Towards Regional Synergy: Reconciling Rangeland Ecological Functioning with Forage Production of Cultivated Pasture

Animal husbandry and crop farming are specialized for development in separate areas on the Tibetan Plateau. Such a pattern of isolation has led to current concerns of rangeland and farming system degradation due to intensive land use. The crop-livestock integration, however, has been proven to increase food and feed productivity thorough niche complementarity, and is thereby especially effective for promoting ecosystem resilience. Regional synergy has emerged as an integrated approach to reconcile rangeland livestock with forage crop production. It moves beyond the specialized sectors of animal husbandry and intensive agriculture to coordinate them through regional coupling. Therefore, crop-livestock integration (CLI) has been suggested as one of the effective solutions to forage deficit and livestock production in grazing systems. But it is imperative that CLI moves forward from the farm level to the regional scale, in order to secure regional synergism during agro-pastoral development. The national key R & D program, Technology and Demonstration of Recovery and Restoration of Degraded Alpine Ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau, aims to solve the problems of alpine grassland degradation by building up a grass-based animal husbandry technology system that includes synergizing forage production and ecological functioning, reconciling the relationship between ecology, forage production and animal husbandry, and achieving the win-win goals of curbing grassland degradation and changing the development mode of animal husbandry. It is imperative to call for regional synergy through integrating ecological functioning with ecosystem services, given the alarming threat of rangeland degradation on the Tibetan Plateau. The series of papers in this issue, together with those published previously, provide a collection of rangeland ecology and management studies in an effort to ensure the sustainable use and management of the alpine ecosystems.     

The recognition of former melt flux through high‐strain zones

High‐strain zones are potential pathways of melt migration through the crust. However, the identification of melt‐present high‐strain deformation is commonly limited to cases where the interpreted volume of melt “frozen” within the high‐strain zone is high (>10%). In this contribution, we examine high‐strain zones in the Pembroke Granulite, an otherwise low‐strain outcrop of volcanic arc lower crust exposed in Fiordland, New Zealand. These high‐strain zones display compositional layering, flaser‐shaped mineral grains, and closely spaced foliation planes indicative of high‐strain deformation. Asymmetric leucosome surrounding peritectic garnet grains suggest deformation was synchronous with minor amounts of in situ partial melting. High‐strain zones lack typical mylonite microstructures and instead display typical equilibrium microstructures, such as straight grain boundaries, 120° triple junctions, and subhedral grain shapes. We identify five key microstructures indicative of the former presence of melt within the high‐strain zones: (a) small dihedral angles of interstitial phases; (b) elongate interstitial grains; (c) small aggregates of quartz grains with xenomorphic plagioclase grains connected in three dimensions; (d) fine‐grained, K‐feldspar bearing, multiphase aggregates with or without augite rims; and (e) mm‐ to cm‐scale felsic dykelets. Preservation of key microstructures indicates that deformation ceased as conditions crossed the solidus, breaking the positive feedback loop between deformation and the presence of melt. We propose that microstructures indicative of the former presence of melt, such as the five identified above, may be used as a tool for recognising rocks formed during melt‐present high‐strain deformation where low (<5%) volumes of leucosome are “frozen” within the high‐strain zone.     

Adaptive analysis of infinite beams dynamics problems using the periodic configuration update method in the time domain

This paper proposes a new approach for the assessment of the dynamic response of continuously supported infinite beams under high‐speed moving loads. A change in the representation of equations of motion in the dynamics of discrete structures is proposed to obtain an improved accuracy of the numerical integration in the time domain. The proposed numerical method called the “periodic configuration update” or “PCU method” is applied to solve the problem of a vertical moving harmonic load on an infinite classical Euler‐Bernoulli beam resting on a continuous viscoelastic foundation. This study shows the superiority of the proposed method in comparison with other methods presented in the literature that suffer from the material time derivative, i.e., convective terms, that arises from the Galilean transformation. To confront this numerical problem, the PCU method retains the principle of the spatial follow of loads while zeroing the relative velocity with the traversed beam via a step‐by‐step adaptive integration of the equation of structural dynamics. The dynamic load is modeled with high theoretical velocities that can reach the critical velocity of the studied beam with different angular frequencies belonging to moderate frequency range. A parametric study is carried out to analyze the influence of key parameters on the convergence. The obtained results show a high efficiency of the PCU method for solving these types of problems relative to the dynamics of high speed trains/tracks.     

