Impact of climate indicators on continental‐scale potential groundwater recharge in Africa

In the last decades, human activity has been contributing to climate change that is closely associated with an increase in temperatures, increase in evaporation, intensification of extreme dry and wet rainfall events, and widespread melting of snow and ice. Understanding the intricate linkage between climate warming and the hydrological cycle is crucial for sustainable management of groundwater resources, especially in a vulnerable continent like Africa. This study investigates the relationship between climate‐change drivers and potential groundwater recharge (PGR) patterns across Africa for a long‐term record (1960–2010). Water‐balance components were simulated by using the PCR‐GLOBWB model and were reproduced in both gridded maps and latitudinal trends that vary in space with minima on the Tropics and maxima around the Equator. Statistical correlations between temperature, storm occurrences, drought, and PGR were examined in six climatic regions of Africa. Surprisingly, different effects of climate‐change controls on PGR were detected as a function of latitude in the last three decades (1980–2010). Temporal trends observed in the Northern Hemisphere of Africa reveal that the increase in temperature is significantly correlated to the decline of PGR, especially in the Northern Equatorial Africa. The climate indicators considered in this study were unable to explain the alarming negative trend of PGR observed in the Sahelian region, even though the Standardized Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) values report a 15% drought stress. On the other hand, increases in temperature have not been detected in the Southern Hemisphere of Africa, where increasing frequency of storm occurrences determine a rise of PGR, particularly in southern Africa. Time analysis highlights a strong seasonality effect, while PGR is in‐phase with rainfall patterns in the summer (Northern Hemisphere) and winter (Southern Hemisphere) and out‐of‐phase during the fall season. This study helps to elucidate the mechanism of the processes influencing groundwater resources in six climatic zones of Africa, even though modelling results need to be validated more extensively with direct measurements in future studies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于GIS的城市空间扩展预测

高速的城市扩展给社会发展带来了无比的活力。但是,也带来了一系列影响社会经济可持续发展的问题。因此,建立城市扩展预测模型对城市空间扩展预测有着实际的意义。本文主要是根据射线预测法的相关理论,使用Map Basic编程和Map Info软件进行相关操作,对济南市进行城市空间扩展预测并对预测进行分析,验证射线预测法的准确性。     

基于温度植被干旱指数的电网输电线路走廊干旱分析

以湖北省输电线路走廊地区作为研究区,利用2013年1~9月MODIS卫星影像数据,处理得到月尺度的归一化植被指数(Normalized Differential Vegetation Index,NDVI)与地表温度(Land Surface Temperature,LST)数据,构建NDVI-Ts特征空间,计算得到温度植被干旱指数(Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index,TVDI),用TVDI监测结果分析湖北省输电线路走廊区域2013年干旱时空分布情况。结果表明,湖北省输电线路走廊地区TVDI和土壤含水量之间存在显著的负相关,相关系数达到0.525(p0.05),由MODIS卫星影像计算得到TVDI影像可以有效表明湖北省输电线路走廊地区的土壤含水情况。     

中国北方地区秋季植被变化及对气候变化的响应研究

基于1982~2006年的AVHRR GIMMS NDVI数据,使用一元线性回归和分段线性回归等方法,通过对中国北方地区植被变化及其与气候因子的关系研究,揭示该地区近25年来在不同时段的植被变化趋势及对气候变化的响应规律,从而为该地区的生态环境变化研究提供理论依据。研究结果表明:1)中国北方地区秋季植被在25年时间内整体呈上升趋势。秋季NDVI在秋季温度断点之前以上升趋势为主,秋季NDVI在秋季温度断点之后仍以上升趋势为主,但上升趋势有所放缓。2)通过分段线性回归方法和相关分析研究得出中国北方地区秋季温度是秋季NDVI变化的主要驱动力。在秋季温度断点之后,秋季温度仍呈上升趋势而降水呈显著减少的面积增多,从而在温度和降水双重影响下的干旱胁迫导致植被下降;当秋季温度下降而秋季降水增多时干旱发生概率变小,从而使秋季NDVI呈上升趋势。     

Recultivation of abandoned agricultural lands in Ukraine: Patterns and drivers

The recent rise in agricultural commodity prices and the expectation that high price will persist have triggered a wave of farmland expansion in regions where land resources are still available. One such region is the former Soviet Union, where the collapse of socialism caused massive agricultural abandonment and where some of these lands are now being brought back into production. Yet, the extent and spatial patterns of recultivation, and what determines these patterns, remains unclear. We examined the extent of recultivation of abandoned agricultural land in Ukraine since 2007 using a new, satellite-based recultivation map and assessed the effect of biophysical and socioeconomic determinants on recultivation patterns using boosted regression trees. We found key predictors of recultivation to be related to the suitability of land for agriculture (i.e., soil quality, temperature). Accessibility to major cities was also important, with most recultivation happening closer to settlements, but this influence varied across Ukraine. Variables related to agricultural management (fertilizer input, mechanization) and demography were negligible in explaining recultivation in our analyses. These factors suggest that recultivation patterns were primarily driven by factors related to land productivity, with recultivation focusing on the most promising areas. Given the remaining large amount of unused agricultural land in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and considering that much abandonment occurred in areas only marginally suited to agriculture, our findings provide important insights into where recultivation can be expected to happen and thus for assessing the potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts of recultivation.     

