A study on responses of soil erosion and sediment yield to closing cultivation on sloping land in a small catchment using 137Cs technique in the Rolling Loess Plateau, China

By comparison of volumes and ¹³⁷Cs contents of the deposited sediments before and after 1993, changes of specific sediment yields and relative sediment contributions from the gully area and from the inter gully area after closing cultivation on the later area on a small catchment of Zhaojia Gully, in the Rolling Loess Plateau, are analyzed in this paper. Closing cultivation in a large scale has not resulted in decrease but increase of specific sediment yield of the catchment, in sharp decrease of the sediment yield and the relative sediment contribution of the inter-gully area, and in increase of the sediment yield and the contribution of the gully area, for a short term. The mean specific sediment yield of 29650 t km⁻² a⁻¹ of 1994–1996 in the catchment was 2.2 times the average value of 13413 t km⁻² a⁻¹ for a long term. The specific sediment yield of the inter-gully area decreased from the 14335 t km⁻² a⁻¹ in 1994 to 7034 t km⁻² a⁻¹ in 1995 and 3517 t km⁻² a⁻¹ in 1996, while the yield of the gully area varied between 44944 and 62136 t km⁻² a⁻¹ during the period of 1994–1996 which was much greater than the value of 21118 t km⁻² a⁻¹ before 1993. The relative sediment contribution from the inter-gully area decreased from 23% in 1994 to 15% in 1995 and 6% in 1996, while the contribution from the gully area increased from 77% in 1994 to 85% in 1995 and 94% in 1996. It is suggested that compacting of ploughed soils resulted in increasing of the erosion resistance but in decreasing of the precipitation infiltration, therefore, the soil erosion reduced but the runoff amount increased on the inter-gully area. Increase of delivering runoff from the inter-gully area to the gully area should result in activeness of gully erosion and mass movements, consequently, in increase of the total sediment yield from the catchment.     

Estimation of wind erosion rates by using 137Cs tracing technique: A case study in Tariat-Xilin Gol transect, Mongolian Plateau

Wind erosion is one of the major environmental problems in semi-arid and arid regions. Here we established the Tariat-Xilin Gol transect from northwest to southeast across the Mongolian Plateau, and selected seven sampling sites along the transect. We then estimated the soil wind erosion rates by using the 137Cs tracing technique and examined their spatial dynamics. Our results showed that the 137Cs inventories of sampling sites ranged from 265.63=44.91 to 1279.54=166.53 Bq. m-2, and the wind erosion rates varied from 64.58 to 419.63 t. km-2. a-~ accordingly. In the Mongolia section of the transect （from Tariat to Sainshand）, the wind erosion rate increased gradually with vegetation type and climatic regimes; the wind erosion process was controlled by physical factors such as annual precipitation and vegetation coverage, etc., and the impact of human activities was negligible. While in the China section of the transect （Inner Mongolia）, the wind erosion rates of Xilin Hot and Zhengxiangbai Banner were thrice as much as those of Bayannur of Mongolia, although these three sites were all dominated by typical steppe. Besides the physical factors, higher population density and livestock carrying level should be responsible for the higher wind erosion rates in these two regions of Inner Mongolia.     

Using 137Cs tracing technique to estimate wind erosion rates in the typical steppe region,northern Mongolian Plateau

Wind erosion is one of the major factors of land degradation in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau. Using ^137Cs tracing technique, we estimated the wind erosion rates of different pastures and abandoned farmland at Bayannur and Karakorum in Mongolia. The pastures and cutting grassland at Bayannur were slightly eroded by wind, with the rates of 64.58-169.07 t·km^-2.a^-1. The abandoned farmland in Karakorum, however, was strongly eroded by wind, with annual surface soil loss of 4.05 mm. a^-1, and wind erosion rates up to 6723.06 t· km^-2. a^-1. The total loss of surface soil due to wind erosion has been 17.4 cm since the cultivation of the steppe land in the 1960s. The wind ero- sion rate at the abandoned farmland was much higher than that at the typical steppe sites, showing that the cultivation led to serious wind erosion in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau. By contrast, traditional livestock grazing resulted in less disturbance to the surface soil, and did not induce to devastating wind erosion, which plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the steppe ecosystem in the northern Mongolian Plateau.     

