Vertical material flux under seasonal sea ice in the Okhotsk Sea north of Hokkaido, Japan

Downward material fluxes under seasonal sea ice were measured using a time-series sediment trap installed at an offshore site in the Okhotsk Sea north of Hokkaido, Japan, from 13 January to 23 March 2005. The maximum fluxes of lithogenic material (753 mg m⁻² day⁻¹) and organic matter (mainly detritus; 333 mg m⁻² day⁻¹) were recorded during the period in which sea ice drifted ashore and increased in extent, from 13 January to 9 February. Organic matter as fecal pellets (81–93 mg m⁻² day⁻¹) and opal as biosilica (51–67 mg m⁻² day⁻¹), representing diatom fluxes, were abundant in sediment trap samples obtained during the period of full sea ice coverage from 10 February to 9 March. Microscopic observations revealed that fecal pellets were largely diatom frustules, suggesting that zooplankton actively grazed on ice algae during the period of full sea ice coverage. During the period of retreating sea ice, from 10 to 23 March, the phytoplankton flux showed a rapid increase (from 9.5 to 22.5 × 10⁶ cells m⁻² day⁻¹), reflecting their release into the water column as the sea ice melted. Our results demonstrate that the quantity and quality of sinking biogenic and lithogenic materials vary with the seasonal extent of sea ice in mid-winter.     

山东月湖的沉积物分布特征及搬运趋势

1998年 11～ 12月和 1999年 8～ 9月各一个月对月湖进行的野外工作 ,共取得表层沉积物样品 131个 ,应用激光粒度仪并结合传统的筛分法对这些样品进行粒度分析 ,进行矩法计算获得粒度参数。采用Gao命名方法 ,将沉积物划分出 5种主要类型。利用Gao -Collins粒径趋势分析模型 ,计算该区沉积物粒径趋势所显示的沉积物净搬运方向 ,结果表明 ,沉积物从四周向湖中心搬运 ,同时显示湾顶的西部和北部、涨潮三角洲以及湖心等地貌单元是沉积的优势区域。     

The Holocene development of Kushu Lake on Rebun Island in Hokkaido, Japan

Diatom assemblages and sulfur content in sediments were analyzed to clarify changes in the sedimentary environment of Kushu Lake, a coastal lake on Rebun Island in Hokkaido, Japan. Salinity variations were assessed by means of a diatom-based index of paleosalinity and the sedimentary sulfur content. This paper discusses the Holocene development of the lake, in relation to Holocene relative sea-level change. For paleoenvironmental interpretation of the lake development, the rationale of the threshold method (Anundsen et al., 1994) was applied.At ca. 8000 yr BP, a coastal embayment (paleo-Kushu Bay) resulted from marine ingression. The threshold elevation at the mouth of the paleo-Kushu Bay kept pace with the rising sea-level, resulting in its enclosure at the culmination of Holocene marine transgression (ca. 6500–5000 yr BP). From predicted relative sea-level at ca. 6000 yr BP for Rebun Island (Nakada et al., 1991), the threshold may have been at least above –3 to –5 m altitude. A freshwater lake environment with strongly anoxic bottom conditions may have occurred from ca. 5500 to 5100 yr BP. After an important episode of marine ingression, the lake was isolated completely from the open sea at ca. 4900 yr BP. The diatom record suggests that the maximum lacustrine extent occurred at ca. 4900–3100 yr BP. Thereafter, water depth decreased at the lake margins.In Kushu Lake, the threshold elevation, due to a build-up of a coastal barrier, prevents us from determining the amplitude of sea-level changes, even though the age of isolation contacts corresponds to periods of regression and climatic deterioration. In spite of isostatic subsidence, the effective protection provided by the well-developed barrier did not allow registration of any relative sea-level fluctuations since its isolation.     

