Estimation on Aesthetic Value of Tourist Landscapes in a Natural Heritage Site： Kanas National Nature Reserve, Xinjiang, China

Most world natural heritage sites are designated partly by reason of their prominent aesthetic values in accordance with Article Ⅶ of World Natural Heritage Convention.In this paper, the aesthetic values of Kanas National Nature Reserve, which has potential for such designation, was analyzed quantitatively using scenic beauty estimation(SBE).The landscapes of 19 representative scenic spots in the Kanas National Nature Reserve in summer and autumn were selected as the objects of evaluation.The contributions of different landscape factors to the aesthetic value of the Kanas National Nature Reserve were revealed using a multivariate quantitative model.The main factors affecting the aesthetic value were waterscapes, vegetation, mountains, folk culture and the tourist environment.The t-test and F-test results are extremely significant.According to the results, some suggestions were given for conserving the landscapes in the Kanas National Nature Reserve.     

Quantitative assessment of the impact of earthquakeinduced geohazards on natural landscapes in Jiuzhaigou Valley

Many natural landscapes that lie in high mountain regions are highly susceptible to geological hazards, and their values and integrity are strongly threatened by the hazards. A preliminary framework was proposed to undertake a quantitative assessment of the impact of earthquake-induced geological hazards on the natural landscapes. Four factors reflecting the aesthetic value, ecological value, integrity of landscapes were selected to assess their vulnerability. The impact of earthquake-induced geological hazards on the landscapes is quantitatively expressed as the product of their vulnerability and resilience. The assessment framework was applied to Jiuzhaigou Valley which was severely struck by the Ms 7.0 earthquake on August 8, 2017. Field survey, satellite image interpretation, high-resolution DEM and unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) reconnaissance were used to retrieve the values of the assessment factors. Twenty seven World Heritage Sites in the valley strongly influenced by the earthquakeinduced geohazards were evaluated. The impact values of two sites of them(Sparking Lake and Nuorilang Waterfall) are up to 8.24 and 4.65, respectively, and their natural landscapes were greatly damaged. The assessment results show a good agreement with the actual damages of the heritage sites.     

Origin of beaded tafoni in cliffs of Danxia landscapes,Longhushan Global Geopark,South China

The tafoni that develop in sandstone cliffs have attracted the interest of both scientists and the general public. A necklace-like tafone system, referred to here as beaded tafoni, has developed in the prominent cliffs of the Danxia landscapes within the Longhushan Global Geopark in the subtropical zone of South China. This paper presents a new model of the formation of this system of extraordinary beaded tafoni. The cliffs of the Danxia landscapes of the study area are composed of an alluvial conglomerate (i.e., red beds). These Danxia landscapes have subrounded summits that are covered by vegetation and experience a nearly vertical water flow induced by gravity. Erosion and collapse of the outsized gravels and concentrated pebbles in the red beds give rise to the initial development of the beaded tafoni. The tafoni then become rounded and beaded as a result of reworking and decay by fluvial outwash. During storms, intense water flows run vertically down the cliffs and generate a whirling motion in the tafoni. Consequently, the inside walls of the tafoni gradually become wider and smoother. During the late development stage, the beaded tafoni tend to become indistinct or disappear because of the interconnection of the tafoni and subsequent merging with the bedding-controlled cavities.     

Assessing the real value of farmland in China

The preservation of farmland is a growing concern in China because the fact that China possesses limited land resources and the world's largest population presents a clear contradiction. Only when the value of farmland is fully appreciated in commercial markets can farmland preservation be effectively achieved. The current study constructed a model to evaluate the economic, social, and ecological value of farmland in China according to the connotation of values. As a case study, the value of Chinese farmland was estimated in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2011 using the established model. Although the amount of farmland was greatly reduced from 1999 to 2011 due to constructive occupation, agricultural restructuring, ecological restoration, and disaster destruction, the value of this farmland increased from 220.71×1012 to 736.26×1012 RMB Yuan as a result of the multifunctional nature and scarcity of farmland during the same period. The potential value of farmland in China was huge, but the value in the market was greatly underestimated, especially in regard to its social and ecological value. This study proposes a new method that integrates the discounted value of all future services provided by a natural resource(for the society and individuals) to evaluate the resource assets, provides a scientific foundation for the preservation and operation of farmland assets, and explores ways to increase farmers' property income.     

