Sustainable management of a coastal lagoonal system (Ria Formosa, Portugal): An ecological model for extensive aquaculture

The Ria Formosa lies in southern Portugal, extending for about 55 km. It is a true barrier island system, comprising mainland, backbarrier lagoons, inlet deltas, barrier islands, barrier platforms and shoreface. Of the Ria Formosa system, which covers a total area of 163 km², 20 km² are occupied by salinas and aquaculture ponds. The main water reservoir of thesalinas and the extensive aquaculture ponds behave like small lagoons where there are one or more openings to a tidal channel. These small lagoons have the advantage of being easy to study and to model. An ecological model was developed to estimate the potential production of the gilthead seabream in the Ria Formosa, in an extensive aquaculture regime. This model was based on information concerning chemical and physical factors (forcing functions) and secondary production estimates from four sites in the Ria Formosa with different environmental conditions, where extensive aquaculture is practised. Published information on optimal growth parameters of the gilthead was used to build the model, which was based on some assumptions concerning the detrimental effect of an excessive increase of salinity and other environmental factors both on gilthead growth (one state variable) and on prey production (divided into two state variables), which is essentially benthic macrofauna. Reservoirs with low water renewal undergo large environmental fluctuations. The growth of gilthead or other fish can be difficult, not only because of the adverse environmental conditions but also because of the low secondary production. The maximum yield of fish is predicted to be less than 6 g m⁻². In reservoirs where the water exchanges on almost every tide, the maximum yield of gilthead can be in excess of 22–25 g m⁻². Nevertheless, the high productivity of these sites in terms of secondary production of benthos and fish, as well as primary production, can lead to oxygen depletion during the night or at day-break. An attempt to further improve fish production by fertilisation or by adding food could provoke a rapid deterioration of the water quality and endanger all production.     

Erosion rates of alpine bedrock summit surfaces deduced from in situ Be and Al

We have measured the concentration of in situ produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al from bare bedrock surfaces on summit flats in four western U.S. mountain ranges. The maximum mean bare-bedrock erosion rate from these alpine environments is 7.6 ± 3.9 m My⁻¹. Individual measurements vary between 2 and 19 m My⁻¹. These erosion rates are similar to previous cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) erosion rates measured in other environments, except for those from extremely arid regions. This indicates that bare bedrock is not weathered into transportable material more rapidly in alpine environments than in other environments, even though frost weathering should be intense in these areas. Our CRN-deduced point measurements of bedrock erosion are slower than typical basin-averaged denudation rates ( 50 m My⁻¹). If our measured CRN erosion rates are accurate indicators of the rate at which summit flats are lowered by erosion, then relief in the mountain ranges examined here is probably increasing.

We develop a model of outcrop erosion to investigate the magnitude of errors associated with applying the steady-state erosion model to episodically eroding outcrops. Our simulations show that interpreting measurements with the steady-state erosion model can yield erosion rates which are either greater or less than the actual long-term mean erosion rate. While errors resulting from episodic erosion are potentially greater than both measurement and production rate errors for single samples, the mean value of many steady-state erosion rate measurements provides a much better estimate of the long-term erosion rate.     

地史转折期的生态系

生态系的演变是地球各圈层系统耦合关系变化的直接标志。地史转折期的生态系具有复杂的生物内涵，在绝灭—残存—复苏过程中，各生物类别的演替遵循着一定的生存型式。大绝灭后生态系复苏的原动力是绝灭后迁入避难所的复活类型和大绝灭末期高压环境中产生的祖先类型的新生和辐射发展。全面了解绝灭后生态系的组成和结构，对于正确认识地史转折期，即圈层耦合结点处的地质作用型式和过程具有重要作用。     

珠江河口水环境时空变异对河口生态系统的影响

分析近20年来珠江河口水环境变异的特征,探讨珠江河口水环境与水生物相互联系和相互作用的关系。结果表明,珠江河口形态、地貌、水文情势和入河污染物等变异改变了珠江河口水生物的栖息条件,削弱了河口生态系统的自动调节修复能力和稳定性,对河口生态系统的物质循环、能量流动和发育演化平衡构成了重大影响。     

黄河流域坡高地系统最小生态需水研究

以保护和恢复流域坡高地生态系统为目的，对坡高地最小生态需水问题进行研究，提出了坡高地生态需水和生态缺水的计算方法。以黄河流域为实例，在GIS和遥感技术支持下对坡高地最小生态需水量和缺水量进行了计算，并从时空两个尺度揭示了黄河流域坡高地生态系统最小生态需水的变化规律，研究成果可为流域生态环境建设和水资源合理配置提供依据。     

