Temporal Variability of Tropospheric NO_(2) over Cities in the United States,Western Europe and China from 2005 to 2022

Anthropogenic Nitrogen oxides(NO_(x)=NO_(2)+NO)emissions are highly concentrated in urban area,and the weekly cycles,seasonal patterns and long-term trends of tropospheric NO_(2) columns over cities differ from region to region due to different emission sectoral compositions and human activities.In this study,we used satellite observed tropospheric NO_(2) column data to compare the longand short-term NO_(2) column density time series over cities in the United Sates(the U.S.),western Europe and China.The results showed that in all the targeted cities,the outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease in 2019(COVID-19)moved the December peak of the city-level NO_(2)columns forward to November and October or even earlier in 2020 and 2021.On weekly level,cities in the U.S.show the lowest NO_(2) columns ratio on weekend/work day,then come the western European cities,and a weak weekly pattern is seen in Chinese cities.For all the cites,we find a higher weekend/work day NO_(2) ratio in cold seasons than in warm seasons,indicating a higher contribution from NOx emission sectors of residential,industry and power plants in the warm seasons.In the long-term,NO_(2) columns over the U.S.and western European cities declined by a fraction twice that of the regional mean level from 2004 to 2021.In China,NO_(2) columns started to decrease since 2012,at a similar rate between the city and regional level.This work confirms the importance to quantify and control NOx emissions from cities.

Movements of the Western Pacific Warm Pool Centroid and Their Relationship to Sea Surface Temperature Changes in Nino Regions

By using monthly historical sea surface temperature (SST) data for the yearsfrom 1950 to 2000, the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) climatology and anomalies are studied inthis paper. The analysis of WPWP centroid (WPWPC) movement anomalies and the Nino-3 region SSTanomalies(SSTA) seems to reveal a close, linear relation between the zonal WPWPC and Nino-3 regionSSTA, which suggests that a 9° anomaly of the zonal displacement from the climatological positionof the WPWPC corresponds to about a 1℃ anomaly in the Nino-3 region area-mean SST. This studyconnects the WPWPC zonal displacement with the Nino-3 SSTA, and it may be helpful in betterunderstanding the fact that the WPWP eastward extension is conducive to the Nino-3 region SSTincrease during an El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event.

Variability of Tropical Cyclone in High Frequent Occurrence Regions over the Western North Pacific

In this study, three high frequent occurrence regions of tropical cyclones(TCs), i.e., the northern South China Sea(the region S), the south Philippine Sea(the region P) and the region east of Taiwan Island(the region E), are defined with frequency of TC's occurrence at each grid for a 45-year period(1965–2009), where the frequency of occurrence(FO) of TCs is triple the mean value of the whole western North Pacific. Over the region S, there are decreasing trends in the FO of TCs, the number of TCs' tracks going though this region and the number of TCs' genesis in this region. Over the region P, the FO and tracks demonstrate decadal variation with periods of 10–12 year, while over the region E, a significant 4–5 years' oscillation appears in both FO and tracks. It is demonstrated that the differences of TCs' variation in these three different regions are mainly caused by the variation of the Western Pacific Subtropical High(WPSH) at different time scales. The westward shift of WPSH is responsible for the northwesterly anomaly over the region S which inhibits westward TC movement into the region S. On the decadal timescale, the WPSH stretches northwestward because of the anomalous anticyclone over the northwestern part of the region P, and steers more TCs reaching the region P in the greater FO years of the region P. The retreating of the WPSH on the interannual time scale is the main reason for the FO's oscillation over the region E.

THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN A MULTI-CULTURAL BACKGROUND──The Studies of Minority Regions in the Western China

China is a country with many nationalities. Each of them has formed its own special culture, which is different from the mainstream of majority Han nationality, by adapting to geo-environment during history. Due to different backgrounds, the regional developmental model of minorities in the western China is different from the Han nationality and western countries. Combining a knowledge-based civilization and sustainable development, the minority areas can seek the systematic integration of culture-economy-ecology. Based on this, the paper suggests that the minority areas in western China should take the way of emphasizing developmental quality rather than developmental quantity for a harmonious system of culture-economy-ecology. Some approaches for developing minority areas in western China have been put foreword.

