Geographical patterns of tree-limits of Norway spruce and Scots pine in the southern Swedish Scandes

The tree-limit altitudes of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) from 180 sites (within an area of 95?km?×?165?km) in the southern Scandes were correlated with the geographical variables latitude, longitude and distance to the sea. The results were compared with a similar investigation of the tree-limit of mountain birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh. ssp. tortuosa (Ledeb.) Nyman) in the same area. The three tree-limit altitudes showed good negative correlation with latitude, poor correlation with longitude and good positive correlation with the distance to the sea, suggesting that on a regional scale the altitudes are controlled by macroclimate. At some sites, local topoclimatic features, some of which were partially aspect-dependent, may cause deviations in the regional pattern of tree-limit altitude that is set primarily by summer temperature. Tree-limit responses to potential future climate warming will probably differ substantially in magnitude from site to site in relation to local topography and associated ecological constraints.     

Tree-limit rise and recent warming: a geoecological case study from the Swedish Scandes

Twentieth-century elevational tree-limit (TL) and species-limit histories have been reconstructed for Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Betula pubescens ssp. tortuosa within a permanent belt transect in the southern Swedish Scandes. Upward TL shifts of 100-130 m between c. 1915 and 1999 appear related to a summer warming of c. 0.7°C, and increased winter temperatures. Rates of tree recruitment and individual growth have increased substantially since 1974, notably during the 1990s, apparently mainly in response to some warm summers and a sequence of exceptionally mild winters. The distributional trend during the 20th century constitutes a fundamental and unexpected break in a monotonic, century-scale TL descent throughout most of the Holocene (exemplified by Pinus sylvestris), which was particularly accentuated during the 'Little Ice Age' of the past several centuries. Assuming that the TL stabilizes at the new, higher level for several decades, its elevation will be higher than at any time during at least the past c. 4000 radiocarbon years. This recent history is relevant as one possible model of the ecological consequences of anthropogenic climate forcing, and the TL may be an appropriate and sensitive system for monitoring the ecological effects of future climate change and variability.     

Early Holocene Tree Growth at a High Elevation Site in the Northernmost Scandes of Sweden (Lapland): A Palaeobiogeographical Case Study Based on Megafossil Evidence

The paper focuses on early Holocene tree growth and alpine tree-limits in the northernmost Swedish Scandes (Lapland). Megafossil wood remnants in peats and lakes were searched for over a large area at elevations high above the modern tree-limits. Wood of Pinus sylvestris, Betula pubescens spp. tortuosa and Alnus incana was discovered near the shore of a small lake (999 m a.s.l.) c. 500 m higher than today's tree-limit of Pinus sylvestris in this region. Radiocarbon dating yielded values of unprecedented age, c. 8500–8100 ¹⁴C years BP for all three species and in addition 5400–4500 ¹⁴C years BP for Betula and Alnus. The highest position of the Pinus tree-limit occurred during the early Holocene, which compares well with the situation reconstructed by megafossils in the southern Scandes. It now appears that the long-term tree-limit and climate histories are broadly the same in entire mid- and northern Fennoscandia. Corrected for glacio-isostatic land uplift, the tree-limit record suggests that the summers were c. 2.4°C warmer than today at 8500 ¹⁴C years BP . A dry continental climate with substantial seasonal contrasts is likely to have prevailed during this period, which restricted the occurrence of glaciers and glacier activity. Most circumstances point to the overriding importance of the Milankovitch orbital theory for pacing or forcing the long-term postglacial climate change. The results are inconsistent with most inferences based on pollen, certain macrofossil records and general circulation simulations. These proxy environmental histories have frequently advocated a mid-Holocene thermal optimum and an oceanic and humid climate in northern and western Fennoscandia during the early Holocene. The uncovered discrepancy between the outcome of the objective and factual megafossil method and more subjective/inferential microfossil methods should be important for Quaternary plant ecology in general, stressing the usefulness of megafossil studies.     

Woodland regeneration in a coastal heathland area in central Norway

The open coastal heathlands in Norway have changed character in recent decades, mainly because traditional practices such as burning, cutting and grazing have been abandoned or reduced. In a project aimed at increasing our knowledge of woodland regeneration in oceanic boreal heathlands, an area on the island of Kalv?ya in the archipelago of Vikna on the extreme outer coast of central Norway has been studied. Kalv?ya has calcareous bedrock; rich heath, rich fens and low-herb woodland cover 20% of the island. Large parts are paludified, and wet heath and mire vegetation cover 60%. The island has not been inhabited, but it was used for summer farming in the latter part of the 19th century and later for stock grazing. The woodland and scrub were mapped using aerial photographs from 1961 and 1981, and by fieldwork in 2001. Vegetation changes were analyzed using GIS techniques. Woodland and scrub increased from 3.0% in 1961, to 4.3% in 1981, to 11.6% in 2001. Betula pubescens is the commonest woody species. The oldest trees are 150 to 175 years old, growing in the most heavily wooded area, far away from the summer farm. In addition to human impact (summer farm, grazing pressure), the geology, terrain (degree of exposure), and climatic factors are important for woodland colonisation and distribution.     

