Growth of annual plants in arid environments depends largely on rainfall pulses. An increased understanding of the effects of different rainfall patterns on plant growth is critical to predicting the potential respons...Growth of annual plants in arid environments depends largely on rainfall pulses. An increased understanding of the effects of different rainfall patterns on plant growth is critical to predicting the potential responses of plants to the changes in rainfall regimes, such as rainfall intensity and duration, and length of dry intervals. In this study, we investigated the effects of different rainfall patterns(e.g. small rainfall event with high frequency and large rainfall event with low frequency) on biomass, growth characteristics and vertical distribution of root biomass of annual plants in Horqin Sandy Land, Inner Mongolia of China during the growing season(from May to August) of 2014. Our results showed that the rainfall patterns, independent of total rainfall amount, exerted strong effects on biomass, characteristics of plant growth and vertical distribution of root biomass. Under a constant amount of total rainfall, the aboveground biomass(AGB), belowground biomass(BGB), plant cover, plant height, and plant individual and species number increased with an increase in rainfall intensity. Changes in rainfall patterns also altered the percentage contribution of species biomass to the total AGB, and the percentage of BGB at different soil layers to the total BGB. Consequently, our results indicated that increased rainfall intensity in future may increase biomass significantly, and also affect the growth characteristics of annual plants.展开更多
受气候变化和城市规模不断扩张等因素影响,城市地区降雨过程的时空动态性愈发明显,通常采用的点、面雨量等表达方式难以体现这种时空动态性。随着降雨观测技术的进步,大多城市积累了长序列降雨观测数据,其中蕴含了丰富的降雨时空过程信...受气候变化和城市规模不断扩张等因素影响,城市地区降雨过程的时空动态性愈发明显,通常采用的点、面雨量等表达方式难以体现这种时空动态性。随着降雨观测技术的进步,大多城市积累了长序列降雨观测数据,其中蕴含了丰富的降雨时空过程信息,为预报降雨或设计降雨的时空展布提供了可能。设计了一套降雨时空展布方法,包括数据收集、标准化处理、降雨场次划分、时空模式提取、标准网格插值、时空展布等环节,并提出每个环节的处理步骤和关键问题。以北京市为例,对该技术方法进行了验证,选择了12 h、24 h、72 h 3个历时的场次降雨,提取的时空模式和展布结果表达出了场次降雨的时空动态性,并与历史的降雨过程表现出很好的匹配性。表明该方法可用于城市地区降雨典型模式提取,以及降雨过程的时空展布。该方法利用历史降雨数据提取降雨展布模板,输入场次降雨(或预报降雨)的总雨量,得到该场次降雨的时空分布过程,展布结果可为洪水预报提供更为准确的降雨输入条件。展开更多
Aeolian-fluvial interplay erosion regions are subject to intense soil erosion and are of particular concern in loess areas of northwestern China. Understanding the composition, distribution, and transport processes of...Aeolian-fluvial interplay erosion regions are subject to intense soil erosion and are of particular concern in loess areas of northwestern China. Understanding the composition, distribution, and transport processes of eroded sediments in these regions is of considerable scientific significance for controlling soil erosion. In this study, based on laboratory rainfall simulation experiments, we analyzed rainfall-induced erosion processes on sand-covered loess slopes (SS) with different sand cover patterns (including length and thickness) and uncovered loess slopes (LS) to investigate the influences of sand cover on erosion processes of loess slopes in case regions of aeolian-fluvial erosion. The grain-size curves of eroded sediments were fitted using the Weibull function. Compositions of eroded sediments under different sand cover patterns and rainfall intensities were analyzed to explore sediment transport modes of SS. The influences of sand cover amount and pattern on erosion processes of loess slopes were also discussed. The results show that sand cover on loess slopes influences the proportion of loess erosion and that the compositions of eroded sediments vary between SS and LS. Sand cover on loess slopes transforms silt erosion into sand erosion by reducing splash erosion and changing the rainfall-induced erosion processes. The percentage of eroded sand from SS in the early stage of runoff and sediment generation is always higher than that in the late stage. Sand cover on loess slopes aggravates loess erosion, not only by adding sand as additional eroded sediments but also by increasing the amount of eroded loess, compared with the loess slopes without sand cover. The influence of sand cover pattern on runoff yield and the amount of eroded sediments is larger than that of sand cover amount. Furthermore, given the same sand cover pattern, a thicker sand cover could increase sand erosion while a thinner sand cover could aggravate loess erosion. This difference explains the existence of intense erosion on slopes that are thinly covered with sand in regions where aeolian erosion and fluvial erosion interact.展开更多
