Diurnal and seasonal variation of glacier meltwater hydrochemistry in Qiyi glacierized catchment in Qilian Mountains,Northwest China: implication for chemical weathering

In glacierized catchments, glacier runoff typically shows a strong diurnal cycle in the ablation season (June-September). To elucidate the effect of these processes on the chemical weathering, fresh snowfall and water samples were collected and studied from the supraglacial river, proglacial river, and gauging site in Qiyi glacierized catchment Qilian Mountains, Northwestern China, in the summer of 2011. The pH and electronic conductivity (EC) were determined in the field, and the concentrations of major ions (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl^-, SO₄^2-, NO₃^-) were measured. The results indicated that EC linearly increased with increasing distance from the glacial snout, and the concentrations of major ions increased with increasing water-rock interaction time. Along the flow path of the glacier runoff, Na⁺ and Cl^- are more concentrated than other ions in the supraglacial river while Mg²⁺ and SO₄^2- are more concentrated than other ions at the gauging site. The discharge, pH, EC, and the concentrations of major ions exhibited significant diurnal variation along the flow path. On the other hand, the amplitude of variation diminished from upstream to downstream along the flow path. The chemical weathering rate (Na⁺+K⁺+Mg²⁺+Ca²⁺) was determined to be 10.9 t/yr/km². Moreover, further research indicated that the sampling method influenced the assessment of chemical weathering rates. When the sample was collected randomly in one diurnal cycle of hydrography, the estimated ionic flux could deviate -47%~73% based on estimated hourly data. In contrast, if three samples were collected at peak, base flow and the discharge decreasing rate starts to slow down in one diurnal cycle of hydrography, respectively, the deviation would be less than 15%. The smaller the diurnal variation of discharge, the smaller deviation calculated.     

Physico-chemical characteristics and environmental significance of snow deposition on Haxilegen glacier No.51 in Tian Shan, China

Snow chemistry on the glaciers of alpine regions is a good indicator of atmospheric environmental change.We examine snow chemistry in three snowpits at different altitudes on the Haxilegen Glacier No.51,in the Kuitun River source,Tian Shan,China,during July-September 2004 to 2007.We use correlation analysis,factor analysis and sea-salt tracing methods to examine the characteristics and sources of major ions and mineral dust particles in the snow.Results show that mineral dust particles and major ions in the snow pits vary seasonally.During the Asian dust period in springtime,the concentration of mineral dust particles and major ions deposited in snow is high,while the concentration is relatively low during the non-dust period of summer and autumn.This may be caused by dust storm activity in central Asia.The order of major ionic concentrations in the snow packs was determined to be Ca2+ > SO42-> NH4+ > NO3-> Cl-> Na+ > Mg2+ > K+.Ca2+ was the dominant cation;SO42- was the dominant anion.We find,with the exception of NO3-,that the variabilities of ionic concentrations are highly correlated.Results show that the glacier region was significantly affected by dust activity and anthropogenic source.The major ions,especially Na+,originate from dust sources of central Asia and from the Ocean,transported by the westerly winds.     

Chemical characteristics of four kinds of water in the rongbuk glacier basin, Mount Qomolangma

ＤｕｒｉｎｇｔｈｅｔｈｒｅｅＭｔ．ＱｏｍｏｌａｎｇｍａＥｘｐｅｄｉｔｉｏｎｓｏｆ１９５９－１９６０,１９６６－１９６８ａｎｄ１９７５,ＣｈｉｎｅｓｅｓｃｉｅｎｔｉｓｔｓｈａｄｏｂｔａｉｎｅｄｍａｎｙｄａｔａｏｆｇｌａｃｉｅｒｓｉｎｔｈｅｄｉｓｔｒｉｃｔｏｆＭｔ．Ｑｏｍｏｌａｎｇｍａ（Ｗａｎｇｅｔａｌ．,１９８０;Ｘｉｅｅｔａｌ．,１９７５;Ｚｈａｎｇｅｔａｌ．,１９７５）．ＩｎＭａｙ１９９７,Ｐｒｏｆ．ＱｉｎＤａｈｅａｎｄＰｒｏｆ．ＰａｕｌＡ．Ｍａｙｅｗｓｋｉｏｒｇａｎｉｚｅｄａｎｏｔｈｅ…     