Evaluating the Accuracy of ERA5 Wave Reanalysis in the Water Around China

Wave parameters, such as wave height and wave period, are important for human activities, such as navigation, ocean engineering and sediment transport, etc. In this study, wave data from six buoys around Chinese waters, are used to assess the quality of wave height and wave period in the ERA5 reanalysis of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Annual hourly data with temporal resolution are used. The difference between the significant wave height(SWH) of ERA 5 and that of the buoy varies from-0.35 m to 0.30 m for the three shallow locations;for the three deep locations, the variation ranges from-0.09 m to 0.09 m. The ERA5 SWH data show positive biases, indicating an overall overestimation for all locations, except for E2 and S1 where underestimation is observed. During the tropical cyclone period, a large(about 32%) underestimation of the maximum SWH in the ERA5 data is observed. Hence, the ERA5 SWH data cannot be used for design applications without site-specific validation. The difference between the annual wave period from ERA5 and the mean wave period from the buoys varies from-1.31 s to 0.4 s. Inter-comparisons suggest that the ERA5 dataset is consistent with the annual mean SWH. However, for the average period, the performance is not good, and half of the correlation coefficients in the four points are less 50%. Overall, the deep water area simulation effect is better than that in the shallow water.     

Wetlands in China: Feature, value and protection

The estimated total area of wetland in China is more than 25.9 million hectares including about 11.9 million hectares of marshes and bogs, 9.1 million hectares of lake and about 2.2 million hectares of coastal salt marshes and mudflats. The area of wetland is equivalent to 2.7% of the land surface. China also has 2.7 million hectares of shallow sea water (less 5m in depth at low tide). Marshes and bogs are equivalent 1.3% of the land surface. Only three provinces (regions)—Qinghai, Xizang (Tibet) and Heilongjiang — have a larger total area of marsh and bog. According to the structure, type and development of wetland in different river basins, wetland can be classified nine main regions. The experiments indicate that the coefficient of the marsh to regulate flood is similar to that of lakes. Wetlands occupy 17.8% of the Sanjiang Plain area, the annual carbon contribution is 0.78 × 10⁴t. Carbon released from marsh soil return into atmosphere is 3.95 × 10⁶t/a. At present there is a sharp contradiction between population growth and natural resources shortage, causing wetland to be exerted with huge pressures and serious threats. Foundation item: Under the auspices of the Key B Item of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZ951-B1-201-02). Biography: LU Xian-guo (1957 —), male, a native of Changchun City, Jilin Provice, professor. His research interests include wetland process and environmental effect.     

AVO character research of natural gas hydrates in the East China Sea

Natural gas hydrates are considered as strategic resources with commercial potential in the 21st century. Obvious BSR characteristics will be shown on seismic profiles, if there exist natural gas hydrates. The AVO method is one of the methods which can be used to identify and forecast lithologic characteristics and fluid properties by using the relationship between Amplitude and Offset. AVO anomaly is one of the significant signs to check out whether or not there is free gas below the BSR, so it can be used to detect natural gas hydrates from the seismic profile. Considering the geological and geophysical characteristics of the Okinawa Trough and making use of the techniques mentioned above, we can conclude that the conditions there are favorable for the formation and concentration of natural gas hydrates. By analyzing the data collected from the study area, one can discover many different anomalous phenomena on the seismic profile which are related to the existence of natural gas hydrates. Preliminary estimation of the natural gas hydrates in the Okinawa Trough shows that the trough is rich in natural gas hydrates and may become a potential important resources exploration area.     