近百年来中国东北与日本北海道地区气温变化对比

利用东北及北海道地区7个气象站点1909~2003年逐月气温数据,建立两地区近百年来年、季气温序列,对近百年来两地区气温变化特征进行对比分析,结果表明:近百年来东北及北海道地区气温变化存在显著的增温趋势,前者进入显著升温期早于后者,其中对年均温上升趋势贡献较大的是冬、春两季,夏季升温幅度最小。两地区年均温表现出强的增温持续性,未来气候将继续变暖;两地区都存在9、28、40~42 a的变化周期,但两者主周期的次序所有不同;近百年来两地区气温变化在不同时间尺度上具有不同突变点。     

Carbon stock assessment of mangrove ecosystems in Batticaloa Lagoon,Sri Lanka,with different degrees of human disturbances

This article presents a carbon stock assessment to illustrate the organic carbon distribution and storage within mangrove ecosystems in Sri Lanka. The living tree biomass and soil carbon pools were investigated in three sites with varying degree of human disturbance in Batticaloa Lagoon. Soil carbon content was derived by the Walkley Black method from soil samples and mangrove trees were measured for calculations in general allometric equations. The mangroves that were extremely converted into a shrimp farm in Kokkaddicholai recorded a carbon (C) stock of 100.9 kg m‐2. Dominated by the poisonous Excoecaria agallocha stands, the regenerating mangroves in Manmunai Bridge Island hosted the largest C stock measuring 786.4 kg C m‐2. The Kannankudah site—dominated by Avicennia marina, Lumnitzera racemosa and Excoecaria agallocha stands, recorded a C stock of 593.1 kg C m‐2. Cuts and stumps indicated wood harvesting for local livelihoods. The soil C content pool contributed most significantly to the total C stock, with the top 30 cm containing the largest C concentration in all soil profiles. The soil carbon content was highest (5.1 per cent) in Kannankudah, second highest (3.6 per cent) in the disturbed but regenerating forest at Manmunai Bridge Island, and the lowest (0.3 per cent) at the converted site of Kokkaddicholai.     

The sand wedges of the last ice age in the Hexi Corridor, China: paleoclimatic interpretation

Sand wedges, formed mainly in a Late Pleistocene alluvial gravel in the Hexi Corridor are described in detail in this paper. ¹⁴C ages of the infilling eolian sand indicate that the sand wedges were products of the Last Ice Age. During the period of formation, the mean annual air temperature in the Hexi Corridor was about −5.3 °C, i.e. 12.6–14.6 °C lower than that of the present day. This estimated value is coincident with the fall in mean air temperature of 13 °C, which is predicated from a mirabilite (Na₂SO₄·10H₂O) sedimentary layer, and also agrees with research on the estimated amplitude of air temperature lowering in middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere during the last glacial period. The annual precipitation in the Western Hexi Corridor at that time was probably 100–200 mm, about 100 mm more than at present.     

Transformation of Fish Corrals in Nha Phu Lagoon,Vietnam: livelihood changes and implications

ABSTRACT

Coastal fisheries in Nha Phu lagoon, Vietnam, have encountered dramatic transformation in recent decades. Socio-economic and environmental impacts are examined through the case of fish corrals. The intensification and expansion of fish corrals has helped some households to enhance their income and livelihood assets. Technological and access-related changes associated with this transformation have also resulted in lower incomes, and even pushed poorer households into indebtedness by undermining their livelihood assets. The privatisation of common pool resources has also led to marginalisation of the poor, increasing inequality in access to natural resources and social differentiation, as not all households are able to benefit from the technological changes taking place, while access to natural resources is increasingly concentrated among the wealthier households who are driving this process. A range of measures are needed to alleviate poverty and promote more diverse sustainable livelihood development in fishing communities around the lagoon.     

Analysis of fossil pigments from algae and bacteria in meromictic Lake Fidler, Tasmania, and its application to lake management

