Analysis of spatial distribution and multi-year trend of the remotely sensed soil moisture on the Tibetan Plateau

Long-term highly accurate surface soil moisture data of TP(Tibetan Plateau)are important to the research of Asian monsoon and global atmospheric circulation.However,due to the sparse in-situ networks,the lack of soil moisture observations has seriously hindered the progress of climate change researches of TP.Based on the Dual-Channel soil moisture retrieval algorithm and the satellite observation data of AMSR-E(Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS),we have produced the surface soil moisture data of TP from 2003 to 2010 and analyzed the seasonal characteristic of the soil moisture spatial distribution and its multi-year changing trend in area of TP.Compared to the in-situ observations,the accuracy of the soil moisture retrieved by the proposed algorithm is evaluated.The evaluation result shows that the new soil moisture product has a better accuracy in the TP region than the official product of AMSR-E.The spatial distribution of the annual mean values of soil moisture and the seasonal variations of the monthly-averaged soil moisture are analyzed.The results show that the soil moisture variations in space and time are consistent with the precipitation distribution and the water vapor transmission path in TP.Based on the new soil moisture product,we also analyzed the spatial distribution of the changing trend of multi-year soil moisture in TP.From the comparisons with the precipitation changing trend obtained from the meteorological observation sites in TP,we found that the spatial pattern of the changing trend of soil moisture coincides with the precipitation as a whole.     

Hydrological sciences—society's needs

Abstract

The hydrological regime of a mountainous catchment, in this instance the Mesochora catchment in Central Greece, was simulated for altered climates resulting when using the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) model for carbon dioxide doubling. The catchment snow water equivalent was predicted on the basis of the snow accumulation and ablation model of the US National Weather Service River Forecast System (NWSRFS), while the catchment runoff, as well as actual evapotranspiration and soil moisture storages, were simulated through application of the soil moisture accounting model of NWSRFS. Two scenarios of monthly climate change were drawn from the GISS model, one associated with temperature and precipitation changes, while the other referred to temperature changes alone. A third hypothetical scenario with temperature and precipitation changes similar to those corresponding to the mean monthly GISS scenarios was used to test the sensitivity of the monthly climate change of the hypothetical case on catchment hydrology. All three scenarios projected decreases in average snow accumulations and in spring and summer runoff and soil moisture, as well as increases in winter runoff and soil moisture storage and spring evapotranspiration.     

Beyond the semivariogram: Patterns,scale, and hydrology in a semi-arid landscape

As an alternative to geostatistical modeling, we characterized the hydrology of a semi-arid landscape in southeastern Washington state, USA, by coupling spatial patterns identified in the distributions of relative relief and vegetation with the influence each has on soil moisture storage and evapotranspiration at the appropriate scale. Gauging precipitation, soil moisture, and evapotranspiration over a two-year period while concurrently mapping relative relief and vegetation distributions at three scales ranging from centimeters to 90 m, we determined that soil moisture and soil moisture storage are significantly greater in topographic concavities than in convexities at the microrelief (20–50 cm) scale but are not significantly different in relief features at larger scales. A generalized microrelief surface produced using a two-dimensional Fourier transformation provided a good representation of the distribution of soil moisture within microrelief when scaled to soil moisture values. Applying a spatial point process analysis we determined that big sage are randomly distributed across the landscape at all scales, suggesting that lysimeter-derived sage evapotranspiration rates also be distributed randomly across the landscape. Where sage were not present, we applied an autoregressive moving-average model conditioned on grass lysimeter measurements to derive evapotranspiration rates. Combining these hydrologic spatial patterns derived from distributions in relief and vegetation with measured precipitation inputs and evapotranspiration outputs, we created a spatially distributed model of soil moisture which we tested against measured values over an eight-week period. The model provides accurate characterization of soil moisture, allows estimates of soil moisture between measurement points, permits extrapolation of soil moisture distributions outside the gauged area, and maintains small-scale variability when aggregating soil moisture to successively larger scales.     

