Local topography and erosion rate control regolith thickness along a ridgeline in the Sierra Nevada,California

The ridgelines of mountain ranges are a source of geomorphic information unadulterated by the arrival of sediment from upslope. Studies along ridgecrests, therefore, can help identify and isolate the controls on important regolith properties such as thickness and texture. A 1.5 km section of ridgeline in the Sierra Nevada (CA) with a tenfold decrease in erosion rate (inferred from ridgetop convexity) provided an opportunity to conduct a high‐resolution survey of regolith properties and investigate their controls. We found that regolith along the most quickly eroding section of the ridge was the rockiest and had the lowest clay concentrations. Furthermore, a general increase in regolith thickness with a slowing of erosion rate was accompanied by an increase in biomass, changes in vegetation community, broader ridgeline profiles, and an apparent increase in total available moisture. The greatest source of variation in regolith thickness at the 10–100 m scale, however, was the local topography along the ridgeline, with the deepest regolith in the saddles and the thinnest on the knobs. Because regolith in the saddles had higher surface soil moisture than the knobs, we conclude that the hydrological conditions primarily driven by local topography (i.e. rapid vs. slow drainage and water‐storage potential) provide the fundamental controls on regolith thickness through feedbacks incorporating physical weathering by the biota and chemical weathering. Moreover, because the ridgeline saddles are the uppermost extensions of first‐order valleys, we propose that the fluvial network affects regolith properties in the furthest reaches of the watershed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controls on sediment evacuation from glacially modified and unmodified catchments in the eastern Sierra Nevada,California

The degree of glacial modification in small catchments along the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, controls the timing and pattern of sediment flux to the adjacent fans. There is a close relationship between the depth of fan‐head incision and the pattern and degree of Late Pleistocene catchment erosion by valley glaciers; catchments with significant glacial activity are associated with deeply incised fan heads, whereas fans emerging from glacially unmodified catchments are unincised. We suggest that the depth of fan‐head incision is controlled by the potential for sediment storage during relatively dry ice‐free periods, which in turn is related to the downstream length of the glacially modified valley and creation of accommodation through valley floor slope lowering and glacial valley overdeepening and widening. Significant storage in glacially modified basins during ice‐free periods leads to sediment supply‐limited conditions at the fan head and causes deep incision. In contrast, a lack of sediment trapping allows quasi‐continuous sediment supply to the fan and prevents incision of the fan head. Sediment evacuation rates should thus show large variations in glacially modified basins, with major peaks during glacial and lows during interglacial or ice‐free periods, respectively. In contrast, sediment removal from glacially unmodified catchments in this type of setting should be free of this effect, and will be dominated instead by short‐term variations, modulated for example by changes in vegetation cover or storm frequency. This distinction may help improve our understanding of long‐term sediment yields as a measure of erosional efficiency. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lake sediment records on climate change and human activities since the Holocene in Erhai catchment,Yunnan Province,China

Climate of Yunnan Plateau is mainly controlledby the system of southwest Asian monsoon, and alsoaffected by westerlies and local climate of the Qing-hai-Tibet Plateau. Since the Cenozoic, a large numberof structural lake basins have formed with the uplift ofthe Qinghai-Tibet Plateau[1]. As the information aboutthe climate and environment change was faithfullydocumented in lake sediments, which have the char-acteristics of continuity, high resolution, abundant in-formation, lake sediments p…     

Effects of climate change and human activities on runoff and sediment inputs of the largest freshwater lake in China,Poyang Lake

The nonparametric Mann-Kendall test and the Pettitt test were employed to examine the change trends and shifts of runoff and sediment input to Poyang Lake between 1961 and 2013. Water balance and linear regression models were used to evaluate the impacts of climate variability and human activities on the runoff and sediment discharge changes. The results showed that runoff inputs to the lake had insignificant temporal trends and change points, while sediment inputs had significant decreasing trends, with an abrupt change in 1989. Quantitative assessment demonstrated that human activities led to a small decrease (5.5%) in runoff inputs to the lake, and a dramatic (121.4%) decrease in sediment inputs to the lake between the reference period (before the change point) and the human-influenced period (after the change point). This work provides a useful reference for future policy makers in water resource utilization and environmental safety of the Poyang Lake basin.     

