Control of the Dust Vertical Distribution over Western Africa by Convection and Scavenging

Saharan dust represents more than 50%of the total desert dust emitted around the globe and its radiative effect significantly affects the atmospheric circulation at a continental scale.Previous studies on dust vertical distribution and the Saharan Air Layer(SAL)showed some shortcomings that could be attributed to imperfect representation of the effects of deep convection and scavenging.The authors investigate here the role of deep convective transport and scavenging on the vertical distribution of mineral dust over Western Africa.Using multi-year(2006-2010)simulations performed with the variable-resolution(zoomed)version of the LMDZ climate model.Simulations are compared with aerosol amounts recorded by the Aerosol Robotic Network(AERONET)and with vertical profiles of the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization(CALIOP)measurements.LMDZ allows a thorough examination of the respective roles of deep convective transport,convective and stratiform scavenging,boundary layer transport,and advection processes on the vertical mineral dust distribution over Western Africa.The comparison of simulated dust Aerosol Optical Depth(AOD)and distribution with measurements suggest that scavenging in deep convection and subsequent re-evaporation of dusty rainfall in the lower troposphere are critical processes for explaining the vertical distribution of desert dust.These processes play a key role in maintaining a well-defined dust layer with a sharp transition at the top of the SAL and in establishing the seasonal cycle of dust distribution.This vertical distribution is further reshaped offshore in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone(ITCZ)over the Atlantic Ocean by marine boundary layer turbulent and convective transport and wet deposition at the surface.

Vertical distribution of the Kuroshio velocity in the Pollution Nagasaki section and its formative mechanism

The seasonal and interannual variations of the vertical distribution of the Kuroshio velocity and its formative mechanism were studied by analyzing the Global Ocean Reanalysis Simulation 2 （GLORYS2） dataset in the Pollution Nagasaki （PN） section （126.0°E-128.2°, at depths less than 1000 m）. The results indicated that： 1） the maximum transport in the PN section occurs in summer, followed by spring, and the minimum transport occurs in fall and winter; the maximum velocities are located at the subsurface in both winter and summer and velocities are relatively larger and at a shallower depth in summer; and the velocity core is located at the surface in spring and fall. The isopycnic line has a clear depression around the Kuroshio axis in winter. The depth of maximum velocity and the zero horizontal density gradients both exhibit substantial seasonal and interannual variations, and the interannual variations are larger. 2） The distributions of velocity and density are in accordance with the therma~ wind relation. Although Kuroshio transport is determined by the large-scale wind field and mesoscale motion in the Pacific Ocean; local heat flux and thermohaline circulation influence the density field, modify the vertical structure of the Kuroshio velocity, and adjust the allocation of water fluxes and nutrients transport. 3） Shelf-water offshore transport into the Kuroshio upper layer induced by southwest monsoons might contribute to the maximum velocity up to the surface in summer. Nonlinear and nongeostrophic processes are not considered in the present study, and the thermal wind relation accounts for part of the vertical structure of the Kuroshio velocity.

Vertical distribution of plant nematodes in an aquic brown soil under different land uses

The vertical distribution of the dominant genera of plant nematodes at the depth of 0–150 cm of an aquic brown soil were studied for four land use patterns, i.e., paddy field, maize field, fallow field and woodland in the Shenyang Experimental Station of Ecology, Chi- nese Academy of Sciences in November of 2003. The results showed that the numbers of some dominant genera under different land uses decreased with the increase of soil depth. Helicotylenchus was most dominant genus under each land use type. Genera of Filenchus, Psilen- chus and Tylenchus in paddy field occurred at the depth of 0–20 cm; while Paratylenchus in fallow field and woodland, as well as Praty- lenchus in maize field presented in the deeper soil layers (0–80 cm). Significant correlations between the numbers of dominant genera of plant nematodes and soil chemical properties were found in this study. The number of Helicotylenchus under different land uses was posi- tively correlated with C/N ratio, total C, total N, total P, alkai-N, and Olsen-P. The numbers of Filenchus and Paratylenchus in paddy field, Pratylenchus in maize field and Paratylenchus in fallow field were negatively correlated with soil pH, and positively correlated with total C, total N and alkai-N. This study results showed that it is essential to sample at a certain depth according to the vertical distribution informa- tion of different genera of plant nematodes in adequately assessing the population size of plant nematodes.

