Current observations in the southern Yellow Sea in summer

Current data from three moored Acoustic Doppler Profilers (ADPs) deployed in the southern Yellow Sea at sites A (1-24.17°E, 34.82°N), B (122.82°E, 35.65°N) in summer 2001 and site C (120.85°E, 34.99°N) in summer 2003 were analyzed in this paper. Features of the tidal and residual currents were studied with rotary spectral and cross-spectral methods. Main achievements were as follows: 1) Tides dominated the currents. At sites A and B, the semidiurnal tidal current was basically homogeneous in the whole depth, taking a clockwise rotation at site A, and near-rectilinear counterclockwise rotation at site B; while the diurnal tidal current was strong and clockwise near the surface, but decreased and turned counterclockwise with depth; at site C, semidiurnal tidal current dominated and diurnal current took the second, both of which were counterclockwise and vertically homogeneous. Inertial motion contributed to the clockwise component of diurnal fluctuations; 2) The 3-5d fluctuation of residual current w     

Spatiotemporal Changes in NDVI and Its Driving Factors in the Kherlen River Basin

Vegetation is an important factor linking the atmosphere, water, soil, and biological functions, and it plays a specific role in the climate change response and sustainable development of regional economies. However, little information is available on vegetation vulnerability and its driving mechanism. Therefore, studying temporal and spatial change characteristics of vegetation and their corresponding mechanisms is important for assessing ecosystem stability and formulating ecological policies ...     

Characteristics of Climate Change in Northern Xinjiang in 1961–2017, China

Xinjiang is located in the core China's ‘Belt and Road’ development, and northern Xinjiang is an important region for economic development. In recent years, due to the strong influence of global climate change and human disturbance, regional climate instability and ecological-economic-social system sensitivity have grown. In this paper, seasonal, interannual, interdecadal, spatial, abrupt, and periodic variations of temperature and precipitation in northern Xinjiang were analyzed using daily surface air temperature and precipitation data from 49 meteorological stations during 1961–2017. At the same time, the driving factors of climate change are discussed. Methods included linear regression, cumulative anomaly, the Mann-Kendall test, and Morlet wavelet analysis. The results indicated that during the study period, annual mean temperature and annual precipitation increased significantly at rates of 0.35℃/10 yr and 13.25 mm/10 yr, respectively, with abrupt changes occurring in 1994 and 1986. Annual mean temperature and annual precipitation in all four seasons showed increasing trends, with the maximum increases in winter of 0.42℃/10 yr and 3.95 mm/10 yr, respectively. The general climate in northern Xinjiang showed a trend towards increasingly warm and humid. In terms of spatial distribution, the temperature and precipitation in high mountainous areas increased the most, while basins areas increased only slightly. Periodic change analysis showed that annual mean temperature and annual precipitation experienced two climatic shifts from cold to warm and dry to wet, respectively. Population change, economic development and land use change are important factors affecting climate change, and more research should be done in this field.     

Lithological indicators of discontinuities in mountain soils rich in calcium carbonate in the Polish Carpathians

