Search

The Arabia – Eurasia collision zone in the central part of the Alpine – Himalayan orogenic system has had a complex deformation history since the Palaeozoic. In Iran, the collision zone consists of the Alborz‐Talesh, Kopeh Dagh and Zagros foldbelts and the intervening Central Iran area. In this review paper, we summarize the structural architecture and tectonostratigraphic characteristics of these domains and attempt to correlate regional deformation events between them. The results show that six regional‐scale deformation phases can be recognized and correlated in Iran over a time interval extending from the Late Palaeozoic to the Late Cenozoic. Late Palaeozoic rifting in northern Gondwana and subsequent oceanic spreading resulted in the separation of the Central and North Iran blocks from the Arabian Platform. These blocks later converged and collided with the southern margin of Eurasia due to the subduction of the intervening PalaeoTethys lithosphere ("Cimmerian orogeny": Late Triassic). The convergent setting resulted in the initial development of the Alborz‐Talesh foldbelt in present‐day northern Iran, while extensional basins developed in the forebulge area in Central Iran. Continuing northward subduction of NeoTethyan oceanic lithosphere at the southern Eurasia margin produced Early Cretaceous back‐arc extension and associated volcanism in Central Iran and the Alborz‐Talesh area to the north. A phase of compressional deformation in the Late Cretaceous was related to the collision of a series of microcontinents derived from Northern Gondwana, including the Ercinjan and Bitlis massifs, with the Central Iran block, and is recorded in the Alborz‐Talesh foldbelt and in Central Iran. Further back‐arc extension in the late Paleocene – Eocene was accompanied by pervasive volcanism and volcaniclastic sedimentation throughout northern and Central Iran. The final closure of NeoTethys and convergence between the Arabian and Eurasian Plates evolved through phases of early Oligocene "soft" collision and middle Miocene "hard" collision. This was accompanied by thrusting in the internal parts of the Zagros foldbelt and by folding and subordinate thrusting in the more external parts, with related development of the flexural Mesopotamian Basin in the foreland to the SW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of the most widespread and economically important conifer species in the world. Applications like genomic selection and association studies, which could help accelerate breeding cycles, are challenging in Scots pine because of its large and repetitive genome. For this reason, genotyping tools for conifer species, and in particular for Scots pine, are commonly based on transcribed regions of the genome. In this article, we present the Axiom Psyl50K array, the first single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping array for Scots pine based on whole‐genome resequencing, that represents both genic and intergenic regions. This array was designed following a two‐step procedure: first, 192 trees were sequenced, and a 430K SNP screening array was constructed. Then, 480 samples, including haploid megagametophytes, full‐sib family trios, breeding population, and range‐wide individuals from across Eurasia were genotyped with the screening array. The best 50K SNPs were selected based on quality, replicability, distribution across the draft genome assembly, balance between genic and intergenic regions, and genotype–environment and genotype–phenotype associations. Of the final 49 877 probes tiled in the array, 20 372 (40.84%) occur inside gene models, while the rest lie in intergenic regions. We also show that the Psyl50K array can yield enough high‐confidence SNPs for genetic studies in pine species from North America and Eurasia. This new genotyping tool will be a valuable resource for high‐throughput fundamental and applied research of Scots pine and other pine species. Significance Statement: In this paper, we present the first high‐throughput single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping array for a pine species developed from whole‐genome resequencing, and thus spanning genic as well as intergenic regions. This array was developed for Scots pine and successfully tested in six other pine species from North America and Eurasia, being useful for fundamental and applied studies in the fields of population genetics, evolution, genomic selection, and breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper utilizes reanalysis data and statistical methods to elucidate the physical mechanisms of intraseasonal variations of precipitation over southern China during the boreal winter, as well as the two primary factors influencing these variations. Anomalous southerly (northerly) wind over southern China will result in the strong moisture convergence (divergence) in enhanced (suppressed) scenarios, and the stronger positive (negative) horizontal advection of absolute vorticity at upper troposphere induces the anomalous ascending (descending) motion in enhanced (suppressed) scenarios. The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) in the tropics and a wave train over the North Atlantic and Eurasia with four activity centres in the mid–high latitudes (referred as NAE‐wave train) are the two primary factors that