Spectrum characteristics of major ion concentrations at Wuhan sectoin of the Changjiang Rriver

Spectrum analyses of water quality time series have been carried out for five hydrometric stations including Wuhan hydrometric station of the Changjiang(Yangtze) River, etc. The fluctuations of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and HCO ₃ ⁻ concentrations in river water under different physical geography conditions have about two-year cycle which is corresponding to hydrometeorological quasi-biannual-oscillation (QBO). Na⁺, Cl⁻ SO ₄ ²⁻ have about two-year cycle in the area lightly affected by human activities while two-year cycle doesn’t exist in the area heavily affected by human activities. All the fluctuations of major ions have about three-month cycle. The river diseharge fluctuation accounts for 43.9%, 45.1%, 54.3%, 33.9%, 30.3% and 42.7% of the variance of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, HCO ₃ ⁻ , Na⁺, Cl⁻, SO ₄ ²⁻ , respectively, at Wuhan from 1962 to 1985. According to the spectrum characteristic of major ions, the duration of the time series has to be at least 13 years for trend analysis of monthly water quality data. Foundation item: Under the auspices of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 49671017). Biography: XIA Xing-hui(1971-), female, a native of Hunan Province, Ph. D. Her research interest includes environmental chemistry.     

Effects of nitrogen specification and culture method on growth of Enteromorpha prolifera

Eutrophication, which is the enrichment of a water mass with inorganic and organic nutrients that support plant growth, is a key factor in stimulating phytoplankton growth. In this study, we determined the effects of various nitrogen sources, different nitrogen concentrations in the culture medium, and two culture methods on the growth of the green alga, Enteromorpha prolifera. The relationship between the specific growth rate of E. prolifera and NO3--N concentration was consistent with that estimated using the Monod equation (R2 = 0.9713, P < 0.01). In the NO3--N medium, the maximum specific growth rate was calculated to be 0.1634/d and the semi-saturation constant was calculated to be 16.86 μmol/L. Our results show that E. prolifera can effectively utilize NH4+-N, NO3--N, and NO2--N and urea-N in the range of 5 to 50 μmol/L. NH4+-N was preferentially assimilated by E. prolifera, and urea-N was favorable for long-term growth.     

The effect of chemical cues on the settlement of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) larvae

The effects of four ions and eight neuroactive compounds on inducing larval settlement of A. japonicus were assessed in the present study. All bioassays were conducted in 60 × 9 mm Petri dishes, each contained 10 mL of the test solution and 10 doliolaria larvae. There were significant inductive effects of K+(10- mmol L-1), NH+4(0.1 mmol L1), GABA(10-3 mol L-1), acetylcholine(10-5 mol L-1), L-DOPA(10-5 mol L-1), norepinephrine(10-5 mol L-1) and dopamine(10-7 mol L-1 and 10-5 mol L-1) on the settlement of sea cucumber larvae. L-DOPA and dopamine are the most efficient chemical cues to induce A. japonicus larvae to settle. The highest percentage of larval settlement was induced by 10-5 mol L-1 L-DOPA and dopamine(33% and 40%) compared to the control(7%). However, Ca2+, Mg2+, choline, serotonin, and epinephrine were less effective on larval settlement at all tested concentrations. This study evaluated the stability and feasibility of chemical cues for larval settlement in different culture systems, which can be applied to improve the hatchery production of this valuable species.     

Change in fresh snow density in Tianshan Mountains,China

The fresh snow density was observed with snow analyzer (Snow Fork) at Tianshan Station for Snowcover and Avalanche Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences from February 21 to March 5, 2009. Results show that fresh snow density increases from the 5th h to the 291st h after the snowfall, with an average rate of increase of 4.0×10-4 g/(cm3·h) (R2 = 0.943). Analysis shows that fresh snow density is negatively correlated with the compac-tion rate of fresh snow (R2 = -0.960). Inversely, it is positively correlated ...     

