Increasing land pressure in East Africa: The changing role of cassava and consequences for sustainability of farming systems

Increasing land pressure during the past three to four decades has transformed farming systems in the mid-altitude zone of East Africa. Traditional millet-, cotton-, sugarcane- and/or banana-based farming systems with an important fallow and/or grazing component have evolved into continuously cultivated cassava or cassava/maize-based systems. Within three to four decades, cassava cultivation increased from 1–11 to 16–55% of cropped fields in our six study sites. Declining soil fertility, and not labour or food shortage, was apparently the primary trigger for this transformation. The land use changes have increased nutrient offtakes and reduced nutrient recycling rates. Cassava and maize now account for 50–90% of nutrient removal. Whereas single-season fallows were the most important source of nutrient recycling on cropped fields in the past, currently cassava litterfall and maize stover contribute roughly 70% of nutrient recycling, with 50–70% of N, P and K recycled in cassava litterfall. This may explain why many farmers reason that cassava ‘rests’ the soil. With increasing land use pressure farmers progressively use cassava as an ‘imitation fallow’ throughout their farm. Farmers increasingly target cassava to poor fertility fields characterized by low pH and available P. High cassava intensities are nonetheless maintained on more fertile fields, probably to guarantee regeneration of soil fertility on all fields. Once cassava is targeted to poor fertility soils, farmers have run out of low-input management options and need to intensify management to maintain system productivity. As cassava is now used by more farmers and on a larger acreage than fallowing in the studied farming systems, cassava cropping could perhaps serve as an excellent entry point to strengthen system sustainability.     

On adaptations of trees and shrubs in the north of the Russian Far East

Specific ecological features of trees (Chosenia arbutifolia and Betula lanata) and shrubs (Pinus pumila and Duschekia fruticosa) at the northern limit of their distribution are compared. New biomorphological adaptations of these species under extreme conditions are described.     

Regional Research Capacity-Building in Sustainability Science: Facts,Gaps, and Futures in Northeast Asia

Abstract

Evidence shows that some conceptual ideas relevant to both local and global sustainability have been adopted in some official documents in northeast Asian nations, particularly China, South Korea, and Japan. This seems to be a very positive signal for the future development of sustainability science in this region. However, studyes show that there are still some major gaps there. One is the problem of how to build up the regional research capacity of sustainability science among northeast Asian research institutes across different disciplines as well as different political systems. Another is how to shift the conceptual frameworks of sustainability science into the operational policy frameworks. There are four major obstacles to the enhancement of regional research capacity-building in sustainability science. In order to build up the regional research capacity in sustainability science and to realize both local and global goals of the sustainable development in northeast Asia, this paper proposes some basic frameworks, including regional institutional innovations, establishment of a regional sustainability information network, initiatives of the regional assessment programme, and focus on the regional education and training of sustainability knowledge.     

中国东海近海岛屿冬季与夏季气溶胶中水溶性离子化学组分特征及来源解析

本研究于2017年12月至2018年2月以及2018年6～8月在嵊泗岛屿共采集70个大气总悬浮颗粒(TSP)样品,利用离子色谱法分析TSP样品中水溶性离子(主要包括:Na~+、 K~+、 NH~+_4、 Mg~(2+)、 Ca~(2+)、 Cl~-、 SO_4~(2-)、 NO~-_3和MSA)的质量浓度,结合HYSPLIT后向轨迹模型,离子相关性分析和主成分分析等方法,探讨东海背景站水溶性离子组分的化学特征、季节差异以及主要来源.结果显示,观测期间TSP和主要水溶性无机离子(WSIIs)质量浓度均表现为冬季高、夏季低,冬季和夏季的总水溶性离子(TWSIIs)平均质量浓度分别为(26.5±16.3)μg·m~(-3)和(8.8±3.8)μg·m~(-3).二次离子(NO~-_3、 SO_4~(2-)与NH~+_4)是TSP中最主要的离子组分,在冬、夏两季分别占TWSIIs的86.2%和74.9%.非海盐硫酸盐(nss-SO_4~(2-))主要来自人为排放,夏季生源硫酸盐对nss-SO_4~(2-)的贡献为28.1%,冬季贡献率为5.9%.另外,研究站点受季节气温变化、长距离传输以及夏季生物源的影响,导致冬季NO~-_3质量浓度最高,夏季SO_4~(2-)质量浓度最高.主成分分析(PCA)结果表明,东海地区气溶胶化学组分在夏季主要受到海洋源的影响较大,冬季则主要受到人为排放源的输入影响.冬季Cl~-由于受到人类活动影响出现了一定程度的氯富集,富集因子的平均值为38.5%.     

