Zircon U-Pb geochronology and geological implications of granitoids from Sawuer Mountains in North Xinjiang, NW China

LA-ICP MS zircon U-Pb dating results of granites from Sawuer Mountains in North Xinjiang, NW China, are reported based on 1:50 000 regional geologic surveys. Zircon U-Pb dating shows that the granitoids have magmatic crystallization age of 320 ±2 Ma. In addition, zircons with ages of 341 ～358 Ma could be subdi- vided into two groups, i.e. , Group 1 with a weighted mean age of 342 + 3 Ma and Group 2 with a weighted mean age of 354 + 2 Ma. The petrology and geochemistry of granitoids from Sawuer Mountains suggest their mixed origin. The granite from Sawuer Mountains occurred in an extensional setting, most probably related to post-orogenic processes during the closure of the Peo-Asian Ocean; namely, represent the tectonic setting shif- ted from compress to post-collisional setting.     

Zircon U-Pb geochronology and geological implications of granitoids from Sawuer Mountains in North Xinjiang,NW China

LA-ICP MS zircon U-Pb dating results of granites from Sawuer Mountains in North Xinjiang, NW China, are reported based on 1：50 000 regional geologic surveys. Zircon U-Pb dating shows that the granitoids have magmatic crystallization age of 320 ± 2 Ma. In addition, zircons with ages of 341 -358 Ma could be subdivided into two groups, i. e. , Group 1 with a weighted mean age of 342 ± 3 Ma and Group 2 with a weighted mean age of 354 ± 2 Ma. The petrology and geochemistry of granitoids from Sawuer Mountains suggest their mixed origin. The granite from Sawuer Mountains occurred in an extensional setting, most probably related to post-orogenic processes during the closure of the Peo-Asian Ocean ; namely, represent the tectonic setting shifted from compress to post-collisional setting.     

Thinning and shrinkage of Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Western Qilian Mountains, China, from 1957 to 2007

Landsat images, real-time kinematic GPS measurements, and topographic maps were used to determine changes in ice elevation, volume, and areal extent of the Laohugou No. 12 glacier (Qilian Mountains, China) between 1957 and 2007. The glacier experienced significant thinning and areal shrinkage in the ablation zone, but slight thickening in part of the accumulation zone. Elevation decreased by 18.6±5.4 m between 1957 and 2007 in the regions covered by the GPS measurements. The total volume loss for the entire glacier was estimated to be 0.218 km3 using a third-order polynomial fit method. The area diminished by 0.28 km2 between 1957 and 1994, 0.26 km2 between 1994 and 2000, and 0.28 km2 between 2000 and 2007, suggesting that the rate of loss in glacial coverage has increased since the mid-1990s. Significant increases in annual mean air temperature may have contributed to shrinkage and thinning of the glacier.     

Application of multivariate model based on three simulated sensors for water quality variables estimation in Shitoukoumen Reservoir,Jilin Province,China

This study applied a multivariate model based on three simulated sensors to estimating water quality variables in Shitoukoumen Reservoir, Changchun City, Jilin Province, China, including concentration of total suspended matter, concentration of chlorophyll-a and non-pigment matter absorption. Two field campaigns for spectra measurements with a total of 40 samples were carried out on June 13 and September 23, 2008. The in-situ spectra were recalculated to the spectral bands and sensitivities of the instruments applied in this paper, i.e. Landsat TM, Alos and P6, by using the average method. And the recalculated spectra were used for estimating water quality variables by the single model and multivariate model. The results show that the multivariate model is superior to the single model as the multivariate model takes the combined effects of water components into consideration and can estimate water quality variables simultaneously. According to R ² and RMSE, Alos is superior to other sensors for water quality variables estimation although the precision of non-pigment matter absorption inversion performed the second.     

