represent the migration from the poles toward middle latitudes of the Sun, besides the migration in ＂butterfly diagrams＂ and the ＂rush to the poles＂. The traditional extended activity cycle is actually a part of the period of the successive migration from the poles toward the solar equator.     

Pulse gas alignment and AFM manipulation of single-wall carbon nanotube

In the fabrication process of nanoelectronic device arrays based on single-wall carbon nanotube （SWCNT）, oriented alignment of SWCNTs and property modification of metallic SWCNTs in the array are the key problems to be solved. Pulse gas alignment with substrate downward tilt is proposed to realize the controllable alignment of SWCNTs. Experimental results demonstrate that 84% SWCNTs are aligned in -15°- 15° angular to the pulse gas direction. A modified nanomanipulation technology based on atomic force microscope （AFM） is utilized to perform various kinds of SWCNT manipulation, such as SWCNT separation from the ＂Y＂ CNT, catalyst removal from the SWCNT end, continual nano buckles fabrication on SWCNT and even stretching to break, which provides a feasible way to modify the size, shape and the electrical property of SWCNTs.     

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.     

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.     

Feasibility of poplar foliages as bio-monitors for organochlorine pesticides in air

The feasibility of poplar (P. tomentosa) foliages as passive biomonitors for organochlorine pesticides in air was explored. The accumulation patterns of poplar foliages for HCHs, DDTs and HCB were similar, the amount of HCHs, DDTs and HCB increased with foliage growth in spring, and decreased thereafter. There was no obvious distinction in the accumulation styles between the adult leaf and the leaf-litter. This accumulation pattern is likely related to the growing process of the poplar foliage, and was observed for the first time in our work, giving an evidence for the “bud burst effect” in plants. The technical HCH and DDT were used largely in history and not used in recent years, but there was a little usage of lindane and new input of o,p’-DDT in recent years, and dicofol usage may be the main source of o,p’-DDT. Concentrations of HCHs, DDTs and HCB in poplar foliages were similar to those in pine needles at the corresponding period, and there is a positive strong correlation between OCP concentration data of two kinds of trees. It presents no difference in the accumulation style between two kinds of trees. The level of OCPs in the poplar foliage reflected the pollution status of OCPs in air. The result of this work showed that the poplar foliage can be used as the bio-monitor of OCPs in air. Supported by the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (Grant No. 2003CB415003)     

The early-warning effects of assimilation of the observations over the large-scale slope of the “World Roof” on its downstream weather forecasting

To improve the numerical simulation of the severe snow storms occurred in the south of China and the middle/lower reaches of Changjiang River during January of 2008, the observations from the automatic weather stations (AWS) over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QXP) and its surrounding areas were assimilated into the Weather Research and Forecasts (WRF) model using multi-cycle 3-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR). Due to the large-scale special topography of the QXP and its surrounding areas which may reach up to the mid-troposphere, the AWS located at different height on the deep slope of the plateau are different to those located on plains and take a role analogous in some extent to that of radio soundings in obtaining the vertical “profile” information of the atmosphere, and have the advantages in the aspects of sampling frequency, location/height fixing, and synchronization. The information captured by these AWS may carry the early-warning “strong signals” in the upstream sensitive area for the downstream weather systems to the east of the plateau and thus the assimilation of these AWS data is expected to lead to significant improvements on the simulation of the severe weather system occurred in its downstream areas through adjusting the 3-dimensional structures of the atmospheric thermal-dynamics for the initial conditions of the model. This study indicates that the assimilated information of moisture, temperature and pressure carried in the observations of AWS over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and its surrounding areas is very important and useful in the forecasting of precipitation in its downstream areas. Supported Jointly by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 90502003 and 40625017), LaSW Project (Grant No. 2008LASWZI04), the Key Project of AMS (Grant No. 2008Z006), the JICA Program and the International Sci-Tech Cooperative Project (Grant No. 2007DFB20210)     

Rapid growth cost in ＂all-fish＂ growth hormone gene transsenic carp： Reduced critical swimming speed

