The Turbulent Lagrangian Time Scale in Forest Canopies Constrained by Fluxes,Concentrations and Source Distributions

One-dimensional Lagrangian dispersion models, frequently used to relate in-canopy source/sink distributions of energy, water and trace gases to vertical concentration profiles, require estimates of the standard deviation of the vertical wind speed, which can be measured, and the Lagrangian time scale, T _L , which cannot. In this work we use non-linear parameter estimation to determine the vertical profile of the Lagrangian time scale that simultaneously optimises agreement between modelled and measured vertical profiles of temperature, water vapour and carbon dioxide concentrations within a 40-m tall temperate Eucalyptus forest in south-eastern Australia. Modelled temperature and concentration profiles are generated using Lagrangian dispersion theory combined with source/sink distributions of sensible heat, water vapour and CO₂. These distributions are derived from a multilayer Soil-Vegetation-Atmospheric-Transfer model subject to multiple constraints: (1) daytime eddy flux measurements of sensible heat, latent heat, and CO₂ above the canopy, (2) in-canopy lidar measurements of leaf area density distribution, and (3) chamber measurements of CO₂ ground fluxes. The resulting estimate of Lagrangian time scale within the canopy under near-neutral conditions is about 1.7 times higher than previous estimates and decreases towards zero at the ground. It represents an advance over previous estimates of T _L , which are largely unconstrained by measurements.     

High-resolution patterns of palaeoenvironmental changes during the Little Ice Age and the Medieval Climate Anomaly in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula

A high resolution core(9.7 yr cm~(-1)) from the Chao de Veiga Mol raised bog(NW Iberian Peninsula) was analyzed to identify plant macrofossils,estimate peat humification and calculate hydroclimatic indices based on current bog species,with the overall aim of determining the climate conditions associated with evolution of the bog during the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age.These proxies,together with historical and climate data,proved to be good indicators of the changes in bog surface wetness.Analysis:of the core led to identification of 9 different periods:two corresponding to the so-called Medieval Climate Anomaly(930 to 1345 AD,1075-665 calibrated years before present [cal.yr BP]);four corresponding to the Little Ice Age(1345 to 1905 AD;665-105 cal yr BP);and three corresponding to the last century(1905 to2000 AD).The findings revealed a generally dry climate that lasted until the 14 th century,followed by a transition to a long period with a more humid,but characteristically very variable climate,which ended at the beginning of the 20 th century and was followed by a rapid transition to more humid conditions and finally,a change to drier conditions.The Medieval Climate Anomaly was indicated by the abundance of dry-adapted mosses(Leucobryum glaucum,Hypnum cupressiforme) and characterized by warm dry conditions and high levels of peat humification,with alternating wet phases.The LIA period was dated by a large abundance of Sphagnum species(an indicator of wetness) and a gradual increase in the humification index.However,four different climate phases were differentiated in this period.High-resolution reconstruction of the evolution of the CVM bog and the multiproxy approach have together enabled a more detailed identification of climatic variations in this area,which are generally consistent with the global models,as well as better definition of the elusive climatic oscillations in the last millennium and confirmation of the importance of local modulation of global models.The study provides new information and a detailed chronology of climatic events that will help to refine local modulation of the climate evolution model in the still quite unexplored region of the NW Iberian Peninsula,a key area for understanding the paleoclimatic dynamics in SW Europe.     

华能南京电厂粉煤灰中微珠的矿物相特征及形成机理探讨

利用现代分析测试技术,对华能南京电厂粉煤灰中玻璃微珠的一些物理性质和微结构特征,如形貌、粒径分布、颗粒类型和化学成分、矿物相种类和含量、漂珠的丰度、微珠的 壳壁厚度以及热稳定性等进行了详细研究,并对其成因机制进行了讨论。空心微珠包括各种复珠的形成,主要与煤的成分和微结构有关,也与煤粒的燃烧过程有一定的联系。     

Genetic geographies. A historical comparison of agrarian modernization and eugenic thought in Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States

The article deals with the role of genetics in the state-led agricultural modernization efforts that took place in different industrialized countries during the course of the 1920s and 1930s. A comparison between Germany, the Soviet Union and the United States shows substantial similarities in their attempts to increase the productivity of agriculture on different geographical scales. Following advances in scientific knowledge about the geography of cultivated plants, these countries sent out numerous expeditions to collect plant breeding material from all over the world. At the same time, states tightened their grip on farmers’ and breeders’ activities inside the country by establishing legal rules for the use of plant varieties and seed. But this was only one side of a larger “genetic modernization” project. In all three countries, concepts of agricultural modernization were substantially linked to social-darwinist thought which embraced programs of eugenics and “racial hygiene”. These links are outlined for each of the cases, highlighting the widely differing intermingling of scientific concepts and terminologies with political ideologies. It is then discussed what role geography and in particular geopolitical thinking of the time were to play in the development of “genetic modernization”, and more specifically, with regard to the nexus between agriculture and eugenics. While the discipline’s involvement in both fields remained comparably marginal in practical terms, clearly there were conceptual contributions toward the development of the broader field. Going back to Ratzel’s and Kjellén’s work, it is argued that geography had an important role in the establishment of a political field in which ideas of managing human reproduction were fused with concepts of economic development and environmental determinism.     

