Desert margins near the Chinese Loess Plateau during the mid-Holocene and at the Last Glacial Maximum: a model–data intercomparison

Expansion and contraction of desert margins around the globe have been inferred from a variety of proxy data and have since been linked, particularly in northern China and in the sub-Sahel, to changes in freshwater flux, vegetation cover, sea surface temperatures and, perhaps most importantly, monsoon circulations. We present a direct comparison of results from numerical general circulation model experiments for the mid-Holocene and for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) with the climatic conditions that have been inferred from loess–paleosol sequences taken from the Chinese Loess Plateau.During the mid-Holocene in northern China, the northwestward migration of the southeast desert margin that has been suggested by grain size analysis is also expressed in the model results. There is a statistically significant wetting of the Plateau region, and increased soil moisture is a consequence of an enhanced summer monsoon whose latent heat release deepens the cyclonic Tibetan low and brings increased low-level convergence and precipitation to the area. North of the desert region, this circulation dries the soil through enhanced atmospheric subsidence, although the northern margin of the desert does not migrate significantly.Expansion of the desert margin toward the southeast at the LGM is small, but there is a statistically significant drying of the Plateau. The local hydrological cycle is reduced, and there is an increase in large-scale atmospheric subsidence over the region that is caused by the presence of the Fennoscandian ice sheet upwind. Model results therefore suggest that, in addition to local micro- and mesoclimatic conditions, regional effects, such as monsoon circulations and distal orography, are also important factors in determining the location of desert margins.     

国家级媒体平台全球网络建构的地理学空间分析——以中国长城平台为例

以中国长城平台为例,探索中国媒体全球网络建构格局、过程与机制,以城市为网络建构的地点、国际电视媒体为纽带、19个中国城市及30个GaWC（Globalization and World Cities,全球化与世界城市）为研究对象,集成联系强度、城市媒体影响力指数、媒体传播方向异质性研究方法,对中国国际电视媒体输出至世界城市、世界城市电视媒体输入至中国港澳台地区的双向互动过程进行地理学空间可视化分析,探讨长城平台全球网络建构机制。结果表明：① 长城平台中国境内媒体来源整体呈一核三区多节点格局;② 长城平台海外输出网络反映了中国城市与世界城市间的媒体网络联系,以北京、香港与GaWC中Alpha级（世界一线城市）纽约、吉隆坡、曼谷及Beta级（世界二线城市）河内、内罗毕等世界城市形成逐级扩散网络;③ 中国港澳台地区作为境外媒体输入的重要节点,主要与北美、东南亚、西欧形成空间关联。     

围栏对新疆山区草地植被下土壤动物多样性的影响

通过对新疆典型山区草地———高山草甸、亚高山草甸、高山草原和亚高山草原野外实地监测,比较了草原围栏内外土壤动物的类群组成、个体数量及生态分布,讨论了围栏这一人为手段对山区草地植被下土壤动物的影响:土壤动物多样性为围栏内高于围栏外,但是受构建时间的限制,围栏内外差异不显著。土壤动物类群数和个体数的分布主要取决于草原植被、土壤有机质、土壤含水率等因子。     

Effects of soil surface components on soil hydrological behaviour in a dry Mediterranean environment (Southern Spain)

Various researchers have studied the spatial pattern of soil surface components such as vegetation, rock fragments, bare soil, litter and surface crusts, as a key factor of hydrological behaviour in Mediterranean settings with heterogeneous patches of vegetation cover and strong human impact. The studies indicate that there is a mosaic of patches that generate run-off or infiltrate overland flow, distributed in various ways along hillslopes. Few of these studies, however, have looked at areas underlain by metamorphic rocks such as phyllites or schists. This study analysed the temporal and spatial variability of the effects of soil surface components on hydrological processes in a small dry Mediterranean catchment underlain by metamorphic rocks. A systematic sampling of multiple sites throughout a hydrological year was carried out.We related the hydrological behaviour of soil surface components to 1) their position along the hillslope, 2) the distance of existing vegetation tussocks from the line of run-off, 3) rainfall intensity and 4) the main physical/chemical soil properties affecting infiltration processes. Statistical analysis was used to check the validity of the relationships. The results show that soil surface components have highly variable effects, in both space and time, on soil hydrological behaviour. These effects particularly depend on the location along the line of maximum slope and the intensity of preceding rainfall, whose interaction defines soil hydrological status. These results are similar to those for other Mediterranean settings with different lithology, in that the succession of contributing patches are hydrologically interconnected along a hillslope. The variables used and the grouping of explanatory variables through principal component analyses were found to be suitable for discussing the spatial distribution of soil surface components in the hydrologically dynamic environment of the study area.     

