Using satellite-derived land surface temperatures to clarify the spatiotemporal warming trends of the Alborz Mountains in northern Iran

The Alborz Mountains are some of the highest in Iran, and they play an important role in controlling the climate of the country’s northern regions. The land surface temperature(LST) is an important variable that affects the ecosystem of this area. This study investigated the spatiotemporal changes and trends of the nighttime LST in the western region of the Central Alborz Mountains at elevations of 1500–4000 m above sea level. MODIS data were extracted for the period of 2000–2021, and the Mann–K...     

Analysis of channel bank erosion rate using exposed roots of trees: a case study of lavij stream,northern Alborz Mountains,Iran

Powerful alluvial rivers in the northern Alborz mountain ranges erode river banks due to having high slopes.Most of these rivers flow in forest areas.In this research,the rate of the river bank erosion was examined using the exposed roots of the trees.For this purpose,8 reaches of Lavij Stream were investigated.To determine the first year of root exposure,two sets of macroscopic and microscopic indicators were utilized.Accordingly,the rate of the stream bank erosion was estimated.The results were analyzed by using statistical test,which showed insignificant differences between the two groups of indicators.Due to its more abundance(frequency)on the margins and easy detection of its root through the exposure(macroscopic and microscopic)indicators,Alnus glutinosa(black alder)species could be more easily and accurately analyzed as compared with any other tree species in the region.The mean erosion rate of the riverbank using the extruded roots was estimated to be 0.08 m/yr.The hydrological analyses of flood flows showed that 95%of Lavij Stream bank erosion was caused by the river bank full discharges with a return period of 1-3 years.     

The influence of key environmental variables on phytoplankton community structure in the estuary of tidal rivers around Luoyuan Bay,China

A total of 348 species belonging to 8 phyla and 125 genera were observed in seasonally sampled phytoplankton of tidal rivers from 13 sampling sites around Luoyuan Bay, and all field samplings were carried out in productive period(March/June/August/December) at ebb tide. Bacillariophyta species were the most abundant species, followed by Chlorophyta, Cyanophytes, Euglenophyta, Cryptophyta, Dinophyta, Xanthophyta and Chrysophytas. Seasonal distribution index(SDI) value ranged from 0.63 to 0.86, which meant that species found at those sites in 4 seasons tended to be largely different. Phytoplankton individuals ranged from 5.939×10~4 ind L~(-1) in winter to 75.31×10~4 ind L~(-1) in autumn. Phytoplankton biomass ranged from 0.620 mg L~(-1) in summer to 2.373 mg L~(-1) in autumn. The grey correlation analysis(GCA) showed that the nutrient variables played an important role in the influence on phytoplankton community in every season. The canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) revealed impact of environmental variables on the different species, most of Bacillariophyta species were negative correlation with nutrients(TP and NH_3-N) in the four seasons, Chlorophyta species and Cyanophyta species did not show obvious correlation with environment variables in every season. The combination of GRA analysis and CCA analysis provided a method to quantitatively reveal the correlation between phytoplankton community and environmental variables in water body of tidal rivers at this region.     

Latitudinal patterns of climatic variables and influence of local topography on climatic variables in the dry valleys of southwestern China

Climate is a key factor to determine the pattern of ecosystems; however, the latitudinal patterns of climatic variables in the arid and semiarid areas remain largely unclear when compared to humid areas. The topography of the dry valleys of southwestern China plays an important role in the formation of climate. However, its impact on the climate remains qualitative. In this study, eight climatic variables from 12 meteorological stations were analyzed to explore their latitudinal patterns in the ...     

