Vermetid reefs in the Mediterranean Sea as archives of sea-level and surface temperature changes

Vermetid reefs are among the most important bioconstructions in the Mediterranean Sea, with a distribution restricted to the warmest part of the basin. Their structure, and vertical and geographical distribution make them good biological indicators of changes in sea level and sea-surface temperature over the last two millennia.     

三江平原气候变暖的进一步认识:最高和最低气温的变化

利用三江平原17个站1951-2000年的平均最高、最低气温和气温日较差资料，采用线性倾向估计和几种突变检测方法，定量研究了最高、最低气温和气温日较差变化趋势的空间分布，比较了最高、最低气温变化特征的差异性。结合前期的相关研究结果，对研究区20世纪70年代中期以来的三江平原气候变暖过程和成因有了进一步的认识。1975—2000年的变暖时期主要由两个阶段构成：1975—1987年为第一阶段，以夜间升温为主要特征，相对应的是气温日较差明显减小，超过一定面积的湿地开垦是该阶段气候变暖的主要驱动力之一；1987-2000年为第二阶段，以白天和夜间同时升温且幅度相当，气温日较差没有明显的变化趋势为特点，这一阶段的升温是对全球气候变暖同步的区域响应。     

1982—2006年京津冀地区植被时空变化及其与降水和地面气温的联系

利用NOAA/AVHRR归一化植被指数（Normalized difference vegetation index,NDVI）,分析过去25年（1982—2006年）京津冀地区生长季（4—10月）植被覆盖时空变化、趋势及其与降水和地面气温的联系。经验正交函数展开（EOF）、奇异值分解（SVD）及相关分析,结果表明：过去25年京津冀地区植被总体呈增加趋势,其中,河北中部地区增长速率超过3%/10 a。植被覆盖年际变化与气温变化呈正相关,但与降水变化的正相关更加显著。1989年和1999—2002年的干旱导致当年NDVI显著减少,而1990、1998年和2003—2005年降水增加使得研究区NDVI明显增加。     

中国东南部太阳辐射变化特征、影响因素及其对区域气候的影响

基于8个站点1961年以来的长期太阳辐射及其它气象观测数据,通过线性回归、相关分析等方法,探讨近半个世纪以来中国东南部太阳辐射的变化特征,并分析了太阳辐射变化的影响因素以及对区域气候的影响。结果表明：该地区地表总太阳辐射自1961年以来呈下降趋势,变化率为-10.17MJ·m-2·a-1。太阳辐射下降主要集中在1961到1990年间,该时间段的下降趋势达到-39.43MJ·m-2·a-1,主要表现为直接辐射显著下降,散射辐射则变化不大;1990年代以后,地表总太阳辐射开始呈现上升趋势,变化率为13.21MJ·m-2·a-1。该地区太阳辐射变化与全球范围内太阳辐射＂变暗＂及＂变亮＂的变化是一致的。从云量对太阳辐射的作用来看,该地区太阳辐射的变化很有可能是受到低云量变化的影响;而太阳辐射的这种变化直接导致气温发生变化,使得最高气温和最低气温的变化出现不一致,日较差随之发生改变。     

Influence of temperature on the heavy metals accumulation of five vegetable species in semiarid area of northwest China

The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible effects of temperature on cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) accumulation in five vegetable species collected at different sites (Shuichuan, Beiwan, Dongwan and Wufe) in northwest China. The meteorological data of air and soil temperatures were recorded daily during the period from sowing to harvest for the five vegetables. The air and soil temperatures affected the capacity of pumpkin, cabbage, brassica napus and Chinese cabbage to accumulate Zn, Cd, Cu and Pb. Principal component analysis showed that temperature, photosynthetic and physiological factors all contributed to the soil–plant transfer properties of DTPA-extractable heavy metals. Temperature played a more important role in Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn accumulation in four vegetables in this semiarid area. However, the enormous surface area of spinach was likely to elevate heavy metal loads owing to atmospheric deposits. For most vegetables studied, there was a striking dissimilarity in the uptake and translocation ability of Cd, Zn and Cu in soil, but similar accumulation to translocation for Pb in soil.     

