Role of the Greenland Sea ice anomaly in the late-spring drought over Northwest China

Drought across Northwest China in late spring has exerted a vital effect on the local climate and agricultural production,and has been alleviated during the past decades.This study explored the influence of the preceding Arctic sea ice on the May drought in Northwest China caused by the precipitation deficit.Further analysis indicated that when the Greenland Sea ice concentration is abnormally high during February to April,the dry conditions in Northwest China tend to be alleviated.The increase of sea ice in the Greenland Sea can excite a meridional circulation,which causes sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies in the North Atlantic via the sea-air interaction,manifested as significant warm SST anomalies over the south of Greenland and the subtropical North Atlantic,but negative SST anomalies over the west of the Azores.This abnormal SST pattern maintains to May and triggers a zonal wave train from the North Atlantic through Scandinavia and Central Asia to Northwest China,leading to abnormal cyclones in Northwest China.Consequently,Northwest China experiences a more humid climate than usual.

中国戏曲对外传播中的媒介形象建构——基于China Daily相关英文报道的分析

本研究收集China Daily2019至2022年有关中国戏曲的英文报道,自建英文语料库,从语篇层面进行分析发现,China Daily建构的中国戏曲形象主要表现为历史悠久、种类丰富、底蕴深厚、认可广泛、官方重视、传播主体多元化、受众年轻化、传播形式创新化、“戏曲+旅游”融合发展、戏曲助力乡村振兴等特征,为对外展示真实、立体、全面的中国发挥了积极作用。

主流媒体短视频传播中的国家形象建构研究——以中国网短视频节目《中国三分钟(China Mosaic)》为例

以中国网账号发布在境外社交媒体平台Facebook上的节目《中国三分钟(China Mosaic)》为例,使用Python工具软件抓取得到评论数据样本,能很好地分析海外受众对主题类型的关注偏向和态度取向。从整体上看,海外受众对我国国家形象呈现出积极认可的态度,主要表现为:高度肯定我国的经济实力和科教发展成果,赞许我大国外交所起到的作用和经济建设成就,向往中华优秀传统文化等。但由于意识形态、东西方认知的差异,在海外受众的评论中也存在一些杂音,需要我们理性对待、主动消弭。在对外传播中,要用海外受众乐于接受的话语表达方式、共通的符号,从大处着眼、小处入手讲述中国故事,掌握议题设置的主动权,传播好中国声音。

文旅产业国际传播策略优化研究——基于YouTube#China travel视频用户评论语料分析

目的:了解外国游客对现有中国旅游业的评价与态度,是优化“媒体+文旅”形势下国际传播效果及文旅产业建设的重要佐证。方法:通过使用Gooseeker工具对YouTube #China travel和#144-hour标签下热门视频用户评价进行爬取和分析。结果:从受众视角揭示了我国现有文旅产业国际传播的现状及效果,为优化中国文旅产业国际传播策略提供数据支持。结论:面对外国社交媒体平台上“China travel”的爆火,我国的文旅产业建设及国际传播推广应从情感角度入手,把握受众的评价与态度,借助媒体融合的发展趋势建立细分化的国际传播矩阵。

Epidemiological and clinical features,treatment status,and economic burden of traumatic spinal cord injury in China:a hospital-based retrospective study