Identification of the deposited layers in landslides reservoir and investigation of the sediment yields during the later sixteenth century on the Hill Loess Plateau,China

There are many sediment trapping reservoirs in the Hill Loess Plateau. The Huangtuwa small catchment is selected as a research field where samples were collected in a sediment deposit profile with a vertical length of 12.73 m. By the variation of fine particle content and pollen concentration, 54 flood couples were identified. Taking the freeze-thawing disturbed texture as the sign of the latest flood couple in a year, it is ascertained that those 54 floods should happen in 31 years. Using pyramid volume calculation formula, the sediment yields of flood ranged between 716-30376 t· km^-2, The average sediment yield was 7106 t· km^-2, The annual sediment yields varied between 968-55579 t· （km^2· a）^-1, and the average value is 12629 t· （km^2· a）^-1. Compared with the modern annual sediment discharge of the Huaining River, the erosion rate in the Huangtuwa region 450 years ago was similar to the modern erosion rate. In the period from the 27th year to the 31st year, the average annual sediment yield increased sharply to 31309 t· （km^2· a）^-1. It implied that re-reclamation of the abandoned land in the catchment since the landslide disaster, where vegetation had rehabilitated already, caused very severe soil erosion in the catchment.     

Comparative study of the net exchange of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in 3 types of vegetation ecosystems on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Using the eddy covariance method, from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004, we conducted the observation and analysis of ecosystem CO2 flux in 3 types of alpine meadow vegetation （Kobresia humilis, Potentilla fruticosa shrub and Kobresia tibetica swamp meadows） on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results show that the Kobresia humilis meadow, the shrub meadow and the swamp meadow＇s highest CO2 uptake rates are 16.78, 10.42 and 16.57 μmol·m^-2·-s^-1 respectively, while their highest CO2 release rates are 8.22, 7.73 and 18.67μmol·m^-2·-s^-1 respectively. The Kobresia humilis meadow and shrub meadow＇s annual atmospheric uptakes are 282 g CO2/m^2 and 53 g CO2/m^2, respectively, while swamp meadow＇s annual atmospheric release is 478 g CO2/m^2. This proves that the Kobresia humilis meadow and the shrub meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau have relatively low potential for CO2 uptake and release compared to C4 grasslands, a number of lowland grasslands, and forests. Moreover, swamp meadow has relatively high release potential. This, in turn, reveals clear differences in carbon source/sink between different types of vegetation in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau alpine meadow ecosystem. These differences are mainly brought by differences in the vegetations＇ photosynthetic capacity and soil respiration.     

Concentrations and source identification of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in soils from Wolong Natural Reserve

In order to understand the distribution profile, composition characteristics and sources of OCPs, soil samples collected from Wolong Natural Reserve (WNR) in spring and autumn in 2005 were analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Results showed that all OCPs concentrations were in the range of 10?2 ng/g―10?1 ng/g, representing the background level in those remote sites. Generally, their concentrations were slightly higher in spring than in autumn, which could be exp...     

Sediment source identification by using ^137Cs and ^210pb radionuclides in a small catchment of the Hilly Sichuan Basin, China

The Hilly Sichuan Basin is one of the most populous agricultural regions in the Upper Yangtze River Basin and has an area of about 105000 km2. Cropland ratios and population densities vary between 0.3 and 0.7 and be-tween 400 and 800 people/km2, respectively, in the Si-chuan basin. The basin is considered as one of the most severely eroded regions in the Upper Yangtze River Basin as well in China. Soil erosion rates were reported mostly to be greater than 5000 t·km-2·a-1 by the first st…     

Distribution characteristics of ^137Cs in wind-eroded soil profile and its use in estimating wind erosion modulus

~~Distribution characteristics of ~(137)Cs in wind-eroded soil profile and its use in estimating wind erosion modulus1.Tamura, T, Jacobs, D. G, Structural implications in cesium sorp-tion, Health Physics, 1960, 6(2): 391-398. 2.Rogowshi, A. S., Tamura, T, Movement of 137Cs by runoff, erosion and infiltration on the alluvial captina silt loam, Health Physics, 1965, 11(12): 1333-3340. 3.Owens, P. N., Walling, D. E., He, Q. P., The behaviour of bomb-derived caesium-137 fallout in …     

Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization spectroscopy on the B′2Σ+ and B2Π states of NS

Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization （REMPI） spectra of N^32S and N^34S have been recorded in the range of 35700-40200 cm^-1. The radical was generated by a pulsed dc discharge of a mixture of SF6 and N2 under a supersonic free jet condition. All the 16 observed bands of N^32S radicals have been assigned, among which 12 bands belong to three transition progressions （v′=0-4, 0）, （v′=1-4, 1） and （v′=2-4, 2） from the X^2П ground state to the B′^2∑^＋ upper state and the rest correspond to （9, 0）, （10, 0）, （11, 0） and （12, 0） bands of B^2П-X^2П transition, respectively. Analysis of the rotationally resolved spectra yields exhaustive spectroscopic constants of both the X^2П ground state and the B′^2∑^＋ excited state. The electronic transition bands of the isotopic molecule N^34S have been rotationally analyzed for the first time and the rotational constants of the ground and upper states have been determined simultaneously.     

Preliminary results of the study on wind erosion in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau using137Cs technique

The worldwide fallout of caesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) associated with the nuclear weapon tests during the 1950s and 1960s has provided a valuable man-made tracer for studies of soil erosion and sediment delivery. But relatively few researchers have used it to estimate wind erosion. In this note, the¹³⁷Cs technique is introduced into the studies of wind erosion and its modern processes in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Two¹³⁷Cs reference inventories of 982.11 and 2 376.04 Bq · m⁻² were established preminarily, distributed in the south and middle-north parts of the studied area respectively. By analyzing the patterns of¹³⁷Cs depth profiles from sampling sites, the aeolian processes of erosion and deposition in nearly 40 years have been revealed, i.e. the shrub coppice dunes (S1) and semi-fixed dunefields (S3) experienced the alternation of erosion and deposition, while the grasslands (S4, S6 and S7) and dry farmlands (S5) suffered erosion only. By using¹³⁷Cs model, the average wind erosion rates for shrub coppice dune (S1), semi-fixed dune fields (S3), dry farmlands (S5) and grasslands (S4, S6 and S7) were estimated to be 84.14, 69.43, 30.68 and 21.84 t · ha¹ · a⁻¹ respectively, averaging 47.59 t · ha⁻¹ · a⁻¹ for the whole plateau, which can be regarded as of the medium erosion standard. These results derived from Cs for the first time have significant implications for the further research of wind erosion and desertification control in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.     

Quantitative Remote Sensing Study on Regional Soil Erosion —— Bin County of Heilongjiang as an Example

Based on Chinese soil loss equation （CSLE） model, this paper utilized technical advantages of RS and geographic information system （GIS） on data access and erosion factors database building to study prediction methods of regional soil erosion. The spatial analysis module of ARCGIS platform was applied to study the spatial distribution of erosion and the inter-relations of the factors influencing regional soil erosion in the research area. As a result, the mean soil erosion modulus of Bin County is 3 555.42 t/（km^2.a）, which suggests moderate degree erosion. The mean soil erosion modulus of clayey meadow soil is higher than those of dark brown soil and black soil. Vegetation factor values are between 0.1-0.2. The mean slope gradient and slope length values are respectively 1.335 and 6.061 which shows slope length is a dominant factor. And soil type, vegetation coverage and topographic factors have remarkable relevance to each other. Therefore, RS, GIS and CSLE are applicable in regional scale to disclose spatial distribution characteristics of soil erosion and to analyze the characteristics of dominant soil erosion factor quantitatively.     

Distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon of alpine meadow in the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

A study on the distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the alpine meadow in the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been carried out. The results indicate that the content of soil organic carbon (C _SOC) in the topsoil of terrace meadow (TM) ((67.16 ± 1.02) g·kg⁻¹) is more than that in the soil of upland meadow (UM) ((63.42 ± 0.65) g·kg⁻¹), while the C _SOC in upland shrubland (US) ((67.49 ± 0.83) g·kg⁻¹) is the most abundant in the scoreh stage (September). From May to September, the C _SOC in the topsoil of UM and US tends to descend, but that of TM tends to ascend. As for the distribution of the C _SOC and the density of SOC in the soil in the three sample areas, the data show that the deeper the soil, the lesser the content and density of SOC. The C _SOC in US is higher than that in TM and UM; the C _SOC in UM is the lowest at 0–10 cm soil depth. The density of SOC in US is always the lowest among UM, TM, and US at 0–40 cm depth, which shows that the storage of carbon in UM is more than that in US in the same range; the carbon pool capacity in UM is higher than that in US in the same range. Biography: ZHANG Wei (1979–), male, Lecturer, research direction: ecology of environment.     

