Geochronology and Geochemistry of the Early Paleozoic Ore-host Volcanic Sequence in the Kalatag Area,East Tianshan,NW China:Implications for the Tectonic Evolution

The East Tianshan contains many late Paleozoic magmatic and polymetallic deposits.Recent studies demonstrate that the early Paleozoic volcanic rocks discovered in the northern region of East Tianshan can be subdivided into the Daliugou,Hongliuxia and Kalatag formations.Here,we report zircon U-Pb ages of volcanic rocks and quartz diorite porphyry,together with whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotope data of early Paleozoic volcanic rocks,in order to investigate their petrogenesis and geodynamic setting.Zircon U-Pb analyses of the rocks suggest that the Kalatag Formation formed at ca.438-413 Ma.Geochemical characteristics of the early Paleozoic volcanic rocks exhibit typical subduction-related features.They have high Mg^(#)(44-75),positiveε_(Nd)(t)values(0.25-7.88),low^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios(0.70457 to 0.70588)and young two-stage Hf isotope model ages(551-446 Ma),consistent with a depleted mantle origin with limited crustal contamination.The basaltic andesite and andesite have relatively high MgO contents(6.1-9.4 wt%),suggesting that they belong to high-magnesian andesites.They were most likely derived from the partial melting of mantle peridotite caused by the addition of fluids released by subducted oceanic slab.Based on regional geology,geochemical characteristics and previous studies,we infer that the southward subduction of the Junggar Ocean slab resulted in the generation of early Paleozoic volcanic rocks and arc setting-related metallogenic systems in the Kalatag area.

Turbulent Variance Characteristics of Temperature and Humidity over a Non-uniform Land Surface for an Agricultural Ecosystem in China

This paper describes the application of the variance method for flux estimation over a mixed agricultural region in China. Eddy covariance and flux variance measurements were conducted in a near-surface layer over a non-uniform land surface in the central plain of China from 7 June to 20 July 2002. During this period, the mean canopy height was about 0.50 m. The study site consisted of grass （10% of area）, beans （15%）, corn （15%） and rice （60%）. Under unstable conditions, the standard deviations of temperature and water vapor density （normalized by appropriate scaling parameters）, observed by a single instrument, followed the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. The similarity constants for heat （CT） and water vapor （Cq） were 1.09 and 1.49, respectively. In comparison with direct measurements using eddy covariance techniques, the flux variance method, on average, underestimated sensible heat flux by 21% and latent heat flux by 24%, which may be attributed to the fact that the observed slight deviations （20% or 30% at most） of the similarity ＂constants＂ may be within the expected range of variation of a single instrument from the generally-valid relations.

A bird's eye view of the air pollution-cancer link in China

Air pollution in China comes from multiple sources,including coal consumption,construction and industrial dust,and vehicle exhaust.Coal consumption in particular directly determines the emissions of three major air pollutants:dust,sulfur dioxide(SO2),and nitrogen oxide(NOx).The rapidly increasing number of civilian vehicles is expected to bring NOx emission to a very high level.Contrary to expectations,however,existing data show that the concentrations of major pollutants[particulate matter-10(PM10),SO2,and nitrogen dioxide(NO2)]in several large Chinese cities have declined during the past decades,though they still exceed the national standards of ambient air quality.Archived data from China does not fully support that the concentrations of pollutants directly depend on local emissions,but this is likely due to inaccurate measurement of pollutants.Analyses on the cancer registry data show that cancer burden related to air pollution is on the rise in China and will likely increase further,but there is a lack of data to accurately predict the cancer burden.Past experience from other countries has sounded alarm of the link between air pollution and cancer.The quantitative association requires dedicated research as well as establishment of needed monitoring infrastructures and cancer registries.The air pollution-cancer link is a serious public health issue that needs urgent investigation.