内蒙古地区近25年植被对气温和降水变化的影响

利用1982—2006年内蒙古地区GIMMS-NDVI和降水量、气温数据,分析了不同植被类型对气温和降水变化趋势的影响。结果表明：近25年来内蒙古地区气温整体上呈上升趋势,降水量呈微弱降低趋势,西部荒漠区呈暖湿化趋势,中东部草原、森林等植被类型区呈暖干化趋势;从不同植被类型NDVI与平均气温和降水量的变化趋势率相关分析表明,NDVI值越低,升温趋势越明显,其中春季和秋季各植被类型间NDVI与季均气温升高趋势率呈显著和较显著的相关,夏、冬季关系不明显;植被NDVI越高,降水量减少趋势越明显。基于栅格的NDVI与气温升高幅度、降水变化趋势相关分析表明,年均气温升高幅度基本随NDVI的增加而降低,其中春、夏和秋季的季均气温升高幅度均随NDVI的增加而显著降低,冬季趋势不明显;而年降水量减小趋势率随植被NDVI的增加而显著增加,其中春季和冬季NDVI变化对降水的变化几乎没有影响;夏季和秋季均表现为随NDVI的增加,降水减小趋势率呈增加趋势。     

The effect of land clearing on rainfall and fresh water resources in Western Australia: a multi-functional sustainability analysis

It is widely recognised that southwest Western Australia has experienced a decline in rainfall over the last 40 years. It is generally thought that this decline is due to natural periodic variations and changes induced by global warming, but recently evidence has emerged suggesting that a substantial part of the decline may be due to extensive logging close to the coast to make way for housing developments and the clearing of native vegetation for wheat planting on the higher ground. We compare coastal and inland rainfall to show empirically that 55% to 62% of the observed rainfall decline is the result of land clearing alone. Using the index of sustainable functionality, we show that the economic consequences associated with this change of land use on fresh water resource availability have been underestimated to date and disproportionately affect the environment and poorest members of the population.     

Which forcing factors fit? Using ecosystem models to investigate the relative influence of fishing and changes in primary productivity on the dynamics of marine ecosystems

Fishing mortality and primary production (or proxy for) were used to drive the dynamics of fish assemblages in 9 trophodynamic models of contrasting marine ecosystems. Historical trends in abundance were reconstructed by fitting model predictions to observations from stock assessments and fisheries independent survey data. The model fitting exercise derives values for otherwise unknown parameters that specify the relative strength of trophic interactions and, in some instances, a time series anomaly for changes in primary production. We measured how much better or worse were model predictions when bottom-up forcing by primary production were added to top-down forcing by fishing. Searching for cross system patterns, the relative contribution of fishing and changes in primary production, mediated through trophic interactions, are evaluated for the ecosystems as a whole and for selected similar species in different ecosystems. The analysis provides a simple qualitative way to explain which forcing factors have most influence on modeled dynamics. Both fishing and primary production forcing were required to obtain the best model fits to data. Fishing effects more strongly influenced 6 of 9 of the ecosystems, but primary production was more often found to be the main factor influencing the selected pelagic and demersal fish stock trends. Examination of sensitivity to ecological and model parameters suggests that the results are the product of complex food-web interactions rather than simple deterministic responses of the models.     

泥炭沼泽土壤酶活性对水热条件变化的响应及其与CO_2释放通量的关系——以小兴安岭地区为例

采用实验室培养的方法,研究了小兴安岭地区两类典型的泥炭沼泽:苔草型泥炭沼泽和泥炭藓型泥炭沼泽中几种水解酶活性(β-葡萄糖苷酶、酚氧化酶)对不同温度和水位变化的响应,以及与CO_2释放通量的相瓦关系.结果表明:β-葡萄糖苷酶活性在两类泥炭沼泽中受多种因素制约,在一定湿度范围内受水位控制较明显,当土壤湿度降低到一定程度时,温度对土壤酶活性影响增强.酚氧化酶活性与温度密切相关,但对温度变化的响应存在明显的季节性差异.相对而言,苔草型泥炭沼泽中β-葡萄糖苷酶和酚氧化酶活性显著高于相同培养条件下泥炭藓型泥炭沼泽.总体上,苔草型泥炭沼泽中水解酶活性较泥炭藓型泥炭沼泽中高,但是其CO_2释放通量却低于泥炭鲜型泥炭沼泽,表明与有机碳分解有关的水解酶的活性高低不能作为解释泥炭沼泽CO_2释放通量大小的唯一指标.     

