Asian monsoon

Three complicated and interrelated issues are marine conservation, local development, and climate change. To seek insight into the challenges posed by these issues in a particular context, this dissertation focuses on seven communities near marine protected areas (MPAs) on the Andaman Coast of Thailand. The central question was "How can conservation outcomes and community livelihoods and adaptive capacity be enhanced in communities near MPAs on the Andaman Coast of Thailand in consideration of a changing climate?" The objectives were to explore local perceptions of social and environmental change and vulnerability, community opinions of Thailand's National Marine Parks (NMPs), and the adaptive capacity of coastal communities. Literatures on resilience, adaptive capacity, vulnerability, conservation impacts, sustainable livelihoods, and governance and management frame the research. Fieldwork included Photovoice, interviews, and household surveys. Four stand-alone manuscripts are included in the dissertation: a) "A picture of change: Using Photovoice to explore social and environmental change in coastal communities on the Andaman Coast of Thailand"; b) "Vulnerability to multiple stressors in coastal communities: A study of the Andaman Coast of Thailand"; c) "Why local people do not support conservation: Community perceptions of marine protected area livelihood impacts, governance and management in Thailand"; and, d) "The capacity to adapt?: iv Communities in a changing climate, environment and economy on the northern Andaman Coast of Thailand". Broadly, the dissertation offers relevant insights into the complex social-ecological changes being experienced by heterogeneous communities and the multi-faceted and multi-scalar actions required to address increasing challenges. Specifically, it a) demonstrates that Photovoice is an effective method for examining social and environmental change and providing input into community adaptation, conservation, and development processes, b) explores the social-economic and biophysical stressors that contribute to household vulnerability and suggests that multiple stressors, particularly economics and climate change, need to be considered in adaptation planning, c) recommends significant improvements to current NMP governance and management to engender local support for marine conservation, and d) illustrates that communities on the Andaman coast of Thailand are coping with environmental and fisheries declines, reacting to climate change and adapting variably to alternative livelihoods and proposes interventions for improving adaptive capacity. v I would like to express my sincerest thanks to all of the individuals and families who generously took time to share with me, and the rest of the research team, facets of their lives and communities. There are innumerable people in each of the villages where we conducted research who should be thanked individually for patiently explaining details of their communities, telling us about their daily lives, feeding us, taking us fishing, rescuing us during emergencies, and laughing with us throughout. It does not suffice to say "Korb kun khap" for the endless kindness. In Thailand, I was received kindly and fed plentifully by individuals from the following organizations: Andaman Discoveries (Bodhi Garrett), the IUCN Kuraburi regional office (P'Aey -Petchrung Sukpong), Mangrove Action Project (Barry Bendell), the Andaman Sea Fisheries Research and Development Center of the Department of Fisheries (Sampan Panjarat),

To understand recent climate change in the North Atlantic region and to produce better climate forecasts with uncertainty estimates it is important to determine the atmospheric ‘response’ to Atlantic sea‐surface temperature (SST) forcing. There have been conflicting results regarding the strength, character and tropical‐versus‐extratropical origin of this response. For model‐based studies, this may indicate differing sensitivities to Atlantic SST, but the comparison is complicated by changes in experimental design. Here, a highly controlled experiment with five atmospheric models is undertaken. The influence of realistic (if reasonably strong) and optimally chosen North Atlantic (equator to 70°N) SST anomalies is isolated. Unexpected global agreement between the models is found (e.g. the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Eurasian temperatures, rainfall over the Americas and Africa, and the Asian monsoon). The extratropical North Atlantic region response appears to be associated with...

The Southeast Asian mainland is located in the central path of the Asian summer monsoon, a region where paleoclimatic data are still sparse. Here we present a multi-proxy (TOC, C/N, δ 13 C, biogenic silica, and XRF elemental data) study of a 1.5 m sediment/peat sequence from Lake Pa Kho, northeast Thailand, which is supported by 20 AMS 14 C ages. Hydroclimatic reconstructions for Pa Kho suggest a strengthened summer monsoon between BC 170-AD 370, AD 800-960, and after AD 1450; and a weakening of the summer monsoon between AD 370-800, and AD 1300-1450. Increased run-off and a higher nutrient supply after AD 1700 can be linked to agricultural intensification and land-use changes in the region. This study fills an important gap in data coverage with respect to summer monsoon variability over Southeast Asia during the past 2000 years and enables the mean position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) to be inferred based on comparisons with other regional studies. Intervals of strengthened/weaker summer monsoon rainfall suggest that the mean position of the ITCZ was located as far north as 35°N between BC 170-AD 370 and AD 800-960, whereas it likely did not reach above 17°N during the drought intervals of AD 370-800 and AD 1300-1450. The spatial pattern of rainfall variation seems to have changed after AD 1450, when the inferred moisture history for Pa Kho indicates a more southerly location of the mean position of the summer ITCZ.

