Decline of the mid‐ to late Holocene forests in China: climatic change or human impact?

Fossil pollen data from China indicate continued forest decline during the mid‐ to late Holocene in most regions north of the Yangtze River. The earliest forest decline can be detected ca. 5000 yr BP in the middle and lower Yellow River regions. North, northeast and northwest from this region, forest decline became progressively later, and almost no decline took place in the northernmost part of northeast China and in the remote areas of west China during the last 5000 yr. Climate changes could hardly account for the temporal and spatial patterns of the forest decline. Instead, anthropogenic disturbance may have been of overwhelming importance. Ancient agriculture and high‐density settlement expanded outward from the middle and lower Yellow River regions in similar patterns to those of forest change. This study also indicates that land‐use and land‐cover changes may have started in the early stage of Chinese civilization in an extensive area of the country. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Systems of agriculture farming in the Uttranchal Himalaya,India

Agricultural practices are the main stay of the people of Uttranchal. Out of the total population,more than 75% people are engaged either with the main occupation of agriculture or its allied practices,dominated by traditional subsistence cereal farming.Among them, the main crops are rice, wheat, millet,barley, all types of pulses, all types of oilseeds and almost all types of fruits. The crops, vegetables and fruits of all varieties are grown in the different climatic zones such as tropical, temperate, and cold because, the region is characterized by the different altitudinal zones elevated from 200 m to more than 8000m. As a result, different climates are found from hot tropical to sub temperate and chilly cold. Pulses varieties are grown extensively. Among vegetables,potato, onion, carrot, all types of green leaf vegetables,brinzal, pumpkin, ladyfinger, pea, gram, radish,ginger, garlic, etc, are grown widely. All fruit varieties are grown in the different altitudinal zones. The mainfruits are orange, malta (a big size of orange),elephant citrus, lemon and all other types of citrus,apple, stone fruits including peach and pears, manykinds of nuts, and the fruits which are grown in the low lying areas. In spite of feasible climatic conditions,agricultural dominant society, and availability of all types of crops, the production and productivity of these crops are very low, even they are unable to meet the grain-need of the people in Uttaranchal. Agricultural crops are grown almost in all the altitudinal zones -- from the low-lying areas, which are called ‘Ga. ngarh‘, to the highly elevated region,where the legendary term is given as ‘Danda‘. The growing seasons vary according to the heights. The present paper aims to discuss the agricultural practices including cropping season, cropping pattern,land use, production of cropsagricultural system in thisand ecological aspect of Himalayan state and suggest some measures for developing farming system,which could lead the sustainability, in terms of meeting the food grain needs of the people on the one hand and restoring the ecological balance on the other.     

长白山火山活动发展阶段及火山灾害评价

长白山地区火山活动划分二个发展阶段：以点一线形式喷发形成的广阔玄武岩台地阶段一焊缝构造发展阶段;中心式大规模喷发形成的锥状火山机构一焊点构造发展阶段,长白山地区乃至吉林东部地区中一新生代以来抬升平均速率81m／Ma及白头山一泉阳一露水河一带中生代以来存在一个火山坳陷盆地。     

山东及邻区双震现象的研究

对山东及邻区中强以上地震的双震现象进行了研究,结果是：Ｍ４．０现象以上中等地震双震,主要集中在渤海海峡和邢台地区及其构造附近;Ｍ５．０级以上中强震双震,主要分布在渤海海峡、邢台、临沂、菏泽这些历史和现今７级以上强震震中区附近。分析认为：双震现象可能主要与上地幔隆起、断层发育、构造复杂和高应力背景有关。     

华北板块南缘中段中上三叠统软沉积变形构造的发现及其地质意义

豫西地区中上三叠统主要出露在济源、义马、伊川和南召一带。印支期秦岭造山运动控制和影响着邻区中上三叠统盆地属性和沉积地层展布。通过观察研究区野外露头剖面,发现中上三叠统发育一系列典型的软沉积变形构造,包括液化底辟、枕状构造、液化柱、液化卷曲变形、负载、球-枕、火焰状构造、液化角砾岩。这些软沉积变形在垂向上表现出明显的复现性,在侧向上表现为沿地层连续展布,表明该时期研究区内地层受到频繁强烈的地震影响。通过对这些软沉积现象的识别和形成机制解释,判定其触发因素为秦岭造山过程中伴生的地震。区内地层中震积岩的存在即是对秦岭造山过程中构造活动的响应。     