Evidence has accumulated that there is a trade-off between benefits and costs associated with rapid growth. A trade-off between growth rates and critical swimming speed （Uc,t） had been also reported to be common in teleost fish. We hypothesize that growth acceleration in the F3 generation of ＂all-fish＂ growth hormone gene （GH） transgenic common carp （Cyprinus carpio L.） would reduce the swimming abilities. Growth and swimming performance between transgenic fish and non-transgenic controls were compared. The results showed that transgenic fish had a mean body weight 1.4--1.9-fold heavier, and a mean specific growth rate （SGR） value 6%-10% higher than the controls. Transgenic fish, however, had a mean absolute Ucr, （cm/s） value 22% or mean relative Ucrit （BL/s） value 24% lower than the controls. It suggested that fast-growing ＂all-fish＂ GH-transgenic carp were inferior swimmers. It is also supported that there was a trade-off between growth rates and swimming performance, i.e. faster-growing individuals had lower critical swimming speed.     

Preliminary elemental analysis of fossil insects from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia and its taphonomic implications

Fossil insects from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia were investigated using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) for the first time, and portions and distribution of some elements in compression and pyrited fossils were also revealed by X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) attached to SEM. Most of compression fossil insects from the Daohugou Biota are preserved in organic remains (diagenetic products of the original organic components). A small part of compression fossils retain a comparatively high Fe concentration which probably resulted from the absorption of Fe by biopolymers during the decaying period. Pyritized insect fossils suggest that the “fossil envelop” model found in the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota probably also occurs in the Daohugou Biota. Different preservation modes show various mechanisms of fossilization, and also suggest that several different microenvironments are present in Daohugou palaeolakes. Supported by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB806400), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40872015, 40523004, 40632010), and Special Fund for Graduates in the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences     

Environmental changes reflected by n-alkanes of lake core in Nam Co on the Tibetan Plateau since 8.4 kaB.P.

The n-alkanes are extracted from NMLC-1 core that was drilled in the Nam Co, central Tibet. They are measured by using Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry （GC/MS） for componential and quantitative analyses. According to the constructed depth-age model, the component and concentration of n-alkanes, together with total organic carbon （TOC）, total nitrogen （TN） and carbonate are used to elucidate palaeoenvironmental changes of Nam Co during the past 8.4 ka. The results indicate that Holocene environment performs three stages in the lake area. In the stage of 8.4-6.7 kaB.P., it was warmer while precipitation slightly increased. This stage was ended by an obvious cold/dry event. During 6.7-5.8 kaB.P., temperature increased rapidly and reached its maximum values at about 6.0 kaB.P. The environments were warm/wet optimum for the blooming of terrestrial plants and submerged aquatic plants. After that, temperature decreased continuously and showed the lowest values at about 3.0 kaB.P. From 2.9 kaB.P, to the present, temperature rose again but alternated with cold and warm. The lake area tended to be dry after 1.4 kaB.P. During 600-400 aB.P., the environmental feature was the reflection of ＂Little Ice Age＂.     

Evidence of crustal ＇channel flow＇ in the eastern margin of Tibetan Plateau from MT measurements

Magnetotelluric （MT） survey has been carried out in the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and its neighboring Shimian-Leshan area, Sichuan Province. Analysis of this MT data reveals that the electric structure of the Tibetan Plateau differ much from that of the Sichuan block. In general, the electric resistivity of crust beneath the Sichuan block in the east is larger than that of the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau in the west. The crust of the plateau is divided into upper, middle, and lower layers. The middle crust is a low resistivity layer with minimum down to 3-10Ωm about 10-15 km thick. It presumably contains partial melt and/or salt-bearing fluids with low viscosity, prone to deform and flow, producing a ＂channel flow＂ under the southeastward squeeze of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. This low-resistivity layer makes the upper crust decoupled mechanically from the lower crust. In the brittle upper crust, faults are dominated by left-lateral strike-slip and thrust motions, leading to surface rising and shallow earthquakes. The low-resistivity layer also cut the Xianshuihe-Anninghe fault zone into two sections vertically. In this region, the thicknesses of upper, middle, and lower crust vary laterally, producing a transitional zone in the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau characterized by thicker crust and higher elevation in the west and thinner crust and lower elevation in the east.     

Measuring radial Young’s modulus of DNA by tapping mode AFM

Based on tapping mode AFM imaging, a method was demonstrated to evaluate compression elasticity of single double-stranded DNA （dsDNA） molecules in the force region. With images under ambient conditions, Young＇s moduli of dsDNA in compression were calculated. Results demonstrated that Young＇s moduli of dsDNA can be simply deduced according to the proposed model. The method can also be used to evaluate the compression elasticity of similar soft nanomaterials.     