<Superscript>1</Superscript>H MAS NMR spectra of kaolinite/formamide intercalation compound

The high spinning speed ¹H magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H MAS NMR) technique was employed to distinguish the two groups of surface hydroxyls of kaolinite and investigate the intercalation mechanism of kaolinite/formamide compound. The proton chemical shifts of the inner hydroxyl and inner surface hydroxyl of kaolinte are in the range of δ−1.3–−0.9 and δ 2.4–3.0 respectively. After formamide intercalation three proton peaks were detected. The proton peak of the inner surface hydroxyls of the intercalation compound shifts to high-field with δ 2.3–2.7, which is assigned to the formation of the hydrogen bond between the inner surface hydroxyl and formamide carbonyl group. Whereas, the proton peak of the inner hydroxyl shifts to δ −0.3 toward low-field, that is attributed to van der Waal’s effect between the inner hydroxyl proton and the amino group proton of the formamide which may be keyed into the ditrigonal hole of the kaolinite. The third peak, additional proton peak, is in the range of δ5.4–5.6, that is ascribed to the hydrogen bond formation between the amino group proton of formimide and SiO₄ tetrahedral oxygen of the kaolinite.     

Influence of land cover changes on the physical and chemical properties of alpine meadow soil

Taking the alpine cold meadow grassland in the southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau as an example ,this researcdh deals with the characteristics of apline meadow soil property changes,including soil nutrients,soil physical properties and soil mositure content under differcent land coverage conditions.With the degradation of grassland vegetation and the decline of vegetation coverage ,soil compactness reduces ,gravel content increases and bulk density increases ,The originally dense root-system layer is gradually denuded,making the soil coarse and gravel .The change of the organic matter contents with the vegetation coverage change in the surface soil layer (0-20cm) has shown an obvious cubic polynomial curve process ,The organic matter contents increas rapidly when land coverage is above 60%,contrarily decreases on a large scale when land coverage is below 30%,Between 30%-60% of land coverage the organic matter contents remain stable,The total N and organic matter contents remain stable.The total N and organic matter contents in soil have shown quite similar change regularity ,Following this the mathematic equations are derived to describe such change processes ,Moisture content in soil changes sharply with the vegetation coverage change,Soil moisture content change with the vegetation coverage change,Soil moisture content change with the vegetation coverage change has shown a quadratic parabola process,Results have shown that organic matter conternt and the total N content of the apline meadow soil decrease by 14890 kg/hm^2 and 5505kg/hm^2 respectively as the vegetation coverage reduces from 90% to less than 30%,the heavey changes of soil physical and chemical proerties with grassland degradation have made the recovery of alpine meadow ecological system impossible,The protection of alpine meadow vegetation is of vital importance to the maintenance of the regional soil environment and the regional ecological system.     

安徽省1980—2020年土壤侵蚀时空变化特征

土壤侵蚀不仅会造成土壤破坏、肥力下降,甚至会造成自然灾害,研究土壤侵蚀分布特征及其驱动因素,对于治理水土流失和保障土壤生产力具有重要意义。基于修正的通用土壤流失方程(revised universal soil loss equation, RUSLE)模型,利用降雨、土壤、数字高程模型(digital elevation model, DEM)、土地利用等数据,分析安徽省1980、2000、2005、2010、2015和2020年土壤侵蚀强度时空演变特征,基于地理信息系统(geographic information system, GIS)技术进一步探讨了土壤侵蚀变化与土地利用类型之间的关系。结果表明：安徽省40年来土壤侵蚀整体呈现先降低后略微回升的趋势,1980年侵蚀总量为6 510.92万t/a, 2005年降低到3 169.26万t/a, 2020年回升为4 205.01万t/a。安徽省整体侵蚀以微度侵蚀为主,由北至南侵蚀强度逐渐加剧,强度及以上等级的侵蚀主要集中在皖西大别山区、皖南丘陵山地区。安徽省土壤侵蚀强度发生改变的区域主要集中在皖西大别山区和皖南丘陵山地区。草地的土壤...     

