ALBERT

Description: Bentonite is considered as an ideal buffer/backfill material for preparing an engineering barrier for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal. During initial sample preparation, the tendency of wet bentonite powder to gather into large agglomerates and the water to be spread unevenly in the traditional water content adjustment process decreases the homogeneity of compacted bentonite. The main purpose of this study was to solve this problem by applying a new wetting method, which mixes ice powder with bentonite powder (the ice-bentonite mixing method). This new method was used to adjust the water distribution in Gaomiaozi County, China (GMZ) bentonite powder and was compared to the traditional spray method. The screening method was used to separate macro-agglomerates (〉= 0.25 mm) from the water and bentonite mixture. The properties, the content of the various size agglomerates in loose mixtures, and the heterogeneity defects observed in compacted bentonite were compared. An index (P) was defined to quantitatively evaluate the water distribution in a loose bentonite/water mixture. Macro-agglomerates in loose mixtures produced heterogeneities in water content, density, and shrinkage. By using the ice-bentonite mixing method, fewer macro-agglomerates were formed and a homogeneous distribution of water was produced in the compacted bentonite. A homogeneous water distribution had the tendency to decrease the number of shrinkage cracks after the drying process and to maintain high mechanical strength in the compacted bentonite. Although the production of ice powder was laborious, the ice-bentonite mixing method has workability advantages: (i) a high mixing efficiency, (ii) a low mass loss rate, and (iii) a small deviation between measured water content and target water content. The low thawing efficiency of ice-bentonite mixtures can be solved by using a microwave-assisted thawing method. This research can improve the sample preparation method used to produce compacted buffer/backfill materials for HLW disposal.

Description: This paper investigates the controls on the transformation mechanism among different channel patterns. A 2-D depth-averaged numerical model is applied to produce the evolution of channel patterns with complex interactions among water flow, sediment transport, and bank erosion. Changes of the variables as discharge, sediment supply, and vegetation are considered in the numerical experiments, leading to the transformation from a braided pattern into a meandering one. What controls the transformation is discussed with the numerical results: vegetation helps stabilize the cut bank and bar surface, but is not a key in the transition; a decrease in discharge and sediment supply could lead a braided pattern to a meandering one. The conclusion is in agreement with various previous field work, confirming the two dimensional model's potential in predicting the transition between different rivers and improving understanding of patterning processes.

Description: We use principal component regression and partial least squares regression to separately reconstruct a composite series of temperature variations in China, and associated uncertainties, at a decadal resolution over the past 2000 yr. The reconstruction is developed using proxy temperature data with relatively high confidence levels from five regions across China, and using a temperature series from observations by the Chinese Meteorological Administration, covering the period from 1871 to 2000. Relative to the 1851–1950 climatology, our two reconstructions show four warm intervals during AD 1–AD 200, AD 551–AD 760, AD 951–AD 1320, and after AD 1921, and four cold intervals during AD 201–AD 350, AD 441–AD 530, AD 781–AD 950, and AD 1321–AD 1920. The temperatures during AD 981–AD 1100 and AD 1201–AD 1270 are comparable to those of the Present Warm Period, but have an uncertainty of ±0.28 °C to ±0.42 °C at the 95% confidence interval. Temperature variations over China are typically in phase with those of the Northern Hemisphere (NH) after 1000, a period which covers the Medieval Climate Anomaly, the Little Ice Age, and the Present Warm Period. In contrast, a warm period in China during AD 541–AD 740 is not obviously seen in the NH.

Description: A 1343-year tree-ring chronology was developed from Qilian junipers in the central Qilian Mountains of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (TP), China. The climatic implications of this chronology were investigated using simple correlation, partial correlation and response function analyses. The chronology was significantly positively correlated with temperature variables prior to and during the growing season, especially with monthly minimum temperature. Minimum temperature anomalies from January to August since AD 670 were then reconstructed based on the tree-ring chronology. The reconstruction explained 58% of the variance in the instrumental temperature records during the calibration period (1960–2012) and captured the variation patterns in minimum temperature at the annual to centennial timescales over the past millennium. The most recent 50 years were the warmest period, while 1690–1880 was the coldest period since AD 670. Comparisons with other temperature series from neighbouring regions and for the Northern Hemisphere as a whole supported the validity of our reconstruction and suggested that it provided a good regional representation of temperature change in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The results of wavelet analysis showed the occurrence of significant quasi-periodic patterns at a number of recurring periods (2–4, 40–50, and 90–170 years), which were consistent with those associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and solar activity. The comparison between the reconstructed temperature and the index of tropical volcanic radiative forcing indicated that some cold events recorded by tree rings may be due to the impact of tropical volcanic eruptions.

Description: Long-term climatic records are scarce in the northeast Asia for understanding the behavior of the East Asian Winter Monsoon. Here we describe a 250-year February–April temperature reconstruction (TCBM) based on tree-ring widths of Korean Pines from the Changbai Mountain area, Northeast China. The reconstruction can account for 45.7% of the temperature variance in the instrumental period (1953 to 2001). Four cold periods including 1784–1815, 1827–1851, 1878–1889 and 1911–1945, and two warm periods of 1750–1783 and 1855–1877 were identified before the instrumental period. Four shifts were also detected at 1781, 1857, 1878 and 1989. Good agreements between TCBM and other temperature records of East Asia suggest that the reconstruction is of good reliability and captures the regional cold/warm periods of East Asia. Moreover, TCBM shows negative correlations with the instrumental or proxy-based EAWM intensity records. The known weakening of the EAWM in the late 1980s is in agreement with the shift at 1989 in TCBM. These comparisons suggest that the February–April temperature reconstruction may be a good indicator of the EAWM intensity.

