Four-to Six-Year Periodic Variation of Arctic Sea-Ice Extent and Its Three Main Driving Factors

Besides the rapid retreating trend of Arctic sea-ice extent(SIE),this study found the most outstanding low-frequency variation of SIE to be a 4-6-year periodic variation.Using a clustering analysis algorithm,the SIE in most ice-covered regions was clustered into two special regions:Region-1 around the Barents Sea and Region-2 around the Canadian Basin,which were located on either side of the Arctic Transpolar Drift.Clear 4-6-year periodic variation in these two regions was identified using a novel method called“running linear fitting algorithm”.The rate of temporal variation of the Arctic SIE was related to three driving factors:the regional air temperature,the sea-ice areal flux across the Arctic Transpolar Drift,and the divergence of sea-ice drift.The 4-6-year periodic variation was found to have always been present since 1979,but the SIE responded to different factors under heavy and light ice conditions divided by the year 2005.The joint contribution of the three factors to SIE variation exceeded 83%and 59%in the two regions,respectively,remarkably reflecting their dynamic mechanism.It is proven that the process of El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)is closely associated with the three factors,being the fundamental source of the 4-6-year periodic variations of Arctic SIE.

Effect of periodic wide atmospheric pressure change on CO emission in closed goaf

Atmospheric pressure fuctuation is one of the most important factors afecting the climate environment and gas emission in the fre area.To obtain the infuence rule of the surface atmospheric pressure change on the gas sampling and abnormal emission in the mine closed goaf,the No.1 coal mine in Dananhu was taken as the research object.Using Fourier transform and Fisher harmonic analysis and other statistical methods,the infuence of the periodic variation of atmospheric pressure on the gas leakage and outfow in the closed goaf was studied.The results showed that there were three atmospheric pressure periods of 15.2 d,1 d and 182.2 d,and the probability was greater than 95%.The time period with the highest number of atmospheric pressure peaks was 7:00–8:00,which accounted for 20.2%of total occurrence number in a day.And the time periods with the highest number of atmospheric pressure trough were 2:00,15:00 and 16:00,accounting for 27.4%.The peak-to-trough transition time was mainly concentrated around 6 h,and the diurnal variation curve of atmospheric pressure was mainly bimodal.The atmospheric pressure change rate was mostly concentrated in 10–50 Pa/h.It was determined that the distance that the gas sampling pipe was pre-laid into the inner side of the closed wall should be greater than 44.4 m,and the CO concentration and atmospheric pressure in the closed goaf were both periodic and negative with atmospheric pressure.The research results have important guiding signifcance for the monitoring,early warning and environmental protection of the goaf.

Micro sliding friction model considering periodic variation stress distribution of contact surface and experimental verification

Micro sliding phenomenon widely exists in the operation process of mechanical systems,and the micro sliding friction mechanism is always a research hotspot.In this work,based on the total reflection method,a measuring device for interface contact behavior under two-dimensional(2D)vibration is built.The stress distribution is characterized by the light intensity distribution of the contact image,and the interface contact behavior in the 2D vibration process is studied.It is found that the vibration angle of the normal direction of the contact surface and its fluctuation affect the interface friction coefficient,the tangential stiffness,and the fluctuation amplitude of the stress distribution.Then they will affect the change of friction state and energy dissipation in the process of micro sliding.Further,an improved micro sliding friction model is proposed based on the experimental analysis,with the nonlinear change of contact parameters caused by the normal contact stress distribution fluctuation taken into account.This model considers the interface tangential stiffness fluctuation,friction coefficient hysteresis,and stress distribution fluctuation,whose simulation results are consistent well with the experimental results.It is found that considering the nonlinear effect of a certain contact parameter alone may bring a greater error to the prediction of friction behavior.Only by integrating multiple contact parameters can the accuracy of friction prediction is improved.

Relationship between Thermal Metamorphism of Coal and the Periodic Variation Law of Geochemical Behavior of Elements:A Study on the C2 Coal Seam in the Fengfeng Mining Area of the Handan Coalfield in Hebei,China

