ASSESSING THE SUITABILITY OF THE EPIC CROP MODEL FOR USE IN THE STUDY OF IMPACTS OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN WEST AFRICA

The EPIC (Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator) crop model, developed by scientists of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has been successfully applied to the study of erosion, water pollution, crop growth and production in the US but is yet to be introduced for serious research purposes in other countries or regions. This paper reports on the applicability of the EPIC 8120 crop model for the assessment of the potential impacts of climate variability and climate change on crop productivity in sub‐Saharan West Africa, using Nigeria as the case study. Among the crops whose productivity has been successfully simulated with this model are five of West Africa's staple food crops: maize, millet, sorghum (guinea corn), rice and cassava. Thus, using the model, the sensitivities of maize, sorghum and millet to seasonal rainfall were demonstrated with coefficients of correlation significant at over 98 per cent confidence limits. The validation tests were based on a comparison of the observed and the model‐generated yields of rice and maize. The main problems of validation relate to the multiplicity of crop varieties with contrasting performances under similar field conditions. There are also the difficulties in representing micro‐environments in the model. Thus, some gaps appear between the observed and the simulated yields, arising from data or model deficiencies, or both. Based on the results of the sensitivity and validation tests, the EPIC crop model could be satisfactorily employed in assessing the impacts of and adaptations to climate variability and climate change. Its use for the estimation of production and the assessment of vulnerabilities need to be pursued with further field surveys and field experimentation.     

HOLOCENE CLIMATE VARIABILITY IN THE DENMARK STRAIT REGION - A LAND-SEA CORRELATION OF NEW AND EXISTING CLIMATE PROXY RECORDS

ABSTRACT. Two well dated Holocene sediment records bordering the Denmark Strait region have been used to reconstruct past climate variability. The content of biogenic silica, classic and organic material and moss in a lacustrine record from Lake N14 has been used to infer past variability in precipitation and temperature in southern Greenland. Sedimentologic and petrologic composition of sand in a shelf sediment record from the Djúpáll trough is used to infer past variability in the northwestern storm activity on northwestern Iceland, which probably also affected the inflow of polar waters from the East Greenland Current. Our evaluation of these records with a number of previous studies from the region documents Holocene climatic optimum conditions peaking between 8000 and 6500 calendar years before present (cal yr BP). Mid-Holocene climate deterioration set in around 5000 cal yr BP followed by a further marked setback around 3500 cal yr BP. A stacking of climate variability on a centennial timescale from previous studies in the area shows a fairly good correspondence to the timing of marked cold and warm events as evidenced from the Lake N14 and the Djúpáll trough records. Cooler periods are explained as the response to marked incursions of ice-laden polar water from the Arctic Ocean to the Denmark Strait region. Cool northerly and northwesterly winds along the East Greenland coast in relation to frequent strong atmospheric low pressure in the Barents Sea, coupled with strong high pressure over Greenland, would have favoured southward export of polar waters. A comparison with the proxy records of nuclide production (¹⁴C and ¹⁰Be) suggests that solar activity may have had some influence on the atmospheric pressure distribution in the Denmark Strait region.     

Did Paleogene North Atlantic rift-related eruptions drive early Eocene climate cooling?

The delivery of volcanogenic sulphur into the upper atmosphere by explosive eruptions is known to cause significant temporary climate cooling. Therefore, phreatomagmatic and phreatoplinian eruptions occurring during the final rifting stages of active flood basalt provinces provide a potent mechanism for triggering climate change.

During the early Eocene, the northeast Atlantic margin was subjected to repeated ashfall for 0.5 m.y. This was the result of extensive phreatomagmatic activity along 3000 km of the opening northeast Atlantic rift. These widespread, predominantly basaltic ashes are now preserved in marine sediments of the Balder Formation and its equivalents, and occur over an area extending from the Faroe Islands to Denmark and southern England. These ash-bearing sediments also contain pollen and spore floras derived from low diversity forests that grew in cooler, drier climates than were experienced either before or after these highly explosive eruptions. In addition, coeval plant macrofossil evidence from the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA, also shows a comparable pattern of vegetation change. The coincidence of the ashes and cooler climate pollen and spore floras in northwest Europe identifies volcanism as the primary cause of climate cooling. Estimates show that whilst relatively few phreatomagmatic eruptive centres along the 3000 km opening rift system could readily generate 0.5–1 °C cooling, on an annual basis, only persistent or repeated volcanic phases would have been able to achieve the long-term cooling effect observed in the floral record. We propose that the cumulative effect of repeated Balder Formation eruptions initiated a biodiversity crisis in the northeast Atlantic margin forests. Only the decline of this persistent volcanic activity, and the subsequent climatic warming at the start of the Eocene Thermal Maximum allowed the growth of subtropical forests to develop across the region.     

