Arctic Sea Ice Variations in the First Half of the 20th Century:A New Reconstruction Based on Hydrometeorological Data

The shrinking Arctic sea-ice area(SIA) in recent decades is a striking manifestation of the ongoing climate change.Variations of the Arctic sea ice have been continuously observed by satellites since 1979, relatively well monitored since the 1950s, but are highly uncertain in the earlier period due to a lack of observations. Several reconstructions of the historical gridded sea-ice concentration(SIC) data were recently presented based on synthesized regional sea-ice observations or by applying a hybrid model–empirical approach. Here, we present an SIC reconstruction for the period1901–2019 based on established co-variability between SIC and surface air temperature, sea surface temperature, and sea level pressure patterns. The reconstructed sea-ice data for March and September are compared to the frequently used Had ISST1.1 and SIBT1850 datasets. Our reconstruction shows a large decrease in SIA from the 1920 to 1940 concurrent with the Early 20th Century Warming event in the Arctic. Such a negative SIA anomaly is absent in Had ISST1.1 data. The amplitude of the SIA anomaly reaches about 0.8 mln km^(2) in March and 1.5 mln km^(2) in September. The anomaly is about three times stronger than that in the SIBT1850 dataset. The larger decrease in SIA in September is largely due to the stronger SIC reduction in the western sector of the Arctic Ocean in the 70°–80°N latitudinal zone. Our reconstruction provides gridded monthly data that can be used as boundary conditions for atmospheric reanalyses and model experiments to study the Arctic climate for the first half of the 20th century.

Women in the Musical Culture of Danzig in the First Half of the 20th Century

The musical culture of pre-war Danzig/Gdansk remains an area that is not well enough recognized in the scholarly literature.Numerous traces of this musical life are preserved in the collections of the Gdansk Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences.The collection ranges from scholarly publications and scores to an extensive number of concert programs and posters.The collection testifies to the dynamism and diversity of the city’s pre-war musical life.Notable among the collected materials is the role of female figures-composers,singers,and instrumentalists who made significant contributions to the shape of Gdansk musical life.In this article,I will present forgotten profiles of musically committed women:Martha Reincke,Ella Mertins,and Lotte Prins.In light of the surviving materials,it can be assumed that they were significant figures in the musical culture and social life of the city.

Restoring 20th Century Architecture:Few Words about a Possible Theory

The restoration of twentieth-century architecture has led the discipline to develop a solid theory which,considering the complexity of new issues to be resolved,can provide useful instruments,above all critical ones,for operational practice.

Progress in China's climate change study in the 20th century

Studies on the 20th century climate change in China have revealed that under the background of global warming over the past century, climate in China has also experienced significant change with mean annual temperature increased by about 0.5 oC. More reliable results for the latter part of the 20th century indicate that the largest warming occurred in Northwest China, North China and Northeast China, and the warming in winter is most significant. Although no obvious increase or decrease trends were detected for mean precipitation over China in the past half century, regional differences are very distinct. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, precipitation increased, while that in the Yellow River Basin markedly decreased. Studies suggest that climate change in China seems to be related not only with the internal factors such as ENSO, PDO, and the others, but also with the anthropogenic effects such as greenhouse gas emissions, and land use. The future climate change studies in China seem to be important in narrowing understanding the nature of China's climate change and its main causes, since it is significant for projection and for impact assessment of climate change in the future.

Landscape pattern dynamics of water body in Kaifeng city in the 20th century

Landscape spatial pattern mainly refers to the distribution of patches, which are different in size and shape in space owing to the interaction of various ecological activities. In landscape ecology study, landscape pattern has been one of the key study areas. Water body landscape plays an important role in the development history of a city, but at present city water body landscape in many cities has been destroyed, hence protecting water body in the city is becoming more and more important. In order to protect city water body landscape reasonably, the precondition is to probe the dynamics of water body landscape. Based on historical data and remote sensing data, six indexes including patch number, patch area, landscape dominance index, fractal dimension, patch density and connectivity index etc. were used to analyze landscape pattern dynamics of water body in Kaifeng city since the end of the Qing Dynasty (in the 20th century). The results showed: (1) Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, landscape area of water body in Kaifeng city increased first and then decreased from 1898 to 2002AD; the landscape dominant degree had the same changing tendency with the area. (2) Patch number of water body landscape in Kaifeng city had an increase from 1898 to 2002, but maximum area of patch, minimum area of patch and average area of patch decreased, which resulted in an increase in landscape fragment degree. (3) Connectivity index decreased and fractal dimension increased from 1898 to 2002. The reasons for these changes were the repeated overflows and flooding of the Yellow River and the influence of human activities.

