Precipitation samples collected at Point Barrow, Alaska in the August and September of 1994 was analyzed for pH, conductivity and all major ions. A mean pH value of 5.53 was gained, and the samples' conductiv...Precipitation samples collected at Point Barrow, Alaska in the August and September of 1994 was analyzed for pH, conductivity and all major ions. A mean pH value of 5.53 was gained, and the samples' conductivity showed no linear correlation with its acidity, which did not agree to the similar work results on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. Cl - and Na + were found to originate mainly with seasalt. The concentrations of SO 2- 4 varied from event to event. But the exSO 2- 4 concentrations remained small, which indicated less anthropogenic effect on the environment at the site.展开更多
This paper deals with the features and distribution of chemical elements in the Borecore AB 67 (60 cm long, it covered a time span of past 450 a) from Elson Lagoon in Barrow,Arctic Alaska. The analysing data show ...This paper deals with the features and distribution of chemical elements in the Borecore AB 67 (60 cm long, it covered a time span of past 450 a) from Elson Lagoon in Barrow,Arctic Alaska. The analysing data show that concentration of major elements,trace elements,rare and rare earth elements are quite different between the upper part (0 20 cm) and the lower part (20 60 cm). And the correlation between contents of clay and organic material and concentration of chemical elements are discussed. Based on the characters of sediment geochemistry of Borecore AB 67,the history of climatic and environmental changes in Barrow in the past 450 a can be reconstracted as follows: 1) Relatively cold and dry with low sea level stage occurred prior to 1740 A.D.; 2) It was becoming warm accompanied by transgression from 1740 A.D. to 1827 A.D.; 3) From 1827 A.D. to 1994 A.D.(0 20 cm),it was fluctuated warming accompanied by continuous transgression,in this period relatively cold appeared around 1935 A.D. and 1969 A.D..展开更多
Data from 456 surface meteorological sites in Alaska, eastern Russia and northwest Canada for 1979-2017 were used to model hourly universal thermal comfort indices (UTCIs) under consideration of Alaska-appropriate clo...Data from 456 surface meteorological sites in Alaska, eastern Russia and northwest Canada for 1979-2017 were used to model hourly universal thermal comfort indices (UTCIs) under consideration of Alaska-appropriate clothing. The results served to determine a high-resolution climatology of thermal comfort levels for Alaska at various temporal and spatial scales as well as the frequency of thermal stress levels. On 1979-2017 average, various degrees of cold stress occurred with highest percentage on the Alaska West Coast and along the Arctic Ocean. In the continental and Inside Passage region, no thermal stress had the highest percentage of occurrence. In Interior Alaska, both strong heat and extreme cold stress occurred occasionally. At most sites and in all Alaska Köppen-Geiger bio-climate regions, the absolute range between monthly means of daily minimum and maximum UTCIs was larger than that of monthly means of daily minimum and maximum air temperatures. Major contributors to thermal discomfort (shortwave radiation, air temperature, moisture, wind speed) varied among bio-climate regions and in the diurnal and annual courses.展开更多
Regarding the rapid shrinkage of the Arctic cryosphere, sea ice plays a significant role in the temporal storage,transport, and release of microplastics(an emergent pollutant) among atmospheric, aquatic, and terrestri...Regarding the rapid shrinkage of the Arctic cryosphere, sea ice plays a significant role in the temporal storage,transport, and release of microplastics(an emergent pollutant) among atmospheric, aquatic, and terrestrial environments. However, there are sparse studies on microplastics in the landfast sea ice and lagoon lake ice in the Alaskan Arctic region. Therefore, this study investigated characteristics and potential sources of microplastics in the landfast sea ice and lagoon lake ice in the Alaskan Arctic(Point Barrow). The results found that the average abundance of microplastics in the landfast sea ice(220.6±140.1 items/L) was comparable to that in lagoon lake ice near Point Barrow(148.9±141.8 items/L). For different layers of sea ice cores, the maximum abundance of microplastics generally occurred in the bottom layer. The overall particle sizes for the detected microplastics revealed that the abundance of microplastics decreased with increasing size for both landfast sea ice and lagoon lake ice samples. Small-sized microplastics(≤50 μm) accounted for more than 80% of the detected microplastics,with the dominant shape being fragments. The predominant polymers in sea ice were polyamide(PA), polyethylene(PE), and polyethylene terephthalate(PET). Meanwhile, PE and rubber dominated the polymers detected in lagoon lake ice. These differences between microplastics in Arctic sea ice and lagoon lake ice further indicated the discrepancies in microplastic transport pathways and deposition. Microplastics in landfast sea ice were mainly affected by seawater transported from the Pacific Ocean into the Chukchi Sea. In contrast, microplastics in lagoon lake ice were mostly influenced by the seawater of the Beaufort Sea and local vehicle emissions(e.g., rubber). This study further highlighted that a large abundance of microplastics was widely distributed in the sea ice of the Alaska Arctic region and may pose potential risks to the local ecosystems.展开更多
