Temporal-spatial characteristics of vegetation cover and desertification of China by using remote sensing data

Based on the NOAA advanced very high resolution radiometer (NOAA-AVHRR) remote sensing data of 1982 — 1999. the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) reflecting the surface vegetation cover has been obtained. Using the empirical orthogonal function analysis, the temporal-spatial eigenvectors of NDVI are given, and the characteristics of the spatial distribution of vegetation cover and its temporal variation together with the desertification of China are analyzed. It is found that the surface vegetation cover has seriously deteriorated in most part of China since 1995. along with the intensified desertification. All these are mainly caused by human activities although the climate change is responsible for the damage of surface vegetation cover to some extent.     

Changes in global potential vegetation distributions from 1911 to 2000 as simulated by the Comprehensive Sequential Classification System approach

Vegetation classification models play an important role in studying the response of the terrestrial ecosystem to global climate change. In this paper, we study changes in global Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV) distributions using the Comprehensive Sequential Classification System (CSCS) approach, a technique that combines geographic information systems. Results indicate that on a global scale there are good agreements among maps produced by the CSCS method and the globally well-accepted Holdridge Life Zone (HLZ) and BIOME4 PNV models. The potential vegetation simulated by the CSCS approach has 6 major latitudinal zones in the northern hemisphere and 2 in the southern hemisphere. In mountainous areas it has obvious altitudinal distribution characteristics due to topographic effects. The distribution extent for different PNV classes at various periods has different characteristics. It had a decreasing trend for the tundra and alpine steppe, desert, sub-tropical forest and tropical forest categories, and an increasing trend for the temperate forest and grassland vegetation categories. The simulation of global CSCS-based PNV classes helps to understand climate-vegetation relationships and reveals the dynamics of potential vegetation distributions induced by global changes. Compared with existing statistical and equilibrium models, the CSCS approach provides similar mapping results for global PNV and has the advantage of improved simulation of grassland classes.     

Modern pollen-vegetation relationship based on discriminant analysis across an altitudinal transect on Gongga Mountain, eastern Tibetan Plateau

Quantitative relationship between modern pollen assemblage and altitudinal vegetation belt is crucial for the reconstruction of paleovegetation in the mountain regions.Modern pollen analysis on 70 topsoil samples was conducted across an altitudinal transect(1100-4500 m) on the eastern slope of Gongga Mountain in the eastern Tibetan Plateau with an elevation interval of 50 m.Distributions of major pollen types along the transect indicated a weak correlation between Pinus pollen and the elevation.Distributions of Picea and Abies pollen(percentage sum of 2%-8%) could fairly indicate the elevation range of 2700-3700 m,as well as the subalpine dark coniferous forest and the timberline in the region.High percentage intervals of alpine types of Ericaceae,Cupressaceae and Cyperaceae were correlated to the high-elevation regions(3700-4500 m) dominated by alpine shrub meadow and alpine meadow.Seven altitudinal vegetation belts on the eastern slope of Gongga Mountain were well defined by discriminant analysis conducted on the modern pollen assemblages,as reflected by high values of probability of modern analog.Most of the modern pollen assemblages(88.5%) were typical for the vegetation types at their sampling locations.Thus,the relationship between the modern pollen assemblages and vegetation across the altitudinal transect based on discriminant analysis can be applied to the quantitative reconstruction of paleovegetation changes in the mountain regions of the eastern Tibetan Plateau.     

Advances in biomolecular surface meshing and its applications to mathematical modeling

In the field of molecular modeling and simulation, molecular surface meshes are necessary for many problems, such as molecular structure visualization and analysis, docking problem and implicit solvent modeling and simulation. Recently, with the developments of advanced mathematical modeling in the field of implicit solvent modeling and simulation, providing surface meshes with good qualities efficiently for large real biomolecular systems becomes an urgent issue beyond its traditional purposes for visualization and geometry analyses for molecular structure. In this review, we summarize recent works on this issue. First, various definitions of molecular surfaces and corresponding meshing methods are introduced. Second, our recent meshing tool, TMSmesh, and its performances are presented. Finally, we show the applications of the molecular surface mesh in implicit solvent modeling and simulations using boundary element method (BEM) and finite element method (FEM).     