This study highlights the response of the periodic variation of the geochemical behavior of elements to the thermal metamorphism of coal by considering the differentiation mode and differentiation degree of elements of the C2 coal seam in the Fengfeng mining area of the Handan Coalfield in Hebei,China.The periodic variation of the geochemical behavior of elements was observed to change towards a certain direction as the degree of metamorphism of a geological body increased.Based on the coincidence degree(or similarity degree)between the geochemical behavior of elements and periodic variation of elements,the 57 elements in this study were divided into two levels.The periodic variation of the geochemical behavior of first-level elements was largely synchronous with that of their first ionization energy,suggesting that only one differentiation mode exists and the elements are mainly inorganically associated.The differentiation mode of the second-level elements deviated to a certain extent from their first ionization energy;the larger the deviation,the more complicated and diverse was the differentiation mode.Among the second-level elements,the grade of coal metamorphism has evident and intuitive effects on the proportion of elements with particular structural features,such as the 4q+3 type of elements and the odd-odd elements.In addition,the distribution of elements in organic and inorganic matter within coal are subject to the structural features of the elements.The differentiation mode and differentiation intensity of elements could be characterized by the hierarchical parameter and differentiation intensity.The hierarchical parameter and differentiation intensity of certain elements showed a good positive or negative correlation with R_(max) in coal.The 57 elements in this study were quantitatively ordered according to the degree of magmatic hydrothermal fluid influence and thermal metamorphism of coal through graphs depicting the goodness of fit,correlation coefficient with R_(max),and differentiation intensity.The results of this study are consistent with the results of previous field research,illustrating the scientific significance and application value of this study on the periodic variation of the geochemical behavior of elements.

The observation and interpretation of geomagnetic variations in a small area of Hainan Province,China

In late December of 1991, observation of three component geomagnetic short period variations was carried out in Chengmai county of Hainan province, along a short measurement profile with small spatial intervals of detection points. Within the period range of 20 s to 500 s, we have discovered that the vertical variations are basically correlated with the horizontal variations in north direction in all measurement points, the real parts of complex transfer functions demonstrate that an asymmetric spatial variation of short wavelength superimposed on regional monotonic tendencious spatial variation. Inversion of the observed data along the small profile was carried out by using the invention method of generalized inverse matrix of finite element forward calculation for the electromagnetic induction of the 2 D conductivity model to investigate the conductivity structure of the profile. We conclude that the anomaly of geomagnetic short periodic variation in the small area originated from the Wangwu Wenjiao fault in the northern part of Hainan island .

Variation Characteristics and Tendency of Precipitation in Chaoyang Area between 1908 and 2008

According to the precipitation sequence of Beijing City from 1900 to 1958,the precipitation sequence of Chengde City were revised and extended.Then the precipitation sequence of Chaoyang City were revised and extended with the precipitation sequence of Chengde City to form 100-years precipitation sequence of Chaoyang.The results showed that the 100-years precipitation sequence of Chaoyang indicated a decreasing trend and obvious periodic variation with the change of age.That is,a 10-year rainy period (approximately 525.0 mm) appeared every 30 a,while the 30-year drought period was approximately 460.0 mm,65.0 mm lower than the former.Moreover,an obviously heavy drought lasting for 2-4 a appeared every 20 a.

Trends and abrupt changes in surface vapor content over Tarim Basin during the last 50 years

The surface vapor content has a close correlation with the generation of precipitation. Based on the atmospheric circulation data and surface vapor content data from 37 weather stations across the Tarim Basin dur- ing 1961-2010, the paper analyzed the vapor variation trend, period, abrupt changes and their causes. The results show that the increase trend of surface vapor content over the Tarim Basin mostly conforms with the average trend coefficient of 0.48. There were 3 centers displaying a trend of high vapor increase and 3 centers displaying a low vapor increase. These centers were distributed in strips and blocks across the basin from northeast to southwest. Notable inter-decadal variations in annual and seasonal vapor contents occurred in the Tarim Basin during the 50 years of the study period, with more vapor after the mid-1980s and less vapor in the 1960s and the 1970s. The significant increase in vapor content in the 50 year period occurred mostly in the 1980s and the 1990s. The in- creasing trend across the four seasons was strongest in summer, reaching 0.43, and weakest in spring. Great variations existed between the spring trend and the annual, summer, autumn and winter trends. During the 50-year study period, there are distinguishable periods of 4-6 years and 8-10 years in which the annual and seasonal vapor contents varied alternately between low and high concentrations. The annual vapor content and that of the four individual seasons all changed abruptly in about the mid-1980s （a〈0.05）. The west wind circulation, Tibetan Plateau circulation and the annual mean temperatures of the Tarim Basin are the main factors that influenced the surface vapor content over the study area, of which the Tibetan Plateau circulation may be the most important one.

