Interdecadal variability of summer precipitation in the Three River Source Region: Influences of SST and zonal shifts of the East Asian subtropical westerly jet

Summer precipitation in the Three Rivers Source Region(TRSR)of China is vital for the headwaters of the Yellow,Yangtze,and Lancang rivers and exhibits significant interdecadal variability.This study investigates the influence of the East Asian westerly jet(EAWJ)on TRSR rainfall.A strong correlation is found between TRSR summer precipitation and the Jet Zonal Position Index(JZPI)of the EAWJ from 1961 to 2019(R=0.619,p<0.01).During periods when a positive JZPI indicates a westward shift in the EAWJ,enhanced water vapor anomalies,warmer air,and low-level convergence anomalies contribute to increased TRSR summer precipitation.Using empirical orthogonal function and regression analyses,this research identifies the influence of large-scale circulation anomalies associated with the Atlantic–Eurasian teleconnection(AEA)from the North Atlantic(NA).The interdecadal variability between the NA and central tropical Pacific(CTP)significantly affects TRSR precipitation.This influence is mediated through the AEA via a Rossby wave train extending eastward along the EAWJ,and another south of 45°N.Moreover,the NA–CTP Opposite Phase Index(OPI),which quantifies the difference between the summer mean sea surface temperatures of the NA and the CTP,is identified as a critical factor in modulating the strength of this teleconnection and influencing the zonal position of the EAWJ.

The Late Miocene‘ovibovin’bovids in Eurasia

During the Late Miocene,numerous medium to large-sized herbivores,that resemble the living Ovibos in skeletal morphology,dispersed throughout the Holarctic realm and comprised eleven genera:Lantiantragus,Shaanxispira,Tsaidamotherium,Criotherium,Mesembriacerus,Hezhengia,Urmiatherium,Parurmiatherium,Plesiaddax,Sinotragus,and Prosinotragus.These genera are primarily found in eastern Asia,in which nine genera are found in northern China,as well as in countries in eastern Europe and western Asia.They are distinguished by unique characteristics,including a perpendicular braincase,specialized horn cores,and a robust basioccipital.Previous studies have often classified these‘ovibovin’bovids as part of the conventional subfamily/tribe Ovibovinae/Ovibovini,along with extant Ovibos.Nevertheless,an increasing number of studies do not support the monophyly of the subfamily/tribe Ovibovinae/Ovibovini,nor is a close relationship likely between these Late Miocene‘ovibovin’bovids and extant Ovibos.Among the eleven genera of‘ovibovin’bovids,Plesiaddax,Hezhengia,and Urmiatherium are often considered to have a very close relationship and conventionally form the tribe Urmiatheriini.However,previous phylogenetic analyses do not support the monophyly of Urmiatheriini.This paper presents a summary of the transmutation of the terms Ovibovidae/Ovibovinae/Ovibovini/Ovibovina,the temporal and spatial distribution of the Late Miocene‘ovibovin’bovids in Eurasia,the principal characteristics of these taxa,and the previous phylogenetic analyses.

建设丝绸之路经济带新起点需抓好四个环节

建设大西安、带动大关中、引领大西北、走向大亚欧,是建设丝绸之路经济带新起点需要抓好的四个基本环节。建设大西安是打造丝绸之路经济带新起点的核心,带动大关中是构筑丝绸之路经济带新起点的基础,引领大西北是构建丝绸之路经济带的引桥,走向大亚欧是建设丝绸之路经济带的目标。这四个环节环环相扣,缺一不可,构成了完整的丝绸之路经济带。

Seasonal evolution of the dominant modes of the Eurasian snowpack and atmospheric circulation from autumn to the subsequent spring and the associated surface heat budget

