How changes of groundwater level affect the desert riparian forest ecosystem in the Ejina Oasis,Northwest China

Groundwater is a key factor controlling the growth of vegetation in desert riparian systems. It is important to recognise how groundwater changes affect the riparian forest ecosystem. This information will not only help us to understand the ecological and hydrological process of the riparian forest but also provide support for ecological recovery of riparian forests and water-resources management of arid inland river basins. This study aims to estimate the suitability of the Water Vegetation Energy and Solute Modelling(WAVES) model to simulate the Ejina Desert riparian forest ecosystem changes,China, to assess effects of groundwater-depth change on the canopy leaf area index(LAI) and water budgets, and to ascertain the suitable groundwater depth for preserving the stability and structure of desert riparian forest. Results demonstrated that the WAVES model can simulate changes to ecological and hydrological processes. The annual mean water consumption of a Tamarix chinensis riparian forest was less than that of a Populus euphratica riparian forest, and the canopy LAI of the desert riparian forest should increase as groundwater depth decreases. Groundwater changes could significantly influence water budgets for T. chinensis and P. euphratica riparian forests and show the positive and negative effects on vegetation growth and water budgets of riparian forests. Maintaining the annual mean groundwater depth at around 1.7-2.7 m is critical for healthy riparian forest growth. This study highlights the importance of considering groundwater-change impacts on desert riparian vegetation and water-balance applications in ecological restoration and efficient water-resource management in the Heihe River Basin.     

Subpollen Particles as Atmospheric Cloud Condensation Nuclei

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Bioparticles constitute a significant fraction of atmospheric aerosol. Their size range varies from nanometers (macromolecules) to hundreds of...     

Dissipation Rate of Turbulence in a Water Layer under Wind Waves Based on Data of a Laboratory Experiment

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The aim of this work is to obtain estimates and parameterization of the dissipation rate of the turbulence kinetic energy (TKE dissipation), ε,...     

Tsunami Hazard Assessment on the Egyptian Coast of the Mediterranean

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Tsunami forecast possibilities for areas with a small base of historical tsunamis have been discussed using the Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment...     

Influx of Streaming Methane into Anoxic Waters of the Black Sea Basin

Oceanology - Based on long-term data on the spatial distribution and fluxes of streaming (bubbling) methane in the Black Sea, the study considers various types of streaming gas emissions...     

A Mesocyclone over the Northern Sea of Japan in February 2013

Oceanology - The article considers a particular event in the influence of a mesoscale cyclone (MC) on the northern Sea of Japan on February 10–11, 2013. The passage of the MC was accompanied...     

Numerical Study on Tidal Mixing in the Bohai Sea

The spatial and temporal variability of tidal mixing in Bohai Sea is studied using a numerical approach. In calculating tidal mixing, accurate barotropic tidal current is obtained via a harmonic analysis package utilizing the simulated current output from a high-resolution regional ocean model. And a “small-scale” roughness map is adopted to describe the detailed topographic features of Bohai Sea. It is shown that the tidal mixing estimated in Bohai Sea is much higher than the level of global background, and fluctuates considerably at some regions within a single day. In Liaodong Bay, Bohai Bay and Bohai Strait, the mixing varies greatly, with the peak value of O (10^?2) m² s^?1. The order of magnitude of mixing in Laizhou Bay is about O (10^?5～10^?3) m² s^?1. Mixing with background level of O (10^?5) m² s^?1 only appears in central area. Result also shows that rough topography plays relatively a more important role than tidal current in enhancing diapycnal mixing in Bohai Sea. The distributions of tidal mixing in selected sections reveal that the vertical stratification in Bohai Sea is not obvious, generally renders a barotropic structure.     

Atmospheric Loading Displacements

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - A method for calculating of the Earth’s surface displacements due to atmospheric loading effect is presented. The load displacements are...     

Evolution of the Fine Structure of the Matter Distribution of a Free-Falling Droplet in Mixing Liquids

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - In this paper we study the evolution of the matter distribution pattern of ink droplets falling freely into calm water and forming a cumulative back jet...     

Applied Aspects of Different Frequency Bands of Seismic and Water Acoustic Investigations on the Shelf

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - This article focuses on the study of the information value of offshore technologies based on the generation of acoustic signals in water in a wide...