Upper mantle P wave velocity structure of the northern part of China and Mongolia

The average upper mantle P wave velocity structure and lateral heterogeneity in the northern part of China and Mongolia are investigated by waveform inversion of broadband body waveform data recorded by CDSN and digital stations around China. The average model has a low P wave velocity lid (about 7.8～8.0 km·s -1 ) with thickness about 60 km, and two discontinuities with velocity jumps of 0.29 km·s -1 and 0.55 km·s -1 at depth of 410 km and 665 km respectively. In the Jungger basin, the P wave velocity of uppermost mantle is about 7.7 km·s -1 . The lid thickness (90～100 km) and velocity gradient (average gradient is greater than 0.005 5/s) are large. At the depth of 140 km the P wave velocity reaches to 8.2 km·s -1 . Near in Baikal, the lid is about 30 km thick with average P wave velocity of 8.00～8.05 km·s -1 .

Satellite observations of coastal upwelling in the northern Arafura Sea

Coastal upwelling is significant for marine ecosystems by lifting nutrient-rich deep waters into the euphotic zone,thereby increasing primary and secondary productivity.The satellite observations show that the northern Arafura Sea(NAS),especially in the coastal region,features high chlorophyll-a(chl-a)concentrations,implying a strong coastal upwelling.However,coastal upwelling in the NAS has not received much attention.Based on a semi-automatic image processing technology,the seasonal and interannual variability of coastal upwelling in the NAS are investigated in this study using satellite-observed sea surface temperature(SST)and wind data.The results suggest that there are seasonal coastal upwelling events in the NAS modulated by upwelling-favorable southeast monsoon(SEM).The annual mean days,mean area,and annual mean intensity of coastal upwelling events during the SEM season are 92 days,6514 km^(2),and-5.31×10^(5),respectively,while the corresponding values during the northwest monsoon(NWM)season are 32 days,5569 km^(2),and-1.41×10^(5).It is also found that the SEM coastal upwelling in the NAS displays prominent interannual variability.The strong upwelling events are found in 2010,2013,2016,and 2017 when the southeast monsoon winds were weaker.Further analysis suggests that at the interannual scale,the upwelling index(UI)averaged in the SEM season is negatively correlated with that of three upwelling indicators.This can be attributed to the limitation of onshore geostrophic flow which is evidenced by the negative correlation between the UI and the alongshore difference in sea surface height.This study highlights the important role of the southeast monsoon in the temporal variability of coastal upwelling in the NAS.

Seasonal evolution of the Northern Yellow Sea cold water mass

With the in-situ temperature and salinity observations taken seasonally in the Northern Yellow Sea area during the National 908 Water Investigation and Research Project from 2006 to 2007, the characteristics of the Northern Yellow Sea cold water mass （NYSCWM） were studied, including both its spatial pattern over the whole bottom and historically typical section from Dalian to Chengshantou. Seasonal evolution as well as its spatial distribution was analyzed to further understand the NYSCWM, as a result, some new features about the NYSCWM had been found. Compared to the previous studies, the center of colder water mass in summer moved eastward, but sharing the similar peak values for both temperature and salinity with historical data. In spring, the axis of 32.8 psu saltier moves westward approximately 75 km and the high salinity areas beyond 123.5° E were largely impaired comparing to that in winter. In winter, the NYSCWM almost disappeared due to the reinforced wind-induced mixing and the Yellow Sea Warm Currents （YSWC） moved northward and controlled most of the Northern Yellow Sea region. In autumn, two cold centers with the peak value of 9℃ were found inside the attenuated NYSCWM.

Study on Land Suitability Evaluation in the northern China Crop-pasture Band

Basing on the limiting factor method and Composite Index method,for the northern China crop-pasture band,the authors established the system of evaluation index,and abstracted the dominant factor,then through applying expert grade and weighing way the suitability of grids are evaluated,the results showed that：without the input of a large number of cash,most of the area was not suitable for farming,and more appropriate area for farming was only 8.45% of total area,mainly located in the southeast and southwest of the study area,followed by the study area in the northeast,areas that was not suitable for farming mainly in the middle of the east,large areas of central and western regions.