温度对污泥热解产物及特性的影响

温度是污泥热解产物及产物分布状况的主要影响因素之一。为了确定最优的热解温度,为不同的热解工艺提供参考,用直径为200mm的外热式固定床反应器,以唐山西郊污水处理厂剩余污泥为实验物料,在终温为250～700℃并在初期通以氮气的情况下,对污泥的热解产物分布及特性进行了研究。实验表明:在物料成分和其它条件不变的情况下,热解反应所需时间随着热解终温的升高而缩短;热解气和热解焦油的质量分数增大;焦炭质量分数减小。热解焦炭的工业分析表明,随热解终温的升高挥发分减少、固定碳和灰分增加。热解焦油的热值在10～43MJ·kg-1之间;焦炭的热值10～24MJ·kg-1之间。     

Impact of continental margins in the Mediterranean Sea: Hints from the surface colour and temperature historical record

The surface colour and temperature fields of the Mediterranean Sea, as appearing in time series, of basin-wide images available in the CZCS (1979–1985) and AVHRR (1982–1991) historical archives, differentiate between basin interior and continental margins affected by coastal patterns, river plumes, and mesoscale features. The original data were processed to apply calibration factors, to correct for atmospheric contamination, and to estimate chlorophyll-like pigment concentration and surface temperature. Composites were derived, as monthly and annual means, using a fixed equal-area projection with a 1-km² pixel grid. Enhanced pigment values and lower temperatures along the northern coastal areas (i.e. the Ligurian, Provençal and Balearic basins, as well as the Adriatic, and Aegean Seas) have been associated with the impact of runoff from continental margins (i.e. both a direct impact due to the sediment load and one induced on the planktonic flora by the associated nutrient load) and with vertical mixing due to the prevailing winds (i.e. the Mistral in the northwest, the Bora in the Adriatic, the Etesians in the Aegean). The pattern of increasing pigments and decreasing temperatures in seen to develop in the monthly images from the coastal zone towards the open sea from summer to winter, and then back from winter to summer. The southern coastal areas show different values, namely lower pigments and higher temperatures (except in areas where the data are altered by signal contamination). It is suggested that differences in geomorphology and meteorology of the basin margins have an impact on both water biogeochemistry and dynamics, influencing the biooptical and thermal properties of the various sub-basins, and of the entire Mediterranean region.     

Modelling radiative balance in a row-crop canopy: Cross-row distribution of net radiation at the soil surface and energy available to clusters in a vineyard

Distribution of energy at the soil surface in a row-crop influences mainly soil temperature and water content, and therefore root activity, nitrogen mineralization and within canopy air temperature, which all affect plant physiology. In the case of a vineyard, it is also closely related to the energy available to the berries and therefore most influential for fruit quality. The aim of this study was to develop a simplified model of available energy distribution at the soil surface and at the bottom of the rows, where most of the clusters are located. Such a model would be helpful for optimising some aspects of row-crop management like training system choice, row geometry, leaf area density, and soil surface maintenance practices.The model simulated radiation balance at the soil surface, split up into downward and upward short- and long-wave fluxes. Row shadows were calculated at any point of the inter-row space, in interaction with actual row geometry and simplified porosity distribution within row volume. All hemispheric radiations (long-wave and diffuse solar radiation) were calculated according to view factors between the row and soil surfaces. Input variables were therefore incoming solar radiation over the canopy, air temperatures near the row walls and soil surface temperatures. Parameters were row geometry, dimensions and porosities.The model was validated in a 7 years old Merlot vineyard in the Médoc area, by comparing model predictions to measured net radiation (Rns) at five positions above the inter-row soil surface. Along the row sampling was achieved by a moving device carrying the net-radiometers. Structure of the vegetation was kept constant during the experiment and gap fraction parameters were derived from pictures of shadows at the soil surface. Since Rns measurements are impracticable directly at the soil surface and horizontal distribution of Rns is heterogeneous, comparison was performed by calculating net radiation at the actual measurement height which was close to average cluster height.Model prediction agreed with field measurement in most conditions, which suggests that all short- and long-wave radiation fluxes, as well as interactions with the canopy structure, were well described. Rns, energy available to clusters, and soil surface temperature variations were all mainly driven by shading due to the rows. Coupling the model to soil heat transfer and convective fluxes to the atmosphere models will help forecasting soil temperature distribution at the surface and in depth as well as canopy microclimate. The model will also be an essential part of a more elaborate model of cluster microclimate, a key determinant of berry quality.     