Magnetic properties of surface soils across the southern Tarim Basin and their relationship with climate and source materials

The magnetic susceptibility (χ) of surface soils on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) has strong positive correlation with mean annual precipitation.It is widely accepted that ultrafine magnetite/maghemite grains produced during pedogenesis are responsible for the enhancement of χ,and loess χ on the CLP has been widely used as a proxy for the intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon.However,few works have investigated mechanisms for the enhancement of χ in the case of surface aeolian sediments in westerly-dominated inland China,north of the Tibetan Plateau.Here detailed rock magnetism and grain size studies of 49 surface samples taken across the southern Tarim Basin for different rainfall/temperature/altitude conditions are presented.The results show that samples taken from desert have the lowest χ values and that χ of loessic sand and loess samples decreases with increasing altitude.In addition,the rock magnetism studies suggest that the magnetic properties of surface soils across the southern Tarim Basin are mainly controlled by the concentration of coarse aeolian ferrimagnetic minerals.The contribution of ultrafine pedogenically produced magnetic grains to χ is very limited.     

The occurrence and significance of C25HBI in Cenozoic saline lacustrine source rocks from the Western Qaidam Basin,NW China

The saline lacustrine deposit of the Oligocene Lower Ganchaigou Formation is the main source rock for the Western Qaidam Basin,NW China.In this study,abundant highly branched isoprenoids with 25 carbon atoms (C25HBI) were detected in the upper section of the Lower Ganchaigou Formation.C25HBI is a biomarker for diatoms,and can provide information regarding biogeochemical processes during production and preservation of sedimentary organic matter.The carbon isotopic values of C25HBI in these source rocks were in the range of-18‰ to-20‰.The relative enrichment in 13C of C25HBI suggests that these isoprenoids were derived from diatom blooms.In this case,the diatoms used HCO3-as an additional carbon source to dissolved CO2 in water column due to their high biological productivity.Conversely,the diatom blooms indicated an abundant nutrient supply to the environment and high primary productivity.Thus,the occurrence of 13C-enriched C25HBI could be an ideal marker for good source rocks.The decreased concentration of CO2(aq) in the water column induced by diatom blooms can result in an enrichment in 13C of organic matter synthesized by primary producers.This may be a possible reason for the occurrence of 13C-enriched organic matter in the Cenozoic source rocks of the Western Qaidam Basin.Previous studies have shown that the high carbon number n-alkanes sourced from diatoms have no carbon preference.Hence,the sources of n-alkanes in regional source rocks are complex,and should be considered when discussing the sources of organic matter in future studies.     

Modern pollen and vegetation relationships in the Yili Basin, Xinjiang, NW China

Fifty-six surface pollen samples from different vegetation zones in the Yili Basin,western Tianshan Mountains,Xinjiang were analyzed to examine the relationships between the surface pollen assemblages and the original vegetation.A pollen analysis and a vegetation investigation with a discriminant analysis show that the pollen assemblages greatly differ across disparate vegetation zones.Twelve pollen taxa can be used as significant types for vegetation reconstruction in the basin.These taxa were the most abundant in the surface pollen samples.Cupressaceae pollen percentages were greater than 1%in Cupressaceae shrubs.More than5%of Picea pollen indicates the growth of a Picea forest within 5 km.The subalpine meadow that is distributed widely in the basin is characterized by high content of Artemisia,Chenopodiaceae,Poaceae,Picea,Asteraceae,Taraxacum and Arenaria pollen types.The Artemisia-Chenopodiaceae-Poaceae-Cannabaceae pollen assemblages indicate the presence of montane steppe in the area.Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae pollen dominate the desert steppe and Populus forest.Artemisia pollen percentages were greater than 60%in the Artemisia desert,whereas Chenopodiaceae pollen percentages exceeded 65%in the Chenopodiaceae desert.The Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae(A/C)ratios reflect the vertical moisture changes in the Yili Basin.The mean A/C ratios were greater than 1.2 in the subalpine meadow and montane steppe that occupy the humid zone in the basin.These ratios were between1 and 1.2 in the Cupressaceae shrubs,desert steppe,Populus forest and floodplain meadow.The ratios were less than 0.5 in the Chenopodiaceae desert,which is an arid environment.     

