The Deserts of Asia

1960 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
George B. Cressey
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Western China ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Southern Arabia

More than one third of Asia is dry. From the Red Sea almost to the Pacific are a series of deserts and semideserts, the product of continentality, mountain patterns, and atmospheric circulation. Two areas of extreme aridity are present in die Rub al Khali of southern Arabia and the Takla Makan of western China, both essentially rainless and lifeless. Elsewhere, aridity fades off into subhumid lands with marginal potentials for settlement.

scholarly journals Northern Hemisphere Stationary Waves in a Changing Climate

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. J. Wills ◽  
Rachel H. White ◽  
Xavier J. Levine
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Stationary Wave ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Stationary Waves ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Longitudinal Variations

Abstract Purpose of Review Stationary waves are planetary-scale longitudinal variations in the time-averaged atmospheric circulation. Here, we consider the projected response of Northern Hemisphere stationary waves to climate change in winter and summer. We discuss how the response varies across different metrics, identify robust responses, and review proposed mechanisms. Recent Findings Climate models project shifts in the prevailing wind patterns, with corresponding impacts on regional precipitation, temperature, and extreme events. Recent work has improved our understanding of the links between stationary waves and regional climate and identified robust stationary wave responses to climate change, which include an increased zonal lengthscale in winter, a poleward shift of the wintertime circulation over the Pacific, a weakening of monsoonal circulations, and an overall weakening of stationary wave circulations, particularly their divergent component and quasi-stationary disturbances. Summary Numerous factors influence Northern Hemisphere stationary waves, and mechanistic theories exist for only a few aspects of the stationary wave response to climate change. Idealized studies have proven useful for understanding the climate responses of particular atmospheric circulation features and should be a continued focus of future research.

scholarly journals Continentality and Oceanity in the Mid and High Latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and Their Links to Atmospheric Circulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edvinas Stonevicius ◽  
Gintautas Stankunavicius ◽  
Egidijus Rimkus
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Change ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Teleconnection Patterns ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Impact

The climate continentality or oceanity is one of the main characteristics of the local climatic conditions, which varies with global and regional climate change. This paper analyzes indexes of continentality and oceanity, as well as their variations in the middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere in the period 1950–2015. Climatology and changes in continentality and oceanity are examined using Conrad’s Continentality Index (CCI) and Kerner’s Oceanity Index (KOI). The impact of Northern Hemisphere teleconnection patterns on continentality/oceanity conditions was also evaluated. According to CCI, continentality is more significant in Northeast Siberia and lower along the Pacific coast of North America as well as in coastal areas in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. However, according to KOI, areas of high continentality do not precisely correspond with those of low oceanity, appearing to the south and west of those identified by CCI. The spatial patterns of changes in continentality thus seem to be different. According to CCI, a statistically significant increase in continentality has only been found in Northeast Siberia. In contrast, in the western part of North America and the majority of Asia, continentality has weakened. According to KOI, the climate has become increasingly continental in Northern Europe and the majority of North America and East Asia. Oceanity has increased in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and in some parts of the Mediterranean region. Changes in continentality were primarily related to the increased temperature of the coldest month as a consequence of changes in atmospheric circulation: the positive phase of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and East Atlantic (EA) patterns has dominated in winter in recent decades. Trends in oceanity may be connected with the diminishing extent of seasonal sea ice and an associated increase in sea surface temperature.

scholarly journals Two types of North American droughts related to different atmospheric circulation patterns

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 2053-2065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela-Maria Burgdorf ◽  
Stefan Brönnimann ◽  
Jörg Franke
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
North American ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Drought Indices ◽  
Dust Bowl ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
The Pacific

Abstract. Proxy-based studies suggest that the southwestern USA is affected by two types of summer drought, often termed Dust Bowl-type droughts and 1950s-type droughts. The spatial drought patterns of the two types are distinct. It has been suggested that they are related to different circulation characteristics, but a lack of observation-based data has precluded further studies. In this paper, we analyze multi-annual summer droughts in North America back to 1600 in tree-ring-based drought reconstructions and in a global, monthly three-dimensional reconstruction of the atmosphere. Using cluster analysis of drought indices, we confirm the two main drought types and find a similar catalog of events as previous studies. These two main types of droughts are then analyzed with respect to 2 m temperatures (T2m), sea-level pressure (SLP), and 500 hPa geopotential height (GPH) in boreal summer. 1950s-type droughts are related to a stronger wave train over the Pacific–North American sector than Dust Bowl-type droughts, whereas the latter show the imprint of a poleward-shifted jet and establishment of a Great Plains ridge. The 500 hPa GPH patterns of the two types differ significantly not only over the contiguous United States and Canada but also over the extratropical North Atlantic and the Pacific. Dust Bowl-type droughts are associated with positive GPH anomalies, while 1950s-type droughts exhibit strong negative GPH anomalies. In comparison with 1950s-type droughts, the Dust Bowl-type droughts are characterized by higher sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) in the northern North Atlantic. Results suggest that atmospheric circulation and SST characteristics not only over the Pacific but also over the extratropical North Atlantic affect the spatial pattern of North American droughts.

