Stochastic Transfer Function Model and Neural Networks to Estimate Soil Moisture1

Abstract: A practical methodology is proposed to estimate the three‐dimensional variability of soil moisture based on a stochastic transfer function model, which is an approximation of the Richard’s equation. Satellite, radar and in situ observations are the major sources of information to develop a model that represents the dynamic water content in the soil. The soil‐moisture observations were collected from 17 stations located in Puerto Rico (PR), and a sequential quadratic programming algorithm was used to estimate the parameters of the transfer function (TF) at each station. Soil texture information, terrain elevation, vegetation index, surface temperature, and accumulated rainfall for every grid cell were input into a self‐organized artificial neural network to identify similarities on terrain spatial variability and to determine the TF that best resembles the properties of a particular grid point. Soil moisture observed at 20 cm depth, soil texture, and cumulative rainfall were also used to train a feedforward artificial neural network to estimate soil moisture at 5, 10, 50, and 100 cm depth. A validation procedure was implemented to measure the horizontal and vertical estimation accuracy of soil moisture. Validation results from spatial and temporal variation of volumetric water content (vwc) showed that the proposed algorithm estimated soil moisture with a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 2.31% vwc, and the vertical profile shows a RMSE of 2.50% vwc. The algorithm estimates soil moisture in an hourly basis at 1 km spatial resolution, and up to 1 m depth, and was successfully applied under PR climate conditions.     

天津市夏季PM10浓度及组成元素垂直分布特征

通过天津市气象局大气边界层观测站高255 m的气象铁塔,获得了10m、40m、120m和220 m 4个高度共80个PM10样品,分析了PM10的日均质量浓度及其元素的垂直分布特征.结果表明,4个高度处PM10质量浓度时序变化基本一致;PM10质量浓度及其组成元素总量随高度增加递减;10 m、40m和120m3个高度处的PM10质量浓度时间序列分布的相关性较好,组分分歧系数较小,而220 m处的PM10质量浓度时间序列分布与其他3个高度处的相关性较差,组分分歧系数较大.样品中元素质量浓度由高到低依次是Si、Al、Ca、Fe、Na、Mg、K、Zn、Ti、Cu、Mn、Pb、Cr、Ni、Co、V、As、Cd和Hg.其中,Si、Al、Na、K质量分数随高度变化不大;Ca、Fe、Mg质量分数随高度增加递减明显;Zn、Cu、Mn、Pb、Cr在10m、40m和120 m3个高度处质量分数接近,而在220m处明显降低;Ti元素在4个高度处的质量浓度接近,质量分数总体上随高度增加递增;Ni、Co、V、As、Cd、Hg质量分数随高度的变化不同,其中与燃煤有密切关系的Hg在120 m处质量分数明显高于其他高度处,而在220m处最低.Al、Fe、Na、K等元素相对富集因子小于或接近1,其质量浓度与PM10质量浓度时序分布的相关性较好,其中Al、Na相关系数随高度增加显著递减;Zn,Cu、Pb、Cr、As、Ni的相对富集因子显著大于1,其质量浓度与PM10质量浓度时序分布的相关性较差,相关系数随高度增加变化不大.     

