The Spatial Variability of Energy and Carbon Dioxide Fluxes at the Floor of a Deciduous Forest

Fluxes of carbon dioxide, water and sensible heat were measured using three different eddy covariance systems above the forest floor of a closed deciduous forest (leaf area index approx 6). The primary objective was to examine the representativeness of a single eddy covariance system in estimating soil respiration for time scales ranging from one-half hour to more than one week. Experiments were conducted in which the eddy covariance sensors were in one of three configurations: i) collocated, ii) separated horizontally or iii) separated vertically. A measure of the variation between the three systems (CV',related to the coefficient of variation) for half-hour carbon dioxide fluxes was 0.14 (collocated systems), 0.34 (vertically separated systems at 1, 2 and 4 m above the surface), and 0.57 (systems horizontally separated by 30 m). A similar variation was found for other scalar fluxes (sensible and latent heat). Variability between systems decreased as the number of half-hour sampling periods used to obtain mean fluxes was increased. After forty-eight hours (means from ninety-six half-hour samples), CV' values for carbon dioxide fluxes were 0.07, 0.09 and 0.16 in the collocated, vertically separated and horizontally separated experiments, respectively. The time dependence of variability has implications on the appropriateness of using short-term measurements in modelling validation studies. There are also implications concerning the appropriate number of half-hour samples necessary to obtain reliable causal relationships between flux data and environmental parameters. Based on the longer-term measurements, we also discuss the representativeness of a single eddy covariance system in long-term monitoring of soil respiration and evaporation beneath forest canopies using the eddy covariance method.     

On Measuring Net Ecosystem Carbon Exchange Over Tall Vegetation on Complex Terrain

To assess annual budgets of CO₂ exchange betweenthe biosphere and atmosphere over representativeecosystems, long-term measurements must be made overecosystems that do not exist on ideal terrain. How tointerpret eddy covariance measurements correctlyremains a major task. At present, net ecosystemCO₂ exchange is assessed, by members of themicrometeorological community, as the sum of eddycovariance measurements and the storage of CO₂ inthe underlying air. This approach, however, seemsunsatisfactory as numerous investigators are reportingthat it may be causing nocturnal respiration fluxdensities to be underestimated.A new theory was recently published by Lee (1998, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 91: 39–50) for assessing net ecosystem-atmosphere CO₂ exchange(N_e) over non-ideal terrain. Itincludes a vertical advection term. We apply thisequation over a temperate broadleaved forest growingin undulating terrain. Inclusion of the verticaladvection term yields hourly, daily and annual sums ofnet ecosystem CO₂ exchange that are moreecologically correct during the growing season.During the winter dormant period, on the other hand,corrected CO₂ flux density measurements of anactively respiring forest were near zero. Thisobservation is unrealistic compared to chambermeasurements and model calculations. Only duringmidday, when the atmosphere is well-mixed, domeasurements of N_e match estimatesbased on model calculations and chamber measurements. On an annual basis, sums of N_ewithout the advection correction were 40% too large,as compared with computations derived from a validatedand process-based model. With the inclusion of theadvection correction term, we observe convergencebetween measured and calculated values ofN_e on hourly, daily and yearly time scales. We cannot, however, conclude that inclusion of aone-dimensional, vertical advection term into thecontinuity equation is sufficient for evaluatingCO₂ exchange over tall forests in complexterrain. There is an indication that the neglected term,( c¯/ x), isnon-zero and that CO₂ may be leakingfrom the sides of the control volume during the winter. In this circumstance, forest floor CO₂ effluxdensities exceed effluxes measured above the canopy.     

INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE ANALYSES OF CHANGE OF MIOMBO WOODLAND IN TANZANIA AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN LIVELIHOOD

Landscapes bear witness to past and present natural and societal processes influencing the environment and human livelihoods. By analysing landscape change at different spatial scales over time the effects on the environment and human livelihoods of various external and internal driving forces of change can be studied. This paper presents such an analysis of miombo woodland surrounding the Mkata plains in central Tanzania. The rich natural landscape diversity of the study area in combination with its historical and political development makes it an ideal observation ground for this kind of study. The paper focuses on long‐term physical and biological changes, mainly based on satellite information but also on field studies and a review of documents and literature. The miombo woodlands are highly dynamic semi‐arid ecosystems found on a number of nutrient‐poor soil groups. Most of the woodlands are related to an old, low‐relief geomorphology of erosion surfaces with relatively deep and leached soils, or to a lesser extent also on escarpments and steep Inselberg slopes with poor soils. Each period in the past has cast its footprints on the landscape development and its potential for a sustainable future use. On a regional level there has been a continual decrease in forest area over time. Expansion of agriculture around planned villages, implemented during the 1970s, in some cases equals the loss of forest area (Mikumi‐Ulaya), whilst in other areas (Kitulangalo), the pre‐independence loss of woodland was small; the agricultural area was almost the same during the period 1975–1999, despite the fact that forests have been lost at an almost constant rate over the same period. Illegal logging and charcoal production are likely causes because of the proximity to the main highway running through the area. Contrasting to the general regional pattern are the conditions in a traditional village (Ihombwe), with low immigration of people and a maintained knowledge of the resource potential of the forest with regards to edible plants and animals. In this area the local community has control of the forest resources in a Forest Reserve, within which the woody vegetation has increased in spite of an expansion of agriculture on other types of village land. The mapping procedure has shown that factors such as access to transport and lack of local control have caused greater deforestation of certain areas than during the colonial period. Planned villages have furthermore continued to expand over forest areas well after their implementation, rapidly increasing the landscape fragmentation. One possible way to maintain landscape and biodiversity values is by the sustainable use of traditional resources, based on local knowledge of their management as illustrated by the little change observed in the traditionally used area.     

Reviews

Books reviewed:
Australia and New Zealand: Economy, Society and Environment. Reviewed by Terry Birtles
Global Environment Outlook 2000 – UNEP. Reviewed by Chris Park
Environment, Energy and Economy. Reviewed by Gordon Walker
Perspectives on British Rural Planning Policy 1994-1997. Reviewed by Richard Yarwood
Earth Surface Systems. Reviewed by Tony Parsons
Ecoviolence: Links Among Environment, Population, and Security. Reviewed by John Kirkby
Environment and Philosophy. Reviewed by Adrian Martin
Rehabilitation of Rivers: principles and implementation. Reviewed by Lindsey McEwen
Urban Growth and Development in Asia. Volume 1: Making the Cities. Volume II: Living in the Cities. Reviewed by Jonathan Rigg
The Hydrology of the Nile. Reviewed by Declan Conway
Geological Hazards: Their assessment, avoidance and mitigation. Reviewed by John Grattan
Living with the Unexpected: Linking Disaster recovery to Sustainable Development in Montserrat. Reviewed by David K. Chester
People, Land and Water in the Arab Middle East: Environments and Landscapes in the Bilâd ash-Shâm. Reviewed by Marianne Edwards
The Random Spatial Economy and its Evolution. Reviewed by Gordon L. Clark
Sustainable development in Central Asia. Reviewed by Jonathan Warner     

The significance of atmospheric nutrient inputs and canopy interception of precipitation during ecosystem development in piñon–juniper woodlands of the southwestern USA

In arid ecosystems, widely spaced vegetation and prolonged dry periods may enhance canopy capture of nutrients from dry deposition. Additionally, differences in precipitation type, plant canopy architecture, and soil nutrient limitation could affect canopy exchange of atmospherically derived nutrients. We collected bulk precipitation and throughfall underneath piñon pine (Pinus edulis) and one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) along a substrate age gradient to determine if canopy interception or throughfall chemistry differed among tree species, season, or substrate age. The Substrate Age Gradient of Arizona consists of four sites with substrate ages ranging from 1 ky to 3000 ky-old, which exhibit classic variations in soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability with substrate age. Greater nutrient inputs below canopies than in intercanopy areas suggest throughfall contributes to the “islands of fertility” effect. Canopy interception of precipitation did not differ between tree species, but was greater in the summer/fall than winter/spring. We found that net canopy retention of atmospherically derived N was generally greater when N availability in the soil was low, but retention also occurred when N availability was relatively high. Taken together, our results were inconclusive in determining whether the degree of soil nutrient limitation alters canopy exchange of plant growth-limiting nutrients.     