Active and passive smoking with breast cancer risk for Chinese females: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Previous studies suggested that smoking and passive smoking could increase the risk of breast cancer, but the results were inconsistent, especially for Chinese females. Thus, we systematically searched cohort and case-control studies investigating the associations of active and passive smoking with breast cancer risk among Chinese females in four English databases(PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, and Wiley) and three Chinese databases(CNKI, WanFang, and VIP). Fifty-one articles(3 cohort studies and 48 casecontrol studies) covering 17 provinces of China were finally included in this systematic review. Among Chinese females, there was significant association between passive smoking and this risk of breast cancer [odds ratio(OR): 1.62; 95% confidence interval(CI): 1.39–1.85; I2 = 75.8%, P < 0.001; n = 26] but no significant association between active smoking and the risk of breast cancer(OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.89–1.20; I2 = 13.9%, P = 0.248; n = 31). The OR of exposure to husband's smoking and to smoke in the workplace was 1.27(95% CI: 1.07–1.50) and 1.66(95% CI: 1.07–2.59), respectively. The OR of light and heavy passive smoking was 1.11 and 1.41, respectively, for women exposed to their husband's smoke(< 20 and ≥ 20 cigarettes per day), and 1.07 and 1.87, respectively, for those exposed to smoke in the workplace(< 300 and ≥ 300 min of exposure per day). These results imply that passive smoking is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, and the risk seems to increase as the level of passive exposure to smoke increases among Chinese females. Women with passive exposure to smoke in the workplace have a higher risk of breast cancer than those exposed to their husband's smoking.

Physical Properties of Liquid Terbium Measured by Levitation Techniques

To understand the nature and behavior of rare earth metals in their liquid phases, accurate values of their physical properties are essential. However, to measure their physical properties, the samples should be maintained in liquid phases for prolonged time, and this raises a formidable challenge. This is mainly explained by their high melting temperatures （e.g., 1629 K for Tb）, high vapor pressure, and the risk of melt contamination with a crucible or support. An electrostatic levitation furnace alleviated these difficulties and allowed the determination of density, surface tension, and viscosity of several metals above their melting temperature. Here, first, the levitation furnace facility and the noncontact diagnostic procedures were briefly discussed, followed by the explanation of their thermophysical property measurements over wide temperature ranges. The density was obtained using an ultraviolet-based imaging technique that allowed excellent illumination, even at elevated temperatures. Over the 1615 to 1880 K temperature span, the density measurements could be expressed as p（T） =7.84 × 10^3 -0.47 （T - Tm） （kg · m^-3） with Tm = 1629 K, yielding a volume expansion coefficient a（T） = 6.0 × 10^-5 （K^-1）. In addition, the surface tension and the viscosity could be determined by inducing a drop oscillation to a molten sample. Using this technique, the surface tension data could be expressed as σ（T） = 8.93 × 10^2 - 0.10 （T - Tm）（mN· m^-1） and those for viscosity as η（T） =0.583 exp [4.1 × 10^4/（RT）] （MPa·s） over the 1690 to 1980 K temperature range

Validating the Runoff from the PRECIS Model Using a Large-Scale Routing Model

The streamflow over the Yellow River basin is simulated using the PRECIS （Providing REgional Climates for Impacts Studies） regional climate model driven by 15-year （1979-1993） ECMWF reanalysis data as the initial and lateral boundary conditions and an off-line large-scale routing model （LRM）. The LRM uses physical catchment and river channel information and allows streamflow to be predicted for large continental rivers with a 1°×1° spatial resolution. The results show that the PRECIS model can reproduce the general southeast to northwest gradient distribution of the precipitation over the Yellow River basin, The PRECIS- LRM model combination has the capability to simulate the seasonal and annual streamflow over the Yellow River basin. The simulated streamflow is generally coincident with the naturalized streamflow both in timing and in magnitude.

