Diversity and geographical pattern of altitudinal belts in the Hengduan Mountains in China

This paper analyses the diversity and spatial pattern of the altitudinal belts in the Hengduan Mountains in China. A total of 7 types of base belts and 26 types of altitudinal belts are identified in the study region. The main altitudinal belt lines, such as forest line, the upper limit of dark coniferous forest and snow line, have similar latitudinal and longitudinal spatial patterns, namely, arched quadratic curve model with latitudes and concave quadratic curve model along longitudinal direction. These patterns can be together called as “Hyperbolic-paraboloid model”, revealing the complexity and speciality of the environment and ecology in the study region. This result further validates the hypnosis of a common quadratic model for spatial pattern of mountain altitudinal belts proposed by the authors. The spatial pattern of altitudinal belts is closely related with moisture-related exposure effect in the Hengduan Mountains. Different combinations (spectra) of altitudinal belts and different base belt types appear in windward and leeward flanks and even in the same flanks of different ranges. This is closely related with the parallel mountain ranges of the Hengduan Mountains, which, at nearly right angle with the moving direction of prevailing moisture-laden air masses from west and east, hold up the warm and humid monsoon wind from moving into the core region and result in different moisture conditions in windward and leeward flanks. However, how to quantitatively describe the moisture-related exposure effect needs further study. In addition, the data quality and data accuracy at present also affect to some extent the result of quantitative modeling and should be improved with RS/GIS in the future.     

Spatial and temporal variation of drought index in a typical steep alpine terrain in Hengduan Mountains

This study describes the spatial and temporal variation of a drought index and makes inferences regarding the environmental factors that influence this variability in the Hengduan Mountains. A drought index is typically used to determine the moisture conditions and the magnitude of water deficiency in a given area. Based on data from 26 meteorological stations over the period 1960-2012, the spatial and temporal variations of the drought index were analyzed using a thin plate smoothing splines method that considered elevation as a covariate. The drought index was estimated based on the potential evapotranspiration (E₀) as defined by the Penman Monteith model modified by FAO (1998). The results of the reported analysis showed that the drought index in the Hengduan Mountains has been decreasing since 1960 at a rate of -0.008/a. This represented a progressive shift from the "sub-humid" class, which typified the wider area in the Hengduan Mountains, toward the "humid" class, which appeared in the Hengduan Mountains areas. The drought index was relatively high in the north and low in the south and the variation of the drought index varied with seasons. The drought index showed increasing trends in summer and autumn and it is greater in autumn than in summer, while it showed a decreasing trend in spring and winter. Drought index is inversely proportional to the soil relative humidity and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI).     

Spatio-temporal variation of Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation absorbed by vegetation in the Hengduan Mountains,China

The Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation(FPAR) is an important indicator of the primary productivity of vegetation. FPAR is often used to estimate the assimilation of carbon dioxide in vegetation. Based on MOD15 A2 H/FPAR data product, the temporal and spatial variation characteristics and variation trend of FPAR in different vegetation types in 2001 to 2018 were analyzed in the Hengduan Mountains. The response of FPAR to climate change was investigated by using Pearson correlation analytical method and partial least squares regression analysis. Results showed that the FPAR in Hengduan Mountains presented an increasing trend with time. Spatially, it was high in the south and low in the north, and it also showed obvious vertical zonality by elevation gradient.The vegetation FPAR was found to be positively correlated with air temperature and sunshine duration but negatively correlated with precipitation. Partial least squares regression analysis showed that the influence of sunshine duration on vegetation FPAR in Hengduan Mountains was stronger than that of air temperature and precipitation.     

Revisiting Sustainable Development of Dry Valleys in Hengduan Mountains Region

Dry valleys are a striking geographic landscape in Hengduan Mountains Region and are characterized by low rainfall, desert type of vegetation and fragile environment. Past efforts and resources have been concentrated mainly on rehabilitation of degraded ecosystem and fragile environment, particularly reforestation, while socio-economic development has been largely overlooked. Despite successes in pocket areas, the overall trend of unsustainability and environmental deterioration are continuing. It is important to understand that uplift of the Tibetan Plateau is the root cause of development of dry valleys, and development and formation of dry valleys is a natural process. Human intervention has played a secondary role in development of dry valleys and degradation of dry valleys though human intervention in many cases has speeded up environmental degradation of the dry valleys. It is important to understand that dry valleys are climatic enclaves and an integrated approach that combines rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and socio-economic development should be adopted if the overall goal of sustainable development of dry valleys is to be achieved. Promotion of niche-based cash crops, rural energy including hydropower, solar energy, biogas and fuelwood plantation is recommended as the priority activities.     