This study investigates the seasonal evolution of the dominant modes of the Eurasian snowpack and atmospheric circulation from autumn to the subsequent spring using snow water equivalent （SWE）, snow cover frequency （SCF）, and 500 hPa geopotential height data. It is found that the Eurasian SWE/SCF and circulation dominant modes are stably coupled from autumn to the subsequent spring.The temporal coherence of the seasonal evolution of the dominant modes is examined.The seasonal evolution of the Eurasian circulation and SWE dominant modes exhibit good coherence, whereas the evolution of the Eurasian SCF dominant mode is incoherent during the autumn-winter transition season. This incoherence is associated with a sign-change in the SCF anomalies in Europe during the autumn-winter transition season, which is related to the wind anomalies over Europe. In addition, the surface heat budget associated with the Eurasian SWE/SCF and circulation dominant modes is analyzed. The sensible heat flux （SHF） related to the wind-induced thermal advection dominates the surface heat budget from autumn to the subsequent spring, with the largest effect during winter. The surface net shortwave radiation is mainly modulated by snow cover rather than cloud cover, which is estimated to be as important as, or likely superior to, the SHF for the surface heat budget during spring.The NCEP-NCAR surface heat flux reanalysis data demonstrate a consistency with the SWE/SCF and air temperature observational data, indicating a good capability for snow-atmosphere interaction analysis.

Potential predictability of Eurasian spring snow water equivalent in IAP AGCM4 hindcasts

The potential predictability and skill of Eurasian spring snow water equivalent(SWE)are explored by using a suite of ensemble hindcast experiments with the fourth-generation IAP AGCM(IAP AGCM4)and observations for the period 1982–2012.IAP AGCM4 is generally capable of reproducing the spatial distribution of Eurasian spring SWE;nevertheless,the model overestimates the SWE over Eurasia,possibly because of positive precipitation biases in wintertime.IAP AGCM4 can successfully capture the long-term trend and leading pattern of Eurasian spring SWE.Additionally,the spring SWE anomalies are generally predictable in many regions over Eurasia,especially at high latitudes;moreover,IAP AGCM4 exhibits a remarkable prediction skill for spring SWE anomalies over Eurasia in many years during 1982 to 2012.In order to reveal the relative impacts of SST anomalies and atmospheric initial conditions on the seasonal predictability of Eurasian spring SWE,two additional sets of experiments are carried out.Overall,atmospheric initial anomalies have a dominant role,though the impact of SSTs is not negligible.This study highlights the importance of atmospheric initialization in seasonal climate forecasts of spring SWE anomalies,especially at high latitudes.

A dark October in Beijing 2016

In recent years, haze pollution events in Beijing have increased sharply, and the haze pollution of Beijing in October 2016 reached a new high. Meteorological conditions are thought to have influences on the haze occurrence, yet the associated atmospheric circulation of haze in October and why the most severe haze pollution occurred in 2016 is still unclear. Here, the authors show through daily observation and reanalysis data that key regions of North Atlantic and North Pacific sea surface temperature （SST） anomalies may be the main factors for this most severe haze event. Since 2013, the SSTs of these two key regions have increased dramatically and reached a peak, which could have induced the severe haze pollution by affecting the Eurasia teleconnection （EU） and the North Pacific Oscillation, with these factors then providing favorable dynamic and thermodynamic conditions for haze development.

Tectonic Evolution of the North Depression of the South Yellow Sea Basin Since Late Cretaceous

Abstract On the basis of subsidence history analysis and balanced cross-section analysis, the vertical uplift/subsidence history and horizontal extension/compression history of the north depression of the south Yellow Sea basin are quantitatively studied. The results show that the tectonic evolution of the north depression of the south Yellow Sea basin since late Cretaceous can be divided into a rifting phase （late Cretaceous to Paleogene） and a post-rifting phase （Neogene to Quaternary）. The rifting phase can be further subdivided into an initial rifting stage （late Cretaceous）, an intensive rifting stage （Paleocene）, a rifting termination stage （Eocene）, and an inversion-uplifting stage （Oligocene）. Together, this division shows the characteristics of an episodic-evolved intracontinental rift-depression basin. The deformation of the north depression of the south Yellow Sea basin since late Cretaceous was mainly fault-related. The horizontal extension and tectonic subsidence were controlled by the activity of faults. The differential evolution of faults also caused variations in local uplift/subsidence movements and the regional heterogeneity in extension. The late Cretaceous initial rifting of the north depression of the south Yellow Sea basin is related to the Pacific-Eurasia convergence. From the Paleocene intensive rifting stage to present, the Pacific-Eurasia convergence and India-Eurasia convergence have played important roles in the evolution of this region.