Time of collection and cutting sizes affect vegetative propagation of Boswellia papyrifera (Del.) Hochst through leafless branch cuttings

Boswellia papyrifera (Del) Hochst is a key dry land plant species in the Horn of Africa with high socio-economic significance in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan. In recent decades, populations of this species are declining due to lack of recruitment through natural regeneration. This study investigated the potential of vegetative propagation using leafless branch cuttings as an alternative means of reproduction for the species. The effect of time of collection and cutting sizes (length and thickness) on shooting and rooting of the cuttings was investigated. The effects of these three factors were analysed, two-by-two, in three separate factorial experiments each arranged in a randomized complete block design. Time of collection affected cutting performance: shooting percent, shoot number, cutting vigour, leaf number, leaf length, rooting percent and root length were best when cuttings were collected in February-March, and weakest in May. Medium to long cuttings (1.0 m-2.0 m) and thicker cuttings (0.19-0.27 m) performed better than shorter or thinner cuttings. These results indicate that B. papyrifera is amenable to macro-propagation via leafless branch cuttings. Reproduction of B. papyrifera through macro-propagation may help overcome the population recruitment bottleneck of this important species and will help the long-term yield possibilities of its precious product frankincense.     

安徽省林地“一张图”数据库建设

根据已有的多源数据资料,着重从技术路线、关键问题解决方法等方面,论述了安徽省林地"一张图"数据库建设思想,旨在为其他省市进行该项数据库建设提供技术参考。     

Dating the introduction of cereal cultivation to the British Isles: early palaeoecological evidence from the Isle of Man

The adoption of cereal cultivation is a key benchmark in the transition from Mesolithic hunter–gatherer foraging to Neolithic farming economies, but the nature, timing and ecological–cultural context of the earliest cereal use in the British Isles and northwest Europe is still uncertain. We present AMS radiocarbon dating and fine‐resolution pollen evidence from the Isle of Man for cereal growing in the latter stages of a distinct episode of forest disturbance at almost 6000 yr BP (uncalibrated). The coherent ecological structure of this phase at the fine resolution level suggests that it records cereal cultivation well before the Ulmus decline, rather than wild grass pollen grains. This example is one of a cluster of early dates for cereal‐type pollen near the start of the sixth millenium BP, including several around the Irish Sea, which indicate that the introduction of cereal agriculture probably occurred as early in the central British Isles as in the northern European plain. This early cereal phase is followed later by a probable phase of pre‐Ulmus decline pastoral activity. We also report Mesolithic age woodland disturbance around 7000 yr BP (uncalibrated) and the first radiocarbon dates for mid‐Holocene forest history of the Isle of Man. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

地形对热红外数据反演林地表面温度的影响

基于同日过境的Landsat ETM+和TERRA ASTER影像,评估地形对林地表面温度的影响,并针对复杂崎岖地形建立一个林地表面温度归一化模型,集中研究复杂地形(数字高程模型DEM和山体阴影HS)对地表温度的影响,因此只选择同种地物(林地)用于建模;此外,利用逐步掩膜的方法分析了林地边缘混合像元带(过渡带)对模型反演精度的影响。研究结果表明,地表温度和DEM呈负相关关系,与山体阴影呈正相关关系;两种卫星数据都证实了地形对地表温度的影响,且林地边缘过渡带宽度为30m时模型的精度达到最高。     

疏林草原榆树天然更新研究进展

疏林草原是由稀疏乔木以及灌木和草本植物组成的植被类型,其生态系统结构和功能有一定独特性。目前榆树疏林草原面积减少,榆树种群更新不良可能是重要原因。从种群特征、草树关系、微生境、人类活动等4个方面对榆树种群更新进行总结。主要结论是:随年龄增长,榆树种群表现为由集聚到随机的分布趋势;榆树与草本植物通过占据不同生态位实现共生;植被盖度与微生境、人类活动、围封对榆树更新影响很大。还未见报道的问题有:个体成对现象;种子入侵草地空斑;风蚀和沙埋过程对榆树更新的影响;榆树更新的最佳围封年限。最后,指出榆树疏林研究的未来两大方向是榆树疏林与全球环境变化,榆树疏林与沙地植被恢复。