Spatio-temporal pattern of net primary productivity in Hengduan Mountains area,China: impacts of climate change and human activities

Net primary productivity(NPP), a metric used to define and identify changes in plant communities, is greatly affected by climate change, human activities and other factors. Here, we used the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach(CASA) model to estimate the NPP of plant communities in Hengduan Mountains area of China, and to explore the relationship between NPP and altitude in this region. We examined the mechanisms underlying vegetation growth responses to climate change and quantitatively assessed the effects of ecological protection measures by partitioning the contributions of climate change and human activities to NPP changes. The results demonstrated that: 1) the average total and annual NPP values over the years were 209.15 Tg C and 468.06 g C/(m2·yr), respectively. Their trend increasingly fluctuated, with spatial distribution strongly linked to altitude(i.e., lower and higher NPP in high altitude and low altitude areas, respectively) and 2400 m represented the marginal altitude for vegetation differentiation; 2) areas where climate was the main factor affecting NPP accounted for 18.2% of the total research area, whereas human activities were the primary factor influencing NPP in 81.8% of the total research area, which indicated that human activity was the main force driving changes in NPP. Areas where climatic factors(i.e., temperature and precipitation) were the main driving factors occupied 13.6%(temperature) and 6.0%(precipitation) of the total research area, respectively. Therefore, the effect of temperature on NPP changes was stronger than that of precipitation; and 3) the majority of NPP residuals from 2001 to 2014 were positive, with human activities playing an active role in determining regional vegetation growth, possibly due to the return of farmland back to forest and natural forest protection. However, this positive trend is decreasing. This clearly shows the periodical nature of ecological projects and a lack of long-term effectiveness.     

Early holocene high magnitude debris flow events and environmental change as illustrated by the Moxi Platform, Hengduan Mountains, SW China

Introduction Landscape evolution in glaciated high mountains environment in southwestern China is undergoing the coupled processes of monsoon- induced denudation and active tectonic. The debris fan development, in particular sediment transfer, is most int…     

Geoscience landscape division and tourism zonation in the mid-southern section of the Hengduan Mountains,eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The mid-southern section of the Hengduan Mountains is a typical region of mountainous landscape in western China and is the core region of "Shangri-La", a world-famous ecotourism destination. The landscape classification system is an important scientific basis for landscape protection and tourism development in this region. By combining geology and geography and referring to the concepts of "system tract" and "tectonic system" in geology, this paper comes up with grading standards for the geoscience landscape system of this region. Based on the regional stratigraphic structure, tectonic fault marks and geomorphological differentiation, this paper comes up with 2 Grade Ⅰ geoscience landscape system tracts, 8 Grade Ⅱ geoscience landscape systems, 21 Grade Ⅲ geoscience landscape areas, and 165 representative Grade Ⅳ geoscience landscape attractions. According to the main classification methods for the geological heritage and tourism landscapes, the geoscience landscapes can be divided into 4 categories, 16 types and 19 subtypes. On this basis, 23 eco-tourism areas of the mid-southern section of the Hengduan Mountains can be delimited. The study provides a theoretical direction and method reference for the geoscience landscape division and tourism zonation, which has an importantsignificance on the mountain landscape protection and tourism development in the regions of complex geo-environments.     

Variation characteristics of temperature and moisture content of seasonal frozen soil during freezing process in Changchun,China

In China, seasonal frozen soil is widely distributed. The freezing damage of subgrade soil in Jilin Province has been one of major engineering geological problems troubling the safety of road, in which some common damage phenomena, such as frost heave, subsidence deformation and frost boiling, are all caused by water translocation. Aiming at the phenomenon, the changes of moisture content of seasonal frozen soil in Changchun City are mainly studied by long-term field observation and indoor testing of physical properties under different conditions, and then the variation characteristics of moisture content in soil under different compactness and temperature conditions are realized. The results show that the increasing section of moisture content and negative temperature section all lie in O. 0 - 1.0 m of subgrade. Both lowest air and earth temperature occur in January to February, and the most negative temperature ranges from -7℃ to -10℃.     

Variation characteristics of temperature and moisture content of seasonal frozen soil during freezing process in Changchun, China

In China, seasonal frozen soil is widely distributed. The freezing damage of subgrade soil in Jilin Province has been one of major engineering geological problems troubling the safety of road, in which some common damage phenomena, such as frost heave, subsidence deformation and frost boiling, are all caused bywater translocation. Aiming at the phenomenon, the changes of moisture content of seasonal frozen soil in Changchun City are mainly studied by long-term field observation and indoor testing of physical properties under different conditions, and then the variation characteristics of moisture content in soil under different compactness and temperature conditions are realized. The results show that the increasing section of moisture content and negative temperature section all lie in 0.0-1.0 m of subgrade. Both lowest air and earth temperature occur in January to February, and the most negative temperature ranges from -7 ℃ to -10 ℃.     

