The Mesozoic Basin-Mountain Coupling Process of the Southern East China Sea Shelf Basin and its Adjacent Land Area

Basin-mountain coupling is a key issue for basin formation and evolution. The analysis of basin-mountain coupling process, as well as quantitative or semiquantitative restoration of prototype basin and the evolution of continental margin, can be used to interpret the geological process of basin-range conversion and reconstruct early prototype basins, which is a difficult and leadin~ scientific oroblem of basin research.

Considerations on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Dryland Areas

Drylands of the world cover 41%of the Earth＇s land surface and are a direct source of livelihood for 6.5 billion people, especially in developing countries. However, nearly all drylands are at risk of land degradation as a result of human activities. Poverty and desertification in dryland areas are major problems threatening sustainable agriculture and rural development in dryland areas. Several topics that are significant for sustainable agriculture and rural development for food security and environmental rehabilitation in dryland areas were stressed in this paper.

The urban land area Change in China from 1820 to 1999

According to the length of city perimeter and the administration systems recorded in the historical literatures of the Qing Dynasty, a set of methods is developed to convert the historical records into the area of urban land use, by which a set of preliminary estimated urban land use data of the 18 provinces during the Emperor Jiaqing (1820AD) in the Qing Dynasty, is achieved. Based on the above achievements, the regional differences of urban land use are analyzed, and the comparison in urban land use between the Qing Dynasty and present (1999) is made.

Soil Moisture Effects on Sand Saltation and Dust Emission Observed over the Horqin Sandy Land Area in China

In this study, the eff ects of soil moisture on sand saltation and dust emission over the Horqin Sandy Land area are investigated, based on observations of three dust events in 2010. The minimum friction velocity initiating the motion of surface particles, namely, the threshold friction velocity, is estimated to be 0.34, 0.40, and 0.50 m s？1 under the very dry, dry, and wet soil conditions, respectively. In comparison with the observations during the dust events under the very dry and dry soil conditions, the dust emission fl ux during the wet event is smaller, but the saltation activities of sand particles （d≧50 μm） are stronger. The size distributions of airborne dust particles （0.1≦d≦20 μm） show that concentrations of the fi ner dust particles （0.1≦d≦0.3 μm） have a secondary peak under dry soil conditions, while they are absent under wet soil conditions. This suggests that the surface soil particle size distribution can be changed by soil moisture. Under wet soil conditions, the particles appear to have a larger size, and hence more potential saltating particles are available. This explains the occurrence of stronger saltation processes observed under wet soil conditions.

Land Use Changes of an Aeolian-Loessial Soil Area in Northwest China: Implications for Ecological Restoration

China has experienced dramatic land use changes over recent decades, with marked environmental and socio-economic consequences. Hengshan County, located in the aeolian-loessial area of Northwest China, was investigated to illustrate land use changes and their implications for environmental and long-term rural economic development. The farmland in Hengshan County significantly decreased during 1990–2003, whereas forest land and grassland increased. The conversion rates of farmland, orchard land, forest land and construction land varied markedly among different periods: 1990–1995, 1995–2000 and 2000–2003. Conversion of orchard land, grassland and construction land was dominant in 1990–1995, whereas the conversion of farmland to forest land mainly occurred in 2000–2003. The results suggested a profound transition in institutional policy and political economy of land management, including implementation of integrated soil erosion control projects, adoption of a market-oriented economy and the ‘Grain-for-Green’ policy, during this period in China. To achieve long-term sustainable land use in Hengshan County, efforts should aim at increasing off-farm income of rural families as well as establishing land-economizing mechanisms to promote land productivity, in addition to conservation measures.

Reconstruction of Lu-level cropland areas in the Northern Song Dynasty （AD976-1078）

Based on data on taxed-cropland area and on the number of households in historical documents, a probabilistic model of cropland distribution and a cropland area allocation model were designed and validated. Cropland areas for the years AD976, 997, 1066, and 1078 were estimated at the level of Lu（an administrative region of the Northern Song Dynasty）. The results indicated that（1） the cropland area of the whole study region for AD976, 997, 1066, and 1078 was about 468.27 million mu（a Chinese unit of area, with1 mu=666.7m2）, 495.53 million mu, 697.65 million mu, and 731.94 million mu, respectively. The fractional cropland area（FCA） increased from 10.7% to 16.8%, and the per capita cropland area decreased from 15.7 mu to 8.4 mu.（2） With regard to the cropland spatial pattern, the FCA of the southeast, north, and southwest regions of the Northern Song territory increased by 12.0%, 5.2%, and 1.2%, respectively. The FCA of some regions in the Yangtze River Plain increased to greater than 40%, and the FCA of the North China Plain increased to greater than 20%. However, the FCA of the southwest region（except for the Chengdu Plain） in the Northern Song territory was less than 6%.（3） There were 84.2% Lus whose absolute relative error was smaller than 20% in the mid Northern Song Dynasty. The validation results indicate that our models are reasonable and that the results of reconstruction are credible.

