Probing signals of atmospheric gravity waves excited by the July 29,2021 M_(W)8.2 Alaska earthquake

It is commonly believed that the atmosphere is decoupled from the solid Earth.Thus,it is difficult for the seismic wave energy inside the Earth to propagate into the atmosphere,and atmospheric pressure wave signals excited by earthquakes are unlikely to exist in atmospheric observations.An increasing number of studies have shown that earthquakes,volcanoes,and tsunamis can perturb the Earth's atmosphere due to various coupling effects.However,the observations mainly focus on acoustic waves with periods of less than 10 min and inertial gravity waves with periods of greater than 1 h.There are almost no clear observations of gravity waves that coincide with observations of low-frequency signals of the Earth's free oscillation frequency band within 1 h.This paper investigates atmospheric gravity wave signals within1 h of surface-atmosphere observations using the periodogram method based on seismometer and microbarometer observations from the global seismic network before and after the July 29,2021 M_(w)8.2 Alaska earthquake in the United States.The numerical results show that the atmospheric gravity wave signals with frequencies similar to those of the Earth's free oscillations _(0)S_(2) and _(0)T_(2) can be detected in the microbaro meter observations.The results con firm the existence of atmospheric gravity waves,indicating that the atmosphere and the solid Earth are not decoupled within this frequency band and that seismic wave energy excited by earthquakes can propagate from the interior of the Earth to the atmosphere and enhance the atmospheric gravity wave signals within 1 h.

RARE EARTH DISSOLVED IN SOLID SOLUTION OF STEEL AND ITS EFFECT ON MICROSTRUCTURE

The amounts of rare earth in the solid solution in steel 16Mn were determined by means of inductive coupling plasma(ICP)spectroscopy.While the RE/S ratio was less than 1.9,the amounts of rare earth in solid solution were not more than 8 ppm,which rised slightly with the increase of the rare earth content in the steel.While the RE/S was more than 1.9,MnS disappeared completely in the steel and the amounts of rare earth in solid solution increased rapidly with the increasing of the rare earth content.The solubility of cerium in steel 16 Mn(St 52)is less than 0.011 wt% at room temperature.The results also indicate that rare earth in solid solution can reduce the amount of pearlite and increase that of ferrite and its mierohardness.The rela- tionship between microhardness(Hv)and the amount of rare earth in solid solution can be expressed by the equation of Hv=117+7 RE(ppm).

Zero drift and solid Earth tide extracted from relative gravimetric data with principal component analysis

Zero drift and solid Earth tide corrections to static relative gravirnetric data cannot be ignored. In this paper, a new principal component analysis （PCA） algorithm is presented to extract the zero drift and the solid Earth tide, as signals, from static relative gravimetric data assuming that the components contained in the relative gravimetric data are uncorrelated. Static relative gravity observations from Aug. 15 to Aug. 23, 2014 are used as statistical variables to separate the signal and noise with PCA to obtain desired signals. The results of the linear drift extracted by PCA are consistent with those calculated by the least squares linear fitting, and the differences only reach to 10-2μGal/day order of magnitude. Furthermore, PCA is used to estimate the solid Earth tide from the relative gravimetric data corrected by the zero drift. The statistical results are consistent with the results derived from the solid Earth tide correction provided by the internal software of the CG-5 gravimeter （SCINTREX Limited Ontario Canada）. The statistical results of the differences between the two methods are both less than 8 ,Gal, and the RMSs for 9 days are all less than 5 μGal.

Evidences of the expanding Earth from space-geodetic data over solid land and sea level rise in recent two decades

According to the space-geodetic data recorded at globally distributed stations over solid land spanning a period of more than 20-years under the International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2008,our previous estimate of the average-weighted vertical variation of the Earth＇s solid surface suggests that the Earth＇s solid part is expanding at a rate of 0.24 ± 0.05 mm/a in recent two decades.In another aspect,the satellite altimetry observations spanning recent two decades demonstrate the sea level rise（SLR） rate 3.2 ± 0.4 mm/a,of which1.8 ± 0.5 mm/a is contributed by the ice melting over land.This study shows that the oceanic thermal expansion is 1.0 ± 0.1 mm/a due to the temperature increase in recent half century,which coincides with the estimate provided by previous authors.The SLR observation by altimetry is not balanced by the ice melting and thermal expansion,which is an open problem before this study.However,in this study we infer that the oceanic part of the Earth is expanding at a rate about 0.4 mm/a.Combining the expansion rates of land part and oceanic part,we conclude that the Earth is expanding at a rate of 0.35 ± 0.47 mm/a in recent two decades.If the Earth expands at this rate,then the altimetry-observed SLR can be well explained.

Complexity and Self-Organized Criticality of Solid Earth System(Ⅰ)

The author puts forward the proposition of Complexity and Self Organized Criticality of Solid Earth System in the light of: (1) the science of complexity studies the mechanisms of emergence of complexity and is the science of the 21st century, (2) the study of complexity of the earth system would be one of the growing points occupying a strategic position in the development of geosciences in the 21st century. By the proposition we try to cogitate from a new viewpoint the ancient yet ever new solid earth system. The author abstracts the fundamental problem of the solid earth system from the essence of the generalized geological systems and processes which reads: the complexity and self organized criticality of the global nature, structure and dynamical behavior of the whole solid earth system emerging from the multiple coupling and superposition of non linear interactions among the multicomponents of the earths material and the multiple generalized geological (geological, geophysical, and geochemical) processes . Starting from this cognizance the author proposes eight major themes and the methodology of researches on the complexity and self organized criticality of the solid earth system.