modulate the intraseasoanl precipitation over southern China. The intraseasonal circulation induced by MJO and NAE‐wave train exhibits distinct features, resulting in different physical mechanisms of their influences. The moisture flux divergence anomalies over southern China associated with MJO mainly stem from the meridional moisture convergence, whereas the meridional moisture advection is the first contributor in the influence of NAE‐wave train. The anomalous vorticity advection at upper troposphere associated with MJO is primarily influenced by the meridional advection, but that associated with NAE‐wave train is dominated by the zonal advection. Anomalous precipitation induced by MJO is concentrated mainly over South China, while that caused by NAE‐wave train is primarily located in the mid–lower Yangtze River basin. Therefore, different phases locking of MJO and NAE‐wave train could lead to various precipitation anomalies over southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classification systems are useful tools for aggregating diseases to study them in more detail. The most widespread system for the classification of human diseases is the International Classification of Diseases (ICD); however, the ICD was designed for use in health care and fails to capture many details of zoonotic diseases as a result.We propose a framework for zoonotic disease classification which combines four known classification types (pathogen type, life cycle, transmission direction and ecosystem) into one systematic method. We chose to focus on four specific aspects to provide as broad an overview as possible of zoonoses, in order to inform the risk of transmission to humans.This framework can be applied to the zoonoses occurring in any non‐human animal species and supports the generation of systematically collected empirical data that are useful for monitoring the spatio‐temporal dynamics of zoonoses.To demonstrate the utility of our framework, we focus on six deer species that are widespread in Eurasia: red deer Cervus elaphus, roe deer Capreolus capreolus, fallow deer Dama dama, sika deer Cervus nippon, Reeves's muntjac Muntiacus reevesi and Chinese water deer Hydropotes inermis. We examined the worldwide occurrence and prevalence of zoonoses in these species through a scoping review of the literature.Altogether, 996 records of zoonotic diseases in the six wild deer species, from 431 peer‐reviewed papers, and 120 zoonotic pathogens were found. Within deer populations, the most prevalent zoonoses were bacterial, while the most prevalent life cycles were metazoonoses. We also found that the most prevalent pathogens in deer were those with hosts capable of occupying sylvatic, peridomestic and domestic ecosystems.Baseline data generated using our framework method can provide important starting points for making projections of human disease risk, assisting wildlife managers and policy‐makers in making wildlife management decisions, and assisting experts in the development of disease‐monitoring and management plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revealed a physical connection between the antiphase variation in the preceding autumn Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Lake Baikal snow cover anomalies (TBSA) and the following winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on interannual time scales during 1979–2021. The antiphase variation in TBSA, accounting for 44% of the total years, has a dipole structure in autumn, which prolonged into the following winter. The persistent antiphase TBSA associated diabatic forcing, disturbances and transient eddies favor a double wave train structure spanning the TP (east of Baikal) and North Atlantic from autumn to winter. Amid the wave train, the circulation anomalies over the North Atlantic extract more energy from the basic flow due to the seasonal increase in the westerly jet, which further evolves into the winter NAO pattern. Our results provide new insights into the formation and projection of winter NAO from the perspective of subtropical and extratropical Eurasia snow. Plain Language Summary: A robust link exists in the preceding autumn antiphase Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Lake Baikal snow cover anomalies (TBSA) and the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during 1979–2021. There are 44% years of antiphase variation in TBSA in autumn, which shows a dipole structure with one positive center over the TP and another negative center over the Baikal. Larger (smaller) snow cover over the TP (Baikal) stimulates a local low (high) pressure system via diabatic cooling (heating). Due to the jet waveguide effect, the antiphase TBSA associated diabatic forcing and perturbation along the subtropical westerly jet favor the atmospheric wave train spanning the TP and North Atlantic. The antiphase TBSA associated transient eddies along the extratropical belt contribute to the atmospheric wave train lying between the eastern Baikal and the North Atlantic owing to the eddy‐flow interaction. Along with the seasonal increase in the subtropical westerly jet from autumn to winter, the geopotential height anomalies in the double wave train associated with the antiphase TBSA gradually develop into the winter large‐scale NAO circulation through more energy extraction