A Comparison of Sampling Designs for Monitoring Recreational Trail Impacts in Rocky Mountain National Park

The dual goals of the Organic Act of 1916 and Wilderness Act of 1964 are to protect natural resources and provide quality visitor experiences. Park managers need metrics of trail conditions to protect park resources and quality of visitor experiences. A few methods of sampling design for trails have been developed. Here, we describe a relatively new method, spatially balanced sampling, and compare it to systematic sampling. We evaluated the efficiency of sampling designs to measure recreation-related impacts in Rocky Mountain National Park. This study addressed two objectives: first, it compared estimates of trail conditions from data collected from systematic versus spatially balanced sampling data; second, it examined the relationship between sampling precision and sampling efficiency. No statistically significant differences in trail condition were found between the 100-m interval and the spatially balanced datasets. The spatially balanced probability-based dataset was found to be a good estimate of trail conditions when analyses were conducted with fewer sample points. Moreover, spatially balanced probability-based sampling is flexible and allows additional sample points to be added to a sample.     

Assessment of Biological and Environmental Phenology at a Landscape Level from 30 Years of Fixed-Date Repeat Photography in Northern Sweden

A 30-year series (1978–2007) of photographic records were analysed to determine changes in lake ice cover, local (low elevation) and montane (high elevation) snow cover and phenological stages of mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) at the Abisko Scientific Research Station, Sweden. In most cases, the photographic-derived data showed no significant difference in phenophase score from manually observed field records from the same period, demonstrating the accuracy and potential of using weekly repeat photography as a quicker, cheaper and more adaptable tool to remotely study phenology in both biological and physical systems. Overall, increases in ambient temperatures coupled with decreases in winter ice and snow cover, and earlier occurrence of birch foliage, signal a reduction in the length of winter, a shift towards earlier springs and an increase in the length of available growing season in the Swedish sub-arctic.     

紫金山登山道主要树种抗火性研究

比较分析了紫金山登山道两侧主要树种的抗火能力,对紫金山不同立地、区位的森林生物防火林带建设和树种选择进行探讨和分析。利用层次分析法,从树种燃烧特性、生物学和生态抗火特性三个方面对紫金山登山道路两侧32种主要树种的抗火性进行综合评价分析,并利用聚类分析对32种树种的抗火性进行分类。结果表明:石楠、油茶、冬青、栓皮栎、青冈、枸骨、麻栎等12种树种综合抗火性较强;朴树、枫香、黄檀、黄连木等7种树种综合抗火性一般;糙叶树、短叶中华石楠、苦树、山胡椒、紫薇、狭叶山胡椒等12种树种综合抗火性较弱;马尾松综合抗火性最弱。树种抗火性评价的11项评价指标中树叶特性、含水率、树皮特征、热值、树冠结构5项指标对树种抗火性影响较大,综合生物学特征对树种抗火性影响最大。冬青、青冈、女贞等常绿大乔木,石楠、油茶、枸骨、茶树等常绿灌木抗火性较强,可以作为防火树种。糙叶树、短叶中华石楠、苦树、山胡椒、紫薇、狭叶山胡椒、瓜木、构树、鸡爪槭、白檀、青桐、卫矛、马尾松等抗火性差,在森林防火中需要重点防护。     

豫西地区植被覆盖的空间变化研究

应用遥感技术,利用长时间序列的SPOT VEGETATION NDVI数据集,结合改进的像元二分模型,对豫西山区1998年、2003年和2008年的植被覆盖度进行计算。结果表明,豫西山区植被覆盖总体上略有上升,局部地区植被覆盖度有所下降。高海拔区域植被覆盖相对稳定,退化概率较低;低海拔区域植被退化和恢复的概率都相对较高;坡度小的区域植被退化和修复的概率都较高;坡度较大的区域植被轻微退化概率增大,坡度越大,植被覆盖修复的概率越低;南坡和北坡植被覆盖度相对较高,东坡和西坡植被覆盖度较低;西南坡向的植被退化相对严重,东南坡向植被退化概率相对较低。     

建设秦岭国家中央公园的探究

通过对秦岭的综合分析,借鉴国外＂国家公园＂的建设经验,从秦岭目前开发现状存在的问题及其原因进行分析研究,提出应成立国家秦岭管理局,科学开发保护秦岭,分不同区域建设秦岭国家中央公园;在发展生态旅游的同时,积极整合资源,争取加入世界人与生物圈,联合申遗,推动秦岭走向世界,从而实现秦岭地区人与自然的可持续发展。     

