LONG-TERM SOIL AND VEGETATION RECOVERY IN FIVE SEMIARID MONTANA GHOST TOWNS*

Five semiarid Montana ghost towns abandoned for more than 45 years were studied to understand better the nature of soil and vegetation recovery following severe human impacts. Discriminant analysis was used to interpret and classify variation among land-use intensity groups. Recovery at the five towns was strongly linked to the degree of the initial soil disturbance, vegetation type, and precipitation. Recovery of the vegetation to ambient conditions was far from complete in all but one town.     

Reporting Bias as a Result of Core Loss at Las Cruces: A Case Study

The most important copper minerals of the Las Cruces deposit in the pyrite belt of southern Spain are supergene enrichment zone sulphides of which chalcocite is the most significant. The deposit is overlain by 140 metres of barren marls and has been explored only by drilling. Drill cores have been split and assayed, but it became clear that there was a substantial problem related to core recovery which affects, in particular, some of the higher grade material. Much of the chalcocite is present in a friable and unconsolidated form and its progressive loss is evident visually in many core samples. The result of this loss of chalcocite is that there is a systematic downward bias on copper assays, leading directly to under-reporting of the copper resource. Studies of the assay data indicate the likely degree of under-reporting, but there is no simple way in which the reported resource estimates can validly be corrected.     

关于测绘数字成果数据远程容灾的研究

解决数据本地集中带来的风险,是测绘资料管理部门面临的重要问题。本文通过对容灾关键技术的研究和对测绘数字成果特点的分析,给出了基于远程容灾技术,建立测绘数字成果异地远程容灾体系的思路。     

Continental shelf nurseries and recruitment variability in American plaice and yellowtail flounder on the Grand Bank: insights into stock resiliency

In 1994, a directed fishing moratorium was declared for Grand Bank American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides) and yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea) stocks because both stocks showed severe declines in abundance from heavy exploitation during the mid 1980s and early 1990s. Four years later, the fishery for yellowtail re-opened while the plaice stock has shown little recovery and the moratorium is still in effect. To assess the possible causes of the differences in recovery between species, we examined the spatial structure and environmental characteristics of the continental shelf nursery habitats of plaice and yellowtail, and their relationship to recruitment variability and overall population size. Depth plays a major influential role determining the spatial pattern and the abundance of juveniles of both species and in the case of plaice the spatial structure of the adult population also determines the amount of nursery area utilised by juveniles. Recruitment variability was higher in plaice than in yellowtail. We found year class synchrony in both species indicating that common environmental conditions and/or biological processes are affecting recruitment in a similar manner. Density-dependent regulation appears to be more severe in yellowtail and this should contribute to a more stable population when compared to plaice. These results are discussed in terms of resiliency of both stocks to over-exploitation.     

汶川地震灾后农田和森林植被恢复遥感监测

2008年汶川8.0级特大地震对当地的生态系统造成了极大的破坏,为了评估5年来灾区农田和森林植被的恢复情况,利用逐年机载高分辨率遥感影像,结合星载遥感数据和地面调查数据,开展了灾区农林植被恢复状况监测。在农田恢复监测方面,结合2008年地震发生后以及2013年5月中旬的机载高分辨率遥感数据,采用目视解译的方式对汶川地震中受损农田的恢复状况进行监测与评估,同时利用GVG(GPS、Video和GIS)农情采样系统的作物种植成数调查结果,分析了灾后作物种植结构的变化。结果表明,灾区1592 ha受损农田,5年后仅有约17.5%得到了恢复和耕种使用。就耕地利用强度而言,重灾区耕地利用率较高,作物种植结构没有发生重大变化。在森林恢复状况监测方面,对典型区(岷江干旱河谷区和盆周山地区的3个重点区域)采用目视解译方式识别出森林变化,并结合大区域尺度规一化植被指数(NDVI)时间序列变化分析,对整个灾区的森林损毁和恢复情况做出评价。监测结果显示,汶川县、什邡市和绵竹市的森林植被恢复情况总体较好,但是一些坡度较大的损毁区、次生灾害频发区的森林尚未恢复,大区域尺度的统计结果显示,地震重灾区的46381 ha重度损毁森林植被和177025 ha中度损毁森林植被区域,完全恢复的区域占13.52%和25.84%,部分恢复的区域都占到50%。在自然恢复较为困难的区域,如汶川县中部和东北部、都江堰市北部、彭州市北部、什邡市北部、绵竹市北部、安县北部及北川县南部等,需要加强人工干预。遥感监测方法既适用于震后的农田和森林恢复状况动态监测,也适用于其他自然灾害发生时对灾区农田和森林植被破坏状况进行应急监测,具有实际应用价值和良好的发展前景。     

注入CO2提高煤层气产能的可行性研究

根据煤储层吸附一解吸机理,首次采用“解吸一注气一解吸”的实验方法,分别进行CH4,CO2的吸附一解吸和CO2注入置换煤层CH4实验,模拟了煤层气井“排采一注气一排采”的增产途径和效果。结果表明：在CH4和CO2二元体系的竞争吸附中,CO2组分的吸附速率是先快后慢,而CH4组分的吸附速率先慢后快,解吸时则相反,反映出CO2在竞争吸附中占据优势;注入CO2气体的数量越大和相对浓度越高,单位压降CH4解吸率和CO2吸附率就越高。实验结论对工业规模的煤层气开发试验具有指导意义。     