from the stronger basic flow. Key Points: A robust link of winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) to the preceding fall antiphase Tibetan Plateau‐Baikal snow cover anomalies (TBSA)The antiphase TBSA associated diabatic forcing, disturbances and transient eddies favor a double wave train structure around 30°N and 60°NMore energy extracts over the North Atlantic due to the seasonal increase in the westerly jet, favoring the development of the winter NAO [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we explore the stratospheric influence on the predictability of Eurasian cold‐spell events using the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ensemble hindcasts obtained from the Subseasonal‐to‐Seasonal (S2S) archive. To isolate the stratospheric influence, we subsampled two groups of hindcasts according to the strength of the stratospheric polar vortex preceding the cold spells at the surface. The predicted probability of cold spells, defined as the lowest 10th percentile of weekly mean temperature anomalies over northern Eurasia (10° W–130° E and 50° N–65° N), is systematically higher, by 0.05–0.2, at lags 7–24 days in the forecasts initialized during the weak stratospheric vortex compared to the strong stratospheric vortex group, extending the predictability of cold spells by 3–5 days. Our results suggest that, in the case of the weak polar vortex, stratosphere–troposphere coupling favors the negative Northern Annular Mode (NAM) regime and the cold‐air outbreaks in Eurasia. As a consequence, the long stratospheric predictability extends the predictability of the cold spells. On the other hand, when the polar vortex is strong, the stratospheric anomalies do not favor the observed negative NAM regime, which thus results from the internal tropospheric processes only. In this case the predictability of cold‐air spells is limited. Furthermore, we show that the extended predictability of cold spells arising from the stratosphere–troposphere coupling is captured by a simple statistical model, suggesting that governing large‐scale dynamics behave effectively linearly over some limited periods. Quantified contribution of the stratosphere–troposphere coupling to the enhanced skill of the extended‐range cold‐spell forecasts documented in our paper may prove useful in the development of forecasting tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses monthly surface air temperature (SAT) data from the Climatic Research Unit dataset and the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 multimodel ensemble simulations to investigate the variations in the annual‐mean and four seasons SAT across the Eurasian and North Africa landmasses and the possible causes. The SAT over multiple timescales has significant seasonal and regional differences. The trend, variance of decadal variation (DV), and variance of interannual variability (IV) show that the differences between Siberia and mid‐low latitudes are much larger in winter and spring than in summer and autumn. The SAT exhibits a robust warming trend over Siberia in winter (0.21–0.42°C·decade−1) than over mid–low latitudes in summer (<0.07°C·decade−1). The cause is the combined diversity effects of greenhouse gases (GHG) and anthropogenic aerosols (AA) in four seasons over different regions. The warming trend of Siberia in winter is affected by the combination of strong warming effect by GHG and the weak cooling effect by AA, and the trend of mid–low latitudes in summer is opposite. The leading modes of the DV show a consistent spatial pattern over the whole Eurasia in four seasons while the IV show a meridional dipole pattern across 40°N except in summer. The internal climate variability is the main driver of the SAT IV and DV, but the effect of anthropogenic activity and natural forcing may reinforce the IV and DV in some regions. The combined role of GHG and AA forcings can significantly enlarge the DV in many parts of Eurasia, and the AA and natural forcing have significant effect on the IV in the high latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares surface signatures of the zonally symmetric and asymmetric modes of stratospheric variability, which describe the strength of the polar vortex and a planetary wave‐1 pattern, respectively. Unlike a weak polar vortex followed by negative Arctic Oscillation–like anomalies, strong stratospheric wave activity features a polar vortex displacement with a deep planetary wave‐1 structure, resulting in positive North Atlantic Oscillation–like North American cooling in about 10 days. Moreover, the linkage between the stratosphere and surface is examined in two reanalyzes and four models of different configurations, which show more robust North American cooling following the displacement of the polar vortex due to strong stratospheric wave activity than the zonally symmetric weakening of the polar vortex. This suggests strong stratospheric wave activity acts as a better predictor for cold spells in the northern U.S. and Canada compared with a weak polar vortex. Plain Language Summary: A weak polar vortex in the winter stratosphere is likely associated with cold spells at the surface, yet there are large uncertainties in predicting surface cold events based on stratospheric signals. This study introduces a new method to