重庆金佛山降雪中飞灰单颗粒特征及来源解析

大气降雪能够保存大气环境信息,是研究区域环境的良好介质.位于渝黔交接带的金佛山海拔2 251.1 m,冬季降水以降雪的形式出现,周边区域人类活动强烈.关于该区域大气气溶胶中的飞灰单颗粒特征的研究比较缺乏.本研究采集了金佛山5个降雪样品,运用扫描电镜及X能谱分析联用系统(SEM-EDS)对样品中的132个飞灰进行单颗粒形貌、化学组成分析.结果表明,研究区降雪中存在大量球形飞灰,包含光滑颗粒、粗糙颗粒及聚合体颗粒3种形态,分别占统计颗粒的80.31%、14.39%和5.30%;平均粒径1.64μm,平均环度1.09.按主导化学元素分为富硅类、富碳类、富铁类、富铝类及富钛类5种,所占比例分别为34.09%、49.24%、12.88%、2.27%和1.52%.结合气象资料、气团后向运移轨迹和飞灰性质,推测富碳类飞灰可能主要来自于生活排放源和工业活动;富硅类飞灰可能来自于渝西、黔北、湘中、浙赣一带及粤西的火力发电厂等高温燃煤工业;富铁类及富钛类飞灰则可能来源于渝西和黔北、湘中的钢铁厂、轧钢厂等金属冶炼活动.     

大别山区土壤侵蚀经济损失估值研究

大别山区是土壤侵蚀较为强烈的地区之一,严重的土壤侵蚀不但恶化了自然环境,而且制约着该区域经济社会的可持续发展.在GIS的支持下,通过建立土壤侵蚀数据库获取有关土壤侵蚀量以及土壤侵蚀环境分析所需的基础数据,然后根据环境经济学相关的基本原理和方法对土壤侵蚀进行了货币化估算,以达到土壤侵蚀经济损失估值的目的.     

Evidence of response of vegetation to environmental change on high-elevation sites in the Swiss Alps

Climate change has in the past led to shifts in vegetation patterns; in a future, warmer climate due to enhanced greenhouse-gas concentrations, vegetation is also likely to be highly responsive to such warming. Mountain regions are considered to be particularly sensitive to such changes. In this paper we present an approach to assess the impact of climate change on long-term vegetation plots at the high-elevation site of the Schynige Platte, 2000 m above sea level, in the Bernese Alps (Switzerland). Records of vegetation spanning the period from 1928 to today at two different sites, each with several plots, were considered. The observed change in the species composition was then related to changes in land use and climate. We used daily values of temperature, snow and precipitation from several high-elevation weather stations to conduct these analyses. The correlation between climate and vegetation patterns revealed that species that prefer low thermal conditions move out of the plots, i.e., their frequency of occurrence is negatively correlated with the average number of degree-days over the last six decades. On the other hand, species with higher thermal demands are seen to be invading the plots, i.e., their frequency of occurrence is positively correlated to the average number of degree-days. Nutrient changes – though independent from climate – also play an important role in the observed shifts in species. Received: 20 June 1999 · Accepted: 14 January 2000     

伏牛山旅游资源评价及开发对策

伏牛山东西绵延几百公里,构成黄河、淮河和长江三大水系分水岭,其独特的地理位置,造就了奇特的自然景观;悠久的历史,留下了丰富多彩的历史文化遗产.然而,伏牛山的旅游业长期以来没有得到应有的关注和开发.在对伏牛山旅游资源开发条件评价的基础上,阐述了伏牛山旅游资源的开发原则,针对性地提出了开发设想,以便尽早使伏牛山成为我国中原地区旅游的新热点.     

天柱山国内旅游市场空间结构分析与优化

从旅游客源和客流两方面分析了天柱山国内旅游市场的空间结构特征及其演化:2002年与1996年相比,天柱山国内旅游客源市场有扩散趋势,但仍呈较强的集中性,客源吸引半径小幅上升,呈明显的近程性;旅游客流在景区空间呈现多中心辐射扩散的分布点.在此基础上,划分了天柱山国内旅游市场空间圈层结构,对不同的圈层结构提出了不同的经营策略,以达到优化市场空间结构的目的.