Are peatlands in different states with respect to their thermodynamic behaviour? A simple test of peatland energy and entropy budgets

Whilst all ecosystems must obey the second law of thermodynamics, these physical bounds and controls on ecosystem evolution and development are largely ignored across the ecohydrological literature. To unravel the importance of these underlying restraints on ecosystem form and function, and their power to inform our scientific understanding, we have calculated the entropy budget of a range of peat ecosystems. We hypothesize that less disturbed peatlands are ‘near equilibrium’ with respect to the second law of thermodynamics and thus respond to change by minimizing entropy production. This ‘near equilibrium’ state is best achieved by limiting evaporative losses. Alternatively, peatlands ‘far-from-equilibrium’ respond to a change in energy inputs by maximizing entropy production which is best achieved by increasing evapotranspiration. To test these alternatives this study examined the energy balance time series from seven peatlands across a disturbance gradient. We estimate the entropy budgets for each and determine how a change in net radiation (ΔR_n) was transferred to a change in latent heat flux (ΔλE). The study showed that: (i) The transfer of net radiation to latent heat differed significantly between peatlands. One group transferred up to 64% of the change in net radiation to a change in latent heat flux, while the second transferred as little as 27%. (ii) Sites that transferred the most energy to latent heat flux were those that produced the greatest entropy. The study shows that an ecosystem could be ‘near equilibrium’ rather than ‘far from equilibrium’.     

Flexible membranes anchored to the ground for slope stabilisation: Numerical modelling of soil slopes using SPH

An alternative modelling for flexible membranes anchored to the ground for soil slope stabilisation is presented using Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics to model the unstable ground mass in a soil slope, employing a dynamic solve engine. A regression model of pressure normal to the ground, q_sim, and also membrane deflection, f_sim, have been developed using Design of Experiment. Finally, a comparison between the pressure obtained from numerical simulation and from a limit equilibrium analysis considering infinite slope has been carried out, showing differences in the results, mainly due to the membrane stiffness.     

贵州辐射雾的时空变化特征及其气象要素分析

选取2008—2012年贵州省3646站次的辐射雾天气过程,根据08时能见度大小将其划分为4级雾、3级雾、2级雾和1级雾四个等级,利用常规地面观测资料分析其时空变化特征,并根据辐射雾多发生区选取出修文、三穗和凤冈3个分布在贵州省高速干道上的站点,利用相应地面气象观测台站的逐日逐时实测气象要素资料,分析其不同等级的气象要素特征。结果表明:各等级辐射雾在10月—次年1月发生较多;空间分布呈"东多西少"格局,4级雾主要分布中心为修文和岑巩,其余等级辐射雾主要分布中心为三穗、凤冈、平塘、正安、松桃和锦屏;修文站的4级雾偏多与其平均相对湿度明显偏高、风速小于3 m/s和风向主要为偏东风相关性较高;三穗站和凤冈站的平均相对湿度与当日08时和前一日20时的气温差相对利于雾的生成,但其风速较小,垂直混合较弱,故其主要为较低等级雾。     

早白垩世泥炭地净初级生产力及其控制因素--来自二连盆地吉尔嘎郎图凹陷6号煤的证据

现代泥炭地中蕴藏着巨量的碳,泥炭地生产力的高低会影响全球碳循环及全球气候变化。前人对全新世以来泥炭地生产力做了大量研究,但对前第四纪的“深时”阶段的泥炭地生产力则极少涉及,其主要原因是缺少精确的定年方法。以二连盆地吉尔嘎郎图凹陷早白垩世6号煤为例,利用地球物理测井信号进行频谱分析并获得煤层中米兰科维奇旋回周期参数（123 ka（偏心率）:38.1 ka（斜率）:22.1 ka（岁差））,将米兰科维奇旋回作为“深时”地层时间的“度量”工具,计算出6号煤层碳的聚集速率为35.1~38.9 g C/（m2·a）,进一步推算出其所代表的泥炭地的碳聚集速率为46.2~51.2 g C/（m2·a）,净初级生产力（NPP）为231~256 g C/（m2·a）。将该计算结果与全新世同一纬度带泥炭地生产力水平比较,并结合前人研究成果综合分析影响因素,得出早白垩世泥炭地生产力水平主要受温度和大气中二氧化碳含量控制,而这两种因素又与气候相关联,则泥炭地生产力的研究可能对进一步了解古气候提供帮助。     