A catastrophic natural disaster chain of typhoon–rainstorm–landslide–barrier lake–flooding in Zhejiang Province,China

On August 10, 2019, due to the effect of a rainstorm caused by Super Typhoon Lekima, a landslide occurred in Shanzao Village, China. It blocked the Shanzao stream, forming a barrier lake, and then the barrier lake burst. This is a rare natural disaster chain of typhoon–rainstorm–landslide–barrier lake–flooding. This study was built on field surveys, satellite image interpretation, the digital elevation model(DEM), engineering geological analysis and empirical regression. The purpose was to reveal the characteristics and causes of the landslide, the features and formation process of the barrier lake and the dam break flooding discharge. The results show that the volume of the landslide deposit is approximately 2.4 × 105 m3. The burst mode of the landslide dam is overtopping, which took only 22 minutes from the formation of the landslide dam to its overtopping. The dam-break peak flow was 1353 m3/s, and the average velocity was 2.8-3.0 m/s. This study shows that the strongly weathered rock and soil slope has low strength and high permeability under the condition of heavy rainfall, which reminds us the high risk of landslides and the importance of accurate early warning of landslides under heavy rainfalls in densely populated areas of Southeast China, as well as the severity of the disaster chain of typhoon–rainstorm–landslide–barrier lake–flooding.     

Type and evolution of landscapes of Nansha Islands

ＴＹＰＥＡＮＤＥＶＯＬＵＴＩＯＮＯＦＬＡＮＤＳＣＡＰＥＳＯＦＮＡＮＳＨＡＩＳＬＡＮＤＳＺｈａｏＨｕａｎｔｉｎｇ（赵焕庭）ＳｏｕｔｈＣｈｉｎａＳｅａＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＯｃｅａｎｏｌｏｇｙ,ｔｈｅＣｈｉｎｅｓｅＡｃａｄｅｍｙｏｆＳｃｉｅｎｃｅｓ,Ｇｕ...     

Regional-scale identification of three-dimensional pattern of vegetation landscapes

The altitudinal pattern of vegetation is usually identified by field surveys,however,these can only provide discrete data on a local mountain.Few studies identifying and analyzing the altitudinal vegetation pattern on a regional scale are available.This study selected central Inner Mongolia as the study area,presented a method for extracting vegetation patterns in altitudinal and horizontal directions.The data included a vegetation map at a 1∶1 000 000 scale and a digital elevation model at a 1∶250 000 scale.The three-dimensional vegetation pattern indicated the distribution probability for each vegetation type and the transition zones between different vegetation landscapes.From low to high elevations,there were five vegetation types in the southern mountain flanks,including the montane steppe,broad-leaved forest,coniferous mixed forest,montane dwarf-scrub and sub-alpine shrub-meadow.Correspondingly,only four vegetation types were found in the northern flanks,except for the montane steppe.This study could provide a general model for understanding the complexity and diversity of mountain environment and landscape.     

Type and evolution of landscapes of Nansha Islands

Landscapes of the Nansha Islands may be divided into five types: tropical marine organism-breeding landscape of reef knoll like Zengmu Shoal, Wan’an Bank and so on; tropical marine organism-breeding landscape of atoll including all emerged reefs and most submerged reefs; tropical evergreen arbor-bush forest and phosphorous lime soil landscape of limesand Islets like Taiping Islet, Nanwei islet and so on; tropical shallow sea marine organism-breeding landscape of southern continental shelf; tropical oceanic and deep-sea marine organism landscape in middle and north parts of the Nansha Islands area. These five landscape types may be also summed up as two categories, one is tropical sea landscape including those in shallow and deep sea, the other is tropical coral reef landscape including those of reef knoll, atoll and limesand islet. This paper outlines the evolutional model of landscapes of the Nansha Islands. The distribution and evolution of landscape types are related with palaeogeography and modern environmental conditions. The former shallow sea of the Nansha islands was coastal zone in the Late Pleistocene epoch. Deep sea is evolved from shallow sea due to long and slow subsidence of crust. Modern coral reefs develop on old reef top of the Late pleistocene epoch or on baserock of continental shelf in the Holocene due to the rise of sea level in postglacial. Limesand islet is in the peak of developmental stage.     