50年长江源区域植被净初级生产力及其影响因素变化特征

基于长江源区1959—2008年月平均气温、最高气温、最低气温、相对湿度、降水量、风速和日照时数等气候要素资料,应用修订的Thornthwaite Memorial模型计算了50年植被净初级生产力,分析其年际和年代际变化特征及其主要气象因子的影响。结果表明：1959—2008年间,研究区年降水量呈增加趋势,降水量变化曲线线性拟合倾向率每10年为5.685~13.047 mm,春夏季增幅较大;年平均气温呈极显著上升趋势,气温变化曲线线性拟合倾向率每10年在0.240~0.248℃之间,增温率以秋冬季最大;最大蒸散呈增加趋势,年最大蒸散变化曲线线性拟合倾向率每10年在5.073~5.366 mm,春季增幅最大;地表湿润指数也呈增加趋势,年地表湿润指数变化曲线线性拟合倾向率每10年为0.013~0.020,冬季增幅最大,在10年周期时间频率附近,出现了6~8个干湿交替期,20世纪90年代之后为偏湿期,在低频区,1998—2005年有偏干振荡;近50年年NPP变化呈显著上升趋势,NPP变化曲线线性拟合倾向率每10年在97.901~197.01 kg.hm-2之间,2001—2008年NPP较高。影响长江源区NPP变化的主要气候因子是降水量、最大蒸散量和平均最低气温。     

Projecting landscape changes in southern Chile: Simulation of human and natural processes driving land transformation

We describe a simulation model representing the most important human and natural factors driving land use and cover changes (LUCC) in southern Chile. We evaluate the model by examining its ability to simulate LUCC observed over the past three decades, conduct a sensitivity analysis of simulated trends to changes in important model parameters, and use the model to project likely landscape transformations over the next decade under “as usual,” “pessimistic,” and four “optimistic” scenarios. The model consists of five submodels representing LUCC on two distinct soil formations (volcanic ash and gleysols) and four major land use categories: native forest, agricultural land, shrubland, and urban land. Land use and cover sub-categories include old growth forests, secondary forests, and low and flooded shrubland. The model simulated well general historic trends in forest cover, agricultural land, shrubland, and urban land: from a forest-dominated landscape in 1976 to a landscape dominated by shrubland and agricultural land by 2007. Forest loss, forest degradation by logging and clearing for agriculture were the most important direct drivers of LUCC: forest logging and clearing were most important from 1976 to 1985, whereas after 1985 logging for firewood, driven by population growth, was most important. Sensitivity analysis indicated that model projections of general trends in the main land use and cover categories were not overly sensitive to changes in important model parameters, although further study is necessary to improve our estimates of the proportion of pasture requirements supplied by clearing low shrubland. Projections of LUCC suggested that a reduced amount of secondary forest would be left by 2017 if no actions are taken to reduce forest loss (“as usual”). Increasing population (“pessimistic scenario”) resulted in similar trajectories than those predicted by the as usual scenario, whereas reducing logging for firewood and increasing forest recruitment from shrubland could reduce loss of native forest by nearly one-third (“optimistic scenarios”). Surprisingly, shrubland exhibited the most complex and influential dynamics in all scenarios, being the immediate outcome of forest loss and the main long-term source of land for agriculture, urban expansion, and forest recovery. Few studies in Chile, or elsewhere, have considered the importance of this intermediate successional stage. Of the scenarios simulated, financial incentives targeted toward channeling shrubland into regenerated forest seemed most promising, although obstacles to such a management strategy exist.     