Traumatic spinal cord injury is potentially catastrophic and can lead to permanent disability or even death.China has the largest population of patients with traumatic spinal cord injury.Previous studies of traumatic spinal cord injury in China have mostly been regional in scope;national-level studies have been rare.To the best of our knowledge,no national-level study of treatment status and economic burden has been performed.This retrospective study aimed to examine the epidemiological and clinical features,treatment status,and economic burden of traumatic spinal cord injury in China at the national level.We included 13,465 traumatic spinal cord injury patients who were injured between January 2013 and December 2018 and treated in 30 hospitals in 11 provinces/municipalities representing all geographical divisions of China.Patient epidemiological and clinical features,treatment status,and total and daily costs were recorded.Trends in the percentage of traumatic spinal cord injuries among all hospitalized patients and among patients hospitalized in the orthopedic department and cost of care were assessed by annual percentage change using the Joinpoint Regression Program.The percentage of traumatic spinal cord injuries among all hospitalized patients and among patients hospitalized in the orthopedic department did not significantly change overall(annual percentage change,-0.5%and 2.1%,respectively).A total of 10,053(74.7%)patients underwent surgery.Only 2.8%of patients who underwent surgery did so within 24 hours of injury.A total of 2005(14.9%)patients were treated with high-dose(≥500 mg)methylprednisolone sodium succinate/methylprednisolone(MPSS/MP);615(4.6%)received it within 8 hours.The total cost for acute traumatic spinal cord injury decreased over the study period(-4.7%),while daily cost did not significantly change(1.0%increase).Our findings indicate that public health initiatives should aim at improving hospitals’ability to complete early surgery within 24 hours,which is associated with improved sensorimotor recovery,increasing the awareness rate of clinical guidelines related to high-dose MPSS/MP to reduce the use of the treatment with insufficient evidence.

How do the landslide and non-landslide sampling strategies impact landslide susceptibility assessment? d A catchment-scale case study from China

The aim of this study is to investigate the impacts of the sampling strategy of landslide and non-landslide on the performance of landslide susceptibility assessment(LSA).The study area is the Feiyun catchment in Wenzhou City,Southeast China.Two types of landslides samples,combined with seven non-landslide sampling strategies,resulted in a total of 14 scenarios.The corresponding landslide susceptibility map(LSM)for each scenario was generated using the random forest model.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and statistical indicators were calculated and used to assess the impact of the dataset sampling strategy.The results showed that higher accuracies were achieved when using the landslide core as positive samples,combined with non-landslide sampling from the very low zone or buffer zone.The results reveal the influence of landslide and non-landslide sampling strategies on the accuracy of LSA,which provides a reference for subsequent researchers aiming to obtain a more reasonable LSM.

Deep-large faults controlling on the distribution of the venting gas hydrate system in the middle of the Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea

Many locations with concentrated hydrates at vents have confirmed the presence of abundant thermogenic gas in the middle of the Qiongdongnan Basin(QDNB).However,the impact of deep structures on gasbearing fluids migration and gas hydrates distribution in tectonically inactive regions is still unclear.In this study,the authors apply high-resolution 3D seismic and logging while drilling(LWD)data from the middle of the QDNB to investigate the influence of deep-large faults on gas chimneys and preferred gasescape pipes.The findings reveal the following:(1)Two significant deep-large faults,F1 and F2,developed on the edge of the Songnan Low Uplift,control the dominant migration of thermogenic hydrocarbons and determine the initial locations of gas chimneys.(2)The formation of gas chimneys is likely related to fault activation and reactivation.Gas chimney 1 is primarily arises from convergent fluid migration resulting from the intersection of the two faults,while the gas chimney 2 benefits from a steeper fault plane and shorter migration distance of fault F2.(3)Most gas-escape pipes are situated near the apex of the two faults.Their reactivations facilitate free gas flow into the GHSZ and contribute to the formation of fracture‐filling hydrates.

Mangrove wetlands distribution status identification, changing trend analyzation and carbon storage assessment of China

This research investigates the ecological importance,changes,and status of mangrove wetlands along China’s coastline.Visual interpretation,geological surveys,and ISO clustering unsupervised classification methods are employed to interpret mangrove distribution from remote sensing images from 2021,utilizing ArcGIS software platform.Furthermore,the carbon storage capacity of mangrove wetlands is quantified using the carbon storage module of InVEST model.Results show that the mangrove wetlands in China covered an area of 278.85 km2 in 2021,predominantly distributed in Hainan,Guangxi,Guangdong,Fujian,Zhejiang,Taiwan,Hong Kong,and Macao.The total carbon storage is assessed at 2.11×10^(6) t,with specific regional data provided.Trends since the 1950s reveal periods of increase,decrease,sharp decrease,and slight-steady increases in mangrove areas in China.An important finding is the predominant replacement of natural coastlines adjacent to mangrove wetlands by artificial ones,highlighting the need for creating suitable spaces for mangrove restoration.This study is poised to guide future mangroverelated investigations and conservation strategies.

