Impacts of climatic change on river runoff in northern Xinjiang of China over last fifty years

The characteristics of climatic change and river runoff, as well as the response of river runoff to climatic change in the northern Xinjiang are analyzed on the basis of the hydrological and meteorological data over the last 50 years by the methods of Mann-Kendall nonparametric test and the nonlinear regression model. The results show that: 1) The temperature and the precipitation increased significantly in the whole northern Xinjiang, but the precipitation displayed no obvious change, or even a decreasing trend in the northern mountainous area of the northern Xinjiang. 2) River runoff varied in different regions in the northern Xinjiang. It significantly increased in the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains and the north of the northern Xinjiang (p=0.05), while slightly increased in the west of the northern Xinjiang. 3) North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) affects river runoff by influencing temperature and precipita-tion. The NAO and precipitation had apparent significant correlations with the river runoff, but the temperature did not in the northern Xinjiang. Since the mid-1990s river runoff increase was mainly caused by the increasing temperature in the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains and the north of the northern Xinjiang. Increased precipitation resulted in increased river runoff in the west of the northern Xinjiang.     

Late Quaternary climatic history of the Chilean Channels based on fossil pollen and beetle analyses,with an analysis of the modern vegetation and pollen rain

Fossil beetles and pollen were examined from an intermorainal bog at Puerto Edén, Isla Wellington, Chile (latitude 49°08'S, longitude 74°25'W). Wood from near the base of the section has an age of 12 960 ± 150 yr BP. Occurrence of flightless beetle species in the basal peat sample is evidence that some members of the biota survived the last glacial maximum in refugia. The assumption that the Chilean Channels were entirely ice-covered is incorrect. Plants and insects that invaded the deglaciated terrain were those of an Empetrum heathland in which patches of Nothofagus forest were restricted to sheltered locations. The climate supporting the heathland is inferred to have been windier and probably drier than that of the present day. From 13 000 yr BP to 9500 yr BP Nothofagus forest expanded, possibly in response to less windiness and more available moisture. Neither the fossil beetle nor pollen data support a return to significantly colder conditions between 11 000 and 10 000 yr BP at the time of the Younger Dryas Stade. From 9500 to 5500 yr BP the climate was as wet as that of the present day, based on an increased representation of the pollen of moorland plants and of aquatic beetle species. From 5500 to 3000 yr BP the climate was drier, as indicated by the expansion of Empetrum heath and the reduction in mesic habitats. From 3000 yr BP to the present-day mesic habitats dominated as the climate returned to a wetter mode. The alternatively wetter and drier episodes are attributed to latitudinal shifts in the position of storm tracks in the belt of Southern Westerlies.     

Revisiting Sustainable Development of Dry Valleys in Hengduan Mountains Region

Dry valleys are a striking geographic landscape in Hengduan Mountains Region and are characterized by low rainfall, desert type of vegetation and fragile environment. Past efforts and resources have been concentrated mainly on rehabilitation of degraded ecosystem and fragile environment, particularly reforestation, while socio-economic development has been largely overlooked. Despite successes in pocket areas, the overall trend of unsustainability and environmental deterioration are continuing. It is important to understand that uplift of the Tibetan Plateau is the root cause of development of dry valleys, and development and formation of dry valleys is a natural process. Human intervention has played a secondary role in development of dry valleys and degradation of dry valleys though human intervention in many cases has speeded up environmental degradation of the dry valleys. It is important to understand that dry valleys are climatic enclaves and an integrated approach that combines rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and socio-economic development should be adopted if the overall goal of sustainable development of dry valleys is to be achieved. Promotion of niche-based cash crops, rural energy including hydropower, solar energy, biogas and fuelwood plantation is recommended as the priority activities.     

中国历史时期气候变化影响及其应对的启示简

The social impact of global climate change is one of the hotspots in the current research. To deal with the challenges from climate change, it could be learned from the adapting experiences and lessons to climate change in the history. The main achievements of cognition on the historical impacts of climatic change in China and on coping with the climate changes in the future based the published papers in recent years is summarized. The followings are the main conclusions. ①The general characteristics of the impacts of climatic change in the history was negative in the cold periods and positive in the warm periods, but there were regional differences in the impact and responses. ②The cooling trend on centurial scale and the social economic decline run concurrently. The rapid development supported by better resources and environment in the warm period could lead to the increase of the social vulnerability when the climate turned to the cold period. ③Strategies and policies to cope with the climate change in the history were adopted according to the temporal and spatial circumstances and the subjects. Initiative adaptation promoted by governments was an effective way.     

我国土壤热流场及与深层大地热流场的比较

本文提出岩石圈内的某些过程是气候变迁的重要原因之一。并依据对土壤热流、大地热流、地震和旱涝关系研究所得到的一些现象和结论,利用气象站地温资料计算了土壤热流,初步分析得到如下主要结论:(1)据线性热传导理论设计的热流的计算方法基本上可以满足多年平均土壤热流场计算精度的要求;(2)平均土壤热流场、深层大地热流场、地震带三者之间有很好的对应关系。平均土壤热流高值带一般都有大地热流高值带和地震带与之对应;(3)土壤热流距平场与汛期降水场有相似的分布形势,土壤热流距平的变化与强震也有一定的联系。     

东北地区以泥炭为信息载体的全新世气候变迁研究进展

泥炭作为一种地质信息载体,在全球环境变化研究中起着越来越重要的作用.我国东北地区地处全球变化的敏感区,泥炭地研究的意义更为显著.笔者针对近年来东北地区泥炭地研究的多种成果,对该区全新世以来泥炭沉积和区域气候变迁历史进行了系统分析.得出:①东北地区泥炭有三次沉积高峰,分别始于早全新世、中全新世与晚全新世初期;②该区10000a以来大体上经历了冷湿-温暖适宜-凉湿-温暖偏干-冷干-寒冷略湿-变暖这样一个气候变迁过程.     