Wavenumber-4 spectral component extracted from TIMED/SABER observations

The wavenumber spectral components WN4 at the mesosphere and low thermosphere(MLT)altitudes(70–10 km)and in the latitude range between±45°are obtained from temperature data(T)observed by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry(SABER)instruments on board the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)’s Thermosphere–Ionosphere–Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics(TIMED)spacecraft during the 11-year solar period from 2002 to 2012.We analyze in detail these spectral components WNk and obtain the main properties of their vertical profiles and global structures.We report that all of the wavenumber spectral components WNk occur mainly around 100 km altitude,and that the most prominent component is the wavenumber spectral component WN4 structure.Comparing these long duration temperature data with results of previous investigations,we have found that the yearly variation of spectral component WN4 is similar to that of the eastward propagating non-migrating diurnal tide with zonal wavenumber 3(DE3)at the low latitudes,and to that of the semi-diurnal tide with zonal wavenumber 2(SE2)at the mid-latitudes:the amplitudes of the A4 are larger during boreal summer and autumn at the low-latitudes;at the mid-latitudes the amplitudes have a weak peak in March.In addition,the amplitudes of component WN4 undergo a remarkable short period variation:significant day-to-day variation of the spectral amplitudes A4 occurs primarily in July and September at the low-latitudes.In summary,we conclude that the non-migrating tides DE3 and SE2 are likely to be the origins,at the low-latitudes and the mid-latitudes in the MLT region,respectively,of the observed wavenumber spectral component WN4.

Analysis on the Gale Climate Characteristics and Circulation Situation in Jinzhou Area

Based on the gale observation data in 5 observation stations in Jinzhou area from 1973 to 2007,the gale trend and the periodic change in Jinzhou area were analyzed by using the linear trend estimation method and the spectral analysis method. Meanwhile,the circulation situation characteristics and the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of gale in four seasons were discussed by surveying generally the weather charts. The results showed that the gale in Jinzhou area presented the fluctuation decline trend and had 3.5,7.0 years periodic changes. The gale in spring is the most and in summer was the least. It was less in winter and autumn. Seen from the analysis on the circulation situation,the gale circulation situation in Jinzhou area was similar to in Liaoning. The circulation situation in spring was basically consistent with in autumn,winter. The main situations had 3 kinds:north high south low(west high east low) ,two high clipping low,south high north low(east high west low) . In summer,the regional gale weather was mainly caused by the meso-micro scale system.

GPS time-series and its response to M_S=8.1 Kunlunshan earthquake

In this paper, observation data in 25 GPS reference stations of China have been analyzed by calculating GPS position coordinate time-series with GIPSY. Result shows there is an obvious trend variation in such time-series. The trend variations of time series along the longitude and latitude coordinate reflect the motion of each position in the global-plate, in which the trend variation in the vertical direction reveals some large-scale construction information or reflects the local movement around the positions. The analysis also shows that such time-series have a variation cycle of nearly 1.02 a, but the reason still remains to be further studied. At the end of this paper, response of the time-series to MS=8.1 Kunlunshan earthquake was analyzed, and the seismogenic process of MS=8.1 Kunlunshan earthquake, according to the time proceeding and the feature of anomaly, was divided into 3 phases-changes in blocks with forces, strain accumulation, quick accumulation and slow release of energy. At the initial stage of seismogenic process of MS=8.1 earthquake and at the imminent earthquake, coseismic process as well as during the post earthquake recovery, anomaly in vertical direction is always in a majority. The anomalous movement in vertical direction at the initial stage resulted in a blocking between faults, while at the middle stage of seismogenic process, the differential movement between blocks are in a majority, which is the major reason causing energy accumulating at the blocking stage of faults.

Atmospheric Equilibrium Tide Theory

Based on the equilibrium tide theory of the seawater, a model of long- period variations in air pressure with the lunar motion is derived to advance the climatic tide concept and formulate the climatic tide formula, which provides useful leads for predicting the heavy meteorological catastrophe in Shandong area, even in China, as well as in the whole world.

Atmospheric Pollution Control Effect of Key Cities in Inner Mongolia in 2014

APEC conference was held in Beijing during November 3- 12,2014. Hohhot City and Baotou City fall into the peripheral key air pollution control cities in the ＂ Beijing- Tianjin- Hebei＂ region. Inner Mongolia government adopted powerful pollution control measures in the period of the conference. According to pollutant concentration data and meteorological data etc. in the course of the event and the same period of last year,the atmospheric pollution variations and control effect were discussed in this study. The results showed that during October 1- 25,2014,there were 16 days with air pollution in Hohhot City and 15 days with air pollution in Baotou City,respectively increasing by 8% and 34% compared with the same period of 2013,and the concentration of particulate matter was also higher than that of last year. During October 22- 24,2014,Hohhot and Baotou cities were polluted persistently. The variation features of hourly concentration of main pollutants PM（10） and PM2. 5were similar to those in the same period of 2013. That is,the pollutant concentration reached the maximum from 21：00 to 23：00,and the minimum appeared from 15： 00 to 19： 00 in the next day. In the course of the event,the concentration of particulate matter in the two cities stared to reduce greatly on October 26. From October 26 to November 13,there were no days with air pollution in Hohhot City,decreasing by 100% compared with the same period of 2013; there were five days with air pollution in Baotou City,and the numbers of days with slight,moderate and severe pollution reduced by 37%,100% and67% respectively compared with the same period of last year. The persistent air pollution from October 22 to the first 10 days of November was related to unfavorable meteorological conditions,and the meteorological condition in the same period of 2014 was even worse. In the course of the event,the Inner Mongolia Government adopted air pollution control measures around October 25 and began to adopt some powerful pollution control measures on November 1. As a result,air pollution in key cities has been controlled effectively. This event showed that urban atmospheric pollution problem can be resolved,and we should take an optimistic attitude towards this matter.

