Exploring the dynamics of agricultural climatic resource utilization of spring maize over the past 50 years in Northeast China

Exploring the dynamics of the utilization of agricultural climatic resources (i.e., environmental factors that affect crop productivity such as light, temperature, and water) can provide a theoretical basis for modifying agricultural practices and distributions of agricultural production in the future. Northeast China is one of the major agricultural production areas in China and also an obvious region of climatic warming. We were motivated to analyze the utilization dynamics of agricultural climatic resource during spring maize cultivation from 1961 to 2010 in Northeast China. To understand these dynamics, we used the daily data from 101 meteorological stations in Northeast China between 1961 and 2010. The demands on agricultural climatic resources in Northeast China imposed by the cultivation of spring maize were combined and agricultural climatic suitability theory was applied. The growth period of spring maize was further detailedly divided into four stages: germination to emergence, emergence to jointing, jointing to tasseling, and tasseling to maturity. The average resource utilization index was established to evaluate the effects. Over the past five decades, Northeast China experienced increases in daily average temperature of 0.246 °C every decade during the growing season (May–September). At the same time, strong fluctuating decreases were observed in average total precipitation of 8.936 mm every decade and an average sunshine hour of 0.122 h every decade. Significant temporal and spatial changes occurred in K from 1961 to 2010. The K showed decreasing trends in Liaoning province and increasing trends in Jilin and especially in Heilongjiang province, which increased by 0.11. Spatial differences were visible in different periods, and the most obvious increase was found in the period 2001–2010. The areas with high values of K shifted northeastward over the past 50 years, indicating more efficient use of agricultural climatic resources in Northeast China.     

Response of vegetation dynamics to climatic variables across a precipitation gradient in the Northeast China Transect

This study investigated the influence of climatic variables on the spatio-temporal variation of vegetation growth using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data and climate data from 2000 to 2013 in the Northeast China Transect. Partial correlation and linear regression methods were applied to quantify the response of the growing season NDVI to climatic variables. Gradient analysis was used to investigate how the response changes across the precipitation gradient over the transect. The results show that, at the spatial scale, NDVI increases with precipitation in grassland, and the spatial sensitivity is 0.001/mm. At the temporal scale, grassland NDVI is less correlated with precipitation in wet areas where precipitation exceeds a threshold of 250 mm. The temporal sensitivity of grassland NDVI to precipitation is 0.0003–0.0006/mm. Positive correlations between NDVI and temperature dominate in forest areas, and forest NDVI is sensitive to temperature by 0.06–0.12/°C.     

CMIP5多模式集合对东北三省未来气候变化的预估研究

应用CN05观测资料,以及参与国际耦合模式比较计划第5阶段(CMIP5)中的26个模式,评估了新一代全球气候模式对东北三省气候变化模拟能力并选出4个较优模式,发现经过筛选得出的较优模式集合平均模拟结果的可靠性得到进一步加强,尤其体现在对气温的模拟上.在此基础上着重分析了多模式集合在不同典型浓度路径(RCPs)下对未来气候变化特征的预估.结果表明:21世纪的未来阶段,东北三省将处于显著增温的状态,且RCP8.5情景下的增温速率(0.53℃/10a)明显高于RCP4.5情景下的速率(0.22℃/10a);空间上,北部地区将成为增温幅度最大、增温速率最高的区域.未来降水将会相对增加,但波动较大,21世纪末期RCP4.5和RCP8.5情景下的降水增加幅度分别为11.24%和15.95%;空间上,辽宁省西部地区将成为降水增加最为显著的区域.根据水分盈亏量,21世纪未来阶段,RCP4.5情景下的东北三省绝大多数地区未来将相对变湿,尤其到了中后期;RCP8.5情景下则是中西部地区将相对变干,其余地区则会相对变湿.     

