Stricter Ozone Ambient Air Quality Standard Has Beneficial Effect on Ponderosa Pine in California

Ambient air quality standards and control strategies are implemented to protect humans and vegetation from adverse effects. We used a process-based tree-growth model (TREGRO) to show that over the past 37 years, changes in O₃ exposure, with accompanying variation in climate, are reflected in changes in the growth of Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws. in the San Bernardino Mountains near Los Angeles, California, USA. Despite variation in temperature and precipitation over the study period (1963–1999), O₃ exposure consistently reduced simulated tree growth. Simulated growth reductions increased concurrent with increasing O₃ exposure. The maximum growth reduction occurred in 1979. As O₃ exposures decreased during the 1980s and 1990s, effects on growth also decreased. This implies that emission control strategies taken to reduce exposures to attain O₃ standards benefited P. ponderosa growth in the San Bernardino Mountains. This modeling approach provides a powerful tool for solving the difficult problem of evaluating regulatory effectiveness by simulating plant response using long-term climate and air pollution exposure records for a given region.Phone 541 754-4621 Fax 541 754-4799     

新疆天山北坡经济带生态环境保护思路探讨

随着区域经济的发展和自然资源的开发，区域生态环境状况面临严峻的考验。本文分析了新疆天山北坡经济带的生态环境现状、特点及发展趋势，重点阐述了该区域生态环境保护与治理的思路，并提出一些相应的对策和建议。     

Characteristics of winter backcountry use in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Numerous backcountry and wilderness use studies have been conducted over the last decade, but nearly all of them have concentrated on peak season and summer use. This study investigates use patterns and user characteristics of winter campers, and implications for the management of winter backcountry overnight use. Use pattern data were collected from 580 backcountry use permits for both winter and summer campers of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). A two-page questionnaire was also mailed to 300 of the winter users to survey their characteristics, past backpacking experience, and reasons for winter camping. Backcountry permit data indicate that use patterns differ significantly between winter and summer campers, with winter campers taking shorter, weekend, destination-type trips. Winter campers engage in backcountry camping nearly twice as often during winter as other seasons of the year, both in and outside GSMNP. They are also experienced hikers that tend to avoid camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the summer because of heavy visitor use. This suggests that winter backcountry campers are different enough from peak season campers that management of these two user groups may require different styles.     

RAINGAGE NETWORK DESIGN USING NEXRAD PRECIPITATION ESTIMATES1

ABSTRACT: A general framework is proposed for using precipitation estimates from NEXRAD weather radars in raingage network design. NEXRAD precipitation products are used to represent space time rainfall fields, which can be sampled by hypothetical raingage networks. A stochastic model is used to simulate gage observations based on the areal average precipitation for radar grid cells. The stochastic model accounts for subgrid variability of precipitation within the cell and gage measurement errors. The approach is ideally suited to raingage network design in regions with strong climatic variations in rainfall where conventional methods are sometimes lacking. A case study example involving the estimation of areal average precipitation for catchments in the Catskill Mountains illustrates the approach. The case study shows how the simulation approach can be used to quantify the effects of gage density, basin size, spatial variation of precipitation, and gage measurement error, on network estimates of areal average precipitation. Although the quality of NEXRAD precipitation products imposes limitations on their use in network design, weather radars can provide valuable information for empirical assessment of rain‐gage network estimation errors. Still, the biggest challenge in quantifying estimation errors is understanding subgrid spatial variability. The results from the case study show that the spatial correlation of precipitation at subgrid scales (4 km and less) is difficult to quantify, especially for short sampling durations. Network estimation errors for hourly precipitation are extremely sensitive to the uncertainty in subgrid spatial variability, although for storm total accumulation, they are much less sensitive.     