Drought acutely affects economic sectors, natural habitats and communities. Understanding the past spatial and temporal patterns of drought is crucial because it facilitates the forecasting of future drought occurrenc...Drought acutely affects economic sectors, natural habitats and communities. Understanding the past spatial and temporal patterns of drought is crucial because it facilitates the forecasting of future drought occurrences and informs decision-making processes for possible adaptive measures. This is especially important in view of a changing climate. This study employed the World Meteorological Organization(WMO)-recommended standardized precipitation index(SPI) to investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of drought in Zambia from 1960 to 2016. The relationship between the occurrence of consecutive dry days(CDD; consecutive days with less than 1 mm of precipitation) and SPI was also investigated. Horizontal wind vectors at 850 hPa during the core of the rainy season(December–February)were examined to ascertain the patterns of flow during years of extreme and severe drought; and these were contrasted with the patterns of flow in 2007, which was a generally wet year. Pressure vertical velocity was also investigated. Based on the gamma distribution, SPI successfully categorized extremely dry(with a SPI value less than or equal to –2.0) years over Zambia as 1992 and 2015, a severely dry(–1.9 to –1.5) year as 1995, moderately dry(–1.4 to –1.0) years as 1972, 1980, 1987, 1999 and 2005, and 26 near normal years(–0.9 to 0.9). The occurrence of CDD was found to be strongly negatively correlated with SPI with a coefficient of –0.6. Further results suggest that, during wet years, Zambia is influenced by a clockwise circulating low-pressure zone over the south-eastern Angola, a second such zone over the northern and eastern parts, and a third over the Indian Ocean. In stark contrast, years of drought were characterized by an anti-clockwise circulating high-pressure zone over the south-western parts of Zambia,constraining precipitation activities over the country. Further, wet years were characterized by negative pressure vertical velocity anomalies, signifying ascending motion; while drought years were dominated by positive anomalies, signifying descending motion, which suppresses precipitation. These patterns can be used to forecast drought over Zambia and aid in strategic planning to limit the potential damage of drought.展开更多
基金supported by the Strategic Leading Science and Technology Projects of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05050201-04-01)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41371053, 31500369)the ‘One Hundred Talent’ Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y451H31001)
文摘Growth of annual plants in arid environments depends largely on rainfall pulses. An increased understanding of the effects of different rainfall patterns on plant growth is critical to predicting the potential responses of plants to the changes in rainfall regimes, such as rainfall intensity and duration, and length of dry intervals. In this study, we investigated the effects of different rainfall patterns(e.g. small rainfall event with high frequency and large rainfall event with low frequency) on biomass, growth characteristics and vertical distribution of root biomass of annual plants in Horqin Sandy Land, Inner Mongolia of China during the growing season(from May to August) of 2014. Our results showed that the rainfall patterns, independent of total rainfall amount, exerted strong effects on biomass, characteristics of plant growth and vertical distribution of root biomass. Under a constant amount of total rainfall, the aboveground biomass(AGB), belowground biomass(BGB), plant cover, plant height, and plant individual and species number increased with an increase in rainfall intensity. Changes in rainfall patterns also altered the percentage contribution of species biomass to the total AGB, and the percentage of BGB at different soil layers to the total BGB. Consequently, our results indicated that increased rainfall intensity in future may increase biomass significantly, and also affect the growth characteristics of annual plants.
