Early warning signals of abrupt temperature change in different regions of China over the past 50 years

In this paper, the early warning signals of abrupt temperature change in different regions of China are investigated. Seven regions are divided on the basis of different climate temperature patterns, obtained through the rotated empirical orthogonal function, and the signal-to-noise temperature ratios for each region are then calculated. Based on the concept of critical slowing down, the temperature data that contain noise in the different regions of China are preprocessed to study the early warning signals of abrupt climate change. First, the Mann-Kendall method is used to identify the instant of abrupt climate change in the temperature data. Second, autocorrelation coefficients that can identify critical slowing down are calculated. The results show that the critical slowing down phenomenon appeared in temperature data about 5-10 years before abrupt climate change occurred, which indicates that the critical slowing down phenomenon is a possible early warning signal for abrupt climate change, and that noise has less influence on the detection results of the early warning signals. Accordingly, this demonstrates that the model is reliable in identifying the early warning signals of abrupt climate change based on detecting the critical slowing down phenomenon, which provides an experimental basis for the actual application of the method.

A study of the early warning signals of abrupt change in the Pacific decadal oscillation

In recent years, the phenomenon of a critical slowing down has demonstrated its major potential in discovering whether a complex dynamic system tends to abruptly change at critical points. This research on the Pacific decadal oscillation(PDO) index has been made on the basis of the critical slowing down principle in order to analyze its early warning signal of abrupt change. The chaotic characteristics of the PDO index sequence at different times are determined by using the largest Lyapunov exponent(LLE). The relationship between the regional sea surface temperature(SST) background field and the early warning signal of the PDO abrupt change is further studied through calculating the variance of the SST in the PDO region and the spatial distribution of the autocorrelation coefficient, thereby providing the experimental foundation for the extensive application of the method of the critical slowing down phenomenon. Our results show that the phenomenon of critical slowing down, such as the increase of the variance and autocorrelation coefficient, will continue for six years before the abrupt change of the PDO index. This phenomenon of the critical slowing down can be regarded as one of the early warning signals of an abrupt change. Through calculating the LLE of the PDO index during different times, it is also found that the strongest chaotic characteristics of the system occurred between 1971 and 1975 in the early stages of an abrupt change(1976), and the system was at the stage of a critical slowing down, which proves the reliability of the early warning signal of abrupt change discovered in 1970 from the mechanism. In addition, the variance of the SST,along with the spatial distribution of the autocorrelation coefficient in the corresponding PDO region, also demonstrates the corresponding relationship between the change of the background field of the SST and the change of the PDO.

Interannual Thermocline Signals and El Nio-La Nia Turnabout in the Tropical Pacific Ocean

One of the fundamental questions concerning the nature and prediction of the oceanic states in the equatorial eastern Pacific is how the turnabout from a cold water state （La Nino） to a warm water state （El Nino） takes place, and vice versa. Recent studies show that this turnabout is directly linked to the interannual thermocline variations in the tropical Pacific Ocean basin. An index, as an indicator and precursor to describe interannual thermocline variations and the turnabout of oceanic states in our previous paper （Qian and Hu, 2005）, is also used in this study. The index, which shows the maximum subsurface temperature anomaly （MSTA）, is derived from the monthly 21-year （1980-2000） expendable XBT dataset in the present study. Results show that the MSTA can be used as a precursor for the occurrences of E1 Nino （or La Nino） events. The subsequent analyses of the MSTA propagations in the tropical Pacific suggest a one-year potential predictability for E1 Nino and La Nino events by identifying ocean temperature anomalies in the thermocline of the western Pacific Ocean. It also suggests that a closed route cycle with the strongest signal propagation is identified only in the tropical North Pacific Ocean. A positive （or negative） MSTA signal may travel from the western equatorial Pacific to the eastern equatorial Pacific with the strongest signal along the equator. This signal turns northward along the tropical eastern boundary of the basin and then moves westward along the north side of off-equator around 16°N. Finally, the signal returns toward the equator along the western boundary of the basin. The turnabout time from an E1 Nino event to a La Nino event in the eastern equatorial Pacific depends critically on the speed of the signal traveling along the closed route, and it usually needs about 4 years. This finding may help to predict the occurrence of the E1 Nino or La Nino event at least one year in advance.