GROUNDWATER QUALITY AND CONTAMINATION INDEX MAPPING IN CHANGCHUN CITY, CHINA

1INTRODUCTIONGroundwater in Changchun City assures about 45% of total water supply. Drinking water supply of Chang-chun City was mostly served by surface water from Shitoukoumen and Xinlicheng reservoirs located in the east and south of the city (ZHANG, 1993). However, with the development of urban construction the ground-water especially from deep boreholes is also used for drinking purpose in suburban areas. The urbanization process in Changchun City threatens the groundwater quali…     

Avalanche activity and characteristics of its triggering factors in the western Tianshan Mountains,China

Snow avalanche is a serious threat to the safety of roads in alpine mountains. In the western Tianshan Mountains, large scale avalanches occur every year and affect road safety. There is an urgent need to identify the characteristics of triggering factors for avalanche activity in this region to improve road safety and the management of natural hazards. Based on the observation of avalanche activity along the national road G218 in the western Tianshan Mountains, avalanche event data in combination with meteorological, snowpack and earthquake data were collected and analyzed. The snow climate of the mountain range was examined using a recently developed snow climate classification scheme, and triggering conditions of snow avalanche in different snow climate regions were compared. The results show that snowfall is the most common triggering factor for a natural avalanche and there is high probability of avalanche release with snowfall exceeding 20.4 mm during a snowfall period. Consecutive rise in temperature within three days and daily mean temperature reaching 0.5°C in the following day imply a high probability of temperaturerise-triggered avalanche release. Earthquakes have a significant impact on the formation of large size avalanches in the area. For the period 2011-2017, five cases were identified as a consequence of earthquake with magnitudes of 3.3≤M_L≤5.1 and source-to-site distances of 19~139 km. The Tianshan Mountains are characterized by a continental snow climate with lower snow density, lower snow shear strength and high proportion depth hoar, which explains that both the snowfall and temperature for triggering avalanche release in the continental snow climate of the Tianshan Mountains are lower than that in maritime snow climate and transitional snow climate regions. The findings help forecast avalanche release for mitigating avalanche disaster and assessing the risk of avalanche disaster.     

The effect of land use change on soil and water quality in northern Iran

Rapid urbanization has led to extensive land-use changes,particularly in developing countries.This research is aimed to investigate the role of land use and its effect on soil and water quality in Ziarat watershed focusing on four land uses:forest,pasture,cultivated and urban development.Soil samples were taken from a depth of 0-30 cm on each land use and were analyzed by completely randomized split-plot design in two geographical directions.Results showed that bulk density(BD),electrical conductivity(EC),pH,calcium carbonate equivalent(CCE),and soil particle density(DS) of the soil samples in pastures,cultivated and urban areas increased and the mean weight diameter(MWD),soil porosity(F),organic carbons(OC),total nitrogen(TN),exchangeable cations(Ca 2+,Mg 2+,K +,Na +),cation exchange capacity(CEC) and soil microbial respirations(SMR) decreased,respectively in comparison with the forest soils.For water quality evaluations,sodium adsorption ratio(SAR),electrical conductivity(EC),pH,total dissolved solids(TDS),bicarbonate(HCO 3),chloride(Cl),total hardness(TH),calcium(Ca 2+),potassium(K +),sodium(Na +) and magnesium(Mg 2+) were investigated in two areas:Nahrkhoran and Abgir stations.Results showed that the concentration of TDS,EC and HCO 3 in Naharkhoran station is higher than that in Abgir station.On the other hand,the concentration of TDS,EC and HCO 3 in Abgir station are the relatively higher due to its location.Total hardness had the same trend during the study years except in the last three years;however,TH showed an increase of 25% TH in Naharkhoran for the last two years.Cl,K + and SAR in Naharkhoran station increased by 61%,22%,78% and 56% respectively,in comparison with Abgir station.This study demonstrated that the trend of soil degradation and mismanagement of land use may increase the frequency of urban floods and human health problems.     