文摘受气候变化和城市规模不断扩张等因素影响,城市地区降雨过程的时空动态性愈发明显,通常采用的点、面雨量等表达方式难以体现这种时空动态性。随着降雨观测技术的进步,大多城市积累了长序列降雨观测数据,其中蕴含了丰富的降雨时空过程信息,为预报降雨或设计降雨的时空展布提供了可能。设计了一套降雨时空展布方法,包括数据收集、标准化处理、降雨场次划分、时空模式提取、标准网格插值、时空展布等环节,并提出每个环节的处理步骤和关键问题。以北京市为例,对该技术方法进行了验证,选择了12 h、24 h、72 h 3个历时的场次降雨,提取的时空模式和展布结果表达出了场次降雨的时空动态性,并与历史的降雨过程表现出很好的匹配性。表明该方法可用于城市地区降雨典型模式提取,以及降雨过程的时空展布。该方法利用历史降雨数据提取降雨展布模板,输入场次降雨(或预报降雨)的总雨量,得到该场次降雨的时空分布过程,展布结果可为洪水预报提供更为准确的降雨输入条件。
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0402404, 2016YFC0402407)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (L1624052, 41330858, 41471226, and 51509203)the Dr.Innovation Fund of Xi’an University of Technology (310-252071505)
文摘Aeolian-fluvial interplay erosion regions are subject to intense soil erosion and are of particular concern in loess areas of northwestern China. Understanding the composition, distribution, and transport processes of eroded sediments in these regions is of considerable scientific significance for controlling soil erosion. In this study, based on laboratory rainfall simulation experiments, we analyzed rainfall-induced erosion processes on sand-covered loess slopes (SS) with different sand cover patterns (including length and thickness) and uncovered loess slopes (LS) to investigate the influences of sand cover on erosion processes of loess slopes in case regions of aeolian-fluvial erosion. The grain-size curves of eroded sediments were fitted using the Weibull function. Compositions of eroded sediments under different sand cover patterns and rainfall intensities were analyzed to explore sediment transport modes of SS. The influences of sand cover amount and pattern on erosion processes of loess slopes were also discussed. The results show that sand cover on loess slopes influences the proportion of loess erosion and that the compositions of eroded sediments vary between SS and LS. Sand cover on loess slopes transforms silt erosion into sand erosion by reducing splash erosion and changing the rainfall-induced erosion processes. The percentage of eroded sand from SS in the early stage of runoff and sediment generation is always higher than that in the late stage. Sand cover on loess slopes aggravates loess erosion, not only by adding sand as additional eroded sediments but also by increasing the amount of eroded loess, compared with the loess slopes without sand cover. The influence of sand cover pattern on runoff yield and the amount of eroded sediments is larger than that of sand cover amount. Furthermore, given the same sand cover pattern, a thicker sand cover could increase sand erosion while a thinner sand cover could aggravate loess erosion. This difference explains the existence of intense erosion on slopes that are thinly covered with sand in regions where aeolian erosion and fluvial erosion interact.
基金on a PhD scholarship sponsored by the University of Edinburgh
文摘Drought acutely affects economic sectors, natural habitats and communities. Understanding the past spatial and temporal patterns of drought is crucial because it facilitates the forecasting of future drought occurrences and informs decision-making processes for possible adaptive measures. This is especially important in view of a changing climate. This study employed the World Meteorological Organization(WMO)-recommended standardized precipitation index(SPI) to investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of drought in Zambia from 1960 to 2016. The relationship between the occurrence of consecutive dry days(CDD; consecutive days with less than 1 mm of precipitation) and SPI was also investigated. Horizontal wind vectors at 850 hPa during the core of the rainy season(December–February)were examined to ascertain the patterns of flow during years of extreme and severe drought; and these were contrasted with the patterns of flow in 2007, which was a generally wet year. Pressure vertical velocity was also investigated. Based on the gamma distribution, SPI successfully categorized extremely dry(with a SPI value less than or equal to –2.0) years over Zambia as 1992 and 2015, a severely dry(–1.9 to –1.5) year as 1995, moderately dry(–1.4 to –1.0) years as 1972, 1980, 1987, 1999 and 2005, and 26 near normal years(–0.9 to 0.9). The occurrence of CDD was found to be strongly negatively correlated with SPI with a coefficient of –0.6. Further results suggest that, during wet years, Zambia is influenced by a clockwise circulating low-pressure zone over the south-eastern Angola, a second such zone over the northern and eastern parts, and a third over the Indian Ocean. In stark contrast, years of drought were characterized by an anti-clockwise circulating high-pressure zone over the south-western parts of Zambia,constraining precipitation activities over the country. Further, wet years were characterized by negative pressure vertical velocity anomalies, signifying ascending motion; while drought years were dominated by positive anomalies, signifying descending motion, which suppresses precipitation. These patterns can be used to forecast drought over Zambia and aid in strategic planning to limit the potential damage of drought.