Influence of atmospheric circulation on precipitation in Altai Mountains

We analyzed the changes in precipitation regime in the Altai Mountains for 1959-2014 and estimate the influence of atmospheric circulations on these changes. Our study showed that during last 56 years the changes in the precipitation regime had a positive trend for the warm seasons(April-October),but weakly positive or negative trends for the cold seasons(November-March). It was found that these changes correspond to the decreasing contribution of “Northern meridional and Stationary anticyclone(Nm-Sa)” and “Northern meridional and East zonal(Nm-Ez)” circulation groups and to the increasing contribution of “West zonal and Southern meridional(Wz-Sm)” circulation groups,accordingly to the Dzerdzeevskii classification. In addition,it was found that the variation of precipitation has a step change point in 1980. For the warm seasons,the precipitation change at this point is associated with the reduced influence of “West zonal(Wz)”,“Northern meridional and Stationary anticyclone(Nm-Sa)” and “Northern meridional and Southern meridional(Nm-Sm)” circulation groups. For the cold seasons,a substantialincrease of “Wz-Sm” and a decrease of “Nm-Sa”,“Nm-Ez” circulation groups are responsible for the precipitation change in the two time periods(1959-1980 and 1981-2014).     

Tree wave migration across an elevation gradient in the Altai Mountains,Siberia

The phenomenon of tree waves(hedges and ribbons) formation within the alpine ecotone in Altai Mountains and its response to observed air temperature increase was considered. At the upper limit of tree growth Siberian pine(Pinus sibirica) forms hedges on windward slopes and ribbons on the leeward ones. Hedges were formed by prevailing winds and oriented along winds direction. Ribbons were formed by snow blowing and accumulating on the leeward slope and perpendicular to the prevailing winds, as well as to the elevation gradient. Hedges were always linked with microtopography features, whereas ribbons were not. Trees are migrating upward by waves and new ribbons and hedges are forming at or near tree line, whereas at lower elevations ribbons and hedges are being transformed into closed forests. Time series of high-resolution satellite scenes(from 1968 to 2010) indicated an upslope shift in the position ribbons averaged 155±26 m(or 3.7 m yr~(-1)) and crown closure increased(about 35%–90%). The hedges advance was limited by poor regeneration establishment and was negligible. Regeneration within the ribbon zone was approximately 2.5 times(5060 vs 2120 ha~(-1)) higherthen within the hedges zone. During the last four decades, Siberian pine in both hedges and ribbons strongly increased its growth increment, and recent tree growth rate for 50 year-old trees was about twice higher than those recorded for similarly-aged trees at the beginning of the 20~(th) century. Hedges and ribbons are phenomena that are widespread within the southern and northern Siberian Mountains.     

Symbiosis of marshes and permafrost in Da and Xiao Hinggan Mountains in northeastern China

Recently, the degradation of permafrost and marsh environments in the Da and Xiao Hinggan Mountains has become a great concern as more human activities and pronounced climate warming were observed during the past 30 years and projected for the near future. The distr/bution patterns and development mechanisms of the permafrost and marshes have been examined both in theories and in field observations, in order to better understand the symbiosis of permafrost and marshes. The permafrost and marshes in the Da and Xiao Hinggan Mountains display discernible zonations in latitude and elevation. The marsh vegetation canopy, litter and peat soil have good thermal insulation properties for the underlying permafrost, resulting in a thermal offset of 3 ℃ to 4℃ and subsequently suppressing soil temperature. In addition, the much higher thermal conductivity of frozen and ice-rich peat in the active layer is conducive to the development or in favor of the protection of permafrost due to the semi-conductor properties of the soils overlying the permafrost. On the other hand, because permafrost is almost impervious, the osmosis of water in marsh soils can be effectively reduced, timely providing water supplies for helophytes growth or germination in spring. In the Da and Xiao Hinggan Mountains, the permafrost degradation has been accelerating due to the marked climate warming, ever increasing human activities, and the resultant eco-environmental changes. Since the permafrost and marsh environments are symbiotic and interdependent, they need to be managed or protected in a well-coordinated and integrated way.     

