Long‐term landscape evolution: linking tectonics and surface processes

Research in landscape evolution over millions to tens of millions of years slowed considerably in the mid‐20th century, when Davisian and other approaches to geomorphology were replaced by functional, morphometric and ultimately process‐based approaches. Hack's scheme of dynamic equilibrium in landscape evolution was perhaps the major theoretical contribution to long‐term landscape evolution between the 1950s and about 1990, but it essentially ‘looked back’ to Davis for its springboard to a viewpoint contrary to that of Davis, as did less widely known schemes, such as Crickmay's hypothesis of unequal activity. Since about 1990, the field of long‐term landscape evolution has blossomed again, stimulated by the plate tectonics revolution and its re‐forging of the link between tectonics and topography, and by the development of numerical models that explore the links between tectonic processes and surface processes. This numerical modelling of landscape evolution has been built around formulation of bedrock river processes and slope processes, and has mostly focused on high‐elevation passive continental margins and convergent zones; these models now routinely include flexural and denudational isostasy. Major breakthroughs in analytical and geochronological techniques have been of profound relevance to all of the above. Low‐temperature thermochronology, and in particular apatite fission track analysis and (U–Th)/He analysis in apatite, have enabled rates of rock uplift and denudational exhumation from relatively shallow crustal depths (up to about 4 km) to be determined directly from, in effect, rock hand specimens. In a few situations, (U–Th)/He analysis has been used to determine the antiquity of major, long‐wavelength topography. Cosmogenic isotope analysis has enabled the determination of the ‘ages’ of bedrock and sedimentary surfaces, and/or the rates of denudation of these surfaces. These latter advances represent in some ways a ‘holy grail’ in geomorphology in that they enable determination of ‘dates and rates’ of geomorphological processes directly from rock surfaces. The increasing availability of analytical techniques such as cosmogenic isotope analysis should mean that much larger data sets become possible and lead to more sophisticated analyses, such as probability density functions (PDFs) of cosmogenic ages and even of cosmogenic isotope concentrations (CICs). PDFs of isotope concentrations must be a function of catchment area geomorphology (including tectonics) and it is at least theoretically possible to infer aspects of source area geomorphology and geomorphological processes from PDFs of CICs in sediments (‘detrital CICs’). Thus it may be possible to use PDFs of detrital CICs in basin sediments as a tool to infer aspects of the sediments' source area geomorphology and tectonics, complementing the standard sedimentological textural and compositional approaches to such issues. One of the most stimulating of recent conceptual advances has followed the considerations of the relationships between tectonics, climate and surface processes and especially the recognition of the importance of denudational isostasy in driving rock uplift (i.e. in driving tectonics and crustal processes). Attention has been focused very directly on surface processes and on the ways in which they may ‘drive’ rock uplift and thus even influence sub‐surface crustal conditions, such as pressure and temperature. Consequently, the broader geoscience communities are looking to geomorphologists to provide more detailed information on rates and processes of bedrock channel incision, as well as on catchment responses to such bedrock channel processes. More sophisticated numerical models of processes in bedrock channels and on their flanking hillslopes are required. In current numerical models of long‐term evolution of hillslopes and interfluves, for example, the simple dependency on slope of both the fluvial and hillslope components of these models means that a Davisian‐type of landscape evolution characterized by slope lowering is inevitably ‘confirmed’ by the models. In numerical modelling, the next advances will require better parameterized algorithms for hillslope processes, and more sophisticated formulations of bedrock channel incision processes, incorporating, for example, the effects of sediment shielding of the bed. Such increasing sophistication must be matched by careful assessment and testing of model outputs using pre‐established criteria and tests. Confirmation by these more sophisticated Davisian‐type numerical models of slope lowering under conditions of tectonic stability (no active rock uplift), and of constant slope angle and steady‐state landscape under conditions of ongoing rock uplift, will indicate that the Davis and Hack models are not mutually exclusive. A Hack‐type model (or a variant of it, incorporating slope adjustment to rock strength rather than to regolith strength) will apply to active settings where there is sufficient stream power and/or sediment flux for channels to incise at the rate of rock uplift. Post‐orogenic settings of decreased (or zero) active rock uplift would be characterized by a Davisian scheme of declining slope angles and non‐steady‐state (or transient) landscapes. Such post‐orogenic landscapes deserve much more attention than they have received of late, not least because the intriguing questions they pose about the preservation of ancient landscapes were hinted at in passing in the 1960s and have recently re‐surfaced. As we begin to ask again some of the grand questions that lay at the heart of geomorphology in its earliest days, large‐scale geomorphology is on the threshold of another ‘golden’ era to match that of the first half of the 20th century, when cyclical approaches underpinned virtually all geomorphological work. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

BIFoR FACE: Water–soil–vegetation–atmosphere data from a temperate deciduous forest catchment,including under elevated CO2

The ecosystem services provided by forests modulate runoff generation processes, nutrient cycling and water and energy exchange between soils, vegetation and atmosphere. Increasing atmospheric CO₂ affects many linked aspects of forest and catchment function in ways we do not adequately understand. Global levels of atmospheric CO₂ will be around 40% higher in 2050 than current levels, yet estimates of how water and solute fluxes in forested catchments will respond to increased CO₂ are highly uncertain. The Free Air CO₂ Enrichment (FACE) facility of the University of Birmingham's Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) is the only FACE in mature deciduous forest. The site specializes in fundamental studies of the response of whole ecosystem patches of mature, deciduous, temperate woodland to elevated CO₂ (eCO₂). Here, we describe a dataset of hydrological parameters – seven weather parameters at each of three heights and four locations, shallow soil moisture and temperature, stream hydrology and CO₂ enrichment – retrieved at high frequency from the BIFoR FACE catchment.     

