Temporal and spatial changes of karst rocky desertification in ecological reconstruction region of Southwest China

Karst rocky desertification (KRD), as a process of soil degradation, is a limiting factor on enhancing the life condition of people in Southwest China. Fortunately, Chinese governments at different levels had taken it seriously, and the ‘Green for Grain’ program was initiated to treat and protect the fragile environment. In order to assess the dynamic change of KRD and improve the treatment of it in the future, Pingguo County, one of the ‘one hundred typical counties for karst rocky desertification control in China,’ was chosen as the study area. The results indicated that the evolution process of KRD landforms in the county might be divided into two phases: degradation phase (1994–2001) and ecological reconstruction phase (2001–2009). In the degradation phase, the area of non-KRD landform decreased from 1,132.02 km² in 1994 to 1,056.42 km² in 2001. In this phase, the area of non-KRD landform lost 5.51 % to KRD landforms, which mainly transferred to slight KRD landform with an area of 35.55 km² counting for 3.14 %. In another hand, the area of non-KRD gained 27.85 km², mainly from the slight KRD landform. As a result the area of non-KRD was reduced, meaning that the evolution of KRD became serious. In this phrase, the dynamic change degree of the slight KRD landform was the minimum, and the area of it was the largest among the three KRD landforms. Therefore, transition of slight KRD landform was the main transition type in this phase. The area of slight KRD landforms increased 38.77 km² in the county, which mostly took place in the middle and southwest karst regions. In ecological reconstruction phase, the area of non-KRD landform increased to 1,091.90 km² in 2009. In this phase, non-KRD landform gained an area of 22.82 km² and lost an area of 26.73 km², major of which from or to the slight KRD landform. Therefore, the area of non-KRD landform was increased, implying that the evolution of KRD became alleviated. In this phase, transition of slight KRD landform was also the dominant transition type. The decreased area of slight KRD landform was the largest among severe, moderate and slight KRD cases in the southwest karst region, where the ecological reconstruction projects were initiated. The efficient degrees of KRD landforms in southwest karst region were the largest in the four karst regions in this county. This study results may provide a consultant for rocky desertification control and ecological restoration in the future.     

Changes of extreme temperature events in Three Gorges area,China

Meteorological data and heat stress indices from 1958 to 2007 in the Three Gorges area were investigated in this study. It is found that there is a (1) mild augmentation of the diurnal temperature range in the region (2) antithetical trends in mean\maximum\minimum temperatures, indicated by warmer winters and slightly cooler summers and (3) declining linear trends of the number of (very) hot days and annual frequencies of (long) heat waves, despite rising frequencies of (very) hot days and annual short heat waves. A U-shape was detected for all the climatic indices, with low values occurring mostly in the 1980s. However, spatial variations exist. Decreasing trends of hot days and frequency of heat waves were more evident in areas like Shapingba, where high annual temperatures were recorded. The finding also suggests a positive impact of the subtropical high on high temperatures and extreme temperature events.     

Residential mobility in the Seoul metropolitan region, Korea

The spatial pattern of residential mobility in Korea is found to be one of intraregional rather than interregional movement. Net inmigration has taken place only in the Seoul metropolitan region (SMR) since 1970. People from the Cholla region have formed the main stream of net inmigration into the SMR. The decentralization of population from Seoul to Kyonggi and Inchon has generated a transformation of the Seoul urban fringe since 1970. This metropolitanization process is accompanied by residential and employment suburbanization to 45kms from the center of Seoul. Residential mobility in the SMR is the result of metropolitan job opportunities, availability of housing, and the effects of the various regional policies. Availability of transportation between Seoul and its urban fringe encouraged the wide expansion of the urban areas and population redistribution within the SMR.     

