Regional warming induced by urban surface expansion in Shanghai

To detect the impacts of urban surface expansion on surface air temperature at 2-m（SAT） in Shanghai, China, nested numerical integrations based on satellite-derived urban data between the 1980 s and 2010 s were performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting（WRF） model. Urban surface expansion induced an annual-averaged warming of 0.31 °C from 1980 to 2016 across the whole of Shanghai, showing the greatest intensity between 2010 and 2016. The values were 0.36, 0.78, and 0.75 °C over grids that were classified as urban in both time periods（U2 U）, landuse grids that changed from non-urban to urban（N2 U）, and urban areas（including U2 U and N2 U）, respectively, and revealed weak warming over the inner-ring areas because the urban surfaces had been there since the 1980 s, whereas warming areas were coincident with the outward expansion of the urban surface. Meanwhile, marked seasonal variations could be detected, which were greater in spring and summer but less in autumn and winter. The approximately homogenously distributed SAT maximum（weaker） and heterogeneously SAT minimum（stronger） contributed to the decreased diurnal temperature range. Regional warming induced by urban surface expansion was approximately 0.12 °C per decade, which accounted for 19% of the overall warming across the whole of Shanghai. The values were 0.11 °C per decade and 0.39 °C per decade over U2 U and N2 U, which accounted for approximately 17% and 42% of the overall warming, respectively, and resulted in approximately 41% of the overall warming over urban areas.

Regional Warming by Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone:A Review of Progresses and Research Challenges in China

Black carbon （BC） aerosol and tropospheric ozone （O3） are major air pollutants with short lifetimes of days to weeks in the atmosphere. These short-lived species have also made significant contributions to global warming since the preindustrial times （IPCC, 2013）. Reductions in short-lived BC and tropospheric O3 have been proposed as a complementary strategy to reductions in greenhouse gases. With the rapid economic development, concentrations of BC and tropospheric O3 are relatively high in China, and therefore quantifying their roles in regional climate change is especially important. This review summarizes the existing knowledge with regard to impacts of BC and tropospheric O3 on climate change in China and defines critical gaps needed to assess the climate benefits of emission control measures. Measured concentrations of BC and tropospheric O3, optical properties of BC, as well as the model estimates of radiative forcing by BC and tropospheric O3 are summarized. We also review regional and global modeling studies that have investigated climate change driven by BC and tropospheric O3 in China; predicted sign and magnitude of the responses in temperature and precipitation to SC/O3 forcing are presented. Based on the review of previous studies, research challenges pertaining to reductions in short-lived species to mitigate global warming are highlighted.

Spatial and temporal change patterns of freeze-thaw erosion in the three-river source region under the stress of climate warming

The three-river source region(TRSR), located in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, suffers from serious freeze-thaw(FT) erosion in China. Considering the unique eco-environment and the driving factors of the FT process in the TRSR, we introduce the driving force factors of FT erosion(rainfall erosivity and wind field intensity during FT period) and precipitation during the FT period(indicating the phase-changed water content). The objective was to establish an improved evaluation method of FT erosion in the TRSR. The method has good applicability in the study region with an overall precision of 92%. The spatial and temporal changes of FT erosion from 2000 to 2015 are analyzed. Results show that FT erosion is widely distributed in the TRSR, with slight and mild erosion being the most widely distributed, followed by moderate erosion. Among the three sub-regions, the source region of the Yellow River has the slightest erosion intensity, whereas the erosion intensity of the source region of Yangtze River is the most severe. A slight improvement can be observed in the condition of FTerosion over the whole study region from 2000 to 2015. Vegetation coverage is the dominant factor affecting the intensity of FT erosion in the zones with sparse vegetation or bare land, whereas the climate factors play an important role in high vegetation coverage area. Slopes>28° also have a significant effect on the intensity of FT erosion in the zones. The results can provide a scientific basis for the prevention and management of the soil FT erosion in the TRSR.

