A new type of ice formation zone found in the Himalayas

Ice formation was studied on the Dasuopu Glacier located in the Mount Xixabangma (28°23′ N, 85°43'E) in the Himalayas. Snow pits and shallow ice cores are analyzed to reveal ice formation process. The results show that the ice formation process, or in other words, the process of densitifica-tion, on the col (7 000 m a.s. I.) of the Dasuopu Glacier is a stable, slow and gradual process. The snow-ice transformation on the glacier is estimated to be 30-40 m below the surface. The temperature on the Dasuopu Glacier is very low (～ - 14℃ at 10 m) and similar to that in polar type ice cap. We, therefore, speculate that the process of snow-ice transformation is undertaken under snow pressure, and that there is a percolation zone on the Dasuopu Glacier. The high altitude of the col and monsoon snow fall accompnied by heavy cloud and high albedo favorite the percolation zone formation.     

北极格陵兰科学考察

第一次进入北极格陵兰地区考察,笔者密切关注全球气候变暖对北极格陵兰冰雪的影响,格陵兰西海岸和斯瓦尔巴德群岛自然环境的异同。考察研究表明,全球气候变暖对北极格陵兰冰盖西部影响很大：冰盖融化形成的天蓝色冰湖比比皆是,冰川退缩显著,在峡湾中的冰川退缩后形成了奇特的冰山群。这些现象警示我们,在全球变暖的大背景下,人类一定要自律,尽量减少排放各种温室气体,切忌火上浇油,尽可能地为人类应变气候灾变赢得时间。另外,北极格陵兰西海岸和北极斯瓦尔巴德群岛的自然环境相似,由于受海洋暖流的影响,在冰雪世界中镶嵌着色彩缤纷的绿洲。     

Vast laminated diatom mat deposits from the west low-latitude Pacific Ocean in the last glacial period

Diatoms are one of the predominant contributors to global carbon fixation by accounting for over 40% of total oceanic primary production and dominate export production. They play a significant role in marine biogeochemistry cycle. The diatom mat deposits are results of vast diatoms bloom. By analysis of diatom mats in 136°00′--140°00′E, 15°00′--21°00′N, Eastern Philippines Sea, we identified the species of the diatoms as giant Ethmodiscus rex （Wallich） Hendey. AMS 14C dating shows that the sediments rich in diatom mats occurred during 16000--28600 a B.P., which means the bloom mainly occurred during the last glacial period, while there are no diatom mat deposits in other layers. Preliminary analysis indicates that Antarctic Intermediate Water （AAIW） expanded northward and brought silicate-rich water into the area, namely, silicon leakage processes caused the bloom of diatoms. In addition, the increase of iron input is one of the main reasons for the diatom bloom.     

末次盛冰期南京降水记录中ENSO的演化

基于南京葫芦洞一支石笋TIMS-U系测年和纹层计数的交叉定年。获得丁末次盛冰期在24170～21222aBP时段石笋年纹层厚度的时间序列,主要反映了夏季风降水变率．小波分析揭示末次盛冰期连续3ka夏季风降水记录中厄尔尼诺一南方涛动（ENSO）周期和强度随时间的演化特征,该记录表明ENSO在末次盛冰期并非一直存在,有着高发期和平缓期。其爆发的频率和强度逐渐减弱。支持ENSO演化的“冰期阻尼效应”假说．     

西藏普兰地区第四纪以来冰锯作用研究

为了验证西藏普兰地区冰川作用对地形演化的影响, 选取纳木那尼峰、喜马拉雅山和冈底斯山3个区域, 利用数字高程模型(DEM)数据和遥感影像, 对现代冰川与末次冰盛期(LGM)古冰川平衡线高度(ELA)、冰川作用区坡度与高程的关系以及冰川分布的高程频谱进行计算和分析。结果显示, 研究区内冰川剥蚀作用显著、坡度降低最明显的地带位于LGM古冰川平衡线附近, 并在一定程度上限制山脉的高度。根据冰川地貌特征参数和前人研究结果, 认为气候是影响冰锯作用的主要因素。冰期时, 研究区内西风急流南移, 风速增强, 降水量增多, 为冰川发育创造良好条件, 冰锯作用也增强。对于构造抬升强烈的山脉(如纳木那尼峰), 虽然冰锯作用得到加强, 但是构造抬升增加的山脉高度不会完全被冰锯作用抵消。     

Phylogeography of the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris orientis) on the boreal island of Hokkaido,Japan

To test postglacial population expansion in small arboreal mammals dependent on boreal and subboreal forests, we used complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences (1140 bases) to investigate the phylogeography of the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris orientis) on the Hokkaido Island of Japan. This subspecies is common in the boreal and subboreal forests of Hokkaido. We examined 61 specimens from 27 localities in Hokkaido. Phylogenetic relationships among 29 haplotypes found in the Hokkaido populations were not associated with geographic distribution of sampling localities. There were four mitochondrial DNA phylogroups. Phylogeographic analyses support sudden expansion of S. vulgaris orientis from restricted refugium in the southern part of Hokkaido during the last glacial period. The phylogeographic structure of this subspecies directly reflects the boreal and subboreal forest dynamics occurring in Hokkaido.     