Peatland area change in the southern Altay Mountains over the last twenty years based on GIS and RS analysis

Analyses results of total peatland area changes in the southern AItay Mountain region over the past 20 years are discussed in this paper. These analyses were based on remote sensing （RS） and geographical information system （GIS） studies. Possible control methods are evaluated by comparing these results to other regional records and climate data. The area of the peatland zones was calculated by overlaying a peatland layer of Landsat TM （Thematic Map） image constructed by using supervised classification with a layer of slope based on a digital elevation model （DEM）. The results show that slope layer is crucial to improving the accuracy of peatland extracted from TM images. The peatland area of the Altay Mountains increased from 931.5km^2 in 1990 to 977.7 km^2 in 2010. This trend is consistent with the climate change in this region, due in part to increasing temperatures and precipitation, suggesting possible climate controls on peatland expansion. The increase in the peatland area in the Altay Mountains over the last 20 years has been influenced by the westerlies. Alternatively, changes in the largest highland peatland area of the Zoige Basin, located in the eastern Tibetan Plateau have been influenced by the intensity of the Asian summer monsoons. In addition to increased temperatures, decreased precipitation in the Zoige Basin and increased precipitation in the Altay Mountains, due to varied patterns of atmospheric circulation, are the probable causes for driving the change differences in these two peatland areas.

Research on Evaluation of Green Land System in Old Residential Areas

Development of residential areas in China had been divided into three stages, and the paper had pointed out that China now highlighted living but neglected environment. The paper had concluded major existing problems of green lands in residential areas, and based on this, it considered that it was necessary to launch an evaluation on green land system in residential areas. It had analyzed identification of evaluation system indexes and weights, and proposed an evaluation system model. Furthermore, by taking "Hayiji" residential area for example, it had illustrated the application of the evaluation system of green lands in old residential areas in detail. Through evaluation on them, the primary problems of each green land system had been identified, and pertinent reconstruction modes had been proposed, so as to provide reference for reconstruction of green land systems of old residential areas in North China.

A Study on the Counter Measures for Eco-friendly Land Use Model in Mountainous Area——a Case of Qianjiang District of Chongqing Municipality

Accompanying the development of social economy,the land use model of mountainous area,typically eco-weak area,is changing gradually. Here the establishment of eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,will pioneer the model of sustainable development in that area. Concerning Qianjiang District of Chongqing Municipality,huge change of land use model,mainly embodied in the unceasing increase of construction land and gradual decrease of agricultural use land,has taken place in recent years. To explore the eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,Qianjiang District was chosen as the study object in the present study. Via analyzing the changes in land use model,we found that related eco-environment restrictive factors mainly regional climatic change,soil texture,hydrological environment as well as soil erosion and land degradation,etc. And based on these results,we further analyzed the effect of land use change on eco-environment and the factors restricting the maintenance of eco-environment and regional development,finally put forward the counter measures for balancing land use and co-environment in mountainous area. The results will be important for the development of social economy and eco-system construction in Qianjiang District.

Effect of coal resources development and compensation for damage to cultivated land in mining areas

The exploitation of coal resources inevitably affects, to different degrees, arable land resources and impacts the socio-economic development in mining areas. Therefore it is of great practical importance to probe the rules of the effect from coal resource exploration on arable land. Suitable and effective measures to compensate for damaged to and loss of arable land resources should be taken on the basis of carrying out green mining and reducing damage to limited arable land resources. We have used GIS in simulating the effect of coal resource exploration on arable land. In light of our simulation of the space-time spectrum, the effect is analyzed. Given the socio-economic development conditions of a mining area, specified rational amounts and opportunities for compensation to arable land in mining areas are explored. Finally, from a policy perspective, relevant proposals for rational arable land resource compensation are proposed to facilitate the coordinated development between coal resource exploitation and socio-economy development in mining areas.