Comparison of the spatio-temporal dynamics of vegetation between the Changbai Mountains of eastern Eurasia and the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America

The Changbai Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains have similar spatial contexts.The elevation,latitude,and moisture gradients of both mountain ranges offer regional insight for investigating the vegetation dynamics in eastern Eurasia and eastern North America.We determined and compared the spatial patterns and temporal trends in the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)in the Changbai Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains using time series data from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies 3^(rd) generation dataset from 1982 to 2013.The spatial pattern of NDVI in the Changbai Mountains exhibited fragmentation,whereas NDVI in the Appalachian Mountains decreased from south to north.The vegetation dynamics in the Changbai Mountains had an insignificant trend at the regional scale,whereas the dynamics in the Appalachian Mountains had a significant increasing trend.NDVI increased in 55% of the area of the Changbai Mountains and in 95% of the area of the Appalachian Mountains.The peak NDVI occurred one month later in the Changbai Mountains than in the Appalachian Mountains.The results revealed a significant increase in NDVI in autumn in both mountain ranges.The climatic trend in the Changbai Mountains included warming and decreased precipitation,and whereas that in the Appalachian Mountains included significant warming and increased precipitation.Positive and negative correlations existed between NDVI and temperature and precipitation,respectively,in both mountain ranges.Particularly,the spring temperature and NDVI exhibited a significant positive correlation in both mountain ranges.The results of this study suggest that human actives caused the differences in the spatial patterns of NDVI and that various characteristics of climate change and intensity of human actives dominated the differences in the NDVI trends between the Changbai Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains.Additionally,the vegetation dynamics of both mountain ranges were not identical to those in previous broader-scale studies.

Eurasian Winter Cooling: Intercomparison of Reanalyses and CMIP5 Data Sets

A cooling trend in wintertime surface air temperature over continental Eurasia has been identified in reanalysis and the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project phase 5(CMIP5)‘historical’simulations over the period 1989–2009.Here the authors have shown that this cooling trend is related to changes in Arctic sea-ice around the Barents-Kara seas.This study illustrates a consistent spatial and temporal structure of the wintertime temperature variability centered over Asia using state-of-the-art reanalyses and global climate model datasets.Our findings indicate that there is a physical basis for seasonal predictions of near-surface temperatures over continental Asia based on changes to the ice-cover in the Barents-Kara seas.

The"Belt and Road"Initiative:A Chinese Concept for Global Development

China＇s ＂Belt and Road＂ initiative is emerging as the Western-dominated world order is declining. Capitalism has intensified the rich-poor divide and power politics have led to great upheavals. Western values have caused a ＂value dislocation＂ for non-Western countries. The world is calling for new development concepts. The ＂Belt and Road＂ initiative has emerged as an answer. It embodies China＇s ideas on global development. First, it works for the ＂common prosperity＂ of every country, which will ease contradictions between the South and the North. Second, it emphasizes geo-economie integration that will heal the fragmentation of Eurasia. Third, it advocates linkages between people and inclusiveness to create a new kind of civilization. However, many difficulties and challenges lie ahead for the implementation of the ＂Belt and Road＂ initiative.

