中国沙漠（地）生态系统水文调控功能及其服务价值评估

荒漠生态系统是整个生物圈中分布较广的一个系统,是陆地生态系统中一个重要的子系统。开展荒漠生态系统服务价值研究和评价,对荒漠生态系统重要性认识和管理具有重要的现实意义。本文基于中国沙漠（地）生态系统的生态水文过程、水平衡机理和水文调控功能等,对其在淡水提供、原盐生产、水源涵养和气候调节方面的物质流——水资源进行了核算,结合不同类型生态服务价值通量,初步评估了中国荒漠生态系统在水文调控方面的服务价值。结果表明:中国沙漠（地）生态系统水文调控方面的生态服务价值为每年5 510.05亿元,其中供给服务价值370.42亿元,调节服务价值5 139.63亿元,分别占总服务价值的6.72%和93.28%。     

红壤丘陵小区域水平上不同时段土壤质量变化的评价和分析

引相相对土壤质量指数的概念，应用地理信息系统技术，为小区域水平上土壤质量时空变化的评价提供了一种方法，并用于千烟洲试验站开垦利用１１ａ后土壤质量变化的评价。统计分析服农田，桔园，牧草地，人工林，天然林等多种土地利用方式下土壤质量变化的特征。     

论冷战后国际政治的基本态势及世界政治地理的研究任务与重点

本文立足于政冶地理学的基本理论，从冷战后国际政治基本态势的分析入手，系统阐述了当前世界政治地理研究的基本任务，并在此基础上提出了当前及今后一段时期世界政治地理研究应以世界政治地理格局的演变、国家形成与消亡的地理政治背景、国际领土及边界争端和各国行政区划的基本原则为重点。     

祁连山讨赖河流域1957—2012年极端气候变化

全球气候变化背景下,极端气候事件发生的频率逐年增大,由此引发的气象灾害事件也随之增加。鉴此,本文利用祁连山讨赖河流域1957—2012年的气象观测资料,对该流域23个极端气候指数的时空变化特征做了研究。结果表明：（1）极端气温升高趋势明显,夜间和白天极端低温日数显著减少,极端气温昼指数显著增大;气温日较差变化幅度很小,霜冻日数显著减少,生长季长度明显加长,冰冻日数2000年后增加;夜指数增大幅度大于昼指数,秋、冬季极端气温升高幅度大于春、夏季。（2）极端降水指数增大趋势明显,雨日降水总量、连续五日降水总量和中雨天数均展现出增大态势,反映出连续降水事件的增加;极端降水量事件增大显著,但雨日降水强度变化不大;除最多连续无降水日数外,极端降水日数指数展现出增大趋势;降水日数夏、秋季节分配趋向均匀化;降水量的增加主要是单次降水时间持续加长和中雨日数增加的贡献;高海拔区极端降水事件发生的频次较大。     

荒漠河岸胡杨(Populus euphratica)树干液流的时滞效应

以2012年4—9月树干液流速率与环境因子的实测数据,分析了荒漠河岸胡杨(Populus euphratica)树干液流的时滞效应。结果表明:不同月份胡杨树干液流速率对不同环境因子的时滞不同;4—9月,胡杨树干液流速率峰值时间比太阳辐射峰值时间晚约1h,比空气温度峰值时间早约1h,比水汽压差峰值时间早约2h,比空气相对湿度谷值时间早约2h;对影响胡杨树干液流速率的环境因子进行了主成分分析,发现胡杨树干液流速率与1h以前的第1主成分、第2主成分相关性最高,相关系数分别为0.864、0.875;对错位前后胡杨树干液流速率与环境因子进行多元线性回归分析发现,在胡杨树干液流的数值模拟中,考虑液流相对于环境因子的时滞效应可以提高模型的拟合精度。     

A new MODIS daffy cloud free snow cover mapping algorithm on the Tibetan Plateau

Because of similar reflective characteristics of snow and cloud, the weather status seriously affects snow monitoring using optical remote sensing data. Cloud amount analysis during 2010 to 2011 snow seasons shows that cloud cover is the major limitation for snow cover monitoring using MOD10A1 and MYD10A1. By use of MODIS daily snow cover products and AMSR-E snow wa- ter equivalent products （SWE）, several cloud elimination methods were integrated to produce a new daily cloud flee snow cover product, and information of snow depth from 85 climate stations in Tibetan Plateau area （TP） were used to validate the accuracy of the new composite snow cover product. The results indicate that snow classification accuracy of the new daily snow cover product reaches 91.7% when snow depth is over 3 cm. This suggests that the new daily snow cover mapping algorithm is suitable for monitoring snow cover dynamic changes in TP.     

