HUMAN IMPACTS ON THE ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT AND MODERN URBAN CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE LOESS PLATEAU

The influence of human activities on environment and climate change is the most conspicuous problem of the Loess Plateau, and it may be divided into two aspects: firstly, the excessive utilization of land by the human race causes the destruction of vegetation, and consequently large expanse of land is under desertification and the characteristics of the ground surface and the water and heat exchange on the ground surface have changed; secondly, the use of coal by industries produces a huge amount of carbon dioxide and trace elements, which enter into the atmosphere to cause air pollution.Data of 1951-1990 are collected from 69 meteorological stations on the Loess Plateau. After analysis, the decadal variations of temperature and rainfall in the last 40 years are obtained as follows: (1) In the arid zone of the north- west of the Loess Plateau, the increase in temperature is the largest. For the past 40 years, the annual mean temperature has increased 0.7-1.0 ℃ . In the semiarid zone of the middle part     

Quantitative Evaluation of Ecological Cumulative Effects and Zoning Regulations for Prefectural Mining Units in China

Although the development of energy and mineral resources strongly supports China’s rapid industrialization and urbanization,it has led to a series of ecological and environmental problems.Strengthening the spatial regulation considering the ecological and environmental protection on energy and mineral resource development areas is an important aspect of realizing China’s sustainable development.In this study,we mapped,categorized,and analyzed the ecological cumulative effects of the Chinese 134 prefectural mining units based on the pressure-state-response model,which is demonstrated as impact of mining activities on ecological environment,ecological environmental fragility,and ecological function.This investigation developed a stress zoning typology of the mining units based on scores of three dimensions of the ecological cumulative effects and classified 134 prefectural mining units into eight types of stress zones.A series of regulation and policy suggestions have been proposed to different types of zones from three aspects:space control,intensity control,and development mode control.The application of this evaluation and spatial zoning system will contribute to the refined spatial management of China’s mining areas.     

EXPERIMENTS OF INFLUENCE OF DISCHARGE PROCESS ON CHANNEL PATTERN

Based on experimental data and theory, by means of simplified discharge durations in a small flume,the influence of discharge process on channel morphology and channel pattern was analyzed in this paper. It was concluded that on the same original channel, different discharge and channel conditions would end with different river morphology, including thalwegs and radius of bends. Different discharge process resulted in two kinds of change:tiny change in the process of “big-small-big” and distinct change in the process of “small-big-small”. Flood discharge duration was verified to be the main cause in the discharge process. Proper discharge process will change the morphologies of river, even can led to channel pattern transformation. The influences based on the relationship between the flow and the channel itself, including slope and riverbed constitution. Although not be a main cause, original channel morphology may influence its final channel pattern. Neglecting the influence of channel itself will hamper the understanding of channel patterns.     

Viscosity of sea surface microlayer in Jiaozhou Bay and adjacent sea area

This study on the temporal and spatial variability of the viscosity and some chemical parameters in the sea surface microlayer (SML), the relationship between the viscosity and chemical parameters, and the influence of the viscosity on the mass transfer coefficient (K) in the flux of materials through the air-sea interface revealed that: The values of viscosity and some chemical parameters in the SML are higher than those in the sub-surface layer (SSL), and at daytime are higher than those at night. The viscosity has positive corelation with chemical oxygen demand (COD),dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and salinity. The “SML effect“ on K need not be considered because the SML effect on materials concentration is so small.     

China's Global Shipping Connectivity: Internal and External Dynamics in the Contemporary Era(1890–2016)

China's global shipping connectivity had been somewhat overlooked as the bulk of related studies predominantly focused on the throughput volume of its own port cities. This article tackles such lacunae by providing a relational perspective based on the extraction of vessel movement archives from the Lloyd's List corpus. Two complementary analyses are proposed: long-term dynamics with all ships included(1890–2008) and medium-term dynamics focusing on container flows(1978–2016). Each analysis examines China's maritime connectivity in various ways and on different spatial scales, from the global to the local, in terms of concentration, vulnerability, and expansion. The main results underline the influence of technological, economic, and political factors on the changing distribution of connectivity internally and externally. In particular, China has managed to reduce its dependence upon external transit hubs, to increase the internal connectivity of its own port system, and to strengthen its dominance towards an increasing number of foreign nodes and trade partners through the maritime network.     