我国历史时期冷暖年代的干旱型

中国历史时期的旱涝变化与冷暖变化是有联系的。冷的年代,我国的气候是西干东湿,而暖的年代则是西湿东干。     

Changing climate affects vegetation growth in the arid region of the northwestern China

The northwestern China is a typical dry-land region of Inner Asia, where significant climate change has been observed over the past several decades. How the regional vegetation, particularly the grassland-oasis-desert complex, responds to such climatic change is poorly understood. To address this question, we investigated spatio-temporal changes in vegetation growth and their responses to a changing climate by biome and bioregion, using satellite-sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from 1982 to 2003, along with corresponding climate data. Over the past 22 years, about 30% of the total vegetated area showed an annual increase of 0.7% in growing season NDVI. This trend occurred in all biomes and all bioregions except Sawuer, a subregion of the study area with no significant climate change. Further analyses indicated that NDVI change was highly correlated with the current precipitation and evapotranspiration in growing season but was not associated with temperature. We also found that NDVI was positively correlated with the preceding winter precipitation. These findings suggest that precipitation may be the key cause of vegetation growth in this area, even for mountain forests and grasslands, whose growth are often regarded to be limited by low temperate in winter and early spring.     

气候变化背景下陕西冷暖冬事件的多尺度特征研究

基于陕西省1960—2019年94个气象站点冬季逐日气温资料,分陕北、关中和陕南3个气候区,从时间和空间2种尺度分析了陕西冷、暖冬事件的变化特征.结果 表明:近60 a陕西冬季增温明显并在1987年前后发生突变,冬季平均0℃等温线北抬1～2个纬度,增温幅度以陕北最强陕南最弱.从时间尺度上,气候变化导致暖冬指数以9.5％...     

INFLUENCE OF CLIMATE AND CLIMATE ANOMALIES ON NORWAY SPRUCE TREE-RING GROWTH AT DIFFERENT ALTITUDES AND ON GLACIER RESPONSES: EXAMPLES FROM THE CENTRAL ITALIAN ALPS

Climate change and climate anomalies are inducing strong variations in the high‐mountain environment, driving the responses of physical and biological systems differently. This paper assesses tree‐ring growth responses to climate for two Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) sites at different altitudes from an Ortles‐Cevedale Group (OCG; internal zones of the Central Italian Alps) valley site and reports some examples of climate impact on glacier dynamics in the OCG in recent decades. Growth–climate relationships between tree‐ring chronologies and meteorological data were established by means of Pearson's correlation and response functions. In the high‐altitude chronology we found a strong signal of July temperatures, whereas the low‐altitude chronology also contained a signal of summer precipitation. Climate anomalies occurring in these months proved to influence tree growth at the two sites differently. In summer 2003 extreme climatic conditions established over Europe and the Alps, strongly affecting physical and biological systems. Spruce responses to the climate anomaly of 2003 were more evident with a one‐year lag. The high‐altitude site profited from the warmer growing season, whereas trees at the low‐altitude site experienced water stress conditions and their growth was strongly inhibited also in the following year. Glacier mass loss in the OCG in 2003 was the highest since yearly measurement started. The examples reported confirm the strong and even divergent variations affecting the Alpine environment, induced by recent climate change.     

哈巴雪山自然保护区垂直气候带划分研究

依据哈巴雪山自然保护区及附近气候观测资料,应用气候学方法和原理,综合分析该自然保护区垂直气候要素,分析中发现,光照、气温、降水等气候要素,随海拔升高,垂直分异明显。依据气候特征的垂直变化,结合植被及土壤的分布,参照划分垂直气候带的标准,将保护区划分为7种气候带：河谷中亚热带、河谷北亚热带、山地暖温带、山地中温带、山地寒温带、高山寒带、高山永久冰雪带。分析结果表明：保护区垂直气候带特征分异明显,气候类型丰富多样;山地寒温带、高山寒带等地区,生态高度敏感脆弱。     

The Quaternary climate records of coral reef in the tropical zone of China

The analysis results of oxygen isotopes, carbon isotopes, geochemistry and the growth belt of reef coral etc. for some profiles of coral reef show that the basic pattern of climatic fluctuation during the Quaternary period can be reflected by coral reef. The trend of climate change was from cooling to warming during the Early Pleistocene with at least four cycles, and from warming to cooling with at least seven cycles during the Middle Pleistocene. The late Pleistocene is a period of the Quaternary which shows the most frequent variation of climate but generally two main cycles of warming–cooling can be seen. During the Holocene the climate went through a process of warming-rise in temperature-drop in temperature. During the historical period there were four cycles of cooling-warming at 1700 a BP. During the last 200 years climate change is characterized by two stages; a positive deviation in the former 100 years, and a negative deviation in the latter 100 years with general warming trend.     