贡嘎山东坡海螺沟的河川径流特征

对贡嘎山高山水文观测试验系统进行了简要介绍，并对海螺沟冰川河以及黄崩溜沟的径流特征进行了初步探讨。由于大气降水同是冰川河及黄崩溜沟径流的重要补给来源，故其径流量的季节变化明显带有大气降水过程的烙印，显得丰、枯分明。在冰川河，冰雪融水和地下水在枯水季节的稳定补给改变了大气降水对冰川河径流的年内分配过程；在黄崩溜沟，由于冰雪融水和地下水对其径流的补给非常有限，大气降水过程对其径流过程的影响便明显大过冰川河。     

Comparative study on CO_2 emissions from different types of alpine meadows during grass exuberance period

1IntroductionTherisingatmosphericgreenhousegaseswerebelievedtobetheprimarycauseofglobalclimatechange(Tettetal.,1999;Crowley,2000).Amongthegreenhousegases,theconcentrationofatmosphericcarbondioxidehasincreasedfrom280ppmsincepre-industrialtimestocurrent355ppm,whichaccountedfor50%ofthetotalgreenhouseeffect(Nefteletal.,1985;Friedlietal.,1986;Rodhe,1990;Fanetal.,1998).ElevatedCO2hasamarkedeffectonterrestrialecosystemprocesses(Melilloetal.,1996).TheQinghai-TibetPlateau,thelargestgeomorphologica…     

Establishment of apparent quantum yield and maximum ecosystem assimilation on Tibetan Plateau alpine meadow ecosystem

The alpine meadow is widely distributed on the Tibetan Plateau with an area of about 1.2×106kn2. Damxung County, located in the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau, is the place covered with this typical vegetation. An open-path eddy covariance system was set up in Damxung rangeland station to measure the carbon flux of alpine meadow from July to October,2003. The continuous carbon flux data were used to analyze the relationship between net ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange (NEE) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), as well as the seasonal patterns of apparent quantum yield (α) and maximum ecosystem assimilation (Pmax).Results showed that the daytime NEE fitted fairly well with the PAR in a rectangular hyperbola function, with α declining in the order of peak growth period (0.0244 μmolCO2 · μmol-1pAR) ＞early growth period ＞ seed maturing period ＞ withering period (0.0098 μmolCO2 · μmol-1pAR).The Pmax did not change greatly during the first three periods, with an average of 0.433mgCO2· m-2· s-1, i.e. 9.829 μmolCO2· m-2· s-1. However, during the withering period, Pmax was only 0.35 mgCO2 · m-2 · s-1, i.e. 7.945 μmolCO2 · m-2 · s-1. Compared with other grassland ecosystems, the α of the Tibetan Plateau alpine meadow ecosystem was much lower.     

Experimental study on soil CO2 emission in the alpine grassland ecosystem on Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau, the Roof of the World, is the highest plateau with a mean elevation of 4000 m. It is characterized by high levels of solar radiation, low air temperature and low air pressure compared to other regions around the world. The alpine grassland, a typical ecosystem in the Tibetan Plateau, is distributed across regions over the elevation of 4500 m. Few studies for carbon flux in alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau were conducted due to rigorous natural conditions. A study of soil respiration under alpine grassland ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau from October 1999 to October 2001 was conducted at Pangkog County, Tibetan Plateau (31.23°N, 90.01°E, elevation 4800 m). The measurements were taken using a static closed chamber technique, usually every two weeks during the summer and at other times at monthly intervals. The obvious diurnal variation of CO2 emissions from soil with higher emission during daytime and lower emission during nighttime was discovered. Diurnal CO2 flux fluctuated from minimum at 05:00 to maximum at 14:00 in local time. Seasonal CO2 fluxes increased in summer and decreased in winter, representing a great variation of seasonal soil respiration. The mean soil CO2 fluxes in the alpine grassland ecosystem were 21.39 mgCO2 · m-2 · h-1, with an average annual amount of soil respiration of 187.46 gCO2 · m-2 · a-1. Net ecosystem productivity is also estimated, which indicated that the alpine grassland ecosystem is a carbon sink.     

区域生态地球化学评价核心与对策

生态地球化学是地学与土壤学、农业、环境学和生态学等多学科交叉融合产生的新学科,是地球化学领域新的发展方向。区域生态地球化学评价是在区域地球化学调查基础上,针对影响流域/区带生态系统安全性的元素异常而开展的一项评价和研究工作。多目标区域地球化学调查获得的海量高精度地球化学数据,可为环境质量评价提供背景值、为土地的质量和生态管护提供地球化学依据;调查还发现了一系列影响流域生态安全性的元素异常,针对异常元素分布特征,区域生态地球化学评价将开展异常元素追踪和成因甄别、生态效应评价和生态系统安全性的预警预测等项评价和研究工作。文章论述了区域地球化学调查成果,介绍了区域地球化学评价的思路,阐述了区域生态地球化学评价的主要问题与对策。