In the last decades, the Eddy Covariance (EC) technique has become a standard method to measure net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), but it doesn’t let to distinguish between Gross Primary Production (GPP) and Ecosystem Respiration (Reco). Olive (Olea europea L.) is one of the most important agrosystems on the Mediterranean basin, covering 9.5Mha and accounting for 98% of olive groves global surface. In this study we analyze the EC fluxes from an olive orchard of SE Spain with two soil treatments: 1) leaving spontaneous weed cover (WC) growing on the soil, and 2) inhibiting this growth with a glyphosate-based herbicide (WF). These two different treatments provide high differences in NEE, but the contribution of each component (trees, weed and soil) in the NEE require a better understanding. In this study, we analyze Eddy Covariance fluxes from an olive orchard in SE Spain at different altitudes (above and below the olive trees). To study carbon fluxes contribution of weed in the olive orchard 4 EC towers were installed, placing them on two different areas: one area in WC treatment and the other in WF treatment. On each area, a canopy tower and a subcanopy tower were installed. After a data-filtering during the growth season in which only wind directions coming from olive orchard alleys were accepted, preliminary results from the subcanopy towers show that there are prevailing CO2 emission values from the soil in the WF area and CO2 fixation from the weed in the WC area. On the other hand, during senescence period, CO2 emission fluxes were obtained from both subcanopy towers. These results layout the relevant place of subcanopy towers to understand the role in carbon cycle of the different components in an ecosystem.

Mapping absolute P-wavespeeds in the Canadian and Alaskan mantle will further our understanding of its present-day state and evolution. S-wavespeeds are relatively well constrained, especially across Canada, but are primarily sensitive to temperature while complimentary P-wavespeed constraints provide better sensitivity to compositional variations. One technical issue concerns the difficulties in extracting absolute arrival-time measurements from often-noisy data recorded by temporary seismograph networks. Such processing is required to ensure that regional Canadian datasets are compatible with supplementary continental and global datasets provided by global pick databases. To address this, we utilize the Absolute Arrival-time Recovery Method (Boyce et al., 2017). We extract over 180,000 new absolute arrival-time residuals from seismograph stations across Canada and Alaska that include both land and ocean bottom seismometers. We combine these data with the latest USArray P-wave arrival-time data from the contiguous US and Alaska. Using an adaptively parameterised least-squares tomographic inversion we develop a new absolute P-wavespeed model, with focus on Canada and Alaska (CAP21). Initial results suggest fast wavespeeds characterise the upper mantle beneath eastern and northern Canada. A sharp transition between the slow wavespeeds below the North American Cordillera and the fast wavespeeds of the stable continental interior appears to follow the Cordilleran Deformation Front (CDF) in southwest Canada. Slow wavespeeds below the Mackenzie Mountains may extend further inland of the CDF in northwest Canada. In Alaska, CAP21 illuminates both lithospheric structure and the along strike morphology of the subducting slab. The newly compiled data may also improve resolution of subducted slab remnants in the mid-mantle below the North American continent, crucial to help constrain the formation of the Alaskan peninsular at ≥50Ma.

The large-scale electric field in the inner magnetosphere is a key driver of many processes and the dynamics of magnetospheric plasmas. During geomagnetic storms, the enhanced convection electric field is responsible for eroding the plasmasphere and for moving the inner edge of the plasma sheet earthward. In this presentation, we show the preliminary results of an examination of the distribution and variations of the inner magnetospheric quasi-static electric field as measured by the Electric Field and Waves (EFW) instruments onboard the twin spacecraft of the Van Allen Probes mission. We investigate the role that the electric field plays in plasmasphere erosion and plasma sheet access to the inner magnetosphere by analyzing the electric field measurements in conjunction with cold plasma density and plasma sheet particle flux measurements. Since the coupling between plasma populations in the magnetosphere is inherently related to the electric field, we expect that the combined measurements of the electric field and plasmas will enhance our understanding of the physical processes that drive the magnetospheric dynamics.