Late Pleistocene paleoecology of arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) caches and nests from Interior Alaska's mammoth steppe ecosystem, USA

Botanical analyses of fossil and modern arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) caches and nests have been used to reconstruct the past vegetation from some parts of Beringia, but such archives are understudied in Alaska. Five modern and four fossil samples from arctic ground squirrel caches and nests provide information on late Pleistocene vegetation in Eastern Beringia. Modern arctic ground squirrel caches from Alaska's arctic tundra were dominated by willow and grass leaves and grass seeds and bearberries, which were widespread in the local vegetation as confirmed by vegetation surveys. Late Pleistocene caches from Interior Alaska were primarily composed of steppe and dry tundra graminoid and herb seeds. Graminoid cuticle analysis of fossil leaves identified Calamagrostis canadensis, Koeleria sp. and Carex albonigra as being common in the fossil samples. Stable carbon isotopes analysis of these graminoid specimens indicated that plants using the C₃ photosynthetic pathways were present and functioning with medium to high water-use efficiency. Fossil plant taxa and environments from ground squirrel caches in Alaska are similar to other macrofossil assemblages from the Yukon Territory, which supports the existence of a widespread mammoth steppe ecosystem type in Eastern Beringia that persisted throughout much of the late Pleistocene.     

Hydrogeologic delineation of habitats for endangered species: the Comal Springs/River System

 We delineate 18 distinct habitats for the endangered fountain darter in the Comal Springs/River system based upon a combination of vegetative, geologic, and hydrologic criteria. Comal Springs are the largest natural discharge from the Edwards aquifer of central Texas; they issue along faults which penetrate the confined portion of the aquifer. The springs are the head of the Comal River which is an important economic and recreational resource to the local community. The spring/river system is the home of the fountain darter, a federally listed endangered species. Previous studies of this system were on a large scale and lacked detail necessary for characterization. The fountain darter and other fauna in the Comal Springs/River system are threatened by the possibility of diminished flows and the concomitant habitat change. The 18 habitats are defined by the dominant species of vegetation, the substrate, and the flow conditions. Human alterations and spring discharge control the morphology of the river and the substrates. Stream velocities determined substrate conditions and, thus indirectly, the distribution of vegetation and habitats. In this system, hydrochemical parameters were uniform as were the soils adjacent to the stream; these factors were not important to the habitat delineation. The range of stream velocities necessary to maintain the habitats can be estimated with the Hjulstrom diagram. The darters were associated with a number of these habitats. We surmise that significant alteration of the system's habitats will occur if discharge conditions change. Received: 22 January 1996 · Accepted: 4 March 1996     

神农架北坡表土常见花粉的R值研究

根据表土孢粉分析和植被样方调查的比较研究，获得了神农架北坡表土常见花粉的R值，常绿阔叶树花粉一般具有较低代表性，R值变化于0．70左右，绝大部分落叶阔叶树花粉也具有较低代表性，R值变化于0．68－0．88之间，但桦，桤木和槭却表现异常，针叶树有气囊花粉具有明显的超代表性，R值变化在1．35－2．44之间，松表现最为强烈，草本植物花粉的R值变化较大，代表性较差，影响R值的因素很多，植物的生态特性，花粉特征，花粉源距离，花粉产量，地形等作用尤为明显。     

On the laboratory procedure for processing unconsolidated sediment samples to concentrate subfossil seed and other plant macroremains

Macrofossil analysis is becoming increasingly used as an approach to vegetation history in late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental studies. Macrofossils can be recovered from many terrestrial and lacustrine settings. Although the laboratory techniques are straightforward and are described in outline in several textbooks, the practical details of the extraction procedure are not widely available. This paper provides a detailed breakdown of the steps involved in extracting macroremains from unconsolidated (non-lithified) Quaternary sediments, with reasons for the various steps and practical details of how the extraction is accomplished. It is intended as a “how-to” laboratory manual for students and researchers undertaking macrofossil analysis.     

The role of hydrological processes in ecosystem conservation: Comprehensive water management for a wetland in an arid climate

Water agreements between Mexico and the United States have been crucial to preserving and restoring the Colorado River Delta's wetlands. Nowadays, increased water demand and climate change in the Colorado River Basin could threaten the conservation of the Ciénega de Santa Clara, a 4709 ha coastal wetland at the Sonoran Desert's edge. The international Ramsar convention recognizes the Ciénega de Santa Clara ecosystem for providing vital ecological services, including habitat for endemic, endangered, and migratory species. The hydrology of this wetland has not been completely understood since the 2010–2011 trial run of the Yuma Desalting Plant. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify and quantify the hydrological elements essential for the conservation of this wetland, under three scenarios: (a) normal inflow conditions of the water source – the Wellton-Mohawk canal; (b) inflow reductions, and; (c) an increase of temperature due to global warming. Water and mass balances estimates were conducted every month during 2014–2015; in situ measurements of inflows were carried out on Southern International Boundary in Wellton-Mohawk canal, the Riíto Drain, groundwater, and precipitation: evapotranspiration outputs were estimated using local weather stations and Penman-Monteith formulations. Temperature increases were based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projections for the next 100 years. Results showed disconnection in the surface flow of water from the wetland to the adjacent Gulf of California. This behaviour was observed mainly in the summer months in the three scenarios. The disconnections reduced the wetland area and water storage. The hydrological functionality of the Ciénega de Santa Clara wetland depends on the water supply from the Wellton-Mohawk canal, with a minimum continuous discharge of 5.10 m³ s⁻¹ during the summer months.