Frontier of Military Defense Buildings in the Western Regions of the Han and Tang Dynasties Based on CiteSpace

Under the guidance of the “the Belt and Road” policy, the academic community continues to study the historical relics of the western regions and military facilities along the silk road in recent years. Focusing on the military defense buildings in the western regions of the Han and Tang Dynasties, CiteSpace software is used to conduct statistical and visual analysis on the hot issues of relevant literature in the military buildings on the silk road. Based on the analysis of frontier hot issues, the research trend of future topics is analyzed and predicted. The research shows that the frontier hot spots of military architecture in the western regions of Han and Tang Dynasties are extensive, and the research trend is steadily rising.

Eurasia Continental Bridge——An Important Link of the Coordinated Development between China's Eastern,Central and Western Regions

The new Eurasia Continental Bridgeruns from East China to Central andWest China, crossing 11 provincesand regions, namely Jiangsu, Shandong,Hubei, Anhui, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi,Sichuan, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Ningxia.The total area is 3.6 million sq km and thepopulation is about 300 million, accountingfor a third and a quarter of the whole countryrespectively. The area is very rich in naturalresources, so it is called an "Economic goldbelt" and "Gold corridor". Aerial remote-control survey indicates that along thecontinental bridge from Lianyungang to theAla Mountains within China’s boundary,

Projection of the Future Changes in Tropical Cyclone Activity Affecting East Asia over the Western North Pacific Based on Multi-RegCM4 Simulations

Future changes in tropical cyclone(TC)activity over the western North Pacific(WNP)under the representative concentration pathway RCP4.5 are investigated based on a set of 21 st century climate change simulations over East Asia with the regional climate model RegCM4 driven by five global models.The RegCM4 reproduces the major features of the observed TC activity over the region in the present-day period of 1986-2005,although with the underestimation of the number of TC genesis and intensity.A low number of TCs making landfall over China is also simulated.By the end of the 21st century(2079-98),the annual mean frequency of TC genesis and occurrence is projected to increase over the WNP by16%and 10%,respectively.The increase in frequency of TC occurrence is in good agreement among the simulations,with the largest increase over the ocean surrounding Taiwan Island and to the south of Japan.The TCs tend to be stronger in the future compared to the present-day period of 1986-2005,with a large increase in the frequency of strong TCs.In addition,more TCs landings are projected over most of the China coast,with an increase of~18%over the whole Chinese territory.

Recent Strengthening of the Regional Hadley Circulation over the Western Pacific during Boreal Spring

Previous studies suggested that there are large discrepancies in the intensity trend of the zonally averaged Hadley circulation (ZAHC) among different reanalyses. As the land, ocean, and topography are not evenly distributed, the ZAHC may mask the regional variability. Changes in the regional HC have important implications for regional climate change. Here, we detect the long-term trend of the boreal spring regional Hadley circulation intensity over the western Pacific (WPHC) since 1979 in both hemispheres using six reanalysis datasets. Unlike the ZAHC, we find that the trend of the spring WPHC intensity is consistent among various reanalysis datasets. All reanalyses show pronounced strengthening trends for the WPHC in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, which may be partly attributable to the robust warming trends of sea surface temperature in the tropical western Pacific. The result could improve our understanding of Hadley circulation variability at the regional scale and has implications for regional climate changes.