Quantitative Simulation of Dynamic Changes in Cultivated Land in Areas of Reclamation and Returning Cultivated Land to Forest or Pastures under RCPs Climate Scenarios

Northeast China as one of important agricultural production bases is an area under reclamation and returning cultivated land to forests or pastures. Therefore, it is of great practical significance in guaranteeing the sustainable development and national food security to study the spatial and temporal variation of cultivated land in Northeast China under future climate scenarios. In this study, based on data of land use, natural environment and social-economy, dynamics of land system（DLS） model was used to to simulate the spatial distribution and changing trends of cultivated land in the typical areas of reclamation and returning cultivated land to forest or pastures in Northeast China during 2010-2030 under land use planning scenario and representative concentration pathways（RCPs） scenarios quantitatively.The results showed that the area of cultivated land had an overall decreasing trend under the land use planning scenario, but the area of upland field increased slightly from 2000 to 2010 and then declined greatly, while the area of paddy field continuously declined from 2000 to 2030. Under the Asia-Pacific Integrated model（AIM）scenario, the total area of cultivated land had a tendency to increase considerably,with the upland field expanding more obviously and the paddy field declining slightly.In addition, the cultivated land showed a greater decreasing trend under the model for energy supply strategy alternatives and their general environmental impact（MESSAGE） scenario compared to the land use planning scenario. Moreover, analysis on the conversion between different land use types indicated that the reclamation and returning cultivated land to forests or pastures was likely to continue under future scenarios, but the frequency of occurrence could decrease as the time goes by. The conclusions can provide significant decision-making information for the rational agricultural planning and cultivated land protection in Northeast China to adapt to the climate change.

Forces Driving Changes in Cultivated Land and Management Countermeasures in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area,China

The Three Gorges project accelerates economic development in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area.This paper aimed to investigate the distribution,changes and features of cultivated land in this area,analyze the forces driving the changes in cultivated land area,and propose the countermeasures for cultivated land management.Transition matrix was used to analyze the features of cultivated land changes,and quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis were adopted to research the driving forces according to the features of cultivated land changes.Cultivated land in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area mainly lay to the northwest of the Yangtze River,especially the upper reaches.The areas of cultivated land increased from 1996 to 1999,then decreased from 2000 to 2006,and finally increased again from 2007 to 2009.The important forces driving changes in cultivated land included government policies,employment and food security,increasing construction land,agriculture structure adjustment,land rearrangement,inundation.During cultivated land management,firstly,it is necessary to insist on the principle of cultivated land protection,standardize land exploitation and strictly restrict the transformation of cultivated land into non-farming land.Secondly,land rearrangement must be implemented,which can not only increase the area of the cultivated land,but also improve the quality of the cultivated land.Thirdly,it is feasible to intensify eco-agriculture construction to increase the quantity and quality of cultivated land.Fourthly,it is helpful to improve the traditional agriculture production methods to promote cultivated land quality.Lastly,it is important to propagandize cultivated land protection and realize the enormous pressure of cultivated land shortage,making more people obligated to protect cultivated land.

Suitability evaluation for land reclamation in mining area:A case study of Gaoqiao bauxite mine

Suitability evaluation plays an important role in land reclamation because the choice of evaluation methods affects the accuracy and objectivity of the suitability evaluation results. Furthermore, it influences the decision-making related to land reclamation. An improved method, which is called limit comprehensive conditions method, was developed after different suitability evaluation methods were studied. Based on this method, the reclaimed land of the Gaoqiao bauxite mining area was evaluated. The Gaoqiao mining area was divided into seven evaluation units that were evaluated respectively by selecting evaluation factors and establishing grade standards. The results show that the proposed method is more applicable and easier to handle. Moreover, its evaluation results are more scientific compared with the traditional evaluation methods. The improved method can be beneficial to the rapid monitoring and the effective management of reclaimed land in the opencast mine area.

Land Use of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area and the Effect on Its Landscape Pattern in the Recent 50 Years

The paper makes detailed analysis on the changing processes of the main types of land use in Three Gorges Reservoir Area through the techniques of RS （Remote Sense） and GIS （Geography Information System）. Based on the theory of landscape ecology, many types of landscape pattern indexes are calculated and made correlation analysis. The results indicate that： in 1995 the ecological environment of Three Gorges Reservoir Area was the most vulnerable in the recent 50 years, but resumed in 2002; the landscape pattern diversity index, fractal dimension index and fragmentation index has close correlation with the area of land use/cover change （LUCC）. The research also releases that the increase of the cultivated land, grassland and construction land deteriorates the landscape ecological pattern, while the increase of forest land area will help restore the landscape ecological pattern to its original state. The rapid change of grassland is an important index of the change of landscape pattern, because it has the most effect on change of landscape pattern index.

Satellite monitoring of land-use and land-cover changes in northern Togo protected areas

Remote-sensing data for protected areas in northern Togo, obtained in three different years （2007, 2000, and 1987）, were used to assess and map changes in land cover and land use for this drought prone zone. The normalized difference vegetation index （NDVI） was applied to the images to map changes in vegetation. An unsupervised classification, followed by classes recoding, filtering, identifications, area computing and post-classification process were applied to the composite of the three years of NDVI images. Maximum likelihood classification was applied to the 2007 image （ETM＋2007） using a supervised classification process. Seven vegetation classes were defined from training data sets. The seven classes included the following biomes： riparian forest, dry forest, flooded vegetation, wooded savanna, fallows, parkland, and water. For these classes, the overall accuracy and the overall kappa statistic for the classi- fied map were 72.5% and 0.67, respectively. Data analyses indicated a great change in land resources; especially between 1987 and 2000 proba- bly due to the impact of democratization process social, economic, and political disorder from 1990. Wide-scale loss of vegetation occurred during this period. However, areas of vegetation clearing and regrowth were more visible between 2000 and 2007. The main source of confusion in the contingency matrix was due to heterogeneity within certain classes. It could also be due to spectral homogeneity among the classes. This research provides a baseline for future ecological landscape research and for the next management program in the area.

