Desertification in reverse? Observations from northern Burkina Faso

The idea of degradation of arid and semi-arid lands, often termed desertification in its irreversible form, due to human impact and/or climatic change has been much debated since the mid-1970s. From the time of the United Nation's Conference On Desertification in Nairobi, 1976, certain areas of northern Burkina Faso have been pointed out as examples of severe desertification. Several studies demonstrated that revitalization of a series of E–W oriented fossille dunes in the Oudalan province was ongoing. The present study includes an analysis of the trends of vegetation development in the region, covering the period 1955 to 1994, with emphasis on the fossile dunes. It is demonstrated that desertification and revitalization of dunes were phenomena associated with the period between the early 1970s and the mid-1980s, and that the decline in vegetation cover on the dunes seems to have been reversed in recent years. The analysis is based upon time series of aerial photos and satellite images, field studies of vegetation, interviews with local people and review of relevant literature. The findings are discussed with reference to the debate concerning desertification and land degradation, as well as to the current revisions of the ‘range management paradigm’. The observations indicate that the environmental history of the region is complex and cannot be boiled down to ‘human-induced irreversible degradation’. Rather they support the idea of semi-arid cultural landscapes undergoing constant change in response to both human impact and climatic trends and fluctuations.     

Climatic Change, Wars and Dynastic Cycles in China Over the Last Millennium

In recent years, the phenomenon of global warming and its implications for the future of the human race have been intensively studied. In contrast, few quantitative studies have been attempted on the notable effects of past climatic changes upon human societies. This study explored the relationship between climatic change and war in China by comparing high-resolution paleo-climatic reconstructions with known war incidences in China in the last millennium. War frequencies showed a cyclic pattern that closely followed the global paleo-temperature changes. Strong and significant correlations were found between climatic change, war occurrence, harvest level, population size and dynastic transition. During cold phases, China suffered more often from frequent wars, population decline and dynastic changes. The quantitative analyses suggested that the reduction of thermal energy input during a cold phase would lower the land carrying capacity in the traditional agrarian society, and the population size, with significant accretions accrued in the previous warm phase, could not be sustained by the shrinking resource base. The stressed human-nature relationship generated a ‘push force’, leading to more frequent wars between states, regions and tribes, which could lead to the collapse of dynasties and collapses of human population size. War frequencies varied according to geographical locations (North, Central and South China) due to spatial variations in the physical environment and hence differential response to climatic change. Moreover, war occurrences demonstrated an obvious time lag after an episode of temperature fall, and the three geographical regions experienced different length of time lags. This research also shows that human population increases and collapses were correlated with the climatic phases and the social instabilities that were induced by climate changes during the last millennium. The findings proposed a new interpretation of human-nature relationship in the past, with implications for the impacts of anomalous global warming on future human conflicts.     

The climate-population nexus in the East African Horn: Emerging degradation trends in rangeland and pastoral livelihood zones

Increasing climate variability and extreme weather conditions along with declining trends in both rainfall and temperature represent major risk factors affecting agricultural production and food security in many regions of the world. The rangelands of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia in the East African Horn remain one of the world's most food insecure regions, yet have substantially increasing human populations predominantly dependent on pastoralist and agro-pastoralist livelihoods. We identify regions where substantial rainfall decrease between two periods interrupted by the 1998 El Nino event (1981–2012) in the East African Horn is coupled with human population density increases. Vegetation in this region is characterized by a variable mosaic of land covers, generally dominated by grasslands necessary for agro-pastoralism, interspersed by woody vegetation. Recent assessments indicate that vegetation degradation is occurring, adversely impacting fragile ecosystems and human livelihoods. Using AVHRR and MODIS vegetation products from 1981 to 2012, we observe changes in vegetation patterns and productivity over the last decade across the East African Horn. We observe vegetation browning trends in areas experiencing reduced main-growing season precipitation; these areas are also concurrently experiencing increasing population pressures. We also found that the drying precipitation patterns only partially statistically explain the vegetation browning trends, indicating that other factors such as population pressures and land use changes might be responsible for the observed declining vegetation condition. Furthermore, we show that the general vegetation browning trends persist even during years with normal rainfall conditions such as 2012, pointing to potential long-term degradation of rangelands on which approximately 10 million people depend. These findings may have implications for current and future regional food security monitoring and forecasting as well as for mitigation and adaptation strategies in a region where population is expected to continue increasing against a backdrop of drying climate trends and increased climatic variability.     