Larch growth across thermal and moisture gradients in the Siberian Mountains

Climate-driven changes in the thermal and moisture regimes may variously influence different tree species growth and ranges. We hypothesize that drought resistant Siberian larch(Larix sibirica Ledeb.) and precipitation-sensitive Siberian pine(Pinus sibirica Du Tour) responded differently to climate change along the elevational thermal and precipitation gradients. We studied the influence of air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and atmospheric drought(indicated by the drought index SPEI...     

Change in fresh snow density in Tianshan Mountains,China

The fresh snow density was observed with snow analyzer (Snow Fork) at Tianshan Station for Snowcover and Avalanche Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences from February 21 to March 5, 2009. Results show that fresh snow density increases from the 5th h to the 291st h after the snowfall, with an average rate of increase of 4.0×10-4 g/(cm3·h) (R2 = 0.943). Analysis shows that fresh snow density is negatively correlated with the compac-tion rate of fresh snow (R2 = -0.960). Inversely, it is positively correlated ...     

Dynamics of soil fauna in Da Hinggan Mountains, Northeast China

The dynamics of soil animals was studied in seven representative forest communities in the north of the Da Hinggan Mountains, Northeast China. The results indicate that it was distinctive in the changes of the numbers of soil animals and groups and diversity in relationship with seasons for macrofauna and torso-micro fauna in the study area. The numbers of the observed soil animals in different months were: October>August>June. Group number was larger in August and October, but smaller in June. The change of diversity index in different months was: August>June>October. The biomass for macrofanna in different months was: October>June>August. The composition and number of each functional group was relatively stable. In the community of the predominant soil environment, the percentage of saprophagous animals was higher than carnivorous animals and herbivorous animals. The dynamics changes of saprophagous and carnivorous animals were distinctive, increasing from June to October, while the change of herbivorous animals was unremarkable.     

Agricultural Land Suitability of Production Space in the Taihang Mountains,China

The contradiction between the shortage of land for agriculture due to rapid expansion of industrialization and urbanization and increasing population pressure is projected to impose great threats to future food security.Agricultural land suitability evaluation is an effective approach to improve the utilization of land resources for crop production and thus enhance the capacity of food provision.In this study, we evaluated the land suitability for agriculture of the production space in the Taihang Mountains by three steps: establishing indicator system, determining weights for indicators, and constructing a fuzzy matter-element model to assess the grades of suitability.Results showed that the land suitability had a significant linear correlation with potential crop yields, indicating our evaluation was effective to predict crop production.The spatial pattern of land suitability for crop production demonstrated that land with higher suitability was generally located in piedmont plains and basins, while land with lower suitability was mostly situated in mountainous areas.The area of highly, moderately, marginally suitable and unsuitable land for agriculture was 32.13%, 28.58%, 37.49% and 1.80% of the production space, respectively.However, the correlation degree analysis indicated that the requirements of these four suitability grades were currently not satisfied but could be potentially fulfilled.In terms of indicator weights, soil properties were much more important than topography and location conditions to influence the grades of suitability.Among all indicators, slope, soil organic matter, soil texture and soil depth were the most influential factors, so slope farming prevention and organic fertilization were most likely to improve land suitability for agriculture.Compared the outputs of our land suitability evaluation model with the distribution of the existing croplands, we found that about 66.52% of marginally suitable and 54.55% of unsuitable land for agriculture were currently used for croplands.Therefore, de-farming policy should be implemented in areas of these two suitability grades.In contrast, cropland expansion was encouraged in the land that was highly or moderately suitable for agriculture.Our evaluation of agricultural land suitability is beneficial for future land use planning and decision-making in the Taihang Mountains.     

Digital Spectra and Analysis of Altitudinal Belts in Tianshan Mountains, China

Based on the framework of the geo-info spectra of montane altitudinal belts, this paper firstly reviews six classification systems for the spectra of mountain altitudinal belts in China and considers that detailed regional study of altitudinal belts is the key for reaching standardization and systemization of mountain altitudinal belts. Only can this further identify and resolve problems with the study of altitudinal belts. The factors forming the spectra of altitudinal belts are analyzed in the Tianshan Mountains of China, and a digital altitudinal belt system is constructed for the northern flank, southern flank, the heartland, and Ili valley in the west. The characteristics of each belt are revealed with a summarization of the pattern of areal differentiation of altitudinal belts.     

