Towards Regional Synergy: Reconciling Rangeland Ecological Functioning with Forage Production of Cultivated Pasture

Animal husbandry and crop farming are specialized for development in separate areas on the Tibetan Plateau. Such a pattern of isolation has led to current concerns of rangeland and farming system degradation due to intensive land use. The crop-livestock integration, however, has been proven to increase food and feed productivity thorough niche complementarity, and is thereby especially effective for promoting ecosystem resilience. Regional synergy has emerged as an integrated approach to reconcile rangeland livestock with forage crop production. It moves beyond the specialized sectors of animal husbandry and intensive agriculture to coordinate them through regional coupling. Therefore, crop-livestock integration (CLI) has been suggested as one of the effective solutions to forage deficit and livestock production in grazing systems. But it is imperative that CLI moves forward from the farm level to the regional scale, in order to secure regional synergism during agro-pastoral development. The national key R & D program, Technology and Demonstration of Recovery and Restoration of Degraded Alpine Ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau, aims to solve the problems of alpine grassland degradation by building up a grass-based animal husbandry technology system that includes synergizing forage production and ecological functioning, reconciling the relationship between ecology, forage production and animal husbandry, and achieving the win-win goals of curbing grassland degradation and changing the development mode of animal husbandry. It is imperative to call for regional synergy through integrating ecological functioning with ecosystem services, given the alarming threat of rangeland degradation on the Tibetan Plateau. The series of papers in this issue, together with those published previously, provide a collection of rangeland ecology and management studies in an effort to ensure the sustainable use and management of the alpine ecosystems.     

Assessment of 2DH and pseudo‐3D modelling platforms in a large saline aquatic system: Lake Urmia,Iran

The main objective of this paper is to provide comparative quantitative examinations on the capabilities of two‐dimensional horizontal and pseudo‐three‐dimensional (3D) modelling approaches for simulating spatial and temporal variability of the flow and salinity in Lake Urmia, Iran. The water quality in the lake has been an environmentally important subject partly because this shallow hypersaline aquatic ecosystem is considered to be one of the largest natural habitats of a unique multicellular organism, Artemia urmiana. This brine shrimp is the major food source for many of the protected and rare shorebirds that visit the lake. A. urmiana can grow and survive in certain ranges of salinity, and their disappearance could lead to an alteration of existing equilibria. The lake has also experienced considerable man‐made changes during the past three decades. A newly built crossing embankment almost divided the lake into two northern and southern halves. A relatively small opening of 1.25 km in the new embankment provides water connections between the two halves. As a result, the flow and salinity regimes have been significantly changed. This might have had adverse serious impacts on the lake ecosystem. In the current study, the two‐dimensional horizontal hydrodynamic model has been found to provide reasonable predictions for the flow regime in the lake, whereas its salinity predictions have not been consistent with the field observations. The pseudo‐3D model has produced results fairly close to the salinity measurements and its temporal and spatial variations. The pseudo‐3D model has been used for evaluating the embankment effects on the lake hydrodynamics and on the salinity conditions. The effectiveness of introducing a different number or length of openings in the embankment for restoring the pre‐embankment conditions has also been examined. These remedy options have been found not to offer substantial improvements to the lake's existing ecosystem. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mercury cycling during acid rain recovery at the forested Lesní potok catchment,Czech Republic

From 2011 to 2019, mercury (Hg) stores and fluxes were studied in the small forested catchment Lesní potok (LES) in the central Czech Republic using the watershed mass balance approach together with internal measurements. Mean input fluxes of Hg via open bulk deposition, beech throughfall and spruce throughfall during the periodwere 2.9, 3.9 and 7.6 μg m⁻² year⁻¹, respectively. These values were considerably lower than corresponding deposition Hg fluxes reported in the early years of the 21st century from catchments in Germany. Current bulk precipitation inputs at unimpacted Czech mountainous sites were lower than those in Germany. The largest Hg inputs to the catchment were via litterfall, averaging 22.6 and 17.8 μg m⁻² year⁻¹ for beech and spruce stands. The average Hg input, based on the sum of mean litterfall and throughfall deposition, was 23.0 μg m⁻² year⁻¹, compared to the estimated Hg output in runoff of 0.5 μg m⁻² year⁻¹, which is low compared to other reported values. Thus, only ~2% of Hg input is exported in stream runoff. Stream water Hg was only weakly related to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) but both concentrations were positively correlated with water temperature. The estimated total soil Hg pool averaged 47.5 mg m⁻², only 4% of which was in the O-horizon. Thus Hg in the O-horizon pool represents 72 years of deposition at the current input flux and 3800 years of export at the current runoff flux. Age-dating by ¹⁴C suggested that organic soil contains Hg from recent deposition, while mineral soil at 40–80 cm depth contained 4400-year old carbon, suggesting the soil had accumulated atmospheric Hg inputs through millennia to reach the highest soil Hg pool of the soil profile. These findings suggest that industrial era intensification of the Hg cycle is superimposed on a slower-paced Hg cycle during most of the Holocene.     