青藏高原春季土壤湿度与我国长江流域夏季降水的联系及其可能机理

土壤湿度作为陆面过程的重要因子,对局地及邻近地区的大气环流和天气气候有重要影响.青藏高原的土壤湿度观测站点稀少,时间较短,鉴于此,本文使用经过部分观测站点检验的卫星反演数据,研究了春季高原土壤湿度的年际变化与后期夏季我国东部降水的联系和可能机理.结果表明:在全球变暖的背景下,高原土壤湿度总体呈现出显著增加的趋势,去除该线性趋势后,我们定义了一个高原土壤湿度指数TPSMI来定量表征高原土壤湿度的年际变化特征,发现表层、中层、深层的土壤湿度年际变率趋于一致,且春季土壤湿度与夏季土壤湿度显著相关(相关系数可达0.56).当TPSMI偏大时,即高原东部土壤湿度偏大,而西部偏小时,夏季在高原东部(西部)存在一个潜热(感热)热源,二者共同作用下,在对流层中高层从高原西部经我国大陆直至东北地区激发出一个气旋—反气旋—气旋波列,该波列呈相当正压结构,有利于东北冷涡的加强及冷空气向南爆发;与此同时,南亚高压加强东伸,西太副高西伸加强,低空南方暖湿气流与北方干冷气流在长江流域汇合,伴随着上升运动加强,从而有利于夏季长江流域降水增多;反之,当TPSMI偏小时,夏季长江流域降水减少.     

Factors controlling the spatial variability of surface soil moisture within revegetated‐stabilized desert ecosystems of the Tengger Desert,Northern China

The spatial structure of surface soil moisture was investigated at a grid scale with 10 × 10 m intervals on a plot of 4500 m² in a re‐vegetated desert area in Shapotou, the Tengger Desert. The site topography varies from dune crest to dune hollow, and again to dune crest. Volumetric soil moisture contents were measured 21 times over 6 months in 2006 by using Delta‐T Theta‐Probes in the 0–6 cm surface soil layer before and after rainfall. At the same time, soil texture, relative elevation, and plant coverage were measured, to examine (i) the spatial variability of surface soil moisture; (ii) the main factors controlling the spatial variability patterns; and (iii) how the importance of these factors varies with the seasonal variations in soil moisture content. The results indicated that the normal distribution of surface soil moisture was more obvious in wet conditions than in dry conditions; the spatial variability of surface soil moisture was inherent and decreased with increased soil moisture content; and precipitation increased the spatial dependence of surface soil moisture. The relative elevation of the landscape, the shrub coverage of the community, and the soil texture were the main factors influencing surface soil moisture variability, while the effect of soil texture strengthened gradually following the heavy precipitation events. The correlation between the spatial variability of surface soil moisture and the environmental factors, such as, the dry and wet conditions, the landscape coverage and the relative elevation suggests that increasing stability of the soil moisture resulted in a significant increase of soil moisture. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrological response of a medium-sized mountainous catchment to climate changes

Abstract

The long term hydrological response of a medium-sized mountainous catchment to climate changes has been examined, The climate changes were represented by a set of hypothetical scenarios of temperature increases coupled with precipitation and potential evapotranspiration changes. Snow accumulation and ablation, plus runoff from the study catchment (the Mesochora catchment in central Greece) were simulated under present (historical) and altered climate conditions using the US National Weather Service snowmelt and soil moisture accounting models. The results of this research obtained through alternative scenarios suggest strongly that all the hypothetical climate change scenarios would cause major decreases in winter snow accumulation and hence increases in winter runoff, as well as decreases in spring and summer runoff. The simulated changes in annual runoff were minor compared with the changes in the monthly distribution of runoff. Attendant changes in the monthly distribution of soil moisture and actual evapotranspiration would also occur. Such hydrological results would have significant implications on future water resources design and management.     

Mechanism of the influence of soil freezing depth on winter runoff

The depth of soil freezing in river watersheds is a factor governing winter runoff formation. The freezing depth regulates the redistribution of stored soil moisture between thawed and frozen soil layers. The moisture stored in the thawed soil layer is spent for winter runoff, while that in the frozen zone forms snowmelt runoff. The depth of soil freezing has considerably decreased over the period of climate changes, resulting in an increase in winter runoff and greater losses of snowmelt runoff.     

