Advance of research on modern soil phytolith

Phytolith study is a new branch of micropaleontology with an increasingly important role in geology, archaeology, and plant taxonomy. Phytoliths have several advantages considering their characteristics of small particle size, high production, wide distribution, anti-decomposition, in situ deposition, distinctive morphologies, and element sequestrating capacity. Phytolith assemblages in modern soil have been found to be closely related to modern vegetation types and climate conditions, which forms the basis for the quantitative study of paleoecology, paleoclimate, and bio-geochemical cycles. At present, phytolith studies generally focus on the following four aspects: (1) Morphology: about 260 unduplicated types of phytoliths have been identified in modern soil, of which 110 types are from grasses, 50 types from ferns, woody plants and other angiosperms, whereas the origin plants of the remaining 100 types are still under investigation. (2) Soil phytolith assemblages and vegetation: phytolith assemblages from the topsoil have been used to distinguish surface vegetation types including different forests and grasslands over a typical region. This model has been applied to restore past vegetation conditions and monitor the dynamic evolution of specific vegetation types at different temporal and spatial scales. (3) Soil phytolith assemblages and climate: quantitative and semi-quantitative relationships between phytolith assemblages and a series of climate parameters, such as annual mean temperature, annual mean precipitation and altitude, have been established through mathematical analysis. In this manner, quantitative reconstruction of paleoclimatic parameters has been achieved through the phytolith-climate transfer function model. (4) Soil phytolith and its sequestered elements: in this topic, the content of soil PhytOC (Phytolith-occluded Organic Carbon) and the importance of PhytOC in the bio-geochemical cycle have been the focus. The study of modern soil phytoliths has provided new approaches and many successful cases for solving specific problems in various fields, such as Earth science and archaeology. This study analyzed existing issues in addition to the abovementioned significant progresses, and provides directions for future research on modern soil phytoliths.     

Dispersal of the Zhujiang River (Pearl River) derived sediment in the Holocene

High-resolution Chirp profiling and coring reveals an elongated(ca. 400 km) Holocene Zhujiang River(Pearl River)-derived mud area(maximum thickness 20 m) extending from the Zhujiang River Delta, southwestward off the Guangdong coast, to the Leizhou Peninsula. Two depo-centers, one proximal and one distal, are identified. On the continental shelf off the west Guangdong Province, the mud is deposited in water depth shallower than 50 m; while to the southeast of the Zhujiang River Estuary, the mud area can extend to the-120 m isobath. A combined analysis with the stratigraphic sequences of other muddy deposits in the Western Pacific marginal seas(mainly Changjiang(Yangtze) and Huanghe(Yellow) Rivers derived) indicates that the initiation of the Zhujiang River muddy deposit can be further divided into two stages: Stage 1 is before the mid-Holocene sea-level highstand(ca. 7.0 cal. ka BP), the proximal mud was mostly deposited after 9.0 cal. ka BP, when the sea-level rose slowly after the Meltwater Pulse-1C; Stage 2, after the mid-Holocene sealevel highstand, clinoform developed on the continental shelf off the west Guangdong Province, extending ca. 400 km from the Zhujiang River Estuary. The proximal clinoform thins offshore, from ca. 10 m thickness around 5–10 m water depth to less than 1–2 m around 20–30 m water depth. In addition, we also find a developed distal clinoform in the east of the Leizhou Peninsula.     

Driving forces and their interactions of built-up land expansion based on the geographical detector – a case study of Beijing,China

Scientific interpretation of the driving forces of built-up land expansion is essential to urban planning and policy-making. In general, built-up land expansion results from the interactions of different factors, and thus, understanding the combined impacts of built-up land expansion is beneficial. However, previous studies have primarily been concerned with the separate effect of each driver, rather than the interactions between the drivers. Using the built-up land expansion in Beijing from 2000 to 2010 as a study case, this research aims to fill this gap. A spatial statistical method, named the geographical detector, was used to investigate the effects of physical and socioeconomic factors. The effects of policy factors were also explored using physical and socioeconomic factors as proxies. The results showed that the modifiable areal unit problem existed in the geographical detector, and 4000 m might be the optimal scale for the classification performed in this study. At this scale, the interactions between most factors enhanced each other, which indicated that the interactions had greater effects on the built-up land expansion than any single factor. In addition, two pairs of nonlinear enhancement, the greatest enhancement type, were found between the distance to rivers and two socioeconomic factors: the total investment in fixed assets and GDP. Moreover, it was found that the urban plans, environmental protection policies and major events had a great impact on built-up land expansion. The findings of this study verify that the geographical detector is applicable in analysing the driving forces of built-up land expansion. This study also offers a new perspective in researching the interactions between different drivers.     