The ease with which radionuclide moves through the environment and is taken up by plants and animals is determined by its speciation and site-specific environmental characteristics. The peculiarities in climate, geomorphology and 137Cs speciation in the fallout were demonstrated to lead to differences in migration rates of 137Cs in the environment and rates of its natural attenuation. It has been revealed that in the exclusion zone the Fukushima-derived 137Cs is strongly bound to soil and sediment particles, which reduces potential bioavailability of this radionuclide. Substantial fraction of the deposited 137Cs on soil of the exclusion zone were found to be incorporated in hot glassy particles (“Cs balls”) insoluble in water. These particles are decomposing in the environment essentially slower as compared with Chernobyl derived fuel particles. Wash-off from the slopes of contaminated catchments and river transport are key long-term pathways for radionuclide dispersal from contaminated areas after the Fukushima accident. The climate conditions for the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan are characterized by higher annual precipitation (1300-1800 mm/year) with maximum rainstorm events during typhoon season. Typhoons Etou in 2015 and Hagibis in 2019 demonstrated the substantial redistribution of 137Cs on river watersheds and floodplains and in some cases natural self-decontamination occurred. Steep slopes of Fukushima catchments are conducive to higher erosion and higher particulate r-Cs wash-off. Irrigation ponds in Okuma and Futaba towns demonstrated persistent behavior of 137Cs similar to the closed lakes in Chernobyl, its concentration is decreasing slowly and showing regular seasonal variations: the 137Cs concentrations tend to grow in the summer and decrease in the winter.

Saline endorheic lakes play a crucial role in ecological regulation and biodiversity conservation in semi-arid regions. They provide a wide range of ecosystem services such as habitat for aquatic life and migratory birds, water supply, mineral extraction, and recreation. Although saline lakes are critical to ecological health and human wellbeing, they are being shrunk at alarming rates in recent decades, representing some of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. Factors contributing to lake degradation are directly linked to the expansion and intensification of agriculture in the 20th century and its intertwined effect with global warming. However, quantifying the relative contribution of climate variability and anthropogenic stressors in water budget dynamics of the lakes is challenging. Hydrologic processes of highly managed agricultural landscapes are complex and the lack of spatial data in endorheic basins with transboundary water issues further contribute to this problem. In this study, we developed a modeling framework that integrates the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) simulations with seasonal trend decomposition by LOESS (STL), residual analysis for anomaly detection, and time series clustering, to identify the major drivers of lake trend and seasonal shrinking patterns. This modeling framework was applied to the Salton Sea Basin (SSB), host of the largest inland lake in California. Salton Sea’s water level has declined by 32% over the last 25 years, causing a massive bird and fish die-off, and a regional asthma crisis due to the spreading of toxic dust from the exposed playa. Results suggest that decreases in Colorado River allocation are causing the lake to shrink, not changes in the irrigation efficiency or the climate regime as commonly believed. Our results are expected to assist decision-makers with a robust modeling tool to evaluate the environmental tradeoffs in formulating and implementing timely adaptation and mitigation strategies across the SSB while minimizing their economic consequences.

The transition from active to passive continental margin of the South China Sea (SCS) is usually inferred to occur in the Late Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic. However, it is less known about the tectonic characteristics of active continental margins before the Late Mesozoic, which hampers the recognition of integral evolution of the SCS. The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) site U1504 has sampled greenschist facies mylonite from the basement in the Outer Margin High of the northern SCS continental margin, which potentially record the Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the SCS region. The microstructure has identified two episodes of deformation in the mylonite, namely early ductile and late brittle deformation, but without age constraints. Here, we further identify three episodes of carbonate veins (pre-mylonite, syn-mylonite and post-mylonite) in the greenschist facies mylonite according to the intersecting relationship between the veins and the mylonite foliation. Then we select 10 carbonate samples for in situ U-Pb dating, and obtain three accurate ages. The pre-mylonite carbonate veins are dated to 210 ± 20 Ma and 195 ± 32 Ma, respectively, which might denote the age of the protolith clast. The age of the syn-mylonite carbonate vein is 135 ± 12 Ma. But for the post-mylonite carbonate veins, no effective age was obtained using U-Pb dating method. Post-mylonite carbonate veins and late brittle fractures were formed at the same time, and the formation environment is similar to the overlying Late Eocene bioclastic limestone. Therefore, combining the microstructure, geochemistry and seismic profile, we speculate that the post-mylonite carbonate veins and brittle fractures may be formed during the Early Cenozoic rifting. These dating ages of the three episodes of carbonate veins suggest that the mylonite records at least two main periods of continental extension in the SCS region since the Early Cretaceous. In reference to the Mesozoic tectonic settings, we infer that, due to the slab rollback of the subducting paleo-Pacific, the SCS continental margin started significant extension during the Early Cretaceous as shown by the ductile deformation of the mylonite. In the Early Cenozoic, the mylonite was exhumated to the seafloor along with further continental extension, and weak brittle deformation occurred in the mylonite. Therefore, the Early Cretaceous extension of the SCS active continental margin may have a certain promotion effect on the rupture of the passive continental margin in the Cenozoic. Keywords: Greenschist facies mylonite; Carbonate U-Pb dating; Continental margin of the SCS; Early Cretaceous; IODP 368