Influence of Arctic Oscillation on winter climate over China

In this study the relationship between the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and climate in China in boreal winter are investigated. Correlation analysis for the last 41 years shows that the winter temperature and precipitation in China change in phase with AO. High positive correlation (>0.4) between temperature and AO appears in the northern China. High correlation coefficients between precipitation and AO cover the southern China (close to the South China Sea) and the central China (between 30o-40oN and east of ~100oE), with the values varying between +0.3 and +0.4. It is found that during the past several decades the precipitation was strongly affected by AO, but for the temperature the Siberian High plays a more important role. At the interdecadal time scale the AO has significant influence on both temperature and precipitation. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrates that AO and the Siberian High related variance in temperature and precipitation is 35% and 11% respectively. For precipitation, however the portion is rather low, implying that some other factors may be responsible for the changes in precipitation, in addition to AO and the Siberian High.     

STONE‐BANKED LOBES AS A PRODUCT OF MILD FREEZE–THAW ACTION: AN EXAMPLE FROM WESTERN TASMANIA,AUSTRALIA

This paper interprets a stone‐banked lobe on the upper western face of Mt Rufus, at an altitude of 1380 m in western Tasmania, Australia. The morphology of the deposit resembles that of a solifluction lobe. Field observations show vertical and downslope movement of pebbles, cobbles and small boulders over a single winter season. The movement is largely related to frost pull (10–15 cm) and shallow freeze–thaw processes promoting the downslope (up to 50 cm yr^–1) creep of material and the accumulation of coarse clasts at the lobe riser. The climate of Mt Rufus is strongly maritime and this is reflected in the limited duration and depth of penetration of frozen ground at this site during the 2013 winter. Despite the relatively mild climatic conditions, freeze–thaw processes are clearly the dominant geomorphic force operating at the site. These findings support observations of active stone‐banked lobes on sub‐Antarctic islands where intense freezing is absent. Both there and at Mt Rufus, movement is dominated by freeze–thaw processes operating in the upper c. 20 cm of the regolith. These are typical landforms of marginal freeze–thaw settings.     

Natural-environment dynamics within the Amur basin during the Neoglacial

We examine the natural-environment development dynamics within the Amur basin during the Neoglacial. The study revealed the opposing directedness in climate humidity changes for different parts of the basin. In the maritime and inland parts, a cooling was accompanied by an increase and decrease in humidity, respectively. It is established that a cooling in the maritime part of the basin led to a shift of the boundaries of vegetation zones, an enhancement in waterlogging of bog systems, and to a change of biogeocenoses. In the inland part of the basin, an enhancement in aridization was conducive to a retrogression of the lakes’ level, and to an intensification of aeolian processes.     

东北气候和生态过渡区近50年来降水和温度概率分布特征变化

文章从中国160个站的观测资料中选取位于东北气候和生态过渡区内9个测站的冬、夏季降水和温度资料,分析该地区近50年来冬夏季降水和温度的年际变化及其概率分布特征,结果表明,东北气候和生态过渡区的冬夏季降水和温度有明显的年代际变化特征,在不同的年代际变化阶段,降水和温度的总体概率分布特征差异较大,这种概率分布形式的差异与高温、干旱等极端天气气候事件的频繁发生具有密切关系。20世纪80年代以来降水处于平均值减小的总体分布中,温度则处于平均值增加的总体分布中,因此该地区冬季发生暖冬和少雨(雪)的机会增大,夏季出现严重干旱和高温的可能性增大。     

Hydrological shifts and tree growth responses to river modification along the Apalachicola River,Florida

Shifts in the hydrologic regime of Florida’s Apalachicola River have been attributed to anthropogenic changes throughout its watershed, including local dam construction. To assess impacts of those shifts on floodplain forests, we reconstructed tree growth using dendrochronology and compared these trends with hydrological and climatic variables. Comparisons of stream-gage data before and after dam construction on the Apalachicola River revealed statistically significant mean declines in annual average stage. Mean minimum annual stages, rise rates, and fall rates also decreased, while hydrograph reversals increased. Growth in four tree species correlated strongly with site-specific inundation parameters. A wetter climate in the two decades following dam construction and fine-scale fluctuation of the hydrograph may have set the stage for positive growth releases. Logging and hurricane wind throw events may have also contributed. However, drier conditions in the last two decades are now exacerbated by stage-discharge declines that had been masked previously. Tree growth rates and recruitment have decreased and, in the absence of a major disturbance, the forest canopy is composed of an older cohort of individuals. Our findings highlight how hydrograph variability, climate change, and vegetation disturbance are all relevant for gaging and anticipating the range of impacts of river modification on floodplain forests.     

