The higher grain production,the more social deprivation? A case study of Henan province in traditional agricultural areas of China

This paper examines the spatial-temporal dynamics of inequality from the perspective of social deprivation in the context of continuous growth of grain production using national census data from 2000 and 2010 for Henan province, China. Our analytical results show an overall level of social deprivation that is high and a widening social deprivation gap at the county level. The social deprivation shows great spatiotemporal heterogeneity, the higher deprived counties are mainly distributed in central and eastern Henan province, while counties with lower social deprivation are clustered in northwestern regions, formed a belt-shape spatial differential between the south (higher deprived counties clustered) and northwest (low deprived counties clustered) Henan in 2000, and changed toward a core-periphery semi annular spatial structure in 2010, the low deprived counties surrounded by high deprived counties. The social deprivation shows a “west low and east high” spatial pattern, similar to the grain production in Henan province. Socioeconomic development level was low in most counties in Yudong plain despite of keeping the continuous increase of grain production, meaning the higher grain output did not result in the more social development expected in Chinese traditional agricultural areas, and the regional disparity is expected to increase in the near future if development conditions are not changed, which could inspire more targeted rural governance options.     

Application of different clustering approaches to hydroclimatological catchment regionalization in mountainous regions,a case study in Utah State

With respect to the different hydrological responses of catchments, even the adjacent ones, in mountainous regions, there are a great number of motivations for classifying them into homogeneous clusters. These motivations include prediction in ungauged basins (PUB), model parameterization, understanding the potential impact of environmental changes, transferring information from gauged catchments to the ungauged ones. The present study investigated the similarity of catchments through the hydro-climatological pure time-series of a 14-year period from 2001 to 2015. Data sets encompass more than 13,000 month-station streamflow, rainfall, and temperature data obtained from 27 catchments in Utah State as one of the eight mountainous states of the USA. The identification, analysis, and interpretation of homogeneous catchments were investigated by applying the four approaches of clustering, K-means, Ward, and SOM (Self-Organized Map) and a newly proposed Wavelet-Entropy-based (WE-SOM) clustering method. By using two clustering evaluation criteria, 3, 5, and 6 clusters were determined as the best numbers of clusters, depending on the method employed, where each cluster represents different hydro-climatological behaviors. Despite the absence of geographic characteristics in input data matrix, the results indicated a regionalization in agreement with topographic characteristics. Considering the dependency of the hydrological behavior of catchments on the physiographic field aspects and characteristics, WE-SOM method demonstrated a more acceptable performance, compared to the other three conventional clustering methods, by providing more clusters. WE-SOM appears to be a promising approach in catchment clustering. It preserves the topological structure of data which can, as a result, be proofed in a greater number of clusters by dividing data into higher numbers of distinct clusters with similar altitudes of catchments in each cluster. The results showed the aptitude of wavelets to quantify the time-based variability of temperature, rainfall and streamflow, in the way contributing to the regionalization of diverse catchments.     

Spatial differentiation in stable isotope compositions of surface waters and its environmental significance in the Issyk-Kul Lake region of Central Asia

Stable isotope values of oxygen(~(18)O) and hydrogen(~(2)H) of surface waters were used to study the origin and environmental significances in the Issyk-Kul basin of Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia, which is the most important intermountain basin in the modern Tien Shan orogen. This study is the first analysis of hydrochemical spatial differentiation in the stable isotopes of surface waters in this watershed.75 samples were collected from rivers, springs, lakes,rain and snow during the rainy season in July and August of 2016. Stable isotopes of ~(18)O and ~(2)H were studied for all samples, and cation ratios(Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca) were also determined for lake water samples.Stable isotope values from precipitation scattered around the Local Meteoric Water Line(determined from Urumqi Station of the global network of isotopes in precipitation(GNIP)), together with values of the Deuterium excess parameter(d) from 15.3‰ to30.5‰, with an average of 19.8‰, indicating that the moisture sources are primarily from regions with low relative humidity. The δ~(18)O and δ~(2)H values were significantly different between the river and lake samples, indicating that regional evaporation caused the isotopic enrichment of lake water. Geospatial autocorrelation, measured by Moran's I coefficient,indicated weak spatial autocorrelation within stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in the surface waters of the studied area, which is primarily an effect of climate during the water chemistry evolution. The cation ratios Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca in lake water samples were not correlated with the concentration of total dissolved solids, but did show correlation with stable isotopic values, which is significant for paleoenvironmental reconstruction.     