Ecological distribution of soil animals in broad-leaved pine forests in southern slope of Xiao Hinggan Mountains

Broad leaved pine forests are the typical zonal vegetation and its central distribution zone is in the Changbai Mountains in northeast China. However, because of man's disturbance and destruction, primitive broad leaved pine forests exist now only in a few areas such as the Changbai Mountains of Jilin Province and Wuying, Liangshui Natural Reserves of Heilongjiang Province, and the forests in other places are substituted by natural secondary forests (WANG, 1994). Broad leaved pine …     

Omni-directional distribution patterns of montane coniferous forest in the Helan Mountains of China

Slope aspect has significant effect on the development and distribution of montane forest,especially in arid and semiarid regions.This paper,using SPOT5 images and 1:50,000 DEM,digitally extracts and analyzes the spatial information of montane coniferous forest(mainly Qinghai spruce),and thereby explores how the upper and lower limits and the altitudinal range of coniferous forest vary and how the area of coniferous forest is related with annual insolation with all aspects in the Helan Mountains.The results show that: 1) In the eastern flank,the lower limit of coniferous forest is between 1,600 m and 2,000 m a.s.l.,and the upper limit between 2,800 m and 3,000 m a.s.l.;in the western flank,the lower limit of coniferous forest is between 2,000 m and 2,300 m a.s.l.,and the upper limit between 2,800 m and 3,100 m a.s.l.2) The altitudinal ranges of coniferous forest are 806~1,435 m,438~1,140 m for eastern flank and western flank,respectively.3) The area of coniferous forest takes on a normal distribution with aspect,and it has a close relationship with annual insolation.This distribution model developed in this paper quantitatively reveals the significant effect of slope aspect on the distribution of coniferous forest in arid and semi-arid land.     

Weathering, shock metamorphism and type distribution patterns of 98 ordinary chondrites from the Grove Mountains, Antarctica

Petrography and mineral chemistry of ninety-eight ordinary chondrites from Grove Mountains (GRV), Antarctica, were presented and their.weathering effect, shock metamorphism and type distribution patterns were discussed in this study. Among them, six are unequilibrated ordinary chondrites, including 3 H3 and 3 L3; and 92 meteorites are equilibrated ordinary chondrites, including 24 H-group (13 H4, 10 H5, 1 H6), 64 L-group (2 L4, 44 L5, 18 L6) and 4 LL-group (3 LL4, 1 LL5). Most GRV chondrites (>90%) displayed minor weathering effect (W1 and W2). About half of the meteorites experienced severe shock metamorphism. They commonly contain shock-induced melt veins and pockets. These heavily shocked meteorites provide us with natural samples for study of high-pressure polymorphs of minerals. In addition, the Grove Mountains collection seems to have more abundant unequilibrated and L group ordinary chondrites compared to the US Antarctic meteorite collection which were mainly found along the Transantarctic Mountains.     

Evidence of the formation of landslide-dammed lakes in the Zagros Mountains range,Iran

Alternation of high and low resistance sedimentary beds,active tectonics,large rivers,and slope erosion in valleys consequently resulted in landslide in dammed lakes within the Zagros range.This study presents the results in the analysis of geological and topographic data,satellite imageries,morphotectonics and hydrodynamics of drainage networks about the landslide dammed lakes.There are four landslides in central Zagros(Zagros FoldThrust Belt,ZFTB)which have formed five dammed lakes named,Seymareh,Jaidar,Shur,Shimbar,and Godar.According to the results,damming landslides occurred in the active-tectonic regions on the slopes of anticlines and in valleys with undercutting effects of rivers on their slopes consisting of alternations of loose and resistant beds.The studied landslide dams in narrow valleys are formed as a result of blocking river by sliding debris slopes and rock slides.This study also indicates the formation of Jaidar and Godar in one stage and the presence of Lake Terrace sequence in Seymareh,Shur and Shimbar lakes.The observed sequences of terrace formation in these lakes are caused by four Seymareh Landslides followed by the three-stage excavation of Shur andShimbar lakes.     