EFFECTS OF LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT CHITOSAN (LMC-1) ON SHRIMP PRESERVATION

This study on the effects of low molecular weight chitosan (LMC- 1) and shrimp preserving agentssuch as phytic acid (PA), sodium bisulfite (SB), and crustacean preservative (CP) on the preservation ofshrimp (Trachypenaeus curvirostris) and the bacteriostasis of LMC-1 showed that: (1) Different LMC-1conontration has different bacteriostasis on E. coIi, B. subtilis and S. aureou: (2) LMC-1 and CP arebetter than PA and SB for preserving the freshness of shrimp stored at 4℃.     

Epiphytic bacterial communities on two common submerged macrophytes in Taihu Lake: diversity and host-specificity

Leaves of terrestrial and aquatic plants are home to a wide diversity of bacterial species. However, the diversity and variability of epiphytic bacteria on their submerged plant hosts remains poorly understood. We investigated the diversity and composition of epiphytic bacteria from two common submerged macrophytes: Vallisneria natans and Hydrilla verticillata in Taihu Lake, Jiangsu, China, using methods of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) and clone library analyses targeted at bacterial 16S rRNA genes. The results show that: (1) the libraries of the two waterweeds contain wide phylogenetic distribution of bacteria, and that the sequences of the two libraries can be separated into 93 OTUs (at 97% similar value); (2) Betaproteobacteria, including Burkholderiales, was the most abundant bacterial group on both plants. Cyanobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were the second largest groups on V. natans and H. verticillata, respectively. Both clone libraries included some sequences related to those of methanotrophs and nitrogen-fixing bacteria; (3) Cluster analysis of the T-RFLP profiles showed two distinct clusters corresponding to the two plant populations. Both ANOSIM of the T-RFLP data and Libshuff analysis of the two clone libraries indicated a significant difference in epiphytic bacterial communities between the two plants. Therefore, the epiphytic bacterial communities on submerged macrophytes appear to be diverse and host-specific, which may aid in understanding the ecological functions of submerged macrophytes in general.     

Research progress on evaluation frameworks of regional ecological sustainability

As natural ecosystems provide the material basis and fundamental support for regional sustainable devel-opment,the sustainability of natural ecosystems is an important prerequisite and a viable approach for the achievement of regional sustainable development.It is also the final criteria to assess whether sustainable development paradigm is successful.Along with the increasing impacts of human activities on natural ecosystems,the evaluation of regional ecological sustainability has become one of the key issues for research on macro ecology and sustainable development.Based on different unit of indicators,this study firstly groups the evaluation frameworks of regional ecological sus-tainability into three major types:comprehensive index evaluation with dimensionless unit,monetary valuation,and biophysical quantity measurement.We then discuss and compare these types in terms of basic principles,scope of ap-plications,advantages and shortcomings.Finally,drawn on the discussion about characteristics of ecological sustain-ability,we outline the current trend and future directions of regional ecological sustainability evaluation,for instance,transition from sustainable development evaluation to sustainability science,integration of goal-oriented and problem-solving approaches,combination of spatial pattern analysis and ecological sustainability evaluation,and en-hancement of ecological sustainability evaluation at landscape scale.     

The untapped potential of scenic routes for geotourism: case studies of Lasocki Grzbiet and Pasmo Lesistej(Western and Central Sudeten Mountains,SW Poland)

A view is often more than just a piece of landscape, framed by the gaze and evoking emotion. Without diminishing these obvious ‘tourismimportant' advantages of a view, it is noteworthy that in itself it might play the role of an interpretative tool, especially for large-scale phenomena, the knowledge and understanding of which is the goal of geotourism. In this paper, we analyze the importance of scenic drives and trails for tourism, particularly geotourism, focusing on their ability to create conditions for experiencing the dynamically changing landscapes in which lies knowledge of the natural processes shaping the Earth's surface and the methods and degree of its resource exploitation. The issues are found in both wider and local contexts. A more detailed insight has been conducted on the basis of two, although in some sense peripheral, tourism regions from the Sudeten Mountains(southwestern Poland): Lasocki Grzbiet(a ridge) and Pasmo Lesistej(a small range). The subjects of the investigation were complex: the geotourism potential of selected viewpoints located on the most scenic routes(mostly paths and forest tracks) as well as the problems of maintenance, conservation, and protection of their educational value. Our work is based on desk and field research supported by results of GIS visibility analyses(conducted in the QGIS program).     

