Quantifying bank erosion on the South River from 1937 to 2005, and its importance in assessing Hg contamination

Bank sediments along a 40 km reach of the South River, downstream of Waynesboro, VA, store mercury from historical contamination as a result of textile manufacturing. Knowledge of the rate at which contaminated sediment is released to the stream channel through bank erosion is required to implement restoration programs designed, for example, to minimize its ecological impact and to reduce risk to human health. Digitized stream channel boundaries based on visual interpretations of georeferenced aerial imagery from 1937 and 2005 were compared to calculate a minimum estimate of the total area of bank sediment eroded between Waynesboro and Port Republic, Virginia. Estimates of riverbank height were extracted from aerial LIDAR data, allowing areal estimates of bank retreat to be converted to volumes. Nominal annual rates of bank retreat, averaged over the 68-year period, for several example locales along the study reach are very low, ranging from 3 to 15 cm per year. Bank erosion occurs at the outside banks of bends, through the development of islands, where deposition on confluence bars pushes the main flow into the opposite bank, and in small areas along the channel that are difficult to classify or explain. A minimum estimate of the total volume eroded for the study reach is approximately 161,000 m³; the corresponding annual mass of mercury supplied to the channel by bank erosion is 109.6 kg/year. Our work demonstrates that a careful analysis of aerial imagery and LIDAR data can provide detailed, spatially explicit estimates of mercury loading from bank erosion, even when rates of riverbank erosion are unusually low.     

塔里木河下游生态输水河道两侧区域地下水运动规律研究

根据塔里木河下游断流区域含水层水文地质特征及其实际输水过程中河水对浅层地下水的补给规律,建立了塔里木河下游绿色走廊生态输水河道附近区域地下水运动的一维非稳定流模型,并通过在整个输水过程中流量与水位两种边界条件相互转换的一种方法求解模型。最后应用上述模型分析了间歇性输水条件下塔里本河下游断流河段河道两侧地下水位恢复状况,为输水生态效益的定量评价及其今后输水工作的决策提供理论基础。     

新疆塔里木河下游断流河道输水对地下水变化的影响分析

结合2000～2002年以来塔里木河下游间歇性输水后地下水变化的监测数据．用回归分析的方法对输水后地下水位动态响应变化过程进行分析,揭示输水量与地下水的响应范围之间的关系。结果表明：在横向上．随着向塔河生态输水次数和输水量的增加．地下水的响应范围逐渐扩大．但随远离输水河槽中轴线,响应程度减小．地下水位的抬升幅度减弱;纵向上,输水河段上游区段地下水位响应范围最大,中游区段次之,下游区段较小。在第二次输水过程中,靠近河岸地下水位出现急剧上升,而在第三次输水过程中,地下水的响应范围则有巨幅增加．输水量与输水持续时间与地下水位变化有着密切关系。     

塔里木河下游生态需水估算

量化生态需水是流域水权分配的重要依据。以塔里木河下游大西海子水库至尾闾台特玛湖段为研究区,借助湿周法计算了该段河道内最小生态需水量,并基于2009年和2010年河段地下水分布特征,计算沿线河道两岸各1 km范围地下水恢复至目标埋深(5～4 m)的地下水恢复量,采用潜水蒸发法和面积定额法估算了沿线天然植被生态需水量。结果表明：（1）塔里木河下游大西海子-台特玛湖河道内年最小生态需水量为1.455×108 m3;（2）以5年为恢复期限,确定该河段地下水埋深恢复至5～4 m的年恢复需水量为0.608×108～1.466×108 m3;（3）取潜水蒸发法和面积定额法计算结果均值,确定研究区天然植被生态需水量为1.042×108 m3;（4）综合考虑,塔里木河下游大西海子-台特玛湖年生态需水总量为3.105×108～3.963×108 m3。     

塔里木河下游河岸带地下水埋深对生态输水的响应过程

为了解塔里木河下游生态输水量与地下水埋深多年响应变化过程,得出地下水埋深对生态输水的响应变化规律,以塔里木河下游英苏断面为研究区,运用定性与定量分析方法,综合考虑不同输水差异（包括零输水年即2008年、输水极少年即2009年、输水较多年2011年等）,对2000-2015年英苏断面1 050 m范围内地下水埋深数据进行了分析。结果表明：研究断面内地下水埋深在各年份总体呈现比较平稳的递减趋势,年内个别月具有较大的增幅,另外由于冻土消融等因素影响,地下水埋深在2~3月有一定的增幅;离河较近区域的地下水埋深变化对生态输水的响应具有时间同步性,而离河道较远地区的地下水埋深在响应时间上存在滞后性,本研究断面1 050 m范围内地下水埋深响应时间维持在1 a内;经过多年生态输水过程,英苏监测断面距离河道约750 m范围内地下水平均埋深维持在2~6 m范围内,基本达到植物生长所需地下水埋深水平;另外,综合分析研究断面多年输水引起的地下水位响应过程,为获得生态输水过程所带来的最大生态效益,生态输水不仅要保持一定的输水量,还要保持输水年周期的连续性。     