论海洋性冰川地貌特色及其地学意义

包括龙门山，贡嘎山，峨眉山，螺髻山，玉龙山等在内的青藏高原东缘，峡谷深切，山势险峻，极高山雪峰林立，海洋性冰川活跃，不少河流的干支流多发源于古冰川U形槽谷中，往下则急转为深切的V形谷，后因高原隆起而成“谷中谷”形态，或是支流以跌水或瀑布形式汇入主流，在有些基座阶地河流相沉积物的底部，保留着一层受过湿热风化带红色的冰川堆碛物，已被抬高至数千m的不同高度，这在青藏高原东缘环境演化过程中，说明青藏高原第四纪冰期序列所反映的气候波动周期长，幅度大，并与高原隆升同步发生，否则就不可能在高原南缘于喀里山口东面札个纳沟东岸海拔5000－5200m的阿兹秋山岭顶部，残留厚约20－180m的褐红色风化冰碛物。     

Neoproterozoic magmatic activity and global change

Neoproterozoic is a very important time in the history of the Earth, during which occurred supercontinent breakup, low-latitude glaciation, and biotic diversification.These concern a series of interdisciplinary studies involving ancient plate motion, climate change and life evolution, resulting in many forefront topics of general interest in the earth sciences. These include exact ages bracketing the Cryogenian System and glaciations, initial age and lasted duration of supercontinent breakup, dynamic reconstruction of China continents in supercontinental configurations, the nature of rift magmatism and extent of hydrothermal alteration, paleoclimatic implication of water-rock interaction and Iow-^18O magmatism, and relationship between supercontinental evolution and global change. A number of outstanding advances in the above aspects have being made by Chinese scientists, leaving many important issues to be resolved: (1)did the Cryogenian start at either 800 to 820 Ma or 760 to 780 Ma? (2) was South China in the supercontinental configuration located in either southeast to Australia or north to India? (3) are Paleoproterozoic to Archean ages of crustal rocks a valid parameter in distinguishing North China from South China? Available observations suggest that Neoproterozoic mantle superwelling occurred as conspicuous magmatism in South China but as cryptical magmatism in North China. Mid-Neoproterozoic mantle superplume event and its derived rift-magmatism would not only result in the supercontinental demise, but also play a very important role in the generation and evolution of the snowball Earth event by initiating the global glaciation, causing the local deglaciation and terminating the snowball Earth event.     

Lower boundary age of the Nanhua System and the Gucheng glacial stage: Evidence from SHRIMPⅡ dating

After the disintegration of the pro-Sinian System, the choice of the stratotype section of the newly established Nanhua System and determination of its lower boundary age have been one of the most important problems in Neoproterozoic stratigraphy[1—3]. In the Yangtze Gorge area in Yichang of Hubei Province where the standard section of the pro-Sinian System is located, the newly established Nanhua System consists only of the Nantuo formation (tillite) and the Liantuo Formation with tuf-…     

Calcium carbonate pump during Quaternary glacial cycles in the South China Sea

The preservation and dissolution of calcium carbonate (namely calcium carbonate pump) controls the pH of seawater in global oceans by its buffer effect, and in turn plays a significant role in global changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration. The results from measured carbonate contents over the past 2 Ma at ODP Site 1143 in the South China Sea provide high-resolution records to explore the process of the calcium carbonate pump during Quaternary glacial cycles. The results indicate statistically that the highest carbonate accumulation rate leads the lightest δ^18O by about 3.6ka at transitions from glacials to interglacials, and that the strongest carbonate dissolution lags the lightest δ^18O by about 5.6 ka at transitions from interglacials to glacials. The calcium carbonate pump releases CO2 to the at mosphere atthe glacial-interglacial transitions, but transports atmospheric CO2 to deep sea at the interglacial-glacial transitions.The adjustable function of the calcium carbonate pump for the deep-sea CO3^2- concentration directly controls parts of global changes in atmospheric CO2, and contributes the global carbon cycle system during the Quaternary.