China stroke surveillance report 2021

Since 2015,stroke has become the leading cause of death and disability in China,posing a significant threat to the health of its citizens as a major chronic non-communicable disease.According to the China Stroke High-risk Population Screening and Intervention Program,an estimated 17.8 million[95%confidence interval(CI)17.6–18.0million]adults in China had experienced a stroke in 2020,with 3.4 million(95%CI 3.3–3.5 million)experiencing their first-ever stroke and another 2.3 million(95%CI 2.2–2.4 million)dying as a result.Additionally,approximately 12.5%(95%CI 12.4%–12.5%)of stroke survivors were left disabled,as defined by a modified Rankin Scale score greater than 1,equating to 2.2 million(95%CI 2.1–2.2 million)stroke-related disabilities in 2020.As the population ages and the prevalence of risk factors like diabetes,hypertension,and hyperlipidemia continues to rise and remains poorly controlled,the burden of stroke in China is also increasing.A large national epidemiological survey initiated by the China Hypertension League in 2017 showed that the prevalence of hypertension was 24.7%;the awareness,treatment,and control rates in hypertensive patients were:60.1%,42.5%,and 25.4%,respectively.A nationally representative sample of the Chinese mainland population showed that the weighted prevalence of total diabetes diagnosed by the American Diabetes Association criteria was 12.8%,suggesting there are 120 million adults with diabetes in China,and the awareness,treatment,and control rates in diabetic patients were:43.3%,49.0%,and 49.4%,respectively.The“Sixth National Health Service Statistical Survey Report in 2018”showed that the proportion of the obese population in China was 37.4%,an increase of 7.2 points from 2013.Data from 1599 hospitals in the Hospital Quality Monitoring System and Bigdata Observatory Platform for Stroke of China(BOSC)showed that a total of 3,418,432 stroke cases[mean age±standard error(SE)was(65.700±0.006)years,and 59.1%were male]were admitted during 2020.Of those,over 80.0%(81.9%)were ischemic stroke(IS),14.9%were intracerebral hemorrhage(ICH)strokes,and 3.1%were subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH)strokes.The mean±SE of hospitalization expenditures was Chinese Yuan(CNY)(16,975.6±16.3),ranging from(13,310.1±12.8)in IS to(81,369.8±260.7)in SAH,and out-of-pocket expenses were(5788.9±8.6),ranging from(4449.0±6.6)in IS to(30,778.2±156.8)in SAH.It was estimated that the medical cost of hospitalization for stroke in 2020 was CNY 58.0 billion,of which the patient pays approximately CNY 19.8 billion.In-hospital death/discharge against medical advice rate was 9.2%(95%CI 9.2%–9.2%),ranging from 6.4%(95%CI 6.4%–6.5%)for IS to 21.8%(95%CI 21.8%–21.9%)for ICH.From 2019 to 2020,the information about 188,648 patients with acute IS receiving intravenous thrombolytic therapy(IVT),49,845 patients receiving mechanical thrombectomy(MT),and 14,087 patients receiving bridging(IVT+MT)were collected through BOSC.The incidence of intracranial hemorrhage during treatment was 3.2%(95%CI 3.2%–3.3%),7.7%(95%CI 7.5%–8.0%),and 12.9%(95%CI 12.3%–13.4%),respectively.And in-hospital death/discharge against medical advice rate was 8.9%(95%CI 8.8%–9.0%),16.5%(95%CI 16.2%–16.9%),and 16.8%(95%CI 16.2%–17.4%),respectively.A prospective nationwide hospital-based study was conducted at 231 stroke base hospitals(Level III)from 31 provinces in China through BOSC from January 2019to December 2020 and 136,282 stroke patients were included and finished 12-month follow-up.Of those,over 86.9%were IS,10.8%were ICH strokes,and 2.3%were SAH strokes.The disability rate[%(95%CI)]in survivors of stroke at 3-month and 12-month was 14.8%(95%CI 14.6%–15.0%)and 14.0%(95%CI 13.8%–14.2%),respectively.The mortality rate[%(95%CI)]of stroke at 3-month and 12-month was 4.2%(95%CI 4.1%–4.3%)and 8.5%(95%CI 8.4%–8.6%),respectively.The recurrence rate[%(95%CI)]of stroke at 3-month and 12-month was 3.6%(95%CI 3.5%–3.7%)and 5.6%(95%CI 5.4%–5.7%),respectively.The Healthy China 2030 Stroke Action Plan was launched as part of this review,and the above data provide valuable guidelines for future stroke prevention and treatment efforts in China.

