SIMULATION OF BOUNDARY LAYER EFFECTS ON A HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT CAUSED BY A MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM OVER THE YELLOW RIVER MIDSTREAM AREA

A heavy rainfall event caused by a mesoscale convective system (MCS), which occurred over the Yellow River midstream area during 7–9 July 2016, was analyzed using observational, high-resolution satellite, NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, and numerical simulation data. This heavy rainfall event was caused by one mesoscale convective complex (MCC) and five MCSs successively. The MCC rainstorm occurred when southwesterly winds strengthened into a jet. The MCS rainstorms occurred when low-level wind fields weakened, but their easterly components in the lower and boundary layers increased continuously. Numerical analysis revealed that there were obvious differences between the MCC and MCS rainstorms, including their three-dimensional airflow structure, disturbances in wind fields and vapor distributions, and characteristics of energy conversion and propagation. Formation of the MCC was related to southerly conveyed water vapor and energy to the north, with obvious water vapor exchange between the free atmosphere and the boundary layer. Continuous regeneration and development of the MCSs mainly relied on maintenance of an upward extension of a positive water vapor disturbance. The MCC rainstorm was triggered by large range of convergent ascending motion caused by a southerly jet, and easterly disturbance within the boundary layer. While a southerly fluctuation and easterly disturbance in the boundary layer were important triggers of the MCS rainstorms. Maintenance and development of the MCC and MCSs were linked to secondary circulation, resulting from convergence of Ekman non-equilibrium flow in the boundary layer. Both intensity and motion of the convergence centers in MCC and MCS cases were different. Clearly, sub-synoptic scale systems in the middle troposphere played a leading role in determining precipitation distribution during this event. Although mesoscale systems triggered by the sub-synoptic scale system induced the heavy rainfall, small-scale disturbances within the boundary layer determined its intensity and location.     

Effects of catastrophic flooding on stream biogeochemistry in a headwater stream in Shenandoah National Park,USA

This study examined the stream chemistry changes in Staunton River (a second‐order headwater stream with an average annual discharge 704 m³ ha^?1 yr^?1, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia) resulting from a catastrophic flood in June 1995. This flood, which followed after 800 mm of rain in a 4‐day period, caused large‐scale debris flows and complete scouring of riparian soils down to bedrock in the lower 2 km of the stream, and has been estimated to be a 1000‐year flood. The flood affected stream chemistry on both short‐ and long‐term time scales. The primary short‐term response was elevations in stream concentration of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and K⁺ by 59%, 87%, and 49%, respectively, for 6 months immediately following the flood. The long‐term impact of decreased concentration of all base cations and SiO₂ during summer months (8% average) lasted about 2 years. At the episodic time scale, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and K⁺ flushed from soil sources during pre‐flood storms while Na⁺ and SiO₂ diluted; these trends generally reversed during post‐flood storms for 2 years. Short‐term effects are attributed to the leaching of unconsolidated soil and upturned organic matter that clogged the streambed after the flood. The long‐term and superimposed episodic impacts may have resulted from the loss of riparian soils and vegetation in the flood. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

旅游区治污性湿地景观生态构建

旅游区常规污水处理已不能满足景观生态的要求,治污性湿地与景观生态设计相结合成为一种新趋势。从景观生态设计原则出发,探讨常熟蒋巷村旅游区生态湿地花园景观生态构建项目。项目运行后,系统出水水质稳定,达到《城镇污水处理厂污染物排放标准》(GB18918-2002)的一级A标准,并具有良好的景观生态效应。项目的成功实施,为旅游区污水的景观生态处理树立了典范。     

Variations in species richness in hay-meadow vegetation at Voss,west Norway,in relation to long-term management practices

Because of its species-rich hay meadows and old pollards that are traditionally managed, Ulvund in Myrkdalen, Voss, is one of 14 areas in Hordaland county that are considered to be of special interest for cultural landscape conservation. The spatial patterns of species richness were investigated in hay meadows at Ulvund. Two main types of vegetation were recognised in managed meadows. Unfertilised and species-rich areas with a rather short field layer were situated in the steep parts of the meadows. Fertilised and species-poor areas with a high field layer were situated on flat or gently sloping areas. This spatial pattern is recognised in other west Norwegian hay meadows as well and is very likely linked to historical differences in land management; the flatter areas were formerly used as heavily fertilised permanent tilled fields for grain production, while the steep areas were used for hay production. As the conservation value largely lies in small, localized parts of the farms, conservation management actions can also be localized and thus feasible under modern conditions.     

