The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine: Multi-decadal whole-watershed experimental acidification

The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine (BBWM) is a long-term research site established to study the response of forest ecosystem function to environmental disturbances of chronic acidic deposition and ecosystem nitrogen enrichment. Starting in 1989, the West Bear (treated) watershed received bimonthly applications of ammonium sulfate [(NH₄)₂SO₄] fertilizer from above the canopy, whereas East Bear (reference) received ambient deposition. The treatments were stopped in 2016, marking the beginning of the recovery phase. Research at the site has focused on soils, streams, and vegetation. Here, we describe data collected over three decades at the BBWM—input and stream output nutrient fluxes, quantitative soil pits and soil chemistry, and soil temperature and moisture.     

青州市表层土壤元素地球化学组合特征研究

聚类分析和因子分析可以获得土壤元素地球化学组合特征及其差异性。对青州市表层土壤样品数据进行分析研究,通过聚类分析,绘制表层土壤元素聚类谱系图,将23种元素或指标分为5个元素组合簇群及2个单元素簇,研究各元素间的组合特征,探讨其相关性、聚集性及其指示意义;通过因子分析,找出有代表性的因子,用其代表变量,绘制典型因子得分等值线图,并从中分析不同元素组合的区域分布基于何种因素,用11个代表性因子的分布特征就基本可以代表青州市表层土壤23项原始变量的分布特征,并对F1,F2,F3主因子进行了地质解释。聚类分析与因子分析相结合,利于表层土壤中元素的共生组合特征及其差异性研究,利于对研究区表层土壤异常进行归纳总结。     

Modelling the effect of changing precipitation inputs on deep soil water utilization

Forests in the Southeastern United States are predicted to experience future changes in seasonal patterns of precipitation inputs as well as more variable precipitation events. These climate change‐induced alterations could increase drought and lower soil water availability. Drought could alter rooting patterns and increase the importance of deep roots that access subsurface water resources. To address plant response to drought in both deep rooting and soil water utilization as well as soil drainage, we utilize a throughfall reduction experiment in a loblolly pine plantation of the Southeastern United States to calibrate and validate a hydrological model. The model was accurately calibrated against field measured soil moisture data under ambient rainfall and validated using 30% throughfall reduction data. Using this model, we then tested these scenarios: (a) evenly reduced precipitation; (b) less precipitation in summer, more in winter; (c) same total amount of precipitation with less frequent but heavier storms; and (d) shallower rooting depth under the above 3 scenarios. When less precipitation was received, drainage decreased proportionally much faster than evapotranspiration implying plants will acquire water first to the detriment of drainage. When precipitation was reduced by more than 30%, plants relied on stored soil water to satisfy evapotranspiration suggesting 30% may be a threshold that if sustained over the long term would deplete plant available soil water. Under the third scenario, evapotranspiration and drainage decreased, whereas surface run‐off increased. Changes in root biomass measured before and 4 years after the throughfall reduction experiment were not detected among treatments. Model simulations, however, indicated gains in evapotranspiration with deeper roots under evenly reduced precipitation and seasonal precipitation redistribution scenarios but not when precipitation frequency was adjusted. Deep soil and deep rooting can provide an important buffer capacity when precipitation alone cannot satisfy the evapotranspirational demand of forests. How this buffering capacity will persist in the face of changing precipitation inputs, however, will depend less on seasonal redistribution than on the magnitude of reductions and changes in rainfall frequency.     

Evaluating soil water routing approaches in watershed-scale,ecohydrologic modelling