To assess the exposure of residents in rural communities in the Yukon Flats to particulate matter of 2.5 μm or less in diameter (PM<sub><span style="font-family:Verdana;">2.5</span></su...To assess the exposure of residents in rural communities in the Yukon Flats to particulate matter of 2.5 μm or less in diameter (PM<sub><span style="font-family:Verdana;">2.5</span></sub><span style="font-family:Verdana;">), both indoor and outdoor concentration observations were carried out from March to September 2019 in Ft. Yukon, Alaska. Indoor concentrations were measured at 0.61 m (breathing level during sleeping) in homes and at 1.52 m heights (breathing level of standing adult) in homes and office/commercial buildings. Air quality was better at both heights in cabins than frame homes both during times with and without surface-based inversions. In frame houses, concentrations were higher at 0.61 m than 1.52 m, while the opposite is true typically for cabins. Differences between shoulder season and summer indoor concentrations in residences were related to changes in heating, subsistence lifestyle and mosquito repellents. In summer, office and commercial buildings, air quality decreased due to increased indoor emissions related to increased use of equipment and mosquito pics as well as more merchandise. During summer indoor concentrations reached unhealthy for sensitive groups to hazardous conditions for extended times that even exceeded the high outdoor concentrations. Due to nearby wildfires, July mean outdoor concentrations were 55.3 μg·m<sup>-</sup></span><sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;">3</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> which exceeds the 24-h US National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 35 μg·m</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><sup>-3</sup></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">. Indoor and outdoor concentrations correlated the strongest with each other for office/commercial buildings, followed by frame houses and cabins. Office/commercial buildings with temperature monitors had one to two orders of magnitude lower concentrations than those without.</span>展开更多
Investigation of plant morphological features, pollen, and habitat have been made for two shrub species from Barrow, Alaska, namely Dryas integrifoila M. Vahl and Salix rotundifolia Trautv., both of which are endemic ...Investigation of plant morphological features, pollen, and habitat have been made for two shrub species from Barrow, Alaska, namely Dryas integrifoila M. Vahl and Salix rotundifolia Trautv., both of which are endemic to the Arctic floristic area. The former species has small lanceolate or plate leaves, whereas the latter has rounded leaves with distinct veins, rich in vitamin C. Both have dwarf and sprawling habits. Pollen studies showed that the pollen grains of the two species are spheroidal to sub-spheroidal or prolate. The type of aperture was tricolporate; pollen size 26.3-31.3 μm; ornamentation finely reticulate under a light microscope （LM） and strlate-reticulate under a scanning electron microscope （SEM） for D. integrafoila and finely reticulate under the LM and SEM for S. rotundifolia. Comparisons were made between the pollen from the same species from Arctic collections with those from China and Japan. Investigation of pollen morphology of tundra plants can provide significant data for comparative studies of fossil pollen and for the reconstruction of paleovegetation and paleoclimate in the Barrow area.展开更多
Three M_(W)>7.0 earthquakes in 2020-2021 occurred in the Shumagin seismic gap and its adjacent area of the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone,including the Mw7.8 Simeonof thrust earthquake on July 22,2020,the M_(W)7.6...Three M_(W)>7.0 earthquakes in 2020-2021 occurred in the Shumagin seismic gap and its adjacent area of the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone,including the Mw7.8 Simeonof thrust earthquake on July 22,2020,the M_(W)7.6 Sand Point strike-slip earthquake on October 19,2020,and the M_(W)8.2 Chignik thrust earthquake on July 29,2021.The spatial and temporal proximity of these three earthquakes prompts us to probe stress-triggering effects among them.Here we examine the coseismic Coulomb stress change imparted by the three earthquakes and their influence on the subduction interface.Our results show that:(1)The Simeonof earthquake has strong loading effects on the subsequent Sand Point and Chignik earthquakes,with the Coulomb stress changes of 3.95 bars and 2.89 bars,respectively.The Coulomb stress change caused by the Sand Point earthquake at the hypocenter of the Chignik earthquake is merely around 0.01 bars,suggesting the negligible triggering effect on the latter earthquake;(2)The triggering effects of the Simeonof,Sand Point,and Chignik earthquakes on aftershocks within three months are not well pronounced because of the triggering rates of 38%,14%,and 43%respectively.Other factors may have played an important role in promoting the occurrence of these aftershocks,such as the roughness of the subduction interface,the complicated velocity structure of the lithosphere,and the heterogeneous prestress therein;(3)The three earthquakes caused remarkable coseismic Coulomb stress changes at the subduction interface nearby these mainshocks,with an average Coulomb stress change of 3.2 bars in the shallow region directly inwards the trench.展开更多
Based on the field measurements in Barrow, Alaska within the period of April-May 2015, we investigate the sources and variations of elemental carbon(EC) and organic carbon(OC) in the surface layer of snowpack on sea i...Based on the field measurements in Barrow, Alaska within the period of April-May 2015, we investigate the sources and variations of elemental carbon(EC) and organic carbon(OC) in the surface layer of snowpack on sea ice, and estimate their effects on the sea ice albedo. Results show that the snow OC in Barrow are from natural sources(e.g. terrestrial higher plants and micro-organisms) mainly, as well as biomass burning(e.g. forest fires and straw combustion) as an important part. Both EC and OC can accumulate at the snow surface with snow melt. The variations in EC and OC and liquid water content in the snow layer are well consistent during the snow-melting period. A higher rate of snow melt implied a more efficient enrichment of EC and OC. In the last phase of snow melt, the concentration increased to a maximum of 16.2 ng/g for EC and 128 ng/g for OC, which is ~10 times larger than those before snow melt onset. Except for the dominant influence of melt amplification mechanism, the variation in concentrations of EC and OC could be disturbed by the air temperature fluctuation and snowfall. Our study indicates that the lightabsorbing impurities contributed 1.6%-5.1% to the reduction in sea ice albedo with melt during the measurement period. The significant period oflight-absorbing impurities influencing on sea ice albedo begins with the rapid melting of overlying snow and ends before the melt ponds formed widely, which lasted for about 10 days in Barrow, 2015.展开更多