Here we present a decadal-resolved hydroclimate record covering the past 11 thousand years based on δ 18 O data of three stalagmites from Klang Cave (TK) on the Thai-Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand. The δ 18 O values indicate wetter conditions/more rainfall during the early Holocene from 11 to 7 thousand years before present (kyr BP). A l arge increase of 2‰ in δ 18 O is observed from 7.0 to 6.0 kyr BP, indicating a millennial drying period followed by drought conditions between 6.0 and 5.2 kyr BP . After a long hiatus ( 5.2 -2.7 kyr BP), d 18 O data show a millennium-long trend toward dry conditions. An abrupt positive change of 0.8 -1.0 ‰ in δ 18 O is noticed between 8.29 -8.17 kyr BP, reflecting the 8.2-ka event , however; the amplitude of the δ 18 O shift is much smaller when compared to 6.0 -5.2 kyr BP . On orbital time-scales , the TK record agrees with insolation-dominated speleothem records in the Asian-Australian monsoon realm. Noticeable inconsistencies among records in the Southeast Asia region (between 8°N and 4 °N -8° S) have been documented on multi-centennial scales. L ower δ 18 O values are likely associated with the mean position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). A new reconstruction of Holocene ITCZ shifts index within the central Indo-Pacific region, based on stalagmite δ 18 O records from Klang Cave (8°N) and Liang Luar Cave (8°S), shows that the ITCZ played an important role in hydroclimate variability in the Asian-Australian monsoon regions. The southward shift of the ITCZ in the central Indo-Pacific region, controlled by the interhemispheric extratropical insolation gradient, may strongly correlate with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) activities in the Editor comments E1. Chawchai et al. presents a speleothem δ18O records spanning most of Holocene from Klang Cave in Thai-Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand, which follow the study by Tan et al. (2019, PNAS). In this study the authors extended the record, for most of the last 11,000 years by using different aragonitic stalagmites which covering the different time periods. The major findings include broad similarity with other speleothem-based monsoon records mostly in East Asia; a millennial drought period in the middle Holocene; identifying the 8.2-ka event in the tropical Indo-Pacific region and reconstructing the ITCZ shift index during the Holocene. The quality of the data is very good, the subject addressed is worthy of investigation, the information presented is new and worthy publication in QSR. The new record is important for understanding the Holocene hydroclimate changes in tropical Indo-Pacific region. Reply: Thank you for this positive comment. E2. However, the two reviewers and I found some important problems that need to be addressed before the manuscript can be accepted for publication. I will summarize the most important points: E3. The manuscript is missing discussion on the petrography of the samples, are there evidence to changes in growth pattern associated with shifts in d18O? Reply: We did XRD analysis to show all three stalagmites, TK7, TK20, and TK40, are aragonite. For TK 7, one dark layer is observed at a depth of 21 mm (Fig. ). U-Th ages at two depths above and below the layer show that this dark layer is a hiatus. For TK20 and TK40, stalagmites are quite clean and show aragonite texture. We wrote "X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis at 6 depths (Supplementary Data Fig. ) show that all stalagmites are composed of pure aragonite without mineral transformation." (Lines 166-168) and "Two U-Th ages of 2758 ± 20 and 5255 ± 37 yr BP at depths of 18 and 28 mm of stalagmite TK7 indicate that a dark layer at 21 mm is a hiatus (Supplementary Data Fig. )." (Lines 213-215) Fig. . The top segment of stalagmite TK7. One discountinous layer is observed at a depth of 21 mm from top. It is confirmed as a histus by using at depths above and below the layer. E4. Can the author explain the hiatus between 5-3 ka, is it climatic driven or sampling bias? Reply: We attempted to find any stalagmite samples covering 5-3 ka from all of our collected 46 stalagmites. However, we could not find any stalagmites filling this gap between 5-3 ka. The recent study of shows drought evidence during the mid-Holocene in speleothem from Laos. We cannot fully rule out the possibility that the hiatus is resulting from a prolonged drought. We wrote "A recent study of stalagmite  18 O from Laos indicated megadrought in Mainland Southeast Asia between 5 and 3 kyr BP , which could be the possible reason of the observed hiatus at 5. 4C)." (Lines 339-342) R2.16. Table . 238 U and 232 Th concentrations should be in ppb and ppt, respectively. Also, "‰" unit for d234U measured and corrected initial values. Reply: The text in Table 238 U and 232 Th concentrations has been changed to ppb and ppt, respectively, and unit ‰ has been added to  234 U. • Holocene stalagmite  18 O record of Thai-Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand. • Wet conditions/strong rainfall during 11-7 kyr BP and a drying trend since 6 kyr BP. • Stalagmite record of 8.2-ka event in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. • A new Holocene ITCZ shift index record for the central Indo-Pacific region.

The Southeast Asian mainland is located in the central path of the Asian summer monsoon, a #)" region where paleoclimatic data are still sparse. Here we present a multi-proxy (TOC, C/N, #*" / 13 C, biogenic silica, and XRF elemental data) study of a 1.

Wave climate, topography and sediments are the main forcing factors that influence beach morphodynamics. This paper characterise beach morphodynamic classification along the Terengganu coast during seasonal monsoons (the onset of southwest monsoon in June 2009 as calm conditions and northeast monsoon in December 2009 as storm conditions). Two main morphodynamic characteristics are used to define a reflective, intermediate and dissipative beaches such as the surf similarity index (ξb) and the dimensionless fall velocity (Ω). In order to estimate morphological changes, repetitive beach profiles were acquired and averaged. The morphodynamic characteristics are also supported with wave data collected from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) database and modeled in Spectral Wave Flexible Mesh of Mike-21 module, in order to investigate the wave propagation along the Terengganu coast. According to the beach morphodynamic classification scheme, the southern Tereng...

Development of vibration controlled high-rise RC building with low stiffness at lower stories using shear-wall and oil-dampers Part 1 Tsubasa TANI, Ryota MASEKI, Hiroshi HIBINO and Izuru TAKEWAKI A new structural control system using shear-walls with a pin connection at the bottom is proposed for vibration control of high-rise RC buildings. A laminated rubber is adopted at the bottom of the shear-wall as a rotary bearing. However it is not connected to the base concrete to reduce the tensile deformation of the rubber. In this study, two kinds of loading tests and FEM analysis are conducted to clarify the behavior of the unconnected laminated rubber. It is shown that the laminated rubber has a high durability against the rotary deformation in spite of the existence of axial load, and the tensile deformation of the rubber is effectively decreased due to the bending deformation of the flange. A slight change of horizontal and vertical stiffnesses was observed after the tests.