Scattered Rural Settlements and Development of Mountainous Regions in Western Sichuan,China

Making rural settlements of Mountainous Regions in Western Sichuan as the study objects and using symbolic statistical methods, then combining the case study of Daofu County, the paper analyzes the negative impact of the scattered rural settlements on infrastructure construction, farmers＇ income increase and mountain ecological reconstruction in mountainous regions of western Sichuan. The results indicate that economic density is positively related to both rural settlements density （R^2=0.73） and rural population density （R^2=0.77）, and it is the same for relationship between towns density and rural settlements density （R^2=0.88） and between towns density and economic density （R^2=0.71）, and the scattered distribution pattern of the rural settlements and shortage of economic centers is a major factor to the lagged socioeconomic development. On the eco-economic zoning to Daofu County, the paper indicates the spatial distribution model and the industrial development model of the rural settlements need to be changed, and rural population should be concentrated in larger rural settlements with development of off-farm industries while infrastructure construction is to reinforced.

The road map for green development of Western China

China has made some remarkable achievements in sustainable development,but the constant deterioration of the overall trend of the environment has not yet been effectively curbed.To achieve the goal of sustainable development,we must first ensure coordination and coherence of national development goals in different areas and adhere to green development road.To achieve the objectives related to green development,and to clarify the direction of green development in the next 20years,a road map is needed to guide and coordinate the process.This paper describes the concept of the green development road map,introduces a green development road map for the western region,and further elaborates it The road map clarifies the objectives and guiding principles of green development in the western region,points the areas that deserve more concern and institutional innovation,and builds a green development monitoring and evaluation(M&E)framework.Finally,the paper provides corresponding policy recommendations based on the established road map.

A Robustness Analysis of CMIP5 Models over the East Asia-Western North Pacific Domain

The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project （CMIP） is an international community-based infrastructure that supports climate model intercomparison, climate variability, climate prediction, and climate projection. Improving the performance of climate models over East Asia and the western North Pacific has been a challenge for the climate-modeling community. In this paper, we provide a synthesis robustness analysis of the climate models participating in CMIP-Phase 5 （CMIP5）. The strengths and weaknesses of the CMIP5 models are assessed from the perspective of climate mean state, interannual variability, past climate change during the mid-Pliocene （MP） and the last millennium, and climate projection. The added values of regional climate models relative to the driving global climate models are also assessed. Although an encouraging increase in credibility and an improvement in the simulation of mean states, interannual variability, and past climate changes are visible in the progression from CMIP3 to CMIPS, some previously noticed biases such as the ridge position of the western North Pacific subtropical high and the associated rainfall bias are still evident in CMIP5 models. Weaknesses are also evident in simulations of the interannual amplitude, such as El Nino- Southern Oscillation （ENSO）-monsoon relationships. Coupled models generally show better results than standalone atmospheric models in simulating both mean states and interannual variability. Multi-model intercomparison indicates significant uncertainties in the future projection of climate change, although precipitation increases consistently across models constrained by the Clausius-Clapeyron relation. Regional ocean-atmosphere coupled models are recommended for the dynamical downscaling of climate change oroiections over the East Asia-western North Pacific domain.

REGIONAL FEATURES OF LONG-TERM SST VARIATION IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC WARM POOL AREA

The main features of SST interannual and long term variations in the Western Pacific Warm Pool area were studied by using regression analysis, running t test and spectral analysis methods based on monthly mean SST data in the Pacific during 1950-1998. The results showed that the SST inter annual and long term variations in the Western Pacific Warm Pool area had evident regional features. There were significant differences in variation range, phase, period, occurrence time of abrupt variation between SST in the eastern area (east of 160°E) and SST in the western area (west of 160°E).

Regional disparities of phytoplankton in relation to environmental factors in the western Arctic Ocean during summer of 2010

