An integrated analysis of air pollution from US coal-fired power plants

The United States is one of the world's leaders in electricity production, generating about 4116 billion kWh in 2021, of which coal accounted for 21.8% of the total. This study applies an integrated approach using both terrestrial and satellite data to specifically examine emissions from coal-fired power plants and its spatial extent. The study also highlights the effectiveness of government policies to reduce emissions. It was found that emission of pollutants from the country's energy sector has been steadily declining, with annual emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) decreasing from the US electric power sector between 1990 and 2020 by 93.4% and 84.8%, respectively, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) by 37% between 2007 and 2020. Although overall emissions from coal-fired power plants are declining, some individual plants have yet to install environmental equipment to control emissions. According to US government data, major emitters of SO₂, NO_x, and CO₂ in the US are the Martin Lake power plant in East Texas, the Labadie power plant near St. Louis, Missouri, and the James H Miller Jr plant near Birmingham, Alabama. This study also integrates TROPOMI satellite data to detect point emissions from individual power plants. While the highest levels of measured pollutants were over the country's major cities and areas of fossil fuel extraction, TROPOMI could clearly distinguish the pollution caused by power plants in more rural areas. Although the US has made great strides in reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants, these plants still represent a major source of pollution and remain a major concern. Totally eliminating coal as a power source will be difficult with the higher power demands resulting from the transition to electric automobiles.     

气候变化对植被和土壤的影响效应

全球气候变化已是当今世界研究的热点。近年来,气候变化对陆地植被以及土壤的影响研究已经广泛开展。通过系统收集和整理气候变化对植被和土壤影响国内外相关研究结果,有利于进一步认识气候变化给生存环境带来的影响。大量野外定量分析以及经验模型预测等方法研究表明:气候变化对陆地植被产生了重要影响,主要表现在植被分布范围、生产力以及多样性的改变。气候变化也会使土壤基本性质发生变化,同时土壤作为全球碳循环过程中重要的中间碳库,土壤有机碳库与气候变化有着密切的关系,气候变暖与土壤有机碳库的分解互为反馈。     

长白山哈泥泥炭地7种苔藓分布与环境关系研究

在长白山哈泥泥炭地调查7种苔藓的典型生境,共计93个样方,计测样方中苔藓植物的盖度和包括泥炭全氮（TN）、全磷（TP）、K^＋和Ca^2＋等在内的9个环境因子,应用典范对应分析对数据进行处理,做出样方、物种与环境因子关系二维排序图,排序图直观地反映苔藓植物与环境因子间的关系。结果表明,排序图中同种苔藓为主的样方多数集中分布,个别分散分布;水位埋深、沼泽水pH以及乔木郁闭度和灌木盖度是影响泥炭地苔藓植物生态位分异的主要环境因子,泥炭全磷（TP）对苔藓植物分布影响较大。7种苔藓中,尖叶泥炭藓（Sphagnum capilifolium）、大泥炭藓（S．palustre）在乔木郁闭度和pH梯度上,喙叶泥炭藓（S．fallax）、沼泽皱缩藓（Aulacomnium palustre）在水位埋深和灌木盖度梯度上,生态位分异明显。锈色泥炭藓（S．fuscum）、桧叶金发藓（Polytrichum juniperinum）和中位泥炭藓（S．magellanicum）在各个环境梯度上生态位都比较相似。     

贺兰山上三叠统上田组植物化石研究

对贺兰山地区上田组的植物化石开展研究,此次鉴定出12属14种,结合前人资料,上田组植物化石共计20属35种。其中,真蕨纲和种子蕨纲9属19种,占54%;苏铁纲4属6种,占17%;楔叶纲1属4种,占11%;松柏纲3属3种,占9%;银杏纲2属2种,占6%;分类位置不明的种子1属1种,占3%。该地区植物化石组合以中国北方型Danaeopsis-Bernoullia植物群的属种占主导地位,同时混生了中国南方型Dictyophyllum-Clathropteris植物群的分子Dictyophyllum,且苏铁类占一定的比例,反映了晚三叠世末期贺兰山为半干旱的亚热带大陆型气候,且正在向湿热发展。     

