Vegetation change,erosion risk and land management on the Nullarbor Plain,Australia

 Arid karst landscapes that have been degraded by human activities provide a challenge for rehabilitation and an opportunity to test ideas about the stability and resilience of limestone ecosystems. The Nullarbor Plain is the largest arid karst area in Australia (220 000 km²) and is divided into extensive closed karstic depressions separated by low rocky ridges, while the dominant vegetation is chenopod shrubland. Since European settlement there has been considerable change in the vegetation, with significant reduction in shrub and grass cover over large areas of the plain. These changes are related to a state and transition model of vegetation dynamics which incorporates climatic variability, fire history and grazing pressure from sheep, kangaroos and rabbits. A partial sediment budget using ¹³⁷Cs inventories reveals local and regional patterns of soil redistribution within this arid karst landscape. Rehabilitation of eroded soil in pastoral lands has been accomplished at several sites but is labour intensive and vulnerable to climatic fluctuations. Given the low stock numbers, limited number of people involved, and poor economic returns, it would be sensible to make pastoral activities on the Nullarbor secondary to conservation priorities. This would necessitate a change in land ethic to stewardship, with emphasis on rehabilitation and control of feral animals. Management of increased numbers of visitors to the caves and karst also requires that resource inventories and management plans for each area be drawn up and used. Received: 1 June 1995 · Accepted: 4 December 1995     

2008-2013年库姆塔格沙漠及阿尔金山降水特征

库姆塔格沙漠极端干旱,而其南部阿尔金山比较湿润.研究库姆塔格沙漠及南部阿尔金山的降水特征,对揭示库姆塔格沙漠水源补给机制和地貌形成原因具有重要作用.本文利用中国自动气象站与CMORPH融合逐时降水量0.1°网格数据集,分析了库姆塔格沙漠及阿尔金山的降水特征.结果表明:(1)库姆塔格沙漠降水主要集中在夏季,其他季节降水较少;而阿尔金山降水主要集中在春、秋两季,并存在一条降水量大值带,3月范围最大而夏季消失;(2)阿尔金山对库姆塔格沙漠的水源补给作用主要体现在春、秋两季,夏季降水基本与库姆塔格沙漠持平,春季降水超出库姆塔格沙漠最多;(3)阿尔金山各月平均逐小时降水量演变特征有很大不同,冬季12、1月及夏季6、7月每月逐时降水演变特征以"凌晨型"为主,可能与凌晨云顶辐射冷却引起的大气层结不稳定有关;春、秋两季每月逐时降水演变特征以"午后-黄昏型"为主, 可能与午后太阳辐射地面加热引起的大气层结不稳定有关;2、8月是两种类型的过渡时期.本文研究结果可为探索库姆塔格沙漠水源补给机制以及"羽毛状沙丘"独特的沙漠景观形成原因提供一定的参考依据.     

塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地复合沙垄的流场和上覆沙丘组合及动态特征

复合沙垄是最大的沙丘地貌类型之一，表现为简单沙丘类型的垂直叠加和水平连接，在沙垄的高大地形影响下，沙垄不同部位形成不同的风沙环境特征。以塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地/复合沙垄为例，通过野外实地观测研究其流场和上覆沙丘组合特征。研究结果表明，复合沙垄的流场可分为沙垄迎风坡气流加速区、沙垄背风坡气流转向减速区、垄间粗沙平地气流风速风向恢复区和气流风速稳定区。受沙垄流场和地形的控制，沙垄上覆新月形沙丘链，垄间地分有简单新月形沙丘、沙堆、沙片、侵蚀地、简单线形沙丘。上覆沙丘分布特征表现为：垄间地上覆新月形沙丘疏密度较小，沙垄迎风坡和沙垄背风坡上覆新月形沙丘疏密度较大，而且超过1，说明沙垄迎背风坡上覆沙丘有叠置现象。沙垄上覆沙丘高度自沙垄迎风坡底部到顶部增高，背风坡上覆沙丘高度自沙垄顶部到背风坡底部减小，上覆沙丘在自身形态、地形和流场的共同影响下，存在相对运动，表现为分布进一步集中，因此沙垄有增高的趋势。     

A note on the characteristics and possible origins of desert varnishes from Southeast Morocco. A reply to comments by R. I. Dorn

This reply to Dorn (1989) argues that a biotic origin is not the only way in which desert varnishes may be formed. It is suggested that a variety of initial conditions may result in similar end products. It is agreed that the dissimilar views of the authors may result from their different philosophies concerning the classification of Mn/Fe varnishes.     

Geochemical Information Indicating the Water Recharge to Lakes and Immovable Megadunes in the Badain Jaran Desert

1 Introduction The Badain Jaran Desert, located in western Inner Mongolia, China, has a unique landscape containing 144 lakes (72 of which are still watery) with a total water area of about 23 km2, and the world’s highest stationary sand dunes with a height between 200 m and 500 m. Much attention has been paid to the water recharge of the desert in the past decade. Investigations on the resources of water system there have been performed continuously since the early 1990s, which lead to th…     

A protoceratopsid skeleton with an associated track from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia

The Djadokhta Formation of the Gobi Desert is known for the number and diversity of dinosaur and other vertebrate bones and skeletons found there, but only theropod, hadrosaur and supposed ankylosaurid footprints have been reported from this stratum. Dinosaur footprints are also noted from the Nemegt Formation, and occur as typical dinosaur track accumulations (tracksites). An articulated protoceratopsid skeleton - specimen ZPAL Mg D-II/3 - was collected by the Polish-Mongolian Expedition of 1965 from the Djadokhta Formation of Flaming Cliffs in Mongolia. Recently, the natural cast of a tetradactyl digitigrade footprint was found underneath the pelvic girdle while the skeleton and matrix were being prepared. This is possibly the first find of a dinosaur track in close association with an articulated skeleton. Although Protoceratops is an extremely common dinosaur in Mongolia, its footprints have never previously been reported from the Late Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert.     