Role of time variant and invariant terms on soil moisture spatio-temporal variability in a subhumid coastal wetland

The knowledge of soil moisture spatio-temporal variability is highly relevant for water resources management. This paper reports an analysis of the spatial–temporal variability of soil moisture data for a small to medium-scale soil-sensors network in a coastal wetland of southwestern Spain. Measurements were taken from five sites located in the Doñana National Park over the time-period of one hydrological year from September 2017 to September 2018. The total area of the soil-sensors network shows an extension about 25 × 3 km. Soil moisture data was separated into time invariant (the temporal mean of the whole period at each site) and time-variant terms (the deviations of soil moisture from the mean, or anomalies). The time-invariant component was generally the main contributor to the total spatial variance of soil moisture and it was mostly controlled by the groundwater levels in the area. Nevertheless, the time variant terms have a huge effect on soil moisture variability in very dry states. Characteristic convex time-dependent patterns for this field site were found between spatially averaged soil moisture and its variability. This information could be used for the up and downscaling of soil moisture from satellite data. Those patterns of relation between spatial mean and variability of soil moisture were only affected by heavy rainfalls giving rise to hysteretic behaviour. This study shows that even though groundwater level is a time-variant variable, it significantly affects soil moisture's time-variant but also time-invariant terms due to the different average groundwater level depths at the different sites.     

Relationships between δ18O in summer precipitation and temperature and moisture trajectories at Muztagata, western China

Based on summer observations of stable isotope of precipitation at Muztagata, western China, during 2002―2003, this paper presents the relationship between δ18O in precipitation and air temperature, and discusses the effect of moisture transport on δ18O in precipitation. Results show that air temperature correlates positively with δ18O in precipitation, and the temperature effect controls the δ18O of precipitation in this area. The Muztagata region exhibits high δ18O values in summer precipitation, similar to those shown at stations in adjacent regions. According to the results of our model set up to trace the moisture trajectories, the westerlies and local moisture circulation contribute to variations of oxygen isotopes in precipitation. In addition, the impacts of the moisture transport distance, the moisture transport level, and the incursion of the polar air mass also influence the variations of δ18O in precipitation. The moisture origins and transport mechanisms also contribute to the variation of δ18O in precipitation at Muztagata.     

大兴安岭多年冻土泥炭地无机氮动态对秋季冻融的响应北大核心CSCD

大兴安岭多年冻土泥炭地是对全球变暖响应敏感的地区之一。在全球变暖、多年冻土退化背景下,为了探明秋季冻融对多年冻土泥炭地无机氮时空变化的影响,本研究于2019年9—11月以大兴安岭三种多年冻土泥炭地为研究对象进行野外原位实验,分析了秋季冻融前、中和后期多年冻土泥炭地浅层和深层土壤无机氮的时空变化特征以及浅层和深层土壤含水量和温度的变化规律,建立了土壤无机氮含量与土壤温度和含水量间的多元线性回归模型。研究表明:多年冻土小叶章泥炭地(XY)、兴安落叶松-泥炭藓泥炭地(XA)和白毛羊胡子苔草泥炭地(BM)的土壤铵态氮(NH_(4)^(+)-N)含量变化范围:(1.00±0.00)~(20.60±0.20)mg·kg^(-1),硝态氮(NO_(3)^(-)-N)含量的变化范围:(0.02±0.01)~(14.64±1.11)mg·kg^(-1),且无机氮以土壤NH_(4)^(+)-N为主;秋季冻融后期无机氮含量明显高于前期。尽管水热交互作用对该时期无机氮没有显著影响,但是在不同冻融阶段,无机氮对环境因子的响应程度存在差异:在秋季冻融前、中和后期浅层无机氮动态分别与浅层温度和含水量的变化相关,但在整个秋季冻融期间BM浅层无机氮含量仅对10~20 cm含水量存在响应(R^(2)=0.344,P<0.01)。研究表明,秋季冻融期内,多年冻土泥炭地无机氮发生初步累积,且浅层环境因子对无机氮响应程度最大。本研究可补充大兴安岭多年冻土泥炭地秋季冻融对土壤无机氮影响研究的相关数据,并为多年冻土泥炭地响应全球变暖的温室气体释放的研究提供基础数据支撑。     

Stochastic modelling of soil moisture dynamics in a grassland of Qilian Mountain at point scale