甘肃酒泉盆地早白垩世植物化石及其古气候意义

首次较系统报道了产于甘肃酒泉盆地下白垩统的植物化石,分为两个植物组合。Athrotaxites-Solenites组合产于赤金堡组上段,有Solenites luanpingensis Wang,Pityocladus cf.i waianus(ishi)Chow,Pityocladus sp.,Athrotaxites berryi Bell等,时代大致为早白垩世早期,反映潮湿或半干旱半潮湿气候。Brachyphyllum-Pseudofrenelopsis组合见于中沟组上部,包括Sphenopterissp.,Pseudofrenelopsis dalatzensis(Chowet Tsao)Cao ex Zhou,Cupressinocladus elegans(Chow)Chow,Cupressinocladus sp.,Pagiophyllumyumenense sp.nov.,Pagiophyllumcompressum sp.nov.,Pagiophyllum sp.,Brachyphyllumningshiaense Chow et Tsao,Brachyphyllumobtusum Chow et Tsao,Elatocladus sp.,Podozamites sp.,Carpolithus sp.等12种,时代为Aptian-Albian期,反映干旱型气候。     

Perceptions of Local People toward Wild Edible Plant Gathering and Consumption: Insights from the Q-method in Hani Terraces

Wild edible plants (WEPs) can provide a variety of provisioning services and cultural services but they are currently under-utilized. Understanding farmers’ perceptions of the collection and consumption of wild edible plant resources is essential for promoting local socio-ecological system resilience and local wild plant resource use. This paper uses the Q-method to investigate the main perspectives of farmers toward collecting and consuming wild edible plants in the Honghe Hani Terraces region of Yunnan Province. This analysis identified four main perspective types among the farmers, including market-driven, household user-driven, cultural service seekers, and tradition followers. It revealed the main factors that limit and facilitate farmers’ WEP collection and consumption, including limitations due to loss of traditional knowledge, and changes in socioeconomic conditions that negatively affect WEP collection and consumption; while, on the other hand, the demand for WEP-related cultural services and the presence of a strong culture slowed down changes in dietary structure, which in turn have maintained WEP collection and consumption. The Q-method can help in identifying the relationship between community residents and local wild plant resource use in rapidly transitioning areas and in identifying the barriers that affect the resilience of local socio-ecological systems.     

Comparing water use patterns of sand-binding species in an alpine semi-arid desert

The processes of species obtaining water resources are crucial to evaluate the adaptability of plantations, which can affect the establishment and survival of restored ecosystems and functions of water-limited ecosystems. However, there are still limitations in understanding water use patterns of different four plantations (Populus sylvestris, Salix cheliophe, Hippophae rhamnoides and Artemisia ordosica) in the Qinghai Lake basin. Stable isotopes of xylem water of four individual species were analysed at different dunes located at the eastern shore of Qinghai Lake in 2018 and 2019. The purpose of this study was to explore potential water sources used by different life form plants, to identify whether the soil moisture content and root distribution determined the plants water use patterns. Results from the Bayesian mixing model MixSIAR showed that all species mainly uses three levels of soil water, but they extracted soil water from different layers in different growing seasons among species. All species primarily depended on water from upper soil layers at the early growing stage, but P. sylvestris and S. cheliophe also absorbed much proportion middle and deep soil layers' water in dry year of 2019. All four species shift to use middle or deep soil layer water rather than shallow water in July with the most rainfall and soil water content (SWC). However, it was only used by P. sylvestris and H. rhamnoides in 2018. In all, seasonal water use pattern of different species was affected by SWC, soil texture and root distribution. Compared with moratorium plantations such as S. cheliophe, mixed afforestation of P. sylvestris and H. rhamnoides maximized of soil water sources absorbed by the plants. The study can shed light on plant–water relationships to facilitate the woody species for afforestation and desertification restoration management in the semi-arid desert ecosystem.