Cancer incidence and mortality in China,2022

Background:The National Cancer Center(NCC)of China regularly reports the nationwide statistics on cancer incidence and mortality in China.The International Agency for Research on Cancer(IARC)calculates and publishes the cancer burden of countries around the world every two years.To ensure consistency between the actual surveillance data in China and the data published by IARC,NCC has received approval from the National Health Commission and IARC to simultaneously release the cancer burden data for China in GLOBOCAN 2022.Methods:There were a total of 700 registries reporting high-quality data on cancer incidence and mortality across China in 2018,of which 106 registries with continuous monitoring from 2010 to 2018 were used to establish an age-period-cohort model to simulate the trend of cancer incidence and mortality and to estimate the incidence and mortality in China in 2022.In addition,we analyzed the temporal trends of age-standardized cancer incidence and mortality from 2000 to 2018 using data from 22 continuous cancer registries.Results:It was estimated about 4,824,700 new cancer cases and 2,574,200 new cancer deaths occurred in China in 2022.Cancers of the lung,colon-rectum,thyroid,liver and stomach were the top five cancer types,accounting for 57.42%of new cancer cases.Cancers of the lung,liver,stomach,colon-rectum and esophagus were the five leading causes of cancer deaths,accounting for 67.50%of total cancer deaths.The crude rate and age-standardized incidence rate(ASIR)were 341.75 per 100,000 and 201.61 per 100,000,respectively.The crude mortality rate was 182.34 per 100,000 and the age-standardized mortality rate(ASMR)was 96.47 per 100,000.The ASIR of all cancers combined increased by approximately 1.4%per year during 2000–2018,while the ASMR decreased by approximately 1.3%per year.We observed decreasing trends in ASIR and ASMR for cancers of the esophagus,stomach,and liver,whereas the ASIR increased significantly for cancers of the thyroid,prostate,and cervix.Conclusions:Cancer remains a major public health concern in China,with a cancer profile that reflects the coexistence of developed and developing regions.Sustained implementation of prevention and control measures has resulted in significant reductions in the incidence and mortality rates of certain historically high incidence cancers,such as esophageal,stomach and liver cancers.Adherence to the guidelines of the Healthy China Action Plan and the Cancer Prevention and Control Action Plan,along with continued efforts in comprehensive risk factor control,cancer screening,early diagnosis and treatment,and standardization of diagnostic and therapeutic protocols,are key strategies to effectively mitigate the increasing cancer burden by 2030.

Resilience effects for household food expenditure and dietary diversity in rural western China

A more resilient livelihood is increasingly recognized as an efficient way to improve vulnerable households’food security and optimize their dietary decisions.This study quantifies rural household resilience in western China,identifies the three pillars(absorptive capacity,adaptive capacity,and transformative capacity)contribution to resilience,and then establishes the estimated Resilience Capacity Index(RCI)linked with food security and dietary diversity supported by the multiple indicator multiple cause(MIMIC)model.Results show that,despite geographical heterogeneity,the RCI consistently increased from 2015 to 2021.Households with a higher RCI inheriting better capacity to deal with risk and shocks are significantly and positively correlated with increasing food expenditure and diversifying food choices.It can be because resilient households will allocate more money to food expenditure instead of saving for livelihood uncertainty.Thus,policymakers can provide more incentives for rural households to adopt more dynamic and effective risk management strategies.This,in turn,could yield positive spillover effects by preventing human capital loss associated with dietary-related chronic diseases and mortality.