Late Tertiary paleoclimatic interpretation from lacustrine rhythmites in the Gray Fossil Site,northeastern Tennessee,USA

The Gray Fossil Site (GFS) includes a small (<2 ha) paleosinkhole lake fill with an exceptionally well-preserved record of sedimentation and fossils from the latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene. The uppermost lacustrine stratigraphy is characterized by rhythmites that regularly alternate between coarse-grained and organic-rich (A) laminae and fine-grained, silty clay (B) laminae. Both the A and B components are almost exclusively comprised of exogenic sediment (including organic matter). Periodicities of 24 and 4.4 are recorded within a continuous 96 interpreted year sequence of rhythmite sediment. In a small lake with a poorly oxygenated bottom, the presence of laterally continuous laminated sediment that includes well-known periodicities in rhythmite thickness is interpreted as representing annually generated varves that correspond to seasonal variations in sedimentation. The distinctly larger fraction of medium sand-size quartz grains present within the A laminae, as well as the abrupt transitions between A and B components suggest that the rhythmites represent deposition during alternating high-energy and lower-energy seasons, which is consistent with a monsoonal precipitation pattern. The seasonal climate may relate to changes in the ocean circulation pattern prior to 4.6 Ma that resulted in an increased temperature and atmospheric pressure gradient between the east coast of North America and the Atlantic Ocean, but this climate phase seems to be only a temporary condition, as underlying and overlying sediment are both consistent with drier conditions. The periodicity at 24 interpreted years is consistent with the well-known Hale solar cycle. The 4.4 interpreted-year periodicity occurs within the ENSO frequency band, and if this documentation of ENSO-like interannual climate change is correct, then it suggests that ENSO operated at times during the warm Earth conditions characterizing the late Tertiary.     

Epiphytic diatoms as flood indicators

The hydroecology of floodplain lakes is strongly regulated by flood events. The threat of climate warming and increasing human activities requires development of scientific methods to quantify changes in the frequency of short-lived flood events, because they remain difficult to identify using conventional paleolimnological and monitoring approaches. We developed an approach to detect floods in sediment records by comparing the abundance and composition of epiphytic diatom communities in flooded and non-flooded ponds of the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), Canada, that grew on submerged macrophytes (Potamogeton zosteriformis, P. perfoliatus) and an artificial substrate (polypropylene sheets) during the open-water season of 2005. Analysis of similarity tests showed that epiphytic diatom community composition differs significantly between flooded and non-flooded ponds. After accounting for the “pond effect,” paired comparisons of the three substrates determined that variation in community composition between the artificial substrate and macrophytes was similar to that between the macrophyte taxa. Similarity percentage analysis identified diatom taxa that discriminate between flooded and non-flooded ponds. The relative abundance of ‘strong flood indicator taxa’ was used to construct an event-scale flood record spanning the past 180 years using analyses of sedimentary diatom assemblages from a closed-drainage pond (PAD 5). Results were verified by close agreement with an independent paleoflood record from a nearby flood-prone oxbow pond (PAD 54) and historical records. Comparison of epiphytic diatoms in flooded and non-flooded lakes in this study provides a promising approach to detect changes in flood frequency, and may have applications for reconstructing other pulse-type disturbances such as hurricanes and pollutant spills.     

The Geology and Petroleum Resources of Kansas: A Review From Alpha to Omega or From the Pleistocene to the Precambrian

The geological story of Kansas is told through the rocks that are present. It is a simple story in generalities but complex in detail. Knowing the story, gives insight into understanding the occurrence and location of possible economic valuable minerals, such as petroleum. This is a brief review of Kansas geology with respect to the known occurrence of oil and gas. Kansas is part of the Midcontinent oil province with oil having been discovered 150 years ago and commercial production commencing in 1873. Although many prospects remain in Kansas, the state has gone from the number 1 producer in the U.S. in 1916 to 8th today. Exploration for new oil and gas production therefore is going to have to be more imaginative and utilize new approaches and techniques to find the elusive petroleum. There are possibilities however for the prospector who can search diligently. Although the big fields probably have been discovered, the prospects today are deeper, in more undetectable traps, and in essentially untested places.