Soil quality changes in land degradation as indicated by soil chemical, biochemical and microbiological properties in a karst area of southwest Guizhou, China

Not only the nutritional status and biological activity but also the soil ecological functioning or soil health has been impacted profoundly by land degradation in the karst area of southwest China where the karst ecosystems are generally considered as extremely vulnerable to land degradation under intensified land-use changes. The objectives of this study are to elucidate the changes in overall soil quality by a holistic approach of soil nutritional, biological activity, and soil health indicators in the karst area as impacted by intense cultivation and vegetation degradation. Topsoil samples were collected on selected eco-tesserae in a sequence of land degradation in a karst area of southwest Guizhou in 2004. The soil nutrient pools of organic carbon (C_org), extractable extracellular carbon (C_ext), total soil nitrogen (N_t), alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (N_ah), total phosphorus (P_t), available phosphorus (P_a) were analyzed by wet soil chemistry. The soil biological properties were studied by means of measurements of microbial biomass carbon (both by fumigation–extraction, FE-C_mic, and by calculation from substrate-incubation respiration, SIR-C_mic) of respiration [respiration without addition of substrates, basal respiration (BR), and potential respiration (PR) with substrate-incubation] and of soil enzyme activities (invertase, urease, and alkaline phosphatase). Soil health status was assessed by simple indices of C_mic/C_org and BR/C_mic in conjunction with bacterial community structures determined by polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. While the nutritional pool parameters, such as C_org and C_ext, described basically the changes in soil life-supporting capacity with cultivation interference and vegetation declined, those parameters of biological activity such as FE-C_mic, SIR, and SIR-C_mic as well as bacterial community structures measured by molecular method evidenced well the changes in soil functioning for ecosystem health with the land degradation.     

科尔沁沙地土地利用与耕作方式对土壤风蚀的影响

土壤风蚀造成的直接生态后果是土地资源的退化。在春播前两次沙尘暴事件中,对科尔沁沙地几种具有代表性的土地类型的土壤风蚀量及土壤特性进行了野外测定、分析,结果表明:(1)在同一沙尘暴天气下,由于土地利用和耕作方式的不同,土壤风蚀量存在着差异,新垦农地和翻耕农地的风蚀量显著高于未垦草地、免耕农地和麻黄地;免耕农地则与未垦草地的风蚀量相差不大,风蚀危害较轻;麻黄地几乎不受风蚀侵害。新垦农地、翻耕农地、免耕农地、未垦草地、麻黄地两次观测的土壤风蚀量平均值依次为24.59、15.60、2.26、1.46和0.22 g/h.cm2。(2)基于土壤特性计算的土壤退化指数结果表明,新垦农地和翻耕农地发生了较为严重的退化。     

ZnS柱撑高岭石-蒙脱石混层矿物纳米复合材料的制备及其光降解伊红-B的研究

以硫尿和乙酸锌为前驱物,通过离子交换和溶液热反应的方法在有机高岭石蒙脱石混层矿物(高蒙混层矿物)层间原位合成了ZnS纳米粒子,得到ZnS柱撑高岭石蒙脱石混层矿物纳米复合材料。X射线粉末衍射分析(XRD)表明高蒙混层矿物的d001从原来的0.98nm被柱撑到1.95nm,表明层间被插入了直径小于1nm的ZnS纳米颗粒。扫描电镜(SEM)观察发现,原高蒙混层矿物的有序片层结构部分被破坏,在被剥离的片层上面均匀覆盖了ZnS颗粒聚集体,粒径在25nm左右。透射电镜(TEM)显示,ZnS颗粒聚集体是由3～5nm的颗粒堆积而成,夹杂在被剥离的高蒙混层矿物层中。选区电子衍射(SAED)和能量散射谱(EDS)测定表明形成的ZnS属于六方晶系,结晶度较低。光降解伊红_B(eosion_B)实验表明该纳米复合物具有极高的反应活性,紫外可见吸收光谱(UV_Vis)跟踪反应历程,表明降解过程中没有其他中间产物生成,20min之内降解率达到99.1%。本方法制备的ZnS柱撑高蒙混层矿物纳米复合材料与前人制备的ZnS纳米粒子相比具有更高的催化活性,方法更简单,原料较便宜,可重复利用。     

Une méthode de quantification de la dégradation d'un escarpement de faille au cours des cycles climatiques du Quaternaire : la faille de Jobourg (Nord Cotentin,France)Quantification of a fault-scarp degradation through Quaternary: the Jobourg fault (North Cotentin,France)

The degradation of the Jobourg fault-scarp occurred by cryoclastic processes in a periglacial environment during a part of Quaternary time. An attempt of quantification indicates a bulk scarp erosion of about 39 m³ m^?2, while the head accumulated at the bottom of the fault scarp only represents 4.6 m³ m^?2. To cite this article: M. Font et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 171–178.     