Temporal trends of hydro‐climatic variables and runoff response to climatic variability and vegetation changes in the Yiluo River basin,China

The Yiluo River is the largest tributary for the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River below Sanmenxia Dam. Changes of the hydrological processes in the Yiluo River basin, influenced by the climatic variability and human activities, can directly affect ecological integrity in the lower reach of the Yellow River. Understanding the impact of the climatic variability and human activities on the hydrological processes in the Yiluo River basin is especially important to maintain the ecosystem integrity and sustain the society development in the lower reach of the Yellow River basin. In this study, the temporal trends of annual precipitation, air temperature, reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) and runoff during 1961–2000 in the Yiluo River basin were explored by the Mann‐Kendall method (M‐K method), Yamamoto method and linear fitted model. The impacts of the climatic variability and vegetation changes on the annual runoff were discussed by the empirical model and simple water balance model and their contribution to change of annual runoff have been estimated. Results indicated that (i) significant upwards trend for air temperature and significant downwards trend both for precipitation and ET₀ were detected by the M‐K method at 95% confidence level. And the consistent trends were obtained by the linear fitted model; (ii) the abrupt change started from 1987 detected by the M‐K method and Yamamoto method, and so the annual runoff during 1961–2000 was divided into two periods: baseline period (1961–1986) and changeable period (1987–2000); and (iii) the vegetation changes were the main cause for change of annual runoff from baseline period to changeable period, and climatic variability contributed a little to the change of annual runoff of the Yiluo River. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of adjusting cropping systems on utilization efficiency of climatic resources in Northeast China under future climate scenarios

Quantitatively evaluating the effects of adjusting cropping systems on the utilization efficiency of climatic resources under climate change is an important task for assessing food security in China. To understand these effects, we used daily climate variables obtained from the regional climate model RegCM3 from 1981 to 2100 under the A1B scenario and crop observations from 53 agro-meteorological experimental stations from 1981 to 2010 in Northeast China. Three one-grade zones of cropping systems were divided by heat, water, topography and crop-type, including the semi-arid areas of the northeast and northwest (III), the one crop area of warm–cool plants in semi-humid plain or hilly regions of the northeast (IV), and the two crop area in irrigated farmland in the Huanghuaihai Plain (VI). An agro-ecological zone model was used to calculate climatic potential productivities. The effects of adjusting cropping systems on climate resource utilization in Northeast China under the A1B scenario were assessed. The results indicated that from 1981 to 2100 in the III, IV and VI areas, the planting boundaries of different cropping systems in Northeast China obviously shifted toward the north and the east based on comprehensively considering the heat and precipitation resources. However, due to high temperature stress, the climatic potential productivity of spring maize was reduced in the future. Therefore, adjusting the cropping system is an effective way to improve the climatic potential productivity and climate resource utilization. Replacing the one crop in one year model (spring maize) by the two crops in one year model (winter wheat and summer maize) significantly increased the total climatic potential productivity and average utilization efficiencies. During the periods of 2011–2040, 2041–2070 and 2071–2100, the average total climatic potential productivities of winter wheat and summer maize increased by 9.36%, 11.88% and 12.13% compared to that of spring maize, respectively. Additionally, compared with spring maize, the average utilization efficiencies of thermal resources of winter wheat and summer maize dramatically increased by 9.2%, 12.1% and 12.0%, respectively. The increases in the average utilization efficiencies of precipitation resources of winter wheat and summer maize were 1.78 kg hm⁻² mm⁻¹, 2.07 kg hm⁻² mm⁻¹ and 1.92 kg hm⁻² mm⁻¹ during 2011–2040, 2041–2070 and 2071–2100, respectively. Our findings highlight that adjusting cropping systems can dominantly contribute to utilization efficiency increases of agricultural climatic resources in Northeast China in the future.     

2008年前东北地震大形势研究

根据东北地区1900年以来的历史地震资料所显示的周期性活动特点,用正弦函数描述其地震活动规律,并结合时间序列的周期图及其他一些地震活动性分析方法,对该地区未来1～3年地震活动发展趋势和地震强度作了初步预测.     

华北地区第四活动期两次地震活动过程的相似性研究

着重分析研究华北地区第四活动期以来M_S≥5.0地震时空分布特征。结果表明,该地区第四活动期从1820年至1976年期间,地震活动出现了前后两次基本相似的强弱起伏活动过程,分别历时69年和66年。前后两个活动过程不但时序结构类似,进程一致,且空间演化格局相似,都是先从华北地区的中南部开始,再迁移至东北部辽东半岛及附近海域,最终在华北地区北部集中出现一系列强震活动,而完成整个活动过程。进一步分析表明,前后两活动过程的第一阶段6级以上强震,在空间分布上除南黄海地区外,基本上互不重复。这一现象的发现,有助于该地区今后地震活动主体区域的分析判断。