基于InVEST模型的伏牛山地区生态系统碳储量时空变化模拟

在生态文明建设高质量的发展环境下,探究国土空间规划视角下土地利用合理规划与碳减排关系有重大现实意义.山地生态系统作为自然、社会和经济的综合生态系统,对区域生态环境质量提高和可持续发展具有重要影响.以河南省伏牛山区为研究对象,采用InVEST与CA-Markov模型预测2000～2030年多情景下伏牛山生态系统碳储量的时空分布差异.结果表明：(1) 2000～2020年,伏牛山地耕地和林地大面积减少,水域和建设用地增加.自然增长情景下耕地持续减少;耕地保护情境下耕地面积减少速度得到有效缓解;生态保护情景下,林地草地面积得到了有效保护.(2) 2000～2020年,伏牛山地生态系统碳储量减少2.62×106 t;自然增长情景下,生态系统碳储量持续减少;耕地保护情景稍有缓解;生态保护措施有效缓解了碳损失.(3)碳储量随海拔升高呈驼峰状变化,随着坡度升高而呈现增加的趋势.因此,在未来伏牛山地区国土空间规划中,可综合考虑生态保护与耕地保护情景,在增加碳储量的同时也保证了粮食生产.     

长白山北坡林线处岳桦年轮年表及其与气候的关系

运用相关函数及响应分析等树木年轮气候学方法,研究了长白山北坡林线处岳桦(Betula ermanii)径向生长及其与气候的关系.结果表明,林线处岳桦年轮宽度年表具有较强的气候敏感性.其径向生长与上年7月和当年3月的温度显著负相关(P<0.05),与上年9月和当年7月的温度显著正相关;同时与上年6月降水量显著正相关.与季节性气候因子的响应分析表明,岳桦径向生长与当年春季(1～3月)和当年生长季前(4、5月)的平均温度呈显著负相关,与当年生长季前的平均最高温度显著正相关,与降水量的相关关系不显著.利用多元逐步回归方法模拟了岳桦年轮宽度指数与气候因子间的关系,并据此预测在温度和降水增加的背景下,林线处岳桦径向生长将降低14.8%.     

Reliability of a Higher-Taxon Approach to Richness, Rarity, and Composition Assessments at the Local Scale

Abstract:  A promising shortcut for quantifying species patterns is to use genera and families as surrogates of species. At large spatial scales, concurrence between patterns of richness, rarity, and composition of species and higher taxa is generally high. Only a few researchers, however, have examined this relationship at the local scale, which is frequently the relevant scale in land-use conflicts. We investigated the reliability of the higher-taxon approach in assessing patterns of species richness, rarity, and composition at the local scale. We studied diversity patterns of three commonly used surrogate taxa: vascular plants, ground-dwelling beetles, and moths. We conducted year-round field surveys for these taxa in the Jerusalem Mountains and the Judean foothills, Israel. Richness and composition of species were highly correlated with richness and composition of genera for all taxa. At the family level, correlations with richness and composition of species were much lower. Excluding monotypic genera and families did not affect these relations. Rarity representation based on higher taxa varied considerably depending on the taxon, and rarity scale and was weaker compared with richness and composition representation. Cumulative richness curves of species and genera showed similar patterns, leveling off at equivalent sampling efforts. Genus-level assessments were a reliable surrogate for local patterns of species richness, rarity, and composition, but family-level assessments performed poorly. The advantage of using coarse taxonomic scales in local diversity surveys is that it may decrease identification time and the need for experts, but it will not reduce sampling effort.     