The Hind as the Ancestress, Ergo Virgin Mary-- Comparative Study About the Common Origin Myth of the Hun and Hungarian People

Numerous legends are known in Eurasia, in which one or more hunters are trying to get a stag, and then the hunters will find a new homeland, or establish a new cathedral at the location where the deer appeared earlier. According to the structure of the legend, the Eastern legend type is more ancient. In its most archaic version the sole hero spots a doe, who later turns out to be the daughter of a king, later marrying the hero and then they found a new homeland where his people may reproduce. This totemic tradition of the origins can he seen in the Hungarian myths of origin, as well as in the oral ritual texts related to wedding ceremonies which connect Central Eurasia with Europe through the Hun origin myths. The doe appearing in the Eastern Legends is the symbol of the Sun and the ancestress of the culture hero＇s nation. And this symbolic role descends to the cultural heritage of the Christian era later in the person of Virgin Mary. The aim of the paper is to find whether there are any correspondences between the two branches and if there are, the sort is to be determined; furthermore, the purposes of the Hungarian legends are to be sought out about the Miracle Stag in possible relation to the deer legends on the two continents linked together by the Eurasian steppes.

Dionysos and Apollo： Remediating Said＇s Orientalism with Metacritical Perspective

Geography is a kind of differential calculus in the sense that the three-dimensional, that is, the act of tangentially accessing things, is mapped on to the two-dimensional or the concrete. It is why we can say that the East-West or Occidental versus Oriental dichotomy is so limited in its binary dualism. We could easily criticize not only Said＇s Orientalism, but also in turn, a critical self-defense by turning itself upon its own head. It can indeed be said that the cross or cardinal directions run four different ways and not two. ＂The East＂ is not just Far Eastern, that is, the so-called ＂Asian,＂ but extends to the Far West or to California. Parts of Europe and the Dionysian are not simply limited to Central Europe and Southeastern Asia. We can see in Asia, that is, Eurasia and in North Africa, that 1-2% of non-Sub-saharan human DNA is genotypically Neanderthal in addition to being Homo Sapiens in DNA. 1 The task, it might be said, is to continually remediate binary directions and to reweave Apollo and Dionysos in Friedrich Nietzsche. We can see the limitations of Continentalism in categorizing the human.

China-Russia-India The BRICS Countries in Eurasia Are the Key Factors in the Construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt

China is the starting point and pioneer and driver of the Silk Road Economic Belt; Russia is located in the throat place of the belt; and India is at the joint of the belt and the Maritime Silk Road. China, Russia, and India as the BRICS countries are geo-connected, easy to reach a consensus because of their common and similar interests. The three countries also have common inherent demands and strategic directions： connectivity, complementarity, taking advantage of the great powers of Eurasia and sea-land compound, moving toward the grand trend of modern international economy and technology development. Promoting the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt accords with their respective interests, and is their common interests, which decide that China, Russia, and India are the key factors and dominant forces in the construction of the belt.

The New Challenges on the Silk Road

In his book Out of Control, Brzezinski speaks about a vacuum in Eurasia, with important geopolitical consequences. Which are the new challenges and risks on the Silk Road in the time of globalization, radicalization, and freedom of movement？ The paper will stress three challenges： the project ＂Economic zone on the Silk Road＂ （the leadership in economic performance is held by China and therefore the eastern political cultures have the necessary economic basis for asserting their independence）, the influence of ETIM and IMU on the region and the role and place of Xinjiang, as a bridge between Central and South Asia; how they reflected on this way of old traditions and cultures and whether there is a ＂clash＂ between the Eastern religions on the ＂Silk Road＂ and Islam with its multi dimensions, between the thick black chador and the silk veil, called ＂tissue of wind＂, between spiritual, transcendental cognition （Daoism） and pragmatic mundane faith of Islam. I will conclude that the new challenges on the Silk Road create new borders between people--religious, linguistic, ethnical, and new identities. The main question is as follows： Shall we keep the cultural plurality and authenticity of the region？

Exploring the history of cultural exchange in prehistoric Eurasia from the perspectives of crop diffusion and consumption