旅游干扰对五台山植被景观区植物多样性的影响

 物种多样性是衡量景区生态环境质量的重要指标之一。通过计算物种的多样性指数、科属、区系、生活型和生态型特征,利用除趋势对应分析方法对五台山旅游干扰下植物多样性的格局进行了研究,结果表明：在不同地理因子和物种多样性的作用下,各类植被景观区表现出一定的格局规律。在排序图上,以灌木层和草本层植物为主的Ⅲ区、Ⅳ区和Ⅶ区位于左侧,以乔木层、灌木层和草本层植物为主的Ⅰ区、Ⅱ区、Ⅵ区和Ⅴ区位于中间,仅有乔木层的Ⅸ区位于右侧。坡位、海拔和旅游影响系数与DCA第一轴和第二轴的相关性均较大,说明这3个因子对植物多样性的格局有重要影响。研究结果有益于五台山景区的生态管理。     

Outside the boundary - Land use changes in the surroundings of urban nature reserves

The importance of the landscape surrounding a protected area for sustaining its values is frequently discussed in conservation literature. Studies on the interactions of urbanisation and nature conservation at the global scale suggest that protected nature attracts urbanisation, and that this in turn might negatively impact the area. However, studies specifically addressing such land use dynamics at city scale are largely missing. In this study we examine the change in proportion of built up area in two zones (500 m and 1000 m) surrounding 15 urban nature reserves in southern Sweden. By using comprehensive maps from the last 50 years, we compared the zones to the overall urbanisation in the cities to reveal discrepancies in land use surrounding the nature reserves. We found that the amount of built up area in the buffer zones surrounding nature reserves followed the same trend as the corresponding cities and this relation was stable over time, although the positive relationship was not significant. The establishment of nature reserves had no detectable effect on surrounding land use, however two distinguished groups of reserves were identified with either more or less built up area in buffers zones compared to cities. These differences were related to specific local drivers such as land ownership, land use history and nature reserve location. In contrast to earlier studies at global scale, our study did not show that nature reserves attract urbanisation. Instead, we stress that the great variety of contextual factors at the city scale makes quantitative analysis of this kind extremely difficult. However, a general neglect from planning and nature conservation agencies to recognise nature reserves’ dependence on the surrounding landscape configuration could be detrimental to sustain their values in the long-term. Hence we suggest that zones surrounding nature-protected areas should be planned and managed according to local land use history and current landscape conditions to enable and enhance necessary cross-boundary interactions.     

Monitoring directions and rates of change in trees outside forests through multitemporal analysis of map sequences

This study explores the potential of historical maps to detect, measure and monitor changes of trees outside forests. The main goal is to assess local-level changes of scattered trees and orchards and their land-use determinants in two areas in Southern Germany between 1901/1905 and 2009. Firstly, overall landscape changes are recorded. Secondly, the spatial-temporal trajectories of scattered trees and their land-use determinants are identified. Thirdly, changes in quantity and fragmentation patterns of traditional orchards are analyzed in their relationship to overall land-cover change. The results confirm major losses in scattered trees, mainly due to urbanization, agricultural intensification, and land abandonment. They further reveal that, while orchards have persisted in total area, they have undergone critical changes toward a simplified landscape structure and loss of the traditional land-use mosaic, which is a characterizing feature of high nature value landscapes. Multi-temporal assessment showed that most trends have been continuous and did not change directions over time, but rather accelerated during periods of rapid change (most dramatically in the 1950-1990 period). The case of orchards and scattered trees illustrates a major problem of cultural landscapes in Europe: Semi-natural landscape features of high nature value are threatened by both intensification and abandonment of land uses. This makes their conservation a potentially costly enterprise, as both opportunity costs for lost alternative land uses and for conservation management costs arise.     

