Hydrological trends and the evolution of catchment research in the Alptal valley,central Switzerland

When the observation of small headwater catchments in the pre-Alpine Alptal valley (central Switzerland) started in the late 1960s, the researchers were mainly interested in questions related to floods and forest management. Investigations of geomorphological processes in the steep torrent channels followed in the 1980s, along with detailed observations of biogeochemical and ecohydrological processes in individual forest stands. More recently, research in the Alptal has addressed the impacts of climate change on water supply and runoff generation. In this article, we describe, for the first time, the evolution of catchment research at Alptal, and present new analyses of long-term trends and short-term hydrologic behaviour. Hydrometeorological time series from the past 50 years show substantial interannual variability, but only minimal long-term trends, except for the ~2°C increase in mean annual air temperature over the 50-year period, and a corresponding shift towards earlier snowmelt. Similar to previous studies in larger Alpine catchments, the decadal variations in mean annual runoff in Alptal's small research catchments reflect the long-term variability in annual precipitation. In the Alptal valley, the most evident hydrological trends were observed in late spring and are related to the substantial change in the duration of the snow cover. Streamflow and water quality are highly variable within and between hydrological events, suggesting rapid shifts in flow pathways and mixing, as well as changing connectivity of runoff-generating areas. This overview illustrates how catchment research in the Alptal has evolved in response to changing societal concerns and emerging scientific questions.     

A biodiversity evaluation framework for restoration of aquatic macrophyte communities in shallow lakes driven by hydrological process management

Macrophyte community diversity and composition respond to ecosystem conservation and local environmental factors. In this study, we developed a multidimensional diversity framework for macrophyte communities, including the taxonomic and functional alpha and beta diversity. We used the framework to explore the relationships among water level regimes and these diversity parameters in a case study of China's Baiyangdian Lake. Analysis of indicators of hydrologic alteration divided the water level from 1959 to 2019 into four regimes (dry, <6.42 m; low, 6.42–7.23 m; medium, 7.23–8.19 m; high, >8.19 m). Alpha and beta diversity were significantly higher in the medium regime than in the low and high regimes. Redundancy analysis indicated that the maximum water depth significantly affected taxonomic alpha diversity, and total nitrogen (TN) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration significantly affected functional alpha diversity, respectively. Mantel tests showed that TN, Secchi depth (SD), and water depth in the high water level regime significantly increased the total beta diversity and turnover components. TN was the main factor that increased total taxonomic beta diversity. Water level regime mainly influenced interspecific relationships by changing the TN and COD concentration. The water level should be maintained between the medium and high water level regimes to promote restoration of the macrophyte community and improve ecosystem stability. The biodiversity evaluation framework would provide a deeper insight into the hydrological process management for restoration of aquatic macrophyte communities in shallow lakes.     

Land Resource Carrying Capacity in Xilin Gol Grassland Transects: A Perspective on Food Nutritional Demand

Food safety is an important issue for the development of the national economy and society. Studying regional food supply and demand from the perspective of land resource carrying capacity can provide new references for regional resource sustainability. This study uses the data from farmer and herdsmen household questionnaires, statistical data, land use data, and other sources to construct a land resource carrying capacity (LCC) assessment framework, targeting the food supply and demand of residents in representative areas, specifically the typical grassland pastoral areas, sandy pastoral areas and agro-pastoral areas on the Xilin Gol grassland transects. The three food nutritional indicators of calories, protein and fat were selected for analyzing the balance of land resource carrying capacity. We found that: 1) Along the Xilin Gol grassland, the main local food supply showed a shift from meat and milk to grains, vegetables and fruits. 2) From north to south along the grassland transects, the calorie intake increased gradually, while the intake of protein and fat was highest in pastoral areas and lowest in agricultural areas. 3) The overall land resource carrying capacity of the Xilin Gol grassland transects was in a surplus state, but the land carrying capacity of typical grassland pastoral area was higher than the two other types of areas. This study provides an empirical reference for the sustainable development of regional food nutrition.     

沉积物中硬质粘土层的研究进展

大量的钻孔资料表明,平原地区及其海域沉积物中普遍有硬质粘土层的存在。硬质粘土层在工程地质、地理学研究等方面具有重要的价值,它不仅是高层建筑的持力层,而且是研究全球环境变化事件、古气候演变的良好载体。该文阐述了硬质粘土层的一般特征、成因以及在粒度、地球化学元素、年代学、沉积环境等方面的研究进展,并展望了硬质粘土层在年代、物质来源和沉积环境等方面的研究方向,认为黄河三角洲硬质粘土层研究较少,需要开展大范围的、系统深入的、多学科的宏观和微观综合分析,挖掘硬质粘土层蕴含的古环境意义和应用价值。     

珠江口淇澳岛滨海湿地沉积环境演化及其对人类活动的响应

滨海湿地作为人类活动和全球变化反应最为敏感的区域，其沉积记录可以反映出周边地区环境变化及人类活动信息。珠江口淇澳岛滨海湿地钻孔分析结果表明，在中全新世期间淇澳岛附近海域为河口湾环境，在风化层以上开始出现淤积，但在4 200 a BP前后受极冷气候的影响，沉积物粗化；自2 500 a BP以来，沉积环境相对稳定，在小冰期期间略有变化。沉积速率计算结果显示:淇澳岛附近海域自中全新世高海面以来的平均沉积速率为0.29 cm/a，4 160~2 500 a BP、2 500 a BP-1488年、1488-1893年、1893-1986年、1990-2007年期间的平均沉积速率分别为:0.17 cm/a、0.23 cm/a、0.35 cm/a、1.37 cm/a和5.94 cm/a，沉积速率逐渐增大，反映了珠江三角洲演化过程中沉积相与沉积环境的变化；1986-1990年期间的海堤建造极大地扰动了该钻孔上部的沉积过程，在工程施工期间共沉积了厚度约112 cm的沉积层，而在海堤建成后，沉积速率也显著增大。沉积物总有机碳、总氮和C/N值的垂向分布表明，在4 160~2 500 a BP期间受海洋环境影响较大，沉积物中有机碳以海源为主，2 500 a BP以来沉积物中碳、氮含量明显增大，C/N也相应变大，有机碳主要来源于陆源输入，但在小冰期期间海源有机碳贡献略有所增大；近百年来由于受人类活动影响显著，陆源有机碳的贡献快速增加。     

