Biomass carbon storage and its sequestration potential of afforestation under natural forest protection program in China

Based on the data from China′s Seventh Forest Inventory for the period of 2004–2008, area and stand volume of different types and age-classes of plantation were used to establish the relationship between biomass density and age of planted forests in different regions of the country. Combined with the plantation area in the first-stage of the Natural Forest Protection(NFP) program(1998–2010), this study calculated the biomass carbon storage of the afforestation in the first-stage of the program. On this basis, the carbon sequestration potential of these forests was estimated for the second stage of the program(2011–2020). Biomass carbon storage of plantation established in the first stage of the program was 33.67 Tg C, which was majority accounted by protection forests(30.26 Tg C). There was a significant difference among carbon storage in different regions, which depended on the relationship of biomass carbon density, forest age and plantation area. Under the natural growth, the carbon storage was forecasted to increase annually from 2011 to 2020, reaching 96.03 Tg C at the end of the second-stage of the program in 2020. The annual growth of the carbon storage was forecasted to be 6.24 Tg C/yr, which suggested that NFP program has a significant potential for enhancing carbon sequestration in plantation forests under its domain.     

Restoration and rational use of degraded saline reed wetlands: A case study in western Songnen Plain, China

The protection, restoration and sustainable use are key issues of all the wetlands worldwide. Ecological, agronomic, and engineering techniques have been integrated in the development of a structurally sound, ecologically beneficial engineering restoration method for restoring and utilizing a degraded saline wetland in the western Songnen Plain of China. Hydrological restoration was performed by developing a system of biannual irrigation and drainage using civil engineering measures to bring wetlands into contact with river water and improve the irrigation and drainage system in the wetlands. Agronomic measures such as plowing the reed fields, reed rhizome transplantation, and fertilization were used to restore the reed vegetation. Biological measures, including the release of crab and fish fry and natural proliferation, were used to restore the aquatic communities. The results of the restoration were clear and positive. By the year 2009, the reed yield had increased by 20.9 times. Remarkable ecological benefits occurred simultaneously. Vegetation primary-production capacity increased, local climate regulation and water purification enhanced, and biodiversity increased. This demonstration of engineering techniques illustrates the basic route for the restoration of degraded wetlands, that the biodiversity should be reconstructed by the comprehensive application of engineering, biological, and agronomic measures based on habitat restoration under the guidance of process-oriented strategies. The complex ecological system including reeds, fish and crabs is based on the biological principles of coexistence and material recycling and provides a reasonable ecological engineering model suitable for the sustainable utilization of degraded saline reed wetlands.     

海进体系域碳氧同位素地球化学响应——以黔西南地区三叠系为例

层序地层研究表明,位于扬子地块西南缘的黔西南地区在中三叠世末期(相当于Ladinian-Carnian期)出现了一次与全球同步的大规模海侵,形成了一个向上变深的碳酸盐岩台地淹没沉积层序。垄头组顶部和竹竿坡组分别是海进体系域(TST)的下、上部分。碳、氧同位素研究表明,垄头组顶部自下而上δ(18O)持续增大,而δ(13C)先逐渐增大,后在顶部界面附近快速下降,反映了垄头组顶部在暴露环境下氧化作用的结果。竹竿坡组δ(13C)自下而上逐渐增大,δ(18O)总体呈现逐渐减小趋势,反映了海平面变化特征。研究认为,海进体系域的δ(13C)和δ(18O)演化不但反映了海平面和沉积环境变化,同时对密集段(CS)、层序界面和古暴露面等也有很好的识别作用,在层序地层研究中具有重要的意义。