Water mining from the deep critical zone by apple trees growing on loess

There have been significant recent advances in understanding the ecohydrology of deep soil. However, the links between root development and water usage in the deep critical zone remains poorly understood. To clarify the interaction between water use and root development in deep soil, we investigated soil water and root profiles beyond maximum rooting depth in five apple orchards planted on farmland with stand ages of 8, 11, 15, 18, and 22 years in a subhumid region on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Apple trees rooted progressively deeper for water with increasing stand age and reached 23.2 ± 0.8 m for the 22‐year‐old trees. Soil water deficit in deep soil increased with tree age and was 1,530 ± 43 mm for a stand age of 22 years. Measured root deepening rate was far great than the reported pore water velocity, which demonstrated that trees are mining resident old water. The deficits are not replenished during the life‐span of the orchard, showing a one‐way mining of the critical zone water. The one‐way root water mining may have changed the fine root profile from an exponential pattern in the 8‐year‐old orchard to a relative uniform distribution in older orchards. Our findings enhance our understanding of water‐root interaction in deep soil and reveal the unintended consequences of critical zone dewatering during the lifespan of apple trees.     

Erodibility of low‐compaction steep‐sloped reclaimed surface mine lands in the southern Appalachian region,USA

The use of loose spoils on steep slopes for surface coal mining reclamation sites has been promoted by the US Department of Interior, Office of Surface Mining for the establishment of native forest, as prescribed by the Forest Reclamation Approach (FRA). Although low‐compaction spoils improve tree survival and growth, erodibility on steep slopes was suspected to increase. This study quantified a combined K_C factor (combining the effects of the soil erodibility K factor and cover management C) for low compaction, steep‐sloped (>20°) reclaimed mine lands in the Appalachian region, USA. The combined K_C factor was used because standard Unit Plot conditions required to separate these factors, per Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) experimental protocols, were not followed explicitly. Three active coal mining sites in the Appalachian region of East Tennessee, each containing four replicate field plots, were monitored for rainfall and sediment yields during a 14‐month period beginning June 2009. Average cumulative erosivity for the study sites during the monitoring period was measured as 5248.9 MJ·mm·ha^?1·h^?1. The K_C ranged between 0.001 and 0.05 t·ha·h·ha^?1·MJ^?1·mm^?1, with the highest values occurring immediately following reclamation site construction as rills developed (June – August 2009). The K_C for two study sites with about an 18–20 mm spoil D₈₄ were above 0.01 t·ha·h·ha^?1·MJ^?1·mm^?1 during rill development, and below 0.003 t·ha·h·ha^?1·MJ^?1·mm^?1 after August 2009 for the post‐rill development period. The K_C values for one site with a 40 mm spoil D₈₄ were never above 0.008 t·ha·h·ha^?1·MJ^?1·mm^?1 and also on average were lower, being more similar to the other two sites after the rill development period. Based on an initial K_C factor (K_e) measured during the first few storm events, the average C factor (C_e) was estimated as 0.58 for the rill development period and 0.13 for the post‐rill development period. It appears that larger size fractions of spoils influence K_C and C_e factors on low‐compaction steep slopes reclamation sites. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Concentration–discharge relationships in the coal mined region of the New River basin and Indian Fork sub‐basin,Tennessee, USA

For many basins, identifying changes to water quality over time and understanding current hydrologic processes are hindered by fragmented and discontinuous water‐quality and hydrology data. In the coal mined region of the New River basin and Indian Fork sub‐basin, muted and pronounced changes, respectively, to concentration–discharge (C–Q) relationships were identified using linear regression on log‐transformed historical (1970s–1980s) and recent (2000s) water‐quality and streamflow data. Changes to C–Q relationships were related to coal mining histories and shifts in land use. Hysteresis plots of individual storms from 2007 (New River) and the fall of 2009 (Indian Fork) were used to understand current hydrologic processes in the basins. In the New River, storm magnitude was found to be closely related to the reversal of loop rotation in hysteresis plots; a peak‐flow threshold of 25 cubic meters per second (m³/s) segregates hysteresis patterns into clockwise and counterclockwise rotational groups. Small storms with peak flow less than 25 m³/s often resulted in dilution of constituent concentrations in headwater tributaries like Indian Fork and concentration of constituents downstream in the mainstem of the New River. Conceptual two or three component mixing models for the basins were used to infer the influence of water derived from spoil material on water quality. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Matlab在矿区GPS网间接平差中的应用

