The earthquake-related disturbances in ionosphere and project of the first China seismo-electromagnetic satellite

Based on the case studies and statistical analysis of earthquake-related ionospheric disturbances mainly from DEMETER satellite, ground-based GPS and ionosounding data, this paper summarizes the statisw tical characteristics of earthquake-related ionospheric disturbances, including electromagnetic emissions, plasma perturbations and variation of energetic particle flux. According to the main results done by Chinese scientists, fusing with the existed study from global researches, seismo-ionospheric disturbances usually occurred a few days or hours before earthquake occurrence. Paralleling to these case studies, lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere （LAI） coupling mechanisms are checked and optimized. A thermo-electric model was proposed to explain the seismo-electromagnetic effects before earthquakes. A propagation model was put forward to explain the electromagnetic waves into the ionosphere. According to the requirement of earthquake prediction research, China seismo-electromagnetic satellite, the first space-based platform of Chinese earthquake stereoscopic observation system, is proposed and planned to launch at about the end of 2014. It focuses on checking the LAI model and distinguishing earthquake-related ionospheric disturbance. The preliminary design for the satellite will adopt CAST-2000 platform with eight payloads onboard. It is believed that the satellite will work together with the ground monitoring network to improve the capability to capture seismo-electromagnetic information, which is beneficial for earthquake monitoring and prediction researches.

Statistical Analysis of Tropical Disturbances over the South China Sea During 1997-2006

Tropical disturbances over the South China Sea (SCS) during the period of 1997-2006 are analyzed using the Tropical Storm and Hurricane WX products. A total of 158 tropical disturbances were formed over the SCS from 1997 to 2006, with 54 de-veloping tropical disturbances which developed into tropical depressions and 104 non-developing tropical disturbances which never developed into tropical depressions. The development rate of tropical disturbances into tropical depressions was 34.18% in these ten years. During the period of this study, total annual numbers of tropical disturbances and developing tropical disturbances over the SCS had significant decreasing trends; however, the development rate of tropical disturbances had an insignificant increasing trend.

Extensive Reading Research in the EFL Classroom of China: A Qualitative Meta-Analysis

Extensive reading has long been applied in the English as a foreign language classroom in China,but the fundamental theories and practical instruction are not satisfactory. The study aims to synthesize and examine extensive reading studies over the past fifty years(1962-2019) from a holistic perspective. By performing a qualitative meta-analysis, a total of 81 articles published in widely accepted journals were carefully coded and analyzed. Three latent problems emerged,including that 1) most extensive reading researchers misunderstand the inherent characteristic of extensive reading(i. e., pleasure reading) and less frequently follow the principles of extensive reading instruction;2) there are methodological weaknesses in empirical research designs, and;3)research scope is limited regarding participants and methodology. Suggestions for extensive reading research and instruction are included.

Documented changes in annual runoff and attribution since the 1950s within selected rivers in China

To enable local water resource management and maintenance of ecosystem integrity and to protect and mitigate against flood and drought, it is necessary to determine changes in long-term series of streamflow and to distinguish the roles that climate change and human disturbance play in these changes. A review of previous research on the detection and attribution of observed changes in annual runoff in China shows a decrease in annual runoff since the 1950s in northern China in areas such as the Songhuajiang River water resources zone, the Liaohe River water resources zone, the Haihe River water resources zone, the Yellow River water resources zone, and the Huaihe River water resources Zone. Furthermore, abrupt changes in annual runoff occurred mostly in the 1970s and 1980s in all the above zones, except for some of the sub-basins in the middle Yellow River where abrupt change occurred in the 1990s. Changes in annual runoff are found to be mainly caused by climate change in the western Songhuajiang River basin, the upper mainstream of the Yangtze River, and the western Pearl River basin, which shows that studies on the impact of climate change on future water resources under different climate change scenarios are required to enable planning and management by agencies in these river basins. However, changes in annual runoff were found to be mainly caused by human activities in most of the catchments in northern China (such as the southern Songhuajiang River, Liaohe River, Haihe River, the lower reach and some of the catchments within the middle Yellow River basin) and in middle-eastern China, such as the Huaihe River and lower mainstream of the Yangtze River. This suggests that current hydro-climatic data can continue to be used in water-use planning and that policymakers need to focus on water resource management and protection.