The Possible Effect of Climate Warming on Northern Limits of Cropping System and Crop Yield in China

Significantly increasing temperature since the 1980s in China has become a consensus under the background of global climate change and how climate change affects agriculture or even cropping systems has attracted more and more attention from Chinese government and scientists. In this study, the possible effects of climate warming on the national northern limits of cropping systems, the northern limits of winter wheat and double rice, and the stable-yield northern limits of rainfed winter wheat-summer maize rotation in China from 1981 to 2007 were analyzed. Also, the possible change of crop yield caused by planting limits displacement during the periods 1950s-1981 and 1981-2007 was compared and discussed. The recognized calculation methods of agricultural climatic indices were employed. According to the indices of climatic regionalization for cropping systems, the national northern limits of cropping systems, winter wheat and double rice, and the stable-yield northern limits of rainfed winter wheat-summer maize rotation during two periods, including the 1950s-1980 and 1981-2007, were drawn with ArcGIS software. Compared with the situation during the 1950s- 1980, the northern limits of double cropping system during 1981-2007 showed significant spatial displacement in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, and Liaoning provinces and Beijing municipality, China. The northern limits of triple cropping system showed the maximum spatial displacement in Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces, China. Without considering variety change and social economic factors, the per unit area grain yield of main planting patterns would increase about 54-106% if single cropping system was replaced by double cropping system, which turned out to be 27- 58% if double cropping system was replaced by triple cropping system. In Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai provinces, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia autonomous regions, China, the northern limits of winter wheat during 1981-2007 moved northward and expanded westward in different degrees, compared with those during the 1950s-1980. Taking Hebei Province as an example, the northern limits of winter wheat moved northward, and the per unit area grain yield would averagely increase about 25% in the change region if the spring wheat was replaced by winter wheat. In Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, and Hunan provinces, China, the planting northern limits of double rice moved northward, and the per unit area grain yield would increase in different degrees only from the perspective of heat resource. The stable- yield northern limits of rainfed winter wheat-summer maize rotation moved southeastward in most regions, which was caused by the decrease of local precipitation in recent years. During the past 50 yr, climate warming made the national northern limits of cropping systems move northward in different degrees, the northern limits of winter wheat and double rice both moved northward, and the cropping system change would cause the increase of per unit area grain yield in the change region. However, the stable-yield northern limits of rainfed winter wheat-summer maize rotation moved southeastward due to the decrease of precipitation.

Studies on the Northern Early Summer Teleconnection Patterns, Their Interannual Variations and Relation to Drought / Flood in China

By using the one-point correlation method, calculations have been made of the northern early summer 500 hPa teleconnection patterns. Seven teleconnection patterns are revealed, namely, the Western Atlantic (WA), the Eastern Atlantic (EA), the Eurasian (EU), the Bengal / Northern Pacific (BNP), the Western Pacific (WP), the East Asian / Pacific (EAP), and the Huanghe / East Asian (HEA) patterns. Their centers are determined and their yearly intensity indices (1951-1990) are calculated. On this basis the relationship between their interannual variations and the drought / flood in China is examined. It is noted that the EU, HEA and EAP wave trains are closely related to the drought / flood in China. The HEA and EAP patterns strongly influence the precipitation in eastern China. For example, the fierce floods experienced in 1991 early summer over China are related to the weak EAP and strong HEA patterns.