The impacts of “05.6” extreme flood event on riverine carbon fluxes in Xijiang River

An extreme flood event with a frequency of nearly 200 year occurred in June of 2005 in the Xijiang River, the main trunk stream of the Zhujlang River. Samples were systematically collected during the flood event, and water quality parameters, including total suspended sediment （TSS）, dissolved inorganic carbon （DIC）, dissolved organic carbon （DOC）, and particulate organic carbon （POC） were analyzed, and riverine carbon concentrations associated with its changing pattern through the flood process were discussed. These parameters reflect the changes in basin surface flow and subsurface flow during the flood. This flood event influenced annual flux estimations of POC, DOC, and DIC to great extents. Based on carbon flux estimations for the year 2005 and the flood event （June 21-28） in the Xijiang River, it was found that DIC, DOC, and POC fluxes during ＇05.6＇ flood event are 1.52×10^6g.km^-2.a^-1, 0.24×10^6 g.km^-2.a^-1, and 0.54×10^6 g.km^-2.a^-1, and account for 14.87%, 24.75% and 44.89% of the annual fluxes in 2005, respectively. The results suggested that carbon exports during extreme flood events had great contributions to the total carbon fluxes and composition of various carbon components, being important for accurate estimates of annual carbon fluxes in rivers with frequent floods.     

Analysis of active sites for N2 and H^＋ reduction on FeMo-cofactor of nitrogenase

Dinitrogen (N2) and proton (H ),which act as physiological substrates of nitrogenase,are reduced on FeMo-co of the MoFe protein. However,researchers have different opinions about their exact reduction sites. Nitrogenases were purified from the wild type (WT) and five mutants of Azotobacter vinelandii (Av),including Qα191K,Hα195Q,nifV-,Qα191K/nifV- and Hα195Q/nifV-; and the activities of these en-zymes for N2 and H reduction were analyzed. Our results suggest that the Fe2 and Fe6,atoms closed to the central sulfur atom (S2B) within FeMo-co,are sites for N2 binding and reduction and the Mo atom of FeMo-co is the site for H reduction. Combining these data with further bioinformatical analysis,we propose that two parallel electron channels may exist between the 8Fe7S cluster and FeMo-co.     

Estimation of soil respiration in a paddy ecosystem in the subtropical resion of China

Water vapor, energy exchange, and CO2 flux were measured continuously from 2003 to 2005 using the eddy covariance technique in a paddy ecosystem in the subtropical region of China. The CO2 fluxes at nighttime during fallow periods （from middle October to late April） were used to analyze the dynamics of soil respiration and its relationship with soil temperature, and to simulate the annual dynamics of soil respiration in paddy ecosystems. The variation of soil respiration showed a clear seasonal pattern. The soil respiration rates at night during the fallow periods were 52--398 mg· m^-2· h^-1, and exponentially correlated （P〈0.001） with soil temperatures at different depths of soil （5, 10, and 20 cm）, particularly the temperature measured at a depth of 5 cm. Based on the simulated exponential equations developed, annual average soil respiration rates and total soil respiration of paddy soil in the subtropical region of China were estimated to be 178.5--259.9 mg· m^-2· h^-1 and 1.56--2.28 kg· m^-2· a^-1, respectively. The simulation equations can be applied to evaluating soil respiration in paddy ecosystems during the rice-growing season.     

The contribution of root respiration to soil CO2 efflux in Puccinellia tenuiflora dominated community in a semi-arid meadow steppe

Rising atmospheric CO2 and temperature are altering ecosystem carbon cycling. Grasslands play an important role in regional climate change and global carbon cycle. Below-ground processes play a key role in the grassland carbon cycle because they regulate …     

Analysis of the characteristics of the harmonics coefficient <Emphasis Type="Italic">J</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> of the Earth’s gravity field in different periods

The characteristics of the geopotential coefficient J2 in different periods are analyzed using satellite laser ranging data spanning the last 27 years.The satellites used in the analysis are Lageos1 and Lageos2.The variations in J2 are obtained by determining the dynamic orbit.The results show that there are strong seasonal and long-term variations.For different data spans,the seasonal variations agree well in terms of both amplitude and phase.Using all the data,the amplitude and phase of the annual term are 2.5 10-10 and 127°,respectively,while the amplitude and phase of the semiannual term are 0.94 10-10 and 213°,respectively.In the case of long-term variation,the secular variation in J2(J2) is-2.2 10-11 a-1 from 1984 to 2010.J2 differs for the different periods because of interannual variations,such as the "1998 anomaly".Another anomaly may have taken place during 2007-2010.Although the cause of the anomaly is unknown,it is an important observational constraint on the shape of the Earth.