Thermal state of ice-rich soils on the Tommot-Yakutsk Railroad right-of-way

This paper summarizes the results of investigations carried out in the northern section of the Tommot-Yakutsk Railroad in eastern Siberia, underlain by ice-rich permafrost. The ongoing permafrost and geotechnical research program in support of railroad construction includes assessment of the ground thermal state on the right-of-way and adjacent areas based on long-term field observations using the method of terrain thermal physics. These studies focus on the upper permafrost within the depth of annual temperature variation. In undisturbed areas, inter-annual variability of the ground thermal state shows little response to recent climatic variations. However, forest clearing and surface disturbance during right-of-way construction cause an increase in permafrost temperature, deepening of the active layer, thaw settlement, and water accumulation along the embankment. The active layer is thickest along the sun-exposed left berm and is thinnest along the more shaded right berm. Measures to prevent thaw-related embankment problems are recommended.     

Issues in the Conservation and Management of Forests in Laos: The Case of Sangthong District

Amidst the increasing concern about steadily depleting forests in Laos, this paper examines its causes and existing forest management systems in Sangthong District. Forests in Sangthong were virtually undisturbed until the early 1970s. Guided by customary law, a relatively small local population utilised the forest sustainably for food, fodder, wood fuel and construction materials. Subsequently the government effectively abolished customary law through the declaration of forests as state property and the sanctioning of logging. Logging was banned in the early 1990s but forest degradation continues as a result of ongoing logging, the open access to forests, the government policy of utilising degraded forests for agriculture, and population pressure from in-migration. Village surveys show that local people appreciate ecological and economic values of forest resources and are willing to contribute to their management. These social qualities lay the foundation of a sustainable forest management system, but the evolution of this type of system has been prevented by the "open access" to forest resources. For effective forest conservation a management strategy focused on property rights reform, public participation and integrated rural development is proposed.     

Characteristics of permafrost degradation in Northeast China and its ecological effects: A review

Latitudinal permafrost in Northern Northeast(NNE)China is located in the southern margin of the Eurasian continent,and is very sensitive to climatic and environmental change.Numerical simulations indicate that air temperature in the permafrost regions of Northeast China has been on the rise since the 1950s,and will keep rising in the 21st century,leading to extensive degradation of permafrost.Permafrost degradation in NNE China has its own characteristics,such as northward shifts in the shape of a"W"for the permafrost southern boundary(SLP),discontinuous permafrost degradation into islandlike frozen soil,and gradually disappearing island permafrost.Permafrost degradation leads to deterioration of the ecological environment in cold regions.As a result,the belt of larch forests dominated by Larix gmelinii has shifted northwards and wetland areas with symbiotic relationships with permafrost have decreased significantly.With rapid retreat and thinning of permafrost and vegetation change,the CO2 and CH4 flux increases with mean air temperature from continuous to sporadic permafrost areas as a result of activity of methanogen enhancement,positively feeding back to climate warming.This paper reviews the features of permafrost degradation,the effects of permafrost degradation on wetland and forest ecosystem structure and function,and greenhouse gas emissions on latitudinal permafrost in NNE China.We also put forward critical questions about the aforementioned effects,including:(1)establish long-term permafrost observation systems to evaluate the distribution of permafrost and SLP change,in order to study the feedback of permafrost to climate change;(2)carry out research about the effects of permafrost degradation on the wetland ecosystem and the response of Xing'an larch to global change,and predict ecosystem dynamics in permafrost degradation based on long-term field observation;(3)focus intensively on the dynamics of greenhouse gas flux in permafrost degradation of Northeast China and the feedback of greenhouse gas emissions to climate change;(4)quantitative studies on the permafrost carbon feedback and vegetation carbon feedback due to permafrost change to climate multi-impact and estimate the balance of C in permafrost regions in the future.     