Spatio-temporal Characteristics of Disturbance of Land Use Change on Major Ecosystem Function Zones in China

In recent years, because of increasing human activities, ecosystems have been substantially disturbed and their service functions have been greatly compromised. Based on the effect of land use changes on the major ecosystem services, we estimated the ecosystem comprehensive anthropogenic disturbance index(ECADI) and analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics of changes in the ECADI in China from 1990 to 2010. The average ECADI of the major ecosystem function zones in China in 2010 is approximately 0.382. The ECADI of Northeast China and North China is slightly higher than that of Northwest China and Southwest China. Most zones have slight changes in the ECADI. The average increases of ECADI in the major ecosystem function zones in China from 1990 to 2000 and from 2000 to 2010 are 0.0024 and 0.0002, respectively. The increase is mainly due to reclamation and urbanization, whereas the decrease is due to the implementation of ecosystem protection policies. During the last 20 years, the ECADI of water resources conservation zones increased first, and then stopped. The ECADI of soil conservation zones increased first, and then declined. The ECADI of sandstorm prevention zones, biodiversity conservation zones and flooding mitigation zones increased continuously. Our results may provide proposals to the government regarding land use planning and ecosystem protection plans in the major ecosystem zones. The major ecosystem function zones in the western part of China have been protected effectively. However, the major ecosystem function zones in the eastern part of China require more protection in the future.

Synoptic-scale disturbances over the northern South China Sea and their responses to El Nio

Using surface and aerological meteorological observations obtained at the Xisha Automatic Weather Station and three moored buoys along the continental slope, characteristics of the synoptic-scale disturbances over the northern South China Sea （NSCS） are extensively studied. The power spectra of surface and aerological observations suggest a synoptic feature with a pronounced energy peak at a period of 5–8 d and a weak peak at 3–4 d. The standard deviation of the synoptic temperature component derived at Xisha Station from 1976 to 2011 indicates that the strongest variability normally exists in August all through the whole troposphere. At the interannual scale, it is found that El Nin o plays an important role in regulating the synoptic disturbances of atmosphere. The vertical synoptic disturbances have a double active peak following El Nin o condition. The first peak usually occurs during the mature phase of El Nin o, and the second one occurs in the summer of decay year. Comparing with the summer of developing years, the summer of the decaying year of El Nin o has more active and stronger synoptic disturbances, especially for the 5–8 d period variations.

Multiscale Combined Action and Disturbance Characteristics of Pre-summer Extreme Precipitation Events over South China

The dominant frequency modes of pre-summer extreme precipitation events(EPEs)over South China(SC)between1998 and 2018 were investigated.The 67 identified EPEs were all characterized by the 3-8-d(synoptic)frequency band.However,multiscale combined modes of the synoptic and three low-frequency bands[10-20-d(quasi-biweekly,QBW);15-40-d(quasi-monthly,QM);and 20-60-d(intraseasonal)]accounted for the majority(63%)of the EPEs,and the precipitation intensity on the peak wet day was larger than that of the single synoptic mode.It was found that EPEs form within strong southwesterly anomalous flows characterized by either lower-level cyclonic circulation over SC or a deep trough over eastern China.Bandpass-filtered disturbances revealed the direct precipitating systems and their life cycles.Synoptic-scale disturbances are dominated by mid-high latitude troughs,and the cyclonic anomalies originate from downstream of the Tibetan Plateau(TP).Given the warm and moist climate state,synoptic-scale northeasterly flows can even induce EPEs.At the QBW and QM scales,the disturbances originate from the tropical Pacific,downstream of the TP,or mid-high latitudes(QBW only).Each is characterized by cyclonic-anticyclonic wave trains and intense southwesterly flows between them within a region of large horizontal pressure gradient.The intraseasonal disturbances are confined to tropical regions and influence SC by marginal southwesterly flows.It is concluded that low-frequency disturbances provide favorable background conditions for EPEs over SC and synoptic-scale disturbances ultimately induce EPEs on the peak wet days.Both should be simultaneously considered for EPE predictions over SC.