Substantial progress on machine learning (ML) models and graphical processing units (GPUs) has stimulated emerging research in applications of ML to earth science. As snow is a vital component of the global hydroclimate system, precise snowpack prediction is of considerable value for science and society. In this work, we have trained three different ML models (LSTM, CNN and Attention) to predict daily snow water equivalent (SWE) with both dynamic and static features in the Western Contiguous United States from Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) observations. Dynamic features include precipitation, minimum and maximum temperature, minimum and maximum relative humidity, specific humidity, solar radiation and wind velocity. Static features are latitude, longitude, elevation, diurnal anisotropic heating (DAH) index and topographic radiative aspect (TRASP) index. This choice of features allows us to produce high-resolution maps of regional SWE for a given set of input meteorological conditions. The importance and the sensitivity of input variables will be tested by several explainable AI methods including feature permutation and integrated gradient. The ML-based dataset is further up-sampled and compared with the 4km gridded SWE dataset from the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC), which is from a physical-based model. Future SWE estimates are also produced under climate conditions projected by CMIP class models, along with associated uncertainty estimates based on our sensitivity analysis. The ML models are demonstrated to be a fast and accurate method of producing high-resolution SWE estimates with minimal computing power.

The IGS contribution to ITRF2020, based on the third IGS reprocessing campaign (repro3), comprises daily position estimates for 1905 globally distributed GNSS stations. As an essential step of the ITRF2020 preparation, a detailed analysis of the IGS repro3 station position time series has been carried out, including identification of offsets, modeling of post-seismic displacements, confrontation with deformation predicted by geophysical loading models, and characterization of systematic and random errors. This presentation covers the different aspects of this analysis, the methods used and the lessons learned.

The term “weather whiplash” was recently coined to describe abrupt swings in weather conditions from one extreme to another, such as from a frigid cold spell to anomalous warmth or from drought to prolonged precipitation. These events are often highly disruptive to agriculture, ecosystems, and daily activities. In this study we propose and demonstrate a novel metric to identify weather whiplash events (WWEs) and track their frequency over time. We define a WWE as a transition from one persistent large-scale circulation regime to another distinctly different one, as determined using an objective pattern cluster analysis called self-organizing maps (SOMs). We focus on the domain spanning North America and the eastern N. Pacific Ocean. A matrix of representative atmospheric patterns in 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies is created. We analyze the occurrence of WWEs originating with long-duration events (defined as lasting 4 or more days) in each pattern, as well as the associated extremes in temperature and precipitation. A WWE is detected when the pattern two days following a long-duration event is substantially different, measured using internal matrix distances and thresholds. Changes in WWE frequency are assessed objectively based on reanalysis and climate model output, and in the future with climate model projections. Temporal changes in the future under RCP 8.5 forcing are more robust than those during recent decades, with consistent increases (decreases) in WWEs originating in patterns with an anomalously warm (cold) Arctic.

We exploit novel “string-of-pearls” configuration of NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale mission to investigate properties of structures within the Earth’s magnetosheath that are short in duration but carry intense currents. Previous work has shown that the j.E energy conversion within current structures processes of order 10% of the total energy flux incident at the bow shock. This makes these events important contributors to the overall shock energy budget and ongoing thermalization within the magnetosheath. The present study, under very similar solar wind conditions and bow shock geometries, reveals significant qualitative differences from the previous study. Moreover, we find only modest, if any coherence, on scales <1000 km. We explore the implication of these observations in terms of both bow shock and turbulence energy transfer and dissipation.

Mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is a primary contributor to sea level rise, but substantial uncertainty exists in estimates of future ice sheet losses. Surface mass balance (SMB) models, the current leading approach to sea level rise projection, anticipate continued dominance of runoff as a mass loss pathway. Despite their preeminence, SMB models in vulnerable northern environments lack adequate field validation, particularly for error-sensitive runoff estimates. We have installed a cluster of high quality field instruments at the Minturn Elv, a proglacial river site in Inglefield Land, NW Greenland to provide discharge and weather datasets for the validation and refinement of climate/SMB runoff models. The instrument cluster has meteorological, hydrological, and time lapse camera instrumentation, including a vented water level stage recorder, single shot and scanning lidars, time lapse cameras, and in situ ADCP discharge and terrestrial scanning lidar measurements. The instrument suite provides novel flow and weather datasets with the opportunity to evaluate experimental approaches to stage measurement in adverse, high-latitude areas. Inglefield is a uniquely advantaged location because proglacial runoff is dominated by SMB processes operating on the ice surface without interference from subglacial hydrology. Overall, our hydrometeorological instrument cluster at Inglefield Land will provide one of the few validation datasets for regional climate models outside of Southwest Greenland.

As fundamental parameters of the Sun, the Alfv\’en radius and angular momentum loss determine how the solar wind changes from sub-Alfv\’enic to super-Alfv\’enic and how the Sun spins down. We present an approach to determining the solar wind angular momentum flux based on observations from Parker Solar Probe (PSP). A flux of about $0.15\times10^{30}$ dyn cm sr$^{-1}$ near the ecliptic plane and 0.7:1 partition of that flux between the particles and magnetic field are obtained by averaging data from the first four encounters within 0.3 au from the Sun. The angular momentum flux and its particle component decrease with the solar wind speed, while the flux in the field is remarkably constant. A speed dependence in the Alfv\’en radius is also observed, which suggests a “rugged” Alfv\’en surface around the Sun. Substantial diving below the Alfv\’en surface seems plausible only for relatively slow solar wind given the orbital design of PSP. Uncertainties are evaluated based on the acceleration profiles of the same solar wind streams observed at PSP and a radially aligned spacecraft near 1 au. We illustrate that the “angular momentum paradox” raised by R\’eville et al. can be removed by taking into account the contribution of the alpha particles. The large proton transverse velocity observed by PSP is perhaps inherent in the solar wind acceleration process, where an opposite transverse velocity is produced for the alphas with the angular momentum conserved. Preliminary analysis of some recovered alpha parameters tends to agree with the results.

Our knowledge of glacial history of the western (Norwegian) part of the Barents Sea has greatly improved during the last decades, notably due to the high-resolution multibeam swath bathymetry data. In contrast, published seafloor data from the eastern part of the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea are much more sparse. This study presents new geophysical/geological evidence for reconstructing glacial dynamics of the eastern part of the Barents-Kara Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum and subsequent deglaciation. Archival data used in this study include more than 300,000 km of sparker and high-resolution Parasound profiles verified by boreholes drilled with continuous core recovery to 50-100 m below sea bed. This dataset was used to construct continuous geological cross-sections and a series of maps, including detailed bathymetry (in 10-m isobaths) and sediment thickness maps of major seismo-stratigraphic units. Based on the bathymetric and sediment thickness data we map megascale glacial lineations, drumlin-like ridges up to 50 m high and subglacial channels up to 100 m deep, as well as accumulations of glacial deposits (basal, lateral and end moraines) and ice-proximal acoustically transparent bodies (ATBs). Spatial and stratigraphic analysis of these bedforms enables us to put forward a new hypothesis that ice moved on the shelf from the Arctic Ocean along the Saint Anna Trough (SAT). Further south, near the northern tip of the Novaya Zemlya islands, the ice flow split into three major lobes moving to the southwest into the Barents Sea and to the south and southeast into the Kara Sea. Deglaciation in the study area progressed with several ice stillstands and subsequent readvances marked by end-moraines and accumulation of ice-proximal sediments. During deglaciation events, when the SAT became ice free due to iceberg calving, the ice flow reversed its direction toward the SAT, forming a fluting and a massive ATB on the western SAT slope. The exact timing and mechanisms of the ice transgression(s) from the Arctic Ocean are not well understood. Additional high-resolution data such as multibeam bathymetry surveys are needed to verify the spatiotemporal distribution of glaciogenic bedforms, and glaciological modeling is required to comprehend the ice dynamics and put it in the pan-Arctic context.

