Evaluation and fusion of SST data from MTSAT and TMI in East China Sea, Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea in 2008

Two typical satellite sea surface temperature (SST) datasets, from the Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager (TMI), were evaluated for the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea throughout 2008. Most monthly-mean availabilities of MTSAT are higher than those of TMI, whereas the seasonal variation of the latter is less than that of the former. The analysis on the one-year data shows that the annual mean availability of MTSAT (61%) is greater than that of TMI (56%). This is mainly because MTSAT is a geostationary satellite, which achieves longer observation than the sun-synchronous TMI. The daily availability of TMI (28%-75%) is more constant than that of MTSAT (9%-93%). The signal of infrared sensors on MTSAT is easily disturbed on cloudy days. In contrast, the TMI microwave sensor can obtain information through clouds. Based on in-situ SSTs, the SST accuracy of TMI is superior to that of MTSAT. In 2008, the root mean square (RMS) error of TMI and MTSAT were 0.77 K and 0.84 K, respectively. The annual mean biases were 0.14 K (TMI) and -0.31 K (MTSAT). To attain a high availability of SSTs, we propose a fusion method to merge both SSTs. The annual mean availability of fusion SSTs increases 17% compared to MTSAT. In addition, the availabilities of the fusion SSTs become more constant. The annual mean RMS and bias of fusion SSTs (0.78 K and -0.06 K, respectively) are better than those of MTSAT (0.84 K and -0.31 K).     

Selective grazing by cattle on spatially and seasonally heterogeneous rangeland in Sahel

The selective use by cattle of range resources in the Sahel was assessed in terms of quantity and nutritional quality of the herbage grazed and diet selected. Peak standing crop was 1951 kg ha⁻¹dry matter (DM) with 47·9 kg nitrogen (N) ha⁻¹and 7·4 kg phosphorus (P) ha⁻¹. Esophageally fistulated cattle diets were consistently (p<0·05) higher in N, P and organic matter digestibility (OMD) than the herbage grazed. Cattle consumed 48% of the mean annual herbage production. The results indicate grazing ruminants select a higher quality diet from Sahelian rangelands than can be predicted on the basis of pasture evaluation alone. Therefore, the foraging behaviour of the animals needs to be considered in the evaluation of Sahelian rangelands for animal production.     

Cape cormorants decrease,move east and adapt foraging strategies following eastward displacement of their main prey

Numbers of Cape cormorants Phalacrocorax capensis breeding in South Africa decreased by nearly 50% from approximately 107 000 pairs in 1977–1981 to 57 000 pairs in 2010–2014. Although four colonies had >10 000 pairs in 1977–1981, there was just one such colony in 2010–2014. Almost all the decrease occurred after the early 1990s off north-west South Africa, between the Orange River estuary and Dassen Island. South of this, the number breeding in the two periods was stable, with some colonies being formed or growing rapidly in the 2000s. The proportion of South Africa’s Cape cormorants that bred south of Dassen Island increased from 35% in 1977–1981 to 66% in 2010–2014, with the opposite situation observed in the north-west. This matched a shift to the south and east in the distributions of two of the Cape cormorant’s main prey species, anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus and sardine Sardinops sagax. In 2014, an apparent scarcity of prey in the north-west resulted in Cape cormorants attempting to take bait from hooks of fishing lines over an extended period, a behaviour not previously recorded. The number of Cape cormorants breeding in the south may be constrained by the absence of large islands between Dyer Island in the west and Algoa Bay in the east. If so, it may be possible to bolster the southern population through the provision of appropriate breeding habitat, such as platforms, or restricting human disturbance at suitable mainland cliff breeding sites.     

A condition index for African penguin Spheniscus demersus chicks

The body condition of altricial seabird chicks is directly related to the amount of food received from their parents, which depends on feeding conditions at sea. An index of body condition is therefore a useful tool for assessing variation in food availability between different breeding colonies. Quantile regression techniques were used to develop a body condition index for African penguin Spheniscus demersus chicks, based on maximum and minimum growth relative to structural size. This is considered the most appropriate index for comparing the body condition of groups of chicks, varying in size and of unknown age, between breeding colonies. Based on this study, recommendations are made with regard to morphometric measurements, sample size and the sampling interval required to compare effectively the condition of African penguin chicks between breeding colonies throughout their distributional range.     

A parsimonious crop-water productivity index: an application to Brazil

Reducing poverty in rural areas of developing countries requires sustained and sustainable increases in agricultural water productivity. However, aside from traditional measures of precipitation, little is known about water available to farmers or how productively they use it. We present a crop-water productivity index (a ratio of the value of annual crop production to a dimensionless potential water availability index) for large water basins using readily available low-resolution data. The index is transferable, permits direct inter-basin comparisons, and is simple to calculate. We calculate the index for each municipality in the São Francisco river basin in Brazil. No clear patterns linking water availability and value of agricultural output are evident, even though clusters of municípios with high- and low-crop-water productivity emerge, and the former may be useful in guiding policies aimed at increasing water productivity. Finally, analyses of the effects of information uncertainty on the crop-water productivity index suggest that the returns to agricultural investments in certain places in the São Francisco river basin are more risky than others. Improvements in data quality and quantity can help refine estimates of the index and reduce their uncertainty.     