Soil degradation: a global problem endangering sustainable development

1 Introduction Soil is not only the major natural resource on which human being depends for the production of food, feed, fiber, renewable energy and raw materials, but also plays a key role in maintaining the complex terrestrial ecosystems and climate systems of this planet. Recent rapid increase in the human population is placing a great strain on the worlds soil resources. Only about 11% of the global land surface covered by the soils are being used to raise crops and livestock, in other …     

Participatory selection process for indicators of rangeland condition in the Kalahari

To develop indicator–based management tools that can facilitate sustainable natural resource management by non–specialists, meaningful participation of stakeholders is essential. A participatory framework is proposed for the identification, evaluation and selection of rangeland condition indicators. This framework is applied to the assessment of rangeland degradation processes and sustainable natural resource management with pastoralists in the southern Kalahari, Botswana. Farmer knowledge focused on vegetation and livestock, with soil, wild animal and socio–economic indicators playing a lesser role. Most were indicators of current rangeland condition; however 'early warning' indicators were also identified by some key informants. This demonstrates that some local knowledge is process–based. Such knowledge could be used to improve indicator–based management tools and extension advice on the livelihood adaptations necessary to prevent or reduce ecological change, capable of threatening livelihood sustainability. There is evidence that social background influences indicator use. Communal farmers rely most heavily on vegetation and livestock indicators, whilst syndicate and land–owning pastoralists cite wild animal and soil–based indicators most frequently. These factors must be considered if indicator–based management tools are to meet the requirements of a diverse community.     

Identification of soil degradation during earthquake excitations by Bayesian inference

A Bayesian inference approach is introduced to identify soil degradation behaviours at four downhole array sites. The approach of inference is based on a parametric time‐varying infinite impulse response filter model. The approach is shown to be adaptive to the changes of filter parameters and noise amplitudes. Four sites, including the Lotung (Taiwan), Chiba (Japan), Garner Valley (California), and Treasure Island (California) sites with downhole seismic arrays are analysed. Our results show two major types of soil degradation behaviour: the well‐known strain‐dependent softening, and reduction in stiffness that is not instantaneously recoverable. It is also found that both types of soil degradation are more pronounced in sandy soils than in clayey soils. The mechanism for the second type of soil degradation is not yet clear to the authors and suggested to be further studied. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

LAND DEGRADATION AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN THE ARID AND SEMI ARID AREAS OF CHINA

Ｉ.ＬａｎｄＤｅｇｒａｄａｔｉｏｎＤｉｓｔｒｉｂｕｔｉｏｎａｎｄＩｔｓＣｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｉｓｔｉｃｓＴｈｅｆａｒｍｉｎｇｐａｓｔｏｒａｌｔｒａｎｓｉｔｉｏｎａｌｒｅｇｉｏｎｉｎｓｅｍｉａｒｉｄｌａｎｄｏｆｎｏｒｔｈｅｒｎＣｈｉｎａｉｓｔｈｅｍｏｓｔｔｙｐｉｃａｌｒｅｇｉｏｎｏｆｌａｎｄｄｅｇｒａｄａｔｉｏｎ,ａｎｄａｌｓｏｔｈｅｒｅｇｉｏｎｗｉｔｈｅｘｔｅｎｓｉｖｅｌｙｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｉｎｇｓａｎｄｙｄｅｓｅｒｔｉｆｉｃａｔｉｏｎ.ＴｈｅｅｘｔｅｎｔｉｓｆｒｏｍＨｏｒｑｉｎＳａｎｄｙＬａｎｄｉｎｔｈ…     

填埋场粘性土防渗层中强化微生物对垃圾污染物的净化作用

如何铺设价廉物关的防渗层,又不需对垃圾渗滤液进行处理,达到环保效果好、成本低的目的,是填埋场防渗衬垫铺设所追求的,但由于科学理论及技术条件的限制,这个目的一直没有达到。通过添加营养菌液强化厌氧微生物对污染物的净化作用,在实验室用土柱进行模拟实验及天然的土柱淋滤净化对比实验,研究了粘性土垫层土中添加营养菌液后,厌氧微生物对垃圾污染物的净化能力的变化,得出了加入厌氧微生物菌液后,可显著地提高微生物在土中对垃圾污染物的净化能力的结论。这为开发价廉物美的垃圾场防渗衬垫打开了思路,为有污染问题的垃圾场提供了一种用微生物治理的方法。