Pattern and Process in Northern Rocky Mountain Headwaters: Ecological Linkages in the Headwaters of the Crown of the Continent1

Abstract: The Crown of the Continent is one of the premiere ecosystems in North America containing Waterton‐Glacier International Peace Park, the Bob Marshall‐Great Bear‐Scapegoat Wilderness Complex in Montana, various Provincial Parks in British Columbia and Alberta, several national and state forest lands in the USA, and Crown Lands in Canada. The region is also the headwater source for three of the continent’s great rivers: Columbia, Missouri and Saskatchewan that flow to the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, respectively. Headwaters originate in high elevation alpine environs characterized by high snow accumulations in winter and rainstorms in summer. Most headwaters of the region contain high quality waters with few ions in solution and extremely low nutrient concentrations. Alpine streams have few species of aquatic organisms; however, they often possess rare species and have hydrogeomorphic features that make them vulnerable to climatic change. Subalpine and valley bottom streams of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (CCE) flow through well forested watersheds. Along the elevation gradient, the streams and rivers of the CCE flow through series of confining and nonconfining valleys resulting in distinct canyon and floodplain reaches. The alluvial floodplains are characterized by high species diversity and bioproduction maintained by the hydrologic linkages of habitats. The streams and rivers of the CCE have low nutrient concentrations, but may be significantly affected by wildfire, various resource extraction activities, such as logging or mining and exurban encroachment. Wildfire has been shown to increase nutrient loading in streams, both during a fire and then following the fire for as much as 5 years. Logging practices increase nutrient loading and the algal productivity of stream periphyton. Logging and associated roads are also known to increase sediment transport into Crown of the Continent streams directly affecting spawning success of native trout. The CCE is one of the fastest growing regions in the USA because of the many recreational amenities of the region. And, while the region has many remarkably pristine headwater streams and receiving rivers, there are many pending threats to water quality and quantity. One of the most urgent threats comes from the coal and gas fields in the northern part of the Crown of the Continent, where coal deposits are proposed for mountain‐top removal and open‐pit mining operations. This will have significant effects on the waters of the region, its native plants and animals and quality of life of the people.     

The future of food security in the Three Areas of Sudan

Currently, the pace of recovery in the 'Three Areas' is moving faster than the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). This gap is leading to greater imbalances in income, unsustainable urbanization, overexploitation of the environment and resource based conflict. Unless regulated, the likely result will be chronic poverty and an undermining of the success of the CPA. Agencies must be mindful of how they provide assistance so that they support the CPA. The analysis of food security should take place in the context of a larger political, social and economic analysis of the emerging situation. The least developed areas should be prioritised and interventions should provide benefits to the full range of socioeconomic groups. WFP must identify its role in the wider and integrated response. It should support the emerging peace process and the key reforms. If WFP chooses to consolidate its activities, it will require capable strategic partners. If it chooses to invest more in building the capacity of government and community structures, it must improve its skill base and field presence     

长白山不同生态系统地下部分生物量及地下C贮量的调查

论文在收集已有资料的基础上,补充调查了长白山自然保护区中沿不同海拔高度形成的不同森林生态系统的细根生物量和一些森林类型的根系总生物量,并且对自然环境因子对根系生物量的影响进行了相关分析。研究表明,由高海拔到低海拔(岳桦林、苔藓岳桦暗针叶林、暗针叶林过渡带、苔藓红松暗针叶林、红松针阔混交林)树木细根(<2mm)生物量分别是458.92gm^-2、537.42gm^-2、390.35gm^-2、397.25gm^-2和660.21gm^-2;根系总生物量分别是2578.00gm^-2、2794.00gm^-2、2680.00gm^-2、3459.25gm^-2和5155.00gm^-2。分别对细根生物量和根系总生物量与降水量和活动积温之间进行相关性分析时,发现细根生物量与不同海拔高度的活动积温和降水量没有明显的相关性;而根系生物量与这些因子存在着指数相关关系。该研究同时对不同海拔高度根系中的C、N含量和土壤中有机质的含量进行了分析和测定。结合已有的倒木和凋落物的资料,估算了长白山自然保护区中沿不同海拔高度形成的不同森林生态系统地下C的贮量。在长白山自然保护区内,由高海拔到低海拔,林地C贮量分别是15493.88gm^-2、21005.74gm^-2、19819.24gm^-2、14232.51gm^-2和7344.02gm^-2。