Agro-Climatic Risks Analysis in Climate Variability Context in Ségou Region

In the Sahel region, the population depends largely on rain-fed agriculture. In West Africa in particular, climate models turn out to be unable to capture some basic features of present-day climate variability. This study proposes a contribution to the analysis of the evolution of agro-climatic risks in the context of climate variability. Some statistical tests are used on the main variables of the rainy season to determine the trends and the variabilities described by the data series. Thus, the paper provides a statistical modeling of the different agro-climatic risks while the seasonal variability of agro-climatic parameters was analyzed as well as their inter annual variability. The study identifies the probability distributions of agroclimatic risks and the characterization of the rainy season was clarified.

Ecological Regionalization of Suitable Trees, Shrubs and Herbages for Vegetation Restoration in the Farming-Pastoral Zone of Northern China

To provide materials for the selection of plant species for vegetation restoration and reconstruction in the farming-pastoral zone in northern China, where the eco-environment has been already deteriorated by over-farming and over-grazing, the suitable trees, shrubs and herbages were examined, screened and identified under the guidance of four principles of taking precedence for ecological conservation, being beneficial to economic production, matching species (trees, shrubs and herbages) with the site, and giving consideration to the integrity of local administrative division. According to the key ecological factors that determine species growth and distribution in the zone, i.e., the lowest daily mean temperature in a year, annual accumulated temperature, and water regimes represented by the moist index, the ratio between annual rainfall and accumulated temperature (>0 degreesC), as well as the soil type influenced by climate, surface substances and landform, the farming-pastoral zone was regionalized into seven parts: ( I) Western Songliao Plain and Da Hinggan Mountain Region; (II) Upper Liaohe River Sandy Region; (III) Mid-Eastern Nei Mongol Plateau and Northwestern Heibei Mountain Region; (IV) Luliang, Taihang and Yanshan Mountain Region; ( V) Ordos Plateau Sandy Region; (VI) Northern Shaanxi to Eastern Gansu Loess Plateau Region; and (VII) Mid Gansu to Eastern Qinghai Plateau Loess Region. And the suitable trees, shrubs and herbages for each region were selected and tabularly introduced in detail.

Study on Regionalization of High Efficiency Eco-agriculture in Eco-economic Zone of Poyang Lake

The high efficient eco-agricultural zone in Eco-economic Region of Poyang Lake was divided into three different areas. 12 indicators including per capita cultivated land,forest coverage,comprehensive utilization rate of straw,the ratio of the effective irrigation area to the arable land,amount of pesticide usage per unit area of arable land,the output value ratio of planting industry,the output value ratio of forestry and fruit industry,the output value ratio of stock farming,the output value ratio of fishery,the proportion of sown area of crop,proportion of sown area of oil plants and the proportion of sown area of vegetable were screened to construct the indicator system of regionalization of high efficient eco-agriculture. The average index values of the high efficient eco-agricultural regionalization of three regions were obtained,the development direction of the efficient eco-agriculture construction of three areas were analyzed according to the natural resources characteristics f eco-agricultural and requirements of high efficient eco-agricultural development of the regions.

Research on Ecological Regionalization of Inland Lake Wetland of Bashang in Hebei Province

An ecological regionalization index system was established for Bashang inland lake wetland based on ecological and environmental factors,with landform,geomorphy,vegetation types and climate as primary indices,micro-landform,vegetation type,soil type,climate,ecosystem types,wetland features and human activities as secondary indices. Based on these index systems,the area was divided into three eco-environment regions and nine sub eco-environment regions. An eco-regional map of Bashang inland lake wetland was drawn by using GIS. The ecological characteristics,existing problems and control measures of each region were described. This study will supply guidance for the construction of local ecological environment and regulation of industrial structure,promoting sustainable development of Bashang inland lake wetland.

Study on Land Use Regionalization in Henan Province

According to the natural ecology and socio-economic conditions in Henan Province, a land use regionalization index system with 6 factors and 24 factor layers was constructed by combining with the characteristics of land use in Henan Province. Expert scoring method was used to determine the weights of the indicators. Based on the similarities and differences of these factors in the index system at county （city, district） levels, hierarchical clustering method was used to make the quantitative analysis to the land use regionalization in Henan Province. And constrastive analysis and qualitative analysis were made to the regionalization scheme by combining with the acutal conditions in the counties （cities, districts）, and finally, Henan Province was classified into 6 regions.

Agro-climatic Resource Zoning in Jiangsu Province

The climatic resource model in Jiangsu Province is established by using multivariate regression from meteorological data set during 1970 to 2008 provided by 70 meteorological stations.By dint of GIS and spatial model of climate resources,the climate resource diagram of Jiangsu Province is designed.Considering the zoning index,the climate resources diagram is superposed and analyzed and thus,the climate resources zoning map generates.Besides,advices are proposed for the direction of agricultural development.