The contamination of cuttings and side wall core (SWC) samples in the Bambra 2 well by drilling mud additives and natural hydrocarbons may cause Rock Eval T max (℃) data to be suspect, and affect its uti...The contamination of cuttings and side wall core (SWC) samples in the Bambra 2 well by drilling mud additives and natural hydrocarbons may cause Rock Eval T max (℃) data to be suspect, and affect its utility in the assessment of thermal maturity. The Rock Eval results of 284 cuttings samples, 31 side wall core samples and conventional core samples from the Jurassic Cretaceous sedimentary sequences in the Bambra 2 well are presented in this paper. Significantly lower T max values from cuttings samples compared with T max values from conventional core samples and solvent extracted SWC samples, from the deeper and higher maturity interval, are thought to have been caused by contamination by diesel and other drilling mud additives. The cuttings samples in the Barrow Group of Cretaceous may be contaminated by natural hydrocarbons, resulting their T max values to be 2-10 ℃ lower than a regularly increased T max trend from core samples. This study indicates that more reliable Rock Eval T max data are obtained from the conventional core samples and solvent extracted SWC samples. This study also indicates that the T max values from some SWC samples were also affected by free hydrocarbons, due to the use of diesel as a mud additive as well.展开更多
On July 29, 2021, a large earthquake of MW8.2 occurred south of the Alaska Peninsula. To investigate the spatial-temporal changes of crustal stress in the earthquake-stricken area before this event, we selected 159 ea...On July 29, 2021, a large earthquake of MW8.2 occurred south of the Alaska Peninsula. To investigate the spatial-temporal changes of crustal stress in the earthquake-stricken area before this event, we selected 159 earthquakes of 4.7 ≤ MW ≤ 6.9 that occurred in the epicentral region and its surroundings between January 1980 and June 2021 to study the temporal variation and spatial distribution of their apparent stress. In addition, we analyzed the correlation between seismic activities and Earth’s rotation and explored the seismogenic process of this earthquake. The crustal stress rose from January 2008 to December 2016. This period was followed by a sub-instability stage from January 2017 until the occurrence of the MW8.2 earthquake. The average rate of apparent stress change in the first five years of the stress increase period was roughly 2.3 times that in the last four years. The lateral distribution of the apparent stress shows that the areas with apparent stress greater than 1.0 MPa exhibited an expanding trend during the seismogenic process. The maximum apparent stress was located at the earthquake epicenter during the last four years. The distribution of the apparent stress in the E-W vertical cross section revealed that an apparent stress gap formed around the hypocenter during the first five years of the stress increase period, surrounded by areas of relatively high apparent stress. After the Alaska earthquake, most parts of this gap were filled in by aftershocks. The seismic activities during the sub-instability stage exhibited a significant correlation with Earth’s rotation.展开更多
This feasibility study examined whether total backscatter and depolarization measurements from Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) in combination with sparse surface meteorolog...This feasibility study examined whether total backscatter and depolarization measurements from Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) in combination with sparse surface meteorological data and other information permitted qualitative assessment of simulated vertical and horizontal distributions of aerosols from wildfires over Interior Alaska. Comparisons between co-located WRF/Chem cross-sections and CALIPSO curtains showed temporal and spatial differences in smoke-plume height above ground, vertical and horizontal extension. Simple estimates of contributions of errors and processes elucidated that the different spatial and temporal resolution of model grid-cells and the lidar scan could provide offsets of the magnitude found in the comparison. The overestimation of 10 m wind speeds by on average 1.33 m·sǃ contributed to the offset. Energy estimates suggested that the energy needed for permafrost thawing may contribute to discrepancies between simulated and CALIPSO indicated plume height. A sensitivity study with lower emission rates showed similar features. The study demonstrated that use of CALIPSO data in combination with data from other sources than air-quality networks could serve for identification of potential model shortcomings by assessment of magnitudes of error and process impacts.展开更多
Climate warming has not resulted in measurable thawing of the cold (–5°C to –10°C) permafrost in northern Alaska during the last half century. The maximum depths of summer thaw at five locations near Barro...Climate warming has not resulted in measurable thawing of the cold (–5°C to –10°C) permafrost in northern Alaska during the last half century. The maximum depths of summer thaw at five locations near Barrow, Alaska, in 2005 were within the ranges of the depths obtained at those same locations during the early 1950s. However, there has been a net warming of about 2°C, after a cooling of 0.4°C during 1953–1960, at the upper depths of the permafrost column at two of the locations. Thawing of permafrost from above (increase in active layer thickness) is determined by the summer thawing index for the specific year; any warming, or cooling, of the upper permafrost column results from the cumulative effect of changes in the average annual air temperatures over a period of years, assuming no change in surface conditions. Theoretically, thawing from the base of permafrost should be negligible even in areas of thin (about 100–200 m) permafrost in northern Alaska. The reported shoreline erosion along the northern Alaska coast is a secondary result from changes in the adjacent ocean ice coverage during the fall stormy period, and is not directly because of any 'thawing' of the permafrost.展开更多