Analysis of Desertification in Mongolia

The possibility of applying remote sensing data to the identification and monitoring of desertification is demonstrated. The present study includes the investigation of desertification of the territory of Mongolia by the analysis of vegetation dynamics over the period from 1982 to 2016 and its interrelation with climatic, natural, and anthropogenic components. It is found that the main contribution to the vegetation degradation in Mongolia was made by precipitation decrease and air temperature rise. The indirect factors such as livestock, land cultivation, and wildfires increased the influence of climatic factors and gave impetus to the desertification in some arid and semiarid regions.     

Land Cover, Rainfall and Land-Surface Albedo in West Africa

Land surface albedo is an important variable in General Circulation Models (GCMs). When land cover is modified through anthropogenic land use, changes in land-surface albedo may produce atmospheric subsidence and reduction of rainfall. In this study we examined albedo time series and their relationships with rainfall, land cover, and population in West Africa. This particular region was selected because it has become a focal point in debates over biophysical impacts of desertification and deforestation. Our analyses revealed that albedo and rainfall were related only modestly at short time scales (monthly and annual) and that mean annual albedo values remained relatively stable from 1982–1989 over a widerange of climatic and vegetation zones in West Africa. The relationship between long-term mean rainfall and mean albedo was strong and curvilinear(r² = 0.802). The same was true for the relationship betweenpercent tree cover and mean albedo (r² = 0.659). These results suggest that long-term climate patterns, which control vegetation type and canopy structure, have greater influence on albedo than short-term fluctuations in rainfall. Our results reinforce other recent studies based on satellite data that have questioned the extent and pervasiveness of desertification in West Africa.     

极端天气气候事件变化对荒漠化、土地退化和粮食安全的影响

土地是人类赖以生存的重要资源,在受气候变化影响的同时其状况变化也在气候系统中起着关键作用。IPCC最新发布的气候变化与土地特别报告（SRCCL）系统反映了关于荒漠化、土地退化、可持续土地管理、粮食安全和陆地生态系统碳通量方面的最新科学认知,并探讨了如何进行更加可持续性的土地利用和管理以应对与土地相关的气候变化问题。文中从极端事件变化及其影响的角度,结合SRCCL与其他相关文献,予以分析和总结。结果表明,在全球变暖的背景下,极端天气气候事件的变化已经并将继续影响荒漠化和土地退化进程并对粮食安全造成冲击;而土地对气候系统的反馈作用,又会加剧气候变化并提高极端事件发生的概率和严重程度。面对气候变化尤其是极端事件给土地带来的巨大压力,必须坚持可持续的土地管理,通过减少包括土地和粮食系统在内的所有行业的排放,才有可能实现到21世纪末将全球平均升温控制在相对工业化前水平2℃以内的目标,以减轻气候变化对土地和粮食系统的负面影响。     

近40年西藏“一江两河”流域气候变化特征

利用近40年的降水、气温、小型蒸发量、大风日数和沙尘暴日数等气象资料, 采用现代气候统计诊断和环境综合评价方法, 分析了西藏“一江两河”农业综合开发区域的气候特征。结果表明:该流域呈现气温升高、降水量增加的暖湿化气候特征。区域内年平均气温每10年升高了0.24 ℃, 降水量前20年平均每年减少2.9 mm, 而后20年呈显著的增加趋势, 平均每年增加9.6 mm; 蒸发量、大风日数和沙尘暴日数呈明显的减少趋势; 区域环境综合评价指数提高了5.24%。近期暖湿化的气候变化趋势对干旱半干旱的河谷地带而言, 有利于生态环境的改善, 但因洪涝、冰雹等自然灾害的频繁和人为因素使水土流失和土地沙漠化正在加剧。     

毛乌素沙区近期春季气候变化趋势的探讨

本文根据毛乌素沙区鄂托克，东胜、盐池、榆林和乌审旗近40年的春委气象资料，讨论了与沙漠化过程有关因子的气候演变趋势。结果表明，在50年代后期和60年代春季，气候较湿；70年代春季变干；80年代春季变湿。假如这种准10年的气候振荡是客观存在的，那么90年代春季的气候将可能变干。通过对这些台站的春季降水量与春季干燥系数的时间序列的功率变分析，发现存在准3年和8－9年的周期，它可能与北半球冷空气活动及西太平洋副热高压环流的气候振荡有某种内在的联系。本文采用多元线性回归方法建立了降水量和干燥系数的预报模型。利用建国以来的实例讨论了人类对大自然的不同干预将会产生不同的气候效应。     