Vascular plants distribution in relation to topography and environmental variables in alpine zone of Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary,West Himalaya

The present study was carried out in Tungnath alpine meadows of Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary, Western Himalaya from subalpine to upper alpine zone. A total of four summits were selected along an altitudinal gradient and sampled for detailed vegetation analysis using multi summit approach as per Global observation research initiative in alpine environments(GLORIA). Species richness, diversity, and evenness among four summits as well as the interaction between environmental variables with plant communities were assessed. Monthly mean soil temperature was calculated using data retrieved from geo-precision temperature logger in order to identify the trend of soil temperature among different season and altitudinal gradient and its implications to plant communities. Soil samples were analyzed fromeach summit by collecting randomized composite soil samples. The indirect non-metric multidimensional scaling(NMDS) and direct canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) tools of ordination techniques to determine the linkage between plant species from various sample summits and biotic/abiotic environmental gradients were used in the present study. The results of the study demonstrated increase in species richness as soil temperature increases, the ecotone representing summits were found most warm summits followed by highest species richness. Annual soil temperature increased by 1.43°C at timberline ecotone. Whereas, at upper alpine zone the soil temperature increased by 0.810 C from year 2015 to 2016. S?rensen's similarity index was found to be increased between subalpine and upper alpine zone with increase in the presence of subalpine plant species at upper alpine zone. Both the ordination tools separate the subalpine summit and their respective vegetation from summits representingtimberline ecotone and upper alpine zone. Soil p H, altitude, soil cation exchange capacity were found as the key abiotic drivers for distribution of plant species.     

Effects of disturbance intensities on vegetation patterns in oak forests of Kumaun, west Himalaya

In order to realize the significance of oak forests for ecology and economy of the Himalayan region,the present study attempts to objectively characterize disturbance intensities and their impacts on compositional features of identified Oak forests, i.e.Banj-oak(Quercus leucotrichophora A.Camus), Tilonj-oak(Q.floribunda Lindley)and Kharsu-oak(Q. semecarpifolia J.E.Smith)in west Himalaya. Amongst studied forests,Q.leucotrichophora and Q. semecarpifolia forests exhibited high sensitivity towards disturbance intensities.In both forests, increasing level of disturbance significantly lowered tree density,dominance and natural recruitment (seedling and sapling density).Q.floribunda forests, however,appeared relatively more resilient to anthropogenic disturbances.Amongst studied oak forests,Q.semecarpifolia forests with overall poor natural regeneration are in a most critically endangered demographic state.However,a slightly improved regeneration(i.e.,seedling density)in moderately disturbed plots is indicative that such plots may be utilized most suitably for in situ revival of these forests.Effect of disturbance intensities on tree population is an important subject for forest ecology and management and the present study highlights a need for adopting different management strategies across disturbance intensities in diverse oak forests of west Himalaya.     

Plant functional type approach for a functional interpretation of altitudinal vegetation zones in the Alborz Mts., Iran

Mountains are an excellent system for evaluating ecological and biogeographical patterns. The obvious variations of the environmental factors along the altitude create different zones with adapted plant assemblages. However, few studies make use of plant functional type(PFT) for describing the variation of vegetation along altitudinal gradients. A PFT is a group of taxa with similar traits which respond similarly to the environmental gradients. In this study, we used PFTs as indicators describing five vegetation zones in the western Alborz Mt, Iran from 2000 – 4500 m. The plant trait data presented here covers six plant traits including growth form, stemleaf ratio, spinescence, hairiness, leaf consistency and plant height of 297 species. We considered altitude and soil factors to test the importance of environmental variables. We applied a multivariate analysis of three table ordination, i.e. environmental, species, and traits data to identify the PFTs. We further applied fourth-corner statistic to quantify trait-environment relationships. A constrained hierarchical clustering was used to detect five altitudinal zones and two zones of low and high nitrogen concentration. With regard to altitude wediscuss the distribution of species, traits and PFTs. Growth form, plant height and stem-leaf ratio were significantly related to altitude and nitrogen. We identified 19 PFTs from which 18 were significantly associated to one or more altitudinal zones. While the lower altitudinal zones contain a variety of PFTs higher altitudes contain less PFTs with the highest altitude containing only one single PFT, tiny rosette plants with soft mesomorphic leaves. We identified grazing and climatic harshness as well as rockiness as the most important drivers of the distribution of plant functional traits and types across the studied gradient.     