Preparation of monolayer-assembled fluorescent film and its sensing performances to hidden nitroaromatic explosives

Pyrene was chemically assembled on a glass plate surface in a monolayer manner via spacers containing triethylenetetramine （TETA） subunits. It has been demonstrated that the fluorescence emission of the film is sensitive to the presence of trace amount of nitroaromatic compound （NAC） vapors. As discovered in the present work, the response selectivity of the pyrene-functionalized film depends on the length of the spacer, the vapor pressure of a given NAC, and the quencher size. The film shows faster response to those quenchers which have higher vapor pressure and smaller size. Compared to the film with shorter spacers, the present film with longer flexible spacers shows a slower response to the NACs, but higher selectivity to the quencher size. Additionally, the detection limits to common ex- plosives in vapor phase, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene （TNT） and 2,4-dinitrotoluene （DNT）, are 7.14×10^-12 and 5.49×10^-11 g·mL^-1, respectively. Further examinations indicated that the sensing process is fully reversible, and the vapors of those common interference such as benzene, toluene, ethanol, and perfume have little effect upon the sensing performances of the film.     

Fabrication of visible-light responsive S-F-codoped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanotubes

Fabrication and S-F-codoping of TiO2 nanotubes were carried out by a one-step electrochemical anodization process to extend the photoresponse of TiO2 to the visible-light region. The prepared samples were annealed in air and detected by SEM, XRD, XPS and UV-vis DRS spectrophotometer. The results showed that the average tube diameter of the nanotubes was 150 nm and the average tube length was 400 nm. The doped TiO2 nanotubes exhibited strong absorption in visible-light region. Photoelectrocatalytic degradation efficiency of 4-CP over S-F-codoped TiO2 nanotubes was 39.7% higher than that of only-F-doped sample. Moreover, sulfur and fluorine codoped into substitutional sites of TiO2 had been proven to be indispensable for strong response and high photocatalytic activity under visible light, as assessed by XPS.     

Flow characteristics and reaction properties of carbon dioxide in microtubules and porous media

Carbon dioxide reacts with porous media while flowing through them enhancing their permeability. Its flow behavior as well as the permeability enhancement effects were studied in synthetic cores, natural cores and microtubes with an inner diameter of 5 μm. The results show that the permeability of H2O-saturated cores （containing carbonate ingredients） was enhanced by increasing the injection volume of a CO2-H2O solution. This enhancement is attributable to carbon dioxide＇s corrosion, which is justified by SEM scanning. The same phenomenon occurs with a CO2-H2O solution in microtubes, but for a different reason. The gas flow velocity of carbon dioxide in microtubes was approximately 100% faster than that of nitrogen because of the scale and the squeezing effects. Carbon dioxide molecules dissolved in water accelerate the diffusion rate of water molecules within the boundary layer, which in turn diminishes the thickness of the water film and enlarges the effective pore size. This flow behavior facilitates the injection of carbon dioxide into low-permeability reservoirs for oil-displacement and formation energy buildup purposes. This behavior also increases the potential for carbon dioxide channeling or release from the formation.     

Analysis of sedimentary-geomorphologic variation and the living environment of hominids at the Shuidonggou Paleolithic site

Shuidonggou is one of the most important Upper Paleolithic sites in North China. Due to the presence of rich human remains, animal fossils, abundant sporopollen and unique geological sequence, it is the type site for Late Pleistocene to Holocene human occupation and environmental change in the Ningxia-lnner Mongolia region. Many scholars suggest that the site should be named the ＂Shuidong- gou Formation＂ of Late Pleistocene in North China. Dating results indicate that ancient human activities at the site took place 30-24 ka （Marine Isotope Stage [MIS] 3）. The climate at that time was warmer and moister than present day, and adequate precipitation led to the formation of water pack depressions where broad-leaf trees and sparse forest vegetations, as well as herbivorous animals flourished, making the area suitable for early human hunting, gathering and survival. The Neolithic human occupation happened 9-5 ka at the site, while similar environmental conditions with MIS3 occurred. The absence of human activity record in the region during the Last Glacial Maximum （MIS2） suggests that the environment was too harsh for humans to live there.