Soil-hydrological properties response to grazing exclusion in a steppe grassland of the Loess Plateau

Soil–water characteristics are necessary for water quality monitoring, solute migration and plant growth. Soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) is a relationship between suction and water content or degree of saturation. However, little information is available concerning the impacts of grazing exclusion management on soil–water characteristics. Here, the soil–water characteristics of grasslands, which were excluded grazing for 5 (GE5) and 15 years (GE15), were studied. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (K _s), SWCC, particle composition, field capacity and some other indexes were determined. Results showed that the clay content and K _s of grassland soil were higher for GE15 than GE5. For both treatments, in low suction condition (≤100 kPa), the water holding capacity of 0–10 cm soil was the best. Water holding capacity of topsoil decreased gradually with the increasing of suction, and it reached the strongest when the suction reached 600 kPa. In all soil water suction, the water holding capacity of subsoil was the weakest. The van Genuchten expression was applicable for most of the samples, except 20–30 cm of GE5 and 10–20 cm of GE15. Dual porosity equation was applicable for all the samples. The soil–water capability and soil structure of which was fenced for 15 years is superior to that of 5 years. This study suggests that the enclosure management improved the soil structure and soil–water capability.     

Immobilization of phosphorus,copper, zinc and arsenic in swine manure by activated red mud

Red mud (RM), the solid waste of alumina industry, is high in silicon, calcium, aluminum and iron oxides. In this study, RM was activated by heat treatment at different temperatures and characterized with BET nitrogen gas sorption, scanning electron microscopy analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis. Immobilization of phosphorus, copper, zinc, and arsenic in swine manure by activated RM was studied as a function of RM dosage, pH and time. The immobilization efficiency of phosphorus, copper, zinc and arsenic increased with the increase in RM dosage, reaching 77, 39, 42, and 78 % when the proportion of RM to swine manure was 20 %. The pH of the solution had a significant impact on the immobilization and it was found that the efficiency increased with the increase in pH. During the 24-h immobilization, the efficiency increased with time and achieved equilibrium after 12 h. Chemical variations of phosphorus, copper, zinc, and arsenic during the immobilization process were investigated with sequential chemical extraction method and the results showed that the contents of non-labile fractions of phosphorus, heavy metals and arsenic increased obviously, whereas the contents of labile fractions decreased.     

Assessment of soil salinization based on a low-cost method and its influencing factors in a semi-arid agricultural area,northwest China

An investigation of soil salinization was carried out in the Nanshantaizi area (Northwest China) with WET Sensor. This device can measure such soil parameters as bulk soil electrical conductivity, water content, and the pore water electrical conductivity that are important for soil salinization assessments. A distribution map of soil salinization was produced, and the factors influencing soil salinization and its processes were discussed in detail. The study shows that moderately salinized to salt soils are mainly observed in the alluvial plain, where groundwater level is high and lateral recharge water contains high salinity. Nanshantaizi is covered by slightly salinized soils. The soil salinization distribution estimated by WET Sensor is generally consistent with the actual levels of salinization. Soil salinity in Nanshantaizi is mostly of natural origin and accumulated salts could leach to deeper soils or aquifers by water percolation during irrigation. Groundwater evaporation, groundwater level depth and quality of recharge water are important factors influencing soil salinization in the alluvial plain.     

Seawater intrusion and coastal aquifer management in China: a review

Seawater intrusion has been an important topic in hydrogeology in China in recent decades. The rapid growth of the population and economy in the coastal regions has been consuming a tremendous amount of groundwater resources and has increased the extent of seawater intrusion. The spatial discrepancy of water resource distribution has caused the studies of seawater intrusion into China to mainly be concentrated on the area around the Bohai Sea in the northern part of China. The total area of seawater-intruded land due to excessive groundwater utilization in the area was estimated to be approximately 2,457 km² in 2003. Great efforts have been made to mitigate the extent of seawater intrusion and to secure more freshwater resources, including building monitoring networks, subsurface barrier and groundwater reservoirs, and artificial infiltration facilities. Management projects over the years were evaluated to satisfy the objectives and to provide valuable experiences for future research and planning. It is expected that the coastal groundwater conditions of the northern region will improve through the development of a national water resource plan, such as the ongoing south-to-north water diversion project.     

Spatial heterogeneous response of land use and landscape functions to ecological restoration: the case of the Chinese loess hilly region

Ecological restorations over time may have profound effects on ecological and socio-economic systems. However, land-use changes and landscape functions that accompany ecological restorations can have spatial differentiations due to varied biophysical and socio-economic contexts. Therefore, these spatial differentiations caused by ecological restoration must be understood for better planning and management of restoration activities. The Baota District, with 576 villages in the center of the Chinese Loess Plateau, was selected as the study area because of its dramatic transition from cropland to grassland and shrubland from 1990 to 2010. Using the ArcGIS software and a k-means clustering analysis, an approach to identify types of land-use change patterns (TLCPs) at the village level was developed, and four TLCPs were delineated. The analysis indicated a general pattern of cropland decline by 21.6 %, but revealed significant spatial variations between villages in different TLCPs. Vegetation cover and soil retention, which are key proxies for landscape functions, increased by 22.70 and 108 %, respectively, from 2000 to 2010 with significant spatial heterogeneity. The Universal Soil Loss Equation was employed for the assessment of soil retention. The analysis of landscape metrics revealed a major trend of fragmentation and regularity on the county and village scale; however, spatial variations remained. Physical attributes were used to characterize different TLCPs, and notable differences were found. The spatial heterogeneous change in land use and landscape functions on the village scale may be useful for land use and ecological restoration management policy makers.     