Six soils located within the Polish Carpathians,developed on calcium carbonate–rich sedimentary parent materials and representing various reference groups,were investigated in order to detect the lithic discontinuity.We propose using a multidirectional approach to assess the lithic discontinuity in these soils,one that includes grain size distribution,geochemical composition,heavy mineral content and micromorphology,supported by a traditional soil survey.A further aim of this process was to identify the possible admixture of allochthonous material of aeolian origin.The studied soils presented lithic discontinuities mostly at the contact of underlying calcium carbonate–rich coarsegrained slope deposits with the overlaying colluvium layer having a lower content of rock fragments.The significant changes in grain size distribution,especially in the silt and sand content,as well as high Uniformity Values and partially,high Lithological Discontinuity Index values,confirmed the occurrence of a lithic discontinuity in all studied soils.High heterogeneity in the soil profiles was also confirmed by the distribution of the major oxides;however,their distribution did not clearly indicate the lithic discontinuity.The most visible distinctions were noted from CaO content,which resulted from the deposition of carbonate-free materials(aeolian silts)and their mixing with the calcium carbonate–rich parent material.Furthermore,the analysis of heavy mineral content confirmed the allochthonous origin of the upper(and in some cases also the middle)parts of all profiles,which was manifested by the presence of highly weathering-resistant minerals such as zircon,epidote and various types of garnets.The micromorphological features of some of the studied soils showed distinctiveness within the soil profile,manifested by changes in b-fabric pattern,the occurrence and distribution of secondary carbonate and the coarse and fine coarse and fine ratio.Based on the high content of silt within the upper and middle parts of the soils,the content of Hf and Zr,as well as the higher content of weathering-resistant minerals,admixture of aeolian silt could be considered in some of the studied soils,yet with weak character.However,the dominance of minerals typical for metamorphic and igneous rocks suggested that the supply of aeolian silt was associated with loess covers rather than local sedimentary material.     

Symbiosis of Marshes and Permafrost in Da and Xiao Hinggan Mountains in Northeastern China

Recently, the degradation of permafrost and marsh environments in the Da and Xiao Hinggan Mountains has become a great concern as more human activities and pronounced climate warming were observed during the past 30 years and projected for the near future. The distr/bution patterns and development mechanisms of the permafrost and marshes have been examined both in theories and in field observations, in order to better understand the symbiosis of permafrost and marshes. The permafrost and marshes in the Da and Xiao Hinggan Mountains display discernible zonations in latitude and elevation. The marsh vegetation canopy, litter and peat soil have good thermal insulation properties for the underlying permafrost, resulting in a thermal offset of 3 ℃ to 4℃ and subsequently suppressing soil temperature. In addition, the much higher thermal conductivity of frozen and ice-rich peat in the active layer is conducive to the development or in favor of the protection of permafrost due to the semi-conductor properties of the soils overlying the permafrost. On the other hand, because permafrost is almost impervious, the osmosis of water in marsh soils can be effectively reduced, timely providing water supplies for helophytes growth or germination in spring. In the Da and Xiao Hinggan Mountains, the permafrost degradation has been accelerating due to the marked climate warming, ever increasing human activities, and the resultant eco-environmental changes. Since the permafrost and marsh environments are symbiotic and interdependent, they need to be managed or protected in a well-coordinated and integrated way.     

The observed currents in summer in the Bohai Sea

A harmonic method was used to analyze the tidal currents observed in summer at 11 stations made from 1996 to 2001 in the Bohai Sea, China. Data was compared among different instruments and intervals. Elliptic elements were calculated based on harmonic constants, of which vertical distributions of the maximum speed and rotation direction were discussed for understanding the characteristics of diurnal and semi-diurnal tidal current components. The results indicate that the maximum speed of M2 tidal current component is much larger than that of K1; the rotation direction of M2 tidal current constituent is clockwise in the central part of the Bohai Sea and in the Laizhou Bay, but anticlockwise in the Liaodong Bay and Bohai Bay. For K1 tidal current constituent, it is clockwise in the central Bohai Sea but anti-clockwise in the Laizhou Bay and Liaodong Bay. The tidal currents in most stations in the Bohai Sea were regular semidiurnal except for those in the central Bohai Sea, being irregular semidiurnal.     

State and Development： Changes in Livelihood Strategies in Garhwal with Special Reference to Ecotourism in the Gangotri Region