Global warming has caused Arctic sea ice to rapidly retreat,which is affecting phytoplankton,the primary producers at the base of the food chain,as well as the entire ecosystem.However,few studies with large spatial scales related to the Arctic Basin at high latitude have been conducted.This study aimed to investigate the relationship between changes in phytoplankton community structure and ice conditions.Fifty surface and 41 vertically stratified water samples from the western Arctic Ocean（67.0°–88°26′N,152°–178°54′W） were collected by the Chinese icebreaker R/V Xuelong from July 20 to August 30,2010 during China＇s fourth Arctic expedition.Using these samples,the species composition,spatial distribution,and regional disparities of phytoplankton during different stages of ice melt were assessed.A total of 157 phytoplankton taxa（〉5 μm） belonging to 69 genera were identified in the study area.The most abundant species were Navicula pelagica and Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii,accounting for 31.23% and 14.12% of the total phytoplankton abundance,respectively.The average abundance during the departure trip and the return trip were 797.07×10~2 cells/L and 84.94×10~2 cells/L,respectively.The highest abundance was observed at Sta.R09 in the north of Herald Shoal,where Navicula pelagica was the dominant species accounting for 59.42% of the abundance.The vertical distribution of phytoplankton abundance displayed regional differences,and the maximum abundances were confined to the lower layers of the euphotic zone near the layers of the halocline,thermocline,and nutricline.The species abundance of phytoplankton decreased from the low-latitude shelf to the high-latitude basin on both the departure and return trips.The phytoplankton community structure in the shallow continental shelf changed markedly during different stages of ice melt,and there was shift in dominant species from centric to pennate diatoms.Results of canonical correspondence analysis（CCA） showed that there were two distinct communities of phytoplankton in the western Arctic Ocean,and water temperature,ice coverage and silicate concentration were the most important environmental factors affecting phytoplankton distribution in the surveyed sea.These findings will help predict the responses of phytoplankton to the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice.

Does regional air–sea coupling improve the simulation of the summer monsoon over the western North Pacific in the WRF4 model?

A new regional coupled ocean–atmosphere model,WRF4-LICOM,was used to investigate the impacts of regional air–sea coupling on the simulation of the western North Pacific summer monsoon(WNPSM),with a focus on the normal WNPSM year 2005.Compared to WRF4,WRF4-LICOM improved the simulation of the summer mean monsoon rainfall,circulations,sea surface net heat fluxes,and propagations of the daily rainband over the WNP.The major differences between the models were found over the northern South China Sea and east of the Philippines.The warmer SST reduced the gross moist stability of the atmosphere and increased the upward latent heat flux,and then drove local ascending anomalies,which led to the increase of rainfall in WRF4-LICOM.The resultant enhanced atmospheric heating drove a low-level anomalous cyclone to its northwest,which reduced the simulated circulation biases in the stand-alone WRF4 model.The local observed daily SST over the WNP was a response to the overlying summer monsoon.In the WRF4 model,the modeled atmosphere exhibited passive response to the underlying daily SST anomalies.With the inclusion of regional air–sea coupling,the simulated daily SST–rainfall relationship was significantly improved.WRF4-LICOM is recommended for future dynamical downscaling of simulations and projections over this region.

Characteristics of crustal variation and extensional break-up in the Western Pacific back-arc region based on a wide-angle seismic profile

The marginal sea and back-arc basins in the Western Pacific Ocean have become the focus of tectonics due to their unique tectonic location.To understand the deep crustal structure in the back-arc region,we present a 545-kmlong active-source ocean bottom seismometer(OBS)wide-angle reflection/refraction profile in the East China Sea.The P wave velocity model shows that the Moho depth rises significantly,from approximately 30 km in the East China Sea shelf to approximately 16 km in the axis of the Okinawa Trough.The lower crustal high-velocity zone(HVZ)in the southern Okinawa Trough,with V_(p) of 6.8-7.3 km/s,is a remarkable manifestation of the mantle material upwelling and accretion to the lower crust.This confirms that the lower crustal high-velocity mantle accretion is developed in the southern Okinawa Trough.During the process of back-arc extension,the crustal structure of the southern Okinawa Trough is completely invaded and penetrated by the upper mantle material in the axis region.In some areas of the southern central graben,the crust may has broken up and entered the initial stage of seafloor spreading.The discontinuous HVZs in the lower crust in the back-arc region also indicate the migration of spreading centers in the back-arc region since the Cenozoic.The asthenosphere material upwelling in the continent-ocean transition zone is constantly driving the lithosphere eastward for episodic extension,and is causing evident tectonic migration in the Western Pacific back-arc region.