Interaction of aerodynamic roughness length and windflow conditions and its parameterization over vegetation surface

Surface aerodynamic roughness length is usually taken as a constant. In fact, it displays a remarkable dynamic change over underlying vegetation surfaces, because of the coupling of land surface roughness elements and windflow conditions. Current international research on this dynamic change and associated mechanisms is very limited. Using observations from different underlying surfaces (including forest, farmland and grassland) provided by a northern China coordinated observation test, the variation of aerodynamic roughness length, along with wind speed and friction velocity, is analyzed. We introduce two relationship fits, between aerodynamic roughness length and wind speed u, and dynamic variable u2/u*. Results show that aerodynamic roughness length has a clear dynamic change, and has complicated interactions with near-surface windflow. Further, the relationship fits between aerodynamic roughness length, u and u2/u*, are not only related to the roughness properties of the underlying vegetation surface (e.g. plant height), but also to plant dynamic response characteristics (e.g. flexibility). Aerodynamic roughness length decreases with increasing wind speed, because near-surface windflow conditions can change both plant roughness properties and airflow. However, the change of aerodynamic roughness length with friction velocity is complicated, and its sensitivities and transition points significantly depend on vegetation type. For underlying surfaces of forest and corn, with relatively substantial vegetative cover, roughness length correlates well with wind speed. For a surface with short vegetative cover, like natural lawn, the correlation is low. However, for all of the three vegetative surfaces, there is a close relation between roughness length and u2/u*, and their coefficients of fit from testing essentially represent the plant height and flexibility of different vegetation types. The test results also indicate that the parameterized relationships of roughness length over the underlying vegetation surface hold prospects for application.     

δ~(13)C difference between plants and soil organic matter along the eastern slope of Mount Gongga

Carbon isotope ratios (δ 13C) of plants, litter and soil organic matter (0–5 cm, 5–10 cm and 10–20 cm) on the eastern slope of Mount Gongga were measured. The results show that δ 13C values of plants, litter and soil organic matter all decrease first and then increase with altitude, i.e. δ 13C values gradually decrease from 1200 to 2100 m a.s.l., and increase from 2100 to 4500 m a.s.l. The δ 13C altitudinal variations are related to the distribution of C3 and C4 plants on the eastern slope of Mount Gongga, ...     

The spatial distribution and sedimentary processes of organic matter in surface sediments of Nam Co, Central Tibetan Plateau

In this study,67 surface sediment samples collected from Nam Co in central Tibet were analyzed for total carbon,total organic carbon and total nitrogen,and 51 of these samples were also analyzed for n-alkanes.The origin and spatial distribution of organic matter were then investigated using these proxies,and the control factors responsible for the spatial distribution patterns and paleolimnological significance were discussed.The results indicated that the origin of organic matter in surface sediment of Nam Co is consistent with the sources of n-alkanes,which were primarily submerged plants,followed by terrestrial plants,and then aquatic algae and bacteria.The organic matter in surface sediments of the lake showed typical spatial variability.Because of the great influence of underwater topography,river inputs and water quality,the spatial distribution of organic matter is enriched from the source to the deposit center.This spatial variability of organic matter in the lake indicates that the sediments in different areas have different sensitivities to environmental changes,which is important to reconstruction of paleoenvironments and paleoclimate using lake sediment cores.     

Carbonation of low heat portland cement paste precured in water for different time

The carbonation technique was applied to accelerate the hydration of low heat portland cement (LHC). Before carbonation, the demoulded pastes were precured in water for 0, 2, 7, and 21 d, respectively. The results show that precuring time in water strongly influences the carbonation process. The phenolphthalein test indicates that the paste precured in water for a shorter time is more quickly carbonated than that for a longer time. The content of calcium hydroxide increases with increasing the precuring time in water, whereas, the amount of absorbed carbon dioxide changes contrarily. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation shows that portlandite always fills up big air bubbles in the paste during precuring in water, and the mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) results show that there are less large capillary pores in the paste precured in water for a longer time. It is found that the paste without precuring in water has more carbon dioxide absorption during curing in carbon dioxide atmosphere, and its total pore volume decreases remarkably with an increase in the carbonation time than that precured in water. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyses indicate that the carbonate products are vaterite and calcite; C_xSH_y formed from carbonation has low BET surface area in comparison with that of C-S-H formed from curing in water.     