Soil water dynamics are central in linking and regulating natural cycles in ecohydrology, however, mathematical representation of soil water processes in models is challenging given the complexity of these interactions. To assess the impacts of soil water simulation approaches on various model outputs, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool was modified to accommodate an alternative soil water percolation method and tested at two geographically and climatically distinct, instrumented watersheds in the United States. Soil water was evaluated at the site scale via measured observations, and hydrologic and biophysical outputs were analysed at the watershed scale. Results demonstrated an improved Kling–Gupta Efficiency of up to 0.3 and a reduction in percent bias from 5 to 25% at the site scale, when soil water percolation was changed from a threshold, bucket-based approach to an alternative approach based on variable hydraulic conductivity. The primary difference between the approaches was attributed to the ability to simulate soil water content above field capacity for successive days; however, regardless of the approach, a lack of site-specific characterization of soil properties by the soils database at the site scale was found to severely limit the analysis. Differences in approach led to a regime shift in percolation from a few, high magnitude events to frequent, low magnitude events. At the watershed scale, the variable hydraulic conductivity-based approach reduced average annual percolation by 20–50 mm, directly impacting the water balance and subsequently biophysical predictions. For instance, annual denitrification increased by 14–24 kg/ha for the new approach. Overall, the study demonstrates the need for continued efforts to enhance soil water model representation for improving biophysical process simulations.     

徐闻南山镇红树林沉积物及红树植物中重金属的累积特征与迁移规律

为探究重金属在红树林沉积物及红树植物中的分布累积及迁移规律，选取了徐闻南山镇红树林为研究对象，通过测定红树林沉积物及红树植物不同部位（根、茎、叶）的重金属质量分数，运用富集因子、生物富集系数、转移系数及相关性分析等方法进行分析。结果表明：1）红树林沉积物重金属质量分数表现为铬（Cr）＞锌（Zn）＞镍（Ni）＞铜（Cu）＞铅（Pb）＞砷（As）＞汞（Hg）＞镉（Cd），为中等变异程度；除了镍（Ni）元素外，其余7种重金属未超过国家一级标准，除了铅（Pb）元素外，其余7种重金属均超过广东省土壤环境背景值，说明研究区沉积物中重金属具有一定的积累效应。2）沉积物中砷（As）、铜（Cu）、锌（Zn）、汞（Hg）、镍（Ni）、铬（Cr）富集因子值均＞1.5，说明受到轻微人为活动影响；各站位镍（Ni）富集因子值均＞5，结合研究区背景，反映了镍（Ni）受到自然和人为输入的共同影响。3）白骨壤体内重金属主要集中在根部，而红海榄体内重金属在根茎叶中分布相对均匀。白骨壤根茎叶部位的大多数重金属质量分数远高于红海榄，说明白骨壤对重金属的吸附能力比红海榄强。汞（Hg）集中分布在植物的叶片部位，且与其他重金属之间相关性不明显；推测汞（Hg）主要通过叶片吸收进入植物体内，与交通运输污染有关。4）不同红树植物对不同重金属富集能力各异，白骨壤对重金属的富集能力表现为：镉（Cd）＞砷（As）＞铜（Cu）＞锌（Zn）＞汞（Hg）＞铅（Pb）＞镍（Ni）＞铬（Cr），红海榄表现为：镉（Cd）＞铜（Cu）＞汞（Hg）＞锌（Zn）＞铅（Pb）＞砷（As）＞镍（Ni）＞铬（Cr）。白骨壤和红海榄对汞（Hg）的运移能力都较强；红海榄对镉（Cd）的富集能力和转运能力都较强，而白骨壤对镉（Cd）富集能力较强，转运能力却较弱，这说明红树植物对重金属元素的富集能力与转运能力不存在正比关系。     

Spatial patch structure and adaptive strategy for desert shrub of Reaumuria soongorica in arid ecosystem of the Heihe River Basin

In many arid ecosystems, vegetation frequently occurs in high-cover patches interspersed in a matrix of low plant cover. However, theoretical explanations for shrub patch pattern dynamics along climate gradients remain unclear on a large scale. This context aimed to assess the variance of the Reaumuria soongorica patch structure along the precipitation gradient and the factors that affect patch structure formation in the middle and lower Heihe River Basin (HRB). Field investigations on vegetation patterns and heterogeneity in soil properties were conducted during 2014 and 2015. The results showed that patch height, size and plant-to-patch distance were smaller in high precipitation habitats than in low precipitation sites. Climate, soil and vegetation explained 82.5% of the variance in patch structure. Spatially, R. soongorica shifted from a clumped to a random pattern on the landscape towards the MAP gradient, and heterogeneity in the surface soil properties (the ratio of biological soil crust (BSC) to bare gravels (BG)) determined the R. soongorica population distribution pattern in the middle and lower HRB. A conceptual model, which integrated water availability and plant facilitation and competition effects, was revealed that R. soongorica changed from a flexible water use strategy in high precipitation regions to a consistent water use strategy in low precipitation areas. Our study provides a comprehensive quantification of the variance in shrub patch structure along a precipitation gradient and may improve our understanding of vegetation pattern dynamics in the Gobi Desert under future climate change.