A temperature record from a lake core reveals that it becomes warming at average rate of 0 4 ℃ per century in the past 400 a at Barrow, but it turns cold in the past 200 a. Maximum entropy spectra analysis shows tha...A temperature record from a lake core reveals that it becomes warming at average rate of 0 4 ℃ per century in the past 400 a at Barrow, but it turns cold in the past 200 a. Maximum entropy spectra analysis shows that in the temperature fluctuations there are cycles of 33, 40, 29 a and about 90 a at Barrow. According to statistics and entropy analysis of monthly mean temperature from Barrow Meteorological Observatory in 1921 1994, there are cycles of 4, 6, 14, 16 months and 3, 4, 7, 10 a in the recent temperature change.展开更多
A total of 48 samples from the core AB 67 at Barrow are analyzed for 25 grain size items and 44 geochemical items. Q mode factor analysis applied to these data yielded 4 factors. Mapping of there factor showed their...A total of 48 samples from the core AB 67 at Barrow are analyzed for 25 grain size items and 44 geochemical items. Q mode factor analysis applied to these data yielded 4 factors. Mapping of there factor showed their close affinity to sedimentary environment; these core sedimentary rate, precipitation, sea level change, annual temperature. Paleoenvironmentary transfer functions were defined to estimate mean annual temperature and annual precipitation from corelationship between 5 samples at core top and observation record from Barrow Meteorology Observatory. Sedimentary rate was determinated from dating by 210 Pb and several environment events, and sea level from changes of sedimentary phase. The reconstructed temperature and precipitation curves show that Barrow climate is colder and drier in the 16th and the 17th century, temperature rose up and precipitation fluctuated sharply in the 18th and the 19th century, these two changes are greater in the 20th century. The reconstructed temperature curves agree with the variation of assemblages of micropaleontology.展开更多
Alaska geology and plate tectonics have not been well understood due to an active Yakutat plate, believed to be part of the remains of an ancient Kula plate, not being acknowledged to exist in Alaska. It is positioned...Alaska geology and plate tectonics have not been well understood due to an active Yakutat plate, believed to be part of the remains of an ancient Kula plate, not being acknowledged to exist in Alaska. It is positioned throughout most of southcentral Alaska beneath the North American plate and above the NNW subducting Pacific plate. The Kula？ plate and its eastern spreading ridge were partially ＂captured＂ by the North American plate in the Paleocene. Between 63 Ma and 32 Ma, large volumes of volcanics erupted from its subducted N-S striking spreading ridge through a slab window. The eruptions stopped at 32 Ma, likely due to the Pacific plate fiat-slab subducting from the south beneath this spreading ridge. At 28 Ma, magmatism started again to the east; indicating a major shift to the east of this ＂refusing to die＂ spreading ridge. The captured Yakutat plate has also been subducting since 63 Ma to the WSW. It started to change to WSW fiat-slab subduction at 32 Ma, which stopped all subduction magmatism in W and SW Alaska by 22 Ma. The Yakutat plate subduction has again increased with the impact/joining of the coastal Yakutat terrane from the ESE about 5 Ma, resulting in the Cook Inlet Quaternary volcanism of southcentral Alaska. During the 1964 Alaska earthquake, sudden movements along the southcentral Alaska thrust faults between the Yakutat plate and the Pacific plate occurred. Specifically, the movements consisted of the Pacific plate moving NNW under the buried Yakutat plate and of the coastal Yakutat terrane, which is considered part of the Yakutat plate, thrusting WSW onto the Pacific plate. These were the two main sources of energy release for the E part of this earthquake. Only limited movement between the Yakutat plate and the North American plate occurred during this 1964 earthquake event. Buried paleopeat age dates indicate the thrust boundary between the Yakutat plate and North American plate will move in about 230 years, resulting in a more ＂continental＂ type megathrust earthquake for southcentral Alaska. There are, therefore, at least two different types ofmegathrust earthquakes occurring in southcentral Alaska： the more oceanic 1964 type and the more continental type. In addition, large ＂active＂ WSW oriented strike-slip faults are recognized in the Yakutat plate, called slice faults, which represent another earthquake hazard for the region. These slice faults also indicate important oil/gas and mineral resource locations.展开更多
How many ways can you think of to say"Welcome"?In Alaska there are at least 11 different ways!That’s because there are 11 distinct cultur- al groups of Native Indians who live in Alaska and have their own l...How many ways can you think of to say"Welcome"?In Alaska there are at least 11 different ways!That’s because there are 11 distinct cultur- al groups of Native Indians who live in Alaska and have their own lan- guages,customs,and hanting and fishing practices.展开更多
文摘Precipitation samples collected at Point Barrow, Alaska in the August and September of 1994 was analyzed for pH, conductivity and all major ions. A mean pH value of 5.53 was gained, and the samples' conductivity showed no linear correlation with its acidity, which did not agree to the similar work results on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. Cl - and Na + were found to originate mainly with seasalt. The concentrations of SO 2- 4 varied from event to event. But the exSO 2- 4 concentrations remained small, which indicated less anthropogenic effect on the environment at the site.