Pollen records from large lakes have been used for quantitative palaeoclimate reconstruction, but the influences that lake size (as a result of species-specific variations in pollen dispersal patterns that smaller pollen grains are more easily transported to lake centre) and taphonomy have on these climatic signals have not previously been systematically investigated. We introduce the concept of pollen source area to pollen-based climate calibration using the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau as our study area. We present a pollen data set collected from large lakes in the arid to semiarid region of central Asia. The influences that lake size and the inferred pollen source areas have on pollen compositions have been investigated through comparisons with pollen assemblages in neighbouring lakes of various sizes. Modern pollen samples collected from different parts of Lake Donggi Cona (in the north-eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau) reveal variations in pollen assemblages within this large lake, which are interpreted in terms of the species-specific dispersal and depositional patterns for different types of pollen, and in terms of fluvial input components. We have estimated the pollen source area for each lake individually and used this information to infer modern climate data with which to then develop a modern calibration data set, using both the multivariate regression tree (MRT) and weighted-averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS) approaches. Fossil pollen data from Lake Donggi Cona have been used to reconstruct the climate history of the north-eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The mean Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union.

This thesis is submitted to the University of Sydney in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Applied Science (Geosciences). The work embodied in this thesis is the result of original research and has not been previously submitted for a degree to this or any other institution for the award of a degree. This thesis has been written under the supervision of Dr Dan Penny, who assisted with some minor editing.

Understanding factors controlling ecosystem structure and function is key to predicting the effects of climate change on vegetation distribution and carbon sequestration. Cyclones play a large role in structuring ecosystems and cyclone intensity is expected to increase on a warming planet. The effects of cyclones on broad-scale ecosystem patterns could be substantial but are poorly understood. This study assessed forest structure and biodiversity patterns across an elevation gradient (300-3000 m) in mountainous, humid forests of Taiwan, an island experiencing an average of 3-6 typhoons (regional name of cyclones) annually, and contrasted those patterns with a gradient within the Wuyi Moun-tains of China (500-2100 m), where the climate is similar to Taiwan but typhoon occurrence is rare and effects are generally minimal. In both Taiwan and the Wuyi Mountains, tree species richness and diversity decreased with increasing elevation. Tree size and stature decrease from low to high elevations in the typhoon-protected Wuyi Mountains. In contrast, the biomass and stature of forests in Taiwan increased from low to high elevations. The relationship between forest stature and climate was also contrasting in relation to typhoon disturbance in that we found decreasing tree height and basal area with increasing temperature in Taiwan, but not in the Wuyi Mountains. The more than twofold increase in tree height and biomass with increasing elevations reported here for subtropical humid forests of Taiwan is a unique pattern that highlights the potential role of cyclones in driving elevational patterns of forest structure. Climate change-induced alterations in tropical cyclone regimes may affect elevational patterns of forest structure and carbon sequestration in regions experiencing frequent cyclones.

Assessing impacts of climate change on ancient human societies requires accurate reconstructions of regional climate variations. However, due to the scarcity of in situ climate indicators in archaeological sites, climate interpretation often relies on indirect, geographically distant data from geological archives such as lake or ocean sediments, ice cores and speleothems. Because many cultural changes occurred abruptly over periods of years to decades, and are regional or even local in scale, correlating societal changes with climate reconstructions from geological archives induces significant uncertainties: factors such as chronological dating inconsistencies and geographic heterogeneity of climate can severely undermine interpretation. Here we show, for the first time, that it is possible to determine past climate change by analyzing bacteria-derived 'branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers' (br-GDGTs) in ancient bones from archaeological sites. To the best of our knowledge this proxy has never been applied before to bones, nor with the intention of developing the method for application in archaeological research. We demonstrate that these compounds are likely derived from bacterial growth within bones following deposition in the ground, and the potential for their distributions to reflect climate and environmental conditions during the years immediately following deposition when bacteria consume internal substrates. Our preliminary results show that bone samples from different climate zones display distinct br-GDGT distributions. Well-dated late Pleistocene and Holocene bones from Alaska yield reconstructed temperatures consistent with existing climate reconstructions. While further work is necessary to determine how quickly the signal stabilizes in the bones, and to continue ongoing refinement of calibrations for temperature, precipitation, and other influences on br-GDGTs, we propose that br-GDGTs from ancient bones in archaeological sites may be taken as a new, in situ archive for reconstructing past climate conditions. This opens new perspectives for assessing connections between climate variations and social transformations in the past.

Hydroclimatic change in the Asian interior plays a key role in regulating regional environmental sustainability, water security, and human-nature relationships. However, the influence of the summer monsoon and westerly circulation on the evolution of hydroclimate over the arid Asian interior remains controversial. Here we present newly collected hydroclimate proxies from loess in the Asian interior, together with transient model simulations, to address the coevolution of monsoon-induced extreme rainfall and significant westerly-affected drying during the mid-Holocene. Our results suggest that a drier mid-Holocene in the southern Tarim Basin was associated with a poleward displacement of the westerly jet due to relatively warm boreal summer temperatures in the mid-latitudes. Strengthened water vapor fluxes associated with the boreal summer monsoon facilitated extreme rainfall events and enhanced mountain erosion. Our proxy-model comparison reveals a drier westerly regime superimposed with strengthened rainfall over the Asian interior during the warm mid-Holocene. Our findings suggest that more summer flash rainstorm events are likely to occur in a warmer world, with enhanced drying in the hyper-arid Asian interior.