Experimental culture of non-indigenous Juncus bufonius from King George Island, South Shetland Island, Antarctica

Juncus bufonius L. （Juncaceae） is recognized by the US Department of Agriculture as a weed or invasive plant. Recently, we reported on 3i bufonius L. var. bufonius associated with the native vascular plants Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis in the environs of the Polish Arctowski Station, King George Island, in the Maritime Antarctica. In this study, we evaluated the developmental stages and morphological characteristics of J. bufonius plants cultivated in controlled conditions beginning with seeds obtained from plants of the Antarctic population. Germination occurred at 3 weeks and the germination percentage was low （22.5%）. The average time between the anthesis and seed formation was 7 weeks, similar to that reported for other species in the Juncaceae. According to data reported in the literature, Antarctic individuals were significantly smaller than their relatives growing in other conditions, except for the number of inflorescences. The morphological characteristics of a species vary according to its distribution and the edaphoclimatic environment where it occur; cosmopolitan plants shuch as J. bufonius also have reduced stature in cold environments. The low percentage germination may have been due to water availability in the plant chamber in which the study was conducted. J. bufonius is intolerant of dry environments, and once it suffers hydric stress its recovery is very low; thus, a moister environment could be beneficial. J. bufonius has become established amongst native vegetation near Arctowski Station and without careful control or eradication; it may have the potential to spread far beyond the site, as has happened with the alien grass Poa annua as human disturbance and climate warming increase.

Evaluation of Seasonal Changes in Temperature and Precipitation for Iran Five Provincial Centres during 1960-2017

Climate change is one of the key challenges of our era and it is a threat to sustainable development. Global warming has many meteorological consequences including rising air temperatures across the world. Undoubtedly, human activity has been one of the key factors to global warming followed by increased greenhouse gas emissions which will exacerbate changes in the Earth’s climate variables. So, any research work related to the climate around the world including Iran due to climate change may cause to better understand the cause and effect and make a better adaptation. This study investigates the regional warming in five meteorological stations in central provinces of Iran, based on seasonal changes in precipitation and temperatures over the period of 1960-2017 (study period). The seasonal drought severity based on Palmer index during 1960-2005 was used to monitor the drought intensity in the study areas which are in drought risk situation. The classification of drought severity using Palmer index shows the severe drought intensity in Arak, Qom, Semnan, Tehran and Isfahan respectively in all four seasons, especially during fall and summer. The slight changes in the coefficients of seasonal maximum, minimum and mean temperatures have been resulted. According to these results, the highest maximum (minimum) temperature rise has been calculated for Qom (Tehran) station during spring and winter (fall) seasons ~0.44°C (~0.67°C) in a decade during 1960-2017. However, the highest decrease in precipitation over Arak station has been calculated ~13.8 mm in a decade in winter during study period.

Impact of chilling accumulation and hydrogen cyanamide on floral organ development of sweet cherry in a warm region

The microscopic investigation of the floral development of sweet cherry（Prunus avium L. cv. Hongdeng） from a warm winter climate（Shanghai） and cold winter climate（Tai＇an, Shandong Province, China） was conducted to explore the reason of low fruit set. The effect of hydrogen cyanamide（HCN） on floral development under warm winter conditions was also investigated. Trees grown in Shanghai with insufficient chilling accumulation exhibited little difference in the progression of microspore development compared to trees in Tai＇an that accumulated adequate chilling, but showed substantial delays in ovule and embryo sac development. The growth of nucelli did not proceed beyond the macrospore mother cell and macrospore stages with abortion rates of 13, 15 and 45% by 6, 3 and 0 d before full bloom, respectively. These abnormalities in the ovule and embryo sac in the Shanghai-grown trees were eliminated by HCN application. These results suggest that chilling regulates the development of female floral organs in winter dormancy; therefore, insufficient chilling accumulation, causing abnormality of the female floral organs, restricts the cultivation of sweet cherry in warm winter regions. Interestingly, HCN application, which decreased the chilling requirements for Hongdeng, may be a potential strategy for sweet cherry cultivation in warm winter regions.

Climate change and global cycling of persistent organic pollutants:A critical review