近200a来泸沽湖沉积物色素记录与区域气候变化的关系

近百年来云贵高原区域气候变暖明显.为探讨湖泊生态系统变化与气候变化的关系,本文采集泸沽湖沉积物柱,分析测定了近200 a来沉积物柱芯中叶绿素及其衍生物(CD)、总胡萝卜素(TC)、颤藻黄素(Osc)和蓝藻叶黄素(Myx)4类色素及烧失量(LOI550℃)、生物硅、C/N值等指标,并与1951-2010年丽江地区气温和降雨量资料进行相关性分析.结果表明,以上4种色素含量及其比值(CD/TC,Osc/Myx)对区域气温变化较为敏感;近60 a来CD、TC、Osc、Myx、LOI550℃和生物硅含量与年均气温呈显著正相关;而CD、TC、Osc、Myx和C/N仅与5 a滑动年均降雨量呈正相关,表明气温可能是驱动泸沽湖初级生产力升高的主要因素之一,降雨量为次要因素.1990年后4种色素和有机质含量明显增加,C/N值呈下降趋势,湖泊初级生产力增强,内源有机质在沉积物总有机质中的比重增高.此外,Osc和Myx含量及其比值升高,反映蓝藻类生产力增长,颤藻类比重呈增大趋势,表明近20 a来在气温为主导因素的影响下不仅泸沽湖初级生产力增加,初级生产者群落组成也发生了变化.     

Differences of granitic weathering at the northern and southern feet of Dabie Mountains,Central China: Implication for tectonic and climatic environments

Previous studies of weathering generally started with geochemistry[1—8] and mineralogy[9—12], and have been focused on chemical weathering rates[1—3], removability-enrichment of elements[3—6] during chemical weathering, and the age of weathering profi…     

Use of turbidometry to characterize suspended sediment and phosphorus fluxes in the Lake Tahoe basin,California, USA

The efficacy of in‐stream nephelometric turbidometry as a surrogate for total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations was evaluated for use in low turbidity (<50 NTU) subalpine watersheds at Lake Tahoe, California–Nevada, USA. Continuous turbidity records for the 1999, 2000 and 2001 snowmelt seasons and data from water quality samples (1982–2000) were examined to determine watershed sediment delivery dynamics. Strong correlations were found between turbidity and both TSS and TP concentration. The strong correlation indicates that turbidity can serve as a good surrogate for direct measurement in these watersheds. The watersheds displayed clockwise hysteresis: sediment flushing and depletion, on daily, seasonal and decadal time‐scales. The hysteresis curves had strong concave shapes, indicating a sensitive response to peak flow. A pronounced seasonal trend was observed for the ratio of suspended sediment concentration (SSC)/discharge over time, indicating early season flushing of available sediment. Significant linear relationships (p < 0·05) were found for 12 of 17 years. Comparison of annual sediment rating curve coefficients indicated smaller coefficients during high sediment loading years and in the years following. The smaller coefficients are evidence of sediment depletion during high flow years. The effect of hysteresis on monitoring methods was illustrated by comparing turbidity estimates of TSS load with sediment rating curve estimates of SSC. After accounting for differences in SSC/TSS methods of analysis, daily loads calculated with turbidity methods were 58–98% of rating curve estimates for the spring snowmelt seasons of 1999–2001. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biological and environmental changes in Lake Baikal during the late Quaternary inferred from carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotopes

An 8-m continuous sediment core, approximately 250-ky-old at the bottom, from Academician Ridge in Lake Baikal, has been analyzed for the stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur, in order to study the paleoclimatic and paleobiological changes that occurred in the Eurasian continental interior. These isotopic changes are closely related to changes in vertical lake-water circulation between glacial and interglacial periods. Sedimentary organic carbon in cool periods is more enriched in ¹³C (−23.8‰ on average) than that in warm periods (−27.0‰ on average). The ¹³C-enrichment of organic carbon suggests a decrease of land-derived organic matter influx to the lake, less precipitation, and loss of terrestrial vegetation around Lake Baikal in cool periods. Pyrite in high total sulfur/total organic carbon (TS/TOC) layers shows strong depletion in ³⁴S (−20.8‰ to −32.4‰) during climate transitions from glacial to interglacial periods at the beginning of oxygen isotope stages (OIS) 1, 5 and 7. The ³⁴S-depleted pyrite indicates augmentation of dissimilatory sulfate reduction by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) at the sediment-water interface. Enhancement of aqueous sulfate concentrations and limitation of oxygen circulation to the surface sediments might also occur in the climate transition periods. The δ¹⁵N values of total nitrogen increase abruptly by ∼2‰ just after the δ³⁴S negative peaks, which may result from low nutrient concentrations in the euphotic zone associated with water circulation changes in Lake Baikal.     

湖泊沉积物DNA在气候环境变化和生态系统响应研究中的应用

随着气候与生态问题的不断涌现,气候环境变化与生态系统响应研究的重要性日益凸显,而传统方法逐渐难以满足深入研究的需要.现代分子生物技术的快速发展使针对湖泊沉积物的DNA分析逐渐被引入相关研究中,有效弥补了传统研究方法的不足,为研究者提供了理解过去气候和环境变化、生态系统响应的新视角.湖泊沉积物中的DNA蕴藏着丰富的生物群...     

Evaluation of impacts of climate change and human activities on streamflow in the Poyang Lake basin,China

Variations in streamflows of five tributaries of the Poyang Lake basin, China, because of the influence of human activities and climate change were evaluated using the Australia Water Balance Model and multivariate regression. Results indicated that multiple regression models were appropriate with precipitation, potential evapotranspiration of the current month, and precipitation of the last month as explanatory variables. The NASH coefficient for the Australia Water Balance Model was larger than 0.842, indicating satisfactory simulation of streamflow of the Poyang Lake basin. Comparison indicated that the sensitivity method could not exclude the benchmark‐period human influence, and the human influence on streamflow changes was overestimated. Generally, contributions of human activities and climate change to streamflow changes were 73.2% and 26.8% respectively. However, human‐induced and climate‐induced influences on streamflow were different in different river basins. Specifically, climate change was found to be the major driving factor for the increase of streamflow within the Rao, Xin, and Gan River basins; however, human activity was the principal driving factor for the increase of streamflow of the Xiu River basin and also for the decrease of streamflow of the Fu River basin. Meanwhile, impacts of human activities and climate change on streamflow variations were distinctly different at different temporal scales. At the annual time scale, the increase of streamflow was largely because of climate change and human activities during the 1970s–1990s and the decrease of streamflow during the 2000s. At the seasonal scale, climate change was the main factor behind the increase of streamflow in the spring and summer season. Human activities increase the streamflow in autumn and winter, but decrease the streamflow in spring. At the monthly scale, different influences of climate change and human activities were detected. Climate change was the main factor behind the decrease of streamflow during May to June and human activities behind the decrease of streamflow during February to May. Results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for basin‐scale water resources management under the influence of climate change and human activities. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

鄱阳湖流域1955-2002年径流系数变化趋势及其与气候因子的关系

近些年来,由于人类活动的影响,湖泊普遍出现了萎缩、水位下降、水量锐减、水质污染等问题,研究湖泊最低生态水位,确保湖泊所必须的最小水量,对于解决我国湖泊生态退化问题具有重要意义.本文提出综合指标法来计算湖泊最低生态水位.根据博斯腾湖具体情况选取天然水位资料、湖泊形态和芦苇3种指标为依据分别计算博斯腾湖的最低生态水位,计算结果分别为1047.06 m,1047.41 m和1047.20 m,然后通过综合分析以上这3种指标所占权重,进行加权计算,最终确定博斯腾湖最低生态水位为1047.16 m,通过分析表明1047.16 m作为博斯腾湖最低生态水位是合理的,综合指标法作为湖泊最低生态水位的计算方法切实可行.     