针对矿区GPS网间接平差,首先,详细地分析了GPS网间接平差原理,按一定格式将GPS网中的观测数据编制成观测文件,其次,按观测文件的格式编制算法将数据读入并存储,然后用间接平差原理处理得到平差结果,最后绘制网形和误差椭圆并生成平差报告,为矿区控制网的建立和矿区生产管理提供了便利。实验验证了本文程序的实用性。     

High precision analysis of an embryonic extensional fault-related fold using 3D orthorectified virtual outcrops: The viewpoint importance in structural geology

Image-based 3D modeling has recently opened the way to the use of virtual outcrop models in geology. An intriguing application of this method involves the production of orthorectified images of outcrops using almost any user-defined point of view, so that photorealistic cross-sections suitable for numerous geological purposes and measurements can be easily generated. These purposes include the accurate quantitative analysis of fault-fold relationships starting from imperfectly oriented and partly inaccessible real outcrops. We applied the method of image-based 3D modeling and orthorectification to a case study from the northern Apennines, Italy, where an incipient extensional fault affecting well-layered limestones is exposed on a 10-m-high barely accessible cliff. Through a few simple steps, we constructed a high-quality image-based 3D model of the outcrop. In the model, we made a series of measurements including fault and bedding attitudes, which allowed us to derive the bedding-fault intersection direction. We then used this direction as viewpoint to obtain a distortion-free photorealistic cross-section, on which we measured bed dips and thicknesses as well as fault stratigraphic separations. These measurements allowed us to identify a slight difference (i.e. only 0.5°) between the hangingwall and footwall cutoff angles. We show that the hangingwall strain required to compensate the upward-decreasing displacement of the fault was accommodated by this 0.5° rotation (i.e. folding) and coeval 0.8% thickening of strata in the hangingwall relatively to footwall strata. This evidence is consistent with trishear fault-propagation folding. Our results emphasize the viewpoint importance in structural geology and therefore the potential of using orthorectified virtual outcrops.     

Text-mining the signals of climate change doubt

Climate scientists overwhelmingly agree that the Earth is getting warmer and that the rise in average global temperature is predominantly due to human activity. Yet a significant proportion of the American public, as well as a considerable number of legislators in the U.S. Congress, continue to reject the “consensus view.” While the source of the disagreement is varied, one prominent explanation centres on the activities of a coordinated and well-funded countermovement of climate sceptics. This study contributes to the literature on organized climate scepticism by providing the first systematic overview of conservative think tank sceptical discourse in nearly 15 years. Specifically, we (1) compile the largest corpus of contrarian literature to date, collecting over 16,000 documents from 19 organizations over the period 1998–2013; (2) introduce a methodology to measure key themes in the corpus which scales to the substantial increase in content generated by conservative think tanks over the past decade; and (3) leverage this new methodology to shed light on the relative prevalence of science- and policy-related discussion among conservative think tanks. We find little support for the claim that “the era of science denial is over”—instead, discussion of climate science has generally increased over the sample period.     

自动气象观测数据的质量控制

精细化气候变化分析及气候预测服务亟待发展,对高分辨率优质量的气候资料需求不断增长。本文利用缺测率、对比差值、空间一致性、粗差率、一致率5个指标对2009—2014年浙江省2 209个自动站温度数据进行评估分析,运用开放式可调整的评分标准,选取数据质量稳定可靠的站点,满足气候研究与业务的发展需求。共取得91个一级可用站,499个二级可用站,363个三级可用站,一级站主要分布于宁波和嘉兴地区,二级和三级站在各地都有较均匀的分布。在全省气候统计分析中,可以根据需求利用可用站。此外,有可用自动站参与的温度分布图完美呈现了地形对温度的影响,也使城市化发展突显出来,精细化的气候分析能更有效的为高山地区耕种制度及城市建设与规划提供科学依据。     