Effects of Spatial Aggregation on Forest Landscape Model Simulation in Northeastern China

Issues of scale and aggregation become important when large range of space and time scales is considered in landscape models.However,identifying appropriate levels of aggregation to accurately represent the processes and components of ecological systems is challenging.A raster-based spatially explicit forest landscape model,LANDIS,was used to study the effects of spatial aggregation on simulated spatial pattern and ecological process in Youhao Forest Bureau of the Small Khingan Mountain in Northeastern China.The model was tested over 500 simulation years with systematically increased levels of spatial aggregation.The results show that spatial aggregation significantly influences the simulation of fire disturbance,species abundance,and spatial pattern.Simulated fire regime was relatively insensitive to grain size between 30.m and 270.m in the region.Spatial aggregation from 300.m to 480.m dramatically decreased fire return interval(FRI) and increased mean fire size.Generally,species abundance and its aggregation index(AI) remained higher level over simulation years at the fine-grained level of spatial aggregation than at coarser grains.In addition,the simulated forest dynamics was more realistic at finer grains.These results suggest that appropriate levels of spatial aggregation for the model should not be larger than 270m.

Structure and Propagation Characteristics of Climatological Mean Kinetic Energy of Disturbance of Intraseasonal Oscillation in Asian Summer Monsoon Zone

[Objective] The research aimed to study the structure and propagation characteristics of climatological mean kinetic energy of disturbance of intraseasonal oscillation in Asian summer monsoon zone. [Method] When South China Sea monsoon started to break out, the kinetic energy of intraseasonal oscillation disturbance in the monsoon zone was analyzed, especially the researches about the variation of South China Sea monsoon, the development of Indian monsoon and the advancement of East Asian monsoon. [Result] The developed process of Asian summer monsoon had the close relationship with the kinetic energy activity of 30-60 d low-frequency oscillation disturbance. The kinetic energy of disturbance explained the eruption, occurrence, development and termination of monsoon from the energy angle. It was found that the kinetic energy of disturbance in Arabian Sea zone, Bay of Bengal and South China Sea area was the strongest, especially in Arabian Sea zone. It illustrated that Arabian Sea zone (Somali jet) was the biggest energy source of Asian monsoon. The starting mark of monsoon eruption in the whole Asia was the abrupt eruption of South China Sea monsoon. The eruption of South China Sea monsoon in the middle dekad of May was the westward transmission result of kinetic energy of disturbance on the east sea surface of Philippines. The kinetic energy of disturbance in East Asian monsoon zone had the seasonal northward advancement in summer. The high kinetic energy center of disturbance in Indian monsoon zone changed from one to two. They were respectively in Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. [Conclusion] The research provided the theory basis for analyzing the atmospheric intraseasonal oscillation.

Analysis on the Unstable Trigger Mechanism of A Rare Strong Convection Weather in North-central Fujian Province

By using NCEP reanalysis data,the formation reason of a disaster weather process which happened in Fujian Province on April 1,2007 was analyzed. The results showed that this strong convection weather process was caused by the development of convective thunderstorm monomer in the warm zone of jet stream which was in front of ground front at afternoon. The invasion of cold advection in the middle-high layer had the major trigger effects on this strong convection weather occurrence. The tilt development of vorticity was easy to appear in θse tilted frontal zone,which made a large amount of latent heat release exist in the middle layer of troposphere. Meanwhile,it favored the potential vorticity in the middle layer to download. Thus,it made the important contributions to the development,maintenance of low-altitude vorticity in the strong convection zone and favored the development,maintenance of thunderstorm. In the middle-low layer of troposphere where the strong convection happened,the distribution of meso-scale wave train which was similar to the gravity wave appeared. Meanwhile,it also reflected the wave characteristics which the ascending motion alternated with the descending motion in the divergence. The westerly disturbance in the middle-low layer of troposphere,the southerly disturbance in the low altitude and the middle-upper layer of troposphere made the important contributions to the strong convection weather. The easterlies disturbance and the divergence effect in the tropopause strengthened the development of vertical motion. The strong vertical wind shear was the favorable condition of strong convection weather occurrence.