An interdisciplinary approach to depict landscape change drivers: A case study of the Ticuiz agrarian community in Michoacan, Mexico

Landscape changes are driven by a combination of physical, ecological and socio-cultural factors. Hence, a large amount of information is necessary to monitor these changes and to develop effective strategies for management and conservation. For this, novel strategies for combining social and environmental data need to be developed. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the value of an innovative interdisciplinary approach to help in explaining landscape change. We integrated three main sources of information: biophysical landscape attributes, land-use/cover change analysis and social perceptions of land-use change, institutional and policy factors and environmental services. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to develop a weight for each variable described or quantified. Finally we identified proximate causes and underlying driving forces of land transformation in the study area. The study was undertaken in a typical community in Mexico.     

Estimation of the Resolution of Earth＇s Gravity Field for GRACE Follow-On Using the Spectrum Method

利用轨道扰动引力谱和大地水准面累计误差谱分析的方法估计未来GRACE（gravity recovery and climate experimenl）Follow—On卫星反演地球重力场的空间分辨率。基于GRACEFollow—On卫星的轨道特性,计算其在高空所受到的径向扰动引力,并根据谱特性及星载加速度计的测量噪声水平分析该卫星能反演重力场的阶数。利用EGM96重力场模型分别计算200km和250km轨道高度处的扰动引力谱。分析其特性表明：在两个轨道高度处分别能反演281阶和242阶的地球重力场模型。给出大地水准面累计误差谱模型,并计算200km和250km轨道高度处大地水准面累计误差谱。分析其谱特性表明：在两个轨道高度处分别能反演至286阶和228阶的地球重力场模型。     

The preservation potential of ash layers in the deep‐sea: the example of the 1991‐Pinatubo ash in the South China Sea

Following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo on 15 June 1991, volcanic ash was transported westward to the South China Sea in an atmospheric plume, falling out and settling to the sea floor within days and forming an up to 10 cm thick layer on an area >400 000 km². Immediately after deposition, surviving deep‐burrowing animals re‐opened their connection to the sea floor to obtain water for respiration and/or food take‐up. Later, small‐sized meiofauna and then macrofauna re‐colonized the sea floor, mixing newly deposited organic fluff with the underlying ash. Consequently, ash deposits thinner than 1 mm have not often been observed as a continuous layer when cored six years after the eruption, while ash about 2 mm thick is now patchily bioturbated. In areas covered by ash thicker than 5 mm, mixing by benthic animals is controlled mainly by the adaptation of the burrowing fauna to variations in grain‐size, the rate of background sedimentation, the availability of benthic food on and within the sediment and pore water oxygen levels. With respect to these factors, four provinces can be distinguished: (i) Along the Philippines margin run‐off from land fuels primary production that, in turn, leads to a high benthic food content. The benthic fauna is adapted to a variable grain‐size and rapid sedimentation. Therefore, mixing is intense and the preservation potential of the ash layer is low. (ii) In areas affected by deposition of hyperpycnites and turbidites, i.e. in canyons in front of river mouths and in the Manila Trench, the ash layer is preserved due to rapid burial. (iii) The area to the west to about 116° E receives low amounts of benthic food, benthic mixing is less intense and the preservation potential of the ash is high. (iv) The central South China Sea, where the ash is thinner than 3 cm, is affected by intense wind mixing and upwelling and the benthic food content is high; thus, the chance that the ash will be preserved as a sharp‐based layer is low. Consequently, the style of ash preservation has palaeo‐environmental significance. Older buried and burrowed event layers provide further information to elucidate the fate of the 1991 Pinatubo ash layer; in general their appearance fits with observations in the Recent.