Environmental evolution of Gongwang Mountains during Holocene in northeastern Yunnan, China

This paper presents the study on two continuous glacio-lacustrine sedimentary deposits, Laotanfang (3 597 m) and Shibantang (3 689 m) located on the southern and northern sides of Hulifang peak in Yunan, China. Environmental change indexes are constructed for each deposit, based on grain size, geochemical and pollen analysis, environmental magnetic susceptibility, and 14C dating. The study of climatic environmental change since the Holocene epoch in this region shows that the climate fluctuated at different stages during the early Holocene, that is, the climate was cool and wet during 8 4-7 7 ka, cold and wet during 7 7-6 5 ka, cold and dry during 6 5-4 7 ka, cool and wet during 4 7-2 1 ka, warm and wet during 2 1-1 0 ka, and warmer and wet since 1 ka. These findings reflect the overlapping influences of the southwest and southeast monsoons in different times during the Holocene in the north part of southwestern China are in accord with other Holocene climate change models in this part of China.     

Environmental evolution of Gongwang Mountains during Holocene in northeastern Yunnan, China

This paper presents the study on two continuous glacio-lacustrine sedimentary deposits, Laotanfang （3 597 m） and Shibantang （3 689 m） located on the southern and northern sides of Hulifang peak in Yunan, China. Environmental change indexes are constructed for each deposit, based on grain size, geochemical and pollen analysis, environmental magnetic susceptibility, and 14C dating. The study of climatic environmental change since the Holocene epoch in this region shows that the climate fluctuated at different stages during the early Holocene, that is, the climate was cool and wet during 8.4-7. 7r ka, cold and wet during 7.7-6. 5 ka, cold and dry during 6. 5-4.7 ka, cool and wet during 4.7-2. 1 ka, warm and wet during 2. 1-1.0 ka, and warmer and wet since 1 ka. These findings reflect the overlapping influences of the southwest and southeast monsoons in different times during the Holocene in the north part of southwestern China are in accord with other Holocene climate change models in this part of China.     

Value Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services in the Da Hinggan Mountains,China

This study examined regional differences in ecosystem services for the Da Hinggan Mountains(DHM),China.A correction index was constructed based on ten-year aver...     

Chemical characteristics and influencing factors of snow in eastern Qilian Mountains,China

As an important indicator of environmental and climate changes, snow chemical properties can be used to reflect microcosmic changes, large-scale environmental and climate changes. 174 groups of snow samples were collected from four different rivers, Jinta river, Sishui river, Binggou river, and Nancha river, in the eastern Qilian Mountains in west China from May 2014 to October 2017. The characteristics of inorganic ions, Ca~(2+), Mg~(2+), Na~+, K~+, Cl–, NO_3~–, HCO_3~–, and SO_2~–, in the samples were analyzed by Dionex-600 and Dionex-3000 ion chromatograph. The results show that Ca~(2+) is the main cation, while HCO_3~– is the main anion; the ion concentration of snow is higher than that of rain. After careful analysis, we draw the conclusion that due to the controlling of the westerly wind, the atmosphere of the Qilian Mountains is dry with high dust content in winter and spring, which makes the ions in the snow mainly derive from the weathering of carbonate rock and sulfate rock. The ions in snow cover mainly come from land-sourced dust, while less contribution is from marine sources and human activities.     

秦巴山区植被覆盖与土壤湿度时空变化特征及其相互关系

基于2001-2014年MODIS-NDVI和MODIS-LST数据,利用温度植被干旱指数对土壤湿度进行遥感反演,分析了秦巴山区植被覆盖与土壤湿度时空变化特征及其相互关系。研究发现：① 秦巴山区植被覆盖与土壤湿度均呈增加趋势;② 植被覆盖整体水平较高且表现出“四周低,中间高”的空间分布特征,土壤湿度整体表现出“北低南高”的空间分布特征,大体上二者呈现出空间分布正相关性;③ 植被改善趋势表现明显,显著改善区分布分散,无明显集中区域,退化区域主要集中于北部渭河沿岸及东部边缘少量地区;土壤湿度增长态势明显,增大区分布于除西北边缘及东北边缘外的几乎整个研究区中,减小区域面积小且大部分表现不显著;④ 秦巴山区植被覆盖与土壤湿度时空变化上呈现出明显的正相关性,其中69.71%的区域表现出土壤湿度增大-植被覆盖改善的特征,分布于研究区除四周边缘地带外的大部分地区。