A dual-period response of the Kuroshio Extension SST to Aleutian Low activity in the winter season

Based on our previous work, the winter sea surface temperature（SST） in the Kuroshio Extension（KE） region showed significant variability over the past century with periods of ~6 a between 1930 and 1950 and ~10 a between1980 and 2009. How the activity of the Aleutian Low（AL） induces this dual-period variability over the two different timespans is further investigated here. For the ~6 a periodicity during 1930–1950, negative wind stress curl（WSC）anomalies in the central subtropical Pacific associated with an intensified AL generate positive sea surface height（SSH） anomalies. When these wind-induced SSH anomalies propagate westwards to the east of Taiwan, China two years later, positive velocity anomalies appear around the Kuroshio to the east of Taiwan and then the mean advection via this current of velocity anomalies leads to a strengthened KE jet and thus an increase in the KE SST one year later. For the ~10 a periodicity during 1980–2009, a negative North Pacific Oscillation-like dipole takes2–3 a to develop into a significant positive North Pacific Oscillation-like dipole, and this process corresponds to the northward shift of the AL. Negative WSC anomalies associated with this AL activity in the central North Pacific are able to induce the positive SSH anomalies. These oceanic signals then propagate westward into the KE region after 2–3 a, favoring a northward shift of the KE jet, thus leading to the warming of the KE SST. The feedbacks of the KE SST anomaly on the AL forcing are both negative for these two periodicities. These results suggest that the dual-period KE SST variability can be generated by the two-way KE-SST-AL coupling.

Vegetation Mapping for Regional Ecological Research and Management: A Case of the Loess Plateau in China

Vegetation maps are fundamental for regional-scale ecological research. However, information is often not sufficiently up to date for such research. The Loess Plateau is a key area for vegetation restoration projects and a suitable area for regional ecological research. To carry out regional vegetation mapping based on the principles of hierarchical classification, object-oriented methods, visual interpretation, and accuracy assessment, this study integrated land cover, high-resolution remote sensing images, background environmental data, bioclimate zoning data, and field survey data from the Loess Plateau. To further clarify the implications of vegetation mapping, we compared the deviation of the 2015 vegetation map of the Loess Plateau(VMLP) and the widely used vegetation map of China(VMC)(1 : 1 000 000) for the expressed vegetation information and the evaluation of ecosystem services. The results indicated that 1) the vegetation of the Loess Plateau could be divided into 9 vegetation type groups and 18 vegetation types with classification accuracies of 87.76% and 83.97%, respectively;2) the distribution of vegetation had obvious zonal regularity;3) a deviation of 29.56 × 10^4 km^2 occurred when the vegetation coverage area was quantified with the VMC;4) the vegetation classification accuracy affected the ecosystem service assessment, the total water yield of the Loess Plateau calculated by the VMC and other required parameters was overestimated by 2.2 × 10^6 mm in 2015. Because vegetation mapping is a basic and important activity, that requires greater attention, this study provides supporting data for subsequent multivariate vegetation mapping and vegetation management for conservation and restoration.

Genetic relationships among sympatric varieties of Acer mono in the Chichibu Mountains and Central Hokkaido, Japan

Acer mono Maxim. is one of the major components of cool temperate forests in Japan. Some of its many varieties are distributed sympatrically. Because of its great variability, the intraspecific taxonomy and nomenclature of the species are controversial. To understand the genetic relationships among these varieties and whether hybridization or introgression occurred among the sympatric varieties, we studied the genetic relationships among sympatric varieties of A. mono in the Chichibu Mountains (A. mono var. ambiguum, A. mono var. connivens, A. mono var. marmoratum) and Central Hokkaido (A. mono var. mayrii and A. mono var. glabrum) in Japan. Our results showed that varieties in Chichibu are genetically close, suggesting that hybridization or introgression might occur between these varieties, which could explain the higher genetic diversity of varieties in Chichibu than in Hokkaido. In contrast to the close relationships between the varieties in Chichibu, varieties in Hokkaido seemed relatively separated from each other; indeed, there may be reproductive isolation between the two varieties. The results provide new insight for the taxonomy of the varieties of A. mono, especially the sympatric varieties, in Japan.