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

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

Effects of grazing exclusion on soil carbon and nitrogen storage in semi-arid grassland in Inner Mongolia,China

The semi-arid grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China have been degraded by long-term grazing. A series of ecological restoration strategies have been implemented to improve grassland service. However, little is known about the effect of these ecological restoration practices on soil carbon and nitrogen storage. In this study, characteristics of vegetation and soil properties under continued grazing and exclusion of livestock for six years due to a nationwide conservation program—′Returning Grazing Lands to Grasslands(RGLG)′ were examined in semi-arid Hulun Buir grassland in Inner Mongolia, China. The results show that removal of grazing for six years resulted in a significant recovery in vegetation with higher above and below-ground biomass, but a lower soil bulk density and pH value. After six years of grazing exclusion, soil organic C and total N storage increased by 13.9% and 17.1%, respectively, which could be partly explained by decreased loss and increased input of C and N to soil. The effects of grazing exclusion on soil C and N concentration and storage primarily occurred in the upper soil depths. The results indicate that removal of grazing pressure within the RGLG program was an effective restoration approach to control grassland degradation in this region. However, more comprehensive studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the RGLG program and to improve the management strategies for grassland restoration in this area.     

Improved AHP method and its application in lake environmental comprehensive quality evaluation a case study of Xuanwu Lake, Nanjing, China

The relative importance of each pollution factor in analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method comes from pooling expert opinions in general. Because expert opinions are based on information and judgment criteria, determining their weight may lead to uncertainty.. Therefore, an improved AHP method had been developed. The process of the improved AHP method involved four key procedures. The weights of pollution factors were completely related to the objective monitoring data through the standardization of these procedures. The environmental comprehensive quality of water and sediment of Xuanwu Lake, Nanjing, China had been evaluated. The environmental quality comprehensive indices (EQCI) of the water in 1991-1995 and 1996-2000 were 3.32 and 1.85, respectively, indicating that the water quality improved. The EQCI of the sediment in 1995 and 2000 indicates that the sediment contamination decreased from 1995 to 2000. Such results agreed with the fact that the lake had been under comprehensive control. However, with the classical AHP method, the EQCI of the sediment in the northwestern part of the lake may have indicated that sediment contamination increased from 1995 to 2000. The discrepancy may have resulted from the judgment difference of the experts. The improved AHP method can avoid arbitrariness of subjective judgment and can reflect the real influential factors of environment pollution in different periods or regions.     

Land use effects on soil organic carbon,microbial biomass and microbial activity in Changbai Mountains of Northeast China

Land use changes are known to alter soil organic carbon （SOC） and microbial properties, however, information about how conversion of natural forest to agricultural land use as well as plantations affects SOC and microbial properties in the Changbai Moun- tains of Northeast China is meager. Soil carbon content, microbial biomass carbon （MBC）, basal respiration and soil carbon mineraliza- tion were studied in five selected types of land use： natural old-growth broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forest （NF）; spruce plantation （SP） established following clear-cutting of NF; cropland （CL）; ginseng farmland （GF） previously under NF; and a five-year Mongolian oak young forest （YF） reforested on an abandoned GF, in the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China in 2011. Results showed that SOC content was significantly lower in SP, CL, GF, and YF than in NF. MBC ranged from 304.4 mg/kg in CL to 1350.3 mg/kg in NF, which was significantly higher in the soil of NF than any soil of the other four land use types. The SOC and MBC contents were higher in SP soil than in CL, GF, and YF soils, yielding a significant difference between SP and CL. The value of basal respiration was also higher in NF than in SP, CL, GF, and YF. Simultaneously, higher values of the metabolic quotient were detected in CL, GF, and YF soils, indicat- ing low substrate utilization of the soil microbial community compared with that in NF and SP soil. The values of cumulative mineral- ized carbon and potentially mineralized carbon （Co） in NF were significantly higher than those in CL and GF, while no significant dif- ference was observed between NF and SP. In addition, YF had higher values of Co and C mineralization rate compared with GF. The results indicate that conversion from NF into agricultural land （CL and GF） uses and plantation may lead to a reduction in soil nutrients （SOC and MBC） and substrate utilization efficiency of the microbial community. By contrast, soils below SP were more conducive to the preservation of soil organic matter, which was reflected in the comparison of microbial indicators among CL, GF, and YF land uses. This study can provide data for evaluating soils nutrients under different land use types, and serve as references for the rational land use of natural forest in the study area.     