We here reconstruct the past change of the East Asian monsoon since 20 Ma using samples from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1146 in the northern South China Sea based on a multi-proxy approach including a monomineralic quartz isolation procedure, identification of clay minerals by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and grain-size analysis of isolated terrigenous materials. Terrigenous supply to ODP Site 1146 was dominated by changes in the strength of multiple sources and transport processes. Grain-size data modeled by an end-member modeling algorithm indicate that eolian dust from the arid Asian inland and fluvial input have contributed on average 20% and 80% of total terrigenous material to ODP Site 1146, respectively. Specifically, about 40-53% of the total (quartz + feldspar) and only 6-11% of the total clay is related to eolian supply at the study site. Detailed analysis of the sedimentary environment, and clay minerals combined with previous studies shows that smectite originates mainly from Luzon, kaolinite from the Pearl River and illite and chlorite from the Pearl River, Taiwan and/or the Yangtze River. The proportion and mass accumulation rate (MAR) of the coarsest end-member EM1 (interpreted as eolian dust), ratios of (illite + chlorite)/smectite, (quartz + feldspar)% and mean grain-size of terrigenous materials at ODP Site 1146 were adopted as proxies for East Asian monsoon evolution. The consistent variation of these independent proxies since 20 Ma shows three profound shifts in the intensity of East Asian winter monsoon relative to summer monsoon, as well as aridity of the Asian continent, occurred at ∼15 Ma, ∼8 Ma and the youngest at about 3 Ma. In comparison, the summer monsoon intensified contemporaneously with the winter monsoon at 3 Ma. The phased uplift of the Himalaya-Tibetan plateau may have played a significant role in strengthening the Asian monsoon at ∼15 Ma, 8 Ma and 3 Ma.

The Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) is the dominant climate system of South and East Asia. However, the history of monsoon intensification and the driving forces behind it are controversial. Wind-blown sediments in mid-latitude East Asia and fluvial-derived sediments in the northern South China Sea imply contrasting ASM patterns during the late Cenozoic. Here we use pollen records from the southwest South China Sea (International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1433) to reconstruct the ASM evolution in low-latitude Southeast Asia. A slow increase in herbaceous plants since 8 Ma indicates a persistent weakening of precipitation in Indochina, which is dominated by the ASM. This signal is closely associated with a consistent coniferous plant record, indicating a continuous cooling trend that correlates well with Sea Surface Temperature (SST) decrease in the west Pacific Ocean. We propose that the monsoon weakening resulted in as much as a~25% reduction in precipitation over the past 8 Ma in response to the Northern Hemisphere glaciation/global cooling, with some of the increase in conifers being linked to uplift of the Vietnamese Central Highland and the SE flank of the Tibetan Plateau in Yunnan and northern Vietnam.

Simulations using the ECHAM5/MPI-OM coupled atmosphere-ocean model both with and without the Tibetan Plateau are performed in order to study the large scale effects of orographic forcing on the behaviour of the Asian summer monsoon system. Our analysis emphasises the significant impact of plateau forcing on the atmosphere-ocean interactions. It is argued that, in addition to the orographic forcing of the Tibetan Plateau on the climate of Asia such as sensible heat pumping and thermal insulation, other significant direct processes exist, which link the Asian summer monsoon to the sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean. The removal of the Tibetan Plateau modifies the wind-driven ocean circulations over the North Atlantic, which leads to a decrease in the surface heat advection over the North Atlantic Ocean and a decrease in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. This, in turn, affects, via teleconnections, both the monsoon rainfall and the position of the intertropical convergence zone.

Wave climate, topography and sediments are the main forcing factors that influence beach morphodynamics. This paper characterise beach morphodynamic classification along the Terengganu coast during seasonal monsoons (the onset of southwest monsoon in June 2009 as calm conditions and northeast monsoon in December 2009 as storm conditions). Two main morphodynamic characteristics are used to define reflective, intermediate and dissipative beaches such as the surf similarity index (ξb) and the dimensionless fall velocity (Ω). In order to estimate morphological changes, repetitive beach profiles were acquired and averaged. The morphodynamic characteristics are also supported with wave data collected from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) database and modeled in Spectral Wave Flexible Mesh of Mike-21 module, in order to investigate the wave propagation along the Terengganu coast. According to the beach morphodynamic classification scheme, the southern Terengganu coast showed a reflective beach state with high wave energy and coarser sand. In contrast the northern part with low wave energy, due to sheltering by many islands, demonstrated an intermediate beach state and finer sediment. However, the trend of sediment mean grain size (D50) reveal finer to coarser during southwest and northeast monsoons respectively. The results of this study are helpful in formulating and preliminary observation on effective coastal zone management plan for monsoon-dominated coast especially in sandy beach.

The authors have developed a scaling approach to aggregate tree sap flux with reduced error propagation in modeled estimates of actual transpiration () of three boreal species. The approach covers three scales: tree point, single tree trunk, and plot scale. Throughout the development of this approach the error propagated from one scale to the next was reduced by analyzing the main sources of error and exploring how some field and lab techniques, and mathematical modeling can potentially reduce the error on measured or estimated parameters. Field measurements of tree sap flux at the tree point scale are used to obtain canopy transpiration estimates at the plot scale in combination with allometric correlations of sapwood depth (measured microscopically and scaled to plots), sapwood area, and leaf area index. We compared the final estimates to actual evapotranspiration and actual transpiration calculated with the Penman–Monteith equation, and the modified Penman–Monteith equation, resp...

During summer, ammonia emissions in Southeast Asia influence air pollution and cloud formation. Convective transport by the South Asian monsoon carries these pollutant air masses into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), where they accumulate under anticyclonic flow conditions. This air mass accumulation is thought to contribute to particle formation and the development of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL). Despite the known influence of ammonia and particulate ammonium on air pollution, a comprehensive understanding of the ATAL is lacking. In this modelling study, the influence of ammonia on particle formation is assessed with emphasis on the ATAL. We use the EMAC chemistry-climate model, incorporating new particle formation parameterisations derived from experiments at the CERN CLOUD chamber. Our diurnal cycle analysis confirms that new particle formation mainly occurs during daylight, with a 10-fold enhancement in rate. This increase is prominent in the South Asian monsoon UTLS, where deep convection introduces high ammonia levels from the boundary layer, compared to a baseline scenario without ammonia. Our model simulations reveal that this ammonia-driven particle formation and growth contributes to an increase of up to 80% in cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations at cloud-forming heights in the South Asian monsoon region. We find that ammonia profoundly influences the aerosol mass and composition in the ATAL through particle growth, as indicated by an order of magnitude increase in nitrate levels linked to ammonia emissions. However, the effect of ammonia-driven new particle formation on aerosol mass in the ATAL is relatively small. Ammonia emissions enhance the regional aerosol optical depth (AOD) for shortwave solar radiation by up to 70%. We conclude that ammonia has a pronounced effect on the ATAL development, composition, the regional AOD, and CCN concentrations.