China Pacific Tourism Year 2019 and 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism Kicks off

On April 1, the China Pacific Tourism Year 2019 is launched in Apia, capital of Samoa. Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Luo Shugang read the congratulatory message by Chinese President Xi Jinping for the opening ceremony.

Simulation on the Release of TP from Wensi Lake Sediment into Water

[Objective]The study aimed to analyze the release of total phosphorous from Wensi Lake sediment into water.[Method]Though simulation experiments in a laboratory,we studied the effects of various environmental factors like water-soil ratio,water temperature,pH,disturbance and dissolved oxygen（DO） on TP release from Wensi Lake sediment.[Result]The higher the water-soil ratio,the less TP released from the sediment;temperature increase sped up TP release from the sediment;when pH of overlying water was 6,the amount of released TP was the lowest;disturbing the overlying water accelerate TP release from the sediment;the lower the DO content,the larger the released TP.[Conclusion]The research could provide scientific references for controlling the pollution of Wensi Lake.

Ionospheric total electron content disturbance associated with May 12, 2008,Wenchuan earthquake

Possible ionospheric disturbances relating to the May 12, 2008, MsS.0 Wenchuan earthquake were identified by Global Positioning System （GPS）-derived total electron content （TEC）, ion- osonde observations, the global ionospheric map （GIM）, and electron density profiles detected by the Constellation Observation System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate （COSMIC）. We applied a statistical test to detect anomalous TEC signals and found that a unique enhancement in TEC, recorded at 16 GPS stations, appeared on May 9, 2008. The critical fre- quency at F2 peak （foF2）, observed by the Chinese ionosondes, and maximal plasma frequency, derived from COSMIC data, revealed a characteristic similar to GPS TEC variations. The GIM showed that the anomalous variations of May 9 were located southeast of the epicenter. Using GPS data from 13 stations near the epicenter, we analyzed the TEC variations of satellite orbit traces during 04：00-11：00 UT. We found that TEC decreased to the east and increased to the southeast of the epicenter during this period. Results showed that the abnormal disturbance on May 9 was probably an ionosphenc precursor of the Wenchuan earthquake of May 12, 2008.

FEATURES OF ENERGY BUDGET AND CONVERSION OF DEVELOPED AND UNDEVELOPED TROPICAL CYCLONE

With two cases of local tropical disturbances in both developed and undeveloped phases, contributions to the genesis and development by kinetic formation and transfer from divergent and nondivergent winds are studied using energy budget equations. Computations are done of conversion kinetic energy between the two types of winds. The result indicates that the subgrid scale effect is the principal source of kinetic energy for a tropical cyclone to grow into a typhoon; the cumulus convection plays a dominant role, in company of relatively weaker contributions on vdrious phases of the life cycle by convergence of fluxes of divergent and nondivergent winds as well as the formation of kinetic energy by the former wind. It is also suggested that the conversion of kinetic energy between the divergent and nondivergent winds C(Kx, Kψ)is increasing with the development of disturbance mainly due to the contribution by. The disturbance is shown in the distribution of C(Kx,Kψ)to increase in a favorable anticyclonic outflow corresponding to the upper level where the conversion becomes negative in developing and mature phases while the wind velocity increases with enhanced conversion fr0m Kx to Kψ the lower level in association with the growth of the disturbance. In addition,geopotential energy P converts to kinetic energy of the divergent wind in every stage from formation to mature of the disturbance by means of C(P, Kx), the maximum appearing on the middle and upper layers of the troposphere.The intensity of C(P, Kx) is consistently in phase with variation of C(Kx,Kψ).