Geographic range size and extinction risk assessment in nomadic species

Geographic range size is often conceptualized as a fixed attribute of a species and treated as such for the purposes of quantification of extinction risk; species occupying smaller geographic ranges are assumed to have a higher risk of extinction, all else being equal. However many species are mobile, and their movements range from relatively predictable to‐and‐fro migrations to complex irregular movements shown by nomadic species. These movements can lead to substantial temporary expansion and contraction of geographic ranges, potentially to levels which may pose an extinction risk. By linking occurrence data with environmental conditions at the time of observations of nomadic species, we modeled the dynamic distributions of 43 arid‐zone nomadic bird species across the Australian continent for each month over 11 years and calculated minimum range size and extent of fluctuation in geographic range size from these models. There was enormous variability in predicted spatial distribution over time; 10 species varied in estimated geographic range size by more than an order of magnitude, and 2 species varied by >2 orders of magnitude. During times of poor environmental conditions, several species not currently classified as globally threatened contracted their ranges to very small areas, despite their normally large geographic range size. This finding raises questions about the adequacy of conventional assessments of extinction risk based on static geographic range size (e.g., IUCN Red Listing). Climate change is predicted to affect the pattern of resource fluctuations across much of the southern hemisphere, where nomadism is the dominant form of animal movement, so it is critical we begin to understand the consequences of this for accurate threat assessment of nomadic species. Our approach provides a tool for discovering spatial dynamics in highly mobile species and can be used to unlock valuable information for improved extinction risk assessment and conservation planning.     

Contamination and vertical distribution of As,Cd, Cr,Cu, Pb,Tl, and Zn in paddy soil irrigated with untreated leachate from tailings retention ponds

The contamination and vertical distribution of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Tl, and Zn in paddy soil irrigated with untreated leachate from the tailings retention pond were investigated. As, Cr, Cu, and Zn were slightly contaminated in the surface soil and hence their vertical distribution was not obvious. However, Cd and Pb were highly contaminated in the surface soil, while their concentrations decreased with depth, being negatively correlated with pH and positively with total organic matter. Tl was considerably contaminated in the surface soil and a V-shaped vertical distribution was observed where the concentration increased to a maximum at about 30 cm depth and decreased thereafter. The findings revealed that the regular irrigation with untreated leachate from the tailings retention ponds could cause considerable contamination of Cd, Pb, and Tl, and thus tailings should be stringently treated before disposal to minimize their potential environmental impacts on the surroundings.     

作物种植专业化与化肥减量来源——兼顾经营规模的影响

以作物种植横向专业化和纵向专业化为切入点,运用中国13个粮食主产省份1980—2018年的面板数据,考察了作物种植专业化对农业化肥减量的影响及其作用机制。研究主要发现：（1）基础回归分析表明,作物种植横向专业化和纵向专业化均对化肥施用强度具有显著的削减效应,对化肥的利用效率有显著的增效作用。且作物种植纵向专业化或社会化服务卷入程度加深,能够增强横向专业化对化肥的减量增效作用。（2）影响路径分析表明,作物种植横向专业化通过扩大农地经营规模,进而增强了作物种植纵向专业化对化肥施用强度的削减效应和利用效率的增效作用。但也应警惕,通过扩大农地经营规模以增强作物种植纵向专业化的减量效应可能存在临界水平。此外,当作物种植横向专业化和纵向专业化积极配合时,可能推移临界点的到来。据此,通过发展作物种植横向专业化,鼓励农户通过服务外包卷入农业的纵向专业化分工以及发展农业适度规模经营,进而实现农业领域化肥的减量增效。     

不同土地利用类型土壤多环芳烃的纵向污染特征及来源解析

为研究城郊地区不同土地利用类型土壤多环芳烃(PAHs)的纵向污染特征,对南京市郊菜地、林地、居民点、城镇用地、水田和工业区这6个不同土地利用类型土壤各1剖面(0～100 cm)的15种优控PAHs进行研究,分析了PAHs的纵向分布和组成特征、影响因素和来源.结果表明,6个采样点剖面∑₁₅PAHs含量分别为：菜地69.3～299.2μg·kg^-1、林地20.8～128.3μg·kg^-1、居民点30.7～142.1μg·kg^-1、城镇用地185.6～1 728.7μg·kg^-1、水田208.3～693.0μg·kg^-1和工业区165.6～739.2μg·kg^-1.居民点和林地没有污染,菜地污染水平较轻,水田和工业区污染水平中等,城镇用地污染较严重.除居民点和城镇用地以外的采样点土壤PAHs集中分布在表层或次表层,但在深层仍有检出,且各采样点各深度大多以高环PAHs为主. PAHs的分子特性及成分含量、土壤的理化性质和土地利用方式均会影响P...     