Response of ecosystem service value to land use/cover change in the northern slope economic belt of the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China

Land use/cover change(LUCC)is becoming more and more frequent and extensive as a result of human activities,and is expected to have a major impact on human welfare by altering ecosystem service value(ESV).In this study,we utilized remote sensing images and statistical data to explore the spatial-temporal changes of land use/cover types and ESV in the northern slope economic belt of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China from 1975 to 2018.During the study period,LUCC in the study region varied significantly.Except grassland and unused land,all the other land use/cover types(cultivated land,forestland,waterbody,and construction land)increased in areas.From 1975 to 2018,the spatial-temporal variations in ESV were also pronounced.The total ESV decreased by 4.00×10^(8) CNY,which was primarily due to the reductions in the areas of grassland and unused land.Waterbody had a much higher ESV than the other land use/cover types.Ultimately,understanding the impact of LUCC on ESV and the interactions among ESV of different land use/cover types will help improve existing land use policies and provide scientific basis for developing new conservation strategies for ecologically fragile areas.

Analyses of the long-term salinity variability in the Bohai Sea and the northern Huanghai (Yellow) Sea

Based on the comprehensive collection of the field observed salinity of the Bohai Sea （BHS） and the northern Huanghai Sea （NHS） from the 1950s to the present, the patterns of 10-years-averaged salinity at the different layers in the recent five decades （the 1950s, the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s） are obtained by the spatial-temporal interpolation technique with the scrupulous data quality control in this study. Then, by combining the spatial-temporal interpolation technique with successive correction method, the annual distributions of salinity both in the BHS and in the NHS are obtained as well. The data analyses indicate that the overall salinity in the BHS and the NHS increases from the 1960s till the present, with the increase of annual mean salinity of 0.04 psu from the 1950s, and the maximum increase rate of salinity is about 0.14 psu/a in the Bohai Bay. The high salinity tongue extended significantly from the NHS into the BHS. The intensified eastern wind field is related to the western intrusion of the NHS warm current, which probably leads to the moving forward of the high salinity water mass into the BHS. However, it is rather different from the salinity distribution characteristics between the 1950s and the 1960s. The extensive precipitation in the 1960s could lead to an increase in the discharge of the Huanghe River, which might result in the decrease of salinity in the BHS. But the salinity isoline of 32 in the NHS still extended significantly into the BHS in the 1960s. Since the 1980s, the patterns of salinity distribution have changed thoroughly. The salinity in the central area of the BHS was low, while the salinity in the Bohai Bay and the Liaodong Bay was higher than the other regions with its horizontal salinity gradient decreasing in the 1980s. The Empirical Orthogonal Function Analysis （EOF） is also conducted to study the interannual salinity variability of the BHS and the NHS. The correlation coefficient between the time coefficient series of the main mode and the Huanghe River discharge can reach-64.57%. It can be concluded that salinity variation of the BHS and the NHS has strong negative correlation with the Huanghe River discharge.

Temporal and spatial responses of ecological resilience to climate change and human activities in the economic belt on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, China

In the Anthropocene era,human activities have become increasingly complex and diversified.The natural ecosystems need higher ecological resilience to ensure regional sustainable development due to rapid urbanization and industrialization as well as other intensified human activities,especially in arid and semi-arid areas.In the study,we chose the economic belt on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains(EBNSTM)in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China as a case study.By collecting geographic data and statistical data from 2010 and 2020,we constructed an ecological resilience assessment model based on the ecosystem habitat quality(EHQ),ecosystem landscape stability(ELS),and ecosystem service value(ESV).Further,we analyzed the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of ecological resilience in the EBNSTM from 2010 to 2020 by spatial autocorrelation analysis,and explored its responses to climate change and human activities using the geographically weighted regression(GWR)model.The results showed that the ecological resilience of the EBNSTM was at a low level and increased from 0.2732 to 0.2773 during 2010–2020.The spatial autocorrelation analysis of ecological resilience exhibited a spatial heterogeneity characteristic of"high in the western region and low in the eastern region",and the spatial clustering trend was enhanced during the study period.Desert,Gobi and rapidly urbanized areas showed low level of ecological resilience,and oasis and mountain areas exhibited high level of ecological resilience.Climate factors had an important impact on ecological resilience.Specifically,average annual temperature and annual precipitation were the key climate factors that improved ecological resilience,while average annual evapotranspiration was the main factor that blocked ecological resilience.Among the human activity factors,the distance from the main road showed a negative correlation with ecological resilience.Both night light index and PM2.5 concentration were negatively correlated with ecological resilience in the areas with better ecological conditions,whereas in the areas with poorer ecological conditions,the correlations were positive.The research findings could provide a scientific reference for protecting the ecological environment and promoting the harmony and stability of the human-land relationship in arid and semi-arid areas.