Energetics of the Solid Earth:An integrated perspective

The internal energy of the Solid Earth is mainly transferred through thermal convection of the mantle.Here,we discuss the 10^(20)-J-scale energy relating to the dynamics of the Solid Earth’s interior.The energy released from the interior of the present-day Earth to outer space per year is estimated as E_(earth)=1.4×10^(21) J yr^(-1) based on the recent dataset of globally observed crustal heat flow,which is a factor of two or three times larger than the annual energy consumption of the total population of the world,5.7×10^(20) J yr^(-1).Of the energy from global crustal heat flow,the energy released by all of the major hotspot plumes in volcanic vents per year is estimated as E_(plume)=7.2×10^(19) J yr^(-1),which is approximately only 6%of the Eearth.We propose that a large number of mantle plumes have not emerged as hotspots on the Earth’s surface,with the possibility that Eplume is larger than expected if the energy released from small seamounts of the Earth is considered.Considering the heat(energy)budget of the Earth,the heat production by the decay of radioactive isotopes in the mantle and crust is nearly comparable to the heat released by the secular cooling of the Earth.Of Eearth,the annual energy released by the secular cooling of the Earth is estimated as 6.6×10_(20) J yr^(-1).This energy is closely related to the geothermal energy from our planet.

Bayesian geological and geophysical data fusion for the construction and uncertainty quantification of 3D geological models

Traditional approaches to develop 3D geological models employ a mix of quantitative and qualitative scientific techniques,which do not fully provide quantification of uncertainty in the constructed models and fail to optimally weight geological field observations against constraints from geophysical data.Here,using the Bayesian Obsidian software package,we develop a methodology to fuse lithostratigraphic field observations with aeromagnetic and gravity data to build a 3D model in a small(13.5 km×13.5 km)region of the Gascoyne Province,Western Australia.Our approach is validated by comparing 3D model results to independently-constrained geological maps and cross-sections produced by the Geological Survey of Western Australia.By fusing geological field data with aeromagnetic and gravity surveys,we show that 89%of the modelled region has>95%certainty for a particular geological unit for the given model and data.The boundaries between geological units are characterized by narrow regions with<95%certainty,which are typically 400-1000 m wide at the Earth's surface and 500-2000 m wide at depth.Beyond~4 km depth,the model requires geophysical survey data with longer wavelengths(e.g.,active seismic)to constrain the deeper subsurface.Although Obsidian was originally built for sedimentary basin problems,there is reasonable applicability to deformed terranes such as the Gascoyne Province.Ultimately,modification of the Bayesian engine to incorporate structural data will aid in developing more robust 3D models.Nevertheless,our results show that surface geological observations fused with geophysical survey data can yield reasonable 3D geological models with narrow uncertainty regions at the surface and shallow subsurface,which will be especially valuable for mineral exploration and the development of 3D geological models under cover.

Rare earth metals modified Ni-S2O8^2-/ZrO2-Al2O3 catalysts for n-pentane isomerization

The effects of adding rare earth(RE) metals,such as Ce,Yb and Pr to Ni-S_2O_8^(2-)/ZrO_2-Al_2O_3(Ni-SZA) on the structure of catalysts as well as their isomerization performance were studied.The prepared catalysts were characterized by XRD,BET,FT-IR,Py-IR,and H_2-TPR,The results showed that the addition of RE metals can increase the strength and amounts of the acid sites,improve the redox properties of catalysts.The Yb-Ni-SZA catalyst showed the best redox properties,which could provide enough metallic sites.In addition,it provided the largest amounts of weak and moderately strong acid sites.Among RE metals modified Ni-SZA catalyst,Yb-Ni-SZA exhibited the highest isopentane yield of 61.7%at 160 °C.The optimum isomerization catalytic performance of the catalysts decreased in the order of Yb-Ni-SZA > Pr-Ni-SZA > Ni-SZA > Ce-Ni-SZA.

Moon-based Earth observation:scientific concept and potential applications

Although Earth’s surface parameters obtained from satellite data have become more and more precise,it is still difficult to guarantee temporal consistency and spatial continuity for large-scale geoscience phenomena.Developing new Earth observation platforms is a feasible way to improve the consistency and continuity of such data.As the planet’s only natural satellite,the Moon has special advantages as a platform for observing Earth,including long lifetime,whole disk view,tectonic stability and unique perspective.After presenting the observation geometry constructed by using the ephemeris,this paper mainly discusses the characteristics of a lunar platform and the proper Moon-based sensors,as well as the scientific objectives of Moon-based Earth observation.Solid Earth dynamics,the energy budget of Earth,Earth’s environmental elements and the Earth-space environment are four potential applications analysed in this paper.