富火山物质烃源岩评价方法——以北疆石炭系为例

正新疆北部石炭系发育一套巨厚的混杂有火山物质的烃源岩。有机质丰度以及类型等指标显示具有作为烃源岩的潜力。笔者综合运用薄片等分析资料将其划分为凝灰岩、沉凝灰岩、凝灰质泥岩、含碳质泥岩,并分类研究了其地球化学特征。针对富火山物质烃源岩成熟度高、有机质丰度低的特点,首次运用生烃模拟实验结合数值模拟开展其有机碳含量恢复,建立了不同火山物质含量烃源岩有机     

Short-Term Morphological and Shoreline Changes at Trinkat Island,Andaman and Nicobar,India, After the 2004 Tsunami

The tsunami waves generated during the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 26 December 2004 devastated the coastal area along Trinkat Island, causing sudden changes to the morphology of the landforms. This study uses a series of satellite images to record the short-term morphological response and shoreline changes as well as the recovery of coastal land after its destruction. Results indicate that the island experienced substantial erosion and a significant reduction in land area. Shoreline erosion is more prevalent than accretion at an average linear regression rate of ～?9 m per year between 2004 and 2013. The major morphological changes at Trinkat Island were observed in coastal inlets, beaches, and bay head-lands. Straight beaches had almost recovered eight years after the tsunami; however, erosion is continually observed in other areas. Our study will help understanding the response and recovery of shorelines in Indian Ocean regions after the 2004 tsunami.     

A comparison of the effectiveness of the roots of two grass species in reducing soil erosion on alluvial fans in south-east China

The effects of root systems on soil detachment by overland flow are closely related to vegetation types. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of two gramineous roots (Paspalum mandiocanum with shallow roots and Pennisetum giganteum with deep roots) on soil detachment capacity, rill erodibility, and critical shear stress on alluvial fans of benggang in south-east China. A 4-m-long and 0.12-m-wide flume was used. Slope steepness ranged from 9% to 27%, and unit flow discharge ranged from 1.39 × 10⁻³ to 4.19 × 10⁻³ m² s⁻¹. The mean detachment capacities of P. mandiocanum and P. giganteum lands were 18% and 38% lower than that of bare land, respectively, and the effects of root on reducing soil detachment were mainly reflected in the 0- to 5-cm soil layer. The most important factors in characterizing soil detachment capacity were root length density and soil cohesion, and soil detachment capacity of the two grass lands could be estimated using flow shear stress, soil cohesion, and root length density (NSE = 0.90). With the increase in soil depth, rill erodibility increased, whereas shear stress decreased. The mean rill erodibilities of P. mandiocanum and P. giganteum lands were 81% and 61% as much as that of bare land, respectively. Additionally, rill erodibilities of the two grass lands could be estimated as an exponential function by root length density and soil cohesion (NSE = 0.88). The mean critical shear stress of P. mandiocanum and P. giganteum lands was 1.29 and 1.39 times that of bare land, respectively, and it could be estimated with a linear function by root length density (NSE = 0.76). This study demonstrated that planting of the two grasses P. mandiocanum and P. giganteum could effectively reduce soil detachment and enhance soil resistance to erosion on alluvial fans, with the deep roots of P. giganteum being more effective than the shallow roots of P. mandiocanum. The results are helpful for understanding the influencing mechanism of root systems on soil detachment process.     

Stormflow threshold behaviour in a subtropical mountainous headwater catchment during forest recovery period

Forest ecohydrological feedbacks complicate the threshold behaviour of stormflow response to precipitation or wetting conditions on a long-term scale (e.g. several years). In this study, the threshold behaviours in an evergreen-deciduous mixed forested headwater catchment in southern China were examined during 2009–2015, when damaged vegetation was recovering after the great 2008 Chinese ice and snowstorm. The non-uniqueness of the thresholds and the slow and rapid responses of stormflow at the outlet of the catchment in different hydro-climate datasets with different maximum values of gross precipitation (P) and sums of precipitation and antecedent soil moisture index (P + ASI) were assessed. The thresholds of P and P + ASI required to trigger stormflows (i.e. ‘generation thresholds’) and the transition from slow to rapid responses of stormflow (i.e. ‘rise thresholds’) were compared both seasonally and annually. The results indicated significant differences in the analysed datasets, highlighting the need to compare thresholds with care to avoid misinterpretation. Seasonal variations in threshold behaviours in the catchment suggested that vegetation canopy interception contributed to higher rise thresholds, and wetter conditions resulted in higher runoff sensitivity to precipitation during the growing and rainy seasons. Furthermore, the generation thresholds were higher in the dormant season, possibly due to drier soil moisture conditions in the near-channel areas. During the vegetation recovery period, the annual generation thresholds increased, however the rise thresholds did not exhibit a similar trend. The rapid stormflow response above the threshold decreased, possibly due to transpiration and interception of the recovered vegetation. However, the slow stormflow response to small rainfall events below the thresholds was higher in wetter years but lower in drier years, suggesting that the total water input dominated the stormflow response during small rainfall events. In conclusion, the seasonal and annual variations in threshold behaviours highlight that vegetation recovery and hydro-climatic conditions had a notable impact on the stormflow response.