东南亚地区中国海外耕地投资项目的空间分布及影响因素分析

为探究中国在东南亚地区的海外耕地投资活动规律,利用文献资料法、空间分析法和灰色关联分析法,从空间分布和影响因素两方面进行分析。结果表明：（1）中国海外耕地投资项目多位于中南半岛,且有沿边分布特点;（2）中国在东南亚海外耕地投资意向项目、合同项目的空间分布相似性较高,而生产项目与前两者存在差异;（3）中国海外耕地投资受地缘经济、地缘文化、资源基础和地缘政治的影响且受影响程度依次减弱,其中年均进出口总值、年均中国对外直接投资存量等指标对中国企业的投资选择具有显著影响。东南亚地区作为当前中国海外耕地投资的重要区域,强化同东南亚国家间的经济、文化交流,对中国企业顺利开展海外耕地投资活动具有重要促进作用。     

崇明东滩大型底栖动物食源的稳定同位素示踪

利用稳定同位素示踪技术,对崇明东滩盐沼湿地夏季不同生境大型底栖动物的食物来源和营养结构进行了初步研究。结果显示,表层沉积有机质稳定碳、氮同位素组成分别在-21.3‰~-24.2‰、4.6‰~5.6‰,不同生境下存在一定差异。植物体各组织的同位素值存在差异,在判别食物来源时需要注意,不能简单地以植物叶片值来代替整个植株。大型底栖动物的δ¹³C值为-14.7‰~-23.6‰,表现出食物来源的差异。总体上说,湿地优势植物的活植物体不是大型底栖动物的主要食物来源,沉积有机质是大部分底栖消费者的食物基础。底栖动物的氮同位素能较好地反映其食性和营养级,计算出崇明东滩大型底栖动物营养级在2.0~3.7,为一级消费者和二级消费者。     

Effects of experimental protocol on global vegetation model accuracy: A comparison of simulated and observed vegetation patterns for Asia

Prognostic vegetation models have been widely used to study the interactions between environmental change and biological systems. This study examines the sensitivity of vegetation model simulations to: (i) the selection of input climatologies representing different time periods and their associated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, (ii) the choice of observed vegetation data for evaluating the model results, and (iii) the methods used to compare simulated and observed vegetation. We use vegetation simulated for Asia by the equilibrium vegetation model BIOME4 as a typical example of vegetation model output. BIOME4 was run using 19 different climatologies and their associated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. The Kappa statistic, Fuzzy Kappa statistic and a newly developed map-comparison method, the Nomad index, were used to quantify the agreement between the biomes simulated under each scenario and the observed vegetation from three different global land- and tree-cover data sets: the global Potential Natural Vegetation data set (PNV), the Global Land Cover Characteristics data set (GLCC), and the Global Land Cover Facility data set (GLCF). The results indicate that the 30-year mean climatology (and its associated atmospheric CO₂ concentration) for the time period immediately preceding the collection date of the observed vegetation data produce the most accurate vegetation simulations when compared with all three observed vegetation data sets. The study also indicates that the BIOME4-simulated vegetation for Asia more closely matches the PNV data than the other two observed vegetation data sets. Given the same observed data, the accuracy assessments of the BIOME4 simulations made using the Kappa, Fuzzy Kappa and Nomad index map-comparison methods agree well when the compared vegetation types consist of a large number of spatially continuous grid cells. The results of this analysis can assist model users in designing experimental protocols for simulating vegetation.     

Carbonaceous species in fine particles at the background sites in Korea between 1994 and 1999

Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in fine particles (PM_2.5) at two background sites, Kosan and Kangwha in Korea were measured during intensive field studies between 1994 and 1999. Fine particles were collected on pre-fired quartz filters in a low-volume sampler and analyzed using the selective thermal oxidation method with MnO₂ catalyst. The OC and EC concentrations at Kosan located at western tip of Cheju Island in southern Korea are lower than those at Kangwha located at western coastal area in mid-Korean peninsula. Still, the OC concentrations at Kosan are generally higher than those at other background areas in Japan and USA. The EC concentrations at Kosan are lower than or comparable to those at other background areas. The total carbon (TC, sum of OC and EC) to EC ratio values at both sites were higher than those at other background areas in Japan and USA. At Kosan, the OC and EC concentrations when air parcels were from southern China were higher than those when air parcels were coming from northern China. However, at Kangwha, the differences were statistically not clear since most air parcels were from northern China. Except when air parcels were from the North Pacific during summer, the OC and EC concentrations are well correlated indicating that both OC and EC share the same emission/transport characteristics. From the gaseous hydrocarbon data and the OC and EC relationship, it was found that during summer local biogenic emissions of OC might be significant at Kosan.     

Trans-boundary air pollution over remote islands in Japan: observed data and estimates from a numerical model

Observations of air pollutants were conducted in remote Japanese islands (Oki Island and Okinawa Island) in early spring to clarify the extent of trans-boundary air pollution from the Asian continent. A three-dimensional Eulerian model calculation, which included parameters on emission, transport and transformation of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and ammonia, was performed to compile sulfate isosurface concentrations over the observational sites. Concentrations of non-sea-salt sulfate (nss-SO₄²⁻) of greater than 10 μg m⁻³ were observed at Oki after the northeastward passage of low-pressure systems in the Sea of Japan. At these times, the weather showed a typical winter pattern and air pollutants over China were transported southeastward to Japan with the northwesterly wind. The model calculation reproduced the observed variations of nss-SO₄²⁻ concentration well, except for one case in which the model calculation could not reproduce the extremely low nss-SO₄²⁻ concentration observed on 8 March. In Hedo (Okinawa Island), we observed long-lasting (3 days) medium concentrations of nss-SO₄²⁻ (approximately 5 μg m⁻³). Although the model reproduced these observed medium concentrations well, in general the observed results were reproduced better for Oki than for Hedo. Under the synoptic weather conditions of early spring, high concentrations of nss-sulfate were sometimes transported to these remote Japanese islands from areas of continental Asia with a strong outflow of air pollutants.