近40a海西蒙古族藏族自治州沙漠化时空变化及驱动力分析

通过对海西蒙古族藏族自治州1975—2015年Landsat卫星遥感影像进行解译,获取了该州近40 a沙漠化土地动态变化特征。结果表明:(1)研究区近40 a沙漠化土地面积先增加后减少,1975—1995年为沙漠化发展时期,1995—2015年为沙漠化逆转时期,1995年沙漠化程度最高,沙漠化土地面积17 1591.42 km~2;(2)沙漠化变化集中在研究区高海拔地区,柴达木盆地内部一直以重度沙漠化为主;沙漠化明显发展和明显逆转分别集中在1985—1995年和1995—2005年;(3)各类型沙漠化土地重心迁移总体表现为1975—1995年向东迁移,1995—2015年向西折返。通过对海西蒙古族藏族自治州沙漠化时空变化的驱动因素进行分析,表明人为因素是造成20世纪90年代之前研究区沙漠化显著发展的主导因素,而气候因素和人为因素共同促进了之后的沙漠化逆转。     

Human thermal perception related to Föhn winds due to Saharan dust outbreaks in Crete Island,Greece

Crete Island is located in the southmost border of East Mediterranean basin, facing exacerbating atmospheric conditions (mainly concentrations of particulates) due to Saharan dust outbreaks. It is worth to note that these episodes are more frequent during spring and autumn, when mild biometeorological conditions become intolerable due to the synergy of the so called Föhn winds. Cretan mountains, especially Psiloritis Mt. (summit at 2456 m), are orientated perpendicularly to the southwest air mass flow, generating the Föhn winds. Propagating from the leeward of the mountains, these dry, hot winds have an effect on prevailing biometeorological conditions. While descending to the lowlands on the leeward side of the range, the wind becomes strong, gusty, and desiccating. This wind often lasts less than an hour to several days, with gradual weakening after the first or the second day. Sometimes, it stops very abruptly. In this work, the authors examined and analyzed the abrupt changes of human thermal perception within specific case studies during which Föhn winds appeared in Heraklion city at the leeward of Psiloritis Mt, associated with extreme Saharan dust episodes, observed within the period 2006–2010. In order to verify the development of Föhn winds, Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Reports (METARs, meteorological observations every half hour), were acquired from the Heraklion meteorological station installed by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS). The biometeorological conditions analyzed are based on human thermal bioclimatic indices such as the Physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). METAR recordings of meteorological variables, such as air temperature, vapor pressure, wind speed, and cloudiness, were used as input variables in modeling the aforementioned thermal indices, so that to interpret the grade of the thermo-physiological stress. The PET and UTCI analysis was performed by the use of the radiation and bioclimate model, “RayMan,” which is well-suited to calculate radiation fluxes and human biometeorological indices. The results of the performed analysis showed even an increase of air temperature from 20 to 30 °C within 5 h, associated with a decrease in the vapor pressure from 11.5 to 9.3 hPa. In addition, the wind speed at 10 m increased from 5.1 to 20.1 m/s, 3.7 to 14.3 m/s with respect to 1.1 m height, during the events of Föhn winds. The biometeorological analysis has given evidence that slight/moderate heat stress classes of the examined thermal indices appear during Saharan dust episodes. Such conditions are uncommon at the beginning of spring season, indicating that Saharan dust episodes are not only responsible for acute health impacts but also for adverse biometeorological conditions, due to the very likely development of Föhn winds towards the wider area of Heraklion, a coastal city in the eastern Mediterranean.     

Variation in wind velocity over water

Starting from the equations of motion and continuity, a theoretical model is deduced in this paper for the variation in wind velocity over water caused by abrupt changes in surface roughness and temperature when air flows from land to water, based on the consideration that the turbulent exchange coefficient varies with height and distance from the upwind edge. According to the computation of this model, the variation in wind velocity over water, as the drift of air is from land to water, occurs mainly in the first few kilometers from the upwind edge. The wind velocity over water increases to a maximum when the air over land is stable, it tends to moderate when neutral condition is reached, and least variation is shown in unstable condition. And when the air over land is unstable the wind velocity is less over water than over land in strong winds, but some-what greater in light winds.     