新疆塔里木河干流堤防修建对地下水位的影响

通过2001—2003年对塔里木河干流3个断面18眼地下水监测井数据分析表明，沙子河口断而地下水埋深无明显变化；乌斯满河口断面地下水埋深表现为加深-变浅-加深的过程；阿其河口断面地下水埋深略呈减小趋势。地下水埋深的空间变化特征为：沙子河口断面水分条件最差；乌斯满河口断面的地下水埋深均小于3m，水分条件最好。洪、枯水期地下水埋深变化特征为：沙子河口断面地下水埋深变化很小；乌斯满河口断而和阿其河口断面，由于受提闸放水的影响，2003年地下水埋深普遍小于2002年。塔里木河中游输水堤防的修建对遏制河水在洪水期任意漫流，增加下游来水量起到了积极作用。     

塔里木河下游地下水变化动态分析

由十塔里木河下游地下水位不断下降,而来水量却连年减少,与20世纪50年代相比平均下降了4～6m。随着大面积发展灌溉农业,排水洗盐改良土壤进程加快,相应地排入塔里木河的咸水也大大增加,塔河下游地下水水质也发生相应的变化。通过对塔里木河下游地下水变化动态以及来水量、农业灌溉对地下水的分析,也对沙漠化发展和分布对地下水的响应关系进行了探讨。     

塔里木河下游生态保护目标和措施

针对2000-2009年塔里木河下游10次生态输水后生态环境的变化情况,提出新的生态保护目标：在距河500 m以内以胡杨(Populus euphratica)为主的重点保护带,地下水埋深保持在≤4 m,植被总盖度达到0.4~0.5;500~1 000 m为基本保护带,以柽柳(Tamarix spp.)为主,地下水埋深为4~6 m,植被总覆盖度达到0.3以上;＞1 000 m为一般保护带,随着输水累积量增加,地下水埋深达到6~8 m,使现有植被不再退化;沿河两岸1 000 m的植被保护恢复总面积应达到1 028 km2;用水均衡法和潜水蒸散法重新估算的大西海子的下泄水量为2.3×108 m3 ,比原规划减少了1.2×108 m3 ,其中2.0×108 m3为维护生态所用,另外还有0.15×108~0.3×108 m3为向台特玛湖输水的水量;应保持输水连续性,大西海子以下年泄水量不小于0.36×108 m3;为了保证向下游输水,必须加强水资源调控,通过整治源流,使到达干流的水量为44.2×108 m3 ,干流严禁开荒,加强对防护堤修建后生态环境变化的监测,下游采用漫溢漂种增加植被面积。     

Environmental changes,remote sensing,and infrastructure development: The case of Egypt's East Port Said harbour

Using Landsat TM data, this article examines the environmental impact of the East Port Said harbour project on the surrounding landscape. The optimum three-band combination and the most appropriate multispectral bands were selected to enhance the images and monitor land cover changes for the periods of 1984–1991 and 1991–2003. The results indicate that wetland areas declined from 103 km² in 1984 to 30 km² in 2003. In addition, the surface area of El-Malha Lake has shrunk from 27 km² to 18 km² over the same period. In contrast, the area covered by salt crust has increased from 11 km² in 1984 to 19 km² in 2003. Urban land use and designed cultivated lands were also significant in 2003, covering 49 km² and 71 km², respectively. The rate of shoreline change between 1984 and 2003, the period when the East Port Said harbour was constructed, was calculated. Vector data indicate that the rate of shoreline loss was ?13 m/year from 1984 to 1991 and ?15 m/year from 1991 to 2003. Despite the fact that construction of the East Port Said harbour caused significant changes in the study area, there are several factors controlling coastline and land cover changes including industrial development and fish cultivation farms.     