A rock magnetic study was conducted on upper Pleistocene marine sediments from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 350 Site U1437, in order to highlight the paleoenvironmental changes in the NW Pacific Ocean influenced by monsoonal regime. Remanent magnetization analyses, hysteresis properties, first-order reversal curves and low temperature magnetic measurements were carried out, along with electronic microscopic observations. The results indicated that coarse-grained (titano)-magnetite is the dominant magnetic phase in the magnetic mineral assemblage. Time series analysis supports that this assemblage is modulated by global climate changes occurring in the Late Pleistocene. During the interglacial stages, a higher amount of magnetic minerals is present with the dominance of coarse-grained (titano)-magnetite of both terrigenous (likely from mainland China) and volcanic (Izu arc front, Japan) origin. During the glacial stages, the magnetic mineral content is lower, probably reflecting partial dissolution of (Ti)-magnetite, and the magnetic assemblage is composed of terrigenous coarse-grained (titano)-magnetite and of higher coercivity supposedly finer eolian particles (likely hematite) as a result of the enhancement of the winter monsoon in continental Asia. The magnetic mineral assemblage supports a superimposition of volcanic and global climate signals. Geochemical elemental analyses for carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and organic matter content confirms a climatic signature in the composition of the sediments with a better oxygenation of the water mass during the glacial stages. Additional X-ray fluorescence measurements on bulk samples indicate various origins of the sediment particles with both proximal and distal sources.

Cracking behaviors of reinforced concrete beams induced by expansion corrosion products around corroded longitudinal bar was investigated using accelerated corrosion tests and finite element analysis. The effect of confinement by means of transverse bars was evaluated using bond-slip interaction between bar and concrete. The effect of concrete strength associated with distribution of porosity of cement paste and corrosion rate distribution due to the bar location were also evaluated using different expansion ratio and pressures respectively. The test and analysis results indicate that concrete strength and bond-slip interaction significantly influence the prediction of crack width and transverse bar stress, and that the cover crack propagation is influenced by corrosion rate distribution.

Strand-plains are composed by beach-dune ridges that constitute coastal sedimentological records of continental erosion and associated climatic and geological controls on their formation. The strand-plain of Nayarit is one the most prominent strand-plains around the world as it is composed by > 250 well-preserved beach-dune ridges that distributes along > 200 km between the states of Nayarit and Sinaloa (west-central Mexico) and extends for ∼14 km inland. Although the strand-plain of Nayarit is of broad interest for understanding the evolution of Quaternary landscapes, it has remained understudied. To contribute to a better understanding of the landscape evolution of the strand-plain of Nayarit we present here a complete geochronology based on sixteen OSL dating ages distributed across three different transects of beach-dune ridges located from the coast towards the inland. Our data indicate that in all cases the oldest ridges initiated ∼2 ka. The depositional rates range from ∼6 m a-1 toward the south of the strandplain, where is located the mouth of Santiago and San Pedro rivers, which are the largest of the study area, to ∼1.8 m a-1 toward the north. These depositional rates are among the highest denudation rates reported in strand-plains around the world. We estimate that the formation of the coastal plain of Nayarit initiated ∼6 to 7 ka, which correspond to last period of the global marine stabilization after sea level rise.

This document describes development of I-shaped beam(I-beam) using Diagonal Lattice Panel (DLP) that is made of Japanese cedar, for web. The diagonal lattice panel has excellent shear performance that is suitable for I-beam. Flange is LVL made of Japanese larch. The flanges and web are connected using tongue and groove joint of two rows with resorcinol adhesive. The tests for developing I-beam include panel shear tests, bending tests and shear tests. Length effect of shear has been observed in results of shear tests. These tests results established design strength, design stiffness and design method for beam.

Because shaking modes of super high-rise buildings are very complicated, it is not enough to perform health-monitoring only for the whole structures. We try to extract story-by-story shear-wave velocities applying the deconvolution method to microtremor records measured at super high-rise buildings. The shear-wave propagation (including reflection, transmission, and interferometry at the boundary of stories) extracted from microtremor records are compared with those simulated ones using 2-D frame models with different mass-and-rigidity distributions which lead to different shaking modes. Story-by-story shear-wave velocities can be extracted from buildings whose shaking modes of all the stories are mainly shear modes. However, the shear-wave velocities of the buildings cannot be extracted successfully, if the stories are shaking in pure bending mode, because no inter-story shear deformation happened, the apparent shear-rigidities of these stories can be seen as infinite, which lead shear-wave travel times to zero.

Stable isotope records from speleothems provide information on past climate changes, most particularly information that can be used to reconstruct past changes in precipitation and atmospheric circulation. These records are increasingly being used to provide "out-of-sample" evaluations of isotope-enabled climate models. SISAL (Speleothem Isotope Synthesis and Analysis) is an international working group of the Past Global Changes (PAGES) project. The working group aims to provide a comprehensive compilation of speleothem isotope records for climate reconstruction and model evaluation. The SISAL database contains data for individual speleothems, grouped by cave system. Stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon (δ 18 O, δ 13 C) measurements are referenced by distance from the top or bottom of the speleothem. Additional tables provide information on dating, including information on the dates used to construct the original age model and sufficient information to assess the quality of each data set and to erect a standardized chronology across different speleothems. The metadata table provides location information, information on the full range of measurements carried out on each speleothem and information on the cave system that is relevant to the interpretation of the records, as well as citations for both publications and archived data. The compiled data are available at