The vertical influence of temperature and precipitation on snow cover variability in the Central Tianshan Mountains,Northwest China

Seasonal snow cover in mountainous regions will affect local climate and hydrology. In this study, we assessed the role of altitude in determining the relative importance of temperature and precipitation in snow cover variability in the Central Tianshan Mountains. The results show that: (a) in the study area, temperature has a greater influence on snow cover than precipitation during most of the time period studied and in most altitudes. (b) In the high elevation area, there is a threshold altitude of 3,900 ± 400 m, below which temperature is negatively correlated whereas precipitation is positively correlated to snow cover, and above which the situation is the opposite. Besides, this threshold altitude decreases from snow accumulated period to snow stable period and then increases from snowmelt period to snow‐free period. (c) Below 2,000 m, there is another threshold altitude of 1,400 ± 100 m during the snow stable period, below (above) which precipitation (temperature) is the main driver of snow cover.     

地形对黄土高原滑坡的影响

高分辨率地形与影像数据的缺乏已成为研究地表现象、特征与过程的重要瓶颈。低成本无人机设备和摄影测量技术的发展,打开了地学领域获取高分辨率数据的大门,大大提高了地质灾害野外调查与灾害编目的精度与效率。本文通过无人机野外调查和遥感室内目视解译,构建了一个包含307个黄土滑坡属性的数据库。在此基础上,通过数字地形分析和数理统计等方法,总结归纳了黄土滑坡样本数据的分布规律,探讨了地形对黄土滑坡分布的影响,阐述了地形相对高差对最长滑动距离、滑坡周长、滑坡面积的影响,提出了基于传统经验公式拟合的滑坡规模快速预测公式。结果表明：① 滑坡规模—频率分布具有明显的规律性,不同最大长度、最大宽度和周长的黄土滑坡数量分布均呈现正偏态分布,而不同面积的滑坡数量分布则服从幂函数分布;② 地形对黄土滑坡发育控制作用明显,不同地形高差、平均坡度、坡形的斜坡单元滑坡发育数量差异较大;③ 地形相对高差与滑坡的最长滑距、周长和面积的拟合曲线很好地符合幂律分布规律,但不同地形区的拟合效果有所差异,黄土丘陵区拟合效果最好,黄土高原全区次之,黄土台塬区最差;④ 本文建立的黄土滑坡规模快速预测模型,为黄土滑坡灾害调查提供了经验公式支撑。     

Incorporating the Istanbul-Ankara high-speed railway into the Belt and Road Initiative: Negotiation,institutional alignment and regional development

This article contributes to a small but growing body of multi-sited and multi-scalar research on the Belt and Road Initiative.We focus on relations at the national,regional and international scales,and present original research from China and Turkey,to show how the Istanbul-Ankara high-speed railway has served as a testing ground for China's Belt and Road Initiative(BRI).Its construction was initially funded by the European Investment Bank,but it is now part of the backbone of the Turkish Government's Middle Corridor plan which enhances west-east connectivity and integration with the Caucasus and Central Asia.We show that in contrast to multinational corporations from the OECD that seek to remain footloose,Chinese state-owned enterprises(SOEs)seek to adapt to,apprehend and ultimately shape local in-stitutions.In the case of Turkey this proved difficult given its institutional alignment with the European Union.Thus,while the railway project was completed successfully by a consortium led by a Chinese SOE,Turkey's dynamic and complex regulatory environment discourages Chinese SOEs in the infrastructure sector.We conclude that the Turkish and Chinese gov-ernments are currently pursuing complementary territorial visions yet their cooperation is project-based and pragmatic.     