Analyzing Population Density Disparity in China with GIS-automated Regionalization: The Hu Line Revisited

The famous ’Hu Line’, proposed by Hu Huanyong in 1935, divided China into two regions(southeast and northwest) of comparable area size but drastically different in population. However, the classic Hu Line was derived manually in absence of reliable census data and computational technologies of modern days. It has been subject to criticism of lack of scientific rigor and accuracy. This research uses a GIS-automated regionalization method, termed REDCAP(Regionalization with Dynamically Constrained Agglomerative Clustering and Partitioning), to reconstruct the demarcation line based on the 2010 county-level census data in China. The results show that the logarithmic transformation of population density is a better measure of attributive homogeneity in derived regions than density itself, and produces two regions of nearly identical area size and greater contrast in population. Specifically, the revised Hu Line by Hu Huanyong in 1990 had the southeast region with 94.4% of total population and 42.9% of total land, and our delineation line yields a southeast region with 97.4% population and 50.8% land. Therefore, the population density ratio of the two regions is 27.1 by our line, much higher than the ratio of 22.4 by the Hu Line, and thus outperforms the Hu Line in deriving regions of maximum density contrast with comparable area size. Furthermore, more regions are delineated to further advance our understanding of population distribution disparity in China.

Wind speed change regionalization in China(1961-2012)

This research quantitatively recognized the wind speed change using wind speed trend and trend of wind speed variability from 1961 to 2012 and regionalized the wind speed change on a county-level basis.The mean wind speed observation data and linear fitting method were used.The findings suggested that level-I regionalization includes six zones according to wind speed trend value in different regions,viz.Northeast ChinaeNorth China substantial declining zone,EasteCentral China declining zone,Southeast China slightly declining zone,Southwest China very slightly declining zone,Northwest China declining zone,and QinghaieTibetan Plateau slightly declining zone.Level-II regionalization divides China into twelve regions based on trend of wind speed variability and the level-I regionalization results.

Changes in Climate Regionalization Indices in China during 1961–2010

The regionalization of climate in China is based on a three-level classification in terms of lasting days for accumulated temperature （AT）,aridity index,and July mean temperature.Based on daily meteorological observational data from 756 stations,trends and interdecadal variation in indices for classifying temperature zones,moisture regions and climatic subregions in the period 1961-2010 are discussed.Results reveal that the nationwide AT ≥ 10℃C （AT10） and its lasting days are basically increasing,while aridity in northern Xinjiang is decreasing.The increasing trend of July mean temperature in North China is found to be notably larger than in South China.In terms of their national averages,a marked step increase of AT10 and its lasting period,as well as July mean temperature occurred around 1997,while the aridity index presents no such clear change.By comparing regionalization areas for 1998-2010 with those for 1961-97,it is found that the semi-humid,semi-dry and dry regions in the sub-temperate zone,as well as the humid region in the middle subtropical zone,have experienced substantial shrinkage in terms of area.In contrast,the areas of semi-dry and dry regions in the warm temperate zone,as well as the humid region in the south subtropical zone,present drastically increasing trends.Owing to the influence of such step changes that took place in 1997,that particular point in time should be given close attention in future studies regarding the regionalization of climate in China.

Functional regionalization with the restriction of ecological shelter zones： A case of Zhaotong in Yunnan

Ecological shelter zones reconstruction is an ecosystem restoration and conservation project aimed to the ecological safety of nations, regions and basins. Reconstruction of ecological shelter zones of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River became one of the most important tasks of Western Development strategy. This article, taking Zhaotong as an example, studies the functional regionalization of ecological shelter zones. The study supplies a case for functional regionalization of small and medium regions whose main tasks are environment reservation. With the guidance of theories of functional regionalization, and based on the analysis of Zhaotong＇s natural, ecological and socioeconomic factors, the paper suggests five principles for factors selection. These principles include： （1） reversing order evaluation; （2） selecting main factors; （3） keeping the integrality of administrative regions of towns; and （4） making the products acceptable by local government. To analyze spatial status of selected factors, LUCC data in 2002, 1：50,000 relief maps and town-unit socioeconomic statistical data in 2004 are used. RS and GIS tools are also applied to melt traditional and modern geographical methods. This would be useful to functional regionalization research in mountainous areas. As a conclusion, the leading functional regions of ecological conservation or economic development are suggested, respectively. Zhaotong city is divided into two-level functional regions. The first-level includes three leading functional regions and they will lead developing direction of sub-regions. The second-level includes eight sub-regions, which are policy implemented regions, and will supply guidance to Zhaotong＇s ecological shelter zones reconstruction.