The research plan of the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis

Abstract

In August 1988 the U.S. National Science Board established a National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis. This paper, which is adapted from the proposal of the successful consortium, describes a multi-year research agenda built around the recognition of impediments to the successful application of geographical information systems technology. The impediments range in nature from technical to institutional and are organized into five major areas: spatial analysis and spatial statistics, spatial databases, artificial intelligence and expert systems, visualization, and social and economic issues. The Center's research programme consists of a series of initiatives in specific areas, which are designed to last for periods of up to two years and to address the removal of recognized impediments.     

An evaluation of remote sensing derived soil pH and average spring groundwater table for ecological assessments

Ecological assessments such as species distribution modelling and benchmarking site quality towards regulations often rely on full spatial coverage information of site factors such as soil acidity, moisture regime or nutrient availability. To determine if remote sensing (RS) is a viable alternative to traditional data sources of site factor estimates, we analysed the accuracy (using ground truth validation measurements) of traditional and RS sources of pH and mean spring groundwater level (MSL, in m) estimates. Traditional sources were a soil map and hydrological model. RS estimates were obtained using vegetation indicator values (IVs) from a Dutch national system as an intermediate between site factors and spectral response. IVs relate to those site factors that dictate vegetation occurrence, whilst also providing a robust link to canopy spectra. For pH, the soil map and the RS estimate were nearly as accurate. For MSL, the RS estimates were much closer to the observed groundwater levels than the hydrological model, but the error margin of the estimates still exceeded the tolerance range of moisture sensitive vegetation. The relatively high accuracy of the RS estimates was made possible by the availability of local calibration points and large environmental gradients in the study site. In addition, the error composition of the RS estimates could be analysed step-by-step, whereas the traditional sources had to be accepted ‘as-is’. Also considering that RS offers high spatial and temporal resolution at low costs, RS offered advantages over traditional sources. This will likely hold true for any other situation where prerequisites of accurate RS estimates have been met.     

Assessment and prioritization of soil erosion triggering factors using analytical hierarchy process and Taguchi method

The main aims of this study are assessing some factors which affect the soil erosion process and evaluating the results of an analytical hierarchy process(AHP) method using the Taguchi method. Firstly, the weights for those factors and levels affecting soil erosion were determined by the AHP method. The determination of weights was based on the opinions of academic researchers, experts, middle managers,and members of the Soil and Water Research Centers in Iran. Secondly, an L32 Taguchi orthogona...     

Soil erosion assessment based on minimum polygons in the Yellow River basin, China

In the previous studies, a method was developed to assess soil erosion based on land use information. In this paper, we present another approach that uses environmental data to assess soil erosion. A soil erosion characteristic index EI is proposed, and its value is derived using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique based on standardized environmental information stored in minimum polygons that tile the erodible area under consideration. The approach is applied to a case study of the Yellow River basin, north China, where serious erosion is occurring. To represent different grades of soil erosion, the range of EI is divided into six levels according to standard grades of soil erosion intensity. The application indicates that the method deals properly with data scarcity, with the results giving a satisfactory representation of the characteristics of soil erosion in the Yellow River basin. The spatial–temporal distribution of EI in the Yellow River basin is predicted, and the results interpreted to give the long-term trend and state of soil depletion. Comparisons are given between EI and surveyed soil erosion zoning maps for the Yellow River basin at the end of the 1980s and 1990s. The output reliability and the approach applicability in smaller spatial scales are investigated in a case study of Zhifanggou basin.     

Local site effects and dynamic soil behavior

Amplitudes of seismic waves increase significantly as they pass through soft soil layers near the earth's surface. This phenomenon, commonly known as site amplification, is a major factor influencing the extent of damage on structures. It is crucial that site amplification is accounted for when designing structures on soft soils. The characteristics of site amplification at a given site can be estimated by analytical models, as well as field tests. Analytical models require as inputs the geometry of all soil layers from surface to bedrock, their dynamic properties (e.g. density, wave velocity, damping), and the incident bedrock motions. Field tests involve recording and analyzing the dynamic response of sites to artificial excitations, ambient forces, and actual earthquakes. The most reliable estimates of site amplification are obtained by analyzing the recorded motions of the site during strong earthquakes. This paper presents a review of the types and the generating mechanisms of site amplification, and the models and methods that are used to characterize them from earthquake records.     

土壤重金属污染现状及检测分析技术研究进展

土壤重金属污染是中国当前最突出的环境污染问题.污染调查公报显示全国土壤重金属总超标率为16.1％,其中镉的点位超标率为7％,对粮食安全产生威胁.本文介绍了中国土壤重金属污染的现状,梳理了土壤重金属污染检测分析的传统和新兴方法技术,包括重金属全量、化学形态和生物可利用态含量等.同时阐述了土壤重金属污染检测分析技术发展趋势...