Holocene palaeoflood events recorded by slackwater deposits along the lower Jinghe River valley,middle Yellow River basin,China

Palaeoflood slackwater deposits (SWDs), are the natural record of overbank flooding and are often found within aeolian loess‐soil profiles along the river valleys of the middle Yellow River basin. These pedo‐stratigraphic sequences are studied using a multi‐disciplinarily approach to reconstruct Holocene hydro‐climatic variations. Our field investigations along the lower Jinghe River valley have identified palaeoflood SWDs at several sites along the riverbanks based on sedimentological criteria. Analytical results, including magnetic susceptibility, particle‐size distribution and concentrations of chemical elements, indicate that these well‐sorted palaeoflood SWD beds were deposited from the suspended sediment load in floodwaters. We identify two episodes of extraordinary palaeoflood events along the Jinghe River valley. These hydro‐climatic events were dated to 4200–4000 and 3200–2800 a BP, by using the optically stimulated luminescence method in combination with archaeological dating of retrieved anthropogenic remains, and with pedo‐stratigraphic correlations with the previously studied Holocene pedo‐stratigraphy in the Jinghe River drainage basin. The flooding events are therefore considered to be a regional expression of known climatic events in the northern hemisphere and demonstrate Holocene climate was far from stable. This study provides important data in understanding the interactions between regional hydro‐climatic systems and global change in semi‐arid and sub‐humid regions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Indigenous knowledge of landscape–ecological zones among traditional herbalists: a case study in Keiyo District, Kenya

Object of study is the insight of traditional herbalists in the landscape-ecological factors wich control the growth of the plants they use for healing their patients. The extent of this insight determines their capacity to adapt to environmental changes such as deforestation and soil degradation. This paper deals with the landscape-ecological perception of herbalists who live in an area with sharp landscape contrasts and drastic changes in landuse: the Keiyo Escarpment in the Rift which links the cool and humid Uasin Gishu Plateau at a level of more than 2600 m above sea level, with the warm and semi-arid Kerio Valley at 1250 m. The landuse changes of the last 50 years are caused by growing population density, loss of traditional attitudes towards the value of the land, and changes in forest cover. Data on local knowledge are acquired through interviews and field visits. The corresponding western knowledge is derived from aerial photographs and existing reports and maps. Six landscape-ecological zones are recognized. They are named after topography (wareng, mosop, soin), vegetation (teguming, korget) or landuse (tumdo). These zones coincide with the units of the agro-climatic map of Kenya. Apart from geology, all the factors of the hierarchical model used in western-based landscape ecology (climate, geology, relief, water, soil, vegetation and fauna) are included in the indigenous perception of the landscape, but the hierarchical order is not necessarily the same: e.g. the herbalists assume that rock grows in the soil instead of the other way around, and that forests attract rain. From the herbalists' point of view, deforestation and the establishment of small-holder agriculture is less serious for their trade than the replacement of indigenous trees by plantations with exotic species. They adapt to the loss of the forest by travelling to areas with comparable landscape-ecological conditions or, especially in the case of women and older male herbalists, by planting the required species in the garden. According to the herbalists, good climate and fertile soil stimulate species diversity, but best medicinal performance give plants on soils which are periodically dry.     

中中新世中亚构造抬升驱动气候干旱化：以塔里木盆地东南缘江尕勒萨伊剖面为例

中亚前陆盆地地层中氧同位素和孢粉,以及黄土高原和北太平洋粉尘记录均表明,中中新世(16~12 Ma)中亚地区气候干旱化显著增强。然而,对其驱动机制的认识不一,包括全球降温、中亚地区的构造抬升、高海拔的"原西藏高原"的存在、副特提斯洋的退缩以及上述几者联合作用的结果。不过,全球降温(约14 Ma)、"原西藏高原"的抬升(≥40 Ma)、以及副特提斯洋退缩的时间(34 Ma)与中中新世中亚气候干旱化增强的时间(16~12 Ma)不一致。因此,它们可能是导致中中新世中亚干旱化增强的重要边界条件,或者是有利的辅助条件,但没起直接的主导作用。对塔里木盆地东南缘江尕勒萨伊剖面的前期研究结果表明,阿尔金山快速抬升始于16 Ma。在获得了磁性地层年龄的基础上,前人的碳氧同位素数据指示了16 Ma江尕勒萨依地区气候干旱化逐渐增强。鉴于同时发生,笔者把16 Ma气候干旱化增强归因于此时阿尔金山的快速抬升。从更广范围看,中中新世中亚发生了广泛的的地壳缩短变形和造山运动。对中国黄土高原的红粘土以及北太平洋粉尘沉积的多指标分析(磁化率、粒径、粉尘通量以及物源等)表明,中中新世中亚构造抬升及其引起的雨影效应是中亚气候干旱化增强的主因。     

洞庭盆地中更新世洞庭湖组砾石特征及其意义

对位于洞庭盆地安乡凹陷东南部的两护村ZKC1孔中更新世洞庭湖组砾石层进行了粒度和砾态的统计分析.结果表明,砾石的粒度变化反映出2个较大尺度的由大→小的旋回,早旋回由洞庭湖组下段砂砾层组成,晚旋回由洞庭湖组中段上部的砂砾层组成,反映出中更新世早-中期安乡凹陷的两次由慢→快的幕式沉降过程.在上述2个大的粒度旋回之上,叠加有多个更小尺度的砾石粗、细变化,主要与气候干湿的频繁波动有关.洞庭湖组中段顶部砾石的磨圆度明显偏低,反映其沉积时期盆地沉降和周缘隆起区抬升活动的增强.