Land degradation assessment with the aid of geo‐information techniques

This research integrated selected land degradation indicators (vegetation cover, proportion of drifting sand area, desertification rate, and population pressure) with geo‐information techniques (remote sensing, geographic information system and global positioning system) to assess the severity of land degradation risk. The northern part of Shaanxi province in China was taken as a case study. A computerized land degradation severity assessment was implemented, and ERmapper ver.6.2 and ARC/INFO GIS ver.8.3 environments were used to manage and manipulate thematic data, and to process satellite images and tabular data. Two Landsat TM images in October 1987 and October 1999 were used to produce land use/cover maps of the study area based on the maximum likelihood classification method. These maps were then used to generate land use, land cover change, vegetation degradation and land degradation maps for the study area during the study period, and their corresponding data were integrated into a systematic analysis. Results showed that the overall severity of land degradation in the study area worsened during the study period from 1987 to 1999 with severely, highly and moderately degraded land accounting for 73·8 per cent of the total area. While the area affected by desertification has increased, the rate of desertification has also accelerated to reach 41·5 km² a^?1. Risk of land degradation in the study area has increased, on average, by 39·4 per cent since 1987. Incorporation of both natural and anthropogenic factors in the analysis provided realistic assessment of the risk of desertification. The study area, in general, is exposed to a high risk of land degradation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physical modelling of fault scarp degradation under freeze–thaw cycles

Physical modelling has been developed in order to simulate the effects of periglacial erosion processes on the degradation of slopes and scarps. Data from 41 experimental freeze–thaw cycles are presented. They attest to the efficiency of periglacial processes that control both erosion and changes in scarp morphology: (i) cryoexpulsion leads to an increase of scarp surface roughness and modifies significantly the internal structure of the active layer; (ii) combined effects of frost creep and gelifluction lead to slow and gradual downslope displacements of the active layer (0·3 cm/cycle); (iii) debris flows are associated with the most significant changes in scarp morphology and are responsible for the highest rate of scarp erosion; (iv) quantification of the erosion rate gives values close to 1 cm³ cm^?2 for 41 freeze–thaw cycles. These experimental results are consistent with field data acquired along the La Hague fault scarp (Normandy, France) where an erosion rate of 4·6 ± 1 m³ m^?2 per glacial stage has been computed from the volume of natural slope deposits stored during the Weichselian glacial stage. These results show that moist periglacial erosion processes could lead to an underestimation of Plio‐Quaternary deformation in the mid‐latitudes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The geomorphologic forcing of wild boars

Among the main invasive species, the wild boar (Sus scrofa) is the most responsible for soil degradation in Europe and many Italian regions. At the same time, the stable presence of this species in agricultural areas has induced a conflict with humans, causing economic losses, environmental degradation and also social issues. A clear quantification of the potential damages (in terms of soil bioturbation) of this species at large scale is, however, still obscure. The purpose of this research is to analyse the role of wild boars as a geomorphologic agent, presenting a general diagnostic framework regarding the geomorphic impact of this species, classifying and mapping potential sediment hotspots and their likely connection to rivers and road networks. Accordingly, a record of wild boar damage types is first presented, and their possible interaction with hydrological and geomorphological processes is described. Then, a pilot case study is discussed on mapping and quantifying wild boar damages in a hilly agricultural landscape located in northeast Italy. The wild boar damages were geolocalized using a geographical positioning system (GPS) in two years of intensive field campaigns among agricultural fields involved in wild boar damaging activities. For each damaged area (total 406), several measures of soil erosion depth were taken and the degradation surface of interest mapped for a total of 10 150 measures. The volume of removed soil was then estimated, considering the average depth of damages previously recorded. Finally, the Index of Connectivity was applied to provide a classification of the considered damages based on their connection to both river and road networks. The results indicate that the ongoing uncontrolled wild boar expansion may not affect crops only or be a risk for people, but can also increase soil erosion, with a potential connection to hydrographic networks and human infrastructures. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis and prevention measures for typical geological disasters formation and mechanisms within permafrost zone of Greater Khingan Range

The types, factors and formation conditions of typical geological disasters within the permafrost zone in the Greater Khingan Range area of Heilongjiang province were analysed in the paper. The formation mechanism behind geological disasters was illustrated, and the development trend, prevention programs and effects of the typical disaster on communities, agricultural lands and landscapes were reviewed.     

青藏工程走廊典型热融灾害现象及其热影响研究

在全球变暖及人类工程活动的影响下,青藏工程走廊内的热融灾害普遍发育。研究走廊内各类热融灾害的发育现状及其对多年冻土的热影响对今后的工程规划和冻土环境保护具有一定的指导意义。本文通过大量的野外调查工作,总结了走廊内热融灾害的类型及其发育现状,并选取3种典型热融灾害进行现场地温监测,分析其对多年冻土的热影响方式和程度。研究结果表明：3种热融灾害对其发育区域及附近的多年冻土都产生了巨大的热影响,热融滑塌和热融沟主要影响浅层的地温状况,而热融湖塘的影响范围更大,其发育甚至会导致湖塘下部形成多年融区。此外,侧向热流计算结果表明,3种热融灾害全年都在向其周边的多年冻土放热,通过对比发现热融湖塘的侧向热侵蚀能力最强,其次是热融沟,侧向热侵蚀最小的是热融滑塌。     