Estimation of mountain block recharge on the northern Tianshan Mountains using numerical modeling

Mountain block recharge(MBR), an important water resource, is a widespread process that recharges lowland aquifers. However, little is known about MBR due to the limited climatic and geologic data in mountainous regions such as the northern central foothills of Tianshan. Here, we present an approach to quantify MBR through the combination of water balance calculations and numerical modeling. MBR calculated from the water balance in the data-limited Tianshan Mountains is employed as a fluid-flux boundary condition in the numerical model of the plain. To verify the performance of the model, mean absolute error and root mean square error were used. Results show that the volume of water that is recharging the aquifer via MBR is 107.29 million m~3/yr, accounting for 2.2% of the total precipitation that falls in the mountains. Additionally, 53.3% of that precipitation enters the plain aquifer via runoff, totaling 2,652.68 million m~3/yr. The lower volume of MBR is attributed to a major range-bounding anticline with apparent low permeability in the Tianshan Mountains. Through numerical modeling of groundwater, MBR coming from bedrock was found to be significant, accounting for 14% of total aquifer recharge in the plain, only after the portion of runoff seepage. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of MBR, and may provide instructions for estimating groundwater recharge in arid and semi-arid areas.     

Spatial variability and its main controlling factors of the permafrost soil-moisture on the northern-slope of Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The soil moisture movement is an important carrier of material cycle and energy flow among the various geo-spheres in the cold regions. Thus, this research takes the north slope of Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as a case study. The present study firstly investigates the change of permafrost moisture in different slope positions and depths. Based on this investigation, this article attempts to investigate the spatial variability of permafrost moisture and identifies the key influence factors in different terrain conditions. The method of classification and regression tree (CART) is adopted to identify the main controlling factors influencing the soil moisture movement. The relationships between soil moisture and environmental factors are revealed by the use of the method of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The results show that: 1) Due to the terrain slope and the freezing-thawing process, the horizontal flow weakens in the freezing period. The vertical migration of the soil moisture movement strengthens. It will lead to that the soil-moisture content in the up-slope is higher than that in the down-slope. The conclusion is contrary during the melting period. 2) Elevation, soil texture, soil temperature and vegetation coverage are the main environmental factors which affect the slope-permafrost soil-moisture. 3) Slope, elevation and vegetation coverage are the main factors that affect the slope-permafrost soil-moisture at the shallow depth of 0-20 cm. It is complex at the middle and lower depth.     

1972-2017年南阿尔泰山中部冰湖变化特征及其对气候变化的响应

以1972、1989、1996、2006、2017年5个不同时段的Landsat MSS/TM/ETM+/OLI遥感影像数据、数字高程模型（DEM）数据和气象数据为数据源,通过计算机自动提取与人工目视解译相结合的方法获取南阿尔泰山中部地区各时段的冰湖信息,利用GIS空间分析方法对该地区的冰湖面积进行统计,并分析研究区冰湖在不同规模、不同坡度、不同海拔状态下的时空变化特征。结果表明:①近45年来南阿尔泰山中部地区的冰湖面积呈"先减后增"趋势。1972-1996年研究区的冰湖面积从411.14 km2减少至400.83 km2,共减少了10.31 km2,减少速率为0.43 km2/a。从1996-2017年冰湖面积增加了15.42 km2;增长率为0.514 km2/a。②研究区冰湖分布主要集中在海拔低于2 200 m、坡度小于25°的区域,不同海拔区间和不同坡度区间的冰湖面积均呈"先减后增"趋势。③结合气温、降水、冰川面积以及冰储量变化数据分析发现,南阿尔泰山中部地区冰湖对气候变化具有明显的响应。温度、降水量及冰川融水是影响冰湖面积变化的主要因素;且这三者之间存在一种平衡关系,即温度升高冰川消融速度加快,从而对冰湖的收支平衡产生直接影响。当冰湖的补给量（即冰川融水和降水量之和）大于由温度升高引起的蒸发量时,冰湖面积会呈增长趋势;反之亦然。1970-1980年整个阿勒泰地区年代际降水量减少了19.28 mm,温度上升了0.25℃,因此1972-1989年研究区冰湖的蒸发水量大于补给水量,导致该时段冰湖面积呈退缩态势。1989-1996年该区降水量增加了19.67%,温度升高了0.62℃,但是增加的降水量却无法弥补由温度升高引起的冰湖蒸发量,因此1989-1996年研究区冰湖面积仍处于退缩状态。1996-2017年由于温度和降水量大幅增加导致冰湖面积呈不断增长趋势。      

Temperature trends and its elevation-dependent warming over the Qilian Mountains

Understanding temperature variability especially elevation dependent warming(EDW) in high-elevation mountain regions is critical for assessing the impacts of climate change on water resources including glacier melt, degradation of soils, and active layer thickness. EDW means that temperature is warming faster with the increase of altitude. In this study, we used observed temperature data during 1979-2017 from 23 meteorological stations in the Qilian Mountains(QLM) to analyze temperature trend wi...     