Witnessing North Atlantic westerlies variability from ships’ logbooks (1685–2008)

A monthly index based on the persistence of the westerly winds over the English Chanel is constructed for 1685–2008 using daily data from ships’ logbooks and comprehensive marine meteorological datasets. The so-called Westerly Index (WI) provides the longest instrumental record of atmospheric circulation currently available. Anomalous WI values are associated with spatially coherent climatic signals in temperature and precipitation over large areas of Europe, which are stronger for precipitation than for temperature and in winter and summer than in transitional seasons. Overall, the WI series accord with the known European climatic history, and reveal that the frequency of the westerlies in the eastern Atlantic during the twentieth century and the Late Maunder Minimum was not exceptional in the context of the last three centuries. It is shown that the WI provides additional and complementary information to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) indices. The analysis of WI series during the industrial era indicates an overall good agreement with the winter and high-summer NAO, with the exception of several multidecadal periods of weakened correlation. These decoupled periods between the frequency and the intensity of the zonal flow are interpreted on the basis of several sources of non-stationarity affecting the centres of the variability of the North Atlantic and their teleconnections. Comparisons with NAO reconstructions and long instrumental indices extending back to the seventeenth century suggest that similar situations have occurred in the past, which call for caution when reconstructing the past atmospheric circulation from climatic proxies. The robustness and extension of its climatic signal, the length of the series and its instrumental nature make the WI an excellent benchmark for proxy calibration in Europe and Greenland.     

云迹风资料的三维变分同化及对台风预报的影响试验

主要研究云迹风资料对三维变分同化分析场及台风预报的影响。首先分析了不同通道和层次的静止气象卫星云迹风产品的误差特征；然后，把云迹风资料放到GRAPES三维变分同化系统中进行同化，通过将不同观测类型资料的同化结果进行对比，探讨了红外通道和水汽通道云迹风资料对数值预报分析场的影响；最后，把同化后的分析场作为初始场，用WRF模式对2002年“森拉克”台风做24小时预报实验。结果表明，不同通道和层次的云迹风资料具有不同的误差特征；云迹风资料可以提高分析场和预报场中风压场的质量；而且在台风预报试验中可以更准确地预报台风的路径和降水。     

中国春季沙尘天气频数的时空变化及其与地面风压场的关系

文中利用EOF和SVD方法分析了近半个世纪中国春季沙尘天气频数的时空分布特征及其与近地面风速和海平面气压的关系。中国北方大部分地区春季沙尘天气发生频数近半个世纪呈减少趋势 ,2 0世纪 70年代末以前沙尘天气发生频数较多 ,70年代末开始逐渐减少 ,1997年降到最低值 ,同期中国近地面风速也呈减小趋势 ,两者之间存在显著相关。春季海平面气压场与中国沙尘天气的发生频数有十分密切的联系 ,海平面气压在中高纬度地区降低 ,中低纬度地区升高 ,气压梯度发生改变 ,从而引起地面风速减小 ,进一步影响到沙尘天气发生频数减少     

华东沿海地形对登陆热带气旋运动影响的理想数值研究

利用中尺度数值模式设计一组高分辨率理想试验,采用位涡趋势方法定量诊断分析热带气旋在登陆我国华东沿海地形时,其运动发生的精细化变化以及不同因子的贡献。结果表明,平地的存在使得登陆热带气旋移速相对更快,当华东沿海地形存在时,热带气旋移速显著增大,这种增速现象主要是由于平地和地形所引起的非对称气流以及相应的引导气流变化所致,这很可能是导致预报路径误差的一个重要原因。平地试验中,陆地在热带气旋低层激发出中小尺度的非对称气流,与之不同的是,实际地形的加入激发出更大尺度并且更强的非对称偏南气流。位涡趋势方法的诊断结果表明,非引导效应总体而言对热带气旋运动贡献较小,这是因为这些因子相互抵消,但在不同的垂直层次上,不同的非引导因子贡献存在明显的差异。     

Global trends and patterns of drought from space

This paper analyzes changes in areas under droughts over the past three decades and alters our understanding of how amplitude and frequency of droughts differ in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) and Northern Hemisphere (NH). Unlike most previous global-scale studies that have been based on climate models, this study is based on satellite gauge-adjusted precipitation observations. Here, we show that droughts in terms of both amplitude and frequency are more variable over land in the SH than in the NH. The results reveal no significant trend in the areas under drought over land in the past three decades. However, after investigating land in the NH and the SH separately, the results exhibit a significant positive trend in the area under drought over land in the SH, while no significant trend is observed over land in the NH. We investigate the spatial patterns of the wetness and dryness over the past three decades, and we show that several regions, such as the southwestern United States, Texas, parts of the Amazon, the Horn of Africa, northern India, and parts of the Mediterranean region, exhibit a significant drying trend. The global trend maps indicate that central Africa, parts of southwest Asia (e.g., Thailand, Taiwan), Central America, northern Australia, and parts of eastern Europe show a wetting trend during the same time span. The results of this satellite-based study disagree with several model-based studies which indicate that droughts have been increasing over land. On the other hand, our findings concur with some of the observation-based studies.     