陕西省HFRS疫情时空分异特征及影响要素研究

肾综合征出血热（HFRS）主要是由鼠类携带传播汉坦病毒而引起的一类自然疫源性传染病,严重危害着人类健康。陕西省是我国HFRS疫情最严重的省份之一,发病率居全国前列,研究其疫情时空分异和影响要素对指导当地疫情防控具有重要意义。本研究基于2005—2017年县区尺度HFRS发病率数据,采用空间自相关、热点分析等方法分析陕西省疫情时空分异特征,并利用地理探测器探究影响疫情的主要自然环境和社会经济要素。结果表明：2005—2017年陕西省HFRS发病率明显高于全国水平,同时呈现明显的时间波动和空间聚集,平原面积占比、建设用地面积占比、人口密度等因素可以解释约20%的HFRS疫情空间分异;关中平原聚集了陕西省90%以上的高发病县区,其疫情亦呈现明显的空间分异性,主要受降水量、 NDVI、土地利用类型等因素的影响。由此可知,高发病县区聚集、且自然环境和社会经济条件明显不同的关中平原是陕西省HFRS疫情流行的关键地区。因此,建议陕西省HFRS疫情防控应当重点关注降水量、植被状况以及土地利用类型,特别是在土地城镇化水平较高、人口密度较大的关中平原进行有效的防控干预。     

朝鲜2017年核爆对中国东北地区形变场的影响

基于19个连续GNSS观测站的多种采样率（10 Hz、1 Hz和30 s）数据,分析2017-09-03朝鲜核爆对中国东北地区地壳形变场的影响。静态位移分析结果显示,距核爆现场最近的GNSS观测站JLCB没有产生明显的同震形变,与基于均匀半无限弹性空间断裂位错模型正演模拟的结果一致;GNSS应变结果显示,此次核爆在东北区域引起主应变的略微调整,但总体调整量在10-8以内,没有引起区域范围内面应变的变化;高频GNSS动态形变分析结果显示,核爆在JLCB站处没有引起明显的波形变化。另外,高频GNSS受到多路径效应的影响,可能会引起cm级的扰动,利用恒星日滤波方法可以抑制多路径的影响,得到精度更高、更可靠的动态形变结果。     

基于双精度与四精度的重力场解算精度分析

基于动力学方法比较分析了双精度与四精度模式下重力场模型的解算精度,主要包括缔合勒让德函数计算、数值积分器及重力场反演结果。结果显示,在勒让德函数计算方面,部分角度在双精度模式下计算至1 900阶以后会出现溢出问题,而在四精度模式下任何角度都满足精度要求,并且计算结果比双精度模式高8个量级。数值积分器Adams预测校正法积分1 d的位置和速度误差,在四精度模式下比在双精度模式下高4个量级。在精密轨道反演重力场计算方面,动力学方法在双精度及四精度模式下反演结果一致,统计其计算至60阶的累计大地水准面误差为1.29×10~(-5 )m,这是因为动力学方法的线性误差相对计算误差而言是主要误差;非线性动力学方法在四精度模式下比在双精度模式下高7个量级,其大地水准面误差分别为8.92×10~(-15) m和8.16×10~(-8) m。     

基于探空数据的对流层延迟模型精度评估

采用IGRA提供的2017年81个无线电探空站的探空资料,对4种对流层延迟模型在中国区域的精度进行综合评估与分析。结果表明,GPT2w模型的性能要优于依赖气象参数的Saastamoinen模型及基于球谐函数的GZTD和UNB3m模型;GPT2w模型的偏差均值MB(mean bias)和均方根误差RMSE分别为-0.8 cm和4.1 cm,各测站的MB和RMSE分别处于-2~2 cm和1.3~7.9 cm之间。UNB3m模型在中国区域存在较大的MB和RMSE,模型的RMSE最大可达10.2 cm。4种模型的精度对测站纬度具有一致的敏感性,表现为随测站纬度的升高而降低;模型精度呈明显季节性变化,且不同模型对季节的敏感程度有所差异;对流层湿延迟难以精确建模导致模型精度在夏季(RMSE为6~9 cm)低于冬季(RMSE为2~2.5 cm)。