Near‐surface hydraulic conductivity of northern hemisphere glaciers

The hydrology of near‐surface glacier ice remains a neglected aspect of glacier hydrology despite its role in modulating meltwater delivery to downstream environments. To elucidate the hydrological characteristics of this near‐surface glacial weathering crust, we describe the design and operation of a capacitance‐based piezometer that enables rapid, economical deployment across multiple sites and provides an accurate, high‐resolution record of near‐surface water‐level fluctuations. Piezometers were employed at 10 northern hemisphere glaciers, and through the application of standard bail–recharge techniques, we derive hydraulic conductivity (K) values from 0.003 to 3.519 m day^?1, with a mean of 0.185 ± 0.019 m day^?1. These results are comparable to those obtained in other discrete studies of glacier near‐surface ice, and for firn, and indicate that the weathering crust represents a hydrologically inefficient aquifer. Hydraulic conductivity correlated positively with water table height but negatively with altitude and cumulative short‐wave radiation since the last synoptic period of either negative air temperatures or turbulent energy flux dominance. The large range of K observed suggests complex interactions between meteorological influences and differences arising from variability in ice structure and crystallography. Our data demonstrate a greater complexity of near‐surface ice hydrology than hitherto appreciated and support the notion that the weathering crust can regulate the supraglacial discharge response to melt production. The conductivities reported here, coupled with typical supraglacial channel spacing, suggest that meltwater can be retained within the weathering crust for at least several days. Not only does this have implications for the accuracy of predictive meltwater run‐off models, but we also argue for biogeochemical processes and transfers that are strongly conditioned by water residence time and the efficacy of the cascade of sediments, impurities, microbes, and nutrients to downstream ecosystems. Because continued atmospheric warming will incur rising snowline elevations and glacier thinning, the supraglacial hydrological system may assume greater importance in many mountainous regions, and consequently, detailing weathering crust hydraulics represents a research priority because the flow path it represents remains poorly constrained.     

Analysis of nonstationarity in low flow in the Loess Plateau of China

An approach for nonstationary low‐flow frequency analysis is developed and demonstrated on a dataset from the rivers on the Loess Plateau of China. Nonstationary low‐flow frequency analysis has drawn significant attention in recent years by establishing relationships between low‐flow series and explanatory variables series, but few studies have tested whether the time‐varying moments of low flow can be fully described by the time‐varying moments of the explanatory variables. In this research, the low‐flow distributions are analytically derived from the 2 basic explanatory variables—the recession duration and the recession coefficient—with the assumption that the recession duration and recession coefficient variables follow exponential and gamma distributions, respectively; the derived low‐flow distributions are applied to test whether the time‐varying moments of explanatory variables can explain the nonstationarities found in the low‐flow variable. The effects of ecosystem construction measures, that is, check dam, terrace, forest, and grassland, on the recession duration and recession coefficient are further discussed. Daily flow series from 11 hydrological stations from the Loess Plateau are used and processed with a moving average technique. Low‐flow data are extracted following the pit under threshold approach. Six of the 11 low‐flow series show significant nonstationarities at the 5% significance level, and the trend curves of the moments of low flow are in close agreement with the curves estimated from the derived distribution with time‐dependent moments of the recession duration and time‐constant moments of the recession coefficient. It is indicated that the nonstationarity in the low‐flow distribution results from the nonstationarity in the recession duration in all 6 cases, and the increase in the recession duration is resulted from large‐scale ecosystem constructions rather than climate change. The large‐scale ecosystem constructions are found to have more influence on the decrease in streamflow than on the increase in watershed storage, thus resulting in the reduction of low flow. A high return period for the initial fixed design value decreases dramatically with an increasing recession duration.     

大兴安岭天保工程区生态系统服务变化研究

利用Landsat和MODIS遥感数据和InVEST模型,评估了1990―2015年大兴安岭天保工程区实施前后生态系统土壤风蚀量、生境质量和碳储量的时空变化,并通过地理探测器方法对生态系统服务时空变化分布与趋势进行驱动因子探测和交互作用探测分析。结果表明：① 从空间分布来看,额尔古纳市南部、鄂温克族自治旗西北部、科尔沁右翼前旗的土壤风蚀量大,生境质量差,碳储量低。② 2000年天保工程实施之后,森林面积显著增加,土壤风蚀量减少1.14%,生境质量增加0.49%,碳储量减少幅度为0.12%,低于2000年以前的0.64%。③ 土壤风蚀量主要受植被类型、土壤类型的影响,生态系统类型、植被类型对生境质量、碳储量空间异质性的影响显著大于其他因素,海拔、坡度2种地形因子对土壤风蚀量、碳储量的解释能力很小。温度、降水2种气候因子对土壤风蚀量、生境质量和碳储量的解释能力不固定,但仍是不可或缺的因素。     

