Hydro-thermal performance of multilayer capillary barriers in arid lands

In this study, a capillary barrier system was designed and tested for an arid land environment. To simulate arid land conditions of high temperature and sub-irrigation systems, the barrier was subjected to thermal and hydraulic gradients in opposite directions; to test the barrier system under these severe conditions, an experimental apparatus was designed and fabricated. The multilayer capillary barrier consisted of three layers made of silica sand, a mixture of sand and bentonite in equal portions, and a mixture of clay (25%) and aggregate (75%). Several one dimensional coupled heat and moisture tests were performed. Temperature variations along the thickness of the barrier were recorded as a function of time, and at the end of each test, the barrier was sliced into small sections, for the determination of volumetric water content as a function of distance from the heat source. The experimental results were discussed in view of the barrier's intended purpose of its ability to store moisture for long time durations. Coupled heat and moisture flow equations were developed and solved numerically via a finite difference method. Diffusivity parameters were calculated by using experimental results, a numerical model, and Powell's conjugate directions method of nonlinear optimization. The model was calibrated and the results were discussed. Good agreement between calculated and experimental results was obtained. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Soil moisture potential and water content in the unsaturated zone within the arid Ejina Oasis in Northwest China

Three soil profiles were selected in the Ejina Oasis, northwest China, to determine water content profiles and evolution of soil moisture potentials in the unsaturated zone within the arid area. The total soil moisture potentials have been monitored for about 3 months in 2001 at different depths in the soil profiles. The occurrence and movement of water in the unsaturated zone was analyzed using the zero flux plane (ZFP) method. It is shown that convergent ZFPs and divergent ZFPs may occur at depths between 0.5 and 3.0 m, and that the depth of the ZFPs was controlled by the root zone of plants growing on the land surface. Profiles of the total soil moisture potentials were observed to be coincident with those of the water contents at the three experimental sites. The total soil moisture potential showed a slight increasing trend and the ZFPs tend to vanish from summer to winter as the water extraction by roots decreased. Evapotranspiration through vegetation has an important bearing on the water content and the total potential in the unsaturated zone.     

应用高光谱遥感数据估算土壤表层水分的研究

土壤水分是土壤的重要组成部分，它在陆地表层和大气之间的物质和能量交换方面扮演着重要角色，寻求快速而准确的方法估算土壤水分具有重要意义。通常，从可见光一近红外对土壤表层水分的估计多是建立在土壤水分与反射率的关系之上的。而在土壤水分含量不高时，土壤水分的增加使土壤光谱反射率在整个波长范围内降低，尤其在760nm，970nm，1190nm，1450nm，1940nm和2950nm等水分吸收波段，而在土壤水分含量较高时，土壤水分的增加会使土壤光谱反射率在某些光谱波段升高。而土壤水分的估计往往是基于土壤水分与土壤水分吸收波段的吸收强度之间的线性关系上，虽然这些经验的方法对于估算某些土壤的表层水分含量是有效的，但这些关系应用于其它条件(如不同种类土壤、土壤湿度变化范围很大的情况)时却面临很多困难，这与土壤的光谱反射率是由土壤的组成成分(土壤水分、有机质、氧化铁和粘土矿物等)的含量和它们在土壤中的分布密切相关。微分技术处理“连续”的光谱是遥感中常用的数学方法，微分技术能部分消除低频光谱成分的影响。现在微分光谱已广泛地应用于研究植被的生物物理参数、矿物和有机质等。然而利用微分光谱对土壤水分反演的研究却鲜见报道。本文通过对实验室中多种不同类型的土壤进行光谱与土壤表层水分含量进行观测，探讨了通过土壤反射率与微分光谱对土壤表层水分的反演方法。4种类型的土壤光谱数据(反射率(R)，反射率倒数的对数(log(1／R))，反射率的一阶微分光谱(dR／dλ)，反射率倒数的对数的一阶微分光谱(d(log(1／R))／dλ))与土壤表层水分之间的关系在本文中得到分析，R与log(1／R)对于不同土壤类型与土壤表层水分都很敏感，说明通过R与log(1／R)反演土壤表层水分受土壤类型的影响很大，而dR／dλ，d(log(1／R))／dλ)对土壤类型却不敏感，对土壤表层水分较为敏感，说明dR／dλ和d(log(1／R))／dλ)对于反演不同类型土壤具有很大的潜力，微分光谱与土壤水分在某些波段具有显著的相关性。通过随机对9种土壤(各具有4个土壤水分)的数据建立反演土壤水分的模型，并其他9种土壤(各具有4个土壤水分)的数据进行验证模型，结果表明，dR／dλ和d(log(1／R))／dλ)能够显著提高R与log(1／R)对于不同土壤类型土壤表层水分的反演精度，由于吸收过程是非线性的，在四种类型的土壤光谱数据中，总体来说，d(log(1／R))／dλ)具有最好的能力预测不同类型土壤的表层水分含量。     