Equilibrium geometric structure and electronic properties of Cl and H_2O co-adsorption on Fe(100) surface

Based on the first principles density functional theory,the equilibrium geometric structure and surface electronic properties of Cl and H2O co-adsorption on the Fe(100) surface are investigated.The results indicate that the optimal adsorption site for Cl and H2O co-adsorption on the Fe(100) surface is the location of Cl at the bridge site and H2O at the top site.Compared with the Fe(100)/H2O adsorption system,remarkable changes in geometric structure and electronic properties occur,owing to the presence of ...     

Evaluation of humic acid removal by a flat submerged membrane photoreactor

A flat submerged membrane combined with a TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic reactor (FSMPR) was employed in batch mode to remove humic acid (HA). HA removal efficiency was characterized by UV 254 absorbance, UV-vis spectra, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, specific UV absorbance (SUVA), and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP). The FSMPR process was effective in removing more than 86% of DOC and nearly 100% of UV 254 absorbance, while the THMFPs of samples were reduced to < 19 μ g/L after 150 min of treatment. In addition, changes in transmembrane pressure (TMP) with and without UV were evaluated; TiO 2 /UV was effective at controlling membrane fouling by HA. Analysis of the molecular weight (MW) distributions and three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra of HAs revealed that the effectiveness in membrane fouling control is a result of changes in HA molecular characteristics. The TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic reactor caused the degradation of high MW, hydrophobic humic-like molecules to low MW, hydrophilic protein-like molecules, although this fraction was not completely removed during 150 min of treatment and was less responsible for membrane fouling.     

Molecular modeling of the ion channel-like nanotube structure of amyloid β-peptide

The ion channel-like nanotube structure of the oligomers of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) was first investi-gated by molecular modeling. The results reveal that the hydrogen bond net is one of the key factors to stabilize the structure. The hydrophobicity distribution mode of the side chains is in favor of the structure inserting into the bilayers and forming a hydrophilic pore. The lumen space is under the control of the negative potential,weaker but spreading continuously,to which the cation selectivity attributes; meanwhile,the alternate distribution of the stronger positive and negative potentials makes the electrostatic distribution of the structure framework balance,which is also one of the key factors stabilizing the structure. The results lay the theoretical foundation for illuminating the structure stability and the ion permeability,and give a clue to elucidating the molecular mechanism of Alzheimer's dis-ease (AD) and designing novel drugs to prevent or reverse AD at the root.     

Pollution characteristics and ecological risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments of the southern part of the Haihe River system in China

The southern part of the Haihe River system, the largest river system in the Haihe River Basin, is important to maintain a healthy ecosystem and safe drinking water as well as for the economic development of China. To assess the effect of rapid industrialization and urbanization on the pattern of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination, the PAH pollution characteristics of the southern part of the Haihe River system was investigated. Sixteen PAHs in surface sediments samples collected from 24 sites covering the southern part of the Haihe River system from the upstream to the estuaries were detected and analyzed. The total PAH concentration ranged from 258.77 to 11296.66 ng/g dry weight. On average, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5and 6-ring PAHs comprised 25.32%, 27.22%, 22.62%, 14.89% and 9.96% of the total PAHs, respectively. Sites with high concentrations were concentrated in the Fuhe River, Fuyang River and Wei River, which are located near cities. A risk quotient (RQ) was used to assess the ecological risk of PAHs. The mean values of the RQ(MPCs) of individual PAHs were lower than 1.00, except for those of naphthalene (2.00) and pyrene (1.67). The RQPAHs calculated for the samples indicated that the Xidayang reservoir and the estuary of the Ziya River were determined to be at a low risk level, while Baoding City, Handan City and Aixinzhuang were determined to be at a high risk level.