Is the soil moisture precipitation feedback enhanced by heterogeneity and dry soils? A comparative study

The interaction between the land surface and the atmosphere is a crucial driver of atmospheric processes. Soil moisture and precipitation are key components in this feedback. Both variables are intertwined in a cycle, that is, the soil moisture – precipitation feedback for which involved processes and interactions are still discussed. In this study the soil moisture – precipitation feedback is compared for the sempiternal humid Ammer catchment in Southern Germany and for the semiarid to subhumid Sissili catchment in West Africa during the warm season, using precipitation datasets from the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS), from the German Weather Service (REGNIE) and simulation datasets from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the hydrologically enhanced WRF-Hydro model. WRF and WRF-Hydro differ by their representation of terrestrial water flow. With this setup we want to investigate the strength, sign and variables involved in the soil moisture – precipitation feedback for these two regions. The normalized model spread between the two simulation results shows linkages between precipitation variability and diagnostic variables surface fluxes, moisture flux convergence above the surface and convective available potential energy in both study regions. The soil moisture – precipitation feedback is evaluated with a classification of soil moisture spatial heterogeneity based on the strength of the soil moisture gradients. This allows us to assess the impact of soil moisture anomalies on surface fluxes, moisture flux convergence, convective available potential energy and precipitation. In both regions the amount of precipitation generally increases with soil moisture spatial heterogeneity. For the Ammer region the soil moisture – precipitation feedback has a weak negative sign with more rain near drier patches while it has a positive signal for the Sissili region with more rain over wetter patches. At least for the observed moderate soil moisture values and the spatial scale of the Ammer region, the spatial variability of soil moisture is more important for surface-atmosphere interactions than the actual soil moisture content. Overall, we found that soil moisture heterogeneity can greatly affect the soil moisture – precipitation feedback.     

A spatially distributed model for assessment of the effects of changing land use and climate on urban stream quality

While the effects of land use change in urban areas have been widely examined, the combined effects of climate and land use change on the quality of urban and urbanizing streams have received much less attention. We describe a modelling framework that is applicable to the evaluation of potential changes in urban water quality and associated hydrologic changes in response to ongoing climate and landscape alteration. The grid‐based spatially distributed model, Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model‐Water Quality (DHSVM‐WQ), is an outgrowth of DHSVM that incorporates modules for assessing hydrology and water quality in urbanized watersheds at a high‐spatial and high‐temporal resolution. DHSVM‐WQ simulates surface run‐off quality and in‐stream processes that control the transport of non‐point source pollutants into urban streams. We configure DHSVM‐WQ for three partially urbanized catchments in the Puget Sound region to evaluate the water quality responses to current conditions and projected changes in climate and/or land use over the next century. Here, we focus on total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) from non‐point sources (run‐off), as well as stream temperature. The projection of future land use is characterized by a combination of densification in existing urban or partially urban areas and expansion of the urban footprint. The climate change scenarios consist of individual and concurrent changes in temperature and precipitation. Future precipitation is projected to increase in winter and decrease in summer, while future temperature is projected to increase throughout the year. Our results show that urbanization has a much greater effect than climate change on both the magnitude and seasonal variability of streamflow, TSS and TP loads largely because of substantially increased streamflow and particularly winter flow peaks. Water temperature is more sensitive to climate warming scenarios than to urbanization and precipitation changes. Future urbanization and climate change together are predicted to significantly increase annual mean streamflow (up to 55%), water temperature (up to 1.9 °C), TSS load (up to 182%) and TP load (up to 74%). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improving the estimation of hydrothermal state variables in the active layer of frozen ground by assimilating <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> observations and SSM/I data