Observation and analysis of the urban heat island effect on soil in Nanjing, China

The heat island effect in urban meteorology has received significant attention in the recent years. In order to investigate the heat island effect on urban soil, two observation stations were built, respectively, in an urban area and a rural area of Nanjing city, China. The temperatures of underground soil (0?C300?cm depth) were recorded continuously for 1?year from June 2009 to June 2010. The data show that the urban soil temperature is generally higher than the rural soil temperature, and reveal an obvious heat island effect in urban soil with average intensity of 2.02°C over the 1-year period. The intensity varies between days, months and seasons: the daily urban heat island intensity (UHII) of soil ranges from 0.37°C to 3.98°C; the monthly UHII of soil ranges from 1.34°C (November) to 3.05°C (July); the order of seasonal UHII is summer (2.45°C)?>?winter (2.03°C)?>?spring (1.63°C)?>?autumn (1.53°C). The temperature data indicate that the maximum influence depth of daily synoptic events on the subsurface temperature is approximately 60?cm; the UHII generally increases with increasing depth. In addition to soil temperature, the temporal?Cspatial variation of soil moisture in a 100?cm profile depth was also investigated in this study. It is found that the moisture content of urban soil is generally lower than that of rural soil, which reveals an obvious dry island effect with average intensity of ?7.2% over the 1-year period; the maximum single-day urban dry island intensity (UDII) in soil is ?28.0%; the maximum average monthly UDII is ?19.1%, observed in July; the seasonal UDII shows a tendency of summer (?13.8%)?>?spring (?6.3%)?>?autumn (?5.2%)?>?winter (?3.7%). In profile, soil moisture content generally increases with increasing depth, and the maximum UDII is ?25.8% at 40?cm depth. In addition, the large-scale measurement results of 600 general points also confirm that the heat island and dry island effects are exist in urban soil.     

Late-Quaternary summer temperature changes in the northern-European tree-line region

We present two new quantitative July mean temperature (T_jul) reconstructions from the Arctic tree-line region in the Kola Peninsula in north-western Russia. The reconstructions are based on fossil pollen records and cover the Younger Dryas stadial and the Holocene. The inferred temperatures are less reliable during the Younger Dryas because of the poorer fit between the fossil pollen samples and the modern samples in the calibration set than during the Holocene. The results suggest that the Younger Dryas T_jul in the region was 8.0–10.0°C, being 2.0–3.0°C lower than at present. The Holocene summer temperature maximum dates to 7500–6500 cal yr BP, with T_jul about 1.5°C higher than at present. These new records contribute to our understanding of summer temperature changes along the northern-European tree-line region. The Holocene trends are consistent in most of the independent records from the Fennoscandian–Kola tree-line region, with the beginning of the Holocene thermal maximum no sooner than at about 8000 cal yr BP. In the few existing temperature-related records farther east in the Russian Arctic tree line, the period of highest summer temperature begins already at about 10,000 cal yr BP. This difference may reflect the strong influence of the Atlantic coastal current on the atmospheric circulation pattern and the thermal behaviour of the tree-line region on the Atlantic seaboard, and the more direct influence of the summer solar insolation on summer temperature in the region east of the Kola Peninsula.     

Soil organic carbon storage changes in Yangtze Delta region,China

Soil carbon sequestration plays an essential role in mitigating CO₂ increases and the global greenhouse effect. This paper calculates soil organic carbon (SOC) storage changes during the course of industrialization and urbanization in Yangtze Delta region, China, based on the data of the second national soil survey (1982–1985) and the regional geochemical survey (2002–2005), with the help of remote sensing images acquired in periods of 1980, 2000, 2005. The results show that soils in the top 0–20 and 0–100 cm depth in this region demonstrate the carbon sink effect from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. The SOC storage in 0–20 cm depth has resulted in increase from 213.70 to 238.65 Tg, which corresponds to the SOC density increase from 2.94 ± 1.08 to 3.28 ± 0.92 kg m⁻², and mean carbon sequestration storage and rate are 1.25 Tg a⁻¹, 17.14 g m⁻² a⁻¹, respectively. The SOC storage in 0–100 cm depth has resulted in increase from 690.26 to 792.65 Tg, which corresponds to the SOC density increase from 9.48 ± 4.22 to 10.89 ± 3.42 kg m⁻², and mean carbon sequestration storage and rate are 5.12 Tg a⁻¹, 70.32 g m⁻² a⁻¹, respectively. Urban area in Yangtze Delta region, China, increased more than 3,000 km² and the urban growth patterns circled the central city region in the past 20 years. The SOC densities in 0–20 cm depth decrease gradually along urban–suburban–countryside and the urban topsoil is slightly enriched with SOC. Compared to the data of the second national soil survey in the early 1980s, the mean SOC density in urban area increased by 0.76 kg m², or up 25.85% in the past 20 years. With the characteristics of SOC storage changes offered, land-use changes, farming system transition and ecological city construction are mainly attributed to SOC storage increases. Because of lower SOC content in this region, it is assumed that the carbon sink effect will go on in the future through improved soil management.     