海洋卡盾藻对青岛大扁藻的化感作用及其对UV-B辐射的响应

本研究以海洋微藻——赤潮藻海洋卡盾藻(Chattonella marina)与饵料藻青岛大扁藻(Platymonas helgolandica var.tsingtaoensis)为研究对象,采用单培养和共培养的方法,研究二者间的竞争关系,并在此基础上研究海洋卡盾藻去藻过滤液和藻细胞裂解液对青岛大扁藻的化感作用,同时进一步探讨两种海洋微藻间的化感作用对UV-B辐射增强的响应。结果显示:共培养条件下,海洋卡盾藻在2个高浓度下对青岛大扁藻的生长产生显著抑制(P0.05);海洋卡盾藻去藻过滤液和藻细胞裂解液对青岛大扁藻的生长也具有显著抑制作用(P0.05),且藻细胞裂解液的抑制作用更强,说明海洋卡盾藻对青岛大扁藻产生化感作用,且通过细胞间直接接触传递的化感物质多于通过介质传递的。不同密度比例的2种藻共培养组用UV-B辐射(2.16J/m2)处理后,海洋卡盾藻对青岛大扁藻生长的化感作用有所减弱。     

西北太平洋海洋净初级生产力与柔鱼资源量变动关系的研究

海洋初级生产力在海洋生态中扮演重要角色,其变化影响了海洋渔业的潜在产量。本文根据2004-2013年中国鱿钓组提供的西北太平洋柔鱼(Ommastrephes bartramii)捕捞数据和海洋遥感净初级生产力数据,研究了柔鱼冬春生西部群体资源量变动与净初级生产力的关系。结果发现,柔鱼渔场范围内净初级生产力在经度方向上呈明显的季节性变化,冬春季低,夏秋季高。捕捞月份7-11月对应的适宜净初级生产力范围分别为500~700 mg/(m2·d)(以碳计),500~800 mg/(m2·d),500~1000 mg/(m2·d),500~800 mg/(m2·d)和300~500 mg/(m2·d),最适净初级生产力分别为700 mg/(m2·d),600 mg/(m2·d),700 mg/(m2·d),600 mg/(m2·d)和400 mg/(m2·d)。7-11各月最适净初级生产力平均纬度与捕捞努力量纬度重心呈显著正相关关系(P<0.05),说明了捕捞努力量位置在渔场中不是随机分布,可能受最适净初级生产力的纬度分布的影响。柔鱼年间资源丰度与各年3月份净初级生产力以及7-11月份平均净初级生产力大小显著正相关(P<0.05)。推测每年柔鱼资源量大小可能是由3月份产卵场海域和7-11月捕捞月份渔场净初级生产力水平交互作用的结果。研究表明,异常环境条件(厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜事件)对柔鱼产卵场和渔场的净初级生产力具有显著影响,但调控机制不同。     

Ecosystem services assessment and compensation costs for installing seaweed farms

In a global context of promotion and expansion of blue growth initiatives, the development of activities such as aquaculture calls for the assessment of the potential impacts on biodiversity at different levels and associated services. This paper presents an assessment of the potential impact of the installation of seaweed farms on ecosystem services and the induced compensation costs. Biophysical and socioeconomic indicators have been developed for helping decision makers to select the most suitable locations. The approach considers a multi-criteria approach based on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA). The former is used to obtain biophysical ecosystem services and socioeconomic indicators and the latter to evaluate the costs required to compensate the loss of cultural and provisioning ecosystem services. A case-study in the Normand-Breton (Saint Malo) Gulf, France, illustrates this method through the analysis of hypothetical locations of seaweed farms. Results highlight the differences between alternative locations regarding biophysical constraints (in terms of distance and depth), potential risks of conflicts with existing uses, impacts on habitats and the ecosystem services delivered, and compensation costs. This case-study illustrates the flexibility of this approach which can be further adapted to include other indicators in order to deliver integrated information to coastal planners.     