Extensive industrial activities have led to an increase of the content of chromium in the environment, which causes serious pollution to the surrounding water, soil and atmosphere. The enrichment of chromium in the environment through the food chain ultimately affects human health. Therefore, the remediation of chromium pollution is crucial to development of human society. A lot of scholars have paid attention to bioremediation technology owing to its environmentally friendly and low-cost. Previous reviews mostly involved pure culture of microorganisms and rarely discussed the optimization of bioreduction conditions. To make up for these shortcomings, we not only introduced in detail the conditions that affect microbial reduction but also innovatively introduced consortium which may be the cornerstone for future treatment of complex field environments. The aim of this study is to summary chromium toxicity, factors affecting microbial remediation, and methods for enhancing bioremediation. However, the actual application of bioremediation technology is still facing a major challenge. The detoxification process inclusive of bioreduction and biosorption. When microorganisms are exposed to Cr(Ⅵ), related genes will be up-regulated (Chr promoter and copZ) to prevent intracellular molecules from being destroyed. Microorganisms provide electrons to reduce Cr(Ⅵ) through autogenous enzymes or externally addedreducing substances. The pH, temperature, concentration, and electron donor are the major factors affectting the bioreduction owing to their close correlation with enzyme activity. Biosorption is mainly based on electrostatic force, combined with chromium oxide anions through functional groups (hydroxyl, carboxyl, amino etc.） on the cell surface. Bioaccumulation is the active uptake of Cr(VI) by living cells, a process that usually depends on the forms and bioavailability of Cr(VI) and is also dependent on nutrients such as energy and carbon sources. The combination of these exogenous additives and mixed culture microorganisms greatly improves the tolerance and reduction efficiency of microorganisms. In previous reports on bioremediation technology, the main object of remediation was water bodies, and arable land is currently facing severe heavy metal pollution, so the future microbial remediation technology should also target the soil and atmosphere. In response to the research deficiencies has been proposed, the following suggestions are putforward: 1. Due to the complex actual environmental conditions, especially the soil, it is difficult to achieve the purpose of governance using purely cultured microorganisms. The use of mixed culture of microorganisms can improve the adaptability to the environment and the efficiency of treatment through the synergy between microorganisms. 2. For the complex medium of soil, the effect of using microorganisms alone may not be obvious. Therefore, combining plants and microorganisms can promote the application o

In light of the magnitude and pace of the environmental changes in the northern permafrost zone (NPZ) and their feedbacks to climate, contemporary, accurate and quantitative ecological forecasting has never been so paramount to the development of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. Yet, uncertainties associated with carbon (C) projections in the NPZ remain the largest to projections of global C budget and climate. While there are persisting lacks of data documenting important and emerging soil and vegetation dynamics in the NPZ, the volume, variety and accessibility of observational data in the NPZ has grown exponentially over the past decades and significantly improved our understanding of terrestrial C dynamic. Yet, a lag persists between large availability of historical, new and iterative data collections and the capacity of terrestrial biosphere models to fully incorporate this information, limiting advances in reducing the uncertainty of ecological forecasting in the NPZ. In this new project, we are developing the Arctic Carbon Monitoring and Prediction System (ACMPS), a data assimilation system that will use the information from field observations from ecological networks, remote sensing data and ecological modeling to reduce the uncertainty of the terrestrial carbon balance in the NPZ. The ACMPS will be coupling model development and testing, data-assimilation techniques and near-term forecasting capacity to improve the accuracy of historical and future simulations of ecosystem permafrost and C dynamics across the NPZ. We will present the structure and workflow of the ACMPS, as well as preliminary assessment of model sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of soil and vegetation carbon fluxes, using a terrestrial biosphere model specifically developed to represent permafrost, vegetation and carbon dynamics in arctic and boreal ecosystems. Plain-language Summary We are presenting the Arctic Carbon Monitoring and Prediction System, a data assimilation system that uses field observation, remote sensing data and ecological modeling to reduce the uncertainty of the terrestrial carbon balance in the northern permafrost zone, and to better inform development of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

