Comparisons of plant calcium fraction between two different vegetation zones in semi-arid region

To explore the characteristics of plant calcium(Ca) fraction, we analyzed 91 plant species in the Ningxia Habahu National Nature Reserve in Yanchi County of Ningxia and 84 plant species in Zhenglan Banner of Inner Mongolia. Results show that, for the two regions, there is no significant difference between Ca fraction for the same growth type, and between water soluble Ca content or between hydrochloric acid soluble Ca content for plants of the same ecosystem and between hydrochloric acid soluble Ca content for plants of the same family. In similar vegetation zones, there is a significant difference among hydrochloric acid soluble Ca content for different growth types in Yanchi County and Zhenglan Banner,which was the highest for annual herbs and the lowest for perennial herbs. There is a significant difference between acetic acid soluble Ca content and between hydrochloric acid soluble Ca content for sandy land and grassland ecosystems in Yanchi County. There is a significant difference among the same Ca fraction of different families in the same region. Thus, the characteristics of plant Ca fraction are results of long-term adaptation to the environment.     

半干旱区榆中地表粗糙度年变化及影响机理

利用2006年6月—2010年12月兰州大学半干旱气候与环境观测站 (SACOL) 观测资料,分析了黄土高原自然植被下垫面榆中地表粗糙度时间变化特征,考虑到地形、植被物理特征以及降水和热力条件的影响,分析了东南风向和西北风向粗糙度年变化规律及其影响机理,并分别给出这两个风向归一化粗糙度与时间的拟合关系式。研究发现:对于非均一下垫面,由于地形起伏和下垫面植被差别造成的不同风向粗糙度差异显著。选取东南风向和西北风向,这两个风向的地表粗糙度无论是量级还是年变化特征都有很大差别,且由于地形和植被的差别,东南风向粗糙度年变化趋势与稳定度年变化趋势一致,粗糙度与稳定度存在一定相关关系,而西北风向粗糙度年变化趋势与降水量年变化趋势一致,粗糙度与降水量相关性较好。     

增温对半干旱区春小麦田间水分特征的影响

采用红外线辐射器增温法,通过增温模拟试验研究了增温对半干旱区春小麦田间水分特征的影响。结果表明,随着温度增加,叶片水势不断降低,增温1.0℃和2.0℃的春小麦叶片水势比没有增温的春小麦叶片水势日平均分别降低了2.61%和4.45%。土壤水势随着土层深度的加深呈缓慢增加趋势。温度增加,不同土层深度的土壤水势均呈不断降低的趋势,温度增加越多,降幅越大;增温与土壤含水量之间存在着显著的负相关关系。增温能够明显降低春小麦田间土壤贮水量,增加农田总蒸散量。在高温情况下,湿润处理增加了土壤总贮水量,尤其是在拔节期以后。春小麦0~160 cm土壤贮水消耗量在100 cm以上随温度的增加呈逐渐增加的趋势,而在100 cm以下深层变化趋势不明显。增温2℃,湿润处理0~160 cm土壤贮水消耗量要高于正常供水和干旱处理。     

Terrain mapping unit-based approach for sustainable agricultural development in India—an example from plains ecosystem at semi-arid interface

