Estimation of the annual scavenged amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by forests in the Pearl River Delta of Southern China

Leaves of six main tree species from the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in Southern China were collected to identify the interspecific variability, the spatial variability and the seasonal variations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons' (PAHs) concentrations, and to calculate the amount of PAHs removed by leaves. PAHs concentrations in pine needles were much higher than in broad-leaves and leaves from urban/industrial areas (Baiyunshan and Heshan) exhibited two times greater concentrations than leaves from the rural area (Dinghushan). Seasonal variations of PAHs in leaves occurred with lesser concentrations in September. Leaves in PRD scavenged 3.7 ± 0.9 t PAHs y⁻¹, accounting for about 10% of the total amount emitted in this region. This result suggests that forests play an important role in the fate of PAHs.     

Can Basin Land Use Effects on Physical Characteristics of Streams Be Determined at Broad Geographic Scales?

The environmental setting (e.g., climate, topography, geology) and land use affect stream physical characteristics singly and cumulatively. At broad geographic scales, we determined the importance of environmental setting and land use in explaining variation in stream physical characteristics. We hypothesized that as the spatial scale decreased from national to regional, land use would explain more of the variation in stream physical characteristics because environmental settings become more homogeneous. At a national scale, stepwise linear regression indicated that environmental setting was more important in explaining variability in stream physical characteristics. Although statistically discernible, the amount of variation explained by land use was not remarkable due to low partial correlations. At level II ecoregion spatial scales (southeastern USA plains, central USA plains, and a combination of the western Cordillera and the western interior basins and ranges), environmental setting variables were again more important predictors of stream physical characteristics, however, as the spatial scale decreased from national to regional, the portion of variability in stream physical characteristics explained by basin land use increased. Development of stream habitat indicators of land use will depend upon an understanding of relations between stream physical characteristics and environmental factors at multiple spatial scales. Smaller spatial scales will be necessary to reduce the confounding effects of variable environmental settings before the effects of land use can be reliably assessed.     

长江上游生态建设工程与植被覆盖时空变化的响应特征研究

"退耕还林"、"天然林保护"等重大生态建设工程在长江上游实施已有十余年,剖析重大生态建设工程实施以来长江上游植被覆盖时空变化特征与生态建设投入间的响应关系,对区内未来生态建设的布局具有重要指导意义。以年际时间序列的SPOT-VEGETATION NDVI遥感数据为基础,利用遥感及地理信息系统技术,趋势拟合等方法,研究长江上游地区2002年至2013年植被覆盖时空动态变化特征。并以县级行政区为单元,分析长江上游植被覆盖时空变化与生态建设工程投入的响应关系。结果表明:研究区内植被指数NDVI(Normalized Difference Vegetation Index)整体呈现缓慢增加趋势,年均增长率为1.06%,主要体现为中等植被覆盖向高植被覆盖转化;植被覆盖增加区域远远大于植被覆盖减少区域,其中增加的区域占整个长江上游流域的86.02%,主要分布于秦巴山地以北、云贵高原以及横断山区中小起伏的山地;植被覆盖减少区域占6.09%,主要分布于汶川地震灾区以及成都,重庆、昆明等大型城市群及其周边。其次,近10 a生态建设重大工程投资对长江上游植被覆盖增长起促进作用,在研究区内有261个县级行政区具有较好的造林效率,达县级行政区总数的90%,集中分布于云贵、川陕交界处及西部高山、高原区。     

Summer Temperature Patterns in Headwater Streams of the Oregon Coast Range1

Abstract: Cool summertime stream temperature is an important component of high quality aquatic habitat in Oregon coastal streams. Within the Oregon Coast Range, small headwater streams make up a majority of the stream network; yet, little information is available on temperature patterns and the longitudinal variability for these streams. In this paper we describe preharvest spatial and temporal patterns in summer stream temperature for small streams of the Oregon Coast Range in forests managed for timber production. We also explore relationships between stream and riparian attributes and observed stream temperature conditions and patterns. Summer stream temperature, channel, and riparian data were collected on 36 headwater streams in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Mean stream temperatures were consistent among summers and generally warmed in a downstream direction. However, longitudinal trends in maximum temperatures were more variable. At the reach scale of 0.5‐1.7 km, maximum temperatures increased in 17 streams, decreased in seven streams and did not change in three reaches. At the subreach scale (0.1‐1.5 km), maximum temperatures increased in 28 subreaches, decreased in 14, and did not change in 12 subreaches. Models of increasing temperature in a downstream direction may oversimplify fine‐scale patterns in small streams. Stream and riparian attributes that correlated with observed temperature patterns included cover, channel substrate, channel gradient, instream wood jam volume, riparian stand density, and geology type. Longitudinal patterns of stream temperature are an important consideration for background characterization of water quality. Studies attempting to evaluate stream temperature response to timber harvest or other modifications should quantify variability in longitudinal patterns of stream temperature prior to logging.     