The object of the paper is to provide an insight into the changes in livelihood strategies of the people in the Garhwal Himalayas over time. From sustaining an economy based on transit trade and subsistence agriculture, there has been a shift towards tourism in recent times. This shift has been due to the tradition of pilgrimage to the higher reaches and also due to promotion by the state by developing infrastructure and providing incentives. The paper is divided into four parts. In the first part, the policies of the colonial state and the events leading to the destruction of forests and the impoverishment of the self-sustaining semi-pastoral economy in the Garhwal Himalayas are outlined. It is argued that the destruction of forests and subsequently, the economy of the Himalayas were directly responsible for the large-scale migration to the plains. This also led to further exploitation of forests by the people who were unfamiliar with any other form of livelihood. The paper also discusses the policies of the newly independent Indian state and sees them as an extension of the British policy of large-scale exploitation of Himalayan forests for the purpose of development and economic growth. In the third section, the growth of ecotourism as a direct outcome of the orocess of deforestation and as resulting from the need of society to conserve and yet to earn a livelihood is discussed. The case study of the Gangotrir egion examines the dilemma faced by the people of Garhwal in sustaining their livelihood, income or the development in the area. In addition, tourism has fostered monopolies of groups external to the region thereby contributing neither to the income or the development in the area. In addition, there is an added threat to the environment-deforestation, and erosion-a direct outcome of increased and unplanned tourism. Such problems demand state intervention and management of t.ourism. The conclusion to the paper asserts that in order that the requirements of the society to progress and to sustain itself in its natural habitat are not compromised, it is essential to increase the process of democratization by strengthening local structures and by vesting the community with the autonomy to determine its future. The paper therefore argues that ecotourism in the Himalayas undertaken without local involvement is not desirable. The constant need for local monitoring of external agencies or even of the State‘s participation and the need for re-evaluation of environmental standards are cumbersome details that add to the costs of promoting low-impact tourism. To be viable, ecotourism should be community based and the needs of the community, their ideas of conservation should be given prime importance and local community must be encouraged to review the standards governing conservation. Local structures should thus receive patronage and promotion, so that ecotourism becomes a dynamic facet of economic development.     

Trends of urban air pollution in Zhengzhou City in 1996–2008

Urban air pollution is a commonly concerned environmental problem in the world.Identification of air quality trend using long-term monitoring data is helpful to understand the effectiveness of pollution control strategies.This study,using data from six monitoring stations in Zhengzhou City,analyzed the changing trend in concentrations of SO 2,NO x /NO 2 and TSP/PM 10 in 1996-2008,based on non-parametric Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator,and evaluated the comprehensive air pollution level using Multi-Pollutant Index(MPI).It was found that the concentration of each pollutant exceeded obviously the World Health Organization(WHO) guideline value,but the changing trend varied:SO 2 and NO 2 were significantly increased mainly due to an increase in coal consumption and vehicle number,while NO x,TSP and PM 10 decreased.The air pollution was serious,and differed markedly among the three functional regions:it is the most severe in the Industrial and Residential Area(IRA),followed by the Transportation Hub and Business District(THBD),and then the High-tech,Cultural and Educational Area(HCEA).Different from NO 2 concentration that had a similar change trend/rate among the function regions,the change rate of PM 10 concentration differed spatially,decreased much more obviously in THBD than other two regions.For the whole city,the comprehensive air pollution level declined gradually,illustrating that the air quality in Zhengzhou was improved in the last decade.     

Changes in Agricultural Biodiversity： Implications for Sustainable Livelihood in the Himalaya

Himalayan mountain system is distinguished globally for a rich biodiversity and for its role in regulating the climate of the South Asia.Traditional crop-livestock mixed farming in the Himalaya is highly dependent on forests for fodder and manure prepared from forest leaf litter and livestock excreta. Apart from sustaining farm production, forests provide a variety of other tangible and intangible benefits, which are critical for sustainable livelihood of not only 115 million mountain people, but also many more people living in the adjoining plains. Extension of agricultural landuse coupled with replacement of traditional staple food crops by cash crops and of multipurpose agroforestry trees by fruit trees are widespread changes. Cultivation of Fagopyrum esculentum,Fagopyrum tataricum, Panicum miliaceum, Setaria italica and Pisum arvense has been almost abandoned. Increasing stress on cash crops is driven by a socio-cultural change from subsistence to market economy facilitated by improvement in accessibility and supply of staple food grains at subsidized price by the government. Farmers have gained substantial economic benefits from cash crops. However, loss of agrobiodiversity implies more risks to local livelihood in the events of downfall in market price/demand of cash crops, termination of supply of staple food grains at subsidized price, pest outbreaks in a cash crop dominated homogeneous landscape and abnormal climate years. Indigenous innovations enabling improvement in farm economy by conserving and/enhancing agrobiodiversity do exist, but are highly localized. The changes in agrobiodiversity are such that soil loss and run-off from the croplands have dramatically increased together with increase in local pressure on forests. As farm productivity is maintained with forest-based inputs, continued depletion of forest resources will result in poor economic returns from agriculture to local people,apart from loss of global benefits from Himalayan forests. Interventions including improvement in traditional manure and management of on-farm trees,participatory development of agroforestry in degraded forest lands and policies favoring economic benefits to local people from non-timber forest products could reduce the risks of decline in agricultural biodiversity and associated threats to livelihoods and Himalayan ecosystems.     