极端干旱事件中洞庭湖水面变化过程及成因

干旱是洞庭湖区长期以来面临的严重自然灾害之一,给周边人们的生产生活造成了极大的影响.针对2006和2011年洞庭湖区发生的极端干旱事件,借助遥感影像大范围、时空连续的优势,结合湖区水文气象等观测资料,从时空两方面阐释了洞庭湖在典型干旱年份水域分布及变化过程,进一步从温度、降水、径流以及蓄水量等方面对比分析不同干旱事件发生、发展过程的一致性和差异性.研究结果表明:2006年干旱大致从7月开始,至12月结束.水面淹没范围由湖心向周边扩展,到7月达到最大值,8月提前进入枯水期,减小范围主要集中在东洞庭湖外围和南洞庭湖的北边.2006年干旱属于由入湖径流减少主导的水文干旱事件;2011年的干旱则从4月开始,至11月结束,在9月以后干旱继续加重.水面淹没范围在6月急剧增大且一直到8月都维持在较高的水平,涨水期水面由中心向四周淹没,退水期水面变化范围与涨水期相反.2011年干旱是由流域降水减少引起的水文和气象干旱事件.研究结果揭示了洞庭湖区干旱成因的多样性和复杂性,对于制定科学合理的干旱灾害防范措施,减缓区域的生态环境问题等具有一定的指导和借鉴意义.     

1961-2003年间鄱阳湖流域气候变化趋势及突变分析

本文利用1961-2003年间鄱阳湖流域14个气象站的气温、降水量、蒸发量等观测数据和8个主要水文站的流量数据,研究该时段内鄱阳湖流域的气候变化趋势、突变及其空间分布的差异．研究表明,鄱阳潮流域气温和降水均在1990年发生突变,继而呈现显著的上升趋势;在季节变化上,冬季平均气温在1986年发生突变,增温显著;夏季降水量和夏季暴雨频率均在1992年发生突变增加,暴雨频率增加是夏季降水量增加的主要原因;蒸发皿蒸发量和参照蒸散量均呈现显著下降趋势,该变化在夏季尤为明显．上述变化趋势均以1990s最为显著,这与长江流域气候变化趋势基本一致．在空间分布上,饶河水系、信江水系和赣江下游等气候变化更为显著．笔者认为,鄱阳湖流域气候变化在长江流域中比较突出．该流域1990s暖湿气候在加强;气温的升高、降水量和暴雨频率的增加以及蒸发量的下降强化了五河流量的增加趋势,由此可大致判定鄱阳湖流域气候变化与洪涝灾害之间可能存在的关系,这可为理解气候变化在该流域的响应和预测该流域未来可能的洪涝灾害提供依据．     

水华生消过程中巢湖水体和沉积物理化性质变化特征

湖泊水华存在复杂的生消过程,然而目前较多研究聚焦在水华持续阶段对湖泊生态系统的影响,却较少关注水华生消过程对湖泊水体和沉积物理化性质的影响.以巢湖为对象,根据历史资料确定水华区和非水华区,在相同位点分别于水华形成前期、形成期、持续期和消亡期采集水体和沉积物样品,分析水华生消过程对湖泊水体和沉积物理化指标及营养盐的影响.结果表明,巢湖研究区域水华形成期为5月中旬至6月中旬,持续期为6月中旬至9月上旬,之后进入水华消亡期.水体透明度、p H值和溶解氧在水华区与非水华区大部分时间存在显著差异,且随水华生消过程呈现不同的变化趋势,但水温、氧化还原电位和电导率在水华区和非水华区无显著差异,并随水华生消过程呈现相同的变化趋势.非水华区水体和沉积物中各形态氮、磷浓度明显低于水华区,且随时间变化幅度相对较小.在水华区,水体氮、磷浓度(总溶解性氮、硝态氮、氨氮、总氮、总溶解性磷、磷酸盐)在水华形成期和水华持续前期呈下降趋势,但在水华持续后期和水华消亡期呈增加趋势;沉积物氮、磷浓度(总氮、总磷)和总有机质含量显著高于非水华区,三者在水华区和非水华区随水华生消过程呈现不同的变化趋势.研究表明,水华生消过程对湖泊营养盐和水体及沉积物性质有不同的影响,这对湖泊富营养化治理和水华防治具有重要意义.     