Spatial Concentration in Australian Regional Development,Exogenous Shocks and Regional Demographic Outcomes: a South Australian case study

ABSTRACT

As a tribute to the massive contribution of our friend and colleague Graeme Hugo to the population and settlement geography of Australian rural areas, this paper presents a longitudinal study from his home State. It forms part of a wider study of the long-term demographic relationships between Australia’s rapidly growing regional cities and their surrounding functional regions. Of particular interest is the question of what effect the accelerating concentration of population and economic activity into a given regional city will have for the longer term demographic sustainability of its functional region as a whole. Taking the case of Port Lincoln, regional capital of most of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, it examines the nature of change in the functional region over the period 1947–2011, and investigates the forces feeding, and partly counteracting, the population concentration process, informed by concepts of evolutionary economic geography. In particular it traces the demographic impact (particularly differential migration and ageing trends) of exogenous shocks to the region’s essentially primary productive economic base during the period of major change from 1981 to 2011.     

Twenty-five years of spectral UV-B measurements over Canada,Europe and Japan: Trends and effects from changes in ozone,aerosols, clouds,and surface reflectivity

Spectral UV records of solar irradiance at stations over Europe, Canada, and Japan were used to study long-term trends at 307.5 nm for a 25-year period, from 1992 to 2016. Ground-based measurements of total ozone, as well as satellite measurements of the Aerosol Index, the Total Cloud Cover and the surface reflectivity were also used in order to attribute the estimated changes of the UV to the corresponding changes of these factors. The present study shows that over the Northern Hemisphere, the long-term changes in UV-B radiation reaching the Earth's surface vary significantly over different locations, and that the main drivers of these variations are changes in aerosols and total ozone. At high latitudes, part of the observed changes may also be attributed to changes in the surface reflectivity. Over Japan, the UV-B irradiance at 307.5 nm has increased significantly by ∼3%/decade during the past 25 years, possibly due to the corresponding significant decrease of its absorption by aerosols. It was found that the greatest part of this increase took place before the mid-2000s. The only European station, over which UV radiation increases significantly, is that of Thessaloniki, Greece. Analysis of the clear-sky irradiance for the particular station shows increasing irradiance at 307.5 nm by ∼3.5%/decade during the entire period of study, with an increasing rate of change during the last decade, possibly again due to the decreasing absorption by aerosols.     

IPCC AR6报告解读：气候系统对太阳辐射干预响应

IPCC第六次评估报告（AR6）第一工作组报告评估了太阳辐射干预（Solar radiation modification,SRM）对气候系统和碳循环的影响。在大幅度减排基础上,太阳辐射干预有潜力作为应对气候变化的备用措施。目前,对于太阳辐射干预气候影响的评估都是基于模式模拟结果。评估主要结论如下：太阳辐射干预可以在全球和区域尺度上抵消一部分温室气体增加造成的气候变化（高信度);但是太阳辐射干预无法在全球和区域尺度上完全抵消温室气体增加引起的气候变化（几乎确定);有可能通过适当的太阳辐射干预设计,同时实现多个温度变化减缓目标（中等信度);在高强度温室气体排放情景下,如果太阳辐射干预实施后突然终止,并且这种终止长时间持续,将会造成快速的气候变化（高信度);如果在减排和CO₂移除的情况下,太阳辐射干预的实施强度逐渐减小至零,将显著降低太阳辐射干预突然终止产生的快速气候变化风险（中等信度);太阳辐射干预会通过降温作用,促进陆地和海洋对大气CO₂的吸收（中等信度),但是太阳辐射干预无法缓解海洋酸化（高信度);太阳辐射干预对其他生物化学循环影响的不确定性大。由于对云-气溶胶-辐射过程的相互作用和微物理过程认知有限,目前对平流层气溶胶注入、海洋低云亮化、高层卷云变薄等太阳辐射干预方法的冷却潜力和气候效应的认知还有很大的不确定性。