Spatial and temporal changes of agro-meteorological disasters affecting maize production in China since 1990

Agro-meteorological (AM) disasters have been reported to be more frequent with climate change. In this study, the spatial and temporal changes in the frequency of major AM disasters affecting maize production are investigated by analyzing observed records at 224 national AM stations in China from 1991 to 2009. To investigate the temporal changes of the disasters with climate warming, the whole study period was separated into a cool period (1991–2000) and a warmer one (2000–2009). We found drought was the most common disaster with a frequency of 49 %, followed by chilling injures (19.46 %). The frequency of disasters affecting maize increased significantly during the reproductive growth period than the vegetative growth period. Spatial patterns of major disaster frequency were characterized by region-specific, with more cold stress in northeastern China, drought in northern and western China, and rainstorms in southwestern China. Our study highlighted that the frequency and scope both increased significantly, implying a potential increasing risk for maize production. It is critical and important for local farmers and governors to take reasonable and timely adaptation measures based on the latest disasters’ features to mitigate the potential yield loss from AM disasters in order to ensure food security in China.     

西安城市地温与气温变化初步分析

地下浅层地温和近地表空气温度存在着必然的内在联系,地面温度变化的信息随着时间推移向下传播并叠加到稳态地温场上,因此通过对现今地温剖面的分析可以重建过去地面温度变化的历史。为了研究西安地区地下和地上的温度变化,本文在西安开展了钻孔温度测量,获得了16个钻孔的地温剖面,同时收集整理了西安气象站1951～2010年气温数据。对1951～2010年气温数据进行回归分析得到西安地区年平均气温、年平均最高气温和最低气温增温率分别为3.71 ℃/100a、2.03 ℃/100a和5.14 ℃/100a,均高于全国和全球平均水平,其中1986～2010年间平均气温增温更是显著,达到9.01 ℃/100a。从钻孔测温曲线中筛选出西安城郊6个传导型地温剖面进行分析,结果表明西安地区钻孔温度记录的地面温度变化趋势与气象台记录的气温变化趋势基本吻合。根据利用钻孔温度剖面下段回归分析得到的地表稳态温度和地温梯度以及25年间西安地区平均气温增温率推算得到钻孔理论地温剖面与实测地温数据总体上具有较好的一致性。对实测地温数据的进一步精确拟合分析显示,西安城郊6个选定的钻孔所在区域地面温度变暖分别起始于20年、24年、26年、28年、30年和30年前,对应的地表增温幅度分别为0.4 ℃、0.72 ℃、2.18 ℃、4.2 ℃、2.4 ℃和2.4 ℃。市区和周边郊区钻孔所在区域在增温幅度上存在明显的差异,市区增温强度明显高于郊区,而城郊结合部介于两者之间。     

Major ion chemistry of groundwater in the extreme arid region northwest China

The Ejina Basin, located in arid northwest China, is one of the most arid areas in the world. In recent years, rapid development has created a greater demand for water which is increasingly fulfilled by groundwater abstraction. Detailed knowledge of geochemical evolution of groundwater and water quality can improve the understanding of a hydrochemical system, and promote sustainable development and effective management of groundwater resources. To this end, a hydrochemical survey was conducted in the Ejina Basin in order to identify the major hydrochemical characteristics. The results of chemical analysis indicate that groundwater in the area is brackish. The major ions, TDS, and hydrochemical types of different areas are highly variable and show an obvious zonation from the recharge area to the discharge area. Saturation index (SI), calculated according to the ionic ration plot, indicates that the gypsum-halite dissolution reactions take place under the condition of the rock weathering to some extent, and evaporation is the dominant factor to determine the major ionic composition in the study area.     