On the Capitalization of Land Resources in Rural Areas in China

The capitalization of land resources in rural areas is good for the transforming of agricultural management method,carrying out the process of urbanization,alleviating lack of funds for construction in rural areas and further guarantee farmers’rights.However,in the process of capitalization of land resources in rural areas in China,problems such as ambiguity of land property right,inaccuracy of the appraisal of the investment in land,imperfectness of the related supporting system and non-fluency of land resources circulation in rural areas and so on still exist,which need the support from governments of all levels to actively explore and survey,taking such actions as carrying out land registration,establishing a scientific and normative price appraisal system for land resources,improving the system of registration as a legal person,increasing subsidies,improving taxation reducing policy,forming the diversified rural financial system,setting up and improving the land resources circulation market in rural areas and so on.

Empirical Study on Factors Influencing Farmland Circulation in Economically Developed Areas

Farmland circulation is the foundation of development of regional farmland market.With the aid of survey data of Jiangsu Province and using Heckman two-stage method,this paper analyzed factors influencing farmland circulation from supply and demand of land.Results showed that non-agricultural employment,social security level,and regional economic development level are key factors.In view of these factors,it is recommended to improve rural labor quality,establish perfect rural social security system,and constantly improve rural security level,which are fundamental ways to promoting farmland circulation and improve circulation market.

Countermeasures and Investigation of Land Circulation in Less Developed Agricultural Area of Henan Province,China

Some places in Henan Province are investigated by using sample surveys and interviews. Result shows that land circulation in less developed agricultural area of Henan Province has the characteristics of small scale,single form,short period,and circulation land in economic core region. Problems in land circulation are as follows:slow transfer of rural surplus labor force,hard implementation of fundamental land circulation,complicated mentality towards rural land circulation,many misgivings about land circulation,the unformed social service system of land circulation,and imperfect agricultural risk prevention mechanism for circulated land use. Based on the characteristics of land circulation,suggestions for promoting the land circulation of less developed agricultural areas are put forward in order to solve the problems in land circulation and to lay the foundation for effective implementation of land circulation,such as speeding up the development of urbanization,developing the circulation of collective land,effectively implementing the laws and regulations of rural collective land circulation,transferring land according to law,establishing market mechanism of agricultural land circulation,promoting the agricultural industrialization,establishing market mechanism of agricultural land circulation,promoting the agricultural industrialization,energetically readjusting rural industrial structure,and developing economy with local characteristics.

Modeling the relationship of land use change and some geophysical indicators for the interlock area of farming and pasturing in China

This paper discusses land-use changes in the interlock area of farming and pasturing (IAFP) in northern China. It presents detailed analyses of land-use features in the IAFP, which are controlled by the macro geomorphic units and geophysical conditions-constraints or advantages. Additionally, it selects some indicators, according to the availability in acquiring and processing their quantitative data, to analyze the canonical correlations between the typical conversion of grassland and geophysical conditions. The preliminary study indicates that the physical conditions are of great advantages to the development of grassland. There exists significant correlation between land use change and some geophysical conditions.

The sea/land breeze in the northern coastal area of Shandong Peninsula

In this paper the seasonal variation and structural characteristics of the sea/ land breeze in the northern coastal area of' Shandong Peninsula are studied in two ways: one is the analysis of the observed wind data, and the other is numerical simulation and experiments. Firstly, the hour to hour wind data through the year 1984 at Longkou Meteorological Station and Yantai Oceanographic Station are analysed through energy spectra and hodograph. It is revealed from the analysed results that the effects of the sea/ land breeze in the area are notable in spring, summer and fall, especially in May. However, in winter the effects of sea / land breeze are not obvious. because the cold noitherly is prevailing. Secondly, a two-dimensional non- linear model of primitive equations is used to study the sea / land breeze circulation in May in the area. The results of numerical simulation consist basically with the analysed results of the observed sea / land breeze. A reasonable theoretical structure of the sea / land breeze circulation is displayed, and a new undeerslanding of the developmental mechanism of land breeze circulation in that area is obtained. Lastly, numerical experiments about the effects of large scale wind and temperature fields upon the sea / land breeze circulation are performed.