Calibration of an oscillating nozzle‐type rainfall simulator

Nozzle‐type rainfall simulators are commonly used in hydrologic and soil erosion research. Simulated rainfall intensity, originating from the nozzle, increases as the distance between the point of measurement and the source is decreased. Hence, rainfall measured using rain gauges would systematically overestimate the rainfall received at the ground level. A simple model was developed to adjust rainfall measured anywhere under the simulator to plot‐wide average rainfall at the ground level. Nozzle height, plot width, gauge diameter and height, and gauge location are required to compute this adjustment factor. Results from 15 runs at different rain intensities and durations, and with different rain gauge layouts, showed that a simple average of measured rain would overestimate the plot‐wide rain by about 20 per cent. Using the adjustment factor to convert measured rainfall for individual gauges before averaging improved the estimate of plot‐wide rainfall considerably. For the 15 runs considered, overall discrepancy between actual and measured rain is reduced to less than 1 per cent with a standard error of 0·97 mm. This model can be easily tested in the ?eld by comparing rainfall depths of different sized gauges. With the adjustment factor they should all give very similar values. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Space-time mapping of soil salinity using probabilistic bayesian maximum entropy

The mapping of saline soils is the first task before any reclamation effort. Reclamation is based on the knowledge of soil salinity in space and how it evolves with time. Soil salinity is traditionally determined by soil sampling and laboratory analysis. Recently, it became possible to complement these hard data with soft secondary data made available using field sensors like electrode probes. In this study, we had two data sets. The first includes measurements of field salinity (EC_a) at 413 locations and 19 time instants. The second, which is a subset of the first (13 to 20 locations), contains, in addition to EC_a, salinity determined in the laboratory (EC_2.5). Based on a procedure of cross-validation, we compared the prediction performance in the space-time domain of 3 methods: kriging using either only hard data (HK) or hard and mid interval soft data (HMIK), and Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) using probabilistic soft data. We found that BME was less biased, more accurate and giving estimates, which were better correlated with the observed values than the two kriging techniques. In addition, BME allowed one to delineate with better detail saline from non-saline areas.     

Variographic analysis of tropical forest cover from multi-scale remotely sensed imagery

Tropical forest mapping is one of the major environmental concerns at global and regional scales in which remote sensing techniques are firmly involved. This study examines the use of the variogram function to analyse forest cover fragmentation at different image scales. Two main aspects are considered here: (1) analysis of the spatial variability structure of the forest cover observed at three different scales using fine, medium and coarse spatial resolution images; and (2) the study of the relationship between rescaled images from the finest spatial resolution and those of the medium and coarse spatial resolutions. Both aspects are analysed using the variogram function as a basic tool to calculate and interpret the spatial variability of the forest cover. An example is presented for a Brazilian tropical forest zone using satellite images of different spatial resolutions acquired by Landsat TM (30 m), Resurs MSU (160 m) and ERS ATSR (1000 m). The results of this study contribute to establishing a suitable spatial resolution of remotely sensed data for tropical forest cover monitoring.     

Spatial variability and pattern analysis of soil properties in Dehui city, Jilin province

1IntroductionSoil nutrient, as the synthetic results under the influence of various anthropogenic activities and the factors such as climate and topography, etc., possesses certain spatial distribution characteristics, and certain structural and stochastic characteristics. The study of the differences existing in different parts of the region lays the foundation for adjusting all management measures and all material input capacities and for gaining the maximal economic benefit. Presently, the …     

ASSESSING THE SUITABILITY OF THE EPIC CROP MODEL FOR USE IN THE STUDY OF IMPACTS OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN WEST AFRICA

The EPIC (Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator) crop model, developed by scientists of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has been successfully applied to the study of erosion, water pollution, crop growth and production in the US but is yet to be introduced for serious research purposes in other countries or regions. This paper reports on the applicability of the EPIC 8120 crop model for the assessment of the potential impacts of climate variability and climate change on crop productivity in sub‐Saharan West Africa, using Nigeria as the case study. Among the crops whose productivity has been successfully simulated with this model are five of West Africa's staple food crops: maize, millet, sorghum (guinea corn), rice and cassava. Thus, using the model, the sensitivities of maize, sorghum and millet to seasonal rainfall were demonstrated with coefficients of correlation significant at over 98 per cent confidence limits. The validation tests were based on a comparison of the observed and the model‐generated yields of rice and maize. The main problems of validation relate to the multiplicity of crop varieties with contrasting performances under similar field conditions. There are also the difficulties in representing micro‐environments in the model. Thus, some gaps appear between the observed and the simulated yields, arising from data or model deficiencies, or both. Based on the results of the sensitivity and validation tests, the EPIC crop model could be satisfactorily employed in assessing the impacts of and adaptations to climate variability and climate change. Its use for the estimation of production and the assessment of vulnerabilities need to be pursued with further field surveys and field experimentation.     

