Changing river temperatures in northern Germany: trends and drivers of change

Climate change is one of the main drivers of river warming worldwide. However, the response of river temperature to climate change differs with the hydrology and landscape properties, making it difficult to generalize the strength and the direction, of river temperature trends across large spatial scales and various river types. Additionally, there is a lack of long‐term and large‐scale trend studies in Europe as well as globally. In this study, we investigated the long‐term (25 years; 132 sites) and the short‐term (10 years; 475 sites) river temperature trends, patterns and underlying drivers within the period 1985–2010 in seven river basins of Germany. The majority of the sites underwent significant river warming during 1985–2010 (mean warming trend: 0.03 °C year^?1, SE = 0.003), with a faster warming observed during individual decades (1985–1995 and 2000–2010) within this period. Seasonal analyses showed that, while rivers warmed in all seasons, the fastest warming had occurred during summer. Among all the considered hydro‐climatological variables, air temperature change, which is a response to climate forcing, was the main driver of river temperature change because it had the strongest correlation with river temperature, irrespective of the period. Hydrological variables, such as average flow and baseflow, had a considerable influence on river temperature variability rather than on the overall trend direction. However, decreasing flow probably assisted in a faster river temperature increase in summer and in rivers in NE basins (such as the Elbe basin). The North Atlantic Oscillation Index had a greater significant influence on the winter river temperature variability than on the overall variability. Landscape and basin variables, such as altitude, ecoregion and catchment area, induced spatially variable river temperature trends via affecting the thermal sensitivity of rivers, with the rivers in large catchments and in lowland areas being most sensitive. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Incorporating landscape depression heterogeneity into the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) using a probability distribution

Modelling the hydrology of North American Prairie watersheds is complicated because of the existence of numerous landscape depressions that vary in storage capacity. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a widely applied model for long‐term hydrological simulations in watersheds dominated by agricultural land uses. However, several studies show that the SWAT model has had limited success in handling prairie watersheds. In past works using SWAT, landscape depression storage heterogeneity has largely been neglected or lumped. In this study, a probability distributed model of depression storage is introduced into the SWAT model to better handle landscape storage heterogeneity. The work utilizes a probability density function to describe the spatial heterogeneity of the landscape depression storages that was developed from topographic characteristics. The integrated SWAT–PDLD model is tested using datasets for two prairie depression dominated watersheds in Canada: the Moose Jaw River watershed, Saskatchewan; and the Assiniboine River watershed, Saskatchewan. Simulation results were compared to observed streamflow using graphical and multiple statistical criterions. Representation of landscape depressions within SWAT using a probability distribution (SWAT–PDLD) provides improved estimations of streamflow for large prairie watersheds in comparison to results using a lumped, single storage approach. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phosphorus export dynamics and hydrobiogeochemical controls across gradients of scale,topography and human impact

Concentration‐discharge (c‐Q) plots are routinely used as an integrated signal of watershed response to infer solute sources and travel pathways. However, the interpretation of c‐Q data can be difficult unless these data are fitted using statistical models. Such models are frequently applied for geogenic solutes, but it is unclear to what extent they might aid in the investigation of nutrient export patterns, particularly for total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) which is a critical driver of downstream eutrophication problems. The goal of the present study was therefore to statistically model c‐Q relations (where c is TDP concentrations) in a set of contrasting watersheds in the Northern Great Plains—ranging in size from 0.2 to 1000+ km²—to assess the controls of landscape properties on TDP transport dynamics. Six statistical models were fitted to c‐Q data, notably (a) one linear model, (b) one model assuming that c‐Q relations are driven by the mixing of end‐member waters from different landscape locations (i.e., hydrograph separation), (c) one model relying on a biogeochemical stationarity hypothesis (i.e., power law), (d) one model hypothesizing that c‐Q relations change as a function of the solute subsurface contact time (i.e., hyperbolic model), and (e) two models assuming that solute fluxes are mostly dependent on reaction rates (i.e., chemical models). Model performance ranged from mediocre (R² < 0.2) to very good (R² > 0.9), but the hydrograph separation model seemed most universal. No watershed was found to exhibit chemostatic behaviour, but many showed signs of dilution or enrichment behaviour. A tendency toward a multi‐model fit and better model performance was observed for watersheds with moderate slope and higher effective drainage area. The relatively poor model performance obtained outside these conditions illustrates the likely importance of controls on TDP concentrations in the region that are independent of flow dynamics.     