Climate warming, one of the main features of global change, has exerted indelible impacts on the environment, among which the impact on the transport and fate of pollutants has aroused widespread concern. Persistent organic pollutants(POPs) are a class of pollutants that are transported worldwide. Determining the impact of climate warming on the global cycling of POPs is important for understanding POP cycling processes and formulating relevant environmental policies. In this review, the main research findings in this field over the past ten years are summarized and the effects of climate warming on emissions, transport, storage, degradation and toxicity of POPs are reviewed. This review also summarizes the primary POP fate models and their application. Additionally, research gaps and future research directions are identified and suggested. Under the influence of climate change, global cycling of POPs mainly shows the following responses.(1) Global warming directly promotes the secondary emission of POPs; for example, temperature rise will cause POPs to be re-released from soils and oceans, and melting glaciers and permafrost can re-release POPs into freshwater ecosystems.(2) Global extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, result in the redistribution of POPs through intense soil erosion.(3) The changes in atmospheric circulation and ocean currents have significantly influenced the global transport of POPs.(4) Climate warming has altered marine biological productivity, which has changed the POP storage capacity of the ocean.(5) Aquatic and terrestrial food-chain structures have undergone significant changes, which could lead to amplification of POP toxicity in ecosystems.(6) Overall, warming accelerates the POP volatilization process and increases the amount of POPs in the environment, although global warming facilitates their degradation at the same time.(7) Various models have predicted the future environmental behaviors of POPs. These models are used to assist governments in comprehensively considering the impact of global warming on the environmental fate of POPs and therefore controlling POPs effectively. Future studies should focus on the synergistic effects of global changes on the cycling of POPs. Additionally, the interactions among global carbon cycling, water cycling and POP cycling will be a new research direction for better understanding the adaptation of ecosystems to climate change.

Causes and effects of spatial and temporal variations of cold period in Chinese oases between 1960 and 2014

Based on daily average temperatures and observation data from 74 meteorological stations in Chinese oases, we calculate five-day（pentad） average temperature ≤0℃ for the start and end pentad as well as pentads of cold period using linear regression analysis, nonparametric Mann-Kendall tests, the Morlet wavelet power spectrum, and correlation analysis. We also analyze spatial and temporal variations and their effects on the start and end pentad as well as pentads of cold period in Chinese oases. Results show that over the last 55 years, the start pentad of cold period has been postponed while the end pentad has been advanced. Overall, the pentads have gradually shortened over time at trend rates that are 0.3 p/10 a, –0.27 p/10 a, and –0.58 p/10 a, respectively. Spatial differences are significant, especially for the Qaidam Basin oasis where the start pentad is the earliest, the end pentad is the latest, and the trend of change is most obvious. Mutation points for the start and end pentad as well as pentads of cold period were observed in 1990, 1998, and 1994, respectively. Of these, the start pentad and pentads of cold period show a periodic cycle, related to atmospheric circulation and El Nino events, while the end pentad exhibits a periodic cycle, related to solar activity. The Tibetan Plateau index（TPI）, the Asian polar vortex area index（APVAI）, and carbon dioxide emissions（CDE） are the main factors affecting cold period in the study area, whereas the South Asian summer monsoon（SASM） index exerts the greatest effect on the Qaidam Basin oasis. The start and end pentad as well as pentads of cold period increase in concert with latitude, longitude, and altitude; in response to these changes, the start pentad is advanced, the end pentad is postponed, and pentads of cold period are gradually extended. Results show that change in latitude is most significant. Overall, the start and end pentad as well as pentads of cold period show clear responses to regional warming, but there are different effects on each.

CLIMATIC FEATURES OF SEA TEMPERATURE OF WARM POOL AND RELATIONSHIP WITH SST OF ITS ADJACENT REGIONS

In this paper,climatic features of sea temperature of western Pacific warm pool and the relationship with sea surface temperature (SST) of its adjacent regions are analyzed based on the observed sea temperature on vertical cross section along 137°E in western Pacific,the monthly mean SST of Xisha Station in South China Sea and the global monthly mean SST with resolution of 1°×1°(U.K./GISST2.2).The results indicate that (1) in a sense of correlation.SST of western Pacific warm pool can represent its sea subsurface temperature from surface to 200 m-depth level in winter,and it can only represent sea temperature from surface to 70 m depth in summer.The sea subsurface temperature anomaly of warm pool may be more suitable for representing thermal regime of western Pacific warm pool.The sea subsurface temperature of warm pool has a characteristic of quasi-biennial oscillation.(2)Warm pool and Kuroshio current are subject to different ocean current systems (3)Furthermore,the relationship between SST of Xisha Station and SST of warm pool has a characteristic of negative correlation in winter and positive correlation in summer,and a better lag negative correlation of SST of Xisha Station with sea subsurface temperature of warm pool exists.(4)Additionally,oscillation structure of sea temperature like “a seesaw” exists in between warm pool and Regions Nino3 and Nino4.January (June) maximum (minimum) sea subsurface temperature anomaly of warm pool may serve as a strong signal that indicates maturity phase (development phase) of La Nina (El Nino) event,it also acts as a strong signal which reveals variations of SST of Regions Nino3 and Nino4.