HOLOCENE CLIMATE VARIABILITY IN THE DENMARK STRAIT REGION - A LAND-SEA CORRELATION OF NEW AND EXISTING CLIMATE PROXY RECORDS

ABSTRACT. Two well dated Holocene sediment records bordering the Denmark Strait region have been used to reconstruct past climate variability. The content of biogenic silica, classic and organic material and moss in a lacustrine record from Lake N14 has been used to infer past variability in precipitation and temperature in southern Greenland. Sedimentologic and petrologic composition of sand in a shelf sediment record from the Djúpáll trough is used to infer past variability in the northwestern storm activity on northwestern Iceland, which probably also affected the inflow of polar waters from the East Greenland Current. Our evaluation of these records with a number of previous studies from the region documents Holocene climatic optimum conditions peaking between 8000 and 6500 calendar years before present (cal yr BP). Mid-Holocene climate deterioration set in around 5000 cal yr BP followed by a further marked setback around 3500 cal yr BP. A stacking of climate variability on a centennial timescale from previous studies in the area shows a fairly good correspondence to the timing of marked cold and warm events as evidenced from the Lake N14 and the Djúpáll trough records. Cooler periods are explained as the response to marked incursions of ice-laden polar water from the Arctic Ocean to the Denmark Strait region. Cool northerly and northwesterly winds along the East Greenland coast in relation to frequent strong atmospheric low pressure in the Barents Sea, coupled with strong high pressure over Greenland, would have favoured southward export of polar waters. A comparison with the proxy records of nuclide production (¹⁴C and ¹⁰Be) suggests that solar activity may have had some influence on the atmospheric pressure distribution in the Denmark Strait region.     

Homogenization of the Daily Land Surface Temperature over the Mainland of China from 1960 through 2017

Land surface temperature(LST) is one of the most important factors in the land-atmosphere interaction process. Raw measured LSTs may contain biases due to instrument replacement, changes in recording procedures, and other non-climatic factors. This study attempts to reduce the above biases in raw daily measurements and achieves a homogenized daily LST dataset over China using 2360 stations from 1960 through 2017. The high-quality land surface air temperature(LSAT)dataset is used to correct the LST warming biases especially evident during cold months in regions north of 40°N due to the replacement of observation instruments around 2004. Subsequently, the Multiple Analysis of Series for Homogenization(MASH) method is adopted to detect and then adjust the daily observed LST records. In total, 3.68 × 103 effective breakpoints in 1.65 × 106 monthly records(about 20%) are detected. A large number of these effective breakpoints are located over large parts of the Sichuan Basin and southern China. After the MASH procedure, LSTs at more than 80% of the breakpoints are adjusted within +/– 0.5°C, and of the remaining breakpoints, only 10% are adjusted over 1.5°C.Compared to the raw LST dataset over the whole domain, the homogenization significantly reduces the mean LST magnitude and its interannual variability as well as its linear trend at most stations. Finally, we perform preliminary analysis upon the homogenized LST and find that the annual mean LST averaged across China shows a significant warming trend [0.22°C(10 yr)–1]. The homogenized LST dataset can be further adapted for a variety of applications(e.g.,model evaluation and extreme event characterization).     

EH36钢在黄海的初期腐蚀速率的空间变异特征的地统计分析

以黄海海域为研究区,通过动电位极化曲线法获取了出海实测的EH36钢材在2017年8月及12月黄海43个站位的初期腐蚀速率的数据,并以地统计学方法对数据进行分析,探索研究区内EH36钢材的腐蚀速率的空间分布及其变异特征,绘制初期腐蚀速率预测图。结果表明:初期腐蚀速率的分布状况在夏季、冬季呈现不同的特征,夏季分布呈现近岸低、远岸高,中心高、周围低的特点,冬季分布呈现中心及东南部分低、周围高的特征。同时,统计分析表明, EH36钢在黄海的平均初期腐蚀速率,夏季为0.11 mm/a,冬季为0.25 mm/a,并且在夏季和冬季里, EH36钢在黄海初期腐蚀速率分布的空间变异特征明显,空间自相关性强,其中8月的块金值/基台值为0.062,12月的块金值/基台值为0.138,变程在100 km左右。     

西藏羌北高原多格错仁盐湖中更新世晚期以来的环境演化记录

通过对西藏藏北高原多格错仁盐湖湖岸3101cm高度剖面进行地形地貌、地层沉积特征、矿物学特征及粒度、频率磁化率等气候环境变化指标的分析研究发现,整个剖面反映出大致6个较大的气候变化过程：233. 3kaBP～223. 5kaBP气候波动较大,总体趋势气候趋于干冷,期间出现过两次较温暖气候,之后气候逐渐变冷;在223. 5kaBP～213. 6kaBP总体变化为气温大幅度上升,但在期间有一次较大的相对冷干过程;213. 6kaBP～170kaBP之间总体变化气候趋于变冷,中间有2次明显的气候变暖湿过程及两次冷干过程;170kaBP～117. 1kaBP气候转为明显湿热;117. 1kaBP～75. 6kaBP气候变化趋势明显降低;75. 6kaBP～56. 7kaBP气候又明显上升达到湿热状态。以上气候波动规律与极地冰芯记录及深海氧同位素记录的古气候波动规律有很好的一致性,同时本盐湖区与柴达木盆地察尔汗盐湖区的CH0310钻孔及青海湖南岸二郎剑阶地的 QH 86钻孔所揭示的中更新世晚期以来的气候变化的分析对比,发现西藏羌北的多格错仁盐湖区与青海的察尔汗盐湖区及青海湖湖区在更新世中晚期以来的气候环境变迁存在极好的可比性,说明青藏高原的气候演化在中晚更新世以来基本具有一致性,在时间上的微小超前与滞后具有区域上的细微变化,说明气候变迁在不同的区域又具有各自的独特性。