Late Quaternary environmental changes in the Pearl River mouth region, China

This study presents findings concerning Late Quaternary environmental changes in the Pearl River mouth region, China based on the study of over 300 boreholes. Out of these, 35 boreholes are selected for the reconstruction of transects across the deltaic plain and estuary. 39 radiocarbon dates obtained from these boreholes are used to help define the chronology of stratigraphic units present including two terrestrial units (T1 and T2) and two marine units (M1 and M2). Diatom assemblages are studied in 6 boreholes revealing similarities and differences between the two marine units. Before the area was inundated by the last interglacial sea (MIS 5), an older terrestrial unit of sand and gravel (T2) was laid down in a number of palaeo-valleys. During the last interglacial period, an older marine unit of silt and clay (M2) was laid down which was subsequently subaerially exposed when sea-level regressed during the last glacial period (MIS 4-2) causing the uppermost section to be weathered. During the same period, a younger terrestrial unit of sand and gravel (T1) was deposited along palaeo-river channels. Around the early Holocene before 8.2 cal. ka BP, the postglacial rise in sea level initiated a new phase of sedimentation in the outer part of the estuary, characterised by the high percentages of marine diatoms in the sediments. In the early Holocene, strong monsoon freshwater discharge resulted in sedimentation of a fine-sand layer in the inner part of the estuary. After 8.2 cal. ka BP, rapid rises in sea level caused widespread marine inundation and sedimentation. The diatom data suggest that the relative sea level associated with the M2 and M1 units were both at similar levels. Because the M2 unit is typically recorded at altitudes of 15 m and 20 m below the present sea level, this is likely to be a result of long-term subsidence. Although numerical dating of the pre-M1 units has not been made in the present study, the chronology of these units can be inferred from uranium-series ages and optically stimulated luminescence dating obtained from the adjacent coastal waters of Hong Kong. The T1 unit has yielded ages of about 30.0 cal. ka BP while the M2 unit has yielded ages about 130.0 cal. ka BP confirming their MIS 4-2 and MIS 5 ages respectively.     

苏锡常地区主要地质灾害及防治措施

自20世纪80年代初以来,苏锡常地区由于超量开采深层地下水,相继出现了地面沉降、地裂缝等地质灾害,已造成了大量的经济损失,成为影响本地区经济社会发展的重要制约因素。本文在分析苏锡常地区地质环境条件的基础上,总结出本地区地质灾害主要类型、分布特征以及形成条件等,并对人类活动可能遭受地质灾害的危险性进行分析,进而提出地质灾害的防治措施。     

Emergency responses to water disasters in coalmines,China

Emergency response to water-related disasters is an important part of many coalmine operations in China. It usually consists of both incident prevention measures and rescue counter-plans. In principle, prevention is always the top priority, followed by rescue. The prevention measures relies on thorough understanding of the mine hydrogeology, correct identification of water burst risk levels, and an effective monitoring program for inundations. The emergency rescue is initiated when an accident occurs, and a rescue plan often includes a self-rescue and mutual-rescue program.     

Temporal response of hydraulic head, temperature, and chloride concentrations to sea-level changes, Floridan aquifer system, USA

Three-dimensional density-dependent flow and transport modeling of the Floridan aquifer system, USA shows that current chloride concentrations are not in equilibrium with current sea level and, second, that the geometric configuration of the aquifer has a significant effect on system responses. The modeling shows that hydraulic head equilibrates first, followed by temperatures, and then by chloride concentrations. The model was constructed using a modified version of SUTRA capable of simulating multi-species heat and solute transport, and was compared to pre-development conditions using hydraulic heads, chloride concentrations, and temperatures from 315 observation wells. Three hypothetical, sinusoidal sea-level changes occurring over 100,000 years were used to evaluate how the simulated aquifer responds to sea-level changes. Model results show that hydraulic head responses lag behind sea-level changes only where the Miocene Hawthorn confining unit is thick and represents a significant restriction to flow. Temperatures equilibrate quickly except where the Hawthorn confining unit is thick and the duration of the sea-level event is long (exceeding 30,000 years). Response times for chloride concentrations to equilibrate are shortest near the coastline and where the aquifer is unconfined; in contrast, chloride concentrations do not change significantly over the 100,000-year simulation period where the Hawthorn confining unit is thick.     

