Magnetopause properties at the dusk magnetospheric flank from global magnetohydrodynamic simulations,the kinetic Vlasov equilibrium,and in situ observations--Potential implications for SMILE

We derived the properties of the terrestrial magnetopause(MP)from two modeling approaches,one global–fluid,the other local–kinetic,and compared the results with data collected in situ by the Magnetospheric Multiscale 2(MMS2)spacecraft.We used global magnetohydrodynamic(MHD)simulations of the Earth’s magnetosphere(publicly available from the NASA-CCMC[National Aeronautics and Space Administration–Community Coordinated Modeling Center])and local Vlasov equilibrium models(based on kinetic models for tangential discontinuities)to extract spatial profiles of the plasma and field variables at the Earth’s MP.The global MHD simulations used initial solar wind conditions extracted from the OMNI database at the time epoch when the MMS2 observes the MP.The kinetic Vlasov model used asymptotic boundary conditions derived from the same in situ MMS measurements upstream or downstream of the MP.The global MHD simulations provide a three-dimensional image of the magnetosphere at the time when the MMS2 crosses the MP.The Vlasov model provides a one-dimensional local view of the MP derived from first principles of kinetic theory.The MMS2 experimental data also serve as a reference for comparing and validating the numerical simulations and modeling.We found that the MP transition layer formed in global MHD simulations was generally localized closer to the Earth(roughly by one Earth radius)from the position of the real MP observed by the MMS.We also found that the global MHD simulations overestimated the thickness of the MP transition by one order of magnitude for three analyzed variables:magnetic field,density,and tangential speed.The MP thickness derived from the local Vlasov equilibrium was consistent with observations for all three of these variables.The overestimation of density in the Vlasov equilibrium was reduced compared with the global MHD solutions.We discuss our results in the context of future SMILE(Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer)campaigns for observing the Earth’s MP.

Thermosphere joint observations by TM-1 constellations and Swarm-B during the April 2023 geomagnetic storm

The response of thermosphere density to geomagnetic storms is a complicated physical process.Multi-satellite joint observations at the same altitude but different local times(LTs)are important for understanding this process;however,until now such studies have hardly been done.In this report,we analyze in detail the thermosphere mass density response at 510 km during the April 23−24,2023 geomagnetic storm using data derived from the TM-1(TianMu-1)satellite constellation and Swarm-B satellites.The observations show that there were significant LT differences in the hemispheric asymmetry of the thermosphere mass density during the geomagnetic storm.Densities observed by satellite TM02 at nearly 11.3 and 23.3 LTs were larger in the northern hemisphere than in the southern.The TM04 dayside density observations appear to be almost symmetrical with respect to the equator,though southern hemisphere densities on the nightside were higher.Swarm-B data exhibit near-symmetry between the hemispheres.In addition,the mass density ratio results show that TM04 nightside observations,TM02 data,and Swarm-B data all clearly show stronger effects in the southern hemisphere,except for TM04 on the dayside,which suggest hemispheric near-symmetry.The South-North density enhancement differences in TM02 and TM04 on dayside can reach 130%,and Swarm-B data even achieve 180%difference.From the observations of all three satellites,large-scale traveling atmospheric disturbances(TADs)first appear at high latitudes and propagate to low latitudes,thereby disturbing the atmosphere above the equator and even into the opposite hemisphere.NRLMSISE00 model simulations were also performed on this geomagnetic storm.TADs are absent in the NRLMSISE00 simulations.The satellite data suggest that NRLMSISE00 significantly underestimates the magnitude of the density response of the thermosphere during geomagnetic storms,especially at high latitudes in both hemispheres.Therefore,use of the density simulation of NRLMSISE00 may lead to large errors in satellite drag calculations and orbit predictions.We suggest that the high temporal and spatial resolution of direct density observations by the TM-1 constellation satellites can provide an autonomous and reliable basis for correction and improvement of atmospheric models.

