The effect of radiation on seedling growth and physiology in four species of Prosopis L. (Mimosaceae)

Domestication of wild plants needs efforts focused particularly on the development of the theoretical basis of plant responses to environmental conditions. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of radiation on seedling growth and physiology of Prosopis alba, P. chilensis, P. flexuosa and P. glandulosa. Seedlings were grown in a greenhouse and randomly assigned to three light environments: full-sun, 52% sun, and 38% sun. No significant differences were found in the rate of leaf appearance and plant height 60 days after the light treatments began. Instantaneous CO₂uptake was not affected by the light environment during leaf development and did not differ among species. Variations in radiation availability resulted in significant differences in biomass accumulation, shoot/root ratio, protein and total non-structural carbohydrates contents. The practice of shading seedlings reduces the chances of survival ofProsopis due to an increase of the shoot/root ratio and a reduction of total biomass, stored carbohydrates, and the C:N balance.     

Effects of substrate differences on water availability for Arctic lichens during the snow-free summers in the High Arctic glacier foreland

We used observational and experimental analyses to investigate the photosynthetic activity and water relationships of five lichen species attached to different substrates in a glacier foreland in the High Arctic, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (79°N) during the snow-free season in 2009 and 2010. After the rains ceased, lichens and their attached substrates quickly dried, whereas photosynthetic activity in the lichens decreased gradually. The in situ photosynthetic activity was estimated based on the relative electron transportation rate (rETR) in four fruticose lichens: Cetrariella delisei, Flavocetraria nivalis, Cladonia arbuscula ssp. mitis, and Cladonia pleurota. The rETR approached zero around noon, although the crustose lichen Ochrolechia frigida grown on biological soil crust (BSC) could acquire water from the BSC and retain its WC to perform positive photosynthesis. The light-rETR relationship curves of the five well-watered lichens were characterized into two types: shade-adapted with photoinhibition for the fruticose lichens, and light-adapted with no photoinhibition for O. frigida. The maximum rETR was expected to occur when they could acquire water from the surrounding air or from substrates during the desiccation period. Our results suggest that different species of Arctic lichens have different water availabilities due to their substrates and/or morphological characteristics, which affect their photosynthetic active periods during the summer.     

International trade buffers the impact of future irrigation shortfalls

There is increasing interest in the water–food nexus, especially the restrictive effect of water on food production in hot spots where irrigation stress is growing. However, little is known about the larger-scale implications of future irrigation shortfalls for global trade and economic welfare, as well as of the potential buffering impacts of international trade on the local impacts of irrigation shortage. In this paper, we utilize a recently developed model, GTAP-BIO-W, to study the economic effects of changes in irrigation outlook for 126 river basins, globally by 2030. Projected irrigation availability is obtained from the IMPACT-WATER model, and imposed upon the present-day economy. Irrigation availability in 2030 is expected to drop by 30–60% in several key rivers basins, including: Hai He, Indus, Luni, and the Eastern Mediterranean basin, leading to significant output declines in China, South Asia, and the Middle East. We find that the regional production impacts of future irrigation water shortages are quite heterogeneous, depending on the size of the shortfall, the irrigation intensity of crop production, the possibility of expanding rainfed areas, as well as the crop mix. These changes in regional output significantly alter the geography of international trade. To compensate for the loss of productivity caused by the irrigation constraint, an estimated 7.6 million hectares of cropland expansion is needed to meet the demand for food. In spite of the remarkable reduction of irrigation in some basins, the resulting welfare impact is relatively modest as a result of the buffering capacity of global markets. The global welfare loss amounts to $3.7 billion (2001 prices) and results from a combination of the reduction in irrigation availability as well as the interplay with agricultural support policies.     

