Monitoring of the 2011 spring low ozone events in the Arctic region

Data from FY-3B SBUS and NOAA SBUV/2 were used to monitor ozone levels in the Arctic region from March 1 to April 5, 2011. Results revealed a significant ozone depletion in the area, with total ozone levels between 200–250 DU. The ozone levels recorded were 100–200 DU below normal, and in some parts the levels were as low as 200 DU, indicating a mini ozone-hole. During the sampling period, the ozone depletion area underwent identifiable expansion and detraction, a rotation around the North Pole from the west to the east, and a longitudinal movement from the Pole, spreading to the mid latitudes. The effects of these rare low ozone events were not only felt in the Arctic, but also extended to densely populated areas between Europe and the middle of Russia. In this region, rapidly increasing levels of ultraviolet radiation were detected at the Earth’s surface. Given the significant risk that this poses to both the environment and people’s health, this occurrence has significant global implications.     

Surface ozone observations during voyages to the Arctic and Antarctic regions

Surface ozone concentration and UV-B data between 75° N and 70° S were obtained aboard the Chinese polar scientific vessel “Xue -long” (Snow-Dragon) during the first voyage to the Arctic and the 16th to the Antarctic in 1999–2000. Analysis of these data presents that variations of the surface ozone concentration have small amplitude during voyages except the mid-latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. As a whole, average surface ozone concentration in the Northern Hemisphere is higher than that in the Southern, and high value occurred when the ship sailed close to the continents. The average diurnal variations of the surface ozone in the Northern Hemisphere are also higher compared to the southern counterparts, and high diurnal variations were found at low latitudes, and relative low level in the polar region.     

Carbon loss from an unprecedented Arctic tundra wildfire

Arctic tundra soils store large amounts of carbon (C) in organic soil layers hundreds to thousands of years old that insulate, and in some cases maintain, permafrost soils. Fire has been largely absent from most of this biome since the early Holocene epoch, but its frequency and extent are increasing, probably in response to climate warming. The effect of fires on the C balance of tundra landscapes, however, remains largely unknown. The Anaktuvuk River fire in 2007 burned 1,039 square kilometres of Alaska's Arctic slope, making it the largest fire on record for the tundra biome and doubling the cumulative area burned since 1950 (ref. 5). Here we report that tundra ecosystems lost 2,016?±?435?g?C?m(-2) in the fire, an amount two orders of magnitude larger than annual net C exchange in undisturbed tundra. Sixty per cent of this C loss was from soil organic matter, and radiocarbon dating of residual soil layers revealed that the maximum age of soil C lost was 50 years. Scaled to the entire burned area, the fire released approximately 2.1?teragrams of C to the atmosphere, an amount similar in magnitude to the annual net C sink for the entire Arctic tundra biome averaged over the last quarter of the twentieth century. The magnitude of ecosystem C lost by fire, relative to both ecosystem and biome-scale fluxes, demonstrates that a climate-driven increase in tundra fire disturbance may represent a positive feedback, potentially offsetting Arctic greening and influencing the net C balance of the tundra biome.     

A possible mechanism of the Scandinavian ozone loss

Satellite data analysis shows an important Arctic ozone loss over the Scandinavia, with - 50 DU in winter, equivalent to 15% of the total ozone over this region. The study shows a possible mechanism causing the ozone loss. The North Atlantic current carries the heat energy northwards, and causes a relatively high surface temperature along the Scandinavia. The high temperature over the east of North Atlantic heats the atmosphere, induces an upward mass lifting, and therefore causes an ozone divergence near 330°K isoentropic surface, which leads to a decline in the total ozone.     

Extremely cold and persistent stratospheric Arctic vortex in the winter of 2010-2011

Record ozone loss was observed in the stratospheric Arctic in the spring of 2011. In the present work, we show observational evidence that the record loss of Arctic ozone is due to the extremely cold and persistent stratospheric polar vortex in the winter of 2010-2011. The polar vortex was as usual in early winter, but was intensified twice in middle January and middle February, respectively, and remained anomalously strong and stable until early April, 2011. Record low polar temperatures and record high subpolar zonal winds occurred in February and March. Stratospheric wave activity was anomalously weak because waves were refracted equatorward by the anomalously strong polar night jet. With such an extremely cold and isolated environment, Arctic stratospheric ozone was largely depleted in March and early April, 2011. Corresponding to Arctic ozone depletion, the stratospheric Northern-Hemisphere Annular Mode (NAM) displayed anomalously strong high-polarity, and the positive stratospheric NAM propagated downward and led to anomalously strong positive NAM in the troposphere and near the surface.     

Sharply increased mass loss from glaciers and ice caps in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Mountain glaciers and ice caps are contributing significantly to present rates of sea level rise and will continue to do so over the next century and beyond. The Canadian Arctic Archipelago, located off the northwestern shore of Greenland, contains one-third of the global volume of land ice outside the ice sheets, but its contribution to sea-level change remains largely unknown. Here we show that the Canadian Arctic Archipelago has recently lost 61?±?7?gigatonnes per year (Gt?yr(-1)) of ice, contributing 0.17?±?0.02 mm?yr(-1) to sea-level rise. Our estimates are of regional mass changes for the ice caps and glaciers of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago referring to the years 2004 to 2009 and are based on three independent approaches: surface mass-budget modelling plus an estimate of ice discharge (SMB+D), repeat satellite laser altimetry (ICESat) and repeat satellite gravimetry (GRACE). All three approaches show consistent and large mass-loss estimates. Between the periods 2004-2006 and 2007-2009, the rate of mass loss sharply increased from 31?±?8?Gt?yr(-1) to 92?±?12?Gt?yr(-1) in direct response to warmer summer temperatures, to which rates of ice loss are highly sensitive (64?±?14?Gt?yr(-1) per 1?K increase). The duration of the study is too short to establish a long-term trend, but for 2007-2009, the increase in the rate of mass loss makes the Canadian Arctic Archipelago the single largest contributor to eustatic sea-level rise outside Greenland and Antarctica.     

2010-2011年冬季La Ni(n)a事件对北半球极涡的影响分析

为了探讨强极涡与La Ni(n)a事件之间的关系,利用NCEP/NCAR(日平均、月平均位势高度及温度场)再分析资料对2010-2011年冬季进行个例研究.与气候态相比,2010-2011年冬季北半球平流层极涡偏强,同时,显著的强海温负异常(La Ni(n)a事件)也持续整个冬季.结果表明,受La Ni(n)a事件影响,对流层环流场和温度场得到较大的调整,出现PNA (Pacific North American)型异常环流形势和相对应的温度异常分布.2010年12月,阿留申地区出现负值的热量经向输送,使得该地区从对流层上升至平流层的行星波动与气候态相比明显减弱,从而导致平流层极涡较气候平均态偏强.这一La Ni(n)a事件对平流层极涡影响的动力过程也从1948-2010年期间选出的13个冬季强La Ni(n)a事件的合成分析结果中得到证实.     

臭氧化污泥减量技术研究进展

详细介绍了臭氧化污泥减量技术的原理及组成,并从臭氧对污泥的破解性能及臭氧化污泥减量工艺两方面阐述了该技术目前在国内外的发展状况。最后分析了该技术目前存在问题,提出了臭氧化污泥减量技术的发展方向。     

北极狐人工授精技术研究

报道了对北极狐用电刺激采精法采取精液 ;用粘液电测法 (用测情仪测定雌狐发情期阴道分泌物的电阻值 )确定最适输精时间 ;采用子宫内输精法对 8只雌狐实施人工授精、受胎率 5 0 %的初步试验结果及具体操作技术 .