Fishery analysis using gradient-dependent optimal interpolation

The current lack of high-precision information on subsurface seawater is a constraint in fishery research.Based on Argo temperature and salinity profiles,this study applied the gradient-dependent optimal interpolation to reconstruct daily subsurface oceanic environmental information according to fishery dates and locations.The relationship between subsurface information and matching yellowfin tuna(YFT)in the western and central Pacific Ocean(WCPO)was examined using catch data from January 1,2008 to August 31,2017.The seawater temperature and salinity results showed differences of less than±0.5°C and±0.01 compared with the truth observations respectively.Statistical analysis revealed that the most suitable temperature for YFT fishery was 28–29°C at the near-surface.The most suitable salinity range for YFT fishery was 34.5–36.0 at depths shallower than 300 m.The suitable upper and lower bounds on the depths of the thermocline were 90–100 m and 300–350 m,respectively.The thermocline characteristics were prominent,with a mean temperature gradient exceeding 0.08°C/m.These results indicate that the profiles constructed by gradient-dependent optimal interpolation were more accurate than those of the nearest profiles adopted.

Modeling Indicator Systems for Evaluating Environmental Sustainable Development Based on Factor Analysis

Indicator systems of environmental sustainable development in the Poyang Lake Basin are established from 51 elementary indexes by factor analysis, which is composed of four steps such as the factor model, the parameter estimation, the factor rotation and the factor score. Under the condition that the cumulative proportion is greater than 85%, 5 explicit factors of environmental sustainable development as well as its factor score by region are carried out. The result indicates some impact factors to the basin environmental in descending sort order are volume of water, volume of waste gas discharge,volume of solid wasters.the degree to comprehensive utilization of waste gas, waste water and solid wastes, the emission volume of waste gas, waste water and solid wastes. It is helpful and important to provide decision support for constituting sustainable development strategies and evaluate the sustainable development status of each city.

The SOOS Asian Workshop on Southern Ocean research and observations

1 Background and purpose of workshop The Southern Ocean plays a fundamental role in the function of the Earth System, influencing climate, sea level, biogeochemical cycles, and biological productivity on a variety of scalesIll. Observations from the Southern Ocean suggest that dramatic changes are taking place, which are of global concern, yet because of its remote location, seasonal sea ice, and harsh environment, the Southern Ocean remains one of the least sampled zones in the world.

Thermocline Model for Estimating Argo Sea Surface Temperature Thermocline Model for Estimating Argo Sea Surface Temperature

Argo has become an important constituent of the global ocean observation system.However,due to the lack of sea surface measurements from most Argo profiles,the application of Argo data is still limited.In this study,a thermocline model was constructed based on three key thermocline parameters,i.e,thermocline upper depth,the thermocline bottom depth,and thermocline temperature gradient.Following the model,we estimated the sea surface temperature of Argo profiles by providing the relationship between sea surface and subsurface temperature.We tested the effectiveness of our proposed model using statistical analysis and by comparing the sea surface temperature with the results obtained from traditional methods and in situ observations in the Pacific Ocean.The root mean square errors of results obtained from thermocline model were found to be significantly reduced compared to the extrapolation results and satellite retrieved temperature results.The correlation coefficient between the estimation result and in situ observation was 0.967.Argo surface temperature,estimated by the thermocline model,has been theoretically proved to be reliable.Thus,our model generates theoretically feasible data present the mesoscale phenomenon in more detail.Overall,this study compensates for the lack surface observation of Argo,and provides a new tool to establish complete Argo data sets.

Water quality and growth of phytoplankton for the Yellow River estuary reservoirs—The nutrients release from reservoir sediments

Effects of nutrients released from sediments on eutrophication in lakes and reservoirs were not well known in China. In the test, the release conditions of nitrogen and phosphorus from the sediments were observed by batch experiment. The test results revealed that the content released is correlated to the initial content of organic matter in sediments. In the Gengjing area, when the water quality of waterway, grit chamber and reservoir were compared, the water quality of the waterway was the highest, and lowered in the order of the grit chamber and the reservoir. The grit chamber could get not only fine sand removal but also the organic substance, nitrogen, phosphorus and phytoplankton, therefore it is important to operate and maintain the grit chamber to preserve the water quality of the reservoir. Due to little organic substance in sediments, ammonium nitrogen and phosphorus weren't released during the incubation. But from the absorptiometric turbidity unit (ATU) test results, although the release of ammonium concentration was very low, ammonium oxidizing and nitrite oxidizing bacteria existed in sediments.