基于SPI指数的当前及未来中国东北地区干旱时空演变特征分析

基于降水量历史观测数据和气候模式预估数据,采用标准化降水量指数(Standandized Precipitation Index,SPI)识别干旱事件,从干旱发生的频率和强度特征分析其危险性,研究东北地区当前及未来不同气候变化情景下干旱时空变化特征.结果显示:(1)bcc-csm1-1 对东北地区降水的模拟效果较好;(...     

上高县紫皮大蒜种植气候适宜性区划

基于紫皮大蒜生长周期和当地农业气象条件,得到上高县紫皮大蒜气候适宜性指标：10—11月的最低气温、10月至次年4月的平均气温和平均降水量以及2—4月的累计日照时数。利用1970—2020年宜春市和新余市辖区内共12个地面观测站的气象资料,采用GIS建立上高县紫皮大蒜种植区划因子地理空间分析模型。依据分区等级指标,将上高县划分为最适宜、一般适宜和不适宜3个紫皮大蒜气候种植区。     

欧盟减排《责任分担条例》修正案分析与启示

欧盟自1997年起就如何通过市场和行政手段“双轮驱动”控制碳排放总量进行不断探索,并逐步建立了较为成熟的碳排放交易体系及减排责任分担机制,已经取得了良好的减排效果。文中梳理分析《责任分担条例》修正案中关于成员国减排目标更新的内容、目标分配的原则与方法、灵活性机制,归纳了欧盟采用行政手段控制碳排放交易系统未涉及部门的温室气体排放的经验,并对中国如何构建充分考虑市场手段和行政手段的CO₂排放总量控制制度提出政策建议。     

耦合模式长期积分资料所揭示的华南春季降水及环流特征的年际变化

利用一个全球海洋-大气-海冰耦合模式的300年控制试验资料,针对东亚区域雨带移动和大气环流特征演变的研究发现,华南春季降水是位于副热带的雨带的一部分,而且华南地区4、5月的降水异常具有明显的年际变化特征。在华南4、5月降水偏多年份,前期3月阿留申低压加强,北半球西风减弱,西太平洋海表温度出现负异常,导致冷暖空气在这里相遇造成降水异常。     

大西洋热盐环流与气候突变

未来是否会发生由大西洋热盐环流崩溃引起的气候突变是目前极富争议性的全球气候变化问题。首先回顾了过去发生的气候突变事件以及若干成因假说,介绍了McGill地球系统模拟组的有关研究成果,并探讨了过去气候突变事件中的南北半球遥相关,最后讨论了未来是否会发生大西洋热盐环流崩溃引起的气候突变。对过去发生的大西洋热盐环流突变的研究表明,它产生的气候背景与现代气候以及将来进一步变暖的气候截然不同,因此不能凭过去发生过的突变事件来推论将来会发生类似的气候突变。尽管有的气候模式预测全球变暖会导致大西洋热盐环流减弱甚至崩溃而引发气候突变,但是目前全球气候系统的观测有许多不足之处,并且现代气候模式也存在较大的不确定性,因此尚不能确信现在的全球变暖会导致这样的气候突变。     

陆面模式中土壤呼吸的研究概况

土壤呼吸是陆地植被吸收的CO2返回大气的基本途径,土壤呼吸速度轻微变化也会引起大气中CO2浓度的明显改变,进而影响气候变化。陆面过程模式中更好地描述土壤呼吸过程对于预测未来气候变化是至关重要的。对于土壤呼吸的模拟研究,介绍了经验模型和以过程为基础的机理模型,以及国内外陆面过程模式中土壤呼吸的研究情况,并讨论了土壤呼吸模式中需要改进的问题。       

基于GIS技术的三江平原热量资源评价

基于GIS技术,使用黑龙江省气象观测站和农垦、森工系统观测站的气温资料,以及数字高程模型(DEM)资料,运用趋势面分析法和线性内插法得到三江平原栅格化的热量资源数据。分析表明,三江平原纬度和高度因子对各项热量指标分布均有影响,经度因子主要影响年平均气温、4月平均气温、7月平均气温、≥0℃积温和≥10℃积温;佳木斯西部、双鸭山西部、鸡西大部热量资源较丰富,而青黑山、完达山、老爷岭和太平岭等地区热量资源相对较差。分析结果为合理开发利用三江平原热量资源提供了依据。