Vertical Distribution of Soil Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus in Typical Chinese Terrestrial Ecosystems

Characterization of the vertical distribution of soil organic carbon(C), nitrogen(N), and phosphorus(P) may improve our ability to accurately estimate soil C, N, and P storage. Based on a database of 21 354 records in 74 long-term monitoring plots from 2004 to 2013 in the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network(CERN), we built fitting functions to quantify the vertical distribution of soil C, N, and P(up to 100 cm depth) in the typical Chinese terrestrial ecosystems. The decrease of soil C, N, and P content with depth can be well fitted with various mathematical functions. The fitting functions differed greatly between artificial(agriculture) and natural(desert, forest, and grassland) ecosystems, and also differed with respect to soil C, N, and P content. In both the artificial and natural ecosystems, the best fitting functions were exponential functions for C, quadratic functions for N, and quadratic functions for P. Furthermore, the stoichiometric ratios of soil C, N, and P were ranked in descending order: grassland > forest > agriculture > desert, and were also associated with climate. This study is the first to build the fitting functions for the profile distribution of soil C, N, and P in China at a national scale. Our findings provide a scientific basis to accurately assess the storage of C, N, and P in soils at a large scale, especially for the integrative analysis of historical data.

Vertical Distribution and Seasonal Fluctuation of Nematode Trophic Groups as Affected by Land Use

A field investigation was conducted at the Shenyang Experimental Station of Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in an aquic brown soil of Northeast China under three land use types (cropland, abandoned cropland, and woodland) in order to evaluate whether the vertical distribution and seasonal fluctuation for the number of total nematodes and trophic groups could reflect soil ecosystem differences and to determine the relationships between soil chemical properties and soil nematodes. The majority of soil nematodes were present in the 0-20 cm soil layers, and for these land use types plant parasites were the most abundant trophic group. In the abandoned cropland the numbers of plant parasites reached a peak on the August sampling date, whereas the cropland and woodland peaked on the October sampling date. Meanwhile, in all land use types the number of total nematodes, bacterivores, plant parasites, and omnivores-predators was negatively (P < 0.05, except for bacterivores in cropland, which was not significant) correlated with bulk density, and positively (P < 0.05, except for fungivores in abandoned cropland, which was not significant) correlated with total organic carbon and total nitrogen.

Vertical Distribution and Seasonal Dynamics of Fine Root Parameters for Apple Trees of Different Ages on the Loess Plateau of China

The vertical distribution pattern and seasonal dynamics of fine root parameters for the apple trees of different ages （3, 10, 15, and 20 years old） on the Loess Plateau of China were studied. Soil coring method was used to determine the vertical distribution and seasonal dynamics of fine roots at different root radial distances （1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 m from the main tree trunk）. The fine root biomass density （FRD）, fine root length density （RLD）, and specific root length （SRL）, as well as soil water content and soil temperature were also measured. The FRD and RLD for the 10, 15, and 20 years old trees reached peak values in the 20-30 cm soil layer. For the 3 years old tree, the highest FRD and RLD were observed in the 10-20 cm soil layer. The FRD and RLD decreased with increased soil depth from the 10-20 or 20-30 cm soil layer for all age apple trees. The SRL declined with the increase of tree age. The FRD at the 1.0 m radial distance from the main tree trunk was higher than that at other radial distances in the 3 and 10 years old orchard. However, in the 15 and 20 years old orchards, especially the 20 years old orchard, the FRD at the 2.0 m radial distance was nearly equal to or higher than that at the 1.0 and 1.5 m radial distances. For all the root radiuses or the tree ages, the FRD, RLD, and SRL were the highest in spring and the lowest in autumn. The age of an apple tree does not affect the vertical distribution pattern but the biomass of fine roots and the SRL. Radial distance affects the root horizontal distribution of 3 and 10 years old trees but the 15 and 20 years old trees. Additionally, effects of soil temperature and soil moisture on fine root distribution or seasonal dynamics are not significant.