The effect of texture and irrigation on the soil moisture vertical-temporal variability in an urban artificial landscape: a case study of Olympic Forest Park in Beijing

Soil moisture variability in natural landscapes has been widely studied; however, less attention has been paid to its variability in the urban landscapes with respect to the possible influence of texture stratification and irrigation management. Therefore, a case study was carried out in the Beijing Olympic Forest Park to continuously monitor the soil in three typical profiles from 26 April to 11 November 2010. The texture stratification significantly affected the vertical distribution of moisture in the non-irrigated profile where moisture was mostly below field capacity. In the profile where irrigation was sufficient to maintain moisture above field capacity, gravity flow led to increased moisture with depth and thus eliminated the influence of texture. In the non-irrigated sites, the upper layer (above 80 cm) exhibited long-term moisture persistence with the time scale approximating the average rainfall interval. However, a coarse-textured layer weakened the influence of rainfall, and a fine-textured layer weakened the influence of evapotranspiration, both of which resulted in random noise-like moisture series in the deeper layers. At the irrigated site, frequent irrigation neutralized the influence of evapotranspiration in the upper layer (above 60 cm) and overshadowed the influence of rainfall in the deeper layer. As a result, the moisture level in the upper layer also behaved as a random noise-like series; whereas due to deep transpiration, the moisture of the deep layer had a persistence time-scale longer than a month, consistent with characteristic time-scales found for deep transpiration.     

Correlations between forest fires in British Columbia, Canada, and sea surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean

Correlations and cross-correlations between forest fires in the province of British Columbia, Canada, and sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean were evaluated. British Columbia has a long Pacific Ocean coastline; given that there may be teleconnections between the province's forest fires and climate variability over the ocean, significant correlations may exist between forest fires and the sea surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean. Fire occurrences and areas burned through lightning-caused and human-caused fires were analyzed against individual 1° × 1° grid cells of anomalies in the sea surface temperature to determine correlations for the period 1950-2006. Significant correlations (p < 0.05) for vast areas of the ocean were found between occurrences of lightning-caused fires and sea surface temperature anomalies for time lags of 1 and 2 years, whereas significant correlations between occurrences of human-caused fires and sea surface temperature anomalies occurred extensively for many time lags. To support the results of this approach, correlations between fire data and the Niño 3.4, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and Arctic Oscillation indices were tested for the same period. Significant correlations were found between fire occurrences and these indices at certain time lags. Overall, fire occurrence appeared to be more extensively correlated with sea surface temperature anomalies than was area burned. These results support the hypothesis that teleconnections exist between fire activity in British Columbia and sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, and the correlations suggest that linear regression models or other regression techniques may be appropriate for predicting fire severity from the sea surface temperatures of one or more previous years.     

Origins and scales of hypoxia on the Louisiana shelf: Importance of seasonal plankton dynamics and river nutrients and discharge

Management plans for the Mississippi River Basin call for reductions in nutrient concentrations up to 40% or more to reduce hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), while at the same time the government is considering new farm subsidies to promote development of biofuels from corn. Thus there are possibilities of both increasing and decreasing river nutrients depending on national priorities. River flow rates which also influence the extent of hypoxia on the shelf may be altered by global climate change. We have therefore developed a series of simulations to forecast ecosystem response to alterations in nutrient loading and river flow. We simulate ecosystem response and hypoxia events using a linked model consisting of multiple phytoplankton groups competing for nitrogen, phosphorus and light, zooplankton grazing that is influenced by prey edibility and stoichiometry, sub-pycnocline water-column metabolism that is influenced by sinking fecal pellets and algal cells, and multi-element sediment diagenesis. This model formulation depicts four areas of increasing salinity moving westward away from the Mississippi River point of discharge, where the surface mixed layer, four bottom layers and underlying sediments are represented in each area. The model supports the contention that a 40% decrease in river nutrient will substantially reduce the duration and areal extent of hypoxia on the shelf. But it also suggests that in low and middle salinity areas the hypoxia response is saturated with respect to nutrients, and that in high salinity regions small increases in nutrient and river flow will have disproportionally large effects on GOM hypoxia. The model simulations also suggest that river discharge is a stronger factor influencing hypoxia than river nutrients in the Mississippi River plume. Finally, the model simulations suggest that primary production in the low salinity regions is light limited while primary production in the higher salinity zones is phosphate limited during the May to October period when hypoxia is prevalent in the Mississippi River plume.     