湖北省旱涝灾害致灾规律的初步研究

利用1960—2005年湖北省76个地区气象灾害的灾情普查数据和逐日降水量观测资料,对湖北省旱涝灾害的时空分布特征及其致灾规律进行分析。结果表明:干旱灾害的频发区呈东西走向的带状分布,而洪涝灾害的发生频次和频发区面积均明显少于干旱;干旱和洪涝灾害年平均发生站次在1996年以后出现相反的变化趋势,干旱发生站次增加,而洪涝发生站次减少,且两种灾害均主要集中发生在夏季;1996—2001年湖北省部分地区连续出现严重干旱灾害,干旱的累积增强效应导致农业经济损失出现跳跃性增长并在2001年达到最大值;洪涝的致灾强度呈准周期的起伏振荡,农作物受洪涝影响面积最大、损失最多的年份集中在20世纪90年代,农作物受害面积与农业经济损失的决定系数为0.8;受害人口与直接经济损失具有较好的相关特征,且直接经济损失随受害人口增多而增加的速度加快,但近年来人口对洪涝灾害的抵御能力也显著提高;急转干旱和急转洪涝主要发生在鄂西北和鄂东南的夏季,农作物的脆弱度增加,农业经济损失随受害面积增大而增加的速度加快,但所造成的农业经济损失远小于仅发生干旱和洪涝时的数值。     

基于作物模型的河南省旱稻干旱风险评估

采用作物模型与数理统计相结合的方法,利用长期历史气象资料,以作物模型和地理信息系统技术为工具,系统分析了河南地区旱稻生育期水分盈亏情况。以模型模拟的雨养条件下实际蒸散量相对于潜在条件下的蒸散量(即需水量)的亏缺率,即水分亏缺指数,以雨养条件下产量相对于潜在产量的损失率(即灾损指数)作为产量灾损强度评价指标,从受旱程度和产量损失两个角度构建干旱风险评估模型,进行干旱风险评估。结果表明:河南省旱稻生育期集中在6—9月,水分亏缺最多的阶段为出苗—穗分化阶段,水分亏缺指数变化在0.50~0.60,其次是开花—成熟阶段和穗分化—开花阶段,水分亏缺指数变化在0.11~0.43;全生育期水分亏缺指数在0.36~0.50。出苗—穗分化阶段干旱发生的风险最大,其次是开花—成熟阶段,穗分化—开花阶段的最小。河南旱稻生育期干旱风险呈现为由东南向西北逐渐升高的分布,其中三门峡、济源西部一带风险最高,洛阳南部和南阳西北部一带最低,黄河以北大部地区和豫东、豫南地区风险居中。     

变化环境下渭河流域水文干旱演变特征剖析

环境变化影响区域水资源的可持续开发利用,导致水文过程出现非平稳特征,需发展非平稳水文干旱评估方法。选取渭河流域为研究区,依据流域内2个水文站、62个雨量站和24个气象站1961-2013年数据,基于可变下渗容量模型定量分离气候变化和人类活动对径流衰减的贡献;采用标准化径流指数（Standardized Runoff Index, SRI）剖析水文干旱时空演变特征;提出多种SRI参数化方案,对比评定各方案表征非平稳干旱的合理性以及环境变化对干旱演变的影响作用。结果表明:自1991年以来渭河流域年径流量呈显著衰减趋势,人类活动是径流演变的主要因素,对咸阳和华县站径流量变化的贡献率分别为-66.7%和-71.0%;时变参数方案计算的干旱指数能合理重建历史水文干旱序列;人类活动是渭河流域1991年以来短历时水文干旱发生的主导因素,气候变化主要影响长历时旱涝的演变趋势。     

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.     

Influence of urban expansion on the urban heat island effect in Shanghai

The urban heat island (UHI) effect resulting from rapid urbanization is attracting increasing attention among the global scientific community. This research analyzed the relationship between urban expansion and the UHI effect utilizing an integrated approach, including urban land interpretation and retrieving land surface temperature based on remote sensing, and spatial overlay analysis for revealing the relationship for different time periods between 1984 and 2014 in Shanghai, China. The results show that (1) the spatiotemporal changes in UHI are consistent with the expansion of urban land, and rapid urban expansion leads to an expansion of the UHI, in particular along roadways. (2) The mode of urban expansion is an important factor influencing the UHI effect. Urban sprawl (urban expansion in the edge-expansion way) is a form of typical expansion that leads to the rapid increase in the UHI. When the urban compactness ratio is less than 0.15, a compact design can effectively control the expansion rate of the UHI and mitigate its range of influence and intensity. However, when the urban compactness ratio is greater than 0.15, the urban design has a marked influence on the UHI ratio index: a more compact form produces a stronger UHI effect. So, finding an equilibrium between urban compactness ratio and urban expansion rate is good for effective urban management and planning.