Spatial distribution of snow depth based on geographically weighted regression kriging in the Bayanbulak Basin of the Tianshan Mountains,China

Snow depth is a general input variable in many models of agriculture,hydrology,climate and ecology.This study makes use of observational data of snow depth and explanatory variables to compare the accuracy and effect of geographically weighted regression kriging(GWRK)and regression kriging(RK)in a spatial interpolation of regional snow depth.The auxiliary variables are analyzed using correlation coefficients and the variance inflation factor(VIF).Three variables,Height,topographic ruggedness index(TRI),and land surface temperature(LST),are used as explanatory variables to establish a regression model for snow depth.The estimated spatial distribution of snow depth in the Bayanbulak Basin of the Tianshan Mountains in China with a spatial resolution of 1 km is obtained.The results indicate that 1)the result of GWRK's accuracy is slightly higher than that of RK(R~2=0.55 vs.R~2=0.50,RMSE(root mean square error)=0.102 m vs.RMSE=0.077 m);2)for the subareas,GWRK and RK exhibit similar estimation results of snow depth.Areas in the Bayanbulak Basin with a snow depth greater than 0.15m are mainly distributed in an elevation range of 2632.00–3269.00 m and the snow in this area comprises 45.00–46.00% of the total amount of snow in this basin.However,the GWRK resulted in more detailed information on snow depth distribution than the RK.The final conclusion is that GWRK is better suited for estimating regional snow depth distribution.     

1979-2010年青藏高原积雪深度时空变化遥感分析

积雪深度是表征积雪特征的重要参数,也是区域气候变化最敏感的响应因子之一。利用1979-2010年逐日中国雪深长时间序列数据集,采用GIS空间分析和地统计方法,分析了青藏高原积雪深度的时空变化规律及异常空间分布特征。结果表明：近32年来,青藏高原雪深呈显著增加趋势,增加速率为0.26 cm/10a,其中,昆仑高寒荒漠地带雪深增加最为明显,增加速率达0.73 cm/10a;20世纪80年代至90年代青藏高原雪深呈逐步增加趋势,21世纪初变化平稳;青藏高原4个季节雪深变化均呈现为上升趋势,尤以冬季增加最为明显,增加速率达0.57 cm/10a。青藏高原东南、西部和南部为雪深分布高值区;逐像元回归分析表明,高原雪深呈增加趋势的像元数占全区像元总数的67.1%,其中有91.3%为轻度和中度增加,主要分布在高原北部和西部;最大雪深变化基本维持在-0.1~0.1 cm/a（45.47%）之间,在昆仑北翼山地、柴达木山地、羌塘高寒地带南部等局部地区最大雪深有增加趋势,主要是轻度增加,面积比例为36.66%。果洛那曲高寒地带、青南高寒地带和羌塘高寒地带为青藏高原积雪深度异常变化敏感区。     

Leaf stable carbon isotope composition in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Picea schrenkiana</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">tianschanica</Emphasis> in relation to leaf physiological and morphological characteristics along an altitudinal gradient

To understand the effects of leaf physiological and morphological characteristics on δ ¹³C of alpine trees, we examined leaf δ ¹³C value, LA, SD, LNC, LPC, LKC, Chla+b, LDMC, LMA and N_area in one-year-old needles of Picea schrenkiana var. tianschanica at ten points along an altitudinal gradient from 1420 m to 2300 m a.s.l. on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains in northwest China. Our results indicated that all the leaf traits differed significantly among sampling sites along the altitudinal gradient (P<0.001). LA, SD, LPC, LKC increased linearly with increasing elevation, whereas leaf δ ¹³C, LNC, Chla+b, LDMC, LMA and N_area varied non-linearly with changes in altitude. Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that four controlled physiological and morphological characteristics influenced the variation of δ ¹³C. Among these four controlled factors, LKC was the most profound physiological factor that affected δ ¹³C values, LA was the secondary morphological factor, SD was the third morphological factor, LNC was the last physiological factor. This suggested that leaf δ ¹³C was directly controlled by physiological and morphological adjustments with changing environmental conditions due to the elevation.     