五河杂岩的变质岩石学及P-T条件分析钻孔的研究

五河杂岩是华北克拉通东部陆块东南缘最重要的岩石单元。然而,直至今日,人们对于该组杂岩一直缺乏足够的研究,特别是对于其形成的变质条件分歧较大。本文通过对蒙城南ZK02钻孔中五河杂岩的构成和地质特征详细研究表明五河杂岩分为上、下两段。上段主要为一套由云母片岩、大理岩和花岗片麻岩组成的变质表壳岩系,下段为一套基性变质岩,主要岩性为斜长角闪岩、角闪岩、石榴斜长角闪岩和少量的混合岩。同时,针对下段特征岩石（石榴斜长角闪岩）,进行了较为详细的岩相学和矿物化学分析,并应用不同的温压计进行P-T条件评价和比较,结合岩相学限定和前人的研究成果,认为五河杂岩的主体普遍经历了高压角闪岩相变质作用,其温压范围为：T=671 ℃～700 ℃和P=0.82～0.95 GPa,地温梯度约为25～28 ℃/km,与典型陆壳地温梯度类似。与同邻区主要岩石单元的变质级别相比,五河杂岩应当形成于板内变质环境,并不具备造山带变质特征。     

Spatio-temporal distributions of climate disasters and the response of wheat yields in China from 1983 to 2008

Climate disasters are now on the rise and more likely to increase in frequency and/or severity under climate change in the future. To clearly illustrate spatial–temporal distributions of climate disasters and the response of wheat yields to disasters over the past three decades, several disaster indices including the impact of climate disasters, the sensitivity to climate disasters and the response index of wheat yield losses to climate disasters were defined and calculated. The impact and sensitivity indices were examined by the agricultural production losses due to climate disasters, and the response of wheat yields to climate disasters was assessed by wheat yield loss compared with the 5-year moving average. The results showed that the indices of climate disaster impacts and sensitivities as well as response index of wheat yields to climate disasters could represent the spatial–temporal distributions of climate disasters well in the whole China. Droughts in northern China had higher impacts and sensitivities than those in southern China during the period 1983–2008, but the impacts of floods were opposite. In northern China, although impacted area by drought was larger than that by flood, the flood sensitivities were larger than drought sensitivities when flood happened. Although drought significantly affected wheat yields in most of the regions with drier conditions during 1983–2008 in major wheat-producing regions, better management practices like irrigation and drought-tolerant cultivars applied in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain can adapt to climate disasters especially droughts. To ensure the stability of agricultural production, future food security will need to be achieved through quantifying the relative effects of climate disasters and effective adaptation to increasingly frequent extreme climate events.     

Levels and distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in middle reach of Huaihe River,China: anthropogenic influences and ecological risks

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of aromatic hydrocarbons with high toxicity to human health. PAH emissions from industrial activities have become the primary sources of PAH contamination in Chinese watersheds. Here, we analyzed 10 individual priority PAHs in 120 water samples taken from middle reach of Huaihe River, China. The results show that the PAH levels in studied watershed are significantly lower as compared to other Chinese watersheds, approaching or slightly exceeding the PAH levels in watersheds from selected European and North American countries. We observe rather large variation in spatial and vertical PAH distributions, pointing to PAH inputs from local industrial emissions, and PAH cycle among atmosphere, water and sediment. Individual PAH ratios (i.e., phenanthrene/anthracene and fluorene/pyrene) and principal components analysis suggest a primarily pyrolytic PAH sources (combustion of coal and coke) in water column. Other accompanying PAH sources include emissions from steel industry and gasoline. Total toxic benzo[a]pyrene equivalent of PAHs in studied water column indicates that PAHs in watershed of middle reach of Huaihe River pose limited toxicity to the environment.     

Evaluation of rainfall erosivity and its temporal variation in the Yanhe River catchment of the Chinese Loess Plateau

The potential of rain to generate soil erosion is known as the rainfall erosivity (R), and its estimation is fundamental for a better understanding of the erosive ability of certain rainfall events. In this paper, we investigated the temporal variations of rainfall erosivity using common daily rainfall data from four meteorological stations during 1956 to 1989 and 2008 to 2010 periods in the Yanhe River catchment of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The adaptability of several simplified calculation models for R was evaluated and compared with the results of previous studies. An exponential model based on the modified Fournier index (MFI) was considered as the optimum for our study area. By considering the monthly distribution and coefficient of variation of annual precipitation, equations based on two indices, the MFI and its modification F _F , produced a higher calculation accuracy than mean annual precipitation. The rainfall erosivity in the Yanhe River catchment has a remarkable interannual difference, with a seasonality index ranging from 0.69 to 1.05 and a precipitation concentration index from 14.51 to 27.46. In addition to the annual rainfall amounts, the extreme wave of monthly rainfall distribution also has an effect on the magnitude and temporal variation of rainfall erosivity, especially interannual variation. For long time series of rainfall erosivity, a trend coefficient r of ?0.07 indicated a slight decline in erosivity in the Yanhe River catchment from 1956 to 2010.