Analysis of nonstationarity in low flow in the Loess Plateau of China

An approach for nonstationary low‐flow frequency analysis is developed and demonstrated on a dataset from the rivers on the Loess Plateau of China. Nonstationary low‐flow frequency analysis has drawn significant attention in recent years by establishing relationships between low‐flow series and explanatory variables series, but few studies have tested whether the time‐varying moments of low flow can be fully described by the time‐varying moments of the explanatory variables. In this research, the low‐flow distributions are analytically derived from the 2 basic explanatory variables—the recession duration and the recession coefficient—with the assumption that the recession duration and recession coefficient variables follow exponential and gamma distributions, respectively; the derived low‐flow distributions are applied to test whether the time‐varying moments of explanatory variables can explain the nonstationarities found in the low‐flow variable. The effects of ecosystem construction measures, that is, check dam, terrace, forest, and grassland, on the recession duration and recession coefficient are further discussed. Daily flow series from 11 hydrological stations from the Loess Plateau are used and processed with a moving average technique. Low‐flow data are extracted following the pit under threshold approach. Six of the 11 low‐flow series show significant nonstationarities at the 5% significance level, and the trend curves of the moments of low flow are in close agreement with the curves estimated from the derived distribution with time‐dependent moments of the recession duration and time‐constant moments of the recession coefficient. It is indicated that the nonstationarity in the low‐flow distribution results from the nonstationarity in the recession duration in all 6 cases, and the increase in the recession duration is resulted from large‐scale ecosystem constructions rather than climate change. The large‐scale ecosystem constructions are found to have more influence on the decrease in streamflow than on the increase in watershed storage, thus resulting in the reduction of low flow. A high return period for the initial fixed design value decreases dramatically with an increasing recession duration.     

大兴安岭天保工程区生态系统服务变化研究

利用Landsat和MODIS遥感数据和InVEST模型,评估了1990―2015年大兴安岭天保工程区实施前后生态系统土壤风蚀量、生境质量和碳储量的时空变化,并通过地理探测器方法对生态系统服务时空变化分布与趋势进行驱动因子探测和交互作用探测分析。结果表明：① 从空间分布来看,额尔古纳市南部、鄂温克族自治旗西北部、科尔沁右翼前旗的土壤风蚀量大,生境质量差,碳储量低。② 2000年天保工程实施之后,森林面积显著增加,土壤风蚀量减少1.14%,生境质量增加0.49%,碳储量减少幅度为0.12%,低于2000年以前的0.64%。③ 土壤风蚀量主要受植被类型、土壤类型的影响,生态系统类型、植被类型对生境质量、碳储量空间异质性的影响显著大于其他因素,海拔、坡度2种地形因子对土壤风蚀量、碳储量的解释能力很小。温度、降水2种气候因子对土壤风蚀量、生境质量和碳储量的解释能力不固定,但仍是不可或缺的因素。     

基于Meta-Gaussian模型的中国农业干旱预测研究

在全球气候变化背景下,干旱愈加频发,有效且可靠的农业干旱预测对于保障粮食安全和水资源安全具有重要意义。以标准化降水指数（SPI）和联合标准化土壤湿度指数（JSSI）分别表征气象干旱和农业干旱,以前期的气象干旱和农业干旱指数作为预测因子,在1~3个月预见期下基于Meta-Gaussian（MG）模型对中国1961—2015年6—8月的农业干旱进行预测,并采用Brier Skill Score（BSS）和纳什效率系数（NSE）评价MG模型的预测性能。结果表明：① 将1个月、3个月、6个月、9个月和12个月时间尺度的标准化土壤湿度指数（SSI）结合起来得到的JSSI能够对中国农业干旱的综合状况进行客观评价。② 以中国2010年和2014年遭受严重的干旱事件为例,预见期为1~3个月时,除新疆南部、青海西部以及内蒙古西部等沙漠地区外,MG模型对6—8月农业干旱预测结果的分布范围与实际干旱的分布区域较吻合,预见期越短,吻合越好。③ 预见期为1个月时,6—8月BSS ≥ 0.5的面积比例分别为0.714、0.642和0.640,NSE ≥ 0.5的面积比例分别为0.903、0.829和0.837,表明MG模型能够对中国大部分区域的农业干旱作出可靠的预测。本文结果可为中国农业干旱的监测、预警及干旱决策提供科学指导。     

