Palaeoecological evidence of changes in vegetation and climate during the Holocene in the pre‐Polar Urals,northeast European Russia

This study investigated Holocene tree‐line history and climatic change in the pre‐Polar Urals, northeast European Russia. A sediment core from Mezhgornoe Lake situated at the present‐day alpine tree‐line was studied for pollen, plant macrofossils, Cladocera and diatoms. A peat section from Vangyr Mire in the nearby mixed mountain taiga zone was analysed for pollen. The results suggest that the study area experienced a climatic optimum in the early Holocene and that summer temperatures were at least 2°C warmer than today. Tree birch immigrated to the Mezhgornoe Lake area at the onset of the Holocene. Mixed spruce forests followed at ca. 9500–9000 ¹⁴C yr BP. Climate was moist and the water level of Mezhgornoe Lake rose rapidly. The hypsithermal phase lasted until ca. 5500–4500 ¹⁴C yr BP, after which the mixed forest withdrew from the Mezhgornoe catchment as a result of the climate cooling. The gradual altitudinal downward shift of vegetation zones resulted in the present situation, with larch forming the tree‐line. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Endogreisen, brecciation and fluid activity at the Mount Bischoff Sn-deposit, north-west Tasmania, Australia

Abstract Endogreisens which replace K-feld-spar-quartz dykes in a Devonian (360 Ma) tin deposit at Mt Bischoff, north-west Tasmania, formed from the interaction of unusual solutions, probably derived from an underlying leucogranite pluton, porphyry dykes and limited quantities of local dolomitic country rock components. The intensity of greisenization and pH of the solutions increase inward to the greisenized dykes'cores and downward. The following types of greisen assemblages indicate increasing degrees of greisenization: 'sericite'muscovite + quartz ± tourmaline ± fluorite, topaz + quartz ± tourmaline ± fluorite, weberite, prosopite, ralstonite, Ca-ralstonite; and quartz ± topaz ± fluorite. Where the solutions interacted with dolomite, exogreisens consisting of topaz- or tourmaline-bearing assemblages were formed. The greisens were subsequently overprinted to varying degrees by siderite, sulphides and hydrous silicates (talc, serpentine, chlorite, micas).
The temperature during greisenization ranged from 180 to 414°C, based on fluid inclusions in topaz, quartz, fluorite, sellaite and cassiterite. The main greisen-forming event occurred at temperatures of 360±20°C. The fluids boiled intermittently. Their salinities ranged from 31.5 to 38.9 wt% total dissolved salts, consisting of Ca–K–Na–Fe–Cl±hydrocarbon species. Fluid inclusion data indicate that only 0.5–1.5 km of cover were present above this deposit at the time of formation.
The greisenized dykes were intruded by and intrude different stages of breccias. The breccias consist mainly of country rock and greisenized dyke fragments, with rock-flour and later tourmaline alteration. The Mt Bischoff greisen system is possibly part of a 'porphyry tin'style deposit formed at near-surface conditions (0.5–1.0 km).     

Climatic changes in the Chalbi Desert,North Kenya

The Chalbi flat, located 60 km outside the rift to the east, forms a moist, salt-clay encrusted playa which also functions as an inland sink for alluvial fans. Residual lacustrine beds, including freshwater carbonates and travertines, crop out along its higher periphery. Mammalian bones of lacustrine and terrestrial elements, and K/Ar dating of the capping lava suggest a lake or a swamp environment 2–2.5 million years ago. Radiocarbon dating of Melanoides tuberculata and Planorbis and a sediment assemblage composed of clotted micrite, calcareous molds, root marks and stromatolites point to an additional early Holocene Chalbi lake or swamps 11000-9500 yr BP. The data suggest wet environmental conditions outside the rift, which is consistent with the occurrence of a wet period in the early to middle Holocene in intertropical Africa, but out of phase with the climatic conditions in Sinai and Israel and with the high-latitude maximum lake levels and glacier advance. These relations have probably been caused by migration of climatic belts.     

ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN THE EASTERN CHINA DURING THE LATE PLEISTOCENE

The environmental changes during the Late Pleistocene were more obvious in the eastern China than in other areas at the same latitude, which either between northern and southern, or between land and sea of the eastern China were mostly non-synchronous. The transitional period prior to the last glaciation came about in the northern part of the eastern China about 115,000 yr. ago. The desert environments of the inland of the north China were developed both in the glacial maximum and in the warm interglacial period, but the loess accumulation mostly took place during the glacial period. The sand dunes and the periglacial solifluctions in the lower Changjiang (Yangtze) River region were formed during the last glacial period. The event of lowest surface temperature occurred at 98,000 yr. B.P. and 59,000 yr. B.P. in the northern part of the South China Sea but not during the full-glacial stage. The phenomena mentioned . above were the result of the following reasons that the paleo-environmental changes in the     

Geospatial-temporal analysis of land-use changes in the Yellow River Delta during the last 40 years

