Distribution and effectiveness of nivation in Mediterranean mountains: Peñalara (Spain)

Snow accumulation is responsible for geomorphic and biogeographic processes taking place in the southern sector of the Peñalara massif in central Spain (40°51′N, 3°57′W; max. altitude 2428 m at Pico de Peñalara). This work compares the intensity of nivation on the eastern slope, leeward of the prevailing westerly winds and heavily eroded by glacial activity during the Pleistocene, to that of the western slope on the windward side, unaffected by glacial erosion and completely covered by a thick weathering mantle. On the eastern slope, nivation is effective only where the weathering mantle is exposed or on morainic formations. It does not occur on the landforms derived from glacial erosion. In contrast, the western side shows almost no evidence of snow action except where catastrophic mass movements have altered the regularity of the slope. During the post-glacial epoch, nivation cirques formed in the scars left by mass wasting. In the last 30 years, spring temperatures have increased and this activity has diminished. The pattern of evolution observed at Peñalara can be extrapolated to other Mediterranean mountains with similar characteristics such as marginal glacial activity during the Pleistocene, unconsolidated formations on the summits caused by chemical weathering, and dry, hot summers that can increase the effectiveness of nivation.     

Present land use and cover patterns and their development potential in North Ningxia

With the objectives to acquire the fundamental data of the territorial resource, understand the impacts of human activities on the land use and cover patterns and evaluate the potential of the future exploitation, an intensive land cover classification with an accuracy of 93% has been completed for North Ningxia by remote sensing technique based on the adoption of a combination method composed of texture training, maximum likelihood classification and post-processing such as re-allocation and aggregation. This classification result was incorporated with the contemporaneous socio-economic and meteorological data for cross-sectional regression modelling to reveal the spatial determinants of the land cover patterns and understand the human-environmental relationships. A tentative evaluation on the potential of soil exploitation in the near future was carried out in combination with our land use and cover change detection results aiming at supplying some useful references for the central and local governments in their sustainable land use planning.     

Microbial production of CO2 in red soil in Stone Forest National Park

Lunan stone forest is a kind of typical karst in China, which is mainly developed under red soil. In the winter of 1999, three study sites were chosen in stone forest national park according to vegetation cover, geomorphologic location and soil types. CO2 concentration was measured with Gastec pump at different depths of soil (20, 40, 60 cm) and at the same time soil samples were gathered and soil properties such as soil moisture, pH, soil organic content were analyzed and the total number of viable microbes were counted in laboratory. In the study, dependent variable was chosen as the mean soil log (PCO2), and soil properties were chosen as the independent variables. Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that the total amount of microbes and soil moisture are the best indicators of the CO2 production, with the equation LOG(PCO2) = - 0.039(TNM) - 0.056(Mo) + 1.215 accounting for 86% of the variation of the soil CO2 concentration, where TNM is the total number of microbes in the soil and Mo is the moisture of soil sample.     

USING UPLAND FOREST IN SHIMENTAI NATURE RESERVE,CHINA*

ABSTRACT. The Shimentai Nature Reserve in Yingde County, Guangdong Province, China, established recently in a subtropical upland forest area, has served for ages as an essential and customary source of livelihood for local people. Assessment of forest usage indicates heavy reliance by villagers on its diversified biotic resources. This forest dependence, associated with socioeconomic factors such as distance from village, ethnic origin, out‐migration of rural youngsters, and a local tradition of conservation, is unlikely to decline in the near future. The reserve management recognizes the need to address the livelihood issues of local people and to win local support. A pragmatic adherence to provincial and higher‐level policies that exclude forest‐tapping activities could lead to more people‐versus‐park conflicts, which would dilute fundamental conservation objectives. A more enlightened and localized approach that nurtures a synergy between limited forest use and conservation while helping to develop new income sources could furnish workable alternatives.     