Predictive modeling of the permafrost thermal regime in Russian railroad subgrade support systems

The goal of a predictive thermotechnical calculation is to model the behavior of the top permafrost boundary under current operational conditions as well as increasing average annual air temperatures that results in degradation of the permafrost layer. Numerical modeling was used to assess the efficient application of construction measures to create sustainable operation of the railroad. The numerical modeling was carried out in the programming complex FEM-models developed by geotechnical engineers of St. Petersburg, Russia under Prof. V. M. Ulitsky’s guidance. The Termoground Program as a part of the FEM-models enables the research of freezing, heaving and thawing in different design solutions. Research was carried out in space resolution for a year cycle. The performed model has shown that the designing measures accepted for permafrost protection from retreat in the subgrade support were generally effective.     

Characteristics of evapotranspiration from a permafrost black spruce forest in interior Alaska

Here, the year 2011 characteristics of evapotranspiration and the energy budget of a black spruce forest underlain by permafrost in interior Alaska were explored. Energy balance was nearly closed during summer, and the mean value of the daily energy balance ratio (the ratio of turbulent energy fluxes to available energy) from June to August was 1.00, though a large energy balance deficit was observed in the spring. Such a deficit was explained partly by the energy consumed by snowmelt. Ground heat flux played an important role in the energy balance, explaining 26.5% of net radiation during summer. The mean daily evapotranspiration of this forest during summer was 1.37 mm day^?1 – considered typical for boreal forests. The annual evapotranspiration and sublimation yielded 207.3 mm year^?1, a value much smaller than the annual precipitation. Sublimation accounted for 8.8% (18.2 mm year^?1) of the annual evapotranspiration and sublimation; thus, the sublimation is not negligible in the annual water balance in boreal forests. The daytime average decoupling coefficient was very small, and the mean value was 0.05 during summer. Thus, evapotranspiration from this forest was mostly explained by the component from the dryness of the air, resulting from the aerodynamically rough surface of this forest.     

2015年中国生态系统生态破坏损失核算研究

利用遥感影像数据,结合第八次全国森林资源清查和第二次全国湿地资源调查以及草地监测报告,对中国2015年森林、草地和湿地三大生态系统因人类不合理利用导致的生态破坏损失进行核算。核算结果显示：① 2015年中国生态破坏损失约为2.38万亿元,占GDP比重的3.3%。其中,森林生态破坏损失约为2 437.5亿元,占全部生态破坏损失的10.2%;草地生态破坏损失约为3 112.1亿元,占比为13.1%;湿地生态破坏损失约为18 269.6亿元,占比76.7%。② 中国生态破坏损失主要分布在西部地区,区域空间差异大,青海、湖南、四川、黑龙江、内蒙古、江苏等省份的生态破坏损失都大于1 000亿元。③ 中国生态破坏损失主要来自气候调节和水流动调节服务损失。2015年中国气候调节服务损失量为17 451.8亿元,占全部生态破坏损失的73.3%;水流动调节服务损失量为4 234.6亿元,占比为17.8%。     

建水县林地保护利用研究

利用实地调查法、GIS和相关分析法研究分析建水县林地保护利用现状及存在的问题,研究发现：建水县建设占用与林地保护矛盾突出;林地生产力较低;林地树种结构较单一,生态功能比较脆弱;大多数林地分布在地质灾害中高易发区,地质灾害对林地破坏较大;林地保护管理队伍难以满足现实需求.研究结论：根据林地保护级别对林地实施分级管护,要依法正确处理林地保护和建设占用的关系,完善林地保护管理队伍,建立健全管理机构,加强林地的防灾、抗灾、减灾能力建设,大力促进天然林、人工林和经济林的合理有效培养和发展.     

Research progress in cold region wetlands, China

China has some of the most abundant wetland resources in the world. Cold region wetlands cover more than 60% of the total natural wetlands in China and play an indispensable role in global climate regulation, water holding, uptake and emission of greenhouse gases, and biodiversity conservation. Because cold region wetlands are sensitive to climatic and environmental changes, it is important for ecological conservation and environmental management to summarize and analyze current research progress on these specific ecosystems. This paper reviews the focus of present studies on the typical cold region wetlands in the northeast region and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China from several aspects as follows: types and distribution, responses of permafrost to climatic changes, uptake and emission of greenhouse gas, eco-hydrological processes, and vegetation succession. Our conclusions are: global warming has a long-term and serious impact on cold region permafrost; emission of greenhouse gases has great temporal and spatial heterogeneity; and hygrophytes in the cold region wetlands have been generally replaced by xerophytes, although it is still unclear whether the vegetation diversity index has increased or decreased. Based on this review, some key topics for future study are recommended as follows: (1) the response of degeneration of cold region permafrost at various spatial and temporal scales; (2) prediction of wetland degeneration tendency by coupling weather, soil, and hydrological models; (3) evaluation of carbon storage; (4) the actual response mechanisms of greenhouse gases to climatic changes; and (5) development of water requirement calculation methods tailored to the unique ecosystems of cold region wetlands.     