Variation in downwelling diffuse attenuation coefficient in the northern South China Sea

The diffuse attenuation coefficient for downwelling irradiance(Kd(λ)) is an important parameter for ocean studies.Based on the optical profile data measured during three cruises in the northern South China Sea in autumn from 2003 to 2005,variations in the Kd(λ) spectra were analyzed.The variability of Kd(λ) shows much distinct features in both magnitude and spectra pattern,it is much higher in coastal waters than that of open oceanic waters;and the blue-to-green(443/555) ratio of Kd(λ) tends to increase with chlorophyll a concentration([Chl-a]) from open ocean to coastal waters.These characteristics can be explained most by the increase of aw+p(443)/aw+p(555) with [Chl-a].In short waveband,the relation between Kd(λ)-Kw(λ) and [Chl-a] can be well described by a power law function,indicating the large contribution of phytoplankton to the variations in Kd(λ).As for the spectral model of the diffuse attenuation coefficient,there are good linear relationships between Kd(490) and Kd(λ) in other wavelengths with own slope and intercept of a linear functions in the spectral range 412-555 nm.Kd(490) is well correlated with the spectral ratio of remote sensing reflectance;and should enough measurement data are given,this empirical algorithm would be used in the Kd(λ) retrieval from ocean color satellite data.The variation in Kd(λ) provides much useful information for us to study the bio-optical property in the northern South China Sea.

An analysis of oasis stability in arid areas:a case study in the northern slope areas of the Tianshan Mountains

This paper discusses oasis stability at regional scale with a case study in the northern slope areas of the Tianshan Mountains (NSTM). The results showed certain significant aspects. (1) As long as water resources in the oasis keep stable and their utilization efficiency can be maintained or gradually increased, the primary productivity could be continuously increased and the natural primary productivity keeped relatively stable. In this case, it is considered that the oasis is stable and its sustainable development can be achieved at regional scale. (2) Considering the availability of water resources in the oases, the oases on the alluvial-diluvial fans are highly stable. In the alluvial plain downstream of the groundwater overflowing zones the oases are moderately stable and in the lacustrine deltas or dry lacustrine deltas the oases are lowly stable. (3) Enlargement of oases and the increase of water resources and vegetation coverage in the oasis will certainly enhance the 'cold-island effect' of the oasis and increase the stability of oases.

Seasonality of the Interaction between Convection over the Western Pacific and General Circulation in the Northern Hemisphere

The seasonality of the interaction between convection over the western Pacific and general circulation in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) is analyzed in the present paper with singular value decomposition (SVD) and empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis approaches, based on 500 hPa monthly mean geopotential height data and high-cloud amount data. The analyses demonstrate that coupled dominant patterns in the interaction between the convection over the western Pacific and the general circulation in NH are different in various seasons. In spring, the convection over the western Pacific is closely related with the western Atlantic (WA) and North Pacific (NP) like patterns of the general circulation in NH, and some associations between the WA and NP like patterns and the El Ni o /Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle are also existed. The Pacific Japan (PJ) pattern is the dominant pattern in the interaction between the interannual variabilities of the convection over the western Pacific and the general circulation in NH summer. The WA like pattern and 3-4 year period oscillation are also relatively obvious for the summer case. In autumn, the convection over the western Pacific is closely linked with the Eurasian (EU) like pattern and the Atlantic oscillation in the general circulation in NH, it is suggested that in autumn the variation of convective activity over the western Pacific is largely affected by the general circulation anomaly (cold air from high latitudes ) through EU like teleconnection pattern. Abrupt change happened by the end of 1980′s in the autumn interaction. The strong interaction between the western Pacific (WP) and EU like patterns in the general circulation in NH and the convection over the western Pacific and a linear trend of increasing of this interaction are also suggested in winter. It is also demonstrated that the interaction in summer and winter is stronger than in the transition seasons (spring and autumn).

