Impact of genetic diversity and inbreeding on the life-history of Chironomus midges over consecutive generations

We report results of a multigenerational experiment with Chironomus riparius. Two strains with a high and a low level of genetic variability were exposed to a low, environmentally relevant TBT concentration of 80 μg Sn kg⁻¹ sediment dw nominally (time weighted mean, based on measured concentrations: 4.5 μg Sn kg⁻¹ sediment dw), and various life history traits as well as genetic diversity were monitored for eleven consecutive generations. While TBT effects are hardly visible in the outbred and genetically diverse strain, the inbred and genetically impoverished strain shows a clearly reduced population growth rate compared to the control. Moreover, the impoverished strain shows an increase in fitness over time. Analyses of variation at five microsatellite loci revealed that the level of genetic variation is strongly reduced in the inbred compared to the outbred strain. Moreover, genetic diversity increases over time in the inbred strain. This finding explains the observed increase in fitness in both inbred lineages (control and TBT exposed). The results document that inbreeding and the level of genetic diversity might be of crucial importance in populations under pollution stress. Furthermore, ecotoxicological bioassays have to consider genetic diversity if results between laboratories should be comparable. Our data provides evidence that genetic diversity strongly contributes to the survival of a population exposed to chemical pollution.     

香溪河库湾氮的时空分布及影响因子分析

为研究解决香溪河库湾水体富营养化问题，需探明库湾水体氮的时空分布及影响因子。2010年12月—2011年11月对香溪河与水库干流交界处至香溪河库湾尾部共12个采样点进行连续监测，分析香溪河库湾氮的时空分布，结果表明，香溪河库湾氮存在明显的时空分布规律。空间上，回水末端处TN和NO₃^--N浓度低，河口处浓度高，随着与回水末端距离的增加，浓度逐渐升高。在时间上，香溪河库湾TN和NO₃^--N浓度的变异系数随着与河口距离的增加总体上逐渐增大，研究时间内的变化程度逐渐变大；且香溪河库湾TN和NO₃^--N浓度在三峡水库不同运行阶段的时间变化规律不同。     

Modeling the Hydrology of Climate Change in California’s Sierra Nevada for Subwatershed Scale Adaptation1

Young, Charles A., Marisa I. Escobar‐Arias, Martha Fernandes, Brian Joyce, Michael Kiparsky, Jeffrey F. Mount, Vishal K. Mehta, David Purkey, Joshua H. Viers, and David Yates, 2009. Modeling the Hydrology of Climate Change in California’s Sierra Nevada for Subwatershed Scale Adaptation. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 45(6):1409‐1423. Abstract: The rainfall‐runoff model presented in this study represents the hydrology of 15 major watersheds of the Sierra Nevada in California as the backbone of a planning tool for water resources analysis including climate change studies. Our model implementation documents potential changes in hydrologic metrics such as snowpack and the initiation of snowmelt at a finer resolution than previous studies, in accordance with the needs of watershed‐level planning decisions. Calibration was performed with a sequence of steps focusing sequentially on parameters of land cover, snow accumulation and melt, and water capacity and hydraulic conductivity of soil horizons. An assessment of the calibrated streamflows using goodness of fit statistics indicate that the model robustly represents major features of weekly average flows of the historical 1980‐2001 time series. Runs of the model for climate warming scenarios with fixed increases of 2°C, 4°C, and 6°C for the spatial domain were used to analyze changes in snow accumulation and runoff timing. The results indicated a reduction in snowmelt volume that was largest in the 1,750‐2,750 m elevation range. In addition, the runoff center of mass shifted to earlier dates and this shift was non‐uniformly distributed throughout the Sierra Nevada. Because the hydrologic model presented here is nested within a water resources planning system, future research can focus on the management and adaptation of the water resources system in the context of climate change.     

Modelling Temperature Trends in New Zealand

If global warming is accelerating, then one might expect temperatures for most stations to be accelerating and perhaps variability to be increasing. In this study, we examine 57 New Zealand temperature time series for evidence of non-linearity and changing variability. These correspond to time series for annual minima, annual means and annual maxima for 19 stations. Estimation is by an extended least-squares method. We find a surprising diversity of behaviour of these series – presumably reflecting their different geographic factors as well as series length. We give evidence of regions where temperatures are decreasing. For series where a linear trend is significant, it is downwards in about one third of the cases. This proportion was higher in the South Island, especially for series of minima. Where a non-linear trend is significant, temperatures are decelerating in about one half of the cases. The ratio of downward to upward trends is highest among annual maxima and South Island minima and smallest in annual means. Where a linear trend in the variability is significant, it is decreasing in 13 cases and increasing in 5 cases, although possibly this is partly due to poorer quality data last century. Where a non-linear trend in the variability is significant, variability is decelerating in about two thirds of the cases. The results are used to project upper and lower return levels of minima, means and maxima for each of the series to the year 2010.     

Decreased Runoff Response to Precipitation,Little Missouri River Basin,Northern Great Plains,USA

High variability in precipitation and streamflow in the semiarid northern Great Plains causes large uncertainty in water availability. This uncertainty is compounded by potential effects of future climate change. We examined historical variability in annual and growing season precipitation, temperature, and streamflow within the Little Missouri River Basin and identified differences in the runoff response to precipitation for the period 1976‐2012 compared to 1939‐1975 (n = 37 years in both cases). Computed mean values for the second half of the record showed little change (<5%) in annual or growing season precipitation, but average annual runoff at the basin outlet decreased by 22%, with 66% of the reduction in flow occurring during the growing season. Our results show a statistically significant (p < 0.10) 27% decrease in the annual runoff response to precipitation (runoff ratio). Surface‐water withdrawals for various uses appear to account for <12% of the reduction in average annual flow volume, and we found no published or reported evidence of substantial flow reduction caused by groundwater pumping in this basin. Results of our analysis suggest that increases in monthly average maximum and minimum temperatures, including >1°C increases in January through March, are the dominant driver of the observed decrease in runoff response to precipitation in the Little Missouri River Basin.     

