Annual variation in Calanus sinicus abundance and population structure in the northern boundary area of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass

The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass （YSCWM） was suggested as an over-summering site of the dominant copepod species Calanus sinicus in coastal Chinese seas. Population abundance and structure were investigated by monthly sampling along three transects across the northern boundary of the YSCWM during 2009-2010. Results show that thermal stratification existed from June to October and that the vertical thermal difference increased with depth. Generally, total abundance was lowest in October and highest in June, and the female/male sex ratio was highest in February and lowest in August. Evident spatial differences in abundance were observed during the existence of the YSCWM. In June, total abundance averaged 158.8 ind/m~ at well-stratified stations, and 532.1 ind/m3 at other stations. Similarly, high abundances of 322.0 and 324.4 ind/m3 were recorded from July to August inside the YSCWM, while the abundance decreased from 50.4 to 1.9 ind/m3 outside the water mass. C. sinicus distribution tended to even out over the study area in September when the YSCWM disappeared. We believe that the YSCWM may retard population recruitment in spring and preserve abundant cohorts in summer. The summer population was transported to neritic waters in autumn. In addition to low temperatures, stable vertical structure was also an essential condition for preservation of the summer population. C. sinicus can survive the summer in marginal areas in high abundance, but the population structure is completely different in terms of C5 proportion and sex ratio.

Carbon Isotope Excursions and Paleo-Oceanography of the Ordovician–Silurian Boundary Carbonate Rocks from the Xainza Area, Tibet

Objective The Ordovician–Silurian transitional period is a special time when the global paleo-environment changed greatly.It witnessed the first mass extinction as of Phanerozoic period and glaciations that occurred frequently at a large scale in a very short time,which has thus attracted much attention among geoscientists at home and abroad.

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Reconstruction and Ocean Acidification Deduced from Carbon Isotope Variations across the Triassic–Jurassic Boundary in the Qiangtang Area, Tibetan Plateau

Objective The end-Triassic mass extinction was one of the five most profound Phanerozoic extinction events.This event was accompanied by a series of significant environmental changes,of which the most notable is the emergence of warm climate and the world-wide disappearance of carbonate platform.

Moment tensor inversion and source rupture process of the September 27, 2003 M_S=7.9 earthquake occurred in the border area of China, Russia and Mongolia

plane with the strike of 127°, the dip of 79° and the rake of 171°. The rupture process inversion result of MS=7.9 earthquake shows that the total rupture duration is about 37 s, the scalar moment tensor is M0=0.97 × 1020 N·m. Rupture mainly occurred on the shallow area with 110 km long and 30 km wide, the location in which the rupture initiated is not where the main rupture took place, and the area with slip greater than 0.5 m basically lies within 35 km deep middle-crust under the earth surface. The maximum static slip is 3.6 m. There are two distinct areas with slip larger than 2.0 m. We noticed that when the rupture propagated towards northwest and closed to the area around the MS=7.3 hypocenter, the slip decreased rapidly, which may indicate that the rupture process was stopped by barriers. The consistence of spatial distribution of slip on the fault plane with the distribution of aftershocks also supports that the rupture is a heterogeneous process owing to the presence of barriers.

A Dynamic Study of Ekman Characteristics by Using 1998 SCSMEX and TIPEX Boundary Layer Data

A dynamic study on Ekman characteristics by using 1998 SCSMEX and TIPEX boundary layer data is made. The results are as follows: (1) Similar dynamical Ekman characteristics are observed in the Tibetan Plateau and in the South China Sea and its surrounding area. (2) The thickness of the boundary layer is about 2250 m over the Tibetan Plateau, and considering its variation, the thickness could be up to 2250–2750 m. In the tropical southwest Pacific, the thickness of the boundary layer is about 2000 m, and the variation is smaller; a smaller thickness of the boundary layer is in the plain area of the Bohai Sea. (3) Because of the difference in elevation between the Tibetan Plateau and the tropical ocean area, the influence of the boundary layer on the atmosphere is quite different although the two areas have almost the same thickness for the boundary layer, the height where the friction forcing occurs is quite different. (4) The vertical structure of turbulence friction is quite different in the Plateau and in the tropical ocean area. Calculations by 1998 SCSMEX and TIPEX boundary layer data indicate that even in the lowest levels, eddy viscosity in the Tibetan Plateauan can be 2.3 times than in the tropical ocean area.

A two-dimensional Richards equation solver based on CVODE for variably saturated soil water movement

A numerical model of two-dimensional soil water movement under surface drip irrigation condition was developed. The physical process of soil water movement is described by 2D Richards equation,and the upper boundary condition is depicted by the improved moving ponded area boundary. The partial differential equation(PDE) is transformed into ordinary differential equations(ODEs) through spatial semi-discretization and numerically solved by an ordinary differential equation solver(CVODE) . The numerical and field experiments indicate the good performance of the model in terms of accuracy and efficiency. The model provides a useful tool for long-term simulation of soil water movement under surface drip irrigation. Also,the model can serve as a general 2D Richards equation solver for variably saturated soil water movement,which is named as TIVS model(Tsinghua Integrated Variably Saturated soil water movement model).