Description: Long-term climatic records are scarce in the northeast Asia for understanding the behavior of the East Asian Winter Monsoon. Here we describe a 250-year February–April temperature reconstruction (TCBM) based on tree-ring widths of Korean Pines from the Changbai Mountain area, Northeast China. The reconstruction can account for 45.7% of the temperature variance in the instrumental period (1953 to 2001). Four cold events including 1784–1815, 1827–1851, 1878–1889 and 1911–1945, and two warm events of 1750–1783 and 1855–1877 were identified before the instrumental period. Four regime shifts were also detected at 1781, 1857, 1878 and 1989. Good agreements between TCBM and other temperature records of East Asia suggest that the reconstruction is of good reliability and captures the regional cold/warm events of East Asia. Moreover, TCBM shows negative correlations with the instrumental or proxy-based EAWM intensity records. The known weakening of the EAWM in the late 1980s is in agreement with the regime shift at 1989 in TCBM. These comparisons suggest that the February–April temperature reconstruction may be a good indicator of the EAWM intensity.

Description: A 1342 yr-long tree-ring chronology was developed from Qilian junipers in the central Qilian Mountains of the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau, China. The climatic implications of this chronology were investigated using simple correlation, partial correlation and response function analyses. The chronology was significantly positively correlated with temperature variables during the pre- and current growing seasons, especially with minimum temperature. The variability of the mean minimum temperature from January to August since 670 AD was then reconstructed based on the tree-ring chronology. The reconstruction explained 58.5% of the variance in the instrumental temperature records during the calibration period (1960–2011) and captured the variation patterns in minimum temperature at the annual to centennial time scales over the past millennium. The most recent 50 yr were the warmest period, while 1690–1880 was the coldest period since 670 AD. Comparisons with other temperature series from neighbouring regions and for the Northern Hemisphere as a whole supported the validity of our reconstruction and suggested that it provided a good regional representation of temperature change in the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau. The results of multi-taper spectral analysis showed the occurrence of significant quasi-periodic behaviour at a number of periods (2–3, 28.8–66.2, 113.6–169.5, and 500 yr), which were consistent with those associated with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and solar activity. Some reconstructed cold events may have close relationship with the volcanic eruptions.

Description: In this paper, we use principal components and partial least squares regression analysis to reconstruct a composite profile of temperature variations in China, and the associated uncertainties, at a decadal resolution over the past 2000 yr. Our aim is to contribute a new temperature time series to the paleoclimatic strand of the Asia2K working group, which is part of the PAGES (Past Global Changes) project. The reconstruction was developed using proxy temperature data, with relatively high confidence levels, from five locations across China, and an observed temperature dataset provided by Chinese Meteorological Administration covering the decades from the 1870s to the 1990s. Relative to the 1870s–1990s climatology, our two reconstructions both show three warm intervals during the 270s–390s, 1080s–1210s, and after the 1920s; temperatures in the 260s–400s, 560s–730s and 970s–1250s were comparable with those of the Present Warm Period. Temperature variations over China are typically in phase with those of the Northern Hemisphere (NH) after 1100, a period which covers the Medieval Climate Anomaly, Little Ice Age, and Present Warm Period. The recent rapid warming trend that developed between the 1840s and the 1930s occurred at a rate of 0.91° C/100 yr. The temperature difference between the cold spell (−0.74° C in the 1650s) during the Little Ice Age, and the warm peak of the Present Warm Period (0.08° C in the 1990s) is 0.82° C at a centennial time scale.

Description: A cusp catastrophe model for alluvial channel regime is established by selecting suitable parameters to reflect channel stability. An equation is obtained from the equilibrium state of channel regime, which is a cusp catastrophe surface in a translated three dimensional coordinate. The stability of channel patterns can be identified by such a model in a direct way, and the 2-D projection of the cusp catastrophe surface can be used to classify alluvial channel patterns. Predictions based on this model are consistent with field observations involving about 100 natural rivers. The results indicate that this method may be applied to study the regime of natural rivers and to assist decision making in river engineering.

Description: We analyze data on radio-reflection from the D-region of the lower ionosphere, retrieving the energy-reflection coefficient in the frequency range ~5–95 kHz. The data are the same as developed for a recent study of ionospheric-reflection height, and are based on recordings of powerful (multi-Gigawatt) radio emissions from a type of narrow (~10 μs) lightning discharge known as "Narrow Bipolar Events". The sequential appearance of first the groundwave signal, and then the ionospheric single-hop reflection signal, permits us to construct the energy-reflection ratio. We infer the energy reflection's statistical variation with solar zenith angle, angle-of-incidence, frequency, and propagation azimuth. There is also a marginally-significant response of the energy reflectivity to solar X-ray flux density. Finally, we review the relationship of our results to previous published reports.