Dynamics of Saline-alkali Land and Its Ecological Regionalization in Western Songnen Plain, China

As the important reserve land resources for food production,saline-alkali land should play a significant role to ensure the national food security in the context of global food crisis. The western Songnen Plain is one of main distribution regions of saline-alkali land in China,with great potential in agricultural development. In this study,the extent,transformation,spatial distribution and temporal change of saline-alkali land in the western Songnen Plain during 1954–2005 were investigated by using remote sensing and GIS spatial analysis methods. Saline-alkali land change was detected from a temporal series of topographic maps in 1954,satellite images of Landsat MSS in 1976,Landsat TM/ETM in 1988,2000 and 2005 through artificial visual interpretation. The results indicated a significant expansion in saline-alkali land area and aggravation in salinization. The area of saline-alkali land had increased from 401.48×103 ha in 1954 to 1 097.45×103 ha in 2005. While the ratio of light,moderate and serious salinized land areas changed from 6.72︰2.92︰1.00 to 1.25︰1.06︰1.00 in the study period. Grassland,cropland,swampland and water body were the major land use and land cover types from which saline-alkali land transformed. And the secondary salinization occured mainly in Da′an City,Tongyu County,Changling County,Daqing City,Dorbod Mongolian Autonomous County and Zhaoyuan County. Finally,seven large ecoregions and 14 corresponding sub-ecoregions were delineated out based on spatio-temopral dynamic characteristics of saline-alkali land and geo-relational environmental attributes. According to the results,measures of amelioration and ways of development of saline-alkali land in the western Songnen Plain were put forward.

Uranium Metallogenic Regionalization and Resource Potential in China

This paper is comprehensively involved in main types of uranium deposits and their general metallogenic characteristics, metallogenic fields, provinces, regions and belts, and uranium resources potential evaluation. Generally speaking, there are favorable conditions and good uranium resources potential for uranium mineralization in China.

The Utilizing of Agro-climatic Resources and Preventing Measures of Meteorological Disasters in Fushun

Based on the meteorological data in Fushun,Qingyuan and Xinbing from 1961 to 2008,the status quo of major agro-climatic resources in Fushun were analyzed.The abundant rainfall,sufficient sunshine and rich thermal resources were suitable for the development of modern agricultural production.The specific measures of effective use of climate resources were put forward according to geographical location and climatic characteristics of Fushun.The advantages of agro-climate resources were exerted for large edible fungi industry;effective accumulated temperature was applied for adjustment of plantation structure;three-dimensional agriculture in the mountainous area was developed vigorously.The main types of meteorological disasters constraining agricultural development in Fushun and their hazards were summarized,including droughts,floods,hail,etc.In addition,some scientific preventing measures of meteorological disaster were proposed.

A preliminary study on the theory and method of comprehensiveregionalization of cryospheric services

As one of the five most important spheres affecting climate systems globally, the cryosphere not only exerts crucial impacts on natural environment, but also plays a key role in guaranteeing the goods and services provision of the oasis in the cold and arid regions. However, there is a lack of synthesized knowledge about the contributions and profitability on socio-economic aspects of the cryospheric services (CSs). To cope with this key and urgent sustainable development issues, this study constructs a comprehensive regionalization research system that integrates the natural and socio-economic aspects for cryospheric characteristics with emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches. Guided by the supply- demand equilibrium model and the service maximization model, the research system consists of establishing a classification system for CSs, identifying the spatial distribution pattern of CSs, and constructing the comprehensive regionalization of CSs, which finally divides the research area into relatively independent, complete, and organically linked CS units of multiple spatial levels. By setting up a bridge between the CSs with socio-economic needs, it has profound and practical significance and implications for implementing the sustainable utilization strategies and macroeconomic policymaking for global environmental protection.

SNOW HAZARD REGIONALIZATION IN CHINA

For the zoning of snow hazard in China, on the principles of (a) comprehensive analysis integrated with dominant factors, (b) multi-level division, and (c) serving the agriculture and stock-raising, transportation and communication, we first classified China into two large zones according to the situation of snow or no snow distribution. Secondly, based on the climate and landform, properties of snow cover and main features of snow hazard, the large zone of snow hazard can be classified into three second-level regions. In order to obviously reflect the difference of snow cover quantity and snow hazard type as well as hazardous degree, twenty subregions (third-level) of snow hazard are further divided in detail. In addition, the boundaries and the principal features of the differences between the various snow hazard regions are provided.