Carrying Capacity of Marine Region in Liaoning Province

Carrying capacity is one of important studies on coordinating development of population,resources,and environment.At present,the researches on it mainly concentrate on the carrying capacity for population and economy,such as the water resources carrying capacity,the land resources carrying capacity,the environment carrying capacity,etc.Based on the related theories and methods,this paper creatively proposed the concept and meaning of carrying capacity of marine region,and formed the appraisal system.According to the developing situation of marine economy of Liaoning Province in recent years,and by employing the method of the state space,this paper also measured the carrying capacity and carrying state of marine region and discussed the sustainable problems of marine economy of Liaoning.The research results show that the carrying state of marine region of Liaoning is in the state of overloading at present,but taking a favorable turn.     

ESTUARINE AND COASTAL CHALLENGES IN CHINA

Estuaries and coasts axe conjunctions of four spheres (atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere) and important matter and energy convergence/divergence zones, where devel-oped economy, dense population and highly intensive exploitation induce adverse environmental changes and serious destruction of resources, which have great impacts on coastal sustainable development, espe-cially as the highly intensive development in river basins has direct and pronounced effects on estuaries and their adjacent coasts. In the new century, China‘s estuaries and coast are faced with four main chal-lenges : sharp decrease of sediment discharge into the sea, rapid increase of pollution matter into the sea, loss of coastal wetland, and the impacts of global sea level rise on the coastal lowlands of China. There-fore, it is undoubtedly very important and urgent to carry out studies on estuarine and coastal environmen-tal changes, in order to resolve the issue of national sustainable development, especially that of rational use of coastal zone resources.     

CLIMATIC VARIATIONS IN THE COASTALZONE- COMPARISON BETWEEN THE PORIVER DELTA (ADRIATIC SEA, ITALY) ANDTHE HUANGHE RIVER DELTA (BOHAI SEA,CHINA)

The aim of this work is to research the influence of natural climatic changes on the evolution of the coastal zone in modern times and the possible implication of human activities on the configuration of the present coastline.Comparison of data of two very far and different areas , the Po River delta, Adriatic Sea and the Huanghe River delta, Bohai Sea, reveals the planetary diffusion of climatic fluctuations and their effects on coastal evolution .     

Spatial Pattern and Development of Protected Areas in the North-south Transitional Zone of China

The north-south transitional zone in China mainly consists of the Qinling-Daba Mountains. It is the most important West-East geo-ecological space in China, containing protected areas vital for biodiversity conservation and ecological security of China. The protection and rational development of its natural habitat is of great significance to China’s ecological security and integration of protected areas based on mountain forest ecosystems on a global scale. In this study, five important types of protected areas in the transitional zone were selected, and their spatial patterns were analysed. Spatial analysis methods, such as kernel density estimation and accessibility analysis, were employed for both point and areal data, and focused on four aspects: land use scale, shift in the centre of gravity, spatial agglomeration, and accessibility. In addition, policy background and evolution of spatial and temporal characteristics of the protected area system in the transitional zone from 1963 to 2017 were also examined. We analysed the characteristics and geographical significance of the West-east corridor using the spatial pattern of the protected area system from the perspective of ecological and economic spaces. We focused on spatial shape, type intersection, and key areas to analyse the spatial overlap of the protected areas. Protected area establishment was divided into three stages: initial(1956–1980), rapid development(1981–2013), and national park transformation(2014–present). These stages reflected the change in the concept of ‘simple protection—sustainable use—integration and upgrade’ for protected areas of China. The spatial centre of gravity of the protection zone system was located in the west Qinling-Daba Mountains, and its high-density core exhibited a relatively stable N-shaped structure composed of four gathering areas. Affected by factors such as geographic environment and socio-economic development density, the average access time for protected areas was high(1.56 h);wetland parks and scenic areas are located closer to the city centre. As the West-east corridor in the transitional zone extends from west to east, there is a clear spatial dislocation between the development of protected areas and the intensity of human activities. During development, differentiated goal orientation should be adopted based on the idea of zoning and classified governance. With the advancement of the construction of protected areas, the spatial overlap of protected areas in the transition zone has become more prominent. At present, the spatially overlapped protected areas in the transitional zone remain prominent, with inclusion overlap being the most common, and forest parks exhibiting the highest probability of overlap with other protected areas, we should focus on in the integration process of the corridor-type ecological space based on the mountain forest ecosystem.     