Assessment of point and nonpoint sources pollution in Songhua River Basin,Northeast China by using revised water quality model

Individual participation of pollutants in the pollution load should be estimated even if roughly for the appropriate environmental management of a river basin. It is difficult to identify the sources and to quantify the load, especially in modeling nonpoint source. In this study a revised model was established by integrating point and nonpoint sources into one-dimensional Streeter-Phelps (S-P) model on the basis of real-time hydrologic data and surface water quality monitoring data in the Jilin Reach of the Songhua River Basin. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH_3-N) loads were estimated. Results showed that COD loads of point source and nonpoint source were 134 958 t/yr and 86 209 t/yr, accounting for 61.02% and 38.98% of total loads, respectively. NH_3-N loads of point source and nonpoint source were 16 739 t/yr and 14 272 t/yr, accounting for 53.98% and 46.02%, respectively. Point source pollution was stronger than nonpoint source pollution in the study area at present. The water quality of upstream was better than that of downstream of the rivers and cities. It is indispensable to treat industrial wastewater and municipal sewage out of point sources, to adopt the best management practices to control diffuse pollutants from agricultural land and urban surface runoff in improving water quality of the Songhua River Basin. The revised S-P model can be successfully used to identify pollution source and quantify point source and nonpoint source loads by calibrating and validating.     

EFFECTS OF SEASONALITY ON STREAMFLOW AND WATER QUALITY OF THE PINANG RIVER IN PENANG ISLAND, MALAYSIA

For the Pinang River, originating in the western highlands of Penang Island, the nature, sources and extent of pollution were studied. The river water samples collected at five selected sites were analyzed for various physical and chemical parameters, namely temperature, DO, BOD, COD, SS, pH, ammoniac nitrogen (AN), and conductance. Long-term data of rainfall and temperature were analyzed to determine the seasonal variations of the streamflow.The streamflow during the dry season is extremely low compared to the wet season, thus concentrations of contaminants derived from point pollution source increase due to lack of rainfall and runoff events. On the contrary, in the predominantly urban and agricultural catchments, non-point pollution source increases during rainy season through seepage and runoff. Effects of seasonal variations consequently deterrnine the quantity and quality of the water parameters.The Jelutong River, the Dondang River and the Air Itam River carry the seepage from widely urban and residential areas to the main Pinang River systems. Water quality of the Pinang River at different points assessed by the water quality indices was compared. According to the quality indices during the study period, water quality in the upper reaches of the river is medium to good. It dwindled in the plains, due to the seepage from urban areas and discharges from the industrial and agricultural lands.     

Morphological characteristics and environmental implications of phytoliths in topsoils from different vegetation zones on northern slope of Changbai Mountains,China

The Changbai Mountains,located in the temperate monsoon climate zone of East Asia,is an ideal loca-tion for the research on timberline response to global changes.In this study,the topsoils were collected from different vertical vegetation zones on the northern slope of the Changbai Mountains,Northeast China in August 2009,and phytoliths in the soil samples were extracted by using wet oxidation method and identified with Motic 2.0 microscope in laboratory.The results show that phytoliths are abundant in the ...     

Simulating impact of larch caterpillar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dendrolimus superans</Emphasis>) on fire regime and forest landscape in Da Hinggan Mountains,Northeast China

Larch caterpillar (Dendrolimus superans) is very common in the Da Hinggan Mountains, Northeast China, affecting fire regime and forest ecosystem change at large spatio-temporal scales. In this study, we used a spatially explicit landscape model, LANDIS, to simulate the changes of fire regime and forest landscape under four larch caterpillar disturbance intensity levels scenarios in Huzhong forest area, northern of Da Hinggan Mountains. The results indicate that larch caterpillar disturbances would decrease ...     