Water quality and growth of phytoplankton for the Yellow River estuary reservoirs—current status of water environment

In this paper,the characteristics of the water quality in Yellow River estuary reservoirs were surveyed and the progress of the eutrophication was investigated by observing the behavior of nitrogen and phosphorus.The results showed that the concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and total nitrogen was very high in all the reservoirs,and the level of nitrogen was eutrophic state.According to Vollenweider's type model for phosphorus load,the total phosphorus was close to permissible load in Guangnan and Xinan reservoirs.But sometimes,the total phosphorus exceeded an excessive load in Gengjing reservoir.In Yellow River estuary reservoirs,Cyanobacteria,and Diatom phytoplankton were observed mainly,and the cyanobacteria was a the dominant species in summer.

Water quality and growth of phytoplankton for the Yellow River estuary reservoirs-The phytoplankton growth potential in reservoirs

In this test,we used phytoplankton assay procedure to carry out determinations of phytoplankton growth potential and limiting nutrients in Gengjing reservoir.The test results revealed that,in Gengying reservoir waters,the phytoplankton growth potential of the autoclaved-filtrates and the filtrates are from 0.2 to 2.1 mg/L and from 0 to 1.0 mg/L,and in waterway waters,those of the autoclaved-filtrates and the filtrates are from 0 to 3.3 mg/L and from 0 to 2.2 mg/L.The phytoplankton growth potential of the autoclaved filtrates is approximately two times higher than those of the filtrates.When phosphorus is adjusted beyond 0.5 mg/L,the growth of the phytoplankton is especially very high.Moreover,the limiting concentration of the phosphorus for the growth of phytoplankton is in the range of 0.025 to 0.05 mg/L;the phytoplankton growth potential of the grit chamber sediment samples is higher than those of the waterway sediment.

Fractal model for evaluating heat transfer of high temperature porous corundum shell in vacuum investment casting

Under vacuum, heat transfer in porous corundum shell of investment casting depends on the characteristics of the solid materials and the spatial arrangement of solids and pores. In this study, we present a modified fractal approach to model the pore structure of corundum shell and to describe its influence on the thermal conductivity. We assumed that there is no heat convection in the shell. A sectioned view of porous corundum shell was studied and used to describe the geometric structure and to calculate the fractal dimension d. Based on the fractal dimension d, we obtained the relationship between volumetric solid content and pore arrangement in different measure scales. A heat transfer model was thus established using a network of resistors in which we applied an equivalent approach to calculate the effective thermal conductivity of real porous corundum shell that include the effects of heat conduction and heat radiation of solid. From the obtained results we discuss these effects on the effective thermal conductivity including the scale of measurement, the structure of pore and the temperature. At last these results were compared with other empirical model, which computed by assuming even porosity in which effect of pore structure was not being considered. Though the thermal conductivity calculated essentially in agreement with that obtained from empirical model, model used in this study is more close to the real heat transfer process.

Application of multi-attribute matching technology based on geological models for sedimentary facies:A case study of the 3rd member in the Lower Jurassic Badaowan Formation,Hongshanzui area,Junggar Basin,China

Regarding high drilling costs,an effort should be made to substantially reduce the drilling operation.To achieve this goal,exploration and development stages should be carried out precisely with maximum information acquired from the reservoir.The use of multi-attribute matching technology to predict sedimentary system has always been a very important but challenging task.To resolve the challenges,we utilized a quantitative analysis method of seismic attributes based on geological models involving high resolution 3D seismic data for sedimentary facies.We developed a workflow that includes core data,seismic attribute analysis,and well logging to highlight the benefit of understanding the facies distribution in the 3 rd Member of the Lower Jurassic Badaowan Formation,Hongshanzui area,Junggar Basin,China.1)Data preprocessing.2)Cluster analysis.3)RMS attribute based on a normal distribution constrains facies boundary.4)Mapping the sedimentary facies by using MRA(multiple regression analysis)prediction model combined with the lithofacies assemblages and logging facies assemblages.The confident level presented in this research is 0.745,which suggests that the methods and data-mining techniques are practical and efficient,and also be used to map facies in other similar geological settings.