Estimating the Variability and Confidence of Land Use and Imperviousness Relationships at a Regional Scale1

Abstract: Impervious cover is a commonly used metric to help explain or predict anthropogenic impacts on aquatic resources; often it is used as a surrogate for intensity of human impacts when evaluating effects on aquatic resources. The most common way to estimate imperviousness is based on relationships with land use. Few studies have evaluated how the relationship between impervious surface and land use varies among geographies with different levels of development and between types of imagery used to assign land use type. In this study, we assess variability in estimates of imperviousness based on two locally available land use datasets: one based on aerial imagery (2‐m resolution) and another based on satellite imagery (30‐m resolution). The ranges and variability in imperviousness within land use categories were assessed at several spatial scales, including within counties, between counties, and between watersheds. Results indicate that there was considerable variability for all developed land use types. Estimated impervious cover often varied over a range of 20‐40% points within a land use category. Furthermore, there were clear spatial patterns both between and within counties, with impervious cover for a given land use type being higher near the urban centers and lower at the margins of development. Estimates of imperviousness for 12 study watersheds indicated that variability increased with increasing watershed development, making it difficult to confidently set management or regulatory targets based on impervious cover. This study suggests that locally derived, high resolution satellite or aerial imagery should be used to estimate imperviousness when a high level of accuracy and precision is required for regulatory or management decisions. Furthermore, the error associated with impervious land use relationships should be accounted for when using impervious cover in runoff or water quality models, or when making management decisions regarding stream health.     

3种人工草地不同植被覆盖度实地测量方法比较

植被覆盖度是植被垂直投影面积占统计区域面积百分比;理想覆盖度实地测量方法耗时短,工具简单,结果准确,受人为因素影响小.以结缕草(Zoysia japonica)、白三叶(Trifolium repens)和雀稗(Paspalum thunbergii)人工草地为研究对象,以照相法测量值为参考,比较样线法、目估法、样针法...     

Spatial pattern of impervious surfaces and their impacts on land surface temperature in Beijing, China

Land surface temperature （LST）, which is heavily influenced by urban surface structures, is a significant parameter in urban environmental analysis. This study examined the effect impervious surfaces （IS） spatial patterns have on LST in Beijing, China. A classification and regression tree model （CART） was adopted to estimate IS as a continuous variable using Landsat images from two seasons combined with QuickBird. LST was retrieved from the Landsat Thematic Mapper （TM） image to examine the relationships between IS and LST. The results revealed that CART was capable of consistently predicting LST with acceptable accuracy （correlation coefficient of 0.94 and the average error of 8.59%）. Spatial patterns of IS exhibited changing gradients across the various urban-rural transects, with LST values showing a concentric shape that increased as you moved from the outskirts towards the downtown areas. Transect analysis also indicated that the changes in both IS and LST patterns were similar at various resolution levels, which suggests a distinct linear relationship between them. Results of correlation analysis further showed that IS tended to be positively correlated with LST, and that the correlation coefficients increased from 0.807 to 0.925 with increases in IS pixel size. The findings identified in this study provide a theoretical basis for improving urban planning efforts to lessen urban temperatures and thus dampen urban heat island effects.     

黄河三角洲土地利用/土地覆盖变化研究现状与展望

土地利用/土地覆盖变化是全球环境变化研究的3个核心主题之一。黄河三角洲是我国乃至世界造陆速度最快的河口三角洲之一。伴随着人口的不断增加,黄河流域经济的发展,河口地带油气的开发,黄河三角洲土地利用/土地覆盖发生了迅速的变化,从而引发了土壤盐渍化、水污染严重、湿地资源保护受到威胁等一系列生态环境问题。论文以黄河三角洲为典型样区,把其土地利用/土地覆盖变化的研究作为全球环境变化研究的一个缩影,为全球性土地利用/土地覆盖变化模型的建立提供依据。论文首先介绍了黄河三角洲概况,其次对该地区土地利用/土地覆盖变化探测方法、结果进行了对比、归纳,接着回顾了该地区对土地利用/土地覆盖变化的驱动力分析以及模型预测,然后介绍了土地利用/土地覆盖与环境变化交互作用等的研究状况,最后总结了目前黄河三角洲土地利用/土地覆盖研究所取得的成绩和存在的不足,同时为进一步开展该地区的研究工作提出了若干建议。     

北方干旱化和土地利用变化对泾河流域径流的影响

论文以在黄土高原上发育,流经中国北方干旱、半干旱地区的黄河二级支流--泾河为研究对象,基于20世纪八九十年代的土地利用影像资料,以及泾河流域1970~2002年的气候、水文资料,采用美国农业部开发的分布式流域水文模型SWAT,分析了20世纪80~90年代泾河流域的降雨量和径流量的变化。从80到90年代,流域年降雨量呈逐年递减趋势,80年代多年平均月降雨量明显大于90年代多年平均月降雨量,尤其在7~9月,平均降雨量明显减少。受气候干旱化和土地利用/覆被变化的共同作用,80~90年代,流域多年平均年径流减少了8.92m³s^-1。为了区分气候变化和土地利用变化对流域径流的影响,采取分别固定气候因子与土地利用/覆被变化因子的方法,将模拟情景输入模型,定量区分气候和土地利用/覆被变化对流域径流的影响方式和程度。结果表明,气候干旱化趋势使流域多年平均年径流减少28.08m³s^-1,为气候、土地利用/覆被变化共同影响径流变化量的314.80%;土地利用/覆被变化使流域多年平均年径流增加26.57m³s^-1,为气候、土地利用/覆被变化共同影响径流变化量的297.87%。