文摘This paper deals with the features and distribution of chemical elements in the Borecore AB 67 (60 cm long, it covered a time span of past 450 a) from Elson Lagoon in Barrow,Arctic Alaska. The analysing data show that concentration of major elements,trace elements,rare and rare earth elements are quite different between the upper part (0 20 cm) and the lower part (20 60 cm). And the correlation between contents of clay and organic material and concentration of chemical elements are discussed. Based on the characters of sediment geochemistry of Borecore AB 67,the history of climatic and environmental changes in Barrow in the past 450 a can be reconstracted as follows: 1) Relatively cold and dry with low sea level stage occurred prior to 1740 A.D.; 2) It was becoming warm accompanied by transgression from 1740 A.D. to 1827 A.D.; 3) From 1827 A.D. to 1994 A.D.(0 20 cm),it was fluctuated warming accompanied by continuous transgression,in this period relatively cold appeared around 1935 A.D. and 1969 A.D..
文摘Data from 456 surface meteorological sites in Alaska, eastern Russia and northwest Canada for 1979-2017 were used to model hourly universal thermal comfort indices (UTCIs) under consideration of Alaska-appropriate clothing. The results served to determine a high-resolution climatology of thermal comfort levels for Alaska at various temporal and spatial scales as well as the frequency of thermal stress levels. On 1979-2017 average, various degrees of cold stress occurred with highest percentage on the Alaska West Coast and along the Arctic Ocean. In the continental and Inside Passage region, no thermal stress had the highest percentage of occurrence. In Interior Alaska, both strong heat and extreme cold stress occurred occasionally. At most sites and in all Alaska Köppen-Geiger bio-climate regions, the absolute range between monthly means of daily minimum and maximum UTCIs was larger than that of monthly means of daily minimum and maximum air temperatures. Major contributors to thermal discomfort (shortwave radiation, air temperature, moisture, wind speed) varied among bio-climate regions and in the diurnal and annual courses.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2020YFA0608503)the Science and Technology Program of Gansu Province(23ZDFA017).
文摘Regarding the rapid shrinkage of the Arctic cryosphere, sea ice plays a significant role in the temporal storage,transport, and release of microplastics(an emergent pollutant) among atmospheric, aquatic, and terrestrial environments. However, there are sparse studies on microplastics in the landfast sea ice and lagoon lake ice in the Alaskan Arctic region. Therefore, this study investigated characteristics and potential sources of microplastics in the landfast sea ice and lagoon lake ice in the Alaskan Arctic(Point Barrow). The results found that the average abundance of microplastics in the landfast sea ice(220.6±140.1 items/L) was comparable to that in lagoon lake ice near Point Barrow(148.9±141.8 items/L). For different layers of sea ice cores, the maximum abundance of microplastics generally occurred in the bottom layer. The overall particle sizes for the detected microplastics revealed that the abundance of microplastics decreased with increasing size for both landfast sea ice and lagoon lake ice samples. Small-sized microplastics(≤50 μm) accounted for more than 80% of the detected microplastics,with the dominant shape being fragments. The predominant polymers in sea ice were polyamide(PA), polyethylene(PE), and polyethylene terephthalate(PET). Meanwhile, PE and rubber dominated the polymers detected in lagoon lake ice. These differences between microplastics in Arctic sea ice and lagoon lake ice further indicated the discrepancies in microplastic transport pathways and deposition. Microplastics in landfast sea ice were mainly affected by seawater transported from the Pacific Ocean into the Chukchi Sea. In contrast, microplastics in lagoon lake ice were mostly influenced by the seawater of the Beaufort Sea and local vehicle emissions(e.g., rubber). This study further highlighted that a large abundance of microplastics was widely distributed in the sea ice of the Alaska Arctic region and may pose potential risks to the local ecosystems.