塔克拉玛干沙漠石油公路沿线风沙活动的气候环境

塔克拉玛干沙漠石油公路沿线风沙活动是由塔木盆地内热能释放与冷空气入侵相互作用的结果。冷期,盆地内冷高压逆温作用较强,地面热能不足,使得风力和风沙活动强度弱;暖期,盆地内热源剧增,每当热能源饱和遇到冷空气入侵诱导,导致了强风及强风沙活动天气。可见,区内风沙活动及风成景观的塑造过程,主要是在暖干期进行的。     

晚二叠世甘肃北山南带中段走滑隆升与拉分拗陷作用

晚二叠世,处于板内活动中后期的北山南带中段地区,发生规模宏大的左旋位移走滑断裂作用。花牛山-五峰山和黄尖丘-新场两地区形成正性的走滑隆升区,其相应中间地带则显示了负性拉分拗陷作用,发育了大奇山拉分盆地。走滑隆升地区走滑型剪切带发育,为剪切带型的金矿成矿带。拉分盆地以巨厚火山-磨拉石建造为特征,沉积环境为陆相-海相-海陆混合相。     

我国东部春季土壤湿度影响夏季降水

该项目受到国家自然科学基金项目和国家基础研究发展规划项目的资助.最新研究成果揭示中国东部春季土壤湿度与夏季降水有联系.春季,从长江中下游到华北的土壤偏湿,对应着中国夏季东北和长江流域降水偏多,华北和南方降水偏少.     

非迁移潮作用下的电离层赤道异常区单峰现象及其经度分布

当喷泉效应较弱而双峰结构发展不充分的时候,可能在赤道异常区仅能够观测到一个电子密度的峰值,称之为单峰现象.本文利用CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload卫星在2001-2010年的电子密度数据给出了单峰的发生规律,单峰在地方时早上08：00-10：00和下午16：00-19：00发生率高,发生位置在经度上呈现多波数分布,尤其在10：00-18：00明显：在分季时多呈现四波,而在冬至季时以三波为主.单峰发生多的经度,正好对应着双峰的结构特征较弱之处.究其原因,是非迁移潮的DE2和DE3分量调制了背景风场和大气发电机电场,在电场和喷泉效应减弱的经度,双峰结构难以形成时,就会表现为单峰结构.本文扩展了对单峰现象的地方时、季节和经度分布等规律的了解,明确了非迁移潮在其中施加的影响,由此,单峰同双峰现象一样可以用于研究非迁移潮对热层-电离层的作用.

     

湖南强风暴暖盖环境场研究

本文通过对湘中、湘北地区42次强风暴资料的分析,建立了一个强风暴环境场的天气学模式,着重讨论了暖盖(即对流层中下层的逆温层)的形成和维持机理. 暖盖是由于绕过青藏高原两侧的两支西风波动相互作用而产生的.它的存在有利于低空急流在其东部边缘的低空加强,而低空急流引起的垂直环流反过来又有利于暖盖的维持,当暖盖下降到低空急流轴附近时因受扰动而破坏,引起强风暴的发生.     

北祁连早古生代大地构造演化

早古生代北祁连是一个陆间微洋盆。震旦纪时,北祁连开始从华北板块中解体出来。主要裂谷作用发生于寒武世。北祁连地槽主要闭合期为晚奥陶世和早、中志留世。晚志留世和早泥盆世经历了复杂的消减作用。     

Classification and detection of dominant factors in geospatial patterns of traditional settlements in China

Journal of Geographical Sciences - The geospatial distribution pattern in traditional Chinese settlements (TCSs) reflects the traditional harmony between humans and nature, which has been learned...