Boehmeria nivea var. strigosa (Urticaceae), a new variety from Southwest China

Boehmeria nivea var.strigosa Zeng Y.Wu&Y.Zhao,a new variety of B.nivea(Urticaceae)from Southwest China,is here described based on evidence from morphology and molecular phylogeny.This new variety is mainly characterized by its green abaxial leaf blade,partly connate stipules,and densely patent strigose hairs on stems and potioles.The phylogenetic analysis based on rbc L,nrDNA and rbc L+nrDNA datasets,revealed that all individuals of B.nivea var.strigosa formed a monophyletic group.The conservation status of B.nivea var.strigosa is assessed as“Near Threatened”(NT)according to IUCN evaluation criteria.The discovery of this new variety is not only crucial for the taxonomy of ramie,but also provides reference for the exploration and utilization of ramie.

Industrial Carbon Emission Distribution and Regional Joint Emission Reduction:A Case Study of Cities in the Pearl River Basin,China

China’s low-carbon development path will make significant contributions to achieving global sustainable development goals.Due to the diverse natural and economic conditions across different regions in China,there exists an imbalance in the distribution of car-bon emissions.Therefore,regional cooperation serves as an effective means to attain low-carbon development.This study examined the pattern of carbon emissions and proposed a potential joint emission reduction strategy by utilizing the industrial carbon emission intens-ity(ICEI)as a crucial factor.We utilized social network analysis and Local Indicators of Spatial Association(LISA)space-time trans-ition matrix to investigate the spatiotemporal connections and discrepancies of ICEI in the cities of the Pearl River Basin(PRB),China from 2010 to 2020.The primary drivers of the ICEI were determined through geographical detectors and multi-scale geographically weighted regression.The results were as follows:1)the overall ICEI in the Pearl River Basin is showing a downward trend,and there is a significant spatial imbalance.2)There are numerous network connections between cities regarding the ICEI,but the network structure is relatively fragile and unstable.3)Economically developed cities such as Guangzhou,Foshan,and Dongguan are in the center of the network while playing an intermediary role.4)Energy consumption,industrialization,per capita GDP,urbanization,science and techno-logy,and productivity are found to be the most influential variables in the spatial differentiation of ICEI,and their combination in-creased the explanatory power of the geographic variation of ICEI.Finally,through the analysis of differences and connections in urban carbon emissions under different economic levels and ICEI,the study suggests joint carbon reduction strategies,which are centered on carbon transfer,financial support,and technological assistance among cities.

Impacts of Future Changes in Heavy Precipitation and Extreme Drought on the Economy over South China and Indochina

Heavy precipitation and extreme drought have caused severe economic losses over South China and Indochina(INCSC)in recent decades.Given the areas with large gross domestic product(GDP)in the INCSC region are distributed along the coastline and greatly affected by global warming,understanding the possible economic impacts induced by future changes in the maximum consecutive 5-day precipitation(RX5day)and the maximum consecutive dry days(CDD)is critical for adaptation planning in this region.Based on the latest data released by phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP6),future projections of precipitation extremes with bias correction and their impacts on GDP over the INCSC region under the fossil-fueled development Shared Socioeconomic Pathway(SSP5-8.5)are investigated.Results indicate that RX5day will intensify robustly throughout the INCSC region,while CDD will lengthen in most regions under global warming.The changes in climate consistently dominate the effect on GDP over the INCSC region,rather than the change of GDP.If only considering the effect of climate change on GDP,the changes in precipitation extremes bring a larger impact on the economy in the future to the provinces of Hunan,Jiangxi,Fujian,Guangdong,and Hainan in South China,as well as the Malay Peninsula and southern Cambodia in Indochina.Thus,timely regional adaptation strategies are urgent for these regions.Moreover,from the sub-regional average viewpoint,over two thirds of CMIP6 models agree that maintaining a lower global warming level will reduce the economic impacts from heavy precipitation over the INCSC region.