A study on landscape mosaic structure in urban-rural area in Northwest of China with RS and GIS

At the study area of Xigu District in Lanzhou City, using RS & GIS as tools we apply Diversity, Dominance, Fragmentation, Isolation and so on to study the quantitative, fractal and spatial characters of landscapes structures in the four sub-regions divided by the morphological features. Using the Fractal Theory to establish the fractal structure models, we analyze the complexity and stability of various landscapes distribution with fractal dimension value. The spatial distribution characteristics of landscape mosaic structure are also expounded. At the end of the paper we discuss the relevant problems on the main factors which control and effect on the spatial pattern of landscapes as well as on landscape optimization and management. Foundation item: Under the auspices of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40171069). Biography: XU Jian-hua (1965 - ), male, a native of Gansu province, professor. His research interest includes Geo-computation and GIS.     

松嫩平原中部农业区域土地景观动态研究

松嫩平原中部作为我国重要的农业生产区域之一,随着农业生产的发展变化土地景观也发生着变化,对区域土地景观动态的分析研究有利于保持土地合理利用和土地景观系统的生态平衡.卫星遥感信息与统计资料结合进行分析可以宏观、定位、定量地得出土地景观动态.     

Gradation and assessment of damage degree of natural landscape in Xing’an County,Guangxi

A new technique designed to help quantify the degree of damage to the landscape from one area to another shows a close relationship between population density and the degree of landscape damage. The technique establishes a scale of damage from 0 to 5 (zero=no damage; 5=severe damage) using data from aerial photographs, land-use maps, and field data. The related formula allows one to compare the relative degree of damage across regions using a combination of an absolute index, a theoretical index, a relative index, and population density. Xing an County is used to demonstrate the technique.     

试论中西地理思想的差异及中国古代地理学的特点

中国古代有独持的地理学的理论与成就,西方科学家称之为“东方文化生态”。其中,”天人合一”的地理观;天、地、生、人各系统之间的整体、有机观体现了中国古代地理学的特点。深入发掘中国古代的地理学思想,对当今建立开放、复杂的地理巨系统有现实意义。     

东亚国民文化特质与经济发展

本文在探讨东亚地区国民文化特质形成背景的基础上,着重分析了日本,亚洲“四小龙”的国民文化特质在其地区发展中的作用,并指出其对我国在发展现代化经济过程中应重视提高国民文化素质的启示。     

高校校园景观生态的空间格局分析

目前，高校的吸引力已不仅由师资力量决定，校园环境、合理的景观布局也成为招生的主要吸引源之一。校园景观在不同程度上影响了师生的活动与行为，构建一个风景优美、格局合理的校园非常重要。另外，随着高校的不断扩招，解决人地关系的矛盾，建设与人和谐的校园已成为各高校必须面对的问题。针对西南交通大学九里校区的生态景观实际，运用斑块、基质、廊道理论，对景观的空间格局进行分析，得出结论，并提出高校校园景观规划、建设的合理化建议。     

广西山岳景观资源特色、功能分类及其评价

广西的地质、地理、气候、历史环境等优越条件造就了独具特色的山岳景观。这些景观与岩石关系密切,以碳酸盐岩的岩溶型为主,其次是砂岩型及岩浆岩型。按其功能分为观光型、避暑型、渡假娱乐型、探险寻幽型和科学考察型。它们的地理位置和交通、景物的地域组合,景的资源容量,旅游客源市场,开发投资及施工条件较好。山岳景观资源有较高的艺术观赏和科学考察价值。合理有效地开发利用它,定会为广西赢得较好的经济、社会效益。