粤港澳大湾区生态系统服务价值的时空演化及其影响机制

生态系统服务是生态要素、结构、功能和产品造福于人类社会的媒介和通道。根据生态系统服务价值（ESV）及其影响机制调节人类社会对生态系统的利用强度和保护方式,对于实现人地和谐的可持续发展目标具有重要意义。本文以粤港澳大湾区作为研究对象,依托遥感数据修订ESV核算结果,更加准确地揭示2000—2015年粤港澳大湾区ESV的时空演变特征,并引入面板分位数回归深入探索生态系统服务影响因素的分段效应,增加对生态系统服务影响机制的认识。结果显示：① 2000—2015年粤港澳大湾区ESV减速下降,下降区域主要分布在粤港澳大湾区中部和珠江入海口两岸等城市快速扩张区。② 在城市交界处,土地利用变化会带来更为强烈的ESV变化。③ 在ESV水平不同的区域,影响因素具有不同的影响效果。用地完整度仅在ESV的低值区可以促进生态系统服务能力提升。气温对生态系统服务能力的正向作用随ESV的提高而增强,经济密度对生态系统服务能力的负向作用随ESV的提高而减弱,二者均会导致ESV高值区与低值区间的差距增大,形成“自然马太效应”。     

Ecosystem Health: Assessment Framework,Spatial Evolution,and Regional Optimization in Southwest China

Regional ecological health,the core of comprehensive ecosystem assessments,is an important foundation for regional exploration,environmental conservation,and sustainable development.The mountainous areas in southwest China are backward in economy,but industrialization and urbanization have been rapid in recent years.This study assessed the ecosystem health of the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in China using a pressure-state-response(PSR)model.Spatiotemporal patterns of regional ecosystem health were analyzed from 2000 to 2016,including overall characteristics as well as local characteristics.Ecosystem health in most regions was improved over time(Y=0.0058 X–11.0132,R2=0.95,P<0.001),and areas with poorer ecosystem health decreased from half to one-third of the total area.Analysis of the primacy ratio and the variation coefficient confirmed that the gap in health scores between regions has gradually expanded since 2007,but there are more high quality regions overall(Z of Moran’s index<1.96,P>0.05).Overall,the regional ecosystems to the east of the Hu line-an imaginary line dividing east and west China into roughly equivalent parts-were healthier than those to the west.The pressure and state scores of ecosystems were determined by physiographic condition,and the response scores by government policies and social concern.The spatiotemporal patterns of ecosystem health were dominated to a greater extent by natural than anthropogenic factors,which explains why the shift in the patterns aligned with the direction of the Hu line.Dividing regions into key management areas based on natural geographical conditions and socioeconomic development could contribute to the formulation of a reasonable ecological and environmental protection policy,guaranteeing ecosystem services in the long run.     

Landscape transform and spatial metrics for mapping spatiotemporal land cover dynamics using Earth Observation data-sets

Analysis of Earth observation (EO) data, often combined with geographical information systems (GIS), allows monitoring of land cover dynamics over different ecosystems, including protected or conservation sites. The aim of this study is to use contemporary technologies such as EO and GIS in synergy with fragmentation analysis, to quantify the changes in the landscape of the Rajaji National Park (RNP) during the period of 19 years (1990–2009). Several statistics such as principal component analysis (PCA) and spatial metrics are used to understand the results. PCA analysis has produced two principal components (PC) and explained 84.1% of the total variance, first component (PC1) accounted for the 57.8% of the total variance while the second component (PC2) has accounted for the 26.3% of the total variance calculated from the core area metrics, distance metrics and shape metrics. Our results suggested that notable changes happened in the RNP landscape, evidencing the requirement of taking appropriate measures to conserve this natural ecosystem.     