Deep learning to estimate ocean subsurface salinity structure in the Indian Ocean using satellite observations

Accurately estimating the ocean subsurface salinity structure(OSSS)is crucial for understanding ocean dynamics and predicting climate variations.We present a convolutional neural network(CNN)model to estimate the OSSS in the Indian Ocean using satellite data and Argo observations.We evaluated the performance of the CNN model in terms of its vertical and spatial distribution,as well as seasonal variation of OSSS estimation.Results demonstrate that the CNN model accurately estimates the most significant salinity features in the Indian Ocean using sea surface data with no significant differences from Argo-derived OSSS.However,the estimation accuracy of the CNN model varies with depth,with the most challenging depth being approximately 70 m,corresponding to the halocline layer.Validations of the CNN model’s accuracy in estimating OSSS in the Indian Ocean are also conducted by comparing Argo observations and CNN model estimations along two selected sections and four selected boxes.The results show that the CNN model effectively captures the seasonal variability of salinity,demonstrating its high performance in salinity estimation using sea surface data.Our analysis reveals that sea surface salinity has the strongest correlation with OSSS in shallow layers,while sea surface height anomaly plays a more significant role in deeper layers.These preliminary results provide valuable insights into the feasibility of estimating OSSS using satellite observations and have implications for studying upper ocean dynamics using machine learning techniques.

Dynamical Dark Energy in Light of Cosmic Distance Measurements.Ⅱ.A Study Using Current Observations

We extract key information on dark energy from current observations of BAO,OHD and H_(0),and find hints of dynamical behavior of dark energy.In particular,a dynamical dark energy model whose equation of state crosses-1 is favored by observations.We also find that the Universe has started accelerating at a lower redshift than expected.

Design and analysis of an advanced thermal management system for the solar close observations and proximity experiments spacecraft

In this paper,the mission and the thermal environment of the Solar Close Observations and Proximity Experiments(SCOPE)spacecraft are analyzed,and an advanced thermal management system(ATMS)is designed for it.The relationship and functions of the integrated database,the intelligent thermal control system and the efficient liquid cooling system in the ATMS are elaborated upon.For the complex thermal field regulation system and extreme space thermal environment,a modular simulation and thermal field planning method are proposed,and the feasibility of the planning algorithm is verified by numerical simulation.A solar array liquid cooling system is developed,and the system simulation results indicate that the temperatures of the solar arrays meet the requirements as the spacecraft flies by perihelion and aphelion.The advanced thermal management study supports the development of the SCOPE program and provides a reference for the thermal management in other deep-space exploration programs.

Unprecedented JWST Observations Contest Cosmological Canons

After more than 18 months of nearly flawless operation,the James Webb Space Telescope(JWST)continues to deliver amazement,making unexpected discoveries,adding new wrinkles to known phenomena,and calling into question long-held theories of how the universe works.“The instruments are working amazingly well,in essentially all cases better than expected,”said Garth Illingworth,professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California,Santa Cruz(CA,USA),and one of the three originators of the mission over three decades ago.“It has exceeded every one of its performance requirements,which is truly amazing when you think about how complex it is.”That complexity has included three decades of planning,design,and construction,followed by launch and maneuvering 1.5106 km from Earth to its second Lagrange(L2)orbit,unfolding and locking into position the 18 segments of its 6.5 m diameter main mirror,and deploying 8 motors,90 cables,and some 400 pulleys to unfurl its fragile sunshield[1,2].

Do Observations during Patrolling Trips Detect Changes in Wildlife Presence & Diversity in National Parks?

Globally, mountains encompass spectacular landscapes and a great diversity of species. However, Savannah’s mountains in Sudan have been affected by the loss of diversity due to human activities and climate changes. Therefore, this study aims to assess changes in wildlife diversity in Jebel-Eldair Nation Park (JENP) based on only reports from patrolling activities, especially in the absence of regular wildlife monitoring programs. Reports of monthly wildlife observations during patrolling trips were used for the summer season in 2010 and 2018. Findings showed a moderate to high decline in the most important wildlife species (i.e. lion, wild dog, and crest porcupine). Six others are documented as rare species in reserve, including the civet, spotted hyena, striped hyena, jackal, seraval, and Siberian bird. Contrary and despite the diversity reduction, some species witnessed increases in their observation frequency, such as lesser kudu, caracal, monitor, and lunar bird. Moreover, human settlements, agricultural activities, and other anthropogenic factors were found to be the main drivers of biodiversity reduction in JENP. The study recommends adopting this method to detect changes in wildlife communities, especially in a situation of deficiency and lack of funding to conduct regular monitoring programs.