Two Different Dust Storms in Northeast China:the Sources and Influences in East Asia

Dust storms in Northeast China become more se-rious in recent years due to the global warming and local land use and cover change (LUCC) around the sand lands in western and northwestern Jilin Province. Field investigations and urban testing re-vealed that the amount of dusts brought by dust storm reaches a higher level in the past two years. According to an experiment on the “mud-snow”in April, 2000 and an observation in March, 2002, the dusts coming from the western Jilin and fall…     

Isolation and cultivation of the vegetative cells ofPorphyra haitanensis

This research deals mainly with the use of the vegetative cells of a marine red algaPorphyra haitanensis (laver) as seeds and their culture into young thalli for further cultivation in the sea. The experimental process was as follows. Enzymatically isolated vegetative cells were attached to rope substrates and cultured in the laboratory for a month until they became about 0.2–0.5 cm long sporelings and were then attached (7–15 sporelings per cm of rope) to nets for removal to the open sea for cultivation. A month after culturing, the thalli reached a maximum length of 50 cm (average of 20–30 cm). The thalli grew faster as the water temperature dropped from 21°C to 17°C. It was proved that the vegetative cells isolated from a small thallus about 5 cm long could grow up into normal thalli after being kept frozen for a year. The results of this study show that vegetative cells can be used as new seeds to simplify the production of laver sporelings. This technique is a significant advance in the field ofPorphyra culture.     

Early development of Chondrus ocellatus Holm （Gigartinaceae, Rhodophyta）

1 INTRODUCTION Red algae C. ocellatus lives in temperate zone of coastal area, and inhabits at substrates from high tide to low tide regions. Its life history is composed of three phases: tetrasporophyte, gametophyte and carposporophyte. Chondrus is one o…     

Early development of grateloupia turuturu (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta)

Grateloupia turuturu is a commercial red alga with potential value in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. To supplement information on its life history and verify whether carpospores can be used for seedling culture, early development of G. turuturu was investigated under culture conditions (27°C, 10-13 mol/(m2.s) in irradiance, photoperiod 10:14 h L:D). Three physiological stages were recognized by continuous microscopic observation: division stage, discoid crust stage, and juvenile seedling stage. At the beginning of the division stage, the carpospores developed germ tubes into which the carpospore protoplasm was evacuated, and then the carpospore protoplasm in the germ tubes began to divide continuously until discoid crusts formed. Finally, upright thalli appeared on the discoid crusts and developed into juvenile seedlings. It took about 60 days for carpospores to develop into juvenile seedlings. The growth parameters, including germination rate for carpospores and discoid crust diameter, were recorded. These results contribute more information on the life cycle, and at the same time are of great significance in the scaling-up of artificial seedling cultures of G. turuturu.     