Diatom distribution in surface sediments from Chinese inshore waters and the relationship to modern environmental variables

Diatoms are widely used to study past and present changes in the marine environment. Unimodal models are appropriate for exploring the relationship between environmental properties in Chinese inshore waters and fossil diatom species derived from modem surface sediments. The best-fit relationships between two multivariate datasets （diatom species and environmental variables） were identified using canonical correspondence analysis （CCA）, which is a constrained ordination technique. The absolute abundance of diatoms in the Chinese inshore waters ranged from 500 to 48 000 valves/g, and the average absolute abundance of all the 29 sites was l l 300 valves/g. 153 species and varieties of diatoms belonging to 42 genera in all were identified in the Chinese inshore waters. There were 28 dominant diatom species in all. According to the absolute abundance of the dominant species and the spatial distribution of the currents from the Chinese inshore waters, 12 diatom assemblages were distinguished from north to south, which reflected the different oceanographic conditions at the regional scale. Of the eight environmental variables considered, the most important environmental variable is winter sea surface salinity （WSS）, which was also the only environmental variable with statistical significance. Therefore, it may be used to establish a transfer functions for the Chinese inshore waters in future paleoclimate studies.     

Flood risk on arid alluvial fans: a case study in the Joghatay Mountains,Northeast Iran

Among the common hazards related to alluvial fans, flooding is one of the most important.Nonetheless, in populated alluvial fans, not only the natural processes are effective in floods, but the artificial structures and modifications can change the behavior of flooding and its potential risks. This study aims to indicate the flood-prone landforms in a set of populated alluvial fans in an arid region and investigate the role of anthropogenic activities in controlling/exacerbating flooding in allu...     

Water consumption of a six-year-old river red gum plantation in the Southern Zagros Mountains, Iran

Water is the most important limiting factor in the development of arid environments; therefore, optimization of water use is a necessity in desert reclamation projects. Evapotranspiration of a 6-year-old river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh.) plantation, located in a sedimentation basin of an artificial recharge of the Gareh Bygone Plain groundwater system in Iran’s southern Zagros Mountains, was studied during a 7-month period. A neutron moisture probe was used to monitor soil water changes in the root zone. Soil water depletion following rapid drainage for blocks receiving relatively high, medium and low volumes of floodwater were 809.6, 312.4, and 203.1 mm, respectively, for a 150-day period. Soil water potential during most of the study period was below -1.5 MPa. This study proves that river red gum in not a suitable species for desertification control where water conservation is of vital importance. Flood irrigation of trees on 8 Aug. 1991 provided the opportunity to throw doubt upon the claim of summer dormancy of river red gum.     

Spatial downscaling of climate variables using three statistical methods in Central Iran

Spatial downscaling methods are widely used for the production of bioclimatic variables(e.g. temperature and precipitation) in studies related to species ecological niche and drainage basin management and planning. This study applied three different statistical methods, i.e. the moving window regression(MWR), nonparametric multiplicative regression(NPMR), and generalized linear model(GLM), to downscale the annual mean temperature(Bio1) and annual precipitation(Bio12) in central Iran from coarse scale(1 km × 1 km) to fine scale(250 m ×250 m). Elevation, aspect, distance from sea and normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) were used as covariates to create downscaled bioclimatic variables. Model assessment was performed by comparing model outcomes with observational data from weather stations. Coefficients of determination(R2), bias, and root-mean-square error(RMSE) were used to evaluate models and covariates. The elevation could effectively justify the changes in bioclimatic factors related to temperature and precipitation. Allthree models could downscale the mean annual temperature data with similar R2, RMSE, and bias values. The MWR had the best performance and highest accuracy in downscaling annual precipitation(R2=0.70; RMSE=123.44). In general, the two nonparametric models, i.e. MWR and NPMR, can be reliably used for the downscaling of bioclimatic variables which have wide applications in species distribution modeling.     