Experimental Study on Suspended Sediment Concentration and Its Vertical Distribution under Spilling Breaking Wave Actions in Silty Coast

In this paper, flume experiments are focused on sediment transport inside and outside the surf zone. According to the energy dissipation balance principle of sediment-laden flow and the similarity between energy dissipation of spilling breaking wave and hydraulic jump, formulas are proposed to predict time averaged suspended sediment concentration under both non-breaking and breaking waves. Assuming that the sediment diffusion coefficient, which is related with energy dissipation, is proportional to water depth, formulas are proposed to predict close-to-bed suspended sediment concentration and vertical distribution of suspended sediment under spilling breaking waves, and the prediction shows a good agreement with the measurement.

Vertical Distribution and Pollution Assessment of Heavy Metals in Mangrove Sediments of Dongzhai Harbor, Hainan

This study was conducted to reveal the vertical distribution and concentration variation of heavy metals（Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb） in the mangrove sediments of Dongzhai Harbor, Hainan by using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry（ICP-MS）. The surface sediment samples were collected from 15 sites, and a geoaccumulation index（Igeo） was estimated to quantify the pollution status of the mangrove sediments. The results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals in sediments followed the order of Cr〉 Zn〉 Ni〉 Cu 〉Pb 〉Co〉 Cd. A common pattern was found in some heavy metals（Cu, Zn, As and Pb） as their concentrations were significantly and negatively correlated with depth. Cr concentration in upper layer was slightly lower than that in middle and lower layers,while the concentrations of Ni and Cd in middle layer were slightly higher than in upper and lower layers. The geoaccumulation index indicated that the surface sediments at sites QT-1-01, QT-1-02, QT-2, GN-1, GN-2 and GN-3 were strongly polluted by Cd, and unpolluted to moderately polluted or moderately polluted by As.

Vertical distribution of sediment concentration

A simple formula is proposed to predict the vertical distribution of a suspended load concentration in a 2D steady turbulent flow. The proposed formula significantly improves the well-known Rouse formula where sediment concentration has an infinitely large value at the channel bottom and a zero value at the water surface. Based on this formula and the logarithmic ve- locity profile, a theoretical elementary function for the transport rate of a suspended load is developed. This equation improves the Einstein equation in which the unit-width suspended sediment discharge must be solved by numerical integration and a contra- diction between the lower limit of the integral and that of velocity distribution exists.

Temporal and vertical distribution of microphytobenthos biomass in mangrove sediments of Zhujiang (Pearl River) Estuary

Being a primary producer, Microphytobenthos （MPB） play an important role in the benthic ecosystem of mangrove swamps. The temporal and vertical distribution of MPB biomass, expressed as chlorophyll a （Chl a）, was investigated in mangrove swamps on the Qi＇ao island and the Futian Mangrove Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province, South China. Both locations are situated in the Zhujiang （Pearl River） Estuary. For each location, bi-monthly sampling was carried out at four sites during low tide period. Except one site on the Qi＇ao Island, which was in Phragrnites australis marsh, all sites were in mangrove swamps. The Chl a concentration in surface （0-1 cm） sediment ranged from 0.2/2g/cm3 to 8.3 #g/cm3 in the Qi＇ao Island and from 2.1/zg/cm3 to 15.6/2g/cm3 in the Futian Mangrove Reserve. The peak Chl a concentration occurred in winter or early spring, while the lowest Chl a concentration, with a value of about one quarter of the peak, was observed in summer or early autumn. The vertical distribution of Chl a concentration exhibited an exponential decline with depth, which indicated a muddy sediment with high organic matter, and the slope of the curve was positively related to Chl a concentration in the surface sediment. The MPB biomass of the Qi＇ao Island was significantly lower than that of the Futian Mangrove Reserve. Our results suggest that the overlaying water quality might influence the MPB biomass in surface sediments.