Snow cover influences the thermal regime of active layer in Urumqi River Source,Tianshan Mountains,China

Snow cover is characterized by the high albedo, low thermal conductivity, and notable heat transition during phase changes. Thus, snow cover significantly affects the ground thermal regime. A comparison of the snow cover in high latitudes or high-altitude snowy mountain regions indicates that the eastern Tianshan Mountains (China) show a characteristically thin snow cover (snow depth below 15 cm) with remarkable temporal variability. Based on snow depth, heat flux, and ground temperature from 2014 to 2015 in the Urumqi River source, the spatialtemporal characteristics of snow cover and snow cover influences on the thermal conditions of active layer in the permafrost area were analyzed. During the autumn (Sept. - Oct.), thin and discontinuous snow cover can noticeably accelerate the exothermic process of the ground, producing a cooling effect on the shallow soil. During the winter (Nov. - Mar.), it is inferred that the effective thermal insulation starts with snow depth exceeding 10 cm during early winter. However, the snow depth in this area is generally below 15 cm, and the resulting snow-induced thermal insulation during the winter is very limited. Due to common heavy snowfalls in the spring (Apr. to May), the monthly mean snow thickness in April reached to 15 cm and remained until mid-May. Snow cover during the spring significantly retarded the ground warming. Broadly, snow cover in the study area exerts a cooling effect on the active layer and plays a positive role in the development and preservation of permafrost.     

Coupled 2D Hydrodynamic and Sediment Transport Modeling of Megaflood due to Glacier Dam-break in Altai Mountains,Southern Siberia

One of the largest known megafloods on earth resulted from a glacier dam-break,which occurred during the Late Quaternary in the Altai Mountains in Southern Siberia.Computational modeling is one of the viable approaches to enhancing the understanding of the flood events.The computational domain of this flood is over 9460 km2 and about 3.784 × 106 cells are involved as a 50 m × 50 m mesh is used,which necessitates a computationally efficient model.Here the Open MP(Open Multiprocessing) technique is adopted to parallelize the code of a coupled 2D hydrodynamic and sediment transport model.It is shown that the computational efficiency is enhanced by over 80% due to the parallelization.The floods over both fixed and mobile beds are well reproduced with specified discharge hydrographs at the dam site.Qualitatively,backwater effects during the flood are resolved at the bifurcation between the Chuja and Katun rivers.Quantitatively,the computed maximum stage and thalweg are physically consistent with the field data of the bars and deposits.The effects of sediment transport and morphological evolution on the flood are considerable.Sensitivity analyses indicate that the impact of the peak discharge is significant,whilst those of the Manningroughness,medium sediment size and shape of the inlet discharge hydrograph are marginal.     

Response of snow hydrological processes to a changing climate during 1961 to 2016 in the headwater of Irtysh River Basin,Chinese Altai Mountains

With changing climatic conditions and snow cover regime, regional hydrological cycle for a snowy basin will change and further available surface water resources will be redistributed. Assessing snow meltwater effect on runoff is the key to water safety, under climate warming and fast social-economic developing status. In this study, stable isotopic technology was utilized to analyze the snow meltwater effect on regional hydrological processes, and to declare the response of snow hydrology to climate change and snow cover regime, together with longterm meteorological and hydrological observations, in the headwater of Irtysh River, Chinese Altai Mountains during 1961-2015. The average δ~(18) O values of rainfall, snowfall, meltwater, groundwater and river water for 2014–2015 hydrological year were-10.9‰,-22.3‰,-21.7‰,-15.7‰ and-16.0‰, respectively.The results from stable isotopes, snow melting observation and remote sensing indicated that the meltwater effect on hydrological processes in Kayiertesi River Basin mainly occurred during snowmelt supplying period from April to June. The contribution of meltwater to runoff reached 58.1% during this period, but rainfall, meltwater and groundwater supplied 49.1%, 36.9% and 14.0% of water resource to annual runoff, respectively. With rising air temperature and increasing snowfall in cold season, the snow water equivalent(SWE) had an increasing trend but the snow cover duration declined by about one month including 13-day delay of the first day and 17-day advancement of the end day during 1961–2016. Increase in SWE provided more available water resource. However, variations in snow cover timing had resulted in redistribution of surface water resource, represented by an increase of discharge percentage in April and May, and a decline in Juneand July. This trend of snow hydrology will render a deficit of water resource in June and July when the water resource demand is high for agricultural irrigation and industrial manufacture.     

Assessing discharge periodicity in mountain catchments using classified environmental conditions (Tatra Mountains,Poland)

The periodicity of a river expressed in cycles of various lengths (monthly,seasonal,multiannual) is a result of climatic factors and overiapping environmental c...     

