Rice crop phenology mapping at high spatial and temporal resolution using downscaled MODIS time-series

Satellite data holds considerable potential as a source of information on rice crop growth which can be used to inform agronomy. However, given the typical field sizes in many rice-growing countries such as China, data from coarse spatial resolution satellite systems such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are inadequate for resolving crop growth variability at the field scale. Nevertheless, systems such as MODIS do provide images with sufficient frequency to be able to capture the detail of rice crop growth trajectories throughout a growing season. In order to generate high spatial and temporal resolution data suitable for mapping rice crop phenology, this study fused MODIS data with lower frequency, higher spatial resolution Landsat data. An overall workflow was developed which began with image preprocessing, calculation of multi-temporal normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) images, and spatiotemporal fusion of data from the two sensors. The Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model was used to effectively downscale the MODIS data to deliver a time-series of 30 m spatial resolution NDVI data at 8-day intervals throughout the rice-growing season. Zonal statistical analysis was used to extract NDVI time-series for individual fields and signal filtering was applied to the time-series to generate rice phenology curves. The downscaled MODIS NDVI products were able to characterize the development of paddy rice at fine spatial and temporal resolutions, across wide spatial extents over multiple growing seasons. These data permitted the extraction of key crop seasonality parameters that quantified inter-annual growth variability for a whole agricultural region and enabled mapping of the variability in crop performance between and within fields. Hence, this approach can provide rice crop growth data that is suitable for informing agronomic policy and practice across a wide range of scales.     

Chronology of the Mediterranean sea-level highstand during the Last Interglacial: a critical review of the U/Th-dated deposits

Relative sea-level (RSL) evolution during Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 5 in the Mediterranean basin is still not fully understood despite a plethora of morphological, stratigraphic and geochronological studies carried out on highstand deposits of this area. In this review we assembled a database of 323 U/Th-dated samples (e.g. corals, molluscs, speleothems) which were used to chronologically constrain RSL evolution within MIS 5. The application of strict geochemical criteria to the U/Th samples indicates that only ~33% of data available for the Mediterranean Sea can be considered ‘reliable’. Most of these data (~65%) refer to the MIS 5e highstand, while only ~17% could be related to the MIS 5a. No attribution to MIS 5c can be unequivocally supported. Nevertheless, the resulting framework does not allow us to define a satisfactory RSL trend during the MIS 5e highstand and subsequent MIS 5 substages. Overall, the proposed selection of reliable/unreliable data would be useful for detecting areas where MIS 5 substage attributions are not supported by confident U/Th chronological data and thus the related reconstructions need to be revised. In this regard, the resulting framework calls for a reappraisal and re-examination of the Mediterranean records with advanced geochronological methodologies.     

北极快速增暖背景下冰冻圈变化及其影响研究综述

北极具有独特的地理位置和战略地位,是当前全球变化研究的热点区域之一。北极增暖是全球平均值的两倍以上,被称为“北极放大”现象。在北极快速增暖背景下,冰冻圈尤其是海冰显著萎缩,对北极乃至中纬度天气气候产生深远影响。对北极快速增暖背景下冰冻圈主要要素（包括海冰、冰盖、冰川、积雪和冻土）时空变化特征及未来预估进行了综述,同时总结了海冰变化对北极气候系统（大气圈、水圈、岩石圈和生物圈）以及中纬度极端天气气候事件的影响。指出当前北极冰冻圈变化研究受观测资料缺乏及模式模拟不确定等问题限制,其机理及对中纬度天气气候影响机制仍存在争议。未来还需要加强北极地区的综合监测,提高模式对北极气候系统物理过程的模拟能力,进行多模式、多数据、多方法的集成研究。     

2008—2018年中国冰川变化分析

调查冰川资源的分布与变化,对区域乃至全球的自然环境与经济社会发展都具有十分重要的意义。基于315景Landsat 8 OLI遥感影像,结合中国第二次冰川编目数据与Google Earth软件,通过人工目视解译等方法调查了2018年中国冰川的分布与变化。结果表明：中国现存冰川53 238条,总面积为（47 174.21±19.93） km²,72%的冰川面积<0.5 km²,规模在1~32 km²的冰川的面积占中国冰川总面积的60%。2008—2018年,中国冰川总面积减少1 393.97 km²,面积变化率为-0.43%?a^-1。冰川面积变化率表现出明显的空间差异,面积退缩最快的是冈底斯山,达-1.07%?a^-1;最慢的是羌塘高原,为-0.05%?a^-1。坡度上,各山系之间的冰川面积变化率差异较为明显。超过70%的山系位于正东和东南方向的冰川面积退缩快,2008—2018年退缩率为-5.0%;正北方向的冰川面积退缩相对缓慢,同时期退缩率为-3.8%。气温和降水变化率差异以及海拔、坡度、坡向等地形差异,共同影响中国冰川的变化。     

人类从哪里来？——（4）人类演化与古地理、古环境和古气候变化

详细介绍了8 Ma以来全球气候变化的规律,研究表明地球上主要发生过3次冷气候事件：第一次冷气候事件大约发生在距今7 Ma,一股强烈的干冷气流刮过欧洲大陆,穿越赤道地区直达非洲大陆,使得原始森林开始萎缩,面积的缩小导致古猿与人类发生演化分异;第二次冷气候事件大约发生在距今4.2 Ma,那时干冷气候持续发展,非洲大陆的原始森林进一步萎缩,并逐渐演化为稀树草原,出现了南方猿人和傍人;第三次冷气候事件大约发生在距今2.3 Ma,全球气候变化波动较大,冷-暖气候交替发育,地球上出现了真正意义上的人（人属）,并逐渐演化成现代人。根据目前的研究,人类的起源和演化与古地理、古环境和古气候变化密切相关,人类演化历史大致可分为7个时期：撒海尔猿人—原初猿人时期、地居猿人时期、南方猿人—傍人时期、能人—鲁道夫人时期、匠人—直立人时期、先驱人—海德堡人时期和智人时期。     