First reports of a mass mortality event across multiple life stages in a mesopelagic jellyfish in high latitude coastal waters

Mass mortality events can occur naturally and may have important ecological impacts on local populations. The abundance and stage structure of the coronate scyphozoan Periphylla periphylla in a Northern Norwegian fjord were studied between October 2010 and August 2011. Developmental stage composition varied for the duration of the study, with early developmental stages only present in the autumn and winter. Records of large number of dead P. periphylla across multiple life stages revealed that a mass mortality event occurred towards the end of the study period. The abundance of live medusa increased from 27 to 39 individuals (ind.)·1,000 m^–3 from October 2010 to February 2011, then fell to <10 ind.·1,000 m^–3 in August 2011. The estimated abundance of dead jellyfish increased from slightly >1 ind.·1,000 m^–3 in October 2010 to >34 ind.·1,000 m^–3 in August 2011, corresponding to an estimated population mortality of >80% on the last sampling date. Mortality increased as the length of high solar irradiance periods increased. Based on previous published evidence that strong light is harmful to P. periphylla, we speculate whether the light climate of this high latitude location may have contributed to the mass mortality of P. periphylla.     

Wood export prediction at the watershed scale

Wood export from a watershed is a function of peak annual discharge, but one hydrologic relationship alone does not fully explain observed variability. Consideration of physical processes that influence the amount of wood available for transport is needed. However, wood recruitment, storage, mobilization, breakage, and transport rates and processes remain difficult to quantify. A theoretical wood transport equation focused on variations in discharge was the motivation for investigation into watershed‐specific wood export rates. Herein, multiplicative coefficients categorized by water year type are developed, paired with the equation, and validated to provide a new method for prediction of wood export at the watershed scale. The coefficients are defined as representing a broad suite of watershed processes that encompass spatio‐temporally variable scales. Two complementary datasets from the 1097 km² mountainous North Yuba River, California watershed were used. Wood surveys above New Bullards Bar Reservoir yielded a wood availability estimate of 250 000–300 000 m³ along the channel network. Annual wood export into the reservoir was field‐surveyed in 2010, 2012 and 2013, and estimated in seven years via remotely sensed images over the 30 year study period of water years 1985–2014. Empirical, watershed‐scale wood export rates ranged from 0.3–5.6%. Comparison of predicted quantities using the new DVWP (discharge variations modified by watershed processes) wood export equation to observed wood export quantities resulted in an aggregate error rate of ±10%. When individual wood export quantities were compared, predicted to observed varied by 0.5–3.0 times. Total wood export of 59 000–71 000 m³ was estimated over the 30 year period, yielding a rate of 1.8 to 2.2 m³/year/km². Wood export predictive capabilities at the watershed scale may help water resource and regulatory agencies plan for wood transfers to augment downstream ecosystems. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

致密砂岩气储层有效性识别和定量评价 ——以鄂尔多斯盆地东南部上古生界山西组一段为例

储层有效性识别和定量评价是制约致密砂岩油气勘探的关键难题。以鄂尔多斯盆地东南部上古生界山西组一段为研究对象,从储层非均质性研究入手,开展砂岩微观—岩芯—测井尺度的细致观测,将含气储层砂岩划分为三种主要的岩石相,其中贫塑性颗粒岩屑石英砂岩构成了物性和含气性相对较好的有效储集岩石。运用薄片和岩芯数据标定不同岩石相的常规测井响应,建立了基于主成分统计分析的有效储集岩石测井识别模型,认识了有效储层的空间分布规律。将储层有效性研究从微观尺度的岩石相描述拓展到宏观尺度的量化表征,实现了致密砂岩气有效储集空间分布的定量评价。     

黑藻对沉积物及土壤中不同形态磷的利用与转化

利用同一区域湖泊和河流沉积物及土壤培养黑藻,运用化学连续提取法对底质中磷的不同形态进行分离,同时分析黑藻生物量及底质中上覆水和间隙水中磷浓度的变化,并对底质中生物可利用磷进行了估算,揭示沉水植物对底质中不同形态磷的利用与转化规律。结果表明,底质中弱吸附态磷、可还原性磷（RSP）是黑藻利用的主要磷形态;土壤与沉积物相比不利于黑藻生长,营养水平高的河流沉积物有利于黑藻初期生长,但容易使其早衰;沉积物作底质上覆水和间隙水磷浓度主要受底质中RSP含量的控制;土壤作底质上覆水和间隙水磷浓度主要受弱吸附态磷控制;黑藻能促进底质中磷向可利用态转化;黑藻对土壤中生物可利用磷的利用率比沉积物低。     

BDS可用性研究与验证

为研究北斗卫星导航系统(BDS)的定位性能,根据实测数据对比分析了BDS/GPS组合系统的定位结果,对基于BDS的数据可用性进行了分析,并对BDS与GPS分别在RTK模式下的定位结果精度进行分析。研究表明:BDS/GPS组合系统的兼容性与融合性得到了验证,基于BDS的数据可用性良好,基于BDS的RTK测量成果精度可靠。