Lake Fidler is an ectogenic meromictic lake with a monimolimnion maintained by periodic incursions of brackish water from the lower Gordon River estuary. A dam across the middle reaches of the Gordon River has restricted these incursions of brackish water and meromictic stability has rapidly declined. A palaeolimnological study was carried in order to assess the historical development of meromixis and the impact of the dam on the microbiological communities in the lake. Fossil pigments in a 17 m sediment core were analysed using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (rp-HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS). In addition, taphonomic studies of pigment production, deposition and degradation in the water column and surface sediments were used to identify planktonic and benthic pigment degradation processes and constrain the stratigraphic interpretation. Results comparing the pigment composition of pelagic sediment traps and littoral surface sediments indicated that the core from the centre of the lake would permit a historical reconstruction of planktonic bacterial and algal communities. Marked increases in prokaryotic pigments ca 3500 yr B.P. suggested the possible colonisation of a chemocline by phototrophic bacteria. Further changes in chlorophyll: carotenoid ratios and changes in relative abundances of both chlorophyll a and bacteriochlorophyll c derivatives also indicated that a change in the depositional environment had occurred; possibly due to altered stratification or anoxia. From this we infer the onset of either intermittent or permanent meromixis. Further increases in prokaryotic pigment abundance suggested that the present state of permanent meromixis was firmly established by 2070 ±50 ¹⁴C yr B.P., and diatom analysis confirmed the development of a stable mixolimnion. High resolution studies of the top 10 cm of sediments measured pigments in mean concentrations of 15.1 ng g^-1 with a mean S.D. of only 2.78 indicating little change in pigment abundance since the construction of the dam. Thus, Lake Fidler still retains most of the features of meromixis. However, evidence from nearby Lake Morrison and Sulphide Pool has shown that any further declines in meromictic stability will cause a rapid reversion to holomixis. Palaeolimnological evidence from the early stages of meromictic development of Lake Fidler suggests that such reversion to holomixis may not permanently eliminate all the microbiological communities, and that, given time, they may return and prosper with re-establishment of a suitable chemocline. These studies will guide recommendations for a management strategy to prevent the further decay of meromixis in the Gordon River lakes.     

Continuous measurement of CO2 flux through the snowpack in a dwarf bamboo ecosystem on Rishiri Island,Hokkaido, Japan

To investigate the dynamics and environmental drivers of CO₂ flux through the winter snowpack in a dwarf bamboo ecosystem (Hokkaido, northeast Japan), we constructed an automated sampling system to measured CO₂ concentrations at five different levels in the snowpack, from the base to the upper snow surface. Using a gas diffusion approach, we estimated an average apparent soil CO₂ flux of 0.26 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ during the snow season (December–April); temporally, the CO₂ flux increased until mid-snow season, but showed no clear trend thereafter; late-season snow-melting events resulted in rapid decreases in apparent CO₂ flux values. Air temperature and subnivean CO₂ flux exhibited a positive linear relationship. After eliminating the effects of wind pumping, we estimated the actual soil CO₂ flux (0.41 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) to be 54% larger than the apparent flux. This study provides new constraints on snow-season carbon emissions in a dwarf bamboo ecosystem in northeast Asia.     

Assessment of land-use and land-cover changes from 1965 to 2014 in Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon,central Vietnam

This study integrates the use of multi-source and multi-resolution remote sensing, topographic and field-based datasets to quantify land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes along a coastal stretch of Thua Thien Hue Province (central Vietnam). The LULC change analysis involves the Tam Giang-Cau Hai lagoon, the largest lagoon system in Southeast Asia, which is running nearly 70 km along the coast and having about 22,000 ha of water surface.The LULC change analysis was performed by computer-aided visual interpretation for 5 years (1965, 1989, 2000, 2006 and 2014) using satellite imagery from LANDSAT MSS, TM, ETM+ and 8, ASTER and SPOT5. National topographic maps were also used for the 1965 and 2000 years.To adequately represent the LULC features and peculiarities of central Vietnam coastal areas, an adapted CORINE Land Cover nomenclature was used where new 3rd and 4th level classes were adopted. Due to their intrinsic relative high spatial and radiometric resolution, SPOT5 images from 2006 were assumed as a reference for interpretation keys and first delineation. Changes were mapped by editing those vectors representing features which underwent LULC change prior or after 2006. Spatial and temporal changes were analyzed by post-classification approach and validated by ground truth information. High detail object-based classification was finally performed to infer the capability of medium spatial resolution imagery for extracting cadastral scale pond maps. The accuracy of classification was checked by a polygon by polygon comparison with an existing aquaculture facility inventory.Five LULC maps were obtained by applying a legend of 21 classes including two newly defined: “Aquaculture ponds” and “Mangrove forest”. The overall classification accuracy of the LULC map is 85% while the KHAT statistics 0.81 for the year 2006. Accuracy of the object-based aquaculture facilities classification is 84% or better for the SPOT5 imagery and 47.9% for the ASTER imagery. The study provides a synoptic LULC representation for the largest lagoon system of Southeast Asia and delivers quantitative estimates of main changes occurred during the last 50 years. Moreover, it reveals the adaptability of the CORINE Land Cover method outside European environment. Finally, SPOT5 provides good results to map aquaculture features at cadastral scale, even if in some circumstances (e.g. tidal areas), the integration with higher spatial resolution multispectral sensors should be envisaged.     