Identification of Early Nuclear Target Genes of Plastidial Redox Signals that Trigger the Long- Term Response of Arabidopsis to Light Quality Sh∽ts

Natural illumination conditions are highly variable and because of their sessile life style, plants are forced to acclimate to them at the cellular and molecular level. Changes in light intensity or quality induce changes in the reduction/oxidation （redox） state of the photosynthetic electron chain that acts as a trigger for compen- satory acclimation responses comprising functional and structural adjustments of photosynthesis and metabolism. Such responses include redox-controlled changes in plant gene expression in the nucleus and organelles. Here we describe a strategy for the identification of early redox-regulated genes （ERGs） in the nucleus of the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana that respond significantly 30 or 60 min after the generation of a reduction signal in the photosynthetic electron transport chain. By comparing the response of wild-type plants with that of the acclimation mutant stn7, we could specifically identify ERGs. The results reveal a significant impact of chloroplast redox signals on distinct nuclear gene groups including genes for the mitochondrial electron transport chain, tetrapyrrole biosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, and signaling lipid synthesis. These expression profiles are clearly different from those observed in response to the reduction of photosynthetic electron transport by high light treatments. Thus, the ERGs identified are unique to redox imbalances in photosynthetic electron transport and were then used for analyzing potential redox-responsive cis-elements, trans-factors, and chromosomal regulatory hot spots. The data identify a novel redox-responsive element and indicate extensive redox control at transcriptional and chromosomal levels that point to an unprecedented impact of redox signals on epigenetic processes.

Arabidopsis small ubiquitin-related modifier protease ASP1 positively regulates abscisic acid signaling during early seedling development~~

The small ubiquitin-related modifier （SUMO） modification plays an important role in the regulation of abscisic acid （ABA） signaling, but the function of the SUMO protease, in ABA signaling, remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the SUMO protease, ASPI positively regulates ABA signaling. Mutations in ASPI resulted in an ABA-insensitive phenotype, during early seedling develop- ment. Wild-type ASP1 successfully rescued, whereas an ASPI mutant （C577S）, defective in SUMO protease activity, failed to rescue, the ABA-insensitive phenotype of asp1-1. Expression of ABI5 and MYB3o target genes was attenuated in asp^-I and our genetic analyses revealed that ASP1 may function upstream of ABI5 and MYB3o.

The environmental signal of an early Holocene pollen record from the Shiyang River basin lake sediments, NW China

Pollen analyses of 85 samples from the San-jiaocheng section well along the margin of a palaeolake at the end of the Shiyang River, NW China, show that Picea and Sabina dominate the pollen assemblage. Together they reach as high as 40%-60%, with the percentage of Picea varying inversely with that of Sabina. Similar results were obtained from another section in the Shiyang River drainage. Using modern ecological habitat relationship analogues, pol-len transport characteristics, and the overall pollen assem-blage, we propose that both Picea and Sabina pollen were transported by the river from the mountains at the upper reaches of the Shiyang River, and that the assemblage is more indicative of changes in upland vegetation than of local conditions near the section. This interpretation is supported by pollen data derived from surface samples, water samples, and riverbed samples. Using a moisture indicator (the Picea to Sabina ratio) and calculated pollen concentrations, we identify a series of

The early signal substances induced by heat stress in brains of mice

To study the effects of early signal substances induced by heat stress in brains of Kunming mice,six-month-old mice(n 572)were pretreated with heat stress and subsequent ischemia/reperfusion by clipping of their bilateral cervical common arteries for 7 min.According to different treatments,animals were randomly divided into four groups:(1)normal control group;(2)heat stress pre-treatment followed by ischemia and reperfusion group(HS/IR);(3)ischemia and reperfusion group(IR);(4)heat stress group(HS).Animals in the later three groups were subdivided into 3 subgroups(1 day,4 days,14 days),respectively.The changes in the expression of cAMP res-ponse element binding protein(CREB)and calcitonin gene-related peptide(CGRP)were detected by immuno-histochemistry and computer image analysis methods.The results showed that compared with the normal group,the expressions of CREB in the hippocampal CA1 region increased significantly in the HS,HS/IR and IR groups(P,0.05).Compared to the normal group,heat stress could result in CGRP excretion and redistribution in the cerebrum,with the highest level in the 4 d HS/IR group.Following heat stress,CGRP immunoreactivity was observed in varicose fibers and neuronal perikarya within the CA1 region.The results indicate that heat stress can induce CREB expression,which in turn stimulates CGRP secretion.