Sensitivity of the backscatter intensity of ALOS/PALSAR to the above-ground biomass and other biophysical parameters of boreal forest in Alaska

We investigated the potential of ALOS/PALSAR for estimating the above-ground biomass (AGB) and other biophysical parameters (tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and tree stand density) in the boreal forest of Alaska. In July 2007, forest surveys were conducted along a south–north transect (150°W) to profile the ecotone from boreal forest to tundra in Alaska. In situ parameters were measured in 29 forests by a combination of the Bitterlich angle-count sampling method and the sampled-tree measuring method. These in situ values were compared with the backscatter intensity of ALOS/PALSAR. A strong positive logarithmic correlation was found between the backscatter intensity and the forest AGB, with the correlation being stronger in the HV than in the HH polarization mode. No obvious saturation was found in the sensitivity of the HV mode backscatter intensity to the forest AGB up to 120.7 Mg ha^?1. Similarly, a robust sensitivity was found in the HV backscatter intensity to both tree height and DBH, but weak sensitivity was observed for tree density. The regression curve of HV backscatter intensity to the forest AGB appeared to be intensified by the uneven forest floor, particularly for forests with small AGB. The geographical distribution of the forest AGB was mapped, demonstrating a generally south-rich and north-poor forest AGB gradient.     

深圳市湿地的保护与修复研究

湿地对维持社会经济的可持续发展起着重要作用.随着深圳经济的快速发展,湿地面积不断减少,功能退化,削弱了湿地的生态效益和社会效益.深圳市湿地类型有3大类(近海及海岸湿地、河流湿地和湖泊湿地)13种类型,占深圳国土总面积的8.12%。深圳湿地目前面临的主要威胁是:滨海滩涂湿地面积不断减小,生境面临退化;红树林和湿地水草的生存受到威胁;河流水质不断恶化,河流底质污染程度持续加剧。针对深圳湿地存在的主要问题,提出了相应的保护与恢复对策:保护好西部滨海滩涂湿地;控制污染,修复河流自然湿地;加强自然保护区的建设和管理;加强湿地公园的建设和管理;加强湿地监测和科学研究,积极开展国际合作与交流。     

Forest-Landscape Structure along an Urban-To-Rural Gradient*

Human activities and forest-landscape structure are examined along a belt transect that extends 140 km from New York City to northwestern Connecticut. The study quantifies urban structures (population density, land use. transportation) and processes (population growth, urban land development) in the transect, and tests for relationships with the distribution, sizes, and shapes of forests. Our results identify distinct characteristics of urban and suburban environments based on the landscape structure of native forest vegetation. These findings are applicable to the management of natural areas along a gradient of urbanization.     

临沂市水系林业生态保护体系建设规划初探

研究分析了临沂市水系分布状况,进行了生态功能区与重点保护区区域划分。引入流域生态修复技术及森林健康经营、生态型林果生产经营等先进营造林技术,设计了水系生态防护林带、封山育林、退耕还林、荒山造林、湿地保护与修复工程建设、示范区建设,突出林业生态保护功能,增加森林总量,提升森林生产力,解决区域水系水土流失和水资源污染等生态问题。     

Spatial patterns of subsistence extraction of forest products – An indirect approach for estimation of forest degradation in dry forest