青藏高原东南部巴松措现代沉积过程及其对气候变化的响应

湖泊沉积物是记录气候演化信息的重要载体之一,在探讨过去气候变化过程研究中发挥重要作用.然而,沉积物中的许多代用指标对气候的指示意义存在多解性,不同指标所反映的环境信息相互之间有时会存在矛盾.为了能够更准确地解读湖泊沉积物中指标所记录的环境变化信息,开展现代湖泊沉积物指标与环境之间的关系研究,深入探讨各指标对环境变化的响应机制尤为关键.本文选取青藏高原东南部巴松措湖泊表层沉积物作为研究对象,利用²¹⁰Pb与¹³⁷Cs比活度检测结果建立年代序列,对沉积物中粒度、磁化率、有机质含量等指标进行分析,揭示巴松措现代沉积过程.结合沉积物粒度端元组分分析结果,并将不同指标变化与林芝气象站所记录的数据资料进行对比,得出以下主要结论：该地区沉积物来源主要包括径流搬运的冰川碎屑物质和来自青藏高原南部、西南部上空悬浮于大气中的风成物质两部分;其中,通过风力搬运的物质输入主要集中在冬半年,受季节性风向及风速变化影响明显;径流受到冰雪融水与夏季降水的补给,因此通过径流搬运的物质输入量受到温度与降水综合影响;湖泊中磁性矿物碎屑的产生和输入主要受区域降水量影响的流域侵蚀速率变化控制,该湖泊沉积物磁化率波动可以有效的指示该地区降水量变化;沉积物中总有机碳含量和总氮含量变化主要反映湖泊自身初级生产力的变化,对区域温度变化的响应显著.     

气候变化和人类活动对鄱阳湖流域赣江径流影响的定量分析

气候变化和人类活动对流域径流影响的定量研究是当前研究的热点,赣江作为鄱阳湖流域最大的子流域,径流变化对鄱阳湖湿地水生态系统具有重要的影响.利用Mann-Kendall突变检验分析了赣江流域径流1955—2010年间演变趋势,再分别应用统计方法和IHACRES集总式模型分析气候要素和人类活动对径流的影响.研究表明IHACRES能够较好地模拟赣江流域径流,适用于中亚热带湿润季风气候区.Mann-Kendall突变检验表明赣江流域径流在1979年发生突变,可划分为1955—1979年和1980—2010年两个时段.降水是影响赣江流域径流年际变化的主要因素,而土地利用等人类活动的影响并不明显.水库建设显著影响赣江径流的季节分配,1980—2010年间人类活动影响更加显著,其中45%的年份秋季径流增加50%以上,26%的年份秋季径流增加超过100%,其中1989年的秋季径流增加幅度达到320%.     

不同生态修复措施下太湖西五里湖沉积物氮磷形态的时空分布

以太湖西五里湖为研究对象,研究了生态修复工程实施两年后,疏浚区、疏浚并水生植被重建示范区、退渔还湖区及对照区沉积物中氮、磷形态的季节变化及垂直分布特征,同时分析了各区上覆水的氮磷含量.结果表明:生态修复措施的实施对沉积物中氮磷形态分布及上覆水的氮磷含量影响显著.示范区和退渔还湖区水体中氮磷含量较低;沉积物中不同磷形态的垂直分布变化较复杂;疏浚基础上进行的水生植被重建对Lab-P、Al-P、Fe-P的吸收作用显著,对Ca-P、Org-P的影响较小;退渔还湖区沉积物磷形态以Ca-P、Org-P为主,Fe-P所占比例较低,与疏浚区不同.生态修复措施对沉积物中TN的影响较小;示范区NH 4 -N含量在秋季突增,可能与植物残体形成的有机质的分解有关.疏浚区水体中氮磷含量与对照区差别不大,沉积物中TN的平均含量还略高于对照区,因此单一的疏浚措施对水环境改善的长期作用需要进一步研究.而示范区水体及沉积物中的TN、TP含量均比较低,水生植被恢复较好,可见在减少外来污染的前提下,对湖区底泥进行疏浚并开展水生植被恢复工程应该是控制湖泊富营养化的有效途径.     