Stochastic modeling of soil moisture dynamics is crucial to the quantitative understanding of plant responses to water stresses,hydrological control of nutrient cycling processes,water competition among plants,and some other ecological dynamics,and thus has become a hotspot in ecohydrology at present.In this paper,we based on the continuously monitored data of soil moisture during 2002―2005 and daily precipitation date of 1992―2006,and tried to make a probabilistic analysis of soil moisture dynamics at point scale in a grassland of Qilian Mountain by integrating the stochastic model improved by Laio and the Monte Carlo method.The results show that the inter-annual variations for the soil moisture patterns at different depths are very significant,and that the coefficient of variance(CV) of surface soil moisture(20 cm) is almost continually kept at about 0.23 whether in the rich or poor rainy years.Interestingly,it has been found that the maximal CV of soil moisture has not always appeared at the surface layer.Comparison of the analytically derived soil moisture probability density function(PDF) with the statistical distribution of the observed soil moisture data suggests that the stochastic model can reasonably describe and predict the soil moisture dynamics of the grassland in Qilian Mountain at point scale.By extracting the statistical information of the historical precipitation data in 1994―2006,and inputting them into the stochastic model,we analytically derived the long-term soil moisture PDF without considering the inter-annual climate fluctuations,and then numerically derived the one when considering the inter-annual fluctuation effects in combination with a Monte-Carlo procedure.It was found that,though the peak position of the probability density distribution significantly moved towards drought when considering the disturbance forces,and its width was narrowed,accordingly its peak value was increased,no significant bimodality was observed in the soil moisture dynamics under the given intensity of random fluctuation disturbance.     

甘肃黄土高原农业水分条件研究

计算分析了甘肃黄土高原的降水变化,农田蒸散和农作物水分亏缺的特征及其对农业生产的影响,表明区域主要降水特征均不利于农业生产;农田蒸散强烈,土壤水分亏缺严重;农作物水分供南非差额大,其水分适宜度低,降水产量指数小。     

半荒漠风沙区土地沙漠化生物整治技术的研究

试验证明,土地沙漠化生物整治技术能在半荒漠风沙区取得显著的作用和效果。在柠条、毛条、花棒、杨柴、沙木蓼等灌木树种的适生立地上营造防风固沙林,林后3~4年,灌木就可郁闭成林,流动沙丘完全被控制变为固定沙丘;林下植被结构得以改善,优良品种增多,如能合理开发其饲料等用途,还具有十分可观的经济效益。     

2012年7月下旬河套地区4次切变暴雨的对比分析

应用日常预报业务中可以方便使用的常规观测资料、数值预报产品、卫星云图、加密自动站观测资料以及雷达资料等,从环流背景、流型配置、物理机制等方面对比分析了河套地区4次暴雨过程,旨在提高对暴雨的短期预报预测能力及短时强降水的临近预警能力。分析发现：（1）副热带高压西侧的偏南气流以及来自孟加拉湾的暖湿偏南气流在35°—40°N与来自高纬度的干冷的偏北气流多次交汇,水汽在该带中明显辐合,为河套地区持续性暴雨发生发展提供源源不断的水汽,提供水汽辐合上升动力条件;（2）暴雨落区与低层的显著流线出口区或急流出口区的位置、切变线的位置密切相关,暴雨一般落在高空急流的右侧、低空急流的左侧;（3）暴雨天气出现前一般会出现500 hPa以下θ随高度的增加而减少的特征;（4）暴雨天气出现前一般都会出现风随高度顺转的特征;（5）暴雨过程中地面辐合线起到动力抬升作用,触发中小尺度系统的生成和发展;（6）抬升凝结高度和自由对流高度都比较低,利于水汽凝结,而平衡高度较高,利于能量的积累,对于对流天气的预报有较好的指示意义。     

沙漠腹地乔木状沙拐枣对灌水量的生理生态响应

对不同灌水量条件下塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地乔木状沙拐枣（Calligonum arborescens Litv）的水分生理、生长和土壤水分进行了动态测定与分析。结果表明:①在35、24.5 kg·株-1·次-1和14 kg·株-1·次-1的灌水量下,土壤水分活跃层分别为:0～200、0～160 cm和0～100 cm。根系区土壤水分为3%～4%条件下,沙拐枣能正常生长,低于2.5%就会受到水分胁迫。②早晨和午后,沙拐枣的水势随着灌溉后时间的增加而降低,前期降幅较大。随着灌水量的减小,其水势降低较快,在14 kg·株-1·次-1处理下,灌溉3 d后早晨水势和午后水势分别达到-1.3 MPa和-2.19 MPa。③随着灌水量的减少沙拐枣的日耗水量急剧减小,液流速率也快速降低,灌溉后第15天,在24.5 kg·株-1·次-1和14 kg·株-1·次-1的灌水量下沙拐枣液流速率都为双峰型曲线,第25天3个处理都呈双峰型曲线。④不同灌水量下,沙拐枣的基径、新枝长度以及新枝直径的年增长量都随着灌水量的减少而减小,方差分析表明灌水量对新枝长度的影响非常显著(P=0.05)。