基于Meta-Gaussian模型的中国农业干旱预测研究

在全球气候变化背景下,干旱愈加频发,有效且可靠的农业干旱预测对于保障粮食安全和水资源安全具有重要意义。以标准化降水指数（SPI）和联合标准化土壤湿度指数（JSSI）分别表征气象干旱和农业干旱,以前期的气象干旱和农业干旱指数作为预测因子,在1~3个月预见期下基于Meta-Gaussian（MG）模型对中国1961—2015年6—8月的农业干旱进行预测,并采用Brier Skill Score（BSS）和纳什效率系数（NSE）评价MG模型的预测性能。结果表明：① 将1个月、3个月、6个月、9个月和12个月时间尺度的标准化土壤湿度指数（SSI）结合起来得到的JSSI能够对中国农业干旱的综合状况进行客观评价。② 以中国2010年和2014年遭受严重的干旱事件为例,预见期为1~3个月时,除新疆南部、青海西部以及内蒙古西部等沙漠地区外,MG模型对6—8月农业干旱预测结果的分布范围与实际干旱的分布区域较吻合,预见期越短,吻合越好。③ 预见期为1个月时,6—8月BSS ≥ 0.5的面积比例分别为0.714、0.642和0.640,NSE ≥ 0.5的面积比例分别为0.903、0.829和0.837,表明MG模型能够对中国大部分区域的农业干旱作出可靠的预测。本文结果可为中国农业干旱的监测、预警及干旱决策提供科学指导。     

粤港澳大湾区生态系统服务价值的时空演化及其影响机制

生态系统服务是生态要素、结构、功能和产品造福于人类社会的媒介和通道。根据生态系统服务价值（ESV）及其影响机制调节人类社会对生态系统的利用强度和保护方式,对于实现人地和谐的可持续发展目标具有重要意义。本文以粤港澳大湾区作为研究对象,依托遥感数据修订ESV核算结果,更加准确地揭示2000—2015年粤港澳大湾区ESV的时空演变特征,并引入面板分位数回归深入探索生态系统服务影响因素的分段效应,增加对生态系统服务影响机制的认识。结果显示：① 2000—2015年粤港澳大湾区ESV减速下降,下降区域主要分布在粤港澳大湾区中部和珠江入海口两岸等城市快速扩张区。② 在城市交界处,土地利用变化会带来更为强烈的ESV变化。③ 在ESV水平不同的区域,影响因素具有不同的影响效果。用地完整度仅在ESV的低值区可以促进生态系统服务能力提升。气温对生态系统服务能力的正向作用随ESV的提高而增强,经济密度对生态系统服务能力的负向作用随ESV的提高而减弱,二者均会导致ESV高值区与低值区间的差距增大,形成“自然马太效应”。     

Ecosystem Health: Assessment Framework,Spatial Evolution,and Regional Optimization in Southwest China

Regional ecological health,the core of comprehensive ecosystem assessments,is an important foundation for regional exploration,environmental conservation,and sustainable development.The mountainous areas in southwest China are backward in economy,but industrialization and urbanization have been rapid in recent years.This study assessed the ecosystem health of the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in China using a pressure-state-response(PSR)model.Spatiotemporal patterns of regional ecosystem health were analyzed from 2000 to 2016,including overall characteristics as well as local characteristics.Ecosystem health in most regions was improved over time(Y=0.0058 X–11.0132,R2=0.95,P<0.001),and areas with poorer ecosystem health decreased from half to one-third of the total area.Analysis of the primacy ratio and the variation coefficient confirmed that the gap in health scores between regions has gradually expanded since 2007,but there are more high quality regions overall(Z of Moran’s index<1.96,P>0.05).Overall,the regional ecosystems to the east of the Hu line-an imaginary line dividing east and west China into roughly equivalent parts-were healthier than those to the west.The pressure and state scores of ecosystems were determined by physiographic condition,and the response scores by government policies and social concern.The spatiotemporal patterns of ecosystem health were dominated to a greater extent by natural than anthropogenic factors,which explains why the shift in the patterns aligned with the direction of the Hu line.Dividing regions into key management areas based on natural geographical conditions and socioeconomic development could contribute to the formulation of a reasonable ecological and environmental protection policy,guaranteeing ecosystem services in the long run.     

Landscape transform and spatial metrics for mapping spatiotemporal land cover dynamics using Earth Observation data-sets

Analysis of Earth observation (EO) data, often combined with geographical information systems (GIS), allows monitoring of land cover dynamics over different ecosystems, including protected or conservation sites. The aim of this study is to use contemporary technologies such as EO and GIS in synergy with fragmentation analysis, to quantify the changes in the landscape of the Rajaji National Park (RNP) during the period of 19 years (1990–2009). Several statistics such as principal component analysis (PCA) and spatial metrics are used to understand the results. PCA analysis has produced two principal components (PC) and explained 84.1% of the total variance, first component (PC1) accounted for the 57.8% of the total variance while the second component (PC2) has accounted for the 26.3% of the total variance calculated from the core area metrics, distance metrics and shape metrics. Our results suggested that notable changes happened in the RNP landscape, evidencing the requirement of taking appropriate measures to conserve this natural ecosystem.