Successful implementation of a forest based climate change mitigation mechanism such as REDD + depends on robust and available methods for measurement and estimation of forest degradation. Currently available methods are for application in single-hit degradation incidents in high density humid forests. However, it has been suggested that gradual degradation, especially in dry forests, is more widespread and that methods are needed for measuring and estimating associated emissions. We assess the applicability of an indirect remote sensing approach for monitoring forest degradation: infrastructure and other indicators of human activities are mapped and used for spatial prediction of degradation activities. For proxy variables we tested distance to forest edge, distance to roads, and population pressure calculated as the sum of inhabitants per pixel in the Landscan 2010 population raster dataset multiplied by an inverse power distance decay function. Wood extraction incidents were counted in 160 plots in two dry forests in Tanzania with infrastructural entry from one side only. We analyzed the spatial pattern of forest degradation as a function of the chosen proxy variables using zero inflated count models which allows for an excess of zero counts. A jack-knife bootstrap using 10,000 runs was applied to optimize the population distance decay function. We found that the impact of forest degradation is highest near high population concentration, above 1000 individuals. Furthermore, distance to nearest forest edge or road was a significant proxy for estimation of the number of wood extraction incidents (p < 0.001), where degradation incidents decreased with increasing distance to forest edge or road. At 3000 m from the forest edge towards the forest core the probability of wood extraction is 20% and dropping. The population distance decay function was found to have a steep decline indicating a relative small impact on forest degradation. Further, and perhaps larger, studies are needed to be able to recommend a distance decay function for general application in Tanzania. However, the results are useful for understanding spatial patterns of wood harvesting as a function of distance to nearest forest edge or road in dry Miombo woodland areas with average population pressure at 1685 ± 101 persons within a radius of 4000 m from the wood extraction sites.     

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND BAMBOO MANAGEMENT IN CHINA'S SOUTHEAST UPLANDS*

ABSTRACT. The subtropical forests, grasslands, and wetlands of Southeast China's Wuyi‐Daiyun Mountain Range provide essential habitats for diverse wildlife, including a dwindling population of tigers. Three primary protected areas, the Meihuashan, Wuyishan, and Longxishan Nature Reserves, contain varied wildlife habitats and also provide natural resources for 7,000 people in several dozen villages. A field‐based study of land use and habitat quality in these reserves shows that anthropogenic bamboo forests are among the least valuable habitats for wildlife but that, as the primary source of household income, bamboo monoculture is spreading rapidly and replacing habitats of greater ecological value. Although authorities in Meihuashan have demarcated the many broadleaf forest patches for strict protection, household income and bamboo‐management research in all three reserves suggests that successful habitat conservation may ultimately depend on more equitable systems of land tenure, improved cooperative cottage industries, and greater local economic diversification.     

Historical Overview of Permafrost Studies in China

Although soil freeze/thaw phenomena were reported centuries ago in the historical Chinese literature, systematic study of permafrost in China started in the 1950s. Permafrost research in China has been related to the exploration for and economic development of natural resources. Intensive investigations for several decades culminated in 2000 in the publication of a detailed map of geocryological regionalization and classification. From this map, it is estimated that permafrost covers approximately 23% of the country. About 80% of China's permafrost is mountain permafrost. China contains about 74.5% of the mountain permafrost area of the northern hemisphere. Since the early 1960s, researchers in China have conducted numerous field campaigns to determine permafrost and ground-ice distribution. A comprehensive ground-based and long-term monitoring network has been established on the Tibetan Plateau and in northeastern China. The State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering (SKLFSE) was established in 1991 and is open to national and international engineers and scientists to conduct related studies and experiments. Numerous field and laboratory experiments, as well as numerical modeling, have been conducted to meet the requirements for industrial design, construction, and operation in permafrost regions. Rescuing, archiving, and distributing historical permafrost data would greatly aid the ability of scientists to assess long-term changes in permafrost and its potential influence on the natural and engineered environment. Chinese geocryologists and engineers are facing new challenges with the construction and future operation of the Qinghai-Xizang railroad that will cross 550 km of permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau.     