Temporal changes in the cumulative piecewise gradient of a variant of the Gutenberg–Richter relationship,and the imminence of extreme events

It is generally found that the relative frequencies of occurrence of earthquakes of different magnitudes in seismogenic zones have a power law distribution. For a long-term dataset, the overall slope of this logarithmically transformed distribution is usually indicated by a best-fit straight line and expressed as a b-value. This slope is stable and normally lies between 0.8 and 1.2, the actual value depending on the region examined, and the threshold selected for data completeness. The linearity of the distribution can be used to make statistical inferences about the potential for larger events over the long run, and with appropriate reservations, may even be extrapolated to magnitudes that are beyond recent experience. We suggest the same information can also be viewed over shorter intervals in terms of an empirical piecewise distribution, with relative frequencies of occurrence at adjacent magnitude steps controlling the local slope of the distribution. An emergence, through time, of an excess number of lower magnitude earthquakes causes temporal changes to appear in the low-end piecewise gradients of this distribution. A marked excursion away from an overall uniform trend for the particular zone may be indicative of an imminent, larger event. On two separate occasions, in 1982 and 1997, such temporal variations were seen in the magnitude distributions of sequences of events near Tobago, West Indies, and used to anticipate subsequent damaging mainshocks. The recognition of temporal departures from overall linearity of the magnitude–frequency relation, in a suitable dataset, may thus provide an evidential element that can contribute to earthquake forecasting. This phenomenological approach was used in the analysis of the NEIC global dataset of earthquakes of magnitude 6.1 and bigger, for the period 1973–2003, to explore its wider applicability. Trends in the piecewise gradients of the global data were interpreted as pointing to an imminent great earthquake, perhaps exceeding magnitude 8.5; such an event did occur shortly afterwards in the form of the great Sumatran earthquake of 2004/12/26. Following that event, global magnitude production continued to exhibit sharp imbalances in the lower magnitude bins, indicating that another similar event was likely. The second Sumatran earthquake on 2005/03/28 satisfied that projection. Since that time, a magnitude production imbalance persists in the global dataset suggesting the system could be poised to output an earthquake (or earthquakes) in the magnitude range 8.6–9.0 or even greater. This contribution describes the piecewise gradient approach and examines its application to global earthquake data.     

Apple orchard phenology response to desiccation and temperature changes in Urmia Lake region

Agricultural production activities, such as those for various fruits and cereals, play a significant role in the local economy and food security of the Urmia Lake region. In particular, this region has thousands of hectares of apple orchards, which have an important socioeconomic impact on the life of people. Climate and land cover changes over the past several decades threaten the apple orchards phenology (AOP). Recent studies have emphasized the effect of temperature on plant phenology; however, they have overlooked the influence of land cover changes, such as Lake Desiccation, on plant phenology. Meanwhile, how climate change and Lake Desiccation will affect the AOP is still not very well understood. Therefore, in this study, we used the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) extracted from remote sensing images acquired by the MODIS sensor spanning from 2003 to 2014, in order to extract the AOP events. Furthermore, we used a random forest regression (RFR) for analyzing the relationship between temperature changes/Lake Desiccation and AOP. The results revealed that EVI is a very useful tool for estimating the AOP with a mean root-mean-square error of 6.25 days. Moreover, there is a linear trend toward the early start of season in this region. The end of season (EOS) and the growing season length have also increased in the areas closer to the lake until 2008. This seems that the delayed EOS in the area closest to Urmia Lake has been associated with the lake microclimate since 2008.     

Medium-scale engineering- and environmental-geology mapping of the perth metropolitan region,Western Australia

The need to present geological information in a form usable by planners, administrators, and the general public, prompted the preparation of medium-scale geology maps for the Perth Metropolitan Region. The thematic map approach is used to identify map units on the basis of lithology, morphology, slope category, hydrogeology, hydrography and soil and rock properties. The individual thematic maps are combined to delineate the map units: these are then assigned attributes of environmental significance. Their capabilities are evaluated in relation to human activities and land use practices. An information matrix presents geological data relevant to selected land uses. Attention to the geological factor in the formulation of land use planning policies allows optimum use of an area's natural resources with acceptable environmental impact.     