In-situ observations of damage-fracture evolution in surrounding rock upon unloading in 2400-m-deep tunnels

The damage-fracture evolution of deep rock mass has obvious particularity,which is revealed in 2400-mdeep tunnels by field tests.The evolution of the excavation damaged zone depth is consistent with that of the fractured zone depth.The ratio of the excavation damaged zone depth to the excavation fractured zone depth is greater than 2.0 in a rock mass with both high strength and good integrity,but less than1.5 in a rock mass with lower strength or poor integrity.Zonal disintegration in a rock mass with high strength and fair integrity is more likely to occur when it contains more than two groups of primary fractures in damaged zones.Fractures develop outward in zonal disintegration but are totally different from the single-zone fracture,in which the fractures develop inward,and it is the starting position of the fractured zone when the excavation surface of the middle pilot is 7–9 m close to the pre-set borehole and it stops after the excavation surface of the baseplate is 11–14 m away.The most intense evolution occurs around 2–4 m from the pre-set borehole in the sidewall expansion stage.The research results provide a reference for the monitoring scheme and support design of CJPL-Ⅲin its future construction.

Twenty years of ocean observations with China Argo

The international Argo program,a global observational array of nearly 4000 autonomous profiling floats initiated in the late 1990s,which measures the water temperature and salinity of the upper 2000 m of the global ocean,has revolutionized oceanography.It has been recognized one of the most successful ocean observation systems in the world.Today,the proposed decade action“OneArgo”for building an integrated global,full-depth,and multidisciplinary ocean observing array for beyond 2020 has been endorsed.In the past two decades since 2002,with more than 500 Argo deployments and 80 operational floats currently,China has become an important partner of the Argo program.Two DACs have been established to process the data reported from all Chinese floats and deliver these data to the GDACs in real time,adhering to the unified quality control procedures proposed by the Argo Data Management Team.Several Argo products have been developed and released,allowing accurate estimations of global ocean warming,sea level change and the hydrological cycle,at interannual to decadal scales.In addition,Deep and BGC-Argo floats have been deployed,and time series observations from these floats have proven to be extremely useful,particularly in the analysis of synoptic-scale to decadal-scale dynamics.The future aim of China Argo is to build and maintain a regional Argo fleet comprising approximately 400 floats in the northwestern Pacific,South China Sea,and Indian Ocean,accounting for 9%of the global fleet,in addition to maintaining 300 Deep Argo floats in the global ocean(25%of the global Deep Argo fleet).A regional BGC-Argo array in the western Pacific also needs to be established and maintained.

Dataset of Comparative Observations for Land Surface Processes over the Semi-Arid Alpine Grassland against Alpine Lakes in the Source Region of the Yellow River

Thousands of lakes on the Tibetan Plateau(TP) play a critical role in the regional water cycle, weather, and climate. In recent years, the areas of TP lakes underwent drastic changes and have become a research hotspot. However, the characteristics of the lake-atmosphere interaction over the high-altitude lakes are still unclear, which inhibits model development and the accurate simulation of lake climate effects. The source region of the Yellow River(SRYR) has the largest outflow lake and freshwater lake on the TP and is one of the most densely distributed lakes on the TP. Since 2011,three observation sites have been set up in the Ngoring Lake basin in the SRYR to monitor the lake-atmosphere interaction and the differences among water-heat exchanges over the land and lake surfaces. This study presents an eight-year(2012–19), half-hourly, observation-based dataset related to lake–atmosphere interactions composed of three sites. The three sites represent the lake surface, the lakeside, and the land. The observations contain the basic meteorological elements,surface radiation, eddy covariance system, soil temperature, and moisture(for land). Information related to the sites and instruments, the continuity and completeness of data, and the differences among the observational results at different sites are described in this study. These data have been used in the previous study to reveal a few energy and water exchange characteristics of TP lakes and to validate and improve the lake and land surface model. The dataset is available at National Cryosphere Desert Data Center and Science Data Bank.

