Dongping Wei

The sensitivity of ground surface temperature prediction to soil thermal properties Using the Simple Biosphere Model (SiB2)

Using the Simple Biosphere Model (SiB2), soil thermal properties (STP) were examined in a Tibetan prairie during the monsoon period to investigate ground surface temperature prediction. We improved the SiB2 model by incorporating a revised force-restore method (FRM) to take the vertical heterogeneity of soil thermal diffusivity (k) into account. The results indicate that (1) the revised FRM alleviates daytime overestimation and nighttime underestimation in modeled ground surface temperature (Tg), and (2) its role in little rainfall events is significant because the vertical gradient of k increases with increasing surface evaporation. Since the original formula of thermal conductivity (λ) in the SiB2 greatly underestimates soil thermal conductivity, we compared five algorithms of λ involving soil moisture to investigate the cause of overestimation during the day and underestimation at night on the basis of the revised FRM. The results show that (1) the five algorithms significantly improve Tg prediction, especially in daytime, and (2) taking one of these five algorithms as an example, the simulated Tg values in the daytime are closer to the field measurements than those in the nighttime. The differences between modeled Tg and field measurements are mostly within the margin of error of ±2 K during 3 August to 4 September 1998.

Exploration of regional surface average heat flow from meteorological and geothermal series

We attempt to compute the Surface Average Heat Flow (SAHF) from long-term temperature observations of one hundred seventy-seven observational points at the depths of 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 m, which were relatively evenly distributed in mainland China. We first employ Fourier transformation to remove the influence of atmospheric temperature variations from the observation series, which are classified into the type of the steady-state temperature monotonously increasing with depth (type I) and other three types. Then we compare our results obtained from the data of type I, of which the values are thought to equal to those of the mean borehole heat flow, with those obtained from traditional heat flow observations mainly distributed in North China Craton. In computations of the SAHF at the observation stations, we deduce the thermal diffusivity and volumetric specific heat of the soil by employing harmonic solutions of the heat conduction equation for the same moisture group as the first step, and then we determine the SAHF using Fourier’s law. Our results indicate that the SAHF derived from shallow earth geothermal data can reflect the heat flow field to a large extent.

Near-surface Geothermal Gradient Observation and Geothermal Analyses in the Xianshuihe Fault Zone, Eastern Tibetan Plateau

The Xianshuihe fault (XSHF) zone, characterized by intense tectonic activity, is located at the southwest boundary of the Bayan Har block, where several major earthquakes have occurred, including the 2008 Wenchuan and the 2013 Lushan earthquakes. This study analysed underground temperature sequence data for four years at seven measuring points at different depths (maximum depth: 18.9 m) in the southeastern section of the XSHF zone. High-frequency atmospheric noise was removed from the temperature sequences to obtain relatively stable temperature fields and heat fluxes near the measurement points. Our measurements show that the surrounding bedrock at (the seven stations distributed in the fault zone) had heat flux values range from −41.0 to 206 mW/m2, with a median value of 54.3 mW/m2. The results indicate a low heat flux in the northern section of Daofu-Kangting and a relatively high heat flux in the southern section of Kangting, which is consistent with the temperature distributions of the hot springs near the fault. Furthermore, our results suggest that the heat transfer in this field results primarily from stable underground heat conduction. In addition, the underground hydrothermal activity is also an obvious factor controlling the geothermal gradient.

Subduction Mode Selection During Slab and Mantle Transition Zone Interaction: Numerical Modeling

Global seismic tomography of the subduction zones shows that the subducting slabs could either stagnate around the 660-km discontinuity, or penetrate into the lower mantle. The stagnating slabs also have various morphologies. These are directly related to the interaction between the subducting slabs and the mantle transition zone (MTZ), the dynamics of which are still debated. Using a 2-D thermo-mechanical model, we systematically investigated the modes of subduction in the mantle transition zone and explored the key constraints of various subduction styles. Four basic subduction modes are obtained in the numerical experiments, including one with slab penetrating through the 660-km discontinuity and three other modes with slab stagnating in the MTZ (i.e. folding, lying and rolling-back). The numerical models indicate that the age of subducting oceanic plate, the thickness of overriding continental lithosphere and the convergence velocity play crucial roles in the dynamics of subducting slab and MTZ interaction. In general, the young subducting slab favors the penetration or folding mode, whereas the old subducting slab tends to result in lying or rolling-back mode, although other parameters can also affect. Our models also show a strong correlation between the subduction mode selection and dip angle of the slab tip when reaching the 660-km phase boundary.