Removal of K^＋, Na^＋, Ca^2＋, and M^g2＋ from saline-alkaline water using the microalga Scenedesmus obliquus

The capability ofScenedesmus obliquus to remove cations （K^＋, Na^＋, Ca^2＋, Mg^2＋） from saline- alkaline water was investigated at different salinities （0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25） and carbonate alkalinities （0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 mmol/L）. K^＋, Na^＋, Ca^2＋, and Mg^2＋ in saline-alkaline water were efficiently removed by S. obliquus. The maximum removal of the cations （29.37 mg for K^＋, 185.85 mg for Na^＋, 23.07 mg for Ca^2＋, 66.14 mg for Mg^2＋） occurred at salinity 25. The maximum removal of K^＋ （2.28 mg）, Na＋ （6.62 mg）, Ca^2＋ （1.01 mg）, and Mg2＋ （0.62 mg） occurred at carbonate alkalinities of 25 mmol/L for K＊, 35 mmol/L for Na＋, 20 mmol/L for Ca2＋, and 25 mmol/L for Mf＋, respectively. Under a salinity stress, the concentration of Na＇ in S. obliquus increased significantly, while that of K~ decreased significantly. The concentrations of Ca^2＋ and Mg2＋ decreased as well. The ratios of K＋/Na~, Ca2＋/Na^＋, and Mg^2＋/Na^＋ were significantly lower in all salinity treatments than those of the control. Under alkaline stress, the concentrations of Nan and K＋ in S. obliquus decreased significantly and the ratios of K^＋/Na^＋, Ca2＋/Na^＋, and Mg^2＋/Na^＋ were significantly higher in all treatments than in the control. Moreover, the concentrations of Ca2＋ and Mg2＋ in S. obliquus at alkalinities of 5-10 mmol/L were significantly higher than those of the other treatments. The removal of Na＋ by S. obliquus mainly occurs through biosorption, and Mg^2＋ and Ca^2 ＋ were removed through both biosorption and bioaccumulation.     

Ice surface-elevation change and velocity of Qingbingtan glacier No.72 in the Tomor region, Tianshan Mountains, central Asia

Glaciers in the Tomor region of Tianshan Mountains preserve vital water resources.However,these glaciers suffer from strong mass losses in the recent years because of global warming.From 2008 to 2009,a large-scale scientific expedition has been carried out in this region.As an individual reference glacier,the tongue area of Qingbingtan glacier No.72 was measured by the high precise Real Time Kinematic-Global Position System (RTK-GPS).In this paper,changes of the tongue area of Qingbingtan glacier No.72 has been studied based on topographic map,remote sensing image and the survey during 2008-2009 field campaign.Results indicated that the ice surface-elevation of the tongue area changed-0.22±0.14 m a-1 from 1964 to 2008.The estimated loss in ice volume was 0.014±0.009 km3,which represented a ～20 % decrease from the 1964 volume and was equivalent to average annual mass balance of-0.20±0.12 m water equivalent for the tongue area during 1964-2008.Terminus retreated by 1852 m,approximately 41 m a-1,with the area reduction of 1.533 km2 (0.034 km2 a-1) from 1964 to 2009.Furthermore,the annual velocity reached to ～70 m a-1.Comparing with the other monitored glaciers in the eastern Tianshan Mountains,Qingbingtan glacier No.72 experienced more intensive in shrinkage,which resulted from the combined effects of climate change and glacier dynamic,providing evidence of the response to climatic warming.     

Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Microparticles in Snowpits on the Tibetan Plateau, China

The work presents microparticle concentrations in snowpits from the East Rongbuk Glacier on Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) (ER) (28.02°N, 86.96°E, 6536 m a.s.l.), the Zhadang Glacier on Mt. Nyainqentanglha (NQ) (30.47°N, 90.65°E, 5800m a.s.l.), and the Guoqu Glacier on Mt. Geladaindong (GL) (33.95°N, 91.28°E, 5823m a.s.l.) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Variations of microparticle and major ions (e.g. Mg2+, Ca2+) concentrations in snowpits show that the values of the microparticles and ions in the non-monsoon seasons are much higher than those in the monsoon seasons. Annual flux of microparticle deposition at ER is lower than those at NQ and GL, which could be attributed to the long distance away from the possible dust source regions as well as the elevation for ER higher than the others. Compared with other remote areas, microparticle concentrations in the southern TP are much lower than those in the northern TP, but still much higher than those in Greenland and Antarctica. The seasonal and spatial microparticle variations are clearly related to the variations of atmospheric circulation according to the air mass 5-day backward trajectory analyses of HYSPLIT Model. Resultingly, the high microparticle values in snow are mainly attributed to the westerlies and the strong dust storm outbreaks on the TP, while the monsoon circulation brings great amount of precipitation from the Indian Ocean, thus reducing in the aerosol concentrations.     