Effect of environmental gradients on the quantity and quality of fallen logs in Tsuga longibracteata forest in Tianbaoyan National Nature Reserve, Fujian province, China

We investigated the quantity and quality 0f fallen l0gs in different Tsuga l0ngibracteata f0rest c0mmunities in the Tianba0yan Nati0nal Nature Reserve. We used redundancy analysis t0 determine the spatial distributi0n 0f fallen l0gs in the different f0rest c0mmunities and t0 analyze the relati0nships am0ng stand structure, t0p0graphic fact0rs and human disturbance. The v0lume, c0vered area, mean l0g length and number 0f fallen l0gs differed significantly am0ng f0rest types （P 〈 0.05）, but mean diameter at breast height sh0wed n0 significant difference （P 〉 0.05）. The l0g v0lume and c0vered area in different f0rest types sh0wed the f0ll0wing trend： T. l0ngibracteata pure f0rest 〈 T. l0ngibracteata ＋ Olig0staehyum scabrifl0rur 〈 T. l0ngibraeteata ＋ hardw00d 〈 Rh0d0dendr0n simiarum ＋ T. l0ngibraeteata 〈 T. l0ngibraeteata ＋ Phyll0stachys heter0cycla pubescens. The spatial distributi0n patterns 0f l0gs quantity and quality indicated that l0g v0lume and c0vered area were str0ngly affected by envir0nmental fact0rs in the f0ll0wing 0rder： human disturbance 〉 elevati0n 〉 sl0pe p0siti0n 〉 b0le height 〉 tree height 〉 sl0pe aspect 〉 density 〉 basal area 〉 sl0pe gradient. The relative c0ntributi0n 0f envir0nmental variables 0n the t0tal variance was t0p0graphy （76%） 〉 disturbance （42%） 〉 stand structure （35%）. T0p0graphy and disturbance c0mbined explained 8.2% 0f the variance. Fallen l0~s auantitv and aualitvwere negatively related t0 elevati0n and sl0pe p0siti0n, and p0sitively ass0ciated t0 human disturbance. The l0g v0lume decreased fr0m n0rthern t0 s0uthern sl0pes. Envir0nmental fact0rs had the highest impact 0n class I （slightly decayed）, and l0west impact 0n class V （highly decayed）.     

Three Types of Spatial Function Zoning in Key Ecological Function Areas Based on Ecological and Economic Coordinated Development: A Case Study of Tacheng Basin,China

Three types of spatial function zoning is an effective measure for regional environmental protection and orderly development.For ecological and economic coordinated development, spatial function zones should be divided scientifically to clear its direction of development and protection. Therefore, based on ecological constraints, a beneficial discussion would be about the key ecological function areas adopting the concept of ecological protection restriction and supporting socioeconomic development for spatial function zoning. In this paper, the researchers, taking Tacheng Basin, Xinjiang of China as an example, choose township as basic research unit and set up an evaluation index system from three aspects, namely, ecological protection suitability, agricultural production suitability, and urban development suitability, which are analyzed by using spatial analysis functions and exclusive matrix method. The results showed that: 1) This paper formed a set of multilevel evaluation index systems for three types of spatial function zoning of the key ecological function areas based on a novel perspective by scientifically dividing Tacheng Basin into ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space,which realized the integration and scientific orientation for spatial function at the township scale. 2) Under the guidance of three types of spatial pattern, the functional orientation and suggestions of development and protection was clearly defined for ecological protection zones,ecological economic zones, agricultural production zones, and urban development zones. 3) A new idea of space governance is provided to promote the coordinated and sustainable development between ecology and economy, which can break the traditional mode of thinking about regional economic development, and offers a scientific basis and reference for macro decision-making.