Siliceous microfossil succession in the recent history of two basins in Lake Baikal, Siberia

As part of the international cooperative Baikal Drilling Project, siliceous microfossil assemblage succession was analyzed in two short ( 30-cm) sediment cores from Lake Baikal. One core was recovered from the north basin (Core 324, 55°15N, 109°30E), a second from between the central and southern basins (Core 316, 52°28N, 106°5E). The northern core had higher amounts of biogenic silica (40 g SiO₂ per 100 g dry weight sediment) compared to the southern core, and increased deposition in the more recent sediments. Weight percent biogenic silica was lower in the southern core, ranging from approximately 20–30 g SiO₂ per 100 g dry weight sediment throughout the entire core. Trends in absolute microfossil abundance mirror those of biogenic silica, with generally greater abundance in the northern core (86–275×10⁶ microfossils g^–1 dry sediment) compared to the southern core (94–163×10⁶ microfossils g^–1 dry sediment).Cluster analyses using relative abundance of the dominant diatom and chrysophyte taxa revealed four zones of microfossil succession in each core. Microfossil assemblage succession in the north basin may be reflecting shifts in nutrient supply and cycling driven by climatic changes. The most recent sediments in the northern basin (Zone 1,c. 1890's–1991 A.D.) were characterized by an increased abundance ofAulacoseira baicalensis andAulacoseira spore. Zone 3 (c. 1630's–1830's A.D.) was dominated by the endemicCyclotella spp. and reduced abundance of theAulacoseira spp. Zone 3 corresponds approximately to the Little Ice Age, a cooler climatic period. The microfossil assemblages between Zones 1 and 3 (Zone 2,c. 1830's–1890's A.D.) and below Zone 3 (Zone 4,c. 830's–1430's A.D.) are similar to one another suggesting they represent transitional intervals between warm and cold periods. Southern basin sediments record similar changes in the endemic taxa. However, the increased abundance of non-endemic planktonic taxa (e.g.Stephanodiscus binderanus, Synedra acus, Cyclostephanos dubius) during two periods in recent history (post World War II and late 1700's) suggests evidence for anthropogenic induced changes in southern Lake Baikal.     

阿尔泰山冰川系统结构、近期变化及趋势预测

地跨中、俄、哈、蒙四国的阿尔泰山共有冰川面积约1 700 km2,其中中国约280 km2,俄罗斯及哈萨克斯坦约880 km2,可作为统一的冰川系统进行研究.本文首先应用中国及前苏联冰川编目数据分析了本系统冰川的结构特征.表明本区冰川平衡线约为2 983 m,为中国的小型冰川(平均面积0.8 km2)作用区.应用最新的...     

Mapping Ecotone Movements: Holocene Dynamics of the Forest Tension Zone in Central Lower Michigan,Usa

This paper presents a novel method for detecting and mapping movements of ecotone boundaries, over both time and space, using existing fossil pollen data. The method combines existing statistical techniques, including discriminant analysis and spatial interpolation, to generate statistically robust maps of ecotone boundaries over time. This method was applied to provide a comprehensive vegetative history of the forest tension zone in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan during the last 10,000 years. Pollen data for nine lakes in the Lower Peninsula were analyzed with discriminant analysis and spatially interpolated with inverse distance weighted to track ecotone movements of the forest tension zone. The forest tension zone has been in existence over the last 10,000 years and has been highly variable over space and time, with at least three major latitudinal shifts, spanning 320 km and 6° of latitude, as well as several less pronounced shifts. These shifts occurred primarily in response to millennial-scale oscillations in climate such as the warmer and dryer conditions associated with the mid-Holocene. A slighter shift was evident in association with the cooler and drier conditions of the Little Ice Age (600-100 cal yr BP). This research demonstrates the sensitivity of Great Lakes forest communities to Holocene climate change and suggests a similar sensitivity of future ecotone dynamics in response to modern global warming.     