Precipitation Changes in Wet and Dry Seasons over the 20th Century Simulated by Two Versions of the FGOALS Model

Seasonal precipitation changes over the globe during the 20th century simulated by two versions of the Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System （FGOALS） model are assessed. The two model versions differ in terms of their AGCM component, but the remaining parts of the system are almost identical. Both models reasonably reproduce the mean-state features of the timings of the wet and dry seasons and related precipitation amounts, with pattern correlation coefficients of 0.65-0.84 with observations. Globally averaged seasonal precipitation changes are analyzed. The results show that wet sea- sons get wetter and the annual range （precipitation difference between wet and dry seasons） increases during the 20th century in the two models, with positive trends covering most parts of the globe, which is consistent with observations. However, both models show a moistening dry season, which is opposite to observations. Analysis of the globally averaged moisture budget in the historical climate simulations of the two models shows little change in the horizontal moisture advection in both the wet and dry seasons. The globally averaged seasonal precipitation changes are mainly dominated by the changes in evaporation and vertical moisture advection. Evaporation and vertical moisture advection combine to make wet seasons wetter and enhance the annual range. In the dry season, the opposite change of evaporation and vertical moisture advection leads to an insignificant change in precipitation. Vertical moisture advection is the most important term that determines the changes in precipitation, wherein the thermodynamic component is dominant and the dynamic component tends to offset the effect of the thermodynamic component.

Changes of Air–sea Coupling in the North Atlantic over the 20th Century

Changes of air–sea coupling in the North Atlantic Ocean over the 20 th century are investigated using reanalysis data,climate model simulations, and observational data. It is found that the ocean-to-atmosphere feedback over the North Atlantic is significantly intensified in the second half of the 20 th century. This coupled feedback is characterized by the association between the summer North Atlantic Horseshoe（NAH） SST anomalies and the following winter North Atlantic Oscillation（NAO）. The intensification is likely associated with the enhancement of the North Atlantic storm tracks as well as the NAH SST anomalies. Our study also reveals that most IPCC AR4 climate models fail to capture the observed NAO/NAH coupled feedback.

When History Becomes A Standing Joke：Mo Yan＇s Reflection on China＇s Historical Changes Throughout the 20th Century

Since the end of the 20th century, Mo Yan has made an attempt to reflect on China＇s historical changes throughout the 20th century as a whole. Centered on such several novels as Big Breasts and Wide Hips, Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out and Frog, this paper explores the author＇s thinking of the interruption and repetition phenomena in China＇s 20th century history. Differing from viewing the history in a modem linear progressive perspective, Mo Yan regards the interruption of history as a sign of human degradation, which derives from the loss of folk history subjectivity. When history is treated rudely, its repetition will occur, and the one who treats history as laughingstocks will be written into history as part of a ＂farce＂.

Book Review of The Medical Empire in 20th Century American Literature

As a book review of Medicine Empire in American Literature of the 20th Century by Jiang Tianping’s team, thispaper provides an examination of the developing process of the western medicine’s interaction with the imperialpolitics in the 20th century. It points out that the book has made a great contribution to the interdisciplinary research,medical research, especially western colonialism research.

Health Technology and U.S. Medicare Policy in the Late 20th Century

Much of the history of the American Social Welfare movement has been directed to the identification and development of entitlement programs needed to strengthen the health and economy of even the neediest members of the society. The emergence of health technologies have precipitated and supported policy advances. The Medicare Act （Title XVIII the United States Social Security Act of 1935） as such an entitlement program, was originally directed to resolving the health coverage concerns of the elderly without families or finances to afford coverage. The program entered crises periods over rising costs and continuity of funding concerns. Many have been assisted, in the U.S., in addition to the aged population, by the development of Medicare entitlements. These entitlements have emerged during periods of social need often accompanied by health technology or service delivery innovation. The program benefits more than its constituents and contributes to the health of the overall society. This paper will provide both a historical overview of the conflicts and uncertainties weathered by the Medicare Act in the later quarter of the 20th Century in the U.S. （United States of America）. The paper will also explore the implications of changes in the technology of federal and state funding mechanisms along with demographic changes that offered the greatest challenges to the continuation of the Medicare Act as a mainstay of stable health coverage to millions of needy Americans, into the 21st century.

20th Century China Through Maugham’s Eyes

TO break cultural barriers is to shorten distances between hearts. Along with the times, the Westerners’ understanding of China has changed, which is also refected in literature. Foreigners who traveled around China and wrote about the Chinese from their own perspectives and cultures created a quan-tity of literary works about China on their return.

The Influence of Consumer Culture on American New Woman and Their Literary Image in the Early 20th Century

By the study of three great American literary works, The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night and The Age of Innocence, this paper aims to give a holistic interpretation of"New Woman"and their intrinsic relationship with consumer culture in the light of Baudrillard's theories about the consumer society and the consumer culture.

Snapshots of the 20th Century

Thispicturefromthecentury'sfirstdecadeshowsthreegenerationsofafamilyfromYantaiinShandongProvince.Thethen-smallcityofYantaiopeneditsdoorsin1861andforabinebecamethebustestPOrtinthecountry.Foreigndepartmentstoresopenedandforeignproducts,includingphotogr...

China:Major Events of the 20th Century

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Law and Inspiration——The laws of S&T Innovations of Originality as Reflected by Noble Prize Laureates in Natural Sciences and Major Scientific Accomplishments in the 20th Century

Today in the 21st century, Science and technology (S&T)develops by leaps and bounds. Such progress has fundamentally changed the development pace of history, becoming the principal driving force for the progress of human civilization.……