The spatio-temporal variations of frost-free period in China from 1951 to 2012

The frost-free period（FFP）first frost date（FFD） and last frost date（LFD） have been regard as the important climate variables for agricultural production. Understanding the spatio-temporal variations of the FFPFFD and LFD is beneficial to reduce the harmful impacts of climate change on agricultural production and enhance the agricultural adaptation. This study examined daily minimum temperatures for 823 national-level meteorological stationscalculated the values of FFDLFD and FFP for station-specific and region-specific from 1951 to 2012estimated the gradients of linear regression for station-specific moving averages of FFDLFD and FFPand assessed station-specific time series of FFP and detected the abrupt change. The results as follows： at both the station level and the regional levelthe FFP across China decreases with the increase of latitude from south to northand with the increase of altitude from east to west generally. At the station levelthe inter-annual fluctuations of FFDLFD and FFP in south and west agricultural regions are greater than those in north and east. At the regional levelexcluding the QT regiontemporal changes of FFP are relatively small in both the low-latitude and the high-latitude regionsbut for the mid-latitude regions. According to the linear trend gradients of the moving average values of station-specific FFDLFD and FFPFFD was delayedLFD advancedand FFP extended gradually over the 80% of China. Furthermorethe change magnitudes for FFDLFD and FFP in the north and east agricultural regions are higher than that in the southern and western. Among the 659 station-specific time series of FFP examined by the Mann-Kendall test341 stationslocated mainly in the north regionhave one identifiable and significant abrupt change. And at the 341 stations with identified abrupt changesmost（57%） abrupt changes occurred during 1991–2012followed by the periods of 1981–1990（28%）1971–1980（12%）and 1951–1970（3%）. The spatio-temporal variations of FFDLFD and FFP would provide important guidance to agricultural practices.

A variational principle analysis of surface acoustic waves propagating under periodic metal grating with finite thickness

A theoretical method is presented,which analyzes properties of surface acoustic waves propagating on metallic gratings with finite thickness by combining finite element method with variational principle on surface acoustic waves propagating on periodic metal gratings. Based on D.P.Chen and Haus theory,a finite element method is used to investigate the effects of metallic gratings upon the propagation of surface acoustic waves.The coupling-of-modes parameters contributed by mechanical loading are expressed by the matrix derived from the finite element method.Consequently D.P.Chen and Haus theory can also be applied to analyze the properties of surface acoustic waves propagating on metallic gratings with finite thickness and arbitrary shape.Finally,the characteristics of surface acoustic waves propagating under gold and aluminum or silver gratings on a few piezoelectric crystals are studied.Numerical results of the coupling-of-modes parameters of the surface acoustic waves are obtained.

New Solution for the Earth’s Free Wobble and Its Geophysical Implications

In this paper, the theory of the free wobble of the triaxial Earth is developed and new conclusions are drawn: the Euler period should be actually expressed by the first kind of complete elliptic integral; the trace of the free polar motion is elliptic and the orientations of its semi-minor and major axes are approximately parallel to the Earth's principal axes A and B, respectively. In addition, the present theory shows that there is a mechanism of frequency-amplitude modulation in the Chandler wobble, which might be a candidate for explaining the correlation between the amplitude and period of the Chandler wobble.

Characteristics of strong-coupling bipolaron qubit in two-dimensional quantum dot in electric field

Based on Lee-Low-Pines(LLP) unitary transformation, this article adopts the variational method of the Pekar type and gets the energy and wave functions of the ground state and the first excited state of strong-coupling bipolaron in two-dimensional quantum dot in electric field, thus constructs a bipolaron qubit. The numerical results represent that the time oscillation period T0 of probability density of the two electrons in qubit decreases with the increasing electric field intensity F and dielectric constant ratio of the medium η; the probability density Q of the two electrons in qubit oscillates periodically with the increasing time t; the probability of electron appearing near the center of the quantum dot is larger, while that appearing away from the center of the quantum dot is much smaller.