Quantifying the agreement and accuracy characteristics of four satellite-based LULC products for cropland classification in China

Various land use and land cover(LULC)products have been produced over the past decade with the development of remote sensing technology.Despite the differences in LULC classification schemes,there is a lack of research on assessing the accuracy of their application to croplands in a unified framework.Thus,this study evaluated the spatial and area accuracies of cropland classification for four commonly used global LULC products(i.e.,MCD12Q1V6,GlobCover2009,FROM-GLC and GlobeLand30)based on the harmonised FAO criterion,and quantified the relationships between four factors(i.e.,slope,elevation,field size and crop system)and cropland classification agreement.The validation results indicated that MCD12Q1 and GlobeLand30 performed well in cropland classification regarding spatial consistency,with overall accuracies of 94.90 and 93.52%,respectively.The FROMGLC showed the worst performance,with an overall accuracy of 83.17%.Overlaying the cropland generated by the four global LULC products,we found the proportions of complete agreement and disagreement were 15.51 and 44.72% for the cropland classification,respectively.High consistency was mainly observed in the Northeast China Plain,the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain and the northern part of the Middle-lower Yangtze Plain,China.In contrast,low consistency was detected primarily on the eastern edge of the northern and semiarid region,the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and southern China.Field size was the most important factor for mapping cropland.For area accuracy,compared with China Statistical Yearbook data at the provincial scale,the accuracies of different products in descending order were:GlobeLand30,FROM-GLC,MCD12Q1,and GlobCover2009.The cropland classification schemes mainly caused large area deviations among the four products,and they also resulted in the different ranks of spatial accuracy and area accuracy among the four products.Our results can provide valuable suggestions for selecting cropland products at the national or provincial scale and help cropland mapping and reconstruction,which is essential for food security and crop management,so they can also contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals issued by the United Nations.

The impact of Internet access on household dietary quality:Evidence from rural China

Over the past few decades,the Internet has rapidly diffused across China.The spread of the Internet has had a profound economic and social impact on Chinese rural areas.Existing research shows that Internet access significantly impacts agricultural production and improves smallholder farmers’income.Beyond these,the Internet can affect other dimensions of social welfare.However,research about the impact of Internet access on dietary quality in rural China remains scarce.This study utilizes multi-period panel data from Fixed Observation Point in rural China from 2009 to 2015 to estimate the impact of Internet access on dietary quality and food consumption of rural households and conducts a causal analysis.Regression models with time and household fixed effects allow robust estimation while reducing potential issues of unobserved heterogeneity.The estimates show that Internet access has significantly increased rural household dietary quality(measured by the Chinese Diet Balance Index).Further research finds that Internet access has increased the consumption of animal products,such as aquatic and dairy products.We also examine the underlying mechanisms.Internet access improves dietary quality and food consumption mainly through increasing household income and food expenditure.These results encourage the promotion of Internet access as a valuable tool for nutritional improvements,especially in rural areas.

Implications of the extremely hot summer of 2022 on urban ozone control in China

Frequent occurrences of extreme heat are causing severe ozone pollution over China.This study examined the driving factors of urban ozone pollution in China during the extremely hot summer of 2022 and the impact of emission control strategies using surface measurements and the GEOS-Chem model.The results show that ozone pollution was extremely severe in summer 2022,with a significant rebound by 12-15 ppbv in the North China Plain(NCP),Yangtze River Delta(YRD),and Sichuan basin(SCB),compared to 2021.Especially over the NCP,the MDA8(maximum daily 8-hourly average)ozone exceeded 160 ppbv,and the number of ozone exceedances was over 42 days.Based on an IPR(integrated process rate)analysis,the authors found that the net chemical production was the dominant factor contributing to the strong ozone increase in summer 2022.For example,in June over the NCP,the net chemical production resulted in an increase by 3.08 Gg d^(−1)(∼270%)in ozone mass change.Sensitivity simulations showed that both NO_(x)(nitrogen oxides)and VOC(volatile organic compound)reductions were important over the NCP,and NO_(x)reductions were more important than VOCs over southern China.To keep the ozone of 2022 at the same level as 2021,a joint reduction of NO_(x)and VOCs by at least 50%-60%would have been required.This study highlights the urgency to develop effective ozone management since extreme heat will become more frequent.