Vertical distribution characteristics of dust aerosol mass concentration in the Taklimakan Desert hinterland

The different height mass concentrations of dust aerosol data from the atmosphere environment observation station （Ta- zhong Station） was continuously observed by instruments of Grimm 1.108, Thermo RP 1400a and TSP from January of 2009 to February of 2010 in the Taklimakan Desert hinterland. Results show that： （1） The mass concentration value of 80 m PMl0 was higher, but PM2.5 and PM1.0 concentrations at 80 m was obviously lower than 4 m PMl0, and the value of 80 m PM1.0 mass concentration was the lowest. （2） The PM mass concentrations gradually decreased from night to sunrise, with the lowest concentration at 08：00, with the mass concentration gradually increased, up to the highest concentration around 18：00, and then decreased again. It was exactly the same with the changes of wind speed. （3） The high monthly average mass concentration of TSP mainly appeared from March to September, and the highest concentration was in April and May, subsequently gradually decreased. Also, March-September was a period with high value area of PM monthly average mass concentration, with the highest monthly average mass concentration of 846.0 p.g/m3 for 4 m PM^0 appeared in May. The concentration of PM10 was much higher than those of PM2.5 and PM1.0 at 80 m. There is a small difference between the concentration of PM2.5 and PM~ 0. Dust weather was the main factor which influenced the concentration content of the different diameter dust aerosol, and the more dust weather days, the higher content of coarse particle, conversely, fine particle was more. （4） The mass concentration of different diameter aerosols had the following sequence during dust weather： clear day 〈 blowing dust 〈 floating and blowing dust 〈 sandstorm. In different dust weather, the value of PM^o/TSP in fine weather was higher than that in floating weather, and much higher than those in blowing dust and sandstorm weather. （5） During the dust weather process, dust aerosol concentration gradually decreased with particle size decreasing. The dust aerosol mass concentration at different heights and diameter would have a peak value area every 3-4 days according to the strengthening process of dust weather.

Vertical Distribution of Momentum Exchange Coefficient and Sediment Concentration in Estuarine and Coastal Waters

Vertical structures of momentum exchange coefficient and sediment concentration are the keys in the research on es- tuarine and coastal suspended sediment transport. Based on the parabolic mixing length distribution pattern, the distribu- tion pattern of vertical momentum exchange coefficient which is suitable for estuarine and coastal waters is constructed. A compari^n with steady flow and measured momentum exchange coefficient during one tidal cycle in the Menai Strait of England shows that the result of this pattern is closer to the measured values than those of commonly used Rouse＇ s and van Rijn＇s patterns, and the pattern is also suitable for estuarine and coastal waters. Successively, based on the precon- dition that momentum exchange coefficient is equivalent to sediment turbulent diffusion coefficient, and combining with the Diffusion Theory, we obtain the exponential vertical distribution pattern of sediment concentration, which is also suitable for estuafine and coastal waters, Thereby, using measured vertical stratified sediment concentration data of the South and the North Passages of the Yangtze Estuary and Zhoushan archipelago waters for fitting calculation, and comparing the results with those from Rouse＇s （1938） and Zhang et al. ＇s （1989） formulas, the results show that the exponential vertical distribution pattern of sediment concentration obtained in the present study not only overcomes the defect of Rouse＇s formula that the surface sediment concentration will be 0, but also has a holistic higher precision along the vertical lines than those of Rouse＇s and Zhang et al. ＇s formulas.

Vertical Distribution of Soil Nematode Communities under Different Tillage Systems in Lower Reaches of Liaohe River

Vertical distribution of soil nematode communities under conventional tillage (CT),no-tillage (NT) and fallow field (FF) treatments in the Lower Reaches of the Liaohe River was investigated at six soil depths (0-5 cm,5-15 cm,15-30 cm,30-50 cm,50-75 cm and 75-100 cm). The results show that total nematode abundance gradually decreases with depth,and the highest number of total nematodes is observed at 0-5 cm depth under NT and FF treatments. The number of fungivores and plant parasites is significantly higher under FF and NT treatments than under CT treatment at the 0-5 cm depth. There is significant soil depth effect on the abundances of bacterivores and omnivores-predators,which exhibits a similar trend to that of total nematodes; whereas,no significant tillage effect is found. Tillage effect on soil nematode communities can be reflected by values of relative tillage response of index V. Results of index V indicate that total nematodes,bacterivores,fungivores and plant parasites are mildly inhibited,and omnivores-predators is moderately inhibited under CT treatment; while,under FF treatment total nematodes is mildly,and fungivores and plant parasites are moderately stimulated,respectively.

