Comprehensive development of agriculture in the Loess Plateau Area

The Loess Plateau is one of China s developing areas where socio-econ-omy is backward, ecological environment deteriorated and people's life difficult.The purpose of carrying out comprehensive development of the area's agriculture is, in essence, to open up new fields of agro-production, to intensify the utilization of related resources, to raise productivity and to win bigger output. The decision is important, as by so doing, the physical landscape could be tranformed, the local economy could be flourished, and the people's standard of living could be improved, and moreover the national development strategy of "depending on the East and shifting to the West" and building Shanxi Province into an energy and chemical industrial base could be realized.Based on field investigations in recent years, the auther proposed the purpose, target, principles, steps, tactics and strategies for the comprehensive development of the are's agriculture.     

基于GIS的县域土壤重金属生态风险评价

为研究经济快速发展区农田土壤中重金属的含量及污染状况,本文以浙江省慈溪市为研究对象,研究土壤中铜、汞、镉、铅、砷、铬、锌七种重金属含量特征,并采用潜在生态危害指数法对其进行评价,并绘制生态风险危害指数分级图。结果表明:土壤中除汞元素含量较高外,其他各元素含量仅稍高于当地土壤背景值。七种元素的单因子污染指数Cfi值均属于中等的污染参数,综合污染指数Cd上限值已处于高污染指数的范围,但平均值为属于中等污染水平。从潜在生态风险评价结果来看,七种元素的单项潜在生态风险参数Eri的值也只有汞达到了强生态危害,七种元素综合潜在生态危害指数RI刚刚达到中等生态危害水平,说明该区农田土壤尚处于较低的生态风险状态。生态危害指数插值结果表明,慈溪市重金属元素的高风险区分布在中南部人类活动较为活跃、城乡工业较发达的区域,在今后的土地利用中,应高度重视人类活动对土壤重金属污染的影响。     

干旱区凝结水研究进展

凝结水是维系干旱、半干旱地区主要食物链的水分来源之一,具有重要的生态意义。较详细地列举了目前国内外在干旱区测定凝结量及其持续时间所采用的研究方法,从凝结水的数量特征以及时间格局两方面阐述了不同地域凝结水的时空差异性,并从气象因素、凝结面的类型及其位置、周边植被对其作用等方面综合分析了影响凝结水发生的主要因素,探讨了干旱区凝结水的生态作用及其意义,展望了干旱区凝结水未来的研究趋势。提出在未来的干旱区凝结水研究中应加强与气象学、生态学等多学科的交叉,从能量平衡角度加强对凝结水量的研究;同时,改进和规范凝结水的测量方法,开展荒漠植被对凝结水的生理响应研究以及凝结水对极端干旱胁迫植物的作用研究。     

干旱区植被生态需水理论研究进展

综述了植被生态需水的概念及其内涵,评价了植被生态需水的主要研究理论——生态适宜性理论、系统阈值理论、水文循环水量平衡理论、农业气象学理论,评析了各种理论在实践应用中的优缺点。指出在未来的植被生态需水研究中应加强生态体系健康标准建立、定量评价指标体系的数值模拟模型构建,研究中还必须注重植被生态需水的时空特性,充分利用“3S”技术手段和先进的科学试验设备,全方位、多角度获取不同研究区域的基础信息,为建立植被生态需水理论提供可靠的数据支撑。     

对新疆土地生态环境保护的思考

新疆幅员辽阔,总面积为1.6×106km2,占我国国土总面积的1/6。但新疆远离海洋,气候干燥,沙漠面积7.3×105km2,占全国沙漠总面积的2/3。生态环境脆弱,直接威胁人们的生存环境。本文叙述了新疆土地荒漠化的现状及成因和危害;开荒造田的历程;开荒造田中的经验和教训,指出了新疆土地生态环境保护中存在的主要矛盾和问题,并提出了思考和建议。     

Estimating groundwater evapotranspiration rates using diurnal water-table fluctuations in a semi-arid riparian zone