Mass Loss from Glaciers in the Chinese Altai Mountains between 1959 and 2008 Revealed Based on Historical Maps,SRTM, and ASTER Images

Mass loss of glaciers in the Chinese Altai was detected using geodetic methods based on topographical maps(1959), the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission(SRTM) Digital Elevation Model(DEM)(2000), and the Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer(ASTER) stereo images(2008). The results indicate that a continued and accelerating shrinkage has occurred in the Chinese Altai Mountains during the last 50 years, with mass deficits of 0.43 ± 0.02 and0.54 ± 0.13 m a-1 water equivalent(w.e.) during the periods 1959-1999 and 1999-2008, respectively.Overall, the Chinese Altai Mountains have lost 7.06 ±0.44 km3 in ice volume(equivalent to-0.43 ± 0.03 m a-1 w.e.) from 1959-2008. The spatial heterogeneity in mass loss was potentially affected by comprehensive changes in temperature and precipitation, and had a substantial correlation withglacier size and topographic settings. Comparison shows that in the Chinese Altai Mountains glaciers have experienced a more rapid mass loss than those in the Tianshan and northwestern Tibetan Plateau(TP), and the mass balance of glaciers was slightly less negative relative to those in the Russian Altai, Himalaya, and southern TP.     

Effect of weather conditions on the incidence of Lophodermium yellow needle blight in the dwarf mountain pine in the Karkonosze and Izerskie Mountains (Poland)

The study aimed to determine, by using a statistical model, the effect of weather conditions on the incidence of Lophodermium yellow needle blight causing by new species for science- Lophodermium corconticum, in the mountain dwarf pine growing in the subalpine Karkonosze Mountains and the Izerskie Mountains(Poland). Needles showed symptoms of yellow spots, gradual discolouration and premature fall in July. The assessment of healthiness of infected mountain dwarf pine needles spanned three years(2011- 2013) and was conducted in several test sites in the Karkonosze and Izerskie Mountains. The results were analyzed by taking into account the meteorological conditions. Field observations seem to indicate that the highest infestation of mountain dwarf pine occurs in June and July, while September and October see a significantly lower disease index in the Karkonosze Mountains. The lower indices of the infestation of mountain dwarf pine are characteristic for the vegetation in the Hala Izerska high mountain pasture; whereas the environmental conditions prevailing in the Kocio? Ma?ego Stawu cirque and above the Samotnia hostel are conducive to the development of Lophodermium yellow needle blight.     

木里冻土区天然气水合物成藏特征

为探讨木里冻土区天然气水合物的烃类来源及成藏特征,应用地球化学反演方法,根据碳同位素和成熟度的关系,分析烃类的成因和来源,结合水合物赋存特征、地层埋藏史等研究水合物成藏特征。结果表明:木里冻土地区天然气水合物的烃类气体以油型气为主,浅部混有少量煤成气;前者主要来源于石炭统和下二叠统烃源岩,侏罗系烃源岩贡献较小。水合物成藏空间分布非均质性较强,纵向上不同层段的气体来源和充注特征具有较大差异,上部层段烃类成熟度较低,来源于早期常规油气藏破坏后逸散气体,混有少量水合物分解甲烷;中部层段甲烷具有"多阶"充注特征,有原油裂解气贡献,底部发育油气优势运移路径;下部层段烃类主要来源于深部烃源岩层(早二叠系和石炭系),具有"多阶"充注特征。水合物形成前的常规油气藏演化和水合物形成后的保存条件,是研究区天然气水合物成藏和展布的主控因素。     

Planning conservation corridors in mountain areas based on integrated conservation planning models: A case study for a giant panda in the Qionglai Mountains

With the accelerated urbanization, human activities pose serious threats to species because of fragmentation. Planning conservation corridors between habitats could improve species mobility in order to address the human disturbance. However,there are a limited number of studies that focus on assessing the effect of human activities on species movement in mountain areas as well as how to integrate different conservation models relating to conservation corridors identification. In our study, we modified the resistance model and took land use data as input parameters to quantify the impacts of human activities in mountain areas. Meanwhile, different conservation planning models, including Circuit model and Least Cost Path(LCP) algorithm, were integrated. Moreover, our approach was applied to identify giant panda corridors in Miarro nature reserve, Caopo nature reserve, and Wolong nature reserve. The results suggested that the impacts of human activities were limited in valley regions due to topography by resistance model. Secondly, Circuit model demonstrated that the conservation corridorsfor giant panda could not be identified between the Miarro and the Caopo nature reserves. Additionally,more detailed corridors between habitats were planned by the LCP algorithm. Furthermore, we also identified bottlenecks for migration in each corridor,indicating that human activities' interference was the primary cause. Our approach not only could connect habitats for conservation in mountain areas but also found out that the corridor could not be identified between habitats.     