Re-identifying Grateloupia yangjiangensis(Rhodophyta, Halymeniaceae) based on morphological observations, life history and rbcL sequence analyses

On the basis of morphological observations, life history and molecular phylogeny, Grateloupia yangjiangensis, which is similar to G. filicina, G. orientalis, G. catenata, and G. ramosissima in appearance, was re-examined. The results are as follows：（1） the auxiliary-cell ampullae of G. yangjiangensis were of Grateloupia type, thalli was fleshy and gelatinous in texture, and the erect axes were compressed; the cortex was 0.25–0.30 mm thick, consisting of five to seven outer layers, and there were five inner layers of triangular or stellate cells;（2） there was no filamentous stage in the development of the carpospores;（3） the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase gene（rbcL） sequence of four G. yangjiangensis examined showed that there was no intergeneric divergence among them, and for the phylogenetic tree, four sequences of G. yangjiangensis formed a single monophyletic subclade within the large Grateloupia clade of Halymeniaceae. In conclusion, G. yangjiangensis was a single species within the genus Grateloupia. This research provided criterion for identification and cultivation of G. yangjiangensis.

Comparisons of passive microwave remote sensing sea ice concentrations with ship-based visual observations during the CHINARE Arctic summer cruises of 2010–2018

In order to apply satellite data to guiding navigation in the Arctic more effectively,the sea ice concentrations(SIC)derived from passive microwave(PM)products were compared with ship-based visual observations(OBS)collected during the Chinese National Arctic Research Expeditions(CHINARE).A total of 3667 observations were collected in the Arctic summers of 2010,2012,2014,2016,and 2018.PM SIC were derived from the NASA-Team(NT),Bootstrap(BT)and Climate Data Record(CDR)algorithms based on the SSMIS sensor,as well as the BT,enhanced NASA-Team(NT2)and ARTIST Sea Ice(ASI)algorithms based on AMSR-E/AMSR-2 sensors.The daily arithmetic average of PM SIC values and the daily weighted average of OBS SIC values were used for the comparisons.The correlation coefficients(CC),biases and root mean square deviations(RMSD)between PM SIC and OBS SIC were compared in terms of the overall trend,and under mild/normal/severe ice conditions.Using the OBS data,the influences of floe size and ice thickness on the SIC retrieval of different PM products were evaluated by calculating the daily weighted average of floe size code and ice thickness.Our results show that CC values range from 0.89(AMSR-E/AMSR-2 NT2)to 0.95(SSMIS NT),biases range from−3.96%(SSMIS NT)to 12.05%(AMSR-E/AMSR-2 NT2),and RMSD values range from 10.81%(SSMIS NT)to 20.15%(AMSR-E/AMSR-2 NT2).Floe size has a significant influence on the SIC retrievals of the PM products,and most of the PM products tend to underestimate SIC under smaller floe size conditions and overestimate SIC under larger floe size conditions.Ice thickness thicker than 30 cm does not have a significant influence on the SIC retrieval of PM products.Overall,the best(worst)agreement occurs between OBS SIC and SSMIS NT(AMSR-E/AMSR-2 NT2)SIC in the Arctic summer.