The Holocene sea-level and associated shoreline regression of beach ridges in the central west coast of India have been reconstructed based on internal sedimentary architecture and luminescence chronology. For this purpose, various techniques namely ground penetrating radar (GPR), optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, and interferometry synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) have been used. The berm and beach-dune boundary of paleo beach ridges have been mapped from the high-resolution sub-surface images and converted into sea-level indicators using modern analogs and OSL ages. GPR reflection data shows a number of seaward dipping radar
facies with a few landward dipping facies in paleo beach ridges. In the case of the swale, the radar signal has been highly attenuated due to the presence of water and mud, causing the appearance of multiple horizontal and parallel positive and negative couplets in the sedimentary layer. The results of the research reveal that the oldest
beach ridge was formed around 7.7 kyr BP and sea-level was +2 m above mean sea-level. The average progradation rate of these ridges is 0.14 m/yr. From the grain size analysis, it has been found that the larger share of grain size falls into the classes of fine and moderate sand. The present displacement map of the region, which has been generated from the Sentinel-1 datasets, demonstrates that the average upliftment is 2.5 mm/yr whereas subsidence is 1 mm/yr. The fall of the Holocene relative sea-level with respect to the study region is the consequence of both global and regional events.

Simulations using the ECHAM5/MPI-OM coupled atmosphere-ocean model both with and without the Tibetan Plateau are performed in order to study the large scale effects of orographic forcing on the behaviour of the Asian summer monsoon system. Our analysis emphasises the significant impact of plateau forcing on the atmosphere-ocean interactions. It is argued that, in addition to the orographic forcing of the Tibetan Plateau on the climate of Asia such as sensible heat pumping and thermal insulation, other significant direct processes exist, which link the Asian summer monsoon to the sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean. The removal of the Tibetan Plateau modifies the wind-driven ocean circulations over the North Atlantic, which leads to a decrease in the surface heat advection over the North Atlantic Ocean and a decrease in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. This, in turn, affects, via teleconnections, both the monsoon rainfall and the position of the intertropical convergence zone.

The stable isotopic composition of materials such as glacial ice, tree rings, lake sediments, and speleothems from low-to-mid latitudes contains information about past changes in temperature (T) and precipitation amount (P). However, the transfer functions which link N 18 O p to changes in T or P, dN 18 O p /dT and dN 18 O p /dP, can exhibit significant temporal and spatial variability in these regions. In areas affected by the Southeast Asian monsoon, past variations in N 18 O and ND of precipitation have been attributed to variations in monsoon intensity, storm tracks, and/ or variations in temperature. Proper interpretation of past N 18 O p variations here requires an understanding of these complicated stable isotope systematics. Since temperature and precipitation are positively correlated in China and have opposite effects on N 18 O p , it is necessary to determine which of these effects is dominant for a specific region in order to perform even qualitative paleoclimate reconstructions. Here, we evaluate the value of the transfer functions in modern precipitation to more accurately interpret the paleorecord. The strength of these transfer functions in China is investigated using multiple regression analysis of data from 10 sites within the Global Network for Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP). N 18 O p is modeled as a function of both temperature and precipitation. The magnitude and signs of the transfer functions at any given site are closely related to the degree of summer monsoon influence. N 18 O p values at sites with intense summer monsoon precipitation are more dependent on the amount of precipitation than on temperature, and therefore exhibit more negative values in the summer. In contrast, N 18 O p values at sites that are unaffected by summer monsoon precipitation exhibit strong relationships between N 18 O p and temperature. The sites that are near the northern limit of the summer monsoon exhibit dependence on both temperature and amount of precipitation. Comparison with simple linear models (N 18 O p as a function of T or P) and a geographic model (N 18 O p as a function of latitude and altitude) shows that the multiple regression model is more successful at reproducing N 18 O p values at sites that are strongly influenced by the summer monsoon. The fact that the transfer function values are highly spatially variable and closely related to the degree of summer monsoon influence suggests that these values may also vary temporally. Since the Southeast Asian monsoon intensity is known to exhibit large variations on a number of timescales (annual to glacial^interglacial), and the magnitude and sign of the transfer functions is related to monsoon intensity, we suggest that as monsoon intensity changes, the magnitude and possibly even the sign of the transfer functions may vary. Therefore, quantitative paleoclimate reconstructions based on N 18 O p variations may not