Estimating the properties of weathered bedrock and pilerock interaction from the geological strength index

The effect of variable rock mass properties on pile-rock interaction poses a great challenge to the design of stabilizing piles and numerical analysis of pile-rock interaction. The paper presents a novel method to estimate the properties of weathered bedrock, which can be applied to routine design of landslide-stabilizing piles for collivial landslides. The Ercengyan landslide located in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China, is the area of interest for this study. A geological investigation and triaxial tests were conducted to estimate the basic parameters, including Geological Strength Index(GSI), uniaxial compressive strength σ_(ci) and Hoek-Brown constant m_i of intact bedrock in the study area. Hoek-Brown criterion was used to estimate mechanical properties of the weathered rock, including elastic modulus E_m, cohesion c, friction angle Φ, and normal ultimate lateral resistance p_(max). A parametric study was performed to evaluate the effect of parameterizations of GSI, σ_(ci) and m_i on the bedrock properties and p-y curves. The estimated rock mass properties were used with PLAXIS 2D software to simulate pile-rock interaction. Effect of GSI on stress at the pile-rock interface and in the rock, pile bending moment, pile shear force, and p-y curve were analysed.     

Soil physicochemical properties and vegetation structure along an elevation gradient and implications for the response of alpine plant development to climate change on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains

Elevation is one of key factors to affect changes in the environment, particularly changes in conditions of light, water and heat. Studying the soil physicochemical properties and vegetation structure along an elevation gradient is important for understanding the responses of alpine plants andtheir growing environment to climate change. In this study, we studied plant coverage, plant height, species richness, soil water-holding capacity, soil organic carbon(SOC) and total nitrogen(N) on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains at elevations from2124 to 3665 m. The following conclusions were drawn:(1) With the increase of elevation, plant coverage and species richness first increased and then decreased, with the maximum values being at 3177 m.Plant height was significantly and negatively correlated with elevation(r=–0.97, P0.01), and the ratio of decrease with elevation was 0.82 cm·100 m-1.(2) Both soil water-holding capacity and soil porosity increased on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains with the increase of elevation. The soil saturated water content at the 0-40 cm depth first increased and then stabilized with a further increase of elevation, and the average ratio of increase was2.44 mm·100 m-1. With the increase of elevation, the average bulk density at the 0-40 cm depth first decreased and then stabilized at 0.89 g/cm3.(3) With the increase of elevation, the average SOC content at the 0-40 cm depths first increased and then decreased,and the average total N content at the 0-40 cm depth first increased and then stabilized. The correlation between average SOC content and average total N content reached significant level. According to the results of this study, the distribution of plants showed a mono-peak curve with increasing elevation on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains. The limiting factor for plant growth at the high elevation areas was not soil physicochemical properties, and therefore,global warming will likely facilitate the development of plant at high elevation areas in the Qilian Mountains.     

Surface energy balance of Bayi Ice Cap in the middle of Qilian Mountains,China

Energy balance at the glacier surface is important for understanding the impacts of climate change on glaciers. Here, we analyzed the characteristics of the glacier surface energy fluxes along with their contributions to glacier melt on Bayi Ice Cap in Qilian Mountains by using a point-scale energy balance model. The half-hourly meteorological data from an automatic weather station (AWS) located on the glacier was used to drive the energy balance model. The model simulated results could accurately represent the mass-balance observations from the stake near the weather station during summer 2016. Our results showed the net radiation (86%) played an important role in the surface energy balance, and the contribution of the turbulent heat fluxes (14%) to the energy budget was relatively less important. A distinct behavior of energy balance, as compared to other continental glaciers in China (e.g., two adjacent glaciers Laohugou No. 12 Glacier and Qiyi Glacier), is the fact that a sustained period of positive turbulent latent flux exists on Bayi Ice Cap during August, causing faster melt rate in the month of August. Our study also presented the effect of frequent summer snowfall in slowing down surface melt by changing the surface albedo during the beginning of the melting season.     

Effects of long-term medieval agriculture on soil properties: A case study from the Kislovodsk basin,Northern Caucasus,Russia

The chemical properties and biological activities of soils were studied in the vicinity of the medieval settlement Podkumskoe-3 in the Kislovodsk basin (Northern Caucasus, Russia). Between the 5th and 8th centuries this area was ploughed regularly, but it was then abandoned up to the present day. It has been established that past human activity leads to soil undergoing significant transformations in terms of microbial communities and enzyme activity, and that such changes are maintained over long periods. Long-term manuring in the middle of the first millennium AD led to an increase in organic carbon content and the accumulation of nitrate nitrogen. Soils of ancient abandoned fields are associated with increases in microbial biomass, number of saprotrophic bacteria, urease activity, and fungal mycelium biomass. The observed changes in the microbiological and biochemical properties of soil were conditioned by secondary anthropogenically induced succession after the abandonment of arable lands.     