SCISSORS DIFFERENCE AND ITS IMPACTS ON ECONOMIC VALUE OF CULTIVATED LAND IN CHINA

1IN T R O D U C T IO NAs we allknow,China isa countrywith vastpopulationand scarcelandpercapita(Y ANG and LI,2000)."T rea-suringlandverymuch,utilizinlgandrationallaynd pro-tectingthe cultivatedland conscientiously"is funda-mental statepolicyofChina.At the…     

我国第一个天然沸石矿——浙江缙云老虎头沸石矿发现轶事

1976年,浙江省某地质队在浙江缙云地区找矿时,发现一个奇怪的现象：当地农家鸡窝里的鸡粪都没有臭味。这是怎么回事呢？原来当地家家户户都往鸡窝里撒下一层矿石粉末。     

A probe heat flow value of the East China Sea shelf

Bottom temperature variation (BTV) is a serious problem in determining the thermal gradient and heart flow of the sediments in shallow seas. The water depth of the East China Sea shelf is mostly below 150m, and the heat flow measurement is strongly affected by BTV. Following a statistical algorithm, we rechecked the temperature and thermal conductivity data of the cruises KX90-1 and KX91-1, carried out by a cooperation program of China and Japan, and calculate the heat flow in a site without long-term temperature record. The calculated heat flow in the site was 58.6±3.6 mW/m², being just within the range of the drill heat flow value of East China Sea shelf. The inversed amplitude spectrum of BTV has a peak in frequency of 1/10 per year, and the annual component is also an important part. Comparison with two lakes of Lake Greifensee and Lac Leman (i.e. Lake Geneva), which are in different water depth, revealed that with increasing water depth, the peak of amplitude spectrum moved towards low frequency components. The heat flow values calculated in this paper and from petroleum bore hole in East China Sea shelf are much more close to that in southeast China than in Okinawa Trough. Supported by the National High Technology R&D Program of China (2004 AA616060)     

Hydrochemistry of the natural low pH groundwater in the coastal aquifers near Beihai,China

Natural weak acidic groundwater occurs in the unconfined and confined aquifers consisting of Quaternary and Neogene unconsolidated sediments near Beihai in southern Guangxi, China. Under natural conditions the groundwater has low TDS(less than 200 mg L-1) and low concentrations of trace elements(less than 100 μg L-1) with a deceasing tend in contents of the Lanthanides(rare earth elements, less than 1 μg L-1) towards higher atomic number. The groundwater ranges in p H from 3.33 to 7.0 with an average value of 5.12(even lower than that of local rainwater, 5.88). p H values in the groundwater are a bit higher in rainy seasons than those in dry seasons and do not show significant increasing or decreasing trend with time. The average p H value in groundwater in the confined aquifers is even a bit lower than that in the unconfined aquifer. Comprehensive analyses of the groundwater environment suggest that H+ in the groundwater may be derived from dissociation of H2CO3, release of the absorbed H3O+ in clay layers and the acidity of rainwater. The H2CO3 in the groundwater may be formed by dissolution of CO2(g). Minerals in the unconsolidated sediment are predominated by quartz with small amount of clay minerals. The sediments undergoing a long-term weathering contain low levels of soluble constitutes. Lack of alkaline substances in the groundwater system is also helpful in the accumulation of acidity of the groundwater.     

Effects of slope gradient on runoff from bare-fallow purple soil in China under natural rainfall conditions

Purple soil is highly susceptible for overland flow and surface erosion, therefore understanding surface runoff and soil erosion processes in the purple soil region are important to mitigate flooding and erosion hazards. Slope angle is an important parameter that affects the magnitude of runoff and thus surface erosion in hilly landscapes or bare land area. However, the effect of slope on runoff generation remains unclear in many different soils including Chinese purple soil. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between different slope gradients and surface runoff for bare-fallow purple soil, using 5 m × 1.5 m experimental plots under natural rainfall conditions. Four experimental plots(10°, 16°, 20° and 26°) were established in theYanting Agro-ecological Experimental Station of Chinese Academy of Science in central Sichuan Basin. The plot was equipped with water storage tank to monitor water level change. Field monitoring from July 1 to October 31, 2012 observed 42 rainfall events which produced surface runoff from the experimental plots. These water level changes were converted to runoff. The representative eight rainfall events were selected for further analysis, the relationship between slope and runoff coefficient were determined using ANOVA, F-test, and z-score analysis. The results indicated a strong correlation between rainfall and runoff in cumulative amount basis. The mean value of the measured runoff coefficient for four experimental plots was around 0.1. However, no statistically significant relationship was found between slope and runoff coefficient. We reviewed the relationship between slope and runoff in many previous studiesand calculated z-score to compare with our experimental results. The results of z-score analysis indicated that both positive and negative effects of slope on runoff coefficient were obtained, however a moderate gradient(16°-20° in this study) could be a threshold of runoff generation for many different soils including the Chinese purple soil.     