Induction and cultivation of cloned filaments of Polysiphonia urceolata (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta)

A filamentous clone of Polysiphonia urceolata was regenerated from segments cut from the fronds of gametophytes. Unlike wild thalli with short virgate branchlets, the clone was filamentous with few branches. Many transparent trichoblasts arose from pericentral cells during the induction culture, but these were seldom observed during normal growth. The trichoblasts were uniseriate, often colorless, and formed lobed rhizoids rapidly when they came into contact with solid substrates. In addition to morphological characteristics, the photosynthetic properties and growth conditions of the clone differed from those of the mother plant. Cross-gradient light and temperature culture experiments revealed that the most favorable conditions for culture of the filamentous clone were 22°C and 95-120 μE/(m2-s) light intensity. The photosynthetic light saturation value for filaments was approx. 100 μE/(m2-s), which is far lower than that of wild thalli. These results could be used to develop techniques for mass cultures of P. urceolata in photobioreactors for production of seed stock or bioactive products.     

Early development of Silvetia babingtonii (Fucales,Phaeophyceae)

Silvetia babingtonii is a potentially economic brown alga for sources of food and high-value added utilization. So far, sporeling nursery and field cultivation has not been successful. The lack of knowledge on development and life cycle of this alga hinder the development of techniques for the sporeings and cultivation. In this study, internal structure of oogonium and antherium of S. babingtonii was observed with hematoxylin and eosin staining and through microscope. Meanwhile, early development from zygotes to juvenile sporelings was studied at 20℃ under 60–100 μmol photons m-2 s-1. Zygotes germinated and divided into thallus and rhizoid cells. The larger thallus cells further divided and developed into juvenile sporelings; while the smaller rhizoid cells divided and elongated into rhizoid hairs. These findings documented the life cycle of S. babingtonii and provided fundamental knowledge for sporeling nursery in the near future.     

Effects of different light conditions on repair of UV-B-induced damage in carpospores of Chondrus ocellatus Holm

We evaluated the effects of ultraviolet-B(UV-B) radiation and different light conditions on the repair of UV-B-induced damage in carpospores of C hondrus ocellatus Holm(Rhodophyta) in laboratory experiments. Carpospores were treated daily with different doses of UV-B radiation for 48 days,when vertical branches had formed in all treatments; after each daily treatment,the carpospores were subjected to photosynthetically active radiation(PAR),darkness,red light,or blue light during a 2-h repair stage. Carpospore diameters were measured every 4 days. We measured the growth and cellular contents of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers(CPDs),chlorophyll a,phycoerythrin,and UV-B-absorbing mycosporine-like amino acids(MAAs) in carpospores on Day 48. Low doses of UV-B radiation(36 and 72 J/m 2) accelerated the growth of C. ocellatus. However,as the amount of UV-B radiation increased,the growth rate decreased and morphological changes occurred. UV-B radiation significant damaged DNA and photosynthetic pigments and induced three kind of MAAs,palythine,asterina-330,and shinorine. PAR conditions were best for repairing UV-B-induced damage. Darkness promoted the activity of the DNA darkrepair mechanism. Red light enhanced phycoerythrin synthesis but inhibited light repair of DNA. Although blue light,increased the activity of DNA photolyase,greatly improving remediation efficiency,the growth and development of C. ocellatus carpospores were slower than in other light treatments.     

Formation and early development of tetraspores of Polysiphonia urceolata (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta)

Polysiphonia urceolata is one type of potential commercial red seaweeds used for breeding and cultivation, because of its significant biochemical and biomedical application. However, the information of breeding and seedling incubation for cultivation is limited, especially the early development. In this study, tetrasporohyte and gametophyte of P. urceolata were taken as the study materials in Huiquan Bay, Qingdao, China. The cleaned and sterilized tetrasporophytes and gametophytes were pre-cultured in sterilized seawater, then nurtured at 18℃, 25 μmol photons m-2 s-1 in 12:12 h (light:dark) photoperiod. Continuous observation under microscope showed that the early development consists of bipolar division stage and seedling stage. In the division stage, tetraspores germinate into bipolar sporelings that further differentiate into a colorless rhizoidal portion and a lightly pigmented upright shoot. The lightly pigmented rhizoidal cell develops to a rhizoid and the larger pigmented cell transforms to an erect axis. In the seedling stage, several quasi-protuberances appear on the erect axis and form juvenile seedlings. The results demonstrate the culture of P. urceolata from tetraspores under laboratory conditions.     