separate stratospheric variability into the leading modes of zonally symmetric and asymmetric circulations. The zonally symmetric mode describes the strength of the polar vortex. A weak polar vortex is followed by cooling over northern Eurasia and midlatitude North America. In contrast, the zonally asymmetric mode characterizes a displacement of the polar vortex or a planetary wave‐1 pattern, with the positive phase featuring a high anomaly over North America and a low anomaly over Eurasia. This stratospheric wave pattern extends down to the surface, resulting in North American cooling and Eurasian warming in about 10 days. While both stratospheric modes are associated with surface cooling over North America, the linkage is more robust for the displacement than the zonally symmetric weakening of the polar vortex, based on analyses of several reanalyzes and models. This indicates that strong stratospheric wave activity serves as a better predictor for cold air outbreaks in the northern U.S. and Canada than the commonly used weak polar vortex events. Key Points: Distinct North American cooling signatures follow zonally symmetric and asymmetric modes of the stratosphereStrong stratospheric wave activity precedes positive North Atlantic Oscillation like North American coolingThe linkage between the stratospheric wave activity and the surface is robust in reanalyzes and models [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) modulates winter cold anomalies over central Eurasia (CE) using reanalysis data during 1950–2019. It is found that ENSO can significantly influence winter air temperature over CE mainly through modulating the strength and location of the cyclonic anomaly of Ural blocking (UB) or long‐lived UB events. A strong (weak) cyclonic anomaly of UB on the southeastern (eastern) side of the Ural Mountains tends to occur over midlatitude (high‐latitude) Eurasia during La Niña (El Niño) winters. Such anomalous circulation leads to a strong (weak) cold anomaly over CE, especially over East Asia, due to enhanced (weakened) cold air advection toward the CE during La Niña (El Niño). The UB‐related cyclonic anomaly in the midlatitude (high latitude) side of Eurasia is shown to be related to weakened (enhanced) eastward extension of strong westerly winds over midlatitude Eurasia during La Niña (El Niño) winters. Plain Language Summary: Observations show that in recent decades a strong cold anomaly appears over Eurasia, especially over central Eurasia (CE). This cold anomaly shows notable variations on interannual, decadal and interdecadal timescales. However, what factors lead to its interannual variations is not well understood. Here we show that El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events can influence Eurasian winter air temperature by modulating the strength and location of the cyclonic anomaly of Ural blocking (UB) or the frequency of long‐lived UB events. A La Niña (El Niño) favors a strong (weak) cyclonic anomaly circulation located in the southeastern (eastern) side of the Ural Mountains in the midlatitudes (high latitudes), which leads to a strong (weak) cold anomaly over CE especially in the low latitude Eurasia (i.e., East Asia) through enhanced (weakened) cold air advection. These new results help us understand the physical cause of the interannual variability of the Eurasian cold anomaly modulated by ENSO. Key Points: This paper examines the causal relationship between the Ural blocking (UB) and Eurasian cold anomaly during the La Niña phase in winterEl Niño‐Southern Oscillation plays an important role in the interannual variability of winter cold anomaly over the EurasiaThe UB leads to stronger cold anomaly over the Eurasian during the La Niña than El Niño [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This survey brings into conversation diverse literatures on geopolitics in order to interrogate one of the most visible geopolitical projects of our age, China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The paper provides a brief review of the main geopolitical approaches that are being applied to the BRI, including classical, critical, radical, assemblage and feminist perspectives. While feminist and assemblage approaches to the BRI are positioned as a way out of essentialised accounts of this initiative, this review also attempts to facilitate a dialogue on the value of applying multiple approaches and different types of knowledge to the BRI and its various contexts. It seeks to capture how such thinking in geopolitics can bring the BRI's incoherence and myriad tensions into focus. This involves tracing the competing logics, contexts, relations and elements from which the BRI has emerged. Bringing competing strands of geopolitical thought into conversation rejects singular and reductionist interpretations of the BRI and understandings of geopolitics more broadly. It highlights linkages between elements and assemblages, as well as a circular logic in some of the prevailing approaches to the BRI and geopolitics. This survey explores the multi‐dimensional possibilities of contemporary geopolitics for examining the BRI's interwoven logics and its contradictions, while using the case study of the BRI to evaluate the diversity and potential of this sub‐field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]