Research on land use/land cover changes (LUCC)has been the core project of the Global EnvironmentalChanges since the 1990s[1—6]. Scientists at home andabroad have been laying emphasis on integrationstudies on land-use change by “space and process”features[7—10] as researches on LUCC are in a greatdeal. It is of paramount important for us to studyLUCC at various spatial-temporal scales and build aquantitative assessment of land-use conversion by in-tegrated spatial-temporal features. …     

明代大同镇建设与生态环境变迁

为抵御蒙古贵族侵扰,明朝于长城沿线设置了九个军事重镇。大同镇位于北京西北部,是明代重要的军事屏障,因此十分重视大同镇的建设。有明一代,围绕大同镇的建设,大批军士征调于此,修筑边墙堡寨,屯垦土地。这些政策与措施虽然为明朝国防安全发挥了极其重要的作用,但对资源形成了巨大的消耗,使这一地区的生态环境发生了剧烈的变化。大片森林和草场被新垦土地所吞噬,生态效益迅速跌落,土壤保水能力差,风蚀、水蚀严重,土地不断荒漠化,不少以土地为生的百姓被迫留离失所,影响到该区域经济社会的发展。同时,严重的水土流失也导致了河流水性与水质发生变化,殃及下流北京以及沿岸地区。生态与环境是经济社会发展基本的物质基础,历史警示在区域经济建设中,我们只有提高环境保护意识,注重资源环境利用的科学性,才能达到经济社会发展与生态良性循环的双赢目标。     

Colour infrared aerial photography as a tool for vegetation mapping and change detection in environmental studies of Nordic ecosystems: A review

The aim of the paper is to sum up knowledge of colour infrared (CIR) aerial photography as a tool for vegetation data for mapping and monitoring in environmental and biodiversity surveys and change detection surveillance. It compiles thirty years of research of the main ecosystems in Swedish vegetation, where the overall goal was to develop methods for mapping and monitoring vegetation by use of CIR aerial photographs, assess the accuracy compared to field-based mapping and to implement them as a tool in nature conservation and environmental planning. The methods include development of a classification system, identification and analysis of indicators, development of interpretation techniques, and evaluation compared to the data collected in the field. The CIR observable criteria are colour, texture, pattern, size, form, and density, based on spectral reflectance, physiognomy, life forms, ecological conditions, moisture and nutrition, vegetation period and phenology, topography, site conditions, and management methods. The methods have been used to produce vegetation maps of mountains, boreal forests, and mires in northern and central Sweden, in national inventories of wetlands, ancient meadows and pastures, key biotopes in forests and for monitoring agricultural landscapes.     

近50a华东地区夏季极端降水事件的年代际变化

利用中国华东地区90站点1960--2009年夏季（6—8月）逐日降水资料,分析了近50a来华东地区各类极端降水事件的强度和发生频次的年代际变化。结果表明：华东地区极端降水事件年代际变化特征明显。近20a来,不论是极端降水事件的平均强度还是发生次数都要明显高于前30a;1990年代是极端事件多发且强度较强的年代;华东区域极端强降水过程事件的连续降水日数多在9d以下,而极端连续降水日数事件基本在9d以上;较之华东地区其他区域,福建地区存在更多的强度大、持续久的降水过程;华东地区最大极端降水量出现在江西北部与安徽南部的交界区域。极端降水事件频发带存在南北摆动的年代际变化,这一特征在极端日降水事件和极端强降水过程事件上表现得更为明显。同时,存在两个极端事件频发带,分别位于长江流域附近。在后3个年代,这两个频发带呈现出分一合一分的年代际变化特征。     

INTERDECADAL TRANSITIONS AND TWO EXCEPTIONAL YEARS OF JUNE PRECIPITATION OVER SOUTH CHINA

An analysis of high-resolution precipitation data for 1978-2006 indicates that the precipitation over southern China in June experienced a low-value period in 1980-1989 and a high-value period in 1992-2001.It also reveals that exceptional heavy(light) precipitation occurred in June 2005(2004) since 1951.For these variations on both interdecadal and interannual timescales,fairly uniform anomalies of precipitation appeared over Vietnam,southern China,and southeastern China.Corresponding to positive(negative) precipitation anomalies,anomalous southeasterly(northwesterly) flow at 850 hPa reached Vietnam and anomalous southwesterly(northeasterly) flow expanded to the coastal regions of southern and southeastern China.Precedent to the positive(negative) precipitation anomalies during 1992-2001(1980-1989),positive(negative) anomalies of sea surface temperature appeared over the extratropical northwestern Pacific in the winter and spring seasons,associated with a strong(weak) extension of the warm Kuroshio Current that affects the coastal region of eastern China.The above-normal precipitation in June 2005 was associated with the pseudo-ENSO event in the previous winter,and the below-normal precipitation in June 2004 was associated with negative anomalies of sea surface temperature over the equatorial central Pacific and positive anomalies over the equatorial western and eastern Pacific.