‘Green Revolution’ was adopted as National Agricultural Policy by the Government of India to meet the requirements for food grain self-sufficiency. Improved seeds, fertilizers and irrigation were provided as science and technology (S&T) inputs to the soil resource base of the country. Land use changes in order to increase the area of land under cultivation have resulted in sectoral imbalances. The introduction of irrigation, fertilizers and new seed varieties using the district as a unit of agricultural input and management, without consideration of moisture and pedogenetic requirements at the micro-level, have resulted in ecological imbalances and environmental degradation in some parts of the district. Intensive irrigation has resulted in water mining in some blocks, and over a period of years the upper aquifer has been lost and in parts of the Aligarh district water-logging and salinity development has taken place.This paper presents the concept of spatial information systems for sustainable agriculture to eliminate the overdose effect of S&T inputs in a land system such as the fragile ecosystem at the semi-arid border in India.The present study has attempted to integrate the natural resource endowments of lithology, soil, ground-water and geomorphology into terrain mapping units (TMUs). The geological, geomorphological and soil maps were generated using remotely sensed data. For ground-water, well logging was carried out and secondary data regarding depth to water-table were collated. The spatial modelling for depth to water-table was carried out using SURFER software. The files on geology, geomorphology, soil and depth to water-table were digitized and integrated to generate an illuminated model characterized by areas of homogeneity in terms of geology, geomorphology, soil and ground-water conditions to map the TMUs. Intergraph's Modular GIS Environment (MGE) software was used to integrate the multiple data base.For sustainable agriculture the natural boundaries represented by TMUs will be more appropriate as spatial units for the application of agricultural inputs and management practices for the land system, rather than villages, blocks and districts which have cultural boundaries. The methodology proposed will be useful for all ecosystems in semi-arid and arid regions.     

Plant community patterns in a gypsum area of NE Spain. I. Interactions with topographic factors and soil erosion

The aim of this paper is to explain how topographical factors and soil erosion affect plant community patterns in the gypsum hills of the Middle Ebro Basin (NE Spain).Both the altitudinal location on the hill and, secondarily, the aspect determine a regular distribution pattern of the plant communities, which is closely related to soil and erosion features, as well as to some plant attributes. Tall perennial grasses dominate the valley bottoms, and scrub vegetation the hillsides and hilltops. Water availability, soil depth and particle movement down the slope are the main factors that could explain this segregation.     

利用稳定同位素方法识别内蒙古佘太盆地地下水补给来源

为研究近几十年来佘太盆地地下水补给变化情况,通过现场调查分析,对佘太盆地浅层地下水开展同位素样品采集工作,并测定了其氢、氧稳定同位素的值。在分析同位素分布特征及变化规律的基础上,结合当地地质及水文地质条件识别了地下水补给来源和补给区并构建了浅层地下水的补给模式图,探讨了区域上浅层地下水的补给流动状况。通过分析研究区大气降水和地下水中的氢氧稳定同位素的变化特征发现:当地大气降水并不是地下水的主要补给来源,其补给源区为周边山区,补给来源主要是周边山区的大气降水,且地下水所经历的蒸发作用较明显;盆地的东、西部地下水的补给源区不尽相同,西部的补给区高程要高于东部的补给区高程,但两部分地下水所经历的蒸发强度基本相同。     

Spatial and temporal changes in aeolian redistribution of sediments and nutrients following fire

Wildfires can profoundly alter rates, magnitudes, and ecological influences of aeolian redistribution of sediments and nutrients. This study examines the influence of fire in a semi-arid ecosystem using 2 years of continuous passive dust trap data in the northern Great Basin, USA. We analyse the mass flux, organic material content, grain size distribution, and geochemistry of the collected samples to trace the fingerprint of the 2015 Soda Fire through space and time. In areas not affected by fire, dust is characterized by silt-sized median grains, a geochemical signature consistent with a playa source area, and spatially consistent but seasonally variable dust flux rates. Following fire, dust flux increases significantly within and near the burned area. At burned and topographically sheltered sites, dust deposition in the eighth month following fire was 190% higher than dust deposition 2 years post-revegetation. Topographically exposed sites recorded only modest increases in dust deposition following fire. Analysis of organic matter indicates all dust samples (both burned and unburned) contained an average of 45% organic matter compared to a watershed average of 1.6% organic matter in soils. Geochemical and seasonal dust deposition data from 12 dust traps at a range of elevations indicate that with the removal of stabilizing vegetation after wildfire, differences in topographic position and wind direction lead to preferential redistribution of material across a burned landscape over hillslope scales (0–10 km). We posit post-fire aeolian redistribution of locally derived material to topographically controlled positions is an important control on the spatial variability of soil depth and characteristics in drylands with complex topography. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