Plant diversity and community structure of Brazilian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Páramos</Emphasis>

In Eastern South America, high altitude grasslands represent a mountain system that has a high number of endemic species. However, studies on the ecology of plant communities in these environments remain scarce. We aimed to evaluate the patterns of biodiversity and structure of plant communities from rocky outcrops in high altitude grasslands of three areas at the Caparaó National Park, southeastern Brazil, by sampling 300 randomly distributed plots. Then, we compared the floristic composition, relative abundance, and biological and vegetation spectra among areas. We classified species as endemic and non-endemic and verified the occurrence of endangered species. Species richness was evaluated by rarefaction analysis on the sampling units. The importance value and species abundance distribution (SAD) models were assessed. We also performed an indicator species analysis. We sampled 58 species belonging to 49 genera and 32 families. The number of species decreased with increasing altitude, with significant differences being observed among areas regarding richness, abundance, and cover. Of the total number of species, 10 are endemic to the Caparaó National Park and 17 are listed on the Brazilian Red List of endangered species. The dominant families on all peaks were Asteraceae and Poaceae. The SAD models showed lognormal and geometric distributions, corroborating the fact that 10 species that were common to all three areas were also the most dominant ones in the communities and showed the highest importance values, which ranged between 35% and 60%. Indicator species analysis revealed that 28 species (48.27%) were indicators. Of these, 42.85% had maximum specificity, meaning that they occurred only in one area. Thus, the number of species per life form ratio was similar among areas, yet vegetation spectra differed, especially for hemicryptophytes. The altimetric difference among the areas showed to be a very important driver in the community assembly, influencing the evaluated variables, however, other drivers as soil depth, slope and water could also influence the community structure on a smaller and local spatial scale.     

Detrital apatite fission track constraints on Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China: Evidence from Cenozoic strata in Lulehe section,Northern Qaidam Basin

The Northern Qaidam Basin is located at the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It contains very thick Cenozoic terrestrial clastic sediments, which records the formation of the northern Qaidam Basin due to compressional deformation during the Indo-Asian collision. In this paper, we used detrital apatite fission-track thermochronology, including 4 sandstones and 2 conglomerates samples from the Lulehe section, to reveal the Cenozoic evolution of the northern Qaidam Basin. Fission-track dating indicated the source region of the Lulehe section has experienced important cooling and uplifting in the Late Cretaceous (at ~85.1 Ma and ~65 Ma) and the Eocene (~52 Ma), respectively. The AFT age distribution on the section suggested that the provenance of Lulehe section sediments were mainly derived from the south Qilian Shan (Qilian Mountains) and Altun Shan (Altun Mountains), and two significantly provenance changes may occur at 43.4-46.1 Ma and ~37.8 Ma, respectively. The results may have strong constrains on the Cenozoic deformation and tectonic evolution of the northern Qaidam Basin and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.     

Source tectonic dynamics features of Jiuzhaigou <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>s</Subscript> 7.0 earthquake in Sichuan Province,China

On August 8, 2017, a M_s 7.0 earthquake occurred 5 km to the west of Jiuzhaigou National Park, causing 25 deaths and injuring 525. The objective of this study was to explore the seismogenic fault of the earthquake and tectonic dynamics of the source rupture. Field investigations, radon activity tests, remote sensing interpretations, and geophysical data analyses were carried out immediately after the earthquake. The Jiuzhaigou earthquake occurred at the intersection of the northern margin of the Minshan uplift belt and the south part of the Wenxian–Maqin fault in the south margin of the West Qinling geosyncline. There are two surface rupture zones trending northwest (NW), which are ground coseismic ruptures caused by concealed earthquake faults. The rupture on the southwest is the structure triggering the earthquake, along the Jiuzhaitiantang–Epicenter–Wuhuahai. The other one on the northeast (Shangsizhai–Zhongcha–Bimang) is a reactivation and extension of the secondary fault trending NW. The source rupture of this earthquake is a strike-slip shear fracture associated with the fault plane trending NW 331° and steeply dipping 75°, which is continuously expanding at both ends. The tectonic dynamics process of the source rupture is that the “Jiuzhaigou protrusion” is left-lateral sheared along the seismogenic fault in the NW direction. Finally, the Maqin fault and the arc fault system at the top of the “Wenxian protrusion” will be gradually broken through sometime in far future, as well as earthquaketriggered landslides will be further occurred along the narrow corridor between the seismogenic faults. The research results revealed the basic geological data and tectonic dynamic mechanism in this earthquake.