The history of cultural exchange in prehistoric Eurasia(CEPE) has been widely investigated. Based on archaeological evidence, this process is thought to date back to at least the early Bronze Age, although details about timings and routes remain unclear. It is likely that CEPE promoted the spread and exchange of crops that originated in different parts of Eurasia; since these remains can be definitely identified and directly dated, they provide ideal research materials to explore the history of CEPE. In this paper, we review the available archaeobotanical evidence and direct radiocarbon dates for crop remains, alongside carbon isotopic data from human bones unearthed from prehistoric sites in Eurasia, in order to investigate the history of the spread of millet crops, and wheat and barley, that were first domesticated in the eastern and western parts of Eurasia during prehistoric times.In combination with other archaeological evidences, we discuss the history of CEPE. Our results suggest that wheat and barley were domesticated in western Asia around 10500 a BP, spread into Europe and western Central Asia before 8000 a BP, and reaching eastern Central Asia and northwestern China between 4500 and 4000 a BP. Data show that both broomcorn and foxtail millet were domesticated in eastern Asia before 7700 a BP, spread into eastern Central Asia between 4500 and 4000 a BP, and into western Asia and Europe prior to 3500 a BP. Wheat, barley, and millet crops were first utilized together in eastern Kazakhstan within Central Asia around 4400 a BP, the region where earliest CEPE is likely to have taken place. These crops were mixedly used mainly in eastern central Asia and northwest China between 4500 and 3500 a BP, and then across the Eurasia before 2200 a BP. The results of this study suggest that transcontinental CEPE might have been initiated during the fifth millennium, before intensifying during the Bronze Age to lay the foundations for the creation of the ancient Silk Road during the Han Dynasty(between 202 BC and 220AD).

Interdependent Dynamics of LAI-ET across Roofing Landscapes:the Mongolian and Tibetan Plateaus

The Mongolian and Tibetan Plateaus have experieneed warming higher than the global average in recent decades, resulting in many significant changes to ecosystem structures and functions. Among items that show change are the leaf area in dex (LAI) and evapotranspirati on (ET), both of which play a fun dame ntal role in shapi ng many causes and conseque nces of la nd surface processes and climate. This study examines the spatiotemporal changes of the LAI and ET and their relationships on these two roofing Iandscapes. Based on the MODIS products from 2000 through 2014, we found that there existed a gen era I positive relationship betwee n LAI and ET on the Mongolia Plateau (MP), while synergy did not exist on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Overall, 49.38%(50.62%) of land areas on the TP experieneed significant increases (decreases) in LAI, while on the MP the percentages of increase and decrease were 94.92%(5.09%). For ET, the increased land area was 21.70%(124100 km^2) on the TP and 88.01%(341600 km^2) on the MP. More importantly, the relationships varied substantially across space and over time, with mismatches found in some parts of the Iandscapes. Additional observational investigations and/or experime ntal research are n eeded to explore the relati on ships, including the in flue nces of vegetation characteristics and disturbances.

The seasonal cycle of redistribution of atmospheric mass between continent and ocean in the Northern Hemisphere

Using NCEP/NCAR and ERA-40 reanalyses,we studied the seasonal cycle of redistribution of air mass between continents and oceans over the Northern Hemisphere.Our results demonstrate that air mass in the Northern Hemisphere shifts clearly between continents and oceans when the season cycles.In July,the air mass reaches its lowest over Eurasia and its highest over the Pacific,and the opposite occurs in January.However,a different scenario is observed over the north Atlantic;the accumulated air mass reaches its maximum there in May.The maintenance of the accumulation or loss of air mass in a region is found to be related to the areal mean air mass flux divergence and the difference between precipitation and evaporation in an air column.The zonal-vertical circulations change with season,with the air ascent and decent reversed between land and sea.Besides,there also exists a noticeable difference of water vapor content of the air between continents and oceans,and this difference is season-dependent.Physically,the vapor content is able to significantly affect the atmosphere in absorbing solar short-and earth’s long-wave radiations,hence influencing atmospheric thermal conditions.The land-sea thermal contrasts inclusive of the diabatic heating rate changes their signs with season going on,resulting in the reversal of orientations of the temperature gradient.These thermal forcings not only facilitate the formation of the monsoons but also indirectly induce the seasonal cycle of the air mass exchanging over regions between continents and oceans.