Spatial expansion and water requirements of urban agriculture in Khartoum,Sudan

Urban agriculture (UA) in Khartoum, Sudan, contributes to meeting the increasing food demand of the city's rapidly growing population, but its spatial extent, development over time and resource consumption are unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, we analyzed scenes captured by Landsat satellites in 1972, 1987 and 2000. For each dataset, we calculated the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and classified all grid cells with NDVI values higher than one standard deviation above the mean as vegetated land. We also quantified agricultural vegetation on aerial photographs taken in 1958 and on a recent Google Earth image. The built-up area of the city was estimated for each point in time. Based on these spatial estimates, we computed water consumption by UA based on geographic, temporal and climatic datasets and official data on the cropping patterns of Khartoum State, using the Penman–Monteith equation to estimate crop water demands, and assuming a water use efficiency of 0.56.Urban agriculture increased from 8751 ha in 1972 to 13,249 ha today. In the municipal core zone, UA decreased from 4799 ha in 1958 to 2869 ha today. Along the Nile, UA persisted through time, whereas many urban irrigation schemes have been pushed into the periphery. The built-up area increased strongly and today exceeds the UA area 5.5-fold. Estimated crop water demand on UA land increased from 241 to 365 million m³ year^?1 between 1972 and today.     

Comparative study of nitrogenase activity in different types of biological soil crusts in the Gurbantunggut Desert,Northwestern China

Biological soil crusts cover large areas of the Gurbantunggut Desert in northwestern China where they make a significant contribution to soil stability and fertility. The aim of this study was to quantify the potential nitrogen-fixing activity (NA) of different types of biological soil crusts in the Gurbantunggut Desert. The results suggest that NA (nmol C₂H₄ m^?2 h^?1) for each type of crusts was highly variable. Seasonal variation was also important, with all three types of crusts responding in a similar way to changes in environmental conditions. From March to May, NA was relatively low for all crust types. During this season, NA was 2.26 × 10³ for cyanobacterial crust followed by lichen crust (6.54 × 10²) and moss crust (6.38 × 10²). From June to October, all crust types reached their highest level of NA, especially lichen crust and moss crust (p < 0.01). The NA of cyanobacterial crust (9.81 × 10³) was higher than that of lichen crust (9.06 × 10³) and moss crust (2.03 × 10³). From November to February, when temperatures were consistently low (<0 °C), NA was at its lowest level, especially in cyanobacterial crust (4.18 × 10²) and moss crust (5.43 × 10²) (p < 0.01). Our results indicate that species composition is critical when estimating N inputs in desert ecosystems. In addition, all three types of crusts generally responded in a similar way to environmental conditions. The presence of N fixation activity in all crusts may contribute to the maintenance of fertility in sparsely vegetated areas and provide surrounding vascular plant with fixed nitrogen.     

Nipa (Distichlis palmeri): A perennial grain crop for saltwater irrigation

The perennial saltgrass nipa (Distichlis palmeri, Poaceae) is endemic to northern Gulf of California tidal marshes flooded with hypersaline (38–42 g L⁻¹) seawater. Nipa was a wild harvest staple of the Cocopah people of the Río Colorado delta. We investigated the physiology, anatomy, chromosome number, and agronomic potential of nipa as a global food crop. Nipa seeds had 60–93% germination on salinities ranging from 0 to 30 g L⁻¹. Relative Growth Rates (RGR) on both flooded and aerobic conditions remained above 4% d⁻¹ up to 30 g L⁻¹, about half the RGR on freshwater. Nipa grain (caryopses) had 7–8% protein, 8% sugar and 79% total digestible carbohydrates (mostly starch) and only 2% ash and 8% fiber, equal to conventional grains in apparent nutritional value. Shoots were low in ash and sodium, and compared favorably to alfalfa forage in protein, digestible carbohydrates and energy contents. Mature female stands in the Colorado River delta produced an estimated 1.25 t ha⁻¹ of grain, but over two years in the greenhouse only partial flowering was observed. Nevertheless, D. palmeri appears to be worth developing as a perennial grain and forage crop, especially for salinized, flooded soils.     

Synergic effect of salinity and light-chilling on photosystem II photochemistry of the halophyte,Sarcocornia fruticosa

Laboratory experiments were conduced to assess the synergic effect of chilling and light on photosystem II photochemistry of the halophyte, Sarcocornia fruticosa, grown at different salinity concentrations (0, 170, 340, 510 and 1030 mM). Chlorophyll fluorescence was measured after chilling (at 5 °C in darkness) and light-chilling (at 5 °C and 700 μmol m^?2 s^?1) treatments, and after 24 h of recovery (at 20 °C and 75 μmol m^?2 s^?1). At 5 °C and 700 μmol m^?2 s^?1, plants grown with 0 and 170 mM NaCl showed the lowest F_v/F_m values, whereas quantum efficiency of PSII (Φ_PSII) was higher for plants grown at 170 and 340 mM NaCl, these results being consistent after two exposures to chilling treatments. Susceptibility to photoinhibition decreases when low temperature and high light are combined with high salinity. Therefore, populations of S. fruticosa that occur in arid environments with salinities c. 340 mM could show a higher tolerance to light-chilling.     