Artificial substrates preference for proliferation and immigration in Aurelia aurita (s. l.) polyps

The increasing amounts of artificial marine substrates, in many parts of the world have been proposed as a potential driver of Aurelia spp. blooms, on account of providing extra habitats for the settlement and the proliferation of the benthic stage(polyps). Previous experiments have mainly focused on the substrate choices of Aurelia spp. planulae. However, substrate preferences for the proliferation and immigration of polyps have not been reported. We monitored the propagation and immigration of Aurelia aurita(s. l.) polyps on two natural and nine artificial substrates at constant temperature(20±0.5°C) and salinity(30±0.5) in beakers and a glass aquarium in the laboratory, respectively. The results showed that, among artificial substrates, the highest number for polyp proliferation and immigration was found on nets, rigid polyvinyl chloride plates(RPVC), and wood. The lowest density of polyps was present on iron plates. Among natural substrates, the asexual reproduction rate of polyps on Patinopecten yessoensis(Jay, 1857) shells was significantly higher than Azumapecten farreri(Jones Preston, 1904). On the account of the distinction in the roughness, chemical properties and biofilms of these material surfaces, bare artificial or natural substrates discriminatively affect the proliferation and the immigration of Aurelia spp. polyps at laboratory. These observations suggest that, even in the natural environment, different materials and texture may influence the composition and the abundance of the fouling communities and the assemblages of polyps and, indirectly, have effects on the amounts of released medusae.     

Panzhihua airport landslide (Oct. 3rd 2009) and an emergency monitoring and warning system based on the internet of things

Panzhihua city(26°05’-27°21’N,101°08’102°15’E),located in a mountainous area,is one of the large cities in Sichuan province,China.A landslide occurred in the filling body of the eastern part of the Panzhihua airport on October 3,2009(hereafter called the 10.3 landslide).We conducted field survey on the landslide and adopted emergency monitoring and warning models based on the Internet of Things(IoT) to estimate the losses from the disaster and to prevent a secondary disaster from occurring.The results showed that four major features of the airport site had contributed to the landslide,i.e,high altitude,huge amount of filling rocks,deep backfilling and great difficulty of backfilling.The deformation process of the landslide had six stages and the unstable geological structure of high fillings and an earthquake were the main causes of the landslide.We adopted relative displacement sensing technology and Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM) technology to achieve remote,real-time and unattended monitoring of ground cracks in the landslide.The monitoring system,including five extensometers with measuring ranges of 200,450 and 700 mm,was continuously working for 17 months and released 7 warning signals with an average warning time of about 26 hours.At 10 am on 6 December 2009,the system issued a warning and on-site workers were evacuated and equipment protected immediately.At 2:20 pm on 7 December,a medium-scale collapse occurred at the No.5 monitoring site,which justified the alarm and proved the reliability and efficiency of the monitoring system.     

Study on bottom stress under conditions of storm surge and tide

Sea bottom stress is conventionally assumed to be directly proportional to the square of the verticallyaveraged velocity,and the drag coefficient to be dependent on the speed and direction of the wind on the sea surface,the depth and dimension of the sea,the period of the tide and so on. In this paper a three-dimensional numerical model is used to discuss the relation the dragcoefficient and the above-mentioned factors.It can be shown from calculation that the relation, is valid,that the drag coefficient is a constant in a major part of a sea as thought conventionally,andthat there is a small area near the coast where the drag coefficient is far greater.We call it singular area. A number of conclusions on the relation between the drag coefficient and the speed and direction ofthe wind,the sea depth and so on,were obtained.     