Biomass carbon storage and its sequestration potential of afforestation under natural forest protection program in China

Based on the data from China′s Seventh Forest Inventory for the period of 2004–2008, area and stand volume of different types and age-classes of plantation were used to establish the relationship between biomass density and age of planted forests in different regions of the country. Combined with the plantation area in the first-stage of the Natural Forest Protection(NFP) program(1998–2010), this study calculated the biomass carbon storage of the afforestation in the first-stage of the program. On this basis, the carbon sequestration potential of these forests was estimated for the second stage of the program(2011–2020). Biomass carbon storage of plantation established in the first stage of the program was 33.67 Tg C, which was majority accounted by protection forests(30.26 Tg C). There was a significant difference among carbon storage in different regions, which depended on the relationship of biomass carbon density, forest age and plantation area. Under the natural growth, the carbon storage was forecasted to increase annually from 2011 to 2020, reaching 96.03 Tg C at the end of the second-stage of the program in 2020. The annual growth of the carbon storage was forecasted to be 6.24 Tg C/yr, which suggested that NFP program has a significant potential for enhancing carbon sequestration in plantation forests under its domain.     

Spatial patterns in natural Picea crassifolia forests of northwestern China,as basis for close-to-nature forestry

Close-to-nature forest management has been proposed as an effective method for improving the quality of plantation forests. Knowledge of spatial distribution patterns, structure, and succession trajectories in natural forests can provide guidelines for the establishment of close-to-nature forest plantations. Such knowledge is lacking in natural spruce(Picea crassifolia) forests in the Qilian Mountains of China, impeding the establishment of production forests. We conducted a case study in the Qilian Mountains to analyze the relationships between the naturally-formed forest patches and terrain factors, spatial heterogeneity of stand characteristics, and stand structure following harvesting disturbance. Our results suggested that spruce plantations will be effective on the N, NE, and NW slopes, at elevations between 2700 and 3300 m, and on slopes ranging from 15° to 45°. Further, planted forest patches should occupy 64% of the slope area on semi-shady slopes(NE, NW). Spatial patterns in the studied forest exhibited a strong scale-effect, and an area of 0.25 ha could be used as the most efficient plot scale for the management of spruce plantations. Partial logging is an effective method for the conversion of spruce planted forests into nearnatural forests, and the intensity of partial logging can be determined from the negative exponential function relationship between stand density and DBH. Our results provided critical information for the development of spruce plantations and conversion of existing plantations.     

Evaluating the effect of input variables on quantifying the spatial distribution of croaker Johnius belangerii in Haizhou Bay,China

A habitat model has been widely used to manage marine species and analyze relationship between species distribution and environmental factors.The predictive skill in habitat model depends on whether the models include appropriate explanatory variables.Due to limited habitat range,low density,and low detection rate,the number of zero catches could be very large even in favorable habitats.Excessive zeroes will increase the bias and uncertainty in estimation of habitat.Therefore,appropriate explanatory variables need to be chosen first to prevent underestimate or overestimate species abundance in habitat models.In addition,biotic variables such as prey data and spatial autocovariate(SAC) of target species are often ignored in species distribution models.Therefore,we evaluated the effects of input variables on the performance of generalized additive models(GAMs) under excessive zero catch(70%).Five types of input variables were selected,i.e.,(1) abiotic variables,(2) abiotic and biotic variables,(3) abiotic variables and SAC,(4) abiotic,biotic variables and SAC,and(5) principal component analysis(PCA) based abiotic and biotic variables and SAC.Belanger 's croaker Johnius belangerii is one of the dominant demersal fish in Haizhou Bay,with a large number of zero catches,thus was used for the case study.Results show that the PCA-based GAM incorporated with abiotic and biotic variables and SAC was the most appropriate model to quantify the spatial distribution of the croaker.Biotic variables and SAC were important and should be incorporated as one of the drivers to predict species distribution.Our study suggests that the process of input variables is critical to habitat modelling,which could improve the performance of habitat models and enhance our understanding of the habitat suitability of target species.