祁连山水源涵养林区降水及温度时空变化研究

研究大气降水及温度的时空变化对建立气候预警系统有重要的意义。利用气象和水文自动监测仪器沿环境梯度和植被类型对祁连山水源涵养林区温度及降水时空变化进行了动态监测。结果表明,祁连山西水林区降水呈单峰曲线型,主要集中在夏季,占全年降水的72%;在环境梯度上差异较大,表现为乔灌交错带处(3 300 m)降水为最大,交错带以下随海拔的升高降水增大,交错带以上由于降水复杂性导致随海拔的升高而减少;在年际上差异更大,2004年以前降水量随年份的增大有下降趋势,2004年以后降水量增幅较大。祁连山西水林区气温从1986年以来逐渐上升,但年均气温大多在0 ℃以下,最低为-1.33 ℃,从2003年以来气温迅速上升,年均温最高为2.5 ℃,通过研究发现24 a以来气温上升了3.83 ℃;由于气温的上升,导致土壤温度上升较快,尤其是表层和深层土壤温度上升更快,该结论与当前的众多结论是相吻合的。     

准噶尔盆地东南缘绿洲荒漠交错带土壤动物群落特征

为理解准噶尔盆地东南缘绿洲-荒漠交错带土壤动物群落特征,采用国际通用采样方法在2010年4月、7月、9月及11月中旬对该交错带不同生境土壤动物群落进行了调查研究,比较分析了该区土壤动物群落组成、多样性及其季节动态特征。结果表明:①共采集到大、中小型土壤动物9 788只,隶属于4门12纲32目,其中甲螨目、弹尾目、中气门目和前气门目为优势类群,常见类群有垫刃目、鞘翅目幼虫、膜翅目、无气门目、缨翅目和双翅目幼虫,优势类群和常见类群占群落总个体数的96.27%,其他22类群均属于稀有类群,只占总捕获量的3.73%。②在不同生境土壤动物群落组成、个体数量及多样性都表现出了明显的时空变异（P<0.05）,其类群数高低顺序为自然林＞防护林＞牧草地＞灌木林＞耕地＞菜瓜地＞荒草原＞荒漠,而个体数量顺序为菜瓜地＞耕地＞牧草地＞防护林＞自然林＞荒草原＞灌木林＞荒漠。③不同生境土壤动物的垂直分布具有明显的表聚特征,即从地表向下,随着土壤深度的增加土壤动物个体数量逐渐减少。④在不同生境土壤动物个体数量表现出了明显季节变化,其高低顺序为冬季＞秋季＞春季＞夏季。研究结果为进一步开展干旱区绿洲-荒漠生态系统土壤动物生态学的研究奠定了基础。     

黄河中游砒砂岩地区长川流域土地利用变化分析

根据1976年的Landsat-MSS影像数据以及1987年和2000年的Landsat-TM影像数据,应用遥感和地理信息系统手段以及转移矩阵和景观空间格局指数分析方法,对地处黄河中游砒砂岩地区的内蒙古准格尔旗长川流域土地利用及其变化进行研究。结果表明：1)研究区内分布最多的土地利用类型是灌木林地、草地和难利用地,该三个土地利用类型的面积占研究区域总面积75％;2)从1976～2000年期间,虽然乔木和灌木林地的面积明显增加,但同时也存在林地和草地向难利用土地、沙地和农地的转变过程。与此同时水域亦明显减少;3)水土保持生物措施的实施、农田开垦和降雨量偏少可能是导致研究区土地利用变化的主要原因。     

A thousand years of environmental change and human impact in the alpine zone at Mt Kosciusko,New South Wales

This study reconstructs erosion, productivity, fire and vegetation records at Club Lake, in the alpine zone of Kosciusko National Park (the highest mountain region in Australia), and uses them to compare the prehistoric and historic periods. While disturbance in the prehistoric period was found to be minimal and mainly activated by fire, the impact of land uses after European arrival initiated a change in the erosion and fire regime and brought new grazing animals and exotic plant species. These triggered temporal changes in eutrophication and the nature of erosion, and significant vegetation changes. There was a reduction in the stability and persistence of species representation, especially in herbfield vegetation, and little recovery is evident despite the cessation of summer grazing. It is apparent that the area is very sensitive to disturbance by human impact and large fires.