Biodiverse rotifer assemblage(Rotifera: Eurotatoria) of floodplain lakes of the Brahmaputra basin of lower Assam,northeast India: composition and ecosystem diversity

The study aims to ascertain the hypothesis on the rich rotifer biodiversity of the floodplain lakes(beels) of the Brahmaputra river basin and to use these metazoans to assess trophic status or to characterize habitat variations of wetlands. The plankton samples collected from four beels of lower Assam revealed 160 Rotifera species belonging to 35 genera and 19 families. The richness is of biodiversity value as ~38.0% and ~57.0% of the rotifer species known till date from India and northeast India(NEI), respectively. One species each is new to the Oriental region and NEI, and three species are new to Assam; 23 species merit global biogeography interest and several exhibit distribution values in the Indian sub-region. The diverse Lecanidae Brachionidae Lepadellidae Trichocercidae and speciose littoral-periphytic L ecane Lepadella Trichocerca, and richness of Brachionus spp. following removal of aquatic macrophytes are noteworthy. Overall rotifer composition showed homogeneity amongst beels while lower monthly richness and community similarities affirmed heterogeneity within individual beels. We propose L/B quotient based on L ecane : Brachionus species ratios to characterize habitat variations of the sampled wetlands. Sláde?ek's B/T quotient based on B rachionus : T richocerca species ratios affirmed general 'meso-trophic' status of diff erent beels. Our results provided little insight on the influence of individual abiotic factors but the canonical correspondence analyses asserted higher cumulative influence of ten abiotic parameters on Rotifera richness in each beel.     

Suitability evaluation of rural settlements based on accessibility of production and living: A case study of Tingzu Town in Hubei Province of China

Rural settlements are the main carriers of agriculture, rural areas and farmers; thus, optimizing the production and living space of rural settlements is highly significant to rural development. Taking the effective allocation of resources as the starting point, a suitability evaluation system of rural settlements, based on accessibility of production and living, was proposed in this study to provide scientific basis for the optimization of production and living space. The accessibility of production and living was measured by an improved two-step floating catchment area method, which considered proximity and availability based on the inclination of rural residents. The suitability evaluation system consisted of traditional suitability evaluation and newly proposed limiting factor identification based on the loss score proportion of suitability. Tingzu Town of Hubei Province, China, was chosen as the case study area. Based on the results of the suitability evaluation system, corresponding suggestions on rural land consolidation, industry division, as well as the layout of health care and education facilities were proposed to optimize the production and living space of rural settlements in Tingzu Town. It is found that the suitability evaluation based on accessibility of production and living is more scientific and accurate than the traditional ones which significantly overestimate production and living convenience. Moreover, the limiting factor identification can help us put forward suggestions according to local conditions and bring about the highly targeted optimization of production and living space of rural settlements.     

Roles and functions of tourism destinations in tourism region of south anhui: A tourist flow network perspective

Theoretic and practical significance has been highlighted in the research of the roles and functions of destinations,as destinations are restricted by the spatial structure based on tourist flow network from the perspective of relationship.This article conducted an empirical analysis for Tourism Region of South Anhui(TRSA) and revealed the necessity and feasibility of studying the roles and functions of destinations from tourist flow network’s perspective.The automorphic equivalence analysis and centrality analysis were used to classify 16 destinations in TRSA into six role types:tourist flow distribution center,hub of tourist flows,passageway destination,common touring destination,attached touring destination,and nearly isolated destination.Some suggestions were given on suitable infrastructure construction and destinations service designs according to their functions in network.This destination role positioning was based on tourist flow network structure in integral and macroscopic way.It provided an important reference for the balanced and harmonious development of all the destinations of TRSA.In addition,this article verified the applicability of social network analysis on tourist flow research in local scale,and expanded this method to destination role and function positioning.