The Potential Vertical Distribution of Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus obesus) and Its Influence on the Spatial Distribution of CPUEs in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean

Understanding the potential vertical distribution of bigeye tuna(Thunnus obesus) is necessary to understand the catch rate fluctuations and the stock assessment of bigeye tuna. To characterize the potential vertical distribution of this fish while foraging and determine the influences of the distribution on longline efficiency in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, the catch per unit effort(CPUE) data were compiled from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and the Argo buoy data were downloaded from the Argo data center. The raw Argo buoy data were processed by data mining methods. The CPUE was standardized by support vector machine before analysis. We assumed the depths with the upper and lower limits of the optimum water temperatures of 15℃ and 9℃ as the preferred swimming depth, while the lower limit of the temperature(12℃) associated with the highest hooking rate as the preferred foraging depth(D12) of bigeye tuna during the daytime in the Atlantic Ocean. The preferred swimming depth and foraging depth range in the daytime were assessed by plotting the isobath based on Argo buoy data. The preferred swimming depth and vertical structure of the water column were identified to investigate the spatial effects on the CPUE by using a generalized additive model(GAM). The empirical cumulative distribution function was used to assess the relationship between the spatial distribution of CPUE and the depth of 12℃ isolines and thermocline. The results indicate that 1) the preferred swimming depth of bigeye tuna in the tropical Atlantic is from 100 m to 400 m and displays spatial variation;2) the preferred foraging depth of bigeye tuna is between 190 and 300 m and below the thermocline;3) the number of CPUEs peaks at a relative depth of 30 –50 m(difference between the 12℃ isolines and the lower boundary of the thermocline);and 4) most CPUEs are within the lower depth boundary of the thermocline levels(LDBT) which is from 160 m to 230 m. GAM analysis indicates that the general relationship between the nominal CPUE and LDBT is characterized by a dome shape and peaks at approximately 190 m. The oceanographic features influence the habitat of tropical pelagic fish and fisheries. Argo buoy data can be an important tool to describe the habitat of oceanic fish. Our results provide new insights into how oceanographic features influence the habitat of tropical pelagic fish and fisheries and how fisheries exploit these fish using a new tool(Argo profile data).

Vertical Distribution of Stratospheric Ozone over China

Based on the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II and the Halogen Occultation Ex-periment (HALOE) ozone profiles and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) total ozone data sets,the characteristics and variations of the vertical distribution of stratospheric ozone covering the latitude bands of 50oN±5oN,40oN±5oN,30oN±5oN,and 20oN±5oN and the longitude range of 75-135oE are investigated.The results indicate that the ozone distribution pattern over China not only has general behaviors,but also has particular char-acteristics.In view of the situation that ozone distribu-tions have substantial deviation from zonal symmetry in northern China,the differences of the vertical ozone dis-tribution between the east and the west part of northern China are studied.The results indicate that during winter,spring,and autumn,in the latitude bands of 50oN±5oN,40oN±5oN,ozone concentrations in the eastern part (105 -135oE) are obviously higher than those of the west (75-105oE) at the altitudes of ozone density maximum and below;during summer,in the latitude band of 50oN±5oN,the east-west ozone profile difference is small,but in the latitude band of 40oN±5oN,the east-west total ozone difference becomes as large as 14.0 DU,and the east-west ozone profile difference mainly exists in the lowermost stratosphere and troposphere.

The Vertical Distribution Law of Underground Biomass of Reed

[Objective]The aim of this study was to reveal the relationship between the reed and salinity in severely salinized area,so as to making clear the vertical distribution of underground biomass of reed.[Method]Field investigation and sampling method were used to get the mass accurate data of underground biomass of reed.further its vertical distribution was analyzed using combined statistical and ecological method.Moreover,the C/N ratio was obtained by measuring the contents of organic carbon and nitrogen in reed wetland soil.The correlation model among organic carbon,nitrogen of reed wetlands and C/N were finally analyzed.[Result]Total underground biomass of reed population is concentrated at 10 to 40 cm underground soil layer.Thick root plays crucial role in the composition of reed total biomass,Overall change of organic carbon and total nitrogen shows a declining trend.The content of organic carbon and nitrogen in soils becpmes stable below 50 cm from the surface.The content of organic carbon in soil is positively correlated with total nitrogen in soil at significant level.[Conclusion]These results provided theoretical basis for revealing underground biomass of reed in salinized area of arid region.

