The performance of RAMS in representing the convective boundary layer structure in a very steep valley

Data from a comprehensive field study in the Riviera Valley of Southern Switzerland are used to investigate convective boundary layer structure in a steep valley and to evaluate wind and temperature fields, convective boundary layer height, and surface sensible heat fluxes as predicted by the mesoscale model RAMS. Current parameterizations of surface and boundary layer processes in RAMS, as well as in other mesoscale models, are based on scaling laws strictly valid only for flat topography and uniform land cover. Model evaluation is required to investigate whether this limits the applicability of RAMS in steep, inhomogeneous terrain. One clear-sky day with light synoptic winds is selected from the field study. Observed temperature structure across and along the valley is nearly homogeneous while wind structure is complex with a wind speed maximum on one side of the valley. Upvalley flows are not purely thermally driven and mechanical effects near the valley entrance also affect the wind structure. RAMS captured many of the observed boundary layer characteristics within the steep valley. The wind field, temperature structure, and convective boundary layer height in the valley are qualitatively simulated by RAMS, but the horizontal temperature structure across and along the valley is less homogeneous in the model than in the observations. The model reproduced the observed net radiation, except around sunset and sunrise when RAMS does not take into account the shadows cast by the surrounding topography. The observed sensible heat fluxes fall within the range of simulated values at grid points surrounding the measurement sites. Some of the scatter between observed and simulated turbulent sensible heat fluxes are due to sub-grid scale effects related to local topography.     

Elk decision-making rules are simplified in the presence of wolves

The risk of predation drives many behavioral responses in prey. However, few studies have directly tested whether predation risk alters the way other variables influence prey behavior. Here we use information theory (Akaike’s Information Criterion, AICc) in a novel way to test the hypothesis that the decision-making rules governing elk behavior are simplified by the presence of wolves. With elk habitat use as the dependent variable, we test whether the number of independent variables (i.e., the size of the models) that best predict this behavior differ when wolves are present vs absent. Thus, we use AICc scores simply to determine the number of variables to which elk respond when making decisions. We measured habitat use using 2,288 locations from GPS collars on 14 elk, over two winters (14 elk winters), in the Gallatin Canyon portion of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. We found that the use of three major habitat components (grass, conifer, sage) was sensitive to many variables on days that wolves were locally absent, with the best models (ΔAICc≤2) averaging 7.4 parameters. In contrast, habitat use was sensitive to few variables on days when wolves were present: the best models averaged only 2.5 parameters. Because fewer variables affect elk behavior in the presence of wolves, we conclude that elk use simpler decision-making rules in the presence of wolves. This simplification of decision-making rules implies that predation risk imposes selection pressures that do not allow prey to respond to other pressures in ways that they otherwise would. If the affected processes are important, then this indirect effect of predation is likely to be important.     

Structure of turbulent plumes from a momentumless source in a smooth bed

The spatial development of a passive scalar plume is studied within the inhomogeneous turbulence of a boundary layer flow in a recirculating laboratory flume with a smooth bed. The source of the scalar is located flush with the bed, and the low-momentum source design is intended to simulate a diffusive-type scalar release. A weakly diffusive fluorescent dye is used as the scalar. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) techniques were used to record the structure of the plume at a spatial resolution of 150 μm. The measured structure of the mean concentration field is compared to an analytical solution for shear-free, homogeneous turbulence. The laboratory plume exhibits spatial development in the mean concentration field that deviates from the self-similar behavior predicted by the analytical solution; this deviation is due to the mean shear and inhomogeneity of the turbulence. In particular, the influence of the viscous sublayer on the plume development is seen to be significant. Nonetheless, the analytical solution replicates some of the features seen in the laboratory plume, and the solution suggests methods of reducing the laboratory data even for cases where the results deviate from the analysis. We also examine the spatial development of the root-mean-square (rms) fluctuating concentration field, and use scalar probability density functions to examine the relationship between the mean and fluctuating concentrations.     

Studying crop sequences with CarrotAge,a HMM-based data mining software

We have developed a knowledge discovery system based on high-order hidden Markov models for analyzing spatio-temporal data bases. This system, named CarrotAge , takes as input an array of discrete data – the rows represent the spatial sites and the columns the time slots – and builds a partition together with its a posteriori probability. CarrotAge has been developed for studying the cropping patterns of a territory. It uses therefore an agricultural drench database, named Ter-Uti , which records every year the land-use category of a set of sites regularly spaced. The results of CarrotAge are interpreted by agronomists and used in research works linking agricultural land use and water management. Moreover, CarrotAge can be used to find out and study crop sequences in large territories, that is a main question for agricultural and environmental research, as discussed in this paper.     