Effects of islands and downslope seafloors on underwater noise in the northern South China Sea during a typhoon

The correlation of ambient noise with wind speed,and the depth dependence of ambient noise are both investigated,where the ocean noise data were recorded by a vertical line array in the northern South China Sea.It is shown that the correlation coefficients increase with increasing hydrophone depth during typhoon periods when the frequency≥250 Hz,which opposes the generally accepted knowledge that the correlation coefficients of noise level and wind speed decrease with increasing depth during non-typhoon periods.Particularly at frequencies of 250 Hz,315 Hz and 400 Hz,the correlation coefficients increase by more than 0.05 at depths ranging from 155 m to 875 m.At the three frequencies,the average noise levels also increase with increasing depth during typhoon periods.It is suggested that these differences are attributed to the wind-generated noise in shallow waters and the effect of"downslope enhancement"to sound propagation.During typhoon periods,the surf breaking and surf beat upon the shores and reefs are strengthened,and the source levels are increased.The wind-generated noise in shallow waters interacts with the downslope sea floor,with the noise-depth distribution changed by a"downslope enhancement"effect promoting noise propagation.

A ca. 2.2Ga Acidic Magmatic Event at the Northern Margin of the Yangtze Craton: Evidence from U-Pb Dating and Hf Isotope Analysis of Zircons from the Kongling Complex

Objective The Yangtze craton collisional orogeny at ca. extensional events at ca. 1 experienced Paleoproterozoic 1.95-2.0 Ga and post-orogenic 85 Ga related to amalgamation of the Columbia （Nuna） supercontinent （Zhao and Cawood, 2012）. A ca. 2.15 Ga suprasubduction zone ophiolitic melange was recongized in the Archean- Paleoproterozoic Kongling Complex of the northern Yangtze craton （Han et al., 2017）. However, the tectonic evolution in early Paleoproterozoic from 2.4 Ga to 2.2 Ga remains unclear. We report here the presence of a suite of Paleoproterozoic （2.2 Ga） granites in the Huangling dome, northern Yangtze craton, which may provide important insights into crustal growth processes in the craton prior to the assembly of Columbia.

Typhoon-induced wind waves in the northern East China Sea during two typhoon events:the impact of wind field and wave-current interaction

We examined the influences of the wind fi eld and wave-current interaction(WCI)on the numerical simulation results of typhoon-induced wind waves in the northern East China Sea(NECS)using the coupled Simulating Waves Nearshore+Advanced Circulation(SWAN+ADCIRC)model.The simulations were performed during two typhoon events(Lekima and Muifa),and two widely used reanalysis wind fields,the Climate Forecast System Version 2(CFSv2)from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)and the fifth-generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF)Reanalysis(ERA5),were compared.The results indicate that the ERA5 and CFSv2 wind fields both reliably reproduced the wind variations measured by in-situ buoys,and the accuracy of the winds from ERA5 were generally better than those from CFSv2 because CFSv2 tended to overestimate the wind speed and the simulated significant wave height(SWH),particularly the peak SWH.The WCI effects between the two wind field simulations were similar;these effects enhanced the SWH throughout the nearshore NECS during both typhoons but suppressed the SWH on the right side of the Typhoon Muifa track in the deep and off shore sea areas.In summary,variations in the water depth and current propagation direction dominate the modulation of wave height.

Desertification Direction of the Northern Margin of Hobq Desert

The Hobq Desert, located in the northern Ordos Plateau is a typical in-situ desertification desert, which is quite different in characteristics and genesis from the Tengger Desert to the west and Muus Desert to the south. The northern margin of Hobq Desert is strictly constrained to the south bank of the Yellow River. This relationship between deserts and rivers indicates that desertification may cause passive migration of river channels（Fig, la）.