In semi-arid climates, phreatophytes draw on shallow aquifers, and groundwater evapotranspiration (ET_G) is a principal component of groundwater budgets. Diurnal water table fluctuations, which often are a product of ET_G, were monitored in the riparian zone of Red Canyon Creek, Wyoming, USA. These fluctuations were higher in a riparian wetland (2–36 mm) than a grass-covered meadow (1–6 mm). The onset and cessation of water-table fluctuations correspond to daily temperatures relative to freezing. Spatial differences were due to vegetation type and specific yield, while temporal changes were due to vegetation dormancy. Ratios of ET_G to potential evapotranspiration (PET), K _c,GW, were similar to ratios of actual evapotranspiration (ET) to PET, K _c, in semi-arid rangelands. Before vegetation senescence, K _c,GW increased between precipitation events, suggesting phreatophytes pull more water from the saturated zone as soil moisture decreases. In contrast, K _c decreases with soil moisture following precipitation events as ET becomes increasingly water-limited. Error in ET_G is primarily from estimates of specific yield (S _y), which is difficult to quantify in heterogeneous sediments. ET_G values may be more reliable because the range of acceptable S _y is smaller than K _c and S _y does not change with vegetation type or soil moisture.     

Water balance in the playa-lakes of an arid environment,Monegros, NE Spain

The playa-lakes of the Monegros desert in north-east Spain are saline wetlands in an arid environment, a rare phenomenon in Europe. These extremely valuable habitats are threatened by changes associated with agricultural expansion and incorporation of new irrigated areas. An understanding of the present hydrologic regime will enable changes to be identified, particularly those brought about by flooding and pollution caused by irrigation surplus. This study sets out to show the results of applying a daily water balance in three selected playa-lakes. The balance was in two parts and consisted of: (1) the average balance for all the endorheic basin using the BALAN_11 program, and (2) the water balance in some playa-lakes, applying discharge flows obtained from the previous balance. The resulting volumes of water were converted to water depths and contrasted with reference volumes taken from field and Landsat images. The model was calibrated by applying various hypotheses of function which enabled the results to be adjusted. The proposed balance is an acceptable reproduction of field water measurements during this period, and underlines the consistency of the conceptual model. The methodology used is appropriate for understanding the playa-lakes function and for monitoring them for conservation purposes.     

Groundwater resources in the Jabal Al Hass region,northwest Syria: an assessment of past use and future potential

In many cases, the development of groundwater resources to boost agricultural production in dry areas has led to a continuous decline in groundwater levels; this has called into question the sustainability of such exploitation. In developing countries, limited budgets and scarce hydrological data often do not allow groundwater resources to be assessed through groundwater modeling. A case study is presented of a low-cost water-balance approach to groundwater resource assessments in a 1,550 km² semi-arid region in northwestern Syria. The past development of irrigated agriculture and its effect on the groundwater system were studied by analysis of Landsat images and long-term groundwater level changes, respectively. All components of the groundwater balance were determined. Groundwater recharge was estimated using the chloride mass balance method. Over the past three decades, groundwater levels have declined, on average, 23 m, coinciding with a two-fold increase in the groundwater-irrigated area. Groundwater resources are currently depleted by a value that lies between 9.5×10⁶ and 118×10⁶ m³ year^?1, which is larger than can be compensated for by a future decrease in natural discharge or changes in boundary conditions. However, groundwater resources are likely to be sufficient to supply domestic and livestock needs in the area.     

Pumping decisions for sustainable development of groundwater resources in areas of grassland degradation: a case study in Lanqi Banner, Inner Mongolia, China

The best planting alternatives for satisfying high water use demands of forage and fodder crops in a region of Inner Mongolia, China, were determined by a multiobjective distributed-parameter groundwater management model. These alternatives took account of different cropping patterns and pumping decisions associated with both temporal and spatial aspects of water allocation. The model was developed for phreatic, homogenous, and isotropic aquifers using the response matrix technique of quadratic programming theory and, in this case, using the alternative direction implicit (ADI) scheme. Model solutions using effective rainfall with a probability of 50%, show that average water table drawdown in the planning period (2006–2017) is 0.22 m and the groundwater fluctuation in each pumping well is very low. In order to evaluate the pumping decisions under an effective rainfall with a probability of 75%, a sensitive analysis was also conducted. Analysis shows that it is useful to apply the results from the proposed model to control the landscape degradation due to overgrazing and overpumping activities.     

Mid-infrared imaging of ultracompact H II regions

We discuss preliminary results of an 11.7 m imaging survey of ultracompact H II regions from the Wood and Churchwell radio survey. We find that that the morphologies of ionized gas and warm dust are often significantly different, indicating that an H II region classification scheme should be based on more than radio data.