Quantitative Determination of Rarity of Freshwater Fishes and Implications for Imperiled‐Species Designations

Abstract: Conserving rare species and protecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning depends on sound information on the nature of rarity. Rarity is multidimensional and has a variety of definitions, which presents the need for a quantitative classification scheme with which to categorize species as rare or common. We constructed such a classification for North American freshwater fishes to better describe rarity in fishes and provide researchers and managers with a tool to streamline conservation efforts. We used data on range extents, habitat specificities, and local population sizes of North American freshwater fishes and a variety of quantitative methods and statistical decision criteria, including quantile regression and a cost‐function algorithm to determine thresholds for categorizing a species as rare or common. Species fell into eight groups that conform to an established framework for rarity. Fishes listed by the American Fisheries Society (AFS) as endangered, threatened, or vulnerable were most often rare because their local population sizes were low, ranges were small, and they had specific habitat needs, in that order, whereas unlisted species were most often considered common on the basis of these three factors. Species with large ranges generally had few specific habitat needs, whereas those with small ranges tended to have narrow habitat specificities. We identified 30 species not designated as imperiled by AFS that were rare along all dimensions of rarity and may warrant further study or protection, and we found three designated species that were common along all dimensions and may require a review of their imperilment status. Our approach could be applied to other taxa to aid conservation decisions and serve as a useful tool for future revisions of listings of fish species.     

垂直流人工湿地水力学特性研究

通过示踪剂实验从停留时间分布（RTD）曲线及其统计特征值等方面对垂直流人工湿地的水力学特性进行了定性和定量的分析。研究表明水流在垂直流人工湿地中的流动是一种非理想的不均匀流动，存在一定的死区和水流的扩散；垂直流人工湿地较大的死区率与其表面布水的不均匀性有关，这也可能是其死区率大于表流人工湿地的最主要的原因。实验还表明，进水流量对垂直流人工湿地停留时间分布影响较大，随着进水流量的增加，平均停留时间减小，但标准平均停留时间增大，死区率减小；当进水流量为15L／h（水力负荷为620mm／d）时，水流在湿地中的散度最大，水流更接近全混流，不利于污染物的降解。     

水力条件对复合人工湿地处理城市受污染河水效果的影响

通过对水力负荷、水力停留时间等水力条件的控制,观察其对复合垂直上行流人工湿地处理城市受污染河水效果的影响.一年多来的运行结果表明:水力条件对复合垂直上行流人工湿地去除其他污染物的影响显著,但对总氮去除的影响不大.水力停留时间的延长可提高总磷、氨氮、COD的去除效果;随着水力负荷的增加,总磷、氨氮、COD去除率都有所增加...     

Association of Coloration Mode with Population Declines and Endangerment in Australian Frogs

Abstract: Successful protection of biodiversity requires increased understanding of the ecological characteristics that predispose some species to endangerment. Theory posits that species with polymorphic or variable coloration should have larger distributions, use more diverse resources, and be less vulnerable to population declines and extinctions, compared with taxa that do not vary in color. We used information from literature on 194 species of Australian frogs to search for associations of coloration mode with ecological variables. In general, species with variable or polymorphic color patterns had larger ranges, used more habitats, were less prone to have a negative population trend, and were estimated as less vulnerable to extinction compared with nonvariable species. An association of variable coloration with lower endangerment was also evident when we controlled statistically for the effects of range size. Nonvariable coloration was not a strong predictor of endangerment, and information on several characteristics is needed to reliably identify and protect species that are prone to decline and may become threatened by extinction in the near future. Analyses based on phylogenetic‐independent contrasts did not support the hypothesis that evolutionary transitions between nonvariable and variable or polymorphic coloration have been accompanied by changes in the ecological variables we examined. Irrefutable demonstration of a role of color pattern variation in amphibian decline and in the dynamics and persistence of populations in general will require a manipulative experimental approach.