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

A multi-proxy Late Glacial environmental record is described from Lake Naleng (31.10°N; 99.75°E, 4200 m above sea level), situated on southeastern Tibetan Plateau to gain deeper insights into the hydrological and palaeoclimate development since 17.7 cal ka BP. Palynological reconstructions of variations in mean annual precipitation (MAP) and temperature (MAT), sedimentological data and sediment chemistry including weathering indicators provide a multi-faceted picture of local and regional environmental changes since the Late Glacial. Principal component analyses of all parameters provide information on interrelationships between each parameters, which help to evaluate their traceability to temperature and precipitation and to estimate their usability as proxy indicators for local and or regional variations. During the Late Glacial from 17.7 to 14.0 cal ka BP Lake Naleng experienced cold and dry climate conditions with low biological productivity and supply of unaltered fine-grained material due to the high supply of glacier milk. During the second half of the Late Glacial, climate conditions changed abruptly: increases in MAT (from-4 to-2.2°C) and MAP (from 500 mm to 820 mm) between 14.0 and 13.0 cal ka BP indicate a climate amelioration. This time interval can be correlated to the Bølling/Allerød (B/A) warming period in the North Atlantic region and is followed by the Younger Dryas cold reversal indicated by abrupt decreases of MAT (from-2.2 to-5°C) and MAP (from 820 to 650 mm). The onset of the Holocene at about 11.5 cal ka BP is indicated by rises in reconstructed MAT (from-5 to about-0.3°C) and MAP (from 600 mm to 950 mm), which led to an increased supply of weathered material and higher biological productivity. Between 5.0 and 3.0 cal ka BP, MAT increases to about 0.2°C and MAP rises to maximum values of about 1000 mm, followed by slightly decreasing MAT and MAP between 3.0 and 0 cal ka BP. The biogeochemical parameters (total organic carbon (TOC), C/N, 13 C org) and weathering indicators (e.g. the chemical index of alteration (CIA) and Sr/Ba) are directly (erosion of soils) or indirectly (changing provenance) related to moisture availability on the southeastern TP and shows matching regional climate oscillations since the Late Glacial. In comparison to other Late-Glacial records from the TP, MAP reconstructions from Lake Naleng indicate wetter climate conditions in the southeastern part of the TP and dryer conditions farther away from moisture sources. and for a discussion of spatial heterogeneities of climate change on the TP (Shen et al., 2005; Mischke and Zhang, 2010). In this context, lake archives from the TP provide valuable information about environmental and climate change since the Late Glacial. However, different and interacting processes affect lake systems on the TP: hydrological and tectonic changes in the catchment, the existence of glaciers, or variations in precipitation, temperature and evaporation. Commonly used palaeolimnological proxies differ in the degree to which they are known to trace specific climatic parameters. For instance, individual proxies from the same site may suggest inconsistent climate reconstructions as they can reflect either local within-lake variations, regional variations or both (Wischnewski et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2014). Thus, validation procedures are needed to establish a reliable relationship between a climatic variable and a proxy indicator (IPCC, 2007). Our objectives in this study were threefold. First, this study from Lake Naleng on the southeastern TP presents quantitative palynological reconstructions for mean annual precipitation and temperature since 17.7 cal ka BP in comparison to other quantitative records from the eastern TP in order to determine the strength of, and the forcing mechanisms behind, climate oscillations in the Late Glacial and Holocene. Second, we present weathering indicator records (CIA, Sr/Ba, Y/Al, Al/Rb) to estimate the degree of weathering since the early Late Glacial. Third, we compared the palynological reconstructions with all newly available sedimentological and biogeochemical proxies (grain size, total organic carbon (TOC), C/N, 13 C org) from Lake Naleng by principal component analyses to evaluate their traceability of temperature and precipitation and to estimate their usability as proxy indicators for local or regional environmental and climate variations.

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

In order to investigate the thermal comfort, occupant behaviour and depth of sleep in bedrooms, we have measured the air temperature and relative humidity in 10 houses, and conducted a survey of thermal comfort, occupant behaviour and depth of sleep survey with 25 residents, obtaining 3,136 votes. The major findings are as follows: 1) The bedrooms' air temperature was very well related with outdoor air temperature in Free Running (FR) mode. 2) The residents feel comfortable expect for winter in FR mode. 3) The comfort temperature was 19.1 °C in spring, 27.0 °C in summer, 22.9 °C in autumn and 16.1 °C in winter in FR mode. And, we could express the comfort temperature as a function of running mean outdoor air temperature as one of the adaptive models. This model may prove to be an effective tool for predicting and informing control strategies for the indoor comfort temperature in bedroom. 4) It seemed that the residents use mechanical cooling or heating units with setting off-timer and they use mechanical fans without setting off-timer. 5) Difference was observed in occupant behaviour by sex or age. 6) The proportions of mechanical fan, cooling and heating use and window opening as the function of outdoor or indoor air temperature were obtained from Logistic Regression Analysis. 7) There was no distinctive relationship between the depth of sleep given by the subjective votes and indoor air temperature.

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Palaeoglacier modelling is an important approach for reconstructing the palaeoclimate. The timing of glaciations in the central part of the Gangdise Mountains has been constrained previously, but the palaeoclimate remains unclear. In this paper, the palaeo-temperature and precipitation of the early marine isotope stage (MIS) 2, the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and the early Holocene were reconstructed using coupled mass balance and ice flow models. The results show that a series of temperature changes (ΔT) and precipitation factors (Fp) resulted in optimum palaeoglacial extents. The modelled palaeoglaciers during the early MIS 2, the LGM, and the early Holocene cover areas of ~18.1 km2, ~17.4 km2, and ~16.3 km2, respectively, with ice volumes of ~2.18 km3, ~1.99 km3, and ~1.95 km3, respectively. Previous studies on ice cores, pollen samples, and lake sediments were referenced to narrow the range of palaeo-temperatures and precipitations. The reconstructed temperatures during the earl...

In an era of global rising sea level quantifying future shoreline behaviour is a key societal concern. The potential for dramatic shoreline change via overstepping or barrier disintegration on barrierlagoon coasts as a result of future rapid sea level rise has been considered by various authors, but documented examples of barrier overstepping generally involve either coarse grain sizes or early diagenesis as beachrock. Where overstepping has been inferred, the overstepped barrier is seldom preserved. Using high resolution seismic data we describe the mid-Holocene overstepping of a sandy coastal barrier system and subsequent geomorphological changes that ultimately transformed it into a strandplain fronted by amuddy shoreface. This complete change in character is interpreted in the context of rapid sea level rise (tentatively linked to the 8.2 ka event) during which the former sandy shoreface-barrier was overstepped and decoupled from the contemporary shoreline, leaving the latter sand-starved. Upon overstepping, the wave-influenced shoreline was displaced rapidly to the landward margin of the former lagoon. Preservation of the overstepped uncohesive sandy barrier is attributed to the relatively wave-sheltered location, rapid sea level rise and rapid burial by shoreface sediments. This situation provides an insight into the conditions under which overstepping occurs, and thereby, the future response of barrier lagoon systems to predicted rapid rates of future sea level rise.