我国干旱半干旱区气候变化特征及其对干湿波动的影响

气候干湿状况是表征区域气候特征的重要指标,是在全球气候变暖背景下,水循环与陆面蒸散发作用的综合结果。本文从湿润度指数入手,结合降水与潜在蒸散的时空变化,分析了我国干旱半干旱区气候特点与干湿变化特征及对土壤湿度的影响。分析发现：近50年来,我国干旱与半干旱区均呈变湿趋势。干旱区与半干旱区潜在蒸散与降水月差值在年内出现时间上存在不一致,且干旱区明显大于半干旱区;3～9月为干旱气候区潜在蒸散与降水差值大值期,3～6月半干旱区潜在蒸散明显大于降水,7月起差值明显减小。作用分析表明,在干旱区,降水对湿润度指数的影响更大,而对于半干旱区,降水与潜在蒸散作用相当。长期以来,我国整个干旱与半干旱区大部分土壤湿度在逐渐变干,尤其是农业耕作层的浅层土壤,几乎全区域一致呈现变干趋势,说明我国干旱半干旱区农牧业生产存在较大的潜在干旱风险。     

中国半干旱地区成雹机制的数值研究

使用中尺度数值模式(WRFV3.7.1)对发生在宁夏南部山区两次降雹天气过程的背景场特征、云宏微观结构以及云内微物理转化机制进行了数值研究。结果表明:该地区冰雹云形成的大气环境水汽含量较少,冰雹的发生主要依靠"上干下湿"的不稳定层结及午后局地加热效应。两次个例发生的环境水汽含量存在较大差异,导致两次雹云个例微物理结构演变特征不同。对数值模拟结果分析发现,宁南山区冰雹云中雪粒子含量较多,雹胚(霰粒)主要通过雪粒子转化而来。霰粒主要通过水汽凝华及碰并过冷云水增长。模拟云中冰雹形成高度相对较低,冰雹形成后主要通过收集过冷云水增长。除碰冻过冷云水外,对过饱和水汽的凝华也是雪、霰、雹粒子质量增长的一个重要来源。模拟得到该地区冰雹云中云雨自动转化过程较弱,雨水主要是通过雪、霰、雹粒子在下落过程中融化形成。雨水在下落过程中蒸发显著。     

Estimating water fluxes in the critical zone using water stable isotope approaches in the Groundnut and Ferlo basins of Senegal

Sustainable water management in semi-arid agriculture practices requires quantitative knowledge of water fluxes within the soil-vegetation-atmosphere system. Therefore, we used stable-isotope approaches to evaluate evaporation (E_a), transpiration (T_a), and groundwater recharge (R) at sites in Senegal's Groundnut basin and Ferlo Valley pasture region during the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons of 2021. The approaches were based upon (i) the isothermal evaporation model (for quantifying E_a); (ii) water and isotope mass balances (to partition E_a and T_a for groundnut and pasture); and (iii) the piston displacement method (for estimating R). E_a losses derived from the isothermal evaporation model corresponded primarily to Stage II evaporation, and ranged from 0.02 to 0.09 mm d⁻¹ in the Groundnut basin, versus 0.02–0.11 mm d⁻¹ in Ferlo. At the groundnut site, E_a rates ranged from 0.01 to 0.69 mm d⁻¹; T_a was in the range 0.55–2.29 mm d⁻¹; and the T_a/ET_a ratio was 74%–90%. At the pasture site, the ranges were 0.02–0.39 mm d⁻¹ for E_a; 0.9–1.69 mm d⁻¹ for T_a; and 62–90% for T_a/ET_a. The ET_a value derived for the groundnut site via the isotope approach was similar to those from eddy covariance measurements, and also to the results from the previous validated HYDRUS-1D model. However, the HYDRUS-1D model gave a lower T_a/ET_a ratio (23.2%). The computed groundwater recharge for the groundnut site amounted to less than 2% of the local annual precipitation. Recommendations are made regarding protocols for preventing changes to isotopic compositions of water in samples that are collected in remote arid regions, but must be analysed days later. The article ends with suggestions for studies to follow up on evidence that local aquifers are being recharged via preferential pathways.