昆仑山提孜那甫河流域雨雪分离的温度条件分析

气候变暖背景下高海拔山区融雪（冰）以及强降水引发的洪水愈加难以预测,通过山区雨雪分离可判定引发洪水的温度条件,从而为山洪准确预报提供简单而科学的参考依据。本研究以昆仑山提孜那甫河流域为例,基于流域内不同海拔气象站2012-2016年的降水以及温度数据,结合MOD10A2积雪数据,采用温度积分法和概率统计方法,利用研究期内的平均温度,确定出不同降水形态对应的温度条件,以达到雨雪分离的目的。研究结果表明,莫木克站最大温和积温分别达到20.91 ℃和51.82 ℃时,降水可判定为降雨,最大温和积温分别低于18.13 ℃,43.69 ℃时,降水可判定为降雪;库地站最大温和积温分别达到14.51 ℃,33.17 ℃时,降水可判定为降雨,最大温和积温分别低于13.57 ℃,31.68 ℃时,降水可判定为降雪;西合休站最大温和积温分别达到9.43 ℃,19.53 ℃时,降水可判定为降雨,最大温和积温分别低于8.22 ℃,19.4 ℃时,降水可判定为降雪。利用流域内气象站点附近乡镇的气象统计数据对温度条件及分离结果进行验证,在海拔2000 m以下、2000~3000 m以及3000 m以上不同海拔地区的准确率分别为92.86%、79.49%以及88.3%。本研究可为判别洪水类型和洪水预报提供科学参考。     

Biogeochemical conversion of sulfur species in saline lakes of Steppe Altai

The aim of the present research is to identify the main mechanisms of sulfur behavior in saline lakes in the course of time and followed transformations in their chemical composition. The influence of water on chemical composition of biochemical processes involved in decomposition of organic matter was determined by the study of behavior of reduced forms of sulfur in lakes. The determination of reduced forms of sulfur was carried out by successive transfer of each form of sulfur to hydrogen sulfide followed by photometric measurements. The other chemical components were determined by standard methods(atomic absorption, potentiometric method, titration method and others). The salt lakes of the Altai steppe were studied in summer season 2013–2015. Analysis of the chemical composition of the saline lakes of Altai Krai has shown that carbonate-, hydrocarbonate-and chloride ions dominate among anions; sodium is main cation; sulfates are found in subordinate amounts. Reduced forms of sulfur occur everywhere: hydrogen and hydrosulfide sulfur S~(2-) prevail in the bottom sediments; its derivative—elemental S~0—prevails in the lakes water. The second important species in water of soda lakes is hydrosulfide sulfur S~(2-), and in chloride lakes is thiosulfate sulfur S_2O_2~(3ˉ). The lag in the accumulation of sulfates in soda lakes in comparison to chloride lakes can be explained by their bacterial reduction, followed by the formation and deposition of iron sulfides in sediments. In chloride lakes gypsum is a predominantly barrier for sulfates.     

Mapping the vegetation distribution of the permafrost zone on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

In this paper,an updated vegetation map of the permafrost zone in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP) was delineated.The vegetation map model was extracted from vegetation sampling with remote sensing(RS) datasets by decision tree method.The spatial resolution of the map is 1 km×1 km,and in it the alpine swamp meadow is firstly distinguished in the high-altitude areas.The results showed that the total vegetated area in the permafrost zone of the QTP is 1,201,751 km~2.In the vegetated region,50,260 km~2 is the areas of alpine swamp meadow,583,909 km~2 for alpine meadow,332,754 km~2 for alpine steppe,and 234,828 km~2 for alpine desert.This updated vegetation map in permafrost zone of QTP could provide more details about the distribution of alpine vegetation types for studying the vegetation mechanisms in the land surface processes of highaltitude areas.     

龙门山北段天井山构造特征及成因模拟

根据地震资料、钻井和野外调查等研究,认为天井山构造带广泛发育重力滑动构造、断层转折褶皱、倒转背斜和双重构造等构造样式.天井山构造带变形具有垂向分层特点:上部构造主要为断层转折褶皱,02tjs10测线附近变形强度最大,向两端变形逐步减弱;下部构造为多个逆冲岩片叠置所构成的双重构造.通过构造物理模拟实验,证实天井山构造带在北西—南东向挤压应力作用下变形序列为前展式逆冲叠瓦式构造组合;天井山构造带存在多个滑脱层系,才会形成分层变形、垂向叠置的不协调收缩构造变形.该研究可以为天井山构造带乃至龙门山油气勘探提供指导.