中国区域陆面覆盖变化的气候效应模拟研究

基于MODIS和CLCV陆面覆盖资料,利用区域气候模式RegCM4分别进行两组24年（1978-2001年）的数值模拟试验,研究中国区域陆面覆盖变化对区域气候的影响。结果表明,以荒漠化和植被退化为主要特征的陆面覆盖变化通过改变陆面能量、水分平衡与大尺度环流进而对气候要素产生重要影响。夏季,中国南方地区普遍降温,季风边缘区及藏北高原气温升高,降水减少;季风边缘区与西北地区气温年际波动加剧;内蒙古中东部地区西南风增强,进而水汽输送增强,一定程度上增加了该地区降水。冬季,中国东部地区偏北气流增强,更多干燥冷空气南下,使得黄河以南地区降水减少、气温降低。     

湛江东海岛二月海陆风环流特征研究

利用2011年2月湛江东海岛风廓线雷达资料,系统分析了湛江东海岛2月平均风场特征及海陆风特征,结果表明:2月湛江东海岛150 m高度处以东偏北出现频率最大,在E、ENE和NE三个方位的风向出现频率之和为66.6%,偏西七个方位的风向出现频率之和仅为1%。以SSW方位为界,偏东风与偏西风的出现频率差异明显。各整点的月平均风速1:00—15:00变化较小,均在1 m/s左右波动;15:00—20:00风速及风速波动都较大,最大值出现在16:00时,为2.1 m/s。2011年2月中只有2日与14日两日符合海陆风日条件,两日共同海风时段为13:00—20:00,持续7 h;陆风时段为2:00—7:00,持续5 h。海风平均风速为2.1 m/s,陆风平均风速为0.8 m/s,海风平均风速明显大于陆风风速。海风与陆风环流垂直高度相差甚小,约1.2 km,风速随高度变化趋势均为先增后减;海风最大风速出现在750 m高度处,陆风出现在500 m高度处,500～750 m高度区间海风环流强度明显强于陆风环流。2 km之上为均匀一致的系统性西风环流。     

Climate-Induced Variability of Sea Level in Stockholm： Influence of Air Temperature and Atmospheric Circulation

This study is focused on climate-induced variation of sea level in Stockholm during 1873-1995. After the effect of the land uplift, is removed, the residual is characterized and related to large-scale temperature and atmospheric circulation. The residual shows an overall upward trend, although this result depends on the uplift rate used. However, the seasonal distribution of the trend is uneven. There are even two months （June and August） that show a negative trend. The significant trend in August may be linked to fresh water input that is controlled by precipitation. The influence of the atmospheric conditions on the sea level is mainly manifested through zonal winds, vorticity and temperature. While the wind is important in the period January-May, the vorticity plays a main role during June and December. A successful linear multiple-regression model linking the climatic variables （zonal winds, vorticity and mean air temperature during the previous two months） and the sea level is established for each month. An independent verification of the model shows that it has considerable skill in simulating the variability.     

面向新型城镇化的气候承载力指标研究——以皖江城市带为例

从服务新型城镇化进程出发,本文基于气候条件与人类活动的相互作用关系,同时考虑气候的资源和灾害双重属性,识别并构建了包含气候资源供给、气候灾害限制和城镇化协调发展水平三方面要素的气候承载力评价指标体系,进而采用熵权法、耦合协调度模型和GIS技术等方法实现了指标的量化,形成了气候承载力的综合评价指标和模型。以皖江城市带为例,应用该套指标方法探讨了气候承载力的空间格局与关键影响因子,结果表明,皖江城市带城镇化发展格局与气候承载力分布较为一致,气候承载力较高的地区意味着可容纳的城市发展负荷量较高,而与之对应的这些地区城镇化集聚程度也较高;但气候承载力水平空间差异显著,区域整体气候承载力还有待进一步优化提升。根据城镇化集聚度和气候承载力特点,将皖江城市带分为4个等级和12种类型,并进一步揭示了不同类型地区存在的承载力"短板"和问题现状。