文摘To assess the exposure of residents in rural communities in the Yukon Flats to particulate matter of 2.5 μm or less in diameter (PM<sub><span style="font-family:Verdana;">2.5</span></sub><span style="font-family:Verdana;">), both indoor and outdoor concentration observations were carried out from March to September 2019 in Ft. Yukon, Alaska. Indoor concentrations were measured at 0.61 m (breathing level during sleeping) in homes and at 1.52 m heights (breathing level of standing adult) in homes and office/commercial buildings. Air quality was better at both heights in cabins than frame homes both during times with and without surface-based inversions. In frame houses, concentrations were higher at 0.61 m than 1.52 m, while the opposite is true typically for cabins. Differences between shoulder season and summer indoor concentrations in residences were related to changes in heating, subsistence lifestyle and mosquito repellents. In summer, office and commercial buildings, air quality decreased due to increased indoor emissions related to increased use of equipment and mosquito pics as well as more merchandise. During summer indoor concentrations reached unhealthy for sensitive groups to hazardous conditions for extended times that even exceeded the high outdoor concentrations. Due to nearby wildfires, July mean outdoor concentrations were 55.3 μg·m<sup>-</sup></span><sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;">3</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> which exceeds the 24-h US National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 35 μg·m</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><sup>-3</sup></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">. Indoor and outdoor concentrations correlated the strongest with each other for office/commercial buildings, followed by frame houses and cabins. Office/commercial buildings with temperature monitors had one to two orders of magnitude lower concentrations than those without.</span>
文摘Investigation of plant morphological features, pollen, and habitat have been made for two shrub species from Barrow, Alaska, namely Dryas integrifoila M. Vahl and Salix rotundifolia Trautv., both of which are endemic to the Arctic floristic area. The former species has small lanceolate or plate leaves, whereas the latter has rounded leaves with distinct veins, rich in vitamin C. Both have dwarf and sprawling habits. Pollen studies showed that the pollen grains of the two species are spheroidal to sub-spheroidal or prolate. The type of aperture was tricolporate; pollen size 26.3-31.3 μm; ornamentation finely reticulate under a light microscope （LM） and strlate-reticulate under a scanning electron microscope （SEM） for D. integrafoila and finely reticulate under the LM and SEM for S. rotundifolia. Comparisons were made between the pollen from the same species from Arctic collections with those from China and Japan. Investigation of pollen morphology of tundra plants can provide significant data for comparative studies of fossil pollen and for the reconstruction of paleovegetation and paleoclimate in the Barrow area.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.sU2139205,41774011,41874011)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2018YFC1503605)。
文摘Three M_(W)>7.0 earthquakes in 2020-2021 occurred in the Shumagin seismic gap and its adjacent area of the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone,including the Mw7.8 Simeonof thrust earthquake on July 22,2020,the M_(W)7.6 Sand Point strike-slip earthquake on October 19,2020,and the M_(W)8.2 Chignik thrust earthquake on July 29,2021.The spatial and temporal proximity of these three earthquakes prompts us to probe stress-triggering effects among them.Here we examine the coseismic Coulomb stress change imparted by the three earthquakes and their influence on the subduction interface.Our results show that:(1)The Simeonof earthquake has strong loading effects on the subsequent Sand Point and Chignik earthquakes,with the Coulomb stress changes of 3.95 bars and 2.89 bars,respectively.The Coulomb stress change caused by the Sand Point earthquake at the hypocenter of the Chignik earthquake is merely around 0.01 bars,suggesting the negligible triggering effect on the latter earthquake;(2)The triggering effects of the Simeonof,Sand Point,and Chignik earthquakes on aftershocks within three months are not well pronounced because of the triggering rates of 38%,14%,and 43%respectively.Other factors may have played an important role in promoting the occurrence of these aftershocks,such as the roughness of the subduction interface,the complicated velocity structure of the lithosphere,and the heterogeneous prestress therein;(3)The three earthquakes caused remarkable coseismic Coulomb stress changes at the subduction interface nearby these mainshocks,with an average Coulomb stress change of 3.2 bars in the shallow region directly inwards the trench.