Properties of modern dust accumulating in the Uinta Mountains,Utah, USA,and implications for the regional dust system of the Rocky Mountains

A growing body of work is illuminating the importance of dust as a component of soil development and biogeochemical cycling in alpine environments of the Rocky Mountains. Nonetheless, important questions remain about the dust system in this region due to a paucity of focused studies and direct measurements. This project involved deployment of modified marble dust traps in the alpine zone of the Uinta Mountains of Utah to trap modern atmospheric dust over a two year period. Results indicate that dust accumulation rates are similar to values previously reported for the Wind River Range of Wyoming, but less than values for south‐western Colorado, suggesting a south‐to‐north decrease in regional dust flux. The overall mean grain size of Uinta dust is similar to values reported by prior studies in Colorado, indicating a general uniformity in grain size distribution. Uinta dust is dominated by quartz, plagioclase, K‐feldspar, and illite with trace amounts of kaolinite, chlorite, and amphibole. In contrast, only quartz and K‐feldspar are present in the Uinta bedrock, confirming an exotic origin for the dust arriving in the alpine zone. Exotic mineralogies have also been reported in dust from other mountain ranges in the western United States, indicating that eolian delivery of allochthonous minerals is a widespread process. Geochemical analysis reveals that Bi, Na, P, Zn, Sn, Cu, Cd, Ba, Ni, W, Sb, Pb, and Tl in Uinta dust are elevated 10 to > 80‐times above their abundances in local bedrock. These results support reports of anthropogenic elemental enrichment in lake sediments from Colorado and Utah. Patterns of elemental loading suggest that certain elements are delivered by winds arriving from different directions, raising the possibility that some elements could be associated with unique source areas. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Response of surface processes to climatic change in the dunefields and Loess Plateau of North China during the late Quaternary

This paper draws on recent optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to evaluate the long‐held assumption that dust accumulation rates in the Loess Plateau and the extent of active aeolian sand in the dunefields to the north have varied together over time, because both are controlled by the strength of the Asian monsoons and also possibly because the dunefields are proximal loess sources. The results show there is little evidence that high rates of loess accumulation coincided with well‐dated episodes of extensive dune activity in the Mu Us, Otindag, and Horqin dunefields, at 11–8 ka and 1–0 ka. Explanations for the apparent lack of coupling include local variation in the trapping of dust and post‐depositional preservation of the loess and dune sediments, in response to varying local environmental conditions. In addition, a substantial portion of the loess may be transported directly from source areas where dust emission has somewhat different climatic and geomorphic controls than aeolian sand activity within the dunefields. The results of this study cast doubt on the use of loess accumulation rate as a palaeoclimatic proxy at millennial timescale. The dunefield and loess stratigraphic records are interpreted as primarily recording changes in effective moisture at a local scale, but the timing of late Quaternary dune activity, along with a variety of other evidence, indicates that moisture changes in many of the drylands of northern China may not be in phase with precipitation in core regions of the Asian monsoons. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Implications for the water level change triggered moderate (M ≥ 4.0) earthquakes in Lake Van basin, Eastern Turkey

The water level in Lake Van has shown alternating rises and decreases in history, causing economical, environmental and social problems over the littoral area. The water level changes were obtained to be in the order of 100 m between 18000 and 1000 B.C., in the order of 10 m between 1000 B.C. and 500 A.D. and relatively stable and fluctuating in the order of a few metres during the past 1500 years. The most recent change of the water level took place between 1987 and 1996, during which the water level increased episodically about 2 m and its altitude changed from approximately 1648.3 m to about 1650.2 m. All these changes were mainly related to climate changes. In this study, the water level changes in the lake after 1860 are compared with the seismic activity of faults lying close to the basin. Temporal correlations of seismicity with the water level changes are very persuasive and dramatic, indicating hydrogeological triggering of the earthquakes. This study shows that 14 M ≥ 5.0 earthquakes and increasing number of 4.0 ≤ M < 5.0 earthquakes accompanied or followed the dramatic (about 1 m or larger) changes of the annual mean of the water level in the lake and that there was a tendency of M ≥ 4 earthquakes to occur between November and February, during which the lake level is low within a year.