The active layer of frozen ground data assimilation system adopts the SHAW (Simulteneous Heat and Water) model as the model operator. It employs an ensemble kalman filter to fuse state variables predicted by the SHAW model with in situ observation and the SSM/I 19 GHz brightness temperature for the purpose of optimizing model hydrothermal state variables. When there is little water movement in the frozen soil during the winter season, the unfrozen water content depends primarily on soil temperature. Thus, soil temperature is the crucial state variable to be improved. In contrast, soil moisture is heavily influenced by precipitation during the summer season. The simulation accuracy of soil moisture has a strong and direct impact on the soil temperature. In this case, the crucial state variable to be improved is soil moisture. One-dimensional assimilation experiments that have been carried out at AMDO station show that land data assimilation method can improve the estimation of hydrothermal state variables in the soil by fusing model information and observation information. The reasonable model error covariance matrix plays a key role in transferring the optimized surface state information to the deep soil, and it provides improved estimations of whole soil state profiles. After assimilating the 4-cm soil temperature by in situ observation, the soil temperature RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) of each soil layer decreased by 0.96°C on average relative to the SHAW simulation. After assimilating the 4-cm soil moisture in situ observation, the soil moisture RMSE of each soil layer decreased by 0.020 m³·m⁻³. When assimilating the SSM/I 19 GHz brightness temperature, the soil temperature RMSE of each soil layer during the winter decreased by 0.76°C, while the soil moisture RMSE of each soil layer during the summer decreased by 0.018 m³·m⁻³.     

Soil temperature and soil moisture dynamics in winter and spring under heavy snowfall conditions in North-Eastern Japan

Warm winters and high precipitation in north-eastern Japan generate snow covers of more than three meters depth and densities of up to 0.55 g cm⁻³. Under these conditions, rain/snow ratio and snowmelt have increased significantly in the last decade under increasing warm winters. This study aims at understanding the effect of rain-on-snow and snowmelt on soil moisture under thick snow covers in mid-winter, taking into account that snowmelt in spring is an important source of water for forests and agriculture. The study combines three components of the Hydrosphere (precipitation, snow cover and soil moisture) in order to trace water mobility in winter, since soil temperatures remained positive in winter at nearly 0.3°C. The results showed that soil moisture increased after snowmelt and especially after rain-on-snow events in mid-winter 2018/2019. Rain-on-snow events were firstly buffered by fresh snow, increasing the snow water equivalent (SWE), followed by water soil infiltration once the water storage capacity of the snowpack was reached. The largest increase of soil moisture was 2.35 vol%. Early snowmelt increased soil moisture with rates between 0.02 and 0.035 vol% hr⁻¹ while, rain-on-snow events infiltrated snow and soil faster than snowmelt and resulted in rates of up to 1.06 vol% hr⁻¹. These results showed the strong connection of rain, snow and soil in winter and introduce possible hydrological scenarios in the forest ecosystems of the heavy snowfall regions of north-eastern Japan. Effects of rain-on-snow events and snowmelt on soil moisture were estimated for the period 2012–2018. Rain/snow ratio showed that only 30% of the total precipitation in the winter season 2011/2012 was rain events while it was 50% for the winter 2018/2019. Increasing climate warming and weakening of the Siberian winter monsoons will probably increase rain/snow ratio and the number of rain-on-snow events in the near future.     

Hydro-climatological changes in the Colorado River Basin over a century

This study evaluates changes in streamflow, temperature and precipitation over a time span of 105 years (1906–2010) in the Colorado River Basin (CRB). Monthly precipitation and temperature data for 29 climate divisions, and streamflow data for 29 naturalized gauges were analyzed. Two variations of the Mann-Kendall test, considering lag-1 auto correlation and long-term persistence, and the Pettitt test were employed to assess trends and shifts, respectively. Results indicated that streamflow increased during the winter–spring months and decreased during the summer– autumn period. Decreasing trends in winter precipitation were identified over snow-dominated regions in the upper basin. Significant increases in temperature were detected over several months. Major shifts were noticed in 1964, 1968 and in the late 1920s. Increasing temperature while decreasing streamflow and precipitation were noticed after major shifts in the 1930s, and these shifts coincided with coupled phases of El Niño Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