基于层次分析法的张掖市湿地生态功能研究

基于层次分析法(AHP)对张掖市具有代表性的8个较大湿地区域进行生态功能综合研究,结果表明:甘肃省张掖市湿地生态功能的好坏依次排序为:祁连冰川湿地、高山灌丛草甸湿地、黑河干支流沿岸湿地、肃南明海湿地、临泽双泉湖草本沼泽、民乐永固沼泽湿地、甘州区城郊芦苇(Phragmites australis)湿地、高台盐田湿地。这一结论可为张掖市湿地资源恢复、保护和可持续发展提供科学依据。     

Current developments of research on permafrost engineering and cold region environment: a report of the 8th International Symposium on Permafrost Engineering

The Eighth International Symposium on Permafrost Engineering was held in Xi’an,China,October 2009.The major topics discussed in the symposium included:permafrost engineering (involving design,construction and evaluation);mitigation of frost hazards in the regions affected by seasonally frozen ground;properties of frozen soils,model development and their applications;frost hazards and periglacial environments in mountain and plateau regions;climatic,environmental and cryospheric changes;and permafrost hydrology,cold regions water resources and land uses.The papers submitted to the symposium and lectures during the meeting represented some new developments of research on cold region engineering and environment.Here we summarized the works of the symposium in topics including:Permafrost engineering;General geocryology;Properties of frozen soils:model development and their applications;And climatic,environmental and cryospheric changes.During the symposium,the attendees pointed out that future studies should pay more attention to theoretical study and engineering mechanism study,and also on interaction between climate change and cold region environments and their engineering affects.     

Assessment of spatial and temporal dynamics of tropical forest cover: A case study in Malkangiri district of Orissa, India

Tropical forests have been recognized as having global conservation importance. However, they are being rapidly destroyed in many regions of the world. Regular monitoring of forests is necessary for an adaptive management approach and the successful implementation of ecosystem management. The present study analyses the temporal changes in forest ecosystem structure in tribal dominated Malkangiri district of Orissa, India, during 1973–2004 period based on digitized forest cover maps using geographic information system (GIS) and interpretation of satellite data. Three satellite images Landsat MSS (1973), Landsat TM (1990) and IRS P6 LISS III (2004) were used to determine changes. Six land cover types were delineated which includes dense forest, open forest, scrub land, agriculture, barren land and water body. Different forest types were also demarcated within forest class for better understanding the degradation pattern in each forest types. The results showed that there was a net decrease of 475.7 km2 forest cover (rate of deforestation = 2.34) from 1973 to 1990 and 402.3 km2 (rate of deforestation = 2.27) from 1990 to 2004. Forest cover has changed over time depending on a few factors such as large-scale deforestation, shifting cultivation, dam and road construction, unregulated management actions, and social pressure. A significant increase of 1222.8 km2 agriculture area (1973–2004) clearly indicated the conversion of forest cover to agricultural land. These alterations had resulted in significant environmental consequences, including decline in forest cover, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity. There is an urgent need for rational management of the remaining forest for it to be able to survive beyond next decades. Particular attention must be paid to tropical forests, which are rapidly being deforested.     

潭江流域林业结构地域差异与调整对策

在社会经济快速发展的珠江三角洲地区,人类活动日益强烈,森林生态系统在平衡人类影响中的作用日益显著,但人工森林结构与分布差异越来越成为影响森林生态系统功能发挥的瓶颈.研究发现:(1)潭江流域林业用地结构失衡,作为潭江上游的恩平有林地面积仅占23.99%,潭江下游江门市区仅占13.93%,而未成林地,恩平却高达41.66%,这种森林分布结构不利于上游水源涵养功能与下游生态补偿功能的发挥;(2)无林地地域差异较大,人工造林仍有很大的潜力,台山、恩平、开平及江门市区无林地分别占全市域无林地面积的49.96%、14     

四川省遂宁市城市湿地公园规划建设初探

建设城市湿地公园是落实国家湿地分级分类保护管理策略的一项具体措施,也是当前形势下维护和扩大湿地保护面积行之有效的途径之一。遂宁拥有丰富的城市湿地资源,具有建设湿地公园得天独厚的条件,本文从多个方面对遂宁建设城市湿地公园的可行性进行了分析,希望对遂宁的湿地保护乃至整个西部的湿地资源保护规划起到指导作用。