In an era of global rising sea level quantifying future shoreline behaviour is a key societal concern. The potential for dramatic shoreline change via overstepping or barrier disintegration on barrierlagoon coasts as a result of future rapid sea level rise has been considered by various authors, but documented examples of barrier overstepping generally involve either coarse grain sizes or early diagenesis as beachrock. Where overstepping has been inferred, the overstepped barrier is seldom preserved. Using high resolution seismic data we describe the mid-Holocene overstepping of a sandy coastal barrier system and subsequent geomorphological changes that ultimately transformed it into a strandplain fronted by amuddy shoreface. This complete change in character is interpreted in the context of rapid sea level rise (tentatively linked to the 8.2 ka event) during which the former sandy shoreface-barrier was overstepped and decoupled from the contemporary shoreline, leaving the latter sand-starved. Upon overstepping, the wave-influenced shoreline was displaced rapidly to the landward margin of the former lagoon. Preservation of the overstepped uncohesive sandy barrier is attributed to the relatively wave-sheltered location, rapid sea level rise and rapid burial by shoreface sediments. This situation provides an insight into the conditions under which overstepping occurs, and thereby, the future response of barrier lagoon systems to predicted rapid rates of future sea level rise.

For apprehending the performance of solar heating system, it is important to understand the relations of heating load and the system elements such as heat collection, heat storage, insulation, and so on. In this study, the measurements in the 3 buildings made progress at the same time for comparing the influence by these elements on the system, because the effect of the solar heating system is fluctuated by weather conditions. This paper describes outline of the measurements and specifications of the two test buildings that the air-based solar system is installed in. It also shows the changes of the heat flow on underground surface by installing the insulation under basement, changing the area of solar heat collector, or applying the water-pack as the additional heat storage.

Variations in the strength of the Asian monsoon during Holocene time are thought to have been associated with widespread changes in precipitation across much of Tibet. Local records of monsoon strength from cave deposits, ice cores, and lake sediments typically rely on proxy data that relate isotopic variations to changes in precipitation. Lake expansion and contraction in response to changing water balance are likewise inferred from sedimentologic, isotopic and paleobiologic proxies, but relatively few direct records of changes in lake volume from preserved shorelines exist. Here we utilize relict shoreline deposits and associated alluvial fan features around Siling Co, the largest lake in central Tibet, to reconstruct centennial-to-millennial-scale variations in lake area and volume over the Holocene. Mapping and surveying of lacustrine shorelines coupled with optically stimulated luminescence dating of associated deposits indicate protracted occupation of a highstand elevation from >8 ka to 4 ka, followed by rapid recession that was likely punctuated by several stillstands of centennial-scale duration. Calculation of the changes in lake surface area and past hydrologic indices of the Siling Co basin suggests the effective moisture during the early Holocene highstand was approximately three times greater than today. In contrast to other lakes in central and western Tibet, our results suggest that Siling Co did not begin to recede synchronously with decreasing solar insolation at ca. 9e8 ka. Rather, initial recession of Siling Co appears to correspond to a time period of enhanced aridity and weakened monsoon in both Africa and Asia at ca. 4.2 ka. Our results add to a growing body of literature that suggest a period of relatively severe aridity on the Tibetan Plateau at this time. We suggest that subsequent punctuated recession of Siling Co was punctuated by similar periods of abrupt climate change during the Late Holocene.

Using the MRI global atmosphere-ocean coupled general circulation model, we had six simulations with different mountain heights, i.e., 0% (M0), 20% (M2), 40% (M4), 60% (M6), 80% (M8), and 100% (M, control run) of the present global orography, respectively, to study climate changes due to progressive mountain uplift. The changes of the Asian summer monsoon, with progressive mountain uplift is studied in this paper. An active convection region extends with mountain uplift to form a moist climate in South and East Asia. Monsoon circulation such as low-level westerly, and upper-level anticyclonic circulation, is also enhanced with mountain uplift. The increase in precipitation, and the enhancement of southwesterly, in the later stages of the mountain uplift, appear only over India and the south and southeastern slope of the Tibetan Plateau. Over the coastal region of Southeast and East Asia, where the maximum precipitation appears in M0, precipitation decreases gradually with mountain uplift, and the southwesterly in the later stages becomes weaker. In the connection with these changes, surface heat flux changes remarkably over moist Asia in the earlier stages of mountain uplift, compared with that in the later stages. The intensity of the Indian, Southeast Asian, and East Asian monsoon was investigated with indices which are defined by area mean precipitation. The Indian monsoon becomes strong gradually with mountain uplift; particularly, in the later stages, the remarkable enhancement is found. The intensity of the South Asian monsoon is the strongest in M4. Thus, in the later stages of mountain uplift, that becomes weaker in association with the northwestward migration of the convective activity. Although the East Asian monsoon is enhanced gradually with mountain uplift, the enhancement in the earlier stages

recorded at night, the mean nocturnal sap flow was positive and across trees the nighttime sap flow accounted for 12.5% of the total daily sap flow. Increased transpiration during the dry season suggests that the root system of Minquartia was able to extract water from deep soil layers. These results widen our understanding of the ecophysiology of Amazonian trees under drought and provide further insight into the potential effect of the forecasted decline in precipitation in the Amazon region.

Climate records along aridity gradients where manifestations of climate change are most profound are important for testing climate models. The Kalahari Transect spans such a gradient, but instrumental records of climate parameters are limited in the sparsely populated region. We analysed the δ 13 C and δ 18 O record from a Vachellia erioloba (E.Mey) tree from the southern Kalahari Desert in Botswana to explore its potential as a climate proxy archive. Radiocarbon dates show that the record spans the period 1758-2013 CE. Both the δ 13 C and δ 18 O records correlate with local rainfall. The isotope proxies show a weak positive correlation with sea-surface temperature reconstruction from the southwestern Indian Ocean, and a stronger correlation with the El Niño Southern Oscillation index. This appears to contradict previous evidence that higher sea-surface temperatures are associated with reduced summer rainfall over the southern African interior. Instead of eastward shifts in the temperate tropical trough synoptic system during elevated southwestern Indian Ocean temperature anomalies, the evidence supports a westwards shift. The result demonstrates the potential of Vachellia erioloba as a climate proxy archive that may yield past climate variability from the arid regions of southern Africa.