River basin floods due to summer monsoon (June-September) rainfall are the major causes of infrastructure damage and loss of human lives in India. Thus, skillful forecasts of daily streamflows are crucial for flood mitigation. We develop an experimental forecasting system that combines a deterministic physical model forecast in a Bayesian Hierarchical Framework to generate an ensemble daily streamflow forecast. The physical hydrologic model based on the land surface model – Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) - developed in an experimental mode to model and forecast hydrologic systems over India is used. Rainfall forecast from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) at several lead times (1-day, 2-day, 3-day, 4-day, and 5-day) is used to drive the VIC model to provide a single deterministic forecast trace. A Bayesian Hierarchical Model (BHM) framework is developed to post-process the VIC model forecast and generate skillful daily ensemble streamflow forecast. We demonstrate the BHM framework to daily summer (July-August) streamflow forecast at five stations in the Narmada River Basin in Central India for the period 2003-2014 and, provide preliminary assessment for the period 2015-2018. In this framework, the daily streamflow at each station is modeled as Gamma distribution with time varying parameters, which are modeled as a linear function of potential covariates that include VIC model deterministic streamflow forecast and observed spatially-averaged precipitation from the previous days. With suitable priors on the parameters, posterior distributions of the parameters and predictive posterior distributions of the daily streamflows – and thus ensembles –are obtained. The skill of the probabilistic forecast is assessed a suite of metrics (correlation coefficient, and BIAS), rank histograms, and skill scores such as CRPSS. The model skills are also assessed for various flow thresholds. The BHM framework provides a novel, flexible and powerful approach to combine forecasts from multiple models (including qualitative) and provide a combined skill ensemble forecast. This will be of immense help to enable effective disaster management and mitigation strategies.

Critical Zone (CZ) scientists study the system of coupled chemical, biological, physical, and geological processes operating together across all scales to support life at the Earth’s surface (Brantley et al., 2007). In 2020, the U.S. National Science Foundation funded a new network of Thematic Cluster projects who are working collaboratively to answer scientific questions related to effects of urbanization on CZ processes; CZ function in semi-arid landscapes and the role of dust in sustaining these ecosystems; processes in deep bedrock and their relationship to CZ evolution; recovery of the CZ from disturbances such as fire and flooding; and changes in the coastal CZ related to rising sea level. Given the diversity of data being collected by these projects, supporting data collection, access, and archival for the larger network presents significant challenges. Leveraging existing repositories and cyberinfrastructure provides many benefits, but still poses the questions of which repositories to use and how to enable discovery of and access to data that may be deposited across different repositories. This presentation describes new cyberinfrastructure development that leverages existing, domain-specific data repositories to enable managing, curating, disseminating, and preserving data from the new network of CZ Thematic Cluster projects. A distributed architecture is under development that links existing data facilities and services, including HydroShare, EarthChem, SESAR, and eventually other systems as needed, via a CZ Hub that provides tools for simplified data submission, discovery and access, and links to computational resources for data analysis and visualization in support of CZ synthesis efforts. Our goal is to make data, samples, and software collected by the Thematic Cluster projects Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR), using existing domain-specific repositories. This collaboration among repositories to deliver integrated data services for an interdisciplinary science program may provide a template for future development of integrated, interdisciplinary data services. Brantley, S.L., M.B. Goldhaber, V. Ragnarsdottir (2007). Crossing disciplines and scales to understand the Critical Zone. Elements 3, 307-314, doi:10.2113/gselements.3.5.307.

Different lithofacies of shale oil reservoir invole different lithology（mineral composition）, structure(laminated and interbedded crack), pore type and permeability. One of our objectives is to explore the frequency dependent elastic properties and attenuation of the rocks with different lithofacies characteristics for shale oil reservoir. For another significant purpose, we attempt to explain the possible dispersion and attenuation mechanisms in shale using existing theoretical models. We first executed two sets of stress–strain oscillation experiments on partially white-oil saturated samples with different lithofacies, which comes from Inter-Salt shale oil in QianJiang Sag, to investigate the dispersion of elastic moduli, elastic and anelastic parameters, anisotropy and attenuation from seismic to ultrasonic frequencies. Assuming that the formation conforms to the characteristics of VTI medium, the experiments were carried out at a confining pressure range between 5 and 30MPa in the frequency range 1 to 1000Hz using two samples drilled in vertical and parallel directions to the formation bedding. And then we not only evaluate the applicability of the anisotropic Gassmann theory to the Inter-Salt shale, but also discuss the experimental phenomenon at mesoscopic and microscopic scales. The results of our broad-frequency experiment study illustrated that the dispersion and attenuation for compression/extension vertical to bedding is larger than that parallel to bedding in partial fluid saturation, and exhibiting different attenuation characteristic peaks. The increase of shear stiffness tensor with frequency seems to indicate the inapplicability of anisotropic Gassmann theory. The interpretation of the attenuation measurements in terms of well-established theoretical models which depict the wave-induced flow of pore fluid at the mesoscopic scale was discussed in terms of the Lithofacies characteristics, include intergranular pores and horizontal interlayer fractures,et al.