三江源区大气可降水量时空特征及其与降水关系

利用1979—2016年欧洲中期天气预报中心(ECMWF) ERA-Interim (1°×1°)再分析资料中的经、纬向水汽通量和大气可降水量(precipitation water vapor,PWV)数据,采用相关性分析、趋势分析法、累积距平、IDW等方法,分析三江源地区PWV与水汽通量的时空分布特征、降水转化率(precipitati-on conversion efficiency,PCE)变化规律。结果表明:过去的38 a,经、纬向多年平均水汽通量分别为50. 2、196. 7 kg·m-1·s^(-1),纬向水汽通量气候倾向率比经向大。南边界为纬向主要水汽输入边界,东边界为经向主要水汽输出边界,纬向水汽输送大于经向输送。多年平均PWV为1998. 3 mm,近38 aPWV呈现微弱增加趋势,1979—1997年,PWV呈下降趋势,1998年后PWV呈增加趋势,同期降水也在增加,说明该时段三江源地区气候转湿。PWV与水汽通量的年际变化趋势和转折年相一致。三江源区多年平均PCE为24. 57%,1989年PCE最高,达32. 76%,各季节平均PCE空间分布与年平均PCE分布一致,均表现出南部、东南部高,西部、东北部低的变化特征,各季节PCE大小差异明显,春季多年平均PCE为15. 92%,夏季25. 67%,秋季21. 01%,冬季仅7. 03%。     

河源市秋季暴雨的时空分布和环流特征

利用1964—2013年河源市5个国家气象站日降水量、NCEP/NCAR逐月2.5°×2.5°再分析资料,分析河源市秋季暴雨的时空分布特征和同期环流特征。结果表明:(1)河源市秋季暴雨日数在空间分布上自南向北逐渐减少,9月的分布特征与秋季一致,11月的分布型与9月完全相反;秋季暴雨日数呈弱增长的气候变化趋势,且存在明显的阶段性变化。(2)南海到西北太平洋地区纬向风垂直切变偏小和南方涛动处在正位相时,对应有利9和10月热带气旋的生成、发展,副热带高压偏西偏北、强度偏强,有利于热带气旋趋向广东,而来自该区的强东南季风,给河源带来充沛的水汽,为暴雨的发生提供了有利的水汽条件。另外,活跃的南支槽也是造成10月暴雨的重要影响系统之一。(3)热带气旋对11月暴雨日数的贡献较小,南支槽和东移南下的高原短波槽是造成该月暴雨的重要影响系统。西太平洋副热带高压偏西偏南、强度偏强,河源受其西侧的异常西南风影响,获得充足的水汽供应,有利于暴雨的发生。(4)秋季华南地区海平面气压偏低或冷空气活动偏弱时,有利于河源暴雨天气的发生。     

Evaluating the spatiotemporal variations of water budget across China over 1951–2006 using IBIS model

The Integrated Biosphere Simulator is used to evaluate the spatial and temporal patterns of the crucial hydrological variables [run‐off and actual evapotranspiration (AET)] of the water balance across China for the period 1951–2006 including a precipitation analysis. Results suggest three major findings. First, simulated run‐off captured 85% of the spatial variability and 80% of the temporal variability for 85 hydrological gauges across China. The mean relative errors were within 20% for 66% of the studied stations and within 30% for 86% of the stations. The Nash–Sutcliffe coefficients indicated that the quantity pattern of run‐off was also captured acceptably except for some watersheds in southwestern and northwestern China. The possible reasons for underestimation of run‐off in the Tibetan plateau include underestimation of precipitation and uncertainties in other meteorological data due to complex topography, and simplified representations of the soil depth attribute and snow processes in the model. Second, simulated AET matched reasonably with estimated values calculated as the residual of precipitation and run‐off for watersheds controlled by the hydrological gauges. Finally, trend analysis based on the Mann–Kendall method indicated that significant increasing and decreasing patterns in precipitation appeared in the northwest part of China and the Yellow River region, respectively. Significant increasing and decreasing trends in AET were detected in the Southwest region and the Yangtze River region, respectively. In addition, the Southwest region, northern China (including the Heilongjiang, Liaohe, and Haihe Basins), and the Yellow River Basin showed significant decreasing trends in run‐off, and the Zhemin hydrological region showed a significant increasing trend. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of land‐use changes on nonpoint source pollution in the Xizhi River watershed,Guangdong, China

The Annualized Agricultural Non‐point Source (AnnAGNPS) pollution model has been widely used to assess and predict runoff, soil erosion, sediment and nutrient loading with a geographic information system. This article presents a case study of the effect of land‐use changes on nonpoint source (NPS) pollution using the AnnAGNPS model in the Xizhi River watershed, eastern Pearl River Delta of Guangdong province, China. The land‐use changes in the Xizhi River watershed between 1998 and 2003 were examined using the multitemporal remote sensing data. The runoff, soil erosion, sediment transport and nutrient loading 1998 and 2003 were assessed using AnnAGNPS. The effects of land‐use changes on NPS were studied by comparing the simulation results of each year. Our results showed that (i) the NPS loadings increased when forest and grass land converted into paddy, orchard and farmland land, and population size and gross domestic product size as well as the usage amounts of fertilizer and pesticide in the entire watershed were firmly correlated with the NPS loadings; (ii) the land‐use change during fast urbanization in particular when other land types were converted into the development land and buildup land led to increasing of NPS pollution; and (iii) urban land expansion showed more important effects on total organic carbon (TOC) loading compared with nitrogen and phosphorus loadings. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.