Continuous measurement of aerodynamic and alfalfa canopy resistances using the Bowen ratio-energy balance and Penman-Monteith methods

To investigate the alfalfa crop response to environmental factors, a Bowen ratio-energy balance method was used to evaluate short-term alfalfa canopy resistance. Continuous evapotranspiration (ET _a ) and the aerodynamic resistance (r _a ) for an alfalfa crop in each 20-min interval were calculated. Using the calculated ET _a and r _a and the Penman-Monteith approach, the bulk stomatal or actual canopy resistance (r _c ) was evaluated. The continuous 20-min resistances were computed for clear and partially cloudy sky conditions, and different average crop heights. The results show that this technique can satisfactorily be used to study the manner in which the aerodynamic and canopy resistances respond to short-term variations in weather elements such as photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), wind speed and atmospheric saturation vapor deficit.Research Assistant Professor and Assistant Utah State Climatologist, Research Associate Professor and Research Assistant, respectively.     

中国陆地生态系统近 2 0年碳空间动态的初步研究(英文)

陆地生态系统的净生产力 (NEP)是生态系统净初级生产力 (NPP)和异氧呼吸 (Rh)之差。在全球尺度上 ,反映NPP和Rh之差的NEP直接揭示陆地生态系统与大气系统之间的二氧化碳交换 ,即碳平衡 ,因此 ,意义重大。文章简短回顾了关于中国陆地生态系统碳平衡的研究状况。由于植物根部呼吸很难从土壤表面总二氧化碳 (CO2 )通量中分开 ,因此直接从野外测量土壤异氧呼吸几乎是不可能的。虽然由于像诸如火灾、森林砍伐、土地利用变化及气候和大气变化等干扰因素 ,全球陆地生态系统很大程度上处于非平衡态 ,利用生态系统在平衡态时NPP等于Rh这一事实 ,我们估算了全球和中国森林生态系统的土壤异氧呼吸。利用遥感和地面的NPP观测数据 ,我们也估算了中国森林生态系统逐月的净生产力 (1982— 1998)。NPP的估算主要采用NOAA卫星AVHRR 8km的NDVI数据 ,结合地面气候数据完成。土壤呼吸是通过地面观测数据与温度和降水的关系得到的。在此基础上我们得到了中国陆地生态系统在过去近 2 0年中碳的动态变化 ,并给出了初步结果。     

Defrocking the false father of the ‘Driftless Area’, USA

The Driftless Area is a designation popular in American promotional tourist literature for an area in four contiguous American states, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, that were not glaciated during the latest ice advance. Geographer Lawrence Martin published several articles asserting that geologist William H. Keating first discovered this area in 1823, an error that has crept into subsequent accounts. But historical evidence goes to show that three geologists, Roland D. Irving, Newton H. Winchell and Thomas C. Chamberlin, were simultaneous originators of the concept as we understand it today, about the year 1877.