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Dust‐Bound Trace Metal Elements around Kuhdasht Watershed Area in Iran

Dust, as a source of trace metal elements, affects the health of society. The spatial and temporal concentrations of dust‐bound trace metals (Cd, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cu, and Mn) in Kuhdasht watershed (456 km²), Lorestan Province, Iran, is investigated. Dust is collected using glass traps placed in ten research stations in the region. The spatial and temporal distribution of dust trace metals are plotted using ARC‐GIS. The highest and the lowest concentrations of Zn (9751150 mg kg^?1), Pb (46.352.9 mg kg^?1), and Cd (2.443.30 mg kg^?1) are obtained in winter, of Ni (98110 mg kg^?1) and Cu in autumn (16.053.5 mg kg^?1), and of Mn in summer (385505 mg kg^?1). The spatial concentrations of dust‐bound trace metals indicate all, except Cu, show a decreasing trend from the mountains toward the plains, similar to that of soil and of dust, except for Zn, which shows higher concentrations in dust than in soil. The potential sources of dust‐bound trace metals and their rate of contamination are also investigated using the enrichment and contamination factors. The major sources of Cd and Zn in the dust of watershed are due to anthropogenic activities or from activities outside the borders.     

RESEARCH ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF QUATERNARY ACTIVITIES OF SU-XI-CHANG FAULT

Running across the urban areas of Changzhou, Wuxi and Suzhou, the NW-trending Su-Xi-Chang Fault is an important buried fault in Yangtze River Delta. In the respect of structural geomorphology, hilly landform is developed along the southwest side of the Su-Xi-Chang Fault, and a series of lakes and relatively low-lying depressions are developed on its northeast side, which is an important landform and neotectonic boundary line. The fault controlled the Jurassic and Cretaceous stratigraphic sedimentary and Cenozoic volcanic activities, and also has obvious control effects on the modern geomorphology and Quaternary stratigraphic distribution. Su-Xi-Chang Fault is one of the target faults of the project "Urban active fault exploration and seismic risk assessment in Changzhou City" and "Urban active fault exploration and seismic risk assessment in Suzhou City". Hidden in the ground with thick cover layer, few researches have been done on this fault in the past. The study on the activity characteristics and the latest activity era of the Su-Xi-Chang Fault is of great significance for the prevention and reduction of earthquake disaster losses caused by the destructive earthquakes to the cities of Changzhou, Wuxi and Suzhou. Based on shallow seismic exploration and drilling joint profiling method, Quaternary activities and distribution characteristics of the Su-Xi-Chang Fault are analyzed systematically. Shallow seismic exploration results show that the south branch of the Su-Xi-Chang Fault in Suzhou area is dominated by normal faulting, dipping to the north-east, with a dip angle of about 60° and a displacement of 3~5m on the bedrock surface. The north branch of the Su-Xi-Chang Fault in Changzhou area is dominated by normal faulting, dipping to the south, with a dip angle of about 55°~70° and a displacement of 4~12m on the bedrock surface. All breakpoints of Su-Xi-Chang Fault on the seismic exploration profiles show that only the bedrock surface was dislocated, not the interior strata of the Quaternary. On the drilling joint profile in the Dongqiao site of Suzhou, the latest activity of the south branch of Su-Xi-Chang Fault is manifested as reverse faulting, with maximum displacement of 2.9m in the upper part of Lower Pleistocene, and the Middle Pleistocene has not been dislocated by the fault. The fault acts as normal fault in the Pre-Quaternary strata, with a displacement of 3.7m in the Neogene stratum. On the drilling joint profile in the Chaoyang Road site of Changzhou, the latest activity of the north branch of Su-Xi-Chang Fault is manifested as reverse faulting too, with maximum displacement of 2.8m in the bottom layer of the Middle Pleistocene. The fault acts as normal fault in the Pre-Quaternary strata, with a displacement of 10.2m in the bedrock surface. Combining the above results, we conclude that the latest activity era of Su-Xi-Chang Fault is early Middle Pleistocene. The Su-Xi-Chang Fault was dominated by the sinistral normal faulting in the pre-Quaternary period, and turned into sinistral reverse faulting after the early Pleistocene, with displacement of about 3m in the Quaternary strata. The maximum magnitude of potential earthquake on the Su-Xi-Chang Fault is estimated to be 6.0.     