An Adjoint-Free CNOP–4DVar Hybrid Method for Identifying Sensitive Areas in Targeted Observations: Method Formulation and Preliminary Evaluation

This paper proposes a hybrid method, called CNOP–4 DVar, for the identification of sensitive areas in targeted observations, which takes the advantages of both the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation(CNOP) and four-dimensional variational assimilation(4 DVar) methods. The proposed CNOP–4 DVar method is capable of capturing the most sensitive initial perturbation(IP), which causes the greatest perturbation growth at the time of verification;it can also identify sensitive areas by evaluating their assimilation effects for eliminating the most sensitive IP. To alleviate the dependence of the CNOP–4 DVar method on the adjoint model, which is inherited from the adjoint-based approach, we utilized two adjointfree methods, NLS-CNOP and NLS-4 DVar, to solve the CNOP and 4 DVar sub-problems, respectively. A comprehensive performance evaluation for the proposed CNOP–4 DVar method and its comparison with the CNOP and CNOP–ensemble transform Kalman filter(ETKF) methods based on 10 000 observing system simulation experiments on the shallow-water equation model are also provided. The experimental results show that the proposed CNOP–4 DVar method performs better than the CNOP–ETKF method and substantially better than the CNOP method.

Application of Aircraft Observations over Beijing in Cloud Microphysical Property Retrievals from CloudSat

Cloud microphysical property retrievals from the active microwave instrument on a satellite require the cloud droplet size distribution obtained from aircraft observations as a priori data in the iteration procedure.The cloud lognormal size distributions derived from 12 flights over Beijing,China,in 2008-09 were characterized to evaluate and improve regional CloudSat cloud water content retrievals.We present the distribution parameters of stratiform cloud droplet （diameter ＜500 tm and ＜1500 μm） and discuss the effect of large particles on distribution parameter fitting.Based on three retrieval schemes with different lognormal size distribution parameters,the vertical distribution of cloud liquid and ice water content were derived and then compared with the aircraft observations.The results showed that the liquid water content （LWC） retrievals from large particle size distributions were more consistent with the vertical distribution of cloud water content profiles derived from in situ data on 25 September 2006.We then applied two schemes with different a priori data derived from flight data to CloudSat overpasses in northern China during April-October in 2008 and 2009.The CloudSat cloud water path （CWP） retrievals were compared with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer （MODIS） liquid water path （LWP） data.The results indicated that considering a priori data including large particle size information can significantly improve the consistency between the CloudSat CWP and MODIS CWP.These results strongly suggest that it is necessary to consider particles with diameters greater than 50 tm in CloudSat LWC retrievals.

Revisiting the seasonal wave height variability in the South China Sea with merged satellite altimetry observations

The seasonal variability of the significant wave height（SWH） in the South China Sea（SCS） is investigated using the most up-to-date gridded daily altimeter data for the period of September 2009 to August 2015. The results indicate that the SWH shows a uniform seasonal variation in the whole SCS, with its maxima occurring in December/January and minima in May. Throughout the year, the SWH in the SCS is the largest around Luzon Strait（LS） and then gradually decreases southward across the basin. The surface wind speed has a similar seasonal variation, but with different spatial distributions in most months of the year. Further analysis indicates that the observed SWH variations are dominated by swell. The wind sea height, however, is much smaller. It is the the largest in two regions southwest of Taiwan Island and southeast of Vietnam Coast during the northeasterly monsoon, while the largest in the central/southern SCS during the southwesterly monsoon. The extreme wave condition also experiences a significant seasonal variation. In most regions of the northern and central SCS, the maxima of the 99 th percentile SWH that are larger than the SWH theoretically calculated with the wind speed for the fully developed seas mainly appear in August–November, closely related to strong tropical cyclone activities.Compared with previous studies, it is also implied that the wave climate in the Pacific Ocean plays an important role in the wave climate variations in the SCS.

PARAMETER ESTIMATION FOR A CLASS OF STOCHASTIC DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS DRIVEN BY SMALL STABLE NOISES FROM DISCRETE OBSERVATIONS

We study the least squares estimation of drift parameters for a class of stochastic differential equations driven by small a-stable noises, observed at n regularly spaced time points ti = i/n, i = 1,...,n on [0, 1]. Under some regularity conditions, we obtain the consistency and the rate of convergence of the least squares estimator （LSE） when a small dispersion parameter ε→0 and n →∞ simultaneously. The asymptotic distribution of the LSE in our setting is shown to be stable, which is completely different from the classical cases where asymptotic distributions are normal.