A New Chronological Report of the Hongshi Breccia-Host Gold Deposit in the Western Qinling Region,China

Objective The western Qinling belongs to the western part of the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogen between the North China Block and South China Block. Multiple orogenic events might be responsible for different types of gold mineralization, making the western Qinling gold region one of the most important gold metallogenic belts in China. This region has demonstrated a total gold resource of 〉500 t and more than ten gold deposits with gold resource of 〉20 t. Almost all gold deposits in the western Qinling gold region can be classified into two distinct genetic types as orogenic （such as the Shuangwang,

Abbreviated Report of the WHO Western Pacific Region Workshop on National Plans of Action for Nutrition: Key Elements for Success, Constraints and Future Plans

A workshop on National Plans of Action for Nutrition: Constraints, Key Elements for Success, and Future Plans was convened and organized by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific in collaboration with the Institute for Medical Research Malaysia and co sponsored with FAO and UNICEF from 25—29 October 1999. It was attended by representatives of 25 countries in the region and resource persons, representatives from WHO and other international agencies. The objectives of the workshop were to review the progress of countries in developing, implementing and monitoring national plans of action for nutrition (NPANs) in the Western Pacific Region and to identify constraints and key elements of success in these efforts. Most of the countries have NPANs, either approved and implemented or awaiting official endorsement. The Plan formulation is usually multisectoral, involving several government ministries, non governmental organizations, and international agencies. Often official adoption or endorsement of the Plan comes from the head of state and cabinet or the minister of health, one to six years from the start of its formulation. The NPAN has stimulated support for the development and implementation of nutrition projects and activities, with comparatively greater involvement of and more support from government ministries, UN agencies and non-governmental agencies compared to local communities, bilateral and private sectors and research and academic institutions. Monitoring and evaluation are important components of NPANs. They are, however, not given high priority and often not built into the plan. The role of an intersectoral coordinating body is considered crucial to a country's nutrition program. Most countries have an intersectoral structure or coordinating body to ensure the proper implementation, monitoring and evaluation of their NPANs. The workshop identified the constraints and key elements of success in each of the four stages of the NPAN process: development, operationalization, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Constraints to the NPAN process relate to the political and socioeconomic environment, resource scarcity, control and management processes, and factors related to sustainability. The group's review of NPAN identified successful NPANs as those based on recent, adequate and good quality information on the nutritional situation of the country, and on the selection of strategies, priorities and interventions that are relevant to the country and backed up by adequate resources. Continued high level political commitment, a multisectoral approach, and adequate participation of local communities are other key elements for success. The participants agreed on future actions and support needed from various sources for the further development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of their NPANs. The recommendations for future actions were categorized into actions pertaining to countries with working NPAN, actions for countries without working NPAN and actions relevant to all countries. There was also a set of suggested actions at the regional level, such as holding of regular regional NPAN evaluation meetings, inclusion of NPAN on the agenda of regional fora by the regional organizations, and strengthening of regional nutrition networks.

Path Choice of New Countryside Construction in Western Region of China under the Perspective of Ecological Environment

General situation of ecological environment in western region is introduced,as well as its relationship with new countryside construction.Result shows that ecological conditions of western region not only play an important role in the achievement of new countryside construction in western region,but also directly affect the ecological safety of eastern region and the sustainable development of China.Problems in new countryside construction in western region are analyzed under the perspective of ecological environment,which are the weak concept of ecological protection,the ecological environment which needs to be improved,the difficulty in agriculture development,and the backward plan for human settlement.According to these problems,path of new countryside construction in western China is pointed out under the perspective of ecological environment,such as promoting ecological economy,developing competitive industries,speeding up spatial planning,optimizing the living environment,changing the traditional concept into scientific and rational development,and restoring the ecological environment by making use of agricultural support.