     

Classification of inorganic natural fine-grained soils in Korea based on modified plasticity chart

Classification of fine-grained soils is typically conducted using plasticity charts. The typically used plasticity chart proposed by Casagrande was questioned by Polidori proposing different classification criterion in separating clayey and silty soils. Using natural clayey and silty soils sampled from four different coastal sites in Korea, applicability of both Casagrande’s and Polidori’s plasticity charts was evaluated. Classification results of Korean natural soils based on the Casagrande’s and Polidori’s plasticity charts did not match well with those based on the soils’ behavior reported in the previous publication. The disagreement in classification of Korean natural fine-grained soils may result from disregard of considerable silt fraction effect on plastic and liquid limits for Polidori’s chart. Consequently, revised proposal of Polidori’s plasticity chart was tentatively made for further classification of fine-grained soils suitable for Korean natural soils by accounting the effect of silt fraction on soil classification.     

Properties of geogrid-reinforced marine slope due to the groundwater level changes

Evaluation of slope stability, especially in the absence of a proper bed such as marine soils, is one of the most important issues in geotechnical engineering. Using geogrid layers to enhance the strength and stability of embankments is regarded as a commendable stabilization method. On the other hand, groundwater level erratically fluctuates in coastal areas. Therefore, the aim of this research is to study the effects of groundwater level changes on stability of a geogrid-reinforced slope on loose marine soils in Qeshm Island, Iran. At first, geotechnical properties of the site were obtained by comprehensive series of geotechnical laboratory and in situ tests. Then, by simultaneous changes of groundwater level and several parameters such as embankment slope, loading, geogrid length, geogrid number, and tensile strength of geogrid, different characteristics such as embankment safety factor (SF), vertical and horizontal displacements at embankment top and embankment base were studied. It was observed that groundwater level had significant effects on behavior of the embankment. For most of the observations, by decreasing the groundwater level, the displacements decreased and consequently safety factor increased. Increasing the length, number, and tensile strength of geogrid led to the reduction of displacements and an increase in the safety factor.     

乌兰布和沙漠典型植物群落土壤风蚀可蚀性研究

为探明植被恢复对乌兰布和沙漠土壤风蚀可蚀性的影响，以乌兰布和沙漠内不同沙地固 定阶段的 8 种典型植物群落及群落内表土作为研究对象，对土壤物理因子（可蚀性颗粒含量、土壤 含水量、有机质含量）、土壤结皮因子、植被因子 3 类土壤风蚀可蚀性因子指标进行监测，分析土壤 风蚀可蚀性因子在不同植物群落类型间、沙地固定阶段间的差异。结果表明：（1）在乌兰布和沙漠 典型植物群落中，沙蓬、沙生针茅、盐爪爪等草本植物群落的土壤风蚀可蚀性最强，白刺、梭梭、沙 冬青等灌木植物群落土壤风蚀可蚀性弱于草本植物群落，说明灌木林能显著降低土壤风蚀作用。 （2）随着沙地的不断固定，土壤结构不断发育，土壤可蚀性不断降低，土壤风蚀可蚀性强弱表现为 固定沙地<半固定沙地<流动沙地。（3）土壤可蚀性颗粒含量、土壤有机质含量、土壤含水量、土壤结 皮、植被因子与植被类型及沙地固定阶段具有显著相关关系。因此，在沙区生态建设工程中，为了 减少土壤风蚀量，不仅要考虑物种的选择，还要促进人工生态系统的演替和恢复，从而有效降低土 壤风蚀可蚀性。研究结果可为乌兰布和沙区植被生态系统服务功能的科学评价、防沙治沙工程的 建设与管理提供一定参考。