生物土壤结皮：荒漠昆虫食物链的重要构建者

干旱荒漠地区由于水分因子的限制,其植被分布以不连续的高等植物斑块与隐花植物及其结皮的斑块镶嵌为其主要特征,构成了独特的荒漠植被景观格局。作为荒漠生态系统的主要组成者,荒漠昆虫与生境的关系,特别是与高等植物之间的食物链关系已得到大量的文献报道。本文基于野外调查和实验室模拟观测,发现了尖尾东鳖甲(Anatolica mucronata)对藓类结皮有取食现象,哈蛃(Haslundichilis sp.)对地衣结皮有取食现象。证实了生物土壤结皮直接参与了荒漠昆虫食物链和食物网的构成,为深入了解生物土壤结皮在荒漠生态系统中的功能和地位提供了实验证据。     

消光法反演腾格里沙漠地区沙尘气溶胶谱分布

对腾格里沙漠4～9月份的整层大气气溶胶的光学遥感观测结果进行了分析。结果表明,由于消光因子对大粒径粒子消光效应的不敏感性,决定了消光法仅可较好地反演粒径在0.1～5μm之间的气溶胶谱分布特征,特别是对0.1～1μm的大粒子谱分布的反演结果更为稳定;腾格里沙漠气溶胶粒度谱分布基本符合Junge谱;浮尘天气的谱分布同干洁晴好天气的谱分布有着很大的差异,浮尘天气下粒径在0.1～1.0μm的大粒子以及粒径>1.0μm的巨粒子数有明显的增加,浓度要比干洁天气下的大几个量级。在干洁晴好天气下,腾格里沙漠的气溶胶是均一的、稳定的,而且>1μm的大粒子浓度很小;气溶胶的谱分布几乎是一致的,谱形大致为Junge谱,在粒度0.4～1.0μm范围内有一明显峰值。     

塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地塔中地区大气气溶胶散射系数影响因子

利用2010年塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地塔克拉玛干沙漠大气环境观测试验站单波段(525nm)积分浊度计和PM10自动监测仪、能见度仪器观测资料,结合塔中地面气象观测资料,分析影响塔中气溶胶散射系数的各因子。结果表明:(1)散射系数和PM10质量浓度具有明显的正相关关系,相关程度秋季最大,达0.96;夏季次之,为0.94;冬季最小,为0.91。(2)质量散射系数3月最小,10月最大;四季中,春季最小,为0.60m2·g-1,秋季最大,为1.38m2·g-1。塔中站气溶胶质量散射系数小于河北张北站、甘肃民勤站、兰州西固区,大于内蒙古锡林浩特站、希腊克里特岛、以色列内盖夫沙漠。(3)能见度与散射系数呈显著负幂相关关系,相关系数为0.80,其中夏、秋、冬季的相关系数都超过了年相关系数,分别是0.913、0.908、和0.857,春季最低为0.723。(4)风速较大时,散射系数的值也比较大,两者呈现正相关关系,相关系数为0.45。散射系数小于500 Mm-1时,主要分布于ENE和NE;大于500Mm^-1以上则主要是在ENE、NE、E风向。在ESE风向时,散射系数的平均值最大,其次是SSE方向上,最小值是S风向。     

Ecophysiology of the saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) in the Saguaro National Monument: relationship to symptoms of decline

The purpose of this study was to examine physiological correlates to the phenomenon of epidermal browning and saguaro decline in Saguaro National Monument. Gas exchange characteristics, surface temperatures, and the extent of epidermal browning in tissues of both healthy and declining saguaro cacti (Carnegiea gigantea) at different solar orientations were examined in eight long-term monitoring plots in the Rincon Mountain District of the Saguaro National Monument near Tucson, Arizona during both wet and dry seasons and years.Daily maximum surface temperatures were greatest on west-oriented tissues, as predicted by a simple model. However, south- and south-west-oriented tissues showed the highest browning indices, suggesting that browning may be more related to cumulative thermal loading than to extreme late afternoon temperature events. During the wet season, maximum nocturnal CO₂uptake rates and total nocturnal CO₂uptake were negatively correlated with browning index. Uptake rates during dry seasons and dry years was minimal, and not related to browning indices. However, healthy tissues of saguaros that also had tissues with high browning indices had wet-season maximum CO₂uptake rates as high as saguaros without damaged tissues, suggesting that the browning is not systemic but rather is tissue- and angle-specific. Instantaneous measures of water-use efficiency did not vary significantly or predictably by angle, but rather were greatest during night-time and in tissues when CO₂uptake was greatest. We suggest that browning symptoms on cacti are most likely due to natural abiotic stress, and are unrelated to systemic pollution stress or increased UV-B radiation.