Smectite formation in metalliferous sediments near the East Pacific Rise at 13°N

A 43 cm long E271 sediment core collected near the East Pacific Rise(EPR) at 13°N were studied to investigate the origin of smectite for understanding better the geochemical behavior of hydrothermal material after deposition.E271 sediments are typical metalliferous sediments. After removal of organic matter, carbonate, biogenic opal,and Fe-Mn oxide by a series of chemical procedures, clay minerals(2 μm) were investigated by X-ray diffraction,chemical analysis and Si isotope analysis. Due to the influence of seafloor hydrothermal activity and close to continent, the sources of clay minerals are complex. Illite, chlorite and kaolinite are suggested to be transported from either North or Central America by rivers or winds, but smectite is authigenic. It is enriched in iron, and its contents are highest in clay minerals. Data show that smectite is most likely formed by the reaction of hydrothermal Fe-oxyhydroxide with silica and seawater in metalliferous sediments. The Si that participates in this reaction may be derived from siliceous microfossils(diatoms or radiolarians), hydrothermal fluids, or detrital mineral phases. And their δ30 Si values are higher than those of authigenic smectites, which implies that a Si isotope fractionation occurs during the formation because of the selective absorption of light Si isotopes onto Feoxyhydroxides. Sm/Fe mass ratios(a proxy for overall REE/Fe ratio) in E271 clay minerals are lower than those in metalliferous sediments, as well as distal hydrothermal plume particles and terrigenous clay minerals. This result suggests that some REE are lost during the smectite formation, perhaps because their large ionic radii of REE scavenged by Fe-oxyhydroxides preclude substitution in either tetrahedral or octahedral lattice sites of this mineral structure, which decreases the value of metalliferous sediments as a potential resource for REE.     

山东省地面沉降监测与防治工作进展

近年来,山东省地面沉降监测与防治工作取得了重要进展,初步建立了以二等水准路线、全球定位系统(GPS)、基岩标分层标和地下水监测为基础的"四网合一"地面沉降监测体系,INSAR监测实现了山东全省覆盖。监测成果显示,山东省地面沉降主要位于东营市广饶县、滨州市博兴县、聊城市茌平县,沉降速率呈加快趋势,造成建筑物地基下沉、房屋开裂、地下管道破损等一系列地质环境问题。     

基于熵权TOPSIS模型的海岛地区资源环境承载力研究——以舟山普陀区、定海区为例

随着海洋强国、"一带一路"、生态文明建设等国家战略的不断推进,海岛在国家政治、军事、经济、社会、生态中的地位不断提高,海岛开发、利用的规模越来越大,其生态保护也面临着新的挑战。本文依据资源环境承载力内涵,兼顾海岛资源环境特点,研究形成海岛地区资源环境承载力评价指标体系,综合应用熵权法、TOPSIS(逼近理想解排序方法)模型评价了典型海岛地区——普陀区与定海区2009-2015年间的资源环境承载力状况,结果表明:普陀和定海资源环境承载力水平呈稳步提升趋势,各个时期的环境保护政策和节能减排相关措施在环境保护与污染治理等方面起到了较为积极的作用。最后,在基于生态系统的海岛综合管理框架内提出了对策建议。     

日照市露天开采矿山地质环境问题及恢复治理措施

通过1∶5万矿山地质环境调查和遥感解译手段,对日照市矿山进行了全面的调查,查明各类矿山546处,主要集中在莒县和五莲县境内。除莒县刘官庄煤矿外,其余全部为露天开采矿山,主要选用直接开挖的方式,不仅破坏了地表环境,而且矿山生产活动产生的固体废弃物占用了大面积的土地。该文根据矿山地理位置及开采方式的不同,将相同类型的多个矿山划分为同一治理区,针对不同治理区的特点,采取科学有效的治理方法,建立健全矿山地质环境监督管理机制,切实解决矿山地质环境问题,改善生态环境。     

敦煌-格尔木铁路沿线风动力环境特征

敦煌-格尔木铁路沿线地形复杂、起沙因素多变、沙源丰富，沙害问题日益严重。目前对其风沙活动规律还未有研究，不利于防沙工作的开展。为此，通过对自北向南的5个观测点（S1、S2、S3、S4、S5）风速和风向的观测、计算和分析，利用平均风速、起沙风况及输沙势对敦格铁路沿线的风动力环境特征进行研究。结果表明：S5、S4和S3的风况对铁路风沙灾害防治意义较大。S5年平均风速、起沙风频率和输沙势最大，春季风沙活动最为强烈，且风向单一、风力强劲，风沙运动方向基本与铁路垂直，沙粒易在铁路附近堆积。S4夏季风沙活动最为强烈；S3春季风沙活动最为强烈，且风向单一，S4和S3的风沙运动方向与铁路夹角小于90°，附近沙源广阔，铁路易受风沙侵蚀，阻碍交通运营。