Effects of temperature and irradiance on early development of Chondrus ocellatus Holm (Gigartinaceae, Rhodophyta)

Chondrus is a type of commercially produced red seaweed that widely used for food and carrageen extraction. Although the natural life history of the alga had been well understood, the factors influencing development of the tetraspore and carpospore remain poorly understood. In the perspective of seedling resources, the regulation of early development is crucial for the seedling nursing; therefore, it is necessary to understand the physiological influences during its early development. In this study, we studied the effects of temperature and irradiance on the early development of Chondrus ocellatus Holm under laboratory conditions. The released tetraspores and carpospores were cultivated at different temperatures (10–28°C) and irradiances (10, 60 μmol photons m⁻²s⁻¹) with a photoperiod of 12L:12D. The results indicate that both tetraspores and carpospores are tolerant to temperatures of 10–25°C, and have the highest relative growth rate at 20°C. Irradiance variances influenced the growth of the discoid crusts, and the influence was more significant with increasing temperature; 60 μmol photons m⁻²s⁻¹ was more suitable than 10 μmol photons m⁻²s⁻¹. The optimum temperature and irradiance for the development of seedlings was 20°C and 60 μmol photons m⁻²s⁻¹, respectively.     

Formation and early development of tetraspores of Polysiphonia urceolata （Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta）

Polysiphonia urceolata is one type of potential commercial red seaweeds used for breeding and cultivation, because of its significant biochemical and biomedical application. However, the information of breeding and seedling incubation for cultivation is limited, especially the early development. In this study, tetrasporohyte and gametophyte of P. urceolata were taken as the study materials in Huiquan Bay, Qingdao, China. The cleaned and sterilized tetrasporophytes and gametophytes were pre-cultured in sterilized seawater, then nurtured at 18°C, 25 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ in 12:12 h (light:dark) photoperiod. Continuous observation under microscope showed that the early development consists of bipolar division stage and seedling stage. In the division stage, tetraspores germinate into bipolar sporelings that further differentiate into a colorless rhizoidal portion and a lightly pigmented upright shoot. The lightly pigmented rhizoidal cell develops to a rhizoid and the larger pigmented cell transforms to an erect axis. In the seedling stage, several quasi-protuberances appear on the erect axis and form juvenile seedlings. The results demonstrate the culture of P. urceolata from tetraspores under laboratory conditions. Supported by National Key Technology Support Program, Development Program of China (No.2006AA09Z21), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40618001 and N_CUHK438/06) and Shandong Agricultural Seed Stock Breeding Project     

Molecular Grouping of Grateloupia Tissues Collected Along Chinese Coast and Microsatellite Diversity Analysis of G. asiatica

Genus Grateloupia is one of the most speciose genera in family Halymeniales. It is also one of the sources for natural materials, food and medicine. With different environments, Grateloupia change their morphological characteristics, making their morphological identification very difficult. In addition, few of the species diversity in this genus has been described before. In this study, phylogenetic analysis based on rbc L gene sequence was employed to group Grateloupia collected from three locations along Chinese coast. The microsatellites were also used to evaluate their genetic diversity. In total, the tissue parts of 6 putative species were collected from G. asiatica, G. livida, G. lanceolate, G. catenata, G. turuturu and G. filicina. In order to evaluate their genetic diversity and then conserve them better, 40 microsatellites available for Grateloupia were used to evaluate their genetic diversity, and 11 microsatellites were found to be applicable to determine the genetic diversity of G. asiatica. It was found that the genetic diversity of G. asiatica around Qingdao was very rich. We suggested that the species of genus Grateloupia should be identified based on rbc L phylogenetic analysis before the diversity evaluation with microsatellites. The microsatellites should be developed for each species of Grateloupia so that their genetic diversity can be evaluated appropriately.