HEMIARID BASIN RESPONSES TO ABRUPT CLIMATIC CHANGE: PALEOLAKES OF THE TRANS-PECOS CLOSED BASIN

Western North American hemiarid basins situated along a climate boundary zone, or threshold, that separates regions of different climate regimes exhibit greater variability to changes in hydroclimatic variables. The Trans-Pecos Closed Basin study examines how global paleoclimatic factors and intrinsic geographic controls act in determining the threshold between states of hydroclimatic equilibria. Geomorphic, radiocarbon, and limnetic evidence identifies four major highstands for late Pleistocene Lake King during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Patterns in the resulting model limnograph for Lake King suggest that runoff contributions from basin catchments to the inundated area were limited by precipitation rather than evaporation. Timing of the onset of lacustrine transgressive events corresponds with the later stages of cooling events recorded in the Greenland ice and North Atlantic deep-sea sedimentary record. Correlation of Trans-Pecos lacustrine environments with North Atlantic cooling implies that full pluvial conditions in the basin were limited to those periods when those cooling events resulted in extreme equatorward shifts of the LGM subpolar winter storm tracks, providing a moisture source to the basin. By comparing timing, intensity, and direction of climate change over a widely spaced array of hemiarid basins, the global implications of climatic events are better understood. [Key words: Last Glacial Maximum, paleolakes, Pleistocene, Trans-Pecos Closed Basin, New Mexico, Texas.]     

北极涛动对中国冬季气候的影响

1IntroductionIt is noteworthy that there is significant association between the surface climate over northern continents and atmospheric circulation (Hurrell, 1995, 1996; Gong and Ho, 2002a). Thompson and Wallace (1998) pointed out that the leading empirical orthogonal function of the wintertime northern hemisphere sea level pressure field resembles the North Atlantic Oscillation but with more zonally symmetric appearance. This annular-like mode in the northern extratropical circulation, wh…     

1961～2015年雅鲁藏布江流域风蚀气候侵蚀力变化

根据雅鲁藏布江流域13个气象站观测资料,利用联合国粮农组织给出的公式计算雅鲁藏布江流域风蚀气候因子指数值,分析雅江风蚀气候侵蚀力基本特征。结果表明,雅江流域风蚀气候因子指数分布范围为4.2~31.9,平均值为14.7。从空间分布来看,风蚀气候因子指数由西向东呈减小趋势,西部可达40,东部加查-米林段降到了5左右。风蚀气候因子指数具有显著的季节变化,春季最大为8.5,冬季次之为5.2,夏季、秋季都很小。雅江流域风蚀气候因子指数年、春季、秋季、冬季下降趋势显著,夏季上升趋势不显著。通过Mann-Kendall（M-K）检验分析可知,风蚀气候因子指数在1987年发生突变。     

中国热带珊瑚礁的第四纪气候记录

The coral reef in China’s tropics can be divided into three regions, namely, the South China Sea Islands, Hainan Island and the Leizhou Peninsula as well as Taiwan Island. There are 34 islands of coral reef which are named in the South China Sea Islands …     

青藏高原东北部冷空气次数和强度变化的特征研究

利用青藏高原东北部68个国家气象站的气象资料,统计了1961—2015年的全区月、季、年冷空气次数、强度和强降温综合强度资料,应用气候诊断方法分析了冷空气次数、强度和强降温综合强度的变化特征及其成因。结果表明：在年尺度上,1961—2015年青藏高原东北部全区冷空气年平均出现次数为49.6次,冷空气次数气候变化倾向率每10 a减少0.600次,减少趋势不显著;全区冷空气年平均强度为0.39,气候变化倾向率每10 a降低0.022,减弱趋势显著;全区冷空气年强降温综合平均强度为0.67,气候变化倾向率每10 a降低0.005,减弱趋势不显著。在季节尺度上,冷空气次数夏季减少的趋势显著,而春季减少的趋势和秋季、冬季增加的趋势不显著;冷空气强度冬季减弱的趋势显著,而其他季节减弱的趋势不明显;强降温综合强度春季增强趋势和其他季节减弱的趋势不显著。1961—2015年大西洋欧洲区极涡面积指数等因子减小以及热带北大西洋海温指数等因子增大是导致全区年冷空气次数减少的主要成因之一,而西藏高原指数等因子增强和热带印度洋海温偶极子指数等因子减弱是导致年冷空气强度减弱的主要原因之一。