TOWARDS A REALIZATION OF AN HOLISTIC MODEL OF TEACHING READING IN THE EFL CLASS IN CHINA

The teaching of reading in the EFL class in China is supposed to be the most important course forEnglish learners in colleges and universities because it is expected to fulfil two tasks:the develop-ment of reading skills and the development of language skills.The former set of skills is assigned tothe course called Extensive Reading,which is top-down oriented,and,like the top-down model be-fore 1980’s,its emphasis on the language competence such as syntax and vocabulary often leads to"wild guessing"and misunderstanding.Another reading course,Intensive Reading,is supposed to beresponsible for the latter set of skills.This bottom-up manner of reading often results in word-to-word reading and also causes miscomprehension.The Holistic Model of Reading,as developed on thebasis of interactive models with particular concern over the Chinese learning environment,attemptsto combine the two courses into one and the result,as our studies show,turns out to be promising.

Encouraging Reading Habit among Chinese University Students

University and college curriculum in China is increasing placing more emphasis on producing and developing graduates with comprehensive qualities in recent years.One of the main factors that affects the development of high quality college graduate is the students’active reading habit.However,recent statistics on Chinese college students have shown that the number of students who read habitually is not ideal nor encouraging.Campaigns launched to promote reading habits in the university have only minimal effects on the students.In this work,some of the problems faced in promoting reading habit among college students in China and the potential solution for solving these problems are discussed.It is hoped that the content in this article would provide some insights for college administrators to encourage reading habits among college students.

Implementing Extensive Reading in Chinese EFL Classrooms: Response to Beglar & Hunt (2014)

Drawing from the long-standing research tradition into extensive reading,Beglar&Hunt’s(2014)is an empirical study into the amount of reading and the nature of reading materials in EFL context which shed much light on EFL teaching and learning.As a response to the study,this paper discusses the theories and principles behind it,its enlightenment to the present author,and its implications of the application of extensive reading in college EFL classrooms in China.

Beyond Reading Comprehension--Cultivating Critical Readers through Critical Press News Reading

English newspapers, which have already been widely used as supplementary readings in an input-poor Chinese EFL context, are chosen and modified as needed for the proficiency levels of the class and used with suitable activities and exercises that engage students in an active and purposeful construction of the meaning of the text in extensive reading instruction. However, critical reading of the press news, which requires readers moving beyond comprehension, is rarely involved. This article, using Fairclough＇s critical discourse analysis （henceforth, CDA） as the theoretical framework, and Halliday＇s systemic functional grammar （henceforth, SFG） as the analytical tool in the analysis of the news texts, makes a sample analysis of the critical news reading from China Daily on China＇s response to the US-led campaign against terrorism after the September 11 events, 2001. The analysis made is undertaken in three stages： （1） the Transitivity analysis of the headlines, （2） the textual meaning of the clauses in terms of Themes, and （3） the explanations made to give grounding for the preceding analysis. The paper concludes with the hypothesis that integrating critical news reading into extensive reading instruction will not only improve students＇ reading skills, but also increase their adequate comprehension to the reading materials, as well as cultivate their critical reading competence.

全民阅读立法保障下的“书香中国”阅读品牌发展分析

全民阅读上升为国家文化发展战略,与“文化精品建设”和“传播能力建设”等一同被列入文化重大工程,成为文化强国的重要评价指标之一。我国各地通过阅读立法形式来保障国民基本阅读权利,通过对国家及各省级行政区颁布的全民阅读中长期规划、地方立法、规范性文件进行研读分析,发现已颁布并实施全民阅读相关法规的24个省级行政区的全民阅读工作开展情况优于其它地区。“书香中国”全民阅读品牌综合传播影响力榜单中,上榜品牌在主流媒体的宣传推广下发挥了较好的阅读引领作用。阅读立法也为全民阅读活动推广常态化、制度化、有序化提供了平台支撑与保障。