大兴安岭浅覆盖区生态地质评价方法初探——以1∶25万区调呼中镇幅为例

通过野外调查，在收集统计大量基础地质、经济地质、环境地质、旅游地质、农(林)业地质等数据信息的基础上，在GIS技术指导下，采用定量定性相结合的半定量分析评价方法，对森林浅覆盖区生态地质现状及各类资源的开发利用潜力进行了综合评价。在研究和探讨森林浅覆盖区生态地质综合评价方法的基础上，提出了森林浅覆盖区生态地质评价模型，确定了综合参数，划分了生态地质类型。     

烃类垂向微渗漏及其地表异常显示

烃类以微泡、水动力、扩散和渗透方式向地表迁移过程中,其效能、方式与油气藏的盖层、断裂与裂隙系统、储层的流体性质、地层压力等地质因素密切相关.通过对塔里木盆地雅克拉凝析气田上的地表、井中化探资料与地质资料的综合分析,认为该气田的井中垂向地球化学特征、控制烃类垂向微渗漏地质因素、地表化探异常显示之间呈现出很好的内在联系.     

玄武岩盖层下石林的岩溶动力学特征

受玄武岩盖层的影响，石林地区的地下水在雨季和旱季对碳酸盐岩都具有侵蚀性，玄武岩盖层空气CO2呈现出低—高—低的双向变化梯度。溶蚀试验表明．地下0～0．6m，水平方向的溶蚀量大于垂直方向的溶蚀量，而随着深度的增加，垂直方向的溶蚀量大于水平方向。富含CO2的水通过具有最大渗透张量和较小主轴倾角的玄武岩裂隙下渗，对碳酸盐岩的溶蚀作用表现为一个脱钙、富铝铁、硅迁移的复杂过程，并在地下0～0．6m形成许多水平凹槽、穿洞等岩溶形态，而地表0．6m以下以垂向溶蚀为主，有利于石柱的形成与发育。     

利用NOAA AVHRR数据研究北半球雪盖气候学特征

利用NOAA卫星图像,研究了北半球、欧亚、北美和青藏高原雪盖气候学特征及其变化趋势.指出北半球、欧亚和北美雪盖气候变化趋势基本一致,年均雪盖面积在1987年前后明显下降; 而青藏高原雪盖面积在1984年后明显下降,说明青藏高原雪盖的年际变化与北半球及欧亚、北美不完全一致.     

The impact of decentralised forest management on charcoal production practices in Eastern Senegal

In accordance with Senegal’s decentralisation policy, important forest management tasks, including the right to allocate charcoal production rights, have been transferred to rural councils. This paper investigates the impact of these institutional reforms on charcoal production practices using the environmental entitlement framework developed by Leach et al. [Environmental entitlements: dynamics and institutions in community-based natural resource management. World Development 27 (2) (1999) 225]. The councils have not been able to turn their new endowments into entitlements because they lack sufficient strength and legitimacy. Informal institutions, notably the coalition between merchants, state agents and village chiefs, continue to run the charcoal business and are hardly affected by decentralisation efforts. Most rural people, especially those relying solely on agriculture for sustenance, do not benefit at all from the charcoal trade. They do suffer from the environmental costs it brings with it, however. Although tensions between pro-exploitation actors and pro-conservation actors are evident, the pro-exploitation actors’ firm grip on the informal institutions will probably lead to a prolonged subversion of the laws that seek to enhance local control and to sustain the forest.     

中国西部退耕还林(草)和沙漠化土地绿化的区域性气候效应

中国正在实施的西部大开发必将导致较大规模的土地利用和地表覆盖(LULC)变化,其中最重要的两类LULC变化是退耕还林(草)和沙漠化土地绿化工程。利用最新的全球地表特征资料数据库(GLCCD)识别以上两项生态建设工程的实施规模与范围,并以此更新了目前比较流行的区域气候模式的下边界条件,利用修正了的区域气候模式研究上述大规模LULC变化可能对中国区域性气候造成的影响。使用的卫星资源数据库是由美国地质测绘局(USGS)和Nebraska-Lincoln大学牵头,根据NOAA卫星的AVHRR资料、USGS掌握的高分辨率数字化地图,以及生态区划和植被分布等资料组建的。