松嫩平原西部不同土地覆被水盐动态对比研究

通过对6种土地覆被2003年6～10月水盐时空动态进行分析，对比不同土地覆被水盐动态变化差异，结果发现：采样期内，不同土地覆被(碱斑地除外)0-120cm剖面含水量均出现明显峰值，大豆地和羊草草地在7月底出现峰值，玉米地和向日葵地在8月初，退化草地则在8月底才达到，比羊草草地滞后了一个月。除羊草草地外，其他土地覆被剖面含水量变化呈W型，只是波动幅度各不相同。采样期内，羊草草地剖面含水量的相对变率最大，为74％，其他依次为退化草地、大豆地、向日葵地、玉米地，碱斑地最低，仅为6．4％。相对于农田土地覆被，在0～40cm，羊草草地、退化草地和碱斑地随盐渍化程度的加重，含盐量剖面变异逐渐减小，而农田的三种土地覆被之间变异比较接近。整个采样期，向日葵地储盐量随时间的变化呈下降趋势，其他土地覆被波动变化一致，都经历了下降-上升-下降过程，但波动幅度不同，且羊草草地在7月7日出现上升，其他4种土地覆被在9月8日开始出现滞后于含水量的变化。相对于采样初期，不同土地覆被含盐量的相对变率均为负值，农田的下降幅度大，草地次之，碱斑地最小。协方差分析表明：95％置信度下，土地覆被、土壤剖面和两者的交互作用对含盐量的影响差异显著。     

耗散结构理论在土壤科学上应用途径的探索

本文根据耗散结构的基本理论，结合生产实践经验，提出了表征土壤肥力的非线性微分方程：＝（Ｋ－ｂ）ｘ－βｘ２Ｘ─土壤生物活性，ｔ─时间，Ｋ─生物繁殖系数，ｂ─生物死亡系数，β─生物饱和系数．解这个并不复杂的非线性微分方程，便可知道土壤是处于热力学分枝，还是耗散结构分枝．这对研究土壤肥力的动态变化、土壤肥力的分类、土壤的管理、土壤退化的防止等方面有着无法预测的应用前景．     

污水土地处理磷污染物迁移转化模拟讨论分析

根据磷在土壤中的迁移转化机理，进行了以土柱试验为基础的“污水土地处理条件下磷的迁移转化模拟试验”，总结了污水中的磷在土壤中迁移转化的规律，提出了定量模拟这一规律的迁移转化联合模型。联合模型为研究磷在土壤中的运动提供了定量化依据，避免了已有研究中将迁移和转化割裂研究造成的误差，丰富并完善了不同形态磷的迁移转化模型。     

黄土高原沟坡地土地生产力评价的指标体系与评价方法

通过对渭北黄土高原地区沟坡地土壤理化性质的分析和对当地社会经济状况的调查研究,应用层次分析法对沟坡地土地自然生产力和现实生产力进行了分析和评价.在分析过程中,把当地主要造林树种根系垂直分布特征及其根系抗旱性特性纳入了分析评价体系.结果表明,嘴头村和西坡村不同树种沟坡地上刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)的自然生产力属于中等稍微偏上水平,而山杏(Prunus armeniacia var. ansu)、油松(Pinus tabulaeformis)和侧柏(Platycladus orientalis)的自然生产力水平则较低.两地沟坡地上的现实生产力计算结果则证明刺槐和山杏两个树种表现出了较高的水平,具有较好的发展前途;而油松和侧柏的现实生产力水平则较低,其发展推广受到了限制.群众对沟坡开发治理的态度和对开发方案的认可对沟坡开发的成功起到了重要作用.     

观音堂库区水温变化对水生态环境影响的分析

本文用径流-库容比数法，对观音堂水库水体水温结构类型进行判断，用经验公式法和代表层水温法对观音堂水库水体水温结构和下泄水温进行了预测，预测结果表明：观音堂水库属分层型水库，在汛期表现出临时混合型的特点，水库下泄水使下游河道水温年内分布趋于均匀．这种水温变化，导致水库水质随水库深度增加而逐渐恶化，对水库下游河段水生生态系统产生不利影响。     

农村产业结构调整问题研究

本文首先对农村产业结构调整的相关概念进行了阐述.其次,分析和归纳了判断农村产业结构合理化的标准以及农村产业结构变动的影响因素.