湖北太白湖孢粉记录揭示的近1500年以来长江中下游地区的气候变化与人类活动

太白湖TN1孔总长153cm岩芯的孢粉组合与炭屑指标,揭示了近1500年以来太白湖流域的植被经历了7个阶段的变化,对引起植被发生这种变化的主导冈素探讨认为,520-1310AD期间,植被变化主要受气候变化的控制,人类活动的影响相对较弱;1310-1710AD期间,人类活动对植被的影响强度增加,为以自然控制为主向人类活动驱动为主转化的过渡期:1710AD以来,植被变化以人类活动驱动为主,反映的气候信号相对较弱.在孢粉组合所反映的气候变化中,具有520-720AD、1050-1310AD和自1950AD以来的三个暖期和720-1050AD、1310-1710AD期间的两个冷期.     

围栏养蟹利用与女山湖沉水植物资源保护

本文对亚洲中部地区内陆湖泊近百年来的变化及其变化的原因,特别是气候因素进行了考察与分析,位于我国内蒙古东部及蒙古高原北部的湖泊,近百年来其变化以及水位上涨与面积扩张为主,产生这种湖泊水位上升的原因与该地区降水增加有关。     

土地利用和水环境因子对大型底栖动物次级生产力的影响:以东北地区连环湖为例

土地利用和水环境因子是影响湖泊生态系统的关键因素,探究大型底栖动物次级生产力受环境因子的作用机制,可揭示底栖动物栖息地的生态系统与外源环境的关系。为了解土地利用和水环境因子对大型底栖动物次级生产力的影响,2020年对连环湖13个主要湖泊的土地利用类型及6、8和10月的大型底栖动物、水环境因子进行调查,共采集到大型底栖动物75种,隶属于3门32科56属,其中优势种属及重要种属以摇蚊幼虫和腹足纲为主,前突摇蚊(Procladius sp.)为第一优势种。主成分分析表明,土地利用及水环境因子具备明显的时空梯度,而大型底栖动物次级生产力也存在明显的时空变化。春季、夏季、秋季次级生产力和P/B值分别为5.65、6.06、4.31 g/(m²·a)和2.74、2.55、2.40 a^-1,其中春季次级生产力集中于东北部湖区,龙虎泡集中于湖心区;夏季次级生产力逐渐向各湖区扩散,龙虎泡整体偏低;秋季次级生产力集中于西北部及东南部湖区,龙虎泡集中于东北部湖区。P/B值随季节的推移呈现由东部湖区向西部湖区逐渐递增的趋势,而龙虎泡始终集中于南部湖区。次级生产力和P/B值的结构分析表明,春季次级生产力主要由腹足纲构成,进入夏、秋季后以双壳纲对次级生产力的贡献最高。其中腹足纲、双壳纲、摇蚊幼虫和寡毛纲次级生产力主要集中于北部湖区、东南部湖区、中部湖区和龙虎泡,而甲壳纲仅出现于阿木塔泡。寡毛纲和双壳纲P/B 值随季节的推移逐渐降低,摇蚊幼虫和腹足纲P/B 值呈先升后降的趋势。通径分析表明,pH、人造地表和叶绿素a是影响年均大型底栖动物次级生产力的关键环境因子。典范对应分析表明,总磷和电导率是影响不同季节大型底栖动物次级生产力的重要环境变量。耕地、人造地表与总磷、电导率和悬浮物呈显著正相关,农业生产和城镇建设的增加是连环湖呈富营养化状态的重要原因,且此现象已对大型底栖动物次级生产力形成威胁。未来应通过控制农业面源污染、秸秆腐熟还田、鼓励粪便施肥、科学规划用地等措施改善连环湖流域的生态环境,以促进大型底栖动物资源合理的开发利用。