Potential Impact of Climate Change on Hurricane Flooding Inundation,Population Affected and Property Damages in Corpus Christi1

Frey, Ashley E., Francisco Olivera, Jennifer L. Irish, Lauren M. Dunkin, James M. Kaihatu, Celso M. Ferreira, and Billy L. Edge, 2010. Potential Impact of Climate Change on Hurricane Flooding Inundation, Population Affected and Property Damages in Corpus Christi. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 1–11. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00475.x Abstract: The effect of climate change on storm-surge flooding and the implications for population and structural damages on the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, was investigated. The study considered the influence of sea level rise and hurricane intensification, both influenced by climate change. Combinations of future carbon dioxide equivalent emission rates and carbon dioxide doubling sensitivities, based on findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, were considered to define future climate scenarios. A suite of physically based numerical models for hurricane winds and the resulting waves, surge, and morphological change at the coast were used to determine flooded areas, population affected, and property damages for Hurricanes Bret, Beulah, and a version of Carla shifted south from its original track, under present and predicted future climate conditions. A comparison of the economic damages for current climate conditions and for the 2080s climate scenario shows that, for Carla (shifted), there will be an increase in the range of $270-1,100 million; for Beulah, of $100-390 million; and, for Bret, of $30-280 million. A similar analysis was also conducted for 2030s predicted climate scenarios. Overall, the comparison of the results for the different climate conditions indicates what the destructive consequences of climate change could be, even within the somewhat short time frame of 80 years considered here.     

1994~2006年上海市土地利用时空变化特征及驱动力分析

快速发展的都市地区是区域土地利用变化研究热点。基于上海市1994、2000、2003和2006年4期航空遥感影像资料数据，运用人机交互目视解译方法建立上海土地利用空间数据库，并结合GIS空间分析、数理统计方法与土地利用动态度模型，对上海市1994~2006年土地利用时空变化特征进行了深入分析。结果表明：12 a间，上海市综合土地利用动态度为207%；在各种用地变化中，耕地面积变化最大，共减少了94 00772 hm2，减幅达233%；从耕地转移来看，转变为城镇建设用地（包括工业仓储用地、交通用地、城镇居民点用地和其他用地）面积共74 82586 hm2，占耕地面积总流出量的6712%；可见城镇建设用地急剧扩张而大量占用耕地，是上海市土地利用变化的主要特征；上海市土地利用变化的另一个重要特征是城市绿地的大幅增加，12 a间城市绿地面积共增加了9 29241 hm2，单一动态度为1876%。从上海土地利用变化的区域特征来看，各区的综合土地利用动态度差异明显，且表现出明显的中心城区-近郊-远郊递减趋势，其中浦东新区综合土地利用动态度最大，崇明县最小，这种差异与各区（县）的区位条件、经济发展状况以及政策等因素密切相关。通过对上海LUCC的驱动力定性定量分析表明，社会经济因素包括人口分布及变化、经济增长、人民生活水平的提高、政策以及国际大型活动的举办均对上海土地利用格局及其变化产生了重要的影响     

上海霾气候数据序列重建及其时空特征

利用上海11个气象站点1960～2008年日均相对湿度、能见度以及天气现象资料,重建了上海近50a霾气候数据序列,并从时间和空间两个方面分析了上海霾日数的气候特征和变化规律。结果表明,上海霾气候数据序列重建值与报表记录值之间变化形态存在着较好的一致性,重建值较记录值偏高。1960～2008年,上海霾日数以9.7d/10a的线性趋势显著增加,2002年以后霾日数总体上呈减少趋势。上海多年平均霾日数以冬季最多而夏季最少。近50a,上海霾日数呈现出西南部最多-市区较多-东北和东南部最少的空间分布,霾日数的空间变化趋势则表现为西南部增加较多而东部增加较少。1981～2008年,上海霾日数在西部和南部都增加,东部则减少。     

苏南某市河流水质参数时空变异性研究

以苏南某市区320km2内的河流为研究对象,基于对高锰酸盐指数、NH3-N、TP3个主要水质参数的监测,应用地质统计学的变差函数球状模型和Kriging插值法,对河流有机污染指标、富营养化指标进行了空间插值,用以揭示其时空分布特征及变化趋势,并绘制了时空分布等值线图。结果表明,受不同区域污染物来源的差异、不同河道自身条件的差异和不同水期水生植物、入流水量、河水流动性的差异等因素的影响,研究区河流水质参数呈现出不同的时空变异特征;各水质参数污染均相当严重,尤以富营养化指标氮磷最为显著。     

基于DFA法的江苏省极端降水时空分布特征研究

为进一步掌握江苏省极端降水的时空分布特征,基于该省1961-2010年均一性较好的逐日降水数据,利用去趋势波动分析法确定了全省13个站点的极端降水阈值,并通过Morlet小波及Mann-Kendall法分析了江苏省极端降水频数的振荡周期及其突变。结果表明,江苏省极端降水年频数和夏季极端降水均呈现8～10 a的变化周期,且1998年和2006年分别为其突变增加年,而秋季极端降水主要呈2～3 a与5～7 a的变化周期;极端降水与降水总量的空间分布具有较好的一致性,均呈南部大、北部小的特征。