近20 a塔里木河下游输水对生态环境的影响

塔里木河下游是新疆生态环境问题比较突出的地区。为改善该地区恶化的生态环境,国家自2000年起向塔里木河下游实施了18次以生态建设和环境保护为目的的生态输水工程。近20 a来,塔里木河下游地下水位随输水次数增加呈不断上升趋势,生态植被不断修复,生态环境逐步好转。尤其是2017年实施第18次生态输水后,下输水量及其影响范围取得较大突破,引起社会高度关注。通过近20 a的断面来水监测资料,从水量、水质、地下水变化、植被恢复等方面,初步分析输水对生态环境的影响。同时,对前人研究的成果进行梳理和延展,使其对今后塔里木河下游的生态调度和科学管理起到指导作用。经分析得出以下结论：（1）虽然生态输水量基本都补给了生态植被和河道两侧的地下水,但持续性输水才是保证下游脆弱的生态环境稳定好转的根本途径。（2）输水使下游生态环境得到改善,现生态植被正在恢复,地下水位逐步抬升,地下水质明显好转。（3）采用汛期输水和间歇机动式调度,可使输水效益达到最大化。     

塔里木河下游地下水位对植被的影响

对塔里木河下游断流河道2000~2002年9个地下水监测断面和18个植被样地的实地监测资料分析表明,地下水埋深对天然植被的组成、分布及长势有直接关系。地下水位的不断下降和土壤含水率大大丧失是引起塔里木河下游植被退化的主导因子。塔里木河下游的四次输水对其下游地下水位抬升起到了积极作用,河道附近地下水位呈逐级抬升过程,横向影响范围达1000 m左右,纵向上,表现为上段地下水抬升幅度较大 (达84%),下段抬升幅度较小 (6%)。随着地下水位的抬升,天然植被的响应范围由第一次输水后的200~250 m,扩展到第四次输水的800 m。     

Rb–Sr,Sm–Nd,and Ar–Ar isotopic systematics of lherzolitic shergottite Yamato 000097

Isotopic analysis of the Martian lherzolitic shergottite Yamato 000097 yields a Rb–Sr age of 147 ± 28 Ma with an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.710490 ± 0.000072, a Sm–Nd age of 152 ± 13 Ma with an initial ɛ¹⁴³Nd-value of +11.7 ± 0.2, and a ³⁹Ar–⁴⁰Ar age of ∼260 Ma. The near concordance of these ages, in combination with the Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd initial isotopic signatures, suggests that Yamato 000097 crystallized from low Rb/Sr, light rare earth element depleted source materials ∼150 Ma ago. Although the obtained ³⁹Ar–⁴⁰Ar age is significantly higher than the Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd ages, Yamato 000097 shows little or no evidence of trapped Martian atmospheric ⁴⁰Ar. The trapped ⁴⁰Ar concentration of Yamato 000097 is similar to that of Zagami, suggesting that both basaltic and lherzolitic shergottites may have similarly inherited excess ⁴⁰Ar from their magmas.The Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd ages, and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ɛ¹⁴³Nd-values of Yamato 000097 and Yamato 793605 lie on the same isotopic ingrowth curves, suggesting that they came from very similar mantle sources. Allan Hills 77005 was also probably derived from the same source, but Lewis Cliff 88516 appears to be from a distinct but similar source. Yamato 000097 represents the most recent known magmatism from its source, and is the youngest Martian meteorite for which concordant Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd ages have been determined.     

The relation between accessibility,diversity and indigenous valuation of vegetation in the Bolivian Andes

A quantitative ethnobotanical study was conducted in the semi-arid Bolivian Andes community of Apillapampa to evaluate the impact of site accessibility on the diversity and perceived usefulness of (sub-)woody plants. Vegetation was sampled in thirty-six transects of 50 × 2 m², whereas data on plant uses were obtained from 13 local Quechua participants. Accessibility of sample sites correlated negatively with plant diversity, but positively with perceived usefulness. Hence, in spite of being less diverse, vegetation of more accessible sites was perceived as more useful to people than vegetation of more remote and also more diverse sites. This result contributes to the validity of the widely accepted notion that “more accessible plant resources are more useful to people”, not only at the level of individual plant species, but also for entire vegetation communities. In this respect, our finding that people attribute an equal usefulness to the vegetation of two local ecological zones (i.e. prepuna and puna) most likely reflects their similar accessibility from the village centre, which is located on the edge between both zones.     