Naval Activity in the Days of Solomon and Rameses III

Antiquity ◽  
1947 ◽  
Vol 21 (82) ◽  
pp. 66-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Hornell
Keyword(s):  
Red Sea ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Sinai Peninsula ◽  
Royal Family ◽  
The South ◽  
Southern Arabia ◽  
Water Borne

Ever since the beginning of recorded history, Ancient Egypt was dependent upon the goodwill of the Phoenician overlords of the mountain land of the Lebanon for supplies of timber in the long running lengths required for the construction of large ships, especially those intended for use on long voyages by sea ; fine timber was also in considerable demand for the making of the elaborate wooden sarcophagi of nobles and of members of the royal family as well as for furniture of superior quality. This lack of suitable native timber made the Egyptians late comers in sea-trading ; indeed, it restricted progress so seriously that their water-borne commerce was limited to traffic with Nubia and the South by way of the Nile waterway, to occasional expeditions down the Red Sea to Southern Arabia and to Somaliland (Punt) and to short coasting trips to Phoenicia to buy timber logs and to the coasts of the Sinai Peninsula in search of copper.

scholarly journals Changes in the Seasonal Cycle of Temperature and Atmospheric Circulation

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (21) ◽  
pp. 7362-7380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander R. Stine ◽  
Peter Huybers
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Fourier Component ◽  
Temperature Record ◽  
Northern Annular Mode ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Surface Temperature Record

The vast majority of variability in the instrumental surface temperature record is at annual frequencies. Systematic changes in the yearly Fourier component of surface temperature have been observed since the midtwentieth century, including a shift toward earlier seasonal transitions over land. Here it is shown that the variability in the amplitude and phase of the annual cycle of surface temperature in the northern extratropics is related to Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation as represented by the northern annular mode (NAM) and the Pacific–North America mode (PNA). The phase of the seasonal cycle is most strongly influenced by changes in spring atmospheric circulation, whereas amplitude is most strongly influenced by winter circulation. A statistical model is developed based on the NAM and PNA values in these seasons and it successfully predicts the interdecadal trends in the seasonal cycle using parameters diagnosed only at interannual time scales. In particular, 70% of the observed amplitude trends and 68% of the observed phase trends are predicted over land, and the residual trends are consistent with internal variability. The strong relationship between atmospheric circulation and the structure of the seasonal cycle indicates that physical explanations for changes in atmospheric circulation also extend to explaining changes in the structure of the seasonal cycle.

scholarly journals Isolation of Tibet Orbivirus from Culicoides jacobsoni (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Liang Duan ◽  
Zhen Xing Yang ◽  
Glenn Bellis ◽  
Le Li
Keyword(s):  
Bluetongue Virus ◽  
Yunnan Province ◽  
Virus Isolation ◽  
Economic Importance ◽  
Western China ◽  
Pacific Region ◽  
Cattle Farm ◽  
Biting Midges ◽  
Qpcr Analysis ◽  
The Pacific

Abstract Background Tibet Orbivirus (TIBOV) is a recently discovered Orbivirus known to infect cattle, Asian buffalo and goats in south-western China. It was first isolated from mosquitoes and subsequently from biting midges (Culicoides spp.) in Yunnan, China, indicating that it is an arbovirus. Little is known of its potential to cause disease, but the economic importance of related viruses promoted an investigation of potential Culicoides spp. vectors of TIBOV. Methods Biting midges were collected approximately once per week between May and December 2020, at a cattle farm in Wulong village, Shizong County, Yunnan Province, China. Approximately 3000 specimens of nine species were subsequently used in attempts to isolate virus, and a further 2000 specimens of six species were tested for the presence of bluetongue virus (BTV) and TIBOV using a RT-qPCR test. Results Virus isolation attempts resulted in the isolation of three viruses. One isolate from a pool of Culicoidesjacobsoni was identified as TIBOV, while the other two viruses from C.orientalis and C.tainanus remain unidentified but are not BTV or TIBOV. RT-qPCR analysis did not detect BTV in any specimens, but a single pool containing five specimens of C. jacobsoni and another containing five specimens of C. tainanus produced PCR quantification cycle (Cq) values of around 28 that may indicate infection with TIBOV. Conclusions The isolation of TIBOV from C. jacobsoni satisfies one criterion required to prove its status as a vector of this virus. This isolation is supported by a low Cq value produced from a different pool of this species in the RT-qPCR test. The low Cq value obtained from a pool of C. tainanus suggests that this species may also be able to satisfy this criterion. Both of these species are widespread throughout Asia, with C. jacobsoni extending into the Pacific region, which raises the possibility that TIBOV may be more widespread than is currently known. Graphical abstract