Deformation field around a thrust fault:A comparison between laboratory results and GPS observations of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

On May 12,2008,an Mw7.9 earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County,Sichuan Province,China.Movement of Yingxiu–Beichuan Fault in the Longmenshan Fault Zone was considered to be the main cause of the earthquake.Earthquakes are closely related to fault activities.Therefore,studying the strain distribution and evolution process around active fault zones is important to the understanding of seismic activities.In this study,we conduct laboratory experiments with uniaxial compression applied to marble sheets with intentionally fabricated cracks.The speckle patterns of the rock samples under different loading conditions are recorded in real time by a digital camera.To calculate the deformation fields of the deliberately cracked marble sheets during different stages of the loading processes,the recorded images are processed by the digital image correlation method.The distribution and variation of the displacement and strain are further analyzed in order to understand the strain localization of and observed damage in the experimental fracture zones.Finally,we compare these laboratory results with the GPS-observed coseismic displacements during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake,to assess the consistency between our laboratory observations and the field observations of the earthquake,but also to suggest how laboratory results can improve thinking about how earthquake patterns do and do not reflect fault patterns.

ASYMPTOTIC NORMALITY OF PARAMETERSESTIMATION IN EV MODEL WITH REPLICATEDOBSERVATIONS

This paper based on the essay [1], studies in case that replicated observations are available in some experimental points., the parameters estimation of one dimensional linear errors-in-variables (EV) models. Asymptotic normality is established.

Vector Magnetograph Observations by the Solar Flare Telescope at Boao

We report that vector magnetograph (VMG) observations of the solar photosphere are being carride out by the Solar Flare Telescope (SOFT) at BOAO. The VMG uses a narrow band Lyot filter (FWHM=0 125A) for Stokes parameter (I, Q, U, V) observations to obtain longitudinal and transverse fields. We have obtained a filter convolved line profile of Fe I 6302 5 for VMG by changing the central wavelength of the Lyot filter, which is consistent with the Sacremento Peak spectral atlas data. Using the line profile, we have determined calibration coefficients of longitudinal and transverse fields by the line slope method. Then we have compared vector fields of AR8422 observed at BOAO with those at Mitaka. The comparison shows that longitudinal fields are very similar to each other, but transverse fields are a little different. Finally, we present Hα and magnetic observations of AR8419 during its flaring activity (M3 1/1B).

Evaluation of Simulated CO_2 Concentrations from the CarbonTracker-Asia Model Using In-situ Observations over East Asia for 2009–2013

The CarbonTracker(CT) model has been used in previous studies for understanding and predicting the sources, sinks, and dynamics that govern the distribution of atmospheric CO_2 at varying ranges of spatial and temporal scales. However, there are still challenges for reproducing accurate model-simulated CO_2 concentrations close to the surface, typically associated with high spatial heterogeneity and land cover. In the present study, we evaluated the performance of nested-grid CT model simulations of CO_2 based on the CT2016 version through comparison with in-situ observations over East Asia covering the period 2009–13. We selected sites located in coastal, remote, inland, and mountain areas. The results are presented at diurnal and seasonal time periods. At target stations, model agreement with in-situ observations was varied in capturing the diurnal cycle. Overall, biases were less than 6.3 ppm on an all-hourly mean basis, and this was further reduced to a maximum of 4.6 ppm when considering only the daytime. For instance, at Anmyeondo, a small bias was obtained in winter, on the order of 0.2 ppm. The model revealed a diurnal amplitude of CO_2 that was nearly flat in winter at Gosan and Anmyeondo stations, while slightly overestimated in the summertime. The model's performance in reproducing the diurnal cycle remains a challenge and requires improvement. The model showed better agreement with the observations in capturing the seasonal variations of CO_2 during daytime at most sites, with a correlation coefficient ranging from 0.70 to 0.99. Also, model biases were within-0.3 and 1.3 ppm, except for inland stations(7.7 ppm).