THE VERTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS AND SOURCES OF PAHs IN SEDIMENT OF XIAMEN BAY

This study on the vertical distributions and sources of sixteen PAHs in Xiamen Bay after their separation and determination in sediment cores from No.1 and No.5 Stations, showed that PAHs concentrations varied from 158 to 337 ng/g dry weight, and that ΣPAHs varied from 1.1 to 6.0 μg/g. The vertical concentration distributions at No.1 Station varied slightly (average of 16 PAHs, 242 ng/g; ΣPAHs 1.9 μg/g), except for a maximum at the depth of 3-6 cm (317 ng/g and 2.9 μg/g). The vertical concentration distribution at No.5 Station changed irregularly, and there was also a maximum at the depth of 30-33cm (337 ng/g, 6.0 μg/g). No.5 Station (in the inner bay) was much more contaminated by PAHs than No.1 Station (in the inlet of the bay). The concentrations of PAHs in Xiamen Bay were much lower than the average in the coasts of the world. The sources of PAHs in Xiamen Bay were mainly urban discharge, industry and combustion of fuels.

Contrasting vertical distribution between prokaryotes and fungi in different water masses on the Ninety-East Ridge, Southern Indian Ocean

Although the microbial diversity of the Indian Ocean has been extensively investigated,little is known about the community composition of microbes in the Southern Indian Ocean.In the present study,we divided 60 water column samples on the Ninety-East Ridge(NER)into fi ve water masses according to the temperature-salinity curves.We presented,for the fi rst time,a full description of the microbial biodiversity on NER through high-throughput amplicon sequencing approach,including bacteria,archaea,and fungi.We found that bacteria exhibited higher richness and diversity than archaea and fungi across the water masses on NER.More importantly,each water mass on NER featured distinct prokaryotic microbial communities,as indicated by the results of non-metric multidimensional scaling.In contrast,fungi were eurybathic across the water masses.Redundancy analysis results demonstrated that environmental factors might play a pivotal role in the formation and stability of prokaryotic communities in each water mass,especially that of archaea.In addition,indicator species might be used as fi ngerprints to identify corresponding water masses on NER.These results provide new insights into the vertical distribution,structure,and diversity of microorganisms on NER from the perspective of water mass.

Vertical distributions of COS and CS_ in Beijing City

Vertical distributions of COS and CS 2 were measured at a meteorological tower in Beijing City. The mixing ratios of COS and CS 2 are in the range of 371—1681 pptv and 246—1222 pptv, respectively. The significant high mixing ratios of the two compounds at ground level and distinct vertical distributions indicated the existence of strong anthropogenic sources of COS and CS 2 in Beijing City. Domestic stoves and central heaters are important sources of COS during winter season. Cesspools may play significant role on COS over whole seasons. Chemical productions may be responsible for the observed high mixing ratios of CS 2 in Beijing City.

An Empirical Model for Estimating Stratospheric Ozone Vertical Distributions over China

Based on the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment （SAGE） Ⅱ and the Halogen Occultation Experiment （HALOE） ozone profiles and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer （TOMS） total ozone data sets, an empirical model for estimating the vertical distribution of stratospheric ozone over China is proposed. By using this model, the vertical distribution of stratospheric （16-50 km） ozone can be estimated according to latitude, month and total ozone. Comparisons are made between the modeled ozone profiles and the SAGEII/HALOE monthly mean ozone measurements, and the results show that the model calculated ozone concentrations conform well with the SAGEII/HALOE measured values, with the differences being less than 15% between 16 km and 18 km, less than 5% between 19 km and 40 km, and less than 10% between 41 km and 50 kin. Comparisons of the model results with balloon-borne ozonesonde measurements performed in Beijing also show good agreement, within 5%, at altitudes between 19 km and 30 km.