EDITOR A. Castellarin; ASSOCIATE EDITOR R. Hirsch     

Preliminary analysis on the relationships between Tibetan Plateau NDVI change and its surface heat source and precipitation of China

Using the automatic weather station data obtained from the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the normalized dif- ference vegetation index and the monthly precipitation data of China and by the methods of correlation and composite analysis, preliminary analytical results are achieved concerning the relationships be- tween TP NDVI change and its surface heat source and precipitation of China. The results of our re- search may lead to the following conclusions: (1) A positive correlation relationship exists between TP NDVI change and its surface heat source, including the sensible heat and the latent heat. As to the correlation of the former, it is more remarkable in western TP than in eastern TP, and as to the correla- tion of the latter, however it turns out contrary. (2) With the improvement of TP vegetation, its surface heat source of every season is also mainly reinforced, especially in summer. As to the contribution of the sensible heat and the latent heat to the increment of the TP surface heat source intensity, the for- mer is comparatively more significant than the latter in winter and spring, while in summer and autumn, the two have almost the same importance. (3) The correlation coefficient between summer NDVI over TP and the corresponding period precipitation of China displays a belt distribution of " ? " from south to north China. (4) Anomalous surface heating field over TP derived from vegetation change is probably an important factor to affect summer precipitation of China.     

Long-distance atmospheric moisture dominates water budget in permafrost regions of the Central Qinghai-Tibet plateau

Precipitation plays an important role in permafrost hydrology; it can alter the hydrothermal condition of the active layer and even influence the permafrost aggradation or degradation. Moisture recycling from evaporation and transpiration can greatly contribute to local precipitation in some regions. This study selected four monitoring sites and used an isotope mixing model to investigate local moisture recycling in permafrost regions of the central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). The results showed that the local water vapour flux in the summer and autumn were dominantly influenced by westerlies and the Indian monsoon. Moistures for precipitation in Wudaoliang (WDL) and Fenghuoshan (FHS) mainly came from the western QTP, eastern Tianshan Mountains, western Qilian Mountains, and the surrounding regions. In comparsion, more than half of precipitation at Tanggula (TGL) was mostly sourced from the Indian monsoon. Local moisture recycling ratios at the four sites ranged from 14% ± 3.8% to 31.6% ± 4.8%, and depended on the soil moisture and relative humidity. In particular, the higher soil moisture and relative humidity promoted local moisture recycling, but frozen ground might be a potential influencing factor as well. The moisture recycling ratios of the study area were consistent with the results from both the Qinghai Lake Basin and the Nam Co Basin, but differed from those of the northwestern QTP. This difference may indirectly confirm the great spatial variability in precipitation on the QTP. Moreover, the rising air temperature and ground temperature, increasing precipitation, higher soil moisture, higher vegetation cover, and expanding lakes in the study area may be conductive to enhancing future local moisture recycling by altering ground surface conditions and facilitating the land surface evaporation and plant transpiration.     

Distribution,trends and drivers of precipitation use efficiency in the loess plateau

Against the background of climate change, the global carbon and water cycle has undergone significant changes, and it is of great significance to explore the interrelationships of the carbon and water cycles in different regions to cope with future climate change. In this study, based on gross primary productivity (GPP) and precipitation (PRE) data, the precipitation use efficiency (PUE) of the Loess Plateau (LP) was calculated, and the Sen trend analysis and Mann-Kendall test were used to analyse the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of PUE, as well as the first-order difference method was used to derive the relative contributions to quantify the impact of vegetation growth and meteorological factors on PUE. The results show that (1) from 2001 to 2018, the spatial distribution pattern of vegetation PUE exhibited an increasing trend from northwest to southeast. On the time scale, the multi-year average value of PUE was 1.17 gC m⁻² mm⁻¹, showing an overall upward trend. Among the different land cover types, paddy fields had the highest PUE level, and sparse grassland had the lowest; (2) LAI had the highest relative contribution to vegetation PUE, followed by temperature (Temp), net radiation of the ground surface (RN), specific humidity (Shum), and wind speed (WS). LAI contributes positively to 88.9% of the area. RN positively influences high-altitude areas, while Shum had a larger area with a negative contribution. The contribution of Temp increases from northwest to southeast, and WS has balanced positive and negative contributions; (3) LAI is the dominant factor for the spatial and temporal variation of PUE in the LP, and the size of the areas where different meteorological factors dominate the changes of PUE are as follows: WS > Shum>RN > Temp. At high altitudes, the dominant meteorological driver is WS, while at low altitudes, the dominant climate driver is Shum. This study is of guiding significance for the ecological restoration and management of the LP, and it can also provide a scientific basis for the improvement of ecosystems and the sustainable management of water resources in the context of global climate change.     