The effect of ambient temperature on forager sound production and thoracic temperature in the stingless bee, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Melipona panamica</Emphasis>

Foragers of the stingless bees genus Melipona may produce intranidal sounds that are correlated with food location and quality. In this study, we provide the first detailed analysis of pulsed sounds produced by Melipona panamica foragers while feeding on a carbohydrate food source. We trained foragers to a 2.5-M sucrose feeder under normal, ambient temperature (23–33°C) and lower temperature (11–25°C) conditions. We recorded forager sounds under both conditions and tested the effect of temperature of the thorax, feeder plate, and air on sound temporal characteristics. Forager energetic expenditure and the number of pulses per visit were significantly higher in the cold condition than in the normal condition. Foragers spent a longer time at the feeder under the cold condition than during the normal condition. Interpulse durations were significantly shorter in the cold condition than in the normal condition and became progressively and significantly shorter at the end of each performance. Thus, pulse production increased before departure. Foragers increased their thoracic temperatures above ambient at all experimental air temperatures. Under chilled conditions, foragers had a significantly greater difference between thorax temperature and ambient air temperature than under normal conditions. Foragers must achieve a minimum flight muscle temperature before take-off, and thus forager sounds may be linked to muscle warm-up.     

Evaluating the short-term effect of ambient temperature on non-fatal outdoor falls and road traffic injuries among children and adolescents in China: a time-stratified case-crossover study

● A study assessing the temperature-injury relationship was conducted among students. ● The maximum risks of injury appeared at moderate temperatures. ● The temperature effect on outdoor falls was greater in older students. Although studies have suggested that non-optimal temperatures may increase the risk of injury, epidemiological studies focusing on the association between temperature and non-fatal injury among children and adolescents are limited. Therefore, we investigated the short-term effect of ambient temperature on non-fatal falls and road traffic injuries (RTIs) among students across Jiangsu Province, China. Meteorological data and records of non-fatal outdoor injuries due to falls and RTIs among students aged 6–17 were collected during 2018–2020. We performed a time-stratified case-crossover analysis with a distributed lag nonlinear model to examine the effect of ambient temperature on the risk of injury. Individual meteorological exposure was estimated based on the address of the selected school. We also performed stratified analyses by sex, age, and area. A total of 57322 and 5455 cases of falls and RTIs were collected, respectively. We observed inverted U-shaped curves for temperature-injury associations, with maximum risk temperatures at 18 °C (48th of daily mean temperature distribution) for falls and 22 °C (67th of daily mean temperature distribution) for RTIs. The corresponding odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 2.193 (2.011, 2.391) and 3.038 (1.988, 4.644) for falls and RTIs, respectively. Notably, there was a significant age-dependent trend in which the temperature effect on falls was greater in older students (P-trend < 0.05). This study suggests a significant association between ambient temperature and students’ outdoor falls and RTIs. Our findings may help advance tailored strategies to reduce the incidence of outdoor falls and RTIs in children and adolescents.     

近50年三江源地表湿润指数变化特征及其影响因素

基于三江源区1959—2008年月平均气温、最高气温、最低气温、相对湿度、降水量、风速和日照百分率等气候要素资料,应用修订的Penman-Monteith（P-M）模型计算了最大潜在蒸散量和地表湿润指数,分析其空间分布、年际和年代际变化特征及其主要气象因子的影响。结果表明：1959—2008年间,研究区年降水量呈增加趋势,降水量变化曲线线性拟合倾向率为5.316~13.047 mm.（10a）-1,春夏季增幅较大;最大潜在蒸散量呈增加趋势,年最大潜在蒸散量变化曲线线性拟合倾向率在5.073~10.712 mm.（10a）-1,夏季增幅最大;地表湿润指数变化也呈增加趋势,年地表湿润指数变化曲线线性拟合倾向率0.011~0.026（10a）-1,冬季增幅最大,在15年周期附近,出现了3~5个干湿交替期,1984年之后为偏湿期,在中高频区,1998—2006年有偏干振荡;影响三江源区地表湿润指数的主要因子是降水量、相对湿度和平均最高气温。