基金supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(MOST, 2013CBA01804)the National Nature Science Foundation of China (41425003,41401079, 41476164 and 41625014)+2 种基金the key project of CAMS:Research on the Key Processes of Cryospheric Rapid Changes (KJZD-EW-G03)the Opening Founding of State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences(SKLCSOP-2016-03)the State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences (SKLCS-ZZ-2017)
文摘Based on the field measurements in Barrow, Alaska within the period of April-May 2015, we investigate the sources and variations of elemental carbon(EC) and organic carbon(OC) in the surface layer of snowpack on sea ice, and estimate their effects on the sea ice albedo. Results show that the snow OC in Barrow are from natural sources(e.g. terrestrial higher plants and micro-organisms) mainly, as well as biomass burning(e.g. forest fires and straw combustion) as an important part. Both EC and OC can accumulate at the snow surface with snow melt. The variations in EC and OC and liquid water content in the snow layer are well consistent during the snow-melting period. A higher rate of snow melt implied a more efficient enrichment of EC and OC. In the last phase of snow melt, the concentration increased to a maximum of 16.2 ng/g for EC and 128 ng/g for OC, which is ~10 times larger than those before snow melt onset. Except for the dominant influence of melt amplification mechanism, the variation in concentrations of EC and OC could be disturbed by the air temperature fluctuation and snowfall. Our study indicates that the lightabsorbing impurities contributed 1.6%-5.1% to the reduction in sea ice albedo with melt during the measurement period. The significant period oflight-absorbing impurities influencing on sea ice albedo begins with the rapid melting of overlying snow and ends before the melt ponds formed widely, which lasted for about 10 days in Barrow, 2015.
文摘The contamination of cuttings and side wall core (SWC) samples in the Bambra 2 well by drilling mud additives and natural hydrocarbons may cause Rock Eval T max (℃) data to be suspect, and affect its utility in the assessment of thermal maturity. The Rock Eval results of 284 cuttings samples, 31 side wall core samples and conventional core samples from the Jurassic Cretaceous sedimentary sequences in the Bambra 2 well are presented in this paper. Significantly lower T max values from cuttings samples compared with T max values from conventional core samples and solvent extracted SWC samples, from the deeper and higher maturity interval, are thought to have been caused by contamination by diesel and other drilling mud additives. The cuttings samples in the Barrow Group of Cretaceous may be contaminated by natural hydrocarbons, resulting their T max values to be 2-10 ℃ lower than a regularly increased T max trend from core samples. This study indicates that more reliable Rock Eval T max data are obtained from the conventional core samples and solvent extracted SWC samples. This study also indicates that the T max values from some SWC samples were also affected by free hydrocarbons, due to the use of diesel as a mud additive as well.
基金supported by the the Special fund of the Institute of Geophysics,China Earthquake Administration(No.DQJB22Z04).
文摘On July 29, 2021, a large earthquake of MW8.2 occurred south of the Alaska Peninsula. To investigate the spatial-temporal changes of crustal stress in the earthquake-stricken area before this event, we selected 159 earthquakes of 4.7 ≤ MW ≤ 6.9 that occurred in the epicentral region and its surroundings between January 1980 and June 2021 to study the temporal variation and spatial distribution of their apparent stress. In addition, we analyzed the correlation between seismic activities and Earth’s rotation and explored the seismogenic process of this earthquake. The crustal stress rose from January 2008 to December 2016. This period was followed by a sub-instability stage from January 2017 until the occurrence of the MW8.2 earthquake. The average rate of apparent stress change in the first five years of the stress increase period was roughly 2.3 times that in the last four years. The lateral distribution of the apparent stress shows that the areas with apparent stress greater than 1.0 MPa exhibited an expanding trend during the seismogenic process. The maximum apparent stress was located at the earthquake epicenter during the last four years. The distribution of the apparent stress in the E-W vertical cross section revealed that an apparent stress gap formed around the hypocenter during the first five years of the stress increase period, surrounded by areas of relatively high apparent stress. After the Alaska earthquake, most parts of this gap were filled in by aftershocks. The seismic activities during the sub-instability stage exhibited a significant correlation with Earth’s rotation.
基金The National Aeronautics and Space Administration provided funding(grant number:NASA-NNX11AQ27A).
文摘This feasibility study examined whether total backscatter and depolarization measurements from Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) in combination with sparse surface meteorological data and other information permitted qualitative assessment of simulated vertical and horizontal distributions of aerosols from wildfires over Interior Alaska. Comparisons between co-located WRF/Chem cross-sections and CALIPSO curtains showed temporal and spatial differences in smoke-plume height above ground, vertical and horizontal extension. Simple estimates of contributions of errors and processes elucidated that the different spatial and temporal resolution of model grid-cells and the lidar scan could provide offsets of the magnitude found in the comparison. The overestimation of 10 m wind speeds by on average 1.33 m·sǃ contributed to the offset. Energy estimates suggested that the energy needed for permafrost thawing may contribute to discrepancies between simulated and CALIPSO indicated plume height. A sensitivity study with lower emission rates showed similar features. The study demonstrated that use of CALIPSO data in combination with data from other sources than air-quality networks could serve for identification of potential model shortcomings by assessment of magnitudes of error and process impacts.