基于集群技术的“天地图”运行支持环境设计

在分析基于互联网的地理信息在线服务特点和网站服务质量需求的基础上,对服务器高可用性、负载均衡技术与构建方式、调度算法进行了讨论,给出了天地图网站高可用性服务器集群和负载均衡服务器集群的设计模型,描述了相关的设备部署、调度算法和健康性检测等方面的设计内容;同时,讨论了文件和关系型数据库服务器集群的具体应用。     

Bioavailability and Interaction of Si and P in a Coastal Saline Soil Amended with Pig Slurry

The effects of widely applied organic waste amendment on soil Si and P bioavailability and their interaction have rarely been investigated. The study examined bioavailability and interaction of Si and P in response to pig slurry (PS) amendment in a coastal saline (CS) soil. The final purposes of the study are to assess fertilizer Si and P needs and to ensure environmental quality. The results show that PS amendment can cause accumulation of bioavailable Si in surface soil (0–20 cm), and significantly improve both soil bioavailable P content and soil P lability through PS‐Si and P input, and by the input of PS‐organic matter (OM) and enhancing the complexation of OM with soil Si and P. As a result of the Si‐P competitive sorption, Si shows a more rapid increase in bioavailability than P at the preliminary stage of PS amendment. However, under the weakly alkaline conditions as a result of relatively long term PS amendment, the fixation capacity of Si by soil solid components increases causing a rapider decline of Si bioavailability than that of P.     

不同高度截止角下BDS/GPS定位分析

研究了BDS/GPS联合RTK定位的理论和算法,主要包含了BDS/GPS组合系统在不同高度截止角下的可视卫星数与PDOP值的比较;BDS与GPS观测量精度的初步评估;双频联合RTK定位的模糊度解算和定位性能的分析等。得出如下结论:BDS/GPS组合系统的可视卫星数相对单系统明显增多,PDOP值减小,在大高度截止角下,其空间几何强度依然很高;随着高度截止角的增大,BDS与GPS受多路径影响明显减弱,其中GEO卫星受多路径影响最大;BDS观测量精度与GPS相当。BDS/GPS双频联合定位的定位精度相对于GPS或BDS虽没有明显提高,但在大高度截止角下,依然可以成功固定模糊度并实现高精度定位。这将显著改善GPS或BDS单系统双频RTK定位在受遮挡环境下的可用性和可靠性。     

Effect of climate change on drinking water supply in Santiago de Chile

Climate change is likely to increase the occurrence of floods and flashfloods that affect Santiago de Chile's drinking water supply system throughout the 21st century. A relationship between flashfloods in the Maipo River--Santiago's main raw water source, drainage area in the Maipo Alto Sub Basin and precipitation 48 hours previous to the event was found. Despite having legal guidelines to guarantee continuity and stability in water supply, Chilean law does not specify the maximum admissible magnitude of an event. A 12% drop of average monthly flow at Maipo en El Manzano Station was estimated for the 2035-2065 period due to climate change, meaning water suppliers would not be able to meet 90% monthly water supply security, required by Chilean law. Water suppliers would need to increase their current allotted quota of the Maipo River, from 24.5% to a percentage between 26% and 30% to comply. If the 0 °C isotherm keeps increasing its elevation through the 21st century, more intense floods could occur because of additional drainage area granted by the elevation of the snow line, even if precipitation does not suffer a significant change. In order to withstand a five day turbidity event, 2 m 3 /s of groundwater, or any non river source, should be temporarily incorporated to the emergency drinking water production.     

Evaluation and fusion of SST data from MTSAT and TMI in East China Sea, Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea in 2008

Two typical satellite sea surface temperature (SST) datasets, from the Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager (TMI), were evaluated for the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea throughout 2008. Most monthly-mean availabilities of MTSAT are higher than those of TMI, whereas the seasonal variation of the latter is less than that of the former. The analysis on the one-year data shows that the annual mean availability of MTSAT (61%) is greater than that of TMI (56%). This is mainly because MTSAT is a geostationary satellite, which achieves longer observation than the sun-synchronous TMI. The daily availability of TMI (28%-75%) is more constant than that of MTSAT (9%-93%). The signal of infrared sensors on MTSAT is easily disturbed on cloudy days. In contrast, the TMI microwave sensor can obtain information through clouds. Based on in-situ SSTs, the SST accuracy of TMI is superior to that of MTSAT. In 2008, the root mean square (RMS) error of TMI and MTSAT were 0.77 K and 0.84 K, respectively. The annual mean biases were 0.14 K (TMI) and -0.31 K (MTSAT). To attain a high availability of SSTs, we propose a fusion method to merge both SSTs. The annual mean availability of fusion SSTs increases 17% compared to MTSAT. In addition, the availabilities of the fusion SSTs become more constant. The annual mean RMS and bias of fusion SSTs (0.78 K and -0.06 K, respectively) are better than those of MTSAT (0.84 K and -0.31 K).