Tectonic Nature of the Northern Segment of the Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt:A Rift or Continental Collision Belt?

Objective The tectonic characteristics and evolution of the Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji belt have been extensively studied in recent decades （Fig. 1 a）. Two main models have been proposed for the formation of this belt： a continental-or arc-continent collisional belt, and the opening and closure of an intra-continental rift. The main reasons for these ongoing debates are own to the complex composition, including metamorphosed volcano-sedimentary rocks, multiple pulses of granitic magmatism, meta-mafic intrusions, and tectono- metamorphic history. In addition, earlier work focused on the geochronology and metamorphic evolution, whereas the source properties, petrogenesis, and tectonic setting of the metamorphosed volcano-sedimentary sequence and meta- mafic intrusions are poorly understood.

The Carboniferous at the Northern Foot of the Dabie Mountains and Its Tectonic Implications

In the Qinling orogenic belt. oceanic crust originated in the Early Palaeozoic. while the product of conti-nental collision appeared as late as after the Triassic. The Late Palaeozoic records there are of major impor-tance for understanding the tectonic regime at that time. The Carboniferous and even Permian sequences andthe distribution of sedimentary facies in northern Huaiyang indicate that the rocks were formed in a large basinopening towards the south. Regional stratigraphic correlation shows that the interior of the Qinling orogenicbelt was a sea trough lying between the Yangtze and North China plates in the middle part of the LatePalaeozoic. With subsequent northward migration of the South China Sea, the two seas were connected witheach other. Both the melanges and the Dabie block ia the eastern sector of the Qinling belt were formed in theMesozoic ?.

The sea/land breeze in the northern coastal area of Shandong Peninsula

In this paper the seasonal variation and structural characteristics of the sea/ land breeze in the northern coastal area of' Shandong Peninsula are studied in two ways: one is the analysis of the observed wind data, and the other is numerical simulation and experiments. Firstly, the hour to hour wind data through the year 1984 at Longkou Meteorological Station and Yantai Oceanographic Station are analysed through energy spectra and hodograph. It is revealed from the analysed results that the effects of the sea/ land breeze in the area are notable in spring, summer and fall, especially in May. However, in winter the effects of sea / land breeze are not obvious. because the cold noitherly is prevailing. Secondly, a two-dimensional non- linear model of primitive equations is used to study the sea / land breeze circulation in May in the area. The results of numerical simulation consist basically with the analysed results of the observed sea / land breeze. A reasonable theoretical structure of the sea / land breeze circulation is displayed, and a new undeerslanding of the developmental mechanism of land breeze circulation in that area is obtained. Lastly, numerical experiments about the effects of large scale wind and temperature fields upon the sea / land breeze circulation are performed.

The Major Two-stage Shortening Deformation of the Northern Tibet and Tian Shan Area Since the Latest Oligocene

It seems to be progressively recognized that the stress of the India-Asia convergent front can be transferred rapidly through the southern and central Tibetan lithosphere to the northern Tibet, hence leading to the crustal thickening deformation there during or immediately after the onset of the India-Asia collision（ca.55 Ma）.This study focuses on the late Cenozoic deformation and tectonic uplift of the northern Tibet and Tian Shan area.Detailed compilations of a variety of proxy data from sediments and bedrocks suggest that the northern Tibet and Tian Shan area underwent one stage of approximately synchronous widespread contractile deformation since 25–20 Ma, which seemed to decrease at circa 18 Ma as revealed by low-temperature thermochronological data.The latest Oligocene-early Miocene was also significant basin-forming episodes when many intermontane subbasins began to receive syntectonic sedimentation in the northeastern Tibet.Subsequently, the other phase of compressional deformation began to encroach more widely into the northern Tibet and Tian Shan area in episodic steps or continuously from 16–12 Ma to present.