Spatial Dimensions of Urban Commuting: A Review of Major Issues and Their Implications for Future Geographic Research*

Modern urban transportation systems continuously challenge, and are challenged by, the changing nature of 21st‐century travel demand. Today, congestion is the norm in cities of the United States, and researchers and practitioners are seeking solutions to these problems. Urban commuting is identified as contributing to the suboptimal performance of transportation systems. This paper offers a review and critique of recent research on urban commuting, emphasizing geographical dimensions of this topic. Three broad areas of research related to urban commuting are discussed. These include (1) urban sustainability, (2) land use, and (3) geographic information systems (GIS). Major themes are examined in an effort to elicit thought on future geographic research. At the conclusion of the paper, summary remarks are provided and avenues for research are outlined.     

Slow mass movement in the Kangchenjunga area, eastern Nepal Himalaya

Abstract   The rates of the accumulated and continuous displacement of solifluction lobes in the Kangchenjunga area, eastern Nepal Himalaya, were determined using glass fiber tubes and a strain probe. Ground temperature, precipitation and soil moisture were monitored at two sites, whose altitude differed by approximately 100 m, to understand the solifluction process. The average movement rate of the glass fiber tubes on a 31° slope at altitudes of 5412–5414 m a.s.l. was approximately 11 mm/year, being almost threefold greater than that observed on a 22° slope at 5322–5325 ma.s.l. There was no significant difference in the depth of displacement at these sites. The continuous displacement measurement near the ground surface at 5414 m showed permanent downslope movement from early July. Such movement may be attributed to additional moisture supply during the monsoon season. The amplitude of the displacement cycle was highest at the ground surface, and decreased to virtually zero at and below 20 cm in depth. Probable factors leading to the relatively slow rates of downslope displacement at the surface and depth at the studied altitudes are the lack of concurrence of the freeze–thaw cycles and the high moisture condition in the soil, and the low moisture retention capacity of the soil because of steep slopes and superficial desiccation. The rate of displacement may be more pronounced at altitudes above 5600 m because of the freeze–thaw cycles during the summer season.     

Experimental and theoretical study of stability of dense hydrous magnesium silicates in the deep upper mantle

Fluid-undersaturated experiments were conducted to determine the phase relations in the simplified peridotite system MgO-SiO₂-H₂O (MSH) at 11.0-14.5 GPa and 800-1400 °C. Stability relations of dense hydrous magnesium silicates (DHMSs) under fluid-undersaturated conditions were experimentally examined. From the fluid-absent experimental results, we retrieved thermodynamic data for clinohumite, phase A, phase E, and hydrous wadsleyite, consistent with the published data set for dry mantle minerals. With this new data set, we have calculated phase equilibria in the MSH system including dehydration reactions. The dehydration reactions calculated with lower water activities of 0.68-0.60 match the fluid-present experiments of this study above 11.0 GPa and 1000 °C, indicating that considerable amounts of silicate component were dissolved into the fluid phase. The calculated phase equilibria illustrate the stability of the post-antigorite phase A-bearing assemblages. In the cold subducting slab peridotite, phase A + enstatite assemblage survives into the transition zone, whereas phase A + forsterite + enstatite assemblage forms hydrous wadsleyite at a much shallower depth of about 360-km. The slab is subducted with no dehydration reactions occurring when entering the transition zone. The phase equilibria also show the high temperature stability of phase E. Phase E is stable up to 1200 °C at 13.5 GPa, a plausible condition in the mantle of relatively low temperature, i.e., beneath subduction zones. Phase E is a possible water reservoir in the mantle as well as wadsleyite and ringwoodite.     