塔里木河流域水资源研究进展

塔里木河是我国最大的内陆河,也是南疆各族人民的母亲河,对其水资源研究的脉络梳理有助于指导当前和未来一段历史时期的水资源研究方向,为水资源合理优化配置提供理论依据,促进南疆经济发展与社会稳定。针对塔里木河流域水资源问题的研究从时间脉络上大致可划分为三个阶段。20世纪50年代之前,主要是中国的历史典籍、自然地理图志和近代国外探险家的探险历程,如实记录了塔里木河的水系变迁和自然风貌,间接反映了流域水资源受到自然-人类活动影响的缓慢变化;20世纪50年代-90年代,随着南疆大规模开发,水资源研究逐渐聚焦于水资源的合理配置与有效管理,其主要针对的是近几十年来人类活动加剧造成的流域内水资源短缺、生态恶化、水资源管理混乱等一系列相关问题;21世纪以来,由于气候变化和人类活动影响造成的塔里木河水文过程变化、水资源承载力及供需矛盾、地下水资源利用与保护等逐渐成为塔里木河水资源研究的新热点。本文在系统梳理三个阶段的研究成果后,进一步提出了未来塔里木河流域水资源研究应的重点关注方向,包括生态调度、水权配置与生态补偿、跨流域调水等。     

Noble gases of the Yamato 000027 and Yamato 000097 lherzolitic shergottites from Mars

We used total melting and stepwise heating methods to measure noble gases within bulk samples from Yamato 000027 and Yamato 000097 lherzolites as well as a melt-vein sample from Yamato 000027. He and Ne are dominated by cosmogenic noble gases. The obtained cosmic-ray exposure age of 4.6 ± 1.5 Ma, an average age based on cosmogenic ³He, ²¹Ne, and ³⁸Ar for these samples, is consistent with the ages of other lherzolitic shergottites, indicating a common impact event for the ejection of lherzolites from Mars. Heavy noble gases released from the bulk samples at low temperatures were elementally fractionated terrestrial atmosphere. Martian noble-gas isotopic signatures, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar = 1900 and ¹²⁹Xe/¹³²Xe = 1.3, were observed at high temperatures (>1000 °C). The melt-vein sample released greater amounts of atmospheric Ar, Kr, and Xe at low temperatures than the bulk samples. Large amounts of Ar and Kr, as well as excess ⁴⁰Ar and ¹²⁹Xe, were evolved from the melt-vein sample at 1400 °C, and the gas shows very high ³⁶Ar/¹³²Xe (=3100) and ⁸⁴Kr/¹³²Xe (=76) values. Maximum ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar and ¹²⁹Xe/¹³²Xe values of the melt sample were 1100 and 1.6, respectively, at 1600 °C. Cosmogenic Kr shows an absence of ⁸⁰Kr and ⁸²Kr produced by neutron capture on Br, which suggests a small pre-atmospheric body. Overall noble gas compositions for Y000027 and Y000097 support pairing for the Yamato 00 shergottites.     

Allometric relationships and peak-season community biomass stocks of native shrubs in Senegal's Peanut Basin

Allometric equations and community biomass stocks are presented for Guiera senegalensis J.F. Gmel (Gs) and Piliostigma reticulatum (DC.) Hochst (Pr) – two native shrub species in the Sahel. These shrubs are of interest because they dominate semi-arid sub-Sahalien Africa but have been largely overlooked as a key biomass component and regulator of ecosystem composition and function in this landscape. In Year 1, best predictors of aboveground biomass were height and number of stems (Gs) and crown diameter (Pr); and for belowground biomass were height and basal diameter (Gs) and basal diameter (Pr). In Year 2, height and crown diameter were the best predictors of aboveground biomass (R² = 0.90 for Gs and 0.87 for Pr), whereas basal diameter and number of stems (Gs) and basal diameter (Pr) were best predictors of belowground biomass. Peak-season biomass estimates ranged from 0.44 to 4.58 ton ha^?1 (mean = 2.38 ton ha^?1) in the Gs sites and from 0.33 to 7.38 ton ha^?1 (mean = 3.71 ton ha^?1) in the Pr communities. Both species exhibited unusually large root:shoot ratios (4.5:1 for Gs and 10.2:1 for Pr). Although models differ between years, allometric relationships provide reasonable biomass estimates for Gs and Pr.