Stable isotopic characteristic of Taiwan's precipitation: A case study of western Pacific monsoon region

The stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopic features of precipitation in Taiwan, an island located at the western Pacific monsoon area, are presented from nearly 3,500 samples collected during the past decade for 20 stations. Results demonstrate that moisture sources from diverse air masses with different isotopic signals are the main parameter in controlling the precipitation's isotope characteristics. The air mass from polar continental (Pc) region contributes the precipitation with high deuterium excess values (up to 23‰) and relatively enriched isotope compositions (e.g., ? 3.2‰ for δ¹⁸O) during the winter with prevailing northeasterly monsoon. By contrast, air masses from equatorial maritime (Em) and tropical maritime (Tm) supply the precipitation with low deuterium excess values (as low as about 7‰) and more depleted isotope values (e.g., ? 8.9‰ and ? 6.0‰ for δ¹⁸O of Tm and Em, respectively) during the summer with prevailing southwesterly monsoon. Thus seasonal differences in terms of δ¹⁸O, δD, and deuterium excess values are primarily influenced by the interactions among various precipitation sources. While these various air masses travel through Taiwan, secondary evaporation effects further modify the isotope characteristics of the inland precipitation, such as raindrop evaporation (reduces the deuterium excess of winter precipitation) and moisture recycling (increases the deuterium excess of summer precipitation). The semi-quantitative estimations in terms of evaluation for changes in the deuterium excess suggest that the raindrop evaporation fractions for winter precipitation range 7% to 15% and the proportions of recycling moisture in summer precipitation are less than 5%. Additionally, the isotopic altitude gradient in terms of δ¹⁸O for summer precipitation is ? 0.22‰/100 m, greater than ? 0.17‰/100 m of winter precipitation. The greater isotopic gradient in summer can be attributed to a higher temperature vs. altitude gradient relative to winter. The observed spatial and seasonal stable isotopic characteristics in Taiwan's precipitation not only contribute valuable information for regional monsoon research crossing the continent–ocean interface of East Asia, but also can serve as very useful database for local water resources management.     

Snowmelt and the hydrological interaction of forest–grassland ecosystems in Central Yakutia,eastern Siberia

In the last two decades the major focus of study in forest water and carbon balances in eastern Siberia has been on the effect of rain during the growing season. Little attention has been paid to the contribution of snowmelt water. The results of the present study indicate that weather conditions during the snowmelt period as well as the soil moisture conditions carried from the previous year's growing season strongly determined the water availability for the forest ecosystem at the beginning of the next growing season. In the forest–grassland intermingled ecosystem of lowland Central Yakutia, gradual snowmelt water flow from the forest into the adjacent grassland depressions increased when soil moisture was high and air temperature was low, whereas low soil moisture and high air temperatures accelerated soil thawing and consequently snowmelt water infiltration into the forest soil. We found that snow depth did not determine the volume of snowmelt water moving to the grassland depression since the thermokarst lake water level in the adjacent grassland was about 25 cm lower in 2005 than in May 2006, even though maximum snow depth reached 57 cm and 43 cm in the winter of 2004–05 and 2005–06, respectively. The contribution of snowmelt water to forest growth as well as the flow of water from the forest to the grasslands showed a strong annual variability. We conclude that warmer springs and high variability in precipitation regimes as a result of climate change will result in more snowmelt water infiltration into the forest soil when the previous year's precipitation is low while more snowmelt water will flow into the thermokarst lake when the previous year's precipitation is high. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