Time-lagged Effects of the Spring Atmospheric Heat Source over the Tibetan Plateau on Summer Precipitation in Northeast China during 1961–2020:Role of Soil Moisture

The spring atmospheric heat source(AHS)over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)has been suggested to affect the Asian summer monsoon and summer precipitation over South China.However,its influence on the summer precipitation in Northeast China(NEC)remains unknown.The connection between spring TP AHS and subsequent summer precipitation over NEC from 1961 to 2020 is analyzed in this study.Results illustrate that stronger spring TP AHS can enhance subsequent summer NEC precipitation,and higher soil moisture in the Yellow River Valley-North China region(YRVNC)acts as a bridge.During spring,the strong TP AHS could strengthen the transportation of water vapor to East China and lead to excessive rainfall in the YRVNC.Thus,soil moisture increases,which regulates local thermal conditions by decreasing local surface skin temperature and sensible heat.Owing to the memory of soil moisture,the lower spring sensible heat over the YRVNC can last until mid-summer,decrease the land–sea thermal contrast,and weaken the southerly winds over the East Asia–western Pacific region and convective activities over the South China Sea and tropical western Pacific.This modulates the East Asia–Pacific teleconnection pattern,which leads to a cyclonic anomaly and excessive summer precipitation over NEC.

Coral records of Mid-Holocene sea-level highstands and climate responses in the northern South China Sea

High-resolution sea-level data and high-precision dating of corals in the northern South China Sea(SCS)during the Holocene provide a reference and historical background for current and future sea-level changes and a basis for scientific assessment of the evolutionary trend of coral reefs in the SCS.Although sporadic studies have been performed around Hainan Island in the northern SCS,the reconstructed sea level presents different values or is controversial because the indicative meaning of the sea-level indicators were neither quantified nor uniform criteria.Here,we determined the quantitative relationship between modern living coral and sea level by measuring the top surfaces of 27 live Porites corals from the inner reef flat along the east coast of Hainan Island and assessed the accuracy of results obtained using coral as sea-level indicators.Additionally,three in situ fossil Porites corals were analyzed based on elevation measurements,digital X-ray radiography,and U-Th dating.The survey results showed that the indicative meanings for the modern live Porites corals is(146.09±8.35)cm below the mean tide level(MTL).It suggested that their upward growth limit is constrained by the sea level,and the lowest low water is the highest level of survival for the modern live Porites corals.Based on the newly defined indicative meanings,6 new sea-level index points(SLIPs)were obtained and 19 published SLIPs were recalculated.Those SLIPs indicated a relative sea level fluctuation between(227.7±9.8)cm to(154.88±9.8)cm MTL between(5393±25)cal a BP and(3390±12)cal a BP,providing evidences of the Mid-Holocene sea-level highstand in the northern SCS.Besides that,our analysis demonstrated that different sea-level histories may be produced based on different indicative meanings or criteria.The dataset of 276 coral U-Th ages indicates that coral reef development in the northern SCS comprised the initial development,boom growth,decline,and flourishing development again.A comparison with regional records indicated that synergistic effects of climatic and environmental factors were involved in the development of coral reefs in the northern SCS.Thus,the cessation of coral reef development during the Holocene in the northern SCS was probably associated with the dry and cold climate in South China,as reflected in the synchronous weakening of the ENSO and East Asian summer monsoon induced by the reduction of the 65°N summer insolation,which forced the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Differences in spring precipitation over southern China associated with multiyear La Ni?a events

Composite analyses were performed in this study to reveal the difference in spring precipitation over southern China during multiyear La Ni?a events during 1901 to 2015. It was found that there is significantly below-normal precipitation during the first boreal spring, but above-normal precipitation during the second year. The difference in spring precipitation over southern China is correlative to the variation in western North Pacific anomalous cyclone(WNPC), which can in turn be attributed to the different sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA) over the Tropical Pacific. The remote forcing of negative SSTA in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific and the local air-sea interaction in the western North Pacific are the usual causes of WNPC formation and maintenance.SSTA in the first spring is stronger than those in the second spring. As a result, the intensity of WNPC in the first year is stronger, which is more likely to reduce the moisture in southern China by changing the moisture transport, leading to prolonged precipitation deficits over southern China. However, the tropical SSTA signals in the second year are too weak to induce the formation and maintenance of WNPC and the below-normal precipitation over southern China. Thus, the variation in tropical SSTA signals between two consecutive springs during multiyear La Ni?a events leads to obvious differences in the spatial pattern of precipitation anomaly in southern China by causing the different WNPC response.