Timing of the initial collision between the Indian and Asian continents

There exist three mainstream opinions regarding the timing of the initial collision between the Indian and Eurasian continents,namely,65±5,45±5,and 30±5 Ma.Five criteria are proposed for determining which tectonic event was related to the initial collision between India and Asia:the rapid decrease in the rate of plate motion,the cessation of magmatic activity originating from the subduction of oceanic crust,the end of sedimentation of oceanic facies,the occurrence of intracontinental deformation,and the exchange of sediments sourced from two continents.These criteria are used to constrain the nature of these tectonic events.It is proposed that the 65±5 Ma tectonic event is consistent with some of the criteria,but the upshot of this model is that the magmatic activity originating from the Tethyan subduction since the Mesozoic restarted along the southern margin of the Asian continent in this time after a brief calm,implying that the subduction of the Neotethys slab was still taking place.The magmatic activity that occurred along the southern margin of the Asian continent had a 7-Myr break during 72-65 Ma,which in this study is interpreted as having resulted from tectonic transformation from subduction to transform faulting,indicating that the convergence between the Indian and Asian continents was once dominated by strike-slip motion.The 30±5 Ma tectonic event resulted in the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau,which was related to the late stage of the convergence between these two continents,namely,a hard collision.The 45±5 Ma tectonic event is in accordance with most of the criteria,corresponding to the initial collision between these two continents.

Distinctive South and East Asian monsoon circulation responses to global warming

The Asian summer monsoon(ASM)is the most energetic circulation system.Projecting its future change is critical for the mitigation and adaptation of billions of people living in the region.There are two important components within the ASM:South Asian summer monsoon(SASM)and East Asian summer monsoon(EASM).Although current state-of-the-art climate models projected increased precipitation in both SASM and EASM due to the increase of atmospheric moisture,their circulation changes differ markedlyÐA robust strengthening(weakening)of EASM(SASM)circulation was projected.By separating fast and slow processes in response to increased CO_(2) radiative forcing,we demonstrate that EASM circulation strengthening is attributed to the fast land warming and associated Tibetan Plateau thermal forcing.In contrast,SASM circulation weakening is primarily attributed to an El Niño-like oceanic warming pattern in the tropical Pacific and associated suppressed precipitation over the Maritime Continent.

Global wood anatomical perspective on the onset of the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA) in the mid-6th century CE

Linked to major volcanic eruptions around 536 and 540 CE, the onset of the Late Antique Little Ice Age has been described as the coldest period of the past two millennia. The exact timing and spatial extent of this exceptional cold phase are, however, still under debate because of the limited resolution and geographical distribution of the available proxy archives. Here, we use 106 wood anatomical thin sections from 23forest sites and 20 tree species in both hemispheres to search for cell-level fingerprints of ephemeral summer cooling between 530 and 550 CE. After cross-dating and double-staining, we identified 89Blue Rings(lack of cell wall lignification), nine Frost Rings(cell deformation and collapse), and 93Light Rings(reduced cell wall thickening) in the Northern Hemisphere. Our network reveals evidence for the strongest temperature depression between mid-July and early-August 536 CE across North America and Eurasia, whereas more localised cold spells occurred in the summers of 532, 540–43, and548 CE. The lack of anatomical signatures in the austral trees suggests limited incursion of stratospheric volcanic aerosol into the Southern Hemisphere extra-tropics, that any forcing was mitigated by atmosphere-ocean dynamical responses and/or concentrated outside the growing season, or a combination of factors. Our findings demonstrate the advantage of wood anatomical investigations over traditional dendrochronological measurements, provide a benchmark for Earth system models, support cross-disciplinary studies into the entanglements of climate and history, and question the relevance of global climate averages.