Review of the bryozoan genus Bryopesanser Tilbrook, 2006 (Escharinidae: Cheilostomata) with the description of 11 new species

Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3165 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
KEVIN J. TILBROOK
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Caribbean Coast ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Caribbean

Geographically widespread material originally assigned to the Floridan species Bryopesanser pesanseris (Smitt, 1873)was thoroughly examined and found to mask a hitherto unknown diversity. Smitt’s (1873) species has previously beennoted as “well-known and widely distributed” but this is not the case. This paper reviews the species previously assignedto Bryopesanser Tilbrook, 2006 (B. pesanseris, B. capitaneus, B. grandicella, and B. latesco) and describes 11 new species(B. tonsillorum n. sp., B. gardineri n. sp., B. puncturella n. sp., B. thricyng n. sp., B. ascendosolaris n. sp., B. ecphyma-totes n. sp., B. hebelomaia n. sp., B. lobiones n. sp., B. crebricollis n. sp., B. baderae n. sp., B. tiara n. sp.). All the Bry-opesanser species are, to a greater or lesser extent, geographically limited in their distribution. However, two species aremore widespread than the rest and truly Indo-Pacific in their distribution: B. latesco is recorded from the Red Sea, acrossthe Indo-Pacific to the Caribbean coast of Panama; B. tonsillorum n.sp. is even more broadly distributed, from Sri Lanka and Indonesia to the Pacific coast of Colombia and also West Africa.

A discussion on the structure and evolution of the Red Sea and the nature of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Ethiopia rift junction - Interpretation of satellite photographs of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

1970 ◽  
Vol 267 (1181) ◽  
pp. 23-40 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Red Sea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lateral Displacement ◽  
Shear Zones ◽  
Poor Correlation ◽  
Gulf Of Aden ◽  
Alluvial Deposits ◽  
Total Movement ◽  
Southern Arabia ◽  
Northern Red Sea

Geological structures observed in Gemini and Apollo colour photographs suggest that large-scale translational movements could have taken place in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. In the northern Red Sea the apparent displacement of two pairs of shear zones and three pairs of serpentinite belts is consistent with a movement of Arabia towards the NNE of some 150 km. In the southern part of the Red Sea evidence of displacement is derived from correlation of Precambrian trend-lines, particularly at points where there is an abrupt change in the regional grain; at Ras Kasr-Al Lith (latitudes 18° N and 20° N) the total movement could be 225 km. Across the Gulf of Aden observations are in general agreement with the pre-Miocene fit proposed by Laughton (1965). Study of satellite photographs provide the following additional evidence: (1) The continuity of the Hadramawt folds (southern Arabia) in the Somali Plateau; the southern Hadramawt arch appears to be extended in the northern Somali arch. (2) Pre-drift correlation of several fault zones of WNW-ESE trend across the Gulf. The NE-SW faults, on the other hand, show poor correlation across the Gulf and appear to be related to fault lineaments within the Gulf of Aden. Across the Strait of Bab El Mandeb geological and morphological similarities in the distribution of Quaternary sediments, volcanic fields, intervening alluvial deposits, fault and drainage lineaments suggest a left-lateral displacement of Arabia some 40 km to the NNE since the Plio-Pleistocene. Such a movement could have resulted in the final opening of the Bab El Mandeb Strait.

An overview of the Chrysididae (Hymenoptera) of the Red Sea Farasan Archipelago (Saudi Arabia)

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCO STRUMIA ◽  
HASSAN DAWAH
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
New Species ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
New Records ◽  
Palaearctic Region ◽  
The South ◽  
South West ◽  
Key Word ◽  
Southern Arabia ◽  
Malaise Traps

A survey of the Chrysididae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of the Farasan Archipelago (Red Sea) was undertaken, mainly using Malaise traps and sweep nets from 2012 to 2017. Twenty-eight species belonging to eight genera were identified and recorded in this study (four of which are new records for the south-western Saudi Arabia). We have described four new species: (Hedychridium azizi sp. nov., Chrysis farasanensis sp. nov., Chrysis decolorata ssp. nov., Trichrysis flavicornis sp. nov.) A list of all species of Chrysididae recorded from the major Farasan Island is provided. The Chrysididae population of the Farasan Archipelago is composed mainly of species of South West Palaearctic Region. The presence of a few Afrotropical species is evidence of their expansion in the nearby Southern Arabia. Key word: Chrysididae, cuckoo wasp, Saudi Arabia, Jazan, Farasan Island, new species

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