西藏波密茶隆隆巴曲高位地质灾害类型及发育特征

茶隆隆巴曲位于帕隆藏布右岸,陡变地形孕育了大量高位地质灾害,威胁下游线性工程。采用多源、多期次高分辨率遥感数据,建立高位地质灾害遥感解译标志,厘定了研究区高位地质灾害类型,并详细阐述了其发育特征。结果表明,研究区主要地质灾害类型包括高位冰崩、高位崩塌、高位滑坡。其中高位冰崩发育3处,均位于沟谷上游南坡海拔5000 m斜坡,面积在15×104 m2以上。高位崩塌体发育19处,多分布于沟谷中游及上游主沟两侧高陡岸坡,北坡多于南坡。高位滑坡发育2处,位于沟谷上游,滑体以冰碛物为主。上述高位地质灾害在强震或强降雨作用下,极易发生失稳、堵沟,且堵沟后极易诱发洪水、泥石流等次生灾害链,对下游帕隆藏布造成堵江风险。     

Comparative zinc dynamics in Atlanta metropolitan region stream and street runoff

Zinc, major ion, and other trace metal (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Cd, and Pb) concentrations were measured within 172 street and stream runoff samples in the Atlanta metropolitan region and in relatively undeveloped watersheds within the Georgia Piedmont and Blue Ridge Provinces. Peachtree Creek, draining a densely populated area of Atlanta, was the primary sampling location and samples were acquired under a wide range of hydrological conditions. Zinc concentrations within street runoff [median (Zn)_{urban street runoff}=905 µg/l] were significantly greater than zinc concentrations within storm runoff [median (Zn)_{Peachtree Creek}=60 µg/l], which were, in turn, greater than zinc concentrations within non-storm runoff [median (Zn)_{Peachtree Creek}=14 µg/l]. Zinc concentrations were not significantly greater within urban base flow than within non-urban base flow, indicating that the primary source of pollution is "event water" or street runoff. Zinc was the only heavy metal present in greater than "background" concentrations (i.e., >10 µg/l), which is likely the result of automotive pollution that is omnipresent within the study area. Analysis of storm alkalinity dilution trends indicate that simple mixing between polluted street runoff and groundwater cannot account for the zinc concentrations observed within storm and recession flows. A two end member mass balance model suggests that a large proportion of the zinc present in the street runoff is adsorbed and transported on surfaces of the suspended sediment. Adsorption is readily possible at the near neutral pH (~6.5) of turbid storm discharge.     

Spatiotemporal changes of global extreme temperature events (ETEs) since 1981 and the meteorological causes

Of the various types of disasters caused by extreme climate and weather, extreme temperature events (ETEs) have led to a heightened awareness due to their increasing frequency, intensity, widespread distribution, and severe health impacts. Although many previous studies have surveyed the severe impacts of specific ETEs, few systematic studies have analyzed the temporal trends and the spatial patterns of this type of ETEs at the global scale. In the present study, disaster data from 1981 to 2010 compiled by Emergency Events Database were used to obtain a global view of the distribution of and the changes in the recorded ETEs. In addition, the daily maximum/minimum temperature data provided by National Centers for Environmental Prediction /Department of Energy Reanalysis 2 were used to explore the potential meteorological causes of these events. The results showed 2.7 and 6.4 increases in the frequencies of heat waves and cold spells per decade, respectively, since the 1980s. However, a large regional variability was found worldwide. Moreover, more than 40 % of the recorded ETEs occurred in Europe, and Asia experienced 33 and 26 % of the heat wave and cold spell events, respectively. Additionally, the global pattern for the occurrence frequency of ETEs in recent decades could be largely ascribed to the meteorological indexes: the heat stress index (HSI) and the cold stress index (CSI). The frequency of heat wave events increased from 1981 to 2010, and this trend is consistent with the increase in the HSI. However, the cold spell events did not appear to be reduced, as demonstrated by the disaster records, and this finding is inconsistent with the CSI trend. This result indicates that other factors also influence the occurrence of disaster events.