内蒙古中西部地区土壤水分对沙尘暴的贡献

以2001年4月至2002年6月内蒙中部地区逐时观测的土壤水分资料为基础，论证了该区日土壤水分和日平均风速的变化规律，统计分析了日平均风速与土壤水分对沙尘暴的成生综合贡献。得出的主要结论是：①该地区沙尘暴发生时日平均风速的最小值是3．5m／s。如果日平均风速大于8．0m／s，预示着有沙尘暴的发生。②在平均风速大于3.5m／s的条件下，观测样本中18．4％日数发生沙尘暴，而81．6％日数没有发生。说明大风的天气条件不应当被视其为沙尘暴的唯一重要的因子。③在同一地点、同样的风力条件下，在沙尘暴发生时，日平均风速与日平均土壤水分呈明显的反相关变化；而它们的反相关关系不明显时，沙尘暴就很少发生。     

Development of a soil moisture‐based distributed hydrologic model for determining hydrologically based critical source areas

A simple grid cell‐based distributed hydrologic model was developed to provide spatial information on hydrologic components for determining hydrologically based critical source areas. The model represents the critical process (soil moisture variation) to run‐off generation accounting for both local and global water balance. In this way, it simulates both infiltration excess run‐off and saturation excess run‐off. The model was tested by multisite and multivariable evaluation on the 50‐km² Little River Experimental Watershed I in Georgia, U.S. and 2 smaller nested subwatersheds. Water balance, hydrograph, and soil moisture were simulated and compared to observed data. For streamflow calibration, the daily Nash‐Sutcliffe coefficient was 0.78 at the watershed outlet and 0.56 and 0.75 at the 2 nested subwatersheds. For the validation period, the Nash‐Sutcliffe coefficients were 0.79 at the watershed outlet and 0.85 and 0.83 at the 2 subwatersheds. The per cent bias was less than 15% for all sites. For soil moisture, the model also predicted the rising and declining trends at 4 of the 5 measurement sites. The spatial distribution of surface run‐off simulated by the model was mainly controlled by local characteristics (precipitation, soil properties, and land cover) on dry days and by global watershed characteristics (relative position within the watershed and hydrologic connectivity) on wet days when saturation excess run‐off was simulated. The spatial details of run‐off generation and travel time along flow paths provided by the model are helpful for watershed managers to further identify critical source areas of non‐point source pollution and develop best management practices.     

金沙江干热河谷不同植被坡面土壤水分时空分布特征

于2016年7~12月和2017年4月的旱、雨季期间，以金沙江干热河谷苴那小流域内的银合欢（Leucaena Benth）林地、车桑子（Dodonaea angustifolia）灌丛地和扭黄茅（Heteropogon cantortus）草地为研究对象，通过网格法和土钻法采集并测定了（0~100 cm）土层的土壤含水量，应用经典统计法和地统计学方法分析该区域不同林草植被下坡面土壤水分的动态变化特征。结果表明：（1）研究区土壤含水量总体较低，雨季显著大于旱季，旱、雨季均表现为灌丛地>草地>林地，呈中度至强度变异（0.07~0.28之间）。（2）不同林草植被下旱、雨季土壤水分具有相似的空间自相关性，自相关系数均由正向负转变，但由正向负转变的滞后距离有所不同，且雨季大于旱季，呈中等或强等空间自相关性。（3）不同林草植被下的土壤水分空间结构不同，林地、灌丛地和草地旱雨季最佳拟合模型均为球状模型；相同林草植被下各土层旱、雨季土壤水分的空间分布特征相似，但旱季的分布格局差异更显著，不同林草植被下深层土壤水分分布比表层土壤水分的分布更为复杂，土壤水分呈明显的斑块或条带状分布，含水量高值区和低值区位置不固定。总之不同林草植被类型会改变局部地段土壤水分空间分布，降雨会加强这种差异的趋势，但土壤水分仍具一定空间连续性。     

Estimation of near surface soil moisture in a sloping terrain of a Himalayan watershed using ENVISAT ASAR multi‐incidence angle alternate polarisation data

Soil moisture is one of the important input variables in hydrological and water erosion models. The extraction of information on near surface soil moisture from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is well established mostly for flat terrain and using low incidence angle single polarisation data. The ENVISAT advanced SAR (ASAR) data available in multiple incidence angles and alternate polarisation modes were investigated in this study for soil moisture estimation in sloping terrain. The test site was Sitla Rao watershed in the Lesser Himalayas of northern India. Empirical models were developed to estimate near surface soil moisture in bare agricultural fields using alternate polarisation ASAR data. Both soil moisture and surface roughness field measurements were performed during the satellite passes. Backscatter from medium incidence angle (IS‐4) and vertical‐vertical (VV) polarisation signal is correlated better with volumetric soil moisture content compared to other incidence angles. The model parameters were further improved, and soil moisture estimation was refined by combining medium incidence angle (IS4) vertical‐horizontal polarisation response as another variable along with VV polarisation response. The effect of slope on the radar backscatter was minimized by incorporating local incidence angles derived from an ASTER DEM. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.