Desertification in reverse? Observations from northern Burkina Faso

The idea of degradation of arid and semi-arid lands, often termed desertification in its irreversible form, due to human impact and/or climatic change has been much debated since the mid-1970s. From the time of the United Nation's Conference On Desertification in Nairobi, 1976, certain areas of northern Burkina Faso have been pointed out as examples of severe desertification. Several studies demonstrated that revitalization of a series of E–W oriented fossille dunes in the Oudalan province was ongoing. The present study includes an analysis of the trends of vegetation development in the region, covering the period 1955 to 1994, with emphasis on the fossile dunes. It is demonstrated that desertification and revitalization of dunes were phenomena associated with the period between the early 1970s and the mid-1980s, and that the decline in vegetation cover on the dunes seems to have been reversed in recent years. The analysis is based upon time series of aerial photos and satellite images, field studies of vegetation, interviews with local people and review of relevant literature. The findings are discussed with reference to the debate concerning desertification and land degradation, as well as to the current revisions of the ‘range management paradigm’. The observations indicate that the environmental history of the region is complex and cannot be boiled down to ‘human-induced irreversible degradation’. Rather they support the idea of semi-arid cultural landscapes undergoing constant change in response to both human impact and climatic trends and fluctuations.     

APGIS文件与MAPCAD文件格式转换

本文论述了将MAPGIS文件格式“降级”为MAPCAD文件格式的方法技术 ,并提供了一个实用的QBASIC语言程序。这是对电脑数字制图中文件格式转换的一个完善与补充     

Nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics during runoff events over a transition from grassland to shrubland in the south‐western United States

During the last 150 years, land degradation across the semi‐arid grasslands of the south‐western United States has been associated with an increase in runoff and erosion. Concurrent with this increase in runoff and erosion is a loss of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), which are plant‐essential nutrients. This study investigates the runoff‐driven redistribution and loss of dissolved and particulate‐bound N and P that occurs during natural runoff events over a trajectory of degradation, from grassland to degraded shrubland, in central New Mexico. Runoff‐driven nutrient dynamics were monitored at four stages over a transition from grassland to shrubland, for naturally occurring rainfall events over 10 × 30 m bounded runoff plots. Results show that particulate‐bound forms of N and P are responsible for most of N and P lost from the plots due to erosion occurring during runoff events. Results suggest that for high‐magnitude rainfall events, the output of N and P from the plots may greatly exceed the amount input into the plots, particularly over shrub‐dominated plots where erosion rates are higher. As these results only become apparent when monitoring these processes over larger hillslope plots, it is important to recognize that processes of nutrient cycling related to the islands of fertility hypothesis may have previously been overstated when observed only at smaller spatial scales. Thus, the progressive degradation of semi‐arid grassland ecosystems across the south‐western United States and other semi‐arid ecosystems worldwide has the potential to affect N and P cycling significantly through an increase in nutrient redistribution and loss in runoff. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Regeneration of Rhodamine B Loaded Modified Biosorbent by a Self‐Cleaning Eluent: TiO2 Hydrosol

Waste beer yeast was modified by pyromellitic dianhydride to improve its adsorption capacity for rhodamine B (RhB). Results showed that the adsorption capacity of the modified biomass for RhB was 600 mg g^?1, which was about five times than that obtained on the unmodified biomass. Dye loaded modified biomass was regenerated by (1) a common eluent: HNO₃ solution and (2) a self‐cleaning eluent: TiO₂ hydrosol, while the pH of both systems varied from 1 to 4. Desorption experimental results showed that low desorption rates were obtained in both systems after the first desorption cycle. A large volume of HNO₃ solution was needed to obtain high desorption rate, and a concentrated solution of RhB was left, which brought a secondary pollution. As a self‐cleaning eluent, acid TiO₂ hydrosol acted both as eluent and photocatalyst. The desorbed RhB could be photodegraded under sunlight irradiation and the same hydrosol could be used in the next desorption cycle without losing its activity, which could economize large volumes of solvent. The results showed an adsorption capacity of the regenerated biosorbent for RhB of 450 mg g^?1 by using hydrosol with pH 2 as eluent after four desorption/photodegradation cycles.     

Differential kinetics and temperature dependence of abiotic and biotic processes controlling the environmental fate of TNT in simulated marine systems

This work seeks to understand how the balance of abiotic and biotic kinetic processes in sediments control the residual concentration of TNT in marine systems after release from ocean-dumped source. Kinetics of TNT disappearance were followed using marine sediments at different temperatures and under both biotic and presumably abiotic conditions (through sodium azide addition). Sediments exhibiting the highest rate of TNT disappearance under biotic conditions also exhibited the highest sorption affinity for TNT under abiotic conditions. Significant temperature dependence in the abiotic processes was observed in the diffusion coefficient of TNT and not sediment sorption affinity. At higher temperature, kinetics of biotic processes outpaced abiotic processes, but at low temperature, kinetics of abiotic processes were much more significant. We concluded that the differential influence of temperature on the kinetics of abiotic and biotic processes could provide distinguishing predictions for the potential residual concentration of TNT contamination in marine-sediment systems.