Albedo of Coastal Landfast Sea Ice in Prydz Bay,Antarctica:Observations and Parameterization

The snow/sea-ice albedo was measured over coastal landfast sea ice in Prydz Bay, East Antarctica（off Zhongshan Station）during the austral spring and summer of 2010 and 2011. The variation of the observed albedo was a combination of a gradual seasonal transition from spring to summer and abrupt changes resulting from synoptic events, including snowfall, blowing snow, and overcast skies. The measured albedo ranged from 0.94 over thick fresh snow to 0.36 over melting sea ice. It was found that snow thickness was the most important factor influencing the albedo variation, while synoptic events and overcast skies could increase the albedo by about 0.18 and 0.06, respectively. The in-situ measured albedo and related physical parameters（e.g., snow thickness, ice thickness, surface temperature, and air temperature） were then used to evaluate four different snow/ice albedo parameterizations used in a variety of climate models. The parameterized albedos showed substantial discrepancies compared to the observed albedo, particularly during the summer melt period, even though more complex parameterizations yielded more realistic variations than simple ones. A modified parameterization was developed,which further considered synoptic events, cloud cover, and the local landfast sea-ice surface characteristics. The resulting parameterized albedo showed very good agreement with the observed albedo.

A semiempirical algorithm for SAR wave height retrieval and its validation using Envisat ASAR wave mode data

Many synthetic aperture radar (SAR) wave height retrieval algorithms have been developed.However,the wave height retrievals from most existing methods either depend on other input as the first guess or are restricted to the long wave regime.A semiempirical algorithm is presented,which has the objective to estimate the wave height from SAR imagery without any prior knowledge.The proposed novel algorithm was developed based on the theoretical SAR ocean wave imaging mechanism and the empirical relation between two types of wave period.The dependency of the proposed model on radar incident and wave direction was analyzed.For Envisat advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) wave mode data,the model can be reduced to the simple form with two input parameters,i.e.,the cutoff wavelength and peak wavelength of ocean wave,which can be retrieved from SAR imagery without any prior knowledge of wind or wave.Using Envisat ASAR wave mode data and the collocated buoy measurements from NDBC,the scmicmpirical algorithm is validated and compared with the Envisat ASAR level 2 products.The root-mean-square-error (RMSE) and scatter index (SI) in respect to the in situ measurements are 0.52 m and 19％ respectively.Validation results indicate that,for Envisat ASAR wave mode data,the proposed method works well.

Determining suspended sediment concentration and settling velocity from PC-ADP measurements in the Beibu Gulf, China

Modeling sediment transport depends on several parameters, such as suspended sediment concentration (SSC), shear stress, and settling velocity. To assess the ability of Pulse-Coherent Acoustic Doppler Profiling (PC-ADP) to non-intrusively quantify spatial and temporal SSC and settling velocity at seabed, a field experiment was conducted in the Beibu Gulf (Tonkin Gulf), in the South China Sea. The spatial profiles and temporal variations in SSC at 1 m above bottom were derived from PC-ADP acoustic backscatter intensity determinations after being calibrated with the optical backscatter sensor (OBS) measurements at the same elevation. The PC-ADP and OBS results agreed well. The temporal settling velocity obtained from Rouse profiles agreed well with the Soulsby formula based on size information by LISST (laser in situ scattering and transmissometry). Tides and tidal currents are diurnal in the gulf. SSC increased with increasing ebb and flood flow, and it rapidly decreased with the increase of distance from the seabed. The maximum SSC at 0.16 m and 1.3 m above bottom reached 816 mg/L and 490 mg/L during spring tides, respectively. The sediments consisted of mineral particles 23-162 μm in diameter and 0.05-2.04 cm/s in settling velocity. Generally, both the SSC and settling velocity followed variations in the bottom friction. Results suggest that PC-ADP is able to provide reasonable SSC and settling velocity measurements of both profiles and time series for a long study period.

Association of Sandstone-Type Uranium Mineralization in the Northern China with Tectonic Movements and Hydrocarbons

In the continental basins of Northern China(NC),a series of energy resources commonly co-exist in the same basin.As the three typical superimposed basins of different genesis in the NC,the Junggar,Ordos,and Songliao basins were chosen as the research objects.The favorable uraniumbearing structures are generally shown as a basin-margin slope or transition belt of uplifts with the development of faults,which are conducive to a fluid circulation system.The Hercynian,Indosinian,and Yanshanian movements resulted in the development of uranium-rich intrusions which acted as the significant uranium sources.The main hydrocarbon source rocks are developed in the Carboniferous,Permian,Jurassic and Cretaceous.The mature stage of source rocks is concentrated in the Jurassic–Cretaceous,followed by the multi-stage expulsion events.Influenced by the India-Eurasian collision and the subduction of the Pacific Plate,the tectonic transformation in the Late Yanshanian and Himalayan periods significantly influenced the sandstone-type uranium mineralization.The hydrocarbon reservoirs are spatially consistent with sandstone-type uranium deposits,while the hydrocarbon expulsion events occur in sequence with sandstone-type uranium mineralization.In the periphery of the faults or the uplifts,both fluids met and formed uranium concentration.The regional tectonic movements motivate the migration of hydrocarbon fluids and uranium mineralization,especially the Himalayan movement.

Reductant-assisted polydopamine-modified membranes for efficient water purification

Surface engineering with polydopamine coatings has been considered a promising surface functionalisation tool.However,it is difficult to control the self-polymerisation for polydopamine formation,which usually causes severe interparticle aggregation.In this study,polydopamine self-polymerisation was controlled by adjusting its reducing environment using a reductant(NaBH4)to fabricate mixed cellulose ester(MCE)/polydopamine membranes.An oxidising environment using NaIO4 was additionally tested as the control.The results showed that a thin polydopamine coating with small polydopamine particles was formed on the skeleton frameworks of the MCE membrane with NaBH4,and the self-polymerisation rate was suppressed.The polydopamine coating formed in the reducing environment facilitated excellent water transport performance with a water permeance of approximately 400 L·m^(−2)·h^(−1)·bar^(−1) as well as efficient organic foulant removal with a bovine serum albumin rejection of approximately 90%.In addition,the polydopamine coating with NaBH4 exhibited both excellent chemical stability and anti-microbial activity,demonstrating the contribution of the reducing environment to the performance of the MCE/polydopamine membranes.It shows significant potential for use in water purification.