Effects of environmental factors on classification of loessderived soils and clay minerals variations,northern Iran

Land-use type under different topographic conditions and human activities affects soil development. We investigated the effects of land-use, topography and human activity on soil classification changes in the Toshan watershed in northern Iran. Seven representative pedons derived from loess parent materials were studied on different land-uses and topographic positions. The studied pedons in forest (FO) on backslopes and footslope were classified as Calcic Haploxeralfs and Typic Haploxeralfs, respectively. The soils in abandoned lands (AB) and orchards (OR), where formerly under natural forests, located on the shoulder and backslopes positions were classified as Calcic Haploxeralfs and Vertic Haploxeralfs, respectively. Well-developed argillic horizons as indicators for higher degrees of soil evolution were observed in more-stable areas under the natural forest or less disturbed areas. Clay lessivage through these soil profiles have led to formation of Typic or Calcic Haploxeralfs, while under croplands (CP) were classified as Typic Calcixerepts. Conversion of sloping deforested areas to CP along with inappropriate management have accelerated soil erosion, resulting in unstable conditions in which decalcification and formation of developed soils cannot occur. Paddy cultivation in flat areas has caused to reduced conditions and formation of Typic Haplaquepts. Because of unfavorable conditions for chemical weathering (e.g. lower water retention compared to more-stable areas) no vermiculite was detected in the CP. The results showed that evolution and classification of the studied soils were strongly affected by land-use type, topography and management.     

Evaluation of soil erosion from chestnut forests: A case study in the Yanshan Mountains,China

Soil erosion from chestnut forests has many types and intensities. However, less attention has been paid to the increasing soil erosion in the chestnut forests of Yanshan Mountains region, North China. The objective of this study was to discuss forest ages(5, 5~10, 10~20, and 20~ yr), slopes(5°~15°, 15°~25°, 25°~35°, and 35°~), slope positions(upslope, midslope, downslope, and whole slope), and slope aspects(sunny, half-sunny, shade, and half-shade) effects on soil erosion types and intensities in chestnut forests. A field survey was applied to investigate in detail the contiguous chestnut forests near Changfu village of Hebei Province, China on October 9-30, 2016. Results showed that chestnut forests are dominated by moderate erosion in this region, and the soil erosionfrom chestnut forests tended to deteriorate gradually. The average land degradation index was 0.31. The erosion intensity from chestnut forests will gradually increase with the year of planting. Most of the slopes are greater than 15°, accounting for 86.7% of the total chestnut forests. Most of the chestnut forests occupy the whole slope, accounting for 47.5% of the total area. Moderate erosion occurs most commonly for different slope aspects. In conclusion, improving the preparation efficiency of chestnut forests and enhancing the construction standards of soil and water conservation measures would be useful measures to avoid soil erosion from chestnut forests reaching a more severe level.     

Effects of environmental factors on tree seedling regeneration in a pine-oak mixed forest in the Qinling Mountains, China

Natural seedling regeneration and tree establishment are affected by various environmental factors.In this study,we established eight,eight,six,and four independent forest stands(each stand was further divided into five subplots) respectively based on the altitudinal gradient,stand density,slope location,and slope aspect to investigate the effects of environmental factors on tree seedling regeneration in a pine-oak mixed forest.The results indicated that the seedling density was significantly higher at altitudes of 1,283 m to 1,665 m,whereas the sapling density did not differ with altitudes.The seedling and sapling density decreased significantly at 1,835 m.The seedling densities on the upper slopes were much higher than those on the middle and lower slopes,whereas the sapling density had no difference.The sapling density decreased gradually from the southwest(20°-75°) whereas it increased on the shady slopes to the northeast(40°).The seedling density increased from southwest(20°) to northeast(40°).The seedling and sapling densities increased with the stand density(850 trees ha-1to 1,525 trees ha-1) whereas the sapling density was significantly lower in stands(1,900 trees ha-1).Principal components analysis showed that the slope aspect and stand density had more important roles in tree regeneration in this study region compared with the other two factors.Therefore,our findings suggest that it will be beneficial to keep stands at a moderate density on shady slopes.Appropriate thinning of higher density stands is also expected to promote the natural regeneration of pine-oak mixed forest.