Rare earth metal doped CeO_2-based catalytic materials for diesel soot oxidation at lower temperatures

In this work, the influence of trivalent rare-earth dopants（Sm and La） on the structure-activity properties of CeO2 was thoroughly studied for diesel soot oxidation. For this, an optimized 40% of Sm and La was incorporated into the CeO2 using a facile coprecipitation method from ultra-high dilute aqueous solutions. A systematic physicochemical characterization was carried out using X-ray diffraction（XRD）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, Brumauer-Emmett-teller method（BET） surface area, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, Raman, and H2-temperature programmed reduction（TPR） techniques. The soot oxidation efficiency of the catalysts was investigated using a thermogravimetric method. The XRD results suggested the formation of nanocrystalline single phase CeO2-Sm2O3 and CeO2-La2O3 solid solutions. The Sm- and La-doped CeO2 materials exhibited smaller crystallite size and higher BET surface area compared with the pure CeO2. Owing to the difference in the oxidation states of the dopants（Sm3＋ and La3＋） and the Ce4＋, a number of oxygen vacancies were generated in CeO2-Sm2O3 and CeO2-La2O3 samples. The H2-TPR studies evidenced the improved reducible nature of the CeO2-Sm2O3 and CeO2-La2O3 samples compared with the CeO2. It was found that the addition of Sm and La to the CeO2 outstandingly enhanced its catalytic efficiency for the oxidation of diesel soot. The observed 50% soot conversion temperatures for the CeO2-Sm2O3, CeO2-La2O3 and CeO2 were ~790, 843 and 864 K（loose contact）, respectively, and similar activity order was also found under the tight contact condition. The high soot oxidation efficacy of the CeO2-Sm2O3 sample was attributed to numerous catalytically favourable properties, like smaller crystallite size, larger surface area, abundant oxygen vacancies, and superior reducible nature.

On the Nature of the P-Wave Velocity Gradient in the Inner Core beneath Central America

We conduct an experiment to investigate whether linearity in the observed velocity gradient in the volume of the inner core sampled by the PKP ray paths beneath Central America is a robust approximation. Instead of solving an optimization problem, we approach it within the Bayesian inference. This is an ensemble approach, where model specification is relaxed so that in- stead of only one solution, groups of reasonable models are acceptable. Furthermore, in transdimen- sional Bayesian inference used here, the number of basis functions needed to model observations is by itself an unknown. Our modeling reveals that in the ensemble of models, the most likely are those containing only 2 nodes （linear trend）. Thus our result justifies the assumption used for the deter- mination of inner core rotation with respect to the rest of the mantle that the observed gradient is constant in its nature （linear）. Recent observations in seismology suggest that it is likely that the spa- tial variability in elastic parameters is a widespread phenomenon in the inner core. Future array observations will further constrain spatial extent and magnitude of velocity changes and show whether there is a significant difference between these observations in the two quasi-hemispheres of the inner core.

Surface characteristics of Y3Al5O12：Ce^3＋ phosphor with greatly enhanced photoluminescence after chemical defect-selective etching

The surface of a commercial Y3Al5O12：Ce^3＋ phosphor was modified by 99% NH_4F＋CH_3COOH solution in a supersonic bath with water temperature of 80 oC for 4 h. The scanning electron microscopy（SEM） results showed that the edge angles were not as sharp as the unmodified particles and the flat surfaces turned rough with many micro-structures covered. Positron lifetime measurements quantitatively showed that surface defects were removed away by more than 50%. As a result, the photoluminescence determinations showed that the backscatter loss was reduced by 4.2% and the emission power was enhanced by 5.6% after the surface modification. The conversion efficiency was greatly improved from 47.3% to 51.1%, as presented by the fluorescence images. Therefore, it would be greatly helpful for the improvement of efficiency, transparency and stability of pc-LED. Moreover, this method was significantly suitable for mass production due to its easy operation and low cost.

Effect of hydration on the surface basicity and catalytic activity of Mg-rare earth mixed oxides for aldol condensation

Magnesium and rare earth mixed oxides（Mg3 REOx（RE=La, Y. Ce）） were prepared and characterized by Xray diffraction（XRD）, N_2 adsorption-desorption, infrared spectra and microcalorimetry of CO_2. The results reveal that the Mg_3 CeO_x catalyst is present in the form of Mg-Ce-O solid solution,while the Mg3 LaOx and Mg_3 YO_x catalysts are probably rare earth oxides dispersed on MgO surface. As a result, among the calcined Mg_3 REO_x catalysts, the Mg_3 CeO_x catalyst presents the highest rate constant for acetone aldolization, which is well correlated to its more homogeneous distribution of basic sites. In contrary, the Mg_3 YO_x catalyst exhibit the lowest catalytic activity for acetone aldolization. Upon hydration pre-treatment, the basic properties on the surface of the Mg_3 REO_x catalysts were changed markedly. The Mg_3 YO_x catalyst after hydration treatment shows the highest amount of basic sites on catalyst surface, and then exhibits the highest activity among the hydrated Mg_3 REO_x catalysts. These results make it possible to fine-tune basic sites for acetone aldolization.