基金supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences 100 Talents Project "Stability of linear engineering foundations in warm permafrost regions under a changing climate"University of Alaska EPSCoR Program "Long-term stability of highway foun-dation soils in Alaska under a changing climate" (2001–2003)+1 种基金supported by the USGS, the office of Naval Research, the Office of Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and conducted on its behalf by the USGSsupporting the Glennallen portion of the study in July 1954
文摘Climate warming has not resulted in measurable thawing of the cold (–5°C to –10°C) permafrost in northern Alaska during the last half century. The maximum depths of summer thaw at five locations near Barrow, Alaska, in 2005 were within the ranges of the depths obtained at those same locations during the early 1950s. However, there has been a net warming of about 2°C, after a cooling of 0.4°C during 1953–1960, at the upper depths of the permafrost column at two of the locations. Thawing of permafrost from above (increase in active layer thickness) is determined by the summer thawing index for the specific year; any warming, or cooling, of the upper permafrost column results from the cumulative effect of changes in the average annual air temperatures over a period of years, assuming no change in surface conditions. Theoretically, thawing from the base of permafrost should be negligible even in areas of thin (about 100–200 m) permafrost in northern Alaska. The reported shoreline erosion along the northern Alaska coast is a secondary result from changes in the adjacent ocean ice coverage during the fall stormy period, and is not directly because of any 'thawing' of the permafrost.
文摘A temperature record from a lake core reveals that it becomes warming at average rate of 0 4 ℃ per century in the past 400 a at Barrow, but it turns cold in the past 200 a. Maximum entropy spectra analysis shows that in the temperature fluctuations there are cycles of 33, 40, 29 a and about 90 a at Barrow. According to statistics and entropy analysis of monthly mean temperature from Barrow Meteorological Observatory in 1921 1994, there are cycles of 4, 6, 14, 16 months and 3, 4, 7, 10 a in the recent temperature change.
文摘A total of 48 samples from the core AB 67 at Barrow are analyzed for 25 grain size items and 44 geochemical items. Q mode factor analysis applied to these data yielded 4 factors. Mapping of there factor showed their close affinity to sedimentary environment; these core sedimentary rate, precipitation, sea level change, annual temperature. Paleoenvironmentary transfer functions were defined to estimate mean annual temperature and annual precipitation from corelationship between 5 samples at core top and observation record from Barrow Meteorology Observatory. Sedimentary rate was determinated from dating by 210 Pb and several environment events, and sea level from changes of sedimentary phase. The reconstructed temperature and precipitation curves show that Barrow climate is colder and drier in the 16th and the 17th century, temperature rose up and precipitation fluctuated sharply in the 18th and the 19th century, these two changes are greater in the 20th century. The reconstructed temperature curves agree with the variation of assemblages of micropaleontology.
文摘Alaska geology and plate tectonics have not been well understood due to an active Yakutat plate, believed to be part of the remains of an ancient Kula plate, not being acknowledged to exist in Alaska. It is positioned throughout most of southcentral Alaska beneath the North American plate and above the NNW subducting Pacific plate. The Kula？ plate and its eastern spreading ridge were partially ＂captured＂ by the North American plate in the Paleocene. Between 63 Ma and 32 Ma, large volumes of volcanics erupted from its subducted N-S striking spreading ridge through a slab window. The eruptions stopped at 32 Ma, likely due to the Pacific plate fiat-slab subducting from the south beneath this spreading ridge. At 28 Ma, magmatism started again to the east; indicating a major shift to the east of this ＂refusing to die＂ spreading ridge. The captured Yakutat plate has also been subducting since 63 Ma to the WSW. It started to change to WSW fiat-slab subduction at 32 Ma, which stopped all subduction magmatism in W and SW Alaska by 22 Ma. The Yakutat plate subduction has again increased with the impact/joining of the coastal Yakutat terrane from the ESE about 5 Ma, resulting in the Cook Inlet Quaternary volcanism of southcentral Alaska. During the 1964 Alaska earthquake, sudden movements along the southcentral Alaska thrust faults between the Yakutat plate and the Pacific plate occurred. Specifically, the movements consisted of the Pacific plate moving NNW under the buried Yakutat plate and of the coastal Yakutat terrane, which is considered part of the Yakutat plate, thrusting WSW onto the Pacific plate. These were the two main sources of energy release for the E part of this earthquake. Only limited movement between the Yakutat plate and the North American plate occurred during this 1964 earthquake event. Buried paleopeat age dates indicate the thrust boundary between the Yakutat plate and North American plate will move in about 230 years, resulting in a more ＂continental＂ type megathrust earthquake for southcentral Alaska. There are, therefore, at least two different types ofmegathrust earthquakes occurring in southcentral Alaska： the more oceanic 1964 type and the more continental type. In addition, large ＂active＂ WSW oriented strike-slip faults are recognized in the Yakutat plate, called slice faults, which represent another earthquake hazard for the region. These slice faults also indicate important oil/gas and mineral resource locations.
文摘How many ways can you think of to say"Welcome"?In Alaska there are at least 11 different ways!That’s because there are 11 distinct cultur- al groups of Native Indians who live in Alaska and have their own lan- guages,customs,and hanting and fishing practices.