EnSRF雷达资料同化在一次飑线过程中的应用研究

本文利用包含复杂冰相微物理过程的WRF（Weather Research and Forecasting）模式,针对2007年4月23日发生在我国华南地区的一次典型飑线天气过程,分别进行了确定性预报和集合预报试验,发现确定性预报能大致捕捉到飑线系统的发生发展过程,但对飑线后部的层云区模拟效果较差。集合预报能够有效地减少模式的不确定性,大部分集合成员对飑线的模拟效果优于确定性预报。进一步将集合预报得到的40个成员作为背景场,采用EnSRF（Ensemble Square Root Filter）同化多普勒天气雷达资料,并将分析得到的集合作为初始场进行集合预报,通过与未同化雷达资料的集合对比,考察了EnSRF同化多部雷达资料对飑线系统的影响。结果表明:EnSRF雷达资料同化增加了模式初始场的中小尺度信息,大部分集合成员的分析场能够较准确地再现飑线的热力场、动力场和微物理场的细致特征,并且模拟出飑线后部的层云结构。通过对EnSRF分析的集合进行模拟发现,大部分集合成员较未同化雷达资料时模拟效果有明显改善。同化后的集合预报ETS（Equitable Threat Score）评分最高,其次是未同化的集合预报,确定性预报的最低。     

中国东部夏季暴雨的年代际跃变及其大尺度环流背景

本文利用1960~2011年中国东部地面测站的逐日降水资料和JRA-55再分析资料探讨了夏季暴雨分布的年代际跃变及其相关联的大尺度环流异常特征。基于暴雨频数和占比(夏季暴雨占比是指5~8月暴雨降水量对总降水量的贡献百分比)的分析结果表明:中国东部夏季暴雨分布在20世纪70年代末和90年代初经历两次反相的经向"三极子"跃变。中国东部夏季暴雨的年代际演变过程可分为三个时段:1960~1979年为华南和华北暴雨偏多、江淮流域暴雨偏少的经向"三极子"分布;1980~1991年为南方和华北暴雨偏少、江淮流域暴雨偏多的经向三极子"分布;1992~2011年为南方暴雨显著偏多、华北暴雨持续偏少,逐渐形成经向"偶极子"分布,并导致近十多年我国夏季"南涝北旱"的整体格局。1970年代末(1990年代初)跃变相关联的大尺度环流异常配置:东亚夏季风的减弱(增强),西太平洋副高的增强西伸但南撤(北抬),南亚高压的减弱南缩(增强东扩),以及蒙古高原中低层的气旋式(反气旋式)环流异常。与此同时,低层局地环流也发生调整:华北和黄淮地区以及华南和江南地区均为反气旋式(气旋式)环流异常,而江淮流域和四川盆地受控于风场切变式辐合(辐散)异常;涡度场发生相应变化,南北方大部分地区的负(正)涡度异常不(有)利于低涡的发展,而江淮流域和四川盆地的正(负)涡度异常有(不)利于低涡的发展,进而引发江南和华南暴雨减少(增加)、江淮流域和四川盆地暴雨增加(减少)、黄淮和华北暴雨减少(增加)的经向"三极子"跃变。     

Estimating winter wheat biomass by assimilating leaf area index derived from fusion of Landsat-8 and MODIS data

A sufficient number of satellite acquisitions in a growing season are essential for deriving agronomic indicators, such as green leaf area index (GLAI), to be assimilated into crop models for crop productivity estimation. However, for most high resolution orbital optical satellites, it is often difficult to obtain images frequently due to their long revisit cycles and unfavorable weather conditions. Data fusion algorithms, such as the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM) and the Enhanced STARFM (ESTARFM), have been developed to generate synthetic data with high spatial and temporal resolution to address this issue. In this study, we evaluated the approach of assimilating GLAI into the Simple Algorithm for Yield Estimation model (SAFY) for winter wheat biomass estimation. GLAI was estimated using the two-band Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) derived from data acquired by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) onboard the Landsat-8 and a fusion dataset generated by blending the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data and the OLI data using the STARFM and ESTARFM models. The fusion dataset had the temporal resolution of the MODIS data and the spatial resolution of the OLI data. Key parameters of the SAFY model were optimised through assimilation of the estimated GLAI into the crop model using the Shuffled Complex Evolution-University of Arizona (SCE-UA) algorithm. A good agreement was achieved between the estimated and field measured biomass by assimilating the GLAI derived from the OLI data (GLAI_L) alone (R² = 0.77 and RMSE = 231 g m⁻²). Assimilation of GLAI derived from the fusion dataset (GLAI_F) resulted in a R² of 0.71 and RMSE of 193 g m⁻² while assimilating the combination of GLAI_L and GLAI_F led to further improvements (R² = 0.76 and RMSE = 176 g m⁻²). Our results demonstrated the potential of using the fusion algorithms to improve crop growth monitoring and crop productivity estimation when the number of high resolution remote sensing data acquisitions is limited.