Effects of environment factors on initiation of sperm motility in sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka)

Sperm of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) were quiescent in electrolyte NaCl solution and artificial seawater (ASW) and nonelectrolyte glucose and mannitol solutions when the osmolality was less than 200 mOsm kg-1. The sperm started to be motile as a result of increased osmolality, indicating an osmolality-dependent initiation of sperm motility in sea cucumber. After a brief incubation in hypotonic NaCl and glucose solutions with osmolalities of 200 and 400 mOsm kg-1, sperm lost partial motile ability. Sperm became immobilized when pH was 6.0 in NaCl, glucose and mannitol solutions, suggesting that an H+ release is involved in sperm activation. The decreased pH had no effect on the percentage of motile sperm in ASW, whereas it delayed the time period to reach the maximum motility (motilitymax). Extracellular Ca2+ in electrolyte solutions was not essential for motility stimulation but shortened the time of reaching motilitymax. When Ca2+ was mixed in nonelectrolyte solutions the sperm motility was completely suppressed. The K+ channel blocker, quinine, suppressed the sperm motility in electrolyte solution, showing a possible involvement of K+ transport in the process. High K+ concentration did not affect the sperm motility in NaCl solution, but decreased it in ASW and almost entirely suppressed it in nonelectrolyte solutions. The different effects of pH and K+ in ASW and NaCl solution indicate that external ions may also regulate sperm motility.     

Molecular weight controllable degradation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laminaria japonica</Emphasis> polysaccharides and its antioxidant properties

In this study, molecular weight controllable degradation of algal Laminaria japonica polysaccharides（LPS） was investigated by ultrasound combined with hydrogen peroxide. Three main factors, i.e., ultrasonic power（A）, ultrasonic time（B）, and H₂O₂ concentration（C） were chosen for optimizing parameters by employing three-factors, three-levels BBD. The influence of degradation on structure change and antioxidant activities was also investigated. A second-order polynomial equation including molecular weight（Y） of Laminaria japonica polysaccharides and each variable parameter, i.e., ultrasonic power（A）, ultrasonic time（B）, and H₂O₂ concentration（C）, was established: Y=20718.67-4273.13A-4000.38B-1438.75C+2333.25AB+1511.00AC+873.00BC+2838.29A² + 2490.79B²+873.04C². The equation regression coefficient value（R² = 0.969） indicated that this equation was valid. The value of the adjusted determination coefficient（adjusted R² = 0.914） also confirmed that the model was highly significant. The results of selected experimental degradation conditions matched with the predicted value. FT-IR spectra revealed that the structures of LPS before and after degradation were not significantly changed. Antioxidant activities of LPS revealed that low Mws possessed stronger inhibitory than the original polysaccharides. The scavenging effects on superoxide radicals was the highest when IC50 of crude LPS was 4.92 mg mL^-1 and IC50 of Mw 18.576 KDa was 1.02 mg mL^-1, which was fourfold higher than initial polysaccharide.     

Chemical characteristics of water environment in limnic wetlands in the western Songnen Plain, China

Duetoregionalhydrogeologicandclimaticconditions,inthewesternSongnenPlain,themostdistinctcharacteristicofwaterenvironmentinlimnicwetlandsisthatmanywaterbodieshavehighsaltcontentsandpHvalues,andsomelimnicwetlandsbelongtosaltmarshes.Thelimnicwetlandsofthisregionarespecialnaturecomplex.Itisimportantfortheutilizationofwetlandresourcesandtheintegrateddevelopmentofsaline-alkalinesoiltostudychemicalcharacteristicsofwaterenvironmentinthisregion.1NATURALENVIRONMENTCHARACTERISTICSOFTHEWE…