青藏高原北部活动层土壤热力特性的研究

利用2003年10月～2004年9月期间高原北部可可西里(QT01)、北麓河(QT02)、开心岭(QT05)、通天河(QT06)等地活动层土壤温度梯度、土壤热通量及土壤水分的观测资料,计算了高原北部活动层土壤的导热率、土壤容积热容量、导温率等土壤热力参数.结果显示,QT02、QT05、QT06三站导热率、导温率夏秋季节较大而冬季较小,容积热容量则相反,表现为秋冬季节大而夏季较小;QT01站导热率表现为春季大,夏季较小;表层土壤粒度较小及较低的土壤湿度是冬季导热率较小的可能原因;冻土的热力特征参量可描述为相应深度的温度、体积含冰量及土壤盐度的函数,土壤含水量是融土热特征参数的主要影响因子;土壤水分含量小于某一临界值时,导温率随土壤水分含量的增大而增大,反之则减小.     

Spatiotemporal variability of drought in the northern part of northeast China

The thermal and moisture balance of permafrost regions has been altered by global warming, profoundly influencing vegetation dynamics and forest carbon cycling. To understand the spatial and temporal characteristics and driving forces responsible for changes in moisture conditions in the permafrost region of the Greater and Lesser Hinggan Mountains, northeastern China, we assessed long‐term trends for temperature, precipitation, and the standardized precipitation‐evapotranspiration index. From 1951 to 2014, annual mean temperature had a significant increase trend and the annual precipitation was not with significant trend. Since 1951, the annual standardized precipitation‐evapotranspiration index has decreased significantly at the boundary between regions with seasonal soil freezing and permafrost, suggesting that conspicuous permafrost degradation and moisture loss has occurred. The study area can be divided into 4 parts with a different balance between thermal and moisture conditions: the northern Songnen Plains, the Hulun Buir Sand Land, the middle reaches of the Heilongjiang River, and the Mohe region. However, only the middle reaches of the Heilongjiang River showed an obvious long‐term drying trend. The 4 areas showed quasi‐periodic oscillation and sea surface temperature during the winter half‐year affected drought intensity in the northern of Songnen Plains. When El Niño strengthened, moisture conditions increased in the northern of Songnen Plains, whereas stronger La Niña events decreased water availability. The result of this study will be beneficial for regional water resource management and prepare for potential drought hazards in the northeastern China.     

Influence factors and variation characteristics of water vapor absorption by soil in semi-arid region

The adsorption of water vapor by soil is one of the crucial contributors to non-rainfall water on land surface, particularly over semi-arid regions where its contribution can be equivalent to precipitation and can have a major impact on dry agriculture and the ecological environment in these regions. However, due to difficulties in the observation of the adsorption of water vapor,research in this area is limited. This study focused on establishing a method for estimating the quantitative observation of soil water vapor adsorption(WVA), and exploring the effects of meteorological elements(e.g., wind, temperature, and humidity) and soil environmental elements(e.g., soil temperature, soil moisture, and the available energy of soil) on WVA by soil over the semi-arid region, Dingxi, by combining use of the L-G large-scale weighing lysimeter and meteorological observation. In addition, this study also analyzed the diurnal and annual variations of WVA amount, frequency, and intensity by soil, how they changed with weather conditions, and the contribution of WVA by soil to the land surface water budget. Results showed that WVA by soil was co-affected by various meteorological and soil environmental elements, which were more likely to occur under conditions of relative humidity of 6.50% and the diurnal variation of relative humidity was large, inversion humidity, wind velocity of 3.4 m/s,lower soil water content, low surface temperature and slightly unstable atmospheric conditions. There was a negative feedback loop between soil moisture and the adsorption of water vapor, and, moreover, the diurnal and annual variations of WVA amount and frequency were evident—WVA by soil mainly occurred in the afternoon, and the annual peak appeared in December and the valley in June, with obvious regional characteristics. Furthermore, the contribution of WVA by soil to the land surface water budget obviously exceeded that of precipitation in the dry season.