Nature and theoretical foundation of ecoregionalization:a case study in China

The increasing relevance and importance of zoning regional biotic factors and environmental variables to scientists and management agencies are fully introduced. Comprehensive research into regional differentiation of ecosystems, nevertheless, remains comparatively neglected. A rounded eco-regionalization System in terms of regional ecosystem properties and distribution can supply powerful tools for rational and sustainable utilization of natural resources, solution of regional environmental problems, and conservation of biodiversity. In this paper, ideas on nature, theoretical foundation and methods available to eco-regionalization are presented Finally, a new ecoregionalization system of China based on specific principles of ecological division is prepared.

Regionalization of wheat powdery mildew oversummering in China based on digital elevation

Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, the pathogen that causes wheat powdery mildew, is one of the most important diseases affecting wheat production in China, and the oversummering is the key stage of wheat powdery mildew epidemic. The more oversummering regionalization of wheat powdery mildew has played an important role in disease prediction, prevention and control. In this study, we analyzed the correlation between oversummering data of wheat powdery mildew and the meteorological factors over the past years, and determined that temperature was the key meteorological factor influencing oversummering of wheat powdery mildew. The average temperature at which wheat powdery mildew growth was terminated(26.2°C) was used as the threshold temperature to regionalize the oversummering range of wheat powdery mildew. This regionalization was done using the GIS ordinary kriging method combined with the Digital Elevation model(DEM) of China. The results showed that annual probability of oversummering region based on Model 26.2 were consistent with the actual survey of the more summer wheat powdery mildew. Wheat powdery mildew oversummering regions in China mainly cover mountainous or high-altitude areas, and these regions form a narrow north-south oversummering zone. Oversummering regions of wheat powdery mildew is mainly concentrated in the high-altitude wheat growing areas, including northern and southern Yunnan, northwestern Guizhou, northern and southern Sichuan, northern and southern Chongqing, eastern and southern Gansu, southeastern Ningxia, northern and southern Shaanxi, central Shanxi, western Hubei, western Henan, northern and western Hebei, western Liaoning, eastern Tibet, eastern Qinghai, western Xinjiang and other regions of China.

Ecological function regionalization of fluvial corridor landscapes and measures for ecological regeneration in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River, Xinjiang of China

The middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River are currently one of the main regions of ecological restoration in the arid areas of western China.Using the principles and method of landscape ecology,this study has chosen the fluvial corridor landscape in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River,and discusses the region’s ecologically functional regionalization system and issues related to its practical classification.On this basis the corresponding regionalizing principles and standards were developed which were used to qualitatively divide the three main landscapes as the ecologically functional areas in the drainage basin.The paper has also analyzed the characteristic of the study areas,and has put forward the measures for its ecological restoration.

Land Use Regionalization of Rural Settlements in China

This paper compartmentalizes regional land use of rural settlements in China by employing a hierarchical clustering method.The statistic data are sourced from the National Bureau of Statistics of China(NBSC) and the data of land use change from the Ministry of Land and Resources of China(MLRC).The population of rural settlement decreases from the southeast to the northwest of China and the density of rural settlement decreases from the east to the west of China.Land-use scale of rural settlement,the proportion of one-storey houses and the average household area decrease from the north to the south of China.The ratio of area of cultivated land to rural settlement is high in the northeast and southwest of China but low in the southeast of China.The land use regionalization of rural settlement can be divided into four regions,namely:the northern region of China,Qinghai-Tibet,Yunnan-Guizhou,and the middle and eastern region of China.The northern region of China and the middle and eastern region of China can be further divided into nine sub-regions:Xinjiang,Northeast China,Ningxia and Inner Mongolia,North China,the south of the Changjiang(Yantze) River and Sichuan Basin,Jiangsu-Shanghai,South China,the Loess Plateau,and Guangxi.In consideration of the significant regional differences,it is proposed that different policies should be implemented regarding the utilization and management of rural settlements.

QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION AND REGIONALIZATION OF TOURISM RESOURCES IN GUANGXI

Since the 1970s foreign and Chinese scholars have researched into quantitative evaluation of tourism resources by mathematical method early or late and made great progress. Guangxi is in the south of China and rich in tourism resources with picturesque scenery. In this paper, Guangxi's tourism resources are quantitatively evaluated by method of analytic hierarchy process. Firstly a modular tree of quantitative evaluation for tourism resources of Guangxi is set up and weighted values of evaluative factors are defined by method of consulting experts. On the basis of a great amount of data from investigation, synthetic evaluation indexes and their order of tourism resources of 22 cities and counties in Guangxi are calculated. Then, the tourism resources of Grangxi are divided into 6 regions and their development orientations are described by a combination of quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis. The study would be helpful to the exploitation of tourism resource of Guangxi.