Linking regional stakeholder scenarios and shared socioeconomic pathways: Quantified West African food and climate futures in a global context

The climate change research community’s shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) are a set of alternative global development scenarios focused on mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. To use these scenarios as a global context that is relevant for policy guidance at regional and national levels, they have to be connected to an exploration of drivers and challenges informed by regional expertise.In this paper, we present scenarios for West Africa developed by regional stakeholders and quantified using two global economic models, GLOBIOM and IMPACT, in interaction with stakeholder-generated narratives and scenario trends and SSP assumptions. We present this process as an example of linking comparable scenarios across levels to increase coherence with global contexts, while presenting insights about the future of agriculture and food security under a range of future drivers including climate change.In these scenarios, strong economic development increases food security and agricultural development. The latter increases crop and livestock productivity leading to an expansion of agricultural area within the region while reducing the land expansion burden elsewhere. In the context of a global economy, West Africa remains a large consumer and producer of a selection of commodities. However, the growth in population coupled with rising incomes leads to increases in the region’s imports. For West Africa, climate change is projected to have negative effects on both crop yields and grassland productivity, and a lack of investment may exacerbate these effects. Linking multi-stakeholder regional scenarios to the global SSPs ensures scenarios that are regionally appropriate and useful for policy development as evidenced in the case study, while allowing for a critical link to global contexts.     

陕西河谷盆地生态系统服务协同与权衡时空差异分析

陕西河谷盆地是区域主要粮食基地和社会经济中心,人口增长、城镇化和工业化的加快发展,使得该地区生态环境受到人类活动的强烈冲击,生态环境面临着潜在的巨大危机,严重影响社会经济的可持续发展。本文选取西北地区经济中心—关中盆地和陕西省生态保护指定区—汉中盆地进行对比研究,以1990-2010年的生态系统服务数据（NPP、保水服务、食物供给）分析生态服务时空差异,通过相关分析、线性和幂函数回归等方法分析了生态系统服务协同与权衡的时空差异。结果表明：NPP与保水是协同关系,NPP与食物供给、保水与食物供给是权衡关系;21年中,两大盆地的协同关系均呈减弱趋势,权衡关系为加强趋势,且关中盆地的变化速度要高于汉中盆地;NPP与保水的协同程度,在关中盆地东部的耕地区域以及汉中盆地的宁强县与略阳县西部最强,以关中的铜川市和汉中的西乡县最弱;NPP与食物供给的权衡程度,在关中盆地的铜川市和西安市境内的秦岭区域以及汉中盆地的西乡县南部制约关系更为突出,以关中的宝鸡市及汉中的略阳县最弱。     

生态系统服务权衡研究进展：从认知到决策

作为沟通自然生态系统与人类社会的重要桥梁,生态系统服务一直以来都是地理学、生态学等学科的研究前沿和热点。正确认知生态系统服务之间的关系,是开展多种生态系统服务可持续管理决策的前提,有助于人类福祉的全面提升。本文通过厘定生态系统服务权衡的概念内涵,梳理了生态系统服务权衡的空间、时间和可逆性特征,将多层次人类福祉的满足作为权衡的最终目标,视生态补偿为权衡决策的基本保障途径。生态系统服务权衡关系的识别依托于定量指标法和综合模型法,且权衡关系可能随时空尺度的推移发生改变;情景分析与多目标分析是生态系统服务权衡决策的有效手段。生态系统服务权衡多尺度关联、生态系统服务流与远程耦合、生态系统服务消费与生态补偿,成为当前生态系统服务权衡研究的重点方向。     

Examining the Influence of Positionality in Evaluating Collaborative Progress in Natural Resource Management: Reflections of an Academic and a Practitioner

In this paper, we present a reflexive examination of how and why we, an academic and a practitioner, arrive at different evaluations of collaborative progress in natural resource management. We situate this examination in our long-standing involvement in designing, adaptively managing, and participating in the Uncompahgre Plateau collaborative forest restoration project in western Colorado, USA. Drawing on the concept of “positionality” in qualitative social science research, we disclose our respective motivations, assumptions, roles, and power relative to the collaborative process. The differences in evaluating collaborative progress stem from our respective professional positionality. For the academic, the guiding interest was to test theory and promote success for his applied research institute; for the practitioner, the motivation was to build trust to allow her field staff the flexibility to implement management actions and demonstrate effectiveness as an agency line officer. These epistemological differences draw attention to the importance of transdisciplinary approaches to producing knowledge from shared practice, starting with efforts to explicitly disclose and honor differing interests, assumptions, and frames of reference stemming from each party’s personal and professional biographies and institutional norms. This reflexivity is essential to advancing knowledge about collaboration in natural resource management.