Long‐term effects of revegetation on soil hydrological processes in vegetation‐stabilized desert ecosystems

Planting of sand‐binding vegetation in the Shapotou region on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert began in 1956. The revegetation programme successfully stabilized formerly mobile dunes in northern China, permitting the operation of the Baotou‐Lanzhou railway. Long‐term monitoring has shown that the revegetation programme produced various ecological changes, including the formation of biological soil crusts (BSCs). To gain insight into the role of BSCs in both past ecological change and current ecological evolution at the revegetation sites, we used field measurements and HYDRUS‐1D model simulations to investigate the effects of BSCs on soil hydrological processes at revegetated sites planted in 1956 and 1964 and at an unplanted mobile dune site. The results demonstrate that the formation of BSCs has altered patterns of soil water storage, increasing the moisture content near the surface (0–5 cm) while decreasing the moisture content in deeper layers (5–120 cm). Soil evaporation at BSC sites is elevated relative to unplanted sites during periods when canopy coverage is low. Rainfall infiltration was not affected by BSCs during the very dry period that was studied (30 April to 30 September 2005); during periods with higher rainfall intensity, differences in infiltration may be expected due to runoff at BSC sites. The simulated changes in soil moisture storage and hydrological processes are consistent with ongoing plant community succession at the revegetated sites, from deep‐rooted shrubs to more shallow‐rooted herbaceous species. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Origin of calcium in aerosols over the western North Pacific

Weekly aerosol samples were collected from March 1981 to June 1983 at the six stations in the western North Pacific region and analyzed for Ca and Na. By coupling data with those previously reported for Al (Tsunogai et al., 1985), the following results and conclusion have been obtained. There was a positive correlation between the atmospheric concentration of Al and the concentration of nonsea salt Ca (nssCa). The nssCa/Al ratios from the six stations, however, considerably varied (from 0.84±0.36 to 3.00±1.91), and the ratios were usally larger than those of the crustal average or of usual soil in Japan. The Ca/Al ratios of Asian desert soil and loess vary from 0.52 to 1.29, which are similar to the nssCa/Al ratios of aerosols in the surface air over the western North Pacific region except at Onna, Okinawa. The exception may be due to a local effect of coral. These results suggest that a large part of nonsea salt Ca in the surface air over the western North Pacific is derived from arid regions in Asia and that the nssCa/Al ratio in aerosol varies with that of the source material.     

Rock-magnetic proxies of climate change in the loess-palaeosol sequences of the western Loess Plateau of China

Results of the first detailed study of the climate proxy record in the loess-palaeosol sequence at Xining-one of the few palaeoclimate sites in the currently arid western Loess Plateau of China-illustrate the importance of making many types of rock-magnetic measurements other than susceptibility. A multiparameter approach yielded confirmation that here, as elsewhere in the Loess Plateau, the susceptibility enhancement in palaeosols was caused primarily by ultrafine magnetite and maghaemite. Nevertheless, magnetic enhancement was caused not exclusively by changes in relative grain size, but also by variations in concentration and mineralogy of the magnetic fraction.
The effects of concentration variations were removed through normalization of susceptibility and anhysteretic remanence with saturation magnetization and saturation remanence, respectively. the resulting signal was ascribed more confidently to variation in magnetic grain size, which in turn was interpreted as a better proxy of pedogenesis than simple susceptibility. Variations in magnetic mineralogy were also determined to constrain interpretations further. the data were then used to discuss climate history at Xining. Finally, results from Xining were compared with other western sites and contrasted with eastern sites.
In summary: (1) data is presented from a new Loess Plateau site which also appears to yield a global climate signal; (2) a demonstration is made of a more rock-magnetically robust way to separate concentration, composition and grain-size controls on susceptibility and other magnetic parameters; and (3) models are provided for inter-regional comparisons of palaeoclimate proxy records.     

A ‘mathematical’ spider living on gravel plains of the Namib Desert

In certain areas of the Namib gravel plains a new Ariadna sp. was discovered. It rims its vertical burrow with a stone circle, made on average of seven quartz stones. Some mathematical relationships between hole diameter, stone sizes and weight, and animal size were studied. A correlation was found, and stone selection by this spider postulated. Different hypotheses on the adaptive value of stone circle are suggested.     

中国沙漠植物学术语注释

注释并举例说明我国沙区植物常用术语，如短生植物、类短生植物、替代种、特有种、属的起源中心、发展中心、演替、顶极、偏途顶极等。     

塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘绿洲沙物质粒度特征

运用沉积物的粒度分析方法，研究了塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘绿洲不同类型沙样的粒度参数、粒度频率分布、平均粒径对标准差特性图等粒度特征及其空间关系，为查明沙源物质的性质和风力作用状况，分析风沙运动及风沙地貌形成，建立绿洲防护体系提供依据。     

沙漠边缘地区果园幼树越冬技术措施的研究

调控２年生苹果树灌水次数、时期和土壤管理试验，使７月下旬１００ｃｍ上层含水量为土壤田间持水量的５０％左右，促进幼树根系向下生长、新梢适时停止生长、提早进入休眠准备；１０月上旬冬灌，下旬耕翻土壤、提高地温和降低冻土厚度，下旬耕翻土壤、提高地温和降低冻土厚度，使苹果幼树正常越冬率由对照的５２．４％提高到９７．１％，差异极显著。     

Observations of desert flood bores

Flood bores have been measured in desert stream floods. The bores were steep and small pebbles were observed to be pushed ahead. Bore velocity changed downstream and was controlled by local channel geometry. In narrow reaches, the bore advanced at rates twice those of wide reaches. Mean bore velocity was about 50 per cent of that of mean flow at peak flood discharge. The surfaces of shallow bores were covered by air foams. This was not the case in deeper, faster examples.     

中国北方沙漠地区第四纪研究的新进展

采用第四纪地质工作方法,通过近十年来的野外调查与室内分析工作,对中国北方沙漠地区古风成沙的分布、类型、特征,沙漠及沙漠化的形成时代、发展模式、性质、沉积环境、成因以及防治对策等方面取得了许多新认识。